11. Appendices

11.1. Running the Game

Here are a few tips to help you prepare and run your games smoothly.


11.1.1. Prepping the Game: Before the Session

When creating your world, you have to make some choices regarding sorcery, demons, spirits, and weird science. Only some of these elements should be present in your setting, or at least restricted to specific factions (only mad sorcerers use spells, only the evil empire uses weird science, etc.). If your characters hunt demons with firelances while summoning spirits and casting spells, that may sound fun for a while, but it’s not what the Black Sword Hack was designed for. The line between dark fantasy and dark gonzo is thin, and we would advise you not to cross it. This means telling your players that there will be some limitations to the kind of characters they can play so they’re able to experience a dark fantasy campaign in the classical sense of the term.

When getting ready for the next game, think about what the characters did and write down if they left some unfinished business, or attracted the wrong kind of attention. Maybe the players had some plans for the next session. Refrain from coming up with a way to counter these plans. Clever and imaginative players should see their schemes bear fruit. It doesn’t mean it should be easy though, so make them fight for it.

On the practical side of things, make sure you know the players’ characters: write down their names and backgrounds. Know where they stand regarding the campaign’s main antagonist. After that, make a list of names specific to where your session takes place (you can draw them from the lists on page 104). Really, this will save your life. Don’t go overboard though: twelve names (with a mix of genders) and you’re good to go.


11.1.2. Running the Game: During the Session

As you probably know, roleplaying games are mainly a conversation between the GM and the players. This conversation is driven by questions asked on both sides. Players ask questions to...

...help them make a decision (“Does this guy seem trustworthy?”)
...get Advantage over an enemy (“Is there a chandelier in the room?”)
...immerse themselves in the game world (“Why is this city in ruins?”)

Although you’re here to give them answers, as a GM you also have to ask questions:

- To learn what the players want (“Why do you seek an alchemist?”)
- To understand what their characters do (“Do you want to bribe or intimidate the guard?”)


Some of these questions are answered by the game system (“Your attack roll failed and now you’re hurt”), others by your GM notes (“Yes, there is a smith in the village”) but you’ll have to improvise the rest. Which is great: it means your players are being creative, leading you to unexpected places. Therefore, your answers should help the players make decisions (“That guy looks shifty”), get Advantage over their enemies (“You could try to lure your enemy beneath the chandelier”) or immerse themselves in the game world (“The city was destroyed by the neighbouring kingdom”). In short, your answers should keep them involved.


11.1.3. Creating NPCs on the Fly

Non-player characters are everybody the players can interact with. Sometimes, your players will want to meet someone you hadn’t thought of. Don’t panic, you have all the clues you need: the character’s occupation (“Is there an alchemist in town?”) and the information or help they might give (“They could make a sleep potion for us”). Their location can be easily derived from their occupation (“Alchemists’ laboratories are usually well hidden”).

The only things you have to come with are 1) a name, and 2) a physical or mental trait. 1) is already taken care of (remember that list of names?) and 2) is easy if you take notes while reading sword & sorcery books or watching movies. Otherwise, just go with the first idea that comes to mind. It might feel obvious to you, but we guarantee that if your players don’t think it’s an original, unexpected idea (which they might, because the first thing that comes to your mind isn’t obvious to people with different minds) they will enjoy the continuity in sword & sorcery tone.

11.1.4. Running Combat

Combat situations are problems that need to be solved in a limited time. That time is represented by the characters’ hit points. If that gauge reaches 0, they fail (and die). “Solving” a fight should bring information (“you find a map on one of the corpses”), supplies (“you find rations”), or new relationships (“the prisoners you freed want to help you”).

The low amounts of HP the characters and monsters possess ensure combat encounters are short and brutal affairs. Nonetheless, if its isn’t over by the end of the third round, something should happen: the battlefield changes (fire, rain, enemy movement, etc.), reinforcements appear, bystanders turn up, the enemy changes somehow (they’re afraid or turn into monsters), etc. Make sure NPCs and monsters have motivations (even as simple as “hunger” or “greed”). Only fanatics fight to the death, and these should be few and far between.

