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Table of contentS

A new world, togetheR 4 ADVANCED RULES 34 ReligioN 47


FOREWORD 6 Collaborative Actions 34 SPIRIT 49
Permanent 34 Corruption 49
GET TING STARTED 8 Action as an ability 34
Reaction 34 SPELLS 50
The Setting 12
Instant 34 MAGIC RESISTANCE 50
BLUE SKIES, BLACK OMENS 13
GAME MASTERS GUIDE 35 CHRISTIANITY 52
The (beta) mechanicS 22 Non-player MESOAMERICAN
TOOLS TO PLAY 23 characters (NPCs) 35 RELIGION 60
The playing cards 23 Level 35 The coatli stonE 62
The suits 23 Skills 35
The hand of cards 23 Health 36 INTRODUCTION 63
Using cards 23 Friendly NPCs 36 CHAPTER 1:
Play 23 Time-sensitive THE LOST PEOPLE 65
Discard 24 events (TSEs) 36 CHAPTER 2:
Jokers 24 THE COATLI TEMPLE 69
CharacterS 38
The dice 24 CHAPTER 3:
The pool of dice 24 HEA LTH 39 THE SPANISH FORCE 74
Health States 39 ENDING THE ADVENTURE 77
SCENES 25 Normal 39
TIME 25 Bleeding Out 39 NPCS 80
Traumatised 39 Ixcahuina 81
SESSIONS 25
Dead 39 Native archer 81
ACTIONS 26 Native Warrior 82
Counteractions 26 Da mage 39
Injuries 39 Native warrior leader 82
Exhaustion 27 Native priest 83
Action Value 27 Armour 39
Unpreventable damage 39 Shadow demon 83
Skills 27 Itztlicoatl 84
Level (Playing Cards) 27 Recovering damage 40
Natural rest 40 Haahiu 84
Advantages & Spanish conquistador 85
Disadvantages 27 Medical actions 40
Spanish gunner 85
CONFRONTATIONS 27 SKILLS 41 Lorenzo de Medina 86
Steps of a Confrontation 28 Injury disadvantages 41 Aguirre 86
CHECKS 29 TALENTS 42 La Gaditana 87
LEV ELS OF SUCCESS 31 CHA RACTER TRAITS 43 GMS OUTLINE AND
DRAWING CARDS 32 The geaR 45 PRE-GEN CHARACTERS 89
Playing with the suit 32 Level 45 ADDITIONAL GEAR 99
Affinity 32 COMMON
Pr oficiency 32 CHA RACTERISTICS 45 So whats next? 102
Beginning of a Scene 32 WEAPONS 45 FEEDBACK 103
Running out of cards 32 Earning credit 104
DETERIORATION 46
THE ROUND 33 Repairing actions 46 EPISODES I & II BOOK 105
Ready & Spent KICKSTARTER NOV 1 ST 105
characters 33
Steps of a Round 33 credits 111
Moral 34
Actions during a Round 34
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The new world,


togetheR
W E L C O M E , F E L L O W A D V E N T U R E R . Every journey has its own origins
story, and this time youve showed up right in time to play it. Flick through the
pages of this journal and start shaping a New World with us. Its in your hands.

4
ForeworD
D R A GONS C ONQUER A MER IC A has been in The background, adven-
the back of our minds for the longest of times. tures, and lore of the
Since we created the RPC Engine mechanics game are being co-
for FAITH: The Sci-Fi RPG, we have wanted to written by JC Obal and
translate them to all sorts of genres, fantasy Carlos Gmez Quintana.
being chief among them, and the 16th Century
with magic scenario was just too good to be
confined to a corner of our brains; it just had
to come out, bursting like the flames of a fire-
spitting dragon. But things are not always as
simple as they seem.
Just picture it: a century of rapid change,
incredible discoveries, intrepid adventurers,
awesome cultures and epic battles. Wow, right?
But flip the coin and you have genocide, war,
pestilence, theft, plunder and degradation.
How can you make justice of such a convoluted
and, do not be fooled, tragic time, in an RPG
format? Eventually we came up with what we
think is a fair answer, but it took some time.
As Spanish developers, we are not outsiders
to this matter. Our cultural ancestors were
active part in the colonization of vast regions
of America - and other parts of the world -,
and we couldnt just tell a tale of intrepid
conquistadors going from one glorious
battle to another. We wanted to do something
better. And then it hit us: why dont we offer
our players the chance to live these events
from both sides of the clash? Why dont we
actively include prejudices such as xenophobia
and class-struggles into the very fabric of the
mechanics?
Now lets take it one step further. What if
history could be altered? What if players could
shape, with their actions, an alternative take on
the events that transpired in our real universe?
As you may know from our other games, we do
not shy away from new concepts, both in shape
and execution, and DCA could not be different.
We really hope you will like it.
Oh, and yes, there are Dragons.
The team of Burning Games
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Getting starteD
T H E F I L E Y O U H A V E D O W N L O A D E D is a pre-Kickstarter beta edi-
tion slash promotional item slash first stone in the universe of Dragons Conquer
America. It contains almost everything you need to play an introductory adven-
ture in this setting, including the basic lore, general rules and the relevant pre-
gen characters, NPCs and pieces of equipment. Youll just have to add a bunch
of friends and a poker deck (or a fistful of six-sided dice) and youre good to go.

F IRST TH I N G S role playing


F I RS T :
games are meant to be played, so take
a deep breath and prepare yourself to re-
dragons, magic... whats
going on here? The events that transpire
during Episode 0: The
ally discover not only a new setting but a Even though we take into consideration Coatli Stone will affect
whole new set of mechanics as well. Fear real world events and cultures, DCA is a the power dynamics of
not, you will not be alone: we have already fantasy setting. Magic is real and used in the factions towards
gathered a group of hundreds of people to everyday life, and fantastic beasts such as the future core book of
play the game, and ourselves will be availa- Dragons and Feathered Serpents exert true the setting. Your actions
influence in societies. will shape the course of
ble through our various outlets at all times history.
(we favour Discord. Follow this link to chat The magical elements will find their way
with us real time, even if - or specially if - to the mechanics of the game, and you, as
you are in the middle of a game). a player, will be able to perform awesome
Having said this, lets assess the situa- supernatural deeds.
tion, one question at a time.
What is the coatli
What is Dragons Conquer stone?
America? The Coatli Stone is the file you are read-
Dragons Conquer America (aka DCA) is ing now. Its also episode zero of Dragons
a living fantasy role playing setting that Conquer America, an introductory adven-
is currently under development. It will ture that will serve as a prologue to the
take you back to the 16th Century when setting AND as a way for us to playtest the
European invaders reached American soil mechanics.
and unleashed a genocidal conquest.

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It is also a way to raise awareness of our Having said this, and taking advantage
We are aware of the
upcoming Kickstarter campaign that will of the RPC25s 1 through 6 suits, we have
delicate nature of por-
traying other cultures in fund the Episodes I & II of Dragons Conquer added an optional dice based variation of
media. Thats why we are America, two full blown campaigns that the mechanic. It is possible to play DCA
telling a story we feel will shape the future of the setting. with dice if you prefer to do so.
confident telling, a clash
W HAT DO I N E E D TO PLAY I T? Nonetheless, we do encourage you to dis-
between the Mexica, the
Maya, and the Span- cover the thrill of our card based system.
To play this game you need this docu-
iards (the writer of DCA
ment, a GM, 2 to 4 players, and, to be able
is Mexican and we are whats the prejudice sys-
to use the RPC Engine system, a poker deck.
Spanish ourselves). tem?
What system does it use? The 16h Century, for all its enlighten-
ment, was a pretty dark age for diversity.
Dragons Conquer America uses the RPC
Uncontrolled slavery, rampant xenopho-
Engine system.
bia, ingrained misogyny... All of them and
The RPC Engine uses cards to manage more were part of the different cultures.
luck. Each player starts with seven cards
To reflect this fact, each player will have
in their hand and can choose which value
to select several prejudices during char-
to use in each situation to improve their
acter creation. The GM will at all times be
chances of succcses.
able to trigger these prejudices to test the
THIS SOU N DS FAMI LI AR characters against their inner demons.
We created the RPC Engine system to As the campaigns advance and players
power FAITH: The Sci-Fi RPG. That game bond with each other, they will be able to
uses the RPC54 variant, whereas DCA takes increase their Tolerance skill and get rid
the RPC25 shape. The # refers to the num- of their prejudices one by one, becoming
ber of cards that are used in each flavour. better people in the process.

AN Y POKE R DE CK WI LL DO? Why do you say that DCA


Yes. As DCA uses the RPC25 variant, youll is a living setting?
just need cards 1 through 6 from each suit,
plus one joker. You can remove the rest. We want to create this setting with you,
hand in hand. Thats why, starting with this
ONE POKE R DE CK ? Episode 0: the Coatli Stone, your actions will
There are several options: one deck for shape the future of this New World.
We will publish custom all; one deck for the players and one for This concept of legacy decisions will
decks to play DCA, but the GM; one deck for each player; and other be at the core of the first DCA book well
dont feel forced to get combinations. Luck distributes differently release on Kickstarter November 1st. The
them: a standard poker in each of them. book will contain Episode I: The Eight Omens
deck will do just fine. & Episode II: Cortes Ploy of the setting, act-
W HY N O DICE ? ing as the origins story of the New World.
There are plenty incredible dice-based
The two episodes (campaigns) will be told
systems out there. We want to do some-
from opposing perspectives: one from the
thing that is both wonderful and different.
American side of the clash, and the other
The beauty of our system, if we may say from the Spanish point of view.
so, is that it makes you feel ultimately re-
Eventually, by playing Episodes 0, I and
sponsible for all your actions. At each junc-
II, your adventures and outcomes will form
ture you must decide what effort to make,
the groundwork of a future core book of
how much to risk, what value to play. You
the setting.
may have a bad hand (everyone has bad
days) but know that its up to you to make
the best of what you have. You are not a the
mercy of a renownedly merciless die.

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

HO W W I L L ALL THIS W OR K? There will be some limited pledge levels.


