The World

The Highborn

Highborn ('hI-'born)

A titled peer of a realm

adv.

Having high moral qualities
Of noble birth
Showing or characterized by honor and integrity

There are many races in the world of Mar. The most powerful and widespread races are the Kingdom Elves, Forest Elves, Humans, Satyrs and Beastmen. The reason for their success is that a small percentage of them have evolved into a more powerful form. People of these races who hold this greater power are called Highborn. Those of these races who do not hold the power are called Lowborn. These races are known simply as the Highborn races.

In the Highborn races, there is typically one Highborn for every 250 to 500 Lowborn. The more sedate Old Kingdoms have more Lowborn, while the dangerous New Kingdoms tend to have fewer.

There are a large number of races in Mar that do not produce Highborn. They are called savage or barbarian races. However some of these races (such as centaurs who live in the plains of the Trade Cities or the Dwarves in their mountain Kingdoms) have lived along side the Highborn races so long that most people lump them in with Lowborn, and refer to them as such.

Origins of Highborn

Highborn have been around for tens of thousands of years; however the oldest stories and writings tell of a time before they existed. There are many myths and stories that tell how the Highborn came into existence; even today nobody really knows the truth. Most believe they are simply the evolution of their respective races.

Characteristics of Highborn

Physically, Highborn look exactly like a normal member of their race. However, Highborn are much more powerful. In general, they are stronger, healthier and more resilient that a Lowborn. Moreover, all Highborn, regardless of race have similar lifespan and characteristics. Highborn are effectively a separate race unto themselves, even though they may look very different. Even with their differences, they are immediately recognizable as a Highborn to all who see them.

All Highborn share the following characteristics:

· Highborn have long life spans. Reaching their 500th birthday is not uncommon among the Highborn. Additionally, they tend to age gracefully, having a vigorous life almost to the end.

· Compared to Lowborn, Highborn have hearty constitutions. They are highly resistant to natural disease and infection. Rare is the case when a Highborn falls ill due to normal sicknesses. They also recover from injury much faster than Lowborn, making the bumps and scrapes of their long lives nothing more than an inconvenience.

· Due to their particularly strong and balanced spirits, Highborn have the ability to be resurrected.

· Highborn have the ability to mate with any of the Highborn races. Bi-racial unions always produce a child that is a pureblood of one of its parents’ races. These unions never produce half-breed. The child of two Highborn is always Highborn. The child of a Highborn and a Lowborn is very rarely a Highborn (around one in a hundred). The child of two Lowborn is never a Highborn. Lowborn (and savages) of different races cannot produce offspring.

· Highborn are not particularly fertile. This makes their children especially cherished. Normally, a low birth rate would spell disaster for a race and they would likely die out. However, the incredible resilience of Highborn coupled with their ability to resurrect mean that most Highborn live to see old age and most have children.

· Highborn have a powerful connection to the Essences giving them access to powerful magical skills, abilities and rituals.

Origins of the Callings

Highborn are in touch with the magic by their very nature, magic simply being an extension of the forces of the Cycle. The exact way they channel and focus magic is a highly personal experience, based on the individual’s personality and their personal metaphors. However, it turns out that Highborn naturally gravitate toward using their magic in one of a few ways. These natural modes of magic use are called the Classes. The discovery of the Classes occurred long ago in the Age of Myth, and led to another significant discovery: the Ritual of Calling.

Anyone, Highborn, Lowborn or Savage, can use the magics of the Cycle. Under normal circumstances, it takes years of dedicated study to master the ebb and flow, even for a Highborn who is particularly in tune with it. Highborn live longer and therefore can study longer and are more powerful when they gain mastery, but have no inherent advantage when it comes to learning to control magic. The Ritual of Calling changed this.

The Ritual of Calling forces a young Highborn to search themselves and come to understand their relationship with the Cycle. In doing so, they recognize the Class that is natural for them to follow, and dedicate themselves to it. The end result of the Ritual is a sort of magical adolescence. Instead of growing slowly in power over their lifetimes, Highborn who have taken the ritual grow rapidly in power over the course of a few years (usually less than a decade), until they plateau near the top of their potential. This means that a Highborn twenty-five to thirty-five years old will be at 80%-90% of their power, while their Lowborn counterpart will not reach the same strength until much later in their life, if ever.

Today, Highborn take the Ritual on around their eighteenth birthday. This has become the rite of passage into adulthood. Taking it before then poses a risk, as the Ritual takes a toll on the body and can damage one that is still growing, possibly resulting in deformities in adulthood. The Ritual consists of a period of fasting and body purification followed by a long, deep meditative trance. In the trance, the Highborn is usually confronted with a variety of powerful images that lead them on the path of self-discovery. Each person’s experience is unique. Some cultures choose to share the details of the Ritual images, while others consider them to be one’s most private secrets. The trance can last hours or days. Not all who attempt it are successful. Some small percentage, especially those who attempt it too young, are driven mad or even perish from the experience. Today, the Ritual of Calling is such a common practice among the Highborn that the Classes are now called Callings, the use of the term Class being reserved to Lowborn and the Savage races. Today, Highborn fall into basically seven different Calling: Warrior, Healer, Wizard, Spellguard, Champion, Ranger and Regent.

Regents

While all Callings of the Highborn are powerful, certain rare Highborn (around 1 in 1000) express the abilities of a Regent. Those with this Calling have powers that far surpass Highborn of another Calling. However, this power does not come without a price. A powerful ritual cast by a circle of powerful Regents in the Age of Strife backlashed and left all Regents unable to resurrect. Why the effects of that ancient ritual continue to affect modern Regents is a matter of much speculation. Some believe that the spirits of Regents (and all Highborn) reincarnate, and that they have carried the damage from past lives. Due to their immense power, Regents usually form the leadership of the Highborn races. This has been reinforced by centuries of tradition held within the Highborn Code. The arrangement is mutually beneficial as the Regent gains the protection of a court of Highborn, while the Highborn gain the powerful abilities of the Regent.

Spirituality and Cosmology

The Highborn are very much in touch with the fundamental forces of the universe. Many can manipulate them directly and feel the ebb and flow in their veins. Most Highborn believe that the fundamental magical Essences that make the world function are created by the action of something called the Cycle. The Cycle is a never-ending sequence of Creation, Growth, Decay and Destruction that drives the universe. In fact, some like to say that the Highborn are the axle around which the Cycle turns.

While there is no direct evidence that supports the existence of the Cycle, those Highborn with a spiritual bent usually look for meaning in the contemplation of the Cycle and their place in it. They try to act in harmony with the universe. The Highborn have no organized religion. Being as intimately connected as they are, each Highborn looks for their own answers; or not, as their inclinations dictate.

Most Highborn believe that when you die, your spirit wanders in a place called 'the Paths of the Dead' for a while until either you are brought back (resurrected) or you either fade back into the universe or are reincarnated. People believe differently based on their personal intuition.

The World of Mar

“Another day in court. Another day of endless prattle. Discussions of commerce and social strata. My father, the King, speaking words he has spoken a thousand times and my brothers and the rest of the court agreeing with him as always. Tired old men talking of tired old dogma. Today I made my decision. I am leaving home. I will break free of the tedium and seek my new life abroad. The world is an open book and today I write the first chapter.”

-Prince Rylandir Eveningstar

The world has entered a new age. The lands have long since recovered from the Great War. The Battle of Rending is but a legend to all but a few. The Highborn are beginning to leave the safety of their homelands and setting out to explore distant lands. Expansion is upon us and crying out to those brave enough to heed its call. New Kingdoms are being born. Highborn bear the banners of the Orders far and wide. Change is happening all around us and none shall escape its hand.

RACES

With the expansion, the Highborn races (Kingdom Elves, Forest Elves, Humans, Satyr and Beastmen) are coming into more contact with the savage races. The results of which are as varied as the races themselves. Alliances are being forged. Enemies are being made. Although the Highborn races have some common beliefs, the savage races owe no such allegiance.

THE HIGHBORN RACES

Of all the races in the world, only five have Highborn among their people: The Forest Elves in their woodland homes, the Kingdom Elves in their glorious cities to the North, Humans spread throughout the lands, the mysterious Satyr in the High Forest and the Beastmen in all their varied forms.

KINGDOM ELVES

Kingdom Elves are a proud, aristocratic race. They are immediately recognizable by their swept-back, pointed ears and usually fine dress. For the most part, they value knowledge and position over material wealth. Unlike their cousins, the Forest Elves, Kingdom Elves usually reside in magnificent cities that are usually centers of knowledge and learning. Kingdom Elves are sometimes called High Elves or City Elves.

FOREST ELVES

Forest Elves live in harmony with nature. Their cities are usually build deep in forests or jungles. Forest Elves, for the most part, tend to keep to themselves. Art and culture are paramount to most Forest Elves. In appearance, they are nearly indistinguishable from their City Elf cousins, their true identity usually given away by their dress and attitude. Forest elves tend to dress in earthy colors (browns and greens) and have a much lighter, congenial attitude. Forest Elves are sometimes called Wood Elves or Wild Elves.

HUMANS

Humans can be found throughout the realm. Their motives are as boundless as their dress and mannerisms. The only common trait most Humans possess is the drive to succeed. Each Human’s definition of success is, of course, different, but most of the other Highborn races consider Humans a bit too materialistic. Most Humans trace their heritage back to the Trade Cities, the center of Humanity.

SATYR

Satyr appear as human, but with small horns of various shapes protruding from their forehead. First appearances show them as a very barbaric, warlike race. Until recently, they were rarely seen outside the High Forest. When they are not in battle, they are boastful and jovial with a strong passion for drink. With the end of the Great War, the Satyr have found other releases for their aggressive tendencies. The Satyr are known to host great hunts and games of sport in order to showcase their combat skills and abilities. The Satyrs of the High Forest still organize raids upon the Sea of Sand, more to test their mettle than for conquest.

BEASTMEN

Beastmen appear as a humanoid version of a mundane creature. Most Beastmen have feline, canine or avian features. However it is not uncommon to see rodent, insectoid or reptile Beastmen. Beastmen are mainly found in the Wild Lands, in the far west. In the past, wars between their Tribes were very common, much less so since they accepted the Code. Beastmen are still held with some suspicion to the races outside the Wild Lands, although in recent years this has begun to change slowly. Beastmen tend to be nomadic and travel throughout the Wild Lands. Family and traditions hold great importance to most Beastmen.

SAVAGE RACES

The Highborn races call those races, which do not have Highborn among the number, the Savage Races. Most Savage Races tend to be violent and aggressive, with a couple notable exceptions, the Dwarves and the Centaurs. These exceptions aside, the Highborn races tend to have little use for the savage races and, in fact, are at war with some or all of them at one time or another. Savage Races are seldom seen in the interior of the Highborn racial homelands and are usually not welcome there. With the intrusion of the New Kingdoms on the lands of the Savage Races, conflict there is inevitable and relatively common.

“I awoke with a start. Something was amiss. I quietly reach for my sword. Out of the corner of my eye, I see others doing the same. A growl, almost doglike, breaks the silence. Many figures were moving outside the light of our fire. A lone creature steps forward. The first thing I notice is its doglike face. A Beastman? I stand to meet its approach. I see the truth as in moves more into the light. This creature has few human features, almost like a wolf standing as a man. A gnoll! With a spine-tingling howl, their leader sounds the attack.”

-Prince Rylandir Eveningstar

CENTAUR

Centaur are a strange mix of man and horse, having the torso, head and arms of a human combined with the body of a horse. Centaurs are a noble race, both charming and graceful. Centaur are master craftsmen and often trade their wares in the Trade Cities, which border their plains to the east. Excellent ranchers and herdsmen, they are often called the Lords of the Plains by both Highborn and Lowborn alike. In battle, they are fierce combatants utilizing their speed and dexterity to its maximum potential.

DWARVES

Dwarves, as a race, tend to keep to themselves. They are rarely seen outside their subterranean cities, usually only coming out to trade their wares with other civilized races. Dwarves are master miners and jewelers. Their ability to work stone, precious metals and gems is unrivaled in the realm. Dwarves tend to be stubborn and standoffish to those they do not know, but once they become familiar with you they tend to be rowdy and rambunctious. All Dwarves have a great mistrust of magic and are, in fact, very resistant to its effects. This could explain the total lack of Highborn among their race. One can usually recognize a Dwarf by his long flowing beard, although some Dwarves seen outside their homeland have been spotted sporting a clean-shaven appearance. Even so, their demeanor usually gives them away immediately.

GNOLLS

Gnolls are a savage race of dogmen. Sometimes mistaken for Canine Beastmen, Gnolls have an almost complete lack of human features and are more hyena-like in appearance. Gnolls as a race are warlike and aggressive. They hunt in number and tend to shy away from combats in which they are outnumbered. Like their animal counterparts, Gnolls have a pack mentality and are very strict in their pack hierarchy. Gnolls will attack the civilized races for both the wealth they value and for food. Gnolls are rarely seen in the company of any other races, although they sometimes will form short alliances with other Savages Races in order to achieve their goals. They have a keen ability to train animals, often utilizing them in battle against their enemies.

GOBLINS

Goblins are cunning, violent creatures wrought of evil. Almost without exception, they are wicked and malevolent. Goblins tend to gather together in clans, making war among each other and races outside their own, much of what they do seem without any purpose other than to harm and destroy. Goblins tend to be green skinned, varying from a light pale green to almost black. A few clans of goblins are less aggressive than others, but can almost without exception be counted on for some sort of treachery. Goblins are sometimes found in association with some of the more powerful evil races, usually due to subjugation.

LIZARDMEN

Living near bodies of water, Lizardmen appear almost as lizards that walk upright. Lizardmen are as varied in coloration and appearance as are their mundane counterparts. Lizardmen are very territorial and are extremely aggressive when they feel vulnerable. Lizardmen are an intelligent race with many skilled warriors and powerful mages. They tend to keep to themselves unless encroached upon. They rarely form alliances with other races and will make war upon those they see as a threat.

MINOTAUR

Minotaur appear as humans with a head of a bull. Often mistaken for Bovine Beastmen, those that make this mistake rarely get to tell of it. Minotaur are ferocious fighters with an almost reverence for battle. An honorable race among themselves, they see other races and weak and worthy of nothing. They travel in small hunting bands, killing and taking what they need. Magic use is rare for Minotaur, but some clans are known to have mages among their ranks. When not raiding, Minotaur clans often war among themselves usually over customs and beliefs.

OGRES

A race of yellow-skinned humanoids, Ogres are as strong as they are barbaric. Where Ogres lack in intelligence, they more than make up for it in their savageness. Most Ogre clans are lead by powerful creatures called Ogre Magi. Unlike their normal counterparts, Ogre Magi are extremely intelligent and wield some of the strongest magics outside of the Highborn. Ogre Magi can be distinguished from other Ogre by their purple skin and horned heads. Ogres often are seen working in conjunction with Orcs and Goblins, the latter often taken as slaves.

ORCS

War is the foremost word in the Orcish language. When not making war upon each other, Orcs have been known to band together in great raiding parties, ravaging the countryside. Luckily, Orcs tend to be less clannish than their Goblin counterparts, acting more as mercenaries for those who pay the right price. An Orc of some power and importance usually leads those Orc clans that do exist. Orcs are very strong and skilled fighters, appearing as gnarled humanoids with almost black skin.

PLACES

“I turned and looked upon her one last time. My home. The only place I really knew for centuries. The sun was just rising over the white walls of the city. Would I return as a King or just a wayward son? Would I even return? I glanced around the ship. I was among friends. Warrior and scholars walked among craftsmen. Highborn and Lowborn both. They all put their trust into me to make this journey, a journey into the unknown. Would I lead them to greatness, to a new world with new possibilities? Or was this folly? A turned my eye again to the walled city of my father. A sparkle, almost blinding redirected my gaze. Eveningstar Tower, a monument to the greatness of the Elven Empire. A smile crossed my lips. No, I will not lead them to greatness. We shall deliver greatness unto a new land.”

-Prince Rylandir Eveningstar

The world of Mar is divided into two major areas, known simply as the Old Kingdoms and the New Kingdoms. The Old Kingdoms have been around for millennia, long before the Great War. With the age of expansion upon us, many New Kingdoms have been recently established in distant lands. Explorers from the Old Kingdoms founded all these Kingdoms and most base their laws and customs on their respective Old Kingdom, although each is unique in their own right.

THE OLD KINGDOMS

The Old Kingdoms contains the major cities of the Highborn homelands. They are divided into smaller regions mainly based on racial origins. These regions are The Northern Kingdoms (Kingdom Elves), The Deep Woods (Wood Elves), The Trade Cities (Humans), The Wild Lands (Beastmen) and The High Forest (Satyr). In addition to these regions, two other regions are of note, The Qatar (Humans) and The Sea of Sand (Humans). The Qatar was once the most powerful Empire of Mar and The Sea of Sand used to be a beautiful flatland called The Hinterland. The destruction caused by the Great War and the Battle of Rending has left these as remnants of their former glory.

THE NORTHERN KINGDOMS

A large island in the Northern most reaches of Mar is the home of the Kingdom Elves. The majority of the population of the Northern Kingdoms can be found in three great cities. Each city is a separate Kingdom, each having everything needed to run independent of each other, but the strength of the Northern Kingdom can be found in their collectiveness. In times of need, the Northern Kingdoms come together without hesitation and present a united front. The cities themselves are spectacular works of architecture and craftsmanship. With great walls and towers reaching to the sky, their like is unmatched in the all of the land. The Northern Kingdoms are centers of knowledge and learning, with Highborn traveling from distant lands to study in its libraries and universities.

