TEXT: 1 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  QUICK START 
  CTHULHU 
  DARK AGES 
  “Quod in aeternum cubet mortuum non est, 
  Et saeculis miris actis etiam Mors perierit” 
   
   
  Quick Start Rules for the 
  CTHULHU DARK AGES Role-Playing Game 
   
   
  Adapted from “Quick Start Cthulhu” by 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Email darkages@planet.nl 
  www http://home.kpn.nl/gesbe000 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Introduction 
  2 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  Interested in Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Dark Ages? You're not alone! 
  Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium's classic role-playing game of Lovecraftian horror in which ordinary people are confronted by the 
  terrifying and alien forces of the Cthulhu Mythos. 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages started as a supplement for Call of Cthulhu, setting the clock of Lovecraftian horror back 1000 years, right 
  into the Middle Ages. Cthulhu Dark Ages as a stand-alone role-playing game was published by Chaosium Inc. in 2004. 
   
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages is a direct adaptation of Quick Start Cthulhu (Quick Start Rules for the Call Of Cthulhu 
  Role-Playing Game) written by Ben Monroe and Sandy Petersen, freely available at http://www.chaosium.com. Although 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is fully compatible with the philosophy and the game system of Call of Cthulhu, owing to particularities of 
  the Dark Ages, some adjustments and additions to the quick start rules have been made. 
   
  All you need to play Cthulhu Dark Ages for the first time is this booklet, some dice, plenty of imagination, and your friends. 
   
  Welcome to the Worlds of Call of Cthulhu! 
   
  The Chaosium Guys 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  
  3 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” – H.P. Lovecraft 
  950 AD. The Occident is torn apart: empires and 
  kingdoms have endured two centuries of invasions, and 
  now warlords fight over the remains like wild dogs. The 
  clergy is weak and morally depraved, cities are 
  depopulated, trade is stagnant and violence reigns 
  everywhere. History is coming into the Sixth Age of 
  mankind, the ultimate age before the end of the world. 
  950 AD. The Byzantine Theodorus Philetas translates the 
  Al Azif into Greek, and renames it Necronomicon. It will 
  take one century before the blasphemous tome is finally 
  condemned, and most copies destroyed... 
   
  Horror. Terror. Fear is at the core of our existence. Horror 
  stories are a catharsis for the dread we hold in our souls on 
  a day-to-day level. Cthulhu Dark Ages is a game that lets 
  you explore that fear, bringing monsters and terrors out 
  into the daylight, and fighting against them for the sake of 
  soul and sanity. 
  If you've played other role-playing games (RPGs) before, 
  then you have an idea of how it works: A group of players 
  sit around a table and describe the actions of their 
  characters, while one player (the game master, or "keeper" 
  as he or she is known in Cthulhu Dark Ages) guides the 
  story along. It is like an interactive novel where one person 
  tells the story, and the players take part in the story. 
  However, Cthulhu Dark Ages is different from most other 
  RPGs. In Cthulhu Dark Ages, the players portray ordinary 
  people cast into extraordinary circumstances. You have no 
  magic weapons with which to assault the dark things of the 
  world. You cannot count on the local king sending armies 
  of minions to your aid. You simply have your wits, your 
  courage and your skill to fight the horrors of the Cthulhu 
  Mythos. In its simplest form, Cthulhu Dark Ages is a game 
  about heroes. The heroes who realize that the world is 
  crawling with alien terrors bent on the destruction of 
  humanity, and who take that fight back to the abyss itself. 
   
