Swords & Sorcery[Genres]
Swords & SorceryAs a swords & sorcery player, expect a somewhat rawer “low fantasy” feel to the game. You and your fellow PCs are probably some variety of warrior, and magic (“sorcery”) is usually a corrupting force generally in the hands of NPCs, especially sinister villains—it's more of a threat than a reliable tool for heroes. If you do choose to explore magic, you can expect it to take longer to pull off and for its effects to be less overt.
You'll face the aforementioned evil sorcerers and dark cults made up mostly of other humans, but with the occasional monstrous creature and sorcery-summoned demon thrown in. In a swords & sorcery adventure, you may have to rely more on yourself than on the good will of gods (who are mostly immoral, with little regard for humans). Rewards can include treasures like those found in dungeon fantasy games, but often include the simple satisfaction of saving the day and perhaps the adoration of those you liberated.
If you've read or watched Conan novels or movies or are familiar with Elric of Melniboné, you have a sense of the swords & sorcery genre.
Refer to the Fantasy Skills table for a list of skills you can choose from when creating and advancing your character. Your choice of background skill, and possibly the extra skill you might get if you also choose a meaningful inability, also come from the same list of genre skills.
Swords & sorcery settings usually feature mostly Humans in the role of heroes.
The list of suggested swords & sorcery foci is more restricted than the larger list of dungeon fantasy foci given that “low fantasy” settings are ones where magic is typically less pervasive. Perhaps other foci are also available in your game, but possibly only after your character has somehow proven themselves or unlocked a more overtly magical possibility through gameplay.
Swords & sorcery is a heroic genre reflected not only in the kinds of adventures your character will experience, but also in how magic in the hands of your character is more difficult to wield; however, your ability to recover from wounds is equal to or better than characters in any other genre.
Your character's ability to withstand wounds directly reinforces the theme that individual toughness and resilience, rather than powerful spells, are your best weapons against dark forces.]
| Controls Beasts | Doesn't Do Much | Entertains | Explores |
| Fights Dirty | Fights Unarmed | Fights With Panache | Howls at the Moon |
| Hunts | Infiltrates | Leads | Masters Weaponry |
| Moves Like the Wind | Never Says Die | Performs Feats of Strength | Sneaks Through the Shadows |
| Tends to the Wounded | Masters Weaponry | Moves Like the Wind | Never Says Die |
| Performs Feats of Strength | Sneaks Through the Shadows | Tends to the Wounded |
Refer to your type's suggested equipment bundle or the Fantasy Equipment table for equipment you can choose from when creating your character and for options that might be available to your character when you have more currency to spend.
These cyphers are usually in the form of herbs, charms, and tattoos.
Treatment to remove a wound in a swords & sorcery setting takes one minute for a minor wound, ten minutes for a moderate wound, and one hour for a major wound.
The currency underlying price categories in a swords & sorcery setting usually features coinages minted from various valuable metals, including silver, copper, and gold.
Each type includes suggestions for your character's background. Choose one or create your own.
At tier 3, your fantasy character gains a mid-tier ability from the list of Fantasy Genre Abilities, and at tier 6 you gain a high-tier ability from the same list. In addition, at tier 6, you can replace one of your mid-tier genre abilities with a different mid-tier ability. See that section for additional stipulations that might affect your fantasy genre ability choice.
| Archer |
| Axe Fighter |
| Barbarian |
| Knife Fighter |
| Priest |
| Sorcerer |
| Sword Fighter |
| Thief |
| Two-Weapon Fighter |
| Witch |
Before choosing a type, create yourcore character, which (as a quick reminder) grants the following.