Splatbook*
His Majesty the WormStonetop
Stonetop rules
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Book I: Stonetop

  • Welcome to Stonetop
    • Expectations
      • Premise
      • Commitment
      • Structure
      • Content
      • Materials
      • Dice notation
    • The setting
      • Neighbors
      • The Makers
      • Other things of note
      • The characters
    • Why play?
  • Getting Started
    • Get ready
    • Review the setting
    • Set expectations
    • Discuss tone and content
    • Create characters
      • Making corrections
    • Intro the PCs
    • Adventure starters
      • 1. Vital info
      • Initiate
      • The Natural
      • Sheriff
      • Blood-soaked Past
      • Legacy
      • Missionary
      • Prophet
      • Auspicious Birth
      • Itinerant Mystic
      • Scion
      • Penitent
      • Mighty Hunter
      • Beast-bonded
      • Patriot
      • Witch Hunter
      • Destined
      • 2. Special possessions
      • Smithy or tannery
      • Tools (carpenter's, husbandry, etc.)
      • Distillery
      • Anything else
      • 3. World building
      • The Earth Mother
      • Tall Tales
      • The Chronicle
      • Praise the Day
      • War Stories
      • Fear & Anger
      • 4&5 NPC connections
      • 6&7 PC connections
    • Let spring burst forth
    • After the session
      • Organize your notes
      • Identify threats
      • "I wonder…"
      • Plan the first adventure
  • Playing the Game
    • The conversation
    • The GM is responsible for everything else, including:
    • Your agenda
    • Flow of play
    • Dice and moves
    • CLASH
      • Triggers
      • Rolling
      • Results
      • Hold and spend
    • DEFEND
      • The GM, dice, and moves
      • The Die of Fate
      • Fictional positioning
      • PC vs. PC
    • Your principles
    • Other things to do
    • Advocate for yourself and for each other.
      • What not to do
    • Your character
      • Background
      • Instinct
      • Appearance
      • Place of origin and name
      • Stats
      • Debilities
      • Hit points (HP)
    • XP
      • Special possessions
      • Moves
      • World building
      • Introductions
      • Inserts
    • Arcana
      • Minor arcana
      • Major arcana
    • Noruba's Ice Sphere
    • Followers
    • Your home
      • Size
    • Content
      • Steading stats
      • Debilities
      • Surplus
      • Resources & fortifications
      • Places of interest
      • Steading improvements
      • Assets
      • NPCs
    • The moves
      • Basic moves
      • CLASH
    • DEFEND
    • DEFY DANGER
    • INTERFERE
    • KNOW THINGS
    • LET FLY
    • SEEK INSIGHT
      • Special moves
    • BURN BRIGHTLY
    • END OF SESSION
      • Follower moves
    • ORDER FOLLOWERS
    • STRENGTHEN YOUR BOND
      • Expedition moves
      • CHART A COURSE
      • OUTFIT
      • REQUISITION
      • HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
    • STRUGGLE AS ONE
    • MAKE CAMP
    • FORAGE
    • RETURN TRIUMPHANT
      • Homefront moves
    • BOLSTER
    • CONVALESCE
    • DEPLOY
    • LEVEL UP
    • MAKE A PLAN
    • MEET WITH DISASTER
    • MUSTER
    • PULL TOGETHER
      • TRADE & BARTER
    • SEASONS CHANGE
    • Seasonal gains
    • Gear and possessions
      • Inventory
      • Load
      • Small items
      • Undefined items
      • Supplies
      • Provisions
      • Back home
      • Special possessions
      • Trade & Barter
      • Value
      • Coins
      • Gear terms & tags
      • Common items
      • Weapons
      • Armor
      • Clothing
      • Fire & light sources
      • Travel gear
      • Household goods
      • Special items
      • Bronze weapons
      • Armor
      • Light sources
      • Tools & trades
      • Writing implements
      • Transport
      • Exotic stuff
      • Trade goods
      • Livestock & other beasts
    • If you want to…
      • … increase Fortunes
      • … gain Surplus
      • …improve Defenses
      • … increase Population
      • … improve Prosperity
      • … unlock a steading improvement
      • … get some coin
      • … find new arcana
      • … unlock the mysteries of an arcanum
      • … recruit followers
  • Playbooks and Inserts
    • Playbooks
  • Running the Game
    • Your agenda
    • The core loop
      • 1) Establish the situation
      • 2) Make a soft GM move
      • 3) Ask "What do you do?"
      • 4) Resolve their actions
      • 5) Repeat
      • 1. Establish the situation
      • 2. Make a soft GM move
      • 3. "What do you do?"
      • 4. Resolve their action
      • 5. Repeat
    • The spotlight
    • Scenes and loose play
    • Your GM moves
      • Making Your Move
      • Examples of GM moves
      • ▸ Announce trouble (future or offscreen)
    • Dealing damage and inflicting debilities
      • Example of play
    • Your principles
    • The Line
    • Other things to do
      • What not to do
    • GMing is a practice
    • Prep
      • Hooks
      • NPCs
  • Player Moves
    • Basic Moves
    • Special Moves
    • Basic Moves
    • DEFY DANGER
    • AID
    • CLASH
    • DEFEND
    • INTERFERE
    • KNOW THINGS
    • LET FLY
    • PERSUADE (vs. NPCs)
    • PERSUADE (vs. PCs)
    • SEEK INSIGHT
    • Special moves
    • ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE
