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Savagery artwork

Might makes right! Don't agree? Try arguing that point after someone stronger than you mounts your head on a pike. Savage warriors embrace the primordial rule of survival of the fittest, relying on instinct and brute strength to destroy their enemies. Some weak-willed people think that civilization leads to safety, but the truth is that laws make men docile. Real power comes from raw, unbridled rage -- that roiling fury that makes you want to flip over a table and gouge someone's eyes out. What makes your blood boil, mighty warrior? Are you enraged by the injustices of corrupt society? Do you sneer defiantly at the sight of a hulking, bloodthirsty monster? Then lift your weapon and show your enemies the true meaning of power!

Examples of Savagery characters include:

Savagery

Bloodlust

(Savagery | Combat)

Effects
  • Gain the defense "Bloodlust ☐". Mark it when you suffer Bad Tale that physically damages you. Then, gain a free Good Tale to make an attack
  • Descriptions
  • using the pain to fuel your rage
  • reveling in glorious bloody combat
  • returning the favor
  • Cleave

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can make a melee attack against as many adjacent creatures as you like
  • Descriptions
  • attacking in a flurry
  • cutting through foes
  • spinning in a blade tornado
  • releasing an explosion
  • Impale

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • When you attack someone with a melee or thrown weapon, you can give your target the condition "Impaled"
  • Descriptions
  • pushing a spear through their stomach
  • embedding your hammer in their armor
  • Rage

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • You can give yourself the condition "Enraged". While enraged, increase all rolls to destroy
  • Descriptions
  • harnessing the pain
  • entering a primal rage
  • attacking recklessly
  • leaving yourself open to attack
  • Rampage

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • When you defeat a worthy foe, gain a free Good Tale
  • Descriptions
  • entering a blood-fueled rage
  • slaughtering foe after foe
  • standing atop a mountain of corpses
  • Sticks and Stones

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • Every item you hold has the Melee and Thrown item traits for free, as well as 2 other item traits of your choice. They lose these extra traits when they leave your hands
  • Descriptions
  • using whatever's available
  • clubbing someone with a femur
  • beating someone with their own arm
  • Unbroken

    (Savagery | Combat)

    Effects
  • Collaborate on how you charge this trait. Spend the charge to remove 1 physical condition from yourself that you can logically remove. Then, gain a free Good Tale
  • Descriptions
  • breaking free
  • getting an adrenaline rush
  • screaming in anger
  • overcoming with your burning rage
  • Gut Instinct

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • At any point, you can have the GM describe your gut reaction, which gives you vague but accurate information about your surroundings
  • Descriptions
  • getting a bad feeling
  • thinking that person is off somehow
  • feeling the hair on your neck stand up
  • Pillage

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • When you destroy a worthy structure, you can find at least 1 treasure among the rubble
  • Descriptions
  • finding gold in the ash and rubble
  • looting priceless art
  • taking whatever you want
  • looting stores
  • Siege Breaker

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • Your ability to destroy the terrain exceeds normal limits. Collaborate on what you can do
  • Descriptions
  • shoving someone through a wall
  • chopping a support beam
  • kicking down the door
  • smashing a table
  • Superstition

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • Collaborate on what brings good and bad luck. These superstitions are now true for you and everyone you can see; good luck causes good things to happen, and bad luck causes bad things to happen
  • Descriptions
  • following ancient traditions
  • distrusting modern society
  • carrying fetishes and good luck charms
  • Examples
    Bad Luck
  • washing off the blood of your enemy
  • fighting with a broken weapon
  • dishonoring the dead
  • Good Luck
  • hunting under a new moon
  • earning a virgin's kiss
  • getting punched by a stranger
  • a foggy dawn
  • Vision Quest

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • When you start a quest, tell the GM something you want to know, understand, or see. THe GM will give you a vision, sign, or epiphany that reveals that information to you
  • Descriptions
  • receiving a message from your ancestors
  • having a prophetic dream
  • speaking to your spirit beast
  • What is Best in Life?

