TEXT: A  D U N G E O N  W O R L D  Z I N E
  M A N A G I N G  E D I T O R :  C H R I S  S A K K A S
  D E S I G N :  J . W A L T O N
  TH E  W I N E - D A R K  S E A
  2
  
  8
  SING TO ME, MUSE,  
  OF THE [ZINE] OF  
  TWISTS & TURNS,  
  DRIVEN TIME & TIME  
  AGAIN OFF COURSE 
   
  – Homer, The Odyssey
  
  Father Zeus, wilt thou at all be wroth with me if I smite Ares and 
  chase him from the battle in sorry plight?”
  And Zeus the cloud-gatherer answered and said to her: “Go to 
  now, set upon him Athene driver of the spoil, who most is wont to 
  bring sore pain upon him.”
  So spake he, and the white-armed goddess Hera disregarded not, 
  and lashed her horses; they nothing loth flew on between earth and 
  starry heaven. As far as a man seeth with his eyes into the haze 
  of distance as he sitteth on a place of outlook and gazeth over the 
  wine-dark sea, so far leap the loudly neighing horses of the gods. 
  – The Iliad of Homer, trans. Lang, Leaf and Myers
  Welcome to the second issue of Grim Portents, a fan zine for 
  Dungeon World and other story games that are ‘Powered by 
  the Apocalypse’. 
  Release 1. May 2014. For updates and new issues, see Living 
  Libre. (<http://www.livinglibre.com>)
  Thank you to John Ryan for suggesting this issue’s theme, The 
  Wine-Dark Sea.
  Thank you to the authors of our articles, many of whom also 
  provided feedback for other contributions. Thank you also to 
  our artists. Jonathan Walton created the cover and also did 
  layout for the entire zine. A special thank you to him.
  This issue also used artworks from Wikimedia Commons, the 
  Prismatic Art Collection, Spears of the Dawn and Open Game 
  Art. See the art and licensing section for more information.
  The version of The Iliad of Homer quoted on this page is one 
  of several on Project Gutenberg. <http://www.gutenberg.org/
  cache/epub/3059/pg3059.html>
  ART AND LICENSING
  Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel made the brave and generous 
  decision to license Dungeon World under the Creative Commons 
  Attribution licence. That made this zine possible.
  As a compilation, Grim Portents issue 2 is released under 
  the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported 
  License. That means you are free to share and adapt it for any 
  purpose, provided you keep all duplicates and derivatives under 
  the same Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike licence. 
  Original written contributions to Grim Portents issue 2 are under 
  the more liberal Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported 
  License, with the exception of ‘Morgan City, Louisiana’, which 
  is under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike. The 
  ANNOUNCING 
  FUTURE  
  BADNESS
  CHRIS SAKKAS
  sourced contributions are under the licences specified in their 
  attribution.
  If you are interested in Creative Commons licences and other 
  forms of free culture, open source and intellectual property 
  minimalism, Chris Sakkas has a blog called Living Libre. <http://
  www.livinglibre.com>
  Written and laid out in Adobe InDesign. 
  • 
  The illustration of the Groda Thul from ‘The Damned Isle’ 
  is ‘A Viking Foray’ by John Charles Dollman, and from 
  Wikimedia Commons. It is in the public domain. <http://
  commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Viking_Foray.jpg>
  • 
  The illustration for ‘The Necromancer’ is by kirill777, and 
  from Open Game Art. It is under the Creative Commons 
  Attribution 3.0 Unported License. <http://opengameart.
  org/content/necromancer>
  • 
  The illustration of the sacrifice at the shrine from ‘The 
  Damned Isle’ is by Nicole Cardiff, and was created for 
  Spears of the Dawn. It is in the public domain. <http://
  opengameart.org/content/african-inspired-art-by-nicole-
  cardiff-and-sara-mirabella-spears-of-the-dawn>
  • 
  The illustration of one of the Precious Gems from ‘The 
  Damned Isle’ is ‘Flashing Ray’, ©2012  Crystal Frasier, and 
  from the Prismatic Art Collection. It is under the Creative 
  Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. 
  <http://www.prismaticart.com/collection/flashing-ray>
  • The illustration for ‘Suddenly Ogres’ is ‘Ogre’ by Remi 
  and hosted by Open Game Art. It is under the CC0 licence. 
  <http://opengameart.org/content/ogre>
  • The illustration of a hero wearing winged sandals and 
  receiving the helm of darkness from ‘The Gifts of the 
  Gods’ is ‘Perseus Armed by the Nymphs’ by Walter 
  Crane and hosted by Wikimedia Commons. It is in the 
  public domain. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
  File:Perseus_Arming_for_his_Quest.jpg>
  • 
  The illustration of a hero empowered by the fury of Ares 
  from ‘The Gifts of the Gods’ is from Wikimedia Commons. 
  It is in the public domain. <https://commons.wikimedia.
  org/wiki/File:Achilles_in_Battle.jpg> 
  • 
  The illustrations from ‘Islands of the Wine-Dark Sea’ are 
  by John Flaxman and from Wikipedia Commons. They are 
  in the public domain. <https://commons.wikimedia.org/
  wiki/Category:Odysseus_by_John_Flaxman>
  • The cover photograph is adapted by Jonathan Walton 
  from ‘Waves forming at beach’ by Arturo Mann. It is 
  under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 
  2.5 (Unported) licence. <https://commons.wikimedia.
  org/wiki/File:Waves_forming_at_beach.jpg>
  1
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  I S S U E  # 2
  T H E  W I N E -DARK SEA
  CALAMITIES OF WHICH WE WERE FOREWARNED
  (GM-facing stuff)
  1. The Fourth Page: Artifact  
   
   
   
   page 4
  2. The Wine-Dark Sea  
   
   
   
   
   page 5
  3. The Hydrodæmon  
   
   
   
   
   page 7
  4. The Ziggurat   
   
   
   
   
   page 9
  5. Marine Adventures  
   
   
   
   
   page 11
  6. Islands of the Wine-Dark Sea  
    
   
   page 14
  7. Suddenly Ogres 
   
   
   
   
   page 19
  8. The Damned Isle 
   
   
   
   
   page 22
  9. The Barrow Downs 
   
   
   
   
   page 26
  MISTAKES WE RECOGNIZED IN THE MAKING
  (player-facing stuff)
  1. The Maestro  
   
   
   
   
   
   page 28
  2. The Necromancer  
   
   
   
   
   page 30
  3. The Hardened Convict   
   
   
   
   page 34
  4. The Champion  
   
   
   
   
   page 37
  5. Gifts of the Gods 
   
   
   
   
   page 40
  HERETOFORE UNIMAGINED CATASTROPHES
  (all manner of hackery)
  1. Morgan City, Louisiana  
   
   
   
   page 44
  2. Excerpts from Traveller World   
   
   
   page 47
  3. Opposition Generator for Spy Games   
   
   page 49
  
  CALAMITIES  
  OF WHICH  
  WE  
  WERE  
  FOREWARNED 
   
  (GM-facing stuff)
  3
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  A. ORIGIN
  1.	Holy
  1. It’s been lost for centuries. 
  2. It once belonged to a dark	god. 
  3. It was made for a holy quest. 
  4. It’s faithful to you and your cause. 
  5. You must prove	yourself to it. 
  6. They want	it	back.
  2.	Magic
  1. It’s covered in mysterious runes. 
  2. It’s powered by a trapped	soul. 
  3. You must speak the proper words. 
  4. Its charges are running low. 
  5. It’s a piece	of	something bigger. 
  6. The focus crystal needs replacing. 
  3.	Masterwork
  1. It was forged by dwarven blacksmiths. 
  2. Elven weavers put years into its making. 
  3. No demon lord fights without one. 
  4. It’s infused with a drop of dragon blood. 
  5. It’s in mint	condition. 
  6. It’s the best a human could do.
  4.	Natural
  1. It breathes and pulses in your hand. 
  2. It requires sustenance. 
  3. It bonds to your flesh. 
  4. It’s starting its metamorphosis. 
  5. It glows in the dark. 
  6. It followed you home. 
  5.	Otherworldly
  1. It’s decidedly non-Euclidean. 
  2. It’s silicon-based life. 
  3. It hurts	to	look at it. 
  4. It’s goopy. 
  5. It’s bigger	on	the	inside. 
  6. It’s made from meteoric iron.
  6.	Technological
  1. Its gears click and whiz. 
  2. It jams at the worst times. 
  3. Sparks fly in all directions. 
  4. It’s a one-of-a-kind prototype. 
  5. It leaks acid all over you. 
  6. It needs reloading after every use.
  B. POWER
  1.	Blessing
  1. You see visions of the future. 
  2. You move unseen. 
  3. You’ve had fantastic luck lately. 
  4. You sense lies and deception. 
  5. Disease cannot touch you. 
  6. Dark entities fear you.
  2.	Curse
  1. You’re plagued by terrible nightmares. 
  2. You’ve been polymorphed. 
  3. Your thoughts are not your own. 
  4. You’ve lost your voice. 
  5. You’re aging rapidly. 
  6. The stink just won’t wash off. 
  3.	Enhancement
  1. You have the might of the giants. 
  2. You’re as agile as the wind. 
  3. You feel healthier than ever. 
  4. Your mind is filled with knowledge. 
  5. Your senses are heightened. 
  6. Your charm is irresistible. 
  4.	Force
  1. It shoots gouts of flame. 
  2. You shock your foes with lightning. 
  3. The wind obeys your call. 
  4. Thunderous sound blasts your enemies. 
  5. You control illusory phantasms. 
  6. You freeze your target in place. 
  5.	Protection
  1. You are immune to the elements. 
  2. Your skin is as hard as stone. 
  3. It cloaks you in shadow. 
  4. It fights at	your	side. 
  5. You’re as steady as a mountain. 
  6. It heals your wounds. 
  6.	Utility
  1. It provides a brilliant light. 
  2. You can command simple beasts. 
  3. You breathe water as if it were air. 
  4. You can teleport short distances. 
  5. You understand foreign languages. 
  6. You see	and	hear over vast distances.
  THE 
  FOURTH PAGE  
  :ARTIFACT
  MIKE RIVERSO 
  Idea generators  
  for World of Dungeons 
  and other fantasy games
  4
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  When all was said and done, only the Brothers Magi remained. 
  What had once been a desert, its red sands host to all manner 
  of life, was nothing but purple glass - the Wine-Dark Sea. In 
  many areas the glass is smooth and clear but in others it juts 
  towards the sky in jagged, razor-sharp sprays or descends in 
  richly-hued cascades among the stone outcroppings that mar 
  the sea. A careful observer will note that many of the beasts 
  who once made their lairs in the sand remain, trapped. And 
  what of the dwellers of the sand, you may ask? They simply 
  shrugged and went on with their lives as dwellers of the glass.
  IMPRESSIONS
  • 
  An aquifer carved down into the glass
  • 
  A stone temple emerging from beneath the glass
  • 
  Pitons anchoring a line across a smooth slope
  • 
  Smooth tunnels below, travelers visible through the glass
  • 
  A caravan of wind carts racing across the sea
  • 
  A giant face, formed from glass
  • 
  A sudden storm, pummeling the rain-slick glass
  • 
  Bones litter the bottom of a wide depression, a “slick trap”
  • 
  A town, nestled in a subsurface bubble
  • 
  Blinding glare from the morning sun on the sea
  • 
  Swarms of crystal crawlers and other tiny glass elementals
  • 
  A magma vent surrounded by molten glass
  • 
  A long slide-way among the stone outcroppings
  • 
  Strange mirages as the glass distorts images of  
  faraway places
  • 
  A gush of water flowing from a hole in the glass
  • 
  Bodies trapped in the glass, alone or in small groups
  • 
  Tufts of grass among pockets of wind-blown soil
  • 
  Deep and jagged fissures in the glass
  • 
  Sun-hot glass scorching your feet
  • 
  Dwellers of the glass with blinding mirrors and sharp glass
  • 
  A glowing beacon in a glass spire
  • 
  More damned glass …
  CUSTOM MOVES
  When	you	shatter	wine-dark	glass, roll+STR. On a 10+, you 
  send shards of purple glass flying exactly where you intended. 
  On a 7–9, you cover the ground around you with shards of 
  purple glass. 
  	
