Vagabonds of Dyfed Single Column

Vagabonds
of
Dyfed
Vagabonds
of
Dyfed
Writing: Ben Dutter
Design: Ben and Jessica Dutter
Art: Dean Spencer and Per Folmer
Editing: Joshua Yearsley
Layout: Evan Rowland
Inspired by and based on games by John Harper,

Amít Moshe, Vincent and Meg Baker, Gary
Gygax, Dave Arneson, and Tom Moldvay
© Sigil Stone Publishing 2018
Vagabonds of Dyfed is Powered by the Apocalypse,

and its design was heavily informed by
Apocalypse World and World of Dungeons
Playtesting and contributors: Maria

Rivera, Michael Prescott, Charles Gatz,
Richard Ruane, Patrick, Alex Scheibe, Wayne
McEachren, Mischa Krilov, Jason D’Angelo
Contents
Basics1
What is this 2
In a nutshell 3
Principles 4
Challenge and
Impartiality 4
IV Impact and Ingenuity 5
Meaningful Choices 6
Contents
Core Mechanic 7
Roll Result 7
Character Creation 8
Character Creation 9
Traits 12
Approach to conflict 12
Goal, cause, or ethos 12
Gimmick or
memorable quality 13
Background,
who you used to be 13
Foreground,
who you are now 14
Weakness 14
Lineages 15
Human 15
Elf 15
Dwarf 16
Beastkin 16
Smallfolk 17
techniques 18
Adept 18
Distill Azoth: 18
Hand of Force: 19
Illuminate: 19
V Inaudible Whisper: 19
Legerdemain: 19
Transfer Heat: 20
Contents
Arcanist 20
Armorborn 20
Assassinate 20
Beastspeak 21
Better Safe than Sorry 21
Bottomless Lungs 21
Control Vegetation 22
Cure 22
Cutpurse 22
Devoted 23
Augury: 23
Bolster: 23
Cleanse: 24
Holy Ward: 24
Invigorate: 24
Restore: 24
Ear to the Ground 24
Eyeball It 25
Favored Enemy 25
Favored Environment 25
Favored Tactic 25
VI
Favored Weapon 26
Frothy Rage 26
Contents
Healing Touch 26
Hellrift 26
Inner Compass 27
Iron Stomach 27
Jellybones 28
Last Word 28
Light Sleeper 29
Linguist 29
Magical Healing 29
Mighty Leap 29
Nose for Evil 30
Oathbound 30
Pathfinder 30
Practiced Shadow 31
Provident Guidance 31
Pyromancer 32
Scry 32
Shadowmeld 33
Soulsnare 33
Strong 34
Tough Hide 34
VII Tracker 34
Trapcunning 34
Contents
Undead Thrall 35
Wallclimb 35
Gameplay36
How to play 37
Roll Result 38
Impact Scale and Stance 40
Advantage and
Disadvantage 42
Concentration 43
Permission 44
Engaging with
Your Core Flaw 45
Your Character 47
Equipment and Speed 48
Damage and HP 49
Healing and Restoring HP 49
Treating and
Removing Injury Tags 50
Gaining Levels 51
XP requirements 52
non-player
VIII Characters53
Enemies and NPCs 54
Contents
Hirelings, Horses,
and Hounds 55
NPC Loyalty 56
NPC Ability 57
Combat58
Surprise 59
Initiative and Turn Order 60
Movement 61
PCs Dealing Damage 62
Critical Hits 62
Defeating Enemies
Without Damage 62
PCs Taking Damage 63
Separate Enemy Damage
Roll (Method 1) 63
IX Enemy Damage Determined
by PC Roll (Method 2) 64
Contents
Stance, Risk, and Damage 65

Armor and Damage 66
Outside of
adventure67
Downtime Scenes 68
Social Scenes 69
travel and
dungeoneering70
travel and
dungeoneering 71
Potential Travel
Turn Calamities 72
Weather and Hazards 73
Weather as an Obstacle 74
Weather as Enemies 75
Special Rules for Weather 76
Preparation and Planning 77
The Planning Roll 78
The Preparation Roll 80
Traps 81
Decays: Hunger, Thirst,
X Disease, and Poison 82
Hunger and Starvation 83
Thirst and Dehydration 83
Contents
Snake Venom
(Example Poison) 84
Zombie Rot
(Example Disease) 84
Zombie Rot effect 85
Overland Travel 86
Magic 87
Magic from Techniques 88
Magical Items 88
Elvish Magic 88
Divine Intervention or
Magical Bestowment 89
Magic from Traits or
Other Sources 89
Azoth:
Distilled Magic 90
Finding Azoth 90
Azoth’s Uses 91
XI Azoth in Spells and Rituals 91
Azoth Augmentations 92
Azoth Rejection Mutation 92
Contents
Equipment93
Adventuring
Gear and Tools 94
Examples of Weapon Tags 95
Examples of Equipment 97
Currency Conversion 100
Making Enemies 102

Speed 103
HP 104
Damage Modifier 104
Armor 105
Trait tags 105
Abilities 106
Alter environment: 106
Breath / Blast / Gas: 106
Charge: 107
Critical weakness: 107
Disarm: 107
Drain: 107
Gargantuan: 107
Hit and run: 108
Immune to [type]: 108
Invisible: 108
Knockback: 108
Morph: 109
XII Multiattack N: 109
Paralysis: 109
Contents
Pin: 110
Poison: 110
Reaction attack: 110
Reaction movement: 110
Resistant to [type]: 110
Special movement: 110
Stun: 111
Swallow: 111
Swarm: 111
Trip: 111
converting enemies 112

Record HP as is. 112
Ignore to-hit bonus. 112
Roll damage as listed. 113
To convert descending AC: 113
To convert ascending AC: 113
Note saving throws. 114
Note special abilities
or resistances. 115
XIII
Contents
example enemies 116

Acolyte 116
Amorgobbler 116
Bandit 117
Bear 117
Beetle, Giant 117
Berserker 118
Bugbear 118
Cat, Great 118
Doppelganger 119
Dire Ants 119
Digestive Jelly 119
Dragons 120
Ghoul 121
Giant 121
Gnoll 121
Goblin 122
Hydra 122
Lizardkin 123
Lycanthrope
(Werewolf, etc.) 124
Medium 124
Medusa 125
Minotaur 125
Orc 126
Pixie 126
Scavengipede 126
Soldier 127
Spider, Giant 128
XIV Shrieker Shroom 128
Wraith 129
Zombie 129
Contents
Character
archetypes130
Adventurer 132
Avowed 134
Mage 136
Rogue 138
Warrior 140
Basics
What is this
◊ PbtA/WoDu ◊ Sum of freeform
inspired traits instead of
◊ 2d6 + mod attributes
◊ Gradient successes ◊ Supplemental

moves as
◊ One core “move” “techniques”
Vagabonds of Dyfed is an extensive hack of

several Powered by the Apocalypse games
— namely John Harper’s World of Dungeons
and Blades in the Dark mixed in with a dash
2 of some others (especially City of Mist) —
with the aim of being compatible with OSR
systems, modules, and supplements.
Basics
3
In a nutshell
Basics
I took my favorite parts of lots of other games

— some small and some large, some old and
some bleeding edge new — and kludged and
cobbled and sewed them together into a game
my friends and I enjoy playing.
The core mechanic is the same from World of

Dungeons and many other PbtA games (sum
2d6 + mod). There’s only a single basic “move”
with the familiar split between failure,
complication, and success. There aren’t any
playbooks. Characters are built off of a series
of free-form descriptors and mechanically-
defined widgets.
It’s quick and dirty. But it works with old-

school B/X, OSRIC, and a bunch of other stuff
I had in my book case without offending my
story gamer sensibilities.
Principles
Challenge and
Impartiality
This game is as much, if not more so, about
challenging the players as it is about creating
a shared story. Rather than collaborating
to tell an interesting tale, you’re inhabiting
the minds of characters who believe their
world to be very real; that world behaves
4 with internal consistency, some measure of
predictability, and the cold hard impartiality
of our own reality.
Basics
It’s brutally fair, even to a fault. This means

that the world exists whether or not the
player characters ever show up; factions rise
and quarrel and wither; ecosystems evolve
and creatures feast upon each other; player
characters die from the unlucky roll of the
dice. Such is the cold hand of fate.
The world and its antagonists don’t exist

solely to challenge the player characters. They
don’t scale to match PC interests nor do they
exist as some form of “balanced encounter.”
If the star characters wander into a dungeon
or swamp with creatures far more powerful
than they can survive — so be it.
All of this is to say that GMs should treat the

world like a carefully cultivated ant farm,
only to introduce a cadre of termites in their
midst and shake the hell out of the box. The
characters should fear the danger, as it is real.
But they should also respect the internal logic
(and chaos) of the world; it may be cruel but it
is absolutely, inexorably fair.
Impact and
Ingenuity
As the proverbial agitators in the world,
the PCs want to feel their impact. Things
should naturally and rapidly escalate.
The characters’ slaying of the corrupt
necromancer should leave a power vacuum
that is filled by some other foul thing. In turn,
that leaves a gap somewhere else; on and on
it goes.
Likewise, the more clever and ingenious

the players’ ideas are (embodied through
the personalities and approaches of their
5 characters) the more a GM should reward
this type of behavior. The players don’t want
to be arbitrarily bested at every opportunity,
outmaneuvered and out-strategized by their
Basics
enemy simply because the GM’s out-of-

universe knowledge unfairly benefited
the NPCs.
No, the GM-run characters in the world are

just the same as the player-run characters.
They’re limited by their in-world knowledge
and can absolutely be outsmarted by the
PCs. A common saying is that games such as
Vagabonds treat combat as war rather than
as sport. The challenge and threat of an
adversary can only be consistently overcome
if every tactic — no matter how vicious or
apathetic — is deployed.
There are always layers that can be pulled

back; a bigger fish; a more powerful sorcerer;
a crueller lieutenant waiting in the wings of
every mercenary company; an even more
insatiably greedy prince lurking in the
shadows of every throne.
Meaningful
Choices
The player character’s decisions — their
players’ choices — are all that really drive the
“story” of this game. There is no metaplot, no
three act structure, no pending climax or deus
ex machina. There is a simple input-output of
choice-action-reaction-choice.
To ensure that these choices are meaningful

and significant demands complex and
interesting situations. No “right” option
or single solution — everything comes at
the expense of something else, everything
6 requires sanding down the layers, nothing is
for certain. Good people can exhibit evil and
cruelty, just as despots can display great acts
of kindness or malevolent sorcerers can weep
Basics
honest tears of sorrow.
Likewise, how the characters solve a

particular problem or approach a situation is
just (if not more so) important than the details
of the scene itself. They want to feel clever,
they want to win. And a hard-fought, bloody
victory is all the sweeter and more valuable if
it is earned rather than given.
In order for them to make those choices, the

players have to know — have to understand
— the world. It has to be revealed to them as
inhabitants of that universe; fill their senses
with meaningful details, realistic and ugly
truths. Let them immerse.
Core
Mechanic
When you attempt an action that’s difficult,
relevant, and may cause an unwanted
outcome, roll 2d6 and add your aptitude, the
sum of relevant positive and negative tags
(max +3, min -3). Tags are discussed more in
Character Creation (page 8).
7 ◊ You and the GM work out which

tags are relevant.
◊ Helpful tags give +1 aptitude each.
Basics
◊ Harmful tags give -1 aptitude each.
You can only roll once per action until

circumstances change.
Roll Result
◊ 6 or less is a miss (things get worse
or turn out bad).
◊ 7 to 9 is a partial success (some good
with a complication).
◊ 10 to 12 is a complete success (you
do it without issue).
◊ 13 or more is a critical success (you
do it with an added benefit).
More comprehensive gameplay rules are

covered in Gameplay (page 36).
Character
Creation
Character
Creation
1. Define your character concept.
2. Write a short phrase for each of the
following trait tags.
a. Your approach to conflict
b. Your goal, driven by a cause or
ethos
9 c. Your gimmick—a unique and
memorable trait
Character Creation
d. Your background—what you

used to do or be
e. Your foreground—what you
are, do, or have skill in
f. Your weakness—a gap in your
abilities
These will affect your aptitude on
various rolls, described more in
How to Play (page 37).
3. Write at least a short phrase for
your core flaw: a lie about the
world that you believe; a fear that
you can’t get over; a selfishness or
vice that you can’t ignore or resist.
4. Pick one technique: a knack
or special advantage. A list of
techniques is on page 18.
5. Pick one lineage, a species,
bloodline, or background that
affects your body and culture. A list
of lineages is on page 15.
6. You start with 8 HP and gain +4 HP
per level. If one of your trait tags
shows you’re especially tough or
lucky, the GM can grant you +1 HP.
10
Character Creation
Creating Shorjahl
Concept: a traveling mage with a

penchant for fire. Has a past that
they’re ashamed of. Seeks attunement
and knowledge in nature and “raw”
power.
Trait tags:
Approach: a slow, logical boil until a

burst of wrath
Goal: to undo my profane magic, learn

natural magic
11 Gimmick: a bit of a pyromaniac, smells

like smoke
Background: apprentice of a powerful

Character Creation
necromancer
Foreground: a wandering pyromancer
Weakness: a terrible temper
Core flaw: I seek to understand the

world and magic through immersing
in “raw” and “natural” magic, and
doing so will cleanse my former
involvement with the profane and foul
and unnatural.
Technique: Pyromancer
Lineage: human
HP: 10 (8 + 2 from human)

Traits
Characters are essentially the sum of their
traits. Trait tags make up the character’s
description, purpose, role, and approach, and
will affect how likely they are to succeed at a
given task. Below is a list of common trait tags
sorted by category.
Approach to conflict
◊ Aggressive ◊ Stealthy
◊ Violent ◊ Prepared
12 ◊ Direct ◊ Pragmatic
◊ Patient ◊ Measured
Character Creation
◊ Calm ◊ Diplomatic
◊ Cautious ◊ Manipulative
◊ Deceptive ◊ Pensive
◊ Guileful
Goal, cause, or ethos

