The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG

by Cody Pondsmith

  Thaler, otherwise known as Bernard Ducat, is a former head of Temerian Intelligence. During the events of Thaler

  The Witcher 1, Thaler can fall prey to shady dealings in Vizima and wind up executed for treason. He may, however, be saved by Geralt of Rivia.

  234

  Major Decisions

  Decision

  Outcome

  The Fate of VergenYes: If Saskia wins the Siege of Vergen, the Kaedweni forces are repelled and the Pontar Valley remains a free and independent state under Saskia of Aedirn. In the current timeline, the remaining forces of Saskia’s army are desperately bat-Did Saskia Win The tling against the Nilfgaardians. They are fighting valiantly, but without the help of Iorveth and his Scoia’tael Commando, who left some months ago for unknown reasons, they cannot hold the valley for very long.

  Siege?

  No: If Saskia did not win the siege of Vergen, the Pontar Valley is taken by King Henselt of Kaedwen and the elderfolk are “pacified.” The Pontar Valley becomes the Loremark again and Kaedweni law rules. In the current timeline with Kaedwen in the Winter War and Nilfgaard on the borders, many elderfolk have left to join the Scoia’tael.

  Yes: If King Henselt was victorious (or if Geralt of Rivia stayed the hand of Vernon Roche) King Henselt lived through the siege of Vergen. In this case Kaedwen remains strong with a steady leader. Nonetheless, in the current timeline, the Did King Henselt of ravages of the Winter War are destroying Kaedwen and King Henselt lies dead in a ditch, killed by some soldier on the Kaedwen Die at the front lines.

  Hands of Vernon

  No: If the siege of Vergen is won but Geralt of Rivia refuses to stay Vernon Roche’s hand, King Henselt is assassinated Roche?

  for his crimes against the Temerian Blue Stripes. Kaedwen is victorious but mourns its lost leader, becoming a shade of what it once was. In the current timeline, the Kaedweni have been rallied by the Winter War but are far short of a unified army and won’t last long against King Radovid V of Redania.

  The Fate of AedirnYes: If Prince Stennis is lynched in Vergen for his poisoning of Saskia of Aedirn, Aedirn is left with no living heir and fal s into chaos and anarchy with no leader to keep the peace. Famine, violence, and plague run rampant through the land. In the current timeline Aedirn is a wasteland ravaged by war and many other ailments. Nilfgaard is in the process Was Prince Stennis of cleansing the area with fire and liberal slaughter.

  Lynched In Vergen?

  No: If Geralt of Rivia convinces the elderfolk of Vergen to spare Prince Stennis, he survives the siege and is crowned king of Aedirn. In the months before Nilfgaard’s siege he consolidates Aedirn and keeps the land running industriously.

  He becomes beloved by the people of Aedirn. In the current timeline Aedirn has been consumed by Nilfgaard, but the people fought hard against the oncoming wave of black and gold. Prince Stennis eventual y gave in to the Nilfgaardians when defeat seemed imminent. He rules as a puppet of the Emperor.

  The Fate of TemeriaYes: If Anaïs was saved from the Nilfgaardians, Temeria’s future is secured. The question becomes, where she is during the events of the current timeline? Determine that next.

  Was Anaïs Saved?

  No: If Anaïs is not saved from the Nilfgaardians, she has not been seen or heard from since. The fate of Temeria is unsure and there is no longer a legitimate heir to the throne, leaving the many noble houses to battle amongst themselves, even during the war.

  Vernon Roche: If Anaïs goes with Vernon Roche and John Natalis after being saved from the Nilfgaardians, she is spirited away to an unknown location to await the end of the war when she can return to Temeria. There is a rumor that Who Did Anaïs Go she is being kept safe in Kovir & Poviss, or possibly beyond the Dragon Mountains.

  With?

  Radovid of Redania: If Anaïs goes with Radovid of Redania, she will be kept in Tretegor and used as a chokehold on Temeria. She is safe, but Temeria must bow to Redania’s wil .

