What Lies Below: Game Masters Handbook By: Troy M.

Costisick Copyright 2012

Chapter 1: Introduction As the Game Master, you have the responsibility for making the players earn their stripes. You provide the opposition and obstacles they must overcome in order to achieve their goals. This doesnt mean its your job to prevent them from ever doing that, nor does it mean its your job to just rollover and allow the characters to succeed at every turn. Opposition is no fun if it is easily beaten. The GM is charged with many different responsibilities. You will portray all the characters the players will encounter during the campaign. You have to design the lairs the player-characters will explore. You have to adjudicate differences and rules questions among the players if necessary, and vividly describe all the setting elements. The GMs role is a mainly a reactive one. The players are the ones that will drive the action forward. They decide where they want to go and when they want to go. Your duty is to riff off their submissions then describe what happens as a result. Never lead the players toward any particular goal nor covertly manipulate them into pursuing your agenda. The GM is the facilitator of the action, not the drive. There are numerous situations that come up during play that you will address with the players. Some of them will be contests that require rolls and others will be resolved just by talking. Knowing when to roll and when to just say yes is part of learning how to be a good Game Master. The following sections cover the most common conflicts that will arise during play. No book can cover them all, so when you encounter something that is not detailed in the WLB rulebooks, you are empowered to use your best judgment to resolve the conundrum. Chapter 2: When to Call for a Roll and When to Say Yes. While playing What Lies Below, you are going to have to make judgment calls on what is important and what isnt nearly every moment of play. This can be a tough skill to learn, but with practice you will develop into an expert. There are two types of rolls in WLB: Ability Stat Checks and Reactions. Knowing when to use each is very important. Rolling Your Dice Whenever the GM has to roll dice, it should be done out in the open. Even rolling for wandering monsters (see Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Information, and Chapter X: Rewards) should be done where the players can see. The only time you should roll behind the GMs screen is if you are using the random lair generation tables included in this book. You dont want to give away tactical information to the players when it isnt necessary. But for all other rolls you should roll out in the open just like the players. Ability Stat Checks Whenever a character wants to do something that is dangerous, difficult, laborious, or important, you should call for a Stat Check (also sometimes called an Ability Check). The dice are an indicator to the players that something important and interesting is going on. Using them signifies that what the PCs are doing is not routine, but is impacting the setting in some way. Stat Checks should also be called for when there is a clash of agendas. For instance, if a PC wants to charm a guard at the Keep to get information about the Master-of-Arms, then you should call for a roll. The guards natural inclination will be to keep information to himself, to stay loyal to his commander. What the PC wants and what the NPC wants are different, so a roll is needed to see whose desires win out.

It is best not to call for too many Stat checks. If you overuse this mechanic, then rolling the dice will lose its novelty and significance. When a player picks up the dice, there should be a flutter in his or her stomach- a little bit of anxiety and a lot of excitement. Of course, never going to the dice is just as detrimental. The players need to feel like what they are doing is important. They need to know that their characters are having an impact on the world. So use your best judgment, feel it out as you play, and learn as you go. Just Saying Yes Sometimes a situation may arise that would normally require the player to make a roll; however, the GM views the situation as either trivial or critical to the storys advancement. In these cases, the GM has the power to just say, You succeed without any roll being necessary. Opposing everything the players try to do is no way to roleplay. GMs need to be able to pick out the moments when conflicts should escalate, when obstacles should be remembered. Routine activities, trivial feats of skill and knowledge, or in-the-moment reactions should not require rolls. Say yes and move on. Also, when you are nearing the end of a session, it is often wise not to call for too many Stat Checks and just say yes. If he PCs are heading back to the Keep to split treasure, accumulate EXP, and share their adventures with the rest of the troupe, we suggest that you not waste too much time with rolls for climbing, balancing, or jumping past the obstacles in the lair unless, for some reason, that is critical for play. Be mindful of the importance of what is happening. If overcoming those obstacles on the way up to Keep will not impact the setting or story in a significant way, then just say yes and move on. Fudging Rolls and Character Death There may come a time when the player-characters have bit off more than they can chew. They may have bumbled into a myconid colony, ticked off one too many trolls, or snuck passed all the upper tier content to encounter the boss way too early. If this happens, do not pull your punches. Do not roll your dice behind the GMs screen and then make up results to let the PCs out of it. The players chose the path they trod, and consequences should play out naturally. Similarly, dont roll behind the GMs screen and inflate the results to make the NPCs seem more dangerous than they are. Trust the system and trust your players enough to be honest about what is happening during the session and let the dice fall where they may. Characters are going to die frequently in WLB. Sometimes the entire party might be wiped out. Thats why the players created a Troupe. There should always be extra characters on hand to step in for those who have fallen. If a player seems unusually upset that his or her character has died, take a minute to talk it out. But be sure to explain that character death is an expected part of adventuring in the lairs of the Underearth. All a characters death means is that the other PCs now have a great motivation to get back down there and recover the dead characters gear. Chapter 3: Playing NPCs During a Contest The Core Rules explained how to resolve a contest using dice, but it didnt give any advice about strategy. Thats what the GMs Handbook is for. It can be tempting as a Game Master to pull your punches and allow the players to win fight after fight against the NPCs. You may think youre doing the players a favor by letting them win. This could not be further from the truth. Play in WLB is brutal and gritty. Player-characters are going to die often. Thats not a defect in the design, its a feature. When you are portraying the monsters that live in the Underearth, do not portray them as mindless nulls that wander aimlessly about the corridors. Portray them as intelligent beings who are determined to protect their realm against the invading surface dwellers.

