Quick reference for Pendragon rules for myself with handy HTML links throughout the document.
- Traits
- Passions
- Using Passions
- Famous Traits and Passions
- Ordinary Traits and Passions
- Starting Passions
- Types of Passions
- Glory
- Obtaining Experience
- Skills
- Improving Skills
- Skill Categories
- Success or Failure
- Honor
- Skill Descriptions
- Awareness (Knightly)
- Boating (Knightly)
- Chirurgery (Non-Knightly)
- Compose (Knightly)
- Courtesy (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Dancing (Knightly)
- Faerie Lore (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Falconry (Knightly)
- Fashion (Non-Knightly)
- First Aid (Knightly)
- Flirting (Knightly)
- Folklore (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Gaming (Knightly)
- Hearldry (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Hunting (Knightly)
- Industry (Non-Knightly)
- Intrigue (Knightly)
- Orate (Knightly)
- Play - Instrument (Knightly)
- Read - Symbols (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Recognize (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Religion (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Romance (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Singing (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Stewardship (Non-Knightly, Knowledge)
- Swimming (Knightly)
- Tourney (Knightly, Knowledge)
- Weapon Skills
- Stats
- Winter Phase
- Standards of Living
- Combat Rules
- Adventuring
- Religion
Traits and passions allow us to quantify character behavior. Thus, they make the player's roleplaying task easier by providing guidelines for how the character has acted in the past, and thus how he is likely to continue to act. Numerical values are assigned to each trait and each passion, and rolls are made using these values to determine behavior. Of the two measures of character behavior, personality traits are more often used than passions.
Keeping track of character reputation is important. Characters with similar Glory totals may have very different reputations, some good, some bad, some simply colorful.
Traits and passions are game mechanics for quantifying your character's inner self, recording both repute and propensity. They help you run your character in a consistent manner and according to his actual play activity.
Traits and passions between 5 and 15 do not have to be rolled against if the player wishes to use his free will to determine an action, although rolling is obviously the most impartial way to determine actions.
Characters who consistently act a certain way will eventually have the appropriate traits or passions valued at 16 or higher, due to the rules below, at which time they will either have to make the required rolls or retire the character.
Modifiers: Trait or passion values may be modified based on the situation, in order to keep the game realistic. Players are responsible for reminding the Gamemaster when a situation might call for a trait or passion modifier. The Gamemaster determines whether such modifiers are valid, and how much of a modifier should be applied.
A value of 16 or more in a particular trait or passion indicates tremendous interest and activity in that quality, perhaps bordering on the fanatical. The behavior is very obvious to everyone, and is thus significant in roleplaying terms as well as in game terms. New characters start play with only one value of 16, in one trait of your choice.
The threshold value for gaining Glory from a trait or passion is 16. if your knight has a Valorous trait of 15, he is brave, but not particularly noteworthy for courage. Nor is a priest with a Piety of 6 particularly impious, nor is a Love passion of 11 at all worthy of notice. But a knight whose Valorous statistic reaches 16 is considered heroic beyond many other men and one with a Piety of 18 is nearly a saint, while a Love passion of 20 denotes one as being famous throughout the realm for his passion.
This does not mean that trait rolls must be used whenever the character makes any decision in the game. And even characters with famous characteristics are allowed free choice of behavior except when the plot demands otherwise. The Gamemaster should request trait rolls only when a trait is tested in an important situation. in general, trait rolls simulate situations in which a crisis forces the character to act unconsciously.
Some extraordinary characters may have a trait valued of 20, 25, or perhaps even more! Scores above 19 are always the result of increases made during the Winter Phase (or perhaps by Gamemaster fiat). Such characters always have a value of 0 for the opposite trait, and are known through all the land for their unrelenting, utterly fanatical behavior.
Unopposed rolls against these traits are handled as with any other unopposed roll having a value of 20 or higher — the score is treated as 20, and any amount in excess of 20 is treated as a modifier to the roll itself.
As usual, trait values should be listed in pencil on the character sheet as whole numbers, each to one side of the slash (/) mark.
Values for traits and passions generally rise and fall repeatedly during the game. Experience checks for traits and passions are assigned by the Gamemaster in a slightly different fashion from checks for skills (see Obtaining Experience). Players who are reluctant to roll should not be forced to; however, if they consistently have their characters act against their established personalities, the Gamemaster must have them check the trait or passion they actually exhibited, in order to simulate the possibility of a change in the character's psychology and reputation.
For example, the player of a knight with a Generous value of 13 wants to loot and pillage his foes at every turn and constantly talks about the amount of money (or lack thereof) his character has. This attitude and behavior is not in keeping with the Generous trait, so the Gamemaster is perfectly within his rights to tell the character to check his Selfish trait the next time he expresses the desire to loot an enemy.
Passions are particularly vulnerable to reduction. When a character acts against a passion, no check is assigned - instead, the Gamemaster simply instructs the player to reduce the value of the passion by 1 point immediately.
Note: Any failed passion roll causes the character to lose 1 point.
Acting consistently according to character will prevent compulsory checks and reductions from being imposed.
The traits and passions system is not to be used to turn the player knights into puppets. Most of the time characters just do whatever the player wishes them to do, collecting checks along the way. However, if your character has a reputation, it's only fair that he maintains it or loses it.
it is not at all in the spirit of the game for player characters to become evil knights. However, players are encouraged to take minor character flaws such as cruelty or laziness for their characters; such traits can be very amusing in moderation, and also provide the Gamemaster with more opportunities to create interesting situations.
With one or two undesirable traits or inferior passion values, characters can have weaknesses other than those revealed only in mortal combat, giving the Gamemaster the possibility of creating non-lethal challenges for characters. Given the dangers involved in combat, this is a useful opportunity.
When the opportunity arises to have your character behave one way or another, traits can be used as casual guidelines, or rolls against the appropriate trait may be imposed by the Gamemaster.
Since traits and passions define character personality, they must be consulted whenever the Gamemaster feels them necessary. in crises, it is assumed, individuals act according to their character, not spontaneous and ambiguous choices. Custom and training triumph over instinct. Players may not want their characters to do something dictated by a die roll, but free choice is not always possible.
Most of the time, you simply state what you want your character to do and he does it, possibly receiving an experience check in the process (see Obtaining Experience). Sometimes, though, behavior takes precedent over conscious intent. Most of us have experienced doing something without thinking, and a trait roll duplicates that kind of situation.
Modifiers may be used to underscore the demands and pressures of a situation.
| Roll Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | An experience check is normally gained, and the character acts strongly in accordance with the trait. |
| Success | The character acts in accordance with the trait. The player may decide precisely what action ensues within that limitation. An experience check should be gained only if the action is somehow significant to the story or the character |
| Failure | Roll again, this time against the opposed trait. Success on this second roll means the character acts in accordance with that second trait. Failure indicates the player may choose freely how the character will act. No checks are given. |
| Fumble | The opposite trait is checked, and the character immediately acts in accordance with the checked trait. |
Each result of a trait roll has special implications, and high or low trait values may influence interpretation. Use of traits is not the same as striking with a weapon or using a skill. The traits quantify a character's likelihood to act in one of two generally opposed ways. Therefore it is not enough to know merely that a character does not feel particularly merciful — the player must know whether the character actually acts cruelly. The binary traits of Pendragon define the chances of either.
A critical success in a trait roll indicates that the character must act in the manner described by the trait. The action need not be outrageous or extreme, but ought to be apparent enough to be noticed enough by others, and to make the character feel that he has revealed strong emotions or perhaps even compromised his beliefs or his integrity in some way.
At the Gamemaster's option, minor inspiration may be gained from a critical success with a trait, gaining the character a +5 modifier to one skill selected by the player, lasting for the duration of the situation that provoked the roll. Such inspiration should be gained only in rare instances, for it is usually the domain of passions, not traits. Still, when a truly dramatic trait roll occurs, inspiration can make the process far more exciting. The possibility of inspiration also makes trait rolls more entertaining in general.
Success in a trait roll indicates that the knight felt, and was moved by, the feelings expressed by that trait. Thus, if he made a Merciful roll, he feels that he should grant mercy in this instance. However, the player may choose to have the character act in the opposite manner: The penalty for disobeying the roll result is a check in the opposite trait.
Failure at a single die roll is not enough to force a character to act entirely opposite to his usual patterns of behavior; the player must also roll against the opposite trait to see if chance and statistics force his character to break pattern. Thus, only a successful roll within the range of a trait forces the player's hand.
in some cases, a character may be torn between two warring traits (that is, not an opposed trait pair like Pious/Worldly, but entirely different virtues, such as Pious and Trusting).
By making an opposed roll between two unrelated traits, you may play your character's emotions off against each other, emulating the deep introspection of someone tortured by internal doubts. You or your Gamemaster may also set opposed tests of conflicting emotions, requiring you to make several separate unopposed trait rolls, with varying results depending on which of them was successful and which failed.
Whichever traits are successful (if unopposed) or win (if opposed) receive experience checks if approved by the Gamemaster.
Personality disputes between individuals, particularly between player knights and non-player characters, may be determined by opposed resolution rolls of traits. The challenger matches his personality against his rival's.
Because personality traits have opposites, results are more complex when someone fails during opposed trait resolution than is the case with other opposed skill rolls. Whenever a character receives a failed trait roll during a personality dispute, his player must then attempt to roll the opposite trait. if that roll succeeds, then the character acts accordingly, even though this means that behavior is not as intended.
The challenged party in a trait dispute has free reign to do as he pleases when he fails both trait rolls, having managed to control their inclinations.
The personality traits used in Pendragon consist of thirteen opposed pairs of virtues and vices. Note, though, that what is a virtue in one culture is sometimes a vice in another. Thus, Christian and pagan cultures, for instance, view the contrast between Modesty and Pride in a very different light.
All initial characters begin with a moral base derived from either British or Roman Christianity or from Paganism.
To determine your character's starting traits, follow these three steps:
initial traits are modified by the religious background. On your character sheet, mark those traits which your character's religion deems the most important, as follows:
| Religion | Chaste | Energetic | Forgiving | Generous | Honest | Lustful | Merciful | Modest | Proud | Temperate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Christian | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | |||||
| British Christian | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | |||||
| Pagan | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The Valorous trait always begins at a value of 15, reflecting your character's martial training. The Religious traits listed above begin at a value of 13. All of the remaining traits begin at 10.
Next, note that every "virtue" has its opposing "vice," located on the opposite side of the slash. For example, Forgiving is balanced by Vengeful, and Prudent by Reckless. The total on the two sides of the slash must equal 20. Complete your trait statistics by subtracting the values you have already assigned from 20, and filling in the resulting number opposite the chosen trait. Thus, if your character has a score of 13 in Forgiving, he also has a 7 in Vengeful; if he has a 10 in Prudent, he also has a 10 in Reckless.
As your character develops, these initial values will change, and various rewards may become available.
You may assign a value of 16 to any one trait, including those on the right side of each binary, such as Worldly or Reckless, if you desire. Assigning this value of 16 is optional. if you do assign a 16, put it in a trait that denotes the behavior for which you wish your character to be renowned. Be sure to adjust the corresponding trait (the opposite side of the binary pair) to a value of 4.
important: For your first character, be sure to choose a "famous trait" you can live with. Since this value shows how your character has acted in his youth, be sure the trait is in line with your intended actions and attitudes for the character.
Further, note that having a trait over 15 decidedly affects the player's actual control over a character! Your character's actions may be determined by the trait and contrary to your wishes as a player. For example, a character with an Honest trait of 16 tells the truth in almost all situations, even those where deception might be advisable! The game system assures this.
Leave these blank for now. They are discovered during game play.A character may have strong feelings about someone or something in particular that modify one or more of their traits. in game, these tendencies are referred to as directed traits. Directed traits thus represent strong feelings or beliefs, but not strong enough to drive your character mad, as a passion might (see [Passions])#passions)).
in situations where the directed trait might reasonably alter your character's actions or perceptions, he applies its numeric value as a modifier on appropriate trait rolls. Some directed traits that might come up in play are as follows:
- Weakness for blondes (adds to Lustful rolls where blondes are involved)
- Mistrust Sir So-and-so (adds to Suspicious rolls where Sir So-and-so is involved)
- Mistrust London residents (adds to Suspicious rolls where London residents are involved)
- Forgiving of crying women (adds to Forgiving rolls where crying women are involved)
- Unjust towards Malahauts (adds to Arbitrary rolls where Malahauts are involved)
- Loves mead (adds to indulgent rolls where mead is involved)
- Fears boars (adds to Cowardly rolls where boars are involved)
To be chaste is to be monogamous, or otherwise faithful to one's sexual mores. it does not always require virginity, so a man being faithful to his wife is exhibiting the Chaste trait. A chaste person is modest and decorous in terms of sexual or flirtatious behavior. (Note that a relatively chaste character can still make Flirting checks, but probably does so in a rather demure or "innocent" manner.) A fanatically or famously chaste person is celibate and most likely virginal.
Lustful describes sexual desire, and also implies sexual activity, often without personal commitment between the persons involved. The pagan virtue of Lustful recognizes the value of this sensual art to appreciate the immanence of the Goddess. Excessive promiscuity may be called lechery, wantonness, or bawdiness.
Famous Characters: Sir Bors de Ganis is respected for his chastity.
A vigorous person is Energetic. This trait includes the natural inclination to get up early, work hard, and apply oneself fully to the tasks at hand. Energetic persons might be called vigorous, robust, or industrious.
Laziness includes all slothful activity, such as loafing and general sedentary behavior. At the furthest end of the spectrum lies complete indolence.
Famous Characters: Sir Lamorak de Gales is often admired for his energetic nature.
To be forgiving means is to be willing to take insult without injury. A forgiving character is unlikely to seek revenge for injuries intended or done to him. Extremely forgiving people are called "meek" (in the Biblical sense).
Vengeful indicates a character's propensity to seek revenge — perhaps only in petty ways, but possibly sweeping and grandiose — for wrongs done or imagined. This trait also includes spitefulness.
Famous Characters: Sir Gawaine is often noted for his vengeful streak.
Generous determines the impulse, learning, or desire to share with others. it includes the largesse of the Saxon and Cymric chieftains, and also the famed Christian virtue of Charity. Extremely generous persons are called unselfish, magnanimous, and big-hearted.
Selfish is the desire to possess, keep, and further accumulate things for oneself. Greed is usually a component of selfishness. This possessiveness usually regards material property and wealth, with the character being known as a miser or hoarder, but it might apply to Glory, so that the character always wishes to keep the most glorious tasks and duties for himself. Very selfish persons are labeled both stingy and self-serving.
Note: in some cases, jealousy is included under the Selfish trait. Thus when someone acts jealous, he may get a check for Selfish.
Famous Characters: King Arthur and Queen Guenever are revered for their generosity.
To be honest is to deal truthfully with others, both in matters of import or triviality, no matter what the consequences. Persons of extreme honesty are said to have integrity and to be trustworthy, scrupulous, and reliable.