  The booklet you now hold in your hands gives you all the 
  information you will need to create a character for the 
  Cthulhu Dark Ages role-playing game, as well as a brief 
  overview of how to play the game. Many of the game's 
  details are glossed over here simply because Cthulhu Dark 
  Ages is a game of mystery. Often, if the players 
  understand too much of the goings-on behind the rules, it 
  can break the atmosphere of tension necessary for a good 
  mystery. 
  Once you've played a game or two, you will probably want 
  to take a look at the full rules for Cthulhu Dark Ages or 
  Call of Cthulhu which are available from any good game 
  store, 
  most 
  large 
  bookstores, 
  or 
  directly 
  at 
  www.chaosium.com. To create your character, you will 
  only need four ordinary 6-sided dice. To play the game, 
  you should invest in a full set of polyhedral dice. At least 
  one each 4, 8, 10, 12 and 20-sided dice are needed to play 
  the game. 
  What’s a Cthulhu? 
  The Call of Cthulhu and Cthulhu Dark Ages games are 
  inspired by the "Cthulhu Mythos" stories of Depression era 
  author H.P. Lovecraft and his imitators. Cthulhu is the 
  name of a tremendously evil, alien priest/god/monster that 
  features in many of Lovecraft's works, most notably, "The 
  Call of Cthulhu." Countless stories have been written over 
  the years expanding on his creations. Pulp authors such as 
  Robert E. Howard extrapolated Lovecraft's ideas into their 
  own. Current horror writers such as Clive Barker and 
  Stephen King show a clear influence from Lovecraft. 
  If you've never read any of Lovecraft's work before, you 
  have missed out. Penguin Books has two collections of his 
  work that should get you started. "The Call of Cthulhu and 
  Other Weird Tales" and "The Thing on the Doorstep and 
  Other Weird Tales" should give you a good introduction to 
  his work. 
  Creating an Investigator 
  To play Cthulhu Dark Ages you need to create a character. 
  Characters in the game are called "investigators" as they 
  primarily spend their playtime investigating the horrors of 
  the Cthulhu Mythos. Creating your character is simple, 
  and outlined below. It will be helpful for you to have a 
  piece of scratch paper handy, or ideally a Cthulhu Dark 
  Ages character sheet. There is one located in this booklet. 
  The Primary Attributes 
  To begin, a Cthulhu Dark Ages character has seven 
  primary attributes. Each of these attributes is described 
  below, as well as noting how many dice you roll to 
  determine the value of each attribute. 
   
  Strength (STR) measures the raw physical power your 
  investigator can bring to bear. It influences the amount of 
  damage he or she can deliver with a punch or kick, as well 
  as his or her grip, or ability to lift heavy items. Roll 3 six-
  sided dice and add them together to determine the value 
  for STR. 
   
  Constitution (CON) is a measure of the hardiness of your 
  investigator. It influences the amount of damage you can 
  take before going unconscious or dying as well as how 
  resistant you are to diseases and poison. Roll 3 six-sided 
  dice and add them together to determine the value for 
  CON. 
   
  Dexterity (DEX) is a measure of your investigator's agility 
  and speed. Roll 3 six-sided dice and add them together to 
  determine the value for DEX. 
   
  Size (SIZ) is a measure of your investigator's physical 
  mass. It influences how much damage you can take, as 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Introduction 
  4 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  well as how much you can deliver. Also, as a measure of 
  your Investigator's weight, it influences the ability of 
  horrible monsters to pick him up and toss him around the 
  room. Roll 2 six-sided dice, add them together and add 6 
  to that total to determine the value for SIZ. 
   
  Intelligence (INT) is a rough guide to your investigator's 
  cunning and ability to make leaps of logic and intuition. 
  Roll 2 six-sided dice, add them together and add 6 to that 
  total to determine the value for INT. 
   
  Power (POW) is a combination of personal magnetism, 
  spirit, and mental stability. It influences your character's 
  ability to cast magical spells, as well as his or her 
  resistance to the sanity-blasting horrors of the Cthulhu 
  Mythos. Roll 3 six-sided dice and add them together to 
  determine the value for POW. 
   
  Appearance (APP) measures the charm and physical 
  appeal of your character. Roll 3 six-sided dice and add 
  them together to determine the value for APP. 
   
  Education (EDU) is a measure of the knowledge that your 
  investigator has accumulated through formal education, or 
  the venerated "School of Hard Knocks." Roll 3 six-sided 
  dice, add them together and add 3 to the total to determine 
  the value for EDU. 
   
