TEXT:  
   
   
   
   Engines & Empires 
   
  CAMPAIGN COMPENDIUM 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    John D. Higgins 
  
   
  ENGINES & 
  EMPIRES 
   
  CAMPAIGN COMPENDIUM 
   
  Being a True and Faithful Account of the World of GAIA, 
  and Concerning All of the Rules Necessary for Playing 
  LABYRINTH LORD™ Games Set Thereupon. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  BY 
   
   
  JOHN D. HIGGINS 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  © 2010 
  RELATIVE ENTROPY GAMES  
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Second Revised Edition 
   
  This book requires the use of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rules (or an 
  equivalent).  Labyrinth Lord™ is available for download at 
  http://www.goblinoidgames.com. 
   
  Copyright 2010, Relative Entropy Games.  Engines & Empires™ is a 
  trademark of Relative Entropy Games.   
   
  This product is released under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a, 
  copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  Labyrinth Lord™ is copyright 
  2009, Daniel Proctor.  Labyrinth Lord™ and Advanced Labyrinth Lord™ are 
  trademarks of Daniel Proctor.  These trademarks are used under the 
  Labyrinth Lord™ Trademark License v1.0 available at 
  www.goblinoidgames.com. 
   
  All artwork in this book is in the public domain and may be reproduced 
  without license or permission.  Illustrations obtained from 
  http://www.oldbookillustrations.com 
  http://www.fromoldbooks.org 
  
   
  iii 
  PREFACE 
   
  EFORE YOU pursue this volume further, O gentle Player, take heed!  
    Engines & Empires does not constitute a complete game in and of 
    itself.  This book merely describes a setting intended for use with the 
  role-playing game Labyrinth Lord™, published by Goblinoid Games.  To 
  enjoy the fantastical adventures that await you in the world of E&E, you 
  must have a copy of Labyrinth Lord first!  Or, with a bit of cleverness and 
  industry on your part, you can use an alternative set of core rules, provided 
  the alternative is reasonably similar to Labyrinth Lord.  Basic Fantasy 
  works well, and even Swords & Wizardry can be used with a modicum of 
  effort devoted to properly converting the rules. 
   
  This is the Engines & Empires Campaign Compendium.  It explains 
  how to transform your fantasy role-playing campaign into a game of 
  gaslight-and-steamworks science fantasy.  Because this setting is so 
  markedly different in character from the medieval and renaissance settings 
  implied by ordinary fantasy games, it necessarily involves a number of 
  changes to these games’ rules.  Engines & Empires has been built upon the 
  framework of Labyrinth Lord, but many rules from that game—some 
  superficial and some fundamental—have been altered in ways both overt and 
  subtle.   When something has been so changed, it will be clearly noted and 
  explained in the text that follows.  After having read through this book, 
  players and referees (i.e. game masters) alike should be just as comfortable 
  with “gaslight fantasy” campaigns as they might be with ordinary medieval 
  fantasy. 
  GASLIGHT FANTASY 
  The world of Engines & Empires remains similar in most respects to the 
  generic fantasy setting implied by the Labyrinth Lord rules.  The game is 
  still about heroic warriors and magicians who delve into monster-infested 
  labyrinths in the hope of recovering fabulous treasures.  Elves, dwarves, and 
  other folk aid their human allies in battles against goblins, dragons, and the 
  forces of Chaos.  In other words, E&E is still a game of heroic fantasy!  But it 
  is not low fantasy.  Here, you’ll find none of the trappings of a barbaric and 
  larcenous swords-and-sorcery story.  Rather, this game distinctly allied with 
  high fantasy, albeit set in a time and place which more resembles Europe 
  during the Victorian period of our world’s Nineteenth Century. 
   
  Some genres of speculative fiction owe their origins to literary realism 
  and to a certain kind of bleak outlook on the world and human nature.  Chief 
  among them are low fantasy (also known as swords-and-sorcery) and “hard” 
  science fiction.  These genres are marked by common threads of pessimism 
  and moral ambiguity.  Their protagonists inhabit an unfriendly and 
  oftentimes meaningless sort of universe, pursing their own self-interests to 
  no greater goal.  The fantastic elements in such stories, be they magic or 
  advanced science, invariably hold to the notion that absolute power corrupts 
  absolutely—and these things are usually wielded to their best effect only by 
  the stories’ antagonists.   
   
  B
  
  iv 
  PREFACE 
   
  Opposed to these literary forms, and grounded firmly in mythology and 
  romanticism, are high fantasy and space opera.  Whereas the former two 
  genres deal with worlds of inherent darkness, these involve worlds of good 
  and light, upon which the darkness has encroached from without.  They 
  exhibit such tropes and archetypes as the hero on a quest, the fulfilling of 
  destiny or prophecy, and good triumphing over evil. 
   
  This brings us to the period of Engines & Empires, and to the literary 
  genres associated with it.  Resting snugly within a particular niche of 
  speculative and alternative history, somewhere at the crossroads of fantasy 
  and science fiction, are the forms known as steampunk and gaslight 
  romance.  The former is without question the more popular, to the point 
  where it has practically subsumed the latter, and oftentimes the label of 
  “steampunk” will be applied—erroneously, this Author fears—to  any story or 
  game which bears a retro-Victorian atmosphere.  But it should be noted that 
  steampunk, like low fantasy and hard sci-fi, is a child of realism and shares 
  the same gloomy cynicism as its siblings.  In steampunk, science and 
  technology are malignant forces which have been let loose upon the world to 
  pollute and despoil nature, to enslave the free-willed individual, and to help 
  the greedy few to line their pockets at the expense of the starving many.  The 
  protagonists of a steampunk world invariably live on the fringes of this 
  society and fight a losing battle against it, their goal being ostensibly to 
  destroy the new and unnatural order of things and bring back a kinder, 
  simpler, more primitive time.  Of course, if one thinks about this for very 
  long, one realizes that “primitive” means a time before the appearance of 
  such inventions as labor-saving machines, live-saving vaccines, and 
  representative democracy. 
   
  Gaslight romance, then, is the little-known relative of high fantasy and 
  space opera.  Like steampunk, this genre places science in the foreground, 
  but here the emphasis is on progress.  Technology equates with optimism: a 
  reason to hope for a better tomorrow and the means to eventually cure all of 
  society’s ills.  When this genre is combined with high fantasy by the addition 
  of such supernatural elements as magic and faeries, the result is a hybrid 
  setting which the Author has termed “gaslight fantasy”.  This, then, is the 
  subject matter of Engines & Empires.  The question posed is thus: what 
  happens to a magical world—a world sitting at the center of a supernatural 
  struggle between good and evil—when it advances to the point of Industrial 
  Revolution?  When the people develop a scientific worldview, all things 
  demand a rational explanation—so what, then, happens to magic?  As 
  civilization marches forth to cast electric lights upon the dark places of the 
  world, and the greatest distances are shortened by steamship, locomotive 
  and telegraph wire, what then happens to the wilderness, and where now can 
  the monsters lurk?  Whither go the dragons, the goblins, the trolls, indeed 
  even the elves and the dwarves?  And most importantly of all, between hero 
  and villain, who has the better chance to win in this brave, new world where 
  engines of war can wreak unimagined destruction?  These questions will be 
  answered by the Players and their Referee, for the whole of the narrative is in 
  their hands.  Adventure awaits… and it begins in the pages ahead! 
  
  v 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
   
  — 
   
  Just as Sir Issac Newton imagined himself standing upon the shoulders of 
  giants, so too am I indebted beyond words to those who have come before 
  me.  The game rules found in this book are mere adaptations of those created 
  by E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, J. Eric Holmes, Tom Moldvay, Dave Cook, 
  Steve Marsh, Frank Mentzer, &al.  Without these giants of RPG history, the 
  world’s greatest hobby simply wouldn’t exist, and neither would this book.   
   
  — 
   
  Further, special thanks must be given to Ryan Dancey and to Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc. for their Open Game License; and to Daniel Proctor, for 
  publishing Labyrinth Lord.  These achievements taken together are the sine 
  qua non, without which none of my work would be possible.  The OGL has 
  done more for the popularity of role-playing games and for RPG publication 
  than perhaps anything else since the inception of the hobby.  And Labyrinth 
  Lord has likewise done more than its part to revive the “old school” rules, a 
  fact for which I am surpassingly grateful. 
   
  — 
   
  A more personal “thank you” goes out to Curtis, Anders, and David.  You 
  guys were my first gaming group, and you remain the best friends anyone 
  could ask for.  Remember, guys: always drink the green potion, not the red 
  one.  You know what I mean. 
   
  — 
   
  Last and most especially, I have to thank my beloved Sarah for putting up 
  with me while I worked so obsessively on this book.  Without her support, I 
  would most likely have gone “frelling fahrbot” in the process of writing it.  
  But now that it’s done, I can say as the Jaffa do, “Shal kek nem ron!” (“I live 
  and die free!”) 
   
   
  
  vi 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  NOTES ON THE REVISED EDITION 
   
  This new edition of the Engines & Empires Campaign Compendium 
  introduces several minor changes of a game-mechanical or terminological 
  nature, chiefly aimed at improving compatibility between Engines & 
  Empires and other “retro revival” role-playing games.  The original 
  Compendium employed several new terms for otherwise common game 
  elements, e.g. the Constitution ability score was called Vitality, a saving 
  throw was called a resistance roll, &c.  While this might have imparted a 
  unique flavor to the E&E game, it was more or less an unnecessary language 
  barrier between this book and the “old-school” role-playing community at 
  large.  Thus, the revised edition takes steps to restore as much compatibility 
  of language as possible, without removing those changes which are essential 
  to E&E (e.g. the class system, rules for Achievement Points, &c.).  The 
  Engines & Empires campaign setting remains very much a game of heroic 
  science-fantasy and the narrative, plot-driven play style. 
   
   
  
  vii 
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
  CONTENTS 
   
   
  I. 
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 
  II. 
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES . . . . . . . . . . .  10 
  III. 
  OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS . . . . . . . .  54 
  IV. 
  SPELLS AND MAGIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 
  V. 
  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . 91 
  VI. 
  COMBAT AND TACTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  114 
  VII. 
  STRONGHOLDS AND DOMINIONS . . . . .  123 
  VIII. 
  MONSTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  137 
  IX. 
  THE WORLD OF GAIA  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  163 
  X. 
  THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA . . . . . . . . . . . 181 
  XI. 
  FURTHER ADVENTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . .  236 
  APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  239 
   
  
   
   
   
  
  1 
   
   
   
   
  I 
   
   
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER 
   
   
  HE FIRST STEP on any player’s path to adventure is character 
    creation.  This   process generates the scores and skills that define a 
    player character (PC), a player’s alter-ego in the E&E game-world.  
  Before all else, each player needs full set of polyhedral dice (1d20, 1d12, 1d10, 
  1d8, 3d6, and 1d4; and the referee must also have 1d%).  Also required are a 
  pencil (not a pen!), a good eraser, and a blank sheet of paper to record each 
  character’s information. 
  ABILITY SCORES 
  Character creation commences with the rolling of three six-sided dice and 
  summing the results.  This is the character’s Strength score.  Repeating this 
  operation five more times generates the remaining ability scores: Dexterity, 
  Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, in that order.  Next, each 
  score is cross-indexed with its ability adjustment, a secondary statistic 
  derived from the ability score which the referee can use to fine-tune some die 
  rolls and modify certain other numbers. 
   
  Starting ability scores always range 
  from 3 to 18, with adjustments running 
  from -3 to +3.  The vast majority of 
  scores will sit at the top of the normal 
  curve, in the 9 to 12 range, and these 
  scores have no adjustment (±0).  Under 
  certain very rare circumstances, it 
  might be possible for an ability score to 
  fall as low as 1 or to rise as high as 20.  
  There are no ability scores lower than 1 
  or higher than 20. 
   
  Strength (STR) 
  This ability measures a character’s brute physical power—his muscle and 
  stamina.  Strength adjustments are added to hit and damage rolls in hand-
  to-hand combat, and also to rolls made to force open stuck doors.  A 
  character’s Strength adjustment can also have a partial impact on 
  encumbrance (how much gear a character can carry).  Strength is vital to any 
  character who wants to be a good warrior.  It is the key ability for fighters, 
  dwarves, centaurs, and sylphs. 
   
   
   
  T
  Ability  
  Score 
  Ability 
  Adjustment 
  1 
  -4 
  2-3 
  -3 
  4-5 
  -2 
  6-8 
  -1 
  9-12 
  ±0 
  13-15 
  +1 
  16-17 
  +2 
  18-19 
  +3 
  20 
  +4 
  
  2 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Dexterity (DEX) 
  This ability represents how deft and agile a character is—quickness on his 
  feet as well as with his hands.  Dexterity adjusts a number of important rolls 
  and scores, and it is the key ability for experts, halflings, and fauns.  
  Dexterity adjustments are added to hit and damage rolls with missile 
  weapons; to individual initiative rolls, to decide who goes first in combat; 
  and most importantly, to each character’s Armor Class (AC) or Defense Class 
  (DC), numbers that determine how hard it is to hit a character in combat. 
   
  Constitution (CON) 
  This ability score represents a character’s health, toughness, and vital life-
  force.  Constitution adjustments are added to a character’s starting hit points 
  and to the result of each hit die rolled upon gaining a new level.  A 
  character’s Constitution score (in combination with Strength) also adjusts a 
  character’s encumbrance threshold and maximum carried load.  Constitution 
  is an important ability for everybody, but it is the key ability for characters 
  belonging to the boxer class. 
   
  Intelligence (INT) 
  This ability is a character’s reason, memory, and intellect.  Player characters 
  begin the game with a certain number of skill picks, representing their past 
  training and background knowledge.  Intelligence adjusts the number of 
  skills that a character can pick to be trained in at the start of the game.  
  Intelligence also has a special effect on a character’s proficiency with 
  language. 
   
   
  Intelligence is the key ability for techs and gnomes, since it affects how 
  powerful their devices are, and it governs the construction of inventions. 
   
  Wisdom (WIS) 
  This ability represents a character’s willpower and intuition.  Wisdom 
  adjusts a character’s Saving Throw number (ST).  Note that in the E&E 
  game, Wisdom adjusts all of a character’s saving throws, not just saves vs. 
  magical attacks.  Wisdom is the key ability for scholars, elves, and merrows.  
  It affects a character’s ability to cast divine spells, turn the undead, and craft 
  divine magical items. 
   
   
   
  Intelligence Score 
  Use of Languages 
  1 
  No language ability 
  2-3 
  Speaks, reads, and writes poorly 
  4-5 
  Reads and writes poorly 
  6-8 
  Writes poorly 
  9-12 
  Normal 
  13-15 
  +1 bonus language 
  16-17 
  +2 bonus languages 
  18-19 
  +3 bonus languages 
  20 
  +4 bonus languages 
  
   
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER 
  3 
  Charisma (CHA) 
  This ability represents a character’s strength of personality—his bearing, 
  presence, and nobility of spirit.  A character’s Charisma impacts first 
  impressions by adjusting the reaction rolls that the referee makes for NPCs 
  and monsters when they initially encounter the character.  Charisma also 
  affects how many retainers (hired henchmen) a character can have at any 
  one time, and it determines their loyalty by setting their Morale (ML) score. 
   
   
  Charisma is the key ability for mages and fays.  It affects how powerful their 
  arcane spells are, and it has an impact on the crafting of arcane magical 
  items. 
  SUMMARY OF ABILITIES 
  • Strength adjusts hit and damage rolls in mêlée 
  (hand-to-hand) combat, chance to open stuck 
  doors, and (partially) encumbrance. 
  • Dexterity adjusts hit and damage rolls in 
  missile combat, individual initiative rolls, and 
  Armor Class or Defense Class. 
  • Constitution adjusts the number of hit points 
  rolled per hit die and (partially) encumbrance. 
  • Intelligence adjusts skill picks.  It affects 
  language proficiency and use of technology. 
  • Wisdom adjusts Saving Throws.  It affects use 
  of divine magic. 
  • Charisma adjusts reaction rolls and retainers.  
  It affects use of arcane magic. 
   
    
   
   
  Charisma  
  Score 
  Maximum Number  
  of Retainers 
  Retainer  
  Morale 
  2-3 
  1 
  4 
  4-5 
  2 
  5 
  6-8 
  3 
  6 
  9-12 
  4 
  7 
  13-15 
  5 
  8 
  16-17 
  6 
  9 
  18-19 
  7 
  10 
  20 
  8 
  11 
  
  4 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  CHOOSING A CHARACTER CLASS 
  After rolling ability scores, characters must become either human or faerie 
  (i.e. demihuman) class characters.  Human characters belong to one of six 
  jobs: boxer, expert, fighter, mage, scholar, or tech.  Faeries are semi-magical 
  beings which are similar to humans, and they each belong to one of nine 
  races: dwarves, elves, fays, gnomes, halflings, centaurs, fauns, merrows, or 
  sylphs.  These fifteen character types—six human and nine faerie—are the 
  standard character classes for the E&E game. 
   
  Each character class favors a different ability score, called a key ability 
  for that class.  It is important that a character have a good score in his key 
  ability, because it will affect how well he functions in that class.  A player 
  character ought to have at least a 9, and ideally a 13 or better, in the key 
  ability for the class chosen by the player. 
   
   
   
  Faerie characters also have a requisite ability—a minimum score in a 
  particular ability, beneath which a player cannot choose to play in that 
  particular faerie class.  A dwarf, for example, requires a Constitution score of 
  at least 9, so if a player has rolled a Constitution of 8 or lower, that player 
  cannot create a dwarf. 
   
  CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT 
  Characters of all classes share some features in common.  These are qualities 
  or statistics which are the same for all or nearly all characters, and which 
  change or improve at the same rate for all classes. 
   
  Level Advancement and Tiers of Gameplay: Engines & Empires 
  characters gain levels by accumulating achievement points (AP).  Human 
  characters go up a level at every 8 AP earned, while faerie characters require 
  10 AP to level up.  As characters grow and develop, attaining ever-greater 
  heights of power, they will reach certain levels which are benchmarks in a 
  player character’s adventuring career, or even watersheds marking wholesale 
  changes in the very tone and purpose of the campaign. 
   
  Character Class 
  Key Ability 
  Boxer 
  Constitution 
  Expert, Halfling, Faun 
  Dexterity 
  Fighter, Dwarf, Centaur, Sylph 
  Strength 
  Mage, Fay 
  Charisma 
  Scholar, Elf, Merrow 
  Wisdom 
  Tech, Gnome 
  Intelligence 
  Faerie Class 
  Requisite Ability Score 
  Dwarf, Gnome, Halfling 
  Constitution 9 
  Elf, Fay 
  Dexterity 9 
  Centaur, Sylph 
  Wisdom 9 
  Faun, Merrow 
  Charisma 9 
  
   
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER 
  5 
   
  The first three achievement levels are termed the Basic Game.  Basic-
  level gameplay is usually a simple affair that requires very little: a group of 
  would-be heroes seeking treasure and glory; a town to act as home base; and 
  a nearby labyrinth of untold depth to serve as the scene for all the action.  
  But when the characters reach 4th level, by which time they have probably 
  cleared out their first labyrinth, their reputations are such that the game-
  world at large acknowledges them to be proper heroes, or at least local 
  celebrities.  This begins the second tier of play, the Campaign Game.   
   
  In the Campaign Game, there are many towns and many labyrinths, 
  spread out all over the world.  Some are isolated affairs: “side quests” to be 
  explored simply because the labyrinth is there, and because curiosity often 
  reaps rewards.  Most, though, are connected by some grand plot or story arc, 
  at first unknown to the heroes, meant to be discovered only after much 
  investigation and hardship.  Adventures take place in labyrinths, in cities, in 
  the wilderness, and in stranger places.   
   
  From the Campaign Game onward, each gameplay tier lasts for a span of 
  eleven character levels.  The Campaign Game proceeds from 4th to 14th level, 
  and it is in the exact middle of this period—9th level—that characters can first 
  attain promotion.  Promotion is a change in the name or title of the 
  character’s class, and it is accompanied by the acquisition of several new and 
  powerful abilities.  9th level is also when characters stop rolling hit dice for 
  accumulated hit points; ever afterward, they will earn only a fixed number of 
  hit points at each level, and Constitution modifiers will no longer apply.  The 
  particular title taken by the promoted character is determined, naturally 
  enough, by the character’s original class. 
   
  Promoted characters 
  are permitted to build a 
  stronghold of some kind, 
  and they can attract large 
  numbers 
  of 
  mercenary 
  followers, far more than 
  the number of retainers 
  normally allowed by the 
  character’s Charisma.  At 
  first, the stronghold will 
  be little more than a single 
  building 
  in 
  a 
  fortified 
  location, its nature de-
  pendent on the class of the 
  character who built it.  Lords build castles, wizards build towers, sages build 
  colleges, and so forth.    But as the character grows in power and comes to 
  exert more influence on surrounding lands, the character might actually 
  come to rule the entire region.  If this happens, it will usually be around the 
  15th achievement level, thus beginning the Dominion Game. 
   
  The Dominion Game is drastically different from what comes before.  
  Heroes at this level of gameplay are no longer wandering mercenaries; they 
  are titled nobles, concerned with ruling their lands and expanding their 
  holdings and influence.  Large-scale warfare and adventures that determine 
  the fate of entire kingdoms are the hallmarks of this gameplay tier. 
   
  Character Class 
   
  Promotion Title 
  Boxer 
  Champion 
  Expert 
  Professional 
  Fighter or Dwarf 
  Lord 
  Mage or Fay 
  Wizard 
  Scholar or Elf 
  Sage 
  Tech or Gnome 
  Inventor 
  Halfling 
  Thane 
  Centaur 
  Paladin 
  Faun 
  Warden 
  Merrow 
  Bard 
  Sylph 
  Dragoon 
  
  6 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Character 
  Level 
  Gameplay  
  Tier 
  Achievement 
  Points—Human 
  Achievement 
  Points—Faerie 
  1 
  Basic Game 
  0 
  0 
  2 
  — 
  8 
  10 
  3 
  — 
  16 
  20 
  4 
  Campaign Game 
  24 
  30 
  5 
  — 
  32 
  40 
  6 
  — 
  40 
  50 
  7 
  — 
  48 
  60 
  8 
  — 
  56 
  70 
  9 
  (Promotion Level) 
  64 
  80 
  10 
  — 
  72 
  90 
  11 
  — 
  80 
  100 
  12 
  — 
  88 
  110 
  13 
  — 
  96 
  120 
  14 
  — 
  104 
  130 
  15 
  Dominion Game 
  112 
  140 
  16 
  — 
  120 
  150 
  17 
  — 
  128 
  160 
  18 
  — 
  136 
  170 
  19 
  — 
  144 
  180 
  20 
  — 
  152 
  190 
  21 
  — 
  160 
  200 
  22 
  — 
  168 
  210 
  23 
  — 
  176 
  220 
  24 
  — 
  184 
  230 
  25 
  — 
  192 
  240 
  26 
  Epic Game 
  200 
  250 
  27 
  — 
  208 
  260 
  28 
  — 
  216 
  270 
  29 
  — 
  224 
  280 
  30 
  — 
  232 
  290 
  31 
  — 
  240 
  300 
  32 
  — 
  248 
  310 
  33 
  — 
  256 
  320 
  34 
  — 
  264 
  330 
  35 
  — 
  272 
  340 
  36 
  — 
  280 
  350 
   
   
  When the player characters reach approximately the 26th achievement 
  level, Engines & Empires enters its endgame.  This final phase of character 
  advancement is the Epic Game.  By now, the characters could be mighty 
  monarchs or heroes of positively mythical renown.  Their actions determine 
  the fate of not just nations, but the entire world.  The purpose of the Epic 
  Game is no longer to amass power, but to learn how best to wield it.  As 
  characters move from 26th to 36th level, they approach their ultimate destiny 
  and learn how their names will go down in the history of the E&E world. 
   
  
   
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER 
  7 
  Base Saving 
  Throw 
  Base  
  Skill Picks 
  Expert 
  Skill Picks 
  Ability 
  Raises 
  Character 
  Level 
  7 
  3 
  6 
  — 
  1 
  7 
  3 
  7 
  — 
  2 
  7 
  4 
  8 
  — 
  3 
  7 
  4 
  9 
  — 
  4 
  9 
  5 
  10 
  — 
  5 
  9 
  5 
  11 
  — 
  6 
  9 
  6 
  12 
  — 
  7 
  9 
  6 
  13 
  First 
  8 
  11 
  7 
  14 
  — 
  9 
  11 
  7 
  15 
  — 
  10 
  11 
  8 
  16 
  — 
  11 
  11 
  8 
  17 
  — 
  12 
  13 
  9 
  18 
  — 
  13 
  13 
  9 
  19 
  — 
  14 
  13 
  10 
  20 
  Second 
  15 
  13 
  10 
  21 
  — 
  16 
  15 
  11 
  22 
  — 
  17 
  15 
  11 
  23 
  — 
  18 
  15 
  12 
  24 
  — 
  19 
  15 
  12 
  25 
  — 
  20 
  16 
  13 
  26 
  — 
  21 
  16 
  13 
  27 
  Third 
  22 
  16 
  14 
  28 
  — 
  23 
  16 
  14 
  29 
  — 
  24 
  17 
  15 
  30 
  — 
  25 
  17 
  15 
  31 
  — 
  26 
  17 
  16 
  32 
  — 
  27 
  17 
  16 
  33 
  — 
  28 
  18 
  17 
  34 
  Fourth 
  29 
  18 
  17 
  35 
  — 
  30 
  18 
  18 
  36 
  — 
  31 
  18 
  18 
  37 
  — 
  32 
  19 
  19 
  38 
  — 
  33 
  19 
  19 
  39 
  — 
  34 
  19 
  20 
  40 
  — 
  35 
  19 
  20 
  41 
  Fifth 
  36 
   
   
  After reaching 36th level, normal character advancement comes to a halt.  
  At the referee’s preference, 36th level can be either a “hard cap” (i.e. there is 
  no level after the 36th) or a “soft cap” (characters can continue advancing to 
  higher levels, ad infinitum).  In the former case, the game comes to an end, 
  and the players must retire their characters and take up new ones.  In the 
  latter case, the game continues for as long as the players and the referee wish 
  it to, but the pace of level advancement changes.  Most abilities and statistics 
  no longer improve after 36th level, and those that do are governed by a new 
  set of rules, to be described at the end of chapter three. 
  
  8 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Starting Characters: Certain qualities are common to all characters 
  at 1st level, regardless of character class.  These are: 
     •  Maximum hit points.  All characters begin the game with the maximum 
  number of possible hit points (rather than rolling their first hit die), before 
  Constitution adjustments are applied. 
     • Starting skill picks (which are 3 for most character classes, and 6 for 
  characters in the expert, halfling, and faun classes) are adjusted for the 
  character’s Intelligence, but only at 1st level.  After that, skill picks are only 
  gained one at a time, regardless of the character’s Intelligence. 
     • All characters, regardless of class, are proficient in the use of all types of 
  weapons and all kinds of armor, including shields.  There are only a few 
  exceptions to this rule.  Gnomes and halflings are simply too small to wield 
  some larger weapons effectively, and boxers lose the use of some of their 
  special abilities if they wear armor any heavier than leather. 
     • All 1st level player characters begin the game with a base Fighting Ability 
  (FA) of 2.  Regardless of whether the referee uses Armor Class or Defense 
  Class in his campaign, Fighting Ability is the number which determines a 
  character’s chance to hit in combat.  Strength adjustments apply to a 
  character’s hand-to-hand FA, while Dexterity adjustments add to a 
  characters missile-fire FA.  (By comparison, normal human NPCs are not as 
  skilled as 1st level characters.  They have a Fighting Ability of only 1.) 
     • All 1st level adventurers start with a Saving Throw score of 7.  This 
  means that a character must roll 7 or lower on 1d20 in order to make a 
  saving throw.  Certain modifiers apply to the ST number, most especially a 
  character’s Wisdom adjustment.  (Normal human NPCs have a harder time 
  making a saving throw: a 0th level commoner has an ST of only 5.) 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  THE PLAYER CHARACTER 
  9 
   
  Saving Throw: In the E&E game, the five saving throw numbers are 
  replaced by a single Saving Throw score.  In the original Labyrinth Lord 
  rules, a character had to roll equal to or higher than one of his saving throw 
  numbers to make a save, but in E&E, rolling against one’s Saving Throw 
  works more like rolling an ability check.  The ST score is the actual chance-
  in-20 to make the save.  Therefore, characters will want to roll low in order 
  to make their saving throws.  Furthermore, bonuses to the Saving Throw 
  apply directly to this score—so a positive modifier (such as a Wisdom bonus) 
  raises the number, making it easier to pass the roll. 
   
  Skill Picks: Most characters use the first column to determine how 
  many total skill picks (before Intelligence adjustments) they have earned.  
  Expert, halfling, and faun class characters use the second column. 
   
  Ability Raises: Upon reaching the 8th achievement level, a character is 
  permitted to raise any one of his ability scores by one point.  At every seven 
  achievement levels thereafter, another ability raise is earned.   
   
  By raising ability scores in this fashion, it is actually possible to surpass 
  the normal limit of 18 and achieve scores if 19 or 20.  Scores above 20 are not 
  possible.  (N.B., an ability raise adds a point to a character’s actual ability 
  score, and not to a score altered by a magical item like gauntlets of ogre 
  power.  If a character with Strength 13 wearing gauntlets of ogre power 
  selects Strength for his ability raise at 8th level, his actual Strength score 
  becomes 14, not 19!  But, of course, the gauntlets will still magically set the 
  character’s score at 18 for as long as they are worn.) 
   
  In addition to ability raises, wishes can also be used to increase 
  characters’ ability scores, but wishes can never increase a character’s ability 
  scores by more than three points per each separate ability category. 
   
  When an ability score rises to the point where the associated ability 
  adjustment also goes up, the character immediately earns all benefits 
  associated with the new ability adjustment.  An increased Constitution 
  modifier retroactively adds one hit point to the character’s hit point total for 
  every hit die possessed, possibly as much as +9 hp for characters of 9th level 
  and higher.  An increased Intelligence modifier immediately grants the 
  character a new skill pick and improved language proficiency (including, 
  potentially, a bonus language).  Increased Charisma likewise improves a 
  character’s maximum number of retainers, and their morale. 
  
  10 
  II 
   
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
   
   
  HE FIFTEEN character classes in the Engines & Empires game are 
    boxers, experts, fighters, mages, scholars, techs, dwarves, elves, fays, 
    gnomes, halflings, centaurs, fauns, merrows, and sylphs.  The first six 
  classes described in this chapter (boxers through techs) are human classes.  
  Thanks to human ambition and adaptability, these types of characters gain 
  levels rapidly.  The remaining classes (dwarf through sylph) are the faerie 
  classes.  They level up more slowly, but this is made up for by the fact that 
  faerie beings possess a number of unique special abilities.   
   
   
   
  Explanation of Class Tables 
  All of the game features which vary from class to class are presented on 
  tables found near each class’s description.  These tables summarize the 
  course of each character’s level advancement.  Each entry is explained as 
  follows: 
   
  Hit Dice: This column indicates how many dice of a given type a 
  character has for accumulated hit points.  Tough characters use eight-sided 
  dice for hit points.  Weaker characters use four-sided dice.  Characters with 
  in-between combat abilities use six-sided dice.  A character’s Constitution 
  adjustment applies to every single hit die rolled (although a negative 
  adjustment can never reduce the roll below 1 hit point).  At the 1st character 
  level, hit dice are not rolled.  Instead, starting characters automatically 
  receive the maximum possible hit points, viz. 8, 6, or 4 hit points, plus or 
  minus the character’s Constitution adjustment.  After 9th level, characters no 
  longer roll hit dice.  Instead, characters at these levels receive a fixed number 
  of hit points, and Constitution adjustments no longer apply. 
   
   
   
  T
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  11 
   
  Fighting Ability: This is the character’s combat prowess.  Its precise 
  usage varies, depending on whether the referee has elected to use standard 
  Armor Class or the alternative Defense Class in his campaign.  When the 
  Fighting Ability entry is accompanied by a multiplier, it indicates that the 
  character is permitted to make multiple attacks in a single round of combat.  
  Fighting Ability “10/×2”, for example, means that the character is allowed to 
  attack twice each round, and both attacks are rolled at FA 10. 
   
  Special Abilities: This column lists the special abilities that characters 
  gain with new levels.  Note that most classes gain their various special 
  abilities at roughly the same character levels.  Most characters have a special 
  ability which they gain at 1st level, and which improves at 5th level and then 
  again at 9th level.  Another special ability is earned at 4th (Campaign) level, 
  with new powers following at 15th (Dominion) and 26th (Epic) levels. 
   
  Other Abilities: Remaining columns on the tables will indicate 
  characters’ spell progressions (scholars and mages each have a full table 
  which details how many spells they can cast in a day; fighters and experts 
  have their spell-casting abilities given in terms of scholar or mage levels), use 
  of technological devices, or the special martial arts abilities of boxers. 
   
  THE BOXER 
   
  Boxers are martial artists dedicated to the practice of unarmed fighting.  All 
  boxers train their bodies rigorously to physically toughen themselves as 
  much as possible.  Many boxers are known to practice an eastern discipline 
  (especially gongfu), but this is by no means always the case.  A boxer 
  character could just as easily be an untrained bar-brawler with a talent for 
  knockout punches. 
   
  One trait that nearly all boxers have in common is a relentless drive for 
  self-improvement.  Because they need not rely on weapons, armor, spells, or 
  devices of any sort, the typical boxer tends to emphasize the one tool he 
  always has at hand: his body.  To that end, most boxers constantly strive to 
  perfect their physical health and their fighting arts. 
   
  Boxer class characters are built for close combat, but they lose the use of 
  several of their special abilities when they wear any armor heavier than 
  leather.  A high Constitution score (for extra hit points) can help make up for 
  this, but the most successful boxers have good Strength and Dexterity scores 
  as well.  This class can be a challenge to play at low levels, but the longer a 
  boxer survives, the more he becomes a powerful alternative to the traditional 
  armed fighter. 
   
  Hit Dice: 1d8 per level until 9th level, then +2 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Constitution. 
   
  Class Features 
  A boxer’s special abilities rely on mêlée combat and mobility.  At the 
  beginning of the game, a boxer has two special abilities (Boxing and 
  Reflexes).  The Boxing ability can be used regardless of what kind of armor 
  the boxer wears, but note that the Reflexes ability is disabled if the boxer 
  wears any kind of heavy armor (chainmail or plate armor). 
   
  
  12 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Boxer 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Boxing 
  Damage 
  Special 
  Qi 
  1 
  1d8 
  2 
  1d4 
  Reflexes I 
  — 
  2 
  2d8 
  2 
  1d4 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d8 
  2 
  1d6 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d8 
  4 
  1d6 
  Stun 1/battle 
  — 
  5 
  5d8 
  4 
  1d8 
  Reflexes II 
  — 
  6 
  6d8 
  4 
  1d8 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d8 
  6 
  1d10 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d8 
  6 
  1d10 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d8 
  6 
  1d12 
  Reflexes III, Feel Qi 
  — 
  10 
  9d8+2 
  8 
  1d12 
  Focus Qi 
  3 
  11 
  9d8+4 
  8 
  1d12 
  Control Qi 
  3 
  12 
  9d8+6 
  8 
  1d12 
  Project Qi 
  4 
  13 
  9d8+8 
  10 
  1d12 
  Celerity 
  4 
  14 
  9d8+10 
  10 
  1d12 
  Touch of Death 
  4 
  15 
  9d8+12 
  10/×2 
  1d12 
  Stun 2/battle 
  6 
  16 
  9d8+14 
  12/×2 
  1d12 
  Mind Blank 
  6 
  17 
  9d8+16 
  12/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  6 
  18 
  9d8+18 
  12/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  7 
  19 
  9d8+20 
  14/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  7 
  20 
  9d8+22 
  14/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  7 
  21 
  9d8+24 
  14/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  8 
  22 
  9d8+26 
  16/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  8 
  23 
  9d8+28 
  16/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  8 
  24 
  9d8+30 
  16/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  9 
  25 
  9d8+32 
  18/×2 
  1d12 
  — 
  9 
  26 
  9d8+34 
  18/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  11 
  27 
  9d8+36 
  18/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  12 
  28 
  9d8+38 
  20/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  12 
  29 
  9d8+40 
  20/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  12 
  30 
  9d8+42 
  20/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  13 
  31 
  9d8+44 
  22/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  13 
  32 
  9d8+46 
  22/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  13 
  33 
  9d8+48 
  22/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  14 
  34 
  9d8+50 
  24/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  14 
  35 
  9d8+52 
  24/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  14 
  36 
  9d8+54 
  24/×3 
  1d20 
  — 
  15 
   
   
  Boxing: A boxer causes more damage with his bare fists than other 
  characters do.  Most characters only deal 1d2 points of damage with a punch 
  or a kick, but boxers cause 1d4.  (Needless to say, Strength adjustments 
  apply.) At every odd-numbered level until the 9th, the boxer improves his 
  unarmed damage by one die type.  The boxer’s unarmed damage then 
  remains at 1d12 until 26th level, when it becomes 1d20.  
   
  There is one disadvantage a boxer might suffer from totally eschewing 
  the use of weapons: his fists can never become magical weapons on their 
  own.  However, the boxer is permitted to use his superior boxing damage 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  13 
  while wielding knuckles (or similar weapons, like cat-claws).  If the knuckle 
  or cat-claw weapon happens to be enchanted, the boxer’s unarmed attack 
  counts as magical and can damage such creatures as lycanthropes and 
  incorporeal undead. 
   
  Reflexes: A boxer’s manual deftness grants two unique benefits.  First, 
  boxers are more ambidextrous than other characters, and they can fight 
  effectively with two weapons (or two fists).  Second, boxers are fast enough 
  that they can sometimes knock incoming arrows, darts, and even bullets 
  right out of the air. 
   
  When most characters engage in Two Weapons Combat, the extra attack 
  made with the off-hand suffers a penalty of -4 to hit.  But for a boxer, the 
  penalty is smaller.  It starts at -2 for a 1st level boxer, and it then drops to -1 
  at 5th level and disappears altogether at 9th level. 
   
  A boxer is also able to bat aside an incoming missile attack (an arrow, a 
  bullet, a thrown dagger) that would normally have hit him, and thereby take 
  no damage from it.  At first, this ability can only be used once per battle, but 
  when the boxer reaches the 5th achievement level, he can perform this stunt 
  two times per battle, and at the 9th level, three times per battle.  However, 
  this ability cannot be used more than once per round, even if the boxer can 
  do it several times during the course of the battle.  In order to recover his 
  expended uses of the missile deflection ability, a boxer must rest for at least 
  one minute. 
   
  Armor Restrictions: The boxer’s 
  Reflexes abilities only function when the 
  boxer wears leather armor or no armor 
  at all.  If the boxer dons chainmail or 
  plate 
  armor, 
  these 
  abilities 
  are 
  essentially “deactivated” and cannot be 
  used: the boxer cannot deflect missiles, 
  and he suffers the full -4 penalty to hit 
  with off-hand attacks.  Armor does not 
  impede any of the boxer’s other abilities 
  (boxing damage, the Stunning Fist, or qi 
  powers). 
   
  Stunning Fist: Like the boxer’s 
  missile deflection ability, the Stunning 
  Fist is limited in the number of times it 
  can be used per battle.  When the boxer 
  gains this ability at 4th level, it can only 
  be used once per battle, but after the 
  boxer reaches 15th level, it may be used 
  twice per battle.  The boxer must rest for 
  one minute in order to recover his 
  expended uses of the Stunning Fist.  The 
  boxer may not attempt to stun more 
  than once in a given round, even if he 
  has two uses of the Stunning Fist per 
  battle. 
   
  
  14 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  This ability allows a boxer to try to stun an opponent with an unarmed 
  strike.  The boxer must roll to hit his opponent with an ordinary unarmed 
  attack, and the use of the ability must be declared before the attack rolls is 
  made, so a missed attack will waste the attempt for that battle.  A creature 
  struck by the stunning attack will take the normal unarmed strike damage 
  and must also save or be stunned.  A stunned creature suffers a -2 penalty to 
  its Armor (or Defense) Class and Saving Throw, cannot attack or cast spells, 
  and only moves at one-third normal speed.  The effect of a stunning blow 
  lasts for 1d4+1 rounds. 
   
  Champions 
  At any time after reaching 9th level, a boxer can be promoted to the rank of 
  “champion”.  A champion may decide to found a school or academy devoted 
  to the teaching of his chosen martial art.  The school might be a fortified 
  stronghold or a remote cloister, but whatever its nature, it will doubtlessly 
  attract many students who want to learn from the champion. 
   
  Champions develop a degree of supernatural ability: at 9th level, a 
  champion becomes aware of his qi.  (If, for whatever reason, a boxer does not 
  attain a class promotion and become a champion, he will not acquire these 
  special qi powers.)  The champion can use this qi energy—his vital life force—
  to perform astounding feats of athletic and psychic skill. 
   
  Qi Power: A champion has a “qi pool”, a reservoir of available qi 
  energy to draw upon.  The champion’s base number of qi points is given on 
  the boxer class table, and his Constitution adjustment is added to this figure.  
  A 10th level boxer with a Constitution of 16, for example, has an adjusted qi 
  pool of 5 qi points (base 3 points, plus 2 bonus points for the boxer’s 
  Constitution modifier).  High-level champions can spend their qi points on 
  the use of qi powers, which are quasi-magical abilities somewhat like spells.  
  A champion recovers all of his expended qi points with a single night’s rest. 
   
  Feel Qi: At 9th level, a champion is only just learning to feel the flow of 
  qi through his body.  He can’t entirely control his qi yet, but the ability to 
  “feel the flow” does bestow on the champion a kind of hyper-awareness that 
  borders on the precognitive.  Most characters are surprised when the referee 
  rolls a 1 or 2 on the surprise die, but a champion is only surprised on a 1. 
     
  Focus Qi: A 10th level champion can focus the qi flow through his body 
  so that the energy is pushed downward.  This allows the champion to 
  practice the art of “wuxia”—the ability to jump great heights and distances, 
  and to “feather fall” from such heights without taking damage.  This ability 
  may be used at will and does not expend any qi; rather, its effectiveness 
  varies, depending on how much qi remains in the champion’s qi pool.  For 
  every point of qi currently in the champion’s qi pool, the champion can leap 
  an additional 10’ higher and farther than ordinarily possible, and he can 
  ignore 10’ of a fall when calculating falling damage.  Note that when a higher-
  level champion spends qi points in order to use his qi powers, this will 
  commensurately reduce the efficacy of the champion’s wuxia ability. 
   
  Control Qi: An 11th level champion has learned to control the flow of qi 
  through a living body with regulated breathing and manipulation of pressure 
  points.  This allows the champion to heal himself or another target of 3d4 hit 
  points of damage.  Use of this ability requires the expenditure of 1 qi point.  
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  15 
  Activating this qi power (and all powers described below) requires 1 round of 
  moderate concentration, similar to casting a spell, except that qi powers are 
  completely psychic in nature.  A qi power requires no words, gestures, or 
  materials, and it cannot be disrupted by causing damage to the champion. 
   
  Project Qi: A 12th level champion can focus his qi power into a 
  destructive bolt of energy, similar to a magic missile, except that only a 
  single missile is produced, and this causes 3d6 points of damage to its target.  
  The champion can fire the blast at any creature within 150’.  No to-hit roll is 
  required, but the target may save for half damage.  (A shielded target takes 
  half damage automatically and no damage on a successful saving throw.)  
  This ability normally costs 2 qi points, but it may be augmented by spending 
  extra qi.  For each additional qi point spent on the power, the damage 
  increases by 1d6 hit points. 
   
  Celerity: A 13th level champion can spend 3 qi points to produce an 
  effect similar to haste, but on himself only.  The champion enters a kind of 
  battle trance that doubles his speed and number attacks per round and also 
  imparts a temporary +2 bonus to Armor/Defense Class and Saving Throws.  
  The effect of the Celerity power persists for one game turn (or the duration of 
  a single battle). 
   
  Touch of Death: At 14th level, the champion learns the deadliest 
  technique in all of martial arts—the fabled ability to kill with a touch.  To use 
  this ability, the champion must first pay 4 qi points.  The champion then 
  rolls to hit his opponent normally.  If the attack roll misses, the qi points are 
  lost to no effect.  But if the attack roll hits, the target takes damage as if 
  struck by an ordinary unarmed attack, and the target must also roll a saving 
  throw or else die instantly.  
   
  Mind Blank: The champion earns his final qi power at 16th level.  By 
  spending 5 qi points, the champion can shield his mind with mind blank, 
  effectively identical to the 8th level arcane spell of the same name.  This 
  power protects the champion completely from any magical attacks on his 
  mind, including charm, gaes, quest, ESP, all manner of divinations and 
  scrying, and even wishes used to that effect.  Like the mind blank spell, the 
  effect of this qi power lasts for seven rounds, plus one round per level of the 
  champion. 
  THE EXPERT 
  Experts are human characters who turn normal, “civilian” professions into 
  unique adventuring skill-sets.  Perhaps the expert character was formerly a 
  craftsman, a trader, or something more unusual, like a street-thief or an 
  indolent young noble.  All walks of life can teach sundry skills which turn out 
  to be very useful on an adventure.  A burglar knows how to break and enter—
  which applies to labyrinths as well as private homes.  Aristocrats are often 
  schooled in diplomacy and finance, useful tools for negotiation and 
  managing resources.  Tradesmen, too, can turn business sense or manual 
  skill to the benefit of a group of labyrinth explorers.  And then some experts 
  might be aspiring lore-masters, schooled in lore and obscure knowledge.  
  Whatever the expert’s exact specialty may be, it often proves that an 
  adventuring party doesn’t need to survive on swordplay and spell-craft alone.   
  
  16 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Because experts’ backgrounds run the gamut, they can be difficult to 
  pigeonhole as a group.  Their motivations are as diverse as their skills.  But 
  by the time expert heroes reach the middle achievement levels, they typically 
  relish their roles as the most agile, witty, and skillful of adventurers.  Outside 
  of combat, experts naturally rely on their trained skills.  In a fight, they have 
  extraordinary luck and accuracy with weapons, but nowhere near the staying 
  power or consistency of a trained man-at-arms.  Therefore, most experts 
  favor a fighting style that emphasizes mobility.  Eschewing heavy armor, the 
  typical expert is light on his feet and acts as an archer, a gunslinger, or a 
  swashbuckler.  Experts benefit from a high Dexterity most of all, but 
  Intelligence and Charisma are also important, since those abilities impact 
  skill ranks and arcane spells, respectively. 
   
  Hit Die: 1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Dexterity. 
   
  Class Features 
  The expert’s basic abilities include superior skill training and more frequent 
  (and more damaging) critical hits in combat. 
   
  Skill Training: Experts earn significantly more skill picks than other 
  characters.  As shown on the table at the start of this book (page 7), most 
  characters begin with 3 skill picks plus their Intelligence adjustment, but 
  experts begin with 6 plus their Intelligence adjustment.  After that, experts 
  earn a new skill rank at every single achievement level, rather than at every 
  odd-numbered level like other characters. 
   
  Lucky Shot: Normally, an unadjusted attack roll of 20 is a critical hit—
  that is, the hit is automatic, regardless of the attacker’s chance to hit or the 
  target’s defenses, and the damage caused is doubled.  Experts are luckier 
  than other characters.  They cause critical hits on a greater range of 
  unadjusted (or “natural”) attack rolls.  A 1st level expert critically hits (or 
  “crits”) on a natural 19 or 20.  A 5th level expert crits on a roll of 18–20.  After 
  reaching 9th level, the expert crits on a natural 17 or better.  N.B., a critical hit 
  causes double damage, but only damage from the dice—modifiers to the dice, 
  whether positive or negative, apply only once.  Note also that if the referee 
  uses the optional “roll low” method for attacks (described in Chapter 3), the 
  ranges are reversed, e.g. a 5th level expert would then crit on natural 1–3. 
   
  Critical Aim:  Experts’ critical hits also become deadlier than those of 
  other characters.  From 4th level onward, the expert causes triple damage 
  (rather than double) on a critical hit.  At 15th level, critical hits cause 
  quadruple damage.  After 26th level, a critical hit from an expert causes a 
  whopping quintuple damage!   
   
  Remember that only the dice are multiplied by a critical hit—all 
  adjustments are applied only once, after the damage dice are rolled.  
  Furthermore, it must be noted that when several different factors would all 
  multiply the damage rolled, the multipliers should be treated as separate 
  additions of dice. If, for example, a 5th level expert is attacking from 
  horseback and attempts a lance charge (which would cause double damage), 
  and he rolls a critical hit (for triple damage), the attack should cause 
  quadruple damage (because the various circumstances are adding a total of 
  three extra damage dice), not sextuple damage. 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  17 
  Expert 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Special 
  Arcane  
  Spells 
  1 
  1d6 
  2 
  Lucky Shot (10%) 
  — 
  2 
  2d6 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d6 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d6 
  2 
  Critical Aim (×3) 
  — 
  5 
  5d6 
  4 
  Lucky Shot (15%) 
  — 
  6 
  6d6 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d6 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d6 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d6 
  6 
  Lucky Shot (20%) 
  Mag3 
  10 
  9d6+1 
  6 
  — 
  Mag3 
  11 
  9d6+3 
  6 
  — 
  Mag3 
  12 
  9d6+4 
  6 
  — 
  Mag4 
  13 
  9d6+6 
  8 
  — 
  Mag4 
  14 
  9d6+7 
  8 
  — 
  Mag4 
  15 
  9d6+9 
  8 
  Critical Aim (×4) 
  Mag5 
  16 
  9d6+10 
  8 
  — 
  Mag5 
  17 
  9d6+12 
  10 
  — 
  Mag5 
  18 
  9d6+13 
  10 
  — 
  Mag6 
  19 
  9d6+15 
  10 
  — 
  Mag6 
  20 
  9d6+16 
  10/×2 
  — 
  Mag6 
  21 
  9d6+18 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Mag7 
  22 
  9d6+19 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Mag7 
  23 
  9d6+21 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Mag7 
  24 
  9d6+22 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Mag8 
  25 
  9d6+24 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Mag8 
  26 
  9d6+25 
  14/×2 
  Critical Aim (×5) 
  Mag8 
  27 
  9d6+27 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Mag9 
  28 
  9d6+28 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Mag9 
  29 
  9d6+30 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Mag9 
  30 
  9d6+31 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Mag10 
  31 
  9d6+33 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Mag10 
  32 
  9d6+34 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Mag10 
  33 
  9d6+36 
  18/×2 
  — 
  Mag11 
  34 
  9d6+37 
  18/×2 
  — 
  Mag11 
  35 
  9d6+39 
  20/×2 
  — 
  Mag11 
  36 
  9d6+40 
  20/×2 
  — 
  Mag12 
   
  Professionals 
  After reaching 9th level, an expert can be promoted to the rank of 
  “professional”.  A professional is an extremely well-rounded adventurer, 
  possessing a variety of skills and abilities.  With a little creativity and a flair 
  for the dramatic, a professional has no problem passing himself off as a 
  member of another class—particularly a fighter, a boxer, or a mage.  
  Professionals are commonly employed as spies, assassins, bounty hunters, 
  and even ninjas.  A professional might also choose to establish a guild (or 
  hideout, as the case may be) devoted to his particular area of expertise.  
  
  18 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Professionals earn several new abilities as soon as they attain their promoted 
  rank, possibly as early as 9th level: 
   
  Skill Mastery: The professional is better with skills than any other 
  class of character.  Most characters are limited to rank 5 with skills, which 
  translates into a 5-in-6 chance of passing a skill check.  Professionals, 
  though, can spend an extra skill pick in order to raise a skill up to rank 6.  A 
  rank 6 skill is checked on 1d20 rather than 1d6, and the professional has a 
  19-in-20 chance of passing the skill check.  (N.B., a roll of 20 always 
  indicates automatic failure, even if the check gets some sort of bonus.  If the 
  check has a penalty, the penalty applies to the skill rank, not the die roll!  
  Therefore, a -1 penalty to a rank 6 skill will drop the chances of success from 
  19-in-20 to 5-in-6.) 
   
  Improvisational Combat: Professionals are good at using whatever 
  happens to be available to inflict damage.  Therefore, professionals receive 
  the following benefits in these unusual combat situations: 
  • Professionals are good at throwing mêlée weapons.  Normally, a mêlée 
  weapon that isn’t meant to be thrown has a range increment of 10’ and 
  causes half its usual damage.  In the hands of a professional, a “rarely thrown 
  weapon” has a range increment of 20’ and causes full damage. 
  • Professionals are likewise effective with improvised weapons and 
  unarmed attacks.  Normally, an improvised weapon (like a chair or a broom 
  handle) causes 1d3 damage, while an unarmed attack is even worse, causing 
  only 1d2  damage.  For professionals, improvised weapons cause 1d6 damage 
  and unarmed strikes deal 1d4 damage. 
  • Professionals are skilled at fighting with two weapons.  So long as they 
  don’t wear chainmail or plate armor, professionals suffer only a -2 penalty to 
  hit (rather than the usual -4 penalty) to their off-hand attacks when using 
  Two Weapons Combat, just like a 1st level boxer. 
   
  Arcane Spells: A professional has the ability to cast arcane spells.  A 
  professional may keep a spell-book and learn and cast sorceries, just like a 
  mage.  A professional casts spells as if he were a mage of one-third his actual 
  character level, so at 9th level he casts as a 3rd level mage, at 12th level he casts 
  as a 4th level mage, and so on.  
   
  A professional can add new spells to his spell-book by copying them 
  from other books, or by copying them from scrolls.  Professionals can also 
  cast spells directly off of arcane scrolls, but they cannot employ any other 
  items usable only by mages (such as wands and staffs).  Professionals are not 
  capable of magical research, nor do they ever gain the mage’s spontaneous 
  spell-casting abilities. 
  THE FIGHTER 
  Fighters make up the backbone of any adventuring party.  Their overall 
  attack power may not quite match a boxer’s, but nobody can top the fighter’s 
  stalwart defensive capabilities.  And thanks to some of the special tricks that 
  fighters can pull with weapons, most opponents really don’t stand much of a 
  chance in close quarters.  If a party contains two or more fighters, woe unto 
  the group of monsters that tries to squeeze past them and get at the weaker 
  adventurers! 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  19 
   
  It is always in a fighter’s best interest to use the strongest weapons and 
  armor available to him.  A fighter should choose leather over metal armor 
  only when speed and stealth are absolutely crucial!  And a variety of 
  weapons, both mêlée and missile, should be kept close at all times… but a 
  fighter would do well to avoid reliance on Two-Weapons Combat.  He should 
  favor instead a one-handed weapon and a shield to maximize his defenses, or 
  a two-handed weapon (a pole-arm is ideal) for best damage and reach. 
   
  Positioned as they often are at the front of a group, fighters make 
  natural party leaders.  As they gain new levels, fighters can slide easily into 
  even broader leadership roles.  They become military commanders, noble 
  lords, or even elected officials (the voting public always loves a war hero, 
  after all).  The vast majority of high-level fighters become baronets or 
  knights—even if the “shining armor” has left the modern battlefield and only 
  sees use amidst the unpredictable dangers of the labyrinth. 
   
  Hit Die: 1d8 per level until 9th level, then +2 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Strength. 
   
   
   
  Class Features 
  Fighters’ special abilities are useful in armed combat.  They stem from a kind 
  of battlefield-oriented psychological focus that only fighters develop, an 
  absolute devotion to the dueling arts.   
   
  Focused Strike: This ability can be used but once per battle.  Before 
  he makes an attack roll (either mêlée or missile), the fighter can declare his 
  
  20 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  next attack to be a Focused Strike.  If the attack hits, the fighter deals the 
  maximum possible damage rather than rolling a die for damage.  (Some-
  times an attack causes double damage, such as on a lance charge or a critical 
  hit.  When this happens, only one die of damage is maximized.  Any extra 
  dice must still be rolled.)  If the attack misses, there is no special effect and 
  the fighter has lost that battle’s use of the Focused Strike. 
   
  This ability can be used twice per battle at 5th level and thrice per battle 
  at 9th level, but under no circumstances can the fighter ever use more than 
  one Focused Strike in a single round, even if he has multiple attacks.  Neither 
  may the Focused Strike maneuver be combined with the Whirlwind Attack or 
  the Power Smash—only one fighter maneuver can be used in a given round.  
  Once one or more of the fighter’s Focused Strikes have been used up in 
  battle, he must rest for at least a minute in order to recover them. 
   
  Whirlwind Attack:  Once per battle, a 4th level fighter can give up his 
  normal number of attacks (from Two-Weapons Combat, multiple attacks, a 
  haste spell, or whatever other circumstances might apply) in order to make 
  one attack against every opponent within 10’ of the fighter.  When the fighter 
  uses the Whirlwind Attack, he may not use the Focused Strike or the Power 
  Smash, make an off-hand attack, or perform any other special maneuver.  
  After reaching 15th level, the fighter is able to use this maneuver twice per 
  battle.  Once expended, the fighter must rest for a minute to recover his uses 
  of the Whirlwind Attack. 
   
  N.B., like all of the special fighter maneuvers, this ability can be used 
  with either mêlée or missile weapons, but it faces a number of special 
  restrictions when used with missile attacks.  The fighter cannot already be in 
  a mêlée if he wishes to initiate a Whirlwind of missile attacks; but the fighter 
  can still only attack targets within ten feet.  The fighter is also limited to 
  missile weapons which allow for rapid attacks, and he must have sufficient 
  ammunition to make all the attacks he wishes to.  Crossbows, slings, and 
  most firearms must be reloaded after one shot, so they are useless with this 
  ability.  Bows and thrown weapons are permitted, provided sufficient 
  missiles are available.  Revolvers can be used for up to six attacks (or more, 
  depending on how many fully loaded revolvers the fighter has handy).  A 
  double-barreled shotgun could in principle be used with this ability, but it 
  would be limited to only two attacks. 
   
  Power Smash: The mightiest of the fighter maneuvers, this ability is 
  earned at the 26th achievement level, and it can only ever be used but once 
  per battle.  (Like the other fighter maneuvers, once this power has been used 
  up, it can be recovered between battles with a minute’s rest.)  Similar to the 
  Focused Strike, the Power Smash augments one of the fighter’s normal 
  attacks, so the use of this ability must be declared before the fighter rolls to 
  hit, and a missed attack will waste the attempt.  If the attack hits, the fighter 
  adds his base Fighting Ability to the damage caused (in addition to the usual 
  damage modifiers from magic and from either Strength or Dexterity, 
  depending on whether the attack was mêlée or missile).  Furthermore, a 
  creature struck by the Power Smash is grievously injured and suffers a -2 
  penalty to its Armor/Defense Class and Saving Throws for one turn 
  (effectively, for the rest of the battle) or until the creature receives some kind 
  of healing. 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  21 
  Fighter 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Special 
  Divine 
  Spells 
  1 
  1d8 
  2 
  Focused Strike 1/battle 
  — 
  2 
  2d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d8 
  4 
  Whirlwind Attack 1/battle 
  — 
  5 
  5d8 
  4 
  Focused Strike 2/battle 
  — 
  6 
  6d8 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d8 
  6 
  Focused Strike 3/battle 
  Sch3 
  10 
  9d8+2 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  11 
  9d8+4 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  12 
  9d8+6 
  8 
  — 
  Sch4 
  13 
  9d8+8 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  14 
  9d8+10 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  15 
  9d8+12 
  10/×2 
  Whirlwind Attack 2/battle 
  Sch5 
  16 
  9d8+14 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  17 
  9d8+16 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  18 
  9d8+18 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  19 
  9d8+20 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  20 
  9d8+22 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  21 
  9d8+24 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  22 
  9d8+26 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  23 
  9d8+28 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  24 
  9d8+30 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  25 
  9d8+32 
  18/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  26 
  9d8+34 
  18/×3 
  Power Smash 1/battle 
  Sch8 
  27 
  9d8+36 
  18/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  28 
  9d8+38 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  29 
  9d8+40 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  30 
  9d8+42 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  31 
  9d8+44 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  32 
  9d8+46 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  33 
  9d8+48 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  34 
  9d8+50 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  35 
  9d8+52 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  36 
  9d8+54 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch12 
   
   
   
  The Power Smash is even more powerful if the fighter has a Strength 
  score of 18 or greater.  In this instance, the debilitating penalty applied to the 
  victim’s AC/DC and ST score is the inverse of the fighter’s Strength bonus: 
   
  Fighter Strength 
  Penalty Inflicted by Power Smash 
  17 or lower 
  -2 
  18 or 19 
  -3 
  20 
  -4 
   
   
  
  22 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Lords 
  At any time after the fighter reaches 9th level, he can be promoted to the rank 
  of “lord”.  At first, a lord’s noble title and social status are simply that of a 
  knight, but upon building a stronghold, the knight becomes a baronet.  With 
  further conquest of territory, the baronet can eventually become a baron, 
  viscount, count, marquis, duke, and so forth as he rises through the ranks of 
  lordship.  A lord is able to build a stronghold and attract followers, some 
  loyal and some mercenary.  A lord is also capable of wielding divine magic. 
   
  Scholasticism: A lord has the ability to cast divine spells and turn the 
  undead as if he were a scholar of one-third his actual level.  Like a scholar, a 
  lord must keep a spell-book to record the theurgies and geomancies that he 
  learns.  Note that Lawful lords can eventually destroy weaker undead 
  monsters, while Chaotic lords can dominate them.  Neutral lords must make 
  the same irrevocable choice as Neutral scholars (once the lord attains the 15th 
  achievement level and first gains the power of a 5th level scholar to either 
  destroy or dominate undead skeletons).  
   
  Just like professionals casting sorceries from arcane scrolls, lords are 
  able to use divine scrolls that bear theurgies or geomancies.  A lord cannot 
  use any other magical items restricted to scholars, nor can they engage in 
  magical research to create spells or items.  A lord never gains the scholar’s 
  ability to cast spells spontaneously. 
  THE MAGE 
  Mages are humans who have cultivated that rarest of talents: casting arcane 
  magic.  Like the fighter, the mage is such a staple of fantasy that he almost 
  needs no introduction.  Everybody recognizes the iconic mage, a scrawny 
  bookworm who wears robes and can’t fight very well, but who commands the 
  incredible power of arcane spells.  That’s what a mage is, after all, right?  
  Well… they’re slightly different in the E&E world.   
   
  For one thing, dusty old spell-books are not the exclusive province of 
  mages.  All magic in the E&E game is written down in books and on scrolls, 
  never granted directly by gods or immortals.  This is true of both arcane and 
  divine magic.  But only scholars cast divine spells, and only mages cast 
  arcane spells.  Why?  For one thing, scholars and mages tend not to share 
  their secrets, for the sake of long-held traditions and professional integrity.  
  But more importantly, the schools of magic have some fundamental 
  differences.  The divine schools, theurgy and geomancy, are two traditions of 
  natural, “white” magic which descend from such practices as astrology and 
  druidism.  Arcane magic is something wholly different—it is an occult school, 
  descended from the ancient practice of “black” magic (sorcery).  To cast an 
  arcane spell, a mage must tap into his psychic potential and will for reality to 
  change around him.  (This is why Charisma, not Intelligence, governs the use 
  of arcane magic.  Charisma is the ability score that represents willpower 
  applied as an external force, using a character’s metal power to exert 
  influence on the world.)  When a mage casts a spell, he is literally persuad-
  ing the laws of physics to bend or break. 
   
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  23 
   
  And what about the classic picture of the robed magician who can’t fight, 
  standing behind the fighters with his dagger drawn as a last resort?  The E&E 
  game makes a different assumption here too.  A mage is an adventurer, after 
  all, and he knows how to survive in a dangerous world.  So E&E mages, like 
  all adventurers, can use any weapon and wear any armor.  They can even use 
  any of the special attack actions (like Two Weapons Combat, Lance Attack, 
  Disarm, Parry, Set Spear vs. Charge, etc.) described in the combat rules.  
  Still, all that time studying spell-books does take some toll, and so a mage 
  will never have anywhere near as many hit points as a fighter or even a 
  scholar.  A mage could certainly wear plate armor and wade into mêlée with 
  a sword and shield... but then the mage moves slower and runs the risk of 
  having his spells disrupted by damage.  All things considered, it would be a 
  poor choice of strategy for a mage.  The average mage these days will wear 
  innocuous clothing (or, when on an adventure, leather armor) and keep a 
  gentlemanly pistol tucked inside his waistcoat; or perhaps a throwing dagger 
  hidden in his hat (which is more likely to be a stage-conjurer’s top-hat than a 
  pointy blue cone covered in moons and stars!). 
   
  Hit Die: 1d4 per level until 9th level, then +1 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Charisma. 
   
  Class Features 
  The mage really only has one special ability: casting arcane spells (sorceries).  
  From 1st level onward, the mage focused exclusively on magic!  However, the 
  mage does earn one small class benefit, starting at 4th level. 
   
  Spontaneous Spell: After reaching 4th level, a mage can select any one 
  of his memorized spells for the day, and he can “burn” that spell in order to 
  cast any other spell that the mage knows but which he may or may not have 
  had memorized.  The spell to be cast spontaneously must be of the same spell 
  level or lower than the memorized spell being consumed.  If the mage had 
  memorized invisibility, for example, he could choose to lose this spell in 
  order to cast any other 2nd or 1st level spell that he has in his spell-book.  This 
  ability can only be used once per day, regardless of how many spells the 
  mage knows or has memorized. 
   
  Casting a spontaneous spell is more difficult than casting a memorized 
  spell, and more concentration is required to do it.  When casting a 
  spontaneous spell in combat, the mage cannot move in the same round.  
  Furthermore, casting a spontaneous spell causes the mage to automatically 
  lose the initiative. 
   
  When the mage reaches 15th level, he is permitted to cast up to two 
  spontaneous spells in a single day.  At 26th level, this ability improves again, 
  and the mage is able to cast three spontaneous spells per day. 
   
  Wizards 
  After reaching the 9th achievement level, a mage can be promoted to the rank 
  of “wizard”.  Wizards are able to greatly expand their magical powers, 
  because wizards, unlike mages, can engage in magical research.  
   
   
   
  
  24 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Mage 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Arcane Spells per Day 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  9 
  1 
  1d4 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  2 
  2d4 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d4 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d4 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  5 
  5d4 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  6 
  6d4 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  10 
  9d4+1 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  11 
  9d4+2 
  6 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  12 
  9d4+3 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  13 
  9d4+4 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  14 
  9d4+5 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  15 
  9d4+6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  16 
  9d4+7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  17 
  9d4+8 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  18 
  9d4+9 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  19 
  9d4+10 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  20 
  9d4+11 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  21 
  9d4+12 
  10 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  22 
  9d4+13 
  10 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  23 
  9d4+14 
  10 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  24 
  9d4+15 
  10 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  25 
  9d4+16 
  10 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  26 
  9d4+17 
  12 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  27 
  9d4+18 
  12 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  28 
  9d4+19 
  12 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  29 
  9d4+20 
  12 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  30 
  9d4+21 
  12 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  31 
  9d4+22 
  14 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  32 
  9d4+23 
  14 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  33 
  9d4+24 
  14 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  34 
  9d4+25 
  14 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  35 
  9d4+26 
  14 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  36 
  9d4+27 
  16 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
   
   
  *Wizard only 
   
   
  Mage Level 
  Special Abilities Gained 
  4th  
  Spontaneous Spell 1/day 
  9th  
  Magical research* (up to +3) 
  15th  
  Magical research* (+4), Spontaneous Spell 2/day 
  26th  
  Magical research* (+5), Spontaneous Spell 3/day 
  31st  
  Able to learn and cast wish* 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  25 
   
  Research enables a wizard to craft magical items or to invent entirely 
  new arcane spells.  A 9th level wizard is limited in the scope of his research, 
  however.  He can create new spells of any spell level that he can cast, but 
  magical items that provide a bonus (or cursed items that impose a penalty) 
  are limited to +3 (or -3), and the mage cannot yet create golems or large-
  scale magical items. 
   
  A wizard may also choose to build a stronghold, which typically takes 
  the form of a tall tower or citadel with a labyrinth or dungeon beneath it.  
  (Many wizards, especially Chaotic ones, like to encourage monsters to make 
  their lairs in labyrinths that they control.  A monster-infested labyrinth in 
  your basement can be a convenient source of exotic material components for 
  magical research!)  A wizard’s tower invariably attracts the attention of 
  young apprentices seeking to become 1st level mages. 
   
  At 15th level, a wizard acquires the ability to craft +4 magical items and 
  to research the creation of golems, magical structures or vehicles, and other 
  large-scale enchanted constructs. 
   
  At 26th level, a wizard becomes capable of crafting +5 magical items.   
   
  At 31st level (and not before), the wizard becomes capable of casting the 
  wish spell, provided he can find a copy of the spell to add to his spell-book.  
  Even though wish is a 9th level spell and would normally become available to 
  a wizard at the 21st achievement level, it is far and away more powerful than 
  other 9th level spells, and so it can only be cast by a wizard who has already 
  advanced halfway through the Epic Level tier. 
  THE SCHOLAR 
  The scholar is a diverse and well-rounded class of adventurer.  No other 
  human character possesses the same versatile balance between combat and 
  magical abilities.  The typical scholar will face no compunctions about 
  wielding the best weapons and wearing heaviest armor available—and since 
  a scholar’s spells tend to be more useful after a battle than during one, a 
  scholar can indeed fight on the frontlines, at least until his hit points start to 
  wear thin. 
   
  Scholars are those humans who have trained in the old university 
  system, learning the arts that dominated scholarship before the advent of 
  technical science: philosophy, medicine, law, and divinity are their primary 
  fields, but scholars also tend to know a little bit about everything else, from 
  literature to history.  Scholars embody the ideal of the “renaissance man”, 
  which is why they learn to fight—to shoot and fence and wrestle—like an old-
  time college athlete!   
   
  Scholars are both physicians and metaphysicians.  They cast divine 
  spells because they are well-schooled in medicine and in all the subjects of 
  naturalism (from anatomy to zoology). They are able to turn away the 
  undead with a holy symbol because they have made systematic study of all 
  matters philosophical and spiritual, and this imbues scholars with a level of 
  metaphysical understanding that actually allows them to project holy power. 
   
  Hit Die: 1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Wisdom. 
   
  
  26 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Scholar 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Divine Spells per Day 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  1 
  1d6 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  2 
  2d6 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d6 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d6 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  5 
  5d6 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  6 
  6d6 
  4 
  2 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d6 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d6 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d6 
  6 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  10 
  9d6+1 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  11 
  9d6+3 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  12 
  9d6+4 
  6 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  1 
  — 
  13 
  9d6+6 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  2 
  — 
  14 
  9d6+7 
  8 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  2 
  — 
  15 
  9d6+9 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  — 
  16 
  9d6+10 
  8 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  — 
  17 
  9d6+12 
  10 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  1 
  18 
  9d6+13 
  10 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  19 
  9d6+15 
  10 
  7 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  2 
  20 
  9d6+16 
  10/×2 
  7 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  21 
  9d6+18 
  12/×2 
  7 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  22 
  9d6+19 
  12/×2 
  7 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  23 
  9d6+21 
  12/×2 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  4 
  4 
  24 
  9d6+22 
  12/×2 
  8 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  25 
  9d6+24 
  14/×2 
  8 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  26 
  9d6+25 
  14/×2 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  5 
  27 
  9d6+27 
  14/×2 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  6 
  5 
  28 
  9d6+28 
  14/×2 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  5 
  29 
  9d6+30 
  16/×2 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  6 
  30 
  9d6+31 
  16/×2 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  6 
  31 
  9d6+33 
  16/×2 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  6 
  32 
  9d6+34 
  16/×2 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  7 
  33 
  9d6+36 
  18/×2 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  7 
  34 
  9d6+37 
  18/×2 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  8 
  35 
  9d6+39 
  20/×2 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  8 
  8 
  36 
  9d6+40 
  20/×2 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
  9 
   
   
  *Sage only 
  Scholar Level 
  Special Abilities Gained 
  1st 
  Turn Undead 
  4th 
  Spontaneous Spell 1/day 
  5th 
  Destroy or Dominate Undead 
  9th 
  Magical research* (up to +3) 
  15th 
  Magical research* (+4), Spontaneous Spell 2/day 
  26th 
  Magical research* (+5), Spontaneous Spell 3/day 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  27 
  Turning Undead by Scholar Level 
   
  Undead 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  6 
  7 
  8 
  9-10 
  11-12 
  Skeleton 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  Zombie 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Ghoul 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Wight 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Wraith 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  Mummy 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  Specter 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  Vampire 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  Phantom 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  Ghost 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  Revenant 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  Demon 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  1 
  Lich 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  Special 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Undead 
  13-14 
  15-16 
  17-20 
  21-24 
  25-28 
  29-32 
  33-36 
  Skeleton 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  IV 
  IV 
  IV 
  Zombie 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  IV 
  IV 
  Ghoul 
  D 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  IV 
  Wight 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  Wraith 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  Mummy 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  III 
  III 
  Specter 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  III 
  Vampire 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  III 
  Phantom 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Ghost 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Revenant 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  D 
  Demon 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  D 
  Lich 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
  D 
  Special 
  — 
  1 
  4 
  7 
  10 
  T 
  T 
   
   
  Class Features 
  As scholars gain levels, they soon acquire the ability to cast divine spells 
  (theurgies and geomancies).  Starting scholars cannot cast spells, but they do 
  start the game able use those magical items available to scholars (including 
  divine scrolls).  Note that while arcane spells all belong to a single school 
  (sorcery), divine spells are divided into two separate schools (theurgy and 
  geomancy).  This division is merely thematic, however (theurgies deal with 
  healing and protection, while geomancies deal with plants and nature).  It 
  has no direct impact on the game rules.  Scholars are equally capable of 
  casting from both the theurgic and geomantic schools of divine magic.  
  Turn Undead: At 1st level, scholars have the ability to drive off undead 
  creatures by forcefully presenting a holy symbol. Turning undead takes up 
  the scholar’s action for a round, so when attempting to turn, the scholar 
  cannot fight or cast spells, although he can walk slowly. 
  
