Beta Version 0.

1

Release 5 Changelog:
• Edits for clarity
• Whole bunch of typos
• Incorporated some feedback (still in
progress)
• Skirmish Chapter added
• Fighting multiple opponents rewritten
• Minor clarification to the positioning
rolls
• Way more stuff still to come.
Original Concepts and Design
Henri “Higgins” Paves, “Captain” Jackson Malloy,
with additional early content by Sean Cochran
Beta Writeup
Mostly Malloy
Editing
Mostly Henri
Layout & Terrible Illustrations
Also Malloy
Logo Design & Cover Art
Malloy Again
Web Design
George “Barbarossa” Webb
Helpful Consultants
Nathan Frund, Jake Norwood
Early Play-Testers
Barbarossa, Rayner, Jo (aka Caboose), Nick Longbottom
Band of Bastards and all associated names, characters, logos, marks, and
illustrations are © and ™ 2014 and 2015 Grand Heresy Press. All rights
reserved. References to other works are © and ™ their respective owners
and mentions herein do not constitute challenges to those claims.
Permissions granted to print/photocopy for your own personal use, as well
as any play-aids or handouts on our website. For the guy working at the
counter, this is “express permission.” Go for it.
Fonts
Linux Libertine
Pieces of Eight
©Grand Heresy Press
http://grandheresy.com
grandheresy@gmail.com
Join our forums community!
http://grandheresyforums.com
 It’s been a long-time in coming, but we are pleased to welcome you to the Band of Bastards
initial Beta!
The contents of this document are abridged, and occasionally suspect. While we
did everything we could to try to reduce the number of typos and errors contained
within, it is virtually guaranteed that some made it through. Future releases will
include a full layout, error corrections, and all the other things you expect from a
full release. For now, try not to judge us too harshly on presentation just yet. Instead,
the emphasis was on getting this document out of our hands and into yours. If you
encounter any problems, spot typos, errors, or have any questions, hit up our boards at
http://www.grandheresyforums.com/. We are more than happy to help and look forward to your
feedback!
Before anything else though, we’d just like to take a moment and thank the people who made
this possible:
Ian Plumb (1965-2014). To say that this game would not have existed without him is not an
exaggeration. Without him, the Grand Heresy Press crew would simply not have met. Without
him, the world is a bleaker place. We’ll always miss you, brother.
Everyone from TROSfans.com — you guys provided us with some of the initial impetus for this
project, and the valuable discussions there undoubtably helped shape the game we are presenting
today.
Sean Cochran, for being a big part of the team in the early days of testing, and for providing
valuable direction when we first got started.
Nathan Frund, for his freely shared archery and black powder experience, for his constant en-
thusiasm and support, and for his consistently useful ability to help us name things when stuck.
Jake Norwood, for being our sounding board, answering countless questions, and most impor-
tantly, writing the original game that served as the inspiration for ‘Bastards. He’s the best kind
of Bastard there is.
Nikolas Lloyd, for creating some fantastic youtube videos that provided inspiration along the
way, and for putting up with our extremely esoteric questions and a nontrivial amount of email.
Roland Warzecha, for his research into swords, bucklers and shields. And also for his down to
earth explanation of Tempo. We’ve tried to incorporate those techniques into our game as faith-
fully as we could, and will definitely keep practicing them in our real-life bouts as well.
Matt Easton, for his ability to make videos with uncanny timing. Whenever we have found
ourselves confused or debating a thing, Easton invariably makes a clarifying video about that
very subject. This is either a massive coincidence, or he has hacked into our computers and per-
sonal chat logs. We kind of suspect the latter.
Fear the Boot podcast, for introducing us to the concepts of group template and the feel
document.
Our girlfriends and spouses, who put up with the silly amount of time we spent fiddling with
this, only occasionally giving us the evil eye for late nights and rambling on about extraordinarily
esoteric historical miscellanea...
And finally, you guys for helping us with the playtesting and feedback. The fans make this
possible.
Now, without further ado...
We few, we happy few, we Band of Bastards...
 01 Beginnings
ofa Bastard
Band of Bastards is a role-playing game inspired by the dark fantasy stories of Joe Abercrombie’s First
Law trilogy and Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher, by the fast-paced swashbuckling of Alexandre Dumas’s
Three Musketeers and the obsessive revenge of The Count of Monte Cristo, by the political intrigues of
George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, and the intimate tragedies at the heart of Hamlet and
Macbeth. This game is our love-letter to the kinds of stories that get our blood pumping and capture
our imaginations.
‘Bastards is a game about passion, violence, and general skullduggery. The players are tasked with
taking on the role of men and women driven by steadfast convictions, ravenous ambitions, and danger-
ous intention. It is a game of personal conflict and political power plays, of subterfuge and sacrifice, of
honest thieving and dishonest flattery, of tragedy and gallows humor, of profane, subtle sorcery and
fast-paced, brutal swordplay.

Why Play ‘Bastards?

Band of Bastards is a game about player-agency and presenting meaningful choices at every
turn. Strategic play and clever decisions trump high scores and big weapons.
Combat is fast, cinematic, and absolutely brutal. There are no “hit points,” and every wound is
recorded in flesh maimed and blood lost. The first solid blow will often decide the fight.
Melee combat is dynamic and emulates the ebb and flow of historical fencing. Weapons and armor
mechanics were carefully designed to make sure each function in the same manner of their real-world
counterparts, all without letting mechanical minutiae bog down the speed of play.
Ranged combat receives the same level of love and care as sword-play, and ‘Bastards facilitates
tactical maneuvering and relative positioning without needing to break out minis and graph paper to
make things strategically interesting.
Players are given mechanical incentives not just to participate in the story, but to take an active role
in driving it forward based on their character’s goals and convictions. When characters are fighting
for what they believe in, they are not only more successful at doing so, but gain additional benefits that
allow them to pull off more dramatic feats as the story goes on.
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Sidebars
This is a sidebar. You’ll
find these throughout the
book. Sometimes they
are designed to provide
additional rules and
clarifications. Other times
they are simply advice
and author-chatter. Take
them for what you will.
We like our sidebars.
8
Book I
Finally, player characters are turned loose fully-powered at character creation, letting
you play the kind of character you want from the beginning without having to “earn” the
right to be competent through play.
We could go on all day, but if any of the above sounds even remotely interesting, give
‘Bastards a shot. You’ll be glad you did.
Toolkit Mentality
Band of Bastards is written with a modular approach in mind. The core rules are all
contained within this book, which will be updated with any changes, fixes, or major addi-
tions that come up as the beta continues. For the duration of the beta, optional rules will
be kept to a separate document that can be used as needed.
Ultimately, this is your game, not ours. What you choose to do with it is more impor-
tant than any suggestions we might make and we’ve designed it that way from the ground
up. The division of the rules above supports a modular approach, and many systems can
be tweaked or replaced entirely without damaging others in the game.
On Setting
Following the above logic, ‘Bastards doesn’t come “boxed” with an expansive pre-written
setting, and this is by design. The game is meant to be setting agnostic, allowing it to be
adapted to whatever setting you want to play with minimal effort. In fact, we encourage
you to develop the setting for your campaign with your players as part of the first session,
and in Book IV we provide a method for doing just that.
This isn’t to say that the game is generic by default. The rules as written imply a number
of things about the nature of the game being played, and paint a portrait of a renais-
sance era culture of feuding nobles, violent warfare, changing technology and shifting
social strata. Once we reach publication, we’ll be providing a micro-setting that builds
on these themes by detailing a self-contained key locale both to get you started and as an
introduction to kind of campaigns and flavor we imagined when the rules were written.
 01 Beginnings of a Bastard

What You Will Need

Like most role-playing games, you’re going to need some stuff to make this work. Chief
among these are:
a nOTE ON
• Several (preferably) live human beings to act as players. THIS BETA
• One live (and generous, kind-hearted) human being to be the Game Master. In an effort to get the
initial beta into your
• 10-20 ten-sided dice, preferably per player. You won’t need to roll 20 dice at
hands as soon as possible,
once, but having extra makes a lot of things easier to keep track of. Small cups certain features have been
or bowls keep them from getting everywhere. cut. Magic, Mass Combat,
• 2 six sided dice per player, of two different colors. We use red and white, but and other sections exist in
the specific color doesn’t matter as long as everyone is using the same two various stages of proper
colors. The Game Master (GM)’s job will be easier if they have several extra completion, but we wanted
sets. to get the core rules into
your hands. As the beta
• And then the usual pencils, character sheets, and maybe a couple ideas for progresses, we’ll post
what you want your next character to be like (just in case). additional rules and
options as we get them fit

On Numbers
for human consumption.
Keep an eye on the
forums, or sign up for our
Despite our best efforts, there is occasionally some math involved in the game. Whenever newsletter to be notified
when the next update hits.
you encounter something less than a whole number, round down to the nearest whole
http://grandheresy.com
number.
Measurements when given are often done in feet and yards. Most of the Grand Heresy
team are Americans. It happens. If you happen to live elsewhere in the world, or just have
a driving hate of imperial measurements, feel free to read “yard” as “meter” and call it
good without further translation. Nothing in our system has such precise tolerances as to
make the difference worth calculating.

9
 02 The Die
is Cast
Why We Roll
Role-playing is an ongoing conversation between the players and the GM. The GM describes what is
going on, and the players describe what their individual characters do and how they react. This back
and forth creates the ongoing story. Dice enter the equation when there is a conflict that needs to be
resolved, and something is at stake.

Conflict
A conflict occurs any time the player wants to change the momentum of the story in progress,
whether that be to make something happen that wasn’t going to happen on its own, or prevent some-
thing from happening that was. Every conflict has two parts: task and intent.
The intent is what the player wants out of the conflict. Gain entry to the castle, get the jewels from the
safe, and stop the flow of blood are all examples of intent. Task is how the character is going to go about
accomplishing their intent. Bribe the guards, pick the lock, and apply a tourniquet are all good examples
of tasks. Task is important, because it determines what (attribute, skill, or proficiency) dice will be
rolled to resolve the conflict.

Stakes
Player characters are assumed to be relatively competent by default. Mundane tasks do not require
a roll. Instead, dice are rolled when the outcome of a conflict is important to the story being told. There
must be something at stake, with something to be gained and something to be lost. A success should
always bring about some tangible benefit, and a failure should always create some kind of complica-
tion. By picking up the dice, you’re putting something on the line and stating that you’re willing to
accept the consequences.
 02 The Die is Cast

Failure
In fiction, characters usually fail despite their skill, rather than due to a lack of it. Their
failures only highlight the magnitude and danger of the opposition they face. Failure
means that they don’t succeed in their intent, but it doesn’t have to mean that they have
botched the task. Bastards don’t lose their grip on a rope, it snaps in mid-swing. They don’t
trip while sneaking past a guard, a creaking board gives them away. They don’t fail to
impress a love interest, the courting is cut short when a rival steals the spotlight.

All Sales are Final

Once the dice give a result, the conflict plays out and the results stand for the rest of
the scene. In practice, this means two things. First, success means that you accomplish
your intent. The GM can’t force you to make multiple rolls in order to increase the chance
of a bad roll. Second, failure is binding. You only get one shot. Players can’t make the
same check repeatedly in order to “fish” for a successful result. No new attempts can
be made until the character improves their circumstances, whether by improving their
skill, acquiring better knowledge, finding better tools, or making the attempt under more
favorable working conditions.

Resort to Violence
When finesse doesn’t work, brute force will often do the trick. When the character fails
a roll, they can always try to accomplish the same intent with a different task, provided
the second attempt is bigger, louder, or meaner than the first. Fail to pick a lock? Kick
down the door. Fail to crack a safe? Blow it up. Where charm sometimes fails, a pistol is
very persuasive.
Needless to say, this approach always raises the stakes at hand, and usually creates
complications of its own in addition to any complications introduced by the previous roll.
Failing to seduce information out of someone may leave you with a bad reputation, but
blackmail will make you an enemy even if you succeed.

Rolling the Dice

‘Bastards uses two kinds of dice, ten-sided (d10) and six-sided (d6). Unless otherwise The 10+ Rule
specified, assume any mention of dice refers to a d10. Any conflict-based roll is resolved No matter how high
with a number of d10 referred to as a pool. The number of dice being rolled depends on the a character’s attribute
attribute, skill, or proficiency being checked. or skills might be, you
don’t roll more than 10
dice for an attribute or
Target Numbers skill check. Any dice
above that become an
The outcome of a roll is based on the number of individual dice within that pool that automatic success.
come up as a success. A successful die is one that’s face value is equal to or greater than a
If your character
given Target Number (TN). If it is less than the target number, it is a failure. would have 12 dice, then
Vaiga has made camp, along with several of her companions. The GM asks her to you roll 10 dice and get
make a perception roll, which is an attribute check using Acumen and Cunning to 2 automatic successes in
form her pool. This gives her 6 dice. Since she is relatively well-rested and uninjured, addition to any rolled.
the roll is made at TN6. She rolls 4, 8, 6, 2, 9, 3, resulting in 3 successes.

11
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Base TN
Even the simplest task is more complicated with an arrow in your gut. The majority of
rolls are compared against the Base TN (BTN). Base TN begins at TN6, but is increased
as the character takes wounds, suffers from fatigue, or other conditions. Specific TN shifts
are discussed in Chapters 09 and 13, but Table 02.01 provides a reference. TNs from wounds
do not stack with one another. The character only suffers the worst TN they have.
Table 02.01: Base TN Examples

Wound TN Description
None TN6 The character is healthy and has not received any injuries.
Level 1 TN6 Glancing blow — Stings when you get it, then you forget it.
Level 2 TN7 Superficial wound — More than a scratch, but you could still win the fight.
Level 3 TN8 Significant wound — Better to flee and fight another day. The wound will heal.
Level 4 TN9 Severe wound — The fight is over. Some of your bits may be missing.
Level 5 TN10 Massive wound — You’re either crippled, or gone back to the mud.

Advantage & Disadvantage

Situational modifiers in ‘Bastards are generally simple, adjusting the Base TN of the
roll at hand. A character can either have an advantage (-1TN) or a disadvantage (+1TN,
to a maximum of 10). For an uninjured character, an advantaged roll would be TN5 and a
disadvantaged roll would be TN7.
Multiple sources of advantage or disadvantage do not stack. You either have one, or you
don’t. If a character has one of each (two of each, etc) then they simply cancel out. If a roll
would have an uneven number of advantages and disadvantages, they receive a single
instance of the net result.
Jaff has once more been apprehended by the local constabulary. Fortunately for
him, he keeps a lockpick on his person for just such occasions. Unfortunately for him,
it’s less of a real lockpick and more of a bit of sturdy wire. He can make a Larceny
check to pick the locks on his shackles, but because it’s an improvised tool he will do
so at a disadvantage. This raises his TN from 6 to 7 for the roll.

Fixed TN
Occasionally, something will be listed as having a Fixed TN (FTN). A Fixed TN cannot
be modified by advantages, disadvantages, or anything that would modify the character’s
Base TN. Unless otherwise specified, you can assume a Fixed TN is 6.

Exploding Dice
Whenever a die in your pool comes up as a natural 10 (often marked as a 0 on the die) it
explodes. Count it as a success and roll that die again. If it succeeds, add that success to
your total. If this results in a 10 again, add it as another success and roll again.
Jaff makes his Larceny check with 8 dice — this isn’t his first time. He rolls 4, 3, 2,
1, 6, 10, 2, 6. Yeesh. 1 success vs TN7. But wait! The 10 explodes. Jaff’s player picks up
the die and rolls it again — another 10! He notes the success and rolls again, getting
a 7, resulting in a total of 3 successes.
12
 02 The Die is Cast

Obstacles
While TN represents what your character brings to the table, obstacles (Obs) represent Choosing Obs
the difficulty of the thing being attempted, both in task and intent. The obstacle of a roll If you ever need an ob-
is the minimum number of successes required to achieve the intent. Table 02.02 lists some stacle, but don’t have the
examples for different situations. chart in front of you, it’s
Table 02.02: Example Obstacles easy enough to guessti-
mate. Obs 1-5 are in the
Ob Description realm of mundane tasks.
Ob1 Trivial — Mostly meant for unskilled characters to succeed in basic tasks. Skilled char- 6-10 are in the realm of
acters don’t roll for these except for under dramatic circumstances — wounded, etc. heroic and superheroic.
For most tests, you can
Ob2 Routine — Keeping one’s footing on a precarious surface; noticing you’ve wandered
just assume the task will
into the bad part of town, etc.
be Ob3 and then raise or
Ob3 Average — Getting a frightened horse team under control; quickly climbing a moder- lower it as needed to suit
ately high fence; busting down a regular door. the situation.
Ob4 Challenging — Calming a frenzied horse; navigating a ship through dangerous reefs
using adequate maps; fishing with bare hands; general surgery.
obstacle vs
Ob5 Hard — Bending soft iron bars or hinges; surgery concerning vital organs of the body; disadvantage
lifting a heavily laden cart off a child; busting down a secure, reinforced door. While both are in some
Ob6 Desperate — Performing surgery on yourself; slipping free of rope bindings. way “how hard is this,”
they measure two dif-
Ob7 Overwhelming — Scaling nearly sheer walls by hand; swimming the English Channel;
ferent things. Obstacles
bending steel bars; ripping apart ones shackles while wearing them.
measure the inherent
Ob8 Insurmountable — Translating an unknown language; discerning the function of an difficulty of the task e.g.
alien mechanism; making a technological breakthrough. how steep / slick / high
Ob9 Futile — Surviving the desert without any supplies; winning a land war in Asia; Eating the wall is.
just one potato chip. Advantage and
disadvantage are about
Ob10 Madness — Seeing Cthulhu devour your neighbours alive and inviting it in for a hot
what the character brings
cup of earl gray; invading Russia in winter.
to the roll — e.g. proper
tools, manipulating their

Margin of Success environment to their

benefit, etc. A complex
Generally, you need to know how successful an action was. The number of successes lock is thus one with
rolled vs the obstacle required determines the Margin of Success (MoS). a high Ob. Not having
a proper lockpick is a
Table 02.03: Generic Margin of Success disadvantage.

MoS Description
-3 Catastrophic — Something goes terribly wrong. The GM introduces a major
complication.
-1, -2 Failure — The character fails at their desired goal and in the process create a mess for
themselves. The GM introduces a minor complication.
0 Mitigated Success — You succeeded in what you were trying to do, but not without
creating issues for yourself in the process. The GM introduces a compromise or minor
complication. In an opposed roll, a result of 0 is a tie.
1-2 Standard Success — You achieve exactly what you wanted to accomplish.
3+ Extraordinary Success — You get what you want and then some. Many rolls (par-
ticularly in combat) provide a specific bonus effect at this level.
5+ Masterful Success — Results nothing short of true art, on the level of Houdini,
Shakespeare, Mozart or Ulfberht. Songs written are destined to become classics and a
weapon forged is worthy of a king.
13
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
If you roll 1 success over the obstacle required (4 successes vs Ob3) then you have MoS1.
If you roll exactly the number required, it’s MoS0. If you roll fewer than the number of
Rolling For successes required, the difference between what was rolled and what was needed becomes
Fluff a Margin of Failure (MoF).
Unless something is Certain rolls have built-in mechanics for interpreting MoS in context. Generic results
on the line, no roll is are given on Table 02.03.
required. Sometimes
though, you just want
to see “how well”
something went, even if
Complications
it isn’t vitally important
Complications are the consequences of a conflict. In ‘Bastards, they come in three fla-
to the story at hand. vors: major, minor, and compromise. Regardless of severity, the complication should be
Fluff rolls can be made
based on the task and intent of the roll. Ideally, it should be a natural consequence of what
any time that an action they were trying to do or how they went about doing it.
would normally not re- Complications are intentionally player-centric. The story focuses on the player charac-
quire a roll, but because ters and their actions, and thus it’s usually not necessary to worry about complications
there is nothing at stake that would affect NPCs. Unless an NPC’s failed roll would create a complication that im-
the roll doesn’t provide mediately benefits the player, the GM should generally ignore it. Under no circumstances
any tangible benefits. should an NPC’s failure create complications that directly hinder the players.
On the other hand, it
shouldn’t produce any Major Complication
complications, either.
A major complication is bad news, often as bad or worse than the original conflict
In our experience, fluff being resolved. Something important is permanently lost, heavily damaged or destroyed
rolls are usually the
(your horse collapses from exhaustion, your ship is heavily damaged, a named and impor-
result of friendly wagers
or competitions between
tant friendly NPC dies); a new conflict is introduced (the guards get the drop on you while
PCs “dueling banjos,” you’re occupied, the rope bridge snaps, the warehouse is set ablaze with you inside); or a
arm-wrestling, or long-reaching threat is created (your attempt to persuade an NPC made an enemy of them,
similar. The ever popular you were positively identified fleeing the scene of a crime).
“how well does my
character sing?” comes Minor Complication
up as well. A minor complication is usually on the scale of a setback. A fairly important piece
If your competition of equipment is damaged, missing, or temporarily removed from the scene (gunpowder is
actually has something damp, your horse is injured); an additional or increased challenge is introduced (the guards
important on the line, have become aware of your presence, the rope bridge begins rocking wildly, something
however, or the charac- is on fire); a minor but long-lasting effect is put into place (damaged relationship with an
ters are willing to injure NPC, you left clues at the scene of the crime).
themselves to beat the
other guy, roll as normal, Compromise
with complications and A compromise is for all intents and purposes exactly what the player wanted and was
all.
trying to achieve — but at a cost. The negotiation might succeed, but at a higher cost than
the player character intended to pay; they may succeed in grabbing hold of the ledge, but
at the cost of losing the grail. Compromises should present the character a choice — are
they willing to pay the price? If the player accepts, then they get what they want but
pay the price. If they refuse, they fail to achieve their intent, but they don’t suffer any
complications either.

Contest
When a conflict occurs between two or more opposed characters or forces, it becomes
a contest. Contests exist in any situation where two characters have opposed intentions,
and thus the success of one side requires the failure of the other. An arm-wrestling contest,
a swimming race, and sneaking past a guard are all contests. Both sides make their rolls as
14
 02 The Die is Cast
normal. The side that rolled the most successes accomplishes their intent, with the differ-
ence between the two rolls forming the winner’s MoS. If the loser was a player character,
or the result is a tie, then complications would be introduced per MoS. Remember that
the roll is about determining who succeeds in their intent. Failing at a swimming contest
means that your character failed to achieve their intention (beat the opponent) not that
they failed at the task itself (swimming).
Competitions
Obstacles in contests Most of the time, a
For simplicity, opposed rolls never make use of an obstacle. If the two participants conflict between two
are against asymmetrical odds (a pursuit on foot over thorns or sharp rocks in which characters is going to be
one character has no shoes), the GM may assign one party or the other a disadvantage. about the capabilities of
If the asymmetry is extreme enough, they may assign a disadvantage to one side and an those characters relative
advantage to the other. to each other. In a foot
Table 02.04:Example Contests race between characters,
Ties we make the assumption
Aggressor Defender that both characters are
In any contest, there is an aggressor
physically capable of
(the person acting or attempting to change Breaking down Reinforcing / holding it
completing the race. The
the status quo) and a defender (the person a door closed
roll is just to resolve who
resisting or attempting to uphold the status Intimidating Standing firm does it faster.
quo). Ties automatically favor the aggressor, Picking a pocket Noticing your pocket is If the task itself is in
but always does so as a mitigated success, being picked doubt (swimming a vast
resulting in a compromise (see previous). If or treacherous stretch
Seducing Resisting temptation
both parties could be considered the aggres- of water) then have the
sor, or it isn’t obvious and the GM can’t de- Sneaking past Standing watch characters roll separate
cide, then the player character is considered Searching for Hiding in place unopposed rolls instead
the aggressor by default. If both sides are of a contest, using an Ob
player characters, flip a coin. based on the difficulty
of the task like a normal
roll. If both characters
Contests and Crowds meet the required Ob,
A lot of contests will be against multiple individuals who aren’t coordinating with each then compare the MoS to
other, such as trying to win over a crowd with an inspiring speech, or sneak a weapon past decide who did it better,
multiple indepedent guards. Rather than making a roll for every member of the crowd, faster, and so on.
or every guard the character will encounter within the castle, use a rough average as the
opposing pool. If every guard has 6 dice for a perception roll, then make a single 6 die roll
rather than one for each guard. If the player character succeeds, the results stand.
For another roll to be made, the circumstances would have to change as for any other
check. In the above example, the guards would not get to make another check unless
the conditions were notably more favorable to them, they acquired new information (for
instance, reason to suspect the player character), or higher-skilled guards were asked to
make the same check.

Working Together
Often as not, characters will want to work together to accomplish their goals. There
are two main ways to do this mechanically, depending on the nature of the task and their
intent.

Taking Point
When multiple characters are working in unison to overcome a single challenge, one
character may take point and lead the group’s efforts. This is usually the character most
15
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
central to the task being attempted (the surgeon in a Medicine roll to sew someone back
up). The character taking point may use their full die pool for the roll, with other charac-
Too many cooks ters involved having the option to help. Helpers may select a single skill that they possess,
There is an upper limit explain how that skill would be used to contribute, and role-play that help if applicable. If
to how many helping the explanation makes sense, and their help is accepted, they may contribute a single die
dice can be gained
to the pool of the character taking point. If the helper has an expertise that directly applies
through taking point.
The GM should use some to the situation at hand, they may increase their help to two dice.
common sense here. It Attributes can also be used to help, but only with other attribute checks. Skills can
makes perfect sense for be used to help with skill or attribute checks, provided they can be justified. An ally
a couple helpers to aid can use their Strength attribute to help on a Feat of Strength roll, but not on a Strength/
in a surgery, acting as Blacksmithing roll. Someone could however use their Engineering skill to help a Feat of
assistants, but you can’t Strength if they could explain how it applied.
round up a dozen people
Once the total dice are pooled, the skill or attribute check is rolled as normal. Taking
to operate on a single
patient. Point is one of the best ways to get extra dice for a particularly tough roll. Players should
Similarly, a second pair
be ready to back each other up as much as possible when the situation calls for it.
of eyes can certainly A tree has fallen across the road, preventing the cart from crossing. Andrev and
add helping dice to a his two companions climb down to clear it from the path. It’s a heavy log, and going
painting (or drafting to be a difficult task. The GM calls it Ob4. Being the strongest, Andrev takes point.
an RPG text!), but there By himself, he has 9 dice for the task. He might be able to make it on his own, but
are diminishing returns better safe than sorry. His two companions move in to help, grabbing on to the log.
after the first couple
Neither of them have any particular skills or expertise that can apply, but since this
helpers.
is an attribute check, they can lend their Strength to his. The player of each helping
Any time you have
character gives Andrev one additional die to roll, bringing his pool to 11. He rolls 5
more than two or three
people helping a thing, successes. Together, they just manage to drag the log out of the road.
the GM should be sure to
ask themselves “would
this actually be helpful?”
Sharing Successes
Any time two or more characters are independently attempting the same task (such as
both characters attempting to climb a cliff face, sneak past a guard, etc.) they may opt to
share successes between them. After the dice are rolled, but before the results take effect
and complications are assigned, a character may choose to give away any number of their
own successes to another character on a 1:1 basis, reducing their own total successes to
increase an ally’s (or multiple allies’). To do this, they must explain how their character
assisted the other in context. Note that this means a character could choose to intention-
ally fail a roll to make another character succeed. Characters can recieve successes from
multiple allies, but you can only ever give away as many successes as you actually rolled.
Jaff and Vaiga are trying to sneak past a guard. Since both characters need to roll
to get past the guard, they are unable to resolve it by taking point. Jaff manages to
roll an impressive 3 successes. Vaiga rolls 2. Unfortunately, the guard rolls 3 as well.
Before the GM can announce the results, Jaff’s player decides he wants to share
successes with Vaiga and gives her 2 of his own. Mechanically, this gives her a total
of 4, and him a total of 1. She will remain unseen, while he has an MoF2, for a minor
complication. In character, they interpret it as follows:
Almost to the door, Vaiga steps on an old board that gives an obnoxious creek. Right
as the guard would have turned in her direction, Jaff whispers “I’ll lead him off,
run!” Jaff shouts a challenge to the guard and takes off, the guard in hot pursuit and
allowing Vaiga to slip inside unnoticed.

16
 03 Anatomy of
a Bastard
Starting from Zero
Character creation in ‘Bastards is meant to be a group process. Before starting a campaign properly,
we recommend spending a session in a process dubbed session zero. It can take a bit of work up front,
but by the end the group has generated not just their own band of bastards, but the setting in which
they will play and have planted the seeds for a story ahead.
The GM has a whole section on guiding a group through session zero, but here we will assume that
they have either established much of the setting already (and disclosed this information to the group) or
you’ve been going through the process and reached the part where you make your own characters.
Creating your first character can be a little overwhelming at first, but with a bit of reading and
experimentation you’ll have it down in no time. It may help to read the relevant sections once through
before you start, just to get a better picture of the process. You’ll never know what may inspire you.

A Band of Bastards
By now, you should have a pretty solid idea of what you’re in for. Up to this step, you’ve established
a rough idea of where and when the campaign takes place, and a pretty good idea of the world around
you. Now comes the most important question: where do your characters fit in?
Establishing a band is essential to the way ‘Bastards is played. We put it in the name. The band forms
the ties that bind the player characters together, and establishes the relationships that will drive the
story forward. It is a rough template that frames the campaign to come. Creating a band puts everyone
at the table on the same page about three important things:
1) Basis — The premise of the campaign. What will the characters be doing?
2) Relations — How do the characters know each other? How are they connected?
3) Action — Why is the story happening Now?
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Basis
What is this campaign about? High-seas piracy? Mercenaries at war? An underworld
crime drama? Courtly intrigue among rival nobles? ‘Bastards requires a significant amount
of player buy-in to keep things moving, so it is important that the players (along with their
GM) collectively find something that everyone can get excited about playing.

Relations
Once the basis is established, you need to work out the relationships between the char-
acters themselves. The band need not be a literal group that all the players are part of,
but it should absolutely include the reasons that the player characters might know each
other, interact with each other, and share similar goals and interests — at least in the
beginning.
A game centered on courtly politics could easily have all of the members of the band
belong to or in the employ of the same noble house, but players need not cleave so tightly
to the concept. Players could just as easily take on the roles of free agents, courtiers, spy-
masters, assassins, and allied or even rival nobles, provided that at the beginning there are
ties established that bind everyone together (and more importantly) give some common
goals and motivations. It is perfectly natural that over time players may drift in opposite
directions, but at least at the beginning of the story everyone should be on the same side.

Action
Finally, ‘Bastards is meant to start with a story in full swing. At the final stage of band
creation, the group needs to decide on the action. What has happened that the story begins
now? What has set things in motion? What events have forced the characters into action?
Some groups will want to be very specific about this (“The King has been murdered!”),
others will be perfectly content with a vague suggestion (“There are rumors of new lands
to the west,”) leaving the GM to introduce things as they happen.

Concept
The real work of making a character takes place at the priority table, but because you
have so many options it’s a good idea to get a good concept in mind before you start. By
now you should have an idea of what kinds of characters are a good fit for the game you’re
going to run, and you might have already begun to narrow your choices down during the
relations phase of band creation. The following sections will give you some further ideas to
consider and some general advice on getting the character you want out of our system.

Archetypes
Most characters can at some level be painted with a broad archetype. Charming rogue,
cunning spymaster, wise old wizard, savvy street-urchin, these are all well-worn and
worthy archetypes to pick as a starting place for your character. Don’t worry if it begins
as a cliché. As any writer will tell you, literally anything that could be written has been
written somewhere by someone. Instead, use it as a starting place and build up your char-
acter through the details you add to them. A lot of archetypes are going to be obvious
and widely applicable (like those above) but we’ve thrown in some more ‘Bastard-flavored
examples:

18
Agitator: demagogue and political agi-
tant for hire, generally used in politi-
cal games to drum up support among
the underclass.
Beggar-knight: the flower of chivalry
fallen on hard times, possessed of little
more than a noble surname and well-
worn steel.
Bravo: a professional duelist, fighting
for honor, reputation, fun, and profit.
Cut-purse: any number of thieves, pick-
pockets, and back-alleymen whose
main profession is parting honest men
from their coins.
Dove: daylight spies and information
brokers, with ears and eyes always
open for a price. “A little bird told me.”
Godsman/Godsmaid: a man or woman
who has removed themselves from the
normal social order and expectations,
taking on vows in service of their
faith, usually as a formal member of
a church or religious order instead of
marriage.
Guild-rat: derogatory term for mem-
bers of a fencing guild. In theory, a
fencing guild is nothing more than an
academy for swordsmanship. In prac-
tice, they tend to be havens for thugs
and muscle-for-hire.
Free Agent: infiltrators, assassins and
saboteurs, usually available to the
highest bidder.
Livery Boy: livery and maintenance
men, sworn soldiers in a noble’s private
army, wearing the colors of a noble
house in order to borrow prestige and
influence in its name.
Mystagogue: esotericists, ecstatics, and
enlightened ones professing mystical
or spiritual knowledge. They are often
themselves rogue or heretical mem-
bers of an organized faith, or found-
ing small cults of their own. Others
eschew religious trappings entirely
and take on a sorcerous aspect.
Philosophist: scholars, natural philos-
ophers, scholars and academics, they
are the quintessential renaissance Making
men using their learning to earn them Statements
patronage as orators, educators, inven- As you make your
tors, and historians to rich patrons. character, you’ve got one
Sawbones: barber-surgeons and apoth- crucial thing to keep
ecaries, skilled in surgery, dentistry, in mind: every choice
makes a statement.
and a close shave.
There is a quote that is
Sell-sword: blade-slinging soldiers for widely attributed to Fred
hire, often organizing themselves into Hicks “a character sheet
free companies for gold and glory. is a love-letter to the GM.”
Mountebank: con men and snake-oil By choosing this skill or
that Story Aspect, you
salesmen, specializing in all manner
are directly telling your
of confidence schemes and general
GM the kinds of conflicts
flimflammery. you want to be involved
Named Man: men and women pos- in.
sessing such a gift for violence and a If you make a character
reputation for ruthlessness that their who is a combat monster,
very name elicits fear among the com- you’re asking for combat.
mon folk and respect from the violent If you make a character
who is religiously
and depraved.
devout, you’re asking for
Jackal: peasant-levies spent too long that faith to be tested.
at campaign, fighting for one lord or A character defined by
another so long that they’ve little left their principles will be
in them but the fight, often taking to placed in situations to
banditry when their services are for- challenge them.
gotten or dismissed. This is the stuff of good
drama. The things you
Petty Noble: one of the many noble pick are what you will
houses struggling to maintain their play.
name, wealth, and status in the face
of changing war and shifting politics.
Worm Eater: a dabbler in black arts
who consults with the dead. So named
for the belief that they take on aspects
of the dead themselves, or as a hint
towards the reputed nefarious nature
of their rituals.
The Band Itself
How does your character fit into the basis
of the story as established in band creation?
Broad strokes were applied before, but now
it’s time to sit down and work out some
details. Spitball back and forth with the
other players and GM. The more you’ve tied
yourself into the group and overall story,
the better your experience will be.
19
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Priorities,
assumed to own at the beginning of the
game. Income describes the amount of
money per season that character will earn

