81 full metal fridays ebook

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Installment 1, Week1:

RaIdeRs on the hIgh seasBy Matt Goetz • art By Brian Snoddy

Known for their ferocity and fighting prowess, the Satyxis are the source of many grisly stories told in ports along the Broken Coast. Those in the service of the Cryxian Black Fleet take great joy in preying on the navies of the Iron Kingdoms. Guided by ancient traditions of plunder and bloodshed, these blighted fiends are as deadly as they are merciless.

Whether a ship-borne raider or a wielder of enigmatic blood magic, a Satyxis is a terrifying sight to any who makes his living on the sea. While very few who encounter the Satyxis escape with their lives, the stories of those rare survivors describe the immense ferocity, bravery, and wickedness of these fell women of the waves.

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. We’re celebrating with a series of free weekly RPG content we call Full Metal Fridays! You’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For the first month of Full Metal Fridays we are diving into a subject near and dear to our hearts: the sea.

Check back every Friday for new Iron Kingdoms RPG content!

Women of the Sea

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Satyxis are fearsome women from the island of Satyx, a legendary place hidden somewhere among the fog-shrouded Scharde Islands. Theirs is an ancient race, known for its cruelty and skill in combat. Once they were human, but for over a thousand years they have been known as the foremost living servants of Lord Toruk. They are easily distinguished by the twisted horns growing from their skulls, a physical manifestation of the dragon blight that transformed their race.

Some mainlanders think the Satyxis’ form is connected to Toruk, but this blight originates from a different dragon, now deceased. In 1650 BR, over six centuries before the founding of Cryx, the Dragonfather battled the white dragon Shazkz in the skies over Satyx. Though Shazkz tried to defend himself, Toruk savaged the lesser dragon and consumed his essence. Blighted blood rained down on the island. The lands were corrupted and changed, the sands poisoned, and the men of Satyx withered into malformed husks. The women of the island, though, changed in different ways. They became something inhuman, growing their characteristic horns and having their already heightened cruelty twisted and refined into something truly terrifying. When Toruk came to claim the island as part of his domain, the Satyxis queen was quick to join the fate of her people to the great dragon, offering him warriors and worship. From that day forward, many skilled Satyxis raiders have sailed among Cryxian pirate fleets as sea reavers. Their society is inextricably bound up in blood rituals and cycles of predation upon those living on the mainland, making them feared and despised by the majority of non-Cryxians. Satyxis are killed on sight in most mainland towns and cities and are treated warily even in those few pirate dens where they are sometimes seen.

Archetypes: Gifted, Mighty, Skilled

Languages: Satyxis start the game with three languages: Satyxi, Scharde, and one other they have picked up in their travels. Satyxi is generally used only for communication between Satyxis and in rituals and is not widely spoken.

Height: 55–69 inches (not including horns)

Weight: 100–160 pounds

Additional Characteristics:

• Satyxis with the Gifted archetype cannot have the Arcane Mechanik or Arcanist careers.

• A Satyxis must be female.

• Horns: In addition to her normal attacks, a Satyxis can make one unarmed melee attack with her horns during each of her turns. This attack uses the Unarmed Combat skill and is POW 3. On a critical hit, the target is knocked down. If a Satyxis uses her horns to make a knockout strike that damages her target, add +2 to the target number to avoid the knockout.

satyxIs

STARTING VALUE

PHY 5

SPD 6

STR 5

AGL 3

PRW 4

POI 3

INT 3

ARC *

PER 3

HERO LIMIT

VET LIMIT

EPIC LIMIT

7 8 8

7 7 7

6 7 8

5 6 7

5 6 7

4 5 6

5 6 7

4 6 7

5 6 7

satyxIs

Copyright 2001-2013 Privateer Press, inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, Trollbloods, Trollblood, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, warjack, warcaster, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

1

Installment 1, Week 2:

Blood and PlunderBy Jason soles

Though known for their cruelty and vicious blood magic, along the shores of the Broken Coast Satyxis are most infamous for the lightning raids they conduct on the fleets of the Iron Kingdoms. The following career allows you to play as one of the fierce raiders of a Satyxis crew.

RaideRAmong the bloodthirsty Satyxis serving the Cryxian Black Fleet, none are more feared than the cruel raiders. Vicious reavers born to ride the waves, they strike relentlessly wherever their masters and the fates bid them. These merciless raiders are well versed in the use of wicked chain whips crafted to flay flesh from bone and inflict pain across the mystical tethers that bind steamjacks to their warcasters. The mainland’s defenders have learned to dread the terrible sound of Satyxis war horns, for soon raiders emerge from fog-shrouded darkness to rip apart any who stand against

them before stealing away with their plunder and captives bound for the slave pits of Blackwater.

Satyxis raiders are no mere pirates. Behind their savagery are ancient rituals and rites drawn from the very foundation of their race. The raiders, like all Satyxis, are accustomed not only to slaughter but also to the arcane. They regularly look to the visions and portents of the witches among their number to guide them toward their next prey.

Playing a Raider: Satyxis Raiders are skilled melee fighters specializing in the use of their lacerator whips. They are also quite capable of using their natural horns to lethal effect, and their unarmed capabilities should not be underestimated. The Raider career pairs well with the Pirate career, granting the character access to a number of useful abilities such as Waylay, which increases the effectiveness of a Satyxis’ horns in her attempts to knock out a victim. It is also worth keeping in mind that a Raider’s

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. We’re celebrating with a series of free weekly RPG content we call Full Metal Fridays! You’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For the first month of Full Metal Fridays we are diving into a subject near and dear to our hearts: the sea.


Blood and Plunder

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life is a constant struggle, and only the most ruthless and bloodthirsty rise to command. Additionally, Satyxis have a powerful affinity for the arcane. A player wishing to play a leader among the Satyxis should consider taking Military Officer, Sorcerer, or Warcaster as her second career.

As the character gains experience she will grow more deadly in the use of her favored weaponry and defensive capabilities. At the Veteran level, a Raider has the potential to inflict truly thunderous blows with her horns with the Ram ability.

Note, however, that the Satyxis are feared and truly hated by the mainlanders they have preyed upon for centuries. This animosity runs deep, and virtually anywhere outside the Scharde Islands Satyxis will be attacked on sight. As a result, while Satyxis characters can make excellent antagonists, they are extremely difficult player characters to work into games set outside the confines of the Nightmare Empire.

New abilitiesBoardIng actIon

Prerequisite: Jumping 1

A character with Boarding Action can use the Jumping skill to make a long jump as a quick action instead of a full action after making a full advance.

ram

Prerequisite: Unarmed Combat 3

When this character hits an enemy with her horns, the enemy is knocked down and can be pushed 1˝ directly away from this character. If the enemy is pushed, this character can immediately advance directly toward him, up to the distance that enemy was pushed.

Starting abilitieS, ConneCtionS, and

SKillS

Special: A character starting with the Raider career must choose Cutthroat, Duelist, Gun Mage, Military Officer, Pirate, Pistoleer, Ranger, Sorcerer, or Warcaster for her other career.Abilities: Specialization (Lacerator)Connections: Connections (Black Fleet)Military Skills: Hand Weapon 1 and Unarmed Combat 1Occupational Skills: Intimidation 1, Jumping 1, Sailing 1, Swimming 1

Starting aSSetS Lacerator, Leather Armor

RaideR abilitiesAmbush, Battle Plan: Call to Action, Boarding Action (New), Disease Resistance, Gang, Precision Strike, Ram (New), Roll with It, Specialization (Lacerator), Sprint (New)

RaideR ConneCtions Connections (Black Fleet)

RaideR MilitaRy skills Hand Weapon 4, Pistol 3, Thrown Weapon 3, Unarmed Combat 4

RaideR oCCupational skills Command 2, General Skills 4, Navigation 3, Rope Use 4, Sailing 3

RaideR PReRequisites: satyxis

sPrInt

Prerequisite: AGL 6

At the end of this character’s turn, if she destroyed one or more enemy models with melee attacks that turn she can make a full advance.

New Melee weapoNlacerator

Cost: These weapons are never available for sale.Skill: Hand WeaponAttack Modifier: –3POW: 4

Description: Lacerators are the wicked whips of chain favored by the cruel Satyxis raiders. The secrets of the lacerator’s creation are known only to the blood witches among them.

Special Rules: Lacerators are magical reach weapons.

Attacks from lacerators ignore ARM bonuses from bucklers and shields.

On a critical hit, the character hit is knocked down.

When a lacerator damages a bonded steamjack, the steamjack’s controller suffers 1 damage point.

Copyright 2001-2013 Privateer Press, inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, Cygnar, Cryx, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, Trollbloods, Trollblood, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, warjack, warcaster, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

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RIdIng the stoRmBy Matt Goetz

Beyond fending off vicious pirates, trading blows in drunken brawls, and struggling to scrape together enough crowns to buy a hot meal, the sailors of western Immoren face danger from an altogether uncaring source: the very waters of the Meredius on which they ply their trade. Rough storms, powerful tides, and more can destroy a vessel, leaving its hapless crew to struggle against the waves or die a watery death.

The following hazards are designed to increase the danger of your maritime encounters and include rules for situations like explosions below deck and severe weather conditions.

RemIndeRThe rules for Swimming (p. 194) and effects of deep water (p. 222) are found in the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Core Rules book.

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. To celebrate, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For the first month of Full Metal Fridays we are diving into a subject near and dear to our hearts: the sea.


riding the storm

2

Fire Down BelowDescription: While combat rages on the deck of a ship, gunnery crews beneath keep firing, hoping to wreak enough damage to force the enemy vessel to break away from the attack or cause a defending crew to surrender. These shots tear through a ship’s hull and can hit volatile stores of blasting powder or the pressurized boilers that power a ship’s paddle wheels. When this happens, violent secondary explosions erupt up through the deck, throwing great blasts of fire, steam, and shrapnel into the air.

Special Rules: If you decide a shot has hit a volatile location below decks, place a 3, 4, or 5˝ AOE on deck and roll for deviation. If the AOE deviates off the deck of the ship, the shot did not trigger a chain reaction. Otherwise, all characters in the AOE take a POW 8 hit that deals fire damage. The affected area of the AOE becomes rough terrain.

Massive wavesDescription: One of the great dangers of sailing far from the relative safety of the Broken Coast are the massive waves. These walls of water are twice as tall as normal waves, and some grow even higher. Massive waves easily wash over the deck of a ship and sweep away anything not securely strapped to the deck—guns, cargo, and crewmen alike are washed overboard by the force of such waves.

Special Rules: Massive waves are easy to spot at a distance. A character automatically discovers a wave when it is within his PER in turns away. When the wave hits the ship, anything not securely tied down is pushed 1d6˝ in the direction the wave is moving (for instance, if a massive wave washes over the starboard side of a ship, objects are pushed toward the port side). Characters hit by the massive wave must pass a STR + Sailing roll against a target number of 15 to avoid being pushed. If a character is holding rigging, ropes, or other secured objects, he gets a +2 bonus to this roll. Medium- and large-based characters also gain this bonus. A pushed object or character falls overboard if it has less than 1˝ of ground under its base after being pushed.

Copyright 2001–2013 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, warjack, warcaster, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

rough seasDescription: The Meredius is both unforgiving and unpredictable. The pull of Caen’s three moons cause tides of terrifying power, turning the deck of a ship into tilting, shifting terrain of unreliable footing. This combined with a constant spray of ocean water wetting the deck means that simply moving about becomes a challenge and close-in fighting becomes a nightmare. A heaving ship can cause a crewman to veer wildly off course if he doesn’t make careful, measured movements.

Special Rules: Rough seas can be added to any maritime encounter. While engaged in rough seas, characters that move more than 30 feet (5˝) must make an AGL + Sailing roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, nothing happens. If the roll fails, however, the character is pushed d3˝ in a random direction and knocked down.

storM winDsDescription: Winds of terrible force are a common feature of the storms of the Meredius. At its peak, a gale’s force can rip the masts from a ship, particularly if the crew is unable to bring the sails in before they are caught by the storm. Blasts of wind make sight difficult and cause shots to veer wildly off course.

Special Rules: Storm winds can be added to any maritime encounter. While storm winds are in effect, all characters gain +2 DEF against ranged attacks.

1

Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases this summer. To celebrate the book’s release, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will have a theme uniting its releases and conclude with an event using the month’s content that Game Masters can feature in their games. For the first month of Full Metal Fridays we are diving into a subject near and dear to our hearts, the sea.

Check back every Full Metal Friday for new Iron Kingdoms RPG content!


saIlOR take WaRnInG

Heavy sheets of rain lash against the crew on deck, who are working at a desperate pace to pull down the sails before gale-force winds rip the cloth to tatters. The ship pitches underfoot as waves toss the small vessel about like a child’s toy, and large swells break over the gunwale, swamping the deck with ankle-deep seawater. A crewman shouts a warning and points off the starboard side just as a sleek, black-hulled ship plows over the crest of the nearest wave. The dark ship strikes with an earsplitting sound, burying its prow into your boat. Horned warrior women leap onto the deck, shrieking as they cut down the crew.

For the Game masterThe Satyxis of the blackship Hellkite are notorious for rapid strikes. The ship is outfitted with a corroded iron naval ram and barbed boarding planks, allowing the crew to forgo the need to come alongside and grapple an enemy ship. Hellkite simply rams into prey at top speed, imbedding its prow into the target, and drops its planks to allow a bloodthirsty tide of trained Satyxis to rush onto the pinned ship’s deck. This happens so quickly the captain of the boarded vessel begins to comprehend the situation only when he is face-to-face with Meara Brinebight, captain of the Hellkite.

sailor take warning

2

Like all blackships, Hellkite commands its own weather. Because it can summon up storms to swirl around the ship, it is never without enough wind to fill the sails. The only warning an enemy crew has that the Hellkite is about to attack is a sudden foul turn in the weather, marked by dark storm clouds and rough white-flecked waves.

Meara takes great pleasure in striking ships struggling in one of her ship’s storms. While the ships of other nations pull down their sails to avoid snapping their masts in the powerful winds, Meara flies a blue-black spinnaker to harness the storm wind generated by the blackship, trusting in the strength of her ship and the skill of her crew to endure the peril of the storm. Attacking from within this cloak of storms the Hellkite is protected, shielded from the sight of enemy gun crews by heaving waves, sheets of rain, and gale-force winds.

Hellkite’s crew are a cruel and bloodthirsty lot. Wielding pistols, cutlasses, harpoon guns, and lacerators, they take pleasure in carving a path through a ship’s defenders, covering the deck with foam made of blood mixed with seawater.

sailor take WarninGHero-Level Combat Encounter

Encounter Points: 57

Adversaries: Satyxis Raiders (8), Black Ogrun Boarders (2), Captain Meara Brinebight

Additional Factors: Rough Seas, Rogue Waves, Allied Crew

Description: This encounter takes place on the seas anywhere along the Broken Coast. The player characters might be onboard a ship as extra security to guard valuable cargo, traveling as passengers, or (if they are part of a naval adventuring company) simply going about their day-to-day business. Regardless of their reasons for being aboard, the outcome is the same: using the cover of a heavy storm, the Hellkite rams the ship and secures boarding planks its crew uses to swarm onto deck. In the confusion of those first few moments, Captain Brinebight shoots down the captain of the player characters’ ship if he is an NPC, leaving the player characters to direct any defensive efforts.

Special Rules/Tactics: This encounter takes place on the deck of a small single-mast ship and uses the Rough Seas and Massive Waves rules available in last week’s Full Metal Fridays release. The deck is represented by an 18˝ wide by 36˝ long area. Water barrels and rigging points on deck create cover and grant opportunities to gain elevation.

Lacerator

Horns

PoW P+s

PoW P+s

4 10

3 9

This weapon has Reach.





Hand cannon rnG aoe PoW

12 — 12

aBIlItIesskIlls (stat alReady Included)

Climbing 5, Command 6, Intimidation 8, Jump 8, Rope Use 6, Sailing 8, Swimming 8

Battle Plan: Captain’s Orders – This character can spend 1 feat point to use Battle Plan: Captain’s Orders. Using a battle plan is a quick action. For one round, friendly Hellkite raiders that follow the character’s orders roll an extra die for attack rolls and discard the lowest result.

Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat point. She is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of her turns. She can only have up to 1 feat point at a time.

Gang – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy in melee range of another friendly character, this character gains +1 to melee attack and melee damage rolls. When making a melee attack targeting an enemy in melee range of another friendly character with this ability, these bonuses are increased to +2.

Ram – When this character hits an enemy with her horns, the enemy is knocked down and can be pushed 1˝ directly away from this character. If the enemy is pushed, this character can immediately advance directly toward the pushed enemy up to the distance that the character was moved.

Specialization [Lacerator] – This character ignores penalties while fighting with a lacerator (included above).

Command ranGe 6Base size smallenCounter Points 9

SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM

WillPoWER iniTiATivE DETEcT SnEAk

INTE

LLECT

AGILITY

PHYSIQ

U

E

1 2

34

65

sailor take warning

3

cutLass PoW P+s

4 13

If this weapon damages a target with an equal or smaller base, immediately after the attack is resolved the damaged character can be pushed any distance directly toward the character armed with the harpoon.

Harpoon gun rnG aoe PoW

10 — 12

aBilities: Huge Stature – An ogrun can wield a weapon in one hand that usually requires two hands to wield but suffers –2 on attack rolls with that weapon.

Reel In – After pushing a model with the harpoon gun, black ogrun can make one normal melee attack against the model pushed. After resolving this melee attack, the black ogrun can make additional melee attacks during its combat action.

Terror – Black Ogrun cause Terror [12].

Vitality 9Base size medIumenCounter Points 8



aBilitiesskIlls (stat alReady Included)

Climbing 6, Intimidation 7, Rope Use 6, Sailing 6, Swimming 7

Gang – When making a melee attack targeting an enemy in melee range of another friendly character, this character gains +1 to melee attack and melee damage rolls. When making a melee attack targeting an enemy in melee range of another friendly character with this ability, these bonuses are increased to +2.

