Forbidden Lands Players Handbook

DARK SECRET
Every player character in Forbidden Lands has
a story. Many of the colorful individuals trying
their luck among the ruins have a checkered
past, filled with thrills and danger. You
are one of those people. You have experienced
something before the game begins that has left
its mark on you or still threatens you in some
way. This is called a Dark Secret.
There are three suggestions for Dark Secrets
for every profession – choose one of
these or make up your own, if you prefer that.
The Dark Secrets that you and the other PCs
have are first and foremost tools for the GM
to create stories with, but can also affect how
many Experience Points you get after a game
session (page 39).
sheet. There are suggestions to choose from
for each profession. You can also use them as
inspiration for your own ideas.
Your choices are also important for the
GM, as she can use them to create interesting
situations in the game.
GEAR
When traveling in the Forbidden Lands, you
need the right gear. Villages are far apart, and
you need to be able to survive alone in the
wilds. You must write down all the items you
are carrying on your character sheet. Write
down one item per row on the sheet. If it’s not
listed on your sheet, you don’t have it with you.
EXAMPLE
Josie decides that her character’s Dark Secret
will be: “My yearning for more magical
power is stronger than anything else.”
RELATIONSHIPS
As an adventurer, you look for riches in the
wild, but you are also an individual with personal
relationships with the other player characters.
You have been part of the same adventuring
group for a while and you know each
other fairly well.
When you create your player character, you
should describe your relationship with each
of the other player characters you know, with
a short sentence for each on your character
STARTING GEAR: Your profession determines
what gear you can choose from at the start of
the game. As a rule, you get one or more items
from the list of trade goods on page 182 (no
RARE items however). If it says, “a weapon of
your choice,” pick one from the weapon tables in
Chapter 5. You cannot choose a magical artifact.
In addition to these items, you are assumed
to have a knapsack and a waterskin. Gear used to
carry other gear does not count toward your encumbrance
and does not need to be noted down.
COINS
Monetary transactions in the Forbidden
Lands are generally made with silver coins or
just “silver” (see the boxed text on this page for
more information). Copper coins are used for
smaller transactions and for larger sums, gold
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chapter 2