  When	you	come	in	contact	with	shards	of	wine-dark	glass, 
  add +1 to every damage die rolled as their sharp edges lacerate 
  your skin and pierce your garb.
  MONSTERS
  Clear Dogs
  Group, Small, Stealthy, Organized, Terrifying
  Sharp teeth (d8+2 damage 1 piercing), 10 HP, 1 Armor
  Close, Reach
  Special Qualities: Transparent flesh, Visible internal processes
  The clear dogs of the Wine-Dark Sea have adapted to the stark 
  transparency of their world. Their flesh devoid of pigment, the 
  packs laze on the sun-warm glass – more translucent shapes 
  on the horizon. Make no mistake, they can be upon you in an 
  instant, their padded feet giving nothing away. Their only tell 
  is the smell of ammonia where they have marked their territory. 
  Instinct: To ambush prey.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Disappear against the glass
  • 
  Surround and harry
  • 
  Summon packmates with high-pitched barks
  THE  
  WINE-DARK 
  SEA
  MARSHALL MILLER 
  Edited by Mike Burnett
  Illustrations by Nate Marcel
  5
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Glass Worm
  Solitary, Stealthy, Terrifying
  Rings of teeth (d10+2 damage), 12 HP
  Close
  Special Qualities: Lubricating secretions, Malleable width
  Glass worms inhabit cracks and fissures in the glass surface 
  of the Wine-Dark Sea. Dark red and as long as a man, their 
  hydraulic organs and elastic skin allow them to squeeze through 
  the narrowest of cracks. Preying on the sleeping traveler and 
  wandering beast alike, they protrude from their jagged hiding 
  places only long enough to latch onto the unwary and drag 
  them in among the lacerating shards and sharp protrusions. 
  Instinct: To drag you into the jagged cracks.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Squeeze through narrow spaces
  • 
  Extend or retract
  THINGS
  Rubber Anchor
  5 coins, 1 weight
  These concave rubber disks may not look like much but their 
  powerful suction may be the only thing holding you in place 
  on the rain-slick glass when the rain pours and the wind howls. 
  They can even be used when descending through glass chimneys 
  or ascending glass spires.
  SPELLS
  Hand Torch
  Level 1 Evocation
  A jet of intense flame erupts from your palm ... for about a 
  hand’s length. The flame is hot enough to melt glass and ignite 
  fuel sources. Up close, the flame deals 2d4 damage.
  k
  6
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Solitary, Large, Magical, Intelligent, Planar, Organized
  Bite (d12 damage), 16 HP, 2 Armor
  Close, Reach
  Special Qualities: Amphibious
  This massive frog-like creature has massive dull milky white 
  eyes. Its skin, while strong as mail, is loose and flappy, enabling it 
  to glide for brief distances. Not from this world, the hydrodæmon 
  may be conjured here by powerful magic. It has also been known 
  to rip through to this plane so that it may bear witness to the 
  final moments of the water filled gasps of a large number of 
  people drowning. 
  Instinct: To drown the living.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Spit inky-black sleep toxin at someone nearby 
  • 
  Control or befoul nearby water
  • 
  Summon other hydrodæmons to this plane … if only for 
  a short while
  • 
  Hear the final prayers of the drowned
  THE 
   HYDRODÆMON
  JEREMY FRIESEN
  Edited by Tim Franzke
  Illustrations by Nate Marcel
  8
  7
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
   4
  8
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  QUESTIONS
  The alchemist could be a patron or an enemy depending on 
  the way these questions are parsed. Be aware of this and don’t 
  intentionally lead the players to one option or the other: play 
  to find out!
  • 
  How did you track the cult this deep into the jungle?
  • 
  What law did the cultists break?
  • 
  What does the evil presence from the ziggurat feel  
  like to you?
  • 
  Why did you part ways with the alchemist?
  • 
  Why did the alchemist choose this location for his research?
  • 
  What was so disturbing about the odd-looking plant 
  you gave the alchemist?
  IMPRESSIONS
  • 
  Green light, filtered through the canopy hundreds  
  of feet up
  • 
  Bitter-smelling black tar seeping from fallen trees
  • 
  Ancient stone remains of a city overrun by vines
  • 
  Traps disabled by an amateur
  • 
  Recently abandoned campfires
  • 
  Small animals, dead without obvious cause
  • 
  Laboratory equipment, broken and discarded
  • 
  A dead cultist, still clutching a crystal knife
  • 
  Black water in a stone well
  • 
  A stone statue with three heads: lion, snake, and eagle
  • 
  A crudely-constructed wooden bridge
  • 
  Burnt and blackened stone walls, blasted by something
  • 
  Water dripping from the mural-covered ceiling
  • 
  Mundane torches, recently burnt out
  • 
  The alchemist: sanity shattered, robes torn
  • 
  Plants moving quickly to ensnare their quarry
  • 
  Dust falling from a sealed stone door
  • 
  A room larger than the entire outer structure
  • 
  Mummified remains, scattered and dried
  • 
  A guardian of energy, slowly dying
  • 
  A rune-covered portal, fogged with magic
  CUSTOM MOVES
  When	you	approach	a	hastily-disabled	trap, roll+DEX. On 
  a 10+, you’re safe, the trap may be bypassed. On a 7–9, the 
  restraints give way and the trap becomes dangerous again.
  When	you	see	small	animals	awaken	from	the	dead, roll 
  +CON. On a 10+, the sight and sound doesn’t scar your mind. 
  On a 7–9, take -1 forward while you tremble in disbelief.
  When	you	take	aim	and	throw	a	vial	of	alchemist’s	fire, 
  roll+DEX. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7–9, choose one:
  • 
  you catch multiple enemies in the blast
  • 
  the fire spreads only where you intended
  When	you	hear	the	dark	speech	and	attempt	to	understand	
  it, roll+INT. On a 10+, it tells you something interesting and 
  useful about this place. On a 7–9, its corrupting influence 
  infects your personality; take -1 forward until you demonstrate  
  your humanity.
  When	you	gaze	into	the	Crystalline	Portal, roll+WIS. On a 
  hit, you see the other side: describe it. On a 10+, nothing from 
  the other side sees you.
  THE ZIGGURAT
  ADAM BLINKINSOP 
  Edited by Mike Burnett
  Illustrations by Joshua Cross
  9
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  i
  THINGS
  Corruption
  Poison, dangerous, touch
  The target is Scarred (CHA debility, -1 to CHA modifier), and 
  the scar drips and bubbles black
  A crystal knife,  
  covered in Corruption
  Close, precise, 1 weight
  Vials of alchemist’s fire,  
  burning blue
  Ignores armor, thrown, near, 0 weight, fragile
  MONSTERS
  Awakened 
  Group, Tiny, Organized
  Bite (d6 damage), 10 HP, 0 Armor
  Hand
  Wait, the undead aren’t supposed to be cute … 
  Instinct: Seek warmth.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Burrow into flesh
  • 
  Sleep in warm places
  • 
  Swarm
  Cultist
  Group, Devious, Close, Intelligent
  Crystal knife (d8 damage, corruption), 7 HP, 0 Armor
  Close
  Special Qualities: Scarred
  I did the ritual, I’ve got the black scars to prove it. What do I 
  care about going out in public? I have the others at my back, 
  and the blackness of other worlds ahead. Death here or in the 
  world beyond: there’s no difference. 
  Instinct: To corrupt.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Chant in the dark speech
  • 
  Draw power from scars
  Guardian
  Construct, Solitary, Intelligent, Cautious
  Lightning (d10 damage), 16 HP, 1 Armor
  Hand, Far
  Special Qualities: Pure energy, Patient
  Four thousand years without my creators, and still my infinite 
  task needs me. When will they return to see me through to the 
  other side? I don’t have much time left … 
  Instinct: To preserve.
  Monster moves:
  • 
  Destroy corruption
  • 
  Hide in runes of power
  • 
  Age living things with a touch
  10
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  So, your adventurers have a ship. Or they’re travelling aboard 
  one. These tables can be used to come up with a mission or 
  plan for the vessel, or suggest events that might take place on 
  the journey. 
  The main tables are ‘piratical plans’ and ‘naval missions.’ 
  If the PCs are in command of a freebooter ship, the piratical 
  plans may be used to come up with a few possible destinations/
  objectives that they can choose between (or even add to the jobs 
  list if you are running a Planarch Codex freebooter campaign). 
  If they’re crew and don’t get a say in what to do, just roll for 
  what the next expedition is.
  MARINE 
  ADVENTURES
  MICHAEL SANDS
  Edited by Steve Hickey  
  and Christopher Weeks
  Illustrations by Dan Bellum
  Naval missions are for when the king, queen, ruling council 
  or other authority gives the PCs a mission to accomplish. The 
  naval missions section includes a table for the quality of senior 
  officers, if the PCs are under someone else’s orders. 
  The twists table is used once to add an unexpected or unusual 
  element to the journey, whatever the objective. It can be used 
  with either of the other tables.
  11
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  PIRATICAL PLANS
  If your ship is on the outlaw side, generate the crew’s current plan with a roll:
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1.	In	Port
  Problems on-
  shore: families, 
  legal, etc.
  Refit the ship.
  Desertion and 
  recruiting.
  Crew go on an 
  epic bender.
  A rival crew is  
  in town.
  Deliver or sell 
  illicit goods.
  2.	Coastal
  Smuggling.
  Stealthy 
  burglary in  
  port town.
  Finding likely 
  targets.
  Cut out a ship.
  Raid a port 
  town.
  Take out a naval 
  patrol vessel.
  3.	Rumours*
  Rumours of 
  richer hunting 
  far away.
  A treasure map 
  of dubious 
  provenance.
  “Their backpay 
  will be on board 
  this one sloop.”
  Itinerary of 
  someone who 
  will fetch a 
  superb ransom.
  “We buried all 
  the loot for 
  safety, years ago. 
  But they built 
  an orphanage 
  on it.”
  Location of a 
  magical artifact 
  that protects 
  the ship from 
  sinking.
  4.	Cruising
  General cruise 
  for booty.
  Ambush 
  merchants 
  travelling a well-
  known route.
  Rations and 
  supplies are 
  getting low.
  Pillars of smoke 
  on the horizon.
  “These have 
  always been 
  lucky waters.”
  In pursuit of a 
  rare sea monster 
  of great value.
  5.	Treasure
  A treasure map 
  of impeccable 
  provenance.
  “We need more 
  gold! Simple  
  as that.”
  Search for loot-
  filled lost city, 
  tomb, etc.
  Hired to acquire 
  a certain item. 
  “You can keep 
  everything else.”
  Intercept the 
  treasure fleet.
  Raid a great 
  treasury on 
  shore.
  6.	Vendetta
  A wager  
  between you  
  and a rival ship. 
  A former captive 
  seeks revenge.
  A matter of 
  honour. Dawn 
  tomorrow? 
  Swords or 
  pistols?
  That crew you 
  betrayed are 
  coming for 
  revenge.
  That pesky navy 
  officer is after 
  you again.
  You have 
  annoyed the 
  authorities one 
  time to many.
  * When you use a rumour, you may cross it out and come up with a new rumour for that result.
  NAVAL MISSIONS
  Use these tables when the ship has an official mission from the monarch, government, or navy. 
  The table assumes that the nation is currently at war – if that’s not the case roll d4 for the mission type instead. Alternatively, you 
  can roll as usual and a 5 or 6 means the nation is at war now, whether they want it or not.
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1.	In	Port
  Non-naval 
  problems.
  Refit the ship.
  Recruiting.
  Navy politics.
  Counter-
  espionage.
  Support 
  or foment 
  revolution.
  2.	Coastal
  Stop smugglers.
  Blockade a port.
  Offerings to  
  the gods.
  Landing soldiers 
  or marines.
  Land a spy,  
  or take one  
  on board.
  Stop pirates.
  3.	Open	Sea
  Escort merchant 
  shipping.
  Exploring.
  Offerings to the 
  sea god.
  Intercept enemy 
  commerce.
  Patrol.
  Intercept enemy 
  warships.
  4.	Cruising
  Patrol friendly 
  waters.
  Patrol neutral 
  waters.
  Show the flag.
  Take or destroy 
  enemy vessels.
  Patrol enemy 
  waters.
  Pursue & 
  capture a vessel.
  5.	Raid
  Cut out a ship.
  Diversion or 
  side-action.
  Capture a 
  battery.
  Destroy ships  
  in port.
  Capture a port.
  Capture a 
  fortress.
  6.	Fleet		
  		Action
  Find & join a 
  squadron.
  Squadron 
  support.
  Escort duty.
  Squadron 
  skirmish.
  Significant 
  battle.
  Major battle.
  12
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Note that in many cases, especially from the raid and fleet action lines, the PCs ship might be put under the command of a senior 
  officer. In these cases, roll the dice to determine the commanding officer’s competence. Note that even the positive results might lead 
  to situations in which the officer puts the PCs in danger.
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1-2.	Terrible
  Refuses  
  all advice.
  Disregard for 
  danger.
  Brutal martinet.
  Hates common 
  crew.
  No idea what is 
  going on.
  Irrational, with 
  a temper.
  3-4.	Mediocre
  Often dithers.
  Dutiful.
  Severe 
  discipline.
  Plays favorites 
  in the crew and 
  officers.
  Old, sick,  
  and tired.
  By the book.
  4-5.	Heroic
  Decisive.
  Courageous.
  Charismatic 
  leader.
  Cares about 
  the crew's 
  wellbeing.
  Keenly aware of 
  what's going on.
  Creative tactical 
  genius.
  TWISTS
  Of course, we don’t expect everything to go smoothly! Roll on this table for what unexpected problem will interfere with the plan  
  or mission.
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1.	Crew
  A rivalry gets 
  out of hand.
  Not enough 
  rations. Spoilage 
  or sabotage?
  A crew member 
  replaced by 
  illusion or 
  shape-shifter
  Brutality from 
  an officer.
  Someone has a 
  problematic pet, 
  or cursed loot.
  Stowaway 
  discovered.
  2.	Enemy		
  		Action
  “Safe” port has 
  been taken.
  Relentless 
  pursuit by 
  unstoppable foe.
  You come  
  upon an 
  unknown force.
  More foes than 
  expected.
  Must run a 
  blockade.
  Ambush!
  3.	Espionage
  You get a timely 
  warning.
  A spy in the 
  crew.
  Misinformation 
  about target.
  You are being 
  magically 
  observed.
  The enemy 
  knows your 
  plan.
  Sabotage!
  4.	Nature
  Uncanny sea 
  beasts.
  Becalmed.
  Illness on board.
  Winds  
  against you.
  Storm!
  Sea god's wrath!
  5.	Passengers
  Eccentric 
  wizard-explorer.
  Rich tourist(s).
  Elite warriors or 
  mercenary band.
  Diplomat with 
  entourage.
  Someone from 
  the PCs' past.
  Mysterious 
  cloaked figure.
  6.	Weird*
  Ghost ship.
  Coastline 
  altered.
  Sea folk.
  Gate to another 
  plane's sea.
  Incursion from 
  beyond.
  Sea monster!
  * When you use a weird result, optionally cross it out and think of another weird event to replace it for next time.
  13
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  ISLANDS OF  
  THE WINE- 
  DARK SEA
  CHRISTOPHER WEEKS
  Edited by Mike Burnett
  Illustrations by John Flaxman
  The Wine-Dark Sea is filled with countless islands. Some are 
  domesticated; hosting populations, cities and agricultural land. 
  Others are entirely wild or the preserves of gods, devils or other 
  entities of great power that defy classification. These islands 
  can be little more than a large rock rising out of the waves or 
  they can stretch on for scores of miles. 
  Every island on the Wine-Dark Sea has a master; some powerful 
  entity that might be well-described as a deity. It’s possible that 
  the locals ignore them but more likely that they’re thought 
  of as a god or monster. To whatever extent these forces enter 
  your game, make them foreign and inscrutable. The tales men 
  tell of their interactions with these masters cast them in a 
  human light. Sometimes their alien behavior is justified by the 
  locals through convoluted stories. Bring those tales into your 
  game. Even when an island’s master does not live in physical, 
  corporeal form; they can still interact with the material world 
  and may help or hinder locals and travelers who catch their 
  attention. The role that these masters play in your game is up 
  to you and should be thought of as a set of dials that you can 
  adjust to color your campaign one way or another—how evident 
  are they, how anthropomorphic, how classical, how fantastic, 
  how concerned with human affairs, how greedy? Does Father 
  Zeus appear on the shore as a golden ox? Does a dragon live 
  in the volcano? Does a stream bless those who leave a golden 
  coin in her headwaters? Knowing where you’re setting these 
  dials and applying some sorts of consistency and inconsistency 
  when deciding these issues, case by case, will help to shape your 
  game. Create one primary priority (or maybe a small handful) 
  for such an island’s master. Perhaps receiving sacrificial lambs 
  or having olives from this island planted on others or people 
  wearing orange hats! (You don’t have to know why the master 
  14
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  wants what it wants, especially at first.) Think up one or two 
  rituals or holidays—methods of veneration or warding that 
  locals might use to interact with such a force. Let these things 
  guide how you play their meddling in the material world. Maybe 
  sometimes one of these will lead to a custom move. (E.g. when 
  you sacrifice a virgin mare to Memnex by drowning it in his 
  highest mountain lake, roll+bond with Memnex. On a 7+, name 
  a personal goal that is consonant with Memnex’s goals and take 
  +1 ongoing while working to achieve it. On a 10+, also write 
  another bond with Memnex.)
  Most	people	live	their	lives	to	completion	on	the	island	of	
  their	birth.	Not	so,	adventurers.
  We’ll talk some about the people living on islands. I mean 
  ‘people’ to be a fuzzy term. The Wine-Dark Sea is dangerous 
  to cross and as such, many settlements have little to no congress 
  with the outside world. People might be just like the PCs but 
  with alien customs and clothing. Or they might have different 
  hair, eyes, skin or other physical characteristics unknown in 
  other lands. Perhaps they have the heads of dogs or rats. But 
  also, these foreigners; think about their foreign practices. How 
  do they define love and honor differently than the home cultures 
  of the PCs? How do they differently engage in commerce? To 
  help make them foreign, think of something that you take for 
  granted about civilized folks in the real world and reverse part of 
  it. People work to leave a legacy for their children? Not the people 
  on this island. On this island, inheritance is an abomination 
  punishable by death. Little things.
  Travelers move from island to island, most typically aboard 
  wooden craft: Rafts of vine-lashed olive logs, entrusted to 
  the providence of the sea gods. Small sailing boats made from 
  cypress planks, fit only for a crew of four or six. Massive triremes 
  of fitted fir and crewed by soldiers, pirates or slaves – when you 
  can tell any difference. 
  Travel is beset with one great difficulty however; to the common 
  person, the islands seem to be in motion—their location not 
  fixed, but actively evasive. Those who know, who learn the route 
  from one island to another—they can ply that route without 
  much fear of losing their way. Others though, the uninitiated 
  explorers of the Wine-Dark Sea, they are in mortal danger. 
  When	you	sail	a	water-craft	from	one	island	that	you	know	
  well	to	another	that	you	also	know	well,	along	a	route	that	
  you	have	mastered,	if nothing outstanding is going on, you 
  needn’t count this a perilous journey.
  When	you	sail	upon	the	Wine-Dark	Sea, the journey is 
  inherently perilous, but it differs from land travel. There are four 
  roles with any such journey: the carpenter cares for the physical 
  vessel, the navigator directs the vessel from one island to the 
  next, the quartermaster keeps the crew and vessel supplied and 
  the captain coordinates all the tasks. Any sailor-character can 
  take any of the roles, but each one after the first incurs a penalty 
  of -1 to all the rolls made on the journey. Each character/role 
  rolls+wis. If the carpenter rolls a 10+ then the vessel ends the 
  journey in good shape. On a 7-9, it holds together, but should be 
  repaired before continuing or inflict a -1 to all rolls for the next 
  journey. If the navigator rolls a 10+, the vessel arrives where it 
  was heading or, if seeking new lands, might be able to follow 
  the same route back. On a 7-9, the trip to a known destination 
  succeeds, but at some disadvantage that the GM will explain. If 
  the quartermaster rolls a 10+ then the trip consumes the bare 
