Improving Adventurers

[h=3]Improvement Rolls[/h] In an average story, each character should receive three improvement rolls. This can be modified if the character performed particularly poorly or heroically, giving a range of between one and five improvement rolls awarded.


[h=3]Hero Points[/h] In an average story, each character should receive two Hero Points. This can be modified if the character performed particularly poorly or heroically, giving a range of between zero and four Hero Points awarded.


[h=2]Improving Skills[/h] A player can choose to spend one improvement roll to attempt to increase one known skill.


Select the skill to be increased and roll 1D100.


If this 1D100 result is greater than the skill’s current score, the skill increases by 1D4+1 points.


If this 1D100 result is equal to or less than the skill’s current score, the skill only increases by one point.


There is no limit to the score a skill can reach.


[h=3]Practise & Research[/h] Practising or researching a skill generally takes one day per 10% the character already possesses in the skill.


[h=4]Practise[/h] All skills may be learnt through practise, except for Lore skills. Note that in the case of Runecasting and Advanced skills, the skill must be initially learnt before it can be practised.


[h=4]Research[/h] The following skills can be increased through research: Craft, Engineering, Evaluate, First Aid, Healing, Language, Lore, Mechanisms and Runecasting. Note that in the case of Runecasting and Advanced skills, the skill must be initially learnt before it can be researched.


Characters may apply a +10 modifier to the improvement roll when attempting to learn the a skill through research. This is an addition to the roll, not the skill.


[h=3]Mentors[/h] A mentor must have a score in the skill being taught that is at least double his student’s score in that skill.


The mentor must be present with the student for the entire practising or research period. Before the student makes their improvement roll, the mentor makes a skill test for the taught skill.


If the mentor’s skill test is a failure, then the student makes their improvement roll as normal.


If the mentor’s skill test is a success, then the student makes their improvement roll and applies a positive modifier to the roll equal to the mentor’s critical success range with the skill. Note that this is an addition to the roll, not the skill. In addition, if the student’s improvement roll results in a gain of 1D4+1 points, this gain is instead increased to 1D6+1 points.


[h=3]Learning New Advanced Skills[/h] In order to learn a new Advanced skill, the character must either be able to research it (in that it is both researchable and the relevant research material is to hand) or they must be taught it by a mentor.


It costs two improvement rolls to attempt to learn a new Advanced skill. The character immediately gains the new Advanced skill at the base score determined by the appropriate Characteristics. The character may now increase the skill normally through practice or research.


[h=2]Improving Characteristics[/h] A player can choose to spend three improvement rolls to attempt to increase one Characteristic by one point.


Multiply the Characteristic to be increased by five. Then roll 1D100.


If this 1D100 result is greater than the Characteristic x 5, the Characteristic increases by one point.


If this 1D100 result is equal to or less than the Characteristic x 5, the Characteristic does not increase. However, one skill that the character already possesses is increased by one point. One of this skill’s derived Characteristics must be the same as the Characteristic which was not improved.


A roll of 96 to 00 on this roll always results in the Characteristic increasing.


SIZ may never be increased using improvement rolls.


The maximum a human character can increase a Characteristic to is 21. For non-humans, the maximum for a Characteristic is equal to the maximum possible starting score for the Characteristic plus three.


[h=2]Legendary Abilities[/h] In order to gain a Legendary Ability, a character must meet the requirements listed for it and then spend the required number of Hero Points.


Legendary Abilities
[h=3]Battle Fury[/h] Requirements: CON 15 or higher, any close combat Weapon skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 12


You can enter a Battle Fury as a Combat Action. While in a Battle Fury, the following effects take place:

• Your STR and CON are both considered to be 5 points higher, but only for the purposes of determining your Damage Modifier.

• All your close combat Weapon skill tests, including Unarmed and Martial Arts, receive a +50% bonus.

• All your Persistence and Resilience skill tests receive a +50% bonus.

• You may not parry, dodge or dive for cover.

You may remain in Battle Fury for a number of rounds equal to your CON. Upon leaving Battle Fury, you automatically gain three levels of Fatigue.


[h=3]Born to the Saddle[/h] Requirements: POW 15 or higher, Riding 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 8


While riding, the following effects take place:

• Any penalty to your Riding skill is reduced by –20 %. For instance, if the driving rains and slippery ground would normally apply a –40% penalty to your Riding test, the penalty is reduced to –20%.

• You may use 2H Weapon skills, Polearms and Staffs.

• You may treat all animals you ride as trained for combat.

• You may use your Riding skill instead of your Dodge skill when dodging.

[h=3]Dead Eye[/h] Requirements: DEX 15 or higher, any ranged Weapon skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


Pick any single ranged weapon (with which you must have at least 90% skill). While using this weapon, the following effects take place:

• Increase the weapon’s Range by 50%.

• Increase the weapon’s damage by +2 (only to targets within Range).

• Precise attacks with the weapon only suffer a –20% penalty.

