Feel free to give them a brief overview of the adventure at this time. adventure synoPsis. Recently, Belkrum Thundrik left Karak Azgaraz and ventured into. Black
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WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLE PLAY DESIGN TEAM Jay Little with Daniel Lovat Clark, Michael Hurley, and Tim Uren LEAD DEVELO PER Jay Little PRO JECT LEAD Brady Sadler WRITTEN AND DEVELO PED BYDave Allen, with assistance from Brady Sadler and Daniel Lovat Clark EDITING & PROO FREADING Jay Little and Mark Pollard GRA PHIC DESIGN Andew Navaro and Peter Wocken LAYOUT Michael Hurley COVER ART Jake Masbruch, with elements from the Games Workshop art archives INTERIOR & COM PONENT ART Ryan Barger, Alex Boyd, Mike Capprotti, Paul Dainton, Dave Gallagher, John Gravato, Ilich Henriquez, Michal Ivan, Karl Kopinksi, Clint Langley, Pat Loboyko, Jorge Maese, Jake Masbruch, Mythic Entertainment, Adrian Smith, Mark Smith, Chris Trevas, and the Games Workshop art archives ART DIRECTION Zoë Robinson PRODUCTION MANAGER Gabe Laulunen FF G LEAD GAME DESIGNER Corey Konieczka FF G LEAD GAME PRODUCER Michael Hurley PUBLISHER Christian T. Petersen GAMES WORKSHO PLICENSING MANAGER Owen Rees HEAD OF LEGAL & LICENSING Paul Lyons INTELLECTUAL PRO PERTY MANAGER Alan Merrett FANTASYFLIGHTGAMESFantasy Flight Games 1975 West County Road B2, Suite 1 Roseville, MN 55113 USA No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record -ing or otherwise without the prior permission of the publishers. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay © Games Workshop Limited 1986, 2005, 2009. © Games Workshop Limited 2010. Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, the foregoing marks™ respective logo and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons, units and unit insignia, characters, products and illustrations from the Warhammer World and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay game setting are either ®, TM and/ or© Games Workshop Ltd 1986Œ2010, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. This edition published under license to Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. Fantasy Flight Games and the FFG logo are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved to their respective owners. Printed in the USA For information about the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay line, free downloads, answers to rule queries, or just to pass on greetings, visit us online at WWW .FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES .COM ŽCREDITS ®TM2
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A GRIM , PERILOUS WORLD AWAITS The great Twin-Tailed Comet, a portent tied to both Sigmar and the Empire, has been seen in the sky. To some, it is a sign of hope. ruthless winter and poor harvests are felt across the Empire – vil – To many citizens, this can mean only one thing. The End Times are at hand. Fear is rife. Another Great War is coming. Beastmen are growing restless, attacking villages with greater frequency and ferocity. The Chaos cults are rising up, summoning daemons, fo -menting rebellion, and instigating insurrection throughout the Em -pire™s cities. Bands of Chaos marauders scout further and further south than usual Œ some even penetrating as far as the Reikland to In the midst of this bleak, brewing turmoil, the adventurers are beacons of hope. Fate has called to them, binding them with the silvery threads of destiny and fortune. Together, valiant humans of the Reikland, wood elves from Athel Loren, high elves from distant Ulthuan, and the dwarfs of Karak Azgaraz face the formidable threats of the Old World. this, the Empire™s time of greatest need? A BRIE F OVERVIE WWarhammer Fantasy Roleplay provides an exciting way to experi -ence roleplaying games. In a roleplaying game, players work to -gether to direct the action of characters they create in order to tell interesting stories and have a good time with friends. In Warham -mer Fantasy Roleplay , the characters embark on adventures in the by war and the forces of Chaos. The boxed set for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is best suited to a group of four players. One of the players assumes the role of the Game Master (abbreviated as GM), while the other three players take on the roles of individual heroes, the main characters in the group™s ongoing stories. These players are called hero players, and their characters are often referred to as adventurers or player char -acters (abbreviated as PCs). More players can certainly participate. With more players, some players