Your Class gives you unique skills and powerful abilities to face the harrowing challenges of the Broken World. Survivors must be skilled and adaptable, but no one person can do everything. Every Class has its strengths and weaknesses, but by working together, Survivors can overcome unimaginable threats they wouldn’t dare face alone.

Your choice of Class is one of the most important decisions you make. The Class Summary table offers a glimpse into the capabilities of each Class to help you get started.

At Level 3, you will choose from three unique subclasses that will dramatically alter your Survivor, granting you access to incredible new powers and abilities. Your choice will shape your Survivor’s identity and define how you make your mark on the Broken World.

The scattered and isolated Havens of the world have had to figure out many things for themselves, and are all very different. Your Haven might have different names for a Class, or the expectations of someone in that role could be very unusual. Feel free to change names and adapt the role of each Class to grow your Haven's story and make the Broken World your own!

SPENDING HIT DICE

The 5th Edition rules allow characters to spend Hit Dice when they rest to regain Hit Points. Broken Weave introduces a new way to spend Hit Dice. Certain Class features allow you to spend Hit Dice to trigger an effect or gain a benefit. For example, the Harrowed Harbinger’s Broken Paths feature allows them to spend 1 Hit Die to teleport to an unoccupied space within 60 feet. When an ability tells you to spend a Hit Die, you reduce your total Hit Dice by 1. Unless the feature says otherwise, you do not regain Hit Points when you spend a Hit Dice in this way.

WHAT ABOUT MULTICLASSING?

Instead of multiclassing, Broken Weave Classes provide customisation options for your Survivor, so that low-level characters are as exciting and diverse as higher-level characters. This includes higher starting Hit Points, gaining Talents regularly, and additional Actions for all Classes. Many Talents even let you gain some features of other Classes, allowing you to create a versatile Survivors who can adapt to a variety of situations.

Harrowed are shaped by their unique ability to absorb, manipulate, and resist Decay. Both a blessing and a curse, their gift allows them to access powers and use artefacts others can’t, but every time, they risk the terrible ravages of Decay. The cause of Harrowed gifts is not well understood: some are seemingly touched by Decay from birth or by a traumatic experience with a Monster or Arcane Artefact, while others have more mysterious origins and bear an indefinable quality that allows them to process Decay through their bodies as others cannot.

In a world of tragic heroes, the Harrowed are more doomed than most, as each one must face the same question: do you use your power to shape the world for your benefit or risk your body and soul to save others from Decay? This choice is often complicated by the community a Harrowed comes from. Many Havens view Harrowed with suspicion and believe them to be either carriers or the cause of Decay, while others may recognise the benefits their innate gifts can bring. At the most extreme, cults can spring up around powerful Harrowed, or they may be glorified as blessed martyrs. All this means that a Harrowed can find it hard to settle in one place and must always weigh the risks their powers bring to themself and the people they love.

Play a Harrowed if you want to:

• Understand and absorb Decay and utilise dangerous powers.
• Tread a fraught path between protecting yourself and saving others.
• Wield Decay to harm, to heal, and bring Hope.

PLAYING A HARROWED

Harrowed occupy an unusual place within the Broken World, and your Survivor is likely to have been shaped by the reactions others had to them. How did your gifts first manifest? If you came from another Haven, what events made you leave?

You can endure Decay to a greater extent than your allies, and you understand it on a visceral level. How does this manifest in your role within the Haven? Harrowed do not have clear roles as other Classes do, which means they often have a less certain place within the community. This means they can adapt as circumstances arise. Harrowed are often loners, living in a Haven but never really becoming part of the community, and instead preferring the company of a close-knit group of friends and family. Due to the stigma of being a Harrowed, they are likely to have numerous rivals and even enemies within their Haven.

Your goals might be focused on how to best use your gifts to benefit the Haven, or you might be on a quest to better understand your nature. Work with your GM to determine how much your Survivor knows about the origin of their Decay-touched nature and what mysteries you would like to explore through the game.

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Harrowed, first gain +1 Constitution and Proficiency in Forgotten Lore and Insight. Next, gain Proficiency with the Forgemade Longsword and Long-hafted Axe, as well as Actor’s Tools. Lastly, you have a hunting knife, a forgemade longsword, a reinforced shield, patchwork plate armour, and a survivor’s pack.


Class Features

As a Harrowed, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Harrowed can withstand the terrible effects of Decay, at least for a time. You gain +1 Constitution.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points at 1st Level: 20 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: Light Armour, Medium Armour, Shields
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, two Martial Weapons of your choice
• Tools: Any Tool of your choice
• Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma
• Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Deception, Forgotten Lore, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Local Lore, Natural Lore, Stealth

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• Any simple weapon.
• A martial weapon you are proficient with.
• A light crossbow with 20 bolts or a reinforced shield.
• Strongback leather armour or patchwork plate armour.
• A delver’s pack or a survivor’s pack.

EMBRACE ENTROPY

You can harness the corrupting influence of Decay to speed your body’s recovery. When you gain one or more points of Decay, you recover Hit Points equal to 1d10 + your Constitution Bonus (minimum 1). You can choose to fail a Decay Saving Throw to gain the benefits of this feature.

The Hit Points recovered increases to 2d10 at level 5, 3d10 at level 10, 4d10 at level 15, and 5d10 at level 20.

DELAY THE INEVITABLE

You can resist Decay’s effects, allowing you to endure its corrupting influence better than others. You add your Proficiency Bonus when making Decay Saving Throws. Additionally, your Lineage Curse affects you at a slower rate, meaning you can survive its effects for longer. Your Lineage Curse (see Lineage thread) progresses at the following rate:

• 1–4: Stage 1.
• 5–10: Stage 2.
• 11–14: Stage 3.
• 15: Final Stage. You are lost to Decay and become a Monster.

KINDRED SPIRITS

Your familiarity with the effects of Decay helps you recognise its signs. You have Advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Survival) Tests to gauge the Decay of a creature, location, or object and to identify and locate a source of Decay.

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

HARROWED’S MARK

At Level 3, you have been irrevocably marked by Decay. Choose a Harrowed’s Mark from Condemned, Harbinger, or Sovereign (see below). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.

• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.

• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.

• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

INURED TO DECAY

Also at 5th Level, you can better resist Decay’s malignant effects. You have Advantage on Decay Saving Throws and Resistance to Necrotic Damage.

SELF-SACRIFICE

At Level 9, you can draw Decay from the world, keeping your Haven and loved ones safe while sacrificing your own well-being. Whenever Decay would increase in your Haven and you are present, you can redirect the Decay to yourself. You gain the Decay instead of your Haven. Reduce the Decay you suffer by your Constitution Bonus, to a minimum of 1.

NOTHING LEFT TO FEAR

At Level 13, you have stared into the abyss and faced the darkness within, leaving you with nothing left to fear. You gain Immunity to Necrotic Damage and can’t be Frightened.

FALSE HOPE

Also at 13th Level, you can tap into the corrupting power of Decay to use its dark influence for good. As a Free Action, you can choose to suffer Decay to temporarily gain an equal amount of False Hope. False Hope is a personal resource that can be spent in the same manner as Hope (see page 130). You have one day to spend this False Hope, after which it dissipates.

HOLD BACK THE TIDE

At Level 17, you have learned to hold back Decay, at least for a time. Once per day as a Free Action, you can choose to become immune to the effects of Decay for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution Bonus. You can’t gain Decay in any way during this time, including from environmental effects, Monster abilities, or your Class features. Additionally, you can choose to ignore the effects of your Lineage Curse during this time.

Mark: Condemned

The Condemned know their time is limited and choose to sacrifice their bodies to save others. They hone their abilities to turn others’ Decay into healing power and can even purge Decay from their surroundings. However, this comes at a terrible cost to themselves.

PASS THE SENTENCE

When you choose this Mark at 3rd Level, you learn to redirect Decay’s influence, taking it upon yourself to spare others. Once per round, when a creature you can see within 30 feet would gain at least 1 Decay, you can redirect the Decay towards yourself. Make a Decay Saving Throw. On a success, you resist the Decay. On a failure, you gain the Decay instead. This can trigger your Embrace Entropy feature.

ABSOLUTION

Starting at Level 3, you have accepted your fate and made peace with what is to come. You exude a sense of calm, which bolsters your allies. Allies within 30 feet of you gain a bonus to Decay Saving Throws equal to your Constitution Bonus.

SIN EATER

At Level 7, you have learned to draw Decay from others like poison from a wound. Once per day, you can place your hand on an ally with at least 1 Decay. The target can reduce their Decay by an amount up to your Constitution Bonus. Your Decay increases by the same amount, which triggers your Embrace Entropy feature. Additionally, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to 1d10 × the Decay you gained.

STAY OF EXECUTION

At Level 11, you can withstand Decay’s effects even longer than other Harrowed. You double your Proficiency Bonus when making Decay Saving Throws, and your Lineage Curse affects you at an even slower rate. Your Lineage Curse now progresses at the rate shown below. If this change would cause your curse to recede a stage, this happens at the end of your next Long Rest.

• 1–5: Stage 1.
• 6–14: Stage 2.
• 15–19: Stage 3.
• 20: Final Stage. You are lost to Decay and become a Monster.

SLIP THE NOOSE

At Level 15, you can harness Decay to bring the recently deceased back from the dead. As an Action, choose a creature within 30 feet that has died within the last minute. The target returns to life with 1d10 Hit Points. Their Decay is set to 9, regardless of what it was before they died. This feature does not affect Monsters or creatures that died from succumbing to Decay.

DAMNATION

At Level 19, you can purge Decay at the cost of your own body. When you use your Hold Back the Tide feature, you can choose to reduce the Decay of a creature, location, or artefact within 30 feet. The target’s Decay is reduced by an amount up to your Constitution Bonus + your Proficiency Bonus. When the effect of your Hold Back the Tide features ends, you immediately suffer Decay equal to the amount you purged from the target. This feature has no effect on Monsters and Titans.

Mark: Harbinger

Harbingers turn Decay itself into a weapon and a shield. They stalk the Broken World under the shroud of Decay and even manipulate time and distance to teleport and shorten journeys. The most potent Harbingers can monumentally reshape the world, but doing so more than once obliterates them.

SCOURGE

When you choose this Mark at 3rd Level, you can channel the corrosive energy of Decay into your attacks. When you hit a creature with a Melee Attack, you can choose to deal additional Necrotic Damage equal to 1d10 + your Decay. This Damage increases to 2d10 + your Decay at Level 11.

You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Constitution Bonus, to a minimum of one. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest or gain one or more points of Decay.

SHROUD OF CORRUPTION

Starting at 3rd Level, the aura of Decay that surrounds you keeps you hidden from the gaze of corrupted creatures. Monsters have Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) Tests to notice you.

TWISTING LANDSCAPES

At Level 7, you can manipulate Decay to shorten or lengthen the distance between two locations. The GM rolls twice when determining how Decay affects the Distance of a Journey (see page 134). You choose which result they use.

BROKEN PATHS

At Level 11, you have learned to walk the spaces between, using Decay to reshape reality to connect two distant points. As an Action, you can spend 1 Hit Die to teleport to an unoccupied space within 60 feet. You can spend additional Hit Dice to extend the range of this feature, increasing the distance by 60 feet per Hit Die spent.

SHATTERED TIME

At Level 15, you can twist time as well as distance. You gain a bonus to Initiative Tests and Dexterity Saving Throws equal to your Decay. Additionally, when you use your Broken Paths feature to teleport, you can immediately take any Action as a Free Action.

REMAKE THE WORLD

At Level 19, you can harness Decay to change the very fabric of reality. As an Action, choose one of the following effects:

• Displace: You reshape the world, altering the landscape. You move one part of the Broken World to another location. You can use this to move a Haven anywhere else in the world, bring a location to you, alter the flow of a river, move a mountain, and so on. All creatures in the area are affected by this and are displaced along with their location.

• Stop Time: You freeze time for everyone but you. No time passes in the world, but you can act as normal for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution Bonus. If you physically interact with people or objects, they are pulled out of time as well and act as normal.

• Rewind Time: You can turn back time, undoing recent events. As an Action, you can rewind time a number of rounds equal to your Constitution Bonus.

• Other Effects: If you want to create another effect not listed, tell your GM what you wish to do, and they will tell you if it is feasible. This ability allows you to reshape space and time, not alter the physiology of creatures in the world. You can’t use it to kill, heal, or change living creatures.

You can only use this feature once without suffering repercussions. Decay overwhelms you utterly if you attempt to use this feature again. The chosen effect takes place, but your body is torn asunder, and your soul unravels. You immediately cease to be, and there is no memory of you ever existing.

Mark: Sovereign

The Sovereign is a Harrowed who exploits the Decay within living beings to manipulate and control them against their will. Powerful Sovereigns can build armies of enthralled creatures to fight for them, often to the horror of their companions. Worse still, they can pour Decay into creatures to increase their hold on their victims or transform them into Monsters.

DARK HEART

When you choose this Mark at Level 3, you can instinctually sense the darkness within others. As a Free Action, choose a creature you can see within 90 feet. The GM tells you the creature’s current Decay.

INSIDIOUS WORDS

Starting at 3rd Level, you can empower your words with the malicious influence of Decay. As an Action, choose a number of Humanoids up to your Proficiency Bonus. The creatures must be within 30 feet of you and be able to hear you. The targets must make a Wisdom Saving Throw, with a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + the target’s Decay. Any creature that fails regards you as a friend. You have Advantage on social Tests to interact with the creature for 10 minutes. When the effect ends, the creature knows they have been manipulated. The effect also ends if you or your allies attack the creature or any of their allies.