  The Fate of Mages Yes: If Triss Merigold was saved from the Nilfgaardians by Geralt of Rivia, she works hard to rebuild the Council of Mages. This attempt to rein in the mages of the North narrows the rift between the magic users and the commonfolk. In Was the Mage Council the current timeline Triss Merigold’s attempts have only delayed things—eventual y Radovid of Redania’s Witch Hunts make mages public enemy number one again.

  Reformed?

  No: If Triss Merigold was not saved by Geralt of Rivia, she is too busy escaping her captivity to reinstitute the Mage Council, and the conflict at Loc Muinne explodes into chaos as Radovid of Redania immediately begins burning every mage at the event. The Witch Hunt of the North begins right away, and there is no warning.

  235

  Personal Fates

  Yes: If Saskia survives the events of Loc Muinne, she is still roaming the world. Her immediate fate depends on whether Geralt of Rivia frees her from mind control. No matter what happens to her immediately after Loc Muinne, Does Saskia Survive by the current timeline she is free in the wilderness and her whereabouts are unknown.

  Loc Muinne?

  No: If Saskia did not survive Loc Muinne, she was slain by Geralt of Rivia when he could find no a way to free her from the mind control of Philipa Eilhart. She is not there to lead the Pontar Valley, but she is also no longer a weapon of the sorceresses.

  Yes: If Saskia is free of Philipa Eilhart’s mind controlling spel , she returns to Vergen to lead her people. The Lodge of Is Saskia Freed From Sorceresses is left without their most powerful weapon and forced to go into hiding.

  The Lodge of Sorcer- No: If Saskia survives but is not freed from her mental compulsion, she remains under the control of the Lodge of esses?

  Sorceresses as a powerful weapon. By the current time, however, she has shaken off the compulsion and fled into the mountains somewhere.

  Yes: If Sile De Tancerville perishes at the summit at Loc Muinne, she is no longer alive to aid the Lodge of Sorceress-Is Sile DeTancerville es.

  Alive?

  No: If Sile DeTancerville is spared by Geralt of Rivia in the chaos of Loc Muinne she lives a free life, hiding out with the Lodge of Sorceresses. In the current timeline she has been captured by the Redanian Witch Hunters and is being tortured for information on Philipa Eilhart.

  Yes: If Geralt of Rivia spared Letho of Gulet at Loc Muinne, the renegade witcher is still alive, roaming the North, Is the King Slayer

  attempting to lose his reputation and begin anew. Unfortunately, the Emperor of Nilfgaard has sent many Nilfgaardian agents to kill him and tie up loose ends.

  Alive?

  No: If Letho of Gulet is killed by Geralt of Rivia at the summit at Loc Muinne, all of the witcher assassins hired by Nilfgaard are dead and knowledge of that plot fades away. The School of the Viper is almost extinct.

  Yes: If Geralt of Rivia spared Aryan La Valette at the siege of La Valette Castle, Aryan returns to La Valette Castle as Is Aryan La Valette the Nilfgaardians move into Sodden and Brugge. Aryan makes La Valette Castle a safe haven in the North.

  Alive?

  No: If Aryan La Valette is killed by Geralt of Rivia at the siege of La Valette Castle, his mother is left to run La Valette Castle and she commandeers much of the castle’s resources for the war in the south.

  Yes: If Geralt of Rivia saves Thaler from execution, he returns to keeping the peace in Temeria. In the current timeline he travels to Novigrad to help Vernon Roche and Sigismund Dijkstra in their plans to kill Radovid of Redania.

  Is Thaler Alive?

  No: If Geralt of Rivia does not speak up on Thaler’s behalf, the former head of Temerian Intelligence is executed on crimes of treason. In the current timeline he is not present to aid Vernon Roche and Sigismund Dijkstra with their plan to kill Radovid of Redania.

