Monsters & followers
Creatures and other hostiles
True to the old school gaming tradition, we call everything that can be encountered in an adventure a monster — even friendly unicorns and huggy bugbears. Your Referee will find monsters to use as examples for their own creations (pp.40-43).
If converting from other games, keep this in mind:
- Hit dice are d8s, unless monsters are especially resilient or fragile.
- For armour class, use the equipment table, or simply add 1-3 extra HD.
- Damage can be ported over, even if it is by weapon.
Monster Magic. Don’t bother with magic rules for NPCs and monsters. The powers and spells in the stat block you’re using will do fine. If you are statting up the monster yourself, have a clear idea of what its magic can and cannot do. When a PC is targeted by a spell during combat, I recommend allowing a 'saving throw' stat check if the spell has effects beyond mere damage. Otherwise just add the spell’s damage to what the character takes if the combat check is failed.
Reaction
Monsters react according to the situation and their agenda. When encountered, they should always be busy doing or looking for something. If the Referee isn’t sure, they can roll the current Encounter Risk Die (p.19) on the Encounter Goal table below. Checking CHA is a good way to decide if monsters are immediately aggressive, cautious, or open to parley.
| Encounter Goal or Activity (Encounter Δ) |
|---|
| 1. roll d12 twice, mixing the results |
| 2. looking for allies or help |
| 3. moving out or escaping |
| 4. raiding settlement or ambushing travellers |
| 5. running away from other monsters |
| 6. driving intruders away |
| 7. looking for prisoners |
| 8. scavenging or hunting |
| 9. exploring |
| 10. fighting amongst themselves |
| 11. resting or setting camp |
| 12. looking for goods or riches to trade |
What Do They Want?
To know more about what makes an NPC tick, roll on the motivation table below. If it’s a hireling or other character with an associated Δ, roll that, otherwise roll a d12.
| NPC Motivation (Δ or d12) |
|---|
| 1. Debt & Despair |
| 2. Love or Friendship |
| 3. Fame and Glory |
| 4. Wanderlust |
| 5. Need to Impress Someone |
| 6. Revenge |
| 7. A Solemn Vow |
| 8. To Escape the law |
| 9. A Death Wish |
| 10. A Sense of Duty or Destiny |
| 11. Paid by a Third Party |
| 12. A Divine Plan or Vision |
Morale
Monsters have lives too and they don't like wasting them in pointless fights with adventurers. This is when the Morale Risk Die comes in. The Referee rolls it every time the monsters take a sizeable blow or if a character intimidates them with a successful CHA check or a showy spell. This roll can also be done with advantage or disadvantage.
| NPC Motivation (Δ or d12) |
|---|
| 1. desperate: double damage all around |
| 2. flee, leaving stuff behind, doors open |
| 3. surrender: if not accepted, step up Δ |
| 4. retreat orderly and regroup |
| 5. panic: behaves against their interest |
| 6. fight defensively, look for cover, etc. |
| 7. best defence: take risks to win quickly |
| 8. frenzy: double damage, can’t tell apart PCs and allies |
| 9. feint: retreat to set a trap or ambush. |
| 10. exploit a weakness in PC strategy |
| 11. second wind: reroll monster hit points |
| 12. blood thirst: disadvantage to attack the monster |
Giving Chase & Running Away
Getting out of combat requires a DEX check, possibly dropping weapons or loot to avoid rolling with disadvantage. We don’t use movement speeds but some monsters are fast or slow as compared to typical adventurers.
Outside of combat the party makes CON checks to evade pursuit. Encumbrance (p.12) or having shorter legs can give you disadvantage. Catching up with fleeing monsters requires the same roll, with advantage if you are fleeter of foot.
Followers or Hirelings
These interchangeable terms describe characters working with or for the PCs, defined only by their Risk Die (see below), hit points, and gear. A follower can carry 5 items, 10 if they’re willing to be encumbered.
A hireling has a Risk Die that represents their skill and loyalty. Typical villagers have Δ6, whereas professional adventuring staff will have Δ8 to Δ10. Δ12 means a fanatic or some sort of brainless undead servant. Double payment or other strong incentives can increase the initial die type by one step.
Whenever a hireling is hurt, does something dangerous or is otherwise in grave danger, roll their Δ. A follower’s Risk Die is also rolled when using their ability (see table below). Note that the cheapest and most readily available hirelings have no ability.
| Hireling Abilities (d12s in a city, to d4s in the middle of nowhere) |
|---|
| 1. Torchbearer: number of extra items they can carry (cumulative) |
| 2. Halberdier: additional damage dealt on their first attack |
| 3. Scout: distance ahead reconned on their own (in miles/km) |
| 4. Hedge wizard: number of (very minor) spells per day |
| 5. Halfling: if setting camp, number of characters healing with advantage (p.28) |
| 6. Chaplain: number of people protected from evil/chaos/etc. (adv. to resist magic) |
| 7. Elf: times they give advantage to spot enemies or secret passages |
| 8. Bodyguard: additional armour for their charge |
| 9. Dwarf: times they give advantage to find treasure or room traps |
| 10. Surgeon: total hit points healed after a fight (can be shared) |
| 11. Burglar: number of people who get advantage to sneak checks |
| 12. Bard: number of morale boosts per day (advantage on one roll) |
A hireling whose die fizzles quits or flees. Food, drink, a good night’s sleep, the fulfilment of their goals or a successful CHA check may bring a hireling’s Risk Die back up by one step. If you character hired a follower, you are in charge of rolling for them — this makes fights much easier on the Referee. A follower acting independently gets injured on a 1-3 on their Risk Die. On a 4 or more, they can deal their damage. You never roll the d20 for a hireling.
Each follower has d6 HP and either a special ability from the table below or one suitable trait. Their equipment is minimal: one decent weapon or suit of armour, some food, that’s about it. The Referee may ask you to roll on the random equipment tables (pp.8-10) using the hireling's Risk Die.
Hiring Followers
Follower wages range from daily pay, to equipment, to a lump sum (roll coin Δ accordingly), or even a share of the treasure. Negotiation should be roleplayed and possibly concluded with a CHA check.
Free follower! If it's the first session and politics aren’t going to be very prominent, every character who chose an organisation or faction as a trait gets a follower from that group. They can be of any type you want, or even a pet.