BORCHARDBRIAR: ODDS

 

Borchardbriar characters don't need to spend time combing over inventory and gear lists. Instead choose one partisan package and one equipment package to get right into the action!

PARTISAN PACKAGES - A selection of weapons and armor for fighting back and keeping you alive. Some may limit the maximum size of your Gear die.

Banneret's Berth- A short sword, a medium shield, plate corselet, and heavy helm. Survivor's guilt. (Reduce Gear die by one step)

Big Tom's Arms - A great axe and boiled leather jacket. A bad reputation.

Duelist's Tools - Any two one-handed melee weapons and light leather jacket. Something to prove. (increase Gear die by one step)

Hurler's Pride - Nine thrown weapons, a small shield, and boiled leather jacket. Steady paws. (increase Gear die by one step)

Meow Street Runner's Standard Issue - Any one-handed melee weapon, a small shield, leather cap, boiled leather jacket and either a kosh or sling. The Badge. (Reduce Gear die by one step)

Poacher's Bush Kit - Any ranged weapon and 20 units of ammunition, a quiver, a knife, and light leather jacket. This morning's catch.

Safeguard's Aegis - A battle axe, a large shield, and chain shirt. Nagging sense of deja vu.

EQUIPMENT PACKAGES - Mundane tools and equipment your revolutionary will need. Each package includes a Gear die, you roll the Gear die when you need something no bigger than your paw. Trades and bargains apply modifiers to your Gear rolls.

Merchant's Stock & Trade- Formal garb, blanket & bedroll, map, flint and tinder, 3 torches, and 3 pieces of sample stock. Gear d8

Fat Cat's Luxury- Formal garb, 50 bd worth of jewelry or other adornment, waterskin, and d4 entourage.  Increase the other Package's Gear by a die step (Only available without a Partisan Package, but you may select an additional Equipment Package).

Scholar's Study- Normal garb, backpack, mortar and pestle, 2 barkbound books, quill, and ink. Gear d6

Ruffian's Kit- Normal garb, backpack, bedroll, tinderbox, shovel, and waterskin. Gear d4

Hedgewise Trade- Normal garb, backpack, ceremonial clothing, flint and tinder, mortar and pestle, and three doses of either Catmint or Daybreak Gear d4

Cat Burglar's Bindle- Normal garb, grappling hook, lockpicks, and 10' rope. Gear d6

Vicar's Craft- Formal garb, blanket & bedroll, 2 vials of sacred oil, and a prayer book. Gear d6 

BORCHARDBRIAR: BECOMING MONSTERS

 The real risk of losing Accord is uncontrolled transformation as the Land's wild magic uses your flesh as a canvas. But maybe a little monstrosity is fine, given the stakes. When you lose points of Accord, you temporarily gain a Tinge. Draw a card for each point lost and apply the card of your choice, gaining the corresponding Tinge. At your next Advancement you can choose to keep the Tinge instead, otherwise it blows away on the wind. Be sure to conceal you Tinges, the Wyld Breakers are always on the look for Folks meddling with the Old Times.

If your Accord reaches 0 then you're lost until the next full moon as the wild magic overwhelms you. The GM takes control of your character and draws 4 cards, applying all corresponding Tinges. . Draw a card for each point lost and choose one to apply.

WARMBLOODED TINGES (Hearts and Diamonds)

A - Your sense of smell becomes incredibly sharp. You gain a +2 on all Survival and Notice rolls involving scent.

2 - Small quills grow along your arms and back. With effort you can sprout more. You gain the damage field power with 10 power points and activated with Vigor.

3 -  The night calls to you. You're at home in the darkness. You require half the sleep of normal Folk.

4 - Your jaws and teeth become as deadly as any blade. You gain a bite attack that deals Str+d8, if you already have a bite attack then increase the damage to Str+d10.

5 - Sound betrays your surroundings, revealing objects and creatures to your incredibly sensitive ears You have no penalties in low light conditions but suffer a -2 to Resist sonic based attacks.

6 - Your limbs lengthen and taper into long, graceful limbs. Gain +1 Reach & increase your Pace by 2.

7 - From your brow erupts a crown of horns & antlers. This natural weapon deals Str+d6 AP 4 damage.

8 - Your constitution becomes incredibly robust and your vital organs keep trucking regardless of damage. Called shots deal no extra damage and you're immune to poison.

9 - The dumb Beasts of forest and field acknowledge you as lord among them. Gain the Beast Bond Edge and the animal companion that comes along with it. The companion has 1 Tinge so draw a card from the Action Deck.

10 - You grow a prehensile tail or two. Gain an extra non-movement action per round at no multi-action penalty.

J - Wings sprout from your back. Feathers or leather, your choice. Gain the ability to Fly at Pace +3.

Q -  Magic rolls off you. Gain the Improved Arcane Resistance Edge, regardless of requirements, and deal +4 damage to Sorcerers and Abominations.

K - You're a conduit to the Bad Old Days, calling upon the shades of deceased Folk to aid you. Gain the summon ally power with 10 power points and activated with Spirit.

COLDBLOODED TINGES (Clubs and Spades)

A - Gills blossom along your neck. You cannot drown in water and gain a +2 to all swimming related tests.