Priorities
Once you’ve got a rough concept in mind,
under normal circumstances.
Alternatively, players can cash out,
forgoing both trappings and income in ex-
change for an amount of money that can be
it’s time to get building. In Band of Bastards, spent however they please. This works well
characters are defined by rough categories to represent either characters who are either
of information called priorities. By default, from wealthy families without being in
there are five priority columns: social class, charge of said family’s assets, or characters
attributes, skills, proficiencies, and edges who have spent their life-savings financing
& flaws. Each column is available in 5 tiers, a less settled life. This is a very common op-
I hate Math
with higher tiers providing the greatest tion for soldiers, swordsmen, and others who
If you don’t want to
keep track of how many
benefit (the thing is more important to my for obvious reasons aren’t tied to a specific
points each tier is worth, character) and lower tiers providing the location. Note that characters who take this
the default chart has you least (the thing is less important.) option will have to find some other way to
covered. PCs are created with 15 points to spend earn their living, unless they have an edge
If you pick one of each across these five categories, purchasing one like Patron.
tier (one 5, one 4, one selection from each category (no more, no
3, one 2, and one 1), it less). The cost of each selection is equal to Greater Noble
works out to 15 points the tier it resides in and confers the listed Greater nobility describes the landed class
and in the process en- benefit. Thus, purchasing tier 4 in edges & who are at the top of the social pyramid.
sure your character will
flaws costs 4 of the 15 available points, and The equivalent of barons for much of his-
have definite strengths
and weaknesses to play
grants the character 2 major edges, and one tory, they hold titles, possess land, and have
with. minor flaw. the right of law in their domain, hearing out
cases and collecting taxes. The wealthiest
and most prestigious of this class hold coun-
Social Class ties of their own, or have other barons that
pay homage to them. They are traditionally
Social class represents both the char-
acter’s station in society, as well as their addressed as Lord or Lady.
material wealth. Beyond that, the choice of Trappings: An ancestral holding, com-
social class may be one of the most defining prising of a sizeable amount of land sup-
aspects of the character, as it will largely ported by and sustaining some 400 families;
determine their lifestyle, standard of living, a fortified keep or small castle, with 50
and in what social circles they travel. men-at-arms garrisoned as household guard
Trappings refer to the things they are as well as all of the amenities to support it;
Table 02.03: Priority Table
Tier Social Class Attributes Skills Proficiencies Edges & Flaws
5 Greater Noble 20 4@4, 20 (Max 11) 3x Major Edge
5@3 (31)
4 Lesser Noble 17 1@4 14 (Max 9) 2x Major Edge,
7@3 (25) Minor Flaw
3 High Freeman 15 4@3 10 (Max 7) 2x Minor Edge,
4@2 (20) Minor Flaw
2 Low Freeman 13 8@2 6 Minor Edge,
(16) 2x Minor Flaw
1 Serf or Slave 10 5@2 0 Minor Edge,
(10) 2x Major Flaw
20
expensive wardrobe and personal jewelry; several employees; a fine wardrobe; and
several horses; one set of personal armor personal weapons of no more than 8sk total S=ECOND sON
worthy of a Baron (copper trimmed or Income: 3 marks per season in revenues (Playing below
etched highlights), any number of personal Cash Out: 24 marks class)
weapons, and several sets of lesser arms and
The social classes
armor. Low Freeman
listed assume that you
Income: 6 score per season in rents and Low freemen are the economically less are either the head of
taxes. fortunate equivalent of high freemen. a family, or the sole
Cash Out: Lords cannot cash out; their Though theoretically born free and inden- member thereof. One
social status is tied to having the land. tured to no one, they are almost always in way or another, you are
someone else’s employ. They may well be in control of the wealth
Lesser Noble Tradespeople looking to establish their own and property. This isn’t
Lesser nobles, or gentry, are noble by birth name and business, or merchants looking for as important for the
lower tiers, but can be
but possessed of meager holdings, usually their big break, but are most often soldiers,
extremely important for
granted to their family by a more powerful mercenaries, sailors, tenant farmers, or even the nobility.
or prominent house in exchange for he- just hired labor.
Sometimes you want
reditary service. Gentry usually supplement Trappings: Rented cottage in the country, to play a character who
their income as courtiers, sworn-knights, or small rented apartment in the city and shares the important
freelances and soldiers. They are normally common amenities; a wardrobe of common family name (the “second
addressed as Sir or Lady. clothing; dagger. son” or close relative)
Trappings: A small but fortified manor Income: 12 skillings per season paid but isn’t in charge. This
home or tower, serviced and supported by is usually the case when
wages.
a dozen families working on its lands and multiple players want to
Cash Out: 96 skillings be part of the same noble
furnished with common amenities; a per-
family.
sonal garrison of a dozen or so men-at-arms; Serf or Slave
To do this, roll your
two suits of expensive court clothing, and Serfs and slaves are technically two dif- character up as one
a wardrobe of fine clothing and jewelry; ferent classes of people, but they generally social class lower than
several horses; one suit of (polished) per- occupy the same position in society. Serfs the one you want to
sonal armor of any kind, and any number of are peasant farmers, bound to the land. play. You retain all of
personal weapons. While they have limited rights, they are the social privileges of
Income: 12 marks per season in rents effectively owned by the noble whose land the higher class, but to
and wages. they work. They generally cannot own represent your charac-
weapons (though daggers, staves, and bows ter’s personal wealth,
Cash Out: 96 marks you recieve the cash
are still common), and in times of need, they
out value of the prior-
High Freeman will be called upon to serve as conscripts in ity below your chosen
The high class of the low-born, high free- their lord’s army. priority.
men are the wealthy merchants, clerks, and Serfs who wish to abandon their heredi- To play the second
well-to-do Tradespeople. They are nearly tary duty (cash out) must gain their lord’s son (or daughter!) of the
always well-educated in their Trade, and permission to do so. Those who manage this gentry (tier 4), you’d
many have general education rivaling or task generally leave with little more than pick tier 3 as your social
surpassing that of the nobility. Most high the clothes on their back. Those who leave status, but recieve the
freemen will own some kind of business, without permission, are equally destitute cash out value of a low
though those that take to a wandering life but may find a price on their head as well. freeman (tier 2). In game,
often become captains among soldiery and however, you’d still be of
Trappings: Rented hovel or apartment, noble birth with all that
sea, or educated clergy. poorly furnished; up to two pairs of poor implies.
Trappings: A small manor home in the clothing; dagger or makeshift weapon.
country, or a modest home in the city with Income: 2 skillings per season allowed
all common amenities and a servant or two for their maintenance.
to help tend it; a place of business that is
Cash Out: 8 skillings, OR 16 skillings if
the character’s primary source of wealth
the character left without permission.
(a brewery, workshop, smithy) along with
21
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Attributes
Attributes represent the characters innate
physical and mental capabilities, each rang-
ing from 1-5 dots, with 2-3 being average.
Attributes can be very important, as they
affect virtually every roll your character
will make. The eight attributes in Band of
Bastards are: Strength, Agility, Stamina,
Speed, Acumen, Cunning, Willpower and
Social. The precise meaning and use of each
is explained in Chapter 04.
Picking a high attributes priority can
easily create a “jack of all trades” style char-
acter, as it creates a good basis upon which
to build up any other skill or proficiency.
Spending Attributes
Players start with one dot for free in
each attribute, with an additional number
of points to spend based on the priority tier
chosen. These points increase the attributes
at a rate of 1 point 1 dot, with the fifth dot
costing 2 points.
If your character took a tier 5 priority in
attributes, then they recieve an additional
dot to place in the sixth or grey dot position
on their character sheet for a single attribute
of their choosing. This is both a permanent
increase and allows the character to have
a total of up to six dots in that attribute at
character creation or thereafter. The grey dot
is not counted against the character’s total
when calculating cost to raise the attribute
through SAs later (see Chapter 07).
Skills
Skills represent the character’s acquired
abilities, training, and talent. Like attribues,
these each rate from 1-5 dots, with 3 being
competent and 4 considered of “profes-
sional” level. Through skills, we learn where
the character’s abilities lie. Most skills are
very broad in application (Horsemanship,
Stealth), but there are also more limited
skills such as Language, which must be taken
separately for each specific application. See
Chapter 04 for details.
Picking a high skill priority can be im-
portant for many character types, allowing
22
them to specialize in whatever field is most
important to them.
Spending Skills
For convenience, skills are granted in
packets. “4@3” is taken to mean “four skills
at three dots each.” If you want more flex-
ibility, you can take a number of individual
points to distribute equal to the number in
parenthesis and purchase skills individually.
If purchased individually, each dot costs 1
point, with the 5th dot costing 2 points.
If your character took a tier 5 priority
in skills, then they get an additional dot to
place in the sixth or grey dot position on
their character sheet for a single skill of
their choosing. This is both a permanent
increase and allows the character to have a
total of up to six dots in that skill at charac-
ter creation or thereafter. The grey dot is not
counted against the character’s total when
calculating cost to raise the skill through
SAs later (see Chapter 07).
Each character also receives three skill
expertises free at character creation, regard-
less of priority, and a single 3-dot Trade skill
of their choosing. This Trade skill can be
raised by spending points as normal.
Finally, characters nominate a back-
ground, summarizing the region of their
upbringing, as explained in Chapter 04.
Proficiencies
Proficiencies represent the depth and
breadth of a character’s martial training.
Broadly, they break into two categories —
melee and ranged.
Within each category are multiple profi-
ciencies that relate to one another. Training
in one melee proficiency gains you some
understanding of all the other melee profi-
ciencies. This is referred to as defaulting, and
grants a character a number of bonus dice
to untrained proficiencies equal to half the
rank of their highest related proficiency. A
character with a 6 in polearms can use any
other melee proficiency as though it were
rank 3. The same is true from one ranged
proficiency to another (Bows 6 translates
into Firearms 3), but never from a ranged
proficiency to a melee proficiency or vice
versa.
Spending Proficiencies
First, decide if your character is going
to have ranged proficiencies, melee pro-
ficiencies, or both. Then buy their highest
proficiency of that type first, whichever
one you think most strongly fits your char-
acter concept. This first proficiency will
cost a number of points equal to its rank
(Longsword 6 costs 6 points). Note that your
proficiency at character creation is capped
by your priority level. At tier 3, the highest
any proficiency can rank is 7.
Each additional proficiency the player
acquires of the same category benefits from
defaulting. It costs 1 point to raise it from its
default value and add it to the sheet. A char-
acter with Longsword 6 thus has a default of
3 when using any other melee proficiency
untrained. If they wanted to buy the Mass
Weapon proficiency, they would pay 1 point
to learn it and it would have a starting rank
of 4 (3+1). These proficiencies can be raised
for 1 point per rank, but can’t be brought
higher than the first proficiency purchased
of the type at character creation.
If the character has both ranged and melee
proficiencies, repeat this process separately
for each.
Edges & Flaws
The edges & flaws priority represent
traits that do not easily fall into the catego-
ries presented above, such as the character
having a Claim to noble title, or being an
Amputee. Edges offer further strengths and
definition to a character, and allow them to
have benefits that fall outside of the other
areas of priority. Flaws add additional twists
and insights into the character, as well as a
reward mechanism for playing up a charac-
ter’s weaknesses. For a full list of edges and
flaws, see Chapter 06.
Picking Edges & Flaws
You’ve got a little wiggle room in how you
pick your edges & flaws. At the player’s op-
tion, you have the following choices:
• One major edge (or flaw) can be
traded for two minor edges (or
flaws)
• Two minor edges (or flaws) can
be traded for one major edge (or
flaw)
• Only one such shift may take
place. Two major edges can’t be
traded for four minor edges.
Edges and flaws do not cancel each other
out. A player can’t ditch one edge and flaw
of equal worth to take nothing instead.
Likewise, they can’t “buy” additional edges
by taking on additional flaws. A player can
however take on additional flaws if they
want and their GM approves.
Story
Aspects
You now have a decent idea of who your
character is and what they can do, but what
makes them tick? Story Aspects (SAs)
are where the interesting stuff happens.
Through the SAs you set the stage for every-
thing to come and tell your GM (and fellow
players) what kind of game you’re interested
in exploring.
Chapter 07 goes into a lot of detail ex-
plaining the specifics of Story Aspects, and
it’s well worth taking a minute to go through
it and familiarize yourself with them. They
are the core of what drives the game.
Your character begins play with 5 points
to spread between up to 5 SAs, in any man-
ner they please. This includes starting an SA
with zero dots in it. You don’t need to pick
all 5 SAs at once, and in some cases it’s best
to leave one or two slots blank for things
that develop.
Writing SAs
One of the best practices a group can
adopt is to make sure that each player has
SAs which overlap and relate to the other
player characters. The more closely you tie
together the characters’ motivations and
23
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
interests, the more smoothly the game runs
for everyone.
At character creation, the players should
all share at least one SA, some common goal
or interest to unite them and set things in
motion. They need not all have it written
identically, but they should all want the
same thing — at least at first. As time goes
on, player character interests will naturally
evolve on their own as the story unfolds.
Another useful approach is to make one
or more of the character’s SAs about another
player character in the group, naturally
linking the two and directly drawing those
characters into other SAs each character
may have.
Finally, try to have at least one SA that is
a conviction of some moral or philosophical
standpoint that the character would stand
by. Some of the most mechanically reward-
ing SAs are simple statements of conscience
or faith that can be tested again and again.
Create
Supporting
Cast
If any of the edges or flaws you took
talk about NPCs (Contact, Retainer, Enemy,
etc) then you’ll want to define those now.
Chapter 08 goes into the rules and specifics
of player-created NPCs, both those pur-
chased and those the character has access
to for free.
Outside of edges and flaws, take some
time with your group to flesh out any other
major relationships your character might
have. Are they married? Do they have a
family? Who do they answer to? Does any-
one work for them? These are all relatively
simple questions, but they can be worth a
few moments to think through.
24
Buying
Stuff
If your character cashed out, then they
have a fair amount of money to go spend.
The funds listed there represent whatever
they managed to scrape together in their
lives, so they own nothing but what you
purchase. Chapters 15 and 16 have prices
and rules listed for anything you might
want to buy.
If your character kept their trappings,
then they have whatever is listed under their
social class by default (as well as anything
that could reasonably be assumed, such as
food for their larders, etc). They also begin
with a starting wealth equal to a season’s
pay.
Details
You’re almost done, but as you know the
devil’s in the details.
Name
What’s in a name? A lot, if fiction serves
as our reference. A name is in many cases
our first introduction to the character and
what they are like. Connor brings to
mind a far different personality type than
Archibald; Lucy draws to mind a different
sort of character than Ursula. Names also
say a lot about the culture the character is
from. In a game with multiple competing
cultures, naming your character Vigbjord
will associate your character with a differ-
ent group than Jacques.
Surnames can say as much or more
about a character than their given name.
For nobles, the surname is often related to
the place their family controls (Umberto
de Savoy), or the name of their noble house
(Carolingus, Plantagenet). Other cultures
base names off of the mother or father’s
name (Sturisson, Hansdottir) or a com-
mon ancestor (Ó Brádaigh). After the 11th
century, the lower-classes began adopting
surnames and bynames of their own. Some
of these were topographical, based on the
place your character (or their family) was
from (Easton, Molyneux). Others were based
on occupation (Smith, Cartright).
Some of the most flavorful are even de-
scriptive of the character themselves. Names
like Little or Longfellow referred to height
and size. Names like Blackbeard, and Reed
(evolving from “red”) referred to complexion
or hair color. Stern and Stoutheart were
common references to temperament. Scarlet
seems to have come from Scathelocke — lit-
erally lock-smasher, or lock-harmer.
Surnames are much more fluid in earlier
times than they are now. The son of William
Smith might have gone by Benjamin Smith
early in life, but an unfortunately early bald-
ness and onion-shaped head might earn him
the name Ben Onion, or Benjamin Balding.
On the other hand, if he became known for
his pride and vanity, others might come
to call him Benjamin Peacock. If instead
of smithing with his father, he’d somehow
been taken on by a knight and pressed
into service he might come to be known as
Benjamin Page.
Description
A good description paints a picture for
everyone at the table. Spend a bit of time
picturing your character in your head — not
just their physical appearance, but the im-
pression they might leave. Height, weight,
and hair/eye color are an okay place to
begin, but unless they are uncommon or
extreme traits in some way they don’t tell us
much about the character. Instead, highlight
what stands out about the character. What
is someone seeing them for the first time
going to notice?
Write a single good sentence giving the
first impression of your character. Make
it as evocative as possible, while trying to
avoid cop-outs like discussing their equip-
ment, clothing, or profession. We’ve written
out some samples to get you started:
A wild, unkempt woman with steel in
her eyes and fire in her hair.
A weathered hodgepodge of dreadlocks
and kohl, with gold teeth and a braided
goatee.
A gaunt and wiry man with pale hair
and a brooding gaze.
A leathery, stern-looking man with long
dark hair and a salt-and-pepper beard.
A mountain of a man with fists like
hammers and a chest like an ale barrel.
A proud lioness of a woman with golden
braids and an athletic frame.
Occupation
Your character does something to pay
their bills, whether you’re a noble or a scul-
lery maid. Write it here.
Parent’s’ Names & Occupations
Who were your parents? What did they
do? What does that say about your upbring-
ing? Are you in the family business? If not,
what made you leave?
Example
Character
Creation
After some discussion with his group,
Henri decides to roll up a big bruiser of a
foreign mercenary by the name of Andrev.
Glancing at the chart, Henri quickly
decides that he wants a character with
definitive strengths and weaknesses. He
also hates math, so he decides to go with
the 54321 method. Arranging the character
from what he feels is most important about
the character to least important, he assigns
the priorities as follows:
5) Attributes, 4) Proficiencies, 3) Social
Class, 2) Skills, 1) Edges & Flaws.
Attributes
Imagining Andrev, Henri pictured a man
built like a refrigerator. Maybe not all that
tall, but having a chest like a whiskey barrel
and tree trunks for legs. He picks tier 5 for
attributes, and has 20 points to spend. Tier 5
25
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
gives him a free grey dot to allocate in at-
tribues, and he puts it in Strength. He then
spends 3 more points raising his strength,
which gives him a total of 5 dots (1 free, 3
raised, and the 1 grey dot). He then puts 2
points in Agility, 5 in Stamina (3 to raise it
to 4 dots, and then 2 more to raise it to 5), 2
in Speed, 2 in Acumen, 2 in Cunning, 2 in
Willpower, and 2 in Social. After a moment,
he decides that Andrev is looking pretty flat
and boring. He drops a point from Speed
and puts it into Social instead.
He winds up with the following: Strength
5, Agility 3, Stamina 5, Speed 2, Acumen 3,
Cunning 3, Willpower 3, Social 4. He’s a wall
of meat, and maybe not as quick as he could
be, but he seems like a nice guy, right?
Proficiency
The next most important thing is pro-
ficiency. Andrev makes his living with a
weapon, so he should probably be pretty
good with them. He puts proficiencies at
tier 4, giving him 14 points to spend and a
maximum of 9 he can place in any single
proficiency.
Andrev seems like the kind of guy who
would swing a great big hammer, so he
immediately puts 9 points into the Mass
Weapons proficiency. Since that will be his
highest proficiency, it means that any other
melee proficiency will default to 4. Being a
battlefield-oriented character, he probably
should know his way around a polearm as
well. For 1 point of his remaining 5, he buys
Polearms at rank 5 (4 by default, +1 point
invested). He spends another 1 point and
increases this to 6. With 3 points remain-
ing, he purchases Brawling (Wrestling),
Daggers, and Sword & Shield each at rank
5.
His final sheet will read: Mass Weapons 9,
Polearms 6, Brawling (Wrestling) 5, Daggers 5,
Sword & Shield 5.
Social Class
Andrev clearly isn’t nobility, but Henri
imagines that a beefy, relatively well-trained
mercenary has had a fairly lucrative career.
With his level of proficiency, he’s probably
something of a veteran. He selects tier 3 as
26
his social class and takes the cash out value.
He’ll have 24 marks to spend on equipment
later.
Skills
Andrev has done pretty well for himself
as a mercenary, but that life is about all he’s
known. Henri chooses to put a tier 2 pick
in skills and goes with the packets, 8@2.
He selects the 8 skills he thinks are most
appropriate for his character and winds up
with Athletics, Command, Horsemanship,
Manipulation, Steel, Survival, Teamster and
Warfare.
He has three free expertises to spend,
so he chooses to apply them to Command
(Military), Manipulation (Intimidate), and
Steel (Battle). He takes his free Trade as
Mercenary, at 3 dots.
Andrev was foreign born, so Henri
decides that he is probably from the bad
part of some town. He picks the suitably
Slavic-sounding name of Kursow as a place
of origin and pencils in “Slums of Kursow”
in the background field.
Edges & Flaws
Henri placed edges & flaws as the char-
acter’s lowest priority, but not because it’s
necessarily the least important part of
the character, or because the category is a
“dump stat.” Instead, he chose it because he
imagines Andrev to be a character who’s
been around a while and probably seen
some things that may not have left him for
the better. Flaws are a lot of fun to play out,
and he made sure Andrev had plenty. At
tier 1, Andrev gets one minor edge, and two
major flaws.
After looking through the edges, Henri
settles on Polyglot for Andrev. Because of
the low skill priority, there wasn’t a lot of
room to take additional languages. Having
a minor in Polyglot gives him 6 extra points
to spend on language skills. After finding
out the available languages from his GM,
Henri pencils in High Hesten with 4 dots,
and Eastern Sallmic at 2 dots.
For his first flaw, Andrev goes for Greedy
at the major level. A Greedy mercenary
seems like a good direction, and probably
explains a good deal about why the character maybe she’ll return his affections. Because
isn’t a soldier with a more settled lifestyle. he made it an SA, the GM will have all kinds
Henri takes advantage of the rules allow- of fun giving Andrev a chance to bring that
ing him to change a major edge or flaw for about.
two minors, and decides to grab Honorable
as a minor flaw. Reading the description, it Buying Stuff
cements the character in his mind. On top Andrev chose to cash out, so he has 24
of that, he can already tell the combina- marks to spend. Henri imagines him to be
tion of Greedy and Honorable are bound something like a landsknecht, so he grabs
conflict and get the character in trouble. For two pair of fine clothing (12 skillings total).
his remaining minor flaw, Henri chooses He grabs a warhammer for 6 skillings, a
Disfigured, imagining a particularly nasty dagger for 2 skillings, and 7 skillings for a
slashing scar that stretches from Andrev’s rotella-style shield.
cheek, across the bridge of his nose and Knowing how expensive armor is, he
along the opposing temple, a souvenir from weighs his options carefully. A good helm
a battle in his younger days. and core protection are his first priority, but
he also doesn’t want to get too bogged down
Story Aspects in armor penalties. He picks up pikeman’s
The campaign proposed was based armor for 6mk and a morion-style open helm
around rebellion and a brewing civil war. for 2mk, all at munitions quality. Gauntlets
The players decided their band would be are the next biggest thing, and expensive
loyalists working for the crown, and this at that — another 3mk. From there, it’s just
suited Henri fine. Since this is the core fo- finding what he can afford without slow-
cus of the campaign, everyone writes an SA ing himself down too much. He picks up
on the topic. Henri personalizes Andrev’s. a bishop’s mantle to protect his throat and
For this particular mercenary, it’s not about shoulders for 15sk. A 7sk gambeson gives
the crown, it’s about the coin. He makes him some armor for his exposed arms — and
Andrev’s first SA an ambition, and writes it a little armor if for some reason he might
in-character. “I will make my fortune fighting not have time to put on the breast-and-back
for the crown.” Figuring this will probably plate of his munitions armor. After adding
come up sooner than later, he drops 3 points in a solid pair riding boots for 3sk, he figures
into it off the bat. he’s got reasonable protection.
To round out the character, he decides Finally, he wants a horse and buys a
to go for one of each SA type, choosing a Rouncy for good all-around utility and price
passion (“Lilli’s going to marry me. She just (2mk). He’s left with 8 marks, 7 skillings — a
doesn’t know it yet.”) and a conviction (“I’m a fairly reasonable savings for a mercenary
soldier, not a butcher. I won’t kill an unarmed career.
man”). Henri drops 1 point into each of
these, and leaves his other two slots open Details
for things that may develop once the cam- Henri started with the name Andrev in
paign takes off. mind, so working out a name was pretty
easy. He’s not as sure about a surname, but
Supporting Cast his father was a blacksmith so he adopts it
Andrev’s a foreigner, so he doesn’t know Kowal (Polish for blacksmith) as a family
a lot of people when the campaign starts. He name. Andrev Kowal it is.
doesn’t have any edges or flaws that would His description is next, and Henri gives
provide him with any NPCs off the bat, some thought to it. The two things that stand
but through his SAs he already introduced out about Andrev in Henri’s mind are that
one character — Lilli. He talks it over with he’s big and ugly, but he seems like he’d be
the GM, and they decide that she’s a native friendly. After kicking around some ideas,
girl that works at a local tavern. Andrev’s he settles on:
gone sweet on her and he hopes that just
27
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
A massive, gnarled oak of a man, with a kindly face ruined by battle scars.
Occupation proved easy enough — Mercenary. Parent’s occupations were a bit harder.
He decides his father’s name was Jerzy, and he was a blacksmith. His mother was a mid-
wife once, housewife later. Her name was Alina.
And with that, he’s ready to play.

28
 04 Attributes
& Skills
Attri butes
In Band of Bastards, much of a character’s abilities are defined by two sets of traits: attributes and
skills. Attributes represent the various areas in which a character may have raw aptitude. These are
divided into eight rough categories, four physical and four mental: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Speed,
Acumen, Cunning, Willpower, and Social. A character’s capacity in each of these attributes is repre-
sented by the number of dots they have in that category, normally rated between 1 and 5. Attributes
with scores of 0 cannot be rolled, regardless of how high the associated skill might be. Attributes of
2-3 are considered human average, with most people having 3s in the things they actively do (a clerk’s
Acumen), and 2s in the areas that are not of immediate concern to them (that same clerk’s Stamina or
Strength). A character can only have a 6th dot in an attribute if they took attributes as a tier 5 pick at
character creation, and even then they may only choose one attribute in which to place a sixth dot.

Table 04.01: Attributes

Dots Attribute
0 Nonexistent — The quality is entirely lacking, such as the Cunning score of a coma patient, or the
Strength score of someone with full body paralysis. The character is either dead or unplayable.
1 Poor — Cunning of young children or the mentally challenged, Strength of the small and frail.
2 Average — Physical scores of your average clerk or other sedentary occupation. Average mental
scores for someone whose profession doesn’t require advanced training or education.
3 Good — A sharp mind, or the physical scores of someone who is considered “fit.” Body of someone
used to labor or soldiering.
4 Impressive — Champion athletes or brilliant scholars. Upper level of what is possible for normal
human development.
5 Awe-Inspiring — Pinnacle of human achievement, the type that exists once in a generation. Hawk-
ing, Conan.
6+ Superhuman! — Beyond the normal human range, attainable only by specific abnormality. Savants,
Einstein, Andre the Giant.
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Strength and
confliCt
Reminder - Weight
Threshold is not meant
to be an encumberance
mechanic. It’s only
relevant when there’s a
conflict at hand.
Worn equipment
generally does not count
towards weight, though
this could be a consid-
eration if a character is
already carrying a huge
weight before the roll is
called for (in a pack, etc).
30
Strength (St) Table 04.02: Weight Threshold
Strength represents a character’s over- St Dots Weight Threshold
all physical power and muscle mass. It 1 5 stone (70lbs)
plays a part in many physical skill checks
2 10 stone (140lbs)
as well as determining damage dealt in
melee combat. 3 15 stone (210lbs)
A character’s Strength determines 4 20 stone (280lbs)
their weight threshold, which is used to 5 25 stone (350lbs)
determine Obs when making a Feat of
Strength (see following) to lift or carry 6 30 stone (420lbs)
something of significant weight. See
Table 4.02. Table 04.03: Lifting Obs
When a character is trying to lift some- Weight Drag Off the Chest &
thing beneath their weight threshold, Threshold Ground Above
they are assumed to automatically suc-
1x* No Roll Ob3 Ob5
ceed. When they are attempting to lift
something equal to or greater than their 2x* Ob3 Ob5 Ob7
weight threshold, then Table 4.03 deter- 3x* Ob5 Ob7 Ob9
mines the obstacle.
*A convenient handle or leveraging device
The setup works in whole multiples. If
reduces category by 1.
something is 1.5x the weight threshold, it
is still using the 1x numbers.
Jaff has 3 dots in Strength, giving him a weight threshold of 15 stone. Jaff can thus
lift up to 14 stone in whatever way without making a check. At 15-29 stone, Jaff can
drag the weight without a roll, but lifting it off the ground is an Ob3 test and to chest
height is an Ob5 test. At 30 stone, he’s reached the 2x his weight threshold, at which
point dragging the weight is an Ob3, lifting it off the ground is Ob5, and lifting it to
chest height or higher is Ob7.
Items that provide convenient handles, or are being lifted with devices that take advan-
tage of leverage count one multiplier less. Lifting 30 stone may be 2x normally, but a 30
stone barbell has a convenient handle that makes it act as though it were 1x. A 1x weight
with a convenient handle or leveraging device is considered less than the weight threshold
and can be automatically lifted.
Agility (Ag)
Agility is a measure of a character’s nimbleness, balance, and hand-eye coordination.
It is a frequent component in physical skill checks that require any kind of precision and
plays a significant role in calculating a character’s combat prowess.
Stamina (Sm)
Stamina represents the general health and physical ruggedness of the character’s phy-
sique. Stamina governs everything from the ability to resist damage or toxins, to the ca-
pacity for healing, recovering from illness, and length at which a character may undertake
strenuous activity before experiencing adverse effects.
Speed (Sp)
Speed represents the character’s ability to project fast-twitch muscle force and how
quickly their body responds to and can carry out commands. It is a significant part of
movement and reaction time, and plays into combat as well.
Book 1 04 Attributes & Skills

Acumen (Ac) Improving

Attributes
Acumen represents a character’s intelligence, reasoning and the ability to learn. Acumen
In most role-playing
is useful for any character type, but it is of particular importance for those who rely on games, there is a clear
knowledge-based or scholarly skills. expectation that play-
ers should give their
Cunning (Cu) character’s the highest
attributes they can, and
Cunning represents a character’s quick thinking and mental resourcefulness. It governs to continue to raise them
awareness, intuition, and speed of thought. Cunning plays a part in many skill checks, but thereafter. While Band
is also of particular importance in calculating Perception rolls and the character’s combat of Bastards can be played
ability. that way, we suggest
that the players should
instead consider how
Willpower (Wp) they actually picture
Willpower represents a character’s mental fortitude and self-discipline. It plays a key their character. Are
role in many resistance or discipline based checks, as well as some skill rolls. they a hulking brute, or
an agile swordsman? If
more the latter than the
Social (Sc) former, throwing 5 dots
The Social attribute covers a number of related but often hard to define elements. It is into Strength probably
an overall representation of a character’s charisma, bearing, personal appeal and social isn’t necessary. With
intelligence. The Social attribute is invaluable for skill checks to influence, lead, bargain or the way combat works,
manipulate. As well, a character’s interactions with others in the world may be influenced you can do just as much
by their Social attribute, just as people tend to form opinions and biases quickly in the real damage with clever
world. application of skill as
through raw muscle.
Character creation

Rolling Attributes gives you the chance to

choose how important
When attributes are checked, they are almost never rolled alone. Instead, attribute attributes are to you up
checks are made by pairing the two most relevant attributes together. The sum of these front, making it easier
two attributes is the attribute pool, and represents the number of dice rolled for the and cheaper to pick
check. An attribute can never be paired with itself. Common examples are as follows: them up there than
to try to raise them
Feat of Strength (Strength/Stamina): Using brawn to manipulate or damage heavy later through character
or resilient objects. advancement. We wrote
• Ob1: breaking non-reinforced chest (drop it on the corner) the game in such a way
that you wouldn’t have
• Ob3: busting down a normal/interior door, reinforced chest to constantly push to
• Ob5: busting down a heavy/thick wooden door; bending small or soft hinges/ improve your character’s
bars stats. Don’t sweat it.
• Ob7: busting down a fortified, metal-reinforced door; bending hardened or
thick bars/hinges, pulling apart one’s own shackles while wearing them Jargon
If you’re wondering
• Ob9: shifting/pulling down a weight-bearing pillar within a building or how to pronounce the
structure dice pools, just treat
Balance (Agility/Cunning): Maintaining one’s balance or footing in a precarious “/” as “slash”. So, “Roll
situation. Strength/Stamina vs
Ob3” becomes “Roll
• Ob1: leather shoes vs mud Strength slash Stamina
• Ob3: narrow ledge; walking across ice versus ohb three” when
you say it out loud.
• Ob5: slick tightrope; walking across wet ice

31
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Health (Stamina/Willpower): Shaking off the effects of poison, disease, or other
physical influence, as well as wound recovery.
• Ob1: resisting flu in soppy weather
• Ob3: healing progress towards a level 3 wound
• Ob5: healing progress towards a level 5 wound
Knockdown (Strength/Agility): Keeping one’s footing when something would push
or pull a person to the ground.
• Ob1: resisting a stiff breeze on a moderate incline
• Ob3: not dropping an item after a moderate arm injury
• Ob5: staying upright after a leg breaking blow
Knockout (Strength/Willpower): Remaining conscious, whether from injury or
intoxicant.
• Ob1: moderate drinking
• Ob3: heavy drinking; shrugging off a serious blow to the head
• Ob5: getting blind drunk; staying conscious after a skull fracturing injury
Memory (Acumen/Willpower): Committing something to memory or recalling
details.
• Ob1: remembering coworker’s name
• Ob3: recalling details about an unmemorable event
• Ob5: recalling ridiculously obscure details about something you hardly
noticed
Reflexes (Speed/Cunning): Reacting in time to a sudden surprise. Reaching for a
object before it hits the ground. Getting out of the way of a trap.
• Ob1: catching a fainting lady who is faking it
• Ob3: safely catching a delicate item
• Ob5: dodging something that blind-sided you after merely hearing it
Perception (Acumen/Cunning): Noticing something in time to react.
• Ob1: noticing obvious stuff around you while distracted
• Ob3: noticing something weird or out of place
• Ob5: spotting an obscured object from a great distance

Passive Perception
Sometimes a character is off their game — guards fall asleep on duty all the time, and
pickpocket victims are often distracted, which makes thieving easier. Band of Bastards
models this with passive perception. When the character is distracted, they lose the
Acumen part of their perception pool and must roll Cunning alone. For the sake of clarity,
a character can remain on “full alert” for a number of hours equal to their Willpower.
Characters who have a relevant skill (such as Guard or Soldier as Trade skills) may roll
Cunning/Relevant skill instead, and never use passive perception unless they are actively
distracted or fall asleep. See Skills in Attribute Checks, below.

32
Book 1 04 Attributes & Skills

Skills
Skills are various specific areas in which the character may have recieved formal train-
ing or simply learned on their own. These skills rank between 0-5 dots normally, with 3
considered competent and 4 being what most professionals of any skill or vocation will
possess. As with attributes, in order to get a sixth dot in a given skill, you must have both
taken skills as a tier 5 priority at character creation and nominated a specific skill to be
the one in which your character has exceptional ability.

Table 04.04: Skills

Dots Attribute
0 Untrained — You have no idea what you’re doing. Good luck.
1 Novice — Basic familiarity, but no practical experience. An enthusiast.
2 Apprentice — Beginnings of an education in a given craft. You know more than your
average layperson, but are not yet competent.
3 Journeyman — Competent bordering on professional. You understand what to do, but
lack the hands-on experience and tricks of the trade.
4 Master — Professional in your own right. People would pay you to do this. Most people
never get past this level.
5 Grandmaster — The highest dedication to craft. The upper echelons of human achieve-
ment in a skill.
6+ Savant — The kind of skill that comes once a generation.

Skill Pools
Each skill is designed to cover a broad area of information and applies in different ways.
The skill pool functions in a similar way to the attribute pool, by pairing a skill with
the attribute most relevant to the given task to calculate the number of dice to be rolled.
Nearly all skills can be paired with multiple attributes depending on context. Hunting or
tracking may be a function of Cunning/Survival, while foraging for food may be Acumen/
Survival, and moving through dense woodlands may be either Agility or Stamina-based,
depending on the circumstances.

Expertise
Most skills are very broad in scope, but characters can add focus and specialization to
these skills by taking an expertise, representing advanced knowledge in a specific area of
a skill. Taking an expertise confers a +1 die bonus when dealing with situations related to
that specialization. A character with Legerdemain (Pickpocket) receives a bonus whenever
they are picking pockets or noticing a pickpocketing attempt. A single skill can have
multiple expertise, provided each expertise covers a different specialization.

