Written & Created by:
Wesley K. Dance
Minion Designs by:
Illustrations by:
@Cajamapat
(Pages 8 - 13)
Special thanks to
Mysterious Editor X
for supporting me in my
endeavors and giving me advice.
@Cajamapat
Bea Munoz
(Pages 1, 6)
Wesley K. Dance
(Everything Else!)
The Rank + Vile is a tabletop roleplaying game for 3-5 players,
who take on the role of minions of evil for the Dark Lord. One player
takes on the special role of Game Master (GM), and introduces scenes
and controls non-player characters (NPCS) to interact with as they
navigate the dangers and challenges laid out before them.
To play The Rank + Vile, you'll only need few things:
- A whole mess of six-sided dice (known in the game as d6s).
- A set of stopwatches or timers. All effects that have written
time limits are measured in real time.
- A medium to record information and something to
write with (paper & pencil are the usual suspects).
1
This page details the standard that Minions tend to follow in the game. They're not in the same
league as adventurers by a long shot, so it's good to know what they can do.
1. Minions are not very smart.
Minions are generally at the level of a human
child without much learning potential. They can
speak human language, but reading it is often
difficult for even the wiliest among them.
2. Minions are not very large.
Minions, with rare exception, are less than
3 ft. (or 1m) tall. They weigh less than 80 lbs. and
thus have trouble opening large doors or
dealing with high shelves.
3. Minions can eat anything.
While they greatly prefer real food, they're
capable of eating raw meat and any amount of
poison or rancid food without much more
trouble than an upset stomach.
4. Minions thrive in darkness.
Minions can see in the dark and have little need
of torches and lights. In exchange, they have
antipathy toward the sun, and suffer a -1 penalty
to all rolls made when in sunlight.
2
The gameplay loop of The Rank + Vile is simple. The GM describes a scene and what's happening.
The Minions*, in pursuit of a goal, will react to it and treat the situation as if they're there and
what they do. If the GM decides the action is risky enough to warrant a roll, they ask for it and
describe the consequences for players to react to depending on the results of that roll.
And so it continues, until a conclusion to a Mission is reached.
All rolls in The Rank + Vile are player-facing. This means that the GM never rolls for actions
made by NPCs; the players only roll if it affects them. This is because NPCs, in stark contrast of the
Minions, are in no danger of consequences for failure. It is because the Minions are unwelcome
agents in a place hostile to them that they roll at all: They roll to avoid Peril.
CORE RULE - The Perils of Minionry
Peril is a number between 2 and 6 that describes both the current danger and the danger the
Minions would be in if the action should fail, rather than the difficulty of the task itself. When a
roll is called for, the player taking action rolls 3d6 (that is, three six-sided die) and looks for numbers
that match or exceed the level of Peril in the task. Each one is a success; the player needs two
successes per roll to succeed at the task without consequence.
So, for example: It's early in the mission and the players have had little trouble so far. Kilar the
goblin wants to take a store's lockbox from the top of a high shelf. Having stacked boxes on top of a
chair, he stands atop them and makes a grab for it. Because it's early in the mission, the base Peril
is 2, but there's a sleeping guard just outside who will hear any ruckus and come to investigate;
thus, an element of danger for the Minions, raising the Peril of the roll to 3. The player rolls, and
gets a 3 and a 5 in their roll - two successes that allow them to snatch the lockbox without trouble.
Levels of Peril
When to Use Peril
Peril doesn't need to be accounted for with
every action; it would be quite a hassle if it
was so. Use it as a hinge to turn the
situation south; if the Mission can't get
worse because of a failure at this point, you
can forgo a roll and assume the task the
Minions are trying to accomplish either is
or isn't within their abilities.
2
People are ignorant and behaving normally.
3
People are suspicious but ignorant of you.
4
People are on the lookout for strangers.
5
People are aware of you and on your trail.
6
People are on high alert for any disturbance.