Most likely, there will be a few spots avail-
You, as players, will be able to play any able for those who want to create NPCs for
and all DCA adventures you want. our setting. Weve done this before with
We will assign a value (positive or nega- FAITH and its a very rewarding experience.
tive) to certain events and the ending you
reach. Youll be able to send your results to How can i share my feed-
us using the forms that youll find in each back/outcome?
of the adventures (for instance, youll find
Episode 0s form at the end of the adven- The final pages of the adventure sec-
ture) and we will compile them. The ag- tion of this document are devoted to this.
gregated results will shape the future core There youll find all the information to
book of the setting. stay in touch with us and help us improve
the game. Thanks in advance should you
PO S S I B L E O UTCOM E S? choose to use them.
The fantasy setting of DCA means that
the power balance is very different to that can i start now?
in real life - American cultures have very
powerful allies in the shape of Feathered Yes. You can now read the Setting, the
Serpents and more. Thus, the events do not Beta Mechanics, or go straight ahead to the
have to mimic those in the real world. Episode 0: The Coatl Stone adventure.

The options are many:


Will Spanish colonialists prevail?
kickstarter cam-
Will the Conquistadors be expelled from paign
the continent?
Crowfunding campaigns dont
Will the opposing sides reach a power
begin the day of the launch, but
balance?
much earlier. If you like what we are
doing, please share the word in your
tell me more about the gaming groups and let people know
kickstarter campaign about DCA. The more we are, the
more we can achieve!
The first Kickstarter of DCA will launch
this coming November 1st. STARTI NG NOVEMBER 1 ST
WH AT W I L L IT AIM TO FU N D?
The Kickstarter will fund the first two
episodes of DCA, the ones that will lay the
foundation of the future Core Book.
The two campaigns will come in a hard-
bound book along with detailed rules and
overall setting. A KS exclusive deluxe box
will also be available for backers.

HO W L O NG W ILL IT RU N ?
It will run for one month starting
November 1st.

WI L L I T H AVE E ARLY BIR DS?


No. We like things to be as fair as possi-
ble to everyone involved. All our backers
will get the same treatment irrespective of
their order in line.

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The settinG
D R A G O N S C O N Q U E R A M E R I C A is a game of historical fantasy based
on the European invasion of America during the 16th century. The game setting,
while based on historical fact, is rife with fantastic elements, including power-
ful magic, mystic forces, and mythical creatures such as fairies and dragons. The
story is mostly fictional, but accurately introduces events that took place during
the Mesoamerican War of Conquest, as well as the historical nations and char-
acters at their centre. This of course includes the daring campaigns of Captain
Hernn Corts, and the great domain we know today as the Aztec Empire.

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Blue skies, black omenS

I T I S TH E year 1519 of the Christian Era, and Ce Acatl


(1 Reed) of the Mexica Calendar Cycle. Its a time
of great changes and portents, marking the prophesied
Beyond these unwelcoming coasts, still unknown, lies
the Valley of Anahuac, home to the Excan Tlahtoloyan
the Triple Alliance of the Aztec peoples. It is one of
return of the Lords of Tollan to the Valley of Anahuac. the oldest and best organised empires the world has
ever known, encompassing hundreds of city-states,
Columbus died years ago, forgotten after making
all of which pay tribute to the mightiest civilization
his famous discovery of the West Indies - or the New
in the planet: the Mexica of Tenochtitlan. For nearly a
World, as most people call this unexplored land now,
hundred years, the Mexica have ruled over the land of
since they learned it isnt another side of Asia as previ-
the Fifth Sun unchallenged, striking fear in the hearts
ously thought, but a whole new continent.
of their enemies thanks to the divine power of their
As European governments decide what to do with the priests and the help of their mixcoatl dragon allies,
discovery and its potential riches, their first settlers, which terrorise and astonish the peoples under Mexica
armed with transoceanic ships, guns and dragons domain.
have ruled over the New Worlds easternmost islands
This is all about to change.
for almost thirty years now.
A single man persecuted by the law, estranged
However, the invaders have not yet discovered what
from the Crown of Spain and followed by a band of sell-
lies beyond their island domains. The Hispaniola out-
swords and adventurers is poised to start the most
posts, long established as the beachhead of European
significant war of conquest the world has ever known.
power in the New World, have already determined
there is a larger continent to the West, and sailed its The opposition he will face, though, is far beyond
coasts but so far no major mainland expedition has what he can expect...
managed to overcome their warlike tribes and treach-
erous terrain.

T H E S PA N I S H E X P E D I T I O N F O R C E
Contrary to the popular belief of future generations, the invading force that just arrived to
the New World is not a sanctioned group of disciplined soldiers under the command of a
duly-appointed general. That is how the Spanish Crown would have liked it, yes; however,
Corts and his crewmates are not soldiers, but adventuring nobles brave and ambitious
thrill seekers and treasure hunters looking to make their fortune in the unexplored land. They
wear no uniform but their mismatched armour suits, and no flag but the Catholic God.

This ragtag mercenary group has just arrived to the coast of the New World, without the
sanction or permission of Corts immediate superior and, recently, sworn enemy the
Governor of Cuba. They are mutineers; they are rebels. If their attempt to settle this land and
plunder its riches fails, Spain will have them imprisoned or worse. Their very lives depend
on the gamble theyve just played, and theyre not about to return home empty-handed.
To quell dissent among his men, Corts has scuttled his ships, tied his dragons and
founded a new settlement in the name of the Castilian Kings: Villa Rica De La Vera
Cruz. From there, he intends to conquer the surrounding lands or die trying.

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THE AZTEC TRIPLE ALLIANCE


Meanwhile, the Excan Tlahtoloyan the Triple Alliance of the Anahuac has gotten wind
of the Spaniards first contacts with other peoples from the New World, from their first skir-
mishes in Mayan coasts a few years back to their several unsuccessful attempts to go deep-
er into their territory. Moctecuhzoma II the Xocoyotzin, Huey Tlatoani of all Aztec peo-
ples and de facto leader of the Triple Alliance, has already sent messengers to dissuade
the new arrivals from pressing on to Tenochtitlan. If they are the Lords of Tollan returned,
as the prophecy goes, they are a challenge to the rule of Moctecuhzoma and his peers; if
they are not, they remain unknown invaders, armed with unknown weapons and appar-
ently Mixcoatl dragons of their own; they must be stopped from making any progress.

The other leaders of the Triple Alliance Cacama of Texcoco and Tetlepanquetzal of
Tlacopan are similarly restless. Cacama in particular is in grave danger, as his young-
er brother Ixtlilxochitl covets his throne, and would not be above seeking an alliance
with the invaders to obtain it. Ixtlilxochitl has not forgotten it was Moctecuhzomas
Mixcoatl dragons which pressed the Texcoca council into choosing his brother over him;
he is more loyal to any enemy of the Mexica than to the Triple Alliance itself.

In fact, there are many vassal states currently suffering under the Exzcan Tlahtoloyan; if the in-
vaders turned out hostile, many of these oppressed peoples would gladly side with them against
the Mexica and their allies. Moctecuhzomas messengers have several tasks ahead of them:
they must study the newcomers and gauge their forces; they must dissuade them from go-
ing any nearer the Anahuac; and they must prevent enemy tribes from allying with them.

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MAGIC
Magic is real in this world, and the
history we know, while mostly un-
changed, has been sutly influenced
or altered by sorcerous forces.
Ancestral air and thunder spirits ac-
companied the Aryan invasion of the
Tamil at the dawn of history, giving
rise to the Vedic legends. Bearded, hu-
man-faced dragons oversaw the build-
ing of the first pyramids at Sumer
and Egypt. The Age of Philosophy of
the post-Atlantean world gave rise to
mighty priest-wizards, remembered as
gods and demigods in the records of
the Fall of Troy and the Rise of Rome.
The descendants of these Roman wiz-
ards established the Catholic Council
that still rules the world, inspired by
the wisdom of the Prophets of the
Middle East. Faerie kingdoms al-
lied with the warlord Artus, giving
him a magic sword and the title of
Faerie King, to expel the Romans from
Brittany. Norse elves spurred and ac-
companied Leif Erikssons expedition
to Vinland, while the Keltic elf rogue
Robin of the Hood led a resistance
that forced the British Kings to sign
the Carta Magna that would eventu-
ally lead to the return of Democracy.
Thus todays world is shaped by the
historical presence of wizards and
spirits, which have walked hand-
in-hand with humanity, sometimes
more noticeably and sometimes from
the shadows but always there.

Magic and religion go


hand in hand in DCA.
Each belief will grant a
special set of powerful
abilities.

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RELIGION
Magic is inextricably linked to faith;
what one believes in determines
ones access to the Spirit World. Thus
worshippers of fire entities have ac-
cess to fire magic, and war priests
know prayers to inspire armies.
All religions agree that there
is a single divine force above the
world. The Catholic nations call this
force God and see Him as a person
an immortal, unconceivable person,
but one they can name and beg to.
The Mexica of the New World call
it Teotl, which translates as magic
itself. Even miscreants and heretics
acknowledge this force exists, al-
though they assume its just a com-
bination of knowable natural forces.
Those that worship, study or un-
derstand this all-powerful force are
capable of superhuman feats, un-
derstood by others as magic spells
or divine miracles. The greatest of
these priests and wizards are so
powerful in their worship that they
become worshipped in turn, becom-
ing the legendary heroes of myth
and even the deities of polytheis-
tic pantheons. Catholics, who deny
any divinity other than Gods, wor-
ship these individuals as Saints.

16
Dragons only
accepting women as
riders has changed
the way society
treats them.

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

DR AGONS
Dragons have been a part of the catholic world for more than
a thousand years, ever since Saint George tamed and con-
verted the legendary Wyrm of Silene in the third century AD.
From that moment, the European dragons that would oth-
erwise have been massacred by human knights and soldiers
became instead a valuable resource of human armies.

For the last millennium, warfare has been shaped by the pres-
ence of dragon riders, and their use has allowed European king-
doms to secure lasting power over their lands. The most famous
examples were the Crusades, where Richard the Lionhearts
catholic dragons defeated Saladins djinn army and sacked
the Holy City; the legendary battle where St. Joan of Arc and
her Holy Dragon defeated Richards descendants, thus end-
ing the so-called Hundred Years War; and the liberation of
Castile from Moorish forces, at the hands of the freedom
force led by Jimena Daz de Vivar, still remembered as La Saida
Campeadora the most famous dragon rider in history.

Now, however, as every army and kingdom owns a manda-
tory dragon force of roughly equal power, European forces
have come to a stalemate. Unable to expand into each others
borders, they have turned to new routes for trade and con-
quest, taking their dragons to previously uncharted lands.
20 years ago, Christopher Columbus found such a land a
whole New World, it seems, waiting to be discovered in the
middle of the Western Sea. European Kingdoms were quick to
send their own ships and dragons to the new territories, look-
ing for new lands to expand into and riches to exploit.

