Halberd Fantasy Roleplaying

HALBERD
FANTASY
ROLEPLAYING
BY SCOTT MALTHOUSE
Zoltan Noll (order #6623757)
Halberd Fantasy Roleplaying

Written by Scott Malthouse
Based on Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying by Scott Malthouse
Cover art by David Revoy released under the Creative Commons
licence
Interior art by DoubleCompile and David Revoy released under
the Creative Commons licence
Trollish Delver logo design by Simon Lee Tranter
With thanks to Stuart Lloyd.
This publication is copyright 2013 by Trollish Delver Games. All rights reserved. No part of this work aside from the
creative commons images may be reproduced
in any fashion without the express written consent of Trollish Delver Games. Trollish Delver Games and the Trollish Delver
logo are trademarks of Trollish Delver Games. Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying (USR) is copyright of Trollish Delver Games
and Scott Malthouse.
HALBERD
FANTASY ROLEPLAYING
Thanks so much for picking up Halberd Fantasy Roleplaying - youve made a wise
decision (I hope). Ive been working on Halberd for the last year through its various
iterations, of which its gone through at least 14,536 and no doubt this wont be the
last one. Halberds system is built using the rules for my free roleplaying game USR
(Unbelievably Simple Role-playing), which is a super-streamlined ruleset for any kind
of genre, from sci-fi to murder mysteries set in quaint English villages (or as I like to
call it: Marple-core). Since Halberd is using USR as its engine, you can probably
deduce that this is an easy game to learn. That said, Halberd does contain a heap
more rules than the 9-page USR book, making it a pretty robust fantasy system (at
least, I hope it does - Ill let you be the judge of that), and theres more than enough
for the veteran roleplayer to sink their polyhedron-loving teeth into, as well as it
being simple for beginners to pick up and play.
Halberd is pretty light-hearted in tone as its very much inspired by two
amazing chaps, one of which Im lucky to know and the other I hope I one day get to
know. First off, the guy I know and admire greatly: Ken St Andre, whose roleplaying
work really got me into writing RPGs for real. Secondly, Sir Terry Pratchett, whose
books I adore and fingerprint you will likely see running through the heart of Halberd.
Boring introduction over, now we can get to the good stuff! I hope you
thoroughly enjoy playing Halberd and if you want to get in touch with me with
questions about the game, or you just fancy a chat, then email me at
scott@trollishdelver.com or hit me up on twitter @scottmalt. You can also join in the
conversation on twitter using the #halberdRPG hashtag.
Scott Malthouse
June 2013
WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?

Imagine a world where knights still exist, where malicious goblins lay siege to towns
and deep within the caverns of the earth there are untold treasures awaiting any
intrepid adventurer brave enough to delve into the dangerous shadows. Fantasy roleplaying allows you and your friends to act out stories in these magical realms, with
the players becoming armoured warriors, spellcasting sorcerers, nature-loving druids
and much more. Together they will travel across the land, fulfilling quests and
earning great riches along the way.
One player takes on the role of the Games Master (GM), who will create
adventures for the players, often in the form of quests, taking them to strange
locations such as towering emerald cities, country-spanning forests and even into the
heart of roaring volcanoes. The GM acts as the referee in the game, enforcing the
rules and also controlling monsters and non-playing characters (NPCs).
In essence, roleplaying games are shared stores, like you used to play at
school. Its one part acting, one part board game and another part storytelling.
You don't need much to get started playing a game of Halberd. Just grab one to
six friends, some paper, pencils and some special dice: six-sided (d6), eight-sided (d8)
and ten-sided (d10). You can purchase these dice from your local hobby store or over
the internet.
Some people like to use a gridded map, such as a wet-erase mat, and painted
miniatures to help visualise and keep track of the action. By all means do this if you
like, but it's not necessary to enjoy the game.
So grab your shortsword, throw on your leather armour and march out into a
world of magic and monsters with your friends. Also, grab some snacks while you're at
it.
THE WORLD OF HALBERD

THE CITY OF HIGHBRIDGE
Highbridge was voted number three in cities most likely to kill you when youre
visiting by Humans Monthly and it is often referred to as the grim city by snooty
southlanders. But what do they know? Welcome to Highbridge, the largest city in
northern Tequendria a melting pot of races, creeds and varying levels of IQ. Its also
quite literally a magical city, created after a duel between two sorcerers, both of
which didnt really know what they were doing. Magick oozes through its streets, not
unlike the actual questionable ooze that oozes through the streets, creating a
magically charged and somewhat unstable environment.
In Highbridge you will find all kinds of characters rogues, vagabonds,
mercenaries, magical beings, beggars, warriors, and nobles the list is endless. Elves
rub shoulders with dwarves and halflings rub their heads against human thighs.
Highbridge is truly the most multicultural city in all of Tequendria.
The city is home to King Markus IV, an old man who is, shall we say, quite
barmy. In fact, it is his daughter Princess Lilly that oversees courtly duties. Lilly is a
savvy woman with a passion for Highbridge. She loves her city deeply and wishes that
she could go and fight in the army but alas she is not allowed, despite being an
amazing warrior.
A Visitors Guide to Highbridge