* The Dark Lord has many minions, but only the players are referred to as Minions (capitalized).
3
Consequences of Failure
Minions are going to fail eventually; it's just a matter of when and how bad. But where in most
roleplaying games the failure of a roll means the action didn't happen, here the GM can assume
any action the players take on a roll will work. It's just a matter of if Kilar the goblin is going to pull
the entire cabinet crashing down while he pulls out the lockbox. He'll have the lockbox in the end,
but that's the least of his concerns, especially because the consequences of failure in The Rank + Vile
are largely universal: Someone is going to show up to investigate. Whether this is a guard or just
a curious townie, someone showing up to investigate is going to be the course for most failures.
Conflict Rolls
When a Minion and an NPC engage in any sort of contested action such as fleeing from a soldier,
hogtying a local guard or a villager searching hiding spots in a room for the Minion, the player
makes a special Conflict Roll to see what happens. A conflict roll isn't reliant on Peril like normal
ones are; the goal to beat a direct conflict is reliant on an NPC's Conflict Score that the player has
to match or exceed. Failure means the soldier catches you, the guard shakes off the minions or the
villager opens the right pickle barrel. Conflict rolls are also used when fighting, but the true winner
in a fight comes down to the comparison of your Threats.
Threats & Scraps
There are no extensive combat rules in The Rank + Vile. Simply enough, if the enemy's Threat is
higher than your own, you lose. Threat is a number like the enemy's Conflict score, and minions
are used to sizing up stronger enemies. Without actions or rolls, a player can simply ask the GM
what the Threat of a character they can see is and get an answer. But Threat goes both ways; if you
manage to be a higher Threat than an enemy, they lose automatically when fighting against you. A
Scrap occurs if both parties are equal in Threat: They simply make attacks against each other - the
player's roll vs. the enemy's Conflict score to see who wins.
Suffering Defeat
Ambushing
The result of a scrap is that one fighter wins,
When attempting to fight an enemy head-on, a
and the other is Defeated. When a player or
group of Minions will not fare any better than
NPC is defeated, the opponent can
they would on their own. But a party can
automatically succeed on the next action they
combine their Threats to take on any foe if they
take against them, whether it's killing them,
set up a proper ambush beforehand. This
hogtying them or anything else. A Defeat isn't
requires the party be unseen by the victim and
an automatic death in this way, but unless
to set up positions around a place where the foe
someone intervenes or the opponent relents,
is likely to be; in addition, sleeping foes are
the loser's fate is sealed.
much easier to take down.
4
The idea of stealth is the act of moving from one place to the next until you reach your destination,
quietly and often through difficult or unconventional routes. This is done by tracking Rooms that
are described by the GM when the players enter them. Rooms are drawn on graph paper or freely
imagined, but every Room shares the following behavior:
Dampening
Features
Sounds are dampened within Rooms. A minion
A Feature is a noteworthy piece of architecture,
can freely talk with other minions or NPCs or
furniture or trait the room has. After a Room is
walk around without trouble as long as another
described in general detail, the GM asks the
players what they see; the players choose a
NPC isn't in the room with them to raise alerts.
number of features according to the surplus of
Surplus
the room as shown in the table below. The GM
A Room's Surplus is the measure of how
may say a Room doesn't have a Feature that a
crowded the Room is with Features for the
player might ask for as they see fit.
minions to take advantage of.
Line of Sight
Surplus
Level
Number of
Features
Players and enemies can see everything within
Sparse
1
Lived-in
2
Full
4
Cluttered
6
a Room as long as it's not actively being hidden;
anything hidden may come up with a search.
List of Features
Features are listed by their abstract utility to players; Minions are always seeking
opportunities wherever they go for places to hide or things to steal when they can.