A deceitful person is generally likely to distort truths, or to fabricate untruths, for his own ends (or perhaps on behalf of others) — or in some cases, simply for the sake of doing so. Chronically deceitful people are called liars, frauds, and false-hearted.
To be modest is to be quiet and reserved about one's gifts and accomplishments, not seeking excessive attention in the recitation of one's own deeds. A modest character is glad simply to perform deeds, rather than bask in the repeated glory of hearing about them. Very modest people are called humble and reserved, or perhaps even shy.
The Proud trait indicates the degree to which one gets pleasure from hearing and/or boasting of his deeds. Both Germanic and Pagan ways value Pride in a character. Excessive pride implies arrogance, and likely a boastful nature.
Famous Characters: Sir Turquine, the feared Saxon knight, is notorious for his great pride.
A just character is capable of telling what is right and wrong (within the mores of his upbringing and his personal beliefs), and is desirous of passing due judgment based on that information. A very just person is called fair and impartial.
Arbitrary means that the character has no concern for what is right or wrong, and uses other information and bases for his decision making. Very arbitrary people are labeled unjust, unfair, wrongful, and probably biased and partial.
Famous Characters: King Arthur is perhaps most famous for his extraordinary sense of justice.
Mercy indicates a tendency to extend sympathy, pity, and aid to others. This includes sparing an enemy, giving money to the poor, helping the weak, and any other act that is not expected of one's rank and station. A very merciful person is called compassionate.
Cruel indicates a disregard for the feelings and needs of others, or lack of sympathy. High values in Cruel indicate that the character actually enjoys the discomforts and troubles of others.
A pious character often dwells on spiritual matters, and is aware of them and their implications in the material world. (This is not the same as worship, which is an action rather than a belief.) A pious person is a spiritual person. An extremely pious person is devout or zealous, perhaps even saintly.
Worldly indicates a disregard or disbelief in the spiritual side of life. Extreme values might indicate blasphemy and sacrilege. Alternatively, it might just indicate profligacy, taking great pleasure in temporal things such as fine clothes, comfortable furnishings, good music and poetry, and the best company.
Do not confuse Worldly with Indulgent; the two often go hand-in-hand, but they are not the same.
Famous Characters: Sir Galahad is the most pious knight in King Arthur's realm.
The prudent character gives thought to what he does before he acts. Such a character is called cautious, and excessively prudent people are called shrewd, circumspect, or discerning — or "slow to act."
The reckless character acts before he thinks things through, without concern for anything but the immediate consequences. Almost any time someone gets a check for acting according to a passion, they will have acted rashly. An extremely reckless character is called careless, or a hothead.
Famous Characters: Sagramore le Desirious is decidedly rash, while Sir Dinadan is noted for being prudent.
Temperance means that a character takes only what he needs of food, drink, and other temporal needs. He is frugal and abstains from excess. Extreme temperance indicates asceticism, perhaps even self-mortification.
An indulgent character is a gourmand: He takes pleasure in food and drink, both in quality and quantity. Extremes of this indicate gluttony and drunkenness.
One who is trusting tends to believe information without any inclination to suspect its falsity. An excessively trusting person is gullible and credulous, perhaps even a dupe.
Suspicious indicates that a person is unlikely to believe what he hears unless proof is offered. An extremely suspicious person is called a skeptic or a doubter. A naturally suspicious person might still be extremely pious, however.
Note: In some cases, jealousy is included under the Suspicious trait. Thus when someone acts jealous, he may get a check for Suspicious.
Famous Characters: Sir Mordred is noted for his suspicious and skeptical behavior.
To be valorous means to be brave and courageous, willing to place oneself in danger for the sake of victory, friends, or the simple love of battle. Normal knights are valorous, and thus might be referred to as doughty, stalwart, or valiant. Extremely heroic individuals are often called fearless or intrepid. Valor may be exhibited not only in combat, but whenever risks to one's health or wellbeing are involved.
Cowardly means to be fearful of pain and of harm to one's self. Someone who is extremely faint-hearted is labeled as a poltroon, dastard, craven, caitiff, or recreant.
Famous Characters: Sir Lancelot and Sir Lamorak are well known as the most valorous knights in Britain.
Passions are strong emotional and psychological propensities within any individual. These include Love, Hate, Loyalty, Envy, and Honor, among others. Beginning characters all begin with five passions: Loyalty (to their lord), Love (of family), Hospitality, Honor, and Hate (of Saxons).
Passions are strong personal emotions, including religion, love, hate, amor, loyalty, envy, and anything else that the Gamemaster admits into the game. These passions provide a method of measuring a character's inner self. They help the character follow the morals of his age, and let him benefit from being a notable example of proper (or improper) behavior.
Passionate characters may perform with superhuman effort and a greater likelihood of success. However, passionate characters are volatile and moody — their feelings may change instantly due to success or failure on a passion roll. Based on the success or failure of a passion roll, they are likely to be found in any one of several states of mind which are not found among dispassionate folk: inspiration, introspection, melancholy, shock, and even madness (all have effects in game terms, as described below).
Invoking a passion is a good way for the Gamemaster to add excitement to a scenario. However, passion rolls are a risky business for players. The results vary, but are likely to be dramatic.
The Gamemaster may call for a passion roll, possibly with a modifier for the particular situation. This roll is handled as any other unopposed resolution (see Chapter 5), but uses the results found on Table 4–2: Standard Passion Results.
At other times the player may request a roll, with the Gamemaster's approval. Remember that the Gamemaster has final word on the appropriateness of attempting to use a passion for inspiration. Players are warned that passion rolls can be extremely risky as well as rewarding, for they may subject a knight to several unusual states of mind, including introspection, melancholy, and madness.
| Roll Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Character is inspired (see below) and acts strongly in accordance with the passion. Gain 1 point in the passion, plus an experience check (see Obtaining Experience). |
| Success | Character is Inspired and acts in accordance with the passion. Gain an experience check in the passion. |
| Failure | Character is Disheartened and immediately loses 1 point in the relevant passion unless the Gamemaster rules otherwise. |
| Fumble | Character is Maddened and immediately loses 1 point in the passion. |
To be inspired is to have achieved the highest state of passion. Inspiration can turn an ordinary character into an extraordinary one; it is the source for the greatness that many Round Table knights often exhibit.
An inspired character gains tremendous ability for a time. The player may choose any one skill or combat skill: His character's value in that skill is modified as shown on the chart below, based upon whether he was inspired by a success or a critical success in his passion roll.
| Inspired By... | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Doubled or gains +20 modifier (whichever is higher) |
| Success | Gain +10 modifier |
This inspiration lasts for the length of the task at hand, but never for more than one full day.
If a knight should somehow fail to perform a deed for which he was inspired, he suffers shock. In game terms, the character must immediately make an aging roll.
Note: The Gamemaster may impose shock on characters (with or without their first being inspired) in other appropriate situations as well. Likely circumstances for imposing such a state might be after the knight has just abandoned a lord or a lover to grave danger or a dire fate.
A disheartened knight suffers a –5 modifier on all further rolls made during the situation that brought on his state. Once the situation passes, he then becomes Melancholic.
Melancholy is a mental disorder that, when it manifests, causes the victim to be overwhelmed by grief. He or she may fall to the ground weeping aloud, lamenting losses and ill luck, and crying out from deep emotional pain. Alternately, a melancholic character might fall into a deep and morose depression.
If a melancholic knight is disturbed by another man, he falls into an maniacal rage, hoping to overcome his misery through violence; he always attacks the disturbing individual unless it is a woman. The only way a man can hope to calm a melancholic knight is by using "reverse psychology": The would-be healer must first succeed at an unopposed roll using a trait of his choice. If he fails the roll, he fails to penetrate the victim's melancholy using that trait. He may try again using a different trait.
Once the healer succeeds at a trait roll, he provokes an opposed roll from the victim on the opposite trait. (He is assumed to have addressed the melancholic victim in such a way that he provokes a response.) If the melancholic character's roll wins the resolution, he attacks, but if he loses he calms down and, a short time later, goes to sleep. On a tie, the characters do what their players wish them to do.
In game terms, a bout of melancholia usually lasts for one full day.
A character may be driven mad by his passions. This madness may occur at once, or once the relevant action is over (at the Gamemaster's discretion). Once madness sets in, the player must immediately give his character sheet to the Gamemaster, who describes what ensues based only on what the other player characters know and can perceive.
Normally, mad characters run away immediately. For the duration of their madness, they attempt to avoid the scene of their disastrous experience at all cost. A madman is out of play until the Gamemaster wishes to reintroduce him into the campaign — which may be years later, or perhaps never. Storytelling considerations should be dominant in determining how long a maddened character is gone.
If recovered, the madman will have undergone unusual, unknown circumstances that can result in changes to some attributes and/or skills, at the Gamemaster's option. Players should simply accept these changes, which may not always be negative.
The character's player remains unaware of precisely what has transpired while the character was in the Gamemaster's hands. However, once returned, a character may seek out knowledge of his actions while maddened, and by that means eventually determine where he went and what happened to him during his period of madness.
See Famous Traits and Passions
See Ordinary Traits and Passions
| Passion | Starting Value |
|---|---|
| Loyalty (lord) | 15 |
| Love (family) | 15 |
| Hospitality | 15 |
| Honor | 15 |
| Hate (Saxons) | Roll 3d6 |
Once these values are assigned, a player may (but need not) raise one or more of her character's passions by distributing up to 3 points among them. See Chapter 4 for more information on passions.
The Gamemaster might allow other passions for a character by at the start, and characters acquire passions as the result of game play. The core passions are listed below:
Loyalty is the prime virtue of the medieval world — without it, the feudal system could not exist. Most knights believe in "King before God," no matter what the priests tell them. Showing obedience is correct behavior, and disobedience to a lord is shocking to all true knights
All knights must be knighted by someone, and the "Loyalty (Lord)" space on your character sheet is used for his loyalty to that initial lord. The starting Loyalty (lord) value is 15 for vassal knights (and thus the default for player characters).
If the Gamemaster permits the play of a household knight with an assured household but no land, like Sir Ambrut, then roll 2d6+6 for his Loyalty (lord) passion. If a player runs a homeless knight, his Loyalty to whoever knighted him is only 2d6.
As the game progresses, though, a knight may later acquire other lands, though, and therefore other lords as well. The typical Loyalty (lord) value for a new lord (other than the one who knighted you) is 3d6.
The following modifiers are common to these loyalties:
| Circumstance | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Manor(s) granted | +1d3 per manor |
| Rich estate(s) granted | +1 per $1 of annual income |
Love of family is a natural emotion common to humankind in any age. The travel restrictions of the medieval era were severe, which reinforced family closeness. Serfs almost never traveled more than a day's walk from their birthplace. Noblewomen were fortunate to travel across the country once a year. Thus, turning to one's kin for help was the universal answer to any problem.
In character generation, new characters, who are by default eldest sons and thus destined to be the heads of their immediate families, start with a powerful love for their family: A character's starting Love (family) value is equal to 15 for eldest sons. This default value is similar for all daughters of a household.
However, less fortunate younger sons, often sent from the hearth, were more likely to find fault with their kin, and so expressed less loyalty to them. The second son gets a Love (family) value equal to 2d6+5; the third son, 2d6+4; the 4th, 2d6+3; 5th, 2d6+2; 6th, 2d6+1; and 7th and any others 2d6. Other modifiers to the starting value may apply.
This passion measures how much your character respects the time-honored institution of hospitality. In cases of great passion (16 or higher), a proponent of this practice might feel bound to correct others' inhospitable behavior, and perhaps even to seek out and destroy those who break the rules of hospitality. On the other hand, anyone with a disregard for hospitality (less than 5) is likely to steal without compunction.
Whenever a character's behavior warrants it, the Hospitality statistic should be altered. If a character goes lurking and spying around in someone's castle, especially if he actually robs it of goods, he should lose at least 1 Hospitality point immediately for breaking the rules of hospitality.
Similarly, if a character rises to defend the hospitality of someone else, he should get a check (see Obtaining Experience) — especially if he defends the hospitality of someone for whom he really doesn't much care, or if he holds his own anger or hatred in check for the sake of another's hospitality. (No check is given to someone defending his own home.)
All characters from the Cymric culture start with a Hospitality value of 15.
When mortal knights become too exposed to the fantastic sights and sounds of Faerie, they often find that the mundane world begins to pale for them. After a knight has wooed the King of Elfland's Daughter, mortal women seem dull and coarse by contrast. Experiencing the delights of King Today's court makes Baron Guelph's castle seem like the hovel of a surly, ill-mannered peasant. This malaise can affect every aspect of the knight's life, sometimes leading to a premature death. Such knights are referred to as "fey," for they seem more like elves than men.
Fey is first generated when a knight undergoes a traumatic experience that involves Faerie in some way: This could an encounter with a hideous monster, a dalliance with an elf-maid that turns serious, or simply journeying to the Faerie realms.
Note that falling in love with a Faerie, and thus acquiring either an Amor or Love (faerie lover), should gain a Fey passion as well, equal in value to the Amor or Love stat.
Otherwise, the starting Fey passion is 2d6 plus any modifiers from the chart below.
| Situation | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Traveled to Faerie realm | +3 |
| Traveled to Faerie place (dell, mound, woods, etc.) | +2 |
| Subjected to a powerful Faerie magic or effect | +3 |
| Witness to a powerful Faerie magic or effect | +2 |
| Significant or continuous interaction with Faerie beings | +1 |
| Ate Faerie food in Faerie place | +2 |
The Fey passion uses the same mechanics as other passions, with a few important distinctions and effects:
The passion may always be used for inspiration while engaged in creative acts, like reciting or writing poetry, singing, and playing an instrument. In fact, many bards and poets wish to become Fey, just for this very reason.
The Fey passion can be used for inspiration to any skill used in returning to the situation that created the passion. That is, if Sir Ambrose gained Fey by traveling through Arcadia, he can use inspiration from Fey to add to skills that would allow him to get back to Arcadia, such as weapon skills when fighting threshold foes, or to personality traits when undergoing behavior tests to enter Arcadia.
Whenever another passion roll is successful, such as Loyalty (lord) or Love (family), the player knight must immediately contest his Fey against the successful passion. If Fey wins the contest, then the knight does not gain the benefit of inspiration from the original Passion.
A knight must make an additional aging roll every year, even if he does not normally have to make one for some reason.
