Drums of War Alpha 4 Final

8/10/2019 Drums of War Alpha 4 Final

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The Drums of WarA Warcraft Roleplaying Game

Version Alpha 4Designed by J Arcane

Based on the series by Blizzard Entertainment

Layout by Sam Drost

Additional Acknowledgments toJD!orley" ggroy" ##ohnson$" BigJonno" Superman%s Dead

and the communities at !olony o& 'amers" (rpgnet" the)*'site" and +he)*',a-en

+his document is licensed with the !reati-e !ommons Attribution./on!ommercial.ShareAlike 0123nported License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/


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he world of Warcraft has become one of the most successful series of fantasy media in history.

Through four games and as many expansions, as well as ancillary media like card games, boardgames, books, an impending feature film, and even two other attempts at tabletop role-playing

games, it has established itself as a massive franchise with far reaching influence. It's world presentsone of the grandest and most detailed fantasy settings since Tolkien laid down his pen on the ord ofthe !ings decades ago, a setting that while perhaps arguably not up to the standards of realism thatTolkien so fanatically cleaved to, it has certainly lived up to it's scope and sense of history and detail.

T

"nd yet, through all of these games and their many offshoots, players have seldom had thechance to to truly interact with the setting or create their own story within it. They have remainedlargely passive observers, able to participate in its great battles, but the story itself marches on at thewhims of the writers, not the player's. In some cases the players are left out entirely, the storymarches on without their help, and the players are only left to interact with the aftermath of greatevents like the #ataclysm.

"s a gamer, a roleplayer, and a writer, I was disappointed by this lack of ability to really explorethe intricacies of the setting and to spin great adventures of my own. The natural place to cure thisurge would of course be the tabletop, but I was disappointed with the $uality of the previousconversion, and so I set out to design a simple set of rules for play in the Warcraft universe, to give%&s and players the opportunity to create their own stories in the land of "eroth.

With that in mind, however, please note that this document confines itself largely to the rules,though it seeks at all times to capture the spirit of the games through it's systems. (or those needinga more thorough breadth of lore for the games, I recommend exploring the official World of Warcraftwebsite, as well as the WoW Wiki on Wikia. )oth sites offer a diying amount of detail on theintricacies of the Warcraft universe. I have also refrained from including any material from theupcoming expansion, as details of that are still in beta and sub*ect to change.

+ote also that, while I have attempted as best I can to keep the tone clear and easy to read so thatthe rules may be $uickly learned and grasped, this document is largely written with the assumptionthat the reader is familiar with the basic concepts of tabletop role-playing games. If one is unfamiliarwith the medium, I recommend a read through the Wikipedia article on the sub*ect.

"cknowledgments are due to )liard and the entire Warcraft team for their inspiration, as wellas the many designers of ungeons and ragons and %ames Workshop's Warhammer series throughthe years, and the designers of the World of Warcraft )oard %ame, without whom we would haveneither Warcraft or this document.

lease note that any usage of copyright material is done without permission, but with no intent ofinfringement, only a love of the game and a desire to see it done right on the tabletop. "s such, nocommercial exploitation of this work is possible or legal, and the document, wherever not coveredby other applicable restrictions vis a vis )liard I, is licensed under a non-commercial #reative#ommons icense.

lease en*oy, and have many adventures in the lands of "eroth.

igned,

/ "rcane

AS

tatementofPurpose

A Statement of PurposeA Statement of Purpose

0
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xmlhttp://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xmlhttp://www.wowwiki.com/Portal:Mainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game_(pen_and_paper)http://www.wowwiki.com/Portal:Mainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game_(pen_and_paper)http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xmlhttp://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml


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ny adventure begins with its characters, and rums of War adventures areno different. The following chapter presents the basic rules that define

characters and their abilities, as well as how to create one of your own toadventure in the lands of "eroth and beyond.