Easy Out: A window that can be easily broken
Hiding Spot: A Hiding Spot can hide one
Minion-sized creature or object from sight. Two
to escape at the cost of raising Peril by 1.
minions can fit in one spot, but the conflict
Stackables: Objects such as tables or chairs
rolls for hiding from foes suffer a -1 penalty.
that can be stacked up to 6 feet tall to stand on.
Bauble: A rare or valuable item. Probably worth
Tool: A tool such as a rope or ladder, or
a great deal of money, and very shiny.
something that may be useful as a weapon.
Masher: A heavy object that can be dropped or
Light: A source of light. If destroyed or snuffed,
pushed on an NPC to knock them out cold.
the room will be dark. Useful for making fires.
5
Below are miscellaneous rules and clarifications for running The Rank + Vile.
"Damage" & Knock-outs
Physics
Minions are surprisingly hardy despite
Players suffering great falls simply are knocked
everything. They can take all sorts of harsh
out cold and don't suffer any lasting damage.
punishment and keep going as if nothing had
The physics and physicality of this game should
happened at all. This is to say that there is no
be treated relatively like a cartoon, as that's
damage or injuries worth noting in The Rank +
what it's based on. A Minion can be thrown
Vile beyond outright death. If an effect causes a
across a Mission area and just wake up in a new
player or to be NPC to be knocked out cold, they
place, or simply get up and dust themselves off
won't be re-awakened until ten real minutes
as if nothing has happened.
have passed or an action is taken to explicitly
This is to say that players and GMs should very
wake them up again.
much be willing to play with this. Use
Certain creatures like Mimics, however, can
cartoonish physics within relative reason to
halve a creature's Threat. This is a case where a
make certain rolls and abilities possible.
great injury is blown (usually lopping off a hand).
It's quite grisly in that case.
Mission Area
The rules of a mission area and outdoor movement is left vague with reason; it's not important to
consider anything except what the Minions are there to do. Unlike a game of fantasy adventurers,
the Minions simply have no reason to wander around. If the players are there to break into a
museum, consider the museum and the surrounding area to be the mission area. Use only what's
interesting or relevant to the game, and keep things tight.
Minion Intelligence
Minions are like particularly stubborn and
uninterested children when it comes to
education. They usually can't read or write.
If this becomes relevant in a Mission (such
as a minion attempting to write a misleading
sign to get guards off their trails) have the
Minion make a conflict roll vs. 5 to succeed
(in this case, writing something comprehensible
to humans); such things are unlikely to
induce real Peril into a situation, and
shouldn't be tested against it.
6
As a minion, you haven't led much of a life. You've not spent your days farming and growing food
or learning a trade to improve the lives of others. You've simply been a rascal and a parasite until
the Dark Lord took you in. When you make a minion, you've got three major choices:
Your Order
Your Favorite Thing
Minions are categorized by their species into 6
Your Favorite Thing is simply an object your
separate Orders. Each Order comes with Skills
Minion has latched onto. It can be any object
they can and can't use, along with special
you imagine, from a special weapon to a shiny
abilities, as each Minion brings something
helmet or their master's token. This basically
unique to the table. You choose an Order and
represents your Minion's life fortune in all its
it's yours until your Minion dies and you have
meagerness. The GM has the final say on if an
to make a new one.
object is reasonable for them to have.
Using Skills
The abilities of a minion are meager and uninspiring, as even their best efforts often only measure
up to a basic human capability. But even in this, they have their standards measured by Skills.
When you make a roll for an action, the GM decides if the actions taken can make use of these
skills, or are hampered by the utter lack of them to add a +1 or -1 modifier to each result of the roll
made. There are 9 skills. You can only get as high as +1 or as low as -1 with a skill roll.
When you create your minion, you can choose 4 skills to tag as +1 or -1, and must choose an
equal amount of either. All minions have skills they're already good or bad at due to their Order.
You can use a +1 to cancel out a -1 when creating your character, but skills marked with X denote
certain kinds of actions a minion cannot succeed with or improve.