◊ Honorbound ◊ Money controls
◊ Family first everything
◊ Obey the law ◊ Live life to

the fullest
◊ Chaos is natural
◊ Vengeance
◊ Might is right
◊ Restore peace
◊ Liberty for all
◊ Kill all goblins
◊ Knowledge
is power ◊ Find the Truth
◊ 37 Treatises
of Wisdom
◊ To overthrow
the emperor
Gimmick or
memorable quality
◊ Flips a coin to ◊ Cuts their arm
kill or release before combat
◊ Always smells ◊ Everything is a joke
of smoke ◊ Demonic features
◊ Collects strange ◊ Slightly magnetic
widgets skin, hair
◊ Multifaceted eyes ◊ Flirtatious with all
◊ Tattoos of slain foes ◊ Devotion to logic
◊ Quick to argue ◊ Has to be in charge
and contest
◊ Speaks in rhymes
◊ Lists all their titles
13
Character Creation
Background,
who you used to be
◊ Born a slave ◊ Guildmaster
◊ Career soldier ◊ Trained as assassin
◊ Acolyte of Hynam ◊ Baron of Venmotte
◊ Merchant sailor ◊ Street vagrant
◊ Blacksmith ◊ Heir to vast fortune
◊ Court jester ◊ Dishonored monk
◊ Royal Guard ◊ Nomadic hunter
◊ High Councilor
Foreground,
who you are now
◊ Bounty hunter ◊ Hospitaller
◊ Protector of Rhys ◊ Champion of Ghor
◊ Dragonslayer ◊ Fabled gladiator
◊ Pyromancer ◊ Artifact hunter
◊ Arcanist ◊ Visceralist
◊ Thieves’ Guildster ◊ Commander of the
◊ Mercenary Iron Legion
◊ Ordained warrior ◊ Boundary warden
Weakness
◊ Irrational temper ◊ Ugly
14 ◊ Poor eyesight ◊ Poor fortitude
◊ Claustrophobic ◊ Overconfident
Character Creation
◊ Gullible ◊ Dreadfully boring

◊ Closed-minded ◊ Weak-willed
◊ Afraid of ◊ Hedonist
the dark ◊ Weak to the sun
◊ Naive ◊ Clumsy
Lineages
Lineages will vary greatly from game to game
in Vagabonds, and can easily be left out without
affecting play. Lineages can also be used as a
relevant tag in some instances, but this isn’t
recommended unless extremely relevant.
Human
◊ Gain +2 HP at creation.
◊ Gain +1 XP when you take an injury
tag.
15
◊ Gain +1 bonus XP when you Train
during a downtime scene.
Character Creation
◊ Gain +1 bonus XP when you

Succumb during a downtime scene.
◊ When doing something creative or
innovative, you get a critical success
on a 12+ (instead of 13+).
Elf
◊ You have permission to attempt
otherwise impossible tasks to
remember esoteric facts or specific
information, or to solve puzzles.
◊ You have permission to attempt to
use arcane magic even without the
proper training or implements.
◊ You never fail (treat 6- as 7-9) when
attempting something in a painfully
patient or cautious way (e.g., when
in the low-risk stance).
◊ Deal +1 damage with bows and
magic.
Dwarf
◊ Select a chosen craft or art form—
you never fail (treat 6- as 7-9) when
attempting to execute this craft.
◊ When attempting something in an
obstinate, stubborn, and direct way,
you get a critical success on a 12+
(instead of 13+).
◊ You can see thrice as far as a human
in dark or dim light.
◊ You are immune to most minor
poisons and toxins.
16
Character Creation
Beastkin
◊ Select a creature or order of
creatures (feathered, furred, scaled,
tentacled)—you resemble this
creature, whether through magic or
natural hybridization.
◊ Gain +1 speed, and gain another
+2 speed when operating in terrain
that is native and endemic to your
bloodline.
◊ Treat your unarmed attacks as
light weapons, capable of rending,
cutting, and stabbing far greater
than a human can.
◊ You never fail (treat 6- as 7-9) at
actions directly related to your
bloodline (wolves at hunting,
chameleons at hiding, etc.).
Smallfolk
◊ You’re little—you can always
squeeze into tight spaces, escape
17 from most bonds, slip through bars,
etc.
Character Creation
◊ When attempting an action that is

selfless and brave, you get a critical
success on a 12+ (instead of 13+).
◊ Deal +2 damage to creatures that
are larger than you.
◊ You have permission to attempt
impossible tasks when determining
the “correct” route, even in
unfamiliar territory.
techniques
Every character starts with one technique,
and gains one new technique per level.
The technique selected must have been
reasonably acquired—through learning,
providence, infestation, or magic.
Adept
When you take this technique, pick spells
from the list below equal in number to your
18 level. Each time you gain a level, pick another
spell. You don’t need to roll to cast one, but
you can use them as part of a roll.
Character Creation
Distill Azoth:
Through magical concentration and
meditation, you can convert items of
value into pure azoth, a crystalline
metal of iridescent aesthetic and
magical power. Precious metals, gems,
and other magical items can be distilled
in this way (converting roughly 50sp of
value into one use of azoth per hour).
Hand of Force:
You can mentally project a weak
telekinetic force within close range.
This force subtly distorts the air and
vision around it, and makes a very
quiet reverberation. It can lift or
manipulate things that you reasonably
could with the strength of your hand.
Doing this requires your concentration
and attention.
Illuminate:
You can cause any one small object you
touch to glow with dim light, roughly
equivalent to a lantern. It produces
no heat, and lasts until you lose line of
19 sight. If you illuminate another object,
the first object ceases to glow.
Character Creation
Inaudible Whisper:
You can send a very weak, terse, and
abstract bit of telepathy to someone
with whom you make eye contact or
otherwise create mutual awareness.
They do not have to speak your
language to understand, nor can they
resist this effect without magical or
supernatural protection.
Legerdemain:
You can perform subtle, weak, and
crude illusions, such as making small
things momentarily disappear, teleport
between your hands, or change
colors. This effect dissipates once
out of your line of sight or you break
concentration.
Transfer Heat:
You can concentrate or manipulate
the flow of heat. Light or snuff a torch,
heat or freeze a cup of water, make
a brass key too hot to comfortably
hold, etc. This effect takes time and
concentration, and only works on
objects in close range.
Arcanist
You know how to read magical runes,
interpret scrolls, use wands, and identify
sundry other magical items without issue.
Truly complex artifice that requires magical
20 mastery to produce still requires a roll.
Character Creation
Armorborn
You ignore two points of speed reduction
from wearing armor (e.g., -3 speed becomes
-1 speed).
Assassinate
Roll to attack. On a 10+, you kill the creature,
as long as their current HP is less than yours
and the creature is unaware of your incoming
attack.
Beastspeak
Pick one environment (jungle, forest,
mountain, desert, ocean, etc.) or one type of
creature (furred, feathered, scaled, etc.). You
can speak with the beasts and creatures of
this environment or type.
21
Character Creation
Better Safe
than Sorry
You never fail (treat 6- as 7-9) when
attempting to trigger, disarm, or avoid a trap.
However, your party may not be so lucky.
Bottomless Lungs
You can hold your breath, without rolling, for
minutes equal to five plus your level.
Control Vegetation
You can use magic to command plant-life and
vegetation as part of another action. Roll if
you have specific, difficult goals. The larger
and more impressive the effect, the more
dangerous or exhausting it might be.
Cure
Roll to remove a disease, poison, or curse
from yourself or an ally.
◊ On a 6-, the target suffers damage

equal to your aptitude.
22
◊ On a 7-9, the affliction will be cured
after the target’s next long rest.
Character Creation
◊ On a 10-12, the affliction will be

cured by the end of the scene or
combat.
◊ On a 13+, the affliction is cured
immediately and the target heals HP
equal to your aptitude.
Cutpurse
attempting to pick a mundane or non-
magically secured pocket, so long as your
target is unaware of you.
Devoted
Your devotion to a certain cause, deity, or
existential meditation allows you to marshal
supernatural energy and abilities. When you
take this technique, pick devotions from the
list below equal in number to your level. Each
time you gain a level, pick another devotion.
Using a devotion does not require a roll, but
may be used as part of a roll to overcome a
challenge or complete a noteworthy action.
23
Character Creation
Augury:
Pray or concentrate for several
moments, asking the source of your
power a simple question (yes or no,
left or right, more or less, etc.). You will
receive an abstract sign that will lead
you to one answer or the other.
Bolster:
You speak Words and concentrate
upon one ally. They make their next
roll at advantage. You can only bolster
one ally at a time, and it requires your
concentration (preventing you from
taking other actions or rolls yourself).
Cleanse:
Concentrate on a desecrated or tainted
object. The larger the object and the
fouler its profanity, the longer it will
take to sanctify (minutes for a small
cursed item, hours for a town’s well,
days for a cursed mausoleum). This
affects both magical profanity and
mundane rot or infestation.
Holy Ward:
Mark a visible circle (or another simple
shape) no greater than a few steps
across. While you concentrate at its
center, tiny beasts and insects cannot
cross this threshold. Evil creatures,
24 demons, and sentient beings will feel
resistance and trigger your awareness,
though you must roll against their
Character Creation
crossing.
Invigorate:
Heal +1 HP to yourself or one touched
ally. You can only do this once per
target until they rest.
Restore:
Concentrate on a small, mundane
object in your hand. As you speak
Words, you’re able to repair, clean, or
mend the object back to perfect and
new condition.
Ear to the Ground

You have a friendly NPC ally or asset in every
urban center or stronghold nearby. As part of
Acquire in a downtime scene, you can meet
with one without rolling, as if you rolled a 7-9.
Eyeball It
You can always determine near-exact lengths,
weights, and other measures by simple
observation.
Favored Enemy
Pick one type of enemy (demon, orc, human,
bear, etc.). You know how this enemy
behaves, where it sleeps, what it eats, and you
have a solid idea of its combat abilities. In
addition, you never fail (treat 6- as 7-9) when
attempting to determine the weakness of a
creature of that type.
25
Character Creation
Favored Environment
Pick one environment or ecosystem (forest,
jungle, desert, mountain, coastal, urban,
etc.). When in this environment, you never
fail (treat 6- as 7-9) when attempting to find
rations, useful supplies, or shelter.
Favored Tactic
Pick a combat tactic (flanking, ambush,
high ground, charging, etc.), subject to GM
approval. When deploying this tactic in a
fight, you deal damage based on your highest
rolled d6 + aptitude.
Favored Weapon
Pick a weapon type. When fighting with this
weapon, you deal damage based on your
highest rolled d6 + aptitude.
Frothy Rage
While in the high-risk stance during a fight,
you get a critical success on a 12+ (instead
of 13+).
26 Healing Touch
Anytime you heal HP on yourself or another,
heal another +2 HP. (This additional healing
Character Creation
does not trigger this technique.)
Hellrift
You can attempt
to summon a
demon by rolling.
The longer the time
spent concocting the ritual and the greater
the sacrifice, the more powerful the demon
summoned (e.g., one hour and some blood
calls a weak imp, twelve hours and an
innocent’s soul might manifest a greater
fiend). The demon may obey until the end of
the scene or combat (or might break free).
◊ On a 6-, a horrifically powerful

demon breaches the summoning
circle and attacks you and
your allies.
◊ On a 7-9, an appropriate demon
appears, but it’s guileful,
disobedient, and capricious. It might
answer questions with riddles,
or require additional payment
before completing a task. At its first
opportunity, it might still attack or
attempt to escape your binding.
◊ On a 10-12, an appropriate demon
appears and will do your bidding
for a short while. It will take this as
hostile imprisonment and hold
a grudge.
◊ On a 13+, an appropriate demon
appears and will obey you out of
fear of your power.
27
Inner Compass
Character Creation
You innately understand the cardinal

directions, even if blindfolded, underground,
lost, or otherwise non-magically disoriented.
Iron Stomach
You can eat anything and gain sustenance
from it. Yes, anything—so long as you can fit it
in your mouth and swallow.
Jellybones
Your body and bones are soft and flexible.
You can squeeze yourself out of most
restraints, through bars, and into similarly
confined spaces.
Last Word
You can touch the head of any corpse that
could communicate while alive (most
creatures with skulls), and ask the corpse one
question. It will answer the question as long
as it relates to something that it could have
experienced or observed while alive or since
28 it died (e.g., what killed it, whether someone
passed by recently, or what danger lurks
ahead). After answering, the corpse crumbles
Character Creation
to dust.
Light Sleeper
You always become alerted to danger while
sleeping, so long as the approaching threat is
mundane or moving by natural, non-magical
means.
Linguist
You fluently speak five languages of your
choice. Work with your GM to determine
relevant languages. You gain a new fluent
language per level (if reasonable).
29
Magical Healing
Character Creation
You can attempt to magically heal someone

else by rolling.
◊ On a 6-, you deal damage to you or

your target (your choice) equal to
your aptitude.
◊ On a 7-9, you heal damage from you
or your target equal to your lowest
d6 + aptitude, but you gain the
[exhausted] injury tag.
◊ On a 10-12, you heal them equal to
your lowest d6 + aptitude.
◊ On a 13+, you heal them equal to
your highest d6 + aptitude.
Mighty Leap
You can naturally jump twice as high or as far
as normal for your lineage.
Nose for Evil
You can physically smell the vile, evil, and
murderous by rolling. Sometimes your nose
can be fooled or misdirected, though.
Oathbound
Roll 1d6 or select (PC or GM choice) from one
of these oaths:
1. Integrity: avoid lies and

dishonorable conduct
2. Devotion: dedicate yourself to your
30 faith and principles
3. Restraint: forgo hedonism, gluttony,
and alcohol
Character Creation
4. Selflessness: sacrifice your personal

desire or gain for others
5. Sympathy: comfort those in need,
give benefit of the doubt
6. Valor: protect the innocent, destroy
the wicked
While observing your oath, you don’t need to
eat, gain +1 armor with no penalty to speed,
and deal +1 damage on attacks.
Pathfinder
attempting to find a trail or path, no matter
how small or overgrown.
31
Character Creation
Practiced Shadow
attempting to hide or move with stealth
against non-magical creatures of similar
sensory ability to humans.
Provident Guidance
Concentrate as part of a ritual for at least
one hour, whether you’re devoting yourself
to your deity, listening to the cosmos, or
achieving enlightenment through meditation.
You must sacrifice something of significant
value to you. After such sacrifice and ritual,
you can ask your deity (or whatever) one
question. The GM answers your question in a
helpful and directional way.
Pyromancer
You can spark small flames and subtly
manipulate fire without rolling. Roll if you’re
using fire magic to significantly affect the
scene.
◊ On a 6-, you fail to control the

flames, potentially causing collateral
damage to allies, structures, or
yourself. You also lose permission to
attempt pyromancy until you take a
long rest.
◊ On a 7-9, you produce the fire as
intended, but it is just barely out
of your control, causing minor
32 collateral damage.
◊ On a 10-12, you produce the fire
without issue.
Character Creation
◊ On a 13+, you produce the fire, but

do it easily and fiercely. Any damage
dealt is doubled as normal for a
critical hit.
Scry
You can attempt to produce visions of distant
places, people, or times by rolling. Such spells
require a one-hour ritual; a reflective surface,
crystal, or intense flame; and one dose of
azoth (a luminous liquid most magical in
nature, commonly used in alchemy).
◊ On a 6-, you lose yourself to the

omens and visions, burning up
your components and taking the
[delirious] injury tag until someone
can calm you down.
◊ On a 7-9, you just barely direct your
visions. Ask the GM one specific
question about the sight you seek.
They may answer in vague and
abstract ways.
◊ On a 10-12, you can direct your
vision. Ask the GM two questions
about the subject of your scrying.
Their answers might be enigmatic,
but are helpful and directional.
◊ On a 13+, you can easily locate your
envisioned target. Ask the GM three
questions, and their answers must
be clear and direct.
33
Shadowmeld
You can roll to fold into and teleport between
Character Creation
shadows that have line of sight to each other

and are within 30 feet. When melded with
a shadow, you cannot be harmed or affect
the physical world at all, such as making an
attack. Any major change to the shadow (such
as shining a light upon it) promptly expels
you from it.
Soulsnare
During or promptly after a battle, if you
concentrate in still prayer or meditation for a
minimum of ten minutes, you can attempt to
raise the dead by rolling.
◊ On a 6-, you revive one enemy of the