But this land is, of course, inhabited. And Here, too, Be Dragons.
New World dragons differ from their European counterparts
in their sleeker, larger bodies, their lack of lower limbs and the
beautiful plumage that adorns their scales. The most important
difference, however, is that these dragons have never been con-
verted to any religion or allegiance. They are free and wise, and
have many natural abilities that humans would call sorcery and
indeed humans could only imitate by limited prayers and crude
spells. Many of these dragons can even take on human form, and
of course only allow themselves to be mounted by those they
choose. It goes without saying that these dragons do not serve
their human neighbours; in fact, humans often revere them as
divine beings. In return, dragons take care of them, as a shepherd
takes care of his flock; thus New World natives have no dragon
armies, but are under dragon protection. And their gods wont
take kindly to a swarm of lesser lizards invading their land.
Its not just Dragons:
However, even if the catholic dragons of European armies are gen- DCA is chock full
erally less powerful than their New World counterparts, they are of monsters and
mythological beings
far more numerous and better organized. God only knows what will
from both sides of
happen when both forces collide and which side He will favour. the Atlantic. Pictured
above, the Chivo.

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THE ORIGIN OF THE DR AGON RIDERS
The town had a small lake with a plague-bearing Most dragons are considered evil, snakes of
dragon living in it and poisoning the countryside. Satan, but the progeny of Saint Sabras dragon
To appease the dragon, the people of Silene fed followed Christ. Now, most kingdoms of Europe
it two sheep every day. When they ran out of have a small group of dragons who serve their
sheep they started feeding it their children, cho- King and God (sometimes fighting between
sen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the kings them, as different kings have different perspec-
daughter. The king, in his grief, told the people tives about what God wants). Muslim kingdoms
they could have all his gold and silver and half have dragons of their own, as well, just as evil to
of his kingdom if his daughter were spared; the Christians as Satans (to many, even worse). It is
people refused. The daughter was sent out to the said that Chinas Emperor is a dragon himself.
lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.
There are all kinds of dragons, firebreathers,
Saint George by chance rode past the lake. acid breathers, those who dont breath anything
The princess tried to send him away, but he strange, those who can fly for days straight, drag-
vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from ons who are small as horses and dragons large as
the lake while they were conversing. Saint mountains. But they all have one thing in com-
George made the Sign of the Cross and charged mon: if tamed, they will only follow orders from a
it on horseback, seriously wounding it with female human - never a male. It is not clear why.
his lance. He then called to the princess to
throw him her girdle, and he put it around the Dragons only accepting women as riders has
dragons neck. When he did so, the dragon fol- changed the way society treats women in some
lowed the girl like a meek beast on a leash aspects, mostly in that they are allowed to serve
in the military and gain ranks within it, but for
The princess and Saint George led the dragon some farmer folks it only means that in addi-
back to the city of Silene, where it terrified tion to being able to marry their daughters off or
the populace. Saint George offered to kill the send them away to be nuns, they can also send
dragon if they consented to become Christians them to the military - while keeping most of their
and be baptised. Fifteen thousand men includ- other views on the subject. If dragons were wildly
ing the king of Silene converted to Christianity. common, a large percentage of women could be
trained to be their raiders and this would cre-
When George was about to kill the creature as ate a change in the balance of power, which
promised, the kings daughter stood on his way would then change the roles of all women, even
and said that if the dragon were to consent and those who would never become riders. This is
become Christian as well, he should pardon its life what the Dragon Breeders Society intents, per
as well. George was thunderstruck, but agreed. example. But for now, women in Europe, with
the exception of noblewomen and dragon rid-
The dragon converted out of love for the kings ers, are treated as second rated citizens at best.
daughter, rather than love of its own life. Thus,
the dragon became Silenes protector and the first
of the dragons to protect the Christian faith. It
fell in battle many years later against the her-
etics in Palestina, the kings daughter died riding
it. Her name now immortal, the first dragon rider,
venerated by all women who followed her steps
and rode the dragons progeny for the greater
glory of Christ: Saint Sabra, the first of her kin.

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20
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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

The (beta)
mechanicS
W H A T F O L L O W S I S a detailed overview of the 0.5 rules of DCA. With your
help, we will bring a super-polished experience later this year to Kickstarter.

22
Tools to plaY
Conflict D C A C A N BE played either with cards
or with dice. It is possible for differ-
ent people in the same group to use either,
TH E H AND OF C ARDS
In DCA, all players but the GM have a
hand of cards. Nobody can have more than
or to change at any time what you use to seven cards in their hands, if somehow
play, if the GM agrees to it. someone drew over that many, they must
discard down to seven.
The playing cards Players can only use cards from their
When playing with cards you can either hands, unless specifically stated otherwise
use the custom DCA cards or cards from a - and whenever a player uses a card from
regular poker deck. Youll only need the his hand he can choose which card to use.
cards numbered 1 through 6 and one of the Players cannot look into the deck or the
Social jokers, set aside the rest of cards. discard pile, nor shuffle or mix previously
It is recommended to have one deck per used cards into the deck. Whenever a card
player and never mix cards with each oth- is used, it is placed in the discard pile, usu-
ers decks, which will give you even odds. ally set up next to the deck, face up. When
the last card of the deck is drawn, the dis-
If you dont have enough decks for that, card pile must be shuffled to set up a new
you can shuffle as many decks as youve got deck.
and everyone will draw from it; alterna-
tively, set one deck for the GM and anoth- Players cannot look at other players
er for the players (the deck for the players hand of cards, nor can they tell each other
should be composed of half as many decks the values of the cards in their hands. They
Exploration shuffled together as players there are in can only tell each other how they feel about
the game). their luck based on their hand of cards.
E.g. I am feeling lucky today, I can
THE SU ITS
keep doing this all day long, I dont
The cards have four suits: Conflict, think I can survive another encoun-
Exploration, Social and Divine. DCA cards ter, I feel like I should crawl to a
have unique symbols for these four suits, corner and make myself into a tiny,
but if you are playing with regular poker tiny ball until danger has passed.
cards you can use the following correlation:
Conflict is Spades, Exploration is Clubs, Players must always follow the rules
Social is Hearts, and Divine is Diamonds. to play, discard, and draw cards during
Divine confrontations.
Conflict: This suit is relevant to fights,
chases, duels, and such. USI NG C ARDS
Exploration: This suit is relevant to ex-
ploring, finding clues, climbing, swim- PLAY
ming, following tracks, etc. Cards are played to resolve actions
Social: This suit is relevant to any type during confrontations. When a PC plays a
of social interaction with other characters. card, it must come from his hand of cards.
When an NPC or TSE plays a card it will
Divine: This suit is relevant to using come from the top of the deck.
magic, or communicating with the
Joker supernatural.

23
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

DISCARD The dice

C oo
Discarding a card is used to resolve

o
While the rules are written using cards

s
check, but it can also be triggered by spe-

m n!!
as the basic mechanic, alternatively, you
cial abilities or rules. Why, when and how

in
can play DCA with D6 (D6 are dice with 6
many cards are discarded is something de- faces). Whenever a rule establishes that

g
termined by whatever ability or rule estab- you should do something with a card, in-
lished that the discarding has to happen. A stead youll do it with a die. When you use
character is obliged to do it. a card, you can choose which card to use,
which allows you to select both the suit and Conflict
Certain abilities will specify if the cards
discarded must come from the PCs hand or the value; but when you are using dice, you
the top of the deck. If an ability does not can only select the suit, as a die has to be
specify, the cards must be discarded from rolled to be used.

w
the PCs hand by default. While playing with dice you will still
draw new dice as you would have when

ip
When discarding from their hands, PCs
can choose which card to discard (unless playing cards.
the ability specifies which card must be You need to have dice of 5 different col-
discarded, e.g. to trigger a joker you must ours. four of them to represent the each of
discard a joker). the four suits, and the fifth to represent
TSE never have to discard cards. If an jokers. It is recommended to have 3 dice Social
NPC has to discard cards, instead he suffers of each colour per player for the suits, and
that many disadvantages towards his next one for the joker; it is best if the dice are of
confrontation. the same type and cannot be distinguished
at touch.

w
JOKERS
TH E P OOL OF DI C E

ip
Jokers are drawn as normal cards, but
Similarly to the hand of cards, players
they cannot be played as normal cards.
using the dice mechanics have a pool of
After declaring the successes and failures seven dice. If you are playing with dice and
of a confrontation in which you have taken a rule involves the hand of cards, consider
part, you may discard a Joker to remove or that it involves your pool of dice instead. Exploration
add one positive or negative consequence
Although dice are rolled when used,
to an action. If the Joker is played on behalf
youll still need to randomise how play- C oo
of an NPC or Time-Sensitive Event (TSE),
ers obtain them, so they cannot choose the o
the GM determines what to do with it. You
s
suit of the dice they draw. Similarly to the m n!!
can discard as many jokers as you want
deck, there will be dice that are not in any in
from your hand for the same action.
players pool, that is called the reserve - it g
If a Joker is played at any point from the is shared among all players. The reserve of
top of the deck randomly, the character dice should be put in a place easily acces-
who played that card gains the effects of sible to all the players but that somehow
the Joker for the action he was performing, doesnt let them see the dice themselves, Divine
discards it, and then plays another card. such as an opaque bag.
NOTE: If the last card in your hand is a Joker, you Whenever a die is used it is put back in
C oo

wont be able to play it until the end of the confronta- the reserve, and whenever a dice is ob-
o

tion when the results are being declared. tained, it is taken from the reserve without
s
m n!!

looking. When a rule instructs to play a


in

card from the deck, instead draw a ran-


g

dom die from the reserve and roll it.