All of the combat options that are listed in Chapter 4 of the Core Rules are open to the NPCs. They will strategize and coordinate their attacks just like the PCs. They will plan ambushes and set traps in anticipation of interloping adventurers. They will also adapt their strategies depending on the PCs tactics. Dont play out combat the same way, over and over. Vary your strategies to keep things fresh for the players. Specific Tactics The Underearth dwellers have several tactics that they typically like to employ. You should weave these into your campaign if possible to give the enemies more life and color. Attacking with Claws Almost all the monsters that live in the lairs have large, powerful claws. These claws are hard as iron and can rend flesh with ease. Not even plate armor can fully prevent their damage. Few denizens of the dark have metal weapons like the player-characters. In fact, weapons are more prized beneath the world than above it. Monsters can attack with one claw like a weapon or use both as if they were dual wielding weapons. See Chapter 4 in the Core Rules for how dual wielding works. Sitting in Ambush Once the PCs have made an incursion or two into a lair, the residents there are going to be ready for them. Either the entrance or some other choke point will be guarded by hidden monsters. You should liberally use ambushes in areas the PCs have explored and are traveling through again. The Accursed might be reluctant to ambush a single member of a party who is scouting ahead, since if he escapes the ruse will be ruined. However, if the entire group blunders into their ambush, they will be sure to make them pay for it. Luring a PC into a Trap When you design your lairs, you should sprinkle in many different traps. These traps didnt spontaneously appear in the lair, they were engineered and designed by those who live there. Thus, they know the traps locations, but the PCs do not. When in combat, an Accursed may slowly retreat to a different part of a room or corridor, carefully avoiding the trigger for a trap. If the PC carelessly follows, then the trap will spring and the PC will suffer the result. Feint Attacks Similar to luring a PC into a trap, the NPCs might at first charge in then quickly retreat to a different room hoping the PCs will follow. When the PCs enter the room, theyll be vulnerable to an ambush attack. The Accursed will often use this tactic if they know the PCs are somewhere on their tier but arent sure where. This method is also very effective if the NPCs have some scouts at their disposal. Retreat into Reinforcements Rather than run to an empty room, the Accursed may run to a room full of their allies or to a room that has a more powerful enemy. For instance, a trio of kobolds might retreat to a room full of orcs then hide in the corners hoping the PCs will follow. A goblin might lead the PCs into a myconid spore farm. An orc might run to the undead section. This will turn the tables on the PCs and even the odds in a fight. Attacking Light Sources Most surface dwellers cant see in the dark, and the Accursed know this. So they might attack the PCs torches and lanterns using ranged weapons. See the Called Shot rules in Chapter 4 of the Core Rules for details on

how to knock objects out of a targets hand. If a called shot on a light source succeeds, it falls to the ground and extinguishes. Retreat and Morale Retreat for NPCs works basically the same way it does for the players characters. At any time, during the NPCs turn, he or she can run away at 5x walk speed. There is one restriction on this. If the player-characters have the Accursed trapped, cornered, or subdued he or she cannot retreat. At this point, they must fight it out until its over or surrender. Monsters are not just mindless automatons that blindly attack any foe regardless of how powerful that foe might be. Each monster, with the exception of undead, has a morale score (see GM Handbook). If a number of monsters are killed equal to or greater than that monsters morale score during a single combat, the monster retreats. If the monster has to go through the PCs to reach an exit, the GM should roll a Body Reaction for the monster vs. the PC with the highest Body. If the reaction succeeds, the monster dodges all attacks and escapes. If the reaction fails, any PC within arms reach of the monsters escape route can make one attack before it leaves the room. Capturing Player-Characters Some of the more advanced underdwellers (mainly goblins, orcs, and minotaurs) will take unconscious adventurers hostage. They will hold them for ransom. Like the races above, the creatures below do have an economy. Currency is just as important to the Accursed in many cases, so having them occasionally imprison a PC and engage in negotiation for his release is a fresh tactic you can use as a GM to add a twist to the campaign. The players are always free to try to break the captured character out of the dungeon as well, so it will be interesting for you to see how they decide to tackle such an obstacle. Any player-character returned to the Troupe will not be returned with his or her items. The Accursed will keep all weapons, armor, rations, containers, and gear for themselves. They regard such things as a just payment for their troubles. Learned Strategies The Accursed arent dumb. If the players pull the same tricks against them over and over, they will catch on. They will adjust their tactics to negate the advantage the PCs enjoy. They might even begin employing those same tactics if at all possible. For instance, if the player-characters lure goblins into a lamp oil trap over and over, the goblins will set their own lamp oil traps if they can. If the players drop a pile of rocks on them over and over, the Accursed will rig some trap that will do the same to them. Adventuring in the Underearth is always a game of cat and mouse. Adjust your tactics as necessary, and keep the players innovating to stay ahead. NPC Values The values associated with NPCs stats, damage, movement, and morale do not follow the same rules as the players characters. Lets repeat that: the NPCs do not follow the same rules as the PCs. The two groups are from entirely different cultures with entirely different practices and outlooks on line. Each has its own unique understanding of the world and unique ways of passing that on to the next generation. Take for instance an Elite Froglock. An Elite Froglock deals 8 damage regardless if he attacks with his tongue or with a weapon. That feat cannot be copied by the players. The maximum damage they and do with a weapon is 6 and the only damage they can inflict with their tongues is emotional. The types of spells the NPCs use, the mana costs, the powers they use, and the damage they deal will all be operating under different

assumptions than under what the PCs will operate. That is as it should be. You cannot get more opposite than angels and demons, elves and orcs, dwarves and vampires. So if some of the mechanics in this book seem to work differently from those in the Players Handbook, that is because they are different. Henchmen Sometimes the players may just decide that they want to let someone else tackle a particular mission in the Underearth rather than their characters. In these instances, they can hire henchmen. Each henchmen guild is allotted a certain number of henchmen units (one for every 50 members). When the players hire a unit, they must pay 500 Bronze Pieces up front. The costs may increase or decrease depending on the results. The PCs must then give them a mission to accomplish. The task must be simple and narrowly defined. It cant be something like, Kill all the monsters on the fifth tier. That is too large of a task. Something like, Kill all the monsters in a specific room and bring back their treasure or bring back five myconid caps or Find a key to the secret room on the third tier You can haggle with and reject offers from the PCs according to how you think the henchmen might react to their request. Once the henchmen are paid, they will go to the lair and try to accomplish the task given them by the players. You will then roll a single d6 and use the result to consult the table below: 1: Full Failure- the entire henchman unit is killed and the mission left completely unfinished. 2-3: Partial Failure- up to half of the mission is accomplished, but half of the unit is killed. 4: Partial Success- at least half of the mission is accomplished, but not all of it. None in the unit were killed. 5-6: Complete Success- the mission was completed according to the agreement with no fatalities. On a result of a 1, all future hirings of a henchman unit will cost 200 more bronze pieces since the playercharacters will have a reputation of giving reckless missions. On a result of a 2 or 3, the PCs will owe the henchman unit an additional 100 bronze pieces to compensate them for their loss. They will not divulge any information about the mission until they are paid. On a result of a 4, the unit will refund the PCs 100 bronze pieces since they did not complete the mission. The number you roll is also the number of days it takes to complete the mission. So on a roll of a 1, it takes one day for the PCs to find out the henchman unit was lost. On a roll of a 6, it takes six days for the henchmen to return to the Keep with whatever the PCs sent them after. Anything the unit captures on the mission will be given to the PCs including skins, trap components, treasure, and magic items. So whatever you originally placed in that room will end up with the PCs eventually if the henchman unit succeeds. However, the players MAY NOT hire henchmen to complete any mission on the boss tier (See Lair Creation Guide). That is something no henchman is crazy enough to try. The PCs must tackle that level in the dungeon all on their own. Chapter 4: Playing NPCs Outside a Contest Not all interaction between player-characters and NPCs will take place in a contest. The players only need to pick up the dice when something is really important. As a GM, you can oppose the players agendas by having the NPCs at the Keep be weak, belligerent, greedy, narcissistic, or needy based on the situation. A lot of the economy of the guild Keep is based on bronze pieces. Haggling over price is something that can be carried out through dialogue between the players and GM. If the situation can be resolved that way, great! If an impasse arises, though, the players are free to pick up their dice and use a Stat Check (Mind) to try to get what they want. Haggling and PC to NPC negotiations may take a little while to learn, but in time it will become obvious when conflicts can be negotiated person-to-person or when the dice are needed to resolve a problem.