  236

  237

  Witchers

  The Physiologus on

  “Witchmen”

  “You can’t stop a soldier from being frightened but you can give him

  Caled by so
me a witcher. To

  motivation to help him overcome that fear. I have no such motiva-

  summon him is most danger-

  tion. I can’t have. I’m a witcher: an artificial y created mutant. I kill

  ous, albeit one must; for when

  against the monster and the

  monsters for money. I defend children when their parents pay me to.

  vermin there be no aid, the

  If Nilfgaardian parents pay me, I’ll defend Nilfgaardian children. And

  witchman can contrive. But

  even if the world lies in ruin—which does not seem likely to me—I’ll

  careful one must be to touch

  not the witchman, for thus

  carry on kil ing monsters in the ruins of this world until some mon-

  the mange can one acquire.

  ster kil s me. That is my fate, my reason, my life and my attitude to

  And lasses do from him hide

  away, for lustful the witchman

  the world. And it is not what I chose. It was chosen for me.”

  is above all measure. Though

  -Andrzej Sapkowski, Blood of Elves

  the witchman greatly covetous

  and greedy for gold be giveth ye

  not such a one more than: for

  a drowner, one silver penny or

  three halves; for a werecat, sil-

  ver pennies two; for a plumard,

  silver pennies–The Physiologus

  From the moment a child is taken to be- Unfortunately this leads to hatred among

  come a witcher they are an outsider to the common folk, who in turn alienate witch-

  rest of the world. They are a creature to be ers even more, making happy coexistence looked down on, hated, or at best pitied. nearly impossible. Witchers are also long-Unfortunately one rarely chooses to be a lived, functioning for hundreds of years

  witcher—the dubious honor is thrust upon if not killed by a monster earlier. Any

  you before you’re even old enough to know witcher character in this setting has been

  what it means. At your respective School alive for between 50 and 260 years. That’s

  you endure hardships ranging from un- decades (and in some cases centuries) for

  comfortable beds and too little food to abuse to take a mental and physical toll.

  broken bones and near-death experienc-

  es at the hands of monsters. The training Current Witchers

  slowly breaks you down and rebuilds you 200 or so years ago witchers were com-

  as a weapon whose only use is to kill mon- mon. It wasn’t strange to see one wander-

  sters and lift curses. To some extent it’s un- ing through a town or stalking the marsh-surprising that most peasants see witchers es near a settlement. But that was the past.

  as heartless, emotionless killing machines. Nowadays, after the betrayal of the Witcher After their horrendous training, prospects Schools and the hunting of witchers, most undertake a series of mutations and trials, people will go their entire lives without see-which inflict days of excruciating pain as ing a witcher. More often than not, witchers the body is physcially broken and rebuilt. are seen as bad omens by the common folk

  After all of this, your average witcher is and rumors of their lustful tendencies, dis-emotionally cold, short of sympathy for eased bodies, and lack of emotion run wild.

  the everyday problems of someone who

  hasn’t shared their horrific upbringing.

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  The Schools of

  Witchers

  Witcher Lifepath

  The life of a witcher is vastly different from witchers are harsh and unforgiving. Even

  In the heyday of witchers

  that of any other creature on the Conti- after this, a witcher can expect decades (if

  there were many many sep-

  nent. From an early age a witcher stops not centuries) of traveling the roads of the

  erate schools, which all mu-

  being a normal citizen and begins a life Continent alone, putting themselves in

  tated new witchers and taught

  that most other people could only dream danger every day for measly pay and less

  them the neccesary skil s to

  up in their wildest nightmares. A prospec- respect than the local rat-catcher. A witch-

  hunt monsters and lift curs-

  tive witcher’s training is rigorous, and the er never leads an ordinary life.

  es. While it’s generaly agreed

  trials to join the ranks of the fully-fledged

  that there is a core set of skil s

  required to a be a witcher,

  each school taught its stu-

  dents differently and focused

  When Did You Become A Witcher?

  on different aspects of witch-

  Roll Age

  er training. Thus, witchers

  Infancy (-2 to the Trial of the Grasses)

  from different schools often

  act differently and go about

  1-2

  You were taken to become a witcher when you were a toddler, between 1 and 2 years old. You have no memories of life before becoming a witcher and had nothing to cling to when taking the Trial their jobs in similar but varied

  of the Grasses.

  ways.

