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Head Wizard lit

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Burning Wheel Concept and Design

Fight Captains ,

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Ian Marshall, Jacob N0l'W'Cl0Cl I

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Cln'is Allingham, Luke Crane, Badek

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Burning Wheel Development

Bob Dohorty

Drozclalski, Ian Marshall, Thor Olavsrucl,

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Rich Soto and Peter Tierney

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Circles Concept

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Proofreading

Thor Olavsrnd

Thor Olavsrud, Topi Makkonen, Mayur il

Character Burner Development

Tirucllelvain, Alexander Newman, Drozferatu

Luke Crane, Pete Tierney, Badck

Burning Wheel Gold Development

Drozdalski, Thor Olavsrud, Chris “Master Burner“ Allingliam, Aaron Brown, Rich Soto, Danaller Dempsey, George Thompson

Luke Crane, Thor Olavsrud, Baclek

and Mike Vanl-lelcler

Drozdalski, Anthony Hersey, Jake Norwood,

“limit, Skill and Spell Help

Prescott, Keith Senkowski, Carly Bogen,

Pete Tierney, Thor Olavsrud, Baclek

Jared Sorensen, Willlelm Fitzpatrick

Topi Makkonen, Bicli Soto, hlichael

Drozclalski and Bob Doherty

Grandsire of the Elves

Additional Advice a11d Development

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Bob Doherty

Burning Internets

Don Corcoran, Jaso11 Roberts, H011 Edwartl ,

Colin Cathexis Booth

Jared Sorensen, D. Vincent Baker, George I

Thompson, Kaare Berg, Alexander Cherry,

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Tony Hanlilton, Wilhehn Fitzpatrick,

Cave Troll Andy Action

Louis Nava and the lnost sagacious and ,1

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Charts and Sheets Ben Morgan

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Cover Illustrations

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Burning Wheel Spot Illustrations and Thumbnails Rebekah “Spyder” Bennington, Kev Sather, Dan Schenstrom and Dan Licht; Pentagram Wizard by Michael Sorensen. Wheel Shooting

Karlnlan, for coming up with so many damn cool ideas. Rich Soto, Chris Allinghani, Andy Markhain, Danaher Dempsey and Dan Abram for putting up with me and s ll having a good time.

Flames Graphic and Mounted Knight by Thanks to Mark Smylie for kindly donating

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his excellent talents to making the Jvheel

Colin Theriot.

Section Page Illustrations

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lo ok even better. Thank you to everyone who has read,

Kev Sather

talked about, debated, defended, explained,

Character Burner Illustrations

demoed, purchased, played and run the

Fire Folios: Kurt Komoda

game since ZUUZI You’re the best fans ever.

Cliaracter Burner Front Page: Mark Smylie (\vww.artesiaon]ine. com)

Extra Thank You On Top

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To Ken Hite, who, l believe, l1as impeccable

Iconic Characters: Jordan Worley

taste. If you like t_l1is ganle, and you see Ken

Elves: Kui'tKon1oda

at a con, say a polite, “Thank you.”

Dwarves: Chris Moreno

Gold Thank Yous

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Carly Bogen, Anthony Hersey, Topi

Men: Jordan Wbrley

Makkonen, Jake Norwood, Patrick Itiegert, Orcs: Peter Bergting

Michael Prescott, Brodie Bensend, Devin

Jon Babcock and Brian Dunderdale; you know who you are. l-lart Crane, my amazing brother. Pete Tierney, without whom this game would simply not have been completed. Brennan Taylor, for his laugh. Aaron Brown, for being cool and sane

and Wilhelm Fitzpatrick who has a very

keen mind for details (that I think are in the Silmarillion——Way back in 1991 .

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And let us not forget Danny and Mike at the Compleat Strategist. They’li never let me

Radek, it°s just no fun Without you (\n1/

Gold Dedication

Michael S. Miller, D. Vincent Baker, Jared

This book is dedicated to a lost, confused

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Sorensen, Jake Norwood and Ron Edwards

19-year old boy. Follow your dreams,

for continuing to take me to schooi. Jason

dumb-ass, but be careful what you wish for.

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You might get it—aud then what the hell will

design sessions. Ralph Mazza, for the down

you do?

to earth support and insight. Kaare Berg, for

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amazing actual play posts. Oscar Rodriguez,

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rules, hut are not). And Abby Bell, for the

forget it if I don’t thank them.

feeding 1ne and keeping me healthy with his

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Kyle Davis, John E Bogart, Megan McFer1'en

during my bouts of overwrought drama.

