Wandering

Swords
A SWORD & SORCERY TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAME
 Text and cover illustration © Stoneshore 2022

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License
These rules may be referenced and adapted in third party supplements or
stand-alone projects, including for commercial use, as long as credit is
provided to Wandering Swords by Stoneshore, and it is not stated or implied
that Stoneshore endorses your project. The lore and setting may also be
referenced. Direct copies of this text are not allowed.
Wandering
Swords
edition 0.5
 Introduction

Wandering Swords is a pen-and-paper roleplaying game of courage

and skill, mystery and peril. Set in a realm of dark fantasy and
dangerous foes called the Hinterlands, this sword-and-sorcery game is
inspired in part by Dark Souls, its descendants and acolytes.

To play this game you will need 3-5 players, one of whom assumes the
role of Guide, the others as Wandering Swords, also called
Wanderers. The guide escorts the other players through the world of
the game, determines what challenges they face, and collaborates with
them to unfold an epic and mysterious narrative of play. The
wandering swords decide the manner in which they explore this world,
how they face its challenges, and the way in which their characters
behave.

You will also need at least one set of standard roleplaying dice (d4, d6,
d8, d10, d12 and d20) and writing materials, including a copy of the
character sheet for each player. You may find tokens useful.

A Note on the Text

This is edition 0.5. This edition improves on previous versions through
adding more powers, gear, foes, and greater foes. As this is an early-
release edition, it may lack some features due to be released in the 1st
edition. Note that words in red link you to related pages.

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 Contents
1: Basic Rules
Creating Wanderers…………………………………………………………………….7
Starting Gear…….………………………………………………..………………………8
Names for Wanderers….………………………………………………………………9
Identity & Backstory…………………………………………………………………..10
Abilities & Capacities………………………………………………………………….11
Facing Challenges………………………………………………………………………12
Hits, Condition & Death……………………………………………………………..13
2: Advanced Rules
Exploration….……………………………………………………………………………15
Rest & Recuperation……………………………………………………………….….16
Improving Wanderers……………………………………………………………..…17
Fighting…………………………………………………………………………………….18
Gear…………………………………………………………………………….…………..22
Common Gear…………………………………………………………………………..24
Effects………………………………………………………………………………………28
Inhumanity……………………………………….……………………………….……..29
3: Powers
Powers..…………………………………………………………………………………….31
Weapon Arts……………………………………………………………………………..32
Courtly Magics…………………………………………………………………………..34
Shrine Magics…………………………………………………………………………...36
Heinous Magics…………………………………………………………………………38
3: Rules for the Guide
Guide’s Resources……………………………………………………………………...41
Charting Regions……………………………………………………………………….42
Days, Travel & Encounters……………………………………………………….…44
Key Locations……………………………………………………………………………45
Enhancing Combat…………………………………………………………………….46
Challenges Outside Combat………………………………………………………..47
Non-Player Characters……………………………………………………………….48
Uncommon Gear……………………………………………………………………....50
Foes………………………………………………………………………………………….56
Greater Foes……………………………………………………………………………..68
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………….………70

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 I.
Basic
Rules
H
ail, wanderer. Your travels have led you on a pernicious path.
The Hinterlands have long been forsook for wilderness. None
come here now but the lost and the foolish. Fewer still leave.

But do not despair; though the road ahead is fraught with bloody
peril, there is greatness to uncover. And do not think yourself without
allies. In the forgotten places you may yet find shrines of old, watched
over by devoted stewards, who will aid wearied wanderers.

So hark: step ahead boldly, through mist and rain. The Hinterlands
have much in store for such as you. Your story is only beginning.

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 Creating Wanderers
A wandering sword may be a hunter of treasures, a knight-errant, a
pilgrim, vagabond, or someone else entirely. However they came to the
borders of the Hinterlands, they have garnered a group of companions,
agreeing to work with them to explore and survive in this strange,
beautiful, but ultimately perilous land.

When you create a wanderer, you must first determine your ability
thresholds. The abilities are strength, dexterity, tenacity and
intellect. Roll 1d8 for each score. If you roll between 1-5, the score is
5. If you roll a 6-7, the score is 6. If you roll an 8, the score is 7.

Afterwards, roll once on each gear list on the following page to

determine what gear you start with. Roll a second time on a list of
your choice for an additional item. You may swap gear with other
wanderers once you have all determined what gear you carry.

Having done this, pick a name for your wanderer, and describe their
identity and background. There’s some prompts on pages x-xx, but feel
free to invent your own, collaborating with other players to interweave
your tales if you wish.

