DEVELOPED BYIan Lemke

SYSTEM DESIGN BYIan Lemke with Brandes Stoddard

WRITTEN BYIan Lemke, Brandes Stoddard, Rabbit Stoddard, Lee Hammock, Michelle Klein Houser, Fred Love, Robert Turk

ADDITIONAL WRITING BYRichard August

EDITED BYBrian Campbell

ART DIRECTION BYAaron Acevedo

LAYOUT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN BYBen Acevedo, Aaron Acevedo

COVER ART BYAaron Riley

INTERIOR ART BYBruno Balixa, Ryan Barger, J.B. Casacop, Ralph Horsley, Gareth Keenan, Jeremy McHugh, Damon Westenhofer

CREDITS

Talisman Adventures—Fantasy Roleplaying Game © Games Workshop Limited 2019. GW, Games Workshop, Talisman, Talisman Revised 4th Edition, Talisman Adventures—Fantasy Roleplaying Game and their associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-3-95789-343-7

Printed in China

www.pegasus-web.com

Credits

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

HISTORY OF THE REALM 4

Glossary of Game Terms 7

CREATING A CHARACTER 9

Step One: Choose Your Ancestry 9

Human 9

Dwarf 10

Elf 11

Ghoul 11

Sprite 12

Troll 13

Step Two: Choose Your Class 14

Assassin 14

Druid 15

Minstrel 17

Priest 19

Prophet 21

Sorcerer 23

Thief 24

Warrior 26

Wizard 28

Step Three: Choose Your Alignment 31

Evil 31

Good 31

Neutral 31

Step Four: Assign Your Aspects and Attributes 32

Step Five: Final Touches 32

Equipment 33

Weapons 34

Armour and Shields 35

Tools and Market Goods 36

Attributes & Aspects 38

Skills & Focuses 38

RULES OF THE GAME 40

Time 40

Taking Action 41

Rolling Dice 41

Fate 42

Combat 43

Surprise Attacks 44

Position 45

Determine Order of Actions 46

Actions 46

Enemy Actions 49

Inflicting Damage 50

Armour 50

Taking Damage 51

Death and Dying 51

Resting 52

Spells 52

Followers 55

Loyalty 55

Using Followers 55

THE CORPSE WATCHERS 59

Introduction 59

Arriving in Haven 60

Attitude 60

The Search 62

Finding Gilda 62

Finding the Lumberjacks 63

The Split Oak and the Stone 66

Following the Path 67

Conclusion 70

Level Up! 70

CHARACTER SHEETS 71

Human Prophet 71

Human Thief 72

Dwarf Priest 73

Elf Druid 74

Sprite Minstrel 75

Troll Warrior 76

Blank 77

PLAYTEST QUESTIONS 78

DESIGNER NOTES 79

Table of Contents

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WELCOME TO TALISMAN ADVENTURESThe Talisman Adventures—Fantasy Roleplaying Game is

set in the world of Talisman: The Magical Quest Game, and it allows you to explore Talisman in new ways. You’ll get to create your own characters and tell your own stories. The game board has been set aside, replaced by a map and your imagination. You and your friends can now forge your own destiny and discover the world on your own terms. There is no longer one set goal; instead, there’s an entire realm to travel and explore, strange monsters to battle, precious treasure to find, and ancient secrets to uncover. Think of the realm of Talisman as a dark faerie tale, one where you can take on roles as heroes, anti-heroes, or even villains. You’ll encounter many obstacles along your path to fame and glory, but in this game, you get to decide how you deal with them. Do you challenge the dragon and fight it head on, or do you sneak into its lair while it’s sleeping to steal its treasure? Your fate is in your hands.

What is the Talisman Adventures Playtest Guide?

The Talisman Adventures Playtest Guide is a condensed version of the upcoming Talisman Adventures—Fantasy Roleplaying Game. It contains everything you need to make your own character and to play the game up to 3rd level. It includes details on Ancestries, Attributes, Aspects, Skills, classes, special abilities, spells, equipment, Strangers, Enemies, Followers, and more. There’s also a short adventure that contains some important information for the Game Master, six character sheets, and a blank character sheet. At the end of this book you’ll find a questionnaire to help guide you in giving us feedback. Please use that as a guide when submitting your comments although you’re more than welcome to give additional feedback. Feedback and other comments concerning Talisman Adventures can be sent to TalismanRPG@pegasus-web.com.

