Wolf’s Dragonica

Monsters

Ankylo

A massive reptilian creature with a thick shell on the top and bottom of its torso. It walks on all fours and is about one and a half times as tall as a human in this position. It moves slowly, and characters should have no trouble outrunning it. However, they will have a hard time dodging its attacks from close range.

Mechanically, this fight is designed to be difficult or impossible through normal means. The players will need to employ various traps and perhaps mount the ankylo.

Roc

A gigantic bird of prey. It builds nests made of tree branches and can, with some effort, lift large animals and humanoids. Rocs that build nests near roads and trails may harass travelers.

 

 

Wisps

Wisps are the remnants of the souls of the departed, which may become visible in areas of dense natural magic at times when the veil between worlds is thin.

Forest Wisp

A basic wisp, which isn’t actually sentient; it’s little more than leftover magically-charged aether.

A forest wisp has the same stats as a Foxphorous (Ryuutama, p. 195), except its Season is Fall, and its Materials are 600g of Aetherically-Charged Powder, a magical crafting component.

Players can investigate and attempt to interact with wisps:

Perception

A DEX+INT check of 8+ reveals they don’t seem to be fireflies, and there’s nothing physical actually inside of the ball of light.

Sensing magic

An INT+SPI check of 6+ by a Magic Type character detects some odd energy, but it doesn’t seem to be a spell. On 10+, the player is sure it’s not a spell or other magical effect being controlled by a creature, but something natural.

Following or making contact with a wisp

A player attempting to approach a wisp makes a contested DEX+DEX check. On a success, the player is able to keep up; otherwise, the wisp flits away like a bug. If the player gets close and makes a threatening move, only then will the wisp attack.

Research

An INT+INT check of 8+ will reveal more information:

• These look like the fabled will-o’-the-wisp, but it’s often assumed those are tricks of marsh gasses–something you won’t find here, so it’s hard to say exactly what it is.
• There’s something ghostly about the wisps. In folklore, it’s said that the veil between worlds gets thin in autumn. Different regions and cultures differ on excactly what that means and what lies on the other side.

Mage Wisp

A wisp of a powerful magic user retains some of its sentience and is a bit more capable than a basic wisp.

A mage wisp is a bit more opaque than a standard wisp, and has more of a humanoid form. Unlike a forest wisp, it may be aggressive.

A mage wisp that gains access to a powerful, continuous source of magic (stealing an artifact, performing a ritual, etc.), they can reconstitute themselves as a ghost, which is much closer to their original form.

Ghosts

Ghosts are the remnant of the souls of the departed, but given a more corporeal form through magical means. Typically, this means a ghost was a powerful magic-user in life.

Ghosts are able to reconstitute their form and retain their sentience through a powerful, continuous source of magic.

If a ghost’s source of power is taken away, it will eventually revert to a mage wisp.

There are three types of ghost, depending on what the mage’s speciality was in life.

 

 

Healer Ghost

Tactics: In a group of enemies, the Healer Ghost will take the close area and attack normally, only healing when another enemy is low.

Firebrand Ghost

Tactics: In a group of enemies, the Firebrand Wisp will cast Enhanced Red Hand and make ranged attacks, resorting to Attack of the Killer object if they cannot hit.

Archmage Ghost

Tactics: The Archmage ghost will use the following strategies:

• Cast Magematik Shield to reduce damage.
• Cast Cure Touch + Cure Plus Plus to restore INT+d6 health.
• If they have problems hitting players, cast Attack of the Killer Object.
• If it is night, the Archmage Ghost will cast Harvest Moon, allowing the Healer Ghost to use Kaguya’s Leylance with a bonus.
• When low on HP and MP, will cast Bloodbath Blades followed by Hayabusa as a last-ditch effort.

 

 

Alternate Combat Rules

Modified Battle Map Areas

When fighting large or legendary monsters, you may choose to use an alternate set of battle map areas that represent a more complex setup.

Melee attacks can only target the same area. Ranged attacks can usually target any area on the battlefield (unless distance or cover impose limitations). Close range is still 1 area away.

Empty areas just represent stretches of distance. Enemies or allies don’t automatically move to another area if an adjacent area is empty (as with the Front area).

Object Damage

You can add key objects to your battle scene that can be destroyed by monsters or players. (These are separate from the objects that can be used for +1 bonuses in combat.)

Give the object an Initiative (only used for accuracy checks) and Durability value. On a successful hit, subtract 1 Durability from the object. When the object reaches 0, it is destroyed.

Damage dealt to objects can be repaired by an Artisan, just like damage to items.

 

 

Traps and Tools

Personal Grappling Hook

A grappling can be used to to mount a massive monster or gain high ground. It allows a character to take the following actions in combat:

• Mount Monster: Roll STR+DEX against the target’s DEX+DEX-2 to mount a large monster.
• Climb: Climbing up to high ground works like any other Move action and requires no roll.
• Set Harness: Allows you to secure yourself to whatever you are mounting. For example, in the Ankylo monster rules above, it’s harder to be thrown off the monster once you have secured yourself.