There is plenty to see and do in Highbridge, but this is just a list of some of the
famous people, organisations and facts about the great city.
The Ancient Forest
On the outskirts of Highbridge lies the Ancient Forest, so-called because it was
discovered by Henry Ancient, a well-known explorer. The forest is ruled by The Green
Man, a cynical but fair nature spirit who holds immense power but is generally too
lazy to use it. The forest is the natural home to creatures like pixies and brownies,
but also the Elves.
Twilight Swamp
A mere mile away from The Ancient Forest you will find the Twilight Swamp. This
grim and dark locale is home to ghosts, demon dogs and will-o-wisps. Also the famous
hermit, Geoffrey, makes a fantastic mushroom soup if you should ever visit him in his
hollowed out tree mansion.
The Home for Reformed Werewolves
Highbridge is home to many a creature of the night, including werewolves. The Home
for Reformed Werewolves is a charity set up to take care of lycanthropes who want to
stop brutally murdering people. Unsurprisingly the charity has a high staff turnover
rate, so there are always plenty of positions available.
The Red Court
This is the name given to the Highbridge vampire aristocracy, whose motto is bleed
them dry. Only the wealthiest vampires are accepted into The Red Court and they
can often be found in Vlad the Immortals palacial house, drinking blood and chatting
about current affairs.
The Not-Quite-Dead Poets Society
Poets are an eccentric bunch and fortunately for them poetry goes for a lot of money
in Highbridge. This society consists of a group of poets who pay adventurers to take
them out on dangerous adventures so they can gain inspiration for their next poem.
The Tunnels of Trolls

Beneath Highbridge there is a vast underground troll kingdom overseen by Queen
Rockrockwallwall. It is a prosperous place that has little to do with the topland,
however occasionally a troll will get lost and surface, causing all kinds of hassle in
Highbridge.
The Dragonflyers
Every little boy and girl wants to be in the Dragonflyers. They are the rock stars of
Highbridge, taking to the skies on the backs of screeching dragons during wartime.
Many of them tend to be rather arrogant and rude. The most famous Dragonrider is
Shining Rogers, who single-handedly took down the ice giant Shiverfoot.
The Pig Swill
This is by far the grottiest pub in the land, but a fantastic place to find sellwords for
hire. The bouncer turnover rate is high.
The League of Assassins
If youre rich and of high status then you may want to join the League of Assassins, an
exclusive club located in Highbridges esteemed northern quarter. Members must
wear masks to maintain anonymity and many put on funny voices. They meet to play
games, drink wine and look for murderous opportunities. The joining fee is 2000gdr,
with an annual fee of 1000gdr.
Highbridge City Guard
Literally the worst police officers you will ever encounter. They often turn a blind eye
to crime when bribed and many of the guard are too senile to realise whats actually
going on. Still, 10gdr a day isnt bad.
The City Guard is led by Halfling Sergeant Burrow, who is much more savvy
than the others but as corrupt as they come.
Jimmy the Knifes Rat Gang
The Rat Gang is a group of humanoid rats that terrorise the streets with muggings,
vandalism and general nastiness. Jimmy, their leader, is a mean customer dont you
dare bring his mother into this! Their calling card is leaving a bit of cheese at the
crime.
Highbridge University
Ah, the hopes and dreams of a generation. The university is full of scholars, sorcerers
and the occasional student. It provides second-rate education at first rate prices for
courses such as smell analysis and ham glazing.
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