Vitality 6Base size smallenCounter Points 4



Lacerator

Horns

PoW P+s

PoW P+s

4 10

3 9

This weapon has Reach.





Use a mix of five human thugs and human thieves, with a Sailing skill of 1 (Core Rules, pp. 344–345), to represent the crew of the player characters’ ship. They will fight to defend themselves but will not act otherwise until given direction. A character can attempt a Command skill roll against a target number of 12 to direct the crew’s defensive efforts. If he fails, nothing happens. If he succeeds, the friendly crew will attack targets the chosen by the rolling character’s controller.

The encounter begins when the Hellkite’s crew jumps onto the deck of the ship. Place all of the adversaries on one of the long sides of the PCs’ ship within 1˝ of the starboard edge. The friendly crew is placed randomly across the deck. When combat starts, the Hellkite’s Ogrun fire an opening salvo with their harpoon guns, followed by the Satyxis closing with the nearest targets to engage them with lacerators.

Once two or more of her crew are killed, Captain Brinebight identifies the PCs as the most significant threat on deck, instructs her crew to attack them directly, and moves to engage the closest PC in melee. If over half of her crew dies in the combat, Captain Brinebight uses Captain’s Orders and orders a withdrawal back to her ship. If she is allowed to reach the starboard edge, she returns to the Hellkite and orders a full broadside into the PC’s vessel, causing Fire Down Below. Copyright 2001–2013 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer

Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, warjack, warcaster, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

ROOm tO maneuveRThe deck size of the PCs’ ship can vary depending on the size of your player group and the amount of gaming space you have available. The beam (or width) of the ship is intended to give the characters a bit of breathing room to move around, and the overall length is meant to give the area a generally “ship-like” shape while still fitting into a reasonable area on the table. If you have the space to increase the length of the ship, by all means do so. Many steamships are four to six times as long as they are wide.

1


the art of synthesIsBy Matt Goetz • art By Brian Snoddy

The world of alchemy is one of constant change and experimentation. Although most research is conducted within the stable conditions of the laboratory, occasionally an alchemist must work on the fly, tailoring compounds to suit the needs of the situation. A great deal of advancement in this discipline is the product of field alchemy, spontaneous experimentation that yields immediate results.

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. We’re celebrating with a series of free weekly RPG content we call Full Metal Fridays! You’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. This time around, we take a closer look at something that has played a critical role in shaping the Iron Kingdoms, the art of alchemy.


®

THE ART OF SYNTHESIS

2

fIeld alchemyalkalIc fluId

Description: A quick concoction meant to counteract the adverse effects of alchemical acids, alkalic fluid has saved the lives and possessions of many clumsy alchemists.

Special Rules: The moment the ingredients are combined, select a friendly character in base contact with the alchemist suffering the Corrosion continuous effect. The continuous effect immediately expires.

Brewing Requirements: Alchemy

Ingredients: 1 unit alchemical waste (liquid), 1 unit mineral crystals

Total Material Cost: 4 gc

Alchemical Formula: Creating alkalic fluid can be done without an alchemy lab and requires a character to mix mineral crystals into a vial of alchemical waste. A character must spend a quick action to combine the ingredients and then makes an INT + Alchemy roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, the character creates one unit of alkalic fluid. If the roll fails, the ingredients are lost.

BlackBondDescription: Blackbond is a thick, tarlike substance prized for its adhesive properties.

Special Rules: The moment the ingredients are combined, they create a few ounces of this thick, gummy substance. An object coated with blackbond sticks wherever it makes contact and remains stuck for d3 hours. Sand, soot, and similar substances coating a target surface prevent blackbond from adhering—it sticks to the grime rather than the intended surface. To remove a stuck object, a character must make a STR roll against a target number of 10.


Ingredients: 1 unit alchemical stone, 1 unit organic oil


Alchemical Formula: Creating blackbond can be done without an alchemy lab and requires a character to combine a vial of organic oil with powdered alchemical stone. A character must spend a quick action to combine the ingredients and then makes an INT + Alchemy roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, the character creates one unit of blackbond. If the roll fails, the ingredients are lost.

Copyright 2001–2013 Privateer Press, inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms®, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warcaster, warjack, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

fIrestIfleDescription: Firestifle generates an expanding cloud of foam that quickly smothers flames. Alchemists often keep the ingredients for this compound on hand so that they can use it to prevent accidental fires from spreading out of control within their labs.

Special Rules: The moment the ingredients are combined, place a 3˝ AOE in base contact with the alchemist. Fire continuous effects on characters in the AOE immediately expire and open flames in the AOE are extinguished.


Ingredients: 1 unit alchemical waste (liquid), 1 unit mineral crystals


Alchemical Formula: Creating firestifle can be done without an alchemy lab and requires a character to drop mineral crystals into a vial of alchemical waste. A character must spend a quick action to combine the ingredients and then makes an INT + Alchemy roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, place the firestifle AOE in base contact with the alchemist. If the roll fails, the ingredients are lost.

GlasseaterDescription: Glasseater is thick blue-green grease that dissolves glass into an acrid vapor immediately upon contact.

Special Rules: The moment the ingredients are combined, any glass surface the compound is spread over dissolves into a pale vapor. One unit of glasseater can dissolve three square feet of glass up to a quarter-inch thick.


Ingredients: 1 unit arcane minerals,1 unit mineral acid.


Alchemical Formula: Creating glasseater can be done without an alchemy lab and requires a character to combine powdered arcane minerals with a vial of mineral acid on a surface. A character must spend a quick action to combine the ingredients and then makes an INT + Alchemy roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, the character creates one unit of glasseater. If the roll fails, the ingredients are lost.

1


Clever ConCoCtIonsBy Matt Goetz



New formulas are constantly being tested and refined in alchemist’s workshops throughout western Immoren. Some are tailor-made to the specifications of a single client, while others are the result of an alchemist identifying and attempting to address a common problem. Once a stable alchemical compound has been carefully documented, it is a simple matter for others to reproduce it.

alChemICal ItemslaughIng gasCost: 21 gc

Description: Those wishing to incapacitate a large number of individuals without doing them any physical harm can employ this gaseous compound. When inhaled, the vapor causes its victim to laugh

uncontrollably. The gas causes a deep, hysterical laugh akin to those most often heard from the cells of a lunatic asylum. Individuals under the effects of the gas find most actions extremely difficult while they are wracked with fits of cackling.

Special Rules: Vials of laughing gas can be used as improvised thrown weapons, but due the inaccuracy of thrown glassware and the low cost of reliable grenade housings (see Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Core Rules, p. 297), laughing gas bombs are the preferred delivery method for the substance.

Laughing gas is a gas effect that causes no damage. When a character is exposed to laughing gas, he must make a PHY roll against a target number of 12. If the roll succeeds, nothing happens. If the roll fails, the character is affected by the gas and begins laughing uncontrollably. The character suffers –1 on his attack

Clever ConCoCtions

2


and skill rolls. During each of his Maintenance Phases, the character must make an additional PHY roll. If he passes three of these PHY rolls, the gas has run its course and its effects end.


Ingredients: 1 unit alchemical stone, 1 unit arcane extract, 1 unit organic oil


Alchemical Formula: Brewing laughing gas requires an alchemy lab and two hours of labor spent combining, cooking, and stabilizing the ingredients. At the end of this time, the alchemist makes an INT + Alchemy skill roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the character creates one dose of laughing gas. If the roll fails, he creates one unit of alchemical waste (liquid).

umbroCulant DropsCost: 27 gc

Description: This dark, syrupy liquid is dropped directly into the eyes, coating the corneas with a glassy black sheen. Those under the effects of the substance have a temporarily increased ability to see in low-light conditions.

Special Rules: Administering a dose of this substance requires an eyedropper. A living character exposed to umbroculant drops treats light conditions as one step brighter than normal. For a character under its effects, complete darkness is treated as dim light and dim light is treated as bright light. A dose of umbroculant drops lasts for one hour.


Ingredients: 1 unit mutagenic extract, 1 unit organic oil


Alchemical Formula: Brewing umbroculant drops requires an alchemy lab and one hour of labor spent combining, cooking, and stabilizing the ingredients. At the end of this time, the alchemist makes an INT + Alchemy skill roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the character creates one dose of umbroculant. If the roll fails, he creates one unit of alchemical waste (liquid).

alChemICal equIpmentInjeCtIon pIstolCost: 125 gc

Ammo: 1 (injector)

Effective Range: 4˝ (24 feet)

Extreme Range: —

Skill: Pistol

Attack Modifier: –2

POW: 8

AOE: —

Description: This complicated brass pistol uses a small vial of true air, the alchemical compound used in concussion grenades, to propel an injection dart into a target at range. The injection pistol provides a means of long-range delivery for an alchemist’s creations but is difficult to use and has a very short range.

Special Rules: This weapon deals no damage. A damage roll in excess of a target’s ARM indicates that the injector had sufficient force to puncture armor and deliver the compound contained within it. The target is immediately subject to the effect of the alchemical compound.

An injector can be loaded with any injectable alchemical compound. To be injectable, an alchemical compound must be described as a liquid or contain organic oil, organic acid, or organic toxin in its ingredients.

If a target is hit by an unloaded injector, nothing happens.

It costs 5 gc for a dart and propellant for a single shot. The alchemical compound must be acquired separately.

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Unsafe WorkIng CondItIonsBy Matt Goetz



The interior of an alchemist’s workshop can be disconcerting—if not outright terrifying—to those unfamiliar with the art. Exotic ingredients cover every available surface, bubbling vats of nauseatingly colors occasionally flare with brilliantly colored flame, and great clouds of choking chemicals swirl around the rafters and floorboards, sometimes combining in unpredictable or even catastrophic ways.

Fighting in an alchemist’s workshop is doubly dangerous. Alongside the normal risks present in any battle, such as being shot, stabbed, and concussed, combat in the lab can end with any number of unintended consequences. Stray rounds can impart the necessary shock to detonate a volatile compound, and a careless sweep of the sword might mix dozens of different solutions together. True alchemy requires great care and complex calculation; the accidental combination of acids, poisons, and less-

identifiable distillates presents a danger to everyone in the room.

The following list of potential hazards can be added to any encounter that takes place in an alchemist’s workshop. These rules can also be applied in marketplaces, warehouses, the lair of Thamarite cultists, and anywhere else alchemical compounds can be bought or are regularly used or stored.

alChemIst Workshop hazardsCrUCIbleDescription: Fundamentally, crucibles are vessels that can withstand extreme temperatures. In practice, though, they are much more. A crucible stands at the

Unsafe Working Conditions

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heart of an alchemist’s lab, stoked by a hot fire beneath it. Inside the crucible, ingredients are broken down and recombined, touched with arcane energies that convert them from simple parts into a useful whole.

To outsiders who hold the crucible in slightly less esteem, the crucible can still serve a useful function. It is, after all, still a giant vat of boiling chemicals.

Special Rules: A crucible is represented by a small-, medium-, or large-based model. A character engaged with an enemy within 1˝ of the crucible can attempt to push his opponent into it. Doing so requires the character first grapple his target (Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Core Rules, p. 210). After successfully grappling his target, a character can use a full action to attempt to force his target into the crucible. The characters then make contested STR + Unarmed Combat rolls. If the attacker wins, the character being grappled is pushed 1˝ toward the crucible. If he contacts the crucible, the character suffers a POW 14 corrosion damage roll and the Fire continuous effect. If the grappled character wins or draws, he is not forced into the crucible, although he remains grappled.

dangeroUs mIssDescription: Attacks in the workshop must be carefully aimed to guard against causing unintended chemical reactions. The larger and more elaborate an alchemist’s workshop, the more likely an errant shot or careless close combat attack will have unintended consequences. Bullets might pass through dozens of bottles before hitting a wall, and broad strikes can clear entire workbenches of their contents.

Special Rules: If an attack roll misses while fighting in a lab, roll a d6. On a roll of 3 or higher, nothing happens; either the attack miraculously avoided striking any supplies, or it simply hit those that are nonreactive when combined. On a roll of 1 or 2, a critical combination has occurred. Roll deviation for one 3˝ AOE centered over the character who missed the attack. The AOE is a cloud effect that stays in play for one round. Characters who enter or end their turns in the AOE suffer a POW 8 corrosion damage roll.

tar CandleCost: 5 gc

Description: A common implement in the workshops of upper-echelon alchemists, a tar candle is a long metal housing attached to a compressed reservoir of refined oil, most commonly whale oil. Refined oil is viscous and a deep black color, giving the tar candle its name. A valve controls the expulsion of oil up the housing to a pilot wick, and while open the reservoir provides enough hot flame for hours of work. The tar candle is useful for speeding up the process of alchemical distillation, but one used irresponsibly can throw out gouts of intensely hot, if short-lived, fire. A new, fully fueled tar candle costs

50 gc. It costs 10 gc for the housing and sufficient oil for an extra reservoir.

Special Rules: Using a tar candle as a weapon requires an extra quick action to spin the pressure valve fully open. A tar candle has the following profile:

Ammo: — Effective Range: 18 feet (3˝) Extreme Range: — Skill: Thrown Attack Modifier: –2 POW: 10 AOE: —

Special Rules: This weapon deals fire damage. On a critical hit, targets suffer the Fire continuous effect.

toxIC CloUdDescription: Caustic or poisonous clouds often fill the workplace of an alchemist, the noxious byproducts of their craft. Most alchemists wear gas masks to protect themselves against these gases. Those who don’t take such precautions have short-lived careers marked by consumptive lung diseases and early death.

Special Rules: A toxic cloud can be represented by a 3 ,̋ 4 ,̋ or 5˝ AOE centered over an alchemist’s workbench or some other sufficiently extraordinary piece of equipment. The AOE is a cloud and gas effect that remains in play unless acted on by an outside force, such as a Wind Blast spell or a strong cross-breeze blowing through a broken window. A character must succeed on a Willpower roll against a target number of 12 to enter the AOE. A character who enters or ends his activation in the cloud suffers d3 damage points.

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alchemIcal ImbalanceBy Matt Goetz • art By DaMon Westenhofer anD thorsten Denk



The musty, crumbling building is filled with stacked crates of glassware and complex apparatuses of twisted copper and steel. Deep within the labyrinth of disorganized ingredients and equipment, a foul stink of ammonia and sulfur creates choking fumes that thicken the air. Floating amid the swirling fog is a translucent figure dressed in the attire of an alchemist, flasks and vials orbiting its outstretched hands like the moons of Caen. Suddenly it notices you amid the clutter, glassy eyes snapping down to pin you in place. Behind you the door to this place—the only door—slams shut with a sound of finality, and the specter begins to drift closer.

For the Game masterIn life, Victor di Cavour was an accomplished alchemist of Corvis. He produced alchemical reagents and restoratives

to provide for the needs of his community, using the coins he earned to fund his passion: the study of ancient alchemies, particularly from pages purported to contain information copied from the Crucibilus Synthetatus. Di Cavour hoped to find a key to a means of alchemically extending natural life within the scrawled pages.

Tragically, di Cavour’s work was cut short. He was betrayed and murdered by his apprentice for his notebooks, which contained a significant number of proprietary alchemical preparations. In the aftermath of his violent death, di Cavour’s spirit lingered on in his laboratory, each passing year fracturing his memories and twisting his once-gentle personality into something more clinical and cruel. With his great work unfinished, the specter of di Cavour is caught in a perpetual cycle of attempting to complete his impossible masterpiece.

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The specter of di Cavour retains some of the alchemist’s living memories, but they are fragmented and tainted with a bitter desire for revenge. He does not have a specific target for his revenge; memories of the person responsible for his murder are among those he lost in death. Instead di Cavour lashes out against anyone he feels presents a threat to him or his work. Several refugees new to Corvis have already fallen victim to his wrath, and he has controlled others with his deathly powers to function as assistants and harvesters of supplies. Though it has taken several months, di Cavour’s former home has once again been stocked with all the materials he needs to practice the art of alchemy.

The Order of the Golden Crucible has heard some rather disturbing rumors regarding di Cavour’s recent resurgence. Unwilling to dedicate resources to the investigation the organization has extended the opportunity to mercenaries and investigators in the region. Dealing with di Cavour is one way for unaffiliated alchemists seeking the order’s attention to make their name known — and those simply seeking gold know that the pockets of the order run deep.

encounterthe specter oF alchemyHero-Level Encounter


Adversary: Victor di Cavour

Additional Factors: Alchemical hazards

Description: This encounter involves the characters entering the former home of Victor di Cavour, either at the behest of the Order of the Golden Crucible or to investigate rumors of unnatural activity they have heard on the streets of Corvis. The encounter begins the moment all the PCs enter di Cavour’s home. The specter psychokinetically closes and seals the doors behind the characters before beginning the attack.

The main floor of di Cavour’s home is made up of four smaller rooms and one large laboratory. Each room is filled with alchemical equipment. Shelves covered in bottled solutions create a maze of cover, and dozens of alchemical devices litter the building. Each room of di Cavour’s home is, in effect, a fully stocked alchemical workshop. Each contains several crucibles, stockpiles of supplies, and compounds in the process of refinement.

Special Rules/Tactics: This encounter uses the rules for alchemical hazards presented last week.

Full Metal Fridays 2.3

Player characters and di Cavour alike can use the ingredients found in the five rooms to create any field alchemy compound they desire. Di Cavour also has several

http://privateerpress.com/community/privateer-insider/full-metal-friday-4-19-2013

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shelves of charred books and notes related to his research that give clues to his obsessive yet impossible undertaking.

Di Cavour fights by using his psychokinetic abilities for field alchemy or to hurl alchemical items such as vitriolic fire, acid, and rust agent. There are d3 prepared alchemical items in each of the rooms. Di Cavour distrusts other alchemists due to the nature of his murder, and he focuses attacks on them first. During the encounter he shouts at the characters to leave him to his work, warning them that they will not steal the formulae from him.