  minimum resources that it might have. On a 7-9, it consumes 
  what such a trip normally would -- maybe double minimum. If 
  the captain rolls a 10+ then the journey ends with no ill will. On 
  15
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  a 7-9, everyone writes a bond with one of the other characters, 
  worded with a negative tone; and takes -1 forward when they 
  arrive at the destination.
  When	 you	 sail	 from	 one	 island	 to	 another	 and	 you	
  have	incomplete	knowledge	of	your	starting	port,	your	
  destination	or	a	solid	trade-route	between	them, assign 
  a -1 forward for each piece of imperfect knowledge to 1, 2 or 
  3 of the players/roles during the journey. Any 6- during the 
  voyage might mean you end up somewhere other than where 
  you intended.
  There are constant rumors of magical means of easing these 
  difficulties; rituals of translocation or magical sextants and 
  other navigational tools, those means are also hindered by 
  navigational trickery and fraught with peril.
  When	you	use	magic	to	aid	travel, you may roll your part of 
  the perilous journey move with +INT instead of +WIS and on 
  a 6- your magic backfires. 
  You’ll need to know things about the islands of the Wine-Dark 
  Sea. This is not meant to be comprehensive, but some of these 
  things can be generated randomly:
  How	big	is	the	island?	Roll a d6 and if the island was found 
  by exploration or mishap, subtract the size of the island just 
  departed:
  < 1 Just big enough for a large building. If there’s a fully-
  developed tree, it’s the only one.
  1 
  Too small for a natural fresh water source; perhaps as large 
  as one square kilometers.
  2 
  Large enough to sustain a human population of perhaps 
  100. Around 10 sq km.
  3 
  40+/- sq km. There could be two villages on this island. If 
  the island is not supplied by the outside, there could be 
  as many as 1000 folks.
  4 
  Around 100 sq km. If populated, up to 2-3000 people.
  5 
  A few hundred sq km. Islands of this size can be found 
  entirely uninhabited but might also have 20000 people.
  6 
  This is among the hugest of islands found in the Wine-Dark 
  Sea and the closest thing known to a mainland. Maybe it’s 
  4d6 * 1000 sq km and could host a million inhabitants if 
  that’s appropriate for your game.
  What’s	extraordinary	about	the	island? Pick or randomize: 
  nothing; deserted, but wasn’t always; home to a physical god or 
  devil; hiding place of a blessed artifact; volcano; peopled by a 
  very foreign civilization; populated way above carrying capacity 
  and supplied from a foreign island; difficult to leave; etc.
  What	supplies	are	available	on	this	island?	When the 
  characters of an expedition wish to refit on an island, one of 
  them should roll 2d6+the island’s size(0-6). For each point 
  rolled above 7, the GM will select one sort of resource from the 
  list and indicate availability:
  fresh water, wood, fresh produce, preserved food for travel, 
  unskilled labor/recruiting pool, skilled labor (specify), recreation 
  and carousing opportunities, nautical charts, rumors…
  Remember though, if a resource is valuable to the PCs, it’s 
  valuable to others; someone might stand between the PCs and 
  what they want. Also, the GM might select the same resource 
  more than once and will have to explain what they mean by that.
  What’s	the	island	called?	Use the table below to help you pick 
  a new name. You can select what you like or roll randomly with 
  a d100. You can assemble a prefix and suffix or just choose one 
  of the randomly determined names.
  Prefix
  Suffix
  Name
  01
  aeg
  aca
  Marmsos
  02
  ag
  afi
  Leta
  03
  agathon
  ag
  Lesorca
  04
  amor
  aigos
  Goraia
  05
  an
  alonia
  Angoco
  16
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  06
  and
  ar
  Sicgos
  07
  ang
  ara
  Elafonnina
  08
  anti
  ari
  Gharstera
  09
  antiky
  ba
  Leisi
  10
  asty
  bi
  Piasos
  11
  cap
  bos
  Sifovo
  12
  cher
  des
  Anddros
  13
  chi
  dra
  Kyte
  14
  cor
  dros
  Polyera
  15
  cors
  ea
  Gigib
  16
  cre
  eada
  Kefens
  17
  cyp
  elos
  Donter
  18
  cyth
  ens
  Kkos
  19
  d
  era
  Cytheria
  20
  djer
  eria
  Marmnosa
  21
  do
  es
  Krki
  22
  don
  fu
  Skopmaina
  23
  efstra
  gos
  Iblio
  24
  el
  gui
  Polyios
  25
  elafon
  ia
  Dolos
  26
  eub
  ib
  Korpathos
  27
  folegan
  ica
  Foleganens
  28
  formen
  iki
  Karki
  29
  four
  ily
  Fourgui
  30
  ghar
  ina
  Iblat
  31
  gi
  ini
  Sardinia
  32
  gig
  inia
  Lipera
  33
  go
  ios
  Antiula
  34
  hal
  isi
  Kefoussa
  35
  hy
  isos
  Kefini
  36
  ib
  istri
  Pini
  37
  icar
  iza
  Lemdros
  38
  irak
  k
  Aeges
  39
  isch
  kada
  Goparos
  40
  ith
  ki
  Ibki
  41
  k
  kos
  Syos
  42
  kaly
  lat
  Korck
  43
  kar
  leia
  Lestera
  44
  kef
  lio
  Hypathos
  45
  kim
  lion
  Tinia
  46
  kor
  los
  Cheronos
  47
  korc
  maina
  Pantellera
  48
  kr
  man
  Karisos
  49
  ky
  mi
  Skydra
  50
  kyth
  mis
  Thaszo
  51
  l
  mnos
  Kyththos
  52
  lam
  mos
  Skopera
  53
  last
  nada
  Polyisi
  54
  le
  nat
  Giglio
  55
  lef
  ni
  Murorca
  56
  lem
  niki
  Caponos
  57
  les
  nina
  Naxba
  58
  lip
  nisi
  Kimonos
  59
  maj
  nisos
  Kimlion
  60
  makro
  noi
  Aegmos
  61
  mal
  nos
  Skoprera
  62
  marm
  nosa
  Elmnos
  63
  mega
  o
  Icarafi
  64
  mil
  oco
  Eubrera
  65
  min
  oea
  Kimelos
  66
  mo
  olos
  Petanina
  67
  mur
  onos
  Formenoco
  68
  myk
  orca
  Lipoea
  69
  nax
  os
  Korcar
  70
  nisy
  oura
  Formenkos
  71
  ol
  oussa
  Kalygui
  72
  otho
  ovo
  Skopman
  73
  p
  palaia
  Mooura
  74
  pa
  paros
  Skopthepri
  75
  pantell
  pathos
  Korina
  17
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  76
  par
  pedusa
  Giinia
  77
  pat
  pri
  Milalonia
  78
  peta
  ra
  Porbi
  79
  pia
  race
  Leseada
  80
  poly
  raia
  Agathoneria
  81
  por
  rera
  Cherta
  82
  rho
  ros
  Olea
  83
  sala
  rus
  Corrus
  84
  sam
  ses
  Crepalaia
  85
  samoth
  soi
  Aegraia
  86
  santor
  sos
  Lepedusa
  87
  sard
  stera
  Lipica
  88
  serif
  ta
  Lefnat
  89
  sic
  te
  Elalonia
  90
  sif
  ter
  Cypoura
  91
  skop
  tera
  Elafonpri
  92
  sky
  thepri
  Andmaina
  93
  spet
  thera
  Paparos
  94
  sy
  thos
  Corsnisi
  95
  thas
  tios
  Mopri
  96
  thy
  ula
  Pores
  97
  tin
  xi
  Lefdes
  98
  uzu
  ynthos
  Aegnisos
  99
  vel
  yros
  Serifparos
  00
  zak
  zo
  Synada
  18
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  I find discern realities and spout lore to be the hardest moves to 
  react to as a GM. Telling a truth on a hit is easy and awesome, 
  but I often had no idea what to do on a miss. So I gathered 
  here every trick I used myself or have read about in online 
  discussions.
  HOW TO TRIGGER A MOVE
  First thing to remember is that players do not just roll. Moves are 
  always triggered through fiction. Discern realities and spout lore 
  are pretty straightforward in this sense: you need no elaborate 
  descriptions for sounds, smells or memories.
  This simplicity makes it hard to come up with a move on a miss. 
  Not much can go wrong when you’re recalling lessons of your 
  mentor. That’s why I never ask players to roll for simple things: 
  everything that is easy to spot or remember I say right up front.
  Move is triggered only after a character makes an effort and is 
  clear about it: looks under the rock, climbs the highest tree, 
  puts an ear next to the door, sneaks closer to the guard, checks 
  if that snake’s back is red or green.
  WHAT TO DO ON A MISS
  You should keep in mind that miss is not necessarily a failure; 
  miss is a trouble. Failure is just the simplest and the most boring 
  option you’ve got. Most often it adds nothing to the fiction and 
  makes PC look incompetent.  Consider these examples:
  • 
  Traps? You don’t know if there are any.
  • 
  Who’s in control on this masquerade ball? You have no 
  idea, you’re a ranger.
  I never interpret a miss as a simple failure, without a twist of 
  some kind. I prefer to use one of the tricks below.
  WORSE THAN IT SEEMED
  Tell the character an unwelcome truth about what she wants to 
  know. Most of these tricks are annoying when used too often, 
  thus requiring you to alternate, but this one is not. It strongly 
  follows the fiction and looks very diverse in practice.
  • 
  Tarrasque’s weak spot? It hasn’t got one
  • 
  Who’s in control on this masquerade ball? It’s your rival, 
  Duke Dupont, just as you feared!
  • Looking for traps? You found them, that room is, like, 
  made of traps. And there’s one behind you, too.
  • 
  Eavesdropping behind the door? Sound of dozens of boots 
  coming from the other side.
  WORSE THAN YOU THOUGHT
  Ask a question, then craftily twist the answer. That’s my personal 
  favorite. You’ve got some player input to jump off and players 
  know that the problem is co-created and generally won’t feel 
  like you’re trying to screw them.
  • 
  Tarrasque’s weak spot? What did they tell you back in the 
  academy? Eyes? Well, everything but the eyes is clad in 
  SUDDENLY
  OGRES
  VASILIY SHAPOVALOV 
  Special thanks to the Dungeon 
  World Tavern community, Mike 
  Harvey, Radaghast Kary, Alex 
  Valuishko, and Mike Burnett
  Illustration by Remi
  19
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  carapace as thick as the Fighter’s leg, and the eyes are 
  the size of a pig’s and are higher than you can reach. 
  What do you do?
  YOUR ANSWER IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE
  Turn it into a quest. This is a great tactic because it redirects 
  and delays the question, and it adds to the story. The important 
  thing on a miss is to make it interesting.
  • 
  Who’s in control on this masquerade ball? You don’t know, 
  but you spot Jasper the herald on the balcony, flirting 
  with Lady Beatrice. You remember Beatrice: she hates 
  you. Anyway, he would know.
  • Tarrasque’s weak spot? The Great Library of Kanthros 
  would certainly have that information.
  • 
  Praying for answers? A voice speaks. “You are unclean. 
  First go perform the Ritual of Ablution in the pool at the 
  falls of the Griffin River.” [Perhaps there is a nymph in 
  the pool who can provide guidance. Or maybe the GM is 
  buying time.]
  THE ABYSS GAZES INTO YOU
  While character is examining something, it takes notice of her. 
  What exactly happens depends on what she’s examining and 
  way she does it. Maybe it was too long, or too obvious, or just 
  the place was wrong.
  • 
  Who’s in control on that masquerade ball? That’s your 
  rival, Duke Dupont, just as you feared! He spots you and 
  whispers a few words to his valet, who runs off towards 
  the guard post.
  • 
  Want to know what’s dangerous in here? The answer has 
  just stabbed you between your ribs.
  MISSED THE OBVIOUS
  While the character is looking for one thing, something different 
  makes a strike. That’s a solid one, but don’t overuse it. Being 
  caught unaware all the time makes character seem incompetent 
  and many players don’t like it. Also, if you keep hitting them 
  with new dangers every time, it may feel like a deus ex machina.
  • Looking for traps? Well, you should have been looking 
  for giant spiders, one of them is descending on you right 
  now. What do you do?
  SUDDENLY OGRES
  Don’t answer the question, change the subject … forcefully. 
  Works every time. Just throw them into combat, you don’t even 
  have to explain or justify it. Play to find out why! Don’t overdo 
  it, though, your move must follow the fiction, remember?
  • 
  Looking for traps? Suddenly an ogre is attacking you!
  • Who’s in control in that masked ball? Suddenly, ogres 
  are everywhere! Chaos ensues, people are screaming, 
  and blood splatters your cheek from somewhere off to 
  the left… Hmm, I suppose that means that ogres are in 
  control now.
  • 
  Eavesdropping behind the door? Ogres burst through it 
  right on you!
  • 
  Want to know what’s dangerous in here? The ogre. It’s 
  not clear just where he came from, but it is obvious what 
  he wants to do.
  • 
  Looking for tracks all over the place? You are looking at 
  the ground and, suddenly, there’s a pair of ogre’s feet…
  TOO LATE
  Character spent too much time contemplating and investigating 
  instead of acting. Or was too concentrated to notice important 
  things around her. This trick is often combined with others: 
  concentration and spent time are not bad per se, but only when 
  there are other threats around. This is a good one, albeit it tends 
  to become boring if overused. Very often this trick comes first to 
  your mind, but take some time, there might be a better choice.
  • 
  Who’s in control on that masquerade ball? While you tried 
  to figure that out, your rival Duke Dupont is leaving with 
  the bishop you wanted to talk to, they are at the door now, 
  what do you do? Rush there, ruthlessly pushing nobles 
  from your path?
  GOT SEPARATED
  Exploration took the character away from the rest of her group. 
  It’s a good time to throw in the threat that would be easily 
  defeated otherwise.
  • 
  Looking for tracks all over the place? Well, while you were 
  at it, orcs came upon you. You’re on your own for now.
  • So while your Cleric is praying for answers in a sacred 
  space, you hear moaning. Yep, zombies. Hundreds of 
  them. And you’ve got no one to turn undead.
  TROUBLE HALFWAY
  Sometimes, action the character takes in order to gain 
  information is dangerous by itself. Think of what can go wrong 
  when the character acts. Another way to phrase this would be 
  “When the player endangers himself using spout lore, make 
  that danger happen.”
  • 
  Climbing upon a tree to get a look at the surroundings? 
  The branch under you cracks, what do you do?
  • 
  You had to use a few spikes climbing that rock, mark off 
  one use of  adventuring gear.
  TROUBLE YOU MISSED EARLIER
  Think of what could go wrong before and how the problem 
  would remain unnoticed. Don’t overuse it, as players may begin 
  going into too much detail to keep their characters safe. It is 
  useful when someone rolled a miss before and you saved it for 
  later for whatever reason.
  • Using a looking glass? You must have lost it when you 
  were crawling away from the troll lair. Want to return 
  and find it?
  OBVIOUS LIES
  That’s when you tell a lie and the players suspect it. Either 
  because you’re making it obvious or just players don’t believe 
  in what you say. They will be suspicious when you’ve got a 
  hard move to make.
  20
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Personally I don’t like this trick. It’s against the principles - 
  you have to say what the truth demands, remember? More 
  importantly, it’s not that fun for all the trouble. Now your 
  group have two imaginary situation to track: the “real” one and 
  one that the character thinks to be “real”. Also using it make 
  players suspicious about what you say. I never force this trick 
  on players, but use it from time to time on their initiative, like 
  “Oh crap, 6. What if I believe that the path is clear?”. Also, if you 
  use that trick a lot, you’ll have a hard time actually deceiving 
  your players.
  • Tarrasque’s weak spot? You somehow think it’s the 
  abdomen.
  • Whose coat of arms is that? It’s your ally’s. Tell him 
  everything.
  INFECTIOUS LIES
  On a miss, the GM makes up some wrong fact and tells the 
  player it’s wrong. But if PC acts on the information or makes 
  someone act on it, she gets 1 XP. Sometimes it leads to a fun 
  game of crossing each other up. This trick was introduced in 
  previous versions of Dungeon World.
  • 
  Tarrasque’s weak spot? Mark XP if you go for abdomen 
  or make another PC do it.
  DEVIOUS LIES
  That’s when you deceive your players for real. You can do it and 
  still stick to the principles: say truth, but not all the truth. I 
  like it as a player - it makes you, a player, share the miss with 
  the character and helps to commit to the game. But it’s hard 
  to pull off as a GM, and you need to use it sparingly at most. 
  Wait until players get comfortable with their delusion (up to a 
  few game sessions, maybe) and then come clean when golden 
  opportunity arises. If you want player to react emotionally, you’ll 
  need him to  build quite a story on not-so-true foundation. You 
  have to be truly devious: make it look like another kind of miss.
  • 
  Whose coat of arms is that? That’s Duke Dupont’s man, 
  you’ve had a deadly feud with him and his family for 
  generations. [If they kill the guy, you’ll tell them it was 
  their only ally after some time passes].
  FRONT OR DUNGEON MOVE, GRIM PORTENT
  If a front or a dungeon move fits the picture, you can use it 
  as well.
  • So you’re spying on an orc horde? They are numerous 
  and strong, warriors are battle-scarred and shamans 
  are literally sparkling with power. No sane man would 
  mess with such force. (you’re making “perform a show 
  of dominance” move from Wandering Barbarians front).
  OFFSCREEN MOVE
  If nothing comes to your mind, you can tell the truth and then 
  make the move offscreen. I like my move to follow the fiction 
  directly, though.
  • 
  Who’s in control on that masquerade ball? Duke Dupont’s 
  lackeys are serving the food (meanwhile, Duke Dupont 
  makes his monster move “issue an order” offscreen - he 
  commands every exit blocked, so that no one could escape 
  the slaughter).
  21
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE  
  DAMNED 
  ISLE
  JOE STROUP
  Edited by Marshall Miller
  Illustrations by Nicole Cardiff,  
  John Charles Dollman,  
  Crystal Frasier
  ADVENTURE FRONTS FOR  
  ADVENTURE ON THE WINE-DARK SEA
  In the deep wild reaches of the wine-dark sea, there are many 
  uncharted islands. This series of fronts highlights one such 
  island and the many dangers found within. All these events 
  come into play when the party tries to navigate the storms of 
  the wine-dark sea and inevitably crash on the rocks of the island.
  Possible	Island	Names: Shach Isle, Heart of Yog, Blood Island, 
  The Crags of Tradim, Kaenom, Ero’elah
  While you weather the storm near the shadowy isle...
  ...when you man the wheel and fight the storm, what is the 
  major obstacle you will need to avoid?
  ...when you watch in terror from the crow’s nest, what is the 
  island’s predominant feature you can make out through the 
  heavy rain?
  ...when you patch the leaks below, what supplies are in the 
  ship’s stores?
  ...when you tend the wounded, what is the crew known for?
  ...when you throw yourself from the lurching and crashing 
  vessel, what is revealed to you as the lightning streaks through 
  the darkness?
  [ON THE ISLAND]
  1. SHRINE OF YOG-SETHIS (CURSED PLACE)
  Impulse: To corrupt and decay
  Grim	Portents
  • 
  Shrine of the undying is opened with a screeching and 
  haunting cry
  • 
  Grey fog engulfs the island as the Breath of Yog-Sethis 
  reaches out
  • 
  Sailors turn into shadow thralls
  • 
  Thralls gather the ritual materials at the Shrine
  • 
  The ritual is completed and with a crack like lightning, 
  the winged death is summoned
  Impending	Doom
  • The winged death escapes the island and attacks the 
  nearest steading.
  Cast
  Breath	of	Yog-Sethis
  Solitary, Huge, Magical, Stealthy, Devious, Planar, Amorphous
  Grey mist seeps from the cracks within the walls of the shrine. 
  It moves first like a fog, but as you walk away you notice the 
  mist coming towards you. Following you. And as it draws near, 
  you hear foul whispers on the wind. Instinct: To enslave and 
  complete the ritual
  • 
  Dominate their minds 
  • 
  Draw target away
  • 
  Enslave a mind
  • 
  Hide something in the mist
  22
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  The	Winged	Death
  Solitary, Large, Shadowy, Flying, Terrifying, Planar
  Shadowy Claws (d10+4 damage, 2 piercing), Forceful, Close
  20 HP, 4 Armor
  Shadows coalesce as the grey mist comes pouring forth from 
  the ritual circle. As the darkness deepens, you realize that it 
  is moving as if guided by some alien intelligence. The form of 
  a bipedal monstrosity with long claw tipped hands and wings 
  of shadow stands and roars with a cry that sounds of creaking 
  and splintering ice. The darkness has collected and as sounds of 
  screams arise from the depths of the bestial creature creeping 
  towards you, all you can think is that this is truly death made 
  flesh. Instinct: To bring all into darkness
  • 
  Swoop in and and rend something apart
  • 
  Vaporize into grey mist
  • 
  Extinguish lights with the cold of death
  • 
  Scream with the many voices of the dead
  Things
  Lash	of	Yog-Sethis 
   