Players Successes During a scene, the player-characters and NPCs may have opposing agendas. Example: the players want to protect their homeland and attain glory while the Goblins want to serve the boss of the lair. When these groups come into contact, each is likely to take actions that require rolls. Player successes always trump successes for the characters controlled by the GM. If a thief succeeds in his Hide in Shadows roll, then the character is hidden. No amount of successes from the NPC can find him. If the player-character succeeds in her Body Check to trip an opponent, no amount of successes can save the NPC from losing his or her balance. If the player makes his Soul Stat Check to discern if someone is lying, the NPCs deceit is discovered. Once a player has a success, it cannot be undone by the actions of the GM or character he or she controls. Having NPCs take the Initiative The player-characters are not the only dynamic characters in the game. The NPCs (or GM Characters) have motivations as well. If the PCs are at the Keep, have an NPC or two approach them with a rumor, problem, opportunity, or idea. The players can refuse, and thats fine. They should never feel compelled to take up an NPCs offer. But presenting the players with a quest or intrigue within the castle can add meaning to what the characters are doing. This also increases the sense of depth and realism of your setting. The various adventurers, leaders, guards, artisans, and whatnot within the Keep are actors upon the stage as well. The players should understand this and feel free to engage them in their stories as well. Passing Along Rumors One of the great pastimes within the tavern of a guilds Keep is passing along rumors about what is going on within the Keep and within the lairs below. The following, is a list of rumors that often float about a guilds Keep. Feel free to use them during play or come up with your own. Some might be false; most are probably true. You decide what that might be. 1. After nightfall, a vampire stalks the Keep. 2. An artisan is supplying the kobolds with food and medicine. 3. Dew collected from rose blooms during a full moon has healing properties. 4. Eating a large amount of myconid spores can greatly increase ones strength for a brief amount of time. 5. Elementals can be slowed to half their movement and actions by dumping a bucket of ash on them. 6. Fire deals extra damage to orcs and goblins. 7. Hidden in one of the lairs is a lost colony of ogres who did not suffer the curse. 8. Kobolds are afraid of juniper berries. 9. Several of the artisans are fixing prices to gouge adventurers. 10. Someone is stealing from the Keeps vault. 11. The goblins are at war with the halflings. 12. The half-men are breeding trolls and orcs to create a new and terrifying species. 13. The leader of the Keep is having an affair with several guards. 14. The Master-of-Arms is selling weapons to the Accursed. 15. The undead are digging a tunnel under the Keep. 16. There are magic weapons hidden somewhere in the Keeps armory. 17. There is a giant emerald worshiped by the myconids in one of the lairs. 18. There is a long lost hidden compartment in one of the Keeps corridors full of bronze pieces. 19. There is a lost princess held by a demon in one of the lairs. 20. There is a magic pool in one of the lairs that has healing properties. 21. There is a magic suit of armor hidden in a troll nest. 22. There is a secret entrance that goes down five tiers to one of the lairs. 23. There is an alchemist that lives in the lairs who has discovered how to transmute bronze into gold. 24. Theres a ghost in the bell tower.

25. Undead froglock skin makes bandages that increase ones rate of healing. Chapter 5: Keeping Track of Information During Play The Game Master needs to be aware of the general status of the player-characters and the lair at all times during play. To help you keep track, there is a Game Master Record Sheet at the back of this book with several areas where you can write down pertinent information that will come up during play. Make liberal use of this sheet. It will save you a great amount of time and effort during play. The following sections detail what you should be keeping track of during play. PC Levels In the beginning, this is easy. Every character starts out at level 1. However, characters will advance at different rates. This will be explained in the Rewards chapter later on. You need to keep track of who is what level. This will matter in your tactics during combat and how NPCs will regard the PCs when they meet. Movement Most adventuring will be done at the Creep speed of the Mapper or Backup Mapper- whichever is slowest. As you design your lairs, take this into account. Also, keep it in mind as you play. Tracking time and how much of a lair the PCs have explored is important. NPCs will try to heal up from battles with the PCs, so knowing how much time has passed will help you figure out what condition the Accursed will be in if another fight ensues. Fatigue Points Keeping track of fatigue may be the most arduous task as a GM, but it is very rewarding. Forcing the players to choose what to take and what to leave behind is fun for them. It means traveling smart and light. It means planning ahead and thinking tactically. These are the hallmarks of good adventuring. Within each character box on the GM Record Sheet is a space to track Fatigue Points (FPs) assuming a creep pace. FPs may move up or down depending on the speed at which the characters travel and what loot they accumulate as they go. You dont have to stop and update that value every time they change speeds or grab a purse of coins. That would be too much. But you should keep in mind any general changes to the FPs the characters are accumulating and then apply them to the Default Difficulty when necessary. Remember, each FP a character gets beyond his or her Body Stat results in a +1 modifier to the Default Difficulty (see Chapter 2: Equipment in the Core Rules). Cleared Rooms As the PCs explore the lairs, they will clear out various rooms and tunnels of enemies and traps. You should track which ones have been cleared and which ones havent. This way, when the Accursed return, you know where they might go and also where the PCs might rest unmolested. Time Characters always move in 5 second rounds. Keeping track of this is easy, because you can measure how far theyve gone in the lair and use that to calculate how many rounds, minutes, and hours they have spent down there. Out of every 24 hour period, the PCs will need to sleep for 8 of them for suffer fatigue penalties (see Chapter 9: Equipment and Fatigue). If you lose track of time or the PCs arent in the lair or if some other effect causes time to pass, you can always estimate how much time has gone by. The GM is the final word on time lapsing.

