Mörk Borg Core Rulebook

The Basilisks

• HE
  • Verhu
  • Gorgh
• SHE
  • Lusi, Head of Denial
  • Arkh, Head of Deception

Anuk Schleger, monk of the Creton order, encountered the basilisk Verhu in the year 565 and set down that creature’s whispered prophecies. These lost texts came to be known as the Nameless Scriptures. 300 years later, while working on a new Cathedral, The Two-Headed Basilisks, an orthodox branch of the Creton order uncovered Schlegers tomb and with it the Scriptures. Since then all events described within have come to pass. The prophecies are absolutely, factually true and have, thus, supplanted all other Scripture. Around this cathedral has grown Galgenbeck, the greatest city that ever was.

The Basilisks are two and two-headed. The four heads have argued for hundreds of years. Verhu predicts inexorable annihilation and, since he’s always right, has become utterly full of himself. His is also the head worshipped most. If you could learn the codes of the apocalypse perhaps the right offerings might avert it? Verhu loves his position and hungers for temples to be raised in his name.

When the world was but water, dust and clouds thick with plague-fat flies came SHE, first of the basilisks. From the cracks of Bergen Chrypt SHE crawled. SHE bears the head of Denial, Lusi, who looks up and down. Yet all shall be well. Her twin Arkh, Head of Deception, claims to be the first prophet of truths now prostituted by Verhu. Few have ever seen her, the oldest, but many walk her twin paths.

SHE spawned many since the dawn of time, their conceptions not without agony. All were cast down the cliffs of Bergen Chrypt, only HE survived. Down in the Valley of the Unfortunate Undead his eyes locked upon the mountain’s peak, HE spits out curses upon his evil mother. The head Gorgh is bitter, rank with envy that only his twin Verhu knows the damned truth. Time and time again his prophecies are brought to be. The piles of gold-gift riches from his faithful teeter and slide, so tall are they.

THE WORLD DIES EVEN NOW. Reality decays, truth becomes dream and dream, truth. Cracks grow in the once-stable structures of the past, allowing things misshapen and vile to worm through, emerging into day’s wan light. The world closes in, bounded to the west by the massive Bergen Chrypt with its catacombs and ice-caked peaks east. Many have ploughed the wave’s furrow in search of and surrounded by the Endless Sea to the north, south and known new lands. They all return, against their will. Alive or dead.

Places

The Calendar of Nechrubel

Abilities

Ability	Description
Agility	Defend, balance, swim, flee
Presence	Perceive, aim, charm, wield Powers
Strength	Crush, lift, strike, grapple
Toughness	Resist poison/cold/heat, survive falling

Roll 3d6 and using the table on the right to generate each ability score from −3 to +3. The sum is not used in the game once the character is created, only the table value.

Player Characters not created with the optional classes can roll 4d6 and drop the lowest die for two of their abilities. When the character is later improved an ability can never exceed +6 or −3.

Ability Sum	Ability Score
1-4	-3
5-6	-2
7-8	-1
9-12	0
13-14	+1
15-16	+2
17-20	+3

Tests

Tests are made against a Difficulty Rating. To succeed roll d20 ± your ability with a result equal to or greater than the DR. Creatures don’t use abilities, they just roll a d20 against DR. For example, find bear trap DR14 or resist red poison DR12.

Difficulty Rating	Description
6	so simple people laugh at you for failing
8	routine but some chance of failure
10	pretty simple but not simple enough to not roll
12	normal
14	difficult
16	really hard
18	should not be possible

Carrying Capacity

You can carry Strength+8 normal-sized items (for example: crowbars, lard, scrolls, torches; not: anvils, chests, ladders, corpses) without a problem. After that when testing Strength and Agility DR increases by 2 (from 12 to 14 etc.). It is impossible to carry more than twice Strength+8.

Violence

Initiative

dice: [[Mörk Borg Core Rulebook#^initiative|^initiative]]

dice: 1d6	Who goes first
1-3	enemies goes first
4-6	PCs go first
^initiative

Agility + d6 for individual initiative or to determine who goes first within the group.