  28 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  To turn undead, the player rolls 1d12 and consults the table. If the 
  number he rolls is equal to or lower than the number on the table, he has 
  successfully turned that type of undead. Otherwise, the scholar has failed 
  and the undead will not flee. If the table shows a “—”, then the scholar is not 
  yet powerful enough to turn that kind of undead.  If the table shows a “T”, 
  undead of that type are automatically turned. 
  If the turning attempt succeeds, the referee then rolls 2d6 and adds the 
  scholar’s Wisdom adjustment.  This is how many Hit Dice of undead are 
  turned away. The adjusted number that the referee rolls, divided by the Hit 
  Dice of the kind of undead encountered (rounding up any fractions or 
  remainders), tells how many of the undead flee. The scholar may continue to 
  turn undead each round until he fails, but once he fails an attempt, the 
  unaffected undead are immune to turning for the rest of that battle. 
   
  Scholars above 5th level have the ability to either destroy undead utterly 
  or bend the undead entirely to their will.  Lawful scholars are only able to 
  destroy undead; Chaotic scholars can only dominate them.  Neutral scholars 
  must decide whether they destroy or dominate undead before they reach 5th 
  level; and once this decision is made, it cannot be changed unless and until 
  the scholar somehow changes his alignment to Lawful or Chaotic. 
   
  Destroying Undead: When a “D” is indicated on the scholar’s turning 
  undead table, the scholar automatically destroys 2d6 Hit Dice of that type of 
  undead, plus or minus the scholar’s Wisdom adjustment.  The undead so 
  affected are blasted by holy power and crumble to dust immediately.  A “III” 
  or “IV” on the table indicates that 3d6 or 4d6 Hit Dice of undead are affected 
  (again, adjusting for the scholar’s Wisdom). 
   
  Dominating Undead: All Chaotic scholars and some Neutral scholars 
  can command, rather than obliterate, the undead.  Rolling under the 
  indicated number on the table, or a “T” result, still means that any undead of 
  that type are turned.  But for a “D” result or better, 2d6 or more Hit Dice 
  (plus the scholar’s Wisdom modifier) of that kind of undead fall under the 
  control of the scholar, obeying his every command.  The control over the 
  undead lasts for one game turn (ten minutes) per scholar level.  After that, 
  the undead will flee as if turned, and they may not be commanded again for 
  the rest of that day.  
   
  Spontaneous Spell: Upon reaching 4th level, scholars earn the same 
  special benefit as mages: once per day, they can choose to lose one of their 
  memorized spells in order to cast some other spell that they know, of the 
  same spell level or lower.  As with mages, scholars face certain restrictions 
  when casting a spontaneous spell: a scholar cannot move and cast a 
  spontaneous spell in the same combat round; and casting a spontaneous 
  spell causes the scholar to automatically lose the initiative that round.  Just 
  like a mage, a scholar can cast two spontaneous spells per day after 15th level, 
  and three such spells per day after 26th level. 
   
  Sages 
  At any time after reaching 9th level, a scholar can be promoted to the degree 
  of “sage”.  Sages, like wizards, have the ability to engage in magical research: 
  they can craft magical items and potentially create entirely new divine spells.  
  At first, a sage’s magical research is limited, just like a wizard’s: from 9th to 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  29 
  14th level, the sage cannot yet create constructs, large-scale magical items, or 
  enchanted items more powerful than +3.  At 15th level, the sage becomes 
  capable of creating constructs and magical items enchanted with a +4 bonus.  
  At 26th level, the sage can create +5 items. 
   
  A sage is also able to build some sort of stronghold, usually a college 
  related to the sage’s own alma mater.  If the sage has remained true to his 
  alignment and distinguished himself through adventuring, his old university 
  will pay for up to half the construction cost of the new branch college.  Once 
  completed, the university will attract many students who are all eager to 
  learn from the famous sage. 
  THE TECH 
  The technologist is a living symbol of the modern era.  By combining the two 
  complementary arts of science and engineering, techs can build a machine or 
  brew a chemical for any occasion.  Using little more than a set of tools and a 
  traveling laboratory, a skilled tech can assemble quite the arsenal of useful 
  devices—and then salvage the unused parts and build something new the 
  next day! 
   
  Unlike spell-casters, techs don’t have to scour the globe in search of new 
  magic tricks.  A tech earns new “technical degrees” by gaining achievement 
  levels, and along with each degree comes an in-depth understanding of some 
  scientific principle or engineering concept.  Techs are then able to build 
  devices that operate on the principles that they have mastered.  A high-level 
  mage can usually cast more spells in a day than techs can build devices, but 
  techs enjoy more flexibility in how many of each device they can prepare.   
   
  Since they spend most of their time working in laboratories and 
  machine shops, techs aren’t the greatest warriors.  They rely on their devices 
  and inventions as completely as mages rely on magic spells and items.  
  Technical inventions are much heavier than magical items, and techs that 
  want to carry as many of these as possible must often eschew other weight 
  sources, like armor.  But why would a tech even bother with hand-to-hand 
  combat, when he can just blast his enemies from a hundred feet away with a 
  ballistic projectile or a combustion bomb? 
   
  One should remember that science is still young on Gaia, and that techs 
  are regarded as kooky loners, to an even greater extent than mages.  (After 
  all, magic at least has the respectability of centuries-long traditions behind 
  it.)  Scholars dominate the hallowed halls of learning; techs in this day and 
  age are more like eccentric tinkers operating out of their own garages. 
   
  Hit Die: 1d4 per level until 9th level, then +1 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Intelligence. 
   
  Class Features 
  The technologist’s abilities revolve around the creation and use of high-tech 
  devices and inventions.  The items that a tech can build are based on his 
  knowledge of science and engineering, as described by his list of Technical 
  Degrees. 
   
   
  
  30 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Tech 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Technical Degrees 
  Devices Built 
  per Day 
  P 
  S 
  T 
  1 
  1d4 
  2 
  1st  
  — 
  — 
  1 
  2 
  2d4 
  2 
  2nd  
  1st  
  — 
  2 
  3 
  3d4 
  2 
  3rd  
  — 
  1st  
  3 
  4 
  4d4 
  2 
  4th  
  2nd  
  — 
  4 
  5 
  5d4 
  2 
  5th  
  — 
  — 
  5 
  6 
  6d4 
  4 
  6th  
  3rd  
  2nd  
  6 
  7 
  7d4 
  4 
  7th  
  — 
  — 
  7 
  8 
  8d4 
  4 
  8th  
  4th  
  — 
  8 
  9 
  9d4 
  4 
  9th  
  — 
  3rd  
  9 
  10 
  9d4+1 
  4 
  10th  
  5th  
  — 
  11 
  11 
  9d4+2 
  6 
  11th  
  —  
  — 
  13 
  12 
  9d4+3 
  6 
  12th  
  6th  
  4th  
  15 
  13 
  9d4+4 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  17 
  14 
  9d4+5 
  6 
  — 
  7th  
  — 
  19 
  15 
  9d4+6 
  6 
  — 
  —  
  5th  
  21 
  16 
  9d4+7 
  8 
  — 
  8th  
  — 
  23 
  17 
  9d4+8 
  8 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  25 
  18 
  9d4+9 
  8 
  — 
  9th  
  6th  
  27 
  19 
  9d4+10 
  8 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  29 
  20 
  9d4+11 
  8 
  — 
  10th  
  — 
  31 
  21 
  9d4+12 
  10 
  — 
  — 
  7th  
  33 
  22 
  9d4+13 
  10 
  — 
  11th  
  — 
  35 
  23 
  9d4+14 
  10 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  37 
  24 
  9d4+15 
  10 
  — 
  12th  
  8th 
  39 
  25 
  9d4+16 
  10 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  41 
  26 
  9d4+17 
  12 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  43 
  27 
  9d4+18 
  12 
  — 
  — 
  9th  
  45 
  28 
  9d4+19 
  12 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  47 
  29 
  9d4+20 
  12 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  49 
  30 
  9d4+21 
  12 
  — 
  — 
  10th  
  51 
  31 
  9d4+22 
  14 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  53 
  32 
  9d4+23 
  14 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  55 
  33 
  9d4+24 
  14 
  — 
  — 
  11th  
  57 
  34 
  9d4+25 
  14 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  59 
  35 
  9d4+26 
  14 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  61 
  36 
  9d4+27 
  16 
  — 
  — 
  12th  
  63 
   
   
  * Inventor only 
   
   
  Tech Level 
  Special Abilities Gained 
  4th  
  Jury-Rig 1/day 
  9th  
  Technological research* (up to +3) 
  15th  
  Technological research* (+4), Jury-Rig 2/day 
  26th  
  Technological research* (+5), Jury-Rig 3/day 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  31 
   
   
   
  Technical Degrees: A tech’s devices and inventions have to be based 
  on those scientific principles that the tech is familiar with.  If a tech 
  understands some particular aspect of science or engineering, he is said to 
  have a “degree” in that particular field.  There are three broad fields of 
  technology in the E&E game: chemistry, physics, and biology.  Each field 
  includes twelve degrees, making thirty-six degrees in total.  A 1st level tech 
  character must choose one of the major fields to be his primary field—he will 
  start the game with the 1st degree in this field, and he gains a new degree in 
  that field at every achievement level up through the 12th.  At 2nd level, the 
  tech must choose one of the remaining fields to be his secondary field of 
  study; these degrees are gained at every even-numbered level (until the 24th), 
  thereby leaving the remaining field to be counted as tertiary.  Tertiary 
  degrees are gained at every third level, such that a tech will only know all of 
  the game’s thirty-six degrees upon reaching 36th level.  Note that the tech’s 
  progression of degrees known is strictly determine by his level—all 6th level 
  techs, for example, have six degrees in their primary field, three degrees in 
  their secondary field, and two degrees in their tertiary field. 
  
  32 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Devices: A tech begins the game with only one special ability, which is 
  building devices.  A device is a simple technological item which can be used 
  once before it is destroyed or consumed.  Devices are fragile: after twenty-
  four hours have passed, a device will either cease to function or fall apart.  
  Devices have delicate and idiosyncratic controls, so only the tech who 
  actually builds the device can use it—other characters, even other techs, 
  cannot activate devices that they did not actually build themselves. 
   
  To make devices, a tech must have a set of tools and a well-stocked 
  laboratory of parts and chemicals.  Most techs carry around a “portable lab” 
  of miscellaneous tools and components, which they use to assemble and 
  disassemble devices over the course of an adventure.  A portable lab weighs 2 
  stone (i.e. 30 lbs.) when fully stocked, and it costs between 10 and 60 
  guilders per game month to keep stocked with parts and components (the 
  referee can decide how strict he wants to be with this rule).   The weight of 
  the portable lab itself includes the weight of all the tech’s devices, built and 
  unbuilt, used and unused, so techs do not need to worry about tracking 
  encumbrance for the devices that they build and use up each day.  The 
  number of devices that a tech can have built in a day is strictly limited, 
  according to the figure given on the tech’s advancement table. 
   
  A tech must create the devices he wants to use at the beginning of each 
  day.  Devices that the tech prepares before the adventure in this manner are 
  called, intuitively enough, “prepared devices”.  They are analogous to a 
  caster’s memorized spells.  Preparing all of a tech’s devices for the day takes 
  about an hour of mechanical tinkering and chemical brewing, and the tech 
  must be well-rested and fully alert in order to craft his entire daily allotment 
  of devices. The number of devices that a tech can build in a day is 
  determined by the tech’s character level alone, and it is not impacted in any 
  way by the degree (i.e. level) of the device.   Unused devices cannot be kept 
  from day to day, though, because they’re simply too fragile.  Any devices that 
  go unused will fall apart before the next day (gears will come unhinged, belts 
  will break, chemical solutions will separate out).  The tech is able to recover 
  all of his Devices Built per Day with a full night’s rest, though, and then he 
  can begin the process again the next morning. 
   
  Jury-Rigs: The tech needs to prepare all of his devices before the 
  adventure, just like a spell-caster memorizing spells.  But, after reaching 4th 
  level, the tech can opt to disassemble one of his devices “on the fly” and 
  remake it into an entirely new device.  This process, called “jury-rigging”, can 
  be performed but once per day. 
   
  Like a mage casting a spontaneous spell, a tech building a jury-rig faces 
  certain restrictions.  In combat, it only takes a single round to remodel the 
  rig and activate it; but the tech has to concentrate completely on his 
  tinkering, so he cannot move in the same round, and he automatically loses 
  the initiative.  The jury-rig is too fragile to be saved for later: it has to be 
  activated on the very round that it is built, or it will be lost.  (In effect, the 
  tech is “reassigning” what the device does, consuming it as usual, but using it 
  to a different purpose than its original function.)  Finally, the original device 
  providing the materials for the jury-rig must belong to the same field of 
   
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  33 
  science as the new device.  This means, for example, that a tech can only 
  jury-rig a biological device into another biological device, not a chemical or a 
  mechanical one. 
   
  When the tech reaches 15th level, he can make use of the jury-rig ability 
  up to twice each day.  After 26th level, the tech can use this ability thrice per 
  day. 
   
  Inventors 
  After reaching 9th level, a tech can be promoted to the rank of “inventor”.  
  Inventors have the ability to make inventions, which are permanent 
  technological items that function much like magical items.  Prior to 9th level, 
  a tech can only make the fragile, one-use devices described earlier.  The rules 
  for crafting inventions will be described later in this book. 
   
  Unlike wizards and sages, inventors are capable of creating large-scale 
  items (such as vehicles and clockwork robots) from as early as 9th level.  An 
  inventor can only make enhanced items (like weapons and armor) with 
  bonuses up to +3, though, until he reaches 15th level.  After 15th level, the tech 
  is capable of creating +4 items, and after 26th level, he can make +5 items. 
   
  While some inventors might decide to take a position as the chief 
  engineer for some far-reaching enterprise, most prefer to set up their own 
  workshop or factory for the sake of mass-producing simple technologies for 
  profit.  When a tech builds a factory, this will attract both apprentices who 
  wish to eventually become 1st level techs and large numbers of common 
  laborers who seek to work in the factory for a wage. 
  FAERIE FOLK 
  So far, this book has covered all the details needed to advance a human hero 
  to all levels of achievement, but little has been said about the place humans 
  hold in the fantasy world of E&E.  This is understandable: the various 
  nations and cultures of Gaia won’t be covered until much later in this book.  
  What must be remarked on now, however, is a simple fact which might not 
  be so obvious: humans do not rule the world.  
   
  In most fantasy settings, humans are in charge.  They inhabit every 
  major nation, they rule all of the great civilizations, and they outnumber 
  every other race by significant margins.  Demihumans are on the decline in 
  such worlds.  The elves and dwarves are the “old races”, and they are dying 
  out to make way for the Age of Men.  Not so for Gaia. 
   
  In the E&E world, the various races comprise their own great nations.  
  Humans rule many of them—Hesperia, Illyria, Elysia—but these are all in the 
  southern part of the Arcadian continent.  Other nations are ruled by 
  nonhumans: elves rule the kingdom of Pohjola; fays dominate the Avalonian 
  Empire; dwarves, the kingdom of Asgard; gnomes, the republic of Utopia; 
  and halflings, the island of Tirnanog.  Innumerable smaller kingdoms 
  throughout the central regions of Arcadia are populated by a bewildering mix 
  of humans and demihumans.  The old races of faerie are not by any means 
  declining. 
   
   
  
  34 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Faerie Class Features: Because the demihumans come in differing 
  shapes and sizes, they move at different speeds than humans, and some of 
  them can carry more or less weight. When a particular faerie race moves 
  faster or slower than a human (human base speed is 120’ per turn), this will 
  be noted in the class statistics. When a race has different encumbrance and 
  maximum load totals, this will be noted among the class features as well. 
   
  The faerie races each belong to a special character class that parallels 
  one of the common human classes.  All adventuring elves, for example, act as 
  scholars, whereas all adventuring halflings operate as experts.  Faerie folk 
  use the slower of the two achievement tracks to make up for their special 
  racial abilities, but they generally earn the same special class abilities as a 
  human with a similar class and level.  For this reason, advancement tables 
  have been omitted for the majority of the faerie classes. 
   
  Centaurs and sylphs are an exception to this generality.  Thanks to their 
  unique shapes, they have somewhat different suites of abilities.  These 
  classes advance on the same achievement track as other faeries, but their 
  class features are entirely unique; advancement tables have been included 
  for them. 
   
  All faeries have a particular requisite ability score, in addition to their 
  key ability score.  Just as with humans, the key ability is the most important 
  score for functioning well within a given class.  It doesn’t need to be any 
  particular value, but characters with high key abilities do very well, whereas 
  characters with low key abilities function only poorly.  A requisite ability, 
  meanwhile, must be at least 9, or playing in that character class is simply not 
  permitted. 
  THE DWARF 
   “Who among you does not know the fame of the dwarves?  Great miners 
  and artisans we are, for we shape the earth from within, and in doing so, 
  we beautify and strengthen it—unlike the wretched orc-folk, who rot the 
  living stone with their foul tunnels and pits.  The work of our hands, from 
  tools to fine arms, is unmatched by any save the elf-smiths of days long 
  past.  But as a people, we dwarves live first for war.  Glorious is the call of 
  battle that alone can draw us from our forges and our halls-under-the-
  mountain!  Since the days of Dvalinn Járnhamarr, first king of Asgard, we 
  have ever borne axe and hammer against the Agents of the Enemy.” 
   
  —Thorvald Delfsen, Dwarf of Asgard 
   
  Dwarves are small, stocky, muscular faerie-folk who stand about 4 feet tall 
  (and they are nearly as broad!). They are master miners, craftsmen, and 
  engineers—but all of that pales in comparison to their skill at battle, because 
  dwarves are foremost a people of warriors. Dwarves can live for nearly 300 
  years. 
   
  Class Features 
  Dwarves possess all of the same class abilities as fighters.  Refer to the fighter 
  class (page 18) for descriptions of the dwarf’s class abilities.  Dwarves also 
  have the following racial traits. 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  35 
   
  Short Stature: Because of their shorter-than-normal height, dwarves 
  move at a base speed of 90’ per turn (rather than 120’ per turn).  Dwarves are 
  still considered “man-sized creatures”, though, and they can use all the same 
  weapons and carry the same loads as humans. 
  Infravision: All dwarves can see in the dark out to a distance of 60’. 
  Infravision allows a dwarf to see in total darkness just as easily as a human 
  sees in daylight. In the presence of normal light, infravision does not work, 
  and a sudden change from infra to normal vision can momentarily dazzle the 
  dwarf’s eyes until they adjust (which takes one round). 
  Craft Bonus: Dwarves receive +1 bonus rank in the Craft skill.  
  Saving Throw Bonus: Dwarves are hardy and durable folk. This 
  quality grants dwarves a +2 bonus to their Saving Throws. 
   
  Dwarf Lords 
  A dwarf that reaches 9th level can be promoted to the rank of dwarf lord.  A 
  dwarf lord is able to found a stronghold which always takes the form of an 
  underground cavern complex. 
   
  A dwarf lord receives spell-casting abilities similar to those of a human 
  lord: dwarf lords can keep spell-books and cast divine spells as if they were 
  scholars of one-third their actual level.  Dwarf lords cannot turn the undead, 
  however.  In place of that ability, dwarf lords are able to craft enchanted 
  weapons and armor, just as a sage or wizard might.  (At first, the dwarf lord 
  can only craft weapons and armor with enchantments up to +3.  A dwarf lord 
  must be 15th level to create +4 arms and 26th level to make +5 arms.)  
  Dwarves cannot ordinarily create any magical items other than weapons and 
  armor, nor can they research new spells.  Among magical items normally 
  restricted to scholars, dwarf lords (just like human lords) can only use divine 
  scrolls. 
  THE ELF 
  “In a past Age of this world, we elves once ruled all that you now see.  
  Skilled in aught that we chose to do, the elves became the mightiest 
  warriors, the wisest sages, and the greatest craftsmen that the world had 
  ever known.  For the span of an Age, other nations rose and fell—but the 
  dominion of elvenkind endured.  In our folly and our decadence, we became 
  arrogant, and eventually we diminished—and so elvendom fell, and the rule 
  of Gaia came to be shared with lesser folk.  Those days of glory are now 
  passed into memory, like so much else that was once good and beautiful in 
  the world.” 
   
  —Akka Ilmonen, Elf of Pohjola 
  Key Ability 
  Strength 
  Requisite Ability 
  Constitution 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d8 per level until 9th level, then +2 hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as fighter 
  Fighter Abilities 
  Focused Strike, Whirlwind Attack, Power Smash 
  Dwarf Traits 
  Short Stature, Infravision, Craft +1, Save +2 
  Promotion 
  Dwarf Lord (Divine Spells, Craft Magical Arms) 
  
  36 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Elves are a slender race of faerie folk with handsome features and pointed 
  ears.  All elves combine the art of warfare with the practice of spell-craft; 
  and, given their love of healing and woodcraft, it is little wonder that the 
  magic used by elves is of the divine type, theurgy and geomancy.  If not 
  properly immortal, elves are at least ageless—they measure their lives in 
  centuries and grow older only when they choose to.  Elves are inherently 
  magical: their spirits glow with an inner “light of faerie”, and so darkness and 
  death and shadow can hold no sway over these blessed people.  Light on 
  their feet and sure of aim, all elves are as physically graceful as they are wise. 
   
  Class Features 
  Elves possess all of the same class features as scholars.  Refer to the scholar 
  class (page 25) for descriptions of the elf’s class abilities.  Elves also have the 
  following racial traits. 
   
   
  Infravision: Elves can see in the dark out to 60’. 
  Perception Bonus: Elves get +1 bonus rank in the Perception skill. 
  Missile Attack Bonus: Elves are skilled with missile weapons of all 
  kinds.  They receive a +1 bonus to all of their missile attack rolls. 
   
   
  Elf Sages 
  An elf that reaches 9th level can become an elf sage.  An elf sage can build a 
  forest stronghold that enhances rather than mars the natural beauty of the 
  surrounding woodlands.  Forest creatures will befriend the elves who come 
  to live there, and younger elves arrive to support and defend the stronghold 
  and to study under the sage’s tutelage.  Elf sages acquire the ability to engage 
  in magical research, subject to all of the same rules and restrictions as 
  human sages. 
  THE FAY 
   “You humans have an annoying tendency to conflate us with elves.  Yes, 
  our ears are tipped, and yes, we are immortals, but let me assure you that 
  fays and elves are two quite distinct races.  We are neither kith nor kin.  
  Fay memories are long, and when we look back through the misty veil of 
  time, we can yet see a remote Age when our people walked alone through 
  the unspoilt woods and valleys of the ancient world.  We were here first.  All 
  fays are native to Gaia—and all others, even elves, are mere visitors.  
  Sooner or later, death or some other means shall bear you all hence from 
  this realm, but the spirits of the fays will dwell here forever.” 
   
  —Owain Caerdydd, Fay of Avalon 
  Key Ability 
  Wisdom 
  Requisite Ability 
  Dexterity 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as scholar 
  Scholar Abilities 
  Turn Undead, Divine Spells, Spontaneous Spells 
  Elf Traits 
  Infravision, Perception +1, Missile Attack +1 
  Promotion 
  Elf Sage (Magical Research) 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  37 
   
   
   
  Fays are another ageless race, apparent cousins of the elves (although the 
  fays will deny this vehemently). In appearance, fays look like gray-skinned 
  elves with ears sweeping out to long points and eyes of solid black, having no 
  discernable pupil or iris. Most other races, elves included, tend to respect 
  fays for the power they can command; fays, in turn, tend to be arrogant and 
  distant. Their manners are often disturbing and alien to humans.  If you 
  believe the stories that fays tell, they are the spirits of Gaia itself, and magic 
  is woven into their very being.  Arcane power burns in their blood, and the 
  siren call of sorcery is all but irresistible to them.  Fays never tire of 
  collecting new spells and items.  They are also highly social: fays always 
  dwell in any region’s largest cities, distaining the wilderness and natural 
  places.  They enjoy creature comforts with a degree of hedonistic aplomb 
  that puts even halflings to shame. 
   
  Class Features 
  Fays have all of the same class features as mages.   Refer to the mage class 
  (page 22) for descriptions of the fay’s class abilities.  Fays also possess the 
  following racial qualities: 
   
  
  38 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  Infravision: Fays have 60’ Infravision, just like elves and dwarves. 
   
  Diplomacy Bonus: Fays are naturally sly and persuasive.  They 
  receive +1 bonus rank in the Diplomacy skill.   
   
  Glamer: That they might go unnoticed when they wish to, fays have 
  developed a limited ability to disguise themselves with magic.  Once per 
  week, a fay can alter his appearance, so that he seems to others as either a 
  beautiful elf or an elderly human.  The glamer lasts indefinitely or until 
  dismissed, but it can be cancelled by dispel magic and foiled by true seeing 
  or mind blank.  A glamer never fools other fays. 
   
  Fay Wizards 
  After reaching 9th level, a fay can be promoted to the rank of fay wizard.  Fay 
  wizards can build citadels or towers, just as human wizards can, but fays 
  much prefer to place their homes in the midst of large cities, and so they will 
  avoid the solitude often sought by human wizards.  Fay wizards can also 
  engage in magical research, creating magical items or new kinds of spells, 
  just as human wizards do.  A fay wizard could eventually learn to cast the 
  mighty wish spell, but only after reaching 31st level. 
  THE GNOME 
   “Oh, gnomes have been on the cutting edge of intellectual life for centuries 
  now.  I’m not kidding!  We believe that science is everything—it’s practically 
  our religion—and with good reason!  Just look around and see how 
  technological progress has changed the world for the better!  And it’s all 
  thanks to gnomes!  Um, well, you humans helped a bit, I guess.  You’re 
  frightfully clever when it comes to making our ideas practical, I’ll admit.  
  And that ‘scientific method’ of yours was a little stroke of genius.  But I’m 
  sure that a gnome must’ve had a similar idea first!  You know, sooner or 
  later, science is even going to explain magic.  I’ll bet that it all has to do 
  with psychokinetic brain-waves, or the curvature of space-time and the 
  position and velocity of elementary particles, or something like that.” 
   
  —Giselle Bricoler, Gnome of Utopia 
   
  Gnomes are a little people with a natural lifespan more than twice that of 
  dwarves—over 700 years. Gnomes stand only 3 feet tall, and their most 
  outstanding features are their pleasantly wrinkled faces (even young gnomes 
  appear wizened) and large, round noses. Gnomes are tinkers and thinkers.  
  More than anything else in the world, they love complicated theories and 
  hopelessly overcomplicated contraptions.  If a gnome has one passion, it will  
   
  Key Ability 
  Charisma 
  Requisite Ability 
  Dexterity 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d4 per level until 9th level, then +1 hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as mage 
  Mage Abilities 
  Arcane Spells, Spontaneous Spells 
  Fay Traits 
  Infravision, Diplomacy +1, Glamer 
  Promotion 
  Fay Wizard (Magical Research, Wishes) 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  39 
  be to build the latest, greatest whatchamahoozit.  It often seems that all 
  gnomes have rapid-fire intellects bordering on the genius (which says 
  nothing whatsoever about their common sense), but gnomes are also pretty 
  tough for their size, if not quite to the same degree as dwarves or halflings. 
   
  Class Features 
  Gnomes possess all of the same class abilities as techs.  Refer to the tech 
  class (page 29) for descriptions of the gnome’s class features.  Gnomes also 
  possess the following racial traits: 
   
   
   
  Small Size: Gnomes are much smaller than other races.  This has 
  several consequences.  (1) Gnomes only move at a base speed of 90’ per turn, 
  rather than the ordinary human speed of 120’.  (2) Gnomes can carry less 
  weight than other races.  A gnome has a base encumbrance limit of 4 stone 
  and a maximum load of 12 stone.  (3) Gnomes receive a +2 bonus to their 
  Armor/Defense Class against any larger-than-man-sized monsters, generally 
  taken to mean any monster with 4 or more Hit Dice.  (4)  Finally, a gnome 
  cannot use any mêlée weapon that a human must wield in two hands (such 
  as a great sword, a battle axe, a maul, or a pole arm), nor can they wield long 
  bows, heavy crossbows, or any kind of long-barreled firearm. Weapons that a 
  human can choose to wield in two hands for better damage (such as a broad 
  sword, spear, hand axe, or mace) can only be wielded two-handed by a 
  gnome (but gnomes still enjoy the better damage die with these weapons, 
  generally 1d8). 
  Infravision: Gnomes can see in the dark out to 60’. 
  Craft Bonus: Just like dwarves, gnomes receive +1 bonus rank in the 
  Craft skill. 
  Speak with Animals: All gnomes possess a magical ability to 
  communicate with small, burrowing mammals, such as moles and badgers. 
  This ability can be used at will (but small animals rarely have much of 
  anything interesting to say). 
   
  Gnome Inventors 
  A 9th level gnome is called a gnome inventor.  Like human inventors, gnome 
  inventors can design and build technological inventions, items which are 
  generally more durable, powerful, and flexible than devices.  A gnome might 
  also choose to found a fortified stronghold that doubles as a workshop or 
  factory, though gnome inventors usually only take on gnomish workers and 
  apprentices. 
   
   
  Key Ability 
  Intelligence 
  Requisite Ability 
  Constitution 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d4 per level until 9th level, then +1 hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as tech 
  Tech Abilities 
  Technical Degrees and Devices, Jury-Rigs 
  Gnome Traits 
  Small Size, Infravision, Craft +1, Speak w/Animals 
  Promotion 
  Gnome Inventor (Technological Research) 
  
  40 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  THE HALFLING 
  “Well, the first thing that you Big People have to learn about us is that we 
  don’t call ourselves ‘halflings’.  Obviously, from where we stand, we’re not 
  half the size of anything, and you’re all double-tall!  Er, well, except 
  gnomes, of course.  And dwarves—they’re more wide than tall.  Anyway, 
  you get the point.  In our own tongues, we’ve always called ourselves ‘na 
  háin’, meaning ‘the folk’. But you Big People have named us ‘leipreacháin’, 
  which is ‘little folk’ in our own blooming language!  I suppose there’s just no 
  getting past it.  We may be small by way of comparison, but as luck would 
  have it, we’re also quick enough to put that to some advantage!” 
   
  —Diarmuid O’Flannigan, Hán of Tirnanog 
   
  Halflings call themselves na háin (singular form: an hán), although other 
  races will invariably refer to them as halflings or leprechauns.  They are a 
  small people, only 3 to 4 feet tall, who live for about a century. They have 
  slightly pointed ears, green eyes that sparkle quite literally like emeralds, and 
  an undying love for peace, quiet, and comfort.  Young halflings are very slim 
  and athletic, skilled at throwing and shooting and all manner of acrobatics.  
  As halflings age, they become more staid and genteel, and apt to get round in 
  the middle from rich meals and easy living.  As a rule, most halflings don’t 
  like adventure—adventure is thrust upon them when they least expect it 
  (through no fault of their own, of course). 
   
  Class Features 
  Halflings have all of the same class abilities as experts.  Refer to the expert 
  class (page 15) for descriptions of the halfling’s class abilities.  Halflings also 
  possess the following racial qualities: 
   
   
   
  Small Size: Halflings are much smaller than other races.  This has 
  several consequences.  (1) Halflings only move at a base speed of 90’ per 
  turn, rather than the ordinary human speed of 120’.  (2) Halflings can carry 
  less weight than other races.  A halfling has an encumbrance limit of 4 stone 
  and a maximum load of 12 stone.  (3) Halflings receive a +2 bonus to their 
  Armor/Defense Class against any larger-than-man-sized monsters, generally 
  taken to mean any monster with 4 or more Hit Dice.  (4)  Finally, a halfling 
  cannot use any mêlée weapon that a human must wield in two hands (such 
  as a great sword, a battle axe, a maul, or a pole arm), nor can they wield long 
  bows, heavy crossbows, or any kind of long-barreled firearm. Weapons that a 
  human can choose to wield in two hands for better damage (such as a broad 
  Key Ability 
  Dexterity 
  Requisite Ability 
  Constitution 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as expert 
  Expert Abilities 
  Skill Training, Lucky Shot, Critical Aim 
  Halfling Traits 
  Small Size, Stealth +1, Save +2, Missile Attack +1 
  Promotion 
  Halfling Thane (Skill Mastery, Arcane Spells,  
  Heart of a Hero) 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  41 
  sword, spear, hand axe, or mace) can only be wielded two-handed by a 
  halfling (but halflings still enjoy the better damage die with these weapons, 
  generally 1d8). 
   
  Stealth Bonus: Halflings receive +1 bonus rank in the Stealth skill. 
   
  Saving Throw Bonus: Just like dwarves, halflings add a +2 bonus to 
  their Saving Throw score to represent their natural toughness. 
   
  Missile Attack Bonus: Halflings have a longstanding tradition of skill 
  with missile weapons, especially the short bow and throwing darts.  They are 
  sometimes even more apt at shooting than elves.  All halflings add a +1 
  bonus to their missile attack rolls. 
   
   
  Halfling Thanes 
  A halfling that reaches 9th level can become a halfling thane (which is a title 
  of great respect in any halfling county or borough).  Just like a professional, a 
  halfling thane can spend an extra skill pick on a skill to achieve rank 6 in that 
  skill.  A halfling thane also the ability to cast arcane spells as if he were a 
  mage of one-third his actual level.  (This is a practice which dates back to the 
  Third Age of Gaia, when a renowned halfling hero by the name of Willow 
  Waggins first learned the art of sorcery by apprenticing under a wizard 
  named Griswick the Gray.)  A thane can never engage in magical research, 
  nor can he cast spontaneous spells.  Among magical items normally 
  restricted to mages, halfling thanes are only permitted to use arcane scrolls. 
   
  Heart of a Hero: Thanes do not receive a professional’s special array 
  of combat tricks with improvised weapons, rarely thrown weapons, or Two 
  Weapons Combat. Instead, a halfling thane’s spectacular defense against 
  harmful magic comes into its own.  Once per day, when a thane would 
  normally be affected by some kind of magical attack, whether from a spell or 
  a magical item, the thane can try to evade the magic.  The thane rolls a 
  Constitution check, and if the roll is equal to or lower than the thane’s 
  Constitution score, the thane is entirely unaffected by the magical attack.  
  (This occurs prior to any saving throw ordinarily allowed by the spell or item, 
  so even if the ability check fails, the halfling may still be allowed to save 
  normally.)  Furthermore, if the Constitution check turns up a natural “1”, the 
  effect of the magical attack is hurled right back at the caster! 
   
   
   
  
  42 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  THE CENTAUR 
   
  “In the First Age of Gaia, the centaurs were a woodland people, and we 
  were free.  Then came the Second Age and the ascendancy of the elves.  We 
  horse-folk were conquered and brought under their dominion, not as slaves 
  precisely, but subjugated just the same.  In the diaspora that followed, we 
  were spread throughout the lands of Arcadia, serving the elvish armies as 
  cavalry.  Some knights achieved great fame and prestige, but true freedom 
  was a rare and precious reward.  Then came the rise of the humans and the 
  Third Age of the world.  Our fastest friends and allies since those ancient 
  days, the men of Ancient Elysium fought to free us from our long bondage.  
  Now, in the Fourth Age, we are a liberated people, and it is our honor to 
  stand and fight alongside human beings.” 
   
  —Melina Katsopolis, Centaur of Illyria 
   
  Centaurs are often thought of as chimerical hybrids of man and horse.  This 
  is reasonably accurate, but if their physical characteristics can suggest 
  anything at all about their origins, it might be better to say that the centaurs 
  are a combination of elf and pony.  From the waist up, centaurs do indeed 
  resemble elves (humanlike, but with sharp faerie features and signature 
  pointed ears), and their torso is set upon the frame of a pony or very small 
  horse, such that a centaur stands no taller than the average human.  
  Centaurs are among the shorter-lived faeries, having a lifespan comparable 
  to halflings (i.e. a little over one century).  Being natural warriors, centaurs 
  are ruled by their pride and their sense of honor.  They tend to dwell in cities 
  built by other races, and the bravest among them serve human and faerie 
  rulers as knights or cavaliers.  Centaurs tend to get along best with humans 
  and halflings, and they have great respect for dwarves, but centaurs also have 
  a longstanding animosity toward elves which is not so readily overcome. 
   
  Hit Die: 1d8 per level until 9th level, then +2 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Strength. 
   
  Requisite Ability: Wisdom 9. 
   
  Class Features 
  Centaurs can be challenge to play, firstly because their efficacy in combat 
  relies so heavily on positioning and movement, and secondly because of the 
  difficulties that they can encounter when adventuring underground. A  
  centaur is very dangerous on a level and open battlefield, but in the depths of 
  a labyrinth, otherwise minor obstacles (such as pits and ramparts) can pose 
  serious barriers to exploration or escape.  For the sake of smooth gameplay, 
  referees would be wise to give centaur characters the benefit of the doubt in 
  cases where continued exploration requires climbing or careful footwork 
  (one can assume, for example, that centaurs have sufficient upper-body 
  strength to pull themselves up a rope, and just enough coordination to 
  negotiate ladders or rocky footholds when they must).  Still, a centaur will 
  never be able to walk a tightrope or climb a sheer surface.  Sometimes, a 
  minor feat of engineering may be required to help a centaur character keep 
  up with his spelunking comrades! 
   
   
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  43 
  Centaur 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Special 
  Divine 
  Spells 
  1 
  1d8 
  2 
  Lance Charge, Hoof (1d4) 
  — 
  2 
  2d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d8 
  4 
  Hoof (1d6) 
  — 
  5 
  5d8 
  4 
  Trample (one attack) 
  — 
  6 
  6d8 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d8 
  6 
  Trample (two attacks) 
  Sch3 
  10 
  9d8+2 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  11 
  9d8+4 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  12 
  9d8+6 
  8 
  — 
  Sch4 
  13 
  9d8+8 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  14 
  9d8+10 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  15 
  9d8+12 
  10/×2 
  Trampling Charge (×2) 
  Sch5 
  16 
  9d8+14 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  17 
  9d8+16 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  18 
  9d8+18 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  19 
  9d8+20 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  20 
  9d8+22 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  21 
  9d8+24 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  22 
  9d8+26 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  23 
  9d8+28 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  24 
  9d8+30 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  25 
  9d8+32 
  18/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  26 
  9d8+34 
  18/×3 
  Trampling Charge (×3) 
  Sch8 
  27 
  9d8+36 
  18/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  28 
  9d8+38 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  29 
  9d8+40 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  30 
  9d8+42 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  31 
  9d8+44 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  32 
  9d8+46 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  33 
  9d8+48 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  34 
  9d8+50 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  35 
  9d8+52 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  36 
  9d8+54 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch12 
   
   
   
  Centaur Traits: As quadrupeds, centaurs move faster than humans 
  do, with a base speed of 150’ per turn.  Centaurs are also able to carry 
  considerably heavier loads: a centaur has a base encumbrance limit of 8 
  stone, and a base maximum load of 24 stone. 
   
  Lance Attack: A centaur can wield a lance just like a human astride a 
  warhorse.  This allows the centaur to carry the lance one-handed and use a 
  shield or an extra weapon in the off-hand (if a second weapon is used, it 
  must be a weapon ordinarily employable in one hand—another lance is not 
  permitted).  When the centaur charges, moving at least 20’ straight towards 
  
  44 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  his opponent before attacking, he causes double damage (2d10) with the 
  lance and can continue moving past his opponent out to the full distance of 
  his encounter move (usually 50’).   The centaur is not considered mêléed by 
  the target of his lance charge unless his opponent successfully hits him with 
  a pole-arm set against the charge.   
   
  If the centaur has multiple attacks for any reason (an off-hand weapon, 
  the haste spell, or additional attacks gained above 15th level), he may employ 
  all of these attacks on a lance charge, but each separate attack must be 
  directed at a different target along the centaur’s line of movement, and only 
  lance attacks (not off-hand attacks) cause double damage.  Note that at 1st 
  level, a centaur cannot yet attack with his hooves and execute a lance charge 
  on the same combat round. 
   
  Hooves: Centaurs have hooves.  At first, centaurs cannot attack with 
  both weapons and their hooves at the same time.  When the centaur chooses 
  to attack with his hooves alone and not with weapons, he may attack twice 
  per round for 1d4 points of damage per attack, plus any Strength adjustment.  
  At 4th level, the centaur’s hoof damage improves to become 1d6 points. 
   
  Trample: Upon reaching 5th level, a centaur is able to make one hoof 
  attack, in addition to any weapon attacks made that round.  (When attacking 
  with hooves alone and not with weapons, he is still permitted precisely two 
  attacks with his hooves.)  After 9th level, the centaur can make both of his 
  hoof attacks on the same round that he attacks with weapons.  Note that the 
  centaur’s hoof attacks are in addition to his ordinary attacks, and they do not 
  come at any penalty to hit.  
   
  When the centaur performs a lance charge, he is permitted to make his 
  hoof attacks in addition to any weapon attacks, but the hoof attacks do not 
  cause double damage.  (In effect, they are treated just like off-hand attacks, 
  sans the -4 penalty to hit with an off-hand weapon.)   
   
  In normal mêlée, a centaur can direct all of his multiple attacks with 
  weapons and hooves at the same target or at separate targets within mêlée 
  range (i.e. 10’).  On a lance charge, all of the attacks allowed to a centaur 
  must still be directed at separate targets along the centaur’s line of 
  movement. 
   
  Trampling Charge: After 15th level, the centaur has learned to use his 
  hooves more effectively when charging.  A 15th level centaur causes double 
  damage (2d6 points) with his hooves when executing a charge.  
   
  When the centaur reaches 26th level, he causes triple damage with both 
  the lance (3d10 points) and with his hooves (3d6 points) when executing a 
  lance charge.  An off-hand weapon, if the centaur chooses to employ one, still 
  does not cause any extra damage. 
   
  Centaur Paladins 
  After 9th level, a centaur can be promoted to the rank of paladin.  Paladins 
  receive some of the same abilities as human lords.  Just like a lord, a paladin 
  is able to cast divine spells as a scholar of one-third his actual level, and he 
  can read spells off of divine scrolls.  Paladins are not able to turn the undead, 
  however. 
   
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  45 
   
  Although paladins have no ability turn the undead, they have another 
  divine power in its place which is characteristic of centaurs.  A centaur 
  paladin is capable of performing divinations by observing the stars and 
  planets in the night sky.  This ability is identical in all respects to the 
  commune spell, and the centaur can use it once per week.  Note that if the 
  paladin is 30th level or higher (and therefore capable of casting 5th level 
  divine spells), and he has the actual commune spell written into his spell 
  book, he is capable of performing this divination twice per week, once with 
  his special class ability and once with the spell. 
   
  Typically, centaurs do not build strongholds of their own: they prefer to 
  serve other nobles as knights-errant.  Nevertheless, some centaurs have been 
  known to found schools for the training of young warriors, in which case a 
  small number of youths (of various races) will arrive to learn from the 
  paladin and serve as his pages and esquires. 
   
   
  THE FAUN 
   “If we fauns have ever ruled any great kingdoms, history has forgotten 
  them.  Since the dawn of this Age, and probably long before that, we have 
  been a people of rovers and wanderers.  As you might expect, this has never 
  reflected well on our reputations.  Ever have suspicion and accusation 
  followed the satyr-folk in our ramblings, but we always survive by moving 
  on to friendlier climes when the time inevitably comes.  Busy human cities 
  have frequently afforded us the chance to settle down for a while, but 
  seldom for very long do fauns remain in once place.  We all eventually feel 
  the pull of the forests, the mountains, and the open road.” 
   
  —Cadmus Waldstein, Faun of Midjard 
  
  46 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Fauns resemble elves, except that they have goats’ legs below the waist and 
  small horns on the tops of their heads. Fauns are believed to be wild and 
  chaotic, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth.  Fauns are 
  actually rather like halflings, in that they prefer their lives to be unexciting 
  and free from adventure and hardship.  Most fauns live in bands that roam 
  from forest to forest, making contact with other races only when they mean 
  to trade, and usually quite content to keep to themselves.  Those fauns that 
  become adventurers have been forced to leave the safety and familiarity of 
  their roving communities, for whatever reason; but the successful ones will 
  usually return to their bands to become well-respected leaders.  Like 
  gnomes, fauns can live upwards of 700 years. 
   
  Class Features 
  Fauns have all of the same class abilities as experts.  Refer to the expert class 
  (page 15) for descriptions of the faun’s class abilities.  Fauns also possess the 
  following racial traits: 
   
   
   
  Infravision: Fauns can see in the dark out to 60’.   
   
  Athletics Bonus: Fauns are naturally as nimble as mountain-goats.  
  They receive +1 bonus rank in the Athletics skill.   
   
  Resistant to Charms:  Fauns are not readily affected by charm per-
  son or similar spells.  Regardless of his Intelligence score, a faun can roll a 
  saving throw every turn (every ten minutes) to shrug off the effects of any 
  charm. 
   
  Faun Wardens 
  A faun that reaches 9th level can become a faun warden.  Wardens are often 
  tasked with guarding the woodland camps of roving faun bands, serving 
  their itinerant communities as both scouts and protectors.  Wardens rarely 
  build strongholds of their own, but those that do can expect a small group of 
  humans, halflings, fauns, and perhaps an elf or two to enter into the 
  warden’s service as scouts or rangers.   
   
  Wardens have some of the same abilities as human professionals.  They 
  can spend an extra skill pick on a skill in order to master it, raising the skill 
  to rank 6 and rolling such skill checks with a 19-in-20 chance of success.  
  They are able to cast arcane spells as a mage of one-third their actual level, 
  subject to the same restrictions as human professionals.  Wardens do not get 
  the professional’s special combat bonuses with improvised weapons, rarely 
  thrown weapons, or Two Weapons Combat. 
   
  Key Ability 
  Dexterity 
  Requisite Ability 
  Charisma 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as expert 
  Expert Abilities 
  Skill Training, Lucky Shot, Critical Aim 
  Faun Traits 
  Infravision, Athletics +1, Resistant to Charms 
  Promotion 
  Faun Warden (Skill Mastery, Arcane Spells,  
  Panpipes) 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  47 
   
  Instead of the professional’s improvisational combat tricks, a faun 
  warden develops an unusual spell-like ability: by playing upon a set of 
  panpipes, the warden can invoke confusion, a power identical to the arcane 
  spell of the same name.  This ability can be used but once per day.  
  THE MERROW 
   “We’re not as mysterious as everybody seems to think.  We don’t live ‘deep 
  beneath the sea’.  Shallows and beaches are our homes.  Yes, beaches too!  
  It’s not as if our tails keep us from moving about on the land.  And why 
  should this surprise you?  Merrow-tails are lithe and strong, and we can 
  learn to ‘tail-walk’ just as easily as you humans master the ‘dog-paddle’!  Of 
  course, one of your rumors does come close to the truth: we merrows have 
  a charmed voice, and those of us who learn to sing can turn that charm on 
  others.  But would we ever sit on seaside rocks and use that power to draw 
  sailors to their doom?  Of course we wouldn’t! … Not that any man I’ve ever 
  met would complain at being lured into the arms of a merrow-maid.” 
   
  —Liria Melusine, Merrow of Elysia 
   
  The merrows are merpeople, humanlike above the waist and with the tails of 
  great fishes or sea-serpents below.  A merrow’s tail is quite long, perhaps five 
  to six feet (not counting the caudal fin), and certainly strong enough to 
  support a merrow on dry land.  In the sea, a merrow’s tail and fins can propel 
  her through the water at tremendous speeds; whereas on land, a merrow 
  moves with a kind of serpentine slither.  Merrows have gill slits above either 
  shoulder, just at the base of the neck, and they can breathe seawater or 
  freshwater with equal ease.  When they venture above the surface, their gills 
  close, and they are able to breathe air quite comfortably with their lungs.  
  Neither are merrows likely to dry out when traveling on land, although they 
  are obliged to drink water somewhat more frequently than surface-dwellers. 
   
  Merrows have other defining features that make them easy to identify, 
  even when their tails are concealed from sight.  They always have hair of 
  deep green, its hue reminiscent of seaweed.  Their eyes, too, are more often 
  than not a clear sea-green.  Most telling of all, though, are their personalities, 
  which might best be described as endearingly flighty, but also very vain.  
  Only merrows so seamlessly combine the aloofness of elves and fays with the 
  complete and utter absent-mindedness of gnomes.  Merrows live about as 
  long as dwarves do (roughly 250 to 300 years). 
   
  Class Features 
  Merrows have most of the same abilities as scholars, but they lack the power 
  to turn the undead.  (That ability is unique to scholars, elves, and human 
  fighters who have promoted into the lord class).  For descriptions of the 
  merrrow’s spell-casting abilities, refer to the scholar class (page 25).  In place 
  of the ability to turn undead, merrows possess the power of bardic music, 
  which is unlocked through their singing. 
   
   
   
  
  48 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  Amphibious: On land, merrows can only slither at a speed of 90’ per 
  turn, but in the water they can swim at a speed of 180’ per turn.  Merrows are 
  perfectly amphibious, able to breathe both air and water, and they can 
  remain in either element indefinitely.  
   
  Lesser Infravision: Merrows have infravision, but only out to a 
  distance of 30’.   
   
  Speak with Animals: Merrows possess the quasi-magical ability to 
  communicate with marine mammals at will, just as gnomes can speak with 
  burrowing mammals.  Underwater, a merrow can actually communicate with 
  such creatures from up to 500’ away.   
   
  Entertain Bonus: Merrows have +1 bonus rank in the Entertain skill. 
   
  Siren Song: A 1st level merrow can cast a charm person spell just by 
  singing.  The effect is essentially identical to the arcane spell of the same 
  name.  The Siren Song can be used once per day at 1st level, twice per day at 
  5th level, and thrice per day at 9th level. 
   
  Battle Hymn: Another song power becomes available to merrows at 
  4th level (the same level at which they first learn to cast spontaneous spells).  
  The merrow’s Battle Hymn can be used once per day at 4th level and twice 
  per day after the merrow reaches 15th level.  Similar to the effect of the bless 
  spell, it grants a bonus to attack and damage for the merrow and all allies 
  within a 30’ radius of the merrow, but only for a single minute (i.e. six 
  combat rounds).  The bonus granted is equal to the merrow’s rank in the 
  Entertain skill, halved and rounded down; so a merrow with 2 or 3 ranks in 
  Entertain grants a +1 bonus to allies’ hit and damage, and a merrow with 4 
  or 5 ranks in the skill grants a +2 bonus. 
   
  Spellbinding Shanty: On reaching 26th level, a merrow learns the 
  most powerful of the spell-songs.  Once per day, the merrow can cast a mass 
  charm spell, just by singing.  The effective caster level for this spell-like 
  ability is the same as the merrow’s character level. 
   
   
  Key Ability 
  Wisdom 
  Requisite Ability 
  Charisma 9 
  Hit Die 
  1d6 per level until 9th level, then +1½ hp per level 
  Fighting Ability 
  Same as scholar 
  Scholar Abilities 
  Divine Spells, Spontaneous Spells 
  Merrow Traits 
  Amphibious, Lesser Infravision, Speak w/Animals, 
  Entertain +1, Bardic Music Abilities 
  Promotion 
  Merrow Bard (Magical Research, True Bardic Music) 
  Merrow Level 
  Bardic Music Abilities 
  1st 
  Siren Song 1/day 
  4th 
  Battle Hymn 1/day 
  5th 
  Siren Song 2/day 
  9th 
  True Bardic Music (bard only), Siren Song 3/day 
  15th 
  Battle Hymn 2/day 
  26th 
  Spellbinding Shanty 1/day 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  49 
  Merrow Bards 
  A merrow that reaches 9th level can be promoted to the rank of merrow bard.  
  A merrow who becomes a bard can engage in magical research, subject all of 
  the same rules and restrictions as human and elvish sages.  A bard also 
  acquires the power of True Bardic Music, which improves the efficacy of the 
  merrow’s Siren Song and Battle Hymn.  Once a merrow of 9th level or higher 
  actually becomes a bard, the Siren Song ability can be used to cast either 
  charm person or charm monster, as the merrow chooses.  Additionally, the 
  combat bonuses granted by the bard’s Battle Hymn are equal to the bard’s 
  full number of ranks in the Entertain skill (rather than half the number of 
  ranks).   
   
  Bards only rarely build strongholds, but those that do so will invariably 
  put them along seacoasts.  A merrow’s stronghold will typically be part 
  bardic college, part coastal fortress: dually dedicated to teaching the 
  performing arts and to preventing incursions by pirates, corsairs, and other 
  seafaring pillagers. 
   
   
  THE SYLPH 
   “Some humans with a queer sense of humor have remarked on the qualities 
  that sylphs would seem to share with dwarves.  Likening dwarves to the 
  bird-folk seems altogether preposterous, does it not?  True, we both delve 
  our homes into the sides of mountains; but dwarves tunnel beneath the 
  mountains’ roots, whereas we soar among their peaks.  And, yes, we do 
  have an eye for all that glitters; but that is because the sylphs have sight 
  like hawks and eagles—not because we share the dwarves’ lust for treasure. 
  We are a warrior race, and we will never hesitate to defend our own from 
  the spawn of the Enemy.  But in this, too, we are unlike the dwarves.  They 
  live for battle, for honor, for centuries-held grudges.  We sylphs, if we are 
  left to ourselves, might just forgive and forget… eventually.” 
   
  —Vladimir Petrovsky, Sylph of Sylvania 
   
  The sylphs (usually called “birdlings” by other folk) are a race of avian 
  demihumans.  They bear a superficial resemblance to their hated relatives, 
  the harpies.  Slender and very tall, sylphs look like elves down to the waist, 
  below which they have feathers, birds’ legs, and talons.  Sylphs also sport a 
  
  50 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  pair of large wings, like those of an osprey, growing out from behind their 
  humanoid shoulders.  Their lifespans are comparable to those of dwarves 
  and merrows: approximately three centuries.  Regarding personality, the 
  defining trait for sylphs might be a certain cold detachment that others often 
  mistake for arrogance.  In fact, the grim disposition of sylph-kind is a result 
  of their introspective and philosophical nature.  Sylphs consider their words 
  and actions carefully.  They are slow to make judgments, slow to make 
  friends, slow to make enemies, and slow to forgive injuries.  Needless to say, 
  sylphs get along rather famously with the famously un-hasty treants. 
   
   
  Sylph 
  Level 
  Hit  
  Dice 
  Fighting 
  Ability 
  Special 
  Divine 
  Spells 
  1 
  1d8 
  2 
  Wings 
  — 
  2 
  2d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  3 
  3d8 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  4 
  4d8 
  4 
  Dive Attack (×2) 
  — 
  5 
  5d8 
  4 
  Limited Flight 
  — 
  6 
  6d8 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  7 
  7d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  8 
  8d8 
  6 
  — 
  — 
  9 
  9d8 
  6 
  Unlimited Flight 
  Sch3 
  10 
  9d8+2 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  11 
  9d8+4 
  8 
  — 
  Sch3 
  12 
  9d8+6 
  8 
  — 
  Sch4 
  13 
  9d8+8 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  14 
  9d8+10 
  10 
  — 
  Sch4 
  15 
  9d8+12 
  10/×2 
  Dive Attack (×3) 
  Sch5 
  16 
  9d8+14 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  17 
  9d8+16 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch5 
  18 
  9d8+18 
  12/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  19 
  9d8+20 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  20 
  9d8+22 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch6 
  21 
  9d8+24 
  14/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  22 
  9d8+26 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  23 
  9d8+28 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch7 
  24 
  9d8+30 
  16/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  25 
  9d8+32 
  18/×2 
  — 
  Sch8 
  26 
  9d8+34 
  18/×3 
  Dive Attack (×4) 
  Sch8 
  27 
  9d8+36 
  18/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  28 
  9d8+38 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  29 
  9d8+40 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch9 
  30 
  9d8+42 
  20/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  31 
  9d8+44 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  32 
  9d8+46 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch10 
  33 
  9d8+48 
  22/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  34 
  9d8+50 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  35 
  9d8+52 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch11 
  36 
  9d8+54 
  24/×3 
  — 
  Sch12 
  
   
  THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  51 
   
  Hit Die: 1d8 per level until 9th level, then +2 hp per level. 
   
  Key Ability: Strength. 
   
  Requisite Ability: Wisdom 9. 
   
  Class Features 
  Like the centaur, the sylph is a “lancer” class, a special variety of warrior that 
  focuses on tactical movement in combat in order to set up devastating charge 
  attacks.  In the case of sylphs, their special attack is a kind of aerial dive-
  bomb maneuver: after gaining a few levels, a sylph learns how to come 
  crashing down on a foe from above for massive damage.  This maneuver 
  works best in the open air, but sometimes a high-vaulted ceiling will allow 
  sufficient room for the sylph to leap or fly up and perform a dive attack. 
   
  Infravision: Sylphs have 60’ infravision. 
   
  Speak with Animals: Sylphs have the ability to communicate with 
  ordinary birds, similar to gnomes’ and merrows’ abilities to speak with 
  animals of their own respective elements.  This is ability is supernatural, but 
  sylphs can use it at will. 
   
  Swiftness: Whether in the air or on the ground, sylphs move at a speed 
  of 150’ per turn. 
   
  Wings: Sylphs have wings.  At first, sylphs aren’t strong enough to fly, 
  but they can learn to by gaining achievement levels.  At 1st level, a sylph can 
  only use his wings to aid with gliding or leaping. 
   
  Gliding: A sylph can hold his wings rigid in order to glide.  This causes 
  the sylph to descend only 5’ for every 10’ moved forward through the air.  
  Note that a sylph with room to glide never takes falling damage.  A sylph can 
  only glide when unencumbered. 
   
  Leaping: An unencumbered sylph has the ability to leap great heights 
  and distances.  For every point of Strength that the sylph has, he can jump 5’ 
  into the air.  N.B., prior to reaching 4th level, if a sylph jumps much more 
  than ten feet into the air, gliding is the only safe way to come back down 
  again without taking falling damage. 
   
  Limited Flight: When the sylph reaches 5th level, he actually gains the 
  ability to fly, but with strict limitations.  The sylph can only fly while 
  unencumbered, and then only for a number of turns per day equal to the 
  sylph’s level plus his Strength modifier. 
     
  Unlimited Flight: At 9th level, the sylph attains true flight.  From this 
  level onward, the sylph can fly continuously and without limit, and flight is 
  even possible while encumbered.  
   
  Dive Attack: At 4th level, a sylph can dive out of the air from any height 
  and take no falling damage.  Furthermore, the sylph can crash down onto an 
  opponent with an attack from above and cause double damage with a mêlée 
  weapon.  The weapon need not be a lance, but it must be edged or pointed in 
  order to cause double damage with this attack; blunt weapons only cause 
  their normal damage when used with a dive-bomb maneuver.   
   
  The sylph must come down at least 20’ out of the air before attacking the 
  target (which means, naturally, that this maneuver can only be used 
  outdoors or in a room with a very high ceiling).  The attack roll gets a +2 
  bonus to hit because the sylph is attacking from above the target.  The sylph 
  must end his movement where he lands (generally within 10’ of the target of 
  
  52 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  the dive attack)—which means that after making a dive attack, the sylph is in 
  mêlée with his target, unless he wields a lance or a pole-arm and the target of 
  the attack does not.  The dive attack counts as a type of charge, so a diving 
  sylph is vulnerable to a preemptive counterattack from a “set” spear. 
   
  When the sylph executes a dive attack, only the first attack made that 
  round causes double damage.  Extra attacks (from off-hand weapons, 
  multiple attacks earned at high levels, haste magic, and other sources) are 
  permitted, but these follow-up attacks do not multiply their damage.  They 
  may be directed at any target or targets within reach of the sylph after he 
  completes his dive and ends his movement for the round. 
   
  When the sylph reaches 15th level, the dive attack causes triple damage.  
  After 26th level, the dive attack causes quadruple damage.  As before, only 
  the first attack made that round (when the sylph dives out of the air and onto 
  his opponent) causes extra damage.  Further attacks made in that same 
  round cause normal damage only. 
   
  Sylph Dragoons 
  A sylph that reaches 9th level can become a sylph dragoon.  Dragoons serve a 
  role in sylph society similar to that of wardens in faun communities: they are 
  highly respected leaders, but they are also expected to serve as guardians and 
  scouts for a sylph clan’s mountain stronghold.  Some dragoons do choose to 
  found a new stronghold of their own, in which case a small number of sylphs 
  will follow the dragoon to the new mountain-hold.   
   
  Dragoons are similar to paladins and lords.  Like a centaur paladin or a 
  dwarf lord, a sylph dragoon is able to cast divine spells as if he were a scholar 
  of one third his actual character level; but a dragoon cannot turn the undead 
  like a human lord can.  As with all the other fighter-types that attain a 
  promotion, sylphs never learn spontaneous spell-casting, they are unable to 
  research new spells or create magical items, and the only scholarly magical 
  items that they can use are divine scrolls.   
   
  A sylph dragoon has another inherent ability.  Namely, dragoons are 
  able to control winds, as per the 5th level geomantic spell, once per day.  
  Unlike the dragoon’s ordinary divine spells, this power uses the dragoon’s 
  full level (rather than one-third that figure) as the effective caster level. 
  OTHER RACES 
  Human beings and the nine races of faerie described above are the common 
  peoples of Gaia, but that doesn’t put a hard and fast limit on the players’ 
  options for their characters.  Practically anything that starts out weak and 
  grows powerful over time could theoretically be a player character.  Some 
  possible ideas for unusual characters (which might receive more detailed 
  treatment in future modules or supplements) include: 
  • A mechanical automaton or clockwork robot which has become self-
  aware and sentient.  Such a being would be similar to a fighter, except that it 
  would have many of the traits of golems and other constructs.  (In spite of 
  this, a clockwork man would still be considerably more fragile than a 
  magically animated lump of stone!)                                                                        
   
  
   
   THE CHARACTER CLASSES 
  53 
  • In some of the wilder and more exotic corners of Gaia, there live 
  secluded packs of wolflike beastmen.  It would be a very simple matter to 
  construct a beastman class based on the boxer, replacing unarmed strikes 
  with claw attacks, and qi powers with shamanistic or berserking abilities. 
  • A young sapling treant (or “treantling”, as they are called by their sires, 
  aged treants and treantwives) might leave his secluded forest to go 
  adventuring, perhaps with elvish or halfling companions.  A young treant 
  would require considerable time and experience to grow big and strong! 
  • Certain mountain ranges in Gaia, such as the Drachendorn in eastern 
  Arcadia, are known for their high dragon populations.  Also perhaps living in 
  these places are the drachen, the drake-men. Essentially a race of humanoid 
  dragon-kind, they would be similar to sylph class characters because they 
  can fly, but they would develop a minor breath weapon and extra claw 
  attacks in place of diving damage. 
  • The naga, a water-breathing race of snake-people which are similar in 
  form to merrows, live in the mountains and rivers of the far east, in 
  Shambhala and western Jianghu.  As masters of the martial arts, they would 
  operate as boxer-class characters (rather than scholars), but retaining racial 
  abilities like those of merrows.  Because they have snake tails rather than fish 
  tails, their speed both on land and in water would be 120’. 
   
  One category of demihuman which emphatically does not exist on Gaia 
  is the crossbreed.  In the E&E world, there are no naturally occurring half-
  elves, half-orcs, half-ogres, half-dragons, or any other half-breeds between 
  humans, faeries, or monsters in any combination.  This does not mean that 
  members of two different species cannot produce any offspring at all—
  rather, interspecies pairings on Gaia will always breed true instead of 
  producing a hybrid.  This means that the child of a human and an elf will not 
  be a half-elf, but either an ordinary human or an ordinary elf (although some 
  “elf-blooded humans” have been known to possess unusually long lives and 
  other elflike traits which would not have any direct impact on the game 
  rules).  The general rule goes for any pairing between any two races or 
  species, provided both races are basically humanoid (or, in special cases like 
  gold dragons, naturally capable of taking humanoid form). 
   
  Socially speaking, marriages between species are considered more or 
  less acceptable depending on the particular region.  In the south of the 
  Arcadian continent, a land dominated by humans and heavily populated by 
  centaurs, fauns, and merrows, such intermarriages are fairly common and 
  little remarked upon.  In the north of the continent, where nations are ruled 
  by fays, elves, dwarves, and so forth, marriages between faerie folk and 
  humans tend to be frowned upon (but not unheard of), whereas pairings 
  between the various faerie races themselves (such as elf-dwarf or gnome-
  halfling) are considered a little bit unusual but not particularly undesirable. 
   
  
  54 
   
   
   
   
  III 
   
   
  OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
   
   
  NCE A PLAYER has generated ability scores and chosen a class, it 
    comes time to round out the player character with the remaining 
    character details.  This chapter covers all of the relevant game 
  statistics needed for character creation and advancement: hit points, 
  Fighting Ability, defenses, skills, alignment, achievement points, money and 
  equipment, and Movement and encumbrance. Many of these game systems 
  have been altered from the core Labyrinth Lord rules, so players and 
  referees would be well-advised to watch out for E&E’s subtler differences! 
  HIT DICE 
  Hit points describe how much damage a character can withstand and still 
  keep on fighting. The number of hit points that a character has at each level 
  is determined by rolling Hit Dice of different sizes, depending on the 
  character’s class.  Fighters, boxers, dwarves, centaurs, and sylphs roll d8s for 
  hit dice; scholars, experts, elves, halflings, fauns, and merrows roll d6s; and 
  mages, techs, fays, and gnomes roll d4s. 
  1st level characters do not need to roll for their starting hit points. They 
  simply begin with 8, 6, or 4 hit points (as appropriate to the character class), 
  plus or minus their Constitution adjustment. At each level after that, a hit die 
  of the appropriate type is rolled, adjusted for Constitution, and added to the 
  character’s hit point total.  If the referee is especially generous, he may 
  decide to allow players to re-roll low results (generally meaning 1s rolled on 
  1d4; 1s and 2s rolled on 1d6; and 1s, 2s, and 3s rolled on 1d8—but if this is 
  allowed for PCs, remember that it must apply to monsters too!). 
   
  Hit Points at Higher Levels 
  From 10th level onward, characters no longer roll hit dice.  Instead, higher-
  level characters add only +1 or +2 hit points per level, and Constitution 
  adjustments are no longer applied.  For the majority of character classes, this 
  is straightforward and self-explanatory.  Fighters and other tough characters 
  add +2 hp at every level.  Mages and other weaker characters add only +1 hp 
  per level.  But for the in-between characters (like experts and scholars), +1½ 
  hp are gained at every level.  The half a hit point adds up to a full point on 
  every other level after the 10th, meaning that these characters add +1 hit 
  point at 10th level, +2 hit points at 11th level, +1 hit point again at 12th level, 
  +2 hit points at 13th level, and so on, alternating the bonus to keep them “in 
  between” the fighters and the mages.  (Alternatively, these characters can 
  add +1d2 hit points at every level above the 9th; it will average out over time.) 
  O
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  55 
  FIGHTING ABILITY 
  A character’s chance to hit an enemy in combat is determined by his Fighting 
  Ability (FA).  Depending on the preferences of the referee and the players, 
  Fighting Ability can be used in any of several ways. 
   
  Roll Low with Armor Class: Add together the attacker’s FA and the 
  target’s AC.  This is the chance to hit the target, so rolling the sum or lower 
  on 1d20 scores a hit.  A 1st level character (FA 2) attacking an enemy in 
  chainmail (AC 5) thus has a 7 in 20 chance to hit.  
   
  Roll High with Armor Class: Roll 1d20 + FA + AC.  A hit occurs on a 
  total of 21 or higher.  A 1st level character (FA 2) attacking a target in chain-
  mail (AC 5) rolls 1d20 + 7 and therefore hits if the roll is 14 or higher. 
   
  Roll High with Defense Class: Roll 1d20 + FA.  A hit occurs if the 
  total equals or exceeds the target’s DC.  For example, a 1st level character (FA 
  2) attacks a foe in chainmail (DC 16).  The character rolls 1d20 + 2 and so 
  hits on a total of 16 (i.e. a natural roll of 14) or higher.   
   
  Strength always adjusts a character’s mêlée FA, while Dexterity adjusts 
  missile FA.  Regardless of any modifiers, natural 1s and 20s always indicate 
  automatic hits or misses (which is which will depend on whether “roll low” 
  or “roll high” is being used). 
  The complete table for character Fighting Ability is given here: 
   
  Fighting Ability (FA) 
  Fighter 
  Scholar 
  Mage 
  1 
  (0th) 
  (0th)  
  (0th)  
  2 
  1st—3rd 
  1st—4th 
  1st—5th 
  4 
  4th—6th 
  5th—8th 
  6th—10th 
  6 
  7th—9th 
  9th—12th 
  11th—15th 
  8 
  10th—12th 
  13th—16th 
  16th—20th 
  10 
  13th—15th 
  17th—20th 
  21st—25th 
  12 
  16th—18th 
  21st—24th 
  26th—30th  
  14 
  19th—21st 
  25th—28th 
  31st—35th 
  16 
  22nd—24th 
  29th—32nd 
  36th and up 
  18 
  25th—27th 
  33rd—34th  
  — 
  20 
  28th—30th 
  35th and up 
  — 
  22 
  31st—33rd 
  — 
  — 
  24 
  34th and up 
  — 
  — 
   
   
  Normal human NPCs (also called “0th level characters”) have FA 1. 
   
  The Fighter progression is also used by boxers, dwarves, centaurs, and 
  sylphs.  Fighter-types improve their FA by two points per three levels above 
  the 1st.  At 15th level, these characters are permitted to make two attacks per 
  round, and at 26th level, they are capable of three attacks per round. 
   
  The Scholar progression is shared by experts, elves, halflings, fauns, 
  and merrows.  These characters improve their FA at every four levels.  From 
  20th level onward, these characters are able to make two attacks per round. 
   
  The Mage progression is also used by techs, fays, and gnomes.  These 
  characters improve their FA by two points per five levels.  They never earn 
  multiple attacks. 
  
  56 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  ARMOR CLASS AND DEFENSE CLASS 
  The referee must choose whether to use Armor 
  Class (AC) or Defense Class (DC) in his campaign.  
  Both statistics describe how hard it is to hit a 
  character in combat.  One figure is simply the 
  inverse of the other, found by subtracting it from 21 
  (i.e. a character’s AC and DC always add up to 21).  
  A character with AC 6, for example, has DC 15. 
   