Wandering Monsters At some point, the player-characters will need to rest underground to heal damage, eat, and sleep. This is a perfect opportunity for the Accursed to strike them. For every hour the PCs stay in the same general area, roll a d6. On a result of a 1, a wander monster enters the PCs location. Consult the Wandering Monster tables at the end of this book when you roll. The type of monster depends on the tier and does not count towards a tiers EXP value (see Chapter 6: Rewards). Order of March Players must set an order of march which is the assumed position of each character relative to each other. Unless the players stipulate otherwise, this is the formation you will assume the characters are using at all times. You may be represented with miniatures, but it is not necessary. Order of march may have to be modified from time to time because of the size of the tunnels in a lair. Assume a character needs a 3 Radius to walk comfortably. So two standing abreast would be 6 across, three would be 9, etc. If there is less than the 3 each character needs to be comfortable, they can alter their order of march or be forced to act under the Cramped Quarters modifiers mentioned in Chapter 3: Resolution in the Core Rules. Chapter 6: Rewards There is basically one type of reward in What Lies Below: money. Bronze Pieces (BPs) are the base coin of the realm and therefore are tied to a characters place in the world. The more cash he or she digs from under the belly of the world and brings to the economy of the surface, the more important he or she becomes. Experience Points (EXP) is only awarded for taking BPs. It is not awarded for killing an enemy, bartering with the moneychangers, or bedding the barmaids. The only way to earn EXP using the standard rules for play is to find ways to earn BP. Acquiring Bronze Pieces Most of the time, Bronze Pieces will be garnered by the PCs through adventuring in the Underearth. It is conceivable that a character could earn some extra bronze by performing jobs for artisans or important figures at the guilds Keep, but for the most part, it takes adventuring to get cash. There are two main sources of BPs in the lairs: Monsters and Traps. Bronze from Monsters Each of the Accursed has a certain EXP value (see Monster Charts in this book). Thats how much bronze pieces that NPC is worth. Now, how the PCs get that bronze and how the NPC is carrying the bronze can be as wildly varied as your imagination can create. Most of the time, though, there are four main ways PCs can extract bronze pieces from a defeated foe. Method #1: Stealing It Some monsters like to hoard shiny objects. There is no rhyme or reason, they just do. Undead are notorious for this. They like to pile up discarded weapons, armor, and coins in one of their rooms and guard it from intruders. Presumably, whoever created them in the first place wanted undead to collect such things to be used later by their masters. Now they do it on their own. Other monsters carry change purses on their belts or around their necks. Most kobolds, goblins, minotaurs, dark elves, and orcs do this as they have a thriving underground economy amongst themselves. Halflings are also known to carry coins, and even wear them as ornamentation.

Regardless of which method the Accursed prefers, if you set the EXP value for the monster to be represented by coins, then those coins should be nearby or on the person of the monster. In these instances, a crafty PC can try to steal them. Often, this is left to thieves. Thieves have the Pick Pocket skill. On a successful roll, they swipe all coins or weapons or other small object held by the target without the targets notice. On a failed roll, the target obviously catches them in the act. However, one need not be a thief to steal. Other characters of different classes can make a series of Body Stat Checks to pilfer coins or items. They should make one check to sneak to their target, another check to take the item, and a third to sneak away. All of these would be modified by the targets Mind stat. If all three checks are successful, then the PC gets what he or she was after. Method #2: Killing For It If all that sneaking around is too much of a hassle, theres always the direct approach. The PCs can just attack and kill their enemy. This is pretty clear cut. You kill something, you search its body and take what you can. Most Accursed use their claws when attacking, but some carry weapons. Treat weapons, armor, and other equipment carried by the monsters as having half their BP value thats stated on the Equipment List. Most artisans and merchants at the Keep will only give the PCs 50% of an items value if the PC wants to sell it to them. Method #3: Harvesting the Kill Some monsters have skin that can be harvested and turned into magical armor. For instance, dire bats, orcs, trolls, and dragons all have skin that is valuable for protection. The process to turn hide into armor is complex. It requires the ability to make magic items. Bards, Templars, and Wizards are the only PC classes that can do this. If there is an alchemist at the Keep or if they befriend one in the Underearth, he or she can make such armors as well. Hides from these specific creatures have a resale value as follows: Dire Bat Hide: 20 BP, Orc Hide: 100 BP, Troll Hide: 500 BP, Dragon Hide: 2,500 BP. For the purposes of calculating EXP values, these costs are halved since if a PC wanted to sell them, an artisan would only give them half value for them. So, when figuring how much BP a monster might carry or what weapons he or she might have, take into account the hide values for these creatures and adjust from there. Method #4: Talking them Out of It There are those who say that if violence isnt the answer, youre not asking the right questions. But not everything has to be resolved in the Underearth by the edge of a sword. PCs can extort Bronze Pieces and other treasure by agreeing not to attack them in return for payment. This tribute system may be lucrative for the players. If an NPC is extorted in this way or stolen from as in method #1, it regenerates one bronze piece per day. So after receiving payment from a group of kobolds, the PCs can return in a week and get 7BP from each once again. Each time the PCs do this, they should receive EXP for it. PCs can also bargain with the Accursed if they so desire. For instance, they might agree to attack a group of orcs that is harassing a clutch of halflings. As payment, the halflings would give them a certain amount of treasure. If the agreement is honored, the PCs should get EXP for their payment. Traps All traps have some kind of mechanism that allows them to work. The skill and expertise it takes to make a functional trap is considerable. Also, the materials that go into making a trap are valuable. PCs can salvage a trap mechanism and sell the parts for EXP. The EXP value of the trap (see Trap Creation in the Lair Creation Guide) is equal to the amount of BP an artisan will give the PCs for it.

Splitting the Loot The players will decide how to split the loot they get from the Underearth or the Keep. Once they do, you will then award EXP. EXP is not awarded until the loot is divided. The GM should play no part in the players decisions on how to divide treasure. It is entirely up to them. Non-Bronze Treasure Weve already mentioned skins, trap components, and weapons as non-bronze treasure, but there are other things monsters might hoard that have value. On the Equipment List you might see gemstones and units of metal and minerals. These are also carried by the Accursed and are valuable to the surface dwellers. Most of them are used in making Magic Items. Treat their EXP values as half the sale value listed on the Equipment List. Magic Items Adding magic items to a lair is covered in the Lair Creation Guide. To figure a magic items BP value, look at sale values the component parts (the gems, metals, minerals, and objects that went into making it). Halve the total value of them and that is how much an artisan will give the PCs for such an item provided it is still fully functional with all its charges and properties in tact. This is also the EXP value of the item. Any time a character is given a magic item when the party is dividing loot, that character then receives the EXP award for it. If the party chooses not to give the item to a specific character (say they want to keep it for anyone in the group to use), then no character is awarded EXP for finding it. Trading and Spending Bronze Pieces Spending BPs does not subtract EXP from a character. Also, trading one item (say a broadsword) for another item (say a shield) does not give the character any extra EXP. However, if a PC does manage to trade an item of lesser value for an item of greater value with an NPC, then the character should be awarded the difference in EXP even if it is just a small amount. Bonus Bronze Pieces As mentioned in the Lair Creation guide, Bronze Pieces (and therefore EXP) that comes from wandering monsters or other ingenious methods of the players does not count toward a tiers EXP value. So extra loot they get from these rules is just bonus. The GM should not withhold BPs from the characters just because they come from unplanned sources. In fact, earning BPs in unexpected ways is a sign of excellent roleplaying. Optional EXP Awards The standard rules for awarding EXP are all those presented before this section in chapter 6. The following rules are optional rules GMs may employ if they so desire. These rules for bonus EXP do not use the 1 Bronze Piece = 1 Experience Point formula. They directly award EXP to the characters (i.e. the characters do not earn BPs for EXP awarded in this way). GMs should think carefully before using any of these rules. Being too free with EXP can be detrimental to the players sense of accomplishment. If earning rewards comes too easily, if the encounters become facile because the PCs are gaining levels too fast, then they could lose interest as the challenge of the game evaporates. EXP awards are a GMs most precious resource. Use them wisely. Clearing out an entire level