REMEMBER: Whenever a rule says card, if you are
playing with dice, you should read it as dice. The only
main difference is that you cannot choose the value of
the dice you use, youll have to roll it.
Joker

24
SceneS
TIME
A T T H E B EGINNING of each scene,
everybody draws cards from the
deck until they have seven cards in
inside. They encounter two tem-
ple guards, and after fighting them,
they get the gold and make a run for
it. This can be played out as a sin-
their hand.
gle scene, or be broken down by the
In DCA there are A scene is a sequence of events dur- GM into several scenes, for example
several key con- ing which the GM narrates what the entering the temple without being
cepts about time characters find and what happens to seen in one scene, fighting the guards
and gameplay struc- them. During this, characters are con- in the next scene, and lastly escap-
ture. These are stantly performing actions, with little ing to safety during a final scene.
Session, Scene, and to no rest periods in between, and usu-
Round. ally within the same location. TIP: Making scenes longer (challenging) or shorter
S E S S I O NS Scenes are the main building blocks
(easy) is a good way for the GM to adjust the
difficulty of the game.
Sessions are the of the story, like the scenes of a film.
allocated time They are an important concept be- During a scene, the characters will
frame for playing cause they determine when the play- be constantly performing actions. If an
the game during a ers and the GM replenish their hands action does not trigger a Round or it is
day in real life. of cards. not confronted, it is considered an un-
A players hand of cards represents confronted action, and therefore it is
E.g. that Sunday af-
their PCs stamina, so PCs with a full successful by default.
ternoon when you all
have agreed to meet hand are fresh and eager, while PCs When performing unconfronted ac-
and play. with very few or no cards in their tions, the mood around the table
hands are exhausted and probably de- should be relaxed and conversational.
Within a session moralised. Therefore, when the char- The GM must ensure that all players
you will usually acters take a break long enough to re- enjoy a similar amount of time in the
play one or more store their energy, it usually means spotlight, and allow everyone to de-
scenes (although it they have reached the end of the scene. scribe what their characters do during
is possible to finish
NOTE: There is no set duration or type of event that period of time.
a session in the mid-
that unequivocally determines the end of a
dle of a scene and If there is some kind of conflict
scene, and it is up to the GM to determine when
resume playing it in a scene ends.
within the game - such as a fight, an
your next session). argument, a chase, or any other type
E.g. The players characters plan of fast paced or competitive situation
to enter a temple in the city of when some characters try to outper-
Tenochtitlan. They wait for nightfall form others - it is the time for a Round,
to avoid the crowds, silently enter the which sets the order in which charac-
building, and search for the treasures ters declare actions, and use counter-
actions to confront them.

25
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

ActionS
P E R FOR M I N G A N A C T I O N represents an active and
conscious activity that spans during a period of
time (i.e. a turn); such as attacking, running, talking,
3. If the action is considered impossible to perform
in the current situation by the GM regardless of
the amount of effort, will or desire to do so, the
dodging, bartering, etc.
action is CANCELLED, and the character may suf-
Everything a character performs actively is an ac- fer the effects of trying the impossible. The char-
tion, from shooting a bow to singing. All actions are acters player may appeal, but he must be remind-
performed using a Skill that represents the characters ed that off-limit actions can break the gameplay.
knowledge in that area, and take into consideration his The GMs judgment and dissuasive power must
level. lead the gameplay forward.
In DCA, actions are successful by default with a criti- E.g. A character not aided with magic can-
cal success unless one of the following criteria are met: not lift a one ton stone or jump from a moun-
1. If the action targets or directly affects another tain to escape from giant eagles; if he tries to
character who is aware that the action is being do so, he can suffer damage or even die.
performed, that character can choose to counter-
act it, triggering a CONFRONTATION. Counteractions
NOTE: During a combat all enemies are considered aware of actions
by the player characters who have been discovered, and therefore A counteraction is any action performed to prevent
can counteract against whatever they do against them. or avoid another characters action during a confronta-
tion. It follows the same rules and has the same effects
A counteraction can be any action that could as an action.
make the triggering action fail, or allow the char- E.g. shooting your bow or slashing with your
acter to avoid its effects. sword as a successful counteraction will deal
E.g. Make the triggering action fail: A charac- damage as if it had been a triggering action.
ter can shoot back at someone shooting or at-
tacking him (and if successful he will be the one Characters can confront any number of actions that
dealing the damage!); he can affect their senses target or directly affect them during each Round.
or capacities; he can throw dust into someones However, performing one or more counteractions caus-
eyes when they are trying to grapple him, etc. es a character to become Spent and forfeit their turn, if
E.g. Avoiding the effects of the triggering ac- they have not taken it yet.
tion: He can dive behind cover; he can dodge the
sword swing; he can outrun his opponent; etc.

2. If the action is considered something that the


character could eventually perform successfully
if he had enough time or if he had any number
of tries, BUT he has limited time or aims to do it
on the first attempt, he is confronted by a TIME
SENSITIVE EVENT (TSE) (See page XXX), trigger-
ing a CONFRONTATION.
E.g. A thief is capable of climbing into an inca
fortress if given any amount of time or any
amount of tries, but because he needs to do
it quick before the daylight comes and with-
out falling once, he is confronted by a TSE.

26
Action Value E.g, advantages: Standing over a wall to fence off
some assailants; catching someone by surprise;
The action value is a numerical value used to deter- causing an impression on everyone on the table
mine the result of a characters action during a con- by using all the right words and ideas in a speech
frontation. There are several things that can modify the before playing to see its result, convincing some-
value of an action and its final value will affect the out- one you are speaking to the spirits of his family
come of the confrontation and determine its winner. if you know secret details of their relationship.
SKILLS
E.g., disadvantages: shooting a character who is behind
Every time a character performs an action he is using cover; fighting while having your hands tied; fighting
one Skill to do so. The Skill is the initial action value of in the dark; trying to impress someone while wearing
that character during a confrontation. poorly made clothes and being dirty; convincing some-
Additionally, if the Skill value of a character is 0, he one of something when you can only communicate
will suffer one disadvantage. with signs because you dont speak the same language.

LEV E L ( PL AY I N G CAR DS) There can be things that are not very clear if they
would give an advantage or a disadvantage (e.g. you
Each Skill has an associated Level, which determines:
could argue that you have an advantage for dodging
If he is a PC, how many cards he can play per ac- while behind cover, or that your opponent suffers one
tion from his hand to add their values to their disadvantage to shooting at you while you are behind
initial action value set by their Skill. cover), the effects are the same either way, it is just im-
For an NPC or TSE, how many cards they can play portant not to duplicate the importance of something
from the top of the deck to add their val-ues to by applying both solutions.
their initial action value.
NOTE: Characters can only perform one action each per Round, but TIP: When performing an action, do not simply state what it is that
they can perform any number of counteractions. you intend to do, explain how you do it and why in order to gain
advantages through role playing. Look for the best way to perform
A D V AN T AGE S AN D DISADV AN TAGES that action, taking into consideration your surroundings and be
creative and fun - make it easy for the GM to give you that valuable
Advantages (sometimes represented by a + symbol) advantage!
represent having a form of upper hand over an oppo-
nent, while disadvantages (sometimes represented by a
- symbol) represent difficulties or hindrances a char-
acter can have when trying to perform an action. PCs, EXHAUSTION
NPCs, TSEs and Checks can be affected by advantages Characters suffer a disadvantage every time
or disadvantages. they use again a Skill they have already used
Each advantage adds 3 points to the characters start- during the current Round. It stacks.
ing value, and each disadvantage subtracts 3 points to
the characters starting value.
Confrontations
NOTE: A starting value can be a negative number from suffering
disadvantages. A Confrontation takes place when a character per-
Both advantages and disadvantages can be gained forming his action is challenged and has a chance of
through equipment, talents, other abilities that grant failing and/or being affected by counteractions or a
them, or through roleplaying the situation. A character Time Sensitive Event.
can gain advantages from several sources at the same NOTE: The character performing the action that triggers a confronta-
time or even several advantages from the same source tion is called the triggering character and his action is called the trig-
if the benefit it provides is very strong. There are so gering action with the purpose of distinguishing it from other actions.
many possibilities that it is the job of the GM to deter-
mine how and when to grant advantages or disadvan- Normally an action or event can only target or af-
tages to characters. fect one character, to reflect a realistic scenario within
the short amount of time that these usually represent.

27
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

However, there are things that may target 5. The character with the lowest action E.g. Aapo cuts
or affect several characters, such a cannon value can either play a card or pass. Once a down the end of
or an avalanche falling on a group of char- character has passed, he cannot play any- the inca bridge he
acters. In those cases, all the affected char- more cards during this confrontation, even just crossed while
acters might be able to perform their re- if he has not reached his limit. Once a char- being chased by a
spective counteractions. acter reaches the limit of cards he can play conquistador and
NOTE: The main difference between an action and a he must pass. a crossbowman.
counteraction, is that counteractions cannot affect NOTE: If there is more than one character with the They try confront-
anyone else but the triggering character - and there- lowest action value, all the characters tied for the ing it by running
fore a counteraction will never trigger counteractions lowest action value play their cards face down and back to the other
or Time Sensitive Events itself. If a character performs reveal them simultaneously (or roll their dice at the side. In the ensu-
an action that would normally target or affect several same time). ing confrontation,
characters, during a counteraction, that action will the crossbowman
only affect the triggering character. TIP: In order to keep gameplay streamlined, it is achieves the high-
important that each participant of a confrontation est action value,
S T E PS O F A CON FRON TATION says the current value of their action out loud each
followed by Aapo,
time they play a new card. This way, nobody is forced
To resolve a confrontation, players must to calculate the value of the action of their opponent and the conquista-
always follow the same steps: every time he plays a card. dor has the lowest
action value. The
1. The triggering character declares his crossbowman man-
6. The previous step is repeated until all
triggering action, explaining which Skill he ages to get out of
characters have passed.
will be using, and he declares its target or the bridge before it
targets, if there are any. 7. Counteractions with a equal or lower falls down, but the
action value than the triggering action fail, conquistador drops
2. The GM declares the level of the con-
while those with a higher action value than to his death. Had
fronting TSE if there is one; as well as its
the triggering action are successful. the crossbowman
nature and the consequences that will hap-
pen if the TSE wins the confrontation. The triggering action completely fails if chosen to shoot at
there were any counteractions with a high- Aapo and gotten
3. Any affected characters who are aware
er action value that would make it fail, as the same results, he
of the triggering action and wish to con-
opposed to simply avoid its effects. If there would have dam-
front it declare valid counteractions, and
were none, it is successful only against aged Aapo mak-
explain which Skill they will use.
those who counteracted with an equal or ing his action fail,
NOTE: Counteractions cannot target or affect charac- lower action value. the bridge would
ters other than the triggering character. However, they have fallen an the
are as effective as actions, countering an attack with NOTE: If a TSE achieves a higher action value than the
triggering action, the reason for failure determined by conquistador would
one of your own and being successful is as good as still be alive.
attacking during your turn. the TSE that was declared comes true and the success
or failure of all other counteractions is determined as
usual.
4. Check who receives advantages and/
8. Depending on the levels of success the
or disadvantages and why. Players may de-
actions might have consequences (See page
scribe their plans, and any reasons why they
XXX).
think they deserve advantages or their op-
ponents deserve disadvantages. Then, the
GM decides what applies and what doesnt.
NOTE: During a multiple confrontation, a character
may be have advantages or disadvantages against
some characters but not against others. In that case,
calculate the advantages against each character
separately and determine the action values, winner,
and final level of success of each pair of confronted
characters separately.