Creepin'
Hurtin'
For sneaking, being unseen and For acts of violence like fighting
Scurryin'
For running from fights and
cramming into spaces.
enemies or destroying objects.
attempting feats of balance.
Drudgin'
Jimmyin'
Taggin'
For toil and labor, such as
For attempting to open locked
For chasing and following
hauling gear or digging holes.
objects like doors with force.
others, finding trails.
Finaglin'
Nabbin'
Wrasslin'
For acts of using tools precisely
For the acts of stealing, picking
For grabbing hold of unwilling
such as tying knots from rope.
pockets or rooting in chests.
creatures and keeping grip.
Everything else, such as names or personal history (if you have any) are up to you. Most minions
aren't particularly complex, having followed the forces of evil out of convenience.
7
Equipment Load
Because outfitting your worst troops would be a waste of money, the Dark Lord doesn't furnish
their minions with equipment such as armor or tools very often. Nevertheless, a Minion can only
hold up to 2 items at a time; if they manage to find armor to wear, it takes up one of those items
slots. Your Favorite Thing doesn't take up a slot unless it's a weapon. You gain 1 item of your choice
when you create your Minion besides that Favorite Thing. Everything else you find on the mission.
Armor
Tools
Minions aren't given armor as a matter of
The following tools have their uses to minions:
course; all they have are simple tunics and
cloaks that bear the Dark Lord's insignia. If your
Rope Coil: Can tie up one human-sized NPC.
Minion manages to gain some armor that suits
Sack: Can hold 2 more items or one minion-
their size, they become invulnerable to ranged
sized creature, but occupies hands.
weapon attacks unless from powerful weapons
Flint n' Steel: Can set a fire in hay or oil.
such as firearms or crossbows, but suffer a -1 on
Climbin' Hook: Allows a minion to be able to
all Peril-based checks while they wear it.
scale buildings by throwing it on a ledge.
Weapons
All minions are fond of weapons, even if some can't use them. What's not to love about violence
and tools for making it even nastier? There are two kinds of weapons: Ranged and Melee*.
Ranged weapons come with 6 shots. On a successful hit, each shot reduces a target's Threat by 1. A
threat reduced to 0 in this way kills the target. Melee weapons raises your own threat by 1 if you
can wield them, but you only gain the benefit of one weapon that raises your Threat at a time.
Mimics and Redcaps cannot wield any weapons.
Specific Weapons
* Minions only have simple
things such as bows & arrows for
Ranged, or clubs, axes and shivs
for Melee. There's no prices; you
don't have money, anyway.
8
Goblins are the quintessential minion and by far the most numerous. But though they're
the most common, they stand out amongst other minions for their quick fingers and
ingenuity with tools that other minions just can't compare to.
Choose one of the following three skills; when you make a check with that skill,
you only have to roll 2 dice instead of 3, counting one success automatically.
Finaglin'
Nabbin'
Wrasslin'
1
A goblin's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
DRUDGIN'
-1
0
+1
X
SCURRYIN'
-1
0
+1
X
Special Tool
Your powers of manual dexterity aren't just limited to parlor tricks like hammering in
nails straight or tying knots. During your time as a minion, you've either stolen or
created a special tool. You are the only one who knows how to use it properly.
Pick one of the following to make it your own:
Gonne
Pickers
A primitive firearm with
A lockpick and wedge. You
A leather bullwhip. Your
one shot. Your Threat is
don't need to roll to make
Threat rises to 2, and you
raised to 8 until it is fired,
Jimmyin' rolls when using
can scare away large
after which it is useless.
these on locks.
animals without fighting.
9
Whip
Corbies are a critical Order of minions to the forces of evil thanks to their unparalleled
mobility and senses for sight and hearing. They are minions shaped like crows and
ravens, with magic-laced wings that can become rigid and act like fingers.
A corbie's best trait is their ability to fly, which allows them to consider
the entire outdoor area to be a Room by itself for the purposes of line of sight.