  Armor Class is the standard defensive 
  statistic.  It works exactly as in Labyrinth Lord: an 
  unarmored character has AC 9, and AC goes down 
  as it gets better (leather is AC 7, chain is AC 5, and 
  plate is AC 3).  Bonuses to AC from Dexterity or 
  magic are actually subtracted from the total, while 
  penalties are added.   
   
  Defense Class is an alternative that some 
  players and referees may find easier to use.  
  Defense Class increases as it improves.  An 
  unarmored character has DC 12.  Leather imparts 
  DC 14, chainmail is DC 16, and plate is DC 18. 
  SAVING THROW 
  In the E&E game, the five saving throw categories are replaced by a single 
  Saving Throw number.  The ST number represents a character’s chance in 20 
  of making a saving throw.  It goes up as it gets better, so in order to make a 
  save, a player must roll his ST score or lower on 1d20.  A 0th level NPC has a 
  Saving Throw of only 5, but a 1st level character starts with a base ST of 7.  
  Above 1st level, Saving Throws improve every four levels, two points at a time 
  until 20th level and then one point at a time thereafter.  A character’s 
  Wisdom adjustment always applies to his ST score, and two classes (dwarf 
  and halfling) add an extra +2 racial bonus to their ST.  Note that a natural 
  roll of 1 always makes a save, while a natural 20 always fails it, regardless of 
  the ST score and any bonuses or penalties to it. 
   
  Modified Saves: The referee 
  can invoke this optional rule to 
  preserve some of the detail and 
  complexity of the traditional saving 
  throw system.  Dragon’s breath is a 
  difficult save to make and takes a -2 
  penalty.  Saves vs. spells and tech 
  devices are made at a -1 penalty.  
  Saves vs. paralysis or petrification 
  are unmodified.  Saves vs. magic 
  wands and tech gadgets are made 
  at a +1 bonus.  Saves vs. death and 
  poison are made at a +2 bonus.  
   
  Saving  
  Throw (ST) 
   
  Character Level 
  5 
  (0th) 
  7 
  1st—4th 
  9 
  5th—8th 
  11 
  9th—12th 
  13 
  13th—16th 
  15 
  17th—20th 
  16 
  21st—24th 
  17 
  25th—28th 
  18 
  29th—32nd 
  19 
  33rd and up 
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  57 
  SKILLS 
  Skills represent a character’s “background knowledge”: all those things that 
  the character knew before becoming a 1st level adventurer.  As characters 
  gain levels, they get the chance to learn new skills and improve upon what 
  they already know. There are twelve different skills in the game, as follows: 
   
  Skill 
  Abbreviation 
  Possible Uses 
  Athletics 
  ATH 
  Climbing, tumbling, swimming, running 
  Civics 
  CIV 
  Bureaucracy, law, politics, statecraft 
  Craft 
  CRA 
  Building, brewing, repairing, dismantling 
  Diplomacy 
  DIP 
  Negotiating, persuading, bluffing 
  Entertain 
  ENT 
  Acting, playing music, giving speeches 
  Knowledge 
  KNO 
  Lore, sciences, humanities, languages 
  Medicine 
  MED 
  Healing, anatomy, surgery, psychiatry 
  Outdoors 
  OUT 
  Animals, plants, tracking, riding 
  Perception 
  PER 
  Searching, listening, reading people 
  Pilot 
  PIL 
  Driving, flying, sailing, navigating 
  Stealth 
  STE 
  Hiding, sneaking, sleight-of-hand 
  Trade 
  TRA 
  Business, economics, accounting 
   
  A character’s aptitude at each skill is described by his skill rank. Skills 
  always begin at a base rank of 1, which is the minimum possible skill rank 
  and represents no training whatsoever in that particular skill category.  
  Through skill picks, characters can raise their skills as high as rank 5 (or even 
  rank 6, for certain character classes).  At 1st level, most characters begin with 
  3 skill picks (experts, halflings, and fauns start with 6), plus or minus their 
  Intelligence adjustment. Each skill pick raises one skill by one rank.  A 1st 
  level character must devote each of his starting skill picks to a separate skill, 
  meaning that a beginning character usually has a maximum skill rank of 2. 
  Most characters gain an additional skill pick at every odd-numbered 
  achievement level. Experts, halflings, and fauns gain a new skill pick at every 
  single level. Once a character has surpassed 1st level, he can opt to build on 
  previously trained skills and reach skill ranks of 3 and higher. 
  Faerie Skill Bonuses: Most faerie characters have +1 bonus rank in 
  some skill, such as Craft for dwarves and gnomes, or Perception for elves.  
  This bonus rank does not count as a “picked” skill when the character is 
  allocating his initial skill picks. Therefore, if the faerie character applies one 
  of his starting skill picks to a skill with a racial bonus, it is actually possible 
  for the character to start at rank 3 in that skill (but only in that skill). 
  The Skill Check: A character’s skill rank is his chance in 6 of passing a 
  skill check. The referee can call for a skill check, or he can roll it himself in 
  secret, and then use the roll to help adjudicate success or failure at some 
  action that a character is attempting. Either the player or the referee rolls 
  1d6, and if the die roll is equal to or less than the character’s skill rank, the 
  skill check has passed. What this actually means in a given situation is 
  entirely up to the referee. 
   
   
  
  58 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  Sometimes, a bonus or penalty might be assigned to a skill check. When 
  this is the case, the modifier must be applied to the skill rank, not the die-roll 
  itself! A bonus to a skill will increase the chance-in-6 of passing the check, 
  while a penalty will (obviously) reduce the chance.  Regardless of any 
  modifiers, a roll of 1 always indicates success on a skill check, while a roll of 6 
  always means failure. 
  Referees should be careful not to overuse the dice! A game can be ruined 
  quickly if every action that a character takes might fail or succeed depending 
  on a skill check. 
  Skills and Armor: Two particular skills, Athletics and Stealth, rely on 
  a character’s ability to move deftly and without restriction. Therefore, a 
  character wearing chainmail armor suffers a -2 penalty to his Athletics and 
  Stealth ranks, while a character in plate armor suffers a -3 penalty to these 
  skills. 
  Skills and Abilities: In general, skill ranks should not be used to 
  modify ability checks, and ability adjustments should not modify skill 
  checks.  If the referee decides that a die-roll should be used to adjudicate a 
  particular action, he should also decide whether the attribute being checked 
  is a matter of raw talent (an ability check) or training and achievement (a 
  skill check) and then stick with a single die-roll. 
   
   
   
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  59 
   
  Skill Mastery: Rank 5 (which represents a 5 in 6 chance of passing a 
  skill check) is normally the highest possible skill rank.  But expert, halfling, 
  and faun characters that attain 9th level and promote into professionals, 
  thanes, and wardens are able to spend one extra skill pick on a skill, in order 
  to make it rank 6.  This is known as “mastering” the skill.  A character with 
  skill rank 6 has a 95% (or 19 in 20) chance of passing that skill check.  Only 
  rolling a natural 20 on 1d20 will fail the skill check (but a 20 will always fail, 
  even if the skill check receives some kind of miscellaneous bonus).  If the 
  skill takes a penalty (such as from armor), remember that the penalty must 
  be applied to the skill rank and not the die roll!  For example, take a 
  professional with rank 6 in Stealth.  If this character puts on a suit of plate 
  armor (imposing a -3 penalty on his Stealth rank), his chance of success at 
  Stealth checks drops from 19 in 20 (i.e. rank 6) to 3 in 6 (i.e. rank 3). 
  ALIGNMENT 
  All characters must have an Alignment, which describes in basic terms their 
  philosophical outlook on life. As in the standard Labyrinth Lord game, the 
  three alignments are Law, Neutrality, and Chaos. 
  Lawful characters believe in honesty, compassion, and justice. They 
  place the needs of a group or society ahead of the needs of an individual.  
  Lawful characters are fair, compassionate, and willing to sacrifice.  They will 
  usually go out of their way to help others, even at great risk to themselves.  In 
  short, this alignment embraces all of the qualities of a traditional “hero”. 
  Neutral characters respect a balance between Law and Chaos. They 
  believe that tradition and freedom should be respected equally.  Neutral 
  characters are eminently practical: they will usually only place themselves at 
  risk to help friends, loved ones, fellow countrymen, or other people who 
  share something important in common with the Neutral character.  The vast 
  majority of non-heroic NPCs in the world are Neutral in alignment. 
  Chaotic characters believe that chance rules the universe and that the 
  world owes them something.  Most Chaotic characters are nothing more than 
  self-interested rogues and bullies, the very essence of cowardice and villainy. 
  A Chaotic character certainly won’t place himself in danger for another’s 
  sake, unless that person is extremely important to the Chaotic character, for 
  whatever reason.   
  The E&E game tends to encourage Lawful behavior in player characters, 
  while likewise discouraging Chaotic behavior.  The referee is always free to 
  be more flexible in his own campaign, but the default assumption for E&E is 
  one of heroic high fantasy, meaning that the player characters aren’t just 
  selfish mercenaries: they’re aspiring heroes.   
  Law can be a difficult path for even the best of heroes to follow.  After 
  all, how many players are wont to have their characters give hard-won 
  treasure to poor NPCs, or to spare the life of a dangerous villain when 
  executing the evildoer could prove the more prudent action in the long run?  
  And yet, this is the kind of behavior one must expect from the most Lawful of 
  heroes.  Wanton slaughter, even of villains, is Neutral behavior at best.  To 
  reflect the especial difficulty of this kind of gameplay, the referee can opt to 
  award bonus achievement points at the end of a play session where 
  
  60 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  characters took a Lawful course of action in spite of hardship or sacrifice on 
  their part; and likewise, Chaotic behavior can be discouraged by docking 
  characters’ achievement points for acts of villainy. 
  In any case, alignment is a fluid quality and not a static one.  Characters 
  should avoid slipping into the Chaotic alignment at all costs, but it is 
  probable that they will shift between Lawful and Neutral from game to game 
  before finally settling into a consistent pattern of alignment behavior.  
  Players choose their characters’ alignments at the outset of the game, but as 
  the campaign progresses, referees must use their judgment to reassign 
  characters’ alignments from time to time in accordance with the actions they 
  take. 
  ACHIEVEMENT POINTS 
  One major difference between Engines & Empires and the classic Labyrinth 
  Lord game is the way characters advance.  Labyrinth Lord characters earn 
  experience points for finding treasure and slaying monsters.  This reflects the 
  primary motivation of the game, which is to survive the dangers of the 
  labyrinth long enough to accumulate wealth and power.  Engines & Empires 
  has a different focus: characters in the E&E game earn achievement points 
  (AP) for accomplishing worthy and heroic goals.  Since the definition of a 
  “worthy and heroic” goal rests entirely with the referee’s judgment, the pace 
  of advancement is totally in his hands.  This ensures that characters grow in 
  power at the rate desired by the referee and demanded by the course of his 
  campaign.  In short, the referee awards achievement points to characters 
  when they reach particular “plot points” in the ongoing narrative. 
   
  A human character needs eight achievement points to go up a level.  A 
  faerie character needs ten achievement points to do the same.  At the lower 
  levels of the game, this is an equitable balance: faeries have special abilities 
  that help them to survive those early and dangerous play levels, and so they 
  advance slower. Later in the game, when most faerie abilities are 
  considerably less important than their regular class abilities, this disparity 
  becomes an inherent disadvantage of faerie class characters: human 
  ambition, flexibility, and pure spunk propel them to higher levels faster, such 
  that a human character will reach 36th level when a faerie with the same 
  number of achievement points is only 29th level. 
   
  A typical game of Engines & Empires assumes that characters will gain a 
  level every four to five gameplay sessions (assuming a play session lasts the 
  usual three to five hours).  This means that characters gain an average of 9 
  AP over the course of 4.5 game sessions, or about 2 AP a session.  Using this 
  guideline, referees ought to award achievement points as follows, keeping in 
  mind that it is often wise to vary the award to keep players from becoming 
  lackadaisical or frustrated in their approach to the game.   
   • The referee should only withhold AP entirely for a session if the player 
  characters purposely did nothing or engaged in repeated and wanton acts of 
  Chaos.  If the party spent the entire game session dallying around in town, 
  getting into bar fights, picking on helpless villagers, or fighting amongst 
  themselves, the play session is worth 0 AP. 
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  61 
   •  If the player characters did anything at all to advance the story, even an 
  honest attempt that failed utterly, the referee should award each player 
  character 1 AP for the session.  As long as the players tried to accomplish 
  some worthwhile goal, however minor, this is worth an achievement point. 
   •  2 AP is the standard award for a session where the player characters 
  achieved one or more of their moderate to major goals.  If the players 
  defeated a challenging monster, claimed its hidden treasure horde, and 
  found the clue that will lead them down into the next labyrinth floor, each 
  character should receive 2 AP for the session. 
   • 3 AP should be considered the maximum award for an ordinary 
  gameplay session.  If the player characters defeated a tough boss monster, 
  fought with a powerful and recurring villain, solved a mystery and revealed a 
  major plot twist, or performed some Lawful action when it would have been 
  easy to do otherwise (meaning that they did the right thing, even though it 
  was costly and difficult for them), each character in the party should receive 
  3 AP for the session. 
   
  Note that Engines & Empires characters do not have prime requisite 
  abilities.  In the E&E game, high ability scores are their own reward, and low 
  scores are their own penalty.  Characters’ ability scores do not in any way 
  adjust the number of AP earned per game session. 
  MONEY AND EQUIPMENT 
  Most of the miscellaneous equipment available in Engines & Empires is the 
  same as that found in Labyrinth Lord, excepting the all-important fact that 
  E&E is a gaslight setting, not a medieval one. Any item commonly available 
  in the real world in the early-to-middle 19th century can be purchased by 
  E&E characters as well. (It will be up to the referee to decide what’s available 
  and for what price.) 
  Weight: Weight in the E&E game is given in stone (st).  Stone are 
  considerably easier to track on a character sheet than either pounds or coin-
  weights!  One stone is equal to 14 lbs (or 140 cn). 
  Money: Money in the E&E game usually comes in the form of paper 
  bills worth various denominations of guilders, a widespread trade currency 
  used all over the land of Arcadia. The abbreviation for guilders is “gil.” One 
  guilder is equal in value to one Labyrinth Lord gold piece. 
  Coinage remains in widespread use, of course, and adventurers will 
  inevitably deal with treasure hordes comprised of ancient coins.  But the 
  economy of the E&E world is more akin to early modern times than medieval 
  times, and so it must be pointed out that coins in E&E do not weigh 
  anywhere near as much as they do in Labyrinth Lord.   The common gold 
  coin, valued at 1 guilder, is no heavier than a modern dime or penny—
  roughly one pennyweight. (For simplicity’s sake, assume 250 coins of any 
  kind weigh one pound, which is about 3,500 coins to the stone.) 
  Player characters begin the game with 3d6 × 10 guilders, which can be 
  used to purchase starting equipment, weapons, and armor. For examples of 
  adventuring equipment, players and referees should refer to the Labyrinth 
  Lord core rulebook. Weapons and armor, however, work a little differently in 
  the E&E game. 
  
  62 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Mêlée Weapon/Ammo 
  Damage 
  Range 
  Cost 
  Weight 
  Whip 
  1d2 
  — 
  3 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Blackjack† 
  1d3 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Brass knuckle 
  1d3 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Club 
  1d4 
  10 ft. 
  3 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Dagger 
  1d4 
  10 ft. 
  3 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Dart (5) 
  1d4 
  20 ft. 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Hatchet 
  1d4 
  10 ft. 
  3 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Sling stone (30) 
  1d4 
  — 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Bayonet 
  1d4 or 1d6 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Arrow (10) 
  1d6 
  — 
  3 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Javelin 
  1d6 
  30 ft. 
  1 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Nunchaku 
  1d6 
  — 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Quarrel (20) 
  1d6 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Rapier 
  1d6 
  — 
  7 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Staff* 
  1d6 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Broad sword 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  8 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Chain flail 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  6 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Hand axe 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Mace 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Pick 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  4 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Spear 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  20 ft. 
  3 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Trident 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  10 ft. 
  5 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  War hammer 
  1d6 or 1d8 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Bullet (30) 
  1d8 
  — 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Shot (20) 
  1d8 
  — 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Battle axe* 
  1d10 
  — 
  7 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Great sword* 
  1d10 
  — 
  15 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Lance* 
  1d10 
  — 
  10 gil. 
  1 st 
  Maul* 
  1d10 
  — 
  5 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Pole arm* 
  1d10 
   
  7 gil. 
  1 st 
   
   
   
   
   
  Missile Weapon 
  Ammo 
  Range 
  Cost 
  Weight 
  Bow, short 
  Arrow 
  50 ft. 
  25 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Bow, long* 
  Arrow 
  70 ft. 
  40 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Crossbow, light 
  Quarrel 
  60 ft. 
  30 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Crossbow, heavy* 
  Quarrel 
  80 ft. 
  50 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Sling 
  Sling stone 
  40 ft. 
  2 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Pistol, percussion 
  Bullet 
  30 ft. 
  25 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Pistol, revolver 
  Bullet 
  40 ft. 
  200 gil. 
  1/8 st 
  Pistol, blunderbuss 
  Shot 
  10 ft. 
  30 gil. 
  1/4 st 
  Musket, percussion* 
  Bullet 
  90 ft. 
  90 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Musket, blunderbuss* 
  Shot 
  30 ft. 
  50 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Rifle, Breech-Loading* 
  Bullet 
  100 ft. 
  200 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  Shotgun* 
  Shot 
  50 ft. 
  150 gil. 
  1/2 st 
  * Weapon is too big for gnomes and halflings to use. 
  † Weapon causes non-lethal damage only. 
   
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  63 
  Grenade Weapon 
  Effect 
  Range 
  Cost 
  Flaming oil 
  1d8 damage for 2 rounds 
  10 ft. 
  2 gil. 
  Grenade 
  1d12 damage in 10’ radius 
  10 ft. 
  20 gil. 
  Holy water 
  1d8 damage to undead 
  10 ft. 
  25 gil. 
   
   
   
   
  Mêlée Weapons 
  Some mêlée weapons have special characteristics which require explanation.  
  Whip: This is a reaching weapon, like a pole arm.  When the wielder of 
  a whip engages in hand-to-hand combat with a foe who does not wield a 
  reaching weapon, the target is considered mêléed but the attacker with the 
  whip is not.  Instead of dealing damage, a whip can be used to entangle, 
  forcing a target hit by the whip to roll a saving throw or else be tripped up or 
  bound. 
  Blackjack: This weapon can only deal non-lethal damage. The effects 
  of non-lethal damage are described in the combat rules.  
  Brass Knuckle: A boxer wearing brass knuckles can deal his full 
  unarmed damage instead of the brass knuckle’s 1d3.  If the brass knuckle is 
  enchanted, this adds a magical bonus to hit and damage to the boxer’s 
  unarmed strikes. 
  Club, Dagger, Hatchet: A mêlée weapon with a range number can be 
  thrown with no penalty to damage.  Use these weapons’ statistics for similar 
  light, easily thrown weapons. A throwing hammer would have the same 
  range and damage as a club, for example. 
  Bayonet: This weapon deals damage as a dagger when held on its own 
  or affixed to a pistol. It deals damage as a spear when affixed to a musket.  
  
  64 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Nunchaku, Rapier: This category is for weapons which are light but 
  are not commonly thrown. The nunchaku statistics can be used for tonfa and 
  other light martial arts weapons. A rapier is similar (in game terms) to a 
  cutlass or a short sword. 
  Broad Sword, Hand Axe, etc.: This category includes weapons of 
  medium weight which deal 1d6 points of damage when wielded in one hand, 
  but 1d8 damage when gripped in two hands (foregoing the use of a shield or 
  an off-hand weapon). Gnomes and halflings can only wield these weapons 
  two-handed, but they still cause 1d8 points of damage with them. Broad 
  swords include all long-bladed, one-handed swords, including sabres, 
  scimitars, “bastard” swords, and katanas. 
  Spear, Trident: These weapons can be set against a charge, dealing 
  double damage to charging foes.  They also have a range increment, meaning 
  that they can be thrown with no penalty to damage. 
  Lance: This weapon must be held in two hands on foot, but from 
  horseback, a character can grip a lance with one arm and use a shield with 
  the other.  (Centaurs can do this as well.)  A lance deals double damage when 
  charging from horseback.  A lance is also considered a “reaching” weapon: 
  engaging a target with a lance mêlées the target but not the attacker. 
  Pole Arms: All varieties of pole weapons, including the ever-popular 
  pike-staff and halberd, can be set against a charge. Also, thanks to their long 
  reach, it’s possible to attack over the back of an ally with a pole arm. A 
  character with a pole arm that enters hand-to-hand combat with an enemy 
  not wielding a reaching weapon causes the enemy to be mêléed without 
  being caught in the mêlée himself. 
   
  Missile and Grenade Weapons 
  Missile weapons are more complicated than mêlée weapons, because many 
  special rules govern how, when, and where they can be used. 
  Thrown Weapons: This group includes clubs, daggers, darts, 
  hatchets, javelins, spears, and tridents. These kinds of weapons become 
  deadly missiles when thrown at an enemy. It is impossible for a mêléed 
  character to make an effective missile attack, so if a character in mêlée 
  attempts to use a thrown weapon, it is treated as a hand-to-hand attack 
  instead. For most weapons, this is no problem, but darts and javelins are not 
  meant to be close-quarters weapons, and so they deal half damage in hand-
  to-hand combat.  If a character has multiple attacks, the character can make 
  multiple throwing attacks in one round. 
  Rarely Thrown Weapons: Whenever any other mêlée weapon is 
  thrown, treat its range increment as 10’. Rarely thrown weapons deal half as 
  much damage when employed as impromptu missiles as they do when used 
  for mêlée. 
  Grenades: A grenade is not aimed at a single target; it strikes an area. 
  The character throwing the grenade must roll to hit AC 9/DC 12 (the usual 
  range adjustments apply; the range increment for a grenade is 10’). If the to-
  hit roll misses, the grenade will bounce 2d10 feet in a random direction from 
  the intended target. A grenade must be lit before it is thrown, and this takes 1 
  round. The grenade will explode at the end of the very next round, so it must 
  be thrown right away. When it goes off, the explosion fills an area 20’ in 
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  65 
  diameter and deals 1d12 points of damage. All the targets within the area can 
  save for half damage. 
  Fired Weapons: Bows, crossbows, slings, and firearms are all 
  considered “fired” weapons. They remain in the hand and hurl ammunition. 
  A character in mêlée cannot use a fired weapon to make a successful missile 
  attack—such attacks automatically miss. Crossbows and firearms can, 
  however, be used as improvised bludgeons for 1d3 points of non-lethal 
  damage; and a bayonet can be affixed to any firearm to make it an even more 
  effective mêlée weapon. 
  Bows: These are the fastest and most reliable of missile weapons. A 
  character can fire a bow every round, and bows can be used with high-level 
  characters’ multiple attacks. Long bows are too big for a gnome or a halfling 
  to use, but anyone can use a short bow. 
  Slings and Crossbows: Slings, light crossbows, and heavy crossbows 
  can all be fired once each round, just like regular bows—but the process of 
  reloading a sling crossbow is rather more involved than simply nocking an 
  arrow to a bowstring, and so these weapons can never be fired more than 
  once per round, even by very high-level characters with multiple attacks. 
  Gnomes and halflings cannot use heavy crossbows, but they can use light 
  crossbows and slings. 
  Firearms: The commonest missile weapons in this day and age are 
  guns. The percussion cap, which makes it possible to fire a gun without 
  having to worry about fuses or flash-pans, is the cornerstone of the modern 
  gunsmith’s design. Nevertheless, most guns are still loaded by pouring a 
  charge of gunpowder into the barrel and then ramming a ball down the 
  muzzle of the weapon. (The cost and weight of powder are included in the 
  cost of the ammunition and need not be tracked separately.) The percussion 
  pistol and musket are therefore the standard firearms of the E&E world. 
  They are powerful, but slow: it takes a whole round to load a percussion gun, 
  so these weapons can only be fired once every other round. (If the player 
  characters stumble across an antique version of a firearm, like a matchlock 
  harquebus or a fuse-lit hand gunne, it should use the same game rules as a 
  modern percussion gun, except that it will take twice as long to reload and 
  automatically misses on a natural attack roll of 1 or 2.) As with crossbows, 
  earning multiple attacks at very high achievement levels does not improve a 
  percussion gun’s rate of fire. 
   
   
   
  
  66 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Blunderbusses are special versions of the normal pistol and musket. 
  They fire shot instead of bullets. This makes a blunderbuss more dangerous 
  at close range, but less dangerous at long range. Range adjustments to the 
  attack roll are therefore also applied to the damage roll for a blunderbuss. 
  Revolvers are specially designed pistols which contain a rotating drum 
  that holds six shots. A revolver can be fired every round; and like a bow, a 
  revolver can be used with multiple attacks. After six shots, it must be 
  reloaded.  Reloading a revolver takes one round. 
  A breech-loading rifle can be reloaded much faster than a musket. A 
  breech-loader has the same rate of fire as a crossbow: it can be fired every 
  single round, but never any quicker than once per round.  
  The shotgun has two barrels, and it can be fired twice before it needs to 
  be reloaded. Reloading a shotgun takes one round, so a shotgun can be fired 
  twice every three rounds (or faster, if the character is high level and able to 
  fire off both shots in a single round thanks to multiple attacks). Range 
  adjustments apply to the damage roll as well as to the attack roll for a 
  shotgun, just like a blunderbuss. 
   
  Armor 
  Armor is the surest and easiest way for characters to improve their defenses.  
  Armor can be relatively cumbersome, and the heavier armors impose a 
  penalty on characters’ Athletics and Stealth ranks.  Nevertheless, it is 
  essential for characters that want to survive the dangerous life of an 
  adventurer for any length of time. 
   
  Special Armors: Leather, chainmail, and plate are the ordinary 
  armors that characters might purchase at the beginning of the game and in 
  nearly any town or city.  There are other kinds of armor, non-magical but 
  still special and powerful, that characters might discover or create over the 
  course of their adventures.  Special armors have higher AC/DC scores than 
  normal armor, even when they’re not somehow enhanced by magic or 
  science.  Magical and technological versions of the special armors are rare 
  and powerful treasures indeed.  N.B., special types of armor cannot be 
  bought or sold in shops.  A coat of mythrill chainmail, after all, is worth more 
  than an entire halfling shire!  Nevertheless, the armor table does give prices 
  for these armors as a means of gauging their relative value. 
   
  Dragon Hide: This is leather armor made from dragon scales.  It is 
  supple, but very durable.  As a rule, a character can make one suit of dragon 
  hide armor from the remains an ordinary (small) dragon, three suits from 
  the hide of a large dragon, or five suits from the hide of a huge dragon. 
   
   
  Armor Type 
  AC / DC 
  Cost 
  Weight 
  Skill 
  Shield 
  (+1 bonus) 
  10 gil. 
  ½ st 
  N/A 
  Leather armor 
  7 / 12 
  20 gil. 
  1 st 
  -0 
  Chainmail armor 
  5 / 14 
  150 gil. 
  3 st 
  -2 
  Plate armor 
  3 / 16 
  600 gil. 
  4 st 
  -3 
  Dragon hide 
  6 / 15 
  2,000 gil. 
  1 st 
  -0 
  Mythrill chainmail 
  3 / 18 
  4,300 gil. 
  1 st 
  -0 
  Adamant plate 
  0 / 21 
  7,200 gil. 
  2 st 
  -1 
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  67 
   
  Mythrill Chainmail: This special armor is wrought by elvish smiths 
  from fine rings of mythrill, a silvery substance harder than steel but lighter 
  than aluminum.  Mythrill chainmail is so light that it weighs no more than a 
  suit of leather armor does, and it does not affect a character’s Athletics or 
  Stealth skill checks.  A boxer wearing mythrill mail even retains the use of his 
  Reflexes abilities (missile deflection and two weapons combat). 
   
  Adamant Plate: This armor is made by dwarvish master-smiths from 
  adamant, a shiny black metal that looks like polished obsidian once it has 
  been worked into plates.  Adamant plate has the best non-magical AC/DC in 
  the game.  What’s more, dwarvish skill makes this armor light and easy to 
  move in, so that a character wearing it suffers only a -1 penalty to his 
  Athletics and Stealth ranks. 
  MOVEMENT AND ENCUMBRANCE 
  A character’s speed is determined first and foremost by his character class. 
  Humans, elves, fays, and fauns move at a base speed of 120’ per turn. 
  Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings move at a speed of 90’ per turn.  (Dwarves 
  aren’t as small as gnomes and halflings, but they’re fairly stumpy!)  Centaurs 
  and sylphs are very swift, moving at 150’ per turn.  (This is true of sylphs 
  whether they are on the ground or flying.) Merrows have a different speed 
  depending on whether they are in the water or on land: they move at a speed 
  of 180’ per turn when swimming, but on land they move at only 90’ per turn.  
   
  Class 
  Base MV 
  Encumbered MV 
  Enc. (Max.) 
  All Human 
  120’ (40’) 
  60’ (20’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Dwarf 
  90’ (30’) 
  45’ (15’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Elf 
  120’ (40’) 
  60’ (20’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Fay 
  120’ (40’) 
  60’ (20’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Gnome 
  90’ (30’) 
  45’ (15’) 
  4 st (12 st) 
  Halfling 
  90’ (30’) 
  45’ (15’) 
  4 st (12 st) 
  Centaur 
  150’ (50’) 
  75’ (25’) 
  8 st (24 st) 
  Faun 
  120’ (40’) 
  60’ (20’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Sylph 
  150’ (50’) 
  75’ (25’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Merrow (land) 
  90’ (30’) 
  45’ (15’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
  Merrow (water) 
  180’ (60’) 
  90’ (30’) 
  5 st (15 st) 
   
   
   
   
  Movement is then further modified by how much weight the character is 
  carrying—his encumbrance. 
  Encumbrance Threshold: A character’s encumbrance threshold 
  (Enc.) is the amount of weight that the character can carry without suffering 
  any reduction to his speed.  Most characters have a base encumbrance limit 
  of 5 stone.  Gnomes and halflings have an encumbrance limit of 4 stone.  
  Centaurs have an encumbrance limit of 8 stone.  If a character attempts to 
  carry more weight than his or her encumbrance limit allows, that character is 
  considered encumbered, and his speed is halved. 
  Maximum Load: This is the absolute maximum weight that a 
  character can carry and still move. A character’s maximum load (Max.) is 
  
  68 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  determined by his race.  Most races have a maximum load of 15 stone.  For 
  gnomes and halflings, the figure is 12 stone, while for centaurs, it is 24 stone.  
  Modified Encumbrance Values: If the referee wishes it, characters’ 
  encumbrance thresholds and maximum loads can be adjusted for high or low 
  ability scores.  This is accomplished by averaging together the character’s 
  Strength and Vitality adjustments.  This new modifier is then added to both 
  the encumbrance threshold and the maximum load.  For example, a 
  character with a Strength bonus of +1 and a Vitality adjustment of ±0 would 
  add a modifier of +½ stone to both his Enc. and Max. 
  VEHICLES AND ARTILLERY 
  The Labyrinth Lord game already has rules for vehicles and vehicle combat 
  —namely, for watercraft and ship-to-ship combat.  But those very same rules 
  can be applied to ground vehicles and aircraft!  Of course, in the Age of 
  Steam, travel by vehicle is much faster; and large-scale weaponry such as 
  cannons and machine guns are far deadlier. 
   
   
  Vehicle 
  Min. 
  Crew 
  Feet 
  /Turn 
  Miles 
  /Day 
  Cargo 
  (tons) 
  AC† 
  SHP* 
  Steamboat, paddle 
  4 
  150 
  90 
  15 
  9 
  75 
  Steamship, turbine 
  5 
  500 
  300 
  40 
  5 
  150 
  Aeroplane, single wing 
  1 
  2,000 
  1,200 
  0.05 
  7 
  12 
  Airship (dirigible), small 
  2 
  500 
  300 
  0.5 
  7 
  90 
  Airship (dirigible), large 
  4 
  1,000 
  600 
  1 
  5 
  120 
  Autogyro (helicopter) 
  1 
  1,500 
  900 
  0.05 
  9 
  12 
  Automobile 
  1 
  1,500 
  900 
  0.05 
  7 
  15 
  Clipper ship 
  10 
  650 
  390 
  15 
  7 
  100 
  Motorbike 
  1 
  1,300 
  780 
  0.025 
  9 
  8 
  Locomotive 
  2 
  2,000 
  1,200 
  ** 
  7 
  ** 
  Armored tank 
  1 
  800 
  480 
  0.2 
  3 
  45 
   
  † DC, if used, is equal to AC subtracted from 21. 
  * The purchase price of a vehicle is equal to 1,000 guilders multiplied by its 
  Structural Hit Points. 
  ** A locomotive has 30 SHP, plus 15 SHP per car.  Each train car can carry 10 
  tons of cargo. 
   
   
  Artillery 
  Fire 
  Crew 
  Rate of 
  Fire 
  Missile 
  Range 
  Cost 
  (gil.) 
  Area of 
  Effect 
  Damage 
  Field cannon 
  2 
  1/2 rounds 
  60 ft. 
  3,000 
  10’ × 10’  
  2d12 
  Ship cannon 
  3 
  1/3 rounds 
  120 ft. 
  6,000 
  20’ × 20’ 
  4d12 
  Machine gun 
  2 
  1/1 round 
  90 ft. 
  4,500 
  10’ × 40’ 
  2d10 
   
  Artillery attacks at a fighter level equal to the number of crew.  With a 
  fractional firing crew present, the rate of fire is reduced in equal proportion 
  (e.g., with half the proper crew, the rate of fire is halved).  
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  69 
   
  OPTIONAL RULE: FAVORED WEAPONS 
  E&E characters are assumed to have gained basic proficiency in all weapons 
  before their adventuring careers have begun, regardless of character class.  
  Still, realistically, most adventurers would tend to become more proficient 
  with one or two preferred weapons.  Hence this optional rule, included for 
  those referees and players that might wish to use it. 
   
  Favored Weapons: Upon reaching the 2nd level of achievement, a 
  character can designate any one weapon as a favored weapon.  The player 
  need only be as specific as the game’s weapon chart—so, for example, “broad 
  sword” also includes “sabre”, “scimitar”, “katana”, and other medium blades.  
  All characters may choose a second favored weapon when they reach 6th 
  level, and fighter-types (fighters, boxers, dwarves, centaurs, and sylphs) are 
  permitted to choose yet a third favored weapon when they reach 10th level. 
   
  Damage Bonus: Characters add a bonus to their damage rolls when 
  wielding their favored weapons.  This bonus depends on the character’s base 
  Fighting Ability, as follows: 
   
   
  Fighting Ability Damage 
  Fighting Ability Damage 
   
  2 to 6 
  +1 
  14 to 18 
  +3 
   
  8 to 12  
  +2 
  20 to 24 
  +4 
  OPTIONAL RULE: CLASSIC GAMEPLAY METHODS 
  Some game referees might like to play Engines & Empires, but they prefer to 
  leave some of the Labyrinth Lord game rules just the way they are.  This is 
  certainly possible, to an extent; but the E&E game has been carefully re-
  balanced for the sake of internal consistency.  Even still, some players and 
  referees might wish to capture the unique feel of the original game rules by 
  leaving intact such properties as Attack Values, Saving Throw Tables, and 
  Experience Points. 
   
  
  70 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  Attack Values: Whereas E&E uses a single score, Fighting Ability, to 
  represent characters’ combat prowess, the original game uses a table of 
  Attack Values.  The table cross-references the character’s class and level with 
  the target Armor Class to hit, but an even simpler expression of Attack Value 
  is the THAC0 number, which is the Attack Value needed To Hit Armor Class 
  0.  THAC0 is easily derived from Fighting Ability, and vice versa, because (as 
  with Armor Class and Defense Class) the two numbers always add up to 21.  
  THAC0 is traditionally employed in one of two ways: either the target’s AC is 
  subtracted from the THAC0 number, and a hit occurs when the attacker rolls 
  this difference or higher on 1d20; or else the attacker rolls 1d20 + the target’s 
  AC, and a hit occurs when the total equals or surpasses the attacker’s 
  THAC0.  The THAC0 values are given here for reference, and the rest of the 
  Attack Value table is easy to extrapolate from here: 
   
  THACo 
  Fighter 
  Scholar 
  Mage 
  20 
  (0th) 
  (0th)  
  (0th)  
  19 
  1st—3rd 
  1st—4th 
  1st—5th 
  17 
  4th—6th 
  5th—8th 
  6th—10th 
  15 
  7th—9th 
  9th—12th 
  11th—15th 
  13 
  10th—12th 
  13th—16th 
  16th—20th 
  11 
  13th—15th 
  17th—20th 
  21st—25th  
  9 
  16th—18th 
  21st—24th 
  26th—30th 
  7 
  19th—21st 
  25th—28th 
  31st—35th  
  5 
  22nd—24th 
  29th—32nd 
  36th and up 
  3 
  25th—27th 
  33rd—34th   
  — 
  1 
  28th—30th 
  35th and up 
  — 
  -1 
  31st—33rd 
  — 
  — 
  -3 
  34th and up 
  — 
  — 
   
   
   
  Saving Throws: The Saving Throw number used by the standard E&E 
  game is derived from the Labyrinth Lord saving throw tables.  In Labyrinth 
  Lord, different character classes improve their saves at different rates, just 
  like attack values.  Fighters improve at every third level, clerics and thieves at 
  every fourth level, and magic-users at every fifth level.  Then there are the 
  five saving throw categories: saves vs. spells and dragon’s breath are more 
  difficult than average; saves vs. death and wands are somewhat easier; and 
  the save vs. paralysis remains in the middle.  The E&E save number was 
  obtained by inverting the median saving throw, the clerical save vs. paralysis 
  (specifically, by subtracting this number from 21).   
   
  If the referee wishes to retain the nuance and detail of the original 
  saving throw system, apply the following guidelines: 
   
  The fighter saving throw table should be used by fighters, boxers, 
  centaurs, and sylphs.  The cleric saving throw table should be used by 
  scholars, elves, and merrows.  The thief saving throw table should be used by 
  experts and fauns.  The magic-user saving throw table should be used by 
  mages, techs, fays, and gnomes.  Dwarves and halflings retain the use of the 
  dwarf and halfling saving throw table.  Wisdom adjustments only apply to 
  saving throws vs. spells and devices, not to other saving throw categories. 
  
   
   OTHER CHARACTER DETAILS 
  71 
   
  Experience Points: If the referee wishes to run a more mercenary sort 
  of campaign, he can dispense with achievement points and instead advance 
  the characters by awarding experience points for monsters slain and treasure 
  recovered.  1 XP is awarded for every guilder of treasure that the characters 
  acquire, and defeated monsters have their own XP values given in the 
  Labyrinth Lord rules.  If the referee decides to use experience points instead 
  of achievement points, all six of the human character classes should advance 
  on the fighter experience table, and all nine of the faerie character classes 
  should advance on the magic-user experience table.  The cleric, thief, and 
  demihuman tables need not be used. 
   
   
  OPTIONAL RULE: ADVACEMENT PAST 36th LEVEL 
  This is another optional rule included for any game referees that might wish 
  to use it.  Characters might be allowed to advance beyond 36th level, if the 
  referee believes that he can continue to challenge such powerful characters 
  and keep their players entertained in so doing.  This is by no means an easy 
  task, but some referees will doubtlessly be up to it.  When characters surpass 
  the 36th achievement level, some game statistics freeze where they are, never 
  again to improve.  Other numbers and qualities might continue to rise, at 
  least until they reach some built-in maximum. 
   
  Statistics Which Do Not Improve: After 36th level, characters never 
  increase their Fighting Ability, Saving Throw, number of attacks per round, 
  or any qualities pertaining to their special class abilities.  Fighters and boxers 
  
  72 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  earn no more uses of their special combat maneuvers; experts no longer 
  improve their critical hits; and spell-casters and technologists earn no more 
  spells or devices per day.  The maximum effective caster level for any spell-
  casting or technology-building class is 36th; and for those characters which 
  cast spells at a caster level equal to one-third their own level (lords, paladins, 
  dragoons, professionals, thanes, and wardens), their maximum caster level is 
  12th.  A champion earns no more qi points above 36th level, except by 
  increasing his Constitution score. 
   
  Statistics Which Can Improve: Above 36th level, characters 
  continue to gain hit points at the same rate as before, but only to a maximum 
  base hp total of 144 (for fighters, boxers, etc.), 108 (for scholars, experts, 
  etc.), or 72 (for mages, techs, etc.).  This is the base maximum hit point total 
  for each class: Constitution bonuses can still increase a character’s hit points 
  by as much as 36 extra hp, if the character has the maximum allowed 
  Constitution score of 20. 
   
  Characters also continue to gain skill picks and ability raises at regular 
  intervals.  Ability raises now come at every even-numbered achievement 
  level, and characters can raise their abilities as high as 20 in each category.  
  Skill picks are earned at every odd-numbered level above 36th level, and this 
  is also true of experts, halflings, and fauns, who no longer earn skill picks 
  on even-numbered levels.  Most characters can build their skills up to rank 5; 
  whereas only experts, halflings, and fauns can ever attain skill rank 6. 
   
  Achievement Points: Above 36th level, all characters, human and 
  faerie alike, require twelve achievement points to go up a level.  Faerie class 
  characters will never close the level gap between themselves and human 
  class characters with the same AP totals, but at least the gap gets no wider 
  above 36th level.  (N.B., if the referee wishes to use experience points instead 
  of achievement points, characters above 36th level require 180,000 XP to go 
  up a level.) 
   
  Character 
  Level 
  AP 
  (Humans) 
  AP 
  (Faeries) 
  Skill Picks 
  (All Characters) 
  Ability 
  Raises 
  37 
  292 
  362 
  +1 
  — 
  38 
  304 
  374 
  — 
  +1 
  39 
  316 
  386 
  +1 
  — 
  40 
  328 
  398 
  — 
  +1 
  41 
  340 
  410 
  +1 
  — 
  42 
  352 
  422 
  — 
  +1 
  43 
  364 
  434 
  +1 
  — 
  44 
  376 
  446 
  — 
  +1 
  45 
  388 
  458 
  +1 
  — 
  46 
  400 
  470 
  — 
  +1 
  47 
  412 
  482 
  +1 
  — 
  48 
  424 
  494 
  — 
  +1 
  49 
  436 
  506 
  +1 
  — 
  50 
  448 
  518 
  — 
  +1 
  
  73 
   
   
   
   
  IV 
   
   
  SPELLS AND MAGIC 
   
   
  SK A MAGE how he casts a spell, and if he is of a mind to tell some 
    part of the truth, he might explain that he knows how to persuade the 
    laws of physics to bend or break with nothing but the power of his 
  mind.  Or that he simply uses his “mana” to manipulate the “æther”, and hey 
  presto, magic happens.  If one were to probe for further information, the 
  explanations offered by our most agreeable and forthcoming mage would 
  grow increasingly diffuse and abstract.   
   
  We might inquire, “What is mana?” and the mage would explain that it 
  is a kind of mental strength, a personal quality of cerebral fortitude.  It is not 
  a substance or a force or an energy, and it ought not to be confused with the 
  qi that champion boxers can manipulate.  Qi is an energy field created by 
  living things which permeates all living and nonliving matter in the universe: 
  it has a physical (but subtle) existence.  Mana resides only in the individual 
  mind, and it might best be defined as a person’s psychic potential or his 
  attunement to vibrations in the metaphysical world.  Mana is what allows a 
  sentient being to touch the æther.  Incantations, gestures, and even 
  powerfully enchanted items are nothing more than channels for mana—mere 
  mental tricks that focus a person’s psychic ability on æther. 
   
  What, then, is æther?  Sages and alchemists are familiar with the 
  principle, but it is tricky stuff to pin down.  Some call it “astral fire” or 
  “celestial phlogiston”, while others prefer to name it “luminiferous 
  quintessence”.  Whether it is a kind of particulate matter or an energy field, 
  nobody can say; but unlike qi, the æther does not exist everywhere.  Some 
  places have very high concentrations of æther, while other places have 
  almost none at all (“anti-magic fields”).  Only this is certain: the æther is a 
  psycho-reactive substance.  It responds to thoughts and emotions, especially 
  from minds with a strong mana (or minds channeling what mana they have 
  through an item).  When a mage casts a spell, the words and gestures focus 
  the caster’s mana and briefly draw his mind into a trance-like state where he 
  can actually sense, feel, and move the æther with his very will.  The æther, in 
  turn, moves matter and energy, and the laws of physics appear to bend or 
  break—and something special happens that can only be called “magic”. 
   
   
   
  A
  
  74 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  THE SCHOOLS OF MAGIC 
  Everybody knows that nothing comes in handy in the depths of the labyrinth 
  like a powerful magical spell or item! All of the magical spells in the E&E 
  game can be divided into one of two kinds: arcane and divine. Mage and fay 
  characters are able to cast arcane spells, but they cannot cast any divine 
  spells.  Scholars, elves, and merrows are able to cast any of the divine spells, 
  but they cannot cast arcane spells.  At the higher achievement levels, after 
  attaining promotions, other character classes receive minor spell-casting 
  abilities: lords, paladins, and dragoons become divine spell-casters, while 
  professionals, thanes, and wardens become arcane spell-casters. 
   
  The group of divine spells is subdivided into two separate schools of 
  magic: theurgy and geomancy.  The school of theurgy (i.e. clerical spells) 
  deals with protection and healing.  The school of geomancy (i.e. druidic 
  spells) deals with plants, animals, and nature.  All divine spell-casters are 
  equally capable of learning and casting the theurgies and geomancies. 
   
  As for arcane spells, these all belong to a single school called sorcery.  
  This is the most powerful and dangerous kind of magic in existence. 
   
  Sorcery and Theurgy 
  These are the arcane and clerical spells found in the Labyrinth Lord core 
  rulebook.  Sorceries are the arcane spells; theurgies are the clerical spells.  
  Some of these spells are changed in ways particular to the E&E setting. 
     • In the E&E world, the magic missile spell conjures up magical “bullets” 
  which cause the same damage as ordinary bullets (1d8 rather than 1d6+1).  
  Of course the bullets are still made of pure energy, and they will still damage 
  creatures normally vulnerable to magic. 
     • The teleport spell is limited by distance rather than by the caster’s 
  familiarity with a location.  As long as the caster has seen the destination and 
  can picture it in his mind, it is possible to teleport there in perfect safety, but 
  the range of the spell is limited to 100 miles per level of the caster. 
     • The divine curing spells (viz. cure light wounds, cure serious wounds, 
  and cure critical wounds) respectively restore 2d4, 5d4, and 8d4 hit points, 
  and they cause similar damage when cast at undead or when cast in reversed 
  form.  Heal always restores a target to full hp, but when cast at an undead 
  creature (or reversed to become harm), it leaves the target with 1 hp. 
     • In order to preserve the “epic fantasy” feeling of the E&E setting, raise 
  dead and resurrection are made slightly more restrictive.  Raise dead will 
  only revive a body if cast within 3 turns of death, and even then, it only 
  affects a target with a class and a level.  (Monsters and 0-level NPCs 
  generally lack the will or the destiny to come back from beyond the veil of 
  death.)  Resurrection will work on any target, but only if cast within three 
  days of the target’s death. 
     • Last but not least, Labyrinth Lord’s list of 9th level arcane spells is 
  brought up to an even twelve by adding the divine spells heal, regeneration, 
  and wind walk. 
   
   
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  75 
  Geomancy 
  Alongside the schools of sorcery and theurgy, Engines & Empires includes a 
  third school of magic—geomancy.  It is a rare and unusual sort of divine 
  magic. Human scholars learn theurgic (clerical) spells in their colleges and 
  universities, but geomantic spells are never found in those places. The 
  geomancies can only be learned in the hidden woodlands where elves make 
  their homes; in the undersea grottos where merrows dwell; or in the ancient 
  groves and glades where druids used to practice their natural magic, long 
  before the age of steam and steel. 
   
  THE GEOMANTIC SPELLS 
   
   1st Level 
  2nd Level 
    
  Detect Snares and Pits 
   
  Heat Metal 
    
  Faerie Fire 
   
  Obscuring Mist 
    
  Locate Animal or Plant 
   
  Produce Flame 
    
  Predict Weather 
   
  Warp Wood 
   3rd Level 
  4th Level 
    
  Call Lightning 
   
  Control Temperature 
    
  Hold Animal 
   
  Protection from Lightning 
    
  Protection from Poison 
   
  Summon Animals 
    
  Water Breathing 
   
  Woodland Stride 
   5th Level 
  6th Level 
    
  Anti-Plant Shell 
   
  Anti-Animal Shell 
    
  Control Winds 
   
  Repel Wood 
    
  Transmute Rock to Mud 
   
  Summon Weather 
    
  Tree Stride 
   
  Transport via Plants 
   7th Level 
    
  Creeping Doom 
    
  Limited Wish 
  Summon Elemental 
  Transmute Metal to Wood 
   
   
  
  76 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  FIRST LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Detect Snares and Pits 
  Range: 5’ per level of the caster 
  Duration: 6 turns 
  Effect: Reveals hazards 
  This spell is similar in certain ways to detect evil and find traps. It allows the 
  caster to concentrate on places, objects, or creatures, and determine if they 
  are hazardous. He needs a full round to concentrate on one square foot of 
  space, one creature, or one small object. Larger areas or objects require more 
  time. After examining the thing, the spell will tell the caster whether it is 
  immediately dangerous, potentially dangerous, or benign, all strictly from 
  the caster’s point of view. Most creatures are revealed as “potentially 
  dangerous” by this spell. This spell will reveal poisons and natural traps 
  (snares and pits), but it will not reveal the nature of complex mechanical 
  traps or evilly enchanted items (though it will probably reveal that they are 
  dangerous). The duration of this spell is a full hour when cast outdoors, but 
  only a half-hour (3 turns) when used indoors or underground. 
   
  Faerie Fire 
  Range: 60’ 
  Duration: 1 round per level of the caster  
  Effect: Illuminates creatures or objects 
  With this spell, the scholar can outline one or more creatures or objects with 
  a pale, flickering blue fire. The fire does not inflict any damage. The objects 
  or creatures need only be detected some way (such as by sight or with a 
  detect invisible spell) to be the target of this spell. All attacks against the 
  outlined creature or thing gain a +2 bonus to the attack roll. The scholar can 
  outline one man-sized creature (about 12’ of fire) for every 5 caster levels he 
  has. Thus, at 20th level, 48’ of faerie fire can be produced (outlining one 
  dragon-sized creature, two horse-sized, or four man-sized creatures). 
   
  Locate Animal or Plant 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 6 turns 
  Effect: Detects 1 animal or plant within 120’  
  This spell allows the scholar to sense the direction of one known normal 
  animal or plant. The scholar can locate (similar to the locate object spell) any 
  normal or giant-sized animal or plant, but not fantastic creatures, plant 
  monsters, nor any intelligent creature or plant. The caster must name the 
  exact type of animal or plant, but he does not need to see the specific one he 
  wishes to locate. The animal or plant gets no saving throw. (This spell is most 
  often used to find special herbs.) 
   
   
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  77 
  Predict Weather 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 12 hours 
  Effect: Gives knowledge of coming weather  
  This spell enables the scholar to accurately learn the weather coming for the 
  next 12 hours. It affects an area 1 mile in diameter per level of the caster: for 
  example, a 20th level scholar would learn the weather within a 20 mile 
  diameter (a 10 mile radius). The spell does not give the scholar any control 
  over the weather; it merely predicts what is to come. 
   
  SECOND LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Heat Metal 
  Range: 30’ 
  Duration: 7 rounds 
  Effect: Warms one metal object 
  This spell causes one object to slowly heat and then cool. The spell ordinarily 
  affects one metal item weighing up to one-quarter stone (approximately the 
  weight of a broad sword or similar weapon).  When cast by a promoted 
  divine spell-caster (a sage or a bard), the spell will affect an item weighing up 
  to one stone (such as a lance). The heat causes no damage to magical items. 
  Normal weapons and other items (including technology) may be severely 
  damaged, especially if made of both wood and metal, as the wood will burn 
  away where it touches the metal. If the object is being held when heated, the 
  heat causes damage to the holder: 1 point in the first round, 2 points in the 
  second, 4 points in the third, 8 points in the fourth, and then decreasing at 
  the same rate for a total of 22 points over seven rounds. In the fourth round, 
  the searing heat will cause leather, wood, paper, and other flammable objects 
  in contact with the metal to catch fire. The holder gets no saving throw, but 
  any special fire resistance negates all damage. The character can drop the 
  item at any time. Once the spell has been cast, the scholar no longer needs to 
  concentrate: the heating and cooling will run its course automatically. A 
  dispel magic can stop the effect, but normal means (immersion in water, 
  etc.) will not. 
   
  Obscuring Mist 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 1 turn per level of the caster 
  Effect: Creates a huge could of mist 
  This spell causes a misty vapor to rise from the ground around the caster, 
  forming a huge cloud. The cloud is 1’ high per level of the scholar and 10’ in 
  diameter for each level. A 20th level scholar could create an obscuring mist 
  20’ tall and 200’ in diameter (100’ radius). The cloud has no ill effects except 
  to block vision. The caster, and all creatures able to see invisible things, will 
  be able to see dimly through the cloud. All other creatures within the cloud 
  will be delayed and confused by the effect. While within the cloud, these 
  creatures are effectively blind. 
   
   
   
  
  78 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Produce Flame 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 2 turns per level of the caster 
  Effect: Creatures fire in the hand 
  This spell causes a small flame to appear in the scholar’s hand. It does not 
  harm the caster in any way, and sheds light like a normal torch. The flame 
  can be used to ignite combustible materials touched to it (a lantern, torch, 
  oil, grenade, etc.) without harming the magical flame. While holding the 
  flame, the caster can cause it to disappear and reappear by concentration, 
  once per round, until the duration ends. Other items may be held and used 
  in the hand while the fire is out. If desired, the fire may be dropped or 
  thrown to a 30’ range, but disappears 1 round after leaving the scholar’s 
  hand. (Any fire it ignites during that round remains.) 
   
  Warp Wood 
  Range: 240’ 
  Duration: Permanent 
  Effect: Causes wooden weapons to bend 
  This spell causes one or more wooden weapons to bend and (probably) 
  become useless. The spell will affect one arrow or quarrel for each level of the 
  caster; treat a spear, javelin, nunchaku, or magic wand as two arrows’ worth, 
  and any club, bow, or staff (magical or otherwise) as four. The spell will not 
  affect any wooden items other than weapons (including wands). If a magical 
  wooden item (such as a wand or staff) is the target, the wielder may make a 
  saving throw to avoid the effect. Items carried but not held get no saving 
  throw; magical items with “plusses” might not be affected, at a 10% chance 
  per “plus”. 
   
   
   
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  79 
  THIRD LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Call Lightning 
  Range: 360’ 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Summons lightning from storms 
  This spell can only be used if there is some kind of stormy weather within 
  360’ of the scholar.  If this is the case, the scholar can call down 1 lightning 
  bolt per turn (10 minutes) to strike any point within the 360’ range.  The 
  lightning bolt comes from the sky and strikes an area 20’ in diameter for 8d6 
  points of electrical damage.  Targets in the area can save for half damage.  
  The scholar need not call a lightning bolt every turn to keep the spell active; 
  it lasts until either the spell duration or the storm ends. 
   
  Hold Animal 
  Range: 180’ 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Paralyzes animals 
  This spell will affect normal or giant-sized animals, but not magical creatures 
  or anything with an Intelligence of 3 or higher.  Each victim must save or be 
  paralyzed for the duration of the spell.  The scholar can affect 1 Hit Die of 
  creatures for each caster level, ignoring creatures’ bonus hit points (a 
  creature with 2+1 HD counts as 2 Hit Dice).  The spell will affect summoned 
  and magically controlled animals. 
   
  Protection from Poison 
  Range: Touch 
  Duration: One turn per caster level 
  Effect: Grants one target immunity to poison 
  For the duration of this spell, the target is immune to the effects of all 
  poisons, including poison gas and cloudkill spells.  This protection extends to 
  all items carried (so, for example, potions won’t be spoiled by a demon’s or 
  revenant’s poisonous aura).  The spell also grants a +4 bonus to save versus 
  poisonous breath weapons (like green dragon breath), but not immunity to 
  the damage they cause.  This spell has no effect on petrifying breath 
  weapons, such as that of a catoblepas (that is, the scaly iron bull-shaped 
  monster which is often erroneously called a “gorgon”).  
   
  Water Breathing 
  Range: 30’ 
  Duration: 1 day 
  Effect: Allows one air-breathing creature to breathe water 
  This spell allows the target (one creature) to breathe while under water, fresh 
  or salt, at any depth.  It does not affect the target’s movement, ability to 
  swim, or ability to breathe air.  (Merrows make use of this spell frequently 
  when they wish to allow land-dwellers to visit their undersea towns and 
  villages.) 
   
   
   
  
  80 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  FOURTH LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Control Temperature 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Cools or warms air within 10’ 
  This spell allows a scholar to affect the temperature within a 10’ radius of 
  himself.  The maximum change is 50° F, either warmer or cooler.  The 
  change takes place immediately, and the effect moves with the caster.  The 
  scholar may change the temperature just by concentrating for a round, and 
  the temperature will remain there until the spell ends.  The spell is most 
  useful for resisting extreme cold or heat in harsh environments. 
   
  Protection from Lightning 
  Range: Touch 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Protects against electrical damage 
  The target of this spell is immune to a set amount of lighting damage.  The 
  caster’s level determines how much: for each level of the caster, one die 
  (usually 1d6) of damage is negated, subtracted from the damage taken before 
  any saving throws are made.  If, for example, a 10th level scholar were to cast 
  this spell, the recipient would be immune to the next 10d6 points of lightning 
  damage he might take. 
   
  Summon Animals 
  Range: 360’ 
  Duration: 3 turns 
  Effect: Calls and befriends normal animals 
  This spell lets a scholar summon all normal animals within range.  Only non-
  magical creatures of animal intelligence are affected, and it will not summon 
  insects or other vermin.  The caster may call one or more individually known 
  animals, one or more specific species of animals, or all animals within range.  
  The total hit dice of the animals that arrive will equal the caster’s level 
  (treating very small animals like mice, sparrows, or toads as 1/8 of a Hit 
  Die).  Animals affected will come at their best movement rate, and they will 
  understand the caster’s speech while affected.  They consider the caster a 
  friend and will try to help to the best of their ability, but they will flee if 
  harmed in any way.  If, however, the caster is under attack when the animals 
  arrive, they will fight those attackers until they fail a morale check.  This spell 
  can be used to calm and befriend an already present and hostile animal. 
   
  Woodland Stride 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Opens a path through dense growth 
  While this spell lasts, no plants can impede or prevent the scholar’s passage, 
  no matter how dense or thorny.  Even trees will bend or magically step aside 
  to make way for the scholar to pass.  The scholar can freely carry equipment 
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  81 
  through the opening created by the spell, but no other creatures, not even the 
  caster’s allies, can use the passage.  If a tree is large enough, (at least 10’ in 
  diameter) its trunk will actually part open and allow the scholar to pass 
  inside it, closing behind the scholar afterward.  The scholar might choose to 
  hide inside a tree this way, although he will be cut off from the outside and 
  might have to cast the spell again to escape if the duration wears off. 
   
  FIFTH LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Anti-Plant Shell 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 1 round per caster level 
  Effect: Barrier that blocks plants 
  This spell creates an invisible 1” barrier around the scholar’s body.  The 
  barrier stops all attacks by plants and plantlike monsters, so that they cause 
  no damage.  This spell will also allow the caster to pass through normal but 
  dense growth at no reduction in speed, and others will be able to follow in his 
  path.  While protected, the scholar cannot attack plants except with spells—
  the barrier likewise protects plants from the scholar’s physical attacks. 
   
  Control Winds 
  Range: 10’ radius around the caster 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Calms or strengthens winds 
  With this spell, the scholar can mentally control the behavior of all the air 
  within 10’ of himself (the effect moves with the caster).  The air behaves as 
  the scholar wishes, slowing to dead calm or rising to hurricane force.  The 
  scholar would have to concentrate for a full turn (unable to move or attack) 
  to bring the air all the way from one extreme to the other, but on a windy day 
  the caster could summon up gale-force winds almost instantly.  When two 
  opposing spell-casters cast control winds on the same area, the spells 
  counter each other.  If this spell is cast on an air elemental, areal servant, 
  invisible stalker, or similar air-based creature, the victim must save or fall 
  under the control of the caster.  The caster can slay the creature instantly or 
  force it to obey his directions while the spell is active.  If the scholar’s 
  concentration falters while controlling an air creature, it will break free of the 
  control and attack the scholar.  
   
  Transmute Rock to Mud 
  Range: 240’ 
  Duration: 3d6 days 
  Effect: Dissolves a volume of rock into mud 
  This spell is very similar to the arcane spell of the same name, except that its 
  range is double, and the divine version cannot be cast in reverse.  Otherwise, 
  the details are the same: any area of solid rock, up to 10’ deep and 3000’ 
  square feet in area, can be turned into a morass of mud.   Creatures in the 
  mud are slowed to one-tenth normal speed and may have to save or be stuck. 
   
  
  82 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Tree Stride 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  Effect: Short-range teleport 
  With this spell, the caster can enter any one tree, teleport, and immediately 
  step out of another tree of the same variety.  The trees’ trunks must be at 
  least 5’ wide.  The scholar can teleport up to 2,000 feet away by stepping 
  through a deciduous tree, 1,000 feet with a coniferous tree, or 500 feet using 
  any other kind of tree. 
   
  SIXTH LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Anti-Animal Shell 
  Range: 0 (caster only) 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Barrier that blocks animals 
  This spell creates an invisible barrier 1” away from the scholar’s body.  The 
  barrier stops all attacks by animals, both normal and giant-sized, as well as 
  insects and other vermin, and any other non-magical creatures of animal 
  intelligence or lower.  The scholar cannot attack the animals either while 
  under the protection of the barrier, except with spells, since the anti-animal 
  shell prevents physical contact between animals and the scholar. 
   
  Repel Wood 
  Range: 30’ 
  Duration: 1 turn per caster level 
  Effect: Pushes all wooden items away. 
  This spell creates a wave of force, 120’ wide and 60’ high, which can emanate 
  from any point within 30’ of the caster.  The wave moves in one horizontal 
  direction, chosen by the caser, at a rate of 10’ per round.  If the scholar 
  desires, he can stop the wave at any time, but he cannot move it again after 
  that.  All wooden objects within or touched by the wave are caught up in it 
  and move along with it.  The wave continues moving until it reaches a 
  distance of 360’ away from its starting point, where it stops for the 
  remainder of the spell duration.  All items caught in the wave are trapped 
  there until the spell ends and cannot be used, though they remain 
  undamaged.  Once created, the wave of force does not need concentration to 
  be maintained, although he scholar can dispel it with one round of 
  concentration.  This spell can be used to move mobile, large-scale wooden 
  constructs (such as siege engines or ships), but it will not affect buildings, 
  trees, or anything secured solidly to the ground. 
   
  Summon Weather 
  Range: 5 miles or more 
  Duration: One hour per level 
  Effect: Brings weather to caster’s area 
  When the scholar casts this spell, some known nearby weather condition is 
  pulled to the scholar’s location.  The scholar does not have control over the 
  weather, merely the power to summon it.  Only a scholar of 26th level or 
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  83 
  higher can summon severe weather (hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, heat 
  waves, etc.).  The range of the summoning is 5 miles until the caster reaches 
  15th level, after which 1 mile is added per caster level above the 15th (so a 36th 
  level scholar could summon weather from up to 26 miles away). 
   
  Transport via Plants 
  Range: Infinite 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  Effect: Long-range teleport 
  This spell may be used a maximum of once per day.  The scholar must be 
  near a plant (of any size) and must choose either a general location or a 
  particular known plant elsewhere.  After casting the spell, the scholar 
  magically enters the plant and teleports, arriving out of the other plant at the 
  other destination (if a particular plant is not specified, the exiting plant is 
  random).  There is no limit to the range, but both plants must be alive and on 
  the same plane of existence for the spell to work.  The caster can transport up 
  to two additional willing creatures. 
   
  SEVENTH LEVEL GEOMANCIES 
   
  Creeping Doom 
  Range: 120’ 
  Duration: 1 round per caster level 
  Effect: Creates a 20’ × 20’ insect swarm 
  This spell creates a horde of a thousand creeping, crawling insects, which can 
  appear anywhere that the casting scholar chooses, within 120’.  They fill a 20’ 
  × 20’ area at minimum, and they can be commanded to spread out and cover 
  an area up to 60’ × 60’ at maximum.  The creeping doom swarm moves at a 
  speed of 60’ (20’).  It vanishes when the spell duration ends, or if the caster 
  moves more than 120’ away from the swarm.  The insects always attack 
  everything in their path, inflicting 1 point of damage per 10 insects in the 
  swarm—100 points of damage every round to every creature in the area—
  with no saving throw allowed.  Normal attacks can damage the horde only 
  slightly, and even a fire ball will only destroy 100 of the insects (reducing the 
  damage caused by 10 points at a time).  Creeping doom can be destroyed by 
  dispel magic, but it cannot be repelled by protection from evil, and it moves 
  over most physical obstacles with no loss of speed. 
   
  Limited Wish 
  This 7th level arcane spell (found in the Labyrinth Lord core rulebook) is also 
  a 7th level divine spell belonging to the school of geomancy. 
   
   
   
  
  84 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Summon Elemental 
  Range: 240’ 
  Duration: 6 turns 
  Effect: Summons one 16 HD elemental 
  This spell allows the caster to summon any one elemental per casting.  The 
  elemental will understand the scholar’s speech and perform any tasks within 
  its power, as directed by the caster.  Unlike the arcane spell conjure 
  elemental, the scholar casting this spell does not need to concentrate to 
  control the creature—the elemental is always friendly to the scholar.  The 
  caster may send the elemental back to its home plane with a simple 
  command, while another could dismiss the elemental with dispel magic or 
  dispel evil. 
   
  A scholar or an elf can only summon each kind of elemental (air, earth, 
  fire, and water) once in a day, so this spell is only useful four times per day, 
  regardless of how many scrolls or memorized spells the scholar or elf has.  A 
  merrow has no power to summon an earth or a fire elemental with this spell, 
  but merrows can still use this spell up to four times per day—twice to 
  summon a water elemental and twice to summon an air elemental. 
   
  Transmute Metal to Wood 
  Range: 120’ 
  Duration: Permanent 
  Effect: Changes metal into wood 
  This spell can change any metal item into dry, nonliving wood.  Up to ½ 
  stone of metal can be transmuted per level of the caster.  Any magical metal 
  item is 90% immune to the magic.  The effect is permanent and cannot be 
  dispelled.  Any armor changed into wood immediately shatters into kindling 
  and falls off its wearer; any weapons so changed become non-magical clubs. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  85 
  THE RULES OF MAGIC 
   
  The following rules delineate how magic works in the Engines & Empires 
  setting, as distinct from the Labyrinth Lord core rules. 
   
  Learning New Spells: All magic-users, both arcane and divine, can 
  only learn new spells by finding them written in books or on spell-scrolls, 
  and then scribing them into their own personal spell-books.  The time 
  required to complete the scribing process is one day per level of the spell.  
  Arcane (Charisma-based) magic-users must first decipher a spell with read 
  magic.  Divine (Wisdom-based) magic-users can automatically understand 
  new spells and do not need to decipher them.  In either case, as soon as the 
  spell is understood, scribing can begin.  It requires the magician’s complete 
  attention, and so the character cannot do any adventuring while scribing a 
  spell (though the character can interrupt the process at any time and then 
  resume it at a later date). 
   
  Memorizing Spells: A caster is permitted to memorize lower-level 
  spells in higher-level spell-slots. 
   
  Tactical Movement: A spell-caster can usually cast a spell and make a 
  normal encounter move (one-third the character’s full speed) in the same 
  combat round.  Spontaneous spells (see below) are an exception. 
   
  Spontaneous Spells: At 4th level, spell-casting classes (scholars, 
  mages, elves, fays, and merrows) gain the ability to cast a spontaneous spell 
  once per day.  Characters who only learn spell-casting after reaching 
  promotion level (lords, paladins, dragoons, professionals, thanes, and 
  wardens) do not gain this ability, even when their effective spell ability 
  reaches 4th level.  To cast a spontaneous spell, the caster selects one of his 
  memorized spells and “burns” it, using up the memorized spell in order to 
  cast a different spell that he knows but might not have had memorized. The 
  spontaneous spell must be of the same level as or lower than the memorized 
  spell.  Casting a spontaneous spell takes more concentration than usual, so 
  moving is not permitted in the same combat round.  Finally, casting a 
  spontaneous spell causes the caster to automatically lose the initiative that 
  round (treat the initiative roll as “0”, with no Dexterity adjustment).  
  Dominion (15th) level caster characters can cast two spontaneous spells in a 
  day, while Epic (26th) level casters can cast three spontaneous spells per day. 
   
  Spell Penetration: A spell-caster’s key ability modifier adjusts the 
  saving throws of his spells’ targets.  Wisdom is used for a divine caster; 
  Charisma for an arcane caster.  A spell-caster with high key ability score, and 
  therefore an ability bonus, imposes an equivalent penalty on his enemies’ 
  saving throws vs. his spells.  A caster with a low score, and therefore an 
  ability penalty, grants his targets a bonus to save.  A mage with Charisma 15 
  (+2 bonus), for example, forces his foes to save against his spells at a -2 
  penalty.  A paladin with Wisdom 7 (-1 penalty) would enable targets to save 
  against his spells at a +1 bonus.  Note that this is a situational modifier, 
  distinct and apart from the Wisdom adjustment that always applies to each 
  character’s own Saving Throw score. 
   
  For spell-casting monsters or NPCs, the referee can either roll a Wisdom 
  or Charisma score on the fly to quickly generate an adjustment, or he can 
  select an ability score appropriate to the creature in question. 
  
  86 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  Spell Damage: This rule is very important for game balance and must 
  be observed rigorously.  A number of spells in the game, all of them arcane 
  sorceries, cause one die of damage per level of the caster (viz. fire ball, 
  lightning bolt, ice storm, and delayed blast fire ball).  The damage dealt by 
  these spells should not exceed twelve dice (as cast by a 12th level spell-caster).  
  Beyond this limit, such spells improve in power at a rate of only one more 
  damage die per three caster levels, i.e. thirteen damage dice when the caster 
  reaches 15th level, fourteen dice at 18th level, fifteen dice at 21st level, and so 
  on, to an absolute maximum of twenty damage dice at 36th level. 
   
  MAGICAL RESEARCH 
    
  Once a spell-caster surpasses the 9th level of achievement and takes a 
  promotion title, that character is able to create new spells and craft magical 
  items from scratch.  (This only applies to characters able to cast spells before 
  9th level—scholars, mages, elves, fays, and merrows—and not characters who 
  become spell-casters after promoting.  Dwarf lords are the sole exception—
  they can make magical weapons and armor, but not other kinds of magical 
  items.)  Once a spell-caster has promoted and become a wizard, sage, or 
  bard, that character is able to use the rules described below to engage in 
  magical research. 
   
  Regardless of what the character is creating, all magical research has 
  certain things in common.  First, the character must purchase the raw 
  materials, with a cost depending on the research in question.  Then the 
  character must begin research, using a quiet and well-equipped magical 
  laboratory.  The character cannot research and adventure at the same time, 
  but if the research is interrupted for any reason, it may simply be resumed 
  later.  The time to successfully complete magical research is always one week 
  for the initial preparation, plus one day per 1,000 guilders in the cost of the 
  raw materials.  At the end of the research period, the referee must make an 
  item creation roll for the character.  This is an ordinary ability check, using 
  Wisdom for sages, bards, and the occasional dwarf lord; and Charisma for 
  wizards.  If the check succeeds, the new spell or item is created successfully; 
  but if the check fails, the research fails too, and the character has to start all 
  over again.  If the ability check turns up a natural 20, the possibility exists 
  that a cursed item might be created where an ordinary magical item was 
  intended—and the researcher would be unaware of his dangerous failure. 
   
