Searchers of the Unmentionable

• Contests proceed in turns. Player characters always have initiative, unless there is an ambush. All players take their turn in order of posting, then all monsters.
• Fights are played out on a square grid. Two AC points allow a square of horizontal or vertical move. Three AC points allows a diagonal move. So a heroine with AC5 can move two squares horizontally, or one horizontal and one diagonal. Difficult terrain costs extra. Wall corners have to be moved around, not through.
• Attacking is done by rolling 1d20 and adding target’s AC, attacker’s level, and other bonuses that apply. 20 or above is a hit. A natural 20 lets you attack again immediately. A natural 1 means a fumble. Roll damage on a hit. 0 HP or below means the character is helpless. An attacker can decide whether to actually hurt the defeated character or not. Characters ususally get one attack per 4 levels.
• Non-fight activity (e.g. acrobatics) also proceeds in turns. Players take turns in order of posting, then all opposition does. Success is determined by rolling 1d20 and adding the character’s AC. 20 or above is a success. A natural 20 will give additional benefits. A natural 1 gives additional complications.
• Saves are done by rolling 1d20+level; 20 and above is a success. A natural 20 and natural 1 give additional benefits or complications.
• Relevant skills allow the player to roll the d20 twice and pick the result they want.
• Once a scene is done, given a short rest time characters’ HP recovers by 50%. A Healer in the party during a short rest, or a full night’s rest restores HP to full and removes statuses.

1. Choose name and appearance

Self-evident. If you can’t make up your mind, there’s a handy table on the next page.

2. Determine starting level

This is either set by the GM or rolled on the GM’s whim. Characters gain 1d6 HP per level.

3. Pick starting armor

• Lace full bodysuit. Choice of colours. Distractingly see-through. AC9
• Leather harness. With strategically placed rings. AC7
• Chainmail bodyglove. Covers almost everything. AC5
• Form-fitting plate. Still leaves little to imagination. AC3

Shortstuff characters (optional):

• Halfling: Gossamer gown. Spidery and ephemeral like moonlight. AC9
• Gnome: Latex catsuit. Insulating and just right for the workshop. AC7
• Elf: Elfin chainmail bikini. Choice of one- and two-piece. Made of semitransparent mythril and starlight. AC5
• Dwarf: Adamantium scale mail. Polished to a mirror shine. AC3

Characters removing their armor become AC10.

4. Select starting weapons

Every character starts with 2 weapons and a knife. Each weapon does 1d6 damage, unless otherwise noted.

• A simple weapon. Can be used with a shield. Choose a damage type from piercing, slashing or bludgeoning.
• Shield. Allows ignoring the last hit. 50% chance to become unusable when doing so.
• Missile device. May do its damage at range. Out of ammo on a natural 1.
• Thrown. May do its damage at range. Have to retrieve after thrown.
• Big. Requires both hands to wield. Roll damage twice and pick the better result.

5. Determine starting skills

Pick one area of expertise. This governs when to roll two dice on a check.

• Seduction & Charm
• Dancing & Etiquette
• Cooking & Castellan
• Leadership & Rulership
• Acrobatics & Contortionism
• Swimming & Boating
• Healing & Herbalism
• Riding & Animal Lore
• Languages & History
• Magic & Religion

6. Determine starting equipment

Each player character can hodld 6 items in addition to their armor, 2 weapons and a knife.

Coinage is not tracked individually, but as sacks of coinage. Each sack takes one item slot. Ten sacks are equivalent to one sack of higher-quality coinage.

Each item of note that is not worn also takes one item slot.

Pick 3:

• 10-foot pole
• Torches and flint
• Flasks of oil (set of 6 flasks)
• Thieves’ tools
• Digging tools
• Holy water (set of 6 flasks)
• Climbing tools

Statuses

Statuses usually have levels of severity. Reducing this severity depends on the cause of the status, but usually requires a successful save. A natural 20 usually removes a status completely, or makes the character immune to its next instance.

• Hobbled - impaired mobility. Every square costs 1 point more per level of Hobbled.
• Immobilized - once Hobbled reaches AC, the heroine may not move.
• Prone - Disadvantage on saves. Standing back up takes an action.
• Pinned - prone + something holding the heroine down. Standing requires a successful save in addition to an action.
• Gagged - no talking. Getting gagged a number of times exceeding level causes Choked.
• Choked - impaired breathing. All d20 rolls are re-rolled and worse result taken.
• Suffocating - Gagged a number of times exceeding twice the character’s level. This does an automatic 1d6 Endurance damage per turn until the character is helpless.
• Dazzled - lowers level by 1 per severity for purposes of attack rolls and perception checks.
• Blinded - no sight. d20 rolls are re-rolled and worse result taken.
• Entangled - Impaired weapon use. Each level of Entangled reduces attack rolls by 1.
• Bound - Weapon use impossible. Happens when Entangled is above character level.
• Stunned - lose next turn. If applied twice in a row, save or become prone.
• Weakened - cumulative -1 to d20 rolls and damage
• Paralyzed - once Weakened exceeds character level