If a group kills or neutralizes every monster, trap, and puzzle on a single tier, then you may want to award each character between 50 and 200 bonus EXP. Thoroughness is not expected in the PCs treks to the Underearth, so clearing an entire level is quite a feat. GMs may reward such an accomplishment at their pleasure. Near-perfect Map Drawing of an Entire Tier It is pretty rare for the map made by the players to exactly match or even closely match the map made by the GM. The vagaries of human communication make exact translation of the setting very difficult. Therefore, if you want to include bonus points for excellent mapping, you may award 50-100 EXP to any and all characters played by any and all players who worked on that particular tier. Parley instead of combat There can be a tendency for some players just to hack and slash their way through a lair. If thats their preferred style, then fine. Theres nothing wrong with it. However, players should be made aware that there are more ways to get the bronze pieces they covet than just slaughtering everything that moves below the surface. Awarding 20-80 bonus EXP for Parleying with NPCs is a great way to incentivize non-violent interactions with the Accursed. If you want to encourage that sort of behavior, this optional method of passing out EXP rewards will go a long way in helping you achieve that goal. Good Roleplaying and Clever Ideas Acting in character, strategizing during combat, circumventing the bad guys, and helping a friend are just a few of the things that make a good roleplayer. GMs may award 10-100 bonus EXP to the character(s) of any player who shows exceptional skill and/or acting during play. You, as the GM, can define exceptional skill any way you wish, just remember to apply that standard evenly across the board to all players. Retrieving the Lost Relic Held by the Dungeon Boss As mentioned in the Lair Creation Guide, each lair boss will have some kind of relic or artifact the guild was charged to recover. Returning this to the guild or other authority is an important part of play. For finishing this quest, the GM may award 50-500 bonus EXP to each character who participated. This extra EXP is wholly unnecessary since the PCs had to overcome many EXP-awarding challenges on the way to retrieving the item in the first place, but rewards for a job well-done are always appreciated. Players may feel their actions were more valued if the end of the quest means getting an additional reward of some kind. Followers After 10th level, characters may begin attracting followers. These followers will be allowed to stay at the Keep as members of the guild without the PCs having to pay them any extra money. The Followers can be added to the Troupe and played by the players as if they were player-characters. At your option, you may have a Follower be one of the NPCs from the guild. If, during play, the PCs have befriended a character that matches or closely matches the character described on a players Follower Roll (see Chapter 3: Rewards in the Players Handbook), then you may select that character to join the Troupe. If/when the players decide to strike out on their own to form a new guild, the PCs must then begin paying the followers according to the cost value on the Follower Table. Usually, a guild will ask the PCs to leave once they have 50 followers or more. Once the PCs new guild is established and parties begin making treks into the Underearth, the costs of keeping the followers to run and protect their Keep will be mitigated. Taxes

Guilds charge their members a small fee to maintain their membership. 10% of all the Bronze Pieces characters bring in from the lairs must be paid to the Keeps vault. This is used to buy supplies for the guild members and fund repairs and improvements for the facilities. If the PCs refuse to pay the taxes, they will not be allowed to use guild facilities and will have to buy their own food and drink. Chapter 7: Describing the Action A big part of a GMs job is to describe the world and much of what happens in it. The players control what their characters do, but you control how the setting reacts to their decisions. What happens when a character shines his lantern on the cave wall? What happens when a PC flirts with the barkeep? What happens to the lairs dynamics when the players decide to wipe out the trolls but leave the goblins unharmed? These are just a few examples of the types of information you will be expected to generate off the top of your head during play. To be a good GM, you need to be flexible, but that doesnt mean you cant prepare a lot of description prior to play. This section will help you plan ahead or at the very least, help familiarize you with the types of things you will describe during play. The Map Describing room after room can get very tiresome if each one is like the next. That is why it is so important to include special features for each room as you design your lair- its as much for your entertainment as it is the players. Sometimes, while you are in the midst of describing a room, you may suddenly get a great idea that youd like to add. By all means, go ahead and change the small details on your map to include your new idea. Inspiration can strike at any time. A little while later in this book, were going to advise you to stay true to your prep, but staying true to your prep just means not fudging dice rolls, using covert force to get the players to do what you want, or scaling up/down encounters because you think the PCs are over or under matched. But adding detail to your world and increasing your own engagement with it is part of being a good GM. Alter what youve drawn as much as you like until its been said aloud during that game. Once your description of a room has been given to the players, that description needs to be accurate for the rest of the campaign. So how should one describe a room? There are several different methods people commonly use to describe a new section of a lair to the players. Top to Bottom/Bottom to Top: Start with the ceiling (or floor). What is it made out of? How high is it? Is there anything hanging from it? Then go to the walls- left, right, front, back. What, if anything, is hanging on the walls? Then describe the floor. What objects are potential obstacles? Which are potential resources? Left to Right: Describe the left side of the room, from floor to ceiling. Then the middle. Then the right hand side. What is the stonework like? Is this room seldom traveled or frequently used? How can the PCs tell? Front to Back/Back to Front: Begin by describing the point at which the PCs enter the room. What is the entrance like? What do they see first, second, third, etc? Choose a Focal Point, then Radiate Out: Choose the most unique and/or identifying feature of the room. Then radiate out with your description. What is around the focal point. What is closest to it? What is furthest away? Bare Bones: Describe only the most relevant information: monsters, obstacles, and anything that might give a PC a modifier to the DD. Some groups dont care a lot about fancy description. They just want to know where they have to go and what they have to kill.