may need to share components, and each player may have slightly less time fiin the spotlightfl for his character and his own personal storyline. A PREVIE W OF THINGS TO COME While this adventure serves as an introduction to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay , it is also a prelude to an exciting new supplement coming soon from Fantasy Flight Games. Included in this adventure is the new miner career, which is a preview of one of the careers to be introduced in the forthcoming supplement. GETTING STARTED If you™re new to Warhammer Fantasy and the Old World and Em -pire, you may want to read more about the setting in Chapter 10: The Empire in the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (WFRP) rule -book. If you plan on being a player, you will want to read through the main rulebook to learn about the core concepts and gameplay. If you plan on being a GM, you will want to become familiar with all the books eventually, but should start by learning the rules found in the WFRP rulebook and the Game Master information in the Tome of Adventure .In addition to a number of cards, custom dice, and special com -ponents, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay includes four game books. Before running the adventure in this booklet, it is recommended the GM become familiar with the main rules and concepts intro -duced in the following two books: THE WARHAMMER FANTASY ROLE PLAY RULE BOOK The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rulebook has important infor -mation on the basics needed to run the game. In particular, players will want to learn about task resolution and the core mechanic, how action cards work, and how combat is resolved. This book also provides a great deal of background information on the setting, particularly the Empire, the region of the Old World where the events of the game are focused. Of particular note are the following sections: Chapter 1: Characteristics & Abilities ( ªWFRP page 13) Chapter 5: Playing the Game ( ªWFRP page 39) Chapter 6: Actions & Manoeuvres ( ªWFRP page 48) Chapter 7: Combat, Damage & Healing ( ªWFRP page 54) TOME OF ADVENTURE A GUIDE TO GAME MASTERY & ROLE PLAYING The Tome of Adventure (ToA) contains additional rules and infor -mation for the players who will be running the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay sessions as the GM. It includes suggestions and guidelines for managing long-term campaigns, handling character develop -ment, and creating adventures The book also contains background and statistics for a variety of enemies to pit the players™ heroes against. The player running this adventure as the GM will want to become familiar with the rules on managing and running NPCs and enemies during encounters. Of particular note are the following sections: Chapter 1: Game Mastering 101 ( ªToA page 3) Chapter 3: Game Master Resources ( ªToA page 19) Chapter 6: Enemies & Adversaries ( ªToA page 40) Chapter 7: The Bestiary ( ªToA page 45) 3Journey to Black Fire Pass
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The GM will want to study these characters as well, especially their motivations and backstories. This will help guide the players in roleplaying their characters, as well as provide the GM with opportunities to add fortune or misfortune dice whenever a player incorporates their character™s motivations into their skill checks. PARTY IDENTITY After the players have had a chance to review the characters, their cards, and other information, you should encourage them to dis -cuss the PCs™ strengths and weaknesses with each other, as well as their backstories and motivation to help familiarise everyone with the party of adventurers. During this discussion, the GM should provide the players with the Intrepid Explorers party sheet. Give them a moment to look over their party sheet and their character sheets so they can develop an idea of who they are and what their goals are. Feel free to give them a brief overview of the adventure at this time. ADVENTURE SYNO PSIS Recently, Belkrum Thundrik left Karak Azgaraz and ventured into Black Fire Pass. He carried with him a mighty weapon meant to aid his dwarf kin in their war against the greenskins. However, word of his arrival never reached his home of Karak Azgaraz, nor did Belkrum Thundrik return. Growing restless, Belkrum™s brothers Gunnar and Thord set out to discover their brother™s fate. Employing the skills of a miner or a hunter (or both, since the chance of encountering some Orcs is relatively appealing to Dwarfs), the Thundrik brothers embark on a dangerous journey