TEXT: BY Spencer Campbell
  
  Special thanks to:
  Rowan, Rook and Decard for making an amazing
  system to base this game on.
  My incredibly supportive partner, Kate.
  Finally, the Black Vale. You know who you are.
  This work is based on the Resistance Toolbox, product of Grant
  Howitt and Chris Taylor, and published by Rowan, Rook and
  Decard for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
  License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
  Writing by Spencer Campbell
  Layout Design by Maria Mison
  gilarpgs.itch.io
  gilarpgs.com
  @gilarpgs
  All images are from unsplash.com
  C O R V I D
  C O U R T
  Z
  Z
  
  Take Flight
  You are Birds, members of the Corvid Court.
  Many in the city of Nest would call you a cult, full of killers, liars, and
  thieves. That doesn’t stop them from paying your fee to get work done. The
  Court has blessed you with power, and it is up to you to take flight with it.
  Soar high, don’t crash.
  What is This?
  Corvid Court is a tabletop RPG about bad people doing bad things. There’s
  no way around it, you’re the baddies here. But the city of Nest is filled with
  lots of vile people, so “bad” is relative. Sometimes, bad people do good
  things. Sometimes.
  The players of this game, called Birds, are part of an organization known as
  the Corvid Court. The Court, for short, does dirty work for people who want
  to keep their hands clean. The Birds take on jobs, and the GM will play
  alongside them to see what happens along the way. Oh, and are you actually
  playing as birds? Probably not, but that’s up to you to decide.
  What Do I Need?
  You’ll need at least one player, up to four, and someone to be GM. This
  game uses six-sided dice (d6). Character sheets can be found later in this
  book, and online at gilarpgs.itch.io.
  Resistance-Born
  This game is made using the Resistance system made popular in the RPGs
  Spire and Heart, published by Rowan, Rook and Decard. If you’ve played
  one of those games before, a lot of how Corvid Court works will look
  familiar.
  However, there are some modifications, as this game runs on a slimmed-
  down and lighter version of the Resistance system. If you have never
  played a Resistance game, don’t worry, I’ll explain everything you need to
  know along the way!
  Z
  
  Rules of Play
  During play, the GM will describe scenes and situations, and the
  Birds will respond. Most of the time that prompts the GM to
  describe some more, and the Birds respond again. This is called
  roleplaying. But because Corvid Court is a game, we’re going to
  need to roll some dice.
  When a Bird describes taking a risky or consequential action, they
  have to roll. This means they only roll when there are stakes, and
  when failure is both meaningful and interesting. If there are no
  stakes, or failure wouldn’t really mean anything, then it’s not a roll,
  it’s roleplay.
  A roll is made of a pool of dice. A Bird always starts a roll with one
  d6. They add one more d6 if they have a Skill that is relevant to the
  attempted action. Finally, they add one more d6 if their Domain is in
  play. The Bird rolls their pool of dice, and takes the highest roll to
  determine their result:
  1-3: Failure, with a consequence.
  4-5: Success, but with a consequence.
  6: Success, and no consequences.
  Consequences, Resistance, and Stress
  Consequences should be narrative complications that the Bird has to
  deal with. It shouldn’t be killing them outright (that’s what Fallout is
  for). Instead, their character is put in a tough position, making them
  try a new tactic, or the same approach with the risk of making things
  even worse.
  Consequences are tracked by stress, which is marked on a Bird’s
  resistance tracks. Each Bird has three resistances:
  Claw: Durability, bodily harm, endurance.
  Eye: Mental stability, keeping a level head, focusing attention.
  Beak: Social status, remaining undetected, Court status.
  Anytime a Bird suffers a consequence, they mark one box
  of stress on the appropriate resistance track. If it isn’t
  obvious which one, the GM will decide.
  Fallout
  All that stress takes a toll on anyone, even cutthroats like the Corvid
  Court. The more stress a Bird takes, the more likely the next
  consequence they suffer will have a lasting impact. If the highest die
  in a roll is less than or equal to the current stress for that resistance,
  the Bird suffers Fallout. This check is made after marking any stress
  from consequences of the roll.
  A Fallout is an even worse consequence. Usually Fallout are
  permanent changes to the character, or at the very least are going to
  require some real work to fix. That doesn’t necessarily mean dead,
  but something very bad happens. The severity should be based on
  the amount of stress the Bird had when the Fallout was triggered.
  The GM will tell the Bird what has happened, the Bird has to fix it.
  Some examples of Fallout are listed below. Feel free to work
  together as a table to come up with an appropriate consequence.
  Examples of Fallout
  Claw: Bleeding out, lose a limb, break so many bones, die.
  Eye: New phobia, hallucinations, mental breakdown, insanity.
  Beak: Cover blown, betrayal, Court blacklists you, go broke.
  