Variant Character Creation Rules

If you wish to have more control over your character, assign the scores
7, 6, 5 and 4 to abilities of your choice, and choose one item from one
gear list and roll on the other two. You do not gain a fourth item.

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 Starting Gear
Roll once on each list. Roll a second time on a list of your choice for
an additional item.

1d8 Primary Gear

1 Broken Hilt
2 Shortclub
3 Throwing Knives (1d6)
4 Handaxe
5 Dirk
6 Garwood Bow, Bodkin Arrows (2d6)
7 Arming Sword
8 Sorcerer’s Sceptre, 1 Courtly Magic of choice

1d8 Secondary Gear

1 Offhand Dagger
2 Conscript’s Shield
3 Pilgrim’s Robes
4 Hunter’s Furs
5 Witchblood Brand, 1 Heinous Magic of choice
6 Leather Skirmisher Armour
7 Wooden Kite Shield
8 Banded Mail

1d8 Tertiary Gear

1 Rations (1d6)
2 Torches (1d6)
3 Gold Coins (2d6)
4 Ashpots (1d4)
5 Teardrop Pendant, 1 Shrine Magic of choice
6 Vials of Ambrosia (1d4)
7 Traveller’s Ring
8 Repair Tools

The uses and benefits of the above gear is expanded in further detail
from page 24 onwards. Magics can be found from page 31 onwards.

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 Names for Wanderers

If you are in need of inspiration for your character’s first name, roll d12
or choose from the lists below.
Neutral Feminine Masculine
1. Mistral 1. Ava 1. Jorhan
2. Ashen 2. Sesily 2. Wolfram
3. Xan 3. Theophania 3. Oliver
4. Saffron 4. Kara 4. Tomas
5. Verlain 5. Elspeth 5. Milo
6. Morgan 6. Ceowyn 6. Carrad
7. Flax 7. Leora 7. Hoster
8. Sorrel 8. Elensee 8. Thorrid
9. Dratha 9. Nadia 9. Vincent
10. Stav 10. Brisilda 10. Braun
11. Jarvis 11. Thornhild 11. Levi
12. Othin 12. Cleo 12. Filip

Then you may also roll or choose from one of the additional lists below.

“the –” “of –” Epithet (before name)

1. Woeful 1. the Hills 1. Red
2. Cruel 2. Vildenhall 2. Idle
3. Bastard 3. Greypool 3. Bloody
4. Kin-Slayer 4. Milderwald 4. Priest/Priestess
5. Forgotten 5. Gaudian 5. Noble/Lady/Sir
6. Fair 6. Hellefore 6. Hunter
7. Apostate 7. Innisland 7. Bleak
8. Outcast 8. the Forest 8. Wretched
9. Great 9. the Citadel 9. Demon-Slayer
10. True 10. Esterwald 10. Scholar
11. Vengeful 11. Karvencrock 11. Accursed
12. Just 12. the Hinterlands 12. Honourable

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 Identity & Backstory
To further flesh out your wanderer and consider how they may react to
the world around them and respond to their companions, you may
consider the following:
• Has your life been one of happiness, or of woe?
• Does your wanderer have any ideals?
• What is your wanderer’s reputation? Is it known to your allies?

Beyond this, you might also wish to consider their identity and their
backstory – in particular, how they came to be in the Hinterlands. You
can roll d20 or choose from the following two lists if you wish.

Identity Why they entered the Hinterlands

1. Bog-peasant 1. Wandered there by mistake
2. City burgher 2. Hunting for treasure
3. Witchblood outcast 3. Seeking lost knowledge
4. Traveller from overseas 4. Investigating a mystery
5. Hinterland border dweller 5. Thirst for adventure
6. Goblin child 6. Pursued by their enemies
7. Branded criminal 7. Proving their worth
8. Soldier of the Watch 8. To hunt a great evil
9. Priesthood Initiate 9. Following a loved-one
10. Old Hinterland descendent 10. To end the nightmares
11. Roving artisan 11. Fulfilling a prophesy
12. Prize fighter 12. Chasing their quarry
13. Fey-touched 13. Misled by a rascal
14. Fungus-blighted beggar 14. Escaped from captivity
15. Gregarious vagabond 15. A duty of faith
16. Lizardlike cave-creature 16. Escorting their employer
17. Story keeper 17. Returning to their motherland
18. Nocturnal blood-drinker 18. Awoke there from a reverie
19. Knight errant 19. To seek a new home
20. Mysterious origins 20. They do not say why

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 Abilities & Capacities

Each of a wanderer’s abilities (strength, dexterity, tenacity and

intellect) is both used as a threshold to determine how likely they are
to succeed at certain challenges, and to delineate the wanderer’s
capacities (carry slots, hit tolerance and power limit), as outlined
below.

