Newest version of The Northern Realm Gamebook: 
The Northern Realm part 1

Newest version of The Northern Realm Worldbook: 
The Northern Realm part 2

Download to use hyperlinks

Change log:

This is a major update.
CR and AR (effectively the Difficulty Class and Armor Class of D&D) are no more. Checks are broken down into two types:

1. Opposing checks. Attacks, battling Wills, hiding and the like are measured against an opposing roll. For example, a warrior attacks another warrior with an arming sword. He rolls 2d6 + bonuses (usually Dex) versus the defender 1d6 + bonuses (usually Dex + armor). If his number exceeds the defenders', the attack succeeds.

2. Roll under checks (short for roll equal to or under). Skills and anything that required a CR or DC before are generally now what is called a roll under check. A roll under check is a single d6 roll measured against one ability. For example, a magician with 3 Intellect wants to make a roll under check to recall information about a certain spell. The magician rolls one d6. If the result is 3 or less, she can recall the information, otherwise she does not.

Attributes have been changed to skills and were updated. This is a bit of a subtle change, but it's to enforce the idea that what's listed under the example classes is interchangeable with the general skills.

Actions cannot be repeated, but characters can do two actions per round or two immediate actions out of turn, or one of each every round. Some skills let you repeat specific actions.

Combat is broken into three options: attacking, grappling, and called shots. Called shots are simply another way of attacking but with specific results.

Armor bonuses are updated to reflect more fair odds but also reinforce the idea that tactics in combat are more important than hacking away at opponents. 

Plate armor protects the wearer from critical damage.

Armor is no longer categorized into light and heavy. Armor penalties scale up as the bonus increases and fatigue the wearer. 

Ranged attacks are updated. Effective range is shorter, but hits lodge missiles into targets.

Scrolls and tomes let spellcasters cast spells they can't memorize.

Spellcasters can only memorize spells with levels less than their Intellect.

Identical dice effect is rearranged, slightly less brutal. Some skills let you bypass it if you cast certain spells. Idea being you don't fuck up stuff you're good at or are used to casting. Fuck ups are relogated to when you dump an insane amount of power into things.

Injuries reduce rolls by 1d6 or lower ability scores by 1 for roll under checks. 

Conditions are Injuries but can have additional or more specific effects.

Knockouts are gone, but characters can still be knocked unconscious only can't guarantee they wont die (choking out is most effective way to violently neutralize opponents without killing them).

Major change to death scenario. Characters can now stay in the fight when reduced to 0 Life, but make shock checks to stay conscious and gain Injuries.

Many minor changes to descriptions and wording in item abilities, etc. to reflect updated rules (in particular roll under checks, armor bonuses, and changes to the nature of injuries and conditions).

Book 2 is updated. Creature statistics are updated.

An ongoing theme with creatures is weaknesses. Most monsters have a weakness that can be exploited.  

Wizard specialization skill benefits and drawbacks have been balanced. 

A Cracked Mirror

Magda Zwierzchowska

The Black Tower

The Black Tower has loomed over the barren rock of the cove for as many generations of Ýr
 as had lived in the north- and never had anyone entered or exited its doorless walls. Who built this solitary structure and for what purpose? Before the Ýr 
there was no one, just this featureless spire of black granite.

The Creature

At the top of the cove, Carrum and Wyn watched. A shadow crept between the crags of the rock shore and ocean spray. They wondered, even hoped the shadow was a simple trick of light and coastal fog, but there was no mistaking its irregular movements. As it made its way to the tower, the voices on the wind, a now familiar din that seemed to rise from the crashing waves, beckoned with the word, “Come.” It drew them to the Black Tower, that daunting monolith that had stood benignly for all the generations of Ýr. It was a simple ruin, nothing more than an ominous monument to the unknown had now become a familiar terror as if it had bubbled up from depths of Ýr memory. The shadow creature reached the tower foundations.

Despite their muted senses, the appearance of an archway on the belly of the tower elicited gasps from the near hypnotized Ýr on the cove top. The words from the crashing surf, “Come,” seemed to echo now from that darkened space beyond the archway. For mere moments, Carrum and Wyn hesitated but they could not resist the tower’s call.

The Facets

Inside the tower, there is a spiraling pathway that climbs the walls of the otherwise hollow tower. Once past the tower entrance, it disappears, so seemingly there is no way out. Up the spiral pathway, there appears as many ‘floors’ as there are characters, each with an open portal. Each leads to an alien place that leaves the characters with a growing sense of familiarity, which will become clear with time, especially once the third and last door is explored.

The First Door

Beyond the first door is a setting that best represents the primal personality and character traits of one character. This door is the past. Here you discover there are quadrants, each with a different society and environment, and at the center is a black tower, visible from all places within this strange place. At certain vantages, it seems miles tall. What’s more, there are as many quadrants as there are characters. Note, all this information isn’t revealed to the characters right away. Let on to these resemblances slowly. For example, a quadrant that represents a forest warden might be a vast woodland populated with a strange people that worship a savage god. The door exits in a place of significance in each quadrant. Exploring it will reveal many places and things that are extreme representations of the character, its memories, traits, and important possessions. There is only one outlier in each representative place, a story of Munin, a man or god that seems to play a role somehow.

