The Witcher Pen & Paper RPG

by Cody Pondsmith

  low on coin or don’t have a choice.

  Cheap Inn Room

  Real cheap inn room still won’t have

  a lock, but it probably won’t have a

  corpse under the bed or a stash of

  fisstech waitin’ for pick-up by the

  local thugs.

  Average Inn Room

  Standard fare, heh. Lock on the

  door, pil ow on the bed, and even a

  Name

  Time

  Skill Base

  basin for washin’ your face. Proba-

  Chroniclers are treated as having

  bly won’t find an inn room this good

  a Fine Art skill base of 15 and

  Critical Wounds

  anywhere but a city, though.

  Chronicler

  Varied

  can create tapestries and written

  For every critical wound a pa-

  manuscripts.

  tient has sustained, add to the

  Quality Inn Room

  Craftsman are treated as having

  Quality’s hard to come by in a war,

  doctor’s price as follows:

  a Crafting or Alchemy skill base

  but you can still find it in the South

  Craftsman

  1d4 Days

  • Simple (10 crowns)

  of 15, depending on which they

  or round the cities that haven’t been

  • Difficult (25 crowns)

  specialize in.

  beseiged. Nice feather bed, fancy

  • Complex (50 crowns)

  curtains, and a pretty high-quality

  Doctor

  1 Day

  Doctors are treated as having a

  Healing Hands skill base of 15.

  • Deadly (100 crowns)

  lock.

  Entertainment

  Varied

  Bards are treated as having a

  High Class Inn Room

  Performance skill base of 15.

  Won’t find these except in the big

  cities and capitals. Real y fancy

  Fence

  1d4 Days Fences are treated as having a

  Business skill base of 15.

  Crafting Gear

  rooms with silk bedclothes and bot-

  tles of wine and such. Never been in

  Hirelings are treated as having

  For a craftsman to craft from a

  one, but I hear it’s like bein’ royalty.

  Hireling

  Varied

  an Athletics skill base of 15 and

  diagram for you, you must pay

  a Physique skill base of 15.

  the cost of the item rather than

  Stabling

  Investigator

  1d6 Days Investigators are treated as hav-

  the flat rate of repair.

  Ya gotta keep your horse somewhere

  ing a Streetwise skill base of 15.

  while ya rest for the night. Trust me.

  Lawyers are treated as having an

  Left my donkey in a field one time

  Lawyer

  1d6 Days Education skill base of 15 and a

  while I got twenty winks in an inn.

  Persuasion skill base of 15.

  Still haven’t found the thing.

  Messengers are treated as having

  Paying a Fence

  Messenger

  Varied

  a Wilderness Survival skill base

  A fence sel s all the items you

  of 15.

  give them, but keeps 1/4 of

  Average prostitutes are treated

  what they sell them for in pay-

  Prostitute

  Varied

  as having a Seduction skill base

  of 15.

  ment.

  98

  99

  Magic in the World Elven Magic

  of the Witcher

  In my class on the Coloni-

  zation of the North I am of-

  ten asked if there is different

  magic for elves and humans.

  Yes there is, but elvish magic

  is very rarely seen these days

  “Remember,” she repeated, “magic is Chaos, Art and Science. It is

  except in the enclaves of Dol

  a curse, a blessing and progress. It all depends on who uses magic,

  Blathanna and Brokilon. The

  elves taught the Exiles who ar-

  how they use it, and to what purpose. And magic is everywhere. All

  rived 1000 years after the Con-

  around us. Easily accessible.”

  junction of the Spheres how to

  use what was at that time a

  –Andrzej Sapkowski, Blood of Elves

  wild magic, but we believe that

  they did not teach them elvish

  magic. Sources, those who

  are born with the ability to

  manipulate magic, are more

  common among humans

  than elves. Many of the elvish

  mages were probably lost dur-

  Magic is a profoundly dangerous art as young mages, since it is easy to draw and

  ing the Aelirenn Rebellion and

  no young elves are being born

  well as a well-researched and documented reasonably easy to control.

  to replace them.

  science. Ever since the Conjunction of the

  –Brandon of Oxenfurt

  Spheres, certain people have been born all The Magical Population

  over the globe who are capable of tapping Most of the magical population is born with into magic and bending it to their will to magical potential, but only enough to per-some degree.

  form perhaps a single magical feat such as

  As any mage will tell you, the fun- oneiromancy and the like. These folk can

  damental power that a mage wields is a force learn to use their minimal talent over time

  referred to as “Primal Chaos.” It is drawn but are never able to reach beyond it.