  Note, that before play begins, you may swap around any 
  attributes that use the same dice to determine their value. 
  In other words, you could swap any of the values for 
  Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Appearance or Power 
  with each other. You could only swap Size and 
  Intelligence with each other. Education remains static. If 
  the rolls you get for your investigator are abysmal, you 
  should consider re-rolling a few. The average attributes 
  should be around 10-11, if you have too many lower than 
  that, you should pick one or two to re-roll. Note that often 
  playing a character with substandard attributes can be just 
  as satisfying as playing one with exceptionally high 
  attributes. It all comes down to creating a character with 
  which you are comfortable. 
  The Secondary Attributes 
  There are a number of attributes that are determined after 
  you have figured the attributes above. These are Idea, 
  Knowledge, Luck, Dexterity, Charisma, Damage Bonus, 
  Magic Points, Hit Points, and Sanity. 
  Idea is simply your INT score multiplied by 5. This score 
  is used as a percentile roll to give your investigator 
  information, or to make leaps of deduction in certain 
  situations. Percentile rolls will be explained later in the 
  "Game Systems" chapter. 
  Knowledge is your EDU score multiplied by 5. This score 
  is used as a percentile roll to show how your investigator's 
  education and training gives insight certain situations. 
  Luck is your POW score multiplied by 5. This score is 
  often used as a percentile roll to give your character a last 
  chance in a crisis situation, or to cause bad things to 
  happen to the only investigator in the group to fail the roll. 
  Dexterity is your DEX score multiplied by 5. This score is 
  used as a percentile roll to give your investigator 
  manipulation skills for which no game skill exists. It could 
  decide for instance, if the investigator was able to pick that 
  lock or was able to grab the vine at the edge of the cliff. 
  Charisma is your APP score multiplied by 5.  This score 
  is used as a percentile roll to give your investigator 
  communication skills for which no game skill exists. Did 
  he or she make a good impression? Did she catch 
  everybody's attention? 
  Damage Bonus is how much extra damage your 
  investigator does with a successful close-combat attack. 
  Add your STR and SIZ and consult the Damage Bonus 
  Table to find your damage bonus. 
  Damage Bonus Table 
  STR + SIZ  
  DB 
  2 to 12   
  -1D6 
  13 to 16   
  -1D4 
  17 to 24   
  +0 
  25 to 32   
  +1D4 
  33 to 40   
  +1D6 
   
  Magic Points are equal to your POW. MPs fluctuate up 
  and down as you cast spells or activate arcane alien 
  devices. If your investigator's MPs ever fall below 0, he or 
  she goes unconscious until he or she can recover them. 
  Hit Points are figured by adding SIZ and CON together, 
  then dividing the total by two and rounding up. As your 
  investigator takes damage from combat or other events, 
  your HPs will drop. If you drop to only 2 HPs, your 
  investigator goes unconscious. If he or she hits -2 or lower, 
  he or she is dead. 
  Sanity (SAN) begins at a level equal to your POW score 
  multiplied by 5. Circle the value that corresponds to this 
  number on the character sheet. This score is used as a 
  percentile roll that presents your investigator's ability to 
  remain stoic in the face of horrors. As you face the horrors 
  of the Cthulhu Mythos your SAN score fluctuates. It can 
  raise above it's starting level, but can never be higher than 
  99 minus the value of your Cthulhu Mythos skill (q.v.). 
  Occupation and Skills 
  At this point, you should have an idea of what your 
  investigator does for a living. This choice of occupation 
  will influence the selection of skills for your character. To 
  begin with, choose an occupation. Anything you think 
  would be interesting to play is valid, but you should 
  confirm this with your keeper. Some favorite occupations 
  in Cthulhu Dark Ages are Scholar, Free Warrior or 
  Mercenary, Healer, and Small Trader. However, the 
  occupations are only limited by your imagination. 
  Once you have select the occupation, you should look at 
  the list of skills on you character sheet. Choose 8 skills 
  that are appropriate for your character's chosen occupation. 
  These are your "Occupation Skills." 
  You now have to assign percentile points to the skills on 
  the character sheet. Before you do so, please note that no 
  skill can start play with a rating higher than 75. 
  