The Second Door

Beyond the second door is a setting that best represents another character but in a much more civil, organized manner, for example, a sprawling capital city with many people and clear class structures.  This door is the present. Speaking with the inhabitants of this place will reveal the previously explored quadrant and its inhabitants are now merely remembered as a long-ago history or myth. In this quadrant, there is a growing tension between it and its neighbors, an impending war, which again Munin seems to have recorded or been involved somehow. The tower stands at the middle of this environment as well. If asked about the whereabouts of this Munin every quadrant has its own myth about his involvement and residence.

 The Third Door

Last, beyond the third door is again a setting that represents another character but this time-warped and strange. For example, a city lit with fireless lamps, abandoned except for one mind-bending inhabitant that is now more worm than man. This door is the future. Discover in this place that all other quadrants have been conquered. At this point, the world appears bleak as if breaking down. Tales of Munin now tell of an old decrepit man that’s death will bring about the rebirth of the world. It is said his lair is in the mountains above the door entrance to this place. Going there will reveal a strange temple with idols that resemble the characters and doors that open to dangerous creatures that once resided in previous iterations of other quadrants.

Escape

This perilous trip will eventually lead to yet another door, but this one is closed. If the characters die on their way, they will find themselves again inside the base of the tower as if they had just entered, open portals again waiting for them. If the characters survive, they find Munin, an aged creature with the semblance of a Noble, sharp features and teeth. He will present you with a dagger with which, he explains, you are meant to kill him or yourself to be released.

Should you kill him, the world shatters in a vortex of mind-bending replays of the many worlds of the tower, as if the cycle had repeated many hundreds of times, at which point you realize that during your exploration of the tower one of your previous selves had decided to stay and create your perfect world, until eternity eventually drove you mad. In the end, you and your companions stand there in the abandoned tower, now with the doorway open to you. Only a few days have passed since you entered. You are free to leave, but so is one of the long locked away Masters, Evroul.

Should you kill yourself instead, Munin frowns. You return to the cycle as if you’d died battling your way to his door, except you still hold in your hand the dagger. The portals and the spiral path are again there but you now hold a powerful tool. With this dagger you can cut away the wall where you first entered as if it were canvas and escape, leaving Evroul the Deceiver still trapped in his prison.

About Evroul: The 7 Masters were once the great leaders of the Noble Dominion. A millennium ago the 7 were overthrown and deposed in different ways. Few know their ultimate fate, but since they are not mortal, they cannot be wholly destroyed. Evroul is one of the 7 and a master of illusion. His domain was the most northern of the Dominion. 

Magda Zwierzchowska

Inspired by an adventure with Bruce David Burns.

The Grey

The Grey (or Harian, as they call themselves) are tall and incredibly slender, graceful, fleet-footed, and sharp. There is little to distinguish males from females, both are much taller than the average human.  They tend have dark hair, jet-black irises, and lack facial and bodily hair. Their skin has an ever so slight blue-grey tinge otherwise they are very pale. They are beautiful, if strange, with elongated features and limbs in perfect symmetry.

The Harian are ageless. And yet in each clan, there are scarce few beyond three hundred years. This is in large part due to the practice of lesmair. When the eldest of the Grey become disinterested with life they go dormant. Some wander into the forest in search of a comfortable resting place, while others simply sit down and never get up again. Even the most driven of them rarely stay active beyond four hundred years. A Grey can, of course, become active again. They are aware of everything around them, but after seeing virtually everything in their long lives, there isn’t much to peak their interest. While dormant, the Grey do not need to eat or drink, but this disinterest with life becomes so strong that it supersedes a sense of self-preservation. Some even perish in seasonal floods while others fall prey to wild animals. Greywood is filled with thousands upon thousands of dormant Harian.

Lesmair shows up in many Harian traditions. Dormant Grey are included in story circles and festivities, left offerings when clans leave for nhymor (an intermittent migration) and incorporated into fables, jokes, customs, even phrases such as ‘bored into lesmair.’

Still, the Grey are born with vivaciousness for life. They have many offspring, limited only by choice (becoming fertile when both Grey desire a child). They maintain an active sex life (and usually polygamous, often not confined to just other Grey). Parents usually live hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles apart, meaning only the mother or father raises their offspring and it could be decades before it meets its other parent.

The Grey delight in giving names. They are named at birth. As they accomplish more in life they take on more names, adding to their existing designations. When shortened, a Grey may be called by any number of derivatives of their existing name. Curiously, though the Grey have many names, none know what they were named at birth. Their parents and their parents alone know their birth name. It is an old tradition originally meant to protect the Grey’s true name, but it is also a facet of the Lwydgalon gerontocracy. The Grey have multiple names for places and things as well. They do not have family names as such but bear a name that is added to depending on their age, accomplishments, personality or who is addressing them. A name could be a description of their personality, appearance, occupation, father, mother, or place of origin.

John Bauer

 

Spell Tricks

Spell Trick (M): The wizard’s arcane study progresses, she develops special tricks that not only aid the learning process, but augment her skills. She can choose spell tricks as attributes but she must follow their order (to know a 3rd spell trick she must know the 1st and 2nd).

Magda Zwierzchowska

Abjuration

1st: If a target within 50 ft. fails its check against an enchantment spell or effect, the wizard can spend an immediate action to grant the affected target a second check at the same CR.

2nd: The wizard can make counterspell checks as if they were cantrips (roll an extra d6).

3rd: The wizard may cast spells with a range of touch or personal at a range of 50 ft. instead.

Conjuration

1st: The wizard may add any summon spell from other spell lists to her spellbook. These learned spells are sorcery magic.