to Black Fire Pass. THE ADVENTURERS Before playing this adventure, the person running the demo will want to assemble the player characters (PCs). Four player charac -ters have been designed for this adventure. It is recommended the players use three of these four PCs. All four PCs can be used if the group does not mind sharing some of the basic components. The player characters are detailed starting on page 29 of this book -let. The person running the demo should take the career sheets and cards listed in each PC description needed to assemble that -tion shown on the abbreviated character sheet onto one of the full size character sheets included on the pad of sheets in the core set. PC CARDS GUNNAR THUNDRIK THORD THUNDRIK BHEDRIN GRALISSON VALDEN HALDOR Action Cards Melee Strike, Ranged Shot, Perform a Stunt, Assess the Situation, Guarded Position, Parry, Dodge, Block, Scru -tinise, Inspiring Words Melee Strike, Ranged Shot, Perform a Stunt, Assess the Situation, Guarded Position, Block, Dodge, Troll Feller Strike, Reckless Cleave Melee Strike, Ranged Shot, Perform a Stunt, Assess the Situation, Guarded Position, Parry, Dodge, Block, Chink in the Armour, Knockback Shot, Call of the Wild Melee Strike, Ranged Shot, Perform a Stunt, Assess the Situation, Guarded Position, Block, Parry, Splints & Bandages, Find Weakness Talent Cards I Know a Guy (Reputation), Gregarious (Reputation), I Seem to Recall (Focus) Charge (Tactic) (Tactic), Keen Eyes (Focus) Resolute (Focus), Jack of all Trades (Focus) 4
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CORE SET MATERIALS While it might be a good idea to lay out all the core set components to save space and keep focus on the game at hand feel free to return unused materials to the box. See the sidebar entitled fiWhat You Won™t Needfl for a list of components you can return to the box. PLAYER MATERIALS Players will need their appropriate career sheets, their career ability cards, the Intrepid Explorers party sheet, a stance ring, activation token, a standup, and stance meter. Refer to the PC Cards chart to retrieve each player character™s action and talent cards. GAME MASTER MATERIALS The GM will want to study this entire booklet, in addition to the previously mentioned sections of the core set rules. In prepara -tion for the play session, place the wound deck, dice pool, fatigue & stress tokens, and tracking & fortune point tokens within easy reach of the players. Also, pull the Staggered Condition and Ill- Fortuned Condition cards from the condition card deck. Put the remaining condition cards away. You™ll also want a selection of standups and the plastic bases available to represent various enemies and NPCs the players may encounter along the way. Also, be sure to prepare a progress track like the one shown on page 8 to manage several of the events that take place over the course of the adventure. In addition to the track, you™ll need to WHAT YOU WON ™T NEED In order to conserve space and time, place the following components back in the box: Unused action, talent, speciality, location, and career ªability cards (refer to PC Cards chart) The condition cards (except the ªIll-Fortuned and Stag -gered ards), insanity deck, and miscast deck Unused career and party sheets ªAny unused standups (set aside enough standups to ªrepresent the PCs, NPCs, and adversaries) PLAYER COM PONENTS Each player will want to make sure they have enough space to set up his character™s playing area. Each individual player area will consist of their career sheet, character sheet, stance meter (with activation token), as well as their action, talent, and career ability cards. The Game Master can leave the wound deck, party sheet, fatigue/stress tokens, and dice pool in a general area where all players can reach. CAREER SHEETS PARTY SHEET WOUND DECK STANCE METER ACTIVATION TOKEN ACTION DECK 5Journey to Black Fire Pass
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This is a scenario for up to four players and is designed to provide newcomers to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay with a showcase of how to make skill checks, engage with the other denizens of the with their enemies. The following material outlines the background to an exciting adventure, pitting a group of Dwarfs against their hated foes with a few twists and surprises along the way. If you are planning to play in the game, learning about these surprises will ruin the enjoyment. Your GM will provide you with all the information you need and should be willing to answer any questions you might have about the world as known to