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Welcome, friends. Come close. Gather ‘round my fire, you who would be heroes. Warm your bones, dry your socks, and listen well, for you just might learn of the fate that awaits you.

Long ago, when the oldest forests were tiny acorns and the tallest mountains were mere grains of sand, the forces of good and evil waged their war throughout the universe, much as they do today. On the edge of it all lurked Oblivion. And between that cold nothingness and the fragile flickers of mortal life stood the unknowable Norns.

Of course, those are weighty matters, much bigger than you or me. We need not speak of the universe when our own stories are much closer to home. One great man created our troubles. Or perhaps, when looked at another way, he was truly a terrible man, but from his foul deeds came our salvation.

Long ago, the Realm we knew was a fire-ravaged wasteland. Monsters roamed with impunity, dragons fouled the ground and sky, and honest people struggled to survive. There were no cities full of wonders, no castles with kings and queens, no fields to plow, no songs to sing, and no quests for glory to be had. As for humankind, they were scattered and wandering tribes. They eked out a meager existence by hunting the foul beasts of the wastelands, and in return, monsters from their worst nightmares hunted them.

The people of these tribes lived short, brutal lives full of fear, hunger, and the ever-present spectre of death. But then, from deep in the wastelands, a strange man arrived. He was a man with a golden box under his arm–a man you might know as the Great Wizard.

Back then, he was the only wizard, as nobody else knew the things he knew or could do the things that he could do. In a great cave, he gathered the leaders of those scattered tribes, and he told them tales of his great deeds. He regaled them with a wondrous story of how he had battled Oblivion itself and locked its

fiercest minions away in the Netherworld, an entire plane of horrors he kept safely inside his golden box. He told tales of Queen Mab’s rebellion against the Norns and how she cloaked her Woodlands in shadows and mist. He told of shambling skeletons and terrible ghasts brought back from grave, of hungry giants whose brutish brows brushed up against the sky, and of cunning demons who would steal your very soul. And he told of how he had bested them all, one by one, with his quick thinking and powerful magic.

He spoke of a land of green and plenty, shown to him in secret as a reward for his great deeds. And he said he would lead them there, but only if they would follow. Some were not convinced by his tales. Perhaps they did not trust the wicked gleam in his eye, or maybe they simply refused to be ruled by anything more than their own strength of arms. Those people chose to stay behind in the wastelands, where they would defend their homes and deal with their struggles on their own.

The Wizard found the wisest of these defenders, an old hermit, and draped charms of power and protection over him. He charged the hermit to stay in his cave. Then the Wizard left the golden box with the old hermit, for it was not safe to carry it forward, where it would risk fouling the promised lands. The Wizard swore to return one day to claim the box, warning that it should never be opened. In return for keeping it safe, the hermit would be protected from all harm until the day he died. Then the box would be passed down to another, and another, and so on, and so forth.

The rest of humankind followed the Wizard into the wild, but their journey was not an easy one. They travelled for many months across the wastelands, where food was scarce and danger lurked around every corner. When the caravan encountered ravaging apes or bloodthirsty lions, the Wizard ensorcelled the beasts and forced them into slumber. The beasts would

History of the Realm

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Years passed, and the Great Wizard came and went, always heading back into the wasteland (a land that came to be known as the Middle Region), where he gained more power and shepherded more of humankind to those peaceful green shores. He crept into the Highlands and stole gems from the Eagle King. He bested the Lord of Darkness and trapped him in a dungeon deep beneath the ground. He climbed to the top of the Dragon Tower and cast the Dragon King into the void. He strode into the Firelands and bound the Ifrits to his will. And atop his stolen tower, he used the Ifrits to forge a terrible crown. It was a crown with the power to command the minds of mortals–a crown with the power to destroy your very soul.

Each quest he undertook and each challenge he overcame made the world a little bit safer for all who lived, yet it also made him many enemies. His enemies still linger, long after the Wizard and his protections faded.

lie down at the Wizard’s feet, and the hunters would slaughter them for meat.

When the spirits of the dead beset the tribe in the middle of the night, the Wizard blasted the shades back to Oblivion with beams of light from his eyes and unholy chants from his lips.

