THE EARTHDAWY 1 aa OR,CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Character Pow Gamemaster Re DISCIPLINES New Characteristics Bonuses Discipline Abiliti Karma Bonus Discipline Descriptions Archer Beastmaster Cavalryman, Elementalist lusionist Nethermancer Sky Raider Swordmaster Thief Troubadour Warrior Weaponsmith Wizard TALENTS Earthdawn Talents Special Talents Attribute Pattern Leadership Lightbearer Questor Talent Pattern THREAD MAGIC Workings of Thread Magic Using Thread Magic ‘Types of Thread Magic People and Places Group True Patterns and Thread Magic MAGICAL ITEMS ‘Thread Items Learning Key Knowledge Creating Magical Treasure Thread Weapons ‘Thread Armor and Shields Thread Objects ‘Common Magic Items Magical Items Table SPELL MAGIC ‘Are There Circle 11 Spells? Elementalist Spells, Mlusionist Spells Nethermancer Spells Wizard Spells QUESTORS Becoming A Questor The Mad Passions Questor Rules 2 The Questor Talent Acts of Devotion Failing to Act Falling Out of Favor Questor Powers Passion Descriptions Astendar Chorrolis, is (Mad Passion) Floranuus Garlen Jaspree Lochost Mynbruje Raggok (Mad Passion) ‘Thystonis Upandal Vestrial (Mad Passion) LIGHTBEARERS Origins Organization ‘The Great Pattern Becoming A Lightbearer Initiation Lightbearer Talent Lightbearer Abilities Using Lightbearer Abilities OPTIONAL RULES: Combat Movement Damage Special Effects of Damage Damage to Weapons and Armor ‘Talents and Abilities Rule of Three Purchasing Talents from Higher Circles Rituals of Advancement Supporters Gaining a Supporter ‘Types of Supporters What Supporters Do What Supporters Won't Do Supporters and Legend Points Traitors SHIP COMBAT Seale Ship Attributes ‘Speed Maneuverability Firepower Hull Pursuit and Engagement Combat Declaration Initiative Resolve Actions EARTHDAWN "REI EY YY YY ry 89 89 9 3 91 1 92 93 95 97 98 100 101 102 103 105 106 17 108, 108 109 109 109 110 no no na 5 116 16 n7 ng ng 19 19 20 125 126 17 17 128 128 128 129 130 130 130 130 BI 131 BI BI 13 12 132 ¢AAA AAAAA Ship Maneuvers 132 Damage 133, Effects of Damage 134 Grounded Ships 134 Ship Descriptions Bt Airships 134 Water Ships 136 (CREATING NEW DISCIPLINES 37 Ideas for New Disciplines 138 Using the System 138 Designing a Discipline 139 Discipline Design System 139 Define Discipline’s Purpose 139 Determine Racial Restrictions 140 Determine Important Attributes and Artisan Skills 140 Select Talents 140 Determine Special Abilities 146 Describe Discipline in Writing “7 New Disciplines “7 AlrSailor 48 Scout 150 (CREATING NEW CREATURES 152 Creature Statistics 153, ‘Attributes: 153 Characteristics 153 Special Abilities 154 Creature Description 154 Assigning Legend Points 155 Defense Ratings 155 Attack /Spellcasting Steps 135, ‘Armor/Mystic Armor 156 Damage Step 156 Death Rating, 136 Adjust the Total 156 EARTHDAWN SPELL TABLE 158 SIRES Kcr dln Res 8 RIS VV VV VY EARTHDAWN COMPANION Design Grog Gordon Louis. Prosper ‘Additional Material Christopher Kubasik Alen Varney Development Louis J. Prosperi Editorial Staff Senior Editor Donna Ippolito Associate Elitor Sharon Turner Mulvihill, Etitrial Assistants Diane Piron-Gelman Rob Cruz Production Staff ‘Ant Director Jeff Laubenstein Assistant Art Director Jim Nelson Project Managers Jeff Laubenstein Jim Nelson Steve Bryant Cover Art Tony Szcrudlo Cover & Color Seton Design Jim Nelson Color Plates Janet Aulisio| ‘Black and White Hlustration Joe Biske Steve Bryant Earl Geier Jeff Laubenstein Larry MacDougall Darrell Midgette Robert Nelson Mike Nielsen Tony Saczudlo Karl Waller Layout Steve Bryant Production Assistant Emesto Hernandez © EARTHDAWNINTRODUCTION Never think that your learning ends, There no limit to how far your knowledge can expand and gro, —Master wizard Relaan EARTHDAWNhe Earthdawn Companion is a rules expansion for the Earthdawn game system. The informa ters to make their characters more powerful Gamemasters and players will need the Earthdawn (ED) rulebook and the Earthdawn Gamemaster’s Pack in order tose this book, ‘This book picks up where the Earthdawn rulebook ended. The Companion expands the 13 Disciplines present is book allows players and gamemas fd inthe ED rulebook to 5th Circe, and provides talents and spells for those Circles. The Companion also provides rales for additional uses of thread magic in your Earthdawn game, and describes many new types of magical items. Also included inthis book fre rules for playing crtnarag iti fave devoted their lives toa single Passion, and Light bearers, people dedi- cated to eradicating all traces ofthe Scourge and the Horrors from the world, The