10. Settings

This chapter discusses settings—the times and/or places where your adventures happen. Usually, the setting is the genre—Western, science fiction, techno-thriller, sword-and-sandal, high fantasy, or many others. This chapter also includes optional rules for allegiance, passions, and insanity.

Making the Setting

Basic Roleplaying is designed to help you, the gamemaster, create a setting of your own, whether original or adapting something that exists. Following are some popular settings that all follow the same format, and some notes about each. Each comes with suggested character types (though these are not restrictions), powers that make sense in the setting, technology to help select equipment, prompts for adventure types, and suitable optional rules.

Prehistoric Age

Any prehistoric or primitive tribal environment before the dawn of civilization, or somehow set apart from it. Life is short and brutal, and usually the only social organization is the family or tribe. Prehistoric mammals are usually the main threat, though alternate histories sometimes include dinosaurs.

Character Types: Crafter, Farmer, Hunter, Shaman, and Tribesfolk.
Powers: Primitive shamans might use magic, and mutations and psychic abilities may exist.
Technology: No manufactured items are available in a prehistoric world, with everything being shaped from primitive resources such as wood, stone, bone, leather, fur, feathers, and clay—whether clothing, tools and weapons, and religious totems or keepsakes. Though a skilled crafter may make better stone axes and shape better talismans, there is not much beyond that. Most items are of poor or average quality, and there is no wealth.
Adventures: Tribal conflict between groups of hunter-gatherers over prime hunting spots, adverse weather, aggressive animals, or even great hunts can form the core of prehistoric adventures. Alternate prehistories might include ancient creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos, aliens bent on enslaving primitive humanity, or even divergent evolutionary paths where intelligent dinosaurs or apes have become the dominant species, and humanity their fodder.
Options: None.

Ancient World

The era of kingdoms such as Sumeria, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Persia, and other mighty empires, from the Mesopotamian epoch to Biblical antiquity, classical Greece, until the fall of Rome and the subsequent chaotic breakdown of Europe. Alternately, this might be a sword-and-sandal fantasy setting set in an imagined ancient world.

Character Types: Any but Journalist, Scientist, and Technician.
Powers: Magic and sorcery, likely divine in origin. Psychic powers may exist, and monsters may have mutations. Demigods or legendary heroes may have superpowers.
Technology: The heyday of the Bronze Age and the flowering of the Iron Age, in which metalwork has transformed culture and commerce. This is the flourishing of artistry and the birth of civilization.
Adventures: This era suits gritty fantasy epics as well as grander mythological themes with strong emphasis on culture and worship.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Damage and Hit Locations, Dodging Missile Weapons, Fatigue Points, Higher Starting Characteristics, Hit Points per Location, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Passions, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

Early Medieval

After the fall of the Roman Empire, much of Europe is in disarray. Though there are social advances and improvements to overall quality of life, this is often characterized as a brutal and unenlightened time. This includes the rise of the Norse (Viking) culture, and regional wars across Europe to fill the vacuum left by Rome. This could also be a fantasy setting, including nonhuman races such as elves and dwarves, or even mythic animals and monsters.

Character Types: Any but Journalist, Scientist, and Technician. Politicians are often Nobles and Writers are usually Priests or may be poets.
Powers: Magic and sorcery are the two most common power types, and may be divine, infernal, or pagan in nature.
Technology: Despite sometimes being called the ‘Dark Age’—there are scientific developments, improvements in mechanical engineering, and treatment of disease. Study of the physical world flourishes, and creating books and preserving knowledge becomes prevalent among the nobility and clergy. Sailing ships grow in sophistication.
Adventures: Europe after Rome is a veritable post-apocalyptic wasteland, and life was hard for the commoners. Petty wars and oppression are commonplace. The division between the religions is rife with conflict and turmoil.
Options: Allegiance, Cultural Modifiers, Damage and Hit Locations, Education/ Knowledge Roll, Fatigue Points, Hit Points per Location, Literacy, Passions, Reputation, Sanity.

High Medieval

This is a feudal era. Nobility, knighthood, and dynastic governments and social structures characterize the period. Idealized romance drives the chivalric world, contrasted by brutal and grim reality. Magic is believed to be deviltry, and the divine is considered as real as the infernal. This might also describe a far-off post-apocalyptic world where the last vestiges of civilization have fallen to neo-feudalism.

Character Types: Any but Journalist, Scientist, and Technician. Writers are usually Priests or may be poets, and Scientists are likely Priests with an interest in the natural world.
Powers: Magic and sorcery are the two most common power types, and may be divine, infernal, or pagan in nature.
Technology: Mass production of goods, early guild structures, extended trade, and widespread distribution of goods have transformed the world. Generally, the lack of widespread literacy limits the availability of books and advanced knowledge. Armor and weaponry continue to grow more effective, then baroque.
Adventures: Arthurian or Carolingian adventure, questing knights, etc.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Damage and Hit Locations, Fatigue Points, Higher Starting Characteristics, Hit Points per Location, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Nonhuman Characters, Passions, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

High Fantasy

Similar to the High Medieval setting, this differs in that nonhumans such as elves, dwarves, etc. exist alongside human beings, frequently allied with humans against orcs, trolls, goblins, etc. The gods may be active and their worshipers gain divine abilities. Magic is prevalent, with magic items such as healing potions, magic swords, enchanted armor, etc. commonplace. Ancient ruins abound and dungeons sprawl belowground.

Character Types: As with High Medieval (above).
Powers: Any. Magic and sorcery may be divine, infernal, or pagan in nature. Mutations may be found among certain types of monsters, and there may be races that use psychic abilities. Powerful supernatural beings may use superpowers in the guise of divine or infernal abilities.
Technology: As with the High Medieval, but less realistic.
Adventures: Dungeon raids, quests for magic items, war, exploration, etc.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Damage and Hit Locations, Fatigue Points, Higher Starting Characteristics, Hit Points per Location, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Nonhuman Characters, Passions, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Imperial Asia

A general term for historical Japan or China, also including the fantastic world of the martial arts. This category can also describe Mughal India.

Character Types: Any other than Journalist, Scientist, or Technician. Writers are likely poets.
Powers: Magic and sorcery are common and may be based on elemental principles. Intense study of esoteric martial arts disciplines allows abilities like psychic or superpowers.
Technology: The arts and sciences of China and Japan developed far beyond that of the Western world in the same era, with printing presses, gunpowder, etc., paired with a flourishing of institutionalized learning and bureaucracy.
Adventures: These can range from battles for clan or regional leader, and can even incorporate anachronistic elements such as found in manga or anime.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Dodging Missile Weapons, Education/Knowledge Roll, Higher Starting Characteristics, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

Arabian Nights

The ancient Arabian or Persian world, generally a world defined by deserts and daring adventure.

Character Types: Any but Journalist, Scientist, and Technician. Writers are usually Priests or may be poets, and Scientists are likely Priests with an interest in the natural world.
Powers: Magic and sorcery, though supernatural beings may have superpowers.
Technology: Knowledge of the physical world—mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, medicine, other sciences—were highly developed and generally wealth was able to purchase quality of life and freedom of action.
Adventures: These could resemble fairy tales or those found in classic tales from the era, exploration or ancient curses, bargains with mythical beings, and plucky characters from the lowliest of thieves to noble princes or princesses.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Enlightenment and Renaissance

Primarily about Europe in the Renaissance era, though it could also incorporate fantasy and fanciful reality, such as widespread use of the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. A time when the arts and the sciences grew dramatically, patronage encouraged artistic development, with a notable influence from the classical world of antiquity.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Magic and sorcery may exist but be forbidden by religious institutions. Alchemy (creation of magic items and elixirs) is a popular pursuit for scholars.
Technology: As with the High Medieval era, it is the height of skilled craftsmanship, science, and invention: with clockworks, gunpowder, and precision tools, and principles such as steam, water, and wind power being explored. The introduction of the crossbow has virtually eliminated the use of body armor.
Adventures: A baroque political atmosphere and a profound schism between the Church and the Enlightenment create a dynamic setting where characters can be patrons of the arts drawn into intrigue, or they can be wayward inventors whose discoveries lead them into trouble. Alternately, they can take to the high seas or voyage to the New World.
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Passions, Reputation.