2nd: The wizard can spend 1 Power to manipulate time around her within 5 seconds, moving it forwards or backwards.

3rd: Summoned things can be summoned simultaneously with a spell that would target them, thereby summoning an enchanted thing. She may not spend more than 4 Power in total.

Divination:

1st: The wizard’s magic sense, not only automatically detects spells, but also identifies the spell effect.

2nd: While she sleeps, a wizard sometimes dreams of events happening about or pertaining to her as if from a Scry spell. There is a 1 in 6 chance she performs a Scry each time she sleeps.

3rd: The wizard can spend 1 Power to improve her Initiative order by 1d6 until the end of the round (she does not need to spend an immediate action).

Enchantment

1st: Any Intuition checks made to discern her motives are made with one less d6.

2nd: If a target is defenseless, it makes checks against her enchantment spells with one less d6.

3rd: When the duration of an enchantment spell ends, an affected target forgets everything that transpired from the moment it became affected to the moment it was freed from the spell.

Evocation

1st: If a target has an ability that allows it to overcome a spell’s partial effect (such as evasion or mettle), it no longer functions against the wizard’s spells.

2nd: The wizard can spend an immediate action to redirect a spell back on its source. Reflecting a spell works the same as a counterspell, except her Spell Dice result must exceed that of the target or it has no effect.

3rd: Spells that produce a damage effect no longer originate from the wizard and move towards the target, instead they erupt from out of the target’s body with tremendous destructive power. When she casts an evocation spell, she may roll Spell Dice twice and take the higher of two rolls.

Illusion

1st: The wizard can use an immediate action to switch the images of two different objects within 50 ft. Creatures are allowed an Intuition check to disbelieve the effect as normal. If she is fatigued, the wizard can no longer use this ability without expending 1 Power.

2nd: The wizard can manipulate an existing illusion. The effect must be within the capability of the spell. If the illusion is manipulated in the presence of its caster, she must make an opposing Will check to continue manipulating the illusion each round.

3rd: The wizard can produce the illusion of any spell she has observed or can imagine. She can spend 1-4 Power to cast it (there is no minimum or maximum). The casting and effects of the spell appear as they normally would, except that once the target disbelieves the spell all the effects cease to hinder it. The target is allowed only Intuition checks to disbelieve the effect.

Necromancy

1st: The wizard is always aware of living creatures within 50 ft. and their exact location. She can sense the strength of their life force.

2nd: The wizard can spend 1 Power to drain the unlife from target mindless undead creature within 50 ft.

3rd: Undead creatures under the wizard’s control gain the benefit of the wizard’s Will. The undead creatures add the Will as a bonus to all checks.

Transmutation

1st: The wizard can use an immediate action to mask the presence of a magical thing within 50 ft. It can appear as faintly enchanted or totally mundane, but it does not make a physical change. The deception is revealed with a True Sight spell or similar. Its abilities do not change despite its seemingly ordinary look. If she is fatigued, the wizard can no longer use this ability without expending 1 Power.

2nd: The wizard can cast spells through her familiar as if she was there. If she does not have a familiar she may form a permanent connection with a person to the same effect. She can sense their experiences, including seeing and feeling through them, and is equally affected by any condition afflicting her familiar.

3rd: The wizard may cast a spell and grant it to a companion without triggering the effect. The companion may later ‘cast’ the spell with a designated trigger. She must be able to touch the target to grant it a spell. She may grant the target only 1 spell. The Power spent cannot be regained until her companion uses the spell or it is dispelled from the target, even after a full day with a rest.

The Bone King

Nord Fyel is a far distant kingdom. Its people, the Vann, are isolated from the continent by the Giants' Mountains. The Vann appear in the south only to raid the coasts or trade with the fortified towns of Kelet. Our adventurers left from Elhis with a crew of Vann to explore this isolated country and make their fortunes, but upon arrival of their first Vann town, nearly everything went to shit.

The town of Hundenshode was burned to the ground, the long house at the center of town was packed with mutilated bodies, and the island of Hudd surrounded with an impenetrable fog. What's more, the boats at its docks were intact but all were resting on the seabed, just below the water.

This adventure had its twists and turns, but ultimately what it led to was a portal, mistakenly opened by Saga the witch. She paid with her life, but not before being "rewarded" by the Noble she accidentally resurrected. Fortunately for her and the townsfolk that managed to hide in the caves up in the hills, the adventurers were able to release Saga from her "gift," close the portal and in the end dispatch the Noble. Of course, this did not erase the Noble from the world, but he was trapped in the Shadow Realm– and from that place, the adventurers bore out a gift. A cup, dull silver in the Shadow Realm became a gold jewel encrusted goblet in the material world. With that, the mist dissipated and the survivors boarded the boat with its crew and left for Torvald.

Theodor Kittelson

The ship pitches, you dream about the dark, the Noble's hall in the Shadow Realm, Saga crying, a heavy rain. You are sleeping in a forest as black as the caves you just left. You feel as if something is watching you. You catch glimpses out of the corner of your eye but when you turn your head you see nothing. Ahead is a tall standing stone. When you come near, suddenly you are on your back and you cannot move. Then a face looms over you. A face of a corpse with eyes like rubies. You try to sit up but you feel a crushing weight on your chest. It’s hard to breathe… you wake.

