Worlds of Legacy: Rhapsody of Blood

Bloodline Moves

When you use the castle’s cast-offs to empower your bloodline’s actions, spend 1 Relic and get advantage on a roll.

When you provide aid to characters in a safe camp, roll +Chalices On a 7-9, pick 2; on a 10+ pick 3.

  • Each explorer may heal all harm.
  • Each explorer may heal all wounds.
  • Each explorer can repair and resupply their weaponry.
  • Each explorer may form a new covenant, or raise an existing covenant by a step.
  • The regent’s clock doesn’t tick down

Each explorer checks over their covenant strengthen/betrayal triggers, and see if any have been hit since they last rested.

When you claim a place of power as a forward base in the castle, roll +Swords. On a hit it’s yours, and you can use it asa safe camp for the purposes of Rest and Relaxation and Travel the Labyrinth. On a 10+ pick one bonus:

  • There’s room for more: it counts as another Bloodline’s camp too. Get 1-pact on them.
  • It’s well-located: explorers leaving the camp get +1 Travel the Labyrinth hold.
  • It’s comfortable and secure: get advantage on Rest and Relaxation here.

On a 7-9, the Regent weaves a counter-spell; you’ll need to defeat an Acolyte before anyone can work further rituals.

When you help another bloodline with a move, offer them a dice. If they take it, they roll it with their own as if they had advantage. If your dice is the highest, say how you made the difference and gain 1-Pact on them. If it’s the lowest, the GM will say how helping them hurt you.

When you work a grand ritual, spend 1-3 Relics on occult resources and ceremonial paraphernalia and roll +Wands. On a hit, choose one for each Relic spent:

  • Reduce the Regent’s clock by 1.
  • Bless a weapon to strike true against one Acolyte, giving it the Holy perk.
  • Reduce a character’s Blood rating by one - they lose a Blood Advance.

On a 7-9, the Regent weaves a counter-spell; you’ll need to defeat an Acolyte before anyone can work further rituals.

When you Bloodline members search for rumours or resources in the mortal world, roll +Coins. On a 7-9 choose 1, on a 10+ choose 2:

  • They find resources worth 1 Relic.
  • They hear tales of a ward’s acolyte, and clues to how they’re helping the regent.
  • They learn what the regent plans next, and which clock segment it’ll trigger on.

Select a Playbook above to get started


Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 1 Swords 1 Coins 0 Wands -1 if fate and coincidence keep bringing your bloodline to the castle despite their ignorance of mystical matters.
  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 1 if your bloodline is tested from childhood for martial aptitude and trained to face the castle.
  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins 1 Wands -1 if your bloodline are world travellers with a fortune built on castle raids.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Stylish contemporary fashion; bloodline crests and heirlooms; rustic or utilitarian clothing.
  • Glass: Picking it up as they go along; ancestor’s crumbling journals; oral history passed from parent to child.
  • Name: A noble title; an inherited naming convention; bearers of the ________.

History

One bloodline’s legends taught you how to be heroes. Set your pact with them to 1. You say what legend you’ve heard, they say what secret failure the legend left out.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 1 if your bloodline is cursed with obvious signs of damnation and must live on the fringes of society.
  • Chalices -1 Swords 1 Coins 1 Wands 0 if your bloodline is cursed with terrible hungers or a lingering blight, even as they appear completely human.
  • Chalices 1 Swords 0 Coins -1 Wands 1 if one bloodline member in each generation shows the physical gifts of the curse, while the rest suffer the frailties imposed.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: ragged fabrics and animal skins; fastidiously clean and modern clothing; anonymous peasant or low class clothing.
  • Glass: Ancient immortals with flawed memories; a voice whispering in your nightmares; religious texts that damn you but offer advice.
  • Name: A shared mark or feature; after your progenitor; what zealots and bigots call you.

History

One bloodline hunted you as monsters before you forged a treaty. Set your pact each other to 1. You say how you proved your humanity, they say how they made amends.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 1 Swords 0 Coins -1 Wands 1 if you act as a mystery cult, revealing deeper truths to those who have earned them.
  • Chalices 1 Swords 0 Coins 1 Wands -1 if you are part of a grander church, trading freedom to dabble in the occult for temporal influence.
  • Chalices 1 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 0 if you're a scattered group of devotees resisting persecution in pursuit of righteousness.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: A simple symbol of faith, fastidious clerical robes, joyous flowing colours.
  • Glass: Dreams of whispering martyrs, a holy book filled with ecstatic visions, accumulated folkGlass from your flock.
  • Name: The virtue you follow, the mark you wear, your hope for the future.

History

You saved another bloodline from falling to darkness. Set your pact with them to 1. They say what dark temptation was twisting them into servants of the castle; you say what you did to redeem them.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 1 Swords 0 Coins 1 Wands -1 if you live lives of luxury and try not to think too hard about the source of your wealth.
  • Chalices -1 Swords 1 Coins 1 Wands 0 if you act as a mercenary group, guiding the world’s conflicts in a direction that benefits you.
  • Chalices 0 Swords -1 Coins 1 Wands 1 if you’ve suborned the world’s elite into a secret society bound by occult rituals and mutual blackmail.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Formal wear and subtle marks of membership, opulent clothes and impractical accessories, state-of-the-art arms and armour.
  • Glass: Reports from agents scattered around the world, an iron grip on the rare book market, a private institution of scholars probing the boundaries of knowledge.
  • Name: a mythical creature, an alchemical process, a feudal role.

History

You split the fabulous wealth you found with another bloodline. Gain 1 pact on them. They say what they used the wealth for; you say how entropy and betrayal robbed them of it.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 0 Swords -1 Coins 1 Wands 1 if you’re a selective academic institution teaching occult rituals to those that can afford your fees.
  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 1 if you’re hands-on learners, extracting occult wisdom from the beasts and devils you hunt.
  • Chalices 1 Swords 0 Coins -1 Wands 1 if you’re occultists without borders, travelling the world and pushing back blights wherever you find them.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Skin covered in arcane glyphs, thick robes of strange fabrics, bags and bandoleers loaded with reagents.
  • Glass: A bag full of scholarly texts, drilled-in mnemonics, a chorus of spirits bound into your gear to offer advice.
  • Name: The name of your school, The ____ Way, The Path of ______ .

