The Bone Age

92 Pages·2020·22.821 MB·English

by  Bill Edmunds

WEIRD-SCHOOL
ROLEPLAYING

Created & Written by
Bill Edmunds
Artwork by
Joseph Woiak
The Bone Age copyright © 2020 by Bill Edmunds.
All rights reserved.
Prologue:
The Fevered Continent
Deep in the constellation of Libra, and earth, and all but one of the Eure
a species adept in arcane sciences stasis chambers was destroyed, killing
was locked in a war with a militarily the occupants. Perhaps even worse,
superior foe. The Eure realized the the machinery that was to awaken the
struggle against the Aeskari was futile, sleepers was reset by the upheaval...
and they fl ed in different directions to one hundred million years in the
across the galaxy. After damaging a future.
pursuing Aeskari warship, one Eure While the surviving eleven Eure
vessel arrived at a planet they felt was slept, the world changed. New species
suitable for habitation. Believing that crawled upon the earth. The planet’s
offl oading their entire crew would temperature grew hotter. Polar ice
draw the attention of their enemies, caps melted. Oceans dried up. And a
they launched a pod containing one new group of aliens arrived: the human
hundred of their best scientists and race’s deep space explorations reached
soldiers toward the ocean below. the planet they named “Kalsentia.”
The small craft struck the water And its harsh environment was perfect
and burrowed deep under the earth, for terraforming.
keeping its occupants alive in stasis One thousand colonists were to
through technology enhanced by be teleported to the planet’s surface,
sorcery. The Eure planned to awaken immediately followed by supplies and
in ten planetary revolutions, hoping equipment. Yet, as seems to be the
the enemy would have abandoned any fate of all visitors to Kalsentia, things
search in the region. Upon awakening, did not go as planned. The teleported
they would send a coded signal to a colonists arrived physically intact,
small fl eet waiting several parsecs but their memories and scientifi c
away, indicating they were awake and knowledge were erased in the process.
ready to begin preparations for the Worse, the supplies and equipment
arrival of more of their people. never arrived. An eco-terrorist aboard
To their ultimate misfortune, the the ship sabotaged the transporter and
sleeping Eure underestimated the the ship’s power core. Immediately
determination and ingenuity of the after the colonists were teleported,
Aeskari on the damaged enemy ship. the power core ruptured and the ship
Using their jerry-rigged sensors, exploded. The colonists were stranded
the warship doggedly tracked the without any knowledge of who they
oblivious Eure. Deciding their hobbled were or how they arrived. They even
ship could not survive landing on the forgot their own language.
planet’s surface, the Aeskari carpet- The land they found themselves on
bombed the location where they was oppressively hot. The bones of
estimated the Eure had settled. The giant creatures littered the landscape.
missiles created a tumult in the water What water they found was mostly
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dank; safe water could only be found their brethren. They banded together
under layers of earth. and liberated many of the slaves, and
As centuries of human development moved to lands in the west. These
passed, the alarm fi nally went off for Eure, now self-named the Enik,
the sleeping Eure and they awoke protected their people with great walls
from their repose… and immediately and magic in a city called Ghazal.
realized events had gone terribly Some of the enslaved humans
wrong. managed to escape and fl ee their Eure
Knowing the original plan was masters. Many were betrayed by
millions of years obsolete, the their own kind, who alerted the Eure
awakened sent the signal once meant to their location. Captured escapees
for their own people, hoping it might were slaughtered or brought back in
be received by any nearby intelligent chains to become slaves to the very
life who might come to rescue them. people who had betrayed them. The
Recognizing it might take ages for ones who managed to avoid this fate
the beacon to bring any help, the fl ed to the barren deserts of the north,
Eure set about learning to survive on further than the Eure were willing to
the “fevered continent” of Kalsentia. follow.