Lumas ‘Vilara

· Ruler: King Quinox Vilara

· Predominant Race: Kingdom Elf

· Political Structure: Feudalism

· Symbol: Three Shooting Stars (toward a central point) on Purple

· General Information: The oldest of the Northern Kingdoms. A grand center of study and research, especially of magics. Highborn of all races, especially Regents, come to Lumas ‘Vilara to study their arts and hone their skills.

Elanadune

· Ruler: King Yyrian Eveningstar

· Predominant Race: Kingdom Elf

· Political Structure: Feudalism

· Symbol: White Tower with Star above on Gold

· General Information: Some call Elanadune the most beautiful city in all of Mar. Magnificent towers reach for the Sky among building millennia old. The most renown colleges and universities can be found in Elanadune.

Taltinaran

· Ruler: King Nafar Newmoon

· Predominant Races: Kingdom Elf/Human

· Political Structure: Feudalism

· Symbol: New Moon and Stars on Blue

· General Information: Coastal Kingdom located on the southern part of the Northern Kingdoms. Trade between Taltinaran and the Trade City of Farthing occurs with regularity. Most commerce in the Northern Kingdom pasts through the walls of Talinaran.

THE HIGH FOREST

The High Forest, the home of the Satyr, is great coniferous forest tucked away between the ocean and a great mountain range. The cities of the High Forest are ruled by the most powerful of the Satyr clans. Before the acceptance of the Code by the Satyr, great clan wars often raged throughout the High Forest. Even with the Code of the Highborn in place, disputes between the clans still often end with bloodshed. The High Forest is predominately Satyr, with few outsiders being welcome excepting only those that have proven themselves worthy to travel among the clans. The cities themselves would be considered primitive by most Highborn standards, but are sufficient for a race that spends most of their lives afield.

Kryx ‘Kaan

· Ruler: Eldar Kith Dirakaan

· Predominant Race: Satyr

· Political Structure: Grand Council of Eldars

· Symbol: Five Silver Swords pointing inward on Red

· General Information: Largest city in the High Forest, where clans gather during the Grand Council. A small and primitive city by most standards, Kryx ‘Kaan population explodes during the time of the Grand Council. The only city within the High Forest the predates the Great War or even to stand more than a few centuries.

Polthanax

· Ruler: Viceroy Dar’ Akir

· Predominant Race: Satyr/Human

· Political Structure: Viceroy/Council of Tradesmen

· Symbol: Two Crossed Swords pointing down on Red

· General Information: City located on the island to the west of the High Forest. A Viceroy from the High Forest in conjunction with a Council of Tradesmen from the Trade Cities rules the city, although the city is definitely under the rule of the High Forest. Port of call of all peoples traveling the Northern Seas.

THE TRADE CITIES

The center of commerce in Mar, as well as the homeland of the Humans, the Trade Cities are always alive with activity. The vast majority of the population of the Trade Cities can be found in huge Merchant City States along the coast. The lands of the Trade Cities have been ravaged in the past in numerous wars, mainly from the Qatar along its western border. The last few centuries have given the Trade Cities a period of peace, in which it has blossomed. Wares from the far reaches of the world make their way to the Grand Markets of the Trade Cities. The merchants of the Trade Cities are unmatched in skill. In fact, Merchant Houses and the Trade Guilds rule most of the Trade Cities. Farmers and ranchers, including bands of Centaur, sparsely populate the interior of the Trade Cities region.

Farthing

· Ruler: Guildmaster Charles Huntington

· Predominant Races: Human/Kingdom Elf

· Political Structure: Trade Guilds

· Symbol: Gold and Silver quadrants

· General Information: Coastal city near the Kingdom Elf Island. First port of call for all Kingdom Elves journeying to the mainland. A center of trade between the Humans and Kingdom Elves, as well as the Satyr to the west.

Hopes End

· Ruler: Edwin Proctor

· Predominant Races: Human/All

· Political Structure: Trade Guilds

· Symbol: Silver and Blue quadrants

· General Information: Capital of the Trade Cities. Hopes End is the center of all commerce in the lands of Mar. People of all races travel to the grand markets of Hopes End to buy and sell almost everything imaginable.

Grand View

· Ruler: Roderick Icarn

· Predominant Races: Human/Forest Elf

· Political Structure: Trade Guilds

· Symbol: Green and Gold quadrants

· General Information: Trade City near the border of the Deep Woods. Grand View has a large Forest Elf section of the city specializing in marketing their artistic wares.

THE WILD LANDS

Tribes of Beastmen can be seen traveling the great plains and rolling hills of the Wild Lands. Being a nomadic race, the Wild Lands are virtually without large cities and those that do exist are extremely primitive by Highborn standards. Being somewhat isolated from the other Highborn races, the Wild Lands are somewhat behind in terms of knowledge and learning. Even with being the last Highborn race to accept the Code, Tribal wars are still fairly common among Beastmen within the Wild Lands. While Highborn of other races are sometimes welcomed among the coastal Tribes, they are almost non-existent in the interior of the Wild lands.

The Gran’ Muute

· Ruler: Grand High Chieftain Jis Mikar

· Predominant Race: Beastman

· Political Structure: Tribal Council (Elders)

· Symbol: Black Lion on Dark Brown

· General Information: The only permanent city in the Wild Lands interior. All Beastmen tribes travel through this area at least once a year. Every ten years, all the tribes gather for the The Gran’ Muute, the Grand Meeting, to discuss tribal issues and vie for leadership.

The Myk ‘Repe

· Ruler: High Chieftain Lir Jax

· Predominant Races: Beastman/All

· Political Structure: Tribal Council (Elders)

· Symbol: Black Eagle Talon on Gray

· General Information: The only place the other Highborn races are readily welcomed in the Wild Lands. One must prove themselves worthy before traveling among the tribes in the interior. The Myk ‘Repe is the center of trade for all of the Wild Lands.

THE DEEP WOODS

Great cities in the trees are scattered throughout the Deep Woods, home of the Forest Elves. Living in harmony with nature, Forest Elves harvest the bounty of the woods without destroying it. Being the southernmost border of the Old Kingdoms, The Deep Woods often come into conflict with the Savage Races. Border skirmishes are fairly common, and as a result, Forest Elves have one of the largest armies in all of Mar. Each city has a force of Rangers, archers with unmatched skill, guarding them and patrolling the borders of the Deep Woods. Members of the civilized races are often welcome within the Deep Woods, although there still remains some distrust of the Satyr and Beastmen and their barbaric ways. The Deep Woods have among its people some of the most renowned artists in land. Many have traveled all the way to the Deep Woods just to catch a glimpse at a Forest Elven masterpiece.

Val ‘Oolan

· Ruler: Queen Oolan Ziltanis

· Predominant Race: Forest Elf/All

· Political Structure: Matriarchy

· Symbol: Tree within a White Circle on Green

· General Information: Grand Queendom rich in the arts. Like most of the cities within the Deep Woods, Val ‘Oolan is build among and sometimes on top of the trees. The more welcoming of the two main Forest Elven Queendoms, Highborn and Lowborn of all races can be found here enjoying the works of the Forest Elven artists.

Val ‘Draken

· Ruler: Queen Trysta Draken

· Predominant Race: Forest Elf

· Political Structure: Matriarchy

· Symbol: Green and Black Phoenix on Silver

· General Information: Built almost entirely atop the tree, Val ‘Draken is, by far, the largest Queendom in the Deep Woods. Along with Tal ‘Draken, this Queendom makes up the largest military in all of Mar. Val ‘Draken is a little more foreboding to visitors as compared to Val ‘Oolan with visitors being held with some suspicion until proven trustworthy.

THE QATAR

Once the greatest empire in all of Mar, the Qatar is but a shadow of its former glory. Virtually destroyed in the Battle of Rending, which ended the Great War, what remains of the Qatar are a few small cities nestled along the Blood Sea. Most of the Highborn being killed in the Rending, those that remain wield extraordinary power and control. The culture of the region is very insular and foreboding to outsiders, with Highborn from other regions being unwelcome at best. Some of the Qatar, especially the Lowborn, who are basically slaves, believe their Emperor will return someday and return the Empire to prominence.

THE SEA OF SAND

The Sea of Sand is the desert left by the destruction of the Battle of Rending. Hot, dry and inhospitable, the Sea of Sand is home to only the most rugged of people. Lowborn and Savage Races make up the population of this region. Creatures of all sorts, including the rumor of Undead, are believed to exist in the Sea of Sand. Little is known about the area other than rumor or hearsay. Highborn are hated throughout the region and any found there are killed, at best. The ruins of the Great City of the Qatar are inviting to the curious, but of those who have journeyed there, none have returned.

THE NEW KINGDOMS

“Night gives way to morning, as I walk among our camp. We stumbled upon this clearing the night before, after traveling days along the edge of a swamp. A couple of our troop have fallen ill, so we entered the woods for, among other things, safety among its trees. I glance up at the fading stars just visible through the tops of the trees. Weeks we have traveled overland in search of a node. All the New Kingdoms that have flourished have been founded in their vicinity. Without its help in transport rituals, New Kingdoms have come and gone. Would mine end before it even has begun? My thoughts take me to a nearby stream, flowing rapidly due to the recent rains in the area. As I kneel to test its waters, I hear the crack of a twig from the far shore. I turn and meet eyes with a large boar coming to the stream for a drink. Knowing our supplies are running short, I could not miss an opportunity for fresh game. I draw my knife and quickly jump the stream. The boar startles at my aggression, turns and runs headlong into the woods. Close behind, I quickly gain on the frightened creature. As I reach striking range I dive and stab the creature just behind the head. Focusing on the creature I did not notice the stone just beyond. As we both crash to earth, my head slams into the boulder. Through the pain, I notice a faint glow emanating from the stone. A node… I, and the boar, have found our home.”

-Prince Rylandir Eveningstar

Until recently, very few cities were established outside the borders of the Old Kingdoms. Those that were attempted usually failed or floundered along without much success. Nearly all of the cities brought about before the Great War, were destroyed or abandoned during that time. With fairly recent discovery of the Node Network, also called the High Road, the New Kingdoms have flourished and many new ones have been established. Cities far from a node have mostly been abandoned for those with a better locale. The Old Kingdoms have seen a rush of their people traveling the High Road in search of new horizons and the opportunities they hold. One such city is the city of Twilight Glade.

TWILIGHT GLADE

· Ruler: Prince Rylandir Eveningstar

· Predominant Races: Kingdom Elf/All

· Political Structure: Princedom/Council of Advisors

· Symbol: Black Green and Silver with Black Star

· General Information: Founded less than a decade ago, the Twilight Glade is one of the youngest of the New Kingdoms. Prince Rylandir Eveningstar, third son of King Eveningstar of the Northern Kingdoms, acts as Regent of the area. The city itself is continually expanding, with a large Inn, the Boar’s Folly, recently being established to promote trade and commerce. With the expansion, the Glade has seen a large influx of both Highborn and Lowborn. The Orders have taken hold and are expanding upon their numbers. Until recently the Glade was under sporadic attack by various Savage Races native to the area. Today, the town itself is usually safe, but those traveling away from its protection should be wary. The Glade is nestled among the trees upon the edge of a great forest. Just beyond the northern edge of the forest lays a vast swamp, the Swamp of Sorrow. The Deep Woods and the city of Tal’ Draken, borders the Glade to the east. A good travel to the south lays the city of Silverfork, a longtime rival of the Glade.

TAL ‘DRAKEN

· Ruler: General Iios Greyon

· Predominant Race: Forest Elf

· Political Structure: Military

· Symbol: Golden Eagle on Brown with Green

· General Information: Originally nothing more than a small fort guarding the western border of the Deep Woods, Tal ‘Draken has exploded with growth in recent years with the discovery of a nearby node. Tal’ Draken has a standing alliance with the Twilight Glade and trade of all kinds is commonplace between the two cities. The Elven Rangers of Tal ‘Draken, the Golden Eagles, are renown for their skill with the bow and have been protecting the area for generations. Even with the recent growth in the area, the leader of the Golden Eagles still acts as Regent for the city. Tal ‘Draken and its Rangers hold no quarter for the malevolent races and those without respect for the forest and its inhabitants.

SILVERFORK

· Ruler: King Valdimir Pendaar

· Predominant Races: Human/Savage Races

· Political Structure: Dictatorship

· Symbol: Silver Trident on Green

· General Information: Originally a trade outpost dealing with the local Lizardmen and Minotaur clans, it was destroyed during the Great War. Rebuilt recently on the ruins of the old town, it serves as a base or jumping off point for
explorers and adventurers of the area. Located at the apex of the Crystal River, Silverfork trades regularly with the seaport of Traders’ Fort located at the other end of the river. Silverfork has had a longstanding treaty with many of the Savage Races, straining relations with many of the other New Kingdoms, including the Twilight Glade. The town itself is very rough and tumble, foreboding to all but the most stalwart of people.

TRADERS’ FORT

· Ruler: King Terence Worthington

· Predominant Races: Human/Beastmen

· Political Structure: Dictatorship

· Symbol: Silver Sword downward with 2 coins on Blue Waves

· General Information: Located down the Crystal River from Silverfork, this coastal town is the largest port in all the New Kingdoms. Money drives and controls the city with most of it being held squarely in the hands of King Worthington. Anything or anyone can be bought for the right price.

HOPE ANEW

· Ruler: Guildmaster Jonathan Granes

· Predominant Races: Human

· Political Structure: Trade Guilds

· Symbol: Silver and Blue divided by a vertical Black line

· General Information: The first of the New Kingdoms, founded by explorers from Hopes End two centuries ago. Hope Anew is a coastal city based on trade and commerce much like its sister city. Ships regularly travel to and from Hope Anew and the Trade Cities.

VAL ‘NALIST

· Ruler: Queen Nalist Freesta

· Predominant Race: Forest Elf

· Political Structure: Matriarchy

· Symbol: White Stag on Light Red

· General Information: Located up the River of Dreams from Hope Anew, Val ‘Nalist was originally built to protect the southern border of the Deep Woods as well as promote trade down river with Hope Anew. A nearby fort, Tal ‘Nalist guards the only Node in the area.

THE ORDERS

General Information

The Orders find their origin near the end of the Age of Strife, during the Great War. Near the end of the Great War and shortly thereafter, groups of Highborn with common goals and motivations began to band together. These gatherings were formed to exchange information and knowledge, improve skills and perform necessary service to the Regents and their cities. Today, most Highborn join an Order sometime in their life, especially those who have recently found their Calling. Although each Order is unique and has their own history, all have common purpose, to assist in both advancing the Highborn as individuals and as a whole. After making their way up the ranks of an Order, many Highborn take another path, which usually involves forming or joining an Adventuring Company. The five most common Orders are the Sword, Shield, Sage, Arcane and Shadow.

Each Order is normally designed with the concepts of Ranks and Titles. Rank conveys status and respect both to those within that respective Order, as well as most other Highborn. Titles of two types are usually granted within most Orders: Titles of Responsibility and Titles of Honor. A Title of Responsibility is earned when a Highborn has proven himself capable and worthy of taking on specific duties needed within a particular Order. Similarly, a Title of Honor is granted to a Highborn within an Order who has achieved a specific goal or a series of tasks. A Highborn’s Rank with an Order, together with any Titles they may have earned, establishes the hierarchy with that particular Order. Advancing in Rank with a particular Order differs from Region to Region and Kingdom to Kingdom, but all require devotion and dedication as well as effort.

The Ranks within the Orders can be divided into three main groups: Secondary, Named and Leadership.

The first six Ranks within an Order have these designations:

· Initiate

Neophyte
Novice
Apprentice
Journeyman
Adept

The Secondary Ranks are universal among the Orders. Although what one must accomplish to achieve them is unique to each Order and possibly to each Highborn as well.

Once a member of an Order achieves Adept, they can attempt to progress into the Named Ranks. The Named Ranks have unique designations based upon the specific Order and sometimes distinctive to a particular region or local area. Earning named Ranks usually requires accomplishing a number of different tasks, usually involving assisting or advancing the Order. A Highborn a almost never advance beyond the Secondary Ranks within more than one Order and, more often than not, are unable to belong to more than one Order at the same time.

Once a Highborn has achieved the highest of the Named Ranks, the only Ranks that remain to be earned are the Leadership Ranks of that Order. Achieving the Leadership Ranks within a particular Order requires immense dedication and often requires numerous challenging, and sometimes dangerous, tasks to be accomplished before one receives consideration. Advancing into the Leadership Ranks of an Order is one of the greatest accomplishments a Highborn can achieve, and thereby affords great respect. As with the Secondary Ranks of an Order, the Leadership Ranks are normally universal among Orders.

ORDER OF THE SWORD

The Order of the Sword originated near the end of the Great War when companies of Highborn banded together to form The Legion of the Sword. The Legion was at the forefront of the Great War and held the line in the Hinterlands as the Ritual of Rending was cast. Shortly after the Great War, groups of Highborn gathered together for common purpose and called themselves the Order of the Sword in honor of the Legion. The Swords currently serve as the offensive arm of the Regents in Kingdoms throughout the world. Depending on the Kingdom, the Swords serve many purposes such as militia, town guard, military and explorers. Although once the Order of the Shield was formed, the Order of the Sword has focused less on Kingdom defense. The Order of the Sword are usually skilled in combat and have among their ranks masters of battle tactics.