History

You taught another bloodline how to use the castle’s power safely. Gain 1 pact on them. They say what the ritual allows them to do; you say what it costs them instead of their souls.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 1 Swords -1 Coins 0 Wands 1 if you focus on caring for people while the castle corrupts the outskirts.
  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 0 if you focus on fighting the corruption at the source, caring little for material gain.
  • Chalices -1 Swords 1 Coins 0 Wands 1 if you focus on defending your territory at the cost of personal relations.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Rustic clothing; furs and pelts; barely any clothing.
  • Glass: Secret meetings; whispers of nature; hidden enclaves.
  • Name: A sacred tree or animal; the name the whispers give you; no given name.

History

One bloodline taught you how to fit in with the rest of society. Set your pact with them to 1. You say what social expectation they taught you. They say how it has changed since.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices 1 Swords -1 Coins 0 Wands 1 if you advise people against the coming harm but lack the military strength to save them alone.
  • Chalices -1 Swords 0 Coins 1 Wands 1 if you defy Fate by gathering as many resources as possible at the expense of others.
  • Chalices -1 Swords 1 Coins 0 Wands 1 if you stare death in the face, everything else be damned.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Ostentatious clothing; simple robes; unrecognizable from common folk.
  • Glass: Cartomancy; astrology; runecasting.
  • Name: A mystical name; a defiant name; Keepers of ________.

History

One bloodline goes to you for prophecies and omens. Raise your pact with them by 1. They say what fate you saved them from. You say what ill fortune you haven’t told them about yet.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

  • Chalices -1 Swords 1 Coins 1 Wands 0 if your military might is unparalleled, but you stick out like a sore thumb.
  • Chalices 1 Swords 1 Coins -1 Wands 0 if you’re stranded in this world with no resources to get back.
  • Chalices 0 Swords 1 Coins 1 Wands -1 if your knowledge of technology is vast, but know next to nothing about the supernatural.

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

  • Style: Flowing robes; skin-tight suits; trench coats.
  • Glass: Notes on the other Bloodlines; technology of a time to be; scraps of knowledge.
  • Name: The name of a future organization; a numeric designation; an unknown name.

History

One bloodline told you about current events… to them. Raise your pact with them by 1. They say how this event is significant now. You say why it doesn’t matter in the future.

Starting Stats (Choose one)

Traditions Choose one of each or invent your own.

History

Pact

The Way of Gold

You prize heroism and valour. At the end of each play session, pick the explorer whose heroism most impressed you and raise their pact with your bloodline by 1.

While at one of your camps, members of other bloodlines can spend 1-pact to gain a weapon from your stores. Give it two perks and a flaw, and describe its history.

The Way of Red

You prize integrity and sacrifice. At the end of each play session, pick the explorer whose mercy most impressed you and raise their bloodline’s pact with you by 1.

While at one of your camps, other bloodlines can spend 1-pact to transfer a point of contamination to a member of your bloodline. Say how the recipient is further twisted.

The Way of White

You prize self-sacrifice. At the end of each play session, pick the explorer who risked the most to help others and raise their bloodline’s pact with you by 1.

While at one of your camps, other bloodlines can spend 1-pact on you to take a Relic from your stores. Describe it, and suggest how it came to be owned by your order.

The Way of Silver

You prize entrepreneurship. At the end of each play session, pick the explorer who most increased their wealth or power and raise their bloodline’s pact with you by 1.

While at one of your camps, other bloodlines can spend 1-pact on you to get access to more luxurious supplies, giving them advantage on Shelter until they return to a safe camp.

The Way of Blue

You prize arcane insight. At the end of each session, pick the explorer who wielded the most supernatural power and raise their pact with your bloodline by 1.

While at one of your camps, other bloodlines can spend 1 pact on you to get an item of power from your stores. They can destroy it to cast a spell as per Drink Deep.

The Way of Green

You prize the natural order. At the end of each session, pick the explorer who went out of their way to destroy the castle, and raise their pact with your bloodline by 1.

While at one of your camps, members of other bloodlines can spend 1-pact to gain an animal companion. While the animal is alive, they share one of your explorer’s moves.

The Way of Violet

You prize the struggle against Fate. At the end of each session, pick the explorer who had the worst luck and yet prevailed against it, and raise their pact with your bloodline by 1.

While at one of your camps, other bloodlines can spend 1-pact on you to get a glimpse of what might kill them. They hold 1. They may spend that hold to declare that this is the vision that they saw, and gain advantage on the roll. On a miss, they cannot avoid the noose: they die.

The Way of Chrome

You prize the preservation of the future. At the end of each session, pick the explorer who was most interested in events to come and raise their pact with your bloodline by 1.

While at one of your camps, members of other bloodlines can spend 1-pact to gain a strange, yet useful device. They hold 2. They may spend hold 1-for-1 to ask any question in the See Clear list.

Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them
Bloodline Pact With Them

Bloodline Moves

Pick two:

When your explorer confronts the Regent, roll +Swords. On a 7-9 pick 1, on a 10+ pick 2:

  • They’ll talk for a time before attacking or leaving.
  • They let slip a weakness of their plans.
  • They focus on your explorer and ignore the others.

When your explorer would inflict the killing blow on an Acolyte, they may stay their hand. If you do, roll +Chalices. On a 7-9 pick 1 they get enough control to tell you:

  • How the Regent’s ritual can be set back.
  • How the Acolyte can be saved.
  • A secret weakness of another Acolyte.

They then retreat into the maze-like corridors of the castle.

On a 10+ they gain enough control to change sides and work alongside you, though they cannot act directly against the Regent.

When you call on your reputation in a community that knows your legend, roll +Chalices on Reinforcements instead of +Coins.

