The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG

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The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG Page 29

by Cody Pondsmith


  an indefinite amount of time and ongoing (“fetch some water”) the they realize that nothing is actual-until it reached the planet’s

  their body is held in suspension so golem will continue to perform ly happening to them and take no they don’t age. While in condensed that order until it dies or you order damage. If they fail they think that core and melted. It wouldn’t

  form, a target has 1/5th (rounded it to stop.

  the damage is real, and must roll a

  even stop as it started to melt.

  up) their normal Health Points. If Preparation Time: 10 Rounds

  Stun save. The damage cannot kill

  these points are expended the tar- Difficulty Check: 20

  but it can stun.

  get dies. If a limb is broken off, ei- Duration: Permanent

  Preparation Time: 10 Rounds

  ther with a DC:14 Physique check Components: Chalk (x2), A Per- Difficulty Check: 18

  Dying As An

  or 5 points of damage, the target fect Gemstone (x1), Hardened Duration: Until Dispelled Artifact

  is treated as if that limb was dis- Timber (x10), Stone (x10), Infused Components: Perfect Gemstone membered. If the head is snapped Dust (x5), Fifth Essence (x2)

  (x1), Fifth Essence (x5), Infused

  If a compressed target is be-

  off, the target dies. Gluing pieces

  Shard (x1), Glass, (x2), Ducal Wa-

  headed or is knocked down

  back onto a compressed figurine

  ter (x3)

  to zero health while they are

  doesn’t reattach the limb. After a

  compressed they die. You

  target is uncompressed they are

  stunned until they make a success-

  cannot at empt to stabilize

  ful Stun save.

  a compressed target. If the

  Preparation Time: 10 Rounds

  target is dismembered while

  Difficulty Check: 18

  compressed they take all of

  Duration: Until Reversed

  the appropriate effects and

  Components: Perfect Gemstone

  (x1), Fifth Essence (x5), Infused

  damage when they are un-

  Dust (x2), River Clay (x4)

  compressed.

  120

  Hexes

  Curses are one of the most vicious and in-

  scrutable forms of magic in the Witcher

  world. Luckily for most people, curses are

  very difficult to cast. Most people do not

  decide to cast a curse. Curses are magical

  phenomena that come about when tension

  is high, blood is flowing, and hatred is per-

  meating everything. Hexes on the other

  hand are much simpler and much more

  easily tamed.

  Many mages and priests are capa-

  ble of casting hexes just like they cast spel s

  or invocations. Channeling magic through

  their body, the magic user can inflict smal ,

  less-dangerous curses on their targets with

  the knowledge that the hex will take hold as

  long as it’s cast appropriately and against a

  weak-willed enough target.

  Unlike curses, hexes are formulaic.

  They are cast a certain way and can be lifted

  with a certain ritual. These rituals are often

  strange and esoteric, leading to many folk-

  tales and baffling many mages.

  Unlike regular magic (spel s, invoca-

  tions, and rituals) hexes and curses appear to

  draw on magic from somewhere other than

  the elemental planes. Some magicians and

  scholars have postulated that while standard

  magic draws energy from elementals, curses

  and hexes draw power from the devils that

  live in the vast void beyond the mortal plane.

  Of course, this make hexes and

  curses much more dangerous than their

  tamer cousins. A miscast hex has a percent-

  age chance to affix itself to the caster rather

  than their target. Many mages have suffered

  for weeks with the effects of a hex that they

  failed to cast on an enemy.

  121

  The Hex of Shadows

  The night of the ceremony the subject must arrange

  STA Cost: 4

  the candles in a circle around them, linked by bones,

  Effect: The Hex of Shadows creates whispers in the and place the glowing ore under their head. If the How To Lift a Hex

  shadows, and silhouettes around corners. The sub- subject is able to sleep through the night they will be ject must make random Awareness checks with an freed of the hex.

  Lifting hexes is much easier

  unspecified DC, always almost catching a glimpse

  than lifting curses. Due to

  of something or someone. The awareness checks are

  their formulaic design each

  never a real threat, just visions.

  The Pesta’s Kiss

  hexes has an equaly formu-

  Danger: Low

  STA Cost: 12

  Requirement To Lift: The subject must bring a bowl Effect: The Pesta’s Kiss breaks down the subject’s abil-laic dismissal method. Dis-

  of clear water, a branch from a white myrtle bush, and ity to fight illness and resist nausea. Anytime the sub-covering that method, how-

  a bottle of ink to a clearing under a crescent moon. ject comes in contact with a diseased person they have ever, is difficult. Low danger

  When the moon is at its highest the subject must pour a 75% chance of catching the illness. Any time they hexes require an Education

  the ink into the water, dip the branch in the mixture, smell something even slightly nauseating they must roll at DC:16 or a Witcher

  and shake droplets in a circle around themselves while succeed at a DC:16 Endurance check or be nauseated.

  holding their breath.

