NOCTURNAL HERESY /
A Game of Corrupting Darkness /
Óskar Örn Eggertsson /
6/2/2014 /
This is a play-test ready version of the game. As such, it includes notes written by me as to what on earth I was thinking while writing this stuff. It also has some notably empty spaces where I haven’t finished writing something down. I will update that bit when I get the chance and when I’m inspired to do so. /
Contents
Introduction
A Word on Gender
Chapter Breakdown
Terminology
Chapter I The Civilized World
History
1st Age
2nd Age
3rd Age
4th Age
5th Age
6th Age
Geography
Principalities
The First Kingdom
Gottland
The Holy Kingdom
[unnamed former kingdom]
Barbaric Lands
Heretical Lands
Western Mountains
Northern Seas
Eastern Hills
Southern Plains
Religions
The Illuminated Order
The Book of Illuminations
Structure
Chapter II The Basics
What You Need
Rolling the Dice
Formulating Your Success Range
Formulating Your Critical Range
The Disaster Roll
Assisted Rolls
Opposed Rolls
Chapter III Characters
Concept
Destiny
Attributes
Skills
Common Skills
Crafting Skills
Knowledge Skills
Fighting Skills
Talents
Other Traits
Nocturnal Template
Corruption
Aether
Advancing Characters
Character Creation Overview
Starting Character
Nocturnal Template
Other Traits
Advancing Characters (per Experience level)
Chapter IV Destinies
The Acrobat
The Courtier
The Creator
The Destroyer
The Dreamer
The Entertainer
The Healer
The Leader
The Lover
The Masque
The Merchant
The Phantom
The Protector
The Scholar
The Survivor
The Traveler
The Trickster
The Warrior
Chapter V Talents
Accurate Attack
Animal Ken
Artistic
Assassin
Authority Figure
Bargain Price
Birds of a Feather
Bountiful Hunt
Breaker
Bureaucrat
Buy Me a Drink
Captivating
Chemist
Chirurgion
Close Combatant
Compelling
Contacts
Crippling Assault
Cryptologist
Dauntless Travel
Deathly Shift
Demolisher
Devour Aether
Dialogue With the Dead
Diversion
Dread Wings
Dreams of Lunacy
Duck & Weave
Empathic
Expert
Expert Swimmer
Extra Earnings
Eye For Observation
Faith
Fake Death
Fast Crafting
Fast Healer
Fast Reader
Fast Runner
Fearless
Fearsome Aura
Field Medic
Flow of Gold
Followers
Ghostly Step
Great Destiny
Guide
Hard Sell
Home-Wrecker
Improved Attribute
Inconspicuous
Influential
Inspire
Inventor
Jack-of-all-Trades
Jester
Jury-Rigging
Killer
Know the Road
Light Sleeper
Listen to Me
Long Distance Runner
Long Fingers
Manipulator
Master Healer
Mimic
Monkey Climber
Moral Code
Morale Boost
Motivation
Mountain Stance
Musician
Navigator
Nightsight
One Man Wall
One With the Crowd
Outside the Box
Pain Relief
Perfect Balance
Perfect Disguise
Possession
Pretty Face
Psychotherapy
Quality Crafting
Quicken the Dead
Ranger
Regeneration
Resurrection
Riches
Role Shift
Ruination of Thought
Sacrificial Lamb
Sacrificial Parry
Seductive
Shadow Manipulation
Share Power
Sheltered
Shortcut
Silent Step
Silver Tongue
Skilled
Sleight of Hand
Specialist Speaker
Spectral Arms
Spectral Bolt
Stand the Ground
Sunderer
Tall Tales
Threatening Appearance
Tough Skin
Tutor
Unseen & Unheard
Wealthy
Weapon Specialist
Word on the Street
Chapter VI Socializing
Conviction
Influence
Attitude
Pressure
Bribery
Seduction
Intimidation
Deception (again)
Crowds
Coercing PCs
Chapter VII Combat
The Combat Round
Initiative
Actions
Attacking
Get Into Cover
Grappling
Aiming
Readying Weapons or Equipment
Reloading Crossbows
Retreat
Free Actions
Talking
Dropping Weapons or Equipment
Standing Up From Prone
Resisting Ill Effects
Reaction
Blocking Escape
Evading Danger
Long Actions
Reloading Musket or Pistol
Charging
Giving Command and Intimidate
Performing a Ritual
Other Combat Rules
Shield Bonus
Damage
Armor
Health
Breaking Objects
Armor
Weapons
Shields
Extras & Groups
Chapter VIII Special Rules
Commerce & Wealth
Wealth
Critical Roll
Special Note
Relics
Sample Relic: The Mirror of Warmwillow
Sample Relic: Scorched Winds
Sample Relic: The Library City