Associated Skills
Sometimes a thing you plan to do could be influenced by multiple skills, such as Stealth
on a Survival roll for hunting, or a Lore skill being pulled into an Oration attempt on the
subject. This is covered by associated skills. A character may add a single die to their
pool for any skill in which they have 3+ ranks directly applicable to the roll at hand. If
33
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
they have a relevant expertise to the thing specific expertise to attempt certain tasks.
at hand, this may increase to 2 dice. The
player must explain (and when appropriate,
Example
backgrounds
role-play) the skill’s inclusion into the roll.
The GM has veto power over any applica-
Background
In addition to the skills a character
• Beggar’s Hollow tion that is obviously stretching credibility. gains at character creation, each character
• The Court of King possesses an additional body of knowl-
Ulric Skills in Attribute Checks edge referred to as their background.
• Rural Peasant Sometimes when an attribute check This background represents their regional
• Son of the is called for, a given skill might be more and cultural influences growing up and is
Hestenheim Noble beneficial to the character than their raw worded at character creation. Whenever a
Court attributes. If a player has a relevant skill character might know something but either
• Lower Rungs of to the task at hand, they may substitute lacks dots in that skill or no specific skill
Parisian High Society the lesser of their two attributes for their exists, they may make a background check.
• Bad side of Kin skill score. For instance, a character with A background check essentially acts as a
Tartur a high Larceny skill searching for signs of stand-in skill that is worth two dots and can
• Nomad of the forced entry (Normally a Cunning/Acumen be used whenever it is relevant to the task
Southern Wastes check) could instead choose to make this at hand.
a Cunning/Larceny or Acumen/Larceny A good background is both general
• Velomite Temple
Orphan check. enough to imply different skills while tied
• Humble Fishing Note this benefit only goes one way. Skills to a specific place. If you find it hard to come
Village can replace an attribute, but an attribute can up with, say “I grew up in a...” or “I grew up
never replace a skill. as a...” and then try to capture the essence
• Son of a Gun of the place in two to four words.
• Campaign Trail
Tramp Proficiency as Skill
• The Flaming Hearts
Brothel
Sometimes a character’s training at arms
can come up outside of combat. When such
Tools
You don’t truly appreciate the value of a
• Daughter of the Hill a situation comes up, handle it like a normal
tool until you need one and don’t have it.
Tribe Chief skill roll, using half their proficiency rank
We play pretty fast and loose with tools in
(see Chapter 05) in place of a skill. Someone
• Monastery of ‘Bastards. The rule of thumb is that any
St. Norma the with 10 ranks in Sword & Buckler would
given situation either needs a tool, or it
Transcendant make a roll as though they had five dots in
doesn’t:
Sword & Buckler as a skill. Characters us-
• Raised by Wolves If it needs a tool...
ing proficiencies as a skill are not bound by
the 6 dot rule for those skills. Rank 12 in • And you have it, good on you.
a proficiency will translate to 6 dots when No mechanical effect.
used as a skill no matter what priorities • And you don’t have it or it’s an
were chosen at character creation. improvised tool, you’re at a dis-
advantage, if it can be attempted
Untrained at all.
Whenever a character needs to use a • And you’ve got high a quality
skill they don’t have, they can attempt an tool or resource (say, a work-
untrained skill check. The character shop instead of just a hammer)
makes the check using the single most rel- you get an advantage.
evant attribute (as per normal), but without If it doesn’t need a tool...
the added benefit of any additional skill or
• And you have one, you get an
attribute. If a character would normally roll
advantage!
Social/Command and they lack the skill,
they will just roll Social alone. Some skills • And you don’t have one, you
such as Medicine and Language require didn’t need one.
34
Book 1 04 Attributes & Skills
Use common sense. If you want to pick obscure information in the field
a lock, you’re going to need a lockpick. You
can’t perform surgery at all without tools,
but a knife and a stout axe can do in a pinch
(and at a disadvantage). You can climb a
Skills, Listed
The following is the default skill list
steep mountainside without tools, but hav- for Band of Bastards. Not every skill is
ing some rope and crampons will make appropriate for every setting. Exceptions
your life much easier. or changes are discussed during session Complete
zero. Whenever a skill name has the word Skill List
Using Skills (Specific) appended, it requires further A complete list of stan-
specification. When recording, replace the dard skills is provided
Every skill is different in its specifics, name of the skill entirely with the name of here for your reference.
and most offer unique utilities of their own. the specification. Trade (Blacksmith) should • Athletics
However, there is a lot of overlap in how just be “Blacksmith.”
• Command
the different skills operate. In addition to Each skill description begins with a list
whatever functions and Obs are listed with of potential areas of expertise that could ap- • Culture (Specific)
the individual skills, there are three com- ply, but if the player has something else in • Education
mon ways skills can be employed. We refer mind, the GM should be open to it as long as
• Engineering
to these as Umbrella Obs, as most skills can it fits the game being run. Each section ends
fall underneath the difficulties provided in with suggested obstacles to give you some • Horsemanship
one circumstance or another. ideas on the task. These are here for refer- • Intrigue
ence, but don’t feel like you need to crack • Impersonation
Opposed
open the book and look them up in-game. • Language
Whenever the success of the skill requires (Specific)
overcoming the resistance of a target, it is an Athletics
• Larceny
opposed roll. This is mostly notable because Potential Expertise: Climbing, Jumping,
there are no Obs to worry about — you’re Running, or Swimming. • Legerdemain
competing directly with the target. Athletics covers a wide range of physical • Lore (Specific)
Crafting Obs tasks. Stamina may be called for to repre- • Manipulation
sent sustained effort over time (running a • Medicine
Making something is usually the pur-
marathon). Agility represents tasks where • Oration
view of various Trade skills, and their uses
nimbleness or timing is the primary fac-
can vary wildly. As a rough guide though: • Perform
tor. Strength is somewhat less common,
• Ob1: crude project with little to no but could represent tasks that primarily • Politics
moving parts leverage muscle (climbing a rope with only • Stealth
• Ob3: an involved project with mul- your arms). Any raw physical tests should • Steel
tiple forces at play use the Feat of Strength (Strength/Stamina) • Streetwise
pool instead.
• Ob5: an extremely complex project • Survival
relying on clockwork precision Suggested Obs:
• Teamster
• Ob1: climbing a low branching tree;
Knowledge Obs • Trade (Specific)
staying afloat
Knowledge Obs all boil down to knowing • Warfare
• Ob3: quickly climbing a moder-
something.
ately high fence; swimming across a
• Ob1: trivial, surface level information quickly-flowing river
obvious to anyone in the field
• Ob5: scaling a vertical rock wall;
• Ob3: professional knowledge that is open-ocean swimming
well-known to experts in the field,
but beyond the grasp of laymen
• Ob5: extraordinary detail about
minutiae; esoteric or extremely
35
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Command
Potential Expertise: Management,
Obedience, Motivate, or by arena of influence
(Politics, Military, Labor, Trade).
Command is the skill of motivating,
coordinating, and inspiring a group of
people towards a common goal. It governs
the ability to inspire men and the knowl-
edge of how to manage a group of people
to work smoothly and effectively, as well
as asserting authority and issuing effective
commands.
Command is usually paired with Social,
but Acumen and Cunning can be used as
well. Most Command checks are opposed
by nature, often against a crowd.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: integrating a couple of new
members into the crew
• Ob3: inspiring crew to perform at full
effectiveness under time constraints
• Ob5: coordinating crew in a lethally
hazardous situation
Culture (Specific)
Potential Expertise: Etiquette and
Customs, Geography, Folklore, and History.
The Culture skill covers the knowledge
of customs, lore, and general information
about a region or group of people other
than your own. In essence, it functions as
a secondary Background skill that may be
advanced as normal.
The culture skill is generally used with
Acumen or Cunning to remember or figure
something out about the culture in ques-
tion. Social/Culture checks may also be
used when determining etiquette or “fitting
in” with the group to which the Culture
applies. Culture checks are almost always
against some form of knowledge Ob.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: basics of local etiquette
• Ob3: knowing the common insults;
not sticking out as a tourist
• Ob5: impressing locals with your
insight (or insults!); passing for a
native
36
Education
Potential Expertise: Any Specific topic of
study, including those listed below.
Education represents the character’s higher
learning, generally through self-study or formal
tutoring/schooling. This is classically the Artes
Liberales, consisting of grammar, logic, rhetoric,
arithmetic, geometry, music (theory, rather than
performance, which is covered by Perform), and
astronomy/astrology. In game terms, this repre-
sents the book learning of a given character and
may cover certain kinds of knowledge rolls.
Acumen represents the use of intelligence
and reasoning through education to arrive at a
result (for instance, solving a complex geometry
problem). Cunning is particularly important in
studies that reward experimentation or theoriz-
ing. Social can represent scholarly discourse or
tutoring a student.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: fluent reading; basic logistic mathe-
matical calculations (addition, subtraction,
multiplication)
• Ob3: guesstimating the source of a quote;
knowing an author that advocates a
completely different approach; complex
logistic mathematical operations (algebra,
geometry)
• Ob5: citing an obscure passage by a
well-known author by heart; theoretical
or arithmetic mathematical operations
(number theory, complex physics, higher
mathematics)
Engineering
Potential Expertise: Artillery, Fortifications,
Crazy Contraptions.
Engineering represents the character’s apti-
tude for conjuring up the principles for devices
that are sometimes heretical, other times insane
and often extremely useful.
Engineering represents the character’s ap-
titude for both mechanical principles and the
physics that empower them. It encompasses
everything from understanding obscure physi-
cal theories that help in aiming artillery pieces,
to practical expertise on how to build bridges
and roofs that won’t collapse under their own
weight.
Book 1
Acumen and Cunning are the two attri-
butes most commonly used in Engineering.
Acumen is most associated with recalling
known solutions to a given engineering
problem. Cunning is used for improvised or
temporary solutions, or when creating en-
tirely new solutions. Social can also be used
to represent scholarly discourse or tutoring
a student. Most applications of Engineering
are by nature crafting or knowledge Obs.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: calculating the distance of a
stronghold by other landmarks
• Ob3: calibrating an artillery battery
to hit the targeted wall; designing
basic load-bearing structures —
bridges, simple fortifications
• Ob5: complex fortifications or load
bearing structures; simple clockwork
mechanisms
Horsemanship
Potential Expertise: Breeding, Training,
Riding.
The character’s basic knowledge of horses
and horseback riding, as well as their ability
to stay in the saddle or handle the animal.
Acumen or Cunning may be called upon
when the character needs information
about a horse or breed. Willpower is used in
the breaking of horses. Social may be used
to calm or steady the animal.
When actually riding the animal, skill
rolls use the horse’s physical attributes,
rather than that of the rider (see Bestiary)
Otherwise, the skill is generally used as
either a knowledge Ob about horses and
horsemanship, or an opposed roll against
the horse itself.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: retaining control while passing
a thicket
• Ob3: jumping over a cart or a hedge
• Ob5: jumping over 6 feet high or 21
feet long
04 Attributes & Skills
Intrigue
Potential Expertise: Type of informa-
tion sought (Gossip, Scandal, Political) or by
type of informant (Courtiers, Servant Girls,
Guardsmen).
Intrigue is the skill at prying gossip, Horsemanship?
scandal, and sensitive information from What about
courtiers, servants, and other ears in the other animals?
wall among the upper classes, as well as In a society where
spreading it discretely among the same. horses are ubiquitously
Intrigue has three primary uses. It can be used for transportation
used as a social skill in direct opposition to and beasts of burden,
a target’s Cunning/Willpower, leading them it makes perfect sense
to spill juicy information they know they to have horsemanship
as a stand-alone skill to
shouldn’t. This works like the Manipulate
cover riding and general
skill, but only works if the target is unaware
knowledge or familiarity
that you’re plying them for information with them.
AND the target doesn’t have a personal and If you want your
vested interest in the information remain- character to be similarly
ing secret. familiar with, say, the
Intrigue can also be used as a means handling, breeding, and
to spread information, discretely setting training of dogs, make it
the rumor-mill turning with the MoS of a Trade skill.
the more successful you are in convincing • Falconer
people the veracity of the rumor and the • Stableman
harder it is to trace it back to its source. • Shepherd
Finally, Intrigue is one of the skills used
• Swineherd
when making connections rolls (see Chapter
• Goatherd
08) to introduce NPCs.
• Bear trainer
Suggested Obs:
• Snake wrangler
• Ob1: identifying the power-players at
court; uncovering the latest common • Rat Catcher
gossip • Kennel master
• Ob3: finding or planting a believable • Fowler
rumor on a chosen subject; uncover-
ing an important someone’s hidden
indiscretions
• Ob5: recalling gossip of someone’s
shadowy dealings or peculiar fancies;
spreading an outlandish rumor about
someone important without it being
traced back to you; uncovering secrets
someone is actively trying to suppress
Impersonation
Potential Expertise: Type of person
(Noble, Priest, Cutpurse) or type of personality
(Loud, Angry, Dumb).
Impersonation is the ability to convinc-
ingly pose as someone you are not, complete
37
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
with the proper mannerisms and forms. The
skill can also be used to avoid sticking out
in a crowd.
Impersonation is used in direct opposi-
tion to a target’s Cunning/Acumen to get
past guard posts or order someone around.
As such, it functions in a manner similar
to Manipulation provided that the target
does not recognize the character from
somewhere else, and the target doesn’t have
a personal and vested interest in keeping
the post guarded. If either of these condi-
tions are untrue, you must use Manipulate
instead.
Impersonation is usually a Social roll, but
avoiding attention in a crowd uses Cunning
instead. If a character attempts to take on
a personality that would have knowledge
they don’t posses (Medicine for a doctor)
they roll as disadvantaged.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: adopting the regional accent
• Ob3: disguising one’s facial features
within the same gender and ethnicity
so as to be unrecognizable; imitating
the jargon or customs of a specific
class or profession among people who
do not belong to it
• Ob5: creating a passable disguise
while literally on the run; passing
oneself off as a different gender or
ethnicity; imitating the jargon or
customs of a specific class or profes-
sion among members of that class or
profession
Language (Specific)
Potential Expertise: Regional dialects or
ancient forms of a specific language.
Characters are assumed to be fluent
in their native tongues by default. The
Language skill covers the learning of a
specific secondary or foreign tongue, with
the number of dots representing the level of
fluency (Table 04.05).
An Acumen/Language roll is only called
for when a character attempts to communi-
cate (or understand) a message beyond their
level of fluency. When the intended com-
munication is only a single level above their
38 fluency, the test is at Ob3. When 2 or more
Table 04.05: Language
Dots Attribute
0 Body language and gestures.
1 Basic communication. “Want food.”
2 Simple reasoning with grammar or
syntax mistakes. “I need borrow horse
to king reach.”
3 Complex reasoning, common vernac-
ular. “While flooding the river would
cut away our retreat, getting flanked
would be worse.”
4 Command of more obscure vocabu-
lary and precise grammar rules. “It’s
to whom, not who.”
5 Complete language mastery. “I
am disinclined to acquiesce to your
request.”
levels above fluency, it jumps to Ob5.
Andrev finds himself sharing
a fire with a traveling Vilomite
Mother Superior and several monks
serving as her bodyguards on the
road. As one of the faithful, he is
happy enough to share what provi-
sions he can and makes due with
some small talk. As he turns in for
the night though, he hears them
whispering in Sallmic — the church
tongue.
He’d been taught a little of it as a
youth, but never had the patience
for it. With 2 dots, he has just
enough fluency that he could make
himself understood, but the monks
are discussing things in their own
vernacular, littered with jargon
either particular to the church or
their region. The GM decides that
this is just above his fluency, and
thus an Ob3 check to keep up with
the jist of what’s being said.
Even when no rolls are needed, the player
should stick to their limitations while con-
versing in a foreign tongue. For instance,
actively making grammatical errors when
they have two dots, or just communicating
in word pairs when they possess but a single
dot.
Literacy is handled as a separate issue,
Book 1 04 Attributes & Skills
determined during Session Zero. Either all lock without an obvious keyhole
characters are literate by default (in which
case the Illiterate Flaw becomes available), Legerdemain
Concealed
or they are illiterate by default (in which Potential Expertise: Pick-pocket, Cut- Weapons
case the Literate Edge becomes available). purse, Escape, Palming/ Sleight of hand,
Concealing weapons
In either case, a literate character is as- Concealment. is a function of the
sumed to be able to read and write in any Legerdemain is a broad skill involving Legerdemain skill.
language they speak. all manner of nimble-fingered tasks and In practice, this is an
Suggested Obs: tricks, including picking pockets, palming opposed roll between
objects, concealing small weapons, or other the character’s skill and
• Ob1: recognizing the language being the observer’s percep-
feats of prestidigitation. If the appropriate
spoken tion. The size and type
expertise is taken, Legerdemain can also
• Ob3: communicating a single level of weapon can confer
be used to make escape artist attempts to
beyond fluency either an advantage or
work oneself free of ropes or bindings (but disadvantage on the
• Ob5: communicating 2 or more levels not picking locks). Palming can be used to character’s Legerdemain
beyond fluency. grab small items without anyone noticing. roll.
Concealment is the art of making things • Hand-length
Larceny appear or disappear from view, as in stage or knife-length
Potential Expertise: Lockpicking, magic. weapons designed to
Burglary, Security Devices. Legerdemain is nearly always a function be hidden confer an
Larceny covers burglary, breaking and of Agility, but under the right circumstances, advantage.
entering, picking locks, as well as the Acumen or Cunning may be used as well. • Most Knife-length
recognizing and disarming of mechanical Suggested Obs: weapons will have
traps or other security devices. Larceny no modifier.
• Ob1: impressing children; basic
also includes the ability to effectively case • Short-length
palming and sleight of hand for one
a location, such as sizing up a building’s weapons, or
subject
security, guard movements, and identifying medium-length
entry points. • Ob3: palming large objects in front of weapons hidden
Many Larceny checks can be resolved a crowd; replacing a small statue on a beneath a large,
with a single check to establish the success pressure sensitive plate with an object billowing cloak are
or failure of a specific burglary, rolling the of roughly equal weight without disadvantaged.
activating the boulder trap If a weapon simply
details into one roll. When desired, the
cannot be seen from the
checks can be broken down by objectives • Ob5: dumbfounding a stage magician outside (a razorblade
and may well then include other skills as or other trained audience in the lining of a belt,
well (Stealth to creep through a courtyard, a knife deep inside
Athletics to get over a wall, etc). Larceny Lore (Specific)
of a boot or strapped
then becomes primarily the skill at observ- Potential Expertise: Specific subsets in a across one’s back while
ing, planning, and dealing with security given field of knowledge. wearing a cloak) no roll
measures. Lore exhaustively covers knowledge on is required unless they
a single subject. In most cases, a character are searched by a person
Larceny is most frequently made with the
does not actually need to invest in the Lore actively looking for
Acumen, Cunning, or Agility attributes.
hidden things.
Suggested Obs: skill. Most information a character will
acquire is already covered by the Education
• Ob1: spotting the signs of a guard dog skill (natural philosophy, basic mathematics,
on the premises a basic grasp of their region’s history), their
• Ob3: picking a decent lock; disarming Trade skill (Priest as a Trade readily supplies
a tripwire without setting it off; all of the church-doctrine related lore you
working out a predictable guard could ask for), or even their Background.
rotation However, sometimes you want your char-
• Ob5: disarming a complex acter to know something that doesn’t fit
mechanical trap; cracking a complex easily into any other category. In that case,
39
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
you can take the Lore skill and designate may include surgical arts, knowledge of
it towards your area of interest. Examples anatomy, and other practices such as leech-
You’re a Liar
include: Peasant Folklore, Ancient History ing, or balancing the four humors. The exact
And a Thief of the Akkadian Region, Rituals of the Lost nature of medicine in a given culture is not
Manipulation and Tribes. necessarily important to the application of
Oration both require
Lore almost always uses the Acumen or the skill, but the GM may establish some
the target to buy into
what you are selling, or Cunning, though Social will cover discourse limits on what can be accomplished based
at least be open to the on the subject. Most applications make use on the campaign setting and technology.
possibility of what you of umbrella Obs. Cunning/Medicine is used for most
are selling. knowledge-checks, such as the diagnosing
If an NPC has a Manipulation of an illness or identification of a medicine.
reason to believe you Potential Expertise: Intimidation, Graft, Acumen/Medicine is used for discerning the
are completely full of it Seduction, Persuasion, Interrogation. proper course of treatments, researching of
(for instance, you have Manipulation covers all attempts at ma- medicine, or general medical knowledge.
a reputation as a liar) or nipulating another person to reveal a piece Agility/Medicine is needed for performing
the specific tactic you
of information or act in a certain manner. any kind of surgical procedure.
use is incompatible with
Intimidation, persuasion, seduction, brib- Less scrupulous characters with the
the target (you use a lie
they know is false, you ery, and interrogation are all functions of medicine skill can also use it in a way
try to seduce someone the Manipulate skill. similar to Manipulate, by means of torture.
who doesnt find your Note that the Manipulation skill cannot In this case, the rolling is not to see how
gender attractive), the simply make someone agree with you. The effective the torture is, but to ensure they
GM should feel free to role-playing accompanying the check must don’t accidentally kill their subject.
place you at a disadvan- provide context to the action, and a valid Suggested Obs:
tage, or even rule that it reason as to why the target should do as
just can’t be done. • Ob1: noticing the very first signs of a
you say. “I demand to see the King” is not a
If a player character is patient getting worse
valid manipulation attempt. “Are you going
the target of an Oration • Ob3: prescribing the right mix of
to explain to the King why news of his godson’s
or Manipulation attempt, herbs
they have options. If accident failed to reach him?” is.
they have an SA, edge or Manipulate is almost always a roll in • Ob5: surgery concerning vital organs
flaw that directly relates direct opposition, usually resisted by the of the body
to the tactic being used target’s Cunning/Willpower or Willpower/
(trying to convince an Manipulate. In some cases, it may even be a Oration
Honorable PC to lie), function of Willpower/Steel. Potential Expertise: Speeches, Debates,
they may freely choose Logic, Demagoguery, or by area of influence
to listen and roll, or
Most applications of Manipulation are
dependent on the Social attribute, though (Court, Politics, Religion, Philosophy).
refuse. If they do not
under certain occasions Cunning or even The skill covering the art of rhetoric and
have an applicable SA,
edge, or flaw, they may Strength/Manipulate are appropriate. oratory, debate, the composition of argu-
still freely choose to Manipulate is almost always used as an ments, writing of speeches, and the ability
listen and roll, but must opposed check. The GM should feel free to to project one’s voice above a crowd and
burn an SA to refuse give an advantage for exceptionally clever speak with emphatic effect. In some ways,
without a roll.
or well role-played manipulation attempts. Oration straddles a middle ground between
If a roll is made, the Manipulation and Command, but each has
results are binding. Medicine a separate purpose. Manipulation is focused
The player is, of course, Potential Expertise: First Aid, Herbs, on the direct and personal communication
free to escalate to more between two individuals. While Command
Surgery, Dentistry, Diagnostics, Poisons,
drastic measures... can inspire groups of men towards acts
Torture.
Medicine is the art of healing in what- of bravery, it is also very heavily oriented
ever culture the character may be from. In towards understanding dynamics of a given
most, this will include some knowledge of group and how to most efficiently utilize the
herbs, as well as basic first aid, bone-setting, individuals under your command.
and so on. In more advanced cultures, this Oration is not necessarily the art of
40
convincing your opponent of the validity of
your argument, but at capturing the atten-
tion of and swaying to your position those
who are audience to the debate being held.
Oration is also the direct art of changing
the hearts and minds of those with whom
you speak. While Manipulate generally
implies someone do a thing for you for one
reason or another, Oration can bring about
the genuine change of heart that can only
happen when the party in question has
come to believe with absolute certainty that
what you are saying is objectively correct,
righteous, and just — even if it isn’t.
In practice, Oration is almost always used
either as an opposed check or a knowledge
Ob.
Perform (Specific)
Potential Expertise: Subsets within the
individual skill chosen. Acting might have
Drama, Comedy, or Tragedy as an expertise.
String Instruments could choose an individual
instrument (Lute, Harp, Violin). Singers tend
to take expertise in particular styles of songs
or moods of music song (Heroic Ballads, Love
Songs, Tragic Tales, etc).
Perform encompasses all of the skill and
technique one needs for a specific kind of
performance art, such as Singing, Stringed
Instruments, Acrobatics, and so forth. The
skill may be taken multiple times, taking a
different art each time.
The skill covers the actual performance,
as well as any tertiary tasks that someone
practicing the art would be familiar with (a
singer knowing a number of common songs,
a musician knowing a great deal about his
instruments). The skill does not cover the
additional knowledge one might need to
perform professionally, such as finding
paying patrons, negotiating fees, and other
“business side” functions. For that, one
should acquire the appropriate Trade skill.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: simple tunes, such as those used
to teach a student
• Ob3: tunes of moderate complexity,
the least which you would expect to
hear from a paid performance
• Ob5: complex arrangements and
difficult pieces, befitting the classical
composers
Politics
Potential Expertise: Heraldry, Etiquette,
Analysis, and Diplomacy.
Politics covers both the knowledge of her-
aldry and protocol, to the ability to discern
key political players, weigh alliances, and
untangle political webs while protecting or
favoring one’s own station.
Politics is usually rolled with Cunning,
Acumen, or Social depending on the exact
nature of the roll.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: knowing the banners of higher
nobility
• Ob3: basic familiarity with the
holdings of great houses
• Ob5: knowing the name of someone’s
obscure relative or infant grandchild In Plain Sight
At first blush, both
Stealth Impersonation and
Potential Expertise: Urban, Wilderness, Stealth seem to apply to
Blending In, Indoors, and Camouflage. “blending into crowds.”
Stealth is the art of concealment, and In reality, the model two
moving without being seen. It covers all different circumstances.
manner of shadow skulking and soundless Impersonation is
footsteps, as well as the ability to blend useful when you simply
need to appear like you
into your surroundings or lose oneself in a
belong somewhere that
crowd.
you do not. If you want
Most applications of Stealth are opposed to avoid looking to the
rolls working off of the Cunning or Agility guards like you are
attributes. However with the proper exper- obviously from out of
tise the character can also roll Acumen/ town, Impersonation can
Stealth to make an effective camouflage let you blend in with the
and gain an advantage on stealth rolls in a locals.
specific environment. Stealth is literally about
hiding in plain sight in
Steel this case, using a crowd
Potential Expertise: Battle, Horror, of people to block line
of sight and lose your
Gore, Physical Resistance, Mental Resolve,
attacker, disappearing
Temptation, and Deadpan.
into the crowds.
Steel is a broad skill that covers a charac-
ter’s discipline, physical and mental resolve,
resistance to temptation, and ability to keep
calm under pressure in the face of gore,
violence or fear. Steel is the skill frequently
used to resist manipulation attempts,
41
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
including interrogation and torture, as
well as keeping one’s own expression from
betraying something they’d rather not have
known. The skill can also be used to resist
gag reflex.
Steel is almost always a function of
Willpower or Stamina, though for certain
situations Social may be used as well.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: drawing your own blood
• Ob3: ignore guts and gore or vile
corpse stench
• Ob5: storm deep into a building that’s
fully ablaze
Streetwise
Potential Expertise: Type of information
being sought: Smuggling/Illicit Goods, Muscle
for Hire
Streetwise represents the character’s
resourcefulness in dealing with gathering
and disseminating information from lower-
class or illicit sources, as well as acting as a
general kind of “criminal lore” catch-all.
Streetwise can be rolled as an Acumen/
Streetwise ability for information the char-
acter might have. Social/Streetwise can be
used to spread information, and Cunning/
Streetwise can be used to track down the
source of information. Finally, Streetwise
can be used to as an associated skill in con-
nections rolls to find illicit contacts.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: knowing the names of famous
thugs and robber-barons
• Ob3: putting a name and a face
together; finding common illicit
goods
• Ob5: recalling rumors of someone’s
obscure and shadowy dealings
Survival
Potential Expertise: By region (The
Wolfswood, The Shire), or by function
(Hunting, Fishing, Tracking, Herbs, Navigation/
Trailblazing, Foraging, etc).
Survival is the quintessential outdoors
skill, covering everything from overland
navigation and trailblazing, to knowledge
42
of plants within a given region, how to
find food and water, hunting and fishing,
creating shelter and other necessary skills
for surviving in a wilderness environment.
Survival also governs overland and move-
ment through broken or wilderness terrain.
Nearly any attribute can be used with
Survival, depending on the occasion.
Agility or Stamina may come into play for
movement. Acumen can come into play to
identify plants or find the location of par-
ticular plants. Cunning may come into play
for hunting and tracking.
Suggested Obs:
• Ob1: discerning deadly from edible
• Ob3: sleep comfortably in the rain;
make good headway through a
thicket
• Ob5: following a blood trail by the
torchlight
Teamster
Potential Expertise: Construction/
Repair, Chariots, Carriages, Carts/Wagons,
Distance Travel.
The Teamster skill represents experience
and acquired skill with chariots, carts, and
other animal-drawn wheeled vehicles, the
packing of loads, and their general repair
and maintenance.
Acumen/Teamster can be used for any-
thing from general knowledge checks and
estimating travel times or distances, to dis-
tinguishing the size, weight and design of a
cart based on its tracks. Agility/Teamster is
frequently used for repairs or construction
of a vehicle.
Like Horsemanship, most actual handling
or control checks are actually made using
the vehicle’s attributes {not yet in Beta!},
rather than that of the character.
Teamster checks are only called for when
a character wishes to do something unusual,
or they must do something under stressful
circumstances. Most characters in a setting
will not have any ranks at all. Peasants and
farmers who regularly cart their goods may
well have 1 or 2 ranks. Traveling merchants
or caravan traders will average 3 ranks.
Ranks 4 and 5 are generally only ever taken
by nomadic peoples, or those whom use not replace Manipulation, Leadership, and
chariots to race or war. Politics as important skills to have. Trade
Example Trades
Suggested Obs: skills thus generally make use of knowledge
Stuck for a Trade skill?
or crafting umbrella Obs.
• Ob1: safely navigating past another Consider the following:
cart on a narrow street Every character gets 3 free dots of Trade
Apothecary
at character creation, save those that have
• Ob3: getting a frightened horse team the Worthless flaw. Artist
under control Assassin
• Ob5: going at full speed on a narrow Warfare Astrologer
road with hard turns Potential Expertise: Strategy, Logistics, Baker
Discipline, Battlefield Movement, or by type Barber-Surgeon
Trade (Specific) (Naval, Siege, Guerilla, Block Formation).
Blacksmith
Potential Expertise: Specific subsets of a Warfare covers battlefield experience and
given Trade. A Smith could take an expertise military preparation, encompassing every- Bounty Hunter
in Goldsmithing, a Sailor could take an exper- thing from an understanding of tactics and Bowyer
tise in Galleys, and so forth. logistics, to discipline in following orders Brigand
Very few people survive into adulthood and maintaining ranks, as well as maneu- Butcher
without learning some means of providing vering on the battlefield. Carpenter
for themselves and fitting into the world. Warfare is a broad skill in terms of attri- Courtesan
Everyone is groomed into some role or bute distribution. Cunning/Warfare may be Farmer
profession they perform in relation to their used to devise tactics or decipher an enemy
Fisherman
community, and the Trade skill represents strategy. Acumen/Warfare plays a part in
the cumulative body of knowledge gained the logistics of troop movement, supply, and Guard
in training towards that role. Haberdasher
organization. Social/Warfare can play a part
Like Language, the Trade skill must be in training troops. Willpower/Warfare may Hunter
defined when taken. It can be anything be called for in discipline checks to avoid Jeweler
from a literal vocation such as Cobbler, breaking ranks. Knee-Breaker
Stonemason, or Smith, to a broader but no Suggested Obs: Laborer
less defined role such as Soldier, Merchant, Lawyer
• Ob1: effectively equipping a squad
Priest, Scholar, Noble, or Sailor. The only
with essential kit and tools (sergeant Mercenary
hard and fast guidelines are that a the Trade
and men) Merchant
represents a specific function in the world,
that it must be something one can be trained • Ob3: managing a company or two Monk
in, and it does not replace other skills or (half a dozen subordinates) Noble
abilities already in the book. Both Sailor • Ob5: waging large scale battles on Performer
and Noble require training under a more multiple fronts (dozen subordinates) Physician
experienced hand in order to learn all of the Priest
functions of their role. On the other hand, Reeve
“beggar” and “thief” are unsuitable as the
Sailor
former requires no training and the other
is simply an umbrella for the Legerdemain Scholar
and Larceny skills. Servant
In practice, a Trade skill is a catch-all, Soldier
covering all areas of knowledge and ability Taxidermist
associated with the specific trade that are Veterinarian
not covered by an existing skill. Sailor cov- Weaver
ers everything from navigation and sailing, Woodsman
to rigging, knowledge of ships and tying
knots. It does not replace Athletics for the
purposes of climbing around. Priest would
cover etiquette, theology, and so on, but will
43
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Filling In The Gaps

Have an idea that doesn’t fit something above? If it’s weapon or magic related, look at
Proficiencies. If it’s something to do with training or a profession, it’s probably a Trade. If
neither fits, try Education or Lore. If none of the above is doing it for you, feel free to invent
a new skill whole cloth (with your GM’s permission, of course).
Sometimes, the skill list will even change just based on the nature of the campaign.
For most games, the skills above pretty well cover everything. If your campaign has a
specific focus, it might require changing some skills around or changing what they do. For
instance, normally sailing, rope work, and so on can all just be thrown under the heading
of the Sailor Trade skill. On the other hand, if the campaign is explicitly a nautical one
about pirates and sailors, it becomes redundant for everyone to have Sailor as a Trade
skill. If the campaign will focus specifically on sailing, the GM could expand the list
and decide that Rope Work, Sailing, Boating, Sail-making, and so forth were all separate
skills. If the campaign is instead a swashbuckling pirate theme and the details of sailing
are unimportant, they could decide that everyone is assumed to know these things and
handle them all through attribute rolls. Similarly, on a campaign specifically focused on
social intrigue, your group may decide to break up Manipulate and Orate into a whole
slew of related skills: Rhetoric, Logic, Speechcraft, Seduction, Gossip, Intimidation, Deceit,
Bribery... the list goes on.
Whatever you decide to do, just make sure that everyone is on the same page when the
game begins.

44
 05 Proficiencies
&Maneuvers
Proficiencies
Proficiencies are the way in which ‘Bastards sums up a character’s martial training. In some ways
similar to skills, they function by their own rules as detailed here and in Chapter 09: Melee Combat.
Each proficiency represents a specific kind of fighting, each with a different emphasis and access to
certain maneuvers based on how that style operates. Proficiencies aren’t explicitly weapon-specific,
but a given proficiency often requires a certain type of weapon to take full advantage of it. The default
assumptions about weapon-length and leverage in the Polearm proficiency are completely inapplicable
to someone with a dagger.
Proficiencies are ranked according to their own metric, with rank 6 being considered the minimum
for competency. This is often the case with recruits or militia, or amateur brawlers. Professional mili-
tary men will often have 7 or 8 in a given proficiency, while truly exceptional warriors may have 10
or more.

Defaulting
Much of what a character learns about fighting applies to combat no matter how you are doing
it. Characters that have ranks in one proficiency may default when they are trying to learn a new
proficiency, or use one they do not possess.
When using a proficiency you are untrained in, you default to a rank equal to half of your highest-
ranked proficiency. For instance, someone with rank 10 in Sword & Buckler would be able to default to
5 when picking up an axe and fighting with the Mass Weapons proficiency. When defaulting, you do
not gain the benefit of emphasis, and are restricted to basic maneuvers only.
Note that proficiencies can only default to others within their type. Melee proficiencies may default
to other melee proficiencies, but not to ranged proficiencies and vice versa. Your skill with a crossbow
is of zero use in calculating your Longsword capabilities.
Learning a new proficiency through defaulting is covered in Chapter 7: Story Aspects.
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Relearning Proficiencies Brawling

Sometimes a character will want to re- Brawling is the oldest, most primal form
Which learn a proficiency they possess in a differ- of combat, utilizing bare hands, feet, holds
Proficiency, ent way. The most common reasons are to and kicks to overcome your enemy. While
which Weapon? acquire a second emphasis, or to re-learn it may not be the first line of defense most
Proficiencies aren’t the proficiency with their off-hand. Either want to rely on, almost every warrior makes
about what you are scenario requires a character to unlearn it a point to be familiar with it. Fists are
fighting with so much and relearn quite a bit about the proficiency never unarmed.
as how you fight with it. at hand. In either case, treat it like buying While many different proficiencies
There are a number of involve grabbing or various forms of take-
any other proficiency, starting it from de-
places where you could downs, all grappling resorts back to the
use the same general
fault and then purchasing it as a separate
entry on your sheet. Brawl, making it an invaluable proficiency
kind of weapon with
to know.
multiple proficiencies.
Emphasis: (Choose One)
Daggers and knives
pretty well always use
the Daggers proficiency,
Melee Striking: Hands do Strength

but if you’re in a grapple

you may find yourself
Proficiencies damage (instead of St-1).
Grabbing: All Grab maneuvers
using Brawling for them.
Discounting magic, proficiencies break are free of activation costs.
into two types — melee proficiencies and Wrestling: All grappling maneu-
Smaller axes, clubs,
and maces are all going ranged proficiencies. While both represent vers are free of activation costs.
to be Mass Weapons, similar concepts, there are slight differences
Offensive Maneuvers
but if you’re using them in the mechanical particulars.
with two hands, you Double Strike (AC2)
could definitely get away
with using Polearms.
Emphasis Trip (AC2)
The emphasis is what gives a given Defensive Maneuvers
Likewise, a pollax or
halberd could be used melee proficiency part of its punch. It is a Deflect & Strike (AC2)
with the Mass Weapons special rule that gives some benefit related Slip & Strike (AC1)
proficiency. to the way that particular fighting style
Spears could either operates, allowing it to perform its special-
be under their proper ization more easily. Usually, this will take
proficiency, or you could the form of making something cheaper to
easily use Polearms do, or granting a bonus when doing it.
with them. Likewise,
a particularly long,
thrust-oriented polearm Maneuvers
could be used with Maneuvers are split into two categories:
the Spears proficiency. basic and advanced. Both types are fully
A hefty quarterstaff explained later in this chapter, but for the
could be used with
purpose of discussing proficiencies it is
Spears, Polearms, Mass
Weapons, or even only important to know that basic maneu-
Longsword under the vers can be used by any proficiency and so
right circumstances. are not listed with the proficiencies here.
A particularly skilled Advanced maneuvers are additional tricks
or crafty fighter might and techniques that are more specific to
learn multiple proficien- each fighting style. Combined with the
cies to cover the same emphasis, they sketch out roughly how that
weapon, just to have proficiency fights and what it is capable of.
different maneuvers and Each maneuver is listed with it’s
emphases to call upon as
Activation Cost (AC) listed in parenthesis
needed.
beside it, representing how expensive that
46 maneuver is to use in combat (see pgXX)
 05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
Daggers Longsword
Daggers are ubiquitous in society, both as The Longsword proficiency revolves Improvised
mundane tools and a means of self-defense. around the use of hand-and-a-half or two-
Weapons
The Daggers proficiency is arguably the handed swords as a battlefield art. The
Improvised weapons
most common proficiency taken by anyone complex system shares its roots with staff use whatever proficiency
who wishes to defend themselves, regard- and polearm combat, utilizing not just the is closest. Most things
less of their social class or background. This blade of the weapon, but also striking with that you would actually
is particularly true both for those who are the pommel or quillons, and even utilizing want to hit somebody
not professional combatants, and for those the very length of the weapon as leverage in with are going to wind
like thieves and assassins who value the order to bring one’s opponent to the ground. up being mass weapons
ability to carry a weapon without drawing As a battlefield weapon, two-handed swords or polearms by applica-
undue attention to themselves. are usually carried by those wearing armor tion. If something is
sturdy and complete enough that they can sufficiently light and
As a fighting style, it is up-close and
not too top-heavy (a
personal, often little different than brawl- comfortably sacrifice the protection of a
long pipe, a crowbar)
ing with a blade and will often transition shield. Thus, the Longsword in its various you could argue for it to
quickly into a grappling situation. forms is chiefly a proficiency learned by be based on one of the
Emphasis: Reach Control the wealthy. Because they have come to be sword proficiencies, but
associated with the upper classes, they are the GM has final call.
Daggers are vicious when they increasingly popular as the subject of fenc- In practice, we find
close. When Daggers have reach ing guilds, duelists, and other classes that that if it isn’t obvious
control, they get +4 dice instead of might not necessarily be carrying them what something will
+2. strictly for their battlefield potential. be, it’s easiest to let the
Offensive Maneuvers Emphasis: Blade to Blade Brawling proficiency
Double Strike (AC2) handle it. We’ve used
Longswords are considered ad- this to cover anything
Hook (AC1) vantaged when attacking from from hitting someone
Trip (AC2) the Wind, and have access to the with a rock to breaking
Mastercut maneuver. a bar stool over some-
Defensive Maneuvers
Offensive Maneuvers one’s head.
Deflect & Strike (AC2) A broken beer
Beat (AC2) bottle managed to be a
Slip & Strike (AC1)
Hook (AC1) convincing use of the
Special Maneuvers
Daggers proficiency,
Murder Stroke (AC1)
Reverse Grip (AC0/1) but we’d allow that to
Trip (AC2) go Brawling as well,
Lances particularly since you’re
Wind (AC1)
The Lance proficiency revolves around often opening up a fight
Defensive Maneuvers by breaking it across
the use of a couched lance in a cavalry
charge. Slip & Strike (AC1) someone’s skull.
Emphasis: Not currently implemented. Special Maneuvers Keep in mind, most
things that aren’t meant
Half-Swording (AC0/1) to be weapons are going
Mastercut (AC1) to be more difficult to
actually use as weapons
and will convey a
disadvantage on some-
one attempting to attack
or defend with them.

47
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Mass Weapons
The Mass Weapons proficiency is a fairly
straightforward one, concentrating on the
effective use of top-heavy weapons such as
clubs, maces or axes to deliver maximum
force onto the target. The proficiency covers
the use of both one and two-handed mass
weapons, as well as the use of a shield along
with them for defense.
Mass weapons are a popular proficiency
for combatants from nearly any walk of
life. They are generally less expensive than
many other kinds of battlefield weapon, of-
ten having wooden components and lesser
demand on steel, while their potential to
combat heavy armor makes them popular
with the nobility as well.
Emphasis: Power Swing
When using the Power Swing ma-
neuver, a Mass Weapon can spend
up to 2 dice in activation cost to get
up to +2 damage (instead of just
+1).
Offensive Maneuvers
Bind & Strike (AC2)
Double Strike (AC2)
Hook (AC1)
Shield Bash (AC0)
Trip (AC2)
Wind (AC1)
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
Slip & Strike (AC1)
48
Messers
Messers are for the most part short, ag-
gressive, and often curved blades that devel-
oped a fighting style of their own. Literally
having their roots as “big knives,” Messers
are seen on and off the battlefield. They find
common use as hunting swords or as defen-
sive or dueling weapons among the middle
classes and common folk.
Like the longsword, messers excel at
getting up close and personal, and a fight
that doesn’t end quickly is likely to end in
a grapple. The messer proficiency covers all
messers and single-edged blades, as well as
the daggers and bucklers with which they
are occasionally paired.
Emphasis: Counters
When using a Counter, Messers
may choose the target wheel instead
of rolling for a random result, and
do not pay activation cost when
Grabbing from a Counter.
Offensive Maneuvers
Bind & Strike (AC2)
Double Strike (AC2)
Murder Stroke (AC1)
Trip (AC2)
Wind (AC1)
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
Slip & Strike (AC1)
Special Maneuvers
Half-Swording (AC0/1)
 05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
Polearms Sabers
Polearms are a family of weapons that Sharing much in common with the Sword
share a common ancestry with both Mass & Buckler proficiency, Sabers concentrate
Weapons and Spears. Polearms vary widely on the use of long, curved cut-and-thrust
in type and application, but are almost al- blades in intricate sweeping maneuvers.
ways some combination of a heavy wooden The Sabers proficiency covers the use of
shaft with a metal implement protruding sabers by themselves or in conjunction with
from the business end. Like other long- daggers or bucklers in the off-hand.
hafted weapons, polearms make heavy Emphasis: Draw Cuts
use of staff-fighting techniques, making a
Sabers do not pay activation costs
relatively simple weapon into an extremely
for using Draw Cuts.
effective combat system.
Offensive Maneuvers
Too large to carry as a sidearm, polearms
are predominantly battlefield weapons. Beat (AC2)
They are extremely common among infan- Bind & Strike (AC2)
try of all stripes, from the knightly pollax Double Strike (AC2)
to the halberds used to disrupt pike forma-
tions. Polearms have a strong presence in Trip (AC2)
more civilian roles as well, with the core Wind (AC1)
staff techniques being equally applicable Defensive Maneuvers
to glaive-weilding guardsmen and staff-
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
weilding peasantry.
Slip & Strike (AC1)
Emphasis: Leverage
Polearms do not pay the activation
cost when using the Expulsion or
Hook maneuvers.
Offensive Maneuvers
Beat (AC2)
Hook (AC0)
Trip (AC2)
Wind (AC1)
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
Slip & Strike (AC1)

49
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Spears Sword & Buckler
Spears were among the first weapons As metallurgy developed swords became
invented by man, and have been the domi- more common among combatants of all
nant battlefield weapon ever since. Spears stripes. The sword became the sidearm worn
can vary significantly in length and bal- both in civilian defense and as a secondary
ance, but they are always a long shaft with weapon on the battlefield. At the same time,
a blade on at least one end. Spears make for shields proved to be too unwieldy in many
extremely versatile weapons. Though they roles and so a number of techniques devel-
can be used two-handed for extra power, all oped utilizing bucklers or parrying daggers
but the longest or heaviest can be wielded in the off-hand.
one-handed, paired with a shield or even Emphasis: Follow-through
thrown.
All follow-up effects count as
Though they can be used for staff fighting advantaged.
in much the same way as other long-hafted
Offensive Maneuvers
weapons, spear fighting is all about control-
ling the distance between yourself and your Beat (AC2)
opponent. The weapon’s length becomes it’s Bind & Strike (AC2)
primary defense, delivering harassing jabs Double Strike (AC2)
and powerful thrusts while safely outside
your enemy’s striking distance. Trip (AC2)
Emphasis: Reach Control Wind (AC1)
Spears make the most of their Defensive Maneuvers
length. When the character has Deflect & Strike (AC2)
reach control with a spears, they Slip & Strike (AC1)
get +4 dice instead of +2.
Offensive Maneuvers
Beat (AC2)
Bind & Strike (AC2)
Hook (AC1)
Shield Bash (AC0)
Trip (AC2)
Wind (AC1)
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
Slip & Strike (AC1)
Special Maneuvers
Reverse Grip (AC0/1)

50

Sword & Shield
As soon as the sword stepped onto the
battlefield, the shield was its natural com-
panion. Far from a passive defense, the shield
is often an active and aggressive weapon
with the sword exploiting the openings cre-
ated. The Sword & Shield proficiency covers
all one-handed swords, and the use of any
variety of shield including bucklers.
The sword and shield proficiency is still a
dominant form on the battlefield whenever
one wears anything but the stoutest armor.
Emphasis: Shield Work
Shield attacks count as advantaged
in the Shield Bash/Push, and Bind
& Strike Maneuvers.
Offensive Maneuvers
Bind & Strike (AC2)
Double Strike (AC2)
Shield Bash (AC0)
Trip (AC2)
Wind (AC1)
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike (AC2)
Slip & Strike (AC1)
05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
Ranged
Proficiencies
Ranged proficiencies function in a matter
very similar to melee, but are unconcerned
with issues of emphasis, maneuvers, or off-
handed use.
Thrown weapons
Thrown weapons don’t actually have a
proficiency of their own. Instead, thrown
weapons use the associated melee proficiency Throwing rocks
when making a ranged attack. Thrown and grenades
knives and daggers fall under Daggers. Obviously, there is no
Javelins and Spears are under Spears, etc. “hit them with a rock”
proficiency, so when
Bows throwing rocks and
More commonly seen in the hunter’s grenades you have two
hands than on the battlefield these days, options.
If you are trying to
this weapon combines stealth with speed,
but can be quite deceptive for the amount of just toss something at a
strength needed to wield it. As such, skilled target or near a target,
archers are as prized as ever, especially use Strength/Athletics
or Agility/Athletics for
as the world gears towards slower, louder
your aim.
weapons.
If you are trying to hit
Crossbows someone with an item
(rock, a grenade, what-
Being replaced by the firearms at a rapid
ever) then use Brawling
rate, this weapon is still wicked deadly in as a ranged proficiency,
skilled hands, doesn’t require exceptional unless it is covered by
strength and is also relatively quiet. Far something more obvious
from being outdated, crossbows are still (see Thrown Weapons,
deployed quite effectively by the more tradi- left.)
tional militaries and warbands alike.
Firearms
These loud, smoke-billowing weapons
have gained popularity with the wealthy
and the military class. While expensive to
produce, these modern inventions wreak
unparalleled havoc, easily penetrating all
but the toughest armor.
Slings
Popular among shepherds and farming
folk, these weapons can be made out leather
or plaited from a variety of materials and
are conveniently worn as straps, headbands
and belts. More at home on the ancient
battlefield than today, they can still pack a
punch in skilled hands.
51
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Maneuvers
follow-up, not from the player’s remaining
CP.