1
A corbie's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
TAGGIN'
-1
0
+1
X
WRASSLIN'
-1
0
+1
X
Rules of Flight
You can begin flying at any time as long as you're not overlaiden with items or explicitly
bound from doing so. While flying, you obey the following rules:
• You can't fly while carrying an object
in your wings. You can carry one object or
willing creature up to the size of a minion
in your talons or beak as you fly, but can't
make use of items and weapons this way.
• You don't need to make rolls vs. Peril to
fly outdoors unless the Sharpshooter
heroic ally is near.
10
• You have -1 to all rolls vs. Peril while
flying. Starting to fly while inside a Room
(not counting outdoor areas) will wake
sleeping NPC near you.
• While flying, you are immune to
attacks made with melee weapons. If
you're hit with a ranged attack, you fall to
the ground and are knocked unconscious.
Mimics are unusually dangerous minions used for nasty surprises. Mimics are twolegged creatures with soft bodies that they can twist and change into wood, stone or even
metal, turning into anyobject they've eaten that day.
When transformed, the mimic's trap is set. If a creature interacts with the mimic as
an object (such as opening it or carrying it) the mimic can bite it and reduce its Threat
by half. Creatures of a lesser Threat to the mimic can be devoured whole.
3
A mimic's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
HURTIN'
-1
0
+1
X
FINAGLIN'
-1
0
+1
X
Object Mimicry
Mimics can change their shape into anything they've eaten that day. A mimic can't take
forms smaller than 1 foot around, or larger than 4 feet in any direction. A mimic sitting
still is indistinguishable from the kind of object it's transformed into, and counts as
if it's occupying a Hiding Spot in the room while transformed. It can't move or see
without revealing its feet or eyes. Mimics have no hands to use objects or weapons with.
A mimic is a loud and disastrous eater, and must make a roll vs. Peril to not draw
attention when eating an object. A mimic has a capacity of holding 1 object in its gullet
which it can cough out on command (or when it dies).
11
Boggarts are shadowy creatures created from the souls of evil wizards long past. They
hate all things that are good and kind in the world, and this strengthens their magic.
A boggart's antipathy toward light is far greater than normal minions, and it
suffers a -1 penalty to conflict rolls made when not in total darkness.
1
A boggart's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
CREEPIN'
-1
0
+1
X
WRASSLIN'
-1
0
+1
X
Shadow Magic
A boggart has three spells listed below. The boggart can attempt to cast a spell at any
time, but once it uses them it can't cast another spell for 15 minutes. As each spell is a
clear act of evil magic at work, a successful spell casting raises the Call to Heroism by 1.
Use a spell wisely and when it won't make a situation worse for you.
FALL!
RETREAT!
BEHOLD!
You make a conflict roll vs.
You and all other minions
You point at a human and
all non-minion creatures in
in the Room disappear in a
shriek, making a conflict
the Room. Those that fail
flash, reappearing with a
roll. If it fails, it is instantly
against you all fall
loud BANG! in a Room
defeated as you assume the
unconscious for 1 minute.
you've previously been to.
form of a greater evil.
12
Redcaps are an unusually sinister and bloodthirsty order of minion. They are fairies of
pure, murderous intent given corporeal form. With gleaming hooks for hands and heavy
iron boots, they're strong enough and dangerous enough to be able to take on any
creature they encounter. A Redcap has great potential in slaughter,
gaining +1 to its Threat every time it kills a foe.
5
A redcap's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
CREEPIN'
-1
0
+1
X
FINAGLIN'
-1
0
+1
X
HURTIN'
-1
0
+1
X
A Redcap's Powers
A Redcap's Threat increases by +1 every time it kills a creature of equal Threat in a Scrap.
Redcaps have no upper limit on the field, but they'll lose their bloodlust after every
mission and go back to a Threat of 5.