  Removing Stress & Refresh
  Once Birds realize how bad Fallout can be, they are going to want
  to get rid of their stress. There are four ways to remove stress.
  First, anytime a Bird takes Fallout, they clear all of the stress they
  have in the track that triggered the Fallout. They keep their other
  stress though.
  Second, they can just lay low for a while, recovering from whatever
  ails them and waiting for the storm to pass. If the players want to do
  this, that’s completely fine, but let them know there might be
  fictional consequences to their inaction.
  Maybe their window of opportunity to move on a target has shrunk,
  or while they were recovering their target shored up their defenses.
  The GM should decide how much stress is cleared when laying low,
  though the amount should depend on how long the Birds are staying
  cooped up.
  Third, each class has a Refresh action. Birds and the GM should
  work together to decide what would qualify as their refresh action.
  If a Bird completes their Refresh, they roll a d6 and remove that
  much stress from their character, from whichever resistance tracks
  they like.
  It is important for the GM to make refresh opportunities for the
  Birds. Without them, the stress will overwhelm them quickly and
  they’ll break before they finish their first job.
  Finally, all stress is removed at the end of the session, regardless of
  the outcome. Birds always take on their next job fresh and ready to
  fly.
  Skills
  Skills are labels for a set of related talents and actions. When a Bird
  makes a roll, they get an extra die if they have a Skill that is relevant
  to the task at hand. There are seven Skills:
  •
  Caw - Commanding, compelling, persuading.
  •
  Chirp - Deceiving, lying, misdirection.
  •
  Dive - Pursuing, hunting, chasing.
  •
  Glide - Sneaking, avoiding, blending.
  •
  Murder - Killing, harming, lashing out.
  •
  Spy - Studying, perceiving, understanding.
  •
  Swoop - Stealing, finesse, throat cutting.
  U
  
  Domains
  While Skills represent a set of related talents, Domains represent
  expertise or knowledge in a broad discipline. When a Bird makes a
  roll, they get an extra die if they have a Domain that is relevant to
  the task at hand.
  Domains are added to the roll if they are directly related to the
  action (powering up an ancient engine is Tech) but also if the action
  is indirectly related to the task (attacking the mad sorcerer is
  Occult). There are seven Domains:
  •
  Bind - Law, order, and bureaucracy keeping Nest together
  •
  Coin - The flow of coin and trade
  •
  Courts - “Legitimate” syndicates doing dirty work.
  •
  Crime - Illegal organizations and networks, not Courts.
  •
  Occult - The arcane arts of Nest.
  •
  Tech - Working with old and new technology.
  •
  Worship - The many faiths, followings, and creeds of
  Nest.
  Combat
  So what happens when a Bird decides to hurt someone? You’ll most
  likely be rolling Murder, plus any relevant Domain depending on
  the target or location. NPCs don’t have hit points to whittle down
  here.
  The assumption is that if you try to Murder someone, and you
  succeed, they are murdered. This is especially the case for most run-
  of-the-mill goons out there. If you are facing a particularly
  formidable or dangerous foe, maybe you have to hit them a few
  times before they drop. But I’ll let your GM decide that.
  