Roberts, for those intense and fm1 game f |

McCoy, Mel Camp, Andy Action, Jon Slack,

Thor Olavsrud who appeared on the scene in the nick of time—to save n1e from myself.

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Binger, Colin Booth, Katie Boclie, Megan

Revised Thank Yous. .. Bob Doherty, Jason Costa, Jesse MacDonald,

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Ursula K. Le Cnin for continuing to inspire me.

Phil Wedei, Neil Coorh'ieh, and Keith

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Senkowski for their awesome and unholy

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mixture of darkness a11d the Wheel. .h1dd Burning Wheel, the Adventure Burner, the Character Burner, the Magic Bu: net and the Monster Burner at c

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tra(lcn1n1"ks (m) of Luke Crane. The five-spokcd Wheel logo is a registered trademark (®) of Luke Crane.

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The Burning Wheel is © Z01 l Luke Crane.

ISBN: 978-O—9836'i58—()~'1

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Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

the Hub of the Wheel It Revolves on This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Elements of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

the Spokes Testing Your Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Advancing Abilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Beliefs, Instincts and Traits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 The Artha Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 The Spokes in Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

the Character Burner Fire in the Garden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Character Burning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Dwarven Lifepaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 The Halls of the Dwarves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Elven Lifepaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131 The Ages of Elves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 I

Lifepaths of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

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The Kingdoms of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

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Orc Lifepaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 I

The Hate of Ores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

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Skill List ......................................... . . 252

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Trait List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

the Rim

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M/heel Meets Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 360 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 366 Relationships, Circles, Affiliations and Reputations . . . . . 377

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Duel of Wits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Range and Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

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Fight ............................................ . . 424

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Weapons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

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Armor and Shields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

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Anatomy of Injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484 Sorcery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499 Emotional Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522

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Natural Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

Distance and Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 Riding and Mounted Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533

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Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541

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Heroic and Supernatural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 544

Appendices

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Playing the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548

Weapons Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 554 The Die of Fate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 559 Burning Rogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

"Q.—_i 5-_ _'_I'-"

Index of Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 572

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Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 599 I

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At their core, the Burning Wheel books are instruction manuals on hoxv to play. Luke and comp any have never Wasted much ink on why to play their game. Perhaps because when one sees how to play the gaine, the iv/iy becomes clear. So how do you play Burning Wheel? Fight for what you believe. Or, since it’s a roleplaying game: Fight for what yom' character believes. Everything else i11 the rules tells either how to craft that characte1'°s beliefs or how to fight for them. Bmning Wheel"s character creation chips with character history. History breeds conflict. Conflict means taking a stand. WI1at will your character stand for? Burning Wheel°s core mechanics, advancement a11d Artha rules demand more—than-usual attention fro111 the player. Skill or stat advancement isn°t an afterthought, but rather a crucial part of the game. The decision to solve a problem with cold steel or silken Words isn"t just one of better numerical values—it"s a question of who you, the player, want your character to become. Every actio11—pass or fail—is growth. Every decision affects how your character matures, shifts, changes. Even little decisions impact the character in permanent, subtle Ways. The Wheel"s Ri111, those “crunchy bits” that players like 111e thrive on, builds tension when the heat is on by putting 111ore control i11to the player°s hands. Burning WI1eel is a game, and like all good games, it requires skill to play. To really enjoy Burning Wheel requires some investment in Burning \Vheel. You, the player, have to care. You have to believe. I believe in Burning Wheel. Like a Burning Wheel character, Pm a11 amalgam of my experiences: military brat, missionary in a foreign la11d, veteran of the Iraq War, husband and father, and historical European martial artist. For each of these things, the sully is built into the how. I love each of these parts of my life because of how I lived them. If life is a game, then I love my experiences because of horvI played them.

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Buriiing Wheel°s why is built into Luke and c0111pa11y’s extensive how. The genie is n1ea11t to be played as Written. Each rule has been lovingly 2-

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c1'afted—a11cl now, 111a11y of them re-c1‘ai:tecl—t0 support playe1'- driven

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stories of white-kiiucklecl action, lleart-1'e11(li11g decisions and triumpll

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against the odds. Burnjlig Wheel Cold is the result of a decade of such stories. It°s not a “fix” of Burning \Vheel Revised 01' Classic. It’s a new how.

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The Riddle of Steel. He is also 0 veteran oft/re 101st Airborne (Ra/6/iasansfj, presiclent q/'

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The Burning Wheel is a roleplaying game. Its mood and feel are reminiscent of tl1e lands created by Ursula K. Le-Cuin, Stephen B.

