Dragons Conquer America - The Coatli Stone by Burning Games

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The new world, togetheR W E L C O M E , F E L L O W A D V E N T U R E R . Every journey has its own origins story, and this time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve showed up right in time to play it. Flick through the pages of this journal and start shaping a New World with us. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in your hands. 4

ForeworD D R A GONS C ONQUER A MER IC A has been in the back of our minds for the longest of times. Since we created the RPC Engine mechanics for FAITH: The Sci-Fi RPG, we have wanted to translate them to all sorts of genres, fantasy being chief among them, and the “16th Century with magic” scenario was just too good to be confined to a corner of our brains; it just had to come out, bursting like the flames of a firespitting dragon. But things are not always as simple as they seem.

Just picture it: a century of rapid change, incredible discoveries, intrepid adventurers, awesome cultures and epic battles. Wow, right? But flip the coin and you have genocide, war, pestilence, theft, plunder and degradation. How can you make justice of such a convoluted and, do not be fooled, tragic time, in an RPG format? Eventually we came up with what we think is a fair answer, but it took some time. As Spanish game designers, we are not outsiders to this matter. Our “cultural ancestors” were an active part in the colonization of vast regions of America - and other parts of the world -, and we couldn’t just tell a tale of “intrepid” conquistadors going from one “glorious” battle to another. We wanted to do something better. And then it hit us: why don’t we offer our players the chance to live these events from both sides of the clash? Why don’t we actively include prejudices such as xenophobia and class-struggles into the very fabric of the mechanics? Now let’s take it one step further. What if history could be altered? What if players could shape, with their actions, an alternative take on the events that transpired in our real universe? As you may know from our other games, we do not shy away from new concepts, both in shape and execution, and DCA could not be different. We really hope you will like it. Oh, and yes, there are Dragons. The team of Burning Games

The background, adventures, and lore of the game are being cowritten by JC Obal and Carlos Gómez Quintana.

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Getting starteD T H E F I L E Y O U H A V E D O W N L O A D E D is a pre-Kickstarter beta edi-

tion slash promotional item slash first stone in the universe of Dragons Conquer America. It contains almost everything you need to play an introductory adventure in this setting, including the basic lore, general rules and the relevant pregen characters, NPCs and pieces of equipment. You’ll just have to add a bunch of friends and a poker deck (or a fistful of six-sided dice) and you’re good to go.

role playing games are meant to be played, so take a deep breath and prepare yourself to really discover not only a new setting but a whole new set of mechanics as well. Fear not, you will not be alone: we have already gathered a group of hundreds of people to play the game, and ourselves will be available through our various outlets at all times (we favour Discord. Follow this link to chat with us real time, even if - or specially if you are in the middle of a game). IRST

TH I N G S

F I RS T :

Having said this, let’s assess the situation, one question at a time.

What is Dragons Conquer America? Dragons Conquer America (aka DCA) is a living fantasy role playing setting that is currently under development. It will take you back to the 16th Century when European invaders reached American soil and unleashed a genocidal conquest.

dragons, magic... what’s going on here? Even though we take into consideration real world events and cultures, DCA is a fantasy setting. Magic is real and used in everyday life, and fantastic beasts such as Dragons and Feathered Serpents exert true influence in societies. The magical elements will find their way to the mechanics of the game, and you, as a player, will be able to perform awesome supernatural deeds.

The events that transpire during Episode 0: The Coatli Stone will affect the power dynamics of the factions towards the future core book of the setting. Your actions will shape the course of history.

What is “the coatli stone”? The Coatli Stone is the file you are reading now. It’s also episode “zero” of Dragons Conquer America, an introductory adventure that will serve as a prologue to the setting AND as a way for us to playtest the mechanics.

We are aware of the delicate nature of portraying other cultures in media. That’s why we are telling a story we feel confident telling, a clash between the Mexica, the Maya, and the Spaniards (the writer of DCA is Mexican and we are Spanish ourselves).

It is also a way to raise awareness of our upcoming Kickstarter campaign that will fund the Episodes I & II of Dragons Conquer America, two full blown campaigns that will shape the future of the setting.

W HAT DO I N E E D TO PLAY I T? To play this game you need this document, a GM, 2 to 4 players, and, to be able to use the RPC Engine system, a poker deck.

What system does it use? Dragons Conquer America uses the RPC Engine system. The RPC Engine uses cards to manage luck. Each player starts with seven cards in their hand and can choose which value to use in each situation to improve their chances of succcses.

THIS SOU N DS FAMI LI AR We created the RPC Engine system to power FAITH: The Sci-Fi RPG. That game uses the RPC54 variant, whereas DCA takes the RPC25 shape. The # refers to the number of cards that are used in each flavour.

AN Y POKE R DE CK WI LL DO? Yes. As DCA uses the RPC25 variant, you’ll just need cards 1 through 6 from each suit, plus one joker. You can remove the rest.

ONE POKE R DE CK ? We will publish custom decks to play DCA, but don’t feel forced to get them: a standard poker deck will do just fine.

There are several options: one deck for all; one deck for the players and one for the GM; one deck for each player; and other combinations. Luck distributes differently in each of them.

W HAT ABOU T DIC E? Alternatively, DCA can be played with D6 dice (dice with six faces). The game system is very flexible, and each player can choose to play with either dice or cards, and get from either system a very similar experience of feeling ultimately responsible for all your actions. At each juncture you must decide what effort to make, and how much to risk . . Nonetheless, we do encourage you to discover the thrill of our card based system.

what’s the “prejudice system”? The 16h Century, for all its enlightenment, was a pretty dark age for diversity. Uncontrolled slavery, rampant xenophobia, ingrained misogyny... All of them and more were part of the different cultures. To reflect this fact, we have introduced an optional prejudice system (you do not have to use it, if you don’t feel comfortable about it). In it, each player will have the prejudiced trait during character creation. The GM will at all times be able to trigger this trait to test the characters against their inner demons. As the campaigns advance and players bond with each other, they will be able to increase their Tolerance Skill and get rid of their prejudices one by one, becoming better people in the process.

Why do you say that DCA is a “living” setting? We want to create this setting with you, hand in hand. That’s why, starting with this Episode 0: the Coatli Stone, your actions will shape the future of this New World. This concept of “legacy” decisions will be at the core of the first DCA book we’ll release on Kickstarter November 2nd. The book will contain Episode I: The Eight Omens & Episode II: Cortes’ Ploy of the setting, acting as the origins story of the New World. The two episodes (campaigns) will be told from opposing perspectives: one from the American side of the clash, and the other from the Spanish point of view. Eventually, by playing Episodes 0, I and II, your adventures and outcomes will form the groundwork of a future core book of the setting.

H OW WI LL ALL TH I S WO RK ? You, as players, will be able to play any and all DCA adventures you want. We will assign a value (positive or negative) to certain events and the ending you

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reach. You’ll be able to send your results to us using the forms that you’ll find in each of the adventures (for instance, you’ll find Episode 0’s form at the end of the adventure) and we will compile them. The aggregated results will shape the future core book of the setting.

PO S S I B L E O UTCOM E S? The fantasy setting of DCA means that the power balance is very different to that in real life - American cultures have very powerful allies in the shape of Feathered Serpents and more. Thus, the events do not have to mimic those in the real world.

How can i share my feedback/outcome? The final pages of the adventure section of this document are devoted to this. There you’ll find all the information to stay in touch with us and help us improve the game. Thanks in advance should you choose to use them.

can i start now? Yes. You can now read the Setting, the Beta Mechanics, or go straight ahead to the Episode 0: The Coatl Stone adventure.

The options are many: ■ Will Spanish colonialists prevail? ■ Will the Conquistadors be expelled from the continent? ■ Will the opposing sides reach a power balance?

tell me more about the kickstarter campaign The first Kickstarter of DCA will launch this coming November 2nd.

WH AT W I L L IT AIM TO FU N D? The Kickstarter will fund the first two episodes of DCA, the ones that will lay the foundation of the future Core Book. The two campaigns will come in a hardbound book along with detailed rules and overall setting. A KS exclusive deluxe box will also be available for backers.

kickstarter campaign Crowfunding campaigns don’t begin the day of the launch, but much earlier. If you like what we are doing, please share the word in your gaming groups and let people know about DCA. The more we are, the more we can achieve!

STARTI NG NOVEMBER 2 ND

HO W L O NG W ILL IT RU N ? It will run for one month starting November 2nd.

WI L L I T H AVE E ARLY BIR DS? No. We like things to be as fair as possible to everyone involved. All our backers will get the same treatment irrespective of their order in line. There will be some limited pledge levels. Most likely, there will be a few spots available for those who want to create NPCs for our setting. We’ve done this before with FAITH and it’s a very rewarding experience. 10

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The settinG D R A G O N S C O N Q U E R A M E R I C A is a game of historical fantasy based

on the European invasion of America during the 16th century. The game setting, while based on historical fact, is rife with fantastic elements, including powerful magic, mystic forces, and mythical creatures such as fairies and dragons. The story is mostly fictional, but accurately introduces events that took place during the Mesoamerican War of Conquest, as well as the historical nations and characters at their centre. This of course includes the daring campaigns of Captain HernĂĄn CortĂŠs, and the great domain we know today as the Aztec Empire.

Blue skies, black omenS

T I S TH E year 1519 of the Christian Era, and Ce Acatl (1 Reed) of the Mexica Calendar Cycle. It’s a time of great changes and portents, marking the prophesied return of the Lords of Tollan to the Valley of Anahuac.

Columbus died years ago, forgotten after making his famous discovery of the West Indies - or the New World, as most people call this unexplored land now, since they learned it isn’t another side of Asia as previously thought, but a whole new continent. As European governments decide what to do with the discovery and its potential riches, their first settlers, armed with transoceanic ships, guns – and dragons – have ruled over the New World’s easternmost islands for almost thirty years now. However, the invaders have not yet discovered what lies beyond their island domains. The Hispaniola outposts, long established as the beachhead of European power in the New World, have already determined there is a larger continent to the West, and sailed its coasts – but so far no major mainland expedition has managed to overcome their warlike tribes and treacherous terrain.

Beyond these unwelcoming coasts, still unknown, lies the Valley of Anahuac, home to the Excan Tlahtoloyan – the Triple Alliance of the Aztec peoples. It is one of the oldest and best organised empires the world has ever known, encompassing hundreds of city-states, all of which pay tribute to the mightiest civilization in the planet: the Mexica of Tenochtitlan. For nearly a hundred years, the Mexica have ruled over the land of the Fifth Sun unchallenged, striking fear in the hearts of their enemies thanks to the divine power of their priests and the help of their mixcoatl dragon allies, which terrorise and astonish the peoples under Mexica domain. This is all about to change. A single man – persecuted by the law, estranged from the Crown of Spain and followed by a band of sellswords and adventurers – is poised to start the most significant war of conquest the world has ever known. The opposition he will face, though, is far beyond what he can expect...

T H E S PA N I S H E X P E D I T I O N F O R C E Contrary to the popular belief of future generations, the invading force that just arrived to the New World is not a sanctioned group of disciplined soldiers under the command of a dulyappointed general. That is how the Spanish Crown would have liked it, yes; however, Cortés and his crewmates are not soldiers, but adventuring nobles – brave and ambitious thrill seekers and treasure hunters looking to make their fortune in the unexplored land. They wear no uniform but their mismatched armour suits, and no flag but the Cross of the Catholic God. This ragtag mercenary group has just arrived to the coast of the New World, without the sanction or permission of Cortés’ immediate superior – and, recently, sworn enemy – the Governor of Cuba. They are mutineers; they are rebels. If their attempt to settle this land and plunder its riches fails, Spain will have them imprisoned – or worse. Their very lives depend on the gamble they’ve just played, and they’re not about to return home empty-handed. To quell dissent among his men, Cortés has scuttled his ships, tied his dragons and founded a new settlement in the name of the Castilian Kings: Villa Rica De La Vera Cruz. From there, he intends to conquer the surrounding lands – or die trying.

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THE AZTEC TRIPLE ALLIANCE Meanwhile, the Excan Tlahtoloyan – the Triple Alliance – of the Anahuac has gotten wind of the Spaniards’ first contacts with other peoples from the New World, from their first skirmishes in Mayan coasts a few years back to their several unsuccessful attempts to go deeper into their territory - the lack of powerful Spanish dragons on american soil, the belligerent tribes from the coast, and the lack of organization among the settlers has stopped them so far. Moctecuhzoma II the Xocoyotzin, Huey Tlatoani of all Aztec peoples and de facto leader of the Triple Alliance, has already sent messengers to dissuade the new arrivals from pressing on to Tenochtitlan. If they are the Lords of Tollan returned, as the prophecy goes, they are a challenge to the rule of Moctecuhzoma and his peers; if they are not, they remain unknown invaders, armed with unknown weapons and – apparently – Mixcoatl dragons of their own; they must be stopped from making any progress. The other leaders of the Triple Alliance – Cacama of Texcoco and Tetlepanquetzal of Tlacopan – are similarly restless. Cacama in particular is in grave danger, as his younger brother Ixtlilxochitl covets his throne, and would not be above seeking an alliance with the invaders to obtain it. Ixtlilxochitl has not forgotten it was Moctecuhzoma’s Mixcoatl dragons which pressed the Texcoca council into choosing his brother over him; he is more loyal to any enemy of the Mexica than to the Triple Alliance itself. In fact, there are many vassal states currently suffering under the Exzcan Tlahtoloyan; if the invaders turned out hostile, many of these oppressed peoples would gladly side with them against the Mexica and their allies. Moctecuhzoma’s messengers have several tasks ahead of them: they must study the newcomers and gauge their forces; they must dissuade them from going any nearer the Anahuac; and they must prevent enemy tribes from allying with them.

MAGIC Magic is real in this world, and the history we know, while mostly unchanged, has been sutly influenced or altered by sorcerous forces. Ancestral air and thunder spirits accompanied the Aryan invasion of the Tamil at the dawn of history, giving rise to the Vedic legends. Bearded, human-faced dragons oversaw the building of the first pyramids at Sumer and Egypt. The Age of Philosophy of the post-Atlantean world gave rise to mighty priest-wizards, remembered as gods and demigods in the records of the Fall of Troy and the Rise of Rome. The descendants of these Roman wizards established the Catholic Council that still rules the world, inspired by the wisdom of the Prophets of the Middle East. Faerie kingdoms allied with the warlord Artus to expel the Romans from Brittany, giving him a magic sword and the title of Faerie King. Norse elves spurred and accompanied Leif Erikssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expedition to Vinland, while the Keltic elf rogue Robin of the Hood led a resistance that forced the British Kings to sign the Carta Magna that would eventually lead to the return of Democracy. Thus todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world is shaped by the historical presence of wizards and spirits, which have walked hand-inhand with humanity, sometimes more noticeably and sometimes from the shadows â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but always there.

Magic and religion go hand in hand in DCA. Each belief will grant a special set of powerful abilities.

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RELIGION Magic is inextricably linked to faith; what one believes in determines one’s access to the Spirit World. Thus worshippers of fire entities have access to fire magic, and war priests know prayers to inspire armies. All religions agree that there is a single divine force above the world. The Catholic nations call this force ‘God’ and see Him as a person – an immortal, unconceivable person, but one they can name and beg to. The Mexica of the New World call it Teotl, which translates as magic itself. Even miscreants and heretics acknowledge this force exists, although they assume it’s just a combination of natural forces. Those that worship, study or understand this all-powerful force are capable of superhuman feats, understood by others as magic spells or divine miracles. The greatest of these priests and wizards are so powerful in their worship that they become worshipped in turn, becoming the legendary heroes of myth and even the deities of polytheistic pantheons. Catholics, who deny any divinity other than God’s, worship these individuals as Saints.

Dragons only accepting women as riders has changed the way society treats them. 17

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DR AGONS Dragons have been a part of the catholic world for more than a thousand years, ever since Saint George tamed and converted the legendary Wyrm of Silene in the third century AD. From that moment, the European dragons that would otherwise have been massacred by human knights and soldiers became instead a valuable resource of human armies. For the last millennium, warfare has been shaped by the presence of dragon riders, and their use has allowed European kingdoms to secure lasting power over their lands. The most famous examples were the Crusades, where Richard the Lionheart’s catholic dragons defeated Saladin’s djinn army and sacked the Holy City; the legendary battle where St. Joan of Arc and her Holy Dragon defeated Richard’s descendants, thus ending the so-called Hundred Years’ War; and the liberation of Castile from Moorish forces, at the hands of the freedom force led by Jimena Díaz de Vivar, still remembered as La Saida Campeadora – the most famous dragon rider in history. Now, however, as every army and kingdom owns a mandatory dragon force of roughly equal power, European forces have come to a stalemate. Unable to expand into each other’s borders, they have turned to new routes for trade and conquest, taking their dragons to previously uncharted lands. 20 years ago, Christopher Columbus found such a land – a whole New World, it seems, waiting to be discovered in the middle of the Western Sea. European Kingdoms were quick to send their own ships and dragons to the new territories, looking for new lands to expand into and riches to exploit. But this land is, of course, inhabited. And Here, too, Be Dragons. New World dragons differ from their European counterparts in their sleeker, larger bodies, their lack of lower limbs and the beautiful plumage that adorns their scales. The most important difference, however, is that these dragons have never been converted to any religion or allegiance. They are free and wise, and have many natural abilities that humans would call sorcery – and indeed humans could only imitate by limited prayers and crude spells. Many of these dragons can even take on human form, and of course only allow themselves to be mounted by those they choose. It goes without saying that these dragons do not serve their human neighbours; in fact, humans often revere them as divine beings. In return, dragons take care of them, as a shepherd takes care of his flock; thus New World natives have no dragon armies, but are under dragon protection. And their gods won’t take kindly to a swarm of lesser lizards invading their land. However, even if the catholic dragons of European armies are generally less powerful than their New World counterparts, they are far more numerous and better organized. God only knows what will happen when both forces collide – and which side He will favour.

It’s not just Dragons: DCA is chock full of monsters and mythological beings from both sides of the Atlantic. Pictured above, 18 the Chivo.

THE ORIGIN OF THE DR AGON RIDERS The town had a small lake with a plague-bearing dragon living in it and poisoning the countryside. To appease the dragon, the people of Silene fed it two sheep every day. When they ran out of sheep they started feeding it their children, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king’s daughter. The king, in his grief, told the people they could have all his gold and silver and half of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon. Saint George by chance rode past the lake. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the lake while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle, and he put it around the dragon’s neck. When he did so, the dragon followed the girl like a meek beast on a leash The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the populace. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptised. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. When George was about to kill the creature as promised, the king’s daughter stood on his way and said that if the dragon were to consent and become Christian as well, he should pardon its life as well. George was thunderstruck, but agreed. The dragon converted out of love for the king’s daughter, rather than love of its own life. Thus, the dragon became Silene’s protector and the first of the dragons to protect the Christian faith. It fell in battle many years later against the heretics in Palestina, the king’s daughter died riding it. Her name now immortal, the first dragon rider, venerated by all women who followed her steps and rode the dragon’s progeny for the greater glory of Christ: Saint Sabra, the first of her kin.

Most dragons are considered evil, snakes of Satan, but the progeny of Saint Sabra’s dragon followed Christ. Now, most kingdoms of Europe have a small group of dragons who serve their King and God (sometimes fighting between them, as different kings have different perspectives about what God wants). Muslim kingdoms have dragons of their own, as well, just as evil to Christians as Satan’s (to many, even worse). It is said that China’s Emperor is a dragon himself. There are all kinds of dragons, firebreathers, acid breathers, those who don’t breath anything strange, those who can fly for days straight, dragons who are small as horses and dragons large as mountains. But they all have one thing in common: if tamed, they will only follow orders from a female human - never a male. It is not clear why. Dragons only accepting women as riders has changed the way society treats women in some aspects, mostly in that they are allowed to serve in the military and gain ranks within it, but this for farmer folks only means that in addition to being able to marry their daughters off or send them away to be nuns, they can also send them to the military - while keeping most of their other views on the subject. If dragons were wildly common, a large percentage of women could be trained to be their raiders and this would create a change in the balance of power, which would then change the roles of all women, even those who would never become riders. This is what the Dragon Breeders Society intents, per example. But for now, women in Europe, with the exception of noblewomen and dragon riders, are still treated as second rated citizens.

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The (beta) mechanicS W H A T F O L L O W S I S a detailed overview of the 0.5 rules of DCA. With your help, we will bring a super-polished experience later this year to Kickstarter.

Tools to plaY Conﬂict

C A C A N BE played either with cards

or with dice. It is possible for different people in the same group to use either, or to change their gaming tool at the start of a session with the approval of the GM.

The playing cards

Social

When playing with cards you can either use the custom DCA cards or cards from a regular poker deck. You’ll only need the cards numbered one through six and one of the jokers. Please set aside the rest of cards. It is recommended to have one deck per player (including the GM) and never mix cards with each other’s decks, which will give everyone at the table even odds.

