Arcadomai

Arcadomai
by Dan Suptic
a fantasy setting for use with S. John Ross
Risus: The Anything RPG
Table of Contents (click on the title listed to jump to the entry)

Arcadomai - Core Setting ........................................ 3
Setting overview ......................................................... 3
Character creation ...................................................... 4
Risus character options .............................. 4
Player info for Arcadomai PCs .................... 4
Combat clich list ........................................ 5
Skill clich list .............................................. 5
Magic clich list ........................................... 6
Items ........................................................................... 7
Bonus equipment rules ............................... 7
Money ......................................................... 8
Clich gear .................................................. 8
Magic cards ................................................. 9
Other items ............................................... 10
Locations .................................................................. 11
Primeria locations...................................... 11
Sunder locations ....................................... 13
Cicatrix locations ....................................... 14
Bestiary..................................................................... 15
Primeria creatures ..................................... 15
Sunder creatures....................................... 16
Cicatrix creatures ...................................... 17
Adventure seeds ....................................................... 18
Character examples ................................................. 19
Arcadomai - Skill Guide ......................................... 36

Implied statistics ....................................................... 37
Getting paid .............................................................. 37
Clich equipment ...................................................... 37
Guilds ....................................................................... 38
Skill clich abilities .................................................... 39
Politician.................................................... 40
Aristocrat ................................................... 41
Thief .......................................................... 42
Blacksmith................................................. 43
Merchant ................................................... 44
Sailor ......................................................... 45
Bard .......................................................... 46
Teamster ................................................... 47
Cook ......................................................... 48
Farmer ...................................................... 49
Peasant ..................................................... 50
Scribe ........................................................ 51
Arcadomai - Spell Compendium ........................... 52
Format of clich details ............................................ 53
Magic cards .............................................................. 53
Magic clich abilities ................................................. 53
Pyromancer............................................... 54
Cryomancer .............................................. 55
Hydromancer ............................................ 56
Aeromancer .............................................. 57
Geomancer ............................................... 58
Enchanter.................................................. 59
Diviner ....................................................... 60
Druid ......................................................... 61
Cleric ......................................................... 62
Necromancer ............................................ 63
Telemancer ............................................... 64
Chronomancer .......................................... 65
Stasiomancer ............................................ 66
Chaomancer ............................................. 67
Illusionist ................................................... 68
Summoner ................................................ 69
Arcadomai - Warrior Creeds .................................. 20

Clich equipment ...................................................... 21
Weapons ................................................... 21
Armor ........................................................ 22
Non-combat situations .............................................. 23
Strength based clich rolls ........................ 23
Dexterity based clich rolls ....................... 24
Health based clich rolls ........................... 25
Combat clich abilities .............................................. 25
Fighter ....................................................... 26
Soldier ....................................................... 27
Barbarian .................................................. 28
Fencer ....................................................... 29
Guard ........................................................ 30
Mercenary ................................................. 31
Archer........................................................ 32
Assassin .................................................... 33
Brawler ...................................................... 34
Paladin ...................................................... 35
Unusual Skills: Alchemy in Arcadomai ................ 70

The Alchemist clich ................................. 71
Potion types and effects ........................... 72
Side effects ............................................... 73
Character sheet ...................................................... 74
Closing comments and contact info .................... 76
Arcadomai is 2006-2011 by Dan Suptic

Risus: The Anything RPG is 1993-2001 S. John Ross
Arcadomai title font is Roman Grid Caps, 2004 Manfred Klein
Back page font used for the barcode word 'Free' is Shredded for You, 1999 Dieter Schumacher
All illustrations are royalty free stock images acquired from http://www.123rf.com/
Feel free to copy, distribute and print this document for any non-commercial purpose.
This document may not be used for any commercial means whatsoever.
Arcadomai - Core Setting

Arcadomai is a high magic, fantasy world. Mundane technology
is simple and medieval, not yet to the point of reliable
gunpowder or steam engines. Magic is very pervasive in this
world; a decent majority of the population has at least some
magic ability of their own, and even those with no magic power
at all can easily find magical equipment to supplement their
normal abilities. Humans are the strongly dominant race of
Arcadomai. Other standard fantasy races do still exist in small
numbers (elves, dwarves, gnomes, etc.), but its possible to live
even in a highly populated area and never meet a non-human
person in ones life. The tone of Arcadomai is reasonably
serious, lightly seasoned with some occasional absurd and/or
ironic humor.
The world of Arcadomai
Such wonders. Such diversity. So many ideas, arts, and ways

of life. And we spend it squabbling about city boundaries and
taxes. My friends, or to those who hear my words, I leave to
search for the one thing this city does not have - peace. - last
dictated words, Dakar Frost, ex-politician.
An old world spins in the aether. Shaped by magic, monsters
and the hands of men, this world is rugged, worn and
dangerous. 3 great continents mark the face of Arcadomai - the
reasonably stable lands of Primeria, the savage and dangerous
lands of Sunder and the world-long strip of unearthly land
known as Cicatrix. Men work, live, fight and die to make the
world a better place (or to make at least their own part of the
world better). Aristocrats and politicians plan and plot with
merciless efficiency. Warriors and adventurers seek fame and
fortune battling monsters, fiends and other creatures of alien
design. Wizards and sorcerers bend reality to their will. Thieves
and beggars try to live day by day, greedily hanging onto every
spare piece of hex (Arcadomai's currency) that they can get.
The gods that once watched over this world have long since
left, and the magic that runs through the world flows freely
without the will of deities to direct it.
A note about Risus

Risus: The Anything RPG is a free and easy to learn roleplaying game (created by S. John Ross) that is used to play
Arcadomai. It's available at
http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm - The whole system is
6 pages long, and thats all youll need to play. Download it,
print it if you want - you can even put it in a nice, fancy binder.
So long as you read it too, youll be able to play Arcadomai.
People
She was a tall one, and a beauty too. I could tell she would be
fun for a romp in the hay, if you catch my drift. Didnt know until
later she had a jealous fianc, and that he was a damned
pyromancer. Oh well, any tryst you can walk away from..." Gulaviar Poetaro, bard.
Religion
What do you mean, What do you believe in? - usually heard
in any conversations about religion.
A long time ago, there were 3 gods; beautiful Primiar, patient
Scar, and selfish Rage. Primiar created the world with her will
and curiosity. Scar slowly tamed and stitched the new creation
into form and function, while Rage destroyed all that he felt was
unnecessary. It was balance, not perfect, but workable. After
seeing races of man and beast rise and fall, and the slow
degradation of harmony, the 3 gods grew tired and left. As an
afterthought, Rage made a half-hearted attempt to destroy
Arcadomai after Primiar and Scar had left, summoning a star
from the heavens and crashing it into the world. While this did
significant damage, it only left a world-long strip of ruined land
as opposed to causing the complete destruction of Arcadomai.
Character creation
Characters are created with the normal Risus rules, starting at
10 dice total with a maximum single clich level of 4. Advanced
options I, II and III are all used (Hooks and Tales, Pumping
Clichs and Double-Pumps). Lucky Shots, Questing Dice and
Sidekicks/Shieldmates may also be used (from the Risus
Companion) at the GMs option. Gear and any spare hex
should be determined by clichs chosen with the GMs
approval. The Deadly Combat rules from the Risus Companion
are also available to groups who wish to use them.
Now, the world runs on the powers that the gods left behind,
the Light (from Primiar), the Grey (from Scar) and the Dark
(from Rage).
Races
The dominant sentient race of Arcadomai is Human. Countless
wars for territory and natural human ambition have all but
driven the other sentient races from Arcadomai. Being an Elf,
Dwarf or other fantasy race is possible for players, but nonhuman races are usually regarded with great suspicion and
dislike. Those races special skills and talents do offset this
animosity a little. GMs should remember to give extra perks to
those who play a non-human race, with whatever seems
appropriate to the race in question (usually give easier TNs for
tasks and skills appropriate to the race in question). There is
about 1 non-human for every 1000 humans on Primeria and
about 1 non-human for every 100 humans on Sunder. No
sentient humans or non-humans live on Cicatrix, due to the
conditions detailed in the Cicatrix location entry later on.
Organized religion is non-existent here - the absent gods dont

care to focus on Arcadomai anymore. There are only 3
outcomes to someone's death based on their actions in life.
They can merge with the Light, the creative, healing and
positive force of Arcadomai. They can be pulled into the Dark,
the hateful, destructive and negative force of Arcadomai. Or,
they can be reborn through the Grey, the power of fate, destiny,
and luck. Kind, good and just people merge with the Light, and
strong souls can further help and guide their family and friends
from beyond. Evil, selfish and unjust people get pulled into the
Dark, the most powerful of them able to use their hateful
energies to harass still living enemies. Those who are neither
virtuous nor vile are pulled through the Grey, their lifes
experiences taken away, and are eventually reborn into the
world again.
Language
Everyone in Arcadomai speaks the same language called
Arcada. Arcada is a verbose language, supplemented with a
few word here and there from the other non-human races.
Arcadas written form is runic in nature, using a phonetic
alphabet of letters to combine into any of Arcadas words. The
vast majority is literate - even the most reclusive barbarian will
know the written words for Tavern, Blacksmith and such. Other
races may remember a smattering of words and phrases from
their racial heritage, but knowing enough to have a full
conversation is rare. Sufficiently skilled scribes have the knowhow to translate any ancient texts found in these languages,
and may even be somewhat fluent in another language
themselves.
Combat clichs
Do you see that? Ive never seen anyone carry a claymore like
that before. Five hex says he gets killed by the first guy he
picks a fight with... THUD ...you owe me five hex. - Daeg the
Rat, beggar, former mercenary.
Skill clichs
Sure, being a peasant isnt the most interesting life, but the life
expectancy is nicer. Unless you can show me an adventurer
type over 40 years old, I'm more than happy to stay in the
fields, thanks. - Julia Gander, peasant.
What follows are some of the more common combat-oriented

clichs found in Arcadomai. While not an exhaustive list, the
clichs presented here are by far the most commonly seen.
The clichs listed here all focus on a particular skill. While

certainly no list can encompass every skill worthy of focus,
chances are that the players will run into a fair amount of the
following people before they run into any, say, Cat
Choreographers.
Fighter - Training with many different weapons has led the

Fighter to develop their own style.
Soldier - A highly trained combatant, able to plan and strategize
an effective attack.
Barbarian - One who loses himself to the rage of battle; a truly
frightening foe.
Fencer - A swordsman with education, flair, and 3 feet of
thin, pointy metal.
Guard - A hired combatant, usually pestering adventurers about
their habits.
Mercenary - A hired combatant, usually pestering adventurers
with their own habits.
Archer - They're able to stop a fight before it reaches them
using bows and crossbows.
Assassin - A frightful adversary who uses shadows and feints
to land a killing blow.
Brawler - Never unarmed, a warrior who uses his own fists and
feet to fight.
Paladin - A servant of the Light, his faith gives his weapons
great strength.
Politician - One who can manipulate bureaucracy to incredible

ends.
Aristocrat - A ruler of a local area, making and enforcing laws
as needed.
Thief - One who sees other's wealth, and seizes it well.
Blacksmith - One who makes and repairs weapons and armor.
Merchant - Buy low and sell high; this is the merchants credo.
Sailor - He knows how to sail a vessel across the seas, opening
avenues of exploration.
Bard - One who inspires with poem and song, even in
situations that seem a bit wrong.
Teamster - Getting groups of animals working together is his
occupation.
Cook - Give him random ingredients, hell make some random
ingredient stew.
Farmer - He grows and cultivates food for everyone to eat.
Peasant - Great for repetitive manual labor, not so great for
anything else.
Scribe - Read stuff, write it down, hear stuff, write it down.
They're also good at translating old texts.
Magic clichs
Typical ebb and flow in the Dark can be mixed with the
vitalizing forces of the Light to generate effects both
spontaneous and destructive. Here we have a great text
detailing combat uses and tactical utility of the spell Fireball overheard in the Arcane College.
This final set of clichs are the magical clichs of the world.
Magic in Arcadomai is highly specialized - there are no generic
Wizard or Sorcerer clichs. While any other clich can be
chosen as a double pump clich, magic clichs tend to be
double pumpable much more often than non-magical ones. The
following magic clichs are the most studied, but others are
certainly possible.
Pyromancer - A fire mage, able to cause great destruction.
Cryomancer - An ice mage, subtle, clever and deadly.
Hydromancer - A water mage, useful in many ways.
Aeromancer - An air mage, using the powers of wind and
lighting.
Geomancer - An earth mage, can cause even the ground to
betray their foes.
Enchanter - Maker of magic items, and someone who can turn
people into frogs as well.
Diviner - One who can read fate, fortune and destiny, and
occasionally adjust them.
Druid - Nature mage, the great outdoors is their playground.
Cleric - A healer; with enough training, they can even pull
someone back to life.
Necromancer - A user of Dark magics, creating undead and
snuffing out life.
Telemancer - A force mage, can move people and things all
about.
Chronomancer - A time mage, folding cause and effect to their
whim.
Stasiomancer - An order mage; things always go smoothly for
them.
Chaomancer - A chaos mage, creating confusion and discord in
their wake.
Illusionist - An illusion mage. Hard to defeat when even an
opponent's senses betray them.
Summoner - A summoning mage, able to call forth all sorts of
interesting allies.
+ (number) pip = These items add the listed number to each

die rolled in the clich using it. A +2 pip sword would add 2 to
each die when the wielder used the sword with their combat
clich. Thus, a Soldier (2) who rolled a 2 and a 3 would add 2
to each, getting a 4 and a 5. A + pip item cannot raise a die roll
above a 6; therefore, a +5 pip item is the best +pip item you
could ever get. In the hands of a trained person, this can easily
become the best bonus for equipment, especially if the
character is already getting + dice from something else. Items
with more than a +2 pip bonus are unusual and hard to find.
---Note: Certain spells and effects can give you a minus
(number) pip to your rolls. This cannot drop a single die's roll
below one, and if you roll a six on a die while under the effects
of negative pips, that roll for that die still counts as a six.
Loot
Just 40 Hex, thats right 40 Hex for this authentic God-crafted

dagger. Yessir, itll cut, slice, stab and puncture any beast,
demon, monster or madman. No? How about 35 Hex? 30? Sir,
this is a true God-crafted....sir! - nameless merchant.
There are three types of Bonus Gear in Arcadomai:
+ (number), + (number) die or dice, and + (number) pip.
Bonus equipment only adds their bonus when used for their
implied purpose - fighting for weapons, spellcasting for staves,
picking locks for lockpicks, etc. Any number bonus is possible
for each magic item type, but as listed below, comparatively
high numbered bonus items tend to be very rare.
Some extremely old magic items have survived from the days
when the Gods themselves bestowed magic items directly to
their favored followers. These items are referred to as Godcrafted, and always have at least a +1 bonus, along with being
indestructible by conventional means. When for sale, they cost
half again as much as an item of the same type and bonus.
Most God-crafted items are weapons, armor, and magic staves,
but it seems like everyone knows someone who owns a Godcrafted mug, or God-crafted pair of sandals, or some other
God-crafted mundane item.
Costs for Bonus Equipment are as follows. This is in addition to

the cost of the basic equipment itself.
+1 = 25 hex
+2 = 50 hex
+3 = 80 hex
+4 = 115 hex
+5 = 180 hex, when available for purchase
Anything higher than a +5 bonus will be extremely costly, if
available for purchase at all
+ (number) = These items add the number after the plus to the
final result of the roll. A +2 sword adds 2 to the final result of
any roll with the sword. While this definitely appears to be the
weakest bonus, occasionally items come with a great bonus of
this type. Lord Gunther, mightiest Paladin in Arcadomai, carries
a +16 greatsword, but generally, items with more than a +4
bonus are unusual and hard to find.
(number) to your rolls. This cannot lower your final roll below
the number of dice you rolled. Therefore, if you are a Soldier (3)
and have a large minus (number) to your roll, your minimum
final roll result is a 3.
+1 die = 100 hex

+2 dice = 225 hex
+3 dice = 375 hex
+4 dice = 650 hex, when available for purchase
Anything higher than a +4 dice bonus will be extremely costly, if
+1 pip = 125 hex
+2 pip = 300 hex
+3 pip = 700 hex, when available for purchase
Anything higher than a +3 pip bonus will be extremely costly, if
+ (number) die or dice = These items add dice equal to the

number whenever used. A +2 dice sword would add 2 dice to
any roll used with it. These bonus dice dont add to your actual
clich - if youre a Guard (2), using a +2 dice sword, you still go
down after you lose 2 dice. These items are powerfully helpful
to those of low clich levels. Items with more than a +3 dice
bonus are unusual and hard to find.
(number) die or dice to your rolls. This effect does not count as
clich damage. So long as the actual clich you're using has
any dice left in it, you can roll at least one die when using it,
even if negative effects would lower it to zero effective dice or
less.
Items with multiple different types of bonuses exist as well.

When determining the cost of an item with multiple bonus
types, add up the additional costs for each bonus type, then
add an additional 50% to the cost if it uses 2 bonus types, or
double the price if it uses all 3 types. For example, a +1 die +2
sword would cost 225 hex in addition to the base cost of the
sword (+100 for +1 die, +50 for +2 and +75 for the 50%
increase for 2 bonus types).
Hex
Take away the happy looks on the crowds faces. Take away
the honorable and skilled combatants. Take away the cheers,
the music, the food, and the glamour. All I love is the sound of
hex being poured in my pockets - Darren Axesmith, arena
master
A unique set of weapons exists in Arcadomai - the Sledge

Sword, the Hammer Axe and the Twin Maul. Each of these
swinging weapons has an additional piece coming off the hilt a thin band of metal with a strong, Geomancy enchanted
weight attached to the end. When swung, these weapons first
hit their foe, and then the weight slams into the blade or maul
head, driving the weapon further into the foe. These items are
+1 dice equipment, and normally cost around 70 to 80 hex. The
only downside is that they can break if swung carelessly - a roll
of all 1s when used causes the extra weight to destroy the
main weapon, making it useless.
Hex is the currency of Arcadomai. Hex (both singular and

plural) are 1 inch wide hexagonal pieces of black glass
inscribed magically with an amount (always 1, 5, 10 or 100).
The pieces themselves are taken from the islands that surround
the continent of Cicatrix. These islands (and Cicatrix itself if
anyone is foolish enough to gather hex there) are composed
entirely of this metal-hard black glass. When enough
Geomancer force is applied to it, it naturally breaks off into
these hexagonal pieces. When new currency is needed, a team
of soldiers sails to one of these islands, brings back some large
chunks of it, and gets it to one of the larger cities (usually
Corlavi, the biggest city in Arcadomai) to be broken apart and
inscribed. It takes a TN 30 Geomancer check to break a main
chunk into the single hex pieces and another TN 30
Geomancer check to inscribe them properly.
Skill gear
I need some oil, metal springs, cogs, tension coils, glue and
flexible metal rods. Yes, this purchase is entirely legitimate. Sandi the Quick, master thief.
Like weapons, most skill gear (lockpicks, bards instrument,
etc.) is standard starting equipment, costing only about 10 to 15
hex to replace all of it for a skill clich. Bonus gear of all types
is available for all clich types, and follows normal equipment
rules for prices of bonus die equipment. 2 examples of bonus
equipment follow:
Unscrupulous Illusionists can easily create realistic illusions of

hex coins. To counteract this, wealthy shop owners can buy
small enchanted boxes that dispel any illusory item placed
within, dropping customer's payments into it for each purchase.
The majority of Arcadomais merchants simply keep a large
hammer on hand - hitting most illusions with enough force will
dispel them.
Clockwork Lockpicks - +1 dice lockpicks. These lockpicks use a

combination of springs, cogs and coils set in a small wind up
box. The thief inserts the correct picks into the box, pushes the
pins into the lock, winds the box and then waits while minutes
of work clanks away in seconds.
Glass Lute - +4 lute. This lute is made of carefully blown and
calibrated glass. The tunes it gives off are crystal clear, sharp
and melodically perfect.
Hex is the only official currency in Primeria, although bartering

and IOUs are neither prosecuted nor uncommon. In Sunder,
hex is not as commonly used; bartering, IOUs, blackmail and
debt are much more useful currency. In Cicatrix, hex is
pointless since, for one, the whole continent is made of it, and
more pragmatically, theres nothing to buy there.
Magic gear
A mage taps into powerful fundamental energies to fuel their
spells, carefully siphoning a bit of power from the arcane
maelstrom churning beneath the physical world. Only a foolish
or desperate mage would dare to use such power without a tool
to focus it through. Adaek the Wise, Professor of Divination of
the Arcane College.
A quick note, the term hex always refers to currency. To

negatively afflict someone with magic is called a curse, not a
hex.
Weapons and armor
This blade was given to me by my father, and to my father by
his father before him. It shall go to you one day when I no
longer need its power. It has slain evil men and monstrous
creatures by the thousands, and always has kept its keen edge
and perfect balance. Now, son, please describe to me exactly
how my dagger was found stuck point up in the seat of your
tutors chair... - Johnathael Lighthand, former soldier.
For standard equipment, a magic using clich requires a

spellbook, grimoire or other written collection of spells, and a
spell focus (such as a staff, wand, orb, totem or other item to
focus their magic through). Replacement spellbooks and magic
foci cost around 10 hex apiece. Bonus magic gear is always
either staves or wands, despite the mages personal taste in
magic focus.
Most basic weapons and armor are standard starting gear for
clichs. Replacement gear costs anything from a couple hex for
simple daggers or cloth armor, to 20 hex or more for ornate,
customized weaponry or full plate mail. Bonus gear of all types
is available for all clich types, and follows normal equipment
rules for prices of bonus die equipment.
Magic staves and wands

So I said If you want this ancient staff, youll just have to take
it from me! What did he do, you say? He took it from me. Turns
out it wasnt an ancient Necromancer staff at all....it was a
curtain rod, ok? Shut up about it already. - Theodynin
Blackbone, apprentice necromancer.
If you have at least 3 clichs total in mage clichs, you know

what any card does when you read it. Anyone can use magic
cards, but someone who doesn't have 3 dice in magical clichs
will have to either know or be told what the card does, or they
could just cast it blindly and hope for the best. Mage characters
that have 4 or more dice in one specific magic clich can create
cards. The mage specifies what spell he wants to inscribe, and
what clich level it will be. A mage may only make a certain
number of cards a day - he cannot make more clich levels of
cards total than his combined magic clichs. So a
Chronomancer (5) can create a total of 5 clich levels worth of
cards in a day, while someone with Cleric (4) and Druid (2)
could create a total of 6 clich levels worth of cards per day.
For magic staves, bonus gear of all types are available for all
magical clichs, and follow normal equipment rules for prices of
bonus die equipment. Each staff is connected to a certain
clich of magic, and only adds its bonus to that type of magic.
Thus a Pyromancer staff only adds its bonus to the
Pyromancer clich, a Diviner staff only adds to the Diviner
clich, etc.
The cost of magic cards depends on whether its a combat

ability or not, and the clich level of the card.
Wands may be of any bonus type, but only cost half the listed
cost for bonus gear. This is because wands only add their
bonus to one particular spell, and only a mage of the
appropriate school of magic can use it. So only a Necromancer
can use a +1 die Wand of Create Skeleton, and only an
Aeromancer can use a +4 pip Wand of Create Soothing
Breeze. Wands add bonuses only to specifically listed spells
(either in the Spell Compendium or a spell detailed by the GM
and player), not to a mage's combat ability with a school of
magic. To get bonuses in combat, a mage will have to employ a
staff as opposed to a wand.
Blank magic cards - 2 hex per card, usually discounted if

bought in bulk.
Combat Magic Clich (1) - 15 hex
Magic cards
I dont like them at all. Magical cards that can give powers to
anyone who buys them? We have enough trouble keeping law
and order around here. Do I use them? Well, of course. But,
see, Im a guard. Im a good guy. - Thomak, city guard.
Non-Combat Magic Clich (1) - 10 hex