Age of Exploration

This period is marked by expansion outward from Europe, into North and South America, Africa, India, China, etc. primarily for colonizing, religious conversion, territorial annexation, and opportunism. This inevitably goes badly for the indigenous peoples, victimized, exploited, and even enslaved, their cultures pushed aside, criminalized, or even eradicated. In England, Queen Elizabeth I’s reign is considered a golden age: an outpouring of poetry, literature, fashion and theater. Continental Europe, however, is torn by war. Swashbuckling adventure is a convention of the period.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Sorcery, if it is practiced, is likely based on infernal origins. Less technically advanced native cultures may use magic or sorcery in the form of shamanic knowledge or witchcraft.
Technology: Mostly marked by an improvement and refinement of that provided in the Renaissance. Gunpowder becomes prevalent in warfare, with early machinery defining the period. The indigenous people whose lands are annexed in during this period were generally less technologically advanced, overcome by superior firepower.
Adventures: This is a challenging period due to the institutions of slavery and exploitation that come hand-in-hand with colonialist expansion. Adventures within the European mainland are less likely to deal with these topics, such as swashbuckling exploits or military campaigns between the warring churches or nobility.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Dodging Missile Weapons, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Passions, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Age of Sail

The early 19th is marked by seafaring and naval battles, matched by land wars across Europe. It is a time of soldiers and officers on each side of the battlefield, pawns in futile wars, while life in court remains largely untouched.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Sorcery, if practiced, is likely to be banned by the Church.
Technology: Technologically, this period is nearly identical to the Colonial era, though there were advances in ship-making and large-scale warfare devices.
Adventures: Some of the world’s greatest land and sea battles are being fought, providing ample grist for military-themed engagements. Adventures might delve into baroque political escapades, secret missions, ingenious spy-craft, court intrigues, or duels of honor.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Passions, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Industrial Age

This era corresponds with the Victorian Age and is rife with invention. Defined almost entirely by technological and manufacturing advances that transforms the prior world into the precursor to the modern age, the Technology section below is the most informative description of the setting.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: This age saw another divide between spirituality and modernization. Magic and psychic abilities would represent one side of the struggle, while technology may offer a variety of superpowers in the form of unusual and experimental technology.
Technology: Mass-production and factory-style manufacture have made standardized goods more widely available and cheaper than at any point in human history prior. Steam, coal, gas, and other energy sources are widely-known and utilized in home and cities, with cities illuminated by gaslight, steam engines racing across the United States and Europe, and the oceans traversed by great ships with coal-burning, steam-powered engines. Chemistry is being refined, and scientists are beginning to discover many of the secrets of the universe. Soon comes the automobile, radically transforming human travel and cities. Alternate histories often focus on steampunk, mixing steam power and Victorian aesthetics, and retro-futurism.
Adventures: Emblematic adventures should reinforce themes of industry versus spirituality, with exploration and new technology coming into dramatic contact with old ways of life.
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Reputation.

Victorian Age

The height of the British industrial revolution and the greatest influence of the British Empire, the Victorian Age is characterized by a yawning disparity between social classes and aggressive imperialist expansion throughout Asia and Africa. It is also as a time of great austerity in personal expression.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Magic and sorcery may be practiced by occultists and intellectuals seeking the outer limit of experience, while native cultures use these same powers in their religions. Strange, blasphemous creatures might be mutants, and the era’s burgeoning interest in mentalism utilizes psychic abilities.
Technology: Identical to that described in the Industrial Age (above).
Adventures: The Gaslight period presents a great dichotomy between rich dilettantes living side-by-side with a seething dark underbelly containing some of the most unjust, inhumane conditions humanity has been able to inflict upon itself.
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Reputation, Sanity.

Wild West

This era in occurs in the U.S. during and in the aftermath of the Civil War, complete with cowboys, gunslingers, range wars, the Gold Rush, and frontier expansion. The West is being transformed by new rail tracks upon which arrive a steady influx of Easterners, Europeans, Chinese, and freed slaves, all seeking to make a place in the wild new world. Dangers include the various Native American nations fighting for their very survival, and the vast, untamable environment itself.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Magic or sorcery might simulate Native American shamans, witchcraft, voodoo, or other magical traditions that could exist.
Technology: The Industrial Age has resulted in trains crossing the country, telegraphs forming a network of communication, photography, widespread print media. The end of the era sees the first automobiles, early submarines and submersibles, and even flying machines. Electrical current replaces gaslight as the modern world begins here.
Adventures: The mythic Wild West includes with legendary gunfighters enacting tales of vengeance and heroism against a stark backdrop. The horrors of slavery and the atrocities committed against Native Americans looms over this era, however, the it is advised not to dismiss these aspects and their seriousness.
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Reputation.

Pulp Era

Named after the cheap newsprint of adventure magazines that defined the era, pop culture about time between the first and second World Wars is one of mass entertainment, international travel to exotic locales, organized crime, technological innovation, treasure-hunting, rugged individualism, as well also weird horror and masked crimefighters.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Any.
Technology: Pulp often features strange science, such as death rays, giant robots, flying machines, mind-altering devices, and earth tunnelers, as well as amazing marvels such as ships capable of interstellar flight, jet packs, wrist radios, flying cars, and the like. Anachronistic technology is a staple of the pulp era.
Adventures: Mysteries; thrillers; grisly horror; exploration of the unknown, of space, and the hollow earth; lost cities still inhabited; aerial adventure; cliffhangers; weird and lurid tales of strange crime; square-jawed heroes fighting sinister criminal overlords and their minions; alien invasion; and even masked avengers dispensing cold justice … all of these are elements of possible pulp adventures.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Dodging Missile Weapons, Education/Knowledge Roll, Higher Starting Characteristics, Increased Personal Skill Points, Power Use in the Action Phase, Passions, Reputation, Sanity, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

Planetary Adventure

This setting focuses on journeys to strange worlds, seen through the eyes of humans sent to them through mysterious means. There, they inevitably encounter alien species, strange customs, ancient ruins, and baroque super-technology, often side by side with sword-and-sandal adventure.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Usually mutations or psychic abilities, or even superpowers.
Technology: Usually a mix of ancient and nearly forgotten technology of incredible power and utility, side-by-side with super-science from ingenious inventors. Warriors might carry energy pistols along with swords, fly airships and ride alien mounts.
Adventures: Characters are usually sent to these worlds by unexplained means and often struggle to understand their new environment and its challenges. They must navigate strange customs and ancient traditions, can be agents of change in these bizarre alien places. Betrayal, epic love, dramatic betrayals, sudden reversals of fortune, alliances with strange creatures, lost cities full of ancient and forgotten technology… these are all staples of planetary adventure.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Dodging Missile Weapons, Higher Starting Characteristics, Increased Personal Skill Points, Nonhuman Characters, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

World War II

World War II and the years before and after were marked by nationalistic fervor, uncertainty, global conflict, and espionage. This is also a good setting for war-era superhero activity.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Hitler’s Third Reich believed in magic as a means to power, and they may have been onto something. Also, many such settings have the era as the dawn of the world’s first costumed superheroes.
Technology: New developments in war technology included bigger and better battleships, more sophisticated submarines, tanks, and airplanes, etc. but all were shadowed by the emergence of the atomic bomb, which fundamentally defined the course of science and politics forever.
Adventures: Characters can be resistance fighters in Occupied Europe, Allied soldiers or agents on the battlefield, spies behind enemy lines, crime-fighters and government agents fighting saboteurs back home, or even costumed superheroes battling at home and abroad.
Options: Education/Knowledge Roll, Fatigue Points, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions, Sanity.