  5 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  Additionally no character can add points to the Cthulhu 
  Mythos skill during character creation. It is assumed that 
  all beginning characters are ignorant of the threat of the 
  Mythos. 
  You multiply your EDU score by 15 to get the number of 
  points to spread amongst your Occupation Skills. Add any 
  number of these points to the eight skills you chose. Each 
  skill on the character sheet also has a number in 
  parenthesis next to it. This is the "Base Chance" that every 
  investigator has with that skill. Any points you add to a 
  skill stack with its Base Chance. For example, if you add 
  15 points to the "Conceal" skill (Base Chance of 15) you 
  would have "Conceal: 30". 
  After selecting the Occupation Skills, select your Sideline 
  Skills. These are skills that your character has acquired 
  over the course of his or her life. To determine how many 
  points you have to spend on them, multiply your INT score 
  by 10. Divide those points amongst any skills on the sheet 
  you would like (again, you can't put points into Cthulhu 
  Mythos). Note that you may wish to save a few skill points 
  to buy combat skills such as "Fist/Punch," "Sword," etc. 
  Sample Occupations 
  FREE WARRIOR 
  You are a proud miles, a professional warrior. You are a 
  bold adventurer on his own or hired by a warlord. Your 
  only possessions are a horse, a long sword and a 
  chainmail. 
  Skills: grapple, natural world, own kingdom, ride, status, 
  track, one weapon skill, and one other skill as a personal 
  specialty. 
  Yearly income: up to 9000 deniers. 
   
  FREE FARMER, FISHERMAN OR WOODSMAN 
  You are the salt of the earth: as a well-to-do farmer or 
  colonist, your community depends on your crops, and you 
  work like a horse. As a fisherman you are living in a 
  fishing community by a lake or by the sea. As a woodsman 
  you exploit the forest: you might be a hunter, a honey 
  gatherer or a woodcutter that produces charcoal. 
  Skills: pick one craft, drive horses or pilot boat or track, 
  natural world, navigate, sneak or swim, spot hidden or 
  listen, and two other skills as personal specialties. 
  Yearly income: up to 600 deniers. 
   
  PRIEST 
  You are on a mission from Church to enlighten laymen 
  and women in the ways of God. You are an exorcist or a 
  full-fledged priest who is bound to a parish and collects 
  the tithe from the farmers, most of which goes to your 
  greedy lord anyway. Although celibacy is strongly 
  recommended, some of you have a concubine and have 
  children! 
  Skills: fast talk, insight, Latin, occult, persuade, status, and 
  two other skills as personal specialties (religiously correct 
  spells allowed for exorcists). 
  Yearly income: up to 600 deniers. 
   