  Reach, near, 0 weight
  This 6 inch long shaft of darkness stands out as no light can 
  pierce the veil of the cylinder. If lifted up, a shadowy tendril 
  snakes out from the darkness as if a lash made of raw shadow.
  Bone	of	the	Altar	
  Close, two-handed, 2 weight
  Warped by the shadow energies, these bones from the altar have 
  grown twisted and elongated into alien shapes. If left alone, 
  these bones knit together to form an altar, a dark place of power.
  Grave	Dust 
   
   
  0 weight
  The ashen powder taken from the grave shrine of Yog Sethis. 
  This can be used as a powerful poison or a potent drug. When 
  you blow this into someone’s eyes, he/she takes a -1 to volley 
  and when they discern realities they add the question, what 
  here has been touched by death?
  Yog’s	Breath 
   
   
  1 use, 0 weight
  Trapping the breath of Yog-Sethis is a very dangerous 
  proposition, but could make for a devastating weapon. When 
  you release the mists of Yog against a foe, roll +DEX. On a 
  10+, deal twice your damage to a group of creatures. On a 7–9, 
  deal your damage to a group of creatures and to yourself. On a 
  miss, as a 10+, but center that group of creatures on yourself. 
  2. GRODA THUUL TRIBE  
  (SECRETIVE NATIVE GUARDIANS)
  Impulse:	To guard the shrine of Yog
  Grim	Portents
  • 
  Natives capture someone
  • 
  Tribal council convenes for war
  • 
  A blood sacrifice is made
  • 
  The tribes go to war!
  Impending	Doom
  • 
  Blood warriors swarm the island and murder all outsiders
  Cast
  Chief	Jugget	Bo
  Solitary, Magical, Organized, Intelligent
  Blood Magic ([b]2d8 damage, ignores armor), Close, Far 
  Obsidian Staff (d6 damage), Close, Reach
  6 HP, 1 Armor
  23
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  A black mask carved from petrified wood with wooden tendrils 
  extending in every direction covers the face of this tall warrior 
  priest. A gnarled obsidian staff adorned with bones is his only 
  weapon. Instinct: To protect the island at any cost
  • 
  Gesture threateningly to frighten off outsiders
  • 
  Spill blood to cast a dangerous spell
  • 
  Summon more warriors
  Tribal	Warriors
  Sample Male Villager Names: Okla, Grundah, Borth, Magunt, Arhn
  Sample Female Villager Names: Lur, Voch, Erouns, Famah, Meril
  Horde, Intelligent
  Spear (d6 damage 1 piercing) Close, Reach
  3 HP
  Inscribed in blood red tattoos and wearing minimal cloth 
  coverings, these warriors are strong and quick. Instinct: To 
  protect the chief
  • 
  Block the path toward the shrine
  • 
  Cut off an escape
  • 
  Appear from the brush
  Blood	Warriors
  Horde, Terrifying
  Bare Hands (2d6+2 damage 2 piercing) Close, Forceful, Messy
  11 HP
  Pulsing blood red tattoos cover the hulking form of these 
  transformed warriors. Muscles and bone structure that defy 
  those found in nature, these warriors are the ultimate expression 
  of violence in defense of the island. Instinct: Keep Yog-Sethis 
  imprisoned no matter the cost
  • 
  Attack a victim (or potential victim) of Yog
  • 
  Drive back the fog with the blood
  • 
  Hurl a danger into the sea
  Things
  Obsidian	Staff	of	the	Elder	
   
  Near, 1 weight
  The bearer of this staff knows the way to the shrine of Yog-
  Sethis as well as the rituals to seal the shrine. As memories of 
  the previous wielders overwhelm the bearer, their alignment 
  shifts to Good: defend the world from the danger of Yog-Sethis. 
  Blood	Rite	Tattoo	
   
   
  0 weight
  When the blood of the elder is used to mark your flesh you can 
  gain access to the blood heritage and magics of the Groda Thuul. 
  When you try to tap into this power and your flesh ripples and 
  morphs with the strength within, roll +CON. On a 10+, choose 
  2 from the list below. On a 7–9, choose 1.  
  • 
  Your bare hands are considered weapons with the forceful 
  and messy tags. 
  • 
  You flesh hardens granting +2 natural armor.
  • 
  You retain your faculties and do not have to defy danger 
  in order to do something other than attack a nearby 
  manifestation of Yog.
  These effects last until you are wounded by a mortal.
  [OFF THE ISLAND]
  All of the danger on this cursed island didn’t start there. The 
  fact is, you aren’t the only ones trapped here. 
  Shipload of pirates has also wrecked on this rock and is currently 
  searching to strip the place before finding their way off the 
  island. They are led by their fearsome and dashing captain, Ruby 
  of the Precious Gems. The Precious Gems are an “affiliation” of 
  pirate companies led by female captains all named for various 
  precious stones. Ruby is but one, but she’s the one crashed on 
  this island. What is she really after on this island and how long 
  until she summons the aid of her other pirate allies? Em, Opal, 
  and Sapphira are all out there and Ruby could summon them 
  with a touch of her necklace, but is it worth it to her?
  3. PRECIOUS GEMS (AMBITIOUS ORGANIZATION)
  Impulse: To loot, pillage and acquire!
  Grim	Portents
  • 
  Pirates’ boat wrecks on the reef
  • 
  Pirates ambush someone to gain information/leverage
  • 
  Pirates get greedy and take something they should not
  • 
  Pirates overwhelm the Groda-Thuul
  • 
  Pirates attack the party
  Impending	Doom
  • 
  The pirates steal your ship and leave you stranded.
  Cast
  Ruby,	Pirate	Lord
  Solitary, Stealthy, Intelligent, Hoarder
  Saber (d10 damage 1 piercing), Close
  Poison Darts (b[2d6]+1 damage), Near
  12 HP, 1 Armor
  Curly, red hair peeks from behind a purple silk scarf around her 
  head. Her rich leather clothes hint at a decadent lifestyle, but 
  her worn saber speaks to violence used to claim it. You want 
  to be impressed, you want to get mad at her, but she is just so 
  damned charming. Instinct: To escape the island
  • 
  Use something stolen you hadn’t noticed yet.
  • 
  Team up to attack you with the first mate, Alvilda.
  • 
  Cut a letter “R” into you.
  • 
  Poison you when you don’t see it coming.
  • 
  Summon the rest of the Precious Gems,  
  who are not amused.
  Pirate	Crew
  Sample Male Pirate names: Boris, Lem, Mal, Fallon, Bartolomeo, 
  Clegg
  Sample Female Pirate names: Grinda, Sadie, Luciel, Alvilda, 
  Morgan, Rachel
  Group, Intelligent
  Sabers and Fists (d8 damage) Close
  6 HP,  0 Armor
  Hardened by months of raiding ships, these rapscallions are 
  the bravest of Ruby’s crew. The fact that they have survived 
  24
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  this long speaks to their hardiness. Instinct: To rob and pillage
  • 
  Take a hostage
  • 
  Divide and conquer
  • 
  Use the high ground
  Things
  Appraising	Spyglass 
   
   
  Far, 0 weight
  This spyglass does more than make things look closer. While 
  looking through the spyglass when you discern realities, you 
  may add the questions: 
  • 
  Where is the greatest treasure? 
  • 
  How much is this worth?
  Gilded	Necklace	of	Precious	Gems 
  Far, 0 weight
  This gilded necklace is immensely valuable in and of itself, but 
  it also can magically allow communication with the wearers of 
  the other paired necklaces. This necklace is fitted with a massive 
  ruby, but tales tell of others that exist fit a dazzling emerald, 
  an opulent opal, and a brilliant sapphire.
  25
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE BARROW 
  DOWNS
  CHAD BOWSER
  Edited by Vasiliy Shapovalov
  DANGERS
  King	Arvuil’s	Long-Departed	Legions
  Impulse: Restore what once was great
  GM moves for Long-Departed Legions:
  • 
  Overwhelm a position
  • 
  Disgorge ancient, toxic dust
  • 
  Send dreams of a great past and triumphant return
  • 
  Grasp from the darkness
  • 
  Rattle weapons
  • 
  Spawn a cohort
  Grim Portents
  • 
  The Threshold is Crossed
  • 
  The Cohorts Gather
  • 
  The King Awakens
  • 
  The Army Marches
  Impending	Doom:	Tyranny
  The	Burial	Mounds
  Impulse: Protect what is buried
  GM Moves for the Burial Mounds:
  • 
  Collapse a wall
  • 
  Echo sounds from deeper in
  • 
  Thrust forth sarcophagi
  • 
  Disgorge vermin from every corner
  • 
  Reveal a passage
  Grim Portents
  • 
  Dust Stirs
  • 
  Walls Shake
  • 
  Rocks Tumble
  • 
  Floor Collapses
  Impending Doom: Destruction
  Kilwilie’s	Raiders
  Impulse: Take the treasure
  GM Moves for Kilwilie’s Raiders:
  • 
  Steal a relic
  • 
  Trigger a trap
  • 
  Set an ambush
  • 
  Call reinforcements
  • 
  Offer a trade
  Grim Portents
  • 
  Shadows on the Horizon
  • 
  Footsteps on the Stone
  • 
  Knives in the Dark
  Impending Doom: Usurpation
  DESCRIPTION AND CAST
  The Barrow Downs are a grouping of tumuli and other graves 
  spread across a pair of connected valleys. It’s filled with ruins 
  and the supposed treasures of long-fallen empires. The ruins 
  were lost for memory, some say for good reasons. Now, the 
  location’s been uncovered.
  Kilwilie’s Raiders have learned of the tombs and set out the 
  claim the treasures before anyone else and use whatever power 
  he can grab to overthrow the realm.
  The armies of King Arvuil wait, sleeping, for intruders to enter 
  the tombs. When they awaken, they’ll destroy all comers and 
  set out to restore the glory of the empire.
  • 
  Elessar Kilwillie, brash one-armed mercenary
  • 
  King Arvuil, slumbering protector of a realm long extinct. 
  CUSTOM MOVES
  When you crack open a sarcophagus, roll +DEX. On a 10+, what 
  lies inside is not disturbed. On a 7–9, what lies inside wakes, 
  but you get the drop on it. On a miss, the lid goes flying and 
  evil spews forth or you’re pulled inside.
  STAKES
  • 
  Will the Raiders discover power beyond their 
  comprehension?
  • 
  Will the King Awaken?
  • 
  Will the Barrow collapse before anyone can escape?
  26
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  MISTAKES  
  WE  
  RECOGNIZED  
  IN THE  
  MAKING 
   
