Introduction

The Gods.

The Great God RA has left us. Tired of the squabbling of his children, the lesser gods, and his people, the mortals, he has retired to a higher place to contemplate what might be. RA himself no longer involves himself in the day to day dealings of the gods or the mortals, but a part of him remains, watching, returning each day as the Sun to keep an eye on things. At night though he rests and those things that might fear RA’s burning gaze venture forth.

The Pantheon used in this game is: Atum/RA, Geb, Isis, Nut, Osiris, Nephthys, Seth, Shu, and Tefnut as the major gods. Anubis, Bast, Bes, Hapi, Hathor, Horus, Khonsu, Monthu, Nefertem, Neith, Ptah, Renenutet, Sekhmet, Serket, Seshat, Sobek, Thoth and Upuat as the lesser gods. (27 gods in all, 3x3x3) There are plenty of other candidates for inclusion if you wanted over the classical three kingdoms. Egyptian mythology was very dynamic and adaptive.

There are plenty of sources for what happened next on the web, the following is a very quick synopsis of the story line to set up this world’s scenario.

The two brothers Osiris and Seth (or Set) vied for dominance of the divine court, with Osiris winning. Seth plotted to kill his brother, and twice managed to do so, the last time carving Osiris body into 14 parts and scattering them across the world. Each time however Isis restored her husband back to life. Osiris then confronted Seth and banished him from the Court. Seth has since then wandered the burning deserts and fermented rebellion amongst the other gods and plots to slay his brother yet again.

In Aegyptvs the gods are real, and can have a real world effect. They are forbidden to actually physically appear on the mortal plane, but they can affect the broader elements such as the weather. They can also appear in the form of an Avatar, a mortal possessed by a part of a divine being and manifesting some, but not all, of their powers.

The Recent History Of Aegyptvs.

Until the time when Seth was banished, the kingdom of Aegyptvs was one, the Pharaoh ruling from the White Walled City of Memphis in the Lower Kingdom. Only occasional external threats posed any disruption to the Kingdom. Kushite fanatics from the south, Numidian and Libyan raiders from the west, Phoenician pirates from the north east. Occasionally an invader might come from the kingdoms to the north east but the desert and power of the kingdom had been enough to counter these.

Fifty years ago Seth began his plans to over throw Osiris and ordered his priesthood to move to the city of Thebes in the Upper Kingdom. Here they undermined the local government and eventually managed to get a governor who was a faithful servant of Seth. At this time he rebelled from the Pharaoh in Memphis and installed himself as a new Pharaoh under the protection of Seth. The old kingdom was effectively split in two between the two major cities of Memphis and Thebes.

The Pharaoh in the north at the time was a weak ruler, and rather than raise an army and smash the upstart he allowed advisors to sway his thoughts and attempted to negotiate the situation. This only strengthened the rebels position and allowed him to secure control of many of the upper cities. To make matters worse several more independently minded governors between the two Pharaohs seized the chance to declare themselves free of the control of either ruler.

Since then the situation has stalemated into a status quo. Neither side has been willing to commit to an expensive war of invasion that would involve defeating the larger free cities between the two nations, and then the opponents army itself. Surprise is almost impossible. To make matters worse the split nation has attracted increased activity from historical enemies, Kush in the south and the Phoenicians in the north.

In the mean time new enemies have emerged to the far north that may soon be a problem. The warlike states of the Hittites and the Horse Princes of the Mitanni have arisen and are quickly expanding their borders. Hopefully they will expand into each other before they become an issue for Aegyptvs.

The Current State Of Affairs.

Ramases VII rules in the north from his capital in Memphis. A generation of weak advisers, undermined by Sethian gold, has resulted in a weak and corrupt bureaucracy, unable to and unwilling to challenge the southern breakaway state, let alone the rebel cities. The Pharaoh is middle aged and reportedly of ill health. He also has only 2 daughters, no male heirs.

Rakmanaset II, The Iron Pharaoh, rules in Thebes, terrorising his people through his ruthless and dark theocracy. No one dares to challenge the avatar of Seth or his dark priests. He has begun to build an army and has made the decision to invade the north. He has sent emissaries to the Hittites and the Mitanni to open contacts with them in the hope they may be of some use. He also sends gold to the Libyans and the Numidians to incite them to raid the north. The only thing he may not be able to control is the Kushites to his south, but they are currently shattered and fighting an internal war.

The Rebel Cities: Amarna, Asyut and Abydos, along with the lesser cities nearby, continue to claim neutrality, but even they can see the writing on the wall. They have begun looking at the possibility of forming a Middle Kingdom to thwart any threat from the two major states. The chances of this happening however depend very strongly on the Dwarves of Atard and Gworn joining with the other cities in a united front. This isn’t very likely at this stage.