Exploration

If you don’t have enough decks for that, you can shuffle as many decks as you’ve got and construct a common deck for everybody; or set one deck for the GM and another for the players (the deck for the players should be composed of as many decks as half the number of players.

THE SU ITS

Divine

The cards have four suits: Conflict, Exploration, Social, and Divine. DCA custom cards have unique symbols for these four suits, but if you are playing with regular poker cards you can use the following correlation: Conflict is Spades, Exploration is Clubs, Social is Hearts, and Divine is Diamonds. ■ Conflict: This suit relates to fights, chases, duels, etc. ■ Exploration: This suit relates to investigating, finding clues, climbing, swimming, following tracks, stepping into the unknown, etc.

Joker

■ Social: This suit relates to talking, convincing, commanding, diplomacy, lying, etc.

■ Divine: This suit relates to using magic, or communicating with the supernatural.

TH E H AND OF C ARDS In DCA, all players except the GM have a hand of cards. Nobody can have more than seven cards in their hands at any time, and if somehow someone draws more than seven cards, they must discard down to seven. Players can only play cards from their hands, unless specifically stated otherwise - and whenever a player plays a card from their hand, they can choose which card to use. Players cannot look into the deck or the discard pile, nor shuffle or mix previously used cards into the deck. Whenever a card is used, it is placed in the discard pile, usually set up next to the deck, face up. When the last card of the deck is drawn, the discard pile must be shuffled to set up a fresh deck. Players cannot look at other players’ hand of cards, nor can they tell each other the values of the cards in their hands.They are however free to discuss how they feel about their luck based on their hand of cards without mentioning specific values. E.g. “I am feeling lucky today”, “I can keep doing this all day long”, “I don’t think I can survive another encounter”, or “I feel like I should crawl to a corner and make myself into a tiny, tiny ball until danger has passed”. Players must always follow the rules to play, discard, and draw cards during confrontations.

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US I N G C AR DS

JOKERS

PLAY

Jokers are drawn as normal cards, but they can only be played under specific circumstances.

Cards are “played” to resolve actions during confrontations. When a PC plays a card, it must come from their hand of cards. Whenever an NPC or TSE plays a card it will come from the top of the deck. DISCARD When a card is discarded, it is moved directly to the discard pile without being used. Why, when, and how many cards are discarded is something determined by the ability or rule that instructed to discard cards. Certain abilities specify whether the cards discarded must come from the PC’s hand or the top of the deck. If this is not specified, the cards must be discarded from the PC’s hand. When discarding from their hands, PCs can choose which card to discard unless instructed otherwise. A TSE never discards cards. If an NPC has to discard cards, instead he suffers as many disadvantages towards his next confrontation as cards he had to discard.

After declaring the outcome of a confrontation in which they have taken part, players may play a Joker to increase their level of success by one or decrease the level of success of their opponent by one. remove one negative consequence or add one positive consequence to an action involved in that confrontation. Jokers do not count towards the number of cards that can be played per action, and players may play as many jokers per confrontation as they want. If a Joker is randomly played from the top of the deck at any point, the character who played that card gains the effects of the Joker for the action he was performing (as determined by the GM in the case of NPCs, hidden checks, or TSEs), discards it, and then plays another card. NOTE: If the last card in your hand is a Joker, you won’t be able to play it until the end of a confrontation, before its outcome is determined.

g in m n!! o C oo s Conﬂict

w Social

w Exploration

g in m n!! o C oo s Divine

g in m n!! o C oo s Joker 25

The dice While the rules are written using cards as the base mechanic, DCA can be played with D6 (D6 are dice with 6 faces). You need to have 5 different colours of D6 dice. You’ll use four types to represent each of the four suits, and the fifth to represent the jokers.

PLAY IN G W ITH DI C E Whenever a rule establishes that you should do something with a card, instead you’ll do it with a die. Playing with dice follows the same rules as playing with cards, with the difference that they add another step to resolve a confrontation (see page XXX). Whenever a rule says card, you should read it as dice. When it says the hand of cards, read it as your dice pool; and read the deck as the reserve instead.

THE R E SE RV E Similarly to what happens with the cards in the deck, there are dice that are not in any player’s pool. This is called the reserve, and it is shared among all players. For every 3 players using dice, you need one set of 25 dice, 6 in each colour plus one to represent the joker in a different colour. It is best if the dice are of the same size and texture and cannot be distinguished by touching them.

The reserve of dice should be put in a place easily accessible to all the players but that somehow doesn’t let them see the dice themselves, such as an opaque bag that prevents players from knowing which die they are drawing. Whenever a die is used it is put back in the reserve, and whenever a dice is drawn, it is taken without looking from the reserve. When a rule asks to “play a card from the deck” instead, draw a random die from the reserve and roll it.

TH E P OOL OF DI C E Similarly to the hand of cards, players using the dice rules have a pool of seven dice. If you are playing with dice and a rule refers to your hand of cards, consider it refers to your pool of dice instead. Every time you would need to draw a card to your hand, draw a die from the reserve and add it to your dice pool instead. Every time you need to play a card, choose a die from your pool and roll it. After a die has been rolled, it goes back to the reserve (which could trigger a rule that allows you to draw another one). The main difference between playing with cards and dice is that with cards you know the value of what you are playing beforehand, whereas with dice you have to roll it at that moment and see. During confrontations, this is balanced out with the dice-only step that allows you to flip the dice you roll (see page XXX).

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SceneS TIME In DCA there are several key concepts about time and gameplay structure. These are Sessions, Scenes, and Rounds.

S E S S I O NS Sessions are the allocated time frame for playing the game during a day in real life. E.g. that Sunday afternoon when you all have agreed to meet and play. Within a session you will usually play one or more scenes (although it is possible to finish a session in the middle of a scene and resume playing it in your next session).

T T H E BE G I N NING of each scene, all players except the GM draw cards from the deck until they each have seven cards in their hand.

Making scenes longer (more challenging) or shorter (easier) is a great way for the GM to adjust the difficulty of the game.

A scene is a sequence of events during which the GM narrates what the characters find and what happens to them. During a scene, characters are constantly performing actions, with little to no rest periods in between, and usually within the same location.

During a scene, the characters will be constantly performing actions. If an action does not trigger a Round or it is not confronted, it is considered an unconfronted action, and therefore it is successful by default.

Scenes are the main building blocks of the story, like the scenes of a film. They are an important concept because they determine when the players and the GM replenish their hands of cards. A playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand of cards represents their PCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stamina, so PCs with a full hand are fresh and eager, while PCs with very few or no cards in their hands are exhausted and probably demoralised. When characters take a break long enough to restore their energy, it usually means they have reached the end of the scene. There is no set duration or type of event that unequivocally determines the end of a scene, and it is up to the GM to determine when a scene ends. E.g. The player characters plan to enter a temple in the city of Tenochtitlan. They wait for nightfall to avoid the crowds, silently enter the building, and search for the treasures inside. They encounter two temple guards, and after fighting them off, they get the gold and make a run for it. This sequence of events can be played out as a single scene, or be broken down by the GM into several scenes. For example entering the temple without being seen could be one scene, fighting the guards another scene, and escaping to safety would be the final scene.

When performing unconfronted actions, the mood around the table should be relaxed and conversational. The GM must ensure that all players enjoy a similar amount of time in the spotlight, and allow everyone to describe what their characters do during that period of time. If there is some kind of in-game conflict - such as a fight, an argument, a chase, or any other type of fast paced or competitive situation when some characters try to outperform others - it is time for a Round, which sets the order in which characters declare actions, and use counteractions to confront them.

Rounds Rounds are short outbursts of action in which characters try to outperform others and rush to complete their objectives as best they can in the shortest amount of time. These will be explained in more detail later and constitute the main mechanical part of the system, along with the confrontations that take place during the different Rounds.

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ActionS P

E R FOR M I N G A N A C T I O N represents an active and

conscious activity that spans during a period of time (i.e. a turn); such as attacking, running, talking, dodging, bartering, etc. Anything and everything a character performs actively is an action. All actions are performed using a Skill that represents the character’s knowledge in that area, and take into consideration his corresponding Attribute. In DCA, actions are successful by default with a critical success unless one of the following criteria are met: 1. If the action targets or directly affects another character who is aware of the action, that character can choose to perform another action to counteract it, triggering a confrontation (see page XXX). A counteraction can be any action that could make the opposed action fail, or allow the character to avoid its effects.

NOTE: During a conflict all enemies are considered aware of actions by the player characters who have been discovered, and therefore they can counteract whatever they do against them.

E.g. (make an action fail): Shooting back at someone shooting or attacking you (and if successful, you will be the one dealing damage!); affecting your opponent’s senses or capacities; throwing dust into someone’s eyes when they are trying to grapple you, etc. E.g. (avoiding the effects of an action): diving behind cover; dodging the sword swing; outrunning an opponent; etc.

the effects of trying the impossible. The player may appeal, but he must be reminded that offlimit actions can break the gameplay. The GM’s judgment and dissuasive power must lead the gameplay forward. E.g. A character not aided with magic cannot lift a one metric ton stone or jump from a mountain to escape giant eagles; if they try to do so, they can suffer damage or even die.

Counteractions A counteraction is any action performed to prevent or avoid another character’s action during a confrontation. Actions that deal damage are always considered valid counteractions against other attacks, and if they are successful they are resolved as if he character was attacked first, but managed to avoid their opponent’s attack and hit them instead. Counteractions follow the same rules and have the same effects as all other actions (i.e. shooting your bow or slashing with your sword as a successful counteraction will deal damage normally). Characters can confront any number of actions that target or directly affect them during each Round. However, performing one or more counteractions causes a character to become Spent, and forfeit their turn if they have not taken it yet.

2. If the action is considered something that the character could eventually perform successfully if they had enough time or if they had any number of tries, BUT they have limited time or aim to do it right on the first attempt, they are confronted by a time sensitive event (TSE) (see page XXX), triggering a confrontation (see page XXX). E.g. A thief is capable of climbing into an Inca fortress if given any amount of time or any amount of tries, but because he needs to do it quickly before daylight comes and without falling once, he is confronted by a TSE. 3. If the GM considers the action impossible to perform in the current situation regardless of the amount of time, effort, will or desire to do so, the action is cancelled, and the character may suffer 28

Action Value

H E A C T I O N V A L UE is a numerical

value used to determine the result of a character’s action during a confrontation. There are several things that can modify the value of an action, and its final value will affect the outcome of the confrontation and determine its winner.

Skill’s value The Skill’s value is the initial action value of that character during a confrontation in which he uses that skill for his action. Additionally, if the Skill value of a character is 0, he will suffer one disadvantage.

Attribute Each Skill has an associated Attribute, which determines: •

•

If the character is a PC, how many cards they can play per action from their hand to add their values to their initial action value set by their Skill. For an NPC or TSE, how many cards they can play from the top of the deck to add their values to their initial action value.

NOTE: Characters can only perform one action each per Round, but they can perform any number of counteractions.

TIP. When performing an action, do not simply state what it is that you intend to do, explain how you do it and why in order to gain advantages through role playing. Look for the best way to perform that action, taking into consideration your surroundings and being creative and fun - make it easy for the GM to grant you that valuable advantage!

Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages (often represented by a “+” symbol) represent having a form of upper hand over an opponent, while disadvantages (often represented by a “-” symbol) represent difficulties or hindrances a character can have when trying to perform an action. PCs, NPCs, TSEs and Checks can be affected by advantages or disadvantages. Each advantage adds 3 points to the character’s starting value, and each disadvantage subtracts 3 points to the character’s starting value.

Starting values can be negative after applying the effects of disadvantages. Advantages and disadvantages can be gained through equipment, talents, other abilities that grant them, or through roleplaying the situation. A character can gain advantages from several sources at the same time or even several advantages from the same source if the benefit such a source provides is very strong. There are many possibilities, and it is the job of the GM to determine how and when to grant advantages or disadvantages to characters. Some examples of things that could provide advantages are: ■ Standing over a wall to fence off some assaulters. ■ Catching someone by surprise. ■ Impressing everyone on the table by using all the right words and ideas in a speech before playing to see its result. ■ Convincing someone you are speaking with the spirits of their family if you know secret details of their relationship.

Some examples of things that could provide disadvantages are: ■ Shooting a character who is behind cover. ■ Fighting while having your hands tied. ■ Fighting in the dark. ■ Trying to impress someone while wearing poorly made or dirty clothes. ■ Convincing someone of something when you can only communicate with signs because you don’t speak the same language. NOTE: There can be things that are not very clear if they would give an advantage or a disadvantage (you could argue that you have an advantage for dodging while behind cover, or that your opponent suffers one disadvantage to shooting at you while you are behind cover). The effects are the same either way, and it is important not to duplicate the importance of something by applying both solutions.

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Exhaustion Although characters can only perform one action during their turn, it is possible that they end up performing several actions during a single Round if they are targeted by the actions of other characters. To represent the extra effort required to face many challenges almost simultaneously, characters suffer a disadvantage every time they use a Skill they have already used during the current Round. This effect stacks, so the third time they use the same Skill during one Round they will suffer two disadvantages, the fourth time three disadvantages, and so on.

confrontations

C O N FR ON TAT I O N

TAKES

PL A C E

when a character performing an action is challenged and has a chance of failing and/or being affected by counteractions or a Time Sensitive Event. The character performing the action that triggers a confrontation is called the triggering character and his action is called the triggering action with the purpose of distinguishing it from other actions in the following explanation. Normally, an action or event can only target or affect one character, to reflect a realistic scenario within the short amount of time that these usually represent. However, there are things that may target or affect several characters, such a cannon or an avalanche falling on a group of characters. In those cases, all the affected characters should be able to perform their respective counteractions. The main difference between an action and a counteraction is the fact that counteractions can only affect the triggering character - and therefore a counteraction will never trigger counteractions or Time Sensitive Events by itself. If a character performs an action that would normally target or affect several characters as a counteraction, that action will only affect the triggering character instead.

Steps of a Confrontation To resolve a confrontation, players must always follow the same steps: 1. The triggering character declares an action, called triggering action, explaining which related Skill he will be using, as well as its target or targets, if there are any. 2. The GM declares the level of the confronting TSE if there is one; as well as its nature and the consequences that will happen if the TSE wins the confrontation.

3. Any affected characters who are aware of the triggering action and wish to confront it declare valid counteractions, and explain which related Skill they will use. NOTE: Counteractions cannot target or affect characters other than the triggering character. However, they can be just as effective as actions. Countering an attack with a successful attack of your own will deal the same amount of damage as attacking during your turn.

4. Determine the advantages and/or disadvantages and their sources. Players may describe their plans, and any reasons why they think they deserve advantages or their opponents deserve disadvantages. Then, the GM decides what applies and what doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. NOTE: During a multiple confrontation, a character may have advantages or disadvantages against some characters but not against others. In that case, calculate the advantages against each character separately and determine the action values, winners, and final level of success of each pair of confronted characters separately. REMEMBER: Characters suffer a disadvantage every time they use again a Skill they have already used during the current Round; this is called Exhaustion (see page XXX).

5. The character with the lowest action value can either play a card or pass. Once a character has passed, they cannot play anymore cards during this confrontation, even if they have not reached their limit. Once a character reaches the limit of cards they can play during this confrontation they must pass.

PLAYI NG WI TH DI C E: REACTION: Once per confrontation, after rolling a die, you can flip it to its opposite side (turning 1 to 6, 2 to 5, 3 to 4, or vice versa). If you do, consider only the final die value for all purposes, such as applying Proficiency.

TIP: In order to keep gameplay streamlined, it is important that each participant of a confrontation says the current value of their action out loud each time they play a new card. This way, nobody is forced to calculate the value of the action of their opponent every time he plays a card.

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NOTE: If there is more than one character with the lowest action value, all the characters tied for the lowest action value play their cards face down and reveal them simultaneously (or roll their dice at the same time).

6. The previous step is repeated until all characters have passed. 7. Counteractions with an action value equal or lower than the triggering action fail, and those with a higher action value than the triggering action are successful. The triggering action fails if there is any successful counteraction that can make it fail, as opposed to simply avoid its effects. If there are none, it is successful only against those counteractions with an equal or lower action value. NOTE: If a TSE achieves a higher action value than the triggering action, the consequences of the TSE come true, causing the triggering action to fail, and the success or failure of all other counteractions is determined as usual.

8. Apply the consequences of successful actions according to their level of success (see page XXX). E.g. Aapo cuts down the end of the inca bridge he just crossed while being chased by a conquistador and a crossbowman. They try to confront it by running back to the other side. In the ensuing confrontation, the crossbowman achieves the highest action value, followed by Aapo, while the conquistador has the lowest action value. The crossbowman manages to get out of the bridge before it falls down, but the conquistador drops to his death. Had the crossbowman chosen to shoot at Aapo and gotten the same results, he would have damaged Aapo, causing his action to fail. The bridge would have remained intact and the conquistador would still be alive

hidden CheckS A

H I D D E N C H EC K , O R simply check, tests a character’s skill in an effort to overcome a hidden challenge, or a reactive and unconscious reflex or realization. A check does not require intent and it is not an action.

Perform a hidden check instead of a confrontation if character is not aware of what is triggering the check or shouldn’t be aware of the result if they fail (e.g. Perception or Survival checks to discover an ambush or a trap, to avoid getting lost, etc). A hidden check is usually requested by the GM to test if a PC should be given certain new information or not: •

Request the PCs to perform a Perception check to determine whether or not they see a hidden NPC ambushing them.

•

Request the PCs to perform a Rites check to find out if they sense dark magic coming out of a ruin.

•

Request the PCs to perform a Charisma check to find out if they realize that someone is disagreeing with a situation from their nervous gestures.

Certain abilities will also request a check, each of them will specify why and how to resolve it. A hidden check is not an action, and it can be performed at any time the GM declares it is necessary (alternatively, it can be requested by a player: “I look for clues”). Any number of checks can be requested, and they do not represent any time going by nor characters become Spent after performing them.

Resolving a hidden check At any time, the GM can declare that a character must perform a check, or a character can declare that he wants to perform a check, which needs to be approved by the GM. To resolve a hidden check, follow these steps: 1. The GM requests a character or group of characters to perform a check OR a character declares he wants to perform a check and the check is approved by the GM. 2. The GM chooses the Skill the character will be using, taking into account the nature of the check. 33

3. The GM declares the difficulty level of the check without specifying the value (this is so the player does not figure out if he’s confronting an NPC or not). 4. Determine the advantages and/or disadvantages and their sources. Players may describe their plans, and any reasons why they think they deserve advantages. Then, the GM decides what applies and what doesn’t. 5. Each PC involved in a check discards as many cards as their corresponding Attribute from the top of the deck, and adds the highest card to their Skill value. TIP: PCs are allowed to discard cards one by one and stop discarding before reaching their limit if they want (this might happen is they draw a high enough card first and they don’t want to risk discarding other high cards). NOTE: A check does not count as performing an action, it does not cause exhaustion nor does the PC become Spent.

6. In secret, without the players seeing her, the GM discards one card and adds it to the check’s difficulty; or if the check involves an NPC, as many cards as that NPC’s Attribute, and adds the highest card to his Skill. 7. The success or failure of a check is determined following the same rules to determine the outcome of a confrontation. 8. The GM reveals to the PCs involved what she sees fit according to the results. Because the PCs are unaware of the result of the check, they can be provided with false information if they failed, and they may believe it to be true. NOTE: The PCs might never find out the results or the reason for the check.

Calculating the difficulty of the check The difficulty of the check can be one of the following two: •

If the check is against an NPC, his involved Skill value.

•

If the check is against something else, the value

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specified next to the respective difficulty level (the GM should choose a difficulty level fitting to the situation) When resolving a check the GM must let the players know the difficulty level of the check. If the check was against an NPC, she should say the difficulty level closest to the NPC’s Skill’s value rounded up.

EA S Y ( 0 ) Something very mundane and that failing it would only be explainable as a complete failure or an extraordinary lack of skill. E.g. The rotten wooden floor or a lost ruin in the middle of the jungle will collapse if anyone on heavy armour steps on it, only a fool would do it; but perhaps a character with 0 Survival cannot tell the difference or lacks the required self preservation instinct. NOTE: It is only recommended to ask PCs to perform an easy check if they completely lack on the Skill being tested (i.e. Characters with Skill 0).

NO R M AL ( 3 ) Something that would only go over the head of someone untrained, not paying attention, or who was not aware it was possible.

HA R D ( 6 ) Something that requires relatively advanced training or knowledge.

V E R Y H AR D (9) Something that requires to be a specialist in the subject to achieve success.

EP I C ( 1 2 ) To be able to achieve this a character’s capacity has to be among the best in the world. TIP: If you find it hard to decide the difficulty of a check using these guidelines, consider all checks easy and then think about the different hindrances that apply to a situation. For each important one you find, raise the difficulty of the check by one level. E.g.: A character is searching for a hidden enemy. It is quite dark, and the enemy is hidden in a very secluded spot. Additionally, he is wearing clothes that mimic the environment. There are three important hindrances, and thus the check would be Very Hard (9).