Noir

Noir is almost always urban and defined by a bleak outlook, with world-weary heroes, seductions, insidious criminality, amoral socialites, moral corruption, inevitable betrayals, etc. Usually, the protagonists are haunted by inner demons and must struggle to survive, alone against a hostile and uncaring universe, often still traumatized by World War II.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Usually none, but magic noir has protagonists who either oppose sorcery or use it.
Technology: Equivalent to postwar America and Europe.
Adventures: Inevitably, mysteries dealing with ethical and moral quandaries, often ‘no way out’ scenarios where normal people are trapped by bad circumstances and must resort to desperate measures.
Options: Education/Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Passions.

Modern

The now, dawn of the 21st century, with advanced societies, global informational structure, unchecked capitalism, and unbounded technology, all progressing at an unimaginable pace towards a near-certain global collapse. This setting is also the default era for thrillers and modern horror. This can also cover the Cold War.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Any.
Technology: Can be realistic or super-advanced, as desired.
Adventures: Any, from horror, thrillers, military action, spies, corporate intrigue, near-future sci-fi, dystopian, international intrigue, conspiracy, superhero, etc.
Options: These can vary by genre.

Superworld

Our world but with costumed superheroes, and the ramifications of superheroes, are a part of history and modern life. A superhero setting can incorporate alt-history, parallel realities, time travel, aliens, magic, conspiracy theories, or anything desired.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Any, and many characters have more than one power type.
Technology: As modern. Though super-science is known, it has yet to make a meaningful impact on the lives of most normal humans.
Adventures: Tales of heroism and challenges, exploration of strange parallel dimensions, etc. Superheroes often wrestle with alter egos and secret identities, and complex issues of right and wrong. A super world campaign can vary from a flashy four-colored world with vaguely ridiculous villains, a near-mythical treatment of superheroes as modern demigods, giddy exploration of the galaxy and strange corners of the earth, gritty street crime distinguished only by lycra bodysuits, or even a paramilitary framework for world-changing superhero intervention.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Dodging Missile Weapons, Education/Knowledge Roll, Higher Starting Characteristics, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Nonhuman Characters, Passions, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

Postapocalyptic

A catastrophe has forever shattered the modern world, plunging it into a state where humankind must struggle to survive. The cause could be a limited nuclear exchange, science gone wrong, alien invasion, the Elder Gods awaken, society breakdown, pandemic, an environmental catastrophe, or zombies… or more than one of these. The setting may include mutants, scavenged technology, and raiding gangs. Some postapocalyptic settings are like Westerns, with small enclaves of suspicious townsfolk and wandering loners who must rely on their wits and weapons to survive.

Character Types: For a recent apocalypse, survivors may be from any profession, while later, options become more limited.
Powers: Mutations in settings with radioactivity, while psychic abilities and superpowers may also have developed from the fallout. Centuries later, people may have rediscovered magic or sorcery as well.
Technology: Depending on the nature of the catastrophe, technology can be antiquated compared to that of the modern world, identical, or it can feature scientific advances far removed from our own era. If it’s aliens, there may be alien technology.
Adventures: Post-apocalyptic stories usually deal with the brutality and cost of survival, or the efforts at rebuilding society. There may be the need to scavenge old technology and learn what can be found within the ruins.
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Fatigue Points, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Nonhuman Characters, Sanity.

Near-Future/Cyberpunk

Humanity has continued to interface with technology and lost much in the process. Mega-corporations have assumed governmental levels of control over citizens, and knowledge is the most valuable currency. Life is quick, convenient, cheap, and readily disposable. The union of humanity and machines has led to astonishing developments in genetic manipulation. The Dataspace is as real, if not more so than the dystopian material world.

Character Types: Almost any.
Powers: Any, usually simulated by technology.
Technology: The modern world on overdrive. Space travel may have become commonplace, and virtual worlds are limitless.
Adventures: Rebellion and the quest for identity are usual themes in these adventures, and characters can find themselves running for their lives, trying to stay ahead of monolithic, impersonal foes that seem to be everywhere.
Options: Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Education/ Knowledge Roll, Increased Personal Skill Points, Sanity, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Space Exploration

In this hard science fiction setting, space exploration at a large scale is either underway or has been recently established. Life on and off Earth continues much as it did before. Political conflicts shape the spread across the stars, and the search for habitable planets or resources dominates much exploration.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Mutations and psychic abilities may exist, but are often freakish and terrifying.
Technology: Generally, this setting has a scientific approach to spacefaring, and technology is easily extrapolated from modern technology.
Adventures: Many human dramas and conflicts can play out in the sea of space, presenting the greatest challenge to survival. Environmental challenges or epic endeavors can be notable adventures, and exploring the edges of the Solar System may put humanity face-to-face with other mysteries, such as a first contact with alien life. Will it be horrific or wondrous?
Options: Choosing Characteristic Values, Increased Personal Skill Points, Nonhuman Characters, Skill Ratings Over 100%.

Space Opera

This fusion of space travel and pulp adventure is writ against a galactic background, rife with aliens that work and live alongside humanity, to various degrees of cooperation. There may be some all-defining galactic conflict, or it may be a case of an epic threat to Earth (or another planet). In some space opera settings, mystical powers may exist—psychic or alien belief systems that give strange powers to their users.

Character Types: Any.
Powers: Aliens might be created using mutations, psychic abilities might represent mystical powers or emergent powers, and superpowers might model cybernetic implants. In some space opera settings, sorcery or magic might also exist, drawing on scientific principles rather than supernatural forces.
Technology: The technology level differs wildly from planet to planet: some may have only primitive weapons and engineering, while others will be more technologically advanced than the default. Energy weapons, lasers, personal spaceships, energy shields… these are all available.
Adventures: This is often heavily layered with another archetypal setting, such as pulp or sword & sorcery. Characters in space opera settings will embark on high adventures and strive for grand goals such as kingship, righting wrongs, or restoration of a previous, golden age.
Options: Allegiance, Attacks and Parries over 100%, Choosing Characteristic Values, Cultural Modifiers, Dodging Missile Weapons, Higher Starting Characteristics, Increased Personal Skill Points, Literacy, Nonhuman Characters, Passions, Power Use in the Action Phase, Reputation, Skill Ratings Over 100%, Total Hit Points.

Hybrid Settings

Any of these sections can be combined with another, or introduced with some new element, creating a unique setting full of interesting and exciting opportunity. One could add superheroics to an ancient world setting for a campaign featuring the mythic offspring of gods, or into a sword & sorcery setting for something approximating anime.

Another option is to add something new and unexpected to an existing setting, a “It’s like X, but with Y…” approach, introducing aliens, zombies, vampires, or even the Cthulhu Mythos to a non-traditional choice for one of the above settings.

Alternate Histories

You could also take one of the settings described above and add one critical detail that’s different—some technological development occurs centuries earlier, some famous battle goes a different way, a pivotal figure behaves other than history had them, or some major endeavor has an outcome other than what happened—creating what’s called an ‘alternate history,’ like “What if the US lost the Revolutionary War?” or “What if Genghis Khan’s hordes didn’t turn back and instead conquered all of Europe?” Extrapolating from there, one can create an intriguing variant setting where familiar elements have been reshaped by altogether different history. This sort of setting works wonderfully on its own but can also be combined with parallel realities or even time-travel. Is there anything the characters can do to restore a world they never knew?

Multiple Settings

Because Basic Roleplaying is suitable for many different settings, you may even use them all, moving the characters through strange portals, time travel, or some other method that allows them to jump between worlds, with all of time and space as their playground. There may be only a single parallel reality that is a completely different setting (perhaps a variant of their own Earth) or it might be several parallel worlds with their own distinctive features. Alternately, characters could be essentially immortal and begin in some distant and prior epoch, having adventures that span all human history, allowing full use of almost every setting in this chapter.

Powers and Setting

Chapter 4: Powers presents five different systems for powers of various types without much context—such as what settings these powers are suitable in. Each setting description above includes powers it’s traditionally associated with. More novel settings can come from combining powers in settings other than the ones they’re traditionally associated with.