The Dwarven Cities Of Atard And Gworn.

The dwarves have always lived mostly apart from the humans, and mostly in their two great cities of Atard and Gworn. Protected from the ebb and flow of politics on the Nile due to their location, they have remained in peace for over 1000 years. They have dug deeper and deeper into the rock and created cities that are the stuff of legends, even if they aren’t all that appealing to the human senses. Closely aligned and respectful of the Pharaohs of the past they have always been free to decide their own fate.

In the current situation they have strongly maintained their position of neutrality, although underneath they oppose Seth and his Iron Pharaoh. Approaches from the rebel cities are heard but the chances of the dwarves being drawn into a war with two other kingdoms are small.

The Elves And The Ashrak.

The elves have always been small in their numbers and with no central body or home city that stands as the leadership of their race. Elves are loosely scattered over most of Aegyptvs and the surrounding lands and pose no threat militarily. What they do have is influence, elves are not only a very long lived race, they are a very rich race, both in gold and knowledge and influence. Every court of every land has a few elves present as advisors. Every major city has a small but powerful group of elvish merchants. And everywhere people tend to listen to the words of the elves.

The Ashrak are nomads of the deserts and wildlands, shunned by most humans as barbarians and savages. They dislike cities and the close proximity they require, instead seeking the open lands and the wind and sky, free to be whatever they chose to be. What they are good at however is war. Ashrak mercenary companies are much sort after by people who want the best soldiers money can buy. They are notoriously loyal but also notoriously brutal. Because of this they are feared and admired, depending on which end of their attention you are at. Normally the Ashrak are small in numbers, the vast majority of their people remaining out in the desert lands. The looming scent of war however has drawn larger numbers of them into the Nile kingdoms, numbers that might influence the result of battle.

The Surrounding Peoples.

Aegyptvs is surrounded by hostile peoples who envy the fertile lands and the constant source of clean water that is the Nile. To the south are the Kush, a race of humans who worship a single god (monotheistic) called Garm. The followers of Garm want only wealth and worldly possessions, greed is good. They are fanatical about it and every hundred years they tend to sweep north out of their lands and into the Upper Kingdom, looting and pillaging as they go. Most of the other times they are fighting internal wars amongst themselves.

To the west are the desert races of the Numidians and the Libyans. The Numidians survive in the deep desert and worship a form of Isis and believe in the mythical Unseen Valley of Isis and its promises of paradise on earth. The Libyans reside more along the coastal areas. Both races are hardened nomadic tribal peoples, well adapted to the desert and its challenges. They have no central government or binding identity, at best minor warlords achieve short periods of dominance of some portions of the peoples and lead them to raid Aegyptvs for pillage.

To the east is Arabia and another tribal nomadic desert race, the Arabs. These people are very spread out and rarely pose a threat to the kingdom of the Nile. They are however a good source of exotic trade goods from further east.

North east are the lands of the Phoenicians, actually more the cities of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians are a maritime people, expert sailors and supreme traders. They arrived from unknown lands some 500 years ago and invaded all along the coastline of the Great Sea. Where they landed within the kingdom of the Nile they were resisted and retreated back to their ships. Elsewhere they stayed and founded great cities. Carthage, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and Biblos are all Phoenician cities. The Phoenicians are a rich people and their cities reflect this. Since their initial landings they have rarely taken any interest in war unless there was an easy profit to be made. The Phoenicians have no single king, each city is ruled by a local lord. When required however the cities will all support each other.

The Distant Kingdoms.

The Hittites: a warrior race who appeared from central modern day Turkey. The Hittites have conquered as they expanded and now control an empire of considerable size. They presently reach down to the city of Ugarit, which they conquered some 5 years ago. Since then they have come into contact with the Horse Princes and an uneasy détente has resulted. The Hittites have discovered the secret of working iron, something only the dwarves used to be able to do. This has given them a strong technological advantage over their enemies who still use bronze.

Horse Princes of the Mitanni: another warrior race descended from the horse nomads of the asian steppes. They swept into the region (Mesopotamia) some 50 years ago and captured and founded several cities, particularly Aleppo and Carchemish. The Horse Princes are not a unified nation, consisting of several princes each ruling a city or region. They come together for defence and attack purposes. They are famed horsemen, but to a large extent still continue using the chariot as the favoured means of battle for the nobility. They do have cavalry forces, and particularly have a fair quantity of Scythian horse archers in their service.

Lydia: a greek state based around the capital of Lydia. One of the early kings of Lydia was the legendary Midas (of the Midas touch), and because of this Lydia is very rich in gold. Lydia has a powerful military machine, including a noble cavalry arm with armoured horses, but they are not overly expansionistic. This could change with the right King of course.