The light of the two moons is pale making the night sky bright with stars. At the back of the ship is a dark shape. You are reminded of the corpse. Long shadows obscure its face, but when you near it, you recognize Ask, the captain, staring blankly. You shake him and the shadow passes. He appears normal again but bewildered, then confusion ensues. The ship lurches as it strikes a reef.

It's then you notice the cliffs. You are very near the shore. Ask looks up at the stars. Noting the constellations to get a sense of direction and the moons for the time of night and exclaims how far off course you are. The boat is taking in water. You’ll need to come ashore for repairs.

The Cup: Evroul, the once great Master gifted his vassals beautiful goblets. When drunk from, mortals would gain mystical powers (roll a random power). 1- darksight, 2- immunity to fear, 3- shadow touch (can interact with incorporeal things), 4- wilt (creatures you wound can only be healed of 1 Life for each instance of healing), 5- suggestion, 6- inspire fear in those that oppose you

If you've drunk from the cup you are touched, drawing the attention of the ancient draugar that now stirs beneath his ancient broken fortress. He wants the cup and he would like nothing more than to add to his number of servants.

Dreams: Characters that drank from the cup dream of a time under the Nobles. The one that possesses the cup dreams of Hundenshode and the castle hall in shadow. Each time the possesser dreams he also sees the standing stone and eventually the ruby eyed corpse (a creature known as the Bone King). Each time the touched characters dream, the Bone King gains a stronger foothold in the minds for as long as the adventurers remain on the shore (start at 2d6 and then add a d6 to its dream checks for each time its invaded their dreams before). The Bone King will also attempt to lead or trick the dreamers into its dungeon. Once the Bone King can roll 4d6 against the adventurers in the dreams, it will reach for their neck and drag them in (they may of course resist).

The Runestone: 50 meters up the beach is a tall runestone. Such runestones are scattered about Nord Fyel. Most tell stories. Some familiar, some so old that the people and events they speak of are forgotten, while others are strange and speak of strange things and events not generally known. On this runestone is an inscription:

Under shadows of the western peaks,

drawing nigh the untravelled pass,

The Mountain King watches ever vigilant,

while his children break the hilltops.

In all their might, even they fear the chamber…

which below the ground fatefully lies!

(Runestone inscription borrowed from Oerath Windsoul)

The runestone is a portal. In the realm of dreams, it appears as a narrow hall. The Bone King will lure the drinkers and possessors of the cup in a shared dream down this narrow path into a strange and closed off dungeon. Once entered the wall appears solid again. The adventurers will be unable to leave unless they can answer the riddle:

My life can be measured in hours,
I serve by being devoured.
Thin, I am quick
Fat, I am slow
Wind is my foe.

A CANDLE  (once a candle or fire is lit, the wall becomes a pathway and the adventurers are free to explore the dungeon. If the fire would go out, whatever room they are in is again closed off)

The Dungeon: Use Dyson's cubic dungeon, it is perfect for this--> Cubic Dungeon

The Dungeon has no escape. The passages are only revealed with fire but even without it the characters can see. The outline of the entire dungeon is visible because it exists in the Shadow Realm, hence its impossible nature. Within the dungeon are a few things of consequence. The Bone King will leave them trapped while it hunts the trespassers on the shore, but it will leave the characters guarded. On the opposite side of the cube, an old wight shadows their movement, always staying on the opposite side (and while in the dungeon it regains Power and Life 1 per round). It will not be revealed, however until this riddle is solved (this riddle repeats on many walls):

The part of the bird
that is not in the sky,
which can swim in the ocean
and always stay dry.

 A SHADOW

The last riddle within the dungeon is this:

What is deaf, dumb and blind
and always tells the truth?

A MIRROR

This riddle hints that a mirrored surface will reveal the passage which exits the dungeon. It also reveals the mundane aspect of the dungeon, which is black as pitch and a linear catacomb (but you cannot access it without magical help). There is a room within the dungeon with silver objects. There is a silver tray there. If brought back to the original room, reveals the exit. If the adventurers walk backward while facing the mirrored object they will exit the dungeon.

Valdis: This strange hermit lives on the cliff overlooking the beach where the adventurers and crew have come ashore. Valdis is an ancient witch. So old, in fact, that she is dead. Valdis is a völur, a creature given a semblance of life from sheer force of will. She is not quite old enough to know how the draugar came to this place or when its fortress was last manned, but she does know its story– but she will do nothing for free.

Should the adventurers want information, the price will be one of their possessions. She cannot be tricked, whatever she asks of the adventurers must be given exactly. Once given, Valdis tells the story of a nameless fear unleashed upon the forest kingdom, north of the Nobles' Empire. These people, she tells you, were the Grey. At first their onslaught was unchecked, but the Grey are clever. They hid well and ambushed whenever possible, so after hunting across the vast woodlands in vain, the Nobles returned their attention to humanity. So it came to be that the most powerful of the Nobles' servants passed through the giants' mountains, a thing thought impossible, and made war on the Vann. The Vann named the most powerful of these creatures the Bone King (the Bone King is a draugar).

The Bone King built his castle in southern Nord Fyel and conquered half of it, pushing the Vann ever northwards. Only after the death of their masters and the growing strength of the Seithren were the Bone King and his servants driven into their crypts.

She will give no other help until it's needed and needed it will be if the party is split. If the adventurers seek help or protection, Valdis will create a globe of light to guide and keep them from fear as long as they are within its light, but the price will be steep. She will do this in exchange for a year of an adventurer's life (which subsequently becomes a forgotten year of their life), an adventurer's name (once given it remains their true name, but they and everyone that's ever known them no longer remembers it), or an adventurer's humor (they no longer laugh or enjoy humor).