11.1.5. Running the Game: after the Session

The session may be over, but your work isn’t. There are two things you should be doing at the end of every game session:
1) Award stories to the characters if applicable. They need to grow to face what’s coming.
2) Take notes! This is one of the few ironclad rules we’d like to enforce. These notes will help you create your next adventure. Make sure you keep track of:

- The characters’ successes and failures in pursuing their objectives
- The characters’ finds: clues, enchanted items, weird science gizmos, etc.
- The characters’ next move: what do they plan to do?
- NPCs’ attitudes towards the characters when relevant.
- The NPCs you had to create on the fly: you never know when you might need them again.

Keep these notes in a way that’s entertaining to you: grab images from the net, draw some doodles (it might be an NPC or simply a scene from your last game), add some maps... It doesn’t have to look nice but it has to be fun, find the medium and method that suits you.


11.2. Advice From the Great Old Ones

These illustrious storytellers may never have played a roleplaying game in their lives, yet we can learn a lot from them…


11.2.1. R.E Howard

“...he had learned the jargon while a corsair.”

Let characters learn languages and even talents if it fits the narrative. Do not mistake the experience and advancement rules (or any rules!) for the Book of Law.

“There is always a way, if the desire be coupled with courage.”

Always let the players follow through with their most crazed plans. Sometimes they will work!

11.2.2. Michael Moorcock

“In an imperfect world the mysteries were always without solution and that was why there was always a great choice of solutions.”

As a GM, throw a lot of problems at your players but don’t ever come up with premade solutions for them.

“Farewell, friend. I was a thousand times more evil than thou!”

There will always be things way more malevolent and powerful than the characters.

“Gods are for children, for little, fearful people”

Do gods exist in your setting? Who cares? Faith does exist though, which makes churches, priests, and fanatics a great source of adventures for your game.

“Death is the promise we’re all born with, sir. A good death is better than a poor one.”

As a player, your goal isn’t to have your character survive. It is to find a meaningful death for them.

11.2.3. Fritz Leiber

“We have searched the wide world over and not found forgetfulness.”

No matter where the characters go, their past will always find them.

“None can use black magic without straining the soul to the uttermost—and staining it into the bargain.”

The rules make sure a sorcerer character will become a monster unless they cease to use their powers. Any sorcerer the characters meet is a potential enemy down the line.

“Sorcerers don’t have mothers!”

Don’t waste too much time on NPC backstories. Like the characters, they live and die in the present.

“We bow to no man’s ultimate command, dance to no wizard’s drumming, join no mob, hark to no wildering hate-call. “

Black Sword Hack is not a mission-based game. Characters shouldn’t wait for patrons to give them work. In the end they should only work for themselves and what they believe in.

“...the Mouser making an impossibly long-looking lunge for one so small, and went between two scales of the bravo’s armored jerkin and between his ribs and through his heart “

Keep combat encounters short but be sure to describe final blows evocatively. Asking players to describe them is even better (but remember that not everyone is comfortable with being put on the spot).

11.2.4. Fred Saberhagen

“But even the best luck is no good until it’s used, and we must find the right way to use it.”

Risk-averse players will try to avoid using their Doom die. Don’t force them to use it, the game will make sure they do.

“Technology! How can any man who means to keep his sanity go far in such an art?”

Whether it’s sorcery, spirits, or weird science, all practitioners the characters meet will, at best, have a screw loose – and at worst be evil lunatics.

11.2.5. Joe Abercrombie

“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”

Don’t pull punches when playing antagonists. Fight dirty and strike hard so the characters learn to do exactly the same.

“Sometimes it doesn’t matter too much what choice you make, as long as you make it quick and stick to it.”

Things should move forward. Don’t let the characters get comfortable for too long. Always start a session in the middle of a situation, not at a tavern or shopping in a safe town.

“History is littered with dead good men.”

The good guys don’t always win in the end. Nobody said the characters were the good guys though.

11.2.6. Poul Anderson

“Our own age is not one which can afford to call its ancestors savage.”

The world is violent; there’s war, intrigue, and crime everywhere. Everyone has a story full of blood and grief to tell.