Magic cards are enchanted slips of stiff parchment or paper

that have specific spells embedded in them. These can be used
by anyone, and vanish after one use. Combat oriented cards let
the character act like a mage using that card's magical clich
for one round, at a level determined by the power of the card. If
you lose a round of combat while using a magic card, you lose
a die in any of your clichs of your choice. Specific spell cards
are cast once from the card - the number of dice you roll is
equal to the level of clich set when the card was created.
Failing the roll on a specific spell card means the spell didn't
get cast quite right - too easy to resist, not strong enough,
wrong target, etc. You may use Lucky Shots or Questing Dice
to affect either combat magic cards or specific spell cards.
Magic cards are the primary source of disposable magic effects

on Arcadomai. Potions and other forms of alchemy are pretty
much unknown. Every once in a while, a small group of curious
mages will form an alchemist's guild, but these startup guilds
are short-lived, since even the simplest of healing potions tend
to be bitter, syrupy messes (and tend to have reasonably
severe side effects as well). Scrolls are simply larger, more
ornate versions of magic cards, being used only for major
spells that demand a bit more ceremony and showmanship.
Magic cards can be a bit unreliable, but they're great for letting
non-mages dabble with powers normal unavailable to them.
Other items
Arcadomai is filled with magic items, due to the strong arcane
energies that power the world. GMs are free to come up with
anything that seems interesting and useful. A few items are
presented here to help spark the imagination.
Fortune Teller's Deck

This is a deck of 50 magic cards, infused with divination magic.
Casual examination shows that the cards all appear blank, but
when used for fortune telling purposes, pictures and titles
appear on the cards as the fortune teller draws them from the
deck. The cards are different every time, and many long term
users claim that they've seen far too many different cards than
a deck of 50 cards should have. Creating a deck requires 50
blank cards and the Diviner clich at least at 4 dice. The diviner
does not need to make any special roll to make these cards,
but they are limited in making just 1 card per day. Once
completed, the deck may be used immediately. The deck will
only work when all 50 cards are together, but when cards from
the deck are lost or even destroyed, they somehow have a way
of eventually finding their way back to the original deck.
Hex Armor
This suit of armor is made entirely of uninscribed hex, fused
together to fit an individual by a powerful Geomancer. It
provides a +5 dice bonus to any combat situation where being
almost unkillable is useful...which is pretty much any combat
situation. The natural rage of Cicatrix radiates from this armor
as well - while worn, any clich can be used as a combat
capable clich. It costs about 1500 hex to get a personalized
suit made, even if you can find a suitably powerful Geomancer
to take the time to make it for you.
Anyone at all can use a Fortune Teller's Deck. The user

focuses on a question or course of action, and draws several
cards. The deck tends to be cryptic in its answers, often giving
the type of information that makes much more sense once the
event occurs or the question is answered through mundane
means. Occasionally the deck gives very precise and detailed
answers, the cards being titles with exact locations or full
names of persons involved. The deck can be used once per
day for each person it tells the fortune of.
Smoking Pipe
This pipe is enchanted to never run out of tobacco. Its always
the favorite tobacco of the owner, and even persists in keeping
lit in rains and high winds. A simple command word stops the
tobacco from burning, or starts it burning again. These items
cost about 10 to 20 hex, depending on the quality of the pipe
itself.
Lucky Charm
This small charm gives the owner a +1 die bonus to one roll.
After that, the charm breaks and becomes useless. These
charms are usually clay or metal discs that have been
enchanted with a special luck symbol, and cost anywhere from
5 to 10 hex depending on demand and availability. Owning
multiple Lucky Charms is a bad idea - when one is used, all
Lucky Charms owned by the user activate at once and are
used up, while still only giving a +1 die bonus to the roll.
Strangely enough, some of the card's drawings feature

religious ideas and symbols. Angels, demons, churches, priests
and holy symbols have been known to show up in every deck
created so far. Experts in the nature of Arcadomai's magic
believe that enough divinity remains in the arcane energies of
the world to manifest through the pictures on these cards.
A standard Fortune Teller's cost 250 to 300 hex, but prices can
increase quickly depending on the quality of the design on the
back of the cards, as well as the skill or fame of the diviner who
made it.
10
Primeria
Id much rather live on Primeria than that horrible continent,
Sunder. Theyve got horrible beasts, robbers, thieves, and all
sorts of unpleasantness. Ill gladly take life here, thank you. Irena DeVault, Corlavi citizen
Corlavi
Corlavi is the largest city in Arcadomai. It houses about
500,000 people, all from different walks in life. The housing
districts range anywhere from cheap slums (20 hex a month for
a small 1 bedroom) to giant mansions and manor houses (300
to 500 hex a month for the smaller ones). Larger mansions and
manor houses almost always belong to royal or political
families, and are available on inheritance only. Arcadomai has
many training facilities, from the royal guard barracks, to the
towering Arcane College. Finding a job in Corlavi is easy anyone is willing to hire simple labor for a few hex a day, and
people with more professional goals will find great places to
start almost any career imaginable. Corlavi can outfit an
adventurer of any type as well; in the loud market districts,
there are literally hundreds of different shops selling anything
imaginable.
Primeria was blessed by Primiar when she left the world, giving
its inhabitants a feeling of peace and unity. Of course, over the
countless ages, these feelings of cooperation and compassion
have died down a bit, but Primeria is still the most civil of the
three continents. Geographically, most of the continent of
Primeria is verdant grasslands, with some notable forests,
lakes and a range of mountains towards the north.
All the laws in Arcadomai originate from the great Council here,
even though the laws are really only respected in Primeria.
Adventures in Corlavi can keep a group of PCs busy for
months. Even with the city guard making a great presence
here, theres enough small time criminals to catch, outbreaks of
monsters to contain and all sorts of other odds and ends to tie
up for anyone willing to sign on.
Politically, the whole continent is ruled by the Council of 3,

located in the city-state of Corlavi. The council consists of 3
members, each of a different trade - one must be a skilled
politician, one must be a great warrior, and the last must be a
powerful mage. The people who hold these positions change
about every 5 or 10 years, usually when the current holder of
the position is tired of their job. The newcomer to any position
must be personally approved by the holder of the current
position. Underneath each main council member is their
Council Advisory - other politicians, philosophers and idea men
and women who help the Council make and enforce decisions.
The council usually promotes members of their own Council
Advisory to take their place, but it is not unheard of to take
exceptional people into their position from off the street, so to
speak. To get a position on the Council Advisory one must
impress the current lead Council member through some act
that greatly benefits the way of life on the continent in some
way.
Corlavi is constantly expanding, and about once or twice every

year, a contingent of architects, builders and golems go out and
prepare a chunk of land for a new district. As the population
continues to grow, most new additions to the city have been
housing and farming districts. Corlavi also hosts many guilds.
Every character clich listed earlier in the setting has an
associated guild (although the less-than-legal professions can
be hard to find, and mage guilds are known as colleges). Being
a member of a guild or college grants better equipment and a
better chance of landing a good job. Guilds also have a lot of
power in the political maneuvering of the city. Some worry that
the guilds power rivals the Councils itself, and that a civil war
may be on the horizon.
Places
Ive been around Arcadomai, but I swear Ill never understand

why every new place I find has higher inn prices... - Kara
Steppes, traveler
Arcadomais 3 main continents make up about 40% of the
surface of the world, the rest being ocean. While human
expansion has covered a lot of land and sea, there still remain
many places unexplored or forgotten. The most commonly
known places are detailed below.
Talonstrike Mountains
The main mountain range in Primeria lies in the northern
regions of the continent. These great mountains house a lot of
interesting creatures, including the main population of
Arcadomais dragons. There are many caves, both up in the
mountains and underneath them. Several clans of people live
near the base of the mountains in a series of connected camps
known as the Vailan Settlements. These people are always
willing to house travelers, since most visitors come from
Corlavi, bringing with them a lot of city money. Most adventures
also give back a nice percentage of anything they find in the
numerous caves and dungeons to the villagers that housed
them. Adventurers can find amazing treasure in the Talonstrike
Mountains, but they must be careful as well - it makes a short
life to accidentally stumble upon an irate dragons lair.
11
The Plains of Conviction

These great plains are dotted with old temples and churches
dedicated to the 3 gods of times past. Anything of value has
been stripped from these once noble houses of worship. Once
in a while, a group of people may make a pilgrimage here to
pray to the gods, asking for their return. Most people scoff at
anyone who thinks the gods would ever return to this world.
Recently, several groups have started renovating some of the
old buildings, turning small areas of the plains into little villages.
The Council is considering funding an official colonization effort,
giving these villages more credibility and long term survival
chances in exchange for taxation.
Much to the disappointment of the peaceful undead, Gravelight

has become a bit of a tourist attraction for the wealthy and the
vogue. Right now, the current leader of Gravelight (a ghost
named Fior Litar, a once powerful member of a royal family) is
trying to get a law passed requiring that living visitors have a
special pass allowing access to the city. While not disposed to
dislike the living (a couple taverns in Gravelight even have
potable water and non-perishable foods on demand), the
undead are sick of being viewed as an exhibition. They just
want to live (well, exist) in peace.
Port towns
Port towns are plentiful on the edges of Primeria. The ones on
the eastern side of the continent sail to the islands around
Cicatrix, sending ships to bring in the raw hex for Corlavi to
process. These port towns are built more like forts, in case
creatures from Cicatrix find a way to hitch a ride back to
Primeria. The port towns on the west side of the continent sail
to Sunder. These take care of the rare Sunder visitors, and also
take exiled criminals off of Primeria. Being exiled to Sunder is a
little embarrassing for the exiled, but most common criminals
get used to (and even enjoy) the lawless lands of Sunder pretty
quick.
Gravelight
This bizarre city is entirely populated with the undead, plus a
few living guards borrowed from Corlavi. In the middle of this
city stands a great obelisk of black stone, carved with many
glowing runes and sigils. This obelisk is simply called the
Gravestone, and emanates a strange necromantic power. Any
undead within 5 miles of this stone remembers their entire life
they had in perfect clarity, and are returned to their normal
cognitive abilities. Therefore, the undead of Gravelight are
content to live their un-lives as they had in life. The Gravestone
also supplies the undeads requirement for continued
sustenance. Thus, vampires dont need blood, ghosts dont
need raw emotion, zombies dont need brains, etc. The living
town guards are given quite nice housing in compensation for
having to stay in this undead city. Their job is to corral any stray
undead found outside of Gravelight into the city (so they stop
causing trouble and just live like normal), and to stop anyone
from destroying or tampering with the Gravestone.
Other places
Primeria has many towns and cities, and many other places of
interest. Primiars old blessing still flows quietly through this
continent. Things here tend to be more orderly, and people
tend to be more peaceful, if just by a little bit.
A very powerful necromancer (called Marika) who lives on

Sunder, loves sending ringers in to Gravelight in hopes of
destroying the Gravestone and having the once-controlled
undead run amok. She sends in undead that were murderers or
anarchists in life, and convinces them that shell give them
immortality if they succeed. So far none have succeeded in
getting close to the Gravestone at all - the population is very
perceptive and can usually discern if a new member of
Gravelights population is under Marikas control.
12
Sunder
Id much rather live on Sunder than that boring continent,
Primeria. There, its all politics and rules. Nothing interesting
ever happens, and you cant even come up with anything fun to
do that doesnt break at least 5 laws. Ill gladly take life here,
and the Dark can take those who think different. - Vek
Bloodpaw, Sunder barbarian
The Broken Lands

Where was a time, long ago, when 3 archmages waged a great
war against each other. They all perished in the final battle, but
the lands were devastated and the 3 great castles and their
surrounding cities now in ruins. Lorua (a great Pyromancer)
died when her castle was cast into a giant fissure. Her castle
ruins are all underground, scattered in the bottom of a giant pit
drilled into the earth by Geomancers magic. Kato (a powerful
Geomancer) died as monsters summoned from some unknown
realm swept through his castle, killing and eating most of the
inhabitants. His castle stands well and whole, heavily populated
by the furious demons and devils who now roam the Broken
Lands. Shilneous (a skillful Summoner) died as fireballs,
flaming spears and burning clouds rained upon his castle and
lands. His castle reeks of smoke, and the burnt and melted
halls still hide great treasure.
Scar left the world without so much as a backward glance. He

felt that the people of the land now known as Sunder should be
left to their own fates. When left to their own will, the people
here became more savage and brutal - honor and prestige are
foreign notions in Sunder. There is no law, other than what few
rules and restrictions local rulers set up. It is a dangerous land
to be a traveler in, as theft and other crimes are left largely
unchecked. The guards of Primeria make no presence here, as
whoever has power in this land are the ones who rule. Most of
the lands in Sunder are wastes of desert or swamp, with cities
and towns springing up around any areas of drinkable water
and usable vegetation.
The land around this whole area is incredibly hostile. Mile-deep

fissures are everywhere, anything that grew has been burnt to
ashes, and demons and devils freely roam the land. There is
treasure here, but also great danger to those adventurers brave
enough to search these lands.
Chaocisca
This is the largest and most hospitable city in Sunder. It is
currently ruled by a warlord named Kurias. His law is simple Do what you like, but when times of war come, stand and fight
for Chaocisca. He constantly conducts small raids on nearby
towns, and keeps those willing to fight as new soldiers for his
city. Chaocisca is a port city, and most visitors come to Sunder
through here.
The Necropolis, Termniar

This is what many would consider a real city-of-the-dead should
look like. Built like a graveyard, this city hosts a varied range of
powerful undead, all under the control of Marika. She is one of
Arcadomais most powerful necromancers, and has every
undead creature in Termniar under her iron clad will. She revels
in death, and wants nothing more than to take control of
Gravelight and the undead there. Thankfully, she spends all her
time trying to figure out new ways to cause Gravelight to fall, so
the other residents of Sunder rarely see her legions outside the
walls of Termniar. If Marika ever succeeds in taking control of
the undead in Gravelight, all of Arcadomai will be in grave
danger.
The city boasts a great arena, where most of the local populace
spends its free time. Bets are taken on winners, and the arena
masters always find new and interesting monsters for gladiators
to fight. Once in a while, they sometimes even find a creature
from Cicatrix that they can goad into battle.
Housing here is cheap and dirty - the only nice place to live is in
the fortress of Kurias. Shops sell whatever they can scrounge
up, and usually have to be haggled down before prices look
anything close to reasonable. Its unwise for visitors here to be
out after dark, as thievery is rampart in this town. Most natives
of Chaocisca know to carry expendable valuables for the
thieves here. The city here also has a small but notable nonhuman population. Half-orcs, goblins and even ogres and trolls
can be seen from day to day. An assassin's guild of elves also
resides here, and a small group of gnomes and dwarves make
their living by engineering the expansion of the city.
Other places
Sunder has many small towns and villages and other
interesting places. There are even small camps entirely
composed of non-humans. The world here moves of its own
free will - things are built and people behave pretty much
however they feel.
13
Cicatrix
That place has creatures I could never imagine. By night, their
howls and strange language dance on the air and chill the
bones. I miss those I took with me, but am glad I returned to tell
the tale. 12 hex? Thank you sir, just put it right in my cup here Id shake your hand if I still had arms. 4 more hex? Youre a
saint. May the Light be with you. - Adam Tirkin, former
adventurer
Old lands
When Cicatrix was formed, most of the lands that occupied the
area beforehand were completely destroyed. However, on
some of the islands surrounding the main continent, there are a
few places of normal earth, and even occasionally an ancient
structure or two still mostly intact. Corlavis Council pays a lot
for any items retrieved from these areas, and a devoted sect of
scholars and scribes work continuously to decipher any
information about the inhabitants of these destroyed lands.
Cicatrix was formed when Rage attempted to destroy the world

with his leaving. Rage pulled down a star from the heavens and
crashed it into Arcadomai. This boiled the seas and left a worldlong continent of land dotted on each side with small islands
composed of some unearthly material, known now as hex.
Whatever star Rage pulled down already teemed with life, and
now the strange and alien creatures of Cicatrix call this place
home. At night, wavering arcs of deep red and purple lights can
be seen over the main lands of Cicatrix from the islands, and
bizarre howls, groans and screams carry over the water from
the large continent. No one knows what the denizens of Cicatrix
are doing, and aside from the hex, there is nothing to be gained
from traveling there. The only time anyone has anything to do
with Cicatrixs natives is when they are found on the small
surrounding islands or when a creature manages to make its
way to Primeria or Sunder.
The Fortress of Damnation

There exists one place of note on the Cicatrix main continent.
The Fortress of Damnation is a giant building comprised
entirely of hex that sits in the southern area of the continent.
The only person who has ever seen it and returned to talk of it
is a ghost name Rachela, who now resides in Gravelight and
takes much coercion to even speak of it. Nothing else is known
about the fortress, for all others who have even caught sight of
it have been torn apart by the seemingly endless supply of
Cicatrix's native creatures that surround it.
14
Wallcat
These bizarre cats are found in city areas. Not only are they
smarter than regular cats, these cats can also walk on walls
and ceilings. In combat they make oblique surface to surface
jumps, raking enemies with razor sharp claws. The can be
identified from regular cats in that their tail splits in two from
about 1/3 of the way to the end. They tend to be a bit of a pest,
stealing food and valuables, breaking things for no good reason
and attacking people without provocation. Occasionally a
wallcat will adopt a human owner, loyally guarding them and
their homes for food and shelter.
Creatures
Can I keep it? - a frequent request from children.

Aside from mundane creatures like lions and wolves,
Arcadomai hosts a number of unique creatures. The creatures
below are listed in whichever continent they are native to, but in
both Primeria and Sunder, any creature native to one continent
can sometimes be found in the other. In Cicatrix, non-native
creatures tend to have very short life spans, and are not usually
found here, save for a few bones. The dice presented for the
creatures are the average dice for a creature of that species they can certainly have more or less, depending on the age and
skill of the individual creature. The creatures below are not a
full list of Arcadomais bestiary - anything the GM feels
appropriate may be included.
Wallcat
Gravity Defying Mass of Claws and Fur (2)
Golem
Golems are created by mages and usually perform menial
tasks. While normally under the control of their creator, golems
sometimes go berserk because of wayward spells or deliberate
magical curses. Golems can be made from any solid material,
but stone and wood are the most common. Golems can only be
harmed by magic, or magically enchanted weapons - if you
succeed a round of combat with a non-magical weapon, it only
counts as a tie.
Primeria
Watch for turtles - a Primeria cautionary saying
Dragonblood Turtles
These turtles have large, dragon-like wings sprouting from their
shoulders. Theyre usually peaceful, unless someone disturbs
their nest. Then they take to the air, recede into their shell, and
drop like a rock onto the interloper with surprising accuracy.
They use this tactic on the first round of combat; they always
pump their clich up to the point of leaving them 1 die left
(representing their dive bomb attack), then snap at the enemy
on the ground.
Wood Golem
Mindless and Powerful Automaton (2)
Stone Golem
Dragonblood Turtle
Accurate Rock-hard Projectile from the Skies (3)
Steel Golem
Elder Dragonblood Turtle

Accurate Rock-hard Projectile from the Skies (5)
Gemstone Golem
Dragon
Dragons come in all shapes and sizes, and in many different
types. They tend to be hostile and solitary, but a few
goodhearted ones have been known to exist. They are all
intelligent and cunning, and very protective of their homes.
They usually reside in the Talonstrike Mountains. All their dice
are double pump dice, and they are built like characters, save
that they usually have much more dice available to them.
Dragons can talk, and enjoy mocking their prey before a kill.
Burning Wasp
These dangerous insects ignite whatever they sting. While
quite weak, their flammable venom lets them have a bonus in
combat. They tend to build nests of ash and mud in the corners
of old buildings. Theyre extremely territorial and will attack any
who come near.
Burning Wasp
Stinging Insect with Flaming Venom (1) +2 dice
Gorvexis
Acid Spewing Dragon [5]
Raging Reptilian Beast [4]
15
Sentipede
These man-sized centipedes live in some of the caverns and
caves found in Primeria. They are somewhat intelligent, and
can use weapons and armor. A few have even been found
using enchanted gear. They walk on the back half of their legs,
and carry anything useful in the other half. They usually stay
out of the way of any humans or large animals, but will attack if
threatened.
Water Devil
Quick and Fluid Watery Construct (2)
Sentipede
Man Sized Insect Warrior (3)
Needle Crow
These avian menaces can shoot thin, feather-like darts from
their wings. They are almost always found in groups, yet
always attack in single units. The razor sharp darts are easy to
throw, giving the thrower a +1 to the combat clich they use
with them.
Air Devil
Spinning Tornado of Air (3)
Metal Devil
Sharp Metallic Beast (4)
Sunder
Oh, thats a good one! Catch it, itll fight like mad! - Elvirae
Crule, arena herder
Saddle Gator
These overgrown and surprisingly swift alligators have a dip in
their back, perfect for sitting in. While normally violent and
uncontrollable, they can be trained, if training is done from the
gators hatching. These make terrific mounts and are also
capable combatants on their own. Most fighters who use them
as mounts ride them quickly into battle, then dismount and fight
alongside these creatures.
Needle Crow
Dangerous Arial Assailant (2) +1
Saddle Gator, Untrained

Viscous Beast (4)
Severing Spider
These giant spiders walk on legs that are as thin and sharp as
daggers. The web they spin is so thin and strong that, opposed
to being stuck to it, it slices and impairs those who walk into it.
These arachnids attack with their front two legs, puncturing and
slicing any they see as prey (including humans). Their sharp
legs give them a +1 pip bonus, and daggers made from their
legs will have the same quality.
Saddle Gator, Trained

Viscous Mount (4)
Severing Spider
Bladed Arachnid (3) +1 pip
Demons and Devils

Spawned from violent magic, demons and devils are drawn to
places where they fit in. Demons are constructed of the energy
of a single school of magic, while devils are made from one
solitary substance, magically imbued. The most commonly
found demons are of the 4 basic elemental magics - earth, air,
fire and water magic. The most common devils are those of
natural origin - earth, stone, water and air. Demons and devils
are immune to the magic or material that spawned them.
Leaping Snake
These poisonous snakes can coil up and leap amazing
distances to strike at a foe. They usually pump 1 die up, strike
and then recede and wait for their quarry to die. If anyone loses
a clich to a leaping snake, have them roll a die. On a 1-4 they
lose a die in a clich of their choice next turn, and must roll
again each turn (losing a die every turn) until dead, or until they
roll a 5-6.
Leaping Snake
Venomous Snake (2)
Fire Demon
Annoying Burning Pest (2)
Rat Dog
These large dogs have a head and a tail like a rat. They hunt in
packs of 3 to 5, and can display cunning pack tactics. When rat
dogs team up, they act as a PC team does. If a PC team is
noticeably stronger than the rat dog team, they will divvy up
and force the PCs to attack on a 1 to 1 basis.
Earth Demon
Obstinate Earthen Brawler (3)
Necro Demon
Ravenous Necrotic Horror (4)
Rat Dog
Large Canine Vermin (3)
16
Cicatrix
Where should I aim? It doesnt even have a head! - Broque
Cleriman, archer
Air Snake
This is a floating strip of flesh covered in many small mouths,
filled with jagged teeth. These things attack by wrapping around
an opponent and chewing away at their flesh.
Hexlings
These creatures all have one leg that they hop around on, one
arm with serrated claws and a clump in the middle with one
eye. Their skin is black, with hexagonal indentations across the
entire surface. They attack in large swarms, and seem to be the
most numerous creatures on Cicatrix. In battle, after all the PCs
have done something, add 1 die to the clich of the swarm when fighting, these things keep coming from everywhere until
brought down to zero dice, in which they finally disperse.
Air Snake
Floating and Wrapping Toothy Snake-like Thing (4)
Hex Ray
These look like manta rays (that can fly through the air) with
several barbed strands trailing behind them. They can also dive
seamlessly through hex, which can make them difficult to fight.
When down to one die in their clich, they always dive into the
hex of Cicatrix and disappear. They attack by raking their
barbed tails across their foes. A hex ray can pass straight
through Hex Armor, negating the wearer's bonus from the
armor when fighting them.
Hexling Swarm
Nasty Swarm of Limbs (any number, usually starts around 3 or
4)
Hell Lanterns
These red glowing balls of light can teleport around the
battlefield, confusing and annoying foes. They attack be firing
red and purple beams of light that leave hexagonal shaped
burns on the victim. These are nearly always found in groups of
3. In combat, they can sometimes teleport out of the way of a
certain hit. Roll a die whenever a hell lantern loses a combat
round - on a 1-4 it loses a die like normal, on a 5-6 they teleport
out of the way and take no damage.
Hex Ray
Flying Manta Ray with Nasty Barbed Tails (4)
Walker
This house-sized creature looks like a giant ball of somewhat
humanoid heads with 5 very long and many jointed legs coming
out of it. The heads laugh constantly while the spindly legs
attack any who get near it. The legs end in metal hooves, and
severely electrocute any that they touch. This electricity gives
the walker a +1 die bonus
Hell Lantern
Ball of Destructive Light (3)
Walker
Electrified 5 Legged Monster (5) +1 die
Pounder
This large (20 ft. tall) bipedal creature has 2 arms that end in
giant fleshy mallets. Instead of a head, it has a tentacle ending
with a ball of solid bone. These creatures attack by pounding
whatever they sense into paste. Theyre never seen in groups
or pairs, which is good, because they are almost invincible.
Pounder
Huge Abomination with Many Ways to Pummel You (8)
17
Sunder
Adventure seeds
I cant believe it! We found the lost tomb of Ol-Shar-Gyre!