    • BURN BRIGHTLY
    • END OF SESSION
    • DEATH'S DOOR
      • Other player moves
    • Custom moves
  • Harm and Healing
    • Hit points and damage
      • Taking damage
      • Regaining hit points
    • Debilities
      • Marking Debilities
      • Clearing debilities
      • NPCs, monsters, and debilities
    • Problematic wounds
      • Problematic wounds in play
    • Death and dying
    • DEATH'S DOOR
    • Healing and recovery
    • RECOVER
    • MAKE CAMP
    • CONVALESCE
  • First Adventure
    • Goals
      • Paint a picture of daily life
      • Explore relationships
      • Identify what's important to them
      • Push them into the field
      • Establish details, leave blanks
      • Play up both the mundane and the mysterious
      • Draw them back home
    • Structure
    • Background
      • Identify the central threat or opportunity
      • Write up your threat(s)
      • Refine your hook
    • Setup questions
      • Establish key details
      • Highlight setting elements
      • Foreshadow
      • Make things personal
    • Love letters
    • Setting the scene
    • Dropping the hook
      • Reactions
      • If they ignore the hook
    • Heading out
      • Preparations
      • Travel
      • Resolution
      • Aftermath
  • Threats
    • When to write up threats
      • After introductions
      • When Seasons Change
      • After a session
      • When preparing an adventure
    • Writing a threat
      • 1. Name & type
      • 2. Threat tracker Your GM playbook has three spreads for tracking threats:
      • 3. Instinct
      • 4. Description
      • 5. Impending doom
      • 6. Stakes (optional)
    • 7. GM moves (optional)
    • 8. Player moves (optional)
      • Example threats
      • CRINWIN (rabble)
    • THE MARSHEDGE COUNCIL
      • THE MINDGEM'S HEART
      • TRADE EMBARGO (affliction)
    • THE SHADOWY PRESENCE
    • Updating threats
  • Expeditions
    • Preparations
    • CHART A COURSE
    • OUTFIT
    • REQUISITION
      • Other preparations
      • Flashbacks
    • Running the journey
      • Legs of travel
      • Points of interest
      • Exploration moves
      • Resolving Chart a Course
      • Weather
      • Weather tables
    • Player moves
    • HAVE WHAT YOU NEED
    • RECOVER
    • STRUGGLE AS ONE
    • KEEP COMPANY
    • MAKE CAMP
    • FORAGE
    • Going home
      • The return journey
      • Arriving home
    • RETURN TRIUMPHANT
    • What if they… don't?
    • What to prep
  • Sites
    • Environmental storytelling
    • Running sites
      • Considerations
      • Exploring sites
      • GM exploration moves
    • Creating sites
      • 2) Build up its story
      • 1. Foundation
    • The Green Lord's Tomb
      • 2. Story
      • 3. Contents
      • DANGERS
      • DISCOVERIES
      • AREAS/ROOMS
      • ENVIRONMENT (OUTSIDE)
      • ENVIRONMENT (INSIDE)
    • OUTSIDE
    • INSIDE
      • 4. Write-up
    • The Green Lord's Tomb
      • As they approach
      • Exterior
      • Interior
      • Intact inner tomb
  • Dangers
    • Dangers vs. threats
    • Hazards
      • Improvising a hazard
      • Damage from hazards
      • Preparing hazards
      • Monster format
    • Monsters
      • Monster types
      • 1. Concept
      • 2. Name
      • 3. Tags
      • 4. Hit points
      • 5. Armor Answer the following:
      • 6. Damage
      • 7. Special qualities
      • 8. Instinct
      • 9. Moves
      • 10. Description
      • 11. Optional elements
    • Running combat
      • Introducing monsters
      • The flow of battle
      • Foes they can't hurt
    • Fighting spirits
      • Multiple combatants
    • Abstracting groups
      • Keeping fights interesting
  • Discoveries
    • Clues
      • Creating clues
      • Prepping clues
    • Sites
      • 2) Build up its story
    • Encounters
      • Building encounters
      • Running encounters
    • Opportunities
    • Artifacts
      • Placing artifacts
      • Identifying artifacts
      • Artifacts in play
      • Artifacts as threats
      • Selling artifacts
      • Buying artifacts
      • Creating artifacts
      • 1. Origin and theme
      • 2. Nature
      • 3. Form
      • 4. Synthesis
      • 5. Write-up
    • Tags and game elements
    • Arcana
      • Placing arcana
      • Identifying arcana
      • Unlocking arcana
      • Consequences
      • Sharing arcana
      • Creating minor arcana
      • Initial title
      • Tags and others elements
      • Brief description
      • Requirements
      • Unlocked title
      • Mysteries
      • Creating major arcana
      • Title, tags, and description
      • Starting moves
      • How it's unlocked
      • Mysteries
      • Consequences
      • Edit and revise
  • NPCs and Followers
    • NPCs
      • NPCs in play
      • Modes of portrayal
      • Dialogue scenes
      • Creating NPCs
      • 1. Name
      • 2. Concept
      • 3. Impressions
      • 4. Additional details
    • Followers
      • Follower moves
    • ORDER FOLLOWERS
    • STRENGTHEN YOUR BOND
      • Loyalty
      • Followers in play
      • The burden of leadership
      • Off-screen orders
      • Followers in fights
      • When followers Defend
      • Followers at 0 HP
      • Group followers
      • Creating followers
      • 1. Basics