This section is presented by Erudite Brown, the University of Highbridge Master
Librarian.
Ah, you must be the new scallywag theyve roped in for adventure and frolicks, eh?
What, youre voluntarily becoming an adventurer? Each to his/her/its own, I suppose,
wot wot! As the Master Librarian, I am the keeper of most of the worlds knowledge,
and I daresay thats quite the undertaking, but it does put me in the best position to
tell you about all the different types of character in the game. I have been asked to
tell you all about creating your very own character: will you be a sneaky thief? A
brazen warrior? A worldly druid? Halberd gives you a great amount of choice when it
comes to selecting what kind of character you want to play as. But enough of my
yammering! Lets get on with it.
Assigning Attributes
The first thing you want to do is think about what kind of character you would like to
play. Your character will have a series of attributes that will reflect their strengths
and weaknesses, which you can write down on a sheet of paper or a 3x5 cue card.
Attributes
Action This attribute determines how well-versed in combat the character is as well
as how quick and dexterous they are.
Wits This attribute determines how intelligent and perceptive the character is.
Ego This attribute determines how the character acts socially. A high Ego means the
character is a good leader and able to charm the pants off most people.
Hits This determines how much punishment a character can take before she dies or
is knocked unconscious. Hits are reduced when a character is hurt and can return to
its initial score when the character heals.
After you've jotted each of these attributes down, you're going to need to
assign dice to them. Each attribute apart from Hits can have one (and just one) type
of die assigned to it from the following selection: d6, d8 and d10. Your Hits score is
derived by rolling your Action and Wits dice the total being the final Hits attribute
score.
Next, you will assign dice to your attributes Wits, Ego and Action. You have a
primary attribute, which is determined by your archetype, or the role your character
takes. This primary attribute must contain the highest value die d10. The other dice
can be assigned to any of your two remaining attributes.
Character Archetypes
Listed below are a number of 'character archetypes', pre-made templates on
which to base a character. There's no reason why a player can't make up their own
character archetype from scratch either with the GM's permission.
Each archetype has a list of suggested Archetype Specialisms to choose from
when creating your character. Archetype Specialisms represent aspects that the
character is proficient in, whether that's horse riding or knowledge of underground
cultures.
Starting characters will select two Archetype Specialisms from the list
provided for each archetype. Each Archetype Specialism provides a +2 bonus to the
relevant attribute when using that Specialism.
A Note on Specialisms
Aside from the ones found in the archetypes and races, there are infinite specialisms
to choose from all you have to do is use a little imagination. An exhaustive list of
specialisms has purposefully been left out of these rules, as it's up to the players and
GM to determine how to interpret the use of specialisms in situations.
10
Warrior
Warriors are born to fight. They have likely been part of a militia or even a major
army before taking up adventuring. Warriors are usually adept with multiple weapons
and are used to wearing heavy armour and using shields, so they are a vital part of
any combat, wading into the front lines to hack and hew the enemy.
Primary attribute: Action
Suggested specialisms:
Action: Athletics, Combat Roll, Enhanced
Strength, Two-Handed Heavy Melee Weapon
Proficiency
Wits: Military Strategy, City Lore, Orienteering, Battlefield Medic.
Ego: Leadership, Intimidation, Interrogation, Bartering.
Archer
Eagle-eyed and steady of hand, archers are masters of long range killing. They often
wait in the trees, camouflaged, and rain down arrows at their enemies. Archers are
also great hunters, able to track down and kill their prey swiftly. On the battlefield
they stay at the back, firing off shots with deadly accuracy.
Primary attribute: Action or Wits
Action: Move Silently, Climb, Hunting, Two-Handed Light Ranged Weapon Proficiency
Wits: Create Trap, Wilderness Lore, Create Poison, Heightened Hearing, Long Sight
Ego: Leadership, Friend of Nature
11
Sorcerer
Students of ancient knowledge, sorcerers are masters of
the magic arts. They dedicate their lives to honing their
magickal prowess. While anyone is able to wield magick,
the Sorcerer makes it her lifelong mission to uncover all the
secrets magick holds.
Primary attribute: Wits
Action: Wood Crafting, Quick reflexes
Wits: Create Potion,Transform Magick, History, Magick
Lore, Quick Learner, Decipher Text
Ego: Intimidate, Charming
Druid
Druids live outside of the hustle and bustle of towns and cities, preferring to be at
one with nature. They reside in groves where they study all things natural and speak
with mother nature herself.
Druids are excellent potion-makers and healers, making
them a critical part of any adventuring party.
Primary attribute: Wits
Action: Move silently, Climb, Swim, Wood Crafting
Wits: Create potion, Natural Healing Knowledge,
Wilderness Lore, Make Shelter, Restore Magick
Ego: Commune with Nature, Calming Vibe, Friend of
Nature
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Thief
Master of stealth and picker of pockets, the thief is silent and
deadly. Often armed with daggers, the thief slips into
buildings unnoticed and relieves them of their precious
belongings. They are great at spotting and disarming traps as
well as picking locks. Thieves are essential if you want to gain
the element of surprise.
Primary attribute: Ego or Wits
Action: Move silently, Climb, Escape Artist, Dagger
Proficiency
Wits: Disarm Trap, Spot Trap, Pick Lock, Disguise, Gambling
Ego: Bartering, Charming, Misdirection, Acting
Ninja
Before you manage to lay eyes on a ninja, you will most likely be dead. Ninja are to
overcome their foes. If you want to slip in and out of places unnoticed and kill in
stealthy assassins, using immensely sharp blades, poisons and their martial arts
prowess the shadows, the ninja is for you.
Primary attribute: Action or Wits
Action: Move Silently, Climb, Quick Reflexes, Martial Arts, Hide, One-Handed Light
Melee Weapon Proficiency
Wits: Create Poison, Spot Trap, Disguise, Create Rudimentary Weapon, Awareness
Ego: Intimidation
13
Storyteller
The storyteller is a staple around the warm hearthfire of a local tavern, spinning
yarns and playing music for money. The very best storytellers are the ones who have
lived the very tales they tell, making them valuable adventurers.
Primary attribute: Ego
Action: Sprinter, Climbing
Wits: Wilderness Survival, Historical Knowledge, Wilderness Lore, City Lore
Ego: Musician, Storyteller, Charming, Persuasion, Leadership, Inspirational, Acting
Merchant
Travelling far and wide selling their wares, merchants are the lifeblood of the world's
commerce, providing services and goods to those that need them. Merchants are
naturally charismatic and will prove especially useful when the party needs to sell
anything they find on their journeys.
Primary attribute: Ego
Action: Horse Riding, Blacksmith
Wits: City Lore, Merchant Law, Item Appraisal
Ego: Barter, Charming, Selling Goods, Well-Connected
Other Archetype Suggestions
With the right combination of class specialisms, you can create any kind of archetype
you desire. If you're looking for some inspiration, check out the list below:
Blacksmith
Hunter
Noble
Barbarian
Amazonian
Preacher
Witch Hunter
Pirate
City Guard
Astrologer
Scholar
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Character Races
Being a game of fantasy, not everyone is going to be human. There are all manner of
different races that populate Halberd, from tree-dwelling elves to mountaininhabiting dwarves and it's up to the player to choose one that suits the character
that they want to play.
As with character archetypes, each race comes with a selection of suggested
Specialisms to select from, called Racial Specialisms, of which you will choose one.
Combined with your two Archetype Specialisms from your archetype, you will have
the final three specialisms and your character will be almost complete.
At the GM's discretion, there is no reason why players can't create their own
races. For instance, I might want to create a Panda Person, in which case I provide
the GM with a bit of background about panda people and the GM can then provide
some suggested specialisms for that race.
Human
Humans are industrious but wrathful, often declaring war on a whim. However, many
are also compassionate, caring for others when they fall into the darkest of times.
Human adventurers are cunning, clever and resourceful.
Suggested specialisms
Action: Blacksmithing, Hunting
Wits: Inventor, Geography, City Lore
Ego: Persuade, Leadership, Compassionate
Elf
Elves live in great forest cities and are known for
their peaceful nature. However, those who
disturb or harm their sacred woodlands will
quickly come to realise that elves are also
masters of the bow.
Action: Wood Crafting, Climb, Move Silently
Wits: Wilderness Lore, Natural Healing Knowledge, Mana Lore
Ego: Intimidate, Calm Animal, Charismatic, Friend of Nature
15
Dwarf
Dwelling in the great mountains of the realm, dwarves are a hardy people who make
their coin mining ore and precious stones. They are no strangers to war, their bulky
frame and resilience making them excellent warriors.
Action: Mining, Resilient, Poison Immunity
Wits: Mountain Lore, Underground Lore, History
Ego: Intimidate, Leadership
Halfling
Halflings are, as their name suggests, short folk. They live in the rolling green plains
and lead a happy existence of wine drinking, cake eating and pipe smoking. However,
some halflings want more than this and head out on thrilling adventures. They are
silent movers and make handy burglars to those who would hire them.
Action: Move Silently, Quick Footed, Hide
Wits: History, Heightened Hearing
Ego: Barter, Charm
Example Finished Character