"

Step 1: Attributes

To begin a new character in the rums of War, one first generates theirbasic attributes. There are five basic attributes in the oW role-playing game,which are described as follows1

Strength Str52 &easures a character's raw physical power, and affects theirskill and damage with heavy melee weapons like axes and swords, as well astheir skill at lifting ob*ects

Agility Agi52 &easures a character's natural physical prowess, and affectsskill and damage with lighter melee weapons like daggers, and rangedweapons like bows and guns, as well as defensive skill, and physical taskslike running, *umping, and tumbling

Stamina Sta52 &easures physical endurance and ability to withstand damage and disease, aswell as 3ealth level, and ability to withstand long periods of physical exertion

6ntellect 6nt52 &easures sharpness of mind, intelligence, and magical skill, affecting the damageand ability to strike with magical spells and wands, and mental and perceptual tasks such asresearching or recalling lore, translating a piece of ancient script, or spotting a trap or a hiddendoor

Spirit Spi52 &easures the strength of a character's willpower, charisma and resistance to magicalinfluence and #orruption, and enhances the effect of healing spells and abilities and the speed atwhich a character recovers from wounds

4ach of these attributes is represented with a number, and a modifier derived from that numberwhich is added to die rolls when testing that ability, as described in Table 1: Attribute Modifiers.

%enerally, one can find the modifier for any attribute value by subtracting 5, and then dividingthe remaining value by 0 6rounding down7. o for instance, 80 2 5 9 5, and 5 : 0 9 ;, so the modifierfor an attribute of 80 is , 8> :0 is >.=, rounded down, makes a modifier of .

Generating AttributesThere are three methods for generating your character's attributes, depending on whether you

have a set character in mind, or would like to let the dice fall where they may.

Method 1:This is the simplest method. !oll ;d5, and drop the lowest die, and assign the result totrength. (ollow suit in order for the other four attributes. This produces a completely randomresult, perfect for the player who has no specific character in mind.

Method 2: " slight variation on the above, which keeps the randomness but gives more playercontrol. !oll ;d5, dropping lowest, = times, and assign them to the = attributes as the playerdesires.

Table 1: AttributeModifiers

Value 7odi&ier

0 2 ; -0

? 2 = -8

5 2 @ A

B 2 >


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&ethod ;1 This is a completely non-random method, giving maximum control to the player. Take?A points, and divide them as desired between the = attributes.

Cnce the basic attribute scores are generated and written down, note the resulting modifier toeach stat on the character sheet using the table or formula on the preceding page. +ote that attributescores will be modified by racial traits and class choice, as described in the following steps, so it isadvisable to record the initial rolls in light pencil, as some will need modification.

Step 2: Choose Your RaceThe next step in the character creation process is to choose which of the races of "eroth you

wish your character to be. 4ach race will provide some bonuses or penalties to your main attributeswhich classes the race is allowed to take, and a special ability uni$ue to that race. Dou can alsorandomly decide by rolling percentile die. Take the faction your %& has decided or roll E1 8-=A for"lliance, and =8-AA for 3orde. Then roll on Table 2: Races.

Racial Ability Descriptions

Diplomacy2 3umans have a natural gift and charisma for negotiation, and so receive an extrabonus when taking actions that involve persuading or making a good impression on an individual

They gain a natural


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Escape Artist2 The small stature of %nomes gives them a uni$ue edge1 they are remarkably hardto restrain. %nomes get a natural


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There are 8A classes in the rums of War !%, and are briefly described as follows1

Death (ni&ht )D*+:Cnce the most elite soldiers of the ich Ging, the eath Gnights of the 4bon)lade still wield great power over undeath, plague, and frost, making them the match for any foein "eroth.

Druid )Dr+:ruids call upon the powers of nature and the spirits of the animal world to empowerthem in battle, call forth magic attacks, and heal their allies, shapeshifting into many forms fromthe natural world to boost their skills and make them a flexible opponent.

,unter ),u+:killed marksmen and wise beast trainers both, hunters can deliver a powerfulranged assault, while keeping their foes at bay with traps and the attacks of the wild beasts theytrain to defend them.

Ma&e )Ma+:" master of the arcane forces, mages channel their intellect through magical attacksof incredible power.

-aladin )-a+:#hampions of the ight, aladins smite their foes through a combination of martialprowess and divine inspiration.

-riest )-r+:evout followers of the path of the ight, priests can heal and support their allies inbattle, or dip into the dangerous and corrupting realms of hadow to deal withering necrotic

damage to their foes.

Ro&ue )Ro+:&asters of stealth, agility, and deception, the rogue uses his guile to get the drop onunsuspecting foes before dealing a brutal ambush and rapid-fire strikes with his twin blades todrop foes before they know what hit them.

Shaman )Sh+:Worshippers of the elements and the ancestral spirits, hamans channel their powerthrough mystical totems and attack with the power of the elements.