There’s a particular fighting style passed down your bloodline through training, genetics, or mystical empowerment. Pick one:

  • Cheating Death: The first time your explorer triggers their Death Move, they survive hanging onto the barest thread of life.
  • Consecrated Blood: Any monster that consumes your blood feels agonising pain. Your explorer can take 1 Harm to give their weapon the Holy tag for one strike.
  • Accelerate Perceptions: Can take 1 Harm to move incredibly fast for a few seconds, at the cost of being exhausted and unable to move for a few seconds after.

Your bloodline has a tenacity that lets them cheat death so long as they have something to fight for. All of your explorers start with +1 Armour. Whenever they take a blow for another explorer, they can refresh the Armour box

Pick two:

All your explorers bear the curse of the castle, starts with a Blood Move; when using it, you may choose to take 1 harm instead of marking contamination.

When you make an explorer, choose one:

  • They have natural weapons: claws, spines, etc. Give them a perk and a flaw.
  • They have resistance to harm: fur, chitin, thick skin etc. Get 1 Armour.
  • They have unnatural agility. They can climb walls, run on water or leap dozens of metres, and get advantage on Dodge.

Human society may recoil from you, but that doesn’t mean you’re powerless. If you intimidate people into helping you or appeal to their baser urges, roll +Swords on Reinforcements instead of +Coins.

When you send your bloodline members to blend in with the castle’s denizens, roll +Wands. On a 7-9 hold one, on a 10+ hold three. Spend the hold 1-for-1 to get them to:

  • Strike from within a group of castle denizens, sending them into disarray.
  • Help you navigate, giving you 1 Travel the Labyrinth hold.
  • Smuggle you a useful item.

Add the following option to Resist Doom:

  • Give your explorer a one-time ability to command the castle's denizens.

When they use this, the denizens become their loyal servants. When they fight alongside you, your attacks gain the cleave tag. When you send them to act independently of you, the GM will decide how well they do. When you take Harm, you can choose to have the denizens be destroyed instead.

Pick two:

You are vigilant protectors of the mundane. When an Acolyte ventures out to attack the mortal world, your explorer can spend 1 Travel the Labyrinth hold to immediately intervene and confront them.

So long as your camps maintain a constant vigil of prayer, they will not come under attack.

When your explorer attempts to manifest this shield, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, radiant light prevents creatures of the castle from coming within a few metres of you. On a 7-9 pick two, on a 10+ pick one:

  • Moving breaks the shield.
  • Attacking breaks the shield.
  • No-one else can shelter under the shield.

When an explorer on the verge of death is brought back to one of your camps, roll +Chalices. On a 7-9 the deadly wound is stepped down to a major wound; on a 10+ it's gone entirely. On a 6- their soul gutters out entirely, replaced by something dark: they'll die and become an undead Acolyte, unless 1 Relic is sacrificed to stop it.

When you Resist Doom, your explorer can sacrifice some of their lifespan to channel greater power. You may substitute a minor wound for 1 relic, a major wound for 2 relics, or a deadly wound for 3 relics.

You can concentrate the castle's corruption in one part of an explorer's body. Actions using the body part have advantage, but the explorer marks an additional point every time they mark contamination. Amputating the node of corruption deals the explorer a major wound, and they lose a point of Blood and a Blood Gift. The removed body part counts as 1 relic.

Pick two:

The strange by-products of the castle's intrusion into our reality retain their power, if you let them feed from you. When you would spend a relic, you may mark contamination to keep it in your bloodline's stocks.

Your bloodline's resources are devoted to the creation of new weapons to be used against darkness. Once a generation, you can gain one of these weapons for your struggle.

When your scholars bring their most recent creation to your camp, roll +Coins. On a 7-9 pick one, on a 10+ pick two:

  • You can sacrifice it to Strike without needing an Opening.
  • You may spend a relic to give it the holy tag for the rest of the fight.
  • It has three perks and a flaw, or two perks and no flaw.

Your explorer has a skilled companion to back them up in the castle. Pick one when you make your explorer:

  • Your companion fights beside you, giving your attacks the cleave tag.
  • Your companion protects you, giving you advantage on Confront.
  • Your companion heals you: whenever you Shelter, heal 4 Harm.

When you shower luxury on a party of explorers, you may roll +Coins to give them Rest & Relaxation.

Your contacts stand ready to support your war against evil. When you roll a 7+ on ReinIronments, you may pick one extra option.

Pick two:

When you warp space to move explorers between two safe camps, roll +Wands. On a hit, they make the journey successfully; on a 7-9, pick one:

  • They leave something important behind.
  • They bring something nasty with them.

While at your safe camps, any explorer can archive a spell (learned via Drink Deep) and receive a Relic in return. At any later point anyone can spend a Relic to learn a spell from the archive. Choose two spells to have in your archive already:

  • See your foes with perfect clarity.
  • Charge your weapon with lightning (add perk: stun).
  • Float gently down instead of falling.

When you roll 10+ on Resist Doom, your ritual lingers providing active opposition to the Regent. The next time their clock would tick down, it's stopped from doing so.

You have learned how to turn the castle's burgeoning power towards your own ends. Whenever the Regent's clock ticks down, gain a Relic.

When your explorer dissects a defeated Acolyte, gain 1-organ. With a few minutes of preparation, they may spend 1-organ to:

  • Craft a healing salve and remove a minor or major wound.
  • Merge it with a weapon and give the weapon a new perk.
  • Graft it on and raise Blood by 1.
  • Inspire those around them, restoring 4 harm to all explorers nearby or rejuvenating any wraiths.

Pick two:

You can communicate with trees and other flora. When you seek Shelter near a tree, you may treat it as a contact of your choice.

When you claim a Forward Base, you may mark contamination to reduce the Regent’s Clock by 1.

When you have access to natural herbs and poultices, choose one more option from Rest and Relaxation, even on a miss.

You can tell what is wrong with the world by looking at the moon. At the beginning of a generation, the GM will tell you if there are any Acolytes that speed the world’s blight, what blight they bring, and on what ticks.

Your explorers can mark a second Minor Wound.