Were gonna be so rich! Right guys? Guys? - last words, Kelon
Freeman, adventurer
Arena battles
The PCs are in Sunder, and have been kidnapped by the arena
masters servants. They are set up for battles in the arena. It
starts out easy enough, but pretty soon the PCs see that they
are overmatched. They must find a way to escape, and to
hopefully return to the main land of Primeria. Some other
prisoners may be willing to help, but in Sunder, theres always a
price.
What follows are adventure ideas, either to start a campaign

with, or to add to an existing campaign. Each adventure
presented here is geared towards a certain area, but the GM
may feel free to adjust anything he sees fit.
Primeria
Wallcat infestation
Theres been a large number of wallcats found in Corlavi as of
late. Theyre simply everywhere! Theyre hurting kids and
peasants, eating the stocks of food and generally making life
miserable for everyone. The PCs are hired to find out where
these things are coming from and to put a stop to the inflow of
unwelcome residents.
Getting the goods

The PCs are hired by a local ruler to find a specific item in one
of the ruined castles in the Broken Lands. Too bad he doesnt
know which castle it was held in. The PCs must go from castle
to castle, battling demons and devils on a quest to retrieve this
item. Every clue in each ruined castle seems to point to the
other ones as the final resting-place of this item. The PCs must
solve ancient riddles and see through old misdirections to find
it.
Needle in a haystack
The PCs are hired to track down an undead creature that has
been snuck into Gravelight to destroy the Gravestone. In life,
the man was a cunning assassin. In death, he looks just like
every other skeleton in the city. The guard is currently busy
dealing with a tide of hexlings that have swam to the mainland,
and the normally observant populace of Gravelight just cant
seem to pick him out. The PCs must root out this little
troublemaker and deal with him.
Dawn of the dead

A lot of undead have been seen in a seemingly useless area of
land. They all bear the mark of Marika, and have been setting
up something that looks like an excavation camp. The PCs
must break into the camp, find out whats going on and stop it
before it gets out of hand. Since the undead are already here, it
may have gotten out of hand already.
Cicatrix
Dragon problems
A daughter of a rich nobleman has been kidnapped by a
dragon and taken to a cave in the Talonstrike Mountains! The
PCs must venture forth, slay the dragon and rescue the girl!
When they find the dragon, it seems that the girl and beast
have fallen in love, and that the dragon is really a nice guy once
you get to know him. When the nobleman learns of this, he
berates the PCs for failing and hires a band of ruthless
mercenaries from Sunder. The PCs must now work with the
dragon to fend off the mercenaries who are on the way to slay
him.
Lost
The PCs have been marooned on the main continent of
Cicatrix. Whether through shipwreck or a teleporting spell that
went foul, the PCs must somehow find a way back to their
home. It will take a lot of swordplay to get through the natives of
Cicatrix, and very clever thinking to find a way home.
The fortress of damnation
This is the ultimate adventure - infiltrate the Fortress of
Damnation, battle though tons of alien creatures, explore the
catacombs and rooms of the fortress and return to tell the tale.
Who knows what items of great power can be found within its
depths?
18
Edgar Cotrell
Condescending Cryomancer [4]
Condescending Scholar (4)
Character examples
Try not to bother those two. The one with the sword can cut
you 100 times before you unsheathe whatever weapon you
like, while the quiet one can freeze the blood in your body with
a gesture of his hand. - Big Brad, tavern owner
Hook - Neat freak - Edgar must have everything around him

clean and orderly. He is always cleaning or organizing
something, and tends to annoy people with his perfectionism.
Here are a couple of ready-to-go adventurers fit for the

Arcadomai setting. They work great as an NPC team as well, to
either help or hinder your PCs.
Tale - Edgar was born in Corlavi to a wealthy merchant family,

and was always taught to be cleanly, organized and precise.
When he turned 14, he found he had significant magical talent,
and was sent to the Arcane College to focus his ability. His
perfectionist nature helped him greatly here, and he quickly
refined his natural Cryomancy talent into a powerful art. He also
learned quite a bit of other useful information, and always has
something to say about everything around him. He met Reskori
after graduating, and teamed up with him to travel about the
world. He cant stand his womanizing ways or his constant
teasing, but does respect his incredible skill with a blade.
Reskori the Brave

Jovial Barbarian (4)
Trained Soldier (4)
Charming Storyteller (3)
Singer (1)
Hook - Lecherous - Reskori is always looking for a warm bed, it
seems. In any situation where an attractive lady is present, he
will always do what he believes will impress her the most.
Tale - Reskori was born in the Vailan Settlements at the base
of the Talonstrike Mountains. He was a very energetic lad, and
learned the ways of the barbarian from an early age. Eager for
adventure, he headed to Corlavi, where he began training as a
true soldier. After years of boring and routine work, he quit the
army and began freelance work. He teamed up with Edgar and
together they have been making a very decent living as
adventurers for hire. Hes always looking for a lady to spend
time with, and constantly pesters Edgar that he doesnt do the
same. He sees Edgar as a boring and stuffy know-it-all, but
respects his magical skills greatly.
19
Arcadomai - Warrior Creeds

What lies within
This chapter gives players and GMs a good starting list of equipment and clich roll examples that combat focused characters are likely
to interact with. This also contains detailed abilities of the combat clichs listed in the main Arcadomai setting. The list of abilities for each
clich gives players options and advantages in combat beyond the normal advanced options in the Risus rules. The options in this
supplement are in no way intended to be a definitive list of abilities for each clich, rather its here to give the players and GMs a solid
understanding of each clichs basic capabilities.
20
10 hex weapons
Great sword - a great sword, claymore or any other blade
longer than 4 feet
Flail - a spiked metal ball attached by chain to a foot long
handle
Warhammer - a large hammer, reinforced to stand up against
armored foes
Polearm - any military polearm, like the ranseur, bec-de-corbin,
military fork, glaive, guisarme etc etc
Exotic weapons - double edged swords, double axes,
nunchucks, war fans or anything else that wouldnt fall under
the classification of other mundane weapons
Clich equipment
Any weapon costing 10 hex or less and any armor costing 20

hex or less can be taken as part of a clichs standard starting
equipment. Prices listed here are for replacing or changing
equipment. If you are unsure whether or not something would
be considered standard equipment for your clich, ask your
GM.
Mundane weapons
This list shows common prices for non-magical weapons. High
quality weapons, magic weapons and any other weapon that
gives a bonus in combat cost more, as detailed by the main
Arcadomai setting.
15 hex weapons
Custom weapons - any weapon made to specifically fit your
grip. Anyone else who tries to use this weapon suffers a -1
penalty to all rolls with it
Ornate weapons - these weapons have ornate designs or sigils
engraved on them. Besides the prestige of such weapons,
these have no effect on combat
2 hex weapons
Dagger - a small, simple blade, easy to hide. Standard
equipment for anyone
Sling - a sling that throws hard metal or stone bullets with good
accuracy and force
Sling bullets - a pack of 10 metal or stone bullets
Quarterstaff - a 5 to 6 foot long sturdy staff, usually allowed
even in No-Weapons-Allowed towns
50 hex weapons
Silver weapons - any weapon made of tempered silver.
Werewolves and other werecreatures lose 2 dice instead of one
when losing a round of combat against a silver weapon
5 hex weapons
Short sword - a short sword, machete or any other blade
around 2 feet long
Short bow - a normal bow with decent range
Arrows or Bolts - a pack of 10 arrows or crossbow bolts
Mace - a heavy metal ball attached to a foot long handle
Axe - a hand axe, refit for battle
Spear - a wooden or metal spike attached to a long pole
100 hex weapons

Gold weapons - any weapon made of tempered gold.
Unintelligent undead (skeletons, zombies and such) must make
a Persistent or Health based clich roll (TN = the gold weapon
wielders combat roll) when they lose a round of combat, or be
destroyed
7 hex weapons
Long sword - a long sword, katana or any other blade around 3
feet long
Rapier - a rapier, sabre or other fencing sword
Long bow - a longer bow with greater range and penetrating
power than the short bow
Crossbow - a crossbow or any other mechanically assisted bow
Morning star - a heavy, spiked and large metal ball attached to
a foot long handle
Battleaxe - a large, heavy axe, fit for battle
500 hex weapons

Gemstone weapons - any edged weapon made of solid
gemstone (ruby, emerald, etc). Due to the razor sharp edge of
these, any creature damaged by a Gemstone weapon begins
bleeding profusely, losing 1 die in the clich that was damaged
each turn until healed. If that clich drops to zero, they are out
of combat and will die if not attended to immediately after
combat is over. Creatures lacking blood or other internal fluids
are unaffected
21
Mundane armor
This list shows common prices for non-magical armor. High
quality armor, magic armor and any other armor that gives a
bonus in combat cost more, as detailed by the main Arcadomai
setting.
25 hex armor
Custom Armor - armor made to specifically fit your body.
Anyone else who tries to wear this armor suffers a -1 penalty to
all rolls with it
Ornate armor - this armor has ornate designs or sigils engraved
on them. Besides the prestige of such armor, this has no effect
on combat
5 hex armor
Cloth - tightly woven cloth armor, not too protective, but light,
innocuous and easy to move around in
Leather - specially cured leather fashioned into stiff armor
Wood - planks of wood attached by strong cords, draped over
the wearers normal clothes
Buckler - a shield made of wood and bands of metal
75 hex armor
Pale Armor - this suit of cloth or leather armor is soaked in
enchanted embalming fluid. Unintelligent undead will perceive
the wearer of this armor as undead. If the wearer gets within a
few feet of an unintelligent undead, the associated smells of
being alive will overpower the ability of the armor, causing the
undead to react to the wearer of this armor normally
10 hex armor
Banded Mail - leather armor with bands of metal sewn in for
added protection
Ring Mail - leather armor with a net of large metal rings woven
throughout it
Studded Leather - leather armor with numerous metal studs
woven into it
Shield - a solid metal shield, usually larger than a buckler
150 hex armor

Silver armor - any metal armor made entirely of silver.
Werewolves and other werecreatures will not willingly engage
in melee combat with the wearer of this armor. If a
werecreature is forced into touching this armor, they take one
damage to their were-clich
15 hex armor
Chain Mail - small metal rings, chained together into an entire
outfit
Scale Mail - a suit of overlapping metal pieces
Plate Mail - plates of metal held together with loose leather
joints
Large shield - an even larger metal shield, one that can be
plopped down and used as minimal cover
1500 hex armor

Hex armor - this full plate armor is made entirely out of
uniscribed hex. This item must be made custom for the wearer.
The wearer gains a +5 dice bonus to their combat clich, as
hex is nearly indestructible on its own. Hex in this quantity
radiates the natural rage of Cicatrix; while wearing this armor,
any clich may be used as a combat clich. These suits are
rarely made for the general public, and tend to draw a lot of
attention when used
20 hex armor
Full plate - full body plate mail, including helmet
2 layer armor - chain mail sewn into the inside of any other
armor
Tower shield - a metal shield so big, you can use it as decent
cover
22
Strength, Dexterity and Health based clich rolls
Every combat clich can make rolls when involved in situations that rely on Strength, Dexterity or Health. Most clichs, though, have one
area that theyre not as good at as the other 2. Normally, doing something that is only implied by your clich adds a +5 to the TN. Since
combat clichs train ability in all 3 areas (even though they put emphasis on the primary areas), these penalties only add a +3 to the TN
of the task.
Fighter
Soldier
Barbarian
Fencer
Guard
Mercenary
Archer
Assassin
Brawler
Paladin
Strength TN
Normal
Normal
Normal
+3 to TN
Normal
Normal
+3 to TN
+3 to TN
Normal
Normal
Dexterity TN
Normal
+3 to TN
+3 to TN
Normal
+3 to TN
Normal
Normal
Normal
+3 to TN
+3 to TN
Strength based clich rolls

Breaking through doors, lifting heavy weights and throwing
things long distances all take clichs with an ability in Strength.
While actually doing damage to someone with Strength
requires normal combat, this table gives TNs for the general
breaking and forcing of stuff.
Health TN
Normal
Normal
Normal
Normal
Normal
+3 to TN
Normal
Normal
Normal
Normal
Jumping
1 foot up or 5 feet across - TN 6
1.5 feet up or 7 feet across - TN 10
2 feet up or 10 feet across - TN 13
2.5 feet up or 12 feet across - TN 17
3 feet up or 15 feet across - TN 20
+5 TN for each extra foot up or 5 feet across
Arm wrestling, other contests of strength

Simple Strength versus Strength roll
Breaking constraints
Rope - TN 8
Leather straps - TN 11
Chains - TN 16
Wire - TN 20
+2 TN for every extra set of bindings used beyond what was
necessary
Breaking down doors

Wooden door - TN 7
Wooden banded door - TN 10
Stone door - TN 13
Metal door - TN 17
Reinforced - adds 3 to the TN
Oversized - adds 4 to the TN
Barricaded - adds 5 to the TN
Climbing
Ladder or knotted rope - TN 4
Rope, or handholds - TN 8
Very rough wall, or natural cracks in the wall - TN 12
Rough stone or brick wall - TN 16
Smooth stone or brick wall - TN 20
Lifting
Half your weight - TN 8
Your weight - TN 12
One and a half times your weight - TN 15
Double your weight - TN 19
Two and a half times your weight - TN 22
Three times your weight - TN 24
+2 TN for every full increase in times-your-weight (4 times you
weight, TN 26 etc)
Throwing
Used for normal objects, not weapons made to be thrown. This
is a straight Strength roll - multiply the result by 2 to get the
number of feet you can throw the object.
23
Dexterity based clich rolls

Getting around a battlefield in entertaining ways, avoiding traps
and keeping ones footing on unsteady ground all require a
clich with Dexterity. Dodging attacks from opponents is done
with combat rolls - the TNs listed here are for non-combat
applications of nimbleness.
Falling
Fall 3 feet with no problem - TN 6
+4 TN for every additional 5 feet
Sports, other contests of skill

Straight Dexterity versus Dexterity rolls
Staying afoot on unstable ground

Gravel strewn, 15 degree tilt - TN 4
Slippery or waxed, 25 degree tilt - TN 7
Shaking, breaking apart, very slick, 40 degree tilt - TN 11
Greased or Icy, 50 degree tilt - TN 16
Severe shaking, falling apart right underneath you, 65 degree
tilt - TN 21
Frictionless, 80 degree tilt - TN 26
Weapon demonstration
This allows you to show off your combat clich to please a
crowd
Average demonstration - TN 5
Decent demonstration - TN 8
Entertaining demonstration - TN 10
Great demonstration - TN 14
Masterful demonstration - TN 16
Amazing demonstration - TN 20
Nearly unbelievable demonstration - TN 26
If you have other combat clichs, you may incorporate their
moves into your demonstration. Roll each of the other combat
clichs (TN 10). For each success, add 2 to your primary
performance
Maneuvering
Jump on or off a table, roll under a table - TN 6
Swing on a chandelier or rope - TN 8
Slide down a banister or safely tumble down steps - TN 10
Dart through chair legs, roll over tables while attacking - TN 14
Run across a crowds shoulders, dart through the spokes of
large moving wheels - TN 18
Balancing
6 inch wide plank - TN 8
A tightrope - TN 21
A wire - TN 24
24
Health based clich rolls

Feats of endurance, resisting poison or disease and tolerating
pain or severe discomfort are all rolled against a clichs ability
in Health.
Less sleep
Function with only 6 hours of sleep with no problems - TN 4
Function with only 4 hours of sleep with no problem - TN 10
Function with only 2 hours of sleep with no problem - TN 16
Function normally with no sleep at all - TN 20
+2 TN for each consecutive night of less sleep
Races, other contests of stamina

Straight Health versus Health rolls
Drinking alcohol
Act without penalty after 1 drink - TN 4
Act without penalty after 2 drinks - TN 8
+4 TN per 8 additional drinks
Holding your breath

15 seconds - TN 6
30 seconds - TN 8
1 minute - TN 10
1 minute and 30 seconds - TN 14
2 minutes - TN 16
+4 TN for each additional minute
Recovering Clich damage after resting (One hours rest in

a comfortable environment)
1 die in a clich - TN 7
Up to 2 dice in clichs - TN 11
+5 TN per additional 2 dice healed
Resisting pain without yelling out

Stepping on a rock barefoot, scraping your arm - TN 3
Small cut or pin pricks, slight heat - TN 6
Major cuts, stabs, burning heat, majorly bruising something TN 10
Wild animal bites, searing heat, breaking a small bone - TN 14
Stripped flesh, searing continuous heat, breaking a major bone
- TN 20
Prolonged strenuous activity
30 minutes without rest - TN 5
An hour without rest - TN 8
4 hours without rest - TN 12
+4 TN for every additional 4 hours
Combat clich abilities
Each combat-focused clich has several abilities listed here that give them a little extra edge in combat. A character gains access to all
the listed abilities, even if they just have 1 die in the clich. A character may use multiple abilities from the clich theyre using at once,
but they may not use a different clichs ability in combat to affect the roll of the clich currently being used. The following abilities are
optional rules - a GM may decide to disallow use of any ability if it becomes too powerful, or may choose to not use these abilities all
together.
25
Fighter
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
Normal
Health TN
Normal
'Fighter' is the general clich used for a combat style that

doesnt fall into the definition of the later listed clichs. This
clich is also useful for players wishing to have a combat clich
without having the implied background found in many of the
other combat clichs from the core Arcadomai rules. The clich
of Fighter need not be named as fighter when the player picks it
out - they may opt to put - Fighter by the clich name to
indicate its using the Fighter's abilities. So if you wish to play
an Armored Defender (4) and use the Fighter clich rules,
you'd write down Armored Defender - Fighter (4) as your clich.
Extra Edge
The Fighters devotion to combat gives him a little extra edge in
battle. Fighters win ties in combat against non-magical combat
clichs.
Customized
Any weapon or piece of armor the Fighter begins the game with
is customized, following the customized equipment rules listed
above. If a Fighter gains a new weapon or piece of armor
during play, the time spent with it will cause it to be customized
at the start of the next game session.
Balanced Clich
The personal and unique fighting style of the Fighter has given
them plenty of opportunity to train in Strength, Dexterity and
Health. The Fighter rolls checks for all 3 normally, without
taking a +3 TN penalty to Strength, Dexterity or Health rolls.
Ability
The Fighter may pick any single ability from any other combat
clich and use it normally for this ability. The player may also
work with the GM to come up with a unique ability as well and
use it here. Once picked, the ability chosen is permanent.
Unique Style
This ability lets the Fighter use different weapon styles with the
weapon theyre using (chopping like an axe with a sword,
fencing with a katana, etc). The Fighter takes a -3 penalty to his
roll results, causing his opponent to take a -1 die penalty to
their rolls.
26
Soldier
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
+3 to TN
Health TN
Normal
The Soldier is a member of the local military, usually trained

from a young age. The Soldiers life is dictated by their
commander, but in times of peace, they can be found
supplementing the local guards or doing freelance work. The
training Soldiers receive is focused on rote memorization,
strength building weapon drills and tests of endurance. Little
time is spent on fancy weapon tricks or creative fighting. Exsoldier is a popular clich for adventurers to have - the Exsoldier clich retains all the abilities of a Soldier.
Teamwork
A Soldier has been trained to fight under a leader and to work
with a group to take down a foe. When the Soldier is a member
of a team using the teaming up combat rules, the Soldier and
all other combatants add their ones to the leader's roll as well
as all their sixes.
Plan
The Soldier can work with a group of people to plan a certain
mission (breaking into a base and rescuing someone, fighting
an encamped group, storming a fort, etc). They must plan for a
number of hours in advance equal to the number of people
involved in the mission. Everyone involved must be present the
entire time of planning. After the planning, the mission must be
completed within the next 24 hours. All rolls that each individual
person makes while on the mission are made at a +1 bonus.
Loyalty
A Soldier is trained to accept the commands and missions
given to him by his superiors without compromising his
personal views. When a Soldier is following a command or
mission, actions he takes to complete the command or mission
do not have to have any effect on his personal relation to the
Light, the Dark or the Grey, at the Soldiers discretion.
Courage
The Soldier receives a +2 bonus against intimidation, torture,
magical fear effects and anything else that would lower his
morale. This bonus becomes a +1 die bonus if the Soldier is
within eyesight of his current commanding officer or team
leader.
Discount
The Soldier can get a discount on the cost of purchasing
weapons and armor, by letting the merchant know that theyre
helping refit a member of the army. They roll their Soldier
clich, and the TN they beat determines the discount of any
single weapon or piece of armor. This ability may be used only
on 1 item per game session.
TN 6 - Soldier pays 90% of cost
27
Barbarian
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
+3 to TN
Health TN
Normal
The Barbarian is not trained by a mentor or at an institution like

the army. His training comes for wild beasts, harsh terrain and
a heart filled with fury. Barbarian equipment usually includes
large clubs, massive swords and leather armor made from
skinned animals. The wild has made the Barbarians body
strong and hearty, although not as limber as a more
conventionally trained combatant.
Tough Gut
The Barbarian can ingest almost any food or drink without ill
effect. Deliberately poisoned food or drink will still affect him,
but the Barbarian can consume raw, rotten or diseased food
and drink with no problem, save for bad breath.
Excessive Force
Before making a combat roll, the Barbarian may choose to take
a die of damage in the Barbarian clich (which will be taken
after the combat roll, regardless of the outcome). If they
succeed at their next attack, their opponent loses two dice
instead of one.
Rage
The Barbarian may make a Barbarian clich roll before
pumping his clich. Depending on what TN he beats, the
pumped clich will stay pumped for additional turns. The
Barbarian cannot pump his clich again if it's still currently
pumped due to this ability.
TN 8 - Pumped clich stays pumped for 1 additional turn
TN 15 - Pumped clich stays pumped for 2 additional turns
TN 22 - Pumped clich stays pumped for 3 additional turns
Patch Up
The Barbarian may make his base Barbarian clich roll (rolling
as if the clich were undamaged) immediately following
combat. The chart below shows how many dice the Barbarian
can regain in his clichs. The Barbarians party must be
victorious in order to use this ability, and the Barbarian cannot
have been reduced to zero dice in any of his clichs.
TN 10 - 1 die in a clich
TN 15 - Up to 2 dice in clichs
+4 TN per additional 1 die healed
Smash
The Barbarian receives a +3 bonus on any Strength roll made
to break something. Whether with his bare hands, or with a
weapon of choice, the Barbarian applies this bonus to any
object that cant fight back.
28
Fencer
Strength TN
+3 to TN
Dexterity TN
Normal
Health TN
Normal
The Fencer is a high class combat clich. They are taught

honor, fairness, flair and respect for the art of combat. Many
high class individuals will have at least 1 die in this clich. The
Fencers combat skill comes from an almost acrobatic learning
of their weapon style (usually rapier, but can be applied to
sabers and other fencing foils). Brute force is rarely utilized in
the Fencers art.
Theatrics
The Fencer receives a +1 die bonus to all rolls involving the
Maneuvering list for Dexterity based clich rolls.
Scar
The Fencer makes a combat roll as normal. If they succeed
against their opponent, they may leave a scar on them instead
of dealing clich damage. This scar will last longer the more the
Fencer has beaten their opponents roll, and the GM may rule
that a high margin of success makes the scar permanent. If the
Fencer fails the roll, they take damage to their clich as normal
for losing a round of combat.
Taunt
The Fencer rolls their Fencer clich against a targets Willful
based clich. If the Fencer succeeds, the target must pump
their clich by at least 1 on the next round of combat. If the
Fencer fails, the target will be immune from taunt for the rest of
the combat.
Insult
The Fencer can do anything he wants with his free hand
(except activating magic cards) without penalty to his combat
rolls with Fencer. He may drink from a cup, read a letter, jingle
hex - anything that only requires one hand may be done while
fighting with the Fencer clich.
Double Strike
The Fencer attacks twice in quick succession. The Fencer rolls
twice, while his opponent only rolls once. If the Fencer beats
the opponents roll with each of his rolls, the opponent loses 2
dice in their clich. If the Fencer beats the opponents roll with
one of his rolls, but fails to beat the opponents roll with the
other roll, both the Fencer and his opponent lose a die in their
clich. If the Fencer fails to beat the opponents roll with both
rolls, the Fencer loses one die in their clich and may not
double strike against this opponent for the remainder of the
combat. Double Strike may only be used on the same enemy
twice, not on 2 different opponents.
29
Guard
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
+3 to TN
Health TN
Normal
Guards are used to watch over objects of value, act as

bodyguards to important people and to act as a police force for
the city. Guards are usually hired and trained by the army (for
policing) or by wealthy aristocrats and politicians (for more
specific tasks). Guards are trained to stick with their job at all
costs, for long periods of time. They are strong and well trained,
but standing around for long periods of time does nothing good
for their dexterity.
Resupply
The Guards employer will supply the Guard with his clich
equipment, so long as the cost of the weapon or armor does
not exceed 10 hex apiece. The employer will not pay for
Custom or Ornate weapons or armor.
Retribution
The Guard gets a +1 die bonus to their combat rolls against
someone who breaks or steals an item their guarding. For each
die of damage an opponent does against a person the Guard is
guarding, the Guard receives a cumulative +2 to their combat
roll against them.
Stoic
The Guard can stand in one place or escort one person for a
period of time without any need for breaks. At the start of their
shift, the Guard rolls a straight Guard clich roll - the TN they
beat determines how long they can go before needing a break.
TN 4 - One hour
TN 6 - Two hours
TN 10 - Four hours
TN 16 - Eight hours
TN 24 - Sixteen hours
Steadfast
Guards gain a +3 bonus to resist intimidation, torture or any
other tactic to get the Guard to leave what hes guarding, or to
distract him from his current task.
Summon Help
The Guard can give a shout that will draw other guards in the
area to the spot. The Guard roll his Guard clich - the TN they
beat determines how many guards (with a Guard clich equal
to one less than the Guard that called him) respond to his call.
Naturally this only works in an area where other guards are
likely to be around (say, in the middle of the city, not in the
middle of a dungeon).
TN 10 - One Guard
TN 14 - Two Guards
TN 18 - Three Guards
+5 TN for every additional guard
30
Mercenary
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
Normal
Health TN
+3 to TN
The Mercenary fights for money and his own desires, nothing
else. Honorless, brutish and violent, the Mercenary usually has
a preferred weapon he uses when doing his job. The life of the
Mercenary attracts those who are physically strong and good at
fighting, but also tends to attract those who have grown up in
areas that are either unhealthy, crime-ridden or both.
Friends in Low Places