Optional Rules section offers and gamemasters to tailor ways for play Earthdawn to better suit theit style of play Ship Combat gives rules for resolving combat between ships. The Creating, Nev Disciplines section of the book suggests a system that players and gamemasters can use to create new adept Disciplines and provides 2 new, pregenerated Disciplines. The final section of the Companion outlines a quick-and dirty way to create new creatures for an Earthdawn cam paign. CHARACTER POWER ‘The world of Earthdawn is a dangerous and wondrous place where powerful magic abounds. The information in the Earthdawn Companion allows Earthdawn characters to reach levels of power unattainable in most fantasy roleplay- ing games. The talents and spells that appear in this book show that as characters advance beyond Tenth Circle, they acquire truly staggering powers and abilities. For example, illusionists can learn to engulf a specific area in darkness for days at a time, archers can summon the forces of nature to create a bow composed of wind, and sky raiders can call storms to their aid. Questors of the Passions can construct buildings from nothing and cause plant life to grow at teemendous rates. Lightbearers to travel through astral space to battle Horrors on the crea tures’ own plane, Characters of all Disciplines learn to use significant knowledge of people and places to their magical abili- ties, and to form groups capable of extending individu als’ magic beyond known limits These fabulous powe make it pos- sible for player char acters to become, and live up to the nai of, Barsaive’s next legendary heroes, GAMEMASTER RESPONSIBILITY As characters become more power- ful, gomemasters face the task of creating, adventures difficult enough to challenge the adventurers, The most minor part of this task is creating tough combat situa tions. The Earthdawn rules make it easy for the gamemaster to create or group together sufficient opposing creatures to defeat even the most powerful characters. Some of the creatures in the Earthdawn rulebook, particularly the dragons and Horrors, are so powerfil that it is unlikely that characters Cf any Circle could defeat them. Verjigorm offers a prime ‘example of a neatly unbeatable monster. The real challenge in creating adventures for high: Circle charactets lies in inventing situations that will chal lenge the players to ase all their characters’ abilities in a responsible, creative fashion, That is, the players should feel challenged to use their powers when necessary, but not to abuse them, For example, ifthe leaders of a small village insult the players’ characters, it would be inappro: EARTHDAWNVVV VY VV YRERELILGLEGOY YY YY priate for the characters to retaliate by destroying the vil- lage, even though they may possess the power to do so, The responsibility inherent in possessing great power is avoiding the temptation to solve every problem by using that power. If they do not control their powers, the adventurers may become litle more than a band of thugs that takes whatever it wants and kills whoever stands in its way. This should not become the characters’ standard operating procedure: the world of Earthdawn needs heroes to solve its problems and help reclaim its lands, and a group of characters motivated only by expedient self-interest has no place ply to ignore the characters and instead decimate a number ‘of small towns, villages, or cities, killing entire populations in payment for the slaughter of their troops, The characters have used their power to create a no-win situation. Again, if a group of high-Circle characters decided to act against the Elven Court in Blood Wood, they could not predict how Queen Alachia and her Blood Warders would retaliate. Because high-Circle characters possess extraordi- nary power, the gamemaster must challenge the players to ‘use that power wisely. Gamemasters may find the following suggestions help- ful for running campaigns in the grand scheme of things. The should encourage the players to solve prob- Jems and meet challenges gamemaster with the minimum force This does not mean that the characters should avoid combat Afterall, what better way for a hero to earn fame and adulation than to defeat a worthy foe? But Ifthe residents of a small village refuse to cooper- ate with the adventurers, killing the villagers one by one until they cave in to the adventurers’ greater might does not qualify as heroic behav- Though powerful characters may feel capa featuring, high-Circle char- acters. ‘The gamemaster may decide to involve the char acters in high-level