Conditions
Bleeding
Stunned
Fatigued
Exhausted
Shaken
Terrified
Starving
Poisoned
Sick
Press On
Sources of Harm
Rituals
Sample Rituals
Rite of Summoning
Rite of Warding
Rite of Command
Rite of Banishment
Sickness
Virulence
Lethality
Symptoms
Poison
Toxicity
Lethality
Symptoms
Lunacy
Traveling
Animals & Monsters
Fast
Flight
Underwater
Introduction
Nocturnal Heresy is a game about defeat, revenge, rebellion and corrupting power. It is a game where the Players take on the roles of powerful individuals in a weak and corrupted world, who are hunted for their heresy, and who must decide how they will live out the rest of their lives. Will they hide in the shadows and try to live peacefully or on the run? Or will they rise up against those who murdered their god and bring unto them the same pain and grief? The Nocturnals have the dark power and no master to serve; it is their choice.
Nocturnal Heresy is a game born from a vision I had of a dark fantasy. In the last couple of years, this vision has changed, shifted and turned into something different. What started as a medieval setting has turned to being more of an early 1600s kind of setting or a mixture of the two. The old weapons are mixed with gunpowder; shining armor is mixed with leather. It is still a bit jumbled up, I admit, as I have focused a lot more of my energies into the mechanics and not enough on the setting. That is where you come in.
So far I have been working mostly on the mechanics as I have said, but now it needs to be put to the test. In this file I have included almost every aspect of the mechanics that I have deemed complete enough to try out (at least publicly). Some of the minor mechanics (public debates, detailed crafting rules and traveling) are something I’m still working on, reviewing or utterly in the early stages of brainstorming. The important stuff though, that you can find here.
In this file you will find rules on rolling the dice and how to figure if you’ve succeeded or not. You will also find the complete list of Skills that I have put together for this game, although the list is still open for new Skills to be included if appropriate. You will find rules on how to make a character, a list of available Destinies for your character (more on that later) and a list of Talents (advanced abilities available to your character). You will also find detailed rules for combat and socializing (the latter also has a more simpler option if you prefer). Finally, you will find a list of special rules for the game, such as various sources of harm, relics, acquisition and so forth.
What I aim for with this game is both simplicity and excitement, mixed with a feeling of dread, corruption and mortality. It includes the illusion of power, that feeling that you are unstoppable just before that fatal blow hits you. Don’t be fooled, a good hit will kill you and even a few bad ones will kill you quickly. But what I want from you is to have fun with it. I want to see if it is simple and easy to use, and more importantly if it is any fun.
A Word on Gender
The subject of gender is handled rather freely in the Civilized World. Each city can have their own laws regarding variety of subjects, such as allowing one kind of sexuality while banning another, or have laws that restrict the freedom of one gender while enforcing the social power of the other. However, in most cases both genders are treated with equality and respect. Both Princes and Princesses can have complete control over a city, and women can have seats among the innermost circle of the Illuminated Order. Any status of any organization can be held by either gender, but some cities might discourage it in either direction: Women can have restricted rights in some cities while men have restricted rights in others. It is a matter of personal taste and what the story needs for it to be told properly.