your character, so PLEASE DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER. If you are the GM it will be your job to convey the Old World and its inhabitants to your players. You will need to familiarise yourself with the plot of the scenario and answer any reasonable queries your players might have about their situation. This adventure is written with a mind to being used to showcase Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay at events. Some GMs may be more pressed for time than others, so we have designed this adventure in three parts. For those GMs with time to spare, the whole adventure can be run to provide players with a comprehensive introduction to the world of Warhammer and the rules of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay .However, for GMs on a tight schedule there will be options at the end of each episode that provide ideas for how to bring the game to a satisfying conclusion at earlier stages. You will notice that the negotiating with NPCs, so if you only have an hour or so to play speed through the whole adventure in short time. If you take this option there is a section at the end of each episode entitled fiTime to Finish?fl This provides ideas on how to wrap up the adventure without having to play the later episodes if you are pressed for time. 6INTRODUCTION PLANNING THE JOURNEY
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MAKING PROGRESS The progress track shown below will be used throughout the adventure to track two important pieces of information Œ the readi -ness of the greenskin forces that wait at the PCs™ destination, and what has been going on with the strange events of late. GNASHRUKK ™S SCOUTS The marker on the far right space represents the forces of Gnashrukk. He is one of Gorfang Rotgut™s Lieutenants, and he has been given the task of watching part of Black Fire Pass in order to report back to the Black Crag should the Dwarfs or the men of the Empire prepare to invade. Gnashrukk™s Orcs are too few to attack an army, or even one of the merchant caravans that sometimes snake through Black Fire Pass on their way to or from the Border Princes. However he has led attacks on small parties of travellers, including Belkrum Thundrik and his companions. Gnashrukk slew the lorekeeper and most of his party before heading back to the Black Crag to make their report to Gorfang himself. At the time that the party sets out from Karak Azgaraz, Gnashrukk™s band of Orcs and goblins have just returned to their post and are on high alert. The longer the Dwarfs take to reach Black Fire Pass the more likely it is that Gnashrukk will drop his they wait for some action. -ing the Orcs to rise or fall on the progress tracker. If the marker Gnashrukk™s bored forces. It may seem that the longer the Dwarfs take to reach Black Fire they aren™t the only ones looking for the resting place of Belkrum Thundrik. BARNOCK DURAN ™S KARAZ -A-KARAK RANGERS Bardin Blatterzarn was a Dwarf ranger who accompanied Belkrum Thundrik to Black Fire Pass. As the Orcs struck he abandoned display of cowardice is not typical of the stoic Dwarfs, and Bardin was deeply ashamed of his actions. Alone, scared and ashamed he turned from the path to Karak Azul and instead made for the near -est Dwarf hold, Karaz-a-Karak. Karaz-a-Karak is the greatest of the Dwarf holds in the World™s Edge Mountains and the seat of High King Thorgrim Grudge -bearer. Thorgim is said to be the direct descendant of the Dwarf ancestor-god Grungni, and bears a mighty runic axe claimed to have been wielded by Grimnir, the warrior god of the Dwarfs. Thorgrim is obsessive about meting out vengeance on the enemies of the Dwarfs. He carries the huge Book of Grudges with him, a compilation of all the grievances done to Dwarf kind written in the blood of the High King and his ancestors. He pours over its pages, looking for any opportunity to settle his accounts, but those close to the High King know that for every grudge he strikes out, two more are added to the massive tome. When Bardin reached the gates of Karaz-a-Karak, close to death from exposure and starvation, the High King™s subjects took him in and nursed him back to health, but they were suspicious of him, especially when he proved cagey about his reasons for being there. No Dwarf would ever harm another merely for being tight-lipped, but Thorgrim and his Council of Elders have decided to get to the bottom of the matter. To this end they have dispatched a force of rangers to Black Fire Pass, led by an intrepid captain named Bar -nock Duran. Barnock and his rangers. The longer the party takes to reach Black Fire Pass the more likely it is that Barnock will have found seem like a bad result, but there is a matter of honour at stake. THE PROGRESS TRACKER Scouts. The tracker on the back of the GM™s screen (from the Game Master™s Toolkit) is perfect for this use. Gnashrukk™s Scouts Barnock™s Rangers 8