    • 2. Tags
      • 3. Hit points
      • 4. Armor
    • 5. Damage Answer the following:
      • 6. Instinct
      • 7. Moves (optional)
      • 8. Cost
      • 9. Equipment
      • Updating followers
      • Losing followers
  • Homefront
    • Bringing the village to life
    • Running the homefront
      • Before the first adventure
    • Aftermath
      • 1. Determine what's happened
      • 2. Play out the return
      • 3. See what follows
      • Downtime
      • The next adventure
      • Crises
      • Spontaneous adventures
      • Prepared adventures
    • Homefront moves
    • The steading playbook
      • Fortunes
      • Surplus
      • Size
      • Population
      • Prosperity
      • Defenses
      • Debilities
      • Steading improvements
      • Assets
      • Residents & neighbors
    • Seasons Change
      • Making the move
      • Putting the results in play
    • SEASONS CHANGE EXAMPLES
    • Player moves
    • BOLSTER
    • CONVALESCE
    • DEPLOY
    • LEVEL UP
    • MAKE A PLAN
    • MEET WITH DISASTER
    • MUSTER
    • PULL TOGETHER
    • TRADE & BARTER
    • Value and coins
    • What to prep
  • Writing Moves and Love Letters
    • Writing moves
      • 1. Take stock
    • 2. Draft the trigger(s)
      • Do you need multiple triggers?
      • 3. Brainstorm results
      • 4. Decide how you'll pick between results
      • 5. If there's a roll, decide how it works
    • 6. Write a full draft
    • Hold and spend
    • 7. Review and revise Read your drafted move. Revise it. Make it better!
    • More examples
      • SCOUT AHEAD
    • BURGLE
    • Writing love letters
  • The Game Ongoing
    • Ending a session
      • Do the move
    • END OF SESSION
      • Handle logistics
      • Take notes
    • Between sessions
      • Reflection
      • Session recap(s)
      • Bookkeeping
      • Follow-ups
      • Prep
    • Check-ins
    • Starting a session
      • Logistics
      • Recap
      • Content guidelines
      • Highlighting
      • Bookkeeping
      • Starting moves, questions, love letters
      • Opening scene(s)
    • Pacing
      • Adventures vs. homefront
      • Increasing the pace
    • Advancement
      • Slowing the rate
      • Higher-level play
    • Retiring PCs
      • Becoming a threat
      • Retirement
      • Epilogues
    • New PCs
      • Creating the character
      • Introductions
      • Getting them involved
    • Conflict between PCs
      • Intractable differences
      • Open conflict
      • Descent into villainy
      • Regarding secrets
    • Time skips
      • Months, seasons, years
      • Up to a decade or two
      • Generations
    • Shake-ups
      • Option 1: End the game
      • Option 2: Pivot
    • Ending your game
      • Planning for the end
    • 1. Schedule a planning session
      • 2. Prepare
      • 3. Assemble the wishlist
      • Driving toward resolution
      • NICE TO HAVE
      • The final sessions
      • The end
    • DENOUEMENT
  • Inserts
    • Inventory
      • Undefined ◇◇◇ ◇◇◇ ◇◇◇
      • Possessions, items, loot
      • Small items
      • Prosperity
    • Animal Companion
      • Type
      • Instinct
      • Cost
      • Order followers
    • Crew
      • Tags
      • Instinct
      • Cost
      • Inventory
      • Individuals
      • Order followers
    • Initiates of Danu
    • Invocations
    • Followers
      • Player's Agenda
    • Ghost
      • Instinct
      • Moves
      • Terrible Purpose
      • Ghost · Consequences
    • Revenant
      • Instinct
      • Moves
      • Terrible Purpose (Revenant)
      • Revenant · Consequences
    • Thrall
      • Your master
      • Impulse
      • Instinct
      • Moves
      • Thrall · Marks
  • The Blessed
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Sacred pouch
    • The Earth Mother
    • Introductions
  • The Fox
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Tall tales
    • Introductions
  • The GM
  • The Heavy
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • A history of violence
    • Introductions
  • The Judge
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • The Chronicle
    • The Lawkeeper
    • Introductions
  • The Lightbearer
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Praise the day
    • Introductions
  • The Marshal
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • War stories
    • Introductions
  • The Ranger
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Something wicked this way comes
    • Introductions
  • The Seeker
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Collection
      • Major arcana
      • Minor arcana
    • Introductions
  • The Steading
    • Stonetop
      • Fortunes
      • Surplus
      • Size
      • Prosperity
      • Defenses
      • Debilities
    • Map and places of interest
    • Content
    • Steading Improvements
    • More Steading Improvements
    • Other Improvements
    • Assets
    • Residents of Stonetop
      • Names
      • NPC traits
    • Notable neighbors of Stonetop
    • Neighboring places
  • The Would-be Hero
    • Background
    • Instinct
    • Appearance
    • Place of origin and name
    • Stats
    • Moves
    • Special possessions
    • Advanced moves
    • Fear & anger
    • Introductions
Book I: Stonetop / Getting Started

