The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG
Page 5
CRA
HP
through. Not even thinkin’ about the fact that
5
50
nobody’ll trust ya since your’e a mutant. Nah,
WILL
8
VIGOR 7
when nobody’s hirin’ ya to kill monsters, ya
LUCK 5
kill humans. There’s a rumor that Letho and
his King Slayers were working for Nilfgaard,
Skills
to kill off all the Northern Kings and weaken
Awareness
9
the North. Emperor offered to bring back the
Deduction
5
Viper School if they did it from what I hear.
Spell Casting
6
Either way, Letho of Gulet’s gonna go down in
history as the Kingslayer. Assassinated Dema-
Alchemy
6
vend of Aedirn on his damn party boat, kil ed
Brawling
6
Foltest of Temeria at the siege of LaValette cas-
Dodge/Escape
10
tle, and he woulda gotten Henselt of Kaedwen
Wilderness Survival
8
at his camp at the siege of Vergen but his men
Swordsmanship
11
got interrupted, some say by Geralt of Rivia.
Athletics
9
Can’t say anything about the whoreson myself.
Small Blades
10
Sounds like your average, stoic witcher. What
First Aid
5
I can say is, he may still be out there. He and
Human Perception
8
Geralt faced off at Loc Muinne but nobody
Magic
can agree whether Geralt kil ed the sorry son
Disguise
6
Yrden Sign
of a bitch. Apparently the two had some histo-
Stealth
9
Quen Sign
ry, traveled together for a while before Geralt
Intimidation
9
Aard Sign
lost his memory. Some folks say they fought
Physique
10
the damn Wild Hunt together. Seems crazy to
Igni Sign
Resist Coercion
9
me though. If he’s still around, the Kingslay-
Axii Sign
Resist Magic
6
er’s probably hidin’ out. Wanted across all of
Magic Trap Sign
Endurance
10
the North and there’s no way the Emperor of
Active Shield Sign
Nilfgaard’s gonna keep his word and give the
Aard Sweep Sign
Key Skills
Vipers a home in Nilfgaard. Just another pawn
Fire Stream Sign
in Emperor Emyr’s damn chess game.”
Witcher Training
10
Puppet Sign
–Rodolf Kazmer
Meditation
10
Magical Source
10
Heliotrope
5
Gear
Iron Stomach
6
Dwarven cleaver
Poniard
Torrwr
Witcher medallion
Frenzy
7
Blizzard potion
Golden oriole potion
Swallow potion
Werewolf decoction
Transmutation
7
Grave hag decoction
Arachas decoction
Northern wind bomb (x3)
Devil’s puffball bomb (x3)
Parry Arrows
10
Throwing knives (x4)
Brigandine
Armored trousers
Alchemy set
Quick Strike
9
Black venom (x3)
Chlorophorm (x3)
Bandolier
Horse w/ saddle
Whirl
6
20
Mechanics
Having already seen the title
Creating Your
characters laid out you may
be confused about the various
statistics, abilities and items
Own Character
presented. We’ll be going over
all of this in the next several
What is a Character?
chapters and will explain how
you to determine these values
In the Witcher TRPG, your character is the person you inhabit while playing in the for your own character.
game. While it is often a good idea to start out playing characters that are similar to
yourself, your character can be just about anybody you want.
Character Creation
The process of building your character is simple, but with a lot of choice and variation so
you can make your character as unique as possible. You create your character in seven steps: 1. Pick Your Race
4. Pick Your Statistics
Determine what race you want to play. This Once you have figured out what you do for a
is an important step because your race de- living, you then need to figure out what your
termines both your special abilities and how core abilities are. Your statistics are there to the average person will react to you.
represent the core attributes of your charac-
ter. How tough they are, how smart they are,
how fast they are and so on.
2. Run a Lifepath
The second step to creating your character
is to roll up a Lifepath. This series of rol s 5. Select Pick-Up Skills
determines not only what your character is After you have picked your stats you can
general y like and what they value, but also choose your pick-up skills. These are skil s creates their history. Though this is an op- unrelated to your profession that you have
tional step, it allows you to flesh out your just ‘picked up’ over time.
character and play a game of chance to get
bonuses from significant life events. Howev-
er, in addition to making friends and gain- 6. Get Your Coin
ing boons you may also find enemies and At this stage your character is finished and
incur disadvantages.
now you get to outfit them. The first step to
this is to use the Starting Coin table to deter-
mine how much money you have.