  (player-facing stuff)
  27
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE 
   MAESTRO
  TIM FRANZKE
  Edited by Daniele Di Rubbo
  Illustrations by Nate Marcel
  When you acquire	or	open	up	a	tavern, create it!
  Your establishment features some special wares, choose 3:
  heavy-duty alcohol, games of chance, music, elven wine, 
  delicious sea-food, creative pastries, “dancing”, roasted 
  wildlife, exotic fruits, halfling pipeleaves in various flavours, 
  ice cream, soups of all kinds, storytellers, sweet sweet candy, 
  coffee, spices from faraway lands
  By default your tavern has adequate staff (who are they? 
  Bernhelm, Katri, Lexander and Mariane?) and:
  1 commerce 
  Gain: 4d8x10 coins
  Need: competition
  Choose 2:
  • 
  You are in a busy position with lots of people coming in. 
  Get +1 commerce.
  • 
  You have high quality service and people are willing to 
  pay for it. Gain +1d8x10 coins.
  • Important people of the steading come here. Gain 
  +connection.
  • 
  People are always having a good time. Gain +party.
  • 
  You get your wares for cheap. Gain +1d8x10 coins.
  • 
  Whatever you sell, it has positive influence on the, well, 
  ‘prolificness’ of the people there. Gain +growth of the 
  steading.
  Then choose 2:
  • 
  You are in a bad neighborhood and your staff isn’t meek 
  either. Need +brawls.
  • Your staff has problems getting people to pay. Gain 
  -1d8x10.
  • You have angered a powerful person in the steading. 
  Need +reprisal.
  • Some of the stuff you sell is not exactly legal. Need 
  +roundup.
  • 
  There is always something broken and in need of fixing. 
  Need +repairs.
  • 
  The quality of your offering is not the best. Need +disease.
  Then,	the	next	time	you	level	up	you	may	choose	this	move:
  In Taberna
  Commerce, gain and need all depend on your staff and tavern.
  When you return to your tavern after adventuring and want 
  to know how business is going, roll+commerce. On a 10+, your 
  tavern has gain. On a 7–9, it has gain, but choose 1 need. On 
  a miss, it is in need. If the gain lists coins, earn coins equal to 
  the value you rolled. If you were away for quite a while, earn 
  double that amount.
  28
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  n
  If	you	have	in	taberna,	these	count	as	class	moves	for	you;	
  you	can	choose	from	them	when	you	level	up:
  Business Development
  Choose a new option for your tavern.
  Everybody Eats, Even that Guy
  When you want	 to	 know	 something	 about	 someone	
  important (your call), roll+CHA. On a success, you can ask 
  the GM questions. On a 10+, ask 3. On a 7–9, ask What are they 
  doing? What’s up with them?
  • 
  What or who do they love best?
  • 
  Who do they know, like and/or trust?
  • 
  When should I expect to see them next?
  • 
  How could I get to them, physically or emotionally? 
  Home Party
  When you carouse	at	your	own	tavern, choose 1 option more. 
  You may choose one option twice. In addition, it also counts 
  as 1 preparation for everyone who participates, as for the  
  bolster move.
  NEW TAGS
  • 
  Connection: When your tavern has gain, all the influential, 
  wealthy and powerful people of the steading will frequent it.
  • 
  Party: When your tavern has gain, people have parties. 
  Maybe private parties, maybe public.
  • 
  Growth of the steading: As long as you have gain, you will 
  have a positive effect on the growth and development of 
  the steading: it will surely grow fast.
  • 
  Brawls: When you have need, there will be frequent bar 
  brawls at your place and people might get hurt.
  • 
  Reprisal: Someone powerful wants you gone and makes 
  a move to make sure it happens.
  • 
  Roundup: You shouldn’t sell the things you sell – when 
  you have need the officers will come and look for it. Better 
  hide the wares.
  • 
  Repairs: When you are in need, something precious or 
  important to your operations is damaged and you need 
  to get it repaired.
  • 
  Disease: When your tavern is in need, the disease spreads 
  from your tavern into the steading.
  CUSTOM MOVE
  When you	get	into	a	bar	fight, roll+STR. If you are drunk, 
  roll +CON. On a 10+, you win the fight and choose 3. On a 7-9, 
  choose 2:
  • 
  You befriend a useful NPC
  • 
  You don’t have to pay the barkeeper 50 coins the  
  next day
  • 
  You don’t wake up with a d6 of bruises and scratches
  • 
  You don’t have an outstanding warrant on  
  your head now
  • 
  Your victory impresses, dismays or frightens  
  your opponents
  • 
  You get 1 preparation (as for the bolster move)
  If you are a dwarf fighter, you always choose 1 more from the 
  list, even on a miss.
  29
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE 
   NECROMANCER
  MIKE BURNETT
  Edited by Jeremy Friesen
  Illustrations by kirill777
  Power is easy, as long as you can pay the price. And for this kind 
  of power, you’ve long been comfortable with the price. It’s not 
  like those other magicks the mages practice ... it’s faster, easier, 
  stronger ... it gives you power now, not later, and without all 
  that dreary studying. You’ve traded your good name for control 
  over the power of death and undeath, you’ve traded your friends 
  for the embrace of the moon, and you’ve traded your love of 
  life for the cold embrace of Death Incarnate. Power is easy, 
  because you’ve paid the price. The only trick is knowing what 
  to do with all that power...
  NAMES
  • 
  Dwarf:	Blaggard, Chromin, Gorin, Falshaf, Horwick, 
  Panasa, Orilir, Yugro
  • 
  Halfling:	Aimeta, Bones, Cabal, Fareham, Finn, Horace, 
  Penelope, Tibias, Vomara
  • 
  Human:	Blaine, Duncan, Elias, Gregor, Jones, Nicolai, 
  Serena, Uwe, Zoran
  LOOKS
  Choose one for each:
  • 
  Jaundiced Eyes, Menacing Eyes, or Mismatched Eyes
  • 
  Wispy Hair, Veiny Head, or Close-Cropped Hair
  • 
  Luxurious Clothes, Drab Clothes, or Laborer’s Clothes
  • 
  Withered Body, Corpulent Body, or Boil-Covered Body
  STATS
  Your maximum HP is 7+Constitution.
  Your base damage is d4.
  STARTING MOVES
  Choose a race and gain the corresponding move:
  Human:	When you ask a shade a question using the dead men 
  tell me tales move, on a 7–9 you still receive a complete answer.
  Dwarf:	Your thralls receive one free HP in addition to your 
  allocation. 
  Halfling:	When you reanimate a thrall, you may use up to five 
  words as your order. 
  You	start	with	these	moves:
  Dark Side of the Moon
  When you are	not	bound	to	any	thralls	and	rest	for	at	least	
  one	hour	under	the	light	of	the	moon, you recover your hit 
  points and your HP stat (your maximum number of hit points) 
  returns to its normal level if it has been reduced.
  Thrall Seeker
  When you spend a few moments to force	a	soul	to	reanimate	
  its	corpse, give your thrall an order and assign it a portion of 
  your life energy. 
  Each thrall can receive one order upon creation. An order is a 
  simple command of three words. The thrall strives to accomplish 
  your order. If it completes its order, it becomes unbound. 
  When you	command	your	thrall	with	a	simple	order, roll 
  +INT. On a 10+, the thrall executes your instructions to the best 
  of its ability. On a 7–9, the thrall has trouble carrying out your 
  intentions, the GM will tell you how. On a miss, the thrall acts 
  on its own impulses, for better or worse.
  To assign a thrall your life energy, allocate any number of your 
  hit points to the thrall and subtract these hit points from your 
  HP stat (your maximum number of hit points, not your current 
  number of hit points). 
  Thralls may be unbound at any time with a simple verbal 
  command. A thrall may not be healed. When a thrall is unbound 
  or loses all its hit points, the body turns to dust and the spirit 
  travels beyond the Black Gates, out of your reach forever.
  Lend Me Your Strength ...
  When	you	take	the	life	force	of	a	nearby	willing	ally	and	
  transfer	it	to	another	nearby	creature, you may transfer hit 
  points from the willing ally to the creature. This cannot reduce 
  an ally to 0 hit points. The transfer leaves the willing ally shaken; 
  they take a -1 ongoing until sunrise or sunset.
  Dead Men Tell Me Tales
  When	you	summon	the	shade	of	a	sentient	being	that	
  died	near	your	location	to	ask	a	question, roll+INT. On a 
  10+, the shade will answer as accurately as possible. On a 7–9, 
  the shade’s answers will be limited and disturbing, the GM will 
  tell you how. On a miss, in addition to the limited answer, the 
  shade will request a boon for itself or its living relatives. You 
  will be unable to contact other shades until you have fulfilled 
  this request.
  30
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  ALIGNMENT
  Good:	Usher a soul in suffering to rest beyond the Black Gates. 
  Neutral:	Sacrifice to maintain the balance between life and death.
  Evil:	Gain earthly power at the expense of the innocent.
  GEAR
  Your load is 7+STR. You carry dungeon rations (4 uses, 1 weight) 
  and an adventuring kit (2 uses, 1 weight). Choose your defenses:
  • 
  Elaborate robes and 3 healing potions
  • 
  Leather armor (1 armor, 1 weight)
  Choose your weapon:
  • 
  Jeweled dagger (Precise, hand, 1 weight)
  • 
  Scythe (Reach, two-handed, messy, 2 weight)
  • 
  Muddy shovel (Reach, close, two-handed, 2 weight)
  Choose one:
  • 
  7 gold pieces
  • 
  A silver ring sculpted to look like a snake
  • 
  An emerald pendant shaped like a large eyeball
  BONDS
  Fill in the name of one of your companions in at least one:
  • 
  Death desires the soul of _______, but I have my own plans.
  • 
  ______ would kill me if he/she knew my true purpose.
  • 
  _______ is the only one who can be trusted with my secrets.
  • 
  I have seen a vision of _______’s death, and I must prevent it. 
  • 
  The shade of ________’s parent told me a family secret.
  ADVANCED MOVES
  When	you	gain	a	level	from	2–5,	choose	from	these	moves.
  Phylactery
  Choose an item you can carry to be your phylactery. When you 
  reach	0	HP	and	your	phylactery	is	unbroken	and	within	
  your	reach, your soul will be tethered to the phylactery, beyond 
  Death’s reach. You become undead. While undead, you do not 
  have to breathe, eat, or sleep, and you use CON for all rolls. 
  Any additional damage you take while undead reduces your 
  HP stat, and it remains lowered until you rest in the light of 
  the moon. If your HP stat reaches 0 while you are undead, you 
  die permanently and do not make the last breath move. If you 
  gain hit points while undead, you return to life and lose the 
  undead tag, but gain a debility. 
  I Come to You As An Equal
  If you take	your	last	breath, you may offer Death a deal, without 
  requiring a roll. If Death refuses the deal, you may roll last 
  breath, but treat 10+ as a 7–9 result.
  Corpse Explosion
  When you channel	necrotic	energy	into	a	nearby	corpse, 
  roll+CON. On a 10+, the corpse explodes, doing 1d4 necrotic 
  damage to all creatures near the corpse. On a 7–9, the corpse 
  explodes, but you receive 1d4 damage as magical blow back. 
  On a miss, the necrotic energy causes something unexpected 
  to explode, the GM will tell you what. The explosion does 1d4 
  damage to any creatures near it.
  Bloodhound
  When you track	a	creature	by	using	its	blood, the blood will 
  point towards the creature like a compass.
  Rising Powers
  Your class damage die becomes 2d4.
  Rites of Passage
  You take a +1 to all spout lore attempts to describe death, 
  ceremonies involving the dead, and funeral customs.
  Wise fwom your Gwave
  When you spend	a	few	moments	to	bind	a	mass	of	dead	
  creatures	using	your	own	soul, roll+CON. On a 10+, raise all 
  creatures near you as thralls, and assign an order and a portion 
  of your life energy to each. On a 7–9, choose two.
  31
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  • 
  You cannot raise all the creatures in the area.
  • 
  You cannot issue a command to all the thralls.
  • 
  You cannot strengthen the thralls beyond 1 HP.
  • 
  You cannot move or act until the thralls are unbound.
  On a miss, choose three and the thralls do not recognize you as 
  their master and may turn against you. If you give the command 
  to unbind to any of these thralls, all thralls are all unbound 
  and shrivel to dust.
  Roll the Bones
  When you attempt	to	distract	someone	by	showing	them	a	
  vision	of	their	death, roll+INT. On a 10+, the subject becomes 
  visibly distracted and disturbed. On a 7–9, the subject is visibly 
  distracted and choose one. On a miss, choose two and the GM 
  puts you in a spot.
  • 
  The subject knows the vision was your doing.
  • 
  The vision gives the target an advantage, the GM  
  will tell you what.
  • 
  You or an ally is distracted by a horrible vision,  
  GM’s choice.
  Bone Head
  When you spend	an	hour	ritually	infusing	and	strengthening	
  a	piece	of	armor	with	the	bones	of	the	dead, the piece of 
  armor gains +1 armor. You need one full skeleton to perform 
  this ritual and it may only be applied once to any armor. 
  Cold Comfort
  When you administer	mercy	to	a	suffering	creature	and	
  deliver	them	peacefully	to	the	Black	Gates, you gain a +1 to 
  your next parley with any spirit or agent of Death.
  When	you	gain	a	level	from	6–10,	choose	from	these	moves	
  or	the	level	2–5	moves.
  Aspect of Death
  When you shroud	your	form	with	concentrated	necrotic	
  energy, you will appear to bystanders as Death or an agent of 
  Death as you desire. Your disguise will remain until you dismiss 
  it or until Death or an agent of Death discovers your ruse.
  Healer’s Poison
  When you use	necrotic	energy	to	prevent	another	from	
  being	healed, roll+INT. On a 10+, you shroud your intended 
  target and they cannot be healed until sunrise or sunset or until 
  you target another with this move. On a 7–9, you shroud your 
  target, but choose two. On a miss, choose three.
  • 
  You immediately take 1d6 damage and cannot be 
  healed for an hour..
  • 
  One of your limbs begins to wither into uselessness.
  • 
  You feels as if you are suffocating and you lose the 
  ability to speak for an hour.
  From the Brink
  When you prevent	a	dying	ally	from	taking	their	last	breath	
  by	separating	the	necrotic	energy	from	their	souls, roll+CON. 
  On a 10+, you may transfer any portion of your hit points to the 
  ally. On a 7–9, you may transfer any portion of your hit point 
  to the ally, but choose one from the following list.
  • 
  You lose 1d6 from your HP stat.
  • 
  You lose your vision until sunrise or sunset.
  • 
  You are weakened, the GM tells you how.
  • 
  You suffer a debility.
  On a miss, choose two.
  Ghost Sight
  You gain ghost sight. You can see the flow of magical energies 
  and other manifestations of the spirit world.
  Crossing the Streams
  When you channel	the	life	forces	of	your	willing	allies	
  through	yourself	into	a	necrotic	blast, roll+INT. On a 10+, 
  you do 1d4 damage per willing ally to a single enemy you can 
  see and you and each ally take 1 damage. On a 7–9, you still 
  successfully target the enemy, but you and each ally take 3 
  damage. On a miss, the blast is successful, but you and each 
  ally take 4 damage and are thrown backwards in a blast of 
  necrotic energy.
  Death Knell
  When you focus	all	your	necrotic	energy	into	draining	the	
  energy	of	a	single	target, roll+INT. On a 10, choose 2. These 
  effects last as long as you are focusing your necrotic energy 
  and end immediately when your concentration is broken. You 
  cannot take any other actions while concentrating your death 
  knell. On a 7–9, choose one.
  • 
  The target takes an extra 1d4 damage from every 
  successful attack.
  • 
  The target is weakened, the GM tells you how.
  • 
  The target becomes confused and disoriented,  
  lashing out madly.
  On a miss, you suffer from one of the GM’s choosing until 
  sunrise or sunset.
  Death is a Disease
  When you touch	a	living	creature	to	infect	it	with	withering	
  necrotic	energy, the creature begins to age rapidly, slowing it 
  down. The affected creature deals half damage. If the creature 
  dies while still afflicted, it collapses into a cloud of dust. Anyone 
  who inhales the cloud of dust within a few moments of the 
  creature’s death also suffers the effects of the disease. The 
  disease can be cured with an hour’s rest under the moonlight 
  and a mouthful of holy water. 
  32
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Corpse Inferno
  Requires: Corpse Explosion
  Your damage die for corpse explosion increases to 2d4.
  Ultimate Power
  Requires: Rising Power
  When you roll	your	class	damage	dice	and	the	result	is	a	
  matched	pair, necrotic energy flows into your target. Re-roll 
  your damage die and add the result to your initial roll. Continue 
  as long as the dice are matched.
  I Bring a Might Bounty, My Liege
  Requires: Phylactery
  When you deliberately	shatter	your	phylactery, roll+CON. 
  On a 10+, you become the center of a necrotic explosion and do 
  2d4 damage to all enemies within range who are not adequately 
  shielded. For every enemy killed in this manner, you heal 1d4 
  hit points. If you do not kill any enemies, you become undead, 
  but your HP stat becomes 1d4+1 HP. On a 7–9, you also deal 
  damage to allies in the blast radius. On a miss, you do not heal 
  from the blast and you immediately take your Last Breath 
  instead of becoming undead. Death awaits.
  j3
  33
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE 
   HARDENED 
  CONVICT
  MIKE BURNETT
  Edited by Mike Riverso
  Illustrations by Joshua Cross
  You ached to see the light of day again. They wouldn’t put dogs 
  in some of the places you’ve been kept. Sure, you did some bad 
  things, but you had bad things done to you too. Maybe it was 
  a frame job, who knows? Everyone expected you to die in the 
  hole. The thing is, you’re a survivor. You learned from your 
  scars and adapted. You became a cunning, wild animal when 
  necessary, cold and calculating when it suited. And no matter 
  what, you’re never going back ... not alive, anyway.
  Names
  • 
  Dwarf:	Drevan, Concord, Greeley, Luthor, Jarvin, Scar, 
  Fellulah, Sarmah, Red
  • 
  Halfling:	Brandis, Luke, Dusty, Fern, Stiletto, Straw, 
  Bars, Cuffs, Denny
  • 
  Human:	Andrew, Cassius, Landon, Nixi, Martin, 
  Bridget, Frank, Bonny, Jocasta
  Looks
  Choose one for each:
  • 
  Cruel Eyes, Wary Eyes, or Tired Eyes
  • 
  Shaved Head, Mohawk, or Messy Hair
  • 
  Worn Clothes, Ill-Fitting Clothes, or Unmatched Clothes
  • 
  Calloused Body, Lithe Body, or Scrappy Body
  STATS
  Your maximum HP is 6+Constitution.
  Your base damage is d8.
  STARTING MOVES
  Choose a race and gain the corresponding move:
  Human:	Your incarceration has given you an edge. When you 
  intimidate someone by looking them in the eye, take +1 forward 
  to parley attempts.
  Halfling:	The safest places are the darkest places. You can see 
  clearly in pitch black surroundings. 
  Dwarf:	No reason to take chances with just a flesh wound. Add 
  +1 piercing to your favored weapons. 
  You	start	with	these	moves:
  It’s Shank or Be Shanked
  Choose one:
  • 
  Daggers
  • 
  Clubs
  • 
  Rocks
  • 
  Fists
  When you use any weapon of this type, it gains +2 damage and 
  the messy tag.
  One ... Big ... Damn Conspiracy!
  When you dig	up	information	about	a	criminal	activity	or	
  organization, roll+CHA. On a 10+, you have heard useful or 
  interesting information while snooping around: the GM will tell 
  you what. On a 7–9, you hear rumors, but nothing definitive. 
  On a miss, you are noticed asking around.
  Never Again
  When you escape	from	a	type	of	imprisonment, roll+CON. 
  On a 10+, you escape your imprisonment without difficulty. 
  On a 7–9, choose two:
  • 
  You escape without injury
  • 
  You escape without notice
  • 
  You escape with all your possessions
  • 
  You escape quickly
  Dirty Fighter
  The	first	time	you use	a	dishonorable	tactic	in	any	fight, 
  roll+CHA. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7–9, hold 2. Hold can be spent, 
  1 for 1, to add +1 to any roll during the fight in which you are 
  attempting to fight dishonorably. On a miss, hold 1 but the 
  enemy you target may turn the tables on you. 
  ALIGNMENT
  Good:	Find evidence of the conspiracy to frame you for a 
  major crime. 
  Neutral:	Expose an injustice of authority to the public. 
  Evil:	Gain infamy for criminal actions. 
  34
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  GEAR
  Your load is 7+STR. You start with dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 
  weight).
  Choose your defenses:
  • 
  Leather jerkin (1 armor, 1 weight)
  • 
  Improvised shield (+1 armor, 2 weight)
  Choose your weapon:
  • 
  Makeshift dagger (precise, hand, 1 weight)
  • 
  A wooden bludgeon (close, 2 weight)
  • 
  A big rock (hand, thrown, close, reach, clumsy, 2 weight)
  • 
  Knuckle dusters (hand, precise, 0 weight)
  Choose one:
  • 
  Healing potion and adventuring gear (3 uses, 1 weight)
  • 
  Flask of grog and adventuring gear (4 uses, 1 weight)
  BONDS
  Fill in the name of your companions in at least one:
  • 
  _______ helped me get away once.
  • 
  ______ had better not cross me again.
  • 
  I’ve done hard time with _______, but I’ll keep their secret.
  • 
   _______ owes me big for taking all the blame. 
  ADVANCED MOVES
  When you gain a level from 2–5, choose from these moves.
  Harsh Truth to Face
  You can use your presence (and a promise to eventually leave) as 
  leverage for a parley with anyone of decent society or upbringing.
  Figment of my Imagination
  You have an alias you may use while in disguise. When you 
  spend	half	an	hour	applying	your	disguise, your real identity 
  cannot be discerned unless you make yourself known. Actions 
  taken under this identity are ascribed to your alias.
  A Man Who Knows How  
  to Get Things
  Whenever you spend	a	few	hours	looking	for	supplies	in	a	
  civilized	area	with	a	criminal	element, you are able to find 
  all the supplies you need, including a few magical items, but 
  only at the black market rate. Your GM will tell you the cost.
  Straight as an Arrow
  You tried to earn a trade, once. Get one move from another class. 
  Treat your level as one lower for choosing the move. 
  Investing in the Future
  When you	are	in	a	place	you	have	visited	before	and	you	
  have	at	least	one	use	left	of	your	adventuring	gear, you 
  can recover a hidden object from the environment, even if you 
  don’t have your adventuring gear in your immediate possession. 
  Mark one use from your adventuring gear.
  Surprise!
  When you take	a	minute	to	hide	something	the	size	of	your	
  hand	or	smaller	on	your	person, it cannot be found through 
  mundane means.
  Think They’ve Forgotten About Us? 
  If you are told to mark a ration in a place where small animals, 
  vermin, insects, or edible plants are common, do not mark a 
  ration. 
  This Ends Now
  When you put	yourself	in	danger	in	a	pitched	mêlée	in	
  order	to	attack	a	figure	of	authority, roll+Bonds. On a 10+, 
  your allies are able to keep you covered. On a 7–9, choose one 
  from the following list. On a miss, choose two:
  • 
  You are blindsided and suffer a debility
  • 
  One of your allies is put mortal danger
  • 
  Your target has the upper hand on you
  Quick and Clean
  When you attack	someone	who	cannot	see	you, deal 2d8 
  damage.
  35
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Y
  When	you	gain	a	level	from	6–10,	choose	from	these	moves	
  or	the	level	2–5	moves.
  Get Busy Living
  When you are dying	while	in	combat, you may roll+CON. On a 
  10+, you regain 2d4 HP and are back in the fight. On a 7–9, you 
  take a debility and regain 1d6 HP. Describe your debility. If you 
  already have all six debilities, you automatically miss on a 7–9.
  On a miss, you take your last breath.
  Friends in Low Places
  When you gather	local	criminals	for	a	dangerous	job, 
  roll+CHA. On a 10+, the crew will know something special that 
  can help you meet your plan. On a 7–9, the crew will inform 
  you of a complication that you didn’t factor into your plans.
  You Never Saw Me Here
  When you enter	a	settlement	in	which	you	are	wanted	by	
  the	authorities, you may instead pay the equivalent of 100 
  gold pieces to keep a low profile. You will not attract notice 
  unless you reveal yourself through some action.
  Like My Tattoos?
  Describe your tattoo and its significance. When a criminal	or	
  ex-con	notices	your	tattoo, take +1 forward to parley with 
  them. Additionally, anyone with the same tattoo automatically 
  succeeds in any attempt to aid you and you automatically 
  succeed in any attempt to aid them.
  Fence
  When you attempt	to	sell	a	recognizable	and	desirable	
  item	in	a	large	civilized	area, roll+CHA. On a 10+, you earn 
  the black market price and can’t be linked to the item. On a 
  7–9, you are offered above market value, but your transaction 
  is noticed by the wrong people. On a miss, you can’t find any 
  buyers, but many parties are interested in obtaining the item 
  through other means disadvantageous to yourself.
  Like Riding a Bicycle
  When committing a crime, take +1 forward. When dealing with 
  law enforcement, take - 1 forward. 
  All the World a Cage
  You have knowledge of the worst prisons, jails, gulags, and 
  prison holds in the world. The first time a place of incarceration 
  is mentioned in your presence, you may state one fact about it. 
  The World is Just Passing Me By
  You keep working on relearning your old skills. Get one move 
  from another class. Treat your level as one lower for choosing 
  the move.
  What Have We Here ...
  When convincing	ex-cons	or	prisoners	to	fight	against	
  authority, roll+CHA. On a 10+, they will follow you and assist 
  you in overthrowing the authority. On a 7–9, they will ask for a 
  promise of immediate wealth and/or future power before they 
  offer assistance. On a miss, some of the prisoners will oppose 
  you in some way; the GM will tell you how.
  36
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  THE 
  CHAMPION
  GIOVANNI LANZA
  Edited by Chris Bennett
  Illustration by Giovanni Lanza
  The gods are fickle creatures by nature, always fighting and 
  feuding with one another. Sometimes mortals get caught up in 
  these conflicts; clerics and priests heal the sick, while paladins 
  and the like smite the wicked and uphold law and good. You 
  however, were chosen.
  The gods chose you, whether you wanted to be chosen or not, 
  to be their voice in the mortal realm. Nevermind that you were 
  on your way to becoming something else. They have bestowed 
  upon you powers beyond imagining. With a single word, you 
  can transform into an avatar of your god’s will. You can soar 
  through the sky, shrug off blows that would kill a mortal man, 
  and more. You are more than just a hero. No, that word no 
  longer describes you.
  You are a superhero.
  NAMES
  Favored Soul
  Choose a name from the class that you take a move from.
  LOOK
  Choose one for each:
  • 
  Bright Eyes, Dark Eyes, or Eager Eyes
  • 
  Styled Hair, Shaved Head, or Shaggy Hair
  • 
  Fancy Clothes, Peasant Garb, or Ornate Robes
  • 
  Fit Body, Thin Body, or Bulky Body
  STATS
  Your maximum HP is 8+Constitution.
  Your base damage is d6.
  STARTING MOVES
  Choose a race and gain the corresponding move:
  Favored Soul
  You may be a dwarf, elf, human, or something else, but you have 
  been touched by your deity. You maintain one of your avatar 
  powers even in champion form, but you have a tell while using it.
  You	start	with	these	moves:
  Avatar Form
  When you take on the form granted to you by your god, 
  roll+CHA. On a 10+, you transform into your avatar form. On 
  a 7–9, you transform, but you must choose one of the following 
  complications:
  • 
  Your connection to your deity is weak, take -1 ongoing 
  in avatar form until you make camp.
  • The transformation is unstable, you’ll have to change 
  back to normal soon.
  • The transformation puts stress on your mortal form, 
  take a debility of the GM’s choice when you change back.
  In either case, once the task you called upon your deity for is 
  completed, you change back to normal. When in avatar form, you 
  gain hit points equal to your level, and you have a rearranged 
  set of stats. In addition, you have 3 power points to be divided 
  amongst the following powers, chosen at character creation 
  (if you put 2 power points into a power, you gain the power in 
  parentheses):
  • Divine Might: When using hack and slash, roll one die 
  step higher on damage. (When using hack and slash, roll 
  two steps higher on damage.)
  • 
  Supernatural Resilience: You gain 2 armor. (You gain 3 
  armor.)
  • 
  Deific Influence: You gain influence of something related 
  to your god’s domain. (You are immune to something 
  related to your god’s domain.)
  • Up, Up, and Away: You can leap, hover, and glide. (You 
  can fly, whether it be with or without wings.)
  • 
  Weapon of God: You gain a weapon that has two of the 
  following tags: forceful, ignores armor, messy, or precise. 
  (Your weapon has three of the tags.)
  Apprentice Champion
  Choose one class that is not being played. Gain one starting 
  move from that class.
  Nemesis
  Your faith as enemies and you are sworn to fight them. Define 
  a major threat to your faith. When you oppose this threat, its 
  machinations, or its minions, reroll any 1s. You must keep the 
  second roll. You also cannot hide from your enemies in your 
  avatar form.
  37
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  ALIGNMENT
  Choose an alignment:
  • 
  Good:	Protect an innocent in the name of your deity.
  • 
  Evil:	Kill an innocent in the name of your deity.
  GEAR
  Your Load is 8+STR. You have dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight). 
  Choose one:
  • 
  Chainmail (1 armor, 1 weight)
  • 
  Adventuring gear (5 uses, 1 weight)
  Choose your armament:
  • 
  Blessed blade (close, +1 damage, 2 weight)
  • 
  Traveler’s staff (close, two-handed, 1 weight)
  • 
  Sacrificial dagger (hand, 1 weight)
  Choose one:
  • 
  Adventuring gear (5 uses, 1 weight)
  • 
  Shield (+1 armor, 2 weight)
  • 
  2 healing potions (0 weight)
  BONDS
  Fill in the name of one of your companions in at least one:
  • 
  ____________ is a devout servant of the gods; I trust them 
  completely.
  • ____________ works with dangerous forces, I must try to 
  protect them from themselves.
  • 
  I will convert ____________ over to my faith.
  • 
  ____________ has proved their loyalty to me.
  ADVANCED MOVES
  When	you	gain	a	level	from	2–5,	choose	from	these	moves.
  Heroic Avatar
  You gain another power point to spend on a power you already 
  have. In addition, you can choose from these powers if you put 
  a third point in a power:
  • Divine Might: You gain the bend bars, lift gates move 
  from the fighter.
  • 
  Supernatural Resilience: You take +1 to defy danger.
  • 
  Deific Influence: You can grant blessings in accordance 
  to your deity’s domain.
  • 
  Up, Up, and Away: You can speed through the air, carrying 
  a great weight behind you.
  • 
  Weapon of God: Your weapon has one of the following 
  tags: empowered with good or evil, surrounded by holy/
  unholy fire, or bane to your arch nemesis.
  Arch Nemesis
  When you roll a 1 when opposing your nemesis, you can reroll 
  that die twice, even if the second roll wasn’t a 1.
  Journeyman Champion
  You gain another move from the class that you chose at first 
  level.
  Inspirational Speech
  When you give an inspirational speech to your allies, roll+CHA. 
  On a hit, your allies gain a temporary bond with you until the 
  end of the battle. On a 10+, they also gain +1 Forward.
  Luck of the Gods
  Dedicate yourself to a deity (name a new one or choose one 
  that’s already been established). When you trigger Nemesis, 
  call a number from 1 to 6. If that number appears, you may 
  use divine guidance.
  By the Power of Greyskull!
  When you transform into your avatar form, it’s a spectacular 
  affair, with energy flying out. Enemies within near range take 
  your normal form’s class damage. In addition, on a 7–9, you 
  can choose the following complication:
  • Your allies are struck with divine energy and also take 
  your class damage.
  38
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Save the Day
  When you rush forward to save someone or something, roll+DEX. 
  On a 10+, you get there just in time, no matter how improbable. 
  On a 7–9, you get there, but not before the danger surrounding 
  the victim escalates.
  When	you	gain	a	level	from	6–10,	choose	from	these	moves	
  or	the	level	2–5	moves.
  Superheroic Avatar
  Requires: Heroic Avatar
  You gain another power point.
  Ack! Kryptonite!
  Name something you are immune to. Then name your weakness, 
  and explain why it inhibits your connection to your deity. When 
  you come into contact with your weakness, roll+CON. On a 10+, 
  you resist the effects of your weakness. On a 7–9, choose one:
  • 
  Its touch burns you, take 1d6 damage.
  • 
  You feel your power slipping away, choose one power. You 
  no longer can use this power as long as your weakness 
  is near.
  • 
  You feel your connection to your deity weakening, you’ll 
  change back into your champion form soon.
  Shazam!
  Replaces: By the Power of Greyskull!
  When you transform into your avatar form, it’s a spectacular 
  affair, with energy flying out. Enemies within far range take 
  your avatar form’s class damage. In addition, on a 7–9, you can 
  choose the following complication:
  • Your allies are struck with divine energy and also take 
  your normal form’s class damage.
  Divine Expertise
  Requires: Luck of the Gods
  You gain the commune and cast a spell cleric moves. When you 
  select this move, treat yourself as a cleric of level 1 for using 
  spells. Every time you gain a level thereafter, increase your 
  effective cleric level by 1.
  Master Champion
  Requires: Journeyman Champion
  You gain another move from the class that you chose at first 
  level.
  Pep Talk
  Replaces: Inspirational Speech
  When you give an inspirational speech to your allies, roll+CHA. 
  On a hit, your allies gain a temporary bond with you, and you 
  with them, until the end of the battle. On a 10+, they also gain 
  +1 forward.
  Fight My Battle
  Requires: Inspirational Speech
  When you give your allies an inspirational speech before fighting 
  a battle in line with your cause, they can resolve their bond 
  with you to roll 3d6 and take the better two on a single move.
  39
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  GIFTS OF  
  THE GODS
  DAVID GUYLL
  Edited by Jeremy Friesen
  Illustrations by Walter Crane
  In Greek mythology it was common for people to pray to various 
  gods as the need or desire arose, such as to Athena for insight, 
  Ares for victory in combat, or to Aphrodite to have your love 
  reciprocated. Depending on your prayer, what you offer (if 
  anything), and the god’s attitude at the time they might respond 
  favorably (which could be obvious or indirect), simply ignore 
  you, or punish you.
  When you beseech the gods for assistance, roll+CHA. On a 10+, 
  the god provides you with assistance in some way, but might 
  demand something in return. On a 7–9, they might grant you 
  a minor, fleeting boon, but will most certainly want something 
  in exchange. On a miss the god either ignores your request, 
  or is insulted: it might seek to punish you, or demand some 
  service as atonement. 
  The character’s request and attitude towards the god can affect 
  this roll, as can any sacrifices, promises, and deeds performed 
  in the god’s name. A devoted follower of a god may receive +1 
  or +2 forward to this roll, especially if they frequently spread 
  the god’s name, perform ceremonies, offer sacrifices, etc. A 
  particularly noteworthy sacrifice or deed might even grant the 
  character an automatic success, especially if the aid coincides 
  with the god’s own goals or desires.
  40
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  On the other hand if the character has recently beseeched the 
  god for aid, made too many requests, or the request lies outside 
  the god’s portfolio, they could take -1 or -2 forward, or simply 
  be outright denied. Characters that constantly try to pester the 
  gods for free stuff will at best find their prayers being ignored, 
  and at worst forced to perform arduous, possibly impossible 
  tasks for the god’s amusement.
  What assistance a god offers varies greatly depending on who 
  and what you are asking for. For example if you pray to Ares for 
  victory, he might grant you a magical sword, make you better 
  in combat (+1 or +2 ongoing for the duration of a battle), send 
  another army to help, damage the morale of the enemy, and 
  so on.
  In return he might demand that you sacrifice any prisoners 
  captured, build a fortress in his honor, or send you off to conquer 
  another nation. Fail to do so and he could send an army to 
  conquer you, have your strength falter (debility) or your weapon 
  shatter (loss of an item) in the midst of combat, or have your 
  troops betray you or flee the battle. It just depends on his mood.
  Sometimes the gods will grant noteworthy heroes access to 
  powers or magic items if their goals coincide with their own, 
  such as when Zeus, Hermes, and Athena each provided Perseus 
  with a magical item during his quest to defeat the Gorgon. Not 
  every recipient needs to be a hero, mind you: they might just 
  do it to meddle in the affairs of mortals, or even another god.
  All of the above should serve as a guideline. Remember that 
  even if a god does bless or punish a character, it is up to you 
  to not only decide what the result is, but also whether the god 
  revokes it. 
  ADVANCED MOVES
  The following advanced moves are available to any particularly 
  devout hero. A god might also temporarily grant a character 
  access to one as part of a boon.
  Athena’s Insight
  When you spout lore you can roll+WIS instead of INT. In addition 
  on a miss you know from where or whom you can discover the 
  information you seek.
  Athena’s Wisdom 
  When you discern realities, on a 10+ you can ask any one 
  question you like, even one that is not on the list. As long as 
  information regarding the answer is recorded in one of Athena’s 
  temples, the GM will tell you what you want to know. You can 
  also see in the dark.
  Halo of Helios
  You can generate an aura of light. It can be as dim as a candle or 
  bright as a lantern. Vampires and other creatures vulnerable to 
  sunlight are noticeably uncomfortable within the light’s radius.
  Blinding Light 
  Requires: Halo of Helios
  When you unleash the power of the sun, roll+CHA. On a 10+, 
  nearby enemies are temporarily blinded. On a 7–9, the GM 
  determines who is blinded (which can include other characters). 
  On a miss no one is affected, and you cannot use either this 
  move or halo of Helios until the next sunrise.
  Zeus’s Lightning
  When you channel a powerful bolt of lightning, roll+DEX, WIS, 
  or CHA. On a 10+, you strike your target and deal damage. On 
  a 7–9, you hit your target, but you also damage yourself or a 
  nearby ally. On a miss you momentarily stun yourself.
  Rolling Thunder 
  Requires: Zeus’s Lightning
  Damage dealt by Zeus’s lightning gains the ignore armor and 
  forceful tags.
  Forked Lightning
  Requires: Zeus’s Lightning
  When you use Zeus’s lightning, you can target two creatures 
  instead of one.
  Earth-Shaking Stomp 
  When you invoke the power of Poseidon and stomp on the 
  ground, roll+STR. On a 10+, all nearby enemies topple to the 
  ground, and some structures might be the worse for wear. On 
  a 7–9, people and buildings still fall, but the GM decides who 
  and what. On a miss the quake is uncontrolled; the GM still 
  gets to determine who and what is affected, but you can expect 
  to find yourself among the collateral damage,
  Hermes’s Speed 
  You can run as fast as a horse. When you use your speed to defy 
  danger, take +1 forward.
  Fury of Ares
  When you call upon the fury of Ares to strike a devastating 
  blow, roll+STR. On a 10+, roll damage twice and take the best 
  result. On a 7–9, you still roll twice and take the best result, 
  but you leave yourself open; your enemy rolls damage against 
  you and takes the best result (or rolls an additional die if they 
  already roll multiple dice). On a miss your mind is clouded with 
  rage, or your weapon breaks or gets stuck in something, and 
  the enemy makes an attack against you.
  Terrifying Triumph
  Requires: Fury of Ares
  When you defeat an enemy, roll+CHA. On a 10+ your enemies 
  hesitate, shaken by your brutal display. On a 7–9, both friend 
  and foe alike quiver in fear; you are just that scary. On a miss 
  your enemies try to overwhelm you, because safety in numbers.
  Aphrodite’s Grace 
  When you parley with someone, on a hit you distract them 
  41
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  during the course of your negotiations. When you defy danger 
  using charm and social grace, take +1 forward.
  TREASURE
  Helm of Darkness
  Donning this helmet renders you completely invisible. It lasts 
  until you remove the helmet or you attack another creature. 
  Once it has been worn, it must be removed overnight for it to 
  recharge.
  Poseidon’s Trident  
  While bearing Poseidon’s trident you have power over the seas. 
  You can calm them, stir them into a tumultuous rage, swim 
  effortlessly, and breathe underwater.
  Winged Sandals
  These magical sandals grant the wearer swift flight. Occasionally 
  the gods loan them to a mortal in order to help them complete 
  a task, though sometimes they leave them lying around just to 
  see what happens. Have fun with them while you can, because 
  at some point they always reclaim them … whether or not you 
  are done.
  42
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  8
  HERETOFORE  
  UNIMAGINED  
  CATASTROPHES 
   