"Somewhere in the boundlessness of reality, anything you can imagine must actually exist!”

No idea is too crazy or far-fetched; this is a game of imagination, so let yours run wild. Some things will stick while others will wither away. It doesn’t matter as long as you keep pushing the game forward.

“This business of Chaos versus Law, for example, turned out to be more than religious dogma. It was a practical fact of existence, here.”

Chaos and Law exist through their servants and those are very dedicated. The characters should always be able to find clues indicating that they stumbled on one or the other’s plans.

“So: between his home world and this, some connection existed. Not only the astronomy and geography showed parallels, the very details of history did.”

History books are full of great stories, characters, factions, plots. Steal as much as you can from them. They’re often cheaper than roleplaying games books too.

11.3. Black Sword Hack for the Lone Adventurer

Tools for All GMs
All the tools we present here can be used by GMs for their regular games. So even if you’re not into solo roleplaying, keep reading!

This isn’t Just a Game
Playing Black Sword Hack solo is a great experience for both players and GMs. It’s not a lesser version of the game, or a clutch for GMs deprived of players. It’s an exercise in pure creativity that will develop your improvisation muscles. Imagination is a skill, these rules are your weapon master. Nothing can be too absurd, too far-fetched or too crazy. You have no audience but yourself. You can make mistakes, experiment with new things without anyone looking over your shoulder. Be kind, be open-minded, and these qualities will follow you to the gaming table once your personal adventures are over.


11.3.1. Find a Title

The best way to learn is to start doing it. Grab a pen and a sheet of paper or notebook, and give a title to your adventures. Look at your RPG or books collection, mix and match words until something sounds right, meaning be damned. Here are a few examples (or roll a d8):

  • 1. The Dark Fate of the Wind Howlers
  • 2. This Axe is Mine, an Executioner’s Tale
  • 3. Devious Drusk, King of the Wasteland
  • 4. Five Swords Against the Blood God
  • 5. Night of the Bladespawns
  • 6. The Twisted Destiny of the Scarlet Princess
  • 7. Oksana: Thief, Gladiator, Queen
  • 8. Trials and Tribulations of a Former Chaos Priest

11.3.2. Create a Character

Now go back to page 10 and create a character. No, not later; do it now or you’ll never do it. Trust the dice, do not re-roll, use what you’re given. Don’t try to make the character fit the title above or your own preconceptions. Tread new paths lest you want your mind to wither.

11.3.3. Create your World

Simply place the names of each nation as you see fit. You don’t have to draw anything, you just need a rough idea of where they all are relative to each other. Roll a d6 on your map: the adventure starts here, use the result to select your prologue (see below).


11.3.4. Prologue

How does your adventure start? For your first adventure we’ll help you kickstart your campaign. Use the result of the d6 you dropped on your map to learn how this all begins:

  • 1. You just got out of your cell in your father’s castle...
  • 2. You wake on a beach, the image of your brother pushing you off a cliff still vivid in your mind...
  • 3. You hide in the sewers as your city burns, you hear footsteps approaching...
  • 4. Someone’s banging at your door, there’s a dead body in your bed and a blade in your hand...
  • 5. Your bounty took refuge in forbidden ruins; you reach them at sunset...
  • 6. The card reader told you you’ll die in a week, killed by a headless monster. Now what do you do?

11.3.5. Now Play!

Act as your character would. When dice and rules are needed, use them; when you have a question, ask the Dark Gods’ Oracle (see p. 98). There’s not much more to it. There’s no “right” way to do this: you’re right as long as you’re engaged and want to know what happens to your character.

Pacing
Play a scene, encounter, or fight – anything that keeps you engaged. Once you’ve reached a conclusion, move on. Maybe you’ll run a trek through the jungle in agonising detail, hoping that your hero reaches civilisation before succumbing to the fever, or maybe you’ll resolve it with one roll because your character has more important matters to attend to.

Trust your instincts
Never listen to thoughts telling you what your story should be like. Just run it. Don’t second guess yourself, the power of solo roleplaying is that it frees you of any preconception you (or your players) might have about what an RPG session should be. If the Oracle gives you an answer that keeps you guessing for more than 10 seconds, roll again or go where your instinct tells you to. You may be wrong, but mistakes are the only way to learn and improve.