Mercenaries have a lot of powerful friends of questionable
morals. Whenever the Mercenary is in jail, theres a chance that
one of his friends will break him out, or pay for his release. The
chance of this happening is related to the clich level of the
Mercenary.
Mercenary (1) - A roll of 6 on a d6
Mercenary (2) - A roll of 5 or more on a d6
Mercenary (6) - Someone always breaks the Mercenary out if
theyre jailed
Intimidation
The Mercenary rolls his Mercenary clich against the targets
Willful based clich. If the Mercenary succeeds, the target will
do whatever he thinks will make the Mercenary leave him
alone. If the Mercenary fails, the target will be unimpressed and
unhelpful.
Torture
The Mercenary must have the target bound or otherwise
helpless. He rolls his Mercenary clich against the targets
Health based clich. If he succeeds, the target takes a clich of
damage to their primary clich and does whatever the
Mercenary wants. If he fails, the target still takes a clich of
damage their primary clich, but does not submit. The
Mercenary can try again and again. Each attempt causes a
clich of damage and gives the Mercenary a cumulative +2 to
his roll, until his target submits or dies (occurring once they lose
all their dice in their primary clich).
Dirty Tactics
A Mercenary knows that the battle goes not always to the
strongest, but to whoevers the most ruthless bastard.
Whenever involved in a round of combat with an opponent
whos unmodified combat clich currently has more dice than
the Mercenarys, the Mercenary receives a +2 bonus to their
combat roll.
Hatred of Authority
Mercenaries receive a +2 bonus to combat rolls against
Soldiers, Guards and Paladins. The Mercenary must know that
the opponent is a Soldier, Guard or Paladin for this to be
effective.
31
Archer
Strength TN
+3 to TN
Dexterity TN
Normal
Health TN
Normal
Archers devote their combat skills to bows and crossbows.

Archers rarely need to look long for a group to join - their long
distance combat ability makes them perfect for dealing with far
off opponents and wary mages. While pulling a strong bow
string increases arm strength, the strength that Archers gain
from this is not very applicable to other tasks. The Archer is
better at hand-eye coordination and usually stays out of melee.
Trick Shot
The Archer can bounce a shot off of walls, floors and other
solid objects, making the shot much harder to defend against.
For every -3 penalty the Archer takes, their opponent takes a -1
die penalty to their combat roll against that shot (this wont
bring their roll below 1 die). If the Archer fails the combat roll,
they may not use trick shot on the same target again for the
remainder of the combat.
Aim
An Archer can skip up to 3 consecutive turns of combat to get
bonuses for aiming at a target. The Archer must be stationary,
and the target must remain in sight for the entire time. The
Archer needs to be protected too - if theyre attacked, they lose
any bonus from aiming. The bonuses stack for each previous
turn of aiming - if they aim for 2 turns, they get the bonus for
both 1 and 2 turns of aiming.
1 turn aiming: +2 to the next combat roll against the target
2 turns aiming: +1 die to the next combat roll against the target
3 turns aiming: 2 damage to the targets clich if combat roll
succeeds
Stick
The Archer can take a -1 die penalty to their roll to attempt to
not only damage an opponent, but to also get the arrow lodged
deep enough to cause further hindrance. If the Archer
succeeds in this roll, the opponent loses a die in their clich
and also takes a -1 pip penalty to all further combat rolls. This 1 pip penalty stays until the arrow is pulled out and the enemys
clich is healed back to full.
Slayer
The wooden shaft of an arrow that the Archer fires pierces the
heart of a vampire, killing it instantly. The Archer must spend at
least 2 turns using aim, and must use the Stick ability when
firing the shot. If they succeed in combat against a vampire with
this tactic, the vampire is instantly slain.
Double Shot
The Archer may shoot 2 different opponents at once. The
Archer rolls once for each opponent. If the Archer beats the
opponents rolls with each of his rolls, the opponents each lose
a die in their clich. If the Archer beats one opponents roll with
one of his rolls, but fails to beat the other opponents roll with
the other roll, both the Fencer and the opponent beat lose a die
in their clich. If the Archer fails to beat the opponents roll with
both rolls, the Fencer loses one die in their clich. Double shot
may only be used on 2 separate opponents, not twice on the
same enemy.
32
Assassin
Strength TN
+3 to TN
Dexterity TN
Normal
Health TN
Normal
Silent and deadly, the Assassin dispatches enemies through

stealth and cunning. All Assassins are tainted with the Dark,
even the few noble Assassins who take out enemies of the
Light. The Assassins training focuses completely on stealth,
patience and masterful skill with his weapons. An Assassin
should never be in a position where theyd have to overcome
an opponent with strength alone.
Combat Poison Making

The Assassin can make and use combat poisons. One dose
can be made per use of Combat Poison Making. The poison is
applied to a weapon that breaks the skin. The poison will last
until successfully used. When the Assassin makes a successful
combat roll against an opponent with a poisoned weapon, their
opponent must make a Health based clich roll (equal to the
roll to create the poison) or suffer the effects listed. The TN to
resist poison is equal to the Assassin's original roll to make the
poison.
TN 5 - a -1 penalty on the opponents next roll
TN 9 - a -1 penalty on the opponents rolls until end of combat
TN 14 - a -1 die penalty on the opponents rolls until end of
combat
TN 18 - a -1 pip penalty on the opponents rolls until end of
combat
+6 TN for each additional -1 pip penalty
Assassinate
The consummate skill of the Assassin, killing an enemy with
one strike. If they can catch an opponent completely by
surprise, the Assassin may attempt a straight Assassin versus
combat clich roll. If the Assassin wins, the target dies.
Otherwise, the Assassin takes a die of damage to their
Assassin clich, and normal combat starts.
Stealth
The Assassin rolls his clich. The result is the TN that an
opponent needs to roll on a Perceptive based clich roll to
notice his presence. The Assassin must be out of sight before
using this skill.
Ingested Poison Making

The Assassin can make and use ingested poisons. One dose
can be made per use of Ingested Poison Making. The poison is
put in the targets food or drink. After consuming the food or
drink, the target makes a Health based clich roll (equal to the
roll to create the poison) or suffer the effects listed. The TN to
resist poison is equal to the Assassin's original roll to make the
poison.
TN 12 - target suffers pain all throughout the day and is at -1 to
all rolls
TN 16 - target suffers delirium and hallucinations, taking -1 die
to all rolls all day
TN 18 - target immediately falls into a deep sleep for an hour
TN 20 - target dies
Always Alert
The Assassin can wake instantly from even the deepest sleep,
ready to fight or flee. Assassins suffer no penalties to any
activity they perform right after they wake up. The Assassin
may suffer penalties later on once they get out of immediate
danger, if they did not get enough sleep.
Tainted
All Assassins are tainted by the Dark. They count as Dark for a
Paladins combat bonus, and Detect Dark or Sense Evil spells
will reveal their taint as well. Even if the Assassin only kills
enemies of Light and in all other aspects is good and virtuous,
they still register as slightly tainted by the Dark.
33
Brawler
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
+3 to TN
Health TN
Normal
Brawlers learn that quick fists and feet can do just as well as
honest steel in a fight. Brawlers use their massive strength and
their endless stamina to pound a world of hurt into their
enemies. While not the most skilled or dexterous opponents,
Brawlers can hold their own just fine. They come from all walks
of life, from the fighting-to-survive slum dweller, to the bored
and idle aristocrats.
Take the Hit

Immediately after taking a die of damage to a clich, the
Brawler may try to see if his bodily bulk took the brunt of the hit.
The Brawler can only try this against blunt damage (clubs,
maces, staves, unarmed combat, other Brawlers). After a
combat roll against blunt damage has failed for the Brawler, he
may roll a single d6 and add the result to his failed roll. If his
adjusted roll now either ties or exceeds the opponents, neither
the Brawler nor his opponent takes damage for that round of
combat.
Always Ready
The Brawler has no specific clich equipment he needs to fight.
Brawlers never suffer the half-dice penalty of using this clich
without its equipment.
Drunken Rage
Brawlers are mean drunks. Instead of rolling on the Health
based clich Drinking list, a Brawler may make a Health based
clich roll on the following list:
Pummel
A Brawler gains a +1 bonus for attacking the same enemy he
damaged last turn in combat. This bonus will stack cumulatively
with itself for every round the Brawler continues to win combat
rolls. Once the Brawler fails a roll, or if he attacks a different
opponent, he loses the bonus and must start over.
Drinking Alcohol
1 drink - TN 4 - the Brawler gains a +1 to combat rolls until end
of combat
2 drinks - TN 8 - the Brawler gains a +2 to combat rolls until
end of combat
4 drinks - TN 12 - the Brawler gains a +1 die to combat rolls
until end of combat
8 drinks - TN 16 - the Brawler gains a +1 pip to combat rolls
until end of combat
16 or more drinks - TN 20 - the Brawler gains a +2 pip to
combat rolls until end of combat
Brutalize
Sometimes a Brawler gets into a battle just a little too much,
resorting to tactics that some would findunpleasant. If a
Brawler's combat roll is double or more than his opponents
combat roll, the Brawlers opponent loses 2 dice instead of 1. If
a Brawler's combat roll is triple or more than his opponents
combat roll, the Brawlers opponent loses 3 dice instead of 1.
The Brawler must either be in a fight while drinking, or get in a

fight immediately after drinking to use this ability.
34
Paladin
Strength TN
Normal
Dexterity TN
+3 to TN
Health TN
Normal
Champions of the Light, Paladins fight evil all across

Arcadomai. Paladins must conform to a strict code of honor,
and must never let their souls slip into the Grey or the Dark. If
they do, they lose their clich abilities until they atone and reattune their souls to the Light. Paladins are always strong,
imposing visions of Light. While their great armor and brilliant
weapons slow them down a little, no one doubts a Paladins
combat ability or devotion.
Leader of Men
When acting as Team Leader for a PC team, the Paladin
inspires courage and ability in the other members. Other team
members in a Paladin-led team may add their highest rolled
single die if they did not contribute any sixes.
Scourge of the Undead
Undead that are weaker that the Paladin can be instantly
destroyed. If the Paladin wins a combat roll against an undead,
and their Paladins clich is currently at least two dice higher
than the undeads combat clich, then the undead creature is
reduced to zero dice.
Darkbane
The Paladin receives a +2 bonus on any roll against anything
that is associated with the Dark, even if the Paladin is not
aware of the association.
Code of Honor
A Paladin must maintain their strict code of honor. No attacking
first, no ambushes, honor any surrender, no killing in anger, a
vow of chastity, no drinking to excess etc etc. Very minor acts
of transgression can be forgiven, but the Paladin must be
careful, lest their alignment shift to Grey. If the Paladin's
alignment shifts away from the Light, or they grossly violate
their code of honor, they lose all Paladin clich abilities, and
must do nothing but atone for a number of days equal to the
number of dice in their Paladin level. After this time, their
alignment will be back in the Light, and they regain all combat
abilities.
Noble Sacrifice
The Paladin may heal 2 dice of a targets clichs. In order to do
this, the Paladin must be in physical contact with the target, and
must sacrifice a die of damage in his Paladin clich. This
damage to the Paladins clich may not be healed until a
Paladin has had a full nights sleep.
Purity
The Paladin is immune to disease, poison and any form of mind
control. This ability extends to magical or supernatural poisons
and diseases. No form of Torture or Intimidation works against
them, and they cannot be Taunted.
35
Arcadomai - Skill Guide

What lies within
This chapter contains detailed abilities of the skill clichs found in the Arcadomai setting. While certainly not an extensive list of abilities
for each clich, every list here should be enough to give the GM and the Player a good knowledge of what the clich can do. Also present
in this supplement is a guide for being paid for your skill clich as well as descriptors of the various guilds for each skill clich, including
the requirements to become a member.
36
Keep in mind that the following items are things that one using
this clich would carry on their actual person. Other, larger
equipment may be kept at their home, unless specifically stated
by the player that the item is being taken with them.
Implied statistics
It can sometimes be difficult trying to figure what Skill clichs

have as their implied stats. Does a Thief have good Dexterity
because he can pickpocket, or does he have good Perception
because he can detect traps? Is a Peasant Strong because of
his hard work in the fields, or is he Healthy because of the
length of work he does? For the most part, the other descriptors
in the clich name will tell you exactly what theyre good at. A
Strong and Burly Peasant will naturally, be strong and burly. A
Hard Working (Even When the Weather is Horrible) Peasant
will have higher health and stamina. In the end, its up to the
GM to have the final call whether a skill clich embodies a
certain attribute, and to what degree. If you feel your clich is a
bit ambiguous, ask your GM what they consider your clichs
implied statistics are.
Politician - current codex of local laws, badge of office,

assorted forms and new law templates, simple pen and inkpot
Aristocrat - family history, family crest, simple coat of arms,
land deeds, accounting book, simple pen and inkpot
Thief - lock picks, climbing gear, ropes, disarming kits, small
bulls-eye lantern, printed appraising guide
Blacksmith - leather wraps (for weapon handles), scrap metal,
tongs, small bellows, portable forge and anvil
Merchant - small metal hammer (used in testing for illusionary
hex), scales, merchandise reports, financial reports, printed
appraising guide, simple pen and inkpot
Sailor - star charts, compass, portable sextant, assorted maps,
fresh water (in a water skin or metal container), dried jerky or
other non-perishable food
Bard - bards instrument of choice, maintenance kit for bards
instrument, sheet music, blank staff paper, simple pen and
inkpot
Teamster - teamsters whip, sugar cubes and other food
rewards for animals, hoof pick, spare horseshoe, a simple
saddle rolled up and worn like a backpack
Cook - small pots and pans, utensils, cookbook, assorted
spices, salt and pepper, portable stove, a simple store of nonperishable foods
Farmer - assorted seeds and buds, collapsible hoe and spade,
small harvesting sickle, weather almanac, water pot with fresh
water
Peasant - heavy gloves, back brace, small wheelbarrow or cart
(with straps letting the peasant wear the cart on their back), list
of potential employers, payment vouchers
Scribe - reasonably nice pen and inkpot, blank parchment,
scroll cases, a couple of famous and old books
Getting paid
If a character does nothing but work all day, hell get paid
depending on the quality of his work. This can represent a
days worth of simple work, like selling crops, minor thieving,
getting good returns on investments, etc. They spend a full 8
hours at their job, roll their skill clich and then get an amount
of hex at the end of the day as indicated by the chart below.
TN 4 - 1d6 hex
TN 7 - 2d6 hex
TN 10 - 3d6 hex
TN 14 - 4d6 hex
TN 19 - 6d6 hex
+5 TN for every additional +2d6 hex
Again, this is for a simple days work. If the character is trying to
heist something big, sell a large lot of land, or try to acquire any
major amount of hex, they need to role-play it out, and possibly
may even need to set aside a significant amount of the
adventure with the other PCs to do so.
Clich equipment
This is a list for each clich of what equipment they need to be
able to perform their clich normally. It costs around 10 to 15
hex to replace an entire skill clichs set of equipment. Single
items usually cost two or three hex each, but may cost more or
less at the GMs discretion. These costs assume the character
is using basic equipment - increase costs for personalized,
ornate or (of course) magical equipment, using the bonus
equipment costs in the core Arcadomai setting.
37
Merchants guild - The guild helps its members with shop

location, and is willing to help buy or sell any item at all that the
member legally comes across. A high ranking guild member
may even get help to move their shop to a more populated or
richer area.
Application requirement - The Merchant must own their own
shop and have good word of mouth from their customers.
Guilds
For each skill clich, there exists a guild that supports its
members and helps them out. The major guilds all originate in
Corlavi, but every city on Primeria (and even a good
percentage on Sunder) will have local guild chapters that the
PCs can visit. Getting into a guild can be simple or complex,
depending on the nature of the guild itself. If youre a member
of a guild, you can get your basic clich equipment for free
through them. A character may not start in a guild - to gain guild
membership you must first meet their requirements and then
gain membership through role-playing. Guild membership is not
required to use the clich abilities listed later.
Sailors guild - A Sailor in the guild may dock for free at any
guild sponsored port, and can find cheaper repairs and willing
crew much more easily. A more appropriate name would be the
Captains guild, as most average sailors lack a ship to call their
own.
Application requirement - The Sailor must own their own ship
and must have made complete voyages at least 10 times to
guild sponsored ports.
There are guilds devoted to the combat clichs as well, and the
colleges of the mage schools function similarly to the nonarcane guilds. Both the combat focused guilds and the mage
schools function more like training facilities, or act more as
simple social groups of members who like having a drink
together now and then.
Bards guild - This guild helps its members find venues to play
at and also helps those who are looking to start a whole band
to find other members. The guild can ensure that members get
proper attribution to music they create, and the guild leaders
handle disputes over creation rights to popular music.
Application requirement - The Bard must have played for an
audience of at least 100 and received a standing ovation.
Politicians guild - The Politicians guild is an elite group of the

citys local government. While any Politician will have a job and
duty in the city, a guild member will have more pull and better
access to legal documents than normal. A member of this guild
will also usually receive guild support on laws he writes or
supports, and gains a bit of leeway when involved in legal
problems themselves.
Application requirement - The Politician must have successfully
helped pass 3 laws in the area.
Teamsters guild - Members of this guild can replenish their

personal stock from the guilds stock, and gain discounts on
bulk feed. The Teamsters guild has a large presence (and a lot
of respect) in other cities, due to guild members bringing both
animals and supplies from the more wealthy cities to poorer
ones.
Application requirement - The Teamster must have transferred
at least 10 animals from one city to another, on 3 separate
occasions.
Aristocrats guild - This old boys club gives its members

access to better land deals and hard-to-get invitations to high
class parties and other social events. Women are eligible for
guild membership as well, but in general, while unfair, older
males tend to be accepted into the Aristocrats guild more often
than females or younger men.
Application requirement - A recital of the Aristocrats pedigree
at a formal function is needed, and the other members must
vote on their acceptance into guild as well.
Cooks guild - A member of this guild gets access to famous

and unique recipes and access to all sorts of rare and unusual
ingredients, at greatly reduced costs. Guild members are more
likely to belong to a high class family as opposed to running a
tavern or inn on their own.
Application requirement - The Cook must prepare a meal for
the senior guild members that they all consider excellent.
Thieves guild - This illegal guild helps its members plan out
complex jobs and shows them where they can find fences
throughout the area for their stolen goods. This guild has a
reputation for abandoning members who get arrested or into
other legal trouble.
Application requirement - The Thief must find the secretive
guild first. Then they must steal any object of great value (100
hex or more) and present it to the guild leaders as a gift.
Farmers guild - The guild member receives reduced costs on

bulk seed. The guild will purchase any excess crop that the
farmer hasnt sold by the end of the season.
Application requirement - The Farmer must personally own at
least 2 acres of land.
Peasants guild -The Peasants guild helps their members find
the best paying jobs for their personal skills, and also gives
them discounts on training in other skill clichs. The guild keeps
a supply of magical healing cards on hand as well, for long term
members whove been hurt on the job.
Application requirement - The Peasant must have helped build
or repair a significant government building.
Blacksmiths guild - Members of this guild gain access to the

guild forges, and may also buy and sell weapons and armor to
the guilds stock at better prices. They also get access to more
interesting clients, who have specified blacksmithing jobs that
tend to be more profitable.
Application requirement - The Blacksmith must own their own
forge and they must have worked on a weapon or suit of armor
for a prestigious person.
38
Scribes guild - A member of this guild gains access to any

written account they desire. Forbidden magical tomes, criminal
records and ancient and unique texts are all available to them.
While some documents may take a while to physically get to
the scribes hands, a Scribe has the legal right to request any
document they wish.
Application requirement - The Scribe must have worked as a
scribe for 20 years.
This guild is paid to take on jobs directly from the Council and
to take on odd jobs that other guilds feel are too trivial or too
out-of-the-ordinary to deal with themselves. The Adventurers
guild has a reputation for being a dangerous guild to join, since
the jobs they take on tend to be those that no one else wants
anything to do with. While its very profitable to be a member,
the dangers associated with the guilds workload tend to whittle
away at the group until the Council is forced to dissolve the
guild again. Locals tend to steer clear of any area with an old
building bearing the Adventurers guild sign, whether currently
occupied by guild members or not.
A special note on the Adventurers guild - From time to time,

the city of Corlavi will repurpose an old building, hire a band of
hearty adventurers and open an official Adventurers guild.
Skill clich abilities
Each skill-focused clich has several abilities listed here that allow a player to affect the story in various ways, usually outside of combat.
A character gains access to all the listed abilities, even if they just have 1 die in the clich. The following abilities are optional rules - a GM
may decide to disallow use of any ability if it becomes too powerful, or may choose to not use these abilities all together.
39
Taxes
A Politician may attempt to raise or lower taxes for any specific
condition. This condition could be having a certain clich,
number of children, land owned - anything the Politician sees
fit. The Politician rolls their Politician clich against the average
Politician clich roll of those against them. The degree of
success determines the change in taxation.
Politician
The Politicians job is to make sure that the legal and