28
CheckS
E.g. Complete ex-
ample of a check

COMING SOON!
A C H E C K T E S T S A characters skill in
an effort to overcome a hidden chal-
lenge, or a reactive and unconscious reflex
2. The GM, taking into account the na-
ture of the check, determines its dif-
ficulty and which Skill will the PCs
use. The GM can choose to maintain
or realization. A check does not require in-
in secret any or all the information
tent and it is not an action.
related to the check.
A check is usually requested by the GM to
E.g. An NPC is waiting ahead of the PCs
test whether a PC should be given certain
preparing an ambush, if the PCs are percep-
new information or not. E.g:
tive they might discover the ambush in time
Request the PCs to perform a Survival - the difficulty of the check is determined
check to find out if they see a hidden by the NPCs abilities and the GM decides
NPC ambushing them. that it is a Survival check. The GM requests
a check from the PCs but she does not want
Request the PCs to perform a Rites
them to suspect they are in danger, so she
check to find out if they sense dark
decides not to tell them whats the check
magic coming out of a ruin.
about nor the Skill they ll be using. The
Request the PCs to perform a PCs therefore only know that they have
Charisma check to find out if they re- to perform a check, but what is it about?
alize that someone is lying to them
from their nervous gestures. 3. The PCs involved in the check must
Certain abilities will also request a check, discard as many cards as the level
each of them will specify why and how to of the Skill they are using from the
resolve it. top of the deck. The PCs check value
is his Skill plus the highest card he
A check is not an action, it can be per- discarded.
formed at any time the GM declares it is
NOTE: A check does not count as performing an
necessary (alternatively, it can be request-
action, it does not cause exhaustion nor does the PC
ed by a player I look for clues). Any num- become Spent after performing a check.
ber of checks can be requested, and they do
not represent any time passing nor charac- 4. The PC is successful if his final check
ters become Spent after performing them. value is equal or higher than the
checks difficulty.
Resolving a check
5. The GM reveals to the PCs involved
A check is resolved in the following what she sees fit according to the re-
manner: sults. Because the PCs are unaware of
the result of the check, if they failed
1. At any time, the GM declares that a they can be provided with false infor-
PC or PCs must perform a check, or mation which they could believe to
a PC or PCs declare that they would be true.
like to perform one - in which case,
the GM must approve it before mov- NOTE: The PCs might never find out the results or the
ing to the next step. reason for the check.

29
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Calculating the difficul- When to repeat a failed


ty of the check Check
If the check relates to an NPC, discard TIP: If you find hard to You should not repeat a failed Check un-
from the top of the deck as many cards as decide the difficulty of less the circumstances surrounding said
the Check using these
the level of the NPC. The NPCs check value Check have changed drastically.
concepts, dont use these
is his Skill (Competent or Mediocre as de- difficulty levels. Instead, E.g. A character cannot repeatedly
termined by the GM) plus the highest card think of the different try to see what awaits for him at the
he discarded. hindrances that apply to end of a dark tunnel in a Temple un-
If the check relates to something inani- the situation, and give less he uses a Spell to help him, or
one disadvantage to the
mate, discard the card from the top of the throws a torch to lit the area.
PC for each important
deck and apply the following modifier: hindrance or difficulty. Telling a check apart
EA S Y ( + 0 ) from a confrontation
E.g. When searching,
Something very mundane. Failing it if it is dark, or if the The GM should be the one determining
would only be explained as a complete fail- ambusher is hidden when something is resolved as a check or
ure or an extraordinary lack of skill. in a very good spot, as a confrontation, but here you can find
E.g. The rotten, wooden floor of a lost ruin give disadvantages. some cues to help you figure it out:
in the middle of the jungle will collapse if
When trying to The rule of thumb is that in a confronta-
anyone on heavy armour steps on it, only
remember some- tion both parties are aware of what is hap-
a fool would do it; but perhaps a charac-
thing, if the subject pening and are actively doing whats being
ter with 0 Survival cannot tell the differ-
is from a foreign put to the test. While a check is only done
ence or lacks in self conservation instinct.
culture, if it relates when the GM wants to keep the nature of
to a very obscure what is happening secret, or she believes it
NOTE: It is only recommended to ask PCs to perform
an easy check if they completely lack on the Skill being subject, if the is something that shouldnt necessarily tire
tested (i.e. Characters with Skill 0). character isnt in the PCs out (remember that a PCs hand of
the right state of cards represents their stamina).
NO R M AL ( + 3 ) mind or didnt pay This means that is possible to test some-
attention when it thing as a check or a confrontation depend-
Something that would only go over the was happening; give
head of someone untrained, not paying ing on circumstantial information.
disadvantages.
attention or who was not aware it was E.g. If a PC is being ambushed, it is best to
possible. test if he realises in time of the danger by
making him perform a check - that way if
HA R D ( + 6 ) he fails he does not know what went on; if
Something that requires fairly advanced he was to resolve it as a confrontation the
training or knowledge. GM would need to provide him with infor-
mation about the NPC to resolve it, which
V E R Y H AR D (+ 9) would make the PC, at the very least, suspi-
Something that requires to be a specialist cious. In the other hand, if the PC is the
in the subject to be achieved, and perhaps one ambushing a group of NPCs, the GM
a fair amount of luck. can declare that he has to confront them
using Stealth - the situation is the same as
EP I C ( + 1 2 ) the previous one, but the awareness about
To be able to achieve this a characters what is happening has shifted and there-
capacity has to be among the best in the fore the GM sees it fit to resolve it as a
known world. confrontation (also, it can be argued that
hiding is something you do actively, while
seeing something behind the bushes is not).

30
Levels of succesS
D E P E N D I N G O N T H E difference between the final
value of an action and its confronting actions
final value, its level of success will be different.
Regular success
When successful by 2 to 4 points higher than its con-
fronting action, the action achieves a regular success:
It has the corresponding regular effect as determined
Pyrrhic success by the gear used (or by the GM, if there are not specific
rules for it).
When successful by up to 1 point higher than its con-
fronting action, the action has its regular effect as de-
Critical success
termined by the gear used (or by the GM, if there are
not specific rules for it) with negative consequences. When successful by 5 or more points than its con-
Negative consequences can be anything the GM sees fronting action, the action achieves a critical suc-
fit and that makes sense for the story and the action cess and it will successful with positive consequences,
taking place. somehow amazingly effective as determined by the GM
(the more points over, the more amazing).
A few examples of things that could be considered
negative consequences are: A few examples of things that could be considered
positive consequences are:
If the character was using a weapon or tool, that
piece of equipment suffers one or two points of When dealing damage (or any other numerical ef-
deterioration. fect) duplicate the damage dealt.

If the character was moving he could fall, and be Your opponent falls down or somehow else ends
in a disadvantageous position for the next action. up in a disadvantageous situation.

If he was shooting at a target, that target then The person you were bartering with enjoyed your
moves behind cover (or if he was a target the PCs company and gives you something small as a
wanted to interrogate and he was only shot to be present.
wounded, he might fall over a wall to his death) The person you were talking to, or someone else
If the character was lying to someone, another present, falls for you and will go over what he
character detects the lie (e.g. If the character was should to help you out (e.g. Yes, I could take you
pretending to be from another tribe, the chief be- myself to see the relic... If we go alone, pss, my
lieves him, but the shaman realises that his hand master is lying to you, hes prepare a trap, run!).
gestures when speaking are foreign, what will the Your opponents weapon flies off his hand, he is
shaman do with the information?). unarmed until he gets it back somehow.
The opponent is tackled down as intended but he While you stealthily look for a specific treasure
makes enough noise to raise the alarm. in someones room, you find something else too...
The character shots straight, but then realises he
has ran out of ammo.
The action is successful, but the confronting
character manages to do something about it and
does not lose his turn.

31
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Drawing cardS
P LAY E R C H ARA C T E RS C A N draw cards
in several instances.
When a character plays a card, he may
Beginning of a Scene
At the beginning of each scene, all play-
ers will keep their current hand of cards
Complete ex-
ample of how
to draw cards.

be subject to drawing new cards from the and draw back up to a total hand of seven COMING SOON!
deck to his hand. There are two instances cards.
when this can happen and if both of them
occur simultaneously only the most benefi- Running out of cards
cial takes place.
If at any time a player or the GM does not
NPCs cannot draw cards, as they do not have any cards in their hand, they must
have their own hand of cards. draw a card. If that card is drawn during
a confrontation, it cannot be played until
Playing with the suit that confrontation has been resolved.

If a player character plays a card, and the


suit matches the type of action that he is
performing the action, he can immediately
draw a card from the deck to his hand. This
represents the player character acting ef-
fectively, resulting in less exhaustion.
E.g. Achcauhtli is a guide trying convince
some spanish explorers to go in a dif-
ferent direction, as he does not want
them to reach his village. He confronts
the explorers leader trying to deceive
him. If he plays a social cards during this Use your cards/dice
confrontation, he ll draw a new one. wisely before its too
late.

AFFINITY
Additionally, each player character has
Affinity to a suit. When he plays a card
that matches the suit of the type of action
he is performing AND it is his Affinity, he
draws two cards instead of one, keeps one
of them, and puts the other back on top of
the deck or the discard pile.

Proficiency
Whenever a player character plays a card
with a value equal to or less than his Skills
level, he immediately draws a card. This
represents that the character is very ca-
pable in this area and the low effort cor-
responding to playing a low card does not
tire him out.