  Danger: High

  Training roll at a DC:14. Me-

  Requirement To Lift: The subject must gather 3 units

  dium danger hexes have an

  of river clay, 1 unit of coal, 3 units of resin, and 1 unit

  Education DC of 20 and a

  The Eternal Itch

  of infused dust. First the subject must craft a totem

  Witcher Training DC of 18.

  STA Cost: 4

  from the clay mixed with infused dust and coated

  High danger hexes have an

  Effect: The Eternal Itch causes enflamed, itchy pus- in resin, with the coal forming its eyes. This takes a tules to grow on the subjects genitals. The itch does DC:14 Fine Arts rol . Then the subject must repeat a Education DC of 26 and a

  no damage but is a constant annoyance, causing a -1 series of magic words, infusing the totem with pow-Witcher Training DC of 22.

  to all tasks. As well as this -1 the target takes a -5 to er. Immediately after, the totem must be smashed and Seduction once ‘in the bedroom.’

  the coal eyes must be powdered and consumed by the

  Danger: Low

  subject.

  Requirement To Lift: The subject must gather a unit

  “Hexed” Library

  of scleroderm, fool’s parsely, and bryonia. The subject

  must light a campfire and bundle up the herbs. With The Hex of the Beast

  Hexes, while usualy minor,

  everything prepared the subject must light the herbs STA Cost: 12

  can be extremely useful. I’ve

  and crumble the burning ashes onto the afflicted area Effect: The Hex of the Beast makes the target anathe-told my students that any

  while reciting a series of magic words.

  ma to animals and beasts. Any time the target comes

  with
in 10m of an animal that animal will react poorly

  person other than myself who

  to the subject, giving them a -3 to Wilderness Surviv-

  leaves my personal library

  The Devil’s Luck

  al for handling animals. Each time they come within

  with one of my books with-

  STA Cost: 8

  10m of an animal there is a 50% chance the animal

  out permission wil soon find

  Effect: The Devil’s Luck plagues the subject with bouts will attack.

  their eyesight failing and their

  of bad fortune. In situations of high stress such as Danger: High

  combat or when performing any task with a deadline Requirement To Lift: The subject must gather a small sexual organs perpetualy

  or a DC higher than 15, the subject rol s a fumble on live animal of some sort, 2 units of mistletoe, 1 unit engorged—and a putrid pur-a natural 1 or 2.

  of phosphorus, 2 units of crow’s eye, 3 units of man-

  plish green. In order to reverse

  Danger: Medium

  drake root. Under a full moon the subject must cut

  the hex the individual must

  Requirement To Lift: The subject must hammer a the throat of the animal and consume its blood. Then copy out the book in ques-silver nail into their door frame and hang 2 units of the animal’s body must be wrapped in bundles of mis-wolvesbane, tied with a lock of virgin’s hair, from it. tletoe, crow’s eye, and mandrake root and placed in tion entirely. It’s all rubbish of

  Final y the subject must stand under the silver nail, an open fire. As the scales or fur of the animal start to course, since I can’t use magic

  set fire to the bundle of wolvesbane and virgin hair, burn away, the phosphorus must be thrown into the of even the blandest sort.

  and breath deeply.

  fire. When the fire has burned out the subject must re-

  –Brandon of Oxenfurt

  move the bones of the animal and wear them on their

  person for a full day.

  The Nightmare

  STA Cost: 8

  Effect: The Nightmare forces the subject to relive the

  same horrifying nightmare. Every night the subject

  must make a Resist Coercion check at a DC equal to

  the Hex Weaving roll the caster made to hex them. If

  they succeed they manage to get a ful , though rest-

  less, night’s sleep. If they fail, they barely sleep and do

  not recover STA or HP during the night. If they fail 3

  nights in a row they halve their Stamina and take a -2

  to all actions until they can get a full night’s rest.

  Danger: Medium

  Requirement To Lift: The subject must gather 5 can-

  dles, 5 units of beast bones, and 1 unit of glowing ore.

  122

  Using Places of

  Power

  Places of Power

  Places of power are potent magical ruins left

  Overdrawing from a Place of

  behind by ancient elven mages, construct-

  Power is tremendously dan-

  Earth

  gerous. A Place of Power can

  ed at conjunction points. When a magical- Found along fault lines or in the depths of

  be utilized infinitely but the

  ly-potent person spends a full three turns natural sinkholes and caverns.

  risk goes up exponentialy

  focusing on the place of power, they gain a Benefit: Your Vigor Threshold for earth each time. The second time

  temporary bonus based on the element that magic goes up by 5 and your Spell Casting is

  you draw from a Place of

  place is tied to, and 10 I.P. to be used only considered 2 points higher for earth magic.