A redcap's hooks and boots may look cumbersome, and they most certainly are, but the
hooks allow a redcap to scale vertical walls and its boots allow it to break rocks.
While the redcap's power is strong, be wary of the Call to Heroism and the threats of
heroes and heroic allies you might bring.
13
Trolls are the heaviest muscle among minions, and most often used for heavy labor.
They're mean, surly and tough as nails. Trolls' bodies are covered in a stone-like material
as they take injuries and heal. This makes their limbs absurdly heavy and strong, and
they can use their fists to destroy stone walls and bend metal, among other things.
3
A troll's innate skill
abilities are as follows:
DRUDGIN'
-1
0
+1
X
FINAGLIN'
-1
0
+1
X
SCURRYIN'
-1
0
+1
X
Troll Feats of Strength
Trolls might not be much larger than other minions, but their power is in a league of its
own. A troll can carry a 200 lb. object in its arms and throw it across a small Room,
knocking anyone it hits out cold, or suplex a creature it's holding for the same effect.
While a troll is in a party, any room they enter will have an "Easy Out" feature that
the troll can make simply by destroying any wall it can reach, raising Peril by 2.
While trolls are ideal minions if there ever was one, each feat of strength leaves it tired.
A troll can't perform a feat again until 30 minutes have passed.
14
The Dark Lord always has a plan, you've found. You don't know what it is, but when you mess
up, they become furious and flash you with lightning for ruining it. But still they keep you around,
because the work needs to be done, and who knows, maybe you'll succeed. When a Mission goes
right for the Dark Lord, they gain a measure of Evil Power (EP) decided by the GM.
Using Evil Power
While EP is given to the Dark Lord in fiction, the ability to use it is up to you as the players as a
reward from the GM. The more important the task given to you was, the more EP is received. The
Dark Lord has many powers, and during a Mission, you can spend some of the Dark Lord's EP as an
action to conjure an effect of the party's choice. But spend wisely, for though the Dark Lord has
great strength, they need to use it to make your dreams become a reality. With 20 EP, you can
cause the world to fall under the Dark Lord's power, effectively winning the game.
Acting as the Dark Lord
The Dark Lord is a character under the GM's control. If called out as a character to appear in the
Mission, the Dark Lord automatically succeeds on all rolls they makee except against the Hero.
The Dark Lord's power being used raises the Call to Heroism by the EP of the power used.
You can only beckon the Dark Lord for one effect per Mission.
"Do It Yourself." - 2 EP
Sleep - 5 EP
The Dark Lord possesses the body of one of
The Dark Lord puts every human and animal
the minions and flawlessly succeeds on a
in the mission area to sleep for an hour. They
task decided by the party.
can't be woken up unless they're attacked or
reawakened by a heroic ally.
Dark Cinderella - 3 EP
The Dark Lord bestows human forms to the
Curse - 6 EP
minions that last until a minion commits
The Dark Lord bestows a strong curse onto a
crimes or behaves violently three times, at
creature of your choice. That character's
which point the minion returns to normal.
Threat is halved until the curse is broken.
Anti-Hero - 4 EP
Arrival - 8 EP
The Anti-Hero, a higher subordinate of the
The Dark Lord themself arrives. They will
Dark Lord, is summoned. The Anti-Hero has
directly control the rest of the Mission and
abilities equal to the Hero and will distract
give you orders. When you follow orders, you
any enemies for 24 minutes before leaving.
get a +2 bonus to every check you make.
15
By aligning yourself with Evil, you have made an enemy of Good. You've probably never thought
of this. The opportunity was good, so what was there to worry about? The answer is the Hero. Just
as a strong force of evil arose in your Dark Lord, an equally strong force of good is out there.
Call to Heroism
The Hero is a mysterious stranger from who-knows-where who roams the land looking to destroy
evil. The hero is good and kind and seeks to end the rise of evil. And they're ridiculously,
hopelessly strong. They can be slowed down, but never defeated. Only the power of the
Dark Lord is enough to do so, and your master must await the right opportunity to do so.
