Hexenreach TTRPG

Format: Colour PDF

133 Pages

Hexenreach is a vast hellscape which exists on a plane somewhere between the Corporeal Realm (the Universe as we know it) and the Spirit Realm (the home of the Supernals, sometimes known as various demons or deities). Hexenreach was designed by the Supernal Azrulir, the patron deity of the Eternal Struggle. The purpose of Hexenreach is fulfil a drive which exists within some of the souls of the Corporeal Realm; the drive for violence, power, connivance, and domination. Everything in Hexenreach is designed to further the pursuit of these driving factors in some way. The denizen souls of Hexenreach do not require the nourishment of food or the rest of sleep; there is no provisioning, victualing, or procrastinating which will help to accomplish one’s goals here. It is a place of conflict and power, thriving and surviving. Some rely on the might of the sword and the gun, others place their faith in the abundance of Magical energy found in Hexenreach. Others utilise the roguery and intrigue which sustained their mortal existences. Whichever the chosen path all must take care, for death in Hexenreach means death absolute.

THE SETTING

Hexenreach is described by its creator, Azrulir, as the final proving ground for the hungriest souls known to the Corporeal Realm. To Azrulir the trial of existence in Hexenreach is the truest trial of the strength of a mortal’s spirit. Azrulir’s adherent servants, the Hexenbound, personally select the souls who will be brought to Hexenreach for this ultimate trial. Those who reach the pinnacles of achievement in Hexenreach may choose to remain here as Barons, Imperators, or even Hexeroys  – tutors and spiritual guides for new arrivals. These appointments are rare, reserved for a handful of glorified ascendants. Rarer still are those who impress Azrulir enough to be offered to embrace life eternal, in a vision of the afterlife chosen by themselves.

 Hexenreach exists outside the constructs of time as experienced by the corporeal mortal mind. The Hexenbound scry the sands searching for moments which cause the stirring of a soul’s disposition; emotions such as anger, outrage, admiration, and awe. Once a Hexenbound has settled on their decision, they lay in wait for the demise of the mortal shell in the Corporeal Realm and intercept the soul on its journey to the other side. The soul is held until a time the Hexenbound deems it fortuitous or entertaining to be placed in the realm of Hexenreach. It is for this reason that the souls of many different Species from any point of that Species’ collective existence may find themselves in Hexenreach. A human of Earth origin who died in the Great War may find themselves in the Hexenreach with a Roman gladiator, or alongside an elven noble who commanded a mighty fleet far in the Universe’s future. Azrulir sees all, and encourages his adherent Hexenbound to do the same. The Hexenreach is a leveller in terms of personal background, tech level, and cultural understanding. All who arrive here start as nothing and with nothing.

HEXENREACH

The current balance of power in Hexenreach revolves around six territories in what is called the Known Reach. From the high tech vision of Telath Point in the North, to the debauched piracy of Port Sin in the South, it is made abundantly clear to every new denizen where they stand as soon as they arrive in Hexenreach. The current map is by no means set in stone, as the rulers of each territory are all too bitterly aware. Things are always changing in the Known Reach, and Azrulir is ever watchful.

GAMEPLAY

The dice required to play are a d20, a d10, and a d6. A d3 is also useful, however if you are not able to obtain this simply half the result of a d6 roll, and round the result up. It is a good idea to keep more than one of each of these dice to hand as sometimes a Bonus Die is allowed by the Storyteller, which means a Player may roll two of the same dice and choose the most favourable result.

THE DIFFICULTY RATING

All Actions which require the dice to be rolled are assigned a Difficulty Rating. The Difficulty Rating is determined by the Storyteller between a scale of 1 – 20 (or more). Players must attempt to equal or exceed the Difficulty Rating using a d20 in order for the Action to be a Success. If the Difficulty Rating is not equalled or exceeded the Action is a Fail. There are many factors the Storyteller may use to decide the Difficulty Rating, and their decision is final.

MELEE COMBAT

Melee Combat combines the brutality of realistic fighting with the potential for flowing, continuous exchanges. Skill, training, and talent with a weapon may prolong survival and increase the chances of besting an opponent, but every dog may have it’s day and every weapon may prove deadly. There are no generic, standardised forms of offence or rigid methods for defence – every part of Combat is adaptive for the Player and circumstantially adjudicated by the Storyteller. There are no hit points or wounding tracks. Endurance and personal injury are measured instead by the Status of the Character or NPC’s Body Parts at any given time. Status impacts the Character’s readiness during Combat and affects their Physical Actions outside Combat. 