%arloc* )%l+:Cutcast by society, feared, but tolerated, Warlocks are those who seek to master thepower of the demonic realms, stealing the souls of their enemies to summon great demons, andunleashing dangerous attacks of shadow, disease and fire.

%arrior )%a+:&asters of the martial order, Warriors employ their martial skills to command thebattlefield in melee, strike down their foes with great rage, and protect their allies against all odds.

When generating a new character, once you have selected a class, follow these steps1

8. "dd the attribute bonuses to your base attribute values.

0. !oll the amount of dice indicated for their starting 3ealth, and add the character's taminamodifier, to find their starting 3ealth.

;. !oll the amount of dice indicated for starting &ana if the class gains &ana, adding theIntellect modifier to the roll, to find the starting &ana.

?. +ote any starting #orruption value. ome classes inherently play with dangerous powers

and thus by even beginning the path to that career they have tainted themselves and musttake extra caution in the future.

=. +ote what weapons they are allowed to wield, and what armor they are allowed to wear. Thiswill affect starting gear.

5. 4ach class starts with a package of basic abilities, some active skills, some passive abilitiesDou will want to record these on your character sheet, along with what type of attack they areif given 6&e for &elee, !a for !anged, &a for &agic7, what damage they do, and whatresource cost, if any, it takes to use them.

Chapter1:CharacterCreatio

n

5


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These are all the steps you will need to follow for now. The rest of the class description will listwhat abilities they gain as they gain level, which will come into effect later in the game. evelingand experience is explained in a later section.

Death !night

Attribute Bonuses


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Death and Decay2 The eath Gnight exudes an aura of corruption through the ground aroundhim, causing damage e$ual to his level to all enemies within ;A yards for 5 rounds. 6; !unes7

nholy -resence2 While this presence is active, the eath Gnight moves an extra ? yds perround, and may make an additional single attack per round at no penalty. Cnly one resence maybe active at one time. 6(ree "ction7

-ath of !rost2 The icy chill flowing through his veins freees the ground around the eathGnight, allowing him and his allies to walk upon water as if it were solid ground.

Rune Stri*e )Me+2 Whenever the eath Gnight avoids a melee attack, he may immediatelycounter-attack, dealing main-hand damage plus an additional


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@eapon Skills&ace, taff, agger, olearm

Armor#loth, eather

Starting Abilities

%rath )Ma+:The ruid deals 8d5:level < Int modifier in +ature damage to the target. 65 &ana7

,ealin& Touch:3eals 8dB:level < pi modifier to a friendly target. 6= &ana7

Thorns:rotects a friendly target with a shield of thorns, causing evel in +ature damage toany attacker that strikes it in melee 6B &ana7

Moonfire )Ma+:The druid calls down the light of 4lune to burn the target, dealing 8d8A < Intmodifier damage instantly, and 8d5 per round for the next ; rounds. 6? &ana7

"ear !orm:The ruid may take the form of the )ear as a (ree "ction, increasing "rmor,trength, and tamina by an amount e$ual to her Intellect modifier, but may not cast spells. Whilein )ear form the ruid may spend 5 &ana to wipe 6&e7, a massive sweeping claw strike thatmelee strikes up to three opponents at once and dealing an extra 8dB damage.

"e#ele$ Abilities

Entan&lin& Roots )Ma+:!oots rise up from the ground, pinning the target to the spot and dealing ;+ature damage every round for ? rounds. The target may attempt to break free by making atrength check vs. the caster's Intellect. 6= &ana7

!airie !ire )Ma+:ights up the target with magical light, reducing their "rmor by an amounte$ual to the casters level and preventing tealth or Invisibility. &ay be cast in )ear or #at (orms.6= &ana7

Re5uenation:3eals a friendly target for 8dB < pi modifier per round for ? rounds. 6? &ana7

#at !orm:The ruid may take the form of a powerful feline as a (ree "ction, increasing trengthand "gility by an amount e$ual to her Intellect modifier, grants tealth as per the !ogue ability,

and allows her to attack as if ual-Wielding her main hand weapon, but may not cast spells."dditionally, for every successful &elee strike, place a token in the resource box. While in #atform, the ruid can spend 5 &ana on a successful &elee strike to deal an extra 8d5 of damage pertoken, removing all tokens after the attack.