Di Cavour phases from room to room within the laboratory to avoid anyone engaging him or to gather a fresh supply of items he can use to attack. If he exhausts his supply of alchemical items, di Cavour uses Dark Influence to make player characters attack each other as often as possible.

Because di Cavour is a specter, he presents the player characters with a much greater challenge if they have no means of dealing with his incorporeality. If they do not already have Ashes of Urcaen prepared, they have a chance to discover a dose of the item within the workshop—likely a dust-covered bottle of the compound refined before di Cavour found himself in his present state. A character can spend a full action to search for a bottle of Ashes of Urcaen. The character makes a Detection skill roll against a target number of 15. If the character is an Alchemist, he gains +2 to his roll. If he succeeds, he discovers the Ashes of Urcaen. If he fails, he does not discover anything in that room. The characters can attempt to search each room once.

abIlItIesskIlls (stat already Included)

Dark Influence – During his turn, di Cavour can use a quick action to control a living character in his command range. Di Cavour can attempt to control a character only once per turn. If the target is in di Cavour’s command range, di Cavour makes a contested Willpower roll against him. If the target wins, nothing happens. If di Cavour wins, he takes control of the character. Di Cavour immediately causes the affected character to make a full advance followed by a quick action or a melee or ranged attack.

feat Point – Di Cavour starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. Di Cavour can have only up to 1 feat point at a time.

Incorporeal – Di Cavour can move through rough terrain, solid objects, and other characters. Blessed weapons affect him normally. Spells and other magical weapons can damage di Cavour but roll one fewer die on damage rolls. No other weapons can harm him.

obsession – Di Cavour is obsessed with the manufacture of alchemical substances, in particular the impossible task of replicating recipes from the Crucibilus Synthetatus. Convincing him of the impossibility of this endeavor is a key to laying his spirit to rest.

Phase – Di Cavour can spend a quick action to immediately be placed anywhere within thirty feet (5˝) of his current location.

Psychokinesis – Di Cavour can manipulate small objects by manifesting psychokinetic energy. He can pick up unattended objects within his command range weighing five pounds or less and move them up to 8˝ as a quick action. He cannot use complex objects (such as the trigger on a gun), but he can break glass, rattle doors, and hurl small objects with surprising force by spending an attack action and making a ranged attack roll. On a hit, di Cavour inflicts damage equal to his STR plus the POW of the object hurled if a weapon in the thrown weapon category, or simply STR + POW 2 for a mundane object.

terror – Di Cavour causes Terror [16].

Undead – Di Cavour is an undead creature and never flees.

command ranGe 6base sIze smallencounter poInts 9



INTE

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VIctor dI caVourVictor di Cavour is the specter of a Llaelese alchemist and currently haunts his former Corvis home.

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Installment 3, Week1:

equIppIng Yourself for an expedItIon

By William “Oz” SchOOnOver

Over the 800 years of their occupation of western Immoren, the Orgoth built many structures, from massive fortress cities to extensive catacombs. Few of these survived the Scourge, but isolated Orgoth tombs and vaults can still be found scattered across the Iron Kingdoms. In addition, even older places of interest exist. Sites from the Thousands Cities era and those originating from Morrdh or other ancient civilizations attract explorers looking for knowledge, wealth, and power.

These vaults contain secrets that have lain undisturbed for hundreds of years. Some of these secrets are very valuable, but all of them are dangerous. Expeditions to search out these sites are launched by a variety of groups, including universities, arcane organizations, and somewhat shadier elements of society.

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. To celebrate, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For the third month of Full Metal Fridays we’re taking a look at the intrepid scholars and other adventurers delving into the remains of history.


Expeditions into ancient ruins require a mix of scholarly knowledge and combat skills and should never be undertaken lightly. Besides the possibility of conflict, explorers might also face myriad other challenges unique to the environment.

gearThe first step to preparing to investigate an ancient location is making sure the group is properly equipped. Most often, a company investigating these sites includes scholars, their assistants, and bodyguards. While the group’s guards carry conventional gear, scholars typically employ more specialized equipment.

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adventurIng scholar’s toolsCost: 15 gc

Description: This small satchel contains the tools of the trade for the adventuring scholar. Inside are brushes and picks for archeological digs, a set of small magnifying glasses, paper and charcoal for taking rubbings, measuring devices, and other items to make the scholar’s job easier.

Special Rules: A character with a set of adventuring scholar’s tools gains +2 to Lore and Research skill rolls when attempting to learn something from an artifact or location he is inspecting.

all-Weather notebookCost: 20 gc

Description: This is a leather-bound journal in a leather slipcase. Both the leather and the paper have been alchemically treated to resist the destructive effects of inclement weather. The pages cannot be written on with regular ink, and the notebook is sold with a supply of all-weather ink. Replacement bottles of this special ink can be bought separately for 5 gc each.

bottled lIghtBottled light (Core Rules, p. 294) can be very useful when exploring any underground structure, as it does not ignite pockets of dangerous gases like a torch or lantern would.

durkIn barCost: 15 gcSkill: Great WeaponAttack Modifier: –2POW: 5

Description: Designed centuries ago by the prominent Rhulic mining clan from whom it takes its name, the Durkin bar has found its way into the equipment of many explorers and thieves. Cast as a single piece of steel incorporating elements of a pick, adze, and pry bar, this versatile tool can be used as a lever, digging tool, or improvised weapon.

The most common length of Durkin bar sold in the Iron Kingdoms is thirty-six inches, but they are available in multiple lengths, including the massive seven-foot heavy Durkin bar designed for use by ogrun.

Special Rules: A character must have at least STR 5 to use this weapon and can only use this weapon two-handed.

A character using a Durkin bar to attempt to pry open a door or lever a heavy weight gains a +2 bonus to his STR roll. The Game Master sets the target number for the STR roll based on the physical qualities of the object. Opening a rusted metal door or lifting an overturned wagon might require a successful STR roll against a target number of 12, while opening a heavy hinged stone door or lifting a large stone might have a target number of 18 or more.

The Durkin bar can also be used as an entrenching spade.


hand pIckCost: 5 gcSkill: Hand WeaponAttack Modifier: –1POW: 2

Description: Nearly all expedition companies bring excavation tools such as pickaxes and shovels in case of buried ruins. In addition to these large tools, many scholars like to have a hand pick on their belts. These tools are basically hammers with an elongated spike on one side of the head. Many a scholar has found himself fighting for his life with a hand pick after using it to break into a chamber filled with aggressive creatures.

Special Rules: A character can spend 1 feat point to gain an additional damage die against knocked down and prone targets.

preservatIon of corben pendantCost: 21 gc

Description: The Preservation of Corben pendant was originally created for mining but quickly found its way into the standard tools of many other organizations that do extensive underground exploration. The main body of the pendant is made from a solidified alchemical compound that is normally black. When this compound comes into contact with methane, carbon monoxide, or an airborne poison, an immediate reaction causes it to turn white and begin glowing faintly. The brightness of the glow indicates the level of poison in the air.

The outer layer of the pendant slowly dissolves while it is exposed to harmful gas, but once the pendant is removed from contact with the poison it stops glowing.

Special Rules: The pendant glows very faintly when exposed to trace amounts of poisonous gas. As the level of poison grows, so does the glow of the pendant. If the glow becomes candle bright, the poison has reached dangerous levels and the character is in immediate danger of death. A pendant can glow at candle brightness for a total of eight hours before being completely consumed.


Ingredients: 2 units of alchemist’s stone, 1 unit of arcane extract


Alchemical Formula: Brewing the Preservation of Corben compound and casting it into a pendant requires an alchemy lab and six hours. After three hours spent combining, cooking, and stabilizing the ingredients, the alchemist makes an INT + Alchemy roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the character has successfully created a dose of Preservation of Corben and can pour the compound into a mold. After three additional hours the material solidifies. If the roll fails, the character creates one unit of alchemical waste (liquid).

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PreParIng for an exPedItIonBy William “Oz” SchOOnOver • art By néStOr OSSandón

An adventuring company venturing into the wilds of western Immoren in search of ancient treasures must make the proper preparations beforehand in order to have the best hope of success. First, the group needs to ensure it is appropriately equipped and knows everything it can about its destination. Most of the necessary equipment should be purchased before the expedition begins, and the group should thoroughly research the destination in preparation for the venture. Although the company may well have the opportunity to gather information at the destination or along the way, it is unwise to rely on such luck.

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. To celebrate, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For the third month of Full Metal Fridays we’re taking a look at the intrepid scholars and other adventurers who delve into the remains of history.



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general equIPment and travelMany items required for surviving in the wilderness, such as bedrolls, compasses and dry rations, are detailed in Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Core Rules (p. 249). To purchase a piece of gear designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions, such as a winterized bedroll, double the price of the item given there. This section lists a few other helpful items a party might want before striking out on an expedition.

ITEMSCanoe, three-person 20 gcMap, local terrain 3 gcPulley hoist 5 gcSack, waterproof, sixteen-gallon capacity 2 gcTent, six-person 30 gcTent, personal 15 gcWagon, heavy 85 gcWagon, small 50 gc

An adventuring company must also take adequate provisions for the feeding and care of all the expedition members, including any animals. Foraging for food is possible in some areas, but it is time consuming and should not be relied on as the only source of food. Transporting all the supplies for a large expedition will likely require multiple wagons as well as draft animals to haul them.

The group may travel some portion of the distance to a site by rail or steamship, but it is likely that there are no available consumer travel solutions for the final leg of a journey.

It is logistically easiest to hire additional expedition members, buy provisions for the expedition, and make arrangements for transport as close to the site as possible. Unfortunately this is not always possible, and the company must allow for the extra transportation costs of transporting supplies by train or river barge.

research and sPecIal collectIonsIf an expedition is searching for a site from the ancient kingdom of Morrdh or the burial chambers of a king from the Thousand Cities Era, there are few sources of information. Intact Orgoth sites are even rarer, as the invaders sought to destroy any relics of their own civilization their enemies could use against them. Written records, whether documents or inscriptions carved in stone, were a main target for destruction, whether those covered aspects of Immoren’s past or the Orgoth’s own activities in western Immoren.

Fortunately for modern scholars in the Iron Kingdoms, the Orgoth were not completely successful, and some ancient documents survive that an explorer can look to for information.

An exceptional few are from the Orgoth themselves, while others are from the ancient civilizations of western Immoren or scholars who lived during the Occupation. Works written in the 400 years since the Rebellion are more common, though even those are closely guarded.

Gaining access to a document detailing Immoren’s ancient past is seldom a simple task. The scarcity of original texts from the time of the Occupation or before makes such items invaluable, and the owners of such documents are always worried about theft. Even copies are rare and highly prized. Documents of an occult nature, especially those of Morrdh or Orgoth origin, present even further complications. Many people living in western Immoren still harbor a superstitious fear that the possession of such a relic can draw the attention of the dark gods worshiped by its former owners. Others suspect anyone who exhibits undue interest in such baleful artifacts of harboring dark secrets. This sentiment makes many private collectors hesitant to allow word to spread about the contents of their collections.

UnIvErSITIESThe most readily accessible collections of historical documents are held at large universities, although this access is not universal. Characters with a connection to the university or who have a wealthy patron they can call upon for influence can gain access to a collection without complex negotiations or bribes. Explorers and Aristocrats find this easier than most. Arcanists and Priests with the University Education ability may have spent time at a place of higher learning or at least understand the intricacies of dealing with such systems.

All other characters need to find alternate ways of accessing the information, be it through bribery, coercion, or breaking and entering.

A character who gains admittance to a university collection still has to deal with heavy restrictions while accessing the texts. Typically they are only allowed to review the material in a reading room staffed by university personnel. This access is limited to a certain amount of material at a time and only for a limited amount of time per visit.

ArcAnE OrgAnIzATIOnSThe arcane organizations of western Immoren, such as the Fraternal Order of Wizardry, keep libraries that can offer more insight than those available to the universities. Access to these collections is extremely restricted. Characters without a connection to the organization are almost never granted access except in the most extreme circumstances.

An order member in good standing can access its library but is still treated as an outsider by its staff. These libraries are managed much like the universities described above, with closely monitored reading rooms and limited access. One added restriction for an arcane organization’s collection is the consideration of rank; different ranks have different privileges. New initiates are not granted access to a collection in the same way a high-ranking member is, and members from distant chapter houses may be viewed with a degree of suspicion and distrust. The information contained in the requested documents can affect who has access, as can the rarity of the document within the particular collection and the


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organization as a whole. Lastly, there is always the question of internal politics. If the curator of a collection has a problem with a character’s goal, background, associates, or patrons, access may be denied with no appeals.

PrIvATE cOllEcTOrSPrivate collectors offer a Game Master a broad spectrum of options. One private collector may have only a single record of potential interest, while another might be an aristocrat with an extensive collection of relics from the Rebellion. Access to these collections can vary widely. The owner of a diary might not even admit its existence, but the aristocrat with an extensive library may be commissioning the party to explore a location he has heavily researched in hopes of adding to his collection.

local condItIonsA party can choose to rely solely on their own abilities and previous research to find the goal of their expedition, but they may find it useful to seek out local assistance. This generally takes one of three forms: local legends, eyewitness accounts, and local guides.

lOcAl lEgEndSTime, and events such as the Scourge, has destroyed many of the obvious indications of where locations like tombs or ancient castles can be found. Often in such cases important clues to the past have been preserved in local legends, stories, and regional songs. The oral traditions of a region can vary greatly from one culture to another, however. In some areas embellishment to make a story “better” may be the norm, while in others passing down accurate information is highly regarded.

There are broadly two kinds of stories: those covering the known and those speculating on the unknown.

KnOwn FAcTSMany legends and stories are based on known facts: things like historical rulers, regional battles, or other details or events that were witnessed by large numbers of people. The significant facts of many of these stories are verifiable through written accounts and other research, but smaller details may not be as widely known. For example, the story of a battle that resulted in an army being completely routed could be learned in a number of ways. The specifics that the losing general fled east into a forest and was never heard from again might only be known by a few witnesses who passed the story down to their children.

UnKnOwn SPEcUlATIOnThese kinds of stories cover unlimited amounts of topics, from strange sounds echoing through the mountains at night to the sighting of strange creatures in the sewers of a major city. Many of these stories are not documented and rely entirely on the region’s storytellers for their propagation. These stories can often contain the most important clues that lead an expedition to its goal.

EyEwITnESS AccOUnTSIn addition to the folklore of an area, it is also probable people currently living in the region have firsthand information about the exact location of the ancient site the party seeks. There are, however, several problems with this method of information gathering that give the Game Master tools to work with.

The first issue a party may find is that no one who has ever been to the site has returned alive to speak of it. This is slightly better than absolutely no information simply because the locals are aware of which part of the region is dangerous, allowing the expedition to narrow the scope of its search.

If members of a community have knowledge of a site, there are a few ways to handle the situation. If the site is related to something from a dark time in Immoren’s history, such as the time of the kingdom of Morrdh, there could be a superstitious fear among the locals that speaking of the site could somehow invoke the evil residing there. It is also possible the party will arouse the anger of a population with their intentions to disturb a place regarded with such fear.

Another issue with gathering information from a local community is that not every story told in a local pub is true, and many are highly embellished. With this the Game Master can give the players plenty of chances to make rolls using Lore and Deception. He should also keep in mind that in some cases such deception is benign, while other times the liar could be trying to lure the party into an ambush or impede their search in other ways.

lOcAl gUIdESThere are many options available when the Game Master is determining what kind of guide is available in an area. Two parts of this are the capability of the party and the hesitancy of a previous visitor to revisit a site. This decision, like many others, should be weighed against its value to the story and the capability of the party.

If the party is made up primarily of characters who are at home in the wilderness, they may not need a guide to lead them to a site, but they will be helped by a well-drawn map provided by someone who has been there. If the party is full of university professors and students who have naively blundered into the wilderness, they need a guide who will stay with them all the way to the destination to ensure they don’t fall victim to the hazards of the wilderness.

Then there is the personality of an available guide. A guide who is terrified of returning to the site in question may be willing only to draw a map and give ominous warnings. Another guide may be willing to return to the general area but will take the party only as far as the entrance of the site, refusing to set foot beyond that point.

The quality of a guide is also something the Game Master can vary. Some guides are just local miners willing to take the party as far as a base camp. These guides rarely ask for much payment, unless they are experiencing a prolonged dry spell in their mining efforts. Other guides are professional hunters or retired military scouts that will be a major NPC addition to the party and expect to be paid a significant amount of money for their talents and time. There is always the danger a guide is actually a bandit. He could be leading the party into a trap set by the rest of his band. This is another place where the skills of the characters come into play, as they begin to piece together inconsistencies and errors in a would-be bandit’s story.


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archItects of DeathBy William “Oz” SchOOnOver

The creativity of the Orgoth knew no bounds when building ways to inflict pain and death. This installment focuses on traps they built to protect their structures. Orgoth traps were well made, but few have remained fully functional in the hundreds of years since their construction. Sometimes this means the trap has become harmless, while others have become more dangerous due to their unpredictability. The results of deteriorated traps going off can vary widely. Some might do absolutely nothing, while others could cause entire chambers to collapse. Many modern trap makers have studied the remains of Orgoth designs for ways to improve their own creations. The following traps are just a small sample of the many defenses that can be found built into structures.

When playing a game involving traps the Game Master will likely want to make some rolls for the characters in secret. Detection rolls are a good example of this, since telling a player to roll to detect a trigger will warn him of its existence. Another good use for secret rolls is when a character attempts



to disarm a trap. If the roll fails by only 1 point, it is likely that the character will think he has adequately disarmed a trap that is still dangerous.

trIggerIng trapsThe Game Master should make a note of the location of each element of a trap but not indicate this on the tabletop before it is triggered. A trap might be detected and avoided. When a character gets close to a triggering mechanism he can make a Detection skill roll to spot it. The target number for this roll is listed in the description of the trap below. If the roll succeeds, the character spots the trap before he has a chance to set it off. If the roll fails, he does not notice the trap. The Game Master determines when a character has a chance to trigger a trap. Sometimes the triggering character will be able to make a roll to evade the trap or else suffer its effects. Some traps can affect a number of characters, while others affect only the triggering character.


