wolves in the borderland

7/29/2019 Wolves in the Borderland

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Wvi n t h e B o r d e r l a n d s

B e a s t s & B a r B a r i a n s

O S #3

A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds One Sheet for Beasts and Barbarians

By David homas and Umberto Pignatelli


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Cover by Jeremy Mohler, Standart Stock Art 02 by Empty Room Studios Publishing

Layout: winnicki art studio | www.winnicki.pro

Tis game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com.Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permis-

sion. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. Someartwork copyright Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under license. www.roninarts.com

2011 Gramel Justyna Kory, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are trademarksof Gramel Justyna Kory. All Rights Reserved.


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Nobody goes into Black Forest willingly. Only those thatstaken, and they dont be returning.

- Old Borderlands Saying

iuce heroes are members o the Border Wolves, a largemercenary company serving in the Borderlands, whosemen have signed up or a fve-year Price o Blood con-tract (See Beasts and BarbariansPlayer Guide, p.21). eheroes are assigned to a small division that comprisesthemselves plus another our comrades. During the wholescenario, the mercenaries are under the partys control. Toadd some realism, the players should choose a commanderor the division rom among them.

e heroes are currently serving at Fort Vanguard, not arrom the Godaxe River and on the edge o Black Forest,

whose tall, black trees mark the border o the Caledlands.

(M) Border Wolf Mercenary (1 per hero)

rcuTe story is simple: Fort Vanguard, a small but sturdy forti-

cation, stands on the very border of Black Forest. Te lordof the Fort, Commander Voorhess, has a beautiful daughternamed Kara, who was captured by Caled raiders three nightsago while on her way to visit her father. Her retinue of threesoldiers and a slave girl were also captured. Te raiders tooktheir captives back into Black Forest, beyond the Godaxe.

Being short of men, Commander Voorhess has ordered you, theBorder Wolves, to pursue the raiders and rescue his daughter.You know the truth: you have been chosen because any otherman in the small garrison would have refused such a danger-ous mission.

Black Forest is dark and silent and, although you constantlyfeel you are being watched, nothing hinders your advance.After pursuing them for two days, you have now located theraiders in a small Caled village...

e village consists o about eight huts, a central fre pit,some strange rock arrangements, and a crude wooden cagein which Kara is held captive. Next to the cage there areour wooden racks, with a corpse tied to each. e corpsesare o the three captured soldiers and the slave girl. eyare tied to the racks with vines, which also grow in andout o their esh. ough dead, their eyes roam back andorth, keeping watch over the village. ey have Notice d6and let out loud shrieks i they spot an intruder. Any herohearing such horrible shouts must make a Fear check orbe Nauseated until the end o the scene.

Some smaller wooden racks hang rom the trees sur-rounding the village, but luckily no corpses are tied tothem. A Survival (-4) or Lotusmastery roll also allowsnoticing Green Lotus growing on nearby oaks (d6 doses,

see sidebar). Hal o the villages Naked Spearmen arestanding around, while the others and the Warchie areinside the huts but will immediately come out i the alarmis raised. Karas cage is held shut with vines, which can becut (Toughness 6). Alternatively, the wooden cage can bebroken. (Toughness 8). Anyone who rees or protects Karain this scene gets a Bennie.

(M) Naked Spearmen (2 per hero +2)

(M) Cuttrah, Naked Spearmen Warchief. Spearmanwith Fighting d10, add the Command Edge.

(M) Kara. She is a Wild Card commoner. She has d6 inall attributes except Healing d8, plus the Attractive Edgeand Damsel in Distress Hindrance.

a Fc FmRead the ollowing part ater the heroes deeat the Caleds.

You are still standing among the fallen enemies, when sud-denly the re in the pit roars and blazes as tall as the sur-rounding trees. You see an evil face among the ames, whichbears a strong resemblance to the Warchief lying dead at your

feet. As you are looking at the necklace of severed heads aroundthe mans neck, he speaks in a bloodcurdling voice: Blasphe-mous dogs, how dare you enter our lands and kill the bloodof my blood? I swear that before the moon is full Ill have myvengeance and Ill add your heads to my Necklace of the DeadOnes. Gulta Morn has spoken! And then, with a terriblehowl, the re turns to ashes.