2 - A flashy, colorful crest that draws the eye and beguiles the weak-willed. +2 to Trick with Persuasion and Intimidate.

3 - Your toes bind to even the sheerest surfaces. You gain the Wall Walker trait and can scramble up sheer and inverted surfaces at your full Pace.

4 - Your jaws grow thick with bone and muscle. You gain a bite attack that deals Str+d6, if you hit with a Raise then you deal 2d4 bonus damage. If you already have a bite attack then the damage does not increase but you still get the bonus damage on a Raise.

5 - The skin of your paws become brightly hued with warning. With a successful Touch Attack, the victim must roll Vigor or suffer a level of Fatigue.

6 - Pits open beneath your nostrils, allowing you to sense heat. You gain Infravision, halving low light penalties when attacking creatures that give off heat.

7 - You can shoot blood out of your eyes. Suffer a Fatigue level to cause all Folks and Beasts to make Fear checks within 10 ft. at a -2 penalty.

8 - Your skin/fur changes color and blends into the background. You add +2 to Stealth checks when standing stock still.

9 - Your tongue stretches and becomes adhesive. You gain the entangle power with 10 power points and activated with Agility. 

10 - Lost limbs will regenerate but your new limbs are brightly colored and moist. You will need to water them. You can make a Healing roll once per day to recover lost wounds.

J - A tortoise shell hardens around your torso. Gain Armor 2, if you already have a shell it becomes Heavy Armor.

Q - Anybeast with coldblood in their veins can be brought under your sway. You gain the beast friend power with 10 power points and activated by Survival. It even works on Folk, but at a penalty equal to half their Smarts die. You can increase it later like any skill.

K - In time, you could be King of All Monsters. Increase your Size by 2.

Borchardbriar: THE ACCORD

 

THE LINE THAT HOLDS US

"The old songs say there was an order to things. Spring to summer to autumn to winter and back around again. Drawn up to check the wild magics so good Folk would have a chance to build something without the heather and ivy dragging down their hard work. Laying out the tenets of Thumb and Fist and overwriting the red laws of Tooth and Claw.

Now the cycle's broken with Reynard's arse wedged into Borchardbriar castle, stalling the others in their far flung corners 'til the wheel turns again. But the Accord still holds. Though with all these growling stomachs, I don't know how much longer."

- Cass, Raconteur of Some Renown

ACCORD - Every Wild Card starts with maximum Accord equal to 2 plus half their Spirit die type. As things unfold the GM may call for a Accord check with a modifier based on events. An Accord check is a Spirit roll, the results may modify your current Accord score.

Murder -  Killing Folk for any reason other than self defense causes an Accord check at -2. 

Backlash - A character with an Arcane Background who triggers Backlash must also make an Accord roll.

Fear - Fright and animal terror cut the noblest beast at the knees. When you fail a Fear check, lose 1 point of Accord.

Relic - Wielding a Relic is playing with fire. Each use of a Cursed Relic causes an Accord check.

Open Road - Out past the borderposts, the Land's wild magic warps Folk. Moreso when they're isolated. Each day you're on the Open Road, make an Accord check with a -2 penalty and adding +1 for each companion.

Viciousness - The Accord is built on trust. Being a bastard undercuts that. Predatory and cruel acts cause an Accord check, with a penalty (-1 or -2) at the GM's discretion.

LOSING ACCORD

The real risk of losing Accord is uncontrolled transformation as the Land's wild magic uses your flesh as a canvas, turning you into a worthy predator. But maybe a little monstrosity is fine, given the stakes. When you lose points of Accord, you temporarily gain a Tinge. Draw a card for each point lost and apply the card of your choice, gaining the corresponding Tinge. At your next Advancement you can choose to keep the Tinge instead, otherwise it blows away on the wind. Be sure to conceal you Tinges, the Wyld Breakers are always on the look for Folks meddling with the Old Times.

If your Accord reaches 0 then you're lost until the next full moon as the wild magic overwhelms you. The GM takes control of your character and draws 4 cards, applying all corresponding Tinges. 

RECOVERY

The most effective way to recover lost Accord is building trust and community. So lend a paw by helping out, doing things for others, pitching in without being asked, and taking nothing in return. Additionally, every lunar cycle, equinox, and solstice that goes by without any further Accord loss, you regain a point of Accord. You may want to promote one of the Network Contacts to a full fledged Cell Member and play them while your other character is on the mend.

Accord cannot go above the starting value, minus 1 for each Tinge. Nor can Accord go below 0.

New Edge:

DEFY FATE

REQUIREMENTS - Legendary, Spirit d10

Choose 1 Skill rated d10 or greater. When you make an opposed roll with that Skill, you may spend 1 Accord to succeed with a raise.