No one method is right every time. All of them have their merits. We suggest mixing up which method you use frequently during the session to keep both yourself and your players engaged. Directions As the characters move throughout the lair, you should-for the most part-describe their movements according to the cardinal directions (North, South, East West). For simplicitys sake, assume the top of the map is always North, the bottom South, the left West, and the right East. Youre not required to describe things that way, but not doing so could cause confusion for both you and the players. The one exception to describing movement in terms of NSEW is if the PCs get lost. If they are lost, describe their movements in terms of left, right, backwards, and forwards until they reestablish their bearings. Using these directions will add to the players sense of disorientation, and when the players can feel what their characters are feeling, you know you have a good campaign going. The Cause and Not the Effect Always describe the cause of something to the players, but hold off on describing the effect till you hear from them. For instance, if they pull a lever and open a pit trap, describe the sounds and the trap door swinging open, and then find out what they do in response. Dont say, Your character falls into a pit! Depending upon the fiction, you may designate one or more characters who cannot react. They might be too slow, too far way, or too engaged elsewhere. However, there will be some characters who can react. In these instances, do what comes logically based on whats happened in the game. Can they make a Body Reaction to save the other PC? Can they call out to someone else for help? The role of the GM in What Lies Below is not about being mean or punishing the players for bad rolls/stupidity. Its about following the fiction the group creates to its logical ends. This is important: Do what flows naturally from the fiction youve created! If that means a character dies, then the character dies. But if it means the players are given opportunities to save their characters, then all the better. Spell Effects Spells, songs, powers, etc. all have a magical effect on the world. When a player successfully rolls to use one of these and defers to you to describe its effects (which may happen often), take the opportunity to say something unique and wondrous. Powers and spells are not used frequently, so when they are, it needs to memorable for the players. You should add in extra effects such as sounds, flashes of light, gusts of wind, rumbles in the walls, and scents in the air that go beyond what is just described in the players hand book. Magic is magical. It shouldnt be confined to what is codified within these tomes. Combat There will be a lot of action during combat. You will be in charge of describing most of it. Generally, you can get by with brief descriptions like, He swings at your head, but misses wildly! or You connect with a solid shot to his torso. Dont spend too much time describing hits and misses. However, at critical moments in combat, like when a character is dying or has performed some astounding stunt, describe it in full detail. For example, You bring down your warhammer on his skull, denting his helmet. His body crumples to the floor with a sickening thud, and blood oozes from his nostrils onto the cold, damp floor. Theres a brief twitch in his legs, then nothing. What do you do next?

It is very important to always ask what a player does after downing a foe. Remember, a character that takes more damage than his or her Body Stat isnt killed, just knocked unconscious. Someone has to come by with a finishing blow to end the victims life. NPCs The people the player-characters interact with in the world need personality. If everyone is the same old cynical, grizzled veteran of the old wars and treats the PCs with disdain, the players will get bored. Likewise, if every character they meet treats them like a thrice-honored guest, the players will grow tired of this treatment as well. Vary your approach to each NPC. These are your characters. Invest a little of yourself in them, even the monsters. If you care, then the players will care too. Here is just a simple and very generic list of personality types you can portray. If youre stuck for an idea, choose one from this table: Animal Lover Apathetic Youth Arrogant Bully Bitter Lover Bloodlusting Brute Carefree Soul Compassionate Friend Country Bumpkin Delightful Companion Disillusioned Middle-Aged Person Dutiful Soldier Elitist Snob Eternal Optimist Good Listener Grizzled Old Veteran Hate-Filled Drunk Hen-pecked Husband High-strung Stress Addict Hopeless Lover Learned Scholar Nave Young Person Overbearing Administrator Paranoid Worry-monger Proud Hero Religious Zealot The Prankster The Romantic The Scarred Adventurer Wacky Doomsayer Wise Old Counselor Props Using physical items and illustrations as visual aids is a wonderful thing. Players love having something their imaginations can latch onto and project into their imagined version of your world. Costumes, printouts, fake weapons, and miniatures can all be used to ground the players imaginations into what you are describing. They can also be useful as an objective frame of reference. We sometimes take for granted what other people imagine our characters, settings, and items to look like. It would be surprising to learn how different they often

are. Using props puts everyone on the same page and can add some color and life to your descriptions they would not have otherwise had. Chapter 8: Handling Difficult Situations As your campaign ages, you will come across situations that arent handled by the standard character creation or contest resolution rules. Some of these will be inter-personal, meaning a conflict amongst the people at the table. Others might be conflicts with the rules where what the people at the table want and what the rules prescribe seem to disagree. This section tries to advise GMs on how to handle such situations. Player Conflicts Sometimes personalities clash. Even the best of friends can get on each others nerves. During play, its possible that some players begin irritating or antagonizing each other. Once it becomes disruptive to the game, it needs to be dealt with. Often, players can work things out by expressing why they are upset and being honest with each other. As GM, your role in this situation is just to facilitate conversation. Youre the good listener, the good friend, the mediator. If talking it out doesnt work, propose a solution that will allow the campaign to continue on. Then, after the session, see if you can encourage the players at conflict to work out their differences. If the players cannot agree to your solution, it may be time to suspend the campaign until the group can proceed without the conflicting parties or until whatever issue caused the disruption is resolved. Rule Questions Reading the rule books for What Lies Below is an exercise in interpretation. Weve done our best to communicate how to play, when to use the rules, and when to just talk. But sometimes, different people will understand these rules in different ways. If anyone at the table calls a rule into question, hear them out. It may be that their understanding is more correct. Ask for the input of everyone at the table. Getting a lot of viewpoints is usually helpful. You, as the GM, have final say over how the rules will work, but it is best to listen to the other players and accommodate them if at all possible. Remember, the campaign is about them and their characters. Adjusting the way a rule or mechanic has been working to promote good play is always acceptable. The Players Wasting Paper when Mapping The players have no idea what your map looks like. Perhaps theyve created underground maps before for other games, so they have some experience with them. But again, they have no clue what your map looks like. As a result, they often dont know where to start drawing. They might choose the top center, the upper left-hand corner, the bottom right corner, or something else. This can result in a lot of wasted paper and extra book keeping if the lair makes a sudden turn off the sheet and they have to start a new one. If this seems to be happening, it is not a bad idea to tell the Mapper and Back-up Mapper where to start drawing on their graph paper. Youre not really giving any information away when you do this. Letting them know where to begin merely saves time, resources, and frustration. It also helps to build a little trust between the players and the GM since they know that you want them to be successful during play. Overpowered Characters Player-characters will accumulate levels and magic items as the game goes on. Sometimes, especially for newer GMs, the PCs may accumulate enough resources where each encounter seems to get more and more