Crete: another greek based civilisation (although one could argue that the Greeks are Cretan based). Cretan civilisation is highly evolved and their scholars are amongst the best in the known worlds. Their capital, Knossos, is a marvel to behold and the Great Maze of the Minotaur is legendary.

Greeks (Ionians): on the mainland of Greece are three growing city states, Sparta, Athens and Thebes. At this time in the history they are nothing like what they eventually become, but they are a source of good infantry.

Syracuse: this city state was built by Greeks and for the most part can be considered to be greek, but they have absorbed a fair amount of local, Carthaginian and Roman culture to become a true cosmopolitan city. They trade heavily with Carthage and the two cities prosper because of it.

Babylon: a rising power in the far east is the city of Babylon, sitting between the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris River. It is famous for its Hanging Gardens. Babylonians are excellent archers and powerful chariots.

Assyria: another rising power in the east, based around the cities of Azzur and Ninevah. The Assyrians are a very aggressive race and their god Ashur is a powerful wargod.

The Eye Lords: also called the Slaver Lords, these monstrosities are based around their City of the Eye, but many of them have founded smaller enclaves, such as on Cyprus and the Slaver cities of Famagusta and Episkopi. Eye Lords are totally inhuman. They are a giant mollusc with a huge central eye,and tentacles, living in a giant oyster shell. The are mostly immobile and require access to sea water to survive, but some of them manage to move around quite a bit. All Eye Lords are powerful arcane casters. Eye Lords are able to dominate the minds of humans if given enough time and turn them into obedient slaves, hence their reputation.

People And Places Of Interest.

The Great Pyramid of Ra: legend says that RA built the first pyramid as a place he could rest at when on the mortal plane. Since he has removed himself the pyramid remains unused. Nobody has seen the Great Pyramid, but everyone knows it is out there, far into the desert, somewhere. And it is full of treasures.

The Unseen Valley of Isis: paradise on earth is what Isis was said to have created, but only for the truly devoted. A valley of perfect weather, unlimited water and supremely fertile soil. They only problem is that nobody has seen it for quite some time, not since the gods left the physical world. Legends says there is a key however for whomever is able to find it.

The Drahg: a race of dragon headed humanoids who live around the Drahg Mord, a large volcano to the far south west. The Drahg are fire based creatures and abhor water, it is said that lava runs in their veins rather than blood. They worship RA alone.

The Ssra: a race of snake people, some say the first creations of Seth. They are evil personified. They have a city out in the desert to the south west. The Ssra are large creatures, when fully matured they are 3-4 times the size of a man, and it is said they are able to swallow a man whole. They are also feared arcane casters and priests of Seth.

Sarat: a free city of refuge for slaves on the run.

The 6 sacred oasis of the Sahara – Siwa, Natrun, Bahariya, Dakhla, Kharga and Dunqul.

The Cities of the Levant: running north up the coast from Aegyptvs are a string of mostly Phoenician cities, beginning with Gaza and ending with Ugarit. Of these Tyre and Sidon are the largest and most powerful. With the exception of Ugarit, which is now controlled by the Hittites, each of the cities is a free state with a local ruler.

The Desert.

The desert is everywhere, even whilst standing in the waters of the Nile itself the sands of the desert will blow in on the wind to remind you of its all pervading presence.

On the map the areas coloured yellow are all desert areas, or more to the point, areas of little water. Deserts come in many forms, from sandy dunes to rocky mountains, but they all have one thing in common - a lack of water - and (in this region) severe heat during the day.

A few races have evolved, or learned, to survive in the desert. The Ashrak spend most of their life in the desert and are well suited to it. Other peoples, Numidians, Libyans, Nubians and Arabs have learned to live with the desert, adopting nomadic life styles. The average Aegyptian however would quickly perish in the hostile environment. Special rules for the desert are included later, but it is strongly suggested that all characters take some Survival skill.

The desert is not meant to be an overwhelming hurdle for players, particularly as they will be adventuring into it quite regularly. It is however a tool the GM can use to remind the players of the world they are living in, and the types of characters that are most suited for it. Good role playing will dictate that your characters should have some skill with handling the desert and the heat. Although I will include rules for somewhat random effects of the desert a GM should feel free to use them or NOT use them as the situation and story warrants.

One area that can be often be deliberately overlooked is transporting water. If the story doesn’t require the detail of whether the players have enough camels to carry all that water then don’t do it. If the players make reasonable efforts to provide themselves with food and water then let it go in the interests of playability. If you want them to die of dehydration, well that is another matter…

Starting The Game

Survival is a big part of the game, be sure to take some level in the skill.

