Witchblood

The Woods...

...are dark and deep, but they are not lovely. Inch by inch, they close in on the villages of humanity. And in those encroaching wilds dwell the witches. Ancient, primeval, creatures from before the First Eve and still potent today.

In this world, where life is brutish and short, you stand tall. You are a witch's grandchild, or a disinherited noble, or a scion of the good folk. You are part of humanity, but also apart from it, by your own choice or otherwise. You are caught between the expectations of your birth and your own needs and desires.

Run from your past, or chase it. Love freely, or not at all. Stand between the hearth and the wilds. They may not call you a hero, but your name will live on ever after.

Witchblood is a roleplaying game about who you were, who you are, and who you will become. Take on the role of a self-determined, tough-as-you-want pulp fantasy protagonist wandering a world of bloody -- but not always grim -- fairy tales. Wield the powers of birthright and destiny. Explore the darks of the forest and brace yourself against the bite of the wind. Do what’s right, or just what’s right for now.

These stories are set in the Woods, a seemingly endless forest that has consumed the once-thriving cities and towns of humanity. The woods themselves are not malignant, but they are home to creatures both calculating and savage. And the monsters of the wild often pale in comparison to the enemies within.

Your wanderers travel through the forest and between settlements, becoming entangled in the lives of villagers and the threats -- supernatural or otherwise -- that doom them. They make fraught decisions, choosing between love and justice, righteousness and vengeance, loyalty and damnation.

You Get...

...a setting that combines fairy tale darkness with sword and sorcery heroics.

...a wild variety of character birthrights, including witchblooded, trolls, and ghostborn.

...a diverse set of character callings, including fortune teller, balladeer, and sellsword.

...extensive GM tools, including templates for villagers, antagonists, and the dooms they face.

The Rules...

...focus on the internal lives of the wanderers. Expressing and appealing to emotions are acts as powerful as swinging a fist or a sword, and the wanderers’ adventures demand both.

Witchblood is based on Greg Stolze's One-Roll engine, specifically the version used in A Dirty World. Each trait is in tension with an opposite; for example, Courage is in tension with Wrath. They shift with actions you take and harm you suffer. The result is dramatic and often tense character growth and conflict.

Meanwhile, the all-new Tension meter rises with success and falls with failure, introducing complications as it does. It never creates failure, but it can complicate success.