GM’s choice, likely either at full HP
or as a mindless undead.
◊ On a 7-9, you revive a killed ally and
an enemy (neither your choice) with
1 HP.
◊ On a 10-12, you revive one killed
NPC of your choice with 1 HP.
◊ On a 13+, you revive one killed NPC
of your choice with full HP.
Strong
You can lift up to 500 pounds and push up to
1000 pounds of dead weight without rolling
or expending any significant effort. This is
useful both in and out of combat, but doesn’t
work against most combatants or mobile
objects that can resist your focus and thews,
and doesn’t add to your damage.
34
Tough Hide
Character Creation
You can ignore the detriments of inclement

weather, heat, rain, or snow up to reasonable
levels—magical blizzards and the flaming pits
of hell still require protection.
Tracker
You never fail (treat 6- as 7-9)
when attempting to locate
non-magically hidden tracks,
be they from beast or man.
Trapcunning
You have a great nose for where traps are
likely to be and how they might be
triggered. The GM will always prompt you to
roll to notice a trap nearby, as you get a “funny
feeling.”
Undead Thrall
You can attempt to raise an undead thrall by
rolling. The more powerful the corpse raised,
the more time and concentration this spell
requires (e.g., one minute to raise a weak
zombie of a fresh goblin corpse, or an hour
to take full command of a slain ogre). You can
only have one thrall at a time.
◊ On a 6-, you fail to raise the corpse

and gain the [horrified] injury tag.
◊ On a 7-9, you raise the thrall but
have weak command over it. It will
vaguely follow your orders until the
end of the scene or combat.
35 ◊ On a 10-12, you raise the thrall and
have strong control over it. You
can give it commands or use it as
Character Creation
a weapon, which it will attempt to

follow to the best of its ability until
the end of the scene or combat.
◊ On a 13+, as a 10-12 but you retain
control over it until you break line
of sight or dismiss it.
Wallclimb
You can walk or run on walls and ceilings as
if they were the ground, rolling as normal.
Doing this outside of a tense or dangerous
situation doesn’t require a roll, but still takes
a moment.
Gameplay
How to play
37
Gameplay
When you attempt an action that’s difficult,

relevant, and may cause an unwanted
outcome, roll 2d6 and add your aptitude, the
sum of relevant positive and negative tags
(max +3, min -3).
◊ You and the GM work out which

tags are relevant.
◊ Helpful tags give +1 aptitude each.
◊ Harmful tags give -1 aptitude each.
You can only roll once per action until
circumstances change.
Roll Result
◊ 6 or less is a miss (things get worse
or turn out bad).
◊ 7 to 9 is a partial success (some good
with a complication).
◊ 10 to 12 is a complete success (you
do it without issue).
◊ 13 or more is a critical success (you
do it with an added benefit).
Shorjahl is attempting to use magic

to burn down a fortification. The GM
calls for a roll. Shorjahl’s been fighting
this group of traitorous soldiers long
38 and hard, and is getting angry. Their
relevant trait tags are their weakness
(-1) [terrible temper], background (+1)
Gameplay
[necromancer’s apprentice], foreground

(+1) [pyromancer], and gimmick (+1)
[loves fire]. So that’s an aptitude of +2.
Shorjahl rolls and gets an 11, complete

success. The fort is set ablaze as the
pyromancer contorts their flames
around it until it is little more than
charcoal.
UNDER THE
HOOD: TAGS
Vagabonds is designed to simplify
and unify the mechanics of PbtA
games and OSR games. Basically
anything can be treated as a tag,
which acts as a mechanical and
narrative modifier. Rolls should
never get modified by more than -3
or +3 aptitude, since that’s about the
limit of what makes sense on a
2d6 roll.
39 If things are really severe, the

GM can just say that something is
impossible or happens without a
roll. If you’re not sure how to handle
Gameplay
something, the game is designed to

revert to its simplest engine: roll
2d6, add some tags, and interpret the
results based on the normal split of
6-, 7-9, 10-12, and 13+.
The GM (and even the players)

can sorta eyeball the math for tags
and aptitude; it’s easy for the GM
to just say, “You’ve got -2 aptitude
and advantage because of XYZ
circumstances.” Don’t get too hung
up on every crunchy widget unless
you enjoy that type of thing, and
even if you do, don’t let it slow
down play so much that people start
pulling out their phones and stop
paying attention.
Impact Scale
and Stance
Your character can change the degree to
which their actions affect the scene by
changing their stance—how much risk
they’re willing to take. You’ll default to
normal stance unless you choose otherwise,
though some situations force a particular
stance.
◊ High risk: greater benefits and

consequences
◊ Normal: no change to benefits and
consequences
40 ◊ Low risk: lesser benefits and
consequences
Gameplay
Once you take a stance, you’re in that stance
until you take a new stance or are forced
into a new one. You can only take or change
stances when you’re acting on your turn, not
as part of a reaction (such as when
defending yourself).
In the previous example, Shorjahl is

attempting to use fire magic to burn
down a fort filled with enemy soldiers.
In that example, Shorjahl took a normal
stance—no modification. The worst that
could happen (6-) might be that they get
surrounded by enemy soldiers, or the
fire spreads to a dangerous location and
escalates the situation.
41 If instead Shorjahl chose a high-risk
stance, a 6- result might have meant
that they’re outright attacked amid
Gameplay
flaming timbers and enemy arrows.

However, a 13+ would produce a much
more powerful outcome, allowing
Shorjahl to more quickly and efficiently
destroy the building.
Inversely, a low-risk stance might have

meant that Shorjahl could have at
best started a fire which might have
destroyed the fort eventually, and at
worst might have only caused their
enemies to notice the magical attack
and start to chase after the mage.
Advantage and
Disadvantage
Sometimes you might have advantage, which
means you roll 3d6 and take the two highest
dice. Likewise, you might have disadvantage,
which means you roll 3d6 and take the two
lowest dice.
Advantage and disadvantage are granted

by the GM due to external factors, enemy
abilities, or when a PC or NPC helps or
hinders your action, using up their action in
turn.
42 Advantage and disadvantage cancel each

other out, so if you have equal advantages
and disadvantages, you roll at neither. If you
have more advantages than disadvantages,
Gameplay
you simply roll at advantage, and vice versa.
If Shorjahl was trying to light the

traitor’s fort on fire during a terrible
rainstorm, they’d roll at disadvantage.
Instead, if the enemies were foolish
enough to have left their fort untreated
for fire and left hay bales out for
their horses, Shorjahl would roll at
advantage. If both cases were true at
once, they’d cancel out and Shorjahl
would roll as normal.
Concentration
Certain circumstances, such as when using
a technique or casting a spell, require
the character’s full concentration. A PC
can’t meaningfully act or speak while
concentrating, and can only concentrate
on one activity at a time (concentrating on
maintaining two distinct spell effects would
be impossible).
The GM can require a PC’s concentration

to perform a specific task or maintain an
ongoing effect. The effect ends once the PC’s
concentration is broken, even for only a
moment. A character’s concentration breaks
if they’re hit by an attack or shaken so
43 vigorously so as to lose their line of sight to
the object of their concentration.
Gameplay
Shorjahl must concentrate on shaping

and directing a twisting orb of
pyromancer’s fire. They want the orb
to burn a particular path through
some ruins, and must maintain focus
in order to do so. When a ghoul rushes
the mage and bites onto their ankle, the
pyromancer’s concentration breaks.
The orb of fire dissipates into a wave of
searing heat.
Permission
Certain mechanics or situations grant or
deny permission to attempt a particular
task, action, or ability. The GM can grant
permission based on the circumstances,
what your characters can achieve, and what
matters in the narrative.
Permission keeps the game grounded and

aligned with the group’s agreed-upon level
of realism and verisimilitude. Just because
a player shouts out that they conquer the
kingdom and roll a 13 doesn’t mean that they
do so.
44 Shorjahl’s pyromancer technique

gives them permission to control fire
through concentration and magical
Gameplay
energy—a sort of pyrokinesis or fire-

bending. The GM could perfectly well
block permission of other PCs that
didn’t have this technique or some
similar widget, whether mechanical or
narrative.
At one point, Shorjahl attempts to use

pyromancy to melt a stone castle. The
GM thinks this would break the internal
consistency of the world and make
Shorjahl far too powerful of a mage.
The GM blocks Shorjahl’s permission to
attempt this—mechanically, at least. If
Shorjahl wants to try it and have it fail,
that’s fine, but their player can’t just roll
to “make it so.”
Engaging with
Your Core Flaw
Once per session, you or the GM can get you
into or out of a terrible spot by engaging with
your core flaw. Doing this gives you distinct
authorial control. While the GM can always
get you into trouble, doing this makes the
situation even more legitimate. You don’t
have to engage with your core flaw every
session (and probably shouldn’t).
When you engage with your core flaw, the

GM frames a scene and you describe how
your character wriggles in or out of the nasty
45 situation. Your allies are likely hindered or
harmed, or you’ll suffer some consequences
down the road.
Gameplay
Shorjahl’s core flaw is that they haven’t

faced their problem directly, and that
they believe their current actions will
atone them for their lifetime of evil and
grotesque magic.
During a session, the GM decides to

pull on this flaw, and frames a scene
in which Shorjahl comes across a
battleground full of corpses being
defiled by a necromancer’s thrall. This
brings up bad memories and forces
Shorjahl to make a choice: challenge the
thrall or run away in shame and fear.
In another session, Shorjahl and their

party are surrounded by a cadre
of slavers. The pyromancer uses
their former master’s reputation to
intimidate the slavers away, preventing
a fight. But word will spread, and
Shorjahl’s former master may even hear
of their whereabouts.
UNDER THE
HOOD: FICTIONAL
POSITIONING
Following context is more important
than following rules. If the GM
thinks something is reasonable, it is.
If something just seems impossible
or obvious, it is. Just because a
character can roll and get a 13+
doesn’t mean that they should roll.
All of this is to say that fictional

positioning—the details and
46 trappings of the scene or narrative—
are the ultimate guideline for using
the rules. This is to encourage the
Gameplay
players to try to win, to overcome

the challenge, as intelligently and
carefully and deviously as possible.
If they come up with a particularly
clever way to ensnare and kill their
enemies, they might roll at advantage
or even succeed without rolling at all.
Likewise, if their strategy could never

conceivably succeed regardless of
their characters’ skill, then they don’t
need to roll. They’ll just fail, or die, or
get captured.
Caution: This can quickly devolve

into a “mother may I” style of
authoritarian GMing. This game isn’t
freeform roleplay; the GM is there
to objectively adjudicate and make
rulings in the spirit of verisimilitude
and the game’s principles. But with
this responsibility comes a high
demand for trust; misuse that trust,
and the game and group will
quickly fold.
Your
Character
Equipment
and Speed
Every PC and NPC has a
speed, or how fast they’re able
to move and react. A PC’s speed
starts at 0, but gains +1 per level. The more
you carry, the slower you are. Big and bulky
items are especially cumbersome. The worse
you’re encumbered, the more negative tags
the GM can bestow on you.
Loading down a limb gives you a -1 penalty to

speed. Armor further lowers speed equal to
its armor rating (3 armor is -3 speed). Those
48 with the highest speed tend to go first in a
fight or win in a foot race, but other factors
may apply (e.g., a technique).
Your Character
When you reach -5 speed, you’re

encumbered and can’t move with any agility
or alacrity. At -7, you can’t move at all.
Shorjahl is level 3, so they have 3 speed

when completely unencumbered. Their
backpack gives a -1 speed penalty,
their light armor another -1, and their
assorted magical equipment another -1,
for a total of 0 speed.
When Shorjahl is firing a bow at a

group of goblins, their speed takes a -2
penalty (using two arms), bringing their
speed down to -2. Since the goblins’
speed is 1, they would act
before Shorjahl.
Another time, Shorjahl attempts to cast

a spell before a demon attacks them.
Shorjahl’s speed is 0, while the demon’s
is -2, so Shorjahl’s spell fires before the
infernal creature can touch them.
Damage and HP
PCs start with 8 HP (hit points) and gain +4 HP
every level. Adversaries range from 1 to 50
HP, though exceptions may exist (see Making
Enemies on page 102).
Healing and Restoring HP

Characters naturally restore all lost HP after
a long rest, characterized by comfort, safety,
and provisions. This requires a camp or
stronghold free of danger or stress. A long
rest is not a downtime scene (page 68), though
it may prompt one.
49 Additionally, a conscious character can

attempt to heal themself by rolling—on a 7+,
healing damage equal to the lowest d6 result
+ aptitude. Likewise, a character can attempt
Your Character
to heal another character, healing damage

equal to the highest d6 result + aptitude. A
character can only be healed by a given type
of healing (magical or non-magical) once
between long rests.
Shorjahl has lost some HP and wants

to heal it. They roll to heal themself
(Shorjahl uses some magical energy
to invigorate themself) and get a 10
(complete success). The lowest d6 was 3,
with +2 aptitude, healing 5 HP. Shorjahl
can’t attempt this method of healing
again until they rest.
Later, Shorjahl attempts to heal an ally

and rolls. Their highest d6 is a 4, with
+2 aptitude, healing 6 HP.
Treating and
Removing Injury Tags
Injury tags, if left untreated for more than
one day, can become permanent. Some
injuries are immediately permanent—
dismemberment, maiming, etc. One non-
permanent tag can be healed per long rest, or
per healing roll (limited to one per long rest).
Magical healing is up to the nature of the
magic, the injury, the roll, and GM fiat.
Shorjahl takes enough damage to fall

below 0 HP. The attack was enough to
seriously mangle their hand, bestowing
the injury tag [crippled hand] upon
50 the pyromancer.
Any time [crippled hand] is relevant to

a roll, Shorjahl will suffer a -1 penalty.
Your Character
Likewise, the GM might reason that

certain actions are just not possible
with a [crippled hand], denying
certain permissions.
Eventually, Shorjahl is able to make it

to Ft. Grondle and see the physician.
He sets their bones and bandages their
hand up tightly. After one day of full rest
in the fort, Shorjahl’s [crippled hand]
tag is removed. If the wizard hadn’t
received such care and rest, they’d have
to suffer continuously. If such suffering
lingered much longer, their hand would
become a [permanently crippled hand].
Gaining Levels
Your character gains a level when they’ve
accumulated sufficient XP. Increase their level
by one, clear their XP, and gain the following:
◊ A new tag that encapsulates the

previous level’s activity
◊ A new technique of your
choice, so long as reasonably
learned or acquired by magic or
metamorphosis
◊ +4 HP
◊ +1 speed
If you wish, you can also rewrite any of your
51 tags that no longer fit your character.
At the end of a session, your character gains