Bronze and Bone is the technology level, iron is rare. Because bronze is the base line, all values from the Core Rules will apply to that material. Iron and Steel gain bonuses to reflect their benefits, see later.

The Races.

There are a few non-human races available to chose from in Aegyptvs, as follows:

Dwarves

Dwarves are tough, short and hardworking. They are the favoured of the god Geb, whom most of them worship. They are the most populous of the non-human races but most of them can be found in the two cities of Gworn and Atard.

Natural Low Light vision

Slow, Dwarves have a Pace of 5”.

Tough: Dwarves begin with Vigor d6 instead of d4.

Elemental: Dwarves are aligned with Earth and thus opposed by Air. They have natural 2pts of protection vs any damage based on elemental earth, and likewise a vulnerability of +2 pts to any damage inflicted by elemental Air.

Craft: Dwarves have an affinity for stone and begin with Knowledge(Craft-Construction) d4.

Elves

Elves are said to be the favoured of Isis, and a large percentage of elves worship either Isis or her sister Nephthys. Elves are generally slighter of build than humans but nearly always considered attractive and well spoken.

Agile: Elves begin with Agility d6 instead of d4.

Good Looking: Elves begin with +1 Charisma.

Gifted Talkers: Elves begin with Knowledge(Diplomacy) d4.

Delicate: Elves are not built for battle and suffer -1 Toughness due to their slight build.

Craft: elves have an affinity for wood and begin with Knowledge(Craft-Wood) d4.

Ashrak

The Ashrak are the favoured of Anubis and worship him almost without exception. They have jackal like heads on a human body and prefer the freedom of the desert life to that of the cloistered cities.

Big: Ashrak are Size 1, and thus get +1 to Toughness. Because of this all clothing type items (armour) need to be modified for them at an extra expense of 33%.

Fearsome: they gain +1 to any intimidation rolls.

Outsiders: most other cultures consider them to be brutal and savage, giving them -2 Charisma when dealing with any other race.

Strong: they are very muscular, Ashrak begin with ST d6 instead of d4.

Monks.

Monks are a priest/warrior class. They may take AB-Miracles if they wish. They are a warrior class primarily who abstain from personal wealth, but this doesn’t stop them having personal possessions of considerable value. Being a monk is not an edge pick, you just have to qualify at game start.

Req: AG d6, ST d6, SP d6, VG d6.

Gain: Two Fisted (Fists only), Martial Artist, School (+1 Tough or +1 Parry), Vow of Poverty.

Vow of Poverty: the monk can only possess items they can carry, and money sufficient to pay for food and shelter, the rest must be passed to the nearest priesthood.

Monks can do two fists attacks at ST damage, or one Foot attack at ST+1d4 damage.

Monks gain extra damage as they progress in ranks:

Seasoned(20): Fists ST Feet ST+d6

Veteran: Fists ST+d4 Feet ST+d6

Heroic(60): Fists ST+d4 Feet ST+d8

Legendary(80): Fists ST+d6 Feet ST+d8

Faith

Everyone starts with d4 Faith in one selected god.

Faith is very important to the game world, so don’t overlook it. Faith has an important role in this game, especially in the later region of the game as the players will be interacting with the Gods and agents of the gods quite a bit. One of them eventually becomes an avatar of their god. So even if you do not have an AB(Miracles) it is worth having Faith. There is also an edge that requires it.

Option: FAITH - Reason to have and use!!!

· A round praying will boost your courage - Faith roll, success and raises @+1 to Guts rolls for short time (5 rds).

· Fail a Guts roll, pray while you flee, result adds to NEXT rounds Guts check.

· Donations of 500gp (can be accumulated) along with a successful Faith test vs 4, will give special Guts markers, treated as bennies for Guts rolls.

· Same type of benny can be used to reroll a item treasure roll if you dont like it. No guarantees here, is simply a straight reroll.

Flaws And Passions:

Flaws and Passions can be gained during game play, either at the request of the player or imposed by the GM. They can be bought off by bennies remaining at the end of a session (minor=5 bennies, major=10), as long as some attempt to correct the problem has been made during that session. Bennies used to buy off flaws can be accumulated from session to session.

Successful play of a Flaw can result in the award of bennies. It should hinder your in game play.

Passions can be Hates or Loves.

Passions can be used to incite your character to greater efforts and should target fairly specific areas.

To incite a Passion the player must spend a benny and then they gain +2 to one area of play, a particular skill, related to the Passion and its target. If the bonus is applied to a combat skill it only works for a few rolls. If applied to a non-combat skill use the GM should allow it to apply over a single event.