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Once the players have familiarised themselves with their characters read the following to the players: It has been a fortnight since you left the safety of Karak Azgaraz in the search for your lost friend and brother, Belkrum Thundrik. This brave Dwarf and his companions disappeared whilst journeying to the distant hold of Karak Azul. They planned to present its king with a mighty shield to aid him in his battle against the despicable Orcs who subjected his kinsmen to all manner of atrocity. You have assured the Loremaster of Karak Azgaraz that you mission by making sure King Kazador receives the shield. At the human town of Ubersreik you commissioned a barge to take you to Averheim. The journey was frustratingly slow, and you even suspected that the mad old Kislevite captain travelled slowly on purpose to wring more coin from you. You decided not to tarry overlong in the city of Averheim, despite its many intrigues and distractions. Instead you are taking the Old Dwarf Road to Black Fire Pass and the Badlands beyond. If the players have any questions about Karak Azul, King Kazador, Gorfang Rotgut and the history of the relationship between the Grey Dwarfs and those of the World™s Edge Mountains the GM may share as much as he feels like, as such information is common knowledge to the Dwarfs. 9EPISODE ONE THE JOURNEY
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However, they will know nothing about Gnashrukk™s scouts, or the involvement of the Dwarfs from Karaz-a-Karak, and only Gunnar will know anything about the plans of Karak Drazh (see Gunnar™s motivation on page 29). FOLLO W THE OLD DWAR F ROAD The Old Dwarf Road was once a broad stone highway connecting the Dwarf realm to elven trading posts, but that was many millen -nia ago. Now the broken road is criss-crossed with pathways to nearby human settlements, and much of the stone has been prised from the ground for other constructions. In order to make good time and keep to the right track the Dwarfs should choose one of their party to make an Average (2d) Obser -vation check to stay on the right path. The better the result of this check the quicker the Dwarfs will reach their next destination. ACT ONE : HEIDECK This small market town was built on the site of an old Dwarf trad -ing post, and some of the buildings there date back to a time before the war with the elves. As the party arrives at the town read the following to the players. in by humans. Their small cramped dwellings jostle to -gether in untidy rows, roughly arranged about a central -carious, and some of them show signs of giving in to sub -sidence and their own weight. The human inhabitants the town square to trade goods and visit the local inn. On closer inspection some of the buildings seem to be made with stone cut by an expert hand, and faded runic script can be seen on some of the larger blocks of ma -sonry. In particular is a large shrine erected to the glory of Sigmar, the founder of the Empire and a friend of the been used in its construction, to the extent that it even reminds you a little of home. CHECK RESULTS FOLLO WING THE OLD DWAR F ROAD Œ AVERAGE (2 D) OBSERVATION CHECK No successes Move the tracking token representing Barnock™s rangers two spaces up the progress tracker, move the tracking token representing Gnashrukk™s scouts two spaces to the left on the progress tracker. æ good time. Advance the tracking token representing Barnock™s rangers 1 space along the progress tracker. Move the tracking token representing Gnashrukk™s scouts 2 spaces to the left along the progress tracker. æ æ Move the tracking token representing Gnashrukk™s scouts 1 space to the left along the progress tracker. ¬ along the way. Each Dwarf recovers 1 point of fatigue and party tension decreases by 1. -ger than expected, and even though you are a stoic company of Dwarfs a few angry words are exchanged regarding the Advance the tracking token representing Barnock™s rangers 1 space along the progress tracker. Move the tracking token representing Gnashrukk™s scouts 1 space to the left along the progress tracker. 10SKILL CHECK REMINDER Remember, in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay , success or failure is only part of the outcome for a skill check. The æ symbols help determine whether a skill check succeeds or not. If at least one æ remains after cancellations caused by º symbols, the check succeeds. If more than one æ remains, a higher success result might be possible. check could fail, but still trigger the ¬ result, or the check