NPCs
There’s usually no need to roll on any table to create an NPC. You’re in a village? You’ll meet farmers, a tavern owner, a travelling merchant, a hunter... Same goes in a city. The only thing you need is a list of names. If you’re looking for something oddly specific (an inquisitor, your bounty, a weapon master...), ask the Oracle! Only define the NPCs your hero is interacting with. Make a Charisma roll to determine an NPC’s attitude towards you if it is unclear.

NPC attitude (CHA)

  • • Critical failure: Openly hostile; doesn’t want anything to do with you, or attacks at once.
  • • Failure: Lazy, unhelpful, or irritated; simply wants to end their interaction with you as soon as possible.
  • • Success: The NPC is open, talkative, or simply sympathetic to you.
  • • Critical success: They feel connected to you (“I see you’re a veteran like me...”) and will help above and beyond what you ask of them.


Enemies and monsters>
Don’t try to balance encounters, just respect the logic of the world. Enemies try to surprise and outnumber you. Monsters are dangerous. There are two principles that must guide your combat encounters: firstly, people don’t want to die, and seeing that someone is armed can be enough to prevent a fight. Secondly, fleeing is always an option. If your character dies at the hands of highwaymen because you didn’t want to give them your money, that’s your choice, not a bug in the game.

Picking up a monster
If you need to know who’s guarding those ruins, just roll a d12:

  • 1. Aberration
  • 2. Blind hunters
  • 3. Eaters of the dead
  • 4. Desiccated dragon
  • 5. First Born
  • 6. Ghost Legionnaires
  • 7. Giant animals
  • 8. Golems or living statues
  • 9. Hollow monks
  • 10. Primordials
  • 11. Serpent people
  • 12. Skeletons

Companions
Black Sword Hack is simple enough to let you run several characters through a solo campaign. Create them as you would any character, picking Origins and Backgrounds that fit and switching attribute scores as needed. Companions also provide replacement heroes if your main character bites the dust or let you tell spin-off stories if you feel like a change of pace.

Character death
You can create a new character and move on, but you can also play this character as they find themselves in the netherworld, desperately looking for a way back to the world of the living.


11.4. Bibliography

11.4.1. Literature

The First Law and Shattered Sea trilogies by Joe Abercrombie • Three Hearts and Three Lions and The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson • The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington • Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon • Everything by Robert E. Howard. Yes, I mean everything • Elephants and Corpses by Kameron Hurley • The Gotrek & Felix series by William King • The Lankhmar series by Fritz Leiber • The Elric, Hawkmoon, Corum, and Erekosë series by Michael Moorcock • The Empire of the East series by Fred Saberhagen • Disfavored Hero by Jessica Amanda Salmonson • Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea • Raum by Carl Sherrel • We are All Legends by Darrel Schweitzer • The Dying Earth books by Jack Vance • The Kane series by Karl Edward Wagner • The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

11.4.2. Comics

Mazeworld by Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson • Berserk by Kentaro Miura • Tales of Telguuth by Steve Moore and many artists • Bone by Jeff Smith • The Quest for the Time Bird by Serge le Tendre and Régis Loisel


11.5. Your Favourite Sword & Sorcery Book Is A Plot Generator

• Find a novel or short story you like.
• Open the book at random and stab at the page with your finger.

- Write down the first name or noun you come across.
- Flip to another random page and find a verb, using the same method.
- Repeat the process for another noun or name.

• Is this sentence enough, or do you need something for the characters to do?

- You can look for an action verb or a word suggesting a goal.
- You can also ask yourself and the book questions like: Who?* What? Where? Why? How? Until you have enough ideas for a possible plot.

• Drop the characters into an interesting situation. Roll on the random tables in this book if you can’t think of anything.

• When questions arise, fill in the blanks:

- Using random tables.
- Or asking the players for details pertaining to their characters.

* Characters can be lifted as they are, or tweaked by asking the book: “How are they different?”