  Spells 
  Characters can only create spells that belong to a school they are capable of 
  casting.  This means that wizards can only create arcane sorceries, while 
  sages and bards can only create divine theurgies and geomancies.  A wizard 
  cannot ordinarily research a healing spell, for example, while a sage can’t 
  create a flashy and destructive attack spell.  Once the player decides what he 
  wants his new spell to do, the referee decides whether the spell will be 
  allowed in his campaign, and if so, what spell level it is.  The cost for raw 
  materials is 1,000 guilders per research level (see below).   
   
   
   
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  87 
  Research Level 
  The research level for any spell or 
  spell-like effect is equal to the sum of 
  the spell level (or bonus) and all levels 
  lower than it: 
   
  Effective Spell  
  Research 
  Level or Bonus  
  Level 
  1st (or +1) 
   
  1 
  2nd (or +2) 
   
  3 
  3rd  (or +3) 
   
  6 
  4th  (or +4) 
   
  10 
  5th (or +5) 
   
  15 
  6th  (or 18 ability score) 
  21 
  (7th) 
   
   
  28 
  (8th) 
   
   
  36 
  (9th) 
   
   
  45 
   
  Spells more powerful than 6th level 
  are generally difficult to incorporate 
  into magical items, subject to the 
  discretion of the referee. 
   
  Scrolls 
  A scroll is a temporary magic item that has one or more copies of one or 
  more spells scribed on it.  Any character capable of casting spells from that 
  school normally can also cast spells by reading them off the scroll.  When a 
  scroll spell has a variable effect, such as duration or damage dice per caster 
  level, it always functions at the 6th caster level, regardless of the caster level 
  of the character reading the scroll or the level of the spell written on the 
  scroll.  The cost to make a scroll is 200 guilders times the total number of 
  research levels on the scroll.  For example, a scroll that contains two castings 
  of magic missile and one fire ball has eight total research levels on it, so the 
  cost to make this scroll would be 1,600 gil.  The magic missile spells would 
  fire three missiles each (since a 6th level mage can fire three bullets with that 
  spell), while the fire ball would cause 6d6 damage. 
   
  Potions 
  A potion is a temporary magical item that affects whoever drinks it.  The 
  potion’s drinker is always the target of the spell effect, so certain spells are 
  either impossible or ridiculously dangerous to make in potion form 
  (obviously, spells with an area-based effect cannot ordinarily be cast into 
  potions).  Like a scroll, a potion’s variable spell effects, if any, happen at the 
  6th caster level—but a potion’s duration of effect is nearly always 1d6+6 turns 
  (70 to 120 minutes).  For one dose of a potion, the cost in raw materials is 
  400 guilders times the potion’s research level.  For multiple doses of the 
  same potion, simply multiply the cost in raw materials by the desired 
  number of doses. 
   
   
  
  88 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Wands 
  Another basic type of magical item, a wand is small stick enchanted many 
  times over with the same spell.  A newly created wand has 30 charges, and so 
  it can be used 30 times before it becomes useless.  Spells cast from a wand 
  always function at the 6th caster level, just like spells cast from a scroll.  The 
  cost to make a wand is 3,000 guilders times the research level of the wand’s 
  spell. A wand can be recharged: the cost to do this is 2,000 guilders times the 
  wand’s research level.  A wand can only contain one spell. 
   
  Staffs 
  A magic staff is a longer, heavier stick, similar in size and weight to a quarter 
  staff, enchanted with one or more spell effects.  A magic staff has 40 charges 
  when newly created, although some spell effects might expend more than 
  one charge per use (dividing the spell level by 3 and rounding up is a good 
  guideline).  A staff might also function as a magical weapon, meaning that 
  the item does not become useless after it runs out of charges.  It can also be 
  recharged.  Spells cast from a staff function at the 8th caster level. 
   
  Staffs are complicated magical items.  The cost to make a staff is 5,000 
  guilders times the highest research level cast into the staff, plus 1,000 
  guilders times the total remaining research levels.  If the staff is also to 
  function as a magical weapon, the cost to add a permanent bonus to hit and 
  damage is 4,000 guilders times the research level of the bonus.  Finally, a 
  staff can be recharged for 4,000 guilders times the research level for the 
  highest-level spell cast into the staff. 
   
  If, for example, a character wanted to invent a staff of fire and ice +2, a 
  magical quarter staff +2 that throws 8-die fire balls or ice storms on 
  command, this item would contain a 3rd and a 4th level spell with a +2 
  weapon bonus, so the cost to make the item would be (10 × 5,000) + (6 × 
  1,000) + (3 × 4,000), for a total of 68,000 guilders.  The staff would have 40 
  charges when newly minted, with each fire ball costing 1 charge and each ice 
  storm costing 2 charges.  Once the staff runs out of charges, it serves as an 
  ordinary staff +2, but it can be recharged for 40,000 guilders. 
   
  Note: Some staffs, like the staff of healing, are permanent items rather 
  than charged items.  When creating these kinds of staffs, use the procedures 
  outlined below for miscellaneous items. 
   
  Rods, Rings, and Miscellaneous Items 
  The broadest category of magical items is also the most difficult to reduce to 
  a formula: what follows are merely guidelines to help players and referees set 
  the cost of creating permanent magical items.  Miscellaneous items come in 
  two basic kinds: charged and permanent.  The cost to create such an item 
  varies by the level of the spell cast into the item and how frequently it may be 
  used.  Miscellaneous-type items, rods and rings included, generally cannot 
  contain spells that cause or cure damage (unless they are limited by charges 
  or by how frequently they can be used in a day), or spells that raise the dead 
  or kill (or effectively kill, like sleep and hold person).   
   
  Rings, and those kinds of miscellaneous items that must be worn to be 
  effective, usually carry a permanent or continuous effect that only targets the 
  wearer, so the limitations on these items are often the same as those for 
  
   
   SPELLS AND MAGIC 
  89 
  potions.  When these kinds of magical items are based on spells with variable 
  effects (and this is rare), use a caster level of 8th for rods and rings, and 6th 
  for all other kinds of items.  Rods, like staffs, can double as weapons (a rod 
  counts as a mace) and are sometimes enchanted.  Rings are capable of 
  containing some of the most powerful enchantments, such as protection, 
  regeneration, and sometimes even wishes.  Thus, a rods and rings cost 
  slightly more than other kinds of miscellaneous items.   
   
  When an item provides a flat bonus (such as a ring of protection), the 
  effective spell level is equal to the bonus (so a +3 item is a 3rd level spell, with 
  a research level of 6).  Items that set a particular ability score at 18 (like 
  gauntlets of ogre power) are treated as 6th level spells (research level 21). 
   
  Item Category 
  Base Cost to Create 
  Continuous/use at will 
  10,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use once per turn 
  9,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use once per hour 
  8,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use five times per day 
  7,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use four times per day 
  6,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use three thrice per day 
  5,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use twice per day 
  4,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use once per day 
  3,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use once per week 
  2,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Use once per month 
  1,000 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Per number of charges 
  500 gil. × Total Research Levels 
  Miscellaneous item 
  Base cost × 1 
  Magic rod 
  Base cost × 1.1  
  Magic ring 
  Base cost × 1.2 
   
  Weapons and Armor 
  In addition to wizards, sages, and bards, dwarf lords are capable of creating 
  magical weapons and armor.  A magical weapon provides a bonus to hit and 
  damage rolls.  Magical armor grants a bonus to a character’s Armor/Defense 
  Class.  These items are also sometimes enchanted with other magical effects. 
   
  To enchant a weapon, a shield, or a suit of armor, the spell-caster must 
  first procure or craft the item itself, and this item must be of the very highest 
  quality.  Then the research and enchantment process can begin. 
   
  The cost to enchant a magical weapon with a bonus that applies all the 
  time is 4,000 guilders times the research level for the bonus.  For a caster 
  between 9th and 14th levels, a weapon cannot be given a bonus higher than 
  +3.  A caster must be 15th level in order to make a +4 weapon and 26th level 
  to make a +5 weapon.  Some weapons also have an added bonus that only 
  affects certain kinds of monsters.  In this case, the cost for the extra bonus is 
  2,000 guilders times the difference in research levels. 
   
  The cost to enchant a shield or a suit of armor is equal to the research 
  level for the bonus times 2,000 guilders.  The maximum possible bonus is +3 
  until the researcher surpasses 14th level. 
   
  Ammunition (arrows, bolts, bullets, etc.) can be enchanted, though it 
  only holds its enchantment until fired.  Because the spell is temporary, 
  magical ammunition is much cheaper to make: an ordinary piece of 
  
  90 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  ammunition (an arrow +1, for example) costs 100 gil. times the research 
  level to make.  If a part of the bonus only applies to certain creatures, the 
  extra cost is halved (50 gil. times the difference in research levels for the two 
  bonuses).  So, for example, a bullet +2, +3 vs. lycanthropes would cost 450 
  gil. to make: 300 gil. to make it +2 and another 150 gil. for the extra +1 vs. 
  lycanthropes.  (An ordinary bullet +3 would cost 600 gil.)  Note that when 
  magical ammunition is fired by a magical missile weapon, the bonuses to hit 
  and damage do not stack; apply only the better bonus. 
   
  When a weapon or piece of armor is enchanted with an extra magical 
  talent (such as producing light), use the rules for miscellaneous items above, 
  deciding whether the effect is based on temporary charges and can only be 
  used a few times, or permanent (whether continuous, at will, useable a 
  certain number of times per day).  Usually, the caster must know a spell 
  similar to the effect that he wants to enchant into the item, but the referee 
  may waive this rule in particular cases (such as a dwarf lord who wants to 
  create a flaming axe). 
   
  Large-Scale Magical Items 
  Wizards, sages, and bards are able to create constructs (like golems) and 
  even bigger items, like magical airships or enchanted castles—but only after 
  they reach 15th level.  The cost to make a construct is 2,000 guilders times its 
  Hit Dice, plus an extra 5,000 guilders for each special magical ability it has.  
  For large-scale items, the cost is trickier, but as a general guideline, just find 
  its volume in cubic feet and multiply that by 1,000 guilders.  This is the cost 
  of the frame.  Then, for every special magical effect that the large-scale item 
  is capable of, add 3,000 guilders per research level of the effect. 
   
  Limiting Magic Item Creation 
  The rules in this section can be played up to their fullest or simply hand-
  waved and ignored, at the preference of the referee.  It all depends on how 
  easy or difficult the referee wants magical item creation to be.  It’s possible 
  that the player characters could be permitted to simply deduct the 
  appropriate costs for raw materials from their character sheets, roll their 
  item creation checks, and succeed or fail on that basis alone.  But then again, 
  the referee might prefer to go into more detail. 
   
  Necessary Components: Some items might require a rare 
  component which could be the object of an entire adventure of and in itself.  
  Maybe a phoenix feather is required to make a wand of fire.  Perhaps 
  weapons and armor can only be enchanted with a maximum bonus of +1, 
  unless some mythrill (for +2 items) or adamant (for +3 items) can be found.  
  A sword that deals extra damage against lycanthropes probably needs certain 
  quantities of silver and belladonna.  Whatever the components are, they 
  should relate in some way to the magical item—and, of course, they should 
  be difficult or dangerous to obtain. 
   
  Fantastic Components: Creating a particularly powerful item might 
  require the character to go questing for a list of components that don’t make 
  any literal sense: an ounce of courage, the tears of a forest, bright darkness.  
  Each of these kinds of components is a riddle or a puzzle, and collecting 
  them will require creativity, ingenuity, and a little magical know-how. 
  
  91 
   
   
   
   
  V 
   
   
  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
   
   
  ECHS AND GNOMES are able to build fantastic devices that do many   
    of the same things that magic spells do. Of course, technology is 
    rather more delicate than magic. It’s also dirty and rickety and heavy 
  and not at all elegant.  But it’s hard to get rid of.  Something done with 
  science tends to stay done, since one can’t just wave a magic wand and dispel 
  the laws of nature.  Maybe enchantments can break, but the laws of physics 
  usually don’t!  What’s more, the effects of technology can’t be divined out 
  with a detect magic spell or prevented by anti-magic.   
  TECHNICAL DEGREES 
  Magicians learn spells, which are the formulas that unlock their magic 
  powers. Technologists learn technical degrees, broad scientific concepts that 
  allow them to build certain kinds of devices.  Each degree describes one or 
  more devices which can be built by the tech who knows the degree. 
  Learning a degree is easier than learning a spell.  Magic-users have to 
  hunt down copies of the spells that they want to learn, and then they have to 
  spend several days copying them into spell-books; but, over time, magic-
  users can build up large collections of spells.  Things are entirely different for 
  techs and gnomes. These characters automatically start the game with one 
  technical degree, drawn from their primary technical field.  Thereafter, new 
  degrees are learned automatically by going up in level, as shown on the tech’s 
  progression table on page 30.  
  Each degree belongs to one of three fields of technology: biology, 
  chemistry, or physics.  A 1st level technologist character chooses one of these 
  fields as primary.  Upon reaching 2nd level, another choice is made to 
  determine which of the remaining fields will be counted as secondary and 
  tertiary.  These decisions essentially fix the order in which the tech will learn 
  all of the degrees in the game, according to the tech advancement table. 
  DEVICES 
  Devices are the temporary technological items that techs are able to build 
  using the knowledge from their degrees.  A device is a small, lightweight, 
  very fragile item that does one specific thing.  A device can be used once, and 
  then it is destroyed, rather like a potion or a scroll.  Damaging the tech in 
  combat will not prevent the use of a device—because activating a device does 
  not require the same level of concentration as casting a spell.   
  T
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Only the tech or gnome who actually built the device can activate it.  If a 
  device is somehow given to another character, even if that other character is 
  also a tech or a gnome, it will be completely useless. 
   
  Preparing Devices 
  Just like spells, devices must be prepared each day, prior to the adventure.  
  Before a tech can use his items, he has to build them!  All techs have a fixed 
  number of “devices per day” which limits how many devices the tech can 
  have completed at any one time.   
  At the beginning of each game day, the tech’s player must decide how to 
  allocate his daily devices.  Once the tech has selected his devices for the day, 
  he must spend one hour building them.  When this process is complete, he 
  has a full arsenal of useful (but fragile) items which can be carried with him 
  on an adventure and used over the course of that day.   
  Devices aren’t permanent, and after twenty-four hours have passed, they 
  will all cease to function, so a tech cannot save up his old devices from day to 
  day.  But after a full night’s rest, the tech’s creative inspiration and 
  intellectual stamina are renewed, and he can return to his raw materials (and 
  yesterday’s useless, disassembled devices) to build all new devices for that 
  day. 
   
  Activating Devices 
  In game terms, activating a device is very similar to casting a spell.  (In many 
  ways, it’s a lot like casting a spell from a scroll, since it is ultimately a matter 
  of the tech using a one-shot item to produce a special effect.)  The tech 
  simply selects one of his devices and activates it, invoking the effect and 
  consuming the device.  Like a spell, a device takes effect on the “magic” 
  phase of the combat sequence, after missile-fire but before hand-to-hand 
  combat.  However, unlike a spell, dealing damage to the tech will not ruin the 
  device or prevent its functioning.  The tech is usually allowed to move (one-
  third his full speed, just as if he were making an ordinary attack) and activate 
  a device in the same round. 
   
   
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  93 
  Jury-Rigs 
  Techs have to prepare their devices ahead of time, just as spell-casters must 
  memorize their spells.  But, once a tech or gnome reaches 4th level, he can 
  attempt to jury-rig a device once per day, using up a prepared device to 
  produce some other technological effect. The whole process of disassembling 
  an old device, jury-rigging it for a new effect, and activating the rig takes only 
  one round; but it also takes a lot of concentration. Damaging the tech won’t 
  disrupt the process, but the tech isn’t allowed to move while jury-rigging, 
  and he automatically loses the initiative that round.  The jury-rig must be 
  activated on the round that it is built, or it will fail to function.  Both the 
  original device and the jury-rigged effect must belong to the same field of 
  science (e.g. a biology device can only be used to jury-rig a biology effect, not 
  a chemistry or physics effect).  A tech might sometimes want to jury-rig a 
  prepared device into a reversed or alternate form of a device from the very 
  same technical degree.  This is permitted when a degree has multiple effects, 
  and it stipulates that those effects are chosen “when the device is prepared”.   
   
  When the technologist character reaches 15th level, he can jury-rig two 
  devices per day.  After 26th level, a technologist can jury-rig three devices in 
  one day. 
   
  Saving Throw Modifiers 
  The tech’s or gnome’s Intelligence score determines how powerful his 
  devices are.  Whenever the tech activates a device that allows the target or 
  targets to make a saving throw, the tech character’s Intelligence adjustment 
  also affects that roll, in exactly the same way that a spell-caster’s Wisdom or 
  Charisma affects an enemy’s save vs. magic.  A technologist’s Intelligence 
  bonus imposes an equivalent penalty on targets’ saving throws, while an 
  Intelligence penalty grants targets an equivalent bonus. 
   
  The Portable Lab 
  Magicians have their spell-books, and technologists have their traveling labs.  
  Every technologist carries around a collection of parts, tools, chemicals, and 
  assorted junk which can be continually assembled and reassembled into new 
  devices, day in and day out over the course of the tech’s adventures.  The 
  portable lab always weighs 2 stone, and this weight covers all of the tech’s 
  unused raw materials plus all of the devices that the tech has assembled that 
  day.  Using up devices will not reduce the weight of the portable lab, because 
  techs are always recycling parts and scavenging more junk to add to their 
  stockpile of raw materials.  The tech doesn’t need to pay anything to 
  purchase his portable lab—it’s assumed that he starts the game with it—but 
  the referee may require the tech to pay a small upkeep (anywhere from 10 to 
  60 guilders per month) to keep his lab well-stocked with useful parts and 
  chemicals that can’t be scavenged from junk-heaps. 
   
  Devices and Magic 
  Some monsters are immune to magic of a certain level or lower.  When this is 
  the case, immunity also applies to technical devices of that degree or lower.  
  A monster immune to all magic of 3rd level and lower is also immune to all 
  technology of 3rd degree and lower.  Technology is not magic, however, and 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  so it cannot be detected, dispelled, or negated by anti-magic.  For all cases 
  other than spell immunity, when the effects of a technical device must be 
  equated to a spell level, cut the device’s degree in half and round up—e.g. a 
  9th degree device is considered equal in power to a 5th level spell. 
   
  Just like arcane magic, certain offensive technological items cause one 
  die of damage per level of the tech using the device, viz. combustion bomb, 
  corrosive acid, electric induction, and flash freeze.  These devices can cause 
  no more than twelve dice of damage (for a 12th level technologist), beyond 
  which they increase their damage at a rate of one damage die per three 
  technologist levels.  This means that a technologist must be 15th level to cause 
  thirteen dice of damage with such devices, 18th level to cause fourteen dice of 
  damage, and so forth, to a maximum of twenty damage dice at 36th level. 
  TECHNOLOGY AND THE WORLD 
  In the timeframe described by the Engines & Empires game (the 19th century 
  of the Third Age of Gaia), the world is undergoing an industrial and scientific 
  revolution.  By the time humans arrived and began to build kingdoms of 
  their own, the elves and the dwarves had already achieved a medieval level of 
  technology, and gnomish natural philosophy was approaching renaissance 
  levels.  Humans learned from the faerie-folk, and their technology got 
  something of a jumpstart. Gaia is now more scientifically advanced in some 
  ways than Earth was in the 20th century. 
   
  Nevertheless, it’s important for referees and players alike to maintain 
  the “Victorian gaslight” atmosphere of the setting.  Even if the technology 
  can do things we can’t dream of yet, like fire a plasma blast or teleport 
  somebody around the world, it has to feel clunky, clockwork, steam-
  powered, and above all, pre-electronic.  Never mind how real-world science 
  works: in a role-playing game, high tech items are nothing more than spells 
  and magical items with the serial numbers filed off.  What matters is that the 
  items feel like science (even if it has to be mad science), and that all of the 
  players and the referee have 19th century gaslight firmly in mind when 
  describing what an item looks like, what it does, and how it works. 
   
  TECHNICAL DEGREES BY FIELD 
   
   
  Biology 
  Chemistry 
  Physics 
   
  1 
  Herbal Healer 
  Chemical Smoke 
  Ballistic Projectile 
  2  
  Stimulant/Depressant 
  Psychotropic Compound 
  Optic Flash 
  3  
  Pheromones 
  Metallic Alloy 
  Magnetic Field 
  4  
  Growth/Reduction 
  Explosive Combustion 
  Kinetic Engine  
  5  
  Cellular Transparency 
  Toxin/Antitoxin 
  Flight/Submersion 
  6  
  Vile Venom 
  Corrosive Acid 
  Electric Induction 
  7  
  Ectoplasmic Distillate 
  Adhesive/Lubricant 
  Sonic Vibration  
  8  
  Disease/Vaccine 
  Flash Freeze 
  Holo-Projection 
  9  
  Wonder Drug 
  Polymer Plastic 
  Radio Telegraphy 
  10  Genetic Mutation 
  Protonic Solvent 
  Analytic Engine 
  11 
  Tissue Reanimation 
  Crystal Lattice 
  Gravitational Field 
  12  Tissue Regeneration 
  Radioactive Plasma 
  Quantum Shift 
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  95 
   
   
   
  BIOLOGY DEGREES 
   
  Most biology devices take the form of some pharmaceutical drug which must 
  be either ingested or injected.  An ingested drug can only be applied to a 
  willing target (and then only by the tech character), while an injection can be 
  given to either a willing or an unwilling target—but injecting an unwilling 
  target requires a mêlée attack roll against the target’s Armor/Defense Class.   
   
  Herbal Healer [1st Degree] 
  This device usually takes the form of a syringe with a ready-to-inject dose of 
  the herbal drug.  The herbal healer will stimulate cell regeneration and wipe 
  away fatigue, restoring 2d4 lost hit points to any one damaged living 
  creature.  If the target is at 0 hit points and wounded, the herbal healer will 
  stabilize the character and restore him to 1 hit point.  It has no effect 
  whatsoever on dead bodies, including undead—unlike magical healing spells, 
  this will not damage undead monsters, and neither will it cure them. 
   
  Higher-level techs can create more efficient herbal healers.  For every 
  six levels above the 1st, a tech can create a healer that restores another three 
  dice of damage: 5d4 at 7th level, 8d4 at 13th level, 11d4 at 19th level, 14d4 at 
  25th level, and 17d4 at 31st level. 
  If the tech so chooses, he can instead prepare the baleful opposite of the 
  herbal healer, which is the harmful herbal.  This device (it must be chosen 
  when the tech builds his device, not simply when he activates it) has the 
  same effect as the healer, but in reverse: it will cause 2d4 damage, plus 3d4 
  damage per six levels the tech has above 1st.  Note, though, that if this device 
  is going to be used in combat, the harmful herbal must be injected into the 
  victim, which requires a normal mêlée attack roll to hit the victim’s Armor/ 
  Defense Class—and furthermore, the victim is allowed to save for half 
  damage.  The harmful herbal has no effect on undead. 
   
   
   
  
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  Stimulant/Depressant [2nd Degree] 
  This device takes the form of an injected drug which can be applied to one 
  target.  The tech must decide when building the device whether it will 
  contain a dose of stimulant or depressant. 
   
  Stimulant: This substance makes the target stronger and faster for a 
  short length of time.  For one turn, the subject has Strength and Dexterity 
  scores of 18 and moves at an additional 60’ (20’).  At the beginning of the 
  following turn, one of these three effects wears off at random, and the other 
  two effects persist for the rest of that turn.  On the third turn, only one effect 
  from the stimulant remains, again random.  At the end of three turns, the 
  drug wears off completely. 
   
  Depressant: This substance has the opposite effect of the stimulant.  
  For one turn, the subject’s Strength and Dexterity scores are reduced to 3, 
  and his base movement rate is reduced by 60’ (20’), to a minimum of 30’ 
  (10’).  The subject will recover from one of these three debilitating effects 
  after a turn has passed; from two of them after two turns; and completely 
  after three turns.  Which effects wear off when is chosen by the referee or at 
  random. 
   
  Pheromones [3rd Degree] 
  There are two versions of this device. The tech must decide which one he will 
  use when building the device. 
  Animal Scent: This device, once activated, releases a powerful cocktail 
  of airborne hormones and scent markers.  Any animals or magical beasts 
  (but not undead, plant monsters, oozes, elementals, or similarly unusual 
  creatures) within 90 yards of the source of the pheromones will be drawn 
  there to investigate.  Once they arrive in the area, most creatures are agitated 
  and ready to either fight or mate—but probably fight.  This effect will last for 
  approximately half an hour. 
  Attractive Perfume: An alternative version of the pheromones device, 
  this can be applied to a single humanoid target.  When used in this manner, 
  all other humanoids (including demihumans, giant humanoids, and 
  monstrous humanoids) will perceive the affected target as if that person had 
  a Charisma of 18, granting the target a +3 bonus to all reaction rolls made for 
  other humanoids.  This version of the pheromones effect lasts for one hour. 
   
  Growth/Reduction [4th Degree] 
  This device can produce a drug which, when injected into a living creature, 
  will either cause that creature to grow to double its size, or shrink to half its 
  size.  The tech must decide when building the device which effect to use. 
   
  Growth: This substance will double the size (and also the damage, 
  speed, and encumbrance limit/maximum load) of any living thing for three 
  turns. 
   
  Reduction: The opposite of growth, this substance will halve the size 
  (and damage, speed, and encumbrance limit/maximum load) of the affected 
  creature for three turns.  A mêlée to-hit roll against the target’s ordinary 
  Armor/Defense Class is required to inject a target against its will.  Growth 
  and reduction injections will counter and cancel each other out. 
   
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  97 
  Cellular Transparency [5th Degree] 
  This device injects the subject with a pigment-altering compound that 
  renders the cellular structure of living beings entirely transparent.  Within 
  seconds, the skin and blood vessels become translucent, while bones and 
  muscles take on the sheen of quicksilver.  Inside of one round, these 
  structures also become invisible, rendering the subject impossible to see 
  except by indirect means (such as footprints).  The compound even secretes 
  from the subject’s pores, bending light around clothes and equipment.  The 
  transparency effect can persist indefinitely, so long as the subject remains 
  entirely calm and free from exertion—but the compound starts to break 
  down if even the slightest bit of adrenaline enters the subject’s bloodstream, 
  so the effect is cancelled if the subject takes any aggressive action (such as 
  attacking another, be it with a weapon or a device). 
   
  Vile Venom [6th Degree] 
  This nasty cocktail of natural poisons can be made to dispense as a vapor, or 
  it can take the form of a concentrated liquid injection.  The vapor will fill a 
  50’ x 50’ area and affect all living creatures within that space that fail a 
  saving throw.  The liquid will only affect a single target (and a roll to hit the 
  target in mêlée is required); but when used in concentrated form, the subject 
  saves at a -4 penalty. 
   
  The venom will simultaneously inflict blindness, nausea, confusion, 
  sleep, and paralysis, though each of these effects only persists for 3d6 rounds 
  (and monsters with 4+1 hit dice or more are immune to the sleep effect).  
  The venom also causes damage as a weak poison: for every round that the 
  other debilitating effects persist, the affected target also takes 1d3 points of 
  damage. 
   
  Ectoplasmic Distillate [7th Degree] 
  This device has two versions, chosen when the tech builds it.  The first is a 
  consumed drug; the second is a topical application. 
   
  Drinking this pseudo-mystical distillate will enhance the target’s natural 
  parapsychological prowess, bestowing ESP (as the arcane spell) for 1d6+6 
  turns. 
   
  The bodily application of the distillate is even stranger—the subject will 
  actually become incorporeal, similar to a gaseous form effect, again for 
  1d6+6 turns.  However, the subject is not entirely without substance—
  whenever the incorporeal individual passes through a solid object, he will 
  leave behind a telltale residue of ectoplasmic slime. 
   
  Disease/Vaccine [8th Degree] 
  This device allows a tech to whip up a nasty virus to use as a bio-weapon, or 
  to cure nearly any kind of natural disease.  The tech must choose when 
  building the device whether it will cause disease or cure it with vaccine.  The 
  effects of the disease and vaccine devices are identical to the divine spells 
  cause disease and cure disease.  Vaccine even has the capacity to destroy 
  green slime and to remove mummy rot or lycanthropy.  
   
   
  
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  Wonder Drug [9th Degree] 
  This marvelous panacea combines certain effects of the heal and restoration 
  spells.  The wonder drug will wipe away any and all debilitating status 
  effects, including blindness, poison, disease, feeblemind, fatigue, etc., and it 
  will also restore any lost points of Strength, Constitution, or any other ability 
  scores which have been drained away (such as by the touch of a shadow, 
  wight, wraith, etc.).  The wonder drug does not restore any lost hit points, 
  however, and it will not have any effect whatsoever on undead. 
   
  Genetic Mutation [10th Degree] 
  This powerful mutagen will completely rewrite the subject’s DNA, instantly 
  transforming the subject into a new species.  (The particular species may be 
  any sort of creature, natural or magical, but it must be chosen by the tech 
  when the device is built, not as it is activated.) The effect of the genetic 
  mutation is essentially identical to a polymorph, whether directed at oneself 
  or others, and all of the usual guidelines and restrictions apply—except that 
  in order to use the genetic mutation, an injection is required, so in order to 
  polymorph an unwilling subject, a mêlée attack roll is required (in addition 
  to the subject’s usual saving throw).   
   
  Since this effect is not magical, it cannot be countered with dispel 
  magic.  However, unlike a polymorph spell, a genetic mutation is somewhat 
  unstable, and therefore it is not entirely permanent.  After one day has 
  passed, there is a 1-in-20 chance that the subject’s DNA will spontaneously 
  revert to its original state, thereby reversing the mutation and ending the 
  effect.  On every subsequent day, there is a further (non-cumulative) 1-in-20 
  chance that the effects of the mutation will end. 
   
  Tissue Reanimation [11th Degree] 
  This device will actually restore life to dead tissue—but the tissue 
  reanimation injection can be prepared in one of two ways.  It can either 
  restore a single dead body completely to life, as per raise dead, or it can 
  animate several corpses and force them to serve the tech, as per animate 
  dead.  The particular effect must be chosen by the tech when the device is 
  prepared. 
   
  Tissue Regeneration [12th Degree] 
  This device will stimulate cellular growth to an incredible degree, affecting 
  one injected target just like a regenerate spell.  Severed body parts will 
  reattach in one round, or grow back completely in 2d4 turns; and for the 
  duration of 2d4 turns, the subject will rapidly recover hit points at a rate of 1 
  hp per round. 
   
  If a dead body is injected with two doses of tissue regeneration before 
  adding one dose tissue reanimation, the effect will be identical to a 
  resurrection spell, completely restoring the dead individual to life and full 
  health. 
   
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  99 
   
   
  CHEMISTRY DEGREES 
   
  The devices in the Chemistry field usually take the form of some chemical 
  compound, metallurgic reagent, or vaporous cloud.  A substance can be 
  ingested, injected, splattered, smeared, or simply released into the air—
  depending on the particular device.  Many Chemistry devices take the form 
  of a grenade, which must be thrown at a target area (range increment 10’) by 
  making a to-hit roll against AC 9/DC 12. 
   
  Chemical Smoke [1st Degree] 
  A chemical smoke device is a canister or bomb that produces a cloud of thick, 
  opaque, billowing smoke, possibly with a timed-release activation mech-
  anism.  The cloud is 5’ high, 10’ deep, and 10’ wide for every level of the tech.  
  (So a 10th level tech, for example, can produce a 50’ high cloud that covers an 
  area 100’ feet square.)  All creatures immersed in the smoke cloud are 
  effectively blinded, and furthermore, each has to roll a saving throw or suffer 
  the effects of smoke inhalation: 1 hit point of damage for every round they 
  remain the cloud, and a -2 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws from the 
  coughing and nausea.  The smoke cloud will dissipate after 3 turns have 
  passed. 
   
  Psychotropic Compound [2nd Degree] 
  This versatile degree allows the tech to induce one of several effects in a 
  group of targets, ranging from confusion to sleep.  The particular effect is 
  chosen by the tech when the device is built, drawn from the following list 
  (other effects of similar power levels may be allowed, at the referee’s option): 
   
  Confusion: Targets in the area must roll a saving throw or contract 
  temporary insanity.  At random, a confused target will wander aimlessly, 
  stand still and do nothing, attack any nearby enemies recklessly, or attack his 
  own allies. 
   
  Fear: Targets in the area must save or flee in terror. 
   
  Hallucination: Targets in the area have to roll a saving throw, or 
  they’ll begin to hallucinate, seeing things that aren’t there.  The referee 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  determines the exact nature of the hallucinations.  Affected targets perceive 
  them as reality and act accordingly. 
   
  Knockout: This effect is similar to the sleep spell, except that it affects 
  all targets in the area with up to 8 hit dice.  All targets affected by the gas are 
  permitted a saving throw to negate the effects.  Any creature with more than 
  4 hit dice gets a +4 bonus on its save against the knockout effect. 
   
  Regardless of the specific effect, psychotropic compound is usually built 
  into a gas canister that disperses into a 30’ diameter cloud, triggered by 
  whatever mechanical means the tech can devise.  The effect lasts for three 
  turns.  Undead, constructs, and other creatures that don’t breathe are always 
  immune to the effects of the compound. 
   
  Metallic Alloy [3rd Degree] 
  Metallic alloy is a chemical reagent that can be applied to any one weapon, 
  shield, or suit of armor, or to 20 pieces of ammunition, thereby enhancing 
  the item for the span of three turns (30 minutes).  The best alloy available to 
  the tech depends on the tech’s level: 
   
  Stainless Steel: A 3rd level tech can make stainless steel.  This 
  substance temporarily transforms equipment into equipment +1.  Weapons 
  and ammunition add this bonus to their hit and damage, and they acquire 
  the ability to damage magical creatures normally vulnerable only to silver or 
  magical weapons.  Armor and shields add the bonus to AC/DC. 
   
  Metallurgic Mythrill: A 7th level tech can make metallurgic mythrill.  
  This substance temporarily grants ordinary equipment a +2 bonus. 
   
  Alchemical Adamant: An 11th level tech can make this substance, the 
  most powerful of all the metallic alloys—it temporarily turns ordinary 
  equipment into equipment +3 for the duration of the effect. 
   
  Any metallic alloy can also be applied to 10 square feet of surface area, 
  temporarily increasing its hardness.  A surface coated in stainless steel can 
  take an extra 10 hit points of damage before breaking.  For metallurgic 
  mythrill, the number is 20 hit points; and for alchemical adamant, 30 hit 
  points.   
   
  N.B., an inventor must have this degree in order to make permanent +1 
  or better weapons and armor. 
   
  Explosive Combustion [4th Degree] 
  This device usually takes the form of a grenade or a bomb set on some kind 
  of trigger (proximity, trip-wire, remote detonator, or timer) determined by 
  the tech when the device is built.  When it goes off, explosive combustion 
  creates a 20’ radius fiery burst of flame and shrapnel that causes 1d6 points 
  of damage per level of the tech.  Targets in the area can save for half damage.  
  Multiple combustion bombs going off in the same place at the same time do 
  not increase the damage dealt, thought multiple bombs could be timed or 
  trigged to go off all at once to cover a larger volume of space. 
   
  Toxin/Antidote [5th Degree] 
   A tech with this degree knows how to make a number of inorganic poisons, 
  as well as an all-purpose antitoxin.  Devices made with this degree take the 
  form of an injector containing one dose of the described chemical substance. 
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  101 
   
  Paralytic: This toxin causes severe muscle seizures resulting in 
  paralysis for 4d4 turns.  The target is allowed a saving throw to negate the 
  effect, but the save comes at a -4 penalty. 
   
  Fast-Acting Toxin: This substance will cause immediate death to any 
  injected target that fails a save vs. poison.  (The referee may disallow this 
  device if he does not use deadly poisons in his campaign; or he can simply 
  change this device so that it instantly causes 1d6 points of damage per level 
  of the tech, with a saving throw for half damage.)  
   
  Slow-Acting Toxin: This substance causes the target 1d6 points of 
  damage each round, for a number of rounds equal to the tech’s level.  A 
  target that makes a saving throw takes reduced damage, only 1d4 points per 
  round. 
   
  Antidote: This substance neutralizes any poison, curing all damage 
  caused by poison within the last 10 rounds, even to the point of reviving 
  somebody “killed” by poison not more than 10 rounds ago. 
   
   
   
  Corrosive Acid [6th Degree] 
  A device built with this degree can splash a highly concentrated acid in all 
  directions, covering a circular area with a 15’ radius.  Anything hit by the acid 
  takes 1d4 points of damage per level of the tech, for two consecutive rounds.  
  The second round of damage is negated for any targets that make a saving 
  throw.  Corrosive acid can also be used to eat through wood or thin metal, 
  although stone is usually unaffected by the substance. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Adhesive/Lubricant [7th Degree] 
  This device will squirt a layer of either adhesive or lubricant on a 20’ x 20’ 
  area.  (The tech must choose which effect at the time the device is built.)   
   
  Adhesive is an extremely sticky glue which can bond any two substances 
  together for up to twenty-four hours.  The bond is strong enough to suspend 
  35 stone (about 500 lbs.) of weight.  When used in combat, the adhesive can 
  be sprayed onto the ground, where it will stick all creatures to the ground for 
  at least one round.  After that, creatures in the area must roll Strength checks 
  at a -4 penalty in order to move, and they need to roll saving throws (also at a 
  -4 penalty) in order to drop an item, throw a missile weapon, fire a bow and 
  arrow, etc. 
   
  Lubricant has the opposite effect of adhesive: the lubricant is extremely 
  slick, and when sprayed on an area, nothing has any traction.  Creatures in 
  the area that try to move must roll a saving throw or fall prone, and they 
  must roll again in order to stand up.  Any creature that enters a lubricated 
  area must save or fall down, and if the creature enters the area at running 
  speed, that creature must save at -4 or fall prone and go skidding in the 
  direction he was running out to the maximum distance of his running speed 
  (such as 120’ for an unencumbered human)! 
   
  Flash Freeze [8th Degree] 
  The tech can build a liquid nitrogen container that either damages enemies 
  with cold or fills a volume of space with solid ice.  The tech chooses the 
  particular effect when building the device. 
   
  Icy Burst: This device explodes like a bomb in a 20’ radius sphere.  All 
  targets in the area of effect take 1d6 points of cold damage per level of the 
  tech, though they can save for half damage. 
   
  Solid Ice: This device fills any empty space with solid ice.  The exact 
  shape and direction taken by the ice as it moves to fill the area are chosen by 
  the tech when the device is activated.  This device can create 10 cubic feet of 
  ice for each level of the tech.  The ice will not form in mid-air, nor can it 
  solidify around living creatures to encase them—but a wall of solid ice will 
  block sight and passage.  The ice will remain in place for two hours, unless 
  very cold or very warm weather would extend or shorten the duration. 
   
  Polymer Plastic [9th Degree] 
  This device produces enough amorphous, semi-solid plastic to fill one 10’ x 
  10’ x 10’ cubic volume per three levels of the tech.  For every 1’ of thickness, 
  the plastic is strong enough to support 35 stone of weight and can withstand 
  5 points of damage, so a 10’ thick mass of the plastic can hold up a 350 st 
  object and it could take 50 points of damage before being completely 
  destroyed.  The plastic can take damage from weapons and most spells, but 
  it is immune to electrical damage.  The plastic need not be created in a solid 
  mass; it can take whatever shape the tech desires.  The substance itself is too 
  light and elastic to make an effective weapon of any kind. 
   
  Alternatively, this device can produce a stretchy, tacky rope—100’ feet of 
  length per three levels of the tech.  (This function of the device may be 
  chosen at the time when it is activated and need not be preselected when the 
  device is built.)  The rope has similar properties to the shaped mass of 
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  103 
  plastic: it is immune to electrical damage, but each strand can be destroyed 
  by only 1 point of damage.  Despite the thinness of the rope, a single strand 
  can support 35 st of weight before breaking, though it will stretch to nearly 
  double its length when doing so.  (If a dose of adhesive is added to this 
  version of the polymer plastic, it becomes possible to create an extremely 
  sticky variety of rope that behaves much like a web spell!) 
   
  The polymer plastic is rapidly degradable—it will last for about six 
  hours, and then it dissolves away completely. 
   
  Protonic Solvent [10th Degree] 
  This device produces a single dose of a highly reactive substance which will 
  dissolve 1 cubic foot of nearly any solid material.  It eats through wood and 
  cloth instantly, most kinds of stone and metal in one turn, mythrill in three 
  turns, and adamant or diamond in six turns.  Adhesive, lubricant, and 
  polymer plastic are all destroyed instantly by the protonic solvent, and even 
  crystal lattice will be eaten away in an hour.  When thrown at a living being, 
  the solvent will cause 6d10 damage to that creature (a saving throw is 
  allowed for half damage), and anyone else within a 5’ radius of the target 
  must also save or take 1d10 damage from the splash. 
   
  Crystal Lattice [11th Degree] 
  This device will generate an expanding block of ultra-hard carbon crystal, as 
  durable as diamond.  The crystal lattice will expand to fill a volume of 1,000 
  cubit feet (one 10’ x 10’ x 10’ volume) for every two levels of the tech.  The 
  crystal will expand to fill in open spaces, but it will not occupy any space 
  where a solid body already rests, nor will it encase a living creature.  
  (Instead, it will gently but quickly push all living creatures and small objects 
  out of the path of its expansion.)  The crystalline mass can take on any shape 
  the tech desires, though it can only form at rest and on a reasonably level 
  surface.  For every 1’ of thickness, the crystal can withstand 60 hit points of 
  damage before shattering, so a 10’ thick slab of the crystal can take up to 600 
  hit points of damage.  The crystal lattice is a permanent substance—once 
  created, the crystal will remain in place indefinitely, unless it is destroyed. 
   
  Radioactive Plasma [12th Degree] 
  This powerful device allows the tech to create a tiny sun that flares brightly 
  with the heat and radiation of nuclear fusion, before suddenly burning out.  
  The device takes the form of an emitter which fires a ray or beam out to any 
  point within 240’ of the tech.  Once fired, the beam will initiate a fusion 
  reaction centered on the targeted point.  On that round, a 10’ radius area is 
  filled with white-hot plasma, and all creatures in the area take 3d12 points of 
  damage, with no saving throw allowed.  On the second round, the area 
  expands to cover a 20’ radius, and the damage is dealt again—everything in 
  this new area (including those creatures already caught by the initial fusion) 
  takes 3d12 damage.  On the third round, the area expands again, out to a 40’ 
  radius, and everything within this area takes a final 3d12 damage.   
   
   
  
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  After the third round, the fusion reaction ends and the plasma 
  evaporates away, but another effect still lingers.  Any creature damaged by 
  the plasma must now roll a saving throw or else contract severe radiation 
  sickness.  This fast-acting disease will kill in 1d4 hours unless treated by 
  some kind of cure disease or vaccine effect. 
   
   
   
  PHYSICS DEGREES 
   
  Nearly all of the devices described by the physics degrees are mechanical 
  contraptions that utilize one or more of the natural physical forces—light, 
  magnetism, electricity, inertia, gravity, etc.  Physics degrees are extremely 
  important, because they are necessary for any tech character who wants to 
  build permanent machines and vehicles after reaching 9th level and 
  becoming an inventor.  The kinetic engine degree is required to build most 
  powered vehicles, for example, while flight/ submersion is needed before the 
  tech can try to build an airship or a submersible.   
   
   
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  105 
  Ballistic Projectile [1st Degree] 
  This mechanical contraption can be pointed like a gun to fire a burst of high-
  velocity projectiles at all the targets in a 10’ x 10’ area, anywhere within a 150’ 
  range of the tech.  The attack deals 1d8 points of damage to all targets in the 
  area, but each one can save for half damage.  As the tech goes up in levels, 
  the ballistic projectile device deals more damage and targets a wider area.  
  For every five levels after the first, another die of damage is added and the 
  device can strafe another 10’ of width—so that a 6th level tech can cause 2d8 
  damage in a 10’ x 20’ rectangle; at 11th level, the tech can cause 3d8 damage 
  in a 10’ by 30’ rectangle; and so on. 
   
  Optic Flash [2nd Degree] 
  This device contains a powerful light-bulb which, once activated, will shine 
  continuously for one hour per level of the tech, casting light in a 60’ cone in 
  whichever direction the tech points the device.  At any time while this device 
  is still active, the tech can press an extra button on the device which will 
  cause the bulb to burn brightly for just an instant—the optic flash.  All 
  creatures within the 60’ cone of light must then roll a saving throw or be 
  blinded for 1d4 turns.  However, using the device’s flash function will 
  immediately burn out the bulb and end the ordinary light effect. 
   
  Alternatively, the tech can use this degree to prepare a photographic 
  camera which is far more advanced than the usual daguerreotyping 
  techniques most commonly used the E&E world.  This version of the optic 
  flash device will take ten snapshots and develop them instantly, though the 
  images remain sepia-toned rather than in color.   
   
   
   
  
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  Magnetic Field [3rd Degree] 
  This device generates a powerful magnetic field around the tech who 
  activates it.  At the time the device is activated (not when it is built), the tech 
  can choose to set the field polarity to “attract” or “repel”.   
  A repulsive magnetic field acts as a kind of defensive shield around the 
  tech.  Ballistic projectiles automatically cause no damage to the tech, and the 
  tech’s Armor/Defense Class is improved by +4 against all weapon attacks.  
  The tech also gains a +2 bonus to save against electrical attacks, and the 
  damage caused by such attacks is reduced by 1 hit point per damage die.  
  This version of the magnetic field will last for one turn per three levels of the 
  tech (two turns at 6th level, three turns at 9th level, etc.). 
  An attractive magnetic field has a more peculiar effect: when this 
  function of the device is activated, lightweight metal items (including 
  weapons and shields) practically leap out of the hands of everybody within 
  30’ of the tech.  Characters can make saving throws to try and hold onto their 
  items, but otherwise, anything within 30’ of the tech which is made of metal 
  and weighs less than 1 stone will immediately fly towards the tech and then 
  stop, suspended in mid-air by the magnetic field, to hover approximately one 
  foot away from the tech’s body.  The tech, if he so chooses, can snatch items 
  out of the air and wield them himself—the magnetic field won’t affect 
  anything immediately on the tech’s person or less than 1’ from the tech’s 
  body.  This version of the device will last for only one turn, regardless of the 
  tech’s level. 
   
  Kinetic Engine [4th Degree] 
  A tech prepares this machine in the form of a small motor attached to 
  pistons that enhance the tech’s speed and strength.  Upon activating the 
  kinetic engine, the tech’s (or gnome’s) Strength becomes 18 and his base (i.e. 
  unencumbered) speed becomes 100’ (300’).  The effects of an active kinetic 
  engine will last for three turns. 
   
  Flight/Submersion [5th Degree] 
  This device is prepared in one of two forms: either a personal rotary-wing 
  with a jet-pack attachment (the flight device); or an oxygen tank and 
  breathing apparatus (the submersion device).  The tech must choose which 
  form the device will take when he builds it.  Naturally, these devices 
  duplicate the effects of the arcane spells fly and water breathing in all 
  noteworthy respects, including durations (flight lasts for one turn per tech 
  level + 1d6 extra turns, and submersion lasts for one day). 
   
  Electric Induction [6th Degree] 
  This device will fire a powerful bolt of electricity, 5’ wide and 60’ long.  The 
  electric induction device can cause the arc of electricity to begin anywhere 
  within 180’ of the tech, though the path of the electricity always points 
  directly away from the tech.  Anything struck by the electricity will take 1d6 
  points of damage per level of the tech, though each target is allowed to roll a 
  saving throw for half damage.  If the electricity strikes any solid surface, it 
  will bounce off at the same angle, in the opposite direction, until its length 
  reaches the full 60’. 
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  107 
  Sonic Vibration [7th Degree] 
  This device allows the tech to manipulate sound in various ways.  There are 
  two primary versions of this device, and the tech must choose which one he 
  wants to use when the device is built. 
   
  Project Sound: This version of the device can make any sound 
  (including, but not limited to, the tech’s own voice) appear to come from 
  anywhere within 180 feet.  The effect is very similar to the ventriloquism 
  spell, except that the range is much greater, and the sound produced by the 
  device can be nearly anything that the tech desires (although it might not be 
  able to precisely mimic another person’s voice).  This version of the device 
  lasts for three turns. 
   
  Hypersonic Pitch: This device produces a sonic vibration so intense 
  that brittle materials (such as glass, crystal, and even crystal lattice) within 
  60’ will shatter.  Glass shatters instantly, while stronger materials can take 
  up to 1d4 rounds to shake apart.  Living creatures in the area, meanwhile, 
  suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls due to the distracting, high-pitched sound 
  (and this includes the tech who activates the device).  Once activated, the 
  hypersonic pitch will sound for five consecutive rounds. 
   
  Holographic Projection [8th Degree] 
  This device allows the tech to project silent and intangible illusions, identical 
  to those produced by a phantasmal force spell, using nothing more than 
  smoke and mirrors.  The technological version of this effect can produce 
  much larger illusions, though.  A 7th level tech can produce a projection that 
  fills a 20’ x 20’ x 20’ cubic volume, but for every three levels above the 7th, the 
  tech can add 10’ to the length of each side of the volume of effect.  Therefore, 
  a 10th level tech could produce a 30’ x 30’ x 30’ illusion; a 13th level tech could 
  produce a 40’ x 40’ x 40’ illusion; and so on.  The exact nature of the illusion 
  created by the holographic projection is chosen by the tech when the device 
  is activated (not when it is built).  Even if the illusion is touched or attacked, 
  the image will persist as long as the tech maintains concentration on 
  projecting the hologram; or, if the illusion is mostly stationary, the device 
  can be set to project for up to one hour. 
   
  Note that this device can be used to render everybody in a particular 
  area invisible, at least until any creatures so affected take an action or make 
  an attack. 
   
  If a holographic projection is combined with a sonic vibration device set 
  to project sounds, the result can be a more realistic illusion that sounds just 
  like it looks.  When these two devices are activated consecutively, first the 
  project sound effect and then the holographic projection on the very next 
  round, it’s even possible to duplicate the effects of a project image spell. 
   
  Radio Telegraphy [9th Degree] 
  This device allows the tech to transmit sound in the form of radio waves, out 
  to a distance of ten miles per level of the tech.  Once activated, the radio 
  telegraphy device will last all day.  Any other tech or gnome characters who 
  have active radio telegraphy devices and happen to be in the area can 
  receive messages from the activating tech—and if the tech is within range of 
  their devices, he can receive transmissions as well.  If two characters agree 
  
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  on a particular radio frequency beforehand, they can easily communicate by 
  radio over significant distances.  Otherwise, it might take a full turn or more 
  to search all the frequencies and listen in on other techs’ conversations, if 
  there are any to be heard. 
   
  If two techs combine their radio telegraphy devices with holographic 
  projection devices, it becomes theoretically possible for the techs to transmit 
  video as well as audio (at least for the one-hour duration of the holographic 
  projections), resulting in a sort of primitive television or videophone. 
   
  Analytic Engine [10th Degree] 
  This device is a kind of primitive, mechanical computer attached to a suite of 
  sensors, detectors, and other apparatus.  When the tech activates this device 
  (as opposed to when he builds it), it can be set to detect any one particular 
  kind of object, state, or creature, chosen from the list of examples given 
  below.  The detectors sweep everything within a 60’ cone in front of the tech.  
  The effect of the analytic engine will last for three turns. 
   
  Magic: The device will detect magic, magical items, and the persistent 
  effects of spells, just like detect magic. 
   
  Undead: The device will detect the presence of undead within 60’. 
   
  Enemies: The device will detect the presence of living monsters (but 
  not undead) within 60’. 
   
  Traps: The device will detect all mechanical and magical traps. 
   
  Lies: The device will sense polygraph data on the brains of subjects 
  within 60’, revealing when they are lying. 
   
  Evil: The device will sense any psychological or metaphysical 
  irregularities that indicate whether a person intends evil, or whether an item 
  is evilly enchanted. 
   
  Poison: The device will reveal the presence of all poisons, toxins, and 
  venoms. 
   
  Invisibility: The device will reveal the location of anything which is 
  invisible. 
   
  Illusion: The device will reveal the true nature of illusions. 
   
  Object, Plant, or Animal: The device will locate a particular item, 
  material, animal, or plant, chosen by the tech when the device is activated. 
   
  X-Ray Image: The device will actually form an image of all solid, 
  concealed objects within the range of the sensor sweep, even peering through 
  walls (of any substance other than lead) to do so; but this version of the 
  device has only a 20’ range, unlike the 60’ range of other analytic engines. 
   
  Gravitational Field [11th Degree] 
  This device allows the tech to manipulate gravity in various ways.  (The tech 
  can choose how he wants to use this device when it is activated, not when he 
  builds it.)  By directing the device at himself, he can levitate, as per the 
  arcane spell.  Pointed at another object, the tech can move it as if by 
  telekinesis.  Or the tech can simply set the gravitational field on wide 
  dispersal, in which case the device will reverse gravity (as per the arcane 
  spell) in the selected area. 
   
   
  
   
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  109 
  Quantum Shift [12th Degree] 
  This device is the holy grail of physics: the ability to disassemble solid objects 
  and living things on the molecular level and reassemble them elsewhere.  
  The effects of the quantum shift transporter are essentially identical to the 
  teleport spell, except that the tech is not restricted to teleporting living 
  things.  A volume of nonliving matter up to 10’ x 10’ x 10’ in size can also be 
  teleported by a quantum shift device.   
   
  If the tech is 15th level or higher, more than one creature (or 10’ x 10’ x 
  10’ cube of matter) can be teleported by this device.  The tech can teleport 
  two creatures at 15th level, three creatures at 20th level, four creatures at 25th 
  level, etc. (or a commensurate volume of inert matter: 10’ x 10’ x 20’ at 15th 
  level, 10’ x 10’ x 30’ at 20th level, 10’ x 10’ x 40’ at 25th level, etc.). 
   
  N.B., like the E&E version of the teleport spell, this device has no chance 
  of error associated with it, but the range is limited to 100 miles per level of 
  the tech.  It remains impossible to willfully shift a target into solid matter. 
   
  TECHNOLOGY AS TREASURE 
   
  Temporary technological items (i.e. devices) don’t usually last long enough to 
  leave the hands of the tech that made them.  But very high-level 
  technologists are capable of creating more permanent items called 
  inventions.  Inventions are the technological equivalent of magical items—
  and for the purposes of the E&E game, they follow the exact same set of 
  rules.  Any magical item could, in theory, be a technological item instead.  
  Instead of a healing potion or a wand of fire, why not a healing tonic or a 
  fire bomb cannon?  Perhaps only elves know the secrets behind the elven 
  cloak and elven boots, but who’s to say that a gnome might not create a 
  holographic personal cloaking field and a set of pneumatic sneakers that do 
  very much the same thing? 
   
  Low-level characters cannot create inventions of their own, but they 
  could certainly find them among other treasures.  This can be an especially 
  devious tactic on the part of the referee, since technological treasures won’t 
  be revealed by a detect magic spell.  But inventions are very often large, 
  bulky, and obvious, which sometimes makes them easy to find and identify.  
  As a rule, technological treasures shouldn’t often be found in ancient 
  labyrinths (unless the party stumbles across the remains of another 
  adventuring tech), but for adventures that take place above-ground, 
  technology might be just as common as magic.  In a mad scientist’s 
  laboratory, special items are likely to be almost exclusively technological. 
  A technological treasure can be created by the referee, simply by taking 
  the idea for a magical item and “re-skinning” it so that it has all the trappings 
  of pulp-novel, gaslight-era sci-fi.  A potion of strength could become a tonic 
  of muscular enhancement, while a snake staff could become a clockwork 
  serpent. Referees must be creative, clever, and altogether without mercy in 
  their unwillingness to spare the techno-babble!  More than half the flavor of 
  a technological invention comes from the name alone.  The best names 
  combine a little bit of pseudo-scientific nonsense with nineteenth century 
  advertising vocabulary: items with monikers like tonic of ESP and anti-
  gravity boots are kind of interesting, but they don’t inspire quite the same 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  degree of wonder as Doctor Marvel’s Stupendous Brain-Enhancement Juice 
  and ACME-Brand Rocket-Powered Levitating Footwear! 
  The following guidelines apply to the creation of technological 
  inventions by game referees: 
  Tonics: These are technological potions.  They’re just like ordinary 
  potions—except that, as with all inventions, they won’t be revealed by a 
  detect magic spell. 
  Widgets: A widget is the technological equivalent of a scroll.  It’s a lot 
  like a device (such as ballistic projectile or herbal healer), except that it lasts 
  until used, and it can be activated by any tech or gnome.  A widget is usually 
  hand-held and weighs one-eighth stone.   
  Gadgets: Gadgets are heavy items—they typically weigh two or three 
  stone, and very often they are built in the form of a backpack with attached 
  instruments or controls.  A gadget is the technological version of a wand or 
  staff.  When found, it can have as many as 30 or 40 charges.  Like a widget, a 
  gadget will usually mimic the effects of a device, but not always.  Only a tech 
  or a gnome can use a gadget. 
   
  Gizmos: These are the technological versions of “miscellaneous 
  magical items”—all the cloaks, boots, belts, and other items that characters 
  can wear in order to benefit from them.  Most of the time, any character of 
  any class can use a gizmo—they’re very user-friendly.  Also, gizmos are 
  usually permanent rather than charged, and their effects are often 
  continuous rather than activated.  A gizmo typically weighs one stone. 
   
  Weapons and Armor: A high-level technologist can create special 
  weapons and armor, just like a high-level magician.  Technologically 
  enhanced arms won’t be revealed by a detect magic spell, but otherwise, 
  they’re just like magical arms.  They’ll even damage wraiths, werewolves, and 
  other beasties that can normally only be hit by magical weapons.  Technology 
  can bestow a bonus upon a weapon: if a player character finds a really nice 
  sword covered in rivets, gears, and cogs, the odds are pretty good that the 
  character has just found a technological sword +1.  Furthermore, technology 
  can make other effects possible: why not a technological flaming sword that 
  works by dispensing napalm?  
   
  When creating inventions to place in the game, referees should 
  remember not get too bogged down by realistic science.  The game is 
  fantastic; the science should be fantastic too!  One should let the imagination 
  run just as wild with the technology as it normally would with magic! 
  TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH 
  An inventor can engage in technological research, which allows the tech to 
  invent and create technological items.  Inventions are different from devices: 
  they’re more permanent in nature.  Even those inventions which are only 
  meant to be used once (tonics and widgets) will last indefinitely until used.  
  What’s more, unlike devices, characters other than the tech or gnome who 
  built the invention can use it, although many inventions are still restricted 
  only to use by tech or gnome class characters. One thing that technological 
  research cannot do, though, is create new degrees.  Spell-casters can expand 
  their repertoires by creating new spells, but a tech never has more degrees 
  
   
   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  111 
  than he has class levels.  If a technologist wants to create some entirely new 
  special effect, it has to be done in the form of a technological item: an 
  invention.  Otherwise, the rules for creating inventions are very much the 
  same as those for creating magical items. 
   
  The time required to complete any technological research is one week, 
  plus one day for every 1,000 guilders in the cost of the item’s raw materials.  
  As with magical research, this process can be interrupted and then resumed 
  later with no penalty.  First the technologist has to purchase the raw 
  materials, and then he begins the research process.  Once the allotted time 
  has passed, the referee makes an Intelligence check for the tech character to 
  see if he successfully completed his research.   
   
  If the check turns up a natural 20, the possibility exists that the 
  technologist has made a grave error.  This might result in a machine or 
  chemical compound which will explode violently, emit toxic vapor, or have 
  some other dangerous and harmful effect.  Whatever the effect, it will 
  manifest itself at some random time after the item is first used, and there 
  will be no distinguishing such a glitched (i.e. “cursed”) technological item 
  from a normal one. 
   
  The cost to make a technological invention depends on the research 
  level of the effect that the item produces, which is in turn derived from the 
  technical degree of the effect: 
   
   
  Technical Degree 
   
  Research Level 
   
  1st – 2nd  
   
   
  1 
   
  3rd – 4th  
   
   
  3 
   
  5th – 6th  
   
   
  6 
   
  7th – 8th  
   
   
  10 
   
  9th – 10th  
   
   
  16 
   
  11th – 12th  
   
   
  21 
   
  Tonics 
  A tonic is the technological equivalent of a potion.  Like potions, tonics 
  bestow upon the drinker some special effect which is either instantaneous 
  (like healing) or which persists for 1d6+6 turns.  The cost for raw materials 
  to make a tonic is the research level of the effect times 400 guilders.  
  Whenever a tonic has variable effects, treat the effective technologist level as 
  6th.  A healing tonic, for example, will restore 2d4 hp, just like a herbal 
  healer device used by a 6th level tech or gnome.  
   
  Widgets 
  A widget is the technological equivalent of a scroll.  It is a small machine 
  (weighing 1/8 st) which contains a single technological effect.  The widget can 
  be used once before it is destroyed, and only a tech or a gnome can operate it.  
  The cost in raw materials to make a widget is 200 guilders times the research 
  level.  The cost to make an explosive combustion widget, for example, is 600 
  guilders, because this is a 4th degree effect (research level 3, multiplied by 
  200 gil., is 600 gil.).  Widgets always function at the 6th technologist level, so 
  an explosive combustion widget, for example, will cause 6d6 points of 
  damage. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Gadgets and Multi-gadgets 
  Gadgets are the technological equivalent of wands.  They are hefty machines 
  (weighing 2 stone) which contain several charges of some technological 
  effect.  A gadget contains 30 charges (and once these are used up, the gadget 
  may be recharged).  The cost in raw materials to make a gadget is 3,000 
  guilders times the research level.  (The cost to recharge a depleted gadget is 
  2,000 guilders times the research level.) 
   
  Multi-gadgets are the technological versions of staffs.  They typically 
  weigh 3 stone, and they contain 40 charges.  A multi-gadget contains one or 
  more separate effects.  The cost in raw materials to build a multi-gadget is 
  5,000 guilders times the research level of the most powerful effect; plus all 
  other research levels times 1,000 guilders.  (The cost to recharge a depleted 
  multi-gadget is the highest research level times 4,000 guilders.) 
   
  Gadgets with variable technological effects always function at the 6th 
  technologist level.  Multi-gadgets with variable effects always function at the 
  8th technologist level.  Only tech or gnome characters can employ gadgets 
  and multi-gadgets. 
   
  Gizmos 
  Gizmos are the technological equivalent of “miscellaneous” magical items.  
  Gizmos are lighter than most other technological items (only 1 stone), and 
  they’re very user-friendly.  Most of the time, a gizmo can be operated by 
  anybody who puts it on, and it remains active as long as it is worn.  Examples 
  of gizmos include shock-absorbent boots that allow a person to move 
  silently, personal cloaking devices that project an invisibility field, and 
  piston-powered engines that enhance the wearer’s physical strength.   
   
  The cost to make a gizmo depends on whether it can be used 
  continuously and at will, or whether there is some kind of limitation on how 
  frequently it can be activated.  The rules for making a gizmo are much the 
  same as those for making a rod, a ring, or a miscellaneous item in this way.  
  When a particular effect contains multiple technological effects, don’t forget 
  that each separate effect has its own research level, and all of these must be 
  summed before multiplying to find the base cost.  For example, an 
  amphibious scuba/jetpack gizmo that allowed the user to both fly and 
  submerge as per the 5th level physics degrees would have a total research 
  level of 12 (6 from each effect).  Once the multiplier is found, consult the 
  table below to determine the total cost.    
   
  Note that as with magical items, some technological items cannot be 
  made into permanent or continuous gizmos—nothing that deals damage, 
  kills instantly, or heals can ever be used at will. 
   
  For items that bestow permanent bonuses, each “plus” is figured in the 
  same way as a magical “plus” (so a +4 bonus adds 10 research levels, for 
  example).  For any item that sets an ability score at 18, this counts as 12th 
  degree technology (research level 21).  Note also that an inventor of 9th to 
  14th level can only make items that bestow a +3 or smaller bonus on such 
  statistics as saving throws or Armor/Defense Class.  A tech must be 15th level 
  in order to make +4 items and 26th level to make +5 items. 
   
  
   
  SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
  113 
  113 
  Item Category 
  Base Cost to Create 
  Continuous/use at will 
  10,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use once per turn 
  9,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use once per hour 
  8,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use five times per day 
  7,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use four times per day 
  6,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use three thrice per day 
  5,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use twice per day 
  4,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use once per day 
  3,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use once per week 
  2,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Use once per month 
  1,000 gil. × Research Level 
  Per number of charges 
  500 gil. × Research Level 
   
  Weapons and Armor 
  The rules for technological weapons and armor are identical to the rules for 
  magical armor, given earlier in this chapter.  Note that an inventor of 9th to 
  14th level can only make +3 or weaker weapons and armor.  An inventor must 
  be 15th level to make +4 weapons and armor, and 26th level to make +5 
  weapons and armor. 
   
  Vehicles and Automata 
  Spell-casters must wait until 15th level before they can attempt to make 
  golems and large-scale magical items.  Inventors are not subject to this 
  restriction.  An inventor of even 9th level can create technologically enhanced 
  vehicles or build self-sufficient automata (robots).  The rules governing these 
  processes are the same as those for spell-casters building large-scale magical 
  items and golems. 
   
   
  
   
  114 
   
   
   
   
  VI 
   
   
  COMBAT AND TACTICS 
   
   
  HE GAME TURN sequence and all of the many rules dealing with 
    encounters (surprise, reaction rolls, evasion, etc.) are no different in 
    Engines & Empires than in Labyrinth Lord. But once a fight breaks 
  out, things can be quite different. The E&E world is one where combat is 
  common, deadly, and grandiose in scale. To reflect this, fights in the E&E 
  game are made to feel much more like tactical war-game battles than scenes 
  set in the mind’s eye alone. 
  SURPRISE AND SKILLS 
  Skill checks such as Stealth and Perception should not replace the surprise 
  roll that a referee makes for either side when an unexpected combat occurs. 
  Instead, these skill checks should be used (sparingly) to help determine 
  when rolling for surprise is appropriate to one side but not the other. If one 
  group successfully uses Stealth to sneak up on another group, surprise 
  should be rolled for the second group once combat breaks out. Likewise, if a 
  party is using Perception to keep careful watch, that might negate their 
  enemies’ chance of surprising them. 
  THE COMBAT SEQUENCE 
  Once a fight starts, the referee uses the following steps to resolve the battle: 
  A.  The referee secretly determines what actions the monsters and NPCs 
   
  intend to take. 
  B.  Players declare their characters’ intended actions. 
  C.  Each side (or individual) rolls for initiative. 
  D.  Sides act in order of highest to lowest initiative: 
   
  1.  
  Morale Checks 
   
  2. 
  Movement and Defensive Maneuvers 
   
  3. 
  Missile Combat 
   
  4.  Magical and Technological Combat 
   
  5.  Mêlée Combat 
  E.  The referee adjudicates retreats, surrenders, negotiations, skills, and all  
   
  other special results. 
  INITIATIVE 
  In the E&E game, initiative is rolled on twelve-sided dice (d12s) and often 
  adjusted for the Dexterity scores of individual player characters and NPCs. 
  The highest roll, after any modifiers are added, goes first. At the beginning of 
  T
  
   
   COMBAT AND TACTICS 
  115 
   
  a battle, the referee should first decide whether to use group or individual 
  initiative. Group initiative is easiest to use in small battles with clear-cut 
  sides: a party of adventurers stumbles on a group of monsters and they both 
  try to kill each other. In this situation, the referee just rolls 1d12 for each side 
  at the beginning of every round to determine who acts first that round. 
  Remember, each side plays out its entire combat sequence before moving 
  onto the next side. 
  Individual initiative is handy in complex battles where many different 
  participants have divergent goals. When individual initiative is invoked, each 
  character or group of like monsters (e.g. Frederick the fighter, Thanis the elf, 
  the four orcs, the troll that the orcs have hired) makes its own initiative roll. 
  Characters with Dexterity adjustments must apply their adjustment to the 
  d12 roll. Also, halflings add a +1 bonus to an individual initiative roll (but 
  this bonus can only be added to a group initiative roll when a side consists 
  entirely of halflings). At the referee’s option, a modest bonus (+1 or +2) can 
  be assigned to the initiative rolls of very small or fast monsters, and a like 
  penalty to slow-moving or very large monsters. 
  MOVEMENT 
  A character’s base movement rate is given in feet per turn, but once a battle 
  begins, the time scale shifts from 10-minute game turns to 10-second combat 
  rounds. A character’s movement in combat, called “encounter move”, is 
  equal to one-third the character’s base movement in feet per round. Thus a 
  character with a base move of 120’ per turn has an encounter move of 40’ per 
  round.  Characters generally use their encounter speed whenever they move 
  and then take some other action during the combat round. Typical actions a 
  character can take after moving include attacking, casting a spell, using an 
  item (like a magic potion or a technological device), or performing a special 
  combat maneuver (see below). 
  Running: A character who only moves during a combat round can use 
  his full normal speed (rather than his encounter speed), but in feet per round 
  rather than feet per turn. This is the character’s running speed. A character 
  able to move 120’ per turn when exploring the labyrinth can run 120’ per 
  round in combat. When running, no other action may be taken—not even 
  parrying. 
  Parrying: The Parry action happens at the end of the movement phase 
  of the combat sequence. A character that only moves his encounter speed but 
  then takes no other action may choose to parry after he completes his 
  movement. For the remainder of the round, that character receives a +4 
  bonus to his Armor/Defense Class against mêlée (but not missile) attacks.   
  Player characters that like to use their running speed to close for mêlée 
  as quickly as possible might find their charging tactics thwarted by a more 
  cautious group of monsters that have chosen to advance slowly and Parry.  
  This can be a tough lesson for the PCs to learn! 
  Setting a Spear vs. a Charge: Another defensive option that must be 
  taken on the movement phase, this action is somewhat similar to the Parry. 
  To set a spear vs. a charge, the character must be wielding a spear, lance, or 
  pole-arm. If an enemy charges at the set character—that is, moves straight 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  towards the character and covers at least 20 feet of distance before 
  attacking—the set character can attack with the spearing weapon first, and a 
  hit causes double damage. If this attack hits and kills the charging enemy, 
  that enemy does not get the chance to hurt the set character. If the charging 
  foe survives, it gets its normal attacks, including any benefits from charging. 
  (N.B., “charging” of and in itself is not a special combat maneuver and 
  doesn’t normally come with any benefits. Some monsters have a special 
  “charge” or “swoop” ability that lets them deal double damage when 
  charging, but most player characters can only deal this double damage when 
  charging with a lance from horseback.  Centaurs and sylphs, thanks to their 
  special class abilities, are the only exceptions.) 
  Movement in Mêlée: When two nearby characters engage each other 
  in hand-to-hand combat, they are said to be “in a mêlée” or “mêléed”. 
  Mêléed characters are not free to move normally. Instead, characters in this 
  situation have only two options for movement: a fighting withdrawal or a full 
  retreat. 
  The fighting withdrawal is a cautious breakaway from the fight. The 
  character backs away from his opponents at no more than half his normal 
  encounter speed (so if a character has an encounter speed of 40’ per round, 
  he can back up 20’ feet when making a withdrawal). If the enemies follow the 
  withdrawing character and engage him again, that character is permitted to 
  parry or make his mêlée attack(s) at the end of the enemies’ move phase, 
  before they get to take any other actions. If the monsters do not follow, the 
  withdrawn character can move freely on the next round. 
  A full retreat is all-out flight from combat. A retreating character turns 
  his back on his enemies and moves away from them at his normal encounter 
  speed (not his running speed). If the enemies follow the retreating character 
  and engage him again, they add a +2 bonus on their attack rolls against that 
  character, and the retreating character loses any benefit from carrying a 
  shield. If the enemies do not follow the retreating character, then the 
  character can go to running speed next round. 
  Reaching Weapons:  Characters that wield reaching weapons (lances, 
  pole arms, or whips) are not considered mêléed when they engage targets 
  carrying ordinary weapons.  In effect, long weapons such as these allow 
  characters to make mêlée attacks but then remain free to move normally 
  afterward, even if their enemies manage to successfully strike them with 
  their shorter weapons.  If, however, all combatants have reaching weapons, 
  then they mêlée each other normally. 
  MISSILE COMBAT 
  Missile attacks in the E&E game have a few unique features. Dexterity 
  adjustments are added to the damage roll for missile attacks as well as to the 
  attack roll, and this applies to hurled weapons as well as fired weapons. A 
  Strength adjustment is never added to damage for a missile attack. 
  When magically or technologically enhanced missile weapons fire 
  similarly enhanced ammunition, only the higher of the two bonuses applies 
  to the attack, but the bonus is added to both hit and damage. A +1 bullet 
  fired from a +3 pistol counts as a +3 attack. 
  