  from the four elemental planes that encircle

  A minuscule fraction of that popu-

  the globe. Each plane’s form of chaos has its lation is born with the capability to become

  own personality. Earth magic is easily ac- full-fledged mages. These people are sent to

  cessible but not a very efficient transmitter magical academies such as Aretuza or Ban

  of energy. It requires a lot of work to sum- Ard, where they are taught how to utilize

  mon earth magic, but the power it holds is their power before it becomes dangerous to

  immense. Air magic is fickle and difficult them and their neighbors.

  to control. Accessing it is easy, but grabbing

  There is still a third population:

  hold of enough of it to cast a spell can be mages refer to those as “sources.” Sources are

  difficult, and a certain intuition is required. a special case, born with tremendous, unsta-Fire magic is the most destructive and cha- ble magical potential. Sources must learn at otic of the elements. It is easy to summon an academy or druid circle, or be tutored by

  and provides power quickly. Unfortunately, a mage. If they fail to get the proper training, young or inexperience mages often have a more often than not the power drives them

  difficult time halting the flow of fire magic mad. They become drooling, sputtering lu-and overload their bodies with dramatic ef- natics plagued by visions and bursting with

  fects. Water magic is considered the easiest uncontrolled magic.

  to learn and is often the introduction for

  100

  The Dangers Of Magic

  and dangerously ambitious sorceresses. The

  “Vigor”

  While sources are the most dangerous of side effect, of course, is that most sorceresses

  mages, all forms of magic carry a
risk. The are self-serving and only interested in their

  Vigor is an intangible meas-

  urement of how much cha-

  fundamentals of casting spel s, rituals, and own gain.

  os you can channel through

  the like require a mage to not only draw en-

  Young men in the North are sent to

  your body at any one time.

  ergy from another realm, but to use their the school of Ban Ard, in Kaedwen, where

  Exceeding that amont has

  own body as a conduit for the spel . This they train in a less rigorous environment.

  disastrous results.

  can be catastrophic for untrained mages, Students of Ban Ard are allowed to wander

  and even veteran mages who are foolish—or the streets of the city, drink, whore, and par-

  Shameless

  desperate enough—to overexert themselves. take in most other pursuits of young men in

  Nordlings

  A mage who has drawn too much Kaedwen. However, this lack of discipline

  Often times when Nilfgaard-

  magic through their body suffers excruciat- and focus tends to result in sorcerers who

  ian mages meet Northern

  ing pain (and often side effects) as the magic are far less effective than the sorceresses of mages, they are amazed and

  bleeds out of them. Earth magic rocks the Aretuza. For many years the two schools

  shocked by the shameless

  earth around the mage and locks up their have held magical competitions, and unsur-

  flaunting and self-serving na-

  joints, temporarily immobilizing them. Air prisingly the sorceresses of Aretuza always

  ture of their Northern coun-

  magic explodes out of the mage, throwing won.

  terparts.

  them from their feet. Fire magic ignites the

  In Nilfgaard, however, the story is

  mage into a pyre of colored flame, and wa- very different. In the vast expanse that is

  Brandon And The

  ter magic begins to freeze the mage, causing now Nilfgaard there used to be a few dif-

  Fire Mage

  ice crystals to form on skin and clothing. ferent magical academies across the various

  I have mentioned before that I

  Mixed-element magic blows out unpredict- countries. However, with Nilfgaard’s infa-

  do not often keep the company

  ably, though one element always comes to mous mistrust of mages, all of these schools

  of mages, especialy mages who

  the forefront.

  were torn down and consolidated into the

  specialize in manipulating

  School of Gweision Haul, on the Alba near

  fire. I believe that the average

  the capital.

  mage has a poor appraisal of

  Training A Mage

  Gweision Haul is the largest mag-

  his or her control over the ele-

  If you’ve been born with enough magic to ical academy on the continent, housing

  ments, which are powers great

  qualify as a “mage” you must train your over 10,000 students at a time from all over

  enough to form the world. I

  was once threatened by a fire

  skil s, assuming you don’t want to wind up Nilfgaard, both human and elven. Terms at

  mage named Criznon of Riv-

  a gibbering wreck or a magical time bomb. Gweision Haul are mandatory and anyone

  ia when I suggested the elven

  Luckily, three institutions exist to tend to the found to have magic is sent there as soon as magic tome he had recovered

  young and magical. In the Northern King- they are discovered. Living conditions are

  was a fraud. As I continued

  doms, the Schools of Ban Ard and Aretuza utilitarian and sparse, often more like a pris-

  to talk I could sense him pul-

  stand as the primary educators of young on than a school, and the hal s are patrolled

  ing flames into himself, but I

  mages.

  by Nilfgaardian mage hunters. Nilfgaardian

  am not one to back down on

  Young women gifted with the power mages are not only taught how to control

  a matter of scholarship. I con-

  are sent to Aretuza on the island of Thanedd. their powers, they are also taught humility.