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Tomb traps are usually triggered by a pressure plate disguised as a floor tile, however this plate can be incorporated into other surfaces. Objects of great value may also have triggering mechanisms attached directly to them that will set off a trap if the item is moved.

traps

flooD trapDescription: Flood traps are especially dangerous because most of their mechanisms are completely hidden within the walls of a structure. The only warning of their existence is the presence of expertly concealed triggering plates in the floor of a room and a channel cap in the walls or ceiling of the room.

An intruder stepping onto a pressure sensitive section of the floor triggers the trap. This causes a barrier between the chamber and a nearby reservoir, such as a lake or river, to open. Water is released into a channel connected to the room. A portion of the wall or ceiling of the room is an opening to this channel and is disguised with a cap designed to collapse when hit by the water. The collapse of this cap creates a large hole for water to enter through.

There is commonly a metal grate at some point in the channel to prevent a victim from using the channel as an escape route. In many traps this grate has rusted and can be removed with a STR roll against a target number of 14.

The trap can be designed to dispatch its victims in one of two ways. Flood traps are commonly paired with sealing traps (see below) to contain the victims in an area where they will quickly succumb to the rising waters and drown. The traps can also be designed to wash intruders over the edge of a chasm or into a narrow passage where they will be battered to death against the walls.

Special Rules: When a character triggers this trap, the area he is in quickly fills with water. Any character within 3˝ of the cap can make a Detection roll against a target number of 10 to hear the water rushing toward him. After one minute, center

a 3˝ AOE over the portion of the room containing the channel cap. Characters within the AOE must make a PHY roll against a target number of 14 or be knocked down.

The water spreads 6 feet (1˝) from the opening every minute in a direction determined by the Game Master. Characters in the flow of water must make a PHY roll against a target number of 12 or be knocked down. Standing characters in the flow of water are pushed d3˝ in the direction of the water’s flow, while knocked down characters are pushed d6 .̋

The water flowing from the opening is between 2 and 3 feet deep. If the water is flowing into an enclosed area it rises 1 foot every minute.

If a character is submerged in an area completely filled with water he has a number of rounds equal to his PHY before he is overcome and drowns.

Detection: For a character to spot a flood trap he must be within 6 feet (1˝) of the trigger and make a Detection skill roll against a target number of 15. If the roll succeeds he spots the trap’s trigger. If the roll fails the trigger goes unnoticed.

Flood traps can also provide clues to the presence of an underground structure. During dry years, the water levels of rivers and lakes can drop far enough to partially expose the door between the trap’s channel and the water source.

Disarming: There are two ways to disarm a flood trap. The first is to find its trigger plate in the floor and secure the mechanism so it cannot go off. Safely disarming the trigger plate requires a character to spend a full action and make a Mechanikal Engineering skill roll against a target number of 14. If the character fails this roll by 3 or more, the trap triggers.

The second option to disarm the trap is to find the disguised channel cap. This requires a character to be within 6 feet (1˝) of the cap and make a Detection roll against a target number of 14. If the roll succeeds, the character discovers the channel cap. If the roll fails, he does not find the opening. A discovered cap can be pried open using the proper tools with a Mechanikal Engineering skill roll against a target number of 12. Once the cap is removed, a small-based character can crawl up the channel to the door mechanism. The channels of flood traps are commonly rigged with trigger plates to set off the trap. The reservoir door of a flood trap is also built with anti-tampering mechanisms that will trigger the trap if it is mishandled. To secure the door a character must spend a full action and make a Mechanikal Engineering skill roll against a target number of 14 to lock the door in place. If the roll succeeds, the door is locked. If the roll fails, the trap triggers.

sealIng trapDescription: Sealing traps are designed to lower large stone slabs or an iron portcullis into a passage to prevent an intruder’s escape. Stone sealing traps are commonly paired with gas or water traps to quickly dispatch a victim; others simply trap a victim in an inescapable area where he will slowly suffocate.

Stone sealing traps are designed to line up seamlessly with the ceiling of a chamber while armed and resemble common walls once sealed. Once triggered, one of these traps might go undiscovered, leaving a sealed chamber undisturbed if the witnesses of the trap’s triggering died within it.

anatomy of a trapThe following elements define a trap in the game.

Trap name

Description: Describes the trap.

Special rules: Lists any special rules that apply to the trap.

Detection: Explains how a character discovers the trap.

Disarming: Gives rules for how to prevent the trap from going off.


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Special Rules: The triggering plate for this trap is typically 6 feet (1˝) or more from the slab. When a character triggers this trap any character within 1˝ of the falling slab he must make an AGL roll against a target number of 10 to avoid being hit by it. If the roll succeeds, he is not hit by the slab. If the roll fails, he is hit and knocked down, and he suffers a POW 16 damage roll.

A character within 2˝ of the slab can make an AGL roll against a target number of 14 to put something he is carrying in his hand between the slab and the floor. The Game Master determines whether the object has any chance to prevent the slab’s closure; most things will be crushed utterly by the heavy stone slab or iron gate slamming into place to seal a doorway or other corridor.

Once the trap has been triggered it is very difficult to pry open. The average sealing trap slab weighs 600 pounds, with many weighing more. Lifting one of these slabs will be a challenge for most adventurers (see Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Core Rules, p. 199).

Detection: For a character to spot a sealing trap he must make a Detection skill roll against a target number of 15. If the roll succeeds he spots the trap’s trigger. If the roll fails the trigger goes unnoticed.

Disarming: There are two ways to disarm a sealing trap. The first is to find its trigger plate in the floor and secure the mechanism so it cannot go off. Safely disarming the trigger plate requires a character to spend one full action and make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 14. If the character fails this roll by 3 or more, the trap is triggered.

The other option for disarming the trap is to brace something capable of bearing the weight of the slab or gate against it so it cannot fall into place. To accomplish this a character must have something of sufficient size and strength to do the job. He must then spend one full action and make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 12. Many experienced tomb robbers and explorers bring a supply of steel bars for this purpose. If a character fails this roll the Game Master determines the results. Perhaps the weight is too great for the brace, which will only slow the door, or perhaps the falling door will easily knock the brace away.

orgoth pIt trapDescription: The Orgoth took great pride in their cruelty, and nowhere can this be seen more clearly when exploring one of their ancient sites than in their wicked modification of the simple pit trap. Rarely deep enough to kill an intruder from falling, these instead rely on wicked, barbed spikes lining the trap to dispatch a victim. Many an unwary adventurer has fallen into an Orgoth pit trap to die a slow death impaled on spikes.

Some of these Orgoth pit traps are hidden, covered with a stone slab. This slab is designed to fall open when weight is placed upon it, dumping a hapless intruder into the pit. The pits are generally only ten feet deep, relying more on the spikes for damage than the fall itself.

Special Rules: When a character triggers a hidden pit trap center a 3˝ AOE over him. He must pass an AGL roll against

a target number of 14 to avoid falling in the pit. All characters within the AOE must pass an AGL roll against a target number of 12 to avoid falling in the pit.

A character has a chance of falling into a previously opened trap only if he is pushed or fails an attempt to jump over it.

Characters that fall into an Orgoth pit trap suffer a POW 12 damage roll with an additional die of damage. For pits deeper than 10 feet, add an additional die following the falling rules (Core Rules, p. 205)

Once in the pit, the AOE remains in play. Characters in the pit gain cover and do not block line of sight. If a character takes damage from a fall into the pit he has been impaled on the spikes. A character impaled on the spikes remains knocked down and suffers d3 damage points during each of his Maintenance Phases. The character cannot regain vitality even if he is freed from the spikes unless treated by a character with the Medicine skill. Treating the wound takes a full action but does not require a skill roll.

A character wishing to free himself from the spikes must spend one full action and succeed at a Willpower roll against a target number of 16.

Characters in the pit cannot leave the AOE unless they succeed in a Climbing skill roll against a target number of 14 (see Core Rules, p. 175).

Detection: An open pit is very obvious, and characters do not have to make a roll to see it.

For a character to spot a hidden pit trap before it is triggered he must succeed in a Detection skill roll against a target number of 14. The target number to spot a trap that has recently been triggered is 10.

Disarming: The easiest way bypass a pit trap is to leap over it. If this is not possible due to its width or an overhanging obstruction, it may be possible to bridge it with something. Although filling a pit in with other materials is usually the safest option, it is very time consuming and not practical in the depths of an Orgoth ruin.

An open pit is generally 18 to 24 feet wide and can be jumped normally.

Hidden pits are constructed with locking mechanisms to allow their builders to safely pass over them. In some structures, like tombs, these mechanisms were disabled upon completion of the construction. A character can find this mechanism with a Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 12. If the mechanism is still functional, the character can activate it with a quick action without a skill roll. To activate a disabled mechanism, a character must spend one full action and make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 14.


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the lost ChamberBy William “Oz” SchOOnOver

Hero-Level Combat Encounter

Adversaries: Dread (1–4)

Description: This series of encounters follows a group of characters as they search for a previously unexplored section of an Orgoth tomb.

sCene 1: the ColleCtorThe characters have been contacted by a man named Matthias Bartlesby. He has a reputation for being a wealthy eccentric and for financing expeditions to various areas of western Immoren.

When the characters arrive for the meeting at Bartlesby’s home, they are ushered into a large library. The room contains thousands of books, but more notable are the glass cases evenly spaced around the room. Each of these cases holds various old artifacts, some definitely Orgoth in origin.

Bartlesby sits behind a large stone desk absentmindedly playing with a black dagger embellished with strange runes. As the characters take the seats offered to them, he places the dagger on top of a pile of unopened envelopes.

Bartlesby presents the characters with a non-disclosure/non-compete agreement and explains that he would like them to undertake an expedition on his behalf into the nearby mountains. Until the characters sign the



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agreement, he will say only that he is hoping to expand his collection and is worried that any more information could be sold to his rivals.

After the party members have each signed their names, their potential employer giggles with glee and walks to a nearby bookshelf. He produces a key on a chain that he wears under his shirt. He inserts the key into a gap between two books and unlocks a mechanism. A section of the adjacent bookshelf slides into the floor to reveal a safe. Shielding the dial with his body, Bartlesby inputs the combination. He then opens the safe and withdraws a silk-wrapped object from inside.

He returns to his desk and motions the characters to gather around it. He reverently unwraps the object to reveal a weathered book. He then explains that this is the diary of a prominent member of the local resistance from the final years of the Orgoth Occupation. It recounts the author’s rescue from an Orgoth torturer named Riksasivus. Bartlesby opens the book and reads a passage:

I was chained to a wall awaiting my fate when I heard the sound of fighting coming from down the hallway. Moments later my friends rushed into the room. When they had unchained me we ran away from the fighting, going deeper into the catacombs, where we came to the intersection of two tunnels. We heard the sound of wind coming down the middle of the three tunnels we faced and followed it to a natural cave, which led to our freedom. I can never repay my comrades from saving me from Riksasivus and the tortures I would have endured without their actions.

After reading the passage, Bartlesby goes to the wall and takes down a large hand-drawn map in a frame. He places the map on the desk, explaining that it is from the expedition that discovered and explored an Orgoth tomb fifty years ago. He is sure the diary is referring to the same tomb and uses the map to point out the path he believes the diary refers to. The described intersection is not along the path. Bartlesby is convinced the tomb has a hidden door to an untouched section that may hold valuable artifacts. To his knowledge no other expedition has been made to the area, since nothing of importance was found by those who discovered the tomb.

The man offers the characters a large sum of money to journey to the area and bring him any relics that they find.

The characters can stay in the library for as long as they need to research. The following table indicates what a character learns with a research skill roll.

TARGET NUMBER INfoRMATIoN DIscovERED

12orgoth torturers wore iron masks, many of which were imbued with

dark magic.

14often, orgoth masks were cursed

to harm anyone wearing them except the owner.

16Riksasivus was a noted orgoth

torturer who worked in the area where the tomb was found.

18Riksasivus was known to turn

some of his victims into powerful undead creations.

sCene 2: a trIp to the mountaInsThe characters can find and investigate the tomb without major setbacks. They are likely to encounter creatures that have made the abandoned chambers their homes, like burrow-mawgs and dregg. Crypt spiders (NQ issue #43), razorbats, or devil rats (NQ issue #45) are also good monsters for these encounters.

When the characters reach the intersection described in the diary they find it just as drawn on the map. Where the diary indicates a fourth tunnel opening there is only a wall carved with the leering faces commonly found in Orgoth reliefs. A character with Lore (Orgoth) or Mechanikal Engineering can make a roll against a target number of 14 to examine the wall. If successful the character discovers that the wall is actually a sealing trap. He will also know that these traps involve enormous stones that can barely be budged once triggered. This side of the trap is seamless, but there may be enough of a gap on the other side to lift the stone with the proper tools.

The sealing trap indicates that there is in fact more to this tomb than the last expedition found. Orgoth black stone is nearly indestructible, and using enough explosives to clear the trap will bring down all the surrounding tunnels.

DUskENvAlEThe small mountain village of Duskenvale is home to hunters, trappers, and independent miners. It has a small tavern and a blacksmith’s shop. The village is a few hours by horse from the general area of the tomb. The characters can stop in this village tavern on their initial trip to the tomb, or they can return here to rest after their first investigations come up fruitless.

The characters can ask the villagers about the tomb, but most locals will not speak of it. The best chance of gathering information is to wait until the hunters, trappers, and miners return to town after sundown to gather in the tavern. The characters will need to tread carefully when making inquiries of these folk, since few of them will be very personable.

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If the characters are patient enough or generous enough with drinks, they will overhear a conversation mentioning the Rotten Maw.

A hunter named Alberd is comparing stories with a few others about the conditions of a nearby valley. Sometime in the last few decades a large sinkhole the locals have nicknamed “the Rotten Maw” opened in the valley. A terrible smell emanated from the hole, and animals became scarce in the valley. One of the hunters tells a secondhand story of a man who attempted to investigate the hole shortly after it was found. The man climbed down into the hole but became sick and had to be pulled back out by his partners. Another hunter in the group says he has recently been to the valley and the smell seems to have mostly gone away.

A character with the Navigation skill will be able to make the connection between the location of the valley and the Orgoth site to realize that the Rotten Maw is likely above the tomb. A character with the Alchemy skill will know that the description of what happened in the valley when the hole appeared indicates there was sulfur gas coming from it, which makes it likely that the hole connects to a network of caves.

Alberd is leaving in the morning and offers to lead the characters to the Rotten Maw valley for a fee of 20 gc. If the characters ask around the tavern to try and find another guide they will be rejected; Alberd is the most respected hunter in the region, and no one is willing to get on his bad side. Alberd is trying to take advantage of the characters, seeing them as incapable of negotiating the wilderness without him. If there is a character in the group with obvious wilderness experience, such as a ranger or an explorer, or if a character with the Negotiation skill makes a successful roll against a target number of 13, Alberd will lower the price to 12 gc.

sCene 3: the unmapped ChambersAlberd leads the characters up into the mountains using foot trails that are otherwise impassable. The characters can bring a pack animal along, but nothing larger can make the journey.

When they arrive at the Rotten Maw the smell is still noticeable. A Preservation of Corben pendant lowered into the hole will faintly glow. The sides of the pit are unstable, and a character can climb down only with the use of a rope.

The glow from the pendant grows stronger as a character makes his way down the hole, but it does not reach candle brightness, which would indicate a lethal amount

of toxins in the air. Seventy-five feet down the hole, there is a ledge wide enough to stand on. The ledge widens to the north to form the floor of a chamber. A crack in the north wall of this chamber opens into a room.

RooM 1The first room the characters enter is approximately 30 feet by 30 feet. It is empty except for four niches in the corners, which each hold a mummified body. Each body is contorted in a different way, seemingly locked in a state of pain. A character trained in Mechanikal Engineering that examines these niches can make a roll against a target number of 20 to determine that the wall at the back of each of these niches is false. There is no visible opening mechanism for the false wall.

Along the west wall of the room is an indentation. The characters recognize this as the sealing trap they discovered earlier and find part of a leg sticking out from under the stone. The skeletal leg is wearing a boot and is covered in deteriorating cloth. With the proper tools and strength (such as an ogrun with a lever) a character can make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 12 to pry up the sealing stone enough to drag the body out from under it. There is almost nothing of value on the corpse since all of its possessions were crushed with it, but the characters find a notebook. The final dates in the notebook are from nearly 100 years earlier. Parts of the book are written in code, but from what the characters can read it is clear that the owner was an explorer who discovered many interesting things he didn’t survive to tell the world about.

When the characters leave this room the niches will open to reveal dread tomb guards (see below).

RooM 2The second room is approximately 35 feet by 35 feet. There is a door opposite from the one the characters enter through. A little over halfway across the room is an open spike pit that runs from one side wall to the other and is 18 feet across.

GAME MAsTER NoTEsThe number of dread that are released is determined by the Game Master. For a group that is not very combat oriented, one dread is enough of a challenge. For a much more combat-focused party with some experience, using all four is recommended.

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The dread that entered the previous room quietly makes its way to the doorway and then attacks the characters, attempting to drive them into the pit.

RooM 3After the characters have crossed the spiked pit they are able to enter the last room, which is the final resting place of Riksasivus. There is a large stone sarcophagus in the center of the room with an image of an Orgoth man carved into the lid. Resting on the face of the carving is an iron mask.

the mask of rIksasIvus

The Mask of Riksasivus is a dangerous Orgoth object. If the players failed to discover that Orgoth masks are sometimes cursed, a character with Lore (Orgoth) can make a roll against a target number of 16 to remember that touching the mask is probably dangerous.