   
   COMBAT AND TACTICS 
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  Range Increments 
  Every missile weapon has a range increment which is used to determine the 
  range modifiers for missile attacks with that weapon. For most weapons, 
  range modifiers only apply to the attack roll. In the case of blunderbusses 
  and shotguns, range modifiers apply to the damage roll as well. 
  Close Range: Out to the first range increment, missile attacks are said 
  to be made at Close range. A missile attack at close range has a +1 
  adjustment. 
  Medium Range: In the second range increment, which is Medium 
  range, there is no range modifier, positive or negative. 
  Long Range: The third range increment is long range. Attacks made at 
  Long range take a -1 penalty to hit. 
  Extreme Range: Any missile attack made out to a distance from four 
  to ten times the range increment is made at Extreme range. For every range 
  increment beyond long range, another -1 penalty is assigned to the attack. 
  However, any missile attack made at Extreme range is going to have a very 
  high arc, so Extreme range is only possible outdoors. If a character is indoors 
  or underground, attacks made at targets farther away than Long range will 
  automatically miss. 
  The tenth range increment is the absolute maximum range for any 
  missile weapon. A pistol, for example, has a range increment of 30 feet. This 
  means that the first range increment (any attack within 30’) is Close range 
  and gets a +1 bonus. Between 31’ and 60’ is Medium range (no modifier). 
  Between 61’ and 90’ is Long range, which causes a -1 penalty; and this is as 
  far as the weapon can shoot indoors or underground. Outdoors, the pistol 
  can be fired at Extreme ranges, but there is a -2 penalty to hit at 91’-120’, a -3 
  penalty at 121’-150’, and so on, with an additional -1 penalty added for every 
  30’ of range, out to the pistol’s farthest range increment of 271’-300’ (the 
  tenth range increment, which carries a -8 penalty to hit). 
  Minimum Range: There is no minimum range for a missile attack. A 
  target can be hit in missile combat even within 5’ (this still just counts as 
  Close range). However, if a device-fired missile attack is made against a 
  target that the attacker is in mêlée with (or mêléed by), that attack 
  automatically misses. A thrown missile weapon used in mêlée just becomes a 
  hand-to-hand weapon under those circumstances.  (This is no problem for a 
  dagger; but a weapon that isn’t meant to be used in mêlée, like a dart or a 
  javelin, will only cause half damage.) 
   
  Multiple Attacks 
  High level characters can use their multiple attacks with missile weapons, 
  provided the missile weapon does not need to be reloaded between every 
  shot.  Crossbows, slings, and single-shot firearms cannot be used with 
  multiple attacks; whereas bows, multi-chambered firearms, and hurled 
  weapons can be used with multiple attacks.  Pistols and hurled weapons can 
  also be used with two weapons combat (described below, under the Mêlée 
  Combat section). 
   
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  SPELLS AND DEVICES 
  Characters using spells or special items do so after the missile combat phase. 
  Although it has been mentioned before, this rule is worth repeating here: 
  characters in the E&E game can move their encounter speed (one-third their 
  base Movement) and still cast a spell that round!  Spell-casting in the E&E 
  game isn’t so cumbersome that it can be hindered by walking, wearing heavy 
  armor, or any other mundane condition.  (The caster does still need at least 
  one empty hand for gestures, though.)  
  Damage to the caster can still disrupt a spell.  Whenever a spell-caster 
  takes damage in combat, he cannot cast a spell that round, and if spell-
  casting has already begun, the spell is lost to no effect. Note, however, that 
  damage will only disrupt an actual spell—not spell effects from items! 
  Damage will not disrupt the use of a scroll, wand, staff, or any other item 
  that stores or duplicates magic spells. 
  Technological devices are entirely immune to this sort of disruption. For 
  a tech or gnome character operating a device, the rules and procedures are 
  much the same as for a magic-user reading from a scroll.  The device is 
  activated on this phase of the combat sequence; the character may move and 
  still use the item; and damage to the tech will not disrupt it. 
  MÊLÉE COMBAT 
  This phase of the combat sequence, also called “hand-to-hand” combat, 
  involves attacks and offensive maneuvers that happen in close quarters. At 
  low levels, player characters can usually only make one basic mêlée attack 
  per round, or two attacks if they carry two weapons. 
   
   
  
   
   COMBAT AND TACTICS 
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  Two Weapons Combat: When a character wields a weapon in either 
  hand (or attacks with two bare fists, or a weapon and a bare fist), the 
  character is permitted to make two attacks, one with each hand, but the 
  second attack suffers a -4 penalty to hit. 
  Open-Hand Strikes: An unarmed attack is similar to an attack with a 
  mêlée weapon, except that it deals 1d2 points of damage, plus the usual 
  Strength adjustments. 
  Improvised Weapons: A random object used as a weapon deals 1d3 
  points of damage, plus Strength adjustments.  The referee may decide that a 
  particular weapon deals non-lethal damage only (non-lethal damage will be 
  explained below).  If an improvised weapon is thrown as a missile weapon, 
  its range increment is 10’ (or less, if the item is very heavy). 
  Disarm: This maneuver can be used whenever a character is in mêlée 
  with an armed opponent. To attempt a Disarm, the character attacks, 
  applying all the usual modifiers, but a hit deals no damage. Instead, the 
  target rolls a saving throw.  Failing the save means that the target has 
  dropped his weapon. 
  Lance Attack: This maneuver can only be attempted by a mounted 
  character wielding a lance or by a centaur.  To perform a Lance Attack, the 
  mount and rider (moving and fighting together as a unit) must charge 
  straight at their target and cover at least 20 feet of distance before attacking. 
  A successful hit with a lance will cause double damage. (N.B., using the 
  Lance Attack maneuver will make the attacker vulnerable to a Set Spear vs. 
  Charge maneuver.)  If the lancer has multiple attacks, all of the character’s 
  attacks must be directed at separate targets along the mount’s (or centaur’s) 
  line of movement. 
  CRITICAL HITS 
  Regardless of an attacker’s Fighting Ability or a target’s defenses (AC/DC), a 
  natural attack roll of 1 is an automatic miss (called a “fumble), while a 
  natural attack roll of 20 is both an automatic hit and a critical hit.  (Keep in 
  mind that if the referee prefers to use the “Roll Low vs. Armor Class” method 
  for attacks, this is reversed: natural 20s “fumble” and natural 1s “crit”.)  A 
  critical hit with any kind of weapon (mêlée, missile, bare fist, or monster’s 
  natural weapons) causes double damage.  Note, though, that only the 
  damage dice are doubled—any modifiers to the damage roll apply only once.  
  Note also that when damage is multiplied for several reasons at once, the 
  multiplications don’t compound each other—instead, each multiplier is 
  treated as adding so many dice.  Expert, halfling, and faun class characters 
  cause critical hits on a greater range of attack rolls, depending on their level, 
  and at high levels they can cause triple damage or more on a crit. 
  DAMAGE AND DEATH 
  The following rules apply to damage, wounds, healing, and death for E&E. 
  Damaged vs. Wounded: Hit points in Engines & Empires are a 
  measure of stamina, will to fight, and the ability to dodge attacks or defend 
  oneself. Most of the time, damage to a character’s hit points does not mean 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  that the character has been physically harmed, or even touched! A character 
  is only really wounded if his hit points drop all the way to 0. A character 
  whose hit points have fallen to 0 has received a significant wound and is 
  likely to die; otherwise, all the “damage” that a character has taken is only 
  superficial and heals quickly with rest. 
  Healing Damaged Characters: A character whose hit points never 
  drop to 0 isn’t technically wounded, and so the damage (which is really just 
  fatigue) heals completely with one night’s rest. Other methods of restoring 
  health, such as with a cure spell or use of the Medicine skill, can cure some 
  damage quickly and on the spot, without the character having to rest.  
  A successful Medicine skill 
  check can be used to perform “first 
  aid” and cure a damaged character 
  of 1d4 hit points, but only if the 
  character is not wounded (that is, 
  above 0 hp). Each character can 
  only benefit from first aid once per 
  day. This use of the Medicine skill 
  takes 1 turn to perform. 
  Dying and Death: When a 
  character falls to 0 hp, he becomes 
  wounded. 
  Most 
  creatures 
  are 
  instantly killed when they fall to 0 
  hp, but player characters and key 
  NPCs can have an extra chance at 
  survival. When a major character 
  drops to 0 hp, the referee rolls 1d6 
  to see whether the character has 
  survived the mortal wound. There 
  is a flat 2-in-6 chance that the 
  character will be killed instantly by 
  the wounding blow, but on a roll of 
  3 or higher, the character survives 
  and is merely dying.  
  The dying character must receive some kind of healing before a turn has 
  passed, or else there is a 1 in 6 chance that the dying character will expire at 
  the end of that turn.  For each further turn that passes, the chance of death 
  increases by 1 in 6, until it reaches 100%.  If and when the dying character 
  does receive the effects of cure magic or first aid (with a Medicine skill 
  check), the character is restored to 1 hp (but no more than that). He is still 
  wounded and unable to fight, but he is no longer dying. 
  Healing Wounded Characters: A wounded character that survives 
  his brush with death will heal naturally at a much slower rate than a 
  character who is merely damaged. For each full night of complete bed-rest, 
  the wounded character recovers a single hit point. Once a wounded character 
  has been restored to at least 1 hit point, healing spells and items will have 
  their full normal effect on that character. First aid cannot bring a wounded 
  character above 1 hit point, but a Medicine skill check can be used to perform 
  surgery on the wounded character. Surgery restores 1d4 hit points to a 
  
   
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  121 
   
  wounded character for each hour that the surgeon spends operating, to a 
  maximum of 4d4 hp.  
  A character who has survived a mortal wound is incapacitated and 
  unable to fight or cast spells until every last one of his hit points has been 
  restored. Until then, the character may or may not be conscious and able to 
  move, depending on the nature of the wound and the referee’s judgment. 
  Non-Lethal Damage: Some attacks aren’t meant to kill. A hit with a 
  blackjack isn’t likely to cause a mortal wound, and sometimes a character 
  fighting with bare fists or even real weapons might choose to pull punches or 
  attack with the flat of the blade. These kinds of attacks are meant to subdue 
  rather than kill, so a character brought down to 0 hp by non-lethal attacks 
  isn’t mortally wounded. Instead, the character is simply TKO’d (totally 
  knocked out) for 2d6 turns, after which the character automatically regains 1 
  hit point and consciousness. 
  OPTIONAL RULE: THE BATTLE GRID 
  Engines & Empires combats take place on a 1” grid with each inch 
  representing ten feet.  (This is the case for both indoor and outdoor combats.  
  Small-scale combat in E&E never needs to switch to a scale based on yards.) 
  Most ranges and movement rates in the Labyrinth Lord game come in tens 
  of feet, so there’s little reason to use a finer scale. A scale of 1”=10’ has 
  certain advantages for a tabletop RPG, but also some drawbacks. The main 
  problem is that most miniature figures are scaled for a 1”=5’ scale, so they’re 
  too big to use with E&E’s battle grid system.  But a 1’ = 10’ scale allows the 
  referee to depict much larger areas (such as bigger battlefields or entire 
  labyrinth floors) on a tabletop or battle-mat.  It also makes tactical combat 
  somewhat “blurry” and “zoomed out”—just enough that combats can involve 
  precise movement and positioning while still relying on a significant degree 
  of abstraction and imagination. 
  Roughly four or five human-sized characters can fit in one 10’ square 
  and fight effectively. To represent this on a battle grid, you can use very small 
  miniature figures (they’d have to be tiny enough that four of them fit in a 1” 
  square), stackable tokens of different colors, coins of various denominations, 
  or even lettered tiles from crossword board-games.  One of the more 
  accessible options is to use six-sided dice with the appropriate number of 
  pips turned face-up to indicate the number of characters occupying a square. 
  It’s not as if players are going to have a shortage of six-sided dice; and dice of 
  different colors can represent different kinds of monsters (or different 
  characters). Also, d6s are easily stacked, just like tokens or tiles.  
  For creatures of different sizes, use commonsense guidelines. Perhaps 
  six gnomes or halflings could occupy one 10’ square and still fight. Two 
  centaurs or ogres could fill a square. Anything troll-sized or larger probably 
  takes up one or more squares all by itself. 
   
  Tactical Movement 
  Basic movement is easy: a character can move 1 square for every 10’ of 
  movement rate. A character with a move of 120’ (40’) could move 4 squares 
  in a round and still make an attack, or that character could run 12 squares in 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  a round and do nothing else. (While exploring the labyrinth, the character 
  would be able to walk cautiously at a rate of 12 squares per turn, or run 36 
  squares per turn!) This is simple enough when moving in a straight line 
  along with the grid; but for diagonal movement, some fiddly counting is 
  required. The first diagonal step that a character takes counts as 2 squares; 
  the second counts as 1 square; and so it alternates, 2, 1, 2, 1.  A character who 
  wants to move 50’, all along a diagonal, would be able to move 3 squares 
  diagonally (2 + 1 + 2 = 5 squares, or 50’ of movement). 
   
  Sometimes, usually because a character’s speed is halved due to 
  encumbrance, a character might actually have an odd movement rate that 
  ends with an extra 5’ of speed. These extra 5’ can add up and “roll over” into 
  the next round, so if a character has a movement rate of 25’ feet, for example, 
  that character could move 2 squares one round, 3 squares the next round, 2 
  squares the round after that, and so on. If, somehow, a character’s movement 
  rate actually falls below 10’, it would take that character two rounds or more 
  just to move one square! 
   
  Tactical Distance 
  Missile ranges are counted just like movement. On a straight path, 10’ of 
  range equate to one 1” square. Counting diagonally, the first diagonal counts 
  as 20’, the second as 10’, the third as 20’, and so on. 
  Spell and device ranges must very often target an intersection rather 
  than a square. To find the range of a spell that targets an intersection, start 
  with the corner of the square that you occupy which is nearest the target 
  corner, and then count the distances as described above for movement and 
  range. The area of effect for a spell or device depends on whether another 
  square’s corner could be reached from the originating point of the effect. 
   
  Adjacent Squares 
  Squares that touch a side are adjacent; squares that only touch a corner are 
  not.  When making missile attacks, firing into an adjacent square counts as 
  10’ of distance, while firing one square diagonally counts as 20’. 
   
  Mêléed Squares 
  In order to engage in hand-to-hand combat, two opponents must enter the 
  same square.  As soon as this occurs, both creatures are considered “mêléed” 
  and subject the rules for withdrawals and retreats. 
  A long weapon like a whip or a pole-arm cannot reach into a farther 
  square than a sword or an axe can. The only advantages to wielding one of 
  these “reaching” weapons are (1) that when you engage a foe wielding a 
  shorter weapon, your opponent is mêléed (i.e. has his movement options 
  restricted to the Withdrawal and Retreat maneuvers) while you are not; and 
  (2) that in a narrow space, such as a 10’ corridor, when only two attackers 
  can stand shoulder to shoulder and still fight, you can attack over your allies 
  to get at any monsters who enter the mêléed square.  
  
   
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  VII 
   
   
  STRONGHOLDS AND DOMINIONS 
   
   
  HIS CHAPTER details the new rules needed to play the Dominion and 
    Epic level games.  High-level gameplay can be very different from the 
    labyrinth and wilderness adventuring which marks the Basic and 
  Campaign levels of play.  If they so choose, characters at these levels can 
  amass great power and influence, and they can guide the fates of entire 
  nations or determine the outcomes of wide wars.  Although the Dominion 
  game formally begins at the 15th achievement level, it is presaged when 9th 
  level characters seek promotion to a new class title. 
  PROMOTION 
   
  Promotion does not happen automatically as soon as a character becomes 9th 
  level.  Rather, this special status must be achieved by questing for it—and it 
  can only be bestowed by a higher-level character of the same class who has 
  also attained promotion.  To that end, the specific deed which a character 
  must perform in order to be promoted will vary widely from class to class, 
  and even from character to character within the same campaign.  There are 
  no rules governing what exactly is required for promotion, because this will 
  depend entirely on each character’s individual circumstances and on the 
  whims and creativity of the referee.  The only guideline which must be 
  observed is this: each character’s promotion quest should be an entire 
  adventure, and each one should be its own separate adventure.  Questing to 
  attain promotion is each character’s opportunity to shine in his own unique 
  way.  The adventure that transforms a fighter into a lord, for example, will be 
  very different in character from one that makes a halfling into a thane or a 
  mage into a wizard. 
   
  Potential promotion quests are as limitless as the referee’s imagination 
  in constructing all other kinds of adventures.  The character may be required 
  to lead his party in slaying a dragon, recovering some lost artifact, or 
  performing some other feat of heroism—or it could require something more 
  personal for the character, such as swearing fealty to a noble ruler, or 
  accomplishing some specially character-driven goal (such as avenging a 
  fallen parent or mentor).  Whatever the particulars of the quest, once it has 
  been accomplished, the character is considered promoted when he is 
  formally accepted into the ranks of lords, wizards, sages, professionals, etc. 
  by other members of his own class. 
   
   
   
  T
  
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  Travelling or Settling 
  A promoted character must decide whether he wants to continue his life as a 
  wandering adventurer, or whether to build a stronghold and center most of 
  his operations on a single home base.  Choosing to travel does not mean that 
  the character is forever homeless, and choosing to settle does mean that the 
  character never again goes adventuring abroad!  Rather, these terms reflect 
  the social status and political intentions of the character.  A traveling hero is 
  someone who wants neither the power nor the weighty responsibilities of 
  rulership.  Traveling heroes give up influence for freedom.  A settled hero is 
  one who has built a stronghold for the purpose of exerting his will on the 
  surrounding lands, with the ultimate aim of making those lands his 
  dominion, i.e. becoming their legitimate ruler.  Settled heroes can indeed 
  accumulate great power within their dominions, and they can exert a degree 
  of influence on their neighbors as well (through political or military 
  posturing), but they also shoulder the burden of responsibility in so doing. 
   
  STRONGHOLDS AND FOLLOWERS 
   
  Most of the character classes in Engines & Empires can build strongholds 
  when they surpass 9th level and take their promotion title. Upon completion 
  of the stronghold, followers will come to serve under and learn from the 
  high-level player character. Followers are drawn by the character’s 
  reputation and by the opportunity to serve someone influential.  The rules 
  for building strongholds are already detailed in the Labyrinth Lord game, 
  but the details for each character class (including the number of followers 
  gained by each) is slightly different in the E&E world. 
   
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
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  Boxers: A promoted boxer becomes a champion.  A champion may 
  choose to build a cloister, dojo, or martial arts academy.  This will 
  immediately attract 6d10 students, all of them normal humans, who will 
  serve the boxer loyally in exchange for martial arts instruction.  After one 
  year of training, half of these students will graduate and become 1st level 
  boxers.  The remainder will leave in frustration over the course of that year.  
  As the champion’s reputation grows, the size and influence of his academy 
  might grow as well.  Eventually, the academy’s students could number in the 
  hundreds.  Champion PCs should be warded, though: martial arts academies 
  are notorious for getting into rivalries and feuds.  The larger a particular 
  dojo’s student body is, the more likely its students are to pick fights with 
  other boxers for the sake of their beloved master’s reputation. 
   
  Experts: A promoted expert becomes a professional.  A professional 
  can establish a guild devoted to some particular area of expertise.  The guild 
  could be a thieves’ guild, an assassins’ guild, a trade or craft guild, a dandy 
  socialites’ club, or even a detective agency.  Whatever the particulars, the 
  guild will immediately attract 2d6 1st level experts who are willing to 
  apprentice themselves to the professional guildmaster.  A guild’s member-
  ship tends to grow in direct proportion to its financial success.  As a 
  professional’s reputation and influence grows, it’s possible that the 
  professional player character might even be elected to some important 
  political office, such as the mayor of a city or the governor of a region. 
   
  Fighters: A promoted fighter becomes a lord.  A lord’s stronghold 
  usually takes the form of a castle or fortress.  Once the stronghold is 
  complete, the nearest ruler will summon the lord for a knighting ceremony, 
  thereby entitling the character with the rank of knight and the address of sir 
  or dame.  5d10 mercenaries (mostly normal men, with 1st to 3rd level fighters 
  for officers) will arrive to serve the knight as troops.  They require standard 
  pay, but they are otherwise loyal to the knight.  If the knight then manages to 
  destroy all the monsters within 20 miles of his stronghold, settlers will arrive 
  to live on the land, and more men will ask to join the knight’s army.  At this 
  point, the knight’s liege will elevate him to the rank of baronet.  A baronet is 
  permitted to tax the settlers on his land, and he will draw an income of 1 
  guilder per family per month from all of the people living around his castle. 
   
  Mages: A promoted mage is called a wizard.  If a wizard chooses to 
  build a tower, he will attract 1d6 mages between 1st and 3rd level and 1d12 
  normal humans, all of whom will serve the wizard loyally in exchange for 
  magical training.  About half of the 0th level humans who receive apprentice 
  training will grow discouraged and leave in frustration after 1d6 months, but 
  the rest will become 1st level mages after about a year. 
   
  Scholars: A promoted scholar becomes a sage.  A sage is able to build a 
  college.  If the sage has remained true to his alignment and to his philosophy, 
  the sage’s old university might pay for up to half the construction cost of the 
  new college, which will then be regarded as a branch of the sage’s alma 
  mater university.  A sage’s college will attract 1d6 × 50 human students who 
  wish to learn under the sage.  Only 10% of these students will actually remain 
  with the school and become 1st level scholars; the rest will either complete 
  their education or fail out, leaving after 1d4 years have passed. 
  
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  Techs: A promoted tech is called an inventor.  An inventor can build a 
  workshop and factory devoted to the creation of new technologies and to the 
  mass-production of modern conveniences.  Despite the fact that factories 
  aren’t usually fortified, they require so many machines and facilities that the 
  cost of a factory can rival that of a lord’s castle or a sage’s college.  When an 
  inventor builds a factory, 1d6 × 30 workers will arrive to staff the factory and 
  earn a wage (2 silver pieces a day is typical pay).  1d6 1st level techs will also 
  arrive to apprentice under the inventor. 
   
  Dwarves: A promoted dwarf is called a dwarf lord. A dwarf lord can 
  build an underground cavern complex, and this will draw a small number of 
  young dwarves (5d6) from the dwarf lord’s former clan.  These 1st level 
  dwarves will arrive to defend the new dwarvenhold and work its mines. 
   
  Elves: A promoted elf, called an elf sage, can build a forest stronghold 
  which blends in with its natural surroundings and enhances the beauty of 
  some otherwise wild area.  A small number of low-level elves (5d6) will then 
  arrive from the elf’s former homeland to serve the sage and maintain the new 
  stronghold.  All of the forest creatures within the area will befriend these 
  elves and do anything within their ability to help defend them. 
   
  Fays: A promoted fay is a fay wizard.  Fay wizards build towers, just like 
  human wizards, but fays invariably prefer to put their towers in the middle of 
  heavily populated cities.  1d4 young fays between 1st and 3rd level will arrive 
  at the tower and ask to become apprentices under the fay wizard. 
   
  Gnomes: A promoted gnome is a gnome inventor.  Just like a human 
  inventor, a gnome inventor can build a workshop or factory.  A gnomish 
  workshop employs 5d6 low-level gnomes as workers and apprentices. 
   
  Halflings: A promoted halfling is called a halfling thane.  A thane 
  doesn’t need to build a stronghold; instead, the people of his shire or 
  borough give him a comfortable and gentlemanly home.  2d4 low-level 
  halflings will serve the thane directly as a personal guard. 
   
  Centaurs: A 9th level centaur is a centaur paladin.  Paladins do not 
  usually build strongholds, but sometimes they found schools for the purpose 
  of training young warriors.  In these instances, 2d6 students of various 
  races—human, dwarf, sylph, and centaur—will arrive to learn from the 
  centaur and serve as esquires. 
   
  Fauns: A promoted faun is a faun warden.  Wardens typically don’t 
  build strongholds, since their duties revolve around protecting the campsites 
  of roving faun bands.  However, some wardens do choose to build forest 
  strongholds, similar to those of elves.  In these instances, the warden makes 
  it his job to patrol the forest and keep it free from monsters.  This activity 
  will draw 2d6 followers of various races—human, halfling, elf, and faun—to 
  serve as the warden’s scouts. 
   
  Merrows: A promoted merrow is a merrow bard.  Bards sometimes 
  found coastal strongholds that serve a dual purpose, functioning as both a 
  bardic college and a coast guard.  A bardic college will attract 3d6 students of 
  various races, mostly merrows but also humans and elves, to learn 
  scholarship under the merrow bard.  A larger number of normal men (1d10 × 
  20) will also arrive to serve as sailors and soldiers who make it their purpose 
  to keep the coastline free from pirates and sea-monsters.  
   
  
   
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  Sylphs: A promoted sylph is called a sylph dragoon.  Although the 
  majority of dragoons remain with their clan as leaders and defenders, 
  sometimes a new stronghold must be founded.  The dragoon finds a suitable 
  spot, high up in the mountains, where an open complex of half-caverns, 
  columned tunnels, and airy balconies can be delved into the mountainside.  
  After that, 5d6 low-level sylphs will arrive to help defend and maintain the 
  new stronghold. 
  DOMINIONS 
  A settled hero who has successfully completed a stronghold can choose to 
  exert his political influence on the surrounding lands and people and become 
  a dominion ruler.  Rulership is usually the exclusive province of fighter-class 
  characters (i.e. lords), since characters of other classes tend to have their 
  own concerns.  Sages administer to their schools, champions to their dojos, 
  and professionals to their guilds; and wizards and inventors often prefer 
  seclusion for the sake of their research.  Faeries living in human lands will 
  often distance themselves from human politics, preferring to focus on their 
  own clans and strongholds.  But in faerie nations, it will be faerie folk who 
  assume the rulership roles typically allocated to fighters, and humans will be 
  the ones expected to stay out of the way and avoid interfering with local 
  governments. 
   
  Acquiring a Dominion 
  A character can become a dominion ruler through one of a number of 
  different ways.  The character can strike out into the wilderness, destroy all 
  of the monsters in the area, and declare himself the ruler of the newly-
  
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  founded dominion.  He can be granted some large tract of land by a higher 
  ruler (perhaps even the king or emperor of a major nation) as a reward for 
  loyal service or heroism.  The character could also be sent to some distant 
  shore by such a ruler, for the purpose of claiming and colonizing lands never 
  before explored or settled.  Then again, whether in familiar lands or exotic, 
  the character might conquer some other dominion through force or guile or 
  magic and assume rulership over it.  Lastly, the character could be asked or 
  chosen to rule over some region by the people themselves—through either 
  democratic election or declaration of enfieffment (i.e. the people proclaim 
  the character to be their liege lord). 
   
  Characteristics of Dominions 
  If the dominion does not already have a name, the character is entitled to 
  give it one.  He can also institute whatever form of government he desires to, 
  but the default assumption is one of benevolent autocracy, with the 
  character’s sovereign power only somewhat limited by an advisory council or 
  other popular body.  In the setting of Engines & Empires, both totalitarian 
  dictatorships and democratic republics would be considered radical and 
  unusual.  The dominion also has a size, a location, a population, and wealth. 
   
  Size: A starting dominion (called a barony) usually covers one standard 
  “map hex”, which is an area 24 miles across.  (Note that a newly founded 
  dominion requires the slaying or routing of all monsters in a 20-mile radius 
  around the stronghold before people will come to settle it.  This is necessary 
  to provide the people with a sufficient buffer of semi-settled borderlands.)  
  Larger dominions (greater baronies, counties, duchies, kingdoms, empires) 
  can be considerably bigger, but newly-titled baronets should have their 
  hands full with a single-hexagon barony. 
   
  Location: Relative to lands already settled, a dominion will be in 
  civilized lands, borderlands, or wilderness.  This affects the dominion’s 
  starting population. 
   
  Population: When the dominion is first settled or otherwise comes 
  into the possession of the PC ruler, it begins with a certain number of 
  families settled within its borders.  This number is randomly determined, 
  within bounds set by the dominion’s location: 
     • Civilized: 1d10 × 500 families per hex. 
     • Borderlands: 1d10 × 50 families per hex. 
     • Wilderness: 1d10 × 5 families per hex. 
  Each month, the population of the dominion will grow by the addition of 
  1d10 × 10 more families, until the population surpasses 1,000 families.  After 
  that, the dominion’s status changes to “civilized” (if it wasn’t already) and the 
  rate of growth becomes 1d10 × 25 families each month. 
   
  Wealth: A dominion’s wealth in natural resources, industry, and trade 
  is determined by the referee when the dominion comes into the hands of the 
  PC ruler.  This determination can be made by the referee’s choice or by a 
  random roll of 1d10: 
   
  (1) Poor: tax income is multiplied by ×1 
   
  (2-7) Average: tax income is multiplied by ×2 
   
  (8-9) Prosperous: tax income is multiplied by ×3 
   
  (10) Wealthy: tax income is multiplied by ×4 
  
   
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  A poor dominion is primarily rural, with an economy almost entirely 
  dependent on subsistence agriculture.  Prosperous and wealthy dominions 
  have a variety of natural resources, including agriculture, fishing, and 
  mining, as well as vibrant trade economies.  Changing a dominion’s wealth 
  status is extremely difficult. Whether this can happen is left entirely up to the 
  actions of the PC ruler and discretion of the referee. 
  
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  Taxation 
  The dominion ruler receives tax income each month in the amount of 1 
  guilder per family in his dominion, multiplied by his dominion’s wealth 
  modifier.  A prosperous dominion with 1,200 families, for example, imparts 
  to the ruler a tax income of 3,600 guilders per month.  Some of this wealth 
  may be kept by the PC, but a fair portion of it must also go to paying 
  mercenaries and specialists (two categories of retainers which are not 
  included among a PC’s loyal followers or subjects).  Anywhere from 10% to 
  30% of a PC’s tax income could also be demanded by the PC’s own liege and 
  by religious leaders or other obligations placed on the PC. 
   
  Confidence 
  The popularity of a PC ruler is determined by the dominion’s Confidence.  
  Starting Confidence equal to the sum of the PC’s six ability scores.  Each 
  month, Confidence in the ruler can go up or down, depending on the events 
  that transpire in the dominion.  Each positive event (a holiday, a successful 
  battle campaign, a visit from the PC ruler’s liege) can raise confidence by 1 or 
  2 points at a time, while each negative event (a crisis or disaster, or display of 
  poor leadership on the part of the PC) can lower confidence by 1 or 2 points 
  each.  In any case, Confidence should not rise or fall by more than 10 points 
  at a time in a given month.   
   
  Effects of Confidence: A Confidence level between 50 and 75 
  indicates a stable, healthy dominion with no special effects.  Should the 
  dominion’s confidence level rise to 76 or higher, the dominion is considered 
  thriving, and tax income for the ruler rises by 10%.  If the Confidence level 
  falls below 50, however, tax income for the ruler is cut in half, and the people 
  become restless.  If Confidence actually falls below 30, all tax income is cut 
  off, and open rebellion ignites within the dominion. 
   
  Events 
  In a given game month, there is a 1 in 6 chance that some extraordinary 
  event will befall the dominion.  This could be quite literally any sort of crisis 
  that the referee can dream up: a natural disaster (earthquake, tornado, 
  tsunami, meteor shower), a magical or monster attack, threat of war from 
  neighboring dominion, spies or assassins in the dominion, a shortage or 
  famine or drought, the sudden appearance of bandits or cultists… in short, 
  all kinds of problems can befall a dominion ruled by a brave and mighty 
  hero.  Some crises can be handled by the PC’s followers (or even by a party of 
  young, upstart 1st level adventurers trying to make a name for themselves in 
  the PC’s dominion), but many disasters will also require the PC’s direct and 
  personal intervention. 
  MASS COMBAT 
  Oftentimes, the player characters may find themselves fighting for one side 
  or the other in a great battle, a conflagration taking place on such a grand 
  scale that the whole scope of the mêlée cannot be seen or understood at once.  
  Before reaching the level of a dominion ruler, when player characters find 
  themselves in the midst of a battle, they aren’t usually the ones giving the 
  
   
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  orders to the troops or directing the course of the armies involved.  At the 
  low and middle levels of the game, heroes can only hope to fight on the 
  frontlines, doing what little they can to boost the morale of the lower-level 
  troops and perhaps to sway the fight in their side’s favor by accomplishing 
  some feat of spectacular valor. 
   
  The rules that follow here are highly abstracted. Nothing is precisely 
  quantified or tactically positioned.  It falls squarely on the shoulders of the 
  referee to describe each scene, adjudicate each action, and interpret all of the 
  outcomes.  Vivid description of each phase of the mass combat is particularly 
  important.  At all times, the referee must stress the urgency of the battle, the 
  weight of numbers pressing in around the player characters, and the sheer 
  scale carnage and destruction.  Only then will the battle feel like a drama as it 
  swings back and forth between victory and defeat for the player characters’ 
  side. 
   
  A mass combat is defined as any battle that happens on such a large 
  scale that the referee does not keep track of individual attacks, positions, hit 
  point totals, etc. for all of the participants.  The scale of the battle is such that 
  the player characters are not aware of anything more than exactly what they 
  can see in front of them at any given moment.  Mass combat in the Engines 
  & Empires game is intended to be abstract and cinematic.  The player 
  characters play their part to swing the battle in favor of their side, but they 
  will not be the sole factor that determines victory or defeat.  (For more 
  precise, tactical mass combat rules, where the player characters are actually 
  aware of the positions of individual units in their armies and those of their 
  enemies, see the section further below on Unit Combat.) 
   
  The Mass Combat Phase 
  A mass combat is played out in phases, discreet spans of time which function 
  much like small-scale combat rounds or exploration game turns.  A mass 
  combat phase is one hour long—a great deal of movement and fighting can 
  take place during one phase!  Each phase consists of the following actions: 
  1. Each player character participating in the battle chooses whether to do 
  nothing, move toward lighter or heavier fighting, or attempt an Act of 
  Heroism. 
  2. Player characters that wish to engage in an Act of Heroism roll 1d8 to 
  determine the nature of the act. 
  3. The referee rolls 3d6 for each side, adding any modifiers accrued that 
  round due to circumstances and the player characters’ actions.  The side that 
  rolls highest moves one step closer to victory. 
   
  The Scale of Victory 
  At the outset of the battle, the referee must determine whether the two 
  opposing forces are evenly or unevenly matched.  If one side outnumbers the 
  other, or if one side is defending a fortified stronghold, that side is going to 
  have an advantage before the battle even begins.  If the two sides are more or 
  less even, the referee begins the battle at “Even” on the scale of victory 
  (below).  If one side or the other has an advantage, the referee can begin the 
  battle at one or more steps in favor of that side’s eventual victory.  Most of 
  the time, two sides will begin the battle at “Even” on the scale. 
  
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  The following table gives the steps toward victory or defeat, strictly from 
  the perspective of the player characters.  At the end of every mass combat 
  phase, the referee rolls 3d6 for each side in the battle.  The player characters’ 
  roll is modified by the table (depending on whether the PCs’ side is winning 
  or losing) and by any other modifiers, including those resulting from Acts of 
  Heroism. Modifiers to the roll can also include whatever other circumstantial 
  adjustments that the referee might wish to add, for either side.  If the player 
  characters’ side rolls higher, the battle advances one step toward Victory.  If 
  the enemies’ side rolls higher, the battle advances one step toward Defeat. 
    
  Victory for the PCs 
  Winning +3 
  Winning +2 
  Winning +1 
  Even Match ±0 
  Losing -1 
  Losing -2 
  Losing -3 
  Defeat for the PCs 
   
   
  If the battle reaches “Victory”, the player characters’ side wins.  All of 
  the enemies are slain, routed, or otherwise forced to break off the mass 
  combat.  If the battle reaches “Defeat”, the player characters’ side loses.  This 
  usually means that the PCs and their allies are forced to retreat, although 
  depending on the circumstances, it could result in the characters being 
  captured or meeting some fate even more dire.  It always remains up to the 
  referee to interpret the exact outcome of a mass combat, depending on the 
  particular circumstances and the flow of the referee’s story.  A PC should not 
  be slain by a mass combat, however, unless he took enough damage to be 
  killed, according to the mass combat rules presented here. 
   
  PCs in Mass Combat 
  At the outset of the combat, when the referee determines whether the sides 
  are even or uneven, the player characters must also decide where they will 
  try to fight: on the fringes of the battle, where the fighting is lightest; in the 
  press of battle, where the combat is moderate; or in the very thick of the 
  conflict, the most dangerous place to be.  If the player characters are aware 
  that a mass combat is upon them, they can choose where they want to be 
  when the battle begins.  If, however, they somehow get taken by surprise (or 
  get thrown into a battle that they were not expecting), this can be determined 
  at random by the referee by rolling 1d6: 
  (1) 
  The Fringes; light combat (±0 to Heroism roll) 
  (2-4) The Press; moderate combat (+1 to Heroism roll) 
  (5-6) The Thick; heavy combat (+2 to Heroism roll) 
  Once the player characters know where they are fighting in the battle, they 
  can decide on the action that they want to take.  Characters can either choose 
  to do nothing special, in which case they fight normally but don’t take any 
  especial risks; they can choose to move one step into lighter or heavier 
  
   
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  combat (e.g. a character fighting on the fringes could opt to move into the 
  press of battle); or the character can attempt an Act of Heroism.   
   
  If the character chooses to do nothing or to move, the referee makes one 
  attack roll against the character at FA 2.  If this attack roll beats the 
  character’s AC/DC, the character takes 1d6 points of damage for that phase 
  of the mass combat.  If, however, the player character wishes to attempt an 
  Act of Heroism, the player must roll 1d8 (and add the modifier indicated on 
  the table above, for the character’s location in the battle).  The referee then 
  determines the result, using the table that follows. 
   
   
   
   
  
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  1d8 
  Result of Heroism Roll 
  1 
   Nothing Happens.  The player character fights normally; the referee 
  rolls to hit the PC at FA 2, and on a hit, the PC takes 1d6 points of 
  damage. 
  2-4  Dangerous Combat.  The player character gets into some serious 
  fighting; the referee rolls to hit the PC at FA 4, and on a hit, the PC 
  takes 1d12 points of damage. 
  5-7  Worthy Opponent.  The player character meets up with a powerful foe 
  (e.g. a high level NPC or a tough monster).  The player character must 
  duel the enemy in single combat.  If the PC wins, the referee adds a +1 
  bonus to the 3d6 roll for the PCs’ side at the end of the mass combat 
  phase. 
  8+  Feat of Heroism.  The player character has the opportunity to 
  accomplish something bold and heroic, something that might swing 
  the battle in favor of the PCs’ side.  Possible actions include breaking 
  through an enemy line, overtaking a key position, or taking down 
  some very large monster.  Whatever the particular action, if the player 
  character succeeds, the referee adds a +3 bonus to the 3d6 roll for the 
  PCs’ side to resolve that mass combat phase. 
   
  Feats of Heroism ought to be rare.  No character should have more than one 
  opportunity per mass combat to attempt a Feat of Heroism, so if this result 
  comes up more than once for the same character in a single mass battle, treat 
  it as a Worthy Opponent.   
   
  If multiple player characters successfully defeat a Worthy Opponent or 
  accomplish Feat of Heroism in the same mass combat phase, the Scale of 
  Victory bonuses awarded to the PCs’ side in the combat can be stacked 
  together at the referee’s option. 
  UNIT COMBAT 
  At the higher levels of the game, when the players rule their own dominions 
  and can command their own armies, they may wish to oversee the entire 
  course of a mass battle and control their soldiers’ tactics.  If the PCs have the 
  opportunity to do this, the cinematic mass combat system described above 
  can be replaced with a tactical mass combat system which is here called unit 
  combat.  In unit combat, large numbers of soldiers are represented on the 
  battlefield by a relatively small number of individual units, and units move 
  on a battle grid and fight each other just as characters would in an ordinary, 
  small-scale combat.   
   
  Unit Scale 
  Distances are reckoned tenfold in unit combat, such that one inch on the 
  tabletop represents 100’.  The time scale for unit combat is the ten-minute 
  turn.  Movement is also increased tenfold, such that a unit of creatures 
  normally capable of moving 120’ feet per turn (40’ per round) are able to 
  move 1200’ (400’) per unit combat turn, using the reduced (one-third) speed 
  if the unit takes some action (such as attacking). 
   
  
   
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  The Combat Unit 
  A unit is comprised of many soldiers, represented on the tabletop by a single 
  piece or token.  It acts and fights just as a single character would in ordinary 
  combat.  In game terms, a unit has five statistics: Health, Attack, Defense, 
  Speed, and Morale.  These statistics are ultimately determined by the kind of 
  soldier or creature making up the unit. 
     
  Unit Health (HE) 
  A unit has 1 point of Health for approximately every twenty soldiers in the 
  unit, up to a maximum of 5 Health.  (If more than one hundred soldiers are 
  present, they must be split up into at least two units.)  Damage reduces a 
  unit’s health (as soldiers are killed, wounded, break ranks and flee, or desert) 
  until it reaches 0, a which point the unit is disbanded or destroyed.  Health is 
  the most important statistic, since it modifies most of the others.  
   
  Unit Attack (AT) 
  A unit’s Attack value is equal to the Fighting Ability of one ordinary soldier in 
  that unit, plus the unit’s current Health.  A unit armed with primitive or very 
  poor-quality weapons suffers a -2 penalty to Attack. 
   
  Unit Defense (DF) 
  A unit’s base Defense is simply 10 + its Attack, or 10 + unit Health + the FA 
  of a typical soldier from that unit.  A unit of soldiers wearing mostly metal 
  armor adds a +2 bonus to Defense. 
   
  Unit Morale (ML) 
  A unit’s Morale score is equal to a typical soldier’s Morale, plus a small bonus 
  equal to one-half the unit’s current Health, rounded down.  If a typical orc 
  has ML 6, for example, than a unit of eighty to one-hundred orcs (thus, 
  health 4 or 5) will have unit ML 8.  Morale checks work as normal 
  (comparing 2d6 to the ML score), but here they essentially function as a 
  unit-scale “saving throw”. 
   
  Unit Speed (SP) 
  This quality is the same as a typical soldier’s Movement rate, but reckoned 
  tenfold to agree with unit scale.  Thus, a unit of human soldiers moves at a 
  speed of 1200’ (400’), which is still twelve (four) squares on the tabletop.  A 
  unit of soldiers mostly wearing metal armor suffers a penalty of -300’ (-100’) 
  to its Speed. 
   
  Attacks and Damage 
  The basic rule of unit combat is this: a unit attacks an adjacent enemy unit by 
  rolling 1d20 + its Attack, and a hit occurs if the total equals or exceeds the 
  target’s Defense.  A hit deals 2 points of damage, unless the targeted unit 
  passes a Morale check, in which case the hit causes only 1 point of damage.  
  Any unit that falls to 0 Health is removed from the battlefield.  Where 
  missile-fire (or artillery-fire) are concerned, the units do not need to be 
  adjacent: instead, find the missile attack form’s maximum range (e.g. 700’ 
  for a longbow) and use that as a flat range number, ignoring range penalties.  
  
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  Characters in Unit Combat 
  Spells and technology are abstracted under this system: instead of trying to 
  scale fire balls and magic missiles to unit scale, it’s far easier to simply treat 
  units of mages or techs as missile-fire units with a maximum range of 100’ 
  per best spell level (or 50’ per best tech degree) available to the majority of 
  troops in the unit.  Thus, a unit of mostly 3rd level mages can throw “2nd level 
  magic” as a missile attack out to two squares away.  Furthermore, all 
  characters with a class and a level figure their Attack and Defense as if their 
  levels were monster hit dice—they do not use their ordinary class attack 
  tables.  The aforementioned unit of 3rd level mages would thus figure its 
  Attack and Defense as if it had FA 4 (like a 3-HD monster does), not FA 2. 
   
  Heroic Characters and Gigantic Monsters 
  Characters of 4th level or higher, and monsters with 4 HD or more, generally 
  do not form units.  Instead, such rare heroes and monsters often act singly 
  on the battlefield.  Such creatures are effectively one-man units with 1 point 
  of Health.  Attack and Defense are determined as above (treating character 
  levels as monster hit dice), Movement is reckoned tenfold, and Morale is 
  ignored—heroic character and large monster units do not fail Morale checks. 
   
  These kinds of special units can attack and be attacked as normal.  A 
  monster unit that loses its sole point of health is destroyed, while a player 
  character in the same circumstances could be slain (2-in-6 chance) or merely 
  knocked out.  Special units are also capable of two unique actions: Rally 
  Allies and Intimidate Foes.  To Rally Allies, a heroic character or large 
  monster must be within 100’ of a friendly, damaged unit.  The damaged unit 
  rolls ML, and if it passes, it regains 1 Health.  To Intimidate Foes, the hero or 
  monster must again be within 100’ of an enemy unit.  The targeted unit must 
  check morale or lose 1 Health as some if its soldiers break ranks and flee. 
   
  When heroic and large monster units encounter each other, they can 
  spend the turn dueling each other in single combat.  
  STRATEGIC WARFARE 
  The widest scale of all is to observe an entire war and the movement of 
  armies over vast distances.  A typical territory map is broken up into 
  hexagons of terrain, and these hexes can be as small as one mile or as large 
  as a hundred miles, but twenty-four miles to the hex is typical for maps 
  displaying player characters’ dominions.  When armies move on this scale, 
  they move as a typical soldier in the army would normally hike through the 
  wilderness, i.e. speed per turn, divided by five, in miles per day.  Thus, an 
  army of human soldiers (120’ per turn) moves at a speed of 24 miles 
  (precisely 1 hex) per day.  An army can increase its speed by 150% with a 
  forced march, but for each day spent on a forced march, it must rest for one 
  additional day before it can fight at full strength. 
   
  When opposed units encounter each other by moving into the same hex, 
  they can do battle using either the cinematic mass combat system or the 
  tactical unit combat system, as the referee and players prefer.  The cinematic 
  mass combat system is considerably more efficient for wars taking place on 
  this scale. 
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  137 
   
   
   
   
   
  VIII 
   
   
  MONSTERS 
   
   
  ERE CAN BE found all of the details necessary for running monsters 
    in Engines & Empires.  The names of some monsters in this setting 
    differ from their traditional Labyrinth Lord counterparts, while 
  other monsters actually have entirely different descriptions which tie them 
  into the background of the world of Gaia.  There are also many new monsters 
  to be found here—in particular, this book includes several very powerful 
  monsters intended to challenge Dominion and Epic level PCs. 
   
  POISON AND ENERGY DRAIN 
   
  The referee is always free to leave these deadly attacks just as dangerous as 
  they are in the standard rules; but in a world where even a simple orc can 
  come equipped with guns and bombs, attacks like these might just be a little 
  too unfairly perilous. 
  It’s suggested for E&E that an alternate rule for damage by poison be 
  used.  According to this rule, poison does not cause death—it causes damage 
  equal to 1d6 points per hit die of the monster inflicting the poison. On a 
  successful saving throw vs. poison, the character still takes half damage! 
  (The 4th level divine spell neutralize poison will instantly cure all damage 
  dealt by poison, if cast within 10 rounds of the poisoning.)  Poison can be 
  either fast-acting, causing all of its damage at once; or slow-acting, causing 
  one die of damage per round until it runs it course. 
  More strongly recommended is a rule that alters the basic nature of one 
  of the attacks common to powerful undead: the energy drain. Instead of 
  draining away character levels, this attack should drain away a number of 
  points from a character’s Constitution score equal to the number of levels 
  that would normally be lost (typically 1 or 2 points). Essentially, this works 
  just like a shadow’s Strength drain, except that it’s more difficult to recover 
  from Constitution drain. Each point of lost Constitution requires a full week 
  of total bed-rest to recover, unless the character can receive the benefits of a 
  restore spell, which will instantly cure all lost Constitution.  If this rule is 
  used, then wights (which normally only drain life energy) should cause 1d4 
  points of damage in addition to sapping 1 Constitution point. 
   
   
   
   
   
  H
  
  138 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  139 
   
  CONVERSION OF MONSTER STATISTICS 
   
  Using Labyrinth Lord monsters with Engines & Empires (or vice versa) 
  requires a few small conversions.  Notably, their statistics for Saving Throws 
  and Attack Values must be converted.  (These transformations are simple, 
  and relatively easy to perform on the fly.)  E&E also uses a “dual stat” system 
  for defenses, listing both descending Armor Class and ascending Defense 
  Class, so that individual gaming groups can use whichever one they prefer. 
   
  Armor Class to Defense Class 
  This conversion is the simplest of all.  To convert a monster’s Armor Class to 
  Defense Class, just subtract its AC from 21.  A monster with an AC of 7 
  therefore has a DC of 14.  A monster with an AC of -2 would have a DC of 23. 
   
  Saving Throws 
  Monsters in the E&E game have a single Saving Throw score, just like player 
  characters.  To find a monster’s ST, first determine what level it “saves as”.  
  Then find the appropriate ST number, as if the monster were a player 
  character of that level.  Since all of the E&E classes use the same Saving 
  Throw progression, the class that a monster saves as can usually be ignored, 
  but if the creature saves as a dwarf or halfling, it should receive a +2 bonus.  
   
  Attack Values to Fighting Ability 
  A monster’s Fighting Ability in Engines & Empires corresponds to its Attack 
  Value for rolling to hit AC 0.  Therefore, a monster’s FA score is found by 
  subtracting its THAC0 number from 21.  Monster FA scores are calculated as 
  follows: 
   
   
  Hit Dice 
  FA 
   
  Hit Dice 
  FA 
   
   
  (Normal human) 
  1 
   
  13+ to 15 
  13 
   
   
  Up to 1 
  2 
   
  15+ to 17 
  14 
   
   
  1+ to 2 
  3 
   
  17+ to 19 
  15 
   
   
  2+ to 3 
  4 
   
  19+ to 21 
  16 
   
   
  3+ to 4 
  5 
   
  21+ to 23 
  17 
   
   
  4+ to 5 
  6 
   
  23+ to 25 
  18 
   
   
  5+ to 6 
  7 
   
  25+ to 27 
  19 
   
   
  6+ to 7 
  8 
   
  27+ to 29 
  20 
   
   
  7+ to 8 
  9 
   
  29+ to 31 
  21 
   
   
  8+ to 9 
  10 
   
  31+ to 33 
  22 
   
   
  9+ to 11 
  11 
   
  33+ to 35 
  23 
   
   
  11+ to 13 
  12 
   
  35+ and up 
  24 
   
   
   
  CHANGED MONSTERS 
   
  The following monsters have different names, descriptive text, or game 
  statistics in the E&E world.   
   
  
  140 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Centaur: Centaurs in the E&E world are a player character class.  E&E 
  centaurs don’t live in the woods and shun humans.  Far from it: they 
  embrace human civilization and usually reside in cities.  The 4 HD centaur in 
  the Labyrinth Lord core rules can represent an NPC centaur at 4th level. 
  Dwarf: A typical NPC dwarf is 1st level and can make a Focused Strike 
  once per battle, just like a fighter. 
  Elf: A typical NPC elf is 1st level and can’t cast spells yet, but can Turn 
  Undead just like a 1st level scholar.  In any case, E&E elves are only able to 
  use clerical and druidic magical items, so keep that in mind when equipping 
  groups of NPC elves.  (Incidentally, in any given party of NPC elves, there 
  might very well be an NPC fay, capable of casting one 1st level arcane spell.) 
  Gnome: The NPC gnomes described in Labyrinth Lord do not exist in 
  the E&E world.  Instead, replace these with ordinary 1st level E&E gnomes.  
  Any 1st level gnome will have one technical degree (herbal healer, chemical 
  smoke, or ballistic projectile) and one copy an appropriate device built.  
  Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kobold, Orc: In the E&E world, goblins are orcs 
  and orcs are goblins.  These creatures and their cousins are all of one species, 
  described below under “Foulspawn”. 
  Gorgon: The creature known as a “gorgon” in Labyrinth Lord—the 
  scaly iron bull-monster that breathes petrifying vapor—has a different name 
  in the E&E world.  Here, this creature is called the catoblepas, since 
  “gorgon” is properly synonymous with “medusa” and refers to another 
  monster altogether. 
  Halfling: An NPC halfling is 1st level.  Halflings score critical hits on 
  10% of attack rolls (on natural 19-20). 
  Medusa: In the E&E world, “Medusa” is not the name of a particular 
  species of monster—she was a specific gorgon from ancient history, a snake-
  haired woman with a petrifying gaze.  Her sisters were named Stheno and 
  Euryale.  All of their female descendants are also gorgons. 
  Merfolk: Merfolk are a player character class, typically called merrows 
  on Gaia.  In addition to their ordinary statistics, typical 1st level merrows 
  have the power to sing a Siren Song (charm person) once per day. 
  Phase Tiger: These creatures are typically known as coeurls among 
  E&E adventurers.  Common-folk, though, have also heard of them, and they 
  figure into local superstition as “cait sith” (phantom cats).  Incidentally, blink 
  dogs appear in the superstitions as well, and commoners know them by the 
  name “cu sith” (phantom dogs). 
  Throgrhin: Part troll and part ghoul, these fearsome hybrid monsters 
  are known as grendels in the E&E world.  They figure prominently in the 
  history of the northern countries, where they are known for terrorizing the 
  mead-halls of ancient dwarven kings (and running back to their troll 
  mothers when heroes come to tear their arms off). 
  Troll: Trolls in the E&E world are altogether different from the 
  rubbery, regenerative beasts of Labyrinth Lord.  Rather like oversized 
  relatives of orcs and hulks, E&E trolls are practically made of stone—and 
  sunlight fatally returns them to that element.  A female troll that mates with 
  a male ghoul will produce a grendel (see “throgrhin”, above). 
   
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  141 
   
  FOULSPAWN 
   
  There exist creatures in the E&E world which have been created by a force of 
  purest Chaos. These monsters are known as “Foulspawn”—they are literally 
  spawned by whatever forces of darkness and Chaos inhabit the deep, 
  foreboding bowels of the world. Monsters in this vile family include goblins, 
  bugbears, ogres, and trolls. The goblin races are originally derived from 
  faerie stock (especially gnomes and elves, from whom purebred imps and 
  orcs are descended), but much human blood has been unnaturally mingled 
  with them through the ages, thus producing half-orcs and hulks. 
   
  Goblins 
  Imp  
   
   
  Half-Orc 
   
  No. Enc.:  
  4d4 (6d10)  
   
  2d6 (6d10) 
   
  Alignment:  
  Chaotic   
   
  Chaotic  
   
  Movement:  
  90’ (30’)  
   
  90’ (30’)  
   
  AC / DC:  
  7 / 14  
   
   
  6 / 15 
   
   
  Hit Dice:  
  ½  
    
   
  1–1  
  Fighting Ability: 2 (×1 weapon)  
   
  2 (×1 weapon) 
   
  Damage:  
  1d4 or weapon -1   
  1d6 or weapon 
   
  Saving Throw: 
  5  
   
   
  5 
   
   
  Morale:   
  6 (8)  
   
   
  7 (9) 
   
   
  Treasure:  
  I (XIII)   
   
  III (XX)  
   
   
  Orc 
   
   
  Hulk 
  No. Enc.:  
  2d4 (6d10) 
   
  1d6 (4d6) 
  Alignment:  
  Chaotic  
   
  Chaotic 
  Movement:  
  120’ (40’) 
   
  120’ (40’) 
  AC / DC:  
  6 / 15 
   
   
  6 / 15 
  Hit Dice:  
  1  
   
   
  1+1  
  Fighting Ability: 2 (×1 weapon) 
   
  2 (×1 weapon) 
  Damage:  
  1d6 or weapon 
   
  1d8 or weapon 
  Saving Throw: 
  7 
   
   
  7 
  Morale:   
  8 (10) 
   
   
  8 (10) 
  Treasure:  
  XIX 
   
   
  XIX 
   
  Goblins are the rank-and-file troops of the forces of evil. They nearly always 
  live under the ground, making them the perfect guards for deep labyrinths. 
  Evil overlords often make goblins the cornerstone of their armies.  All 
  goblins greatly prefer to be under the ground, since sunlight tends to 
  disagree with them, making them dizzy and weak in the knees.  If they do 
  become active on the world’s surface, it will usually only be after nightfall.  
  Imps and orcs, being purebred goblin-kind, have well developed infravision 
  with a 90’ range, but they suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in daylight.  Half-
  orcs and hulks, on the other hand, have been bred to fight on the surface, 
  and so they suffer no penalty in daylight, but their infravision is only good 
  out to 60’ away.  On the surface, there is a 20% chance that 1 in 4 orcs will be 
  mounted on dire wolves. 
   
  
  142 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  Any goblin lair will have a chieftain or king with 3 to 5 Hit Dice, plus 1d4 
  2-HD bodyguards who protect the goblin king.  In very rare instances (10% 
  chance), a goblin king possesses extraordinary mental ability and acts as 
  shaman (monstrous scholar), witch (monstrous mage), or tinker (monstrous 
  tech) of an achievement level equal to his Hit Dice. All goblins are +2 to 
  morale in the presence of their chieftain. 
   
  Imps: These little red-skinned goblins are about the same size as 
  gnomes and halflings.  They haunt abandoned mineshafts and the deepest, 
  darkest parts of forests where no sunlight can reach the ground.  Imps are 
  very wicked and very clever—they love to use traps and ambushes to make 
  up for their small size. (N.B., because of their small size, imps face the same 
  weapons restrictions as gnomes and halflings.)  It is unclear how imps came 
  to be, but most believe that they are descended from corrupted gnomes. 
   
  Half-Orcs: Created by the foulest of dark sorcery, half-orcs are a blend 
  of human and goblin.  They look human enough to go unnoticed in most 
  large cities, although their appearance is always uncanny enough to make 
  others uneasy.  Half-orcs always have only wickedness in their hearts.  They 
  often become thieves, spies, and assassins. 
   
  Orcs: The typical goblin (“orc” is actually the Old Elvish word for this 
  degenerate species) is a cruel and cowardly soldier of evil.  Orcs nearly 
  always carry scimitars, short bows, and if they can get them, bombs and 
  guns.  Being clever with their hands, they can smith surprisingly fine 
  weapons and machines (usually traps, siege engines, and torture devices). 
   
  Hulks: The name for this goblin sub-species is derived from another 
  Elvish word, holc.  (Other races often call them “hob-goblins”.)  The hulkish 
  race is a creation of sorcery, likely the result of selective breeding between 
  half-orcs and full orcs.  The result is a race of tall, strong soldier-goblins who 
  can wield heavy weapons, run great distances without rest, and never quail 
  from sunlight.  Hulks are extremely ill-tempered and often delight in 
  pushing smaller goblins around. 
   
  Troll 
  No. Enc.: 1d8 (1d8) 
   
  Fighting Ability: 8 (×2 fists) 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: 1d12/1d12 
  Movement: 120’ (40’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 9 
  AC: 1 / DC: 20 
   
   
  Morale: 10 
  Hit Dice: 6+3* 
   
   
  Treasure: XIX 
   
  The greatest of the Foulspawn, trolls are believed to have been made from 
  solid rock, long ago, to fight in a war between the powers of evil on one side 
  and an alliance of elves and treants on the other. The trolls, it is said, were 
  made in mockery of the treants, just as the orcs were made from captured 
  and mutilated elf-kind. 
  A troll’s rock-like skin is so tough that weapons can barely pierce it, 
  hence their extremely high AC/DC. Trolls do have one weakness, though: 
  sunlight. A troll exposed to natural sunlight for even the briefest instant is 
  immediately petrified, fatally returned to the stone from whence it came. 
   
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  143 
   
  NEW MONSTERS 
  The remaining monsters in this chapter are meant to supplement the list of 
  monsters from the Labyrinth Lord game.  The majority of these monsters 
  are extremely powerful and ought not to be used until the player characters 
  surpass 15th level.  Indeed, some of these creatures (such as demons, liches, 
  and the mightiest of dragons) are best saved for Epic levels.  (N.B., asterisks 
  are listed by the Hit Dice for referees who use XP instead of AP awards.) 
   
  Ahriman 
  No. Enc.: 1 (0) 
   
   
  Fighting Ability: 12 (×1 bite/×2 claws) 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: 2d8/1d4/1d4 
  Movement: 180’ (60’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 13 
  ACs: 0; 2; 7 / DCs: 21; 19; 14 
  Morale: 12 
  Hit Dice: 13****  
   
  Treasure: VIII, IX, XI 
   
  The ahriman, also sometimes called a “Doom Eye”, is one of the more 
  fearsome creatures in existence.  It resembles a five-foot diameter eyeball, 
  below which are a wide mouth full of jagged teeth and a pair of grasping 
  talons.  The creature’s eyeball-body is held aloft by a huge pair of bat-like 
  wings, capable of propelling the beast at unexpectedly swift speeds.  The 
  ahriman is extremely intelligent and capable of speech.  It is deceptive, cruel, 
  and sadistic.  It avoids mêlée for as long as possible, relying on its many 
  spell-like abilities instead. 
   
  At all times, the ahriman’s eye projects a “ray of doom” in a line out to 
  60’ in front of itself.  This deadly gaze attack forces any creature that looks 
  into the ahriman’s eye to save or die instantly; and even if the saving throw is 
  made, the affected creature is still cursed to die within one turn (ten 
  minutes) unless a remove curse spell is first cast upon the victim. 
   
  If an ahriman is attacked with a weapon, the attacker must declare 
  whether he is aiming at the creature’s body, its eye, or a bat-wing.  Each 
  target has a different Armor/Defense Class and hit points. 
     • The body is AC 0/DC 21 and has 50 hp. 
     • The eye is AC 2/DC 19 and has 20 hp. 
     • Each wing is AC 7/DC 13 and has 15 hp.  Damage to the wings does not 
  count towards killing the creature, but if one wing is destroyed, the creature 
  can only flit and flutter wildly or creep on the ground with its talons, in either 
  case moving at a speed of only 30’ (10’).  If both wings are destroyed, the 
  creature is rendered unable to fly and must move by walking on its talons. 
   
   In addition to the creature’s ray of doom, the ahriman is capable of 
  casting a number of dangerous spell-like abilities, although it can only use 
  one such ability each round, and each ability can only be used once per day.  
  These abilities are: charm person, charm monster, sleep, telekinesis, flesh to 
  stone, disintegrate, dispel magic, cause fear, slow, and a special version of 
  cause serious wounds with a 60’ range (instead of touch range). 
   
   
   
   
  
  144 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Birdsteed 
   
  Riding Bird 
  War Bird 
  Draft Bird 
  No. Enc.: 
  n/a 
  n/a 
  n/a 
  Alignment: 
  Neutral 
  Neutral 
  Neutral 
  Movement: 
  270’ (90’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  120’ (40’) 
  AC / DC: 
  6 / 15 
  6 / 15 
  6 / 15 
  Hit Dice: 
  2 
  3 
  3 
  Fighting Ability: 3 (×2 talons/×1 beak) 4 (×2 talons/×1 beak) none 
  Damage: 
  1d3/1d3/1d4 
  1d4/1d4/1d6 
  none 
  Saving Throw: 
  7 
  7 
  7 
  Morale: 
  6 
  8 
  5 
  Treasure: 
  none 
  none 
  none 
   
  The dwarves have a unique and noteworthy custom.  Horses make dwarves 
  nervous, and vice versa.  There isn’t just the size difference to consider: after 
  all, a dwarf could perhaps choose to ride a pony, as gnomes and halflings are 
  wont to do.  But the dwarves avoid riding equines altogether, thanks to a 
  number of deeply rooted dislikes, fears, and folk superstitions.  (Dwarves 
  consider it gravely unlucky to ride on horseback!) Therefore, a very long time 
  ago, the dwarves bred for themselves a species of large, flightless birds which 
  are now known as birdsteeds (or, in the Old Dwarvish tongue, bridstédan). 
   
   A typical bridstéda resembles a yellow-feathered ostrich, but large and 
  strong enough to carry a full-grown man and saddlebags, just like a riding 
  horse.  Most birdsteeds are only trained to carry dwarves (and to buck any 
  non-dwarf that tries to ride them), but it might be just be possible to raise or 
  retrain a birdsteed so that it would bear a rider of another race.  Birdsteeds 
  are swifter than horses, but more skittish, and they cannot carry quite as 
  much weight.  They are extremely nimble on rocky terrain, even in 
  underground tunnels.  (If they weren’t, they wouldn’t be of much use to 
  dwarves.) 
   
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  145 
   
   
  Riding Bird: A small, light birdsteed bred for swiftness and long-
  distance travel.  A riding bird has an encumbrance limit of 15 stone and a 
  maximum load of 30 stone. 
   
  War Bird: A birdsteed bred for combat and ridden by dwarvish 
  knights.  A character mounted on the back of a war bird can execute a lance 
  charge in order to cause double damage with a lance.  During a lance charge, 
  only the mounted character can attack; but in mêlée, the war bird can attack 
  simultaneously with the character.  War birds are stronger than riding birds: 
  they have an encumbrance limit of 22 stone and a maximum load of 44 
  stone. 
   
  Draft Bird: A large birdsteed bred for heavy labor in dwarven mines.  
  A draft bird has an encumbrance limit of 30 stone and a maximum load of 
  60 stone.  Draft birds are incapable of combat and will flee if attacked. 
   
  Bomb Spore 
  No. Enc.:  1d3 (1)   
   
  Fighting Ability: Cannot attack 
  Alignment: Neutral  
   
  Damage: Disease  
   
  Movement: 30’ (10’) 
    
  Saving Throw: 7 
  AC:  9 / DC: 12  
   
   
  Morale: 9 
   
  Hit Dice: 1** (1 hit point)   
  Treasure: None 
   
   
  A bomb spore looks like a four-foot wide floating orb of orange rubber, 
  except that it has two glowing red eyes, a jagged but toothless mouth that 
  resembles something a child might cut into a jack-o-lantern, and a pair of 
  stumpy, mostly useless arms.  The creature is actually hollow, and it floats by 
  means of the buoyant, volatile vapor inside of it.  If the creature is damaged 
  in any way, it explodes in a massive fireball, causing 6d6 damage to all 
  creatures in a 20’ radius (a saving throw is allowed for half damage).  The 
  bomb spore is also capable of spewing out cloud of spores in a 20’ cubic 
  volume in front of it.  Anything caught in the cloud must roll a saving throw 
  or else be infected.  Unless cured with remove disease, an infected creature 
  will die in twenty-four hours and release 1d6 newborn bomb spores. 
   
  Cherub 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
    
   
  Fighting Ability: 13 (×2 fists) 
  Alignment: Lawful  
   
  Damage: 3d10/3d10 
   
   
  Movement: 120’ (40’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 18 
  Flying: 360’ (120’) 
   
  Morale: 11 
  AC: -2 / DC:  23  
   
  Treasure: None 
  Hit Dice: 15*** 
    
   
   
   
  The cherubim are powerful, angelic beings which (when they take a physical 
  form) resemble huge, majestic humans that glow with a golden radiance.  
  Djinn are servants to the cherubim, and cherubim in turn are thought to owe 
  their allegiance to the mysterious seraphim. 
   
  A cherub cannot be hit, except by +2 or better weapons.  It regenerates 3 
  hit points per round.  A cherub can use all of a djinni’s abilities at will.  
  Cherubim can become ethereal or corporeal at will, merely by concentrating 
  for one round.  Once per day, a cherub can cast cloudkill, weather control, 
  
  146 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  dispel evil, or grant the wish of another being.  A cherub can also swath itself 
  in a roaring pillar of holy flame which ignites all flammable objects within 15’ 
  and adds a bonus of 2d8 fire damage to the cherub’s fist attacks.  The cherub 
  can maintain the pillar of flame without limit.  
   
  Demon 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
    
   
  Fighting Ability: 15–21 (×2 fists) 
  Alignment: Chaotic  
   
  Damage: 3d10/3d10 and see below  
  Movement: 150’ (50’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 15–18 (level equals HD) 
  Flying: 60’ (20’)  
   
  Morale: 12 
  AC: -6 / DC 27 
   
   
  Treasure: Any 
  Hit Dice: 19***** to 30***** 
   
   
  A demon is an evil spirit, so dark and foul and decayed that it is actually 
  considered undead.  The only undead creatures more powerful than demons 
  are liches and those unique infernal beings which defy any categorization. 
   
  In its natural form, a true demon looks very much like a gigantic wraith, 
  which is to say, an insubstantial shadow with a vaguely man-like shape, but 
  standing 20’ tall.  More fearsome still, a demon is a being of such pure 
  darkness that it seems to suck the very light from its surroundings.  Gazing at 
  a demon for any length of time is just as difficult as looking directly at the 
  sun, but in reverse: the demon’s darkness is blindingly painful to look upon. 
   
  Demons are extremely clever, having effective Intelligence, Wisdom, 
  and Charisma scores of 19 (+3 bonus).  They use every means at their 
  disposal to spread death and misfortune.  Demons prefer to operate in 
  darkness; natural daylight imposes a -4 penalty on their attacks, but other 
  forms of light have no effect on them.  A demon can become ethereal or 
  corporeal at will, and it can naturally see invisible things within 60’. 
   
  The presence of a demon with 120’ spoils all food, water, and even holy 
  water, potions, and tonics.  The items do not become poisonous, but they are 
  rendered useless.  This aura also makes the immediate area feel chilly, which 
  has no harmful effect but may warn adventurers of a demon’s approach. 
   
  A demon can only be harmed by a weapon of +3 or better, magical staffs 
  or rods, greater gadgets, spells of 6th level or higher, and devices of the 6th 
  degree or higher.  They are immune to illusions, magic wands, normal 
  gadgets, poison, charm, hold, cold damage, all spells of 5th level or less, all 
  devices of 5th degree or less, petrifaction, all weapons of +2 or weaker, and 
  non-magical attacks (fire, boulders, etc.).  A demon is somewhat vulnerable 
  to dragon’s breath, taking half damage normally and one-quarter damage 
  with a successful saving throw. 
   
  A demon can use the following powers at will, up to one per round: 
  charm person, invisibility, haste, confusion, cloudkill, darkness, hold 
  person, cause disease, dispel magic, bestow curse, polymorph other, and 
  finger of death.  Demons can also detect magic at will.  If using one of its 
  spell-like abilities, the demon cannot attack that round. 
   
  A demon can summon other undead to fight for it, up to once every four 
  hours.  There is a 50% chance that the demon will summon a phantom, a 
  33% chance that it summons a ghost, and a 17% chance that it summons a 
  revenant.   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  147 
   
   
  If a scholar successfully turns a demon, the demon can roll a saving 
  throw to ignore the effect.  Furthermore, any “D” result that would normally 
  destroy the demon allows a second save to mitigate the effects, in which case 
  the demon is merely turned rather than destroyed. 
   
  The touch of a demon is deadly poisonous.  Any creature struck by a 
  demon in mêlée must save at -2 or suffer poison damage (1d6 points per Hit 
  Die of the demon) in addition to the regular damage.  
   
  Demons keep treasure, which they swallow and carry suspended inside 
  of their ectoplasmic bodies.  A demon’s treasure is always very valuable 
  (gems and jewelry) or very magical.  Demons ignore mere coins and wouldn’t 
  know what to do with technology.  Otherwise, they gladly loot the bodies of 
  their victims for any treasure worth keeping. 
   
  Devil 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
    
   
  Fighting Ability: 16 (×2 fists) 
  Alignment: Chaotic  
   
  Damage: 3d10/3d10 
   
   
  Movement: 120’ (40’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 19 
  Flying: 360’ (120’) 
   
  Morale: 11 
  AC: -2 / DC: 23 
   
   
  Treasure: None 
  Hit Dice: 20*** 
   
   
  Devils are evil spirits of flame and shadow, beings which have lingered in the 
  deep places of the world since the days before the counting of the Ages.  They 
  are beings of such pure malice and hatred that even other agents of Chaos in 
  the world are loath to deal with them.  A devil looks like a 30’ tall fiend of fire 
  and smoke, with bat-like wings and curled ram-horns.  Some devils are seen 
  wielding huge weapons of flame (often swords or whips), but most prefer to 
  attack with their fists. 
   
