Fangs & Spears
Inspiration
Fangs & Spears was born from several sources of inspiration some of which are:
The World
Welcome to a land before history, a land where people appeared on a not distant past, where the spoken word is still young and the cave paintings fresh. This is a primitive world where communication is made by a combination of gestures, grunts, and some protowords.
Time ago The Great Land became fractured, its pieces are still slowly drifting away, the cataclysmic event happened when humanity was just starting to walk, the event has been passed down by tales and stories.
Some of the old tribes keeps their traditions and ways of living, some have change and not all for the better, new lands brought new tribes, new creatures, and new dangers.
Impact: Permit, Boost, Reduce, Cost
When a Character tries an action the Game Master (GM for short) will use the Impact rule to gauge if said action is possible to perform or if there is a modifier or associated cost. Impacts can come from items, environmental elements, Character info, or other sources.
An Impact may Permit the character to do a normally impossible action, the most common example is using a required item or tool; other situations may consider the environment, like how much illumination is present; some Impact will come from the character itself, what they are wearing, how much they are carrying...
If the action is possible the GM considers the factors in favor and against it other than the ones Permitting the action and rules an Impact Strength which may be a Boost easing the action, or a Reduction making it harder to succeed.
For ease of play the GM considers the strongest positive and negative Impacts and compares them:
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Low Positive
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Great Positive
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Extreme Positive
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Low Negative
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None
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Low Positive |
Great Positive |
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Great Negative
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Low Negative |
None
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Low Positive |
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Extreme Negative
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Great Negative
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Low Negative |
None
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After the affecting impact is obtained it will affect the roll one a specific way:
| Strength | Boost | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Low | +1 to the score | -1 to the score |
| Great | Re-roll one failed die | Re-roll one hit |
| Extreme | +1 hit | -1 hit |
An Impact may come with a related Cost attached, this costs may happen if the actions is a success, a failure, or both, and can be temporal or permanent.
Temporal costs are removed after a trigger related to the cost, for example, throwing a dagger has the cost of losing the dagger until is retrieved,
Permanent cost don't have a trigger but can by circumvented, for example; breaking the dagger has the cost of nor being able to use it until the character gets another knife.
The Roll
If the Impact rule allows the action the character uses a relevant Path or a set value of 2 if lacking any, this score may be altered by Impact, then the player rolls 3d10 with each die equal or lower than the score being a Hit.
The character can accumulate Fatigue to improve their roll, they can: re-roll a die for 1pt, re-roll a die without loosing that die's Hit for 2pts, or add an extra Hit for 4pts. The player can use some or all options and can use them multiple times as long as the Character isn't Fatigued.
The GM makes a roll with a score of 4, in cases of Contested Rolls the opponent makes their roll as above instead.
If the Character gets more Hits than the opposition the action is a Success. In some cases the Character's Hit may be reduced by the opposition's Hits to get an action quality:
| Value | Quality |
|---|---|
| 3 | Excellent Success |
| 2 | Good Success |
| 1 | Basic Success |
| 0 | Draw* |
| -1 | Basic Failure |
| -2 | Great Failure |
| -3 | Awful Failure |
*When a Draw happens the acting character has the option to spend Energy.
Combat
Initiative
Normally those launching the attack have the initiative on the first round, starting on the next one it can be solved by a Straight Roll with characters acting from highest to lowest Hits.
Attack, Defense, & Wounds
Characters can perform one action in combat on their turn or one active defense out of turn and as many passive defensive actions when being targeted by an attack, against each attack only one defensive action is allowed. Passive defensive actions use a base score of 2 instead of a Path while active defenses use an available Path.
If the attack ends up with 1 or more hits the difference is taken as a Wounds.
Wounds & Healing
When a Wound is taken its noted with its respective value, then the player makes a roll against the biggest Wound score, each Hit reduces the Character's Health by 1 up to the number of Wounds suffered.
Health, Unconsciousness & Death
At 0 Health a Character losses consciousness and is Dying, each round after that (or couple of minutes out of combat) the player makes a Dying Rolls: 3d10 with each die equal or lower than the time spent Dying removes another Health Point, at -10 points the character dies.
Natural Healing
When a Character heals naturally they get a 5 points with which recover lost Health or reduce Wound points
Short Rest: 8hs of rest, once per day, points can go only towards healing Health.
Long Rest: Rest all day, points can go towards healing Health or Wounds.
Assisted Healing
Another character can make a roll against a Wound Roll, each Hit is a Healing point, Health and Wounds can benefit from these points once per day.
If a Dying Character gets help the tending character makes a Contested Roll against the Dying Roll, if the tending character is successful the Dying Character is stabilized and no longer Dying as long as the tending character keeps the treatment. Each new round the tending character can make a new roll, if at any moment the character accumulates 3 or more successes (including the ones from the first Contended Roll) then the Dying character can be left without treatment without them Dying.