trivial. The characters dont get hit very often, and when they do it doesnt have any lasting effect on the players tactics. If this happens, there are several things you can do. First, is to change your tactics as GM. The players use a lot of strategy, but you can do the same. Start hiding NPCs in rooms where there are NPCs out in the open. If the players dont scout ahead and try to locate hidden enemies, you can use them to ambush the PCs when they show up. Also, mix up your NPC batches to have enough fighters to protect spell casters as they lob bombs on the players, one right after the other. You can also try swarming the PCs with lots of smaller creatures like kobolds and dire bats. Often, if there are just too many enemies for the PCs to handle at once they will have to attack, retreat, heal, and re-attack several times to clear a room. That will be a much more fun and interesting challenge for them and for you. Finally, if you havent been making much use of traps, parley, and riddles in your game, its probably time to start. Not every encounter needs to be about combat. Mixing up the dangers and how the PCs have to approach them keeps the game fresh and interesting. Second, you can steal things from the players or destroy them outright. Supposed allies at the Keep could turn on them. Wander monsters can just grab the first shiny thing they see at the PCs camp and run off with it. Corrosion Creepers can destroy their weapons and armor. You also might require that a character sacrifice a magic item to an idol or energy field to gain entrance to the next level of a lair. This will take a lot of power away from the players but at the same time, give them opportunities to earn more in return. Third, use vampires. Vampires are great bosses because they drain Stats. If the players finish your first lair and have accumulated a troupe of very powerful PCs, make your next lair smaller with a vampire as its boss. You will still have to think very tactically, as the vampire might not last too long in a fight against high-powered characters, but if you play your cards right, a single vampire can humble a mighty foe for the next lair. Finally, vary the design of your lairs. The lairs themselves can be an obstacle for players where stats are less important. Use narrow passages to isolate characters. Use intersections where six or seven tunnels come together. This will cause a party to stop and scout before going on. Splitting up a party always puts certain members in peril, but they have to do it or risk ambush. Create huge pits or trenches that the party has to cross. This will require several Body Reactions to avoid falling. Remember to use your terrain modifiers in these instances (see Core Rules and Lair Creation Guide). And dont be afraid to create very confusing lair designs for high powered characters. No matter how powerful they get, no player wants his or her character lost in a lair. That is always a dangerous place to be. Total Party Kills (TPKs) Exploration in WLB is deadly. Thats why the players have a Troupe instead of just a single character apiece. Typically, if an encounter turns deadly, only one or two characters will perish at a time. However, on occasion, things will go really wrong and the entire exploration party will be wiped out. It can be tempting to lay blame on the players or the GM or even the game, but if this happens, you and your group need to look at the situation. First, try to find out if there was there some kind of miscommunications. Did the players misunderstand you when you said there were three orcs and a golem in the next room? Did you misunderstand them when they said they turned south and walked down the tunnel? If this is your first time playing What Lies Below, then errors in communication can be expected. It will take time to develop a mutual vocabulary that avoids misinterpretation. In these instances, be patient and understanding. Its not just the characters who gain experience through play. Second, examine your set-up for the room. How was the encounter designed? Did you have too many monsters in one room? Were the monsters not appropriate for the capabilities of the player-characters? Was there something about the form and function of the room that limited the players ability to understand the nature of the encounter? These questions are not meant to suggest that you design easy or repetitive encounters.

Not at all! You must exercise your creativity and deviousness as you design the lair; however, you must also not make the encounters so cryptic and confusing that the players cannot comprehend what is happening. Remember, NPC motivations and tactics need to be simple enough for the players to quickly comprehend. They dont have the advantage of seeing the entire map like your nor knowing why the NPCs do what they do. Finally, replay the scene together. Were the rolls for the players unusually bad? Or unusually good for the GM? Did someone forget to use a spell, power, or magic item they had at their disposal? Was the players plan tactically sound? If you see where things went wrong for the players, you dont have to keep it a secret. You are free to provide your insights any time you feel they are welcome and appropriate. Often, discussing what happened in a scene will show where errors in tactics or judgment were made. Assigning fault or blame is counterproductive. Instead, learn from the situation. Figure out why the total party kill happened, and if it was a mistake on someones part, consider ways to avoid making the same error in the future. If the TPK was a natural progression of logical choices by all members, then the deaths must be accepted as just a feature of play. Thats why there are back-up characters in the first place. One way to sidestep TPKs or mitigate the hurt from them is to always practice full disclosure of the details as much as possible. If the PCs ask a question, give a full answer. Dont give away all your secrets, obviously, but dont hold back if the PCs do enough investigation to learn them. When in doubt, err or the side of generosity: reveal in the PCs favor. If you follow this model, then you will be justified in a TPK because you gave the players all the info they needed to avoid it. Staying True to Your Prep and the Dice There will be times when, as the campaign evolves, you will realize that either your encounters are too tough, too easy, or too boring for the players. It will be tempting to begin changing things around to make them easier, harder, or more engaging. Resist this temptation during play. This game is built on trust. The players trust you not to railroad them into following a storyline youve created in the lair if they dont find it interesting. They trust you not to block them from advancing in the dungeon if they want to proceed. They trust you not to fudge the die rolls to keep their characters alive or to harm their characters unfairly. Once youve created the lair, thats the way it should be played for the entire session. Dont ease up. Dont reroll the dice to get a more satisfactory result (you should be rolling in the open anyway). Dont add in monsters that werent there in your original design. After the session, though, you can certainly go back and change things for the next one! If the encounters have been too easy, try using some different monsters will similar EXP values. If the encounters have been too hard, try throwing in some magic items to help the players out. If the players arent interested in the storylines you have going, conceive of how these storylines would play out anyway. Then show the players the consequences for not getting involved. If they still dont care, thats fine. They dont have to. After all, the campaign is about the PCs, not the NPCs. But if you do want the players to get interested, the way you make them excited about something is to show that you are excited about it. You wont get their cooperation by forcing them into it at every turn. Similarly, dont reroll results on the dice you dont like. If a roll kills a character, then the character dies. If the players roll three triples in a row against your dragon boss and kill it before it has a chance to strike back, then so be it. The dice are an objective arbiter. The randomness they provide will often give the campaign its most memorable moments. Trust in them and trust in your players to deliver a satisfying story that you can all look back on with fondness.