Honor is the passion that sets knights apart from ordinary people. It is a combination of personal dignity, integrity, and pride. Personal honor is not always a slippery issue. The Dishonorable Acts table, below, lists a number of things upon which everyone can agree as being dishonorable actions for a knight. Performing these deeds clearly and invariably diminishes honor — this is the code of knighthood to which knights have agreed.
| Act | Honor Lost |
|---|---|
| Attacking an unarmed knight | -1 |
| Cowardice | -1 |
| Desertion from battle or military service | -1 |
| Plundering a holy place of your religion | -1 |
| Killing an unarmed holy person of your religion | -2 |
| Killing, kidnapping, or raping a noblewoman | -2 |
| Lending money at a profit | -2 |
| Performing physical labor | -2 |
| Breaking an oath | -3 |
| Flagrant cowardice | -3 |
| Treachery against a member of your family | -5 |
| Treason (against your lord) | -5 |
| Killing a kinsman | -6 |
| Learning to cast magical spells | -8 |
However, beyond the acts listed on Table 4–3, disagreement may arise as to what is or is not honorable, often because the honor of an action is personal rather than social.
The term "personal honor" is used carefully to separate such honor from other sworn or understood social obligations, including issues or behaviors covered by other passions. Thus, it is not possible for a knight to have his personal honor abused if someone insults his family — one's Love (family) passion covers that. Likewise, someone insulting one's lover should involve the Amor passion, not Honor.
But Honor can still cover many other things. In fact, it can include almost anything that a character chooses to include. Someone with an extremely high honor may be offended by anything that anyone says that he does not like. Rationality may have little if any bearing.
Honor is tied to traits more deeply than other passions usually are. The "integrity" component of Honor, for instance, is closely linked to the trait of Honest, while "pride" is obviously linked with the Proud trait. Thus, a knight might be required to make a Proud trait roll by the Gamemaster and, upon losing, the player might then invoke the Honor passion (rather than the Modest trait) to help him through the event.
A dishonorable character suffers considerably in Arthurian society. He loses the trust of those about him, and in committing dishonorable acts probably incurs various punishments — monetary fines, banishment, forfeiture, blood feud, etc. These social troubles are further reflected by rules concerning this passion.
Whenever a character's Honor is reduced to 4 or lower, he has proved himself unfit to bear the title of knight and serve a lord. His lord must either outlaw him or degrade him (i.e., strip him of knighthood). To fail to do so places the lord's own status in jeopardy because he would be failing to uphold his own governance. Honor may eventually be regained at this grim point in a character's career.
If a character's Honor ever reaches 0, the player must remove that character from active play. Recovery from such a low state is simply not possible. If the player wishes to see him in the campaign, he must turn the character sheet over to the Gamemaster, who can play him as a Gamemaster character if he wishes.
A character's starting Honor value is 15.
By default, hatred of the Saxons is an inherited passion of all starting characters. The depredations of these foreigners have reached everyone in Britain. Characters begin with a Hate (Saxons) value of 3d6.
Fear is a negative emotion that can possibly be inherited as a family curse, but is normally gained only through a character's personal experience. Fear is an irrational and absolute, mindless state of panic. Only extraordinary adventures can instill such terror in knight characters (lesser characters may be more vulnerable). Such fear usually stems from supernatural places or creatures.
Of course, a Fear passion is often wisdom in disguise, as many supernatural creatures and natural phenomena are immensely powerful and can cause only harm to humans. Some sample fears might apply to for hags, sailing, sea monsters, crazed holy men, standing stones that move, or Picts in the wild.
Note: Fears, unlike other passions, never give benefits; they are an exception to the normal passion rules. No Glory is gained from a success or a critical success on a Fear roll, and no inspiration is possible. A Fear passion serves only to place the character out of the player's control (or at least to drastically limit his actions) during specific situations.
Special: The Gamemaster may create an opportunity to overcome a Fear passion. Such a chance should probably come only once in any character's career, and if the character succeeds in overcoming his Fear, he may gain Glory for it — about ten times the value of the character's former Fear value is appropriate.
Hatred motivates many people in Pendragon, especially poltroons who are driven to dastardly deeds. For instance, King Mark assuredly hates Tristram, and Morgan le Fay hates Guenever. Even some of the protagonists develop hatreds, usually because of their Love (family) or other loyalties. The best instance is Gawaine's unrelenting Hate (Lancelot), brought about by Lancelot's slaying of Gareth, Gawaine's beloved brother.
Hatred may be for an individual, a people, a kingdom, a religion, for magicians or monks, a station or class, or whatever the Gamemaster agrees to.
Starting Hate values are up to the Gamemaster, but should have a value of at least 10. The exact Hate value should be based on the event that provoked the passion.
Likely, only a few characters will ever become direct vassals of the High King. The typical Loyalty (Pendragon) value is 2d6+6.
Circumstance | Modifier Your father was killed fighting against a Pendragon | -1d6 You are socially conservative | -1d6 You already have the Hate (Pendragon) passion | Subtract value of the Hate (Pendragon) passion Your liege lord has the Hate (Pendragon) passion | Subtract value of the lord's Hate (Pendragon) passion
Feudalism calls for mutual loyalty between vassals and lord. Most knights never gain other knights as vassals and thus have no need for this passion. However, any knight who does gain the vassalage of other knights should also gain this trait, which might be used, for instance, to determine whether the lord will ransom his vassals. Other game uses will inevitably come up.
The typical starting Loyalty (Vassals) value is 2d6+6.
Knights may join or even form fellowships. (The name of the fellowship replaces the word "group" in the name of the passion.) The typical Loyalty (group) value for a new group is 3d6.
| Circumstance | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Members are all kinsmen or from the same kingdom | +6 |
| Members are all of same general culture | +1d6 |
| Members knew each other previously | Varies (as appropriate) |
Love is an emotional bonding or attraction felt by one individual for another individual, group, or deity. A character may have many loves, but it is best if only one counts for Glory points each year (normally the highest).
This passion is required of all Christian clergy. The cynical nature of many clergymen proves that this passion does not have to be high to join the church, but it is a requirement nonetheless. Religiously oriented knights may also have this passion.
A critical success in this passion gives the character a modifier or a check to all appropriate religious traits, not to any one skill. The character is thereafter incapacitated by an ecstatic vision for a period of time determined by the Gamemaster (at least 1 hour), and cannot act at all during that time.
The typical Love (deity) value is equal to that character's starting Pious trait value.
Deep feeling and attraction for one's husband or wife was apparently quite uncommon in the feudal world of arranged marriages, but not entirely absent. Two significant exceptions in the romances are the loves of Duke Gorlois for his wife Ygraine and of Arthur for his wife, Guenever.
The typical Loyalty (spouse) value is 3d6.
Any dramatic pattern of behavior gains Glory. As a result, characters with interesting personalities gain more Glory than those without. However, behavior in accordance with society's ideals still gains more Glory than actions arising from one's idiosyncrasies or peculiarities. Thus, Gawaine gains much more Glory for his chivalrous nature than Agravaine gains from his streak of cruelty.
Every skill, trait, or passion that can change as a result of learning is marked on the character sheet by having a box (❏) near it. This box is checked (✓) when the character gains significant experience during an adventure with a skill, trait, or passion. Statistics do not change immediately as a result of this experience, though annual training may increase them.
There are times during play when the Gamemaster tells the player to check one of his character's skills (under "Skills" or "Combat Skills" on the sheet). This means that the character has successfully used that skill in a time of crisis and may, at a future time, learn from the experience.
A box may be checked only when the Gamemaster says the player may do so. The mark reminds the player to check the skill later, during the Winter Phase, to see if any learning occurred.
Experience checks for skills are intended to be very difficult to gain, and are not automatic whenever a success is achieved. Gamemasters must explain this point to the players. The ability to award or deny an experience check is one of the key powers of the Gamemaster.
Note that a squire's skills may increase in the same manner as a player knight's skills. A check for a skill is possible only if at least one of the following two statements pertains:
- A critical success is achieved. if a character does his best possible, learning is likely.
- A success in a significant situation is achieved. Even a dozen successful attacks on a gang of poorly armed peasant levies would not be justification for a check to a weapon skill, since no real risk or challenge was incurred by the attacker, and nothing important was achieved by their defeat.
As with skills, there are times during play when the Gamemaster tells a player to check one of his character's traits or passions. This means that the character has displayed significant behavior in accordance with that trait. This action or behavior does not necessarily have to be observed by other characters or players.
if the rules for traits or passions request a roll, this means that your character might learn something, if he acts or feels the right way. But his actions are not yet clear, or significant enough. A successful roll means he might get the check, too.
When a character has a check next to a skill, trait, or passion, the player must make an experience roll during the Winter Phase. if the roll is successful, the checked value increases by 1 point. Experience rolls may bring skills over 20, with luck.
Character advancement in Pendragon is measured in part by the increase of your character's skills. Skills express the social and physical activities popular in the Arthurian mythos. No knight is expected to master all or most of the possible skills.
Your character sheet lists every skill and combat skill common to the Cymric culture. Non-standard weapon skills like Great Axe are not printed, and all such skills are assumed to start with a value of 0.
The blanks on the character sheet permit you to write in ordinary skills of your own devising, or special skills from later Pendragon supplements. The blanks under combat skills permit you to write in the non-standard weapon skills of your choice.
Starting values may be altered during Character Generation, and skills can be increased in many ways as the game progresses. Within the setting of the game, a character may raise a skill value by training with a teacher, by diligent practice on his own, by first-hand experience in the field, by means of a major increase in self-confidence and reputation, or by magic.
All of these improvements, save those introduced by magic, occur during the Winter Phase. The Gamemaster handles any magical skill increases that might occur during his scenarios, based on the rules for magic that will appear in future game supplements.
Part of the fun in the game is seeing your character increase in skill. Most players focus on a half-dozen or fewer skills that they increase through the methods listed above, over several decades of game time. Using training and practice, these skills are gradually raised to a value of 20. Thereafter, experience checks (see Obtaining Experience) and Glory can raise each skill into the realm of truly heroic mastery.
Skills are divided into two broad categories: ordinary skills (normally referred to as simply "skills"), which include a wide range of different practical proficiencies and areas of knowledge, and combat skills, the crucial military skills that are the traditional area of expertise for knights. The two categories are listed in two separate areas on the knight's character sheet, and are described in separate sections below.
Certain skills are noted as being Knightly in nature. These are accepted as being compatible with the duties of knighthood. Characters who are not knights may also use these skills; for instance, a common huntsman should have a decent Awareness skill.
Some skills are noted as being Knowledge skills. These include knowledge normally associated with social classes, such as Courtesy (noble customs), Folklore (peasant customs), and Religion (clerical customs); or with specialized practices, such as Romance or Tourney. These are bodies of information that require special knowledge to execute properly.
Each knowledge skill includes the what, when, where, why, and how of these activities or areas of expertise. Success in a knowledge skill does not always indicate that the knight did something, but that he knew, intuited, or recognized something important or useful.
Non-Knightly skills are those often used in the game, but not by knights. The best example is Industry (used in artistry and artisanship), which is normal for women, tradesmen, and peasants, but will surely cost a knight his title if he engages in it. Characters destined for knighthood begin with — and generally maintain — a value of 0 in these skills.
Success or failure with skills is resolved using the normal resolution rolls (see Chapter 5). Some skills are used only in unopposed resolution, while others are normally used in opposition against other characters, in contests or challenges. Modifiers may be applied to any of these resolutions.
The results of a critical success or fumble with an ordinary skill, when significant, are given in the individual skill descriptions below. Otherwise, the Gamemaster describes the results based on the situation.
The Combat Skills section gives the results of criticals and fumbles for combat skills.
The Honor passion reflects your character's code of behavior and his reputation as a knight. Fumbled or failed skill rolls do not affect your character's Honor value: Honor cannot be lost simply because of a bad skill roll.
Certain situations might occur, however, in which a Gamemaster feels justified in subtracting Honor because a skill was used unwisely or unjustly. For example, causing harm or humiliation to another character through failure in a skill might incur the loss of 1 point of Honor (or, in particularly severe cases, more) — especially if another character with a higher value in that skill was available to attempt the task, yet the character who failed insisted on taking responsibility for the task anyway. The Gamemaster is always the final arbiter in such difficult situations.
Descriptions of, you know, skills.
Use this skill when a knight is listening for a sound, trying to spot a hidden Pict or discern some other hidden danger, or otherwise draw some sensory information from his surroundings.
This skill measures the character's attentiveness to his immediate surroundings, using both his five physical senses and the mysterious "sixth sense." A critical success might reveal extra information (such as the precise location of the bandits hiding in the trees, as opposed to the simple realization that there are bandits there), while a fumbled Awareness roll reveals incorrect information.
A success that reveals an ambush or other such crucial information may be worth Glory, at the Gamemaster's option.
This skill allows a character to handle watercraft, whether a rowboat, a skiff, a coracle, or a Saxon longship. Success indicates that the boat did what it was supposed to do. In calm waters, Boating is unmodified, but during storms or floods, modifiers may be assigned.
A success with the Boating skill can gain the character Glory if lives were saved thereby.
This ancient practice of healing includes much useful knowledge, such as herbal medicine and bone setting. It also includes superstition, prayer, and generous heaps of misinformation. Thus, its use is fraught with uncertainty. Chirurgery (pronounced approximately "KY-rir-jur-ee") does little to heal the patient directly, but is a process that seeks only to keep the patient alive so that the natural healing processes of the body may take effect.
Chirurgery is a most important skill for women, though many priests and monks also know it. However, it is not the duty of a knight to learn this skill, and most knights would feel highly uncomfortable performing a skill associated with women.
Badly wounded, ill, or debilitated characters often require application of the Chirurgery skill. If your character needs Chirurgery, for whatever reason, the Gamemaster tells you to check the box on the character sheet entitled "Chirurgery Needed."
Glory should always be gained for successful use of the Chirurgery skill. The amount gained can be increased in proportion to the Glory or rank of the character being treated if the Gamemaster feels this is appropriate. More Glory should be gained if a life was saved thereby.
See Injury and Health" in for more information on the complicated processes of chirurgery and healing.
This skill grants the user a chance to create original musical works for voice or for one or more medieval instruments. The quality of the piece composed is relative to the number rolled for the success. The composer's ability to perform his work is limited by his Play (instrument) and Singing skills, as appropriate.
A critical success indicates that the piece created has great beauty, quality of rhyme and emotion, originality, and perhaps spontaneity. A piece of this quality might bring a listener to tears, or even more.
A fumble indicates an embarrassingly bad piece.
The Gamemaster may award Glory to a successful composer, particularly if the song is dedicated to a lady.
Courtesy is a knowledge skill defining a knight's knowledge of courtly manners, from etiquette to matters of precedence and table manners; from modes of speech, including protocol, vocabulary, style, and forms of address, to all types of decorum appropriate to a lord's court, such as around superiors, around women, and around disfavored people.
The default starting Courtesy value of 3 indicates that the character understands simple matters of precedence and knows the basic forms of address at court. Courtesy does not include dance, heraldry, or forms of the tournament. These areas of expertise are so complicated that they are treated as separate skills.
A successful Courtesy roll means that the knight performed correctly in the formal manner appropriate to the relative situation, making a suitable impression upon his audience. Courtesy is inappropriate for use with commoners.
A critical success indicates great elegance and style in the performance. A fumble indicates that a silly or even offensive act occurred, with consequent humiliation. Haughty or cruel lords may become insulted and angry at characters who fumble their Courtesy roll in court, possibly with dramatic consequences.