Palisade

More a defense than an actual trap, characters can assemble spiked palisades from tree trucks if they have a team of NPCs assisting them.

Palisades are most effective on very large monsters. They won’t be able to fit through the gaps between the trees, while smaller humanoids can use these gaps to attack with arrows, spells, or even polearms.

Monsters can destroy palisades, which make them a risky strategy.

Palisade stats

When building a palisade, give it the following stats:

• Protection: A number representing how much it protects characters behind it
• Damage: A die or dice that determines how much its spikes injure charging monsters (if any)
• Durability: A number which respresents how much damage it can take before breaking. Damage dealt to a palisade can be repaired by an Artisan, just like damage to items.

Absorbing attacks

If a large monster charges someone behind a palisade:

• Deal 1 Durability damage to the palisade
• Subtract the Protection value from the monster’s accuracy roll.
• If the monster’s accuracy roll fails by more than the Protection value, roll and deal Damage against the monster. The monster’s Armor may reduce damage from this roll.

Siege Grappling Hook

Larger grappling hooks may be the size of a spear and barbed. They may need to be fired from a ballista or cannon (powered by black powder or magic). If it hits, this hook will lodge into the monster’s scale or hide, limiting its movement:

Siege grappling hook stats

When building a siege grappling hook, give it:

• Strength: A number that determines how hard it is for a monster to dislodge a hook
• Attach Damage: A die or dice that determines how much the initial hit injures a monster
• Bleed Damage: A die or dice that determines how much damage attached hooks deal each turn
• Detach Damage: A die or dice that determines how much dislodging the hook injures a monster

Attacker actions

A character using a siege grappling hook can take the following actions in combat:

• Fire Cannon: Roll an accuracy check of STR+DEX+2. (Remember the value that was rolled.) On a hit, deal Attach Damage to the monster and attach the hook.
• Reel In: If a cannon misses or is dislodged by a monster, a character must take this action before it can be fired again.

Target effects

A monster that is hit by a siege grappling hook:

• Takes Bleed Damage (ignoring Armor) for each attached hook.
• Can take the Dislodge action. Roll the monster’s STR+STR against the grappling hook’s Strength and the accuracy check used to attach the hook. On a success, the hook is no longer attached; deal the cannon’s

Siege weapons are usually set up before combat begins. To help keep the monster fixed in place, they can’t easily be moved. A monster with an attached hook can’t move in the opposite direction without first dislodging the hook.

 

 

Campsite Activities

Some core Ryuutama classes have abilities that can be done in the morning (such as the Healer’s Herb Gathering) or the evening (such as the Hunter’s Hunting.)

Using this pattern, you can add new abilities that “slot in” as morning or evening campsite activities. A player can perform only one campsite activity in each slot. For evening activities, this prevents the character from making or supporting the Camping check.

The general pattern for these activities is:

• Choose a target number and a complexity for each task.
• Have the player roll against the target number each day.
• On a success, the player makes progress towards the task. (On a critical, they gain 2 successes.)
• When the player gains a number of successess equal to the complexity, the task is completed.

Minstrel or Noble: Study

When the party acquires a new tome in an ancient (or otherwise rare) language or a magical item whose purpose isn’t clear, a Minstrel or Noble can use their knowledge skill (Knowledge of Tradition or Refined Education) to study it as an evening activity. Each tome or item can have its own target number and complexity.

On a successful roll, you might give out hints or descriptive flavor (e.g., “it seems to be an alchemical formula of some sort,” “you begin making a cross-reference of words you need to translate”, or “this staff seems to manipulate energy in the surrounding atmosphere”). When the task is completed, the players have a vague idea of what they have been working towards. Hints may also help players prioritize their campsite activities in the future.

Hunter: Fishing

If water and the proper tools are available, you may choose to allow a Hunter to fish rather than hunt with their Hunting ability.

Like Hunting, the target number is the Terrain + Weather. Having the right fishing equipment can provide bonuses to this check or allow other player characters to take the Fishing action as well.

Artisan: Crafting and Repair

If you want to add a bit more structure to Artisan activities and allow them to occur during a journey, you can make Crafting and Repair an evening activity.

You might choose to disallow certain types of crafting if the Artisan doesn’t have access to the right tools in the field. For example, it may be impossible to work with metal if the Artisan didn’t bring pre-formed material ahead of time or have access to a forge.

Artisan: Practicing Specializations

In a long campaign, you may have an Artisan that wants to expand the types of objects they can craft (beyond one per class). You can allow them to gain new Specializations (and other skills, if your campaign has various types of lost knowledge) by practicing as an evening activity.

Choose the following, based on how difficult you want this process to be:

• Material cost: How much it costs each time you attempt a practice Crafting roll. This cost is not refunded if you fail the roll.
• Target number: The number you have to roll to succeed on the Crafting roll.
• Complexity: The number of successess you need to learn the new specialization.