  A devil, unlike a demon, is not undead—but a devil is so unholy that it 
  can still be affected somewhat by a scholar’s turning.  If a scholar approaches 
  a devil forcefully and manages to successfully turn a “special” undead, the 
  devil must roll a saving throw at a -4 penalty or be rebuked.  A rebuked devil 
  will not flee like turned undead; rather, it will remain in an offensive posture, 
  waiting to attack, but it will not come within 10’ of the scholar until it 
  successfully saves at -4, which it may attempt to do each round. 
   
  The fiery spirits known as efreet are willing servants of devils; any devil 
  is usually accompanied by 1d4 efreet who fight to the death to protect their 
  master. 
   
  A devil can only be harmed by weapons of +2 or better.  Devils 
  regenerate 2 hit points per round.  A devil can become ethereal or corporeal 
  at will, although it must concentrate for one full round in order to do so.  A 
  devil is also capable of performing any of the magical feats that an efreeti can 
  do, but as often as desired (although no more than one such ability may be 
  used per round).  A devil is further able to grant a wish made by another 
  creature, or to cast fire ball, incendiary cloud, and transmute earth to flame, 
  and each of these powers can be used once per day. 
   
  A devil can transform itself into a whirlwind of hot, acrid smoke, 120’ 
  tall, with a diameter of 40’ at the top and 10’ at the base.  In this form (which 
  the devil can enter or leave at will, by concentrating for 1 round), the devil 
  
  148 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  causes 4d10 damage to everything in its path and destroys any creature with 
  5 for fewer Hit Dice that fails a saving throw. 
   
  Dragon 
  The dragons described here are of a larger size that those described in 
  Labyrinth Lord (which are small dragons, when compared to the whole race 
  of dragon-kind).  Large dragons receive a +2 bonus to attack rolls, and huge 
  dragons have a +4 bonus (these adjustments are already figured into the FA 
  scores on the table).  On the ground, a dragon can attack with one bite and 
  two claws; from the air, it can choose to Swoop, Hover, or Crush. 
   
  Swoop: If the dragon dives out of the air and covers at least 20’ of 
  distance before attacking, there is a chance that it can pick up one or more 
  opponents with its claws or its mouth, provided the attack roll for the 
  appropriate attack type is high enough (or low enough, of the referee uses 
  that option).  This depends on the size of the dragon: 
     • Small: 1 claw attack, picks up victim on natural 20 [1] 
     • Large: 2 claw attacks, picks up victim(s) on natural 19-20 [1-2]. 
     • Huge: 1 bite + 2 claw attacks, picks up victim(s) on natural 16-20 [1-5]. 
   
   
   
  White: 
  Blue: 
   
  Large 
  Huge 
  Large 
  Huge 
  No. Enc.: 
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  Alignment: 
  Neutral 
  Neutral 
  Neutral 
  Neutral 
  Movement: 
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  Flying: 
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  AC / DC: 
  1 / 20 
  -1 / 22 
  -2 / 23 
  -4 / 25 
  Hit Dice: 
  9*** 
  12**** 
  13+3*** 
  18**** 
  Fighting Ability: 13 
  16 
  15 
  19 
  Breath Cone: 
  80’ × 40’ 
  90’ × 40’ 
  150’ × 5’ 
  200’ × 5’ 
  Saving Throw: 
  15 
  19 
  17 
  19 
  Morale: 
  9 
  10 
  9 
  10 
  Treasure: 
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3  
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3 
   
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
   
   
  Black: 
  Red: 
   
  Large 
  Huge 
  Large 
  Huge 
  No. Enc.:  
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  Alignment: 
  Chaotic 
  Chaotic 
  Chaotic 
  Chaotic 
  Movement:  
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  Flying:  
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  AC / DC: 
  0 / 21 
  -2 / 23 
  -3 / 24 
  -5 / 26 
  Hit Dice: 
  10+3*** 
  14**** 
  15*** 
  20**** 
  Fighting Ability: 13 
  17 
  15 
  20 
  Breath Cone: 
  90’ × 5’ 
  120’ × 5’ 
  135’ × 30’ 
  180’ × 30’ 
  Saving Throw: 
  16 
  19 
  18 
  19 
  Morale: 
  9 
  10 
  10 
  11 
  Treasure:  
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3  
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3 
   
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  149 
   
   
   
  Green: 
  Gold: 
   
  Large 
  Huge 
  Large 
  Huge 
  No. Enc.:  
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  1d3 (1d3) 
  1d2 (1d2) 
  Alignment: 
  Chaotic 
  Chaotic 
  Lawful 
  Lawful 
  Movement:  
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  120’ (40’) 
  150’ (50’) 
  Flying:  
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  300’ (100’) 
  360’ (120’) 
  AC / DC: 
  -1 / 22  
  -3 / 24 
  -4 / 25 
  -6 / 27 
  Hit Dice: 
  12*** 
  16**** 
  16+3*** 
  22**** 
  Fighting Ability: 14 
  18 
  16 
  21 
  Breath Cloud: 
  50’×40’×30’ 50’×50’×30’ (As Green or Red) 
  Saving Throw: 
  16 
  19 
  19 
  19 
  Morale: 
  9 
  10 
  10 
  11 
  Treasure:  
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3  
  XIV × 2 
  XIV × 3 
   
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
  + XIII 
  + XIII × 2 
   
  Any dragon can be up to 3 HD larger or smaller than the average dragons 
  given on the tables above.  
   
  Damages 
   
   
  Spells 
  Dragon Type 
  Bite 
  Secondary 
  1 
  2 
  3 
  4 
  5 
  White: Small 
  2d8 
  1d4 
  3 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  2d8+4 
  1d6+1 
  4 
  2 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  2d8+8 
  1d8+2 
  5 
  3 
  1 
  — 
  — 
  Black: 
  Small 
  2d10 
  1d4+1 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  2d10+4 
  1d6+2 
  5 
  3 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  2d10+8 
  1d8+3 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  — 
  — 
   
  Green: Small 
  3d8 
  1d6 
  3 
  3 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  3d8+4 
  1d8+1 
  4 
  4 
  3 
  — 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  3d8+8 
  1d10+2 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  — 
  Blue: 
  Small 
  3d10 
  1d6+1 
  4 
  4 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  3d10+4 
  1d8+2 
  5 
  5 
  3 
  — 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  3d10+8 
  1d10+3 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  — 
  Red: 
  Small 
  4d8 
  1d8 
  3 
  3 
  3 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  4d8+4 
  1d10+1 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  4d8+8 
  1d12+2 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  2 
  Gold: 
  Small 
  6d6 
  2d4 
  4 
  4 
  4 
  — 
  — 
   
  Large 
  6d6+4 
  3d4 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
  — 
   
  Huge 
  6d6+8 
  4d4 
  5 
  5 
  5 
  4 
  3 
   
   
   
  A victim held by a claw takes claw damage every round.   A victim held 
  by a bite attack takes bite damage every round.  A victim held by any sort of 
  Swoop attack can still try to fight the dragon, rolling attacks at -2 to hit, and 
  the dragon may attack the held victim with his other attack forms, also at -2 
  to hit.  A victim held by a claw attack can cast a spell if Initiative is won, but a 
  victim held by a bite attack cannot muster enough concentration to cast. 
   
   
  
  150 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
   
   
  Hover: When using this attack, the dragon pauses in midair for one 
  round before landing.  That round, the dragon may attack up to six times (1 
  bite, 2 front claws, 2 rear kicks, and 1 tail attack) with all of its free attack 
  modes except wing slaps.  After one round of Hover attacking, the dragon 
  must land immediately afterward, and the dragon cannot use the Swoop or 
  Crush after Hovering. 
   
  Crush: With this maneuver, the dragon drops from above and tries to 
  crush victims with its sheer bulk.  A small dragon can Crush one target; a 
  large dragon Crushes everything in a 10’ square; and a huge dragon, 
  everything in a 20’ square.  The dragon does not roll to hit; instead, all 
  targets affected by the crush are allowed to roll a saving throw (in which case 
  they take no damage), or else they take damage as if bitten by the dragon.  A 
  character may also choose to allow himself to be crushed, taking the damage 
  automatically; but in doing so he can brace a weapon against the crushing 
  dragon, rolling to hit at +4 and causing double damage if the attack hits. 
   
  Attack Forms 
  A dragon’s front claw attacks, rear kick attacks, wing slaps, and tail slap all 
  cause the same Secondary damage.  Kick, wing, and tail attacks also have 
  side-effects for victims struck by them. 
   
  Kick: A target struck by a kick attack takes damage and must save or be 
  knocked down.  The victim can stand up again next round, but loses the 
  initiative automatically.  Small dragons cannot make effective kick attacks; 
  only large and huge dragons can do this. 
   
  Wing: The target of a wing attack takes damage and must save or be 
  stunned.   A stunned target moves at one-third normal speed, cannot attack 
  or cast spells, and suffers a -4 penalty to AC/DC for 1d4+1 rounds.  Only 
  huge dragons can use wing attacks; small and large dragons cannot. 
   
  Tail: A target struck by a tail attack takes damage and must save or be 
  both knocked down and disarmed.  Small dragons cannot make effective tail 
  attacks; only large and huge dragons can do this. 
   
  Breath Weapon: Unlike small dragons, large and huge dragons use 
  their breath weapon as their considerable intelligence dictates, never 
  randomly. 
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  151 
   
  Dragon Golem 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
    
   
  Fighting Ability: 16 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  Alignment: Neutral  
   
  Damage: 2d6/2d6/1d20+10 
   
  Movement: 120’ (40’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 11 
  Flying: 240’ (80’)  
   
  Morale: 12 
  AC / DC:  -3 / 24  
   
  Treasure: Special 
  Hit Dice: 20*****  
   
  A dragon golem is a rare and special kind of golem made by a very powerful 
  spell-caster to guard a location or an item.  (Technology might also be able to 
  create dragon automaton with similar qualities.)  A dragon golem appears as 
  a gaunt, almost skeletal dragon with dull, gray scales stretched tightly over 
  its frame.  The creature is not alive, and it is not particularly intelligent.  It 
  obeys its instructions to the letter.  It can see invisible things within 60’, it is 
  immune to charm, sleep, and hold, as well as all other mind-affecting spells.  
  It cannot be harmed by weapons of +2 or weaker (+3 or better are required), 
  and it is also immune to spells of 4th level or lower and technology of the 4th 
  degree or less.  In addition to its claw and bite attacks, a dragon golem can 
  use its breath weapon three times per day: this is a poisonous cloud, 20’ × 
  20’ × 20’ in volume, which deals 20d6 damage (save for half). 
   
  Ghost 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
  Fighting Ability: 12–13 (×1 touch/×1 gaze) 
  Alignment: Any 
  Damage: Aging/ paralysis 
   
  Movement: 90’ (30’) 
  Saving Throw: Special 
  AC / DC:  -2 / 23  
  Morale: 10  
  Hit Dice: 13**** to 15****  
  Treasure: VII, IX, XVIII 
   
  A ghost is the restless spirit of a dead mortal, typically found haunting the 
  place where it died.  Unlike other forms of undead, a ghost can be of any 
  alignment.  Ghosts usually (but not necessarily) manifest themselves at night 
  and avoid the daytime. 
   
  A ghost can only be harmed by +2 or better weapons.  Ghosts are 
  immune to all spells except those which specifically affect “evil”.  
  Technological devices have no effect on a ghost (although an invention could 
  be specifically designed to harm or capture one).     
   
  Ghosts do not inflict damage with their attacks; instead, they cause their 
  victims to age.  Ghosts also have the ability to manipulate ectoplasm, to 
  paralyze victims with their gaze, and to possess victims with a magic jar 
  ability.  A ghost can become ethereal up to three times per day, and if 
  threatened with defeat, it will escape into the æther and remain there for 1d8 
  days. 
   
  Ectoplasm: As soon as a ghost is encountered, it will usually start 
  producing wispy tendrils of ectoplasm—a slightly luminescent vapor with a 
  cold, clammy feel to it.  For three rounds, the ectoplasm has no effect; but 
  starting on the fourth round, it becomes a complete cloud of vapor which 
  follows the ghost in a 10’ radius around it.  Everywhere the ghost moves, the 
  cloud leaves behind traces of ectoplasmic residue, which is a viscous but 
  volatile slime that melts back into a vapor when touched.  Any living creature 
  
  152 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  caught within this cloud after it has been complete must roll a saving throw 
  or be pulled onto the Ethereal Plane, another dimension where the victim is 
  utterly helpless unless he can somehow return to his own reality (such as 
  with teleport).  A ghost which has pulled any victims onto the Ethereal Plane 
  will eventually return there itself to attack them until they have been slain. 
   
  Gaze: A ghost can gaze at up to one victim per round, out to a distance 
  of 60’.  The affected target must save or be paralyzed for 2d8 rounds. 
   
  Magic Jar: A ghost can attempt to magic jar up to one victim per turn 
  (ten minutes).  If successful, the victim’s spirit is transferred into some item, 
  which starts to glow and drips ectoplasmic residue; while the ghost uses the 
  victim’s body to attack others.  During this time, the ghost’s body remains 
  visible but incorporeal; it appears to hover in place and do nothing.  
   
  Aging Damage: Instead of inflicting damage, a ghost actually ages its 
  victims by 1d4 × 10 years with each physical blow.  Elves and fays may ignore 
  the first 200 years of aging; gnomes and fauns, the first 100 years; dwarves, 
  merrows, and sylphs the first 50 years; and halflings and centaurs, 20 years.  
  Otherwise, each 10 years of aging causes the victim to lose 1 point of 
  Constitution.  The aging and the Constitution loss are permanent and do not 
  wear off.  A restoration spell will only restore 1 point of Constitution lost in 
  this fashion; any more can only be restored by a wish or by some kind of 
  magical longevity effect.  If a victim’s Constitution is dropped to 0, the 
  victim is dead (practically mummified with age) and cannot be raised. 
   
  Turning: When a scholar tries to turn a ghost and gets a “D” result, the 
  ghost can save to avoid destruction.  On a successful roll, the ghost is neither 
  turned nor destroyed, although the scholar may attempt to turn again.  An 
  ordinary turning result (a “T” or less) is resolved normally. 
   
  Lawful Ghosts: A lawful ghost looks quite like it did in life, albeit 
  ethereal and transparent.  If attacked, the ghost will use the attacks and 
  abilities described above; but if approached without violence, it will gesture 
  to be followed.  The ghost might then lead the way to a special treasure or 
  clue, or away from some particular danger. 
   
  Neutral Ghosts: A neutral ghost is a restless soul which is trapped in 
  this world and wants to move onto the next, but cannot for whatever 
  reason—the body has been disturbed or left unburied, or the ghost was 
  murdered, betrayed, or cursed in life and must be avenged.  If the ghost’s 
  unfinished business is taken care of, the ghost will rest at last, but not before 
  revealing its treasure horde in gratitude.  This kind of ghost is more 
  dangerous than a Lawful ghost, though: it has a tendency to wail in its 
  torment, and this haunting scream is terrible and deadly.  Up to three times 
  per day, a neutral ghost can unleash a banshee wail; any NPC or monster 
  within earshot must check Morale at a -4 penalty, and any living creature 
  within 60’ of the ghost must save or die on the spot! 
   
  Chaotic Ghosts: These evil spirits exist only to spread death and 
  confusion.  In addition to the normal list of ghostly abilities, a chaotic ghost 
  has a power called poltergeisting.  This is a kind of telekinesis that allows the 
  ghost to manipulate physical objects, even when ethereal and invisible.  
  Small objects within 10’ of the ghost (sticks, rocks, etc.) seem to rise up of 
  their own volition and hurl themselves at intruders.  Up to two such attacks  
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  153 
   
  may be made per round; the damage they cause can range from 1 point (a 
  tiny pebble) to 3d6 points (a very large rock).  Furthermore, any victim 
  damaged by a poltergeisted object must save or age 10 years. 
   
  Giant 
  Mountain Giant  
  Sea Giant 
   
  No. Enc.:  
  1d4 (1d20)  
   
  1d2 (1d20) 
   
  Alignment:  
  Neutral  
   
  Neutral  
   
  Movement:  
  150’ (50’) 
   
  120’ (40’) 
   
   
  AC / DC:  
  0 / 21 
   
   
  0 / 21 
   
  Hit Dice:  
  12* to 20* 
   
  9* to 15*  
  Fighting Ability: 12–16 (×1 weapon) 
  10–13 (×1 weapon or special) 
  Damage:  
  5d10 
   
   
  Special 
  Saving Throw: 
  11–15 (level equals HD) 
  11–13 (level equals HD) 
  Morale:   
  9 
   
   
  10 
   
  Treasure:  
  XVIII + 5,000 gil.  
  XVIII + 5,000 gil.  
   
   
  Mountain Giants: These look like stone giants, but can stand from 12’ 
  to 20’ tall.  They sometimes carry boulders, which can throw to great 
  distances (range increment 100’) for 4d6 damage each.  Otherwise, they 
  carry giant swords or clubs (5d10 damage) for use in mêlée.  Mountain giants 
  are known to keep to themselves, and they don’t like outsiders. 
   
  Sea Giants: Sea giants are reclusive and rarely seen, but usually 
  friendly when encountered.  Sea giants look like enormous merrows (mer-
  people) and almost never leave the depths of the ocean.  When sea giants 
  engage in combat (and this is rare), they use giant tridents that cause 4d10 
  damage.  They can also create  forceful wave of water, 40’ wide and 60’ long, 
  which forces everything in the area to be swept away (no save) and to save or 
  else be stunned for 1d6 rounds (unable to act, -3 to AC/DC, and reduced to 
  one-third Movement).  A wave like this also causes 2d6 points of structural 
  damage to the hull of any ship in the area.   
   
  Gremlin 
  No. Enc.: 1d6 (1d6) 
   
  Fighting Ability: Cannot attack 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: Special 
  Movement: 120’ (40’)  
   
  Saving Throw: 7 
  AC: 7 / DC: 14  
   
   
  Morale: 12 
  Hit Dice: 1** 
    
   
  Treasure:  None 
   
  Gremlins are 3’ tall humanoids with grayish-green skin.  They are neither 
  goblin-kind nor faerie-kind, but something in-between.  Gremlins aren’t 
  precisely evil, but they are extremely Chaotic, and their twisted sense of 
  humor usually produces evil results.  Gremlins aren’t capable of fighting, but 
  they project an aura of Chaos around themselves in a 20’ radius.  Within this 
  aura, Murphy’s Law reigns as immutable truth: anything that can go wrong 
  will go wrong.  Each round, characters must save or suffer the effects of the 
  gremlin aura. 
   
  
  154 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  Affected characters find that terribly unlucky (and unlikely) accidents 
  befall them.  A character that attacks a gremlin and misses must roll a 
  second attack to see whether he hits himself.  A character that tries to use 
  magic within the area of the aura must roll a saving throw: success means 
  that the spell takes effect normally, while failure means that it affects the 
  caster and his allies instead.  Technology is extremely dangerous to use 
  around gremlins.  Any character that tries to use a device or invention within 
  the gremlin aura must roll a save: success means that the device merely falls 
  apart or the invention fails, the charge wasted to no effect; but failure is 
  catastrophic, either turning the effect of the technology on its wielder or 
  simply exploding the device and causing 1d6 damage per degree of the 
  technology.  
   
   The exact effect of the gremlin aura in any given situation is up to the 
  referee.  Usually, the effects should merely be playful and unlucky, rather 
  than outright harmful.  Gremlins detest technology, though, and the very 
  sight of it makes them angry (thus making their auras more dangerous).  
  Typically, the more mechanical an object, the sooner it will be affected by the 
  gremlins’ aura (devices and inventions first, then guns and crossbows, then 
  tools, armor, and regular weapons, etc.). 
   
  Golem 
  Obsidian Golem  
  Mud Golem 
   
  No. Enc.:  
  1 (1) 
   
   
  1 (1) 
  Alignment:  
  Neutral  
   
  Neutral 
  Movement:  
  120’ (40’) 
   
  90’ (30’) 
  AC / DC:  
  3 / 18 
   
   
  9 / 12 
  Hit Dice:  
  6 
   
   
  8* 
  Fighting Ability:  7 (×1 weapon or fist) 
  9 (×1 grab) 
  Damage:  
  2d4 
   
   
  2d6 + smother 
  Saving Throw: 
  7 
   
   
  9 
  Morale:   
  12 
   
   
  12 
  Treasure:  
  None 
   
   
  None 
   
   
  Like all golems, these creatures are unaffected by normal and silver weapons 
  being vulnerable only those weapons enhanced to +1 or better by magic or 
  technology.  Golems are immune to sleep, charm, hold, and gas-based 
  attacks. 
   
  Obsidian Golem: This is an animated statue of a man carved from 
  volcanic glass.  A being of minimal intelligence, an obsidian golem responds 
  to simple commands from its creator.  It is capable of speech when 
  commanded to speak. 
   
  Mud Golem: A construct created from mud, this kind of golem retains 
  a humanoid (if gloppy) shape.  It can walk on the surface of mud without 
  sinking, or it can blend into the mud and swim through it, surfacing as will.  
  Mud golems try to smother their victims by enveloping them, causing 2d6 
  points of damage first and then smothering damage thereafter as the victim 
  suffocates.  
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  155 
   
  Hag 
  Sea Hag  
   
  Black Hag 
   
  No. Enc.:  
  1 (1) 
   
   
  1 (1) 
   
  Alignment:  
  Chaotic  
   
  Chaotic  
  Movement:  
  120’ (40’) 
   
  150’ (50’) 
   
   
  Swimming: 
  150’ (50’) 
   
  60’ (20’) 
  AC / DC:  
  4 / 17 
   
   
  4 / 17 
  Hit Dice:  
  8*** 
   
   
  11**** to 20****** 
  Fighting Ability: 9 (×1 weapon/×1 touch) 
  10–16 (×2 claws) 
  Damage:  
  1d6/1d4 + special  
  2d8 + poison 
  Saving Throw: 
  9 
   
   
  11–15 (level equals HD) 
  Morale:   
  10 
   
   
  10 
   
  Treasure:  
  X + XVI  
   
  XX 
   
  A hag is a monster that looks like a hideous old woman.  Sea hags live in the 
  ocean; black hags haunt swamps, caves, and forests.  All hags can command 
  undead as if they were a scholar with a level equal to twice their Hit Dice 
  (16th for a sea hag; 22nd to 40th for a black hag).  Hags are also immune to the 
  special attacks of undead, including energy drain, ghoul paralysis, ghostly 
  aging, undead-caused poison or disease, etc. 
   
  Sea Hag: One of the ugliest creatures in existence, all that approach 
  within 10’ must save at -6 or else flee in sheer revulsion and disgust for 1d20 
  + 5 rounds.  A sea hag can only be harmed by silver or magical weapons.  A 
  sea hag’s touch drains energy like a wight’s (causing 1d4 damage and sapping 
  1 point of Constitution) and causes disease, neither effect allowing a save. 
   
  Black Hag: A black hag can cast spells as a scholar with a level equal to 
  its Hit Dice.  A black hag can also attack with its claws, which are poisonous 
  (any hit from a hag’s claw causes 2d8 damage, plus 1d6 poison damage per 
  Hit Die of the hag, with a saving throw allowed to halve the poison damage).  
  A black hag is always accompanied by 3d6 evil monsters, usually undead or 
  oozes. 
   
  Lava Ooze 
  No. Enc.:  1d3 (2d8)  
   
  Fighting Ability: 10 (×3 pseudopods) 
  Alignment: Chaotic  
   
  Damage: 4d6 + 3d6 per round 
  Movement: 90’ (30’) 
    
  Saving Throw: 11 
  AC: 5 / DC: 16 
   
   
  Morale: 12 
   
  Hit Dice: 9 
    
   
  Treasure: None 
   
  A lava ooze is a living blob of molten rock, about 10’ in diameter.  It lives in 
  volcanoes or heat vents and can sense tremors out to 60’.  Like all oozes, the 
  creature is liquid and able to pass through small openings.  It attacks by 
  lashing out with up to three pseudopods, which can strike enemies up to 15’ 
  away.  Each hit causes 4d6 damage immediately and leaves behind a coating 
  of lava that causes 3d6 further points of automatic damage per round for 1d4 
  rounds thereafter.  Multiple hits do not increase the heat damage above 3d6, 
  but the duration is cumulative.  A lava ooze is mindless and fights to the 
  death.  It is immune to fire attacks and mental attacks, but takes double 
  damage from cold attacks. 
  
  156 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
   
  Lich 
  No. Enc.:  1 
  Fighting Ability: As class and level 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
  Damage: 1d10 + paralysis 
   
  Movement: 90’ (30’) 
  Saving Throw: As class and level 
  AC: 0 / DC: 21 
  Morale: 10 
   
  Hit Dice: As class and level 
  Treasure: Special 
   
  A lich is a very powerful and very magical type of undead.  Essentially a 
  mummified wizard or sage, in life it was a Chaotic and evil spell-caster of 
  20th level or greater that sought to cheat death by willfully entering a state of 
  undeath.  Physically, a lich appears as a dusty and ancient skeleton with the 
  tattered remains of robes and bandages hanging off of it. 
   
  The very sight of a lich causes automatic fear in any character of 5th level 
  or lower.  Its touch causes 1d10 points of damage and forces the touched 
  creature to save or be paralyzed for 1d100 days.  (A lich rolls to hit as a 
  character of its class and level, so wizard lich can only attack once per round, 
  while a sage lich can attack twice.) 
   
  A lich is extremely intelligent, both in how it fights and what spells it 
  keeps memorized.  A lich is able to cast spells as it did in life, with a caster 
  level equal to its current class level.  If seriously threatened, a lich will readily 
  flee to save itself.  A lich also carries 1d4+1 powerful magical items to use in 
  case of emergencies.  Within its lair, the lich has a further 4d8 temporary 
  magical items (potions and scrolls), plus treasure amounting to triple that 
  found in Hoard Class XV.  A lich always keeps its treasures secure with traps 
  or curses. 
   
  Liches are undead and can be turned by scholars, but even a “D” result 
  will only turn (not destroy) a lich.  Liches are immune to charm, sleep, 
  feeblemind, polymorph, cold, lightning, and death effects.  They can only be 
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  157 
   
  harmed by magical (or technological) weapons, and they are immune to any 
  magic below 4th level or any technology below the 4th degree. 
   
  A wizard lich usually has one or two permanent spells placed upon itself, 
  often detect invisible and fly. 
   
  A sage lich usually has 3d4 undead servants on hand as servants, with 
  many more lairs of full of undead in the immediate area. 
   
  Either type of lich can summon undead to come and fight for it, just by 
  concentrating.  The undead arrive in 1d100 rounds.  The lich can summon 
  undead at will, but each type of undead will only come once per day.  Undead 
  summoned are: 
   
  1d20 
  Undead 
  1d20 
  Undead 
  1-5 
  2d4 spectres 
  14-16 
  1d2 ghosts (Chaotic) 
  6-9 
  1d6 vampires 
  17-18 
  1 revenant 
  10-13 
  1d3 phantoms 
  19-20 
  1 demon 
   
  Malefica 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1d2)  
   
  Fighting Ability: 10 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: 1d10/1d10/1d6 + poison 
  Movement: 90’ (30’)  
   
  Saving Throw: 13 
  AC: 3 / DC: 18 
   
   
  Morale: 11 
  Hit Dice: 9*** 
    
   
  Treasure: XVIII 
   
  Also sometimes known as a “dread” or a “fearcaster”, the malefica is a kind of 
  evil spirit that hails from the realm of nightmares.  Nine feet tall, with 
  reptilian skin and eyes and wicked, rending claws, those who have survived 
  an encounter with a malefica report that it has a distinctive smell, like a nest 
  of vipers mixed with filth and squalor.   
   
  In combat, a malefica attacks with its claws and its bite, which is deadly 
  poisonous: any creature bitten by the beast also takes 9d6 poison damage (a 
  save is allowed for half damage).  The malefica’s greatest weapon, though, is 
  its aura of terror.  The malefica projects an aura of fear in a 360’ radius 
  around itself, and this aura is so powerful that it can even be felt through the 
  thickest of stone walls, whether in natural caverns or under-ground 
  labyrinths.  While the creature is yet distant, the aura makes people uneasy: 
  NPCs suffer a -4 penalty to Morale checks, and all characters must roll a 
  saving throw every hour or be affected by fear.  Any creature that comes 
  within 60’ of a malefica is automatically inflicted with a debilitating terror: 
  the character must roll a saving throw, with success indicating that the 
  character flees as far and as fast as he can for three turns, and failure 
  indicating fear-induced paralysis for as long as the malefica remains the 
  area.  The application of a remove fear spell to a paralyzed victim allows 
  another save to shrug off the paralysis, but the victim still feels compelled to 
  flee.  No other means can cure this kind of paralysis. 
   
  In addition to its other abilities, a malefica can naturally see invisible 
  things within 60’, and it can open doors as if it had a permanent knock spell.  
  Because of the creature’s magical nature, it rolls saving throws at a +2 bonus 
  (already factored into the ST number on the table). 
  
  158 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  It is said that a wish can temporarily negate a malefica’s fear aura, 
  thereby enabling adventurers to engage the creature in mêlée; but otherwise 
  the only way to fight such a monster is to use spells, devices, and missile 
  attacks from more than sixty feet away. 
   
  Oni 
  No. Enc.:  1d4 (2d4) 
   
  Fighting Ability: 7 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: 1d12 
  Movement: 90’ (30’)  
   
  Saving Throw: 9 
  AC: 5 / DC: 16 
   
   
  Morale: 11 
  Hit Dice: 5+2** 
   
    
  Treasure: XVI 
   
  Oni are larger, magical cousins of ogres.  They have one or more ivory horns 
  growing out the tops of their heads and skin tones ranging from red to blue 
  to violet.  Even the best of oni are ill-tempered and mischievous, while the 
  vast majority are cruel and thoroughly Chaotic—to the point where, in some 
  parts of the world, folklore paints them as “demons” incarnate, or even the 
  very beings who drag the souls of the damned into the underworld.  In fact, 
  the oni are merely another race of giant-kind, akin to ogres and trolls.  Oni, 
  however, possess a number of innate magical abilities.  They are able to cast 
  fly, invisibility, and darkness at will; and they can cast polymorph self, 
  charm person, sleep, ice storm, and assume a gaseous form once per day 
  each.  There is also a 1 in 4 chance that a given oni will have practiced the 
  martial arts, and by virtue of his innate magical talent, mastered the 
  following qi abilities: Feel Qi, Focus Qi, Control Qi, Project Qi, and Celerity.  
  A martial artist oni will have 5 qi points with which to make use of these qi 
  abilities. 
   
  Phantom 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
   
   
  Fighting Ability: 11–12 (×1 dagger) 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
   
  Damage: 3d4 
  Movement: 120’ (40’)  
   
  Saving Throw: 11 
  AC: 0 / DC: 21 
   
   
  Morale: 11 
  Hit Dice: 10*** to 12*** 
    
  Treasure: VIII, IX, XI 
   
  A phantom is a malign ectoplasmic apparition, the weakest of the “greater” 
  undead (i.e. undead which are more powerful than vampires).  A phantom 
  looks like the image of an emaciated human corpse—like a wight, but semi-
  transparent—carrying a lantern with blue flame in one hand and a dagger in 
  the other.  A phantom is always incorporeal when first encountered, in which 
  state it cannot be harmed in any way.  (If, when first encountered, a phantom 
  moves through a solid wall or door to attack its targets, it has a 90% chance 
  of surprising them.)  After it uses its horror attack, the phantom materializes 
  for combat (becoming AC 0/DC 21).  Phantoms are immune to cold attacks 
  and can only be damaged by +1 or better weapons.   
   
  Fear: Any creature that sees a phantom must save or run away in fear.  
  Creatures with 3 HD or fewer are automatically affected and will never 
  willingly return to the spot where the phantom was seen. 
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  159 
   
   
  Turning: Phantoms are resistant to turning by scholars.  A “D” result is 
  handled normally, but on a “T” result or less, the phantom may roll a saving 
  throw.  If successful, the turning is actually reflected back on the scholar, 
  who must also roll a saving throw, or else become paralyzed with fear for 2d6 
  rounds. 
   
  Horror: When a phantom is first seen, it is incorporeal.  While still in 
  this state, it will select one target and rush toward that creature, pointing its 
  dagger threateningly and moaning.  The victim must roll a saving throw or 
  fall down dead immediately, stricken with fatal horror. 
   
  After this initial attack, the phantom will materialize for mêlée and 
  attack with its dagger, each hit causing 3d4 damage.  If threatened with 
  defeat (or if it fails a Morale check), the phantom will dematerialize and flee. 
   
  Phoenix 
  Lesser  
   
  Greater  
  No. Enc.:  
  0 (1d2) 
   
  0 (1d2)  
  Alignment:  
  Neutral 
   
  Neutral  
  Movement:  
  90’ (30’) 
   
  150’ (50’) 
   
  Swimming: 
  360’ (120’) 
   
  450’ (150’) 
  AC / DC:  
  2 / 19  
   
  -2 / 23 
  Hit Dice:  
  9*****  
   
  18***** 
  Fighting Ability: 
   10 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  15 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  Damage:  
  1d6/1d6/2d6 
   
  2d6/2d6/4d6 
  Saving Throw: 
  11 
   
   
  15 
  Morale: 
  9 
   
   
  10 
   
  Treasure:  
  VII 
   
   
  VII × 2 
   
  The phoenix is that famous firebird which is immortal, consuming itself with 
  its own flame rather than dying normally, only to be reborn from its very 
  ashes.  Phoenixes are extremely rare, and when encountered, they do not 
  fight unless attacked first.  A phoenix is immune to fire, charm, hold, and to 
  weapons weaker than +3.  A phoenix’s flames are uniquely magical, having 
  the unusual property that they are not affected in any way by special 
  protections against fire. 
   
  Any creature that gets too close to a phoenix takes continual damage 
  from its flames each round (magical protections do not mitigate this in any 
  way).  If a phoenix is destroyed, it explodes in a 20’ radius fire ball, and 
  although a save for half damage is allowed, once again there is no magical 
  way to protect from the fire damage.  One round later, the phoenix is reborn 
  and emerges from its ashes with all of its hit points restored.  It will 
  immediately flee its attackers after that.  The only known way to 
  permanently kill a phoenix is with a wish cast over the ashes on the round 
  that it is defeated. 
   
  Lesser Phoenix: This creature has a 10’ wingspan and stands as tall as 
  a man.  It radiates fire in a 10’ radius around itself for 3d6 damage each 
  round.  Its fire ball explosion causes 5d10 points of damage. 
   
  Greater Phoenix: This creature has a 25’ wingspan and stands twice 
  as tall as a man.  Its fire emanates out to 20’ for 6d6 points of damage, and 
  when it explodes it causes 10d10 points of damage. 
   
  
  160 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Revenant 
  No. Enc.:  1 (1) 
  Fighting Ability: 14–15 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  Alignment: Chaotic 
  Damage: 2d4/2d4/1d4+2 (+ poison) 
  Movement: 120’ (40’)  
  Saving Throw: 13–15 (level equals HD) 
  AC: -4 / DC: 25 
  Morale: 11 
  Hit Dice: 16**** to 18**** 
  Treasure: VII, VIII, XIV 
   
  Much like a wight, a revenant is an evil spirit inhabiting a deceased corpse 
  (or even, rarely, part of a corpse).  A revenant is immune to all spells below 
  4th level (and all devices below the 4th degree), and a +2 or better weapon is 
  required to harm one.  A revenant becomes invisible, incorporeal, and 
  altogether harmless during the daytime, manifesting and becoming 
  dangerous again only at night. 
   
  A revenant is extremely poisonous: each of its claw and bite attacks, in 
  addition to normal damage, also poison the victim (1d6 damage per Hit Die 
  of the revenant, save for half damage).  What’s more, the poisonous aura 
  around a revenant spoils all food, water, holy water, and even potions and 
  tonics within 30’.  (The items become useless, but not themselves 
  poisonous.)  Living plants and small insects also whither and die if they come 
  within 30’ of a revenant, which negates any magical plant control or spells 
  that attack with insects (like creeping doom). 
   
  A revenant can see invisible things within 60’.  Also, up to once per 
  round, it can manifest any one of the following spell-like abilities at will: 
  darkness, silence 15’ radius, cause disease, animate dead, finger of death 
  (all at a caster level equal to the revenant’s Hit Dice).  
   
  A revenant is very agile and stealthy.  It surprises its victims 50% of the 
  time, and it can leap heights or distances of 60’ effortlessly.  Once per night, 
  a revenant can summon 1d4 spectres to come and fight for it (they will arrive 
  1d4+2 rounds after the summoning).   
   
  Lastly, revenants are highly resistant to turning.  A “D” result allows the 
  revenant to roll a saving throw, and if successful, the turning has no effect 
  (although the scholar can repeat the attempt).  A “T” result or less allows no 
  saving throw, but only affects the revenant for 1d4 rounds. 
   
  Seraph 
  No. Enc.:  1d2 (1d2)  
   
  Fighting Ability: 16 (special) 
  Alignment: Lawful  
   
  Damage: Special 
  Movement: 120’ (40’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 15 
  Flying: 360’ (120’) 
   
  Morale: 11 
  AC: -6 / DC: 27 
   
   
  Treasure: None 
  Hit Dice: 20****** 
   
   
  The seraphim are a mysterious race of angels, powerful and very Lawful 
  beings that seek to spread good in the world.  Seraphim are rarely 
  encountered on Gaia, and nobody seems to know from whence they come or 
  whom it is they serve.  A seraph looks quite like a sylph, which is to say, from 
  the waist down it has a body like a giant bird (in the case of seraphim, their 
  bodies are like those of eagles); while from the waist up, they look like 
   
  
   
   MONSTERS 
  161 
   
  attractive humans, but with golden wings sprouting form their shoulders.  
  Seraphim are immune to fire, poison, all magic of 4th level or lower, and all 
  technology of 4th degree or lower. 
   
  A seraph can cast spells as a 12th level scholar, and it can teleport at will.  
  Once per day, it can create one bolt of pure good and one sword of holy 
  flame.  The bolt is similar in shape and area to a lightning bolt, but it causes 
  no damage.  Instead, everything caught in the area forgets all of its evil and 
  impure thoughts and becomes good and Lawful for 2d6 turns.  The sword is 
  a blade made of pure and heavenly flame which causes 4d8 points of damage 
  and lasts for 3 turns once created. 
   
  Sphinx 
  No. Enc.:  1d2 (1d4)  
   
  Fighting Ability: 12 (×2 claws/×1 bite) 
  Alignment: Any   
   
  Damage: 3d6/3d6/2d8 
  Movement: 180’ (60’) 
   
  Saving Throw: 16 
  Flying: 360’ (120’) 
   
  Morale: 10 
  AC: 0 / DC: 21 
   
   
  Treasure: XVIII 
  Hit Dice: 12*****  
   
  A sphinx is a large monster with a lion’s body, eagle’s wings, and a human 
  face (usually female).  Sphinxes are often found in deserts but may inhabit 
  any climate.  They usually guard some kind of tomb or treasure.  Sphinxes 
  are very intelligent and extremely fond of riddles and puzzles.  A sphinx can 
  also cast spells as a 12th level character (females cast divine magic and males 
  cast arcane magic).  A sphinx has effective Intelligence, Wisdom, and 
  Charisma scores of 19—which means that enemies save against their magic 
  at a -3 penalty. 
   
  A sphinx is also capable of 
  unleashing a roar, up to twice per 
  day, which forces all victims within 
  120’ to roll a save or flee (as if 
  affected by fear) for 1d6 turns.  
  Victims within 60’ must make a 
  second roll or be stunned for 1d6 
  rounds.  Further, victims within 10’ 
  take 6d6 damage from the roar and 
  are deafened for 1d0 turns, and 
  there is no saving throw allowed to 
  avoid this effect. 
   
  The sphinx is immune to 3rd 
  level and weaker spells (and 3rd 
  degree and weaker devices), and it 
  can only be harmed by +1 or better 
  weapons.  When first encountered, 
  a sphinx will very often pose some 
  kind of riddle—and if the characters 
  solve it, they can avoid a fight or 
  even befriend the sphinx. 
   
  
  162 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  War Mech 
  No. Enc.:  1 
    
   
  Fighting Ability: 12–14 (×2 strikes) 
  Alignment: Neutral  
   
  Damage: 6d10/6d10 + breath 
   
  Movement: 90’ (30’) 
    
  Saving Throw: 19 
  AC: -4 / DC: 25 
   
   
  Morale: 12 
   
  Hit Dice: 11** to 16**  
   
  Treasure: Special 
   
  A war mech is a kind of robotic automaton, left behind by the civilization of 
  the Ancients.  A war mech is a construct and not actually alive.  It might have 
  been programmed to behave Lawfully or Chaotically, but the creature itself is 
  Neutral.  Unlike the clockwork and spring action found inside a modern 
  automaton, the innards of a war mech are all but incomprehensible.  Any 
  tech that tries to open up a mech will discover a bewildering mess of servos, 
  motors, gyroscopes, silicon chips, wires and circuits, crystals and capacitors, 
  with no apparent explanation for how the machine actually works. 
   
  As the remnants of a long-gone civilization, most war mechs are lone 
  guardians, still wandering the ruins of the places where their masters once 
  lived, and still carrying out whatever orders were programmed into them.  
  Physically, a mech appears to be a sleek robotic machine with four legs and 
  two arms.  It attacks by striking with its arms and by emitting a cloud of 
  paralyzing vapor in a 10’ radius around itself.  Any living creature caught in 
  the cloud must roll a save or be paralyzed for 1d3 turns. 
   
  War mechs are immune to all spells and devices, except cold-based 
  attacks (which cause it no damage but slow it to half speed) and disintegrate. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  163 
   
   
   
   
  IX 
   
   
  THE WORLD OF GAIA 
   
   
  HE DESCRIPTION of an entire world requires that attention be given 
    to such diverse topics as history, geography, astronomy, and culture.  
    In the limited space available here, only the barest outline of the 
  world called Gaia can be presented.  It will be up to you, the Referee, to make 
  this world your own and to breathe life into it!  This chapter can give you a 
  framework on which to base a campaign set in Gaia, but the gaps which need 
  filling in are vast, leaving plenty of room for your own creativity.  And, of 
  course, the material found here can be used as nothing more than inspiration 
  for an entirely separate gaslight-era game world of your own devising.   Let 
  us begin, then, by treating the most important subject first: the long and 
  little-known ancient history of the world called Gaia. 
   
  The Elder Days (before 25,000 years ago) 
  Although scientists prefer to use a word like “prehistory” to describe these 
  distant times, the elves and the fays still speak of them as the “Elder Days”, 
  or as the “Time Before the Counting of the Ages”. Yet, the fact remains, none 
  who now live on Gaia were alive to witness this era. Even the fays, who call 
  themselves Gaia’s native children, cannot reach so far back into their 
  immortal memories. 
   
  Archaeologists have only been able to piece together a bare skeleton of 
  the story. This they have accomplished by translating stone inscriptions, 
  hieroglyphs, and ancient fay texts of unspeakable antiquity. The best 
  estimates of scientists and sages have placed some of the earliest surviving 
  inscriptions at thirty thousand years of age, but they might very well be twice 
  that old or more.  
   
  Pictographs and hieroglyphs depict a race of people, very similar in form 
  to men and elves and fays (but even the best preserved pictograms are never 
  detailed enough to discern much more than that). Nobody knows what these 
  people were called, but for convenience, scientists label them the Ancients. 
  Nobody really knows where the Ancients came from or for how long their 
  civilization persisted, but it likely spanned all of Gaia at its peak.  
   
  The very earliest glyphs, those which might be as old as fifty to sixty 
  thousand years, depict a sort of sundering or division of the Ancients into 
  two tribes: those who remained on Gaia, and those who left Gaia. The 
  pictograms seem to show the departing Ancients traveling toward some kind 
  of sun or star. Whether this is myth or fact cannot be told. But after this time, 
  the Ancients who remained and dwelt on Gaia blossomed into a widespread 
  and very advanced civilization.  
  T
  
  164 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  The Ancients built what we might call an enlightened civilization. Magic 
  and science were as one to them. Over thousands of years, they came to 
  control matter and energy, time and space, and even life and death. But then 
  something terrible happened. At a date which we can estimate to be perhaps 
  twenty-five thousand years ago, one Ancient took it upon himself to create 
  the mightiest life-forms imaginable, and he went too far. This Ancient 
  scientist was called Khaos.  
   
  Khaos, it seemed, was a maker of weapons. At first, he built automata 
  which were entirely mechanical. Then he engineered mutated monsters 
  which were entirely biological (including one species which the Ancient texts 
  do not describe in detail, but which they name “Tarraskw”). Khaos might 
  very well be responsible for the existence of most creatures which are now 
  called “monsters”. But his most unforgivable crime was to create something 
  unstoppable, something which was neither machine nor beast but partly 
  both. This cybernetic organism was called the Weapon of Khaos, though 
  some surviving Ancient writings also call it the Weapon of Mu. The Weapon 
  rampaged uncontrollably across the face of Gaia and caused untold 
  destruction.  
   
  The other Ancients banded together to fight against the Weapon. 
  Eventually they succeeded, but the Weapon of Khaos was made of 
  indestructible stuff. All the Ancients could hope to do was seal the Weapon 
  away for all time, and this they did amidst the devastated ruins of their 
  center of civilization. The Weapon was banished beneath the land of Mu 
  (hence the Weapon’s other name, and hence the fact that Mu remains, to this 
  day, an uninhabitable wasteland populated only by diseased and mutated 
  monsters). The whole face of Gaia had been burned and blasted by this war, 
  but the Ancients’ favored land of Mu had fared the worst. Its loss marked the 
  fall of their once-mighty civilization.  
   
  For his crimes, Khaos had to be imprisoned. (Perhaps the Ancients were 
  too enlightened to execute one of their own; but then again, perhaps it 
  simply wasn’t possible to end Khaos's life.) To accomplish this feat, a sealing 
  of far greater difficulty and magnitude, the Ancients created a second moon 
  in orbit around Gaia. Gaia already had one natural satellite, a lifeless rock 
  called Phoebe. The Ancients created the moon called Selene, which orbits 
  farther away than Phoebe, and which looks like a marble swirled with blue 
  and white when seen from the surface of Gaia. This they did for the sole 
  purpose of imprisoning Khaos, who now languishes in the lunar core. Then, 
  to guard the prison, the Ancients created a life-form called the Behemoth: an 
  immense, platinum-scaled dragon who lives upon Selene and guards the seal 
  of Khaos.  
   
  After that, the Ancients left Gaia. They broke the bonds of the terrestrial 
  world and went… somewhere else. Nobody knows whether or not they joined 
  their brethren who left Gaia at the dawn of Ancient civilization. But the fact 
  remains that they disappeared entirely, leaving few marks of their 
  civilization behind—only a scant few inscriptions and artifacts; and of 
  course, the moon Selene and its guardian, the lunar Behemoth. 
    
   
   
   
  
   
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  The First Age (24,000 to 13,000 years ago)  
  On Gaia, life recovered. Green, growing things spread back across the land. 
  Everywhere except the blasted and irradiated land of Mu, things returned to 
  normal. And, approximately twenty-four thousand years ago, a new people 
  arose—first on the continent of Lemuria, and then everywhere else. These 
  folk were the fays. They believed themselves to be the heirs and descendants 
  of the Ancients (although they could just as well have been another of the 
  Ancients’ creations). The fays led a primitive existence at first—simple lives, 
  in harmony with nature, and lacking any sort of advanced technology. But as 
  millennia passed, the fays made many discoveries, and chief among these 
  was the art of sorcery. This practice catapulted the fays from barbarism to 
  civilization, but it would prove their undoing.  
   
  For ten thousand years, the immortal fays ruled Gaia alone. But Khaos 
  still watched from within the depths of the blue moon Selene. His body was 
  bound within the lunar core, but his mind could still reach out to the people 
  on the planet below. As the fays grew in power and sought more and more 
  Ancient knowledge, Khaos sensed that his time would soon be at hand. 
   
  There arose among the fays two great wizards. One, Myrddin, was a 
  good sorcerer who sought the knowledge of the Ancients to keep his own 
  people from repeating the Ancients’ mistakes. The other, Namtar, was weak-
  willed and power-hungry. He was the perfect pawn for Khaos, and the mind 
  of Khaos took him, possessed him, corrupted him, and bent him utterly to 
  his will. Namtar heard the knowledge of Khaos whispered directly into his 
  mind, and he began to experiment.   
   
  First, he played with life and death. He created many foul monsters, 
  both living and undead. Namtar came to hold a particular fascination with 
  death and disease. He created the first undead monsters—all kinds, from 
  skeletons to specters—and he invented such diseases as lycanthropy and 
  mummy rot. As his knowledge grew, he sought to create greater beasts, and 
  this led him to even deeper depravity. His own wife, a fay witch named Lilitu, 
  he took and transformed into a six-armed, serpent-tailed devil—the Marilith. 
  Another fay, a follower of his by the name of Dagon, he changed into a 
  gigantic sea-monster—the Kraken. At last, when Namtar felt that his 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  knowledge was complete, he sought to create a life-form that could rival the 
  Behemoth or the Weapon in power—and he created the seven-headed 
  dragon-fiend called Tiamat. But this undertaking, this feat of evil, was so 
  draining that even the immortal life of a fay was consumed by it. In order to 
  preserve his existence, Namtar had to give himself over into his beloved 
  undeath—and he became the first Lich.  
   
  The Four Fiends—Namtar the Lich-King, Lilitu the Marilith, Dagon the 
  Kraken, and Tiamat the Seven-Colored Dragon—led Namtar’s monstrous 
  and undead legions on a rampage across Gaia. The other fays, led by 
  Myrddin, fought back. It soon became apparent that they could not defeat 
  the Fiends on their own. So they turned to their sorcery for help. First, the 
  fays tried to create their own allies. They awakened the trees and created the 
  treants, and these were mighty allies indeed, but still they were no match for 
  the Four Fiends. So Myrddin enacted a great spell which was meant to call 
  for help—to call out beyond the bounds of the world. It was Myrddin’s great 
  hope that his spell would reach the ears of gods themselves, the lost 
  Ancients, wherever they were, and bring them back to Gaia to save its people. 
  But this did not happen.  
   
  Instead, other folk began appearing on Gaia, transported through 
  mysterious Gates that the Ancients had left behind, Gates unwittingly 
  awakened by the magic of Myrddin. The elves came first, and then the 
  dwarves and the gnomes and the háin, and then the centaurs and the fauns 
  and the sylphs and the merrows. The faerie races appeared and allied 
  themselves with the sorely pressed fays and treants.  With all of this 
  combined might, they indeed posed a great threat to Lich-King and his 
  Fiends. The elves, especially, were something new and special, because they 
  possessed a kind of magic which was not sorcery—they were able to cast 
  spells of geomancy, and it was like a bane to Namtar’s unnatural monsters.  
   
  Namtar grew fascinated with the elves, and he captured many of them. 
  He worked his evil experiments upon them, and thus from the elves came the 
  orcish race. Treants, too, he captured and combined with living stone, 
  making the first trolls.  
   
  The Great Alliance now fought back against Namtar’s hordes on an even 
  footing, and the evil monsters were pushed eastward, out of Arcadia, all the 
  way to Tuonela. It was around this time that Myrddin discovered a new kind 
  of artifact left behind by the Ancients, something called Fingers of Light. 
  Myrddin joined forces with the leader of the elves, a warrior-queen called 
  Nimuël, and her twelve bravest knights, and he led them on a quest to 
  recover the Fingers of Light. Nobody alive today knows precisely what the 
  Fingers of Light were, or how they worked. But once they were assembled, 
  the Fingers summoned forth something holy and mighty, and Namtar and 
  his ilk were finished. They were banished from the face of Gaia and cast deep 
  into the planet’s core, sealed within the deepest place of the world, just as 
  Khaos had been banished to the core of the far moon.  
   
  The war left Gaia broken once again, and the time of the fays was over. 
  Now the world was irrevocably changed. The fays had to share their planet 
  with treants, elves, dwarves, gnomes, centaurs, merrows, orcs, trolls, and 
  other races. Each race wanted its own piece of the world to live in, and they 
  all vied for dominion. More war was inevitable.  
  
   
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  But Myrddin had more pressing concerns. He worried that Namtar and 
  his three fiendish cohorts would break the bonds of their prison and escape. 
  Therefore, to prevent this, he used all of his great knowledge of the Ancients 
  and their works to create life. He engineered a being which would rival the 
  Behemoth in power and goodness. This was the Leviathan, which Myrddin 
  placed in the ocean’s deepest trench as an eternal guardian over the tomb of 
  the Four Fiends. But as with Namtar’s creation of Tiamat, this was a feat 
  beyond the ken of any fay, and it drained Myrddin’s immortal life away. 
  Myrddin was forced to sleep outside of time itself for the rest of eternity. 
   
   
   
  The Second Age (12,000 to 7,000 years ago)  
  The elves proved to be the wisest and fairest of all the beings now living on 
  Gaia, and they quickly rose to dominance. They made fast friends of the 
  dwarves, but other races did not fare so well under elvish dominion. The 
  centaurs and halflings were practically enslaved, and fays were especially 
  blamed for the evils of the past Age.  As the elves swept across Arcadia, the 
  fays were forced to flee into the Uttermost West, to the remote lands of 
  Lemuria and Tollan. In Arcadia, the elves built a mighty empire, and all the 
  other peoples of Gaia were beholden unto them.  
   
  The Second Age, the age of elvendom, was relatively peaceful. But for 
  the odd rebellion or uprising, nothing could have challenged the power of the 
  elves. For five thousand years, the elves and the dwarves and the other races 
  remade the world in their image. (The elves, the dwarves, and all the other 
  races were named “faeries” by the fays—a word which means “fay-like” and 
  carries with it roughly the same sense as our word “humanoid”.)  
   
  But then, about eight thousand years ago, something strange happened. 
  In the year 4,327 of the Second Age, one of the Gates of the Ancients opened 
  at random, and a new being came through, one unlike all of the others.  
   
   
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  The Old Elvish texts are difficult to read on this subject, because they are 
  many and conflicting. According to some accounts, the man who appeared 
  was called “The Urther”, while others say he was called “the Terran”.  At least 
  one text of gnomish origin names him “Bill”, although this text is probably 
  apocryphal. But all the writings are clear on one point: he belonged to a new 
  race called “human”, and he claimed to have come from another world.  (The 
  famously suspect Old Gnomish text says that the human came from strange 
  and mysterious universe called “Shikago”.)  
   
  The mysterious Urther first appeared in Avalon, and he became a great 
  hero. He led the uprising against the empress of the elves, Meliora, and he 
  helped to topple her reign over Arcadia. What’s more, he traveled into the 
  Uttermost West and brought back the fays, including their chieftain of old, 
  Myrddin—whom he somehow managed to awaken from a slumber that 
  should have been eternal. Eventually, the Urther of Shikago disappeared, but 
  in his wake he left a changed Arcadia. The elvish empire was fallen; and a fay 
  woman, Morrigan by name, became the new queen in Avalon. Within 
  another couple of centuries, the age of elvendom would come to an end for 
  good.  
   
  The Third Age (6,000 to 1,900 years ago)  
  Several centuries after the disappearance of the human hero called the 
  Urther, many more of his race appeared on the continent called Atlantis. 
  These humans seemed to be a different breed. Whereas the Urther had been 
  a noble hero, a wise scholar, and a mighty magician, these new humans were 
  naught but barbarians. They sailed forth into many realms and conquered all 
  that they could with primitive weapons of bronze and iron. They became 
  strongest in the lands south and east of Arcadia, where they built many vast 
  but short-lived empires that rose and fell, seemingly, as quickly as these 
  short-lived humans could be born and die.  
   
  It was in this era that Khaos once again sensed opportunity, for these 
  humans practiced magic, and they were easily corrupted. From their own 
  realm, wherever that had been, the humans had brought a new kind of 
  magic—theurgy—which seemed to flow from their belief in various gods. But 
  the humans could also learn geomancy and sorcery, and they sought power 
  above all else. This pleased Khaos greatly.  
   
  In the country of Mephret, a part of the land of Amarna, there arose a 
  great magician called Apep. He became so powerful that he deposed the 
  Pharaoh and took command of all the armies in the land. Then the orcs and 
  the trolls once again multiplied in Tuonela, and they came south to answer 
  the summons of Apep, who was indeed possessed by Khaos. Apep sent 
  emissaries into the north, into Arcadia, to try and sway faerie rulers to his 
  side. Some accepted; others refused. The great fay wizard Myrddin wandered 
  everywhere in this era to try and work against Apep—sometimes in faerie 
  lands; and at other times in human lands, where he would disguise himself 
  as an old man called Ambrose.  Myrddin tried to prevent the lords of the 
  faeries and humans from accepting the cursed gifts of Apep’s emissaries, 
  warning that they would only bring misfortune and evil.  
   
  
   
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  Then Apep sought to do the unthinkable: he tried to rouse the Four 
  Fiends from their prison within Gaia. Fortunately, the Leviathan proved too 
  great an obstacle to overcome, but still, Apep was not to be undone. Though 
  the Fiends’ bodies were trapped within the world, the spirit of Namtar was 
  only bound to its physical form by black magic, for he was a lich. Apep used 
  dark spells, whispered from the far moon by Khaos, to transfer the 
  consciousness of Namtar into a mummified human corpse, thereby freeing 
  the Lich-King from his prison. As a reward, Apep was promptly slain and 
  transformed into a lich himself, a mere puppet in Namtar’s thrall. All of 
  Apep’s lesser priests were also made into liches and mummies, and all those 
  lords and warriors who had accepted gifts from the foul sorcerer were 
  transformed into demons and wraiths.  
   
   
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  The armies of the Lich-King marched on Arcadia, and all seemed lost. 
  But Myrddin gathered friends together and forged a great alliance between 
  elves, dwarves, centaurs, and men. The Second Great Alliance beat back 
  Namtar once again. Apep’s magic had required a phylactery to keep Namtar's 
  spirit alive in his new body, and when this was destroyed, the Fiend was cast 
  back into the depths, never to rise again in living memory. But he left behind 
  a foul legacy: orcs, magically bred with men, became the race of hulks—a 
  species of Darkspawn that didn’t fear the sunlight as orcs and trolls did.  
   
  Peace came to the world again, for another five thousand years. In the 
  millennia following the Second Great War, a new empire rose to ascendency: 
  a human empire, under a king named Alexander. The lands of Illyria, 
  Amarna, and Eden were united under this vast state, ruled from Alexander's 
  capital at Olympia. It was an empire the likes of which Gaia had not seen 
  since elvendom in Avalon. But the Alexandrine Empire was not to last 
  forever, and its fall marked the end of the Age. 
   
  The Fourth Age (1,835 years ago to present)  
  Approximately 1,850 years ago, in the land of Elysium, a general by the name 
  of Julius Dracus—so called because he claimed to be the son of a dragon—
  united the peninsula under a single state, and then he spread outward and 
  steadily began to conquer neighboring lands. One by one, surrounding 
  countries fell to the march of Dracus, who declared himself Emperor of 
  Elysium.  Eventually, even the great city of Olympia fell, thereby absorbing 
  the Alexandrine empire into the Elysian Empire. This new empire was to last 
  for five centuries, although eventually it did collapse under its own weight.  
  This collapse left most of Arcadia in darkness and ignorance.  
   
  But during the Ninth Century of the Fourth Age, a kind of renaissance 
  sprang up in the gnomish country of Utopia. A feudal lord of gnomes called 
  Carolus Minor (Charles the Small) began uniting various duchies and 
  principalities into a single kingdom. This would eventually become the 
  nation-state of Utopia, and it would set the standard for other lands 
  throughout the medieval period of the Fourth Age. In the Twelfth Century, 
  Avalon united under the crown of the fay King Tristram, whose daughter 
  Maeve (who would ascend to the throne in the Sixteenth Century) was to 
  become the greatest monarch in Arcadian history. Other lands followed suit, 
  and by the time the Ninteenth Century arrives, even fragmented Midjard and 
  Elysia seem ready to unite into modern states… 
   
  Geography of Gaia 
  Gaia is the third planet out from a star called Helios. The Helion System is 
  structured similar to our own: there are four rocky inner planets and four 
  gaseous outer planets. The inner planets, moving outward from the sun, are 
  called Hermes, Aphrodite, Gaia, and Ares. The outer planets are Zeus, 
  Chronos, Uranos, and Poseidon. Until very recently, Chronos was the most 
  distant planet known to Gaians, since that is the farthest planet which can be 
  seen with the naked eye. Uranos and Poseidon were both discovered and 
  named by modern astronomers within the last century, due to the invention 
  of the telescope during the Elysian Renaissance.  
  
   
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  All of the planets from Gaia outward have satellite bodies of their own—
  moons. Gaia herself has two moons, known as Phoebe and Selene. Phoebe, 
  the innermost moon, is all but identical to Earth’s moon in the real world: 
  clearly lifeless, it shines silvery-yellow in the night sky but displays lowlands, 
  mountains, and craters when observed through a telescope. Selene, the 
  farther moon, resembles a tiny marble of swirled blue and white. Whereas 
  Phoebe both rotates and revolves at the same speed, and therefore always 
  presents only one face to Gaia at all times, Selene seems to have a rotation 
  period of slightly less than one Gaian day, and so its aspect is always 
  changing. Selene’s revolutionary period is significantly longer than Phoebe’s: 
  Selene will go through all of its phases in 88 days, while Phoebe will 
  complete one revolution about Gaia in only 28 days.  
   
  Ares is only known to have one moon, which is called Thanatos. 
  Thanatos is probably a lifeless rock, but scientists aren’t so sure about Ares 
  itself. When observed through a telescope, Ares appears to be blue and green 
  and white, much like Selene. The possibility exists that life thrives there.  
   
  In between the orbits of Ares and Zeus, there are a small number of 
  “minor planets”, all of which share roughly the same orbit and revolve about 
  the sun at roughly the same speed. There is no diffuse belt of asteroids 
  beyond the orbit of Ares: just three or four known minor planets. “Three or 
  four” is the number most often cited, because the forth such body discovered 
  by modern astronomers might or might not be counted as a planet at all. The 
  first three objects, known as Hera, Demeter, and Hestia, are all clearly small 
  planets of solid, rocky constitution and spherical shape. But the fourth 
  object, which is called the Athena Cloud, is a cluster of rocks and debris 
  which are all gravitationally bound together, and which therefore orbit the 
  sun as a single body—a mass of incoherent planetary matter spanning some 
  twenty-thousand miles in diameter. It is probable that the Athena Cloud was 
  once a solid minor planet which was then obliterated by a collision with a 
  comet or some other body. 
   
  The four “gas giant” outer planets all have some dozens of moons, and 
  ring systems of ice and dust as well. The natures and characters of these 
  outer bodies are largely a mystery to Gaian folk. Speculation is also rampant 
  about what might exist beyond the orbit of Poseidon: is there a mysterious 
  ninth planet which remains to be discovered? Nobody knows. But 
  astronomers have been able to determine, at least, that the strange, elliptical 
  orbits of comets take them far out beyond Poseidon’s orbit. Comets, 
  therefore, are the most distant objects in the Helion System known to Gaian 
  astronomers.  
   
  Beyond the Helion System, the people of Gaia are now for the most part 
  aware that the other stars which are visible in the night sky are distant suns 
  which might have planets of their own orbiting them. However, the state of 
  astronomy on Gaia is not yet sufficiently advanced that they have deduced 
  the shape or character of the galaxy to which Helios belongs, let alone the 
  notion that other galaxies exist in the universe. These discoveries are 
  probably less than a century away, though. 
    
  
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  Returning, then, to Gaia herself, she is what one might call a typical “M-
  Class” planet: nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, two-thirds surface water, and 
  overall ideally suited for carbon-based life as we know it. The surface of Gaia 
  is dominated by four oceans (the Dysic, the Notonic, the Anatolic, and the 
  Boreic) and by five major landmasses: the continents Mu, Atlantis, Tollan, 
  Lemuria, and Edenia. 
   
  Mu covers much of Gaia’s southern hemisphere. This barren, irradiated 
  wasteland might be considered uninhabitable, but for the mutated monsters 
  that dwell here. Adventurers who explore this continent seldom return to tell 
  about it.  
   
  Atlantis is a peculiar continent, shaped like a swirl or a spiral, set almost 
  precisely on the equator in the middle of the Dysic Ocean. Legends persist 
  that Atlantis is comprised of three concentric rings of land, but these legends 
  are false—it is a single landmass which happens to have a shallow, spiral-
  shaped channel of seawater cutting into the center of it. The inhabitants of 
  Atlantis are human, highly advanced, and extremely isolationistic. They 
  tolerate no visitors; brook no contact with the outside world; shoot before 
  asking questions; take no prisoners; and give no quarter. Needless to say, 
  Atlantis is an unknown quantity to outsiders. Even airships seldom survive 
  flying near its outermost coastlines.  
   
  Tollan might be considered a jungle continent: it is almost completely 
  covered by rain forest, though grassy plains are present on the southern edge 
  of the continent and high, rocky mounts ridge the north. For nearly four 
  centuries now, the whole continent of Tollan has been under the control of 
  the Hesperian Empire, and the native peoples—which are mainly fays and 
  humans—have been subjected to the rule of men from Hesperia.  
   
  Lemuira is a continent which was almost entirely peopled by fays, at 
  least prior to the incursions of the elves during the Second Age. During that 
  time, the Elvish Empire established several colonies on the eastern coast of 
  Lemuria, but these were all destroyed in the wars that brought about the end 
  of the Second Age. In the Third Age, when humans came to power in 
  Arcadia, Lemuria was mostly forgotten. Then, late in the Fourth Age, a great 
  movement for exploration swept the Arcadian peoples, and Lemuria was 
  rediscovered. What they found was a lush, verdant continent of forests, 
  plains, and majestic mountains, inhabited by various tribes of all the races, 
  including humans, though all of them existed at an approximately Stone-Age 
  level of technology. Avalon and Utopia were quick to plant new colonies 
  here, and Avalon once again came to control the eastern coast of the 
  continent, just as it had done two Ages ago. Utopia, meanwhile, managed to 
  secure much of the continental interior, especially in the north. But during 
  the Eighteenth Century of the Fourth Age, the Avalon Colonies determined 
  that they wanted independence and self-rule; and to avoid a war, Queen 
  Maeve of Avalon granted the colonies formal independence, though they 
  remain a Dominion under the protection of Avalon’s crown. This region is 
  known today as the Lemurian Federation, and it is made of up several small 
  political entities which are nominally called as republics. As for the Utopian 
  territories, which have been named Arborea, they remain firmly under the 
  control of Utopia’s dictatorial Emperor François Biendit. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Edenia, the largest single landmass on Gaia, is divided into several 
  smaller subcontinents. Arcadia is the most important of these, and it is 
  generally said to include the attendant islands of Hesperia, Avalon, and 
  Tirnanog. The other regions include Tuonela (a wilderness controlled by 
  orcs); Amarna (a desert region which has characteristics of our Egypt and 
  Arabia); Eden (a crossroads of a land which resembles Turkey and Persia; 
  and which in ancient times was called “Edenia Minor”, as it has lent its name 
  to the larger continent of Edenia); Shambala (which culturally resembles our 
  India and Tibet); Jianghu (which means “the land of rivers and lakes”, and 
  which resembles Imperial China); and last but not least, the mysterious 
  region called Draconia. “Draconia” is merely a shorthand for this country’s 
  proper name, i.e. “Draconia Gæa Vomica”, or “Cursed Land Draconia”.  
  Draconia is surrounded on all sides by mountains so high that no airship can 
  fly over them. These mountains are said to be inhabited by the fiercest 
  dragons imaginable. What lies beyond, nobody can say, although most 
  people imagine that it must be a terrible, blighted country ruled by Chaotic 
  dragons.  
   
  Apart from the continents, there are also several large islands of note. 
  On the southern shore of Lemuria, there sweeps out an archipelago of 
  islands around the Caliban Sea. The Caliban Islands have long been a prime 
  haunt for pirates, buccaneers, swashbucklers, and other salty sea-dog types. 
  On the other side of the world, between the Anatolic and Dysic Oceans, there 
  sit two large islands, one just about on the equator and the other south of it. 
  The southerly island is called Mana Island; its people are said to be among 
  the happiest and friendliest in the world, and their home is beautiful and 
  bountiful. The northerly island is called Tabu Island; it is said to be a terrible 
  place, infested with some of the strongest monsters in the world, and it 
  guards some horrible secret. Last of all, there are three large islands in the 
  north Dysic Ocean between Lemuira and Arcadia. The largest of these is 
  Jøtunheim, home of giants. The centermost island is Muspellheim, home of 
  fire, an island of volcanic ashes and cinders. Lastly, shaped like a five-
  pointed star, there is Neifelheim, home of frost, a strange and frigid island 
  where the cold wells up from the very ground beneath. 
   
  Arcadia in the Fourth Age 
  The history of Arcadia since the start of the Fourth Age has been strangely 
  parallel to our own Europe.  The first Emperor of Elysium, Julius Dracus, 
  was a great conqueror: he not only subdued the entire Elysian peninsula, he 
  also brought most of Utopia and Illyria under the thumb of his empire.  But 
  his son and successor, Octavius Dracus, was the greatest of the Elysian 
  emperors, and the start of his reign marks the year 1 of the Fourth Age.  
  Under Octavius, the Empire expanded to include the rest of Utopia, much of 
  Amarna and Edenia Minor, and Hesperia as well.  The third and fourth 
  emperors, Tertian and Thadrian, were also respectable expansionists: 
  Tertian subdued Sylvania and tried to do the same to Midjard (but never 
  succeeded), while Thadrian made inroads into Avalon but never managed a 
  foothold on Tirnanog as he’d wished. 
   
   
  
   
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  During the reign of the First Four Emperors, the power of Elysium was 
  unchallenged, and these imperial monarchs ruled from their capital city, 
  Cælestium (which is today called Celesce in the modern parlance of Elysia).  
  But after the reign of Thadrian, the empire began to decline.  There were 
  good emperors and bad emperors, but for the most part, the empire was just 
  too big to maintain, either militarily or financially.  And, during the Fifth 
  Century, the empire collapsed altogether. 
   
  In the era that followed, commonly known as the Dark Ages, faerie folk 
  from the northern kingdoms swept south and conquered most of the former 
  Elysian provinces; but in doing so, they also came to lord over vast numbers 
  of human subjects, and the faerie peoples began to imitate human models of 
  culture, law, and government.  There was also a great deal of intermarriage 
  between humans and faeries during this time, and in most of the southern 
  kingdoms, it wasn’t very long at all before some human son or grandson of 
  an elvish or dwarvish king would inherit the throne.  Humans inevitably 
  returned to power in the south again, simply because there were so many 
  more of them.  Nevertheless, to this day, royal families in Hesperia and many 
  of the Elysian principalities still proudly point to elves or fays or dwarves in 
  their ancestral genealogies. 
   
  During the Dark Ages, Arcadia was divided up into innumerable small 
  kingdoms, but a great movement occurred in the Ninth Century under the 
  auspices of the gnomish king of Rolandeaux, a region in northern Utopia.  
  This king, by the name of Carolus Minor (or, as modern Utopians remember 
  him, Charlemin), managed to unite many small Utopian duchies and 
  kingdoms into a single feudal entity—the very first inkling of a modern 
  nation-state. In the Twelfth Century, a fay king by the name of Tristram 
  managed to do much the same thing on the Island of Avalon.  This period, 
  the Middle Ages, was marked by the tumultuous practice of state-building, as 
  the most powerful monarchs in each land scrambled to conquer or win the 
  fealty of their neighbors.  Some kings and queens were very successful; 
  others, in places like Elysium and Midjard, weren’t so much. 
   
  The Fifteenth Century could be said to mark the end of the Middle Ages, 
  since in this time, the many little duchies and republics of Elysium began to 
  show signs of a second great rebirth of culture, a Renaissance.  Art, 
  philosophy, magic, and scholarship all saw a great resurgence in this time.  
  Over the next few centuries, authors and artists created the greatest works in 
  history; natural philosophers observed nature and laid the groundwork for 
  modern science; and wizards and sages rediscovered many high-level spells 
  which had been lost since the Third Age.  During this time, Arcadians also 
  began to explore the world with sailing ships, laying the foundations for 
  future empires. 
   