  MONK/NUN OR SCHOLAR 
  You work in a monastery or in a (cathedral) school in the 
  city. When you don't preach or teach, you spend your time 
  reading classical authors, writing manuals, or copying 
  arcane manuscripts from the monastery's library. 
  Skills:  pick one craft or science or art, Latin, library use, 
  occult, own kingdom, status, write Latin, and one other 
  skill as a personal specialty. 
  Yearly income: up to 1200 deniers. Nota Bene: monks 
  and nuns should not own anything, spend the money to 
  buy personal effects, and donate the rest down to a few 
  deniers. 
  Final Touches 
  You now have something that looks like a finished 
  character. Go back to the top of the sheet, make sure you 
  have a name, sex, age, and all the other information filled 
  in. Look over the character sheet and taking one last look 
  at all the skills, attributes, etc. which you have generated. 
  From looking over all this material, you will begin to get 
  an idea of who this character is. 
  You might want to fill out some notes on your 
  investigator's background and personality. Who is he or 
  she really? Where did he or she grow up? What is his or 
  her family like? The more time you spend thinking about 
  your character, the more it develops a personality. 
  The Game System 
  Playing the Game 
  In a role-playing game, there is no winner or loser. You all 
  win if everyone tells a good story and is moved by the 
  drama of the tale. You lose if nobody has fun. However, to 
  keep things moving along during the course of the game 
  you will be called on to roll dice to determine the outcome 
  of critical events. Generally, "Skill Checks" may be called 
  for in stressful situations. Walking down a clear hallway is 
  not a stressful situation. Running down a rubble-strewn 
  corridor while being chased by howling, slavering ghouls 
  is. 
  The following section outlines the basics of playing a 
  game of Cthulhu Dark Ages. 
  Dice Rolling & Skill Checks 
  Different types of polyhedral dice are used to determine 
  the outcome of events in a Cthulhu Dark Ages session. 
  You should be able to purchase a set of these dice in any 
  good game store. You will want at least one each of 4-, 6-, 
  8-, 10-, 12-, and 20-sided die. You will also want to pick 
  up dice referred to as "percentage" dice. These dice will 
  have ten sides numbered "10, 20, 30, etc." Dice notation in 
  the game is simple. You will always know what type and 
  number of dice to roll when you see something like "1D6" 
  or "3D10." The first number is the quantity of dice to roll. 
  The second number (after the "D") tells you what type. So, 
  "1D6" means to roll a single 6-sided die. "3D10" tells you 
  to roll 3 ten-sided dice and add the values. If you ever see 
  something like "2D6+6" that means to roll 2 six-sided 
  dice, add them together, and then add six to that sum. 
  For the most part, dice are rolled as you normally would. 
  Roll the dice called for in the rules, and read the uppermost 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Introduction 
  6 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  number. One of the most common rolls you will make is a 
  "percentile" roll. All skills, as well as Idea, Know, Luck 
  and Sanity rolls start with a percentile roll. To do this, roll 
  a percentile die as described above, and a regular ten-sided 
  die. Then simply add the two numbers together. If the 
  number you rolled is equal to or under the skill listed on 
  your character sheet, you have succeeded. 
  Example: Jane is rolling to see if her character spots a 
  ghoul sneaking up on her in a dark graveyard. She has a 
  "Spot Hidden" skill of 45%. She rolls the two dice, getting 
  a "60" on the percentile die, and "3" on the ten-sided die. 
  Adding them together, she gets a total of 63, well over her 
  skill of 45%. She never sees the ghoul coming. 
  Generally, the Keeper for your game tells you when you 
  can attempt a skill roll. 
  Additionally, when you successfully roll a given skill, put 
  a check mark in the box next to it on your sheet. You can 
  only get one check per skill at a time. At the end of the 
  scenario, your Keeper will tell you to "roll for skill 
  increases." At this time, roll percentile dice against any 
  checked skills. If you roll over the value of the skill, you 
  can then add 1D6 points to the skill's value. In other 
  words, the more you know about something, the harder it 
  is to learn anything new, or get any better. 
  The Resistance Table 
   
