And here’s

Combat

Often times, houses fight amongst themselves for power and territory. Use the system below to represent house-to-house conflicts.

Spheres of Influence

Houses do battle with their Influence. Thus, a house attacks another house with its Military, infiltrates it with its spies, destroys it politically with its Politics, or sends eldritch might against it with its Occult.

Household attacks are handled in a much larger scale than personal attacks with each house attacking and defending with its respective Sphere. Here’s how the system works.

Step One: Declaration

The attacking house declares which Sphere (or Spheres) it is attacking with.

Step Two: Defense

If the defending house is aware of the attack, it may prepare a defense.

Step Three: Resolution

The attacking house rolls a number of dice equal to its total Sphere divided by 10. The defending house does the same. Whichever house rolls higher wins the contest.

“Damage” to the losing household is represented by the members of the house losing Influence in the respective Sphere. At least half of the Influence lost must be applied to the head of the Sphere. The rest may be dealt out as the head of that Sphere sees fit.

When individuals engage in combat, follow these steps.

Step One: Initiative

All contestants involved roll their appropriate Martial Skill, Speed Host Trait, and any other bonus. Each die is an action. A player spends his die to take an action, spending 10s first. A player may spend an additional die to pre-empt another character’s action.

Step Two: Action

Players roll appropriate die totals to attack an opposing character. The defending character rolls defense dice. Whichever player rolls higher succeeds.

Step Three: Resolution

If the attacker succeeds, the difference between his roll and the defender’s roll is the damage inflicted on the defender. Every ten points of Life equals one Health lost by the defender.

If an elf’s Host is killed in conflict, the elf must abandon the Host. Every round (10 seconds) the elf remains outside a Host, he loses 1d10 Life. This continues until he finds a new Host.

An elf may continue to use sorcery without a Host, but his continual loss of Life makes spending Life for sorcery dangerous.

 

Life Force

All an elf’s power is driven by Life. When using sorcery, elves either use their own Life or sacrifice a living creature (any will do) to use its Life. Killing another life form causes its Life to escape and elves understand how to capture that escaping energy, using it to power their sorcery. Simple murder is enough, but messy. Elves know rituals that allow them to capture as much Life as possible from the dying creature.

Using Native Life

When empowering a spell or any other effect, young elves can typically only spend 5 Life per action. Each Life spent gives the player an additional die to roll.

Using Host Life

You may exchange 1 Health Point to gain Life. Each Health Point gives you 1d10 Life.

Capturing Life

If an elf wishes to steal or capture the Life of another, all he has to do is draw blood. Making your target bleed causes Life to slowly flow from the target; the larger and more dangerous the wound, the more Life flows from the target. A cut across the hand will release 1 –2 Life. A more serious gash causes 1-5 Life to flow from the wound. Making a mortal wound (cutting the throat, for example) causes all the Life to flow, but at a dangerous rate. Making a mortal wound allows the elf to only capture a random amount of the Life flowing from the body.  Also remember, an elf cannot use sorcery to take the last point of Life. He must commit the deed by his own hand.

By using rituals, the elf can ensure he captures as much Life as possible. The ritual takes ten minutes to perform but allows the capture of all remaining Life.

The amount of Life in a target depends on the creature and its age.

Tiny creatures (such as rodents) have only 1 Life, regardless of age.

Small creatures (such as dogs and cats) have 3 Life. Older animals have only 1 or 2 Life.

Medium sized creatures (such as humans) have up to 10 Life. Children and young adults have 10 Life, middle aged adults have 8 to 6 Life, while older creatures have as little as 4 to 5 Life.

Life Containers

An elf may only capture and hold as much Life as his soul can handle. Young elves (like our player characters) may only hold 100 Life, regardless of how much Life they steal. But elves are clever and have devised ways of capturing Life without holding it themselves.

Life canisters allow elves to keep more Life than they are physically capable of carrying. These containers take many forms – jars, armor, swords, mirrors – just about any form that pleases the owner.

The ritual for creating a Life container requires a Sorcery roll at TN 20 and the expenditure of 10 Life. Once created, the item can hold up to 10 Life. For every additional 10 added to the TN, the elf can hold an additional 10 Life in the container. Also, at least 10 Life must be used to empower the container.

Using Life from a container is tricky and requires full concentration. An elf cannot use his own Life or Life from any other source while using Life from the container. Also, if the last point of Life is ever used from the container, it loses all magical properties and the ritual must be cast upon it again.

Death

An elf with less than 10 Life loses control of his Host and is driven out of the body. Outside a mortal shell, the elf loses 1 Life per round (10 seconds). If he cannot find a new Host or if he is not captured in a Life Container, he dissipates and dies.