E.g. A group of eagle warriors are waiting ahead of the PCs, preparing an ambush. If the PCs are perceptive enough, they might discover the ambush in time. The GM requests a Perception check from the PCs without telling them what the check is about. She tells them it is a hard check, because the hidden eagle warriors’ Competent Skill is 5. The PCs discard as many cards as their Perception Attribute, and add the highest one to their Perception Skill value. In secret, without the PCs seeing it, the GM discards as many cards as the eagle warriors’ Competent Attribute, and adds the highest one to their Competent Skill value. If the final value of one of the PCs is higher than the eagle warriors’ final value, they will discover the ambush in time to get ready. Otherwise, they will suffer the consequences of a surprise attack.

When to repeat a failed Check Failed checks must not be repeated unless the circumstances surrounding them have changed drastically. E.g. A character cannot repeatedly try to see what awaits for them at the end of a dark tunnel in a Temple unless they use a Spell to help them, or throw a torch to lit the area.

Distinguishing a check from a confrontation The GM should always be the one who determines when something is resolved as a check or as a confrontation. Here are some cues to help her figure it out: The rule of thumb is that in a confrontation both parties are aware of what is happening and are actively doing what’s being put to the test; while a check is only performed when the GM wants to keep the nature of what is happening secret, or she believes it is something that shouldn’t necessarily tire the PCs out (remember that a PC’s hand of cards represents their stamina). This means that is possible to test the same situation as a check or a confrontation depending on circumstantial information. E.g. If a PC is being ambushed, use a check to test if he realises in time of the danger. If you resolve this situation as a confrontation, the PC will know what is happening regardless of the result as you will need to provide him with information about the NPC he’ ll be confronting. In the other hand, if the PC is the one ambushing a group of NPCs, the GM can declare that he has to confront them using Stealth - the situation is the same as the previous one, but the awareness about what is happening has swifted and therefore the GM sees it fit to resolve it as a confrontation (also, it can be argued that hiding is something you do actively, while seeing something behind the bushes is not).

Levels of succesS T

H E L E V E L O F success of an action depends on the

difference between its final value and its confronting action’s final value.

Pyrrhic success When an action is successful by up to one point above its confronting action’s value, it has the regular effect of the action as determined by the GM or the piece of gear being used. Additionally, it suffers negative consequences. Negative consequences can be anything the GM sees fit and that makes sense for the story and the action taking place. A few examples of negative consequences are: ■ If the character was using gear, it suffers one or two points of deterioration. ■ If the character was attacking, he deals half the damage.

Regular success When an action is successful by two to four points above its confronting action’s value, it achieves a regular success: It has the regular effect of the action as determined by the GM or the piece of gear being used.

Critical success When an action is successful by five or more points above its confronting action’s value, it achieves a critical success: It has the regular effect of the action as determined by the GM or the piece of gear being used. Additionally, it has positive consequences, somehow amazingly effective as determined by the GM. A few examples of things that could be considered positive consequences are: ■ If the character was attacking (or any other thing with a numerical effect), he deals double the damage after subtracting Armour.

■ If the character was moving, he trips and falls,

■ If the character was outrunning or dodging someone, the opponent falls down or somehow else ends up in a disadvantageous situation.

■ If he was shooting a target, the target moves behind

■ If the character was bartering, the other person enjoyed their company and gives them something small as a present.

being left in a disadvantageous position for the next action. cover after being hit.

■ If he was trying to wound someone to intimidate them for later interrogation, the character accidentally kills their target. ■ If the character was lying to someone, another character notices the lie (e.g. If the character was pretending to be from another tribe, the chief believes him, but the shaman realises that his hand gestures when speaking are foreign. What will the shaman do with this information?). ■ The character shoots straight, but then realises he has ran out of ammo. ■ The action is successful, but the confronting char-

acter manages to do something about it and does not lose his turn.

■ If the character was talking to somebody, that person or someone else presetnt falls for them and will go above and beyond to help them out (E.g. “Yes, I could take you to the relic myself... If we go alone”, or “psst! My master is lying to you, he’s prepared a trap, run!”). ■ The opponent’s weapon flies off his hand, he is unarmed until he gets it back somehow. ■ While the character stealthily looks for a specific treasure in someone’s room, they find something else too… ■ While attacking someone, in addition to the normal damage of the attack, a piece of gear of the target suffers as much deterioration (NPCs don’t have deterioration tracks, so instead they suffer one deterioration effect).

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Drawing cardS P

LAY E R C H ARA C T E RS C A N draw cards

in several instances.

When a character plays a card, he may be subject to drawing new cards from the deck to his hand. There are two instances when this can happen, and if both of them occur simultaneously only the most beneficial takes place. NPCs can not draw cards, as they do not have a hand of cards.

Playing with the suit

Beginning of a Scene At the beginning of each scene, all players keep their current hand of cards and draw back up to a total hand of seven cards.

Running out of cards

Complete example of how to draw cards. COMING SOON!

If at any time a player does not have any cards in their hand, they must draw a card. If that card is drawn during a confrontation, it cannot be played until that confrontation has been resolved.

If a player character plays a card and the suit matches the type of action that he is performin, he can immediately draw a card from the deck to his hand. This represents the player character acting effectively, resulting in less exhaustion. E.g. Achcauhtli is a guide trying convince some Spanish explorers to go in a different direction, as he does not want them to reach his village. He confronts the explorerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader trying to deceive him. If he plays a social cards during this confrontation, he can draw a new one.

AFFINITY

Use your cards/dice wisely before its too late.

Additionally, each player character has Affinity to a suit. When he plays a card that matches the suit of the type of action he is performing AND it is his Affinity, he draws two cards instead of one and keeps one of them in his hand. The other card must be either put back on top of the deck, or discarded.

Proficiency Whenever a player character plays a card with a value equal to or less than his Skillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attribute, he immediately draws a card. This represents that the character is very capable in this area and the low effort corresponding to playing a low card does not tire him out. 36

The rounD OVERVIEW: During a Round, characters take turns to perform one action each in the order established by their Initiative. Performing actions can trigger confrontations, usually when the action is against someone - a confrontation must be fully resolved before resuming the Round. One important aspect is that if you take part in a counteraction before taking your turn, you’ll become Spent and lose your turn this Round. It’s also worth mentioning that attacking back is a possible counteraction. Even though you lose your turn when you do so, it is still as effective as an attack action and though your attack may not be against the target you initially had in mind, attacking back at a character forces him to focus on you.

A Round represents a few seconds during which characters rapidly perform actions. They are the game mechanic that establishes the order of play of all the characters trying to outperform each other. E.g. The team enters the inca tomb, feeling relaxed after having avoided the trap in the entrance. However, they were not expecting soldier mummies to be guarding inside. Now, before any character performs any actions, begin a Round to see who acts first, and resolve the ensuing Confrontations to determine who succeeds and who fails. All timed actions during a conflict must be declared and resolved within the context of a Round, and declarations made before the Round begins will not be valid or binding. E.g. Following the previous example, as soon as he hears about the soldier mummies, Mark, playing Jose, a priest, declares that he turns around and runs away. But the GM is forced to stop him there. Jose’s action must be performed during his turn during the Round - the characters’ Initiatives establish the order of play. If Jose is fast he might get to run away before the mummies do anything, but otherwise he might get caught up in the conflict (perhaps he’ ll end up performing a different type of action to save his skin, such as fencing off an undead soldier).

Ready & Spent characters At the beginning of a Round, all characters in the area caught up in the conflict are Ready. During a Round a character can become Spent in the following instances: •

After performing a counteraction when being the target of an action.

•

After performing an action during their turn.

•

After being the target of an ability that makes them Spent.

Spent characters lose their turn during the current Round if they have not taken it yet; but they can still perform further counteractions.

Steps of a Round OVERVIEW: During a Round, Ready characters take turns performing one action each. After every character has become Spent, the Round ends. If the conflict is still ongoing, a new Round begins.

Once the GM has explained the conflict, it is time to determine who gets to act first and what happens next. To do so, follow these steps: 1. The order in which characters take their turn to perform their actions is determined by the value of their Initiative, from highest to lowest. In case of a tie, player characters always go first, followed by the NPCs in the order of the GM’s choosing. In case of a tie between player characters, they must come to an agreement or tell their actions in secret to the GM, who will determine who goes first. 2. Players can Rush. Following the Initiative order, each player can choose to discard one card from his hand, adding that card’s value to his Initiative to calculate the Initiative order during the ensuing Round. NOTE: NPCs cannot rush. REMEMBER: Discarding a card does not trigger card drawing mechanics.

3. A Ready character taking his turn can choose either (1) to perform his action, and then become Spent and end his turn; or (2) to wait, allowing the next character to take their turn before his own. He can wait several times, letting any number of characters go first. Other Ready characters may choose to wait as well; and if all characters choose to wait, the last one that can do so must perform an action. 4. When a Ready character chooses to perform an action on his turn, he declares his action. This may

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trigger a confrontation against a Time Sensitive Event (TSE) or another character, which must be resolved before resuming the Round. NOTE: If the action does not trigger a confrontation, it is considered an unconfronted action and therefore can have the level of success of the character’s choice (pyrrhic, regular, or critical).

5. The next Ready character in the initiative order takes his turn. Repeat this step until there are no more Ready characters remaining to take their turn.

Attacking If a successful action was an attack, it can do one of two things: Deal damage or deal deterioration. When a character chooses to deal damage, he’ll deal as much damage as specified in his weapon’s description. When attacking without weapons, he’ll deal as much damage as his level instead. When a character chooses to deal deterioration, he’ll deal as much deterioration as the damage he could have dealt. If the attack was against a PC, he can choose to cause the deterioration to any of his armours or items. If the attack is against an NPC with a deterioration track it will be resolved as normal, and if he doesn’t have a deterioration track it will suffer either Dull, Faulty, or Ripped as determined by the GM.

Actions during a Round During Rounds, actions should only need one verb to be described. If the word “and” is included to link two or more verbs, the character is probably trying to perform two or more actions linked to each other and he will probably need several turns to be able to do that. Here is a basic template to describe actions:

Morale If any characters are affected by Fear during the Round, or if the GM deems it appropriate considering the circumstances of the encounter, characters will need to perform an easy Discipline Check (0) at the end of the Round. This test can be modified by various effects, such as: If the sum of the level of the characters in their side of the conflict is higher than the opponent’s, they gain one advantage towards the Check. If it is the opposite, they suffer a disadvantage instead. Each instance of Fear makes characters suffer one disadvantage. Other situations might grant advantages or disadvantages as determined by the GM. E.g. If you are fighting your nemesis or for the life of your loved one, you might be less likely to panic and thus receive one or more advantages; but if you are fighting in a ship in flames or you know more enemies are about to appear, you are more likely to panic and you could suffer disadvantages. Characters who fail the Discipline Check lose control and will do anything in their power to get away to safety as fast as possible. The GM will take control of PCs until they are safe or have a change of heart.

“I [verb] [preposition if needed] [target]” E.g. I attack the guard. I move behind cover. I dodge towards the door. But, to keep the game realistic and organic, characters are allowed to move up to 2.5 metres (~8 ft) while performing an action. E.g. I enter the room and attack the guard. I jump on my horse and gallop away.

advanced rules T

H E R UL E S I N this section are not necessary to

play. They are meant to be used as an additional layer of depth once you are familiar with the core rules and you are interested in expanding your options.

Formation During combat (and sometimes even during social events) characters can arrange themselves in Formations. Being in a Formation does not provide any effect on its own, but it can trigger abilities from other sources, such as talents or weapons.

•

Characters are caught without their weapons drawn. They won’t be able to use their weapons during the first round, but they will be readily available during the next.

•

Characters are scared and will have to perform a Discipline Check at the end of the first Round. If the attacker is or appears to be mighty, they might even suffer Fear.

•

Characters are caught in disarray and cannot be in a Formation during the first Round.

•

Character’s defenses are low and they are easy prey, the first attack of each attacker during the first Round gains one advantage.

•

The opponent’s arguments are so well constructed that the characters are caught scrambling for ideas. They can’t attempt to lie throughout the conversation.

You automatically enter a Formation the instant you and at least two allied characters are side by side. Characters who are riding the same small vehicle or beast are likely to be part of the same Formation as well. If you are playing with miniatures, this happens when the miniatures are in adjacent squares or their bases are in contact.

Collaborative Actions

Characters who are further than 2.5 meters from their allies cannot be part of a Formation. A Formation automatically breaks at the point in which there is a gap bigger than 2.5 meters between the characters that form the Formation. This can happen when characters move away or when they no longer can be considered part of the Formation, which happens when a character is not longer in normal health state, or when he is attacked from the back or the side.

A collaborative action is a single action that is performed by more than one character. To perform a collaborative action, all participating players play as a single character with one of their pairs of Skills and Attributes of their choice, gaining one advantage for each participating character after the first. The cards played for the action can come from the hand of any of the players participating, but not more than one card per player.

A broken Formation might automatically give place to other smaller Formations if there are enough characters still together in either side of the character who broke the Formation.

E.g. Two or more characters holding a door closed while a huge creature tries to open it to get to them; several characters lifting a hurt companion to get him to safety, etc.

Ambush It is possible for an encounter to begin with one of the sides (or at least a number of characters) unaware of what is happening. This is not limited to combat, you can also be caught by surprise in many other circumstances and the variety of possibilities makes ruling it a futile effort. Instead, the following rules provide a list of ideas to represent this kind of situations. Choose the situation that best fits your story’s circumstances, or make up your own.

A collaborative action must always be a single action. A character opening a door with a kick so his friend can shoot with his bow inside cannot be considered a collaborative action, but two normal actions that need to be well chained together to succeed. The most immediate goal of the action tells us if it is collaborative. In the previous example, the first character’s goal was allowing his friend to perform his action. They do not share the same immediate goal and thus are not considered a collaborative action.

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Abilities PERMANENT Permanent effects are always in effect and they always trigger when they are applicable. Their use is not optional and they must be applied if at all possible. All abilities are Permanent by default and unless specified otherwise.

AC TI ON AS AN ABI LI TY Some abilities have the keyword Action. They require the character to dedicate an action to use them. The Skill that should be used varies for each specific ability.

REAC TI ON Reactions are additional effects to whatever they react to and they take place an instant after their trigger (there is no time to perform actions between the trigger and all of its reactions). Several reactions may be triggered simultaneously, and the GM decides in which order they occur. Most reactions only take place if the character who has the ability wants to use it. However, some reactions are Forced, and must be resolved every time they are triggered even if the character does not want to use them. Others are Unique, and cancel all other reactions after the same trigger. A reaction can be both forced and unique at the same time.

I NSTANT Effects with the keyword instant can be used at any time, even outside the characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turn.

Game master’s guidE T

H E FOLL O WI N G A RE resources to aid GMs in their endeavours to create challenging and interesting stories.

Non-player characters (NPCs) Non-player characters (NPCs) are characters controlled by the GM. They are the key to many stories, and they can be friends, foes, or simply neutral. They can be as simple or as complex as the GM wants: she is in charge of developing their backstories, if they need them. While with many NPCs most interactions will consist of talking or trading, others might perform actions and engage in confrontations. NPC cards represent simplified characters with the information needed to use them in a quick encounter. Additionally, they can be used as a base for the GM to create more elaborate characters.

LE VE L Use the NPC level as a guide to determine the difficulty of an encounter. A recommended encounter has a number of NPCs whose added level is at least equal to the added level of all the PCs. Adding or removing NPCs can be used to balance the difficulty to the taste of the group. Using a higher level NPC instead of several low level NPCs can be used to add variety. Varied encounters will force the players to play smart and try to gain advantages through role playing to rise victorious. This is, of course, just a very rough guideline; you should plan your encounters based on your story needs. We recommend that you allow for different resolution paths other than the classical “team-deathmatch” resolution; this will also allow you to create unbalanced encounters that need an additional step to be resolved. E.g. Have the players fight an overwhelming force, forcing them to use other means to obtain victory. Perhaps they need to lure the strongest opponents into a trap, or use the environment as a weapon: using fire or bringing down walls and ceilings - or any other cool ideas your players come up with! 41

SKI LLS NPCs do not have the same Skills as the player characters. Instead, they have a Competent and a Mediocre Skill. It is up to the GM to decide which of the two Skill the NPC uses for each action and it is also up to her to determine how many areas they cover. NPC Skills are usually presented as “X (Y)”, where X is the Skill’s value, and Y the Attribute. In any case, the GM is always free to modify the values of the NPC Skills to serve the story better, but she should inform the players beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings. E.g. A warrior might use the Competent Skill for Shooting, Melee and Athletics; but the Mediocre Skill for Charisma and Knowledge. But it will all depend on what the GM thinks that fits best that specific character - a warrior can be charismatic, and a priest can be good at running. ATTRIBUTE Each of the two NPC Skills has its own Attribute, which determines the number of cards it can play every time it performs an action. NPCs do not have a hand of cards to play during confrontations. Instead, whenever they can play a card, they play the first card from the top of the deck, which does not trigger any drawing card mechanics (unless specified by an ability).

H EALTH Most NPCs who are not important for the story can be considered dead once they are Bleeding Out or Traumatised. NPCs can suffer injuries too. They are all considered “generic injuries”. Each generic injury gives them one disadvantage towards all actions and checks.

DETERI ORATI ON NPCs are simplified characters, everything they do

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and have is represented in a general form without breaking into details. Therefore most NPCs do not have a deterioration track - those few who do, use it as any PC would. When an NPC without a deterioration track suffers deterioration equal or higher than his level from a single source, he suffers the Dull, Faulty, or Ripped effect as determined by the GM (consider all his items are affected).

A D D I T I O NAL ABILITIE S NPCs can belong to an Order, have gear and abilities that you can find described outside of the NPC’s card (E.g. a soldier might carry a Steel sword, for which there is a gear card). Even if you can find the rules for it, if it is not part of the NPC’s card then it should be ignored. The only exception to this are the optional abilities you can sometimes find next to an NPC’s entry in the book.

FR I E N D L Y N PCS Not all NPCs must be enemies. Most will be neutral, but a few might be friendly or even allies. Some NPCs might act as friendly NPCs even though they are not, because they are pretending, they are forced to do so, or other reasons. Regardless of the reason, when the GM declares a friendly NPC joins the group, she can give control over him to any of the players (or to the team as a whole). The GM can retake control over an NPC at any time for any reason E.g. The players are not playing them correctly, they are abusing their power, the NPC has different ideas about what should happen, etc. While having an NPC under his control, a PC will control him exactly as the GM controls her NPCs - the friendly NPC will play his cards from the top of the deck.

Spanish conquistador level 1

SKI L L S

initiative 2

They are presented in the following format: X (Y).

C O MPETENT M el., Ath., Di s.

5 (2 )

M ED IOC R E

2 (1 )

X is the Skill value, while Y is the Attribute.

M ELEE P i erc i ng

3++

DAMA G E

RA NGED

attack

Health 4 A RMOUR Ha rd

A RMOUR So ft

M A GIC R ESISTA NC E

Strong attack REACTION: After declaring a strong attack, he gains blunt and causes three deterioration to his target’s weapon or armour. If the target was an NPC, he’ll gain either blunt or ripped instead.

The value is how much damage the attack deals, and the “+” represent advantages the character gains when doing so, while the “-” represent disadvantages. In this case, when this character attacks in Melee, he gains two advantages and if he is successful, he’ll deal 3 points of damage.

A GGR ESSIVE ‡ SPA NISH MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 75kg ‡ HEIGHT: 172cm

Time-sensitive events (TSEs) Time-sensitive events (TSEs) are time sensitive problems that pose an obstacle to the characters. There is a wide range of events and things that can generate a TSE, such an avalanche in a mountain, or a trap going off. It is the job of the GM to determine when such obstacles should be considered TSEs for the purpose of confrontations, and to establish their level. A TSE plays as many cards as its level. It is recommended that in order to present a minor challenge, a TSE should play as many cards as the PC, a moderate challenge should play one more card, and a hard one, two more. TIP: If you consider a TSE easy enough to overcome that it should play less cards than the PCs, simply let them perform the action without a confrontation.

The GM should consider the difficulty of the task and level of the characters and the needs of the story to decide how long it takes them. E.g. Pachacuti has Survival 3. She is trekking through the inca mountains with enough supplies for one month, and the GM determines it would take a skilled trekker two weeks to travel this route. Pachacuti is only an average traveller, so the GM determines she can do it without a confrontation, but it takes her a whole month, exhausting her supplies. Otherwise, if the characters are in a hurry or are using a Skill with a value of 0, a TSE will confront them as if it was an NPC, playing a number of cards against them equal to its level and with an initial action value of 0. TSEs do not have a Skill value and they do not suffer a disadvantage because of it. E.g. If Pachacuti were in a hurry (perhaps she does not have a month worth of supplies, or she has somewhere to be), she could push her luck and trek through the steppes faster. In this case, the GM determines that Pachacuti is confronted by a TSE. If she loses, she could end up delayed, lost, or even worse, as determined by the GM; but if she succeeds, she completes the trek faster. TSEs do not have a hand of cards to play during confrontations. Instead, whenever they can play a card, they play the first card from the top of the deck, which never triggers any drawing card mechanics.