Your Character
XP as follows:
◊ Killed a meaningful enemy

(+1 XP to all PCs)
◊ Made a meaningful discovery
(+1 XP to all PCs)
◊ Approached a goal or a cause
(+1 XP to each PC who did)
◊ Downtime scenes (+1 to +3 XP
depending on the situation and
character, see Downtime Scenes
on page 68)
◊ Acquired meaningful loot (+1 to +3
XP, based on its value, to all PCs)
◊ Completed a quest, mission, or
major objective (+1 to +3 XP, based
on its significance, to all PCs on
this mission)
◊ Shared a meaningful social scene
(+1 XP to each PC who shared it)
XP requirements
Level XP Required
2 5
3 10
4 15
5 20
6 25
Shorjahl completes a session in which

they made a significant discovery (+1
XP), killed a significant enemy (+1 XP),
52 and engaged with their core flaw by
Succumbing in a downtime scene (+4 XP,
3 + 1 from being human). This 6 XP is
Your Character
enough to advance Shorjahl to level 2,

resetting their XP to 0.
Shorjahl’s player makes their selections,

and gains:
◊ +4 HP (now at 14 HP)
◊ +1 speed (now at -1 speed
when fully loaded)
◊ New tag: magically burned
Hillspike Fort
◊ New technique: Frothy Rage
To get to level 3, Shorjahl will have to

gain 10 more XP (for a total of 15 XP
from character creation).
non-player
Characters
Enemies and NPCs
Enemies and NPCs have several attributes:
◊ Speed (typically +5 to -5)

◊ HP (typically 1 to 50)
◊ Damage modifier (+0 to +10)
◊ Armor (0 to 4)
◊ Trait tags (1 to 5)
◊ Abilities (0 to 5)
Speed and armor can often be ignored if in a

lesser fight. Most mundane humanoids have
0 to +2 damage modifier and at most 1 armor.
Trait tags describe how the creature behaves
54 and reacts to the characters (e.g., sneaky,
brute, archer, demon). Some traits can give
disadvantage to a PC’s roll.
Non-player Characters
Abilities function much like a PC’s techniques

or the spells, moves, and supernatural
abilities of other, compatible games. A
common ability is an NPC being invulnerable
to certain methods of attack or damage (e.g.,
a wraith being invulnerable to non-magical,
non-silver weapons). Likewise, many abilities
can give disadvantage to a PC’s roll when
relevant.
Read more in Making Enemies on page 102.
Helltopod: A demonic octopus

creature. Speed -2 on land, speed 0 in
water, speed 3 in liquid fire. 20 HP.
+2 damage. Armor 0. Traits: eight
tentacles; ambush predator; drown and
burn. Abilities: immune to fire damage;
snatch and grapple; multiattack 4
(make four attacks per turn).
Hirelings, Horses,
and Hounds
PCs can employ NPC allies—hirelings, beasts
of burden, hunting hounds, etc.—which
function as a combination of NPC enemies
and PC equipment.
If the NPC ally has its own state of mind (such

as an intelligent hireling), the GM controls it
and notes its stats like any other NPC, adding
a loyalty tag rated from -3 to +3. Using an
ally as a weapon may cause the roll to have
advantage or disadvantage.
55 However, when a PC gives a command

to an ally NPC or uses them as part of
another action, the hireling acts as a piece
of equipment, complete with tags, abilities,
permissions, and ranges.
Shorjahl hires a man-at-arms to help

them travel along the dangerous road.
When they’re confronted by a horrific
bog hag, Shorjahl rolls 2d6 + 1 (the
guard’s loyalty) to see if the guard runs
away; they get an 11, so the guard
stands their ground.
Later, Shorjahl and the man-at-arms

are fighting some deserted soldiers
turned bandits. The GM is controlling
the man-at-arms, and grants Shorjahl
advantage to an attack roll as the man-
at-arms is in the thick of things against
the bandits.
Finally, Shorjahl commands the man-at-

arms to attack an enemy archer from
a flank. This requires Shorjahl to roll,
adding an aptitude of +2, derived by
combining Shorjahl’s traits and those of
the man-at-arms.
NPC Loyalty
Every NPC hireling and ally has a loyalty tag,
a combination of a word and a number that
depends upon their morale and opinion of the
party and especially their PC “commander.”
◊ Mutinous: -3
◊ Grumbling: -2
◊ Suspicious: -1
◊ Neutral: 0
◊ Accepting: +1
◊ Committed: +2
◊ Zealous: +3
56 This loyalty can be used when the PC

commander attempts to order the NPC
hireling, or when the hireling is confronted
with something truly horrifying or
frightening. It works the same way for both

intelligent creatures and beasts.
Most hirelings begin with [neutral] (0)

loyalty, but the PC commander can attempt
to influence it (especially at initial hiring)
by rolling. NPC loyalty also changes every
mission based on:
◊ Their pay and share of loot

◊ Their conditions, treatment, and
rations
◊ The amount of danger and nature
of their work, compared to their
expectations
◊ How well-informed they feel, if they
have a choice
◊ The behavior and leadership of
their commanders
When a PC forces a hireling to act in a way
that tests their loyalty, the PC commander
must roll, adding the hireling’s loyalty
as aptitude.
◊ On a 6-, the hirelings disobey as

befitting their loyalty and skillset.
◊ On a 7-9, they follow their orders,
but take -1 loyalty.
◊ On a 10+, they follow their orders.
◊ On a 13+, they follow their orders
exemplarily and gain +1 loyalty.
Shorjahl has hired a mercenary

with [committed] (+2) loyalty. The
pyromancer orders the mercenary to
57 attack a pack of goblins, and the GM
calls for a loyalty test. They roll and get
a 14; the mercenary charges in and goes
up to +3 loyalty.
Later, Shorjahl orders the mercenary

to hand over a powerful artifact that
they looted. The mercenary wants to
keep it, so the GM calls for a loyalty
test. Shorjahl rolls and gets an 8; the
mercenary hands it over but loses 1
loyalty, going down to +2.
NPC Ability
As with a PC, the skillset of an NPC ally affects
what it can and can’t do; likewise, a highly
competent NPC can grant advantage (or an
unskilled one disadvantage) to a PC if the ally
is being used as a weapon.
Shorjahl’s hired mercenary is quite good

at combat. When the mage orders the
ally to face off against some bugbears,
the GM grants advantage to Shorjahl’s
roll due to the mercenary’s ability.
Combat
Surprise
If one side of a fight is unaware of the enemy,
they’re surprised. PCs rolling to attack a
surprised enemy do so at advantage. PCs
rolling to defend while being surprised do
so at disadvantage. If someone is completely
unaware and at ease, though, no roll is
needed to attack them.
Ambush is not assumed from situation—

you’ll always need to roll to ambush an
enemy. Likewise, whenever an enemy is
attempting to ambush you, you’ll always get
to roll to avoid it. GMs can couch or abstract
this language if they desire.
59 Once an ambush is sprung, the surprise ends
and the combatants engage as normal.
Combat
Shorjahl sees a distant retinue of enemy

soldiers on the Alpine Road. They decide
to hide and lay an ambush. Shorjahl
rolls to hide and gets a 10 (complete
success). The cadre marches right past
Shorjahl’s hiding space in the forest,
none the wiser. Shorjahl rolls an attack
using their pyromancer technique to
alight the road in flames. They roll at
advantage (3d6, drop lowest).
Later, Shorjahl is exploring some ruins.

A pack of goblins hides in the shadows.
Shorjahl actively keeps up their guard,
rolling to spot any threats, but gets a
5 (failure). When the goblins spring
their trap, the mage rolls to defend at
disadvantage (3d6, drop highest).
Initiative and
Turn Order
In general, the most fitting combatant acts
when most relevant, at the GM’s discretion.
However, if everyone is engaged in a fracas,
the combatants act in turn order from highest
speed to lowest. Combatants with the same
speed are acting simultaneously, but PCs act
before NPCs.
Shorjahl is fighting a necromancer

and their pack of zombies. The mage
unleashes some fiery death, and the GM
doesn’t call for a specific turn order;
60 several zombies disintegrate and the
necromancer has to move away.
Combat
As the fight gets closer to the end and

every second starts to count, the GM
writes down everyone’s speed. Shorjahl
has -1, the necromancer 0, and the
zombies -3. The necromancer acts first,
raising some new zombies. Shorjahl
acts next, blasting some of the undead
spawn with magic. Those zombies that
survived the assault get to act last,
and shamble toward the pyromancer,
hungry for flesh.
Movement
A character’s movement depends on their
speed, terrain, any injury tags, and how
they’re moving.
In combat, most participants can move

roughly 30 feet per round. Rough terrain
reduces this by 10 feet, and harsh terrain by
another 10 feet. If the GM thinks it relevant,
each point of speed adds 5 feet of movement
(e.g., +2 speed adds 10 feet of movement per
round).
Shorjahl has a base movement of 30’ per

round. When they’re running through
61 some dense jungle thicket, they can only
move 20’. When they come across a bog,
their speed is reduced to 10’. If Shorjahl
Combat
was unladen and had +2 speed, their

base speed is now 40’ per round (or 30’
in the thicket or 20’ in the bog).
PCs Dealing Damage
If a roll to attack or otherwise deal damage
succeeds:
Damage lowest d6 result +

=
dealt aptitude
Shorjahl fires a bow at a goblin. They

roll 2d6 + 3 (from three relevant trait
tags). The d6s comes up as 5 and 2, a hit
(5 + 2 + 3 = 10). Shorjahl deals 5 damage
to the goblin (2 from the lowest d6
result + 3 aptitude).
62
Critical Hits
When you get a critical success (13+) on a roll
Combat
for damage, double the damage dealt.
Shorjahl attacks and hits an enemy,

rolling a 14 (d6 results of 6 and 5, with
+3 aptitude). Normally this would
only deal 8 damage (5 + 3), but since
Shorjahl rolled a critical success, they
deal 16 damage.
Defeating Enemies Without

Damage
The GM can always declare that an NPC is
defeated due to narrative circumstances
rather than sufficient damage to HP.
Shorjahl rolls, but rather than dealing

damage they intimidate an enemy
with a show of magical force. The GM
declares that this enemy is defeated,
though not killed or even harmed.
PCs Taking Damage
Enemy attack damage is determined in one of
two ways (GM’s choice):
1. The GM rolls separately for enemy

damage
2. The player’s defense roll also
determines enemy damage
If your character takes damage but still has 1+
HP, they’re fine. If they drop to 0- HP, roll to
see how bad it is.
◊ On a 6-, they’re dead if it’s a lethal

attack. If not, they’re at 0 HP and
incapacitated, but will die in 10
63 minutes if left untreated.
◊ On a 7-12, they remain conscious
with 1 HP, but gain an injury tag.
Combat
◊ On a 13+, they remain conscious

with HP = lowest d6 + aptitude, and
don’t gain an injury tag.
Multiple injury tags stack penalties to

aptitude.
Separate Enemy Damage Roll

(Method 1)
In this method, the damage roll is often
sourced from another game that is compatible
with these rules (e.g., D&D BECMI or other
modules). I recommend an upper limit of
about 4d6 for the greatest foes.
If you’re not referencing another game, you
can often roll as follows:
◊ Weak enemy: 1d6 - 2 (minimum 1

on a hit)
◊ Normal enemy: 1d6
◊ Strong enemy: 1d6 + 2
◊ Very strong enemy: 2d6 (or even
more if higher level)
Anything above 2d6 is very capable of killing

any level-1 or level-2 character in a single roll,
so fair warning!
Enemy Damage Determined by

64 PC Roll (Method 2)
This method is basically the reverse of
determining how much damage a PC deals.
Combat
When the PC rolls to defend, they take

damage as follows:
◊ On a 6-, the PC suffers damage equal

to their highest d6 result + any
enemy damage modifier (usually +0
to +10).
◊ On a 7-9, the PC suffers damage
equal to their lowest d6 result
◊ On a 10+, the PC suffers no damage.
Shorjahl rolls to fight a goblin in melee,

and gets a 6- (a 1, 3, + 2 aptitude).
Shorjahl misses, and then suffers 4
damage (3 from their highest d6 result +
1 from the goblin’s damage mod).
Later, Shorjahl rolls to dodge out of the

way of a falling boulder. They roll a 7-9
(a 3, 4 + 1). They get clipped and suffer 3
damage (their lowest 1d6 result).
Stance, Risk,
and Damage
When you take a stance, the GM can reason
that it modifies your damage dealt or taken:
◊ High risk: +2 to damage dealt and/

or taken
◊ Normal: no change
◊ Low risk: -2 to damage dealt and/
or taken
Shorjahl attacks an enemy and takes a

high-risk stance, calling it out verbally
65 to the GM. They roll and deal 4 base
damage +2 from the high-risk stance
(for a total of 6). An enemy bandit
Combat
attacks back and Shorjahl has to roll to

defend themself; since they’re still in the
high-risk stance any damage they take
would increase by +2.
Armor and Damage
Characters, NPCs, and enemies can wear
(or possess natural forms of) armor. Armor
reduces incoming damage in equal number
(10 damage - 3 armor = 7 damage suffered),
and reduces speed (5 speed - 3 armor = 2
speed).
Armor cannot exceed 5.
Some weapon types are armor piercing and

ignore some amount of armor (e.g., armor
piercing 2 ignores 2 armor).
Shorjahl thrusts their spear at a bandit

66 with 1 armor. Shorjahl rolls 5 damage,
but only deals 4 (5 - 1 armor = 4). Later,
Shorjahl uses some fire magic and rolls
Combat
3 fire damage. The GM reasons that the

fire magic ignores the bandit’s armor,
so they deal the full 3 damage.
Outside of
adventure
Downtime Scenes
Downtime scenes are those in between
action-packed sequences of adventure and
combat. During such scenes, characters
work on long-term projects, train, or pursue
personal interests. They require the relative
safety of an uninterrupted period of reprieve
(such as in between sessions or quests).
During each downtime scene, each player

picks one of the following activities:
◊ Acquire: Gain something—info,

help, or an item. Roll to determine
its quality.
68 ◊ Succumb: Engage with your core

flaw and suffer its repercussions,
but gain +3 XP.
Outside of Adventure
◊ Train: Gain +1 XP.