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THE ORC ™S HEAD The local inn is called The Orc™s Head, and the Dwarfs may look approvingly on the mouldering greenskin cranium which is mounted on a spike above the entrance in place of a sign. Food and drink can be purchased within for a couple of brass pennies and is meagre fare, though for a schilling the inn provides pints of ‚Orc™s for a Dwarffl. It is a respectable and tasty brew, though it pales in comparison to the best ales available in Karak Azgaraz. Tavern gossip revolves around politics. Apparently a local hu – engaged in manoeuvres to ensure that their claimant becomes the next elector. At regular intervals the drunken denizens of the bar vent opinions such as filong live the Lietdorfs!fl, fiup the Alp -traums!fl, fisod the lot of them!fl or fiperhaps a coalition would be a to strike up a conversation. If they ask about Belkrum and his passed through the town in the direction of Black Fire Pass about six weeks earlier. If the Dwarfs ask about the runic stones used in constructing some of the buildings in Heideck they will be looked at with surprise. The humans here think all Dwarfs should know that there is a ruined Dwarfen outpost to the edge of town, and that the people of Heideck have used stones from the ruin in their buildings since the time of Sigmar. THE CHARLATAN Farial Trefoil is an unusual Wood Elf. In his youth he was continu -ally warned about his impetuousness and the lack of consideration he showed in his decision making. When Farial announced that he wished to wander the wider world his nobles granted him permis -sion provided he spend two decades outside Athel Loren before returning home. The elders hoped that during this time he would learn to temper his wilder inclinations and develop a proper appre -ciation for the woodland community in which he was raised. It is the eighth year of Farial™s wandering, and thus far he shows little sign of acquiring the maturity expected by his elders. He greatly enjoys the reception he gets from rustic folk in the Empire, who view him with a mixture of suspicion and awe. Farial plays up to this. Whilst no magician, he has a habit of nonchalantly perform -ing acts of sleight of hand whilst others are watching him, leading to rumours that he is a wizard of some repute. Whilst no prince, Farial continually slips anecdotes about his meetings with kings, emperors and lords, leading folk to wonder whether or not he is a noble in exile. Farial has convinced the folk of Heideck that not only is he an elven prince, but that he is thousands of years old and used to trade with the Dwarfs that lived here. He even has a few charts for sale, show -ing the locations of Dwarfen treasure hoards hidden deep beneath the earth. When the Dwarfs enter the inn, Farial is holding court at a table in robes of white and blue, much like an elf from Ulthuan. How – a tattooed pattern of swirling green. Any Dwarf studying Farial will notice on a Hard (3d) Observation check that his clothes are altered from more humble materials that could be purchased from any mercer in the Empire. Read the following to any Dwarf who takes an interest in Farial. The elf is expounding loudly and enthusiastically to the gaggle of rough-looking men stood around little drunk. You expect elves to be haughty and other-worldly, full of arrogant pride, but this rather strange looking elf is currently behaving in an open -clares. fiNow that we are acquainted and refreshed let us discuss the matter of my wares; would anyone of grimy vellum on the tabletop. A man in a red felt cap mentions ten silver pieces. The elf theatrically rolls his eyes and the other men laugh. You hear the muttered mention of gold and the elf leans in with an expression of interest. If the party does nothing, the scroll eventually sells for 3 crowns. However, if they decide to take a closer look at the proceedings the elf notices them and snatches up the scroll. He declares fiI care not for this company, sirs, and I bid you good nightfl , before disappearing to his room. If he is accosted in any way, he will insist that he is left an eccentric elven prince with a talent for sorcery, will provide him with any assistance they deem necessary. 11The Journey
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