GUARDIANS OF THE SHADOW FRONTIER

AUTHOR
Richard Woolcock

SYSTEM
Decades ago, a war of succession shattered the once prosperous kingdom of Khelia. As the violence Tricube Tales <

escalated, the rival factions drew upon increasingly dark and dangerous magic, unleashing terrible LICENSE
monsters upon the land. In the end, the would-be successors lay dead, their prize reduced to ruin. CC BY 3.0 <

With their lords gone, the surviving mages united under one banner, rebuilding the former kingdom STORY SYMBOLS
as a magocracy. The newly formed Arcane Order drove out the monsters and conjured a protective veil Delapouite and Lorc
Game-icons.net <
around the realm. Dark magic was outlawed, and a military force called the “guardians” was established
to protect the people from any monsters that managed to cross the veil. ILLUSTRATIONS
You are guardians, elite soldiers trained by the Arcane Order. The mages have tattooed your skin with Balázs Pirók
Ede László
magical sigils, transforming you into a living weapon, and you have sworn an oath to defend the realm. WWN Art Pack <

CHARACTER CREATION RESOLVING CHALLENGES MISSION OBJECTIVES

Each player creates a character as follows: If a player attempts something risky, they roll 1-3 Roll on the following tables to generate the latest
1. Choose a trait: Agile (used for reflexes, dexterity, six-sided dice and must equal or beat a difficulty mission (see the next page for examples):
stealth, and ranged combat), brawny (covers strength, of 4-6 on at least one die. Succeed on multiple dice The guardians need to...
vitality, athletics, and melee combat), or crafty (covers for an exceptional success (narrate an additional A Hunt down a threat D Protect a settlement
smarts, charm, alertness, and mental/social combat). benefit). Rolling “1” on all dice is a critical failure B Defend civilians E Examine a corpse
2 . Select a concept: Hunter, sentinel, beastmaster, (introduce a complication to the scene). C Investigate rumors F Resolve a dispute
seer, skirmisher, loremaster, or sapper. The GM picks a trait and assigns a difficulty of From somewhere in or near...
3. Pick a perk: Preternatural senses, superhuman 4-6 for each challenge (most should be difficulty A A small town D A cave or mine
physique, magical ability (describe it), enchanted 5). Combat challenges use effort tokens—remove B A river or pool E Rural farmlands
item (describe it), tactician, quick, or fearless. 1 effort token for each die that succeeds. C A forest region F The border/veil
4. Select a quirk: Brutal, chivalrous, vainglorious, Players usually roll 2 dice, but roll 3 dice if the While dealing with...
brooding, surly, jaded, or vengeful. challenge matches their trait. If a challenge falls A Frightened locals D An aggressive militia
5. Grab 3 karma tokens and 3 resolve tokens. completely outside the scope of their concept (e.g., B A traitor or turncoat E A personal grudge
6. Make up a name, and introduce yourself to the a hunter demolishing a bridge), they lose 1 die. C A plot or power play F A rogue sorcerer
group (e.g., “I’m Talren, a brawny sentinel who has
preternatural senses and is often rather surly”).
KARMA AND RESOLVE RUNNING THE GAME
Each player has 3 karma and 3 resolve. Spend 1 The GM should describe the opening scene, react
karma after rolling to reduce the difficulty by 1, if to the players’ decisions, and assign the traits and
you can justify how your perk helps you. Recover difficulties for challenges. Offer players karma in
1 karma if you increase the difficulty by 1 before return for complications based on their quirks!
rolling, narrating how your quirk hinders you. For combat encounters, assign the challenge 2-
If you use a quirk and succeed at the challenge, 3 effort tokens per player. The enemy is defeated
you may recover 1 resolve instead of 1 karma. when all their effort tokens have been removed.
For dangerous actions (such as combat), failure The players should make all the rolls, narrate
costs 1 resolve (or 2 on a critical failure). If a PC the outcome of their actions, and drive the story
runs out of resolve, they are eliminated from the forward whenever possible. They can also spend
scene—but death is primarily a narrative conceit, 1 karma to influence the story or discover a clue
and the PC usually returns later at full resolve. through their perk, at the GM’s discretion.
 OBJECTIVES DESTINATIONS COMPLICATIONS
Described here are examples of objectives for the Described here are example destinations for the Described here are example complications for the
mission generator (first table): mission generator (second table): mission generator (third table):

1. BIG TROUBLE 1. LONGPORT 1. LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS

A seventy-foot tall magma titan has recently been The larger settlements were destroyed during the A group of locals has decided to take matters into
sighted, spewing smoke and flame. Slay the giant war, but many villages and several smaller towns their own hands, but they are ill-equipped to face
before it reduces the nearby villages to ash! survived. Longport is a small town located on the a monster. They will only make things worse.
southern side of Longford Lake, a few miles from
2. HOUNDED the border—the northern half of the lake actually 2. QUISLING
A pack of hellhounds has been attacking anyone lies on the far side of the veil! A foolish villager tries to appease the monsters by
who strays beyond the safety of their village. selling out the guardians.
2. HIGHCREEK POOL
3. GHOSTLY SIGHTINGS A punchbowl waterfall fills this deep pool, and it 3. CONSPIRACY THEORY
There have been multiple sightings of a shadowy is a popular spot for swimming and fishing. Several villagers are plotting against the Arcane
figure with cruel eyes that glow like embers. Only Order. They claim the order orchestrated the war
magic can harm an incorporeal wraith—but that 3. LUMBER CAMP of succession as a power grab, using the monsters
includes a guardian’s sigil-enhanced attacks! A team of lumberjacks has unwittingly stumbled and veil to keep the common folk in line.
upon something dangerous while chopping down
4. REAP WHAT YOU SOW trees in the nearby forest. 4. MILITARY FORCE
Thick vines have sprouted up from the ground in Most villages have a small militia for day-to-day
a nearby settlement, tearing down buildings and 4. EASTSIDE CLAY PIT policing, but one elder has built a sizeable force.
crushing civilians. It sounds like a dark dryad or This deep quarry is a valuable source of clay, and She claims she can handle things herself, and she
some other twisted nature spirit is involved. the Arcane Order cannot afford any delays in the views the guardians as a threat to her authority.
extraction process.
5. RAVENOUS 5. CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER
A young man was recently found dead, his corpse 5. OAKLAND VILLAGE Someone has a grievance with the guardians and
partially devoured. If there are ghouls or zombies The inhabitants of this small farming village raise blames them for everything that goes wrong.
in the area, they must be found and destroyed. sheep, which graze in the nearby fields.
6. INSIDE JOB
6. WITCH HUNT 6. EDGE OF THE VEIL The evidence seems to suggest the monster didn’t
Two villagers are accusing each other of dabbling The veil is a roiling wall of black mist stretching come through the veil. Was it summoned? If so, the
in black magic, and there does seem to be a whiff up hundreds of feet into the air, confounding the sorcerer responsible for this heinous act must be
of sorcery involved—but who is the real culprit? senses of anyone who enters. hunted down and eliminated.

ADDING A TWIST TO THE STORY

For further inspiration, roll two dice on the table below and use the symbol as an improvisational prompt (you don’t need to interpret it literally). For example,
A A might indicate a magical portal, or an entrance or exit through the veil, while rolling C A could mean light, heat, literal or figurative illumination, a guide,
or a candle or open flame, and F B might represent a mine or quarry, a construction site, or workers.
AA AB AC AD AE AF BA BB BC BD BE BF CA CB CC CD CE CF DA DB DC DD DE DF EA EB EC ED EE EF FA FB FC FD FE FF