  For success, roll 1D100 equal to or less than the indicated number 
   
  
  7 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  The Resistance Table 
  On occasion, you may need to roll a test that's not covered 
  by the skills on your sheet. In this instance, you will look 
  at your characteristics and determine which is best to use, 
  and then match them against a value set by the Keeper on 
  the resistance table below. 
  For example, let's say your character with a STR score of 
  13 is arm-wrestling with Burly John, who has a STR of 18. 
  You look up your STR of 13 on the Resistance Table as 
  the "Active Characteristic" then look up Burly John's as 
  the "Passive Characteristic." The value that meets on both 
  axes of the graph shows you the number you have to hit. If 
  you roll equal or under that number, you have succeeded. 
  However, in a case of two people or a person and a 
  monster resisting each other, the other character gets a 
  chance to roll as well. In a case such as this, ties extend the 
  action, and the first character to roll a success when the 
  opponent rolls a failure wins. 
  However, let's say your character is barreling down a 
  rubble-strewn hallway in a musty tomb. A pack of ghouls 
  are running behind him, hungry for his or her tasty flesh 
  and organs. The Keeper might tell you that you have to 
  make a resisted DEX test against a difficulty of 14 or you 
  trip and fall. In this case, match your DEX as the active 
  characteristic against the passive value of 14. If you 
  succeed, you keep running. If you fail, you fall, and are 
  probably doomed. 
  Again, the Keeper could also call for a test of your DEX 
  against the DEX of the ghouls to see if they overcome you. 
  In this case, you'd roll just as when facing off against 
  Burly John, but using DEX instead of STR. 
  Sanity 
  The horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos threaten the mind as 
  much as the body. The psychic shock from encountering 
  the alien terrors of the Mythos is one of the primary 
  dangers that characters in the game will endure. 
  Investigating mysteries in a Cthulhu Dark Ages game take 
  a dreadful toll on the sanity of the investigators, and 
  eventually lead to madness. 
  Whenever you encounter the horrors of the Mythos, or 
  come across something mundane yet horrific (such as 
  stumbling across your best friend's mutilated corpse) you 
  make a percentile roll against your current Sanity score. If 
  you roll over your current Sanity, you lose a greater 
  amount of Sanity points. If you roll under, you will lose 
  less, or none. The Sanity loss is generally described for an 
  event as something like "0/1D6" or "2/1D10." The number 
  before the slash mark tells you how much Sanity your 
  character loses if it rolls under his or her current SAN 
  score; the number after the slash is how much your 
  character loses if you roll over your current SAN. 
  When confronted with sanity-blasting events, your Keeper 
  will ask you to roll the percentile dice and then let you 
  know how much SAN you lose depending on if you 
  succeed or fail. 
  Unfortunately, regaining lost Sanity is a long, arduous 
  process. You may have to check your character into a 
  monastery, or seek other forms of private care or spiritual 
  retreats, safe from further upset and harm to get those 
  points back. Generally, at the successful end of each 
  scenario you should get a few points back as a reward. 
  Additionally, when you raise a skill above 90% through 
  experience, you get a few points added to your Sanity as 
  well. 
  As your SAN score slips lower, your character becomes 
  less and less stable and his or her ability to function 
  decreases. Full rules for Sanity are not included here, but 
  your keeper will let you know the effects of this 
  degradation when you play the game. 
  Combat 
  Combat in Cthulhu Dark Ages is dangerous and deadly. 
  When you are confronted with the horror of the Mythos, it 
  is generally a better idea to run away, or avoid 
  confrontation all together. However, often there is no other 
  choice than to go in, slashing and hacking away and make 
  the best of it. 
  The rules for combat in Cthulhu Dark Ages are simple. 
  When a combat occurs, all investigators, as well as 
  characters and monsters controlled by the keeper act in 
  order of their DEX scores. The highest DEX goes first, 
  and they go in descending order from there. 
  A combat round in Cthulhu Dark Ages is timed vaguely, 
  and is best described as "long enough for everyone to do 
  one or two interesting things." The flow of the round is 
  best controlled by the keeper, and hard and fast rules for 
  movement and actions are not part of the game. The 
  keeper should simply give everyone a chance to do 
  something quickly while being aware of the narrative flow. 
  When it comes time for you to attack, you simply choose a 
  target and roll the appropriate skill. If you are shooting 
  with a bow, you might have "Bow 50%" and you would 
  use that skill. If you are trying to punch or kick, you use 
  the appropriately named skill. As with all skill rolls, you 
  roll percentile dice and try to roll equal to or less than the 
  designated value on your character sheet. 
  If you succeed in the roll, you hit your opponent and do 
  damage appropriate to the weapon you are using. The 
  Weapon Table gives some sample damage values. Note 
  that most "melee" weapons (i.e.: a weapon you use in close 
  combat such as a knife or even your fists) also adds your 
  character's "Damage Bonus" to the listed damage. 
  When a target is hit, roll the damage dice and subtract the 
  total value from its total Hit Points. Some targets have 
  armor, or resistances that reduces the value of the damage, 
  causing them to lose fewer Hit Points. This is common for 
  investigators in a Dark Ages setting, and most monsters 
  you will face probably have some sort of armor. 
  In a combat round, an investigator wielding a shield can 
  attempt to parry (block) one attack using his or her Shield 
  skill. 
  If your investigator is taking damage, note that as soon as 
  he or she is reduced to 2 or less Hit Points, he or she falls 
  unconscious. If the investigator drops below - 2 Hit Points, 
  he or she dies. 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Introduction 
  8 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  Weapon Table 
  Weapon  
  Damage  
  Base % 
  Fist/Punch  
  1D3+db  
  50% 
  Knife 
   