poli- tics. If they become the Ieaders of a small city or town in Barsaive, or of one Of the cities within Throa, the situation itself would encourage the characters to use their skills to nego- tiate treaties or trade agreements, rather than for combat. Another type of political adventure could involve the charac- ters being hired by the Kingdom of Throal to make contact with Theran representatives in Vivane or Sky Point, oF to travel to Blood Wood to estab- sh trade relations between the elves and ble of defeating vietually any opponent they face, other people and groups wielding. equivalent power also live in Barsaive. For example, a {group of Thirteenth- to Fifteenth-Circle characters may decide to journey to a Theran-controlled city and rid the area of its oppressors. This may be a completely altruistic action, a sincere effort to help rid Barsaive of the evils of Theran rule. The adventurers may even accomplish their goal. But they would not be able to prevent the Therans from retaliating, and on a grand scale. The Theran Empire could wipe out a group of even the most powerful charac: ters with litle effort. A few kilas and vedettes armed with fire cannons, accompanied by a mere thousand troops would reduce the characters to Thirteenth: to Fifteenth- Circle corpses in short order. The Therans may decide sim- Throal ‘The gamemaster may manipulate events so that the characters decide to form an organization dedicated to some noble goal, such as ridding the world of the effects of the Scourge, The player characters may also decide volun- tarily to devote their efforts to traveling Barsaive in search of Horrors to slay. Again, high-Citcle characters may end an adventure or campaign so successfully that their exploits bring them to the attention of the great dragon Icewing, oF « council of dragons, who may commission the characters to seek out and destroy Verjigorm, the Hunter of Great Dragons. A pitched battle betwoen Verjigorm and a group of Thirteenth- to Fifteenth-Circle characters and a few great dragons would fuel stories and legends for years to come. EARTHDAWN ©VVV YY Ul? ’ Eee VV Very NL DISCIPLINES ee Of course, the challenge of wielding grent power is that it brings with it great responsibility. —Jaron the Everliving, on the price of attaining power @) EARTHDAWNLy VV YY VY" haracter adepts in Earthdawn can advance in skill and power far beyond the Eighth Circle described in the Earthdawn rulebook. This sec tion of the Earthdawn Companion provides descriptions of the Ninth to Fifteenth Circle ofthe existing Disciplines As they advance in the Circles of their Disciplines, adepts become more powerful, gaining special, Discipline related abilities. For example, thieves lear to create shad ‘ows in which to hide, rather than simply using existing dark corners; sky raiders can call lightning storms to aid them in battle; and weaponsmiths can create orichaleum, Higher-Circle adepts learn to use more powerful tal- cents; wizards can gain such talents as Hold Pattern, which allows a magician to prepare a spell and hold its pattern until he’s ready to cast it. The Confront Horror talent allows troubadours to enter contests of willpower with Horrors and hope to win. The Ethereal Weapon talent allows sword ‘masters and archers to transform their weapons and by pass their opponents’ armor. NEW CHARACTERISTICS BONUSES Most of the Characteristics Bonuses gained at each new Circle function in the same way as those described ‘on pages 6f-65 of the Earthdawn rulebook. This section offers two new types of Characteristics Bonuses: Discipline abilities, and a variation on the Karma bonus. DISCIPLINE ABILITIES Discipline abilities give characters the option to use blood magic to gain abilities based on their Discipline Available at the various Circles listed in the following. Discipline descriptions, Discipline abilities cost a perma- nent number of Damage Points. If a player decides to sive his character a Discipline ability, lower the charac- ters Death and Unconsciousness Ratings by the stated number of Damage Points. In most cases, as soon as the character takes the damage, he or she can use the ability at any time. Some Discipline abilities provide permanent increases to certain talent or other steps (see individual dlescriptions). The player running Trylar the w ie Trylar the Shadowoc layer reduces Trylar's Death and Unconsciousness Ratings by 2 points each, the gains the Shadoweloak ability, hich he ca decides to g KARMA BONUS Characters of higher Circles may gain another type of Karma bonus in addition to the Karma bonuses