A Common Knowledge roll allows the heroes to remem-ber that Gulta Morn is a druid o tremendous power, no-torious on both sides o the border or his evil deed. Ithe Warchie they killed really is his relative, they shouldee as ar away as they can! e moon will be ull in twonights, exactly the time they need to reach Fort Vanguard.

Harvesting in Black Forest

Two things are worth harvesting in the BlackForest: Green Lotus and ears. Green Lotus is astrange plant which can be ound with a Sur-vival (-4) or Lotusmastery roll. Each attemptrequires an hour and yields a batch with a suc-cess, two with a raise. I a Lotusmaster uses this

Lotus in a concoction with a plant trapping, he receives +2 tothe Lotusmastery roll and the standard duration o the potionis increased by one time unit. However, any Caled Druidwithin a mile will automatically be aware o the user, oncethe concoction is used. Each dose can also be sold or 50 Moonsor, with a Lotusmastery roll, two batches can be used to makea Refned Lotus dose (in this case, the Lotusmastery bonusdoesnt apply).

e ears o the Caled warriors are another prized trophy. eCommanders o the border orts pay 30 Moon or each rightear delivered to them. So, a man with a sharp dagger can be-come rich i he is brave (or mad) enough to hunt human quar-ries in the orest. Yet, i the hunter is caught by the Caleds, he

will certainly ace a long, painul death.


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Gulta Morn is now in trance in a holy cave several milesaway. But this doesnt mean he isnt dangerous: his powersextend all over Black Forest and the heroes wont be saeuntil they leave these dark woods. e journey back takestwo days and the heroes will have to ace three encounterseach day.

Survival: e heroes are allowed a group Survival roll atthe start o each day. In case o success, they can skip anencounter or recover a level o Fatigue (Game Masterschoice). is represents their ability to choose better pathsavoiding dicult terrain, to fnd shelter, and so on.

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Drums in the Night. e scenario is written assumingthat the heroes leave the Caled village at once. e GameMaster is ree to send a patrol o Naked Spearmen (2 perhero) to pursue them. During the night the heroes hearwood cracking along with booming and hammering and,in the distance, the sound o drums. e sounds are occa-sionally accompanied by unintelligible shouts. is causesa Fear check. Any Extra who ails the ear check will eeinto the orest. I he isnt stopped and brought back withinthree rounds, he will disappear and never return (but hellcome back to haunt the heroes as a Cursing Head, below).

Mud Terror. Early in the morning, the sky darkens anda cold, howling wind starts blowing. e heroes are soonin the middle o a rainstorm. It rains incessantly until pastmidday and the heroes and their allies must make a Vigorroll or suer a level o Fatigue, due to the act that march-ing has become more and more dicult.

In the aternoon the rain subsides, but this area o theorest has turned into a bog and this allows Gulta Mornsdark magic to maniest itsel again. Silently, a giant clawo mud rises behind the character bringing up the rear othe group and tries to crush him (Fighting d8, damaged12+2)! I the claw hits with a raise, it grapples the victimas per the Grappling rules and continues to inict damageevery round. I the ambushed character misses an opposed

roll versus the claws Stealth d8, the dreadul thing hasalso the Drop.

e claw is totally immune to attacks. e heroes can tryto run away (the claw cannot leave the mud), which trig-gers a short Chase sequence (5 rounds, Agility based). Asthe heroes are hindered by the mud, the claw has Agilityd6 and +4 to Chase rolls.

ere is actually a way to destroy the claw. Each round theheroes spend attacking it, they are allowed a Notice (-4)roll. In case o success, they spot a tiny salamander in themud. It is the source o the magic animating it and canbe dispatched with a Called Shot (-4), breaking the spell.e salamander is also detected as a magical being by theDetect Arcana power.

e Cup of the Green Giant. Immediately beore dusk,the party sees a massive oak with ancient Caled runescarved into it. One o its branches is twisted in the shapeo a receptacle containing a pool o rainwater, which thesap o the old tree has turned bright green. With a Knowl-edge (Arcana) roll, an adventurer can examine the runesand understand this is a holy place. With a raise, he alsounderstands that the oak, known as the Green Giant, is asort o orest god and, as long as the heroes stay under itsbranches, no Caled can harm them.

is doesnt mean the place is sae: the pool o rainwateris imbued with strong magic. It is toxic, and drinking ithas the same eect as apoison spell cast with Sorcery d10.But looking into it is also extremely dangerous. e frstplayer saying his hero is examining the water must makea Spirit roll. e various visions the hero can experienceare detailed below.