ORDER OF THE SHIELD

Shortly after the Great War, once the Highborn Code was almost universally accepted, groups of honorable Highborn formed to defend the virtues and spread the teachings of the Code. These groups, called the Order of the Shield, also served as ambassadors and diplomats to the Regents and their Kingdoms. The Shields, especially in the New Kingdoms, also serve as protectors of the Regents, their court and the Lowborn in the area. Also, in times of need, the Shield are called upon to assist in duties similar to the Swords. Many Nobles and Regents, especially in the Old Kingdoms, spend time in the Order of the Shield to better understand the Code and that which it represents.

ORDER OF THE SAGE
After the devastation of the Great War, much in the way of knowledge and information was lost. Whole civilizations were altered or disappeared altogether. Many have gone in search of what was lost and also sought ways to gather and protect that which currently existed. After a time, these people began to work together and the Order of the Sage was formed. The Sages are gatherers of historical, local and scholarly information. Often acting as advisors to Regents, Sages are often called upon for the knowledge they hold. In addition to being the Keepers of Knowledge, many Sages also act as explorers of lost civilizations and researchers of that which most do not understand.

ORDER OF THE ARCANE
The Order of the Arcane, having its origins in the Mage’s Guilds of many of the Old Kingdoms, was formed to better understand the powers that the Highborn possess. Focusing mainly on the arcane magics of rituals and spells, the Magi are charged with keeping the information currently known and seek to understand that which is lost. The most of powerful of the Magi even travel to other planes of existence in search of knowledge and the unknown. With the advent of the Node Network, the duties of the Magi have recently been expanded into that area as well. Being magical by nature, Highborn of all Callings can be found among the ranks of the Magi.

ORDER OF THE SHADOW
The newest of the Orders, the Order of Shadow act as scouts, spies, information gathers and explorers. Formed as a result of the recent expansion of the Old Kingdoms into the Savage Lands, the Shadows are called upon when a less than direct approach is needed to address a matter. Masters of stealth and subterfuge, the Order of Shadow often assists Regents by making initial investigations into uncertain situations. The role the Shadows play very greatly from Kingdom to Kingdom, but much of which they do remain a mystery to most outside the Order.

The History of Mar

The History of Mar is divided into four great Ages: The Ages of Myth, Strife, Ascension and Expansion.

Age of Myth

Only stories of this age remain. People lived in small, primitive villages. The races were scattered and for the most part had no contact with each other. At some point, Highborn began to appear in small numbers, scattered across the world. Some places cast them out, fearful of their power and differences. Other places embraced them as leaders or even gods.

Over time, the groups that accepted the leadership of the Highborn grew strong. Outcast Highborn found their way to the places where they were wanted. Using the strength of the Highborn to expand and conquer, villages became Kingdoms. Those that turned away from the Highborn eventually capitulated, were subjugated, or fled away from the expanding borders of these new countries.

As the Highborn came together and as they began to exert their power, they sought and found ways to refine and strengthen themselves. Eventually, the Ritual of Calling was discovered which focused, and thereby increased the power of, their skills and abilities even more. Among the Highborn, as a result of the Ritual of Calling, Regents were discovered. Regents had abilities exceeding those Highborn of other Callings. With the finding of the Regents, Highborn were now able to come back from the Paths of the Dead to live again. The Regents became the leaders of the Highborn, the leaders of nations.

At this time, there were a number of different Kingdoms, most of which were mono-racial. They had a wide variety of ruling structures and cultures. In some places the Highborn worked as guardians of the Lowborn, in others they treated them as little more than chattel. All too soon, the borders of these Kingdoms came into contact. The races began to intermingle. As is the nature of man, eventually conflict erupted.

Age of Strife (starts 5000 to 6000 years ago)

Kingdom warred upon Kingdom, both against others of their own race and bloody genocidal campaigns to wipe out the ones unlike their own. Many smaller Kingdoms became vassal states of larger nations, either by choice or by force. Great Empires came to power during this Age, namely the largest empire ever, the Qatar.

The Highborn were Kings of Battle. Superior fighting skills, powerful magic and their ability to laugh off death made them the fiercest of combatants. This Age saw a marked advance in martial and magical skills. Many of the fundamental powers and tactics used today date back to this time. As the Highborn became more adept at waging war, it became even more deadly. Powerful combat rituals were researched and unleashed.

War burned away weakness and the strong came to the fore. Borders became relatively fixed, periods of peace ensued, but the wars ground on with a familiar inevitability. Alliances rose and fell, centuries of border skirmishes and bloody summer campaigns followed.

Into this climate, a new element appeared. Strange and hideous monsters were found in increasing numbers in the outlying areas. In the Year of Sorrow, the first known Twisted appeared. Some Highborn came back from the Paths of the Dead with their minds and powers shattered. Most were little more than drooling idiots, but some were insanely powerful madmen. During this Age, Undead first appeared. Many beliefs exist as to their origin. At that time, most believed that these were simply new weapons in the wars. That their enemy had discovered a way to twist body, soul and minds to produces these abominations.

Sometime towards the end of the Age of Strife, a man who would become known as the Prophet, made himself known to the Highborn. Having an aura more pure and noble than any Highborn, the Prophet spread words of peace and harmonious relations. He introduced the idea that the Twisted were a result of the conflict between Highborn and only by ceasing the hostilities could the tide of darkness be quelled. The Prophet, and those that believed in his teachings, formalized the Highborn Code and set out to spread its wisdom.

CODE OF THE HIGHBORN

Highborn shalt not slay other Highborn

Highborn, which slay other Highborn outside the Trials, are likely to come back twisted upon their deaths. The Twisted are a curse upon the lands and must be destroyed. Highborn slaying Highborn is the most grievous of acts.

Highborn shalt not transgress upon other Highborn

Highborn should be above petty crimes and acts upon each other. Transgressions between Highborn cultivate animosity, which in turn leads to greater acts of anger. These transgressions shalt not be allowed to start.

Highborn shalt settle disputes only in the Trials

Highborn who have no other alternative can settle their disputes in the Trials. This should be allowed only in the most extreme cases and only when all other alternatives have been pursued. Even within the trials, Highborn shalt not be forced to resurrect.

Highborn, which have become twisted, are a plague unto the lands and shalt be destroyed

The Twisted are like a plague that spreads to the four winds if allowed. There destruction shalt be paramount.

Highborn are the gifted among the races and this gift shalt not be abused

The Highborn have been given a gift with which to achieve greatness. This gift shalt not be used for ill.

As the Prophet was spreading his teaching among the Highborn, elsewhere another figure was make a mark of his own. Charismatic and with an almost painfully powerful force of personality, he managed to set other Twisted on the path his madness led him down. He began to amass vile armies and powerful magics. A smaller Kingdom fell to his horde. However, he was not interested in conquest, he sought destruction and left only wasteland in his wake. The dead swelled his ranks, making him ever stronger. He turned against another Kingdom, and another devouring them. Their neighbors simply watched, enjoying the destruction of their enemies and not realizing their own danger. This gruesome figure soon became known as the Harvester of Souls. His real name only whispered in secret and soon forgotten.

Urged by the Prophet and convinced by the ever-growing threat of the Harvester, Kingdoms began to cease their hostilities. As the Harvester grew in strength, they realized that if any were going to survive, all would need to band together. The Highborn Alliance was created. Even the Great Emperor of Qatar was forced to join the Alliance, the Harvester’s might was so great. A massive army of Highborn was sent against the forces of their common enemy. Gathering in the Hinterland, a battle the likes of which the world had never seen was waged. The Harvester was weakened, but the Highborn fell short. They had waited too long. Both sides staggered and recovered slowly, the Highborn Alliance began to fracture. In a desperate move, all the Regents came together in the Xalacar, the mightiest city in the Qatar and performed a powerful ritual to destroy the Harvester. They succeeded, but the cost was high. Most of the Regents were killed and the rest had their spirits broken, leaving them unable to resurrect.

This age ended in the aftermath of that battle, the Battle of Rending. The land and the people were weakened. The strength of the Highborn had been significantly reduced. Not only had the Regents been changed forever, but also the Highborn themselves had changed. They had slaughtered their best for centuries, their life spans were shorter and their powers not nearly as great as they had been. In some places, where the Highborn had ruled as God-Kings or despots, the government collapsed with the death of their Regent.

In honor of the sacrifice of the Regents in performing the Ritual of Rending, the Highborn added a new piece to the Highborn Code:

Highborn shalt honor and respect the Regents for their sacrifice can never be repaid

The Regents sacrificed all to give unto us a chance for survival. Without the Regents the world would be covered in darkness. We owe unto them the respect they have earned

During the Battle of Rending, the Prophet was not to be found. His influence upon the world was complete. The recovery from the destruction of the Great War had begun.

Age of Ascension (starts 2000 years ago)

From the ashes at the end of the Age of Strife, a new age dawned. Over time, the bonds first formed in the Highborn Alliance and on the battlefield opened the first tentative doors for immigration and trade. With the loss of most of their leaders, the Regents, the large empires dissolved and rule shifted back to smaller city-states. Newly independent cities that had been staring across a border at each other now found they had more commonalities than differences. The Code came into common usage by all Highborn and provided the basis for a common culture.

Within a century of the Battle of Rending, the world had changed significantly, and for the better. A renaissance occurred as each culture discovered the literature, philosophy and lore of the others. Knowledge and research became a respected pursuit. The various Orders were founded.

Centuries pass. There are periods of struggle and occasional conflicts, but noting on the scale of what went before. New Regents are born, although all born after the Rending still fail to resurrect. The divisiveness of the past is slowly forgotten. The Code of the Highborn forms the basis of Highborn society, and they come to see themselves as Highborn first, almost as a race unto their own. Since Highborn rule most places, even many Lowborn begin to follow the Code.

The end of the Age of Ascension is marked by a significant discovery, the Node Network. There exist a number of places that are focal points of magical energy which can be attuned by a powerful and difficult ritual a link them to another, already awakened Node, located elsewhere. Once attuned, these Nodes become active during the phase of the moon in which it was attuned. When active this link acts as an anchor for a ritual of teleportation, allowing fairly reliable transport to distant places. The Nodes cannot be artificially created, only awakened. While too expensive to use for general trade, they allow certain expensive commodities, mail, information and those rich enough to afford it to travel safely.

The search for the Nodes brought forth a new Age.

Age of Expansion (100-200 years ago to current)

The advent of the Node Network, called by most the High Road, ushered in a new era of exploration and expansion. Explorers eventually discovered several Nodes deep in the wilderness. These were quickly attuned and soon new cities had sprung up around them. Many saw these New Kingdoms as an opportunity to establish themselves. People, Highborn and Lowborn alike, willing to take a risk flowed out of the Old Kingdoms to the New, into the unknown.

Character Creation

Cre·a·tion (kr-shn)
n.

The act of creating.
The fact or state of having been created.

The act of investing with a new office or title.

The world and all things in it.
All creatures or a class of creatures.

Creation The divine act by which, according to various religious and philosophical traditions, the world was brought into existence.
An original product of human invention or artistic imagination: the latest creation in the field of computer design.

Your character is the door through which you enter the world of Mar. This section will walk you through the steps to create your alter ego. Take some time while going through this process. It is possible that you will be playing this character for years, so make sure it is one you love.

Before you really get started, it would be a good idea to go back and read through the background information. This will give you an idea of what the game world is like and hopefully will spark a few ideas as to what you want to play.

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with Mar, you are ready to get into it.

The Basics

At the barest minimum, there are three questions you need to answer to create a character:

What race is my character?
Where does my character come from?
What class is my character?

Choose Race

All player characters are Highborn (if you say ‘huh’ to that, go back and read the background again), and thus must be one of the five Highborn races: Human, Kingdom Elf, Forest Elf, Satyr or Beastman. Since race has no bearing on character skills or statistics, simply choose the one that suits you best. Be aware that all non-human races require that you wear a minimum set of makeup or prosthetics to represent your race. If you don’t think that’s for you, choose human. Here is a quick summary of the races:

Human – Capable and varied. Humans display a wide range of temperaments depending on where they were raised. Other races characterize them as driven and a bit materialistic.

Humans have no make-up requirements.

Kingdom Elf – Noble and aristocratic. Sometimes considered aloof, Kingdom Elves are very meticulous and thoughtful.

Kingdom Elves must wear pointed ear tips.

Forest Elf – Creative and calm. Forest elves are known to make great artists, but their creative talents are just as often bent to warfare or trade.

Forest Elves must wear pointed ear tips.

Satyr – Fierce and wise. Satyrs are closer to the land than the other Highborn races. They are considered less civilized, but often with deep insight.

Satyrs must wear small horns on their forehead.

Beastmen – Loyal and strong. Beastmen are actually a number of clannish races that share characteristics between man Human and beast. They tend to show strong family bonds. Most Beastmen are canine or feline.

Beastmen must wear ears or other facial prosthetic/make-up appropriate to their bestial half.

There tends to be little interracial conflict among the Highborn, as simply being Highborn is nearly a race unto itself.

Choose Home

While race may affect your character’s personality, far more important to their view of the world is the place they grew up. The regions are divided culturally, and help give you a default set of attitudes to use for your character. While it is true that many regions are dominated by a single race, Highborn live wherever they like. Here is a quick summary of the regions:

· Northern Kingdoms – A group of powerful city-states dominated by Kingdom Elves. Very structured and civilized. The people of the Northern Kingdoms value knowledge and structure. There is a definite and enforced social pecking order there similar to medieval Europe. While not mistreated, the Lowborn are definitely seen as underlings.

· The High Forest – The opposite of the Northern Kingdoms in almost every way. Dominated by Satyr clans, only a handful of cities exist here and those are small affairs. There is almost no rule here at all, each clan existing by family tie and tradition. One or more family line of Highborn will form the nucleus of a clan, using their strength and power to hold the others in line.

· The Trade Cities – This is the name given to a number of small states that concentrate on the eastern side of Mar and a string of islands that follow the coast. This is a true melting pot, the crossroads of the realm. Due to their varied and violent past (this region was conquered and lost for centuries during the Age of Strife) the Trade City states tend to be more egalitarian. They value wealth and ability more than birth or even Highborn blood.

· The Wild Lands – Home to the Beastmen, this is truly a wild land. Beastmen tend to travel in tribal bands, following game or provender. There are a few interior cities, although they are small. The trade cities on the coast bear more resemblance to the tradesmen that created them than the natives. Those from this region tend to respect strength and have very tight family bonds.

· The Deep Woods – The Forest Elves make their cities in and among the trees of the Wood. While still beautiful and vibrant, these woods were tamed long ago. The Deep Woods states are quiet and contemplative, reflecting the serene beauty that surrounds them. They value artists greatly as well as wisdom. They prefer to look for long term solutions that benefit all parties in a conflict. However, balance that with the fact that their Elven Fists form the largest and most active standing armed force in the Highborn sphere of influence.

Choose Class

Choosing your class is probably the most important decision you will make when creating your character. Your class determines many of your character’s strengths and weaknesses, and to a certain extent what kind of game you will play. Fighting is a big part of any sword and sorcery adventure, and your class defines your role in combat. However, contrary to the conventional wisdom of a lot of RPGs, in Highborn your class does not affect your non-combat skills at all. So, a Highborn Warrior is just a likely to be a scholar or Rune Brander as a Wizard. So, don’t let that affect your choice of classes.

Note: Players may not choose the Calling of Regent for their characters. It is reserved for NPCs only.

Warrior

Warriors are the wall upon which the enemies of the Highborn break themselves. Their strength and resilience cannot be matched. Skilled in the use a wide variety of weapons and tactics, they always have the right tool for the job. While not as flashy as a Wizard, they are no less magical. A Warrior’s strength, skill and resilience are a direct result of their connection with the Cycle. The path of the Warrior is simple and brutal.

From a mechanics point of view, Warriors have two obvious strengths: they have the most Body and Armor of any class, and they swing the highest base damage of any class. Their strengths really shine through in long fights against many opponents where they can simply grind out fight after fight. Their weakness lies in their lack of stopping power. They have relatively few abilities that can take an opponent out instantly. When spending your specialization points, one possible path is to concentrate on special defenses and Armor and Body to create a tank character. Another is to buy more physical strikes to create a more offensive Warrior.

Ranger

Rangers glide through the battlefield with deadly grace, disrupting enemy formations and exploiting any weakness or hesitation. They strike with blinding quickness and incredible violence. They are especially feared for their Critical Strike techniques that can fell even a powerful opponent with a few well-placed blows. As if that were not enough, may Rangers also are masters of the bow, dropping their foes before they can even reach sword range.

Rangers are a pure fighter class like the Warrior, but with a different focus. They do not have quite the Body and Armor of a Warrior and they do less base damage, but they make up for it with Critical Strikes. Also, they have access to more special defenses than any other class, allowing them to get to where they need to be. So, while they do not have quite the impact of a Warrior over the long haul, when a monster needs killing NOW they can get the job done. Likewise, because their Critical Strikes are wasted if the enemy blocks them, Rangers lend themselves to players who like finesse style fighting: flanking and sneak attacks. When spending your specialization points, you might choose to specialize in melee fighting or bow fighting.

Wizard

Wizards use their mastery of Fire, Ice, Stone and Lightning to weave deadly spells that fell even the most powerful enemy. Killing with a word, turning foe against foe, transforming into a creature of living flame; all these lay on the path of the Wizard.

Versatility is the watchword of the Wizard. Wizards have access to a greater number of different skills and powers than any other class. If you have a problem, the Wizard is likely to have the solution. However, there is a trade off. Spells require mana, and once the Wizard’s mana is used up for the day they are very weak. The key to playing a good Wizard is to know when, and when not to throw spells. Wizards are also very weak in melee combat. One possible choice for specializing your Wizard is to concentrate on buying mostly mana. Another possible path is to buy a wide variety of spells.