The Last Riddle: Hidden at the base on the back of the runestone is a crudely carved riddle, left by Valdis as a hint to a secret, second entrance.

A life longer than any man,
it dies each year to be reborn.

A TREE

There are ruins, hidden deep in the forest. At the center of these ruins is a tree. At the base is a bone hand with an iron ring on its index finger. Pull this ring and a second entrance to the dungeon is revealed. But a word to the wise, the hand is still connected to the draugar. If pulled at night, the draugar will come alive and drag the one who touched it into its dungeon, where it will be much, much harder to defeat.

This is also an excellent map for this (also Dyson): The Caverns of Ulthik

Theodor Kittelson

Ruby Eyes: The eyes of the Bone King, pried from his again dead skull, are little more than expensive jewels, until held up to your eyes. When looking through the rubies intentions are laid bare, invisible things become visible, and enchanted marks flare to life with a sudden intensity.

Iron Ring: Plain and otherwise unremarkable, this ring is weighty in the hand and ever cold. Knowing it came from off the Bone King's finger, the adventurers were too afraid to put in on. They were, however, curious. When discovered, the wizard Elias cast an Impression spell on it, but even that was ill-advised. The ring lashed out with such ferocity it left poor Elias catatonic for ten long minutes. The iron ring is imprinted with the Bone King, acting like a copy of the original. If put on, your personality will gradually erode and eventually be overwritten with the mind and powers of the Bone King.

The Bone King's Servants: A wight (inside the dungeon), innumerable zombies (outside; he can spend an action to raise 1d6 each round, but only at night)

Hundenshode Resources:
  

The left insignia is Turel (anyone who's played Soul Reaver should recognize this --Soul Reaver is awesome if you've never played it or read the story btw). The second insignia is Stolas, a demon of knowledge. The left Insignia (Turel) is circled, it is also carved on Saga's head. In the room is a cauldron filled to the brim with a strange substance that reflects no light (it is a portal). In front of it are two burnt out candles (ghost candles). There is also a cat, pegged to the wall and a summoning circle that's clearly been broken (accidentally, by the cat, thereby freeing the summoned creature).

The Cursed

“Please.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot help you.”

“I have journeyed two weeks–”

“I cannot help you.”

“I have gold.”

There was silence for a few moments then the light of dawn filled the room as a woman pushed aside the door curtain and left the shop. She paused for a moment just outside. The winter sun is cold comfort but taking time to enjoy its warmth, as little as it is, has become an important ritual.

What number was this? The fourth, no, fifth time she’d been refused? That was the last master healer in the city. Her grimace cut long lines through the scars on her face as she sighed, “No point in staying here any longer.”

Making her way to the city gates, she rounded the corner and was met with smashing pots and shouting. Riding at her, a man on a cart was yelling, “Out of the way!” as two men with a symbol of sun embroidered on their tunics gave chase.

Anna threw herself towards the nearest wall but in doing so her foot slipped on the muddy road and instead of diving from the path, went face down in the wet earth. The wagon narrowly missed her but one of the two men giving chase nearly tripped over her, instead stepping on Anna's leg.

Her yelp of pain was muffled in a spurt of muddy bubbles as the man ran over her and the cart continued plowing through the streets, finally disappearing down an alley. 

Wet earth caked her mouth, Anna slowly picked herself, spitting. Half covered in mud, she sat up gingerly. Not to be defeated she finally picked herself up and again made her way to the city gates, this time limping.

If asked why she did not take a rest or stop to properly to clean herself or why she had a look of complete determination like a trapped wolverine, she would reply, “That old bitch won’t kill me yet.”

It’s become a bit of a personal mantra.

Arthur Rackham

Curses

A true curse is a formidable and enigmatic spell. Few understand the precise workings of a curse or how exactly it interacts with those afflicted, only that is a feared and seldom used avenue of power. Many learned in magic do not accept the existence of curses, believing them to be mere myth. And yet, even doubters are wary of them.

A true curse is different from normal spells in that they can be cast by even the most mundane of Rhen’s inhabitants. True curses are evoked with dread, fury, and pain. One does not premeditate uttering a curse. It cannot be fabricated. It must be cast with genuine and powerful emotions. Curses are screamed or spoken in cold, precise words with eyes like piercing daggers, mouth frothing like a rabid wolf, and fingers clenched so tight that nails draw blood. Spend 1 to 4 Power to speak a curse. You have a 1 in 6 per Power chance of successfully cursing the target (or targets), however, curses are fickle; in attempting a curse there is also a 1 in 6 per Power chance that you become cursed as well, unless you are able to name your target (it must be their true name). If you can name your target there’s only a 1 in 6 chance that you curse yourself. Cursed targets henceforth cannot spend Luck and what’s more, 1 in 6 checks automatically fail.

Unlike a broken oath, a true curse can be removed, but it is dangerous. As a result, wise healers are wary to help. A Remove Curse spell will remove a true curse, but to determine its success or failure, the healer must also make a Will check versus the strength of the curse (1d6 times Power spent on the curse). A successful check removes the curse. However, if the check fails, the curse is not removed and it results in the healer suffering one of the following conditions: 1. blinded, 2. muted, 3. unfeeling (numbed), 4. deafened, 5. exhausted, 6. paralyzed.