  Creating a Bird
  Ready to take to the skies and work for the Corvid Court? Of
  course you are! Let’s make a Bird.
  Choose Your Background
  You did something before the Court took you in. It may not have been
  glamorous, but you learned something from it, and the Court thinks that you
  have some value. Each background starts with some Skills and Domains.
  Urchin
  Gain Chirp and Swoop. You learned a lot from your time living on the streets
  of Nest. Have you always lived on the streets? Did you have companions, or
  did you prefer to go solo?
  Cutthroat
  Gain Murder and Crime. You’ve done pretty terrible things, just for a bit of
  coin or a hot meal. What was the worst job you took on? What did you do that
  got the Court’s attention?
  Trader
  Gain Caw and Coin. You used to help the coin in Nest flow, but a deal went
  wrong. What did you used to trade in? What connection do you have that the
  Court finds valuable?
  Scholar
  Gain Spy and Tech. You once studied and taught many of the growing minds in
  Nest. What subject did you excel in? What paper or project of yours got you in
  trouble at your school, but gained you favor with the Court?
  Priest
  Gain Caw and Worship. You preached the good word of one of the many faiths
  or creeds of Nest. What was your faith, whom did you worship? Do you still
  believe, why?
  Cultist
  Gain Glide and Occult. Your beliefs are considered dangerous, heretical,
  maybe even insane. What was the ultimate goal of your cult? Does the Court
  fully understand your connection and role in the cult?
  Wealthy
  Gain Bind and Coin. You provide a face of legitimacy to the Court, and a
  revenue stream if they need it. Why endanger your comfortable lifestyle to
  work for the Court? What responsibilities do you need to keep up with when
  not doing Court work?
  
  Choose Your Class
  There are four different types of Birds, called classes, that you
  can play as. Familiarize yourself with each of the classes and
  then choose the one that fits the play-style you want.
  Each class starts with some Skills and Domains. If you already
  have one of them from your Background, just choose another.
  You’ll find a description for each class on the pages that follow,
  as well as a blank character sheet to fill in your details.
  Choose an Ability and Equipment
  Each class has a core ability that they start with. You also get to
  choose one more during character creation. Don’t worry, you’ll
  be able to unlock the others the more you play (assuming your
  Bird lasts that long). Running this as a one-shot? Have each Bird
  start with two advances as well.
  The last thing to do is to describe three pieces of equipment that
  you keep on you. This isn’t an exhaustive list of everything you
  carry, but instead three of the most important things you own.
  These don’t serve a purpose mechanically, but they may provide
  opportunities during roleplay that you may be able to take
  advantage of. Work together with the entire table when coming
  up with your equipment; you’re in this together after all.
  That’s it. Get out there, the Corvid Court has work for you.
  
  Crows
  Crows are made to kill, literally.
  They have the Murder Skill for a reason.
  Crows can enhance their strength and speed to unnatural heights, and terrify
  those around them that witness their fury. Perhaps most horrifying of all,
  Crows can summon a flock of their namesake to them, picking apart and
  devouring their unlucky target. Crows are all about shows of force, and so they
  refresh by destroying symbols of those who would oppose the Court.
  Refresh: Destroy a symbol of opposition from one of the Court’s foes.
  Skills: Dive, Murder
  Domains: Crime, Courts
  Core Ability
  Once per scene you may act with supernatural speed and strength. Doing so
  again that scene costs 1 Claw stress.
  Abilities
  •
  Once per scene if an ally would take Claw stress and you could intervene,
  you take it instead.
  •
  Gain Bind. You have license to hunt public enemies and those wanted by
  the law.
  •
  Gain Caw. Once per scene you can raise your voice in such a way that
  someone will either a) tell you what you want to know b) shut up in fear
  c) attack you.
  •
  Once per session you may engulf someone in crows, devouring them.
  Doing so again costs 1 Claw stress.
  Advances
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain a Domain
  •
  Gain a Skill
  •
  +1 die when using Murder
  