◊ Treat: Remove one non-permanent
injury tag.
◊ Work: Work toward a long-term
goal or project. Roll to determine
how much progress is made.
After their victory, Shorjahl and their

party relax back at Count Gribald’s
castle for several days. During this
time, Shorjahl wishes to Acquire some
information about local areas known to
be natural sources of powerful magics.
Shorjahl rolls and gets a 7-9: a success

with some complication or cost. The
count’s head alchemist knows of such
a place, but will only tell Shorjahl if
the young pyromancer agrees to bring
back some rare ingredients from their
travels. Shorjahl can choose to agree
or not.
Social Scenes
Social scenes are those in which one or more
PCs reveal something meaningful about their
character, the narrative, or a significant NPC.
These scenes usually involve in-character
roleplay between multiple PCs.
Each PC involved in a social scene gets +1 XP.
A social scene can happen as part of a

downtime scene or in the free play of the
game. It’s just an interesting interaction that
isn’t about stabbing something.
Shorjahl is a guest at a feast at Gribald

69 Castle. They have a conversation
with several NPCs, one of whom
questions Shorjahl’s sordid past as a
Outside of Adventure
necromancer’s apprentice. Shorjahl flies

into a righteous rage and storms out of
the feast, making a massive impression.
This revealed something about

Shorjahl’s character, and suggests
that the game might focus on their
necromantic past, so Shorjahl gets
+1 XP.
travel and
dungeoneering
travel and
dungeoneering
Travel through safe areas should largely be
ignored or abstracted. It’s fair for the GM
to say, “You travel for four days across the
Orangespring Plains without incident.”
When traveling through dangerous

wilderness, hostile territory, ancient ruins,
dungeons, or similar places, split time into
71 travel turns. Each travel turn is three hours
aboveground or ten minutes underground.
At the start of a travel turn, each PC describes

Travel and Dungeoneering
their actions (or their role) and how it might

help the party. Here are some examples:
◊ Torchbearer
◊ Scouting ahead
◊ Surveying / map-drawing
◊ Rearguard
◊ Hidden reaction force (following in
stealth)
◊ Quartermaster (keeps track of
rations, etc.)
Then, the GM selects one PC to be the focus of
this turn (PCs should rotate focus). The focus
PC rolls, keeping in mind their action:
◊ On a 6-, there is a calamitous event

(avalanche, loss of food, ambush,
separation, capture, etc.).
◊ On a 7-9, there is a problem, but the
focus PC can see it coming, warn the
party, or affect its onset.
◊ On a 10-12, everything goes as
planned.
◊ On a 13+, everything goes very
smoothly because of the focus PC’s
perception or quick thinking.
72
Potential Travel
Turn Calamities
PC Dungeon Wilderness
Role Calamity Calamity
Scout Falls into or Loosens unstable
triggers a trap hazards
Torch- Plunges party into Burns up fuel,
bearer freezing darkness starts a wildfire
Surveyor Misses key Gets lost, turned
danger, like a pit around
Guard Alerts nearby Triggers an
monsters ambush
Stealth Gets snatched up Gets separated
force by monsters due to terrain
Quarter- Leaves a trail to Loses all of the
master be followed supplies
Over longer journeys in which the GM has
nothing particularly interesting planned, a
travel turn can be zoomed out from several
times a day to just once a day, or even once for
the entire journey. The more often the party
rolls for travel turns, the more dangerous,
time-consuming, and narratively important
the area they’re traveling through is.
Weather and
Hazards
If your game prominently features wilderness
exploration (e.g., a hexcrawl or military
73 campaign), weather and environmental
hazards will be significant in your party’s
challenges and experience.
Weather events or hazards can be handled in

several ways:
◊ As an obstacle for each PC to roll

through
◊ As combat, treating hazards or
elements as enemies
◊ Using the custom Weather
rules below (page 74)
Weather as an Obstacle
The PCs can deal with weather by rolling as
if they were doing any other action. If they
roll well, they make it through begrudgingly;
if not, they don’t. Death is perfectly valid
as a consequence (freezing, drowning, heat
exhaustion, etc.).
Weather challenges should pay special heed

to the nature of the environment, how much
the party has prepared, and how they’re
equipped and fed. An underprepared party
rolls at disadvantage. Detrimental equipment
or lack of experience applies negative tags
toward aptitude.
74 Shorjahl must travel through the

freezing alpine forest on their way to
Ft. Grondle. Shorjahl lacks winter-
wilderness clothing and supplies, so

they roll at disadvantage. They have
armor 1, which applies a penalty to
aptitude when traveling.
The pyromancer rolls 3d6, drops the

highest d6, and applies -1 aptitude.
They get a 7, just barely enough
to survive, but get the injury tags
[frostbite] and [exhausted].
Weather as Enemies
Especially inclement weather can be treated
as an enemy, with special abilities (e.g., trip or
knockback or paralysis; see Making Enemies
on page 102), a speed, a damage modifier, and
so forth.
Namely, weather can have HP representing

how much preparation is necessary to
overcome or defend oneself against it. The
PCs can deal preparation damage to this
weather by rolling to attack, as normal. Once
the weather has been reduced to 0 HP, it is no
longer a threat.
Shorjahl is facing freezing snow.

75 It has 10 HP, drain, and paralysis.
Shorjahl describes how they use their
fire magic to keep themself warm,
lighting several goat bladders full of

water and packing them beneath a
bearhide wrap they took from a dead
bandit. Shorjahl rolls a 12, a complete
success. They deal 9 preparation
damage to the freezing snow (6 from
highest die, +3 from aptitude).
However, since the pyromancer

didn’t defeat the freezing snow, it
gets to act, attempting to drain or
paralyze Shorjahl.
Special Rules for Weather
When the party is in a situation where
wilderness or similar environmental
hazards may harm them, the GM can force
the focus PC to roll for the party. This key
member might be the trailblazer, the scout,
the cartographer, or the local with the most
knowledge of the environment.
If you can’t decide who the focus PC is, give

it to whoever has the highest aptitude in this
situation. If that still doesn’t settle it, assign
someone randomly by a roll of the dice.
◊ On a 6-, everyone in the party takes

6 damage (ignores armor), gains an
appropriate injury tag ([frostbite],
76 [dehydrated], [fatigued], etc.), and
gets lost, trapped, or blown off
course.
◊ On a 7-9, everyone gains an injury

tag, as above, but takes no damage.
Also, the GM chooses between
everyone losing some equipment
or everyone getting lost, trapped, or
blown off course.
◊ On a 10-12, everyone gets through
the weather without incident.
◊ On a 13+, everyone gets through the
weather, and the focus PC picks one
benefit:
▪▪ Discover a shortcut or faster
route.
▪▪ Find a useful bit of unrelated
information.
▪▪ Find a bevy of helpful resources
that cut down on ration loss and
uses of other equipment.
77
Preparation
and Planning
Vagabonds emulates OSR-style play and
so encourages granular and detailed
preparation, planning, mapping, and resource
management.
However, sometimes people just want

to get straight to the goblin-butchering
and dungeon-crawling without having to
detail every torch and ration and bundle
of equipment. The abstracted “kits” in
Equipment (page 93) are a great start, but
here are some more rules on how to quickly
handle preparation and planning in a few
broad strokes.
The Planning Roll
Select or randomly choose one PC (usually
with the highest aptitude or the “leader” of
the party) to be the planner. They quickly
describe their general approach to the party’s
upcoming journey (e.g., exploring a dungeon,
attacking an enemy fort, sailing across a
stormy sea, etc.) and roll.
If they have all the time they need and a

cache of resources and intelligence, they roll
at advantage. If they have little time or must
contend with other obstacles, they roll at
disadvantage.
◊ On a 6-, the plan fails. When the

party cuts to the action or arrives
78 at the start of their quest, they’re
already in trouble, generally due to
foreseeable circumstances.
◊ On a 7-9, each PC can roll at

advantage once during this quest, at
a time of their choosing, so long as
the plan is relevant.
◊ On a 10-12, as 7-9 but each PC can
roll at advantage twice.
◊ On a 13+, the party can circumvent
one minor and one major obstacle
(GM’s discretion) due to the
brilliance of their plan, and each PC
can roll at advantage twice, as
in 10-12.
Shorjahl plans their attack on an enemy
fort. They have plenty of time and
the assistance of an allied mercenary
commander, so the GM grants them
advantage on the planning roll.
Since the plan largely involves burning

the fort to the ground, the pyromancer
has three relevant trait tags: [slow
and logical approach], [loves fire], and
[pyromancer].
Shorjahl rolls 3d6 + 3, drops the lowest

d6, and gets a 14 (circumvent a minor
obstacle and a major obstacle, and can
roll twice at advantage).
79 Shorjahl is able to slip by the outer
perimeter of guards (circumventing the
minor obstacle). They roll at advantage
to locate the most flammable area

of the fort (the stables), and succeed.
Then, they start the fire without rolling
(circumventing the major obstacle),
catching the whole foundation of the
fort ablaze. Finally, Shorjahl rolls at
advantage again to quickly escape
before the enemy soldiers catch them.
If Shorjahl had rolled a 6 instead of

a 14, they would have arrived at the
fort and been confronted with an
unassailable situation. Perhaps the
guards at the fort heard of the mage’s
approach and set an ambush, they took
precautions to prevent fire damage, a
new garrison or cadre of reinforcements
have arrived, etc.
The Preparation Roll
Preparation is distinct from planning, as
preparation has more to do with equipment,
supplies, and other tangible goods that will
aid in the quest or mission.
As with planning, select one focus PC (with

the highest aptitude or relevance). The
focus PC rolls, at advantage with significant
information and resources to draw upon, or
at disadvantage with little to nothing to aid
them in their prep.
◊ On a 6-, the supplies they thought

they’d bring are ruined, damaged,
or lost in some way. The GM can
select one thing from each PC that
80 isn’t key to their abilities at the
moment they attempt to use it.
◊ On a 7-9, the party gets one prep
use that they can call upon at any

time during the quest. This prep
use produces an item, map, or other
good that could conceivably be
acquired before going on the quest.
◊ On a 10-12, as 7-9 but two prep uses.
◊ On a 13+, as 7-9 but three prep uses.
Shorjahl rolls to prep for traveling the

Alpine Road. They roll at disadvantage
due to the short timeline, and only
have one relevant trait. They get a 5, so
Shorjahl has to sacrifice their winter
clothes at the onset of their journey (as
chosen by the GM).
Later, Shorjahl rolls to prepare for a sea

voyage. They get an 8, and so gain one
prep use for the trip. While out at sea
the ship gets blown off course; Shorjahl
burns the prep use to produce a sextant,
which helps steer them back on track.
Traps
Handle a triggered trap as a single roll,
usually rolled by the PC triggering it. Traps
function much like enemies or hazards—
they can deal damage, apply injury tags, cast
spells, use abilities, etc. The exception is that
traps fire once (usually) and are spent until
reset or reloaded.
Most traps are triggered by a PC getting too

close, stepping on a pressure plate, kicking
a tripwire, touching a piece of treasure, or
being detected magically. Even if one PC
triggers the trap, the whole party might
suffer, depending on its effect.
81 Characters can attempt to detect and disarm
a trap by rolling. The GM may feel that it
is appropriate to tell the players, out of
character, that there are traps around, but it

is recommended to telegraph or forewarn of
this danger in the fiction (or somehow grant
this knowledge by preparation rolls, killing an
NPC hireling, etc.). PCs can’t just roll to look
for traps in every chamber or area they cross;
they must have reason to suspect that traps
are present.
Shorjahl wanders into a cave to seek

shelter, paying little heed to a bear
trap placed under some old pine
needles. Shorjahl rolls and gets a 7 and
triggers the trap, getting their leg free
but taking the injury tag [busted ankle]
in the process.
Deeper in the cave, Shorjahl is more

careful, and rolls to detect and avoid
any traps. They get a 10, so the GM
describes how they notice a goblin
spike trap before stepping in it and
losing a foot.
Decays: Hunger,
Thirst, Disease,
and Poison
Any effect that kills over time—such as lack of
food or an insidious poison—can be treated as
a decay, which has the following components:
Trigger: What causes the decay? It might be

an action, the consumption of a particular
item (e.g., poison), or the outcome of a roll.
Timeframe: How quickly does the decay

begin and escalate? Is it a matter of minutes
82 (lack of air), hours (poison), days (lack of
water), weeks, or some much longer period?
At each such interval, trigger the effect (see
below), and the PC, if able, might attempt to

resist the decay by rolling.
Effect: Most decays cause an injury tag

(which can penalize actions or block
permissions). Some deal damage (which
can kill the character). Certain effects stack
(e.g., damage), while others may not (e.g.,
paralysis—you can’t become any more
paralyzed). Decay effects often have special
clauses, and can only be healed or removed
by meeting specific criteria (e.g., starvation is
only removed by eating, etc.).
Shorjahl hasn’t eaten in several days,

traveling through rugged and freezing
temperatures, and is beginning to
starve. Each day the wizard doesn’t eat
deals 1 damage (ignores armor), and
while starving they have the [starving]
injury tag. This damage is cumulative
and can only be healed by eating.
Hunger and Starvation
◊ Trigger: No food for one week of
typical activity, no food for three
days of laborious activity (e.g.,
adventuring), or insufficient food
over a longer period (e.g., a crust of
bread per day over a few weeks as
a prisoner).
◊ Timeframe: Once per day.
◊ Effect: You gain the [starving]
injury tag, which causes exhaustion,
delirium, and eventual paralysis.
You can resist these negative effects
with sufficient rolls or healing. Each
day, you take 1 cumulative damage,
which ignores armor and all forms
83 of resistance. Healing does not affect
this HP loss. Eating is the
only cure.
Thirst and Dehydration

◊ Trigger: No water for three days
of typical activity, no water for
one day of laborious activity (e.g.,
adventuring), or insufficient water
over a longer period.
◊ Timeframe: Once per hour.
◊ Effect: You gain the [dehydrated]
injury tag, which causes exhaustion,
hallucinations, slowness, and
eventual paralysis. You can resist
these negative effects with sufficient
rolls or healing. Each hour, you take
1 cumulative damage, which ignores
armor and all forms of resistance.
Healing does not affect this HP loss.
Drinking is the only cure.
Snake Venom
(Example Poison)
◊ Trigger: Bitten or
otherwise injected.
◊ Timeframe: Every three hours,
escalate the effects.
◊ Effect: Roll to resist. Each failed roll
to resist deals more damage and
gives a new injury tag: [feverish,
3 dmg] -> [vomiting, 6 dmg] ->
[paralysis, 9 dmg] -> [death].
Zombie Rot
(Example Disease)
84
◊ Trigger: Failure to resist once
exposed to the touch, bite, or other
magical miasma of the undead.
◊ Timeframe: Every two weeks.