Borchardbriar: We All Lift Together

Cell Table

Rank	Rep	Resistance	Expertise
0	0	0	Start with 2 Network Contacts, a Hideout, and 1 Defense
1	1	1	Wild Cards joining your Cell gain d4 Repair
2	2	1	Gain a Network Contact. Current members gain an Edge.
3	3	2	Wild Cards joining your cell gain d4 Battle
4	4	2	The Cell gains a Benny any Wild card or Extra can use.
5	5	3	Wild Cards joining your cell gain the Trademark Weapon Edge
6	6	3	Gain a Network Contact.Current members gain an Edge.
7	7	4	Wild Cards joining your cell gain the No Mercy Edge
8	8	4	The Cell gains a Benny any Wild card or Extra can use.

Increasing the Cell's Rank costs a number of Food equal to the next Rank.

Rep is a measure of renown among the oppressed and heat from the oppressor. 

Resistance is a bonus to Battle rolls. Certain Hideout Edges allow you to add this bonus to other rolls as well.

The Hideout starts with 1 Defense. You can choose from: deadfall (burst), smoke wires (darkness), lockjaw traps (ensnare), or clay pots with stinging insects (summon minion). The powers are activated with a d8, or the highest Repair skill in the Cell, and 10 Power Points.

Feel free to create your own with GM approval.

Hideout Edges - A Cell's maximum number of Hideout Edges is equal to the Cell’s Rank.

BELLS & WIRES

You’ve strung thin wire across every entryway and set small bells to act as a crude alarm system. Incidentally you’ve gotten good and bypassing similar arrangements, add +1 to Stealth and Thievery checks indoors.

BOLTHOLE

The hideout has an escape tunnel running into a nearby district. The tunnel is tight and can be collapsed to block pursuit. Though this can cause problems for larger members of the Resistance.

BUNKS

Maybe your home isn’t safe since you fell into the Resistance. Or you don’t have a home. Either way the Hideout has bunks for you to sleep in. Add Resistance in opposed rolls to be tracked since you can vary your patterns.

DISTILLERY

It ain’t much but you can produce the basis for myriad elixirs and potions: snakebite. Of course you could always just drink it. You receive 1 shot of Snakebite per Wild Card at the beginning of each caper or adventure. You can take this Hideout Edge multiple times but instead you add 1 shot of Snakebite each time, to be distributed separately.

GUTTER FLEET

Down the canal there’s a skiff or two tied off to a hidden dock. Add Resistance to your first Boating check during a Dramatic Task.

INFIRMARY

With a bed for long term convalescence, bandages, and a cabinet packed with herbal remedies; you're ready when things go sideways. Add Resistance to your Recovery rolls to bounce back from the Injury Table.

IMPREGNABLE

Most Hideouts have one active Defense, but you’ve developed additional lines of Defense. Choose one: an additional Defense, increase the Power Points by 10, or increase the activation die by one step. You can take this Hideout Edge multiple times but you have to pick a different option each time.

PACTSTONE FOUNDATION

Your Hideout’s foundations were laid with stone from the Bad Old Days before Reynard ascended to the throne. You can knap pactstone shards for use in small, light weapons like knives and arrows. During the Muster Phase, add +2 to your test to procure such items.

PARTNERS IN CRIME

The Meow Street Runners are fracturing and some have abandoned their posts. Now they’re on your side with inside information. You generate an additional caper and draw an additional action card during dramatic tasks. You can choose which card to use.

PRINTING PRESS

With wondrous machinery you can now get the word out. When you Muster Forces, add a d4 to the number of Extras you rally to the cause. You can take this Edge multiple times.

SECRET SHRINE

Maybe y’all built it yourselves or maybe it was here before you moved in, but in a small alcove there’s a shrine to the 3 Forgotten Seasons. Choose one: Albina the Spring Sow, Chaunteclure the Summer Bantam, or Gilgen the Winter Elk. During the Muster phase, you may choose to pray at the shrine and make a Spirit roll. If you’re successful gain one below power with a reserve of Power Points equal to you roll for the rest of the Caper. Use Persuasion for power activation.

• Albina, the Spring Sow - Growth

• Chaunteclure, the Summer Bantam - Warrior’s Gift

• Gilgen, the Winter Elk -  Slumber

SORCEROUS SANCTUM

Ritual reagents and sanctified space allow the canny sorcerer to craft Talismans of various sorts and perform rituals held in check until the right moment. Add Resistance to your first power activation or power damage roll per caper.

THE STACKS

Piles of books pile up in a hideout corner. Thumbing through them can prove useful. Add Resistance to Research and Academics checks.

VOLUND'S STONE

Getting a piece of Pactstone to sharpen blades rather than blunt them is no mean feat. All Cell members with the Trademark Weapon Edge now add Resistance to damage rolls

WAREHOUSES

Somewhere off-site you have space to hold contraband and hide people. Reduce the Crackdown by 1 when you steal material, liberate tithes, or kidnap someone.

WORK BENCH

Equipped with a cornucopia of tools, the cell is now better able to prepare the materials for their mission. Add Resistance to Repair rolls needed to create or maintain the means of mayhem.