  Ravens
  Ravens are the opposite of Crows.
  They prefer to keep a distance and watch, to see the best possible
  solution to any problem before them.
  Ravens understand technology better than most, and are able to use it in ways
  others can’t. For example, no door can hold a Raven, but they can also use any
  door to hold off the rest of the world. Secrets are their trade, and gathering
  them up to support the Court’s efforts helps relieve a Raven’s stress.
  Refresh: Discover a secret that will benefit the Corvid Court.
  Skills: Dive, Spy
  Domains: Bind, Tech
  Core Ability
  You don’t check for Fallout until you have at least 3 stress in a track.
  Abilities
  •
  All doors unlock with your touch. Doors may also be locked so only you
  may pass.
  •
  When you take Claw stress, burst into a cloud of ravens and reform
  somewhere within eyesight.
  •
  Gain Courts. Wherever you are, you always know the most powerful,
  wealthy, connected, and vulnerable people in the area.
  •
  Gain Murder. Once per session you can study someone you want to see
  dead. The GM will tell you two truths and a lie about them.
  Advances
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain a Domain
  •
  Gain a Skill
  •
  +1 die when using Spy
  
  Jays
  Jays love to be heard.
  That might be because they hear voices in their head all the time, and maybe
  they’re just carrying on the conversation for everyone else to hear. Either way,
  when a Jay speaks, people listen. They can use their persuasive voices to
  control others, drive them mad, maybe even kill. Jays are even known to
  mimic the sights and sounds of others, such is their mastery of persuasion.
  While the Corvid Court prefers to stay largely hidden, a Jay finds great relief in
  spreading the reputation of the organization to all that would hear it.
  Refresh: Spread fear of the Corvid Court to those who think themselves
  immune to it.
  Skills: Caw, Chirp
  Domains: Occult, Worship
  Core Ability
  Those who can hear your Caw will follow one word commands from you.
  Abilities
  •
  Once per session mask your face and voice to match someone who you
  have seen and heard. Doing so again costs 1 stress in Eye and Beak.
  •
  When you Caw with mad jabbering, choose an effect on those who can
  hear: madness, pain, paralysis.
  •
  Gain Bind. Your words create an unseen bond between and those you deal
  with. Anyone who promises you something and breaks that promise will
  drop dead.
  •
  Once per session you may speak a single sentence, no more than 7 words,
  and it is true. Take 3 Eye stress afterward.
  Advances
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain a Domain
  •
  Gain a Skill
  •
  +1 die when using Caw
  
  Magpies
  Magpies are covetous people. But that’s because they know there is
  power in possessions.
  Collectors of all varieties of trinkets, valuables, and really anything not nailed
  down, Magpies like to sneak in, take what they want, and be gone without a
  trace. They see links between possessions and their owners that others can’t,
  and they know how to pull those strings. Take a favor from a Magpie and
  you’ll be theirs; give a Magpie something and you won’t be able to lose them.
  While they prefer holding on to whatever they get their greedy wings on,
  Magpies refresh when finding items that the Court would find useful.
  Refresh: Acquire someone’s cherished belonging to fill the Corvid
  Court’s coffers.
  Skills: Chirp, Glide, Sweep
  Domains: Coin
  Core Ability
  Once per scene you can rummage through your belongings and produce an
  item that you need. It needs to be able to fit in a small pouch or pack.
  Abilities
  •
  Gain Tech. Once per session you can reach out and sense every valuable
  belonging within 100 ft of you. Rolls to acquire any item detected this
  way have an extra die.
  •
  When someone takes a coin from you, they must obey a single word
  command you give them.
  •
  When you acquire a trinket from someone, you can always track their
  location.
  •
  Once per scene you may appear anywhere you can see. Describe how you
  got there.
  Advances
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain an Ability
  •
  Gain a Domain
  •
  Gain a Skill
  •
  +1 die when using Swoop
  