11.5.1. Options

• You can use more than one book. Randomise them for each step of the process if you like, or swap books in the middle of things.

• And yes, you can use an RPG sourcebook, but why would you?


11.6. The Dark Gods’ Oracle

11.6.1. When to Use the Oracle?

The purpose of this procedure is to drive your character’s story in unpredictable directions, to keep you on your toes. The Oracle brings danger, unexpected friendships, shocking treason... It isn’t here to tell you if you can buy a sword in the city – but if you want to know if a secret society sells vampire-slayer swords, you might want to roll the die.

11.6.2. Asking the Right Questions

This is more of an art than a science, and you’ll learn by experimenting. The question must be framed as a yes-or-no question and both answers must keep the story moving… so don’t back yourself into a corner. This is a useful skill to develop for a GM.

11.6.3. Asking the Question

Roll a d6, the answer is...

  • 1. Hell no!
  • 2. No
  • 3. No but...
  • 4. Yes but...
  • 5. Yes
  • 6. Hell yes!

11.6.4. Refining Things up a Bit

Are there things likely to influence the answer? If so, consider the probability of a positive answer:

- Don’t think so: roll 3 dice and keep the lowest
- Unlikely: roll 2 dice and keep the lowest
- Who knows? roll one die
- Probably: roll 2 dice and keep the highest
- Definitely: roll 3 dice and keep the highest

11.6.5. Rolling Doubles

An unexpected event occurs! Is it positive or negative for the protagonist?

  • 11 Very negative
  • 22 Negative
  • 33 Negative but...
  • 44 Positive but...
  • 55 Positive
  • 66 Positive and..

11.6.6. Roll d66 twice to learn about the theme and subject of the event

Theme
  • 11. Death
  • 12. Treachery
  • 13. Infiltration
  • 14. Desperation
  • 15. Instability
  • 16. Suspicion
  • 21. Escape
  • 22. Fear
  • 23. Hunt
  • 24. Division
  • 25. Falsehood
  • 26. Celebration
  • 31. Conquest
  • 32. Friendship
  • 33. Love
  • 34. Sacrifice
  • 35. Decay
  • 36. Exile
  • 41. Revenge
  • 42. Greed
  • 43. Isolation
  • 44. Preservation
  • 45. Loss
  • 46. Rebirth
  • 51. Oppression
  • 52. Destruction
  • 53. Ignorance
  • 54. Purification
  • 55. Scarcity
  • 56. Quest
  • 61. Stagnation
  • 62. Redemption
  • 63. Failure
  • 64. Help
  • 65. Corruption
  • 66. Rebellion

Subject
  • 11. Army
  • 12. Church
  • 13. Ghost
  • 14. Nobility
  • 15. Otherworldly
  • 16. Plague
  • 21. Omen
  • 22. Ally
  • 23. Family
  • 24. Wizard
  • 25. Guild
  • 26. Architect
  • 31. Crusaders
  • 32. Vagrant
  • 33. Rival
  • 34. Artefact
  • 35. Messenger
  • 36. Inquisitors
  • 41. Ruins
  • 42. Knowledge
  • 43. Cave
  • 44. Dream
  • 45. Hamlet
  • 46. Outlaws
  • 51. Healers
  • 52. Cult
  • 53. Guardian
  • 54. Settlers
  • 55. Monument
  • 56. Food
  • 61. Judges
  • 62. Storm
  • 63. Demon
  • 64. Court
  • 65. Theatre
  • 66. Assassins

11.7. Cosmic Usage Dice

Black Sword Hack is about the end of the world, and you may need some sort of pacing mechanic to trigger the last chapter of its history. You could establish that the characters reaching level 10 triggers the end but let’s try something that follows the fiction and the characters’ actions.

Law and Chaos both have a Cosmic usage die

• They could both start at d8 but you can also start with an unbalanced world.
• If a Cosmic Usage die goes under d4 or above d12, it triggers the end of the world.
• When both cosmic dice are equal, the Cosmic Balance is in equilibrium.

