Ghost in the Attic is a non-system specific adventure written using the advice outline at Bard of Valiant in this post.

The characters are hired by a dealer in rare spices named Kasimir to protect him as he travels from one city to the next. His current inventory includes saffron, a rare variety of garlic, anetto seeds and paprika. He fears the bandits that would loot these from his corpse and feels he needs protection.

As the characters travel, they come across an empty farmhouse in the evening as its time to camp. It seems in bad repair but a storm is threatening and they will need shelter.The house has 3 rooms. A main room on the ground with a table and fireplace, a bedroom off this main room and an attic room reached by a ladder.

As the night wears on, eerie and creepy noises disturb their rest and make Kasimir edgy. He will want to brave the storm. Any wilderness savvy character will not want to do this. The storm will make travel nearly impossible and not worth the effort for the distance gained.

Near morning, the storm is still raging but weather wise PCs expect it to finally let up near noon. At this time, all characters should make a check as some of the noises aren’t caused by the storm any longer but by the undead haunting the cabin.

The family that lived here was slaughtered one dawn by raiders as they readied themselves to work the nearby fields.  Each morning, they manifest and attempt to protect the house. The characters will be seen by the undead as a threat and will be attacked. They are zombies so their sudden appearance at dawn will further surprise the players who had not found any undead in the house up to that point.

The family consisted of the farmer, his wife, their teenage son and 3 smaller children. These are very low level undead and this fight could drag on for some time. The undead never seem to die during the fight, any that are severely wounded in one blow will fall only to rise again a round or two later.

It’s up to the characters to realize they need to banish the family from the house instead of merely killing them. A ritual known by one of the characters with some kind of faith will do the trick. There are only 2 problems. 1) The ritual requires the use of a rare spice and the characters will need to convince the merchant to part with it. 2) The ritual is a long one and the party will need to keep the person conducting it undisturbed for the length of it.

The party can leave the house and leave the undead to haunt the place or they can conduct the ritual. The attic is the best place for the ritual as it’s easily defended. I’d give the party extra experience for dispelling the undead family from the house.

Race Elven

Stats High intelligence; decent dexterity and wisdom.

Skills Fighting in the dark, normal sized bludgeoning weapons, riding, miracles (clerical magic).

Background Constance’s mother betrayed an oath to her people by conceiving a child out of wedlock, even though married to a good man. To this day, all Constance knows about her father is that it isn’t the man who raised her. Her mother died on a raid when Constance was an adolescent and she then became a banshee as punsihment for breaking her oath of marraige.

Constance joined the party that killed the banshee and this was her first step on the path that taught her to kill undead and related creatures. She finds necromantic magic, whether or the gods or the colleges, to be the epitomy of evil. Recently her quest to destroy all the unliving has taken her into the human land of Kynafir.

Constance is haughty and snotty because her insecurities stem from these events. If her mother was so flawed, then Constance herself may be flawed but as an elf she’s still better than the rest of the sentient races. Because of this, Constance pays for the best of everything she can possibly afford.

Almost everyone deals in copper pennies or silvers for commerce. Swords and crowns are just not very common. But a penny might be in circulation for decades, it’s value dropping as people shave it or it wears down. Debased currency is extremely common and part of the Trading skill is knowing the real worth of the coin you carry.

The true value of coins can be determined by weight. All newly minted coin is 1/10th of a pound and as it wears down or is otherwise debased, the weight will drop. On average, real coins in circulation will weigh in at 12 to a pound instead of 10. (For those interested in history, notice 12 shillings to an English pound. This may be coincidence but maybe not.)

In the meantime, here are some average prices and wages in Kyanfir:

an ox               2 swords            bacon hog              6 silver
a sheep             2 silver            a goose                3 pennies
a duck              1 penny             10 eggs                1 penny
wheat, per bushel   2 swords            apples, per bushel     5 swords
onions, per bushel  1 sword             

loaf of bread       1 penny             pint gin               1 penny
2 pounds soap       3 pennies           quart of beer          4 pennies
pound of cheese     5 pennies           pound of butter        1 silver
dozen oranges       1 silver            1 pound perfume soap   1 silver
1 room, 1 week      2 silver            1 pound candles        3 silver
barrel of oysters   4 silver            bottle of claret       5 silver
pair of shoes       7 silver            bottle of champagne    8 silver
yard of lace        1 sword             pair of breeches       2 swords
anvil               2 swords            silver watch           1 crown
book, 100 pages     10 crowns           bonzai tree            20 crowns

craftsman, per day  4 pennies           housemaid, per year    5 swords
laborer, per day    1 silver            cook, per year         5 crowns
gardener, per yr    9 crowns

warhorse            80 crowns           riding horse           10 crowns
plate mail          16 crowns           fancy plate, graven    340 crowns
gold ring, diamonds 8 crowns            cloth of gold bed      100 crowns

Sources:
Food Costs 1272-1327
Cost of Living - 18th Century
Medieval Sourcebook: Medieval Price List

Description:

Ruben is the sheriff of Gantrick Point, a small hamlet a few days west of Sobra in Kynafir. He’s fairly intelligent and his best friend is the local priest of Ibrisi, Labrahs. Ruben has been decently educated and knows Iuze in addition to his native language of Hezrei and can read and write in both tongues. He considered entering the Church but chose to stay in Gantrick Point and care for his wife Colleen and daughter Branwen.