Speaking of which, I will try to avoid using gender specific pronouns in this playtest file. But since it is just for playtesting and not a final product, it will not go through heavy editing process and so I won’t promise anything I am not entirely certain I can keep. I will try to use the ‘they’ pronoun as often as possible so that I won’t accidentally insult anyone. When the final product is complete, hopefully I will not confuse anyone by using every possible pronoun. That being said, I will refer to both Princes and Princesses, as well as other significant positions of power, by the masculine form when speaking of them in general. If the character is specifically feminine, I will refer to her as such. I choose to do this to avoid too frequent uses of phrases like ‘Princes and/or Princesses’ that would otherwise likely occur. I apologize if anyone finds this discriminating.
Chapter Breakdown
The book is presented in a handful of chapters.
- Introduction is this chapter, the one you’re currently reading, where I introduce the game and explain why I wanted to make it.
- Chapter 1: The Civilized World focuses on the setting of Nocturnal Heresy. Here you will find information about the setting, such as the principalities and their politics, the Illuminated Order, history and some information about the lands outside the Civilized World, seen through the eyes of those who claim to be civilized.
- Chapter 2: Basicsincludes the basic rules needed to play the game. It explains what sort of dice you roll (12-sided, in case you were wondering) and how to read the result of your roll.
- In Chapter 3: Characters, we look at how to make a character using the rules in this book/file/thing. Here I explain how derived traits are calculated from your Attributes and what Skills are available.
- Chapter 4: Destinies explains what Destinies are available to your characters and what benefits come with which Destiny. Each Destiny has an effect on how your character is created, so the chapter is worth looking into before or while you’re making your own Nocturnal.
- Chapter 5: Talents lists more than 100 Talents available to your character and what mechanical benefits they offer. They are listed alphabetically.
- Chapter 6: Socializing explains the more detailed version of the social rules which makes use of Influence, Conviction and Attitude, among other things.
- In Chapter 7: Combat you can find all the rules you need to fight your enemies in a violent manner.
- Finally, in Chapter 8: Special Rules I have put some special rules which can apply to your game. They are pretty much an expansion of the basics presented in chapter 2, but the GM is not required to use them unless they want to. This chapter pretty much serves as the GM’s chapter, but it does not have any information specifically intended for the GM. It is, in short, an incomplete GM’s chapter. I plan on rectifying that.
Terminology
I use several terms in this game which you should be fairly familiar with if you are an experienced role-player. If not, some of these terms will still be familiar but are explained below, as well as in the text itself. When abbreviated, the abbreviation appears after the word inside brackets. The same applies when I use a shorter version of the word.
- Game Master (GM): The player who’s role is to supply the plot and role-play any minor or major NPCs in the game.
- Player: Anyone playing the game, although it usually excludes the GM.
- Player Character (PC): The character created by a player to represent them within the story. A PC has stats and all their actions are determined by the player and the roll of the dice.
- Non-Player Character (NPC): Any character in the story that does not represent one of the players. NPCs are usually controlled by the GM although the PCs can affect their behavior with their own actions. There are two types of NPCs: Minor NPCs, which are the less important characters; and Major NPCs, which are the more important characters. Minor NPCs rarely have complete set of stats and are easy to deal with. Major NPCs can have as complete stats as the PCs and provide noteworthy challenges.
- Nocturnal: The protagonists of the game and standard character types for players. They are the chosen servants of a dead god, tasked with protecting the mortals from the monsters of the night. They are hunted as heretics by the Illuminated Order and some seek revenge for their dead patron.
- Civilized World, the: The principalities in which the majority of the setting takes place.
- Terra: The world of Nocturnal Heresy. The majority of the setting takes place in the Civilized World, but the world itself stretches outwards to all directions.
- Dreaming Realm, the: World of fairies, goblins and dragons.
- Infernal Realm, the: Home to daemons.
- Bright Realm, the: Heaven equivalent, home to angelic beings and the goddess Lumia. It is represented on the sky by the sun.
- Dark Realm, the: World of the dead, home to ghosts and the god Nocturne. It was represented on the sky by the moon, until the moon was destroyed ten years ago. The event destroyed the Dark Realm and killed Nocturne.