You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Constitution Bonus, to a minimum of one. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

BOUND BY HATE

Also at 3rd Level, you have learned to control the Decay within creatures to bind them in place. As an Action, choose a creature you can see within 60 feet with at least 1 Decay. The target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw, with a DC equal to 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + the creature’s Decay. On a failure, the target is Restrained for 1 minute. The target can reattempt the Saving Throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success, the spell ends. You can end this effect at any time as a Free Action.

You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Constitution Bonus, to a minimum of one. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. When you reach 11th Level, creatures affected by this ability are instead Paralysed.

BANISH FROM DOMAIN

At Level 7, you can sense the presence of Monsters across vast distances. While you can’t pinpoint their exact location, you can detect their hostile intentions and even command them to leave your territory. If your Haven is facing a Dangerous Monster Crisis and the Monster’s CR is equal to or lower than your Level, you can spend a Downtime Activity to banish the Monster from your territory and end the Crisis. Additionally, you and your party can never be Surprised by a Monster while on a Journey.

THRALL

At Level 11, you can pull the strings of Decay as adeptly as a puppeteer. As a Free Action, you can spend a Hit Die to possess a creature affected by your Bound by Hate feature. You become Stunned but gain complete control of the creature for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution Bonus. You decide what Actions the target takes, make any rolls required, and can use any of the creature's abilities and Skills. You can choose to extend the duration of the possession, but must make a Decay Saving Throw at the start of each round you do so. On a failure, you gain 1 Decay.

DROWN IN DARKNESS

At Level 15, you can turn a small crack into a flood, overwhelming a creature with Decay. As an Action, choose a creature affected by your Bound by Hate feature. The target gains 1d4 Decay at the start of each of its turns and suffers Necrotic Damage equal to its new Decay. This Damage ignores Resistances. The target continues to gain Decay for the duration of the Bound by Hate feature.

BLACK PARADE

At Level 19, your ability to control Decay grows, granting you an army of servants. You can use your Bound By Hate feature to target a number of creatures equal to your Constitution Bonus. You can use your Thrall feature to possess all these creatures, but you must spend a Hit Die for each one you wish to control.

Additionally, if a creature is killed by your Drown in Darkness feature, they become a lifeless shell under your power. As a Free Action, you can possess them as if they were one of your Thralls. You do not need to spend a Hit Die to do so. You can maintain the possession for a number of rounds equal to your Constitution Bonus, after which you must make a Decay Saving Throw at the start of each round. On a failure, you gain 1 Decay. When not under your control, the Thrall follows you but takes no other actions.

Makers create whatever a community needs, from buildings and pottery to arms and alchemical brews. In the Broken World, those who can build something from what little remains are the lifeblood of Havens. Many Makers specialise in a specific craft, while others collect recipes and materials like glint-birds, turning their hand to anything required of them. This is extremely useful in smaller Havens or as part of a travelling group.

The death of a Maker can leave a Haven without the skills or knowledge to replace them. For this reason, Makers are generous with their knowledge and train apprentices as a matter of course. Some even pride themselves on the heredity of their skills, tracing their mentor's lessons back to storied Makers of the past. Others believe that the craft does not care who first invented it: what matters is how it best serves their community.

Innovation is a necessity for Makers, but many encounter resistance within their Haven — especially if their experimentation puts the Haven at risk. The art of Artificers, for example, is often seen as dangerous because they aim to recreate contraptions from the pre- Breaking world, which many worry will bring Decay upon the Haven. Some reckless Makers are spoken of in hushed tones as a warning to those who believe they can master the arts of the pre-Breaking world.

Play a Maker if you want to:

• Craft items and structures that help your Haven survive and thrive.
• Experiment with rare and dangerous materials.
• Create constructs, potions, and weapons to deal with any situation.

PLAYING A MAKER

Makers' lives are shaped by their craft. Any Maker worth their salt has had a lengthy period of learning and perfecting their craft. Were they apprenticed to a master Maker, or did they learn by trial and error? How did they pick up specialist tools and skills, and what allies and rivals do they have among the Makers of their Haven?

Makers are driven by the desire to craft and perfect. They are well-positioned to provide services to others. Think about when you provided people with the right thing in their hour of need and the bonds that formed.

Exploration and discovery fuel Makers, as every new material or place provides opportunities for innovation. They balance efficiency with curiosity when creating something for their Haven. Within a group, Makers are highly valued for their expertise and ability to fashion various tools and equipment as needed. In the wilderness, this can mean the difference between life and death.

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Maker, first gain +1 Dexterity and Proficiency in Investigation, Natural Lore, and Sleight of Hand. Next, gain Proficiency with Alchemist’s Tools and Artificer’s Tools. You have a hammer, a hunting knife, a light crossbow with 20 bolts, chichit pelt armour, a set of artificer’s tools, and a survivor’s pack.


Class Features

As a Maker, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Makers are constantly working with their hands, whether fitting together intricate clockwork devices or delicately plucking petals from a poisonous flower. You gain +1 Dexterity.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d8
Hit Points at 1st Level: 16 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: Light Armour, Medium Armour
• Weapons: Simple Weapons
• Tools: Choose two from Alchemist’s Tools, Artificer’s Tools, and Smith’s Tools
• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
• Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Forgotten Lore, Investigation, Medicine, Natural Lore, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• Two simple weapons.
• A light crossbow with 20 bolts.
• Chichit pelt armour or armole scale armour.
• A set of tools of your choice.
• A delver’s pack or a survivor’s pack.

CREATOR

Makers create all manner of things in the Broken World, some of which are deadly to others. Dexterity is your crafting Attribute and is used to determine the Creation Bonus and Creation Save DC of your inventions.

Creation Save DC = 8 + your Proficiency Bonus + your Dexterity Bonus.

Creation Bonus: Your Proficiency Bonus + your Dexterity Bonus.

MAKER’S KIT

Necessity is the mother of invention, and you have learned to make do with what is at hand. In addition to your other equipment, you have a small assortment of gear, ingredients, and materials weighing 5 pounds that you can quickly repurpose to fit various needs. This is your Maker’s Kit. You are continuously refilling your Maker’s Kit with spare parts, discarded items, and useful components you find in the world.

Once per day, you can spend 1 hour using your Maker’s Kit to create one of the following items. You can use this ability during a Long Rest in addition to any Campcraft Activities you undertake. The GM has the final say regarding whether you could reasonably construct the item. Unless otherwise stated, the object holds together for one day, after which it falls apart.

• Survival Gear: You create one mundane item or object of adventuring gear, such as a block and tackle, a climber’s kit, a hunting trap, a lantern, and so on.
• Tools: You create a set of makeshift tools, a gaming set, or an instrument.
• Ammunition: You craft ammunition for a ranged weapon. You can create 10 arrows, crossbow bolts, blowgun needles, or sling bullets. Each piece of ammunition is destroyed upon use.
• Makeshift Weapon: You use your tools to create a weapon. The weapon is a Simple Weapon and deals 1d8 Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing Damage (your choice). If it is a Ranged Weapon, it also gains Range (30/60). If the wielder rolls a 1 when attacking with the weapon, it breaks and falls apart.
• Ablative Armour: You reinforce a piece of armour, whether your own or an ally’s. The armour gains a bonus to AC equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Each time an Attack damages the person wearing the armour, the AC bonus is reduced by one. When the AC bonus is reduced to 0, the reinforcements you created break and fall away.

DABBLER

You are experienced with a variety of tools. At 1st Level, choose one set of Crafter’s Tools or Forager’s Tools and gain Proficiency with it. You become Proficient with another set of Tools at 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th Level. Additionally, you add half your Proficiency Bonus, rounded down, to any Test you make using Crafter’s Tools that you are not Proficient with. You are considered Proficient with all Crafter’s Tools for the purposes of Campcraft, Downtime, and Seasonal Activities (see Downtime thread).

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

MAKER’S CALLING

At Level 3, you begin to specialise in a particular type of craft. Choose a Calling from Alchemist, Artificer, or Smith (see below). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.

• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.

• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.

• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

FORM AND FUNCTION

Starting at 5th Level, when you use your Maker’s Kit to craft Survival Gear, Tools, Weapons, and Armour, the creations last for a number of days equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

TRIAL AND ERROR

At Level 9, you are skilled enough to salvage a creation that otherwise seems lost. When you fail a Test using Crafter’s Tools, you can choose to reroll the Test. You must keep the second result. You can do this a number of times per day equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

MARK OF THE MAKER

At Level 13, the mastery of your craft brings a mark of permanence to an ever-changing world. Decay, Hazards, and Monster abilities cannot destroy your creations.

WASTE NOT

Also at 13th Level, you have learned to make the most of what you have to hand, and this philosophy has spread to others in your Haven. Whenever your Haven rolls to generate Resources, you can reroll any number of the resulting dice and take the highest result.

APPRENTICESHIP

At Level 17, you have begun passing on your knowledge and expertise and have taken on your first apprentice. During downtime (see page 158), your Apprentice can help you with Downtime Activities. You have Advantage on all Tests you make when being assisted by your Apprentice.

Additionally, while you are away from your Haven, your Apprentice can continue working in your stead. Your Apprentice can undertake one Downtime Activity for each week that you are away. They have a +4 bonus to Tests made during the Downtime Activity.

At the beginning of each Season (see page 164), you can take on another Apprentice. Each additional Apprentice can undertake a Downtime Activity while you are away from the Haven, or two can work together to gain Advantage on Tests during downtime.

Calling: Alchemist

Alchemists brew potions and poisons from the everchanging natural resources of the Broken World. Whether they need a healing salve or a bottle of fiery oil, they have a concoction for every occasion. As they progress in their art, they recreate Decay-fuelled recipes of the world before that can create powerful but costly effects.

THE STUDY OF CHANGE

When you choose this Calling at 3rd Level, you gain Proficiency in Alchemist’s Tools. If you are already Proficient with Alchemist’s Tools, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus for Tests with these tools.

ALCHEMICAL CONCOCTIONS

Starting at 3rd Level, you can use your Maker’s Kit feature to create Alchemical Concoctions. You can brew a number of Concoctions equal to your Proficiency Bonus, which can be any combination of the potions listed below. For example, if you have a Proficiency Bonus of +3, you can use this feature to create a Smoke Screen and two Elixirs of Healing.

Your Alchemical Concoctions remain potent for one day, after which they become inert. You are considered Proficient with your Concoctions to throw them as part of a Ranged Attack. They have a Range of 20/60.

BOTTLE OF BURNING: When exposed to air, this luminous orange liquid erupts into flame and is almost impossible to snuff out. As an Action, you can throw the container at a target within 20 feet, shattering it on impact. On a hit, the target suffers 1d4 Fire Damage and catches fire. They suffer another 1d4 Fire Damage at the start of their turn for a number of rounds equal to your Proficiency Bonus. This Damage ignores Resistance to Fire and deals double Damage to constructs and objects. The only way to extinguish the flames is for the target to completely submerge themself in water for 1 round.
DRAUGHT OF ALERTNESS: This rich brown liquid heightens your senses and keeps you alert to danger. As an Action, a creature can consume a Draught of Alertness. For one minute, they add your Creation Bonus to Wisdom (Perception) and Initiative Tests.
ELIXIR OF HEALING: This warm red liquid revitalises the body. As an Action, a creature can consume an Elixir of Healing. They regain a number of Hit Points equal to their Hit Die + your Maker Level.
FLASK OF ICE: This icy blue liquid flash-freezes everything around it when exposed to air. As an Action, you can throw the container at a point within 20 feet, shattering it on impact and creating a blast of freezing ice in a 15- foot radius. All creatures within the area must make a Constitution Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC. On a failure, they suffer 2d8 Cold Damage. On a success, they take half Damage. All surfaces in the area become coated with a thin layer of ice. Any creature moving through the area must succeed on a Dexterity Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC or fall Prone. A creature can choose to move at half its Speed to succeed this Test automatically.
KNOCKOUT TOXIN: This pale white liquid can cause someone to fall into a deep sleep. As an Action, you can apply one dose of this toxin to a Piercing or Slashing weapon. The toxin remains active on the weapon for 1 hour or until the next successful Attack. Alternatively, you can hide this poison in food or drink. Detecting the poison requires a Wisdom (Perception) Test with a DC equal to your Creation Save DC. Any creature that imbibes the toxin or takes Damage from a weapon coated in it must make a Constitution Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC. On a failure, they fall Unconscious for 1 minute or until they take Damage. On a success, they are Poisoned until the end of their next turn.
SMOKE SCREEN: When exposed to air, this swirling black liquid produces a cloud of dark smoke. As an Action, you can throw the container at a point within 20 feet, shattering it on impact and creating a cloud of black smoke in a 15- foot radius. The inside of the cloud is Heavily Obscured and blocks line of sight. The smoke dissipates after 1 minute or until blown away by a strong gust of wind.

HEALTHY HAVEN

At Level 7, you have learned how to prepare large batches of potions that the people of your Haven can use in emergencies. If you are in a Haven when it falls into Crisis (see page 131) you can spend a Long Rest preparing a bulk batch of potions for your community. If you do so, your Haven gains Resistance to Crisis Damage caused by medical threats, such as plagues or diseases, for one week.