A Passion is a two edged sword, the GM may incite your Passion against you, you may elect to cancel this with a benny or play it out. In this case successful play may result in a benny reward.

Social Classes:

Players must belong to one of the following social classes, but also need to qualify. By default you are a commoner.

Skills:

To encourage dispersal of skills (taking note that there are a number of extra skills listed below), when you takes skills as a “level up” option you get:

Players gain 3 skill points.

To gain a new skill costs only 1 skill point. To take a new skill you need a trainer or a significant successful experience related to that skill sometime in the recent past.

[Optional] Players may spend a month with a trainer and qualify for a fourth skill point in a specific area the next time they take SKILLS as a level-up option. You may only have one of these banked at a time. This costs (target dice value) x $100.

Everyone begins illiterate, anyone above a commoner social level must take literacy as a skill. Those not of this level can chose to take literacy or can take an extra 1 skill point instead of it. Basically you begin with 16 skill points and Literacy costs 1.

Extra Skills:

The following extra skills are available in the game.

Knowledge (Craft-?)(SM) - making everyday items, broad areas. All craft skills come with the following implied abilities: Make, Repair, Collect, Knowledge. These implied abilities only apply when the appropriate resources (tools, shops, workers) are available, essentially a downtime function. During adventures, for example, the Repair skill becomes primary and the Craft(repair) can be used to modify that roll.

Wood – using wood and associated materials, carpentry, forestry, fletching etc

Metal – using metals and associated materials, mining, smithing etc.

Food – ability to cook and forage, slaughter and grow crops.

Tailor – using plants and animal products to make materials

Construction – masonry, engineering, basic architecture.

Utility – anything not covered in one of the other skills.

Knowledge(Trade)(SM) – ability to Trade and make profits. Trade in this case is 'big picture' trade. Buying and selling loot is generally still done via the Streetwise skill, unless it is in commercial quantities.

Knowledge (Diplomacy)(SM) - dealing with others at a political level (big picture stuff). For normal inter-action still use Persuasion etc.

Knowledge (Devices)(SM) – applies to some magical items, golems and mechanical devices such as locks. This skill can be used to supplement other rolls to manipulate devices such as locks. Eg a mechanical lock you wish to pick, can make a Know(Device) roll to understand the lock (+1 for success and raises), then a Stealth roll to pick it.

Knowledge (Dreams)(SP) - interpretation of dreams. Players may spend a benny at the start of any event that allows for sleep and have a Dream, which needs to be interpreted.

Knowledge(Battles)(SM) – skill in generalship, large scale tactical and strategic command.

Knowledge(Local)(SM) – pick a home city, everyone gains this for free at starting SM or SP level.

Common Knowledge(SM) - a common knowledge roll is allowed for everyday Religion based knowledge. Everyone in this period is considered to have a basic understanding of their common religions.

Modified Edges & Skills

Champion

Does not require AB(Miracles).

Command

You are able to re-distribute non-joker initiative cards with anyone you have a common bond with. All Command edges apply to players.

Guts

Players will gain +1 to Guts rolls for each Rank they have.

If the player gains a raise on their guts roll vs a creature with a Fear effect they will gain +1 to hit for the remainder of the encounter, as long as they act heroically and does not retreat in anyway.

Animals/Horses:

Animals abound, the beast master feat would not be wasted. Mounted combat is not uncommon.

Horses were a new feature of Egyptian culture at this time, being imported from Mesopotamia, who were getting them from steppe nomads (where the Mitanni came from). The Egyptians didn’t develop the techniques required to ride a horse for quite a while, and persisted with light chariots (partly due to prestige and social standing). That doesn’t mean that mounted warriors can’t exist, they would just be uncommon. To reflect this I have raised the penalty for mounted combat as follows.

Mounted combat is at -4/-2, chariots at -2/0 (missiles/melee).

Two feats can be used to cancel these penalties: Steady Handswill remove a straight –2 from all penalties, Born in the Saddle will remove –2 from all mounted penalties (not chariots).

Horses may be made to attack as long as a normal move is used.

An untrained mount requires a riding roll at –2 and uses Fighting d4 to do STR+1 normally.

A trained warhorse would improve on those skills to d6 or d8 and STR+2.

When a skill roll is made whilst riding a mount (including chariots) use the LOWEST of Riding/Driving skill or the chosen skill. The rider may chose to ignore this limitation but would then be required to make a Riding/Driving roll before making the selected skill roll.

Untrained horses will flee if uncontrolled by a driver /rider and it feels threatened. Move them their normal move instantly, away from the biggest threat. On further actions they run away as if panicked.