If proficiency represents the sum of a

kind of fighting, maneuvers are the individ- Restraining
ual techniques that style employs. Players Certain offensive maneuvers are said to
never simply roll to attack, but always select restrain or having a restraining effect. In
which maneuver they will be attacking practice this means that if the offensive ma-
Stacking neuver succeeds, it automatically negates
with. Different maneuvers have different
maneuvers any offensive maneuvers by the target yet
effects and employ dice in different ways.
Any time a maneuver to be used in that same tempo. If a parent
indicates a Strike can maneuver is restraining, assume all aug-
be made, it can actually Activation Costs (AC) ments beneath it are as well.
refer to any offensive Some maneuvers are more difficult to
manevuer. It could be
pull off or require more risk and invest-
a Swing or Thrust and
ment than others. This is expressed by an Prone
one of its associated Certain maneuvers are designed to take
augmentations, but it Activation Cost attached to the maneuver,
which represents the number of dice one put the opponent on the ground, either by
could also be a Grab,
Discharge, Murder has to “spend” in order to use it. The default tripping or throwing them. Prone characters
Stroke, and so on. Deflect Activation Costs are generally the same no make all rolls as disadvantaged until they
refers to any kind of matter which proficiency is using it, but can beat their opponent in a positioning roll
Parry, Block, or its as- certain weapons or emphases can reduce to get to their feet (see Chapter 10).
sociated augmentations. the cost.
You must simply pay
the total Activation
Cost for all maneuvers Augmentation Basic Maneuvers
Basic maneuvers are techniques that
involved, which means Many maneuvers have augmentations
that chaining multiple
everyone has access to regardless of which
listed beneath them, altering the way the
complicated maneuvers melee proficiency they are using. Offensive
parent maneuver functions. Declare the
can be cool, but really maneuvers are those that are primarily
desired augmentation as though it were
expensive. declared when your character has initiative
the maneuver (Thrust becomes Precision
A word should be had in combat when you are the acting party.
Thrust). Many augmentations will have
on follow-ups. While it’s Defensive maneuvers are those that are
an Activation Cost listed in parentheses
technically possible to used when your character does not have
use the strike portion of
after the name. This replaces the base AC
initiative, reacting or defending yourself
one follow-up to initi- listed for the parent maneuver. While many
from the actions of the other.
ate another offensive maneuvers can be stacked (see sidebar) aug-
ments within a single maneuver cannot be An offensive maneuver can be declared
maneuver containing
a follow-up, there’s no stacked together. even while defending, but unless it is pre-
real advantage in doing empted the defender will generally take the
so. Your final attack will full brunt of the attacker’s offense first. See
have suffered significant Follow-Up Chapter 10: Melee Combat.
diminishing returns. Certain maneuvers reference a follow-
up. Follow-up is a rolling mechanic
wherein if the primary action succeeds, the
Offensive Maneuvers
character gets their MoS worth of dice to Swing | Off | Basic | AC0
roll for a secondary attack that is resolved Basic form of attack, swinging the weapon
within the same tempo. This is important, in an arc at the opponent. Roll vs Base TN.
as the opponent cannot defend against a
follow-up effect. The actual effect of the Power Swing (AC1) Sacrifice accuracy
follow-up is dictated by the maneuver for brute strength. If the blow con-
using it. If a follow-up allows for the selec- nects, add +1 to total damage. Cannot
tion of a maneuver, any Activation Costs be used with Close reach weapons un-
must come out of the dice generated by the less otherwise noted.
52

Draw Cut (AC1) Stepping into or out
of the attack, drawing the blade along
the length of the wound. If the blow
connects to anything but metal armor,
the attack adds +2 to total damage.
Wrap (AC1) Attack such an arc that
allows the blade to wrap around the
edge of a shield or other defense.
Allows the targeting of wheels that
would otherwise be inaccessible, such
as the hamstrings or an area covered
by a shield.
Thrust | Off | Basic | AC0
Basic forward thrust, point first. Roll vs
Base TN.
Precision Thrust (AC2) Sacrifice some
of the strength or speed of an attack
for increased accuracy. If the blow
connects, the player may shift the
final strike location along the wheel
clockwise or counter-clockwise at
their preference. The number of shifts
the player can make is equal to the
attack’s MoS.
Feint | OFF | Basic | AC1/Variable
Attack an opponent as normal, feint-
ing to change direction or mislead your the first tempo. Firearms may be discharged weapon deflected. On
opponent.
Attack with a Swing or Thrust without
declaring a Feint. After the opponent’s
defense is declared, but before any dice
are rolled the attacker shouts “Feint!”, pays Block | Def | Basic | AC0
the activation cost, and nominates a new
target wheel. They may then increase their
allocated pool for the feint attack by one die
for every two dice spent (spend 4 dice from Parry | Def | Basic | AC0
your remaining CP, get +2 dice for the at-
tack). They may also change their maneuver Roll vs Base TN.
to any other basic offensive maneuver, pro-
vided they pay any additional AC required.
Feint gets old fast, increasing the AC by 1
every time it’s used by the character in the
same fight.
Grab | Off | Basic | AC1
Grab an opponent by their limb, clothes,
or hair to initiate a grapple. Roll vs Base
TN. Success deals no damage, but inflicts
MoS worth of impact and enters a grapple
05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
(see grappling), as well as restraining the
opponent. Ties indicate a failure to grab. A
successful Parry against any Grab causes Unarmed Special
damage to the arm as though hit with an All other things being
MoS0 Swing. equal, two unarmed
Grab & Throw (AC2) Attempt to grab, opponents are on equal
push, pull or throw the opponent. Roll footing. However, when
vs Base TN. MoS becomes dice for one person is using a
a follow-up attack using the Throw weapon and another
isn’t, a couple things
grappling maneuver.
need to be accounted for.
Grab Weapon (AC2) Grab an oppo- A weapon Parrying an
nent’s weapon or weapon arm. Roll unarmed strike or grab
an unarmed attack vs Base TN. If suc- causes damage to the
cessful, you initiate a grapple with the attacker as though their
arm had been hit by an
opponent suffering effects as though
MoS0 Swing from the
you had the same degree of MoS with
the Disarm grappling maneuver. parrying weapon.
An unarmed Parry
Discharge / Throw | Off | Basic | AC0 against a weapon can be
Firing a pistol or throwing a weapon in risky. Against a Thrust-
melee combat. Attack is made at an advan- based attack, it works
as normal. Against a
tage and if successful deals damage per the
Swing you may take
ranged profile of the weapon being used. damage even if you win
This attack may be defended against as nor- the roll. On an MoS1-2,
mal, even against a pistol. The defender is you take damage to the
not parrying the bullet, but instead trying Parrying arm as though
to knock the weapon aside before it fires. you were struck by an
Thrown weapons may only be used in MoS0 Swing from the
an MoS3+ Parry, you are
whenever a normal attack could be made.
fast enough to step into
the opponent’s swing
Defensive Maneuvers and block their arm with
yours before the blow
can land.
Deflect an incoming blow with a buckler
or shield. Use the shield’s Fixed TN. grab reminder
Any time you see
Grab as a maneuver, it’s
Deflect an incoming blow with a weapon. restraining.
Counter (AC2) Read the opponent’s
momentum and use it against them.
Parry as normal, but if successful you
gain the opponent’s offensive suc-
cesses worth of bonus dice for the pur-
poses of attacking in the next tempo.
The following attack is limited to the
Swing, Thrust, and Grab maneuvers
or augmentations thereof. Swings
and Thrusts have their hit location
randomized on all six wheels, just
53
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
like a ranged attack. Landing on the
Shins wheel indicates a queue, haft, or Grappling
Maintaining
pommel strike to the Head wheel
instead. Maneuvers
grapple Expulsion (AC1) Deflecting a blow Grappling is a condition initiated by a
maneuvers with enough force to create an open- successful Grab maneuver. Grappling al-
ing. Parry as normal. If successful, the lows access to grapple-specific maneuvers,
Grabbing and grap-
pling is all about getting weapon the opponent used in their limits the use of weapons, and renders
your hands on someone attack is rendered useless for the next regular defensive maneuvers useless. All
and not letting go, tempo. If the opponent used multiple weapons are limited to Swing, and Thrust
which presents a kind weapons in their attack, the defender maneuvers only, along with their respective
of continuity of action may choose between them. MoS3+ augmentations. The Discharge maneuver
not common to other disarms the opponent instead. can be used with firearms, but no weapon
kinds of maneuvers. To can be thrown.
represent this, grapple Dodge | Def | Basic | AC0 Close reach weapons work normally, but
maneuvers can be Evade a blow by moving out of the way.
maintained.
Short or longer reach weapons are limited
Roll vs Base TN. A successful Dodge does to using pommel strikes only. Weapons that
Maintaining a ma- not automatically grant the defender initia-
neuver means that you
require two hands cannot be employed
tive in the following tempo unless an ad- at all. All grappling uses some version of
pay the activation cost
once when you initially
ditional 2CP is paid for it. This may be paid the Brawling proficiency, and all offensive
use the maneuver, and after the maneuver succeeds. grapple maneuvers are considered to be
can then continue using restraining. Grapple maneuvers are all
Disengage | Def | Basic | AC0
the same maneuver in universally available, and are considered
the same way without Break away from the fight. Roll vs Fixed basic maneuvers for all purposes. Finally,
having to renew the AC TN5. On a success, you break away from favoring (see chapter 10) is impossible in a
each tempo. the fight and create a pause in combat. grapple.
For instance, putting Neither opponent may attack again without
someone’s left arm in a re-establishing initiative (Red and White
Hold will cost AC2 up die). One cannot Disengage after having Offensive Maneuvers
front, but maintaining performed an offensive maneuver in the
that Hold on each Bite | Off | Grapple | AC0
previous tempo or Disengage immediately
tempo thereafter is free. at a Red / White throw. Bite into an opponent’s exposed flesh.
However, if you want to Roll as a normal attack, but you may select
change the target of that Grab | Def | Basic | AC1 the specific location instead of wheel, doing
Hold to another limb
Grab an opponent by their limb, clothes, damage per the Bite profile relevant to your
or switch to a different
maneuver, you pay the
or hair to initiate a grapple. Roll vs Base TN. character. For humans, this is St-1c damage
new cost as normal. Success inflicts MoS worth of impact and and caps at level 4. If the target location is
enters a grapple (see grappling). Ties indi- covered in clothing, this becomes blunt,
cate a failure to grab and opponent retains capped at 2. Roll vs Base TN.
initiative.
Disarm | Off | Grapple | AC1
Grab & Throw (AC2) Attempt to grab, Grab the opponent’s weapon hand to
push, pull or throw the opponent. Roll twist or slam the weapon out of it. Roll vs
vs Base TN. MoS becomes dice for a Base TN. MoS1 means that the opponent
follow-up attack using the Throw cannot use the weapon to attack you. MoS2
grappling maneuver. disarms the opponent, sending the weapon
Grab Weapon (AC2) Grab an oppo- out of reach. MoS3+ means you not only dis-
nent’s weapon or weapon arm. Roll arm the opponent, but now hold the weapon
an unarmed attack vs Base TN. If suc- yourself.
cessful, you initiate a grapple with the
opponent suffering effects as though Gouge | Off | Grapple | AC2
you had the same degree of MoS with Sticking your thumbs in another person’s
the Disarm grappling maneuver.
54

eyes with the intent to cause pain, blind-
ness, or death. Roll vs Base TN. Success
deals impact equal to 4x MoS. In addition,
MoS3+ puts out one of the target’s eyes
(attacker’s choice). MoS5+ either puts out
both eyes, or pushes into the brain causing
a messy death (also attacker’s choice). Any
helm which prevents arrows from entering
the eye slit also prevents Gouging.
Hold | Off | Grapple | AC2
The use of pain-locks or submission
holds on one’s opponent, usually by twist-
ing an arm or pinning a limb. Roll vs Base
TN. MoS1 means that an opponent cannot
use the limb. MoS2 disables the limb and
halves the opponent’s remaining CP. MoS3+
renders the opponent completely helpless
(CP0), and they may not even attempt to
break free. If all limbs are held with mul-
tiple MoS1 successes, the character cannot
strike with those limbs but can freely use
defensive maneuvers.
When maintaining a Hold, the result
of each tempo is the new condition. If you
rolled an MoS2 in the second tempo, you
would halve their dice at refresh. If in the
following first tempo you roll another
MoS2, their remaining CP is halved again.
If in that tempo you rolled MoS1, the target
managed to free themselves to a degree
and only has a limb tied up per the MoS1
description and would gain their as normal
CP at refresh.
Multiple consecutive MoS2 Holds keep
halving the opponent’s pool. Any success-
ful defensive maneuver breaks all Holds. If
the character is held by multiple opponents,
a successful defense breaks all Holds by the
character that lost the tempo, but not Holds
by other characters. The Hold dice pool
penalties stay intact for the purposes of any
follow-up maneuvers.
Snap | Off | Grapple | AC2
Hyperextend one of your opponent’s
limbs to inflict pain or damage. Declare a
target joint (limbs, fingers). Roll vs Base TN.
If successful you inflict St+2 blunt damage
to joints or St+3 to fingers, with MoS adding
as normal. Armor does not apply, but com-
mon sense overrides (no neck-twisting in a
05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
jousting harness). Finger breaking caps at a
level 3 wound.
Strangle | Off | Grapple | AC2 Crushed
Wrap your hands around an opponent’s Windpipes
throat and squeeze. Roll vs Base TN. On a Once you’ve crushed a
success, you begin to strangle your oppo- person’s windpipe, there
nent. They must break free within a number just isn’t a lot that can
of tempos equal to their Stamina or fall un- be done. Unless treated
conscious. The tempo in which the strangle with the equivalent of
20th century medicine
is first successful is counted towards the
or some kind of magic,
total. they will continue
Each successive tempo, the attacker suffocating regardless.
maintains the Strangle. On an MoS3+ the At best, they can try
victim’s windpipe is crushed (or they can to make an Ob5 Wp/
choose to make a Strength/Medicine roll Steel to fight their panic
with an Ob equal to MoS for an instant KO. response, and if success-
See sidebar). ful can continue acting /
fighting normally until
If the defender wins on an MoS3+, they
they lose consciousness.
break free entirely. On MoS1-2, they gain the
Initiative but continue being strangled. They
may then try and attack their opponent. If
Less lethal
the opponent uses any defense other than
strangling
Resist, or if at any point an attack succeeds
Sometimes, you don’t
at MoS3+, the strangle is broken.
necessarily want to
If the person strangling successfully de- outright kill the person
fends, they gain initiative as normal and the you’re strangling. If you
cycle continues. get an MoS3+ result that
would normally result
Throw | Off | Grapple | AC2 in a crushed windpipe,
Throw your opponent over your hip or you can instead choose
shoulder. Roll vs Base TN. If successful, tar- to make a Strength/
get is thrown in a chosen direction. A target Medicine test with an
thrown on the ground ends up prone and Ob equal to the MoS of
that attack.
disadvantaged. An MoS3+ means that in the
following single tempo, you are advantaged On a Success, you can
choose instead to block
against them on top of that.
the arteries and cut off
Targets thrown against a hard object the flow of oxygen to the
takes St+MoS for damage to a random loca- brain rendering them
tion. Spikes add +1DR and change type to instantly unconcious
Piercing. If you go down with the victim, rather than just crush-
add +1 Damage. ing the poor bastard’s
windpipe outright and
waiting for them to
Defensive Maneuvers suffocate.
Resist | DEF | Grapple | AC0
Pushing and contorting to fend off a
grapple-based attack. Roll vs Base TN. If
successful, you ward off the attacker’s effect
and gain initiative.
55
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Break | DEF | Grapple | AC1 Attack with two weapons simultane-
Breaking out of a grapple while warding ously, generally using the longer weapon
I’ll Tackle Him! off an attack. Roll vs Base TN. On a success, as a distraction from the shorter. Pick up
Tackle isn’t really a the defender avoids any further negative to two target wheels. You may make two
maneuver, so much as an effect and gains the initiative. After a suc- Swings or two Thrusts, but not one of each.
enthusiastic way to start cessful Break, both combatants are back in One or both attacks may have an augmenta-
a fight. As such, tackling normal melee range, with reach favoring tion, but only of the same type and the cost
an opponent is handled the Breaker. is cumulative.
by an opposed Strength/ Roll vs Base TN. The defender defends
Agility roll, where Reverse | DEF | Grapple | AC2 as normal. MoS1-2 mean that the shorter
Agility may be switched Warding off an attack in such a way to of your weapons connects (or off-hand
out for Athletics. If the turn an opponent’s momentum against
target is unaware, they
weapon, if they are of equal length). MoS3+
them. Roll vs Base TN. If successful you gain means that both weapons connect. Figure
don’t get a roll to defend
themselves. If they are
the opponent’s offensive successes worth of damage for each wound using half the MoS,
actively running away, bonus dice for the purposes of attacking in rounded down. When figuring out impact
it’s an opposed Speed/ the next tempo. for dice-loss purposes, use only the higher
Agility (or Athletics) roll If the character wards off a weapon at- of the impact rating of the two wounds.
instead. tack with Reverse, they effectively gain
If either party’s edges control of the weapon in the opponent’s Hook | OFF | AdV | AC1
or flaws state that one of hand, allowing them to turn the blade or Hook your opponent’s weapon or shield
the characters is clearly pistol muzzle toward the opponent without with your own weapon, temporarily dis-
larger than the other, actually disarming them first. abling it. For obvious reasons, this maneuver
give the larger character requires the attacker to possess a weapon
the advantage. with a suitably angled protrusion — axes,
A successful tackle
has an impact equal to Advanced warhammers, halberds, or even blades in a
half-sword grip.
twice the winner’s MoS.
Both characters wind
up on the ground, with
Maneuvers Target an opponent’s weapon and roll vs
Base TN. If successful, the attack is consid-
the victim prone and ered restraining, you prevent the opponent
disadvantaged. Offensive Maneuvers from using the weapon in the next tempo,
If the target wins Beat | OFF | AdV | AC2 and the opponent cannot Disengage unless
or ties, they initiate a they release the weapon or revert from
grapple as normal. Slam an opponent’s weapon with your
half-sword to normal grip. If applicable, an
own, creating an opening to exploit. Target
If the target wins by MoS3+ on the Hook maneuver disarms the
MoS3+, or the tackler an opponent’s weapon or shield and roll vs
opponent instead.
rolls zero successes, the Base TN. If the maneuver is successful it
tackler ends up prone is considered restraining and the attacker Trip (AC0) identical to the Trip maneu-
and disadvantaged gets a number of bonus dice equal to the ver, but using the length of a weapon
instead. successes your opponent rolled. These dice or it’s natural protrusions to hook
If you want to tackle are then applied to an attack made in the into limbs or joints. When used as
your opponent while following tempo. In addition, the weapon an augmentation of Hook, it’s free of
already in melee, just or shield targeted cannot be used in that activation costs.
use Grab & Throw and tempo.
go down with them. Murder Stroke | OFF | AdV | AC0
Bind & Strike | OFF | AdV | AC2 Completely reverse the sword, grabbing it
Strike your opponent with a shield by the blade and striking with the weapons
or buckler in such a way as to pin their pommel or quillons, literally pommeling
weapon and create an opening. Roll vs Base the opponent senseless.
TN. If successful, it is restraining and the Counts as an unaugmented Swing at the
character gains a follow-up attack. opponent’s head. Roll vs Base TN, with a DR
of St+2b.
Double Strike | OFF | AdV | AC2
56

Shield Bash | OFF | AdV | AC0
Strike the opponent with a medium or
larger shield. The attack cannot be parried,
leaving the essential defensive options of
Dodge, Disengage, and Block. Roll vs Base
TN. If successful, it does St+0b damage,
with MoS applying as normal.
Shield Push (AC0) Ram the opponent
with the flat of the shield, knocking
them off-balance. Attack as normal
with the shield. If successful, oppo-
nent loses MoS from impact and the
maneuver is restraining. On a MoS3+,
the character is knocked prone on
top of that. Prone characters count as
disadvantaged.
TRIP | OFF | AdV | AC2
Use the length of a weapon or one’s own
limbs to hook an opponent’s legs or joints
and render them prone. Roll vs Base TN.
If successful, the attack is restraining. The
target is knocked prone and disadvantaged.
An MoS3+ means that in the following
single tempo, you are advantaged against
them on top of that.
Wind | OFF | AdV | AC1
Controlling the opponent’s weapon
by maintaining contact with one’s own,
winding it to find an opening. May only
be declared in the tempo following blade-
to-blade (haft-to-blade, etc) contact — i.e. a
Parry or Counter, regardless of who initi-
ated and who won.
Declare a Wind and make an unaug-
mented Swing or Thrust attack with the
blade or pommel. The thigh and shin wheel
may not be targeted. The defender is limited
to only two defensive options: Counter or
Expulsion.
The wind lasts until the person with
initiative opts to drop it, or until a defender
successfully uses Expulsion. Otherwise,
the effect continues regardless of who is in
control, free of additional AC. A successful
Wind attack can thus lead into another
Wind attack without additional cost, or a
successful Counter to a Wind can lead to
another Wind attack without additional
cost.
05 Proficiencies & M aneuvers
Diego successfully parries a Swing from
Jaff. Having gained the initiative and
established blade contact, Diego pays
the AC and declares a Wind. He makes
a Thrust at Jaff’s chest. As a Wind has
been declared, Jaff’s only two defensive
options are Counter and Expulsion. He
chooses to pay Counter’s AC and rolls.
By the skin of his teeth, Jaff manages to
deflect the attack and gain the initiative.
The counter randomization roll declares
Diego’s head wheel as the next target. Jaff
elects to keep the Wind going, paying no
further AC for the Wind and uses Swing,
gaining a handful of bonus dice from the
previous Counter. As the Wind is still
going, Diego’s only defensive options are
Counter and Expulsion, just like Jaff’s
before. He elects for the former.
Jaff’s strike connects and Diego gets a
level 2 cut on his forehead. Jaff retains
initiative and elects to continue the Wind,
paying no further AC. This will continue
on without additional cost until either a
defender succeeds at an Expulsion, or an
attacker voluntarily drops the Wind.
Defensive Maneuvers
Deflect & Strike | DEF | AdV | AC2
Deflect an opponent’s strike with one
weapon or shield while performing an
offensive maneuver with the other.
The deflection can either be an un-
augmented Parry or Block that grants a
follow-up attack. Usually performed with
two weapons, but the follow-up attack can
also be performed with an unarmed attack
or grab.
Slip & Strike | DEF | AdV | AC1
Evade the opponent’s strike while re-
sponding with your own. Defend as disad-
vantaged. If successful, you may perform a
follow-up attack.
57
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Special Maneuvers
Special Maneuvers are neither attack nor defense, but something in-between.

Mastercut | SPEC | AdV | AC1

A maneuver specific to swords of the hand-and-a-half or two-handed variety. Swing
the weapon at one’s opponent while angling the blade in such a way that it blocks the
opponent’s line of attack, defending in the same motion.
Can be declared as either an offensive or defensive maneuver. In either case, roll vs Base
TN. Against an attack, it counts as a successful defense. As an offense, it does no damage
directly, but becomes restraining. MoS becomes a follow-up Swing-based attack. Cannot
be used from Half-sword.

Half-Swording | GRIP | AdV | AC0/1

Take a two-handed sword or messer and change your grip, placing the off-hand forward
of the guard onto the blade creating a “short spear” effect.
Weapon length goes down by two categories (Long becomes Short, Medium becomes
Close) and the weapon’s damage is modified by +1DR thrust, -1DR swing. Most weapons of
this variety can also now make use of the Hook and Murder Stroke maneuvers.
Switching grips is free at refresh, but has an AC1 between maneuvers.

Reverse Grip | GRIP | AdV | AC0/1

Hold a one-handed weapon in an over-arm or ice-pick grip. Reduces the weapons length
category by 1 and makes the Parry maneuver disadvantaged, but allows the Power Swing
maneuver to be used as a Thrust. A Power Swing cannot be combined with a Precision
Thrust.
Switching grips is free at refresh, but has an AC1 between maneuvers.

58
Do I need all of this?
Simple combat as
a stand-alone
In some campaigns or
for some groups, combat
The number of options provided by maneuvers, proficiencies and so on can be over-
may just not be all that
whelming at first. In Chapter 10, we provide some tricks on learning or teaching the com- important — either to
bat system, but sometimes the scene just doesn’t need a resolution system this detailed. the story, or the players.
Instead, we offer you the following solution: In other cases, players
may want to dig into
and learn the meat of the
Simple Combat game but aren’t ready
to deal with any of the
Instead of jumping to a normal melee combat scene, a quick fight can be resolved with advanced combat stuff.
Simple Combat.
In either situation,
Simple Combat is treated like an opposed skill check, with each side rolling Agility/ feel free to use Simple
(Half their proficiency ranks, per the Proficiency as Skill rules). If one side is better armed Combat as the default
or armored, they gain an advantage. If they are better armed and armored, they opponent combat system in your
has a disadvantage as well. Resolve as a normal opposed roll. game. You’re missing a
If multiple characters are involved, the fight splits into two teams with one character lot, but you can make
due without it.
on each side taking point as normal. Each helping character may contribute a single die
to their side’s collective pool, as normal. If they are using a proficiency ranked 6 or higher, When the players are
about to get in a fight,
they may add one additional die as though it were an expertise.
treat the whole thing as
The winners gets what they wanted, establishing a clear victory over their opponent, an opposed roll and have
who has either been backed into a corner, forced into some kind of hold, or otherwise the outcome be based on
beaten into submission. Everyone involved takes a level 2 wound, the location of which what the players have
the opponent gets to specify. Wounds taken in simple combat are not reduced by Stamina in mind. If that means
or armor. they want to kill their
opponents, then if they
MoS3+ gives the victorious side a choice. They can either choose not to suffer any in-
win, they do. On the
juries from the fight, or they may increase their opponent’s injuries to a maximum level
other hand, that likely
equal to their total MoS. If the winners have MoS4, they may inflict level 4 injuries on their means that if they lose,
opponents. they might be captured
If either side is not satisfied with the result of the scuffle, they can invoke Resort to or killed themselves.
Violence and go into full melee, but all prior injuries remain in effect. Feel free to disregard
Simple Combat is best used to resolve quick and dirty scuffles that aren’t necessarily the MoS results given,
intended to be lethal in resolution, but you can technically use them as a quick, narrative and instead use Table
solution for combat scenes. 2.03: Magin of Success
in Chapter 02 to work
out appropriate com-
plications based on the
results.

59
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

60
 06 E dges
& Flaws
Attributes, skills, and proficiencies are all numerical measurements of a character’s talents and
capabilities, but not every character trait is so easily quantified. Edges and flaws are a way in which
characters may be fleshed out and made unique, introducing qualities that either augment or hinder
the way in which they interact with the world and how the world interacts with them.
Note that the edges and flaws you choose need to make sense when taken together. A character
cannot be both Beautiful and Ugly or Wealthy and Poor at the same time.

E dges
Edges are qualities or abilities that in some way benefit the character or offer them an advanta-
geous position in the world. Edges grant very little in the way of bonus dice, and the majority offer no
numeric benefit at all. Instead, they modify how your character is treated in general, or expand their
capabilities. Sometimes this will omit the need for a roll entirely. In other cases, they will allow a roll
that would otherwise be impossible.
There are no edges with the primary purpose of benefiting a character in combat, or enhancing
a skill or attribute. Each edge is intended to be an inherent quality of the character or their circum-
stances, defining them in some way outside of the parameters of any other priority pick. Along with
Story Aspects, edges also directly communicate to the GM what kind of challenges you want to face
and what kind of story you want to tell.

Ally (major or minor)