Pick two:

When you use Rest and Relaxation, you may spend 1 Relic to pick an additional option from the list.

  • When an explorer passes on their misfortune onto you, they mark contamination.
  • When your explorer forces their misfortune onto someone else, mark contamination.

When you Resist Doom, you add the following option to the list:

  • You learn what the world’s blight will be. All Acolytes that speed the world’s blight will act on the clock tick after they’re initially supposed to.

When your explorer rolls a miss, hold 1. Spend that hold to gain advantage on a roll.

When you sell your fortune-telling services while calling for Reinforcements, you always get 1 Relic in addition to any other choice.

Pick two:

You have effective means of long-distance communication. Your explorer and their allies can communicate with each other through great distances without having to Summon Aid.

When you call for Reinforcements, add the following to the list:

  • You hear about otherworldly friends trapped in the castle. Free them, and they will aid you for the rest of this generation.

Exactly once, when Darkness Falls, you may declare that you have a final solution. Negate the effects of Darkness Falling, but it will cost you a fragment of your souls. Your future characters start at Blood 1, as if you had left the castle without claiming the grail and with Blood 4+.

When you Resist Doom by replacing occult resources and ceremonial paraphernalia with technological baubles and devices, roll +Swords instead of +Wands.

When you claim a Forward Base, you may spend 1 Relic to install hidden cameras that will warn you when the base is about to come under attack.

Pick two:

 

 

 

 

 

Shelter Move

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they can inspire the others with tales of selfless heroism. The next time their allies would mark contamination while trying to aid or protect another explorer, they ignore it.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they can use the power of the blood to push back death. Anyone in the party can mark contamination to heal 1d6 Harm.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they may lead the group in prayer. They each hold 1: spend it to miraculously avoid a curse, spell or mystical attack.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they may upgrade and reinforce their party's gear. They each hold 1: spend it to get fleeting advantage on Strike or Confront.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they may lead the group in a ritual of controlled corruption. Each explorer may transfer 1 point of contamination to another explorer, with that explorer's consent.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they cleanse the area of the castle’s evil. Each explorer may clear their contamination track. Their Blood remains the same.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they may conduct a divination. They gain a glimpse of an Acolyte’s activities in the castle and thus their role.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle, they may send scouts ahead. Gain 1 hold to Travel the Labyrinth.

When your explorer finds Shelter in the castle,

Context

Each generation, pick one from each or make your own:

Refuge

An inn or cafe where your sister plays music.

A general shop run by your grandfather.

A club, park or back alley where friendly gangs hang out

Drive

Your love, kidnapped by the Regent.

Your parent, cursed to waste away

A neighbourhood, devastated by monsters.

Breach

A grand door and a sturdy boot.

A great stained glass window and a hefted brick.

A high wall and a knotted rope

Refuge

A graveyard where your peers shelter.

An aerie overlooking the land.

Underground tunnels forgotten by man.

Drive

The beast that turned you, serving the Regent.

Your sibling, called to the castle by an irresistible compulsion.

A mob whipped into a frenzy by fear of the Regent.

Breach

The regent's menagerie, using yourself as bait for the game wardens.

The servant's quarters, and a stolen uniform.

The barracks, and notes on the patrol schedule.

Refuge

An old church warded against malign influences.

A memorial remembering the dead of the last great war.

The home of a believer, where the faithful are waiting out the horrors.

Drive

A saint's relics stolen from a desecrated grave.

A great demon only vulnerable to the righteous.

A sin that only martyrdom can wash clean.

Breach

The tainted chapel, and the supply wagons that bring in sacraments.

The burial catacombs, and a crevasse that's opened them to the world.

A marble-floored museum, and its skylights.

Refuge

A mansion filled with helpful servants.

A watch station, barricaded up against the darkness.

A scholar's laboratory, fizzing with strange chemicals.

Drive

A treasure rumoured to bring eternal life.

Your political rival, empowered by the regent's corruption.

Rare reagents created by abhorrent rites.

Breach

The deeper vaults, and a brace of explosives.

A grand soiree, and a forged invitation.

The clock tower, and a zip line from great height.

Refuge

A caravan on the city's outskirts selling charms and occult paraphernalia.

A visionary doctor's surgery-laboratory.

A cafe where the intelligentsia gather and debate.

Drive

A celestial conjunction promising great change.

A chance to fix a mistake made in your training.

An unnatural plague infesting the city's slums.

Breach

A garden of perfect geometric statuary, and a hole in its iron fence.

A pocket dimension outside reality, and a ritual to transport you there.

An alchemical storage vault, and the combination for the vault door.

Refuge

A great tree, untouched by the castle’s corruption.

The forest closest to the castle.

A place the civilized dare not enter.

Drive

The dying wildlife in the local area.

A great beast turned evil by the Regent.

The encroaching industry of the castle.

Breach

The worn pelt of a beast of the castle.

A growing branch tearing through a wall.

The wind which carries you to the roof.

Refuge

A souvenir shop of trinkets and accessories.

The local fortune-teller’s tent.

Your house, strangely untouched by evil.

Drive

Ill omens through your readings.

Strange happenings in your local neighborhood.

A traveller from the most likely future.

Breach

Hidden away in a caravan transporting goods.

A false pact with an Acolyte.

The right place at the right time.

Refuge

An orbital satellite.

The machine which brought you here.

The ruins of an ancient civilization.

Drive

The future, lost to the castle.

An individual that must survive until the end.

Knowledge of historical events.

Breach

Beaming technology.

A time machine.

An anomaly in the space-time continuum.

Refuge

Drive

Breach

Notes


When you attempt to navigate the castle, roll +Blood. If you choose, you may mark contamination to roll with advantage. On a hit, hold 1 and describe your insight into the ward's purpose or layout.

On a 7-9, the area you arrive at contains castle denizens or traps.

On a 10+, the area you arrive at contains relics, a place of power, or valuable insight.

When you leave the area, spend 1 hold to retreat to a safe camp, 2 to find an exit to another ward, and 3 to find the Acolyte’s sanctuary. One person rolls each time you navigate, and the group’s hold from multiple rolls is pooled together.