Starfire )Ma+:The ruid channels the power of the stars, dealing 8dB:level < Int modifier in"rcane damage to the target. 6B &ana7

Rebirth:"ttempts to !esurrect a recently incapacitated friendly target with an amount of 3ealthand &ana 6if applicable7 e$ual to the ruid's level. 680 &ana7

,urricane )Ma+:#hannels the power of the winds to buffet all enemies within ;A yards for 8dB -;= )rass Gnuckles (ist Weapon 0d5 ?

Two3handed %eapons:

;5-?0 3andcrafted taff taff ;d5 8A

?;-?> hort pear olearm ;dB 80

=A-=5 )road "xe 03 "xe ;d8A 8?=@-5; )astard word 03 word ;dB 80

5?-@A )eatstick 03 &ace ;dB 80

Ran&ed %eapons:

@8-@@ olished hortbow )ow 0dB B

@B-B? ight #rossbow #rossbow 0d8A 8A

B?->8 olid )lunderbuss %un ;dB 8?

>0-AA "rcanist's Wand Wand 0d5 "rcane 8B

Table 14: Armor

8 Armor Armor +ype Armor Bonus *rice in 'old5A8-0A Jiolet !obes #loth 5 =

08-?A )lack eather Jest eather B 8A

?8-5A !ugged &ail Jest &ail 8A 8=

58-BA )one-lated "rmor late 80 0A

B8-AA ikeman hield hield = B

Chapter 2: /0uipmentChapter 2: /0uipment

Cha

pter2:/

0uipment

0


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Lockpicking +ools"llows the !ogue to do his magicwith locks.

Di-ining !rystal 3elps a caster focus her spells,giving


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Generating "oot

It wouldn't be an adventure without loot, would itM "nimportant part of the *oy of the Warcraft experience, especially forgames based on W#III and WoW, is finding cool loot to power upyour character or hock for cash at the nearest inn to buy enoughsupplies to survive the next adventure. The following tables,

combined with the ones in the previous section, allow %&s toeasily generate or pick andchoose random loot for theirdungeons and adventuresroughly appropriate for theparty's level.

To begin with, we needto know two things1 thearty evel, which is thelevel of the highest memberof the partyN and if this is to

be a reward for fighting amonster or monsters, thehighest &onster evel. (rom this we can generate the Treasure )onus of the encounter or treasure1

+reasure Bonus *arty Le-el :5 7onster Le-el

Treasure )onus is added to rolls onTables 8B and 8>, thus increasing thechances of more and better treasure.Treat results of greater than 8AA as 8AA.

To start off then, we roll on Table 8B,adding Treasure )onus to the percentile

roll, and this tells us how many rolls onTable 8> we make for the treasure. Wethen roll on Table 8> that many times,again adding the Treasure )onus. Doumay also roll on Table 0A to determinehow the treasure is contained if notfound on a monster.

-agic "oot

Through the course of their adventures, the heroes of your Warcraft stories can discover allmanner of magical goods. The following percentile tables provide a simple system for randomlygenerating generic magic gear. tart with Table 08 and follow the instructions. This of course doesnot cover the full depth of what's possible, and %&s are encouraged to get creative, designingspecial loot not covered here, such as uni$ue weapons, special potions, magic trinkets, and so forth.This can also be a good way to reintroduce those spells left out of the main level and talent tables,through books and scrolls that teach the players new abilities, though this should be done sparingly.%&s should be sparing, but not stingy, in handing out magical loot, as too much renders it no longerOmagicalP at all, and always on the lookout for ways to use such loot to create adventures andstories. "fter all, look how much trouble (rostmourne has created . . .

hould a character wish to sell a magical item, weapons and armor are worth 8d8A:level plus thebase price from Table 8. /ewelry and off hand items are worth 8= < 8dB:lvl.

Table 8B1 +umber of Treasures

8 /umber o& )olls

A8-;A 8

;8-5A 0

58-BA ;

B8->A ?

>8-AA =

Table 1@: Treasure Type

8 +ype o& +reasure

A8-0A Weapons 2 !oll Table 8?