Healer

The savage races fear the Highborn for one trait more than any other: Highborn have virtually no fear of death. Healers are the reason for this. They can convert a corpse to an armed and angry Highborn Warrior with a word and gesture. Their allies throw themselves into the fray, confident that no wound will defeat them. Their enemies despair at foes that seem unstoppable.

Healers with their abilities to raise the dead and heal the wounded are the backbone of any good team. A pure spell caster like the Wizard, they have a few more points of Body and at least a little Armor. They also have access to basic weapons, primarily for defense. In addition to their healing magics, they can learn a number of more offensive magics that can turn the tide of a battle if employed at the right time. Like the Wizard, they are limited by what mana they have per day. While not as weak as the Wizard in melee, it is still not a strong point for them. One way to specialize a Healer is to concentrate mostly on mana. Another path would be to improve their weapons and shield to make them more of a battle Healer able to function closer to the front lines.

Champion

A Champion is nearly unstoppable on the battlefield. Enchantments deflect blows before they land, guide and strengthen his blade. Spells cause his armor to visibly knit back together as he advances. Equally valuable on the front line or in a support role, they can either spearhead the attack or work synergistically with other Highborn.

Champions are a hybrid fighter-caster class. They have good base fighting abilities and can specialize to become better warriors. Further, their spell lines improve their fighting abilities by improving their weapon damage and increasing their armor totals. Champions can be powerful in their own right, but truly come into their own as part of a group. Resilient and with spells that are good for keeping people from dieing, they serve as a valuable backup for a Healer. With all their buffs, Champions are also good for players who enjoy a support role. One possible way to specialize a Champion is to concentrate on the fighting abilities and buffs to create an offensive character. Another path would be to concentrate on mana and targeted buff to create a support Champion.

Spellguard

Spellguards are the most terrifying of all the Highborn to face. Calmly picking their opponents apart piece by piece until they are defenseless before them, then stepping in for the kill.

Spellguards are a hybrid class like the Champion. They have decent Body and Armor, decent weapon styles and good spells. Spellguards don’t fight as well as any warrior class, nor do they cast as well as any caster class. However, their debuffing spells along with their fighting abilities work in synergy to create a deadly class. They function equally well in a group, debuffs setting up opponents for their teammates. This is something of a finesse class, requiring a good understanding of how it works to get the best out of it.

Level	Earned Days
1	0
2	4
3	9
4	15
5	22
6	30
7	39
8	49
9	60
10	72
11	86
12	102
13	120
14	140
15	162
16	186
17	212
18	240
19	270
20	302

Character Advancement

Now that the basics are done, it time to fill in the numbers for your character. First, however, we need to talk about general character advancement. Trust me, it’s relevant.

Character Level

Your character’s level is a number that describes in broad terms how powerful they are. Your character advances in level as you play them. Every time you play the character at an event, it gains a number of played game days (or just Played Days). In general, a weekend event is worth 2 played days, a fair day is worth 1 played day and modules at a module day are worth .25 played days each. In addition to played days, every character gets a number of campaign bonus days (or just Bonus Days). The Plot Team determines the rate at which these come out, typically around one per month, and the total is added to every character. Bonus days exists so that new players coming into the game after it has been running a while and old players who have a character die can make new characters that can be effective in the game. It’s still fair to established characters though, as they get the same bonus.

To figure your level, add your Played Days to the Bonus Days to find your Earned Days, and then check the handy chart.

If you are creating a new character, you need to find out how many Bonus Days you get, add 0 (your Played Days) and consult the chart to determine what level your character is. See, I told you it was relevant.

Purchasing skills

Knowing your class and level, it is time to purchase skills. Find the character advancement chart for your chosen class. This chart shows your characters base stats and what skills become available to you at each level.

The skills are broken into two groups. The first group has no point cost (the numbers in parenthesis). These are your character’s base skills; you automatically receive them upon attaining the level. The second group contains specialization skills. You receive 100 specializations points (or spec points) per level to spend on these skills. You don’t have to spend all your points at once; you can choose to save them to spend later. You can buy each skill once per time it is listed, and you can go back and buy skills from previous levels if you skipped them the first time.

The spell casting classes also have a spell tree. Spells must be bought in a certain order, and the spell tree shows these prerequisites. To purchase a spell, you must have already purchased all the spells pointing to that spell. So, for example, to buy Sleep you must also have bought Silence and Tranquility. Spells with no prerequisites have bold borders to make them easy to find.

As an example, if you were creating a first level Wizard you would have 21 Base Body, 0 Base Armor and 60 Base Mana. You would automatically receive the Elemental Mastery skill, the spells Call Element and Elemental Dart, and Weapon Skill: Short (which allows you to use small weapons like daggers). You receive 100 spec points to spend on specialization skills. Let’s say you choose to buy the spell Disarm for 30 points and two points of Mana for 10 points each (giving you 62 Maximum Mana). That leaves you with 50 points, which you decide to save. You couldn’t have bought Spell: Disarm twice (which doesn’t make much sense in any case) because it is only listed once. You could have bought Mana +1 up to 10 times. After your first event, you decide that you want some defense against goblins running around your warrior buddy and jumping you in melee. You spend 10 points to buy Armor +1 (putting you at 1 Maximum Armor and wishing you could take it more than once) and buy Spell: Shun for 30. This leaves you with 10 points, which you save for now. When you reach second level, you will get 100 more spec points to add to your 10, some new base skills and a bunch of new spec skills to choose from.

General Skills

In addition to your class skills, every character gets a separate set of points to spend on general skills. They are purchased just like class spec skills. You receive 500 general skill points a first level and 100 points every level thereafter. You may save these points just like spec points. General skill points may never be used to buy class skills and class spec points may never be used to buy general skills. The General skill chart is organized a little differently than the class advancement chart. However, it has the same basic information: what level the skill becomes available, how much it costs and the number of times you may buy it. It also notes any prerequisite needed to buy the skill.

Italicized Skills

Some skills on the charts are italicized. These skills have special requirements for purchasing them. In effect, they have a prerequisite that is not a skill. The prerequisite is completing some task or taking some action. Example tasks are: being taught by a Regent, visiting the Elemental Plane of Fire, or killing an Ice Golem Elemental. From the character’s perspective the experience gives then the needed insight to understand the workings of the ritual or skill. From the player’s perspective, italicized skills are a kind of treasure.

Finishing Touches

With all that information about your character, they should seem pretty solid by now. There are just a few more things to think about to really bring them to life.

Character Name

So, what is your character’s name? You have great leeway in naming your character. Pretty much any appropriate fantasy name will work. However, you cannot use the name of any distinct, recognizable fantasy figure. So, you cannot be Legolas (even if you spell it Legolaass).

Background Information

Even given all the information already defined about your character there are reams of information still missing. It is entirely possible to play your character without answering all these questions, and some of them might even be better left to develop in game. How your character’s personality develops is part of the fun of the game. However, you should at least think about the following things in regards to your character:

How old is my character?

Highborn can easily live to be 500 years old and maintain most of their strength until their final years. However, since you will probably be starting your character off as relatively low level, it may make more sense to be younger. Highborn define their class in the Ritual of Calling, which is traditionally taken at age 18. It is very rare to take the ritual earlier than that as it can be dangerous. Players are discouraged from creating characters younger than 18.

What was your Ritual of Calling like?

The Ritual of Calling is a powerful experience that all Highborn go through. The details of the Ritual vary greatly from Kingdom to Kingdom and even from family to family. It always involves a long (often days long) deep trance state full of visions and bizarre experiences. Even if your character never speaks of it openly, the Ritual of Calling is something that affects every Highborn for the rest of their long lives.

What is your character’s attitude toward Lowborn?

While likely to be influenced by the region in which they grew up, you should decide for yourself how your character feels. Do you see them fundamentally as equals (just equals that you are more powerful than)? Do you view them similar to pets? Are they simply faceless servants that do the dirty work? Are they chattel?

Why did you come to Twilight Glade?

Since the game takes place in a city only a few years old, you cannot have grown up there. So, why did your character come to the region? The New Kingdoms are known to be dangerous, but full of opportunity. Are you a down and out Elven Warrior fleeing his gambling debts, or are you a fresh faced youth straight from the Trade Cities out to make a name for himself?

Costume and Phys-Reps

Your costume can be an important part of your character. You need to have a basic costume to play, but by putting a little thought into it can give your character a lot of personality. The simplest costume is a basic tabard. By carefully choosing colors or by adopting a symbol you can turn even a simple tabard into a distinctive character piece. If you are a member of a team, choosing a team symbol or color scheme can make you stand out as a group. You don’t have to go overboard, a single interesting accessory such as a leather mask or a drinking horn can enhance your costume greatly.

Don’t forget that if your character has any points of armor, you must wear some kind of armor phys-rep. This can be anything that looks like armor: spiky leather forearm guards, a studded leather tunic, steel pauldrons, or a set of greaves. Our armor requirements are very reasonable; you only need to be visibly wearing some kind of armor. From our perspective, appearance is much more important than functionality. We would rather have people wearing small pieces of very cool armor than covering themselves by duct taping steel plates their chest.

Finally, if you have weapon skills, you will probably want to make some weapons. Check out the weapon building section toward the end of the book for details on how to do that.

Champion

Champion Advancement Chart

Note: You must by the appropriate AWS adeptness before buying the mastery.

Champion Spells

Healer

Healer Advancement Chart

Healer Spells

Ranger

Ranger Advancement Chart

Note: You must by the appropriate AWS adeptness before buying the mastery.

Spellguard

Spellguard Advancement Chart

Note: You must by the appropriate AWS adeptness before buying the mastery.

Spellguard Spells

Warrior

Warrior Advancement Chart

Note: You must by the appropriate AWS adeptness before buying the mastery.

Wizard

Wizard Advancement Chart

Wizard Spells

A Wizard’s Elemental spells can take on the essence of any Element he has mastered. The incant of his elemental spells changes depending on the element selected.

Elemental Prefix	Example Incant
The element of Fire	The element of Fire strikes you with a Dart
The element of Stone	The element of Stone strikes you with a Dart
The element of Ice	The element of Ice strikes you with a Dart
The element of Lightning	The element of Lightning strikes you with a Dart

General Skills

General Skill Chart

Level	Cost	Skill	Max Buy	Prerequisite
1	50	Attunement	5
1	100	Environmental Adaptation: Cold	1
1	100	Environmental Adaptation: Darkness	1
1	100	Environmental Adaptation: Heat	1
1	100	Environmental Adaptation: Underwater	1
1	100	Environmental Adaptation: Wind	1
1	100	Escape Artist	4
1	50	First Aid	5
1	50	Lore: Arcane Lore	5
1	50	Lore: Cave Lore	5
1	50	Lore: Local Lore	5
1	50	Lore: Natural Philosophy	5
1	50	Lore: Politics	5
1	50	Lore: Scholarly Lore	5
1	50	Lore: Tinkering	5
1	50	Lore: Wilderness Lore	5
1	100	Rune Branding	10
1	10	Rune Branding Recipe
1	100	Talismongering	10
1	10	Talismongering Recipe		*
3	100	Feat of Agility	5
3	100	Feat of Strength	5
5	100	Lesser Ritual Mastery	1	Attunement
5	10	Lesser Ritual Formula		Lesser Ritual Mastery
5	250	Resist Magic	1
5	250	Resist Strike	1
10	100	Imbue Magic	1	Lesser Ritual Mastery
10	100	Ritual Mastery	1	Imbue Magic
10	10	Ritual Formula		Ritual Mastery
15	10	Greater Ritual Mastery	1	Ritual Mastery
15	10	Greater Ritual Formula		Greater Ritual Mastery
15	250	Resist Magic	1
15	250	Resist Strike

* You must know the skill you wish to buy a Talismongering recipe for.

Skill Descriptions

This is an alphabetical listing of all the skills players can purchase. Each skill has a number of attributes that describe it. See the Skill Use section of the book in Rules for more details.

Incant

Many skills have a verbal phrase the player must recite to activate the skill. This is called an incant (short for incantation). The incant section of the skill entry indicates the incant needed, if any.

Delivery Method

The delivery method describes the way in which the effect of the skill gets to its target. There are a number of delivery methods for skills: Activation, Aura, Counted Action, Gaze, Logistics, Magical Packet, Magical Strike, Melee Blow, Passive, Physical Strike and Voice Radius.

Use

Use describes the requirements that must be met for activation of the skill.

Always On
At Will
Production
Spell
Times per Day

Target

Target describes what kinds of things the skill can be used on.

Creature
Dead Creature
Item
Self

Duration

This describes how long the effect of the skill lasts.

Essence

Some skills, mostly spells, cause an effect that is charged with one of the primal essences that make up the world. It is particularly important when fighting certain creatures that may be resistant or more susceptible to a certain primal essence.

Mana Cost

Spells require that their caster pay a certain number of mana points from their mana pool before the skill can be used. This indicates the cost of the spell.

Rules

For consistency and brevity in the skill description, some common sets of rules have been defined in their own section of the book. If a skill makes use of these rules, they will be noted here.

See Also (Glossary Terms)

This lists important keywords from the skill’s description that are further defined in the glossary.

Rules

This section covers all the things you need to know to play the game. It outlines the systems we use to represent character actions in the game.

Combat

Incants and Calling Damage

Incants

Incants are the OOG verbal component of all attacks (and skill usages in general). Their purpose is to allow all players in the immediate area of the combat to understand what is happening in game. In more practical terms they allow the target of attacks to know what effect they must take if the attack succeeds.

Each type of attack or skill usage has its own incant that is listed where that attack or skill is defined. If no incant is specified then the incant is simply the name of the skill. For instance, the incant for using the Dodge Skill is “Dodge”.

Incants for melee attacks must be spoken while the weapon is being swung. Ranged Attack Incants must be completed before the packet is thrown, but the packet must be thrown within 2 seconds of the completion of the incant or the attack fails.

Incants must be spoken loud enough for the intended target and all players within 20 feet of the player to hear. This does not mean that you must shout over all of the other people who are involved in the combat, but rather that the players would be able to hear the incant if the noise level was typical for a combat situation. The incant must be recited correctly or the attack fails even if the weapon swing lands. Note that if the attack represented a times per day skill then that skill is used in the failed attack.

Melee Combat

Any attack that uses a boffer weapons to attack is handled using the melee combat rules. These attacks could be a sword swing, an animal’s bite, or even something as exotic as the ability of a fire elemental to burn someone to cinders with a mere touch. Both magical and physical melee attacks use similar rules and are therefore defined together with any difference noted when they occur. Each Melee Attack has two key components; the physical movement of the weapon (the weapon swing) and an OOG verbal incant that describes the attack that the weapon swing represents. This incant could be either a damage call or a skill use incant.

Weapon swings are what determine if an attack is successfully lands. Weapon swings must traverse an angle of at least 45 degrees and no more than 90 degrees and they may not be made more rapidly than their corresponding incants allow. The head, neck, hands and groin are not legal targets and any swings landing in those locations are treated as though they hit but had no effect. Player must try to avoid hitting these parts of the body. Intentionally blocking with a part of the body that is not a legal target is against the rules. Swings that strike loose clothing or any immediate possession that is not a weapon or shield also count as hits.

Swinging a weapon very rapidly while saying the incant in a way that is not comprehensible is called “machine-gunning”. This is cheating. If you feel that you might be machine-gunning, ask a marshal to show you the appropriate rate that you may swing a weapon.

Melee Blows

Melee Blows are the standard melee attack that represents the standard swing of a weapon or a monster’s claw. These attacks general do not involve the expenditure of times per day skills.

The incant for Melee Blows is the amount of damage that the attack will deliver followed by all attack modifiers. If there are no modifiers then the damage amount is followed by the word “Normal” designating that the attack is unmodified. Some examples of Melee Blow incants are: “1 Normal”, “3 Massive”, “4 Body Fire” and “10 Massive Spirit Body”.

Physical Strikes

Physical Strikes represent unusual weapon maneuvers used by skilled fighters. They are used to deliver a specific effect and do not have a damage amount like Melee Blows do. Physical Strikes land successfully even if the target blocks them with a weapon or shield (they must still be resolved as normal), but the corresponding skill is used up whether that swing hit or missed.

The incant for Melee Strikes is “Physical Strike” followed by the name of the effect that the strike delivers. For example, using the skill Physical Strike: Slay the attacker would say, “Physical Strike Slay”.

Melee Critical Strikes

Melee Critical Strikes follow the same rules as Melee Blows except that the damage they deliver is a specific amount and they require the expenditure of a times-per-day skill.

Carrier Strikes

Carrier Strikes are similar to Melee Strikes except they are blockable by weapons and shields and they effect is considered to have been avoided if the target has a current armor value of at least one. The incant for Carrier Strikes is “Physical Carrier” followed by the name of the effect that the strike delivers, for example “Physical Carrier Lightning Stun”.

Magical Strikes

Magical Strikes represent the magical abilities of some monsters as well as special attacks from enchanted weapons. Magical Strikes land successfully even if the target blocks them with a weapon or shield, but the corresponding skill is used up whether the swing hit or missed.

The incant for Magical Strikes is “Magical Strike” followed by the name of the effect that the strike delivers. For example, when using the skill Magical Strike: Sleep the attacker would say, “Magical Strike Sleep”.

Ranged Combat

Any attack that uses packets to attack is handled using the ranged combat rules. These attacks could be a Wizard’s spell, an arrow, or even the breathe of a dragon. Both magical and physical ranged attacks use similar rules and are therefore defined together with any difference noted when they occur.