bureaucratic workings of the area are all fair and just. They
write laws, adjust taxes, and vote on issues that affect the
people of a city or town. They have a measure of control over
wide areas of heavy populated lands - for smaller, less
populated areas, laws and taxes are usually left to the local
Aristocrats.
Search
The Politician may demand a search of almost any building in
his area. The Politician must give proper reason for any item
taken from the building. A Politician cannot call for a search of a
building owned by someone who has a Politician or Aristocrat
clich that is higher than their own Politician clich.
Push/Impede Law
The Politician may attempt to push a law into becoming official,
or impede a suggested law from becoming official for a while.
The Politician rolls their Politician clich against the average
Politician clich roll of those against him. The degree of
success determines how much faster (or slower) the law
becomes official. The Politician may also use this ability to push
a law that they created themselves.
Commission
The Politician can have a building either built to his
specifications or torn down. The Politician rolls his Politician
clich - the higher the number he rolls, the faster the building is
raised or destroyed. This act will always create public opinion;
whether good or bad depends on the nature of the building built
or destroyed.
Lengthen/Shorten Sentence
The Politician may lengthen or shorten a jailed criminals
sentence. The Politician rolls their Politician clich against a TN
of 10, adjusted up or down depending on the severity of the
criminals offenses. The degree of success determines how
much longer (or shorter) the criminals sentence will be.
Conscription
The Politician may force a number of people into the local
army. The Politician rolls his Politician clich - the number he
rolls is equal to the percent of the population than he may force
to join the army. The Politician may choose to conscript any
percentage under his roll if they choose. If the Politician
decides takes more than 5 percent, his public opinion will go
down.
Arrest
A Politician can call for the arrest of almost any citizen in his
area. Of course, if that citizen is later found innocent, the
Politician loses respect, and may even get into legal trouble
himself. A Politician cannot call for an arrest of someone who
has a Politician or Aristocrat clich that is higher than their own
Politician clich.
40
Immunity
The Aristocrat can use his high class standing to avoid
punishment for breaking some laws in different locales. The
Aristocrat rolls their Aristocrat clich, the TN determined by the
nature of the law broken. If the Aristocrat succeeds in the roll,
they are not punished for their minor transgression.
Aristocrat
The Aristocrat is the ruler of a small locale, usually a town or

small kingdom. While having to obey the political laws of the
local area, the Aristocrat may make additional laws and enforce
taxes of his own area at their whim. Aristocrats usually come
from within the same family, although there are places where
succession is chosen in other ways. Areas without an official
local government take their laws from the local Aristocrats.
Execute
The Aristocrat may demand the execution of anyone under his
rule. This may be welcomed with cheers from the crowd (if the
executed was a well-known criminal) to outright revolt (if the
executed was a well-known local hero). If this is used to often,
the people may revolt even if only criminals are being executed
- after all, no one likes living in an area with a high death toll.
Succession
The Aristocrat may choose who will rule his area after him. This
is usually done by direct inheritance by an heir, but the
Aristocrat may change this to any system he sees fit. Common
alternative ways include popular vote, hiring a local politician, or
even gladiatorial combat. Whatever the Aristocrat chooses may
be seen as unfair, but may not be challenged unless the
challenger both has a higher Aristocrat clich than the offender,
and has a more legitimate claim to the area.
Festival
The Aristocrat may throw a grand festival for his people. The
festival lasts all day, at the end of which, the publics opinion of
the Aristocrat improves. The GM determines how much public
opinion improves by, based on money spent, attractions and
activities that are prepared for the people.
Taxation
The Aristocrat may choose whatever taxes they feel fit for their
area. If they are too high, the local populace may revolt and
attempt to overthrow the Aristocrat. If the taxes are too low, the
Aristocrat will be short on money when working on public
projects. A good balance will keep enough money to please the
public without angering them over unfair taxation.
Command
This lets the Aristocrat send whoever they want into battle. So
long as he's conservative with how many people he sends off,
the populace will be mostly ok with it. In times of great need,
however, he could choose to mobilize the entire populace
towards war (of course, after the war, he may not have a
populace willing to follow him anymore).
Family Friend
The Aristocrat is familiar with other Aristocrats in the area. They
may roll their Aristocrat clich whenever they meet another
Aristocrat; the higher the roll, the more that the Aristocrat
knows about the other one. This does not affect how one
Aristocrat feels about the other, but can be used to get
information that might be used to improve relations.
41
Hide
The Thief may attempt to find a quick hiding place. So long as
no one is directly observing him, he may make a Thief roll. The
result of that roll is the TN anyone has to beat with a Perception
based clich roll to find him.
Thief
The thief makes his living by stealing. Whatever is not his, he

can make his, and either use it himself or sell it for hex.
Different areas can have varied laws against thieving, anything
from simple reimbursement of stolen goods to outright
execution. The life of a Thief may be dangerous, but its a good
way to make fast money and have a good time as well.
Fence
The Thief may attempt to sell stolen goods. The Thief makes a
Thief clich roll. The higher the result on that roll, the faster the
Thief can find a local fence. The higher the result also helps to
find a more trustworthy fence than normal. A low roll may result
in the Thief trying to sell to an undercover guard or to someone
who has a personal agenda against them.
Pickpocket
The Thief rolls his Thief clich against the targets Perception
based clich. If the Thief loses, the target notices the
pickpocket attempt and will likely react quite badly. If the Thief
succeeds, he takes some hex or a small object from the
person. The more that the Thief beats their target by, the more
theyre able to steal.
Burglary
The Thief can plan a major burglary at a location. Every day
that the Thief spends planning (up to 5) reduces the TN of all
Thief rolls by 1 and increases the amount of wealth the Thief
finds by ten percent.
Open Lock
The Thief may attempt to open a lock without a key by making
a Thief clich roll. The TN for this attempt varies with the lock.
A simple home lock is around TN 4 to 6, while a lock for an
Aristocrats treasure room can get up to TN 22 to 24. In
general, locks keeping important things reasonably safe are
around TN 10 to 14. The thief may not attempt this without their
clich equipment, or a really clever description of using
improvised equipment.
Quick Appraise
The Thief can spot the most valuable object in the room at a
glance. The TN varies depending on how many objects are in
the room, and how similar those objects are to each other. The
Thief may keep making this roll, to get the next valuable item,
and the next valuable item after that, and so on and so on. This
will not let the Thief know the exact cost of an item, simply
whats worth the most.
Detect/Disable Trap
The Thief can detect and disable traps with a Thief roll. Trap
TNs (like lock TNs) vary greatly, and trap effects can be
anything from a simple alarm to a deadly end for the Thief. The
Thief makes a roll to detect a trap first, and then to disable the
trap. The thief may retry on the disable roll, but if they miss the
detect roll, they set off the trap. A Thief can state that theyre
checking for traps passively while doing other activities in an
area - in this case, the GM rolls for the Thief for any trap, but
all detection TNs are increased by 5.
42
Decorate
The Blacksmith can make ornate equipment. They must spend
the day with the equipment in question, making small
engravings and etchings, adding gold or silver inlay and other
aesthetic additions. At the end of the day, the equipment is now
considered ornate equipment.
Blacksmith
The Blacksmiths job is to make arms and armor for the local
citizens and army. The Blacksmith can make anything else out
of metal and wood if needs be, thus making him a makeshift
carpenter and builder as well. The Blacksmith may work for the
city, supplying soldiers and guards directly, or he may own his
own forge and shop, selling to anyone who has the hex to pay.
Misshape
The Blacksmith knows how weapons and armor are put
together, and can bend them to uselessness. In combat, the
Blacksmith can take a -1 die penalty to their combat roll. If they
beat their opponent in the roll, the opponents weapon or armor
is bent baldy, giving them a cumulative -2 to their combat rolls
until fixed. The opponent also loses a die in their clich as
normal.
Craft Arms and Armor

The Blacksmith makes a quantity of weapons and/or suits of
armor. This takes the Blacksmiths full day of work. At the end
of the day, they roll their Blacksmith clich. They make
weapons and armor with a total hex value (or add to the hex
value of a more expensive ongoing project) equal to the result
of their Blacksmith clich roll.
Fix
The Blacksmith may fix a weapon or a piece of armor with his
portable forge. The TN varies from a scuffed piece of armor or
a nicked blade (TN 4 or 5), to a broken sword or armor thats
been split apart (TN 16 to 20). The process of fixing a weapon
or piece of armor takes 3 minutes multiplied by the TN of the
task.
Jewelry
The Blacksmith can make small necklaces, rings, bracelets and
earrings with embedded gemstones. The Blacksmith pays for
the raw materials and makes a Blacksmith clich roll. After a
day of work, the jewelry gains value equal to the result of the
original roll. Further value can be added each day by working
and making more Blacksmith rolls, up to double the value of the
original materials.
Customize
The Blacksmith can make custom equipment for someone.
They must spend the day with the person who they're making
the equipment for, studying how they use the equipment, how
they hold it, all the while making small adjustments to grips and
weight distribution. At the end of the day, the equipment is now
custom equipment for the person the Blacksmith is making it
for.
Friend of Fire
The time spent in the forge makes the Blacksmith more tolerant
against heat and flames. He gains a +3 bonus on any roll to
resist flame or fire magic. This bonus only applies if the
Blacksmith is aware that they are about to be attacked by fire;
otherwise, they are caught by surprise and do not gain the
bonus.
43
Appraise
The Merchant studies an object for 3 rounds and makes a
Merchant clich roll. If they succeed, they learn the exact price
of the object. The TN that the merchant must beat will vary
depending on the age of the item, how common the item is, and
whether or not the item is magically enchanted.
Merchant
The Merchant makes their living by buying and selling

merchandise in a shop. Merchants do all sorts of interesting
business, from the simple food stall vendor, to those who deal
in rare materials or objects. A Merchant can buy and sell pretty
much anything - in Arcadomai, theres always a buyer for what
you have on hand.
Barter
The Merchant does not need hex to make purchases. The
Merchant may trade goods of equal value to obtain anything
they need. If the Merchants goods are of the same type that
the person theyre trading to sells, the Merchant needs only 90
percent of the value in order to get what he needs.
Buy Low
When buying anything, the Merchant may roll his Merchant
clich. The result of the roll is how many hex cheaper the
Merchant gets the item for, without the seller feeling cheated.
This may not bring an items cost below half its original price,
and has no effect on items that only cost one hex.
Acquire
The Merchant can find rare items to sell in his shop. The item
must cost at least 250 hex, and the Merchant must spend one
week tracking it down. At the end of the week, the Merchant
pays its exact cost and receives the item. When using Sell High
on an item acquired with this skill, the Merchant may raise the
price by 3 times his Merchant roll result.
Sell High
When selling anything, the Merchant may roll his Merchant
clich. The result of the roll is how much more hex the
Merchant can charge for the item, without the buyer feeling
cheated. This may not bring an items cost above one and a
half times its original price, and has no effect on items that only
cost one hex.
Scrounge
In times of need, the Merchant can sell off normally worthless
personal items for a bit of hex. The Merchant rolls their
Merchant clich. They gain an amount of hex equal to the result
of the roll. This ability may only be done when the Merchant
has no hex, and may not be used more than once a week.
Trade
The Merchant always has a ton of merchandise available at
their disposal. Whenever theyre in their shop, they made trade
one item for another of equal or lesser value, so long as the
item traded is of the same type as the item traded for (weapon
for weapon, tool for tool, food for food, etc).
44
The Sailor is master of the seas. A Sailor can steer a boat of

any size, work with a crew to keep a ship running, and knows
which port towns are easy to get to from other port towns. The
Sailor makes his living transporting cargo and taking on
passengers. On rare occasions, the Sailor may be drafted by
the army when marine warfare is needed.
Red Sky at Night

The Sailor can predict general weather conditions for the next
few days. The higher the roll means the Sailor can predict
further in the future than normal, and get more detailed
information. This skill does not take into account magical
meddling, and does not work when within 5 miles of the Cicatrix
main continent (although this ability still works fine on Cicatrix's
surrounding islands).
Sailing
The Sailors main ability is to pilot a boat. The TN they must
beat for a successful voyage depends on ship size, distance
traveled, weather conditions, amount of crew on hand etc. In
general, medium sized ships are easiest to sail, shorter
distances are easier, having more crew is easier, and clear,
slightly windy weather is easier.
Swimmer
The Sailor has a knack for swimming, usually from being
tossed overboard accidentally and possibly frequently earlier in
their career. When making a roll involving swimming or holding
their breath, a Sailor may reroll any 1s they get. They may
continue rolling 1s until all dice show a 2 or higher.
Sailor
Swashbuckler
A Sailor fights a little bit better when they have their crew at
their back. Whenever the Sailor is on a ship, a dock or in a
tavern (and the Sailor is within eyesight of other Sailors on their
crew) they gain a +1 bonus to their combat clich rolls. This +1
bonus disappears if the Sailor has taken enough clich damage
to take them to half their normal dice or less in the combat
clich they're using.
Sea Legs
Time spent on the rolling waters has made the Sailor better
able to keep his footing. He gains a +3 bonus to any Dexterity
based clich roll when trying to keep his footing on unstable
ground. This ability may be used for anything from old shaky
floors to full-blown earthquakes.
Bad Diet
Weeks on end on a boat with nothing to eat but salted and
dried meat gives the Sailor a hard-working gut. So long as
something isn't actually poisonous, a Sailor can eat pretty much
anything without ill effect. Stale food, rotten fruit and even
leather made for armor can be eaten by a hungry Sailor.
Well-Traveled
The Sailor picks a number of port towns equal to his Sailor
clich level. These are considered favored port towns that have
been frequently visited in their career. Whenever a Sailor is
docked at one of these favored port towns, they receive free
room and board. They also receive a free replacement for any
of their clich equipment if needed, so long as its basic, nonmagical equipment.
45
Bard
Eavesdrop
The Bard can listen to a conversation while still playing his
music. The Bard makes a Bard clich roll versus the targets'
Perception based clich rolls. If the Bard wins, he can hear the
entire conversation without being suspected at all of
eavesdropping. If the targets win, they know the bard is
listening to them.
Perform
The Bard plays a piece of music for a group of people. The
Bard rolls their Bard clich against the crowds TN. The TN is
determined by the general mood and musical tastes of the
crowd, and the appropriateness of the song. If the Bard beats
the TN, the crowd truly enjoys the performance and becomes
friendlier and more helpful to the Bard in general.
Practice
The Bard may spend a whole day in solitude practicing a
specific song. The next time that the Bard uses either the
Inspire or Dishearten ability, the bonus is increased to +2, or
the penalty is increased to -2. The Bard must choose either the
Inspire or the Dishearten ability modification when practicing.
After this performance, the Bard is too familiar with the song to
play it with the original passion that increased the bonus or
penalty.
The Bard plays their instrument of choice for money, fame and
respect. Most bards also sing while they play. Their music can
have quite an effect on the people around them as well.
Whether jovial and uplifting, or dour and depressing, the Bards
music has power to stir emotion and subtly sway opinions of all
who listen.
Inspire
The Bard inspires his allies with his music. All of his allies get a
+1 to the total of all their rolls as long as the Bard plays. The
Bard cannot take any other action while playing. If the Bard is
attacked directly, they may choose to keep playing and take an
automatic die of damage in their primary clich, or they may
stop playing and engage in combat like normal.
Known
The Bard is a famous person in his local area. Whenever
meeting someone of importance, there is a cumulative 1 in 6
chance (equal to the Bards level in their Bard clich) that the
person has heard favorably of the Bard. Thus, a Bard (4) would
have a 4 in 6 chance of being recognized by an important
person in his home area.
Dishearten
The Bard disheartens his enemies with his music. All of his
enemies get a -1 to the total of all their rolls as long as the Bard
plays. The Bard cannot take any other action while playing. The
Bard may react to attacks the same way he reacts to attacks
with the Inspire skill.
Compose
This allows the Bard to compose a completely original song.
This may be given to other Bards to perform publicly, or may be
kept by the composer to use for themselves. The Compose
ability has no game effect other that spreading the Bards
popularity and getting him renown from the music community.
46
Groom Animal
The Teamster spends a day grooming and pampering an
animal. For a number of days equal to the groomer's Teamster
clich, that animal receives a +2 bonus on all rolls it makes
when obeying commands of the Teamster, and a +1 bonus
when obeying commands from others that the animal finds
friendly.
Teamster
The Teamsters job is to raise and take care of livestock. The

livestock may be used for food, for helping to plow fields, for
use as mounts or even as pets for people. Most Teamsters
have an area outside of the main city or town where they can
raise and train their animals away from the bustle of human
activity, and many Teamsters choose to live outside the city
themselves, to have easier access to their herds.
Tough
Working with ornery and dangerous animals (like horses, mules
and other large animals) leaves a Teamster tough and strong.
Arm wrestling and other contests of strength are easier for the
Teamster. They receive a +3 bonus to any contest that focuses
on brute strength.
Raise Animal
So long as the Teamster works with an animal one-on-one at
least 30 minutes a day from the animals birth, that animal will
grow up to be comfortable around humans and trainable. Exotic
and intelligent animals may require more time per day.
Creatures from Cicatrix are not affected by the Teamsters
attempts to train them.
Animal Friend
Wild animals tend to leave the Teamster alone. Unless
provoked or threatened directly, any wild animals will be
moderately wary of the Teamster, leaving the Teamster and his
friends alone. If someone in the group threatens the animal or
its young, it will attack like normal. This ability has no effect on
creatures from Cicatrix.
Domesticate Animal
This allows the Teamster to domesticate a wild animal. The
animal must first be confined to captivity. A contest of the
Teamster's clich versus the animals strongest clich is rolled.
If the Teamster wins, the animal can be domesticated in a
number of days equal to the animals total clich levels. If the
Teamster fails, they can try again after a week passes.
Domestication takes 30 minutes of one-on-one interaction per
day.
Brand
Each Teamster has their own brand that they mark their
animals with. Each brand is unique; a Teamster will know who
an animal belongs to if it has a brand. Taking an animal that
belongs to another Teamster is almost always a punishable
offense. Animals can be re-branded when sold, by using the
Cleric clich to heal the original branding.
Train Animal
The Teamster can train an animal to do one specific task when
commanded (attack, pull, follow closely etc). This can only be
done with an animal that has been trained with the Raise
Animal or Domesticate Animal ability. This takes 1 full day of
work to train the animal. An animal can know a number of
commands equal to the Teamsters level in their Teamster
clich.
47
Cook
Detect Poison
A good Cook knows when things have been tampered with.
The Cook rolls his Cook clich when testing a suspect meal.
The TN to detect poison is the result of the poison making roll
made by the original poisoner (details under the Assassin
clich in the Warrior Creeds chapter). If the Cook succeeds,
hell know that the food or drink is poisoned, and how deadly
the poison is.
Cook
The Cooks most obvious skill, this allows a Cook to prepare a
pleasant meal for his guests. The TN that the cook must beat
with his clich roll is adjusted by the mood of the patrons, as
well as how esoteric their tastes are in food. A success means
everyone enjoys the meal while failure indicates that they're not
impressed and probably wont tip well. While the word cook
implies heat, this skill covers all forms of food preparation,
including salads and other non-heated foods.
Hearty Buffet
The Cook can create a truly filling and energizing buffet.
Everyone who eats from this buffet gains a +2 to extended
manual labor for the rest of the day. This only applies to
repetitive tasks like farming a field, building a house, etc. This
meal has no effect on a persons combat ability. The buffet
takes 3 hours to prepare, but a high clich roll by the Cook will
cut time off of preparing the meal.
The Cooks job seems simple enough, but there are enough
recipes and variations to make it a truly interesting skill.
Everything from slaughtering the cow to garnishing a steak is
covered by this skill. A good enough Cook who trains hard
enough may one day even find himself as a well-paid personal
chef to a wealthy Politician or Aristocrat, but even an average
Cook can make a happy living owning a tavern or restaurant.
Trail Rations
The Cook can condense a few meals into a small, dense chunk
of food. While not tasty, this half pound chunk of foodstuff is
enough to feed a person for an entire day. It takes a half hour
to prepare a Trail Ration. Foodstuff made with this skill will stay
fresh and edible for a number of months equal to the Cooks
clich level.
Distill
The Cook can make an alcoholic beverage. The Cook rolls his
Cook clich. The higher the number that they roll is how high of
concentration and the general quality of the brewed drink.
Extremely low rolls (less than TN7) can result in drinks that are
almost undrinkable, if not actually poisonous. The Cook may
use this skill to make non-alcoholic drinks as well - the clich
roll will determine quality alone on non-alcoholic drinks.
Minimalist Cooking
The Cook can make a meal even when in the deepest
wilderness. The Cooks knowledge of plant and animal life will
let him identify which ingredients are poisonous and which ones
are not. This ability has no use on Cicatrix, where there are not
plants to speak of, and the wildlifes meat is all extremely
poisonous.
Prepare Tobacco
The Cook knows how to gather and prepare certain plants to
make smoking tobacco. The Cook rolls his Cook clich, with
higher rolls yielding higher quality tobacco. The Cook can even
make mind-altering or otherwise intoxicating mixtures. Tobacco
with this quality usually has the same effects on the smoker as
alcoholic consumption, although the Cook can specify any
specific effects they wish.
48
Harvest
The Farmer gathers the crops that hes grown. This takes a
whole day of work. The quality and quantity of the crops is
determined by the Nurture rolls. The amount of hex gained for
selling the crops should be determined by how well they were
nurtured, but GMs should keep in mind that a Farmers
payment needs to last them the whole year.
Farmer
The Farmer grows crops, gathers eggs and milk and otherwise
supports their local area with food. They usually sell directly to
the local government, who then distributes the food to area
merchants. Most Farmers have an area outside of the main city
or town where they can grow crops away from the bustle of
human activity, and like Teamsters, many Farmers prefer to live
outside of the city to be close to their crops.
Renew
After the Farmer uses Harvest, he may choose to keep the
same crops planted. This allows the Farmer to skip the Plant
phase of growing crops, as the already planted crops will grow
at the start of the next season. Most Farmers keep the same
crops, if only to get an extra day off in the future.
Cultivate Land
This ability lets the Farmer prepare areas of land for growing
crops. The Farmer spends a day with the land. At the end of
the day, he gains a number of separate land plots equal to the
number of dice in his Farmer clich. If the Farmer uses
Teamster led animals or strong Geomancy (at least 3 dice) he
gains one extra plot in addition to his normal plots.
Weather Sense
The Farmer has an innate ability to know when the weather will
be the best for planting. He knows which conditions require
extra care for his crops and which conditions he can basically
leave his crops alone. The Farmer can predict temperature and
precipitation for a number of days equal to his clich level in
Farmer, with reasonable accuracy.
Plant
The Farmer plants crops in his cultivated plots of land. The
Farmer may choose a different crop for each different plot of
land. Crops are generally planted late spring or early summer,
and are available for harvest in mid fall. Some crops may have
different schedules - any unusual crop schedules should be
worked out with the GM beforehand.
Livestock Farming
This allows the Farmer to gather eggs, milk and meat from his
stores of livestock. The Farmer rolls his Farmer clich and
spends a day gathering eggs, milking cows, and choosing
which animals to send to slaughter. Higher results on this roll
give the Farmer a higher quantity and quality of goods.
Nurture
The Farmer waters and fertilizes his crops on a regular basis.
After planting, the Farmer makes a single Farmer clich roll for
each plot of land which is growing crops. High roll results will
yield higher quantity and better quality crops. Low roll results
will result in low quantities and poor quality or stunted crops.
49
Mob
When Peasants group together to become Grunt Squads, the
squads clich (Mob of Angry Peasants) is considered a combat
clich. The number of Peasants required for levels in the mob
clich are as follows: Mob(1) = 3 Peasants, Mob(2) = 6
Peasants, Mob(3) = 15 Peasants, Mob(4) = 45 Peasants,
Mob(5) = 100 Peasants, Mob(6) = 200 Peasants, +1 to mob
clich for each doubling of number of Peasants.
Peasant
The Peasant does manual labor for whoever needs it. They
help build buildings, they help Farmers cultivate land, they lay
brick roads, make basic repairs on shipspretty much anything
that requires repetitive, simple manual labor. While they tend to
be on the poor side, Peasants stick together and help each
other out when needed.
Jack of All Trades
The Peasant does a lot of different types of work in their
careers. They are called upon for so many different types of
work, that they are familiar with the basics of any job. When
doing a type of work that is only implied by their Peasant clich,
the TN is increased by 3 instead of 5.
Keep Your Head Down