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CharacterS E

AC H PLAY E R C O N T RO L S a single character and

develops who that person is and what their motivations are — what are their dreams and struggles? The more compelling a character is, the more rewarding the experience of playing that character will be. The players who are not the GM play the protagonist characters of the story. They are in charge of playing the role of their characters: performing their di-

LEVEL

alogues, making the decisions their characters would make, and using the relevant mechanics of the game to determine whether their characters rise victorious, or fail miserably. The GM should encourage the other players to talk about the backstory of their characters and how they imagine them. Together, they can become an amazing group of characters who will live great adventures.

I NI TI ATI VE H EALTH

Write down your Health in the heart shape, and take note of the damage you have suffer in the circle next to it.

S KI L L S

Write down the Skill value in the circular spaces, and black out as many cards as the Skill’s Attribute. The last Skill from the list is not named. This is the Order Skill, and you are meant to write on it the name of your Order.

Whenever you suffer an injury, take note of it in the corresponding diamond next to the body part. Keep track of your Exhaustion in the diamond shaped space.

I NJURI ES

Some Skills suffer a disadvantage per injury in their corresponding body part. E.g. If a character suffers an injury to either of his arms, he’ll suffer one disadvantage towards Melee, Shooting and Crafting.

Write down your Skills’ corresponding Talents on the space to the right of the Skill’s name.

NOTES

Write down any additional abilities, spells, and curses here.

HealtH & damage Health states

Damage

Depending on the amount of damage a character has suffered, a character can be in one of three different health states, or even dead.

To keep track of the damage a character or device has suffered, mark the corresponding space in the relevant character sheet or use suitable tokens or counters.

NOR MAL

DEALI NG DAMAGE

The health state of a character is normal for as long as he has more Health than damage.

Each weapon deals the amount of damage specified in its description.

When a character has equal or less Health than damage he becomes Bleeding Out - unless the character who damaged him last wishes to knock him out instead, in which case the character becomes Traumatised (The GM can determine that certain attacks cannot traumatise even if intended, e.g. shooting an arrow, setting him on fire, etc).

When attacking without weapons, characters deal as much damage as their level.

B LE E D I NG O UT A Bleeding Out character cannot act, but he might speak if the GM sees it fit. At the end of each Round, a Bleeding Out character will suffer one unpreventable damage. A character who is still Bleeding Out by the end of a scene dies. NPCs generally ignore characters that are Bleeding Out until they have taken care of all other threats.

T R AUM AT I S E D The character is unconscious and will not regain consciousness until he receives medical attention and recovers enough health to be in the Normal health state.

D EA D A character who dies is removed from the game. If that character was a PC, the player who played him should make a new character and discuss with the GM how his new character should join the party to continue playing. It is recommended to make this new character with as much experience as the late character. A character can also die of starvation, drowning, excessive mutilation, etc. The effects of these possibilities are left for the GM to determine.

ARMOUR Some pieces of equipment and other effects provide their users with an armour value. Whenever the character is about to receive damage from an external source, subtract its armour from the damage dealt. A character can receive armour from different sources, in which case they are added up.

UNPREVENTABLE DAMAGE Unpreventable damage cannot be reduced, cancelled or prevented in any way.

I NJURES Any time a character suffers damage he might also suffer an injury. An injury represents a hindrance of some kind. A character suffers an injury when the amount of damage suffered from a single source is higher than his level. Additionally, other rules might also cause injuries for other reasons. Characters can be injured any number of times in the body, but only once in each arm, leg, and in the head. If they are injured a second time in the same limb, the limb is severed; and if they are injured a second time in the head, they are Traumatised. Unless specified by the reason of the injury, the GM determines the location of the injury. She can either choose, or let it happen randomly by discarding a card from the top of the deck: 1 head, 2 torso, 3 right arm, 5 left arm, 5 right leg, or 6 left leg. Most Skills relate to the legs, arms, or head. Characters suffer one disadvantage when using a Skill related to an injured body part. Torso injuries do not affect any Skills, but they will make healing harder as any other injury.

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E.g. Both of Paula’s arms are injured. She suffers two disadvantages towards all the Skills that relate to her arms: Shooting, Melee, and Crafting. NPC INJURIES NPCs can only have generic injuries, each gives them one disadvantage towards their Competent Skill.

FIRST AID A first aid action takes one turn to perform. A successful first aid action stops the patient from dying due to Bleeding Out, and from suffering unpreventable damage from being Bleeding Out or from a severed limb. A failed first aid action deals one unpreventable damage to the patient. SURGERY

S E V E R E D LIM BS When a character loses a limb, they suffer a short time effect and a long time effect. •

The short time effect is that they suffer one unpreventable damage at the end of every Round until they are the target of a successful Medical action.

•

The long time effect is that their limb is always considered to be injured, it cannot be healed, and it cannot be longer be selected to be injured or severed again.

A surgery action takes as many hours to complete as the number of cards played by the wound. A successful surgery action has the effect of a first aid action and, additionally, removes all the damage on the character. The character performing the surgery action can forfeit any number of injured limbs of the patient, if he does, the injuries on those limbs do not count when calculating how many cards the wound plays.

Fatigue The life of an explorer is not without risks and sacrifices. It won’t be rare for characters to live through extreme circumstances that will bare them hardships of all kinds. This is represented with Fatigue.

N AT U R AL R EST

At any time after suffering adversities the GM can determine that a character should perform a normal Survival or Athletic check (3), if it results in a failure, that character will suffer Fatigue.

While in normal health state, one health point can be recovered per good night’s rest of in-game time after it has been suffered; and one injury of your choice per week of in game time.

A character suffers one disadvantage towards all of his actions for each instance of Fatigue he’s got. If a character suffers Fatigue too many times, the GM can determine that he dies.

Healing damage

NOTE: If the characters are being chased, they are crossing the ocean during a storm or somehow else are suffering disturbances they might see their natural rest recovery delayed as much as the GM sees fit.

M E D I C AL ACTION S Characters can use their Medical Skill to heal themselves or other players. Wounds confront Medical actions as if they were an NPC with a Skill value equal to the amount of damage the character has suffered and an Attribute equal to the number of injuries of the character. Additionally, certain situational effects might give disadvantages to the medic as determined by the GM. Here are some examples: The character performing the action does not have any appropriate gear for it. The character is performing the action on himself.

Examples of situations that might cause Fatigue: •

Spending several days without eating, drinking or sleeping enough.

•

Running all day long from a hunting party.

•

Climbing to mountain tops thousands of metres tall.

•

Not having the appropriate clothes for the environment.

REC OVERI NG FATI GUE While in normal health state, characters recover one Fatigue per full day spent resting and without suffering the consequences of Fatigue (e.g. if you suffered Fatigue from the lack of food, spend a day resting and having access to enough food).

There are several Medical actions: 48

SkillS All actions use one Skill or another. Each Skill has a value, which determines your starting action value, and an Attribute, which determines how many cards you can play each time you use it. NOTE: If an action cannot relate to any Skills in the following list, you can still try to perform the action with a value of zero and using your level to determine how many cards you can play.

Melee You use Melee when attacking with melee weapons, or with your own body. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Melee actions per injury in your arms.

Shooting You use Shooting when using ranged weapons, or throwing things. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Shooting actions per injury in your arms.

Crafting You use Crafting when repairing things or creating primitive items. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Crafting actions per injury in your arms.

Athletic You use Athletic when performing physical activities, such as running, climbing, swimming, etc. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Athletic actions per injury in your legs.

Stealth You use Stealth when you are trying to move or act without being noticed. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Stealth actions per injury in your legs.

Riding You use Riding when you are trying to sit on or control the movement of an animal or a transport. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Riding actions per injury in your legs.

Charisma You use Charisma when performing social interactions. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Charisma actions per injury in your head. 49

Knowledge You use Knowledge when trying to recollect your memory about any type of information. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Knowledge actions per injury in your head.

Rites You use Rites to use Spells and for religion and magic based Checks. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Rites actions per injury in your head.

Survival You use Survival to find resources in hostile environments, to orient yourself in a new location, etc. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Survival actions per injury in your head.

Medical You use Medical to care for wounds. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Medical actions per injury in your head.

Perception You use Perception to represent your ability to perceive characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentions, hidden dangers, etc. You suffer one disadvantage towards your Perception actions per injury in your head.

Discipline You use Discipline when you are testing your self control and capacity to keep your cool in dangerous situations.

Tolerance You use Tolerance when trying to control your Prejudices.

Order You use Order to represent your ability in an area of knowledge or craft, and your status and prestige between those people.

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TalentS Talents are specialist or unique abilities that relate to a specific Skill. You can obtain one Talent of a Skill when its value is 3 or higher, a second Talent when it is 5 or higher, a third when it is 7 or higher, and a fourth when it is 9. Each Talent has its own cost in experience points.

Charisma C H AR M E R This talent can be gained several times, each time you gain it choose one culture. For as long as they can see and hear you. gain one advantage towards social interactions with characters from that culture.

Perception A N E Y E F O R TRAPS Gain one advantage when checking to detect traps and when acting to dodge them.

S PY S O UL Gain one advantage towards all your Perception checks when they relate to your current mission.

Knowledge LI TERATE While your Skill’s value needs to be high enough for you to obtain this Talent, it won’t occupy a Talent slot (e.g. If your Knowledge’s value is 9, you can have any four Knowledge Talents and additionally this one). You know how to read and write in all the languages you know.

LANGUAGE EXPERT You know as many additional languages to your native tongue as the number of Knowledge talents you have.

m o so r e on Co m !

Discipline FE AR REACTION: After you attack a character for the first time, that round he’ll have to make a Morale check.

Tolerance R AC E You have overcome your prejudices about race and ethnicities. Your trait Prejudiced no longer includes this type of prejudice.

NA T I O N You have overcome your prejudices about nationalities. Your trait Prejudiced no longer includes this type of prejudice.

Character traitS

H E TR AI TS O F a character relate to who the char-

acter is. They are a very narrative based mechanic, which can be used loosely and adapted to your own play style and story. Traits are used by both the GM and the players to develop the PC’s behaviour. The players can use them to help them narrate their characters or to improve their actions, while the GM can use them to force the players’ hand to behave in a certain way. Both the GM and the player must keep track of the PCs’ Traits, the GM in his GM sheet and the players in their character sheets. During character creation each PC must take at least one Background Trait and one Personality trait, and can take up to a maximum of 5 Traits of both types in total. Additionally, you can choose to play with the Prejudiced Trait if the whole party agrees on using that optional mechanic.

Background Traits Background Traits tells us something about who you used to be before the adventure began. They relate to your origins and your story. A Background Trait can be anything you have lived that tells us something important about you. You should come up with it with the help of the GM, who must agree to it. E.g. Things that can be your Background Trait are that you are married to someone, that you have a child, that you own money to someone, that you hold a grudge, that someone wants to get revenge against you, that you have been disinherited, etc. They can be as elaborated as you want and be related to each other: You might have a child called Citlalli who is 9 years and has been taken from you by european slavers, you are looking for her and will take out anyone who gets in your way (You have the Background Traits “child” and “revenge against slavers”).

Personality Traits Personality Traits define your character’s personality. Personality Traits can be positive, neutral or negative. Personality Traits are one-worded adjectives, or a simple sentence that describes something about the 51

personality of a character. They are open to interpretation by both the players and the GM. It is important to talk about how to interpret them during character creation so it can be determined if they are good, neutral or bad. NOTE: While some are obvious, when writing them down is recommended to write after it between brackets if it is (good), (neutral), or (bad). This is especially important for Traits that you come up with.

While there is a list of Personality Traits, you can also come up with your own Traits (if approved by the GM). The list of Traits in the book is not comprehensive and it’s meant only to give you an idea about what you can do with Traits and also to provide you with some ideas to make your character faster.

GOOD P ERSONALI TY TRAI TS A good Personality Trait cost 10 experience points and cannot be used the GM to force you to act in a certain way (it means that you have that part of your personality under control and can keep a cool head and adapt). It can be used by the players to develop the narrative around their characters E.g. If there is an imminent danger ahead and the party is unsure about how to proceed, players can always take a look at their Personality Traits and if one of them is brave, then he knows that it makes sense for his character to step forwards and lead the party into the unknown. But they can also be used when describing an action to gain advantages. E.g. If your character has the Personality Trait beautiful, while trying to convince an NPC of something you can say that you use your physical appeal to make the other character more open to your suggestions, which could grant you an advantage if that character could be interested in you.

BAD PERSONALI TY TRAI TS A bad Personality Trait grants you 10 experience points and can (and should) be used by the GM to force you to act according to your personality. The player might not want to comply and can claim that his character tries to resist his urges. To do so, he can perform a normal Discipline check (+3), and if successful, he won’t have to comply with the GM’s request.

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E.g. A Character with the coward personality trait is in front of a cavalry charge of the Spanish conquistador force. The GM says that he should act like a coward and make a run for it, leaving his friends behind. The player controlling the PC claims he will try to control himself and keep his ground. He performs a normal Discipline check (+3), if he success he stays, but if he fails he loses control over the character and the GM decides what he does to get himself out of harm’s way. Depending on the circumstances the PC might suffer disadvantages or gain advantages towards the check. E.g. In the previous example, being part of a larger force in a hilltop could give one advantage to the PC, while being alone could make him suffer one disadvantages instead.

NE U T R AL P E RSON ALITY T R AI T S A neutral Personality Trait is free and can be used both as a good or bad Trait. E.g. If you are indomitable, you might gain one advantage to resist being influenced by others, but you might also not listen to good advice from your friends.

G A I NI N G O R LOSIN G PE R S O NAL I TY TR AITS Characters can gain or lose Personality Traits if they start to be part of that character’s behaviour, if they lose the drive to behave that way, or if they overcome their shortcomings. It is the GM alone who decides any changes to the PC’s Personality Traits.

Prejudice Trait A character with the Prejudiced Trait is negatively bias against every character who differs from him in matters of race, nation, gender, religion social class or status, and sometimes it can extend to ideologies within those parameters. The Prejudiced Trait should be used by the GM to force you to act according to your personality’s shortcomings.

The player might not want to comply and claim that his character tries to resist his urges. To do so, he can perform a normal Tolerance check (+3), and if successful, he can swallow his bias. If failed, it forces the player to act upon his beliefs, even if it they are wrong or go against his actual needs in the current situation. Depending on the circumstances the PC might suffer disadvantages or gain advantages towards the check. A regular failure will make you show your prejudice in a passive aggressive way. You are more likely to offend, lie and boycott any social interaction with them; you’ll be happy denounce them, exaggerate their weaknesses and flaws, etc. A critical failure will represent you completely lose control over yourself and act like a madman: You will go out of your way to act against them, you will physically attack them, you’ll plot against them, etc. Your actions can be as crazy as throwing stuff at them during peace negotiations, or attacking them even if they are stronger and in a better position... The Prejudiced Trait is an important part of who a character is, and may play a pivotal role in his story. Most often than not, prejudice will be an inner obstacle in the character’s adventure, making him act to satisfy his personal bias rather than doing what is best in each given situation. But, sometimes prejudice might prove useful, as it might allow the character to bond with similar minded individuals. At any time a character can act upon his prejudices (how tastefully or gracefully he does it is to be part of the group’s discussion on how comfortable you are with it), but generally the player won’t want to, as it usually means getting in trouble or in the bad side of other characters.

NOTE: The Prejudice Trait is an optional rule, you don’t have to use it if you do not want to. Your group might find playing flawed characters unpleasant. These rules are meant to represent the mindset of the age, and add drama and flaws to your characters, but that does not mean you must use them. You can ignore these rules altogether if you want. It is perfectly fine to go for fun over historical realism!

Please keep in mind that a character does not have be happy with his own prejudices; many prejudiced people are not, and fight a constant battle against ideas they cannot get rid of. You can, with a change of perspective, turn your character’s prejudice into the struggle that defines his personality.

E.g. Marco has grown in a society in which same sex love is a sin and a crime. With no one to offer him an alternative perspective, to him this is the truth. As a teenager, Fernando, his best friend, was accused of being feminine and a homosexual. Marco could see that it was true in his friend’s eyes. He broke all ties with Fernando, joining the other kids that mocked and bullied him. Fernando simply took it in, and when he turned 15 he left in a ship to the Americas. Ten years later Marco also jumped in a ship to try luck in the New World. Now that he is here, he cannot stop thinking of his childhood friend, and although he still believes Fernando to be a sinner, he feels terrible about how things went. He hopes to find Fernando and make peace with him. Who knows, maybe Marco is hiding something from himself? Maybe he is what he despises. 52

The geaR I

N D C A, C H AR AC T E RS can carry and use any kind

of gear they might buy, find, craft, or otherwise obtain. Some of the most important pieces of equipment are represented on cards containing all the important information needed to use them. However, we encourage players to create their own gear if they find the need for it.

Encumbrance You can carry any amount of items as determined by the GM. If you carry 5 or more items with Deterioration tracks, you’ll suffer Fatigue.

Gear level Non-weapon pieces of gear can have one of the following three levels: •

Normal: Nothing special.

•

Magical: It has the keyword magical (certain abilities require this keyword to work).

•

Legendary: It has the keywords magical and legendary (certain abilities require these keywords to work).

Weapons can have one of the following three levels: •

Primitive: Every time this is used, whether successfully or not, it suffers one deterioration.

•

Forged: Nothing special.

•

Legendary: It has the keywords magical and legendary (certain abilities require these keywords to work).

Common Characteristics Some pieces of equipment have common characteristics that are only described on the card or book entry if there is enough space. Otherwise, you can find them here: Armour: Armour can be of two types: Soft or Hard. Both types reduce the damage you take from each source by their respective value. Piercing weapons ignore Soft armour. Concussive: When calculating whether an attack with 53

this weapon causes injuries or deterioration, ignore the damage reduction provided by Soft Armour (the damage is still reduced for damage dealing purposes). Drug: Reaction: At the end of a Scene in which you have consumed drugs, perform an easy Discipline Check (+0). If you fail, you gain the Trait Addicted to one of the drugs you consumed during that Scene. Gain one disadvantage for each of the following instances: •

You consumed drugs multiple times during the same Scene.

•

Any of the drugs you consumed were Hard Drugs.

Fatigable: When you carry this item, suffer Fatigue. Fire: Enemies within your Melee range suffer one disadvantage towards Discipline checks. Fear: Reaction: After being successfully attacked by a Fear item, characters must perform a Discipline check suffering one disadvantage. Magical: It has the keyword magical (certain abilities require this keyword to work). Piercing: It ignores Soft Armour. Poisonous X: Reaction: After being successfully attacked with a Poisonous item, characters must confront a level X TSE using their Athletic Skill every time a round ends. If they fail, they suffer X unpreventable damage. This effect is removed after being the target of a successful Medical action. Reload: Reaction: After shooting a Reload item, it can no longer be used until a character spends an action reloading it.

Weapons Weapons be either Melee weapons or Shooting weapons. Both can deal certain damage and provide advantages or disadvantages when used under certain circumstances. Unless a specific range is determined by a weapon’s description, Melee weapons can attack anyone within the character’s sight in Melee range (up to 2.5 metres away); while Shooting weapons can attack anyone within the character’s sight within Shooting range (up to 50 metres away).

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Deterioration Deterioration is an advanced rule that can be used to add another layer of interest to campaigns. It is recommended when playing adventures based around a survival theme, but it might be cumbersome and unfocused when playing campaigns based around diplomacy. Pieces of gear with a deterioration track can be affected by deterioration. Deterioration is suffered with use or by being affected by abilities. You can track the deterioration in several ways: Writing it down somewhere, such as your character sheet. Using a token and placing it on the corresponding space on the deterioration track starting from left to right. Using card sleeves and an erasable pen, you can tick or cross the spaces in the deterioration track, starting from left to right. Every time the deterioration of an item reaches a space with an icon, its effects are triggered. After a piece of gear reaches ten deterioration, it triggers the effects of the last icon on its track as many times as its deterioration points over ten each time it suffers additional deterioration. E.g. If an item with 10 deterioration gains 3 additional deterioration, it triggers the effects of its last icon three times.