Borchardbriar: Clowdertown Blues

DISTRICTS OF CLOWDERTOWN

Proud Oaks Where the wealthy play	Upper Garden The richest part of the city	Braebuck's Ferry Thieves and markets	Ninian East The Cathedral
Corim Keep The old keep, now a neighborhood	Verdauga Government and the old cat city	Oldsong Cemeteries and Graymalkin's tower	Heather Reach Apothecaries and the gentle sort of danger
The Green Boulevards & mercantile interests	Spillover The Fishery & warehouses	Deyna Square Teashops and merchants	Rillflagg's Terrace Vice and workhouses
The Litterbox A shanty town	The Docks Gateway to the Burning South	Waterside Watched over by the Abbess	Shrimptail The old otter village, now a know of piers and houseboats.

The modern city of Clowdertown was established as two separate holdfasts grew together over time, an otter fishing village on the southern coast and a cat trading settlement in the upper delta. Since then it's endured a searat invasion, hurricanes, the Blight, and Greeneyes' reign of terror. Through it all the city, and its people, have held together. But that was back in the Bad Old Days when events felt fleeting before returning to an illusion of stability. Before the constant pressures of the Tithe and starvation.

These days, Reynard's eternal autumnal boughs frame a city known for two things: its prosperity and carefully balanced "neutrality" regarding the Foxlord. While the rustic villages and riverside towns throughout the land simmer with resentment against the Tithe, the other cities have proven silent, if not eager, collaborators. Clowdertown sends the fewest kits possible and selects them by lottery to maintain a pretense of impartiality. These practices make the city a destination for families at risk and a fertile recruiting ground for any sort of rebellion.

Clowdertown's Oddities
The Abbess - A killer prowling Waterside almost exclusively, their victims are found in a penitent's pose. Though the bounty keeps escalating with each victim, Waterside residents won't help the Meow Street Runners track the Abbess down.

"Feathers" - Notable for the dietary demands of its citizenry, cats and otters' demand for meat supports a thriving fish market and an illegal trade in poached songbirds aka "feathers". Rumors occasionally surface of more exclusive clubs hidden in the richest corners.

Gutter Regattas - Illegal boat races between otter crews to ultimately compete in the Great Row, an annual festival and competition in honor of the Birthing Waters. The winners' families are immune to the Tithe until the next festival.

Poison Gardens - Greeneyes strictly prohibited carrying weapons larger than a knife so the aristocracy found other ways to dispose of rivals. The cultivation and use of toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants was one of them. Most common in Verdauga and Heather Reach, you can find small bunches of dubious potency elsewhere.

Reticules -  Small drawstring pouches traditionally containing toxic paste should a beast need to dip a blade or claw for self defense, or assassination.  Now a fashion item embroidered or beaded sometimes signalling political affiliations or more clandestine desires.

CLOWDERTOWN CAPER GENERATOR
What's the deed? (On a Clubs, draw an additional card for "What's Gone Wrong?")
2-5 - Surveillance.
6-8 - Delivery.
9-10 - Sowing unrest
Jack - Infiltration.
Queen - Black-bag job.
King-Ace - Assassination.
Joker - Clash in the open. Re-draw if Resistance is < 4

Where's the spot? (Hearts & Diamonds / Clubs & Spades)
2 - Abbey of the Alley / Fleeting Fetches
3 - Bread & Butter Bakery / Readnola Viaduct
4 - Serenity Bridge / Stormy Crossing
5 - Summermuse Avenue / Owl Track
6 - Ms. Kitty's / The Fishery
7 - Marley's / The Ashamed Rat
8 - Moon Market / Boiling Cauldron
9 - The Bitter Tortoise Theater / Goldguard Trading Company
10 - Goodberry Manse / Humbleblossom Estate
Jack - Tallstone Gatehouse / Duskdirge Garrison
Queen - Hammer & Tongs / Rodrig's Box & Tackle
King - Greeneyes Palace / Crescent Plaza
Ace - The Queen's Island / The Strongford
Joker - The Little Twin / Graymalkin's Tower

Who's the target?
2-5 - Civilian authorities collaborating with Reynard's regime. Who are they? Can they be turned?
6-8 - A small team of Meow Street Runners. Who do they work for? What are they investigating?
9-10 - A fat cat with a monstrous appetite. Which is it - Feathers? The 'nip? Taxidermy? Addermilk?
Jack - A coterie of Reynard's tithe takers. Draw an additional location card for their fall back plan.
Queen -A sorcerer, bard, or chimera who's been untrustworthy. What was their betrayal?
King-Ace - An infamous Wyldbreaker who's in town. What are they known for?
Joker - One of Reynard's winnowers is in town (black = the Bellringer / red = the Penitent)

What's gone wrong?
2-5 - They've been double-crossed by someone. Who was it?
6-8 - The target didn't show. Were they warned?
9-10 - The cell has a parallel opportunity. Draw a new set of cards to generate a parallel caper. Do they split the party?
Jack - Someone's raised the alarm! Bells! Flares! Watchmen on every street corner!
Queen - They've has been ambushed by (Red- Meow Street Runners / Black- Wyldbreaker and retinue). Do they fight or flee?
King-Ace - There's an additional target of opportunity. Do you take it? Draw again for the target.
Joker - Depends. Red Joker = Everything goes smooth, for once. Black Joker = Someone has sold them out, there's a bounty on the cell's heads and the Hunt may begin soon. Increase the Cell's Rep by 2.