 When entering into Combat keep your intent and desired outcome in mind. Be ready to adapt your approach to any given situation, as death is a constant and perpetual truth in Combat.

RANGED COMBAT

Ranged Weapons are readily available throughout the Known Universe. Though martial prowess in close combat is respected, there is nothing so efficient as dispatching a foe efficiently and with minimal resistance. In gameplay terms Ranged Combat works slightly differently to Melee Combat. The Storyteller still assigns a Difficulty Rating for the Attack based upon the Target’s body location, the Target Body Part Defensive Rating, distance, and any feasible cover.

There are no Defensive Roll against Ranged Attacks.*

*Except in the case of Targets of Ranged Attacks a) holding a Shield and b) aware they are the Target of a Ranged Attack. If the Target of a Ranged Attack holding a Shield is aware they are a Target of an immediate incoming Attack, they may nominate their Shield as a positive modifier for Cover when the Difficulty Rating for the Ranged Attack is being calculated.

MAGIC

Magic is both everywhere and nowhere in this age. There are tales of those in ancient times who were able to wield Magic in abundance, but it is widely accepted that those days are gone. Those who wield Magic do so with the full mindfulness that every action within the Universe, whether we are aware of it or not, demands consequence.

 All of this is not to say that Magical manifestation may not be attempted by anyone who’s will is strong enough to bring about said manifestation; only that it is only accomplished with great difficulty and usually takes some form of personal toll on the would-be practitioner. Those with an avid interest in the Universal energy of Magic may bring their powers to fruition through repetition, patience, and sheer determination. This path comes with many dangers of its own. 

MAGIC IN GAMEPLAY

Magic is free-form in it’s manifestation and application, but its misuse is not free from consequence. All Magic affects the Corporeal Realm in some way, and is usually therefore connected to some form of worldly element. Magic which transcends the use of Corporeal elements is called Spirit Magic. Spirit Magic effectively enables the conjuring of something from nothing, and as such is the most difficult kind of Magic to manifest (and the most commonly sought).

THE DIFFICULTY RATING

All Actions which require the dice to be rolled are assigned a Difficulty Rating. The Difficulty Rating is determined by the Storyteller between a scale of 1 – 20 (or more). Players must attempt to equal or exceed the Difficulty Rating using a d20 in order for the Action to be a Success. If the Difficulty Rating is not equalled or exceeded the Action is a Fail. There are many factors the Storyteller may use to decide the Difficulty Rating, and their decision is final. 

ROLLING FOR ACTIONS

The Players, via acting with role-play or by giving a narrative description of what their Character is doing, will have the chance to take Actions as the story unfolds. The Storyteller will decide whether a description or role-play is sufficient for the Action to succeed, or if an Action dice roll is required from the Player. When the Storyteller calls for an Action Roll they will assign a Difficulty Rating to this Action. The Difficulty should take into account the circumstances, surroundings and the purpose of the intended Action. The d20 is rolled by the Character attempting to take the Action, or the Storyteller if the Action is being attempted by an NPC. In order to Succeed, the Difficulty Rating must be equalled or exceeded by result of the Roll. An additional d20 may be rolled if the Storyteller chooses (called the Bonus Die). When this takes place the highest result is used for the roll. This is to represent an advantageous circumstance for the Character or NPC making the roll.

SKILL RATINGS

An appropriate Skill Rating from the Character Sheet may be used to positively modify the result of the Action Roll. Some Specialities also provide a bonus modifier, or even a re-roll of one or more dice.

ACTIONS PER TURN

When the Storyteller has called for a dice roll to resolve an Action, each Player may take one Action per Turn. There is no particular order in which the Party or the Storyteller needs to decide which Player acts, however all Players must have described or acted out their Action for the Turn to be completed. This is to encourage Players to role-play their Character without rigid limitations.