Glory may be gained by any significant use of Courtesy in court or any formal situation, particularly with a critical success.
Special: With the Gamemaster's approval, characters having high Glory may receive a positive modifier to Courtesy, with a maximum modifier equal to Glory/1,000.
This skill measures the character's ability to move gracefully to music, as well as his knowledge of the many styles of formal dancing done at court. This elegant style of dancing depends primarily on experience and knowledge of forms rather than on agility.
A success indicates accurate adherence to the accepted form of the dance being performed, while a critical success indicates superb grace, verve, and perhaps spontaneity
A fumble means that the character went the wrong way, probably bumping into other dancers. The Gamemaster may even rule that the fumbler tripped and fell over his own feet. A fumbled Dance roll is invariably a humiliating experience.
Glory can be gained from successful Dance rolls if the dancer(s) are the center of attention.
Special: With the Gamemaster's approval, characters having high Glory may receive a positive modifier to Dance, with a maximum modifier equal to Glory/1,000.
Faerie Lore quantifies how much a knight knows about the mysterious ways of Faerie and the invisible world of the Other Side. It may be used to identify a particular type of faerie that was sighted, to recognize a faerie encounter as such, or to aid communication with the inhabitants of the Faerie Realm.
Every character in Pendragon is superstitious to some extent and this is expressed by the starting skill value of 2. This minimum means that all characters know common legends. For example, person in King Arthur's Britain knows that a lone faerie probably intends harm, while a band of faeries may not. Everyone knows that whenever something uncanny occurs it is due to some elf or faerie, and anything strange that is not immediately recognizable as the influence of faeries is quite possibly made by them as well.
Although characters must be roleplayed as superstitious, the Gamemaster decides to what extent the magic of Britain is real within his campaign. This fact is then up to the players to discover through play. Some Gamemasters like to have magic as a common thread running throughout the game, while others prefer that actual magic appear only in the most unusual and terrifying circumstances.
A Faerie Lore success reveals magical information, which the Gamemaster should present in an entertaining way. However, this information may be sheer superstition, or incorrect in detail. A failure or fumble gives erroneous information. A critical success always reveals some important fact, as secretly communicated to the player of that character by the Gamemaster — for example, "Sir Ambrut realizes that the three witches are actually the mad daughters of the king."
Characters may gain Glory for a success with Faerie Lore if it reveals information crucial to a scenario. Usually, however, little Glory is to be gained from knowledge of Faerie — Glory is gained from interactions with that world, not mere talk of it.
Falcons and hawks can be trained to hunt birds and other small prey. Such sport is the pleasure of nobles, who sometimes spend considerable money to maintain a firstclass mews (the building reserved for the maintenance of hunting birds).
The Falconry skill is used whenever knights and ladies take birds into the fields to hunt. The skill value indicates how apt the character is at the sport, such as knowing just when to let the bird go, how to call it back, and how to handle it both safely and decorously.
Critical success means the bird caught its prey and returned with it to the hawker's feet, and that both falconer and bird acted gracefully and stylishly. Success simply indicates that the bird got its prey. Failure shows it missed its catch. A fumble means the hawk flew away and was lost, or was somehow fatally injured in its hunt.
Individual birds may be trained by their masters, and a particularly well-trained bird can actually improve a knight's Falconry skill with a positive modifier.
Tradition insists that certain birds be used only by certain ranks or classes of folk, as follows:
- Eagle: emperors
- Jerfalcon (or gyrfalcon): kings, princes
- Peregrine falcon: earls
- Merlin: ladies
- Goshawk: knights
- Sparrowhawk: clergy
Glory is gained for every success in Falconry. Most successes gain ordinary Glory (10 points), but a spectacular critical success before King Arthur and the assembled court might gain as much as 100 points.
This skill dictates a lady's sense of fashion, of knowing what is in style and what is not. It dictates her mastery of what to wear, how to wear it, and how to be creative in setting new fashions. Generally, the queen sets fashion (or rather, her ladies-in-waiting do), though outside sources may also have some influence — "Spanish dresses this year," and whatnot. Fashion expertise is yet another way for a young woman to get into a noble household.
In general, for each $1 value of her attire, a character gains a +1 modifier on any APP roll she might make. However, any time she arrives at a social event or some other public venue, a character may attempt a Fashion roll, the results of which can modify the APP modifier.
| Fashion Roll | App Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Critical success | x2 | Sets new fashion |
| Success | x1.5 | Suitably fashionable |
| Failure | x1 | Behind the time |
| Fumble | x0.5 | Dreadfully out of fashion |
Note: Remember that clothes wear out a little every year (see "Winter Phase" in Chapter 5), but jewelry does not.
First Aid provides immediate medical assistance to wounds. It is actually more reliable than the medieval treatments to be used later in treatment (see the Chirurgery skill). Like Chirurgery, the use of this skill is an important and complicated subject (see "Injury and Health" in Chapter 6 for more information).
Characters cannot apply First Aid to themselves. Glory should usually be gained for successful use of the First Aid skill, the amount gained being proportionate to the Glory and rank of the character being treated. If a life is saved, more Glory should be gained.
Flirting is a courtly skill that can be mastered to convey sensuality and sexuality. It includes use of specific words,
tones of voice, expressions, movements, gestures, and attitudes. The primary purpose is to gain the attention of a
member of the opposite sex.
Success simply indicates that a flirtatious message was conveyed, to which the recipient may choose to respond or not. The higher the number rolled, the more potent the message conveyed. However, a critical success indicates that the listener was moved somehow, and further was unable to hide his or her feelings.
Failure indicates that the message was not adequately conveyed during the conversation. A fumble shows that the speaker misspoke something terribly, and caused embarrassment, and perhaps even offense.
Although seduction certainly requires flirtation during its initial stages, flirtation does not necessarily mean seduction. It is not uncommon to flirt for amusement's sake, although this practice may be misinterpreted and incite passions among the unlettered and ignorant.
It is more exciting to flirt with a handsome or beautiful character than an ugly one. The Gamemaster may wish to impose a modifier on the Flirting skill of any character with unusually high or low APP.
Success with the Flirting skill gains Glory only if a subject of the opposite sex becomes infatuated with the character.
Note that Flirting is deliberately set apart from the far less vulgar Romance skill.
Special: With the Gamemaster's approval, characters having high Glory may receive a positive modifier to Flirting, with a maximum modifier equal to Glory/1,000.
Folklore is a knowledge of peasant beliefs and ways of life. It stems from familiarity with the land that has been gained over thousands of years of experience. Folklore includes information on many subjects, from such ordinary things as the lore of pigs or local landmarks, all the way to the household herbal cures passed from old women to their female descendants. It includes thousands of tiny facts useful to daily living, such as when to plant, how to tell if the coming winter will be hard, and how to cheat the tax collector, as well as a certain amount of nonsense, such as how to rid oneself of warts, charms to kill rats, and songs to make the plants grow.
Folklore is used in play when a knight observes peasants to determine what they are doing, or when trying to evaluate how they feel. It may also be used to gain a benefit in communicating with peasants. In this case, a successful Folklore roll indicates that the knight has communicated his friendliness and knowledge of "folksy" ways, presumably making the peasant more agreeable and less afraid.
A failed Folklore roll reveals the knight to be a typical upper-class oppressor, while a fumble indicates a major social gaffe that offends, and possibly gravely insults, the peasant.
Glory is not normally gained through Folklore. What Glory is there in dealing with commoners and peasant matters?
The Gaming skill allows the user to perform certain types of medieval play effectively and with aplomb, whether in competition or for entertainment. This skill does not include ability in physical sports such as wrestling and jousting, and has nothing to do with them.
All types of common gaming, including simpler forms of gambling, are included. Common games include Roman Tabula (backgammon), Saxon Hnaeftafl ("swords-andshields"), Cymric Gwyddbwyll ("wooden wisdom"), and the continental Les Dames (checkers).
Two characters playing a game together make opposed Gaming rolls. If a monetary stake is involved, the difference between the two numbers rolled can be used by the Gamemaster to determine the amount of money won (i.e., a difference of 3 might indicate that the winner took away 3d. from the loser).
Glory may be gained from success with the Gaming skill only if the situation is unusually chivalrous; ordinary gaming or gambling never gains Glory.
A knight is known by his coat of arms. When in armor, everyone looks the same, except for the coat of arms blazoned on the shield and the banner. Surcoats also carry this identification.
Members of families commonly display similar arms, such as the two-headed eagle of the Orkney clan. Sons often design their arms to resemble those of their fathers. Quite by accident, some coats of arms are similar to one another, making perfect identification difficult. Examples of large groups with similar coats of arms include the aforementioned Orkney clan, the de Ganis clan, Cornish knights, and the royal families of any kingdom. Other less coherent groups include arms that have horses, ships, or simply fields with red on top.
Successful use of this skill indicates that your character knows the members of the group or family for that coat of arms, or the several most likely holders of those arms. A critical success indicates that the precise person is recognized, as well as the general group.
A failed Heraldry roll means the character simply does not know whose coat of arms he is viewing. A fumble means that he identifies the coat of arms wrongly.
The Gamemaster may require a Heraldry roll to see if the characters properly identify the coat of arms of someone they already know. Success means the Gamemaster states the individual's identity (or at least the identity of the individual whose shield he bears...).
A success with Heraldry gains Glory — normally 10 points — if vital or significant information is gained thereby.
Special: For every 1,000 points of Glory a knight has, other characters gain a +1 modifier to their Heraldry skill for the purpose of identifying the glorious one. Thus, if anyone tries to recognize the arms of Sir Ambrut (who has accumulated 1,605 Glory thus far), their Heraldry skill is effectively raised by 2 points.
The Hunting skill includes the entire variety of tasks performed during the noble sport of the chase, excluding weapon skills.
Hunting includes knowing what is meant by the different blasts on the horn, for instance, and knowing whether an animal is a "beast of chase, venery, or vermin." It includes care of hounds, as well as an understanding of their methods of hunting and the meanings of their various cries and barks; tracking the spoor and identifying beasts from it; knowing the best way to kill each beast quickly; and the skill of cutting it up properly afterwards so everyone, from hounds and dog boys to the sponsor, gets their correct share.
Generally, a Hunting roll made to pursue a beast through the wilderness is opposed by that creature's Avoidance roll (see "Natural Beasts" in Appendix 2 for a detailed explanation), modified by terrain as noted below. In addition to dictating one's ability to hunt game, the Hunting skill is also used to test general woodland and wilderness knowledge. A successful Hunting roll (indicating an innate sense of direction, as well as the need to check the route with passersby, seek trails and roads, follow landmarks, and so on) is needed to make progress while traveling in wild or uncharted areas. A successful check in this circumstance results in travel at a Leisurely pace, while a critical success allows travel at a Normal pace (see Movement in Chapter 5).
A failed Hunting roll made to find one's way in the wilderness means the character is confused and must stop the trip to get his bearings, delaying the journey for an hour or more, depending on Gamemaster preference. A fumble means the character goes the wrong direction and becomes thoroughly lost. (See the "Lost in the Woods" scenario in Appendix 3.)
Finally, a Hunting roll can be used to forage and hunt for small game. Assume that a successful roll means the character has found enough food and potable water to keep himself fed for one day. A critical success sustains a character for 1d3 days, or else 1d6 characters for one day (since food spoils). A fumble might mean the character is poisoned by tainted food or water, at the Gamemaster's discretion.
Regardless of the purpose of a particular Hunting roll, local terrain can make a difference on a character's Hunting skill, as shown on the following chart.
| Terrain | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Barren waste | -5 |
| Forest/wildlands | +0 |
| Hills | -3 |
| Marsh/swamp | -6 |
| Mountains | -4 |
| Open fields | +4 |
Successful hunts usually are worth modest Glory, but this is normally based on what animals or beasts are caught.
Glory may be gained directly using the Hunting skill if scenario goals are met or lives are saved. Note: See the "Introductory Scenario" in Appendix 3 for a sample hunt.
Special: Characters who hunt without dogs suffer at least a –5 modifier to all Hunting rolls.
Characters hunting in their home county (or otherwise in the lands immediately surrounding the place where they grew up) gains a +5 bonus on all Hunting rolls.
Knights never engage in Industry, and are in danger of losing their high rank if they do. Industry is the woman's work of creating things with her hands, or the common peasant's tasks of farming, labor, and craft.
In Pendragon, this skill is most often expressed in the arts of spinning, weaving, and sewing, tasks for noblewomen who create fashionable clothing for both men and women; large tapestries to hang upon walls; ornate church vestments; and perhaps even simple table linens and the like. Industry can also be applied to churchmen who make fine books, or to witches or druids who create fetishes and charms.
The quality of work produced by one's Industry is based on the number rolled for success. A critical success creates a work of great quality or even artistry. Ordinary Glory (usually no more than 10 points) can be gained by non-knights from the use of this skill, if a particularly beautiful item is made and presented to someone in public.
This skill allows one to know what is going on at court. Everyone has access to gossip, but hard work and clever conversations help to pry out the real facts. The Intrigue skill is needed to know who to ask, when to ask them, what to say to them to learn of a secret, and how to sift truth from lies. Intrigue is not used to poison people in secret, to foment rebellion, or to assassinate rivals. Such dark practices must be roleplayed, not left to random die rolls.
Personal contacts cultured through long, often secret relationships can be established and maintained using this skill. Thus even a young Sir Mordred, with his remarkable Intrigue skill, already has contacts among most of the noble families of Britain.
Many modifiers may be applied to an Intrigue roll. For instance, trying to find out secrets in a castle whose entire staff has been briefed on a plan, and who agree with its intent, likely imposes a negative modifier. A resident who is sympathetic because both he and the characters are from the same homeland, on the other hand, might give a positive modifier. A normal castle or court situation, with nothing unusual going on, gives no modifiers.
Success with Intrigue indicates that you learn something true and probably useful; a critical success indicates you learn a special and important fact known only to you and the direct participants (perhaps a fact overheard at a critical juncture, or seen by accident, or discovered in a lost note). Failure indicates nothing new was learned, while a fumble means that a close contact lies, or is thought to have lied, to you. The Gamemaster can exploit this uncertainty at his leisure.
A successful Intrigue roll accrues Glory if facts critical to the characters' success in a scenario are gained.
The art of speaking fluently, with poetic grace and charismatic delivery, is useful in any situation that requires a character to speak, but especially in public. A successful Orate roll indicates that the speech was effective and well-delivered. A critical success indicates the listeners were genuinely moved by the speech, as the Gamemaster decides. Failure shows that the speech was boring; a fumble indicates that the speaker made a fool of himself.
Ordinary Glory (10 points) is gained from a typical successful oration, while a speech that swayed a crowd at a crucial juncture, or one that impressed an angry king, might gain more.
Special: With the Gamemaster's approval, characters having high Glory may receive a positive modifier to Orate, with a maximum modifier equal to Glory/1,000.