Ruben is often sought after by residents in other nearby villages if there’s trouble as his intellect and education are well respected. Recently, he’s worked with those people to try to form a militia to protect the area from bandits but has met with little success.

Currently his greatest hope is to be able to one day afford a shiny necklace for his wife.

Stats: Agility 5D, fighting 6D. Coordination 2D. Physique 4D. Intellect 5D. Acumen 2D, tracking3D. Charisma 5D.

INTRODUCTION

A jester is a madman and his actions are unpredictable, sometimes even to him. He is rash and wild and can be quite bizarre, even unsettling. He relies on surprise, blind luck and unusual tactics to escape danger and evade his enemies. Not all jesters are professional fools, though some are, but all are entertainers at their core. Jesters rarely stop talking or laughing, and regale those around them with tales of harrowing adventure or embarrassing failure and folly. A jester is always good for a rousing tale or jest (thus the name). Jesters thrive on being difficult to read, and work best when their opponents are hesitant and off-step.

Jesters tend to wear bright, gaudy clothing, and often put on airs, pretending to be something they’re not, even just for a few moments. This too serves to keep others off their guard. The man with a truly noble countenance, who was but a moment before conversing gently, suddenly turns abusive and starts cursing like a sailor. The simpleton in the dark corner of the bar suddenly opines with deep, philosophical ruminations. A jester always has just a touch of madness, and plays it to the hilt.

Role A jester’s role is hard to pin down. He is something of a jack-of-all-trades, having a degree of magical ability, a wide array of skills and a touch of martial competence. A jester is perfect for negotiating with hostile forces, since he can put them off their guard. In direct conflict, jesters work best behind the front line, hurling insults and spells at his foes.

REQUIREMENTS

To become a Jester, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria Agility: Acrobatics 2D, Agility: Contortion 2D, Agility: Melee 2D, Coordination: Sleight of Hand 2D, Charisma: Charm 2D, Charisma: Persuasion 2D, Acumen: Disguise 2D, Acumen: Gambling 2D and Extranormal: Magic. A Jester must also have enough disadvantageous personality quirks to add up to 3 points. Jesters in Kynafir are human or dwarven.

If a character fulfills these requirements, he can spend 11 character points to become a Jester. At that time, he gains access to the class abilities which he can purchase for the points listed for each.

CLASS ABILITIES

Funky Dodge (1) A jester can use his acrobatics skill instead of dodge or parry to defend against attacks.

Jester’s Luck (2): A jester can use his innate luck to affect the result of die rolls. He can add half his Charisma to the dice used for a roll. For example, a jester with 4D Charisma can add 2D to any die roll. A jester can use this ability once per day.

Taunt (4): A jester has the ability to temporarily rattle a target through the use of insults and goading. The target must have an Intellect of 2D or higher, must be within 30 feet of the jester, and must be able to hear and understand the jester. To taunt a target, the jester must use an entire round and make an Intimidation check opposed by the target’s mettle roll. If the Jester succeeds, the target becomes incoherent (unable to act, but can defend normally) for 1 round.

POINT COST 11

The place doesn’t really have a name, just being referred to as “the church on the coast” by most people in the area. As the only sacred building shared by the clerics of these two gods, it’s unique enough that everyone knows what and where it is.

Hunting and farming here are less than subsidence levels so most of the food comes from the sea. Since the Church isn’t a trade center and port, the fishing is done in small boats and they never go far from the shore. There is a small industry in herb and plant gathering here in both spring and fall, as several desert plants are valued by inhabitants of Kynafir for both medicinal resources and cooking.

Residents discourage travelers from trying to navigate the desert alone as bandits and raiders are common hazards in addition to the usual dangers of desert travel.

Inspiration
stock.xchng - Photo Source
University article on Desert Plants

Summary An evil minion of Islan Xanti has opened a portal to another realm. The portal is open consistently but within the week, the minion will be taking an artifact through it. It’s vital that the artifact isn’t removed from Valiant in order to be able to defeat Islan Xanti.

