The Old World: Grim and Perilous

Tier Henchmen Lieutenant Specialist
Tier
(+ Total
Renown)
The party may spend Renown
to hire a minion group consisting
of Henchmen. Choose one
primary and two secondary
characteristics. Henchmen have
ranks in the primary, ranks in
the secondary characteristics and
ranks in the rest. Choose four
combat or general skills (that
are not based on Intelligence),
those skills are now Henchmen
skills. Henchmen have a wound
threshold equal to +Brawn and
equipment determined by the
GM.
The party may spend Renown
to upgrade all allied Henchmen
from tier to tier .
The party may spend Renown
to hire a Lieutenant that is
a Rival with ranks in two
selected characteristics and
in the rest. The Lieutenant has
ranks in four different skills.
Those skills may be combat or
general skills (that are not based
on Intelligence). The Lieutenant
has a wound threshold equal
to +Brawn and equipment
determined by the GM. As per
GM's discretion, the party may
choose two rank talents, one
rank talent and one rank
talent for the Lieutenant. The
Lieutenant has also rank in the
Adversary talent.
The party may spend Renown
to hire a Specialist that is a
Nemesis with ranks in one
selected characteristic, ranks
in one other characteristic, and
in the rest. The Specialist has
ranks in four different skills.
Those can be any skills including
combat and magic skills.
The Specialist has a wound
threshold equal to +Brawn,
strain threshold equal to
+Willpower and equipment
determined by the GM. As per
GM's discretion, the party may
choose three rank talents, two
rank talents and two rank
talents for the Specialist.
to provide clear guidelines as to what amounts
of money (or favors) allies will expect, we leave
this to the GM'a discretion. It is worth considering
why a particular ally joins the party and
what role they will play in it. If someone decides
to ally with a group with a Reputation for
Idealists, they are more likely to be driven by
a need of the heart or ruled by fame. On the
other hand, allies of archetypes like Soliders
of Fortune or The Company are usually more
likely to choose influence or money over ideals.
In general, we advise not to bother with it too
much and unless necessary, just assume that
allies get what they want during the course of
adventures. This avoids bookkeeping and puts
greater focus on the actual action and story.
Party Tension Meter
An adventuring party consists of people from
various backgrounds, with different goals and
social standings. It's therefore inevitable that
there will be a clash of wills, temperaments,
and opinions, leading to misunderstandings,
selfish ambitions, and disagreements. To reflect
the growing friction between members of
a party during the course of their adventures,
each party archetype has its own party tension
meter. It's a specific kind of threat indicator
and, with some exceptions, follows the general
rules for threat indicators described in chapter
: Grim World of Perilous Adventure, page
. Each party tension meter has two activators.
The first reflects the effects of increased
stress and the heavy atmosphere within the
party. The second marks the moment when
tensions between party members reach a climax
and must be defused. The party suffers
the consequences, but at the same time clears
the air. Then the process starts again.
Advancing a Party Tension
Meter
As mentioned before, the party tension meter
works almost identically to threat indicators,
with a few exceptions. First of all, the party
tension meter is never removed from the
game. Secondly, you shouldn't advance this
kind of indicator unless absolutely necessary.
Most of the time, advancements will come
from spending threats but, as always, it should
fit the narrative. For example, bounty hunter
Klaus makes a ranged check to shoot an orc
engaged in combat with Ulrika, the knight.
The check is successful, but it generates hh.
The GM decides to spend it to advance the party
tension meter by two segments, as the bolt
misses Ulrika by just an inch. Klaus' recklessness
will certainly affect their mutual trust.
Additionally, the party tension meter should
also be moved when:
• There is a major disagreement between
party members or one player acts in opposition
to the rest of the group. Clashing
views and goals can be a very interesting
axis of adventure and lead to great scenes.
The problem arises when the party starts
having unproductive disputes or begins
to act against each other and the group is
182 The Old World: Grim and Perilous