Failure.e hero sees a strange cave, its ground coveredin dead leaves and its walls inscribed with strange runes.

An old man, Gulta Morn, sits among the leaves in deeptrance. Suddenly he opens his cat-like, yellow eyes andnotices that someone is spying on him. e hero must doa Fear check.

Success.e hero is walking with his companions througha orest o weeping willows. Suddenly, the sot leaves othe trees become as sharp as blades and, in a ew mo-ments, the adventurers body is covered in hundreds otiny wounds. Terrorized, he looks around and notices thathumanlike hearts beat under the bark o the willows. isis an omen o the encounter with the Sap Warriors theparty is about to have. e hero wont be surprised by theencounter and will also have a useul hint about how killthese elusive enemies.

Raise.e hero is sitting astride a trunk oating downa peaceul river. He is steering the trunk with an oakbranch. Suddenly, the water starts bubbling and a hideouscreature, its mouth as large as a house, suraces to attackhim. e hero throws his branch into the monsters mouthand the creature disappears. is is a premonition o theCrossing the River scene (see below). I, during that scene,a hero cuts a branch rom the Green Giant and throws itinto the whirlpools mouth, the water instantly reverts tobeing placid.

wo Raises. e character is on the edge o a crevasse,wrestling with Gulta Morn. Despite being very skinny,the druid has incredibly strong hands and is stranglingthe hero. With his last strength, the hero snatches GultaMorns necklace o severed heads and shatter it. Suddenly,the druid turns into ashes and disappears orever. is is ahint about how to kill the spirit o Gulta Morn in the lastscene o the adventure.

sc dyCursing Head. e night passes quietly, even though ar-away thunder claps are heard. e heroes and their alliesshould stop and rest; otherwise, they must make a Vigorroll or suer a level o Fatigue. I they manage to fnd


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sae shelter and relax a little, this is the perect momentto break the tension with an Interlude. en, at dawn,they start marching again. It is a oggy day and, althoughthe rain has stopped, the air is heavy and the vegetationthicker than ever. Distant drums start sounding again, in-creasing their sense o urgency. Ater a while, they cometo a small clearing and, in the middle o it, they see a stastuck in the ground with a severed head on it. I the heroeshave lost an ally during the adventure, the head belongs totheir missing companion, otherwise it belongs to Cuttrah,the Warchie. When the heroes examine it, it suddenlyopens its eyes and starts speaking in a hellish voice. iscauses a Fear check and, i the heroes ail it, they will beNauseated or the whole scene.

Give up trying to save yourselves. You will soon be addedto the Necklace o the Dead Ones, as I have been. You cannotescape Gulta Morn!

At this point, the head lets out a hideous laugh, and allthe characters must make a Spirit roll. e character with

the lowest score is so anguished that he suers the eectso the lower traitpower, cast with Sorcery d10, until theparty gets to the other side o the Godaxe. e evil magiccan be broken by simply smashing the head. is makesthe wretched thing explode in a shower o malodoroussparks (2d6 damage in a Medium Burst Template). echaracter that smashes the head should be rewarded witha Bennie.

Sap Warriors. e heroes are now crossing a thick oresto wild willows, with hollow, worm-eaten trunks. SomeCaled warriors are hiding inside the hollow trunks. eyhave smeared their skin with yellow willow sap and in-voked the protection o the trees; so, they are virtually in-visible (Stealth d12+1) as long as they dont step out othe trees. ey wait or the heroes to approach and tryto surprise them. In addition, they can move rom treeto tree with supernatural ability: a Caled warrior com-pleting his turn in contact with the trunk o a willow canstart the next turn in contact with any other willow onthe battlefeld. Moreover, he is considered hidden again(Notice roll opposed to the warriors Stealth to spot him).Place twice as many trunks as there are Caled warriorson the battlefeld, each at least 6 away rom the next. Yet,the warriors amazing powers come at a price: the soulso the Sap Warriors are linked to the trees and they canbe killed by destroying the trunks (Toughness 7). A hero

who experienced a vision by looking into the rainwaterpool (see above) has guessed their weakness and cannotbe surprised by them.