 

 

Sorcery

Elven magic is incredibly powerful, but it has limitations. Elves are bound by certain rules even they cannot violate.

Creation

The most important rule involves creation. Elves cannot create Life; that power the Creator reserved for himself. That means elves also cannot create any living creatures.

Destruction

Secondly, elves cannot destroy Life with sorcery. They can absorb it and make it their own, but they are incapable of destroying it. Also, an elf cannot steal another creature’s last point of Life. They have to destroy that with their own hands.

Time

Elves have no power over time. They may not move forward or backward in time, pause time, or make it go faster or slower.

Elves use the power of Life to create sorcerous effects. You create sorcerous effects by rolling dice and beating a Target Number.

Because elven sorcery is so potent, there is very little elves cannot do. Use the system below to determine effects.

Words of Power

All “spells” are elves enacting their will on reality. They do this by invoking the secret words of creation given to them by the traitor angels. In short, elves use three words to change reality, making a command sentence of sorts. Once uttered, reality is changed. The formula contains three words: the spell’s Subject (the elf), the Verb (what the elf is commanding), and the Object of the spell (what is being effected.

Thus, if an elf wanted a knife from across the room to come to him, he would say, “I (Subject) Move (Verb) that Knife (Object).”

Or, if he wanted to set someone on fire, he’d utter, “I (Subject) Change (Verb) You (Obejct).”

Or, if he wanted to make an enemy’s sword explode, he would say, “I (Subject) Destroy (Verb) That (Object).”

If he wanted to summon a legion of soldiers, he would say, “I (Subject) Create (Verb) Them (Object).”

With this system, elves can accomplish almost any magical effect. All an elf has to do is sort out the grammar of the spell, add up the Target Numbers, spend Life and make a roll.

 

Subject

I	5
We	10 (per subject)

Verbs

Commune	5
Command	10
Move	15
Destroy	20
Change	25
Create	30

Objects

Me	5
It	15
Us	15 (per object)
You	20
Them	20 (per object)

 

 

Additional factors add or subtract from the Target Number.

Size

Target can be held in one hand	-5 TN
Target is the same size as the elf	+0 TN
Target is larger than the elf	+5 TN
Target is significantly larger than the elf (a one-story house)	+10
Target is massively larger than the elf (a multi-story house)	+15 TN
Target is vastly larger than the elf (a mountain)	+20 TN

Distance

Elf is touching the item	-10 to TN
Within reach	+0 TN
Within 10’	+10 TN
Within 100’	+20 TN
100’+	+30 TN
Out of sight	+40 TN

Targeting Another Sorcerer (Elf)

If an elf tries targeting another sorcerer (elf or otherwise), the target may attempt to defend himself from the effect. Both spend Life and make a roll. If the attacking caster rolls higher, his effect is successful; if the defending caster rolls higher, the effect fails.

Occult Skills

Each character has ranks in Occult Skills (listed above). These Skills represent your elf’s innate or learned affinities with Sorcery. Like other Skills, Occult Skills give you free dice to roll when trying to create sorcerous effects.

Damage and Lasting Effects

Spells designed to do damage cause a number of Life Points equal to the caster’s total roll. This damage may be reduced by the Defense Occult Skill.

Most spell effects are instantaneous and have no lasting effect. If an elf wants his spell’s effect to linger, he must spend 10 Life. By spending Life, he makes the effect permanent. The effects of the spell may be countered if another elf spends double the Life spent to make the spell permanent. Thus, if an elf curses another elf and spends 10 Life to make the spell permanent, in order to have the curse removed, the target must spend at least 20 Life (double what was spent to cast the curse). An elf may dismiss any spell he casts at will.

Here are a few examples to show you how to create sorcerous effects.

Fireball (TN 70)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Create (+30)
Object: It (+15)
Distance: Within 100’ (+20)

Make Zombie (TN 30)

(The caster must spend at least 10 Life to make this spell permanent.)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Change (+25)
Object: You (+20)
Range: Touch (-10)
Size: Same Size (+0)

Cure Light Wounds (TN 30)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Change (+25)
Object: You (+20)
Range: Touch (-10)
Size: Same Size (+0)

Teleport (TN 55)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Move (+15)
Object: Me (+5)
Range: 100’ + (+30)
Size: Same Size (+0)

The Helpful Floating Disc (TN 40)

(The caster must spend at least 10 Life to make this spell permanent.)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Create (+30)
Object: It (+15)
Range: Touch (-10)
Size: Same Size (+0)

Evisceration (TN 55)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Destroy (+20)
Object: You (+20)
Range: 10’ (+10)
Size: Same Size (+0)

The “Vomit Flies Until You Die” Curse (TN 40)

(The caster must spend at least 10 Life to make this spell permanent.)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Change (+25)
Object: You (+20)
Range: Touch (-10)
Size: Same Size (+0)

Move the Mountain (TN 90)

Subject: I (+5)
Verb: Move (+15)
Object: It (+20)
Range: 100’+ (+30)
Size: Same Size (+20)

Elves are forbidden from killing other elves without the express permission of the church (due to a righteous vendetta). When an elf is permitted to seek vendetta, he challenges the other elf to a duel. Use the following system to simulate duels among elves.