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Donaldson a11d ] RB Tolkien in their works of fantasy fiction. It is also heavily influenced by the brilliant medieval historical accoimts of Barbara Tuchman and Desmond Seward; a dirty, complicated world full of uncertainty, but not without hope or opportunity for c liange . Unlike many other roleplaying games, there is no set world in which you play. Burning Wheel is an heir to a lo11g legacy of fantasy roleplaying games, 111ost of which contain far better worlds a11d settings than could be provided here. Also, it is 1ny strong belief that players of these games are adept at manufacturing their own

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worlds for gameplay; my own world pales i11 comparison to what you will create.

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In the game, players take on the roles of characters inspired by

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history a11d works of fantasy fiction. These characters are a list

Expressing these numbers and piiorities within siuiations presented

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do contain a philosophy that implies a certain type of place. There

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are consequences to your choices in this game. They range fro111

task, he°ll be changed, and I don"t know exactly how. ” Recognizing

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that the system enforces these choices will help you navigate play. I always encourage players to think before they test their characters. Are you prepared to accept the consequences of your actions?

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Though the game l1as no world full of ethics and laws, the rules

might die,“ to the more complex, “If my character undertakes this

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by the galne master (GM) is what the game is all about.

the very black and white, “If I engage in this duel, 111y character

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of abilities rated with numbers and a list of player-determined priorities. The synergy of inspiration, imagination, nunlbers and priorities is the most fundamental element of Burning \Vheel.

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The in-ga111e consequences of the players’ decisions are described in this rulebook. The moral ramifications are left to you.

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Using This Book This book, B1u'ning Wheel Cold, is the updated, revised and combined edition of Burning \Vheel Revised. It contains both the Burning Wheel Fantasy Roleplaying System and the Character Burner. These books are identified with wood and flaine borders respectively. The basic rules for play are presented first. We recommend starting by reading the first 75 pages of the Burning Wheel. After digesting the basics, make—or “burn,” in our parlance—a character. Then get some friends together and play the game! After you°ve played, explore the rules further to see what you"d like to add to your game.

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As you read through the rules, you will encounter three little imps. These imps represent the author"s voice in certain p arts of the text. Basic rules text is not preceded by any of the imps. This “rules voice” is used to convey most of the information in the game. The imps offer commentary 011 the rules. This character indicates that I am asking the reader to take note. "= The text. following him is written i11 my voice, rather than the rules voice. I call this guy the Lustructor. You can call him “Luke” if you want to. For example: “Tlianlcs Luke, that was very helpful! ” -1.

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with a grain of salt. For example, “I wish Lulce would slmt up I "° The Weeper is a strange one, prone to outbursts of tears at the I ‘J oddest times; sometinies tears of sadness, sometimes fear a11d sometimes tears of joy. He frequently squirts when death or something else very scary is 11ear. “\Vhat"s he carrying on about now?”

The Flow of the Game

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T} This is the Banter. He rears his ugly head whenever I ani yelling WT about something. This usually comes in the form of harsh advice or warnings regarding the limits of Burning Wheel. Take what he says

Burning Wheel is best played sitting around a table with your friends— face to face. It is inherently a social gaine. The players interact with one another to con1e to decisions and have the characters undertake actions. One of you takes 011 the role of the game master. The GM is responsible for challenging the players. He also plays the roles of all of those __

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characters not taken 011 by other players, he guides the pacing of the events of the story; a11d he arbitrates rules calls and interpretations so that play progresses smoothly. 1--l

Everyone else plays a protagonist in the story. Even if the players decide to take on the roles of destitute wastrels, no matter how unsavory their exploits, they are the focus of the story. The GM_presents the players

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with problems based 011 the players’ priorities. The players use their characters’ abilities to overcome these obstacles. To do this, dice are rolled a11d the results are interpreted using the rules presented i11 this book.

Sheets 0f Paper Eacl1 player is required to keep a written record of his ' “

character. Character sheets are provided on our website at

www.burningwheel.org for just this purpose. Characters i11 Burning \Vheel evolve and grow as play progresses, so I recommend using a pencil to mark the sheet. There are a few other sheets used i11 play to keep track of moment to moment stuff, but tl1ey°ll be discussed later down the line. The GM has the responsibility to keep notes on the characters a11d monsters that he uses. These donlt need to be fully fleshed out—a few numbers usually suffice. But there are certain characters that will need to be described fully in order to give them their due in play.

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