PHILOSOPHER’S STONE

At Level 11, you have created a Philosopher’s Stone — a sphere of crystallised chaos that taps into the lost magic of the pre-Breaking world. Once per turn, as a Free Action, you can choose to gain 1 Decay to use your Philosopher’s Stone to instantly create an enhanced version of one of your Alchemical Concoctions. The Concoction remains potent indefinitely and is enhanced in the following way:

• Bottle of Burning: The bottle inflicts 4d4 Fire Damage on impact and 4d4 Fire Damage per turn.
• Draught of Alertness: The creature adds your Creation Bonus to Attack Tests for one minute.
• Elixir of Healing: The target doubles the Hit Points they recover.
• Flask of Ice: The flask deals 4d8 Cold Damage.
• Knockout Toxin: On a failure, the target falls Unconscious for one hour. On a success, they are Poisoned for 10 minutes.
• Smoke Screen: The smoke affects a 30-foot radius area. The smoke dissipates after 10 minutes or until blown away by a strong gust of wind.

THUMB ON THE SCALES

At Level 15, you have managed to build a resistance to the effects of your Philosopher’s Stone. When you use your Philosopher’s Stone, you can make a Decay Saving Throw. On a success, you don’t gain Decay from using the stone. On a failure, you gain 1 Decay as normal. Whether you succeed or fail, you gain the benefits of using the stone.

EQUIVALENT EXCHANGE

At Level 19, you can harness the power in your Philosopher’s Stone for one final, miraculous effect. As an Action, choose one of the following effects. Your Philosopher’s Stone is destroyed when you use the feature, and you gain 1d4 Decay. You cannot create a new Philosopher’s Stone.

• Raise the Dead: You place the Philosopher’s Stone on the chest of a creature that has died in the last ten days. The stone shatters, and the shards are forever embedded in the creature’s chest. The creature returns to life with all its Hit Points. They can never reduce their Decay below 3.
• Cleanse Decay: Choose a creature within 5 feet or an area up to 100 feet in diameter. The target’s Decay is reduced to 0. If the target is a Humanoid, the effects of their Lineage Curse are reversed.
• Alter Biome: You permanently alter the biome of your region. Choose an area up to 1 mile in diameter. You cause the area’s biome to change, such as changing desert to dense jungle or tundra to fertile farmland. You choose the new biome, and the effects happen over one month. Creatures in the area not accustomed to the new biome may die due to this effect.
• Create Chimera: You merge two living creatures to create a monstrosity with the traits of both. Choose two creatures within 5 feet. The creatures transform into a single entity. The new creature has the three highest and three lowest Attributes of the original creatures and gains the Skills, Resistances, Immunities, Vulnerabilities, Senses, and Languages of both. It gains up to two features of each creature and has the average Proficiency Bonus of both. Work with your GM to determine the creature’s Decay, physical traits, personality, and other vital information.
• Transmute Material: You change one type of material into another, such as turning a rock into a piece of silver. Choose an inorganic material up to 5 feet cube in size. You transmute the material into any other inorganic material. The change is permanent.
• Other Effects: You can use your Philosopher’s Stone to create different effects not listed here, such as causing one of your Concoctions to affect an entire Haven in one use. Tell your GM what you wish to do, and they will tell you if it is feasible. This ability allows you to alter organic and inorganic material but does not allow you to twist space and time.

Calling: Artificer

Artificers create cunning devices and tools such as crossbows capable of hurling custom ammunition and even small automata. They surround their Haven with traps, provide repairs wherever needed, and can even develop mass production methods that benefit future Haven-dwellers.

AFFINITY FOR INTRICACIES

When you choose this Calling at 3rd Level, you gain Proficiency in Artificer’s Tools. If you are already Proficient with Artificer’s Tools, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus for Tests with these Tools.

ARTIFICER’S LAUNCHER

Starting at 3rd Level, you modify a crossbow to allow it to launch special ammunition. Choose a light or heavy crossbow in your possession. This is your Artificer’s Launcher. If you do not have a light or heavy crossbow, you are assumed to create one when you take this Calling. You are considered Proficient with your Artificer’s Launcher, and only you know how to use it. If your Launcher breaks or is lost, you can modify another crossbow throughout a Long Rest to create a new Launcher.

In addition to its standard weapon stats, choose one of the following enhancements for your Artificer’s Launcher. Several enhancements allow you to fire special ammunition, such as a bola or shrapnel. If you choose one of these enhancements, you have five pieces of ammunition of that type. When you use your Maker’s Kit feature to craft ammunition, you can choose to craft five pieces of one special ammunition instead of 10 pieces of mundane ammunition.

Your Launcher gains additional enhancements at 7th, 11th, 15th, and 19th Level. If your Launcher gains the ability to fire multiple types of special ammunition, you can switch between ammunition as part of reloading your weapon.

ANCHOR LAUNCHER: Your Launcher has a grappling hook and line that you can fire up to 50 feet. When used, the Anchor Launcher grants Advantage on Strength (Athletics) Tests to climb, allowing the user to climb at their normal Speed as the line is reeled in. The user can also remain suspended by the Launcher without making a Test. When used as a weapon, it has a Range of 50 feet and deals 1d4 Bludgeoning Damage, but the Attack is made at Disadvantage.
AUTO-LOADER: Your Launcher is equipped with a mechanism that automatically reloads ammunition. The crossbow loses the Loading Property, and the wielder can switch between types of ammunition as a Free Action.
BOLA: Your Launcher can fire a thick cord, weighted on each end, that ensnares your enemies. The bola deals 1d4 Bludgeoning Damage and has a Range of 30/60. A Medium or smaller creature damaged by this Attack is Restrained. Large or greater creatures suffer Damage but are not Restrained. As an Action, a Restrained target or an ally within 5 feet can make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) Test or use a Slashing weapon to remove the restraint.
HARNESS AND BRACE: Your Launcher is equipped with a weight-dispersing harness and an articulated arm that allows the wielder to operate it with one hand. The crossbow loses the Two-handed Property.
OILBURST: Your Launcher can fire a clay pot filled with thick black oil. The pot deals 1d4 Piercing Damage and has a Range of 30/60. A creature damaged by this Attack must make a Constitution Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC. On a failure, they are Blinded for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the Saving Throw at the start of each of their turns as a Free Action or use an Action to clear the oil from their eyes, ending the effect. This has no effect on creatures without eyes.
RAM: Your Launcher can fire heavy, punching bolts that knock opponents off their feet. The ram bolt deals +1 Bludgeoning Damage and has a Range of 60/90. A creature damaged by this Attack must make a Strength Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC. On a failure, they are knocked Prone.
SHRAPNEL: Your Launcher fires a small canister that explodes on impact, driving metal shards into those within range. Choose a point within 60 feet. All creatures within the area must make a Dexterity Saving Throw versus your Creation Save DC. On a failure, they suffer 2d4 Piercing Damage. On a success, they take half Damage.

THE BEST DEFENCE

At Level 7, you learn more efficient methods of crafting weapons and armour and share them with your Haven. The Resource cost of all Weapons and Armour made within your Haven is reduced by 1.

HOMUNCULUS

At Level 11, you have learned to create a small, humanlike automaton from metal, wood, and various strange materials harvested from the outlandish flora and fauna of the Broken World. This Homunculus is a great work in its own right, yet also capable of assisting you in your endeavours. Unlike the ancient automata of the pre-Breaking world, which used magic, your creation is a scientific marvel of ingenuity and invention.

Your Homunculus has the statistics listed and uses the following rules:

• When you create your Homunculus, choose its model from Defender, Fighter, or Helper. It gains the listed Trait.
• Your Homunculus uses your Proficiency Bonus for Attack Tests and Skills it is Proficient in. This is +4 when you first create the Homunculus and increases to +5 at 13th Level, and +6 at 17th Level.
• Your Homunculus gains +3 Hit Points each time you gain a Level.
• Once per day, you can use an Action to repair your Homunculus. Make a DC 10 Dexterity (Artificer’s Tools) Test. On a success, the Homunculus recovers a number of Hit Points equal to 1d6 × your Proficiency Bonus.
• You can repair your Homunculus during a Long Rest, in addition to any Campcraft Activities you undertake. It recovers all its Hit Points at the end of the rest.
• Your Homunculus can follow basic instructions, such as ‘wait here’, ‘bring me that tool’, or ‘hide’, but it can't think for itself.
• Once per turn, you can issue a command to your Homunculus as a Free Action.
• Your Homunculus has no sense of selfpreservation and will not defend itself or flee unless instructed to do so.
• Your Homunculus is not alive and does not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe.

If your Homunculus is destroyed, you can spend the following downtime rebuilding your Homunculus. When you do so, you can again choose whether you built it to be a Defender, Fighter, or Helper. You can rebuild your Homunculus in addition to any other Downtime Activities you undertake.

Homunculus
Small Construct





THE MARCH OF PROGRESS

At Level 15, your continued advancement in efficient manufacturing ensures that your Haven can produce resources in greater quantities. Whenever you are within your Haven when it generates Resources, it generates an additional 1d4.

ARTIFICIAL ADAPTATION

Additionally at 15th Level, you can modify your Homunculus to suit your needs. You can use your Maker’s Kit feature to temporarily grant your Homunculus the benefits of a second model type, choosing from Defender, Fighter, or Helper. It can’t gain the bonuses of the same model type twice. The augmentation lasts for one day, after which the additional parts grind to a halt or fall away.

MASS PRODUCTION

At Level 19, you have formalised the creation of one of your inventions, allowing you and your apprentices to mass produce them and share them with the people of your Haven. Choose either a Launcher with one enhancement, or one type of Homunculus (Defender, Fighter, or Helper). You create documentation, blueprints, and guidelines for how to make that specific piece of artifice.

At the end of each Season, your Haven produces one of your inventions, plus one per Apprentice (Apprenticeship, see above). While you are still alive and present in your Haven, this number doubles as you provide direct instruction and advice on building the creation. These mass-produced creations do not benefit from your Mark of the Maker feature and are still affected by Decay.

If you mass-produce a Launcher, future generations will become familiar with the weapon and know how to use it. Future characters raised within your Haven gain Proficiency with this Launcher.

If you mass-produce a Homunculus, future generations will benefit from a more sedentary lifestyle where manual labour gives way to a devotion to arts and creativity. Future characters raised within your Haven gain Proficiency in one set of Crafter’s Tools or Kinship Tools of their choice.

Calling: Smith

Smiths are the doughty forge masters of their Havens and excel at creating the highest quality fortifications, weapons, ammunition, and armour. They can modify weapons and armour in the field, ascertain the best way to destroy an object, and lead the way in transforming their Haven into a defensible outpost.

ARMED AND ARMOURED

When you choose this Calling at 3rd Level, you gain Proficiency in Smith’s Tools. If you are already Proficient with Smith’s Tools, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus for Tests with these Tools. Additionally, you gain Proficiency with Heavy Armour and Martial Weapons.

SHARPEN THE BLADE

Starting at 3rd Level, you have learned to create deadly weapons and solid armour even when crafting in the field. When you use your Maker’s Kit to create a Makeshift Weapon, the weapon deals +1 Damage. When you create Ablative Armour, the Armour grants an additional +1 AC.

GENIUS FORTIFICATIONS

At Level 7, the fortifications you construct for your Haven are works of genius that even allow defenders to attack aerial foes. Any Defences you build (see Downtime thread) also grant your Haven Resistance to Crisis Damage from aerial-based physical threats, such as flying Monsters.

LIFE’S WORK

At Level 11, years at the forge have allowed you to create your life’s great work. Choose a weapon or set of armour from Chapter 7. Equipment. The chosen item becomes your Life’s Work. If you choose a weapon, the weapon deals +1 Damage and grants a +1 bonus to Attack Tests. If you choose a set of Armour, the armour gains +1 AC.

Your Life’s Work can’t be destroyed and is immune to the effects of Decay. Choose one of the following benefits. Your Life’s Work gains an additional benefit at Levels 15 and 19. You can choose the same benefit multiple times.

BEAUTIFUL: You have created something extraordinary, akin to the legendary arms and armour of the pre-Breaking world. You have Advantage on social Tests when interacting with anyone who would be impressed by your craftwork.
DEADLY (WEAPON ONLY): The weapon you have forged is incredibly dangerous. The weapon deals an additional +1 Damage, for a total of +2.
SILENT (ARMOUR ONLY): The armour is so perfectly crafted that it almost moulds to the wearer’s skin. The armour grants Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) Tests or removes the Disadvantage to Stealth Tests imposed by certain armours.
REINFORCED (ARMOUR ONLY): The armour has been reinforced to offer even more protection. The armour grants an additional +1 AC for a total of +2.
RESISTANT (ARMOUR ONLY): The armour is built to resist certain types of Damage.
Choose Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing, Fire, Cold, Acid, or Lightning. The armour grants Resistance to the chosen Damage Type.
PENETRATING (WEAPON ONLY): The weapon has been forged to bypass a creature’s armour and defences. Attacks from the weapon ignore Damage Resistance and Damage Immunity.
WELL BALANCED (WEAPON ONLY): The weapon you have forged is perfectly balanced. The weapon grants an additional +1 to Attack Tests, for a total of +2.

UNMAKER

Additionally at 11th Level, you can find the tiniest weak point in an object, allowing you to unmake it with a single strike. As an Action, you can spend a Hit Die to destroy a Medium or smaller object. The object is shattered and reduced to its component parts. If the object is being worn or held by someone, you must make a successful Called Shot (see page 124) to destroy it.