Borchardbriar: Unseen Principalities and Unclean Spirits

ARCANE BACKGROUND (Bard)
ARCANE SKILL: Performance (Spirit)
STARTING POWERS: 3
POWER POINTS: 10
Bards are highly skilled performers but they're more than simple musicians. Scraps of power hide in the shanties, stories, and songs echoing through pubs and churches. A bard coaxes these echoes, drawing on their legendary feats or offering a balm to their comrades.

Suggested Powers: boost trait, darksight, deflection, fear, healing, protection, quickness, speak language, succor, summon ally, warrior's gift
Backlash: Drawing on the Distant Past can leave an open door for phantoms to come forward and relive their glory days. 1 Ghost per Wild Card appears, make reaction rolls for each ghost. This is in addition to normal Backlash.

ARCANE BACKGROUND (Chimeric Might)
ARCANE SKILL: Bend Shape (Strength)
STARTING POWERS: 2
POWER POINTS: 15 
Chimeras tap into the land's Wild Magic, flexing an immaterial set of muscles to alter their forms to grow quills, massive size, or a sticky tongue as needed. Many live on the fringes of city and town, hesitant to expose themselves to Wyldbreakers.

Note: A chimera's powers are limited to targeting themselves unless they pay for Additional Recipients or it makes narrative sense.

Suggested Powers: burrow, damage field, entangle, farsight, fly, growth, shape change, and anything else you can work out with your GM.
Backlash: The Wild Magic slips through your grip and runs rampant. All trees, grass, ivy, etc. in a league suddenly grow large, aggressively biting into any buildings, roads, or walls in the vicinity. This is in addition to normal Backlash.

ARCANE BACKGROUND (Sorcery)
ARCANE SKILL: Spellcasting (Smarts)
STARTING POWERS: 3
POWER POINTS: 10
Sorcerers understand the World is patchwork stitched together by unseen forces and high powers. Through practice they learn the rituals, gestures, and words in the Watchers' Blue Tongue to command the little needles, producing magical effects when invoked.

Suggested Powers: banish, blind, boost/lower trait, clairvoyance, deflection, detect/conceal arcana, dispel, divination, elemental manipulation, puppet, slow, slumber, teleport, wall walker
Backlash:  There's a catch or snag when you release the spell, the ripping and tearing fundamentally alters the area (large template) until the next full moon. Water is not wet. Fire does not burn. Air chokes. Earth floats into the sky. This is in addition to normal Backlash.

THE YONDER & ITS INHABITANTS
Everybeast has heard a similar tale: a beast has stopped breathing, pulled from a river or similar accident, and thought to be dead. When they cough up the water, or what-have-you, they recover quickly. Nonetheless they were lost to us for a time.

And where were they while not-quite-dead? Stuck as the soil beneath our paws. The Golden Meadow or Dark Forest promised by the Abbey? No. They tell us of a blue expanse full of chill light.

Show me a beast who claims ignorance of this place and I will show you a liar. They've been to the Yonder, an Otherworld arching over our heads we all visit briefly on the cusp of sleep. Which is important to remember. Unlike the Watchers, we're just passing through.

Clutch that Saint's medallion close when you sleep, lest the witch-birds swoop in and steal your good dreams. Those oddities of churning wings and fiery eyes have long memories and witness everything. I bet they remember before Reynard ruled Castle Borchardbriar.

Is it any wonder Sorcerers build towers to entreat them for secrets, power, and patronage?
Bartering the bones of our dead for their greed.

- Crait, Retired Meow Street Runner

Borchardbriar: The Way of the World

 SETTING RULES

ACCORD - Every Wild Card starts with maximum Accord equal to 2 + half their Spirit die type. As things unfold the GM may call for a Accord check with a modifier based on events. An Accord check is a Spirit roll, the results may modify your current Accord score.

Murder -  Killing for any reason, other than self defense, causes an Accord check at -2.
Backlash - The GM may call for an Accord roll due to Backlash from Powers.
Fear - When you fail a Fear check, lose 1 point of Accord.
Cursed Relic - using a cursed relic causes an Accord check.
Open Road - Each day you're on the Open Road, make an Accord check. Start with a -2 penalty and add +1 for each companion.
Viciousness - Predatory and cruel acts cause an Accord check, with a penalty at the GM's discretion.

Sliding into Savagery
The real risk of losing Accord is uncontrolled transformation, the Land's wild magic using your flesh as a canvas. But maybe a little monstrosity is fine given the stakes. When you lose points of Accord, you temporarily gain a Tinge. Draw a card for each point lost and applying the card of your choice. At your next Advancement you can choose to keep the Tinge instead, otherwise the Tinge blows away on the wind. Be sure to conceal you Tinges, the Wyld Breakers are always on the look for Folk meddling with the Old Times.
If your Accord reaches 0 then you're lost as the wild magic overwhelms you

BEAST WITHIN - During character creation, choose a Kith and make note of the traits in brackets. Spend a Benny to temporarily gain an Edge (you must meet the requirements) or 3 points of Racial Abilities that reflects your Kith via those traits. Beast Within lasts for a scene.

FOUR LEAFED CLOVER - You've made it this far, all Wild Cards start with the Lucky Edge.