Your character has a specific person, entity, or group who shares similar goals and interests or is
otherwise politically entangled with them.
Create an NPC or Warband to be the character’s Ally. Major Allies are generally people with sub-
stantial wealth, power, or influence (the Duke of Ulfrey, or the leader of the thieves guild). Minor Allies
are individuals or members of a small group (a brother in arms, one’s clansmen.)
The edge implies a specific arrangement or understanding between the player and NPC(s) that the
GM will honor. Allies are willing to help the character in ways that don’t interfere with their own
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
agenda. However, just like any relationship,
The Right allies may ask for favors in return or grow
weary of characters that take advantage of
combination
their friendship.
Reminder:
• One major edge (or Ambidextrous (major)
flaw) can be traded Your character is equally adept with
for two minor edges
either hand, being neither left nor right-
(or flaws)
handed. They may fight freely with either
• Two minor edges (or hand without training a left-handed version
flaws) can be traded
of a proficiency, and gain an advantage in
for one major edge situations where the coordination of two
(or flaw)
limbs might prove advantageous, such as
• Only one such shift various Athletics checks.
may take place. Two
As most opponents are trained to deal
major edges can’t
be traded for four with right-handed adversaries, your char-
minor edges. acter also gains a +1CP advantage when
wielding the primary weapon in the left
• Edges and flaws
do not cancel each hand.
other out. Flaws
Animal Kin (major or minor)
can’t be used to
“buy” additional Your character feels a kinship with
animals of all kinds. For whatever reason,
edges.
animals respond well to them and even
• Players can opt to
gain an additional wild beasts tend to regard the character
flaw or two with the more with curiosity than hostility.
GM’s approval. The minor version of this edge applies
to domestic animals which will be friendly
towards the character by default. The char-
acter may also make a Social/Cunning roll
to train or calm a domestic animal instead
of needing a relevant Trade skill.
The major version of this edge extends
the benefits to wild animals as well, which
will be friendly towards the character un-
less an aggressive action is performed. A
Social/Cunning check can be used to calm
aggressive animals, with Obs based on
circumstance. The character never needs to
roll for handling domestic animals, except
when that animal is specifically trained to
attack or guard the area the character is in.
In that case, the character needs to succeed
on a Social/Cunning check opposed by the
animal’s Cunning/Willpower.
Asset (major or minor)
Your character legally possesses some- attention, other characters will most likely
thing that is extremely valuable.
A minor asset isn’t necessarily unique or Claim (major or minor)
one of a kind in nature. Usually it is an item
that is relatively mundane but normally out
62
of reach for a character’s wealth and social
class, such as peasant owning a sword or a
set of armor, a low-freeman owning an Inn,
a high freeman owning a moderate sailing
vessel.
A major asset is not just something that
may be out of reach for the character’s
wealth and social class, but also unique
and irreplaceable — the best inn in town, a
self-financed man-of-war, an ancient sword
of unique metallurgical properties, the only
copy of a treasure map, or even a person that
the character has control over (a beautiful
unwed sister that can be married off to your
political or financial advantage.)
If sold, bartered, or destroyed, the out-
come would most definitely change the
character’s life, either from the gained prof-
its or from the sheer impact that giving up
such an item would bring.
If the asset ever becomes a subject of plot-
ting and desire for a number of other people,
add the Coveted flaw to your character sheet
as well.
Beauty (major or minor)
Most characters are assumed to be of
average appearance, either somewhat hand-
some or perhaps a little plain. Characters
with the Beauty edge are a cut above.
The minor version of this edge means that
your character is very attractive, standing
out in a group of their peers and finding no
end of attention. They gain an advantage on
any roll where their appearance could play
a factor.
The major version of this edge represents
truly legendary beauty — the sort that
inspires songs and make blood run hot.
They stick out even in a crowd of beauti-
ful people and have the power to influence
those around them to make bad decisions.
The character always counts as advantaged
on rolls where their appearance would play
a part, even when some disadvantage would
otherwise cancel it out. When competing for
be forgotten or downright ignored.
Your character is legally recognized as
having a claim on an important title or
holding. Such claims are almost always
based on familial bloodlines, either directly
or through marriage. For royalty, this may
mean having been born into the reigning
dynasty, or having descended from a pre-
vious sovereign. The Claim edge can also
allow a character to inherit a title they
would not normally be eligible for, such as
an elder sister attempting to inherit under
male primogeniture.
The minor version of this edge represents
either an unchallenged claim to a title that
is equal to or below your current station,
or a disputed claim to a title above your
station.
The major version of this edge represents
an unchallenged claim that is a level above
your social class, or a disputed claim to
royal succession.
Note that in a feudal society, having a
claim is the most crucial prerequisite for
waging war over land. Declaring war on
someone without possessing a claim over the
disputed property first would be considered
“unjustifiable”. It would be seen as an act
of rebellion and no noble stands for under-
mining their own authority. Declaring an
unjustifiable war would gain the defendant
a huge number of allies, no matter their
previous track record and reputation. As
such, forging documents to conjure up legal
grounds for a claim was extremely common
in medieval times. Of course, there’s no
need for a Claim if you want to wage war
against pagans or infidels — those kinds of
wars were always considered “justifiable”.
While the above focuses on kings and
royalty, the edge can also easily be scaled
down to other titles, positions, or even just
a squabble over a family’s inheritance if it is
central enough to the story.
Contacts (major or minor)
Contacts are individual NPCs who are
willing to provide information or do small
favors for the PC, provided doing such
doesn’t require them to stick their necks out.
Contacts are usually minor characters in a
position to come into contact with sensitive
information.
The minor version of this edge gives you
access to two contacts while the major ver-
sion gives you five. The player taking this Good Example
edge must name all of the contacts, as well contacts
as outline their occupations or areas of
influence. • Annabel Parrish, a
tavern wench with
Contacts are treated like any NPC. The an ear for gossip
edge implies a specific arrangement or
• Nanette Heerden, a
understanding between the player and kitchen servant in
NPC that the GM will honor. Most contacts Castle Blackwell
expect some kind of compensation for their
• Donegul Flann, a
work. For some, this may take the form of guard of the City
coins or favors. For others, it may simply Watch
be the pleasure of your company. Details
• Sabine Marsh, a
should be discussed with the GM when this
working girl in a
edge is taken. local brothel
• Kuldar Kangro,
Deadeye (major)
an observant
You are the rifleman Plunkett, Matthew
longshoreman
Quigley or Simo Häyhä of your day and
age. • Eirik Olafsson, a
clerk in the gov-
For whatever reason, your character has
erner’s employ
an uncanny ability to gauge distance, wind,
and elevation differences, as well as account
for the projectile drop in a way that borders
on the supernatural.
With this edge, you have the ability
to spend an SA point to reach one range
band further from your weapon’s regular
maximum range, ignoring both the rifling
requirements for distance as well as the
need to lay the weapon on a rest.
Double-jointed (minor)
The character is Double-Jointed and un-
usually flexible. They can contort their bod-
ies in ways others can’t, fit into odd places
and even twist themselves in ways others
wouldn’t anticipate, allowing them to slip
out of ropes or other bindings (Ob6 normally,
Ob4 for the Double-Jointed character).
The character counts as advantaged on
any roll that is dependent on flexibility, and
may use either a Legerdemain or Athletics
check to free themselves from bonds even
in situations that would not normally allow
for them.
Characters can also wiggle through tight
spaces where others couldn’t fit, provided
that there is enough space to easily fit the
character’s head through. Passing through
63
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
such a narrow opening requires an Agility/ repeat the check again or the character drops
Athletics check at Ob4, or Ob3 if all cloth- dead.
ing is removed first. While in this state, the character may only
attack and must always attack the nearest
Entertainer (major or minor) living opponent, even if they have yielded
Your character is an extremely versatile or are running away. The character may not
entertainer. declare any defensive maneuvers, except for
The minor version of this edge grants 6 those that have an aggressive component
additional points to spend on Perform skills (e.g., Deflect & Strike, Slip & Strike)
as you see fit. The major version of this edge At the end of combat, the character
yields 12. suffers the full effects of their injuries,
Fearless (major) including Base TN shifts and Blood Loss.
Characters that have been resisting death
Your character fears no mortal thing.
through Health rolls finally succumb to
They may ignore any attempts at intimida-
their wounds and die.
tion and need never make checks to avoid
natural fear (as opposed to being sickened If taken as an edge, characters with Frenzy
by gore). must spend a period of time (ten minutes to
half an hour) inducing their state through
Note that just because a character is
breathing exercises, ritual, herbs, or just
Fearless does not mean they are reckless
psyching themselves up to achieve the effect.
or careless. A threat made against said
It is not something that can be switched on
character’s family would not unman them
at the beginning of a fight. Characters may
and force them to yield, but the character
choose to come out of Frenzy whenever they
would still have to weigh the potential con-
please, but will automatically lose its benefit
sequences of their actions.
when the last opponent is gone. Once over,
FRENZY (major) they will experience a TN shift of fatigue
Can also be taken as a major flaw. that lasts for the duration of the scene while
they recover.
In every generation of warriors, there are
those who can only cope with the violence If taken as a flaw, Frenzy represents a
by giving into it wholly. rage that is beyond the character’s control.
In addition to being intentionally activated
Your character is capable of working
per the edge version, it may be tempted
themselves into a terrifying frenzy. When
any time the character takes a wound in
in this altered state of consciousness, they
combat or whenever certain other flaws are
lose all fear and become resistant to pain,
triggered (e.g., Blood Thirsty, Temper). Once
throwing themselves headlong into battle
activated, the character will continue to
without concern for life and limb.
fight each round until they can pass an Ob5
While in a Frenzy, all impact ratings are Willpower/Cunning check. So consumed
halved and any TN shifts from a wound are they that friend and foe begin to blur.
are counted as two steps lower, effectively If there are no more enemies to left to kill,
ignoring the shifts from level 1, 2, and 3 they will go on to attack their friends as
wounds entirely. The effects of level 4 and well. If no friends are left alive, they will at-
5 wounds are significantly lessened, but tack horses and mutilate corpses until their
things like broken bones or severed limbs rage dissipates.
will still apply.
If a character received an injury that Gut Feeling (major)
would have killed them outright, they may Your character has a capacity for intu-
make an Ob5 Health (Stamina/Willpower) ition that borders on supernatural.
check. If the character passes this check, At any time the player may burn a point
they somehow stagger on. At the end of of SA and ask the GM one of the following
each combat round, they must successfully questions:
64
 • Is this a good idea? the sentence on your character sheet.
• Can I trust them? “I always draw my sword at the
• What am I missing? first sign of danger.”
To the first two questions, the GM will “I always have lockpicks concealed
provide a yes or no answer. It will be the on my person.”
truth, to the best of the GM’s knowledge. To “I always keep my pistol loaded.”
the last, the GM will provide some hint or
“I never leave home without a
new piece of information that the character
knife.”
did not previously know or notice. “Does
this room look smaller on the inside?” “I never leave my hat behind.”
“I never eat or drink without seeing
Hardened (minor) someone else have a taste first.”
Your character has been exposed to vile This action cannot itself resolve a roll or
substances and horrific sights long enough bypass a conflict (“I always win at arm wres-
to become immune to their effects. They tling” is not a valid edge). The edge must be
never need to make checks to avoid being something your character can be assumed
sickened by gore, filth and fouls smells (as to do without interference.
opposed to avoiding natural fear).
You should explain in what line of work Keen-Eared (major)
your character acquired this level of de- Your character has remarkable hearing,
tachment, but the edge is common among able to pick up details beyond normal man,
veteran soldiers, butchers, sewer workers, or outside of the range of normal hearing.
etc. Rather than a bonus to Perception checks,
which are as much about ’noticing’ some-
Home Turf (Minor/Major)
thing as the physical ability to hear it, the
Your character has an area that they character can instantly recognize someone’s
know like no one else. They never take voice or the source of a sound, provided it
Background checks to know something isn’t completely unfamiliar. The edge also
about that area, or need to roll Background allows rolling to hear things that are too
or Survival to navigate it. If they have to quiet, too far, or outside of the frequency of
make an opposed roll where knowledge of normal ears.
the local terrain can be useful (losing a pur-
suer, tracking a fugitive, setting an ambush) Large (major)
they gain an advantage on the roll. A mountain of a man, you are a full head
The minor version of this edge represents taller than most men, and twice as broad as
either a single part of a city (“The southern some.
district”), or a small section of a larger Size has its benefits. You gain an ad-
general region (“The north woods”) no more vantage on any skill or attribute checks in
than one or two-days ride from a focal which your sheer size and weight would be
point. This is often wherever the character’s a benefit, as well as any Manipulate roll to
Background is from. Intimidate. Your character receives +2CP
The major version of this edge represents for all melee combat pools from their reach
a broader scope of travel and reference, and mass. Finally, purchasing the 5th dot
designating an entire geographic region or in Strength and Stamina is cheaper for you.
part of a political region (“Northern France,”At character creation, these cost 1 point
“The Scottish Highlands,” “The Black Forest”) each instead of 2. After character creation,
those attributes cost 3x the current rank to
I Always/Never (minor) improve later, rather than 4x the current
Your character has a certain behavior that rank.
they automatically perform to their advan- Unfortunately, your size has some draw-
tage, whether you specify it or not. Finish backs as well. Clothing and armor needs to
65
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
be sized for you, meaning custom tailoring,
special orders, and long waits. Any pur-
chases that would be affected by the char-
acter’s bulk are twice the listed cost and
take twice as long to procure. Purchasing a
horse strong enough to carry the character
is 3x the cost, representing the expense and
difficulty in finding such an animal.
Light Sleeper (minor)
Your character has an abundance of ener-
gy and needs never sleep too deeply. Where
most characters require 6-8 hours of sleep
each night to avoid fatigue, yours may skirt
by with only 4. In addition, your Perception
checks are never “passive” for the purposes
of waking from slumber (hearing someone
in your room, for example).
Lip Reading (minor)
Somewhere along the way, your charac-
ter picked up the interesting talent of read-
ing lips.
Within short range or closer, the charac-
ter may make a normal Perception vs Ob3
to read the lips of a character speaking any
language that the character knows. It is also
much easier to use lip reading to “confirm”
what you are hearing than to understand
a conversation by lip reading alone. If the
character can overhear even faint traces of
the conversation, they may make the check
vs Ob2.
It’s important to note that lip reading
isn’t perfect even in ideal circumstances.
Words beginning with vowels are hard to
catch, some consonants provide no visual
cues, some provide extremely similar ones
and many words share the same lip pat-
terns. In effect, nearly a third of the sounds
cannot clearly be read from the mouth.
This means that a sizable portion of the
information is gathered using clues from
facial expressions, body language and the
presumed context of the conversation. The
GM should take at least some of that into
account, when giving out information.
If the target keeps getting briefly ob-
scured (people walk by), speaks very fast or
is void of facial expressions, the check must
be made vs OB4. If two or more of those
effects compound, the check must be made
66
vs Ob5.
When this edge is taken in conjunction
with the Deaf flaw, the character never needs
to make a roll to read from lips. However,
when trying to covertly “eavesdrop” a party
of three or more, where heads are more
likely to turn in discussion, a Perception
check vs Ob3 might still be necessary to
piece together the snippets of conversation.
Literate (major or minor)
Your character has been privileged to
learn the mysterious and magical art of
reading.
The minor version of this edge means
that your character is able to read and write
in the alphabet most common to their area.
In medieval Europe, that would typically
be Latin, but at the player’s option could be
one of the other quite widespread alphabets
such as Greek or Arabic, with Hebrew,
Coptic and Cyrillic being less common.
Most runic alphabets had already died out
with the adoption of the Latin alphabet in
that period.
If the character wants to be able to read
the less common alphabets, they must know
the language first, and then buy a Literacy
expertise to that Language skill. However,
such feat cannot be accomplished without
having the Literate edge first.
The major version of this edge allows your
character to read and write every language
that they speak.
NB! This edge can only be taken in a game
in which everyone is assumed to be illiterate
by default. The literacy level of the game has
to be decided before character creation, as the
Literate edge and Illiterate flaw cannot both be
available in a game. Either one applies, or the
other.
Natural Leader (major)
Your character is apt to inspire or agitate
people towards a common goal.
You gain a natural advantage on any
Command, Manipulate, or Orate check to
inspire, lead, or direct others to action. In
addition, when a group under the character’s
leadership needs to make a Steel test for any
reason, you may choose to make a Social/
Command check on their behalf provided
that you face the same dangers that the rest
of the group does. This test will be at the
same Ob the Steel test would have been.
Network (major)
Your character has a network of spies or
informants that are reliably in their pocket.
This may take the form of actual paid infor-
mants, or represent something akin to the
“good ol’ boys network” of individuals from
a shared background. Nominate a source,
topic, or area for your network.
A source indicates a given group that
serves as your network, either because they
share a background (members of the same
fraternity, cult, or other group), or simply
because you are known to that group (“word
around the guild is that you pay well for this
kind of information”). The information may
be of any type or from any region, but only
from where the source has a presence.
A topic indicates that the character is
known to be in the market for a specific kind
of information (political intrigue among
the nobility; underworld smuggling or drug
trafficking). This information can theoreti-
cally come from anywhere, but the network
can only be leaned on for the specified topic,
or closely related topics.
An area designates a network in a
specific geographic location (London, the
Northern Border, etc) that keeps the charac-
ter apprised of any notable events, gossip, or
information. The character may reach out
to their network for just about anything,
but they have no influence outside of that
region.
To access a character’s network, treat
it like a connections roll (see Chapter 08),
with the character’s network counting as a
five-dot skill. Success grants the character
the information sought as normal, but a
Network never automatically generates new
Contacts the way a normal connections roll
does.
Sometimes the character’s network may
work passively, with information being
offered without the character specifically
looking for it. In these cases, the character
can handle the situation as they see fit,
but repeatedly turning down information
or failing to compensate an informant in
some fashion could give the character a bad
reputation and hinder future attempts to
use their network.
Nondescript (minor)
Your character is exceptionally average
looking and without distinguishing fea-
tures. Others can stare all day and still find
them impossible to describe.
Other characters attempting to recognize
your character by image or a brief previ-
ous sighting need to roll Acumen/Cunning
vs Ob5 for the attempt and it is impossible
to find the character by description alone.
However, this edge has no effect should the
character stand out in some other fashion
than his looks, such as being a complete
stranger in a small community, or hav-
ing a vastly different attire or complexion
compared to those around them. For an
elevated character that has lost uniform or
regalia, this edge can actually impose some
problems.
Male characters have the ability to turn
this edge “off” by grooming a distinctive
set of facial hair, and then turning it back
“on” by having a shave. When a character
with this edge follows such tactic, he is
impossible to recognize even from image or
previous sight, to the point where even the
persons intimately familiar with him may
have trouble recognizing the character (roll
vs Ob3). This trick is a lot harder to pull off in
a culture where having a beard is the norm.
Women can attempt a similar feat, but doing
so requires more drastic measures (shaving
the head, for instance) and generally takes
much longer to turn back on.
For obvious reasons, this edge cannot be
combined with Beauty, Large or the flaws
like Little or Ugly. It will be lost entirely
if the character acquires injuries or flaws
that would make them otherwise stand out
(Disfigured, Amputee, etc).
Patron (major or minor)
Like most explorers, artists or swords-
men you are in the employ of a patron more
powerful than you. Work with the GM to
create an NPC to be your character’s Patron
67
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
and describe both the nature of their rela-
tionship and the duties expected of your
character.
In return, the Patron will see to it that
you are kept fed, clothed, and in some form
of lodging. They will also ensure that you
have the bare minimum tools to perform
your duties, and provide you with a stipend
depending on your social class and whether
you took the major or minor version of the
edge.
Minor Patrons are usually merchants or
lower nobility, and will pay the character
at a step below the incomes for their social
class (paying a lesser noble as though they
were a high freeman, for instance). Major
Patrons are powerful nobility or groups
with a great deal of money to burn and
will pay the character as their social class
deserves.
This is a common edge taken among
knightly characters and sellswords, but
also among artisans and anyone else who
cashed out at character creation.
Perfect Recall (major)
The character has photographic memory.
They automatically pass knowledge-based
checks that concern their background, as
well as all checks to “remember” anything
they have read, seen or done. It presents no
problem for such a character to describe a
person or item in detail, or to quote a whole
book by heart.
Polyglot (major or minor)
Your character is either widely traveled
or simply has a gift for languages.
The minor version of this edge grants 6
additional points to spend on language skills
as you see fit. The major version of this edge
yields 12. Be sure to explain where your
character acquired all those languages!
Renown (major or minor)
The character has more than just a good
reputation in his area. They are remem-
bered specifically for great and heroic deeds
and have earned a name for themselves
(“The Just,” “The Bandit Slayer” or even more
lofty titles “The Hammer of Alva” or “The Retainer (major or minor)
Lionheart”). As their story continues, people
68
are more likely to pay attention to their
accomplishments and perhaps even embel-
lish descriptions of the character or their
exploits. There are bound to be cynical or
grumbling characters around, but they are
clearly in minority. The character gains an
advantage when dealing with someone who
would be impressed by their reputation.
The minor version of this edge means
that the character is known in a city-sized
area. Locals will buy drinks and generally
do nice things for the respectable character.
Any gossip regarding the character is most
likely exaggerated.
The major version of this edge means
that the character is known in a nation-
sized area. Locals will seek them out for
help, advice, or just to meet them, and will
do what they can to associate themselves
with the local hero. Gossip seems to suggest
that the character is a mythical being and
villains often dream about bringing down
the character, as such an exploit would add
greatly to their infamy.
For both versions of the edge, the player
must choose the main characteristic by
which the people recognize the character.
It could be a bodily feature, an article of
clothing, an item the character carries,
or even a coat of arms, if appropriate. The
characteristic has to be clearly visible and
reasonably unique. Recognizing someone
with a reputation purely by their descrip-
tion is an Ob3 task.
Should the character frequently act con-
trary to their heroic reputation, the common
folk will deny it at first, but in case of major
repeated offenses, their status doesn’t just
fade away. Instead, the love they once expe-
rienced quickly turns to hatred. Crowds are
fickle things and the higher they elevate a
hero, the more viciously they will tear them
down.
A character who has done something to
betray their reputation in such a public or
repeated manner that it cannot be ignored
will quickly gain the Infamy or Oathbreaker
flaws, as the adoring crowds turn and cry
out for their blood.
 By whatever circumstance, your charac-
ter has earned the unshakable loyalty and
devotion of another.
A Retainer is an NPC who is attached to
the character and will follow them without
question. While retainers may have their
own motivations, they are merely side-kicks
of the PC for the purposes of story, pursu-
ing their own agendas strictly as secondary
to yours. Retainers may have means of their
own, but the character is expected to see to
their needs as if they were a Patron.
A minor Retainer is dutiful and com-
petent, but usually less “powerful” than
the character they serve. A native guide,
a faithful servant or squire are all minor
Retainers.
Major Retainers are sworn men every
bit as powerful as the character they serve,
though generally of lesser social status or
influence. A faithful bodyguard or man-at-
arms, knight, wise advisor, expert thief or
assassin might all be major Retainers.
It should be noted that there is a differ-
ence between a Retainer and person in your
employ. Though you may be the captain of
a ship, your first mate is not automatically a
Retainer. Jacapo (The Count of Monte Cristo),
Friday (Robinson Crusoe), and Samwise
Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings) are all excel-
lent examples of Retainers.
Scent (Minor)
Your character has a remarkably keen
nose, able to pick up details beyond normal
man or outside of the range of normal hu-
man sense of smell.
The character can roll to sense things
that are too obscure, too far, or with details
too minute for the normal sense of smell,
and can instantly recognize the source
of a smell, provided it isn’t completely
unfamiliar.
This edge often produces excellent per-
fumers, wine connoisseurs and hunters,
but is useless (and very unpleasant) in the
presence of an overpowering smell, such as
in the streets of a city. The character is still
no match for a canine.
Scholar (major or minor)
Your character is extremely well-read,
knowing a great deal about a great many
things.
The minor version of this edge grants 6
additional points to spend on Culture and
Lore skills as you see fit. The major version
of this edge yields 12.
Sea Legs (minor)
Either from extensive experience, or just
from being born a natural, your character is
accustomed to the life at sea.
As long as the vessel is not sinking, your
character never needs to make Balance
checks for moving across the deck, pro-
vided that they have a free hand that they
can support themselves with. The character
never needs to make rolls for climbing on
functional, undamaged rigging, and they
count any ship’s surface to be level for the
purposes of positioning rolls. In addition,
the character can never get seasick.
Note that the character is still affected by
the weather and may need to make checks
when monstrous waves or a wicked wind
would try to cast them overboard.
In a campaign based entirely around
ships and seafaring, this may be a major
edge at the GM’s option.
Sharp-Eyed (major)
Your character has uncanny vision, able
to spot details at distances others can’t see
at all.
Rather than a bonus to Perception checks,
which are as much about ‘noticing’ some-
thing as the physical ability to see it, this
edge makes all items count as one range
band closer for the purposes of discerning
detail.
Southpaw Slayer (minor)
The combat advantage that the left-
handed people receive stems from the fact
that most fighters find themselves in an un-
familiar situation when facing a lefty. Your
character has trained with a left-handed
sparring partner for years and thus knows
every trick in the book that the southpaws
use to gain advantage over the right-handed
people.
69
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
The player must flesh out a left-handed question.
warrior-type NPC as a Contact (see the
Contact edge above). The character receives Wealthy (major or minor)
+4CP when an opponent holds the primary Your character is exceptionally wealthy
weapon in the left hand. for their station.
The minor version of this edge improves
Status (major or minor) their general quality of their trappings, and
Your character wields considerable doubles their income or cash out value. The
influence, authority or respect within a major version of this edge grants starting
clique, guild, order or governing body. The trappings, income or cash out values as
Status vs. character may hold a legitimate rank in the though they were one social class higher. If
Social Class organization or just be revered by the group taken by a greater noble, double the size of
The Status edge assumes in such a way that their opinion carries their holdings and income, as well as any
that the standard priority substantial weight. You must specify the numbers given for troops or families.
table is in use and that organization your character belongs to, and
the organization the if necessary, clarify its nature.
character belongs to will
be appropriate for the
character’s chosen social
class.
The minor version of this edge gives the
character a mid-level position in a larger or-
ganization, such as being a sergeant in the
FlawsWhere edges represent inherent bonuses
city watch, an NCO or a junior officer in the to the character, flaws represent inherent
If a custom priority table
military, an influential master in a guild, a shortcomings or drawbacks that hinder
is being used that doesn’t
include a Social Status member of the city council or an official at the character in certain ways or situations.
column, the GM should the king’s court. Flaws don’t exist to punish the character, but
give more leeway to this Alternatively, the minor version of this instead round them out and add additional
Edge, as it becomes the edge can give the character a high-level ways for players to earn SA points.
primary mechanic for position in small organization having up
a character to represent to two dozen souls, such as being the com-
position and influence. mander of a small vessel, or the leader of a
band of highwaymen.
Playing Up Flaws
Flaws exist to be role-played. While
The major version of this edge gives the some have specific mechanics attached to
character a high-level position in a in a them, all flaws can be played up. A flaw
larger organization, such as being the cap- is played up when role-playing that flaw
tain of the city watch, a senior officer in the becomes detrimental to your character or
military, leader of the thieves’ guild, abbot of otherwise complicates the story as a whole.
a monastery, a mayor or even an advisor to A Big Mouth character blabs the group’s
the king. It may also cover being the leader secret plans over cocktails, your Honorable
of a large body of men, up to two-hundred character chooses to keep their word to the
souls strong. The commander of a man-of- villain when betraying it would have saved
war, a mercenary company, or a particularly so much trouble, are all good examples.
impressive band of highwaymen. When you do this in a way that furthers
It should be noted that while this edge the story and makes things more interest-
can grant significant privileges, resources ing, or when ignoring your flaw would have
and manpower, it will not extend to per- been easier, the GM will award you with
sonal favors within the organization. For an SA point to be added to whichever Story
example, a captain of the Royal Navy might Aspect you please.
wield absolute authority on his ship, but he
couldn’t expect his subordinates to cover
for him during a court martial. For that,
those giving a testimony should either be
Tempting Flaws
Other flaws carry more serious conse-
Allies, Retainers, or the captain should have
quences, and can be tempted. In addition to
Renown that applies for the subordinates in
being played up at will, the GM can tempt
70
you by offering an SA point to suggest a
certain course of action in accordance with
your character’s flaw. For example, a Curious
character could be tempted to examine the
contents of an envelope they were not in-
tended to open.
The player can go along with the sugges-
tion and gain an SA point to be allocated as
they please, but if they want to resist the
temptation, they must burn an SA point.
This SA point may come from any SA they
currently have and counts towards Karma
as normal.
If the character has a Story Aspect that
is in direct conflict with the action being
tempted, they may turn it down without the
point cost.
Addiction (major or minor)
Your character has a serious dependency,
be it a chemical addiction (drugs, alcohol) or
behavior (gambling, etc).
The minor version of this is simply an in-
convenience under most circumstances. A
character having gone more than 24 hours
without feeding their addiction suffers a
level of fatigue (Base TN shift) that will lin-
ger for a week, or until placated whichever
is shorter. During this time, the character
is likely to be agitated and irritable but will
suffer no further effects.
If the character should come into contact
with the object of their addiction thereaf-
ter, they must either indulge themselves or
suffer fatigue and begin the cycle all over
again.
The major version leaves the character
susceptible to temptation by the GM where
their addiction is concerned and withdrawal
is more serious. After 24 hours, the charac-
ter suffers a cumulative level of fatigue for
each day they go without their fix, in addi-
tion to suffering any physical side effects of
chemical withdraw. The fatigue manifests in
cumulative Base TN shifts, but the charac-
ter is counted as advantaged when working
towards to getting their fix.
It’s during this time that the character
may resort to lying, stealing or violence to
feed their addiction as they grow desperate
for a fix.
Affliction (major or minor)
Whatever the character’s overall health
and capability, they suffer from some chronic
Misery Loves
affliction for which there is no treatment or
Company
recovery.
We’ve found that one
A minor Affliction is one which is not of the best ways to play
serious, though it is painful and occasion- up one’s flaws is to make
ally incapacitating. Allergies, arthritis and sure the group of players
anemia are all examples of minor afflictions. is well acquainted with
This is usually played up for effect. each other’s flaws.
A major Affliction is one that is not only Once everyone is at
inconvenient, but life-changing or possibly least aware of the other
terminal. Consumption, leprosy, or seizures player character’s flaws,
are all major Afflictions and are subject to they have a tendency to
throw out suggestions
temptation.
for your character based
on them. While many
Amputee (major or minor)
may be good for nothing
The character has lost some part of a limb more than a good laugh,
to disease or injury. the other players can
The minor Amputee flaw covers a miss- be a surprisingly fun
ing hand, thumb or fingers. If a character source of mischief where
with such a bodily defect needs to use the flaws are concerned.
maimed hand or both of his hands in unison, The GM may partake as
a Ob3 check might be required to succeed well, but unless the flaw
is being tempted, their
in such task, even if the situation wouldn’t
suggestions are no more
normally require a roll. Using two-handed
binding than anyone
weapons is no longer possible, and the char- elses.
acter is limited to using weapons that can Players are also
be strapped on, such as some shields, flails encouraged to nominate
or maces. each other for SA
The major version of this flaw covers a rewards if they notice
whole arm missing, or any part of the leg. another player playing
Characters missing a whole arm (or anything up a flaw that may have
above the elbow) count as disadvantaged gone unnoticed.
when making Agility checks involving bal-
ance. For obvious reasons, they cannot use
weapons that require two hands and they
do not have enough arm to strap a shield or
other weapon to.
Fighting with the off hand uses standard
“defaulting” rules — halve the proficiency
and recalculate the CP. Should a character
(without the Ambidextrous edge) lose or
permanently cripple their dominant hand,
downgrade all the character’s proficiencies
using the same rule. Increasing proficien-
cies from there follows the normal rules for
doing so.
Characters missing any part of the leg and
using a cane or wooden prosthetic are con-
sidered to be Lame (as per the flaw). Without
71
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
a cane or prosthetic, the character is limited Bastard (major)
to jumping on one foot or crawling. Your character was base-born, an illegiti-
mate child. In addition to having no rights
Amnesia (major or minor)
to inherit the family wealth, bastards carry
Your character has a certain degree of a terrible social stigma to them. Men say
memory loss due to brain trauma, psycho- they are born of lust and lies and so their
logical break, or curse. very nature is wanton and treacherous. The
As a minor flaw, the character has no very presence of a bastard has the effect of
recollection of a significant period of time reminding others of their own shortcom-
(months or years), but retains long-term ings and indiscretions.
memories of who they are. When a character’s bastard status is
The major version of this flaw represents known, most characters and NPCs will
a character having no memory of who they treat the character with some distrust (if
are or what they do. Discuss some ideas not disdain), and they will be very slow to
with the GM about who your character advance in any kind of cause or career. The
might have been. The player then selects GM is encouraged to have the character
their priority table as normal and may al- face insults and resentment at every turn,
locate their attributes and edges as they especially when facing someone with noble
please, but the GM spends their skills and heritage.
proficiencies in secret, revealing them only Whether characters start with their
as the player discovers them in play. proper (perhaps high-born) father or their
Regardless of which version of the flaw is mother (whatever their status) is determined
chosen, the player should still have enough by Social Status priority. If the cultural cus-
information about their circumstances toms in a setting place no relevance to the
and the setting to set goals for their SAs. character’s bastard status, this flaw becomes
It shouldn’t be assumed that the character unavailable.
lost their memory thirty seconds before
play begins. Bleeder (major)
The character suffers from hemophilia.
Bad Eyes / Blind (major or minor) Even small wounds, if not treated, may be-
Characters with the minor version of this come fatal due to blood loss.
flaw simply have poor vision — with the All cutting and piercing wounds that do
nearsightedness and farsightedness being not have a listed BL rating are considered
the most common afflictions. A nearsighted to be BL1 for your character. In addition to
character treats all objects as if one range that, all wound treatments are handled with
band further for the purposes of discerning +1Ob.
detail. A farsighted character cannot read
Even the most minor bumps or blunt
without visual aid and is unable to perform
injuries develop into huge, ugly bruises due
tasks that require minute close-up precision.
the internal bleeding for your character,
If either character is engaged in an action
but that effect is purely social for game
dependent on sight outside of their respec-
purposes. On a medical note, this affliction
tive focus (close up work for a farsighted
is far more common in men than in women.
character, anything at greater than an arm’s
While female hemophiliacs do exist, they
distance for a nearsighted character) they
are exceedingly rare.
make any rolls at a disadvantage. A suitable
pair of eyeglasses will negate these effects. Big Mouth (major or minor)
Characters with the major version of Loose lips sink ships and yours could
this flaw are blind or very nearly so, either drown a fleet. The character is notorious for
from injury, disease or at birth. At best they running their mouth, boasting and a com-
see the world as vague colors and blurs. plete inability to keep a secret.
Most see nothing but darkness. Sight-based The minor version of this flaw can be
Perception checks are impossible.
72
played up, earning an SA point when the
character divulges a secret in a way that
creates complications.
The major version of this flaw represents
an almost compulsive need to gossip or a
complete inability to filter what comes out
of their mouth. In addition to the minor ef-
fect, they are also subject to temptation.
Blood Debt (major or minor)
Your character owes their life, liberty or
something equally important to another
character. This is a debt that can never truly
be repaid in the terms of monetary value,
but only repaid in kind.
The minor version of this flaw means that
the debt is owed to an NPC that is neutral
towards the character, or slightly annoying
at worst. The player must flesh out that NPC
to add to their sheet bound by a certain
event in their past.
The major version means that the debt
is owed to a prominent or influential NPC
that the player character loathes or hates.
This debt may be the only thing holding
the character back from slitting the other’s
throat.
Blood Thirsty (major or minor)
Some were born with a gift for violence.
You were born with a lust for it.
The minor version of this flaw implies
that the character gets carried away in the
heat of the moment. They may loathe letting
an enemy yield or have a hard time pulling
themselves away from the battle.
The major version of this flaw escalates
their temperament from ‘getting carried
away’ to unabashed pleasure in violence.
The character will resort to blood at little
provocation, picking fights when none exist
and is prone to temptation.
This flaw is all the more terrible when
combined with other flaws such as Arrogant,
Vengeful, or Temper. Characters with this
flaw also frequently develop Infamy.
Brain Damage (major)
Your character suffers from inhibited
brain functions. The reasons for such afflic-
tion can vary from head trauma and oxygen
starvation to strokes, tumors, infections or
even poisoning.
If this flaw is acquired as the result of
a wound, roll a d6. On a 1-3, they suffer
damage that permanently alters one of
their attributes. On a 4-5, they experience a
miscellaneous side effect. On a 6, they gain
one of each. Attributes reduced this way
may never be improved. If roll lands on an
Attribute that is already at 1, note the result
for role playing purposes, and roll again
adding the second result.
The Miscellaneous Permanent Changes
are all meant to be played up. The smell and
taste results can be defined as whatever the
player desires.
Let’s face it, any realistic representa-
tion of a “major” brain injury would either
render the character a vegetable or greatly
inhibit their basic mental faculties, and thus
restrict the primary means by which the
player controls the character. As such, the
“major” refers to the severity of the flaw, not
to the extent of the actual received injury.
Table 05.01: Attribute Changes
1d6 Attribute
1 Headaches (-1 Acumen)
2 Clumsiness (-1 Agility)
3 Distracted (-1 Cunning)
4 Lethargy (-1 Speed)
5 Weakness (-1 Strength)
6 Impatience (-1 Willpower)
Table 05.02: Misc Permanent Changes
1d10 Change
1 Most things smell like _______
2 Most things taste like _______
3 Slurred speech
4 Sensitivity to light
5 Flattened emotions and reactions
6 Heightened emotions and reactions
7 Aggressiveness / Impulse control
8 Tremors
9 Seizures
10 Sleep disorders
73
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Branded (major or minor)
The character has marks on their body
that give away unfortunate information
about their past. Most commonly, these take
the form of branding that marks the indi-
vidual as having been (or still being) a slave.
In some societies, thieves and criminals are
similarly marked, branded or mutilated.
The minor version of this flaw represents
a mark that can be easily covered by cloth-
ing, such as on the arm, back, or thigh. The
major version is something that cannot
be covered, such as brand on the face or
notches made into the ear or nose.
If the character’s unfortunate past is no-
ticed, then they will likely be treated poorly
and with distrust by most honest folk and
completely alienate them from the nobility
or aristocracy. If visible, a distinct mark-
ing also makes the character more easily
memorized, described, or recognized. They
gain a disadvantage on any social rolls that
would apply, and people trying to identify
them by description gain an advantage, if
applicable.
Can’t Swim (major or minor)
For whatever the reason, your character
never learned to swim.
Most characters can make an Athletics
roll to stay afloat in deep water. Your char-
acter sinks like a stone. In the event of a
nearby floating object or rope, the character
can make an Athletics test for the purposes
of trying to grab hold of it. Otherwise, they
simply disappear beneath the surface.
Note that unlike in movies, drowning
people are physiologically unable to call
out for help (breathing is prioritized over
speech), and as they cannot control their
arm movements voluntarily, they cannot
wave for help either.
This is a surprisingly common flaw, espe-
cially for city-dwellers or any culture that
primarily bathes indoors. Because so many
navies are made up of city-dwellers at ports,
it’s shockingly common among sailors as
well.
In most games, this will be a minor flaw.
In an explicitly naval game, it counts as a
major flaw instead.
74
Coveted (major or minor)
Your character possesses something that
is dearly coveted by their rivals.
The minor version means that the cov-
eted item is on par with your character’s
social standing and that it is mostly coveted
by people of equal standing. The major ver-
sion means that the item your character
has is coveted by people above their station.
Create an NPC of appropriate station who
covets what you have.
The coveted item can be anything, as
long as it is irreplaceable — a desirable piece
of property, a valuable item that belongs
to someone else, a treasure map, or even a
person that the character has control over,
such as the greatest gladiator that the city
of Capua has ever known.
Craven (major)
There is no easy way to say this. Your
character is a coward. Though they may well
be capable of acting the part of the warrior,
they will run from any real trouble.
They may be able to linger in the midst
of a battle that seems to be going their way,
but when confronted by any personal dan-
ger or intimidation, they will turn tail and
run. Whenever threatened, intimidated, or
attacked the character tends to flee, hide,
give in, or react in a similarly appropriate
manner.
The flaw can be played up, earning an
SA point when the character’s cowardice
incurs a personal or financial cost, or leaves
a trusted ally in trouble. It is subject to
temptation.
Cruel (major or minor)
Your character has a vicious streak, giv-
ing them pleasure from inflicting physical,
mental or emotional pain on others.
The minor version of this flaw exists pri-
marily to be played up, earning an SA point
when your character indulges the cruelty
in a way that incurs a personal or financial
cost, or complicates the story at hand.
The major version escalates their cruel
streak to near pathological sadism. In addi-
tion to the minor effect, they are also subject
to temptation.
Curious (minor) disadvantaged on any social rolls that their
Your character has a terrible curiosity to appearance might influence, but gain an
them and it leads them to trouble. They tend advantage on Intimidation.
to ask too many questions, take too many
risks and generally stick their nose where it Distinctive Feature (minor)
doesn’t belong. They are the type who abso- Your character has an exceptionally
lutely must open the box, press the button or distinctive body feature that makes them
look behind the next door. memorable. Others can barely glance at you
The flaw can be played up, earning an SA before your feature ingrains itself into their
point when the character’s curious nature minds.
gets them in trouble or distracts them from Anyone noticing the distinctive feature
something important. Despite it being a of your character can easily remember it,
minor flaw, the character is also subject to which can be either a drawback, or a benefit,
temptation. depending on the situation. It doesn’t neces-
sarily make your character stand out in a
Daredevil/Death Wish (major or crowd per se, but they are definitely easy
minor) to identify. If a roll should ever depend on
For whatever the reason, your character it, the character making the identification
treads a path that will lead inexorably to counts as advantaged.
their destruction. While they may have If your character’s distinctive feature
never contemplated suicide, they make a matches other flaws such as Amputee,
habit of putting themselves in harms way. Branded, Disfigured, Infamy, Lame,
The minor version is primarily meant Little, Missing Ear, One-Eyed, Outsider,
to be played up, earning an SA point when Stereotyped, etc, or even edges such as
playing fast and loose puts the character Beauty, Large or Renown, you should take
in danger, endangers others, or otherwise those other specific traits instead.
complicates the story at hand.
Elderly (major)
The major version escalates their dare-
devil antics to a full on death wish, in which Most characters are assumed to be in
they seem to be actively, compulsively their 20s or 30s when they begin their tale.
putting themselves in harm’s way under Yours is well past their prime.
the guise of heroism or simple apathy. In Your character’s physical attributes
addition to the minor effect, they are also (Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Speed) are
subject to temptation. penalized. At character creation, the third,
fourth, and fifth dots cost double what they
Disfigured (major or minor) normally would and cannot be raised be-
Your character has been maimed by an yond their initial values.
injury, their disfigurement making them
hard to look at. Enemy (major or minor)
Minor disfigurements are simple ones Somewhere in the character’s life they
(scars on face, missing teeth or ear) or those have earned the enmity or hatred of an-
that are easily covered (deep scars on back, other who now works for their ruin. Work
sides). These scars are ugly when visible, but with the GM to create an NPC whose ire the
otherwise provide no detriment. character has earned.
Major disfigurements are more gruesome The minor version of this flaw implies
(missing nose, mouth split with an axe, or a nemesis that has resources and skills no
greater than 50% facial scarring), giving the greater than the character, though they
character appearance of a monster. People may have more contacts. The minor Enemy
try to avoid dealings with the character works for the ruin of the character’s reputa-
whenever possible and any romantic inter- tion and fortune but does not actively seek
ests are extremely unlikely. The character is their life unless the conflict escalates.
75
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
The major version of this flaw represents
an enemy with resources, skills, and con-
tacts far greater than the character. The ma-
jor Enemy actively works for the complete
ruin or murder of the character and needs
little excuse to endanger or kill their friends
and loved ones as well.
Eunuch (major or minor)
Your character no longer has functioning
male genitalia.
The minor version of this flaw represents
a loss that has come later in life, after the
character has reached physical maturity.
Their skin may grow soft and they may
retain weight, but their appearance is oth-
erwise no different from a normal man and
likely to be overlooked if their status is not
already known.
The major version of this flaw repre-
sents a character that was castrated before
puberty. As a result they never developed
proper male characteristics and take on an
androgynous appearance in addition to the
tendency to retain weight. Unless the char-
acter takes steps specifically to disguise
their appearance, they are easily recognized
as a eunuch.
While in some societies the eunuch may
be part of a specific and honored caste,
outside of that context (and to the common
people of any setting) they are frequently
distrusted or ridiculed and take a disadvan-
tage on applicable social rolls.
Greedy (major or minor)
Your character has never met a coin they
didn’t like. Whether they dream of a deca-
dent lifestyle only gold can provide or they
are hardened misers counting every penny
they find, nothing is as sweet to their ear as
the clinking of coins.
The minor version of this flaw exists
primarily to be played up, earning an SA
point when the character seeks wealth in
a way that either puts themselves at great
risk, or costs them in the terms of personal
relations.
The major version escalates their Greed
to a level of obsession. In addition to the in the area, your character never really got
minor effect, the character is also subject to around to learning it. They are illiterate and
76
temptation.
Hard of Hearing / Deaf (major or
minor)
Characters with the minor version of this
flaw were either born with poor hearing or
their hearing is growing dull with age.
In case of the minor version make any
rolls as disadvantaged. If the noise if very
quiet or subtle, the Perception check might
be altogether denied.
The major version of this flaw represents
deafness, whether from birth, age, or injury.
They cannot make out words spoken to
them and automatically fail auditory based
Perception checks.
Honorable (minor)
Your character is a man (or woman!) of
honor, whatever that might mean. They
are a person of integrity, and will always
attempt to do what they believe is “right,”
putting honor, duty and conscience above
all else even at grave cost.
The flaw can be played up, earning an
SA point when the character acts honorably
in a way that incurs a personal or financial
cost, or puts themselves in danger. Despite
it being a minor flaw, the character is also
subject to temptation.
If the honorable quality is known, it
works as a minor version of Renown, mean-
ing that the character is known in a city-
sized area where the local do nice things for
the respectable person. They will also gain
an advantage on any social rolls that are
dependent on their honesty or integrity.
However, the higher esteem in which
we hold someone, the quicker we are to de-
nounce them when they fall. If the character
should ever betray their honor, they gain
either Oathbreaker or Infamy in addition.
This is another common flaw among he-
roes and nobility. It is frequently combined
with Uncompromising or Proud, compound-
ing the effects.
Illiterate (minor)
Despite reading being quite common skill
simply cannot seem to grasp the concept no
matter how patiently they are shown (until
the flaw is bought off).
NB! This flaw can only be taken in a game
in which everyone is assumed to literate by
default. The literacy level of the game has to
be decided before character creation, as the
Literate edge and Illiterate flaw cannot both
be available in a game. Either one applies, or
the other.
Indebted (major or minor)
Your character owes someone a great
deal of money. The player needs to flesh
out an NPC to whom they owe the money,
as well as under what circumstance it was
borrowed. For the minor version of this
flaw, it is more money than they can ever
comfortably pay off (at least equal to their
cash out value) but they owe it to reason-
able people or a legal institution. The major
version is the same quantity of money, but
it is owed to someone nobody wants to be
indebted to — either a powerful loan shark,
a criminal element, or some other force that
is willing to make their life hell in course of
collection.
Characters who want to really play up
this flaw should look into the Poor flaw as
well.
Infamy (major or minor)
The character is publicly known for
something awful. They are either hated
or feared, and in the process have earned
themselves a title or nickname (“Kinslayer,”
“Turncloak,” “The Butcher.”) When dealing
with respectable people that know of the
reputation, they gain a disadvantage on
applicable social rolls. When meeting with
other characters of ill repute, they may gain
an advantage to rolls that specifically play
off of their reputation.
The minor version of this flaw means that
the character is known in a city-sized area
with a presence that strikes fear into the
locals. The common folk will try to avoid
that person, keeping a low profile when
confronted and parting at the first oppor-
tunity. Any gossip regarding the character
is most likely exaggerated.
The major version of this flaw means that
the character is known in a nation-sized
area and represents a villainous or mon-
strous reputation. Locals will inform the
authorities, hide, or generally do things to
prevent the character from harming their
community, including treating him well
if they have no other means to make the
character’s stay as brief and harmless as
possible. Gossip would suggest the charac-
ter is more (or less!) than human, some kind
of boogeyman to scare children at night.
Would-be do-gooders dream about making
the world a better place by removing you
from it. Other villains alternate between
respecting your reputation and wanting to
kill you to improve their own.
In some ways, the character’s own infa-
my is part of what keeps them safe. Should
they act contrary to their reputation, it
will be seen as a sign of weakness. Parties
the character has wronged in the past will
emerge in numbers, sensing an opportunity
for revenge. In the case of repeated, major
offenses against their reputation, even the
characters allies may believe they have gone
soft and plot against him.
As such, characters with the Infamy flaw
often have additional flaws, such as Blood
Thirsty, Vengeful, or Temper.
Note that a character may not have actu-
ally perpetrated the crimes that they are
infamous for. Unfortunately, a claim of in-
nocence does little to defend against public
opinion.
Insomniac (minor)
Your character has trouble getting to
sleep and staying asleep.
Your Perception checks are never passive
for the purposes of waking from slumber
(hearing someone in your room, for ex-
ample), but their quality of sleep is always
poor. If woken, they lose any benefit from
the resting that night. After a sleepless night
the character is also subject to temptation
in situations where being groggy and dull-
witted from lack of sleep may occur.
77
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Lame (major) The minor version of this flaw represents
Whether from a birth defect, illness or a selfish streak in the character, putting their
injury, one of your character’s legs doesn’t own skin before anyone else. They may still
work properly. This flaw also covers char- go out of their way for people they consider
acters wearing braces, as well as peg legged friends and allies, but if it comes down to
characters. you or the other guy, it’s a bad day to be him.
Lame characters suffer a disadvantage This is primarily played up, earning an SA
on any roll involving intricate footwork, point when behaving in such a way that is
including positioning rolls. self-serving at someone else’s expense, par-
Lame can be played up, earning an SA ticularly when that action makes enemies
point when the lameness greatly embar- or otherwise complicates the story.
rasses, or inconveniences the character far The major version of this flaw represents
beyond usual, but it can also be tempted a kind of attitude that knows no loyalty.
by suggesting that the lameness hinder a Others are a means to an end — kept around
character such as stumbling, falling or not and happy when useful, discarded when
reaching something at a critical moment in not. In addition to the minor effect, they are
the story. also subject to temptation.
For obvious reasons, characters with Me,
Lecherous (minor) Myself, and I also commonly possess the
Your character is a lustful little wretch. Enemy flaw.
Whatever their sexual preference, they
find it hard to go long without indulging Missing Ear (minor)
themselves, especially when it goes against The character has lost an ear to disease,
sound judgement. Your character will go injury, or birth defect.
out of their way to find companionship Character has a hard time locating the
whenever they have some time to spare and direction of sounds and frequently misses
find it almost impossible to resist an oppor- things said to one side, and takes a dis-
tunity that presents itself. advantage on auditory-based Perception
The flaw can be played up when the checks. May also have the Disfigured flaw.
character indulges themselves in a way that
brings trouble, makes enemies or compli- Morbidly Obese (minor)
cates matters. Despite being a minor flaw, Your character is carrying around a
Lecherous is also subject to temptation significant and unhealthy amount of extra
concerning those who fit the character’s weight. In addition to a permanent disad-
persuasion. vantage on all athletics checks, clothing and
armor needs to be sized for them, meaning
Little (major) custom tailoring, special orders, and long
By some birth defect, your character is waits. Any purchases that would be af-
no taller than a child. fected by the character’s bulk are twice the
Little characters get -2CP when fighting listed cost and take twice as long to procure.
“normal” people, which includes grappling Purchasing a horse strong enough to carry
and unarmed combat. Also, characters with the character is 3x the cost, representing
this defect tend to face horrible prejudice the expense and difficulty in finding such
in most societies, translating into frequent an animal.
jests, ridicule, insults and distrust.
Mute (major)
Me, Myself, and I (major or Your character was either born without
minor) the ability to speak, or has suffered injury
Your character is known for looking after to their throat, tongue or mouth that has
number One first, and everyone else a dis- rendered them unable to speak.
tant second. They would sell out their own
mother if the price were right.
78
Naive (minor) The minor version can be played up,
Your character is green to the world and earning an SA point when the player has
hopelessly without guile. They have inno- the injury “act up” in such a way that the Outlaw vs.
cent notions about the way things work and action complicates the story at hand, or has Wanted
a tendency to blindly accept people at their a personal cost attached to it. Outlaws are by
word or situations at face value. The major version means indicates a definition outcasts from
The character is both a terrible liar and more serious condition. In addition to the society and give up any
a terrible judge of character, suffering a minor effect, the character is also subject to rights they had within
that society. They may
disadvantage on Manipulate checks that temptation.
be killed on sight.
involve anything other than earnest, heart- In addition, should the injury’s exact
Characters who are
felt pleas or obvious and indisputable facts. location be hit in combat, the character suf- Wanted have not been
When they are the target of a social skill in- fers double the normal impact. declared outlaws yet.
tended to sway or decieve them, they suffer They may still surrender
a disadvantage in addition to their opponent One-Eyed (minor) themselves to justice,
gaining an advantage. Your character has lost an eye to disease and may still have some
Despite being a minor flaw, Naive is also or injury. rights. Wanted charac-
subject to temptation. The character suffers a disadvantage to ters may also be wanted
all rolls involving depth perception (includ- by people other than
Oathbreaker (major or minor) ing ranged combat), as well as to position- the legitimate authority,
You are publicly known as foresworn, an ing rolls involving multiple opponents due such as a local crime
boss.
oathbreaker and a liar. All honorable people to their blind spot.
will distrust you at best and shun you at In mechanical terms
If no patch or replacement eye is worn, though, the biggest
worst. You are the lowest of the low. the character also has the Ugly flaw. difference is that the
The minor version of this flaw represents Outlaw flaw requires
a lapse in minor vows or a failure to do one’s Outlaw (major) you to give up any
duty. You are untrustworthy and will have a The character is an outlaw, a wolfshead, property you might have
hard time dealing with honest men, result- to be hunted by any free man and slain for that isn’t on your back.
ing in a disadvantage on any social rolls crimes against the society from which they You are in exile. Wanted
that require any kind of trust. were expelled. characters may still be
laying low within their
The major version of this flaw represents The character loses any legal claim to
own society and have
a major breach of one’s word and honor, lands they possessed as well as any income access to their resources.
actively betraying one’s word or sacred that would have been entitled to. Their pos-
vows. Honest men want nothing to do with sessions are limited to what they may carry
you and will shun you whenever possible. with them. Bounty hunters may come after
Others may even be offended at your actions the character and any social interaction
and harass your character or threaten them carries the risk of being recognized.
with violence. In societies with decentralized govern-
This flaw remains in place until the char- ments a man wanted in one city or by one
acter has both paid the appropriate amount king may not be wanted by another and can
of SA points to remove it and undergone thus seek refuge there. Living outside soci-
some kind of penance in-character to set ety is not entirely without benefit, and there
things right. are no shortage of romantic tales of bands of
outlaws living free in the woods.
Old Injury (major or minor)
You must explain the circumstances and
Your character has had an injury that deeds that made your character an outlaw.
never healed properly and still troubles them Come up with two NPCs that are out for
from time to time. When the injury is trig- your character’s blood.
gered, the character becomes overwhelmed
by the pain and cannot perform actions Outsider (major or minor)
requiring the affected body part until the The society in which you live is made up
irritating conditions alleviate. primarily of a certain group of people and
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
you aren’t one of them.
The minor version of this flaw represents
a character that isn’t native to the setting or
area. It is not that the locals dislike “your
kind” but simply being foreign is enough
to cast a shadow of suspicion on you. Most
of the time there is no mechanical effect
associated with this. Locals will treat you
relatively normally, though a bit different,
and that will be that. However, if your char-
acter should ever have to stake something
on their reputation, gain trust, or prove
their innocence, all the opposed checks will
be counted as disadvantaged.
The major version of this represents a
more hostile form of discrimination. Your
character is from a country or ethnic group
hated by the locals in the setting. In addition
to the aforementioned penalties, the char-
acter may face active (sometimes violent)
discrimination from the more prejudiced
members of the community. They may also
suffer legal restrictions or other complica-
tions from those in authority.
Work with your GM to establish the
nature of the conflict between your charac-
ters cultural group and the dominant one,
and how those two cultures relate to one
another. Why are they in contact with each
other? Why are they in conflict? Does your
character’s culture fulfill any niches within
the larger culture?
If discussed as part of session zero, the
player can introduce a whole people and
conflict to the setting in this fashion. In a
more restricted setting, the player should
make sure the conflict be plausible within
the established details.
Paranoid (major or minor)
Somewhere out there, someone is out to
get you.
The minor version of this flaw represents
a specific delusion — a belief that a certain
someone or group of someone’s is actively
working against you. The character may go
out of their way to keep themselves “safe”
from such prying eyes or hidden agendas,
but as a situation grows tense, they are
liable to make more and more erratic deci-
sions where the object of their paranoia is
80
concerned. The minor version can be played
up through good role playing, or when their
paranoia complicates the story or comes at
personal risk or cost.
The major version of this flaw represents
a character who truly believes that every-
one is out to get them. They will go through
great lengths to protect themselves from
plots, real or imagined. They trust no one
and constantly set up safety nets or back-
up plans, withholding information from
their companions or even actively working
against them. Just in case. As a slight up-side
of this, the character gains an advantage on
any roll to resist any kind of manipulation
attempt, but the flaw becomes subject to
temptation.
Note that just because you’re paranoid, it
doesn’t mean that people aren’t out to get
you. The world is a very dangerous place.
The Paranoia flaw applies to those who have
begun to lose their sanity.
Phobia (major or minor)
Your character has a powerful fear or
aversion to some common thing and has
trouble functioning in its presence.
Pick something simple and relatively
common (spiders, snakes, open water,
heights) for your character’s phobia. They
may attempt to justify it any way they
please, but the object of their fear unmans
them.
The minor version of this flaw indicates
a general discomfort and unease in the
presence of the phobia, and is played up for
flavor. The major version represents a fear
that borders on blind, crippling terror, and
is subject to temptation.
Poor / Impoverished (major or
minor)
For whatever the reason, your character
has a financial crisis on their hands.
The minor version of this flaw means that
the character owns property as appropriate
for their social class, but it is all in ill-repair
or of a slightly inferior stock compared to
what is common.
The major version means that in addi-
tion to the minor effect, the character has
sold their valuable movable goods almost
completely, and earns an income one step
below the norm for their social class. If they
already at the lowest level of social class,
they gain minor Indebted for free.
Prejudice (minor)
Your character has strong prejudices
against a certain group. Your dislike could
be based on race, country, religion, social
class or any other grouping you see fit, but
you have a damned hard time concealing
your contempt for them.
Pick a group of people based on whatever
criteria, but they must be people with whom
you could have social or business dealings
(You can’t choose “orcs” in a setting where
you only deal with orcs as enemies). The
character will avoid interacting with them
whenever possible and if it isn’t possible
they will have a hard time concealing their
contempt. The character may even go out of
their way to insult or stir up trouble.
The flaw can be played up, earning an
SA point when allowing the character’s
prejudice to get them in trouble or compli-
cate matters. Despite it being a minor flaw,
the character is also subject to temptation,
though within the boundaries of the char-
acter’s society. They cannot be tempted to
do something that would put them in dan-
ger of immediate ruin or legal retribution
(though they can certainly play up such a
situation).
Proud / Arrogant (major or
minor)
Proud (minor) characters have a particu-
lar sense of pride and personal honor and
will not allow either to be insulted. This
applies to character who are prickly where
their egos are concerned — stubborn to bend
the knee, loathe to accept charity and will
not suffer insult without retribution. These
characters will try to stand on their own
feet regardless of cost and will settle with
those who insult them or their family by
word or blade. This is a common flaw among
nobility of all stripes.
Arrogant (major) characters were born
wealthy, privileged or gifted and have an
extraordinary (perhaps exaggerated) opin-
ion of themselves. They are frequently boast-
ful and will severely overestimate their own
capabilities — taking on tasks or opponents
beyond them. Their attitude runs a danger
of offending those around them, rendering
them disadvantaged on checks to gain the
support of their social equals or superiors.
They will deeply begrudge any whom they
believe do not pay them the proper respect.
Insults (real or perceived) are paid back in
severe disproportion. The flaw is also sub-
ject to temptation.
Secret (major or minor)
Everyone has secrets, but yours are
destined to cause trouble. A minor Secret
is one that if revealed will cause scandal
and upset, perhaps a tarnished reputation,
a fractured family, or removal from office (a
celibate priest having a mistress, a hidden
bastard child, friends in low places).
A major Secret is one that people would
kill over, or result in utter ruin (a murder
committed, a false identity, involvement in
a conspiracy against the crown) and people
actively looking to uncover it. Draw up two
NPCs that are investigating the matter your
character is trying to hide.
Stereotyped (minor)
For whatever the reason, your character
has the quintessential looks of a common
stereotype. Be it the “dumb blonde,” or
“looks like a cop,” it is almost impossible for
your character to shake that image when
making a first impression.
This can be used for the character’s benefit,
but can also be a disadvantage, depending
on the situation. It’s mostly a role-playing
gimmick, but in case of opposed rolls that
rely on first impressions, the character
that is impaired by the stereotype rolls as
disadvantaged.
Sterile / Barren (minor)
Your character’s reproductive organs
seem to function as normal, but for some
reason or another, they are unable to have
children.
For a harlot, this may even be a benefit,
but for a head of a household, there can be no
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
more terrible curse. Most often, women get anything of the sort. This is primarily meant
the blame for failing to provide an heir, but to be played up, earning an SA point when
unless their male counterpart has proven the character’s squeamishness creates great
himself fertile by having a child out of the embarrassment, or is used to complicate the
wedlock, there is no way to outwardly tell story at hand.
which one of the couple is really the defec- The major version indicates far more se-
tive half. vere reactions, such as fainting or vomiting,
In most settings, there are wise women and is subject to temptation.
that are said to possess secret substances
and knowledge that can lift this condition Superstitious (major or minor)
for a brief moment and allow conception. Your character was brought up super-
The sums demanded for such service are of- stitious, believing all the fairy-tales and
ten exorbitant and their actual effectiveness folklore of their youth. They see signs and
depends on the GM’s discretion, as well as omens in everyday things and go out of their
the intended tone of the game. way to avoid bad luck or to appease what-
ever spirits they believe in. This flaw is not
Stigma (major or minor) required to simulate “religious” characters,
Your character was born with or devel- though there are many overlaps. Instead, it
oped some kind of physical marking that is more the kind of folk superstition com-
has significant meaning in the context of the monly attributed to low-born peasants and
community, superstition or religion. Classic “simple” folk.
examples include: scars or birthmarks in Most of the time, this is a minor flaw,
unusual shapes or positions, skin lesions representing a superstitious upbringing and
of unusual shapes or colors or discoloring can be played up, earning an SA point when
of the eyes (though many other deformities the superstition brings embarrassment,
are possible). makes enemies or complicates the story.
These characters are not necessarily Ugly The major version implies a believe in the
(per the flaw) but may find that other char- superstitions somewhere between fanatical
acters and NPCs have an aversion to them if and paranoid. The flaw becomes subject to
their Stigma is seen or known. temptation.
The minor version of this can be easily
covered or holds only slight negative con- Temper (major or minor)
notations to those who notice it, role-played Your character is notoriously volatile and
and played up as appropriate. The major has a quick temper.
version is in a harder to hide place, such The minor version of this flaw implies
as face or hands or holds high degrees of that your character is hot-headed and lets
his temper get the better of them, frequently
significance to the others, causing the char-
leading to rash decisions or looking fool-
acter to be disadvantaged on relevant social
rolls. ish. This can be played up, earning an SA
The player should work with the GM to point when a character chooses to forego a
define both what the stigma might be, who civil response in favor of an angry or violent
reacts to it, and what the nature of that rebuttal that incurs a personal or financial
cost.
reaction might be (“the peasants believe red
hair is a sign of witchcraft,” “grey eyes are The major version makes a character
marked with death”). quick to anger and quicker to violence,
drawing steel in blind rage at slight provo-
Squeamish (major or minor) cation. In addition to the minor effect, they
Your character has a weak stomach and are also subject to temptation.
an aversion to bloodshed and gore.
The minor version of this flaw indicates
general discomfort with blood, death, or
82
Ugly (major or minor) camps, taverns and backwoods country
Your character is hard on the eyes. than to interacting with polite society.
The minor version of this flaw means “Civilized” sorts tend to immediately
that your character is exceptionally dour dislike the character and are likely to judge
or plain. They are unremarkable in appear- them as uncivilized or simply a bumpkin. “Broken hearts heal with
ance — perhaps their features are a little This can be played up, earning an SA point time, but broken teeth
never do.”
broad or a little square, their skin pocked when the character’s uncouth nature turns
with scars from their youth or regularly out to be a major disadvantage, causing great — Sand dan Glokta,
The Blade Itself
dried and cracked or hideous teeth. When embarrassment or complicating matters.
competing for attention, your character is It should be noted this is a very subjective
always treated last, and will most likely be flaw — amidst individuals of similar dispo-
forgotten or downright ignored. sitions, the uncouth flaw may not apply.
The major version means that the charac-
ter suffers from a birth defect or deformity Upstart (major)
that significantly impacts their physical Your character has managed to amass
appearance — a hunched back, mismatched vast resources, but lacks the social privileges
eyes, asymmetrical features or other mea- that usually accompany such riches.
sure of misfortune. The character suffers a Having picked the Tier 1 or 2 social pri-
disadvantage in any kind of social check ority at character creation, your character
where physical appearance is a factor, receives all the resources, but not the high-
and their presence makes people visibly born status and the noble title. This flaw
uncomfortable. combined with Wealthy edge can be used
to create magnificently rich and powerful
Uncompromising (minor) freeman-class characters such as the his-
Whether your character is a naive ideal- torical Lombard bankers.
ist or a hardened zealot, they see the world This flaw cannot be combined with the
in finite and clearly distinguished terms of Claim edge, and cannot be taken with social
black and white, good and evil. Once they tier 3 priority or less. This is often taken with
have a certain notion about the nature of the Outsider flaw, as the two combine well
something, it is nigh-impossible to get them to explain why your character has the re-
to see another side of it. Shades of grey sources of a noble but is denied the status.
and compromise are beyond them, perhaps
even seen as a sign of weakness or lack ofVengeful (major or minor)
integrity. Your character is quick to hold a grudge
This is a common flaw among great he- and very rarely lets one go.
roes and terrible villains alike. It is easy to
The minor version of this flaw simply
admire uncompromising men and legends represents a vindictive streak, even when
are made around them, but outside of the taking petty revenge might not be the most
world of song and poetry the world func- beneficial in the long run. This flaw can be
tions on compromise. Those that refuse will
played up, earning an SA point when the
find a hard road ahead. character acts out in revenge in a way that
incurs a personal or financial cost.
This flaw can be played up, earning an SA
point when the character acts uncompro- The major version of the flaw represents a
misingly in a way that incurs a personal or
near-pathological obsession with the slights
financial cost. Despite it being a minor flaw,
dealt to them. Once scorned or insulted, they
the character is also subject to temptation.
will have no rest until vengeance has been
paid ten-fold. When slighted, the character
Uncouth (minor)
must immediately take their Vengeance as
Whether this is due to a lack of basic an SA and pursue it as a primary goal until
manners, vulgar language or poor hygiene, settled.
your character is more suited to military
83
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Vow (major or minor)
Your character has given his solemn
“Be without fear in the oath on a matter and his honor depends on
face of your enemies. Be seeing it through. Minor oaths tend are in-
brave and upright that dividual vows that are inconvenient (“I will
God may love thee. Speak abstain from alcohol,” “I will remain celibate,”
the truth always, even “I will not fight a defenseless opponent.”).
if it leads to your death. Major Vows are oaths that are drastic or
Safeguard the helpless and
constantly inconvenient (Vow of Silence,
do no wrong. That is your
Pacifism) or groups of minor vows taken
oath.”
together (such as the Vows of Conduct one
— Godfrey of Ibelin,
Kingdom of Heaven
takes when knighted).
If a character should break their vows
and that breach becomes public knowledge,
they gain the Oathbreaker flaw.
Wanted (major or minor)
Someone has put a price on your char-
acter’s head. It doesn’t matter whether the
bounty originates from a government, a
criminal syndicate, or a private individual
altogether. People are going to come for
you.
The minor version of this flaw implies
that your character has a manic lawman
or a bounty hunter at their heels. You must
explain the circumstances and deeds that
made your character wanted, as well as de-
fine the pursuer as a NPC on your character
sheet. The bounty isn’t large enough to
attract multiple pursuers, but other people
may seize an opportunity when they see it.
The major version of this flaw represents
a large bounty, drawing in multiple pursu-
ers or even groups. You must explain the
circumstances and deeds that made your
character wanted, as well as come up with
two NPCs that are out for your character’s
blood. The source of the bounty and their
lieutenant/henchman tend to make a good
pair.
To discourage player character ambush-
kills, your character is assumed to be worth
more alive than dead.
84
Worthless (minor)
Most everyone learns some kind of skill
growing up. Peasants frequently learn
farming or fishing, freemen take up trades
or crafts like leather-tanning, smithing, and
so on. Even nobles learn how to conduct
the business of their household and courtly
etiquette.
Then there’s your character.
Whether they spent their youth drinking
and wenching, or were simply spoiled with
no demands on their time, they managed to
make it to the adulthood without any man-
ner of useful trade upon which to support
themselves.
Your character does not get free points
in a Trade skill at character creation, nor
may they purchase a Trade until this flaw
is bought off (and their lifestyle changes to
accommodate the learning required).
This flaw is common both among younger
sons of noble or wealthy houses and among
thieves, street urchins, and other criminals.
Young (major)
Most characters are assumed to begin
their story sometime in their 20s-30s. The
Young flaw applies to characters whose
stories begin much earlier, usually in their
early teens.
Young characters are still green to the
world and have only just begun to learn
all of the skills they will need in life. They
may not start with higher than C priority in
skills and do not start with a free Trade skill.
In addition, most Young characters will find
that adults tend not to take them seriously
and the character suffers a disadvantage on
any roll that relies on their credibility.
Of note, characters who pass through
puberty during the course of the game
have a perfectly valid excuse to purchase
appearance related edges such as Beauty
or Nondescript after character creation, or
even buy off flaws like minor Ugly.
 07 Story
Aspects
Story Aspects are the driving force in Band of Bastards. Each Story Aspect is a single statement
made by the player about their character’s goals, beliefs, and passions that set the stage for the game
to come.
SAs make for a kind of pact between the player and Game Master. They give the player a mechanism
to guide the focus of the game ahead, communicating to the GM what is important to their character
and where they want the current focus of the story to be. For the GM, SAs provide a guarantee that if
the scenario is built on that player feedback, it will be something the players will be actively interested
in playing. Finally, it provides the GM with a mechanism for rewarding players who actively partici-
pate in the game and provides those players an incentive to role-play their characters to the hilt.
Taken together, Story Aspects provide a closed-loop reward mechanic. Through their SAs, the player
declares what the story is about, the GM builds their scenarios based on those SAs, and the players are
rewarded for following through with the conflicts that arise.