  The Eighteenth Century, an era called the Enlightenment, brought true 
  science at last to Arcadia.  In this era, humans and gnomes finally discovered 
  the scientific method, and their ideas gave birth to modern chemistry, 
  physics, biology, and all the other sciences.  Democracy was also born in this 
  era, when the Lemurian Federation sued for independence from Avalon and 
  had their petition (for the most part) granted.  The Lemurians came to 
  govern themselves by a set of high ideals: liberty, self-rule, and the equality 
  of all men and faeries.  The Lemurian nation came to be greatly admired by 
  
   
   THE WORLD OF GAIA 
  177 
  many in Arcadia, but it was also a source of worry and paranoia, since many 
  monarchs feared that it might inspire revolution in their own lands. 
   
  This proved all too true in Utopia.  In the Thirteenth Century, a dynasty 
  of elvish kings had succeeded that of Charlemin, and they reigned until the 
  end of the Eighteenth Century, when gnomes and humans rose up to rebel 
  against the elf King Lénou II.  After a series of bloody civil wars and 
  ineffectively bureaucratic interim governments, power came to rest in the 
  hands of a gnome by the name of François Biendit, a brilliant general who 
  had distinguished himself by fighting for the revolutionaries during the civil 
  war.  Biendit still rules Utopia. 
   
  Now, in the early decades of the Nineteenth Century, Arcadia is 
  undergoing an Industrial Revolution.  Technology is changing life for 
  everybody.  The world has become more comfortable and convenient, but 
  also quicker of pace and more impersonal.  Many old ways and customs 
  might have been lost for good, if not for the long memories of elves, fays, and 
  other faerie folk.  The governments of the most powerful states—Avalon, 
  Utopia, and Hesperia—have projected their power around the world and 
  created vast colonial empires on foreign shores.  Midjard and Elysium, 
  meanwhile, are still struggling toward statehood, threatened as they are by 
  the power of Utopia on one side and Sylvania (the seat of a vast, budding 
  land-empire) on the other.  As for Illyria, this country has its own problems—
  more than four centuries ago, it was conquered by Amarna, and it has only 
  lately won its independence from the sultan of that country. 
   
   
   
  Religions of Arcadia 
  Lest the gentle Player too soon conclude that Arcadia is nothing more than 
  an alternate Europe with elves and magic-users running hither and thither 
  upon the face of it, consider now the conspicuous absence of one very 
  important and powerful institution: the Church.  Arcadia has never had a 
  Church—at least, not in the monolithic, “capital C” sense of the word.  Oh 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  yes, there are churches in Arcadia, and they all have their own priests and 
  prophets and scriptures and saints, but each church tends toward 
  independence and local autonomy.  The particulars of religious belief tend to 
  vary wildly from region to region and city to city.  The church in the next 
  village over will invariably have a set of beliefs completely distinct from any 
  of its neighbors.  This characteristic lack of unity has kept religion from 
  dominating political and intellectual life in Arcadia throughout its long 
  history. 
   
  The beliefs themselves have certain broad characteristics in common, 
  although a sweeping distinction must surely be drawn between the beliefs of 
  humans and faerie-folk. Most Arcadians believe in the existence of a 
  supernatural, higher power which is far greater than any magic practiced by 
  mortal individuals.  The existence of a deific aspect to the supernatural realm 
  might not be as evident as the psychic and arcane aspects of the 
  supernatural, but people mostly believe in it anyway.  In any event, the 
  characteristics ascribed to the “higher power” depend on the race and culture 
  of the believer. 
   
  Humans, at least in Arcadia, are nearly always monotheists.  They 
  believe in a single, omnipotent, beneficent God.  This is not to say that all of 
  Arcadia’s humans belong to a single religion, because religions in Arcadia are 
  as many and varied as there are towns and villages.  But in broad terms, one 
  can expect most human communities to have the trappings of monotheistic 
  worship: a temple or church that prominently displays its holy symbols and 
  icons; sacred texts and teachings; stories of local saints and prophets; and a 
  body of priests or ministers to serve the religious needs of the community.  
  (Note that most of the clerics in a community will actually be normal, 0th 
  level humans.  If any of the clergy have classes and levels, they could just as 
  easily be fighters or mages or experts as scholars.)  The individual rules and 
  doctrines governing a local faith might vary in the details (one community 
  might not allow its priests to marry, another might forbid the eating of fruit 
  on Saturdays, and yet another might disallow images and statues within its 
  temple walls), but nearly all of the religions agree on basic tenants of 
  morality and on the existence of a single God. 
   
  Faeries (including the centaurs, fauns, merrows, &al.) are a different 
  matter.  Faerie religion might best be described as a form of animism, 
  although “shamanism” is probably the more correct term.  Animism is the 
  belief that most or all physical objects have conscious spirits residing within 
  them; and shamanism is a complex kind of animism elevated to the status of 
  a formal religion, with religious specialists (shamans) serving in the capacity 
  of a priesthood.  Faeries believe in a number of spirits: nature spirits, 
  ancestral spirits, and more powerful beings which embody certain cosmic 
  ideals, like goodness or truth.  These beings cannot properly be called “gods”, 
  because the fairies do not presume to know their names, and they don’t 
  usually pray to them directly.  Instead, faeries will often speak of “the 
  Spirits”, in the plural, with the same force and reverence that a human will 
  use when referring to God.  Instead of churches or temples, faeries prefer 
  shrines in natural places—groves, valleys, caverns—for worship.  They regard 
  the departed souls of their own ancestors in the same way that humans 
  understand saints. 
  
   
   THE WORLD OF GAIA 
  179 
   
  It should be pointed out that there is no inherent conflict between the 
  religious beliefs of Arcadia’s humans and faeries: they simply emphasize 
  different levels of spirituality.  The faeries think of the humans’ God as the 
  “Great Spirit”, but they wonder why humans would concern themselves with 
  such a distant and cosmic entity.  Humans tend to conflate the faeries’ 
  animistic spirits with angels and devils, and they suppose that it must be 
  misguided at best to worship lesser spirits than God, even if most of these 
  lesser spirits are good and benevolent ones. 
   
  Schools of Philosophy 
  During the Dark Age that followed the collapse of the Elysian Empire, 
  civilization and scholarship were preserved behind the fortress-like walls of a 
  tiny handful of scholastic academies located throughout Arcadia.  These 
  academies were primarily concerned with instruction in philosophy, and in 
  particular a school of thought that dated back to the great philosopher-king, 
  Alexander of Olympia.  Alexander’s philosophy, which is called Formal 
  Idealism, taught that everything in this physical world is nothing more than 
  an illusion, a reflection of a higher mental idea or “form”.  He taught that 
  absolutes, such as right and wrong, good and evil, and law and chaos, really 
  must exist because we can conceive of them in our minds. 
   
  The school of Alexander is not the only important philosophy in Arcadia, 
  though.  During the reign of the early Elysian Emperors, there was another 
  great teacher, a human philosopher named Cenico, who had served Julius 
  Dracus and tutored young Octavius Dracus.  Cenico believed in another 
  system of thought, Rational Empiricism.  He held that the truth of the world 
  can be grasped by our senses and by reason.  Observation and experience, 
  not high ideals, will help us come to know good from ill.  Cenico’s 
  philosophy, although it dates nearly back to the beginning of the Fourth Age, 
  was lost after the fall of Elysium, and it was only rediscovered in the Middle 
  Ages.  By that time, the humble academies had grown into great universities, 
  and Alexander’s Idealism was something of a scholastic orthodoxy.  The 
  debate between Idealism and Empiricism is one of the great intellectual 
  conflicts of the whole Fourth Age. 
   
  It is by no means the most controversial problem, however, because 
  during the Renaissance, an entirely new philosophy was formed.  In the city 
  of Friedvoll, which is located in the Kingdom of Dreiseen in central Midjard, 
  a group of scholars came together and formed the Society of Freethinkers.  
  The Society, led by a somewhat laconic and acerbic philosopher named 
  Erasmus Kirke, sought to reject the old intellectual systems.  In their place, 
  the Freethinkers devised a school of Existential Nihilism, which teaches that 
  life and existence are inherently meaningless; and that a full and good life 
  can only be lived by those who make the conscious decision to live, and then 
  give their own meaning to their existence.  To the Freethinkers, this was the 
  ultimate expression of intellectual liberty. To scholars in the universities, it 
  was heresy.   
   
  The Freethinkers would have preferred that a great reformation sweep 
  the old university system, but this did not happen.  Over time, the Nihilistic 
  philosophy has gained a modicum of acceptance in Arcadian society at large, 
  but it still remains very unpopular with traditionalists.  In the universities, 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Idealism remains the standard school of thought, but Empiricism is a strong 
  rival, and it has been growing in popularity as more science and technology 
  have been discovered. 
   
  Needless to say, player characters don’t have to bother with a topic as 
  dry as philosophy if they don’t want to; but scholar class characters must be 
  aware that their universities and academies are still rocked by the debate 
  between the three main schools.  For reasons that should probably be 
  obvious, Lawful characters tend to favor Formal Idealism; Neutral characters 
  prefer Rational Empiricism; and Chaotic characters drift toward Existential 
  Nihilism. In general, however, the scholastic obsession with systems of 
  philosophy is a human phenomenon that puzzles and amazes faerie-folk.  
  Scholar characters might come to find that their lives and beliefs can be 
  dominated by one of these three schools; but elves, merrows, and other 
  demihumans will typically only shake their heads and wonder why humans 
  would ever bother themselves with such nonsense. 
   
  The Arcadian Calendar 
  Gaia is a different world from ours, but its cultures and its history are 
  similar.  On that account, there is little reason to deal in fictional names for 
  the months of the year and the days of the week.  Just as players gathered 
  around the table will speak in English and not Avalonian, the ordinary words 
  for days and dates can be used as a campaign progresses.  Thus, even though 
  Gaia’s night sky has two moons, the second day of the week can still be called 
  Monday (as opposed to “Monsday”); and even though there was never an 
  Emperor Augustus in Elysium, the eighth month of the year might as well be 
  called August.   
   
  It should be noted, however, that the faerie-folk of Arcadia have 
  different traditions than the humans, and in particular they have a special 
  knack for accurate timekeeping.  It comes part and parcel with centuries-
  long lives: nobody would argue with an elf or a fay where the passing of days 
  and years and Ages are concerned.  To wit, the faeries have had a 
  normalizing effect on all aspects of Arcadian culture, including the calendar, 
  and so the Arcadian calendar lacks some of the quirks and foibles of our own.  
  In Arcadia, all the months are precisely thirty days in length, even February.  
  The five leftover days (or six, during leap years) are then appended onto the 
  end of the year, following December, as a time of holiday which the faeries 
  call Yule and which humans call Noël. 
   
  
  181 
   
   
   
   
  X 
   
   
  THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
   
   
  OW MUST OUR attention turn to the lands of Arcadia, and to the 
    various nations that make up this wondrous subcontinent.  
    Arcadia’s nations number ten: Asgard, Avalon, Elysia, Hesperia, 
  Illyria, Midjard, Pohjola, Sylvania, Tirnanog, and Utopia.   
  ASGARD 
  Asgard is Arcadia’s largest country but also its sparsest in population.  Much 
  of Asgard is still wilderness, mainly forest and tundra.  The northernmost 
  reaches of Asgard are sometimes called the “Frozen North”, since these 
  latitudes never thaw.  That region sees midnight suns in the summers and 
  noontime darkness in the winters.  Elsewhere, great mountain ranges stretch 
  across the rough and wild country: the Jærnbekkes divide those northerly 
  tundra regions from the forests that cover the rest of the land; and the 
  Englenfjærs run from the southwest to the northeast, bisecting the central 
  regions with a high and jagged range of mineral-rich peaks.  The Chernobogs 
  bound the country on the east, separating Asgard from the orcish territories 
  of Tuonela. 
   
  The dominant race in Asgard is dwarf-kind.  Only these folk have been 
  hardy enough to withstand her rough terrains and climes, and they have 
  done so since their arrival on Gaia at the dawn of the First Age of the world.  
  Thus is Asgard considered the ancestral homeland of all Gaia’s dwarves.  But 
  other folk dwell there too, and humans are particularly well-represented in 
  the southwest of the country, along the Guilden Coast.  Gnomes and elves 
  live among the dwarves, in the mountains and the forests, and mingle with 
  them freely; and merrows live in the shallows along all of the coastlines, 
  most especially in the waters of the great Fenrir Bay.  Regardless of race, all 
  the people of Asgard are ruled by the King-Under-the-Mountain, who dwells 
  in the ancient and storied city of Nidhavellir (usually spelled “Niðavellir” in 
  Old Dwarvish).  This includes the lesser dwarf-lords, who each rule their own 
  separate mountain-holts; and the human burgomasters of the Guilden cities. 
   
  The language of Asgard is called Asgartsk, also commonly rendered as 
  “Asgardish”.  It is descended directly from the Old Dwarvish tongue, which 
  was spoken by dwarves in past Ages of the world.  Other folk living in 
  Asgard, including the Guildermen and the merrows of Fenrir Bay, speak in 
  their own dialects of Asgardish.  Linguistically, the dwarves’ tongue was 
  closely related to that of the wood elves, and so modern Asgardish is very 
  similar to its close relative, the Midjardisch language. 
   
   
  N
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  183 
   
  Asgard’s dwarves are first of all miners and soldiers, of course, but every 
  other pursuit—notably hunting, trapping, fishing, and logging—is vital to 
  their economy.  Gnomes, elves, and merrows dwell among the dwarves in 
  significant numbers, and the gnomes have always supplied knowledge of 
  engineering; while the elves teach forestry; and the merrows, seacraft.  These 
  relationships between all the faerie-folk are centuries-old traditions and 
  regarded as sacrosanct by the dwarves.  The humans, meanwhile, are 
  primarily traders, sailors, and financiers.  Their homes along the Guilden 
  Coast grant them easy access to some of the best shipping lanes in the 
  region, and their most conspicuous contribution to Arcadia at large has been 
  their stable currency: the guilder comes from this country and takes its name 
  from the Guildermen.  In fact, the guilder is even more widely circulated in 
  Asgard than its native currency, the dwarvish krøne. 
   
  The Kingdom of Asgard began with the coming of the dwarves into Gaia, 
  at the twilight of the First Age.  During the war between the Great Alliance 
  and the Four Fiends, the Lich-King Namtar had given over his northernmost 
  stronghold to one of his underlings, some Infernal power whose name has 
  been forgotten by history.  This diabolical entity filled the mountains of the 
  northlands will all manner of Darkspawn, undead, and devilry, and this army 
  of evil terrorized everything within reach.  But the dwarves, led by the great 
  Dwarf Lord Dvalinn Járnhamarr the First, swept into the land of Asgard and 
  drove out the ’spawn.  With help from the Alliance—from the elves and the 
  storied fay wizard Myrddin—the fiendish Power that drove on the 
  Darkspawn was cast back into the depths and sealed away.  The dwarves 
  went deep into the mountains and blocked off the passages that lead to the 
  Underrealm, the deep place whence the orcs and trolls and such had come 
  from.  Then they expanded the upper tunnels, and they strengthened and 
  beatified them (for, as the orcs rot the earth from within, so does the work of 
  dwarves heal and improve it). Dvalinn Járnhamarr took for himself the 
  former Fiend fortress, and he remade it into a dwarven-holt.  This place 
  came to be called Niðavellir, and Lord Dvalinn ruled there as King-Under-
  the-Mountain.  Thus was born the Kingdom of Asgard. 
   
  All throughout the Second Age, the dwarves kept up their ceaseless war 
  with the Darkspawn.  Though the power of the Four Fiends had been broken, 
  the orcs themselves remained a force in their own right—especially in the 
  Underrealm beneath the surface of Asgard, but also in the Chernobogs and 
  in the foul land called Tuonela.  Old King Dvalinn was slain in the early 
  Goblin Wars of the Second Age, but one of his descendants always lived to 
  take up the crown.  In those days, while the Járnhamarr kings still ruled, the 
  elves who dwelt in neighboring lands were close allies to the dwarves and 
  ready foes of the orcs.   
   
  But the Second Age was also the Age of Elvendom, when a mighty Elvish 
  Empire arose from its seat in Avalon.  The dwarves were always sorely 
  pressed by monsters from below; and eventually, it came to pass that Asgard 
  relied on Avalon more and more for aid and defense.  In time, the dwarf-
  kingdom owed a debt so heavy that it became a province in all but name, and 
  the power of the dwarvish crown became dependent on Avalon’s imperial 
  authority.  Over the centuries, the dwarves came to chafe and grumble at 
  having to pay tribute to their elvish neighbors for old wars long since fought 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  and old alliances long since honored.  In those days, near the end of the 
  Second Age, the king was called Andvari Járnhamarr, and he was but a pale 
  shadow of his ancestor, First Dvalinn.  Andvari allowed Asgard’s weakness to 
  fester, simply because he could.  Meanwhile, the strength of Avalon kept him 
  in power over his fellow dwarves. 
   
  Then came the Time of the Hero, when the one called the Urther, the 
  first human, appeared on Gaia.  The Urther made a dire enemy of Avalon, 
  and so he was also an enemy of King Andvari.  When the Hero’s travels 
  brought him through Asgard, the shrewd but cowardly dwarf-king pretended 
  friendship, all the while plotting assassination.  But the plots and attempts 
  all failed, and the Urther eventually brought about Avalon’s fall.  When this 
  happened, Andvari also lost power in Asgard, and the throne of the dwarf-
  kingdom came to a traveling companion of the Urther’s, a wise warrior-
  dwarf named Ørjan Thrymjabrandr.  King Ørjan ruled well, and he brought 
  his people into the Third Age with renewed strength and courage. 
   
  After the fall of Meliora (the elvish empress of Avalon), the fays returned 
  to that land; and one of their number, Morrigan, became the new queen 
  there.  Morrigan shared a cordial friendship with King Ørjan of Asgard, but 
  as the Third Age wore on, Ørjan’s descendants became wary of repeating 
  past mistakes.  Later kings in the Thrymjabrandr line, heeding the will of 
  their dwarvish subjects, withdrew from the world and guarded the shores 
  and borders of Asgard jealously.  They allied with nobody, not even the elves 
  of Midjard and Pohjola. They refused to trade with the human civilizations 
  that arose in the far south, keeping their finely wrought weapons and armor 
  to themselves.  (Even in those days, when men first came into the world, the 
  secrets of dwarvish smithcraft were much prized and sought after.)  It was 
  only near the end of that Age, when High Priest Apep of Mephret joined with 
  the orcs of Tuonela and summoned vile Namtar back into the world, that the 
  dwarves of Asgard were finally so threatened that they once again opened up 
  to the world.  Spurred by the reappearance of Myrddin of old, they joined the 
  Second Great Alliance, although they were the last to do so—and they fought 
  bravely in the war that ended that Age.  But when it was over, Asgard, like 
  much of Arcadia, was ruined.  The kingdom was plunged into an age of want 
  and ignorance. 
   
  The rise of Elysium in the south marked the dawn of the Fourth Age.  
  During this time, humans arrived in Asgard and settled along the Guilden 
  Coast.  These people practiced the way of “viking”, which is to say, seasonal 
  sailing and pillaging.   Although they were wary of each other at first, the 
  dwarves and humans soon came to understand each other, and their cultures 
  became strongly integrated.  Nowadays, the idea of an Asgard without the 
  Guildermen is all but inconceivable. 
   
  The Thrymjabrandr kings died out during the Second Great War at the 
  end of the Third Age, so at the beginning of the Fourth, Asgard was divided 
  and leaderless.  The dwarvish clans warred with each other, they warred with 
  the newly arrived humans, and they warred with neighboring elves and 
  gnomes.  Indeed, it seems that the only people the dwarves didn’t fight with 
  in those days were the Darkspawn, and that was because they all but 
  disappeared after the end of the Second Great War.  Orcs and trolls became 
  the stuff of old legends, and so did the notion of a unified Kingdom of Asgard 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  185 
  that paid homage as one to the King-Under-the-Mountain.  It was a long and 
  slow road back to civilization and the glory of old, but at last it did happen, 
  around the year 1520 of the Fourth Age.  Throughout the medieval period of 
  the Fourth Age, numerous lords, chieftains, and petty kings vied for supreme 
  power. But in the 1520s, a dwarf-lord named Olaf Hreimdar was crowned 
  monarch over all Asgard and came to rule at Nidhavellir.  For the first time 
  in sixteen centuries, Asgard was once again united under a single monarch.  
  The 16th Century saw the beginning the modern Kingdom of Asgard. Olaf’s 
  descendant, King Gustav Hreimdar, rules Asgard today. 
   
  Modern Asgard faces many hurdles.  Although not exactly on the 
  forefront of the new science, Asgard’s people are generally technophilic and 
  quickly adapt to new inventions.  The dwarves are especially keen on 
  railroads and telegraph wires, and only the northernmost reaches of the 
  country still lack both.  Domestically, Asgard is firmly a monarchy, but its 
  people tend to be forward-thinking and open to new ideas.  A more 
  democratic form of constitutional monarchy might very well sit on the 
  immediate horizon.  Internationally, Asgard’s closest allies remain Midjard, 
  Phojola, and Avalon.  However, just as it was in ancient times, Avalon is a 
  powerful empire, and that alliance tends to be somewhat one-sided.  (Queen 
  Maeve has ruled Avalon for as long as the whole line of Hreimdar kings has 
  ruled Asgard, after all.)  Utopia has a somewhat brazenly antagonistic 
  relationship with Asgard: indeed, if Emperor Biendit thought that he could 
  conquer the dwarves without incurring Avalon’s wrath, he would probably 
  try to do so at once.  Worst of all, though, is Tuonela.  Orcs and trolls and 
  other such things mostly vanished from the world after the end of the Third 
  Age.  But late in the Fourth Age (in the 1500s to be precise, just as the 
  Renaissance was taking hold in Arcadia), dark things began to creep back 
  into the world.  It started small, with isolated pockets of goblins hiding away 
  in holes and caves, but the rumblings in the east have grown stronger in 
  recent centuries, and now it seems as if the Underrealm is ready to burst 
  forth once again.  The Darkspawn have reappeared in Tuonela, and they are 
  multiplying.  Nothing concerns the people of Asgard more than this fact, for 
  they know well that their land is connected to the deep-under by tunnels and 
  passages too many to count.  If some dark Power unites the ’spawn and 
  sends them forth to do battle, Asgard will be the first front in a Third Great 
  War. 
   
   
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Dalen Forest: This vast tract of woodland is wild, but not particularly 
  infested with monsters.  Giant spiders dwell in some of the darker and less 
  friendly parts of it, but for the most part elves and halflings live in these 
  woods.  The men of Henlegge freely harvest timber for sale to the dwarves.  
  Legends persist of a huge monster of some kind, perhaps a giant or a dragon, 
  that sleeps in perpetuity beneath Dalen Forest. 
   
  Englenfjær Mountains: Not as blessed with mineral wealth as the 
  Jærnbekkes, the dwarves abandoned most of the Englenfjær mines many 
  centuries ago.  The cities that remain here have been overtaken by humans, 
  except for Krøneby, which is an important fortress (and second palace) for 
  Dwarf King Gustav.  The Bifrøst Pass, which is the quickest way between 
  Niðavellir and Krøneby, is frequently snowed in and must be cleared in the 
  wintertime; it is the storied site of many ancient battles.  The cities of Tyven 
  and Dumsinn are some of the roughest in all of Asgard, populated mainly by 
  humans and all but run by their respective thieves’ guilds. 
   
  Ettaløye Mountain: No dwarves dwell within Ettaløye.  This is the 
  home of the Valkyr, a warlike tribe of sylphs, who long ago delved their city—
  Valhalla—deep into this lonely mountain.  The sylphs are said to call their 
  home the Holy City Valhalla; dwarves call it the Hidden City, since so few of 
  them have set eyes upon it.  The Valkyr keep to themselves, allying with no 
  one and paying little heed to events that transpire in the outside world.  
   
  Fenrir Bay: Friendly merrows live in the shallows of Fenrir, and those 
  that make their homes off the coast of Asgard consider themselves 
  Asgardish.  The cities of Plyndring and Kjeltring also have large numbers of 
  merrows who live on the dry land.  Plyndring is an old human city, once 
  home to fierce pillagers and pirates, but now a quiet fishing port.  Kjeltring, 
  meanwhile, still houses the Order of the Bågskyttar, an ancient fraternity of 
  warrior elves and merrows who make it their purpose to guard the coast 
  from ill-intentioned interlopers. 
   
  Guilden Coast: The Guilderlands are everything south of the Spyd 
  River, and west of the Dalen Forest and the Englenfjærs.  The city of 
  Bondeby is a central market among them, surrounded by pleasant farmlands 
  and countless sleepy villages.  Høyhavn, Smykke, and Demningen are all 
  bustling ports.  Demningen, on the mouth of the Stål River, is famous for 
  trading the diamonds that come all the way south from the Jærnbekkes.  
  Skipplass is where the Guildermen’s primary shipyards can be found, and 
  Utsiktstårn is a city where men and dwarves have joint control over shipping 
  and trading rights. 
   
  Hjemskøt Hall: This lonesome city has been the site of generations of 
  tragedy.  In times past, attacks from monsters—from the trolls of the Øttin 
  Marshes, the ghouls of the Mørk Woods, and their grendel offspring—have 
  nearly destroyed Hjemskøt, and rumors persist to this day that the place is 
  cursed.  An old and very aristocratic family of dwarves, the Hjemskøtr, still 
  dwell in their ancestral hall. 
   
  Jærnbekke Mountains: This range is said to be the great jewel on the 
  crown of Asgard.  The mineral wealth to be found here—in gems, iron, gold, 
  and mythrill—is unfathomable.  Unfortunately, the deeper one digs, the 
  more one runs the risk of breaching the Deep-under, where the orcs dwell.  
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  187 
  Fintgruve, Hakken, and Askel are primarily known for their metal mines; 
  Dypned, Gravearbeid, and Farvidere for gemstones. 
   
  Lake Nækken: This lake is perhaps one of the most dangerous places 
  in all of Asgard.  Nobody really knows quite what dwells beneath its placid 
  surface.  But people who come here do have a tendency to disappear 
  mysteriously, a fact which has defied explanation for millennia. 
   
  Lake Ran: The Fisk River, which flows down out of the Jærnbekkes, 
  empties into Lake Ran with mightily roaring waterfalls.  Merrows dwell 
  within the lake, and dwarves inhabit the lakeshore towns of Innsjø and 
  Skrentvegg.  Of these two towns, Skrentvegg has always been the more 
  prosperous, if only because of Innsjø’s violent history.  Many times in the 
  past, Innsjø has been destroyed utterly by dragon attacks—some foul and 
  fire-breathing wyrm or another sweeping down out of the Hardt Barrens—
  only to be rebuilt over the ashes of the old town.  Since this hasn’t happened 
  in nearly four-hundred years, though, the folk of Innsjø have grown lax in 
  their vigilance, and most would be skeptical that any danger still exists.  
   
  Nidhavellir: Though it began as an orc-fortress and a base for the 
  Fiends’ attacks on the fay-folk late in the First Age, the dwarves quickly took 
  this stronghold for themselves and remade it into a glorious hall-under-the-
  mountain.  For close to twelve millennia, Niðavellir has been the center of 
  dwarvendom on Gaia.  To this day, the city beneath is said to be the most 
  beautiful dwarven palace in the world, a glorious fortress of sparkling jewels 
  and rainbow-polished stones.  It makes a fitting home for the reigning 
  monarch of Asgard, King Gustav Hreimdar. 
   
  Misteltein Hills: These hills are said to be haunted by goblins which 
  have broken onto the surface-world through the Skitt Caves (a network of 
  natural caverns and long-abandoned mineshafts which are little more than 
  gravel pits now).  The goblins are a constant threat to the city of Farlig, and 
  by extension, to the trade of Utsiktstårn and Kortstrand. 
   
  Rekke Islands: These northerly islands are sometimes connected to 
  the mainland by ice shelves.  The islands themselves are quite barren and 
  inhospitable, because the Firetann Peaks are actively volcanic.  Only giants 
  are known to dwell here, and these are a particularly barbaric and uncivilized 
  breed. 
   
  Snøtopp Forest: These coniferous woods thrive in the coldest reaches 
  of Asgard’s northlands.  They are believed to be protected by snow sprites 
  and ice nymphs. 
   
  Skummelt Heights: This is an elevated, barren wasteland with no 
  known inhabitants.  The Heights overlook the marshy Barsk River valley, 
  which flows through the Øttin Marshes and empties into the mighty Avara. 
   
  Torden Plains: In the summer, these tundra climes teem with wildlife 
  and bloom with wildflowers.  In the winter, the marshy and muddy ground 
  becomes permafrost, and cold, dry winds bring harsh lightning storms to the 
  plains.  The towns of Slette and Frosset, the former peopled by dwarves and 
  the latter by men, eke out meager and dangerous existences here. 
   
  Ulvpust Canyon: Perhaps the oddest natural feature in all of Asgard, 
  the Ulvpust (“Wolfbreath”) Canyon is constantly blowing with chilly, violent, 
  howling winds—well in excess of hurricane force—which seem to come from 
  deep beneath the very earth.  The inner walls of the canyon are lined with 
  
  188 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  myriad caves, but none have ever explored them and lived to tell about it, 
  first and foremost because nobody has ever successfully managed to conquer 
  the strange, supernatural winds and descend into the canyon. 
  AVALON 
  Avalon is a large island positioned less than two-hundred miles off the 
  northwestern coast of Arcadia.  Surrounded by tall cliffs and covered by 
  forests, fens, and highlands, Avalon a rugged country but by no means an 
  inhospitable one.  The south is home to gentle meads and still, glassy lakes.  
  The north half of the island, by contrast, is dominated by mountains, misty 
  bogs, and rocky wilderness.  Three mountain ranges—the Tynged, the Ffawd, 
  and the Cysgod—stretch across the landscape of Avalon and divide the 
  pleasanter south from the rougher north. 
   
  Avalon’s people are many and varied, but the history of the island has 
  chiefly been determined by fays, elves, and men.  Fays were the aboriginal 
  inhabitants of Avalon, and it was here that they built the first great 
  civilization seen on Gaia since the departure of the Ancients.  The fay 
  kingdom was built with sorcery, and by sorcery it fell—at the hands of 
  villainous wizard Namtar and the ravages of his Fiends.  Then the elves came 
  out of the east, from the mainland, and they conquered the island.  More 
  warlike than the fays that preceded them, the elves built a vast empire from 
  their capital at Caerleon.  But the elves ruled that empire with a heavy hand, 
  and then the Hero—the legendary Urther—came into the world, and he led 
  the rebellion that broke the power of the elves.  In the wake of the Elvish 
  Empire’s fall, the fays returned to rule their homeland of old.  But the past 
  glory of Caerleon waned to nothing, and the island kingdom slipped into ruin 
  and darkness.  Not long thereafter, humans arrived from distant shores.  The 
  coming of men changed Avalon forever, spurring both its imperial ambitions 
  and its technological advancement into the modern age.    
   
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  189 
   
   
  
  190 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  The Avalonian language, as befits the history of the island, is something 
  of a hodgepodge—a pidgin of the tongues spoken by Avalon’s chief 
  inhabitants.  Most of the places in Avalon still bear their ancient names, 
  which are given in the Old Fay speech.  But the present-day Avalonian 
  language is actually descended from a dialect of Midjardisch, since it is from 
  Midjard that the elves came when they conquered and deposed the fays.  
  Finally, the humans, who came from southern Arcadia, brought with them a 
  certain dialect of Cælestine (the Common Tongue of the men of the south) 
  which has had a profound and transforming influence on the tongue of 
  Avalon.  In short, Avalonian has come from a melding of the Midjardisch and 
  Cælestine languages, with major place-names and a few common words 
  borrowed from Old Fay. 
   
  By now, it should be readily apparent to the gentle Player that the 
  history of Avalon is linked closely with the counting of Gaia’s Ages.  Many of 
  the events which have marked the twilight of one Age and the dawn of the 
  next have transpired on this most celebrated of islands.  The First Great War 
  with Namtar’s Fiends, a story already recounted in the previous chapter, 
  began in Avalon.  In the aftermath of that war, when the elves came from the 
  mainland and drove the fays into the Uttermost West, they took Avalon for 
  their own and made it the seat of their new kingdom.  So began the Second 
  Age and the ascendency of elvendom, when a dynasty of elvish kings—
  descendants of Nimuël, the warrior-queen who helped Myrddin seal away 
  the Four Fiends—then began to project their military power back onto the 
  Arcadian mainland.  The Second Age saw the whole north of Arcadia—
  Asgard, Midjard, Utopia, and Tirnanog—come under the sway of Avalon, 
  whether directly by force or indirectly via political machinations.  By the end 
  of the Age, when Elf-Queen Meliora came to power, old Avalon was at the 
  peak of its imperial might. 
   
  The Urther, it is said, first appeared in Gaia when he mysteriously 
  walked out of the mists of the Cynoeswr Coedwig, the Great Forest of the 
  Ancients.  Legends say that the Urther came upon a battle between knights 
  in the service of Meliora and a ragtag band of rebels gathered from 
  throughout the empire.  For reasons now forgotten by history, the Urther 
  sided with the rebels and accompanied them to their hideout in the Caves of 
  Diasbad.  After that, fleeing from the pursuit of Meliora’s knights, they 
  escaped over the Dysic Ocean and visited Lemuria and Tollan—from whence 
  they brought the exiled fays back to Arcadia.  After some years’ travel on the 
  Arcadian mainland, the Urther finally brought an allied force to Avalon that 
  dethroned cruel Meliora and ended the Elvish Empire.  Then the Urther 
  disappeared, and a kindly fay named Morrigan became Queen in Avalon. 
   
  In the aftermath of these events, Avalon was a shadow of its past self.  
  Broken by war, the kingdom was weak, and Morrigan was a soft-hearted 
  queen.  Perhaps she was too soft-hearted to rule a kingdom which had just 
  lost its empire and which still incurred the resentment of all Arcadia.  But to 
  her credit, Morrigan did manage to hold the kingdom together, and her 
  descendants ruled Avalon as it was slowly rebuilt over the course of the Third 
  Age—the Age when men came into the world and rose to power in the far 
  south.   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  191 
   
  Avalon, during this time, had much healing to do.  While the Elvish 
  Empire lasted, there had been two classes of citizens in Avalon: elves and 
  everybody else.  Dwarves still bore some nominal respect in that era, if only 
  because Asgard was technically an ally and not a province; but halflings and 
  centaurs were little better than bonded serfs, and fays—still blamed for the 
  First Great War—were murdered on sight.  The Third Age, then, brought 
  radical change, since the fays returned to Avalon and lived openly there, and 
  one of their number sat upon in the throne.  The halflings regained 
  independence for their beloved Tirnanog and severed ties with Avalon, 
  hoping to rule themselves again at last, as they had done before the days of 
  the Empire.  As for the centaurs, they too were declared free of all obligations 
  to the crown.  But they remained on the bottom rungs of Avalonian society… 
  and history has a tendency to repeat itself. 
   
  For the rest of Arcadia, the Third Age was tumultuous, especially with 
  the Second Great War raging on the mainland.  Avalon was little touched by 
  this war, except for the fact that large numbers of human refugees were 
  driven to her shores to escape the onslaught of Apep and the reborn Namtar.  
  By the time they arrived, Avalon had developed a rigid social hierarchy based 
  on race, with fays the ruling class (royals and nobles), elves the middle class 
  (landed gentry), and everybody else in servitude.  The human immigrants fell 
  into this last category. 
   
  And so, the Third Age came and went, the human empires rising and 
  falling in the south, little affecting Avalon.  But then Elysium arose, and he 
  Fourth Age began.  The armies of Julius Dracus spread out over the land, 
  unstoppable.  Northward they marched, taking Utopia, fighting on the 
  borders of Midjard, and eventually they came to the shores of Avalon.  Over 
  the course of decades, the Elysians took much of the island, though they 
  never managed to win any territory north of the Ffawd Mountains.  Many 
  humans and centaurs living in Avalon welcomed the Elysians as liberators, 
  and they fought for Dracus’s side as mercenaries against the old order of 
  elves and fays. 
   
  The kingdom of Avalon, and the rule of the fays, had to retreat north of 
  the mountains, where it existed in a diminished state for as long as the 
  human foreigners remained.  But the lives and memories of the fays are long, 
  and when Elysium eventually retreated from Avalon (which it had to do, to 
  consolidate its defenses on the mainland), the fay rulers, exiled from 
  Caerleon for upwards of four centuries, returned and resumed their rule as if 
  nothing had happened.  In those days, there came to be a king in Avalon, a 
  fay descended from Morrigan, whose name was King Agrivain.  When he 
  returned to Caerleon, he had the personal ambition to unmake all the 
  changes wrought upon the land by the Elysian invaders, and instead to 
  restore Avalon to the heights of power that it had enjoyed under elvish rule.  
  King Agrivain is still remembered fondly in modern Avalon as the founder of 
  the nation, since he began the process of uniting the sundered kingdom into 
  a single state.  Nevertheless, this king reinstituted many of the policies which 
  had made the Elvish Empire hated: he re-conquered Tirnanog and brought 
  the halflings under the auspices of the Avalonian crown.  He treated humans 
  and centaurs as peasants, allowing only elves and fays to own land. 
   
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  It was Agrivain’s grandson, King Tristram (a fay whose mother had been 
  human) who finally united all of Avalon, around the year 1130 of the Fourth 
  Age.  Tristram ruled until the early 1530s, when he was assassinated by a spy 
  from Hesperia.  Tristram’s daughter, Maeve, came to the throne in the 
  middle of a crisis.  The kingdom of Hesperia, glutted with gold from its 
  recent conquest of Tollan, decided to try its hand at empire-building, and 
  Avalon appeared to be a prime target.  So an armada of conquest was sent… 
  but the Hesperians never suspected the power of Avalon’s young sorceress-
  queen.  Maeve single-handedly conjured up a windstorm that destroyed the 
  invading fleet utterly, and the Hesperians accomplished nothing more than 
  to arouse the ambitions of Maeve.  Indeed, it is said that because of this 
  incident, Maeve made it her purpose to build Avalon into the greatest empire 
  the world had ever seen—one that spanned the globe. 
   
  Under the auspices of Queen Maeve, the people of Avalon became great 
  shipbuilders.  They built sailing ships for the sea and magical airships to fly 
  the skies, and they explored—Lemuria, Shambala, Jianghu, and other distant 
  lands.  Avalon was a prime mover in the Age of Exploration.  Avalon also 
  advanced culturally in this era.  After centuries of having lived under a feudal 
  and then an autocratic government, the humans and halflings and centaurs 
  were as restless as ever, and it looked as if the elves might even wish to join 
  them in opposing the fays.  But shrewd Maeve instituted a policy of common 
  law and liberties for all citizens, and this diffused any ill will that might have 
  existed against her. 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  193 
   
  Today, Avalon is a very different country than its history might suggest.  
  The mark of a social caste based on race is still very strong, since the fays 
  tend to be wealthiest, the elves somewhat less so, and the other races least of 
  all.  Halflings tend to be the most belligerent population, since Tirnanog still 
  chafes under Maeve’s rule.  But the elves, humans, and centaurs living in 
  Avalon are for the most part happy with the rights they have—namely, all the 
  citizens, regardless of race, are allowed to own property in Avalon (which 
  they couldn’t the olden days) and to redress their grievances with the Queen 
  by sending representatives to a Parliament, a legislative body that now has 
  considerable say in how the country (and the empire) is governed.   
   
  Avalon has an overseas empire, which consists of many dominions and 
  protectorates around the world.  Tirnanog, the island immediately west of 
  Avalon, has been its province for centuries.  The eastern shore of Lemuria, 
  across the Dysic Ocean, also remains a dominion of the crown, even though 
  the Lemurians mostly govern themselves democratically.  In two short but 
  bloody wars, all of Shambala and Mephret (a desert territory in the land of 
  Amarna) came under Maeve’s direct rule.  Many large port cities on the coast 
  of Jianghu are effectively controlled by Avalonian trading companies.  In 
  short, Avalon today rules more of the world than any other nation in history.  
   
  Caerleon: A city built upon an island in Cleddyf Lake, Caerleon has 
  been the capital of Avalon since the early days of the Elvish Empire.  Today, 
  it is a city of cobblestones and smokestacks, dedicated to trade and industry.  
  It is one of the financial capitals of the world and the seat of imperial power 
  for Queen Maeve (whose complete, formal title is “Queen of Avalon and 
  Tirnanog, Empress of Shambala and Mephret, Protector of Lemuria, and 
  Defender of the Realm”.)  Maeve’s home, Annwn Palace, is considered one of 
  the most splendid in the world. 
   
  Cannaid Wood: This mysterious place is a true “fey forest”, a place 
  haunted by nymphs, treants, and other nature spirits.  The Cannaid Wood is 
  only dangerous to people who venture into it. 
   
  Cleddyf Lake and Nimuël Lake: These two great lakes sit in the 
  center of Avalon’s gently rolling lowlands.  Both are populated by merrow-
  folk.  The lakes are surrounded on all sides by the cities, villages, farms, and 
  railways of the Avalonians.  Caerleon is situated on an island in Cleddyf, 
  while the town of Carwr (a popular retreat for citizens of Caerleon looking 
  for some peace and quiet) rests on the shores of the Nimuël.  The River 
  Onnen runs from Cleddyf Lake down to the sea, where the city of Llongau-
  am-Tywyn is the busiest port in the whole of the Avalon Empire. 
   
  All of the cities in this region are connected by a relatively new but very 
  well-managed system of railways.  In a matter of mere hours, one can travel 
  from the University at Cadarnle to the factories in the city of Diwydiant or to 
  the naval harbor at Arwr-o-Daear.  Just as easily, one could take a train up 
  the coast from the shipyards at Disgwylva, to the city of Brenhines (famous 
  for several nearby ruins of old Elvish castles and Elysian fortresses), all the 
  way to Penrhyn (where the local plains and coves are known to hide many 
  Ancient and old Fayish artifiacts). 
   
  Coblyn Hills: Near the very center of the island, the Coblyn Hills 
  remain a wild place.  Orcs are known to live in the caves and tunnels beneath 
  the hills.  It is believed that they have dwelt there quietly since the past Age, 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  only recently becoming more active and bold in their attacks.  The towns of 
  Marchog and Glwys, otherwise peaceful cities on the banks of the Llwyfen, 
  are troubled by the evil inhabitants of the Coblyns. 
   
  Cras Barrens: A particularly dry and rocky stretch of highlands, the 
  Cras Barrens was goblin territory in olden times, but nowadays it’s just 
  sparsely inhabited wilderness.  Glew-ym-Gogledd is still somewhat 
  successful as a mining town, but Enbydrwydd is almost entirely given over to 
  a handful of struggling mills and manufacturing plants.  Further up into the 
  mountains, the city of Dyffryn is home to a fraternal order calling itself the 
  Knights of Justice.  These knights (mainly centaurs, humans, and a few 
  dwarves and halflings) hold no allegiance to the crown of Avalon.  Indeed, 
  they publicly support the continued rebellion of Tirnanog and are themselves 
  just shy of open rebellion (some would say treason).   
   
  On the eastern edge of the barrens sit the Eryod Cliffs and the Marw 
  Heights.  The Cliffs overlook one of the most dangerous sailing lanes on the 
  Boreic Ocean: caves here house uncounted flocks of harpies, who use their 
  songs to draw unwary ships onto the rocks.  The Marw Heights, meanwhile, 
  are little more than a giant barrow-mound.  Tunneled into the cliffs and 
  crags is an impossible network of crypts and tombs dating back to the fays of 
  the First Age.  
   
  Cynoeswr Coedwig: The so-called “Great Forest of the Ancients” is 
  believed to hold many secrets from the Elder Days before the counting of the 
  Ages.  Many parts of this forest are haunted by giant spiders, ghouls, and 
  even fouler things.  The Diasbad Caverns are almost certainly held by the 
  Darkspawn even now.  The city of Callineb, protected from sea-attack by its 
  natural and extremely defensible harbor, is nonetheless endangered by its 
  proximity to the Cynoeswr Coedwig.  Callineb remains an important port, 
  however, because trains can go no further north and west than this: any 
  travel or cargo heading for Periglor must either be borne by airship, or it 
  must come from Callineb by watercraft. 
   
  Cysgod Mountains: These mountains are rich with coal, much to the 
  benefit of the mining city of Paith.  In other parts of the mountains, most of 
  the ore gets shipped down the River Dalen, to Uniawn. 
   
  Lladrad is a relatively young city that grew up around a gold strike made 
  some four-hundred years ago; but the gold is long-since dried up, and now 
  the local thieves’ guild is the most prominent business there. 
   
  Drwgweithedwr Swamp and Gwyrdd Forest: These two regions 
  are tightly linked by the fact that neither has ever come under the direct 
  control of Avalon’s crown.  They have always been dark places, controlled by 
  dark Powers.  Nobody really knows what lurks in Gwyrdd Forest, although 
  stories and rumors abound.  As for the Drwgweithedwr Swamp, it is at least 
  certain that trolls and undead dwell here, and that the dead city of Direidyn 
  (once a stronghold of Fiendish evil and chaos, now an abandoned necropolis) 
  hides somewhere within its borders.  
   
  Ffawd Mountains: This mountain range runs through the center of 
  Avalon.  The cities of Cyfriniaeth and Dyffryn are both central to mining and 
  manufacturing operations in the Ffawd Mountains region. 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  195 
   
  Grisial Loch: The locals in the town of Puredd believe that the loch is 
  an evil place.  A dragon or monster of some kind is said to dwell beneath its 
  surface.  
   
  Prydydd Hills: These green, rolling hills are home to many shepherds 
  and farmers.  Of the two major cities in the region, Periglor and Dirgelwch, 
  Periglor is relatively large (perhaps even the largest city north of the Ffawds) 
  and busy, while Dirgelwch is little more than a local trading hub. 
   
  Tynged Mountains: These tall and rocky mountains cut off the rest of 
  Avalon from its northernmost highlands.  The towns of Ymffrost, Glöyn, and 
  Cylch-o-Cewri all enjoy relatively pleasant (if frequently damp and gloomy) 
  weather.  The people in this region much prefer to be left out of the world-
  shaking politics of Caerleon.  Their greatest concern is that monsters might 
  come down out of the Tyngeds and attack them (although this hasn’t actually 
  happened in three or four centuries, the people do remember old stories 
  well).  It is mostly elves, fays, and dwarves who make up the bulk of this 
  region’s population. 
  ELYSIA 
  Elysia was once the center of the greatest human empire in the world.  
  Today, it is a fragmented patchwork of independent duchies, principalities, 
  and city-states.  This nation covers the large peninsula that juts out from the 
  south of Arcadia, between the Hipponic and Illic Seas.  The north of the 
  country is bounded by the lofty Valk Mountains, which gird the whole of the 
  Arcadian subcontinent through the middle.  To the east, the Strega 
  Mountains run along the coast of the Illic Sea.  The gap between the Valks 
  and the Stregas leaves open the way between Elysia and Sylvania, but to 
  travel elsewhere by land—into Utopia or Midjard—high and dangerous 
  mountain passes are the only option; and no railway has yet conquered those 
  white-capped Valkine peaks.  Three great rivers run through Elysia’s 
  lowlands: the Alta, the Flo, and the Quirino.  The former two of these begin 
  in the high country and then gently run their course down onto the 
  peninsula; but the Quirino comes off lo Schermo, the raised table-land in the 
  center of the country. 
   
  Although folk of nearly any race can be found in Elysia, humans rule 
  most of the land.  (There is no single monarch to be found here; rather, each 
  city-state has its own duke, prince, or ruling senate.)  More sylphs live in the 
  Elysian Valks than do dwarves, and more fauns rove its forests than elves.  In 
  fact, fauns were Elysia’s original inhabitants. 
   
  It seems that when humans first came to this land, they took upon 
  themselves much of the fauns’ culture—and in those ancient days, the fauns 
  who lived in Elysia dwelt in cities and had kings, quite unlike the roving 
  bands of today.  The Faunnish language, too, was passed onto the humans, 
  and it eventually became Cælestine, the Common Tongue of the South.  
  Cælestine is the direct ancestor of many modern languages—Sylvanian, 
  Utopian, Hesperian, and of course modern Elysian.   
   
  Fauns must have arrived in Elysia sometime during the Second Age, but 
  no written records are left of their history.  Myths and legends place the 
  arrival of humans more definitively, around the year 750 of the Third Age.  
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Legends say that these humans—whether they came via Hesperia or directly 
  from Atlantis, none could guess—had among them a great chieftain called 
  Æolus.  When the humans appeared and first settled along the banks of the 
  Quirino, so the legend goes,  
   
  Æolus demonstrated such bravery and prowess in battle that two princesses of 
  the fauns, each from rival kingdoms, fell in love with him.  One, Didania by name, 
  was the daughter of a king who ruled lands along the Flo; the other, called 
  Lavinia, was the daughter of a king whose people lived by the Alta.  The two kings 
  even went to war over the right to claim the foreign prince for one of their 
  daughters, but the fighting ended in a stalemate.  At last, Didania could stand no 
  more waiting, and so she arranged to have Æolus kidnapped.  Lavinia would not 
  tolerate this, however, and so she went into the city of her enemy, but not as 
  herself—she went disguised as a simple shepherdess.  Princess Lavinia came to 
  Æolus and visited him in secret, and in so doing she won the human’s love.  Then, 
  escaping together, they fled back to the country around the Alta, and there the 
  two were wed.  This forged a firm alliance between the newly arrived humans and 
  the fauns of the Alta country, who now went to war with those in the Flo country 
  and defeated them soundly.  Thereafter, Didania’s people were forced to pay a 
  stiff tribute to King Æolus and Queen Lavinia, who built their own kingdom 
  where the humans had settled, along the Quirino River.  Many generations later, 
  descendants of Æolus and Lavinia would found a city at the mouth of the Flo: 
  none other than the great city of Cælestium. 
   
  Whether or not this myth has any basis fact, it culminates in the founding of 
  Cælestium (the modern city of Celesce) for good reason.  Cælestium, in its 
  heyday, was the capital of the Elysian Empire, the greatest human empire 
  that that the world has ever known.  Though ruled by kings at first, the royal 
  line was broken during the strife of the Second Great War, and the city had 
  become a republic by the end of the Third Age.  Then there came to power a 
  great general, Julius Dracus, perhaps the most famous (and infamous) 
  military leader of all time.  Dracus claimed to be the offspring of a human 
  woman and a gold dragon.  He was also exceedingly ambitious: he saw the 
  glory of the neighboring Alexandrine Empire, and he hoped to recreate it in 
  his homeland of Elysium.  In his campaigns of conquest, Dracus subdued all 
  the rest of Elysium and much of Utopia, but his chief concern was to do the 
  impossible: he wished to conquer Illyria, and so take control over the whole 
  of the Alexandrine Empire.  Dracus actually succeeded in this endeavor and 
  then declared himself Emperor in Cælestium.  History says that he lived long 
  and ruled well, and on his deathbed, he passed his title to his only son, 
  Octavius Dracus—and so began the Fourth Age. 
   
  Emperor Octavius was even more expansionistic than Julius had been.  
  He conquered the rest of Utopia, and all of Hesperia, Amarna, and Edenia 
  Minor.  The reign of Octavius wasn’t peaceful, but it was very long and very 
  stable for the empire.  His son and successor, Emperor Tertian, conquered 
  Sylvania but was never successful at making any inroads further north: 
  Midjard and Pohjola remained untouched by the military might of Elysium.  
  The last of the First Four Emperors, Thadrian, sent ships to Avalon and 
  managed to displace the fay kingdom there.  Thus, at its peak, the Elysian 
  Empire stretched as far east as Edenia Minor and as far north as Sylvania, 
  Utopia, and Avalon.   
  
   
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  198 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  After the First Four Emperors, there came to power a number of lesser 
  rulers.  Some were good and just, some were wicked and dangerously 
  incompetent, and some were downright insane.  But in any case, the empire 
  had grown too big to govern effectively, and it strained under its own weight.  
  Eventually, even mighty Cælestium was easy pickings for tribes of faerie-folk 
  from the north.  It was sacked repeatedly and eventually destroyed, and 
  northerners—elves and dwarves and gnomes and sylphs—took over the 
  Elysian peninsula and divided it amongst themselves.  Thus, Elysia was 
  fragmented into a country of independently ruled cities, and it has remained 
  so ever since.  The rest of the empire, meanwhile, plunged into a Dark Age 
  for nearly five centuries. 
   
  Faeries did not rule Elysia for too very long, of course.  Many of the 
  elves, dwarves, and such who came south took human wives and therefore 
  had numerous human descendants.  Inevitably, one by one, the various city-
  states fell back into the hands of human rulers, albeit very aristocratic 
  humans who remained quite proud of their faerie lineages.  All throughout 
  the middle of the Fourth Age, and even to this very day, most of the princes 
  and senators that rule Elysia consider elvish or dwarvish ancestry to be a 
  strong mark of nobility. 
   
  Ever since the Elysian Renaissance, when many of these princes and 
  nobles became patrons of art and learning, they also looked jealously to the 
  north and to the west, where the kingdoms of Hesperia, Utopia, and Avalon 
  had grown united and strong.  Thus began a period of sporadic wars for 
  dominance among the various city-states and merchant-princes, all vying for 
  the right to become the center of a new and unified Elysian state.  But this 
  has not yet happened, even now.  Elysia is peaceful at the moment, if only 
  because Emperor Biendit of Utopia poses too great a threat for Elysia to 
  bother with infighting right now.  But any one of the city-sates might soon 
  become strong enough to subdue its neighbors.  Right now, the most 
  powerful Elysian ruler is the Duke Dante di Ghibellini of Orsini-Saleria, a 
  very wealthy merchant-prince who would like nothing more than to see his 
  duchy become a proper kingdom. 
   
  Alta River: This river flows out of Sylvania and the Valks before 
  passing into the Satyrline Forest.  The cities of Lucci and Benvolia are uneasy 
  allies against the power of Malvolia, a particularly militaristic city-state ruled 
  by a wizard-prince, the Duke di Malini. 
   
  Celesce: The fabled “Heavenly City” of old is now a port city of only 
  secondary importance.  Its chief boon is the fact that much trade must still 
  pass down the Flo, enabling Celesce to benefit from tolls and tariffs.  Many 
  ancient ruins remain here, some on high cliffs overlooking the modern city, 
  and many in layered tunnels beneath it.  Celesce is a republic, ruled by a 
  senate of hereditary oligarchs 
   
  Flo River and Grigio Fields: This region contains a number of small 
  and not especially wealthy principalities.  Most of them fall under the 
  influence of the Duchy of Amlesce, ruled by a ruthless but ultimately well-
  intentioned duchess named Claudia d’Amlesci. 
   
  Lo Schermo: The high country in the center of the peninsula is famous 
  for its mild, sunny climate and fruitful vineyards.  The city of Mercutia is 
  world-famous for its wine.   
  
   
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  Lupine Forest: In ancient times, the city of Bianca was beautiful and 
  prosperous, but this is no longer true.  The Lupine Forest, a dark place if ever 
  there was one, has cast a pall upon the White City.  Lycanthropes and dire 
  wolves haunt the woods, and they act in concert—as if some evil will were 
  exerting its influence over their actions.  In recent decades, Bianca has 
  become depopulated and dilapidated.  Misery and violence are destined rule 
  here, unless some group of heroes can solve the mystery of Lupine. 
   
  Mount Mulciber: An active volcano which stands taller than its 
  sibling peaks, Mount Mulciber overlooks the cities of Ceneri (famous for its 
  ancient crypts and catacombs) and Orologia (famous for its finely crafted 
  clocks, watches, and other clever mechanical implements). 
   
  Quirino River: The country around the Quirino is now known as the 
  Duchy of Orsini-Saleria, and it is ruled from Orsini by the infamous and 
  ambitious Duke de Ghibellini.  The city of Orsini was built on a lake that 
  connects to the river, and in many places it has canals instead of streets.  
   
   
   
   
  Satyrline Forest and Strega Mountains: For the most part, the 
  forest is faun territory.  The fauns of the Satyrline are happy to entertain 
  visitors who come in peace and goodwill, but they want nothing to do with 
  the politics of the human cities.  The fauns are reluctant to approach the 
  mountains, though, because a race of fay-folk dwell there, known as the 
  Witches of the Stregas.  The Witches’ motives are mysterious and almost 
  certainly malign.  The city of Sycoraccia is ruled by the Lady di Parca, who 
  claims to be nothing more than a very successful merchant; but rumors 
  persist that she is one of the Witches, and stories circulate that good-looking 
  young men who come near her city tend to disappear. 
   
  Valk Mountains: These mountains are named for an Old Elvish word 
  meaning “white”, and white they certainly are throughout the year.  The 
  Valks pose the most challenging barrier to any conquest of Elysia from the 
  north.  (That doesn’t mean that the Emperor of Utopia won’t try, though.)  
  The city of Polonia guards the pass between Elysia and Utopia.  An order of 
  sylph dragoons, known as the Valkine Knights, is based here. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Zandretti Island: This island is known to house many old ruins of 
  mysterious origins.  Some might even date back to the First Age or earlier.  
  Rumors persist of a fountain of immortality to be found here (although the 
  locals laugh that off as a myth for the foolish).  An order of human and 
  merrow warriors, the Knights of Zandretti, is dedicated to the protection of 
  certain ruins (nobody outside of the order can say why) and to the 
  eradication of piracy in the region. 
  HESPERIA 
  Hesperia is one of Arcadia’s three island nations.  Some three-hundred miles 
  south and west of the mainland, Hesperia is very large island (perhaps twice 
  the size of Avalon) with a high mountain range—the Atlean Mountains—
  covering much of its northern half.  The south of the island is mainly 
  dominated by plains country, with pockets of dense woodlands to be found 
  spread here and there throughout the island.   
   
  Like Elysia, Hesperia is a human nation of great antiquity.  Given the 
  fact that Hesperia is the closest of all the Arcadian countries to the continent 
  of Atlantis, it is highly probable that this is where humans (discounting the 
  famous Hero of the Second Age, the Urther) first set foot on Arcadian soil.  
  From Hesperia, then, these earliest tribes of mankind would have spread 
  eastward—to Elysia, Illyria, Amarna, and then onto Edenia, Shambala, and 
  eventually Jianghu.  Even to this day, Hesperia is primarily populated by 
  humans, and the men of Hesperia tend to be particularly distrustful (if not 
  outright superstitious and afraid) of faerie-folk.  Despite this, faeries do live 
  here, although they tend to live in small and out-of-the-way communities, 
  primarily north of the Atlean Mountains.  Here, small villages of dwarves, 
  elves, and fays can be found.  Typically, faeries in Hesperia go to great 
  lengths to say out of the way of humans. 
   
   Whatever tongue was first spoken by Hesperia’s aboriginal settlers has 
  been lost to history.  It is a fact, though, that when the Elysian Empire 
  overran this island at the start of the Fourth Age, the Elysians brought their 
  language (Cælestine) with them, and this tongue displaced the old one to 
  become the direct ancestor of modern Hesperian.  Interestingly enough, the 
  older human tongue which has been otherwise lost and forgotten did leave 
  behind some inscriptions.  Here and there, especially along the coasts of the 
  island, there are ancient ruins bearing hieroglyphs: picture-writings that 
  tentatively connect the ancient Hesperians to the people of Mephret, in 
  Amarna (and, by logical extension, to the people of Atlantis as well). 
   
  Until the ancient glyphs are deciphered, then, the history of Hesperia 
  must begin with the early human myths and legends that describe the 
  settlement of the island.  There is a popular folktale still recounted in some 
  Hesperian villages that goes like this: 
   
   
  A great fleet of men came sailing out of the west.  Fierce warriors they were,  
   
  looking for a land to pillage before returning to their homes.  What they found  
  instead was a great island, green and wild, completely untouched by the hands of 
  man or faerie.  All thoughts of war and treasure left them, so enchanted were they 
  by the beauty of this pristine land.  They decided to stay here for all of their days, 
  even though they were adventurers and had but few women among them. 
  
   
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  These warriors were led by three captains, brothers by blood as well as by deed in 
  battle.  Their names were Caspar, Salazar, and Yasser.  They decided that the 
  island would be divided among the three of them by drawing lots.  Caspar drew 
  best and took the plains in the west.  Salazar drew second and won the woodlands 
  in the east.  Yasser, who was the youngest brother, drew shortest and was given 
  the mountains in the north.  Not to be dissuaded, and wary that his envy might 
  spur him to rash action against his brothers, Yasser calmly gathered his men and 
  marched them boldly north, into the high and hilly country.   
   
  Crossing the mountains, these Men from the Uttermost West came at last to 
  a pleasant and cool country with fields, forests, and villages.  The villages were 
  inhabited by a beautiful race that the men had never seen before: elves, colonists 
  from the far northern island called Avalon.  The elves were troubled because a 
  great giant, a ferocious one-eyed titan, terrorized them with impunity.  He ate 
  their sheep and cattle, enslaved their children, and killed any warrior that stood 
  up to him.  Yasser boasted before his men and before the frightened elves that he 
  would slay the giant.  And so he led his men back into the mountains, and he 
  tracked down the monster.  Thinking to lay an ambush, he hid is men above a 
  ravine and then went to meet the giant in person.  He struck up a conversation 
  with the creature and distracted it with puzzling riddles.  Then, when the giant 
  became angry and looked as if it were about to attack Yasser, that young captain 
  gave the order—and his men revealed themselves and shot flaming arrows into its 
  eye.  Blinded, the giant raged and roared, but it could not see the humans, and so 
  it could do them no harm.  Then Yasser took javelins and he hurled them at the 
  giant, one by one, until one of his darts pierced its heart.  The battle won, Yasser 
  returned to the pleasant north-country and claimed kingship over his third of the 
  island.  He took an elf-maid for his queen, and they built their home amidst a 
  field of golden apple-orchards, where now stands the city called Manzanas de 
  Oro.  Meanwhile, the spot where the giant was slain became the site of another 
  city, Hombros del Títan. 
   
  The story goes on to tell how the other two brothers each founded their own 
  kingdoms on the island—kingdoms which stood independent of each other 
  all throughout the Third Age of the world.  (Like Avalon, Hesperia was 
  simply too remote to have been affected much by the wide war that came to 
  Arcadia during that time.)  Indeed, these kingdoms of Old Hesperia lasted 
  until the Elysians came and overran the island, adding it to their Empire. 
   
  While the Elysian Empire lasted, Hesperia was part of the center of 
  human civilization on Gaia.  Governorship over the island was a highly 
  coveted position, second in wealth and power only to the Elysian Emperor 
  himself.  But when the Empire collapsed and the Dark Ages began, all of 
  Hesperia was once again broken up into tiny, inconsequential kingdoms.  
  Slowly but surely, as the Middle Ages wore on, these kingdoms joined 
  together and grew.  Then, late in the Fifteenth Century, a fortuitous marriage 
  of state joined together King Roderigo (who ruled all the land north of the 
  Atlean Mountains) and Doña Arabella (who stood to inherit the lands around 
  the Lluvioso Plains).  This created the Kingdom of Hesperia, one of Arcadia’s 
  first true nation-states. 
   
  Roderigo and Arabella were ambitious in more respects than just state-
  building.  Exploration and colonization were also great concerns of theirs.  
  They sent some of the first explorers back over the Dysic Ocean, to chart the 
  continents of Atlantis, Tollan, and Lemuria.  The Hesperian explorers were 
  never permitted to visit Atlantis, and they never managed to gain much of a 
  
   
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  foothold on the Lemurian continent, but Tollan was a very different story.  
  Here, the Hesperians were all too successful in their bid to conquer a land 
  populated by fays and humans that they considered magically and 
  technologically primitive.  Soon, much of Tollan fell under Hesperian rule, 
  and silver and gold began to flow across the ocean and into the coffers of the 
  royal treasury at Manzana de Oro.  This caused all kinds of problems, 
  especially rampant piracy in the Caliban Islands, but it also formed the 
  foundation of the modern Hesperian Empire. 
   
   
   
   
  Today, the new Empire is ruled by King Roderigo VII, who, much like 
  his forbearers, has ruled prudently enough to keep Tollan firmly pinned to 
  the Hesperian crown.  Since the days of the early explorers, Hesperia’s 
  holdings in the Far West have expanded to include all of Tollan and some of 
  the southwestern Lemurian continent.  These imperial possessions are not 
  the great source of wealth that they once were, but they still do much for the 
  prestige of the Hesperian crown.  Hesperia is not as strong as it once was, 
  however, and it faces a great threat from the military posturing of Utopia.  
  King Roderigo is quite convinced that Emperor Biendit is plotting to make 
  Hesperia the site of its first major conquest in Arcadia.  Given the cold and 
  ruthless ambition of the gnomish emperor, the Hesperian king might just be 
  right. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Atlean Mountains: The landscape of Hesperia’s rugged north country 
  is dominated by the Atlean Mountains, which still contain considerable 
  mineral wealth.  Elves, dwarves, and men all dwell in these mountains in 
  mining villages.  The most successful of these is Los Enanos, a dwarvish 
  community in the far northwest of the country.  Unfortunately for the 
  dwarves, that city has recently come under the control of a cold-hearted royal 
  official, Don Juarez de Miraz, who seems to be intent on taxing the local 
  miners into poverty.  Notably, only dwarves seem to be bearing the brunt of 
  this burden.   It’s just the sort of circumstance that could use some discreet 
  investigation by a clever group of adventuring heroes. 
   
  Esclavizado Barrens: This rough country is a known home of ogres, 
  minotaurs, and hill giants.  If it weren’t for the massive iron strike found in 
  the Atlean Mountains some decades ago, few people would risk traveling 
  through here, and the city of Piedras probably wouldn’t exist. 
   
  Estigio Swamp: This place is rightly considered evil and haunted.  
  Wraiths, specters, and fouler things are rumored to exist here. 
   
  Esquelito and Torbellino Islands: These 
  islands 
  are 
  known 
  hideouts for pirates who strike out at the Hesperian and Elysian coasts. 
   
  Fata Forest: Fays have always lived here, but humans are reluctant to 
  enter the place.  They consider it evil, magical, and unlucky.  Only exploring 
  the forest first-hand can reveal the truth. 
   
  Lluvioso Plains: This broad, green flatland is heavily populated, 
  mainly by humans.  Most of the cities in the region are quite prosperous, but 
  Santo Encantado still suffers from an ill reputation.  This place is home to a 
  large, abandoned monastery and cathedral which were the site of several 
  grizzly murders many centuries ago, and which have now cast a pall upon the 
  whole city.  At sundown, ghosts and phantasms can be seen wandering 
  through the streets of Santo Encantado.  The images do not seem to be 
  capable of harming anyone, and they do not respond to “turning” by scholars 
  and elves; but nonetheless, the city is widely avoided and practically 
  abandoned itself. 
   
  Manzanas de Oro: The capital of Hesperia, a large palace stands here 
  which in fact dates all the way back to the Third Age and the first arrival of 
  humans in Arcadia.  The catacombs beneath the palace run very deep and 
  have never been fully explored.  The palace is also famous for its gardens, 
  tended all these centuries by a small group of elves.  The Hesperian Gardens 
  are said to be the most enchantingly lovely in the world. 
   
  Pozo Invicto: This city, which stands at the mouth of the Río Perezoso 
  and is protected by the tall cliffs of Pared Island, is the home of Hesperia’s 
  major naval base and shipyards.  The Hesperian Navy has the same respect 
  in this country that many knighthood orders have in other lands. 
   
  Rechazado Hills: These hills are somewhat wild, populated by beasts 
  and animals of all sorts, but nothing especially evil or supernatural is known 
  to live here.  Hunters and trappers often strike out into the hills from the 
  town of Agricola.   
   
  Salvaje Woods: Fauns are known to skirt the edges of these woods, 
  but they never venture very deep into them.  Whatever dwells in the center of 
  this forest is very magical and very frightening, though whether it be undead, 
  fey, or something else, nobody can say. 
  
   
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  Tabla Roja: A red and rusty shelf-country that extends south and east 
  of the Atleans, this highland overlooks the old fortress at Castillo Acero, a 
  place known for ruins that date back to the Elysian coquest. 
   
  Terra Island: This island has an unusual story connected with it.  It is 
  said that in the Second Age, after the Urther escaped from Avalon with a 
  group of rebels, he sailed across the Dysic Ocean and met with fay-folk in 
  Lemuria and Tollan.  Then, somehow, he found the place where the famous 
  wizard Myrddin was supposed to sleep forever and woke him up.  Myrddin 
  and the Hero then brought many fays back across the ocean, hoping to 
  depose Queen Meliora and end the Elvish Empire—but they didn’t sail 
  straight for Avalon.  Instead, they crossed the ocean from Tollan to Hesperia, 
  and it was here that they first put ashore.  Some years later, after the fays 
  once again came to rule Avalon, a group of elves sailed south and founded a 
  city where Pilares Gemelos now stands. 
   
   
   
   
  Vagando Woods: This forest is known to hide a gang of thieves who 
  make it their business to rob all they can from the royal coffers of the 
  governor of Bosques Lejanos.  If the thieves give any of their gains to the 
  poor, the royal authorities of have done a fine job of suppressing this 
  information. 
  ILLYRIA 
  The land of Illyria is a cultural crossroads, the spot where Arcadia comes into 
  contact with the rest of the continent of Edenia.  The country itself is nestled 
  between three seas—the Illic, the Phoenic, and the Vodyan.  A mountain 
  range called the Barikon cuts north-to-south through the middle of the 
  country, but the rest of the land is still rough and rugged, all the way down to 
  its seaside cliffs.  Dozens of rocky islands sit just off the southwestern coast.  
  To the east, the vast Alati Desert separates Illyria from Amarna. 
  
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  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Illyria is a kingdom populated by roughly equal numbers of humans and 
  centaurs.  The centaurs came to settle this place early in the Second Age; the 
  civilization that they built here was simple and pastoral, a few villages 
  scattered throughout the land, unified only by a common culture and 
  language.  Over time, the centaurs’ civilization became increasingly complex, 
  until a number of independent city-states covered the Illyrian peninsula and 
  islands.  Governments ranged from democracy to oligarchy to monarchy, but 
  all of the city-states were relatively militaristic and wars between them were 
  not uncommon.  Except for these occasional conflicts, the Second Age was a 
  relatively peaceful and stable time for Illyria. 
   
  Things changed when the Third Age dawned and humans arrived.  Like 
  all of the humans that settled in the south of Arcadia, these people came out 
  of the west, ultimately from Atlantis.  The humans who settled in Illyria, 
  though, were quick to adapt to the centaurs’ language and customs.  (Modern 
  Illyrian comes directly from the ancient Illyrian spoken by the centaurs in 
  antiquity.)  The king of one of the ancient Illyrian cities, a centaur named 
  Chiron, became particularly fast friends with a human chieftain named 
  Cheops.  Myths handed down from the Third Age, still recounted in Illyria, 
  relate many heroic deeds and adventures attributed to Chiron and Cheops, 
  who slew monsters and claimed treasures and fought together in war. 
   
  Famous heroes arose in later generations, too, when Apep of Mephret 
  resurrected Namtar the Lich-King and brought about the Second Great War.  
  Illyria was the first country attacked by the armies of Apep, and it was almost 
  destroyed.  The Darkspawn captured the north of the country and used it as a 
  corridor into Arcadia; but Illyrian warriors, pushed west of the Barikons, 
  held firm there and were never defeated.  A battle at Naos Lofos, near the 
  end of the war, was a great turning point for the forces of good and Law. 
   
  In the era that followed, humans consolidated their foothold across the 
  south of the continent, and they built new empires upon the ashes of those 
  kingdoms which had been destroyed by the forces of Khaos.  The greatest of 
  these began in Illyria, under the auspices of a philosopher-king, Alexander of 
  Olympia.  Driven by a desire to make sure that nothing like the Second Great 
  War ever happened again, Alexander united all of the Illyrian rulers behind a 
  common cause: conquering the land of Amarna, where Apep had arisen and 
  caused the war.  It was only after this conquest had been completed that 
  Alexander was made king over all of Illyria and emperor of Amarna to boot.  
  Success only spurred his ambition: sweeping eastward, Alexander went on to 
  add Edenia Minor to his empire.  But when he reached the borders of 
  Shambala, he realized that his campaign could proceed no further.  He only 
  stayed in the region long enough to make firm his hold on the eastern border 
  of his empire; then he returned home to Illyria, where he ruled until the end 
  of his days.  The Alexandrine Empire lasted until the very end of the Third 
  Age, when conquest by Elysium ushered in the Fourth. 
   