  Power you must make a DC:

  on learning new magic or raising magical Duration: 1 hour

  20 Endurance save or imme-

  skil s. Alternately, an invoker can forego the

  diately take 5d6 damage and

  bonus and extract 5 units of Fifth Essence.

  suffer the effects of the mag-

  Keep in mind that places of power are very

  ic type (See Overexertion).

  rare and only found where their associated

  Every successful roll raises

  Air

  the DC by 4.

  element is strongest.

  Found in areas where tornadoes are com-

  mon, and at the tops of high mountains.

  Benefit: Your Vigor Threshold for air magic

  goes up by 5 and your Spell Casting is con-

  sidered 2 points higher for air magic.

  Duration: 1 hour

  Fire

  Found at the tops of volcanic mountains and

  in the heart of the desert, where the heat is

  most intense.

  Benefit: Your Vigor Threshold for fire mag-

  ic goes up by 5 and your Spell Casting is

  considered 2 points higher for fire magic.

  Duration: 1 hour

  Water

  Found where two bodies of water or rivers

  meet and in sea caves.

  Benefit: Your Vigor Threshold for water

  magic goes up by 5 and your Spell Casting is

  considered 2 points higher for water magic.

  Duration: 1 hour

  123

  Learning Magic

  Learning new spel s works similarly to the 2. Acquire the I.P. required to learn it. Each

  Learning Magic

  I.P. system used to gain new skil s and im- magic technique requires improvement

  Due to the nature of magic in

  prove known skil s. You learn spel s through points based on its level, as listed below.

  the Witcher world, only those

  knowledge and experience. There are three

  born with magic are capable

  steps to learn a new spell:

  3. Spend a week learning the spel . You must

  of learning to perform it. If

  make an appropriate number of successful

  you did not start with a Vig-

  1. Find someone or something to teach you learning rol s for the magic in that week.

  or value above 0 you cannot

  the spell/hex/ritual you want to learn. This If you fail one of these rol s, you must try

  learn magic. Each profession

  can be another mage or priest, or a tome of again the next day. For each failure, the time

  also learns magic differently.

  some sort.

  required to learn the spell increases by a day.

  Mages can learn spels, ritu-

  als, hexes ,and signs.

  Magic Level

  I.P.

  Time To Learn Learning DC

  Learning

  Priests can learn invocations,

  Required

  Checks

  rituals, hexes, and signs.

  Novice/Low

  10

  4 Days

  14

  2

  Journeyman/Medium

  20

  1 Week

  18

  4

  Witchers are only capable of

  learning signs.

  Master/High

  30

  3 Weeks

  22

  6

  Arch Priest

  40

  5 Weeks

  24

  8

  124

  125

  Craftsmen &

  Alchemists

  “I’ve devoted my life to alchemy, son. Literal y. Spent countless days

  and nights with nothing but alembics, choking on fumes, scorching my

  skin with acids. If you think I’ll simply betray to you what I learned

  through years of sacrifice and toil... then you are mistaken. Deeply.


  –Gremist, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

  Craftsmen are hard-working and often there are jewellers and coopers and shoe-

  hard-worked professionals. All around makers who work at their trade to bright-

  the world people need things fixed or need en the world or just to help the people

  someone to build something for them. Es- around them. Some even just because they

  pecially now that the world at large is at love their work.

  war, the factions of this great war need

  craftsmen more than ever. In the North, Why Should I Craft?

  woodworkers shore up defenses in rural Craftsmen can be invaluble to a party’s suc-

  towns and smiths make cheap weapons cess in the Witcher TRPG. Gear is expensive

  for their friends and families. Bowyers and repairing it saves time and money. It’s

  make more bows for the Scoia’tael that better to have someone who can make the

  raid the forests and human trade routes. sword you need for a third the normal cost

  In the mountains of Mahakam the forges and use that money for even more gear. And

  work non-stop, pumping out weaponry if that person can also fix the same sword

  and armor that put others to shame. In when it breaks, you’ve got a real treasure on the guts of the Nilfgaardian war machine, your hands. Crafting also lets you make the armorers patch cracks in knights’ armor most of any recipes your party finds. There

  and carpenters repair siege machines and are new technologies to discover and old

  defenses that will be needed again soon technologies lost to the ages to be recovered.

  as they burn their way across the North. A skilled craftsman can give a party amazing Craftsmen are so important in this time benefits like alchemical bombs and traps,

  of sword and axe that they are often forced poisonous blade oils, and runes to enchant into military service or kidnapped by their weapons. They say a weapon is only as

  Scoia’tael commandos. But of course for good as the person wielding it. Well that’s

  every military use of a crafter there is a ci- true—but it helps to have a quality weapon.

  vilian use. For every armorer in the field

  126

  Diagrams

  Diagrams are sheaves of pa-

  Crafting System

  per that show you detailed

  The process of crafting weapons, armor, enhancements, and traps breaks down into

  instructions on how to cre-

  three simple steps:

  ate a certain item. They wil

 

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