PACTSTONES - Relics from the Bygone Days, these rings of standing stone were erected where Folk swore oaths and spilled blood. In these Fallen Days they still crackle with turbulent energies and a daring beast could coax it to the surface for their own ends if they'd just open their veins a little.

You may draw upon a pactstone's latent power through a Dramatic Task (5 Task Tokens in 3 rounds) using Occult and similarly appropriate skills, spending Wounds (+2 per Wound) and Accord (+1 per Accord) for bonuses on your rolls. If successful, you gain a magical charge. This charge may be spent to:

• Treat every Power Point you spend as 2.    
• Increase the Range of a power to your Spirit in miles.
• Increase the damage of a power by +3d6

Backlash: Failing the activation check provokes an Accord check with a -2 penalty. Draw an additional card for the Drift if you fail.

You can also knap pactstone shards into crude blades or arrowheads, gaining 2 points of Armor Penetration and ignoring bonuses to toughness from powers or special qualities.

ADDITIONAL SETTING RULES YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE*:  Born A Hero, Dynamic Backlash, Wound Cap

*I use all of these.

NEW EDGES

BALLADEER
REQUIREMENTS - Seasoned, Performance D8, Arcane Background (Bard)
At the start of the session, roll 2 of your Perform dice and set them aside. You can replace any resist roll so long as you're Performing. Additionally you can use Perform instead of Taunt for tests and add the [Inspiring] tag to your Kith.

CUSTODY
REQUIREMENTS - Umbral Cabinet, Spirit d10
Throw back some Snakebite and let your ghost advisors take the wheel Once per session, you can add +4 to any skill the GM agrees is in line with one of your umbral cabinet's experiences.

DEMAGOGUE
REQUIREMENTS - Seasoned, Persuasion d8
You're able to gather Furred Folk to your cause with relative ease. Reduce the amount of Food needed to upgrade your cell by 1. Your cell cannot benefit from more than one Demagogue at a time.

FERVENT
REQUIREMENTS - Novice, Spirit d8
When you're outnumbered, add +2 damage and gain +1 Armor. Add the [Messy] tag to your Kith.

GLAMOUR
REQUIREMENTS - Seasoned, Bend Shape D8, Arcane Background (Chimerics)
You can alter minor details of your appearance with a Spirit roll (ie: fur pattern, coloration, etc). Also you can attract the attention from someone with only a glance. A botch calls attention from Above.

HUNTER'S EYE
REQUIREMENTS - Novice, Notice d10
With a successful Notice roll you can ask the GM a question about a given enemy and they must provide an honest answer. Each Raise gives you an additional question. Add the [Sharp Eyes] tag to your Kith.

NINE LIVES
REQUIREMENTS - Cat
When you would die, suffer an injury, or botch a roll then you can escape the consequences (ex: immediately recover 1 Wound, ignore the injury roll, or treat the botch as a normal failure). Each time you do this, reduce your starting Bennies by 1.

OPPORTUNISTIC
REQUIREMENTS - Novice, Agility D8
When you outnumber your opponent, roll an additional D8 for damage and drop the lowest. Add the [Underhanded] tag to your Kith.

POT-VALOR
REQUIREMENTS -  Veteran, Vigor D10, Spirit d8
After 3 shots of Snakebite, you back down from no one and no thing. Ignore 2 points of penalties to tests and increase your Strength die by one size.

PUISSANT
REQUIREMENTS - Arcane Background (Sorcery), Strength D8
When you deal damage with a spell, roll an additional die of the appropriate type and discard the lowest.

TUNNELER
REQUIREMENTS - Mole
You can burrow through the earth at your full Pace leaving a tunnel behind for others. It might be a tight squeeze though. You can also Run while burrowing but the tunnel collapses behind you..

UNDERFOOT
REQUIREMENTS - Roden
Non-Roden Folk suffer a -1 to hit you in melee combat. You lose this benefit when you're Entangled or Bound. If you have the Thief Edge, then add +1 when squirming out of bonds or through tight spaces.

UMBRAL CABINET
REQUIREMENTS - Novice, Spirit d8
You have a panel of 3 ghostly advisors to confer with. You can table talk with your fellow players who aren't present in the scene for 1 Fatigue level. If you have an Arcane Background then add +1 to activate powers dealing with spirits.

WARRANT
REQUIREMENTS - Seasoned, Arcane Background (Sorcery) -or- Persuasion D8, Connections
You hold a license to perform sorcery, regardless of your actual ability. Reduce the rarity of potent herbs, magical reagents, and sorcerous contraband by one category. The Wyld Breakers might still come knocking on your door if they have a reason.

Borchardbriar: Furred Folk and Their Kith and Their Kin

 

BEAST WITHIN - During character creation, choose a Kith and make note of the traits in brackets. Spend a Benny to temporarily gain an Edge (you must meet the requirements) or 3 points of Racial Abilities that reflects your Kith via those traits. Beast Within lasts for a scene.