Secret Spending

During a duel, all Life spent is done in secret, out of view from the other player(s). It is only revealed when each player rolls.

Step One: Preparation

Each elf is allowed a moment to prepare for the duel. He may spend as much Life as he deems necessary (up to his maximum).

Step Two: Initiative

Each elf may now spend Life to make an initiative roll to see who goes first in the duel. Each elf rolls a number of dice equal to Life spent + Host Speed Trait + Duel (Occult Skill). Each die counts as an action during the duel. The sequence of actions is based on the facing of each die.

The GM makes a call for 1s. If a player has a 1 facing, he may take one action. If he has multiple 1s, he may take multiple actions. Then, the GM makes a call for 2s. For every 2 a player has, he may take an action in the duel. In the case of ties, the elf with the highest Speed Trait goes first. If a tie still occurs, both actions occur simultaneously.

Step Three: Action

During the duel, an elf attempts to steal Life from his opponent. This is risky as stealing Life from another elf is not the same as stealing it from a mortal; it is a sensuous, erotic experience unlike any other. Stealing Life from another elf can overwhelm both the thief and the target, making a sorcerous duel one of will versus will.

When an elf steals Life, he rolls his Duel Occult Skill against his opponent’s Duel Occult Skill. The elf who rolls higher wins.

Step Four Resolution

If the attacker wins, he steals a number of Life Points equal to the difference in the attack and defense roll plus any Life the defender spent on the roll. If the defender wins, the attacker steals no Life and the defender steals any Life points the attacker spent on the roll.

At the end of each action, the attacker and defender must make a Control Occult Skill check against the Life they stole and/or lost. The TN is 10 + the total Life stolen and/or lost in that action. If the elf loses, he must lose one initiative die (of his choosing).

Step Five: Next Round

When all initiative dice have been used, repeat the process of determining initiative.

Winning and Losing

The first elf to be driven down to 10 or less Life loses the duel. He is forced from the body of his Host and loses 1 Life per round (10 seconds).

 

Magic Items

Elves are capable of binding magic into items, providing them with a constant source of effects at their fingertips. The process takes a long time, however, and a vast investment of Life.

Using a magic item requires only a single action.

The method elves use to make magic item is through a process called “binding.” That is, they expend an amount of Life to produce an effect, then bind it into the item.

The process of binding an effect into an item requires many steps.

Creating the Item

Before he can enchant an item, an elf must find or create an item of exquisite quality. It isn’t enough to just create it with magic, it must be forged of specific materials and imbued with the elf’s blood (Life).

Materials

Any items meant to hold a binding must be made from vaelderdon or at least have a bit of the magical iron in its composition. Obviously, this makes it difficult for an elf to work with; most elves find others who are skilled in the arts of forgery or craft to make the item for them.

The workmanship must be superlative, requiring a Craft roll at TN 50.

Time

The amount of time required to make such an item is great and the process exhausting. Once the process has begun, it cannot be paused or halted. To represent the amount of devotion necessary to create an item, the elf must devote at least one game session to creating it. That is, he cannot participate in one game session.

Life

Finally, an elf must spill blood to finish the binding. He must spill blood on the binding, chanting the words of creation. Creating the binding is a TN 30 (I = 5, CHANGE = 25, IT = 15, TOUCH = -10, Target can be held in one hand = -5).

Failure

If any step of the process fails, the entire process must be begun again with new materials.

Binding the Spell

Once the item has been created, the elf must now bind the effect he wants into the item.  The process requires the elf cast the spell into the item a number of times equal to the TN of the spell divided by 10 (round down). Thus, if the spell’s TN is 50, the spell must be cast into the item 5 times. Failure does not automatically mean the item is ruined; the caster may re-cast the spell until a number of successful attempts are accomplished. However, if he ever fails a number of times equal to the number of successes necessary to bind the spell, the item is useless.

Additional Life

The creator may wish to spend additional Life to make the item stronger. Magic items can be destroyed (the elven word translates best to “broken”). To destroy an item, an amount of damage must be done to it equal to the amount of Life spent to create the item. Thus, by spending additional Life to make the item stronger, the elf ensures it will not be easily destroyed.