For example, adding mutations to the Dark Ages setting, with the characters bearing these strange stigmata. Are they of divine origin, or infernal? The Church might think these strange abilities and deformities are the result of demonic blood, while the characters might believe them gifts of Heaven, and use their abilities for good, fighting to protect a world that fears and hates them.

Adaptation

You can also adapt a setting from fiction, movies, television shows, comic books, other games, or some other media into a setting using these rules. There are many licensed games available, but the most obvious reason is where a setting appeals to you and the players, but there is no set of rules available. There are many methods you may choose to use to adapt a setting using Basic Roleplaying, with the amount of work almost entirely up to your ambition and time you’re willing to do it. Following is an outline of one way to adapt a setting from another medium into a playable game:

Fidelity

How slavishly are you going to be with the setting? Are you going to try to emulate it exactly, treating it as unchangeable canon, or will you use it as a source for your own purposes? Some settings are remarkably open for creative expansion, while others are more limited. You should decide how much effort you’re going to put into evoking the exact feeling of the setting, or if you will allow your own tastes and ideas to dominate. Neither way is better than the other—they just appeal to different styles of gamemastering and different player expectations.

Copying the setting exactly is appealing to fans of the original setting, which hopefully has enough leeway to let the player characters do something. The appeal is obvious: they like that world and want to feel immersed in it. Player familiarity and ‘buy in’ helps immensely. This decision influences how you should handle the characters, described in Characters in an Adapted Setting.

Treating a setting as a springboard for your own creativity is best for settings that allow new ideas and concepts from different creative personnel, such as comic book worlds, serialized television, or multi-author book series. They can avoid the trap of too much backstory or canon, and let the players feel free to shake things up, but if they go too far from the established setting, the appeal of using that setting might be watered down.

Ask the players themselves what they’d like to see in an adapted setting and find out what level of freedom they want to have.

For example, for a Robin Hood campaign, you and your players might want to maintain an overall theme of embattled bandit-heroes striking against the villainous authorities, trying to win the hearts and minds of the people of Nottingham. Do they want to be part of Robin Hood’s band, taking orders from him and fighting alongside Will Scarlet, Maid Marian, and Friar Tuck, or do they want to replace the band entirely, with Robin Hood being little more than a fictional identity they all use. Perhaps King Richard anoints them as the wardens of Sherwood Forest and they serve to defend it against supernatural enemies of the realm, a world complete with werewolves, the dwindling denizens of Faerie, and ancient pagan gods.

Ideally, your players and you can find common ground in playing in an adapted setting, and everyone will be happy. Having everyone invested in the setting and eager to explore it makes all the difference in play, and you may make a point of periodic check-ins to ask players how they’re feeling about the game. (This is generally a good idea for any type of campaign.)

Characters in an Adapted Setting

Adapting source material into a setting is easier if you first determine how the player characters fit into that setting. If the source material is strongly character-based, do you want the player characters to be like them, to replace them, or to cross paths with them? The following are entirely different ways to handle player characters in adapted worlds:

Inspired By…: Often, the main reason for wanting to use a particular setting is to play through adventures like those in the source material, so having the characters be like the originals is usually a safe bet. The player characters can be original, but cast in the same mold, or they can serve similar roles.
Replacement Heroes: Sometimes players don’t want to feel like they’re second-class figures, living in the shadows of a much more famous group of characters. In this case, have the player characters replace the original figures, either creating new characters who fill the exact same roles, or simply using the original characters as their own player characters.
Friendly Rivals: Another option with huge appeal is to have the player characters exist in the same world as the original protagonists. They may know them, be related to them, or may even cross paths with them. In cases like these, it’s important to make sure the players don’t feel like their characters play second-fiddle to the ‘real’ movers and shakers.

Describing the Setting

Once you know what the players will be doing in the world it’s time to move onto the setting itself. First, you should become familiar with the tone and broad level of details of the original setting, taking notes on any information that may be important. You might find a fan wiki or resource that makes things easier. There’s rarely a need to note every single minor character or throwaway detail, but you should pay attention to things that the players will find important.

Here’s a list of sections you could use to organize the information about the setting:

Character options, professions, powers, etc.
Powers, if any
Cultures or significant creatures
Traditions or cultural beliefs
Environments, points of interest, sacred places, etc.
Vehicles and notable technology
Religions or social organizations and tenets of note
Society, mode of government, etc.
Historical events of note
Important figures like kings or queens, presidents, religious leaders, historical figures, etc.
Groups, organizations, societies, orders, etc.
Weapons and armor, if relevant
Flora and fauna of note
Adventure seeds, if the players are expected to seek out their own plots

This is also a time to define any high level ‘rules’ of the setting, if any. What power level best represents the setting? What’s the overall moral universe, such as ‘good will inevitably prevail’, or ‘humankind is an aberration in a cold and merciless universe’.

Some settings won’t require all these, and you should only note enough to run your games and answer any questions the players have. And you don’t need to do it up-front. You can always tell the player that you’ll think about a question you don’t know the answer to and get back to them, or you can field it with the players and decide as a group.

You might even create a wiki or a shared online document when developing your setting, even opening it up to your players. If they’re interested, let them contribute to the setting’s creation.

Keep in mind, though, that if you’re spending more time on creating or adapting the setting than will actually see use in play, you might want to step back and assess what’s necessary vs. what’s totally optional. You might thrive on exhaustively cataloging all of the elements from a setting, while others will read (or view) it once and decide “I know enough now to run this. Let’s go!” Figure out which of these extremes you’re closest to and act accordingly.

This process can also be followed for any original setting, only in this case, you (and potentially your players) get to make up these details.

Allegiance (Option)

Many settings include belief in higher powers. These could be gods, angels, saints, devils, divine principles, or even abstract philosophical concepts. A character who consistently behaves according to their beliefs has an allegiance to it, measured with the allegiance score. Acting or behaving as favored by one’s deity (or deities) can earn allegiance points that indicate dedication. Allegiance can change in play and new allegiances can appear as new forces become important.

Characters may earn allegiance points from more than one entity or god. People don’t always behave consistently from one day to the next, and even the most moral and ethical person can commit acts of incredible evil. The system of allegiance allows a character to have allegiance scores towards opposed or multiple forces.

When one allegiance score is 20+ points higher than any other allegiance score, the character is considered allied with that force, and may achieve certain benefits because of that allegiance. The character must consciously acknowledge this allegiance however, regardless of the score. While an allegiance may seem obvious, they do not enjoy its benefits if they do not acknowledge it.

Allegiance points are almost never lost. They are always positive or 0. If reduced, they cannot go below 0. Allegiance points are a reward for behavior of one type or another, thus having multiple (or at least opposed) forces is ideal. Behavior that would be punished in one belief system is often rewarded in another, so that the character is not being penalized points by acting against the divine force they favor, but is instead being awarded points by the force that opposes their favored allegiance.

As an allied character gains higher levels of allegiance, they may attain status within the associated cult or church (if any), represented in titles, powers, or responsibilities.

Starting Allegiance

If allegiance is used, roll 1D6–2 (minimum 0) a number of times equal to the number of available allegiances to represent allegiance points earned prior to the beginning of the game. The gamemaster can choose one of the following for the player to do:

Assign allegiance totals in the order they’re rolled.
Assign allegiance scores as desired.

For each (if any) power type tied to any spiritual force, add +1 point to each appropriate allegiance. Similarly, add +1 for each mutation for an appropriate allegiance. Characters of the occultist, priest, or shaman professions add allegiance points equal to ½ POW (round up) distributed as desired.

Increasing Allegiance

Actions that favor the allegiance increase the character’s allegiance score. See Creating Allegiances for a list of potential actions that may grant allegiance points. After an adventure, provided that the character has behaved in a manner favored by the force, ask the player to perform an allegiance test. This is identical to an experience check Skill Improvement. If successful, the character’s allegiance score increases by +1D6 points.