At the end of an adventure

• Roll the Usage die of the defeated or hindered side: on a result of 1-2, its Cosmic die is downgraded.
- The defeat was extra hurtful (the death of a champion, etc.): roll with Disadvantage.
- The loss was minimal: roll with Advantage.
• Roll the usage die of the winning side: on the maximum result it is stepped up to the next highest die size.
- The win is exalted or glorious: roll with Advantage.
- The win is minimal: roll with Disadvantage.

When Chaos and Law fight without the intervention of the player characters: roll their usage dice, the higher result wins. A 1 or 2 means a disaster (downgrade the Ud as usual).So aligned player characters can cause the end of the world by crushing the opposition (depleting its Usage die) or by being too successful (bringing their side’s Cosmic die over d12).

Optional rule: cosmic momentum

• When your side’s Cosmic die increases, your Doom die is stepped up as well for the duration of the next adventure.
• For characters aligned with Balance, this happens when both Cosmic dice are the same.

11.8. Friendly NPCs in Combat: the Allies’ Oracle

Black Sword Hack doesn’t really let you use heroes’ allies in combat. You can of course stat them up like a PC and have someone roll for them but should it prove too much work, we recommend this adaption of the oracle opposite.

Roll a die for each NPC fighting on the characters’ side.

• 1-2: they are wounded and lose d6 hit points
• 3-4: they are hit (losing d6 HP) but also attack the enemy successfully, inflicting d6 damage
• 5+: they attack successfully and inflict d6 damage

If the character has special abilities, use the result to decide how well they work (okay on 3-4, well on 5+).

The die you roll on the Allies’ Oracle depends on the level difference between the NPC and who or what they’re fighting.

NPC level < Opponent level: roll d4
NPC level = Opponent level: roll d6
NPC level > Opponent level: roll d8

The above assumes the equals symbol (=) is a rough estimation: you should roll a d6 if the difference in levels is 1, even sometimes 2. Circumstances, weaponry, motivation, etc. can also impact the die type. Use your best judgement and agree with the players.


11.9. Evlyn’s World

This world was built by Evlyn Moreau and shared on her blog after the release of Black Sword Hack 1st Edition. We thought it would be a great example for you to draw on and get inspired by – especially since she doesn’t follow the procedure as written!

“What attracted me to Black Sword Hack is that instead of proposing you should play in one of the worlds from the novels it is inspired by, the game helps you craft your own doomed world, and lets your players save or destroy it.

I think that this is the best way to write an RPG about a work of fiction: give the group the tools to craft their own setting inspired by the tropes and elements of the original works. This way the campaign is not constrained by the canon, and it doesn’t feel like you are playing in someone else’s campaign world, treading around a story that was already told.

A big part of the fun was the creation of our doomed world. We used the random tables provided in the book but instead of just the GM (me) rolling on them, I asked the players to in turn roll two dice, choosing the result they liked best. This way we were able to create the world collectively. I feel like this a great way to emotionally involve the players in the world they will save or lead to its doom!“


11.9.1. The World

The forces of Order are championed by a network of brains enclosed in engraved bronze casings.
Their troops are an army of automatons made in the image of angels.
The world suffers from earthquakes and tsunamis.
The Balance’s stronghold is a refuge built underground by an advanced civilisation.

11.9.2. Nations

The Nothland Raiders are declining and favourable to Chaos.
The Dust Empire is warmongering and allied with Law.
The last city of a dying species is divided and favourable to Chaos.
The Grey Spire Dominion is declining and favourable to Law.
The Land of the Black Pyramid is declining and favours diplomatic solutions.

11.9.3. The Runic Weapons

The Rapier of the Devouring Horde is brutal and eager to call for action. It inflicts the STR of its wielder as damage. It is made of quicksilver and transfers d6 HP to its wielder whenever it takes a life. It can be found on the Moon!

The Long Sword of Splitting Death is silent and uncaring about its wielder. It inflicts the WIS of its wielder as damage. It is made of rusted metal and stone. When it kills, it absorbs memories. It can be found on a floating Island.


11.10. Impossible Creatures

It is a well known fact that you can never have too many monsters. So here’s a way to create a hundred more!

