Editing Stormbringer:Setting Rules

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= Setting Rules =
These are not merely rules, but the hidden currents beneath the world. In the Young Kingdoms, strength falters, fear takes root, and power is never freely given. Here, sorcery is a bargain, steel is not enough, and every path—no matter how bright it begins—bends, slowly and inevitably, toward doom.

== Doom ==
Doom plays an influential role in each character's destiny. For more infomation, see the section on [[Stormbringer:Doom|Doom]].

==Sorcery==
In Stormbringer, sorcery is centered around the summoning of powerful beings like elementals and demons to do the sorcerer's bidding. For more information, see the section on [[Stormbringer:Sorcery|Sorcery]].

== Tactical Combat ==

Combat in ''Stormbringer'' may be played on a map to clarify position and movement.This system keeps the speed and simplicity of ''Barbarians of Lemuria'' while adding meaningful tactical choices.

=== Scale ===
* 1 space (square or hex) = 2 meters
* Characters may move freely; facing is not tracked
* 1 turn = 5 seconds of time

=== Movement ===

==== Normal Movement ====
A character may move up to '''3 spaces''' on their turn and attack or take other actions at the end of their move. This represents cautious, controlled movement while remaining on guard.

A character can move up to 6 spaces in a turn; however, they may take no other actions.

==== Engagement ====
Characters are '''engaged''' when adjacent. Engagement does not lock characters in place, but it creates pressure and risk.

==== Breaking Away ====
To leave engagement:
* Spend '''1 space'''
* Make an '''Agility test'''
'''Failure:''' The opponent gains '''+1 Bonus Die''' on their next attack against you

==== Free Step (Melee Footwork) ====
This represents circling, shifting stance, and constant motion in melee. If a character begins their turn engaged:
* They may move '''1 space for free'''. This does not count toward their movement
* They must remain adjacent to at least one enemy
* '''A engaged character who remains in the same space for 2 consecutive turns has their Defense value reduced to half its usual value, drop fractions.'''

=== Weapon Reach ===
==== Long Weapons (Reach 2) ====
Examples: spears, polearms
* May attack from '''2 spaces away'''
* If an enemy is adjacent (1 space), attacks suffer '''+1 Penalty Die'''

==== Closing Against Reach ====
Moving from 2 spaces to 1 space against a reach weapon:
* Costs '''1 space''' as normal
* The defender gains '''+1 Bonus Die''' on their next attack
Closing inside a long weapon is dangerous but often decisive.

=== Terrain ===
Terrain affects movement and positioning, without complex modifiers.
{| class="wikitable codex-table"
! Terrain Type !! Examples !! Effect
|-
| Rough Ground || Rubble, mud, stairs, dense brush || Each space costs '''+1 movement'''
|-
| Obstacles || Tables, low walls, furniture, broken stone || '''+1 Defense''' vs melee attacks if between you and the attacker and you are adjacent
|-
| Cover || Pillars, thick walls, ship railings || '''+2 Defense''' vs ranged attacks
|-
| Chokepoints || Doorways, narrow bridges, gangplanks || Limit attackers to 1–2 at a time (GM judgment)
|-
| Hazardous Terrain || Fire, pits, spikes, sorcerous effects || Entering or being forced in causes '''immediate harm or a test'''
|-
| Difficult Footing || Ice, wet decks, loose gravel || Moving more than 1 space requires an '''Agility test'''; failure stops movement and leaves you off-balance (attacker gains +1 Bonus Die)
|-
| Elevation || Stairs, ledges, raised platforms || Attacking from higher ground grants '''+1 Bonus Die'''
|}
'''Note:''' Terrain should be obvious at a glance. If a rule slows play, ignore it. Use terrain to create decisions, not complexity.

=== Positioning Principles ===
These rules are intentionally minimal. Tactical play emerges from:
* Distance — who can reach whom
* Movement — when to advance or hold
* Exposure — when to risk overextension
Combat should feel fluid and dangerous, not static. Characters who stand still too long are outmaneuvered. This system favors motion, positioning, and decisive action. Fights should resemble circling duels, sudden rushes, and deadly missteps—not static exchanges of blows.