08-?A "rmor 2 !oll Table 8=

?8-5A 4$uipment 2 !oll Table 85

58-BA %old 2 !oll Table B then 8d5 per Item evel

B8->= &agic oot 2 !oll Table @

>5-AA 4pic oot 2 !oll Table @ then follow 4pic oot Instructions

Table 2B: #ontainer

8 !ontained in

A8-0A oose ile

08-?A Fnlocked #hest or Cpen #ontainer

?8-5A ocked #hest 2 T+ 8= < highest Item evel

58-BATrapped #hest 2 T+ 8= < highest Item evel, rollQItem evelRd5 damage if failed

B8-AA#orpse ile 2 Int check T+ 8= < highest Itemevel to search

Cha

pter2:/

0uipment

0


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Table 24: Armor Material and "onuses

6temLe-el

ArmorBonus

!loth Leather 7ail *lateFShield

8


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/4ample tem Generation

(irst we roll on Table 08 todetermine what sort of item we've got." percentile roll gives us ;B, so this isa suit of "rmor. We now roll on Table8= to determine what type of armor itis and get a >@, a hield. The next stepis to determine the item's $ualityrelative to the party. The party iscurrently an average level of 5, so we roll on Table 00 and strike good luck with a 8A, making it aarty evel < 8 item, Item evel @ with a value of B 6pirit7 and a A> 6trength7, giving


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%enerating an 4pic weapon beginsmuch like the generation of any otherpiece of magical gear. !oll on the tablesas normal to generate the base item.Cnce the base stats have beendetermined, increase any weapon orarmor bonus by


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*eerless Increases all tats by


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hether you're racing down a the hills of Winterspringfrom an incoming avalance, or simply trying to find

your shoes in the dark as you seek to $uickly flee the

%oldshire Inn without paying your tab, rums of War offers asimple, straightforward system for resolving non-combatactions, and that's what this chapter covers.

W

Attribute Chec+s

Whenever a character is called upon or attempts to execute a non-combat task, we make anattribute check with the appropriate ability, using the descriptions in #hapter 8 as guidelines onewhat attribute most applies to the task being attempted.

To make an attribute check, roll 0d8A, and total the value, and add the modifier for the attributebeing used. #ompare that to the Target +umber 6T+7 of the task being attempted, and if it is over the

T+, the check succeeds and the task is successfully completed. (or sample difficulties check thefollowing table1

7ppose$ Chec+s

ometimes a character attempts an action that is opposed by another character or +#. In thosecases, rather than rolling against a T+, the character's roll is opposed by the roll of another player.The %& determines the appropriate attributes for each side's role in the action, and then each playerrolls 0d8A and adds their modifier. The highest roll wins. If there is a tie, the character with thehighest attribute wins. If attributes are tied, have both sides roll again.

/4ten$e$ Chec+s"t times, characters may attempt to perform a task that takes more than a simple action, whether

it be opposed or unopposed. In these scenarios, if the %& so chooses, he may select a difficulty T+as normal, but rather than resolve the task with a single roll, instead, he chooses a target number ofsuccessful rolls that must be made to succeed, and a maximum number of rolls the player may maketo attempt to complete the task. In this way, he can simulate a race to complete a task before someset time limit. 4xtended checks may also be used to simulate a competition, with two sides rollingoff for a set number of rolls to see who achieves the most wins.

In general, it is hard to define hard and fast rules, as this rule can be applied to many situations.3owever, a good roll of thumb is to set the maximum number of rolls at about 8 for each = minutes

of "eroth time that the task might be completed by, and the total number of rolls needed to about 8per = minutes of time needed to complete the task. 3owever, in situations with a larger time spanexpected, it is advisable to increase the ration between rolls and time as appropriate to the situation.

-o$ifiers

+ormally, the T+ of a task should be sufficient to simulate the difficulty or ease at which theplayer can complete the task. 3owever, from time to time the player may come up with someparticularly clever plan or tactic to get the leg up on the task at hand. This is especially common inopposed and extended checks. (eel free to grant the player6s7 an extra


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things, rather than relying on rote die rolls. Dou might even apply this rule to clever stunts incombatL

Combining /fforts

In some situations, the players may wish to combine their efforts, say to push a particularlyheavy ob*ect, or team up on a hastily assembled barricade to ward off an impending wave ofcourge. In those situations, designate the player with the highest attribute as the leader to make the

final success roll, and then have each additional player make a roll against a reduced difficulty 6-= tothe T+7. (or each one that succeeds, add a


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/4perience

4xperience, or OSP, is the means by which characters gain levels, and thus become more skilledat their class. It is earned by going on adventures, completing missions and $uests and story arcsslaying evil and so forth.