ACTIONS IN COMBAT

To regulate the course of Combat it be necessary to establish who will strike first in Combat. This should flow narratively and depend upon the situation, however if it is 

ever in question as to who will strike first in Combat, each Character and NPC involved makes a Perceive Roll of 11. This represents making ready for impending conflict. The Perceive Rolls continue until all but one have failed - that Character or NPC strikes first, The next Action is taken by the person who was last but one to fail their Perceive Roll, and so forth. The Turn of Combat is completed when every Character and NPC has  taken Action.

SNEAK ACTIONS

When a Character or NPC wishes to conceal themselves or specific Actions, the Sneak Skill is used to determine the outcome. The Storyteller assesses the intricateness of the task and what the person is hoping to accomplish.  If the person wishes to remain undetected indefinitely, this is considered going into Sneak and also requires the Sneak Skill. This carries a base Difficulty Rating of 9 (increasing by 1 per every other person within a five metre radius, to a maximum of 15). Sneak is maintained until an Action taken causes Sneak to be broken. Breaking Sneak can be avoided by the successful concealment of this Action, again using the Sneak Skill. Physical Actions which affect others, including Attacks, have their Difficulty Ratings reduced favourably by 1d6 while Sneak is unbroken.

MANIFESTATION

Any Player may attempt to manifest a Magical Ability.

When a Player wishes to manifest a Magical Ability, they must describe their intention and desired outcome. The Storyteller then considers whether this will draw upon an element (Ground, Sea, Flame, or Sky), or manifest using Spirit Magic. The elements of Ground, Sea, Flame, Sky, and Spirit are all Skill Ratings listed on the Character Sheet. In this age, base Difficulty Ratings for Magical manifestation should start at no less than 15.

MAGIC IN COMBAT

When Magic is used in Combat the regular rules for

making an Attack apply. The Magic User describes their intent and nominates the opponent’s body part. The Storyteller assigns a Difficulty Rating. The Defensive Action must be made using the same Difficulty Rating as the Attack, using only the Defender’s corresponding element’s Magic Skill Rating as a positive modifier. As normal, a single d6 is then rolled to determine how a successful Attack lands.

Example Of Magic In Combat

Delas is attempting to hurl a fireball at her opponent’s back (as he is fleeing), with the intent to char him to a crisp. A Difficulty Rating of 16 is assigned by the Storyteller, and Delas has 3 in the Flame Skill Rating. Delas rolls a 13 on 1d20, so the Action Succeeds. Her Target has nothing in the Flame Skill Rating but still attempts to Defend, also on a Difficulty Rating of 16. The result is 10, and the attempt to Defend has Failed. The Target is wearing a ragged cloak and has a 0 (Unarmoured) Defence Rating on his Torso (including Back). Delas scores a 1d6 roll of 4 on the Landing Table, and the Target is immolated in a firewall of flames.

FAILED MANIFESTATION

The consequences of a failed Magical manifestation can be severe. The Magic User’s mind is firstly affected by memory loss and their cognitive recognition is deeply impacted. That which was known becomes unknown, and familiar thoughts become elusive. If the Magic User persistently tries without success to manifest Magical abilities the body is ravaged by the Spirit Realm; limbs atrophy and the brain enters a catatonic state.

Whenever a Character or NPC attempts and Fails to manifest a Magical ability, they must deduct one Skill Point from a Skill Rating of their choosing. If they persist in trying (and Failing) to manifest Magical abilities with no Skill Points remaining, they must nominate one body part to become irreversibly Incapacitated. When three body parts are Incapacitated as a result of failed Magic manifestation, the Character or NPC dies.*

*Incapacitations sustained in Combat do not contribute toward the death of a Character via failed Magic manifestation. Body Parts Incapacitated via Combat may still be nominated by the Player to be Incapacitated as result of Failed Magical manifestation.

PERSONAL CODE

The Character’s Personal Code is broken down into four measuring Factors; Elevated, Libertine, Wanton, and Measured. Actions taken which impact how the Character is perceived will garner points within each Factor. These points may be converted into bonuses, may be used to cancel each other out, and offer a guide as to how NPC’s and other Characters may choose to interact with that Character. There is no “right” or “wrong” path; the Personal Code represents a series of decisions made and how the Character navigates their personal journey.

The Storyteller determines whether an Action will garner a point in any of the Personal Code categories based on a number of variables. The most important things to consider are intent, whether the Action was witnessed, who by, and the effect this had on others. If the Character is deliberately attempting to shape others’ perception this too should be taken into account.