The sheriff of a local settlement has teamed up with someone else in order to close the portal. But this will take time and concentration and no one is available to retrieve the artifact from the evil minion. Enter the PCs.

Scene 1 The hamlet of Gantrick Point is small and the only place to stay is the Temple of Rotecki, a small stone structure. It’s evening when the PCs arrive. While they eat dinner, sheriff named Ruben, comes up and talks to them. He will convince them to help even if he needs to blackmail them by threatening to keep their horses unless they help. He gives them location of villain’s hideout. Ruben tells them they can get started in the morning.

Scene 2 In the morning, the PCs are on their way through the nearby forest.

Encounter A 2 Fire Beetles

Encounter B Spider’s nest: 1 Large Spider, 3 Medium Spiders. Spiders are up in the treetops and only attack if the PCs come within 5 feet of the trunk.

Scene 3 On the other side of the forest, is a small canyon. Partway into the canyon are exposed fossils and a fossil dig being guarded by 2 Goblin warriors. Loot: 2x padded armor, 2x short sword, 2x bedroll, 25 pennies, 6 silver, 8 swords, empty sack.

Scene 4 At the end of the canyon is a shelter. Near the shelter is a trapdoor spider.

Scene 5 Inside the shelter is a girl handcuffed and tied to a bench in the back corner. She is Branwen, the sheriff’s daughter, and in a misguided attempt to try to retrieve the item has been captured by the villain. Branwen: Grey Eyes, Long curly blonde hair, Cheap Clothes.

Bench Amphora of Good Wine(2cr), anvil, basket [2 sticks incense, aquamarine(30cr), bottle of wine(1sw)], clay tankard, flask of oil, lamp, hammer, manacles like those on Branwen, empty sack, small wooden box (empty), 3 pennies, 2 silver.

Crate 1 Branwen’s backpack [bottle of smoking, transparent, chunky liquid that is indigo in color. It smells and tastes like wax. {potion of remove fear}, bag of marbles, sling bullets (20), bedroll, cheap wig, 2 flasks oil, lantern, pair of dice, wood axe], buckler (AV3), longsword (2d2+4), small pouch (11 pennies, 5 silver, 5 swords).
Crate 2 bag of marbles, sack of wheat, firewood, hammer.
Crate 3 sling bullets (20), cask of oil, rope ladder.
Crate 4 folding cot, 14 iron bar.
Crate 5 firewood.

The artifact is hidden in a small hole in the floor under one of the crates.

Scene 6 Eanid arrives with 2 assassins. He is an absurdly cheerful wizard and seems happy to find someone to fight. Eanid is the man who is supposed to take the artifact through the portal to the God. Eanid: Blue Eyes, Long brown hair, Average Clothes. Loot: 5 spells (some used in combat), bedroll, scroll case, signet ring, small pouch with coin (3 crowns, 35 swords, 15 pennies), keyring. Assassin Loot: 2x bedroll, 2x dagger, pair of dice, 2x pouch of tobacco (5 silver ea), lockpicks, wood axe, coin: 2 crowns, 7 swords, 20 pennies.

Scene 7: At this point, Branwen will try to take the artifact and run off to the portal. She is actually working for the bad guys in secret. Her father doesn’t know and won’t believe anyone who tries to tell him.

Scene 8: If the PCs fail to rescue the sheriff’s daughter, Ruben will be an enemy of some sort afterwards and will not want them around any more.

INTRODUCTION

A bounty hunter hunts his prey for money, for glory, for fun or for more personal reasons. Whether or not the target lives depends entirely on the hire. Some employers want them back alive, some just want the target gone. The Bounty Hunter rarely cares which, as long as he gets paid. Boba Fett is a good example of a pragmatic bounty hunter.

REQUIREMENTS

To become a bounty hunter, a character must be a Ranger and fulfill all of the following criteria: Agility: Melee 4D with a specialization in an exotic weapon such a bola or net, Acumen: Tracking 4D, Intellect: Traps 7D. A bounty hunter must also have the disadvantages Infamy (2) and Prejudice (1). Bounty hunters perform a necessary task in society but few enjoy having them around. They must be human or dwarf.

If a character fulfills these requirements, he can spend 19 character points to become a Bounty Hunter. At that time, he gains access to the class abilities which he can purchase for the points listed for each.

CLASS ABILITIES

Known Quarry (4) A bounty hunter who knows his target or opponent is very effective in dealing with him. The bounty hunter receives a 4D bonus on all Bluff, Charm, Command, Intimidation and  Persuasion checks with respect to his target, and a 2D bonus on checks to track his target.

Limitation (-2) To achieve the bonus for Known Quarry, the bounty hunter must spend 3 of every 24 hours spent tracking the target doing interviews and other information gathering. Knowing the target’s name and appearance is not enough; the bounty hunter must know something of the quarry’s personal habits and background.

