Ironclaw Book of Fools

Foolery

Introduction What’s in this book? At some point in your life, you’ve had to deal with a fool. The fool has a long tradition. Being rich enough to support a fool to entertain you is a sign of high status and wealth. Among the superstitious, beating a fool can be seen as a sign of good luck, Sometimes a fool is brought in to lead the cheer, to whip the warriors into a battle frenzy. Small villages can take great pride in their “village idiot”, because even if things are bad, at least you’re not that guy. Larger courts usually have a fool. Since the fool doesn’t lose any pride by insulting people or by pointing out flaws in plans, a fool can say things in court that other people would never think to say.

Credits Written by Norman Rafferty Co-written by Canio Pagliacci, Lewis Theobold, and Friedrich Wallenhaupt Illustrated by Brett Foster, Brian Harp, Christine Klunder, Norman Rafferty, and Sara Palmer Game Design by Jason Holmgren Edited by Chien Petit Méchant Special thanks to all the fools out there. Copyright ©2011 Sanguine Productions. All rights reserved. Several fools were harmed in the making of this game, but it’s okay, we were sure to hit them in unimportant areas, like their heads.

351

Fo oole ery y

Fo Fool lish h Car C ree ers s Whilee you wouldn’t normally thinkk that Fools aree in high dema and, many bossses seem to hirre nothing but Fools and then com mplain about th hem. Or is it that everyone co omplains that their boss is a Fool? F I forget.

Clown

Hobgoblin n

Often works as a st treet performe er.

Nicknamed d after an obs sessive (but imagined d) fear, the Ho obgoblin is an assassin who hides in n plain sight, as a cllown.

Fool Includee Career Dice with: Dodge Jumpinng Presennce

Career Gifts: Cowaard Fools Trappings Fooleery

Trappinggs: Cloth armor (d4)), marotte, motley outfit, o random items to juggle

Include Careeer Dice with: Deceit Presence Throwing

Career Gifts: Coward Foolery Legerdem main

Trappings: Leather armor (d6), three t juggling Daggeers (Damage +1), thhree juggling balls (Damage +0)

Harang guer

Itinerant Fool F

A trou uble-maker who o rouses the rabble e against the status quo.

No doubt you’re on som me dread errand. Even n less doubt th hat you won’t succee ed.

Fool

Fool Includee Career Dice with: Gossip Inquiryy Presennce

Career Gifts: Cowaard Fooleery Oratoory

Trappinggs: Leather Armor (d6), Dagger (Damagge +1), effigy, list off public grievancees

Fool

Include Careeer Dice with: Dodge Endurance Presence

Career Gifts: Cosmopollitan Coward Foolery

Trappings: Leather Armor (d6), Staff S (Damage +1, Parry P d12), bindle, p pointy shoes

Jester An entert tainer to the royal court. And so ometimes an advisor. a And sometim mes, a spy.

Fool Include Careeer Dice with: Gossip Inquiry Presence

Career Gifts: Coward Etiquettee Foolery

Trappings: Cloth C armor (d4), pam mphlet of salacious ribaldry r

352 2

Fo oole ery y Jinxter

Picaro

A dabb bler in the wiza ardly arts, who is mo ore effective at a berating people th han bewitching g them.

A low-clas ss, humorous fellow who lives by their wits amo ong the dishonest an nd the fradulen nt.

Fool Includee Career Dice with: Dodge Presennce Supernnatural

Career Gifts: Cowaard Fooleery Literaacy

Trappinggs: Cloth Armor (d4), Staff (Damage +11, Parry d12), pointy hat

Fool Include Careeer Dice with: Dodge Observatioon Presence

Career Gifts: Coward Foolery Streetwisse

Trappings: Leather armor (d6), Mace M (Damage +2), Wooden Shield (CCover d8), knife, firstt aid kit, wineskin with w cheap wine

Mime

Poltroon

A fool who specialize es in silent pantomim me.

Often pet tty and mean-s spirited, this warrior is much bette er at enraging their foes than engaging them.

Fool Includee Career Dice with: Dodge Presennce Stealthh

Career Gifts: Cowaard Fooleery Low Profile P

Trappinggs: Cloth armor (d4)), makeup, invisible box, invisible rope

Include Careeer Dice with: Dodge Melee Combat Presence

Career Gifts: Coward Foolery Veteran

Trappings: Leather & Cloth Armoor (d6, d4), Bastard Sword (DDamage +4, Awkwaard), Wooden Shieldd (Cover d8)

Naybob b

Stooge

This fo ool’s constant t negative approach h to life would be more annoying ... if they were en’t so often righ ht.