CAT - One of the most populous Furred Folk, Cats are found everywhere, you'll find them in every holdfast and the Open Road. The superstitious often accuse them of hexes and other mischief. Aloof softpaws don't give a straight answer since things just go their way. [Adaptive, Softpaw, Sharp Claws]

PANGOLIN - Down South and Far Away in the Burning Lands, the Antseers sense a malady in the North. Young Pangolin warriors journey northward to the Kingdom, landing in Clowdertown. Hungry for fame and glory they take risks trusting in their armored scales to see them through. [Vainglorious, Scaly, Long Tail]

RACCOON -Without a home of their own, the Raccoons thrive in the cracks of society. Forging close bonds of business and friendship, Raccons are less clannish than other Folk and quickly adopt those on the fringe. [Gregarious, Cleanhands, Knows A Guy]

TURTLE - All across the Kingdom, you can find hardbacks plying the Rivers on their rafts and canoes. Their transient life affords them a certain comfort and security from Reynard's horrors. Insisting that things will change, but remain the same. [Simple, Hardback, Unflappable]

BADGER - Great in girth and stature, the great lords of Stonebones belong to rival clans, each keeping ledger of slights in a Book of Sacred Grudges. Ascending to the Iron Council requires erasing a Grudge with blood. Fallen nobles offer to open their veins a pinch for food if it will clear a Grudge. [Blustering, Ironlord, Big Bones]

 MARTEN - Long and slender, the walkers were a common sight on the Open Road around Whisper helping sedentary Folk with seasonal work. Work that just doesn't happen. Their colored wagons went from long trains to armed encampments. Erecting new Pactstones and actively harassing the Watchers Above, they're playing a long game other Folk can't see.
[Mystical, Walker, Always Hungry]

MOLE - Before the Badgers came and Stonebones was even a city, the Moles burrowed throughout the Eastmarch hills. The Ironlords quickly turned them out of their tunnels before the stripmining started in earnest. Many blindeye elders fear the Pits may release sightless horrors if they go much deeper. [Secretive, Blindeye, Heavy Claws]

RODEN - An umbrella term for a fairly wide range of Folk the Roden are small, quick and always on edge. They've carved a niche tackling the most dangerous jobs. In Stonebones operating the foundries and furnaces. A dangerous place for any Beast, but there will always be more Roden. [Negligible, Roden, Quick as a Flash]

HARE - Quick footed and insular, the Hares of Sunset Hills often clashed with the Ironwood Clans in the past. After the Accord, they're combined efforts created the greatest holdfast in the Kingdom. Since then, their great numbers have gone from an asset to a liability and the Senate of Sky and Soil exclusively sent Hares and Squirrels to Borchardbriar for the Tithe. The Senate soon found itself overturned, though the founding families still retain clout with the Ruling Committee. [Altruistic, Longear, Leaps & Bounds]

SQUIRREL - Quick to fight and slow to back down, the former Ironwood Clans clutch to rusting martial traditions flaking away in their grasp. Visitors flock to the Vault each year for the Battle of Red Branch. A holiday when all eligible young Squirrels fight a vicious "King of the Hill" struggle in the boughs of Last Tree. The winner is exempt from the Tithe, though some enter Reynard's service at the opportunity to exercise their skills. [Brave, Ironwood, Battle-wise]

HEDGEHOG - Known for hospitality and high spirits, Hedgehogs are welcome anywhere. Which is good because they can be found anywhere. It's traditional that upon reaching age of majority, troupes of pricklepigs venture out into the world and fully experience it for themselves. Some love the places they visit so much that they stay, and home becomes a distant memory. [Punchy, Pricklepig, Lucky Charm]

OTTER - Where there's a waterway, there'll be Otters. Born to the river and in love with the sea, they work hard and play harder. Organized into clan-like crews, they fish and revel with no-holds-barred. [Jocular, Waterdog, Brawny]

FOXES - Few Folk have it as rough as Reynard's get. Foxes largely fled to Whisper & the Open Road rather than continue bearing the brunt of grief and rage. Their kits go to the Tithe too, but that gets missed in the outrage. In Whisper the Redtails made themselves useful to House Maugrim and received protection. That arrangement ended with the Prophet's rise and the Foxes are once more out in the cold. [Sly, Redtail, Reynard's Get]

WOLVES - The founding Folk of Whisper, they built the holdfast from the bones of the Red Rock Cult's worship sites and suppressed the Cult under the guidance of Saint Magna. All was well until Magna Maugrim returned, proclaiming a second coming of the Red Rock's Naked Gods. Salting old wounds and dismantling her namesake's handiwork. The Wolves are now in their "rightful" place at the top of the food chain. [Fierce, Howler, Terrible Jaws]

BEAVERS - Unified under St. Magna's vision, the Northern Beavers transitioned from sacrificial meals to Whisper's true architects and builders. With the recent upheaval, their gains are rapidly unraveling. Many families have already fled under cover of darkness, seeking out Mudslide, the floating city. [Industrious, Miller, Natural Swimmer]

HOGS - The bane of the southern Open Road, the Wild Sounders roam, root and rut wherever they like. Only the threat of Reynard's attention causes them to step lightly. Too much ruckus and the Fox King's war bands will pour out of Borchardbriar and raid their litters. Not to be confused with the  more congenial pinkskins. [Aggressive, Bristlehide, Iron Gullet]