3. Pick Your Profession
After you know what race you are and what
your life was general y like, you can choose a 7. Outfit Yourself
profession to enter. Your profession will give After you have your money you can start
you a set of skills, starting gear and a special buying weapons, armor, and gear that your Skill Tree.
character will need in their adventures.
21
Races
Others of Your Race
In the world of The Witcher there are four playable races that each have their own abili-It’s important to note that you
ties and drawbacks. Despite the fact that they are born as humans, witchers are consid-
may run into others of your
ered a race of their own due to the mutations in their bodies and their unique abilities.
race while in hostile territory.
Other members of your race
will always treat you as equal
Social Standing
unless they have some person-
al problem with you or mem-
Humans are the dominant species on the Con
tinent. After a series of wars in which the
bers of their own race.
elves and dwarves sided against the humans of the north, the non-human population (el-
derfolk, if you’re polite) of the Northern Kingdoms has become a downtrodden group of second-class citizens. Today, race means quite a bit in day to day life. Each race has its own social standing, which indicates how people deal with your character and explains how
their reaction reflects in statistics.
Friendship
Equal
Tolerated
Your social standing is de-
Characters with a social standing of equal Characters who are tolerated are present signed to indicate how
are seen as peers. They take no penalties to in society but not real y respected or con-
strangers feel about you based
social interactions but gain no bonuses ei- sidered equal. They take a -1 to Seduction,
on your race. Obviously if
ther. People will general y judge them on Charisma, Persuasion, and Leadership with
you’re an elf who has a long-
their appearance and actions rather than people.
time friend who happens to
their race.
be a human, your friend won’t
hate you. The same goes for
lovers and, sometimes, in-laws.
Feared
Hated
Characters who are feared are considered Characters who are hated are actively de-frightening to the average person. You only spised by most people. They aren’t neccesar-
gain the feared social standing through mu- ily outcast, but are often the targets of racial tation into a witcher or horrible scarring. aggression and hate crimes. They take a -2 to
You can gain the standing in specific places Seduction, Charisma, Persuasion, and Lead-
based on your actions, but that is decided by ership with people.
the Game Master. A character who is feared
gains a +1 to Intimidation but a -1 to Cha-
risma.
Territory
Humans
Elves
Dwarves Witchers
Mages
The North
Equal
Hated
Tolerated
Hated &
Hated &
Feared
Feared
Nilfgaard
Equal
Equal
Equal
Hated &
Feared
Tolerated
Skellige
Equal
Equal
Equal
Tolerated
Tolerated
Dol Blathanna
Hated
Equal
Equal
Tolerated
Equal
Mahakam
Tolerated
Equal
Equal
Tolerated
Tolerated
22
Female Witchers
Witchers
Witchers have been a touchy issue since they were made centuries ago. Heh, but let me tell ya Historicaly, all known witch-friend, even when they were sought after, nobody real y liked ‘em. They’re raised from human ers have been male due to the
children taken to one of the five Schools of the Witcher. At these witcher keeps, the children go nature of the Trial of the Grass-through some kinda gruelin’ trainin’ proccess that makes ‘em into livin’ weapons. Fast as hell, es. However, we leave it to the
trained to fight blind and hunt just about every monster any poor son of a whore’s likely to GM to decide if there are fe-find. After a few years of this they go through a bunch of mutations. One ya hear about most’s male witchers in a their game.
the Trial of the Grasses. The one witcher I traveled with said only one in four kids survives this whole mess.
The ones that survive are changed. They’ve got bright cat’s eyes and just about no fee-
lin’ left in ‘em. Heard the emotion part evens out after a while. Hell, the witcher I traveled with even made a few jokes on the road. But from that moment on, they’re kil ers. Reborn for one Dulled Emotions
purpose: kil in’ monsters. And hell, see a witcher in action and you’ll see the payoff of all that Due to Dul ed Emotions
hardship. Problem is they’re mutants, and if there’s one thing people hate it’s a mutant. Witch-a witcher cannot raise their
ers have barely any charisma left in ‘em so most people think they’re cold, heartless murderers EMP stat above 6.
who’ll steal your gold, rape your daughter, and then put a sword in your gut.
–Rodolf Kazmer
Perks
Enhanced Senses
Dulled Emotions
Due to their heightened senses, witchers take no Thanks to trauma and mutation, a witcher’s penalties from areas of dim light and gain an in- emotions are dulled. Witchers do not have to herent +1 to their Awareness skil , as well as the make courage checks against Intimidation, but ability to track things by scent alone.
they have a -4 to their Empathy Stat. This cannot
bring Empathy below 1.