Their powerful physique afforded And then, unexpectedly, a Eure
them mastery over many native known as K’roff’Ta was found dead
creatures, and they feasted well. on the fringes of a southern mountain
They used their powers to build a range. It had many holes burned
great house of stone and bored deep through its body, and a look of terror
holes in the earth to fi nd water. was etched on its face. The death was
It was soon thereafter that two Eure treated as a miracle by K’roff’Ta’s
encountered a new species. These slaves. Word of the Eure’s death
new beings were smaller, weaker, spread, but the Enik were secretly
less intelligent, and frightened. They alarmed. They knew such wounds
wore the skins of animals and bore could not be caused by anything on
weapons carved from bone. Spurred their new world. And, soon enough,
by curiosity, the Eure invited them one of the Enik was found dead. It
to see their stone castle. Seeing the bore wounds exact in nature to those
great machines within and awed by of K’roff’Ta.
the Eure’s size, the humans regarded The remaining three Enik took
them as gods, and worshipped at counsel with one another, and arrived
their feet. As decades passed, seven at a realization: the signal they had sent
of the eleven Eure became enamored ages ago had fi nally been heard, and
of their own power and lost any the listeners were not the benevolent
desire for rescue. They reveled in rescuers once hoped for.
their mastery over their new thralls, The Invaders had sent three
and grew decadent and vain. warships to the planet as a conquering
The other four Eure became force, each vessel bearing several
disillusioned with the cruelty of dozens of soldiers. Kalsentia’s spirit
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arose in anger, and the ships crashed war against the Invaders. They
on its surface – one in the northern devised plans of attack, and began
deserts, one in the eastern mountains, squabbling amongst themselves. Eure
and one south of the jungles. plotted against Eure in secret, playing
It wasn’t long before the Invaders one against another. Some ventured
made their presence known. They forth to confront their new enemies,
destroyed much of Kalsentia’s or crept out in secret to seek alliances
landscape and man-made structures. with the new aliens. The thrones of
They plundered the planet’s resources their great castle collected dust as
for their own mysterious ends. Enik each spent more time establishing
fought their new foes in concert with hidden strongholds of their own,
their human charges, as did Eure often underground or in mountains.
with their slaves and worshippers. They played the politics of war and
The three damaged Invader ships sent their thralls to wage skirmishes
leaked radiation in clouds of blue, against those of their rival kin.
purple, and white. The strange fogs The Invaders fanned out in
were blown far and wide, riding on campaigns of destruction. They
wind currents but never dissipating. grew more of their kind in vats and
The winds burned fl esh and warped laboratories, amassing expendable
bodies. Some creatures grew new armies to conquer their new home.
appendages or lost existing ones. Some made pacts with individual
Others developed strange powers. No Eure, and gave them soldiers to wage
species was spared, and aberrations war against each other, all to accelerate
among each became almost normal. an inevitable civil war.
Still, amidst the madness and death Heroic and defi ant humans began
brought by the Invaders and the cruelty slaying their alien enemies with
of the Eure, many societies survived knowledge gained by the lone Enik –
and even thrived. The three surviving now known as the Enik by his followers
Enik traveled east with thousands of – and their own experience, wielding
humans to the cover of the Zangatur weapons of bone, stone, and even the
Jungle and the Qaxatenn Mountains. those of their enemies. Opportunity
Some humans elected to stay in for the brave and clever was great.
Ghazal or travel east to the deserts. Many found fortune protecting
Two of the Enik proceeded to travel others, gathering alien technology
north, seeking further refuge should to sell and bargain with. Others lead
the Zangatur prove unsafe. They have resistance groups, bringing warring
never been seen since. Thus, the tribes tribes together to fi ght for a common
of the Zangatur and the Qaxatenn cause.
are served by a single Enik, whose
knowledge and teachings serve as the The Bone Age had begun.
foundation for every tribe’s survival.
The Eure worked to craft even
greater weapons with which to wage
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playing
the bone age
The essential mechanics of The Bone Age are very simple, and will be familiar
to many veteran gamers. The most common dice rolling convention is that of the
d20 “roll high” mechanic, where the player attempts to roll equal to or higher
than a target number.