  After Elysium fell, Illyria—unlike much of the rest of Arcadia—avoided a 
  Dark Age.  The institutions of civilization remained intact here, and kings in 
  the city of Alexandria (which had been built in the days of Alexander’s 
  empire, to honor that great conqueror) assumed the authority once held by 
  the Elysian imperial governor.  In effect, it was as if the Empire never fell for  
   
  
   
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  208 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Illyria.  Instead, it persisted, albeit in a diminished form, all the way through 
  the Middle Ages, during which time Illyria developed a reputation for brutal 
  and backstabbing internal politics.  Then, in the Fifteenth Century, a sultan 
  of Amarna named Akbar V marched westward over the Alati Desert and 
  captured Alexandria.  Illyria thus became a province in the new Amarnan 
  Empire, and so it remained, nearly up to the present day.  But during the 
  early 1800s, an unlikely alliance between Avalon, Elysium, and Illyria came 
  together to fight for Illyrian independence from Amarna.  The campaign was 
  successful, largely thanks to Avalon, which also took the land of Mephret 
  away from Amarna and made it a colony.  Illyria has become free, but that 
  freedom is tenuous; very little stands between this country and re-conquest 
  by Amarna—or, for that matter, conquest by Sylviana, to the northwest. 
   
  Agrios Forest: This forest is heavily populated by treants and elves.  
  Halflings live in the nearby city of Dentra.  Aëtoi is another city, built high 
  upon a hill, inhabited by sylphs. 
   
  Alexandria: Once the capital of Illyria, this city is most famous for its 
  temples, libraries, and universities.  Also found here is a technical academy 
  called the Archimedeon, dedicated to modern science and technology. 
   
   
   
   
  Barikon Mountains: This dangerous range is inhabited by chimeras, 
  manticores, sphinxes, and other kinds of dangerous hybrid monsters.  
  Friendly creatures, like pegasi and sphinxes, can also be found here 
  occasionally. 
   
  Dolos Cliffs: These high cliffs overlook the Vodyan Sea.  Caves in the 
  cliffs (not to mention the sea itself) are known to hide all kinds of sea-
  monsters, especially water-drakes.  The humans of Gkremos live off of this 
  sea, despite the pervasive danger. 
   
  Kentauropolis: The center of centaur civilization in olden days, this 
  city is still important to centaur (and Illyrian) culture. Centaur philosophers 
  and astronomers still congregate here.  Also based in this place is an order of 
  
   
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  209 
  centaur warriors known as the Knights of Ixion, who have made it their duty 
  since the early days of the Fourth Age to protect Illyria from outside 
  conquest.  These knights played a key role in Illyria’s battle for independence 
  from Amarna, and now they will stop at nothing to preserve that hard-won 
  freedom. 
   
  Lake Iremos: Old legends say that this lake has no bottom, and that it 
  in fact leads all the way to the underworld.  These are only stories, of course; 
  a lake without a lakebed would be quite impossible.  Still, there are many 
  deep caves and tunnels in this region, so there might be a grain of truth to 
  the myth.  Nobody knows what might be found at the bottom of Iremos. 
   
  Lapithai Hills: In ancient days, human barbarians lived in these hills.  
  They were abandoned during the Second Great War, when goblins took 
  them.  Ever since then, the hills have been considered cursed.  Now they are 
  thought to be haunted by wights that dwell in barrows beneath the hills. 
   
  Olympia: Made the formal capital of the newly independent Illyria just 
  a couple of decades ago, Olympia is still better known for its ancient ruins 
  than anything else.  The country is presently run by a provisional 
  government, headed by a regent named Jolanda Sophia.  Until either a 
  proper monarch is elected or Regent Jolanda is herself crowned queen, 
  Illyria’s government will remain in a state of only tenuous stability. 
   
  Pepromeno Coast: A region of high cliffs, crags, and sea-caves, this 
  coastline overlooks the many islands south of the Illyrian mainland.  The 
  most interesting city in the region is Amphitria, because it is a merrow city 
  and completely underwater. 
   
  Silenoi Forest: Fauns inhabit the Silenoi Forest in large numbers.  
  The nearby city of Chalasmata is famous for its great library, which has 
  unique historical records dating back to the Second Age. 
  MIDJARD 
  The land of Midjard, as its name implies, covers a vast area in the very center 
  of the Arcadian subcontinent.  All of the lands east of the Gylden River and 
  west of the Drachendorn Mountains, south of the Fenrir Bay and north of the 
  Valk Mountains, are part of Midjard.  The east of Midjard is rough and hilly, 
  and a mountain range called the Schwärtzesten divides the landscape.  To 
  the south, Midjard seems almost entirely woodlands, and so it is fitting that 
  the people who have dwelt here for three Ages of the world are called wood 
  elves.  Further north and west, Midjard is a country of varied terrain: plains 
  and hills, forests and bogs, lakes and rivers.  Indeed, because Midjard is so 
  large and so varied, and because it is home to nearly every race known on 
  Gaia, it makes an ideal location for nearly any sort of campaign game that 
  the referee might wish to begin—especially for players new to Gaia and to 
  gaslight fantasy. 
   
  Although mostly united by a single culture and language, Midjard is 
  divided into a number of independent kingdoms; eight of them, to be 
  precise.  These are called Gyldmark, Handelstad, Spielberg, Afblände, 
  Dämmerung, Dreiseen, Älfheim, and Lu Sing.  With the notable exception of 
  the Kingdom of Lu Sing, the language spoken everywhere throughout this 
  country is Midjardisch, a tongue descended from the old speech of the wood 
  
  210 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  211 
   
   
   
  elves who dwell primarily in the Kingdom of Älfheim.  Strangely, the wood elves’ 
  language bears a much closer resemblance to the Old Dwarvish speech (the tongue of 
  Asgard) than it does to the Old High Elvish (spoken in Pohjola).  Historians and 
  linguists have not yet been able to discern why this is so. 
   
  While elves rule the 
  kingdom 
  of 
  Älfheim, 
  their neighbors to the 
  north in the Kingdom of 
  Dämmerung are fays.  In 
  Afblände and the lands 
  between the Schwärtz-
  esten and Drachendorn 
  ranges, 
  dwarves 
  live.  
  The rest of the kingdoms 
  are 
  populated 
  by 
  a 
  bewildering 
  mix 
  of 
  humans and halflings, 
  centaurs and merrows, 
  gnomes and sylphs. 
   
  Lu Sing is without 
  doubt the most peculiar 
  of all the Midjardisch 
  kingdoms, 
  because 
  it 
  doesn’t 
  resemble 
  any 
  other land in Arcadia.  
  Culturally, the people of 
  Lu Sing seem to be 
  related to the distant 
  Empire of Jiganhu: they 
  speak a similar language 
  and share many similar 
  customs.  It seems that 
  sometime very early in 
  the Fourth Age of the 
  world, 
  Lu 
  Sing 
  was 
  founded 
  by 
  refugees 
  fleeing 
  some 
  terrible 
  misfortune taking place 
  in their original home-
  land in the far east. 
   
  It is possible that Dämmerung is the oldest kingdom in Midjard, but no records 
  survive from the First Age to corroborate such a theory.  The Great War which ended 
  the First Age so ravaged Midjard that the shape of the land was altered considerably, 
  destroying much of what came before.  If the gentle Player desires surer history than 
  mere speculation can provide, that certainty can only be found in books and scrolls left 
  behind since the start of the Second Age, shortly after the elves came into Midjard, 
  (likely from Pohjola) and founded the Kingdom of Älfheim.   
   
   
   
  
  212 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Old books left behind by these early kingdoms indicate a great rivalry 
  between the elves of Älfheim and the fays of Dämmerung.  As it was in 
  Avalon during the Second Age, ill will toward the fays was pervasive, as their 
  kind was blamed for the Great War.  But the fays never fled from their 
  kingdom here; instead, they ensconced themselves deeper, hid themselves 
  away with charms and enchantments, and allowed the elves to rule the land.  
  When soldiers of Avalon came to declare their rule over all of Midjard, the 
  elves of Älfheim met them as friends and honored the emissaries of the 
  faraway monarch by presenting them with a most kingly gift: a sword, 
  wrought from purest mythrill, called the Strahlendklinge.  But on the very 
  day that the two tribes of elves were to meet, the mythrill blade disappeared 
  mysteriously—magically—and naturally enough, the elves suspected the fays.  
  War broke out between Älfheim and Dämmerung, with Avalon remaining 
  strictly neutral, and neither kingdom won.  In the end, all that came out of 
  the incident was a lasting bitterness built on old grudges between the two 
  countries.  Meanwhile, other folk came to settle in the north and west of 
  Midjard: centaurs, dwarves, and gnomes.  Near the end of the Second Age, 
  when Avalon fell, many halflings also came to dwell in Midjard, mostly in the 
  region of the Betrug Forest. 
   
  The Third Age, then, brought the rise of early human empires in the far 
  south—and also the Second Great War, between the free folk of Arcadia and 
  the Enemy in the East.  The Darkspawn in those days overran Sylvania and 
  established a fell stronghold at Dol Drachenham, a beachhead from whence 
  they struck out at Midjard.  Fleeing before the ’spawn came human refugees 
  who would eventually settle in Midjard to create barbarian kingdoms.  
  Meanwhile, Midjard’s faerie folk fought back against the armies of evil and 
  drove them back into Sylvania, where the tide turned and the Enemy was 
  eventually driven back into the east once again.  The very end of the Third 
  Age in Midjard saw some minor border-skirmishes between Midjarders and 
  the armies of Julius Dracus, from Imperial Elysium. 
   
  In the early centuries of the Fourth Age, Midjard was constantly 
  harassed by the Elysian Empire.  By the Fifth Century, though, Elysium had 
  become so weak that the Midjardisch tribes and kingdoms were able to come 
  together and launch a series of counter-attacks that ultimately destroyed 
  Cælestium and brought down its empire.  Midjardisch kings then came to 
  rule over the shattered pieces of the Elysian Empire, and their shared culture 
  came to influence much of mainland Arcadia.  Meanwhile, the eight 
  kingdoms known in modern Midjard began to take shape.  Elves still lived in 
  Älfheim and fays still dwelt in Dämmerung; but now dwarves came together 
  to form the kingdom of Afblände; men created the kingdoms of Dreiseen and 
  Spielberg (and also Lu Sing, although these were humans from much farther 
  away); men and halflings founded Handelstad; and men and centaurs the 
  Gyldmark.  (Incidentally, the humans of the Gyldmark are very close kin to 
  the Guildermen of Asgard—they are of the same lineage, but historically they 
  settled on opposite shores of the Fenrir Bay.) 
   
  At present, Midjard is strong but still divided.  The Midjardisch people 
  are very keen on science and more than adept with modern technology.  
  Industry, travel, and communication are as advanced here as they are in 
  Utopia and the south of Avalon.  But the Midjardisch kingdoms are by no 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  213 
  means equal in the distribution of power and wealth.  Handelstad and 
  Afblände are among the richest and best industrialized of the kingdoms.  
  Spielberg and Gyldmark each enjoy strong military superiority.  Älfheim and 
  Dämmerung remain magical forces not lightly dismissed.  Several 
  charismatic kings also make Midjardisch politics interesting.  For centuries, 
  Älfheim has been ruled by Elf-King Alberich, while Dämmerung has been 
  ruled by Fay-King Sternlicht.  The Kingdom of Spielberg, ruled by an 
  ambitious human named Johannes von Spielberg, is positioned best of all 
  the kingdoms to eventually dominate Midjard (rather like Prussia did in real-
  world Germany) and build a nation-state worthy of competing with the likes 
  of Utopia and Avalon.   
   
  Dol Drachenham: This dark tower, deep in the mountains where the 
  Valks meet the Drachendorn, was once a stronghold of evil and Chaos, the 
  northern outpost of the risen Lich-King during the Second Great War.  
  Though the Darkspwan were driven out of these lands long ago, Dol 
  Drachenham itself was never assaulted or destroyed.  Presumably, it still 
  stands today. 
   
  Kingdom of Afblände: All 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  between 
  the 
  Schwärtzesten Mountains (which 
  are exceedingly rich in iron, tin, 
  copper, and coal) and the Nisse 
  River belong to a race known as 
  the Black Dwarves.  These dwarves 
  are more insular than those that 
  live in Asgard, but they none-
  theless conduct a great deal of 
  trade with the other Midjardisch 
  kingdoms, 
  especially 
  Spielberg.  
  The Drages Desolation, a blighted 
  land that runs from the river to the 
  foothills of the Drachendorn, is by 
  no means under the dwarves’ 
  control. This country is ruled by dragons and Darkspawn that dwell in the 
  mountains.  The far stronghold of Forsamlinghalle, once a great dwarvish 
  stronghold in the Drachendorn, was destroyed centuries ago.  Now both 
  Forsamlinghalle and Orkberg (on the northern coast) are two of the 
  strongest goblin-holdings on the continent. 
   
  Kingdom of Älfheim: The kingdom of the wood elves, Älfheim covers 
  the lands around the Great Eingehüllt Forest.  Treants dwell east of the 
  Gylden River, and humans live in the communities of Männerberg and 
  Durchgang.  The city of Wärterpfosten is home to the Eingehullt Rangers, a 
  band of warriors and foresters who defend the elf-kingdom from monsters. 
   
  Kingdom of Dämmerung: The fay kingdom surrounds a forest called 
  the Bilderwald, place of strange illusions and colorful tricks of the light.  The 
  fays use the magical properties of the Bilderwald to keep their business 
  hidden from the world; but they avoid the Falsch Fens, which are haunted by 
  undead. 
  
  214 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Kingdom of Dreiseen: This 
  country is home to humans and 
  some gnomes, and also to merrows 
  living in the three large lakes that 
  give the kingdom its name.  The 
  monarchy of Dreiseen is old but not 
  particularly autocratic.  Instead, the 
  power of the king here (the ruler of 
  Dreiseen is named Gunter IX) is 
  limited by constitution, a document 
  called the Compact of Friedvoll, 
  which 
  establishes 
  a 
  council 
  of 
  barons who have the power to 
  overrule 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  king’s 
  decisions.  The Vorsteinert Valley, in 
  the far west of the kingdom, is a 
  famous archaeological dig-site, well-
  known for the discovery of artifacts 
  that predate the First Age. 
   
  Kingdom of Gyldmark: This 
  country 
  is 
  dominated 
  by 
  wide 
  stretches of flat plains, broken up by 
  occasional hills or bluffs covered in heather and scrub.  A well-traveled 
  railway line begins in Kruispunt and passes all the way through the north of 
  Midjard, into the Kingdom of Afblände.  Gyldmark itself is a busy hub of 
  local trade and the home of a group called the Ritters of the Gyldmark, 
  human and centaur knights dedicated to defending all of Midjard.  (Most of 
  the time, though, the Ritters have their hands full just keeping the trolls and 
  ogres confined to the Verloren Hills.)  The people of Gyldmark are close 
  allies of the Guildermen of Asgard, who are their kin. 
   
  Kingdom of Handelstad: This kingdom stretches from the mouth of 
  the Älver River to the lone peak called Mount Liebenichts.  Humans live in 
  the coastal lowlands around the city of Handelstad proper, while the Betrug 
  Forest houses countless many halflings.  The halflings of Betrug are always 
  war-ready, given that their homeland is flanked by the dangerous Verloren 
  Hills on one side and the cursed Merkwürdig Moors on the other. 
   
  Kingdom of Lu Sing: At some time early in the Fourth Age, a large 
  band of humans from faraway Jianghu traveled west to escape some 
  widespread misfortune that befell that land.  Whether it was a plague, a 
  conquest, or something worse, only the sages and historians in Lu Sing know 
  for sure.  The people of Lu Sing are not so isolationist as their Jiangese 
  counterparts in the far east; they are happy to trade and mingle with their 
  Midjardisch neighbors.  The language and customs of Lu Sing are different 
  enough that this kingdom has remained culturally distinct from the rest of 
  Midjard.  At the celebration of each new year, a great combat tournament is 
  held in Lu Sing—but only the best warriors in Arcadia are invited to compete 
  with local gongfu masters, who nearly always win the tournament. 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  215 
   
  Kingdom of Spielberg: The northernmost kingdom in Midjard, 
  Spielberg is closely allied with Afblände and Gyldmark.  A mix of low 
  foothills, rolling plains, and open woodlands, this is one of the more peaceful 
  kingdoms in all of Arcadia—and yet, its people are very militaristic and 
  aggressive in their political posturing.   It is no secret that King Johannes von 
  Spielberg wants to make his kingdom the center of a united Midjardisch 
  Empire.  The Spielbergers might just get more than they’re bargaining for, 
  though, because goblins and dragons are multiplying in the Drachendorn.  A 
  unified Midjard could be their only hope to withstand the inevitable 
  onslaught. 
  POHJOLA 
  The Kingdom of Pohjola stretches from the Drachendorn Mountains in the 
  west to the Chernobog Mountains in the east.  The Avara River, white and 
  rapid, separates Pohjola from Asgard in the north.  To the south lie the black, 
  foreboding waters of the Vodyan Sea.  Pohjola is a land of enormous and very 
  dense forests, thick with ancient growth and mystery.  Despite the country’s 
  temperate latitude, it is cold for much of the year, because a chill wind 
  always blows off of the Jäätynyt Plains, only broken when it reaches the high 
  treetops of the great Vanhin Forest where the high elves have made their 
  kingdom.  Within the forests, the climate is always warm and pleasant, due 
  to some little-understood elfin magic.  Elsewhere, the country is at the mercy 
  of the elements and that ill wind that blows down from the northern plains. 
   
  The “high” elves are so called because they built their kingdom in 
  Pohjola at the very beginning of the Second Age, and then they did 
  everything in their power to cut themselves off from the rest of the world and 
  its problems.  They wanted no part in the affairs of Gaia after the First Great 
  War was over: it was enough that such a disastrous incident had brought 
  them unwillingly into Gaia in the first place.  Their kin, the wood elves who 
  settled in Midjard and eventually moved onto Avalon, were considered a 
  lesser breed—more barbaric and warlike.  Those elves spoke the tongue of 
  dwarves and sought to conquer, to dominate, to win retribution from the 
  fays.  The high elves of Pohjola took the noble road of peace: they only 
  wished to left to their own arts and devices. 
   
  But ever has Pohjola lived beneath a shadow, stuck as it is between the 
  Drachendorn and the Chernobogs.  The Drachendorn wasn’t always such an 
  accursed place: in ancient times, dwarves and elves mined tunnels into those 
  mountains in search of mythrill and other riches.  But then darkness came to 
  that land, and the vile stronghold at Dol Drachenham was built, and it 
  became a home of dragons and Darkspawn.  After the Second Great War, the 
  darkness in the Drachendorn waned, but over the centuries it has slowly 
  returned.  The Chernobog Mountains, meanwhile, have never known peace.  
  Ever have those fell and dire peaks cast an evil shadow upon the land of the 
  high elves, for they separate Pohjola from Tuonela, the goblins’ country.  The 
  very name of Tuonela is taken from the Old High Elvish (it means “Land of 
  Death”), that place in the east which has always been the possession of the 
  Great Enemy. 
   
   
  
  216 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  217 
   
  The modern Pohjolan language is descended directly from the Old High 
  Elvish.  It bears no discernable relationship to the wood elves’ language 
  (Midjardisch), but it does share some features and vocabulary with the 
  Sylphid language still spoken in northern Sylvania.   
   
  Once the Second Age had begun, and the high elves had decided that 
  they would settle in this country betwixt the mountains, they cultivated the 
  forests (many of which also became home to treants) and wove their elf-
  spells around them, filling these woods with light and life.  A Tree of Life was 
  planted in the center of the forest called Vanhin, and this became the site of 
  the city of Sampo, the true capital of elvendom on Gaia.  All who dwelt within 
  the light of this tree were said to be blessed with wisdom and skill, and so it 
  has remained since that past Age. 
   
  When the Third Age came along, and humans enabled the start of the 
  Second Great War, the elves of Pohjola did not rush out to meet the evil 
  headlong, as the folk of Midjard did.  They honored their alliance with the 
  dwarves of Asgard and fought the enemy along the Chernobogs, but 
  otherwise they merely defended their borders and made sure that nothing 
  could enter Pohjola over the Drachendorn or the Vodyan.  This has been the 
  way of the high elves ever since: aloof, apart from the world, and concerned 
  only for the good of their own nation. 
   
  The story of Pohjola in the Fourth Age, then, is one of a kingdom 
  teetering on the brink.  Evil closes in around them from all sides.  A dark 
  power grows in the east, and from afar it strengthens whatever foulness still 
  lurks under the Drachendorn.  Even if this new darkness is defeated, though, 
  Pohjola will have to face something even more insidious: change.  The rest of 
  the world is learning, growing, progressing, and advancing.  The high elves 
  would like nothing more than to see everything stay exactly the way it is, and 
  yet they know this to be impossible.  Science is forever altering the world, 
  and the true challenge for Pohjola will be to adapt to this change—which it 
  must do if it is to survive. 
   
  Avara River: This mighty flow comes down out of the Drachendorn, 
  winds its way across most of Pohjola, and finally empties into the Fenrir Bay.  
  The city of Sampo was built on the banks of the Avara, as was the city of 
  Kelkka, famous for its master shipwrights. 
   
  Drachendorn Mountains: North of the Avara River, the Drachen-
  dorn forms the border between Pohjola and Midjard.  Here, the mountains 
  are evil and utterly infested with dragons and goblins.  South of the river, 
  though, the mountains are less foreboding.  The branch of the Drachendorn 
  between Pohjola and Sylvania is mainly inhabited by sylphs, who keep their 
  beloved peaks and heights free from incursions by the Darkspawn. 
   
  Jäätynyt Plains: These lands are always frozen.  The elves believe that 
  some evil spell was cast upon them long ago.  Fearsome snow-monsters 
  (yeti) are said to the stalk the far northern reaches of the region.  In the city 
  of Noita, the elves raise hardy sled-dogs for transportation. 
   
  Jyrista Hills: The foothills leading up to the Drachendorn, these were 
  filled with dwarves in the days when Forsamlinghalle was alive and glorious.  
  Now the hills are abandoned by all but goblins and the occasional dragon 
  that wanders out of the mountains. 
  
  218 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  Karhu Cliffs: These high bluffs make it impossible to reach Pojola 
  from the Fenrir Bay, or vice versa, without traversing either the Vaalea 
  Forest or the Avara River, both of which are well-guarded by elvish march-
  wardens. 
   
  Kuollut Forest: The elves and treants who dwell in this wood are close 
  allies to the sylphs that dwell immediately south of them, in the more benign 
  southern branch of the Drachendorn Mountains.  Often must these three folk 
  come together to fight the monsters of the north Drachendorn. 
   
  Lohikäärme Badlands: This place was the site of a great battle at the 
  end of the First Age, when many elves were slain in battle with Fiendish 
  forces.  Since that day, the land has been blighted, and nothing grows here.  
  Greater undead (phantoms, ghosts, demons, and such) haunt this place, so 
  even the high elves are reluctant to disturb its restless evil. 
   
  Peikko Fells: Something evil haunts these moors.  Whatever it is (and 
  nobody knows, because none who enter the Fells ever return), it must be 
  allied with the evil in the Chernobog Mountains. 
   
  Salama Fields: These plains are the breadbasket of Pohjola.  Those 
  elves who choose to pass their centuries as farmers live in this region.  It is a 
  pastoral, even idyllic existence—so long as nothing foul comes storming out 
  of the Jyrista Hills. 
   
  Sampo: Capital city of Pohjola, the elves that live here are primarily 
  concerned with guarding the great Tree of Life.  This tree is said to be the 
  source of immortality for all of the elves who live on Gaia (since the elves, 
  unlike the fays, are not native to this world).  Should something ever happen 
  to the Tree, all elves everywhere would become mere mortals.  The Tree-
  keepers, then, are Pohjola’s most elite warriors and magicians, for their duty 
  is the most solemn.  Sampo is also home to the king of the high elves, Ukko 
  Iluvatar, who has ruled this country for quite literally thousands of years. 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  219 
   
  Sieni Hills:  The city of Lääke was built around a fortified watchtower, 
  set here to ward the region.  The Sieni Hills are always swarming with dire 
  wolves, and so the warriors who live in Lääke must frequently patrol the 
  region and hunt the beasts. 
   
  Tumma Forest: The only forest in the country that the elves do not 
  inhabit, nothing seems to live here except for the trees themselves.  Not 
  birds, not beasts, not monsters, not insects.  It shouldn’t be possible, but it is 
  so.  None know why.  North of the forest, Mount Tulittaa once contained a 
  goblin-stronghold, but it has been abandoned for centuries.  From time to 
  time, a patrol of elvish Bowknights explore the place to make certain that 
  nothing has taken up residence here. 
   
  Vaalea Forest: The city of Hurja, nestled high in the treetops in the 
  deepest part of the wood, is home to the Order of Bowknights, elvish archers 
  of high repute.  They ward the north of the country from outside excursions, 
  suspicious of all—even their nominal allies, the Asgardish dwarves. 
   
  Vanhin Forest: The whole wood seems enchanted, a far-reaching effet 
  of the Tree of Life that grows in Sampo.  Those who enter Vanhin find that 
  weariness and despair quickly leave them.  It never seems to be night or day 
  here, nor does this place know winter from summer—it is always a cool 
  twilight in Vanhin.  The passage of time itself seems slower, and yet the days 
  are happier, howsoever many pass.  Those that dwell all their lives in Vanhin 
  can be considered blessed, if it is peace and not excitement that they seek. 
  SYLVANIA 
  Sylvania is the country which sits east of the Valks and south of the 
  Drachendorn.  A very ancient kingdom, it was founded long ago by the 
  sylphs, the bird-folk.  Today, Sylvania is a kingdom of two cultures, that of 
  the sylphs (who reside mainly in the north) and of humans descended from 
  commingled Elysian and Illyrian stock (who dominate the south).  The 
  eastern shore of Sylvania is formed by the Vodyan Sea, although the only 
  easy access to this shore comes at the mouth of the Veloc River.  That river is 
  the primary waterway throughout Sylvania: it flows out of the Valks; and the 
  Varcolac, Gyors, Bûbáj, and Orpheon Rivers all empty into it.  To the south, 
  Sylvania touches Elysia (which begins where the Desfǎta Hills end), the Illic 
  Sea (although the Strega Mountains all but cut it off from the rest of the 
  country), and Illyria (which is separated from Sylvania by the Orpheon and 
  Veloc rivers).  Much of eastern Sylvania is wasteland, poorly cultivated but 
  populated nonetheless.  In the center of the country, conditions are far 
  better: around the Principality of Fredonia, the people are prosperous and 
  the land is productive.  The Sylvanian monarchy has managed to amass great 
  wealth in recent decades, and the country’s standing army is well-trained 
  and of considerable size (mostly as a reaction to the posturing of the Utopian 
  Empire). 
   
  The closer one comes to the mountains in the north of Sylvania, the 
  more one is apt to encounter sylphs.  In the mountains proper, the birdlings 
  have many strongholds carved into the high peaks.  In these places, the 
  primary tongue spoken is Sylphid, a language related to the Old High Elvish  
   
   
  
  220 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  221 
  (and modern Pohjolan).  Everywhere south of the Great Sylvan Woods and 
  the Agyar Wastes, though, is primarily human country, and the tongue 
  spoken here is Sylvanian, a modern dialect of the old Cælestine common 
  tongue.  Humans rule all of the lands south the Veloc and Varcolac Rivers, 
  including the central Principality of Fredonia.  The queen who rules from 
  Fredonia, Katrina the First, is also the queen of all Sylvania. 
   
  After the wars of the First Age, when sylphs and other faerie folk were 
  summoned into the world, the sylphs chose to settle in the Valks and the 
  Drachendorn.  Eventually, they also passed south of the mountains and 
  settled the rough country that they found beyond the foothills there.  During 
  the Second Age, the sylphs were warlike and independent.  There were many 
  small sylph kingdoms, and these warred amongst themselves and against all 
  of their neighbors except the high elves of Pohjola, who always had the 
  sylphs’ utmost respect and friendship.  Stories handed down from the late 
  Second Age tell of a great hero, a sylph named Mikhail the Bold, who united 
  the warring sylph tribes into a single kingdom that came to be called 
  “Sylphania”.  The stories telling of Mikhail’s deeds are many and conflicting, 
  clearly having been embellished in the intervening millennia.  Old legends 
  and documents also mention that at the end of the Second Age, sylphs joined 
  the Urther’s rebellion against Meliora’s empire in Avalon. 
   
  At the beginning of the third age, the united sylph kingdom was strong, 
  but geography was against it.  While humans came into Elysia and Illyria and 
  slowly began to settle those lands, the power of the goblin-folk grew in the 
  east, in Tuonela and on the waters of the Vodyan.  Then came the rise of 
  Mephret and the Second Great War, and the onslaught of Apep and the risen 
  Lich-King.  While the armies of Illyria were pushed aside by the soldiers of 
  Apep, goblins sailed over the Vodyan and won the eastern shore of Sylvania.  
  Then the men from Mephret joined with the Darkspawn, and this combined 
  force swept westward across the country and razed it practically to nothing.  
  A great alliance came down out of Midjard and halted the march of the 
  ’spawn, turning it aside as a stone breaks a wave; but Sylvania became the 
  site of the heaviest fighting in that war, and it ultimately broke the sylph 
  kingdom utterly.  When the war was over and the forces of Chaos were 
  defeated, Sylvania was in tatters. 
   
  Late in the Third Age, humans quickly moved in from the south and 
  settled the depopulated lands.  Alexander’s empire took parts of Sylvania 
  under its control; then, when the Elysian Empire came to power, it 
  conquered the rest of the country.  Early in the Fourth Age, Sylvania was an 
  important province in the Elysian Empire and a close to the heart of human 
  civilization, much like Hesperia.  After the fall of Elysium, the country came 
  back under the control of Illyria, until Illyria fell to Akbar of Amarna in the 
  Fifteenth Century.  Sylvania might have fallen as well, if not for another hero 
  that arose in the eastern part of the country, a warlord named Jánosz.  In 
  order to repel the invading Amarnans, Jánosz formed a society of knights 
  called the Order of the Dragon.  The order was modeled upon the traditions 
  of Jánosz’s sylph countrymen and their famed dragoons.  Jánosz and his 
  Dragons managed to hold the Amarnans at the banks of the Veloc: they 
  never won into Sylvania, and they never conquered any lands north of Illyria. 
  
  222 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
  A descendant of Jánosz I still rules the east country in Sylvania.  This is 
  Prince Jánosz VI, Archduke of Agyar.  The sixth Jánosz is not as well-beloved 
  as his ancestor: his country is a wasteland, and his people are poor.  There 
  are even rumors that Jánosz himself is a vampire and a sorcerer, and that he 
  has drained these lands of their vitality.  The prince rarely leaves his castle at 
  the city of Praf, although from time to time he does travel to Fredonia to 
  press his suit with the queen. 
   
  The ruler of all Sylvania, Katrina Beldenberg, distinguished herself as a 
  warrior and an adventurer before she came to the throne as Queen Katrina I.  
  Unlike past human rulers of Fredonia, Queen Katrina has been intent on 
  keeping all of Sylvania united, and this includes making sure that the sylphs 
  have their say in her government.  Although her autocracy is absolute, Queen 
  Katrina does her best to hear grievances and take advice from local rulers of 
  border-provinces.  Even still, some sylphs that live in the Valks would prefer 
  to be completely independent of a human monarch, and whispers of 
  imminent rebellion have wide currency.  This is the last thing that Queen 
  Katrina needs right now: Emperor Biendit of Utopia, in his thirst for 
  conquest, girds his country for widespread war.  To respond to this threat, 
  Katrina has seen to it that Sylvania marshals its own defenses.  The only 
  thing that this adventurous soldier-queen will not do is accept the marriage 
  proposal of Archduke Jánosz, even if that would greatly increase her political 
  power and allow her to declare Sylvania a proper empire.  The archduke’s 
  reputation is simply too besmirched by evil rumors for Queen Katrina to ever 
  consider such a match. 
   
  Agyar Wastes: This is the country ruled by Archduke Jánosz VI from 
  his castle at Praf.  The land here is gray, as if all of the life has been drained 
  from it.  Vampires are said to stalk the nights with impunity here.  Rumors 
  also persist that Jánosz himself is a vampire, but there is no proof to support 
  such accusations.  The fact of the matter is, Jánosz has been seen publicly in 
  the daytime, which casts considerable doubt on any supernatural hearsay.  
   
  Bleeding Crags: A region of high seaside cliffs and narrow canyons, 
  ancient tombs are dug into the crags.  The tombs predate human settlement 
  of the region and are probably of sylph origin. 
   
  Desfǎta Hills: This hilly country is sparsely populated, but peaceful.  
  The southwestern edge of the hills forms the border between Sylvania and 
  Elysia.  Lately, Queen Katrina has started to discreetly move soldiers into the 
  hills.  She doesn’t want to provoke a response from the Elysian city-states, 
  but she nonetheless feels the need to guard this border in case Utopia ever 
  attaks. 
   
  Farcasember Woods: These woods are thought to be haunted by 
  lycanthropes, especially werewolves.  The town of Farcas on the north edge 
  of the woods is a strange place, quiet and dolorous during the day, with mad 
  music and wild celebrations on a nightly basis.  Visitors do not stay long, for 
  they eventually come to suspect that the people of Farcas are under a strange 
  sort of spell. 
   
  Great Sylvan Woods: The huge stretch of woodlands in the center of 
  the country, this place is home to many sylphs and humans.  The cities of 
  Dárda and Fészkel are home to some of the most strident opposition to 
  Queen Katrina’s militaristic rule. 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  223 
   
  Fredonia: The capital of Sylvania sits at the southeastern foot of 
  Nobilvǎnt Mountain.  Sylphs live in the mountain still, while humans prefer 
  to dwell in the city.  The royal palace of Queen Katrina is more than just a 
  splendid mansion: it is also a center of culture and the arts.  The Sylvanians 
  are great lovers of music, sculpture, and painting, and all of these endeavors 
  are well-supported by the royal house.  Fredonia is famous for its museums, 
  its academies, and a famous college called the Illuminari University.  The 
  Scholars of Illuminari are some of the world’s finest physicians, surgeons, 
  philosophers, and theurgists. 
   
  Omor Swamp: South of Tern Lake and the Gyors River, this large 
  wetland area is difficult to navigate, but that doesn’t stop people from living 
  here.  Wandering bands of humans and fauns are the primary inhabitants. 
   
  Veloc River: Most of Sylvania is part of the Veloc’s river-valley.  Where 
  the river flows through the Great Woods, humans make their living as 
  loggers and raft-pilots.  Farther south, many cities rely on the trade plied up 
  and down the Veloc and its tributaries: Proaspǎt and Clǎdire on the Gyors; 
  Kívánalom on the Bûbáj; and Kiéget, Szürke, Sereglet, and Aggódik on the 
  Veloc itself.  At the mouth of the river, the city of Jóval is Sylvania’s only real 
  naval port, charged with defending the country’s eastern shore against all 
  threats—not just the Darkspawn of Tuonela, but the Amarnan Empire as 
  well. 
   
   
   
  Víla Vale: This narrow, densely forested valley is said to be a home of 
  capricious nature-spirits.  People who enter Víla Vale do not come out.  
  Whatever lives here, none can tell whether it is truly evil or merely a danger 
  to the unwary and the foolish. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  224 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  TIRNANOG 
  Tirnanog is an island which sits about one-hundred and fifty miles west of 
  Avalon.  Of the two islands, Tirnanog is considerably smaller, covering 
  perhaps one-third the area Avalon does.  Much of Tirnanog is mountainous 
  highlands, but there are also rolling meadows, fens, woods, and heather.  The 
  island is roughly divided into three regions by the two mountain ranges that 
  run north-south through the middle of it, the Fia and Céirseach Mountains.  
  East of the Céirseachs, the native halflings and merrows mingle with men 
  and elves of Avalonian descent.  This part of the country is more or less 
  directly under the control of Avalon, a fact not likely to change soon.  West of 
  the Fias, the Ard country is peopled almost entirely by halflings, and fiercely 
  nationalistic ones at that.  Proudly patriotic, these lands are the heart of the 
  halflings’ rebellion against the Avalonian Empire.  The center of the country, 
  then, is the region that the two sides are fighting over.  Whoever controls 
  Mag Mell and the river-valley of the Beannaithe controls the greater part of 
  Tirnanog.  And yet, the country between the mountains—the Gleann Forest 
  and the Bréan Wastes—is wild and fearsome, home to spirits and monsters.  
  Nobody controls this place, not Avalon and not rebels. 
   
  The very first inhabitants of Tirnanog were not halflings, but fays.  The 
  folk that dwelt here in the First Age built a kingdom called the Daoine Sidhe 
  country.  It was greatly weakened by the First Great War with the Four 
  Fiends, but it was not destroyed.  That did not happen until the Second Age, 
  when halflings came to the island.  These little folk, when they first appeared 
  in Gaia, were warlike and barbaric.  Although the fays named them leipreac-
  háin (“the little folk”), the halflings were fierce enough to push the Daoine 
  Sidhe clear off of their own island.  This was a slow process, though, 
  accomplished over centuries.  Over time, the halflings learned from the fays, 
  and they even picked up a dialect of their language, which is why Old Fay so 
  closely resembles Old Hánnish, the ancestor of the modern Tirnish tongue.  
  Eventually, the halflings came to call themselves by their traditional name, 
  the háin (a plural form meaning “the folk”; one halfling is called a hán).  The 
  Daoine Sidhe fays, meanwhile, were driven all the way back to the Ard 
  country in the west of Tirnanog.  Finally, they built ships and joined their 
  brethren in fleeing over the Dysic Ocean, into the Uttermost West (Lemuria 
  and Tollan), where they dwelt throughout the Second Age. 
   
  The halflings burrowed a city into a great earthen mound at a place 
  called Mag Mell.  Here dwelt the High King of the háin-folk, who was lord 
  over all of the lesser halfling kings that ruled the many tribes throughout 
  Tirnanog.  But the Elvish Empire that grew up in Avalon proved superior in 
  war, and after a few centuries of freedom, Tirnanog came under the thumb of 
  Avalon.  The High Kings were forced to tribute the Emperor of Caerleon, 
  although they resisted throughout the Second Age.  In the days when Meliora 
  came to power in Avalon, there lived at Mag Mell two princes, Darby and 
  Danny of the clan O’Donnell.  As the old legends tell it, Darby was the elder 
  brother and the rightful heir to the throne—but both brothers were cruel and 
  conceited, and neither was worthy of the crown.  Their father, the old High 
  King, knew this to be true and died without naming a proper successor.  The 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  225 
   
   
  
  226 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  throne would have fallen to Darby, but that Danny made a pact with Meliora 
  to betray his brother.  The elf-queen intervened and had Darby exiled from 
  Tirnanog.  In this act, she made a dire enemy.  Plotting his revenge all the 
  while, Darby secretly went to the Forest of the Ancients in Avalon, and there 
  he helped to found a rebellion against Meliora.  This was the famous rebel 
  army that clashed with Meliora’s knights when the Urther walked out of the 
  mists and came upon them.  Somehow, Darby convinced the first human 
  Hero to join the rebellion, and in so doing he made history.  In the war with 
  the Elvish Empire, Danny was said to have been killed; and Darby, made 
  wiser and kinder by his years of hardship as a rebel, was installed on the 
  throne as High King.  Thus did Tirnanog enter the Third Age. 
   
  The halfling kingdom remained strong, even as humans arose in the 
  south.  The Second Great War did not touch Tirnanog at all, so remote was 
  the island from the rest of Arcadia in those days.  But after Elysium built its 
  empire at the very end of that period, the fourth Emperor of Cælestium, 
  Thadrian, embarked upon a campaign to subdue it.  Thadrian had great 
  success in Avalon, where he drove the rebuilt fay kingdom north of the 
  mountains; but in Tirnanog, he never obtained a beachhead.  The halflings 
  were simply too swift, too silent, too sure of aim to be defeated by the 
  relatively big and clumsy humans.   Indeed, the halfling kingdom persisted 
  well into the Fourth Age, although it did so under a new dynasty, the O’Brien 
  line, which had replaced the O’Donnell kings late in the Third Age. 
   
  Then, in the early centuries of the Fourth Age, Elysium retreated from 
  Avalon and King Agrivain came to power in Caerleon.  That king of fays 
  hungered for the glory of ancient times long past, and he vowed to build a 
  new Avalonian Empire.  He began with Tirnanog.  The united skill of fays, 
  elves, and men in Avalon proved the halflings’ undoing.  In the centuries of 
  war that followed, much of Tirnanog was razed, and the royal O’Brien line 
  was exterminated.  The High Kingship thus broken, Tirnanog came firmly 
  under the rule of Avalon, a protectorate of the new Empire.  But the halflings 
  have a history of rebellion that dates back to the O’Donnell kings, to Darby 
  the Great who was friend of the Urther.  They do not brook foreign rule 
  lightly, and the spirit of resistance burns hottest in the west country, as it has 
  for much this past Age of the world.  The háin have only risked open war 
  sporadically, whenever the time has felt right.  The Eighteenth Century was 
  comparatively peaceful, and so far the Nineteenth has not seen any major 
  conflagrations.  Many rebels are restless, though, and soon more violence 
  may come to the land of the Little Folk, the onetime isle of the Daoine Sidhe. 
   
  Ádhúil Forest: From the later days of the Third Age, this part of the 
  forest was home to a clan of humans that practiced elvish geomancy and 
  called themselves Druids.  It was believed, however, that the Druids had 
  mostly died out by the time King Agrivain conquered Tirnanog.  But now a 
  secretive cult of men once again dwells at the old forest stronghold called 
  Grian Grove.  The Avalon soldiers suspect that the Grove has become a rebel 
  stronghold, but it’s also possible that these humans are trying to bring back 
  the old Druid Order in Ádhúil—entirely for their own purposes. 
   
  Ard Meadows: The west country is gentle in both climate and terrain, 
  an emerald green that reflects in the bejeweled eyes of the hán-folk.  This 
  part of Tirnanog foments the direst opposition to Queen Maeve and Avalon.  
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  227 
   
  The surest way to get oneself grievously injured in this part of the country is 
  to duck one’s head into a pub in Críonnacht or Loiscneach and shout, “Long 
  live Queen Maeve!” or “For the glory of the Empire!” or some such thing. 
   
  Beannaithe River: This river flows between the Fia and Céirseach 
  ranges.  Near the source of the river, the land is wild; more civilization is to 
  be found as the waters course south.  Once the Beannaithe empties into the 
  Smaragaid Lake, it is a mighty flow indeed.  (The Smaragaid, incidentally, is 
  home to a large community of merrows, and a powerful merrow witch is said 
  to dwell among them and protect the lake.)  Then, leaving the lake, the 
  Beannaithe continues once again down to the city, where the city of Port Mór 
  becomes Tirnanog’s chief seaport, and its gateway to the rest of the world.  
  The Avalonian Navy has firm control of Port Mór, but it holds a less certain 
  grip on the cities upriver (including Mag Mell).  The Beannaithe is, however, 
  navigable by ship all the way up to Smaragaid Lake. 
   
   
   
   
  Bréan Wastes: This country is rocky and bare, with naught to break 
  up the sight of it but scraggly scrub and ancient stone cairns.  The city 
  Suarach was a fay fortress during the time of Daoine Sidhe, but it was taken 
  by Darkspawn at the end of the First Age.  Goblin-folk held onto it for 
  millennia, but they were driven out of the region in the later part of the Third 
  Age.  Five or six hundred years before the present day, Suarcah came alive 
  again—it drew to itself many evil wizards, both human and fay.  Goblins and 
  trolls have also returned to the Wastes.  There are even rumors of dragons.  
  Bréan is without doubt the deadliest part of all Tirnanog. 
   
  Caiseal Gobán: This fortress was built by the O’Brien kings at the start 
  of the Fourth Age, but it was quickly taken by invaders in the name of King 
  Agrivain.  It has been a stronghold for Avalon ever since. 
   
  Céirseach Mountains: These low, round-topped mountains run 
  through the eastern part of Tirnanog.  They are known chiefly for the bluish 
  
  228 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  fog that rolls off of their eastern slope and down to the sea, a natural 
  occurrence that makes the streets of Eolas look haunting and mysterious at 
  dawn and dusk.  (Eolas is otherwise a perfectly ordinary town.) 
   
  Fia Mountains: These brown, jagged mountains divide western 
  Tirnanog.  In the southern part of the range, Tinedragan Mountain is said to 
  be the lair of a huge red dragon which has slept these past thousand years. 
   
  Firbolg Fens: A tribe of ogres live in the fens.  Ogres (the gentle Player 
  must remember) are giant-kindred, but they are not Darkspawn like the 
  trolls.  The ogres of Firbolg can be reasoned with, and they don’t typically 
  bother the nearby cities.  Lately, though, they have been growing restless—
  and since this part of the country is under the control of Avalon, the foreign 
  soldiers naturally suspect incitement by rebels from the west. 
   
  Gleann Forest: Except for the brave halfling-folk that dwell in 
  Cumacht, most people do not go into Gleann Forest.  This is only prudent; 
  Gleann is a dangerous place.  The trees of Gleann, so say the locals, do not 
  take kindly to visitors. 
   
  Mag Mell: The capital of Tirnanog, Mag Mell was seized from the 
  rebels by Avalonian soldiers more than two hundred years ago, and the 
  attempt has not yet been made to recapture it.  The city is still rocked by 
  violence from time to time, though: usually this takes the form of a bomb 
  planted at a government building by insurgents.  The Mound of Mag Mell, 
  the old palace of the O’Donnell kings, still stands here.  From the outside, it 
  looks like an earthen mound covered in emerald grass.  From within, it looks 
  just like any other stone castle, but much cozier. 
   
  Muir Island: This island sits before the mouth of the Urlabhra River, 
  across the strait from the port city of Imeallbhord.  (When pronouncing the 
  name of either the river or the city, be aware that the “bh” sounds like an 
  English “v”.)  Imeallbhord is another important naval base for Avalon, and 
  Muir Island itself is the site of a famous sea-battle wherein the forces of King 
  Agrivain defeated the halfling seafarers defending the island. 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  229 
   
  Olc Island: A far northern island is a strange place for a goblin 
  stronghold, but such a stronghold it is.  The mountains here house orcs and 
  other Darkspawn, who ply the north Dysic like pirates and pillagers. 
   
  Seamróg Coast: This region is populated by far more humans and 
  merrows than by halflings.  A great many of the humans living here are more 
  likely to think ill of the Críonnacht rebellion than of Imperial Avalon.  But 
  there are plenty of sympathizers here too.  In short, for all of its emerald hills 
  and shining beaches and other idyllic scenery, this place is a powderkeg 
  waiting to go off. 
   
  Tirnish Sea: The merrows that live in this sea invariably think of 
  themselves as Tirnish, not Avalonian.  To wit, they would sooner side with 
  halfling rebels than with Imperial soldiers, should the rebels think to ask for 
  their help.  
  UTOPIA 
  The country of Utopia (nowadays called the Utopian Empire) covers the 
  enormous region in western Arcadia which is north of the Valk Mountains 
  and west of the Gylden and Wunder Rivers.  Like a great peninsula, most of 
  Utopia juts out into the Dysic Ocean, although the southern coast of the 
  country is actually formed by the Hipponic Sea, the shallow body which 
  separates Utopia from Hesperia.  Most of Utopia is plains country, although 
  hills and mountains do make some parts of it more rugged.  The many rivers 
  that wind through its lowlands serve as the major travel-routes, even in this 
  day and age when railroads crisscross the whole nation.  Utopia is far and 
  away the most technophilic of all Arcadia’s nations, not least because it is the 
  homeland of the gnomes.  But humans dwell here in great numbers too, and 
  wood elves make their home in the northeastern part of the country, a region 
  called Lutinny which is culturally closer to Midjard than to the rest of Utopia. 
   
  The Utopian language is descended from a dialect of Cælestine (since 
  the whole country was once a province of the Elysian Empire), but it is more 
  distinctive than modern Elysian or Hesperian or Sylvanian.  The Utopian 
  tongue has been heavily influenced by the harsh sounds and peculiar 
  vocabulary of the Old Gnomish, a speech distantly related to Old Fay and Old 
  Hánnish and now long extinct from the region.  Another language, Lutin, is 
  spoken by the wood elves in the northwest; this tongue is very closely related 
  to Midjardisch and the older dialects of Avalonian.   
   
  During the First Age of Gaia, the land now called Utopia was sparsely 
  settled by scattered communities of fays.  (Some of these archaic farm-
  villages have actually been uncovered by human and gnome archaeologists, 
  much to the excitement of Utopia’s vibrant scientific community.)  Later in 
  that period, when the faerie folk were summoned into the world, gnomes 
  settled these same lands, but they didn’t dwell on the surface.  Instead, they 
  tunneled under the ground and lived in subterranean cities.  (These too are 
  well-documented by archaeologists and ancient historians.)  In the Second 
  Age, when elves came to power in Avalon, the gnomes avoided conquest by 
  hiding underground.  Though elves colonized the surface of Utopia, the 
  gnomes were never seen.  In those days, they were known as the “hidden 
  folk”, and elves were actually skeptical of their very existence. 
  
  230 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Near to the end of the Second Age, the underground cities were ruled by a single 
  Gnome King, a great engineer called Calcasterix the Wise.  This ruler became a friend 
  of the Urther after that famed hero returned from over the sea with Myrddin and the 
  fays.  He even helped the human to build machines of war, to aid in the conquest of 
  Meliora.  It is said that the gnomes learned much of science and engineering from the 
  Urther, who was wise beyond the ken of any faerie in the application of Natural Law.  
  Since those days, the gnomes have been a people fascinated by technology, a fact 
  which now holds true for 
  all the Utopian people.  
   
  When the Third Age 
  began, the threat posed 
  by the Elvish Empire was 
  gone, and the gnomes 
  moved onto the surface 
  of their country in large 
  numbers.  But humans 
  also came into the world 
  en masse in this time, 
  and a great many of them 
  appeared out of the west 
  from over the sea.  They 
  mainly settled in the far 
  south, in the countries 
  which were then called 
  Elysium 
  and 
  Illyrium.  
  For most of the Third 
  Age, humans did not 
  bother 
  the 
  gnomes 
  directly; but they did play 
  their part in bringing 
  about the Second Great 
  War, which caused much 
  strife for the gnomes 
  when the fighting finally 
  reached the borders of 
  Utopia. 
   
  This 
  war 
  weakened 
  the 
  gnome 
  kingdom 
  considerably, 
  such that when Elysium 
  rose 
  in 
  the 
  south, 
  centuries 
  later, 
  Julius 
  Dracus 
  and 
  his 
  son 
  Octavius were able to conquer the whole region in but two generations. 
   
  Early in the Fourth Age, Utopia became a province of Elysium.  Many humans 
  came and settled, mostly in the south country.  Gnomes remained dominant in the 
  north, where they were considered full citizens of the Empire.  The region of Lutinny, 
   
   
  
   
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  231 
   
   
  
  232 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  meanwhile, was still independent.  In those days it was considered part of 
  Midjard, and it was never conquered by Elysium.  When the Empire finally 
  fell, Utopia was hit hard by the Dark Age that followed.  Most of the country 
  fragmented into warring tribal states, tiny kingdoms of men and gnomes and 
  elves.   
   
  Things began to change in the medieval period of the Fourth Age, when 
  a gnome king named Charles the Small rose to power in the western 
  kingdom of Rolandeaux.  Charles was a gifted general and a shrewd 
  politician, and he managed to unite many kingdoms under his banner.  
  Eventually, most of the other lords of Utopia swore fealty to him, and so 
  Charles the Small came to be known as Charlemin, King of Rolandeaux and 
  Emperor of Utopia.  He reigned from 846 until the year 1187 of the Fourth 
  Age, when he was succeeded by his son, Charles II.  The second Charles ruled 
  Utopia less ably than his father had, although he managed to subdue the 
  elves of Lutinny and add them to the empire.  The elves ultimately won the 
  upper hand in that transaction, because after Charles II was assassinated in 
  1265, a bit of political maneuvering on the part of an elf-lord named Lénou 
  placed him upon the throne in Roladneaux.  King Lénou I was a good ruler 
  who treated the gnomes and humans as well as he did his own people, and he 
  worked to spread learning and wisdom throughout Utopia.  But, as 
  Charlemin had done, Lénou eventually passed the kingdom down to his son.  
  Lénou II, who came to power in 1544, was a decadent king.  He built the 
  enormous pleasure-palace at the city of Jardin; he squandered the money in 
  the treasury on frivolous wars; and he seemed more interested in building an 
  empire in faraway Lemuria than in seeing to the welfare of his own people, 
  who grew poorer by the day.  Eventually, the people could stand it no longer, 
  and cries of revolution rang out in the streets of Rolandeaux.  Lénou II lost 
  his head to the guillotine in 1789, and after a decade of bloody civil war, the 
  infamous Utopian Revolution culminated in the ascendancy of a brilliant 
  gnomish military general named François Biendit.  The best tactician that 
  the world has seen since Julius Dracus, Biendit was made the president of 
  Utopia’s revolutionary government, only to declare himself emperor once his 
  power had been consolidated.  He now rules Utopia autocratically, with a 
  General Assembly of elected leaders serving only to rubberstamp the laws 
  that he enacts.  Biendit is also a brilliant scientist in his own right (in game 
  terms, he is a 36th level gnome inventor), and he has done much to promote 
  the advancement of science, technology, and learning in his new empire.  He 
  also continues his predecessor’s exploration of northern Lemuria, racing 
  with Avalon to expand Utopia’s colonies overseas (New Vinchamps on the 
  east coast of Lemuria, and also the vast western expanse called Arborea).  
  But Biendit is a dictator and a ruthless expansionist, and as soon as he sees 
  the opportunity to strike out at neighboring countries, he will take it without 
  hesitation.  On that day, Arcadia will be plunged into wide war the likes of 
  which have not been seen since the Second Age of the world. 
   
  Béni Mountains: These very old, eroded peaks separate the region of 
  Lutinny from the rest of Utopia.  Everywhere north and east of the Béni 
  Mountains is wood elf territory.  Many cities along these mountains—
  especially Pioche, Deux Voies, and Drightensele—and are still active and 
  relatively lucrative mines. 
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  233 
   
   
  Blé Hills: This pleasant, hilly prairie country is home to great numbers 
  of farmers, but it remains one of the most provincial regions in all of Utopia.  
  The town of Pente Élevé is home to a key military garrison and school where 
  officers in the Utopian army are trained.  Many of the cities to the immediate 
  east of the Blé Hills are highly industrialized factory towns: Pignon, 
  Carburant, and Chaudière are all well known for the mass-production of 
  various mechanical parts and tools. 
   
   
   
   
  Bleu River: The main river-valley running through Utopia, a number 
  of rivers empty into the Bleu: the Chanson, the Vite, the Nuage, and the Ceil.  
  The capital, Rolandeaux, sits where the the Chanson meets the Belu.  At the 
  mouth of the river, the city of Les Ondines (founded long ago by merrow-
  folk) is a major port and naval base. 
   
  Cavernes Peintes: This site is home to a number of caves, the walls 
  decorated by paintings of absolutely indescribable age.  Not far from the 
  Versteinert Valley, these two sites taken together seem to point to a time that 
  doesn’t just predate the fay civilization of the First Age—it actually harkens 
  back to a long-lost and primitive time before the Ancients. 
   
  Clarté Cliffs: The dangerous waters between these cliffs and the 
  islands of Précaire and Rocheux are home to all manner of dangers, from 
  harpies and hydras to the occasional pirate hideout. 
   
  Cuivre Hills: Gold, iron, and copper mines are found here.  North of 
  the hills, the city of Mervielles is both a major trading port and a centre of art 
  and culture in Utopia. 
   
  Desolation of Tarrasque: This wasteland has been barren and dead 
  throughout the Four Ages of Gaia.  Whatever caused it to be so happened 
  during the Elder Days, the time of the Ancients. 
   
  Étant River: The Étroit River empties into the Étant where the city of 
  Jardin was built.  Jardin is a city surrounded by a massive hedge-maze (one 
  does not need to navigate the maze in order to enter the city; a wide highway 
  cuts through it and leads straight up to the city gates).  Within the walls of 
  Jardin lie the famous Garden Palace if Lénou, one of the most richly 
  appointed and decadent mansions ever built.  The city is also home to an odd 
  
  234 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  order of scholars called the Green Men, who are chiefly known for publishing 
  a witty and satirical newspaper called Le Pomme aux Jardin. 
   
  Gêné Marshes: Old stories say that blink dogs and coeurls stalk these 
  swamps.  Whether the stories are true or not, dire rats most definitely do live 
  here.  Perhaps wererats do as well. 
   
  Gostlig Woods: Many hearth-tales told in Shyldbury involve the 
  horrors of the Gostlig Woods.  A great battle was fought in this forest long 
  ago, and now it is positively infested with ghouls. 
   
  Lac Blanc and Lac Triste: These two peaceful lakes are heavily fished 
  by the nearby human settlements.  Most prosperous among these is Dulac, 
  which also happens to be the home of a centuries-old brotherhood of 
  knights, the Order of the Lance and Flower, whose creed is to promote peace 
  (even if violence is sometimes required to achieve a greater and more lasting 
  peace). 
   
  Lutinny Plains: This low, grassy country is inhabited by wood elves 
  which are famous for their horsemanship.  Once an autonomous kingdom 
  akin to those in Midjard, it has been a part of Utopia for centuries.  A legend 
  connected with the city of Wyrmsege says that Lutinny was founded when 
  the elves, coming from the east out of Midjard, slew an entire family of evil 
  dragons there and decided to stay in commemoration of those warriors they 
  lost in the battle. 
   
  Maudit Forest: This wood is said to be cursed.  The animals that dwell 
  in Maudit are extremely vicious and belligerent.  This is true of any animal 
  that enters the forest, even domesticated horses and birdsteeds. 
   
  Rolandeaux: This is the capital of Utopia, where stands the old palace 
  of Charlemin—now the private home of Emperor Biendit.  This is also where 
  the General Assembly meets to ratify the Emperor’s laws.  The Rolandeaux 
  Académie des Sciences is perhaps the finest technical institute in the world. 
   
   
  
   
   THE NATIONS OF ARCADIA 
  235 
   
   
  Poussière Heights: This wild region of highlands is still home to a 
  number of hill giants and ogres.  Wizardly hermits are also known to wander 
  into these heights on arcane pilgrimages that can last for months on end—as 
  if the Poussière Heights conceal some kind of magical secret known only to 
  very learned and practiced mages. 
   
  Puca Cleft: This eighty-mile-long gash in the ground is an open wound 
  in the very surface of the earth, a place where goblins and other Darkspwan 
  can crawl out from the deep-under.  The Wyrd Tower set north of the cliff is 
  home to a very old, very evil wizard named Zoltar  
   
  Roussi Woods: This forest is slowly but surely growing northward, 
  inch by inch reclaiming the Desolation on their doorstep. 
   
  Schinan Woods: Those who enter these woods feel their spirits lifted 
  and their fatigue wiped away, especially after they drink a draught from any 
  of the forest streams that empty into the Eorcanstan River.  Without a doubt, 
  treants must dwell deep in the Schinan.  The nearby Crater Lake seems to 
  have been formed by a massive meteor impact, tens of thousands of years 
  old. 
  
   
   
  236 
   
   
   
  XI 
   
  FURTHER ADVENTURES 
   
  HE WORLD of Gaia is bigger than just Arcadia.  For that matter, it’s 
    bigger than just the planet Gaia.  Not only are there other continents 
    to explore; other realms and other worlds await the most intrepid of 
  adventurers willing to explore the farthest frontiers within reach of modern 
  technology and ancient magic. 
  OTHER CONTINENTS 
  Provided on the facing page is a partial map of the continent of Lemuria and 
  the large northern island of Jøtunheim, home of the frost giants.  But 
  developing these new lands is left to the creativity and ingenuity of the 
  individual game referees who will run Engines & Empires campaigns.  The 
  broad idea of a world was presented in the previous two chapters, but the 
  details remain up to the referees who will actually portray this world and 
  bring it to life at the game-table.  Likewise, should the players venture to 
  even more exotic shores—to the jungles of Tollan, the wastelands of Mu, or 
  the cities of Imperial Jianghu—the referee will have to develop these settings 
  as well, at least until future adventure modules published by Relative 
  Entropy Games help to shoulder some of the burden. 
  OTHER REALMS 
  The world of Gaia does not have a detailed cosmology of metaphysical 
  planes, as such.  An ethereal plane and an astral plane are required for some 
  spells to work, but there are no inner or outer planes accessible from Gaia—
  no heavens, no hells, and no elemental planes.  There are, however, other 
  dimensions—alternate versions or timelines of same “prime” material plane.  
  Our Earth could be one such as these, but the possibilities are really 
  limitless.  A technologist intent on exploring the implications of quantum 
  mechanics might invent a device that allows travel between such realities. 
   
  That said, there are certain regions in Gaia which could be described as 
  demi-planes or pocket dimensions.  The Darkspawn swarm up onto the 
  surface of Gaia from a place called the Deep-Under, or the Underrealm, 
  which is not a natural underground space.  Rather, it is an entirely separate 
  nether-world, with its own continents and countries, seas of magma, and 
  skies of stone.  There is also a Sky Realm, a number of floating continents 
  created by the Ancients which hover above the clouds.  These wonders of 
  magi-technology float above Draconia, Atlantis, Mephret, and Tollan.  They 
  are not ordinarily visible from the ground and must be discovered by 
  accident. High-tech robots of metal and crystal will guard whatever treasures 
  there are to be found in the Sky Realm—including, possibly, ships or 
  teleporters which can send characters to other planets in the Helion System, 
  and out to the stars beyond. 
  T
  
   
   FURTHER ADVENTURES 
  237 
   
   
   
   
  
  238 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  OUTER SPACE 
  At least two other planetary bodies in the Helion System are capable of 
  supporting life: Gaia’s far moon, Selene, and the planet Ares.  Selene has on 
  its surface a great Crystal Palace, home of the Lunar Behemoth which guards 
  the sealed sprit of Khaos.  The Behemoth is a great platinum dragon, terrible 
  and fearsome to behold, but ultimately very Lawful and good. The Behemoth 
  will greet Lawful adventurers as friends, but he will not allow anybody, 
  under any circumstances, to try and descend into the Lunar Core.  (A Crystal 
  Tower, similar in make and structure to the Behemoth’s Palace, stands in the 
  middle of the land of Draconia and reaches up to the clouds—perhaps all the 
  way up to the Sky Realm.  There is doubtlessly a connection between this 
  tower and Selene.) 
   
  On Ares, primitive and barbaric civilizations of humans and faeries 
  seem to have some connection to the departed Ancients.  Ruins and 
  pyramids cover the surface of Ares.  There is also the mystery of the Athena 
  Cloud to consider: what, if it was not a natural occurrence, destroyed the 
  long-gone minor planet Athena? 
   
  Travel beyond the Helion system is not possible with ordinary 
  teleportation magic or sub-light rocket engines.  But it is certainly within the 
  bounds of possibility that a clever and very high-level wizard or inventor 
  could devise a means of faster-than-light travel and then build a starship that 
  makes use of it.  At this point, the referee will have to decide how strongly he 
  wants to focus on the mystery of the Ancients, and whether other planets in 
  Gaia’s galaxy contain intelligent life.  If so, it must be determined whether 
  this life is human, alien but humanoid, or entirely unlike life found on Gaia.  
  
   
   APPENDICES 
  239 
  APPENDIX A: THE RANDOM LABYRINTH GENERATOR 
   
  Here is a handy set of tables which will help you lay out a randomly-
  generated labyrinth floor.  It works best for the uppermost levels of a 
  labyrinth, or any area composed of ordinary rooms and corridors.  Needless 
  to say, as you follow the tables and draw in the rooms and halls, you must 
  ignore any results that don’t fit the design, run off the edge of your map, or 
  backtrack over areas you’ve already drawn.  These tables will help you 
  generate a labyrinth map, but when it comes to stocking the labyrinth with 
  monsters, traps, and treasures, you’ll have to refer to the rules in Section 8 of 
  the Labyrinth Lord core rulebook. 
   
  At any time while using this labyrinth generator, you can depart from 
  the tables to add angled or twisting passageways, rooms of unusual shapes 
  and sizes, and whatever other features you can think of.  Or you could 
  become ambitious and expand upon the tables given here, to include more 
  options and features.  But in the end, random labyrinth floors will only take 
  you so far.  The real fun will be designing your own labyrinth from scratch.  
  Even then, this generator can help you design sections or sub-floors within a 
  much larger labyrinth of your own devising. 
   
  Table A: Labyrinth Entrance (roll 1d6 and go to Table B) 
  1 
  A spiral staircase descending from a city basement. 
  2 
  The mouth of a cave in the hills outside of town. 
  3 
  A stone doorway in an ancient ruined temple. 
  4 
  A gigantic, rusty sewer-pipe. 
  5 
  A narrow canyon with a rope to climb down. 
  6 
  A secret passage in an old mansion. 
   
  Table B: What Lies Beyond (roll 1d6 and follow instructions) 
  1-3 
  Corridor proceeds 1d4 x 10’; go to Table C. 
  4-5 
  Room; go to Table H. 
  6 
  False door reveals blank wall (ignore for entryway). 
   
  Table C: Labyrinth Corridors (roll 1d6 and follow instructions) 
  1-2 
  Corridor goes on for 1d6 x 10’; re-roll on Table C. 
  3 
  Door; go to Table D. 
  4 
  Dead end; go to Table F to check for secret doors. 
  5-6 
  Side passage; go to Table G. 
   
  Table D: Door Location (roll 1d3 and go to Table E) 
  1 
  Door on left of corridor. 
  2 
  Door on right of corridor. 
  3 
  Door directly ahead. 
   
  Table E: Door Type (roll 1d10 and go to Table B) 
  1-2 
  Unlocked wooden door. 
  3 
  Locked wooden door. 
  4 
  Stuck wooden door. 
  5-6 
  Opening or archway. 
  7-8 
  Unlocked metal door. 
  9 
  Locked metal door. 
  10 
  Stuck metal door. 
   
  
  240 
  ENGINES & EMPIRES 
  Table F: Secret Doors (roll 1d4 and go to Table B) 
  1 
  Secret door on left wall. 
  2 
  Secret door on right wall. 
  3 
  Secret door directly ahead. 
  4 
  No secret doors. 
   
  Table G: Side Passages (roll 1d4 and go to Table B for each)  
  1 
  Passage branches left and goes on ahead; both continue for 1d4 x 10’. 
  2 
  Passage branches right and goes on ahead; both continue for 1d4 x 10’. 
  3 
  Passage branches left and right, but stops ahead; both continue for 1d4 x 10’. 
  4 
  Four-way intersection; all passages continue for 1d4 x 10’. 
   
  Table H: Rooms (roll 1d10 and go to Table I) 
  1 
  10’ x 10’ square (no exits; do not go to Table I). 
  2 
  20’ x 20’ square. 
  3 
  30’ x 30’ square. 
  4 
  40’ x 40’ square. 
  5 
  10’ x 20’ rectangle. 
  6 
  10’ x 30’ rectangle. 
  7 
  20’ x 30’ rectangle. 
  8 
  20’ x 40’ rectangle. 
  9 
  30’ x 40’ rectangle. 
  10 
  30’ x 50’ rectangle. 
   
  Table I: Room Exits (roll 1d8 and follow instructions) 
  1-3 
  1 exit; go to Table J. 
  4-5 
  2 exits; go to Table K. 
  6 
  3 exits, one on each other wall of the room. 
  7-8 
  No exits; go to Table F and check for secret doors. 
   
  Table J: Exit Locations 1 (roll 1d4 and go to Table E) 
  1-2 
  Opposite the entrance. 
  3 
  Right of the entrance. 
  4 
  Left of the entrance. 
   
  Table K: Exit Locations 2 (roll 1d4 and go to Table E) 
  1-2 
  Right and left of the entrance. 
  3 
  Right of and opposite the entrance. 
  4 
  Left of and opposite the entrance. 
   
   
   
  
   
   APPENDICES 
  241 
  APPENDIX B: CHANGES TO THE REVISED EDITION 
   
  The original Engines & Empires Campaign Compendium made several 
  alterations to the Labyrinth Lord rules, most of which are indeed preserved 
  in this new revision.  There were, however, some changes—mostly to certain 
  key game terms—which this book has taken steps to retract.  The latest 
  edition restores Constitution, Armor Class, and Saving Throws where the 
  Campaign Compendium called these qualities Vitality, Defense, and 
  Resistance, thereby eliminating a needless language barrier between the E&E 
  game setting and its own core rules. 
   
  Regarding the substance of the rules themselves, the only outstanding 
  change has been made to the technologist character class.  Previously, techs 
  (and gnomes) were only allowed to know one technical degree per experience 
  level, which additional playtesting found to be an excessive hindrance.  As a 
  result, the rules for technologists have changed—techs and gnomes now 
  acquire their degrees in a staggered and “front-loaded” pattern, learning 
  most of their degrees during the first twelve character levels.  Techs are no 
  longer quite as customizable, but the early boost in versatility more than 
  makes up for that.   
   
  Other changes are present but minor in character.  The game now 
  includes a number of options for using Fighting Ability in combination with 
  Armor Class or Defense Class to roll attacks (as a number of old-school 
  gamers, particularly in the blogging community, have indicated a preference 
  for descending AC and a strong inclination to tinker with mechanics such as 
  these).  The extreme ability scores—1 and 20—now offer a maximum penalty 
  or bonus of ±4 (rather than ±5).  Errata to the original edition have been 
  incorporated into this edition, as have certain revisions which were 
  introduced after the initial publication of the Compendium, such as the new 
  encumbrance system based on stone rather than pounds or coinweights, a 
  number of small changes to the game’s technological degrees and devices, 
  and a revised lineup of goblins and their relatives (now called “Foulspawn” 
  rather than “Darkspawn” or “Wyrmspawn”).  Monster statistics now sport a 
  dual entry for both Armor Class and Defense Class, and in future E&E 
  materials (to facilitate their use with as many different iterations of the game 
  as possible), they will also include entries for traditional Labyrinth Lord 
  saving throws and experience points. 
   
  
   
  ENGINES & EMPIRES • CHARACTER RECORD SHEET 
  Permission is granted to photocopy this page for personal use only.  Relative Entropy Games © 2010. 
  Character:   
   
  Class: 
   
   
  Player: 
   
   
  Alignment:   
   
  Referee:  
   
   
  Level: 
   
   
   
  Ability Scores, Adjustments, Notes: 
   
  Skill Ranks: 
   
  Strength 
                                                         
  Athletics 
            
  Medicine 
            
  Dexterity 
                                                         
  Civics 
            
  Outdoors 
            
  Constitution                                                        
  Craft 
            
  Perception           
  Intelligence                                                        
  Diplomacy           
  Pilot 
            
  Wisdom 
                                                         
  Entertain 
            
  Stealth 
            
  Charisma 
                                                         
  Knowledge           
  Trade 
            
   
   
   
   
   
  Hit Points: 
   
  Languages: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Fighting Ability: 
   
  Special Abilities: 
   
   
   
   
   
  Armor/Defense Class: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Saving Throw: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Movement: 
   
  Weapons Carried/Armor Worn: 
   
   
   
   
   
  Achievement Points: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Equipment and Treasure: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Total Weight: 
  Encumbrance Limit: 
  Maximum Load:  
  
   
  ENGINES & EMPIRES • CHARACTER RECORD SHEET 
   
  Permission is granted to photocopy this page for personal use only.  Relative Entropy Games © 2010. 
   
   
   
  Magic and Technology: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Maps, Notes, Sketches: 
  
  OPEN GAME LICENSE 
   
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  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.  
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip 
  Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James 
  Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
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