I the party manages to capture and question a Caled,he reveals that a big war band is approaching (see scenebelow) and tells the adventurers they dont stand a chance.

(M) Sap Warriors (1 per hero).Same as Naked Spearmanbut without the Naked Warrior special ability. ey arearmed with stone hatchets (Str+d6).

Crossing the River. e party fnally gets to the Godaxe.Once they cross it, theyll reach the saety o the ort, butit wont be easy. e heavy rains have swollen the riverand the wooden bridge leading into the Borderlands is

submerged under several eet o muddy water, so the partymust fnd another way to cross.

Swimming is impossible, since the current is too strong.e best way to cross the river is to build a makeshit rat.It requires a cooperative Repair or Survival (-4) roll andhal an hour o time. Note that the heroes manage to builda rat even i they ail the roll, but it is very unsae. e ba-sic rat has Toughness 4, plus 2 or each success and raiseon the roll (maximum 8). As the heroes are about to taketo the waters, a large party o Naked Spearmen emergesrom the vegetation. But they are too late, and can onlyscream their rage while wildly throwing their spears(counts as a Suppression Fire attack against all the party).

But the worst is yet to come. When the heroes are halwayacross the river, Gulta Morna dark magic strikes again:a dark whirlpool starts sucking the heroes rat into itsvicious mouth. e adventurers must row with all theirstrength to reach the opposite bank. It is a Dramatic Taskbased on cooperative Boating or Strength (-2) and the

heroes must achieve fve successes. Each round in whichno success is scored, the rat suers 2d6 damage. I at theend o the fth round they havent managed to completethe task, the rat disintegrate and the heroes must make aSwimming (-2) roll to reach the bank. When ailing theroll, Extras are sucked into the whirlpool, never to resur-ace, while 2d8 damage applies to Wild Cards. A herocan willingly choose to hold Kara to save her (the poorgirl cannot swim), in which case he has an additional -2to the Swimming roll but receives a Bennie or his heroicbehavior.

Another simpler way to avoid drowning consists inthrowing a branch o the Green Giant into the center othe whirlpool. In this way, Gulta Morns evil magic is dis-pelled and the whirlpool disappears.

e heroes are fnally back in the Borderlands and FortVanguard is only a hundred yards away, on top o a hill.But there a terrible surprise awaits!

F VguYou stagger up the hill. Fort Vanguard isnt big just a ewbarracks surrounded by a palisade and guarded by our

wooden towers but today it seems airer to you than theEmperors Palace in Faberterra.

Let the heroes make a Notice roll. In case o success, theyrealize that something isnt right. ere are no sentinelson the battlements and no smoke is rising rom the chim-neys. e wooden gate is ajar. Once in the Forts court-yard, the heroes see a smelling pile. When they discoverits nature, they must make a Fear check or be Nauseated.e smoldering ashes are the soldiers o the garrison, hor-ribly butchered by some savage horror.

While you are taking in the gruesome scene, a low, deep growlmakes you do a double take. A nightmarish creature comes outo the stables. It is a Black Forest bear, but you have neverseen one so big: it is almost six yards tall, its claws as sharp as


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swords and its mouth smeared with old blood. But the mostrightening sight is the necklace o severed heads around itsmassive neck. With an insane yellow light in its eyes, thecreature charges towards you!

e bear is possessed by the spirit o Gulta Morn. Sincethe heroes have escaped all his traps, he has decided tointervene in person. During the night, he took control othis massive beast, climbed the orts walls and murderedthe entire garrison, then waited or the heroes. GultaMorn is very powerul, but he has made a gross mistakethis time: his own spirit resides within the beast and, ithe party manages to kill the Bear, this will also kill theevil druid. e ort oers some useul props, including asmall ballista on the battlements. With a Strength (-2)roll, which can be cooperative, a hero can use it to targetthe bear (Damage:3d8, Range: 25/50/100, AP 4, 3 com-bat rounds to reload).

Black Forest Bear

afmI the heroes manage to break the necklace or, even better,to kill the bear, a terrible howl is heard throughout theorest. It is Gulta Morns cry o rage. I the necklace isshattered, the druid doesnt die but temporarily loses allhis powers and wont trouble the party or a while.

e sound is so loud that even the Caled warriors on theother side o the river hear it and, rightened, run backinto the thick vegetation.

e heroes must bury the dead ones, take charge o theFort, and send messages to the nearest ones, asking orreinorcements (which will arrive in a week). Tales o theirdeed will spread ar and wide in a ew weeks (+2 Charismawhile they are in the Borderlands), and they will probablybe promoted (you can also decide they receive a reward o400 Moons).

ey have saved Kara but the girl has no amily let now(her ather is among the dead ones). Finding a suitableposition or her can be the hook or a new adventure.