Fatigue & Recovery
Characters can make use of their energy to improve their rolls but as they do this they gain Fatigue points, if Fatigue reaches the current Health points the Character becomes Fatigued and no longer can make use of their energy until at least 1 Fatigue point is removed.
Recovery: After the character spends a set amount of time in complete rest a roll is made with each Hit reducing 1 point of Fatigue.
| Rest | Time | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Breather | 15 minutes | 2 |
| Short | 1 hour | 4 |
| Long | 4 hours | 6 |
| Complete | 8 hours | 8 |
| Extended | 24 hours | * |
*An extended rest removes all Fatigue points.
Encumbrance
Characters travel light, carrying just enough to move with freedom, required tools tend to be created from materials on the road. At most a large satchel may be carried containing some small items.
The amount of items and their size and weight can be use to set an Impact.
Equipment
Items work in conjunction with the Impact rule, these are some example of how most common items work:
Armor Reduces the Wound roll.
Armors, cloaks, and clothing made of fur Permits resistance to freezing temperatures, those tinted black give Boosts hiding in shadows.
Shields Boosts defenses by blocking attacks, larger size Permits a Character to hide in cover.
Weapons can boost attacks or the opponents Wound roll, a big/large weapon permits attacking huge enemies, ranged weapons permits attacking from a distance.
Master-craft and Legendary Equipment
An item's Impact is normally Low but there are Master-craft and Legendary items can have higher Impact.
A Master-craft item is made with upmost exceptional skill and materials giving 1 Great Impact or 2 Lesser ones.
A Master-craft item Permits for harder actions to be done, doubling range, halving work time, etc.
Legendary items are exceptionally rare, touched by the spirits and gods or from otherworldly origins, they give 1 Major Impact, 2 Great ones, or 3 Lesser ones.
Legendary items Permits for things bordering the mythical and fantastical.
Bag of Totems
At the start of an adventure each player puts 2 Totems per Character on the Bag of Totems, during gameplay a player can choose to add more of their Totems, or to remove them until the original number remain. If during gameplay the amount of Character changes the base number is changed accordingly. On the same Bag 1 Neutral Totems per Character is added.
There may be times where one Character must be chosen randomly, on these occasions a Totem Draw is made with the Character whose Totem is drawn be chosen/affected for good or bad, after being drawn the player has the option to add the Character Totem on the bag or to remove it if above the base value. A neutral Totem means nobody is selected, Neutral Totems are return to the Bag.
Characters may earn special Favor/Disfavor Totems linked to them or to the group coming from spirits, when one of these Totems appears the outcome is "intercepted" by the spirits either to increase a good outcome or to spare them from something bad, once drawn the Totem is removed.
Shamanism & Spirits
Shamans have the ability to contact and deal with all sort of spirits, to do this they need to perform a ritual to the spirits, contacting the spirits nearby is the common action, reaching spirits farther away either geographic or spiritually becomes harder and harder (the roll receives a corresponding reduction), the ritual takes a minimum of 10 minutes, spending extra time will give a Boost to the roll.
Depending on the nature of the spirit sought and the Shaman's and companion's actions the spirits may resist the call, a resisting spirit that is successfully called won't be pleasant to deal with but will be compelled to answer as they normally would.
A called spirit will enter the Shaman's body, then they can talk internally, doing this causes 1 Fatigue point per 5 minutes.
A more Fatiguing use allows the spirit to speak through the Shaman with other people, this renders the Shaman unable to speak and causes 2pts of Fatigue per 5 minutes.
The most exhausting one allows the Shaman to manifest the spirit as an incorporeal force, this allows everyone, including the Shaman, to speak will the spirit.
A called spirit is used mainly as a form of communication by asking for information about the spirit's terrain or expertize. A spirit's terrain is where it normally resides like forests, rivers, deserts, etc... those residing on the spiritual realm say they live on a similar place as the ones on the Great Land. A spirit's expertize is what they know from their past, abilities, and nature.
Shamans can use their Path to make rituals to guard off evil spirits and to protect the living and the dead from possession.
Creatures
Creatures may have one or more Path with their respective Ranks. Standard creatures have a Rank of 4 on 1 or 2 Paths, more skilled creatures have higher Ranks: Those with Rank 6 are Highly Skilled, and those with Rank 8 are Exceptionally Skilled.
| Rank | Skill | Path |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Basic | None |
| 4 | Standard | Novice |
| 6 | High | Professional |
| 8 | Exceptional | Master |
Health, Fatigue, and Death: Creatures have a base of 10 Health points, 15 if they are Tough and 20 if they Very Tough, they can also be Feeble having 5 points or Very Feeble, going down with any hit. No creature is able to use Energy and they die once reached 0 Health points.
| Category | Health Points |
|---|---|
| Very Feeble | 0 |
| Feeble | 5 |
| Standard | 10 |
| Tough | 15 |
| Very Though | 20 |
Size: A creature's sheer size will Impact what weapons, objects and situations may harm them. Their size may also Impact actions made by the characters both positively and negatively.
| Size | Creatures |
|---|---|
| Minuscule | Rats |
| Tiny | Iguanas |
| Small | Boars |
| Regular | Humans |
| Big | Sabertooth |
| Giant | Mammoth |
| Colossal | Long-neck |
Deathbringers
Called by many names, inhuman and inhumane looters and plunderers, they leave a path of death and destruction with every step they make, all to satiate their Chief's lust for food, goods and workers, you either serve them until you die or you die.