D E T E R I O RATION ICON E FFE CTS JAMMED Forced reaction: After a piece of gear reaches a jammed icon, discard a card from the top of the deck. If it is a 1 or 2 it is jammed and can no longer be used until a character spends an action cleaning it. BROKEN Forced instant: After a piece of gear reaches a broken icon, it can not be used any longer, or suffer any additional deterioration (this is particularly important for shields, as a character cannot use their Shielding ability to suffer deterioration if that would take the shield past its Broken icon). COMPROMISED

Compromised, discard a card from the top of the deck. If it is a 1 or 2 it becomes broken and can no longer be used. FAULTY Forced reaction: After a piece of gear becomes Faulty, characters suffer one disadvantage when using it. DULL Forced reaction: After a piece of gear becomes Dull, it deals one less damage than usual. SPECIAL Some items have special deterioration effects, in which case they are described in their respective description. RIPPED Forced reaction: After a piece of gear becomes Ripped, it provides one less armour than usual.

REPAI RI NG AC TI ONS Characters can use their Crafting Skill to repair gear. Deterioration confronts a Crafting action as if it was an NPC with a Skill equal to the amount of deterioration on the gear, and it plays as many cards as the level of the gear (one if normal or improvised; two if magical or forged; three if legendary). Additionally, certain situational effects might give disadvantages to the character as determined by the GM. Here are some examples: â&#x20AC;˘

The character performing the action does not have any appropriate tools for it.

â&#x20AC;˘

The character is performing the action without parts for replacements or adequate materials.

The time it takes to perform a repairing action is up to the GM (repairing only a few points of deterioration on an improvised weapon might be possible to perform in a turn, but repairing a forged weapon that has been badly damaged might take hours or even days). A successful repairing action removes all the deterioration on the gear. A failed repairing action has no further effects, unless the character fails by five or more points and the GM sees it fit (the GM can determine to add further deterioration or even claim that the gear is no longer possible to repair).

Forced reaction: After a piece of gear becomes

ReligioN W H E N T W O O P P O S E D world views clashed, religion was usually at the centre of the struggle. The rules of DCA are designed to reflect this fact.

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SpiriT THE SUPERNATURAL IS a fickle and incomprehensible thing.

Some brave men and women try to control it, to study it and to understand it; but all they can achieve is to let it flow through them. And while it is empowering like nothing else, it is also dangerous, and it can turn against you as fast as it was helping.

PI R I T I S THE abstract concept that encompasses all the different forms of power granted by belief, magic, spirits and everything supernatural and divine. What grants spirit to characters depends on their religion.

Characters can use Spirit points to use powers that they know. Characters can spend or lose more Spirit than they have, but they cannot have less than zero Spirit, instead they will gain as much Corruption as how much Spirit they spend or lose that they did not have. But, gaining Spirit does not reduce Corruption.

Gaining Spirit Characters can gain Spirit points from achieving or performing their Rituals. At the end of a Scene in which a character has performed one or more Rituals, he can choose one of the following two options: •

•

Gain one Spirit (if you have more than one Ritual, gain an additional Spirit per each different Ritual you performed). Transcend.

He (Jesus) replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20

TRANSC END Perform a hard Rites Check (6). Then, after the check is resolved and regardless of the Check’s result, the GM must openly discard a card from the top of the deck, the card’s value is how much Spirit the player should write down he has gained on his character sheet. But that is not necessarily the truth, the result of the Check will say how much Spirit he has truly gained which will only be known to the GM, who will take note of it on the GM’s sheet. Critical success: Twice as much. Normal success: The card’s value. Phyrric success: One less. Failure: Zero. Critical failure: Lose instead of gain the card’s value. NOTE: The difference between both values represents the character’s lack of understanding of the supernatural and the grander schemes behind the magical powers; a lack of understanding of the rites and foolishness can drive characters to use more Spirit than they have and they’ll pay the price for it. REMEMBER: Only the GM should know the true result of the Check and the true Spirit of each character. NOTE: A character might lose more Spirit points that he gains from a Check, reducing his Spirit pool accordingly.

rituals It is through Rituals that the characters communicate with the divine and prove their worth. Achieving the requirements of a Ritual is how characters obtain Spirit. At the end of a Scene in which you have perform one or more of your Rituals, you can choose between gaining one Spirit or Transcend. When you create your character, you have to choose one Ritual that will give you Spirit when you achieve it, take note of it on your character sheet and on the GM sheet. Alternatively, if a character behaves in such a way that he is acting against his Rituals, the GM can determine that at the end of that Scene he’ll lose one Spirit. The GM should let the player know about this. •

Christian characters should choose between the following Rituals: Fighting heresy, Conversion, Protecting the faithful, Praying, and Vows.

•

Native characters should choose between the following Rituals: Sacrifice, Endurance, Bloodletting, Praying, and Drug Ceremony.

Fighting heresy Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which one or more heretic or pagan characters have died due to damage dealt by you or because of your influence (e.g. you order them killed, you plotted for their death) as determined by the GM. If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage per each of the following instances: •

Multiple characters were killed.

•

Any of them were important to another religion (e.g. a Priest).

•

Any of them had the trait Demonic.

Conversion Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which you converted characters to your Religion. If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage per each of the following instances:

Sacrifice

•

You converted multiple characters.

Gain Spirit at the end of a scene in which you killed or gave to be killed a living being during an appropriate Ceremony (it needs to be very large, or symbolically important to your religion) or burned a prized possession to appease the Saints. Up to two people might gain Spirit or Transcend from a sacrifice: The person who provided the sacrifice and the person who performed the sacrifice.

•

Any of them were important to another religion (e.g. a Priest).

NOTE: In the Christian Religion, not every christian can convert other characters, a character must be Baptized to become a Christian, which is a Miracle of the Priesthood Scriptures.

Endurance

•

The object burned was specifically valuable to the Saint you pray to.

Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which you dealt yourself Fatigue forfeiting basic food, drink or rest needs (this things need to be readily available or you should have removed them, if you don’t have access to them it does not count).

•

The sacrificed individual was properly prepared for at least one month before sacrifice.

Bloodletting

•

The sacrificed individual was important to you (e.g. a family member, a friend).

•

Or you might gain one disadvantage per each of the following instances:

•

The sacrificed individual panics or resists sacrifice (this can be mitigated by drugging them)

•

You sacrifice a living being that is not human and it is not an important animal to your religion.

If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage per each of the following instances:

Gain Spirit at the end of a scene in which you dealt yourself an Injury of any kind by causing minor bleeding wounds on your own body. If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage if the injury was caused during a proper Ceremony.

Protecting the faithful Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which you saved

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other members of your Religion from character that are not from your Religion (the majority of the characters you were defending must survive for this to trigger).

Praying Spend a whole day praying and repenting to perform a Transcend Check with one disadvantage. Praying will automatically fail with a critical if you had any Corruption.

Drug Ceremony Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which you consumed mind-expanding drugs such as peyotl cactus or nanacatl mushrooms. If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage if you learned a relevant lesson about yourself (as determined by the GM) during the Scene, or if the Scene was a proper Ceremony. You automatically fail with a critical if you had any Corruption.

Vows When you obtain this Ritual, choose one or more of your traits and make a Vow to resist your urges to pursue them. Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which you were tempted to act upon your traits and you successfully resisted. If you try to Transcend, you might gain one advantage per vow-bound trait you resisted after the first.

corruption

OTH TH E G M and the player should keep track of

TAI NTED

how much Spirit a character spends. The GM will know when the character has truly ran out of Spirit, but she must not let the character know. Players are unaware if they have any corruption at all (but they can suspect it). Only the GM keeps track of it in his GM sheet.

INSTANT: At any time, ask the character to perform an easy Rites Check (0) to see if he is tainted by a Demon. For each point of Corruption over two you spend to use this curse, increase the level of the check by one.

When a character spends or loses a Spirit point he does not have, he gains a Corruption point. A character never knows how many Corruption points he has, these are written down only in the GM’s sheet. They allow the GM to use terrible abilities against the character and his companions depending on the character’s religion.

Being tainted by a Demon does not show externally, and only if a character success in a hard Rites hidden check (6) he will realise that he’s been tainted or that he is in front of a tainted character. A Tainted character will suffer Ill fortune to all of his Checks for free.

The GM can and should use the character’s corruption against him. Every Session, the GM should use Corruption Curses against a character with a total Corruption as that character’s Corruption. Corruption is not spent by this, a character must get rid of his Corruption himself as best as he possibly can.

POSSESSED

Abrahamic Curses Use Abrahamic Curses for Christian, Jewish, Muslim and any other character who follows any form of Abrahamic related religions. Corruption represents the influence of the Devil in the characters. Satan works in mischievous ways and even the most pious Christians can suffer his influence if they are not careful. Characters cannot know exactly how much the Holy Father has blessed them, as God does not create in straight lines. Therefore, inadvertently, it is possible for a character to spend Spirit that is not given to them by God. When that happens it is the Devil who provides the energy, mimicking God’s miracles to fool his believers, entering into their mind, and corrupting their souls.

I LL F O R T U NE 1 Corruption. REACTION: After playing the cards for a Check in which this character is participating, use this to gain the effects of a Joker against him.

2 or more Corruption.

4 or more Corruption. INSTANT: At any time, ask the character to perform an easy Rites Check (0) to see if he is tainted by a Demon. For each point of Corruption over four you spend to use this curse, increase the level of the check by one. Being possessed by a Demon is absolutely obvious: the character’s complexity will change completely, he’ll grow horns, claws, his skin will expel black steam and he’ll be completely mad. The player loses control over the character completely. The player will gain back control if the Demon is destroyed. The character is now consider an NPC under the control of the GM with the trait Demonic (It ignores one damage from non-magical attacks), with an advantage towards all actions and knows all of the Spells from the Necronomicon.

WANDERI NG SOUL 1 Corruption. REACTION: After this character spends a whole day dead his soul will get lost, tricked by demons and spirits. He’ll become a Wright under the control of the GM, that will haunt his old friends who let him die without the appropriate Requiem.

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receives magical healing or is the patient of a Medical action, until he no Corruption.

wandering soul level 1

initiative 4

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wr ight It cannot be damaged by non-magical attacks. cor ruption outpour REACTION: After successfully attacking a character, the GM discards a card in secret and reduces that character’s Spirit by the card’s value. Soul of the departed It will keep one ability from the character it was of the choice of the GM.

DEFORMI TY 4 Corruption At the end of the Session, the character feels unclean and corrupt; he gains the trait “Deformed”, he has suffered a physical and visible deformity that make him look hideous and corrupted, and most characters from any faith will shun him, not by prejudice but by basic instinct. A deformity may only be reversed if the character somehow loses all his Corruption and then he is the successful target of a magical Medical action confronted by a level 3 TSE.

BEAST TRANSMUTATI ON 4 Corruption At the end of the session, the character must perform an Easy Rites Check (+0) or become an unclean animal, such as an owl, toad or vulture, permanently. This transmutation works as the Nahualotl spell Skin Change, except the character can’t return to human form. The character can only return to human form if he loses all his Corruption and then somehow learns and uses the Skin Change spell to return to normal.

EVI L TRANSMUTATI ON AG G R E S S I V E ‡ M E S O A ME RI C A N M O V : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 68kg ‡ H E I G H T : 167cm

Native Curses Use Native Curses for all native religions of both american continents. For the native faiths, Corruption happens when a character uses more magic than he has paid for. A character that doesn’t properly repay the universe, sacrificing or compensating for the power received to keep the cosmic balance, may become corrupted without knowing it.

I LL NE S S 3 Corruption At the end of the session, this character finds out he has been affected by a debilitating illness, he suffers Fatigue.

6 Corruption At the end of the session, the character must perform an Easy Rites Check (+0) or die, becoming an evil spirit under the control of the GM. The character can never return to life, but he may be free from his tormented existence as an evil spirit if he loses all his Corruption and then receives a Pahtli healing, Tonalli healing or Mixtlazqui Healing spell.

TONALLI LOSS 5 Corruption At the end of the session, the character must perform an Easy Rites Check (+0) or lose his tonal spirit. This makes the character lose all his spellcasting ability; he may not use any magic talents or learn new ones. The character can only regain his magical abilities if he loses all his Corruption and then receives a Tonalli Guidance spell.

The character can’t recover this Fatigue, even if he

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spells Magic Resistance For each point of Magic Resistance, a character gains one advantage for confrontations against someone using a Spell.

Ceremonies Certain spells require a Ceremony. A Ceremony cannot be performed while resolving Rounds.The lenght and complexity of each Ceremony should be made up by the player performing it. If the player comes up with an amazingly rich and fitting ceremony for the Spell and fills it with details and makes it enjoyable for everyone around the table, the GM can determine that it will cost him 1 Spirit less than usual. But, if the player makes it unspiring and easy for himself (only spends a few ingame minutes on it, and doesn’t use any strange ingredients), the GM can determine that it will cost him 1 additional Spirit than usual.

PE L L S AR E THE manifestation of

divine forces that enter the realm of reality through believers.

Common Spells Common Spells are Spells that are known by characters just by belonging to one religion or another. They do not require a Talent like the Spells from the different magic schools do. Each religion has its own common Spells: •

Catholic characters know Pater Noster and Ave Maria.

•

Native characters know Nonotza Blessing and Penance.

NOTE: We’ll expand to other religions (different native religions, jewish, etc) on future updates of this adventure.

PATE R NOSTER Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

AVE MARI A Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of death. Amen. Cost: 1 Spirit. INSTANT: During your turn gain one Magic Resistance until the end of the Scene. It does not stack.

NONOTZA BLESSI N G Cost: 1 Spirit. ACTION: Discard a card from your hand to draw a card from the top of the deck.

PENANC E Cost: 0 Spirit. Ceremony. Use this ability to draw blood from yourself or a repenting believer of the Teotlahtolli religion. After the Ceremony, the target suffers one injury of your choice, and loses as much Corruption as his level.

Cost: 1 Spirit. REACTION: After starting a nonCharisma, non-Knowledge action or check use this ability to gain one advantage. It does not stack.

priesthood scriptures Absolution May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you; and by His authority I absolve you from every bond of excommunication and interdict, so far as my power allows and your needs require. Thereupon, I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Cost: 0 Spirit. Ceremony. You must listen to another Christian character, who willingly and repented must reveal to you all his sins since his last confession. Then, you will assign them a penance and absolve them. The GM must listen closely to all of this. Based on what she is heard, the GM then decides by how much she’ll reduce the sinner’s Corruption - which she does in secret. In general, if everything was done correctly, she should reduce it as much as the sinner’s Rites Skill value. If the sinner forgets or avoids mentioning some of his sins or if the penance does not seem strong enough - as determined by the GM; the GM can consider that the Absolution failed completely or partially, and not reduce at all the sinner’s Corruption or just reduce it a few points, also in secret. Additionally, if the sinner does not complete his penance in a reasonable time he’ll suffer twice as much Corruption as his Rites.

Baptism This is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Cost: 0 Spirit. Ceremony. You convert a willing character to Christianity (it cannot be perform to a character how had been Christian or is already a Christian). From now on that character will consider Christianity his religion and will be banished from all others, his Spirit will be reduced to zero, but he will keep his Corruption. He’ll lose any schools of magic that he had that cannot be chosen by a Christian (without recovering the experience points spent on them) and the common Spells from his previous religion; in exchange he’ll gain the Christian common Spells. Performing a Baptism allows you to obtain Spirit through the Ritual of Conversion if you have that Ritual. 63

If the character being converted was lying about his intentions and was protected by a spell from another religion, the Baptism is a failure without you knowing so - it also means that the Ritual of Conversion automatically fails as if you tried to Transcend and failed with a critical.

Eucaristia For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. Cost: 3 Spirit. Ceremony. All other willing Christian characters near you are the target of this Ceremony, and after taking part in it they can use one Pater Noster and one Ave Maria for free. It does not stack. You’ll gain one Corruption for each character who benefited from this and had Corruption.

Requiem May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Cost: 1 Spirit. Use it over the dead body of a Christian to reduce his Corruption as much as your Rites. If after that he does not have any Corruption he is immune to magic, and therefore he cannot be the target of necromancers or other creatures of evil who use the dead.

Word of God Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. - Genesis 11:1 Cost: 2 Spirit. INSTANT: Use this at any time to be able to speak in a foreign language until the end of the Scene. OR REACTION: After declaring an intimidation action against a Christian use this ability to gain one advantage. It does not stack.

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old testament scriptures Exodus Serpent Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. - Exodus 7:10-12 Cost: 2 Spirit.

Divine hands ‘For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; no one cares for her.”’ - Jeremiah 30:17 Cost: 2 Spirit.

ACTION (Rites): Invoke a huge serpent that will follow all of your commands, and will disappear when killed or at the end of the Scene. The serpent can act the same round it is invoked.

exodus serpent level 1

ditional damage, additionally the attack is considered Magical. It stacks.

initiative 4

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Samson strength Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah. And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. - Judges 14: 5-6 Cost: 2 Spirit. REACTION: After declaring an unarmed Melee action gain one advantage and if successful deal one ad-

ACTION (Rites): Target a character in physical contact with you or choose yourself as the target - but, you cannot choose a character who already has been the target of this Miracle during this Scene. The action will be confronted by the character’s wounds, as if it was a Medical action (but performed with your Rites Skill). If successful, remove one injury from the target or remove one Poisonous effect of any level.

Moses’s blessing And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” - Exodus 15:22-27 Cost: 1 Spirit. Ceremony. Turn wood and dust into food and water enough for a day for as many people as your Rites. OR Perform a normal Rites Check (3) to make as many meals as your Rites Skill value free of poison, disease and any other illnesses. If the food was good to begin with the Check is always successful.

Lift curse But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” - Numbers 22:12 Cost: 2 Spirit. ACTION (Rites): Choose a target who has a Curse within your sight up to 20 metres away, and confront the curser, if successful, the curse is cancelled. 64

Nahualotl Nahualotl is the most famous of Native Magic Schools. It gives its practitioners the ability to change their shape into that of animals or spirits.

Elemental Form Cost: 2 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to turn into a natural element or force, such as a gust of wind, a ball of fire or a pool of water (your gear turns with you and you cannot use it while in this form). While in elemental form, you: •

•

May attack other creatures using your new physical nature (that is, burning them, choking them or punching them with air or water) using Melee. Your attacks are considered unarmed (you’ll deal as much damage as your General level) and they ignore all types of armour. Can float over or flow through ground obstacles such as stairs, quicksand or sharp rocks, ignoring their effects.

•

Gain 2 advantages to dodge attacks.

•

Cannot use Shooting, Crafting, Riding, Charisma, Medical or Order Skills.

You will turn back to human form the end of the scene, or if you want to turn before that you can do so spending an action for this purpose.

Mometzco Pinqui Cost: 1 Spirit. Only female spellcasters may use this ability. The first time you cast this Spell choose a type of predatory bird (such as a falcon, eagle, owl or vulture), every time you cast this Spell you’ll become the same bird. ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to remove your own legs and change them for the wings and legs of your bird. While in bird form, you: •

Gain the ability to fly. You’ll move as fast as the animal you choose.

•

Gain 1 advantage towards Athletic, Melee and Stealth.

•

Cannot use Crafting, Riding, Charisma, Medical or Order Skills.

You may remain in bird form for as long as you like, but you must keep your cut legs somewhere safe and spend an action to put them back on to return to human form. If you ever misplace your human legs, you become trapped in bird form until you recover them and put them on.

Ocelot Token Cost: 2 Spirit, Ceremony Use this ability to wear the teeth, claws, fur or other part of a Jaguar or Ocelot; you don’t acquire the creature’s form, but you gain their killing abilities. After the ceremony, you: •

Gain one advantage on all Perception, Melee, Shooting and Stealth actions.

•

You cause Fear.

You will turn back to human form the end of the scene.

Tecuanahualli Cost: 2 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to take on the form of a large carnivorous beast such as a jaguar or wolf (your gear turns with you and you cannot use it while in this form). While in beast form, you: •

Gain one advantage on Perception, Athletic, Melee and Stealth actions.

•

Cannot use weapons. You’ll deal twice as much damage as your General level when attacking unarmed.

•

Will move as fast as the animal you choose.

•

Cannot use Crafting, Riding, Charisma, Medical or Order Skills.

•

The GM may apply other bonuses or penalties depending on the specific beast you turned into.

You can turn back to human by spending an action for this purpose.

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If you had any Corruption when you used Tecuanahualli magic, you lose control of yourself when in animal form, becoming a mindless predatory beast under the GM’s control until the next dawn or dusk, at which point you return to human form without memory of your actions.

Skin Change Cost: 1 Spirit

Teotlipan Moquetzani gain 1 advantage on all Discipline Actions and Checks. All these abilities are lost immediately if the Teotlipan Moquetzani gains even 1 point of Corruption. The effects of being a Teotlipan Moquetzani last for a full day; the Teotlipan Moquetzani may spend 1 Spirit and a Ceremony to refresh the effect on himself for another day.

ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to turn into a harmless, non-combatant animal such as a mouse, a bird or cat (your gear turns with you and you cannot use it while in this form) While in animal form, you: •

Cannot attack.

•

Gain 1 advantage on Stealth, Athletic and Perception actions.