There are two methods at the %&'s disposal for handing out experience1 the easy way, and themath way. The simplest method is simply to award the players a new level of experience when the

%& feels they've accomplished a significant goal, or closed a story arc or adventure. This lets the%& control the advance of player skill at his own pace, and can create a nice end reward at the endof a ma*or chunk of the campaign.

The more math heavy way is through the awarding of S, for defeating enemies, completingob*ectives and adventures, and otherwise being awesome players, however you as the %& defineOawesomeP anyway. This provides a nice trickle of numeric awards throughout the course of acampaign, though can be a bit of book-keeping to keep track of for the %&. Cnce the players accrueenough S, they'll then gain a level. tandard rewards, and the amount of S re$uired for each level,are described in the following tables1

"e#eling

Cnce the player is awarded a new level, either by %& fiat or byearning the re$uisite S amount to achieve a new level, at the end ofthat session he may apply all the benefits earned from his new rank,by following the following easy steps1

8. Increase 3ealth. !oll the die described in your class description,add tamina modifier, and increase maximum 3ealth by thatamount

0. Increase &ana 6if applicable7. !oll the die indicated in your classdescription, add Intellect modifier, and increase &aximum &anaby that amount

;. Increase your "ttributes. 4ach new level you earn ; points tospend increasing your base "ttributes. +ote that these are spent toimprove the Jalue, not the &odifier, of a stat.

?. !ecord your new "bility, and if level ;, 5, or >, a new Talent. Thisis also a good time to modify your notes for existing abilities, updating damage and effectdescriptions to reflect the new level and any improvement to "ttribute modifiers.

Corruption

The world of "eroth, and Cutland

beyond, are fraught with as muchmoral peril and temptation as much asthey are mortal threats. The schemesand depredations of the )urningegion, the ich Ging, or simplemortal nature, conspire against thesouls of heroes and con$uerors, andeven some of the finest exemplars ofvirtue have fallen to corruption of thesoul and given themselves over todarker natures and powers.

Table 'B: E9perience Rewards

E-ent H* )eward

efeating a monster 8A x &onster evelefeating an O4liteP &onster ;A x &onster evel

efeating a O)ossP &onster =A x &onster evel

#ompleting a OVuestP 8AA x "vg. &onster evel

#ompleting an "dventure 0AA x "vg. &onster evel

#ompleting a &a*or tory "rc =AA x arty evel

uccessful 4xtended #heck =A x layer evel

uccessful #ombined 4ffort =A x arty evel

)eing "wesome %&'s iscretion

Table '1: 0eel E9perience

ReuirementsLe-el +otal H*

)eKuired

8 A

0 8,AAA

; ;,AAA

? 5,AAA

= 8A,AAA

5 8=,AAA

@ 08,AAAB 0B,AAA

> ;5,AAA

8A ?=,AAA

Chapter:9asicRules

;?


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#haracters who engage in morally $uestionable acts, greedy grabs for power, betrayal, Oends*ustifying meansP, sadism and torture, callousness to their fellow mortals, succumb to the temptationof emonic or +ecrotic powers, or even outright evil deeds, place their souls in grave peril in auniverse with such foes as the )urning egion within it, who see such acts as openings for theirinfluence.

ome classes, such as Warlocks, eath Gnights, and hadow riests, innately drawing theirpower from darker paths of hadow and (lame and (rost, and so begin their $uest already markedby the corruption they have witnessed.

hould a character go too far down these dark paths, by word and deed, he risks losing himself tothe thrall of darkness, never to be redeemed.

In rums of War, this danger to the soul is modeled through #orruption. #orruption is a measureof the taint on a character's soul, an mark left by some past sin or foul deed, that may never becleansed without great redemption.

Whenever a character performs an act the %& deems to be of $uestionable virtue or unbecomingto a proper hero of "eroth, he may give the player a point of #orruption, or more of the deed istermed truly heinous. It is up to the %& if he wishes to warn a player if an action he is about to takewill earn his character #orruption. 3e may even, at *unctures in the story, tempt the player into

performing deeds that could lead to his corruption, though this techni$ue is advised to be usedsparingly.