When you assault a group of castle denizens, roll +Iron. On a hit, you tear through them - say how.

On a 7-9 pick 2, on a 10+ pick 1:

  • They hit back - suffer harm.
  • You get some on you: mark contamination.
  • You end up in a risky position.
  • More are coming.

When you risk danger to change your environment, or your position in it, roll +Mercury.

On a hit, pick one:

  • You're somewhere you need to be.
  • Another explorer has a clear path to you.
  • A particular threat isn't a problem any longer.

On a 7-9 the GM will give your action a cost: harm, contamination or lost gear.

When you try to read a dangerous situation, roll +Glass. On a hit, you can ask the GM questions. Get fleeting advantage when you act on each answer.

On a 7–9 ask 1, on a 10+ ask 3:

  • Which exit will take me to my goal?
  • What here is valuable?
  • What can the enemies here do?
  • What should I be on the lookout for?

On a miss, ask 1 but prepare for the worst.

When you look for a safe space to recover, roll +Mercury.

On a hit, each explorer picks 1:

  • Tend to another explorer: they heal 2 Harm, or step down their worst Wound.
  • Encourage another explorer - they get fleeting advantage.
  • Use your bloodline’s Shelter move.
  • Gain aid from a contact (p. 61).

On a 7-9, advance the Regent’s clock.

When you draw on the power in a potent item or ritual site, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, mark contamination and learn a spell - the GM says what it does.

When you cast it, pick 1:

  • Mark contamination.
  • Forget the spell.
  • Take 1 Harm.

On a 10+, you don't need to pick an option on your first cast.

These are the moves your explorers use as they travel through the castle. They’re not intended to guide you through every moment of the journey; instead, you jump from point of interest to point of interest, guided by the player’s rolls.

You can still use Exploration Moves in Confrontations, even if they won't yield Openings or remove Qualities.


Confrontation Moves

Face the Horde lets you deal with the castle's minions, but what about the Regent and their Acolytes? To give those fights appropriate weight, you add these confrontation moves to the regular set whenever you fight the regent and their acolytes. In these fights, your explorers must find Openings to attack as they weather the foe's assault. These Openings don't stack: you have one, or you don't. Each successful strike against the foe strips away one of their qualities, bringing you closer to victory even as the foe grows more frenzied and deadly.

When you take advantage of an Opening with...

  • Stealth and guile, roll +Mercury.
  • Physical force, roll +Iron.
  • Precise insight, roll +Glass.
  • Sorcery or sacrifice, roll +Sulphur.

On a hit, you damage one of the foe’s qualities - if you destroy its final quality, it’s dead. The Opening’s now gone.

On a 7-9, the GM picks 1:

  • The foe lashes out at you: take Harm appropriate to the enemy.
  • The foe separates you from the others or puts you in a spot.
  • The foe frenzies, dealing +1 Harm for the rest of the fight.

When you try to avoid incoming danger, roll +Mercury.

On a hit pick 1, on a 10+ pick 2:

  • You avoid taking harm.
  • You avoid getting separated from the others or losing something valuable.
  • The foe’s heedless in pursuit of you: create an Opening.

When you size up the enemy to locate a weak spot, roll +Glass. On a hit you find an Opening. Say where it’s coming from - the environment, a chink in their armour, a flaw in their fighting style.

On a 7-9, pick 2, on a 10+ pick 1:

  • The foe makes you its highest priority.
  • The Opening only lasts a few moments.
  • Attempts to use the Opening without one weapon perk have disadvantage.

When you confront the foe head-on, roll +Iron. On a hit, you throw them off-balance and create an Opening, but take the brunt of their attacks.

On a 7-9 pick 1, on a 10+ pick 2:

  • You roll with the blow: take 1 less harm.
  • You are fearsome and commanding: the foe will focus only on you.
  • Your mind is steel: you don’t mark contamination.

When you heal, encourage or aid an ally, roll +Sulphur.

On a hit, pick 1:

  • You rescue them from danger: a precipice, poison, a curse, etc.
  • They heal their lightest wound.
  • They heal 2 harm.
On a 10+ the camaraderie shown gives your ally fleeting advantage.

When the foe is defeated, everyone still living may raise Blood and add 1 to their Covenant with each other. The foe’s sanctum becomes a place of power, usable for Forward Base.

When you use an Opening to retreat, any and all characters can flee the battle. Advance the regent’s clock by one.

Select a Playbook above to get started

Harm


Death Move

Stats

You start with this array; add 1 to a stat of your choice:

Blood starts at 0.

Looks

Ambiguous, Concealed, Feminine, Masculine.

Body

Asian, South Asian, Black, Caucasian, Hispanic, Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, ________.

Name

Gear

Make a weapon (1 perk, 1 flaw).

Pick one extra armament:

Pick two pieces of utility gear:

Covenants

Go around the table, introducing your explorer to the group

Pick a covenant you have with the player to your left at rank 1.

Examples:

Add extra details and context for the covenant the player to your right has chosen.

Covenants

Explorer

Slayer Moves

Pick two:

You're incredibly fast. Your attacks always have the cleave tag, and you have advantage on Dodge.

Flesh and blood is less important that confidence. When you land a successful Strike, heal the last Harm you took.

Your weapon is versatile, enchanted or a marvel of engineering. Pick two perk/flaw sets for it: you can switch between the two at a moment’s notice.

You're merciless in pressing your advantage. Once you’ve landed a Strike on a target, get advantage on future Strikes.

You know secret rituals to preserve an enemy's power in a severed part of their body. When you draw on the power of a trophy carved from an Acolyte, roll +Iron on Drink Deep instead of +Sulphur.

Mystic Moves

Pick two:

When you try to catch the spirit of a defeated minion, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, you catch it; on a 7-9, it taints you and you mark contamination. So long as a spirit is contained, you can freely use one of its moves. When you mark contamination you can shift it onto the vessel, destroying the spirit. You may have one spirit at a time.