  (all manner of hackery)
  43
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  MORGAN CITY, 
  LOUISIANA
  DANIELE DI RUBBO
  Edited by Michael Sands  
  and Nikitas Thlimmenos
  Maps by Daniele Di Rubbo 
  and Chris Sakkas
  A MONSTER OF THE WEEK MYSTERY
  Monster of the Week was created by Michael Sands.
  CONCEPT
  In Morgan City, Louisiana, the discovery of Devonian Period 
  (416–359 million years ago) fossils and Native American finds 
  has just drawn the attention of a terrible Deep One, a humanoid 
  fish-frog-like killing creature. Moreover, a cult dedicated to the 
  Deep One’s master still exists from those ancient days.
  HOOK
  Prof. Julius Robinson, anthropologist of the Nicholls State 
  University (Thibodaux, Louisiana), is found brutally killed in his 
  office at the Historical Society and Public Library. A glass display 
  case was broken: surely something was stolen from there.
  COUNTDOWN
  • 
  Day:	A clay tablet representing Cthulhu is stolen 
  from Dr. Bessie J. Higgins’ office.
  • 
  Shadows:	Old Pat is found horribly sacrificed at 
  the cemetery.
  • 
  Dusk:	Bessie is killed. Archeological finds are stolen 
  from her home.
  • 
  Sunset:	The Deep One kills Sheriff Starnes. Someone 
  breaks into the safe, stealing something.
  • 
  Nightfall:	The Great Cthulhu cult organizes a sabbath, 
  summoning the Deep One in order to give it all the 
  unholy finds.
  • 
  Midnight:	The Deep One flees to the sea to prepare 
  the way for Cthulhu’s awakening.
  MONSTER
  The Deep One
  A fearful humanoid and huge fish-frog-like creature.
  Type: Collector
  Motivation:	To steal specific sorts of things
  Prof. Julius Robinson and his students found and “stole” the 
  sacred artefacts of the Great Cthulhu cult. The Deep One wants 
  to retrieve all of those unholy objects, no matter the cost, to 
  summon other unearthly entities in the world.
  Powers:	Unnatural strength and stamina; swims, resists and 
  heals extraordinarily when in the water.
  Weaknesses: It can be killed only by an unholy knife of bone 
  and stone, sacred to the Great Cthulhu (ignore armour).
  Attacks: Bite (4-harm intimate), Claws (3-harm hand)
  Armour: 2 (scales and hard skin)
  Harm	Capacity: ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ (10)
  Custom	Move: When the Deep One dives in the water, it 
  immediately heals 2 harm (only the first time in a given situation).
  NOTES
  Unholy	knife	(2-harm hand unholy): gains ignore armour if 
  used against the Deep One. Buried in the John B. Spring (a 
  19th century Catholic priest) tomb, at the cemetery. Old Pat 
  knows about this story and evidence can also be found at the 
  Historical Society.
  Random	Names (use them for new bystanders): Theodore T. 
  Flowers, Terrence S. Roy, William C. Moore, Belle D. Walton, 
  Tiffany F. Casillas, Donna J. Franks
  MINIONS
  Great Cthulhu cultists
  Since ancient times people living here have been in contact 
  with a nearby community of Deep Ones. Certain people have 
  made pacts with the Deep Ones, and their descendants survive 
  as a secret cult in the Morgan City community.
  Type:	Thief
  Motivation: To steal and deliver to the monster
  The cultists want to retrieve the lost finds and give them to 
  the Deep One, so that he can return to its home and perform 
  its eldritch rituals. They’ll frustrate however they can whoever 
  acts against the Deep One.
  Attacks:	Ritual knife (1-harm hand), 9mm (2-harm close loud), 
  hunting rifle (2-harm far loud)
  Armour: 0
  Harm	Capacity:	☐☐☐☐☐ (5) | ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) | ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) 
  | ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) | ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) | ☐☐☐☐☐ (5) | 
  ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ (10)
  44
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  Custom	Move: When a hunter asks locals about something weird, 
  roll+Sharp. On a 10+, the hunter works out: 
  • 
  if they are talking to a member of the cult, that this person 
  is concealing something important.
  • 
  if they are talking to a normal person, that this person is 
  too scared to reveal anything.
  On a 7–9, the hunter knows something isn’t right, but not 
  exactly what.
  On a miss, the cult gets told that this hunter is asking questions 
  about them (regardless of whether that was the subject or not).
  Cast	Names: Walter C. Tanner, Roger V. Saldana, Michael A. 
  Hernandez, Katie R. Ceaser, Veronica B. O’Neill, Magdalene 
  M. Warren
  Notes:	Cultists can work at the diner, at the library, be part 
  of the sheriff’s office or of the mayor’s staff (or be the mayor 
  himself), etc.
  BYSTANDERS
  Dr. Bessie J. Higgins (28)
  Student of Prof. Robinson; she’s 28, strikingly gorgeous, with 
  long blond and curly hair, blue eyes and casual wear.
  Type: Skeptic
  Motivation:	To deny supernatural explanations
  Bessie is from Baton Rouge and now in Morgan City only 
  for academic reasons. She disregards the local rumours as 
  superstitions.
  Information:	Bessie was alarmed by the insane obsession some 
  people in Morgan City showed for her and Prof. Robinson’s 
  researches.
  Patrick R. Milliken (“Old Pat”) (78)
  Old Pat is an old, partially bald drunk with grey hair and long 
  unkempt beard. He wears old-fashioned clothes and a flat cap.
  Type:	Witness
  Motivation:	To reveal information
  Old Pat knows many things about Morgan City and will be glad 
  to pass them on, if you give him reason or intimacy (or a snifter).
  Information:	Old Pat is scared by the presence of the cult. 
  He’s not part of it but knows of its existence (and maybe even 
  about some members), because he always lived in Morgan City 
  and he’s a kind of historic memory. He also knows stories about 
  Reverend Spring and the unholy knife.
  Sheriff Aline J. Starnes (34)
  Morgan City Sheriff. She’s 34, has short brown hair and a khaki 
  uniform with a Canadian-type hat. She’s quite tall.
  Type:	Helper
  Motivation: To join the hunt
  Aline suspects from months something is wrong in Morgan 
  City and will gladly help the hunt, should the hunters explain 
  the situation with evidence and involve her.
  Attacks:	.38 revolver (2-harm close reload loud)
  Harm	Capacity: ☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐ (8)
  Information: Aline has suspicions about some inhabitants’ 
  twisted religious beliefs, but she has no evidence about them 
  being criminals.
  LOCATIONS
  Historical Society  
  and Public Library
  An old building made of red bricks and huge windows.
  Type:	Hub
  Motivation: To reveal information
  Here there are Prof. Robinson’s and Dr. Higgins’ offices and the 
  public library and archive, full of useful information.
  Notes:	Here one can find information about Reverend Spring 
  and the unholy knife.
  Cemetery
  A neo-gothic graveyard with new and old tombs.
  Type:	Lab
  Motivation: To create weirdness
  Strange things and encounters happen here. The unholy knife 
  is buried here, in John B. Spring’s (a 19th century Catholic 
  priest) tomb.
  Sheriff Office
  Modern building with parking area nearby.
  Type:	Crossroads
  Motivation:	To bring people, and things, together
  Sheriff Starne’s workplace.
  Deputies	Names:	William D. Combs, Shannon R. Doyon
  Old unholy shrine
  An isolated and scary glade in the woods with a stone idols of 
  the Great Cthulhu, Dagon and Hydra in the middle.
  Type: Hellgate
  Motivation: To create evil
  Here the Great Cthulhu cultists gather for their unspeakable 
  rituals.
  45
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  MORGAN CITY, 
  LOUISIANA
  46
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  EXCERPTS FROM
  TRAVELLER 
  WORLD
  CHRIS BENNETT
  Excerpts from Traveller World, a storygame of the Far Future, 
  which is based on John Harper’s World of Dungeons and other 
  games. “Patrons” in particular are inspired by Jonathan Walton’s 
  Planarch Codex.
  You play veterans from one of the interstellar services, who have 
  mustered out to become adventurers and seek your fortune in 
  the stars. Or maybe just a rogue who is looking for the next play.
  MAP THE SHIP
  The Ref will take some paper and sketch out the general 
  dimensions of the ship’s hull, with the players’ help.
  Each player in turn should add a different main portion of the 
  ship. Some good ideas might be cargo, engines, staterooms, 
  bridge. Make sure to leave some white space on the map. 
  Then each player in turn should mark where in the ship they  
  find sanctuary.
  Refer to the map during play. When you need a sickbay, have 
  someone add it to the ship. Someone needs a workspace for 
  building things out of found tech? Add it in.
  Eventually during play you will start to run out of space on the 
  ship and be forced to reuse or double-up areas for different 
  things. That’s the point. It’s a cramped ship, but it’s fun to see 
  how it actually gets used.
  Each character picks a ShipBond:
  I’m on this ship because...
  • 
   I can’t go home
  • 
   I’m trying to find something I lost
  • 
   This is my only family
  • 
   I can’t stop running
  • 
   I’m still trying to prove something to _____
  Whoever has been on the ship longest takes a ShipBond+1 with 
  the ship. Everyone else takes a ShipBond+0.
  When you take some time to perform some unnecessary repairs 
  or maintenance on the ship (this often happens in Jumpspace), 
  increase your ShipBond by +1. Detail what you did to the ship 
  and how it changes. If this raises the bond to +4, reset to +1 
  and mark XP.
  When trying to get something extra out of the ship (“more 
  power!” “just one last Jump!” “don’t break up when we land!”), 
  roll +ShipBond. On a hit, you get +1Forward. On a 10+, also 
  add ShipBond+1; f this raises the bond to +4, reset to +1 and 
  mark XP. On a 7–9, you can take the +1Forward, but the ship 
  also takes 1-Harm.
  When you resolve a ShipBond, choose a new one. Or, this may 
  be a good opportunity to leave the ship for good and plot a new 
  course in life. Make a new character.
  WORLD GENERATION
  Every parsec or so is a star system with one or more planets 
  orbiting it. Usually one planet in each system is habitable. Grab 
  a piece of paper and draw a few dime-sized systems with an 
  inch or three between them. Space them out a bit. Add more 
  systems as needed. An inch equals a parsec when travelling, 
  more or less. As you play, you’ll start to see where the trade 
  routes and borders are. Write any interesting notes directly on 
  the map to refer to later. Nature abhors a vacuum.
  Pick one or two system tags to help define the world.
  If it’s an important enough system, it may be a sub sector capital 
  or even a sector capital. If it’s in a strategic location, there may 
  be an Imperial Naval Base. If it’s remote enough, there could 
  be an Imperial Scout Base. If there’s trouble in the system, the 
  Imperials may have marked it as an Amber Zone. If it’s no-go, 
  they probably marked it as a Red Zone. But you can’t make a 
  Credit without breaking a few rules.
  If there are several systems clustered together, they may be 
  allies for protection or trade, or in competition with each other. 
  Go with the obvious choice.
  Most systems have a starport of some kind, either on the 
  surface of a planet or occasionally in orbit. It might be huge 
  and high-tech, with starship-building capability. It might be 
  an overworked port with cramped bays and leaky fuel storage. 
  It may be a relatively flat piece of ground and a flag. A good 
  pilot doesn’t need much.
  Ask the characters questions when exiting Jumpspace into a 
  new system. Some ideas:
  • 
  What is unusual or exotic about this system?
  • What does this system have in surplus? What is it 
  desperately short of?
  • 
  What do people say under their breath about this system?
  And ask one of these to each of the characters:
  • 
  Who has been here last? How did that go?
  • 
  Who knows someone here?
  • 
  What just happened in this system?
  47
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  • 
  What worries you about this system?
  • 
  How is your past catching up to you here?
  Even better is to ask questions based on their career or their 
  abilities. A Scout would probably know the survey particulars 
  of a system, while a Merchant might recognize the name of a 
  passing tramp trader ship.
  While generating Patron Jobs, note any potential NPCs or 
  factions that could come into conflict with each other or with 
  the characters.
  While in Jumpspace on the way to the next system, do the 
  following along with the characters:
  • 
  Give each character a chance for connection scenes with 
  each other, a passenger or with the ship.
  • 
  Follow each character into their sanctuary. What are they 
  doing and what are they thinking about?
  • 
  What on the ship needs doing/mending/fixing/improving? 
  How are they doing it? Make changes on the ship map 
  if needed.
  PATRONS
  Roll up 2–4 jobs on the tables for the players to choose from. 
  The Ref can interpret the rolls on their own, or discuss with 
  the players. “What does it mean to escort a place?”
  When starting a new game, also have the players pick the job 
  they just finished, and discuss how that went. This will add 
  some background for the crew.
  Roll up new jobs as needed when entering a new system.
  Patron Table
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1
  Tycoon
  Speculator
  Emigre
  Tourist
  Playboy
  Noble
  2
  Scientist
  Army Officer
  Scout
  Marine Officer
  Navy Officer
  Mercenary
  3
  Administrator
  Governor
  Scholar
  Spy
  Courier
  Diplomat
  4
  Embezzler
  Diplomat
  Police
  Merchant
  Tourist
  Shipowner
  5
  Shopkeeper
  Soldier
  Clerk
  Rumor
  Journalist
  Crewman
  6
  Revolutionary
  Smuggler
  Hijacker
  Assassin
  Cutthroat
  Arsonist
  Job Table
  1. Acquire
  2. Deliver
  3. Destroy
  4. Escort
  5. Explore
  6. Find
  Target Table
  1. Alien (of some sort)
  2. Cargo
  3. Citizen
  4. Place/Building
  5. Vehicle/Starship
  6. Technology
  Location Table
  1. Nearby
  2. Distant
  3. Remote
  4. Another system
  5. Unknown
  6. Secret
  Some jobs have a reward. Some are no more than “what you can 
  carry out”. All have the potential to make a friend…or an enemy.
  48
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  OPPOSITION 
  GENERATOR
  FOR SPY GAMES 
  CHRIS BENNETT
  Edited by Giovanni Lanza
  Designed as a supplement for Nick Wedig’s gritty spy hack of 
  World of Dungeons. It can be downloaded from http://nickwedig.
  libraryofhighmoon.com/2013/03/world-of-secrets/
  When the GM needs opposition for the agents, they may access 
  the redacted file, or use this generator.
  ASSET CRYPTONYM
  Roll d6 to generate the prefix and then choose a suffix. Combine 
  to create a cryptonym.
  Prefix:
  1. AM
  2. HT
  3. KU
  4. ZR
  5. HT
  6. choose any two letter combo
  Suffix	List: Clatter, Success, Trunk, World, Focus, Erode, Lyric, 
  Tempo, Bias, Alert, Rifle, Club, Palm, Rod, Denim, Cobra
  Example: HT/Alert
  REAL NAME
  Choose	from	this	list: Arnetta, Fritz, Samara, Rico, Corinne, 
  Max, Pok, Murray, Stasia, Ahmed, Maxie, Efrain, Alexandra, 
  Milton, Eleanor, Thom, Jayme, Lorenzo, Elva, Michal, Naida
  LAST LOCATION
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1
  Cairo
  London
  Paris
  Hong Kong
  Venice
  Seoul
  2
  Berlin
  Jerusalem
  Madrid
  Mexico City 
  San Francisco
  Stockholm
  3
  Kuala Lumpur
  Peshawar
  Moscow
  Zürich
  Macau
  Marrakesh
  4
  Guangzhou
  New York
  Sydney
  Kiev
  Dubai
  Washington D.C.
  5
  Prague
  Athens
  Tokyo
  Riyadh
  Mumbai
  Pyongyang
  6
  Buenos Aires
  Mecca
  Delhi
  Amsterdam
  Vancouver
  Unknown
  TYPE
  Choose	one	or	two: itinerant, corrupt, lunatic, famous, green, 
  manipulative, uncooperative, competitive, scheming, daring, 
  ambitious, persona non grata, retired, aspiring, shady, detached-
  service, ersatz, ambitious, cashiered, lovestruck, unemployed, 
  rebellious, immoral, drug-addicted, unbelieving, hardened, wily
  SPECIALTY
  1. Action
  2. Analysis
  3. Craft
  4. Influence
  5. Technical
  6. choose any two specialties
  ROLE
  Choose one of the Archetypes based on Specialty, or create 
  your own. You know what spies do.
  ASSOCIATED WITH
  1. The Opposition
  2. The Agency
  3. Both sides
  4. Someone’s Significant Other
  5. Whoever is paying most
  6. Unknown
  49
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  STATUS
  1. Active OP
  2. Sleeper
  3. Captured
  4. Burned
  5. Presumed dead
  6. Unknown
  TOP SECRET!
  FRONT COMPANY NAMES
  Roll 3d6 and pick one from each list. Add any extra words 
  necessary to make sense of the name. You’ll be surprised how 
  well this works.
  1. National
  2. Free
  3. Committee
  4. Government
  5. Alliance
  6. International
  Examples: Government Foundation Studies, Free Southern 
  Company, National Council Trust, Radio International Company
  TARGET LOCATIONS
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1
  Transit station
  Apartment
  Port
  Estate
  Pub
  University
  2
  Embassy
  Black Site
  Zoo
  Office Building 
  Car Park
  Bridge
  3
  Warehouse
  Nightclub
  Hotel
  Cafe
  Oil Rig
  Clinic
  4
  Safehouse
  Bank Vault
  Factory
  Military Base
  Spa
  Gov. Building
  5
  Marketplace
  Farmhouse
  Yacht
  Checkpoint
  Gambling
  Race Course
  6
  Airport
  Resort
  Park
  Construction Site
  Museum
  Submarine
  TARGETS  (generate additional NPCs as needed)
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  1
  Briefcase
  Terrorist
  Drugs
  Informer
  Toxins
  Executive
  2
  Files
  Bomb
  Key
  Audio Tape 
  Safe
  Weapons
  3
  Body Bag
  Gold Bars
  Bug
  Double Agent
  Evidence
  Diplomat
  4
  Code Book
  Mail Bag
  Scientist
  Phone
  Computer
  Plans
  5
  Financier
  The Goods
  Camera
  Combination
  Painting
  Officer
  6
  Cash
  Manuscript
  Refugee
  Bearer Bonds
  Smuggler
  Artifact
  1. Radio
  2. Friends
  3. Foundation
  4. Banking
  5. Southern
  6. Council
  1. Trust
  2. Affairs
  3. Company
  4. Corporation
  5. Institute
  6. Studies
  TARGET HARDNESS
  1-2 . 
  Soft
  3-4. 
  Hard
  5.  
  Hardened
  6.  
  Reactive
  OPERATIONS
  Choose	one	or	more	based	on	the	target	and	situation:	
  Assassination, Burglary, Kidnapping, Surveillance, Blackmail, 
  Decryption, Infiltration, Shadowing, Breaking & Entering, 
  Disinformation, Counter Surveillance, Decryption, Deception, 
  Reconnaissance, Technical
  50
  GRIM PORTENTS #2
  