Checks Stats are innate traits possessed by
every character. There are six Stats:
The foundation of much of what Agility (AGL), Constitution (CON),
happens in The Bone Age is the Check. Instinct (INS), Intelligence (INT),
Checks can be used to determine Strength (STR), and Will (WIL).
the outcome of anything including a
Azora, a Tuzanian Beast Stalker, has an
spear attack, learning a new piece of
AGL of +2, meaning she has good refl exes,
Invader tech, leaping on to the back
balance, and general athletic ability. Her
of a Loper, and resisting the effects of
Move Ability is rated at 15+. Move rolls
radiation winds.
are modifi ed by the Agility Stat. To make
When a character attempts an action
a Movement Check, she would roll 1d20+2
where success is in doubt, such as
and hope for a result of 15 or greater.
swinging from vine-to-vine, the GM
asks for a Check. A Check is resolved When an Ability Check doesn’t
by rolling 1d20 and comparing it to a fi t an action, a Stat Check is used.
Target Number based on a character’s For example, lifting a heavy object
relevant Ability or Stat. Target doesn’t have a relevant Ability. In that
numbers are expressed as X+, where instance, a STR Check is used. Stat
X is a value between 1 and 20. To Checks are 1d20 rolls, modifi ed by the
the roll is added the value of a Stat, Stat in question.
ranging from -3 (bad) to +4 (good). The GM determines which Stat or
Abilities are skills dependent on Ability is used in a given situation
training and experience. The Abilities and what the consequences of success
are: and failure would be. For example, a
character attempting to fi nd shelter in
• Alertness
some mountain peaks would make a
• Alien Tech
Check based on his Survival Ability.
• Attack
The same character wishing to move
• Beasts
a heavy rock would make a Check
• Move
based on his Strength Stat.
• Resist Affl iction
• Resist Mutation
• Stealth
• Survival
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Margins of Success Opposed Checks
and Failure
There will be many times when
While a simple success/failure result is characters attempt actions that are
all that is required for most Checks, opposed by Non-Player Characters
sometimes a more granular outcome is (NPCs) or creatures. These are called
appropriate. The difference between Opposed Checks. Examples include
the 1d20 Check and the Target contests of athletic prowess, attempts
Number gives a Margin of Success at thievery, and struggles of will.
(MoS) or Margin of Failure (MoF). When an Opposed Check takes place,
For example, a roll of 14 against a the character and their opponent each
Target Number of 12+ yields a MoS of make an Ability or Stat Check. The
2. Likwise, a roll of 8 versus a Target result with the best Margin of Succes
Number of 12+ yields a MoF of -4. wins. If both actors achieve the same
These margins provide a narrative Margin, the winner is the actor with
tool by painting a picture of just how the highest Stat modifi er. If a winner
well the character succeeded or how is still not decided, the contest is a
poorly they failed. Margins of Success draw. If both actors fail their Checks,
are also used in many Opposed Checks a second Opposed Check take place,
(see Opposed Checks, opposite). with the actor that achieved the worst
Margins of 0 indicate success with MoF rollling with a -1 penalty.
a caveat – perhaps you managed to
Stalking her way through the jungles
jump the crevasse but you twisted
of her homeland, Azora attempts to
your ankle on landing.
stealthily approach a Seeetha to get close
Modifiers enough to hurl her spear at it. The GM
decides an Opposed Check is called for,
Not all Checks are created equal!
pitting Azora’s Stealth 11+ versus the
Some are easy, while some are more
Seeetha’s Alertness (12+). Azora rolls a
diffi cult than others. To express
12. Adding her AGL of +2, she rolls a total
these variations, the GM may assess
of 14, yielding a Margin of Success of +3.
a modifi er to a Check. Negative
The GM rolls for the Seeetha and gets a 9.
modifi ers refl ect adverse conditions,
Adding its INS of +3, leaving a modifi ed
such as fi ghting in the dark or tracking
total of 12 – its Margin of Success is +0.
an enemy in a rainstorm. Positive
Since Azora’s MoS is higher, she wins the
modifi ers refl ect advantageous
Opposed Check. She manages to sneak up
conditions, such as climbing a rock
on the creature without being detected.
face with abundant handholds or
Had the Seeetha managed a better MoS,
fi ring an arrow at point blank range.
it would have noticed Azora before she
Most GM-imposed modifi ers will
got close enough to throw her spear.
range from +4 to -4, with +/-2 being
the most common.