== The Wound Track ==
Combat in the Young Kingdoms is swift, brutal, and often decisive. Blades bite deep, sorcery exacts its price, and even the greatest heroes stand only a few steps from ruin.

This system replaces Lifeblood with a simple wound track. There are no hit points to count—only the steady advance of injury and the desperate refusal to fall.

All named characters use the following track:

'''Unharmed → Hurt → Wounded → Broken → Dead'''

Place a marker on your current state. When you take damage, move down the track.

=== Taking Damage ===

When you are successfully hit, compare the damage result to your Protection:
* If the damage does not exceed your Protection → no effect  
* If the damage exceeds your Protection → move '''1 step''' down the track  
* If the damage exceeds your Protection by '''5 or more''' → move '''2 steps'''  
No subtraction is required. Resolve the hit and move the marker.

=== Wound States ===
{| class="wikitable codex-table"
! State !! Effect
|-
| Unharmed || No penalty
|-
| Hurt || Bruised, shaken, or winded; no penalty
|-
| Wounded || 1 Penalty Die on physical actions
|-
| Broken || 2 Penalty Dice on all actions; barely able to stand
|-
| Dead || The character is slain
|}
=== Hero Points and Defiance ===
Hero Points represent a character’s will to defy fate, if only for a moment. They are not used to improve rolls or gain advantages. Their purpose is survival.

=== Defy Injury ===
After taking damage, you may spend Hero Points:
* '''1 Hero Point''' → reduce damage by 1 step  
* '''2 Hero Points''' → reduce damage by 2 steps  
This is declared after the hit is resolved.

=== Cheat Death ===
When you would be reduced to '''Dead''': * Spend '''1 Hero Point''' → you are instead '''Broken'''

The character survives by fortune, intervention, or sheer stubborn refusal to die.

The narration should reflect this: a last-second parry, a fall instead of a killing blow, or a darker force taking only part of what it is owed.

=== Rabble ===
Most foes are not worthy of the full wound track. Mooks have only two states:

'''Up → Down'''

When a rabble is successfully hit, any successful hit that penetrates armor removes them from the fight. They may be slain, knocked unconscious, disarmed, or driven off, depending on the fiction.

Rabble never track wounds and never use Hero Points.

=== Named Foes ===
Important enemies—champions, sorcerers, demon-bound warriors—use the full wound track. Some may also possess Hero Points, at the GM’s discretion. When such an enemy refuses to fall, the difference is immediately felt.

=== Recovery ===
Injuries fade quickly for those who survive. After a fight:
* Broken → Wounded  
* Wounded → Hurt  

After a short rest (15–30 minutes): Hurt → Unharmed  

Sorcery, pacts, and unnatural forces may accelerate or distort this recovery.

=== Tone and Consequence ===
This system favors speed, clarity, and consequence. A single blow can change the course of a fight. A second may end it. Hero Points do not make a character safe. They only delay the inevitable. In the Young Kingdoms, survival is not victory. It is merely the chance to suffer a little longer.

== Fear ==
''“There are things in the Young Kingdoms no man was meant to see. Those who do are never the same.”''

Fear measures a character’s ability to withstand terror, horror, and the unnatural. It is not courage alone, but will, experience, and the strength to endure what should not be.

=== When To Roll Fear ===
The GM may call for a Fear test when a character encounters:
* Demons, elementals, or bound entities
* Sorcery or supernatural effects
* The presence of powerful Chaos or Law
* Grotesque, unnatural, or horrific sights
* Overwhelming danger or sudden violence

=== Making A Fear Test ===
Roll: 2d6 + Mind

Relevant Careers may apply (Soldier, Priest, Witch, etc.). The GM may apply:
* Bonus Dice for preparation, experience, or strong faith
* Penalty Dice for surprise, helplessness, or overwhelming horror

Consult the table below.
{| class="wikitable codex-table"
! Roll !! Result !! Effect
|-
| 10+ || Steady || You master your fear. Act normally.
|-
| 7–9 || Shaken || You suffer '''1 Penalty Die''' on your next action.
|-
| 6 or less || Broken || The GM chooses one: <br>• Freeze in place <br>• Flee or withdraw <br>• Drop or fumble something important <br>• Lose your next action
|}

=== Repeated Exposure ===
If you face the same source of Fear again in the same scene, gain +1 Bonus Die to resist it. Even terror becomes familiar… eventually.

