BRP Magic World Quick Start Quide
Magic World
Quick-Start Rules
Interior Illustrations
Richard LeDuc and Friends
Cover Painting
Andy P. Timm
Editing & Production
Nicholas Nacario
Copy Reading
Meghan Mclean
The Fishsinger’s Daughter
Richard LeDuc
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Magic World Quick-Start Rules is copyright ©2013, 2014 by Chaosium Inc. All rights reserved.
The names of public personalities may be referred to, but any resemblance of a scenario character to persons living or
Except in this publication and associated advertising, all illustrations for Magic World remain the property of the artists,
This book is an introduction to the roleplaying game Magic World, available separately.
dead is strictly coincidental.
who otherwise reserve all rights.
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Item #MWQS
ISBN10: 1568824327
ISBN13: 9781568824321
Created in California, Printed in the USA
CONTENTS
How to Play................................5
The Fishsinger’s Daughter.........13
Handouts...................................24
Characters..................................27
5
Magic World Quick-Start
IF YOU’VE NEVER PLAYED A ROLEPLAYING
GAME BEFORE, READ THIS FIRST!
Don’t panic! Despite all the rules, charts,
and arcane language, you already know
how to play this game. It’s simply the same
‘let’s pretend’ games you played as a child.
But in Magic World, and other roleplaying
games, there are rules to describe how the
world works, and how your characters interact with it. And to solve the perpetual “I
got you!” “No, I got you rst!” problems.
Magic World has only a few core principles
to keep in mind, and once you know these,
you should be ne:
• Attributes are usually 3-18 (the higher the
better), human average is 10-11. Make an
attribute roll when there is no opposition
and a resistance roll when there is an opposed force that can be rated.
• e Resistance Table is based on equal
forces having a 50/50 chance against one
another. e more unequal the forces are,
the greater the dierence. Both scores’
chances always add up to 100%.
• Skills have percentile ratings (the higher
the better), and you want to roll low to succeed. A roll of 99 and/or 00 is a fumble. A
roll over your skill is a failure. A roll equal
to or under your skill rating is a success. A
roll of 1/5 your skill is a special success. A
roll of 1/20 your skill is a critical success.
• Occasionally, skill ratings will be modied by a value (usually within the range of
±20%) if some contributing factor makes
things more dicult, or if something makes
the skill attempt easier.
• When you run out of Hit Points, you die.
• Most spells use Magic Points for fuel.
When these run out, you fall unconscious.
Everything else can be determined during
the course of play, or explained as required.
If knowledge of the rules is getting in the
way of actually playing, better to play.
Remember, this is a game! Have fun with it.
How to Play
Magic World Quick-Start
How to Play
6
Storytelling is the most ancient art in which humanity still engages. From time inmemorial we
have gathered in groups to engage in the myths
and legends of our people. From the hearth fires
of ancient tribes, to the glittering cineplexes down
the street, stories help us to understand who we
were, who we are, and who we wish to be.
Magic World is a set of rules to allow you
and your friends to tell astounding stories of
fantasy and myth. The rules codify what actions are available within the game, while remaining intuitive so that they do not get in
the way of your enjoyment of the stories.
The rules to Magic World are easily remem-
bered. Most tasks can be resolved with a single
roll of the dice. Character creation is quick
and intuitive, with numerous options as to
character race, skills, etc.
But don’t take our word for it. Grab some
dice and friends and forge the stuff of legends!
R
Fantasy Roleplaying is a form of social gaming, akin to acting out a novel. There are two
sorts of players. Most players act out the primary roles in a game, the heroes around whom the
tales revolve. They might be swaggering warriors in plate armor, sly beggars whose weapons
are the deformities with which they earn their
living, or decadent Sorcerers of noble birth.
One other player becomes the Chronicler, who
devises and presents the adventures in which
the rest of the players participate. The Chronicler describes the world in which the Adventurers roam, and how that world is affected by the
players’ actions. While a player acts out only one
role, or perhaps two if playing two Adventurers,
the Chronicler presents the entire fantasy world
in which the game is set, with its people, places,
monsters, and gods.
Play is mostly conversation: the Chronicler
outlines some situation or encounter, then
the players say what they, in the guise of the
Adventurers, propose to do. Relying on the
rules to keep everything consistent and fair,
the Chronicler then tells them how to do what
they proposed or, if impossible, what happens instead. Dice rolls, the results of which
are unpredictable, keep everyone honest and
provide surprises, triumphs, dismal defeats,
and hairs-breadth escapes.
Success in roleplaying comes not from players eliminating each other, as in chess or Risk,
but in memorably adopting the personas of
characters quite different from themselves, and
in reacting as those people would to otherworldly scenes and creatures.