  HELPING
  OUT
  People often ask how they contribute to the zine and what 
  sorts of submissions I am looking for. There are four main 
  contributions people make:
  • 
  Articles
  • 
  Giving feedback
  • 
  Illustrations
  • 
  Layout
  Rejection: No contribution has been rejected yet, and I don’t 
  imagine a good faith effort would be. Some submissions may 
  be held back for later issues, however. 
  Contact: Please email me at sanglorian@gmail.com if you have 
  any questions or comments, or to make a submission.
  ARTICLES
  Articles are written submissions.
  Length: There is no minimum length: a single monster, move 
  or item is enough. There is no set maximum length, but I 
  recommend asking me before writing anything longer than 
  5,000 words or so.
  Games: While Grim Portents is focused on Dungeon World 
  content, submissions for any Powered by the Apocalypse games 
  (* World or World of *) will be accepted. That means Monster of 
  the Week, World of Dungeons, Monsterhearts and Apocalypse 
  World are all fair game.
  Controversial content: Graphic violence, horror or sexual themes 
  will probably be rejected. Something like the Apocalypse World 
  or Monsterhearts sex moves would be fine, as would depictions 
  of violence that might appear in an M rated film. 
  Theme: Each issue has a theme, but you are not required to 
  write to it. 
  Topic: As a basic threshold, if an article would fit in Dragon 
  Magazine or Dungeon Magazine, it has a place in Grim Portents. 
  New game material, gaming advice, mini-games, actual plays, 
  reviews and opinion are all appropriate.
  Previously published: I actually started Grim Portents because 
  I saw a lot of good content posted online and then forgotten 
  about. Material that has already been published elsewhere is 
  not only tolerated, it is celebrated.  
   