Trained horses will instead make an immediate move away but then hold position unless seriously threatened again.

Chariots.

There are various types of chariots based on nationality, but they all have some similiarities.

Light Chariots: room for 2 max, each person over 1 causes -1 to driving rolls and pace. Base pace of 9.

Heavy Chariots: room for 4 max (human sized), each person over 2 causes –1 to driving rolls and pace. Base pace of 7.

The horse team counts as one target based on a single horse, but counts as a WC for wounds only (no wild dice). Any wound modifiers applying to the team also apply to any driving rolls.

All Chariots gain the Trample feat for their driver.

2 Horse Team: team has +2 Toughness (based on a single horse) and does ST(d12)+d4 damage.

4 Horse team: base pace of heavy chariots improved by 2 (to 9). Pace of Light Chariots does not decrease for crew, but handling penalties still apply for crew over 1. Team gets +3 Toughness and does ST(d12)+d8 damage.

The following is a list of chariot types by nationality.

Egyptian: 2H Light

Kushite: 2 or 4H Light

Libyan: 2 or 4H Light

Carthage: 2 or 4H Light or Heavy

Syrian, Hittite or Mitanni: 2H Light or Heavy

Babylonian/Assyrian: 2 or 4H Light or Heavy

Chariots provide Light Cover (-1) except from the rear.

Because chariots may have multiple characters taking actions they may need to co-ordinate their initiative properly so they can all act at the appropriate times, but they don’t have to.

Characters on a chariot cannot melee through their front due to the horse team. They must come alongside a target.

A 2 horse chariot is 2(front)x3 squares in size on the map, with the crew located in the back row.

A 4 horse chariot is 3(front)x4 squares in size and the crew can be located in any of the 2 back rows.

A chariots horse team can be used to attack if they are trained for battle (see p97 of core rules and Trample edge in these rules). Treat them as a single unit that does extra damage as noted above.

Chariots have two types of attack modes, Charging and Tactical. When charging they use the Trample rules where possible. At other times they do single attacks like other creatures, but using the drivers skill.

A chariot may attack (Trample) anyone it comes into contact with along its front edge (not diagonal). If the contact occurs on the same movement point (all are in contact at the same time) then one attack is rolled and individual damage (like a sweep attack).

Chariots are very poor vehicles in rough terrain (-2), or difficult terrain (-4). If they are charging over such terrain increase the penalty another 2 (-4 and -6). These Driving roll penalties also slow the chariots Pace by half the amount of the penalty (-1 and -2). Steep slopes, rocky ground, very soft sand (as opposed to compacted sand) or marshes are impassable. They are really only meant for nice flat ground, but in the interests of playability you should allow them some plausible disbelief. Particularly for Light Chariots.

Chariot Movement.

Because chariots are multi-square figures on the tabletop it isn’t always easy to work out how to move them. To simplify things a chariot can use either the Turning Template or a Large (for Light chariots) or Medium (for Heavy chariots) Blast Template during a normal move.

The Turning Template allows the chariot to move its full distance (7-9 inches).

The Blast Template assumes the chariot is changing directions. Place the template at right angles against any part of the chariots base except the rear, then place the chariot anywhere completely within the template, facing in any direction.

When charging or running the chariot always uses the Turning Template and is limited to one 45 degree turn.

A second 45 degree turn can be attempted but this requires a Handling roll, with light chariots at –2 and heavy chariots at –4. You must move at least 3 inches between the two turns.

Chariot Attacks

Chariots attack using normal melee methods or by using a Charge.

Normal attacks are what a chariot does when not charging obviously, and can only be made through the front edge of the horse team. Anyone adjacent to the front edge may be attacked, using the drivers Driving skill at -2 (-4 if untrained). A single roll is made and individual damage rolls (as per a sweep).

A Charge attack uses Tramples and the following:

• A Charge attack will give +4 damage.
• The chariot must comply with the requirements of a charge (must move at least 6 inches straight using the turning template) and still moves a normal move (charging shows intent, not extra movement speed. If you want to move further then run and take the -2). It must use ALL of its movement.
• Any figure it comes into contact with along its front edge will be Trample attacked, and needs to be run over or knocked back to allow continued movement. If the target remains standing then the Chariot must make a handling roll to bypass it, with the targets size applied as a negative (so large creatures are nasty). The larger of the two keeps possession of the square, the other is moved aside (ties to target). A (Size+1) handling penalty is applied for each such passed roll (representing the increasing instability of the chariots move).
• If the target is run over or knocked back, or the Out-of-Control roll is passed, then the chariot continues along its path. It continues moving and attacking until it fails a handling roll and crashes, or it reaches the end of its movement.
• The next turn the chariot may continue its charge, keeping its status markers from previous rounds. In this case it doesnt have to fulfill the 6 inches straight ahead move required for a charge as it is continuing one it had before. It is still restricted to the Turning Template for movement. The chariot may stop the charge and revert to tactical mode, removing all markers.