Each Ranged Attack has two key components; a thrown packet and a verbal incant that describes the attack that the packet represents.

Whether a packet hits a player or not determines if the ranged attack landed successfully. The head and neck are not legal targets and any packets striking those locations are treated as though they hit but had no effect. Player must try to avoid hitting these parts of the body. Packets that strike loose clothing or any immediate possession that is not a weapon or shield also count as hits.

Ranged Physical Attacks

All ranged attacks that correspond to a melee attack follow the same rules as that melee attack except that they are delivered with a packet instead of a weapons swing and as noted under incants. The melee attacks that have corresponding ranged versions are: Melee Blows, Melee Strikes, Melee Critical Strikes and Melee Carrier Strikes.

Magical Ranged Attacks

Magical Ranged Attacks represent the magical abilities of some monsters, spells and well as special attacks from enchanted items. Magical Ranged Attacks land successfully even if the target blocks them with a weapon or shield, but the corresponding skill is used up whether that packet hit or missed. The general incant for Magical Ranged Attacks is “Magical” followed by the name of the effect that the attack delivers. For example, using the skill Magical Fire Storm then attacker would say, “Magical Fire Storm”.

Other Attack Delivery Methods

Voice Radius Attacks

Voice Radius attacks allows one character to affect many other characters at once. Any character who hears the incant for a Voice Radius attack is hit by the attack. All normal defenses can be used against this attack except Avoidance Defenses. The incant is “Voice Radius” followed by the effect. For instance “Voice Radius Fire Storm”.

Gaze Attacks

Gaze Attacks allow a character to affect another character without the use of a boffer weapon or packet. The attacker recites the incant for the Gaze Attack and then unambiguously identifies the target either by pointing or by name. All normal defenses can be used against this attack except Avoidance Defenses. The incant is “Gaze” followed by the effect. For instance “Gaze Stone Stun”.

Aura

Auras allow a character to attack a character that hit them with a melee attack. The original attacker is hit with the effect specified by the Aura. This effect cannot be Avoided but can be Resisted. The incant for an Aura is the name of the effect that is associated with the Aura followed by the word “Aura”, for example “Magical Fire Shatter Aura”.

Defenses

Even though an attack hits a character there is still the possibility that the character could not be affected by it. By using defenses some characters have the ability to ignore some attacks one or more times per day.

Defenses are times per day or passive skills that allow a character to ignore the effect delivered by an attack. If a character uses a defense against an attack he must say the incant for the defense within two seconds of the attack hitting him. This two-second limit is waived if the character is the target of many simultaneous attacks, in which case he should call his defenses as rapidly as possible. In some cases it is appropriate to call a hold in order to resolve many attacks against one target. This should only be done rarely and typically the target will be a very powerful monster that requires a large number of attacks to kill.

Avoidance

Some defensive skills are designated as being avoidances. This means that if the skill is used then the attack is treated as though it never hit the character (although the attacker’s skill is still considered to be used up). This means that the defender is not affected by the attack.

Barrier and Ward

These two spells allow the target to negate the first attack that hits the character as defined under their spells descriptions. They take effect after Avoidance Defenses but before Resistance and Immunity Defenses. The spells defend the character and are used up even if the character is immune to the attack or would resist the effect.

Immunity

Some characters are immune to some category of effect or essence. These immunities are defined by the type of creature that the character is as well as specific abilities defined for that character.

Immunities allow the character to totally ignore any effects that they are immune to.

Resistance

Resistance represents a creature’s ability to shrug off an effect either through force of will or resilience. If a resistance skill is used in response to an attack then the creature is treated as though the attack did hit him but he does is not subject to the effect of the attack.

Altered Effect

Altered Effect means that the character is subject to a different amount of damage than the attack would normally do. If the attack does not do damage then Altered Effect doesn’t change the attack in any way. An example of Altered Effect is “Half Damage from Fire”. A creature with this Altered Effect would take only half the normal damage from any damaging effects with the Essence of Fire.

Attack Type Summary Chart

	Sample Incant	Blockable	Ward/Barrier
Melee Blows	“5 Normal”	Yes	Neither
Massive Melee Blows	“4 Massive”	No	Neither
Physical Strikes	“Physical Strike Harm”	No	Barrier
Carrier Strikes	“Physical Carrier Thought Sleep”	Yes	Barrier
Magical Strikes	“Magical Strike Fire Web”	No	Ward
Critical Strikes	“20 Normal”	Yes	Neither
Ranged Physical Blows	“3 Normal”	Yes	Neither
Ranged Magical Attacks	“Magical Ice Root”	No	Ward
Spells	“The purity of Spirit slows you.”	No	Ward
Call Element	“The element of Ice fills me. 2 Ice”	Yes	Neither
Physical Attacks	“Physical Web”	Yes	Barrier

Attack Resolution

If the defender does not have or use any defenses to stop the attack then he is subject to the effect that the attack delivers.

If damage is part of the effect then the damage is first deducted from the character’s armor and then any remaining damage is deducted from his body. Any damage beyond the amount required to reduce the character’s body to -1 is ignored. If this damage reduces the character’s body to 0 or less then the character is subject to the Death and Dieing rules.

Weapons

In order to use a weapon to attack, a character must have a Weapon Skill that grants the character skill in the weapon. If a character is carrying a weapon that they do not have the skill to wield they must follow these restriction:

If the weapon is struck they are affected by the attack as though it struck them directly also they must immediately drop the weapon as though disarmed. If the weapon is attached with a lanyard they take damage as though they were subjected to a Disarm.
They may not use a skill that requires a wielded weapon unless they are wielding a weapon that they do have skill in.
They may not present the weapon as though they could attack with it.

Lanyards

Any handheld item can be ‘attached’ to the character carrying the item with a piece of rope called a lanyard. Because it is dangerous to actually have weapons attached to players with ropes, we represent lanyards by tying a white headband or piece of rope around the item to be lanyarded. Lanyards prevent the item from being disarmed, but the character takes 10 points on unavoidable body damage each time the lanyard prevents a disarm from affecting him.

Bludgeoning Weapons

All medium and long bludgeoning weapons deal one more point of damage than their slashing or piercing counterparts. This is to represent the harder blows that would land from the weapon and also to compensate the player for using an unwieldy weapon.

Bows

Bows allow some characters to make Physical Ranged attacks that function similarly to the Melee attacks that the character can use except that the bow attacks cannot use any Melee only skills (such as extra Melee Damage) but can use all Ranged only skills (such as extra Ranged Damage). The character can use Physical Strikes and Critical Strikes with a bow following all normal rules for those skills.

In order to use a bow the character must wield a bow in one hand with there are fully extended and must throw a packet for each ranged attack. For each packet thrown the character must grab the packet with the hand not holding the bow (this hand cannot be holding anything besides the one packet which represents an arrow), bring the packet within two inches of their chin and then throw the packet normally.

While bows do use arrows, it is unnecessary to record the number used or carried. It is assume that character can reuse or carry as many arrows as they need.

Bows can be used to block attacks just as any weapon can, but cannot be used for melee attacks in any way.

Armor & Body

Whenever a character takes damage they should reduce there Armor and Body totals as described here.

Unless the attack specifically avoids damaging armor the damage should be deducted from armor first. If the armor cannot sustain that much damage or the character has no armor then the rest of the damage should be applied to the characters body.

Any character may “refit” a worn suit of armor back to its maximum value by spending one minute maintaining Contact with the armor suit or the character wearing the armor and patting the torso of the character wearing the armor or the suit. You can refit your own armor and this is typically how armor is repaired.

Modifiers

There are two modifiers that change the way damage is dealt:

Massive

Weapons or shields cannot block attacks with the Massive modifier. The incant for the attack simply has the word “Massive” appended after the damage amount or before the effect name, for example “20 Massive Fire” or “Carrier Strike Massive Fire Storm”.

Body

Attacks with the Body modifier bypass Armor and do damage directly to a characters body. The incant for the attack simply has the word “Body” appended after the damage amount, for example “20 Body Ice”.

Combat Safety Rules

Contact

Players are not allowed to physically interact with an opponent except by using a boffer weapon. This means that you cannot shove, overpower or strike them in any way. You may not use a boffer weapon against an opponent except as specified in the combat rules. Specifically, you may not push, trip or overpower someone with a boffer weapon. Note also that the no contact rule means that you cannot grab any possession of another character while you are in combat. Players may not intentionally hit another player hard enough that it will hurt them nor may they hit another player weapons with the intent of disarming that character with the force of the blow.

Charging

Charging is traveling at another player in such a way that they must move to avoid a collision. Charging is dangerous and therefore not allowed. Players must always be in control of their movement so that they do not inadvertently charge one another. Crowding is when a player moves close enough to another player that one can touch the torso of the other one. Because players that close are likely to hurt one another Crowding is not allowed.

Pinning and Trapping Weapons

Many real world combat maneuvers are simply too dangerous to function well in a game. Pinning and trapping are both examples of this so we don’t allow players to do either. Pinning is intentional holding another characters weapon against a stationary object with your weapon so that they cannot use it properly.

Trapping is using you weapons to incapacitate the weapons of another player. Any weapon that is deemed to be likely to trap other weapons will not be allowed in play.

Legal Targets

Player should never intentionally aim a weapon swing or packet at a part of the body that is not a legal target. While we recognize that accidents do happen, repeated bad swings will not be tolerated.

The Hold Rule

Often during the course a game it becomes necessary to temporarily halt play. Typically this is for safety reasons, an injury or to convey information. These intermissions are called “Holds” because of the word used to signal them.

Anyone can call a Hold by simply shouting the word “Hold”; others should repeat the call so that everyone in the area knows that the game is on hold. Do not use the word “hold” while playing the game. It has special significance and is reserved for calling Holds. During any type of hold every player not actively helping to resolve the hold should remain silent, not move from where they were when the hold was called and not look around. The game is not underway during a hold so planning strategy or trying to find out where other players are is cheating. The Hold should be resolved as quickly as possible since the game has stopped for many people. Once it is resolved the person who called the Hold or a staff member if that person is unavailable should call a “Lay On” in order to resume the game. First they should announce that everyone who had to move to resolve the Hold needs to return to their original position by announcing “Get back into your position.”, then confirm that the Hold is over by asking, ”Is anyone not ready?”. If everyone is ready then they should call the lay on by clearly and loudly shouting “3...2...1... Lay On!”

Holds can be called whenever it is important that the game pause, but should not be overused because they stop the momentum of the game.

Safety Holds should be called whenever you notice a situation that is dangerous, for instance if someone is about to trip over a root. These holds should be very short. Inform everyone of the danger and then lay on.

Medical Holds are called whenever anyone is injured. These holds are very serious and all hold rules will be strictly enforced during these holds. The lay on should not be called until the injury has been treated and the injured participant has left the area if necessary.

Rules Hold should only be called if there is a serious problem with the resolution of rules. Please make these holds as short as possible. Resolve the rules issue and call the lay on quickly to get everyone back in play.

Staff Holds are used whenever staff members need time to prepare the game for the players. These holds are typically informal.

Skills

Delivery Method

The delivery method describes the way in which the effect of the skill gets to its target. Aura, Gaze, Magical Packet, Magical Strike, Melee Blow, Physical Strike, Ranged Physical Attack and voice radius have already been discussed in the combat section of the rules.

Activation

The player simply activates the skill. Unless specifically noted otherwise, all activation skills target the character himself. The character must be conscious to activate a skill. If the skill has a specific incant, that incant is used. If it does not, the incant becomes the word ‘Activate’ and the skill’s name.

Counted Action

Counted action skills require that the player count down a number of seconds to activate the skill, often repeating an incant with the decreasing count. These represent doing a complex or difficult task, and are interrupted if you are hit with any attack during the count, even if they do no damage. Counted actions that target another character require contact for the duration of the count. If the skill has an incant, it must be repeated with every count. If it does not have an incant, the count may be done silently. The effect of a counted action does not occur until the count is completed. If the counted action is a times per day skill, it is not consumed until the effect is applied to the target.

Logistics

Logistics skills are delivered to the target when they check in to the game. This is primarily production skills and rituals that require out of game paperwork and staff support to function. Logistics skills that target another character (e.g. Runebranding) require that both the character and the target be present at logistics at the same time.

Passive

Passive skills do not require delivery. With possible extreme exceptions these represent innate abilities of the character.

Use

Use describes the requirements that must be met for activation of the skill.

Always On

Always on skills are, surprisingly enough, always on. They have no requirements for activation and are assumed to be active unless specifically noted. Unless otherwise noted, Always On skills may be voluntarily turned off if the character wishes.

At Will

The character can activate the skill whenever it wishes unless provided that it is conscious. Binding effects or other affects that render the character helpless prevent the character from targeting other characters with any delivery method aside from Gaze, Voice Radius or Aura.

Production

The skill is a production skill and requires that the character go through the production procedure at logistics to use it.

Spells

Spells have very complex activation requirements. In order to begin casting a spell the character must:

Have sufficient mana to fuel the spell
Have at least one hand and arm that are not bound, holding anything or have anything bound to them.
Have a spell packet in their free hand
Be in possession of a spell focus
Correctly complete the in-game incant.

If the character meets all these requirements, they can attempt to deliver the effect to the target. Note that the effect Silence prevents the character from completing the in-game incant.

Spell Foci

Spell foci (plural of focus) are items that spell casters use to channel magical energy into spells. Any character that knows at least one spell can make a spell focus anytime that they are free to gather the required items and spend uninterrupted time attuning the item. This process takes one hour and freedom to travel. There is no expense incurred in focus construction and characters are assumed to have as many as they like.

A focus requires a physical representation with a minimum dimension of one inch by one inch that corresponds to a Focus Tag. Characters may carry as many foci as they are willing to rep. These foci need not be visible, and unless they are visible they may not be the specific targets of effects, although they are susceptible to general effects.

Spell casters may use a focus that they did not create but prefer to use ones that they have attuned themselves.

Touch Casting

Touch casting allows characters to cast spells on other characters without activating the target’s Ward spell.

In order to successfully touch cast, the caster must cast a spell as normal with the casting hand in contact with the target for the entire incant. The target must then say, “I accept your touch cast.” This statement is OOG, but the character must be conscious and aware of the touch cast spell in order to accept it. Otherwise the target’s Ward is activated normally.

Touch casting is not allowed in combat except on friendly characters.

Duplicate Spells

Unless otherwise stated a character can never have more than one copy of a spell or effect active on them at one time. When a second copy of the effects is being resolved assume that the previous effect is removed when the new one takes effect.

Similarly, a character cannot have two effects active that differ only in the numerical degree of the effect. When this happens the effect of higher degree always overrides the one of lower degree. Examples of this are; Cripple overrides Weakness and Maximize Weapon Skill overrides Enhance Weapon Skill.

Spells Defenses

Ward and Barrier allow the target to resist the next appropriate attack that hits the character. The spells last until used or until the end of the event during which they were cast. The player must announce “Ward” or “Barrier” when the spell is activated. This statement is OOG and these spells activate normally even if the character is unconscious or unaware of the attack.

Times-per-day Skills

Times per day skills can only be used a limited number of times per day. The character can activate the skill if they have any uses left for the day.

Each day during the when Logistics occurs every character will receive a record all of the times-per-day skills that they may expend during the next logistics day. This record will be in the form of either a “Battle Board” sheet or as paper tags. Typically only Lore skills and Magic Item charges are placed on Tags.

Battle Boards

Battle boards are sheets of paper that contain a list of all of a character’s non-Lore times-per-day skills and items. Next to each one of the character’s skills are boxes or circles denoting the number of times per day that the character can expend the skill.

After each encounter where the character expended a times-per-day skill the player should update their Battle Board to reflect the expenditure of skills.

Sample Battle Board

Skill	Uses per day
Harm(6)	OOOOO O
Maim(1)	O
Feat of Agility(1)	O

GM Intervention

Some skills require a game master to use. For instance in order to use a Feat of Agility to circumvent an obstacle the player must have the approval of the game master who is marshalling the encounter that contains the obstacle. In most cases the game master will solicit the player’s use of these skills. Players are allowed to volunteer to use these skills even when not offered an opportunity but there is no guarantee that skill will be effective and all skills that the player uses are expended in the attempt. Lore skills, Feat of Strength, Feat of Agility are examples of this type of skill.

Target

Target describes what kinds of things the skill can be used on.

Creature

This can be used on any creature, including the character himself.

Dead Creature

This can be used on any creature that is dead. Although somewhat confusing, undead creatures such as skeletons are not considered ‘dead’ until they have been have been reduced to negative body points and ‘bled out’, just like their living breathing cousins.

Item

Items typically only refer to in-game items that have tags.

Self

The skill can only be used on character himself.

Everyman skills

Every character has a set of abilities that they can utilize without requiring any special class, level or the expenditure of skill points. Some of these abilities can be used even if the character has lost the use of skills (Everyman abilities) while other cannot be used then (Everyman skills).

Everyman Abilities

Killing Blow as a counted action (Players can do this by maintaining contact with the target for a 3 count). The incant is “Killing Blow 3,…”.
Incapacitate as a counted action (Players can do this by maintaining contact with the target for a 3 count). The incant is “I Incapacitate you 3,…”.
Search helpless creatures (Players can do this with a 30 count). The incant is “I search you. (30 seconds pass) “Search complete.”
Read and Write
Activate Talismans, Runebrands and other Magic Items.
See Auras
Determine whether another character is Dead, Bleeding Out, Asleep or Alive (Players can do this by maintaining contact with the target for a three count). The incant is “Determining Condition”. (3 seconds pass) “Are you <Dead, Bleeding Out, Asleep or Alive>. This incant must be completed for each question.