Players roll for both their attacks and defences. Creatures and enemies don’t roll dice in combat.

Melee

Test Strength DR12.

Ranged

Test Presence DR12.

Defence

Test Agility DR12.

If you fail the enemy hits you. Enemies attack once per round unless noted otherwise.

Broken

When you have exactly 0 HP, you are broken.

dice: [[Mörk Borg Core Rulebook#^broken|^broken]]

Roll	Broken
1	Fall unconscious for dice: 1d4 rounds, awaken with dice: d4 HP.
2	dice: [[Mörk Borg Core Rulebook\#^injury]]
4	Can’t act for dice: d4 rounds then become active with dice: d4 HP.
5	Hemorrhage: death in dice: d2 hours unless treated. All tests are DR16 the first hour. DR18 the last hour.
6	Dead.
^broken

dice: 1d6	Injury
1-5	Broken or severed limb.
6	Lost eye
^injury

Crits (natural 20)

Attack: Double damage, armor/protection is also reduced one tier:

• -dice: 1d6 (3rd tier)
• -dice: 1d4 (2nd tier)
• -dice: 1d2 (1st tier)

Defence: PC gains a free attack.

Fumble (natural 1)

Attack: The weapon breaks or is lost.

Defence: PC takes double damage and armor is reduced one tier. When armor is damaged penalties to Strength and Agility tests are not modified.

Armor reduced below 1st tier is ruined and cannot be repaired. For armor repair costs, see Equipment.

Rounds

A round is enough time to make an attack (or use a Power) and traverse a normal-sized room. There are usually 10 rounds in one minute.

Rest

Catch your breast, have a drink. Restore dice: 1d4 HP.

A full night’s sleep restores dice: 1d6 HP.

Without food or drink, no HP is restored when resting and after two days, a starving PC loses dice: 1d4 HP per day.

An infected character does not benefit from resting. Instead, dice: 1d6 HP is lost daily.

Reaction

When meeting creatures whose reaction is uncertain: dice: [[Mörk Borg Core Rulebook#^reaction|^reaction]]

dice: 2d6	Reaction
2-3	Kill
4-6	Angered
7-8	Indifferent
9-10	Almost friendly
11-12	Helpful
^reaction

Morale

Most enemies will not fight to the last drop of blood. Roll for morale if:

• the leader is killed
• half the group is eliminated
• A single enemy has only 1/3 of its HP left

If you roll greater than the creature’s Morale value with 2d6, it is demoralized. Roll d6 to see if the enemy (1-3) flees or (4-6) surrenders.

Morale check: dice: 2d6. If that is greater than the creature’s Morale, it dice: [[Mörk Borg Core Rulebook#^moraleaction|^moraleaction]]

dice: 1d6	Action
1-3	flees
4-6	surrenders
^moraleaction

Powers

A few so-called Powers are known and they are usually found written in scrolls.

Roll Presence + dice: 1d4 every morning to determine how many times you can use Powers that day; choose from your available scrolls.

When reading a scroll, test Presence DR12.

• If you succeed, the Power is activated and you subtract one use from your daily total.
• If you fail, the Power doesn’t work, you lose dice: 1d2 HP and you become dizzy for the next hour. During this time, Powers will always fail in the worst possible way.

The GM decides the effect on a Crit or Fumble, but on page 44 is an optional table of arcane catastrophes. (Arcane Catastrophes)

Omens

Clearly the eyes of Other powers are upon you, Eldritch watchers or the tangled Fates of alternate worlds. Call it luck if you like.

Every class gains a number of Omens. If you play without classes, every character begins with dice: 1d2 Omens. When depleted, roll the class’s designated die (dice: 1d2 if playing without classes) and regain that many Omens after resting at least six hours. Use Omens to do one of the following:

• deal maximum damage with one attack
• reroll a dice roll (yours or someone else’s)
• lower damage dealt to you by dice: 1d6
• neutralize a Crit or Fumble
• lower one test’s DR by 4.

Mörk Borg Tables