Choosing SAs
Each SA is a brief statement the player writes that declares something important about who their
character is and what they want. They put you at the helm to decide where you want the story to go.
By taking something as an SA, you are telling the GM that you want to be tested against it. For that
reason, Story Aspects are never lukewarm. Good SAs should be personal and demand action. They
should be something that your character is willing to take dire risks to achieve, further, or protect.
Most SAs can be lumped into one of three major categories — ambitions, convictions, and passions.
Use these as training wheels to get you started. When making a new character, it’s often handy to
make sure they have one of each just to round them out. Once you get the hang of writing Story
Aspects though, don’t worry about the categories. They are guides, not rules.
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Ambitions
An ambition is a powerful goal, drive, or desire. Ambitions give the character a sense of
purpose and a determination to see it through. Some ambitions are materialistic (“Become
the richest man in Kin Tartur”), others are more idealistically motivated (“Restore the re-
public,” “Deliver my people from slavery”) but the best ones are always intensely personal
(“Reclaim the throne from my murderous uncle,” “Become the most feared swordsman in the
North”). Ambitions are usually challenged by presenting obstacles in the path of their
achievement, but sometimes the more insidious question often becomes “to what length
will you go to achieve them?”

Convictions
A conviction is a belief so entrenched that it becomes part of the character. It defines
them. Some convictions are religious or philosophical beliefs (“The Old Gods guide my
path,” “Rome is divine, and I am her humble servant,”) others are more personal statements
of ethics or principle (“I’m a man of my word,” “I kneel to no man,” “Death before dishonor”).
Convictions are guiding declarations a character lives by. They are challenged by expo-
sure to opposing beliefs, ideas, and contrary evidence, or when upholding that conviction
creates conflicts that betraying it would ease or resolve.

Passions
Where ambitions and convictions can be self-contained or even abstract, passions are
always intensely personal and outwardly focused. They represent a powerful relationship
between the character and some person or entity that shapes the way your character
interacts with the world. The relationship can be one of love, desire, or loyalty (“I would fol-
low Alexander to the ends of the earth”) or one of hatred, rage, and revenge (“Montague, I spit
on the name”). They can be open-ended (“For the love of Guinevere”) or built with an end in
mind (“I will avenge my father with the blood of the six-fingered man”). Passions straddle the
line between ambition and conviction, being challenged whenever the character’s resolve
is tested or the opportunity presents itself to further their aims.

Assigning SAs
Players have five slots on their character sheet for SAs, each of which can have up
to 5 dots assigned to it. Unlike skills or attribues, there is no “average” SA rank. Each
SA fluctuates from scene to scene and session to session. The number of dots is a purely
meta-game resource. It does not measure how intense or dedicated the character is to that
SA, but simply how much of a narrative boost they can draw from it in any given scene.
A character with the passion “Protect my brothers in arms” with 1 dot does not feel any less
urge to protect their comrades than they did with 5 dots.
Similarly, five slots just isn’t enough to cover every single bond, desire, and motivation
they might have. Instead, the SAs listed on the sheet are the ones you are currently inter-
ested in pursuing. Writing “I will win the heart of Princess Aslaug” instead of “My family is
everything to me, I must keep them safe” does not mean that your character is more attached
to the princess than their family. It just means that you as a player are more interested in
that particular plot at the moment.
Players are not required to have all five slots filled at all times. Often, it’s useful to have
an empty slot or two in case something develops as the game progresses. Players can fill
these empty slots at any time, including during play. That said, it’s good practice to have
at least three SAs listed at the beginning of each session to give your GM material to work
with and your character something to work toward.
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SAs in Play
The GM’s job is to set up scenes where the characters SAs are challenged. The player’s
Conflicting SAs
A player can often find
themselves in a place
job is to meet those challenges with vigor. When you are playing to your SAs, they support where their SAs are in
your character in the trials they will face. conflict. Sometimes this
First, whenever your character is in a conflict that would directly further, uphold, or is set up intentionally by
defend an SA they have, it is said to fire, granting its current value in bonus dice to their the player, sometimes it
pool for that roll. A character with “Win Circe’s Heart” at 2 dots would get 2 bonus dice to develops naturally with
any pool that directly involved wooing Circe, but they could also apply those bonus dice the story. No matter how
to any conflict that was meant to impress her, or even to combat pools for duels fought in it gets there, it’s always
good drama.
her honor or defense.
Conflicting SAs can
Second, whenever you act in accordance with your Story Aspects, you have the chance serve a more practial
to earn SA points towards them. If in a scene the character acts in a manner that upholds purpose, though. Having
or advances a Story Aspect, they gain an extra point towards that SA at the scene’s conclu- conflicting SAs can free
sion. To earn this reward, the action must come at some personal cost, either by being up the player’s options
directly detrimental to the character, creating a problem, or entering a conflict (with SAs in a scene, allowing
firing) that would have been avoided if the SA would have been ignored. If they enter a them to go in multiple
conflict and win, they get two points towards their SA instead of one. directions while being
faithful to their SAs
Only one SA can be firing towards a given pool. If multiple SAs would apply, the player
and without risking
can choose which one will be used. If multiple SAs come up in a single scene, they can losing any points for
each be used but again only one per roll. Regardless of how many SAs came up during the acting against their own
course of a scene, only one can be chosen to be rewarded at the scene’s end. motivations.
Sometimes, players will get “loose” SA points, usually from playing up flaws or accept-
ing temptations. These are in addition to the normal SA rewards and can be added to any Firing vs. burning
SA the player chooses, or spread across multiple SAs if applicable. There is a delicate
Note that SAs are capped at 5 dots. If you already have 4 dots, and you earn 2 points balance to be struck
(or 5 dots and earn an additional point) the extra point(s) are wasted. You can’t transfer between keeping your
them to another SA, but the lost points do count as having been burnt for the purposes of SAs high and spending
Karma (below). them for benefits. On
the one hand, the higher
Players who repeatedly work against their chosen SAs risk losing a point in that SA,
the SA’s value, the more
unless they are working against one SA in favor of another (see Conflicting SAs, sidebar),
dice you get when it
or are doing so as the result of a flaw (see Chapter 06). If you find yourself repeatedly comes up. An extra 5
working against your own SAs, consider changing them (see Changing SAs, page XX). SA dice on an skill roll is
points lost in this manner still count towards Karma. huge. An extra 5 dice
in a melee combat pool

Burning SAs
could be the difference
between crushing your
enemies or making a
new character. On the
Earning Story Aspects points is the main incentive in the game, you can only have so
other hand, any time
many dots at one time. When a given SA looks like it is going to be filled, you have the your SAs are firing, you
option to spend down or burn some of its points. SAs can be burnt in a number of ways, could be earning more
but fall into two primary categories — narrative effects and advancement. SA points. The tempta-
tion for huge pools of
Narrative Effects dice must be balanced
against the extra points
Narrative effects are different ways that the player can directly influence the scene or that could have been
story outside of their character’s actions. Each has a different effect and cost, but they all spent on something.
share a common theme of letting the player take a limited amount of direct control on the
world their characters inhabit, or otherwise bend the rules in their favor.

87
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Foresight
Sometimes, characters are smarter than their players. For 1 point, players can retroac-
tively establish any action that character could have taken provided that it can be resolved
without a roll, and that the character could have reasonably anticipated the need.
“I totally thought to bring the rope...”
For 2 points, the player can retroactively establish any action that could be resolved
with a single roll, provided that the character could have plausibly foreseen the need. Of
course, if the roll is unsuccessful, the complication will be something that applies to the
current scene.
“It’s alright, the guard captain is on our side. I approached him on watch and bribed him.”
“You did?”
“Uh. Yeah... that’s a Soc/Manipulate roll, right?”

Grin and Bear It

For 1 point, the player may reduce their TN penalty from wounds or fatigue for the
duration of a single scene. The penalty can only be reduced by one step (TN9 to TN8, TN8
to TN7, etc), and it can never be reduced below TN6. This cannot be taken multiple times
to reduce the TN further.

In the Nick of Time

For 1 point, the player may introduce their off-screen character into a scene being
played out that they weren’t previously in. The character must have had a plausible way
to show up, either having been in the general vicinity or having been off-screen long
enough for it to have been possible for them to arrive. This can’t be used to bypass any roll
or conflict, but it can certainly be used to start one. It’s extremely handy for “riding to the
rescue” moments, or appearing with vital information at just the right time.
For 2 points, the player can take this a step further and perform a heroic intervention
in the middle of combat. The character can forgo their normal turn in the combat sequence
in order to interrupt another player’s individual combat, or to bump their sequence directly
in front of a specific character. The most common uses include things like jumping into a
melee to save an injured comrade, or taking a last moment shot at an enemy who would
otherwise escape.
If you both enter the scene and intervene combat simultaneously, the costs are
cumulative.

Introduce an Element
For 1 point, a player can introduce an element to a scene that had not been previously
established. This can be a physical element to the scene (a sword hanging above a mantle, a
convenient chandelier to swing upon), or it can establish something more intangible such
as an element of an NPC’s background (“I recognize those tattoos! The innkeep must’ve served
in the same company I did.”)
Introduced elements should be relatively minor in impact, and be plausible within the
scene and setting. The GM has veto power on anything that is either too major in scope
(“the King is not your childhood friend”), would completely derail or bypass a scene or con-
flict (“there was no conveniently abandoned and unguarded ladder leaning against the castle
wall”), or would contradict the established lore.

Not Quite Dead Yet

For 3 points, your character survives the impossible. Whether by profound luck or
an iron will to live, the character miraculously survives a circumstance that should have
ended them. No matter what else is true about the current scene, your character lives
88 through it. If the death would have been based on a wound, edit the fluff as little as possible
— a decapitation becomes a barely survived slash across the throat, a crushed skull be-
comes an incredibly gnarly disfigurement. Other than its lethality, all other effects from
the wound remain. In addition (or if the death would have been from something other
than a wound in combat), the GM will introduce a major complication directly related to
the character’s survival.

On Second Thought...
For 1 point, the character can change their action in sequence from what their die
throw would have indicated. For instance, a character who declared a movement action
(threw a white d6) could choose instead to make an attack (normally red d6) or perform
one of the miscellaneous actions (normally d10).

Yes, But...
For 1 point, the player can take a failed unopposed roll and count it as an MoS0 success.
Though it counts as a mitigated success in terms of scope of effect, the GM will introduce a
major complication for your trouble instead of the minor complication or compromise.

Character Advancement
In addition to providing bonus dice and buying narrative effects, SAs also form the
primary progression mechanism. By pursuing things that they care about, players earn
points which can be spent to increase their characters’ various abilities. Each type of
advancement has its own costs, which may be either be taken from a single SA or divided
between several.
Keep in mind that any character advancements purchased should make sense within
the context of the story. If a character learns a new skill, they should probably have been
practicing it somewhere along the way. While it’s not terribly difficult to justify increas-
ing a skill or proficiency you have been using frequently, other things are a little more
difficult. Increasing an attribute, buying off a flaw, or picking up a new edge can require a
significant effort in-character as well as the cost in SA points.

Attributes Table 07.01:

In real life, people’s attributes rarely improve much over Attribute Advancement
time. People may get a little smarter, or a little stronger, but
From Cost
rarely is this shift worth more than a dot in either direction.
An attribute increase represents a significant change for the 1 to 2 8
character, and is fairly expensive. 2 to 3 12
The cost for each attribute advance is listed on Table 07.01,
3 to 4 16
but as a more general rule, it is 4x the new dot value of the
attribue. Remember that after character creation, increasing 4 to 5 20
an attribute is cumulative cost. Raising an attribute from 1
to 3 would be 20 points — 8 points to raise it from 1 to 2, and Table 07.02:
a further 12 to get from 2 to 3. If your character has a grey Skill Advancement
dot as the result of their priorities at character creation,
do not count it towards the total when figuring the cost of From Cost
advancement. 0 to 1 5

Skills 1 to 2 4
While attributes seldom change, characters frequently 2 to 3 6
grow and hone their skills as a result of their experiences.
3 to 4 8
The cost for each advancement is listed on Table 07.02. As
with attributes, the costs are all cumulative. Note that it is 4 to 5 10
actually more expensive to learn a new skill than to advance 89
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
a lower-ranked skill in some cases. Also, like with attributes, if your character has a grey
dot as the result of their priorities at character creation, do not count it towards the total
when figuring the cost of advancement.
Alternatively, one can purchase a new expertise for an existing skill for a flat 3 point
cost. This may be taken multiple times for each skill, but only one expertise ever applies
on a given roll.

Proficiencies
Proficiencies are raised in a manner similar to skills and attributes. The cost of raising
an existing proficiency is equal to the new rank that proficiency would have. Raising
Sword & Buckler from rank 4 to rank 5 would cost 5 SA points.
Purchasing a new proficiency works in the same way as raising an existing one, but
with defaulting taken into account (see Chapter 05). For a character with no other profi-
ciencies, learning the Polearms proficiency would cost 1 point to begin at rank 1. However,
if the character already had Sword & Shield at rank 6, then they would default to Polearms
at rank 3. It would then cost 4 points to purchase it at rank 4.
Ser Osjand has spent some time among the hill tribes and seen what their savage
axes can do. He decides to take up practice with the weapon, and eventually his
player decides to invest SA points into the Mass Weapons proficiency. Normally he
would begin at rank 1, but his prior training with the longsword gives him some
general knowledge at arms. His Longsword 8 defaults to rank 4 when using Mass
Weapons. Using this as a starting point, he spends 5 points to advance Mass Weapons
to rank 5 and officially write it down on his sheet.

Edges and Flaws

Edges and flaws are simultaneously the easiest costs to compute and the hardest ad-
vances to acquire through play. Because edges and flaws are so tightly linked to who the
character is, it takes a significant amount of in-character action to justify the change, if
such a change is possible at all. You could work off an Addiction through character devel-
opment alone, but giving a character Keen Eyes or buying off the Amputee flaw simply
isn’t possible without some kind of magical or high-tech intervention.
If you can make it work though and the GM approves, you can add a major edge or
remove a major flaw for 20 points. Adding a minor edge or removing a minor flaw costs
10 points. On the other hand, acquiring new flaws of either magnitude can be done for
free any time the GM approves and many wound results will actually impose flaws on the
character.
Table 07.02: Karma Bonus
Karma Karma Priority
Characters in ‘Bastards are always one wrong turn from Total Bonus
a short, bloody end. Karma is a way to soften the blow when 11-20 +1
the character meets a tragic (but hopefully heroic) end. Every
point of SA the character burns from any source counts 21-30 +2
toward their karma score. Advance a skill? Add the cost to 31-45 +3
karma. Introduce an element? Add the point to Karma. Lose a
point for acting against an SA? Karma. 46-60 +4

The character’s total karma score provides a bonus to the 61-75 +5

player’s next character within the same campaign. This bonus 76-100 +6
manifests as extra points to spend on the priority table when
101-125 +7
creating that character. Where the default character creation
assumes that the player has 15 points to spend, a high bonus 126-150 +8
from previous karma could start a character with 20 or more, 151+ +9
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drastically increasing their overall capabilities.

Changing SAs
As the game progresses and the story evolves, many Story Aspects a character has will
resolve themselves, or seem less relevant to the direction the player wants to go. Players
may change one or more of their SAs allowing them to develop naturally as time goes on.
SAs can be changed at any time, including in the middle of a scene, but not in the middle
of a conflict. You can decide to change an SA before you pick the fight, but not during the
fight. You have three ways to change an SA.

Changing the Focus

The easiest way is to change an SA is to redirect it to a similar or related focus. This is
usually the case of either changing the object of the SA (“Win Gwendolyn’s hand in mar-
riage” becomes “Win Hilda’s hand in marriage”) or the relationship of the character to that
goal or object (“Win Gwendolyn’s hand in marriage” becomes “Bring Gwendolyn to ruin for
her betrayal”).

Rewriting an SA
An SA can be changed entirely, either replacing it with another of the same or a differ-
ent type, or it can be simply removed from the sheet entirely to empty up a slot. To do this,
the player needs to burn down the current SA to 0 dots. At that point, they may remove or
replace the SA as they please.

Orphaning SAs
Occasionally, you want to replace an SA entirely but for whatever reason don’t want to
immediately burn through its points. Players can choose to orphan a single SA, erasing
its description but keeping its points on the sheet. Since those points are no longer tied to
any SA, they can’t fire and provide die bonuses to anything but they can be burnt for nar-
rative effects or advancement as usual. Any points a character wants to burn must come
from this pool first, and only one SA can be orphaned at any given time. The orphaned
points must be spent before another SA can be orphaned. SA points earned from flaws or
otherwise cannot be used to increase the orphaned pool.

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PAGE
THIS
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LEFT
INTENTIONALLY
ESO
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 08 Supporting
Cast
Player characters do not exist in a vacuum. While you certainly can create a lone wanderer, it’s often
more rewarding to play a character with ties to people and places. Most NPCs you will encounter are
the product of the GM, but Band of Bastards has a few different ways for players to introduce their own
NPCs into the game or create new ones as the need arises.

E dges & Flaws

Several edges allow the player to both create an NPC and establish a specific relationship that
NPC has with their character. As this is an arrangement that has been purchased (either at character
creation, or acquired through advancement) it is more than just an in-character agreement between
those individuals. It becomes an arrangement between the player and the GM. The specific type and
limitations of the relationship are specified by the edge itself, but so long as the player upholds their
end the NPC will honor it.
Flaws can also produce NPCs, and they follow the same general pattern. After the flaw is taken, the
player and GM work together to specify the nature of the relationship and the limitations thereof. The
key difference is usually that while the player needs to hold up their end of the bargain for edge-based
relationships to continue providing a benefit, they are generally trying to keep flaw-based relation-
ships from getting worse.

Free Relationships
Most of a character’s relationships are just part of the landscape. A character’s wife, husband, fam-
ily, employer, servants, and so forth do not require any kind of mechanical investment. They can be
established for free as part of character creation. These “free” NPCs have two caveats. First, they do
not provide any specific kind of benefit, other than the dramatic value of their social interaction. The
second is that unlike edges and flaws, the relationship is not fixed by an out-of-character agreement.
They will grow and change naturally as a development of in-character events.
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Relationship-
Based Edges & Relationships Through
SAs
Flaws
As a quick reference,
the following will
produce NPC relation- Chapter 07 covers a number of ways in which SAs can be used to guide the direction of
ships of various types.
the game, but they can also be used to introduce elements to the game before the campaign
begins. A passion directed towards Princess Aslaug directly introduces an NPC named
Edges: Aslaug, and stipulates that she is a princess — or at least calls herself that.
• Ally Relationships created through SAs occupy some halfway place between the kinds of
• Asset out-of-character agreement of edge-based (or flaw-based) NPCs and the no-holds-barred
• Contacts approach from free relationships. Whatever the player establishes should ultimately be
possible — revenge taken, the lady’s hand won — but the GM is under no obligation to
• Patron
make the target cooperative. In fact, they are under every obligation to throw obstacles in
• Retainer the character’s way so that they can be tested against the SAs the player has chosen.
• Southpaw Slayer

Flaws:
• Blood Debt
• Coveted
Connections
Connections are an abstract way to represent all of the minor acquaintances and rela-
tionships the character has had over the course of their life. A connections roll is made
• Enemy
when a player wants to introduce an NPC to the story — usually in order to gain informa-
• Indebted tion, a favor, or some other service.
• Wanted The connections roll is treated as a specific type of skill check. The individual skill
• Secret used is based upon how the player is supposed to know the NPC in question. As a general
guide:
Education: applies to a character’s tutors, fellow students, or faculty of the
institution in which the character was educated.
Intrigue: applies to eyes and ears within court life, such as servants, guards,
courtiers and pages.
Lore: individuals who share the same or similar field of study (church history
scholars knowing other church history scholars).
Politics: applies to nobility and members of court.
Streetwise: applies to the slums and lower class or criminal elements.
Trade: applies to knowing members of the same or related trades, or their direct
customers.
Background: the weakest of all connections, it can be used for anyone of the
same background but makes all tests at +1Ob.

The roll is made with Social/(Skill) against an Ob based on a number of factors, ranging
from how obscure the information (or how difficult the favor), how soon you need it, and
the difference in social class between the two characters. Unlike most skill rolls, players
cannot aid each other on a connections roll through taking point or sharing successes.
Connections are about the individual character’s relationships and history. Associated
skills may apply their bonus dice as normal. SAs may also apply bonus dice towards a con-
nections roll, but any actual reward conditions would be resolved based on the resulting
NPC interaction.

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 Information, Favor, or Service is...
• General common knowledge or practice for their field +1Ob
• Uncommon, specific, or requiring advanced training +2Ob
• Obscure, esoteric, or guarded +3Ob
• Forbidden, Secret, or Unique +4Ob
Needed...
• Whenever or wherever is convenient — No modifier
• At a time/place unusual for the NPC +1Ob
• Right here, right now +2Ob
NPC is...
• Of the same general rank and social class — No modifier
• Lower social class or status +1Ob
• A higher social class or status +2Ob
• The highest social status in the setting +3Ob

If the roll is successful, the player finds the NPC they are looking for and they are avail-
able to meet when and where the player specified. This does not necessarily guarantee
that the NPC will do what the player wants — that part is resolved through role-play
and conflict — but it does mean that the NPC has the capacity to do what they need. On
an MoS3+, their services will still come with a price but the character is cooperative by
default and becomes a Contact as per the edge.
A failure can represent any number of things that run counter to the player’s intent,
and introduces complications as always. The NPC may not be available at the time/place
needed. The NPC may be available, but their help is either useless or actually counterpro-
ductive. The NPC could even harbor some quiet grudge against the PC that they may have
forgotten about, being outwardly hostile or sabotaging the character. On an MoF3+ the
NPC becomes an Enemy, as per the flaw.
Connections are only rolled the first time an NPC is introduced. After that, the players
don’t need to roll again to get back in touch with the character, they simply require a
means to contact them.
Jaff and Andrev have come across some extremely valuable antiques. The problem?
Finding someone who will move such recognizably stolen goods. “Fortunately,” quips
Jaff, “I know a guy.” Jaff’s player decides that the character used to work with a fence
that dealt in high-end merchandise, selling it off to merchants of some discretion.
The GM decides this is reasonable enough, and calls for a Social/Streetwise check.
The fence is likely of similar social class as Jaff, so that’s not a factor, and Jaff isn’t in
any hurry to move the goods. However, a fence isn’t the most common of professions
to begin with, and the specialty of this particular fence makes him less common still.
After a moment, the GM decides this is an Ob3 roll.
Jaff has Social 3 and Streetwise 2. Not liking his odds, he asks if Larceny would
be an appropriate associated skill. With the GM’s nod, he adds another die to pool,
bringing it to 6. He rolls 3, 7, 4, 6, 2, 1. Two successes. The GM grins. Jaff makes his
way to the small dockside shop where his fence is known to operate, but he can’t
escape the feeling that this is going to cost him.

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96
 09 Full
Contest
Most conflicts can be resolved with a single opposed roll, but sometimes you want a little more than
that. When the stakes are high enough, or the scene is so dramatically important that you want more
detail, full contest is there to help. The full contest rules themselves are fairly simple, but it can be used
to handle a number of different situations from furious debates to dueling snipers.

Full Contest Overview

Full contest can be broken down into the following steps:
1. Set the Scene
2. Set the Stakes
3. Determine Initiative
4. Declare Roll
5. Assign Stress
6. Resolve
Each complete cycle of the above constitutes a single round. Unlike most games, this isn’t really
meant to be a specific measure of time so much as a means of mechanical pacing. If you’re fleeing
from the guards in a crowded market, each round could represent seconds. If you’re arguing for your
innocence in front of a judge, each round could represent minutes. If traveling through the thickest
parts of the woods trying to elude the price on your head, each round could represent days of bounty
hunters following your trail.

Set the Scene

Where is this happening? What’s the environment like? If it hasn’t been made already clear in the
role-play leading up to the contest, take a moment to make sure everyone’s on the same page. Establish
the terrain and any conditions that might be important (Dim lights? Rain?). This step can be crucial if
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
the full contest is physical in nature, as the scenery can help justify the choices players
make in their rolls.

Set the Stakes

What’s at stake here? What are the opposing parties trying to do? What happens if
either side wins? What if they lose? Make sure everyone involved has stated their intent.
This will be especially important if the full contest results in some kind of compromise.
Good examples include:
• Outmaneuver the other party to get the drop on them
• Catch up to or corner the other party
• Get away/escape from another party
• Convince the opponent of a certain point of view, or to take a certain action
• Convince an audience that your opponent is a moron and that your position is the
correct one.

Determine Initiative
Who’s on the attack? Who’s on the defense? ‘Bastards uses the term initiative to refer
to which party is currently in control of the action — who is acting, as opposed to reacting.
The character in the role of the aggressor is said to “have the initiative” and chooses what
action they will take which determines what skills or attributes will be rolled. The char-
acter who is defending must react to the aggressor, with their options largely determined
by their opponent’s choices.
In the first round of a full contest, initiative usually goes to the person who initiated the
contest in the narrative. Generally speaking, one party or the other will express a desire to
act first before dice even come up. If the full contest comes up in the middle of a skirmish
(see Chapter 12) then initiative goes to the one whose roll came up first. If neither of those
apply, then the player character is considered to have the initiative by default. If both
parties are player characters, flip a coin.
On every round after the first, initiative is determined by the results of roll. If the ag-
gressor wins, they maintain initiative. If the defender wins, they now have initiative and
become the aggressor themselves.

Declare Roll
The party with initiative gets to choose the action they want to take, based on the
context of the conflict at hand. They both declare this in narrative terms, and suggest the
combination of attributes and skills they want to use for it. If you’re creeping through
the woods trying to find the other party before they find you, it could well be Agility or
Cunning with Stealth or Survival. A heated debate will often call on varying combinations
of Acumen, Willpower, Cunning, or Social with Orate, Education, or Manipulate. If the
suggested attributes or skills are out of sync with what the player has declared in their
narration, the GM is free to suggest a combination better fitting to the situation or the
player can revise their description.
In addition to the choice of action and attributes or skills, the aggressor must choose
whether they want to press or angle for this roll.

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Press
A press is a direct attack. It represents the straightforward or forceful attempt to ac-
complish your goal. In a foot race, a press is a burst of raw speed to catch up with (or gain
distance from) your opponent. In an argument, it is a direct point made against your
opposition. Pressing brings you closer to winning the contest, but takes a risk at the same
time. If you succeed on your roll, you deal stress to your opponent (see below). If your
opponent succeeds, however, you will be the one who takes stress instead. In a tie, neither
party takes stress, but the aggressor maintains initiative.

Angle
An angle is an attempt to maneuver against your opponent indirectly in such a way
as to gain the upper hand. In a foot race, an angle could be calling on Agility/Athletics to
nimbly pick your way through a thick crowd or taking a shortcut through a narrow alley.
In a debate, it could be using Cunning/Manipulate to lure your opponent into a verbal
trap.
Successful angling does not inflict stress, but if the aggressor wins the roll they gain
2xMoS in bonus dice towards their next roll in the following round. Thus, winning by
MoS1 yields 2 bonus dice. Winning by MoS3 yields 6. If the defender wins, the defender
gains initiative as normal but no stress is dealt to the aggressor. This makes angling a
useful choice both to gain tactical advantage and as a stalling tactic against someone with
a larger die pool.

Defend
The aggressor’s choice of action determines what the defender will roll in turn. This
follows the normal rules for contests, with the defender either having to match (roll the
same combination of attributes and skills as the aggressor), or resist the roll (using the
attributes or skills appropriate).