Everyone appreciates a good tune to wile away the after-dinner hours. Moreover, some women prefer men who have some degree of ability in this form of entertainment.
This skill is specific for each individual type of instrument; characters with this skill should choose an instrument from the Musical Instruments sidebar. The name of the instrument is inserted into the parentheses on the character sheet.
Most characters, even those well-versed in music, are familiar with only one instrument; if a character wishes to play more than one instrument, he must record and develop each instrument as a separate Play (instrument) skill, with each represented as a separate entry on the character sheet. For example, a character might have Play (harp) 10 and, entirely separate, Play (lute) 3.
Success indicates a good tune was played, while failure indicates the song was out of tune, off-beat, or in the wrong chord. A critical success indicates a rousing tune that evoked an emotional response from the audience, while a fumble means the character played so badly that everyone laughed at him.
Glory for Playing (instrument) rolls can only come from playing instruments appropriate to a courtly audience. No Glory is gained, for example, by a Saxon warrior blowing his horn in a Cymric court, or for someone entertaining peasants on a bagpipe.
Several esoteric forms of writing exist in Britain, each generally known only to initiates of ancient lore. They are generally used not for messages or books, but for documenting magical powers; they often serve as foci for spells and rituals. Latin is the closest equivalent to modern writing, and even that tongue is rarely encountered except within the church. Otherwise, characters might encounter symbols written on sticks, on stone menhirs, or inscribed over mysterious cave mouths.
This skill is specific for each individual type of symbol; characters with this skill should choose a written “language” from the Written Symbols sidebar. The name of the language is inserted into the parentheses on the character sheet.
Most characters, even scholars, are familiar with only one form of written symbols; if a character wishes to know more than one kind of symbol, he must record and develop each type as a separate Read (symbol) skill, with each represented as a separate entry on the character sheet. For example, a character might have Read (Latin) 5 and, entirely separate, Read (Ogham) 2.
A successful Read (symbols) roll indicates that the symbols were read and understood. A critical success means that only a short time was needed to read the symbols at hand. A failure indicates that the symbols remain incomprehensible, while a fumble means that a (potentially calamitous) misinterpretation occurs.
Some pieces of script may have negative modifiers for reading, depending on their age, their relative complexity, and the subject of the writings. Ciphers and secret words are also possible within each type of written symbols, making the task of reading difficult or even impossible to the uninitiated.
The Gamemaster should determine how much time reading a document requires, based on its size and other factors. Given society's belief in the power of symbols for spells and ritual, the Gamemaster's interpretation of magic might include Read (symbols) as a component in working such magics.
Glory could be gained for a use of Read (symbols) if important information for a scenario or hidden secrets were revealed thereby.
Not everyone is adept at putting names to faces — or, in Pendragon, faces to coats of arms. When people mingle at court, there may be hundreds of nobles and knights, along with thousands of servants and commoners. In such a crowd, you might see someone or perhaps even be introduced, yet forget him almost immediately as one among many. Likewise, after viewing several hundred young knights at a tourney, you might find that all but the best tend to blur into one indistinct figure.
Recognize lets you put together clues — a face with a jousting style or some distinctive feature, for example — that help you identify a person. However, you must have reason to recall facts about that person at all. Thus, if you've never seen or heard of someone before, even a critical success would not help; it is impossible to use this skill to learn something about a complete stranger. On the other hand, the Gamemaster may have you make a Recognize roll when you don't think of it yourself, and might also assign a positive modifier to your skill if the personage is actually an unrecognized acquaintance.
A successful Recognize roll indicates that you remember a character and recall everything you know about him. A critical success means that you recognize a person even if he is in disguise. A failed roll indicates that you don't remember this person. A fumble indicates that you think you recognize him, but the Gamemaster can give you false (or true information if that might be misleading…); a character who fumbles a Recognize roll is thus always unsure about his identification.
A successful Recognize roll might gain Glory if recognition was crucial to a scenario.
This skill quantifies what a character knows concerning the beliefs, rites, sacred calendar, and practices of a religion. It also indicates a person's ability to follow ceremony and to do what is appropriate to his station within a sacred context. This skill is specific for each individual religion; characters with this skill should choose a religion appropriate to his culture. The name of the religion is inserted into the parentheses on the character sheet.
Most characters, even priests, are familiar with only one form of religion; if a character wishes to know more than one religion, he must record and develop each type as a separate Religion skill, with each represented as a separate entry on the character sheet. For example, a character might have Religion (Roman Christianity) 10 and, entirely separate, Religion (Wotan) 2.
Note that a high Religion skill does not necessarily indicate the strength of one's belief — this is measured by the Piety trait. Neither does it indicate the fervency of one's faith, which is measured by passions. This skill simply allows one to know the forms, ceremonies, and ideologies of a religion, as would be acquired by attending normal worship. Non-believers may have this skill for any religion.
The most common religion for player knights of Logres is Christianity, whether of the Roman or British variety; many knights still adhere to Paganism, however. Less common religions, to be introduced in later supplements, are the Wotanism of the Saxons and, truly exotic, Islam and Judaism.
Success or failure with the Religion skill should not normally affect magical events. Piety and passions are better sources of miracles and magic in the game than expertise in the forms and dogma of a religion.
Successful use of the Religion skill does not usually gain Glory unless a successful prayer or ritual was crucial to the scenario.
A Romance roll might be required to know how to approach a woman for the first time; how to properly avert one's eyes; to properly kiss a hand, wrist, elbow, or other part of the body; and, most especially, what is the best type of present to give a lover. For a woman, this skill includes knowing when to refuse an audience, when to accept a tryst, how to say no, how to be “constructively cruel,” how to tell whether entertainment is new or customary, and how a man lies. The Romance skill also concerns the practice of fine amor. (See Appendix 1.)
Romance is an elegant and courtly skill, and success should gain ordinary Glory in most instances.
Vocal music pleases all listeners, whether sung in church, in court, or for a lover in a warm summer glade. Professional bards and minstrels wander from court to court with a repertoire of ballads and lays. Noblemen create love poems and romances, and find honor in the title of troubadour. Poorer troubadours perform their own songs, while the richer hire singers, called jongleurs, to perform for them. Women sing both to entertain the household on lonely winter nights and to please lovers. On some fine spring days, Arthur's court may be very much like the musical Camelot, or like unto a very pleasant dream.
A critical success at Singing indicates a powerful and emotional performance, while a simple success indicates a pleasant experience. A failure indicates an unpleasant song or worse, while a fumble indicates something awful and scandalous, causing social embarrassment.
Successful Singing always gains Glory, usually an ordinary award (10 points). More Glory might be gained if some scenario goal was achieved thereby (a savage guardian soothed, for example). Successful singing in a respected lord's court gains additional Glory.
This ability to plan, administer, and oversee the keeping of a farm or similar holding is not normally required for knights. It is an important women's skill, used to maintain and improve the income generated from her husband's (or her family's, or, more rarely, her own) lands. On a knight's holding, the bailiff usually knows this skill.
Glory is not found by being a farmer or administrator, although Glory may be derived from Stewardship if a success contributes to a battle victory or saves a knight or greater noble from poverty or humiliation.
Swimming is used to move successfully through water. The roll is normally unmodified, but in stormy or flooded conditions there may also be negative modifiers involved.
A successful Swimming roll indicates that the character remained above water and traveled his base Movement Rate in the desired direction. A critical success indicates that he did so at double speed. A failure indicates that he did not make significant progress this round. A fumble means he must attempt a CON roll: If he fails, the character begins drowning, taking 1d6 damage each melee round after the CON roll fails.
A Swimming roll also can be used to remove armor while underwater. A successful roll removes 2 points of armor. However, during this time, the character suffers drowning damage (as above) with no CON roll possible.
Glory is gained only if someone is saved by a Swimming roll.
Special: Swimming does not use the standard encumbrance rules for armor worn. Instead, a character’s Swimming skill is reduced by 1 point per point of armor worn; thus, a character with a Swimming value of 10 would have a modified skill of 6 while wearing leather armor (4 armor points).
Normal encumbrance — a light or heavy load — imposes the usual penalties (that is, –5 and –10 respectively) in addition to any penalties from armor. However, a character’s gear, other than armor, can be dropped freely.
This skill is used to understand the correct procedures, customs, and behavior at that spectacle of chivalrous entertainment known as the tournament.
A Tourney roll is required to find out if a knight has registered with the correct person at the right time, or whether he has embarrassed himself by arriving at the last minute. A roll could be used to see if the knight understands what certain trumpet blasts at a tourney mean; a failure might indicate that he did not have his squire place his helmet and surcoat out for the helm show, or that he missed an important feast or speech. Alternately, a failed roll might mean that the knight did not know whom to address; what do upon winning a joust; or how to properly ask for, receive, or handle a lady’s favor.
A fumble, as with most knightly skills, is almost invariably humiliating.
Glory can be gained with most successful uses of the Tourney skill. Usually this should be an ordinary award (10 points). A crucial use of the skill that gains an advantage in combat or foils a villain’s plans should gain additional Glory.
Some of the following skills are knightly, while the rest are Non-Knightly. Note that those skills listed here as being Knightly assume that, as with all other considerations in this game, the character is a Cymric knight; warriors and knights from other cultures might have slightly different ideas about what weapons are “knightly” or not.
This skill dictates the use of a battle axe, a one-handed weapon that may be single- or double-edged. A battle axe easily shatters or splits open shields: It deals an additional 1d6 damage against any combatant using a shield. A fumble indicates that the axe broke.
This skill and the weapon for which it is named are favored by many Saxons.
This skill has two general applications. The first dictates a leader’s ability to command his troops in battle; this application is used for both battles and skirmishes.
The second applies to tactical decisions when individuals are separated from their larger unit; this use of the Battle skill is used only in battles.
For more information on uses of the Battle skill, see Chapter 6 and Appendix 4.
This skill is dictates a character’s skill with the bow, a missile weapon usually of wood or horn, normally used by peasants for hunting and by foot soldiers in war. Knights normally do not use bows in combat, although they often use them for hunting.
A bow deals 3d6 points of damage regardless of the user’s Damage statistic. It is a two-handed weapon, so no shield can be used while shooting a bow. The bow’s maximum range is 150 yards. Modifiers must be applied for mid-range or longrange shots, small or covered targets, and so on. A fumble indicates that the weapon has a broken string or, worse, is cracked.
This is a mechanical missile weapon invented, some say, by the devil. The Pope has outlawed its use against Christians, but the damnable commoners seem not to have heard. Knights generally scorn the use of crossbows in combat, although some may welcome their use in hunting (only!).
As with any missile weapon, negative modifiers must be used for longer ranges.
Different strengths of crossbows do different damage, and take different times to reload and shoot. A light crossbow fires at the same rate as a bow (one shot per round), for instance, but a heavy crossbow requires 3 full rounds of cocking before it can be fired.
| Crossbow Type | Damage | Rate of Fire | Maximum Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 1d6+10 | 1 per round | 150 yards |
| Medium | 1d6+13 | 1 per 2 melee rounds | 200 years |
| Heavy | 1d6+13 | 1 per 4 melee rounds | 250 yards |
A light crossbow may be fired from one hand, though it requires two hands to load. Other crossbows are two-handed weapons for purposes of both firing and loading.
This skill includes the use of all one-handed knives, daggers, and even short swords — in fact, it covers anything from the ancient Roman gladius to a common table knife. The tool is usually steel, but particular daggers might be of bronze, iron, or even possibly of stone or some other material.
The weapons covered by the use of this skill are generally ineffective against heavily armored knights, but a simple knife or dagger is carried by virtually everyone in Cymric society, including women and priests. A knight usually has a dagger sheathed on his sword belt, ready for use in close quarters.
Due to its small size, a dagger does 1d6 less damage than the user’s normal Damage statistic when it strikes, to a minimum of 1d6 damage (so even a shriveled, weak old woman still does 1d6 damage). Thus, a character who normally does 4d6 points of damage on a hit deals only 3d6 with a dagger.
A fumble indicates the weapon has broken.
Special: If an enemy wielding a 2-foot-long dirk attacks a character with a tiny table knife, for instance, the Gamemaster might wish to adjust the relative damage done slightly to reflect the difference between the two similar but not identical weapons.
Characters in Arthurian literature often throw down their weapons and grapple an opponent in dramatic fashion. This skill simulates such tactics.
The art of pugilism, in the modern sense, is unknown in Arthur’s Britain, but common brawling includes punching, wrestling, bashing, slamming, gouging, biting, kicking, and so on. (This is handled under the “Brawling” section in Chapter 6.) Quarrelsome knights in their cups may often wrestle to prove their manhood, but this is considered brawling, not a use of the Grapple skill.
Grapple is normally used in armed combat, either when every other weapon is broken or when stalemate has set in between two knights with excellent weapon skills, so that neither can easily hurt the other. Grappling is a risky but viable option in such instances.
Armor has no effect on the Grapple skill, nor does sitting a horse affect it unless the Gamemaster rules otherwise. (It is assumed that both characters suffer the same hampering conditions, which effectively negate each other.)
See also “Grappling” in Chapter 6.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the great axe; a two-handed and double-headed version of the battle axe, this weapon cannot be used with a shield. However, due to its great mass, it does an extra 1d6 points of damage against all foes, and an additional 1d6 against any combatant using a shield. A fumble indicates the weapon broke.
Many Saxons fighting against armored knights favor this weapon.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the great spear (sometimes called a “pike”), a heavy two-handed spear used to strike and stab. A great spear grants a +5 modifier when used by foot soldiers against horsemen (thus negating the footmen’s normal disadvantage). The great spear is long enough that it also negates the +5 lance modifier versus non-lance weapons.
A fumble indicates that the spear has broken. A great spear may not be thrown.
Boar Spear: This skill is also used by a hunter wielding a boar spear, a large, broad-bladed spear with a metal crossbar located a short distance below its head. A boar that takes damage equal at least to its DEX score (i.e., typically 15) from a boar spear may not thereafter attack the foe wielding the boar spear. See “Boar” in Appendix 2.
Horsemanship is the ability to perform actions and maneuvers while mounted on a moving horse. Such activities include fighting, jumping obstacles, and galloping.
In most situations, a success indicates that the horse did what it was expected to do, while failure indicates it did not. A critical success allows the mount to go a little faster, jump a little farther, or otherwise perform beyond its usual capabilities or apply greater than normal effort. A fumble indicates that the horse trips, the rider falls off, the saddle girths break, or the like — regardless, the ride has ended.
Horsemanship is also used by a mounted combatant whenever he suffers a Knockdown result from damage taken. See “Knockdown” in Chapter 6.
Glory can be gained for a success in Horsemanship as with many non-combat skills. Usually, the Glory is gained not for the successful roll but for the results. Winning a race or carrying a vital message swiftly to its intended recipient might gain 10 Glory, for example.