If the character has performed actions encouraged by multiple allegiances, call for experience tests for all allegiances that apply, each gaining +1D6 points if successful.

Multiple Allegiances

No matter what guidelines are favored by their allegiance, every character has free will and can act as desired. A character can have scores in all, some, or none of the available allegiances. However, the character’s alliance is only with the highest of the scores if that score is 20+ points higher than the next highest, and then only if the character acknowledges the allegiance.

Maintaining Allegiance

When an allied character acts contrary to the interests of their allegiance, you may require the player to succeed in roll of D100 to test that allegiance. If the roll is above the character’s current allegiance score, you should increase the character’s opposed allegiance score by an amount equal to 1D4 through 1D8, depending on the degree of the aberrant behavior. If the roll is equal to or less than the character’s current allegiance score, there is no consequence.

If the character has an allegiance score of 100+ and has made commitment to that cause, you should warn the player that any actions taken against that allegiance are at the character’s peril. A character with a strong allegiance may lose the benefits of the allegiance and be considered an enemy to fellow believers. There may be a divine or karmic punishment inflicted, or they may have to undertake penance to see their benefits reinstated. Penance might be fasting and prolonged meditation, a quest, an act of contrition, a sacrifice of some sort, or a ritual of purification.

Creating Allegiances

You should define the allegiances and establish what each stands for. It is best to have at least two forces vying for a player character’s allegiance, to emphasize the struggle between one course of belief vs. another.

The next step is to determine how many allegiance points are awarded for various actions. The easiest way to do this is to create a checklist of actions likely to occur in the game and decide which force awards allegiance points to each action. Following are some suitable actions:

Aiding someone weaker than yourself
Behaving dishonorably
Behaving honorably
Charity towards the weak or destitute
Creating something to honor your allied force
Destroying a supernatural being
Destroying something sacred to another force
Freeing someone from imprisonment
Invoking your allied force disrespectfully
Invoking your allied force with respect
Killing someone in cold blood (murder)
Killing someone in self-defense
Major service to your allegiance
Minor service to your allegiance
Protecting someone
Saving someone’s life
Theft

For each action, it is suggested that you list the allegiance reward for an opposed action, such as ‘Aiding someone weaker than yourself’ might be opposed by ‘Exploiting someone weaker than yourself’. Major actions are worth 3 points of allegiance, significant ones worth 2, and minor ones worth 1 point.

After this, you must decide whether allegiance offers any particular rewards or whether the allegiance points will merely be a measure of devotion to that force. These can be drawn from Benefits of Allegiance (following) or can be more specific to the nature of the divine force.

When the character reaches 100+ with a specific allegiance they may be considered to have become an apotheosis of the allegiance, a paragon of that divine force’s will in the world.

A campaign incorporating Christian theology would have Heaven and Hell as the two opposed allegiances, with the highest allegiance being a strong indicator as to where the character will go when they die. A campaign setting with a pantheon of gods lets the character have allegiance to multiple gods.

Allegiance does not necessarily have to be tied to divine beings from fantasy worlds, or even religions. In a science fiction setting, allegiance could be to something as abstract as a mystical force binding all living things together, with opposed bright and shadowy sides. Allegiance in a superhero setting could be towards Law or Anarchy, or Right and Wrong. Superheroes earn allegiance by defeating supervillains and saving the innocent, while supervillains are rewarded by committing crime and escaping justice.

Benefits to Allegiance

Decide whether there are any real benefits to allegiance, and what those are. If one allegiance grants a benefit, the others should offer equivalent benefits, such as any of the following:

Once the character’s power points are expended, they may, upon a successful allegiance roll, instantly gain up to 1/10 (10%) of their current allegiance score (round up) as an extra reserve of power points. The allegiance points do not change with this benefit. These points must be drawn as the character’s last power points are spent, otherwise they will fall unconscious. The points are otherwise identical to normal power points. This can be attempted up to three times during a game session. If using this ability, the character can make an allegiance test at the end of the adventure.
With a successful allegiance roll, the character can use up to 1/5 (20%), rounded up, of their current allegiance score as temporary hit points, once per game session. The allegiance points do not change. These hit points are expended before the character’s normal hit points and are not regenerated or restored in any way if lost. At the end of the session, any hit points over the character’s regular hit point total disappear. If the character uses these extra hit points, they can make an allegiance test at the end of the adventure.
With a successful allegiance roll, the character can create a pool equal to their entire current allegiance score as a reservoir of extra skill points that can be added to existing skill ratings for specific rolls. This can be done up to three times per session. Allegiance points do not change with this benefit. The player can choose which skills to add these points to, and how many points to add. The increases to these skill points must be declared before rolling, and the adjusted numbers are utilized if determining special successes, etc. These points can only be used for skill checks, and not resistance rolls, characteristic rolls, allegiance rolls, experience rolls, etc. A successful skill roll using these points is not eligible for an experience check. After using these extra skill points, the character can make an allegiance test at the end of the adventure.
Any character who is allied to a power (20+ more than the second highest allegiance) can call for divine intervention. The chance of success is equal to that of a critical success. If a critical success is rolled, the power intervenes in some fashion, whether directly, through an agent or proxy, or through some clearly miraculous manifestation of the natural world. Generally, most deities have virtually unlimited power, so this aid can be extraordinary. The character can make an allegiance test at the end of the adventure.

Similar benefits might be created to provide fatigue points, Sanity points, or even allow for divine inspiration in the form of Idea rolls.

Apotheosis

As noted above, if the character reaches a total of 100+ with an allegiance and is allied with that allegiance, they may be asked in a vision (or some other divine message) to serve it, to become its apotheosis. Scores in other allegiances do not matter. Apotheosis is not automatic. The character must demonstrate through their faith and actions that this is warranted. If the offer is accepted, an apotheosis occurs, changing the character into a living avatar and steadfast champion of the force.

Benefits to allegiance continue to accrue. The character maintains free will and can even betray the force they serve. If the character refuses apotheosis, their allegiance points continue to increase normally until death or retirement.

Accepting apotheosis may confer one or more significant benefits to the character. You are encouraged to craft suitable rewards and benefits. Following are examples of what apotheosis might bestow:

Achieving some monumental personal goal, such as meeting their one true love, or finding a spiritual retreat where it is possible to achieve perfect happiness and escape from the turmoil of the world. This could even end tragically, as well, with the character achieving an epic destiny where the only suitable outcome is death.
A limited immortality where the body does not age normally or suffer from disease or other afflictions. The character’s healing rate does not change and they can still be slain by weapons or other injury. Twisted gods may choose to make this immortal body a mixed blessing, such as hideous scarring, endless pain, or some supernatural marking that cannot be removed.
An increase of permanent hit points to CON+SIZ (or simply doubling current hit points). If hit locations are used, these are also adjusted accordingly. If total hit points are used, double them.
Double the skill ratings of any three skills of the player’s choice, suitable to the nature of the allegiance.
A weapon, item, or significant artifact is provided through divine means, either as the result of a quest or some other means of gaining it. This item is incredibly powerful and recognizable by any who share or opposed to the character’s allegiance.
Being consumed entirely by the divine force and reborn as its living avatar, losing or gaining characteristic points as appropriate, with maximum power points doubling (though the POW characteristic remains unchanged). The character may even become a divine being akin to an angel or demon.

At this point, the player character has a POW×3 chance of initiating direct and immediate communication with the force. The force dominates the character’s life, communicating with them frequently and directly. This may even become a hindrance; with the force interfering in actions that do not further its will.

Passions (Option)

Adventures are often full of intense emotion, which can lead to heights of heroism and depths of tragedy. These are defined as passions, distinct emotional connections to various entities, groups, places, or even oneself. Love, Hate, Fear, Devotion, and Loyalty are often placed in terrible conflict with one another, as well as challenging personal codes of honor. These are rated like skills and rolled on D100, allowing the character to become inspired, their actions charged by their beliefs. Inspired characters are more able to overcome challenges with superhuman effort and a likelihood of success. Failing such a roll may lead to despair or depression.