11.10.1. The monster is a hideous mix of...

  • 1. A man or woman
  • 2. An ape or bear
  • 3. A horse or cow
  • 4. An eagle or crow
  • 5. A lion or panther
  • 6. A goat or elk
  • 7. A shark or eel
  • 8. A snake or lizard
  • 9. An armadillo or porcupine
  • 10. A wolf or hound

and...

  • 1. a spider or scorpion
  • 2. a cockroach or centipede
  • 3. a child
  • 4. a snail or slug
  • 5. a bat or moth
  • 6. a butterfly or dragonfly
  • 7. a lamprey or leech
  • 8. a carnivorous vine or orchid
  • 9. a classical statue
  • 10. an octopus or jellyfish

(optional)

Even weirder, it is made of...

  • 1. purple slime mould
  • 2. mother-of-pearl
  • 3. a kind of bendcrystal
  • 4. rusty gears and nails
  • 5. kinetic or sonic energy
  • 6. golden light
  • 7. acidic flesh
  • 8. smoking coals
  • 9. solidified nightmares
  • 10. sinew and eyeballs

And it is looking for...

  • 1. shelter from the weather
  • 2. victims to drain of their psychic energy
  • 3. blood, the younger the better
  • 4. a carrion to drag back to its pups
  • 5. a player character’s liver
  • 6. a portal back to its world
  • 7. release from its miserable life
  • 8. a moment of peace and beauty
  • 9. gold and gems
  • 10. the soul of a deceased friend

11.11. Strange Planes

Dimension hopping via sorcery, portals, or weird machines is a theme in a lot of the sword & sorcery Black Sword Hack seeks to emulate. You may want to run whole sessions in some strange hell, or just have the characters break into a warlock’s private world by mistake. Here are a couple of tables to inspire you.

11.11.1. Where Does the Portal Lead?

1. One day into your own past. What will you change?
2. To a desert world where might makes right and writing is forbidden
3. To a new continent bearing the remains of a past civilisation
4. In the middle of a battle, having to pick a side pretty damn fast
5. On another planet and in the bodies of some of its denizens
6. In the kitchen of the world’s most secure fortress
7. In the middle of a demon prince’s sacrificial wedding
8. In the dream of a Great Old One. You’e better be gone when it wakes
9. In a collapsed underground city. Full of riches, angry spirits, and undead guards
10. In a far future dominated by clockwork automatons

11. In a world that will die in just one day. Enough to save it or find a way home
12. In a military camp just before it is raided by an unknown enemy
13. On a prison planet guarded by three-eyed lizard folk
14. Inside a pentagram, surrounded by dumbfounded cultists
15. On the bridge of a sailing ship heading for a black hole in the sky
16. In a seemingly infinite library. Assist the librarian so they can help you go home
17. In an underwater city under attack by intelligent jellyfish
18. Inside the belly of a beast that already swallowed a city
19. Inside another world’s moon, home to an insectoid civilisation
20. In the palace of a dying Chaos lord

11.11.2. What Do You Need to Get Back?

1. A ritual tattooed on the back of a penitent knight
2. A key hidden in a grimoire protected by ancient magic
3. A pelt made from the hide of a hellhound
4. A runic weapon held by a Champion of Balance
5. There is no way to go back. You must travel to another world
6. To have a specific prayer written all over your body with the blood of a priest
7. A piece of music played by a talented musician
8. A deck of tarot cards willingly given to you by a demon
9. An oath to save a specific individual
10. A time travel ritual so you can stop yourself from going in the first place
11. Only a young child can open the portal. They are worshipped as a god
12. To destroy a crown that once belonged to an immortal queen

11.12. Names By Origin

You can choose one of these for each of your nations (and write its name so you won’t forget). We’ve included the real world origin for each list; you can look for more names online if all the characters in the list die before the world ends. For the nations one or more characters are from, you should of course choose with your players.

