SWORDS FOR HIRE
With the greenskin problems at Stormdorf finally resolved, the bounties on greenskin scalps reduced and the mop up operations completed. The provisional Burgher of Stormdorf revoked hunting licenses and laid off the mercenary bands with a small bonus and message of his thanks.
Travelling the road from Stormdorf to Ubersreik in search of more work are four such mercenaries:
Heinrik a Reiklander Initiate of Sigmar. A dour fellow with violent tendencies and a stout faith.
Grimvore a dwarf Ironbreaker, resplendent in his Gomeril amour and calmly dangerous.
Prinz Eugen a former pit fighter, sporting the scars of his trade, now turned mercenary in search of coin and prestige.
And, perhaps the most unusual of the group:
Orubayne a high elven warrior, wearing the scale armour his people and carrying a rapier, notable for cleaning and nursing an elegant (though broken) black powder pistol.
Recently formed the obvious martial skills of all make them well suited to mercenary work and they have quickly achieved a mutual understanding, happy to sell their skills to those able to pay.
GREY GOOSE INN
- As ever in the area of Stormdorf, inclement weather was the norm.
- A late night on the road, the miles passed… Rain fell… Tempers frayed…
- The Gray Goose Inn
- The surly Inn keeper
- Accommodation and a meal…
- Deep sleep for some, stomach cramps for others
- Things that go bump in the night.
- Kidnapping foiled
- Prisoners!
After the incident, the man being kidnapped (a mid-thirties nobleman by the look of him) is carried inside along with the two henchmen. One of them is severely injured, his face has been pulverised by the Grimvore’s shield, the other has a nasty cut across his arm and torso but is unconscious presently.
DECISION: the more seriously injured man is likely to die unless tended to. If he receives medical help, it may not suffice to save him. Do you let him die? (Note to you all, this sort of moral conundrum is likely to increase party tension unless you can agree quickly on a course of action). Party tension will increase progressively through the game.
A search of the inn, reveals the inn keeper tied up in his kitchen. He is obviously very scared.
DECISION: Do you release him?
The man in the cart escaped on foot into the rain despite Orubayne’s athletic pursuit. You know the man to be competent as a fighter, and quick! Only Orubayne saw his face clearly. Description: about 5’10”, dark shoulder length hair tied back with a cord of leather, pale skin, pale eyes, slight build but wiry. ear ring (probably gold) in left ear. Leather armour (looked good quality), dagger in boot.
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Scott mentioned the damage rules. You can probably now all see why armour is a good thing to have.
Some Armour (and shields) make you harder to hit, they increase the purple challenge dice required, so too do some actions (see your cards). Being hard to hit saves lives. Being hit repeatedly means at some point you fall over! Multiple attackers can reduce even stalwart fighters to unconsciousness quickly. Look for tactical advantages, like height cover etc. help make you harder to hit.
If you do get hit, then Soak values come into play. Your armour soak value (normally 2 or 3 for heavy armours, 0 or 1 for light, is added to your toughness, and that is the damage reduction in wounds. Example:.
Grimvore has a 5 point soak on his exceptional armour. Its one of the best in the game. He also has 5 toughness (smart cookie), so ONLY weapons inflicting 12 points or more of damage will harm him significantly.
For clarity, a great weapon has a damage code of 7, wielded by Prinz Eugen that makes 12 damage on a successful attack. BUT, Prinz (and the bad guys) have access to cards to improve that damage…
Most hand weapons have a damage code of 5, and average thugs will have strength 3. The chances are they won’t do Grimvore or Orybane much damage, but all of you should be careful.
Beware magic though guys, some of it ignores armour! Also some weapons have traits that pierce armour. No one is completely safe.
Actions.
All actions that you take need to be described. If you describe an action that can be attributed to one of your action cards, then you will get the card bonuses, if not, you can still do the action but any bonuses will be just environmental ones.
I can and will reward good/funny/heroic actions with bonus dice. Likewise, expect stupid/excessive/unreasonable actions to be penalised. You can still carry out such actions but at a penalty. or reduce the number of wounds taken at source.
Talents
Can be expended only once in a scene (which could last hours or days or multiple fights!) unless the talent says different. Use wisely!
Fortune dice
Use your fortune dice, don’t try to save them. You will pick up more through the game by good roleplaying or exceptional actions (or both). You can use team fortune dice (with the agreement of the team) ONLY if you are carrying out actions in accordance with the team ethics as stated on the card. Swords for hire may not save a helpful woman under attack in the street from charity, but they may consider such an act appropriate if it improves their reputation and helps gain employment.
If as a sword for hire, you intend to volunteer for the city militia as a group then you need to select another party card. Similarly, on occasion, a party card will be imposed upon you as a result of a particular mission or circumstances.
Rarely I will allow fortune dice to be expended to produce a ‘significant dramatic effect’, ask and you might just get!
Fortune is normally awarded to the team pool, when you get 4 points it MUST be shared out. Rarely an individual will receive a fortune die directly… this do the gods reward hero’s!
Career advances
Next week you will receive some xp. I heavily recommend you invest one point in a fortune die. These dice permanently add one fortune dice to a stat. The stat is chosen from you career sheet and must be one of the two listed. The other xp can be spent wherever, or saved until you have enough to increase a stat.
See you all next week!