A heroic use of Horsemanship, such as rescuing a child from a burning barn by riding in and out, might gain 100 Glory.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the javelin, a short, light spear that can be thrown at a nearby opponent or game animal. A javelin’s maximum range is 30 yards.
Due to its lightness and the fact that it is hurled, a javelin deals 2d6 less damage than the user’s normal Damage statistic, to a minimum of 1d6 damage. Thus, a character who normally does 4d6 points of damage on a hit deals only 2d6 with a javelin.
A fumble indicates that the weapon has broken.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the lance, a stout, lengthy spear used in a mounted charge. It is held in the right hand and crossed over the horse’s neck, allowing the knight to crouch behind his shield and impact his target directly. The lance thus protrudes out to the left; if it were held any other way, the impact would dislocate the lancer’s shoulder.
Fighting with a lance but without a mounted charge is the same as using a spear: Use the character’s Spear skill, not Lance.
For more information on lances and jousting, see “Mounted Combat” in Chapter 6.
Special: The Lance skill is also used in jousting; there is no separate “Jousting Lance” skill. A jousting lance is a piece of sporting equipment, not a lethal weapon; it is designed not to destroy the loser of a joust, but merely to knock him from his horse.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the mace, a heavy one-handed bludgeoning weapon often augmented with flanged edges or spikes. A mace deals an additional 1d6 points of damage against foes in chainmail armor.
A fumble indicates that the mace has broken.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the spear, essentially a short pole or long stick with a pointed head (usually of metal) on one end. The spear is used one-handed, unlike the great spear. It can not be thrown like a javelin, which is much smaller.
A fumble indicates that the spear has broken.
Special: The spear can also be used from horseback as a lance; like a lance, when used in a mounted charge, it calls for the Lance skill rather than the Spear skill.
This skill dictates a character’s use of the sword, the quintessential knightly weapon. The standard sword, whether referred to as a longsword, a broadsword, a spaetha (by the Romans), a seax (by the Saxons), a cleddyf mawr (by the Cymri), or by any other name, is a one-handed weapon normally used with a shield. Swords may be of varying lengths, thicknesses, and shapes, but they are always of the best possible iron.
The sword has two distinct advantages over all other weapons:
- Swords do not break when their wielder fumbles, but are instead dropped and can be recovered.
- If a tie occurs in any opposed resolution against a different weapon, a sword always breaks a non-sword.
Game play presents countless hazards and difficulties that challenge your player knight's agility, reactions, or movement-related abilities such as climbing, sneaking, and balancing. All these situations use a DEX roll, usually unopposed, to determine success.
The Gamemaster may find other occasions to use the DEX roll as well.
Critical Successes and Fumbles: As with most attribute rolls, success and failure are usually the only possible results of a DEX roll — neither a critical success nor a fumble gives any special result
However, several special uses of the DEX roll, such as brawling and sneaking, are an exception to this pattern. Furthermore, the Gamemaster may allow critical success or failure in a particular situation: If storytelling is enhanced, by all means let a critical DEX success gain some extra benefit, or a fumble extract a special penalty.
Modifiers: Many situations in which the DEX roll is used require negative modifiers. A few usages gain positive modifiers. Each particular use of the DEX roll below lists specific suggestions for modifiers in addition to the general points given here. Modifiers from sources such as Passions apply to DEX rolls, as they do to all rolls. In borderline situations, the Gamemaster decides whether a modifier to DEX is appropriate.
For actions involving agility or movement, such as climbing or dodging, DEX is reduced by encumbrance, as shown on the chart below.
| Encumbrance | DEX Modifier |
|---|---|
| Light load | -5 |
| Heavy load | -10 |
In addition, armor penalizes DEX rolls, as shown in Table 6–1: Armor.
Cumulative modifiers may be applied to DEX rolls. For example, an climber attempting to clamber up a slope in leather armor while carrying a wounded knight on his back might suffer a –15 penalty or even worse to DEX. Realistically, certain feats are virtually (if not actually) impossible, and a negative modifier should support this.
The balance roll is one of the most common types of DEX roll. Whenever an unmounted character receives a Knockdown result in combat (see Chapter 6), he must make a DEX roll to remain upright. Balance might also be tested when a character wishes to cross a narrow bridge, stay afoot on the heaving deck of a ship, or stay upright when the earth shakes from magic.
Encumbrance is not used to modify a DEX roll for balance unless the Gamemaster decides that it should, based on the circumstances. However, difficult footing may impose a negative modifier as usual.
If the balance roll is successful, the character remains upright; if not, he falls down. A critical success on a balance roll gains no special advantage unless the situation presents an obvious extra benefit. A fumble does no further harm than a failure, though, either.
Once knocked down, a character needs no roll to get up again, even if in heavy armor. However, in combat he must fight from a disadvantage while clambering back to his feet: He suffers a –5 modifier to his weapon skills, while any opponents gain a +5 modifier. See the "Combat" chapter for more information on the complicated issues of combat modifiers and actions during a melee round. Footing: Most balance rolls should receive a negative modifier when attempted upon rough, narrow, or unstable surfaces, as appropriate. For example, a character attempting to balance as he walks across on a narrow wooden beam over a chasm should receive a penalty. Usually, this negative modifier should be no more than –10.
A character may attempt to clamber up a surface using a DEX roll. If it is a relatively easy climb, such as up a sand dune, the DEX roll might be made without modification, if required at all. Otherwise, a modifier is applied, as shown below.
| Slope | DEX Modifier |
|---|---|
| Tough climb (eg. rough vertical wall) | -5 |
| Difficult climb (eg. smooth vertical wall | -10 |
Ropes or convenient vines may add to the chance of success. A rope gives a +5 modifier, while a proper ladder gives a +10 modifier. Siege ladders, which may have suffered hasty construction or damage from usage or defenders, grant a modifier of +5 to +10 (1d6+4).
Encumbered characters (such as those wearing armor) while climbing also suffer the usual modifiers to DEX.
Normally, one DEX roll is made per 30 feet of height or fraction thereof. Therefore, a 65-foot tower would require three successful DEX rolls to climb.
Most climb rolls should receive a negative modifier for slippery surfaces, as appropriate. For example, a character attempting to climb a wet, moss-covered wall should receive a penalty. Usually, this negative modifier should be no more than –10
A character may jump horizontally to cross a wide chasm or hole, or vertically up or down. Both types of jump require a DEX roll. Encumbered characters who are jumping suffer the usual modifiers to DEX. As well, a jump may have a modifier for difficulty assigned to it, based on the distance in yards. (This is intended to make certain jumps impossible, as they should be.)
For simplicity's sake, a jump's distance imposes a –3 modifier per yard of distance beyond the first. For this purpose, treat each fraction of a yard as a full yard. Assume that a horizontal leap also has a vertical component equal to half its length, but this imposes no further penalty.
Thus, for example, a 1-yard-high wall imposes no modifier to DEX for jumping (most relatively fit people can jump that high without much trouble), while a 7-foot-high wall imposes a –6 penalty to DEX (round to 3 yards, with a –3 penalty for each yard beyond the first).
A 9-foot-wide ditch imposes a –6 penalty to DEX for characters trying to jump across, making the jump difficult, yet possible for an agile character. A moat 22 feet across imposes a –21 modifier (round to 8 yards, with a –3 penalty for each yard beyond the first) — it is simply too wide ever to jump, even for naked, screaming Picts.
Keep in mind that realism should always assert itself in these situations: No human can cleanly hurdle a 10-foot wall, for example, even with a critical success, but a fit person can capably jump up and haul himself to the top.
Stealth and detection are complicated subjects, and the Gamemaster should be ready to adjust or augment the basic rules given here as needed.
If a character wishes to sneak up on someone, he makes a DEX roll. Any character who might reasonably have a chance to observe the character makes an opposed Awareness roll. (See "Opposed Rolls" in Chapter 5.) If both sneaker and observer fail their rolls, the Gamemaster should decide what happens based on the circumstances.
Unlike most DEX rolls, a critical success on a sneak roll has a distinct effect: It always succeeds unless the opponent also achieves a critical, in which case a tie results, meaning that the sneaker moves forward, but the victim is alerted that something suspicious is going on. Conversely, a fumble while sneaking ensures detection.
Standard rules for encumbrance do not apply while sneaking: Instead, a character suffers only a –5 modifier for metal armor or a heavy load, and no penalty for sneaking in leather armor or with a light load.
Circumstances may provide modifiers to the DEX roll. For example, abundant cover or ambient noise might grant a +5 modifier (or even +10 if the benefit is substantial, such as a loud waterfall nearby or a sudden fire lighting the sky, accompanied by faint shouting from a different direction). Similarly, if the potential observer is engaged in an activity rather than devoting his attention to watching and listening for intruders, he should suffer a –5 or greater penalty on his Awareness roll.
To have your character throw a rope to a drowning person or hurl a stunned enemy over the parapet, use a DEX roll. Success indicates that the objective was achieved. The Gamemaster rules on the modifier, if any, that should be applied to the task. Throwing a heavy object at a tiny target far away might suffer a –10 modifier, while a throw from the top of a wall at a huge target below might gain a +10 modifier.
Encumbrance or footing does not normally hinder a throw unless the Gamemaster feels the circumstances warrant a negative modifier.
If damage is intended to a target, the Javelin skill might be used if it seems appropriate. However, if a character wishes to heave a boulder from a cliff or hurl a stool at a nearby foe, for instance, he should make a DEX roll as if it were a ranged combat skill; a successful attack roll deals damage as if with a brawling attack. (See both "Ranged Attacks" and "Brawling" in Chapter 6.)
A critical success indicates that double damage is dealt, as with any attack, while a fumble might hit a nearby ally, object, or surface instead of the intended target.
The maximum range for any object that may be hurled as a weapon should be decided by the Gamemaster, but should rarely exceed 20 yards.
Winter is the time for rest, recuperation, and character growth. During this time, knights engage in training, amorous pursuits, and gossip. In game terms, the players perform character updating.
Although most military activity stops for the winter, people still are active as they gather for feasts and holy days. These meetings are of major importance; a lord often calls his vassals to feast at his castle, or travels through the snow to visit each of them at their own holdings.
Thus, most of the wintertime is spent in socially oriented scenarios, if any at all. Gamemasters might wish to run more typical scenarios during the winter; however, if so, they will have to rule as to whether the normal opportunities for training are available during that same year, or lost due to the characters being in action instead.
Your character may benefit from one or more "solo scenarios" (see Appendix 3). This is particularly important if you were absent for a play session and your knight thus missed the last game year of play. Later in the campaign, Romance may be done in secret, so romantic knights will wish to utilize this step. Check with the Gamemaster.
Characters spend some of the winter reflecting back over the year that has gone by. This process is simulated using an "experience roll." Throughout game play during the game's summer season, potential improvements are recorded as an increase in the checked skill, passion, or trait value (see "Obtaining Experience).
The experience roll process is the same whether you seek to increase a skill, a passion, or a trait. Attributes (STR, DEX, etc.) cannot be increased this way. Roll d20 once for each experience check you have on your character sheet. If the number rolled is greater than the current value, then the character learned from experience and adds 1 point to that value. If the value is already at 20 or greater, a roll of 20 still boosts it by 1 point. Thus, a character with a checked Proud trait of 24 who received a 20 on the experience check roll would increase his Proud statistic to 25.
The process is repeated for every check on your sheet. Each skill gets only one check per year, but any number of skills may be checked. The number of successes achieved during play is not relevant: only one check can appear in any box. The player determines the order in which he rolls for checks.
If your primary squire has any checks, you may roll for each of his skills normally as well.
Increase your character's age by one year. In game terms, all aging is done during the Winter Phase, regardless of your character's actual birth date. Your squire(s) also age at this point, and a player knight's squire is always replaced with a new 15-year-old squire upon reaching age 21.
Aging eventually takes even the most gifted character out of play, usually around age 50 or later. When any attribute, even APP, reaches a value of 3 or less, the character is considered bedridden and may no longer participate in active play. A bedridden character no longer receives Glory unless circumstances are truly unusual, but continues to age. He may still give orders (which will probably be ignored), write a will, tell tales of his adventures, or take other actions that the Gamemaster permits. When any attribute reaches 0, the character dies.
Every character of 35 years of age or more must roll on Statistics Lost table: Aging each winter. The ultimate result of aging may be a random reduction in one or more of the character's statistics. For example, in a given year, a character might lose 1 point of STR and 1 point of CON, or 2 points of SIZ. In many years of aging, no statistics are lost at all; at worst, no more than 4 points can be lost in a single year's aging.
Roll 2d6 and consult the table to find the number of statistics affected by aging this year. The result from the Aging Table is the number of rolls you must then make on Table 5–3. For example, if the first roll is a 4, you must roll twice on Table 5–3.
| 2d6 Result | No. of Stats Affected |
|---|---|
| 2 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 1 |
| 6 - 8 | 0 |
| 9 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 11 | 3 |
| 12 | 4 |
Rolling on the Statistics Lost table determines which statistic values, if any, are reduced by 1 point. For example, if the Aging Table tells you to roll three times on the following table, and all three results are 2s, then your character loses 3 points of DEX. Note that a roll of 6 on the Statistics Lost table indicates that no statistic is lost from that particular die roll.
A character may die as a result of rolling on this table if the result brings any statistic to 0.
| 1d6 Result | Stat Reduced |
|---|---|
| 1 | SIZ |
| 2 | DEX |
| 3 | STR |
| 4 | CON |
| 5 | APP |
| 6 | No loss |
When characters lose statistics from the Aging Table and Statistics Lost table, whether as a result of aging or from some other source, various natural forces such as disease or inimical magic are often blamed. Thus, for example, characters who suffer a loss of SIZ or STR may be said to have been "withered by the Evil Eye" or afflicted with "elf stroke"; loss of APP is commonly ascribed to the "pox." A loss of DEX is commonly referred to as "the palsy," while a loss of CON is likely attributed to "consumption."
Every character must determine his situation as regards food, money, clothing, possessions, and holdings in consultation with the Gamemaster. An overall grade of maintenance must be established for your character. See Standards of Living to help make the appropriate determination.
Ask the Gamemaster if anything important has happened to your character's lands and economic needs, keeping notes as needed. Raids, unscheduled visits by a lord, or even faerie curses might reduce a knight's economic circumstances, forcing a reduction in his grade of maintenance, while a very good harvest might let a knight increase his grade of maintenance.
Gifts given by the lord to the knight, if any, should also be determined now, and any plunder or other valuable items gained during the last year should be evaluated for worth. (At this stage, buying and selling may be required to convert goods into cash.) Gifts and plunder may be substantial enough that a vassal knight can maintain or even increase his grade of maintenance, even though his lord has not directly provided for it.
Now, based on the results of the above considerations, the player knight is assigned to one of the standard grades of maintenance. If nothing remarkable has occurred in terms of your character's personal wealth, for good or ill, then your character uses the same grade of maintenance, if any, that he had last year.
Based on his grade of maintenance, as determined above, a knight incurs various modifiers to rolls in subsequent steps of the Winter Phase. Keep track of these modifiers on a piece of scrap paper.