WALKING ARMOURY

At Level 15, crafting weapons and armour becomes second nature to you. When you use your Maker’s Kit to craft an item, you can create a Makeshift Weapon or Ablative Armour in addition to your chosen creation.

ANCESTOR’S ANVIL

At Level 19, you have built a great forge to be the roaring heart of your Haven, providing weapons and armour to your community for generations to come. Your Haven gains the Smithy improvement (see Downtime thread) if it doesn’t have it already. At the end of each Season, each of your Apprentices (Apprenticeship, see above) can create one of the following:

• 1d8 Simple Weapons
• 1d4 Martial Weapons
• 1d6 sets of Light Armour
• 1d3 sets of Medium Armour
• 1 set of Heavy Armour

You can directly instruct one Apprentice while you are still alive and present in your Haven. Doing so doubles the amount of weapons or armour they can forge each Season. This does not cost you an Activity Equipment created without your involvement do not gain the benefit of your Mark of the Maker feature (see above) and is still affected by Decay.

Thanks to your work, future generations are well-versed in using various weapons and armour. Future characters raised within your Haven can start with Proficiency in Martial Weapons or Medium Armour.

Sages are repositories of knowledge and experience, living libraries that chronicle the history and stories of their Haven. While some brash young folk might scoff at the usefulness of esoteric lore, none can deny the value of a skilled healer nor the hard-won knowledge of a grizzled veteran. In the Broken World, lives are often tragically short, and most Sages are simply those who survived the longest. They are likely to have seen more than one Haven rise and fall and can use their knowledge and experience to guide their own.

Sages are the guardians of the Haven's history in the form of a Lorekeeper's Tome, a cherished book added to by each successive keeper. Great libraries of writings are impractical to maintain when a Haven might have to evacuate at any moment, so much knowledge is kept in memory. A Lorekeeper's Tome is a precious record of the lives and understanding of a community, and the people of a Haven are likely to expend considerable resources to reclaim it if it is lost.

Sages have a wide variety of knowledge and expertise on a range of subjects. They maintain traditions around conclaves, teaching and sharing their insights with other Havens. Many people refuse to harm Sages, knowing the weight of the knowledge they would take from the world, and so Sages often assist Speakers in diplomatic overtures to other Havens.

Play a Sage if you want to:

• Be the guardian of your Haven's history and lore.
• Learn from the past to shape your Haven's future.
• Seek out, preserve, and share knowledge.

PLAYING A SAGE

When creating your Sage, consider what drives them to seek out knowledge and what knowledge they regret the loss of. Was the passion always within them? Did a life event leave them determined to learn more? Or have they accrued experience from a life of surviving when all around them fell?

A Sage’s pursuit of knowledge is likely to have gotten them into trouble at some point. Think about what happened, what they might have uncovered, what risk it brought to their Haven, or how they survived when the knowledge they sought led to a dangerous place.

Sages can often pass through places without harm due to unspoken conventions of non-violence, but they may struggle more than other Classes to survive on their own. Who do they turn to for protection? A Sage is truly at the heart of their community and carries a vast history they cannot afford to lose. Who has this Sage's knowledge helped directly, and did anyone come to harm along the way?

Every Sage has accrued odds and ends of information they wish to learn more about. Work with your GM to generate a few leads and rumours that your Survivor finds fascinating.

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Sage, first gain +1 Intelligence and Proficiency in Forgotten Lore, Investigation, Local Lore, Medicine, and Natural Lore. Next, gain Proficiency in Scribe’s Tools. Lastly, you have a staff, a hunting knife, chichit pelt armour, a set of scribe’s tools, and a lorekeeper’s pack.


Class Features

As a Sage, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Sages are keepers of lost lore with a wealth of knowledge and experience. You gain +1 Intelligence.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d8
Hit Points at 1st Level: 16 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: Light Armour
• Weapons: Simple Weapons
• Tools: Any Tool of your choice
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
• Skills: Choose five from Forgotten Lore, Insight, Investigation, Local Lore, Medicine, Natural Lore, Perception, Persuasion, and Survival

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• Any simple weapon.
• Chichit pelt armour and a hunting knife.
• A set of tools of your choice.
• A lorekeeper’s pack or a survivor’s pack.

Lorekeeper's Tome

You are the bearer of a Lorekeeper’s Tome. These chronicles contain a community’s oldest records, which you must safeguard and add your knowledge and experience to. The Lorekeeper’s Tome is filled with history, stories, myths and legends, and the collective expertise of the Sages that came before. It is a vital part of any Haven, as committing these tales and histories to a physical medium gives them permanence and holds back Decay. The material the Lorekeeper’s Tome is constructed of, and the languages it’s written in are different in every community and can change with each new Sage charged with its care.

Your Lorekeeper’s Tome grants you the following abilities.

RECORD KEEPER

You are diligent in chronicling your experiences in the Broken World, and recording this knowledge has become second nature. Once per day when you take a Long Rest, you can undertake the Record Knowledge Campcraft Activity (see page 157) in addition to any other Campcraft Activities you undertake.

CONSULT THE ANCESTORS

You delve into the records set down by Sages in search of information. You can declare a subject for study, such as a specific Haven, faction, landmark, ruin, Arcane Artefact, plant, creature, or Monster. You must then spend 10 minutes consulting your Lorekeeper’s Tome and make a DC 15 Intelligence (Forgotten Lore, Local Lore, or Natural Lore) Test based on your research subject.

On a success, your Lorekeeper’s Tome contains a precious piece of factual and verified information. Your GM must tell you one piece of truthful and helpful information about the subject of your research, such as a Monster’s Actions, an Artefact’s effects, a plant’s medicinal uses, or a secret method of entering a ruin.

On a failure, your Lorekeeper’s Tome contains nothing of use or, at best, some half-remembered myths about the subject. The GM can tell you up to three pieces of information about your research topic. This information may be as precise or vague as the GM desires, and it may be true, false, or even conflicting — you have no way of knowing until you prove or disprove it yourself.

You can Consult the Ancestors a number of times equal to your Intelligence Bonus, after which you must take a Long Rest before you can do so again.

LOSING A LOREKEEPER’S TOME

Losing a Lorekeeper’s Tome means losing generations of knowledge and tales integral to holding a community together. If your Lorekeeper’s Tome is destroyed or lost, your Haven increases its Decay by 1. Someone can remove this Decay by recovering the Tome and returning it to your Haven.

PAST LIFE

Sages are often the eldest of their community and only take on the role after a long and hard life. Choose a Skill or Tool you utilised as a part of your past life and gain Proficiency with that Skill or Tool. If you are already Proficient, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus when making a Test using the chosen Skill or Tool.

HARMLESS

At first glance, most Sages don’t seem dangerous, bowed as they are under the weight of years and their scholarly trappings. This, combined with a taboo around harming Sages, means that people are unlikely to directly harm you when a fight breaks out.

During a battle, Humanoids initially believe you are Harmless and will not attack you. However, they may still use non-damaging Actions against you, such as Shove or Grapple. This effect lasts until you make an Attack or take another action that would endanger them or their loved ones. At the GM’s discretion, this effect may extend to certain animals and Monsters.

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

SAGE’S UNDERSTANDING

At Level 3, you begin to hone in on a particular field of study to master. Choose a Sage’s Understanding from Healer, Lorekeeper, or Veteran (see page 70 onwards). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.
• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.
• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.
• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

FAST THINKER

Also at 5th Level, you can maintain your composure and quick thinking even in the midst of combat. You gain a bonus to your Initiative equal to your Intelligence Bonus.

EXPERIENCED FORESIGHT

At 9th Level, you can bridge the gap between your research and the dangerous realities you face. As an Action, choose a creature within 100 feet that you can see and make a DC 15 Intelligence (Forgotten Lore, Local Lore, or Natural Lore) Test based on your target subject. You have Advantage on this Test if you have previously studied the creature using your Consult the Ancestors feature. On a success, you use your knowledge to predict the creature’s next move. The GM tells you what that creature plans to do on its next turn. You can share this information with your allies as a Free Action, provided they can hear you.

If the creature’s plans change before its next turn, the GM must update you on its plans. For example, if a Monster was planning to attack a specific ally, but your quick warning caused the ally to move out of the Monster’s range, the GM will tell you that the Monster is now planning to attack a different ally instead.

MENTOR’S GUIDANCE

At Level 13, you know the best way to embolden your allies with meaningful insight at just the right time. During a Short Rest, you can choose an ally and offer them your Mentor’s Guidance. If they accept, you can reduce your current Hit Dice by an amount up to your Intelligence Bonus to replenish an equal number of your ally’s Hit Dice.

PASS THE TORCH

Also at 13th Level, you acknowledge that you will not be around forever and entrust an ally with the secrets of your Lorekeeper’s Tome. As a Downtime Activity, you can educate someone else in the use of your Lorekeeper’s Tome. This can be a friendly NPC or a Player Character, provided they swear to protect and preserve the Haven’s tome at all costs. If they accept, they permanently gain access to your Lorekeeper’s Tome feature whenever they have your tome in their possession.

MY FINAL LESSON

At Level 17, you feel deep in your body and soul that your time will soon come to leave the Broken World forever. During a Short or Long Rest, you can grant your Final Lesson before peacefully passing away. Your Haven gains Hope equal to your Intelligence Bonus. In addition, choose the nature of your Final Lesson and select an appropriate Skill, Saving Throw, Tool, or weapon that is thematically connected to the lesson. For the next week, all characters who heard your final lecture have Advantage on Tests made with the associated Skill, Saving Throw, or weapon as your parting words resonate in their hearts.

Alternatively, if you would die during play, rather than dying immediately, you instead fall Unconscious. Enemies assume you are dead and will not attack you for the remainder of combat. You cling to life long enough to survive the battle, at which point you wake just long enough to say your farewells and impart your Final Lesson as above.

Understanding: Healer

Healers focus on learning about anatomy, biology, and how the constant dangers of the Broken World can harm them. They can treat injuries in the wild with minimal equipment and often put themselves in harm's way to save the dying. The most advanced Healers can even undertake dangerous operations to cut Decay from the body.

APPLIED MEDICINE

When you choose this Understanding at 3rd Level, you master the use of a Healer’s Kit and dedicate yourself to the selfless act of healing your allies in their time of need. As an Action, you can expend one use of a Healer’s Kit to heal a wounded creature. Choose a target within 5 feet who is not within 5 feet of an enemy and grant them one of the following effects:

• Stem the Bleeding: The target recovers a number of Hit Points equal to its Hit Die + your Sage Level.
• Purge Toxins: The target immediately recovers from the Poisoned Condition.
• Save a Life: The target is immediately Stabilised. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence Bonus, to a minimum of 1. You regain all uses of your Applied Medicine at the end of a Long Rest.

SEW AND SET

Starting at Level 3, you can care for more severe wounds, even in the wilds — sewing shut gashes and resetting broken bones with little more than lamplight and whatever comes to hand. During a Long Rest, choose an ally with at least two Death Saves. At the end of the Long Rest, the target recovers from an additional Death Save thanks to your care. Alternatively, the ally recovers all of their Hit Dice.

HEAL THE MASSES

At Level 7, you have learned how best to prioritise the treatment of illness and injury in a population to save the most lives. In the wake of a Crisis (see page 131), you can spend your first Downtime Activity saving lives others thought lost. Make a DC 15 Intelligence (Medicine) Test. On a success, your Haven recovers Population equal to your Intelligence Bonus. This cannot take the Population above its value before the Crisis occurred.

DRASTIC MEASURES

At Level 11, you have uncovered a dangerous and painful method of physically cutting Decay from the body. The results are far from guaranteed, as no matter how sharp the knife, it cannot pare Decay from the soul, and even when the procedure is successful, it always leaves lasting scars.

During a Long Rest, you can target a single willing creature with 9 or less Decay and begin a procedure to cut away the physical signs of Decay. When you begin the procedure, you can make up to three Intelligence (Medicine) Tests, with a DC equal to 10 + the target’s Decay. Determine the result of each Test separately. You can choose to end the procedure after completing each Test.

• Success: You deftly cut free a large mass of Decay. The target reduces their Decay by 2 but permanently reduces their maximum Hit Dice by 1.
• Failure: Complications arise. The target reduces their Decay by 1 but permanently reduces their maximum Hit Dice by 2.
• Natural 1: You make a catastrophic error. Make an immediate DC 15 Intelligence (Medicine) Test. On a success, you stabilise the target, and the procedure ends. On failure, the target dies. If a creature’s maximum Hit Dice is reduced to 0 as a result of this feature, they perish during the procedure.

PAIN KILLER

Also at 11th Level, you have developed potent methods of dulling pain or stimulating adrenaline that you employ in the field to help your allies rally in the face of danger. Whenever you use a Healer's Kit, the target can immediately use a Free Action to spend their Hit Dice to recover Hit Points.

URGENT AID

At Level 15, you can deliver your healing even faster than before, darting through the battlefield to save your allies. Once per round, if a creature within 30 feet is Critically Injured (see page 125), you can spend your Reaction to immediately move over to within 5 feet of them and use your Applied Medicine feature. This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks.

ENDURING LESSON

At Level 19, the lessons you teach about health and medicine take root in the minds of your community, ensuring that all future generations know how to live healthier lives. Future characters raised in your Haven start with one additional Hit Die.

Understanding: Lorekeeper

True scholars through and through, Lorekeepers spend their lives seeking out, collecting and preserving knowledge within their Lorekeeper’s Tome until they know its contents inside and out. Over time, their academic nature helps them piece together the secrets of the Broken World and ultimately discover forbidden knowledge of pre-Breaking magic.

THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE

When you choose this Understanding at 3rd Level, you have spent so long studying that you have gained a vast theoretical knowledge that few in the Broken World can compete with. You add half your Proficiency Bonus to any Skill you are not already Proficient in.

MASTER OF TOMES

Starting at Level 3, you have read your Lorekeeper’s Tome cover-to-cover countless times and all but memorised it. You gain the following benefits:

• You can Consult the Ancestors as an Action.
• If you take 10 minutes to Consult the Ancestors, you have Advantage on the required Test to uncover knowledge about your subject.
• If your Lorekeeper’s Tome is lost or destroyed, you can spend a Downtime Activity to recreate it from memory. This counts as returning your tome to your Haven.

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE

At Level 7, you can connect the disparate travelogues within your Lorekeeper’s Tome to better understand the world around your Haven. When you Make Preparations for a Journey, you automatically succeed on the Test if you Consult the Elders (see page 139).

FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE

At Level 11, you discover a code or cypher concealed within your Lorekeeper’s Tome. Upon translation, you discover several archaic invocations left by an unknown ancestor who claims to have mastered the forbidden power of magic.

When you Consult the Ancestors, you can draw upon this Forbidden Knowledge to manifest one of the following effects. After manifesting one of these effects, you must succeed on a DC 15 Decay Save or gain 1 Decay.

• Darts of Agony: Three inky-black darts leap from your Tome and automatically hit creatures of your choice within 120 feet. Each dart deals 1d10 Necrotic Damage to the target creature, increases their Decay by 1, and knocks them Prone and back 10 feet in the direction of your choice.
• Shield of Curses: You gesture at yourself or a creature within 120 feet. A storm of dark wards rip from your tome to coat the target’s skin. The target gains +5 AC until the end of your next turn.

DAMNING KNOWLEDGE

At Level 15, you uncover additional invocations left by your dark ancestor, who almost encourages you to follow them down this accursed path. You gain the following additional invocations for your Forbidden Knowledge feature. After manifesting one of these effects, you must succeed on a DC 20 Decay Save or gain 1 Decay.

• Explosion of Death: You rip a ball of pitch-black flame from the pages of your tome and hurl it at a point within 120 feet. All creatures within 30 feet of the target point take 12d6 Necrotic Damage and gain 2 Decay.
• Wings of Night: You manifest wings made from ink-splattered pages that carry you aloft. You can Fly at your normal Speed for 10 minutes, after which the paper wings crumble to dust.

BREAK THE WEAVE

At Level 19, you uncover the final secret of your arcane ancestor — a ritual to don the mantle of a spellcaster of old. With this power, reality is yours to command and yours to break.

On your turn, you can use two Actions to speak the invocation of ascension left by your dark ancestor. A violent explosion of inky flames destroys your Lorekeeper’s Tome, and a well of seemingly bottomless arcane power empowers you. For the next 10 minutes, you gain Resistance to all Damage, and you do not suffer Decay when you use your Forbidden Knowledge feature.

At the end of this period, a 30-foot-long howling tear in reality opens at your location. The landscape and all creatures within 120 feet of the tear immediately increase their Decay to 10. In addition, you are pulled into the tear and lost to the void — your ultimate fate is cursed and unknown.

Understanding: Veteran

Once a storied fighter, the Veteran has laid down their weapons and chosen a quieter life at the heart of their community. Now they must again take up arms to protect their Haven, replacing youth and vigour with experience and knowledge. They can call upon their old friends for help, even as old enemies emerge to threaten everything they hold dear.

IT STILL FITS

When you choose this Understanding at 3rd Level, you don your old mantle and show the young ones how to do it. You gain Proficiency in all Martial Weapons, Medium Armour, and Shields. In addition, you acquire a set of Medium Armour, a Martial Weapon of your choice, and either a Shield or a second Martial Weapon of your choice. This equipment does not cost Resources, as you unearth your old gear from storage.

OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

Starting at Level 3, you have discovered that even if your best years are behind you, you can make up for it by putting your hard-won life experience to good use.

You gain the following benefits:

• Your attacks deal additional Damage equal to your Intelligence Bonus.
• You can use your Intelligence instead of Strength to determine the Save DC of Called Shots (see page 124).
• The first time you attack an enemy who believes you are Harmless, you have Advantage on the Attack Test.

NOT THAT PERSON ANYMORE

At Level 7, word of your choice to return to the fold spreads, causing old allies and enemies to re-enter your life. Work with the GM to create three new Allies and three new Enemies (see page 32). You can choose any number of your old allies to already be present in your Haven. Alternatively, whenever you enter a new Haven or other community, you can declare that one of your a llies lives there.

Your old allies may grumble, but they will never refuse to aid you in dire times and will often risk their own lives to help you, “just like the good old days”. However, the GM has control over where and when your enemies appear. At the GM's discretion, you may also encounter old allies or enemies outside of a Haven.

WAR STORIES

At Level 11, you can share the lessons you've learned throughout your life with your allies. During a Long Rest, choose a Skill or Tool you are Proficient in and an ally willing to listen. The chosen ally has Advantage on Tests using that Skill or Tool for the following day or until they fail a Test using that Skill or Tool.

SAME OLD DANCE

Also at 11th Level, you have fought one particular type of enemy for so long that you can avoid their attacks and strike them down with tired efficiency. Choose either Monsters, Fauna, or Humanoids. Creatures of the chosen type have Disadvantage on Attacks against you. In addition, once per round, if a creature of this type misses you with an Attack, you can spend a Hit Die and use your Reaction to immediately make an Attack against them with Advantage.

Unfortunately, the scars you bear run so deep you struggle to empathise with them. You have Disadvantage on all Charisma (Persuasion) Tests when interacting with creatures of the chosen type.  I GUESS I’M BACK  At Level 15, you feel better than you have in years, as if you’ve finally managed to recapture some of your youthful might. Your weapon attacks score a Critical Hit on a roll of 18, 19, or 20. In addition, once per turn, you can spend a Hit Die to immediately take an additional Action.

ONE LAST JOB

At Level 19, you can burn the last remnants of your life in one final heroic effort to protect the ones you love or defeat an enemy once and for all. When you make a Last Stand (see page 125), you do not die at the end of your turn. Instead, you can maintain your Last Stand for up to 10 minutes before dying.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:26, Fri 19 Apr.

The scouts, explorers, and hunters of a Haven, Seekers undertake dangerous forays out into the wild and walk the broken paths of the world. With the land shifting constantly, maps can only be relied upon for a short time. Instead, Seekers trust their instincts and the trail glyphs they find. Seekers build Waymarkers, which provide some stability in the changing wilds and help guide travellers along their way.

Seekers are hardy by nature and practised at traversing any terrain, even when one landscape changes into another without warning. They share stories and knowledge on the roads and often spend much time away from their Havens. Many Seekers have a particular fascination with lost artefacts of the pre-Breaking world and spend much of their time traversing ancient ruins and delving deep into the world's forgotten places.

Seekers often have loose organisations within Havens, coordinating as needed without a formal hierarchy. Some Havens have a more formal structure, but the everchanging landscape of the Broken World means that a Seeker might spend weeks on a journey that should have only taken days. Thankfully, by forging these new paths, Seekers make the routes easier for allies and can be responsible for connecting entire communities of Havens.

Play a Seeker if you want to:

• Delve deep into untamed lands to find strange and dangerous places.
• Guide your companions in traversing the wilds safely.
• Build Waymarkers and create maps that will benefit future generations.

PLAYING A SEEKER

Seekers have a clearly defined role within their Havens: they scout the lands nearby and upkeep the network of Waymarkers.

The choice to become a Seeker is one few people make, as their lives are dangerous and isolated, and they must face the terrifying creatures of Decay without the support of the Haven beside them. Consider why your Survivor chose this life: was it a sense of duty, a reaction to something that happened to them, an inherited role from their parents, or a desire for freedom?

Seekers often build close ties with other Seekers. Consider your Survivor’s relationships with other Seekers from their Haven or further afield. How do they react when they meet each other on the road? Who do they rely on?

A Haven's goals are often most important to a Seeker, but they also see many things out in the wilds. What places have you found that you want to explore further? What trails intrigue you? Work these out with your GM so they can tempt your Survivor into wandering off the path!

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Seeker, first gain +1 Wisdom and Proficiency in Perception, Stealth, and Survival. Next, gain Proficiency in Seeker’s Tools. Lastly, you have a staff, a hunting knife, a broken blade, a longbow with 20 arrows, chichit pelt armour, seeker’s tools, and a delver’s pack.


Class Features

As a Seeker, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Seekers have an inherent understanding and awareness of the Broken World and the people and creatures that inhabit it. You gain +1 Wisdom.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points at 1st Level: 20 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: Light Armour, Medium Armour
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
• Tools: Seeker’s Tools
• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Strength
• Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Forgotten Lore, Insight, Investigation, Natural Lore, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• A staff and any simple weapon.
• A longbow with 20 arrows or any martial weapon.
• Chichit pelt armour.
• A delver’s pack or a survivor’s pack.
• Seeker’s Tools.

WALK THE OLD PATHS

Seekers travel through the Broken World, placing Waymarkers as they rediscover old paths and charter new ones. When you take a Long Rest, you can undertake the Place Waymarker Campcraft Activity (see page 157) in addition to any other Campcraft you undertake. Additionally, you can locate Waymarkers set by other Seekers or perhaps even by yourself on a previous journey. These Waymarkers often contain hidden supplies or essential information. Once per day, you can spend 1 hour searching for a Waymarker. If there is one in the area, you will find it. Roll on the Waymarker Stash table below to see what resources have been hidden with the Waymarker. If you can’t find a Waymarker, there isn’t one in the area, and you may be the first Seeker to travel through these lands.


SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

More than any other Class, having a party member who plays a Seeker provides an excellent way for GMs to introduce rumours and adventure hooks into their game. They may start play already knowing tales of legendary places or lost artefacts, and any time they seek out a new Waymarker, particularly if they roll a 1 to 5, is the perfect opportunity to introduce the next adventure — or provide a dire warning.

LEAD THE WAY

You are used to travelling ahead of others, traversing obstacles and avoiding hazards to find a safe path for your allies. You ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain and your Speed is not reduced while moving stealthily. When you take on the Outrider Role as part of a Journey (see page 137), you have Advantage on all Tests made as part of that Role.

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

SEEKER’S PATH

At Level 3, you choose a path to follow. Choose a Seeker’s Path from Delver, Hunter, or Strider (see page 77 onwards). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.
• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.
• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.
• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

LUCKY FIND

Also at 5th Level, you can find just the right resources when needed. When you search for a Waymarker as part of your Walk the Old Paths feature, you can roll twice and choose your preferred result.

ALL ROADS LEAD HOME

At Level 9, you have walked countless paths but always return home. Choose four locations that you have visited. These can be other Havens, ancient ruins, a Waymarker, or places with vital resources. When you make a Journey between your Haven and one of these locations, the Difficulty is reduced by an amount equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You can create bonds with five locations at Level 14 and six at Level 17. During downtime (see Downtime thread), you can change one of the locations. The old location loses the benefit of this feature, and the new site gains the benefits.

Additionally, you can spend an hour instructing others about the route between your Haven and one of the locations. You offer advice and warnings on what hazards travellers might encounter. Any creature that listens to your advice can use your Wisdom (Survival) and Wisdom (Perception) in place of their own while travelling between the locations, regardless of whether you are accompanying them. They retain this benefit for one week.

WELL-TRODDEN PATHS

At Level 13, you have forged strong connections with other communities and ceaselessly mapped your Haven's lands. These well-trodden paths give permanence to the lands, rebuilding at least a part of the Broken World. Decay decreases by 1 in your Haven and each location you choose as part of your All Roads Lead Home feature.

CENTRE OF THE WHEEL

At Level 17, your Haven has become the focal point for a collection of connected communities. Any group leaving your Haven gains +1 Hope. Additionally, any group travelling from a location connected to your Haven as part of your All Roads Lead Home feature gains +1 Hope.

Path: Delver

Delvers travel into the dark places beneath the ground and seek out ruins where artefacts might lie buried. Artefacts are dangerous, but Delvers believe these powerful items are worth the risk and learn to mitigate the Decay as best they can.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

When you choose this Path at 3rd Level, you gain Proficiency in Prospector’s Tools. If you are already Proficient with these Tools, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus for Tests using them. Additionally, you have Advantage on Strength (Athletics) Tests to climb and move at your normal Speed while climbing.

TALES OF THE PAST

Starting at 3rd Level, you learn to reconstruct the stories of the pre-Breaking world from the ruins and remnants you find. If you spend 10 minutes studying an area, you know about its history and what valuable resources may remain. The GM informs you of any information you could reasonably infer from studying the terrain, such as the nature of what the site may have been in the past, the location of a nearby ruin, a hidden entrance, or other myths and legends.

HEIGHTENED AWARENESS

Also at 3rd Level, you are used to traversing dark caves and ruins, many of which contain unexpected dangers. You ignore the effects of Dim Light up to 60 feet and treat areas of non-magical Darkness as Dim Light. Additionally, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) Tests to notice traps and hazards.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW

At Level 7, you discover a nearby ruin, stockpile of ancient materials, or colossal broken machine. After careful exploration, you conclude that the area is safe for your Haven and could provide a valuable resource for the future. Discuss the nature of this discovery with your GM and grant your Haven an appropriate Abundance (see Haven Creation), such as ‘Salvaged Metal’, ‘Polished Glass’, or ‘Inert Crystals’.