When you land a Strike on an adversary, choose one:

  • It must not cross a specified boundary.
  • A specified explorer gets advantage to Dodge its attacks.
  • You can use the wound as a sympathetic weapon: ranged, piercing, painful.

When you perform rites to manipulate the castle’s power, roll +Relics sacrificed. On a 7-9 pick one, on a 10+ pick two:

  • Add a perk to a weapon.
  • Remove a flaw from a weapon.
  • Make an outfit give 1 Armour.
  • Create an elixir that heals all harm.

When you scry into the future, ask the GM a yes or no question and roll +Mercury. On a hit, they’ll answer truthfully; get fleeting advantage acting on the answer. On a 10+ you may ask a follow-up question.

When you use a spell from Drink Deep, pick one:

  • The spell’s effects last as long as you like.
  • The spell affects more or fewer targets.
  • The spell doesn’t take effect now, but when a condition you set out is met.

Bonded Moves

Pick two:

Your spirit has its own weapon: give it a perk and a flaw. When the spirit fights, roll +Sulphur to Strike and Face the Horde. If you have Astral Projection, the spirit can fight while you take independent action.

So long as you concentrate, you can project your spirit away from you, see through its eyes, and - with effort - pull switches, open doors, move small objects, etc.

When you take harm from an adversary, hold 1. Spend 1 to reveal a weakness in their fighting style and give an ally advantage against them. Spend 3 to create an Opening.

When you fuse with your spirit, roll +Sulphur. On a 7-9 hold 2, on a 10+ hold 3. On a 6- hold 1 but mark contamination. Spend a hold to use the spirit's power; work it out with the GM, but it should be about the level of a spell from Drink Deep. This power is draining: to use it again, you must use Shelter or Rest and Recreation.

When you ask your spirit for advice, roll +Glass. On a hit, ask a question and the GM will answer honestly... for the most part. On a 7-9 pick two, on a 10+ pick one:

  • The spirit confuses its past and the present.
  • The spirit misses one significant detail.
  • The spirit will ask you to agree to something before it answers.

Reckoner Moves

Pick two:

You can always recognise an illusion or supernatural deception as what it truly is. In addition, you get advantage on See Clear.

You may spend Travel the Labyrinth hold, 1-for-1, to uncover one of these details in your environment:

  • A mechanism to close off a passage.
  • A secret place to shelter from harm.
  • An environmental hazard (caustic vat, rock-slide, etc) ready to be unleashed.

When you roll 10+ on Dodge, time slows for everyone but you. If you can do an action within a few seconds, it'll have advantage.

When you tell an opponent what they'll do next, roll +Glass. On a hit, they pick one:

  • They do exactly what you predicted.
  • They stumble, hesitate or flinch.

On a 10+, reveal a trap you set up to take advantage of your prediction. If they do what you predicted, the trap creates an immediate Opening or takes out a minion.

Your shots are precise and lethal. When you attack a foe with a ranged weapon, the foe must choose: remain where they are, or be taken out (if they're a minion) or provide an Opening (if they're an adversary).

Packrat Moves

Take Cornucopia and one more:

You carry endless satchels, packs, pouches and bandoleers. Within them is anything your party might need as they explore the castle. You start with 5-stock; reset to 5 every time you return to a safe camp. Spend 1-stock to pull out a useful item: matches, rations, rope, a mirror, pitons, chalk, etc.

You have servants helping you carry gear. Your maximum stock is 8 instead of 5, and your staff can perform useful duties: lift something heavy, barricade a door, etc. When they fight alongside you, get advantage on Strike and Face the Horde.

Your bags are bristling with weaponry and armour. Spend 1-stock to:

  • Pull out a basic weapon (1 perk, 1 flaw)
  • Ready a weapon with (fragile, ammo).
  • Give someone 1-armour that can take 1 hit.

You can spend 1-stock to create a poultice that can heal a minor wound, or a draught that will heal 3 Harm. In the field, you can convert a Relic into 1-stock.

When your pack intercepts a blow, roll +stock spent (minimum 1). On a hit, the harm is negated; on a 7-9, the GM will name one other piece of gear you have that is destroyed in the process.

Assassin Moves

Pick two:

When you Flow Like Water, on a 10+ you can ask the GM to give you an additional cost to choose another option from the list.

Poisons you make or have also give weapons they’re applied to the holy tag.

When you See Clear, add these questions to the list:

  • What here is not what it appears to be?
  • How are my enemies truly vulnerable to me?

When you take advantage of an Opening with a ranged or thrown weapon and your enemy can’t see you, treat the result as if you rolled a 10+.

When you spend time in a safe space crafting a poison, describe it. You can use it to give a weapon lingering or stun.

Captain Moves

Pick two:

You have everyone’s back. You may Stand With Me outside of confrontations.

When you take the hit for a teammate, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, you take the blow. On a 7-9, it’s worse than you thought: the GM will give you an additional cost: harm, contamination, or lost gear.

When you roll 12+ on Face the Horde, you and your teammates heal 2 Harm.

You proudly carry the banner of your expedition with you. When you show your pride and wave the banner, gain fleeting advantage on Stand With Me.

When all hope seems lost and you rally your teammates, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, pick one:

  • They gain fleeting advantage to Strike and Face the Horde.
  • They gain 2 Armour.

On a 7-9, the GM will give you a cost: harm, contamination, or lost gear.

Joker Moves

Pick two:

When you hold the enemy’s attention, tell the GM what trick you pull out and Line It Up with +Mercury instead of +Glass.

When you get 12+ on Flow Like Water or Dodge, you spot an opportunity to acquire an asset: gain 1-Relic.

Choose a move from another Explorer playbook. If you pick the Packrat’s Cornucopia move, you only have 3-stock. If you pick the Mascot’s Real Person move, you have an animal form instead.

When you observe another explorer’s miss, get fleeting advantage to do the exact same thing.

Exactly once during a confrontation with an Acolyte, you may declare you have a solution to your current predicament. Tell the GM what it is and roll +Mercury.

