"Blind in our ways, we warred amongst ourselves as we had for generations. Until black steel scarred the land and our true enemy came upon us."
—Koeas-Civin, Words of the Elders

This column details the Black Steel campaign setting using the Pathfinder rules. The campaign could certainly be run using RuneQuest, the Warhammer Fantasy RPG, D&D, or another fantasy RPG.

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Black Steel Campaign Traits

The Pathfinder rules allow for campaign customization through campaign traits. Taits are available as a free download or can be found in the back of the Advanced Player's Guide.

For the Black Steel campaign, characters must spend one of their two beginning traits on a campaign trait. They also cannot take any regional or campaign traits from the APG or other sources.

These traits were tailored specifically to the interests of my players. Certainly new traits could be added or modified from this list. Some of these traits create connections to NPCs which the PCs can use as a possible additional resource if needed during a game session.

Arena Fighter: You fought in mock combats and contests at the Serpent's Run.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus on initiative checks and Intimidate skill checks.
• You were trained by Jorston "Axetongue" Droaeb.

Conspiracy Hunter: You've long heard rumors of dark deeds afoot in Dockway. Shipments of valuable cargo that go missing with nary a trace or question asked. People who disappear as though they never existed. Lords of business and nobles who speak in veiled references and accidental slips of leaving those Shorers on their own. You don't know what is going on, but you're determined to find out!

• Choose one of the following skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Knowledge (local), Perception, Sense Motive,or Stealth. You gain a +1 trait bonus on this skill and it is always considered a class skill for you.

Exile: For whatever reason, you were forced to flee your homeland. Chance or fate has brought you to Magnimar, and it's here that your money ran out, leaving you stranded. You are also being pursued by enemies from your homeland, and that has made you paranoid and quick to react to danger.

• You gain a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks.

Firebrand: There's something very wrong with the world. Spouses were not meant to huddle at their windows hoping and fearing day after day that their loved ones returned from work safely. Parents were not meant to hush their children when questioned about what happened to their neighbors. The people have suffered long enough! It's time for a change. But how? You are quick to react to opportunity, both physically and mentally, and know that it is with sudden and swift action that many conflicts are best resolved.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus on Initiative checks, and if you act in a surprise round, you gain a +1 trait bonus on all attack rolls.

Irespan Archer: You learned to fight in the militia.

• If you have fire a ranged weapon from higher ground, you gain an additional +1 to hit.
• You were trained by Captain Acacia Uriana.
• You may spend a feat to take the Parting Shot feat (p. 113 in the Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting).

Lore Seeker: The secrets of the ancient fallen civilization of Thassilon intrigue you, particularly the magical traditions of its highly mystical culture. You've studied magic intensely, and hope to increase that knowledge by adding Thassilonian lore.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks, and Knowledge (arcana) is a class skill for you or if you cast arcane spells, you may instead pick three spells on your spell list. You are particularly adept at casting these spells, so they function at +1 caster level when you cast them, and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.
• You have studied under Dr. Ernst Landis of the Founder's Archive and Museum of Ages. The Bazaar of Sails is the district nearest the Irespan, a Thassilon ruin.

Magnificent Bastard (limited to half-elf or human characters: One of your parents was a member of one of the great families of Cheliax. Yet you have no substantive proof of your nobility, and you've learned that claiming nobility without evidence makes you as good as a liar. While you might own a piece of jewelry, a scrap of once-rich fabric, or an aged confession of love, none of this directly supports your claim. Thus, you've lived your life in the shadow of nobility, knowing that you deserve the comforts and esteem of the elite, even though the contempt of fate brings you nothing but their scorn. Whether a recent attempt to prove your heritage has brought down the wrath of a noble family's henchmen or you merely seek to prove the worth of the blood in your veins, you've decided to make a name all your own in Magnimar.

• You take a -1 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks made when dealing with members of Chelish nobility but gain a +1 trait bonus on Will saves as a result of your stubbornness and individuality. (The penalty aspect of this trait is removed if you ever manage to establish yourself as a true noble.)

Market Spy: You keep an eye the Bazaar of Sails.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus to Perception and Sense Motive checks.
• You were trained by Sabriyya Kalmeralm.

Noble Born: You claim a tangential but legitimate connection to House Benderthane, one of Cheliax's noble families. If you aren't human, you were likely adopted by a Chelish noble or were instead a favored servant or even a childhood friend of a noble scion. Whatever the cause, you've had a comfortable life, but one far from the dignity and decadence your distant cousins know. Although you are associated with an esteemed name, your immediate family is hardly well to do, and you've found your name to be more of a burden to you than a boon in many social situations.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus to Appraise, Craft (armor), and Craft (weapons).

Shadow Child: The Bazaar of Sails district of Magnimar has long suffered under a peculiar curse, a blight that rises every night, bringing with it fell beasts that hunt the shadows. No one can say from whence these night-horrors come—though some blame mysterious rune magic, other claim that it's some curse laid by an undead monster, while still others suggest some shadowy mastermind manipulates an ebon brood from the depths of the Bazaar of Sail's northern ruins. You've acclimated yourself to the dark, and thus act with greater precision in the shadow than most.

• When attacking targets in areas of dim light, you do not suffer the standard 20% miss chance on attack rolls for being in the poorly lit area.

Visionary of Iomedae: Having found your faith in Magnimar, you received visions of dark shadows and terrifying hunger coming to Dockway.

• You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (religion) checks, and Knowledge (religion) is a class skill for you or if you cast divine spells, pick three spells on your spell list. You are particularly adept at casting these spells, so they function at +1 caster level when you cast them, and their save DCs (if any) gain a +1 bonus.
• You were trained in religious matters by Chaplain Tira Ronnava.

Next Month

Using non-random decks (Harrowing deck, plot twist deck, critical hit deck, and fumble deck) to enhance the Black Steel campaign.

May you find the path,
Charlie