Quick Bind (4) A bounty hunter can bind a prone target with remarkable speed. He requires rope at least 10 feet in length and both hands free to do this; he must drop or stow any weapons or other objects he has in his hands before attempting a quick bind. Preparing the rope is considered to be part of the attempt.

A quick bind attempt takes the place of a normal attack, though he can make only one such attempt in a round. The target difficulty is at +5; if he tripped the target himself less than one round before, he gains a Wild Die bonus to the roll.

Smite Enemy (4) Twice per day, a bounty hunter can attempt to smite his favored enemy with one normal melee attack. He adds 2D as a bonus to his attack roll, and deals 2D extra points of damage , in addition to any other bonuses that normally apply.

POINT COST 19

INTRODUCTION

A strider is the ultimate woodsman, the perfect scout. His abilities revolve around wilderness travel and the senses. He relies on his senses to keep himself and his allies out of danger. Striders are Rangers who specialize in stealth, travel and exploration. In Valiant, many feel the lure of the old kingdom of Mano-Ade and the fabulous treasures left behind there. A few want to make their fortune but many feel the need to protect the area from glory seekers, feeling that whatever brought that mighty kingdom down is best left undisturbed.

REQUIREMENTS

In order to become a Strider, the character must first have selected Ranger, with that all the requirements and limitations involved in that. In addition, the character must have the following - Physique: Stamina 5D, Intellect: Scholar (nature) 6D, Acumen: Awareness: 5D and Acumen: Tracking 4D. He must also have the disadvantage Quirk: Paranoid (3). Striders can be of any race.

If a character fulfills these requirements, he can spend 30 character points to become a Strider. At that time, he gains access to the class abilities which he can purchase for the points listed for each.

CLASS ABILITIES

Ambush (0) A strider receives a 2D bonus to any attack roll made when the target is not aware of the strider’s presence.

Light Sleeper (1) A strider can make Listen checks even while asleep. If he hears a noise while asleep, he can choose to wake up as a free action.

Woodland Stride (2) A strider may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed, and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

Fast Movement (5) A strider’s land speed is faster that the norm for his race by +2 meters. This benefit applies only when he is wearing medium armor or lighter and not carrying a heavy load.

Endure Elements (7) A strider suffers no harm from being in a hot or cold environment. He can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make stamina checks. His equipment is not likewise protected. This ability does not provide any protection from fire or cold damage, nor does it protect against other environmental hazards such as smoke, lack of air, and so forth.

Scent (8) A strider’s sense of smell has become sensitive enough that he can detect opponents with it, to a range of 30 feet. If the opponent is upwind, the range is doubled. If it is downwind, the range is halved. Strong scents such as smoke or rotting garbage can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at three times these ranges. The strider can detect another creature’s presence but not its specific location but can use tracking with this ability.

POINT COST 30

Inspired by the Racial Variants for Rangers by Fifth Element Games. Portions of this post are governed by the OGL.

INTRODUCTION

Rangers are wilderness hunters. Rangers tend to be cunning and perceptive in addition to being skilled woodsmen. Archery is common to rangers  and sometimes they have access to miracles. Usually solitary, they are rarely found near populated settlements and often have pets for companionship. Grizzly Adams is an excellent example of a ranger.

REQUIREMENTS

To become a ranger, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria: Physique: Stamina 3D, Intellect: Scholar (nature) 4D, Acumen: Awareness: 3D. A ranger must also have the disadvantages Cultural Unfamiliarity (2) and Poverty (1)  due to his solitary nature. Rangers can be of any race.

If a character fulfills these requirements, he can spend 17 character points to become a Ranger. At that time, he gains access to the class abilities which he can purchase for the points listed for each.

Common Skills Lifting, Stamina, Crafting, Animal Handling, Healing, Stealth, Jumping, Scholar (geography), Scholar (nature), Awareness, Riding, Search, Marksmanship, Survival, Swimming, Trading, Traps.

CLASS ABILITIES

Favored Enemy (4) A ranger may select a sentient humanoid creature (beastmen, goblinoids, elves, etc.). The ranger gains a 2D bonus on Bluff, Awareness, Mettle, Search and Survival rolls when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, he gets a 2D bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.

Wild Empathy (2) A ranger can improve the attitude of an animal and get an extra wild die on all rolls involving animal attitudes. To use wild empathy, the ranger and the animal must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

Animal Companion (4) A ranger may tame an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, camel, dog, eagle, hawk, horse, owl, pony, snake or wolf. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the ranger on his adventures as appropriate for its kind. The companion is completely typical for its kind except that the ranger can choose to give a portion of his own character points to the animal to spend as experience for improvements.

POINT COST 17