This and other additions/changes to the Northern Realm have come with plenty of playtesting. I think I'm getting closer to the mark with it. It's almost ready if you want to give it a try: The Northern Realm Handbook

Unicorns

Arthur Rackham

 

A symbol of royalty, the unicorn is universally recognized. It is a creature of enigma, beauty, and magnificence. Many house crests bear the likeness of a unicorn. It is said that there is only one and that he is the king of Greywood, while others say there are many but only one king sire, or that it is a great mare, a favored shape of the fey queen, it is said– many things.

Unicorns are magic given substance. Sometimes they appear as a horse with a single horn rising from its head; sometimes they are blinding flash of light, and others a deep shadow. Their appearance alters depending on its environment, what’s transpired there, and what past emotions resonate in the fabric of a place.

A glimpse of one is enough to drive a person mad. The good folk tell sad tales about people that have seen one and been broken. The fey are of course unaffected, but they notice the change in us. When a mortal sees a unicorn, they see their entire lives from beginning to end. They see their happiest and saddest moments, most traumatic and memorable. When the vision leaves them, we cannot possibly remember all the moments of our lives, but the memory of death stays with us. The vision of our fate is unavoidable and almost always very near as if proximity to the unicorn has burned away years of life.

There is only one known way to change your fate, kill the unicorn, but how to find one? How to hunt it? No one knows and few have tried. An old story of the vanished king Godric of Storgeard tells of a stag hunt, where he chanced upon a unicorn. Having glimpsed it, he knew his fate, but being strong hearted and stubborn Godric left with a hunting party. This story has many endings, and in all, he never returns. Many say he died, but one says he succeeded and that he still lives, even five hundred years later he walks the forest as an empty, hollowed out creature.

Killing a unicorn rips the fabric of reality, essentially removing its killer from the tapestry of existence and time. The killer becomes immortal, non-dead. The mortal can no longer sleep. He no longer bleeds when stabbed and does not die when chopped into many pieces. Age does not touch him, but he does not heal either. Spells that would mend his body do not work. He can only be fixed. A lost arm can be reattached with a sewing needle and it remains usable. In fact, even unattached he can still control it. What’s more, he sees things in variable states. The emotions of creatures, their shadow selves, past events– all play out before him if he concentrates too long on one thing. It becomes difficult to discern reality from his visions, but the visions can also reveal to him hidden places and mysteries.

When enough time passes he may wish to die. Burns will not heal. Wounds will ever gape without the aid of thread. To die his body must be incinerated, in other words completely destroyed. A spell or violent fire may cleanse him of materiality but every bit of him must be destroyed (damage must exceed his Life total).

Like all magical creatures, a unicorn’s body parts have special properties. Its horn can be used like a wand (all spells cast with it are cast as cantrips). Its hair can be used to produce the most beautiful sounding instrument (song-based spells and abilities are cast without having to spend Power). Its hooves can be ground into powder and added to a potion to make it permanent. Its blood can be used to strengthen an enchantment. And consuming its eyes grants foresight, causing one to permanently glimpse into the future or past at random.

Truth (M): In the presence of a unicorn undead are driven mad. They act as if confused for the remainder of the day. Mindless undead lose animation completely and incorporeal undead fade out of existence. Mortal creatures glimpse the entirety of their lives (as described above). Mindless constructs gain the seed of sentience. Fairy folk and planar creatures are unaffected, but outsiders are struck with an epiphany: killing a unicorn will grant it escape to the Outside.

Creatures

I finished the conversion. Now its level-less and based on a d6. What's nice is I think the creatures are pretty easy to translate to other systems. I tried to make it so each one gives a unique experience (or at least a flavor). Still, there's more editing to do for the Campaign and Handbook , but I think its really getting to where it needs to be. This one has all the creatures, places, some fables, and a campaign.

Try it out, tell me what you think: The Northern Realm Campaign Book

John Bauer

Dryads

While working to convert the Campaign World book over to the d6 system, I thought I'd make some adjustments to the traditional creatures that I left alone in the original. Here's my attempt at a dryad.

Dryad

Resting beneath the giant oak, I lean back, enjoying the respite from the summer sun. Placing my hands behind my head and reclining against the trunk, slowly I drift off to sleep… I wake in darkness, coughing and sputtering wet earth, gasping for air only to let in more dirt. Choking, head throbbing, I again slip from consciousness, catching glimpses of what appears to be a face nose to nose with me.

Dryads live in the deepest, furthest groves. They live under the roots of great gnarled trees and reach up through the woody earth like hands stretching through prison bars. They’re said to seize resting travelers, drawing them below and leaving them in the dirt to suffocate and fertilize their homes.

Born in a womb of hard earth and dense roots, dryads are strange creatures of wood and shadow. When a dryad leaves her home tree, its roots and trunk part. Under its eaves and the shade of the forest, the dryad is nearly imperceptible, like a dark blotch it can dart across the forest floor unseen.

A dryad only becomes visible in sunlight. Otherwise, it moves like the shadows of swaying tree branches. The only indications of its presence are snaking movements in the shadows where patches of sunlight pierce the canopy of the forest.

Dryads rarely leave the safety of their tree burrow but if ever one leaves and crosses into the sunlight, it becomes wholly visible, appearing like an abstract painting, hard to make out details and brushed with dark hues. Their skin is damp and knotted. If it again slips into the shade, its body melds into the shadows and becomes invisible again.