[h=3]Decapitating Swing[/h] Requirements: STR 15 or higher, either 2H Sword or 2H Axe skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 12


You may only use Decapitating Swing with a 2H Axe or 2H Sword and only against an opponent whose SIZ is within ten of your SIZ.


Decapitating Swing is declared before a precise attack, targeting your opponent’s head, is started. Any attempt to dodge or parry this precise attack gains a +20% bonus. As long as the attack inflicts at least a Minor Wound, the attack is converted to a Major Injury that decapitates the target.


[h=3]Disease Immunity[/h] Requirements: CON 15 or higher, Resilience 70% or higher.
Hero Points: 8


You are immune to all normal diseases. Magical diseases will still affect you, though you gain a +20% bonus to tests to resist them.


[h=3]Duellist[/h] Requirements: 1H Weapon skill or Rapier skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


While using a selected weapon the following effects take place:

• You may parry one additional attack per Combat Round (over and above the normal Reaction allowance).

• You gain a +10% bonus to your Weapon skill when parrying.

• Increase the weapon’s damage by +1.

[h=3]Empathic Wound[/h] Requirements: POW 15 or higher, Healing skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


With Empathic Wound, you may offset the injuries a companion has sustained by transferring the hit point damage to yourself. A wound appears on your body at the same hit location as your companion. One hit point of damage may be transferred each Combat Round, during which neither patient nor healer may move or perform other Combat Actions.


Each Combat Round, you must make a Resilience test with a –40% penalty or take one level of Fatigue. Empathic Wound is incapable of re-growing or re-attaching severed limbs or resurrecting a character.


[h=3]Heroic Aura[/h] Requirements: CHA 15 or higher, Influence skill at 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 12


All allies within your CHA in metres will be heartened by your presence, gaining your CHA as a bonus to any Persistence or Resilience tests they are called upon to make.


In addition, you may make take a Combat Action to encourage your nearby allies, requiring an Influence test. If this is successful, they gain your CHA as a bonus to all Weapon skills for the remainder of the Combat Round.


[h=3]Linguist[/h] Requirements: INT 15 or higher, two Language skills (aside from your native tongue) at 50% or higher.
Hero Points: 8


In order to use this ability, you must either converse with a speaker of a strange language for one hour, or simply hear the language being spoken for two or more hours. You then automatically gain the Language skill in that language at its basic score.


A successful improvement roll when improving a Language skill doubles the skill points gained (roll 2D4+2 rather than 1D4+1).


[h=3]Loremaster[/h] Requirements: INT 15 or higher, four Lore skills at 50% or higher
Hero Points: 10


Any time you fail a Lore skill test, you are entitled to make an immediate Persistence test (with the same modifiers as the original Lore test) to see if you can recall some shred of knowledge germane to the subject at hand.


[h=3]Poison Immunity[/h] Requirements: CON 15 or higher, Resilience 70% or higher.
Hero Points: 8


You are immune to all normal poisons. Magical poisons will still affect you, though you gain a +20% bonus to tests to resist them.


[h=3]Rune Adept[/h] Requirements: POW 15 or higher, four Runecasting skills at 50% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


You gain a +20% bonus to Persistence tests to integrate runes. In addition, whenever you make a Persistence test to integrate a rune, a critical success results in you integrating the rune without the loss of any POW.


[h=3]Skin of the Bear[/h] Requirements: CON 15 or higher, Resilience 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


Skin of the Bear gives you one armour point of natural armour on all hit locations. This stacks with equipped armour.


[h=3]Slaying Touch[/h] Requirements: POW 15 or higher, Martial Arts 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 15


Slaying Touch is declared before a precise attack is started (the type of precise attack is up to you, though if the target is wearing armour, it will have to be bypassed). As long as the attack inflicts at least a Minor Wound, the attack is considered a Slaying Touch. The target must immediately succeed at a Resilience test with a –40% penalty or die.


[h=3]Tireless[/h] Requirements: CON 15 or higher, Athletics 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 8


You may engage in medium activity for a number of minutes equal to your CON x 10 before risking Fatigue. The time between subsequent Fatigue tests for continuing to engage in medium activity is likewise your CON x 10 in minutes.


You may engage in heavy activity for a number of Combat Rounds equal to your CON score before risking Fatigue. The time between subsequent Fatigue tests for continuing to engage in heavy activity is likewise your CON score in Combat Rounds.


You also recover from each level of Fatigue in half the normal time (one level for every two hours of light activity or one hour of complete rest).


[h=3]Wall Leaping[/h] Requirements: DEX 15 or higher, Acrobatics 90% or higher.
Hero Points: 10


You may only use Wall Leaping if not Overloaded, Exhausted or Debilitated. The entirety of your movement in a Combat Action may be made along a vertical surface, allowing you to bypass an obstruction that might otherwise block your path or even climb a wall at lightning speed. This can result in you running up a wall with one Combat Action, attacking an enemy with a second Combat Action, and then returning to the floor with a third Combat Action.


However, you cannot continue moving along a vertical surface from Combat Round to Combat Round – you must reach level ground (or a suitable perch) by the end of your last Combat Action in a round or fall.