If a character touches the mask, he is compelled to put it on. To resist this compulsion a character must make a successful Willpower roll against a target number of 16. If the character succeeds he can either immediately drop the mask or hold onto it. For every minute that he holds the mask he must make another Willpower roll as above, with a cumulative –1 to his Willpower. If the character fails this roll he dons the mask.

A character who places the mask of Riksasivus on his face immediately feels an evil presence trying to take over his body. To try to remove the mask he must make a Willpower roll against a target number of 18. If he succeeds he can immediately take off the mask, at which point he is holding it again and must roll to resist putting it back on as above. For every minute that he wears the mask he must succeed at a Willpower roll against a target number of 20 with a cumulative –1 to his Willpower. If the character fails the roll while wearing the mask he is immediately possessed by the spirit of Riksasivus, and becomes an NPC under the Game Master’s control.

Once in possession of a new body Riksasivus attempts to hide the change long enough to escape the tomb. If he is discovered, he makes every effort to escape, killing anyone who stands in his way.

The dread will not attack someone wearing the mask of Riksasivus.

dread tomb GuardThe Orgoth were masters of necromancy and made many undead creations. Dread are just one of the horrific things they created.

The Dread Tomb Guard is a specialized necromantic creation. It does not rely on sheer strength to destroy intruders but instead works with pit traps or other hazards to defeat trespassers within its domain.

Dread retain much of the intelligence they had in life, but it is twisted to create a cunning that makes them dangerous opponents. Dread Tomb Guards attempt to remain hidden and stalk an intruder until the best time to attack. Often a Tomb Guard remains unseen until a party has discovered a pit trap blocking their path, revealing itself at the only exit and attempting to force its victims into the pit.

Special Rules/Tactics: The dread will attempt to remain unseen while following the characters. The characters may attempt to detect it (or them) with a Detection roll against a target number of 16. If the dread remains undiscovered it will reveal itself as the characters move into the room with the pit traps.

A dread fights with no regard for its own safety and will not break off an attack until its target is destroyed.

Hand blade PoW P+s

5 12

Blessed Weapon – Attacks from this weapon ignore spell effects that add to a target’s DEF or ARM.

Beat Back – When this character hits a target with a melee attack, he can immediately push his target 1˝ directly away. After the target is pushed, this character can advance up to 1˝.

abIlItIesDread gain boosted Willpower rolls.

Terror – Dread cause Terror [16].

Spell Ward – Dread cannot be targeted by spells.

Tough – This character is incredibly hardy. When this character is disabled, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the character heals 1 vitality point, is no longer disabled, and is knocked down.

Undead – A dread is not a living character and never flees.

BAsE sIzE small



INTE

LLECT

AGILITY

PHYSIQ

U

E

1 2

34

65

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loREA character can make a Lore (Orgoth) skill roll to determine what he knows about this creature. The higher the character’s total, the more he learns. The character learns all the information up to his total.

12: Dread are a specific type of undead and are sometimes found in Orgoth ruins.

14: Dread were created by the Orgoth to guard important sites. The presence and number of dread can indicate the ruin’s importance to the Orgoth.

16: Dread were created with a long-lost dark ritual that make the creatures resistant to damage and immune to magic.

Wrap upThe characters are free to do what they wish with the mask once they have it, but they should be aware that there are repercussions to any decision they make.

If the characters decide to destroy the mask, they will make an enemy of Bartlesby. Destroying the mask is also much more difficult than it may seem. The mask resists melting and most other kinds of damage that would destroy a mundane item made of iron. The Mask of Riksasivus has ARM 20 and 20 damage points. Damage rolls made against the Mask of Riksasivus roll an additional die and drop the highest result. The Mask of Riksasivus cannot be targeted by magical attacks.

If the characters decide to return the mask to Bartlesby it is likely from his handling of other objects that he will not treat it as dangerous and will likely fall victim to the spirit of Riksasivus. It is also possible that gaining the mask to use its power was his goal all along, and he may have in his possession knowledge to allow him to use the mask without losing his will.

Lastly, the party may decide that they can make more money finding another buyer for the mask, which will also make an enemy of Bartlesby. It is also likely that knowledge of their possession of the mask will spread once they begin looking for buyers, and they could draw all manner of unwanted attention.


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GAME MAsTER NoTEsWhat powers the mask possesses, beyond making dread created by Riksasivus not attack its wearer, can be determined by the Game Master. The mask could easily be a major plot hook in an ongoing series of adventures.

ThE NoTEBookThe notebook’s code is based on Cygnaran. Deciphering the code in the notebook requires a Cryptography skill roll against a target number of 14. Once deciphered the dead explorer’s notebook becomes a valuable source of information. Most notable is his plan to return to his base camp in a nearby cave and retrieve a case in order to safely transport the mask. Additionally, the explorer’s notebook contains references to several other Orgoth sites he has explored across western Immoren. If the characters desire, they can utilize the explorers’ notes as a roadmap of potential sites to investigate.

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the Wrong sIde of the laW

By Simon Berman

Criminal exploits make exciting fodder for Iron Kingdoms gaming as characters work to foil nefarious plots or enact some of their own. However, running a gang or other criminal outfit takes more work for a group of characters than simply choosing to be members of an outlaw adventuring company (see Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Core Rules, p. 152). In this week’s offering for Full Metal Fridays we take a look at some of the most common criminal pursuits in the Iron Kingdoms to inform players and Game Masters alike about roleplaying in the seedy underbelly of western Immoren.

Many criminals and gangs specialize in one or more areas of crime, but it is a rare gangster indeed who turns his nose up at a lucrative opportunity for larceny outside his preferred arena. Career criminals are invariably well connected in

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. To celebrate, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. For this installment of Full Metal Fridays we take a closer look at the nefarious gangs of the Iron Kingdoms.


their local underground networks and might work in the short term with specialists to conduct a tempting heist. The most successful criminals treat crime like a business—and that business rewards fast thinking and the ability to act on a rare opportunity.

ConfIdenCe trICksClever criminals regularly employ confidence tricks and scams. Even at the simplest levels, confidence tricks usually rely on trust. Street urchins might convince a stranger to lend them an item of some small worth, such as a watch, and then simply vanish into a crowd. If a young criminal can master the art of appearing trustworthy, he can in time begin to develop the ruthless social skills to engage in more complex cons.

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Professional con men almost always operate in groups to orchestrate their complicated schemes. A gang attempting to divest a Cygnaran noblewoman of her heirloom jewels might make considerable efforts to impersonate an exiled member of the Llaelese aristocracy and his household, perhaps going so far as to forge false documents to verify their crafted identities. One notorious incident in this vein involved a group of confidence artists who not only pretended to be exiled Llaelese refugees to gain the trust of a noble family in Bainsmarket but also had some of their number impersonate Khadoran assassins in pursuit of the faux exiles. Alarmed to see their new friends under attack in the street, the Cygnaran nobles invited the confidence men into their home for safety. Several days after their guests had moved on to their next target, the nobles discovered that their finest jewels had been pilfered.

Since confidence games hinge on gaining the trust of the victim, characters who are potentially sympathetic enjoy the greatest success. Humans have the easiest time gaining the confidence of most citizens of the Iron Kingdoms, more so if they are (or can appear to be) of the same ethnic group or social strata. Gobbers also make excellent swindlers, given their diminutive size and apparent harmlessness.

labor raCketsCriminal gangs and other organizations naturally attract violent individuals to their ranks and employ their talents for various minor crimes.

Successful criminal organizations become well versed in the arts of extortion and coercion, using the looming presences of their most dangerous members to gain the assent of their victims and rivals. Although these talents commonly come into play between competing criminals, such skills do not go unnoticed by more legitimate institutions. In some cities, notably Steelwater Flats, companies have been known to hire criminal thugs to intimidate and coerce business rivals. Gangs are often eager for such jobs, which involve the opportunity to infiltrate legitimate businesses. Once a few gang members have secured places within a business, they go out of their way to bring in more members, turning the business into a lucrative source of income.

As organized labor has gained momentum across the Iron Kingdoms, it has become increasingly common for unscrupulous companies to hire thugs as strikebreakers, or sometimes to temporarily replace unskilled laborers. Of course, this sword cuts both ways, and unprincipled local unions are not above hiring their own violent louts to protect picket lines or combat city watchmen and strikebreakers. The lines between gang warfare and labor protests have grown increasingly unclear in some cities.

moneylendIngGangs can earn a respectable profit through moneylending. By loaning out money with steep interest rates, gangs can parlay illicitly gained coin into massive returns. A borrower is typically given a short period of time to repay the debt, with compounded interest added weekly or even daily. Borrowers who prove either unwilling or unable to pay face threats of violence made against them, their property, and their families by the enforcers of the gang. This kind of exploitative lending provides a steady trickle of funds into a gang’s coffers.

Moneylending also includes opportunities for massive scores. A gang might seek out a borrower with access to an especially appealing business or facility, particularly those without a head for numbers or those who find themselves in desperate situations, and offer them a large loan. An individual in dire straits can scarcely afford to decline, even though the debt may be nearly impossible to repay. Once a borrower is caught in an untenable position, the gang offers to forgive part or all of the debt in exchange for a favor, such as leaving the gates of a storehouse unlocked or diverting shipments of valuable goods to waiting members of the gang.

murder for hIreProfessional killers are common among western Immoren’s criminal class. Most murders are the result of crimes of passion, perpetrated by an individual who feels he has been wronged and committed in the heat of the moment. Hired killers, on the other hand, possess a strong desire for gold and approach their targets with impersonal regard. Such killers are useful to gangs, as they usually do not have any allegiance that would lead investigators back to the gang and their use enables important gang members to protect ironclad alibis. For this reason, most clever gangs prefer to hire out-of-towners for these jobs.

From time to time an individual or organization (legitimate or otherwise) has need of the services of a murderer, and someone willing to undertake the risks stands to make a tidy sum for the bloody work. The murderer-for-hire is typically a feared and well-connected criminal who typically also pursues less lethal criminal activities in the alleys and streets of virtually every city.

Contacting a murderer-for-hire almost always requires good street connections, since few killers take a job from a stranger for fear of being set up by the authorities. Once under contract, most killers require payment up front, with the fee varying by the perceived difficulty of the task. Few murderers accept jobs targeting military personnel or members of the upper class due to the potentially high-risk ramifications of success, let alone the penalties of failure.

THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LAW

3

robberyWhether a criminal robs his victim at gun- or knife-point, picks his pockets, or burgles his home, robbery is by far the most common crime of the Iron Kingdoms. A wide range of specialized thieves practice their trade in the cities of the Iron Kingdoms, from nimble-fingered pickpockets to catfooted second-story men.

Many—perhaps most—young criminals begin their careers as pickpockets on crowded city streets. Some work as cutpurses, stealthily slashing the pockets and pouches of their victims. Others operate in groups, with one thief distracting the victim by pretending to accidentally jostle him while a compatriot rifles his pockets. Some criminal outfits spend the bulk of their time and derive the majority of their income from pickpocketing operations. Gobbers and children make particularly effective pickpockets due to their small size, unassuming demeanor, and manual dexterity, to say nothing of their ability to disappear into narrow corners of the city should they draw the attention of their victims. An older criminal might become the leader of a gang of child robbers, fencing their stolen goods with unscrupulous merchants.

Some pickpockets graduate to armed robbery, working in small groups to rob their victims through force. Muggings and holdups often involve dragging the victim into an alley or other secluded location to rifle through his belongings in privacy. Some gangs of robbers prefer to target wealthy-looking individuals and others choose the easy pickings of drunks stumbling out of dockside taverns, though the wisest robbers pick their targets with care. Armed robbery is a potentially dangerous line of crime, as any victim might feel the need to fight for his life, and the Iron Kingdoms are home to deadly combatants who might not appear overly threatening to the untrained eye. Outside the cities, highwaymen and brigands operating from secluded wilderness hideouts are a constant threat to travelers on the lonely roads.

Robbers who prefer to avoid direct confrontation may instead pursue breaking and entering. These break-in artists range from those who simply smash down a door or pry open a window to gain access, to the agile urban climbers known as second-story men who easily scale structures to reach upper windows, which typically are less secure than guarded lower entrances.

Whatever their preferred method of robbery, thieves require the services of professional fences to move stolen goods, especially easily recognizable items such as jewelry. Fences profit from these transactions because they are able to purchase goods for a fraction of their value and can use a number of methods to disguise them for sale. A process like covering the monogram engraved on a fine pocket watch is fairly straightforward, while more complex techniques may involve a wide range of different alchemical solutions. The best fences have a network in place to move recognizable items out of a city, duchy, or even nation if needed.

smugglIngSmuggling can be a high-risk, high-profit enterprise for a gang. When the Protectorate of Menoth required smuggled cortexes for its warjacks, loyal Menites living abroad provided the majority of the devices, but several gangs amassed sizeable fortunes by stealing and delivering military-grade cortexes to the nation.

Other smugglers work in the contested territories of Llael. There is profit to be made on both legs of the journey to the embattled territory, since gangs can sell military hardware to the Llaelese Resistance and transport desperate refugees out of military-controlled districts. The Black River is the main channel for these smuggling operations, and larger river gangs employ entire fleets of swift blockade-runners to deliver their merchandise.

Copyright 2001–2013 Privateer Press, inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms®, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, Convergence of Cyriss, Convergence, Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warcaster, warjack, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

®

1


anatomy of a GanGBy Simon Berman

Whether you’re a Game Master building a gang of NPCs for your campaign or a group of players crafting characters as members of an outlaw adventuring company (see Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Core Rules, p. 152), you’ll want to give some thought to what roles you’ll need to fill. Not every gang is identical. Small-time bands of pickpockets and thieves have a dramatically different roster than an organized crime family with influence over an entire city.

As you begin to flesh out your characters or NPCs, consider what kinds of crime your gang usually commits. In last week’s Full Metal Fridays installment we explored common criminal pursuits and rackets, some of which have more specialized needs than others. Since most criminal gangs dabble in a number of illicit pursuits, however, you can expect to fill certain roles no matter your gang’s specialty. The roles described here are given titles for convenience, but many gangs dispense with formal labels altogether, and not every gang utilizes every role.



BossEvery criminal outfit needs a boss, a leader the gang looks to for the final word on all matters. The most effective bosses delegate minor responsibilities, but the most important decisions for the gang fall to the boss: matters of life and death, or at the least, the difference between freedom and incarceration.

Bosses are called by different names depending on the gang’s nation and city of residence, its preferred criminal pursuits, and the idiosyncrasies of its members. Bosses are rarely elected but instead rise to the top through cleverness or a proclivity for violence. Depending on the gang’s preferred criminal activities, the boss might be a mastermind or simply the toughest, and often loudest, member of the gang.

It is the boss’ responsibility to ensure the success of the gang in its endeavors. In its simplest form, this means he must make sure his followers are successful criminals who

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anatomy of a gang

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stay free from the arm of the law. Gangs that engage in complex crimes, like long-term confidence games or heists from heavily protected facilities or individuals, should be led by a boss with a gift for planning. A boss can expect a share of all the gang’s profits. When the gang makes a score, the earnings are passed up the ladder of the gang’s hierarchy, with each member taking a cut along the way. A boss in charge of a large gang can receive dozens of payouts at a time as the gang performs jobs across a city.

Most bosses choose to delegate minor responsibilities to an underboss or to a number of subordinates based on their specialties or talents.

The boss sits at the center of the criminal network and orchestrates its actions. Most bosses don’t worry themselves about the day-to-day management of the gang, but the big decisions are his to make, and his word is final. Successful bosses do not tolerate insolence, and crossing a gang boss almost certainly results in a death sentence.

UnderBossThe underboss is an important part of most gangs. It falls to him to carry out the boss’ commands, settle disputes between members of the organization, collect shares of loot from underlings, and generally help oversee the routine business of the gang. A single boss might have many underbosses, each ruling a smaller cohort of gang members. Over time, each of these smaller groups might specialize in a particular avenue of crime, with each underboss acting as the “go-to man” for a particular job.

Some underbosses are chosen out of simple cronyism, but shrewd bosses choose a second-in-command who complements their own strengths and weaknesses. Bosses who rule through brute force often pick the gang’s canniest member for his foresight and silver tongue. Alternatively, bosses who lead through cunning employ the most violent and thuggish member of the gang to enforce their will.

Some underbosses long for the day when they will rule the gang themselves, and accordingly, wise bosses keep a watchful eye on their seconds. The maxim “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is even more applicable in the criminal underworld than anywhere else in the Iron Kingdoms.

enforcerFew gangs specialize in making a living from violence, but almost every criminal organization keeps a few enforcers around. These members usually spend most of their time engaged in theft or robbery and serve as the gang’s resident heavies. The boss looks to these members to intimidate rivals or punish other members of the gang for holding out on loot or betraying the gang. Ogrun and trollkin sometimes fill this role even in primarily human gangs.

fIxerRarely holding an official position within a gang, the fixer is someone the gang can rely on for quick thinking and social connections. Fixers maintain contacts across the criminal underworld and sometimes beyond. For instance, larger gangs employ fixers who can influence the political structure of a city. These men and women are proficient at winning over members of a city’s power structure through activities


such as extravagant events where politicians can expect to eat and drink the finest delicacies the gang can afford. Fixers with proficiency in the legal systems of the Iron Kingdoms are particularly prized, as they know how closely they can skirt the line of legality without stepping over it.

When plans go awry, gang members turn to their resident fixer. Whether it’s a matter of springing a compatriot from the city jail, disposing of an inconvenient body, or finding a specifically configured laborjack in a hurry, the fixer knows how to resolve a dicey situation quickly.

lookoUtLookouts are often new members of a gang who spend much of their time keeping an eye on city watchmen or rival gang members while their more experienced colleagues commit crimes. Sometimes considered a punishment duty, standing watch is still an important aspect of almost any criminal undertaking.

soldIersA gang’s rank-and-file members are called soldiers. Discharged military men, desperate refugees, and members of poor families are often drawn to the life of a gang soldier. Membership in a gang can offer a measure of protection and potential earnings that such individuals could hardly attain otherwise.