On a hit, you defeat the Acolyte by the skin of your teeth. On a 7-9, it costs you a lot. Cross off an unmarked Blood Advance other than Retirement: you cannot take that advance. If there are none left, immediately take Retirement. On a miss, you mess up real bad: trigger your Death Move.

Knight Moves

Take Knight’s Honour and one more:

Your honourable soul protects you from the castle’s corruption. Start with 3-honour and reset to 3 every time you return to a safe camp. Spend 1-honour to avoid marking contamination.

Your honour protects you even from physical harm. You may spend honour 1-for-1 to reduce harm taken.

When you Face the Horde, on a hit, you may choose an additional option. If you do, gain 1-honour, up to a maximum of 3-honor.

When you Stand With Me, you may spend 1 honour and roll +Iron instead of +Sulphur.

When you successfully Strike an enemy, you may spend 1-honour to do one of the following:

  • Create another Opening immediately.
  • Remove one of the options from the 7-9 list for this exchange.

Mascot Moves

Pick two:

Choose an explorer you have a covenant with. While the covenant has a rating of 1 or more, you have access to a single move of theirs, your choice.

You get the Packrat’s Cornucopia move, but you only have 3-stock.

You have a human form you can switch to at will.

You can communicate with other animals. When you coordinate your efforts with them, gain fleeting advantage.

When you Flow Like Water in an environment that resembles your natural habitat, roll +Iron instead of +Mercury.

Medic Moves

Take Triage and one more:

When you assess the type of harm another character has taken, roll +Glass. On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 1.

  • You may ask a question from the See Clear list, gaining fleeting advantage when you act upon the answer. You may choose this option multiple times.
  • You treat their wounds. They heal 2 Harm.
  • You make sure they’re not in any danger from the castle’s effects. The next time they would mark contamination, they ignore it.

When you give another explorer advice and they follow through with it, they gain fleeting advantage.

When you heal or tend to an ally, they heal 1 additional Harm.

When you tend to your own wounds, you can use any Medic move - even ones you haven’t chosen.

When you heal or aid someone but keep yourself emotionally distant, roll Stand With Me with +Glass instead of +Sulphur.

Professor Moves

Take Invention and one more:

When you spend time in a safe space developing and building a new invention, roll +Sulphur. On a hit, you build the invention. Choose 1 and describe it:

  • It’s a weapon. Give it 2 perks and 1 flaw
  • It’s an enhancer. Pick an exploration move. It gives advantage on that.
  • It’s just shiny and vaguely useful. Gain 2-Relic.

On a 7-9, choose 1 drawback from below.

  • It requires a portion of darkness. Mark contamination.
  • It’s not as effective as you thought. Weapons have 1 more flaw, enhancing objects give fleeting advantage, and shiny stuff is just worth 1-Relic.
  • You got hurt in the process. Take 1 Harm.

When you build an invention on the field, roll with disadvantage, and choose an additional drawback on a 7-9.

When you choose to invent a weapon, give it an extra perk.

When you choose to invent a shiny object, choose 1 more from the same list.

When you choose to invent an enhancer, pick two exploration moves it boosts instead of one.

Playbook Moves

Pick one when blood increases

When you roll a miss on Strike, you can mark contamination to immediately make another Strike.

Your teeth and fingernails gain a keen edge. You always have access to them, as a weapon with (piercing, close).

Your blood burns as it leaves your body. You may mark contamination to create a wall of fire most monsters won’t willingly cross.

When an Adversary is bearing down on an ally, you can mark contamination to force them to target you instead.

You can mark contamination to perceive the intangible and immaterial. When you Line it Up or See Clear with this sight, you can roll +Mercury instead of +Glass.

You can consume the spirits trapped in your Soul Vessel. When you do, mark contamination but heal your last wound.

Your body is shifting to become something ancient. You may mark contamination to grow an organ or limb - arms, tentacles, etc.

When you shed your blood to create a body for a spirit, roll +Harm taken. On a 7-9 pick 1, on a 10+ pick 2: they're obedient, they're knowledgeable, you can banish them at will.

When your spirit is away from you thanks to Astral Projection, you may mark contamination to swap places with it.

Your spirit's true, terrifying form guides your blows. Mark contamination to give an attack advantage and a tag of your choice.

You're losing your mortality. Gain 1 Armour against physical attacks, but take 1 more harm from magical/spiritual attacks.

You can mark contamination to summon a lesser version of your spirit. They won’t be hostile - at least, at first.

If you're within arm's reach of a foe, you can mark contamination to reshape the castle and trap you both within an empty room. The previous state is restored when you will it, or when you take a major wound.

If a foe's within arm's reach, you can mark contamination to reshape the castle such that you are separated by a deep chasm, a barricade or a surging river (of what?).

The shifting chaos of the castle bleeds out of your mind and into those that meet your gaze. Your eyes are a weapon with ranged, piercing, unstable.

You can mark contamination and spend 1 Travel the Labyrinth hold to take your group to or from: an individual's psyche, the land of the dead, where the castle comes from.

You can mark contamination to augment your strength, letting you carry any weight. Leverage may still present issues.

When you reach into your sack, you can mark contamination to pull out something impossible: something too big, or too dangerous, or on the other side of the world, or in your antagonist's hands.

If you get something in your bag, it cannot escape without your say-so. You can mark contamination to turn the void inside the bag into a powerful vacuum (tether, close).

When you assemble the odds and ends in your pack into a rough human form, you can mark contamination to give it life. It will follow your commands to the best of its ability, but cannot leave the castle.

When you successfully Strike an enemy, you can mark contamination to gain the lost Quality as a spell. The GM will tell you what it does.

You can craft knives from the very shadows. Treat them as weapons with flexible, ranged, painful.

When you hide in the shadows, you can mark contamination to move from one shadow to another, bringing any people you wish with you.

When you bleed, you can mark contamination to turn the spilt blood into a poison that gives weapons lingering or stun.

When an ally Summons Aid, you can mark contamination to physically show up.

When you Drink Deep, you can mark contamination to share the spell with your allies.