Whenever a character earns a point of #orruption other than those he began the game with, hemust make a simple dice check. &ake a 0d8A roll, and if that roll does not exceed his current#orruption value, his mind has finally slipped into hadow, and he is lost both to the ight, and tothe player. The %& may keep the sheet to turn him into an +#, but he is otherwise no longerplayable.

rior to this point, however, it is occasionally possible to redeem a character, to restore some ofhis honor, and remove some of the #orruption that stains his soul. If the character performs an act ofgreat heroism, sacrifice, and for the good of the mortal races of "eroth, the %& may reward him byallowing the player to remove a point of #orruption from his character. "n especially legendary actof courage and altruism may even remove more. This possibility is entirely at the %&'s discretion,and he is not obligated in any way to reward the player in this manner. It does however, remain theonly way to redeem a character for his past misdeeds, so a player is wise to maintain his honorbefore, rather than after.

Roun$ing

Fnless otherwise indicated, round down whenever dividing an amount, to a minimum value of 8.

Cha

pter:9asicR

ules

;


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he lands of "eroth and beyond are a perilous place, filled with all manner of creatures, most of

which want to eat you, or kill you, or turn you into their undead slaves. It is thus important thatan adventurer be skilled in the ways of combat, to ensure his survival on the dangerous *ourneys to

come. In this chapter we will present the basic system used to resolve the battles of your "erothianheroes.

T

nitiati#e

The most important initial determination in a fight is who strikes first. Fnder normalcircumstances, this is determined by having all players roll 8d8A and add their "gility modifier."ction during a round then follows in the order of highest to lowest, and this order remainsthroughout the course of the fight.

3owever, combat doesn't always start on more or less e$ual terms. layers or +#s may set anambush for the opposing side, characters or enemies may have tealth or Invisibility, preventing the

opposing side from spotting the threat, creating an element of surprise. &ake an opposed checkbetween the highest "gility of the ambushing side, and the highest Intellect of the potentialambushees. If the ambushing side wins, they will attack with the element of surprise. !ollInitiative as normal for all combatants, but the ambushing side will automatically attack first 6inorder of their initiative7 on the first round. If the ambushing side loses, follow normal initiativeorder.

"n additional exception takes place in the case of tealth, and Invisibility. Fnless surprised orspotted, as in the case of an ambush, characters who are in these two states may choose to declaretheir action at any time during the round in between the actions of any of the other combatants.3owever, once they act, they will lose this advantage unless they use another ability that allows

them to return to such a state.

%he Combat Roun$

#ombat is divided into sections of time called rounds. 4ach round is approximately ; secondslong, *ust enough time for each combatant to make one action from the following1

8. tandard "ttack1 The character &elee attacks with one or both weapons, or a !anged attackwith his e$uipped ranged weapon

0. &ove "ction1 The character may move up to 80 yds.

;. tep and "ttack1 The character may move up to 5 yds, and make a single &elee attack withtheir main hand weapon. !anged attacks cannot be used on the move.

?. Fse an "bility1 &ost abilities unless otherwise specified consume a character's turn.

=. Fse an Item1 Items such as potions or bandages that can be used in combat take an action.

5. efensive &aneuvers1 The character takes a defensive approach, ducking for the nearestcover or hiding place within 80 yds, and gaining a


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ome abilities may be described as Ofree actionsP. (ree actions do not count as the character'saction for the turn, allowing them to use the ability and still be able to perform one of the precedingactions in the same turn. Cnly one Ofree actionP can be taken in a round.

Attac+ing

"ttacking an opponent in combat is essentially an "ttribute check against a T+ determined bythe targets "rmor. Dou roll 0d8A and add the appropriate modifier and any additional bonuses, and

compare that to the target's "rmor. If you succeed, the attack is successful, if you don't, you miss."ny amount rolled on the to-hit roll in excess of the target's "rmor is added to the following damageroll.

(inally, you roll the damage dice for that attack, adding the appropriate attribute to the damageand any carryover from the to-hit roll. "pply the damage to the target.

What attributes you roll to strike and what attributes modify damage are determined by the type ofattack, are described in the following sections.

-elee Attac+s &-e*

&elee attacks roll 0d8A < tr modifier vs. the target's "rmor to hit, plus any applicable bonuses.

amage rolled from melee weapons adds your trength modifier.Range$ Attac+s &Ra*

!anged attacks with bows, crossbows, and guns roll 0d8A < "gi modifier vs. the target's "rmorto hit, plus any applicable bonuses. amage rolled from these weapons adds your "gility modifier.

+ote that Wands do not use the standard ranged stats, and are considered for the purpose ofrolling attacks to be &agical attacks.