In addition, i they havent killed Gulta Morn, sooner orlater he will come back to take his revenge.

Cu nPC

Bck F Bese massive beasts have inhabited Black Forest sincethe dawn o time, when terrors like them ruled the north-ern woods.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strengthd12+4, Vigor d8Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Swimming d6Pace: 8; Parry: 6;Toughness: 12 (9)Special AbilitiesArmor +3: Layers o at and very thick ur. Bear Hug: Bears dont actually hug their victims, but

they do attempt to use their weight to pin their prey downand rend it with their claws and teeth. A bear that hitswith a raise has pinned down his oe. e opponent mayonly attempt to escape the hug on his action, which re-quires a raise on an opposed Strength roll. Claws: Str+d6. Size +3:e Black Forest bear is 10 tall and weighs over1,500 pounds. Spirit Possessed:e bear is possessed by the spirit othe Caled Druid Gulta Morn, which gives it the ArcaneResistance Edge. Yet, i the bear is killed, the druid iskilled too. Weakness (Necklace of the Dead Ones): Gulta Morncontrols the bear through this necklace. I the heroes man-age to break it (Called Shot -4, Toughness 5), the spell islited. At this point, when the Bear is dealt a club actioncard, it decides to ee back into Black Forest. Due to thesize o the Bear, the Called Shot can be attempted witha melee weapon only i the heroes climb onto the beastsbody (which can be done by winning an Agility trick) orjump rom above. Otherwise, they can use Ranged weap-ons and weapons with Reach 1 or more without any prob-lem.

B Wf Mcy

e Border Wolves were ounded twenty years ago by Sk-ragos Baldace, once a Cairnlander bandit, who receivedan ocial pardon rom the Count o Felantium. Today,they are known as one o the most ruthless companies inthe north and even the barbarians ear them. Men o anyrace and class can join the Wolves, as long as they fghtbravely and obey their orders. ey are recognizable by thewol pelt, head included, they wear over their armor andby their earsome battle cry (see below).

e heroes comrades in this adventure are: Ruus andPontios (brothers, rom the Borderlands), NGoba (Ivory

Tribesman), and Leus (Syranthian).Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8,Vigor d6Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Intimidation d6, Shootingd6, Stealth d6, Survival d6, rowing d6.Pace: 6; Parry: 6;Toughness: 6 (1)Gear: light armor (+1), bronze battle axe (Str+d8), smallshield (+1 Parry), light helm (+1), bow (Dmg: 2d6, Range:12/24/48) or 2 javelins (Str+d4, Range: 4/8/16).Special AbilitiesWolf Howl: Once in each battle, the Wolves can let outtheir terrible battle cry, similar to a real wol s howl. It is a

ree Intimidation attempt, with a +2 bonus, which doesntcount as an action.


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e most eared warriors among the Caleds, these primi-tive men attack savagely, protected only by their own e-rocity and some magical tattoos. e tattoos identiy thevarious clans and are believed to bestow great power. iswarrior belongs to the Red Weasel clan.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6,Vigor d6Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimida-tion d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8, rowing d6, Trackingd6.Pace: 6; Parry: 7;Toughness: 5Gear: stone tipped spear (Str+d6, +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2hands, Range: 3/6/12), stone dagger (Str+d4).Special Abilities

Red Weasel Clan Tattoo:e warriors o the Red Wea-sel clan are renowned or going wild as soon as they smellblood. I there is a wounded character (or one Shaken bya wounding eect) within 6 o a Red Weasel warrior, hehas +1 to damage rolls. Naked Warrior: As long as he wears no armor, a Na-ked Spearmen has the Loincloth Hero Edge and can soak

wounds even i he isnt a Wild Card (in this case, he rollsonly the Vigor die, without the Wild Die). is abilitydoesnt work i the Spearman is under the eect o ear orhas lost an Intimidation Test o Will, since his gods shuncowards.

wolves in the borderland

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