All of them are Tough Professional (Rank 6) Warriors and Animal Handlers, Scouts, or Watchers. They are of Regular Size but is not unheard of some Big ones. Their leaders are fearless Very Tough Master Warriors.
The Beast-skinned People
Wearing the skins of animals killed by their own hands, they live by a strict hierarchy based on the type of beast is worn, they have a lack of respect for those not wearing beast skins and a deep hate towards those wearing skins not obtained by themselves.
Most of them are Very Tough Professional (Rank 6) Foragers-Warriors and Foragers-Trappers.
The Lost Tribe
Cursed to wander the fractured land in search for a home may well no longer exist. While not completely aggressive they won't stop at nothing to keep their quest going, they are known to try to convince others to join their search by promising big rewards. From time to time the Tribe separates due to disagreements or to cover more terrain.
Their members posses each a single Path from all possible options with ranks varying from 4 to 6.
Character Creation
Step 0 - Consensus: Before creating a Character the table must be on the same page regarding what type of characters the game will use, during Character Creation the players will create some parts, adding to the game's lore, background and setting, any decision must be approved by the table.
Step 1 - Concept: The character's core idea, who he is, what he does, a simple phrase or a couple of words (or just one) is enough for a starting line.
Step 2 - Data: The Character's Data can be used with the Impact rule when performing important actions. The player comes with these, the first three can be talked with other players if they want to build some shared backstories
Land: The type of terrain the Character's Tribe is located
Tribe: The Character's Tribe, composed of several Clans.
Clan: The Character's Clan.
Step 3 - Descriptors: Characters have 6 Descriptors, one is inherited from the Character's Tribe, another one comes from their Clan, these 2 are shared by all members and its what they are known for, the third one is a personal Descriptor, be it a physical, mental, or social quality, the next two can come any of the three types, the last one is the Character's Size, use to gauge their height, weight, and muscular complexion.
Step 4 - Tradition: A Character's posture regarding their Culture is shown by a combination of two words:
- Ancient/Modern: Indicates if the Character's tradition follows the old ways or newer ones.
- Traditional/Radical: This is the Character's Posture.
Step 5 - Path: A Character's Path shows their place in the world, their training, learned skills, and gained knowledge. The player rolls first a die to set a column and the rolls on that column, makes a roll on each column and chooses from the options, chooses from all the options, or creates a Path for their Character:
| d10 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Animal Handler | Herbalist | Shaman |
| 3-4 | Crafter | Lorekeeper | Thief |
| 5-6 | Entertainer | Mediator | Trapper |
| 7-8 | Forager | Painter | Warrior |
| 9-10 | Healer | Scout | Watcher |
Crafter: Creating and repairing tools.
Entertainer: Dancing, singing, telling stories to the amusement of others.
Forager: Hunting, gathering, finding potable water...
Healer: Tending the wounded and the sicked...
Herbalist: Making concoctions...
Lorekeeper: Knowledge of cultures, laws, traditions...
Mediator: Communicating fluently with others.
Painter: Making pictograms, reading secret messages
Scout: Navigation, finding safe passage, map making...
Shaman: Dealing with the spiritual realm and those inhabiting there.
Thief: Stealing, swindling, sneaking...
Trapper: Creating, setting and managing traps.
Warrior: Fighting, athleticism, martial knowledge...
Watcher: Alertness, quick reflexes, concentration.
Step 6 - Health: A Character's starting Health is 10.
Step 7 - Equipment: The players chooses main/important items their Character carries with them.
Step 8 - Totem: The player
Step 10 - Final Data: The player fills the blanks: Name, physical description, mannerism, etc...
Advancement
As characters advance through the plot they'll receive 1 to 5 Advancement Points based on conflict resolution, plot development, achievements, and other milestones...
| Importance | AP |
|---|---|
| Minimal | 1 |
| Lower | 2 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Great | 4 |
| Extreme | 5 |
A Character can have up to 5 Paths, the cost of learning and increasing each Path depends on both what score it has and which order the Path falls into. Scores must be purchased in successive order.
| Score | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | - | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| 4 | - | 5 | 10 | 10 |
15 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 |
| 6 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
| 7 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
| 8 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 |
Every 20 points expended the Character's Health increases by 1.
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