11.12.1. (Manx) Nation: ____________

Coobragh, Otes, Mylchreest, Austeyn, Gawne, Dolen, Otnel, Connaghyn, Burscogh, Sayle, Hugen, Aystogh, Cubbon, Nessa, Cretney, Bahee, Huchon, Ainle, Crebbin, Ratyn, Margaid, Parre, Lathom, Moirrey

11.12.2. (Samoan) Nation: ____________

Iakopo, Asiata, Lotulelei, Akeakami, Leapai, Ioelu, Fuima Papani, Mataio, Pelesa, Rangi, Latu, Savea, Ofo, Lofi po, Tupuasa, Malaitai, Telila, Kenese, Fili, Etena, Leniu, Malie, Fanene, Tava’esina, Arihi, Tilo, Niu

11.12.3. (Norwegian) Nation: ____________

Roe, Backe, Torbjørn, Dahl, Oddmund, Treschow, Nored, Geir, Fjelde, Kai, Stava, Steenrod, Gjermund, Aarhus, Overbey, Kile, Eline, Kvam, Torhild, Aalberg, Balke, Ungeborg, Solbakyen, Varvik, Skogstad, Fiske

11.12.4. (Oromo) Nation: ____________

Bilisummaa, Caaltu, Dinqisee, Nabira, Elellaan, Faaya, Faantoli, Sifi , Dawwi, Filan, Ayyantu, Ibsaa, Gammadaa, Firomsaa, Galgaloo, Eba, Keeysan, Demiksa, Caala, Bultum, Fileera, Saartu, Bilisse, Lelise, Lalistu, Bohaarsa, Iree, Salbaan, Birraasaa

11.12.5. (Basque) Nation: ____________

Etcheberry, Hirigoyen, Elissalde, Garigorta, Urrutia, Errazu, Chipirenna, Inarra-Iraegui, Hiriart, Salaberry, Eneko, Ibanarte, Ameztoy, Jauriberry, Mizquiroz, Harosteguy, Bernaola, Ciluaga, Fullaondo, Ondarza, Rosagaray, Tellaburu, Zubiagirre

11.12.6. (Mongol) Nation: ____________

Agar, Rina, Arslan, Suren, Bayan, Sanaa, Ganbaatar, Gantulga, Khulan, Naragerel, Munkhtsgtseg, Dölgöö, Chingis, Bilgüün, Oghul, Gÿük, Chuluunbat, Zorigt, Amarjagal, Chinzorig, Togtokh, Gongor, Dorjsuren, Altai, Oidov, Gombojav

11.12.7. (Made up fantasy) Nation: ____________

Bh’osh, Arheash, D’heig, Glaetrul-Obefi th, Wwolhieh, Svel’fi os, Zelhoh, Org’shidloftha, Sshorfi lla, Uhyat, Ltaukr’dord, Ylisvalf, Grobrelf, Vbrifilr, Esgorman, Öerkmeg, Khirkirnhuk, Hyasaungo

11.12.8. A.K.A...

Adding a nickname on the fly to an NPC, either during the game or when creating your adventure, is an easy way to come up with ideas for developing and interpreting them, or to give them an unexpected backstory. Nickname lists are easy to make.

The Graceless, Two beards, the Killing Machine, Blue Belly, the Moon Child, the Giggling Killer, the Unwise,Starwatcher, Cruddy, the Inflexible, Many Tongues, the Duteous, the Questionable, Bad Fortune, the Half Great, He Who Listens, the Barbarous, No Horse, the Silent Devourer, Smallpox, the Night Beast, the Skullmonger, Godslayer, the Chewer, She Who Dances For No One, the Shadow Maker, the Painful, the Pale Sinner, the Greenish, One Tooth, the Absurdist, the Chronicler, the Unscrupulous, Demonbane, the Indomitable, the Pain Dealer, Wülf Hair, the Silver Squirrel, the Purple Usurper, the Slavemaker, the Sceptic, the Uncrowned, the Dark Rambler, the Soulless, the Golden, the Unafraid, the Creaky Marauder, the Eternal Loser, the Subjugator, Non-Dead, the Star King, the Inscrutable, the Glatisant, Three Eyes, the Walking Dread, Kingmaker, the Holy Mumbler, He Who Loves The Dead, Dogface, the Rationalist, the Ethereal Cannibal, The Wind Wanderer, She Who Comes From Below...


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