Laura wants to play a stealthy character who can pick off her enemies from the
shadows, so decides to use the Ninja archetype. She wants to be particularly deadly,
so she assigns the d10 to Action, d8 to Wits and d6 to Ego. She rolls her Action and
Wits scores, resulting in an 8, which she assigns to her Hits.
Now Laura needs to select her class specialisms. She would prefer a sneakingfocused ninja, so opts for Move Silently and also selects Hide as she wants to kill from
the shadows.
Laura then must decide what race she wants her ninja to be. Halflings have
the Quick Footed specialism which could help her ninja a lot, so she decided to
choose that race. She then gives her a name and a short background.
Money
The currency used in Halberd is split up into denominations, just like real money. The
main denomination is the dringot, which is used throughout the land of Gall.
Money is split into the following denominations:
16
100 staves (st) = 1 dringot (dr)

100 dringots (dr) = 1 gold dringot (gdr)
100 gold dringots (gdr) = 1 platinum dringot (pdr)
A character begins with 3d6 gold dringots (dr)
Weapons & Armour

There are no specific weapon or armour types in Halberd. Instead, there are general
weapons and armour that are the equivalent of a specific weapon. For example, a
Light Two-Handed Melee Weapon could be a longsword, while a Heavy One-Handed
Ranged Weapon could be a crossbow. Its up to the player to decide what weapon
they are using.
Weapon
Light One-Handed
Melee Weapon
Light Two-Handed
Melee Weapon
Heavy One-Handed
Melee Weapon
Heavy Two-Handed
Melee Weapon
Weapon
Light One-Handed
Ranged Weapon
Light Two-Handed
Ranged Weapon
Heavy OneHanded Ranged
Weapon
Heavy TwoHanded Ranged
Weapon
Example
Dagger, Small Club
Die Bonus
+1
Price
10gdr
Staff, Spear
+2
30gdr
Katana, Shortsword
+3
60gdr
Greataxe, Halberd
+4
200gdr
Example
Sling, Shuriken
Die Bonus
+1
Range
20ft
Price
10gdr
Shortbow
+2
30ft
30gdr
Throwing
Spear,
Crossbow
Musket
+3
40ft
60gdr
+4
50ft
200gdr
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Armour Type
Light Armour
Medium Armour
Heavy Armour
Ultimate Armour
Die Modifier
-1
-2
-3
-4
Price
30gdr
60gdr
120gdr
500gdr
Magical Weapons and Armour

Weapons and armour are not limited just to these modifiers above. There are magical
weapons and armour in existence that are more powerful than any on the normal
equipment lists. Suffice to say that you cant buy these on the market, or when you
can they are ridiculously expensive.
The GM should feel free to create her own magical weapons and armour to put
in her game. A good rule of thumb to stop things from getting too overpowered is to
have the maximum modifier of any weapon on armour be +7 or -9. However, don't be
afraid to give them other interesting properties too, such as summoning a demon or
causing the enemy to turn to ice. Also remember that these magical items are very
rare, so it's likely that they will only own a few in their adventuring careers.
Special Rules for Weapons & Armour