Everyman Skills

Create Light (Players can do this with 60 count of contact with the item that represents the light. The incant is “I create light” (60 seconds pass and then the player activates the item that represents the light a creates OOG light).

Item use

Item use includes the activation of Talismans, Runebrands and items created by Ritual Magic.

For any item that grants a Passive skill the character should simply use the skill as if he had purchased it (except that it will not allow him to use Restricted Items based on that skill).

Times-ever or times-per-day Runebrand effects can be activated anytime that the character is conscious using the effect name after with the word “Magical” denoting that it is a magical effect.

When a character activates a times-ever or times-per-day item effect he must preface the normal incant for the effect with the word “Activate”, for instance “Activate Magical Dispel Enchantments” would activate a Dispel Enchantments Runebrand.

Miscellany

Lore Skills

Lore skills represent a character’s knowledge and abilities in a given field of endeavor. Every time you buy a Lore skill you get one ‘tag’ of lore ability in that skill per logistics day. These tags are used to buy successes for lore tests.

Solicited vs. Unsolicited Test

A solicited lore test occurs when a marshal asks if characters want to spend lore tags on a test. Solicited tests will always result in some positive result for the character.

Unsolicited test occur when a player asks a marshal if they can spend lore tags to gain a result. Unsolicited tests usually result in failure and the loss of one tag of the skill for the day. Unsolicited test can only occur if there is already a marshal present at the time and place the player wants to use the skill. Under no circumstances can a lore test change events that have already occurred (no time warps).

Types of Lore Tests

There are a number of common ways that lore tags are used.

Simple Test

A Simple Test requires that the player to expend a certain number of lore tags to succeed. If they have enough lore available, they succeed. This usually represents a single action like picking a lock or identifying a dangerous plant. Some tests allow multiple players to pool their lore.

Progressive Test

A Progressive Test allows the player to continue to spend tags to get a better and better quality of success. An example of this might be tracking a creature to its lair; the more Wilderness Lore spent the closer you get to the lair. It is also often used to gain information; every tag you spend gives you a bit more, and more detailed, information. Some tests allow multiple players to pool their lore.

Continuing Test

A Continuing Test is similar to a progressive test, but usually allows multiple players to contribute and takes place over a longer time frame. Players continue to contribute tags to a total until a target goal is reached, often over the course of multiple games. This represents the characters doing work on a long-term project, like research or influencing politics.

Usefulness

Consistently providing detailed content for Lore skills is difficult in a Live-Action game. It is especially difficult to make them equally worth the combat skills that could be bought with the same points. This is the primary reason Highborn does not have ‘name your own’ lores. While it is likely that not every player will get a chance to use their lore every event, there will be opportunities at every event for someone to use every lore skill. Further, when you get the opportunity to use lores, you will get some positive result.

Lores

Arcane lore

Arcane lore is knowledge about the inner workings of rituals and fundamental magical forces. Sample areas of knowledge are knowing the names and details of various rituals and ritual components, details about other planes, magical research and knowing about various barbarian magics.

Cave lore

Cave lore represents knowledge about caves and other underground places. Sample areas of knowledge are how to survive for extended periods underground, identifying dangerous conditions underground, identifying various minerals.

Local lore

Local lore represents broad knowledge of the people, places and happenings of the local area. Sample areas of knowledge include knowing short cuts, details about local barbarians and lowborn, understanding the local economic and political structures.

Natural philosophy

Natural philosophy is knowledge about the natural world around us, from a scholarly perspective. Sample areas of knowledge include identifying plants and animals, plant and animal husbandry.

Politics

Politics represent knowledge of the overall political and economic structure of the Highborn and how to influence those structures. Sample areas of knowledge include etiquette, recognizing important people/symbols/names/organizations.

Scholarly lore

Scholarly lore represents classical book learning. Sample areas of knowledge include history, linguistics, geography, generic research and mathematics.

Tinkering

Tinkering represents an understanding of mechanical devices. Sample areas of knowledge include bypassing simple locks and traps, understanding unknown machines.

Wilderness lore

Wilderness lore represents practical hands-on knowledge about the outdoors. Sample areas of knowledge include tracking, hunting, fishing and general outdoor survival skills.

“The Store”

Players may purchase common in-game items from Logistics at preset prices and in somewhat limited quantities. Orders for uncommon items may also be placed at Logistics, but there is no guarantee that the item will be available and the player may have to spend money just to attempt to have the item found. Prices for these items will be higher than most prices set by players in order to encourage inter-player trading. Any items that the players receive may also be sold to the store.

All essential items are provided to Highborn, free of charge, by the Regent. Any Highborn can ask the Chamberlain (by going to Logistics) to replace any lost or destroyed normal weapons, shields and armor. Players are expected to not abuse this generosity and the Chamberlain will certainly notice anyone who “loses” a large number of items on a regular basis. Characters may not receive more equipment than they can carry.

Bag Picks

There are many situations in the Highborn game where a random result must be determined. In order to handle all of the combinations of probabilities we use the method of drawing one or more colored stones from a bag or other container. Each time that a bag pick occurs either the Marshall running the encounter or the rules governing the situation will dictate the color and number of stones used as well as the meaning of each colored stone.

Dieing and Death

It is an unfortunate truth that characters die. Characters go through several states before shuffling off the mortal coil.

Conscious: The character has one or more body points.

Unconscious: The character has exactly zero body points. An unconscious character will regain consciousness with one body point after ten minutes of continuous unconsciousness.

Dieing: The character has negative one body points; note that no amount of damage will reduce the characters current body points below negative one. A dieing character will die after one minute if appropriate healing magic or first aid is not administered.

Dead: A character dies either by ‘bleeding out’ while dieing or being subjected to a death effect (including a killing blow). Unless specifically noted no spells will affect a dead character other than Delay Death, Life and Lesser Life and all active spells on a character end when the character dies. After being dead for five minutes a character’s spirit leaves their body. The body remains and has all the properties of a normal object with respect to the rules. A character’s items do not travel with the spirit unless the item has been ritually bonded to the character. Note that a character’s memories are not altered in any way by death. Once the character’s spirit has left the body, the player should then go directly to NPC camp to report the death and update their records accordingly. In-game the character will be resurrected by another character shortly after their death. Typically the Regent or one of his subordinates will handle this.

Each time that a character resurrects they have a chance of something bad happening to them. This chance is represented by a bead draw similar to the one used for Ritual Magic. Upon the character’s first death nine white beads and one black bead are placed in a bag or box and the player picks one at random from the bag. For each previous death one white bead is removed (unless this would remove all white beads in which case one white bead is left in the bag). If the bead chosen is white then the character resurrects normally but if the bead is black then the player must decide which bad thing happens to their character. The character either dies permanently in which case the player should start a new character with one-quarter the earned played days of the character that died permanently or they may chose to continue playing the character but the character’s earned played days is reset to zero. In-game the former result is called being ‘Shattered’ while the latter is ‘Broken’. Broken characters still have their old rank and possessions but typically the rank is treated as honorary since the character is a shadow of his former self.

Character Rewrites

Players may rewrite their character once anytime before the event during which the character will earn his fourth played day. The player may change the race, class and all point expenditures for the character. The character’s history and relationships with other characters remain unchanged.

Retiring Characters

Players may decide that they want to play a different character for a variety of reasons. Character retirement allows the player to retain most of their earned play days while allowing them to start a new character.

Any still living character that has no pending plot issues may be retired. This character continues to exist in-game but becomes entirely plot controlled. All of the characters personal possessions should be turned over to plot at this time. Typically this character will not be involved in the game after retirement. The player retiring the character then creates a new character with three-quarters the number of earned play days that the retired character had. The new character also retains the retired character’s number of deaths. This character is created exactly as a new character with the exception of the number of played days and deaths.

Carrying Things

Characters can carry an unlimited number of tagged items as long as none of those items have a listed weight or are covered under the following rules.

Weapons, shields and armor must have an appropriate phys-rep to be carried with sole exception that a character may carry one identical backup item tag per item he is properly phys-repping. Only one backup suit of armor may be carried. For example, a Warrior with phys-reps for a suit of armor, a long sword and a shield could carry tags for two of each of those items; one for the phys-repped item and one for his backup.

In most cases characters carry objects exactly the same way that their player carries the physical representation of the object. In some cases characters can carry objects that either the player cannot or should not actually carry. In these cases these rules should be used.

Characters can carry objects up to fifty pounds in weight in one hand with no special hindrance. This object is called a light burden. For instance a character could carry a chest filled with gold, whose representation was a small box, in one hand and fight with a long sword in the other.

Characters can carry heavy burdens by using both hands and being limited to a walking speed. Heavy burdens are objects weighing from fifty to five hundred pounds (this included all bodies unless the creature is specially noted to weigh more than five hundred pounds). The carrier’s hands need not be empty but cannot be used for any other purpose than carrying the heavy burden. While carrying a heavy burden the character should hold out both arms in front of them parallel to the ground at should height (this is the gesture for carrying heavy things). If the burden is another character then the carried character should walk close to the hands of the carrying character so that it is clear that they are being carried. The restriction forcing the carrier to walk is lifted if the carrier had Superhuman Strength or for the duration of an expended Feat of Strength. The carrier can only move as fast as the object they are carrying actually moves, in particular they cannot outrun a character they are carrying nor can the carried character outrun the carrier.

Extreme burdens are objects that weigh more than five hundred pounds. One character can carry an object that weighs up to one thousand pounds either with Superhuman Strength or expending a Feat of Strength. The character must also use two hands and walk just as if they were carrying a Heavy Burden and did not have extra strength. Multiple characters can carry Extreme burdens as long as the weight of the object is less than the number of carriers plus amount of extra strength times five hundred pounds (each carrier and Feat of Strength allows the characters to carry five hundred pounds).

Environmental Rules

Unusual environments often have detrimental effects on characters but they can purchase skills and make items that will help them cope with these situations. Each environment has a set of effects that all characters are subject to while in this environment called Standard Detriments. The effects are unavoidable, irresistible and cannot be dispelled in any way. The only method that can be used to protect oneself is to have an Adaptation or Endurance for that specific environment.

Since only a game master can dictate these situations there will always be one present and it is possible that he will have the environment subject the characters to additional effects.

Environmental Endurance allows the character to ignore the Environmental Damage associated with the Standard Detriments of an Environment.

Environmental Adaptation allows the character to totally ignore all of the Standard Detriments for that environment except for Environmental Damage but they still must endure any additional detriments placed by the game master.

Environmental Immunity allows a character to ignore all detriments cause by the environment.

This is a list of the common Environments along with their Standard Detriments.

Environment: Darkness

Slow
Reduced Melee Damage
No Ranged Attacks

Environment: Underwater

Slow
Reduced Melee Damage
No Spells
Environmental Damage

Environment: Extreme Heat

Reduced Ice Damage
Environmental Damage Fire

Environment: Extreme Cold

Reduced Fire Damage
Environmental Damage Ice

Environment: Extreme Wind

Slow
No Physical Ranged Attacks

Detriments

Slow – As the Slow Effect
Reduced Melee Damage – All of the character’s melee damage amounts are reduced by 50 percent (rounded down).
No Ranged Attacks – The character may use no packet delivered attacks.
No Spells – The character cannot cast any spells.
No Physical Ranged Attacks – The character cannot make any ranged physical attacks.
Reduced <Essence> Damage – Any damage caused by the character that has of modifier of <Essence> is reduced by 50 percent (rounded down). If this damage is incanted as a number then the attacker should reduce the damage, if the damage is caused by an effect then the defender should reduce the damage that the effect does.
Environmental Damage – After being subject to the environment for 5 minutes the character will take 10 points of body damage and an additional 10 points of damage every minute thereafter. The game master running the encounter will announce this damage.

Binding Effects

All binding effects limit the use of a characters limbs/body. In the case of legs the bound limb is stuck in place on the ground (or pulled to the ground of not currently there). Bound arms are pulled to the characters side and cannot move or function in any way.

Traps and Locks

All trap and lock rules are specific to the encounter or module in which they occur.

Typically all traps and locks exist as they are represented and the players must actually perform any disarming or circumvention of the traps or locks. No skills or in-game items are required to attempt to pick locks or disarm traps.

Fate of Person

If a player is unable to complete a module or in game journey that they have begun. They may, at the Marshall’s discretion, designate one person whose fate their character share until the end of the module or journey. In game their character is assumed to continue with the group they are with but may take no actions since the character’s player is not present to represent the action and consent to taking that action. For the purposes of this rule assume that sharing a fate means that the if the designated character dies then the character sharing their fate also dies in a similar way. Note that only significant detriments are shared and that benefits are never shared this way.

Religion

Highborn does not intend to focus on religion or religious issues. There is no organized religion in game and the Plot team never intends to run or support any plot line that involves religion. While it is true that religion is a staple of a lot of fantasy fiction and can be a powerful tool for role-play, the difficulty in handling it correctly and the potential OOG issues that could arise out-weigh the potential gains.

Should individual players feel it necessary to role-play devout beliefs in their characters, that is acceptable so long as they are not offensive or disrupting to the game. However, understand that it will be a personal quirk of your character and will never be supported in the game world. An example of behavior that is unacceptable is playing a character that espouses belief in any real world religion.

Wearing personal symbols of your OOG faith is certainly acceptable, so long as they are not offensive, distracting to game play or dangerous. These symbols are OOG and have no meaning or significance in the game world.

Game Mechanics

Items

Most items that characters can interact with have two components: the physical representation (often referred to as the phys-rep) and a tag.

Physical Representations (Phys-reps)

Phys-reps are the real world version of items that players can interact with in a meaningful way. For instance since it is unsafe for players to attack each other with real swords we use boffer weapons to represent weapons. In this case the boffer weapon is the OOG physical representation of an in-game weapon.

Costume/Make Up

Costume and make-up are a way for you to communicate information about your character to other players. They also make the game more immersive and thus make the game better. Players are expected to provide their own costume and make-up, but the staff is more than willing to help out in an emergency or during a player’s first few events. If you wear basic non-descript cloths, the odds are good that someone will loan you a basic tabard, but you should make every effort to get your own as quickly as possible.

We ask that everyone put as much effort into their costume as they can. Even a small amount of effort and money can yield great result. If you need advice about how to make your costume better ask more experienced players or staff, especially the ones with the costumes you like the most.

In-Game versus Out-of-Game

The distinction between In-game versus out-of-game is very important and effects most aspects of any role-playing game. In-game refers to things that characters interact with and understand. Out-of-game refers to things that players interact with and understand. For instance when Eric the Bold fights a goblin In-game, what is happening out-of-game is that Eric’s player name Bob is hitting an NPC named Jason with some boffer weapons made out of plumbing supplies. Please be aware of this distinction and make sure that you separate the two. Remember that just because Bob got killed you over and over when you were playing a goblin that Bob is not a bad person and is simply playing the game.

What do I see?

Because LARP technology is still relatively primitive, we are required to use out imagination constantly to understand the in-game universe and react appropriately. Players are supposed to approximate the characters that they are portraying, but there is no amount of make-up that is going to make Jason the NPC look like a dragon.

What this means is that players are allowed to ask for help when it comes to figuring out what there character should perceive. The most common question that players should ask when they want this help is, “What do I see?” This is a key phrase that lets everyone know that you see them but can’t recognize them from their costume and makeup. This isn’t meant as an insult about their costume but merely acknowledges the fact that players cannot always properly represent fantasy characters or monsters.

Every creature, include player characters, has a description. It will usually be in one of these two forms; “I am a Highborn human warrior” or “Giant Skeletal Creature with Spectral Crown”. The first is the response for a well understood creature with a know name and the second is a description of what the creature looks like.

Auras

Because of their strong connection to magic all Highborn have brightly visible Auras that allows anyone looking at them to discern not only that they are a Highborn and their race, but also their class. Highborn auras are visible and generally understand by all intelligent creatures that have encountered them before. There are other things that Highborn Auras can designate and these are noted when they occur.

Meta-gaming

Meta-gaming is a term that when used concerning role-playing games means using out-of-game information in an in-game context. It is, simply put, cheating and will not be tolerated. A straightforward example follows. Jason learns while NPCing that all Giant Spiders take double damage from damaging Fire effects. At the next event while Jason is playing his Wizard character he immediately starts throwing Fire Darts at every Giant Spider he sees. If the only reason that Jason did this was because of his knowledge from NPCing then he would be Meta-Gaming, if on the other hand another character told him that Giant Spider were vulnerable to Fire then he would not be.

It is often difficult to remember whether information you know was learned IG our OOG but we expect our players to make every attempt to distinguish the two and avoid Meta-gaming.

Not that in some gaming circles Meta-gaming has a different meaning, because it is in such common usage in the LARP community with the about listed meaning that is the one we use.

Conventions

Gender

In this document masculine pronouns are used when the gender of the person in question in indeterminate. This choice of gender was made based on the gender of the author and does not imply gender bias or prejudice.

Rounding

Unless otherwise stated round all fractions to the nearest number and round up any fraction of one-half. If the meaning of rounding up or down is not clear then round in favor of the player. If rounding in favor of the player is ambiguous then a marshall must decide how to round and this case will be dealt with in errata.

Monster Skills and Effects

Player characters can do an amazing variety of things. However, even as esoteric and varied as their skills are, there are still a lot of abilities common to fantasy literature that they do not cover. Here we detail a number of skills designed to represent monster abilities. Following that is a list of all the effects in game.