  tinued to question his training,

  There they are sequestered away and taught They’re constantly reminded that they serve

  abilities, and parentage as

  people moved away from me.

  the intricacies of magic and casting spel s the Emperor, and their magic is a tool for

  Eventualy while waiting for

  properly. Aretuza is tough, and many re- the Empire to use as it sees fit.

  me to take a breath so that he

  strictions are placed on the girls who attend

  might shout some appropriate

  it. Sorceresses aren’t allowed to leave the

  “Ah ha!” he exploded into a

  school until they complete their training,

  screaming pilar of fire. When

  and every girl who enters Aretuza is magi-

  you reach for the easiest form

  cal y sterilized to keep her from giving birth

  of power it’s easy to lose sight of

  to unstable magical children. Their isolation

  your actual abilities.

  and rigorous training creates highly skilled

  –Brandon of Oxenfurt

  101

  Mage Spells

  Mages primarily use a style of magic

  called spells. Spells are a complex bind-

  ing of magic which takes energy from

  an elemental source and channel it into

  a magical effect which can range from

  tremendously complex, such as storms

  of fire and tsunamis, to incredibly sim-

  ple, such as lighting candles and creat-

  ing mist.

  Spel s require great skill and con-

  centration to perform, and thus only a

  small percentage of magic users can cast

  them. Magic users can rarely attain this

  level of skill and concentration with-

  out training at one of the magic schools

  around the world. A skilled mage can cast

  spel s very quickly and often.

  Though casting high-level spel s

  is risky, smaller spel s become a daily

  part of a mage’s life, from dressing in the

  morning to cooking meals.

  Spells

  Mixed Element

  Some of the spel s listed here

  Mixed Element

  Earth

  Air

  Fire

  Water

  are impossible without the

  Novice Spells

  invocation of at least two ele-

  Afan’s Mirror

  Cenl y Graig

  Adenydd

  Aenye

  Carys’ Hail

  ments. These spel s are consid-

  Blinding Dust

  Codi Bywyd

  Air Pocket

  Aine Verseos

  Control Water

  ered mixed element, meaning

  Dispel

  Diagnostic Spel

  Bronwyn’s Gust

  Brand of Fire

  Curse of Sedna

  that they draw power from

  Glamour

  Earthen Spike

  Freshen Air

  Cadfan’s Grasp

  Dormyn’s Fog

  multiple elements.

  Magic Compass

  Korath’s Breath

  Urien’s Shelter

  Magic Flare

  Downpour

  Mind Man
ipulation

  Luthien’s Quil

  Static Storm

  Raise Flames

  Ice Slick

  Magic Ranges

  Summon Staff

  Magic Healing

  Telekinesis

  Tanio Ilchar

  Puro Dwr

  Telepathy

  Talfryn’s Prison

  Zephyr

  Wave of Fire

  Rhewi

  You’ll find that the ranges of

  Journeyman Spells

  most spel s are very short com-

  pared to the greater reach of

  Eilhart’s Technique

  Elgan’s Theory

  Alzur’s Thunder

  Demetia’s Crest Surge

  Anialwch

  crossbows and other ranged

  Illusion

  Rhwystr Graig

  Gwynt Troelli

  Flaming Vortex

  Merigold’s Hailstorm

  weapons. This is because con-

  Teleportation

  Stammelford’s Earthquake

  Suffocate

  Seirff Haul

  Waves of the Naglfar

  taining the power required to

  Master Spells

  cast a spell at greater ranges is

  Mental Command

  Polymorphism

  Dervish

  Fire From the Sky

  Part Water

  very difficult. Mages in combat

  Standing Portal

  Transmutation

  Lightning Storm

  Mirror Effect

  Tryferi Gaeaf

  tend to be similar to grena-

  diers: great power but shorter

  range.

  102

  Novice Spells

  Earth Spells

  Mixed Element

  Magic Compass

  Codi Bywyd

  For the purposes of magic,

  STA Cost: 3

  STA Cost: 2

  earth is used as a catch-all term

  Afan’s Mirror

  Effect: Magic Compass allows Effect: Codi Bywyd can grow a

  STA Cost: 3

  you to instantly determine the di- small plant from seed to maturi-

  for both the mineral form of

  Effect: Created by the talented rection to a place you have been ty in one turn. This allows you to earth and also natural and liv-Aedirnian mage Afan of Gulet, before. Alternately, the spell tel s grow herbs and alchemical plants, ing things such as plants and

  Afan’s mirror creates 1d10 il usory which direction is north.

  but not larger plants such as trees.

  copies of the caster. These copies Range: Self

  Range: 4m

  animals.

  are intangible, but indistinguisha- Duration: 1d6 Hours

  Duration: Immediate

  ble from the caster and controlled Defense: None