Attacking a Chariot.

Normal combat against a chariot consists of moving adjacent to an appropriate part, depending on whether you want to attack the team or the crew.

When standing to receive a charge you generally will want to attack the team, otherwise it may ride over you before you come within range of the crew (depending on Reach).

The Chariot team counts as a single target with WC wounds. A shaken result causes a Out-of-Control roll. Each raise inflicts a 'wound' on the team, as well as a critical hit roll (consult the Critical Hit Table). On the 4th wound the team and the chariot are wrecked.

Scythed Blades.

Chariots can be equipped with scythed blades on the hubs of their wheels. These have to be made of iron or steel as bronze is too weak to withstand the forces applied. To attack with scythed blades you must have the Ride-by-Attack edge. You cannot combine any other action with a scythe attack.

Scythed blades allow you to attack anything that is in contact with the side of your chariot during a Charge.

Npc Characters

Lackeys and hangers on abound but are not overly important, they tend to have poor morale and poor skills. Accordingly the following rules can be used for them.

Each group of 4 lackeys counts as a Bunch, they have WC like wound levels and suffer wound penalties as appropriate, but they do not get a wild dice.

They generally will have a Fight d6 skill and only one attack for the whole group.

They gain +2 to hit single targets (gang up bonuses, target has no allies adjacent).

They do STR +1d6 damage. They have their normal toughness. They can be intimidated as a target.

Benny Uses.

Benny's can be used for all the normal things listed in the rules, plus the following extra uses.

• Have a Dream if sleep is possible.
• Re-roll a result
• Soak a wound
• To play extra adventure card
• To swap an adventure card during play
• To reroll a randomised treasure roll.
• To add an extra power to a newly found magical RELIC!
• To bind a RELIC! item to you and access the first power
• To access a new RELIC! power.
• To establish a relationship
• To incite a Passion
• To modify one word on an adventure card
• 2 bennies to draw a new adventure card (which gives you an extra play as well).
• 3 bennies to draw your choice of an adventure card (non-treasure)(and an extra play
• 2 bennies to draw any card from discard pile and play it (non-treasure) Card is then removed for rest of session
• Add +1d6 to a roll BEFORE rolling.
• Recharge a power storing device from your own power.

Languages

The following languages are used: Egyptian, Phoenician, Syrian, Greek, Southern (Kushite/Nubian), Hittite, Arabian, Dwarf, Elf, Eastern (Babylonian, Assyrian).

Everyone gets their SM/2 points in languages for free, each language taken costs 2 pts for spoken, 3 points for spoken and written (must be literate). You get your own language spoken free.

Two Weapon Use

The basic penalty for two weapon use is –2/ –4 (prime hand/off hand). Two feats modify this.

Ambidextrous cancels 0/2, making it -2/-2 penalty.

Two Fisted cancels 2/2, making it 0/-2.

The two feats together fully cancel the penalty.

Rich & Filthy Rich

Those who are Rich or better (or want to be) need to manage their wealth, and may lose it. Each month (or each session if you prefer) get them to roll on the following table.

Modifiers that can be applied:

War (1-3), Weather (1-2), Disasters (1-4), Politics (1-3), Illness (1-2), Targeted by an enemy (1-3) Away a lot (-1 per week), City as base of operations (+or- upto 1).

Trade Goods modifiers,

--Quantity: starts at -4, each goods added reduces this by 1, not above 0 tho.

--Quality: the quality modifier is applied for each goods (accum)

Merchant feat adds +2, Master Merchant +4.

Roll: Know(Trade) + (any Craft roll/4), plus or minus mods.

Any fumbles in either roll count as -2.

Your base investment is the amount of income you receive each month on a permanent basis.

• <-3: Total Fumble - no income, Base investment reduced to 40% of original.
• -3: Fumble - no income, Base investment reduced to 50%
• -2: Fumble - no income, Base investment reduced to 60%
• -1: Monthly income: *0.2, Base investment reduced to 70%
• 0: Monthly income: *0.4, Base investment reduced to 80%
• 1: Monthly income: *0.6, Base investment reduced to 90%
• 2-3: Monthly income: *0.8
• 4-7: Normal Amount:
• 8-11: Monthly income: *1.2
• 12-15: Monthly income: *1.4
• 16-19: Monthly income: *1.6, Base investment increased to 110%, Opt: have attained Rich?
• 20-23: Monthly income: *1.8, Base investment increased to 120%
• 24+: Monthly income: *2, Base investment increased to 130%, Opt: have attained Very Rich?