Skill vs. Effect

Put simply, an Effect is anything that one character can do to another. So, for example, Disarm is an Effect. It knocks a weapon put of the target’s hand. However, that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know if you need to make that ogre drop his axe. A Disarm effect delivered as a Physical Strike is very different from one delivered by a Spell. They have different incants (‘Physical Strike Disarm’ vs. ‘The power of Destruction disarms your axe.’), different delivery mechanisms (boffer weapon vs. packet) and activation requirements (having uses left for the day vs. having 2 mana). So, a skill is the Effect plus all the rest of the stuff you need to know to use it.

Why the bother? You might ask. It is this way partly for consistency. A Disarm is a Disarm is a Disarm, regardless of how it is generated. It reduces the number of rules in the game and hopefully prevents confusion. It also allows us as GMs to make up new abilities for monsters, as we need them while still allowing you as the player to understand what is going on.

If a guys jumps out of the bushes at you, yells ‘Magical Fire Web’ and hits you with a packet, you would hopefully understand if you took it (no special resistances to Fire, so you do), how to block it (magical packet attack - ward, spell block, resist magic or dodge), what happens to you if you take the effect (web -immobilized from the neck down for 10 minutes) and how to fix it (dispel enchantments will get rid of it since it is magic, dispel fire will get rid of it since it is elemental, and release or escape artist will get rid of it since it is a binding effect).

Monster Skill and Effect Summary

What follows is a simple list of all the monster skills, followed by a list of all the effects. After that is a detailed description of the skills and effects. If you get hit with something you don’t recognize, this is the place to look.

Production

Introduction

The production system allows characters to turn raw materials into finished goods such as enchanted items and powers by using a specific recipe.

All forms of production require that the character meet the following requirements in order to get the result of the recipe:

Sufficient production or Ritual Skill for the recipe. This requirement must be fulfilled by a single character unless otherwise noted.
The recipe itself (these are each specific skills that must be learned)
The correct raw materials as defined by the recipe.

All mundane production must be done at logistics. Any production skill unused once a character is finished with logistics is lost.

Unless specifically noted all raw materials are consumed by their use in a production recipe.

Some recipes call for a primary component. These are raw materials that are required for that recipe and only that recipe.

Money

Just as Highborn themselves are magical in nature their currency is also highly magical. The Essence of Magic permeates many creatures and items in the world of Mar. Highborn, and other races to a lesser degree, use this essence as fuel for their Rituals and production. Magical Essence comes from a variety of sources such as precious metals, gems and the bodies of magical creatures. Highborn measure Magical Essence in units called ‘Drams’, which is a very small amount of magic.

Essence as it is found in the wild is relatively unwieldy compared to the form that most Highborn store and use it, which is in the form of coins. Because precious metals already act as container for Magical Essence and because they can be minted into convenient shapes and sizes Highborn have used coins made of Copper, Silver, Gold and Platinum to store bulk amounts of Magical Essence since it’s discovery. The Regents, who guarantee that each coin has a proscribed number of Drams per coin, generally create these coins. Most Regents infuse their coins with the following number of Drams per coin; 1 per Copper Coin, 10 per Silver Coin, 100 per Gold Coin and 1000 per Platinum Coin.

All recipes that have Magical Essence as a raw material will list the amount needed in Drams. Both Raw Essence and Coin can be used as fuel interchangeable although most merchants tend to prefer coinage to raw essence because it is easier to transport and make change for 10 gold pieces than 500 Winter Wolf pelts.

Talismongering

tal·is·man ((tls-mn, -z-)
n. pl. tal·is·mans

An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection.
Something that apparently has magic power.

Talismans are small, simple, enchanted items that store a small bit of a character’s power. Each Talisman allows the character possessing it to use a times per day class skill once. This use consumes the Talisman but does not affect the user’s skills in any way.

All Talismans generated by the production system are classified as either Unrestricted or Restricted. Unrestricted Talismans can be used by any Highborn character while Restricted Talismans may only be used by characters that have purchased the skill that the Talisman generates.

Each level of talismongering gives the character 100 production points per game day.

The character must purchase a recipe for each talisman they wish to produce. The prerequisite for buying the Restricted version of a recipe is having purchased the skill you wish to talisman at least once. The prerequisite for the Unrestricted version of the recipe is the Restricted version of the recipe.

Restriction	Talisman	Primary	Cost (Essence)	Production Points
Restricted	Barrier	Flawless Snake Scale	80	80
Restricted	Berserk	Minotaur Horn	200	200
Restricted	Bind Arm	None	80	80
Restricted	Bind Arms	None	100	100
Restricted	Breach Armor	None	100	100
Restricted	Breathe Underwater	Lizardman Blood	80	80
Restricted	Complete Disarm	None	80	80
Restricted	Complete Heal	Emerald	100	100
Restricted	Complete Repair Armor	Flawless Gnoll Claw	100	100
Restricted	Concentration	Flawless Elephant Tusk	100	100
Restricted	Conjure Armor	None	60	60
Restricted	Conjure Weapon	None	60	60
Restricted	Cripple	Lodestone	120	120
Restricted	Critical Strike: Harm	None	100	100
Restricted	Critical Strike: Maim	Flawed Ogre Tusk	200	200
Restricted	Critical Strike: Slay	Ogre Tusk	400	400
Restricted	Define Enchantment	None	100	100
Restricted	Delay Death	None	40	40
Restricted	Detect Enchantment	None	40	40
Restricted	Disarm	None	40	40
Restricted	Dispel Element	None	100	100
Restricted	Dispel Enchantments	Will O' Wisp Husk	160	160
Restricted	Dodge	Displacer Beast Claw	500	500
Restricted	Elemental Arrow	None	80	80
Restricted	Elemental Aura	Drop of Elemental Essence	160	160
Restricted	Elemental Blast	Flawless Shard of the Elements	140	140
Restricted	Elemental Bolt	None	120	120
Restricted	Elemental Dart	None	40	40
Restricted	Elemental Form	Heart of the Elements	200	200
Restricted	Elemental Fury	Scale of a Elemental	160	160
Restricted	Elemental Storm	Claw of an Elemental	160	160
Restricted	Endure Cold	None	80	80
Restricted	Endure Heat	None	80	80
Restricted	Enhance Armor	None	80	80
Restricted	Enhance Armor (Self)	None	40	40
Restricted	Enhance Body	None	60	60
Restricted	Enhance Weapon	None	120	120
Restricted	Enhance Weapon (Self)	None	80	80
Restricted	Fend Blows	Perfect Griffon Claw	320	320
Restricted	Heal	None	80	80
Restricted	Hinder	None	40	40
Restricted	Improve Weapon	None	60	60
Restricted	Improve Weapon (Self)	None	40	40
Restricted	Life Arrow	None	80	80
Restricted	Life Blast	Cracked Moonstone	140	140
Restricted	Life Bolt	None	120	120
Restricted	Life Dart	None	40	40
Restricted	Life Storm	Flawed Moonstone	160	160
Restricted	Maximize Armor	Pristine Snakeskin	120	120
Restricted	Maximize Armor(Self)	Snakeskin	80	80
Restricted	Maximize Body	Pristine Agate	120	120
Restricted	Maximize Weapon	Perfect Orc Claw	180	180
Restricted	Maximize Weapon (Self)	Pristine Orc Claw	120	120
Restricted	Paralysis	Snake Venom	160	160
Restricted	Parry	Flawless Griffon Claw	240	240
Restricted	Partial Heal	None	40	40
Restricted	Partial Repair Armor	None	40	40
Restricted	Physical Strike: Disarm	None	60	60
Restricted	Physical Strike: Maim	Flawless Ogre Claw	240	240
Restricted	Physical Strike: Sever Limb	Piranha Tooth	180	180
Restricted	Physical Strike: Shatter Weapon	None	80	80
Restricted	Physical Strike: Slay	Perfect Wyvern Stinger	480	480
Restricted	Physical Surge	Perfect Gorgon Horn	320	320
Restricted	Purify Body	None	100	100
Restricted	Purify Mind	None	100	100
Restricted	Regenerate	None	20	20
Restricted	Release	Drop of Slime	100	100
Restricted	Repair Armor	None	80	80
Restricted	Repel	None	60	60
Restricted	Resist Disarm	None	40	40
Restricted	Resist Shatter	None	60	60
Restricted	Restore Body	Pristine Amber	120	120
Restricted	Restore Life	Pristine Pearl	160	160
Restricted	Return Life	Pearl	120	120
Restricted	Revive	None	40	40
Restricted	Root	None	80	80
Restricted	Root Tainted	None	80	80
Restricted	Shatter Weapon	None	60	60
Restricted	Shun	None	60	60
Restricted	Shun Tainted	None	60	60
Restricted	Silence	Flawless Giant Bat Wing	120	120
Restricted	Sleep	Pristine Jade	160	160
Restricted	Slow	None	60	60
Restricted	Slow Tainted	None	60	60
Restricted	Spell Block	Pristine Drake Scale	300	300
Restricted	Spell Surge	Perfect Ogre Magi Horn	320	320
Restricted	Summon Armor	None	80	80
Restricted	Summon Weapon	Cracked Conjuration Stone	80	80
Restricted	Tranquility	None	100	100
Restricted	Ward	Amethyst	80	80
Restricted	Weakness	None	80	80
Restricted	Web	Flawless Silk	160	160
Restricted	Web Tainted	None	160	160
Restricted	Wither Limb	Drop of Ooze	120	120
Unrestricted	Barrier	Pristine Snake Scale	320	160
Unrestricted	Berserk	Pristine Minotaur Horn	600	400
Unrestricted	Bind Arm	Flawed Octopus Tentacle	240	160
Unrestricted	Bind Arms	Flawed Conjuration Stone	300	200
Unrestricted	Breach Armor	Pristine Bear Claw	300	200
Unrestricted	Breathe Underwater	Pure Lizardman Blood	240	160
Unrestricted	Complete Disarm	Pure Animal Oil	240	160
Unrestricted	Complete Heal	Perfect Emerald	400	200
Unrestricted	Complete Repair Armor	Pristine Gnoll Claw	400	200
Unrestricted	Concentration	Pristine Elephant Tusk	300	200
Unrestricted	Conjure Armor	Pristine Beetle Carapace	180	120
Unrestricted	Conjure Weapon	Pristine Scorpion Stinger	180	120
Unrestricted	Cripple	Perfect Lodestone	480	240
Unrestricted	Critical Strike: Harm	Flawless Ogre Tusk	300	200
Unrestricted	Critical Strike: Maim	Pristine Ogre Tusk	600	400
Unrestricted	Critical Strike: Slay	Perfect Ogre Tusk	1200	800
Unrestricted	Define Enchantment	Perfect Rod of Divination	300	200
Unrestricted	Delay Death	Amber	120	80
Unrestricted	Detect Enchantment	Rod of Divination	240	80
Unrestricted	Disarm	Animal Oil	120	80
Unrestricted	Dispel Element	Ashes of an Elemental	300	200
Unrestricted	Dispel Enchantments	Perfect Will O' Wisp Husk	600	320
Unrestricted	Dodge	Quest Component(s)	1500	1000
Unrestricted	Elemental Arrow	Flawed Shard of the Elements	240	160
Unrestricted	Elemental Aura	Pure Drop of Elemental Essence	480	320
Unrestricted	Elemental Blast	Perfect Shard of the Elements	560	280
Unrestricted	Elemental Bolt	Shard of the Elements	360	240
Unrestricted	Elemental Dart	Cracked Shard of the Elements	120	80
Unrestricted	Elemental Form	Pure Heart of the Elements	600	400
Unrestricted	Elemental Fury	Perfect Scale of a Elemental	640	320
Unrestricted	Elemental Storm	Perfect Claw of an Elemental	640	320
Unrestricted	Endure Cold	Permafrost	240	160
Unrestricted	Endure Heat	Everhot	240	160
Unrestricted	Enhance Armor	Flawed Snakeskin	240	160
Unrestricted	Enhance Armor (Self)	Cracked Snakeskin	240	80
Unrestricted	Enhance Body	Flawless Agate	180	120
Unrestricted	Enhance Weapon	Flawed Orc Tooth	360	240
Unrestricted	Enhance Weapon (Self)	Cracked Orc Tooth	360	160
Unrestricted	Fend Blows	Quest Component(s)	960	640
Unrestricted	Heal	Pristine Emerald	240	160
Unrestricted	Hinder	Flawless Lodestone	120	80
Unrestricted	Improve Weapon	Flawless Orc Tooth	180	120
Unrestricted	Improve Weapon (Self)	Orc Tooth	180	80
Unrestricted	Life Arrow	Moonstone	240	160
Unrestricted	Life Blast	Pristine Moonstone	420	280
Unrestricted	Life Bolt	Flawless Moonstone	360	240
Unrestricted	Life Dart	Moonstone	120	80
Unrestricted	Life Storm	Perfect Moonstone	480	320
Unrestricted	Maximize Armor	Perfect Snakeskin	360	240
Unrestricted	Maximize Armor(Self)	Flawless Snakeskin	360	160
Unrestricted	Maximize Body	Perfect Agate	360	240
Unrestricted	Maximize Weapon	Perfect Orc Tooth	540	360
Unrestricted	Maximize Weapon (Self)	Pristine Orc Tooth	540	240
Unrestricted	Paralysis	Pure Snake Venom	480	320
Unrestricted	Parry	Pristine Griffon Claw	720	480
Unrestricted	Partial Heal	Flawless Emerald	120	80
Unrestricted	Partial Repair Armor	Cracked Gnoll Claw	120	80
Unrestricted	Physical Strike: Disarm	Pristine Animal Oil	180	120
Unrestricted	Physical Strike: Maim	Pristine Ogre Claw	720	480
Unrestricted	Physical Strike: Sever Limb	Pristine Piranha Tooth	540	360
Unrestricted	Physical Strike: Shatter Weapon	Perfect Bear Claw	240	160
Unrestricted	Physical Strike: Slay	Quest Component(s)	1440	960
Unrestricted	Physical Surge	Quest Component(s)	960	640
Unrestricted	Purify Body	Flawless Amber	400	200
Unrestricted	Purify Mind	Perfect Hematite	400	200
Unrestricted	Regenerate	Perfect Goblin Tooth	100	40
Unrestricted	Release	Drop of Putrid Slime	400	200
Unrestricted	Repair Armor	Flawed Gnoll Claw	240	160
Unrestricted	Repel	Flawless Quartz	180	120
Unrestricted	Resist Disarm	Pristine Animal Fur	120	80
Unrestricted	Resist Shatter	Pristine Animal Scale	180	120
Unrestricted	Restore Body	Perfect Amber	360	240
Unrestricted	Restore Life	Perfect Pearl	480	320
Unrestricted	Return Life	Flawless Pearl	360	240
Unrestricted	Revive	Perfect Emerald Shard	120	80
Unrestricted	Root	Pristine Garnet	240	160
Unrestricted	Root Tainted	Cracked Garnet	240	160
Unrestricted	Shatter Weapon	Flawless Bear Claw	180	120
Unrestricted	Shun	Animal Musk	180	120
Unrestricted	Shun Tainted	Pure Animal Musk	180	120
Unrestricted	Silence	Pristine Giant Bat Wing	360	240
Unrestricted	Sleep	Perfect Jade	480	320
Unrestricted	Slow	Perfect Opal	180	120
Unrestricted	Slow Tainted	Perfect Black Opal	180	120
Unrestricted	Spell Block	Quest Component(s)	900	600
Unrestricted	Spell Surge	Quest Component(s)	960	640
Unrestricted	Summon Armor	Perfect Conjuration Stone	240	160
Unrestricted	Summon Weapon	Pristine Conjuration Stone	240	160
Unrestricted	Tranquility	Flawless Diamond	300	200
Unrestricted	Ward	Perfect Amethyst	320	160
Unrestricted	Weakness	Pristine Lodestone	240	160
Unrestricted	Web	Pristine Spider Silk	480	320
Unrestricted	Web Tainted	Pure Spider Silk	480	320
Unrestricted	Wither Limb	Drop of Putrid Ooze	360	240

Rune Branding

rune (rn)
n.

A character in peculiar alphabet, sometimes believed to have magic powers.
A poem or incantation of mysterious significance, especially a magic charm.

branding (brndng)
tr.v.

To mark with or as if with a hot iron.

Rune brands are ritual runes and tattoos that grant powers to Highborn that are normally unavailable to them. The recipe for rune brands represents the specific combination of symbols and inks necessary to create the rune.

Each rune requires that the player of the branded character wear specific visible makeup for each active rune. Runes take up one Attunement slot each, just as most Rituals and Magic Items do.

A character may not have more than one rune that gives the exact same effect differing only in the degree of that effect.

Every level of Rune Branding gives your character 100 production points per game day.

The character must purchase a recipe for each rune brand they wish to produce. For recipes that provide the same effect with increasing bonuses (e.g. Abundant Mana) you must know all the lower level recipes to buy a new one. This affects: Abundant Mana, Aegis, Elemental Prowess/Mastery, Martial Prowess/Mastery, Resilience.

Rune Brand	Primary	Cost (Essence)	Production Points
Abundant Mana + 10	Cracked Sapphire	100	100
Abundant Mana + 15	Flawed Sapphire	200	200
Abundant Mana + 20	Sapphire	300	300
Abundant Mana + 25	Flawless Sapphire	400	400
Aegis + 11	Flawless Ruby	400	400
Aegis + 5	Cracked Ruby	100	100
Aegis + 7	Flawed Ruby	200	200
Aegis + 9	Ruby	300	300
Elemental Avatar	Spiked Sarcophagus	1000	1000
Elemental Mastery	Fragment of an Elemental Lord	700	700
Elemental Prowess	Fragment of an Elemental Master	300	300
Freedom	Wind Elemental Essence	200	100
Martial Mastery	Pristine Alligator Tooth	700	700
Martial Prowess	Perfect Alligator Tooth	300	300
Nullify	Beholder Eye	250	100
Resilience +12	Dragon Scale	1000	1000
Resilience +3	Ogre Bones	100	100
Resilience +6	Stone Giant Bones	300	300
Resilience +9	Landshark Fin	700	700
Resurgence	Heart of Ogre Magi	200	100
Saving Grace	Horn of a Black Unicorn	150	100

Ritual Magic

rit·u·al (rch-l)
n.