An underliing whose wit can serve as a diistraction.

Includee Career Dice with: Dodge Observvation Presennce

Fool

Career Gifts: Cowaard Dangger Sense Fooleery

Trappinggs: Leather armor (dd6), Dagger (Damagge +1), useless gooddluck charm, secoond useless good-lucck charm

Fool Include Careeer Dice with: Dodge Inquiry Presence

Career Gifts: Comic Rellief Coward Foolery

Trappings: Leather armor (d6), Mace M (Damage +2), Wooden shield (CCover d8), knife, firstt aid kit, ridiculous hat h

Patsy

Town Foo ol

This pr reson only thiinks they’re in charge, but they’ve been b set up to take the t fall for ano other noble, crime lord d, or boss.

Hark! The village has ca alled. It seems they’r re missing theiir local idiot.

Includee Career Dice with: Dodge Leaderrship Presennce

Fool

Career Gifts: Cowaard Fooleery True Leader L

Trappinggs: Leather armor (dd6), Shortsword (Damage +1 Impaling), Wooden Shield (Cover ( d8), incriminaating evidence

Fool

Fool Include Careeer Dice with: Gossip Presence Searching

Career Gifts: Carousingg Coward Foolery

Trappings: Cloth C armor (d4), three shiny rocks, buckket with a hole

353 3

Fo oole ery y

Fo lis Foo sh Gif G fts s Foolery y (Foolish h, Keysto one) You’ve often n been called a fool ... but when you have h this Gift, you u certifably are on ne!

Requires Cowa ard

New stunt “Taunt” As a stunt, s you may y Taunt another target. Your character c insullts the target, or performs rud de gestures, or generally g does somethin ng to the targett to make them m angry with yo ou. You may taunt t even if th his Gift is exhau usted. Tauntting does not require r you to have h your men ntal faculties. You Y can Taunt even when Co onfused or Enra aged. Roll your y own Mind d, Will, and Preesence dice. Th he target rolls th heir Will, Inquiiry, and your Body B Dice. (Tha at’s right – bigger peeople have lesss effective taun nts, because thee target is moree likely to be sccared than taun nted.) The ta arget must be able a to hear yo ou. You can’t be b Silenced, th he target can’t be b Asleep or Unconscious, U ettc. Rangee penalties app ply, but use thee Cover and Co oncealment on n yourself, not the target. (Ta aunting works better b if you’ree out in the open.) No o successes: Nothing happens. On ne success: The T target beco omes Enraged d. (If the target was Afraid or otherwise una able to become Enraged, no othing happenss.) Enraged characters must take the “Attack” action eveery round. Tw wo successess: The target beecomes Enrageed. If anything wo ould prevent th he target becom ming Enraged, negate those con nditions and make m the target Enraged anyw way. Th hree successe es or more: The T target beco omes Berserk. If anything would prevent p the targget becoming Berserk, B negatee tho ose conditions and make the target Berserk anyway.

X (Battle)) Trigger: “S Scare, Trick k, or Taunt Stunt” S Negate Re eeling When never you take the “Scare”, “Trick”, “ or yourr special “Taunt” stunt, you may y Exhaust this Gift. You are not n sent Reelin ng by the stunt. The Stunt S still ends your turn, as usual, u but at lea ast you’re not Reeling.

Blatant Fo ool (Foolish) Anyone, near r or far, can clearlly make you out to o be a fool.

Requires Cowa ard Fooleery Orato ory

No Range e Penalties for f Rally or Taunt T Your Rallies and Ta aunts no longerr suffer penaltiees for Rangge. (Your Scaree and Trick tau unts still have range peenalties.)

354 4

Fo oole ery y Comic Re elief (Battle, Fo oolish, Plot))

Fool’s Trapp F pings ( (Foolish, Plo ot, Trappingss)

Somehow, yo our wisecracks are e just the right thing to say to

Sure, anyone who o dresses like you looks ridiculous, but b a real fool

relieve the te ension and to urge e our heroes to ac ction.

will properly acce essorize.

Requires Cowa ard Pacifiism Fooleery

X (Battle)) Action “ra ally (even when w Afraid or o Terrified)” Exhau ust this Gift, then take a Rallyy action, even if i you are Afraid. A This Gift G only allowss you to Rally when w you are Afraid orr Terrified – no ot with other ba ad conditions.