Assign Stress
In practice, stress is like a temporary wound that only applies to rolls within the full
contest. It is a purely narrative device, representing the escalating tensions of the conflict
as one side or the other draws closer to victory. As you wear your opponent down, they
have increasing difficulty affecting you.
Whenever the aggressor chooses to press and either party rolls an MoS1+, the character
who lost the roll takes a level of stress equal to the winner’s MoS. If the aggressor succeeds
with MoS2, the defender takes level 2 stress. If the defender succeeded with MoS4, the
aggressor takes level 4 stress.
Stress follows many of the same rules as physical wounds from combat, causing a shift
in the TN of the character afflicted based on its level. In addition to diminishing your
opponent’s effectiveness within the conflict, it has the handy side-effect of making the TN
bar on the character sheet a way to measure progress. Also like wounds, only the highest
level of stress caused counts. If your character has already taken level 3 stress (TN9), there
is no need to track a level 2 stress result (TN8) against them.
Table 09.01: Stress Level TNs
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
TN7 TN8 TN9 TN10 Victory
Note that the TN shift from stress only applies to rolls that are related to the full contest
taking place. If the characters were in a full contest that had rounds set for days (tracking
a fugitive across the frontier), the TN-shift from stress would only apply to the roll made
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
to resolve that round, not to any other conflict they might have to resolve in the time
between. TN shifts from physical wounds or fatigue do count towards the TN, however. If
the character had a TN7 from stress, but suffered a physical wound that gave them TN8,
they would use the higher of the two.

Resolve
A full conflict ends when one party inflicts level 5 stress on the other. If neither party
has been taken out or gives up (Giving Up, below), then move on to the next round, repeat-
ing steps 3-5 as necessary. The character that succeeded now has initiative, and can choose
their actions accordingly.
Once someone takes level 5 stress, they are out. Their opposing force prevails, but the
quality of their success depends on how close the results were.
• If the winning party has no stress, they have an extraordinary success the
equivalent of an MoS3+ result on a normal roll.
• If the winning party is at level 1-2 stress, they completely achieve their desired
intent.
• If the winning party is at level 3 stress, they succeed with either a compromise
or a minor complication (they may choose which).
• If the winning party is at level 4 stress, they succeed in their intent but at the
cost of a major complication.
 Stress is temporary. After the conflict is settled and any complications are introduced,
all accumulated stress disappears and can be erased from the character sheet.

Giving Up
Sometimes the risk just isn’t worth the reward. A party can withdraw from a full contest
at any time to try and avoid the worst of the complications.
• If they withdrew with stress 3 or lower, they suffer no complications.
• If they withdrew with stress 4, they suffer only a minor complication instead.
Now uncontested, the other side wins as though they accrued no stress (an extraordi-
nary success).

Chase Scene Example:

Jaff is on the run again from the local constabulary after a failed attempt to separate a
merchant from his coin purse. It would have been fine, had the guard not bumped into him
at just the wrong time.
Jaff decides to bolt. He runs, choosing to press. As it turns out, Jaff has no dots in athlet-
ics, making this a less than optimal choice. The watchman, on the other hand, did not skip
his cardio. An opposed Agility/Athletics roll comes down to 4 dice vs 6 dice. Jaff rolls an
amazing 4 successes, but the watchman with two exploding dice manages a total of 5.
The watchman wins with a MoS1, taking initiative from Jaff and deals one level of stress,
knocking Jaff’s Base TN to 7. Not a good start.
The watchman decides to angle for upper hand. “Thief!” he shouts “Stop that thief!”,
explaining that the intent would be roll Social/Command. Then GM concurs that it’s
plausible, but as this course of action leaves options open for Jaff, the GM asks what his re-
sponse is. “I’m no thief!” screams Jaff as he runs. “Save me from that spiteful cuckold!” Social/
Manipulation looks to be the order of the day and Jaff even has a Provoke expertise, giving
him 8 dice vs watchman’s 4. Jaff gets 4 successes and easily beats watchman’s 3, taking the
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initiative back. He manages to create just enough confusion to pass the few people on the
street that were of mind to interfere. As this was an angling roll, the watchman doesn’t
suffer any stress from being beaten.
As Jaff needs to level the playing field, he decides to head for the market street, and to
grab a gaudy hat from one of the booths as he darts by. He says it’s angling. Jaff needs to
roll Agility/Legerdemain, whereas the watchman needs to make a Perception check to
realize what’s going on. 7 dice vs 5 dice. Jaff, clearly having the fortune on his side, again
scores 3 successes against TN7, whereas the watchman gets 2. That’s an MoS1, translating
to 2 bonus dice on Jaff’s next roll. The guard saw him passing the hatter, but didn’t realize
what Jaff was planning.
Jaff says he crouches lower as he goes, stuffing his old hat into his coat, while putting
on the new and flamboyant one, then straightens his back and reverses his direction,
obscured by the crowd. That’s Cunning/Stealth, with two bonus dice from his angle. The
watchman still rolls for Perception. 9 dice vs 5. Jaff scores an amazing 6 successes, includ-
ing two from exploding dice, whereas the watchman gets only one. Jaff wins with a MoS5,
dealing full five levels of stress to the watchman and instantly winning the contest. The
watchman stands up to the balls of his feet to see where his prey went, while Jaff passes a
few feet from him, turning off the market street and to the nearest alleyway.

Multiple Participants
If multiple participants are involved on either side, they break down roughly into two
teams. This functions identically to a full contest between individuals, with a single char-
acter representing each team and making an opposed roll for their side each round. The
team with initiative chooses their action and type as normal. Taking point rules apply
here as they would anywhere else, with teammates free to describe their own actions to
provide helping dice.
The character representing each side may change between rounds, allowing different
characters to take advantage of their various specialties. However, everyone on the same
team is linked within a full contest. The team as a whole shares any stress inflicted and
rolls at the appropriate TN. On the other hand, bonus dice from angling also carry over
forward regardless of which character on that team will be making the next roll.

Abstract Opposition
Full contest can also be a way to handle more abstract opposition, such as fighting a fire
or infiltrating a guarded fortress. The GM’s section has advice on how to construct and
run abstract mechanically, but from a player’s perspective it works in a very similar way
to any other full contest and follows the same rules, with one minor exception.

Unyielding
Stress introduces a TN shift that represents both escalating tensions as both sides begin
to struggle to affect one another. It works under the assumption that one side can affect
the potency of another. In a chase, the further you get away from your opponent, the more
difficulty they will have in catching up to you or influencing your actions. With abstract
opposition, it isn’t always possible to meaningfully diminish your opponent.
Unyielding opposition is not affected by TN shifts. Level 5 stress is still victory in the
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conflict, but no matter how much stress you inflict, unyeilding opposition will always roll
at TN6. No normal course of action can really effect a forest fire, but you may be able to
escape before you roast.
Though unyielding opposition is often elemental in nature, it’s status is not based upon
the inherent nature of the opposition itself. Instead its based on your relationship to it and
whether it is possible to reduce its influence. A ship caught in a thunderstorm at sea will
face unyielding opposition. There is nothing that can be done to reduce the storm’s effect
on the vessel. A ship trying to outrun a thunderstorm before it’s caught is no different than
any other chase, with stress inflicted raising the storm’s TN like any other opponent.

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 10 Melee
Combat
Of all forms of conflict, combat is among the most dramatic. In ‘Bastards, melee combat is handled
in a very specific way to emulate both the fast cinematic way in which blades cross in fiction and the
dynamic dance at the heart of historical fencing.

A Turn of Phrase
In fencing circles, melee combat has been referred to as a “conversation in steel,” composed of phrases
of blade-play and punctuated by gaps without action. In ‘Bastards, we use the word phrase to refer to
an individual cycle of melee combat, which is outlined as follows:
1. Establish Dice Pools (Refresh)
2. Opening of a Phrase
2a. Determine Reach Control
2b. Determine Initiative
3. Positioning Rolls
4. The Clash
4a. First Tempo
4b. Second Tempo
5. Repeat.

Establishing Dice Pools

Just as attribute and skill rolls are handled by pools, so is melee combat. Each character has a
combat pool (CP) equal to the total of their Agility, Cunning, and the proficiency they are using at
the time. Everything that takes place in melee combat is a function of dice spent from the character’s
combat pool, which refreshes at the beginning of each phrase, returning to its full value.
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Decyphering
the Phrase Opening of a Phrase
The procedure isn’t as Immediately after refresh, two things have to be determined during the opening of a
complicated as it looks. phrase — reach control and initiative.
Firstly, you need to
know how many dice
you have. Secondly, Calculating Reach Control
you need to know if The length of your weapon can be extremely important in a fight. Facing down
you benefit from your a man with a spear is no easy task if all you have is a knife. Even a sword is often hard-
weapon reach, and pressed to get inside the superior striking reach of a good pole-arm.
whether you’re attacking
or defending. Thirdly,
In ‘Bastards, every weapon has a designated reach, which represents a combination of
you have the option to both the physical length of the weapon, and how far it can project it’s striking force from
use your environment to the wielder. From shortest to longest, the melee reach categories are shown below:
your benefit. Fourthly, Table 10.01: Weapon Reach
you reach the actual
clash of blades and need Description
to allocate your dice Hand: The reach of an unarmed attack, a cestus or knuckle-duster, or clutching a rock in
over two combat tempos. hand to cave in someone’s skull.
Divide your dice into
Close: Kitchen knives, broken bottles, or other things projecting up to 1ft. from the hand.
two pools, one for each
tempo. It’s up to you Short: Long daggers or short swords, hatchets or batons projecting up to 2ft from the
how, but the more dice hand.
you roll the better your Medium: Most one-handed swords, axes, or other battlefield side-arms projecting up to
chances. Once both rolls 3ft. from the hand.
are settled, you go back
to step one and refresh Long: Many one or two-handed battlefield weapons, such as longswords, pollax, or Dane
your CP, barring any axe, capable of projecting up to 4ft. from the hand.
dice lost from injury. Extended: Spears, zweihanders, and most polearms projecting their reach anywhere from
5ft to 7ft or so.

Problem pikes
Compare the weapons being used. If both combatants have weapons of equal reach or
Canny observers
are locked in a grapple, ignore this step. In the case of a reach mismatch, one of the char-
may have noticed that
Extended reach stops at acters has a benefit over the other in the form of reach control. This translates to +2CP
around 7ft, well short of (+4CP if they are benefitting from the emphasis of the Spears or Daggers proficiency).
weapons like pikes and At the start of the fight, control goes to the character with the longer weapon by default.
sarissa. These weapons Should the character with the shorter weapon score a hit (regardless of whether or not it
simply aren’t meant for results in a wound), they gain control over reach at the next refresh. Should the character
the kind of individual with the longer weapon score a hit after that, they regain control and so on.
combat we model here.
<Insert an example!>
If it should come up
that a player insist on If a character is using a weapon in either hand, reach is always calculated with the
using a pike, or by some longest weapon. To seize or regain reach control you must strike your opponent with the
contrivance they must longer of the two weapons. The bonus from reach does not shift between tempos, but only
defend themselves with at the beginning of each phrase, so you won’t always see an immediate effect.
a galley’s oar, then
assume it is Extended
reach and apply a Determine Initiative
disadvantage to all Melee combat is a dance in which someone naturally leads and the other must follow.
manuevers using the As explained in the last chapter, in ‘Bastards, we refer to this as having initiative. The
weapon. They just aren’t person with initiative is considered the attacker or aggressor, with the other party taking
optimized for that sort up the position of the defender. During the phrase, the person with initiative declares
of thing. their actions (and dice allocation) first, with the other party then responding. One party
acts, the other reacts.
104 In combat, the attacker will retain initiative until the defender successfully beats an
attack roll with at least an MoS1, at which point the defender gains initiative and becomes
the attacker. On a tie, the attacker retains initiative and may continue attacking.
At the beginning of a fight, initiative is largely determined by how the fight actually Why throw
begins. Nearly all scenarios boil down to one of the following: White?
There are a handful
Sucker Punch of solid reasons to play
One character suddenly and abruptly attacks another, such as throwing a punch in the defensive in a duel.
middle of an otherwise verbal conflict. The combat begins as normal, with the character Several defenses have
who attacked first having initiative. The defender may declare a defense as normal. In offensive properties to
addition, the attacker is assumed to be at the proper reach for their weapon, even if it is them, which can create
shorter. For obvious reasons, the defender cannot pre-empt. a tactical advantage. It
also grants you the op- W
Ambush portunity to gauge your
One character gets a drop on another, whether by sneaking up on them or attacking opponent’s commitment, There
making them show their of soli
unseen. Not only does the attacker automatically gain initiative, the opponent only has dice first.
defens
half their total CP available in the phrase immediately following. They gain their dice
The biggest reason Severa
back as normal after refresh. In addition, the ambusher is assumed to be at the proper though is simply avoid- offensi
reach for their weapon, even if it is shorter. As you might imagine, this can be extremely ing a red/red situation. them,
effective. As with ambush, the defender cannot pre-empt. It looks great in samurai a tacti
films, but unless you also gr
Skirmish have strong armor or an portun
If the fight is initiated by a melee action in a Skirmish (see Chapter 12: Skirmish), then offensive maneuver that oppon
the one who initiated the fight (whose action it fell on in sequence) is automatically the will protect you at the makin
aggressor. After a fight begins, however the sequence roll simply determines when the same time, such a move dice fi
scene is played out in the roster and does not effect initiative thereafter. is liable to get you killed. The b
though
Dueling ing a r
On occasion, two people will square off with swords drawn. It isn’t clear who will It look
make the first move as each circle and feel each other out. In this case, initiative can be Standing Down films,
established by a die throw. When the time comes to determine who will attack and who Sometimes the have s
character with initiative offensi
will defend, each player secretly grabs either a red or white d6. Both players roll their dice
will decide for whatever will pr
simultaneously, revealing them to the other player. A red d6 indicates that the character
reason not to attack, same t
will attack. A white indicates that the character wishes to remain on the defensive. choosing to remain on is liabl
If one party throws red and the other throws white, then initiative has been established
the defensive. If the
and the fight begins as normal. character with initiative
chooses not to attack in
If both characters throw white, then the parties continue circling one another, feeling
each other out. a tempo, their opponent
automatically gains ini-
If both characters throw red, things can get messy. Known as a “double without de- tiative and may declare
fense,” both parties attack simultaneously, with neither party defending themselves unless
an attack of their own
a defense is built into the maneuver they were using. Resolve both maneuvers simultane- as though they were the
ously. Impact rating (pgXX) does not reduce the opponent’s pool until after both hits have
original attacker.
been resolved. If you have the dice, you can attempt to Preempt the attack (pgXX). If both combatants
choose not to attack,
then it creates a pause
Positioning Roll in combat as though
someone had used a
‘Bastards handles combat terrain in an abstracted fashion. The positioning roll can be successful Disengage
used for anything from negotiating environmental hazards, to forcing an opponent into a maneuver.
disadvantageous position, to recovering your own.
Positioning rolls are made by allocating dice from your combat pool, and then rolled
against either an Ob set by the GM, or (more often) the opponent’s own dice allocated to
the same.
105
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
The positioning roll is generally optional. The character with the initiative is given the
choice to declare a positioning roll first and their opponent given the chance to allocate
positioning dice of their own. If they decline, the opponent is given the opportunity to
declare a positioning roll, with the original character given the same chance to allocate
dice in response.

Environmental Hazards Table 10.02: Environmental Obs

When the environment itself is a combat Ob Description
hazard (a rocking deck, crumbling ter- 1 Unsteady: wet surface, lots of loose
rain, a swinging rope bridge), the GM can debris, standing on a steadily moving
set an Ob to safely negotiate it (examples, surface (cart moving forward).
right). Failure to meet the Ob is based on 2 Precarious: slippery, smooth surface
the nature of the hazard involved, but most (like ice or glass), an unsteadily mov-
commonly: ing surface (rocking of a ship’s deck),
• Character is at a disadvantage for the or on a relatively narrow surface (foot
rest of the phrase. bridge).
• Character falls prone (disadvantaged 3 Treacherous: Wet ice, a ship’s deck
Positioning for until you beat your opponent at a during a storm, a rope bridge, narrow-
positioning roll, below). beam, or any surfacewhere putting
effect during a
• Character suffers a narrative conse- your foot in the wrong spot may result
hazard in stepping through a rotten board or a
Generally speaking,
quence (e.g., falling off of the bridge)
hole in the floor.
you’re rolling for effect,
or against a hazard,
not both. When you’re
Positioning for Effect
The positioning roll can also be used to gain an upper hand on your opponent using
already devoting a
large portion of your the environment. Doing so requires the player to narrate which aspect of the environment
attention to balancing they are using and then to succeed on their positioning roll. Classic examples would in-
on a rocking ship, Table 10.03: Positioning Effects
you’re probably not in
a position to also try to MoS Description
force your opponent’s 1 Gain a limited narrative effect during this phrase, such as targeting a wound wheel not
footwork as well. normally available.
On the other hand, if 2 Gain an advantage or impose a disadvantage on your opponent for the next maneuver,
you are that bold the GM in addition to the limited narrative effect.
can handle it as follows: 3 Gain an advantage or impose a disadvantage on your opponent until they can beat you
If someone is trying to on a positioning roll (in addition to the limited narrative effect).
gain an effect on their
opponent on the same
clude throwing sand in someone’s face, overturning a table to create an obstruction, using
roll as a hazard, up that
character’s Ob by 1. If
footwork to gain higher ground or forcing an opponent into a corner. Regardless of who
both parties succeed, initiated the positioning roll, the winner gains the following based on their MoS:
compare the MoS of
Other Effects
each party. The differ-
ence between the two There are a number of other actions that are broadly covered by positioning rolls, each
becomes the MoS of the working in an identical fashion — beat your opponent and you succeed, fail or tie and you
effect. don’t. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it gives you an idea.
• Getting up from prone.
• Recovering a weapon after being disarmed.
• Drawing a weapon from a sheath / off a wall in combat.

106
The Clash Playing it Safe
Melee combat is a series of pauses and footwork punctuated by violent clashes of steel.
The first tempo is an
‘Bastards treats this exchange of blade play as a pair of tempos that take place each phrase.
opening action, and in
Each tempo represents a single movement or attack that forces a response from your enemy.
certain ways it is a kind
The second tempo immediately follows the first, with virtually no time between them. As of gambit. If one spends
such, there is no time to do things like drawing another weapon, repositioning, and so too many dice, you
forth during the clash, though one can choose to drop their weapon at any time. run the risk of over-
extending yourself and
Balancing Dice arriving in the second
tempo with too few dice
At the most basic level, a character’s combat pool represents a burst of effort that the to defend yourself or
character can exert over the duration of a phrase. Tempo represents a kind of resource maintain control of the
management. After subtracting any dice spent in the positioning roll, players allocate initiative. Worse than
their dice between the two tempos — an opening action and a subsequent recovery. Any that, you could become
function of combat that takes place during the clash is a function of those dice, including a tempting target for a
the activation costs of any maneuvers used. preemptive attack. On
the other hand, if you
Dice are allocated in a specific order, with the attacker declaring their dice first, then the
spend too few dice in
defender. In the second tempo, the attacker may use their remaining dice, and the defender the first tempo, your
may do likewise. After that, the dice pools refresh and the phrases begins again. opponent could use the
opportunity to go heavy
Attacking on their own dice with
potentially disasterous
After initiative is determined, the aggressor may declare their attack. In ‘Bastards, this results.
takes on a specific syntax, as the player must specify the maneuver being used, how many Most of the time it’s
dice they are placing into the attack, and what part of their opponent they are aiming at. to a player’s benefit to
keep their dice relatively
Select a maneuver
balanced in allocation
Chapter 05: Proficiencies & Maneuvers listed a series of maneuvers, and you may choose between first and second
any offensive maneuver you have access to with your current weapon and proficiency. tempo. This is especially
Certain maneuvers have an activation cost, which indicates a number of dice that must true if you are unaware
be spent from your CP in order to use it. These dice are discarded for the remainder of of how many dice your
the phrase and are not rolled with the attack. Many maneuvers can be augmented, which opponent has.
changes the way in which they perform. Declare these as you would any other maneuver, The big thing to
paying any activation costs incurred by the maneuver or its augmentations. remember is that just
like in real life, not
Divide up your CP getting hurt is way more
After paying any activation costs, decide how many dice you are going to put into this important than hurting
your opponent. Wounds
attack. This will determine the number of dice you get to roll against your opponent.
in ‘Bastards are nasty.
Nominate a wheel It never hurts to favor
defense.
Finally, select a Wound Wheel to indicate what part of your opponent’s body you are
targeting. The full chart is on pageXX, but for reference, the available wheels are: Head,
Arms, Thigh, Shin, Belly, and Chest. If attacking from behind, use the same wheels, but
certain individual wound locations will be substituted. Note that certain wheels may be
obstructed by shields or the like (see Wheels and Favoring, below)
When done properly, a declared attack will at the very least sound like “I Swing for five
dice at his Head,” but feel free to embellish as desired. “I bring my kriegsmesser down in a
heavy two-handed blow, dropping seven dice in a Draw Cut across his Chest,” sounds so much
better.

107
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Defending
Defending is done in a fashion identical to attacking, above. Select an appropriate ma-
neuver, pay any activation costs, and declare your dice allocated. You do not have to select
a wheel, as you’re automatically assumed to be defending the correct location.

Attacking from Defense

When someone is swinging a sword at you, the logical thing is to in some way prevent it
from hitting you. On the other hand, a character can always choose to go on the offensive.
If your opponent throws a particularly weak attack, you’re confident in your armor, or
you develop a sudden masochism, you can choose to make an attack instead. Resolve the
opponent’s attack as normal, and subtract any impact from the dice you’ve allocated for
your own attack first. If you have any dice remaining in that attack, you may roll your
own attack unopposed. If done in the first tempo, you may attempt to preempt the attack
instead (see below).

Resolving the Tempo

The attacker and defender roll their dice as a normal contest, with the difference be-
tween the two rolls becoming the winner’s MoS. Regardless of other consequences, the
winner also gains initiative in the next tempo. If both parties attacked, the one who had
the most attack successes gains initiative.

Defender Wins
If the Defender wins, they suffer no damage from their opponent’s attack in addition
to whatever additional benefits might be gained from their choice of maneuver. They gain
initiative and may attack in the following tempo.

Attacker Wins
If the attacker wins, they then roll the location of the wound and resolve damage. The
location is resolved by rolling a d6 and comparing it to the targeted Wound Wheel, count-
ing clockwise from the top to arrive at your actual location. Swings use the results on the
outside of the wheel. Thrusts use the results inside of the wheel.
Favoring The total damage of a blow is equal to the total of your Margin of Success and your
Summary weapon’s DR. Your opponent then subtracts their Stamina and any benefits from armor.
A character without The resulting number is the level of wound taken (See XXX). Subtract any impact from the
a shield can cover one opponent’s remaining die pool. If they have fewer remaining dice than the impact rating,
wheel at the cost of they are dropped to 0CP and the remaining is subtracted from the following refresh.
one die, and that’s it. A
character with a shield Ties
gets to cover a bonus On a tie, neither side gets what they really wanted. The attacker retains initiative, but
amount of locations they failed to land a blow. They deal no damage and reach is unaffected. The defender man-
based on their shield die
ages not to get hit, but they are still on the back foot and unable to gain the initiative.
in addition to having the
option of spending one After
die to cover one more.
If any maneuver used has a follow-up effect (See pg.XX) roll the appropriate dice now.
Note that this only
If this was the first tempo, move on to the second tempo and the combatants use up any
works for melee combat.
Ranged combat ignores remaining dice. If this is the second tempo, go back to refresh and begin a new phrase.
favoring entirely, but Repeat until someone surrenders, dies, or breaks from combat.
treats shields as cover or
concealment (see pgXX).

108
Wheels and Favoring
Not all Wound Wheels can be targeted at all times. Players can intentionally prevent
wheels from being targeted through favoring, positioning themselves in such a way as to
keep certain parts of themselves better defended.
You can choose to favor a location during the opening of a phrase, after reach is calcu-
lated but before any positioning rolls are made. In order to do so, you may spend a single
die from your combat pool and place it on one (and only one) wheel you’re favoring. That
single wheel may not be targeted by your opponent’s attack unless they beat you on a
positioning roll, or use a maneuver that circumvents this (Wrap).
Shields automatically grant a certain amount of favoring dice based on their size (pgXX).
These dice may be freely spent in the same manner, and are in addition to the single die a
player can choose to spend. However, all favoring dice from a shield must cover a contigu- Two on Three
ous area. You could use a shield to favor arm, head, and chest, but not head and legs at the In any instance where
same time without covering the chest and abdomen as well. there is an uneven match
between numbers of
opponents, divde the

Multiple Opponents
Fighting multiple opponents puts you at a massive disadvantage. Whenever possible, fights.
greater number up by
the smaller number until
it is a series of X-on-One

you must use their numbers against them, positioning yourself so that your adversaries If it’s five-on-three,
get in each other’s way. then it will generally be
When fighting two-on-one (or three-on-one), the combatants divide up into teams, the two instances of a two-
outnumbering side and the lone combatant. Each character on the outnumbering side must on-one bout with the odd
declare how many dice each will be allocating towards their individual positioning rolls. character out having a
The lone combatant may then declare how many dice they will spend on positioning. All normal one-on-one fight.
parties roll simultaneously and compare their individual totals to the lone combatant. Of course, if someone
on the less-numerous
Lone Combatant team is a higher priority
If the lone combatant rolls a number of successes greater than the highest positioning target or simply known
roll from the outnumbering side, they win the positioning roll. They begin with initiative to be significantly more
dangerous, there’s noth-
and choose the number of opponents, from one to three, that they will face simultane-
ing preventing the more
ously. The specific opponents fought are chosen in the order of their positioning rolls, numerous team from
with the highest being chosen first, next highest next, and so on. If there is a tie between ganging up. You could
opponents in positioning roll, the lone combatant may choose whichever among the tied just as easily have a pair
they please. If the lone combatants positioning roll was MoS3+, they may choose which- of one-on-one duels with
ever opponent(s) they please regardless of positioning roll. If the lone combatant is tied an unfortunate soul
with the highest roll from the outnumbering side, they still only face one opponent but facing three opponents
lose initiative in the process. at once.
Multiple fights
Outnumbering Side
However a fight is di-
Anyone on the outnumbering side who beats the lone combatant’s positioning roll may vided up, each individual
fight them in the following phrase, up to a maximum of three opponents simultaneously. fight is self-contained.
If more than three opponents beat the lone combatant, then the three highest are the ones When multiple fights are
who will be in the fight. They also begin with initiative in the first tempo and declare their happening simultane-
attacks in the order of their positioning rolls, from highest to lowest. ously, use sequence (see
<Example> Chapter 12: Skirmish) to
determine in what order
The outnumbering combatants now involved may each make their attacks as normal, they are resolved.
and the lone defender must divide up their CP to defend against each attack individually.
This means separate die allocations in separate piles. If they successfully defend against
109
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
any one of the attacks in the first tempo, they gain initiative and may retaliate against a
single opponent of their choice in the second (assuming they have any dice after suffering
impact). If they fail to defend against all attacks, they will divide up any remaining dice
between the next wave of attacks which must be individually defended against.
<Example>

Tie
If there is a tie between the lone combatant and one or more opponents on the outnum-
bering side, the lone combatant only faces a single opponent, but initiative goes to the
opposite side.

Preempting
Sometimes a character will respond to an attack not by defending, but by trying to
beat their opponent to the punch, declaring their own attack instead. Preempting creates
a contested roll, which determines which attack lands first. If dealing with a red/red, the
character who rolled lowest on the die throw is considered the original attacker for steps
1-3 and 6.
1. The attacker declares their offensive maneuver, allocating dice and targeting
their wound wheel as normal.
2. The defender declares a Contest of Speed. Both parties start with a number of
dice equal to their Speed attribute and may increase this pool with dice from
their CP on a 1:1 basis.
3. The Defender must declare their die allocations first, both their attack and any
dice allocated to increasing their Speed pool. The attacker may then increase
their own speed pool with dice from their CP.
4. Both characters roll vs Base TN. The original attacker is considered advantaged.
On a red/red, no one is advantaged. The winner of this contest has their attack
land first and is resolved unopposed.
5. If the winner’s attack caused impact, those dice are removed from the loser’s
current attack first. If they are alive and have dice left in that attack, they may
now resolve their own attack.
6. If both parties survive, initiative goes to the party that rolled the most suc-
cesses on their attack roll. Ties favor the original attacker.
7. If a red/red situation applies, the character who rolled lowest on the die throw
is considered the original attacker for steps. 1-3 and 6.

110
 11 Ranged
Combat
Before any kind of ranged attack can be made, you need line of sight to your target — an unbroken
line from you to them. You can’t shoot what you can’t see. If you have a target you can hit, the proce-
dure is as follows:

Overview
1. Establish Dice Pool
2. Check Range
3. Check for Cover
4. Check for Complexity
5. Take the Shot
6. Resolve the Hit

Establish Dice Pools

Ranged combat is handled in a manner similar to melee, with the character forming a combat pool
based on the total of their Agility, Cunning, and relevant proficiency. Like in melee, everything that
takes place while making a ranged combat attack is represented by dice spent from this pool, which
refreshes at the beginning of each combat round.

Range
Band of Bastards uses an abstract combat environment. While a map and miniatures can be help-
ful in establishing general spatial relationships, they are by no means required. For the purposes of
determining weapon ranges, distance is divided into seven even loose range bands like concentric
circles around the shooter.
The first four of these bands are Melee, Close, Short, and Medium range. These are the most
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
common ranges most characters will have to deal with and also represent the ranges of
most weapons. They are generally defined by the amount of open terrain between the
shooter and a target, as dictated by the environment.
The remaining three bands are Long, Extended, and Remote range. These represent
completely open terrain where the distances begin to limit the amount of detail the naked
eye can discern. Few weapons can reach out this far, and engaging individual targets at
long range and beyond is impossible without rifling. Beyond these ranges, it becomes
impossible to spot a man-sized target with the naked eye.

Table 11.01: R ange Bands

Description
Melee: Anything from wrestling to pike length. Usually handled with melee mechan-
ics (see the Discharge maneuver), though, if you fire on someone at this range while not
engaged in melee combat, you get -2 to your complexity Ob (below).
Close: Anything that happens in living quarters or alleyways. The Disengage melee ma-
neuver takes combatants to this range, just outside of melee <7 yards
Short: Anything happening in halls, narrow streets, or courtyards. Longest practical
distance for thrown weapons. 7-25 yards
Medium: Anything happening in wide streets, forests, or clearings. Details such as clothes
and basic equipment can still be seen with clarity. Longest direct fire distance for most
projectiles. 25-100 yards
Long: At this distance, details such as clothes and basic equipment still remain identifiable
by their color and general shape. Noticing a single human out in the open requires no roll,
but is an Ob3 task when obscured by surroundings. Maximum effective range for handheld
rifles. No called shots are possible at this range. 100-200 yards
Extended: Noticing a single standing human out in the open requires no roll, but is an
Ob5 task when obscured by surroundings. Naked eye can see the body outline and usually
discern skin tone. Taking an effective shot requires putting the rifle down on a stable
surface, be it windowsill or fork rest. 200-400 yards
Remote: Noticing someone out in the open is an Ob3 task. Naked eye can no longer discern
the head on the body outline or make out any meaningful details. Beyond effective rifle
range. 400-800 yards

Determining Range
Most of the time, the range will be evident from where the scene takes place. If there is
Bulletproof any doubt, assume that the furthest applicable range band applies. If a conflict breaks out
Cover with one side successfully ambushing the other (See Chapter 12), the ambushing side can
In real life, a well- decide at what range they want to begin.
charged black powder
firearm can shoot
through a door frame
or hostage at reasonable
Check for Cover
ranges. For the sake of Cover is anything that can physically protect a character from projectiles. Walls, large
simplicity, though, we trees, big rocks, and sandbags are all excellent examples of cover. Figure out which parts
decided it was much of the target are exposed, and which are obscured by cover. A man leaning around a
easier to claim that all corner with a pistol will have at the least their head and the weapon arm exposed at least
cover nullified shots to the shoulder. A target loosing a bow through an empty window likely has their chest,
protecting that location arms, head and neck completely exposed.
than to treat different
Body parts behind cover do not contribute to complexity (below) but instead those
material covers as differ-
areas are protected from harm. If the hit location of a shot indicates part of the body that
ent levels of armor.
was behind cover, it is effectively nullified. If no part of a target is visible from behind
112 cover, there is no line of sight and thus no shot is possible.
Check for Complexity
Like melee, CP in ranged combat involves allocating the character’s dice in different
ways depending on the situation at hand. For ranged combat, these dice are generally
allocated into two pools — placement and complexity.
Placement roughly translates into the likelihood of hitting something vital. The more
successes you roll for placement, the greater the severity of the wound. Complexity is an
obstacle that represents all of the adverse factors that affect a shot, including movement,
distance and visibility. The more difficult a shot, the higher the complexity. Most of these
factors are environmental in nature, but a few are based on motion and the size of the
target itself. Table 11.02 summarizes all of the modifiers to a complexity Ob, though your
best judgement always applies.
Under perfect conditions, a shot may not have a complexity Ob at all, allowing the
attacker to allocate their entire pool into placement with devastating consequences. If the
shot would be at a net Ob of 0 or less, then no complexity roll is required. Negative Obs do
not, however, translate into any kind of bonuses for the attacker.

Take the Shot Table 11.02: Complexity Modifiers

Mod Circumstance
+2 Ob Target is moving fast or unpredictably
+1 Ob Target is at the maximum range for your weapon
+1 Ob Target is moving among obstructions (moving through a forest, in a crowd)
+1 Ob Target is hard to see (foliage, poor lighting, downpouring rain)
+1 Ob Target is very small (cat, dog, crouched, prone; does not refer to body parts
exposed from cover)
+1 Ob Shooter in a precarious condition (unstable platform, mounted or moving)
-1 Ob Shooter takes a pause to line up the shot (15-20 seconds)
-1 Ob Target is significantly larger than human (horse, elephant)
-2 Ob Target in melee range but not engaged in melee with shooter

When everything else has been accounted for, the shot is rolled. Both placement and
complexity (if required) are rolled against the attacker’s Base TN. For an attack to be a
hit, both pools must succeed. Placement requires only a single success, but additional
successes indicate a more damaging shot. Complexity requires that the Ob be met, with
failure indicating a missed shot. If the complexity Ob is met but no placement successes
are rolled, the shot can be assumed to have only grazed the target.

Leaning Out
A ranged attacker behind cover can try to minimize their exposure by leaning out.
Effectively, the character remains in complete cover until the moment of their shot, leans
out, and then dives back behind cover whent he shot has been made. Doing this imposes
a +2 Ob complexity to the shot for rushed target acquisition, but allows them to remain
in full cover both before and after the shot has been made. It does not, however, protect
them from any ranged attacks that come at them during the same step in sequence (see
Skirmish).

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 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Missed shots
Resolving the Shot
If both pools succeed, the hit location is determined randomly by default. Roll a red and
Keep the environment
white d6 simultaneously. The red die determines which wound wheel the shot lands on.
in mind whenever you’re
dealing with either a The white die determines the precise location struck, using the inside (thrust) locations.
missed shot. If a shot If that location is behind cover, the shot is absorbed or otherwise harmless. If it hits an
has some complexity exposed body part, add the placement MoS to the weapon’s DR to determine the attacker’s
due to a target weaving damage, then subtract the defender’s Stamina and Armor Value (and properties) as normal
through a crowd, a to determine the wound level.
missed bullet will go
somewhere and might
hit a bystander. The
material being used as
cover should similarly
be kept in mind. Barrels
Called Shots
Characters can make a called shot to take more control of where their shot will land.
count as cover in our This is especially useful when you’re dealing with a target who is armored or behind
rules, but their contents cover.
will at the very least If the target is unaware or helpless, and up to optimal range for your weapon, you may
begin to spill. It is a freely choose your target wheel.
fool that hides behind a
If the target is not unaware, you can aim high or low at optimal range. Treat the red
powder keg.
die as a d3 when determining hit location, counting only the upper or lower wheels,
clockwise.
It is also possible to narrow your aim to a specific wheel or wheels by spending dice
from your pool on wheels that you don’t want to hit. To get a head shot up to optimal range
for your weapon, you would need to spend two additional dice to cover up the chest and
arms wheels. At longer distances, the same headshot would cost five dice, covering up
every wheel except for the head.
When figuring out the wound location, just skip over the excluded wheels as you count
clockwise when determining wound location.

Multiple Targets
Engaging multiple targets in a single round requires a weapon capable of making mul-
tiple shots (such as a double-barreled pistol), or one with an Instant reload speed (such as
a bow).
Multiple targets can be engaged in a single round by dividing one’s CP between the
shots. Each target is considered an individual attack on its own, and follows all of the
normal rules for a ranged attack. When complexity applies, it applies to each attack
individually. If an attacker were shooting at two targets, each as a complex shot, then
they would ultimately need to divide their pool into placement and complexity for each
target resulting in four pools to manage. For obvious reasons, attacking multiple targets
is generally reserved for either the extremely skilled attacker or targets under the most
optimal condition.
The maximum number of targets that can be engaged in a single round is equal to the
attacker’s Agility or Cunning (whichever is lower) and limited by the number of shots
they can actually fire before reloading.
Madis has stealthily approached a river bank and sees two bandits watering their
mounts. Having been chased by outlaws for days, he sees it as an excellent opportu-
nity to thin their ranks and possibly even acquire a horse. He could easily take one
of them down in a surprise attack, but then the other might be upon him before he
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 can loose another shot. As Madis is quite skilled with a bow, he decides to take down
both bandits before either has a chance to realize their peril.
He could divide his 12 CP into equal parts, but as one of the footpads is wearing a
gambeson, Madis goes for an 8/4 split to ensure greater penetration on the armored
character. For the purposes of these two shots, Madis effectively has a CP of 8 and 4
that he can use to engage the two targets.
Madis has an Agility of 3 and a Cunning of 4. Had there been more bandits, he
could have chosen to engage up to 3 of them with his bow in a single round.

Thrown Weapons
Thrown weapons function identically to other ranged weapons, with two exceptions.
First is that they use the relevant melee proficiency for their CP, even as a ranged attack.
Javelins use the Spears proficiency, throwing knives use Daggers, and so on. The second is
that unlike other faster projectiles, thrown weapons can be deflected.
To deflect a thrown weapon, the target must be both aware of the incoming attack,
facing the thrower, and have a melee weapon or shield in hand. The attacker goes through
their roll as normal, allocating their dice as normal and dividing up between placement
and complexity if required. After the attacker’s made their roll, note their total successes.
The defender uses the relevant melee proficiency and uses their entire CP as a de-
fensive pool, rolled at a disadvantage. If the defender equals or exceeds the attacker’s
total successes (both for placement and complexity), then they have successfully deflected
the thrown weapon. If they fail, resolve the damage per the attacker’s placement roll as
normal.

Shields
Shields count as cover for the purpose of ranged combat, and protect both the arm
holding it and a number of contiguous locations equal to the number of favoring dice they
grant freely. Shields also make it easier to deflect thrown weapons (as above). In addition
to counting as cover, they use their normal shield TN to defend against thrown weapons,
ignoring the disadvantage.

Firing into Melee

Firing at a target engaged in melee combat is risky, as it carries the risk of hitting the
person they are in combat with. For the shot itself, use the existing complexity rules. They
are assumed to be both moving unpredictably (+2 Ob) and have moving obstructions (their
opponent +1 Ob), making it a complexity 3 shot. If they were engaged in a grapple, their
opponent may well count as cover as well. If your shot misses its complexity roll, roll a d6.
On a 4+ it hits the other combatant instead.
Of course, if you don’t care which character is hit, feel free to ignore any complexity
based on the two combatants moving together. If those were the only complexity modi-
fiers, you can allocate all of your CP to placement. Roll a d6 to determine who is hit.
In either case, if the wound level exceeds 5 on the primary target, apply the remaining
damage to the other target with their armor and stamina still applying as normal.

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 12 Skirmish
In real life, combat is a brutish and unpredictable affair. Things happen at a wild and chaotic pace
as combatants clash steel or rain hell upon each other from a distance. Others flee the field or rush
in to aid the wounded. Frantic pandemonium makes for extremely exciting scenes, but also creates a
problem from a gameplay perspective. You need a structure to make combat work smoothly, but you
don’t want so much structure that you lose the sense of chaos.