•

Cannot use Crafting, Shooting, Medical or Order Skills while on animal form.

•

Depending on the small animal you choose you might be able to fly, fit through small holes, etc. You’ll move as fast as the animal you choose.

You may remain in animal form for as long as you wish, if you want to turn back you can do so spending an action for this purpose.

Teotlipan Moquetzani Cost: 4 Spirit, Ceremony This ability is often used by a group of 2 to 4 spellcasters working together and sharing the high Spirit cost equally. This ability summons the essence of a dragon, divine spirit or Saint to live inside a living person with no Corruption. The person becomes Teotlipan Moquetzani, that is, an avatar of the chosen Saint or divine spirit. If the target of this ability has any Corruption, the spell fails automatically. The Teotlipan Moquetzani gains the following abilities: •

1 advantage to confront the next effect or action that would result in his death, unless it is a Sacrifice Ceremony.

•

1 advantage on Skill checks and actions related to the Saint’s power or area of influence.

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Any Mesoamerican characters, or followers of the Mesoamerican religion, within sight of the 66

Illusion School Spells The illusion school is considered minor magic by Mesoamerican wizards and the general population; however, when used right, it may be far more useful than mightier schools.

Body Deception Cost: 1 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to pretend you are dead or injured. You may even appear to be missing limbs or seem dead even under medical examination. Onlookers might detect the illusion, which you can confront with your Rites or Stealth Skills.

Elemental Illusion Cost: 2 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to create the illusion of a large (about house-sized) elemental event, such as a cloud, a fire or a lightning bolt. It needs to be something simple and general as determined by the GM. Onlookers might detect the illusion, which you can confront with your Rites Skills.

Shroud of Darkness Cost: 2 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Gain one advantage towards your Stealth actions until the end of the Scene.

Small Illusion Cost: 1 Spirit ACTION (Rites): Create the illusion of any small (about child-sized) object or creature, such as a flowered bush, a piece of clothing or a snake. Onlookers might detect the illusion, which you can confront with your Rites Skills. Transmutation Cost: 2 Spirit for a human-sized object or creature, or 1 Spirit for a smaller object or creature. ACTION (Rites): Use this ability to make a creature or object adopt the appearance of a creature or object of the same size. You can change anything you imagine into anything else, provided the GM approves it and 67

both forms are roughly of the same size. You can only turn the target into a form that is known to you. For example, you can turn a stick into a snake or a boy into a wooden idol, but not a man into an ogre or a girl into an elephant. The Spell has effect until you spend an action to Onlookers might detect the illusion, which you can confront with your Rites Skills, or the Stealth of the affected character if any. If the target is a living creature and does not cooperate with the deception â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is, acts in a way that completely contradicts the nature of its illusory form â&#x20AC;&#x201C; then onlookers will gain one or more advantages towards detecting it. If the illusion impersonates an existing character bare in mind that the illusion will only be visual (the voice, facial expresions, and other characteristics of that character will need to be acted out), and therefore characters who knew the impersonated character might gain an advantage towards detecting it (evil creatures or spirits taking over bodies are not rare, so most people know this is a possibility).

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Titici School Spells Titici, or healing magic, is the most useful and widespread of Mesoamerican Chihualli schools.

Pahtli Healing Cost: 2 Spirit, Ceremony ACTION (Rites): Target a character in physical contact with you or choose yourself as the target - but, you cannot choose a character who already has been the target of this Spell during this Scene. The action will be confronted by the characterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wounds, as if it was a Medical action (but performed with your Rites Skill). If successful, remove one Curse or Poisonous effect of any level.

Tattoo Healing Cost: 2 Spirit, Ceremony By carving a bleeding tattoo of a sacred symbol on the skin of a living person, you heal the target of all natural (nonmagical) illnesses. The target suffers 1 point of damage during the process.

Teiczaliztli Healing Cost: 2 Spirit, Ceremony

EXTRA CONTENT A dozen new schools will be made available in the final version of the game.

You must walk barefoot on the patient to use this ability. After that, the target will heal an injury of his choice the next time he gets a good-nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rest of ingame time.

Wind Healing Cost: 2 Spirit, Ceremony Blow on the body of a wounded character. That character can ignore the effects of as many injuries of his choice as your Rites Attribute until the end of the Session.

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E P I S O D E 0 , I N T R O D U C T O R Y ADVENTURE

The coatli stonE T H E C O A T L I S T O N E is a short adventure for the Dragons Conquer America. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intended to introduce a group of new players to DCAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s setting and rules, pitting them against greedy Spanish explorers, mysterious Nahua locals and the dark magic creatures that lurk behind the visible veil of the Mesoamerican world.

IntroductioN D

UR I N G TH I S A DV E N T U RE , the PCs discover the

existence of a hidden treasure – a gigantic precious stone, which turns out to be the egg of a Xiuhcoatl dragon. However, the egg lies inside a dangerous, trapfilled temple, in the lands of an isolated tribe with no allegiance to either natives or invaders. Plus, a Spanish expedition has arrived into the area, intending to plunder its riches; they are bound to find out about the egg and compete with the PCs to recover it. The PCs must race against time, go around the temple’s traps and beat a fully-armed Spanish force to the prize, also dealing and the temple’s zealous guardians, which may help or hinder their quest. The adventure consists of three main chapters during which the action takes place. •

Chapter 1 has the PCs arriving to the territory of the Atlaca tribe, guardians of the Coatli Temple.

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Chapter 2 has the PCs entering the ancient temple and facing an ancient spirit that protects the egg.

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Chapter 3 introduces the Spanish expedition force, and determines whether the PCs keep the egg or lose it to the Spanish.

After the climax is resolved, the PCs have either acquired the egg or lost it, be it to the Spanish expedition or the zealous Atlaca natives. The PCs may also have allied with or against the Spaniards or the Atlaca, kept the egg for themselves or been forced to flee emptyhanded. Whatever the PCs choose, the outcome of the adventure will influence the future of the DCA setting, as the Xiuhcoatl hatched from the egg serves either the Natives or the Invaders in the upcoming war.

Adventure Background The people known as Olmeca, the ‘Rubber People’, were an unknown, ancestral tribe that lived centuries ago in the Eastern Coasts of the New World, near the area where the Spaniards first landed. Nobody knows what was the Olmeca’s true name or nature, but hundreds of ruins and relics from their culture remain in the jungles and beaches of their former territory. 71

Mexica explorers have already found and named some of these ruins, but many remain hidden or mythic. One such myth is the Coatli Temple, a legendary and undiscovered Olmeca ruin that many Nahua explorers and travellers claim to have seen or heard about during their travels through the Eastern Roads. According to legend, the Coatli Temple was built by an ancient caste of Olmeca wizard-priests that one day turned into dragons and flew away from the mortal world. The many versions of the story variously hold that the Coatli priests were the first tribe to breed and rear Xiuhcoatl dragons, or that they hunted dragons and used their blood to give themselves long life, or that they were descendants of dragons themselves. Many a legend exists about the Coatli ruin and its priests, but that’s all it has ever been – a legend. Things changed when Father Gaspar Hernández, one of the first European missionaries to arrive to The West Indies, heard the tales and decided to go look for the Coatli Temple. It is assumed that Father Hernández did find the Coatli Temple, for such is the claim of his personal diary, which later explorers found in a market at Hispaniola. The diary also holds that the temple’s purpose was to guard a kind of gigantic stone or jewel, likely worth a king’s ranso, which Father Hernández called The Coatli Stone honouring the legends about the old ruin, sparked the greed and imagination of many a Spanish trailblazer and opportunist. However, the secret of the Temple’s exact location seems to have died with Father Hernández, who apparently was caught and flayed alive by some Mayan or Nahua tribe that didn’t take kindly to foreign looters, even if they were pious and free of sin. Here’s where the legend becomes interesting, and where it crosses into the present. According to the diary, Hernández did draw a map to the Coatli Temple’s location – on his skin. He claimed he had the map tattooed on his chest by his servant to avoid it ‘falling on the wrong hands’. It was an interesting passage, but one not worth much attention, as the Father’s body was never recovered. Or so it was believed. Three years ago, during the first skirmishes between Natives and Europeans, a small Huastec city fell to a

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combined force of Spanish invaders and Maya allies. Among the city’s loot there was a fold of cured human skin – European skin – with a tattoo, a Maya-style drawing, on it. The drawing described a hidden temple, a precious stone and the way to find it. At first nobody made the connection between this bizarre relic and the tale of Father Hernández, until a Spanish explorer by the name of Cuesta sold it to the Governor of La Isabela as ‘the map of the Coatli treasure’. The Governor then gave it to one of his captains as part of a reward, and thus the ‘map’ changed hands, until it reached Lorenzo De Medina. Captain Lorenzo De Medina, a Spanish hidalgo and explorer, arrived two years ago, looking for land, treasure and a power base in The Indias, along with a small troop of more-or-less loyal mercenaries and gentlemen of fortune. With no patrons or backing other than his own military experience and considerable fortune, De Medina is a bit of a wild card among European invaders; nobody likes him, but he’s made no enemies either. He hired a couple dozen Natives as guides and added protection, and started two or three unsuccessful expeditions into the mainland. He’s stepped in no toes so far, but he intends to become powerful and recognised as quickly as possible. After his last failed inland trip, De Medina came across the flayed skin of Father Hernández with the Coatli Treasure map, and he immediately began preparing for a new excursion to find it. What De Medina didn’t count on was Quixum, one of his Native guides, recognising the area shown on the map. Quixum, a Huastec woman, knew the Coatli ruins only from legend, but she identified some of the landmarks, and decided to mount her own hunt for the treasure. The Captain killed Quixum for treason, but she had already managed to gather a small band of freelancers and deserters, giving them her own directions to the Coatli Temple. With Quixum’s indications, these mercenaries have overtaken De Medina and are about to beat the Spanish force to the Temple.

Player Character Background The PCs that play this adventure are mercenaries with no allegiance to any Native culture or Spanish explorer; a motley crew of mixed-race adventurers that serve no side but their own. However, they may end up allied with either the Natives or the Spaniards, which will alter the course of the war. As the adventure begins, the PCs are arriving to the Coatli Temple area some time before De Medina’s main force, expertly guided by Quixum’s instructions. Whether they will be able to find the treasure and leave with it is entirely in their hands. You may read aloud any or all the text contained in the Adventure Background section to the PCs; just be sure to make it clear that they are the mercenary band that Quixum managed to gather before she died.

ENC OUNTERS During the adventure the players will face NPCs in what are known as encounters. In a normal encounter the PCs will face a force of NPCs which added total level is the same as the PCs added total level. Some encounters won’t be normal, and instead they will be a +/- X encounter. In those cases you’ll add or substract the number of the encounter to the total level of the NPCs force. E.g. If you are playing with a party of four level 1 players, in a normal encounter they might fight one level 4 NPC, four level 1 NPCs, or anything in between that adds up to 4. In a +2 encounter, the NPC force will add up to level 6, while in a -1 encounter, it will add up to level 3. Only count the PCs present, that way if during the next Session a player had to drop out for whatever reason they rest won’t be faced with an overwhelming force.

Chapter 1: the lost PeoplE O

N C E Y O UR P L A Y E RS are ready to begin and have

understood their PCs’ backgrounds, read the following aloud: There’s a cacophony of complaining macaws as you step out of the jungle shrubbery and into a heavily wooded slope. Down the slope you can see a winding river, beyond which there’s the smoke and thatched houses of an inhabited village. This at least proves part of the legend true – there are indeed people living this deep into the jungle. But the definitive confirmation that you’re on the right track is what appears beyond this surprising view. Just behind the village, perhaps 600 metres into the woods, the mists mark the silhouette of a building: An ancient pyramid, completely overgrown with moss and vines, engraved with the ancient spirits of lost peoples – the Coatli Temple.

Whether the PCs try to avoid the village or approach it directly, a group of Atlaca scouts walk up to them; proceed to Encounter 1.

Encounter 1: The Atlaca Create a normal encounter using a combination of Native Warriors, Native Archers and Native Warrior Leaders. You see a group of squat, muscular men, filled with tattoos and ceremonial piercings, walking towards you. One of them raises his hand and talks to you in a language you don’t recognise at first.

The Atlaca guards want the PCs to identify themselves, but they of course don’t speak any common language. The Atlaca language is an ancient variation of Nahuatl, but it otherwise doesn’t resemble any language spoken today. To understand the Atlaca language, ask the PCs to perform a normal Knowledge or Perception Check if they are Nahuatl speakers (those that don’t suffer a disadvantage). If the check fails catastrophically, you may give the PCs opposite information, such as the Atlaca being openly hostile, wanting the PCs for ritual mating or anything you want to come up with. The guards motion the PCs to follow them; if the PCs comply, proceed to Encounter 2: Ixcahuina. If the PCs refuse, the natives will treat them as hostile forces in their territory and will attack.

FI GH TI NG TH E ATLAC A GUARDS The Atlaca guards try to subdue the PCs if possible, and don’t fight to kill. If a PC falls to 0 health, they leave him traumatised, not bleeding out. If the PCs begin winning, the guards fly back into the town to call for reinforcements. If any of the Atlaca gets away to call for reinforcements, at the beginning of the next Round they are joined by another normal encounter using a combination of Native Warriors, Native Archers and Native Warrior Leaders.

AFTER TH E FI GH T ■ If the PCs win both battles in a row, they are now free to explore the Atlaca village, while all the inhabitants have locked themselves up in their huts, closing their doors with improvised barricades, terrified of the invaders.

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The Atlaca guards carried strange inscribed, jade-tipped stone spears, the PC may keep them as weapons. Their gathered jewellery is worth around 2 to 4 quachtli (local currency).

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If the PCs stay at the village, they eventually come across the chief priest’s hut; proceed to Encounter 2.

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If the PCs leave the village, nobody stops them from reaching the temple now. Proceed to Chapter 2: The Coatli Temple.

■ If the PCs lose one of the battles, the guards spare them (that is, leave them traumatised instead of bleeding out), tie them up and take them to their leader. Proceed to Encounter 2.

Encounter 2: Ixcahuina This encounter begins when the PCs walk around the Atlaca village, whether they are following or caught by the Atlaca guards, or roaming freely after defeating them. At a first glance, this village resembles other settlements, with clean, well-built houses and an advanced irrigation system; there’s even a few dogs among the huts, recoiling from you as you approach. The village propably hosts a hundred souls. The only off-putting element are the designs and decoration; as if it belonged to another era. As you ponder this, you see an elder man standing in your path, flanked by more warrior guards. He is a gentle, older Nahua priest, dressed in the simple white tunic and cloth headdress of a peasant, but his skin is entirely covered in spiralled tattoos.He slams his staff into the earth, and you feel dizzy for a second.

This man is Ixcahuina, the priest of the Atlaca people. Regardless of whether the PCs arrived peacefully or by force, he looks at them with disapproval, squints his eyes and then yells in their language: ‘What do they seek? Why are they here?’ Let the PCs conduct the encounter as they wish. If they parley with Ixcahuina, ask them to perform a Charisma action against Ixcahuina’s Competent Skill. •

The PCs suffer 2 disadvantages if they attacked the guards previously.

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If the PCs directly confess that they wish to sack the Temple, they actually get 1 advantage on the action, as the Atlaca are tired of guarding the Temple generation after generation. The Atlaca

actually hope that someone will take away the Coatli Stone, kill the Temple’s undead master and finally relieve them from their duty. •

If the check fails, or if they attack Ixcahuina, they are considered looters and roaming criminals; proceed to Fighting Ixcahuina. If the PCs were prisoners already, they are set aside for sacrifice. Proceed to Encounter 3: The Sacrifice Pit.

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If the check succeeds, the PCs may parley with Ixcahuina; he is fluent in Nahuatl, Maya, Spanish and the extinct Mokaya tongue. Let the PCs conduct the conversation as they wish, asking and answering as they go, and using the following as excerpts from Ixcahuina’s dialogue: ‘We are the Atlaca.We are caretakers; we live at the shadow of the Temple.’ ‘We did not build. The Mokaya built those ruins and this village during the previous Sun.’ ‘The Atlaca inherited the land, inherited the care, the task; we inherited the temple.’ ‘Not much longer will the Atlaca keep vigil. The Atlaca are fallen, diminished; we are a diminished people. Too long have we waited, too long have we been.’ ‘The spirits whisper to me, the Saints talk to me. They share the stories, the gossip. I know the gossip of the Saints.’ ‘Our covenant is to watch the Temple, kill the unworthy, wait for the worthy. If you are worthy, the Coatl will be born for you; it will uncoil for you. If the Coatl doesn’t come, we kill you. That is the covenant.’ ‘I’m not the leader of the Atlaca. The leader is Haa’hiu, there in the Temple. Haa’hiu guards the Coatl; he tests the warriors. He decides if we kill you, if you die’. ‘If you find the Coatl, we are free; we don’t need to follow Haa’hiu any more.’ ‘Time is the friend of Haa’hiu; he talks to time. Time cycles, time circles. Time turns, this is they key to the temple.’

After talking to Ixcahuina, ask the PCs to perform a normal Knowledge Check (3). If the check succeeds, they identify the Mokaya as the ancient dwellers of the East Coast, a millennia-old, extinct culture that the 74

G M TI P If y ou want to tes t the lim i ts of th e pr eju d i c es of yo u r gr ou p, tr y tr i g ger in g a xenophobi a c hec k of one of the PC s towar d s Ixc ahu i na. If fai l ed , the P C m ay d o or s ay som ethi ng that of f end s the l ead er .

Nahua call Olmeca. If the check is a critical failure, you may give the PCs deliberately wrong information; for example, that the Mokaya were ritual cannibals and the Atlaca surely inherited this custom.

battle. The PCs spend the night as Atlaca prisoners, during which their wounds are tended and they may draw cards and recover all damage and an injury of their choice.

FIG HTIN G IXCAHUI NA

Then, just before dawn the following day, a group of village guards come for the PCs, bind their hands and feet and take them outside the village; surprisingly, towards the Coatli Temple.

If the PCs provoke Ixcahuina into a fight, create a +2 encounter using Ixcahuina and a combination of Native Warriors, Native Guardians, Native Leaders, and Native Priests. Ixcahuina and his guards don’t strike to kill. If the PCs lose the fight, they are traumatised, not bleeding out; the guards imprison them and set them aside for sacrifice. Proceed to Encounter 3: The Sacrifice Pit.

AFTE R THE E N CO UNTER ■ If the PCs befriended Ixcahuina, he lets them go on their way to the Temple; as he sees it, if the PCs are intruders, the Temple will kill them on its own. He even offers to let them dine and rest at the village. ■ If the PCs ask for more details on

Haa’hiu and the history of the Coatli Temple, Ixcahuina shares the information on History of the Temple (Find it in the second page of Chapter 2: The Coatli Temple) ■ If the PCs defeated Ixcahuina and his guards, they may explore Ixcahuina’s hut; besides a 47-quachtli loot of assorted jewellery and arcane reagents, they find an ancient codex carved in stone, detailing how the Temple door works (as described in Chapter 2, Encounter 4: Opening the temple). ■ If the PCs killed Ixcahuina, the other villagers won’t dare exit their homes until the PCs have left the village. ■ Once the PCs leave the village, proceed

to Chapter 2: The Coatli Temple.

Encounter 3: The Sacrifice Pit This encounter only takes place if the PCs failed to befriend Ixcahuina at the village and were defeated by the Atlaca natives in

They don’t reach the main pyramid structure, but stop at a stone-paved court some 100 metres away from the central building. The court is overgrown with vines and grass, just like the rest of the temple. There’s a four-metre deep pit in the middle of the court; the guards throw the PCs down the pit. Every PC must perform an Athletic action confronted by a level 2 TSE (the fall itself). If the PC loses the confrontation, he suffers 1 point of damage for every point of difference between his result and the TSE’s result, and automatically gains an injury. After throwing the PCs down the pit, the Atlaca guards leave them there and return to their village. The bottom of the pit is filled with dried bloodstains and bleached human bones: many people have died here. There’s nobody watching below, so the PCs are free to declare actions once they are left alone. ■ The PCs may try to cut their bonds with a jagged piece of rock or bone; this succeeds automatically and requires no check. ■ The PCs may try to bind their wounds through the Medicine skill, correcting injuries and regaining health lost from the fall. ■ The PCs may try to climb outside; however, as soon as any of the PCs tries to climb out of the pit, something happens...

As the sun shines over the edge of the pit, the shadows begin to move… only they move unnaturally, like they were not following the light, but bothered, stirred, by it.The shadows are moving. These are shadow spirits conjured by the

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magic of Haa´hiu the Mokaya Priest; the PCs must fight them. Create a normal encounter using shadow demons. The PCs have no weapons or equipment during this fight. Trying to get out of the pit during the combat is confronted by a level 2 TSE.