=== Sorcery And Fear ===
Sorcery is never comfortable to witness.
* All Fear tests against demonic, elemental, or summoned entities suffer +1 Penalty Die
* Particularly powerful beings may impose more

=== Optional Rule: Mark Of Fear ===
If a character rolls 2 or less on a Fear test, they gain a lingering mark:
* Nightmares
* Trembling hands
* Aversion to a specific sight or sensation

The GM may impose 1 Penalty Die in related situations until the character has time to recover.

=== Boons And Flaws ===
* '''Brave''' — Gain 1 Bonus Die on Fear tests
* '''Cowardly''' — Suffer 1 Penalty Die on Fear tests
These modify all Fear rolls.

=== Fear And Doom ===
Fear is immediate. Doom is patient. A failed Fear test does not increase Doom. But what a character does because of Fear might.

== Runeblades And Demon Weapons ==

“Do not think ''you'' wield the blade. It is patient. It has time. It will teach you otherwise.”

Some weapons are not forged, but bound. Within them dwell demons—hungry, cunning, and eternal. These weapons grant terrible power… at a cost no mortal fully understands. Stormbringer is the most infamous of these. It is not unique.

=== Nature Of Demon Weapons ===
A demon weapon is a bound entity given form as a blade, spear, or other armament. All such weapons:

* Possess a will of their own
* Hunger for souls
* Cannot be truly destroyed by mortal means
* Bind themselves to a wielder over time

=== Benefits Of A Demon Weapon ===
When wielding a demon weapon:

* Gain '''+1 Bonus Die''' to all attack rolls
* The weapon counts as '''magical''' for all purposes
* The weapon may '''drink the soul''' of a slain foe

==== Soul Drain ====
When the wielder kills a living foe, the weapon consumes the soul. The wielder immediately:
* Heals all damage, or...
* Gains +1 Bonus Die on their next attack or damage roll

The GM may allow greater effects for powerful souls.

=== The Will Of The Blade ===
A demon weapon is never passive. At the start of combat, or when blood is near, the GM may call for a test:

'''2d6 + Mind'''

Failure means:
* The weapon urges violence
* The wielder suffers 1 Penalty Die on actions that do not involve attacking

On a 6 or less:
* The weapon seizes control briefly
* The wielder must attack the nearest viable target, friend or foe. Each round the wielder can attempt to wrest back control with a successful Mind test.

=== Hunger ===
A demon weapon must feed. If the wielder goes too long without killing:
* Suffer 1 Penalty Die to all actions
* This penalty increases each scene
Only the taking of a soul satisfies the weapon.

=== Bonding And Dependence ===
Each time the weapon feeds, the wielder must succeed at a Mind test. Failure means the bond deepens. Over time:
* The wielder becomes unwilling to part with the weapon
* Separation may require a test
* Failure results in obsession, despair, or reckless attempts to reclaim it

=== Doom And Demon Weapons ===
Each time a demon weapon consumes a soul, roll 1d6. On an odd number, gain +1 Doom. Power is never free.

== Stormbringer ==
''“Black blade, rune-carved, soul-drinker, bane of all who trust it.”''

Stormbringer is the greatest of all demon weapons. In addition to all standard effects:
* Grants +1 Bonus Die to all attack and damage rolls
* Soul Drain may fully heal the wielder or grant +2 Bonus Dice on attack rolls instead of 1 or add +2 to Strength
* Imposes +1 Penalty Die on all Fear tests to those who behold it in use

=== The Black Hunger ===
Stormbringer does not wait. When drawn:
* The wielder must succeed at a Mind test
* Failure: attack the nearest target immediately
Stormbringer does not distinguish between enemy and ally.

=== The Final Price ===
Stormbringer’s bond cannot be broken. The longer it is wielded:
* The wielder’s fate becomes entwined with it
* Betrayal is inevitable
* The blade will, in time, claim all it is owed

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