The talents and abilities of soldiers can vary wildly from member to member, but they are all expected to follow the orders of their superiors without question. Large gangs often structure soldiers into cells each led by a captain, a trusted veteran of the gang. Gang captains are given a piece of territory and tasked with protecting the gang’s holdings and generating profit from it. Eventually every gang must fight to defend its territory, against either armed members of the city watch or rival gangs seeking to expand their borders. Soldiers make up a gang’s primary force during these conflicts.

specIalIstSpecialists fall outside the normal structure of a gang, often reporting only to a boss and his most trusted lieutenants. These individuals, such as mechanikal engineers, physicians, or arcanists, possess rare or prized skills and are therefore invaluable to their gang. Bosses are careful not to endanger their specialists and rarely send them on jobs that do not require their unique talents. Though they share similarities with fixers, specialists differ in one important way: a fixer is expected to perform many different tasks, whereas a specialist focuses all his abilities in one particular field.

Some specialists do not swear allegiance to a single gang but rather work as freelance operators who sell their skills to all the different gangs of a city. For other roles this kind of behavior would be met with violence, but skilled specialists are afforded special consideration.

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the Red kIngsBy Simon Berman

The Khadoran invaders were not the only ones to profit from the fall of Llael. The chaos of the invasion and subsequent occupation was fruitful for many of Llael’s less ethical citizens, especially those who already operated in the shadows of organized crime.

Established over a decade ago as a loose collection of pickpockets and thieves, the Red Kings have survived brutal gang wars, the invasion, and the occupation, all without taking a side in the larger conflict. The Red Kings might not be the most powerful gang in Merywyn, but they have held their own against Llaelese rivals, resisted the influx of Khadoran bratyas, and evaded the authorities for



years. They have done dirty work for employers on every side of the Llaelese conflict and possess a reputation for ruthless practicality.

The gang’s membership varies between ten and fifteen associates as individuals are arrested, killed, or flee the reach of the law, but its core members have been through thick and thin together for the past five years. The gang operates out of the basement of a tenement in an industrial neighborhood. The building is otherwise vacant and is in such poor shape that the Khadoran 1st Army has designated it unsuitable for the quartering of troops.

THE RED KINGS

2

Fynne dI VInIannIDi Vinianni grew up with the Red Kings and has led the gang as their undisputed boss since 603 AR, after stabbing the previous leader to death in the aftermath of a botched robbery resulting in the deaths of three gang members. A large man in his early thirties, di Vinianni is given to few words and harbors a dislike of rash decisions.

Under his direction, the Red Kings have weathered years of turmoil and developed a reputation for patience and pragmatism among the often-foolhardy criminal gangs of Merywyn. Though di Vinianni prefers for the Red Kings to focus on pickpocketing and extortion rackets, he is not above engaging in the occasional armed robbery. In a fight he relies on his trusted hand cannon and banded club.

moRna PetRoRkMorna Petrork is the sole member of the Red Kings to evince the Gift of Magic, which she wields as a powerful fire sorceress. Like di Vinianni, Petrork has been a member of the gang since her youth and has proven herself as both a clear thinker and a powerful asset in a fight. Di Vinianni’s trusted second-in-command, Petrork is treated with equal measures of fear and respect by the other gang members.

Petrork is quick to anger—perhaps a feature of her Umbrean heritage—but she is also a quick thinker, traits that make her an excellent complement to di Vinianni, with his preference for ponderous thought and preparation. She rarely takes part in the day-to-day muggings and purse cuttings of the gang’s rank-and-file members, since her responsibilities for making sure her compatriots pay their dues and stay in line take up the lion’s share of her time.

luka “leFt FIst” IstoRIA veteran of the Khadoran Winter Guard who chose to stay in Merywyn at the end of his service, Luka is a notorious bruiser for the Red Kings. His presence alone intimidates the gang’s rivals, and he has garroted over a dozen men and women in his few years as a member.

He first encountered the gang after murdering a former member who attempted to rob him at gunpoint in a dockside tavern during the first months of the Khadoran occupation. He cut the man’s throat and had calmly returned to drinking his beer when di Vinianni and the other Red Kings returned to the tavern. Confronted by the gang, Istori asked, “Need a new recruit? Maybe one who’s less stupid and better armed?” di Vinianni recruited him on the spot.

Since then the Khadoran has been the gang’s most brutal and competent enforcer. Luka employs the garrote when dealing with high-profile enemies of the Red Kings, and the lengths of braided red cord he uses for the task have become a calling card of sorts, letting the lowlifes of Merywyn know the consequence of crossing the gang.


gaRRoteCost: 2 gcSkill: UnarmedAttack Modifier: 0POW: —

Description: A garrote is a device designed to strangle a victim from behind, regardless of the form it takes. Purpose-built garrotes consist of a length of wire with a handle on each end. The garrote is not a battlefield weapon and can be used only from behind a target with the element of surprise.

Special Rules: This weapon causes no damage. Instead, it is used to choke the life out of a victim.

To use this weapon, the attacking character must succeed in hitting his target with a back strike with the garrote. If the attack hits, the attacker can begin strangling his victim. The attacker and victim immediately each roll a d6. The attacker adds his STR to his roll and the victim adds his PHY. If the attacker’s total is higher, the victim suffers –1 PHY. If the victim wins, he breaks free. If the totals are equal, nothing happens.

The attacker can take no other actions while strangling his victim, but he can release the victim at any time. At the start of each of the attacker’s subsequent turns, the two characters roll again to determine the effect of the strangulation.

While being garroted, a victim cannot speak, yell, or use his voice to make any sound. The victim can use his turns to attempt to fight his attacker off as a full action (triggering another strangulation roll that might result in further PHY loss), fight through his terror with a successful Willpower roll to take another action, or fight to get a mouthful of air (no effect, but does not force another strangulation roll). If the victim attempts to take any action other than fighting his attacker off, he must make a Willpower roll against a target number of 14. If he succeeds, he can take any action he is physically capable of but suffers a –3 penalty on skill and attack rolls and cannot move away from his attacker. If he fails, he must forfeit his turn.

If a victim is reduced to 0 PHY, he is knocked out. If he is strangled beyond 0 PHY, he dies. A character recovers PHY lost as a result of strangulation at a rate of 1 point per hour of rest.

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DeaD enDBy Simon Berman



Adversaries: The Red Kings (street gang) including Fynne di Vinianni, Luka “Left Fist” Istori, Morna Petrork, 4 Human Thieves, 3 Human Thugs

Description: This encounter takes place in a dead-end alley in which the Red Kings have prepared an ambush. The characters could be their intended targets if the PCs are known to be in Merywyn and carrying valuable goods or if they have been targeted by any faction of the Llaelese conflict and a contract placed on their lives. Alternatively, the characters accidentally stumble into an ambush the Red Kings set for an unrelated target.

Special Rules/Tactics: The Red Kings lure the characters into the alley with cries for help by one of their lookouts.

This member of the gang lies on the ground toward the rear of the alley, and he claims to have been robbed and attacked. If the characters investigate, Luka “Left Fist” Istori leaps from a hiding place in the alley’s trash and attempt to garrote the last character to enter the alley. If his attempt at garroting is interrupted or no longer tenable, he uses a quick action to equip his great axe for the duration of the combat.

Other gang members lay concealed among the alley’s rubbish, and two of them, including the sorceress Morna Petrork, wait on the roofs of the alley’s buildings. As her first action, she casts Wall of Fire at the alley’s entrance to prevent the characters’ escape. The characters can attempt to spot these well-hidden criminals with a successful Detection roll against a target number of 16.

dead end

2

The Red Kings attempt to surround the characters and offer them a chance to hand over their valuables if they are intent on robbery, but otherwise they initiate battle via a surprise round. If the characters initiate combat, use the normal initiative rules.

The Red Kings do not fight to the death, and if more than three of their members are incapacitated they attempt to flee.

club, banded POW P+S

1 4

Hand cannon RNG AOE POW

12 — 12

aBIlItIesskIlls (stat alreaDy IncluDeD)

Climbing 7, Intimidation 6, Pickpocket 7, Lock Picking 6

anatomical Precision – When this character hits a living target with a melee attack but the damage roll fails to exceed the target’s ARM, the target suffers d3 damage points instead of the damage rolled.

Backstab – This character gains an additional die on his back strike damage rolls.

Blood Spiller – The character gains +2 on damage rolls against living characters.

Dodger – When this character is missed by an enemy attack, he can immediately advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved unless he was missed while advancing. He cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.

vitAlity 12BASE SizE smallENcOuNtER POiNtS 6



garrote POW P+S

— —

pistol RNG AOE POW

8 — 110


Intimidation 6

Blood Spiller – The character gains +2 on damage rolls against living characters.

roll With it – When the character would ordinarily be knocked down, he goes prone instead. The character loses this ability while he is mounted.




axe, great POW P+S

6 13

(See previous Full Metal Friday: “The Red Kings.”)

sword POW P+S

3 8



aBIlItIesDodger – When this character is missed by an enemy attack, she can immediately advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved unless she was missed while advancing. She cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.

immunity: Fire – The character is immune to fire damage.

spells cOSt RNG AOE POW uP OFF

starter 1 8 — — no *The spellcaster starts a small fire within the range of the spell and in line of sight. This spell can be used to target an enemy, in which case it requires an attack roll. If the enemy is hit, he suffers the Fire continuous effect.

HoWlIng Flames 2 sp 8 — 10 no yesHowling Flames causes fire damage. On a critical hit, the character hit suffers the Fire continuous effect.

ImmolatIon 2 8 — 12 no yesImmolation causes fire damage. On a critical hit, the character hit suffers the Fire continuous effect.

Wall oF FIre 2 ctrl Wall — yes noPlace the wall template anywhere completely in the spellcaster’s control area where it does not touch a character’s base, an obstruction, or an obstacle. When a character enters or ends his turn in the wall area, he suffers an unboostable POW 12 fire damage roll and the Fire continuous effect. Characters within the wall template gain concealment.

ARcANE 5vitAlity 7BASE SizE smallENcOuNtER POiNtS 8


dead end

3

Copyright 2001–2013 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms, Immoren, Full Metal Fantasy, warjack, warcaster, warbeast, and all associated logos are trademarks of Privateer Press, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to make photocopies for personal, non-commercial use only.

dagger POW P+S

1 4


Climbing 7, Pickpocket 7, Lock Picking 6, Escape Artist 8

Dodger – When this character is missed by an enemy attack, he can immediately advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved unless he was missed while advancing. He cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.

Get away – When the character is missed by an enemy attack at any time other than while advancing, instead of advancing up to 2˝, the character can immediately make a full advance.




sword POW P+S

3 8


Intimidation 5

anatomical Precision – When this character hits a living target with a melee attack but the damage roll fails to exceed the target’s ARM, the target suffers d3 damage points instead of the damage rolled.




pistol RNG AOE POW

8 — 10

1


HIstory of DuelIng anD Common equIpment


Dueling plays different roles in the varied cultures of Immoren and is a prominent part of some societies. In this first week of our look at dueling we’ll discuss the history of duels as well as the weapons commonly used by duelists in the human kingdoms of modern western Immoren.

HIstory of DuelIngDueling traditions in the Iron Kingdoms have roots running deep into the region’s long history. Early tribal duels to determine primacy of status eventually became a means to address a wide range of disputes. Use of dueling expanded over time to cover issues of law and honor. In the modern era few legal disputes are resolved by dueling, but crossed

We at Privateer Press are very excited that Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Kings, Nations, and Gods releases later this year. To celebrate, we’re counting down to launch day with free new RPG content every Friday! From now until launch, you’ll be able to download new careers, equipment, monsters, and more on Full Metal Fridays. Each month will showcase a different theme and will culminate in an event Game Masters can drop right into games. This month, Full Metal Fridays will examine the role of dueling in the Iron Kingdoms.


blades or drawn pistols are still used to resolve many issues of honor and ego.

During the Warlord Era many conflicts were settled with violence, and the only thing that set duels apart from other skirmishes was the number of participants. The Molgur in particular came to settle many disputes of leadership, property, succession, and hunting rights with singular combat. While most conflicts were resolved as quickly as they arose, duels to settle matters of great importance took place before the whole tribe. A special area was often set aside in the center of each community. This is the origin of the kuor dueling platform found in the center of most trollkin villages.

With the rise of civilization, dueling became more structured. During the Thousand Cities Era the people of

History of Dueling anD Common equipment

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the ancient kingdom of Rynyr developed stringent rules for dueling. The Orgoth did little to stamp out the practice of dueling specifically, but any activity that had the potential to threaten the stability of the populace was quickly punished.

Dueling, like many other things in western Immoren, flourished after the Corvis Treaties. The Rynnish traditions in the nation of Llael led to an even more established structure for dueling that was eventually recorded into a set of rules called The Duello. This Llaelese dueling code established rules for many aspects of arranging the duel and the satisfaction of honor, and it became more common for duelists to offer their services for hire, whether temporarily or as a member of a noble’s staff. Llael is also home to many prestigious dueling schools and has significantly influenced the dueling cultures of its neighboring nations.

neW equIpmentThe weapons and equipment associated with dueling have developed over the centuries. When men first began dueling any weapon would do, but in the modern era the rapier has become the favored weapon of many duelists. The items here represent the current state of dueling equipment.

melee WeaponsCloak, WeIgHteD

Cost: 10 gc

Description: A traditional tool of defense developed in the dueling schools of Llael, the weighted cloak is used by combatants across the Iron Kingdoms. It resembles a common cloak, but a series of weights have been sewn into the bottom hem. A skilled duelist can use the cloak to tangle an enemy’s weapon, making it harder for an opponent to strike him.

To use a weighted cloak, a character must spend a quick action to take it up and wrap it around his off hand. A character cannot make attacks with that hand while using the cloak. Anyone in the front arc of a character using a weighted cloak suffers –1 on melee attack rolls targeting that character.

DuelIng BuCklerCost: 10 gc Skill: Hand Weapon Attack Modifier: –1 POW: 0

Description: The dueling buckler is a small shield gripped in the off hand. Useful in deflecting strikes in a melee, the dueling buckler can also be used as a weapon to deliver jabbing blows with its flat face or rim.

Special Rules: A character armed with a dueling buckler who does not attack with it during his turn can use a quick action to gain +1 ARM against melee attacks originating in his front arc for one round. The dueling buckler cannot be used while also carrying a shield.

DuelIng pIstolsCost: 100+ gc per pair Effective Range: 60 feet (10″) Extreme Range: 300 feet Ammo: 1 (light round) Skill: Pistol Attack Modifier: +1 (firing a custom bullet), 0 (firing a standard light round) POW: 10

Description: These typically exquisite firearms are sold as a pair in an ornate box along with fine powder horns and a custom gunsmith’s kit for casting bullets for the pistols. The design of these weapons has changed little for hundreds of years, as they are intended as instruments for highly ritualized aristocratic duels rather than as weapons of war.

Special Rules: Antiquated as they are, dueling pistols are very difficult to load, taking a full action rather than a standard quick action.

A dueling pistol firing a bullet manufactured with the casting kit that comes with the weapon gains +1 to its attack roll. A dueling pistol firing any other round does not gain this bonus.

mIlItary Duelsin addition to the more codified system of civilian dueling, there have been many instances of single combat between two rival leaders deciding the outcome of a battle. While this type of personal combat lacks most of the rules associated with formal dueling, it is commonly allowed to take place without interference from warriors of either side. One of the earliest examples of this is the confrontation between horfar Grimmr and Priest-King Golivant. Twice during their fateful battle beneath the Shield of Thrace they clashed. The tide of battle separated them for a time, but as the molgur forces began to lose, Grimmr sought to end the battle by killing Golivant. more recently, the most significant combat of this nature, between lord commander Stryker and hierarch voyle, resulted in the cessation of major hostilities between cygnar and the Protectorate and a change in the leadership of a nation.

ancient dueling traditions still persist among the wild peoples of immoren, such as the Tharn. One of the most notable formal duels in all of recorded history saw a confrontation between the traditions of tribal society and a more modern duelist. at the end of the Siege of midfast, markus Graza used his knowledge of tribal custom to challenge the fourteen chiefs of the barbarian tribes assailing the city and delay the full brunt of their forces upon the people there. Over the course of seven days he successively defeated each chief in single combat, only succumbing to his wounds after finishing the final duel. With his death he became an ascendant of morrow, bringing brought an end to the siege.

History of Dueling anD Common equipment

3

tournament foIlCost: 10 gc Skill: Hand Weapon Attack Modifier: 0 POW: 0

Description: The tournament foil is specifically designed to facilitate sporting duels without risk of major injury. It is capable of causing pain and bruising but cannot cause mortal injury. It is long and slender with unsharpened edges. At the tip of the blade is a three-pronged point designed to catch on an opponent’s clothing so touches can easily be seen by a judge.

Special Rules: This weapon cannot reduce any aspect of a character’s life spiral to less than 1 vitality.

When using the tournament foil in a non-lethal duel a successful attack roll against an opponent counts as a touch.

armorplastron

Cost: 20 gc SPD Modifier: 0 DEF Modifier: 0 ARM Modifier: +2

Description: This is a light quilted-leather vest worn by duelists while practicing and during sporting competitions. While it does offer some protection against practice weapons, it does little to protect its wearer in true combat.

Special Rules: None.


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praCtICe equIpmentThe tournament foil and the plastron are recent inventions that owe their existence to a recent growth in organized exhibitions of dueling skill.

many dueling schools still teach with swords with blunted blades, but some have adopted the tournament foil as a standard weapon.

Professional duelists find it hard to take a fight seriously when these items are employed. many exiled llaelese nobles sponsor sporting tournaments specifically for dueling that offer large enough prize purses to make even the proudest duelist lower himself to using non-lethal equipment.