Two-handed The weapon is wielded with both hands. A character may not wield any
other weapon if they are already holding a 2-handed weapon.
Heavy/Ultimate A character may not run in heavy or ultimate armour.
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PLAYING THE GAME

This section deals with rules on playing the game, such as combat and attribute tests.
The rules are straightforward to enable the players to go out and have fun without
being bogged down.
Contested Attribute Tests

There will come a time in every game when a player is put in direct conflict with
someone or something. This could be a foot chase, arm wrestle or a baking contest,
whatever it is there's a really simple way of working out who comes out on top.
When someone is actively competing against someone else the player makes an
attribute test. Both the player and the GM (or another player if it involves another
character) rolls a die corresponding to the relevant attribute. If the player was locked
in an arm wrestle with a street tough, both would roll their Action attributes and add
any relevant modifiers. For example, the street tough has a magical bracelet on his
arm, so gains a +1. The highest roll wins the contest. On a tie the test is re-rolled
until there is a clear winner.
19
Non-Contested Attribute Tests

Sometimes the player won't be in direct competition with anyone else. Perhaps
they're trying to climb up a gorge or silently move towards their target. Here they
must roll their relevant attribute plus any modifiers on a difficulty table to see
whether they succeed.
For example, Liss the Halfling druid is tied up in the back of a cart. She must first
break her bonds and then escape the car safely. Her player tells the GM that Liss will
try and escape from her bonds. The GM asks for a medium Action roll (the bonds
aren't particularly tight). The player rolls a 5, which is a success. Liss escapes from
her bonds and now must get out of the car. She opens the door and flings herself
onto the pavement. This is a dangerous move, so the GM asks for a medium Wit roll,
on the count of having to angle herself right for the fall. She rolls a 3 she is
unsuccessful! Liss bounces hard off the pavement and injures herself. The GM rules
that Liss deducts 3 from her Hits score for her wound.
Difficulty Table
Target Number Difficulty
Example
Easy
Jumping a fence
Medium
Riding a horse at speed
Hard
Breaking into a magically sealed vault
10
Very Hard
Hitting a coin with an arrow 20ft away
14
Impossible Opening a fissure in reality
20
Combat
Theres no doubt that players will get themselves in a tussle more than once, whether
thats a bar brawl or something more serious and with lots of crossbows. This section
will explain combat.
Fighting is handled in the same way as contested attribute tests but with a little extra
added on. All contested rolls use the Action attribute during combat, but in this
instance one participant is the attacker and the other is the defender. If the attacker
rolls higher than the defender then the attacker has scored a hit and the defender's
Hits score is reduced by the difference between the winning and losing rolls. When
Hits reach 0 the character is dead. Alternatively the GM may rule that the character is
merely unconscious. Hits may be regained through healing, but may never go above
the initial score.
Weapons can give bonuses in combat, giving one side the edge over the other.
Weapons gives a bonus to the Action roll when attacking. Weapon Proficiencies can
offer combat bonuses. A character only gets a weapon bonus from weapons and
proficiencies when attacking, not defending. Paralysed players or opponents cannot
attack, however they do get a defence roll.
Similarly, armour can be used to negate the effects of being hurt. Each armour type
reduces the number of Hits taken in combat, noted by a -X on the armour table.
Liss is facing down a goblin who has just caused a scene at The Pig Swill. She is
attacking with her shortsword, which is +2. She rolls her Action die and gets a 6. She
adds the 2 from her weapon to get 8, but she also has Heavy One-Handed Melee
Weapon Proficiency +1, so her total attack is 9. The goblin rolls its defence roll and
gets a 5. This would mean that Liss does 4 damage, but the goblin is wearing light
armour which gives a -1 to damage inflicted against it, so instead takes 3 damage.
Combat can also be modified by the environment. If the character were in cover, such
as half hidden behind a wall or a barrel the GM may adjudicate that the character
gets an armour bonus of -2, depending on how well-covered they are.
21
How Combat Flows

It's up to you how you want combat to play out. You could play it fast and loose, going
round the table clockwise to determine the order players act in, or you could assign
each player an initiative score based on their Wits roll + their Action roll, the acting
order going from highest to lowest.
During combat a player may take two different actions: including but not limited to
moving and attacking. Halberd keeps movement fairly abstract, so it's up to the GM to
determine how far a character can move. 20ft per action is generally a good guideline
when on foot.
Actions in Combat
Halberd plays things fast and loose. There are two actions that a player can take per
round during combat, but they can be a number of things to constitute those action
such as:
Move
Attack
Try to distract an opponent
Pick an object up
Use a Specialism to your advantage
Do something cool!
There isnt a strict list of combat actions and its up to the GM as to whether she will
allow a player to carry out an action in the time that they have. Combat is carried out
in rounds that last around 6 seconds, so anything that a character could fit into this 6
second timeframe is feasible.
Weapon Proficiencies
A weapon proficiency can be chosen as a Specialism during character creation and
when advancing your character. Unlike a normal specialism, a weapon proficiency
gives you a +1 bonus when attacking with the preferred weapon. For example, if you
choose the One-Handed Light Weapon Proficiency, you will +1 to any attack including
a one-handed light weapon.
22
Death and Dying