When a colossal black dragon barred the way, the Great Wizard spent three days in a staring contest with it, waiting to see who would give in first. At last the dragon blinked, and in that moment of weakness, the Wizard transformed the wyrm into nothing more than a small green toad!

On the darkest nights, when the air was filled with the howls of unseen monsters, he sat by the campfire and calmed the people with simple magic tricks. He confused the mind of a brilliant philosopher, he slowed the arrow of a mighty hunter, he blasted a stone to rubble with fire from his fingertips, and he even conjured up the ghostly images of those who had died along the way. More importantly, he taught his most basic tricks to those brave enough and clever enough to learn them.

At long last, the tribe of humans came to the raging fury of the Storm River, whose current still flows as swift and deadly as it did in those days. There was no way to cross, but the Wizard simply smiled his knowing smile, cupped his hands to his mouth, and shouted across the river. His voice was like thunder, echoing through the hills.

“Wise elves of the forest, sturdy dwarves of the mines, I have aided you with past troubles. I have parleyed with dragons to vouchsafe this land, I have swept demons from your sacred halls, and I have conspired with Fey Lords to twist this river into a wall. Now I call upon you to return my favours. Welcome this downtrodden race of humankind among you. They are brave and strong, though to your long years they may seem as naught but children. Do this, and all shall be rewarded.”

In response to his words, silver boats appeared on the opposite shore, carved wooden vessels with ornate oars. They slid into the water, piloted by elvish sailors with features most fair, and they sailed effortlessly across the raging waters. In astonishment, the tribe of humans were ferried across the river. For the first time, they saw the Outer Region laid green and fruitful before them.

The wizard taught the people how to plant crops and tame beasts of burden. He taught them how to build bridges, roads, and walls. He supervised the creation of a castle, picked the strongest man as a king, chose the wisest woman to be a queen, and helped them craft laws for the governance of their people. He brought the leaders of the elves, dwarves, trolls, and men together, so they could broker treaties for the fair division of lands. Lastly, he warned them all against allowing the forces of Oblivion access to this paradise.

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“Marry you?” she scoffed, “I think not. You are old, strange, and ugly. I do not love you in the least. I could never marry someone like you.”

The Wizard was incensed. “You dare mock me, mortal girl?” he sneered. “I have given you all this. I am the one who led your people from the wastelands. I am the one who gave you a life worth living, a land worth working, and above all, a hope for a better tomorrow. And yet, I ask for such a trifle in return, and you deny me. Very well. If I shall not have a princess, no one will.” He snapped his fingers again, and all but the youngest son and daughter fell down dead.

The Great Wizard turned on the grieving nobles, the light in his crown flickering red with his rage. “This is what happens to those who defy me. Your lives are ruined but not ended. You shall live eternally, so you may forever regret this day. I am done with you all.” And with that, he turned from their hall and strode back across the river.

As he walked step by step over the churning rapids, a bridge formed beneath the Great Wizard’s feet. Above it grew a giant stone soldier to guard his back, a Sentinel that still stands to this very day. On the opposite bank, the Wizard looked back at the land of green and paused.

Some say he wrestled with the desire to smite them all. Others say he felt a fleeting moment of regret for what he

While the Wizard was away, the new King and Queen raised a family: seven brave sons and seven clever daughters. When at last the Wizard returned with the Crown of Command perched atop his head, he saw that the tribes of humankind had prospered and done well for themselves. Now he demanded his own reward. The Great Wizard demanded one of the princesses as his bride. Any of them would do.

The King was terrified. Though he had seven daughters, he did not want to lose even a single one to the whims of the Wizard, so he attempted to make excuses, painting his daughters as unworthy brides. But the Wizard was used to taking what he wanted, no matter what the cost. Not even the Lord of Darkness had been able to stop him. So the Wizard simply shrugged and waved his hand. The King fell silent, mouth gaping like a fish, and he never spoke another word.

The Wizard went to the youngest daughter, the most beautiful of them all, and demanded her hand in marriage. She simply shook her head and ran away in tears. Thinking that perhaps she was indeed too young for such a weighty decision, the Wizard asked the next youngest, but she too refused. One by one, the Wizard asked each daughter for their hand, until at last he came to the oldest. While the others had been demure and tactful in their rejections, the eldest laughed at the idea.

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