◊ Effect: Roll to resist. Zombie Rot can
be cured with sufficient magic or
sanctified healing.
▪▪ On a 6-, roll twice on the
below table.
▪▪ On a 7-9, roll once on the
below table.
▪▪ On a 10-12, the effects do
not worsen.
▪▪ On a 13+, you’re naturally cured
of the rot, but retain all of the
injuries sustained while ill (until
healed).
Zombie Rot effect
Roll Effect
1 One of your hands falls off.
2 One of your feet falls off.
3 Patches of skin slough off.
4 Your tongue falls out.
5 One of your eyes falls out.
6 You suffer double damage.
85
Overland Travel
Open terrain: three miles per hour, or
roughly twenty miles per day assuming a
break for food and camp at night
Rough terrain: two miles per hour, or about

ten miles per day due to the greater exertion
required
Harsh terrain: one mile per hour, or about

five miles per day due to back-tracking and
likewise
The GM can estimate the party’s daily travel

distance by using the above as a baseline and
modifying it with the slowest PC’s speed. For
86 example, a party whose slowest character has
-2 speed will cover 18 miles per day over open
terrain.
Wagons, litters, pack animals, or similar

don’t necessarily increase speed but can
reduce strain, risk of injury, or penalties to
the slowest PC’s speed. A typical pack mule
suffers only -1 speed for every -3 speed that a
human would (e.g., a mule carrying -9 speed’s
worth of supplies would only be at -3 speed).
Shorjahl marches for six hours; two

hours across open terrain, three across
rough terrain, and one in harsh terrain.
Shorjahl is of average speed and is able
to cover 13 miles during the course of
the day (3 mph for 2 hrs + 2 mph for 3
hrs + 1 mph for 1 hr).
Magic
87
Characters can acquire and use magic in

several ways:
◊ Techniques (see page 18)

◊ Magical items (scrolls, wands,
rings, swords, etc.)
◊ Belonging to the elf lineage
◊ Divine intervention or
supernatural bestowment
Optionally, the GM can allow PCs to use magic

if it makes sense with their character concept
and is represented by one of their traits.
Characters without a magic-related trait
would be unable to use magic.
Magic from Techniques
You can attempt to use magic as described
in a given technique, and no more. How
you acquired this technique might inform
your ability to use or recognize magic (GM
discretion), though usually not.
Magical Items
Magical items only grant their power while
their specific criteria are met, usually when
being wielded or otherwise connected with
the PC using it.
Elvish Magic
88 As an elf, you have subtle arcane control. You
can open your mind to and concentrate upon
latent magical energies, even marshaling
them to do your bidding. This affords you

very weak magical powers, such as the ability
to detect magical items and portals, read
scrolls, use wands, etc.
In addition, you can use magic as part of a

roll. The more you rely on magic, and the
more supernatural the intended effect is,
the more dangerous it is for you (perhaps
represented by stance). A roll of a 6- likely
means you take damage or a significant
injury tag, cause unforeseeable consequences,
or even activate unintended (and dangerous)
magical maelstroms.
89
Divine Intervention or
Magical Bestowment
Sometimes a PC can acquire magical
powers—even temporarily—by communing
with some great spirit, making dark pacts
with powerful entities, or furthering their
god’s cause. Usually, the GM will grant a
magic-focused technique to the PC until this
effect expires (if ever).
Magic from Traits or

Other Sources
You can simply treat magic as another
character trait. Traits related to physical
strength enable a PC to use their might, and
the same goes with dexterity or intelligence.
So too can it be with magic, yet with greater
repercussions for failure and a more limited
impact than magic from techniques. In other
words, magic can simply be a narrative tool
that’s used when relevant.
Azoth:
Distilled Magic
Arcane magic and similar artifice is powered
by azoth, a crystalline, iridescent metal
with a very low melting point. It appears as
fractal cubes of pearlescent mirrors, casting
a dizzying array of rainbows within and
without. Check out solid bismuth for some
real-world inspiration.
Finding Azoth
Azoth runs deep within the arteries of the
world, pumps in the hearts of dragons, and
90 drips from the twisted fist of every foul
sorcerer king. It is purified, raw magical
power. Azoth can be distilled from items of
magical or commercial value, such as:
◊ Gold and other precious metals

◊ Gemstones
◊ Scrolls, wands, and magical artifacts
◊ The visceral components of magical
or mythological beings
Collecting and using azoth is a prime reason

why many arcanists go adventuring, as it is far
more valuable than equal weights of gold. It’s
arguably more practical too, as it’s needed in
any permanent or stable form of magic, such
as the forging of a magical sword or staff.
Azoth’s Uses
Many component requirements of rituals,
spells, and incantations can be replaced with
azoth, or demand azoth in and of themselves.
It can also be melted down and combined with
other metals to produce magical-quality steel.
When in powder or liquid form, it burns so

fiercely that it can explode, sear the vision out
of someone’s eyes, or light a lantern so bright
so as to be seen from a hundred leagues away.
Despite its intensity, azoth is incredibly stable

and difficult to cause a reaction with. Neither
fire nor force can cause it to combust or to
waste; only other magical sources can affect
it. Because of this, some mages have taken to
91 ingesting, injecting, or tattooing azoth into
their own bodies. While this does indeed have
augmentative powers, it can also produce
violent and unintended mutations.
Azoth in Spells and Rituals

The GM can require the use of azoth for a
particular spell, especially in large rituals that
greatly affect the area or narrative.
Each use of azoth is a crystalline nugget about

the size of a fingernail, worth roughly 50sp or
5gp. The more powerful the spell, the more
uses of azoth it requires.
Many ritual-based techniques list a required

use of azoth. Likewise, the GM can convert
OSR spell components into quantities of azoth
based upon their value.
Azoth Augmentations
A PC can attempt to gain augmented powers
through the assimilation of azoth by rolling.
Magical, will-based, or fortitudinous traits
add to aptitude as relevant. You can only
attempt this type of augmentation once per
level; any additional attempts cause damage,
injury, and possible mutation.
◊ On a 6-, gain no power and acquire

one of the below mutations as a
permanent injury tag.
◊ On a 7-9, gain one technique
(without proper ritualized focus,
random or GM choice), and suffer
one below mutation as a permanent
92 injury tag.
◊ On a 10-12, as 7-9, but with
no mutation.
◊ On a 13+, gain one technique of

your choice and +10 XP.
Azoth Rejection Mutation

Roll Effect
1 You go blind and are plagued by
horrific nightmares.
2 You go deaf and hear constant,
foreboding drumming.
3 You lose a limb of the GM’s
choice (roll if you must).
4 You have endless hunger. You
must eat every two hours or die.
5 You’re near rabid, and can only
act in a high-risk stance.
6 Re-roll twice. You gain both
mutations. (This can prompt
more re-rolls if you roll a 6,
giving three or more mutations.)
Equipment
Equipment is made up of a series of tags
which inform how it works. Each piece of
equipment reduces your speed by 1, while
a piece that requires two hands to carry
reduces it by 2.
Equipment tags function as:
◊ Mechanical modifiers (+1 / -1 when

[something relevant])
◊ Granters or deniers of permission
(you can or can’t attempt [relevant
action] when using this [in
this way])
◊ Character-separable techniques
(gain [relevant technique] when
wielding this)
94
Additionally, some equipment have:
Equipment
◊ Requirements (to [activate / use /

benefit from] this item you must [do
/ sacrifice] [this relevant thing])
◊ Limited uses (such as ammo,
potions, fragile things, etc.)
Adventuring
Gear and Tools
Most gear, gadgets, tools, and kits grant a +1
to a relevant action, and grant permission
to attempt actions that would be impossible
without the aid of said tools.
Shorjahl has a climbing kit. When

appropriately adorned and used, they
get +1 to climbing. Later, the GM blocks
permission to climb an especially
daunting peak without such a kit, but
Shorjahl may attempt it with a +1 bonus.
95
Equipment
Examples of Weapon Tags

◊ Ammo / Fragile N: on a 6-, the item
breaks or loses one of its N uses. At
zero uses, it is permanently broken
or needs to be replenished
◊ Arm: works as a weapon up to
arm’s length away
◊ Armor N: gives N armor, which
reduces incoming damage. Doesn’t
stack, only equipment with highest
armor counts
◊ Armor +N: gives N armor, stacks
with other armor
◊ Armor piercing N (APN): ignores
N enemy armor
◊ Bane vs [type]: +1 damage versus a
particular type of target
◊ Long range: works as a weapon up
to about a hundred steps
◊ Magic: bound and forged with
magic. Most magic items grant the
effects of a technique, but other OSR
magic items and weapons work too.
◊ One-handed (1h): can use with one
hand, quickly doffed and donned,
-1 speed
◊ Reach: works as a weapon up to
several steps away
◊ Reload / Charge: once used, takes
some time to use it again
96 ◊ Short range: works as a weapon up
to about twenty steps
◊ Slow / Heavy / Clumsy: extra
Equipment
-1 speed, +1 damage
◊ Special: silver, cold-iron, skysteel,
blessed, etc. Treated in a unique
way or forged out of a unique
material. Some enemies can only be
dealt damage by special weapons,
and likewise with some armor
being penetrated.
◊ Spray: spreads damage on hit
across all targets in a close cluster
(usually about a ten-foot area)
◊ Step: works as a weapon up to
a step or two away
◊ Two-handed (2h): must use with
two hands, -2 speed
◊ Weak vs [type]: -1 damage versus
a particular type of target
◊ Worn: only works while being worn
(e.g., armor)
Examples of Equipment
Armor, Weapons, and Shields
◊ Axe, heavy: 2h, step, clumsy
◊ Axe, light: 1h, arm, clumsy
◊ Azoth bomb: 1h, thrown, close
range, spray, AP5 (magic), 1 use
◊ Bow, heavy: 2h, long range,
ammo 1, bane vs unshielded, AP1
◊ Bow, light: 2h, short range, ammo 2
◊ Crossbow: 2h, long range, ammo 1,
reload, bane vs unshielded, AP2
◊ Caltrops: 1h, thrown, close range,
spray, anyone moving through
97 affected area takes damage equal
to attacker aptitude
◊ Dagger: 1h, arm, can be thrown
Equipment
(1 use, short range)

◊ Gambeson: armor 1, worn
◊ Mace: 1h, arm, AP2
◊ Mail: armor 2, worn
◊ Plate harness: armor 3,
worn, heavy
◊ Polearm, long: 2h, reach, AP2
◊ Polearm, short: 2h, step, AP1
◊ Shield: 1h, +1 armor
◊ Spear: 1h/2h (+1 damage if 2h),
reach, fragile 2, can be thrown
(1 use, close range)
◊ Sword, heavy: 2h, heavy, step,
bane vs unarmored
◊ Sword, light: 1h, arm, bane
vs unarmored
Gear and Kits
◊ Adventuring kit: 5 uses. Contains a
backpack, rope, chalk, lanterns, and
sundry other items. When you need
something, pull it out, define it, and
mark off a use.
◊ Cartographer’s kit: 5 uses,
fragile 1. Contains sheets of vellum,
ink, a quill, sextants, a
protractor, and similar equipment
for surveying and recording
topography and geography.
Whenever you want to record a
detailed map of an area, you’ll have
to stop and take a short rest (5–10
mins in relative safety). Roll if the
98 area is complex, in bad weather, or
you’re under duress. Mark off one
use per region recorded (one region
is roughly equivalent to a day’s
Equipment
overland travel).
◊ Climbing kit: worn, fragile 1.
Contains 200 feet of rope, pitons, a
climbing hammer, and a climbing
harness. Gives permission to climb
up sheer cliffs, castle walls, and
similar. Roll if under duress.
◊ Craft kit: fragile 2. Contains the
portable items necessary for you to
execute your craft (small hammers,
chisels, high-temperature crucible,
etc. for blacksmithing; paint and
paintbrushes and canvas for
painting, etc.). These crafts can
be used pragmatically or sold if a
willing buyer is around.
◊ Hospitaller’s kit: 5 uses. Contains
99 a bandolier and harness, bandages,
surgical equipment, salves,
antitoxins, and other medicines.
When you need something (such as
Equipment
to heal someone), pull it out, define

it, and mark off a use.
◊ Thief’s kit: 5 uses, fragile 1.
Contains lockpicks, weights, an
hourglass, and other equipment
for burglars. Gives permission
to attempt disarming complex,
mechanical traps and picking
complex locks.
Other Equipment
◊ Bandages: fragile 2. Grants

advantage when healing someone
through mundane means.
◊ Lantern: 1h/worn, reload.
Illuminates well to close range,
dimly to far range. Last as long as
there’s fuel (tallow, wax, oil, etc.).
◊ Rations: 1 use. Food for a day.
◊ Torch: 1h, 1 use. Illuminates well to
close range. Lasts about an hour.
Common Currency and Values
The default currency of Vagabonds is the silver
piece (sp).
Currency Conversion
10 copper = 1 silver piece (sp)
pieces (cp)
10 silver = 1 gold piece (gp)
pieces (sp)
10 gold = 1 platinum piece (pp)
pieces (gp)
A typical nugget of azoth is worth about 50sp

or 5gp.
100
Gemstones vary in value and rarity
depending on the setting, though most gems’
Equipment
value scales quadratically with raw size and

clarity. A fist-sized diamond might be worth
1000gp, whereas ten small diamonds of the
same overall volume would be worth a total
of only 250gp.
Rather than list prices for weapons, armor,

and kits, Vagabonds assumes that the price will
always be haggled, negotiated, and altered as
suitable for your setting. When determining
the price of an item, think of the following
based upon the locale in which the PCs are
purchasing it:
◊ The finished product’s rarity

◊ The amount of resources
and logistics necessary for its
construction or transport (e.g., an
area bereft of iron will cause steel
swords and armor to be doubly
expensive than an area outside of
an iron mine)
◊ The comparative isolation of the
locale (the more isolated, the more
inflated the prices)
◊ The amount of recycled or second-
hand product available (e.g., decent
quality swords, bows, and spears
will be in cheap abundance at a
recent battlefield or abandoned
military fort)
◊ Is the item unique or customized
in some way, or is it able to be
relatively “mass produced” (custom,
such as armor, can multiply the cost
of an item by as much as ten times
its average)
Another way to gauge prices in an area is to