32
The rounD
Overview: During a Round characters take turns to perform one Spent characters lose their turn during the current
action each in the order established by their Initiative. Performing Round if they have not taken it yet; but they can still
actions can trigger confrontations, usually when the action is against perform further counteractions.
someone - a confrontation must be fully resolved before continuing
to resolve the Round.
Steps of a Round
One important aspect is that if you take part in a counteraction
Overview: During a Round, Ready characters take turns performing
before taking your turn, youll become Spent and lose your turn this
one action each. After every character has become Spent, the Round
Round. Its also worth mentioning that attacking back is a possible
ends. If the conflict is still ongoing, begin a new Round.
counteraction. Though you lose your turn when you do so, it is still
as effective as an attack action and though your attack may not be
Once the GM has explained the conflict, it is time to
against the target you initially had in mind, attacking back at a char- determine who gets to act first and what happens next.
acter forces him to focus on you. To do so, follow these steps:
1. The order in which characters take their turn
A Round represents a few seconds during which char- to perform their actions is determined by their
acters rapidly perform actions. They are the game me- Initiative, from highest to lowest value.
chanic that establishes the order of play of all the char-
acters trying to outperform each other. In case of a tie, player characters will always go
first, followed by the NPCs in the order of the
E.g. The team enters the inca tomb, feeling re- GMs choosing. In case of a tie between player
laxed after having avoided the trap in the entrance. characters, they must come to an agreement or
However, they were not expecting soldier mum- tell their actions in secret to the GM, who will de-
mies to be guarding inside. Now, before any charac- termine who goes first.
ter performs any actions begin a Round to see who
acts first, and resolve the ensuing Confrontations 2. Players can Rush. Following the Initiative order,
to determine who succeeds and who fails. each player can choose to discard one card from
his hand, adding that cards value to his Initiative
All timed actions during a conflict must be declared to calculate the Initiative order during the ensu-
and resolved within the context of a Round. Declarations ing Round.
before the Round are not valid nor binding. NOTE: NPCs cannot rush.
E.g. Following the previous example, as soon as he TIP: Discarding cards does not trigger card drawing mechanics.
hears about the soldier mummies, Mark, playing Jose,
3. A Ready character taking his turn can choose ei-
a priest, declares that he turns around and runs away.
ther (1) to perform his action, and then become
But the GM is forced to stop him there, Joses action
Spent and end his turn; or (2) to wait, allowing
must be performed during his turn during the Round
the next character to take their turn before his
- it is the characters Initiative what established the or-
own. He can wait several times, letting any num-
der of play. If Jose is fast he might get to run away be-
ber of characters go first. Other Ready characters
fore the mummies do anything, but otherwise he might
may choose to wait as well; and if all characters
get caught up in the conflict (perhaps he ll end up
choose to wait, the last one that can do so must
performing a different type of action to save his skin).
perform an action.
Ready & Spent characters 4. When a Ready character chooses to perform an ac-
At the beginning of a Round all characters in the area tion on his turn, he declares his action. This may
caught up in the conflict are Ready. During a Round a trigger a confrontation against a Time Sensitive
character can become Spent in the following instances: Event (TSE) or another character, which must be
resolved before resuming the Round.
He performs a counteraction when being the tar-
NOTE: If the action does not trigger a confrontation, it is considered
get of an action.
an unconfronted action and therefore can have the level of success
He performs an action during his turn. of his choice (pyrrhic, regular, or critical).

33
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

5. The next Ready character in the initi-


ADVANCED RULES
ative order takes his turn. Repeat this C OLLABORATI VE AC TI ONS
step until there are no more Ready
characters remaining. A collaborative action is a single action that is performed
by more than one character.To perform a collaborative ac-
MO R AL tion, all participating players play as a single character with
If during the Round abilities that cause the Skill and Level of one of them of their choice, gaining
Fear were used, or if the GM sees it nec- one advantage for each character participating in the action
essary, at the end of the Round certain after the first. The cards played for the action can come from
character will need to perform a nor- the hand of any of the players participating, but not more
mal Discipline Check (6) modified by the than one card per player.
following: E.g. Two or more characters holding a door closed while a
If the sum of the level of the char- huge creature tries to open it to get to them; several char-
acters in their side of the conflict is acters lifting a hurt companion to get him to safety, etc.
higher than the opponents, they gain
one advantage towards the Check. If A collaborative action must always be a single action. A
it is the opposite, they suffer a disad- character opening a door with a kick so his friend can shoot
vantage instead. with his bow inside cannot be considered a collaborative ac-
tion, but two normal actions that need to be well chained
By each instance of Fear they together to succeed. The most immediate goal of the action
were affected by they suffer one tells us if it is collaborative. In the previous example, the
disadvantage. first characters goal was allowing his friend to perform his
Characters who fail the Moral Check lose action. They do not share the same immediate goal and thus
control and will do anything in their power are not consider a collaborative action.
to get away to safety as fast as possible. The
PERMANENT
GM will take control of PCs until they are in
safety or have a change of heart Permanent effects are always in use and they always trigger
when they are applicable. Their use is not optional and they
E.g. The GM might allow the player to
must be applied if at all possible. All abilities are Permanent
perform the Check again if some game
by default and unless specified otherwise.
changing thing takes place, such as see-
ing his best friend be struck down). AC TI ON AS AN ABI LI TY
Actions during a Round Some abilities have the keyword Action. They require the
character to dedicate an action to use them. The Skill that
During Rounds, actions should only need should be used varies for each specific ability.
one verb to be described. If the word and
is included, the character is probably try- REAC TI ON
ing to perform two or more actions linked Reactions are additional effects to whatever they react to
to each other and he will probably need and they take place an instant after their trigger (there is no
several turns to be able to do that. Here is a time to perform actions between the trigger and all of its re-
basic template to describe actions: actions). Several reactions may be triggered simultaneously,
I [verb] [preposition if needed] [target] the GM decides in which order they occur.
E.g. I attack the guard. I move behind Some reactions are forced reactions, every time they are
cover. I dodge towards the door. triggered they must be resolved, even if the character does
not want it to. Others are unique, if something were to trig-
To keep the game realistic and organic, ger several reactions, it will only trigger one of the unique
characters are allowed to move up to 2.5 reactions from that character. A reaction can be both forced
metres (~8 ft) while performing an action. and unique at the same time.
E.g. I enter the room and then I at- I NSTANT
takc the guard. I jump on my
Effects with the keyword instant can be used at any time,
horse and I gallop away.
even outside the characters turn.

34
Game masters
guidE
Complete exam-
ple of how to to
use an NPC
T H E S E A RE RE S O UR C ES to aid GMs in
their endeavours to create challeng-
ing and interesting stories.
of the group. Using a higher level NPC in-
stead of several low level NPCs can be used
to add variety. Varied encounters will force
the players to play smart and try to gain
COMING SOON! advantages through role playing to rise
Non-player characters victorious.
(NPCs)
This is, of course, just a very rough guide-
Non-player characters (NPCs) are charac- line; you should plan your encounters
ters controlled by the GM. They are the key based on your story needs. We recommend
to many stories, and they can be friends, that you allow for different resolution
foes, or simply neutral. They can be as sim- paths other than the classical team-death-
ple or as complex as the GM wants: she is match resolution; this will also allow you
in charge of developing their backstories, to create unbalanced encounters that need
if they need them. While with many NPCs an additional step to be resolved
most interactions will consist of talking or
E.g. have the players fight an over-
trading, others might perform actions and
whelming force, forcing them to use
engage in confrontations.
other means to obtain victory. Perhaps
NPC cards represent simplified charac- they need to lure the strongest oppo-
ters with the information needed to use nents into a trap, or use the environ-
them in a quick encounter. Additionally, ment as a weapon: using fire or bringing
they can be used as a base for the GM to down walls and ceilings - or any other
create a more elaborate character if the cool ideas your players come up with!
story requires it. SKI LLS
LE V E L NPCs do not have the same Skills as the
player characters. Instead, they have a
The level of an NPC determines the num-
Competent and a Mediocre Skill. It is up to
ber of cards it can play every time it per-
the GM to decide which of the two Skill the
forms an action.
NPC uses for each action and it is also up
NPCs do not have a hand of cards to play to her to determine how many areas they
during confrontations. Instead, whenev- cover. I
er they can play a card, they play the first
In any case, the GM is always free to
card from the top of the deck, which never
modify the values of the NPC Skills to
triggers any drawing card mechanics.
serve the story better, but she should in-
Additionally, you can use the NPC level form the players beforehand to avoid any
as a guide to determine the difficulty of misunderstandings.
an encounter. A recommended encounter
E.g. A warrior might use the Competent
has a number of NPCs which added level
Skill for Shooting, Melee and Athletics;
is at least equal to the added level of all
but the Mediocre Skill for Charisma and
the PCs. Adding or removing NPCs can be
Knowledge. But it will all depend on what
used to balance the difficulty to the taste
the GM thinks that fits best that specific

35
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

character - a warrior can be charismatic, the task, the Skill and level of the charac- Complete exam-
and a priest can be good at running. ters and the needs of the story to decide ple of how to
HE AL T H how long it takes them. to use a TSE.

Most NPCs who are not important for the E.g. Pachacuti has Survival 3. She is trek-
COMING SOON!
story can be considered dead once they are king through the inca mountains with
Bleeding Out or Traumatised. enough supplies for one month, and the
GM determines it would take a skilled
NPCs can suffer generic injuries, each trekker two weeks to travel this route.
gives them one disadvantage. Pachacuti is only an average traveller, so
FR I E N D L Y N PCS the GM determines she can do it with-
out a confrontation, but it takes her a
Not all NPCs must be enemies. Most will whole month, exhausting her supplies.
be neutral, but a few might be friendly or
even allies. Some NPCs might act as friend- Otherwise, if the characters are in a hurry
ly NPCs even though they are not, because or are using a Skill with a value of 0, a TSE
they are pretending, they are forced to do will confront them as if it was an NPC, play-
so, or other reasons. Regardless of the rea- ing a number of cards against them equal
son, when the GM declares a friendly NPC to its level and with an initial action value
joins the group, she can give control over of 0. TSEs do not have a Skill value and they
him to any of the players (or to the team as do not suffer a disadvantage because of it.
a whole). The GM can retake control over
an NPC at any time for any reason E.g. If Pachacuti were in a hurry (per-
haps she does not have a month worth
E.g. The players are not playing them of supplies, or she has somewhere to be),
correctly, they are abusing their she could push her luck and trek through
power, the NPC has different ideas the steppes faster. In this case, the
about what should happen, etc. GM determines that Pachacuti is con-
fronted by a TSE. If she loses, she could
While having an NPC under his control, a end up delayed, lost, or even worse, as
PC will control him exactly as the GM con- determined by the GM; but if she suc-
trols her NPCs - the friendly NPC will play ceeds, she completes the trek faster.
his cards from the top of the deck.
TSEs do not have a hand of cards to play
Time-sensitive events during confrontations. Instead, whenev-
(TSEs) er they can play a card, they play the first
card from the top of the deck, which never
Time-sensitive events (TSEs) are time triggers any drawing card mechanics.
sensitive problems that pose an obstacle
to the characters. There is a wide range of
events and things that can generate a TSE,
such an avalanche in a mountain, or a trap
going off. It is the job of the GM to deter-
mine when such obstacles should be con-
sidered TSEs for the purpose of confronta-
tions, and to establish their level.
It is recommended that in order to pre-
sent a minor challenge, a TSE should play
as many cards as the PC, a moderate chal-
lenge should play one card more, and a
hard one, two more.
TIP: If you consider a TSE easy enough to overcome
that it should play less cards than the PCs, simply let
them perform the action without a confrontation.
The GM should consider the difficulty of

36
37
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

CharacterS
E AC H PLAY E R C O N T RO L S a single character and
develops who that person is and what their mo-
tivations are what are their dreams and struggles?
alogues, making the decisions their characters would
make, and using the relevant mechanics of the game to
determine whether their characters rise victorious, or
The more compelling a character is, the more reward- fail miserably.
ing the experience of playing will be. The GM should encourage the other players to talk
The players who are not the GM play the protagonist about the backstory of their characters and how they
characters of the story. They are in charge of play- imagine them. Together, they can become an amazing
ing the role of their characters: performing their di- group of characters who will live great adventures.