OPOSSUM - Life outside the Holdfasts is dangerous for the small and squishy. The Opossum eke out a living by staying up and out of the way. Their treetop hamlets stay quiet and camouflaged, high in the boughs of tupelo trees. The only business they have below the boughs involves the breeding, care and harvesting of venomous snakes. [Shy, Wormtail, Adderproof]

Borchardbriar: Conquest of Vittles

Food is an abstract measure of foraged and preserved foodstuffs. They could be confit, cured, dried, jellied, jugged, pickled, salted, etc. The everyday meals and snacks your characters consume are not tracked, instead 1 Food is equivalent to a large jar of jam or pickled herring - more food than a prudent Beast would eat alone in a single sitting but not so large that you couldn't transport it easily. The lifeblood of the underground economy since the field's harvest ripens swollen and sour.
Never fit for anybeast's consumption.

When a character would gain an Advancement, they also earn 1 Food which can be spent on the following Downtime Activities:

•  Acquire an Asset - Gain temporary use of a special item, a gang, a vehicle, or a Major Favor outside your Network to use during your next clash.
•  Long-term Project - Researching a lost ballad, developing a sorcerous ritual, investigating a mystery, building trust, or courting a new contact requires a Dramatic Task that may take several Downtimes (or several Food) to complete.
•  Recover - Healing comes at a price in Borchardbriar, it costs 1 Food to bounce back from the Injury Table.

Downtime Activites all require a Test and if you (or an ally) succeed, then you can buy a Raise for 1 additional Food.

You can also keep unspent Food to yourself or pool Food with other players in the Cell's Stockpile. Food in the Stockpile may be spent to:

• Increase the Cell's Rank: Raise the Cell's Rank by 1 which increases Rep and possibly Resistance. Increasing the Cell's Rank costs a number of Food equal to the next Rank.
• Buy a Hideout Edge: Edges cost 2 Food. A Cell's maximum number of Edges is equal to the Rank.

Be aware that if you choose to horde Food, there's a chance it could be stolen though it would be on hand if you need a Favor from an NPC or something. If you keep Food in your inventory you can:

• Sweeten Disposition: You can improve a Reaction Roll by +2.
  
• Wild Chance: Draw and keep an additional card from the Adventure Deck.

GM: If a player is undecided on which downtime activity to perform, offer a long-term project idea. You've got a clue to their interests and what they like. Suggest a project that will dovetail with those.

Borchardbriar Roadmap

So. How did we get here and where are we going?

For the past 2-3 years (do I have longtime readers?) I've been tinkering part time with a Savage Worlds setting called Borchardbriar - a fantasy world of talking animals on perilous adventures and sowing rebellion to overthrow the Fox King Reynard, a grim and terrible monarch. But the pitch wasn't that concise. It hadn't been honed to that razor point.

Stemming from a mash up of  Redwall/Robin Hood + The Old Kingdom + Armello, the summary/pitch meandered and often restated the initial post from May 2017. Trying for a twist on the dark/gritty fantasy settings and stories that have become increasingly popular. And in many ways filling a gap in Savage Worlds' extant settings since Evernight hasn't been updated for a couple of editions.

We even did a podcast mini-series set in this earlier iteration here.

If you listened through the series you'll notice some other influences creeping in, shades of noir like True Detective and Blacksad creeping in. Continued exploration saw bits of Jesse Bullington's Folly of the World (Early Modern period instead of pseudo-medieval), Charles de Lint's Riddle of the Wren (folklore as a window into a mis-remembered past), and Daniel Polansky's The Builders (why you fight) surfacing. At that point I felt ready to start pulling the blogposts and handwritten notes together into something resembling finished work.

However, mapping the older material to Richard Woolcock's Savage Worlds outline showed gaps in the material. Ultimately gaps that were kinda there on purpose. Holes for players and other GMs to fill in, to make their own mark on things. Additionally the scale for Borchardbriar had shifted with SWADE's release. Instead of a paperback, probably a zine. Maybe in time for ZineQuest 2. We'll see.

So what's next for Borchardbriar? How much is being recycled?

Am I reinventing the wheel completely?

Maybe a little bit.

Not to give too much away but, here are the blog posts coming down the pipe:

• Introduction to Borchardbriar - a revised pitch and world overview
• The Furred Folk and Their Kith and Their Kin - how I'm handling different talking animals
• The Way of the World - setting rules new and old, additional edges
• Unseen Principalities and Unclean Spirits - arcane backgrounds and the Watchers
• Odds & Ends - equipment, charms, and superstitions
• The Resistance - a character above your characters
• Conquest of Vittles - hard to rebel on an empty stomach
• We All Lift Together - developing the Resistance
• The Accord - the line that holds us
• Becoming Monsters - when that line breaks
• Clowdertown Blues - The Southern Corner
• How It All Comes Together - session structure
• Smashing of the Van - counterinsurgency, blowback, and other high stakes
• The Hunt - hounded from your boltholes
• Castle Borchardbriar- Reynard's stronghold
• The World Turned Upside Down - The Final Battle
• Hands Raised Against You - foebeasts and the privileged who command them