Fighting Fool F (Foolish, Plot) You rush in where w others fear to tread.

Requires Coun nter Tactics Cowa ard Fooleery

2d8 Bonu us to attack the Enraged d or Berserk If you u declare an atttack against an n Enraged or Berserk combatant, c you u may claim a bonus 2d8 witth your atta ack.

B Belongings You begiin the game with: An Exxpensive motleyy outfit in brigh ht colors. An Exxpensive hideou us mask, with either e a contorrted grin or a horrible h frown. An Exxpensive floppyy three-pointed d hat, with jingling bells on each h point. An Avverage-cost, Ra are marotte, a small s stick with h a head d carved on it.

X (Special) A Action “replace your miissing trappiings” If you aree parted from your y items, askk the Game Host for a pllot twist to retu urn or to replacce them. Once exh hausted, you ca annot recover this Gift until the next gam me session.

Licensed Foo L ol ( (Foolish, Inflluence) You are a fool ... by law.

R Requires Coward Etiquette Foolery

Y You are a co ourt jester You are officially o licenseed to be a roya al fool, either by decree orr by law. You are expected e not ju ust to entertain n the court, butt you are also o expected to sa ay what everyo one else is too afraid to sayy. As a fool, yo ou are expected d to insult people, to ca all out liars and d cheats no ma atter how influential th hey are, and to o point out flaw ws in plans that the invested can’t bring theemselves to disscuss.

X (Influence) S Sway the opinions of oth hers You mayy exhaust this Gift G to push inflluence over other folks … even after fa ailing a roll! Ussually, Exhausting this t Gift meanss “playing dum mb” and gettingg out of some situation that would w embarra ass someone with more sttation than you u ... but a subtlle fool can advise, can plant p ideas in people’s p headss, and can gain n access to pla aces that comm moners aren’t usually u allowed d. Refer to the t Influence ru ules for more details. d

355 5

Fo oole ery y Massive Fool F (Foolish, Battle)

Dodge dice include you ur Speed Dicee, Dodge skill dice, and an ny bonus dice from Gifts succh as Coward. Dodge dice are limited byy Encumbrancee.

No mere simp pleton, your foolis shness can enrage e a crowd.

Requires Cowa ard Fooleery Orato ory

X (Battle)) Stunt “Ta aunt multiple targets” Exhau ust this Gift, th hen declare a “Taunt” “ Stunt – against a Group of targ gets (instead of o just one). The best b result you can score on multiple targetts is Enraged d. Even if you score s three succcesses, using the Stand-O Out Fool ability y to taunt multiiple targets doees not causse anyone to become b Berserkk.

Obnoxiou us Fool (Foolish, Plot) There’s some ething about you that t people hate ju ust so much.

Secrets of Fo S oolery ( (Foolish) Any fool could do o this ... but you’re e not just any foo ol.

R Requires Coward Foolery

Trigger: Dresssed like a fool T f E Extra action “Refresh an ny Foolish Battle B Gift” To use th his ability, you must be dresseed like a fool. You cann not be wearingg any Armor. The T more impractical your y clothes arre, the better. You mayy take an extra action each ro ound: the Refresh actio on, but only to o refresh a gift that t has both the “Battle” and the “Foolish” descriptorr. The stand dard rule that you y can’t perfo orm the same action twice in the same ro ound applies.

Requires Cowa ard Fooleery

Enraged/B Berserk foess have d12 penalty p to attac ck targets th hat aren’t yo ou If a ho ostile combatant is Enraged or o Berserk, and d they can trace line of siight to you, theen they have a d12 pena alty to all their attacks that do o not include you y as a target.

Quick Foo ol (Foolish, Battle) You have to be quick, when follks are this mad at t you.

Requires Cowa ard Fooleery

X (Battle)) Trigger: Dodging D an Enraged/Ber E rserk attacke er When n you use the Dodge D defensee against an Enraged d or Berserk atttacker, Exhausst this Gift. (Yo ou may nott use the ability y against attackkers who are neither Enraged E nor Berserk.) B Take note of your highest h Dodge die. You mayy move up p to this distan nce, away from m your attackerr, in a straigh ht line. For exa ample, if your Dodge D dice ca ame up 7, 6, 4, then you may m move up to o 7 paces awa ay from thee attacker.

356 6