The Old World: Grim and Perilous

addition, the achievement based specialization
progression system allows character to change
their professions based on in-game events and
how they spend XP. This feature allows for
much more flexibility when it comes to developing
a character, however some changes may
still require training, time and narrative explanation.
For example, if one of your Players
wants their character to join a College of Magic,
they will need to spend some time on training
and may also need to fulfill some additional requirements
to be accepted first.
There are two ways of handling such situations.
Firstly, and probably most importantly, talk to
your group in advance about their plans for their
characters, giving the PCs the opportunity to
choose the more appropriate career and specializations.
However, sometimes Players come up
with ideas or opportunities arise in the middle
of the campaign, when a long time-shift is not
possible. In such situations, we would allow for
the PCs to reveal they already have some basic
training in the new specialization and new opportunities
allow for them to return to what they
abandoned in the past. Of course, if it doesn't
make sense narratively, you can simply disallow
the purchase of the given specialization.
It is much easier to deal with a change of profession
during a campaign, as such a change can
be very natural. On the other hand, some of the
professions require very specific in-game events
to happen for the change to be allowed. If it's impossible
for the prerequisite to be fulfilled, you
may consider changing it to something else, but
it’s often a sign that the new profession simply
doesn't fit the campaign. For example, one of the
requirements for a Scout to become an Explorer
is to set foot in an uncharted territory. This may
be hard to achieve during campaign set in a single
city, which raises the question of if it makes
sense for the character to become an Explorer in
the first place. You may guide the Player towards
the alternative path - the Outrider, or even towards
purchasing a new specialization.
Death of a character
While The Old World: Grim and Perilous is
more lethal when compared to the base ruleset
of Genesys, death should still occur rarely. You
should not actively try to kill the PCs - even in
the adventurous or grim & dark tones death
should be a consequence, not a goal! On the
other hand, we advise not to try to rescue the
PCs at all cost, especially when it comes to ignoring
a check result in the name of "narrative
consistency". Life can be absurdly bittersweet
and an unplanned death of a character can be
a great turning point in a narrative, showing
that even the grandest of plans can fail over
a simple obstacle. The same principle should
apply when it comes to powerful adversaries
- you may think that defeating the Big Bad too
quickly will be unsatisfactory for you and your
Players, but this is usually not the case. Players
will forgive you a fight that is too easy faster
than a hopelessly difficult one. It is also a way
of showing the interruption of fate, and can
also bring a bit of black humor to the situation
which greatly fits the setting.
In the course of long campaigns, the death of
at least one of the characters is very likely. A re-
Chapter 11: Grim World of Perilous Adventure 201