Resilient Mutation
Lightning Reflexes
After all of the mutations required to become After intensive training and mutation, witchers a witcher, they are immune to diseases and are are much faster and more agile than humans.
able to use mutagens.
They gain a permanent +1 to their Reflex and
Dexterity that can raise both stats above 10.
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Elves (The Aen Seidhe)
Elves, or the Aen Seidhe, since ours aren’t the only elves out there, are a sad tale indeed. Heh.
Bonus Skills
They came to the world not long before humans, in great white ships from somewhere. Wouldn’t When you create your charac-call ‘em the kindest of the races but they got along well enough with the rest of us. They’re not ter, you cannot have a skill val-too unlike humans: tall, thin, prone to lookin’ down on others. Only difference is their pointed ue higher than 6. As you level
ears, their eternal lives, and their bond with the land. Heh, the elves are at one with nature up your character, skill values
or somethin’. Lived off the land for generations, foragin’ for food and buildin’ great palaces.
cap out at 10 points. The perks
Don’t even have sharp teeth after all those years of eatin’ berries and plants. Don’t get ‘em cross that you gain from your race
though; an elf’s hell on the battlefield too. They may not wear much armor but they’re hard as can raise your skill value above
frogs in winter to find in the wilderness, and probably the best archers you’ll ever see.
these ceilings. For instance, if
–Rodolf Kazmer
Perks
you decide to play an elf and
put 6 points into Archery right
Artistic
Natural Attunement
away, your Marksman perk
Elves have a natural eye for beauty and a talent Elves have a deep magical bond with nature it-can raise your initial Archery
for artistic endeavours. Elves gain an inherent +1 self. Elves do not disturb animals, meaning that skill value to 7. If you level
to their Fine Arts skil .
any beast they encounter is considered friendly
up that same character, over
and will not attack unless provoked. Elves also
the course of a game you can
Marksman
automatical y find any plant substance rated as
raise your Archery skill value
Years of tradition and practice make elves some commonly availability (or lower) that they are to a total of 10 plus the bonus
of the best archers in the world. Elves gain an seeking, as long as the substance would occur Marksman value, put i
ng you
inherent +2 to their Archery skill and can draw natural y in the surrounding terrain.
at a +11.
and string a bow without taking an action.
Dwarves
Heh. My friend, rivers dry up, mountains crumble, but dwarves are a constant. We may be
Dwarven Women
short compared to the elves and the humans but we’re sturdier than they’ll ever be—the defi-It is difficult to convince dwarves
nition of barrel-chested! We dwarves have been around for ages, livin’ in the mountains and that males of other races do not
plyin’ our trade: forgin’. We’re friendly enough when ya get to know us and easy to get along fuly appreciate the “kitten-soft”
with as long as ya don’t piss in our faces. The humans may not love us dwarves, but they need beards of their women.
us for our skill and our steel. ‘Sides, unlike the damn elves we don’t hold an in-born grudge
–Brandon of Oxenfurt
against the humans. We keep to our business and them to theirs. Share a drink here and there.
Heh, sadly, madness is spreadin’ quick through the North and dwarves are targets now more than ever. Lucky the humans have a hard time pickin’ out our women! Never find a prettier lass than a dwarven girl. They say the ful er the beard, the ful er the...well. Ya get my point.
–Rodolf Kazmer
Perks
Tough
Strong
Spending much of their time in the mountains Due to their compact frame and propensity
and mines, dwarves have natural y tough skin. for tough, physical y demanding professions,
As such a dwarfs’ skin has a natural stopping dwarves gain a +1 to their Physique skill and power of 2. This SP cannot be lowered via weap- raise their Encumberance by 25.
on attacks or ablation damage.
Crafter’s Eye
With their eye for fine detail and appraisal it is
hard to bluff a dwarf. Dwarves have an
inherent +1 to their Business skil .
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Humans
Northerners
If I were a worse person I’d vent my spleen and tell ya all the terrible things humans have done to my people and the other elder races. But I’m better than that. Worked with a lot of humans Ugh...Tricky topic, the North.
during the Northern Wars. Hell, most of the Temerian army’s humans. Humans can be fine
Folk’re usualy fine enough.
folks. They’re varied in nature and usual y a pretty resilient race. They tend to get swept up Grew up in Maribor. Plenty ‘a
in causes and fears pretty easily, though. They’re the dominant species on the Continent right humans round there. Never
now and they know it. Heh. It’s easy to speak ill of ‘em. They just about destroyed the elder had too much trouble. Either