  1D4+db  
  25% 
  Sword  
  1D8+db  
  20% 
  Spear 
   
  1D6+db  
  15% 
  Bow/arrow 
  1D8 (no db) 
  10% 
  Armor Table 
  Armor  
  Damage absorbed 
  Leather, Soft 
  3 
  Leather, Boiled 4 
  Leather & rings 5 
  Chainmail 
  6 
   
  Add +1to the armor rating when wearing a helm 
  Shields 
  Shield  
  Hit Points 
  Base % 
  Improvised 
  15 
   
  10% 
  Small 
   
  20 
   
  15% 
  Medium  
  25 
   
  15% 
  Large 
   
  30 
   
  15% 
   
  The shield’s HP represents the maximum weapon damage 
  it can absorb or deflect without being itself damaged 
  Recommended Books & Movies 
  “Then with utter and horrifying suddenness we heard a 
  frightful sound from below. It was from the tethered horses 
  - they had screamed, not neighed, but screamed... and 
  there was no light down there, nor the sound of any human 
  thing, to shew why they had done so” – “The Very Old 
  Folk” – H.P. Lovecraft 
   
  The following books and films should get you in the 
  proper mindset to play a game of Cthulhu Dark Ages. 
  Obviously, you do not have to be familiar with any of 
  these before playing the game, but if you are so inspired, 
  so much the better. 
  Books & Stories 
  Atlas of the Year 1000, J. Man 
  The Year 1000, R. Lacey and D. Danziger. 
   
  H.P. Lovecraft 
  The Colour out of Space, The Haunter of the Dark, The 
  Dunwich Horror. 
  Through the Gates of the Silver Key. 
  From Beyond, The Hound, The Horror at Red Hook, 
  Supernatural Horror in Literature. 
  The Black Stone, The Hounds of Tindalos. 
  Nyarlathotep, The Very Old Folk. 
   
  R.E. Howard 
  The Black Stone, People of the Dark, The Worms of the 
  Earth, The Shadow Kingdom. 
   
   
  R. Campbell 
  The Church in High Street, The Moons Lens. 
   
  C. Barker 
  The Damnation Game 
   
  Mike Mignola 
  Dark Horse Comics 
  Films & Shows 
  Aleksandr Nevskiy 
  L’An Mil 
  Cadfael 
  Conan 
  Dracula (Bram Stoker’s) 
  Dragonslayer 
  Marketa Lazarova 
  Monthy Python: Jabberwocky & Holy Grail 
  Ofelas aka Pathfinder 
  Name of the Rose 
  The Seventh Sign 
  The 13th warrior 
   
  Alien 
  Dark Water 
  The Grudge 
  The Haunting (1963) 
  Re-Animator 
  The Ring 
  The Thing 
  Video Games 
  Silent Hill 
  
  9 
  Quick Start Cthulhu Dark Ages 
  Stéphane Gesbert 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  
  Stéphane Gesbert 
  Introduction 
  10 
   
  Cthulhu Dark Ages is copyright © 1997-2002 by S. Gesbert; all rights reserved 
   
  Call of Cthulhu is copyright © 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999 by Chaosium Inc.; all rights reserved 
  Dark Ages Costs & Equipment 
  FOOD (FOR THE BODY AND MIND) 
  2 pounds (loaves) of wheat bread 
  1 denier 
  2 pounds of cheese 
  1 denier 
  3 dozens eggs 
  1 denier 
  Food, 1 day 
  1 denier 
  Food and lodging, 1 day 
  1-5 deniers 
  Horse fodder, 1 day 
  3-6 deniers 
  Book, regular (e.g. law book) 
  100 deniers 
  CLOTHING 
  Linen piece 
  12 deniers 
  Woolen pelisse - cheap 
  12 deniers 
  Hooded cloak or robe 
  60 deniers 
  Short cloak - superior 
  120 deniers 
  Double cloak, hooded - winter 
  140 deniers 
  Marten cloak, bonnet - noble 
  360 deniers 
  TOOLS 
  Bucket 
  12 deniers 
  Awl, plane, auger, file, pliers, shears, 
  hammer, saw 
  4-24 deniers 
  Sickle, hand ax, pickax, spade 
  24 deniers 
  Swing plow 
  72 deniers 
  Plow (iron plowshare and colter) 
  140 deniers 
  WEAPONS, SHIELDS AND ARMOUR 
  24 arrows or 12 bolts 
  12 deniers 
  Fine scabbard 
  72 deniers 
  Helm 
  200 deniers 
   