VAULT KEEPER

At Level 11, you have created a vault or secure location to safely store ancient artefacts without risking the effects of Decay spreading to your Haven. You can keep a number of Arcane Artefacts (see page 224) in your Haven equal to your Wisdom Bonus. These Arcane Artefacts do not increase your Haven’s Decay unless used. If your Haven already holds Arcane Artefacts that have increased its Decay, such as those acquired during Haven Creation (see page 20), they can be stored in the vault, and their Decay is subdued.

DELVER’S LUCK

Also at 11th Level, you have learned to survive through skill but with a fair share of luck. When you fail a Test, you can use your Reaction to spend a Hit Die. If you do, roll 1d10 and add it to the result of the failed Test. This can turn a failure into a success.

WANDERER IN THE DARK

At Level 15, you have spent countless hours exploring dark caves and ruins and have gained an almost preternatural sense of your surroundings. You can perceive your surroundings up to 30 feet without relying on sight.

HANDLE WITH CARE

Also at 15th Level, continuous exposure to artefacts from the pre-Breaking world has granted you a semblance of resistance to their corrupting influence. You have Advantage on Decay Saving Throws caused by exposure to and use of Arcane Artefacts or other magical items from the pre-Breaking world.

WHAT ONCE WAS LOST

At Level 19, you have accumulated countless myths and legends about a handful of lost artefacts. By piecing the rumours together, you believe you have pinpointed the final resting place of these ancient relics. Choose a number of Arcane Artefacts listed on page 224 equal to your Wisdom Bonus. You know the exact location of these items.

During each Season, you can seek out one of these lost artefacts instead of taking a Seasonal Activity. Roll 1d20. On a 2+, you retrieve the artefact and return to your Haven with it. If you roll a 1, you go in search of the artefact and never return. Your Survivor is lost forever, their final fate unknown.

Path: Hunter

The monstrous creatures of Decay are enough to make anyone think twice, but Hunters dedicate themselves to becoming experts in killing them. Progressing from traps and trophies, they eventually become the dominant predator in their area, and even the creatures of Decay dare not approach the Haven they protect.

THE WHOLE BEAST

When you choose this Path at 3rd Level, you gain Proficiency in Butcher’s Tools and Hunter’s Tools. If you are already Proficient with these Tools, you instead double your Proficiency Bonus for Tests using the tools.

SLAYER’S STRIKE

Starting at 3rd Level, you have learned how to strike swiftly and quietly, driving arrows and blades through your quarry's thick hides or armoured plates. Once per turn while wielding a ranged weapon or a weapon with the Finesse Property, you can make a special Slayer’s Strike attack.

If you have Advantage on an Attack Test or a conscious ally is within 5 feet of the target, your attack deals an additional 1d6 Damage. This Damage increases to 2d6 at Level 7, 3d6 at Level 11, 4d6 at Level 15, and 5d6 at Level 19.

STALKER

At Level 7, you are accustomed to hunting and being hunted. You have Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) and Wisdom (Survival) Tests when tracking and hunting prey. Additionally, you have Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) Tests to spot creatures trying to hunt you. Additionally, if your Haven has the Hunter's Lodge improvement (see Downtime thread), it generates a number of additional Resources equal to your Wisdom Bonus, or one additional Component.

HEARTSEEKER

At Level 11, you can completely bypass your quarry’s defences to strike where they are most vulnerable. You ignore a creature’s Resistances when dealing Damage. Additionally, if you score a Critical Hit, you can spend a Hit Die to add 1d10 Damage.

GRIM WARNING

At Level 15, you have collected trophies from countless kills and leave these on the outskirts of your Haven as a grim warning to any creatures that would attack. If you are in a Haven when it falls into Crisis (see page 131) you can spend a Long Rest preparing your Grim Warning. If you do so, your Haven gains Immunity to Crisis Damage caused by Monsters for one week.

APEX PREDATOR

At Level 19, other creatures recognise you as one of the deadliest predators in the land. You have Advantage on attack Tests against all Beasts and Monsters, and Beasts and Monsters have Disadvantage on attacks against you. In addition, your Haven will never come under attack from Beasts as long as you are alive, but Monsters may still attack.

Path: Strider

Striders ally with nature and wild animals, easily navigating the landscape and forming packs of beasts to fight alongside them. In return for a Strider's protection, animals lead them through danger or towards natural resources. Striders commit themselves to fixing the shattered ecosystem and driving Decay out of wild places.

COMMUNE

When you choose this Path at 3rd Level, you learn to recognise the signs of natural imbalance. During a Long Rest, you can venture into the surrounding lands, seeking out flora and fauna and trying to learn about your environment. The GM tells you of any imbalance in the ecosystem, such as a scarcity, an unusual migration pattern in nearby beasts, or any areas of Decay or Monsters that may have infested the area. You can use this feature in addition to any Campcraft Activities you undertake.

ANIMAL FRIEND

Starting at 3rd Level, you have learned to live alongside the animals and beasts of the Broken World and have garnered a measure of their trust. When you take a Long Rest, you can seek out a creature to forge a temporary bond. The creature must be a Medium or smaller Beast native to the area. The GM has the final say on what animals live nearby. You can use this ability in addition to any Campcraft Activities you undertake.

The creature accompanies you for one day, after which it leaves and returns to its natural habitat. The beast acts of its own accord but will aid you if it can. It can lead you to water sources, help you find your way if you are lost, and generally tries to help you on your journey. Your companion grants Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) Tests. Your animal friend will not aid you in combat and will run and hide if it is attacked.

STEP WITH ME

Also at 3rd Level, you know the swiftest way to travel and how to go unseen. While travelling in the wilds, you and allies within 30 feet have Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) Tests and ignore the effects of Difficult Terrain.

At 7th Level, the Speed of allies within 30 feet is not reduced while moving stealthily.

WIND’S HOWLING

At Level 7, you can read the land around your Haven and detect when a severe change will occur. If you are in a Haven when it falls into Crisis you can spend a Long Rest predicting the weather and preparing your community for the storm to come. If you do so, your Haven gains Resistance to Crisis Damage caused by environmental threats, such as storms or droughts, for one week.

PART OF THE PACK

At Level 11, you bond with the creatures of the Broken World, and they see you as one of their own. You can use your Animal Friend feature to bond with Large or smaller Beasts with Decay 9 or lower, including deadly predators such as the Wetlurch. Your beast companion remains by your side for a number of days equal to your Wisdom Bonus and will fight to the death to protect you. The creature acts on its own Initiative and is controlled by the GM.

STEEL AND FANG

At Level 15, your bonded companions learn from you and are more deadly when hunting alongside you. Your Animal Friend gains a bonus to Attack Tests, Damage, and AC equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

RESTORE NATURE

At Level 19, you stabilise the ecosystem around your Haven, providing the opportunity for your community to gather new resources. Your Haven gains a new Abundance (see Haven Creation) of your choice, and gains Resources equal to your Wisdom Bonus × 2.

In addition, thanks to your presence and actions, future generations have learned a tremendous respect for the land and developed a kinship with its creatures. From now on, characters raised in your Haven can choose to be Proficient in either Animal Handling, Natural Lore, or one set of Forager’s Tools.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:57, Sat 20 Apr.

Speakers are negotiators, storytellers, and diplomats. They are charismatic and can put forward arguments and viewpoints persuasively. This power over hearts and minds makes Speakers some of the most powerful individuals in the Broken World, as a competent Speaker can unify a fractured community, or drive it to tear itself apart.

Speakers often work with Sages to maintain a Haven’s histories and tell the stories of admirable survivors. However, they are notorious for their embellishments, as a good Speaker understands the power of a good tale, regardless of whether it is true or not. Stories can also be a currency, a trade for a night's hospitality or a stranger's trust on the road. They are often leaders within Havens, but they might also see their role as a powerful supporting voice for others.

Speakers from different Havens share stories when they meet, and it is not unusual to find a story that has evolved through the telling. Speakers can also reach the hearts of those with violence in mind and have been known to stop fights with words that ring across the battlefield. While not necessarily humble, Speakers often spread the fame of other Survivors as powerful tools to bring hope to Havens in dire circumstances.

Play a Speaker if you want to:

• Inspire others through your words and stories.
• Deftly control situations and turn war into peace.
• Wield words as weapons to tear people down or raise them up.

PLAYING A SPEAKER

Speakers play a vital role in the Broken World. Without Speakers, Havens would quickly fall to infighting and find it near impossible to negotiate with travellers or other Havens. More than that, they inspire and persuade people when hard choices need to be made. Speakers are often naturally charismatic. Some might have been shy while young and found themselves growing into their role, and others could be unsuited to diplomacy by nature but stepped up when others would not. Does your Speaker approach a situation with smooth charm, blunt honesty, inspiring leadership, or cunning wordplay?

Speakers are better placed than other classes to pursue their own agendas in their Haven or beyond. Consider what your Survivor wishes to change in the world and who could help them achieve that. Within a Haven, Speakers can be a wild card. If they choose to support the leaders of a Haven, they are powerful allies, but Speakers make equally potent rabble-rousers when they make a stand.

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Speaker, first gain +1 Charisma and Proficiency in Deception, Insight, and Persuasion. Next, gain Proficiency in Actor’s Tools and flutes. Lastly, you have a broken blade, two hunting knives, a hand crossbow with 20 bolts, chichit pelt armour, actor’s tools, and an emissary’s pack.


Class Features

As a Speaker, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Speakers are known for their magnetic personalities and commanding presence, making them excellent diplomats and leaders. You gain +1 Charisma.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d8
Hit Points at 1st Level: 16 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: Light Armour
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, three Martial Weapons of your choice
• Tools: Two Kinship Tools of your choice and one other tool of your choice
• Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma
• Skills: Choose any three Skills

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• A broken blade or a forgemade longsword.
• Any simple weapon or a hand crossbow with 20 bolts.
• Chichit pelt armour and a hunting knife.
• Any set of tools or an instrument of your choice.
• A survivor’s pack or an emissary’s pack.

SPEAKER’S VOICE

Your words have power, and you know that the right words at the right time can push an ally to new heights or strike at a foe’s greatest insecurity. This is your Speaker’s Voice, and you can use it a number of times per day equal to your Charisma Bonus, to a minimum of one. You regain all expended uses of your Speaker’s Voice when you finish a Long Rest.

You can use your Speaker’s Voice for one of the following effects:

• Inspire: As an Action, choose an ally within 60 feet who can see and hear you. Once within the next 10 minutes, the target can add 1d6 to the result of any Attack, Skill, or Tool Test. They can do this after roll, but before the GM informs them whether they succeed or fail.
• Insult: When a creature within 60 feet makes a Test or Saving Throw, you can use your Reaction to force the target to subtract 1d6 from the result. The target must be able to see and hear you but doesn’t need to understand you (your tone of voice and body language are enough).

The die used for your Speaker’s Voice increases to 1d8 at Level 5, 1d10 at Level 10, and 1d12 at Level 15.

READ THE ROOM

You have an instinct for when a conversation is about to turn violent. When you are in a social situation that turns into a combat situation, you gain +5 Initiative and cannot be Surprised.

NATURAL STORYTELLER

You long ago learned the power of a good story. Tales of the past, fictional or otherwise, can lift the spirits, guide the hand, or soothe the soul in times of need. You have collected and rehearsed so many stories or songs that you can happily recite them even as you go about your chores.

Once per day when you take a Long Rest, you can undertake the Bond Campcraft Activity (see page 155) in addition to any other Campcraft Activities you undertake.

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

SPEAKER’S ART

At Level 3, you have mastered a particular way of dealing with others. Choose a Speaker’s Art from Envoy, Preacher, or Whisperer (see below). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.
• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.
• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.
• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

TALE OF HOPE

At Level 9, you craft a powerful song, performance, or story that depicts heroic individuals or a community overcoming an existential crisis. Describe the story and how it resonates with your community. If you are in your Haven when it falls into Crisis (see page 131) you can spend a Long Rest to perform your Tale of Hope. If you do so, your Haven generates Hope equal to your Charisma Bonus. You can only perform your Tale of Hope once per Crisis.

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION

At Level 13, your voice can carry across the din of bloodshed and speak reason to the heart, even while blades are locked.

On your turn during combat, you can use an Action to make a bold or desperate attempt to find a peaceful resolution to the bloodshed. Make a Charisma (Persuasion) Test to represent your argument. All Humanoids who can hear and understand you within 60 feet must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against the result of your Test. If a creature fails this Saving Throw, you speak to their heart and calm their emotions. If you calm half or more enemy combatants in this manner, they add to your plea and force the remaining combatants to stand down, thus peacefully ending the combat. This calming effect lasts for 10 minutes or until you or your allies attack one of the affected enemies. You regain the use of this ability after a Long Rest.

ENDURING HOPE

At Level 17, your continued efforts to strengthen your community take root in the very culture of your people, instilling in them an almost unwavering optimism or dogged endurance that lasts for generations. From this generation onwards, when a character raised within your Haven spends Hope, they can roll 1d20. On a result of 20, they immediately regain the Hope they just spent.

Art: Envoy

Envoys are diplomats and charmers who make people feel special and understand their needs. They can sway people's opinions deftly, help their companions to feel ready for anything and adapt to new cultures. An Envoy knows that war never solves problems, only that it creates more issues that must be solved later with words.