When you reach 0 Hits you are usually considered dead. However, this is not always
the end for an intrepid adventurer. Once a character is reduced to 0 Hits roll 1d6. On
a roll of 1-3 the character is alive but unconscious at 0 Hits. They must get medical
attention within 6 hours or have to roll again On a 4-6 the character is dead.
A character heals 1 Hit per hour when resting.
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ADVENTURING
During sessions of Halberd, characters will be undertaking adventures for gold, glory
or simply to help someone out. There are lots of ways to find yourself at the pointy
end of a dagger in Highbridge and beyond. The usual fantasy trope is to have some
breathless noble seek out adventurers in a tavern to give them a quest. Usually there
are dungeons involved and dragons to slay. This is a solid start, but dont be afraid to
shake things up a bit. While you can certainly go dungeon delving in Halberd, you may
find that the more unusual adventures set in Highbridge can be the most fun.
Here are some ideas to get the players on the road to adventure:
A poet pays them to experience an adventure

There is a murder in The Red Court and the players are entangled in it
Zombies are petitioning for equal rights by eating brains
The Pig Swill needs some new bouncers on Chug Night
A lawyer needs guarding while on a particularly notorious court case involving
an assassin
The Duke of Farstonia arrives and begins snacking on the gentry
A sorcerer accidentally kills everyone in Highbridge, with only ghosts left
Some halflings introduce coffee shops where they use magical hypnosis beans
24
Of course, it doesnt always have to be about solving and/or committing bloody