  Hand-to-Hand Weapons 
  cost 
  Ax 
  40 deniers 
  Ax, Frankish 
  ? 
  Ax, Great 
  100 deniers 
  Knife, Small 
  10 deniers 
  Knife, Large 
  15 deniers 
  Lance 
  40 deniers 
  Mace 
  20 deniers 
  Spear, Short 
  20 deniers 
  Spear, Long 
  25 deniers 
  Sword, Short 
  120 deniers 
  Sword, Long 
  180 deniers 
  Sword, Frankish 
  ? 
   
   
  Missile Weapons 
   
  Bow 
  40 deniers 
  Crossbow 
  100 deniers 
  Sling 
  5 deniers 
   
   
  Shields 
   
  Shield, Small 
  25 deniers 
  Shield, Medium 
  60 deniers 
  Shield, Large 
  80 deniers 
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  Resinous torch, lamp oil, candle for 2-
  hours worth of light 
  1 denier 
  Creeper rope, 30-ft 
  2 deniers 
  Fiber rope, 30-ft 
  12 deniers 
  6-persons tent, incl. 2 10-ft poles 
  360 deniers 
  Traveler’s pack: outer wear, water-skin, 
  knife, fishing line & hook, felt blanket, 
  sack, flintstone & iron, whetstone 
  240 deniers 
  Hungarian or Moorish-type saddle 
  200+ deniers 
  Warrior gear: war-horse, saddle, horn, 
  sword, spear, helm, chainmail, shield 
  2400 deniers 
  DAILY WAGES 
  Farmer, priest, servant 
  1-3 deniers 
  Craftsman, sailor 
  3-5 deniers 
  Guard, cleric, mercenary 
  5-12 deniers 
  Warrior, merchant, maître-d’oeuvre 
  12-24 deniers 
  ANIMALS 
  Farm dog 
  12 deniers 
  Sheep 
  12-15 deniers 
  Cow 
  24 deniers 
  Mule 
  36 deniers 
  Sow 
  12-54 deniers 
  Ox 
  24-108 deniers 
  Horse 
  240+ deniers 
  War-horse 
  600 deniers 
  Young slave, boy or girl 
  < 3000 deniers 
  Freeman or –woman’s life (e.g. ransom) 
  ±15000 deniers 
  VEHICLES 
  Wheelbarrow 
  12 deniers 
  Two-wheeled cart 
  120 deniers 
  Four-wheeled wagon 
  240 deniers 
  Four wheeled cart (leathered) 
  360 deniers 
  CONSTRUCTIONS 
  Commoner’s hut 
  24 deniers 
  Commoner’s house 
  120 deniers 
  Short wooden bridge 
  140 deniers 
  Fishery 
  160 deniers 
  Timber hall 
  240 deniers 
  Water mill 
  270 deniers 
  Small farm with land 
  2400 deniers 
  Earth and timber castle: tower, moat, 
  stockade, ditch, bailey and gatehouse 
  12000 deniers 
  BOATS 
  Rowboat 
  120 deniers 
  Raft 
  12 deniers 
  Viking Drakkar 
  9000 deniers 
  Norse Knorr 
  3000 deniers 
  Merchant boat (rowboat/pump optional) 
  12000 deniers 
  Byzantine merchant ship (incl. rowboat) 
  24000 deniers 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Cthulhu Dark Ages (CoC)/CoC - Dark Ages - Quick Start.pdf