Iron And Steel, Magic.

Bronze is actually not that bad a metal to use, it is only when you start making steel that it falls behind. Raw iron is actually worse than bronze and it wasnt until iron was improved into steel that it became useful. Never the less I am assuming for this game that Iron is poor steel, and Steel is better steel, and that both of them are better than bronze.

Iron weapons give +1 damage, and ¾ wt (not cumulative). Iron is rare.

Steel weapons give +1 to hit and +1 damage, and ½ wt (not cumulative). Steel is very rare.

Magical enchantment add to an existing weapon +1 or +2 to hit and +1 or +2 damage, and variable wt mod (none of which are cumulative with iron or steel, take the best).

The cost of Iron items will generally be x4, of Steel items x8.

Finding Stuff And Shopping.

To buy things takes time (a week) and effort, mainly a Streetwise skill roll vs 4, but you can also use a Craft skill to locate materials relevant to your craft. You can use Common Knowledge for Common materials.

All items will be rated as follows:

Common 0 1d6+1 allotments

Uncommon +2 1d3+1 allotments

Rare +4 1 allotment

Very Rare +8 1 allotment

A magical item +2 extra 1 allotment

So each week anyone with Streetwise may search for one type of item (common, uncommon etc). They should have a list of items ahead of time to match the possible number that can be generated. Multiples of the same item are possible.

Multiple people can co-operate to achieve a result.

Some places may be better than others when it comes to finding stuff. The city of Tyre is a major merchantile hub for the entire region and GMs may allow +2 to the above finding roll in such a city. On the contrary, some cities are remote or poor and may suffer a negative, such as Thebes due to the political situation there.

Combat Knock-Back Option

Instead of a Shaken/Wound result a creature may elect to knockback a creature (and thus do no damage). The number of squares the enemy is knocked back is equal to:

1 + Wounds + Attackers Size – Targets Size

The target may make an AG roll if not shaken or surprised, with each success and raise reducing the knockback one square.

Humans are size zero, other creatures size values are noted in the Monsters listing.

If the target is knocked back at least one square they are marked as Shaken (but no wound occurs if already Shaken).

If forced over an edge they get a ST/AG vs (4+remainder of squares) roll to fall prone instead. If they hit an immovable object before completing their knockback then each remaining square inflicts a Shaken result which WILL convert into wounds. If they hit an object that can be burst through then they may roll to do so (ST+size vs armour), on a success they suffer one Shaken and continue moving.

Such forced moves do NOT trigger opportunity attacks.

Avatars

The gods can no longer visit the mortal world, but they can manifest themselves in other ways. One option is to have a follower die and pass into the world of the dead. Here the god infuses their divinity into the spirit of the dead person and then returns them to life. The mortal awakens with some of the powers of a god, vastly stronger than they were before.

There is a draw back to this, if the avatar is slain then the god is also slain. A god may withdraw their divine presence from the subject at anytime, taking one whole action to do so. A god may only ever have one avatar at a time.

When a character becomes an avatar they gain the following:

v All traits improve one dice type.

v One extra trait improves another dice type.

v Prot vs Damage(all weapons) -4.

v An extra edge pick

v Immunity to Poison and Disease.

v +2 to all survival rolls.

v Double lifespan.

v Gain +2 Parry

v Gain +2 Toughness

v Gain +2 to Notice rolls

v Gain +2 to Stun recovery rolls.

v Gain +2 Charisma

v Gain +2 to Pace

The Desert

If the GM feels the players have been exerting themselves whilst in the desert you may call for the players to make a Survival roll at the start of any encounter. The target for this roll is 4 normally, 6 if it is very hot, 8 if it is blisteringly hot (or you can use the values in the Weather tables later). If they fail the roll they suffer 1 level of FAT. If they critically fail it they suffer 2 levels of FAT.

During any melee in the desert, any time a character uses a non-picture card Club for their actual initiative, they must begin their action by making a Survival roll. A failed roll causes Shaken, and a critically failed roll causes a FAT level. This is done after Shaken recovery. This does not result in a wound.

Wearing ANY armour in the desert has a debilitating effect on you. The amount of the effect is the same as the bonus you get from the armour. So a breastplate that gives +3 toughness gives –3 to your survival rolls. Some armour is designed for use in the desert, or may be magically enhanced to negate its penalties.

Plate armour in particular gives -3 for the breastplate and another -1 for each of the greaves and vambraces and helmet, for a total of -6.

Other factors can influence this roll at the discretion of the GM. Some edges help to mitigate the effects, as do some spells.