Like skills, passions increase through successful use with experience, and some of them can be reduced through actions contrary to the passion. Players always control their characters’ behaviors: passions merely inform how the character is feeling about the subject, no matter how differently they act.

Basic Passions

The most common passions are described here, though this list is not exhaustive. Like a skill specialty, a parenthesis after a passion indicates that a suitable focus must be chosen.

Devotion (deity)

Devotion to a god or divine force represents a personal devotion of one’s life to a deity or some divine force or entity. This indicates a sincere emotional dedication and strong faith. When used for inspiration, that faith manifests within the character, imbuing them with some small measure of courage.

Fear (type or individual)

Fear is perhaps one of the strongest passions, driving all manner of behavior, for better or worse. Fear can cause an individual to flee from the subject or act irrationally to escape its presence, or it can even cause an adverse reaction.

Common Fears can be focused on a particular group or an individual, such as a former enemy or treacherous relative. Fear cannot be defined towards general concepts or forces, such as ‘old age’ or ‘earthquakes’, and is generally not useful when the subject is something any reasonable being would fear, like death.

To inspire the character, the subject of the Fear must either be present, or their presence imminent. One cannot be motivated by Fear when the subject is hundreds of kilometers away and shows no sign of arrival. The threat of confronting the subject must be real and immediate.

The resulting behavior from being inspired by Fear can be to aid some form of avoidance, flight, or defense from the subject, or even to spur violent opposition when cornered. At times, though, the gamemaster may ask the player to roll for their Fear passion if the character is embarking on a course of action that would put them into contact with the source of fear.

Hate (group or individual)

Hatred unfortunately motivates many people, whether through racism, bigotry, or based on a particular hatred for a past wrong, real or imagined.

When used for inspiration, Hatred can only be used against a specific subject or type of subjects and does not apply to those allied with the subject of the hatred. Hates can also be aimed at specific people, usually for specific personal reasons.

Honor

Honor is a martial virtue, a personal code of dignity, integrity, and pride. Personal honor is not a slippery issue, subject to interpretation. The difference between honorable action and dishonorable action is clear to everyone, no matter how they behave. The Dishonor table lists things that most people agree are dishonorable actions for an average person. Performing these deeds diminishes honor.

Dishonor

Dishonorable Act	Honor Lost
Attacking an unarmed foe	–5%
Cowardice	–5%
Desertion from battle	–5%
Refusing to offer mercy when it is deserved	–5%
Plundering a holy place of your religion	–5%
Discourtesy to someone under your protection	–10%
Flagrant cowardice	–15%
Treason against your allies	–15%
Breaking an oath	–25%
Attacking or stealing from the weak	–25%
Killing someone weaker than oneself	–35%
Rape or sexual assault	–50%
Killing family members	–50%

Honor is specific to the character and does not include other social obligations. One’s Honor is not abused if someone insults their family—Love (family) covers that. Likewise, someone insulting one’s god should consult the Devotion (deity) or Loyalty (temple) Passion, not Honor.

Honor can include almost anything that a character chooses it to, and their own individual code of honor should be developed when this passion is taken. Someone with an extremely high Honor may be offended by anything that anyone says that could be construed as an insult, while a character with low or no Honor may not care what is said of them.

Love

Love is an emotional bond or attraction felt by one individual for another individual or group. A character may have many loves.

Love (family) is a natural emotion common to humankind in any age or culture. One’s close family is often the first and most important community one belongs to. Family members are expected to support, protect, and avenge each other.
Love (individual) indicates a deep feeling and attraction for another person. It usually implies physical and carnal commitment, although it may also include unrequited love.

Loyalty (group or place)

Loyalty is the cornerstone of all of society beyond the family. It is the social bond which members of a community feel for each other. With it, one can call upon that community for support.

A character with conflicting loyalties may use their respective Loyalty ratings to determine an appropriate course of action. The player can choose based on the higher Loyalty rating or test them as an opposed roll. Thus, a player can use an opposed roll to determine if their character will obey their hometown loyalty or to an individual if those loyalties are in conflict.

Loyalty (community) is the measure of the bond a character has with their culture. It typically includes an obligation to avenge slights or injuries against that community or its members. Loyalty (community) is used to gain the support of the community in question.
Loyalty (location) is the measure of one’s willingness to live, fight, and die for a location they feel immense attachment to. This can be a hometown, a city, or even a country.
Loyalty (individual) is the measure of a character’s bond to a specific individual, such as a ruler, boss, or another patron. A warrior owes personal loyalty to their leader; in return, the leader rewards their followers with compensation, support, or other privileges. Loyalty (individual) is also used to gain the personal support of that individual.

Other passions may exist, such as Distrust (individual or group), Respect (individual or group), or Greed, which works like Honor and can spur avaricious behavior. You can work with your players to devise other passions, as desired, but if personality traits are being used, be careful not to overlap too much with those.

Starting Passions

The easiest way to determine starting passions is to let the players define them. When characters are created, let each player pick three passions their character starts with one passion at 80% and two at 60%.

If desired, passions can be assigned or modified based on the character’s culture or place of origin.

Using Passions

Passions define a character’s life intentions and serve to inspire them. The gamemaster may call for a passion roll. At other times, the player may suggest and request one, with the gamemaster’s approval. Here are some of the ways that passions can affect play.

Roleplaying Guidelines

At their most basic, a passion is a numerical rating of the degree of intensity a character feels for the subject of the passion, and can be used by the player when there is a question of how the character would act. The higher the passion, the more likely the character is going to act on it. The lower a passion, the more the character can ignore it.

Players always have control over their characters, but passion rolls can be used when a clear course of action is not obvious, or when the gamemaster thinks the character is behaving drastically ‘out of character’. While the player is still in charge, the gamemaster might portray going against a passion (rolled or a high score) with comments like “Your character has a bad feeling about this but pushes on” or something to that effect.

Demonstration and Support

A character with Loyalty might be called upon to roll it convincing someone else that they both share the same fealty. Trying to demonstrate one’s Devotion, Hatred, Love, or Loyalty to sway others and be a good example are great ways to use passions in play. Succeed, and mutual support and aid may be offered; fail and the character may be turned away as a poseur and fraud.

Inspiration

A character may attempt to be inspired by their passion and request a roll to augment a skill, with the gamemaster’s approval. Only one attempt at inspiration can be made in a situation or ‘scene’—such as the duration of a fight, social gathering, an action sequence, etc. The character does not get to make an inspiration roll every time the same action is attempted. The inspiration lasts for the time it takes to complete the activity, such as the duration of the combat or battle (with a maximum duration of one day). If in doubt, the gamemaster determines the duration of the inspiration. It does not take any time to attempt an inspiration based on a passion—they can happen as part of another action.

The gamemaster has the final say on whether a passion roll for inspiration can be attempted. Players are warned that passion rolls can be extremely risky as well as rewarding: a fumbled passion roll results in despair! If the character has already rolled to be inspired by a passion during the situation at hand, they cannot try to be inspired again, even by a different passion. Additionally, the bonus from inspiration cannot be combined with an augment from another skill.

Remember that the gamemaster has the final say on the appropriateness of attempting Inspiration and its duration. The player must roll against the passion’s rating on a D100:

Critical Success: One chosen skill temporarily receives a +50% bonus for the duration of the task or situation An experience check is gained in the passion.
Special Success: One chosen skill temporarily receives a +30% bonus for the duration of the task or situation. An experience check is gained in the passion.
Success: One chosen skill temporarily receives a +20% bonus for the duration of the task or situation. An experience check is gained in the passion.
Failure: The character is despondent, modifying all further rolls made in the situation or scene by –10%. This penalty ends with the next scene.
Fumble: The passion is immediately modified by –1D10% and the character is overcome by despair (see the Despair table, following). For the duration of the despair, the character is effectively incapable of doing anything more than running away or hiding, though the gamemaster may allow some degree of action beyond this in the right circumstances.