UNSPOKEN WORDS

When you choose this Art at 3rd Level, you have developed a fundamental understanding of how people communicate and live together, and the basic emotions that transcend language barriers. This empathetic outlook on life proves vital when entering unfamiliar social situations or trying to reach an understanding with a Haven or community that has a very different language than your own. You gain the following benefits:

• Whenever you make an Insight Test to gauge the emotions or intentions of a person or group of people, you treat any roll of a 9 or less on your Test as a 10.
• If you take a Long Rest in a Haven, familiar or new, you can learn the details of its Values, Leadership, Clothing and Appearance, and Traditions and Superstitions (see Haven Creation, page 15). You achieve this in addition to your normal recovery. Once you have done this, you instinctually know if your actions, or in some cases inaction, will insult or upset a person from that Haven.
• If you spend a Long Rest listening to a person or group of people speaking a language you do not know, you gain a rudimentary understanding of their language, which allows you to communicate simple concepts, such as ‘hunger’, ‘danger’, or ‘friend’.
• You can use a Downtime Activity to learn a new language, provided you spend that time with someone fluent in the language. If you do so, you gain Proficiency in the language.

SMOOTH OVER

At Level 3, you can instinctually sense when you have said something you shouldn’t have and can quickly correct yourself or cover your misstep. Whenever you fail a Charisma (Persuasion) Test, you can use your Reaction and one use of your Speaker’s Voice to try and cover your mistake. Roll your Speaker’s Voice die and add the result to your Charisma Test. This can cause a failed Test to pass.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Starting at Level 7, you have mastered the art of first impressions, allowing you to make allies in even the most distrustful communities. When you arrive in a Haven or community, you may request an audience with the local leader or another influential member of the community and make a DC 15 Charisma (Performance or Persuasion) Test to ingratiate yourself with the community. You have Disadvantage on this Test if your party or Haven have had violent encounters with this community. On a success, the community leaders celebrate your arrival and treat your party or Haven as allies, offering you shelter, food, and other resources. This generosity ceases if you endanger, betray, or anger the community leaders.

EMPOWERED VOICE

Starting at Level 11, you can empower your voice and presence to levels few Speakers can match, enabling you to drive more allies to more remarkable feats or sow uncertainty in enemies.

Whenever you use your Speaker’s Voice feature to Inspire your allies, you can spend 1 Hit Die to target an additional ally. Alternatively, when you use your Speaker’s Voice feature to Insult a creature, you can spend 1 Hit Die to also give them Disadvantage on their next Attack.

EMOTIONAL RESONANCE

At Level 15, your words echo in the minds of those you have steered away from violence. When you use your Peaceful Resolution feature, you have Advantage on your Charisma (Performance) Test. In addition, if a Peaceful Resolution is reached, the calming effect lasts for one day.

STRONGER TOGETHER

At Level 19, you can dedicate yourself to the cultural and logistical task of uniting two disparate groups of survivors into one greater whole. If you choose to do so, select any two Havens with which you have fostered a good relationship, including your own Haven. These two communities unite to make a greater whole and build a new future together. You create a new Haven using the following steps:

• Choose the Location of one Haven to act as the foundation for your new Haven.
• Combine the Cultures of both Havens into one.
• Reduce the Haven’s Decay to the lowest value between the two Havens.
• Combine the two Havens’ Hope, Population, and Resources into one.
• Set your new Haven’s Founders’ Legacy to: ‘A great Speaker united our two Havens into one.’
• Pick a name for your new Haven. In addition, this new Haven is emboldened with a sense of unity and work together for a brighter future. The new Haven generates an additional 1d6 Resources every four weeks and does not suffer Internal Conflicts (see page 19) for a number of Seasons equal to your Charisma Bonus.

Art: Preacher

The gods are not truly dead, or so the Preacher believes. The Preacher inspires others to faith, believing that with enough followers, the gods might return. When they start performing minor miracles, who is to say where the true power lies?

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

When you choose this Art at 3rd Level, you dedicate time to learning about the gods of old and the world they ruled over. You gain Proficiency in Forgotten Lore. If you already have Proficiency in this Skill, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

PRAYERS OF DENIAL

Starting at Level 3, you refuse to believe the gods are dead and use your powerful voice and charisma to convince others that miracles can still happen if they only believe. You gain the following additional options for your Speaker’s Voice feature.

• Preach Freedom: As an Action, choose yourself or an ally within 60 feet that can see and hear you. For the next 1 minute, the target can take an additional Move on each of their turns and has Advantage on Tests to break free from grapples, or other forms of restraint. In addition, if the target jumps during this time, they can roll your Speaker’s Voice die and a number of feet to their jump equal to the result.
• Preach Endurance: As an Action, choose yourself or an ally within 60 feet who can see and hear you. For the next 1 minute, they can add your Speaker’s Voice die to any Saving Throws they make, including Decay Saving Throws.

SERMON OF ANGER

At Level 7, you can passionately orate great speeches that can drive your followers into righteous fury and empower them to fight their oppressors or lash out against the Broken World. If you are in a Haven when it falls into Crisis (page 131) you can spend a Long Rest preaching anger to your Haven. If you do so, your Haven gains Resistance to Crisis Damage caused by physical threats they can direct their anger towards, such as raiders or Monster attacks. This effect lasts for one week.

RIGHTEOUS FURY

At Level 11, you are filled with rage by those who would deny the existence of the gods. As an Action, you can spend a Hit Die to launch into a righteous fury. Make a Melee Attack with Advantage. If this Attack deals Damage, you can immediately spend another Hit Die to make a second Melee Attack as a Free Action. You do not have Advantage on the second Attack. If the second Attack also deals Damage, you can spend another Hit Die to make a third Melee Attack as a Free Action. The third Attack is made at Disadvantage. Each attack deals additional Damage equal to your Charisma Bonus.

IMPART DESPAIR

At Level 15, you allow your faith to be tested and imagine a world where the gods are truly dead. Your despair in this moment of weakness overwhelms others with a sense of existential dread. When you use your Peaceful Resolution feature, you can use Charisma (Forgotten Lore) instead of Charisma (Persuasion). If you find a peaceful resolution, your targets also gain 1 level of Exhaustion.

TEST OF FAITH

At Level 19, after a seemingly endless pilgrimage to seek out or resurrect the gods, you are standing on the final threshold of your spiritual enlightenment. Once in your lifetime, during a Long Rest, you can compile everything you have witnessed and preach your concluding sermon.

Choose the nature of your sermon:

• Acceptance: You accept that the gods are dead, and there is nothing you or anyone can do to bring them back. What matters is sharing their history to ensure their glory is never forgotten and their mistakes never repeated. Your Haven gains Hope equal to your Charisma Bonus, and every future generation raised within your Haven has Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws.
• Transcendence: You cannot and will not accept that the gods are dead. You are their chosen avatar, living proof of their existence. Your deific determination is so strong that you willingly open yourself to Decay — the essence of what remains of the gods — and use their power to become an avatar of the divine. Your body is unmade as it is flooded by Decay and you are transformed into a Titan. You can either choose an existing Titan and change its aesthetic to match your chosen deity or work with your GM to create a unique Titan for you to become. After one day as a Titan, your mind rapidly becomes alien and unknowable, and you become an NPC Titan under the control of the GM.

Art: Whisperer

Whisperers live by the mantra that sometimes a lie can do more good than the truth ever could. Whisperers are expert manipulators and spies and use their words to change the course of a Haven’s future — for better or ill. Where most Speakers keep their hands clean, Whisperers know how to take their targets by surprise when less peaceful methods are required.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

When you choose this Art at 3rd Level, you learn several valuable skills which help you operate undetected.

• You gain Proficiency in Stealth and Deception. You double your Proficiency Bonus if you already have Proficiency in these Skills.
• You gain Proficiency in Artificer’s Tools and can use them to pick locks. If you already have proficiency in Artificer’s Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.
• You can conceal a pair of knives, daggers, or equivalent palm-sized weapons or objects on your person. Visual inspection alone cannot detect them. If a creature physically searches you, they must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) Test to find them.
• You can read a person's lips up to 60 feet away. If they are speaking a language you understand, you can know what a person is saying even if you can’t hear them.

OUT COLD

Starting at Level 3, you learn the best ways to silently incapacitate people who get in the way of your secretive undertakings. If you make a successful Called Shot to the head against a Surprised Humanoid, you can choose to deal no Damage and silently knock them Unconscious. They remain Unconscious for 1 minute or until they take Damage. When they wake up, they are confused and do not recall you or the attack.

EXTORT SUPPLIES

At Level 7, you have found a way to ‘acquire’ extra supplies when times are dire. Maybe you know where people keep their secret stashes, how to pilfer some from a nearby Haven without them noticing, or simply have your own stockpile nobody knows about. When your Haven falls into Crisis, you can add additional Resources to your Haven equal to your Proficiency Bonus.

ASSASSINATE

At Level 11, you have learned that sometimes a wellplaced blade is the only way to stop a war, restore hope, or steer your community towards a brighter future. When you successfully use your Out Cold feature, you can spend 1 Hit Die to kill the target instead of knocking them Unconcious.

DISTRACTING WORDS

Also at Level 11, you can execute scathing quips, deceptive movements, or other forms of distraction to confuse your foes and grant you a chance to escape. You gain the following additional option for your Speaker’s Voice feature.

• Distract: As an Action, choose an enemy within 60 feet and make an opposed Charisma (Deception) Test versus their Wisdom (Insight). If you succeed, the target is Blinded until the end of its next turn. Regardless of success, you can also immediately Move as a Free Action without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

MASTERFUL DECEPTION

At Level 15, lying comes as easy as breathing to you. When you make a Charisma (Deception) Test, you treat any result of 9 or lower as a 10.

THE SPIDER’S WEB

At Level 19, you have built a web of secrets, lies, and debts that can change the fate of a Haven with one conversation.

During a downtime period, you can choose one Haven you have encountered during your lifetime, including your home Haven. You assume a leadership position in the Haven and change its form of Leadership (see Haven Creation) to one of your liking.

Alternatively, you can use your influence to cause the chosen Haven to collapse upon itself under the weight of mistrust and infighting. The Haven is destroyed. If the destroyed Haven is not your home Haven, your Haven can claim any Resources and up to half the Population of the destroyed Haven for themselves.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:57, Sat 20 Apr.

Wardens are the first and last lines of defence for their
Havens. They are skilled warriors who know that their
lives are secondary to the safety of their people. Carrying
the ancient arms of their forebears, they cannot afford
to back down, even when it means their deaths.

Almost everyone in the Broken World has been saved
by a Warden at one time or another, or has a tale to tell
of the heroic sacrifice a Warden made to save a Haven
from certain doom. Wardens are vaunted heroes whose
grim determination is matched only by their courage.
Many Havens organise Wardens into groups, or pair
veterans with newer Wardens so they can train in a
particular fighting style. Self-discipline is usually a vital
part of their training: knowing yourself is the first step
towards standing firm in the face of true horrors.

In smaller Havens with little or no ancestral arms, there
may be scant few Wardens, with each one a solitary
figure among the community — a paragon of bravery
and martial skill that others look up to. Others wander
the paths between Havens, helping anyone in need and
protecting others on the road. These Wardens often
have a tragic history involving the death of their Haven
or a loved one and find it hard to settle in any one place.

Play a Warden if you want to:

• Protect those around you, even at risk to yourself.
• Inspire people by leading from the front.
• Bear ancestral weapons or armour with a proud
and tragic history.

PLAYING A WARDEN

When creating a Warden, think about what has
compelled them to offer their lives for others willingly.
They might be genuinely selfless and philosophical
or feel compelled by some deep-rooted drive towards
self-sacrifice that stems from past trauma. If the role
is a family tradition, perhaps they felt bound by duty
to continue it, or they might be making up for some
past crime.

Wardens are the front-line fighters of the Haven. They
are capable of enduring and dealing out great force.
Think about their relationship to their duty when you
consider their goals. Who in the Haven represents
what they fight to protect, and what have they done in
the past to keep them safe?

The Warden’s Ancestral Arms provide an excellent
opportunity for personal and setting development.
The Ancestral Arms' reputation shapes how the people
of that Haven react to the Warden wielding them.
Work with the GM to develop a compelling story to
describe its history. Think about the event that made it
special, the personality that went with that story, and
the people who have had care of it since.

QUICK BUILD

To quickly build a Warden, gain +1 Strength. You have
Proficiency in the Athletics and Intimidation Skills.
You have a forgemade longsword and a reinforced
shield, a light crossbow with 20 bolts, patchwork plate
armour, and a survivor’s pack.


Class Features

As a Warden, you gain the following features:

PRIMARY ATTRIBUTE

Wardens are potent warriors and stalwart guardians who sacrifice their safety to protect others. You gain +1 Strength.

HIT POINTS

Hit Dice: 1d12
Hit Points at 1st Level: 24 + your Constitution Bonus
Hit Points after 1st Level: 1d12 (or 7) + your Constitution Bonus

PROFICIENCIES

You have the following Proficiencies in addition to those gained during your Lifepath:

• Armour: All Armour, Shields
• Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
• Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Local Lore, Medicine, Perception, and Survival

EQUIPMENT

You have the following equipment in addition to anything gained during your Lifepath:

• A one-handed melee weapon and a reinforced shield, or a melee weapon with the Two-handed Property.
• A light crossbow with 20 bolts, or two hatchets.
• Strongback leather armour and a longbow with 20 arrows, or pathwork plate armour.
• A delver’s pack or a survivor’s pack.

