The Dwarves are the greatest sorcerers in the Known World. Prestigious, powerful and secretive guilds hoard precious arcane tomes and teach those that show promise. Only a very few have the exceptional patience, precision and dedication needed to actually learn to weave spells. The rest become librarians, mentors and beards. Orgar Stormhands of Khrumîn presented on the character sheet below is one of those incredibly rare individuals with the talent to see the patterns that most are blind to.
Click on the character sheet for a larger and more readable version.
The Dwarves are a people of great wisdom with exhaustive libraries on alchemy and sorcery, and their great mountain halls are built with a splendour and grandeur that is legendary. They also hammer out the finest metalwork in the world and through transmutation they forge their much feared black bladed axes. The Dwarven war machine has laid siege to the southern province of the Elven Empire, but while Dwarven axemen march out eager for glory the halls of the Fell Mountains are increasingly beleaguered by spectres, orcs and wyrms.
The Crimson Exodus character sheets are now available for download. Download as PDF in letter (8′x11″) format or A4 format, but also as straight PNG image files. There is also a beginner’s tactical character sheet available which has a smaller section for weapons, but includes the main tactical moves to help introduce new players to what they can do in combat.
Fantasy Dice is the roleplaying game engine that powers Crimson Exodus.
So what are some of the features that make Fantasy Dice interesting:
Super simple, but tactically versatile task resolution.
Character defining characteristics and aspirations with real benefits.
No classes – occupation and path help define the character – not restrict.
Attributes specify number of dice to roll.
Skills specify type of die to roll.
Attribute average is two keeping most rolls to one to five dice.
Fast resolution – no modifiers and no adding dice together.
Detailed, but fast character creation.
Linked attributes.
Carefully selected skills to balance variety with simplicity.
Super fast NPC creation.
Friendly NPCs controlled by players.
GM Friendly – running an RPG should be fun not stressful.
Advise on scene handling and plot pacing.
Wide range of weapon types with different strengths and weaknesses.
Assemble your own armour.
Three distinct arts of magic: witchcraft, sorcery and the black arts.
Witchcraft requires blood and sacrifices.
Sorcery is hard and draining.
Black Arts dangerous and forbidden.
Tactical combat system where defending is as important as attacking.
Handling of weapon reach, counter attacks and other tactical elements.
Bias system for social conflict.
Structured, but Roleplaying focused, social conflict handling.
Simple ways to handle fear and fatigue.
Fun wealth system that handles trade with coin and barter.
Details on artefacts, herbs, poisons, alchemical potions and elixirs.
Stats and behaviour for beasts and monsters.
No hitpoints – realistic, but simple wound system.
Wound system that can be expanded seamlessly with Trauma.
Fantasy Dice was designed specifically for Crimson Exodus, but the versatile and simple game system makes it an excellent choice for any fantasy setting, and with a bit of tweaking it could conceivably be used for other settings too.
Heartlanders are perhaps the most colourful, and often beautiful, of all the peoples of the Known World. The vast size of the Heartlands have hidden the true extent of the Heartlander population and although in severe decline since the exodus it is far greater than even the Elves calculated. However, there is no sense of unity among Heartlanders and isolated villagers are suspicious of outsiders of every kind.
The central and northern Heartlands have borne the brunt of the plague and suffered greatly from the collapse of the Empire. Villages, farms and roads have been abandoned to the dead, bandits and beasts. Many survivors have headed west for the Empire or east to Holmcrag, but a few brave souls still try to carve out an existence where they grew up. It is a harsh life with little hope and no guarantees.
The first YouTube tutorial on the Crimson Exodus roleplaying game in what is intended to be a short series to present the setting and Fantasy Dice roleplaying system.
Raiki-Nikho cut deep and twisted the knife. The Elnar woman was beautiful and as her trusting eyes filled with confusion and fear Raiki felt a stabbing ache in his chest. But the pain was muted and the woman’s blood was already flowing into his sacrificial cup. So he drank deeply and from his lips poured the incantation he had recited countless times. It was necessary and he felt no remorse. Yet, as he placed her head on the ground he was struck with a strange impulse, and kissed her lips with his bloodstained mouth.
From Crimson Exodus by Chris Pritchard
Elves
Arrogant and racist the Elves have strived to build an Empire on the backs of men. All Elves are brought up with a culture that emphasises Elven superiority. Most men greet Elves with a mixture of awe, respect, fear and hatred.
Players are able to play as Elves. Wealthy, masters of witchcraft and able to master skills that few men will ever have an opportunity to learn.
Organised within a caste system the witch-bloods are masters of the arcane and spiritual, war-bloods guardians and conquerors and weaver-bloods the builders and craftsmen. Each caste grants the player a different starting skill. The Elves are wise and graceful, but they are not terribly strong. Think elegant, tall and pale with lean arms and spindly fingers.
The Elves have been the undisupted rulers of the world for a millennia. As their Empire collapses around them they look wistfully to the past with little hope for the future, and so Elven player characters get less trigger ammo to fuel their aspirations.
This is the first post to present the peoples of the Known World in the Crimson Exodus roleplaying game, as well as a sneak peak at the character sheet.
The barbarians that inhabit the frozen wilderness of the Vren peninsula have been chiseled into a fierce and mighty folk by constant struggle with brutish trolls and merciless winters. Considered simply barbarians by most they are named northmen, or Vren, by those that have grown to respect them.
Click on the character sheet for a larger and more readable version.
Tip: When opening the image most browsers will re-size the image to fit on the page and you need to click on it again to zoom-in and get a sharper view of the character sheet.
The Known World stretches from the great sprawling Empire of the Elves by the western sea, across the vast open plains of the wild Heartlands, and even beyond the Rocky Sea to the feuding Bardur Kingdoms. We call it the Known World. Yet, there are many a forest where no man has set foot. Monsters which no man has seen, and likely even more that was once known which is now forgotten.
But what you really want to know is what lies beyond. So let me tell you of the frozen north, mysterious south, ancient east and raging waters of the western sea.
Endless troll infested forests is all you will find in the cold and unexplored north.
Impossible mountains wall in the Heartlands and protect them from the beasts of the steamy jungles of the deep south, but the Dwarves who live there are not friendly to men.
Horrors are said to stalk ancient ruins in the blistering desert and scorching wastelands of the eastern serpent lands. More likely though you will end up on the spear of a hill demon.
And only a foolish Captain braves the stormy western whale sea. Where enormous sea monsters rage beyond the drowning isles.
Many evils have befallen this land, but better plague and brutish barbarians than the madness that lies beyond.