murder. Here are some ideas for how characters can earn money on the side.
Get a book deal (spend 30 days minimum writing, roll a medium Wits test for
writers block. Every point over the target adds a star to the review)
Sell your story to the press
Get a job in the military or City Guard (1 week)
Set up a professional adventuring business
Set up a shop
Rent out property
Become a university lecturer
Dungeon Flipping
One other way for characters to make money is through dungeon flipping, which is
when they entirely clear a dungeon, temple, cave, labyrinth or whatever, and opt to
notify the Highbridge authorities to have it flipped. The authorities will then
renovate the dungeon as a tourist attraction and the characters will gain 20% of the
revenue (usually between 50 and 100gdr per month). However, any magick or rare
item found must be handed over to the authorities.
Bad Guys
Its inevitable that the players are going to come across people or things who they are
at odds with, whether thats a band of brigands, a stealthy assassin or a group of
goblins.
There is no complete list of adversaries in this book. The Unbelievably Simple
Roleplaying system makes it super easy to create enemies on the fly. You can make
them as simple or complex as your heart desires.
Like characters, enemies also have levels. Their level determines how capable
they are at fighting, having an attack bonus for each level they have.
On the table below you can see what maximum Action attribute, Specialism
bonus, Hits and attack bonus you can expect a certain level enemy to possess.
25
Level
Action
Attribute Die
Attack
Bonus
Defence
Mod
No. of
Specialisms
Maximum
Specialism Bonus
Average
Hits
Example Enemies
1
2
D6
D6
0
+1
0
-1
0
1
+2
5
10
3
4
D6
D8
+2
+3
-1
-2
1
2
+2
+3
15
20
5
6
D8
D8
+4
+5
-2
-3
2
3
+3
+4
25
30
7
8
D10
D10
+6
+7
-4
-5
3
4
+4
+5
35
40
D10
+8
-6
+5
45
10
D10
+9
-7
+5
50
Orc, Goblin
Lizardman,
Wolf
Elf, Roc
Half-Troll,
Guard
Medusa, Griffin
Dire Bear,
Drake
Assassin, Hydra
Chimera, Young
Dragon
Ninja,
Werewolf
Adult Dragon,
Master Vampire
Generally you will want to pit enemies of the same level as the players against
the group, but feel free to throw in some a couple of levels higher to keep things
interesting in combat. Wits and Ego dice are not included in the table, but feel free
to mix these up depending on what enemy you have created.
You can also see that enemies also have Specialisms, just like characters.
Again, its up to the GM to think up suitable specialisms for her enemies, using the
maximum bonus listed in the table.
So you can see that, using this chart, its really easy to make up enemies on
the fly, whether you want a squad of bandits or a hulking hydra. However, dont feel
like you have to stick with the numbers in the chart. This is only a guide there is no
reason a 2nd level wolf cant have a D8 Action attribute or only a +1 attack bonus. As
long as it presents a challenge to the players, thats all that counts.
26
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Here's an example of how a typical game of Halberd might play out. We join GM Joan
along with Steve as Burrow the halfling thief, Pete as Lucan the elven druid, James as
Kronk the dwarf warrior and Dave as Wenlock the human archer. The players have
been sent on a quest to find a cure for the plague that has hit Highbridge. They have
delved deep into a network of caves beneath a mountain where it is said the cure can
be found...
GM: You enter a rocky man-made tunnel. There is moss growing on the walls and you
can see tiny insects scuttling around the floor. There is a foul stench coming from the
north, straight ahead of you but as you're using a torch you can only see so far.
Steve: Burrow's feeling pretty cautious. He tells the others that he has a bad feeling
about this and is going to check the area for any traps. He carefully inspects the
walls, floor and ceiling ahead of him for any out of place crack or hole.
GM: Cool, roll your Wits and add any Specialism that could help you. [There is a dart
trap, so the GM decides it's going to be a hard difficulty of 7 on the attribute test].
Steve: I have Spot Traps! Ok, so I roll 1d10 and add 2 for my Specialism. [Rolls] I
rolled a total of 8.
GM: Well done, you spot three suspect holes in the wall that you immediately
recognise as a dart trap. These are triggered by stepping on a pressure pad a couple
of feet ahead of you. However, you can hear someone coming!
James: Kronk draws his axe and waits to see what's coming.
Dave: Wenlock will knock and arrow and point it down the tunnel.
27
GM: Ahead of you appears three ugly orcs, their crude black swords drawn. They roar
and charge at you. What are you going to do.
Pete: Let's retreat back a little and hopefully they'll be stupid enough to trip the dart
trap.
Steve: Good plan!
[The group retreats a few metres and watches the frontmost orcs step on the pressure
pad, much to the enjoyment of the group].
GM: The leading orc is peppered with darts and takes 1d6 damage [she rolls a 5]. The
orcs receives one straight in the eye and collapses in a heap on the ground. The other
two are running at you. Can everyone roll to see what order they fight in?
[Each player rolls the Wits die + their Action die, the highest going first and
continuing to the next highest and so on]
Dave: Right, Wenlock looses an arrow at the closest orc [he rolls his Action die, which
is a d8 and gets a 6 and then adds 2 for his short bow giving him a total of 8].
GM: [Rolls the orc's Action die, d6, for his defence, resulting in a 4]. Your arrow flies
true and lands with a thunk in the creature's chest for 4 damage. He's not looking
peachy. The other orc, however, is within stabbing distance of you. He slashes at your
abdomen. [The GM rolls the orc's Action die of d6, getting a 3 and then adds 1 for his
short sword, resulting in 4].
Dave: Wenlock defends with all his might! [He rolls a 2 on a d8, meaning he takes 2
damage from the attack]. Arrgh!
James: Kronk runs up to the orc attacking Wenlock and attempts to hew him in two
with his axe. [He rolls a total of 10 with his Action die]. Oh yes!
GM: [Rolls a 2 for the orc's defence, meaning he takes 8 damage!] The orc's torso is
separated from his legs in a red haze. The final orc drops his blade and pleads for his
life.
Steve: Go on, orc, beg for mercy! Hahahaha!
Pete: Lucan raises an eyebrow at Burrow. How's about you tell us where the elixir of
Avarice is, orc!
GM: The orc's not going to give the information up that easily, but I'm sure there's
some way to get it out of him.
28
Pete: Elves are naturally charismatic, so I could use my specialism to persuade him to
show us the way.
James: Or Kronk could just intimidate him until he soils himself.
Steve: Let's try Lucan's way first. If it comes to it we threaten the bugger.
Pete: We won't hurt you, orc. In fact, you probably don't like it down here what with
all the death and having to poo in the corner of a cave. If you shows us the way to the
elixir then we can make sure you get out of here and live a new life in a nice place.
GM: Cunning. Ok, this is going to be a hard attribute test, requiring a 7 on an Ego roll.
Pete: [Rolls his Ego of d8 plus his Charismatic Specialism, which is another 2, resulting
in 5]. Dammit!
GM: The orc laughs and tells you he actually likes it down here and he's not going to
tell you where the elixir is.
Steve: Alright Kronk, you're up.
James: Kronk marches over to the orc and pins it against the wall that's covered in his
kin's blood. He hold the blade at its throat and growls, Tell us where it is or I'll turn
yer gizzard into a nice fountain.
GM: Ok, roll Ego plus any Specialism.
James: [Rolls d6 plus his Intimidate Specialism of 2, resulting in 7]. Only just!
GM: The orc whimpers and tells you to let him go and he'll give you the description of
the room the elixir is in.
The story continues as the party make their way further into the mountain, fight new
hideous creatures, overcome traps and find some excellent loot.
29
MAGICK RULES
The land of Tequendia is an inherently magical place, where all creatures and races
were created by the great sorcerer Xin at the beginning of the universe. Unlike many
games, any character in Halberd is able to wield magick, although some are better at
it than others.
Magick can allow characters to throw fireballs, freeze water, put people to
sleep and teleport to new locations. In fact, with the right amount of training
character can do almost anything with magick including cheating death. However,
there is a price to pay for casting spells. Magick drains a characters life force,
harming them every time they cast a spell. This means that the caster must choose
wisely when to cast a spell.
Magick uses the characters Wits attribute to cast a spell. Spells are created by
the player, taking effects, number of targets and other factors and incorporating
them into a single spell. Each of these building blocks are called Aspects and they are
used to form scale spells depending on ability level.
Below you will find three tables. These tables are used to create your spell.
There are six basic magick effects that you can use and interpret in your own way.
See the examples below.
30
Reveal: Examples - uncover information, give the player some direction, create
a light in the darkness or find someone who is invisible.
Paralyse: Examples freezing, putting to sleep, putting into suspended
animation
Damage: Examples fireball, magic arrows, telekinetic attack
Restore: Examples healing, fixing an item, restoring eyesight
Transform: Examples turn into another person, change an item, turn day to
night.
Travel: Examples summon a magick steed, teleport, send a message.
Its up to the GM and the players to interpret how a spell works. You can be looser
with your definition of these, for examples, if a meteor was hurtling down towards
you, you could cast Paralyse to stop it in mid-air. However, the GM should use
common sense when allowing certain spells and be able to raise their difficulty level
if appropriate. For example, if a player wanted to transform themselves into a dragon
that would probably add an extra 10 points to the difficulty because it would be a
more difficult task that transforming themselves into a humanoid creature.
How to Create a Spell