  SPECIFICATIONS
  File format: DOC, DOCX, ODT or TXT. Please keep your 
  formatting as simple and close to Microsoft Word or LibreOffice 
  defaults as possible. There is no need for you to choose fonts or 
  lay out the document, as we do this ourselves anyway.
  Style: We accept submissions in any style, but the closer a 
  submission is to the default style used in the Dungeon World 
  rulebook the easier our job is. That means that move names 
  are not capitalised, tags are not capitalised except when in 
  monster stat blocks, and so on. There are two exceptions: we 
  do not emphasise move conditions (“When you submit to Grim 
  Portents, mark XP” not “When you submit to Grim Portents, 
  mark XP”) and we do not place a star next to the miss, 7–9 and 
  10+ results. This follows the style used in the two backer scout 
  books (Player Compendium and Denizens). 
  Grim Portents doesn’t change the spelling of submissions 
  from one form of English to another (we are yet to receive a 
  submission in another language).
  Licence: All submissions must be under one of the three 
  free, libre and open Creative Commons licences: CC0 (which 
  releases a work into the public domain), CC Attribution and 
  CC Attribution-ShareAlike. The default is CC Attribution 3.0 
  Unported (<http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/>).  
  GIVING FEEDBACK
  Ideally, each written submission is read over by one person 
  who gives feedback on it. This feedback can be stylistic or 
  substantive, or both. For example, both how to word a move 
  and whether the move should be redesigned are valuable pieces 
  of feedback. Other feedback has included the suggestion not to 
  cast a particular social group as the villains of an adventure, 
  and additional moves that could be added to a class. 
  The person who agrees to give feedback is expected to return it 
  within a week. The author can take on all, some or none of their 
  feedback. They can also ask for clarification or send a re-draft 
  back to the feedback provider to be read over another time.
  However, the feedback provider has fulfilled their commitment 
  by giving one batch of feedback on the article. They’re under 
  no obligation to clarify, explain, expand upon or justify their 
  feedback, or to give feedback a second or third time. If they do 
  that, they are going above and beyond. 
  Writers: Everyone who submits a written article is also asked 
  but not required to give feedback on someone else’s article. In 
  practice, this is where we get most of our feedback providers.
  ILLUSTRATIONS
  There are two ways that illustrators can contribute to Grim 
  Portents:
  • They can offer up an illustration and ask someone to 
  write an article about it, or 
  • 
  They can ask which articles need illustrating, and provide 
  illustrations based on them.
  In either case, the illustrator can use an existing artwork or 
  create one especially for Grim Portents.
  Grim Portents also sources free, libre and open illustrations 
  from other places, primarily Open Game Art and the Prismatic 
  Art Collection.
  File format: JPG (lossy), TIFF (lossy or lossless depending on 
  how it is saved) or PNG or SVG (lossless). 
   
  
  LAYOUT
  Jonathan Walton has kindly designed an InDesign template 
  that we have used for this issue and will use for future issues. 
  A few people have volunteered to help with layout, but feel free 
  to put your name forward too.
  DONATIONS
  No one has yet donated, but if you would like to I would 
  publicly thank you in the next issue and use the contribution 
  to commission some free culture art. 
  POTENTIAL ARTICLES
  • 
  Reviews of Dungeon World products
  • 
  ‘How to Design X’ (monsters, moves, compendium classes)
  • AncientBeast: Choose an illustration you like from 
  AncientBeast’s art collection and make a monster for 
  it (<http://www.wuala.com/AncientBeast>, under the 
  ‘bestiary’ folder).
  • 
  Ecology: Ratkin. Provide more options for ratkin characters 
  (filthy vermin are probably only good for thieving and 
  fighting, am I right?) as well as monster entries: for the 
  ratkin and the things that hunt them in the sewers and 
  alleyways. (There’s already a Ratkin Ranger racial move 
  in Number Appearing, <http://fossilbank.wikidot.com/
  work:number-appearing>). <http://opengameart.org/
  content/rat-people> has illustrations.
  • 
  Map: Find two friends and together populate these three 
  islands with fronts, monsters and races. Why are the 
  edges of the first and third islands blurred? Mist … or 
  something else? <http://opengameart.org/content/old-
  time-3-islands-map>
  • 
  Traps: Traps, such a big part of D&D, have received little 
  attention in DW. Tell me how you’d tackle them in your 
  games. 
  • Different Damage System: D&D has seen dozens of 
  alternatives or additions to HP proposed over the years. 
  Do the same for DW.
  • Ecology: Tell me about Bakunawa and Dragon-Turtle 
  (Swamp Denizens in the DW book).
  • 
  Beyond the Black Gates: Just what are these metaphysical 
  portals about, huh? What do different mythologies say 
  about them, how do philosophers explain them, does 
  anything creep out from beyond them, does anyone 
  worship Death itself, etc.
  • Truenaming: The Namer is cool and all, but there’s so 
  much more to truenames. Tell me about the Atavist, who 
  breaks down his own truename, and the Auto-Didact, who 
  restructures her truename to become more perfect, and 
  the Demonologist who knows the truenames of fiends, and 
  tell me also of the monsters who use truenames for their 
  own purposes. <http://www.rpgnow.com/product/108906/
  The-Namer---a-Dungeon-World-compatible-class>
  • 
  Establishments: Pick a place from Take on Establishments 
  and expand it. Who else is there? What plot hooks await? 
  Describe a front that wants the place protected, or 
  changed, or burned to the ground. <http://takeonrules.
  com/take-on-establishments/>
  • Monstrous PCs: Give me a dozen more race moves for 
  the Lycanthrope racial playbook in Number Appearing 
  <http://fossilbank.wikidot.com/work:number-appearing >.
  • It Came from the Public Domain: Convert the people, 
  places and monsters of the works of Lord Dunsany or 
  Edgar Rice Burroughs to DW.
  • 
  WoD Errata: Quite a few World of Dungeons rules were 
  clarified or explained in the Story-Games thread. An article 
  collecting them and written in the author’s own words 
  could be useful <http://www.story-games.com/forums/
  discussion/16688/world-of-dungeons-anyone-playing/
  p1>.
  • 
  Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better: Find something 
  that never worked well in D&D (grappling, large scale 
  battles, social combat, etc.) and try to make it work in DW.
  INSPIRATION FOR THE THEME  
  FOR ISSUE 3, THE THAW
  • 
  The Khrushchev Thaw: fronts from an evil empire 
  experiencing a cultural transformation
  • 
  The art of Alphonse Mucha, now public domain 
  <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Alfons_
  Mucha>
  • 
  The myth of Persephone, who emerged from the 
  underworld as spring’s harbinger
  • 
  Groundhog Day
  • 
  T-Rex’s “Beltane Walk”: a man with a starhide, a girl 
  who says she’s God’s tool, walking by the westwind (an 
  expansion for Inverse World’s The Walker?) 
  • 
  May poles, leaping over bonfires, cattle rituals, holy 
  wells, decorated thorn bushes, appeasing the fairies, 
  fairy forts, caudle
  • 
  Take inspiration from a painting of spring <http://
  commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Paintings_of_
  spring>
  HENRY DAVID THOREAU
  Thaw with her gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor 
  with his hammer. The one melts, the other breaks into pieces.
  EDWARD THOMAS
  OVER the land freckled with snow half-thawed
  The speculating rooks at their nests cawed
  And saw from elm-tops, delicate as flower of grass,
  What we below could not see, Winter pass.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon World (PbtA) [multi]/Expansion Content/Grim Portents/Grim Portents 2 - Final.pdf