A ceremonial act or a series of such acts.

mag·ic (mjk)
n.

The practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to attempt to produce supernatural effects or control events in nature.

Rituals grant characters powers far beyond any they can normally attain. The recipe for a ritual is the ceremony that the ritual caster must perform in order to cast the ritual. Rituals have varied effects which are defined in the ritual listings.

Under normal circumstances, characters should perform all item creation rituals during logistics. If this is done then all casting time is waived. All other rituals must be performed in-game with the characters perform actions as though they were actually performing a ceremony, role-playing this is strongly encouraged and can affect the outcome of the ritual. The point that the caster begins the ritual is the location that the ritual must take place and the caster may not travel more than 10 feet from that point during the ritual. Each ritual has a casting time during which the caster must maintain Concentration and Contact with the target. If the target is a character then the target must also maintain Concentration or be rendered Helpless. The caster must have the raw materials in hand and they must be visibly used as part of the ritual. If any of these conditions fail to be met then the result of the ritual is immediately determined as below except that in all cases the ritual fails and all raw materials are consumed. Anyone observing a ritual is aware that a ritual is being cast.

Because of their complex nature all ritual may only be learned by experiencing and understanding an unusual event. This event is different for each ritual and can be as simple as having someone who already knows the ritual teaching it or as complex as traveling the Planes and vanquishing powerful beings there.

Each level of ritual magic Lesser, Normal and Greater grants the character the ability to cast one ritual per day without added risk of failure. Ritual cast within this limit have a ninety percent chance of unqualified success and a ten percent chance of a flaw occurring. This chance is represented by placing nine white beads and one green bead in a bag or similar container and allowing the caster to draw one bead out. If the drawn bead is green then the ritual still succeeds but something unusual happens. The flaw will be determined by the event staff and all possible results will generally not be known the players involved.

If the caster has already cast a number a rituals greater than or equal to the number allowed by his ritual skill then one black bead should be added to the bag and one white bead removed. If the black bead is drawn then the ritual fails, consuming all raw materials and yielding nothing in return.

Ritual Type	Talisman	Primary	Cost (Essence)
Lesser	Combine Precious Metal	Ember of an Ever Burning Fire	0
Lesser	Create Ring of Adaption	True Silver Ring	250
Lesser	Lesser Fuse Runebrand	Rare Henna	0
Lesser	Lesser Fuse Talisman	Perfect Copper Necklace	0
Lesser	Ressurection	Perfect Diamond	100
Ritual	Change Race	Doppelganger Brain	1000
Ritual	Create Enchanted Armor	Brick of Adamantite	1500
Ritual	Create Enchanted Shield	Brick of Adamantite	1500
Ritual	Create Staff of Elemental Mastery	Brick of Celestial Iron	500
Ritual	Fuse Runebrand	Giant Octopus Ink	0
Ritual	Fuse Talisman	Perfect Silver Necklace	0
Ritual	Imbue Armor	Pure Gargolye Blood	1000
Ritual	Imbue Shield	Wyvern Ichor	1000
Ritual	Imbue Weapon	Quicksilver	1500
Greater	Bond Item	Endless Silver Thread	1500
Greater	Create Enchanted Weapon	Brick of Mithril	2500
Greater	Greater Fuse Runebrand	Phoenix Ash	0
Greater	Greater Fuse Talisman	Perfect Gold Necklace	0

Ritual Description

Weapon Construction

In order to provide all players with safe and fair gaming experiences we require that all weapons used in Highborn follow the same set of construction guidelines.

While it is possible for weapons that do not precisely follow these guidelines to pass a safety inspection (typically only variances in construction materials are allowed), if you want to virtually guarantee that your weapons will pass inspection you should follows these instructions closely.

Anatomy of a Boffer Weapon

Most boffer weapons are straight pieces of a core material wrapped in pipe insulation that is in turn covered with Duct Tape. One end of the weapon has a two or more inches of open cell foam taped to it and there is a section of the weapon at the other end that has no insulation on it but usually has a thin covering of material that is easy to grip.

Materials

The core of the weapons should be a section of CPVC pipe (¾” for all most weapons, as thick as is necessary to avoid whipping for two-handed weapons).

¾” Pipe insulation should be used for all padding except thrusting tips. It can also be used to make a cross guard. Make sure to get relatively soft and thick foam. Green, white and pink foam are usually best for any striking surfaces while black is best for the cross guard.

Use open cell foam for the thrusting tip of the weapon. It is often a good idea to put a smaller thrusting tip on the pommel of the weapon.

The entire weapon except for the grip should be covered in Duct Tape (Red tape is for claws, so only use that color if you are constructing claw phys-reps).

Electrical tape is useful for securing cross guards and some people use it to cover the grip of the weapon.

Grip material for rackets or clubs is very useful for making the grip of your weapon comfortable and safe.

You will also want to have good cutting utensils such as box cutters, scissors and a hacksaw.

Dimensions

Weapons must meet all of the following dimensional restrictions based on the type of weapon.

Total Weapon Length is the shortest distance from one tip of the weapon to the other. Typically this is from the end on the thrusting tip to the end of the pommel.

Blade length is the distance from the top of the grip to the end of the thrusting tip.

Weapon	Min. Total Length	Max. Total Length	Min. Blade Length	Max. Blade Length	Min. Head Size for Bludgeoning Weapon	Min. Thrusting Tip Length
Short Weapon	13”	24”	6”	18”	2” x 2” x 4”	2”
Medium Weapon	19”	34”	13”	22”	2” x 3” x 6”	2”
Long Weapon	34”	46”	23”	36”	2” x 3” x 8”	2”
Two-Handed Weapon	46”	76”	36”	48”	2” x 3” x 12”	3”
Staff	34”	46”	*	*	*	2”
Bow	34”	46”	*	*	*	2”

* See specific weapon restrictions.

Bludgeoning weapons require at least a minimum amount of extra open cell foam be attached adjacent to the thrusting tip of the weapon to simulate an oversized head or blade.

Since staves may not be used to attack they may never have an over sized head to allow them to be used as Bludgeoning Weapons.

Bows must be curved to simulate the actually shaped of a bow. The grip must be precisely in the center of the weapon and no more than 6 inches in length. They must have thrusting tips at both ends. Bows may never be bludgeoning weapons.

Guide to Making Boffer Weapons

Prepare the core

First determine all of the key dimensions for the weapon you are making. Then cut a section of core material 4-6” shorter than the desired length of the weapon. Put a small piece of duct or electrical tape over each end of the pipe.

Build the blade

Cut a section of insulation that is enough shorter than the blade length of the weapon to allow for the thrusting tip. Slide the insulation onto the core and secure the end of the insulation that is closed to the grip with duct tape. The insulation should extend 1-2” past the end of the core. Place a small piece of insulation in the cavity left inside the foam and cover the end with a small piece of duct tape. Make sure that you do not split the insulation length-wise except as necessary to anchor the insulation to the core.

Build the cross guard(optional)

If you want a cross guard for your weapon cut a section of black insulation the length that you want the cross guard to be, cut holes for the core to slide through in the middle of the cross guard and then secure it at the base of the blade section of the weapon

Build the pommel

Use the same process that you used to build the blade to build a pommel.

Tape the weapon

Cover the entire weapon with duct tape by cutting long lengths of tape and laying them length-wise down the blade (or pommel). Each section of tape should overlap its neighbors by a very small amount. Only use one layer of tape. It is very important that you do not wrap the tape horizontally or in a spiral. This will compress the foam and make the weapon exceeding dangerous.

Build the thrusting tip

Make a 2” long cylinder of open cell foam and secure it to the end of the blade with duct tape using a similar method to how you taped the blade. Then take a needle or very sharp knife and poke hundreds of holes in the tape to allow the tip to compress and expand in order to absorb shock properly. Repeat this for the pommel if you wish.

It is very important that the thrusting tip of every weapon be carefully constructed and maintained because this is the part of the weapon most likely to cause injuries by either falling apart and allow exposed core material to strike a player or by failing to compress properly and absorb most of the impact when the weapon is used to thrust.

Build the grip

Wrap whatever material you prefer around the grip section of the weapon. You may want to secure the ends of the grip to the rest of the weapon using duct or electrical tape.

Building a Bludgeoning Weapon Head (optional)

Cut a section of open cell into the shape you want for the blade or head that you want for your weapon. Make sure that this piece of foam has at least the minimum dimensions required for the type of weapon you are making. Secure it to the blade of your weapon adjacent to the thrusting tip and then cover it with duct taper the same way you cover the blade. Make sure that the head is securely fastened to the weapon because it will be taking a lot of punishment.

Shield Construction

Anatomy of a shield

Dimensions

Shields must have dimensions as defined by the following chart. Total surface area is the area enclosed by string wrapped around the circumference of the shield. No two points on the shield may be further apart than the maximum dimension of the shield (diagonals will most likely be the longest dimension). Shield may be no more than 4” thick.

Shield Type	Maximum Surface Area	Maximum Dimension
Small	200 square inches	22”
Medium	400 square inches	30”
Large	550 square inches	36”

Guide to Making a Shield

The shield body may be made of either wood or rigid house insulation. Other material may be used with the permission of a safety Marshall.

Pipe insulation should be used for padding for the edge of the shield.

Cloth or nylon strapping materials work well for the arm strap and door or cabinet handles make good Hand grips.

Shape the body

Determine the shape and size you want your shield to be, taking into consideration the type of shield you are building. Cut the body out, making sure to leave room for the padding. You may need to shape the edge of the shield to allow padding to be added later. Tape the edge of the shield body with duct tape.

Pad the shield

Cut a 45-degree wedge out of enough length of pipe insulation to cover the edge of the shield. Tape the padding to the edge of the shield with duct tape.

Attach the Strap and Handle

Drill holes through the shield body where you want to attach the strap and handle to the shield then bolt them onto the shield body. Make sure to cover all exposed metal parts with foam and/or duct tape to make sure that they cannot come into direct contact with a player.

Glossary

Active Effect

Any effects that a character is current affected by are called Active Effects.

Base <Body, Armor, Mana, Damage>

A base statistic is the value of that statistic unaltered by any effect. This value only changes by the character progressing in level or spending character specialization points.

Binding

Any affect that directly restricts a character’s ability to move.

Buff

Effects that affect the target in a positive way. They generally have duration.

Calling

The formal in-game term for a character’s class.

Component

One of the set of items required for a Production Recipe or Ritual.

Contact

Contact is the representation of one character taking complex action upon another (i.e. First Aid or Ripping someone free of a binding effect). The originating character places a hand on the torso of the target player to represent contact. A character may only participate in one instance of contact at a time either as the originating character or as a target. A character may be both the originator and the target of contact.

Contact participants may move no faster than a walk. If either participant is struck by any type of Physical or Magical attack then contact is interrupted and the contact count is reset. If any skill or item is consumed in the course of using the skill that requires contact it is not consumed until the benefit is gained from completing the contact count.

Current <Body, Armor, Mana, Damage>

This is the value of a statistic after it has been modified by effects such as Buffs, Damage or Healing. This value tends to vary during the course of an event.

Cycle

The process of creation, growth, decay and destruction.

Debuff

Effects the affect the target in a negative way. They generally have duration.

Detrimental Effect

An effect that negatively affects the target in some way. The target always determines if an effect is detrimental.

Elite Monster

Elite monsters are tougher than normal versions of conventional monsters. They are always immune to these effects: Bind Arm, Bind Arms, Repel, Root, Shun, Silence, Slow, Tranquility and Wither Limb.

Essence

The ‘elements’ that comprise the natural and super-natural make-up of the universe. Examples are: Spirit, Fire, Chaos and Might.

Event Staff

Game masters, logistics staff and NPCs.

Game Master

A senior staff-member who directs a portion of the game. These are the people who run modules and create the plot lines that the game follows.

Helpless

Characters are considered helpless whenever they are unable to prevent other characters from making contact. Situations that make a character helpless include (but are not limited to): unconsciousness, death, sleep, being confined.

A character that is helpless can be freely killing-blowed, searched, or subjected to any effect that requires contact.

High Road

Another name for the Node Network that connects most centers of the Highborn civilization together.

Highborn

Highborn are the more magically attuned Human, Elf, Satyr and Beastmen who tend to rule and protect their less powerful brethren.

Ice Golem Elemental

The informal name for a generic boss monster that typically marks the end of a major quest.

Incant

The verbal element of a skill use that players must speak aloud to indicate their use of the skill.

Logistics

The out-of-game location where players go to check-in, receive production, buy in-game items, receive normal armor/weapons and check-out.

Lord Monster

Lord monsters are MUCH tougher than normal versions of conventional monsters. They are always immune to these effects: Berserk, Bind Arm, Bind Arms, Paralysis, Repel, Root, Shun Silence, Sleep, Slow, Tranquility, Web and Wither Limb.

Lore skill

These skills represent a character’s understanding of the world. Players can use these when offered an opportunity by a game master

Lowborn

The non-Highborn members if any of the races that contain Highborn. Some of the more civilized Savage races are sometimes referred to as Lowborn.

Mar

The planet upon which the player characters live.

Marshall

A player or staff-member with the authority to make arbitrate rules disputes. Marshalls are appointed by the senior staff members.

Maximum <Body, Armor, Mana, Damage>

This is the value of a base statistic after it has been modified buffs and items effects. The current value of a statistic may never exceed the corresponding statistic maximum. For instance, a character with 80 Mana on their character sheet has 80 Base Mana; if they also have a +10 Mana Runebrand then their Maximum Mana would be different from their Base Mana and would be 90. If the character expended 20 Mana then their Current Mana would be 70.

Mundane

Relating to, characteristic of, or concerned with commonplaces; ordinary. Often used to denote a Savage or Lowborn character or a non-magical item.

Node

A large rock with softly glowing veins that is an element of the Highroad. Nodes allow creatures to rapidly travel from place to place by moving them from one node to another.

Non-Player Character (NPC)

These are any characters that are not controlled by a player. This term also refers to the people who portray those characters.

Off Hand

This is the player’s hand that is not their Primary Hand. See Primary Hand.

Order

The Highborn organizations that cement their society together and handle the different problems that they face.

Packet

Packets are the small bags of birdseed that represent ranged attacks in the Highborn game system. Unless they represent a specific weapon, they are out-of-game and cannot be stolen.

Physical Representation

A physical representation (usually shortened to “phys-rep”) is the out-of-game component of an item that real people can interact with. For instance, in-game one character could strike another with a sword. In order to simulate this, a player would hit another player with a foam weapon that is the phys-rep for the sword. Items are generally composed of two elements the phys-rep and the tag.

Player Character (PC)

Player characters are all characters not under the control of the plot team.

Primary Hand

The real life primary hand for each player (i.e. the right hand if you are “right-handed”). Anyone who is ambidextrous or has a specific reason must declare a primary hand which will be placed in their character record.

Production Skill

Talismongering and Runebranding are production skills; they allow characters to ‘produce’ magical items or effects as defined under the production system.

Regent

Regents are the born leaders of the Highborn, although there Regent powers do not manifest until they have endured the Ritual of Calling. They are more physically and magically powerful than other Highborn but they cannot resurrect.

Ritual

A ceremony that creates a magical effect. Each Ritual allows the character to do something far beyond the normal abilities of Highborn.

Runebrand

Magical markings that focus extra power into the marked Highborn. The magic of a Runebrand usually fades after one day.

Savage Race

Any sentient race that does not produce Highborn.

Spell

Magical abilities gained through study rather than being innate abilities that a creature was born with.

Spell Focus

A small item through which spell-casters channel their magical energies in order to cast a spell.

Tainted

Creatures warped by the Essence of Chaos.

Tag

The piece of paper that is used to denote the ownership or possession of an in-game item. For instance a merchant could have a chest full of long swords with out the player actually having to have phys-reps for all of them. In this example the player would have a chest with many item tags that represented swords.

Talisman

One-shot magical items that allow characters to use abilities that they don’t have or use ones they do have more often than normal.

Twilight Glade

The Town/Kingdom where the Highborn game takes place.

Introduction

Minimum Age

Required Costume

Required Role-playing

General Behavior

General Information

CODE OF THE HIGHBORN

Warrior

Ranger

Wizard

Healer

Champion

Spellguard

General Skills

Italicized Skills

Incant

Delivery Method

Use

Target

Duration

Essence

Mana Cost

Rules

Incants

Melee Blows

Physical Strikes

Melee Critical Strikes

Carrier Strikes

Magical Strikes

Ranged Physical Attacks

Magical Ranged Attacks

Voice Radius Attacks

Gaze Attacks

Aura

Avoidance

Barrier and Ward

Immunity

Resistance

Altered Effect

Massive

Body

Contact

Charging

Pinning and Trapping Weapons

Legal Targets

The Hold Rule

Activation

Counted Action

Logistics

Passive

Always On

At Will

Production

Spells

Spell Foci

Touch Casting

Duplicate Spells

Spells Defenses

Times-per-day Skills

Battle Boards

Sample Battle Board

GM Intervention