Part of the pleasure in roleplaying is the interaction and cooperation between players: a
novel gives solitary pleasure, but roleplaying
gives the satisfaction of theater. Cooperation
among players is important in successfully
completing the task or quest the scenario set
forth, and in granting their own pleasure in
the game—you are not only the actors, but
the audience as well.
Many of the game’s details are glossed over here
but since Magic World is a game of fantasy and
wonder, this will not the atmosphere of imagination necessary for a good fantasy game.
How to Play
7
Pre-Generated Characters
This adventure pack includes several pre-generated
characters to use for the adventure at the back of this
QuickStart PDF. It is suggested to use these characters for this adventure to allow new Magic World or
Basic Roleplaying players to begin their game right
away. If your group would like to create their own
characters, feel free to do so.
Once you’ve played a game or two, you will
probably want to take a look at the full rules
for Magic World, which are available from any
good game store, most large bookstores, or directly from us at www.chaosium.com. To create your character, you will only need three
ordinary six-sided dice. To play the game, you
should invest in a full set of polyhedral dice.
At least one of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 20-sided dice
are needed to play the game.
A N
To play Magic World you need a character.
Characters in the game are called “Adventurers”
because they primarily spend their play time
exploring and adventuring in the regions and
dungeons of Magic World. It will be helpful for
you to have a piece of scratch paper handy, or
ideally a Magic World character sheet. There is
one located at the end of this PDF or you can
download one for free at www.chaosium.com.
Click on “Free Downloads” then “Character
Sheets, Keeper Forms, and more.”
e Primary Attributes
To begin, a Magic World character has seven
primary attributes:
Strength (STR) Strength measures an Adventurer’s muscle power. It shows how much someone can lift, push or pull, or how tightly he can
hold on. Strength decides if an Adventurer can
wield the heaviest hand weapons at full ability.
It is also a component in figuring the damage
bonus which may increase the effect of handto-hand attacks.
Magic World Quick-Start
Human STR cannot naturally exceed 21. An
Adventurer reduced to zero Strength is an invalid, unable to leave bed.
STRx5 is the Effort roll. Additionally, STR
influences Damage Bonus and Physical skills.
Constitution (CON) Constitution summarizes
the health, vigor, and vitality of an Adventurer.
Constitution helps calculate how well an Adventurer resists drowning and suffocation, poisons, diseases, and magic—which makes him
harder to kill.
If Constitution points are ever reduced to
zero, the Adventurer dies.
The Stamina roll is equal to CONx5. CON
influences Hit Points and Perception skills.
Dexterity (DEX) Higher Dexterity makes for a
quicker and more nimble Adventurer who has
potential for more activity in a round. A successful DEX roll may prevent a fall, let an Adventurer stand in a high wind, do a delicate
task, or take something without being noticed.
The multiplier DEXx5 is called the Agility
roll. DEX also influences an Adventurer’s reaction speed in combat, and Manipulation skills.
Human DEX cannot normally exceed 21.
An Adventurer with zero DEX points is unable to accomplish any physical task without
also a successful Luck roll.
Example: Jeromyn the Thief needs to make an
Agility roll to ensure that he will be able to slide
under the closing door in time. His player, Krista,
wishes that she will roll below Jeromyn’s Agility
of 75%. She rolls a 52 on her percentile dice. Jeromyn slides under the door safely.
Size (SIZ) The characteristic of Size represents the average of an Adventurer’s height and
weight. Can an Adventurer can see over something, or squeeze through a small opening, or
be seen in tall grass? This characteristic also
helps calculate the Adventurer’s Hit Points and
Damage Bonus. To show loss of one or more
limbs, decrease SIZ and DEX.
Human SIZ cannot be higher than 21. If
starving, loss of half or more of SIZ causes
How to Play
Magic World Quick-Start
8
death. If an Adventurer somehow loses all SIZ
he withers to a husk, or disappears entirely!
SIZ influences an Adventurer’s Hit Points,
and Damage Bonus.
Intelligence (INT) This characteristic represents how well an Adventurer learns, remembers, and analyzes. INT equals the number of
spells and other magic that an Adventurer can
know and have ready to use. Much depends
upon the INT characteristic.
Human Intelligence can rise indefinitely.
Reaching zero INT reduces the Adventurer to
a babbling idiotic state. The Idea roll is INTx5.
INT influences Knowledge skills.
Example: Eoghain the Sorceror has an INT of
18. This allows him to have a maximum of nine
levels of spells. Eoghain’s player, Jeff, chooses
his spells and writes them down on his character sheet: Contribute to Truth, Heal, Moonrise,
Muddle, and Witch Sight.