Optional character creation tables

• Arrow of destruction - target becomes AC10, but does not reduce encumbrance for purposes of movement.
• Belt of Safety - a cursed chastity belt. Will open automatically for anyone wishing the wearer harm, and magically reappear when they’re done.
• Choker of deep throat - the wearer’s level is doubled for purposes of Choked threshold.
• Circlet of Scorching Gaze - ranged attack once per day for (level)d6 HP
• Corset of Inescapable Beauty +X - wearer adds X to all seduction rolls, but any strenuous activity makes her miss her next turn on an odd roll of d20 due to being short of breath. Cannot be put on or taken off without help.
• Dorf’s Axe - While this is a thrown weapon, it’ll automatically come back to the thrower’s hand.
• Dust of invisibility - target becomes invisible (but not her equipment). 1 in 20 chance per turn to end, unless she stays perfectly still.
• Dust of Sneezing and Choking +X - target saves or becomes Choked. Save each round to come out of the status. If X is twice the character’s level or more, the Status is Suffocating instead, and saving brings it down to Choking.
• Magnetite - effective only on metal armor. Chunks of heavy magnetic metal, inscribed with glowing runes. Improves AC by 1.
• Necklace of Prayer Beads +X - may use a +1 bonus to rolls X times per day.
• Oil of Diminution - turns a human into an elf, gnome or hobbit for 1 day.
• Oil of Slipperiness - reroll all saves where being slippery might be of advantage.
• Posture Collar of Inescapable Tightness - inflicts Choked Status automatically. Wearer is very attractive to certain individuals. Very difficult to remove.
• Potion of Gaseous Form - allows instant escape from all entangling statuses, no save needed. Body reforms in 1d6 turns.
• Potion of Giant Strength - roll double damage dice for the day.
• Potion of Heroic Endurance - imbiber earns +1 Endurance per character level, permanently. Works only once.
• Potion of Longevity - doubles lifespan.
• Potion of Speed - lets character move as if carrying armor one class lighter
• Potion of Vitality - lets character regenerate 1 Endurance per round for the day
• Potion of Water Breathing - lets character breathe underwater.
• Ring of Feather Falling - no damage from falls, may pick landing spot
• Ring of Free Action - acts as a natural 20 on save vs. paralysis, once per day, removing Paralyzed and all Weakened status.
• Ring of Influence - target falls in love with user if save failed. If save successful, target hates user with a passion. May be used once per day.
• Ring of Protection +X - adds X to all saving throws
• Ring of Ram - target saves or gets knocked prone. May shatter doors if door fails save. Use once per day.
• Ring of Truth - user will know if what is being said is a lie. User can’t speak lies. Takes a day of wearing to start working.
• Ring of Wizardry - stores a single spell
• Rod of Cancellation - hitting a magic item with it makes the item as well as this rod dissolve into ifne dust, if a save is failed.
• Rod of Curing - heals a character to full Endurance and removes all poison and diseases. Works once per day.
• Saddle of Eternal Galloping - The rider needs to pass a save to dismount. Staying mounted might be embarrassing if there are people watching and drains 1 point of Endurance per failed save. Additional save frequency depends on mount activity - at least once per half-hour. The mount wearing this saddle Never gets tired. Heroines with riding skill save with advantage (roll d20 twice and pick better).
• Scroll of Protection from Tentacles - no tentacles may enter within 10 feet for 1d6x10 rounds.
• Shocking plug - comes with a remote. Pressing the button makes the wearer stunned.
• Staff of Striking - Choose damage type from Fire, Ice, Electricity. Out of charges on a natural 1, takes 1-hour long ritual to recharge that costs the character 1d6 Endurance.
• Sunblade - a sword that spreads sunlight when viciously swung.
• Tricky Rope +X - once the command word is said, it snakes towards the closest creature and tries to wrap around it. Roll X saves; for each failed save, inflict 1 level of Tangled.

Each player character has an adventurer owner. While players create these, during play they are NPCs. Each owner has a name and a class. To flesh the owners out, players may give them an adjective or three, and even a bit of backstory.

Adventurer classes

Warrior - the base fighter-type in The Bard’s Tale, warriors can use nearly every weapon there is. His slave may make an extra attack when rolling a natural 19 or 20 on an attack roll.

Paladin - a fighter who has sworn to abstain from all evil and to uphold honor and purity in all places. This might make him a difficult owner. His slave may use some special weapons, and makes all saves with advantage.

Rogue - a professional thief, the rogue can hide in shadows, and leap out at distant enemies to land critical hits. He can also search for traps and disarm them. His slave makes all trap-related rolls with advantage, and may hide in shadows once per delve per four levels of experience. Attacking from shadows successfully makes the hit monster save or die.

Bard - a wandering minstrel with an arsenal of short blades and magical songs. His slave has access to one magical song per four levels.