To create your spell, follow these steps:
Decide which effect you want to use
Looking on the first table, decide which difficulty level you want your spell to
be. The higher the difficulty, the more effective the spell.
Looking at the second table, see how many Hits you need to spend in order to
cast the spell of a specific difficulty.
How to Cast a Spell

Casting a spell takes one action in combat, or 6 seconds. Once you have created your
spell you must roll on your Wits attribute to try and match or beat the difficulty you
have been set. If you succeed, your Hits reduce by the Hits cost of the spell before
the spell has the desired effect. Note that a spell can still have an effect even if you
fall unconscious or die as a result of it. If you fail the spell has no effect and you do
not reduce your Hits.
31
1. DIFFICULTY OF SPECIFIC EFFECTS

Difficulty
Amount
Paralysis
Damage
Roll
Revealed
(rounds)
Done
(Hits)
Easy
Tiny
1
2
Medium
Small
3
5
Hard
Medium
5
8
Very Hard Large
10
16
Impossible Huge
20
32
2. DIFFICULTY COSTS
Difficulty Roll
Easy (2)
Medium (4)
Hard (7)
Very Hard (10)
Impossible (14+)
Restored
(Hits)
Transform Distance
(minutes) Travelled
2
5
8
16
32
1
10
20
60
1 day
3ft
10ft
30ft
100ft
1 mile
Hits Cost
2
5
8
16
32
For example, Liss wants to heal one of her fallen comrades, who has taken a
considerable amount of damage. She decides that she will use a Restore effect and
that she wants to heal each 5 Hits. She looks on the table and finds that to Restore 5
Hits will be a medium difficulty roll. She looks on the difficulty costs table and finds
that this will cost 5 Hits. If she isnt successful then she doesnt lose the Hits.
Casting on Multiple Targets

Sometimes you will want to cast a spell that affects multiple targets, whether it's a
group of marauding bandits or a group of objects. You can do this by paying the Hit
cost for every extra target. However, for every extra target the difficulty roll
increases by 3. So in the above example, Liss could cast the Restore spell on another
character for an extra 5 Hits a total of 10 Hits. This still only counts as a single spell
and only requires one Wits roll to cast, however she would need to roll a 7 rather than
a 4.
32
Magick Specialisms
During character creation players have the option to give their character a magickbased Archetype Specialism. These specialisms relate to the six basic magick effects,
giving starting characters a +1 in any that they choose to select. For instance, you
could begin with Restore Magick +1, which would give you a +1 bonus when you are
casting a spell using the Restore effect.
33
CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
As characters undertake more adventures they gain experience and eventually
advance in their knowledge and ability.
At the end of each session of playing, the GM will deal out experience points (XP) to
each player for anything good that they did during the session. Generally they will
receive 1 or even 2 points per session. This could be for any of the following reasons:
Excellent roleplay
Using cunning to get out of a sticky situation
Going out of their way to help a fellow character
Once they have racked up a certain amount of XP they can advance a level, giving the
character a new archetype specialism or giving them an extra +1 to a current racial or
archetype specialism. A single specialism can have a maximum of +5.
For example, Liss has enough experience points to progress to 2nd level. She can
either choose to give one of her current 3 specialisms a +1 bonus, making it +3, or
learning a new specialism, like 'Horse Riding'.
When choosing a new specialism, you can either select from any on your archetype or
race list; the GM could give you several options for your character; or you can gain a
34
specialism depending on something that you did in the sessions leading up to your
advancement. For example, Liss the Halfling Druid used a staff quite a lot in the
previous sessions, so she could gain the Two-Handed Light Melee Weapon proficiency
specialism if she wanted. Its a good idea to keep track of anything that your
character does especially well so that you can create a specialism out of it when you
advance.
As well as gaining a specialism, the character also adds 5 to her total Hits score. This
becomes the character's new initial Hits total.
Experience Points
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Level
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
At 10th level the character is considered to be a master of their discipline and a

formidable opponent to anyone who might stand in their way.
35
36
HALBERD
FANTASY ROLEPLAYING
Magick is rife within Tequendria, flowing through all living things human, elves,
trees, naked molerats. The most infamous city in Tequendria, Highbridge, is also its
most magical, so theres never a dull moment if youre an adventurer.
Halberd Fantasy Roleplaying uses the Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying rules to
create a simple yet dynamic roleplaying game for beginners or veterans. Become
anything you can imagine a worldly druid, a brave warrior, a stealthy ninja, or one
of an infinite number of characters.
Wield incredible magick with a flexible system that allows players to create
their own spells on the fly, no matter what the situation is.
So step into the city of Highbridge, meet the Red Court, join the League of Assassins
or help out the Not-Quite-Dead Poet's Society.
Halberd Fantasy Roleplaying is a tabletop roleplaying game for 2 or more players.
37

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