Peasants can keep their focus on their job and stay out of the
way of dangerous happenings. Whenever combat is happening
around them that does not directly involve them, they are
always out of the way of stray danger (misfired arrows,
wayward fireballs, etc). This ability does not work if the combat
focuses directly on the Peasants themselves.
Promotion
At the end of any gaming session, the Peasant may choose to
trade his Peasant clich in for any other skill clich at the same
level (except for Politician or Aristocrat). Once this change has
been made, the character may not revert back to Peasant - the
new skill clich requires too much focus for the character.
Endurance
The Peasant is used to working long hours with little time for
breaks. Whenever making a Health based clich roll to test the
Peasants endurance, the Peasant receives a +3 to the results
of this roll. This ability does not work in combat or any other
situation where the Peasant is in obvious danger.
Motivated
A Peasant currently working under the command of a high
class Aristocrat or Politician receives a bonus on all rolls
associated with their assigned task. This bonus is a + (number)
bonus, where the number is equal to half the number of dice
thats in the Aristocrats or Politicians clich, rounded down.
Thrifty
The Peasant knows the places and people to talk with to get
lower prices when buying basic needs. The Peasant only pays
50 percent of the cost for any basic food, boarding or clothing.
This ability does not affect weapons or armor, fancy food or
boarding, or any clich specific or ornate clothing.
50
Forge
The Scribe can forge a signature or handwriting style of
someone whose handwriting the Scribe has studied. The
Scribe rolls their Scribe clich. The result of this roll is the TN
that someone must beat on a Perceptive based clich roll to
notice that the document or signature is a forgery.
Scribe
The Scribe is tasked with writing down important oratory,

copying important documents and translating any surviving
ancient scripts. They fill schools with textbooks, libraries with
reference materials and even governments with official forms
and written decrees. Wealthy shopkeepers may even hire a
Scribe to make their signs and leaflets extra fancy, to help draw
the attention of potential customers.
Translate
While the whole world of Arcadomai uses the same language
now, ages ago there were multiple languages all across the
different lands and races. This ability allows the Scribe to
understand any written piece of ancient language. The TN is
determined by the complexity of both the language and the
content of the message.
Notate
The Scribe can write down what someone is saying at the
same speed as the speaker is speaking. The Scribe rolls their
Scribe clich. Higher rolls mean that not only is the notation
accurate, but that it also looks nice and is well written. Lower
rolls produce inaccurate texts written in hastily scribbled
handwriting.
Read Card
The time that Scribes spend studying writing gives them the
ability to recognize all sorts of written runes and symbols. The
Scribe can read and understand any magic card they find,
without having to have any dice in magical clichs. The Scribe
may also draw a magic card, but that card will have no ability
until given power by an appropriate mage.
Copy
The Scribe copies a written piece to new parchment or paper.
The amount of time it takes depends on the size of the original
text and the complexity of the texts contents. The Scribe rolls
their Scribe clich - higher rolls produce more accurate copies,
while lower rolls tends to create copies with the Scribes
personal writing style noticeable to the trained eye.
Encrypt
The Scribe can write a message in code. He may teach this
code to anyone he wants to be able to read it. Those who learn
the code may also write messages in it, but may not come up
with new codes on their own unless they too are a Scribe. The
code can be deciphered by an outside party only if they can
beat the encoded message in a contest of their Scribe clich
versus the code writer's Scribe clich.
Notary
The Scribe has legal rights to notarize certain documents and
make them official. They may notarize weddings, sales,
contracts, work orders, pedigrees and all other documents that
a normal citizen may need. The document must also be signed
off by someone with the authority over the type of document
notarized - therefore, the Scribe cant simply write himself
military requisition forms and notarize them.
51
Arcadomai - Spell Compendium

What lies within
This chapter contains descriptions of each magic clich, as well as spell lists for all magic clichs found in the Arcadomai setting. While
certainly not an extensive list of every single spell for each clich, the lists here give the GM and the player a range of spells to use at all
clich levels, and as something to compare spells created by the GM or player.
52
Clich layout
Each clichs abilities are listed in the following format
Trying again
In general, if a player misses the TN and fails to cast the spell,
they may try again once the party has moved on to a new
encounter or combat. The GM may allow multiple attempts if
the PCs are in a relatively restful area, or the encounter or
combat takes place over a long period of time. Direct combat
spells may always be cast repeatedly at no penalty.
Clich name - The name of the clich used for the spells.
Description - Following the name of the clich is a description
of what powers and abilities are available to a mage of that
school of magic.
Combat - A brief description of spell effects when engaged in
direct clich to clich combat, for each level of the mages
clich. These are simply meant for added description, and have
no impact on combat itself. This section only applies to the few
magic clichs that have a direct combat effect - other clichs
can be used in combat to aid or hinder, but only clichs with
direct combat effects can engage in actual direct combat.
Level (x) - This is the header for the spells of each clich level.
The level of each spell is the optimal clich level a character
should have before trying to cast the spell. Higher level spells
may be attempted by the character with no penalty, although
the TNs for these spells may be outside the mage's reach.
Spell name - TN - Description - This is the spell name,
followed by the TN you must beat to cast the spell successfully,
followed by the game effects of the spell. Failing to cast a spell
rarely means that nothing happens - usually a weakened
version of the spell will be cast, or failing that, visual and/or
audible effects will occur, making the attempt to cast a spell
obvious.
Resisted spells
A lot of spells allow the target to resist or avoid the spell's
effects. The TN to resist/avoid/throw-off spell effects is equal to
the mage's clich roll result when they cast the spell.
A note on magic cards
From the core rules, a magic card is used by someone to act
like a mage of a certain clich level to do a specific single spell,
for one turn.
Magic cards can be made to let the user have the combat
ability at the card's clich level for one turn. The clich of magic
must be one of the clichs that have combat ability of course,
but other than that, the user can use 1 magical attack at the
card's clich level. If they fail, they lose a die in a clich of their
choice.
Magic cards can also hold specific spells listed in this
supplement, or even specific spells created by the GM and
player. When created, the mage picks the spell and sets the
clich level on the card. A card can be made at any clich level
in relation to the specific spell on the card. To use a noncombat card, the user rolls to activate the spell as normal for a
mage of the card's clich level, and the target (if there is one)
rolls to resist as normal. If the user fails on using a card that's
not directly combat related, then they do not lose a die in a
clich - the spell simply fails to overcome someone's
resistance, or it doesn't work to its full potential.
Spell lengths
Unless otherwise noted, spells last until the end of the
encounter or until the end of combat. An 'encounter' is defined
as a single event where the PCs are in the same location
working towards the same immediate goal (the separate rooms
in a dungeon, meeting someone on the way to another city,
hanging out one evening at the bar, etc). If there's any
question, the GM has say when an encounter is technically
over.
Magic clich abilities
The descriptors and spell lists are specific to each magic clich. In Arcadomai, magic is a very specialized and focused field of study.
There are no generic Sorcerer, Wizard or Archmage clichs, nor is there any set of spells that are available to all magic using clichs.
When you study a school of magic, you are devoting your magical talents to that school's abilities. The only way to use magic outside
your school is to invest financially in magic cards, or to invest time and effort (and character dice) in another school of magic.
53
Level 4
Immolate - TN 13 - Sets ablaze any flammable object (paper,
worn clothes, held magic cards, etc). If an object is worn or held
by a person, they can spend their next turn making a Dexterity
based roll to put out the flames before the object is permanently
damaged.
Halo of Flames - TN 14 - Anytime an opponent beats you in
melee combat, they must make a Dexterity based clich roll or
lose a die in their melee combat clich as well.
Resist Flames - TN 15 - You gain a +1 pip bonus against fire
magic, both combat uses of Pyromancy and non-combat
Pyromancy spells.
Pyromancer
The Pyromancer's domain of magic is that of fire and heat.

Spells in the Pyromancy school are almost always flashy and
impressive, and usually destructive to some degree too. While
there are spells to protect from heat, and to extinguish out of
control fires, most fire spells are offensive in nature. Fire spells
slung in combat tend to cause a lot of collateral damage. Fire
magic can be very hard to control; a high clich in Pyromancy
almost always means more power as opposed to more focus.
Combat
Level 1 - Small streams of fire, fire darts, pea sized fireballs
Level 2 - Larger streams of fire, fire arrows, fist sized fireballs
Level 3 - Hand-width gouts of fire, fire javelins, melon sized
fireballs
Level 4 - Explosive fireballs, white hot streams of fire, lava
streams
Level 5 - Lava balls, white hot fireballs, rains of fire
Level 6 - Gouts of magma, lava rain
Level 5
Flametaker - TN 16 - This spell must be cast on a bonfire or
larger blaze. The blaze is extinguished, and the next fire spell
you cast is at a +1 die bonus. This may also be used to give
you a +1 die roll to your next combat use of Pyromancy.
Flaming Wall - TN 17 - Creates a wall of fire up to 100 feet
long. Anyone passing through (or forced through) this wall
takes 2 dice of damage to a clich of their choice.
Ignore Flames - TN 18 - You take no clich damage due to fire
or fire magic.
Level 1
Light - TN 2 - This basic fire spell lights a candle, torch, lamp,
lantern or any other small object made explicitly to be set afire.
Warm Object - TN 3 - Causes an object to become noticeably
warm. This is not hot enough to do damage, but it can heat
something warm enough to keep a person comfortable in chilly
weather.
Cook - TN 4 - Heats any prepared meat up, cooking it well
enough to eat safely.
Level 6
Roast - TN 20 - Reduces any flammable object to ashes.
Burn Alive - TN 21 - The target creature or person is reduced to
1 in all clichs, as horrible burns cover their entire body. They
may resist with a Health based clich roll.
Raze - TN 22 - A fast burning fire engulfs an area. In a city
environment, an entire floor of a building can be engulfed at
once.
Level 2
Ignite - TN 6 - Sets fire to any readily flammable object (paper,
firewood, etc). This spell will not affect anything held by or worn
by someone.
Dancing Flame - TN 7 - Creates a small ball of fire that follows
the caster, providing light. This flame will intentionally avoid
contact with anything in its way.
Scalding Weapon - TN 8 - Makes a weapon you or an ally
holds scalding hot against foes, giving a +1 bonus to the
combat clich that uses that weapon until the end of combat.
Level 3
Campfire - TN 9 - Creates a campfire sized blaze that hovers
over the ground. This blaze can follow you around, and lasts up
to 12 hours.
Resist Heat - TN 10 - You gain a +3 bonus against fire magic,
both combat uses of Pyromancy and non-combat Pyromancy
spells.
Flaming Weapon - TN 11 - Your or an ally's weapon is
wreathed in flames, giving a +1 die bonus in combat until the
end of combat. Failing the roll to cast Flaming Weapon
destroys non-enchanted weapons, melting metal and turning
wooden weapons to ash. This spell does not stack with a bonus
weapon's +dice or +pip bonuses, but will stack with +number
bonuses.
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Cryomancer
Level 4
Cold Aura - TN 13 - Anytime an opponent beats you in melee
combat, they must make a Dexterity based clich roll or lose a
die in their melee combat clich.
Encase - TN 14 - The subject is encased in ice. They must
make a Strength based clich roll to escape.
Frostbite - TN 15 - The victim gets major frostbite on a limb and
loses 2 dice in a clich of their choice.
Combat
Level 1 - Small shards of ice, hard snowballs
Level 2 - Ice shards, small ice balls, chilling rays
Level 3 - Ice daggers, large ice balls, freezing rays
Level 4 - Ice spears, multiple ice balls, flash freezing
Level 5 - Ice storms, winter blasts
Level 6 - Blizzards, arctic blasts
Level 5
Arctic Weapon - TN 16 - Your or an ally's weapon becomes
absolutely frigid to enemies, giving a +1 pip to your combat rolls
with it. Failing the roll to cast Arctic Weapon destroys nonenchanted weapons, shattering them into bits. This spell does
not stack with a bonus weapon's +dice or +pip bonuses, but will
stack with +number bonuses.
Ice Sculpture - TN 17 - You can create any object made of ice
up to the size of a person.
Ignore Ice - TN 18 - You ignore all cold and ice based attacks,
conditions and magic.
Cryomancy is the magic of cold and ice. Subtle and focused,

ice and cold spells are usually underestimated by serious
magic combatants. Its effects can be just as dangerous as
gouts of fire or arcs of lighting. Ice created on floors is very
slippery, requiring Dexterity based clich rolls to stay on one's
feet. Melted ice creates an equal volume of cold water after
melting.
Level 1
Chill - TN 2 - Chills a drink, making it pleasantly cool.
Cubes - TN 3 - Creates several ice cubes in the caster's hand.
Frost - TN 4 - Creates a thin layer of frost on any surface. Can
be cast on living creatures, but won't cause damage and
doesn't do much but cause a momentary chill.
Level 6
Freeze - TN 20 - Any nonliving object is frozen solid, through
and through. Reduce the TN to physically break the object by
10.
Dire Cold - TN 21 - An areas temperature drops drastically
(100 square feet max). Anyone going through this area loses 1
die to all clichs (this spell won't cause a clich to be reduced
below 1).
Ice Structure - TN 22 - You can create any object made of ice
up to 30 cubic feet.
Level 2
Cold Hand - TN 6 - Your hand becomes very cold (not enough
to damage someone, but certainly enough to distract). The
caster can also cool down object and liquids by holding the
object or the liquid's container.
Ice Object - TN 7 - Creates a fist sized or smaller object out of
ice (cups, lock picks, rings etc).
Chill - TN 8 - The area the caster is in becomes uncomfortably
cold. Magic clichs and other clichs requiring focus suffer a -1
to rolls while in the area.
Level 3
Freezing Weapon - TN 9 - Makes a weapon you or an ally
holds freezing cold against foes, giving a +1 bonus to the
combat clich used until the end of combat.
Resist Cold - TN 10 - You gain a +3 bonus against ice magic,
both against Cryomancy combat magic and non-combat
Cryomancy spells.
Slick - TN 11 - Covers an area of ground with slick ice
(Dexterity based clich roll to avoid slipping and falling).
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Level 3
Rain - TN 9 - Creates a gentle rain in an outdoor area for about
half an hour.
Water Walk - TN 10 - Allows you to walk on top of water, for as
long as you stay on the same body of water.
Satiate - TN 11 - Sustains you without water for one day.
Hydromancer
The classic element of water is the domain of the

Hydromancer. Creating, moving, destroying and otherwise
affecting water is within the power for a mage of this school of
magic. Since the human body is mostly made of water,
dehydration attacks are commonly used in combat, causing
fatigue, muscle pain and eventually death. A Hydromancer is
invaluable for long voyages and extended travel, as they can
create water instantly, staving off deadly thirst.
Level 4
Surge - TN 13 - Creates a strong blast of water. Anyone hit by
this blast must make a Strength based clich roll or be knocked
back ten feet and knocked down.
Breathe Water - TN 14 - You may breathe and speak while
immersed in water.
Whirlpool - TN 15 - A whirlpool forms in a large body of water.
Those caught in it must make a Strength based clich roll to
escape.
Combat
Level 1 - Minor dehydration, small bursts of water
Level 2 - Small blasts of high pressure water, average
dehydration
Level 3 - Severe dehydration, high pressure streams of water
Level 4 - Full body dehydration, high pressure jets of water
Level 5 - Explosive bursts of water, large high pressure water
sprays
Level 6 - Localized tidal blasts, geysers
Level 5
Drown - TN 16 - Causes a target to begin to drown. Until they
make a Health based Clich roll, they lose a die in a clich of
their choice every round, until they either succeed at this roll or
are reduced to zero dice in any clich.
Deluge - TN 17 - Fills an outdoor area with dense, driving rain
for an hour. This will turn the ground to mud, and destroy most
crops and ornamental vegetation.
River - TN 18 - Causes a raging river to spring from your hand
for five turns. This can knock targets back as per Surge.
Level 1
Mist - TN 2 - Creates a gentle spray of cool mist.
Fill Up - TN 3 - Fills a cup or other small container with fresh
water.
Test Water - TN 4 - Tells you if water is fine to drink. Reveals
poison or contaminates, but not magical enchantment.
Level 2
Water Ball - TN 6 - Creates a gallon of water, which can be
thrown. This can extinguish small fires and possibly annoy
opponents.
Boil - TN 7 - Boils a small container of water. If thrown at an
opponent, they must make a Dexterity based clich roll, or take
a -1 penalty to all rolls until the end of combat.
Detoxify - TN 8 - Renders poisoned, contaminated or salty
water drinkable.
Level 6
Water Tread - TN 20 - You and your companions can walk on
water as long as they remain on the same body of water.
Tidal Wave - TN 21 - A large body of water produces an
impressive wave, smashing into the shore and causing damage
to buildings and flora.
Burst - TN 22 - The water in the targets body forcibly ejects
itself. The target may make either a Health or Strength based
clich roll to avoid a messy death.
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Level 4
Arc Field - TN 13 - Lightning jumps from foe to foe. Until the
end of combat, a random opponent each turn must make a
Dexterity based clich roll or take 1 die of damage to the clich
they last used in combat.
Wind Blast - TN 14 - Creates a strong blast of air. Anyone hit by
this blast must make a Strength based clich roll or be knocked
back ten feet and knocked down.
Raging Winds - TN 15 - The area is filled with raging, howling
winds. Non-magical ranged attacks are rolled at half dice and
verbal communication is impossible.
Aeromancer
Aeromancy is the magic of air and lightning. Another useful

mage to have on long sea voyages, they can create and direct
wind at their whim. Lightning has little practical application
outside of combat, but blasting opponents away with lightning
strikes is a way to impressively show your dominance over an
enemy. Lightning cast in areas with a lot of metal tends to arc
dangerously around.
Combat
Level 1 - Small electric arcs, small debris filled gusts of wind
Level 2 - Electric arcs, debris filled streams of wind
Level 3 - Small lightning bolts, small blasts of air
Level 4 - Lightning bolts, whirlwinds of debris, blasts of air
Level 5 - Huge lightning bolts, gales of air and debris
Level 6 - Continual blasts of lightning, hurricane force blasts
Level 5
Breathless - TN 16 - You do not have to breathe while the spell
lasts, and airborne gases or poisons have no effect on you.
Suffocate - TN 17 - The target painfully struggles for breath. For
3 rounds, or until they make a Health based Clich roll, they
lose 2 dice in a clich of their choice.
Neural Shock - TN 18 - Unless a Health based clich roll is
made, the target falls unconscious. Jostling or attacking the
sleeping target will wake them back up instantly.
Level 1
Whisper - TN 2 - You may whisper a single word that can be
heard by any one target in sight.
Breeze - TN 3 - Creates a pleasant breeze in the area.
Scent - TN 4 - Causes an obvious odor of the casters choice in
the area.
Level 6
Path of Wind - TN 20 - You and your companions are whisked
away to a different location. You must have been to the target
location in person at least once. This process takes an hour of
time for every day of travel required by normal means.
Tornado - TN 21 - A tornado forms, devastating everything in a
one mile line. Once created, the caster picks a direction for the
tornado to follow in general, but has no direct control over its
exact path.
Lightning Storm - TN 22 - The target is hit by 2d6 lightning
bolts, and loses a die in clichs of his choice for each one. The
target may roll the 2d6 himself to determine how many lightning
bolts he is hit with.
Level 2
Shock - TN 6 - A target that you touch is mildly shocked. They
must make a Health based clich roll or take a -2 penalty to
their next roll.
Wind Aura - TN 7 - Youre surrounded by gusts of wind, giving
you a +3 bonus against non-magical ranged attacks.
Purify - TN 8 - Cleanses the air in an area, removing smoke
and airborne poisons.
Level 3
Expel - TN 9 - The air from a targets lungs is pushed out. They
must make a Health based clich roll or lose their next turn as
they gasp for breath.
Conduit - TN 10 - If youre wielding a metal weapon, and your
opponent is wearing metal armor, your successful melee
attacks causes the target to lose 2 dice instead of 1.
Wind Storm - TN 11 - The whole combat area is filled with
swirling gusts of wind. Non-magical ranged attacks are at a -1
die penalty.
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Level 3
Quake - TN 9 - Causes the area under one opponent to
violently shake. They must make a Dexterity based clich roll or
fall to the ground. They may use their next turn to get back up
on their feet.
Stone Object - TN 10 - Creates any object the caster is familiar
with out of stone, up to 5 pounds in weight.
Earth Meld - TN 11 - You sink into natural earth, and may
remain there unharmed for up to an hour. You cannot see or
hear anything that happens on the surface.
Geomancer
Geomancer's magic gives them control over earth and stone.