Monk - an ascetic, monastic martial artist, trained to fight without weapons or armor. His slave is bestowed with dragon-meets-tiger tattoos that get more extensive with rising level. The slave does 1 point of damage per level with unarmed attacks, has an AC of 10-(level/2), and has 10 movement while wearing only hand- and footwraps and staying unarmed.

Hunter - assassin, mercenary, ninja. He practices inflicting critical hits in combat. His slave is able to deal instant kills on a natural 20 on attack roll if the monster fails a save.

Conjurer - deals in the physical creation and manifestation of real things (like fire, light, healing). His slave may cast a shower of flames from fingertips for level* 3 damage, or heal the whole party of poison and 1HP/level, once per delve.

Magician - his magic affects physical objects (i.e., enchanting a sword, making armor stronger, making a dungeon wall disappear). His slave may heal a character of all wounds or give the effect of a magical shield to the whole party (negate a blow, 50% chance of shattering) once per delve.

Sorcerer - he is an expert in the creation and manipulation of illusions. Due to the difficulty of sorcerer spells, sorcerers are drawn from experienced conjurers and magicians. His slave may use a word of fear (all enemies have to save or flee), or make a character invisible until moving, once per delve.

Wizard - he dedicated his power to the summoning and binding of various supernatural creatures. These creatures are not friendly to humankind and trying to control them is extremely hazardous. Wizards are drawn from spellcasters with experinece in two magical classes. His slave may turn one enemy into an obedient slave, or summon a demon (the demon will have to be paid later on…) once per delve. Wizards are difficult owners, and more often than not their slaves are used as payment for supernatural pacts.

Archmage - he is an overlord of the magical world. This mage has extensive experince in all the other magical classes. His slave may stop all enemies from acting (each enemy needs to fail a save to be affected), and can pick one ability from any other magical class, usable once per delve. Archmages are difficult owners, and their slaves are usually subject to some form of arcane experimentation.

Places to visit in Skara Brae

• Adventurer’s Guild (A): It’s a kind of “Club House” for all adventurers. Newly created characters start here. This is where the real adventuers are sitting out the winter.
• Bedder’s Bank for the Bold (B): A bank and vault used to stand here, but Mangar put it out of business with an awesome incendiary spell. Bedder still does coin exchange business from an intact room.
• Casino (C): Various games of chance are played for various wagers here. This is one spot in the town that hasn’t changed much despite the snowstorm. If anything the wagers and dares have gotten more serious, if not obscene.
• Garth’s Equipment Shoppe (G): Here you can trade items, weapons and armor. Garth appreciates other kinds of atention as well, such as fine wines.
• Baron Harkyn’s Castle (H): The abode of the nominal ruler of the city. Nobody has seen him in quite a while, however. His legions are quartered here and maintain what little is left of order in the city. A sign threatens trespassers with death.
• Inns (I): You won’t find that the innkeepers are very talkative persons, but for some gold or favors they might give a couple of semi-useful hints. Other patrons might find your characters interesting, too. From north to south, these are: Sinister Inn, Drawn Blade Inn, Skull Tavern, Dragon’s Breath Inn, Ask Y-Mother, Scarlet Bard and Archmage Inn.
• Gran Platz (P): Once the hub and marketplace of the city, now a mess of abandoned stands and meeting place of a wary pupulace.
• Kylearan’s Amber Tower (T): This is the residence of Skara Brae’s protector, the archmage Kylearan.
• Magical gates (+): A magical key is needed to pass through.
• Mangar’s Tower (M): The spawn of demons, Mangar the Dark, occupies this tower. His endless spell of winter holds the entire town captive.
• Roscoe’s Energy Emporium (E): For a small fee, Roscoe identifies or recharges magical items and restores spells for spellcasting heroes.
• Review Board (R): Visit this place in order to gain higher levels, for a price.
• Stables (S): Sorry, all the horses have been eaten by creatures. Therefore, there’s lots of unused tack left. Jerome the stablekeeper keeps the stables in pristine condition.
• Sinister street (?): A magical place that has been here before the city was built, and shall be here long after it is reduced to ruins. Most people wandering in here will find themselves no further from the stert of the street than when they started. A select few might find something special…
• Stone statues (×): These silent guardians were once protectors of the weak. Mangar’s dark magic has perverted their animating spirits, however. From upper left, these are Giant, Golem, Grey Dragon, Golem, 3x Ogre Lord, Samurai, 2x Giant.
• Temples (T): Temples The priests of the various temples in Skara Brae offer their healing services, ranging from restoring Hitpoints to curing serious illnesses and even more problematic conditions. They can even raise the dead… if you have enough gold in your pouches. From north to south on the map, these are Temple of 100 Blessings, Temple of Great Gods, Temple of Greatest Gods, Temple of the Mad God, Temple of the Greater Gods, Thief Temple and Temple of Kiosk.
• Main gates (|): Nothing can be seen outside but an endless maelstrom of snow.

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