For example, you might decide new Artisan specializations have a flat material cost of 25 gold, a target number of 8, and a complexity of 8.

Mechanically, practicing is like the Crafting ability. You can allow an Artisan to do it during the journey as an evening activity. Spend the material cost, roll Crafting, and (if the target number is hit) add another success to the specialization the Artisan is practicing.

 

 

Magic & Rare Items

Blessed Water Vial

Study complexity: 1, target number 8

When placed in a cool, damp spot, water will begin to form inside the vial and fill it in about 24 hours.

There is a 50% chance that this will be blessed water, which always remains ice cold, heals 2 HP, and gives +1 on the next day’s Condition check.

Blessed water poured out of the vial becomes normal water (with no effects) after one hour.

Concentrated Demon Lacquer

Study complexity: 1, target number 8

When applied to a light blade, blade, axe, or bow, the next successful attack will deal 2 extra damage and give the Injury: 2d6 status effect for the duration of combat. No effect on undead targets.

Glowstone

Requires no Study check to identify, as its function is obvious.

Lost Tomes

In ancient ruins, players may find books that contain useful or lost information about the world. Requires no Study check to identify.

Lost Atlas

A book containing detailed maps of one region of the world. One player may use this to gain +1 on Journey checks (Travel, Direction, and Camping) while traveling in that region.

Lost Lorebook

A book of history and lore collected by a traveling scholar. If a Noble or Minstrel studies it as an evening campsite activity (they can’t make a Camping check or partake in any other evening campsite activities), they can re-roll one Knowledge of Tradition or Refined Education related to legend, magic, science, or history that they failed that day with a +1 bonus.

Lost Bestiary

A book containing detailed information about a handful of creatures, collected by a world traveler. If a Hunter or Artisan studies it as an evening campsite activity (they can’t make a Camping check or partake in any other evening campsite activities), they may re-roll one Trapping roll they failed that day with a +1 bonus.

Mage’s Buckler

Study complexity: 4, target number 8

• On the first success, you learn that the buckler provides some way to bolster your defenses with MP.
• On the third success, you learn that the buckler also seems to enhance certain spells.

Dynamic Shield: Whenever you take physical damage, you may spend MP to negate damage (as if you had Defense Points) at a 2 MP : 1 damage ratio. You can’t use this effect if you are already the target of a spell that grants Defense Points (such as Round Reflection or Magematik Shield).

Spell Enhancement: If you cast Round Reflection or Magematik Shield on yourself, you can add one of the following effects:

• Spend 2 less MP when casting
• When you negate any damage, deal 1 damage (ignoring Defense) to the target that dealt damage to you.
• Spend 6 additional MP when casting Round Reflection, but only require 1 round to cast.

 

 

Magnetic Rod

Study complexity: 2, target number 8

When held, it allows the user to move one metal object under size 1 and/or 5 pounds. To properly guide the object, the user must make a INT+SPI check with target 8 every minute under normal conditions, or every round under stress (combat, time limitations, or dangerous situations). The rod must be moved to affect the metal object.

Characters who have spent a lot of time practicing with the rod may receive bonuses to this roll.

Red Hand Gloves

Study complexity: 3, target number 8

• On the first success, you learn that the gloves’ magic assists in combat.

You may cast the spell Enhanced Red Hand (p. 76) on yourself as if you knew it by spending 5 MP (you don’t have to be a Magic type). If you already know Enhanced Red Hand, you may instead add one of the following effects when you cast it on yourself:

• Spend 1 less MP when casting
• Add +2 (instead of +1) to your Accuracy check
• Add +1 weapon damage
• Ignore up to 3 Defense when dealing damage

Staff of the Wind

Study complexity: 3, target number 8

• On the first success, you learn that this staff seems to channel energy in the environment around it.
• On the second success, you learn that this staff may be able to affect nearby conditions.
• On the third success, you learn that this staff can be dangerous to use, if channeling too much energy.

Spend 4 MP to use the staff. Make a STR+SPI check (if calming weather) or a SPI+SPI check (if making the weather more turbulent). You can spend Concentration or Fumble Points on this check.

The target number depends on the strength of the current weather and the change being attempted. For each increase or decrease in Weather level, the target number is increased by 6. The target number also increases by 4 for every additional use of the staff in the same 24-hour period.

On a failure, the weather change does not happen and the character takes 2d4 damage (ignoring Defense).

 

 

Wand of Shooting Star

Study complexity: 1, target number 8

You may cast the spell Shooting Star (p. 76) as if you knew it by spending 5 MP (you don’t have to be a Magic type). If you already know Shooting Star, you may instead add one of the following effects when you cast it normally:

• Spend 1 less MP when casting
• Deal +1 damage
• Add +1 to your Magic Check
• Cast the spell silently