101 determine how many days’ worth of skilled
labor are required to create it and bring it
to sale. An average worker makes 2 copper
Equipment
pieces per day of labor, while a skilled

craftsman can make up to 2 or 3 silver pieces
per day.
A masterfully crafted, custom-fitted harness

of armor might take several hundred hours of
skilled work. This means that even on the low
end it could cost upwards of 500sp if bought
from the smith who crafted it.
Making
Enemies
The GM can convert or create an enemy
based upon its qualities below. If you’re
converting from OSR games, you can ignore
AC and to-hit, as the players make all
rolls. There’s more information on this in
Converting Enemies (page 112).
◊ Speed (typically -5 to +5)

◊ HP (typically 1 to 50)
◊ Damage modifier (typically +0 to
+10)
◊ Armor (0 to 4)
◊ Trait tags (1 to about 5)
◊ Abilities (0 to about 3)
Each of these stats can depend on meeting

103 requirements—for example, an enemy’s
speed could favor certain environments,
while its damage modifier will depend on its
Making enemies
weapon.
Speed
Speed depends on the enemy’s agility and
the equipment they carry. Most beasts and
unintelligent creatures carry nothing, so their
speed tends to be higher.
Speed Example Enemies

-5 to -3 Very slow: crabmen, dungeon
slimes, pack oxen
-3 to -1 Slow: armored humanoids,
orcs, dwarves, dragons
0 Normal: most creatures and
unencumbered people
1-3 Fast: goblins, swimming
sharks, wolves, elves
3-5 Very fast: horses, cheetahs,
giants, supernatural sprinters
HP
HP measures how hard an enemy
is to defeat, and signifies morale,
luck, endurance, and fortitude.
HP Example Enemies
1 to 9 Fodder: most humanoids,
deer, most goblins
10 to 19 Rugged: grizzled soldiers,
wolves, orcs
20 to 29 Tough: hardened
mercenaries, undead
30 - 39 Sturdy: bears, ogres, giant
104 insects, dinosaurs
40-50 Epic: giants, dragons, greater
swarms, liches
Making enemies
Damage Modifier
The damage modifier signals how deadly
an enemy’s attacks are. This modifier is
added to any damage rolled.
Dmg + Example Enemies

0 Normal: most untrained
humanoids and wild beasts
+1-3 Threatening: trained
conscripts, goblins, bandits
+4-6 Dangerous: experienced
soldiers, orcs, most undead
+7-9 Severe: fiends, giants,
dinosaurs, mythical monsters
+10 Deadly: assassins, sorcerers,
dragons, demons
Armor
Armor reduces incoming damage, and
reflects how ablative the enemy’s hide is
or how well-protected it is.
Example Equipment and

Armor
Enemies
0 Unarmored: most humanoids
and thin-skinned beasts
1 Light: gambeson, standalone
shield, only a helmet
2 Medium: chainmail, giants,
crocodiles
105 3 Heavy: plate harness, hydras,
greater demons
4 Impenetrable: articulated full
Making enemies
plate, dragons
Trait tags
An enemy’s traits largely inform how it
behaves and define situations in which
the PCs would roll at disadvantage.
Trait Example Effect

Sneaky PC disadvantage to detect
the enemy while it’s in
stealth
Feral The enemy attacks in a
bestial, unrelenting way
Calculating The enemy will deploy
ambushes, flanks, tactics
Grappling PC disadvantage when
trying to escape this enemy’s
bonds
Elite The enemy fights as a soldier,
Soldier holds the line, is calm
Abilities
Enemies can have abilities that grant them
special actions, permissions, movements, or
maneuvers. They function like techniques,
but in reverse—the PC rolls to defend or
counter these abilities (in most cases) or else
suffer their consequences.
Most enemies have no abilities, moderately

powerful enemies have one or two, and
powerful enemies have three. Few have more
than three. See below for a list of example
abilities, but the GM can feel free to invent
their own or use PC techniques (page 18).
106 Alter environment:

The enemy can smash walls, reveal
pits, trigger traps, produce fog, or apply
Making enemies
any number of other environmental

effects that don’t affect the characters
themselves. Such abilities generally
apply disadvantage to certain rolls, or
force reactions (e.g., when smashing
down a building with the PCs inside).
Breath / Blast / Gas:

The enemy attacks a wide area in
front of it or in a blast zone. The more
area covered, the weaker its effect.
Examples:
◊ Blinding gas: disadvantage
to perception and combat
◊ Flame breath: deal damage
mod to all in zone, AP2
◊ Forceful gale: strong
gust of air that knocks
PCs prone and prevents
missile attacks
Charge:
The enemy rushes toward its target and
deals +2 damage if the target PC fails to
defend.
Critical weakness:
The enemy cannot die or resurrects (or
may not even be able to take any form
of damage) unless its critical weakness
is exploited. This weakness must be
telegraphed to the party, or must be
something known to those who are
learned about this enemy. Examples:
◊ Wraiths must be captured
within a prison ward spell.
107 ◊ Zombies must be
decapitated or burned.
◊ Liches must have their
Making enemies
phylactery destroyed.
Disarm:
On a 9- to defend, the PC is disarmed
and the weapon drops to the ground.
On a 6- to defend, the enemy takes the
PC’s weapon.
Drain:
On a hit, the PC takes 1 damage per
turn (ignores armor) until healed
or cured.
Gargantuan:
The enemy is massively large, large
enough for one or multiple PCs to stand
atop it. Some gargantuan creatures are
so large that they can house a structure
or two on their back.
Such enemies are actually constructs
of multiple enemies added together,
each able to be targeted and defeated.
If one such component is central to
the creature’s function (e.g., its head),
destroying it will often kill all of the
connected bits.
Example: The Gargantuan
Golden Wyrm of Akzoth is
actually made of four enemies—
its head, body, wings, and tail.
Though they are part of the same
creature, each of these enemies
has its own set of abilities. The
wings grant permission to fly, the
claws grant pin, the tail trip, and
the head fire breath.
108 Hit and run:

On a 9- to defend, the enemy deals
Making enemies
damage as normal and then moves to

a range relevant to its speed (usually
short range).
Immune to [type]:
Select a type of weapon, attack, or
magic. The enemy is completely
immune to this.
Invisible:
Impossible to detect the enemy by non-
magical visual means.
Knockback:
On a 9- to defend, the PC is forcibly
moved around by the enemy to a
reasonable location within short range.
Morph:
109 Upon reaching a certain threshold (e.g.,
an HP value), the enemy can morph
into something else. Its abilities may
Making enemies
change, or it may simply add to its

existing suite.
Multiattack N:
This enemy can attack N times in one
action, either targeting the same PC
multiple times, or targeting many of
them within range. Most such enemies
have multiattack 2, very powerful ones
3, and nemeses 4.
Paralysis:
On a 7-9 to defend, the PC is
temporarily [paralyzed], which
reduces speed by -1 per turn until -7.
During this time, the PC struggles to
fight and make physical actions. On
a 6- to defend, the PC immediately
goes to -7 speed. If they reach 0 HP,
the [paralyzed] injury tag becomes
permanent.
Pin:
On a 9- to defend, the PC cannot
move until they succeed at another
roll or until the enemy is sufficiently
distracted or damaged.
Poison:
If an attack deals damage to a PC, the
PC rolls to resist the poison. On a 7-9,
the PC takes the injury tag [poisoned],
which can cause slowness, vomiting, or
dizziness. On a 6-, the PC takes damage
each turn equal to the enemy damage
mod. If they hit 0 HP, the [poison]
injury tag becomes permanent
until cured.
110
Reaction attack:
Making enemies
This enemy gets an immediate attack as

a reaction to any PC who attacks them
and rolls a 7-9.
Reaction movement:
As reaction attack, but can move about
the battlefield instead of attacking.
Resistant to [type]:
Select a type of weapon, attack, or
magic. The enemy has +1 armor against
this.
Special movement:
This enemy can fly, burrow, swim,
teleport, phase, or move in another
special way. Each form of special
movement requires a speed and counts
as its own ability.
Stun:
Any PC that takes damage from this
enemy takes the temporary injury tag
[stunned], and loses their next action.
Each PC can only be [stunned] once in
this way.
Swallow:
On a 7-9 to defend, the PC is caught
in the enemy’s jaws, and can’t move
but can still attack. On a 6-, the PC is
swallowed and takes damage equal to
the enemy’s damage mod each turn
until they extricate.
111 Swarm:
An aggregate of many smaller enemies
collected into one. Swarms are treated
Making enemies
as a regular enemy except that their

armor and damage modifier depend
upon how “full” they are. As they take
damage, their armor and damage
modifier decrease in proportion. Spray
attacks are treated as armor piercing
against a swarm. Once a swarm has
been reduced to one-quarter its original
HP, it breaks into several individual
creatures.
Trip:
On a 9- to defend, the PC is knocked
prone and is vulnerable to a more
lethal strike. Additionally, the PC can’t
move except to crawl or stand up, and
attacks at disadvantage until standing.
converting
enemies
To convert OSR enemies and monsters:
Record HP as is.
HP, or HD times 4.
A creature with 3 HD has 12 HP.
112
Ignore to-hit bonus.
High to-hit (above +4) can be treated as the PC
Making enemies
rolling to defend at disadvantage.
Enemy with +5 to-hit instead forces

PC disadvantage on defend rolls.
Roll damage as listed.
For PC-rolled enemy damage (method 2 in
PCs Taking Damage, page 63), maximize
the monster damage and divide by three to
determine its damage modifier (max +10).
Roll 3d6+3, or convert to +7.
To convert descending AC:

Every two points of AC below 10 is converted
to 1 Armor, rounded down (max 4 armor).
Additionally, any AC less than 0 causes PCs to
roll attacks at disadvantage.
A creature with 5 AC will have 2 Armor.

A creature with -1 AC will have 4 Armor
113 and force PCs to attack at disadvantage.
To convert ascending AC:

Making enemies
Every two points of AC over 10 is converted

to 1 Armor, rounded down. Also, any AC
greater than 18 causes PCs to roll attacks at
disadvantage.
A creature with 15 AC will have 2 Armor.

An enemy with 19 AC will have 4 Armor
and force PCs to attack at disadvantage.
114
Making enemies
Note saving throws.

Extreme saving throws (good or bad) can
inform an enemy’s trait tags and abilities.
A creature with a very high “CON save” can
force PCs to roll at disadvantage against
poison or similar attacks that involve the
enemy’s fortitude or health. Saving throws of
-2 to +2 can be ignored.
The Archmage enemy has a +5 Will save

in an OSR game. This enemy in Vagabonds
instead has the [willful] trait and forces PCs
to roll at disadvantage when trying to affect
the Archmage’s mental acuity or willpower.
Note special abilities
or resistances.
These abilities can largely be lifted wholesale.
Otherwise, most can be easily converted
into the abilities listed in the previous
section. Weak or uninteresting abilities that
aren’t core to the creature’s qualities can be
disregarded.
The dragon’s immunity to fire can be

ported over as is. The giant scorpion’s
resistance to poison (half damage
from all poison attacks) can instead
be treated as resistant 3 to poison.
Adjust movement speed. Enemy speeds of

115 30 feet per movement turn will start with 0
speed. For every +10 feet per move, add +1
speed. For every -10 feet per move, subtract
1 speed. A creature that is heavily armored
Making enemies
reduces speed as normal (1 armor = -1

speed) unless that creature also has special
movement or massive size (e.g., a dragon). An
enemy that wields a weapon(s) in two hands
loses 2 speed.
The bandit has 40 feet of movement, wields

a bow, and wears a light gambeson for
armor. The bandit’s speed is -2 = 0 (start)
+ 1 (10 feet up) - 2 (bow) - 1 (armor).
example enemies
The enemies below are simply examples,
and can be easily tweaked or changed as
befits your game. Note that adding more HP,
armor, or abilities will significantly amplify
an enemy’s power and threat level. They
are listed with a damage mod here rather
than dice-rolling, as listed in method 2 in PCs
Taking Damage (page 63).
Acolyte
HP: 5 Spd: 0 Dmg: +1 Armor: 0
116 A junior priest, cleric, or disciple
Trait pious acolyte, minor divine

Making enemies
tags: magic, zealous

Abilities: magical healing (restore 3 HP
to one target, short range)
Combat 1h mace (arm), sanctified (or
Notes: profane) oils
Amorgobbler
Armadillo-like, ten feet in length, with
slavering, drill-like teeth
Trait hungry for metal, defensive
tags: creature, quick to retreat
Abilities: immune to metal weapons,
disarm (also works against
armor), swallow (only vs
weapons and armor)
Combat unlikely to damage people,
Notes: but will eat their weapons
and armor (even attached to
their body)
Bandit
A humanoid who’ll cut your throat for a
piece of copper
Trait dirty fighter, strength in
tags: numbers, stealthy, craven
Abilities: none
Combat dagger (arm), light bow (short
Notes: range), light axe (arm)
Bear
117 A hulking beast surprisingly difficult to kill
Trait powerful beast, scent tracking,

tags: tough hide
Making enemies
Abilities: charge, multiattack 2

Combat charges and focuses on a single
Notes: target until dead
Beetle, Giant
HP: 15 Spd: -1 Dmg: +2 Armor: 2
Iridescent, clacking, and about fifty times
bigger than the garden variety
Trait pincers, hard carapace, drops
tags: from dark ceilings
Abilities: wallclimb, spit acid (breath,
AP1)
Combat hide, acid spray from ceiling,
Notes: then drop and attack as dagger
(arm)
Berserker
A warrior possessed by feral rage and
wonton slaughter
Trait battle rage, careless, aggressive,
tags: willing to die
Abilities: knockback, hit and run
Combat 2h axe (step), javelin (thrown,
Notes: close range)
Bugbear
118 A stealthy, stinking, furry goblin of unusual
size and strength
Trait foul, stalking predator,
Making enemies
tags: bloodthirsty, cave-dweller

Abilities: none
Combat axe (arm), shield, smelly hide
Notes: armor
Cat, Great
Lions, tigers, and jaguars oh my
Trait stalking predator, fangs and

tags: claws, cautious, camouflaged
Abilities: pin, multiattack 3, special
movement (ignore difficult
terrain)
Combat focuses on a single isolated
Notes: target, multiattack (step)
Doppelganger
A humanoid shapechanger capable of near-
perfect facsimile
Trait shapechanger, gains pleasure
tags: from deceit, hungers for flesh
Abilities: mimic (after touch contact, can
morph into any humanoid)
Combat will separate and mimic one,
Notes: then try to eat PCs
Dire Ants
119
Giant ants roughly a foot or two in length
Trait insectoid, great strength,