Adventure starters

Box

If you want to start an adventure right away, during the first session, then download an adventure starter from www.lampblackandbrimstone.com.

Each starter presents abbreviated steps for character creation and introductions, and then launches into a specific adventure. The results won't be as unique or fleshed out as what you get with the standard process, but you'll get to the action more quickly!

Contents

  • 1. Vital info
    • The Blessed
  • Initiate
    • Raised by Wolves
    • Vessel
    • The Fox
  • The Natural
    • A Life of Crime
    • The Prodigal Returned
    • The Heavy
  • Sheriff
  • Blood-soaked Past
    • The Judge
  • Legacy
  • Missionary
  • Prophet
    • The Lightbearer
  • Auspicious Birth
  • Itinerant Mystic
    • The Marshal
  • Scion
  • Penitent
    • Luminary
    • The Ranger
  • Mighty Hunter
  • Beast-bonded
    • The Seeker
  • Patriot
    • Antiquarian
  • Witch Hunter
    • The Would-be Hero
    • Impetuous
    • Driven
  • Destined
  • 2. Special possessions
  • Smithy or tannery
  • Tools (carpenter's, husbandry, etc.)
    • Apiary, aviary, chandlery, goat herd, glassworks, or herb garden
  • Distillery
  • Anything else
    • Finally, ask everyone:
  • 3. World building
    • The Blessed
    • Sacred Pouch
  • The Earth Mother
    • The Fox
  • Tall Tales
    • The Heavy
    • A History of Violence
    • The Judge
  • The Chronicle
    • The Lawkeeper
    • The Lightbearer
  • Praise the Day
    • The Marshal
  • War Stories
    • The Ranger
    • The Seeker
    • The Would-be Hero
  • Fear & Anger
  • 4&5 NPC connections
  • 6&7 PC connections
← Intro the PCs 1. Vital info →

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