Crown & Skull: The North Holds [ EDIT ]
This game has been retired! That means it's no longer being run.
CROWN and SKULL takes place in a realm called The North Holds.
This vast, diverse landscape is fi lled with cultures, secrets, and dangers for you to explore. It is a dark time, but thanks to you, there is always hope.
The North Holds are recovering from a terrible time of calamity. Some 30 years before present day, The Bloodwing War ravaged the realm. The once-unified lands no longer have a king, borders have decayed, wilds are more dangerous than ever. An age of order and ideas has come to an end. With no unifying rule, The North Holds struggle to find new purpose and new direction. An era of adventure.
Bloodwing was a colossal green dragon, driven mad by a slime-entity called The Corruption. Since his rampage of desolation, dragons are widely feared by all but the elves of Dragon Tooth, and seldom seen. Only the very old remember a time when dragons and mortal folk were allies. A formless evil has been creeping into the world since the fall of Bloodwing. It is not fully understood, but the dreams of mortal folk are
darkening. Rumor holds that the lord of Blood Manor is somehow behind this growing shadow. This is a mysterious fi gure known as Lord Royce, said by doomsayers to be ‘he who would drink the world.’
Despite all this, good yet has a foothold. Three once-tiny towns are on the rise with renewed ambition... havens for a new generation of adventurers. Long-standing tyrannies are being worn away by courageous defectors. The light challenges the darkness to retreat, and asks every soul in The Holds: will you choose the Crown, or the Skull?
An irrevocable choice.
As you grow and explore The North Holds during play, at some point a lord, king or elder wizard will offer you access to once-forbidden realms of knowledge and power. To make this exciting step in your journey, you will face a choice that can never be undone... you must choose either the CROWN or the SKULL. Both paths have secrets and skills to teach. Choose wisely! There are many foes of both sides in the wide world...
Free Players Guide
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CROWN and SKULL really shines most when using the custom creation system below. Hero points are used to ‘buy’ every detail. In the following pages you’ll fi nd everything you need to build a fully custom character. If you have an idea that isn’t listed, just work with your GM to add new bits.
STEP 1: Starting Points: All characters start with 50 hero points to spend on their build. You’ll be keeping track of your running point total as you work, so don’t be shy with making a mess on the page.
STEP 2: Choose Flaw(s): Visualize your new character. What is a weakness or stress point for them? Flaws imply history and drive believable role play. Take a maximum 2 at creation, and maximum 4 in the character’s lifetime. Each fl aw adds 5 points to your point total. Flaws are entirely optional! Track your new total and move ahead.
STEP 3: Core Ability: Choose a core ability and deduct 15 points for its acquisition. This is one of the most useful mechanical aspects of your character, and you can only ever choose one, so choose wisely! You can also choose NONE here and save the 15 points for other ideas.
STEP 4: Choose Skills: Skills are the majority of rolls you’ll be making in play. Just roll a D20, at or below the skill value to succeed. Sometimes, the GM may place a penalty on this roll, so high skills are a welcome friend! Outfi t your character with a handful of skills that fi t your concept. Skills are purchased at 1-to-1 point value, meaning a skill of 6 would cost 6 points and so on. No skill can be higher than 18 or lower than 3. 10 skills max in inventory.
In a system with no stats and no hit points, your challenge is to capture a character concept with skills and equipment as the focus. When you’re hit, you’ll be losing use of skills and gear, so there are many vectors of strategy here!
Complete your custom character with the steps below. Creating customized spells and equipment is a learned skill as a player, so don’t be surprised if it takes some time and attention. This is where the hero point system truly shines with a little ingenuity and a clear character concept to guide your decisions.
STEP 5: Buy & Customize Equipment: Visualize your character and spend your precious points on the equipment you need to satisfy the concept. There will plenty of time in play to earn hero points and buy more equipment, so focus on essentials. Record damage and details for any weapons equipped. If creating a very specifi c idea, like a priest with a talking sword, dive into the custom equipment rules and be creative! Add the total value of armor equipped and record it as your Defense. You’ll rola D20 at or under that value when attacked. Keep track of final costs and move ahead. 10 items max in equipment inventory.