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oorr AAGGLL,, iinn tthhee ccaassee ooff
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ffrroomm tthhee AAttttaacckk rroollll iiss tthhee
ddeeffeennddeerr’’ss AArrmmoorr CCllaassss,,
rraatteedd oonn aa ssccaallee ooff 00 ttoo 1100..
IIff tthhee aattttaacckk eeqquuaallss oorr eexxcceeeeddss
tthhee mmooddiififi eedd TTaarrggeett NNuummbbeerr,, tthhee
aattttaacckk ssuucccceeeeddss.. TThhee aattttaacckkeerr rroollllss
ddaammaaggee ddiiccee aanndd aaddddss tthhee MMooSS ttoo
tthhee ddaammaaggee ddeeaalltt..
Azora tthhrroowwss hheerr ssppeeaarr aatt tthhee
SSeeeeeetthhaa,, uussiinngg hheerr AAttttaacckk AAbbiilliittyy ooff 1111++,,
aauuggmmeenntteedd bbyy hheerr SSTTRR ooff ++11.. TThhee
SSeeeeeetthhaa’’ss AArrmmoorr CCllaassss iiss 22.. SSiinnccee
AAzzoorraa’’ss pprreesseennccee iiss uunnkknnoowwnn ttoo
tthhee SSeeeeeetthhaa,, tthhee GGMM ggrraannttss AAzzoorraa
aa cciirrccuummssttaannttiiaall aattttaacckk mmooddiififi eerr ooff
++22.. AAzzoorraa rroollllss 11dd2200++11 ((SSTTRR ++11 ++ GGMM
bboonnuuss ooff ++22,, mmiinnuuss AArrmmoorr CCllaassss 22))..AAzzoorraa
rroollllss aa 1144,, aaddddss 11,, ffoorr aa mmooddiififi eedd rreessuulltt
iiss 1155 aanndd aa ++44 MMooSS!! NNoott oonnllyy ddooeess sshhee
mmaannaaggee ttoo hhiitt tthhee bbeeaasstt wwiitthh hheerr ssppeeaarr,, sshhee
ddooeess aann eexxttrraa 44 ddaammaaggee!!
More iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn aanndd eexxaammpplleess
ooff CChheecckkss aanndd CCoommbbaatt aarree pprroovviiddeedd
iinn tthhee PPllaayyiinngg TThhee GGaammee cchhaapptteerr,,
bbeeggiinnnniinngg oonn ppaaggee 3333..
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Characters
Characters in The Bone Age are descendents of spacefarers from earth that
deposited on Kalsentia many thousands of years ago. In struggling to survive in
an already harsh world, the peoples of The Fevered Continent fi nd themselves
in a situation that often demands putting aside their differences to band together
and make a stand against the Invaders.
Stats Roll Score Check
3 -3 15+
Roll 3d6 six times, referencing the
4-5 -2 14+
table opposite to fi nd your Stat score.
Assign the results in the order that 6-8 -1 13+
best suits you. Each tribe grants +1 9-12 0 12+
to a single Stat roll. For example, a
13-15 +1 11+
Killictlo with a roll of 12 for CON
receives a +1 to the roll, increasing it 16-17 +2 10+
to 13. 18 +3 9+
Agility (AGL) is used for Checks 19 +4 8+
involving missile Attacks, Stealth,
and Movement. It also modifi es your When using Stats, it may be easier to
Armor Class. reduce your Ability Scores by posi-
tive Stats and increase Ability Scores
Constitution (CON) is used for
by Negative Stats. For example, an
Resist Affl iction Checks, including
AGL of +3 would normally be added
the effects of poison, disease, and
to a d20 Check and compared to the
radiation. Your CON is added to your
character’s Target Number as seen on
hit points.
Class Ability Charts. Instead of add-
Instinct (INS) is used for Alertness ing +3 to the Check roll, reduce the
Checks and for calculating Initiative. Target Number by 3; 15+ becomes
12+, 12+ becomes 9+, and so on.
Intelligence (INT) is used for Alien
Tech Checks.
Strength (STR) is used for melee
Attacks and acts of force, such as
lifting heavy objects. You add your
STR to melee and missile damage
from primitive weapons.
Will (WIL) is used for Resist Mutation
Checks. WIL also represents force of
personality and the ability to remain
calm.

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