This is a disastrous economic state in which to find oneself, little better than the lot of a common peasant. No knight should suffer such a state if any alternative is available and consistent with the dictates of loyalty and honor.
An Impoverished Knight suffers a –15 modifier on all rolls made during Step 5 and Step 6 of the Winter Phase, treating rolls of 0 or less as 1s. Further, his armor suffers a permanent 1-point loss of reduction value (applicable every winter) due to severe rust and neglect of proper repair and care. Finally, he must make a CON roll or lose 1 point of CON, as if through aging, due to the hardships of having insufficient shelter.
However, even with all this to suffer, the knight loses no Glory, nor do his traits and passions change. The state of a knight's reputation is independent of such petty issues as money.
This grade of maintenance is unfortunate but not disastrous. Many vassal knights (most player characters) may suffer this state for a year or two during their careers. Household knights have little control over their state of maintenance, and may be kept at this level if they are greatly disfavored by their lord or if their lord has himself become poor.
The knight suffers a –3 modifier on all rolls made during Step 5 and on rolls on the Child Survival table during Step 6, treating rolls of 0 or less as 1s; for each consecutive year that knight has been Impoverished or Poor, he suffers an additional –3 modifier to these rolls, so that a knight who has been poor for 4 years suffers a –12 penalty. He also suffers a –5 modifier to his roll on the Childbirth table in Step 6.
Household knights are almost always maintained at this level. In general, vassal knights (most player characters) are capable only of maintaining themselves at this grade, unless they have gained wealth from plunder or ransoms.
No special effects or modifiers apply. All tables are rolled on normally.
Lord knights are usually expected to maintain themselves at this grade. They normally have the resources to do so unless disaster or war strikes their lands. In rare instances, household knights whose lords are exceptionally wealthy may be kept at this grade.
During Step 6, the knight receives a +1 modifier when rolling on the Child Survival table and a +3 modifier on the Childbirth table.
Only the richest knights and greatest lords can maintain themselves at this grade. During Step 5, the knight receives a +2 modifier when rolling on the Horse Survival table and a +3 modifier on the Childbirth table. During Step 6, he receives a +3 modifier when rolling on the Child Survival table and a +5 modifier on the Childbirth table.
For all grades of maintenance, reduce the character's best suit of clothing to half its previous value. This reflects the fact that even the most expensive formal clothes go quickly out of style, in addition to suffering normal wear and tear. New clothes can be purchased if the knight has the means (again, see Standards of Living.
Every horse owned by the knight must be checked to see if it survived the winter. Horses may die, given bad luck or poor conditions of care.
Roll d20 for each horse owned, applying appropriate modifiers.
| d20 Result | Horse's Fate |
|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | Horse dies or is ruined |
| 3 or more | Horse remains healthy |
Note: All horses suffer a –1 modifier for each year of the horse's age beyond 7 years.
Vassal knights may get new animals from their lord at some point during the following year's scenario, as needed, to maintain the minimum stable of one charger, two rouncys, and one sumpter. Any additional or unusual horses (superior chargers, destriers, unique horses) that perish need not be replaced.
Your character's family already exists, but children are desirable, especially for a vassal knight. The ideal way to gain children is through marriage. Once a marriage is achieved, legitimate children are possible. The wife's Glory and dowry are also desirable — see below.
If your character is unmarried and wishes to remain so this winter, you may skip the marriage and childbirth portions of this step. (If you wish to roll on the childbirth table but not the marriage table, you may do that as well.)
When a player wishes his character to marry, the Gamemaster rules whether this honor is possible for the character at this point in the campaign. A marriage may require some roleplaying to find the wife; alternately, the Random Marriage table can be used. No characters start the game already married.
Most knights' marriages are one of two types — marriage below one's class or marriage within one's class. To marry above your class, such as into a count's or a duke's holding, requires game play, not random die rolls.
Any knight may choose to have "kept women" (i.e., those which are not wives), but they each require a fee of $10 per year. If payment can't be made, then the knight was unable to maintain the woman's interest or health and she has departed. Wives do not require extra payment of this kind; their costs are figured into the knight's stipend or holding (see Standards of Living).
Use this course of action whenever your character wants to have a wife, no matter what or who. She is probably a handmaid to your lord's wife, a serving woman, an assistant seamstress to some rich merchant woman, or the younger sister of another knight. Household knights usually marry this way.
The Gamemaster should almost always permit this form of marriage, unless the character has been absent from home for years or is impoverished and shamed, or unless the marriage would not fit in well with the scenarios he intends to run.
The procedure is simple. Get permission from the character's lord by making a Loyalty (lord) roll. If this roll is successful, the lord grants you the boon to wed. If your knight has not already chosen an available woman, the lord selects an appropriate match. Your are thus married to an ordinary woman who has a dowry of 1d6 and 10 Glory.
If the Loyalty roll fails, your lord refuses you permission to wed, although you may ask again next winter. A fumble might indicate that the lord was offended somehow, or that something humorous happened, but a fumble should never indicate marriage to an unsuitable woman unless the Gamemaster and the player agree to it.
For a vassal knight or higher noble, it may take time to find a likely candidate for marriage. The Gamemaster should personalize potential wives who hold great dowries and have great Glory.
To find an ordinary wife within your character's class, make a Courtesy roll. If successful, you may either roll on the Random Marriage table below, or wait a year. If you choose to wait until the next Winter Phase, write "met candidate for marriage, still waiting" (or something to that effect) in your character's history. You can wait for as many years as you want, if there is no pressure from your lord.
For each year you make a successful Courtesy roll but choose to wait for marriage, add a +1 modifier to the d20 die roll on the Random Marriage table when you finally do roll. (If you fail your Courtesy roll during any year, you do not gain the +1 for that year.)
When you decide to roll for a marriage, you get only one chance. If you get what seems to be a poor match financially, assume that the marriage provides some significant political benefit for your lord instead (which may or may not impact your character directly).
| d20 Result | Dowry | Glory |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 4 | No holding, $1d3+6 | 10 |
| 5 - 7 | 1 manor, $1d6 | 25 |
| 8 - 17 | 1 manor, $1d6+3 | 50 |
| 18 - 19 | 2 manors, $1d6+6 | 100 |
| 20 or more | 2 manors, $2d6+6 | 250 |
Note: The number of libra ($) is likely to be composed at least half of valuable items like rugs, hangings, furs, furniture, and the like.
Characters normally make a d20 roll on the Childbirth table once per year whether they are married or not, whether rolling for a wife, concubine, lover, camp follower, or simply a some woman they have encountered during play within the previous year.
If the Gamemaster permits it, up to one annual childbirth roll may be attempted per wife, lover, or concubine, if sufficient opportunity was fulfilled during play to possibly allow conception.
| d20 Result | Childbirth |
|---|---|
| 1 - 10 | No children |
| 11 | Mother and child die at childbirth |
| 12 | Child born, but mother dies dies in childbirth |
| 13 | Twins born |
| 14 or more | Child born |
Note: Roll 1d6 for each child born, where an odd number = female, and even = male.
After checking for new children, roll a d20 for each child the character has (if any) under 15 years of age — including the newborn — and consult the Child Survival table. Children who survive to age 15 are assumed to live to adulthood.
| d20 Result | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | Child dies |
| 3 - 10 | Child is ill, but lives |
| 11 or more | Child lives |
This section determines whether any important or unusual events occur in your extended family. Note that the fathers and grandfathers of player knights created in this book are already dead, and all inherited Glory and items already gained thereby.
Each character rolls once per winter on the Family Events table.
| d20 Result | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | Death in family |
| 3 - 7 | Marriage in family |
| 8 - 12 | Birth in family |
| 13 - 15 | Family member is missing or lost |
| 16 - 18 | No event |
| 19 - 20 | Rumor of scandal (roll on Scandalous Rumors |
| d20 Result | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Insulted a lord |
| 2 - 3 | Cheated at a tournament |
| 4 | Impoverished, badly in debt |
| 5 - 7 | Adulterer |
| 8 | Kidnapper |
| 9 - 10 | Horse-thief |
| 11 - 16 | Illicit love affair |
| 17 | Murderer |
| 18 | Heretic |
| 19 | Necromancer |
| 20 | Roll again (Re-rolls 20s), but this time the rumor is proved true! |
Next, roll on the table below to find the person most directly affected by the result of the event discovered. If the result is ridiculous, like someone remarrying while their spouse is still alive or your grandmother being a horse-thief (or anyone who is already dead taking any action!), then re-roll.
| d20 Result | Family Member |
|---|---|
| 1 - 3 | Father |
| 4 - 6 | Mother |
| 7 - 10 | Brother |
| 11 - 14 | Sister |
| 15 | Uncle |
| 16 | Aunt |
| 17 | Grandfather |
| 18 | Grandmother |
| 19 - 20 | Cousin |
This step includes any weapon training or practice done over the winter, and allows deliberate changes to attributes, traits, and passions.
If the Gamemaster permits it, your knight's squire can also increase one or more of his three primary skills (listed on the character sheet) at this time, using the same choices as your knight.
During this step, you may choose to do any one of the following three things:
Roll 1d6+1 for the number of points available to you to improve your skills. Any combination of one or more skills or combat skills may be improved, but you may not improve a NonKnightly skill in this way, and no skill may be raised to higher than 15.
You may increase any one skill by 1 point, to a maximum value of 20. Skills can go beyond 20 only by means of experience or Glory. (See Step 2 and Step 9.)
You may raise or lower any one attribute, trait, or passion value by 1 point. (Keep in mind that altering a trait this always also alters the value of the opposite trait as well.) Several restrictions apply: No trait can be increased to over 19, and passions cannot be increased over 20. No attribute can be raised higher than its maximum cultural value (see Character Generation). A character's SIZ may not be increased after he reaches age 21; further, a character cannot increase any other attribute (STR, DEX, CON, or APP) after he reaches age 35.
During the winter, all Glory gained during the previous year's play is computed. The total is then added to the current number in the main Glory box on the character sheet. The sequence is one of the high points of the game for many players, as they see their character's fame and prestige increase through Glory.
Check with the Gamemaster to be sure you record all the various Glory awards correctly. See Glory.
This is the primary source of Glory. If you participated in a scenario last game year, the Glory gained by your character should already be written in the "Glory this Game" box on the character sheet, and ideally recorded in detail on the back of the sheet with a date attached. For example, if you killed a bear while hunting, you might have recorded an award of 10 Glory.
Transfer the Glory from "Glory this Game" into the main "Glory" box, adding the two totals together for your current total Glory.
Your character may have gone through a solo scenario at the beginning of this Winter Phase. With Gamemaster approval, Glory may have been gained thereby. For example, the solo scenario entitled "Your Own Land" (see Appendix 3) might have gained you special Glory equal to your Just trait.
If any special honor or ambition was achieved last year, such as marriage to an heiress, this honor should have been recorded on the back of the character sheet. Review your character's achievements for the previous year.
Many sources of Glory accrue annually. For example, holding a motte-and-bailey castle gains you 8 Glory per year. Annual Glory accrues now.
The final step of the Winter Phase is to add any bonus points gained from high Glory to the character's attributes. A bonus point is gained whenever your total Glory exceeds 1,000 points, and for every additional 1,000 points thereafter. (For example, a knight's Glory might increase from 1,800 to 3,010 in an extraordinary year, yielding 2 bonus points for that year.)
Bonus points must be spent now, as soon as they become available. Each point may be applied directly to an attribute, trait, passion, skill, or combat skill, increasing that statistic by 1 point. Only two restrictions apply to this increase: No character may increase his attributes beyond their racial maximums, and no character past age 21 can increase his SIZ stat.
If you increase an attribute score, recalculate any derived statistics related to that attribute.
If a trait or passion has just been increased to 16 or higher by means of a bonus point, you do not gain Glory from that trait or passion until next year's Winter Phase. The same is true for Glory gained if a character now qualifies for a Religious bonus (see "Magical Virtues" in Chapter 4), but the bonus itself (the +3 armor reduction bonus from Armor of Honor, for example) is gained immediately and may be used during the coming year's scenarios.
The daily measure of wealth is that which can be seen and partaken of. Rich people eat better, wear fancier clothes, and have more luxurious homes. Knights, as members of the noble class, wear very nice clothing and eat well, whether at their lord's board or in their own manor. A normal vassal knight — i.e., the typical player knight — has an ordinary knightly standard of living (spending from $6 to $8 per year), as shown below in Grades of Maintenance.
It is interesting and useful to compare knights' standards with those of a typical peasant family of two adults and three children: The common peasant exists in a self-sufficient world where money is unknown, and the family makes, grows, or barters for everything it needs. However, in monetary value, annual expense and income for the whole peasant family equals about $1 per year.
The economic situation (or "grade") of a knight is quantified by the annual income allotted to him during each Winter Phase. Five grades of knight exist for this purpose: Impoverished, Poor, Ordinary, Rich, and Superlative.
A knight with an income of less than $3 per year is Impoverished. His is a miserable lot. He appears ragged, most likely lean and sickly, and his armor pitted and rusty. He has no squire and often lacks a horse of any kind. As a result, an Impoverished knight counts only as a sergeant in battle (see "Ransom and Blood Price"), even though he may be far more skilled or valorous. Legally, impoverishment means trouble.
An Impoverished household knight is not required to remain loyal to his lord since, under the feudal oath, his lord promised him sustenance. He may leave or may be sent away on a quest by the hapless lord.
On the other hand, if a vassal knight neglects his land to the point of impoverishment, the lord has the right to cancel their agreement and take the land back: The vassal has clearly failed to maintain the land and uphold his end of the feudal bargain.
Glory: No Glory is gained during the Winter Phase for suffering the life of an Impoverished knight.
Poor knights are, for whatever reason, unable to maintain themselves in the manner in which they ought. A knight who receives between $3 and $5 per year is considered Poor. (A nearby sidebar expounds upon this state of relative poverty.) In general, a Poor knight has no squire; rides a mangy, sway-backed horse; is hungry, lean, and ragged; and wears armor in a sad state of disrepair.
Glory: No effect. There is no shame, but no special fame, in being a poor knight.
Ordinary knights are those most often discussed in Pendragon; generally, whenever the word "knight" is used, unmodified by another adjective, it refers to a character of this economic standing. Ordinary knights comprise the majority of chivalry. Player knights always begin the game as Ordinary knights in terms of economic quality.
An Ordinary knight receives $6 to $8 per year in money and food, which keeps himself, his family, a single squire, and his horses in a healthy and robust manner of living, and his equipment in good repair. This may be provided by his lord, or by a normal manor.
Glory: No effect.
Rich knights receive between $9 and $12 per year to spend on their maintenance, an amount significantly above normal standards. Their families live well off the fat of the land.
Rich knights usually wear clothing of rich fabrics and furs in the latest style, have ornate silver-decorated tack for their glossy-coated horses, and regularly enjoy rich feasts. They typically have two squires in attendance, both being well-mounted and attentive to their knight's needs.