A F T E R T H E E N COU N TE R If the PCs survive the fight, they may now exit the pit with no problems. There are enough ancient weapons among the pit bones to outfit every PC in the team, as replacement for their lost equipment; every PC may take a magical macuahuitl or magical stone spear and an ancient leather shield. ■ If the PCs continue to the Temple, proceed to Chapter 2. ■ If the PCs return to the village to recover their equipment, run Encounter 2 again, except that the priest is much more likely to parley with them now, as he’s impressed that they managed to escape the pit.

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If the PCs fight Ixcahuina again, this time it’s to the death – they are not taken prisoners again.

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If the PCs manage to befriend Ixcahuina, he returns their equipment to them (besides giving them the information detailed in the encounter).

Due to budgetary constraints, Episode 0 uses several illustrations that belong to Episodes I & II and thus their depictions may not accurately match the NPCs described in the text. 76

Chapter 2: the coatli templE After a few minutes, you notice the terrain is slowly sloping upward. Only it’s not the terrain. The earth, roots and undergrowth cover actual carved stone steps. The jungle grew over a large stairway, and you are ascending it. As your climb ends, you reach a great pyramidal structure, with carved spirits and monsters on every side and a half-dozen, half-eroded columns marking the way to its main staircase. There’s an eerie silence, as if even the jungle creatures had learned to be quiet in the building’s presence.

Let the PCs explore around the temple as they wish; it’s all Olmecatl (Mokaya) architecture, which some PCs may recognise based on their skills, while most may not. As soon as the PCs climb the staircase to the top of the pyramid, proceed to Encounter 4.

Encounter 4: Opening the Temple As the PCs reach the top of the stairs, they find a large stone chapel in the shape of a huge dragon head. There seems to be no entrance to the building, but the dragon head’s mouth seems to be holding a time disk, wider than a man’s height. The disc consists of four concentric circles. Each circle is divided in a different number of notches, marked as follows: The inner circle has 4 notches, marked with the 4 directions. The second circle has 13 notches, marked with the 13 calendar signs. The third circle has 20 notches, marked with the 20 days of the lunar count. 77

The outer circle has 52 notches, marked with 52 ancient Mokaya kings or saints. Any PC can recognise these symbols without a check; calendar divisions and cardinal directions are a common element of most Mesoamerican cultures, and have been for centuries. There is a smaller, hand-sized dial on the wall beside the disc, marked with 52 notches. By rotating this dial one notch, each of the four circles in the larger disc rotates independently by one notch. Other than this contraption, there’s no way into the pyramid; the PCs must decipher how to open the disk to enter the temple. To understand how the disk works, ask the PCs to perform a normal Knowledge, Perception or Rites check (3). If the check succeeds, give them one or more (your choice) of the following facts: ■ The only way to align all four circles is to find a number of turns that causes each disk to complete a number of full rotations. ■ The notches in the circles are slightly misaligned; it’s clear they must be aligned for the disk to open. ■ To align a circle, it must make only full rotations; that is, turn the exact number of notches it requires to complete its full count. A partial rotation will misalign the circle again. ■ To make all the circles make exact full rotations with the same number of turns, the PCs must find a common multiple to all four circle notch divisions (4, 13, 20 and 52), and turn the dial that number of notches, so that the four circles turn by a number of notches that causes them to complete full rotations.

The right answer is ‘260’, which is also the number of days in the Aztec ritual calendar. By turning the smaller dial 260 notches, all four circles will make exact full rotations: the inner circle will make 52 rotations, the second circle 20 rotations, the third circle 13 rotations and the outer circle 4 rotations.

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HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE The PCs might find out about the History of the Temple from Ixcahuina or they can read it from the walls inside the temple: The Coatli Temple was once a religious centre of the Mokaya civilisation, primal ancestors to the Olmeca and every other culture in the continent. They even predated the Aztlan culture, although no Nahua will accept it. And their temple was not called Coatli, but nobody remembers what its true name was. This temple was not part of any city, but a stop for religious pilgrims and journeying kings or diplomats. Here, the ancient priests gave blessings, food and water to travellers, or made the trip themselves to sanctify a building or a new royal birth. The head of the priests was Haa’ hiu, the Chanter Man; they said it was him who first learned and taught others how to pray and give worship to the spirits and Saints of the otherworld. Once Haa’ hiu fund a strange stone, the size of a large water gourd, but polished as a gem and heavy as a boulder. Haa’ hiu ordered the stone brought to the temple, and it took three men to carry it back. The first night after the stone was carried to the temple, thunder rumbled and the skies parted, and a dragon flew down to the pyramid. It was the Old Dragon, the Heaven Snake, which the Nahua call Mixcoatl; and he had come to talk to Haa’ hiu, for the stone was one of his eggs and he wanted it back. Haa’ hiu didn’t return the egg, but instead threatened the Old Dragon; he said that Mixcoatl and his kin should serve mortals from that day onward, or else Haa’ hiu would kill the egg and Mixcoatl’s son. The Old Dragon accepted the deal, but on the condition that mortals sacrificed their children to the dragons, just as Mixcoatl had sacrificed his child to mortals. Thus, the covenant was sealed, and the Mixcoatl dragons came down to human cities and blessed and protected them, and in exchange mortals fed them with their children. And the Dragon Stone, the Ancient Stone, remained in the temple as a witness of the pact; and the egg never hatched, and the dragon never was born, because it was a witness to the pact between dragons and mortals. But one day there would come warriors, Haa’ hiu knew; warriors that would break the covenant between dragons and mortals. When that happened the egg would break and the dragon would be born, and he would be like his father in glory and godlike might, and he would serve the warriors that came for him. So Haa’ hiu didn’t die, but remained a living shell, a deathless guard, watching over the temple for centuries after centuries, until the age of the breaking of the covenant; until the warriors came that could reclaim the egg of Mixcoatl and summon the Child of the Old Dragon to battle.

When they think they have the right answer, they must press the dial to open the stone disk that will lead them into the temple. However, each time they press before they align the circles properly will spawn a violent Shadow Demon right next to them. If the PCs are stuck with the solution to the puzzle, ask them to perform a hard Knowledge, Perception or Rites check (6). If the check succeed, you may give them a clue such as ‘how many days are in a ritual year?’ or ‘what do you do when you need to find a common number with no fractions?’

A F T E R T H E E N COU N TE R Once the disk is open, the PCs may enter the Temple. Read the following aloud as they go inside: The inside of the Temple is dark, but not entirely as might have been assumed of such an ancient, forgotten building; you notice there are small lighted censers, cleverly placed behind columns and crevices to give a dim light to the interior chambers. It might be assumed the villagers keep the censers lit. The walls are carved with strange monster faces and naked human Saints, made monstrous by the shifting shadows from the flickering flame of the censers. As you step into the inner chamber, the floor shifts slightly, and another mechanism slowly reveals a descending staircase. As the PCs reach the stairs, proceed to Encounter 5.

Encounter 5: The Temple Stairs As the PCs descend the temple stairs, they begin seeing things and hearing voices. The shadows seem to move unnaturally. At first you assume they are the flickering projection of the lighted censers, but soon realise they seem to move on their own, as if the light bothered, rather than create, them. Then there seems to be someone speaking at the edge of your hearing, a low and rasping voice. You can’t understand the words, but they seem to be something like “kaya… Haa’hiu… Q’uum kaya Haa… Haa kaya…”

Then one of the shadows takes on the full form of a monster, and strikes at you. 79

The PCs are under attack by shadow demons. Create an easy encounter using shadow demons.

AFTER TH E ENC OUNTER If the PCs survive the fight, they may continue descending the stairs until they reach the bottom – a long stone passage leading deeper into the pyramid. The stairs and the passage are filled with stone engravings of men and monsters in sequence. This is actually a codex, and it’s telling a story. If the PCs stop to examine the engravings, they learn the information contained in the History of the Temple sidebar. At the end of the passage there are three paths; one goes straight ahead, another goes left and another goes right. If the PCs take the left path, proceed to Encounter 6. If the PCs take the right path, run Encounter 7. If the PCs continue ahead, proceed to Encounter 8.

Encounter 6: The Second Test The path ends in a closed stone door a few metres later. The door may be pushed inward with some effort (it is an automatic success). This is a bare stone room, with no furniture other than the familiar, flickering torches hidden in the corners - and a large stone statue at the centre. The statue, as tall as a man, represents an upright snake. When your eyes adjust to the dim light, you notice the snake’s jaws hold a metal object that glints by the torchlight: an engraved half-disc made of gold. If the PCs approach the snake, ask them to perform a Perception check (+3) to notice that the floor tiles are shifting plates, and there are suspicious slits on the walls. If the PCs fail the check or willingly step on the shifting plates, a barrage of darts comes out from the slits. Ask the PCs to perform an Athletic action, confronted by a level 2 TSE. For every point below the needed result, the PCs suffer 1 point of damage. The PCs may avoid the darts by crawling close to the floor as they approach the statue. If the PCs avoid the darts, the darts lodge on the stone snake, precisely hitting matching slits on the statue’s

dr agons conquer a mer ic a

body. The darts are feather-shaped obsidian knives, and when they hit the snake body it looks like they are covering it in feathers. If the PCs reach the snake without being hit by the darts, be it by crawling or by defeating the trap with an Athletic action, the snake, now covered in obsidian feathers, animates and attacks the PCs. Create an encounter against one Itztlicoatl. If the PCs defeat the snake or reach it without animating it, they may take the golden half-disc on its mouth; it is one half of the key required to enter Encounter 8.

Encounter 7: The Third Test The right path leads to a stone arch. Read the following aloud when the PCs cross the threshold: This chamber of white stone is completely empty, save for bas-reliefs of the four dragons on the walls: the Sun Dragon of the East, the Storm Dragon of the North, the Heaven Dragon of the West and the Earth Dragon of the South. There are symbols asking visitors to kneel before the Four Dragons; Seems whoever built this temple worshipped them too. There is also a glint that catches your eye and makes you look up. There’s a half-disc made of gold, dangling from the ceiling some 10 metres above you.

As soon as the PCs enter the chamber, a stone slab falls behind them, closing the exit, and water begins raining from holes in the ceiling. The room is flooding… quickly. The PCs need only wait until the water level hits the ceiling to float and reach for the golden disc; however, eventually the room will become completely flooded and drown the PCs. Let the PCs state their actions and intentions. ■ The stone slab that blocks the exit cannot be moved, not even by any PCs that may have stayed outside the chamber. ■ The disc may be dislodged from the ceiling by a ranged weapon. If the PCs want to try, ask them to perform a Shooting action, confronted by a Level 2 TSE.

■ If the PCs try to find a secret exit or mechanism, ask them to perform a Perception or Rites Check (+3). If the check succeeds, they notice there are shifting plates on the floor, one in front of each of the four dragon carvings on the walls. ■ In three turns, the room will become entirely flooded and the PCs will start drowning. ■ The PCs may reach and grab the golden disc from the second turn.

If a PC kneels in front of one of the dragons, the pressure plate causes a mechanism behind the wall to ‘open’ the dragon’s mouth, letting the water drain through. ■ The pressure plates in front of each dragon carving are only activated by kneeling; not standing or pressing in any other way. ■ At least two of the plates must be kneeled on, and two of the drains activated, for the water to actually recede; otherwise it will flood the chamber anyway. ■ After the first turn, kneeling on a plate requires diving against the water pressure. If a PC wants to kneel after the first turn of flooding, ask them to perform a Athletic action, confronted by a Level 1 TSE.

The only way to exit the chamber is to drain the water away. If the PCs succeed at doing this, the stone slab blocking the exit raises, and any PC trapped in the chamber may now come out. The golden half-disc dangling from the ceiling is one half of the key required to enter Encounter 8.

Encounter 8: The Tomb of Haa’hiu The tunnel ahead of the stairs is, like the rest of the temple, carved with figures of monsters and people. However, the carvings here tell another story: how the head priest of this temple was buried alive, and alive he would remain, waiting below the stone for centuries. After you have walked about thirty metres down the passage, they reach a stone slab with the symbols of a priest, a dragon and a precious stone. There seems to be no way to move the slab, but as you approach it, you notice a small circular depression at the centre, as if it was missing a discshaped piece.

The door to the chamber can only open if the PCs bring the two key halves from Encounters 6 and 7.

If the PCs survive those encounters and bring both halves of the key, they fit the depression and open the door. Read the following aloud as they enter the chamber: This square chamber is flanked by four censers in full view, and so its monstrous carvings are both better illuminated and scarier than the rest of the pyramid. There’s a stone slab on the floor, just like the one on the entrance, except this one doesn’t slide on its own. There’s a small, moon-shaped pedestal on a side. An a strange codex (see the picture). The need to decipher the codex: The only way to open the stone slab and continue the adventure is for one PC to sacrifice a bit of their own blood and drip it on the moon-shaped pedestal. If the PCs don’t think of this solution, they have no choice but to turn back and proceed to Chapter 3.

his duties away from him, and worth is measured by spilling blood – his own or that of the PCs. He summons a group of demon shadows – indicating it was he who sent the others after the PCs before – and attacks immediately. Create a +2 encounter using Haa’hiu and shadow demons.

AFTER TH E ENC OUNTER If the PCs survive the battle against Haa’hiu, they have defeated the most dangerous creature in the region and the power that maintained the curse of the Coatli Temple. The Haa’hiu mummy owned jewellery with a total value of 50-100 Quachtli. As soon as the PCs defeat Haa’hiu, they hear something has shifted in the pyramid above. Something has changed about the area they came from. As soon as the PCs go back up to see what’s changed, proceed to Encounter 9.

If at least one of the PCs sacrifices blood to the moonshaped pedestal, they suffer 1 point of damage and the stone slab swings open, thick billowing shadow pouring out of it as if it was a barrel of smoke. The PCs listen to Haa’hiu again in their heads, and must succeed on a normal Discipline Check (3) or suffer a disadvantage for the rest of the encounter (those that suffer a critical failure will run out of the temple as fast as they can).

Encounter 9: The Coatli Stone

FI G H T I N G H AA ’HIU

■ The stone is about the size of a large gourd, but it’s incredibly heavy to move. It requires a combined Athletic value of 5 or greater to lift and carry. More than one PC may pool their efforts to lift the stone if needed.

After the cloud of smoke, a mummy comes out of the tomb on the ground, half-crawling and half-floating; this is Haa’hiu, the undead priest that sealed this temple and the deal for the servitude of dragons more than 2000 years ago. Haa’hiu doesn’t offer any diplomacy. He’s waited centuries for a warrior to be proven worthy of taking

As the PCs go back upstairs and reach the top of the pyramid again, they notice there’s something at the entrance – something that wasn’t there before. A pedestal has risen at the platform just outside the Temple entrance, past the mechanical door with the time disc. And on that pedestal, there’s an oval-shaped stone, shining under the rays of the midday sun.

■ Whether the PCs take the Coatli stone or not, as soon as they look around, they realise they’re not alone; proceed to Chapter 3: The Spanish Force.

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Chapter 3: the spanish forcE As soon as the PCs come out from the temple at the pyramid summit, they realise they can see the ocean from here – and they see a ship moored at the coast. The ship of Captain Lorenzo De Medina. The Spanish expedition has arrived. Let the PCs decide what to do now. ■ If no more than a full day has passed (that is, the PCs haven’t rested more than once since they entered the Temple), De Medina has not yet reached the Temple. Right now, the PCs have a very short window to flee before the Spanish expedition overtakes them. If they choose to make a run for it, or to warn the Atlaca villagers of the Spanish arrival, proceed to Encounter 10. ■ If the PCs are – or wish to be – in good terms with

De Medina, they may actively seek the Spanish explorers; proceed to Encounter 11.

■ If the PCs have been in the temple for more than one full day, De Medina is already reaching the summit. Proceed to Encounter 12.

Encounter 10: the Battle As the PCs walk down the Temple stairs, they notice smoke coming out of the Atlaca village. It’s too late for a warning; the Spanish have engaged the Natives in battle. ■ The PCs may run to the battle to help either side; they reach the village in a matter of minutes, where the carnage is still going strong. De Medina’s favourite butcher, the mercenary known only as Aguirre, is leading the attack.

•

If the PCs side with the villagers, Create a normal encounter using Aguirre and a combination of Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners.

•

If the PCs side with the Spanish, Create an easy encounter using Ixcahuina (if the PCs haven’t killed him already) and a combination of Native Warriors, Native Warrior Leaders and Native Priests.

•

If the PCs survive the battle, regardless of the side they took, De Medina in person arrives to the battle site and faces them. Proceed to Encounter 11.

■ If the PCs want to take advantage of the confusion to slip unnoticed, they must all succeed on a Stealth Action, Confronted by the Spanish Soldiers’ mediocre skill.

•

If even one PC fails the check, the Spanish Explorers find them; run Encounter 11.

•

If the check succeeds, they have all escaped notice and may now flee the area. Proceed to Ending the Adventure.

Encounter 11: Captain De Medina The PCs come face to face with a squad of Spanish explorers. They demand the PCs stop and give them a chance to surrender. ■ If the PCs resist, they must fight. Create a normal encounter using a combination of Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners. ■ If the PCs win the battle, or go peacefully with the soldiers, they are approached by Captain Lorenzo De Medina himself. ■ If the PCs attacked the Spanish soldiers but surrender to the Captain, they may attempt a Charisma action, confronted by De Medina’s competent skill.

•

If the PCs win the confrontation, they get on De Medina’s good side and may parley.

•

If the PCs lose, they are taken prisoner; proceed to Ending the Adventure.

■ If the PCs are in good terms with Captain De Medina, or present themselves as their allies, he accepts their word and lets them join his troop. Let the PCs conduct the negotiations as they wish, using any or all the following excerpts as part of De Medina’s dialogue:

‘T’was the will of God that we met here.’ ‘The Natives didn’t want to listen to reason.’ They insisted that we were interrupting a kind of test of theirs, or ceremony, and attacked us.’ ‘They said we were interrupting the test of worth, whatever that meant. That we had to wait for the worthy ones to die first.’ ‘Be as it may, hast thou been inside the Temple? en to the Temple? Hast thou seen it from the inside? Hast thou found… the stone?’ ■ If the PCs don’t have the Stone, they may return to the Temple and try to secure it again; proceed to Encounter 12. ■ If the PCs have the Stone, it’s unlikely they can hide it; Captain De Medina demands they give it to him as his right of conquest.

If the PCs win on a confronted Charisma action against De Medina’s competent ability, he promises them a valuable share of the gem’s profits, seeing as how it was the PCs that secured the stone. He is an honourable man, and intends to fulfil the promise.

■

■ If the PCs have the Stone and strike a deal with De Medina, they have nothing else to do here; proceed to Ending the Adventure. ■ If the PCs resist De Medina’s men or try to attack him, create a hard encounter using a combination of Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners. ■ If the PCs survive this battle, De Medina has fled to-

wards the Temple. If the PCs wish to pursue him, proceed to Encounter 12. Otherwise, they may escape at last; proceed to Ending the Adventure.

Encounter 12: The Summit This encounter only takes place if the PCs return to the top of the Coatli Temple after the Spanish soldiers have massacred the Atlaca village. At the pyramid summit, the PCs encounter Captain Lorenzo De Medina, escorted by many of his soldiers. Waiting for them at the summit is a black dragon the size of a large bull; it’s Baque, De Medina’s dragon, along with his rider, the woman known only as La Gaditana. ■ If the PCs have already secured the Coatli Stone, De Medina demands they give it to him as his right of conquest. 83

■

If the PCs win on a confronted Charisma action against De Medina’s competent ability, he promises them a valuable share of the gem’s profits, seeing as how it was them who secured the stone. He is an honourable man, and intends to fulfil the promise.

■ If the PCs haven’t finished Encounter 8, they, De Medina’s men or a mix thereof must wait until the next midday and go back downstairs. Run any encounter the PCs haven’t completed between 6 and 8, except now the PCs have the backup of a troop of Spanish soldiers. ■ If the PCs finished Encounter 8 but hadn’t yet secured the Coatli Stone, Medina’s men have already removed it from the pedestal and are hauling it on Baque to transport it back to the ship. ■ If the PCs agree to let De Medina have the Coatli Stone, proceed to Encounter 13. ■ If the PCs refuse to give De Medina the Stone – or want to take it from him – they must fight, as the Captain’s guards rush to stop the PCs. Create a hard encounter using a combination of Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners. ■ If the PCs survive the fight, proceed immediately to Encounter 13.

Encounter 13: The Mad Dragon Read the following aloud as the PCs prepare to attack Captain De Medina or to go down the Temple Stairs having allied with him: Wait. Something’s not right. Baque, De Medina’s black dragon, begins fuming at the nostrils, and swaying its head erratically. La Gaditana, its rider, tries to calm the beast down, but the monster swaps her aside with a casual flick of its tail and sends her flying over the edge of the pyramid. The other soldiers immediately draw swords, as Captain De Medina takes a couple of steps backward, looking sideways at his ship, moored at the beach a kilometre away. While you – and De Medina, it seems – consider your options, the crazed dragon starts a carnage among the soldiers. What is happening?