Actions & Rounds

The structure of the skirmish system is going to be somewhat familiar. Combat is kept manageable
by breaking it up into rounds. By default, each round represents a rough amount of time the equivalent
of 15-20 seconds, but the actual time isn’t particularly important.
Rather than each character getting a precise number of attacks or a set movement distance, however,
it’s helpful to imagine the whole scene being portrayed on-screen. The camera goes from one character
to the next, following each character just long enough for them to to do one important thing, have one
dramatic moment, or resolve one conflict before the shot is cut away to the next character. We call this
‘one important thing’ an action, regardless of how many individual physical actions might take place.
Like in a movie, the amount of actual screen-time an individual character gets varies, but it should
always be long enough to accomplish a single dramatic action.
The actual content of an action will depend on what is being attempted. In melee, this could be a
few phrases of combat until someone either causes an injury, gains the upper-hand, or it is simply
clear that the fight is deadlocked for the moment. In ranged combat, this is generally burning through
one’s whole ranged combat pool, whether that means taking multiple shots with a bow or taking one
focused sniper-shot with a wheellock rifle. Non-combatants might get even more narrative time with
their actions, overcoming some obstacle (pick a lock, perform first aid on a companion) or resolving a
turn in full contest.
Once a character has performed their action, the camera moves on to the next character who is
given the stage to perform their own in order of sequence.
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Sequence
Situational awareness can only get you so far in anticipating and reacting to things
around you, particularly where the enemy is concerned. It’s impossible to know exactly
when your actions will line up compared to those around you. Sequence is where chaos
makes a comeback.
Actions are broadly divided into three types, each with an associated die. At the begin-
ning of the round, you have to decide what category the action you want to do will fall
into. In brief:
• Any attack-only option is a red d6
• Any movement-only based option is a white d6
• Any action that is both of those or neither is a d10
The die you roll will both determine when your action will show up in sequence (lower
is better) and lock you into a category of action without making you declare exactly what
that action will be. At the beginning of each round, each player (and the GM) grabs the
appropriate dice and everyone rolls simultaneously. The actions are resolved from lowest
to highest until everyone has acted. Then the whole process starts over until the scene is
resolved.
Ties are considered to be resolved simultaneously, unless the tied results are in conflict
with each other. In that case, the player goes first. If it’s a tie between players, just resolve
it with opposed Speed rolls.

Attack Actions (Red d6)

These actions are generally quick and to the point. Almost any action involving melee
or ranged combat is a red action.

Melee
Getting up close and personal with an opponent. A melee action can be used to charge
in and initiate a fight with someone, or to represent continuing a fight you were in last
round. To initiate combat, you must be within Close range on foot or Short range on
horseback. Characters may draw a weapon from a crucial slot during this charge for
free as part of their action. Initiating combat on your action automatically grants you
initiative, but reach control is given to the longer weapon as normal. It’s worth noting that
engaging someone in combat automatically takes up their action if they haven’t gone yet
this round, regardless of what they originally rolled for sequence.
If you were stuck in melee combat at the end of your action in the last round, all par-
ties involved must roll a red d6 for sequence. The actions of all parties involved will be
consumed at the same time, occuring whenever the lowest roll indicated. Initiative is de-
termined like any other ongoing melee, based on the outcome of the last phrase between
the combatants.
A melee action usually lasts until the end of a phrase in which someone has either taken
an injury worth recording, gained a significant upper hand on their opponent (disarmed
them, thrown them to the ground, gotten them in a hold), or someone is slain/surrenders.
If after three full phrases neither opponent has gained any real ground over the other,
the action ends and the camera moves on to the next actor as normal, with the fight to
be continued next round. Actions will never end mid-phrase between tempos unless an
opponent surrenders, is knocked unconscious, or slain.

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Shooting
Reach out and touch somebody. Any ranged combat attack falls under shooting. The
action consists of a single combat pool’s worth of dice, either spent on one careful shot or
spread across multiple shots from the same pool. Reloading is a slow action (below), rather
than a red action. If the character was leaning out from cover to take their shot, they
remain exposed at the end of their action.

Movement Actions (White d6)

Any physical movement from one location or position to another. Movement is always
based on the appropriate skill — Athletics, Horsemanship, etc. Anything within Close
range can be done without a roll, unless that roll would be opposed by an opponent or
the action could require a roll outside of combat (moving across a narrow beam, scaling
a wall, etc). Moving to anything within Short range is an Ob1 task. Moving to anything
within Medium range is an Ob3 task. For horseback, increase each of these bands by 1
(Short without a roll, Medium as an Ob1 task, Long range as an Ob3 task). If the roll fails,
you fell somewhere short of where you were going, potentially leaving you exposed as
a consequence. If the need arises to calculate it, assume the distance traveled was about
half of what you needed to cover. If intervening terrain features would have required a
secondary test, make both.
If a white d6 is thrown because of an opposed movement (for instance, a full contest),
then treat it similarly to an ongoing melee, with both parties throwing a white d6 and
resolving both actions simultaneously on whichever die is lower.

Slow actions (d10)

Slow actions cover anything a character could want to do that isn’t one of the above.
Performing first-aid on a character, picking a lock, rummaging through one’s pack to
get out supplies, searching a body for keys, these are all good examples of slow actions
and in skirmish they would be run like any other. They only require a roll if they would
have required a roll out of combat, and the action ends whenever the intended task is
resolved. In addition to these general slow actions, however, there are a few that require
more specific rules.

Aim
The character lines up a careful shot on the target, allowing them to make their ranged
attack at -1Ob complexity. If the character was leaning out from cover to take their shot,
they remain exposed at the end of their action.

Drag
Dragging or carrying heavy weight, as per your Strength threshold. Count as a normal
movement, but with all range bands shortened by 1 (close is Ob 1, short is Ob 3).

Lay Ambush
Get into position to ambush a target. Designate a kill zone for your ambush, which can
be as small as a single door frame, or as wide as an alleyway. For ranged weapons, this can
be anywhere in the range of your weapon with unblocked line of sight. For melee weapons,
this must be within Close range (if on foot) or Short (if on horseback). If anyone wanders
into the nominated zone after your step in sequence this round, you may initiate an attack
on them based on the weapon you’re using. Regardless, after the first roll in sequence, the
character can decide to hold their ambush for as long as circumstances allow. They do not
need to throw sequence dice in following rounds. If the character wants to declare any
other actions (moving, shooting at a target not in their kill zone) they must roll another die
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
as normal and lose any and all benefits of ambushing. The benefits are also lost if the character
becomes engaged in melee.
If you’re using a firearm or crossbow, you take careful aim and wait. When the target enters
the nominated area, you may take an immediate shot at them. If this shot occurs in any follow-
ing round, you may also take it at -1Ob complexity (the aim bonus is built in). This shot takes
place at the beginning of the opponent’s action, before they can complete it. Thus if they were
moving to get into cover, you would shoot before they got there. If they leaned out of cover
to take a shot, you would get your shot off first. Firearms with multiple barrels may target
multiple opponents (or make multiple shots) with a single pool as normal, provided all targets
are within the kill zone.
Vaiga is pointing her pistol out of the window and has established a doorway across
courtyard as her kill zone. She sees an arquebusier leaning into the doorway to take a shot
at her. The arquebusier has his head, chest and both arms exposed. Vaiga can now freely
take a shot at him. She allocates her dice, including for the called shot to the head, but the
bullet flies wide. She’s in big trouble now — it’s the arquebusier’s turn to take a shot and
Vaiga’s head and right arm are still exposed.
If you’re using a bow of any sort, you are at a slight handicap. When your target enters the
kill zone, roll a die based on your type of bow (d6 normally, d10 if it has the Long trait). If your
die result is equal to or lower than your target’s step in sequence, you may loose your shot
before they finish their action as above. If it’s greater than the opponent’s step in sequence,
your shot is taken after their action is completed. If their action would make them an invalid
target (no line of sight, moved out of your range, etc) then your shot misses automatically. If
this shot occurs in any round following the lay ambush sequence roll, you may also take it at
-1Ob complexity (the aim bonus is built in). Bows may target multiple opponents with a single
pool as normal.
Madis is standing across the street as has established his kill zone as the alleyway left
to the burning inn. On sequence 3, he sees a ragged figure charging out from that alley
and rushing straight at him with a rusty cleaver. Madis rolls a d6 and gets a 3. This is just
barely enough to draw and loose in time to drive an arrow through the assailant’s chest.
Had the assailant came from some other alleyway or had a marksman popped out from
one the windows above, Madis would not have gotten the free shot, as those weren’t his
designated kill zones.
If you’re using a melee weapon, it is a matter of taking a position and waiting. When the
target moves into the nominated area, you may immediately initiate melee with them before
they have the chance to finish their action. If you do this from a position where the target
would not have seen you before, you also count as having ambushed them per the melee rules
(attacker has initiative automatically, defender has only half their CP to use in the first phrase,
attacker begins with reach control even if they have the shorter weapon. Obviously, if both
combatants have the same length weapon, no one has reach control).

Provoke a Duel
Cornering an opponent in such a way that they are required to fight you. Different from a red
(d6) melee action in that you aren’t charging in and automatically taking the initiative. Instead,
you’re blocking their path in such a way that they have no choice but to fight you but without
you necessarily having to take the first swing. Use the Dueling rules to determine initiative
(red/white throw). Otherwise, all distances and conditions work as the red (d6) melee entry.

Reload
Reloading a firearm or crossbow to be used again. Reloading consumes the character’s action
this round. Some weapons will require more than one reload action to be made ready.

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Run and Gonne
Any combination of movement while making a ranged attack. Movement is handled
per the white d6 rules, but with all ranges a band shorter (melee is free, close is Ob1, short
is Ob3). Horseback increases each range band as normal. The shot follows the normal
rules for shooting, but at an additional +1Ob complexity for the shooter moving. If a roll is
necessary, make the movement roll first. The shot may be resolved at any point along the
length the shooter covered. Most commonly, this will be used to lean out of cover, take a
shot, and then return to cover, but also covers any kind of shot from horseback.

Putting it All Together

With all the pieces in hand, you’re ready to put everything together.
1. Set the scene
2. Roll for Sequence
3. Resolve actions
4. Rinse and Repeat

1. Set the Scene

This should be obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Make sure everyone has a good idea
of what’s going on, a decent idea of where everything is. Sometimes a brief recap of the
last round is even helpful to keep track of who’s still a threat and who’s been taken out.
If you’re the kind that likes maps, sketches, or even tactical grids and minis, these can be
used here to help track where things are, but aren’t strictly necessary.

2. Roll for Sequence

Every player secretly decides their die type. The GM follows suit for each of their NPCs,
or NPC groups. Then everyone simultaneously rolls their dice.

3. Resolve Actions
Each character takes their actions in step, from lowest to highest die result. The indi-
vidual actions are resolved according to the rules for that specific action. If one character’s
action would consume another character’s action later in sequence (for instance, locking
them in melee combat), then they are skipped. If two or more characters end up on the
same sequence then their actions are resolved simultaneously. If those actions would be in
conflict, the player goes first. If it’s a tie between players, make opposed Speed rolls.

4. Rinse & Repeat.

If anyone’s still breathing and the fight continues, repeat steps 1-3 until the matter is
settled.

An Example Skirmish
The Ambush.
Our merry band is travelling by a winding forest road. Right out of the blue, they are
greeted by a ragged volley of lead shot and crossbow bolts that lands from several angles
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
from the right side of the road. There are
seven shots in total.
Vaiga gets hit in the back by an MoS4
pistol shot from Short range for a total of
8 damage. After subtracting armor and
stamina, that comes up as a level 2 blunt
wound, denting the armor. Cookie reads:
An eye watering blow to the kidneys. KD2.
Vaiga would lose 4 dice from impact, but as
she’s not in melee when struck, it is ignored.
She beats the KD rolls and keeps herself
upright.
Madis feels a bolt whip past his head, but
is unharmed.
Being the the biggest and most heavily
armored, Andev and Ser Osjand take the
brunt of the volley.
Andrev takes an MoS3 crossbow bolt to
the neck for a total of 8 damage, but his
bishop’s mantle and massive Stamina score
of 5 make it a scratch not even worth men-
tioning. An arquebus shot pierces the boot
leather on his shin with an MoS2 for a total
of 9 damage. Being the monster that he is,
Andrev barely wavers and receives only a
level 2 wound. Cookie reads: Surface layer
pierced. Some blood. Andrev would lose two
dice from impact, but like Vaiga, he is not
in melee when struck, so it is ignored. His
Base TN hikes up to 7 due to the wound.
Ser Osjand is struck by two arquebus
balls and two crossbow bolts. The first bolt
hits him in the crown with an MoS3 for a
total of 8 damage, where it will be resisted
with 3 Stamina plus 6 proofed helmet. It
simply glances off. The second lands with
an MoS4 and finds its way to the armpit,
where it meets a maille voider. The bolt does
and total of 9 damage, which is reduced to
a level 3 wound by the AV6 (3 Stamina plus
3 maille). Crossbow bolts normally deliver
piercing damage, but maille armor has the
metal trait, which converts the damage type
to blunt. The cookie reads: Knocks out the
wind. Bad bruising. Taking deep breaths is go-
ing to be painful for a while. Ser Osjand loses
6 dice and his Base TN goes up to 7. The bolt
is left dangling, stuck in the maille.
The first ball hits him in the chest with a
MoS2 for a total of 9 damage, but combined
armor value of 9 shrugs it off with ease, as
122
the lead ball glances off the polished surface
with no effect. The second round hits him in
the left thigh with an extremely (un)lucky
MoS6 for a total of 13 damage and creates
a level 4 wound. As the rounds are plate
piercing at this distance, the ball punches
straight through the cuisse and the cookie
reads: Thigh completely pierced. Leg can sup-
port weight for only short periods of time. BL1,
KD2. Ser Osjand loses a further 4 dice from
his pool and his Base TN is now 9. He rolls
knockdown vs Ob2 and fails, collapsing to
the ground with an agonizing cry.
Round 1
Every player extends their closed fist
with a die hidden in the palm. The GM picks
up three dice, explaining that the pistoleer,
crossbowmen and arquebusiers get separate
throws.
Jaff throws red, Andrev, Madis and Ser
Osjand throw white, Vaiga throws a d10. The
GM drops a red and two d10. He assigns the
red to the pistoleer, the d10 on the left to the
crossbowmen as he mentioned them first,
and the 10 to the right to the arquebusiers
as he mentioned them the last.
It comes up as Jaff 1, Andrev a 5, Madis
also a 5, Vaiga a 4 and Ser Osjand a 6. GMs
rolls come up a 2, a 3 and a 10.
Jaff gets to go first and draws a pistol
from his belt. Looking back, he sees a
pistoleer amidst the brushes holding two
pistols. Having just shot one, the man is
lowering the other. Being concealed and at
Short range as established earlier, this is an
Ob2 shot. Jaff splits his pool into 4 and 6.
The Cplx roll comes up as 9, 8, 8, 1 meaning
3 successes, and the Placement comes up
as 8, 10, 8, 2, 1, 6 for a total of 3 successes.
The 10 explodes and rolls a 7, bringing his
total to 4 successes. With the pistols DR4,
that’s a total of 8 damage. Subtracting the
pistoleer’s Stamina 3, it adds up to a level 5
wound. The wheel rolls come up as 3 and 3.
Cookie reads: Inner thigh pierced, femoral ar-
tery cut. Massive amount of blood. BL3, KD3.
The pistoleer loses 5 CP from the impact and
his Base TN hikes all the way up to 10. He
also fails the KD roll and goes down with a
sharp shriek.
 Then it’s the pistoleer’s turn. He has 8 Jaff gets a 4, Vaiga a 4, Ser Osjand a 3.
dice at TN10 to shoot back at Jaff, but having
Madis a 7. The GM just assigns his reds
fallen into the underbrush, he can no longerfrom left to right in the established order,
see his target. He could try to get back up the pistoleer gets 2, crossbowmen get 1, and
with positioning, and still shoot, but with the arquebusiers 5, dropping their guns and
TN10, that’s not a likely prospect. Using his
drawing their steel.
full action just to get up to make himself Andrev sees the numbers on the table and
a target doesn’t sound good either, so, he’ll
doesn’t Fancy getting four crossbow bolts in
skip his turn. his direction. He burns 2SA and declares
On 3, the four bandits get their crossbows
In the Nick of Time, bumping his sequence
loaded and are done for the turn. prior to the crossbowmen.
On 4, Vaiga grabs onto the fallen Ser He decides to engage as many crossbow-
Osjand and declares her action as Drag. She men as he can, which is three. The cross-
digs her fingers under one of Ser Osjand’s bowmen are the outnumbering party and
pauldrons and drags him off the path where need to declare the positioning first.
they are hidden by the foliage. “Take his right, take his right!” calls one
At 5, Madis dashes into the treeline on of the crossbowmen. All three allocate 2
the bandits’ side of the road. He’s explain-dice for positioning each. Andrev drops 4
ing three main purposes: to find cover, to dice into positioning and everyone rolls.
flank the bandits, and to get into the shortCrossbowmen get 4, 4 and 5, 2, and 6, 3. One
range while flanking. The GM says that the success. Andrev gets 9, 4, 3, 1. Also a single
first two are easily accomplished, but if hesuccess. The tie means Andrev can fight
wants to get to the short range as well, he one opponent at the time, but has to choose
will have to ignore the pistoleer, as well as
the opponent that got the most successes
being exposed to him. The bandits are too in positioning. The tie also means that the
spread out to get into the short range of all
opponent has the initiative.
of them, but if the pistoleer is discounted, itWith crossbow in hand, there is only one
can be done. Madis accepts the compromise, reasonable action. Discharge! Seeing this
bolts into the woods and finds a solid elm to
hulking brute of a man close up now, he al-
crouch behind as he readies his bow. locates all his remaining 8 dice to the shot,
Simultaneously, Andev pulls the war- which is made at an advantage. Andrev
hammer from his belt charges forward into allocates 9 for Parry at TN7. The crossbow-
the midst of the bandits. man rolls 1, 7, 5, 8, 5, 2, 2, 4. Four successes.
Andrev responds with 6, 2, 9, 9, 4, 1, 5, 10,
On 6, it’s Ser Osjand’s turn. His plan was
to crawl and limp to the cover the best of 8 plus one exploding die 5. Four successes
his ability, but as Vaiga has already accom-as well! A tie. Andrev just barely manages
plished that and he doesn’t wish to separateto knock down the crossbow and the bolt
from her, his action goes wasted. The playerslams into to the dirt between his feet. The
doesn’t complain, as he knows that despite first tempo concludes and the second tempo
moving to cover being a mundane task in beings. By all rights, the crossbowman
normal circumstances, the GM surely would should now have the initiative, but he has
have made him roll for it due to his wound. spent all his dice, which means the initiative
Base TN9 does not have favorable odds. will transfer over to Andrev. Not remotely
On 10, the arquebusiers complete the amused, he allocates 4 dice to the swing at
first round of their reload cycle, and stillthe crossbowman’s head. The man, being
have one to go. out of dice, cannot defend. Andrev rolls
3, 10, 2, 2 and the exploder comes up as 4.
Round 2 Just one success, but it’s enough to connect.
Jaff throws white, Vaiga, Ser Osjand and MoS1 combined with Andrev’s warhammer
Madis throw a d10, everyone else throws makes 7 damage, which as the wheel roll of
red. 4 determines, lands directly to the lad’s face.
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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1
Having subtracted a stamina of 3, it makes a
level 4 wound. The randomizer die lands on
6. The cookie reads: Face mangled. Eye lost.
And the crossbowman fails the KO3 roll,
which he is making now at Base TN8. The
blow takes the man down and he does not
rise again.
As Andrev has accomplished a significant
measure by taking out one of the crossbow-
men, his action ends.
On 1, The sole crossbowman whose ac-
tion didn’t get consumed by Andrev gets his
turn to shoot. He’d like to take out Andrev
who seems both huge and dangerous, but
being still engaged in melee with two of the
crossbowmen, that’s an Cplx3 shot to avoid
his fellow bandits. So, he opts to shoot Jaff
instead, which is just a Cplx2 shot, being
that Jaff is running towards Andrev.
He sinks 4 dice into Cplx and 2 into
Placement. The rolls come up as 2, 4, 3, 4,
which is a miss (but would have dealt nice
damage with his 7, 6, Placement). What a rot-
ten luck to miss such a basic shot! Jaff sees
the bolt whizz past, but keeps running.
At 2, the bleeding-out pistoleer is taking
aim at Madis with his remaining pistol. He
has 8 dice at TN10 for an Ob1 shot due to the
foliage. The hand wavers as he sees Madis
preparing his bow. He splits his dice pool
equally between Cplx and Placement, gets
7, 3, 3, 6 and 9, 9, 6, 5. The pistol cracks and
Andrev hears the bullet whip through the
foliage above his head. Madis is unharmed.
At 3, Ser Osjand unbuckles his leg har-
ness from the injured side, allowing Vaiga
immediate access to the wound.
At 4, Vaiga uses her slow action to rum-
mage through her pack to get the tools out
to treat Ser Osjand’s leg.
Also on 4, Jaff calls out: “Andrev!” as he
arrives to the main battlefield.
At 5, the two arquebusiers with side-
swords close in to Jaff. They’re wearing
sunbleached uniforms and one of them has
a really Fancy Hat.
Jaff has CP14 with his Sword & Buckler
proficiency and as he’s rushed to aid Andrev,
his SA Andrev is like a brother to me is firing,
giving him three extra dice.
124
Both Fancy Hat and his partner drop 4
dice into positioning. Jaff doesn’t like the
idea of facing both of those guys alone and
drops 6 into the positioning himself. They
both roll. The partner gets 3, 3, 7, 10, with the
exploding die landing on 10, and rolled once
more ends up on a 7! Four successes! Fancy
Hat gets 8, 6, 7, 6. Four successes again! Jaff’s
dice come up as 9, 1, 2, 9, 8, 6. Four successes
for him as well! A very close call to Jaff. The
tie allowes him to avoid fighting both of
them at once, but he has lost the initiative to
the outnumbering party. Since both Fancy
Hat and partner are tied, the choice of the
opponent falls to Jaff and he elects to face
Fancy Hat. The man immediately declares a
5 die thrust to Jaff’s thighs. Jaff parries with
7. Fancy gets 3, 1, 10, 4, 5, plus explosion of
8, two successes. Jaff gets 2, 7, 6, 2, 3, 5, 5,
also two successes. A tie again! Jaff barely
manages to parry the thrust, but Fancy Hat
retains initiative. First tempo concludes, the
second begins. Fancy Hat declares a 5 die
cut to Jaff’s face. Jaff feels he’s outmatched
and attempts to Disengage. Fancy Hat’s
dice come up as 8, 1, 8, 2, 5. Two successes.
Jaff manages 8, 3, 5, 3. A tie again! Jaff is
untouched, but fails to break away from
Fancy Hat. The first phrase concludes and
the second phase begins, the pools refresh.
Fancy Hat and his partner once again
drop 4 dice into positioning. Jaff would like
to drop more than 6, but he doesn’t feel he
can can afford that. 6 it is. Padner gets 3, 5, 3,
5. Zilch! Fancy gets 2, 8, 9, 7. Three! Jaff gets
9, 8, 8, 6. Four! He manages to win the ini-
tiative, but still has to fight the Fancy Hat,
as he rolled the most positioning successes
from his opponents.
Jaff has 11 dice left, so, he decides to thrust
to theHat’s chest with 5. The Hat burns 2
dice for activation and counters with 6. Jaff
gets 3, 3, 3, 6, 7. Two successes! The Hat gets
3, 10, 5, 2, 7, 4, with explosion coming to 9.
Three successes mean a successful counter,
and bring the Hat’s CP from 2 to 4 for the
purposes of attacking in the next tempo (as
Jaff’s successes are added to his existing
pool). He thrusts at Jaff’s chest for 4 dice.
Jaff burns 2 dice for activation and goes for
Deflect & Strike for 4. Hat gets 6, 5, 7, 3. Two!
Jaff gets 9, 2, 8, 6. Three! He deflects the thrust with his buckler and uses the cover to return
a thrust of his own from the follow-up, targeting Fancy Hat’s face. This is a 1-die follow-up,
but as Jaff is using Sword & Buckler proficiency, it’s made with an advantage. The die comes
up as 5! A success! MoS1 with 4p from his basket hilt sword adds up to 5 piercing damage to
the Fancy Hat’s (randomizer comes up as 2) face (as we’re looking at the inside of the wheel
for thrusts). The cookie reads: Grazed jaw. Surprising amount of blood. BL1. Jaff manages to
get past his opponent’s guard and grazes his jaw just below the ear. The Fancy Hat loses 2
dice from impact and his Base TN bumps up to 7. The second tempo ends. Fancy Hat took
an injury worth recording, so we move on to the next person’s action. Jaff can finish this
next round.
At 7, it’s Madis’ turn. Getting shot at by the bleeding pistoleer was an unpleasant surprise,
but Madis pays no heed in finishing him off as he focuses to the main fight around Jaff and
Andrev. There’s only one bandit who is not engaged in melee right now, and it’s the one
guy that managed to shoot off his crossbow. Madis can see that his target is surrounded
by some trees and foliage, making it an Ob2 shot. Having thrown a d10, he uses Aim and
brings that down to Ob1. Madis confirms that the target is within Short range (optimal for
his bow), aims high, uses one die to cover up the arms wheel, and allocates 5 dice to Cplx,
6 to Placement. The dice come up as 3, 6, 2, 2, 9, and 4, 8, 4, 3, 8, 3. Two and two! The arrow
flies through the foliage and having just the two uncovered wheels to choose between,
hits the crossbowman straight in the head wheel. Randomizer die of 6 specifies the neck
location. The bow has a DR5 vs the crossbowman’s Stamina 3, resulting in a level 4 wound
to the neck. Cookie reads: Throat is pierced, damaging the windpipe. Esophagus injury. BL2.
The man goes down in a splurt of his own vitae, clutching at the shaft through his neck.
With him down, Fancy Hat has lost 50% of his men. The GM makes a Command roll on
his behalf, which he promptly fails. His remaining men flee, leaving him alone to face both
Andrev and Jaff.
The combat is essentially over, but Vaiga says she want’s to make her Medicine check
to staunch the bleeding on Ser Osjand’s leg. BL2 means that’s an Ob3 Acumen/Medicine
check. Vaiga briefly contemplates using a tourniquet to get an Ob1 check instead, but as
that temporary measure would soon have to be removed anyway, she decides to give Ser
Osjand proper treatment from the get-go. Having an Acumen 3 and Medicine 3 (the Herbs
expertise doesn’t apply here), she has 6 dice, but her SA Ser Osjand made me who I am. I
owe him my life also applies and provides her with 2 extra dice, bringing her dice pool to
8. Having her tools ready, there is no disadvantage to the roll. The dice come up as 9, 10,
4, 6, 6, 1, 7, 1 with the exploding die coming up as 8. A total of 6 successes. The bleeding is
stopped.
As Vaiga gives first aid to Ser Osjand, the pistoleer with the femoral bleeding loses 3
more blood and starts pleading for help. If nobody helps him, he will lose 3 more blood in
a minute, which means he has lost 9 blood points of his total of 8. Having run out of blood
points, he will go into shock and needs to make a Health check vs Ob1 or die. If he survives,
the Ob goes up by 1 every minute.

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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

126
 13 Wounds
& Healing
Injuries in Band of Bastards are grisly affairs, emphasizing the tried and true principle that avoiding
a blow is vastly more important than dealing one. Only the most heavily armored characters can
afford to be lax in their defense and risk allowing blows to connect. For everyone else, being struck in
combat is a serious matter that can lead to permanent injury or death. Getting hit sucks in real life. It
sucks for your characters, too.

Wounds
Wounds in ‘Bastards are location specific. Where the hit lands is extremely important both for the
purposes of determining your defense against it (armor) and the effects of the injury once sustained.
Once the wheel has been determined (either through targeting in melee, or a random roll for ranged
attacks outside of melee), a d6 is rolled to determine the exact location affected. The next page shows
the Wound Wheel chart in full, though a smaller copy is included on the character sheet as well. The
exact location will be counted clockwise from the top of the wheel, with the outside track being used
for swing attacks, and the inside track representing thrusts or ranged attacks.
Canny observers may notice that not all wound locations are listed on the wheels. Certain wound
locations are not targeted directly, but are the result of either using the Wrap maneuver or other-
wise attacking the character from behind. A hit from behind that would have landed on the Ribs or
Abdomen counts as having landed on the target’s Back. A hit that would have landed on the back of the
Foot, Shin, or Knee counts as a blow to the Hamstring. If the corresponding front location is armored,
you can assume that the alternate location is similarly armored unless the armor in question explicitly
states otherwise (i.e. wearing a Breastplate without a Backplate).
 Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Crown
Crown
Shoulder Crown
Neck Face

HEAD
Neck Face
Neck Face
Face
Neck Shoulder
Face
Ribs Shoulder
HEAD Shoulder Hand Shoulder
Abs Ribs Hand Armpit

CHEST ARMS
Abs Armpit Forearm Upper Arm
ARMS Ribs Forearm Upper Arm
Abs Elbow
Ribs Elbow

Ribs Hip
Ribs Hip
Thigh Abs Knee Hip
Groin Abs Shin Groin

BELLY THIGH
Hip Abs Knee Thigh
Groin Abs Thigh Thigh
Abs Thigh
Thigh
Hip Thigh
Thigh
Foot Knee
Foot Knee

SHIN
Shin Shin
Shin Shin
Shin
Shin

Damage
Once we know where a blow falls, you have to determine how badly the target is
hurt. Check to see if the location is armored and add any benefits from the armor to
the character’s Stamina to determine the level of the wound sustained. The final wound
level is always equal to the difference between the attacker’s DR+MoS and the defenders
Stamina+AV, with any properties altering the way damage might be inflicted or capped.

128
Wound Levels
The severity of a wound is determined by its level. These range from 1 to 5 with lower
levels being less severe than higher levels.
Level 1 wounds represent minor nicks and bruises generally not worth men-
tioning after their initial sting. They are so unremarkable, in fact, that they are
not recorded on the sheet.
Level 2 wounds sting and leave a mark, but fade relatively quickly. These can
generally be patched up on the spot or take care of themselves within a week.
Level 3 wounds not life-threatening but often decisive enough to tip the bal-
ance in favor of one combatant or the other. They are significant, but they’ll still
generally heal on their own and heal quickly with treatment.
Level 4 wounds are broken bones and gouged flesh so severe that they are
almost always enough to end the fight on their own. Level 4 wounds will leave
characters crippled for some time, and will often require a skilled surgeon to
mend in such a way that it does not become a permanent disability.
Level 5 wounds put the opponent down, severing limbs or killing a character
outright. The character is permanently mangled in some way, with a skilled
surgeon needed for the character to survive at all.

The Wound Tables

The specifics of each wound location are given in a series of tables in the appendix,
broken down by damage type. Cross-reference the location and level of the damage to Nonessential
arrive at the correct entry. Each entry will also yield its Impact, Base TN shift, and fortune Wounds
cookie. TN shifts represent
the pain and difficulty
in mobility that can
Impact occur while suffering a
Impact represents the immediate pain, discomfort, and distraction caused by an injury. wound and remain until
In game, it represents the number of dice that the character instantly loses from their a wound has healed
pool when hit. If they had allocated dice to a maneuver, it is subtracted from the pool of (below). However,
dice for that attack first. Otherwise it is subtracted from their remaining CP. If an injury not all wounds affect
occurs and the opponent either has 0CP left (such as at the end of the second tempo), or the everything a character
can do equally. When
impact measure is greater than the amount they have left (impact 8 against an opponent
a character is attempt-
with 4CP remaining), then the difference is subtracted from their remaining dice after the ing something which
following refresh. that wound would not
directly affect (a char-
Base TN Shift acter with a wounded
leg trying to shoot a
Impact ratings are never recorded. They apply instantly, and then they are done. Any pistol, a character with
wound that causes a Base TN shift, however, must be recorded. Players should note the a broken arm trying to
location and level of the wound, as well as mark all of the TN boxes up to the TN of the outrun a bear), count
wound, if they aren’t already marked. Someone shifting to TN8 would check both the TN7 their base TN as one
and TN8 box. step lower for that
If a character has multiple wounds, only the most severe applies for the purposes of a specific roll. As a rule,
TN shift (lesser TNs are already checked off) but each wound should be noted separately TNs from head wounds
are never reduced in this
for the purposes of healing. Wounds that do not inflict base TN shifts do not need to be
fashion.
recorded at all, only their impact applies. If a character must make a roll as a reaction to
a wound (Knock Out, Knock Down, below) then they use their highest TN, including the
wound they just received. 129
Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

The Bloody Fortune Cookie

The fortune cookie is the descriptive text that tells you what’s actually going on with
a wound. Most cookies consists of two parts. The descriptive text in italics details the
narrative effects and flavor of the wound itself. The bold text can specify other issues and
effects. Sometimes a cookie includes superscript numbers to add even more variety to the
wounds with a d6 die roll.
Blood Loss (BL) refers to how badly the wound is bleeding. Each character has a Blood
pool equal to 5+ their strength score. Depending on the severity of blood loss, the charac-
ter will gradually (or quickly) lose these points.
Blood Loss is divided into three severities:
BL1. Significant. The character loses one point of blood immediately, then
another one every fifteen minutes.
BL2. Severe. The character loses two points of blood immediately, then another
two every five minutes.
BL3. Massive. The character loses three points of blood immediately, then
another three every minute.
Jaff has 8 points of Blood and a receives a wound that is massively bleeding (BL3).
He loses 3 points of blood immediately, reducing him to 5. After a minute, he loses
3 additional points, dropping him down to 2 remaining points. If it isn’t stopped
soon...
When a character runs out of blood points, they go into shock. While in shock, they
must succeed a Health (Stamina+Willpower) check vs Ob1, or die. In case of a successful
roll, the medic has another precious minute to stop the bleeding, after which the character
will need to make a Health roll vs Ob2, then vs Ob3 and so on. On the other hand, if the
character doesn’t lie down, the Health rolls begin at Ob2. Any continuation of strenuous
activity while in shock makes the Health rolls begin at Ob3.
Jaff runs out of blood points and goes into shock. He immediately makes a Health
check vs Ob1. He passes the check, holding on just a little while longer. Another min-
ute passes before anyone can tend to him. He is now forced to make a health check
vs Ob2. He manages to pass again, but only barely. Another minute ticks by—the
physician is taking his bloody time—Jaff needs to make another check vs Ob3. With
his wounds setting his Base TN at 9, this isn’t looking good...
If a character suffers multiple wounds, take only the most serious BL into account. If
there are multiple wounds of equal severity, divide the interval of time by the number of
wounds (two BL3 wounds cause 3 points of blood loss every thirty seconds).
Wounds severe enough to have a blood loss value will not stop bleeding on their own.
See Staunching the Flow (under Intervention) for details. Once staunched, however, charac-
ter’s blood pool will recover at a rate of 1 point per day.
Knock Out (KO) refers to the blow having a potential to render the character un-
conscious or cause another physical effect. The number given is the obstacle on a
Strength+Willpower check to resist.
Knock Down (KD) refers to the potential to knock an opponent down, wrench an
item from their grip, or another physical effect. The number given is the obstacle on a
Strength+Agility roll to avoid the effect.

130
Healing
What is broken must mend or perish. Band of Bastards breaks the process down into
three stages: intervention, treatment, and recuperation.

Intervention
Any wound bad enough to record will require some kind of care in order to heal. Level
2 and 3 wounds can simply be stitched up, using an Agility+Medicine check with an Ob
equal to the wound level. This can be done by an untrained individual, but like all un-
trained checks imposes an automatic disadvantage. If you’re working on yourself, you’re
at +1Ob as well. Any MoS above the required obstacle count as successes towards the
character’s healing roll (see Recuperation), meaning an exceptionally good Medicine roll
could reduce the wound level (and thus the base TN) right off the bat. Stitches generally
require a needle and suitable variety of thread (historically silk or catgut).
In a pinch, level 2 and 3 wounds can go without formal treatment and make due simply
being tightly bandaged and wrapped. This doesn’t require a medicine check, but also
doesn’t get the potential benefits of one either. If left completely untreated, the healing
rolls are at a disadvantage.
Level 4 and 5 wounds require surgery. Surgery is functionally the same as above, but
requires either three dots in Medicine to attempt, or a “Surgery” expertise. Characters
lacking such training are just making things worse. As above, any MoS above the required
obstacle count towards the character’s healing roll. Surgery optimally requires a set of
surgical tools, but in a pinch can be attempted with some bare minimum items and stitch-
ing material at a disadvantage.
If a character should somehow manage to remain conscious long enough to attempt
surgery on themselves, they do so at +1Ob, but will need to pass a Willpower+Steel check
with an Ob equal to the wound level to avoid passing out mid-surgery. Copious amounts of
alcohol will actually grant an advantage on this check, but a disadvantage on the surgery
itself.

Staunching the Flow

The most immediate problem facing a character is often Blood Loss (above). Stopping
the bleeding can be tricky in some cases, and requires an Acumen+Medicine check with
an Ob determined by the severity (Ob1 for BL1, Ob3 for BL2, Ob5 for BL3). This can be done
untrained, but like all untrained checks is done at an automatic disadvantage. If you’re
trying to stop your own bleeding, it’s at +1Ob as well.
Blood loss from limb wounds can be temporarily stopped with a tourniquet
(Acumen+Medicine vs. Ob1, or Ob2 if you’re doing it to yourself), though this can only be
maintained for about two hours. Using a tourniquet for longer than that will lead to the
loss of limb. For obvious reasons, tourniquets cannot be used on head injuries.
Either variety of check takes at least one minute to perform.
If a tourniquet cannot be applied, blood loss can also be stalled by holding pressure
on the wound. This requires no check at all, but is at best a stalling tactic to buy time for
someone who can actually help. As long as pressure is held on the wounds, you double the
time between blood loss intervals (half an hour at BL1, ten minutes at BL2, two minutes
at BL3).

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Band of Bastards Beta 0.1

Amputation
Sometimes, it is better to simply cut one’s losses—literally. Limbs that are infected (or
so badly mangled that they are certain to become infected) are often safer just to remove.
An amputation is an Ob3 surgery that results in the complete removal of the affected limb.
The character gains the Amputee flaw depending on how much of the limb was removed,
but it now only counts as a level 3 wound for the purposes of healing and any infection
originating from that limb is effectively removed.

Treatment
Treatment for most wounds involves the daily cleaning of the wound, the changing of
bandages, and the use of antiseptic treatments (conifer resin, honey, salt packing, boiled
sea water, etc. Pre-modern alcohol is typically not pure enough to work as an antiseptic).
If this treatment is maintained each day, the character can take make their next healing
roll at an advantage.

Recuperation
For every week in which the character has gotten moderate rest (no strenuous activity
or travel, staying out of fights, no hard labor) OR every two weeks of more strenuous activ-
ity, the character may make a healing roll. This is a Health (Stamina+Willpower) roll with
an Ob equal to the level of the wound in question. Healing rolls are unusual in that the
successes rolled are cumulative and roll over from check to check, allowing you to collect
the required number over multiple rolls. As noted above, stitches and surgery (though not
amputations) can add their MoS to this pool of successes. When the character meets the
needed Ob, reduce the total successes rolled so far by the current Ob, reduce the wound
level by 1, and then count any overflow towards the next healing roll. If a single roll would
heal more than one level of a wound, then it heals multiple levels. Once a wound drops to
Level 1, it is assumed to no longer be bad enough to impair the character and is erased.
The TN for these rolls is based on the character’s current base TN, but successes count
towards all of the wounds currently healing. It helps to tally these individually.
Jaff is fairly banged up. It’s nothing life-threatening, but he’s certainly on the mend.
He has a level 2 cut to the arm and a level 3 cut across the ribs. He’s been bandaged
up and seen a physician, but to little success. After a week of moderate rest, he has
earned a healing check. He has 5 dice, but it’s going to be at TN8 (his current base
TN, due to the level 3 wound). He manages to make 2 successes. This is actually
enough to reduce the level 2 wound to a level 1, and it is removed from his sheet. The
level 3 wound lingers, however, so he makes two tally marks next to the wound on
his sheet.
Another week passes before his next test. This will be made at TN8 as well, but he
rolls 3 successes. He already possessed 2 successes from last week’s roll, bringing his
total to 5. This first drops the wound from level 3 to level 2, and reduces the number
of successes by the same. However, since he has 2 successes left that is enough to
reduce the level 2 wound down to 1, removing it from his sheet. While in fiction the
wound may not have actually completely healed in that time, it’s no longer bothers
him.

132
 Weeks that fail to meet the obstacle for the wound generally do not create complica-
tions. However,if either of the following comes to pass:
• The wound is left dirty and unattended and the character fails a healing roll
(made at a disadvantage, due to its condition)
• The character fails any healing roll at an MoF3+
The wound becomes Infected (Below) and that week’s successes will not count towards
the current healing.
If a player has their character automatically pass a healing roll through SA expenditure
(Yes, But…) automatically heal a single level of their injury, but gain a flaw for their trouble
(Old Injury, Lame, or similar).

Infections
In war, you’re more likely to be slain by infection than the enemy. If a wound becomes
infected, either by MoF3+ failed healing roll or contamination, the infection is treated as
an additional level 3 wound and marked on the sheet. All normal healing stops while the
character is infected. Each day following, make a Health roll at your current Base TN with
the infection level as the Ob. For each day’s success, reduce the infection level by 1. For
each day’s failure, the infection increases by one level. If the character fails a health roll
vs the level 5 Ob, they succumb to their infection and die.
Characters can get an advantage on an infection roll either by using maggots on the
dead tissue (Acumen+Medicine Ob1) or performing surgery to remove the dead tissue
(Agility+Medicine with an Ob equal to the infection level). In both cases, the Ob goes up
by 1 if you are working on yourself. You can instantly rid yourself of any infection below
level 5 if you can amputate the limb that is infected (assumed to be the limb with the
highest wound level). At level 5, the infection is assumed to have spread into the body, at
which point an amputation won’t help. For similar reasons, if the infection is not in your
limbs then amputation is not an option.
While the character is infected, all normal healing stops. Once the infection has passed
through their system, they may begin the normal healing process again the following day.
For the sake of time keeping, the next healing check would be one week from that day.

133