LEVEL AFFI NI TY
Tick the suit of your Affinity.
I NI T I AT I V E SPI RI T &
EXP ERI ENC E
S KI L L S H EALTH
Write down the Skills
Write down your Health in the
value in the diamond,
heart shape, and take note of the
black out as many cards
damage you have suffer in the
as the Skills level. The
diamond next to it.
body part icon, tells
Whenever you suffer an injury,
you which injuries cause
take note of it in the corresponding
disadvantages to which
diamond next to the body part.
Skill. Write down any
Skill Talents in the space
next to it. TRAI TS
Write down here your personality
traits and your prejudices.

AB I L I T I E S GEAR
Write down any addi- Write down here the gear you
tional abilities, spells, and carry. Tick the circles to keep track
curses here. If you have of your gears deterioration.
an advanced class, write it
down here as well.

38
HealtH
Health States Damage
Depending on the amount of damage a character has To keep track of the damage a character or device has
suffered, a character can be in three different health suffered, mark the corresponding space in his charac-
states or even dead. ter sheet or use a suitable token or counter.

NOR MAL I NJURI ES


The health state of a character is normal for as long Any time a character suffers damage he might also
as he has more Health than damage. suffer an injury. An injury represents a hindrance of
some kind.
When a character has equal or less Health than dam-
age he becomes Bleeding Out - unless the character A character takes an injury when the amount of dam-
who damaged him last wishes to knock him out instead, age suffered from a single source is higher than his
in that case the character becomes traumatised instead level. Additionally, other rules might also cause inju-
(The GM can determine that certain attacks cannot ries for other reasons.
traumatised even if intended, e.g. shooting an arrow,
Characters can be injured any number of times in the
setting him on fire, etc).
body, but only once in each arm, leg and in the head.
B LE E D I NG O UT If they are injured a second time in the same limb,
A bleeding out character cannot act, but he might the limb is severed; and if they are injured a second
speak if the GM sees it fit. time in the head they are traumatised.

At the end of each Round, a bleeding out character Unless specified by the reason of the injury, the GM
will suffer one unpreventable damage. A character determines the type of injure. She can either choose
who does not stop being bleeding out by the end of the the body part, or discard a card from the top of the
scene dies. deck and use the value to decide: 1 head, 2 torso, 3 right
arm, 5 left arm, 5 right leg, 6 left leg.
NPCs will generally ignore characters that are bleed-
ing out until they have taken care of all other threats. Most Skills relate to one of the following body parts:
Legs, arms, or head. Characters suffer one disadvan-
T R AUM AT I S E D tage when using a Skill related to an injured body
The character is unconscious and will not regain con- part. Torso injuries do not affect any Skill, but
sciousness until he receives enough medical attention they will make healing harder as any other injury.
to recovers enough health to be in the normal health NPCs can only have generic injuries, each gives them
state. one disadvantage towards their Competent Skill.
D EA D ARMOUR
A character who dies is removed from the game, if Some pieces of equipment and other effects provide
that character was a PC, the player who played him their users with an armour value. Whenever the char-
should make a new character and discuss with the GM acter is about to receive physical damage from an
how his new character should join the party to contin- external source, subtract its armour from the base
ue playing. It is recommended to make this new charac- damage.
ter with as much experience as his previous character.
A character can also die of starvation, drowning, ex- UNPREVENTABLE DAMAGE
cessive mutilation, etc. The effects of these possibili- Unpreventable damage cannot be reduced, cancelled
ties are left for the GM to determine. or prevented in any way.

39
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

R E C O VE R I NG DAM AG E Complete example SEVERED LI MBS


of how to perform
When you have a limb severed, you have
NATURAL REST Medical actions.
one short time effect and a long time effect
While in normal health state, one phys- that lastS forever:
COMING SOON!
ical damage point can be recovered per
The short time effect is that youll suf-
good nights rest of in-game time after it
fer one unpreventable damage at the end
has been suffered; and one injury of your
of every round until you are the target of a
choice per week of in game time.
successful Medical action.
NOTE: If the characters are being chased,
The long time effect is that your limb is
they are crossing the ocean during a storm
always considered to be injured, it cannot
or somehow else are suffering disturbances
be healed, and it cannot be longer be se-
they might see their natural rest recovery
lected to be injured or severed again.
delayed as much as the GM sees fit.

MEDICAL ACTIONS
Characters can use their Medical Skill to
heal themselves or other players. A wound
confronts a Medical action as if it was an
NPC with a Skill equal to the amount of
damage on the character and plays as many
cards as the number of injuries on the
character. Additionally, certain situation-
al effects might give disadvantages to the
medic as determined by the GM. Here are
some examples:
The character performing the action does
not have any gear for it.
The character is performing the action
on himself.
There are two types of Medical actions:

Surgery
A surgery action takes as many hours to
complete as the number of cards played by
the wound. A successful surgery action re-
moves all the damage on the character.
The character performing the surgery
action can forfeit any number of injured
limbs of the patient, if he does, the injuries
on those limbs do not count when calculat-
ing how many cards the wound plays.

First aid
A first aid action takes a turn to perform.
A successful first aid action stops the char-
acter from dying from bleeding out, and
from suffering unpreventable damage from
being bleeding out or from a severed limb.
A fail first aid action, deals one unprevent-
able damage to the patient.

40
SkillS
All actions use one Skill or another. Each Skill has a Rites
value and a level, which determines how many cards
you can play each time you use it. You use Rites to use Spells and for religion and magic
based Checks.
If an action cannot relate to any Skills in the follow-
ing list, you can still try to perform the action with a Perception
value of zero and using your general level to determine
how many cards you can play when using it. You use Perception to see hidden things or charac-
ters, or to read peoples emotions and intentions in
Shooting their faces and gestures.

You use Shooting with ranged weapons, or throwing Medical


things.
You use Medical to care for wounds.
Melee
Survival
You use Melee when attacking with close quarters
combat weapons, or when attacking with your body or You use Survival to find things like food or resources
improvised weapons. in hostile environments, to orient yourself in a new lo-
cation, or know how to act in the wild.
Crafting
Profession
You use Crafting to repair things or creating small-
scale items. You use Profession to represent your ability in an
area of knowledge or craft, and your status and pres-
Athletic tige between those people.

You use Athletic to perform activities that involve Discipline


physical strength, speed or endurance; such as run-
ning, climbing, swimming, etc. You use Discipline to test your self control and capac-
ity to keep your cool in dangerous situations.
Stealth
Tolerance
You use Stealth to try to move or act without being
noticed. You use Tolerance when trying to control your
Prejudices.
Riding
You use Riding when you are trying to sit on or con-
injury disadvantages
trol the movement of an animal or a transport.
For each injury in your arms youll suffer one
Charisma disadvantage towards your Shooting, Melee and
Crafting actions.
You use Charisma when performing social
interactions. For each injury in your legs youll suffer one
disadvantage towards your Athletic, Stealth, and
Knowledge Riding actions.
For each injury in your head youll suffer one
You use Knowledge to recollect your memory about
disadvantage towards your Charisma, Knowledge,
any type of information.
Rites, Survival, and Medical actions.

41
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

TalentS
Talents are specialist or unique abilities that relate
to a specific Skill.
You can obtain one Talent of a Skill when its value
is 3 or higher, a second Talent when it is 5 or higher, a
third when it is 7 or higher, and a fourth when it is 9.
Each Talent has its own cost in experience points.

Charisma
C O NS U MM ATE D ACTOR
REACTION: When pretending to be people other than
yourself, gain one advantage towards making others
believe your character is real.

Rites M
an
PR I E S T H O O D SCR IPTU RE S y
m
You know all the Miracles from the Priesthood o
Scriptures.
so r e
OL D T E S T AM E N T SCRIPTU RE on Co
! m
You know all the Miracles from the Old Testament in
Scriptures. g
Perception
EA GL E Y E
REACTION: When trying to Search for something in
the distance, gain one advantage.

Discipline
FE AR
REACTION: After you attack a character for the first
time, hell suffer one instance of Fear.

FI GH T T H E U N N ATU R AL
REACTION: Ignore the first time per Scene that you
are going to be affected by an instance of Fear from a
non-human character.

Tolerance
OPE N M I ND E D
Remove one of your Prejudices.

42
Character traitS
personality traits I NDOMI TABLE
Each character has between two and four Personality You have a iron forged will that resists any form of
Traits that roughly define that characters personality. manipulation. But you are also headstrong and wont
Personality Traits can be positive, neutral, or negative. listen to reason other than your own.
Characters can gain or lose personality traits if they REC KLESS
start to be part of that characters behaviour, they lose
Like a Spanish miura bull towards the red cape, thats
the drive to behave that way, or if they overcome their
how you launch yourself forward, with full abandon, no
shortcomings.
matter what, no matter whom.
Both the GM and the player must keep track of his per-
sonality traits. The PC can justify his actions through ADDI C TED ( X)
them, and the GM can request a PC to act in a certain You feel its clenching fist around your neck, but also
way to act accordingly to his personality. If the PC does the liberating experience of just giving it another go.
not want to act that way, he can perform a Discipline It takes control and slowly tears you apart. You depend
Check to keep himself under control. on it to live.
E.g. A Character with the Coward personality trait is in
C AREFUL
front of a cavalry charge of the Spanish conquistador
force. The GM says that he should act like a coward The world is full of danger; you can never be too
and make a run for it, leaving his friends behind. The careful. Youve seen one too many reckless fool race
player controlling the PC claims he will try to control towards an early grave, and you aint gonna travel that
himself and keep his ground. He performs a normal well trodden path.
Discipline check (+3), if he success he stays, but if he
fails he loses control over the character and the GM
BEAUTI FUL
decides what he does to get himself out of harms way. You have been born with remarkable beauty
and charm. Those whose gaze rests upon you are
Usually, the Checks difficulty should be normal, but
thunderstruck.
all kinds of circumstances can make the check easier
or harder. APOSTATE
E.g. In the previous example, being part of a larg- Theres nothing for you on the other side. This lifes
er force in top of a hill could give one advantage more than enough (enough death, enough disease), and
to the PC, while being alone, wounded, or suf- you aint gonna pretend otherwise.
fering other type of hindrances could make him
suffer a number of disadvantages instead.