Power (POW)
has, the greater is his or her force of will, confidence, and capacity for magic. (Power does not
correspond to leadership: that is earned by ro-
The more Power an Adventurer
leplaying.) To cast magic, an Adventurer must
have POW 16 or higher. The amount of Power
equals the Adventurer’s maximum Magic Points.
POWx5 is a convenient multiplier called
the Luck roll. Power can rise indefinitely. An
Adventurer without POW lacks will and behaves like a zombie. POW influences an Adventurer’s Magic Points.
Appearance (APP) Appearance shows relative
agreeableness, eloquence, gracefulness, dynamism, and physical attractiveness. It calibrates
first impressions, and also indexes the eagerness
of people to associate with the Adventurer. Low
APP could indicate ugliness, or perpetual disagreeableness. High APP need not mean beauty
or handsomeness so much as a memorable face
or the ability to make a good impression.
A handy multiplier, APPx5, is called the
Charisma roll. APP influences Communication skills.
Human APP cannot naturally exceed 21. An
Adventurer with zero APP points provokes
disgust everywhere.
How to Play
9
Magic World Quick-Start
e Secondary Attributes
There are a number of attributes which are determined after you have figured the attributes
above. These are your adventurer’s Damage Bonus, Magic Points, and Hit Points.
Damage Bonus (DB) is how much extra damage your investigator does with a successful
close-combat attack. Add your STR and SIZ
and consult the Damage Bonus Table to find
your damage bonus.
Example: Ruairi the Mercenary has STR 15 and
SIZ 10. His player, Meghan, combines Ruairi’s
STR and SIZ to determine his damage bonus:
+1D4. Ruairi is a strong fighter.
Magic Points (MP) are equal to your POW.
MPs fluctuate up and down as you cast spells. If
your adventurer’s MPs ever fall below 0, he or
she is rendered unconscious.
Hit Points (HP) are determined by adding SIZ
and CON together, then dividing the total by
two and rounding up. As your adventurer takes
damage from combat or other events, your HPs
will drop. If you drop to only 2 HPs, your investigator is rendered unconscious. If he hits -2 or
lower, he or she is dead.
Occupation and Skills
Choice of occupation will influence the selection of skills for your character. The Magic
World rulesbook contains a fuller explanation
of occupations and occupation skills.
Final Touches
Look over the character sheet and taking one
last look at all the skills, attributes, etc.
From looking over all this material, you will
begin to get an idea of who this character is.
You might want to fill out some notes on
your adventurer’s background and personality.
Who is he or she really? Where did she grow
up? What is his family like? The more time
you spend thinking about your character, the
more he develops a personality.
T G S
Playing the Game
In a roleplaying game, there is no winner or
loser. You all win if everyone has fun telling a
good, moving tale. You lose if no one has fun.
To keep things moving along during the course
of the game, and to add that spice of risk and
improbability, you occasionally will be called
on to roll dice to determine the outcome of
critical events. Generally, Skill Checks may be
called for by the Chronicler in stressful situations. Walking through a field on a pleasant
evening is not a stressful situation. Fighting a
group of orcs that has ambushed your party in
the middle of the night is.
The following section outlines the basics of
playing a game of Magic World.
Dice Rolling & Skill Checks
Different types of polyhedral dice are used to
determine the outcome of events in a Magic
World session. You should be able to purchase
a set of these dice in any good game store. You
will want at least one each of 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-,
and 20-sided die. You will also want to pick up
dice referred to as “percentage” dice. These dice
will have ten sides numbered “10, 20, 30, etc.”
Dice notation in the game is simple. You will
always know what type and number of dice
to roll when you see something like “1D6” or
“3D10.” The first number is the quantity of dice
to roll. The second number (after the “D”) tells
you what type. So, “1D6” means to roll a single
6-sided die. “3D10” tells you to roll 3 ten-sided
dice and add the values. If you ever see something like “2D6+6” that means to roll 2 six-sided dice, add them together, and then add six to
that sum.
For the most part, dice are rolled normally:
roll the dice called for in the rules, and read
the uppermost number. One of the most common rolls you will make is a “percentile” roll.
All skills, as well as Idea, Know, and Luck rolls
start with a percentile roll. To do this, roll a
How to Play
Magic World Quick-Start
percentile die as described above, and a regular ten-sided die. Then simply add the two
numbers together. If the number you rolled
is less than or equal to the skill listed on your
character sheet, you have succeeded.
Example: Kris is rolling to see if her character
spots an elf sneaking up on her in a field of high
grass. She has a “Sense” skill of 45%. She rolls the
two dice, getting a 60 on the percentile die, and 3
on the ten-sided die. Adding them together, she
gets a total of 63, well over her skill of 45%. She
never sees the elf coming.