  Early Childhood (No Modifiers)

  3-8

  You were taken to become a witcher when you were young, between 4 and 6 years old. You had

  some normal memories to aid you when taking the Trial of the Grasses.

  Late Childhood (+2 to the Trial of the Grasses)

  Memories Of The

  9-10

  You were taken to become a witcher when you were relatively old, between 8 and 11 years old.

  While training was somewhat harder, your many memories bolstered you when you took the Trial Past

  of the Grasses.

  Witcher I knew couldn’t real-

  ly remember much ‘bout his

  past. Heh, too young to realy

  form a lotta memories when

  What School Did You Train In?

  they took him to Kaer Y Seren.

  Roll School

  Told me that the memory he

  The Wolf School (No Penalty For Strong Strikes)

  did have made the mutations

  easier. Poor bastard clung to a

  1-2

  You trained at Kaer Morhen in the heights of the Blue Mountains. Your training was tough and structured, focusing on a very rounded approach to the Witcher profession. You were taught to memory of his pa takin’ him on

  strike hard and fast to end hunts quickly.

  a horse for a ride in the fields.

  The Gryphon School (+2 Vigor Threshold)

  Don’t know why he chose that

  3-4

  You were trained at Kaer Y Seren along the coastal side of the Dragon Mountains. Your training one. Probably the only normal

  was heavily focused on fighting any number of opponents and using your limited magical power to its greatest potential.

  memory he had.

  –Rodolf Kazmer

  The Cat School (Immune to Charm Attempts)

  5-6

  You trained in the Dyn Marw Caravan, a traveling troop of witchers who sold their skil s to anyone who could pay, for any job. Their mutations and training flayed your emotions, and you struggle against violent, cruel impulses.

  The Viper School (No Penalties for Dual Wielding)

  7-8

  You trained at Gorthwr Gwaed in the deep chasms of the Tir Tochair Mountains. Unlike other

  witchers, you were trained on twin blades and an assassination-based approach to killing monsters.

  The Bear School (-2 to Overall Armor Penalty)

  9-10

  You trained in the snowy heights of the Amell Mountains at Haern Cadwch. You conditioned your body to endure all manner of punishment and
move quickly and efficiently in heavy steel armor.

  239

  How Did Early Training Go?

  Roll Early Training Event

  The Gauntlet & The

  Wounded on the Gauntlet (-1 SPD)

  Pendulum

  1

  You were wounded while running the gauntlet around your School. Your leg was broken badly,

  Speed, agility, and physical

  and even after healing it is still slightly stiff.

  endurance are widely con-

  Stolen Knowledge (+1 Witcher Diagram)

  sidered the most important

  2

  While training at your School you snuck into the libraries of the keep and copied one of the secret witcher diagrams, smuggling the information out with you.

  physical skil s for a Witcher.

  Made a Rival (Make 1 Witcher Enemy)

  To train all three at once, most

  3

  While training at the keep you formed a rivalry with another witcher in training. Even after mu-witcher schools employ two

  tations, their hatred of you continues to boil.

  testing courses: a hanging,

  Easy Mutations (+2 to the Trial of the Grasses)

  metal-studded log called the

  4

  You adapted well to the lesser mutations and mutagenic mushrooms you were fed early in train-pendulum (which must be si-

  ing. When the time came for the Trial of the Grasses, you were well prepared.

  multaneously dodged and at-

  Magical Backfire (-1 Vigor Threshold)

  tacked while it’s swinging) and

  5

  A failure casting a sign caused minor damage to your body. It was horrifical y painful, and even the gauntlet, a long, winding

  after your body healed your Vigor Threshold was lowered.

  path (lit ered with traps, pits,

  Top of Your Class (+1 Swordsmanship)

  6

  You were one of the best swordsmen in your class and your skil s haven’t dulled. You perform the and snares) that trainees must

  complex movements, pirouettes, and spins of the witcher with ease.

  run nearly every day. Many