Despair

Result	Duration of Despair
1–3	1D10 combat rounds
4–7	D10+10 combat rounds
8–9	Until sunset, sunrise, or similar length of time
10	1D3 game days

If a passion is ever reduced to 0%, removed it from the character sheet. A passion cannot go below 0. Additionally, the character can never regain a passion that has been lost in this fashion: it has been exhausted and cannot be renewed unless the gamemaster determines that an extraordinary set of circumstances or behavior merits its return.

Mandatory Rolls

Passions at 80% or higher represent staunchly held beliefs and connections and are not to be taken lightly or used only when convenient. Such extreme passions can require the player to make mandatory rolls due to these beliefs, if the gamemaster chooses. In general, the gamemaster has several options if the player has their character do something inappropriate for their rating in a relevant passion, such as a character with Hate (Nazis) 95% letting some Nazis go after a fight.

Reduce the passion to below 80%.
Oppose the passion with another passion as an opposed roll. If the opposed ability wins the contest with the passion, the player can act in a different manner without modifying the primary passion. In this case, the conflicting passion won out.

Gaining a Passion

Passions may easily be gained during play. Characters should get many opportunities to gain enemies, loved ones, allies, and loyalties. Both the player and gamemaster should agree upon introducing a new passion. When something significant occurs to the character, the gamemaster or player may suggest that a passion has been generated. Generally, the starting value is 60%, but might be higher based on circumstances.

Voluntarily Reducing a Passion

A character with a passion 80% or higher who performs an action that directly contradicts that passion may either simply lower the passion to 80% (or lower) or try to oppose that passion with another one. However, the character may wish to reduce a passion in the following manner:

When experience is determined, pick a passion to be lowered. If has an experience check, it cannot be lowered at this time. If it has not been tested and the player wishes to lower it, roll as if checking for experience. If the experience roll is unsuccessful, reduce the passion by –1D6.
A passion 50% or lower can be largely ignored in play, as it represents ambivalence about the subject. It can be removed from the character sheet, as desired.

Reputation (Option)

Reputation measures a character’s fame, notoriety, and renown. It includes one’s family background, if relevant, and any actions they’ve done to earn a reputation. As a character’s Reputation increases, people grow increasingly aware of them, knowing more and more about them.

Gaining Reputation

Reputation is gained by doing things that gain the attention of others. Getting into the news, getting elected to office, doing something big and noteworthy, becoming a celebrity, helping someone famous, owning a famous item—these are all examples of things that can increase a character’s Reputation.

Reputation does not increase because of experience checks. Instead, it is increased at the gamemaster’s discretion, based on achievements and events that occur during play. Reputation can also increase through negative deeds. It does not decrease as passions do: behaving dishonorably, doing evil, failing spectacularly can make one just as famous (or even more so) than epic accomplishments.

The Reputation Gains table (below) provides examples about how Reputation might increase. Note that actions must be known to others—Reputation is gained for actions taken in secrecy or obscurity. The gamemaster is encouraged to use these examples as listed or to use them as guidelines for other increases.

Reputation from a single act provides only one gain, though the gamemaster may modify it for multiple occurrences of the same action, up to the total of the possible roll. If you’re using passions, it’s possible to gain Reputation for an act and lose Honor for it at the same time.

Reputation Gains

Deed	Gain
Notable	+1D3

Examples

Swearing an oath of some import.
Defeating an equally powerful foe.
Outstanding use of a skill; achieving success in a noteworthy endeavor.
A noteworthy marriage.
Taking part in a great journey.
Becoming a parent in a fortuitous birth.
Having an important guest in your home or hall.
Making a shrewd alliance.
Taking an important part in a worship ceremony.
Having some local media (newspaper, scribe, minstrel, etc.) talk about you.
Having a popular blog, writing a book, being a minor celebrity, etc.
A weird accident or stroke of luck.
Lying and being discovered.
Minor criminal acts.
Breaking an oath of import.
Acting discourteously to guests in your home or hall.
A particularly significant fumble or visible failure.
Losing a family member or ally.
Breaking an alliance.
Minor sacrilege.
Bringing minor shame upon one’s family.

Deed	Gain
Extraordinary	+1D6

Examples

Swearing an epic oath.
Defeating a superior foe (or number of foes).
Critical use of a skill when it is important.
An outstanding success in an extraordinary endeavor.
A prestigious marriage.
Having twins/triplets/etc.
A major alliance.
Being the subject of a popular tale, well-known song, or a major news story.
Publishing a popular book or releasing a popular piece of music.
Featured in a very successful media performance.
A freak stroke of luck.
Earning a major enemy.
Significant act of sacrilege.
Betraying or bringing harm to someone under your protection (such as a guest).
A major criminal act.
Breaking a major oath.
Kin-slaying.
A spectacular fumble or highly visible failure.
Bringing major dishonor upon one’s family.

Deed	Gain
Heroic	+2D6 or more

Examples

Achieving a legendary success at a nearly impossible endeavor.
Leading an army to victory or defeating one single-handedly.
Defeating an enemy of divine or immortal nature.
Marrying a king or queen or becoming one.
Being the focus of a divine prophecy.
Featured in a popular book or documentary.
Building something epic like a new major temple or palace.
A spectacular defeat.
Slaying one’s parents or children.
An act of the darkest treachery or infamy.

Tracking Reputation

The player should track the sources of their character’s Reputation and how much has been gained. Again, once Reputation has increased, it does not decrease. One merely becomes famous for different things. The gamemaster may, however, modify its chance of success (see Reputation Modifiers).

Using Reputation

Reputation is used in two ways: to identify someone, or to impress others (essentially saying “Do you know who I am?”).

Identifying Someone

Reputation may be used by the gamemaster to have nonplayer characters identify a character and the reason they’re famous, or the players can roll to see if their characters have heard of a particular nonplayer character.

Apply any appropriate Reputation bonuses or penalties (see Reputation Modifiers) and roll. This is different than usual skills or characteristics, in that rolls are against the subject’s Reputation, not one’s own. A character may try to augment their Reputation
(or someone else’s) with some sort of Communication skill, essentially talking someone up. If appropriate, a Knowledge or Lore skill might be used to augment a subject’s Reputation if they are notable in that field.

If the roll succeeds, the one whose reputation was rolled against is recognized. This likely affects how the nonplayer character reacts to the character. Better qualities successes yield more information. Failure means they’re not known, and a fumble means a disastrous misunderstanding or case of mistaken identity.

Someone can always try to deny who they are, but this grows increasingly difficult in more modern settings.

Impressing Others

Reputation may be used to try to augment some Communication skills, if appropriate. Similarly, the gamemaster may allow the character to attempt to sway a nonplayer character’s reaction to the character.

To use Reputation to augment another skill, roll against the character’s Reputation:

Critical Success: The character’s Reputation adds a +50% bonus to the Communication skill to be used.
Special Success: The character’s Reputation adds a +30% bonus to the Communication skill to be used.
Success: The character’s Reputation adds a +20% bonus to the Communication skill to be used.
Failure: The character subtracts –20% from the Communication skill to be used.
Fumble: The character subtracts –50% from the Communication skill to be used.

Reputation Modifiers

Reputation is modified by the social distance of the audience. Usually, Reputation among family, place of employment, and neighborhood or home area is increased. On the other hand, Reputation diminishes with strangers and outsiders. Famous politicians, heroes, and celebrities might be completely unknown in distant places. Similarly, as time goes on, Reputations become less relevant. Add modifiers to a character’s Reputation based on the observer’s social proximity to them.