Creating significant stone structures can be difficult, but moving
earth and stone that already exists is comparably simple.
Geomancers are used in building and repairs in every major
city across Arcadomai. Their combat ability is basic but
effective, chucking stone, sand and other earthen projectiles at
their targets.
Combat
Level 1 - Thin streams of sand, small stone bullets and spikes
Level 2 - Large streams of sand, fist sized stones, rocks and
spikes
Level 3 - Streams of gravel, larger stones, rocks and spikes
Level 4 - Streams of small rocks, multiple fist sized stones and
spikes
Level 5 - Streams of fist sized rocks, flying boulders and
columns
Level 6 - Rock storms, giant flying boulders
Level 4
Sink - TN 13 - The target sinks waist deep into the earth. A
Strength based Clich roll is needed to escape. This spell only
works if the target is standing on natural ground.
Stone to Earth - TN 14 - Changes up to 50 pounds of stone into
soft earth.
Flesh to Stone - TN 15 - The target must make a Health based
clich roll or be turned to stone. They will turn back to normal in
1d6 hours.
Level 1
Signet Stone - TN 2 - Creates a small 1 ounce stone. The
caster chooses both shape and color.
Bullets - TN 3 - Creates a handful of perfectly round sling
bullets.
Stone Claws - TN 4 - You grow small stone spikes from your
fingertips or knuckles. All unarmed combat rolls are rolled with
a +1 bonus.
Level 5
Pit - TN 16 - A 10 ft. wide, 50 ft. deep pit appears. Those in the
area must make a Dexterity based clich roll or fall in, taking 2
dice of damage to the clich they rolled.
Earth Rest - TN 17 - Same as Earth Meld, but every 10 minutes
you stay in the earth, you heal 1 clich of your choice.
Stone Wall - TN 18 - Creates a solid wall of stone up 100 feet
long and 10 feet high. This wall lasts for a day before melding
back into the ground.
Level 2
Shake - TN 6 - Causes the area under one opponent to shake.
They must make a Dexterity based clich roll or suffer a -1 die
penalty to their next roll.
Flatten - TN 7 - Flattens out a perfectly horizontal area of
natural earth. This area is large enough to set up a small
campsite.
Stone Fists - TN 8 - Your fists momentarily turn to solid stone,
giving you a +1 die bonus to your next unarmed combat roll.
Level 6
Stone Body - TN 20 - You (and your equipment) become a
living stone statue. You gain +2 pip to your melee combat rolls
until the end of combat.
Calcify - TN 21 - The target must make a Health based clich
roll, or be permanently turned to stone.
Rive the Earth - TN 22 - A giant 500 feet deep pit appears,
large enough to swallow a building.
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Level 5
Minor Enchantment - TN 16 - Target equipment gains a
permanent +1 bonus. You may add cumulative +1 bonuses, but
this increases the TN by 1 for every +1 bonus after the first.
You may only cast this spell once per day, and whether you
succeed or fail, this spell takes 10 minutes to cast. Failing a
Minor Enchantment roll means that the item may not be further
enchanted with any enchantment spell.
Major Blight - TN 17 - Target equipment gives its user a -1 pip
bonus for 1 turn.
Enchantment - TN 18 - Target equipment gains a permanent
+1 die bonus. You may add cumulative +1 die bonuses, but this
increases the TN by 2 for every +1 die bonus after the first. You
may only cast this spell once per day, and whether you
succeed or fail, this spell takes 10 minutes to cast. Failing an
Enchantment roll means that the item may not be further
enchanted with any enchantment spell.
Enchanter
The Enchanter can cast quick curses and blessings in combat,

spreading equipment bonuses and penalties across the
battlefield to turn things towards the casters favor. The
Enchanter may also take the time to permanently enchant
equipment if the other party members lack the funds to
purchase enchanted gear on their own.
Combat - This clich has no direct combat spells
Level 1
Minor Aid - TN 2 - Target equipment gives its user a +1 bonus
for 1 turn.
Minor Blight - TN 3 - Target equipment gives its user a -1
penalty for 1 turn.
Minor Bless - TN 4 - Target equipment gives its user a +1
bonus until end of combat.
Level 6
Major Curse - TN 20 - Target equipment gives its user a -1 pip
Major Enchantment - TN 21 - Target equipment gains a
permanent +1 pip bonus. You may add cumulative +1 pip
bonuses, but this increases the TN by 2 for every +1 pip bonus
after the first. You may only cast this spell once per day, and
whether you succeed or fail, this spell takes 10 minutes to cast.
Failing a Major Enchantment roll means that the item may not
be further enchanted with any enchantment spell.
Major Transformation - TN 22 - Target must roll a Health based
clich roll or turn into a harmless creature permanently. The
target will gain the mindset and abilities of the animal theyve
turned into, and will not remember or be able to use their
normal clichs until reverted. If killed, the animal may be
resurrected normally into its former being.
Level 2
Minor Curse - TN 6 - Target equipment gives its user a -1
penalty until end of combat.
Aid - TN 7 - Target equipment gives its user a +1 die bonus for
1 turn.
Minor Transformation - TN 8 - Target must roll a Health based
clich roll or turn into a harmless creature for 1 turn. They may
still use their clichs in combat, but anytime they beat an
opponent in a round of combat, that roll only counts as a tie.
Level 3
Blight - TN 9 - Target equipment gives its user a -1 die penalty
for 1 turn.
Bless - TN 10 - Target equipment gives its user a +1 die bonus
until end of combat.
Major Aid - TN 11 - Target equipment gives its user a +1 pip
bonus for 1 turn.
Level 4
Curse - TN 13 - Target equipment gives its user a -1 die
penalty until end of combat.
Major Bless - TN 14 - Target equipment gives its user a +1 pip
Transformation - TN 15 - Target must roll a Health based clich
roll or turn into a harmless creature until the end of combat.
They may still use their clichs in combat, but anytime they
beat an opponent in a round of combat, that roll only counts as
a tie.
59
Level 4
Tell Fortune - TN 13 - You read someones fortune. On a
success, you learn 1 important thing that will happen to them
soon. On a failure, you only pick up unimportant (but still
correct) little pieces of their life and future events.
Light of the Heart - TN 14 - You can tell whether someone is
attuned towards the Light, the Grey or the Dark.
Find Destiny - TN 15 - You ask the GM one question about a
future event. On a roll of a 3 or more on 1d6, the GM must
answer your question truthfully. They can be as vague and
cryptic as they like, so long as their answer is truthful. You may
only cast this spell once a day.
Diviner
The Diviner can see the web of cause and effect, past and
present and the flow of fate. The Diviner can touch the strands
that connect it all together and discern locations, information
and even vague possible futures for people and things. A highly
skilled Diviner can tug at those strands as well, making their
own path and affecting the fate and future of their lives more
favorably.
Level 1
Finder - TN 2 - You find any object that you personally have
misplaced. This spell will not work on items that have been
stolen or otherwise taken from you.
Tidbit - TN 3 - Lets you know one minor fact about a person,
like their name, age, job, marital status, etc. Wont let you know
something that someone is actively hiding.
Find Fortune - TN 4 - You ask the GM one question about a
future event. On a roll of a 6 on 1d6, the GM must answer your
question truthfully. They can be as vague and cryptic as they
like, so long as their answer is truthful. You may only cast this
spell once a day.
Level 5
The Right Second - TN 16 - You gain a +1 die bonus on your
next roll.
Know Consequence - TN 17 - You know if an action you take
will leave Light, Grey or Dark marks on your soul.
Find Kismet - TN 18 - You ask the GM one question about a
Level 6
Perfect Moment - TN 20 - You gain a +2 pip bonus on your next
roll.
Second Chance - TN 21 - You may reroll the next die roll you
fail, at a +3 bonus. Only one Second Chance spell can be
active at a time.
Find Providence - TN 22 - You ask the GM one question about
a future event. The GM must answer your question truthfully.
They can be as vague and cryptic as they like, so long as their
answer is truthful. You may only cast this spell once a day.
Level 2
Seeker - TN 6 - You can find any object that youve owned in
the past 24 hours.
Informant - TN 7 - You may know a minor fact about someone,
even if they are actively trying to hide that fact.
Find Future - TN 8 - You ask the GM one question about a
Level 3
The Right Moment - TN 9 - You gain a +1 bonus on your next
die roll.
Tag - TN 10 - You pick someone you can see. You then pick a
point in the future, up to a week. At that predetermined time,
you get sent precise knowledge of that person's exact location.
Find Fate - TN 11 - You ask the GM one question about a
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Level 4
Command Animal - TN 13 - One animal that you can see obeys
your commands for one hour. This only works on normal nonmagical animals.
Entangle - TN 14 - The target of this spell is wrapped with vines
and roots. Unless they make a Dexterity based clich roll, they
will be immobile for 3 rounds.
Natures Visage - TN 15 - You become an animal with 4 dice in
its combat clich until the end of combat or the end of the
encounter. Add 6 to the TN if this animal also has a special
mode of transportation (flying, swimming, small enough to get
into narrow cracks, etc).
Druid
Nature is the moving force behind the Druids magic. Wild

animals and unknown plants pose no threat to a powerful
Druid, and in combat, the Druids transformations are a
frightening sight to behold. Even within city walls, the Druid has
a few universally useful spells that can cleverly be put to good
use. The creatures of Cicatrix are immune to Druid spells theyre too alien to be considered normal animals.
Level 1
Know Plant - TN 2 - Know the exact name for a target plant that
you can see.
Know Animal - TN 3 - Know the exact name for a target animal
that you can see.
Natures Shape - TN 4 - You become an animal with 1 die in its
combat clich until the end of combat or the end of the
Level 5
Friend of Green - TN 16 - You cannot be tracked while in the
woods. If no one can physically see you, no mundane form of
tracking will reveal signs of your passing.
Natures Ire - TN 17 - The forest itself attacks and impedes your
foes. Any foe following you into the forest must make Strength
based clich rolls each round the spell lasts or take 1 clich of
damage to the clich they used and are immobilized.
Natures Facade - TN 18 - You become an animal with 5 dice in
Level 2
Seek Shelter - TN 6 - Tells you the closest location to a natural
uninhabited dwelling, like a cave or a large, hollowed out tree.
Seek Sustenance - TN 7 - Tells you the closest location of
edible food and drinkable water.
Natures Figure - TN 8 - You become an animal with 2 dice in
Level 6
Natures Bounty - TN 20 - A magical fruit grows in 3 rounds,
from the ground near you. When anyone eats this fruit, they
fully heal back all their damaged clichs.
Vita Arbor - TN 21 - The target makes a Health based clich
roll. If they fail, they permanently become a tree.
Natures Countenance - TN 22 - You become an animal with 6
dice in its combat clich until the end of combat or the end of
the encounter. Add 6 to the TN if this animal also has a special
Level 3
Grow Plants - TN 9 - Plants in the area grow at a swift rate. If
they are fruit bearing plants, they sprout enough fruit to feed
you and your companions.
Calm Animal - TN 10 - One animal that you can see becomes
calm and leaves the area peacefully. If you run into it again,
you will have to recast the spell.
Natures Form - TN 11 - You become an animal with 3 dice in
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Cleric
Level 4
Turn Undead - TN 13 - Target undead rolls a Persistent based
clich roll. If it fails, it must leave the area if able. Otherwise, it
will get as far away from the caster as possible.
Restore - TN 14 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their
choice, so long as that clich does not heal above 4.
Purge - TN 15 - Any and all temporary negative effects from
hostile magic end on the target and the targets equipment.
This will not affect any spell that causes a permanent effect.
Level 5
Sanctify - TN 16 - Once per day, you bless an area (a
continuous 10 foot by 10 foot area per clich level of the caster)
that prevents any body placed there from being raised as an
undead creature. This spell lasts 24 hours.
Rejuvenate - TN 17 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their
Restore Life - TN 18 - Brings a target back to life. This spell
must be cast within a number of days of the targets death
equal to your Cleric clich. The target takes a -1 die penalty to
all rolls for a number of days equal to the total combined levels
of their clichs.
The Cleric channels magic from the Light to heal the living and
to impede and injure the undead. A Cleric is an invaluable
member of an adventuring team, especially those teams whose
adventures take them to Cicatrix or the more dangerous areas
in Sunder and Primeria. Healing magic cards are the most
common cards carried by adventurers, and are often made at a
higher clich level than required to cast the associated healing
spell, in order to ensure success when used.
Level 1
Detect Undead - TN 2 - You know whether a target creature is
undead or not. Werewolves and other werecreatures are not
considered undead, but this spell will detect zombies, vampires,
lichs and other undead that are disguised (mundanely or
magically) as normal humans.
Patch Up - TN 3 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their
Life Watch - TN 4 - Choose a target you can see. For the next
24 hours, youll be magically alerted if they die. Only one Life
Watch can be maintained at a time.
Level 6
Destroy Undead - TN 20 - Target undead is destroyed unless it
can make its primary clich roll against the Clerics clich roll
for this spell.
Renew - TN 21 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their
choice.
Resurrect - TN 22 - The target is brought back to life. This spell
must be cast within a number of weeks of the targets death
equal to your Cleric clich. The target takes a -1 penalty to all
rolls for a number of days equal to the combined total levels of
their clichs.
Level 2
Diagnosis - TN 6 - Tells you if the target is wounded, poisoned
or diseased, and the specifics of each.
Cure - TN 7 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their choice,
so long as that clich does not heal above 2.
Ward Undead - TN 8 - Target undead rolls a Persistent based
clich roll. If it fails, it may not attack you.
Level 3
Cleanse - TN 9 - All poison and disease is removed from the
targets body. Any clich damage they took due to poison or
disease will still need to be healed on its own.
Heal - TN 10 - The target heals 1 die in a clich of their choice,
so long as that clich does not heal above 3.
Holy Power - TN 11 - Target weapon does an additional die of
damage against undead, when its user wins a round of combat.
This spell lasts until the end of combat.
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Level 4
Quench Life - TN 13 - Target makes a Health based clich roll
or has their primary clich reduced to one).
Generate Undead - TN 14 - A dead person or creature
becomes an Undead Creature (4) under your control until end
of combat.
Permanency - TN 15 - This spell can be cast once per day, and
adds 1 point to your Permanency Pool. A Necromancer can
have a number of permanent undead creatures under their
control, so long as the undead's total clich dice are no more
than the number in their Permanency Pool.
Necromancer
The Dark fuels the magic of the Necromancer. Repeated use of

Necromancy will stain the caster's soul with the Dark,
regardless of the use and intent of the magic. Most people fear
Necromancers, for their spells attack the life force of their
enemies and raise the dead from their rest to aid them. Over
time, a Necromancer can collect a large undead army, although
this tends to quickly attract unwanted attention.
Level 1
Detect Undead - TN 2 - You know whether a target creature is
undead or not. Werewolves and other werecreatures are not
considered undead, but this spell will detect zombies, vampires,
lichs and other undead that are disguised (mundanely or
magically) as normal humans.
Hatch Undead - TN 3 - A dead person or creature becomes an
Undead Creature (1) under your control until end of combat.
Death Watch - TN 4 - Choose a target you can see. For the
next 24 hours, youll be magically alerted if they die. Only one
Death Watch can be maintained at a time.
Level 5
Desecrate - TN 16 - Once per day, you defile an area (a
continuous 10 foot by 10 foot area per clich level of the caster)
that reduces the TN required to create undead by 3. This spell
lasts 24 hours.
Fabricate Undead - TN 17 - A dead person or creature
of combat.
Snuff Life - TN 18 - Target makes a Health based clich roll or
is reduced to 1 in all clichs.
Level 6
The Dark Pact - TN 20 - You become an undead lich. Add 'Lich'
to your primary clich. You no longer age. After casting the
spell, you remove a small bone from your hand and place it in a
specially prepared box. So long as the bone remains intact, you
can never be completely killed - youll always come back, no
matter what. You no longer gain experience, and your soul is
tainted forever with the Dark. You are undead as well, and any
magic or abilities affecting the undead affects you. If you fail
casting this spell, you lose 1 die permanently in all clichs.
Spawn Undead - TN 21 - A dead person or creature becomes
an Undead Creature (6) under your control until end of combat.
Extinguish Life - TN 22 - Target makes a Health based clich
roll or dies.
Level 2
Scourge - TN 6 - Target makes a Health based clich roll or
takes a -1 penalty to all rolls until end of combat.
Create Undead - TN 7 - A dead person or creature becomes an
Undead Creature (2) under your control until end of combat.
Harm - TN 8 - Target makes a Health based clich roll or lose 1
die in a clich of their choice.
Level 3
Poison - TN 9 - Target makes a Health based clich roll or
takes a -1 die penalty to all rolls until end of combat.
Formulate Undead - TN 10 - A dead person or creature
of combat.
Bolster Undead - TN 11 - All undead in the area gain +2 to their
combat rolls until the end of combat.
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Level 4
Push - TN 13 - Target must make a Strength based clich roll
or be pushed back 10 feet and knocked down.
Constrict - TN 14 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
target. They must make a Dexterity based clich roll or take a
-1 die penalty until end of combat.
Fly - TN 15 - You can fly, at a speed equal to a brisk run.
Telemancer
Telemancers manipulate the powers of movement and gravity.

They can move objects with the power of their magic alone,
and use sheer force to impede and harass enemies. At higher
skill levels, a Telemancer can rip holes in space and teleport
where they need to be instantaneously. A Telemancer can turn
the objects in an otherwise normal room or battleground into
dangerous weapons.
Level 5
Compress - TN 16 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
target. They must make a Dexterity based clich roll or take 2
dice of damage to a clich of their choice.
Hold - TN 17 - Target must make a Strength based clich roll or
they will be unable to move at all for 1 turn.
Teleport - TN 18 - You and your companions are teleported to
another location. You must have visited the target location in
person at least once.

Level 1
Tap - TN 2 - A target that you can see feels a tapping sensation
on their shoulder.
Grab - TN 3 - Any unattended object under 1 pound within 10
feet of the caster flies to their hand.
Congregate - TN 4 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
-1 penalty to their next roll.
Level 6
Condense - TN 20 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
target. They must make a Dexterity based clich roll or take 2
dice of damage to all clichs.
Transport - TN 21 - You can move an object up to 250 pounds
without touch, up to 500 feet away.
Baleful Teleport - TN 22 - You teleport to the exact location of
an opponent. They must make a Dexterity based clich roll, or
die as you forcibly eject their body from the space you now
occupy. If you fail to cast this spell, you take a die of damage to
your Telemancer clich.
Level 2
Manipulate - TN 6 - You can move an object up to 5 pounds
Hover - TN 7 - You hover about a foot off the ground. You
cannot move horizontally from the spot youre hovering at.
Converge - TN 8 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
-1 penalty until the end of combat.
Level 3
Projectile Push - TN 9 - Until the end of combat, non-magical
ranged attacks you make gain a +2 bonus.
Compact - TN 10 - Loose objects in the area fly towards the
-1 die penalty on their next roll.
Move - TN 11 - You can move an object up to 25 pounds
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Level 4
Slow - TN 13 - The targets next die roll is made at half dice.
Quick Night - TN 14 - You compress time for yourself, allowing
you to get a full nights sleep in one hour.
Time Warp - TN 15 - Until the end of combat, you warp in and
out of the time stream, to points (usually) where you were in
better health. On every turn, roll a d6 and consult the following
table:
1 - Take a die of damage in any clich.
2 or 3 - Nothing happens.
4 or 5 - Heal 1 die in any clich.
6 - Heal 2 dice in clichs.
Chronomancer
The Chronomancer can manipulate time, speeding up or

slowing down time in small areas. Actual time travel requires
tremendous power, and the dangers of messing with the time
stream prevent most from trying, save for the foolish and the
desperate. Outside of combat, time magic holds many
opportunities to help as well - speeding up a group searching a
dungeon, slowing down a spinning blade trap or increasing the
speed of horses on a long travel are some of the possibilities.
Level 1
Know Time - TN 2 - You know what time it is, down to the
minute.
Alarm - TN 3 - This spell wakes you up at a specified time in
the future (within 24 hours) when cast.
Quick - TN 4 - On the targets next roll, they may reroll their
lowest dingle die and take the higher result.
Level 5
Time Stop - TN 16 - Time stops for you. You cannot affect the
world around you, but you may use anything that was on your
person when you cast the spell. You may remain in this time
stopped phase for as long as you like. If you somehow manage
to die while under the effects of Time Stop (like falling off a
great height, running out of food/water and refusing to end the
spell to get more, etc) you will decompose, turn to dust and
vanish in the stopped moment you created, the world moving
on without you.
Accelerate - TN 17 - Until the end of combat, the target may
reroll every roll, taking the higher of the 2 results.
Idle - TN 18 - Until the end of combat, the target must reroll
every roll, taking the lower of the 2 results.
Level 2
Stutter - TN 6 - On the targets next roll, they must reroll their
highest single die and take the lower result.
Swift - TN 7 - Until the end of combat, the target may reroll their
lowest single die and take the higher result.
Lag - TN 8 - Until the end of combat, the target must reroll their
highest single die and take the lower result.
Level 6
Time Out - TN 20 - Target must roll a Health based clich roll. If
they fail, they may be sent up to 24 hours into the future. The
target will disappear from the spot, and reappear at the
designated time, with no sense of time passing.
Alacrity - TN 21 - The target gets 5 actions, right now. If you fail
to cast the spell, you take a die of damage to your
Chronomancer clich.
Stop - TN 22 - Target must roll a Health based clich roll. If
they fail, they cannot act for 5 rounds. During this time, any
combat rolls automatically succeed against the target, and the
target may not roll to resist spell effects. A Stopped target can
still be protected by their allies, of course. If you fail to cast the
spell, you take a die of damage to your Chronomancer clich.
Level 3
Fast - TN 9 - The target may roll their next roll twice, taking the
higher of the 2 results.
Delay - TN 10 - The target must roll their next roll twice, taking
the lower of the 2 results.
Haste - TN 11 - The target may take 2 separate actions on their
next turn.
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Level 4
Captivate - TN 13 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll.
If they fail, they will treat you as they would treat a close family
member. This spell does not work in combat.
Aura of Conjunction - TN 14 - Any long project youre involved
in (training animals, building a house, teaching students, etc)
takes a quarter of the time it normally would.
Blend in - TN 15 - This gives you a +2 pip bonus when trying to
hide or blend in with a crowd.
Stasiomancer
Order, focus and coincidence are tools of the Stasiomancer.

Things tend to go right for them all the time. They always have
some spare hex when needed, people they meet tend to be in
the best moods and projects undertaken by the Stasiomancer
get done well ahead of schedule. Stasiomancer spells are by
no means impressive or earth shattering, but the effects are
consistent and subtly powerful.
Level 5
Ward - TN 16 - The next 3 times you would take a die of
damage to a clich, roll 1d6. On a 4, 5 or 6, you do not take the
damage. This spell may only be cast once per combat.
Reap Hex - TN 17 - You summon a large handful of hex to your
hand that others have lost or misplaced over time. You gain
10d6 hex. This spell can only be cast once per day.
Aura of Synchronicity - TN 18 - Any long project youre involved
takes a tenth of the time it normally would.
Level 1
Mingle - TN 2 - This gives you a +1 bonus when trying to hide
or blend in with a crowd.
Salvage Hex - TN 3 - You summon a few hex to your hand that
others have lost or misplaced over time. You gain 1d6 hex. This
spell can only be cast once per day.
Charm - TN 4 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they will not take any direct action against you
(pointlessly raising prices, flat out lying, attacking, etc). This
spell does not work in combat.
Level 6
Unify - TN 20 - You blend in perfectly with a crowd. No one will
be able to find you, even if they were to go through person by
person.
Evade - TN 21 - The next 3 times you would take a die of
damage to a clich, roll 1d6. On a 3, 4, 5 or 6, you do not take
the damage. This spell may only be cast once per combat.
Enthrall - TN 22 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they will do literally anything you ask. This spell does
not work in combat.
Level 2
Aura of Concurrence - TN 6 - Any long project youre involved
takes half the time it normally would.
Deflect - TN 7 - The next 3 times you would take a die of
damage to a clich, roll 1d6. On a 6, you do not take the
Beguile - TN 8 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they will treat you as theyd treat a good friend. This
spell does not work in combat.
Level 3
Circulate - TN 9 - This gives you a +1 die bonus when trying to
hide or blend in with a crowd.
Deter - TN 10 - The next 3 times you would take a die of
damage to a clich, roll 1d6. On a 5 or 6, you do not take the
Procure Hex - TN 11 - You summon several hex to your hand
that others have lost or misplaced over time. You gain 4d6 hex.
This spell can only be cast once per day.
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Level 4
Unlearn - TN 13 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they forget everything about you.
Reposition - TN 14 - Objects and furniture in the building or
area change places randomly with each other. This is
permanent, until moved back to their normal places.
Offend - TN 15 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, for the next 8 hours every new person they meet will
fight them (with intentions to subdue, not to kill) or run away
from them.
Chaomancer
The Chaomancer plays with chaos and confusion. The spells

available cause subtle, rippling changes in the Chaomancers
area. Most use this magic to create little pockets of
pandemonium so they can do what they like without
interference. Their magic can also effectively shut down
another mage, ripping control of the enemy mages magic out
of their hands. While neither flashy nor powerful, enough chaos
in a situation can be disastrous.
Level 5
Bane - TN 16 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, roll a d6 on the next 3 spells they cast. On a 4, 5 or 6,
the spell has the opposite effect than what was intended.
Substitute - TN 17 - Target object (worth 250 hex or less)
becomes a random object of the same value and the same
object type (weapon, armor, container, etc).
Resystamize - TN 18 - Everything in the building or area
changes. Even floor layouts (walls, doors, etc) completely
change. This is permanent, until the building is rebuilt and
rearranged back to how it was.
Level 1
Annoy - TN 2 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, for the next 10 minutes every new person they meet
will mildly dislike them.
Trade - TN 3 - Target object (worth 10 hex or less) becomes a
random object of the same value and the same object type
(weapon, armor, container, etc).
Omit - TN 4 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they forget your name.
Level 2
Disarray - TN 6 - Small objects (book sized or less) in the
building or area change places randomly with each other. This
is permanent, until moved back to their normal places.
Jinx - TN 7 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If they
fail, roll a d6 on the next 3 spells they cast. On a 6, the spell
has the opposite effect than what was intended.
Forget - TN 8 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, they forget your name and what your clichs are.
Level 6
Alienate - TN 20 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll.
If they fail, for the next 24 hours every new person they meet
will try to kill them.
Calamity - TN 21 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll.
If they fail, roll a d6 on the next 3 spells they cast. On a 3, 4, 5
or 6, the spell has the opposite effect than what was intended.
Repudiate - TN 22 - The target makes a Willful based clich
roll. If they fail, they forget everything about you, and will never
be able to remember anything about you ever again.
Level 3
Estrange - TN 9 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, for the next hour every new person they meet will be
unhelpful and argumentative.
Curse - TN 10 - The target makes a Willful based clich roll. If
they fail, roll a d6 on the next 3 spells they cast. On a 5 or 6,
the spell has the opposite effect than what was intended.
Exchange - TN 11 - Target object (worth 50 hex or less)
becomes a random object of the same value and the same
object type (weapon, armor, container, etc).
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Level 4
Etch - TN 13 - Creates a palm-sized mark on the target, of the
style and color chosen by you. This is permanent, even on
living targets, until dispelled by choice by the original caster.
Masquerade - TN 14 - You can change you appearance
drastically, from looking like a child, to changing gender and
even to looking like specific people.
Invisibility - TN 15 - You become invisible. People can still
discern your location if you make sound, stand on soft ground,
or manipulate items in the environment (opening or closing
doors, taking objects in plain sight, etc).
Illusionist
Visibly affecting the world with illusions can be a very useful