When you Travel the Labyrinth, you may choose to mark contamination to automatically gain 1 hold.

When you let out an intimidating war cry, mark contamination to choose an option from Stand With Me and apply it to yourself.

When you Flow Like Water, you may leave behind an effigy of yourself. Mark contamination to have it act in your place.

When you successfully Strike an enemy, mark contamination to damage them twice instead.

You can mark contamination to clear a Minor Wound, or raise Blood to clear a Major Wound.

Choose a Blood Gift from another Explorer playbook.

You craft a legendary sword with your own blood. It is a weapon with lingering, piercing, heirloom.

You may mark contamination instead of spending honour for any of your moves.

When you attune your senses to the castle, you may spend honor 1-to-1 to ask a question from the See Clear list.

You can’t lose your Bloodline’s weapons. You may mark contamination to immediately call a weapon with heirloom to you.

When you consume a fallen Acolyte, you gain their properties. Mark contamination to...

If it was strengthening the Regent:
...give another explorer fleeting advantage.

If it was guarding the Regent:
...negate a hit worth 3 Harm or less.

If it was speeding the world’s blight:
...prevent the clock from ticking down.

You can mark contamination to maul an enemy brutally, and create an Opening for other explorers to use.

When you draw upon your most feral instinct, mark contamination to roll +Iron on Drink Deep instead of +Sulphur.

When you let out a powerful roar, mark contamination and gain fleeting advantage to Strike and Face the Horde.

When you would take harm, you can choose to mark contamination 1-for-1 instead.

When you treat someone else’s wounds, mark contamination to heal yourself for the same amount.

When you hurt an enemy, you can mark contamination to hold 1. Spend that hold to heal yourself or an ally 1 harm.

When you wield a stabbing weapon, you can mark contamination to give it the lingering tag.

When you build an invention, you can mark contamination to store a spell in it. You don’t need to know the spell beforehand.

When you next have shelter, you build a device that stores the effects of the castle. Describe it. Any explorer who uses it may transfer contamination to it, for a price. For each 3 contamination it stores, advance the Regent’s clock.

When you Line It Up by contemplating the weird and surreal nature of the castle, do so with +Sulphur instead of +Glass. You may mark contamination to roll with advantage.

When you build an invention, you may mark contamination to boost it with a Professor move you don’t have as if you had it.

History and Notes

sheet version 0.1
{{name}} rolls {{#roll_name}} {{roll_name}}{{/roll_name}}{{#roll_attr_mod}}({{roll_attr_mod}}){{/roll_attr_mod}}
{{#rollGreater() result 9}} {{result}} Success! {{/rollGreater() result 9}} {{#rollBetween() result 7 9}} {{result}} Partial Success {{/rollBetween() result 7 9}} {{#rollLess() result 7}} {{result}} Miss {{/rollLess() result 7}}
{{charname}} {{subtitle}}
{{#title-text}} {{title}} {{/title-text}} {{^title-text}} {{#rolltypetext}}[{{rolltypetext}}]({{rolltypeimage}}){{/rolltypetext}} {{#title-chalices}}{{/title-chalices}} {{#title-swords}} {{/title-swords}} {{#title-coins}} {{/title-coins}} {{#title-reinforcements}} {{/title-reinforcements}} {{#title-wands}} {{/title-wands}} {{#title-iron}} {{/title-iron}} {{#title-glass}} {{/title-glass}} {{#title-sulphur}} {{/title-sulphur}} {{#title-mercury}} {{/title-mercury}} {{#title-blood}} {{/title-blood}} {{#title-stock}} {{/title-stock}} {{#title-castle_exploration_travel_the_labyrinth}}{{/title-castle_exploration_travel_the_labyrinth}} {{#title-castle_exploration_face_the_horde}}{{/title-castle_exploration_face_the_horde}} {{#title-castle_exploration_flow_like_water}}{{/title-castle_exploration_flow_like_water}} {{#title-castle_exploration_see_clear}}{{/title-castle_exploration_see_clear}} {{#title-castle_exploration_shelter}}{{/title-castle_exploration_shelter}} {{#title-castle_exploration_drink_deep}}{{/title-castle_exploration_drink_deep}} {{#title-confrontation_move_strike}}{{/title-confrontation_move_strike}} {{#title-confrontation_move_dodge}}{{/title-confrontation_move_dodge}} {{#title-confrontation_move_line_it_up}}{{/title-confrontation_move_line_it_up}} {{#title-confrontation_move_confront}}{{/title-confrontation_move_confront}} {{#title-confrontation_move_stand_with_me}}{{/title-confrontation_move_stand_with_me}} {{#title-confrontation_move_victory}}{{/title-confrontation_move_victory}} {{#title-confrontation_move_flee}}{{/title-confrontation_move_flee}} {{#title-bloodline_move_arcane_power}}{{/title-bloodline_move_arcane_power}} {{#title-bloodline_move_lend_aid}}{{/title-bloodline_move_lend_aid}} {{#title-bloodline_move_rest_and_relaxation}}{{/title-bloodline_move_rest_and_relaxation}} {{#title-bloodline_move_forward_base}}{{/title-bloodline_move_forward_base}} {{#title-bloodline_move_reinforcements}}{{/title-bloodline_move_reinforcements}} {{#title-bloodline_move_resist_doom}}{{/title-bloodline_move_resist_doom}} {{/title-text}}
{{#rollGreater() result 9}} {{/rollGreater() result 9}} {{#rollBetween() result 7 9}} {{/rollBetween() result 7 9}} {{#rollLess() result 7}} {{/rollLess() result 7}}
{{result}}
{{#weapon-roll}}
{{#rollWasFumble() result}} fragile {{/rollWasFumble() result}}
{{#rollWasCrit() result}}painful {{/rollWasCrit() result}}
{{/weapon-roll}} {{#position}}
{{position}}
{{/position}}
{{#modifier}}
{{modifier}}
{{/modifier}} {{#instructions}}
{{instructions}}
{{/instructions}} {{#notes}}
{{notes}}
{{/notes}}