1


IncorporatIng DuelIng Into a game


Although dueling has a place in the Iron Kingdoms, it does not fit into every situation and should not be used to resolve every disagreement that arises. For example, in high society the entire process of a duel from the time of the initial challenge to the resolution of the combat can take up to a week, making a duel a poor choice for quickly resolving a conflict.

It is also important to remember a duel is a combat that follows an established set of rules, not just any time two characters have a fight.

When to DuelAs the Game Master, the first thing to consider when deciding if a duel is an appropriate response to a situation is the parties involved in the altercation. Among the upper levels of society in the Iron Kingdoms dueling



is an appropriate recourse to an affront, but not every conflict escalates to combat. If someone has given offense unknowingly, the matter can be resolved simply by the offer and acceptance of an apology. If the issue is not directly related to a matter of honor, such as in the case of two nobles with a business dispute, the participants are just as likely to try and settle their disagreement with negotiation as they are to resort to a duel. The only time a duel is sure to be unavoidable is if the conflict involves the honor of one of the parties, for instance if one is accused of being a coward.

Along with considering the culture of the parties in question, also consider their stations in life. Although it is common for duels to take place between gentlemen in Ord, for example, organized duels are less common among the lower classes of that kingdom, who prefer to answer slights on family honor with an immediate unregulated brawl. When the


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poor or criminal elements of the Iron Kingdoms resolve a dispute with violence, there are rarely any rules involved. It is also considered inappropriate to challenge a member of a significantly lower class to a duel, and anyon can ignore a challenge without damage to his reputation if the challenger is from a significantly lower standing. A player can, of course, choose to ignore these customs.

settIng up a DuelThe Llaelese dueling code, The Duello, has been widely adopted as the standard set of rules for dueling across the Iron Kingdoms. It establishes protocols governing a number of aspects of dueling, though some are taken more literally than others. For instance, traditionally it was a rare member of the Llaelese aristocracy who did not keep a professional duelist among his retainers. Many refugee Llaelese nobles now living in Ord and Cygnar have found it difficult to continue paying the fees of these professional duelists, which has contributed to a larger number of skilled killers looking for employment.

Whatever the cause, the first part of a duel is the challenge. After an incident worthy of a duel has occurred a public challenge must be given, and then there must be sufficient time allowed for the challenged individual to offer an apology. If an apology is offered and accepted, the honor of both parties is preserved without the need for confrontation. On occasion, however, the injured party is eager to meet on the dueling ground and will refuse all apologies made.

After a challenge has been accepted, both duelists choose their seconds. These seconds act as assistants, judges, and replacements if necessary, particularly if the duelists are of vastly disproportionate skill or physical ability. After seconds are chosen they confer to decide the terms of the duel. The challenged party chooses where the duel will occur, and the challenger chooses at what distance the duel will be fought. The seconds negotiate more specific details: the weapons to be used, the time the duel will begin, and so on. One of the most important aspects of the duel that must be decided are the terms of victory. The most common is first blood, but the duelists can also agree to fight until one party submits or is killed.

When the appointed time arrives, the parties meet at the chosen location. At this point there is still a chance that an apology can resolve the conflict. Once the challenged party takes his ground, however, no apology can prevent the duel. Finally, the seconds inspect the weapons to be used. If those are firearms, they are loaded in the presence of both seconds before this inspection.

When both seconds are satisfied by the weapons, the parties face off against each other. In a duel with melee weapons, combat is usually initiated after both parties have made it known that they are ready. When firearms are involved the terms of the duel are arranged to include whether both parties will fire at a signal such as the chiming of a nearby clock tower, at the call of a judge, or when they choose.

After the duel has started, the seconds act as judges to determine not only who has won the duel but also when the terms of honor have been met.

the Duelloa challenge to duel must be issued publicly and chance given for an apology to be proffered. if the challenged gives no apology, the challenge is accepted. a challenge may be ignored should it be of a trivial nature or from a trivial person.

challenges are never delivered at night, for it is desirable to proceed with grace and allow sufficient time for apology.

The challenged and the challenger must choose seconds of equal station to their own.

The challenged chooses the ground; the challenger chooses the distance; the seconds fix the time and terms of firing.

The challenged and the challenger decide upon the terms of victory, which are assumed to be the drawing of first blood unless otherwise specified.

Upon meeting at the ground, if the cause of the challenge is such that no apology or explanation can or will be received, the challenged takes his ground and calls on the challenger to proceed.

no apology can be received after the parties have taken the ground until there has been an exchange of fire or an engagement with blades.

The seconds load pistols or inspect blades in the presence of each other.

Firing may be regulated—first by signal; second by word of command; or third at pleasure, as is agreeable to the parties.

in all cases a misfire is equivalent to a shot.

Where seconds disagree and resolve to exchange shots themselves, it must be at the same time as the principals.

Once the terms of victory are met or if both principals can or will no longer continue, the seconds must attempt reconciliation. if the challenged will not accept reconciliation at this point, a second meeting must be arranged.

DelopIngit is a common practice in a duel that is only being fought to save face for the participants to discharge their pistols at the ground and have their seconds declare that honor has been satisfied. This practice, known as deloping, permits duelists to preserve not only their honor, but also their lives. Deloping in a duel is a risky gambit, however: if the opponent does not also deign to do so, a duelist has essentially given his opponent a free shot at him.


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The Quick-Draw ShowDownA pistol duel is fought with the participants facing off against each other with pistols in hand and taking a shot at the agreed time. With the reduction of pistol cost due to advances in manufacturing over the last few centuries, there has been a growing trend for a new style of conflict resolution among gunmen that shares some similarities with dueling but does not follow its rules.

The quick-draw showdown is popular among the lower classes, in the wilder areas of western Immoren, and among the growing number of adventurers who consider themselves pistoleers. The object of the conflict is usually the resolution of an argument, but it can also simply be a test to see who is the more skilled combatant. For this showdown, the two gunmen face off with holstered weapons. The competition is a combination of intimidating the other participant, drawing weapons as quickly as possible, and making an accurate shot.

The characters first make a contested Intimidation roll. The loser of this roll suffers a –2 penalty to his Initiative. The characters then make initiative rolls and follow the standard rules for combat.

DuelIng among non-humansThe descriptions of dueling offered above focus on how dueling is handled in the human societies of Immoren, but dueling is also a regular aspect of other cultures. The approach to dueling and the specific customs surrounding it vary widely—most non-human races do not choose seconds for their duels, for example—but on the whole dueling is embraced as a sometimes necessary method for settling otherwise irreconcilable disputes.

ioSIos has an uncomfortable relationship with duels, which are technically illegal but still practiced among the aristocracy in particular. Historically the government has had limited success in interfering with the internal disputes of its myriad noble houses and their well-armed sons and daughters. Iosans approach these duels with great seriousness and have long employed them as a means to confront an accuser, settle a bitter rivalry, or resolve a matter quickly and privately and therefore avoid public scandal or dishonor to one’s house. Despite the practice being considered slightly disreputable, victors earn a certain prestige.

Considerable ceremony accompanies these duels, which must include uninvolved parties bearing witness on both sides, these having a similar role as seconds in the human kingdoms. Duels are always conducted in secrecy, at a pre-established place and time. The weapons and method of the duel varies considerably and are determined ahead of time. Arcane duels are possible if both parties are skilled in such

arts, but most are fought with melee weapons. The notion of a duel with ranged weapons would never occur to most Iosans, as it undermines the private and personal nature of the clash.

Most of these duels are fought to first blood, but sometimes the participants agree to fight to the death. Accidental deaths also occur, of course. In the case of a death, the witnesses are tasked to bring word of the outcome to necessary friends and family. So long as the duel was conducted honorably there is an expectation that there will be no retaliation or legal consequences brought against the surviving party. Nonetheless, noble houses have sometimes harbored longstanding enmity over such fatalities.

Iosans living outside of that nation rarely initiate duels, but those born to certain families may be familiar with the practice. Duels between Iosans in human lands happen from time to time, kept as private and secret as those in Ios. Otherwise an Iosan’s attitude toward the practice may vary depending on the nation in which he lives. An Iosan who has spent most of his life in Llael, for instance, may be entirely comfortable with the Code Duello and even become a professional duelist.

rhulThe dwarves of Rhul have laws governing every aspect of their society, and dueling is no exception. As a matter of cultural tradition, any severe dispute can be resolved by martial effort, either as a larger feud between entire clans or as individual duels. These clashes are governed by rules so detailed and exacting that they are a standard area of specialization among legal experts in Rhul. In general, other avenues of reconciliation be exhausted before a duel is considered appropriate. A trade embargo against a rival clan might be appropriate, for instance, but if the other clan still refuses to submit, combat can then legally be employed. These clashes can take the form of a limited skirmish between clan warriors or can be decided by a duel of champions. At both the larger and smaller scales there are specific rules governing how these battles can begin, be conducted, and be resolved. Every effort is made to prevent larger duels from spilling over to uninvolved parties or otherwise disrupting ordinary business.

Although the rules governing the circumstances and structures of Rhulic duels and feuds are labyrinthine by non-Rhulic standards, the most complex of these stipulations are reserved for the larger clashes. Individual duels are more straightforward; Rhulic clan lords and warriors are generally conversant with the particulars and quickly come to an agreement in most cases. The laws pertinent to these contests focus on making them as fair as possible, such as by stipulating parity of weaponry and skill and by allowing for seconds and champions to fight by proxy. Witnesses are required for the outcome of a duel to carry the weight of law. On matters of importance, Rhulfolk prefer a priest be employed as witness and judge, as such individuals are fully versed in the legal and ritual procedures. If a duel involves members of the same clan, the clan lord may be invited to stand as judge instead of or in addition to a priest of the Great Fathers.


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The duelists for a particular fight are usually chosen so as to take the best advantage of the agreement reached for that duel; often the only stake the participants themselves have in the fight is the honor of their clan. Because the Rhulfolk place particular importance on clan loyalty, however, every clan can choose from among a wealth of volunteers for such duels. It is not uncommon for complex duels to be arranged for involving multiple combatants, or several in a row. These are still considered duels so long as the fighting is one-on-one in each case.

When a dispute goes beyond small groups to involve two or more entire clans, it is deemed a feud. Feuds can be employed to determine the outcome of major contract disputes, including the rights to significant construction projects or other lucrative work. A clan’s fortune’s can easily rise or fall based on the outcome of a feud, and so entire well-armed clan forces, including steamjacks, can be dispatched to wage them. Although organized similarly to smaller duels, feuds may require the witnessing presence of higher authorities such as moot judges, who represent the Moot of the Hundred Houses in Ghord. It is the priority of a moot judge to ensure that feuds do not escalate or destroy protected property, such as important buildings. All decisions of a moot judge are final and binding, becoming law.

Clan lords can earn considerable acclaim and honor by interceding to end a long-standing feud by personal combat against their rival clan lord, although most such matches can be decided by proxy champions. A duel of this nature carries considerable risk, particularly for the clan with military superiority. Some smaller clans are adroit at leveraging challenges of honor to force an otherwise more powerful adversary into a position where they would lose respect and prestige by refusing a personal duel. Similarly, a moot judge can force a one-on-one duel between clan champions to quickly resolve a feud that has escalated and begun to threaten the public peace.

SkorneA large portion of the population of the Skorne Empire is made up of members of the warrior caste, who live by the hoksune code. One of the core philosophies of this code states that a true warrior truly lives only while risking his life in combat. Additionally warriors are taught to beware the path of least resistance and to seek the harder path in order to reap the benefits of the obstacles they must overcome. To a skorne warrior, every injury and every minute of pain is a lesson that allows them to forge their strength.

To understand the skorne outlook on dueling one must understand the caste system. Very regimented, this system offers many opportunities for an individual to find insult in the actions or words of anyone who is a member of his own or a lower caste. Honor is a vitally important concept to the warriors of the skorne and is bound up in one’s duty to one’s caste, house, and superiors as well as in personal adherence to hoksune. Killing another over a perceived insult or challenge to one’s honor is perfectly acceptable and proper behavior. Peers consider the death of a combatant as an affirmation of his weakness and the end of the matter.

Along with the emphasis on mastery of weapons, which are worn at all times, these aspects of skorne culture contribute to an environment where dueling is a major part of life. A challenge to fight may be offered and answered between skorne warriors even without any perceived slight or insult, purely to test the mettle and prowess of a peer or a subordinate. As a matter of honor these fights are not to the death, but they can still result in bloodshed and injury. The need to answer insults or overt challenges of honor might prompt an immediate duel, with the drawing of weapons and a clash begun at once and with little ritual.

More important and severe challenges, such as aspersions on house leaders or high-ranking officers, might result in formal duels at a specific time and location, and these are usually attended by any house members with an interest in the outcome. Most significant houses have a fighting arena set aside for this purpose as well as fighting instruction and sparring between house leaders and officers. When a duel is arranged, it is most common for the participants to wield whichever weapon they are most familiar with. In cases where a clearly superior combatant faces an inferior, the more skilled warrior may gain the respect of his peers by putting aside familiar weapons to employ those with which he is less comfortable.

The most ritualized duels in skorne society occur yearly during the Trials of the Aspirant Praetorians. During this time young skorne who hope to join the ranks of a great house’s Praetorians participate in numerous sword duels to prove themselves worthy of the honor of membership.

Vinter Raelthorne’s conquest of the skorne was greatly aided by the significance they place on dueling. As he traveled across the skorne empire toward Halaak, Vinter subjugated house after house by defeating their lords and champions in duels and absorbing their military strength into his own force. His last act as supreme archdominar has already become legend, whereby he single-handedly defeated an entire room of tyrants and dominars, including killing several with their own weapons.

TharnAmong the savage Tharn, duels are less structured and far more brutal. Power among these tribes is usually determined by who is strongest and fiercest, a status that is hard won through many bloody conflicts. When a tribe’s leader begins to show age or weakness, for example, it is not long before he begins facing challenges from its younger members.

A typical Tharn duel begins with the challenger calling to the challenged, boasting of his own prowess while casting doubt on the abilities of the challenged. The challenged can continue this verbal exchange, but often the response is a roar of rage as both parties channel the Devourer and then violently clash. There is no special area set aside for these conflicts, which can range through the village in a frenzied path of destruction.


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The fight usually ends once one of the combatants demonstrates clear dominance over the other. A duel can certainly be fought to the death, though, and the victor may decide to kill his adversary to make an example of him, particularly in duels for tribal leadership. Due to the brutal nature of Tharn fighting, it is not uncommon for combatants (and sometimes observers) to suffer grievous injuries in these clashes. A Tharn can find his place in the tribe significantly lowered if he is maimed, and the standing of any combatant who begs for mercy is permanently damaged.

TrollkinDueling is an accepted way to deal with many disagreements in trollkin society, and combatants gain and lose influence and reputation based not only on victories and losses but also on a complex assessment of the contest and their performance in it. Whatever the purpose of the duel, it takes place at the kriel’s kuar, a huge stone platform in the center of the village that serves as both a gathering place for the kriel and an arena to settle scores through confrontation.

Trollkin usually fight their duels with whatever weapon they are most familiar with. The most common choices are axes and hammers, but any weapon is considered acceptable, and more than one trollkin has made a point of spurning weapons altogether to fight bare-handed. Regardless of the weapon chosen, combatants are expected to fight honorably, and the numerous spectators intervene if cheating is suspected. In most of these clashes, forcing an opponent off the platform grants victory to the one remaining.

While melee duels are the most common and exciting for spectators, trollkin leaders sometimes use other means to best one another either atop the kuar or anywhere the kin can gather in number to witness. Direct feats of strength and stamina such as arm-wrestling or drinking may be undertaken by two trollkin to take the measure of the other. Shamans, elders, fell callers, and chroniclers may face one another for a verbal duel, an intense debate involving heated words along with tricks of oratory, seeking to not only prove their position but also sway those listening. Losing one of these duels can be just as severe to a trollkin’s standing as a loss by weapons, as being shamed or proven foolish can unseat a chieftain. There is also a variant of the Tohmaak Mahkeiri ceremony whereby two trollkin stand close and stare into one another’s eyes, trying to force the other to back down by sheer force of will. This ceremony has superstitious and mystical overtones among the trollkin, who claim participants can peer into the soul of the other and gauge their true worth. Long minutes or even hours can pass in such a mental confrontation; if it becomes clear to both that they are deadlocked, a physical duel will commence to settle the matter.

It is common practice for the younger members of a trollkin community to take part in many duels to establish a reputation. It is also not unheard of for leaders in the community to face off to resolve a conflict that cannot be decided by other means. In his rise to power Hoarluk Doomshaper challenged countless elders to duels, both physical and mental, and was never defeated.


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Ways to Use DUelIngBy William “Oz” SchOOnOver

This week’s Full Metal Friday offers ways for both Game Masters and players to use dueling in a game. Plot hooks give the Game Master a situational premise, providing enough background and motivation to build adventures on. The maneuvers are new gameplay options for Duelist characters to use in a fight.

Plot Hooks for DUelIstsThe invasion of Llael has forced many dueling masters, professional duelists, and nobles with a love of dueling to find new homes—and in some cases new employment. This provides many opportunities for dueling to be incorporated into an ongoing campaign. The following are just a few of the many ways dueling can be the focus of a game.



The exiled NobleThe Llaelese aristocracy patronized many dueling schools, employed a large number of professional duelists, and contributed heavily to the popularity of dueling. Nobles who have fled the turmoil in Llael have taken their traditions, and in some cases their dueling retainers, with them into exile. This has strengthened the dueling cultures of both Ord and Cygnar.

Game Masters wishing to include dueling in their campaigns can use these nobles in any number of ways. Here is one example:

A noble seeking to make a name for himself in his newly adopted home is sponsoring an exhibition of dueling skill at his villa outside of Mercir. In addition to building his own esteem in the community, he is using the event to seek a skilled duelist to add to his staff.