    (Savagery | Exploration)

    Effects
  • Collaborate on 3 things that are best in life. When you complete all 3, you and allies who helped you each gain 1 XP
  • Descriptions
  • reveling in your successes
  • reflecting on your triumphs
  • obtaining glory
  • amassing power
  • Examples
    Best in Life
  • crush your enemies
  • see them driven before you
  • hear the lamentations of their loved ones
  • No Escape

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • When someone flees from you or otherwise tries to avoid your wrath, you can tell a free Good Tale against them
  • Descriptions
  • calling them out by name
  • embarrassing them in front of their peers
  • mocking their honor
  • Instigator

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You can choose someone. A fight or conflict breaks out involving them
  • Descriptions
  • goading someone into action
  • spreading rumors
  • starting trouble
  • shouting "fight! fight! fight!"
  • Intimidating

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • You are far more intimidating than normal. You can intimidate creatures that normally wouldn't flinch at threats. Collaborate on how your intimidation exceeds normal limitations
  • Descriptions
  • threatening them with violence
  • torturing them
  • pushing your weight around
  • exploiting fear
  • Noble Savage

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • Gain the defense "Noble Savage ☐". Mark it when you suffer a Bad Tale that relates to laws, high culture, or the trappings of civilization. When you do, choose someone; their disposition toward you significantly improves
  • Descriptions
  • your simplistic ways
  • your adorable naiveté
  • following the laws of nature instead of the laws of man
  • Not Getting Paid Enough

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • Whenever you do something impressive, you can choose a minion who watched you. They immediately abandon their contract
  • Descriptions
  • proving that they're no match for you
  • terrifying them with your might
  • letting them run away
  • To the Victor

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • When you destroy someone or conquer territory, choose something they had that would normally be difficult for you to obtain. Everyone acknowledges that it's yours now
  • Descriptions
  • crushing their hope like you crushed their leader's skull
  • making an offer they can't refuse
  • Examples
    Go the Spoils
  • their <a href="/wiki/minions" title="minions">minions</a>
  • their lovers' affection
  • their legal property
  • their social status
  • Warchief

    (Savagery | Interaction)

    Effects
  • Add "or getting them into a good fight" to the end of your minions' contracts
  • Descriptions
  • indulging their bloodlust
  • promising them the spoils of war
  • provoking their savage nature

  • © 2023-2023

    studioKeywi

    Distances

    Touch

    Physical contact and adjacent spaces

    Near

    Several steps, or 3 spaces

    Close

    A room, or 5 spaces

    Far

    A building, or 10 spaces

    Very Far

    Several buildings, or 20+ spaces

    Keywords

    Bolster

    Players can spend their bolsters to increase a related roll. The GM can spend bolsters to make a PC decrease a related roll. Unspent bolsters eventually expire.

    Refer to Chapter 2 of the rules for more about increasing/decreasing rolls

    Collaborate

    Traits that tell you to collaborate are intentionally vague and ambiguous. Work with the GM to create a balanced and thematically appropriate effect. Collaborations should be an ongoing process. For example, you may discover that an effect is too strong or weak after a few sessions, so you and the GM should rebalance the effect

    Condition

    A condition is anything that temporarily affects your capabilities or status.

    Refer to Chapter 3 of the rules for more about conditions

    Defense

    Defenses make you more resilient during Challenges. Defenses grant one or more boxes, which function the same as Challenge Number boxes. However, defenses have unique requirements that allow you to mark them only in specific situations

    Minion

    A minion is a creature that serves another creature through a contract.

    Refer to Chapter 7 of the rules for more about minions

    Shrine

    A shrine is a divine conduit that allows a specific deity or set of deities to affect the mortal world.

    Refer to the Faith theme of the rules for more about shrines

    Temporary Item Trait

    A temporary item trait is any item trait that you did not spend XP to acquire. Temporary item traits come from a variety of source: magic items, potions, spells, etc. They're free and don't affect the XP cost of buying other item traits. You can't upgrade temporary item traits

    Temporary Trait

    A temporary trait is any that you did not spend XP to acquire. Temporary traits come from a variety of source: magic items, potions, spells, etc. They're free and don't affect the XP cost of buying other traits. You can't upgrade temporary traits

    Worldbuild

    Worldbuilding a collaborative process wherin the players and the GM work together to create something about the game world. One person is in charge of the worldbuilding event, and the other players support that player.

    Refer to Chapter 6 of the rules for more about world building

    Zone

    A zone is an area of effect. If a trait affects a zone, collaborate on logically fitting zones that you can create with that trait, and write them into your trait. Example zones:
    Blast: An explosion that affects one space and adjacent spaces. Blast attacks can be melee or ranged.
    Cone: A 90° cone that extends out to a Close distance. Cone attacks are considered to be melee.
    Line: This is a line of spaces that extends out to a Far distance. Line attacks are considered to be ranged.

    About

    Tavern Tales Toolkit 0.0.1-alpha-5

    Based on the Kickstarter 1.0.1 version of Tavern Tales with minor modifications

    Modifications

    • Metamagic has been renamed Augment and moved from Arcane traits into General traits
    Tavern Tales, the Tavern Tales logo, and any other associated artwork were orginally © 2014-2017 by Dabney Bailey, and has since been released under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license

    Links

    Tavern Tales KS 1.0.1 on Fandom Tavern Tales Discord