Improvised Strategies Lets say that the PCs have rigged a bunch of boulders over top of a tunnel entrance. The thief runs into a room, screams at a handful of goblins, and then runs out of the tunnel, diving for cover. The goblins chase after him, naturally, and fall into the trap where another PC yanks a rope and drops the rocks on them. How much damage do they take? This book cant tell you that. It would depend on how many rocks, their exact size, how far of a drop it is, whether the goblins make their Body Reaction rolls, and probably a few other things we havent thought of. In these instances, the GM has to use his or her best judgment. Would they take 6 damage each? Half their Body Stats worth of damage? Or would such a trap conceivably kill the monsters? If so, then its okay to say the ones who fail their Body Reactions die. Its not anti-climactic, its rewarding good roleplaying. Stuff like this example is going to happen all the time. You are the judge. In these cases the official rules are, Whatever the GM decides. The Character Go Off the Map It is possible that the PCs will decide to neither explore the Keep nor march on the lairs. Instead, they might want to explore the surface world. What Lies Below is not a game designed for that sort of adventure. It has a narrow focus and assumes a certain type of play. This fact should be discussed ahead of time with all participants before play begins. But lets say the PCs do go in a new direction. This is where your improvisational skills as GM will have to come into play. Youll have to create the setting on the fly to accommodate their journey. Hopefully, though, they wont be gone from the Keep too long. There are very few dangers in the world above the ground, very little bronze to be won. Any town will be at least a week or more from the Keep, and so their provisions will run low, especially since the Keep will not subsidize any Troupe that is not helping to protect it by assaulting the Underearth. While the PCs are out, it may be helpful to provide avenues to return to the Underearth. Have the NPCs talk about how serious the conditions around the Keep are getting. Have them hint that heroes should be fighting orcs and trolls, not gallivanting about the countryside. In fact, most residents will be quite disdainful of any adventurer who is not fighting the Accursed. You dont need to force the players back right away. The lack of action, disapproval of the people, and low provisions should encourage them to return to the guild and address the central premise of this game. If the players do keep their characters away from the Keep for a long period, ignoring all your hints, then it may be time to stop play and have a conversation. Ask them why they are doing what they are doing. Ask them if they even want to play this game at all. If they dont, thats fine. Select a game that everyone can agree upon or find new players who are interested in delving into the Underearth. The Rules Not In This (or any) Book There are many procedures that you will use that arent in this book. For instance, how you describe a door, a sword, or a magic scepter. There are no rules for how you decide to take breaks, add a new player, deal with a regular players absence, or switch GMs in the middle of a campaign. There are no rules for how you make a character fall in love, develop a hatred, or welcome an old friend. There are a lot of things that we cant tell you how to do. You will discover the mechanics and procedures that work for you as you play. This is part of roleplaying: learning how to adapt to new situations that are challenging at the logistical level as well as at the fictional level. Chapter 9: Equipment

The following equipment table is placed here for you to use as you moderate a roleplaying session. Mechanics from the Core Rules and Players Handbook are duplicated here for ease of reference. Fatigue Points Every heavy object that a character wears or carries has the potential to wear the character down or get in the way during challenging maneuvers. These items are rated with Fatigue Points (see Equipment Table above). Fatigue Points (FPs) represent the physical toll carrying equipment and doing work takes on a character. Characters accumulate FPs by carrying gear, moving, and fighting. As long as the number of FPs a character has is less than his or her Body Stat, the character does not suffer any penalties. However, if the number of FPs a character has accumulated is ever greater than the Body Stat, the character is considered encumbered. For each FP over the characters Body Stat, the Default Difficulty for any action is increased by 1 for the next round (rounds are 5 second increments of time in which characters take action). So if Ryan the Paladin has a Body Stat value of 6 and is carrying eight items with a total FP value of 10, he the target value (called the Default Difficulty) he must roll against to swing his sword, Parley with an adversary, disarm a trap, use a cleric power, or anything else that requires a roll is increased by 4 the next round. For now, just remember that having more FPs than your Body Stat means your character will have some penalties as he or she tries to act. Fatigue Points are not cumulative from round to round. So if Johnny the Thief has 4 FPs in round 1, he will only have 4 FPs in round 2, round 3, and so on. The next few sections in this chapter talk about how various objects and actions can add or subtract Fatigue Points from your character. Containers Containers use the bodys natural carrying capacity to offset the tiresome drudgery of having to lug gear through the uneven caverns in the Underearth. Each container has a certain capacity. The characters can fill the container to capacity without adding any additional Fatigue points to what the container ordinarily has. So for instance, a Backpack can contain six items. It can be any six items you want regardless of their size and weight. However, once you go one item over the containers limit, that item then counts against the total amount characters Body Stat can handle. A characters Body Stat is what his or her carrying capacity is. So if the number of containers plus items outside containers is greater than the characters Body Stat, you add a number of Fatigue Points to the characters total equal to that objects FP value. Characters may have only one of each container on their person. So they could wear one backpack, one quiver, one left belt pouch, one right belt pouch, one satchel, etc. Containers may be loaded up beyond their capacity within reason. The GM will decide whether or not something can fit inside a container. Also, just because a container can hold one item, doesnt mean it can hold any item. You cant stuff a claymore into a scroll case for instance! When in doubt, defer to the GM on this matter. Items Items are any objects that cant contain another object unless it is very small. Each item has a Fatigue Point value. Consult the Equipment List on Page XX. If the characters come across some item that is not listed on that table, the GM should use the Equipment Table as a reference for assigning the new object an FP value. Once an FP value is established for an object, that will thence forth be the FP value for all objects of the same type and size. Small objects such as coins and gems do not count as items for the purposes of Fatigue. They are explained in the next section. Coins, Gems, and Pellets

Very small objects do not have individual FP values. Objects like coins, gemstones, and small ammunition like stones or pellets for a sling only give FPs if there are 100 or more of them. For every 100 small objects (total) a character is carrying, that character adds one Fatigue Point. So a character with 388 coins would have 3 Fatigue Points. A character with 138 coins, 29 gems, and 45 stones for his sling would have 2 Fatigue Points. Special Equipment As you read over the equipment list at the beginning of this chapter, you probably noticed several that an (*) after them. Items marked with an (*) are items that have special rules because their uses may not be obvious or they have tactical implications during combat. Each of these items is described below along with how to use the special rules that make them fun and useful down in the depths of the Underearth. Bear Trap Bolo Bow Caltrops Candle Cologne Crossbow Grappling Hook Helmet Holy Symbol Holy Water Lantern Lantern Oil Mule Shield Snare Net Torch Chapter 10: Starting Play Choose a facility in the Keep. Start the characters there. You may not think where is important, but remember this will be the players first introduction to your world. Make it memorable. Make it important. Your description of what they see, hear, and feel in that first instant will set the tone for the entire campaign. From there, you need to ask leading questions. Ask the PCs what do they do? Where do they go? Who do they talk to? What do they do about that? Dont give them suggestions and dont drive the action in a particular direction. You may be anxious to get to exploring the lairs you made, but perhaps the players want to explore the Keep for a while. The game is about their characters and the players motivations. Trust them to explore all the content in their own way. Things will develop naturally and the players will find all the goodies youve hidden away below the surface in good time. Make sure that everyone has all their character sheets, dice, and other supplies ready to go. Your maps, Troupe Sheet, and NPC Record Sheets should also be handy in case you need them. Chapter 12: Monsters and Men In this chapter, we will present numerical values for all of the monsters of the lairs and residents of the Keep. As you play, refer to these entries when rolling dice and describing the scene. See Appendix.

Chapter 13: Powers and Spells for Monsters Still Working On This Idea Chapter 14: Creating a Random Lair (Dont know how to do this yet) Chapter 15: Spells/Songs that must be Researched or Bought (Dont know how to do this yet)