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Entrance in the tournament is free, so any of the player characters can participate. It is common knowledge that many prominent duelists will be competing, which will make winning quite a challenge. The tournament winner will receive a monetary reward and be offered a permanent position as a bodyguard to the noble, who fears an assassin has been hired to kill him.

The catch is that one of the tournament competitors is in fact an assassin hired to kill the noble. He hopes to be offered the bodyguard position to make completing his contract a simple task.

The Newly esTablished schoolA famous master duelist has recently opened a school in the Ordic city of Midfast. The master’s renown has made his school an instant success.

The school is secretly a base for the Llaelese Resistance. After hours the building is used for meetings and as a location for organizing shipments of weapons and supplies back to Llael. Capable fighters who enroll in the school are recruited to guard the shipments in transit.

Khadoran intelligence agents are aware that aid shipments are being smuggled into occupied Llael and are close to tracing the shipments to Midfast. Having caught wind of the Khadoran threat, the school’s founder is readying his students for battle and spreading word among the mercenary community that he is looking for some capable adventurers.

If the party has any interest in making allies with the Resistance, fighting to defend the shipments is certain to make them friends in the right places. If the party is unaffiliated or aligned with Khador in some way, they can be brought in on the other side of the conflict to help put an end to the shipments.

The call of The claNThe local branch of a Rhulic player character’s clan has had a dispute with another locally represented clan over the shipment of goods. Tensions are high at home, and his clan is not in the position to start a full-blown feud with its rivals. In addition, the clan does not have a large number of members in the area.

A senior member of the other clan comes forward with the offer of a compromise: resolve the dispute through a duel, and the issue will not be brought to the notice of the lords of either clan. Although his own clan would likely win an extended feud because of their numbers, such a situation would incur unknown costs in damages as well as potential injuries he would rather not risk. Additionally, his clan has access to a formidable champion who has won many duels, while the PC clan has no one of similar standing. The clan representative keeps this information to himself and focuses on the expediency of a duel whose winner will gain a favorable position in the negotiations.

The dwarf player character will check in with his clan’s local estate, as is Rhulic custom. His clan’s lack of manpower in this area means that he is their best option for a champion in the duel.

DUelIng maneUversThe following are a list of maneuvers taught in Llaelese dueling schools. In order to use a maneuver, a character must have the required prerequisites.

Most of these maneuvers can be used only while armed with a light one-handed weapon, like the rapier. Attempting them with heavier weapons is strenuous and slow, all too often resulting in being run through by a better-equipped swordsman. The Game Master has final say on whether or not a weapon is appropriate for any the following maneuvers.

DeflectIng strIkePrerequisite: Duelist, light one-handed weapon, Hand Weapon 3

Description: Although it is a strike, the purpose of this maneuver is not to wound the opponent but to deflect his weapon out of position, making a return strike much more difficult.

Special Rules: The deflecting strike is a melee attack that causes no damage. If the attack hits, for one round the target character suffers a –2 penalty to his next melee attack roll.

feInt*Prerequisite: Unarmed Combat 2

Description: A character with the proper degree of skill can attempt to mislead his opponent with a false attack to put him off balance and make it easier to hit that opponent with follow-up attacks.

Special Rules: A character can spend 1 feat point to make a feint attack while armed with a one-handed weapon or great weapon. He makes an attack roll using PRW + Unarmed Combat. If the attack hits, the target takes no damage but suffers –2 DEF for one round.

A character with Unarmed Combat 3 or more can advance 1˝ after a successful feint attack roll.

* The Feint maneuver also appears in No Quarter Presents Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game: Urban Adventure.

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HIDDen gUarDPrerequisite: Duelist, light one-handed weapon, Hand Weapon 2

Attack Modifier: 0

Description: This specialized overhand parry protects a swordsman’s backline and is a favorite of flashy duelists seeking to outshine their opponents.

Special Rules: A character using this maneuver spends 1 feat point and uses a quick action. For one round enemies cannot claim melee attack back strike bonuses against him.

lasHIng strIkePrerequisite: Duelist, light one-handed weapon, Hand Weapon 2

Attack Modifier: 0

Description: A broad circular cut favored by those who fight with curved swords, the lashing strike hits with extreme force but is a slow maneuver compared to many of the classical dueling moves.

Special Rules: A character using this maneuver can spend 1 feat point to increase the POW of a melee attack by +2. For one round after using the lashing strike a character is not considered to have a melee range, does not engage other characters, and cannot make additional attacks or free strikes.

tUrnIng rIPostePrerequisite: Duelist, light one-handed weapon, Hand Weapon 2

Description: This footwork maneuver allows the duelist to quickly change his position in response to an opponent’s attack.

Special Rules: When this character is missed by a melee attack, he can change his facing before making his Riposte attack. If he does, he suffers a –2 penalty to his Riposte attack roll.

A character with AGL 6 or higher can advance up to 1˝ before making his Riposte attack. If he does, he suffers the penalty described above.


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the noble’s tournamentBy William “Oz” SchOOnOver


Adversaries: Denys Manet, Mirek Orlov, Human Duelists (as necessary)

Description: This series of encounters take place in and around a sporting dueling tournament sponsored by an exiled Llaelese noble.

The noble is sponsoring the tournament as a recruitment tool, as he lost all his most capable retainers in the fall of Llael. He is most eager to fill a bodyguard position since he has recently learned that there may be a contract out on his life. The event has drawn many duelists, one of whom is an assassin.



scene 1: before the tournamentThe characters have become aware of a dueling tournament taking place in King’s Vine. The tournament is being sponsored by a prominent exiled Llaelese earl named Armand Feraud. The contests will use non-lethal weapons provided by the host, and the winner will claim a significant purse as a reward. Registration for the tournament is being held in a nearby tavern and is open to all comers.

The Noble’s TourNameNT

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GatherinG informationWhen the characters arrive in town they can seek out additional information about the event. The local taverns offer many easily overheard conversations. Feraud’s family has maintained an estate near King’s Vine for at least one hundred years. He arrived in the city days before the invasion of Llael. This could mean that he has very high connections who warned him to flee or that he is simply very lucky. Feraud previously employed a few well-known retainers who did not arrive with him and have not been seen since the invasion. Rumors abound regarding what happened to those individuals, with the consensus being that they must be dead. Many of the townsfolk speculate Feraud is holding the tournament to recruit staff and will offer the winner, and possibly other skilled duelists, a position.

A character with the Streetwise skill can gather additional information. Without making a roll, any character trained in Streetwise hears rumors in the tavern that someone has put out a contract on Feraud’s life. On a roll of 12 the character learns that there is at least one assassin attempting to kill Feraud. On a roll of 14 the character learns that the assassin has entered the dueling tournament.

the receptionRegistration for the tournament takes place over four hours at a large tavern called the Drunken ’Jack. The wait to register is never more than fifteen minutes.

In the evening, after registration has been closed for an hour, there is a reception at Feraud’s estate a short distance outside of King’s Vine to honor the tournament participants. Numerous nobles and other prominent members of the community are also in attendance. The event offers the duelists a chance to gauge their potential opponents and allows the spectators a first look at the combatants. Many of the wealthy spectators begin betting on the upcoming competitions; a large amount of money will exchange hands over the course of the tournament. If the player characters did not discover all the information about the assassin earlier, they overhear several of the partygoers gossiping about it during the reception.

As the attendees mingle, two names are brought up more than any others: Denys Manet and Mirek Orlov. These men are the obvious favorites to win the tournament, and one of the two is most likely the assassin sent after Feraud. The player characters can mingle during the reception to gather more information about the two duelists. The reception attendees have six pieces of information about Manet and Orlov, but not all of them are true.

Each detail comes from a different individual at the reception, and the attendees’ response to the effort of gathering the information varies depending on the approach a player character uses. The Game Master should feel free to add further bonuses or penalties to the roll as appropriate (deciding, for instance, that the Riverboat Captain is much more receptive to a character who introduces himself by offering him a drink). The target number for learning a detail is 16. Rolls can be made using Bribery, Etiquette, Interrogation, Negotiation, or Seduction. For the purposes of these checks, these skills suggest slightly different and broader use of these social skills than their description in the Core Rules. For example, Seduction can represent flattery and a general attempt to charm, Negotiation can represent a discussion with an implied exchange of future favors, and Intimidation can represent simply being a bit more forceful and firm in one’s requests.

Each detail can be verified from other sources. Once a detail is learned it can be included in a conversation with another source to attempt to verify it. A character confirms or denies information without requiring a roll.

The following describes the significant attendees at the reception, the modifiers to skill rolls when interacting with them, which detail they know, and which facts they can verify.

the ShippinG maGnateThe shipping magnate is in his late 50s. He is a self-made man and responds well to flattery.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Seduction, –2 to rolls using Intimidation

Detail: He and Orlov’s father were both riverboat captains on the Black River twenty years ago. They knew each other well, and Orlov’s father was always honorable.

Confirmation: The shipping magnate knows that Orlov is not a Khadoran, disproving the egotistical duelist. Orlov’s family has Umbrean roots, but he was born in Llael.

the BaronThe baron is a local Cygnaran noble in his late 60s. He does not like to be badgered.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Etiquette, –2 to rolls using Negotiation, No roll for Cygnaran characters with the Aristocrat career

Detail: Orlov’s family lost everything in the invasion of Llael. He’s been seen in the company of river pirates and other shady characters.

Confirmation: The baron confirms that Orlov’s father was a riverboat captain who started a small shipping company based in Merywyn prior to the Khadoran invasion.


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the hapleSS DueliStThe hapless duelist is wearing fine clothes that show a bit of wear and tear. He is afraid that others don’t think he belongs here.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Bribery, –2 to rolls using Intimidation

Detail: Manet looks a lot like a man who lost a duel against a Mercir noble’s second four years ago. That man went by the name Collins and suffered a wound to the chest that ended the duel.

Confirmation: The hapless duelist was on the same boat with Manet and fought alongside him against the bog trogs, confirming the river boat captain’s statement.

the courteSanThe courtesan is a woman in her mid 20s. She quickly grows bored with flattery.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Interrogation, –2 to rolls using Seduction, No roll for characters with the Highwayman career

Detail: Manet is a master duelist who served the Llaelese crown.

Confirmation: The courtesan confirms Manet has a scar on his chest from a sword cut.

the riverBoat captainThe captain is a gruff, finely dressed man. His clothing is a few seasons past fashionable, but he takes offense to any suggestions that he has come on hard times and is anything but prosperous.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Etiquette, –2 to rolls using Intimidation or Negotiation

Detail: Manet arrived in the city on the captain’s boat. He helped fend off a bog trog raid as they passed through the Marchfells.

Confirmation: The riverboat captain has seen Orlov fight in disreputable fight clubs in other ports, confirming the baron’s statement.

the eGotiStical DueliStThe egotistical duelist is full of himself. He will posture loudly but quickly backs down from a real confrontation.

Modifiers: +2 to rolls using Intimidation, –2 to rolls using Seduction

Detail: Orlov is secretly a Khadoran. He speaks in a fake Llaelese accent.

Confirmation: The egotistical duelist served the Llaelese crown and has never met Manet.

scene 2: the tournamentThe tournament begins on the morning following the reception. It uses a single-elimination format, and all the contests are fought in a single day.

Every player character taking part in the tournament faces off with a human duelist (see below) during the first round of the tournament. Manet and Orlov also fight human duelists and win. If there are multiple player characters that pass the first round they face each other during the second round. If only one player character wins his first match he faces another human duelist in the second round. Manet and Orlov fight each other during the second round, and Orlov is the victor. If a player character wins in the second round he faces Orlov in the final round.

Player characters not participating in the competition are spectators. They can make side bets and take notes on the fighting techniques of potential opponents for their friends. A character who watches a bout can make an INT roll against a target number of 12 to gain insight about the way a character fights. If the roll succeeds he can pass this information on to give a character facing the observed duelist a free reroll during a bout.

BoutSEach round of the tournament is a bout. Each bout is fought until a participant has scored three touches. In order to score a touch a character must hit his opponent with a melee attack. All participants are armed with tournament foils.

The two combatants face off six feet apart and roll initiative. They fight until a touch is scored. After each touch there is a reset. The reset consists of both participants returning to their starting positions and rolling again for initiative.

When a participant has scored three touches, the bout is over and the winner is declared. Feraud has hired several line judges to ensure the bouts are fought honorably and without cheating. If a character is observed cheating, such as using magic or being under the influence of alchemical enhancement, he is immediately evicted from the tournament.

a note on tImeThe description of the length of the tournament given assumes a limited field with only one or two player characters participating. if an entire party enters the tournament it will go longer than three rounds. For a larger tournament the bouts are spread over two days. in the case of a longer tournament, manet and Orlov duel on the second day.


4

scene 3: the attackAfter the tournament has ended Earl Feraud invites a few participants, including Orlov and the player characters, to stay the night in his mansion. If the player characters performed well it is recognition for their abilities. Conversely, if they were unable to secure victory in their bouts, the earl has seen their potential and wants to foster it. The ceremony to award the winner will be held the next morning, and Feraud wants to speak with his guests about a private matter over breakfast.

As the other spectators and duelist leave the mansion everyone who is staying overnight is shown to richly appointed rooms. If the player characters check, Orlov is not in his room.

Shortly after midnight there is a loud disturbance at the front gate. One of the losing duelists is drunk and demanding to see the earl, noisily complaining that his opponent was a cheater and demanding the opportunity to redeem himself. The estate’s staff attempts to calm the man down and send him away without resorting to violence. The altercation is loud enough to wake people sleeping in the house, and most of the house staff is watching from a safe distance.

The drunk at the gate is a distraction. Manet (the assassin hired to kill Feraud) and some of his henchmen scale the back wall of the estate and make their way to the earl’s quarters. A member of the house staff on his way to check the earl’s fireplace sees the assassins and manages to cry out before he is killed. The warning is enough for the earl to lock himself in a small private sitting chamber attached to his room before the assassins reach him and alerts the player characters to the danger.

Orlov, who has trouble sleeping, is walking the grounds to clear his mind. He hears the drunk at the gate and attempts to help.

Manet and six human duelists are in the earl’s room. They have taken a ceremonial axe from a display in the hallway and are attempting to chop through the door of his hiding place. The axe has a POW of 3. The door has ARM 16 and can take 10 damage before collapsing. The earl is defense 10, and will die if he is hit with any attack.

If the player characters enter the room, Manet instructs his men to hold them off while the man with the axe keeps trying to reach—and kill—the earl. Manet targets whichever character performed the best during the tournament. Manet is a skilled swordsman and can use Hidden Guard, Lashing Strike, and Turning Riposte. He will fight to keep the characters from stopping his man from breaking through to the earl, even if it means breaking away from his initial target.

Wrap-upThere are two possible outcomes to the combat during the night.

the earl iS reScueDIf the players rescue the earl they have breakfast with him and Orlov the following morning. Feraud explains that he has job offers for everyone. He is involved in many things, and he needs individuals with a certain skill set to assist him. The first task he will give his new employees is tracking down the party responsible for the attempt on his life.

Regardless of the outcome of the breakfast discussion, the award ceremony takes place in mid-morning. The winner of the tournament is given 100 gold crowns.

the earl DieSIf the earl is killed, the assassins plant evidence pointing the blame at Orlov and the player characters, who must then evade the authorities and track down who is really responsible in order to clear their names.

I thInk We’ve Got the WronG Guy

if the player characters mistakenly identify Orlov as the potential assassin, he profusely denies any accusation. having lived a hard life in the aftermath of the Khadoran invasion of llael, Orlov is not a trusting man and responds violently to any attack or attempt to restrain him. he will not seek to kill the player characters in a confrontation, however, simply to prevent them from harming or imprisoning him.


5

adversarIes

rapier poW p+S

2 8

pistol rnG aoe poW

8 — 10



garrote poW p+S

— —

(See previous Full Metal Friday: “The Red Kings.”)

INTE

LLECT

AGILITY

PHYSIQ

U

E

1 2

34

65


Climbing 6, Etiquette 5, Gambling 5, Intimidation 5, Jumping 8, Seduction 5, Streetwise 5

ambidexterous – This character does not suffer the normal attack roll penalty while using the Two-Weapon Fighting ability.

Feat Points – Manet starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. Manet can have only 1 feat point at a time.

Parry – While armed with a hand weapon, the character cannot be targeted by free strikes.

Quick Work – When this character kills one or more enemies with a melee attack during his combat action, immediately after that attack is resolved this character can make one ranged attack.

To make a ranged attack, the character’s ranged weapon must be loaded.

riposte – Once per round when this character is missed by an enemy’s melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved he can make one normal attack against the attacking enemy.

To make a ranged attack, the character’s ranged weapon must be loaded.

Two-Weapon Fighting – While fighting with a one-handed weapon or pistol in each hand, the character gains an additional attack for the second weapon. He suffers –2 on attacks rolls with the second weapon while doing so.

BaSe Size smallencounter pointS 10

rapier poW p+S

2 8





Feat Points – Orlov starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. Orlov can have only 1 feat point at a time.


Precision Strike – When the character hits with a melee attack, he chooses the branch of the target’s life spiral or the column of the target’s damage grid that is hit, if applicable.

riposte – Once per round when this character is missed by an enemy’s melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved he can make one normal attack against the attacking enemy. To make a ranged attack, the character’s ranged weapon must be loaded.

BaSe Size smallencounter pointS 10

INTE

LLECT

AGILITY

PHYSIQ

U

E

1 2

34

65



6


sword poW p+S

3 8






riposte – Once per round when this character is missed by an enemy’s melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved he can make one normal attack against the attacking enemy. To make a ranged attack, the character’s ranged weapon must be loaded.

variable maT – When this character is introduced, roll a die. On a 1–2 his MAT is reduced by –1. On a 5–6 his MAT is increased by +1.

vitality 7BaSe Size smallencounter pointS 4

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