Meanwhile, the Hero is out there, looking for evil.
When you do terribly evil deeds such as murdering civilians, the forces of good hear the Call to
Heroism. The Call to Heroism is a meter from 1-10 that the GM adds to every time a serious crime
is committed. The meter increases by 1 with every crime, and it can increase further with
witnesses to the act. Every witness to these crimes adds +1 to the meter.
When the Call to Heroism reaches 10, the Hero
themself heeds the call and appears.
Heroic Allies
But the hero's not the only threat you have to
contend with. The Hero has allies, known simply
as Heroic Allies, who may appear when the Call
reaches 4, 6 or 8. The GM introduces them
somewhere in the mission's location after a time.
Though they're not as strong as the hero, and can
even be taken down with some cleverness, they're
still a dangerous threat to contend with.
Smaller Crimes
Smaller crimes can call forth the forces of good, as
well. If you make yourself enough of a nuisance
that the local constabulary can't handle, those
constables may end up calling for the heroic allies
directly to show up. The Hero themself will not
show up for such petty occurances.
16
A Non-Player Character (NPC) requires only two things to define them: A Threat and Conflict Score.
Unlike minions who have to try hard at basic tasks, a human is generally skilled in lots of things.
They have only one score and it's usually just to fight in a scrap. Below is a table of monsters and
characters Minions may end up meeting during their missions, sorted by Threats.
NPC Name
Con. Score
Threat
NPC Name
Con. Score
Threat
Big Dog
2
1
Adventurer
5
10
Elderly Human
2
2
Bear
4
12
Adult Human
3
4
Werewolf
5
15
Soldier/ Guard
3
5
Chimera
6
25
Veteran Guard
4
7
Dragon
6
50
NPC Threat Reduction
If a minion wants to be able to tackle a knight or a bear, they need to be able to deal with its Threat
before the fight starts. An NPC's threat is halved when they're asleep, presenting an excellent
opportunity for many minions. When halved, round up a Threat to the highest whole number, so
that a sleeping chimera will still be a threat of 13. If you attack a sleeping or unconscious creature
that's a bigger threat than you still, you simply wake it up and it has time to prepare itself for your
next attack. In addition, if an NPC is tied up and unable to act, their Threat is reduced to 1, but
no serious enemy will simply allow you to do as you like.
NPC Conflicts
While unlikely, the Minions may become
privvy to a situation where they're not the
focus, and two NPCs do battle with each
other. If this is important in any way, the
GM will decide it by comparing conflict
scores and threats. If they're identical, the
GM is expected to make a call in the favor of
whatever is most interesting.
17
Threat
An archer of the highest order, the
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strong vendetta against the forces of
CON. Score: 4
point in the mission area when called.
Sharpshooter is a heroic ally with a
evil. They will appear at the highest
Hawkeye
The sharpshooter counts the entire outdoor mission area as a Room for
the purposes of ranged attacks, but can only see targets in Peril of 3 or
higher. Their ranged attacks reduce Threats by -2 on a hit.
Threat
25
CON. Score: 3
A potent magic user, the Wizard is a
heroic ally with a somewhat bumbling
and nonviolent attitude. They will
appear in the Room of the minions'
last crime and investigate.
Magic Power
The wizard can perform any magical feat to solve a simple problem
before them (such as building a bridge out of loose stones to cross a river) or
make attacks. The wizard is immune to a boggart's magic.
Threat
A vessel of deific power, the Cleric is
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power that allows them to keep people
CON. Score: 5
or holy place, if there are any nearby.
a heroic ally of peaceful and protective
safe. The cleric will appear in a shrine
Forbiddance
The cleric protects whatever Room they're occupying from being
enterable by evil creatures up to the Dark Lord themself. Minions in
a room the Cleric enters are instantly sensed by them.