Glory: Knights who live above their expected means (i.e., more than $8 per year) gain Glory equal to the annual number of maintenance libra spent; thus, a knight who has $11 per year also gains 11 Glory per year.
If a lord supplies this maintenance, rather than the knights' getting the money themselves, the lord also gains a like amount of Glory.
Superlative knights are the most extravagant and impressive of all, requiring $13 per year or more for upkeep. Their armor shines brightly, and their clothing is sumptuous, with intricate stitching, extensive use of gold thread, jewels, imported feathers, and furs from fantastic beasts. Three squires, each proud in matching livery, typically attend the knight's needs.
Superlative knights also benefit from superior health and the aid of well-equipped, loyal squires in battle.
Glory: As noted under Rich knights, above, knights who live above their expected means gain additional annual Glory based on their income.
The raison d'etre of the knight is to fight, and much of the action in the game revolves around personal or military combat — which often results in injury, whether minor or mortal. Knights expect to take injury, and they wear their many scars proudly.
In Arthurian literature, knights often suffer great wounds, and thereafter go through long periods of healing and rest to recover. Such events are realistic as well as authentic to the stories. The following rules attempt to formalize this process, while leaving the Gamemaster enough flexibility to deal with all possible situations.
Keeping track of injuries and healing is a complicated process. Both the Gamemaster and players are responsible for recording information accurately and honestly. You may wish to simplify portions of these rules while learning the game, but they should be used in full once familiarity is gained. The reward will be a more authentic and dramatic experience.
Violence in Pendragon should be realistic and terrifying, never casual or routine, and the best way to achieve this is to make injuries a serious matter.
Health in Pendragon is measured primarily through the Total Hit Points statistic (calculated using SIZ + CON). This number represents the character's capacity to absorb injury. Death is imminent if a character has 0 or negative hit points. In essence, though, a character with only half his hit points is half-dead.
As damage is taken during the game, hit points are lost. The player records this loss, in pencil, using the workspace on the character sheet labeled "Current Hit Points."
Characters may lose hit points from many different sources. Some forms of damage cause wounds, while some act directly on hit points. Fatigue alone never causes hit point loss.
Once injured, characters may lose further hit points through illness, infection, excess activity, blood loss, or worse. These factors are summarized under the "Deterioration and Aggravation" rules below. Deterioration may be prevented by the unsophisticated medicine of the times, known as Chirurgery. Aggravation is caused by excessive activity while a character is already injured or ill, and may be averted only by avoiding such activity.
A character's recovery from injury is a natural bodily process, which is quantified as that character's Healing Rate, calculated as (STR + CON) ÷ 10. Characters normally recover a number of hit points equal to their Healing Rate every week (on Sunday at noon, in fact), although the Gamemaster may adjust this schedule if necessary.
The First Aid skill lets the injured character regain hit points immediately, and ensures that bleeding is stopped, infection prevented, and so forth. A critical success with the Chirurgery skill augments a patient's Healing Rate. (See First Aid and Chirurgery")
Magical healing may cure hit points or otherwise magically improve a character's health, at the Gamemaster's option. As always, the details of healing magic are secrets known only to the Gamemaster (and to a few unique Gamemaster characters).
In all cases, any hit points that would be regained over the value of the Total Hit Points statistic are lost.
As a character loses hit points, he reaches a point at which he becomes unconscious. This important threshold is represented by the Unconscious statistic, equal to Total Hit Points ÷ 4.
Characters with current hit points below the Unconscious value are out of action. At the moment a character goes below this threshold, he slumps slowly to the ground, possibly staggering a few yards first or sliding gently off his horse before collapsing. (A DEX roll is allowed for a mounted character who becomes unconscious, with success indicating that any falling damage is averted; otherwise, he takes another 1d6 points from the fall.)
The Gamemaster may wish to let unconscious characters have brief periods of lucidity. With Gamemaster approval, they may be allowed to speak quietly. For example, they might be capable of slowly dictating a will, praying for divine guidance, or describing an assailant in a weak whisper. (See the "A Fight to the Death" sidebar.)
Since they have been gravely injured, unconscious characters are considered unhealthy (see "States of Health") and must check the "Chirurgery Needed" box on their character sheet immediately. They require chirurgery until the Gamemaster says otherwise.
Example of Injury and Unconsciousness: In a tremendous fight, Sir Ambrut is victorious over two Saxon assailants. Ambrut takes no Major Wound in the fight due to his heroic CON of 21. However, he takes many minor injuries, including a fall from his horse, for a total of 26 points of damage, leaving him with 8 current hit points.
Since 8 is below Ambrut's Unconscious value of 9, the sorely wounded knight staggers into a wood near the battlefield and falls unconscious. His player checks Ambrut's "Chirurgery Needed" box at once.
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A primary activity of all the famous knights during Arthur's time and after is to adventure. Adventuring, in fact, is the activity that sets famous knights apart from those lesser knights who stay at home and acquire Glory passively (i.e., while out of play).
Adventuring is recognized as a legitimate knightly duty by the Arthurian court, one every bit as important as one's duty to stand garrison and serve an active 40 days in the field. Most knights do not take the job, though. For them, the everyday activities of guard duty, tournaments, and battles are enough to satisfy their sense of adventure.
Other knights (like the player knights, we hope), seek more and thus undertake dangerous and glorious quests. Most of the lords of Logres are in favor of this new "sport" of adventuring, and are happy to oblige those knights who wish to engage in it. The lull of peace following Arthur's rise leaves castles full of boisterous fighters with nothing to fight. Adventuring sends the knights to work off their energy elsewhere, perhaps far away from Logres. Undoubtedly, the lord hopes that the questing knights' vigor will arouse something from his other less enthusiastic knights, as well.
Adventures abound. Even stay-at-home knights have a few adventures as part of their routine, without having to go far to seek them out. Such adventures include going to tournaments, participating in battles, engaging in romance, visiting unusual sites, and encountering unusual beings.
If knighthood is the heart of Pendragon, questing is its soul. A quests includes adventures, but not all adventures are quests. A quest is a protracted series of adventures that must also include the following elements to qualify as such: going to an unknown place, encountering something mysterious or unusual, facing unusual dangers, and facing death. Quests must, by definition, occur in strange lands where High Adventure and opportunity wait to test the neat ideals of the heartland of civilization.
To go on a quest, a knight must request a leave from their normal duties to their lord. On a quest, as in any enterprise, a knight represents not only himself, but also his lord, so the lord will agree to send only individuals whom he will not have to bail out of trouble, or who will not bring shame or dishonor to him. A time limit is often imposed on absentee time for questing. The proverbial "year and a day" is a good starting time period. At the end of the leave period, the knight must return to court and report the results of his activities. In time, as a knight gains repute, the leave may be considerably longer, and sometimes even indefinite, particularly if it is assigned for a specific task.
Of course, questing is also a "metagaming conceit," the best excuse for player knights to wander the roads and trails of Britain.
Religion plays a large part in the lives of every Arthurian knight. As warriors, knights live close to the grim reality of death at all times, and spiritual life provides some comfort and guidance for them.
Religious conflict is a possible theme in Pendragon, based on a Gamemaster's wishes for the campaign, but is not generally touched upon in the basic game. Religious conflict was not a very important part of most Arthurian literature. Constant argument and bigotry is almost sure to destroy a game, and players and Gamemasters alike are advised to use religious conflict in a campaign only with great care.
In general, players have a wide variety of attitudes about Christianity, ranging from ignorance and indifference through curiosity and willing acceptance to fanaticism or even overt hostility. For the latter people, Paganism is provided as an option starting religion for player knights.
Religious attitudes, both Christian and pagan, can be summed up within four categories for Pendragon, and are determined roughly by the value of a character's Pious trait, as noted in parentheses beside each category.
For this character, religion is placed before any observance or behavior arising from a trait having a lower value, and before any social event or endeavor that interferes with dedication to the religious life. Sir Galahad is the best literary example of this type of knight.
Most people in this range have been brought up on the precepts and ideologies of their religion and accept them without thinking much about it. They regularly attend religious services and functions, residing at the core of mainstream belief.
Most knights of Arthur's era show great indifference toward their religion, just as most people do today and probably always have. They are subject to its invisible cultural influence, but don't really care one way or the other. They might attend Mass regularly, or as needed, but probably think it's a waste of time. Sir Gawaine is regularly accused of being this type of knight.
Some knights actively hate the church and plunder its holdings and servants with glee. Reasons can vary widely, and a few examples of these types appear in literature, and more in history. Sir Thomas Malory is himself a good example of a knight of this type.
Christianity is likely the foremost religion of the Arthurian world. Religion in the Middle Ages, though, was very different from religion today. To capture the feelings and attitudes of medieval literature, it is important for players to understand the accepted attitudes held about religion by their characters, who are members of the ruling class. Christianity is the dominant religion in Britain and in Europe during the Pendragon era. Your character knows that several different forms of the religion exist in Europe. Two types compete for followers just in Britain.
Even the most ignorant worshiper knows the information contained under Core Beliefs, below. More informed individuals — i.e., those with a Religion skill of 6 or higher, with higher scores indicating progressively more thorough knowledge — know parts of the History, as well, which is drawn from many British sources and is intended largely as player information. Thus it includes many facts that outsiders question (such as whether Jesus was ever in Britain).
Two types of Christianity are practiced in Arthurian Britain. One is ancient, having been established in the first century A.D. by Joseph of Arimathea. It is called British Christianity. The second is derived from distant Rome, and is called Roman Christianity. Both types of Christianity share the most important beliefs and have more in common with each other than do the many forms of Paganism practiced in the lands outside of Logres.
Christianity believes in a single God who created the world and everything in it. The first people were called Adam and Eve. Because humans were made with free will, many descendants of Adam and Eve fell away from the worship of God and the world was corrupted.
God then manifested Himself (it is common to capitalize personal pronouns referring to God) as the Son of the Father to offer salvation to the world. During the reign of Emperor Augustus was born this Son of God, named Jesus Christ, in the kingdom of Judea. Barely escaping death as an infant, Jesus was raised in obscurity as the son of a carpenter and his wife, the Virgin Mary, in a small town in Judea. Christ spent a short time as a wandering teacher, attended by his selected followers called the apostles. He allowed Himself to be tortured and nailed to a cross, dying for the sake of all humankind. The day he died is called Good Friday.
He was buried in the tomb of his uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, but after three days He rose miraculously from the dead. He visited his closest disciples and instructed them in his new religion. Fifty days after the first Easter, the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles and gave them the gift of tongues, after which time they went around the world teaching about the miracle of Christ's death and resurrection. The converted people formed the start of the Christian religion.
This sacrifice by God allowed humans to obtain eternal salvation and, after death, to join God in Heaven. Worshipers can find personal salvation through imitating the life of Jesus Christ and following His teachings. Regular worship takes place every Sunday within buildings called churches. The holiest day of the liturgical year is Easter, the day that He rose from the dead and proved he was the Son of God. Another important day is Pentecost, commemorating the time fifty days after Easter when the Holy Ghost descended upon the apostles. Christmas is another holy time, marking the birth of Christ in the city of Jerusalem. Many other holy days exist as well, but those listed above are the most important.
Although most people are illiterate, literacy (in Latin) is common among the clergy and Christian writings are available, painstakingly copied by the hands of countless monks. Records of the religion are collected in a book called the Bible.
Saints are important in Christianity. These are exceptionally holy persons who are rewarded after death for a lifetime of dedication to God. They have the power to intercede between God and his worshipers. Many saints are important in Arthurian Britain, including the apostles, but one of the foremost is Saint Mary, the Mother of God.
Mass is the name of the formal worship service, celebrated every Sunday by Christians everywhere, and even more often by exceptionally pious people. The holy rituals are called sacraments, including the following: baptism, which is given upon entering the religion; penance, which forgives the penitent's sins; communion, the basic act of interaction with God, and around which the Mass is centered; confirmation, which initiates members of the church as Soldiers of Christ; matrimony, which blesses marriage; Holy Orders, by which a man is made a priest; and Extreme Unction, given at death to ease a person's journey to Heaven.
The British Church has a flavor of its own, due in part to its early adaptation of local druidic beliefs. Evidence of this is found in the unusual tonsure adopted by the monks. In the Roman method, the top of the head is shaved (in the famous "Friar Tuck" style). But with the Celtic method, the front of the head, from ear to ear, is shaved, leaving only a forelock.
Another major difference involves the question of authority. The British church feels that abbots, who oversee monasteries, are more important than bishops, who exist primarily to appoint new priests. Also, for the British Church, the local kings appoint both the abbots and bishops. The Romans accept only the authority of Rome to appoint their bishops, who have authority over the local abbots.
In the British Church, a monastery is always associated with a tribe or clan, and the abbacy is inherited by descendants of that family. The leader is called a coarb, and he acts in every way as both a temporal and ecclesiastical leader for the holding. The coarb might be an abbot or bishop; however, his loyalty is not to a church hierarchy, but to the local clan or tribe that originally granted the land.
Most importantly, there is a dispute between the British and Roman Churches as to the date for Easter. The rationales behind this dispute are far too esoteric to go into here, but since Easter is the most important holy day for both churches, this dispute is prominent in the friction.
Finally, Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism dispute many points of the new dogma of Rome. Key points held by the Pelagians are that every person has a free will, and every person, pagan or Christian, is responsible for his own conduct; that mankind was not cursed by Original Sin and, hence, is inherently good; that every man has a right to be wrong; and that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Also, there is a stress on clerical poverty and social justice. All these things are denied by Roman dogma.
Yet although Christianity has not cemented itself into a single unitary church, and despite these differences, it unifies all of Britain and indeed western humanity against most other religions. It is, in fact, one of the two factors that unify all European peoples (the other being the feudal system). A person can travel from Ireland in the west to Italy in the east, and from Germany in the north to Spain in the south, and in every place he stops he will find the same belief in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, even though the ceremonies, holy days, and certain aspects of morality may differ.
Knights who follow a strict religious way of life get an advantage in game. Most people in Logres believe that Christianity is the One True Faith, but Religious knights of the Christian faith go one step further and work hard to promote their religion through their exemplary lifestyle.
Bonuses are awarded to characters who maintain a minimum value of 16 in all of the traits pertinent to their religion, as listed above. Such knights are referred to (unsurprisingly!) as Religious knights, and are usually treated as embodiments of the virtues of their faith. Christian knights must strive to exercise their virtues during their daily lives; they attend Mass as much as possible, and must attend Easter mass.
Religious Knights receive benefits as follows.
| Religion | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Roman Christian | Total Hit Points + 6 |
| British Christian | Total Hit Points + 3, Damage + 2 |
| Pagan | Healing Rate + 2 |
In addition, all Religious Knights gain 100 Glory annually, during the Winter Phase.
If a Religious knight ever fails to maintain his required trait values, even by a single point, he immediately loses these benefits.