  Advancement
  After completing a Conspiracy, every Bird takes an advance
  regardless of how the job went. We learn from our mistakes and build
  on our successes, right? After doing so, all stress is cleared.
  However, any Fallout might still remain, if it requires the Bird to do
  something specific to get rid of it.
  Playing & Expanding the Game
  At its heart, Corvid Court is designed to be a slimmer RPG using the
  Resistance system. Some of the best parts of playing a game like
  Spire is watching your characters become these incredibly weird and
  powerful people if they live long enough. Birds of the Corvid Court
  burn bright, and then burn out.
  This means that a “campaign” of Corvid Court has a lifespan of about
  six sessions. At least, that’s how many advances you can get. After
  that, it is up to you as a player and as a group to decide if you want to
  continue to see where the story goes.
  Your Birds are probably roughed up by the end of session six, but
  they’ve also become decidedly more powerful than when they began.
  Will they use that power to keep the Court in power, take even more
  power, or tear it all down? That’s up to you to decide!
  Expanding Corvid Court
  If you are looking to expand your experience with the game, you
  could consider adding more Skills and Domains, and increasing the
  number of advances a Bird can take. Whatever Skills and Domains
  you add will have a big impact on what the city of Nest is all about,
  and the tone of your campaign. Adding Domains like High and Low
  Society signal that you’re interested in class warfare, for example.
  Use the blank character sheet in this book to brainstorm your own
  class. What would a character based on a Kingfisher look like? Sure
  it’s not a Corvid, but maybe there is a new Court in town? Tinker
  with Corvid Court, hack it apart, build it back together the way that
  you want. I know I will be, so I look forward to seeing what you put
  together, and showing you what I’ve done as well.
  Nest
  What the city of Nest looks like is going to depend on your table.
  In fact, you and I might have very different ideas about what
  time period this game takes place in, and that’s ok. Let me tell
  you what I think of when I think of Nest. Feel free to use as
  much or as little as you want, and of course make it your own!
  •
  Nest is a layered city, one level built on top of the next.
  Transportation is much more focused on vertical
  movement than horizontal.
  •
  Birds are usually brought into the Corvid Court, instead of
  actively seeking it out. The best candidates are those who
  have nothing to lose.
  •
  Occult practices are relatively common. It’s not unheard
  of for a family to keep a talisman in their home, or
  practice a low-impact ritual on a daily or weekly basis.
  Anyone with any real power usually keeps that wrapped
  up.
  •
  The currency of choice is called Seed, and it is made of
  coins in a variety of shapes, sizes, and values. But
  haggling is a common practice at all levels of Nest.
  •
  The Cult of the Crimson Spire worships a city that visits
  us in our collective dreams when a blood red moon hangs
  high. Sound familiar?
  •
  The Corvid Court isn’t the only one out there doing dirty
  work. Most Courts do not get along, but there are times
  when working together is essential for survival.
  •
  Are you birds, or just humans in a bird-themed cult? I’m
  not telling...
  U
  
  CORVID COURT
  Claw
  Eye
  Beak
  Name:
  Look:
  ABILITIES
  Advances
  EQUIPMENT
  REFRESH
  FALLOUT
  Resistances
  CHARACTER SHEET
  Z
  Skills
  Caw
  Chirp
  Dive
  Glide
  Murder
  Spy
  Swoop
  Domains
  Bind
  Coin
  Courts
  Crime
  Occult
  Tech
  Worship
  Class
  Crows
  Ravens
  Jays
  Magpies
  Pronouns
  
  Birds
  of a
  Feather
  Kill
  Together
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Corvid Court/Corvid Court RPG.pdf