ANCESTRAL ARMS

As a Warden, you are entrusted with an ancient weapon or suit of armour that has a storied history within your Haven. This artefact has a deep connection to your community and is imbued with the hopes and dreams of those you protect. Choose a weapon, shield, or suit of armour in your possession. This is your Ancestral Arms. The artefact is immune to the effects of Decay and any other effect that would damage or destroy it — such as creature abilities or environmental effects. Your Ancestral Arms gains one of the following properties, depending on the nature of the item.

• Melee Weapon: The Ancestral Weapon deals +1 Damage.
• Ranged Weapon: You gain a +1 bonus to Attack Tests made with the Ancestral Weapon.
• Armour or Shield: The Ancestral Armour or Shield grants an additional +1 bonus to AC.

Ancestral Arms have the Resilient Property and cannot be modified (see Downtime thread).

LOSING YOUR ANCESTRAL ARMS

Your Ancestral Arms are not just powerful weapons; they are sacred relics which connect you and your community to a heroic legacy. If your Ancestral Arms is somehow destroyed or lost, your Haven increases its Decay by 1. If someone manages to recover the Ancestral Arms and return them to your Haven, the Haven's Decay decreases by 1.

VALIANT DEFENDER

You know when an enemy blow would deal devastating harm to an ally and are willing to intercept it with your own body without a second thought. When an ally within 5 feet of you is damaged, you can use your Reaction to take the Damage instead — dramatically stepping between your ally and the incoming attack at the last second.

WARDEN’S DETERMINATION

You are used to pushing through hardship and pain with nothing but your strength and force of will. At the start of your turn, you can use a Free Action to gain one of the following effects:

• Recover from a single Condition.
• Regain Hit Points equal to 1d12 + your Constitution Bonus + your Warden Level.

You can use this feature a number of times per day equal to your Strength Bonus, to a minimum of one. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

TALENT

When you reach Level 2, you learn a new Talent (see Talent thread). You learn additional Talents at Levels 6, 10, 14, and 18.

WARDEN’S BURDEN

At Level 3, there is a burden you must bear for the betterment of those you love. Choose a Warden’s Burden from Avenger, Sentinel, or Warcaller (see below). Your choice grants you unique abilities at Levels 3, 7, 11, 15, and 19.

PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT

When you reach Level 4, you achieve significant personal advancement, such as increased physical or mental Attributes or learning new Skills. Choose one of the following:

• Increase one Attribute Score by 2.
• Increase two Attribute Scores by 1.
• Increase one Attribute Score by 1, and gain Proficiency in Saving Throws with that Attribute. If you already have Proficiency with the chosen Saving Throw, you double your Proficiency.
• You gain Proficiency with three Skills or Tools of your choice. If you already have Proficiency with one of the chosen Skills or Tools, you double your Proficiency Bonus.

You gain personal advancement again at Levels 8, 12, 16, and 20. You can gain the same benefit multiple times but can’t increase Attribute Scores above 20.

EXTRA ACTION

At Level 5, you are more efficient in combat. You can take two Actions per turn instead of one.

GRIM RESOLVE

Also at 5th Level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits. Once per day, if you have no more uses of your Warden’s Determination remaining, you can spend a Hit Die to use it instead.

WALKING LEGEND

At Level 9, the sacrifices you have made in defence of your Haven have ensured that your equipment will be passed down to future generations alongside the stories of your heroics — truly building upon your ancestor’s legacy. Choose one piece of equipment you wear or carry. It becomes a new piece of Ancestral Arms and gains the associated bonuses. Alternatively, you can reinforce the legacy of your existing Ancestral Arms. If you do so, it doubles its associated bonus from your Ancestral Arms feature. For example, an ancestral melee weapon would deal +2 Damage instead of +1.

UNBOWED HERO

At Level 13, you can push back pain and rise to your feet to defend your allies, even when death’s cold hands seek to drag you into the dirt.

If you are Critically Injured at the start of your turn, you can use your Warden’s Determination feature to Stabilise yourself. You recover Hit Points as normal and can then take your turn. This happens before you make a Death Save.

WARRIOR OF MYTH

At Level 17, you have become a living embodiment of the pre-Breaking heroes who once walked the lands — capable of burning the candle of your life in moments of blazing glory that defy the darkness of the Broken World.

When you use your Warden’s Determination feature, you double the Hit Points you recover and gain Advantage on all Tests and Saving Throws you make until the start of your next turn.

PASS INTO LEGEND

In addition, at Level 17, you have reached a point where you accept that sacrificing your ancestral gifts is sometimes the right and just action in the name of the greater good.

You can sacrifice your Ancestral Arms in one final heroic deed, destroying them in the process. The effects of this heroic deed depend on the type of Ancestral Arms you utilise:

• Melee or Ranged Weapon: You strike your foe with one legendary final blow. When you attack a creature, you can choose to sacrifice your Ancestral Arms. If you do, the Attack automatically hits your intended target and deals the weapon’s maximum Damage multiplied by your Level.

• Armour or Shield: You make one final desperate defence against an impossible foe. If you suffer Damage due to an Attack or ability targeting you or using your Valiant Defender feature, you can reduce the Damage you received to 0. At the GM’s discretion, this feature can allow you to survive Attacks, abilities, or narrative events which would otherwise kill you instantly, such as a Titan’s direct assault or a cataclysmic explosion.

After you sacrifice your Ancestral Arms, they shatter, break, or crumble in a way that makes them irreparable. However, the tale of your noble sacrifice emboldens your allies. Your Haven gains Hope equal to your Strength Bonus.

BLADE WITH WHOM I HAVE LIVED

The sacrifice of a Warden’s Ancestral Arms should be treated with the narrative importance it deserves. What happens to a Warden who has destroyed their inheritance? Some may continue to serve and, over time, forge their own Ancestral Arms. Others may decide to retire now that their burden is no more, while some may suffer a personal crisis, believing themselves lesser or incomplete without them. And what happens to the remains of the ancestral arms? Are they gathered up and enshrined within the Haven, or are they left where they fell, to be reclaimed one day by a future chosen Warden?

Burden: Avenger

Avengers keenly feel the world’s wrongs and cannot rest without righting them. Avengers push themselves beyond their limits in pursuit of vengeance. They punish wrongdoers in the hope of preventing future harm, and while they walk a lonely road, Avengers are fiercely protective of the people they care about.

IMPOSING MANNER

When you choose this Burden at 3rd Level, your retributive tendencies have granted you an air of malice, making others think twice before starting a fight with you or your allies.

You gain Proficiency in Intimidation and can always use your Strength Bonus instead of your Charisma Bonus when making Intimidation Tests.

VENGEFUL STRIKE

Starting at Level 3, you have learned to take the fear and injustice you feel at witnessing the pain of your allies and channel it into bursts of violent retribution. Once per turn, when an ally within 60 feet of you takes Damage from an enemy attack or ability, you can immediately use your Reaction to make a free Attack or Charge Action. If your Attack targets the creature that damaged your ally, you have Advantage on the Attack Test.

OATH OF BLOOD

At Level 7, your sense of retributive justice only grows with time, as you swear a solemn or furious oath to mete out mortal punishment to those who have harmed your Haven or your loved ones.

During downtime, you can spend a Downtime Activity to meditate on or seethe over an individual creature who has killed or injured one of your allies or a member of your Haven. The next time you encounter that creature, you have Advantage on all Attacks against them, but you have Disadvantage on all Tests to interact with them socially.

One or more Player Characters can join you in swearing the Oath of Blood, provided they also spend a Downtime Activity doing so.

FELLING BLOW

At Level 11, your sincere desire to protect and avenge your allies has caused you to adopt a strategy of allout attack, as you aim to eliminate the enemy in one incredible strike.

When you take the Charge Action, the subsequent Attack counts as a Critical Hit if you roll an 18, 19, or 20. In addition, whenever you hit with an Attack, you can spend 1 Hit Die to increase your weapon’s Damage by an additional 1d12.

UNRELENTING ASSAULT

At Level 15, your bursts of adrenaline ensure that you keep swinging even as you bolster yourself. After using your Warden’s Determination feature, you can immediately make a Charge or Attack as a Free Action.

VENGEFUL FLURRY

At Level 19, your fury has been driven to all new heights as your strikes fall like bloody rain upon those who harm your loved ones.

When you execute a Vengeful Strike, you can Charge or Attack twice instead of once. In addition, you can execute a Vengeful Strike whenever one of your party members dies.

Burden: Sentinel

While all Wardens risk themselves to protect others, Sentinels become bastions of endurance in the face of overwhelming odds. They are the ones who get back up time and time again, refusing to stay down while the fight rages on and suffering injuries that would have felled their allies.

WALL OF IRON

When you choose this Burden at 3rd Level, you become an immovable wall, absorbing enemy attacks and remaining on your feet no matter the cost. Whenever you use the Valiant Defender feature to take Damage in place of an ally, you have Resistance to the Damage from that Attack. Additionally, you cannot be knocked Prone unless you are also Incapacitated.

AGAINST THE DYING LIGHT

Starting at Level 3, you refuse to give up while your allies are in danger, pushing yourself to keep fighting even when Critically Injured (see page 125). You can fail an additional 2 Death Saves before you die, for a total of 5. In addition, whenever you fail a Death Save, you can immediately take an additional Action.

FORTIFICATION EXPERT

At Level 7, you have a keen eye for the weakest points of any defensive structure and are adept at instructing others in various ways to reinforce them. Any Defences you construct (see page 159) grant Immunity to Crisis Damage from ground-based physical threats, such as raiders or Monster attacks, for one week.

PERFECT DEFENCE

At Level 11, you have mastered a defensive stance that grants you incredible resilience while also luring enemies into over-extending and leaving themselves off-balance and vulnerable.

When you take the Dodge Action, if an enemy within 5 feet makes an Attack against you and fails to hit you, you can immediately Shove them as a Free Action. Additionally, whenever you successfully Shove an enemy, you can spend a Hit Die to deal 1d12 Bludgeoning Damage and may shove them an additional 10 feet in the direction of your choice.

HEROIC INTERVENTION

At Level 15, your sensitivity to danger is so honed that you can predict and intercept attacks from a surprising distance, leaping, running, or rolling at the perfect moment to place yourself between an ally and harm.

Your Valiant Defender feature can now target allies and enemies within 30 feet. You can choose whether you move within 5 feet of the attacking enemy or the targeted ally when you use this feature, provided you can reasonably reach them. This movement does not provoke Opportunity Attacks.

I AM HERE

At Level 19, you come to embody the purest ideals of a Warden — an individual dedicated to the protection of a Haven and its people. The power of your presence alone is enough to lift your allies from pain and despair and rally them around your unbreaking strength. When you use your Warden’s Determination feature, allies within 60 feet of you recover from any Conditions they have and can immediately Move as a Free Action. If your allies use this to move within 5 feet of you, they gain Temporary Hit Points equal to 1d12 + your Warden Level.

Burden: Warcaller

Warcallers are tacticians, generals, and leaders who command and direct others in the fray. They strive to understand the bigger picture of a battle and coordinate their allies efficiently to deal with threats. Warriors through and through, they lead from the front and develop strategies to exploit weaknesses or counter strengths.

COMBAT AWARENESS

When you choose this Burden at 3rd Level, you have developed a heightened awareness during the heat of battle, which ensures you rarely lose track of your enemies. You gain Proficiency in Perception. In addition, on your turn during combat you can Search as a Free Action.

TACTICAL MIND

Starting at Level 3, you learn how to galvanise or command your allies in battle, allowing you to execute complex strategies on the fly.

Once per round, you can use your Reaction to direct an ally within 60 feet that can hear you to take a single Action. The direction must be clear and include an Action that the ally could conceivably take, such as ‘Attack that Monster!’ or ‘Run while you still can!’ The ally can immediately use a Free Action to follow your direction.

MILITIA COMMANDER

At Level 7, your self-reflection on your skills over the years has allowed you to teach others how to fight with new weapons and tactics.

You can use a Downtime Activity to train a number of people equal to your Proficiency Bonus in the use of a weapon you are Proficient with. The trainees gain Proficiency in your chosen weapon. You can choose to train NPCs or other party members using this feature. If you are training party members, they must also spend a Downtime Activity dedicated to your lessons.

CUNNING STRIKE

At Level 11, you have mastered the ability to strike your foes with precision and skill in a manner that lets you control the battlefield like no other. Whenever you make a Called Shot (see page 124), you do not have Disadvantage on the Attack Test. In addition, when you successfully hit with a Called Shot, you can choose to spend 1 Hit Die to put your all into the strike, making it almost impossible to turn aside. If you do so, your weapon deals an additional 1d12 Damage, and your target has Disadvantage on their Saving Throw to resist the Called Shot’s additional effect.

GRANT STRENGTH

At Level 15, your voice alone can push allies to get to their feet and persevere through the pain they couldn’t bear alone.

Once per turn, you can use an Action to bolster an ally that can hear you within 60 feet. If you do so, they regain Hit Points equal to 1d12 + your Constitution Bonus + your Warden Level and can recover from a single Condition. You cannot use this feature again until you complete a Long Rest.

MASTER OF WAR

At Level 19, your ability to issue clear, rapid-fire commands in battle becomes legendary. Survivors look up to you as a leader who can guide them through any storm and rally a defence against any who threaten their home.

Your Tactical Mind feature no longer costs your Reaction to use. Instead, you can issue up to three commands per round. An ally cannot be commanded multiple times in the same round.