STEP 6: Buy, Customize, or Scratch-Build Spells: Of all the steps in custom character creation, none is more nuanced and ‘DIY’ than creating spells. This takes a fl air for magic creativity, a good handle of effects and limitations, and your GM to make a few calls on the magic you’re creating. All this odd work will be especially satisfying to the dedicated wizardplayer. For even more options, see The Path of Magic.
STEP 7: Acquire & Customize a Companion: If your character concept includes a small familiar, falcon, pet or mount, use these rules and pay the points needed.
STEP 8: Choose Your Lineage: There are five lineages to choose from. Each offers a bit of fl avor for your place in the world.
Finish: Clean up left over points (is there such a thing?) or reduce skill values to make ends meet. If you like, you can even save a handful of hero points for spending after a session or two. The possibilities with this style of character creation are limitless... they just take some hobby-brain, pen and paper, and the ever-important character concept. You got this!
STEP 1: Starting Points: All characters start with 50 hero points to spend on their build. You’ll be keeping track of your running point total as you work, so don’t be shy with making a mess on the page.
STEP 2: Choose Flaw(s): Visualize your new character. What is a weakness or stress point for them? Flaws imply history and drive believable role play. Take a maximum 2 at creation, and maximum 4 in the character’s lifetime. Each fl aw adds 5 points to your point total. Flaws are entirely optional! Track your new total and move ahead.
STEP 3: Core Ability: Choose a core ability and deduct 15 points for its acquisition. This is one of the most useful mechanical aspects of your character, and you can only ever choose one, so choose wisely! You can also choose NONE here and save the 15 points for other ideas.
STEP 4: Choose Skills: Skills are the majority of rolls you’ll be making in play. Just roll a D20, at or below the skill value to succeed. Sometimes, the GM may place a penalty on this roll, so high skills are a welcome friend! Outfi t your character with a handful of skills that fi t your concept. Skills are purchased at 1-to-1 point value, meaning a skill of 6 would cost 6 points and so on. No skill can be higher than 18 or lower than 3. 10 skills max in inventory.
In a system with no stats and no hit points, your challenge is to capture a character concept with skills and equipment as the focus. When you’re hit, you’ll be losing use of skills and gear, so there are many vectors of strategy here!
Complete your custom character with the steps below. Creating customized spells and equipment is a learned skill as a player, so don’t be surprised if it takes some time and attention. This is where the hero point system truly shines with a little ingenuity and a clear character concept to guide your decisions.
STEP 5: Buy & Customize Equipment: Visualize your character and spend your precious points on the equipment you need to satisfy the concept. There will plenty of time in play to earn hero points and buy more equipment, so focus on essentials. Record damage and details for any weapons equipped. If creating a very specifi c idea, like a priest with a talking sword, dive into the custom equipment rules and be creative! Add the total value of armor equipped and record it as your Defense. You’ll rola D20 at or under that value when attacked. Keep track of final costs and move ahead. 10 items max in equipment inventory.
STEP 6: Buy, Customize, or Scratch-Build Spells: Of all the steps in custom character creation, none is more nuanced and ‘DIY’ than creating spells. This takes a fl air for magic creativity, a good handle of effects and limitations, and your GM to make a few calls on the magic you’re creating. All this odd work will be especially satisfying to the dedicated wizardplayer. For even more options, see The Path of Magic.
STEP 7: Acquire & Customize a Companion: If your character concept includes a small familiar, falcon, pet or mount, use these rules and pay the points needed.
STEP 8: Choose Your Lineage: There are five lineages to choose from. Each offers a bit of fl avor for your place in the world.
Finish: Clean up left over points (is there such a thing?) or reduce skill values to make ends meet. If you like, you can even save a handful of hero points for spending after a session or two. The possibilities with this style of character creation are limitless... they just take some hobby-brain, pen and paper, and the ever-important character concept. You got this!
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