way to conceal and trick ones adversaries. The Illusionist can
create visions, sounds and situations, twisting the visage of the
real world into whatever their mind can dream up. Along with
several utility spells that can help out any adventuring group, an
Illusionists spell list can give a thief or assassin a powerful
edge.
Level 1
Mark - TN 2 - Creates a palm sized mark on the target, of the
style and color chosen by you. On nonliving targets, this is
permanent, otherwise it lasts an hour.
Glow - TN 3 - Creates a soft glow in the area, as if it were lit by
candlelight or moonlight.
Apparition - TN 4 - Creates a visual-only illusion. This can be of
anything the caster can think of, provided its no bigger than 1
cubic foot.
Level 5
Daylight - TN 16 - Fills the area with true daylight. Undead who
are damaged by daylight take full damage from the effects of
this spell.
Scribe - TN 17 - Inscribes up to a books worth of information
on the subject. On non-living targets, this is permanent,
otherwise it lasts a day per level of clich the caster has in
Illusionist. Reading the text on the object will cause it to change
while reading, allowing a lot of information to fit on a small
surface.
Phantasm - TN 18 - Creates an illusion that fools all 5 senses
(although no illusion can actually affect anything real). This can
be of anything the caster can think of, and can reach the size of
a building or large ship.
Level 2
Cache - TN 6 - Makes a small object (3 pounds or less)
invisible.
Torch - TN 7 - An object shines like a torch. This is permanent,
but the Torch spell can also be cast to cancel out a previous
casting of Torch.
Guise - TN 8 - You change slight aspects of your appearance
(hair color, eye color, skin tone, body type, small variation in
height, clothing, etc).
Level 6
Facio Mortus - TN 20 - You appear dead to any careful
examination. If someone stabs you or otherwise hurts you to
see if youre playing dead, the spell provides realistic effects of
the damage while you remain unharmed. This spell also
provides fire resistance and air to breathe in case you are
cremated or buried.
Semblance - TN 21 - You change your appearance to that of
any creature (undead, dragons, Cicatrix creatures, golems, any
and all these are valid).
Obscure - TN 22 - You become completely invisible. You make
no sound (unless you choose to), you leave no tracks, and you
have no scent. The spell also casts illusions that cover up
things you affect (opening doors, stealing objects, etc).
Level 3
Sentence - TN 9 - Creates up to a full sentence of text on the
target. On nonliving targets, this is permanent, otherwise it lasts
an hour.
Illusion - TN 10 - Creates an audio-visual illusion. This can be
of anything the caster can think of, provided its no bigger than
a person.
Nightfall - TN 11 - The area is totally darkened. Torches and
other light sources only shine for a couple of feet.
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Summoner
Level 3
Quick Common Summon - TN 9 - Summons a creature of your
choice that lasts for 1 turn. It has a combat clich of (3) and
follows your mental commands.
Amplify Summoning - TN 10 - This spell does not count as an
action. When cast with a summoning spell, the summoned
creatures duration is doubled. If this spell fails, the creature is
summoned normally.
Common Summon - TN 11 - Summons a creature of your
choice that lasts for 3 turns. It has a combat clich of (3) and
Level 4
Quick Standard Summon - TN 13 - Summons a creature of
your choice that lasts for 1 turn. It has a combat clich of (4)
and follows your mental commands.
Unsummon - TN 14 - Target summoned creature must make
their clich roll or vanish.
Standard Summon - TN 15 - Summons a creature of your
The Summoner pulls creatures from distant realms and planes

of existence to aid in battle. These creatures only stay in our
plane of existence for a short time, obeying the mental
commands of the Summoner for the duration of their visit.
Creatures called with Summoning are usually natural creatures
that have a penchant for combat, although on occasion, magic
or exotic creatures have been called. The Summoner clich is
not diverse for a magic clich - all of its spells either summon a
creature for a period of time, or directly affect a summoned
creature.
Note - Summoned creatures act on the turn after they are

summoned. So, if the summon has a duration of 1 turn, you first
summon them, then they act on the next turn, then they
disappear after that. A Summoner can only have one nonfamiliar creature summoned at a time, and when killed, a
summoned creature vanishes.
Level 1
Quick Paltry Summon - TN 2 - Summons a creature of your
Summon Familiar - TN 3 - Summons a small natural animal
(with a number of dice in its clich equal to half your Summoner
clich, rounded up) to serve permanently as your familiar. It can
do small tasks for you within reason, and even aid in combat. If
your familiar dies, you take a die of damage to your Summoner
clich, and may not summon a new familiar or heal your
Summoner clich for 24 hours.
Paltry Summon - TN 4 - Summons a creature of your choice
that lasts for 3 turns. It has a combat clich of (1) and follows
your mental commands.
Level 5
Quick Prodigious Summon - TN 16 - Summons a creature of
Poach - TN 17 - Target summoned creature makes a clich roll.
If it fails, it falls under your control for the rest of its duration.
This creature still counts as the original casters one summoned
creature, and does not count as the one summoned creature
for the caster who cast Poach.
Prodigious Summon - TN 18 - Summons a creature of your
Level 6
Quick Supreme Summon - TN 20 - Summons a creature of
Urgency - TN 21 - You may only attempt to cast this spell once
per day. All your summoned creatures can attack the moment
they are summoned, for 24 hours. They still last their normal
duration (for a total of 2 attacks for the quick summons, or 4
attacks for the other non-quick summons).
Supreme Summon - TN 22 - Summons a creature of your
Level 2
Quick Trivial Summon - TN 6 - Summons a creature of your
Regenerate - TN 7 - Heals 1 die of damage to your summoned
creature or familiar.
Trivial Summon - TN 8 - Summons a creature of your choice
that lasts for 3 turns. It has a combat clich of (2) and follows
your mental commands.
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Unusual Skills: Alchemy in Arcadomai

What lies within
As stated in the core Arcadomai setting, potions and other alchemical items are mostly unknown in the world, being supplanted by magic
cards (which are easy to use and easy to make) and by supportive magic clichs (which are reasonably common, supportive magic
clichs being taken as a secondary clich by many adventurers, even those of non-magical primary professions).
Still, there are those who are driven to relearn the ancient art of alchemy, making potions according to ancient texts and selling them
(quite cheaply) to desperate or daring persons. Ancient texts speak of potions of great power, able to heal multiple wounds, temporarily
turn normal men into powerful heroes and help unleash powerful magical surges through normal spellcasting.
While potions can have amazing effects, theyre nothing close to reliable. It takes great skill to make a potion with a singular, reliable
effect. Most adventurers know that drinking a potion is a last-ditch effort. They know that theres a chance that the potions main effects
can be harmful, and that there could be nasty side effects as well. But, when faced with certain doom, and all your supplies have run out,
that unlabeled, chunky potion might, just might save your life.
70
Final roll of 8 to 14
This attempt creates a batch of random potions. The GM rolls
for a random Potion Type and again for a Random Potion
effect. This method is also used to determine the effect of
drinking a randomly found potion. The GM may add side effects
to a randomly found potion at their whim.
The Alchemist clich
In Arcadomai, the Alchemist clich may be picked like any

other at character creation. It has the standard limit of 4 dice at
character creation and it can be double-pumpable if the player
desires (although that may not be desirable - see the rules on
side effects below). The tools of the trade include a portable
stove, several glass beakers, flasks and potion bottles, scales
and a case filled with separate pouches of ingredients and
containers of assorted liquids.
Final roll of 15 to 21
This attempt creates a batch of potions within the group of the
desired potion. The Potion Type is the same as the Potion
Effect the player selected, but the exact Potion Effect is rolled
randomly.
It takes about an hour to brew a batch of potions - the process

will yield 1 to 6 potions, determined by a die roll. A batch of
potions will all have the same effect - once the batch is made,
the GM will roll any random aspects of the potions, which
applies to the whole batch.
Final roll of 22 or more

This attempt creates a batch of potions with the exact effect
desired by the Alchemist. If the Alchemist attempts to make this
same potion again in the future, they receive a +4 to the roll
(but any Side Effects rolled will be duplicated as well).
The Alchemists roll determines how precisely the potions are

made. Every potion has a Potion Type, and a Potion Effect.
The Alchemist may be able to pick these on their own, or they
may be rolled randomly, determined by how well they roll. An
Alchemist may pump their clich roll to either add dice to their
main roll, or to add dice to the number of potions made. Lucky
Shots and appropriate Questing Dice may also add to either the
clich roll or the amount of potions made. Adding dice is risky
though - for every single extra die rolled, the GM will also roll
randomly for a Side Effect. So, if you end up adding 3 dice to
your roll, the GM will roll 3 times on the Side Effect charts.
Bonuses from bonus gear do not add side effects, but alchemy
bonus equipment is exceedingly rare.
Potions
The following charts show the Potion Types, Potion Effects,

Side Effect Types and Side Effects of potions. Most randomly
rolled effects are not apparent until the potion is used. Some
specific Side Effects affect the potion itself - if its an obvious
effect, it will be noted in the Side Effect entry.
The lists provided here are presented as a baseline for alchemy
in Arcadomai. Add and swap in your groups own effects and
side effects to tailor this list to your campaigns tone, and for
any effects that the GM feels are particularly interesting,
surprising and/or humorous.
If you get the same results while rolling for multiple side effects,
then continue to roll until you have a unique set of side effects
for the number of extra dice added.
Potion types
1 - Healing potion - These potions directly affect the drinkers
health.
2 - Combat potion - These potions affect the drinkers ability in
physical combat
3 - Skill potion - These potions affect the drinkers skillfulness in
non-combat situations
4 - Magic potion - These potions affect the drinkers ability in
using magic.
5 - Physical potion - These potions make a temporary change
on the drinkers physical body.
6 - Mental potion - These potions make a temporary change on
the drinkers mental state.
The Alchemist clich is only good for making potions - each

alchemy attempt results in a uniquely colored, smelling and
tasting batch of potions, making identification nearly impossible.
Making the roll
When making a batch of potions, the Alchemist first chooses
what precise Potion Effect that theyd like. The final results of
their clich roll determine how closely they got to their desired
result. The player is not aware of any random effects (either for
Potion Effect or most Side Effects) rolled by the GM, but they
are aware of what aspects of the potion are random.
Final roll of 7 or less
Something went very wrong in the attempt to make this batch of
potions. The GM rolls for a random Potion Type and then for a
random Potion Effect. This result also adds a Side Effect to the
potion, in addition to any Side Effects rolled for extra dice.
71
Healing potion effects

1 - Vile Toxicant - The drinker loses 2 dice in their primary
clich, and 1 die in another clich of their choice.
2 - Poison - The drinker loses a die in their primary clich.
3 - Remedy - The drinker heals a die in a clich of their choice.
4 - Medicine - The drinker heals 2 dice in a clich of their
choice.
5 - Restorative - The drinker heals 3 dice in a clich of their
choice.
6 - Elixir - The drinker heals all dice in their damaged clichs.
This potion also gives the drinker a surge of confidence, along
with a feeling of invulnerability.
(Magic potion effects, continued)

4 - Artillery - Combat uses of magic by the drinker gain a +1 die
bonus until the end of the encounter
5 - Wisdom - The drinker automatically succeeds at the next roll
to determine if their magic using clich increases at the end of
the game session.
6 - Archmage - All of the drinkers magic clichs are now
double pumpable until the end of the day. If any clich is
already double pumpable, then it becomes triple pumpable,
giving 3 dice for each die the mage sacrifices the following turn.
The day after this potion is used, the drinker is unable to use
any magic clich.
Combat potion effects

1 - Blood Thinner - If damaged in combat, the drinker will lose a
die in that same clich every turn until healed, or until that
clich drops to zero (causing death).
2 - Muscle Relaxant - The drinkers muscles relax greatly,
making it hard to use weapons effectively and affecting
coordination. This causes the drinker to take a -1 die penalty to
all combat rolls.
3 - Strength - The drinker wins ties until the end of combat.
4 - Energy Surge - The drinker gets a +1 die to their next
combat roll.
5 - Assault - The drinker gets a +1 die to combat rolls until the
end of combat.
6 - Liquid War - The drinker rolls every combat roll twice and
takes the better of the two rolls until end of combat. They must
also pump their combat clich by at least one for every roll.
Physical potion effects

1 - Paralysis - The drinker drops to the ground, unable to move
or speak. This lasts until the end of the encounter.
2 - Polymorph - The drinker turns into a random small animal
(nothing bigger than a cat). This lasts until the end of the
encounter. If this potion was made intentionally, the Alchemist
may choose the animal that the drinker turns into.
3 - Brawn - The drinker gets a +2 dice bonus to their next roll
involving brute strength
4 - Nimbleness - The drinker gets a +1 die to any roll involving
dexterity until the end of the encounter
5 - Resistance - The drinker gets a +1 die to any roll to resist
anything (hostile magic, poison, disease, intimidation, etc) until
the end of the day
6 - Transformation - The drinker turns into a powerful beast or
monster until the end of the encounter. This beast has a
combat clich of 5 dice, but the drinker may not use any of their
original clichs. If this potion was made intentionally, the
Alchemist may choose the beast that the drinker turns into.
Skill potion effects

1 - Clumsiness - The drinker takes a -2 die penalty to all rolls
involving physical activity for the rest of the encounter.
2 - Forgetfulness - The drinker talks a -1 die penalty to all rolls
involving memory or knowledge until they get a full nights
sleep.
3 - Focus - The drinker chooses one non-combat, non-magical
clich. They get +2 dice with that clich until the end of the
encounter.
4 - Glibness - The drinker may reroll the next 3 rolls they make
when attempting to directly affect a social situation.
5 - Stealth - Until the end of the encounter, when making a roll
to be hidden or to be silent, the drinkers rolls are counted as if
they rolled all sixes on their dice.
6 - Perfection - The next roll made with a non-combat, nonmagical clich automatically succeeds, no matter how high the
TN or opposing roll.
Mental potion effects

1 - Amnesia - The drinker forgets everything they know. They
may not use any of their clichs. At the start of each day, they
may remember one of their clichs again and use it normally.
This persists until all clichs are remembered.
2 - Sleep - The drinker becomes very drowsy. They are able to
sleep in any situation, regardless of motion or noise. The
drinker takes a -1 die penalty to all rolls until getting a full
nights worth of sleep.
3 - Recall - The drinker can recall any one memory or fact with
perfect clarity.
4 - Perception - The drinker automatically succeeds at their
next roll to notice something important (a funny smell, a faint
sound, a hiding opponent, etc).
5 - Meditation - The drinkers mind clears and refreshes
completely, giving the drinker the feeling of hours of peaceful
meditation in the span of a moment. They heal all non-combat
clichs fully.
6 - Genius - The drinker may immediately roll for advancement
on all their clichs. If none of the rolls succeed, they go into a
psychotic episode, laughing, crying and rambling on about the
secrets of the universe and whatnot. This psychotic frenzy lasts
for the remainder of the day.
Magic potion effects

1 - Calamity - The drinker must pump their next magic using
clich roll with all dice available in that clich, leaving them with
zero dice in the clich once the pump wears off. The spell cast
affects everyone in the area as well.
2 - Anti-magic - The next spell cast by the drinker automatically
fails.
3 - Arcane Lore - The next non-combat use of a magic clich is
rolled twice, taking the better of the two rolls.
72
(Physical side effects, continued)

2 - Unusual Feature - The drinker gains an unusual physical
feature. Skin color changing to something odd (green, bright
blue, zebra patterned, etc), growing small horns, a tail, small
and useless wings, a third eye - something unusual, very
obvious, and not incredibly useful. This effect lasts until the end
of the game session.
3 - Allergies - The drinker begins sneezing uncontrollably. This
ruins many social interactions and makes stealth impossible.
This effect lasts until the end of the encounter.
4 - Magic Allergy - Any spell cast on the drinker does a die of
damage to their primary clich. Losing a round of combat to
magic causes the potion drinker to lose 2 dice instead of 1. This
only effects spells cast by other people on the person affected
by this side effect. Spells cast by the person affected are cast
normally, and they can cast spells on themselves without
causing a die of damage. This effect lasts until the end of the
encounter.
5 - Shrink - The drinker shrinks down to about 6 in size. In
contests or combat with normally sized person, they only roll at
half dice. The drinkers clothing and equipment do not shrink
with them. This effect lasts until the end of the encounter.
6 - Scent - The drinker begins to put out an odor that attracts all
the wildlife and other animals in the immediate area. The
wildlife attracted will see the drinker as their preferred food,
attacking and attempting to eat them. This effect lasts a week.
Side effects
To determine the Side Effect Type, roll a single die and divide
by two, rounding up.
1 - Potion side effect - These side effects change the
composition of the potion itself.
2 - Physical side effect - These side effects make a temporary
change on the physical state of the drinker.
3 - Mental side effect - These side effects make a temporary
change on the mental state of the drinker.
Potion side effects
1 - Disgusting - The potion tastes like a combination of dirt,
sulfur and rotten fruit. The drinker must make an endurance
based clich roll (roll a die and add 10 for the TN), or throw up
the offensively vile potion, gaining none of the Potion Effects.
This is an obvious side effect, noticeable prior to drinking the
potion.
2 - Chewy - The potion has congealed into a tough, rubbery
mass, and must be dug out of the potion bottle and chewed up
to have any effect. In combat, it takes 3 turns to eat this potion
before the effects kick in. This is an obvious side effect,
noticeable prior to eating the potion.
3 - Short Lived - This potion goes bad if not used within 24
hours of being made. Once it goes bad, the potion does nothing
at all, save for gaining a strong sour taste and smell. This is an
obvious side effect once the potion goes bad, noticeable prior
to drinking the potion.
4 - Fizzy - The potion is extremely fizzy, bursting from the
potion bottle when opened. The drinker must make a dexterity
based clich roll (roll a die and add 10 for the TN), or the potion
is lost as it erupts from the bottle.
5 - Boiling - This potion contains a constant alchemical reaction
that renders it extremely hot. Drinking this potion causes a die
of damage to the drinkers primary clich. This is an obvious
side effect, noticeable prior to drinking the potion.
6 - Explosive - This potion is very unstable, and will violently
explode if jostled. Any fall that causes damage, any strike to the
body with a physical weapon, and taking damage from any
form of offensive magic will cause it to explode. This causes 1
die of damage to the primary clich of the person carrying the
potion. If theyre carrying multiple potions from the same batch,
all will explode at once, doing 1 die of damage for each potion
carried. Drinking this potion has no adverse effect - the
explosive property is lost once the potions effect occurs.
Mental side effects

1 - Blindness - The drinker is struck blind. They roll at half dice
when performing any action that involves sight. This effect lasts
until the end of the encounter.
2 - Silent - The drinker is struck deaf and mute. Many social
skills are hampered by this, and spellcasting is done at half
dice. This effect lasts until the end of the encounter.
3 - Paranoia - The drinker suffers from extreme paranoia,
thinking enemies surround them. Until losing at least half their
dice from combat, the sufferer of this side effect will attack
anyone within sight.
4 - Devotion - The drinker becomes completely devoted to the
next person who directly interacts with them. If that person is
the appropriate gender, theyll see this as true love. If the
subject of their devotion is not of their romantically preferred
gender, then theyll feel a bond with them akin to close family.
The sufferer of this effect will do anything for that person, so
long as that action would not directly harm themselves. This
effect lasts until the end of the game session.
5 - Levity - The drinker suddenly breaks into song and dance.
This makes stealth impossible, and imposes a -1 die penalty to
any roll requiring physical activity. This lasts until the end of the
encounter. Players are encouraged to act out their characters
song and dance.
6 - Hallucinations - The drinker has powerful hallucinations.
Whether visions of fearsome, threatening monsters, or of
peaceful, enthralling beauty, the drinker is completely
incapacitated. This lasts until the end of the encounter.
Physical side effects

1 - Gender Swap - The drinker changes gender instantly. This
effect lasts until the end of the game session. Drinking another
potion from the same batch will switch their gender back to
normal.
73
Arcadomai
Player Character Sheet
Name:
Player:
Age:
Gender:
Race (if non-human):
Clich name and dice
Lucky Shots (Circle sets available)
Tools of the trade
Bonus gear
Dice lost
What the clich is good for
Questing Dice (Circle sets available)
Clich name and dice
Sidekick/Shieldmate
Bonus gear
Name and/or description
Tools of the trade
Clich name and dice
Dice lost
Clich name and dice
Dice lost
Dice lost
Clich name and dice
Hook
Bonus gear
Dice lost
Tools of the trade
Character Description
Clich name and dice

Bonus gear
Hex:
Tools of the trade

74
Dice lost
Arcadomai
Player Character Sheet - page 2
Tale:
Character Portrait
75
Join us again sometime, fellow traveler

This concludes the world of Arcadomai. All it needs now is a group of adventures to delve into it, and a GM to steer them towards
excitement and mystery. If you have any questions or comments, please email them to dsuptic@gmail.com and Ill be more than happy
to get back to you.
Adventure on, and may the Light guide you.
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Arcadomai

Risus: The Anything RPG

Table of Contents (click on the title listed to jump to the entry)

Arcadomai - Skill Guide ......................................... 36

Arcadomai - Warrior Creeds .................................. 20

Unusual Skills: Alchemy in Arcadomai ................ 70

Arcadomai is 2006-2011 by Dan Suptic

Arcadomai - Core Setting

The world of Arcadomai

Such wonders. Such diversity. So many ideas, arts, and ways

A note about Risus

Organized religion is non-existent here - the absent gods dont

What follows are some of the more common combat-oriented

The clichs listed here all focus on a particular skill. While

Fighter - Training with many different weapons has led the

Politician - One who can manipulate bureaucracy to incredible

+ (number) pip = These items add the listed number to each

Just 40 Hex, thats right 40 Hex for this authentic God-crafted

Costs for Bonus Equipment are as follows. This is in addition to

+1 die = 100 hex

+ (number) die or dice = These items add dice equal to the

Items with multiple different types of bonuses exist as well.

A unique set of weapons exists in Arcadomai - the Sledge

Hex is the currency of Arcadomai. Hex (both singular and

Unscrupulous Illusionists can easily create realistic illusions of

Clockwork Lockpicks - +1 dice lockpicks. These lockpicks use a

Hex is the only official currency in Primeria, although bartering

A quick note, the term hex always refers to currency. To

For standard equipment, a magic using clich requires a

Magic staves and wands

If you have at least 3 clichs total in mage clichs, you know

The cost of magic cards depends on whether its a combat

Blank magic cards - 2 hex per card, usually discounted if

Non-Combat Magic Clich (1) - 10 hex

Magic cards are enchanted slips of stiff parchment or paper

Magic cards are the primary source of disposable magic effects

Fortune Teller's Deck

Anyone at all can use a Fortune Teller's Deck. The user

Strangely enough, some of the card's drawings feature

Politically, the whole continent is ruled by the Council of 3,

Corlavi is constantly expanding, and about once or twice every

Ive been around Arcadomai, but I swear Ill never understand

The Plains of Conviction

Much to the disappointment of the peaceful undead, Gravelight

A very powerful necromancer (called Marika) who lives on

The Broken Lands

Scar left the world without so much as a backward glance. He

The land around this whole area is incredibly hostile. Mile-deep

The Necropolis, Termniar

Cicatrix was formed when Rage attempted to destroy the world

The Fortress of Damnation

Can I keep it? - a frequent request from children.

Elder Dragonblood Turtle

Saddle Gator, Untrained

Saddle Gator, Trained

Demons and Devils

I cant believe it! We found the lost tomb of Ol-Shar-Gyre!

What follows are adventure ideas, either to start a campaign

Getting the goods

Dawn of the dead

Hook - Neat freak - Edgar must have everything around him

Here are a couple of ready-to-go adventurers fit for the

Tale - Edgar was born in Corlavi to a wealthy merchant family,

Reskori the Brave