Edmund Dulac

 

Items of Power: Part 2

Staves
 
A staff is an incredibly powerful magic item. Up to 4 Power and 1 spell can be stored within it. If you use a staff as a weapon, it is a magical quarterstaff. To use a staff you must know its name and you must be able to cast sorcery spells. You may use the Power stored within the staff to cast spells you know. Likewise, you can cast the spell stored within it using your Power. Once the staff is sapped of Power it regains only 1 Power each day.

Ákos: Ákos in Keleti means white falcon. It is the staff of Aliz Eszes, the last remaining member of her family. Aliz was gifted Ákos in the Free City by her mentor and friend Ewart Bellamy, a wizard of some renown. This ashen white staff, tall and smooth has a large crystal imbedded at its topmost point. The staff houses a single extraordinary spell, Outside Time. Perhaps because of its nature Ákos also protects its owner from other temporal effects.

Daron: Oswin ever the romantic and scholar, named his staff for the Grey’s goddess of writing and language. Made from strong cherry wood, Daron has been with Oswin for over half a century. There is no spell stored within Daron. Instead it possesses the ability to modify spells with metamagic. What’s more, it seems to have a mind of its own and will modify spells as it sees fit, depending on the target or intentions.

Rædenna:  The Rædenna are a symbol of the Free City’s ruling body, the High Council. There are nine, one for each council member. Created by the first of the Optimits, they appear as if splintered from solid rock. Each Ræden is unique, thin and a different shade of slate, they are also heavy and cumbersome, it’s a wonder all the Rædenna have survived unbroken. Every Ræden possesses a unique spell and act as keys. Only with a Ræden can one enter the most secret places in the city. Separately, that is the extent of their power. However, together the Rædenna are able to perform special magic. Each Ræden contains a shard of a spell. Nine Rædenna can cast spells such as the Spell of Lingering Darkness (a rare spell unknown to others in the Free Realm and thought only to exist in a single scroll in Anyavera).

Edmund Dulac

Wands
 
Wands are exceedingly rare. A wand bears no power in and of itself. Instead, magic is channeled through it. It can have any shape– a stick, shaft of wood, figurine, and so on. Wands have 3 basic types, one that adds, one that changes, and one that produces. All types of wands require a spell cast into them.  

Adelaida’s Charm: A small silver trinket, Adelaida’s Charm is detailed with engravings of swans. This fragile charm produces a numbing sensation when held. Casting an evocation spell with Adelaida’s Charm alters the spell so that it can interact with incorporeal things.

Aelan: When the high priestess faced hordes of the enemy, Aelan, was a beacon in choking darkness. Its light smote down Serra’s foes in a purifying blaze. There was hope in the screams of her enemies, in their agony. When you cast a spell expending 3 or more Power, Aelan produces destructive white fire. Target creature or object within 50 ft. bursts into flames dealing 1d6 damage per Power. Targets reduced to 0 Life are rendered to ash.

Anydros: There is inherent magic in Anydros. A perfect crystal sphere, water won’t touch it. Anydros is a treasure of House Athelon. The sphere predates the study of magic and indeed its believed to be older than the aelfs. All Danons are free to study the mystery of its power, but few are able to take it from the gardens. If one feeds Power into Anydros, the radius of its water aversion increases ten fold per Spell Dice.

Behelen: A slender, crooked piece of black metal, Behelen is unremarkable, but when a spell is cast through it, the crooked rod begins to twist and writhe. Behelen never quite appears the same as its shape changes with each spell. This wand turns any visual aspect of a spell invisible.

Belucan: A small broken music box, Belucan seems little more than a curious bauble. Even when a spell is cast upon it, it does nothing, but perform a counterspell with it then the music box begins to play. Not only is the target spell countered, Belucan also blocks conjuration spells from being cast within hearing distance of the music and dismisses (temporarily) conjured things for as long as it plays.

Frore: An old gnarled stick, there is little to differentiate Frore from a pile of dead twigs. There is however something different about it. Lifting it from the ground, it has the heft of a much denser object. If a spell is cast through it, it produces a chilling aura. If a spell with a specific damage-type, such as a Fireball it changes to cold damage. Creatures reduced to 0 Life with this wand, become frozen and perish.

Hierdan: Sitting on Ealhstan’s shelf is Hierdan, a statue of a soldier. The little man has a tall spear and a tall shield. Casting a Shield spell through it will render the spell more effective (it will now block melee attacks as well). Likewise, casting Sword through it will instead conjure a spear that can defend while also making ranged attacks.

Mother Goddess: This small figurine has the appearance of a pregnant mother with wide hips and swollen breasts. Lozenge-shaped and painted in red ochre, this powerful artifact has a profound effect on magic. Spells cast through it gain +1 Spell Die. This additional Spell Die is not a cantrip die and it does not trigger the identical dice effect. Once the spellcaster has spent half their total Power they become fatigued. Once all Power is expended they become exhausted.

Tarvos: A sensation of unease is sure to send feverish goosebumps up anyone’s arms that touch it. Tarvos is an unnerving thing. The dagger is cold steel; a coldness that gives the impression it cannot be warmed. Casting a spell with a fear effect through this dagger increases its potency one step. In addition, any mind-affecting spell shakens the target.

Objects

Objects include enchanted jewelry, tools, books, clothing, and more. They range from strikingly powerful to subtle. Enchanted objects tend to either affect your abilities or produce a spell-like effect, but they are not limited to it.