Generally, the Chronicler for your game tells
you when you can attempt a skill roll.
Additionally, when you successfully roll a
given skill, put a check mark in the box next
to it on your sheet. You can only get one check
per skill per game session. At the end of the
evening’s session your Chronicler generally
will tell you to “roll for skill increases”. At this
time, roll percentile dice against any checked
skills. If you roll over the value of the skill,
you can add 1D6 points to the skill’s value. In
other words, the more you know about something, the harder it is to learn anything new,
or get any better.
C
something else. If the attack succeeds, the defending player rolls for any interposing armor.
The rules for combat in Magic World are
simple. When a combat occurs, all adventurers,
as well as characters and monsters controlled
by the Chronicler, act in order of their DEX
scores. The highest DEX goes first, followed
by the rest in descending order.
10
Fights occur in combat rounds. The Chronicler
begins marking game time in combat rounds
whenever he thinks that a physical encounter
may start. Each combat round lasts about a few
seconds of game time, enough time for participants to start or complete at least one action.
When the combat round ends, the next one begins. When an encounter concludes, marking
time in combat rounds stops. Within a combat round, the Chronicler calls out the passing
DEX- ranks, the players roll the dice, and the
combatants wield their weapons. If attacking,
the player rolls D100 to see if the attack hit.
Defending, the player might decide to parry
or dodge, or hope that his Adventurer’s armor
blocks any attack while the Adventurer does
How to Play
Statement of Intent
The Chronicler and players tell each other what
their characters generally intend to do in the
round. The player needs no statement of intent
to let an Adventurer parry, Dodge, or prepare a
weapon during the round. Actions always can
be canceled, and targets can be changed. Limit
intent to that which is logical — for instance, if
a player misses a skill roll which would have detected an ambush, the Adventurer will not then
prepare for an ambush.
Magic
Play begins. Spells cast in the previous round
take effect first. Start new spells only in this
phase. Characters use magic in the order of
11
Magic World Quick-Start
their INT, starting with the highest necessary
and working down until everyone has had a
chance. A character may delay casting magic
until a later INT-rank. INT- rank 1 is the last
INT-rank. Roll D100 if ties are a problem on a
particular INT-rank.
Mark off Magic Points as they are sacrificed.
An Adventurer can begin one spell in a round.
All the spells in this book require exactly one
full combat round of concentration to cast
and take effect.
Example: Dúnhere casts Sorcerer’s Razor on his
INT-rank in the magic phase of round one. The
spell takes effect on his INT-rank in round two. If
he wishes, he can cast new magic on his INT-rank
or later in round two.
Actions
Adventurers not engaged in hand-to-hand
combat from the previous round or other- wise
committed may move to their maximums.
Those not moving, or using half or less of their
MOV may use other skills in this round, before
or after movement.
Use DEX-rank to order attacks, parries, and
dodges, starting with the highest rank useful
and working down. For instance, in a given
round a DEX 17 fighter attacks before a DEX
16 opponent. DEX-rank 1 is the last rank in
the round. An action may be delayed until a
later DEX-rank in the same round. Within a
particular DEX-rank, opponents armed with
missile weapons have the opportunity to attack
first, followed by those with long-length weapons, and then by those with medium and short
hand-to-hand weapons. The weapon tables define weapon lengths. Roll D100 to break ties.
Parries and attack-related Dodges occur in
the same DEX-rank as the attack.
If the Adventurer performs more than one
action in a round, then separate the actions
by at least five DEX-ranks, excepting parries
and Dodges. Begin at his or her DEX, then at
DEX minus five, then at DEX minus ten, etc.,
until no more ranks remain in the round.
Resolution
Everybody checks their Adventurer sheets to
make sure that Hit Points, Magic Points, magic
in memory, etc., are current. The next round
begins.
E
Weapon s
Broadsword, Cutlass, Scimitar, Rapier - They
are roughly a yard long or less, have one or two
sharp edges, are usually one-handed weapons,
and have sharp points for skewering opponents.
This is the broadest weapon class; Chroniclers
wishing for more authentic treatment of medieval weaponry may wish to place the rapier in
its own class.
Battle Axe, Great Axe - Heavy cleaving blades
mounted on long wooden or metal-clad handles. Designs vary: one sort has one cleaving
blade topped by a metal spike for puncturing
armor. Another might feature a hook as a second blade, for pulling down cavalrymen.
Dagger - There is not much difference between a long dagger and a shortsword. The usefulness of this weapon class, however, is in its
lightness and compactness as a second weapon
and, if equipped with a cross-guard, as a parrying weapon.
Hunting Bow - Various sorts of bows occur
throughout history. The recurved bow is shorter than the others, for ease of use from horse-
How to Play
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