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Ask the PCs to perform a Knowledge or Rites Check (+3) to understand what’s happening. Any PC that succeeds at this check realises there are strange black fumes coming out of the Stone. The ancient enchantments preserving the egg are too powerful for the mind of a smaller, weaker European dragon, and the presence of the egg’s spirit is driving Baque crazy. The dragon is slaughtering Medina’s soldiers; the PCs have a quick window of opportunity to decide what to do. ■ The dragon is too powerful for the PCs to defeat; if they try to attack it, it sweeps them away easily, and the soldiers yell at them to run away. ■ If the PCs decide to flee, they may now leave the Temple with Captain De Medina. Proceed to Ending the Adventure. ■ The PCs may take advantage of the confusion to escape with the Coatli Stone; proceed to Ending the Adventure. ■ The PCs may try to use the distraction created by Baque to intercept De Medina; create an encounter against Captain Lorenzo De Medina. If the PCs win this battle, they may take the Coatli Stone and attempt to flee on their own. ■ The PCs may try to actually stop the dragon’s frenzy. This requires the PCs to perform a Charisma action to calm the dragon, a Rites action to take over the egg’s magic effects, or a Riding action to submit the dragon into cooperation. Any of these actions is confronted by Baque’s Competent skill of 6 and plays three cards. If the PCs win the confrontation, they make Baque docile and subservient again. ■ If the PCs survive the encounter, with or without Baque on their side, proceed to Ending the Adventure.

Ending the adventurE T

H E R E AR E M A N Y ways the PCs can finish this adventure.

C U LT U R A L POL L I NAT ION

TIPPING THE SCALES

If the PCs failed to secure the Coatli Stone, Captain De Medina’s men find it and La Gaditana, Baque’s dragon rider, learns to control it. Eventually the Mixcoatl dragon hatches, loyal to La Gaditana and De Medina, who uses its new, incredibly powerful dragon to become a feared tyrant among Spanish Encomendados – and a possible villain for another adventure.

If the PCs take the Coatli Stone and escape with it, by next midday they find a crack in the egg and the Mixcoatl dragon is born, loyal to the PCs and willing to go to battle for whatever side or tribe they lead it to. The Mixcoatl will heavily tip the balance of the war for whatever side the PCs choose.

SHIFT IN POW ER

SOA R ING TO NEW HEIGHTS

If both the PCs and Captain De Medina fail to secure the Coatli Stone, wandering Nahua explorers find it and gain control of the Mixcoatl when it’s born, giving the Native kingdoms a gamechanging weapon against the European invaders.

If Captain De Medina keeps the egg, but La Gaditana died or was badly wounded by the temporary rebellion of her dragon have it, the Spanish are terrified when the Mixcoatl is born of it and unable to control it, it fly away. The dragon returns to the heavenly realms, choosing no side and helping no mortals. If La Gaditana survives her wounds, she becomes a limp and bitter veteran, selling her services to the highest bidder - and perhaps becoming an antagonist for future adventures.

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You made iT! If you made it this far, you can consider yourselves true pioneers of this New World. Whatever the ending you reached, no matter the choices you made, they will be transported to future books of this setting.

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Non player characterS FIND HERE THE NPCS you will need to run this adventure.

UR I N G TH E A DV E N T U RE , you have found in-

structions to create a variety of encounters using the NPCs found in this appendix. These encounters are classified as easy, normal, hard, and very hard. These keywords determine how many NPCs you should use to create the encounters.

Then consider the difficulty of the encounter. An easy encounter has NPCs whose added level is one lower than the added level of the PC group, a regular encounter has the same level, a hard encounter has NPCs whose added level exceeds the added level of the group of PCs by one, and a very hard encounter exceeds the added level of the PCs by two.

First off, add together the levels of the group of PCs playing the adventure (the pre-gen characters are all level 1, so the sum should equal the number of players in the game). 88

Native archer

Ixcahuina level 2

initiative 1

level 1

initiative 3

CO M PE TE N T R it . , K n o w . , Ch a r.

7 (3 )

C OMPETENT Sho o t., Ste., Ath.

4 (2)

ME D I O C R E

2 (2 )

MED IOC R E

2 (1)

attack

attack ME LE E

MELEE

RA N G E D

R A NGED P i erc i ng

Health 3

Health 3 A R M OUR

A R MOUR

MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

Cur se of the flesh ACTION: He chooses a target within his sight up to 20 metres away. The target must perform a Rites Check against Ixcahuina, if he fails, the target gains “REACTION: At the end of each Round, suffer one random injury.” Judge of char acter Characters trying to lie to him suffer one disadvantage. C UN N I N G ‡ ME S O A ME RI C A N

C A UTIOUS ‡ MESOA MER IC A N

M OV : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 60kg ‡ H E I G H T : 168cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 63kg ‡ HEIGHT: 165cm

Due to budgetary constraints, this Episode 0 uses several illustrations that belong to Episodes I & II and thus their 89 depictions may not accurately match the NPCs described in the text.

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Native Warrior level 1

Native warrior leader

initiative 3

level 1

initiative 3

C O M PE TE N T M el. , S h o o t. , A th .

4 (2 )

C OMPETENT M el., Ath., Di s.

5 (2)

MEDIOCRE

2 (1 )

MED IOC R E

3 (1)

attack

M E LE E

MELEE Co nc ussi o n

R AN G E D P ie rc i n g

R A NGED

Health 4

Health 5

AR M O UR S of t

A R MOUR So ft

M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

AG G R E S S I V E ‡ ME S O A ME RI C A N

A GGR ESSIVE ‡ MESOA MER IC A N

M O V : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 65kg ‡ H E I G H T : 166cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 68kg ‡ HEIGHT: 167cm

Native priest level 1

Shadow demon

initiative 2

level 2

initiative 2

CO M PE TE N T R it . , S te. , M ed .

5 (2 )

C OMPETENT M el., Ste., Ri t.

6 (3)

ME D I O C R E

1 (1 )

MED IOC R E

4 (1)

attack

ME LE E

MELEE P i erc i ng, ma gi c a l

RA N G E D

R A NGED

Health 3

Health 7

A R M OUR

A R MOUR

MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

Cur se of the flesh

Shadow

ACTION: She chooses a target within her sight up to 20 metres away. The target must perform a Rites Check against the Native priest, if he fails, the target gains “REACTION: At the end of each Round, suffer one random injury.”

REACTION: After successfully attacking a character, that character must perform a normal Discipline Check (+3). If he fails, he is under the control fo the Shadow demon until he succeeds in the same check at the start of his turn, or until the Shadow demon dies.

C UN N I N G ‡ M E S O A ME RI C A N

A GGR ESSIVE ‡ MYTHIC A L C R EA TURE

M OV : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 63kg ‡ H E I G H T : 169cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: -kg ‡ HEIGHT: 160cm

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! p i

Itztlicoatl level 2

Haa’hiu

initiative 1

level 2

initiative 2

C O M PE TE N T M el. , S t e. , R i t.

6 (2 )

C OMPETENT M el., Sho o t., Ri t.

8 (3)

MEDIOCRE

2 (2 )

MED IOC R E

5 (2)

attack

M E LE E P ois ono u s , ma g i c a l ,

MELEE Fea r, ma gi c a l

R AN G E D

R A NGED C ONC USSION, FEA R , MA GIC A L

Health 5

Health 8

AR M O UR H a r d

A R MOUR So ft

M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

Stone body

Demonic

All weapons suffer one deterioration when used against it, even if their attack fails. Piercing weapons suffer one additional deterioration.

It ignores one damage from non-magical attacks.

AG G R E S S I V E ‡ MY T H I C A L C RE A T U RE

C UNNING ‡ MYTHIC A L C R EA TU RE

M OV : 10m ‡ W E I G H T : 150kg ‡ H E I G H T : 150cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 45kg ‡ HEIGHT: 164cm

Summoner of shadows ACTION: Discard one card from the top of the deck. If it is a 4 or higher, a Shadow demon appears next to it.

Spanish conquistador level 1

Spanish gunner level 1

initiative 2

C OMPETENT Sho o t., Ath., Di s.

5 (2) 2 (1)

CO M PE TE N T Mel. , A t h . , Di s .

5 (2 )

MED IOC R E

ME D I O C R E

2 (1 )

attack

initiative 2

MELEE

2 4

ME LE E P ie rc ing

3++

R A NGED PIER C ING, FEA R , R ELOA D

RAN G E D

Health 4

Health 4 A R M OUR H a r d

A R M OUR S of t

MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E

A R MOUR So ft

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

AG G RE S S I V E ‡ S PA N I S H

C A UTIOUS ‡ SPA NISH

M OV : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 75kg ‡ H E I G H T : 172cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 72kg ‡ HEIGHT: 175cm

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Lorenzo de Medina level 2

Aguirre

initiative 3

level 2

initiative 3

C O M PE TE N T M el. , S h o o t. , Di s . , Ch a r .

6 (3 )

C OMPETENT Ri t., M el., Di s.

6 (3)

MEDIOCRE

4 (2 )

MED IOC R E

3 (2)

attack

M E LE E P ie rc ing , mag i ca l

3++

MELEE M a gi c a l

R AN G E D P I E R C I N G , F E A R, RE L O A D

R A NGED

Health 5

Health 3

AR M O UR H a r d

A R MOUR

M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E

MA GIC R ESISTA NC E

Char ism atic

Divine ha nds

He gains one advantage when trying to convince someone of something.

A friendly character in physical contact with him has one injury and one poisonous effect cured.

S T RA T E G I S T ‡ S PA N I S H

C UNNING ‡ SPA NISH

M OV : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 80kg ‡ H E I G H T : 178cm

MOV: 5m ‡ W EIGHT: 70kg ‡ HEIGHT: 173cm

La Gaditana level 2

initiative 4

CO M PE TE N T Mel. Mel . , S h o o t . , A th .

7 (3 )

ME D I O C R E

4 (2 )

attack ME LE E P ie rc r c ing in g , ma magg i ccaa l

3++

RAN G E D P I E R C I N G , F E A R, RE L O A D

Health 4 A R M OUR H a rrdd

MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E

AG G RE S S I V E ‡ S PA N I S H M OV : 5m ‡ W E I G H T : 71kg ‡ H E I G H T : 170cm

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BAQUE EXTR A CONTENT NPC stats for Baque will be made available in a future version of the adventure! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ll receive a message from Drivethru RPG with the update. It will be free of charge.

Peasant��Young��Female��Maria�Milagros�Castañeda��Spanish� ��Christian��

3 Renown�(Conquistadors) Brave�(good) Indomitable�(neutral) Reckless�(bad) Prejudiced

1 2

0 2

100 5 2 0 4 2 0 1 1 1 3 0 2 4 2 3

xx x x x x x x x x xx x x Fear x x Conquistador x

Ritual�protecting�the�faithful.�Common�spells�Pater�noster�(INSTANT:�Spend�1�Spirit� 97to�gain�an�advantage.�It�does�not�stack)�and�Ave�Maria�(INSTANT:�Spend�1�Spirit�to�gain�1�magic� resistance�until�the�end�of�the�Scene)

Conquistador�sword��3++��Piercing

��D��C��B� d rdargaognos ncsocnoqnuqe u r earmaem r ei c ra ic a

Forged. Strong�attack�II�(REACTION:�Suffer�1�deterioration�to�cause�2�deterioration/dull/ripped) Point�attack�(REACTION:�Using�both�hands�suffer�one�disadvantage�to�ignore�hard�armour) Conquistador�armour��

��R��R��C��B

Gain�2�hard�armour. It�counts�as�two�items�with�deterioration�track�when�calculating�if�you� are�to�suffer�Encumbrance. Gambeson��

��R��C��B

Gain�1�soft�armour.

Peasant��Old��Male��Sebastian�Alonso��Spanish� ��Christian��

1 Terrible�secret Curious�(good) Avaricious�(bad) Prejudiced

1 0 0

3 5

100 2

0 0 2 1

x x

0 1 4 5 1 4 2 2 3 2

x xx xx x x x x x Priest x

��Literate,�languages�expert�(maya,�mexica) Priesthood,�Old�testament

��Race

Rituals�conversion.�Common�spells�Pater�noster�(INSTANT:�Spend�1�Spirit�to�gain�an� 99 advantage.�It�does�not�stack)�and�Ave�Maria�(INSTANT:�Spend�1�Spirit�to�gain�1�magic�resistance� until�the�end�of�the�Scene)

Conquistador�sword��3++��Piercing

��D��C��B� d rdargaognos ncsocnoqnuqe u r earmaem r ei c ra ic a

��R��C��B

Gain�1�soft�armour.

The�Cross�(REACTION:�After�performing�a�Transcend�check,�regardless�of�the�result�gain�one�spirit).

100

Peasant��Young��Female��Jatziri��Mexica� ��Mexica��

3 x

A�daughter�in�Tenochtitlan� Careful�(good) Beautiful�(good) Fear�snakes�(bad) Prejudiced.

1 0 0 2

100 1 3 2 1 5 0 2 1 0 4 0 5 2 2 2

x xx x x xx x x x x x x An�eye�for�traps xx x x Tomb�raider x

Ritual�bloodletting.�Common�spells�Nonotza�Blessing�(ACTION:�Spend�1�Spirit�to�discard� 101 a�card�to�draw�a�card)�and�Penance�(CEREMONY:�Spend�0�Spirit�and�suffer�one�injury�to�lose�as� much�Corruption�as�your�level).

Quauholol i�mace��3+��Concussive

��F��C��B d rdargaognos ncsocnoqnuqe u r earmaem r ei c ra ic a

Primitive.

Escaupil�armour��

��R��C��B

Gain�1�soft�armour. Camouﬂ�aged�(Gain�one�advantage�towards�hiding�actions). Ahtlatl�(ranged)��3��Piercing

��

Forged.

Evil�protection�(Ignore�the�ill�effects�(other�than�Fatigue)�of�the�gear�you�carry)

102

Peasant��Adult��Male��Citlatli��Mexica� ��Mexica��

2 Debts�in�Tenochtitlan� Curious�(good) Addicted�to�coca�(bad) Prejudiced

0 0 0

100 2 1

xx x

1 1 2 0 5 3 1 1

x xx x xx x x x

Charmer�(Mexica,�maya)

0 3 2 3 4

x x x Pochteca x

Spy�soul

Nation

Ritual�drug�ceremony�Common�spells�Nonotza�Blessing�(ACTION:�Spend�1�Spirit�to� 103 discard�a�card�to�draw�a�card)�and�Penance�(CEREMONY:�Spend�0�Spirit�and�suffer�one�injury�to� lose�as�much�Corruption�as�your�level).

Macuahuitl��4+��Concussive

��F��C��B d rdargaognos ncsocnoqnuqe u r earmaem r ei c ra ic a

Primitive. Strong�attack�III�(REACTION:�Suffer�1�deterioration�to�cause�3�deterioration/dull/ripped).� Obsidian�edges�(Until�this�weapon�suffers�its�Special�deterioration�effect,�it�has�Piercing.) Escaupil�armour��

��R��C��B

Gain�1�soft�armour. Camouﬂ�aged�(Gain�one�advantage�towards�hiding�actions). Ahtlatl�(ranged)��3��Piercing

��

Forged.

Maps�of�the�Empire�(You�always�know�where�you�are�and�where�is�where�you�are�going�if�it�is� within�land�known�to�the�Mexica) 5x�Coca�leaves�(REACTION:�After�declaring�an�Athletic�action,�consume�this�item�to�gain�one�advantage.� After�consuming�them�more�than�once�per�Session,�perform�a�normal�Discipline�Check�(3),�if�you�fail,�gain�the� “Addicted�to�coca�(bad)”�trait.�If�you�already�had�it,�instead�suffer�a�head�injury.)

104

Additional geaR G I V E T H E F O L L O W I N G gear to the characters when they find it through-

out the course of their adventure.

Stone spear ME LE E

Co 105

PR IMITIVE ‡ 8 Q UACH T L I 2+

g n i m

n! o So

R each You can attack enemies just outside your Melee range as if they were in Melee range. They won’t be able to counter with Melee unless they have Reach. Spear wall REACTION: If you have allies on both your left and right sides within 2.5 metres, gain one advantage.

dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Magical macuahuitl

PR IMITIVE ‡ 30 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E c on c us s ion , mag i ca l 4 +

g n i m

n! o So

Strong attack III REACTION: After declaring an attack with this weapon, suffer one deterioration to cause three deterioration to your target’s weapon or armour. If the target was an NPC, he’ll gain blunt or ripped instead.

Magical stone spear ME LE E m a g ic a l

g n i m

PR IMITIVE ‡ 24 Q UACHT L I

n! o So

Leather shield REG UL AR ‡ 15 QU A C H T L I

g n i m

n! o So

Shielding II REACTION: After losing a confrontation against an attack, cause up to 2 deterioration to this item to add that many points to your action value. If you could have won the confrontation with your modified action value, your opponent’s action fails.

106

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

So whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next? kickstarter november 2nd D R A G O N S C O N Q U E R A M E R I C A will continue its journey

on Kickstarter. Starting November 2nd, we will fund the first book of this setting, a book that will shape the events to come.

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FeedbacK T H I S D O W N L O A D A B L E D O C U M E N T has many purposes, chief among them our need to gather your insights to make the best possible game. You have many ways to take part in this process as you can see below. Whichever you choose, we’ll be eternally grateful.

The rights and wrongS Stage 1: troubleshooting W E H A V E A PRE T T Y active community on Discord.

It’s the best place to give us general recommendations and shoot us any lingering questions you may have on the mechanics, the lore or the Kickstarter: ■ discord.gg/FqBe4pk

Stage 2: spelling and grammar T Y PO S A RE E V E R- P RE S E N T in printed material but

that doesn’t mean the are OK. If you want to help us get rid of them, please share them through this form: ■ goo.gl/forms/ciCdwls2KXdVHepk2

We will open access to the plain text documents at a future date.

Stage 3: rules and mechanics PL A Y I N G T H E G A ME and breaking it apart; that’s the kind of feedback we need the most. What works and what doesn’t? What flows and what stalls? What do you love and what could you live without? The more specific your comments, the more we can improve the game. For this purpose we have created a form that you’ll be able to fill as many times as you need: ■ goo.gl/forms/arbtXlQmFbdvIkPJ2

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Changing historY

AC TIO N S W I L L shape the Universe of Dragons Conquer America, starting NOW.

O UR

Stage 4: campaign results T H E JE W E L O F T H E C RO W N of Dragons Conquer

America.

As you may have read elsewhere, we want to create a living, breathing setting where your choices are transported to future books. This initiative starts right now with Episode 0: the Coatli Stone. Send us your results and tip the power balance between Natives and Spaniards. YOU WI LL C H A N G E H I S T O RY . â&#x2013; goo.gl/forms/rWsbYwCmZjETLlE82

Giving credit where credit is duE We will make sure your help will not go uncredited:

S TAGE 1 C R E DIT Shoutout in the November DCA Kickstarter campaign.

S TAGE 2 C R E DIT Collaborator credit in Episodes I & II book.

S TAGE 3 C R E DIT Playtester credit in Episodes I & II and the future Core Book.

S TAGE 4 C R E DIT Your actions will impact the future Core Book of the setting. You are part of the game now.

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This is just the beginninG T

H E W O RL D O F DRAGONS CONQUER AMERICA WILL EXPAND IN UNEXPECTED WAYS. WITH

YOUR HELP, WE WILL BE ABLE TO EXPLORE IT IN FULL.

R E M E MB E R: KICKSTAR TE R NOVEMBER 2ND

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follow, share! facebook D A I L Y U PD A T E S on development. ■ Follow: facebook.com/burning.games ■ Share: pinned post

twitter S N E A K PE E K S and quick news. ■ Follow: twitter.com/burning_games ■ Share: pinned post

google plus I N S I G H T A N D T H O U G H T S of our game development. ■ Follow: +BurningGamesPlus

instagram C O O L I L L U S T RA T I O N S A ND PIC S: ■ Follow: instagram.com/burning.games/

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discord D I RE C T L I N E O F C O MMUNIC A TION W ITH US: ■ Follow: discord.gg/FqBe4pk 112

credits production

Gr aphic design

Helio de Grado

Aleksandra Bilic

Jon Egia

m aps a nd glyphs

ga me design

Álvaro Pesquera Jose María Sainz

Carlos GQ Mauricio Gómez WR ITING JC Obal illustr ation Rado Javor Antonio J Manzanedo Marco Brunelleschi Milan Nikolic George Pricopegalan 113

paintings a nd art wor k Landing of Columbus, 1847 by John Vanderlyn Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus, 1519 by Sebastiano del Piombo Christ on the Cross, 1627 by Peter Paul Rubens Apotheosis of Hercules, 1733–1736 (ceiling) by François Le Moyne Mesoamerican art, various authors and dates.