-agical Attac+s &-a*

&agical attacks generally come in the form of abilities, but Wand attacks are also considered

&agical. &agical attacks differ from the normal attack roll method, in that rather than targeting"rmor as a static T+, they are resisted by the target's pirit.

&ake an opposed roll between the attacker's Intellect and the target's pirit 6or !J in the case ofmonsters7. If the target succeeds, he has struck his opponent with the spell. imilarly to otherattacks, the amount an attacker succeeds by is added to the damage of the attack. amage rolled onattacks with Wands adds Int modifier, as do most abilities, unless otherwise specified in thedescription.

Abilities

&ost abilities that re$uire some kind of attack roll will be tagged with one of the abbreviations

mentioned in the previous section, &elee 6&e7, !anged 6!a7, or &agical 6&a7. Fse the to-hitprocedure described in the appropriate section, and roll damage or effect as described by the ability.

ome &elee and !anged abilities state that the perform an attack plus some additional amount ofdamage. !esolve these abilities as if they were a single attack with the main hand weapon onlyunless otherwise indicated, and apply the additional damage as re$uired.

If no type is given to the ability but it states it deals damage or healing, simply resolve it's effectsautomatically.

Cha

pter.:Com

bat

;


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Area of /ffect

ome abilities as described affect a radius or area, targeting every enemy within the definedspace. To simplify the potential number of dice rolls involved in such an attack, roll to hit, and rolldamage against the strongest target among the group, and simply apply the same effect against allother targets within the affected area.

Perio$ic Damage;,ealing

ome abilities continue to cause damage or healing over time to a target. In those instances, rollto hit, and then continue to apply the results of the initial attack roll to subse$uent damage rolls. oif I hit with (ireball and beat the target's pirit by


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Resting

#haracters regain health and mana by resting. Three times per day, they can set camp and rest, toregain their 3ealth and &ana.

"s long as the character is well fed, they will regain an amount of 3ealth e$ual to twice theirtamina modifier


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he following, and concluding, chapter, presents some basic rules and stats for presenting a

handful of common Warcraft enemies in an easy to manage fashion. It is by no means completethe 8; examples having been chosen because they are both fairly representative of many common

foes and easily used as stand-ins for other foes of similar power, as well as being represented inminiature form in the World of Warcraft )oardgame, making for easy availability of pieces shouldone wish to use mapping in combat.

T

-onster Stats

!ather than using a complete set of the same stats used for characters, which would beneedlessly cumbersome for creatures that are mostly *ust going to be slaughtered the first time theyappear, monsters use a simpler set of stats to make them easy to track and $uickly upgradeable tohigher levels. This way, full character write-ups can be reserved for very important +#s meant toprovide a long-running challenge.

&onster stats are described as follows1

"ase 0eel )"0l+: This is the standard level of the creature as generally found. Cnly used inmonster descriptions

0eel:This is the level the %& will record in his notes, and is the actual level of the creature. Thiswill be the same value as base level unless the %& has chosen to upgrade it's level or status

Action 8alue )A8+: This is the modifier the enemy uses when called upon to take an action,whether for an "ttribute or Cpposed check, or for any attack rolls.

Resistance 8alue )R8+: This is a modifier, used whenever the defending sub*ect of an opposed roll,such as when resisting a &agical attack

Armor: This is the character's standard "rmor value, used as the T+ for attack rolls against it.

,ealth: This is the amount of 3ealth the character possesses, expressed in two forms1 a die roll forrandomly rolling health, and a flat value based on the average roll for $uick use. The die type usedwill also affect any health added when upgrading the creature

Dama&e: This is the die roll for damage when the creature makes a standard attack

In addition, if they have any special attacks, these will be described as well.

mpro#ing an$ -o$ifying -onsters

The base monster statistics provide a range of opponents to fight but can be somewhat inflexible.What if you want to send the lvl 8A party up against some really nasty &ur'ghoulsM Cr maybe youneed something with a little more punch, to create a challenging climax to that trek through acourge infested dungeon, and a weenie little %houl doesn't cut itM

Cne can modify the base monsters in a number of ways.

The simplest is leveling it up. &onsters have a level *ust like characters do, and can be givenlevels to boost their abilities. (or each level added to a character, add


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If you want an especially tough monster, you can make it an 4lite. 4lite characters are effectivelytwo levels higher than a standard monster their level. evel the monster to your desired base level,then add

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