- Monster: Any creature that is out of the norm. Sometimes, the line between a monster and an animal seems blurry, but monsters often have supernatural powers or are made from such source.
- Illuminated Order, the: A religious organization that has great political power in the Civilized World. It focuses its efforts on hunting down heresy and witchcraft, at least officially.
- Saint: The chosen champions of Lumia and the bright reflections to Nocturnals. They use holy powers to hunt down heresy and witchcraft.
- Nocturne: The dead god of darkness and death. His Dark Realm was destroyed with the moon and he was killed. However, his champions are still awakening which gives hope to his inevitable resurrection.
- Lumia: Goddess of light and life. Her Bright Realm is the sun and she commands the host of celestial beings called Empyreals. She is worshipped by the Illuminated Order.
- Mortal: Any human being who is not touched by the supernatural.
- Witch: A human being who has acquired sorcerous powers. These powers often come from daemons or hags.
- Hag: A powerful witch that has consorted with daemons. They are rarely without a coven of fellow witches.
- Destiny: A mechanic in the game that provides characters with roles to fill, as well as some special Talents.
- Talents: Abilities beyond what Skills and Attributes can provide. There are three types of Talents: Character, Destiny and Supernatural, and the Supernatural Talents are further divided between the different types of supernatural creatures. For example, the Nocturnals have access to Talents that most other supernatural beings do not.
- Lunacy: Mental illness caused by prolonged exposure to lunar fragments that crashed into Terra after the moon was destroyed.
- Daemon: An infernal being of blasphemous power. Daemons exist in the Infernal Realm but can enter Terra when summoned by diabolists.
- Faustian: A diabolist who has made a pact with a daemon involving the possession of the diabolist in exchange for inhuman power. They rival both Nocturnals and Saints in terms of supernatural abilities, but tend to burn up after a few weeks.
- Aether: The lifeforce of any living being and the source of supernatural power.
- Success Range (SR): This is a number from 1 to 10 and is usually found by combining the appropriate Attribute and Skill for any given action. If you roll a die and it shows a number equal to or less than the SR, your action has succeeded. Used in context, you will be required to roll against the SR of Attribute + Skill when your character attempts an action where success is not already guaranteed. For example, when you are trying to solve a difficult puzzle, you roll against the SR of Knowledge + Enigmas. Sometimes, as a more simplified turn of phrase, you must roll against Attribute + Skill. Mechanically, both phrases mean the same thing.
- Critical Range (CR): This is a number that starts at 1 and can be increased with bonuses from various sources, most notably Talents. If you roll a die that shows a number equal to or less than the CR, your action scores a critical success. The effect of a critical success depends on the action, but is usually something worth more than just a simple success.
- Disaster Range (DR): This is an optional mechanic. If an action fails, and it is dramatically appropriate, the GM can roll a die against the DR, which is represented with a number ranging from 1 to 10, depending on how likely things could go badly. If the die shows a number equal to or less than the DR, not only is the action a failure, but the person performing it suffers an additional disaster of some kind.
- Action: Anything a character decides to do that requires a die to be rolled to determine whether or not it is successful.
- Dramatic Action: An action that can take hours, days or even years to complete. The die is only rolled once, however.
- Realms, the: The planes of existence, usually referring to the five Realms: The Mortal Realm, the Dreaming Realm, the Infernal Realm, the Dark Realm and the Bright Realm. Other Realms might exist but are only theoretical.
Chapter IThe Civilized World
This chapter is a work in progress. I intend to write this chapter and update it regularly, but until then it may feel a bit unfinished. It focuses on the setting of the Nocturnal Heresy, the Civilized World. The Civilized World is a coalition of principalities; each ruled separately but held together by the Illuminated Order. It has history (one of the things I intend to properly flesh out) but nobody really knows what happened before the 5th Age. This chapter also speaks a bit about diplomatic politics between states, the different Realms of Reality, religion of the Illuminated Order and the common folks, and what lies beyond the boundaries of the Civilized World. This is a lot of stuff to write down, so I hope you won’t hold it against me if I haven’t completed the whole thing yet.