Brass Sundial: This sundial fits in the palm of the hand. Intricate engravings round the handsome trinket; otherwise it does little more than tell the time with its shadow. But to those that can perceive weaves of magic, confounding enchantments form a labyrinth of protections. Solid as a block of steel, at noontime each day, applying moderate pressure to a circular engraving on its underside reveals a hidden compartment. What was there originally is anyone’s guess. Once closed, the contents of the compartment become completely hidden.

Ecgan: The Ecgan is often referenced in Naerodian stories as a mythical object; sometimes a tool of Bogdan the god of craft and other times the whetstone of the great smith Anselm Maur. This celebrated object was said to make an edge so sharp it could split granite. If a slashing weapon is sharpened on Ecgan its critical range increases for the day.

Living Lamp: This ornate silver lamp is forever lit. A tiny blue flame, imperceptible when it wants to be, but undeniable in the dark, flickers on its wick. Speak the name Akhet and the tiny flame flares to brilliant life. The tiny mephit lives in this silver lamp. Akhet produces a bright azure flame and can leap from the wick to fulfill a request. Once Akhet is drained of power it must return to the lamp to rest. If ever put out or smothered, Akhet is destroyed.

Magdalenian Altar: Remnants of Naerod are evident throughout Vale. The court of Erod is built around the Magdalenian Altar. The altar’s heavy stone slabs have no seams, giving it the appearance of being carved out of Erod’s foundations. The ruling seat of Erod is positioned directly behind the altar. Those who make an oath or swear to the altar are forced to adhere to it. Once sworn, the oathkeeper cannot perform an action that would violate the oath. If the oathkeeper should try, they become physically unable to complete that action.

Marble Throne: Miklos, the lord of Fenyovar sits on a marble throne. Like many abandoned artifacts of Naerod, it is designed to appear as if carved from the rock it sits on. Likewise, the backrest of the throne seems to meld into the marble wall of the castle. When Miklos sits upon the Marble Throne he appears taller and more imposing. When he speaks, he speaks with suggestive power. Any who sit on the Marble Throne speak with the power of suggestion.

Null Spike: Tall and cruel looking, this wicked lance has long stood piercing the ground. Nothing grows around it, nothing for miles. In far eastern Greywood the blackened earth goes on and on from the spike in a perfect circle until the barren ground gives way to rotten vegetation. The black spike is an unrecognizable metal. It destroys growth and with time, the circle of destruction increases. To what limit is unknown.

Seven Crow Puzzle: The small sculpture of crows forms a complex puzzle. Each crow can only be removed in a specific way and disassembling it is surprisingly difficult. There is also a secret puzzle, more difficult than the physical one. If a spell, any spell is cast on the Seven Crow Puzzle; the mind of the spellcaster becomes immediately trapped. The ancient maze which confines the caster’s mind is massive, but if the physical Seven Crow Puzzle is solved, the trapped spellcaster is released.

Scinnian Gate: The Great Fen obscures many things. In its north end, broken remnants and dense undergrowth give way to an ancient fortress. Few structures still stand, but near its heart are three pillars. Each has engravings that depict a woman, fae creatures, and a black rose. Just beyond them is the Scinnian Gate. Ruined and overgrown, this circular portal leads into the underground. Roots surround it and cross the entrance in such a way that they appear as part of the gateway. The opening leads to an extensive underground complex. Studying it closely reveals distortions in the dark beyond as if black jewels twinkle inside. Passing the threshold into the first chamber reveals a dimly lit hall. The rooms are made visible by some unlight emanating from its walls, like an outline. These rooms exist only in the Shadow Realm as does everything else beyond the Scinnian Gate.

The Knight and the Dragon: This is the story of Ned. Ned is a young prince in a peaceful kingdom. One day a pesky dragon named Hror comes and steals his sheep. The story follows Ned on his adventure through his kingdom. He travels up the river to the fen, into the forest and to the mountains. The long journey is recounted as a children’s tale. At the end, it’s revealed that Ned is a young boy asleep in his bed and the dragon Hror is just a dream. The story is not unusual, except reading the book multiple times seems to reveal new things in the story as each time Ned’s dream changes. In truth, this old book is a prison. Ned is real. He is the son of Godric, the last King of Storgeard and he is trapped in his favorite book.

The Winter Witch and Other Fairytales: This illustrated book of tales belies a strange purpose. Though beautiful, the art has an enchanting quality with eerie imagery. The stories are odd as well. The theme of shadow and fae features prominently. It is full of fairy songs, poetry, and silly witch chants. Strangest of all, the described rituals and much of the poetry are real spells. Many demonic and fae rituals can be gleaned from its text, indeed spoken and performed correctly they act as described in the book.

Tryphon’s Rings: Tryphon the Ancient is associated with time. Tryphon’s Rings is an armillary sphere. Text describing its design exists in the Tower of Remembrance in Elne and copies buried in the Library of Halia in Tegea. Though it’s only ever been described in text, Tryphon’s Rings is believed to have existed and when it did, it was terribly powerful. Altering the position of its rings moves time forwards and backwards. Its limits are not described.

Ziva’s Trinkets: The Khoro are known across the Hereg, from Crocáno to Vad. Ziva was a founding member of the Khoro and the stories of her dances are still told today. Khoro songs tell of her many bracelets, bangles, and rings. The songs say when her jewels and baubles ring together all would quiet and watch. Ziva’s Trinkets add a mesmerizing quality to dances that charms all the watchers.

Edmund Dulac