Making enemies
tags: pheromones, highly mobile

Abilities: poison, special movement
(wallclimb, burrow)
Combat attempt to swarm a single
Notes: target, arm range
Digestive Jelly
A corridor-filling ooze, largely transparent,
deadly to touch
Trait transparent, massive, digestive,
tags: unaware, inexorable
Abilities: swallow, poison, immune to
non-magical weapons, AP4
Combat it eats all in its path, it can’t do
Notes: anything proactively
Dragons
Spd: 1 / Dmg:
HP: 50 Armor: 4
4 (fly) +10
A single, younger dragon. Greater wyrms
and ancient beasts should be given the
Gargantuan ability, and therefore serve as
multiple conjoined creatures
Trait dragon, terrifying, wings of
tags: death, fire and smoke
Abilities: hit and run, pin, swallow,
special movement (flight), fire
breath (breath, long range,
AP4), immune to fire
Combat seeks to hoard azoth, will stay
120 Notes: flying if possible, uses fire
breath as often as possible, will
land and swallow (long range)
Making enemies
Ghoul
A bestial, humanoid undead; a feral
vampire
Trait vicious, terrifying, hate the sun,
tags: bloodthirsty, unintelligent
Abilities: paralyze, drain
Combat will attempt to paralyze and
Notes: then drain (reach)
Giant
121
A hulking creature no less than twelve feet
in height and breadth
Making enemies
Trait massive, strong, smashing,

tags: charging, slow, near-blind
Abilities: knockback, blast attack
(throwing stones, long range)
Combat throws stones, then uses
Notes: treetrunk club (short range)
Gnoll
A hyena-like humanoid, foul and violent
Trait howling, pack animal, strong,

tags: fast, crude, gullible
Abilities: reaction attack
Combat heavy bow (long range), axe
Notes: (step), shield
Goblin
A craven, evil, skulking creature akin to a
profane smallfolk
Trait small, cruel, skulking,
tags: subservient, thieving, stinking
Abilities: reaction movement
Combat spear (reach), dagger (arm),
Notes: react to retreat
Hydra
122 HP:
Spd: -4 / Dmg: Armor:
15 per
0 (swim) +9 4
segment
Making enemies
A multiheaded serpentine beast of

mythological power
Trait four-headed, giant, serpentine,
tags: thickly scaled
Abilities: gargantuan, five segments
(four heads, one torso).
◊ Each head: bite

(short range),
poison, swallow.
Special: once each
head is killed, a
new one grows
back into its place
◊ Torso: regeneration
stops if torso
is destroyed.
Knockback
Combat lurks in watery caves, uses
Notes: heads to protect torso, will
swim away if badly wounded
and to regenerate heads
123
Making enemies
Lizardkin
Spd: 0 / Dmg:
HP: 10 Armor: 0
2 (swim) +2
Lizard-like swamp things of humanoid
intelligence
Trait swamp natives, pack predators,
tags: amphibious, brutal
Abilities: knockback, drown (pull into
water on knockback ability)
Combat spear (reach), sling (short
Notes: range), claws (step)
Lycanthrope
(Werewolf, etc.)
HP: Spd: Dmg: Armor:
3 / 25 -2 / 4 +0 / +3 0/4
A twisted amalgamation of beast and man,
driven to kill sentient prey
Trait Feral, strengthened by the
tags: moon, mighty, fast
Abilities: morph (post / is in wolf form),
multiattack 2, silvered weapons
ignore 4 armor. Lycanthropy
(any PC reduced to 0 HP from
the lycanthrope gains the
affliction. If not cured before
124 the next moon—usually
through ritual magic—it is
permanent)
Making enemies
Combat A typical civilian or weak

Notes: humanoid. When morphed,
unaware of its actions, claws
(step), fangs (arm)
Medium
An apprentice mage
Trait neophyte, academic, physically

tags: inept, basic magic
Abilities: javelin of air (short-range
magical attack), one spell from
adept technique
Combat accompanied by thugs or their
Notes: master
Medusa
An ancient creature of magical power,
capable of paralyzing any with a look
Trait mythological fiend, serpentine,
tags: powerful sorceress
Abilities: paralysis (with eye contact),
control stone
Combat Attempts to paralyze, uses
Notes: former paralyzed stone statues
as minions
Minotaur
125 HP: 22 Spd: 0 Dmg: +6 Armor: 0
Cursed to forever wander labyrinths and
Making enemies
kill those who enter its domain

Trait Maze master, raging bull, semi-
tags: intelligent
Abilities: special movement (maze chase,
multiple angles of attack),
resistant to non-magical attack
(armor +2 vs non-magical), hit
and run
Combat 2h axe (step), gore (arm), uses
Notes: maze chase and hit and run to
come from multiple dizzying
angles to attack and disappear
again
Orc
A hulking, slightly more intelligent, much
bigger goblin
Trait Barbaric, monstrous, death
tags: from combat, strong, dumb
Abilities: charge, trip
Combat 2h axe (step), heavy bow (long
Notes: range)
Pixie
126 A tiny fairy capable of fluttering flight and
invisibility
Trait tiny, fae, flittering, trickster
Making enemies
tags:
Abilities: invisibility, the legerdemain
spell
Combat can remain invisible until
Notes: coated or magically dispelled
Scavengipede
A twenty-foot tentacular centipede that
feasts on corpses and carrion
Trait disgusting, one hundred legs,
tags: constricting, poison bite
Abilities: wallclimb, speed 2 digging
through refuse, paralysis
Combat Hide and paralyze (reach)
Notes:
127
Making enemies
Soldier
A grizzled killer trained in the art of war
Trait disciplined, tactical, armored,

tags: battle-hardened
Abilities: formation (if three or more
soldiers fight together in
formation, their dmg mod
increases to +4, armor to 3,
and speed reduces to -2 for the
entire group)
Combat spear (reach), shield, heavy
Notes: bow (long range), sword (step),
dagger (arm)
Spider, Giant
Spd: -2 /
HP: 6 Dmg: +2 Armor: 0
2 (web)
An eight-legged horror capable of ensnaring a
small horse in its web
Trait spider, insectoid, web-slinger,
tags: poor eyesight, fragile
Abilities: paralysis, poison, affect
environment (webs)
Combat will only fight and ambush from
Notes: its lair or feeding grounds, webs
are difficult terrain, bite (arm,
delivers poison and paralysis)
128
Shrieker Shroom
Making enemies
A human-sized, semi-sentient mushroom

creature
Trait cave- dweller, fungal, easily
tags: startled, afraid of light
Abilities: release spores (Stun, long
range, gas zone attack, loud
shriek)
Combat generally non-aggressive, but
Notes: will release spores and shriek
when startled by light or
violence, and fight if necessary
Wraith
An ethereal, shadow-like spirit of deadly
power
Trait massive, strong, smashing,
tags: charging, slow, near-blind
Abilities: special movement (phase
through walls), critical
weakness (immune to damage
not dealt atop ground with
warding glyphs), drain
Combat will phase through a wall,
Notes: kill one, and escape (focus
on magical PCs to prevent
129 weakness)
Zombie
Making enemies

The shambling, rotten undead
Trait undead, shambling, hungry for

tags: living flesh
Abilities: critical weakness (immune to
any damage not struck against
the head, usually measured by
a 13+ on an attack)
Combat operates under the direction of
Notes: a necromancer, and can’t travel
far from such control, unarmed
bites and claws (arm)
Character
archetypes
These archetypes are designed to resemble
common character classes from D&D and
similar RPGs, or playbooks from PbtA games
such as Dungeon World.
You can grab them and use them wholesale

as premade characters. Or you can pick and
choose pieces of them to mix and match as
you see fit. The purpose of these is to give
easy guidelines for genre conventions as well
as quick pick-up-and-play characters.
Adventurer
A capable explorer, well versed
in overland travel and wilderness
survival.
131
Avowed
A divine and devoted scholar, capable
Character Archetypes
of great concentration and calling upon

cosmic powers.
Mage
One learned in the arcane and ancient,
capable of usurping the natural power
of the universe.
Rogue
A dexterous thief, assassin, and
dungeon-delver.
Warrior
The knight, the brawler, the soldier.
132
Adventurer
Traits
(Level 1 pre-selected, pick one per level up)
:: Run today, fight another day x

:: Highly risky (weakness)
:: Plunder, pillage, and profit
:: Survived Castlebrook Siege
:: Relentlessly overeager
Stole the Great Diadem
Grew up in the ship’s galley
Traversed the Frostfang Peaks
A procurer of artifacts
Waged war against pirates
Core flaw
I never have to suffer my problems so long as
I keep moving and running away from them.
Lineage:
Human
Techniques
(pick one, gain one per level)
Ear to the Favored

Ground Environment
Inner Compass Iron Stomach
133 Linguist Pathfinder

Tough Hide Tracker
HP: 10 Armor: 1 Speed: -3

Equipment:
◊ cutlass (1h, arm);
◊ shortbow (2h, short range, ammo),
◊ gambeson (1 armor, worn);
◊ adventuring kit (5 uses),
◊ climbing kit (worn, fragile),
◊ 1 potion of gillbreath
(1 use, breathe underwater)
134
Avowed
Traits
:: Plodding and determined

:: [Quest] for their [belief]
:: [Pray] before and after battle
:: A bloodthirsty sellsword
:: A devout [cleric] of [Good]
:: Susceptible to lies (weakness)
Battlefield medic
Cleansed a profane evil
Saved a friend’s life
Witnessed a great miracle
Core flaw:
The plights of the world are due to people’s
lack of discipline, devotion, or piety.
Lineage:
Dwarf
Techniques
Cure Magical Healing
135 Devoted Nose for Evil

Healing Touch Provident
Guidance
Last Word
Soulsnare

Equipment:
◊ chainmail (1 armor, worn),
◊ light shield (1h, +1 armor),
◊ mace (1h, arm),
◊ divine totem (+1 to damage dealt or
healed with holy magic),
◊ hospitaller’s kit (5 uses),
◊ adventuring kit (5 uses)
136
Mage
Traits
:: Proper application of leverage

:: I will acquire true Power
:: Embrace the wizard cliché
:: Former diplomat and leader
:: I am a master of the arcane
:: Sheer hubris (weakness)
I tamed a greater fiend
Melted hordes of soldiers
I’ve learned magical mysteries
Spell over sword
Core flaw:
I will not be corrupted by Power, I can control
the magic better than those who have failed
before me.
Lineage:
Elf
Techniques
Adept Hellrift
137 Arcanist Pyromancer
Beastspeak Scry
Control Undead Thrall

Vegetation

Equipment:
◊ orb of focus (magical implement,

permission for short-range force
attacks, ammo),
◊ bound scrolls,
◊ cartographer’s kit
138
Rogue
Traits
:: x Only when the time is right

:: Coin, pure and simple
:: Always slinking in and out
:: Heir to a mighty business
:: Cutthroat and sneakthief
:: Bit of a coward (weakness)
I stole the crown jewels
Assassin of kings
Sly cutpurse
Plumbed the dungeon deep
Core flaw:
Finders keepers isn’t wrong, so long as
nobody else knows about it.
Lineage:
Smallfolk
Techniques
Assassinate Practiced
Shadow
139 Better Safe than
Sorry Shadowmeld
Eyeball It Trapcunning
Jellybones Cutpurse

Equipment:
◊ gambeson (1 armor, worn),
◊ daggers (1h, arm, ammo when
thrown, short range),
◊ climbing kit,
◊ thief’s kit (3 uses, fragile)
140
Warrior
Traits
:: Kill first, question later

:: I seek vengeance
:: War stories for every occasion
:: Won my freedom from the pits
:: I perfect myself through war
:: Tunnel-visioned (weakness)
Won an impossible battle
Slayed hordes of beasts
Survived the Skinmelt Plague
Led the Adamantium Legion
Core flaw:
Violence is the root of all power, and often is
the best and only solution to conflict.
Lineage:
Beastkin
Techniques
Armorborn Frothy Rage
141 Favored Enemy Light Sleeper

Favored Tactic Mighty Leap
Favored Strong
Weapon

Equipment:
◊ full armor harness
(armor 3, heavy, worn),
◊ poleaxe
(reach, 2h, effective vs humanoid),
◊ longsword
(2h, step, effective vs unarmored),
◊ potion of battle brew
(1 use, +3 damage and +1 armor
until end of scene)
Vagabonds LEVEL
of
Dyfed
GAIN ONE PER LEVEL CORE FLAW
TRAITS CORE FLAW
Sum relevant positive and negative traits to Once per session, use to wriggle into or out
determine aptitude (max +3, min -3) of trouble, or succumb for +3xp
MY APPROACH TO CONFLICT:
MY GOAL:
MY GIMMICK:
MY BACKGROUND:
MY FOREGROUND: LINEAGE LINEAGE
MY WEAKNESS:
EQUIPMENT
HP ARMOR SPEED CORE FLAW
-1 speed for each loaded-down limb and
point of armor; at -7, you are immobilized
PICK ONE, GAIN ONE PER LEVEL

TECHNIQUES LINEAGE
INJURIES LINEAGE

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What are the character archetypes described in the document?

What are the character archetypes described in the document?

What are some of the techniques characters can choose from?

What are some of the techniques characters can choose from?

Vagabonds

Inspired by and based on games by John Harper,

© Sigil Stone Publishing 2018

Vagabonds of Dyfed is Powered by the Apocalypse,

Playtesting and contributors: Maria

Stance, Risk, and Damage 65

Making Enemies 102

converting enemies 112

example enemies 116

◊ Gradient successes ◊ Supplemental

Vagabonds of Dyfed is an extensive hack of

I took my favorite parts of lots of other games

The core mechanic is the same from World of

It’s quick and dirty. But it works with old-

It’s brutally fair, even to a fault. This means

The world and its antagonists don’t exist

All of this is to say that GMs should treat the

Likewise, the more clever and ingenious

enemy simply because the GM’s out-of-

No, the GM-run characters in the world are

There are always layers that can be pulled

To ensure that these choices are meaningful

honest tears of sorrow.

Likewise, how the characters solve a

In order for them to make those choices, the

7 ◊ You and the GM work out which

◊ Harmful tags give -1 aptitude each.

You can only roll once per action until

More comprehensive gameplay rules are

d. Your background—what you

Concept: a traveling mage with a

Approach: a slow, logical boil until a

Goal: to undo my profane magic, learn

11 Gimmick: a bit of a pyromaniac, smells

Background: apprentice of a powerful

Foreground: a wandering pyromancer

Weakness: a terrible temper

Core flaw: I seek to understand the

HP: 10 (8 + 2 from human)

Goal, cause, or ethos

◊ Obey the law ◊ Live life to

◊ Ordained warrior ◊ Boundary warden

◊ Gullible ◊ Dreadfully boring

◊ Gain +1 bonus XP when you

◊ When attempting an action that is

◊ On a 6-, the target suffers damage

◊ On a 10-12, the affliction will be

Ear to the Ground

does not trigger this technique.)

◊ On a 6-, a horrifically powerful

You innately understand the cardinal

You can attempt to magically heal someone

◊ On a 6-, you deal damage to you or

1. Integrity: avoid lies and

4. Selflessness: sacrifice your personal

◊ On a 6-, you fail to control the

Making Enemies 102