Reputation Modifiers

Observer is…	Modifier
…from the same family, company, or locality, or has mutual acquaintances.	+25%
…well-traveled, follows gossip/news, is well-connected.	+10–25%
…from the same culture or region.	—
…from outside the character’s social network or cultural group, or is out of touch with recent news.	–25%
…from outside the area where the character earned their Reputation, but within the same geographical region, or is of a different generation.	–50%
…from outside of the geographical region where the character earned their Reputation, or many years removed from the character.	–75%

Sanity (Option)

There are many ways characters can become injured physically, through violence or accidents, but for some games, the most potent threat is that posed to the stability of the human mind. As defined in Chapter 2: Characters, characters have an optional characteristic called Sanity, represented by Sanity points (SAN). The more Sanity points a character has, the more psychologically stable they are. Sanity points are lost through trauma: encounters with horrific or unearthly monsters, witnessing death or violent events, or undergoing deliberate physical harm like torture. When exposed to Sanity-challenging events, characters roll against their current Sanity point total. Failure means a loss of SAN points, while success sometimes means only less SAN is lost. Sanity points can be regained through counseling, successfully defeating the source of the SAN loss, or by personal betterment.

As a note, this system is an abstraction specifically for the purpose of gameplay and does not intend to approximate or diminish the reality of mental illness or trivialize it in any fashion.

Sanity Mechanics

Each character has a Sanity characteristic, abbreviated as SAN. A character’s initial SAN equals their POW×5. A character’s SAN does not change because their POW later changes. Half the character’s starting SAN is their temporary insanity score (TIS). Though SAN will vary dramatically throughout gameplay, their TIS never changes. At the gamemaster’s discretion, a setting featuring normal humans may have the default TIS equal to POW, yielding a much higher chance of temporary insanity.

Occasionally, a character must make a successful SAN roll on D100 or lose SAN. The chance of success is equal to or less than the character’s current SAN. The gamemaster will roll for how much SAN is lost if the roll fails. In some cases, an especially horrible or freakish experience may cost SAN even if the roll is successful, though this is likely a fraction of the total possible SAN loss.

Each character sheet includes an area to note current SAN and TIS; the value for TIS should be marked permanently. Current SAN should be written in pencil (if a paper sheet), like hit points or power point, as it changes with every loss.

If a character ever loses SAN greater than or equal to their TIS in a five-minute period (equal to one turn), they then go temporarily insane. Roll 1D6 for the character on the Temporary Insanity table and roll 1D8 on the Temporary Insanity Duration table (both following). The first table shows how the character is affected, and the second shows for how long it lasts.

When suffering temporary insanity, tell the player what their character is undergoing and ask them to roleplay it, if appropriate.

Time, counseling, potent drugs, some powers, or even divine intervention might heal temporary insanity. Appropriate drugs might be either made with an appropriate skill or purchased, if available. Additional means of dealing with temporary insanity can exist, at the gamemaster’s discretion.

Temporary Insanity

Result	Description and Effects
1	Catatonia; the character assumes a fetal position.
2	Stupefaction; the character babbles incessantly or stares into space without seeing anything.
3	Paranoia; the character is lucid but convinced of unreasonable suspicions about almost anything.
4	Phobia; the character stricken by great fear of something related to the source of the insanity.
5	Amnesia; the character cannot remember who they are or what happened to them during or around the time of the SAN loss.
6	Suicidal despondency* or a death-wish; the character is convinced that their own death is their only means of escaping the mental torment.

The character can never be forced to perform a suicidal act, and the gamemaster should use this result carefully, paying attention to the sensitivity of the player(s) involved.

Temporary Insanity Duration

Result	Time Affected
1	Five minutes (one turn)
2	One hour
3	Two hours
4	Twelve hours
5	One day
6	Two days
7	One week
8	Two weeks

When a character’s SAN reaches 0, they are considered permanently and completely insane, and are now either retired from play or become a nonplayer character to be controlled by the gamemaster. The only cure for permanent insanity is divine intervention or some other major process (extensive psychological reprogramming, years of therapy and meditation, etc.) to be determined by the gamemaster, if at all possible. If so, the amount of SAN restored should be decided accordingly.

Maximum Sanity

Certain skills, such as the Blasphemous Lore specialty of the Knowledge skill may reduce the maximum possible Sanity. As this skill increases, subtract it from 100, the result being the maximum Sanity the character may ever have, even if this is less than their original starting SAN.

For example, someone with starting SAN 75 (POW 15×5) with Knowledge (Blasphemous Lore) 43% has a new maximum Sanity of 57% (100–43=57).

Restoring Sanity Points

A character can regain lost SAN, but never to an amount exceeding their starting maximum Sanity total. Following are some ways SAN can be restored:

Success: Defeating or destroying a cause of SAN loss can be worth an amount equal to half the potential SAN loss the cause threatened. The gamemaster should interpret the conditions for ‘defeating’ and determine the exact amount restored. This can be rolled or awarded as a blanket amount to anyone taking part in the defeat, not just those who lost SAN.
Counseling: See the Psychotherapy skill. Generally, a successful skill roll regains 1D3–1 SAN.
Drugs: Some drugs or substances can, at the gamemaster’s discretion, restore lost SAN.
Powers: Several psychic abilities and the Transfer superpower may restore lost SAN.
Self-improvement: Attaining a 91% rating in a skill instantly restores 2D6 SAN points, representing the self-confidence and discipline associated with mastering a skill (this is a one-time bonus). If a character begins with this skill rating or higher, there is no SAN gain.

All Sanity gains are entirely at the discretion of the gamemaster, the sole judge of the situation and of what is appropriate.

Sanity Costs by Situation

The following entries discuss those sanity-shaking situations which may occur in play. The gamemaster should determine additional situations. The value in front of the / is the amount lost if a successful SAN roll is made, while the amount on the other side is the amount lost if the SAN roll fails.

Sanity Losses

Source of SAN Loss	Potential Loss
Something unsetting and grotesque, or a sudden scare	0/1
Minor unnatural creatures (zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc.)	0/1D3+
Scene of a violent death, finding a dead body	0/1D3
Finding a mutilated or mangled body	1/1D4
Witnessing a gruesome death	1/1D6
Suffering minor torture	1D3/1D6
Reality-challenging visions (Chaos, unnatural corruption, etc. )	0/1d8
Freakish and horrible monsters	1D2+/1D6+
Being afflicted by some horrible transformation	1D6/2D10
Monstrous alien gods	1D10/1D100

In the event of multiple exposures to the same source of SAN loss, the gamemaster may lessen the effects of later exposure (perhaps only allowing multiple exposures to add up to the total possible rolled) or ignore the need to roll again altogether if the character has become familiarized or desensitized to the sanity-harming experience.

Basic Roleplaying SRD

Explorer

10. Settings

10. Settings

Making the Setting

Prehistoric Age

Ancient World

Early Medieval

High Medieval

High Fantasy

Imperial Asia

Arabian Nights

Enlightenment and Renaissance

Age of Exploration

Age of Sail

Industrial Age

Victorian Age

Wild West

Pulp Era

Planetary Adventure

World War II

Noir

Modern

Superworld

Postapocalyptic

Near-Future/Cyberpunk

Space Exploration

Space Opera

Hybrid Settings

Alternate Histories

Multiple Settings

Powers and Setting

Adaptation

Fidelity

Characters in an Adapted Setting

Describing the Setting

Allegiance (Option)

Starting Allegiance

Increasing Allegiance

Multiple Allegiances

Maintaining Allegiance

Creating Allegiances

Benefits to Allegiance

Passions (Option)

Basic Passions

Devotion (deity)

Fear (type or individual)

Hate (group or individual)

Honor

Dishonor

Love

Loyalty (group or place)

Starting Passions

Using Passions

Roleplaying Guidelines

Demonstration and Support

Inspiration

Despair

Mandatory Rolls

Gaining a Passion

Voluntarily Reducing a Passion

Reputation (Option)

Gaining Reputation

Reputation Gains

Examples

Examples

Examples

Tracking Reputation

Using Reputation

Identifying Someone

Impressing Others

Reputation Modifiers

Reputation Modifiers

Sanity (Option)

Sanity Mechanics

Temporary Insanity

Temporary Insanity Duration

Maximum Sanity

Restoring Sanity Points

Sanity Costs by Situation