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Threat
20
CON. Score: 4
A valiant warrior clad in armor, the
Knight is a gullible heroic ally and an
enemy of sheer tenacious willpower.
The knight will appear in the next
Room the Minions enter when called.
Blinding Light
The knight's presence causes Minions to feel as if they're standing in
bright sunlight when in the same Room as them, causing Minions to
take a -1 penalty to all rolls. The knight is immune to a boggart's magic.
Threat
3
CON. Score: 6
A former servant of the Dark Lord,
the Traitor is a minion turned to good.
Knowing how minions think, the
traitor will usually appear wherever
the Minions' mission goal is.
Competence Raise
The traitor will be in contact with the constabulary as long as they're
around. All enemies will have their Conflict score raised by +1 as long
as the traitor is alive, and areas around the goal are more guarded.
Threat
100
Unbeatable
The strongest force of good in the
world, the Hero is the ultimate enemy
of the Dark Lord. They will appear
wherever they are needed the most,
always in the nick of time.
Heroic Doom
The hero will never be far from the Minions, as they can sense evil
nearby. They can appear in any Room at any time as long as they're
not preoccupied by something else.
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Now that you're familiar with the minions and the threats they face, you should become familiar
with the tasks they're capable of taking on. The thing about minions is that they're not much good
at anything, and the Dark Lord knows this. They'll entrust minions with only small tasks until
they prove themselves worthy and capable of greater responsibility.
As the GM, use the following mission ideas or come up with their own. Each idea given here comes
with an EP reward to show its likely importance. Start small at first — the rest will come later.
1 EP - Steal the Farmer's Crops!
4 EP - Prepare an Execution!
Even the forces of evil don't move on empty
The Dark Lord wishes to make an example of a
stomachs, and the Dark Lord has no time for
hated enemy. Make sure the execution happens
feeding minions. Bolster the stores in their stead.
smoothly and watch out for sabotage.
2 EP - Wreck the Town Hall!
4 EP - Kidnap the Prince/ss!
The villagers in the Dark Lord's territory are getting
A young noble of mysterious value to the Dark Lord
ideas, and need to be reminded of their place. Go
needs to be taken into custody. Kidnap them and
give them a scare and send a message.
return without drawing too much attention.
2 EP - Escort the Equipment!
4 EP - Jailbreak!
Simply enough, the Dark Lord needs to move some
One of the Dark Lord's more trusted subordinates
supplies closer to the edge of his borders. Make sure
has been captured and taken by the heroes. Break
the cart reaches its destination safely.
them free without attracting attention.
2 EP - Deliver the Package!
5 EP - Interrogate the Prisoners!
The Dark Lord has sent you to give his regards to a
A group of small-time wizards has been captured by
certain village chieftain. Pay no mind to the fact
the Dark Lord for critical information. A heroic ally
that the package seems to be ticking.
will come to rescue them. Get the information first.
3 EP - Make Way, Squatters!
5 EP - Guard the Hostage!
The Dark Lord wishes to kick out a group of bandits
A very important hostage has been locked in a tower
squatting in a dungeon to use it as storage space.
until they are needed by the Dark Lord. You are to
Deal with them as you see fit.
stand guard and prevent their escape.
3 EP - Steal the Painting!
5 EP - Steal the Amulet!
The Dark Lord has come to fancy a painting on
A wizard covets an amulet of great power dearly. The
display at a party. Retrieve it for them and keep it in
Dark Lord has asked that you steal it from him from
pristine condition or face the consequences.
within his tower; watch out for his traps.
3 EP - Spy on the Mayor!
6 EP - Coerce the Hero!
A mayor of a city the Dark Lord wishes to control is
The Dark Lord has requested audience with the hero,
suspected of distasteful activity. Find out what he's
who has wholeheartedly refused the invitation.
up to so the Dark Lord can blackmail him.
Acquire some leverage in town to change their mind.
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