Strength
Strength represents physical might, power and endurance. It is rolled
when using weapons with the brute property, for blocking, and for
challenges of physical strength. Each point of strength also provides 1
carry slot in which gear can be held.

Dexterity
Dexterity represents speed, agility and precision. It is rolled when
using weapons with the finesse property, for dodging and
disengaging, and for challenges relating to reflexes and crafting.

Tenacity
Tenacity represents grit and toughness. It is rolled when using
heinous magics. Each point of tenacity also provides 1 hit
tolerance, reflecting how much damage wanderers can take, and
inhumanity tolerance is tenacity + 10, reflecting how well a
wanderer responds to returning from death.

Intellect
Intellect represents mental acumen, academic prestige, and willpower.
It is rolled when using courtly and shrine magics. Each point of
intellect grants 1 power limit, reflecting the total number of powers a
wanderer can know at a time.

Limits to Abilities
Each ability may have a maximum score of 10. An ability at 5 reflects a
wanderer who is untrained or unskilled in the area. 6-7 represent
competency, and 8-10 heroic abilities. Certain magical effects may
boost this score beyond these limitations.

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 Facing Challenges
When wanderers face a challenge – be that combat or some other
obstacle – they roll two dice against a relevant ability threshold. If the
combined total of the dice is under the threshold, the challenge is
within their capabilities and they succeed. If the combined total is
over the threshold, it is outside their capabilities – they fail and take a
consequence determined by the guide or by the behaviour of foes in
combat. If the result equals the threshold, it is a critical success, and
the outcome is amplified (in combat they deal double the normal hits).

Threshold
The threshold of a challenge is equal to the wanderer’s ability score in
the relevant area. For instance, if a wanderer has 6 dexterity and is
attacking with a finesse weapon, they must roll under 6 to succeed. The
higher the ability, the greater the chance of success.

Certain contexts may affect this threshold, such as when resisting

effects. Items may add a bonus to a particular threshold when
avoiding unpleasant consequences, such as armour granting a bonus to
a wanderer’s strength threshold when resisting being knocked down.

Dice
The two dice rolled to face a challenge are a condition dice and a
context dice. Condition represents the current state of the wanderer,
and context reflects the situation and resources to hand (often being
the quality of the item they are using to attempt the challenge). The
outcomes of the dice are added together to provide the final result.

The condition dice is 1d6 in normal circumstances. If the wanderer has

taken hits, or they are suffering from other effects, their condition may
worsen and they roll a higher dice (1d8 winded, or 1d10 bloodied).

The context dice is 1d6 if the wanderer has applicable gear for the
challenge (such as a weapon when fighting) or in a situation which is
not disadvantageous. The dice is 1d8 when using unbalanced or
improvised gear or when the situation is disadvantageous, or 1d4
when using masterwork gear or in an advantageous situation.

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 Hits, Condition & Death
The more hits a wanderer takes, the worse their condition becomes.
Wanderers with greater tenacity (and therefore greater hit tolerance)
can resist damage for longer. The table below indicates how many hits
a wanderer at different hit tolerances can sustain before their condition
worsens, which affects the condition dice they roll when attempting
challenges (1d8 when winded, 1d10 when bloodied).

A wanderer who has taken no hits, or who has taken less hits than the
number required to become winded, is in good condition. Their
condition dice when they attempt challenges is 1d6.

Hit Tolerance Winded at x hits Bloodied at x hits Perishes at x hits

4 1 2 4
5 2 3 5
6 2 4 6
7 3 5 7
8 3 6 8
9 4 7 9
10 4 8 10

Death
When a wanderer takes a number of hits equal to their hit tolerance,
they perish and their player describes the manner of their death. They
drop all their gear and become gruesome remains. Other wanderers
in the area can retrieve dropped gear at will if they have sufficient carry
slots, and can pick up the gruesome remains as if they were an item of
gear themselves, taking up 1 carry slot.

If their gruesome remains are brought to a lacrymal shrine manned

by a steward and an offering is presented, the wanderer is restored to
life if their player wishes, but takes 1d4 inhumanity.

When a wanderer perishes, they enter the mist-bound halls. Their

player can choose to explore the halls if they wish to remain active in
the game as this particular character. They may choose instead to
abandon the wanderer now and roll a new character.

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