C UR I O U S
If you see something interesting and irresistible (e.g.
the entrance of a cave, an open drawer, etc) you are Many more COMING SOON!
lured to it like a moth to flames.

A V AR I C I O U S
Your want is a bottomless pit, a hole that cannot be
filled. The insatiable need to fill the gaps of ownership
guides you in a quest for material gain and wealth.

B R AVE
Valorous, forthright and determined, you press on
when others turn tail. You do not avoid danger but
fight it straight on.

45
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

PREJUDICE TRAITS RAC I ST Please keep in mind that a


character does not have be
A characters prejudices are an impor- You are prejudiced against people of happy with his own preju-
tant part of who he is, and may play piv- other races. dices; many prejudiced people
otal roles in the story. Most often than are not, and fight a constant
not, prejudices will be inner obstacles in
XENOPH OBE battle against ideas they can-
not get rid of. You can, with
the characters adventure, making him You are prejudiced against people of
a change of perspective, turn
act to satisfy his personal bias rather than other nationalities and cultures.
your characters prejudice
doing what is best in each given situation.
But, sometimes prejudices might prove I MPERI ALI ST into the struggle that defines
his personality.
useful, as it might allow the character to You are prejudiced against people from
bond with similar minded individuals. other outside your nations control. E.g. Marco is a homo-
At any time a character can act upon his phobe, he has grown in
SEXI ST a society in which same
prejudices (how tastefully or gracefully
he does it is to be part of the groups dis- Choose a gender. You are prejudiced sex love is a sin and a
cussion on how comfortable you are with against people of that gender. crime. Marco has seen
it), but generally the player wont want this since his childhood,
H OMOPH OBI C with no one to offer
to, as it usually means getting in trouble
or in the bad side of other characters. You are prejudiced against characters him an alternative per-
you believe to be homosexual. spective, so to him this
E.g. You might need help from the na- is the truth. As a teen-
tive scout you despise so much. C LASSI ST ( X) ager, Fernando, his best
Playing the characters prejudices is re- friend, was accused
Choose one or more Status (Pariah,
solved the same way you resolve the per- of being feminine and
Peasant, or Noble). You are prejudiced
sonality traits, but performing Tolerance a homosexual. Marco
against people of that Status.
Checks. could see that it was
ELI TI ST true in his friends eyes.
Both the GM and the player must keep He broke all ties with
track of the PCs prejudices, and when You are prejudiced against people Fernando, joining the
they could be triggered, the GM can re- whose highest Skill is lower than your other kids that mocked
quest a Check - which, if failed, forces the highest Skill. and bullied him.
player to act upon his beliefs, even if it
they are wrong or go against his actual
RELI GI OUS ZEALOT Fernando simply took it
in, and when he turned
needs in the current situation. But, if the You are prejudiced against characters 15 he left in a ship
player is successful, the character can you believe to be of other religious. to the Americas. Ten
swallow his bias for this one time. years later Marco also
TRADI TI ONALI ST
A regular failure will make you show jumped in a ship to try
your prejudice in a passive aggressive You are prejudiced against new things luck in the New World.
way. You are more likely to offend, lie or themes, technology, advancements of Now that he is here, he
and boycott any social interaction with all kinds, etc. cannot stop thinking
them; youll be happy denounce them, ex- of his childhood friend,
MODERNI ST and although he still
aggerate their weaknesses and flaws, etc.
You are prejudiced against old things or believes Fernando to be
A critical failure will represent you themes, traditions, etc. a sinner, he feels ter-
completely lose control over yourself rible about how things
and act like a madman: You will go out went. He hopes to find
of your way to act against them, you will Your group might find playing flawed Fernando and make
physically attack them, youll plot against character in this matters unpleasant. These
peace with him. Who
them, etc. Your actions can be as crazy as rules are meant to represent the mindset of
the age, and add drama and flaws to your
knows, maybe Marco
throwing stuff at them during peace ne- is hiding something
characters, but that does not mean you
gotiations, or attacking them even if they from himself? Maybe
must use them. You can ignore these rules
are stronger and in a better position... altogether if you want. It is perfectly fine to he is what he despises.
go for fun over historical realism!

46
The geaR
I N D C A, C H AR AC T E RS can carry and use any kind
of gear they might acquire, find, or craft. Some of
the most important pieces of equipment are represent-
Reload: REACTION: After you shoot this, it can
no longer be used until a character spends an action
cleaning it.
ed on cards containing all the important information Poisonous X: REACTION: After being success-
needed to use them. However, we encourage players to fully attack by this, every time a round ends, use
create their own gear if they find the need for it. Athletics to confront a level X TSE, if you fail, suffer X
unpreventable damage. Remove this once after being
Level the target of a successful Medical action.
Non-weapon gear can be of one of these three types: Armour: Armour can be Soft or Hard. Both armours
reduce the damage you take from each source by their
Normal: Nothing special.
value. Piercing weapons ignore Soft armour.
Magical: It has the keyword magical (certain
abilities require these keywords to work). Weapons
Legendary: It has the keywords magical and Weapons can either attack in Melee or Shooting. Both
legendary (certain abilities require these keywords to can deal certain damage and they can provide advan-
work). tages or disadvantages when used.
Weapons can be of one of these three levels: Melee weapons can attack anyone within your sight
Primitive: Every time this is used, successfully in Melee reach, usually up to 2.5 meters away from you;
or not, it gains one deterioration. while Shooting weapons can attack anyone within your
sight in Shooting reach, usually up to 100 meters away
Forged: Nothing special. from you. Certain weapons provide further reach, or
Legendary: It has the keywords magical and more advantages or disadvantages depending on the
legendary (certain abilities require these keywords to distance.
work).

Common Characteristics
Some pieces of equipment have commonplace char-
acteristics that are only described on the card if there
is enough space, otherwise you can find them here:
Piercing: It ignores soft armour.
Concussion: When calculating if an attack with
this weapon causes injuries, consider that the damage
was not reduced by armour.
Magical: It has the keyword magical (certain abili-
ties require this keyword to work).
Fire: Enemies within your Melee range suffer
one disadvantage towards Moral checks.
Fear: REACTION: After being successfully attacked
by this, you must perform a Moral check with one
disadvantage.

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Deterioration FAULTY
Deterioration is an advance rule that Forced reaction: After it gains this, suffer
a group of players can use to add another one disadvantage when using it.
layer of interest to their games. It is rec-
ommended when playing adventures based BLUNT
around a survival theme, but it might be Forced reaction: After it gains this, it deals
cumbersome and unfocused when playing one less damage than usual.
campaigns more based around diplomacy.
STUC K
Certain pieces of gear can gain deteriora-
tion. Deterioration is gained through using Forced reaction: If this was triggered by
or being affected by abilities. Each gear has suffering a Melee attack, your opponent
a track of its deterioration that goes up to performs a normal Melee Check (+3), if he
10. You can track the deterioration in sev- fails, his weapon is stuck in this and neither
eral ways: this nor his weapon can be used.

Writing it down somewhere, such as the RI P PED


character sheet.
Forced reaction: After it gains this, it pro-
Using a token and placing it on the cor- vides one less armour than usual.
responding space on the deterioration
track. Repairing actions
Using card shelves and an erasable pen,
Characters can use their Crafting Skill
you can tick or cross the spaces used in the
to repair gear. Deterioration confronts a
deterioration track.
Technical action as if it was an NPC with
Every time the deterioration goes on or a Skill equal to the amount of deteriora-
over an icon, it triggers its effect. Once a tion on the gear and plays as many cards as
gear has reach 10 deterioration, every time the level of the gear (1, if normal or impro-
it gains an additional deterioration it trig- vised; 2, if magical or forged; 3 if legendary
gers the last icons effect on the track. or epic). Additionally, certain situational ef-
fects might give disadvantages to the char-
e.g. If a gear with 10 deteriora-
acter as determined by the GM. Here are
tion gains 3 deterioration, it triggers
some examples:
its last icons effect three times.
The character performing the action
These are the possible deterioration
does not have any gear for it.
effects:
The character is performing the action
J AMM E D without parts for replacements.
Forced reaction: After it gains, discard a The time it takes to perform a repairing
card from the top of the deck, if it is a 1 or 2 action is up to the GM (repairing only a few
it is jammed and can no longer be used until points of deterioration on an improvised
a character spends an action cleaning it. weapon might be possible to perform in a
B R O KE N turn, but repairing a forged weapon might
take hours or days). A successful repairing
Forced reaction: After it gains this, it is action removes all the deterioration on the
broken and can no longer be used. gear. A failed repairing action, has no fur-
C O MPR OM ISE D ther effects, unless the character fails by a
critical and the GM sees it fit (the GM can
Forced reaction: After it gains this, dis- determine to add further deterioration or
card a card from the top of the deck, if it is a even claim that the gear is no longer possi-
1 or 2 it is broken and can no longer be used. ble to repair).

44
ReligioN
W H E N T W O O P P O S E D world views clashed, religion was usually at
the centre of the struggle. The rules of DCA are designed to reflect this
fact.

47
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

48
SpiriT
THE SUPERNATURAL IS a fickle and incomprehensible thing.
Some brave men and women try to control it, to study it and
to understand it; but all they can achieve is to let it flow
through them. And while it is empowering like nothing else,
it is also dangerous, and it can turn against you as fast as it
was helping.

S PI RI T I S T H E abstract concept that


encompasses all the different forms
of power granted by belief, magic, spirits
But that is not necessarily the truth,
the result of the Check will say how much
Spirit he has truly gained - which will only
be known to the GM, who will take note of
and everything supernatural and divine.
it on the GMs sheet.
What grants spirit to characters depends
on their religion. The difference between both values rep-
resents the characters lack of understand-
Characters can spend Spirit points to use
ing of the supernatural and the grander
powers that they know. Characters can
schemes behind the magical powers; a lack
spend or lose more Spirit than they have,
of understanding of the rites and fool-
but they can never have less than zero
ishness can drive characters to use more
Spirit. Instead, each point they spend
Spirit than they have and theyll pay the
when they already have 0 Spirit gives
price for it.
them 1 Corruption without them knowing.
With a critical success, hell gain double
Gaining Spirit the cards value spirit; with a regular suc-
cess, hell gain as much as the cards value;
Characters can gain Spirit from achiev- with a pyrrhic success, hell gain one less
ing or performing their religions Rituals. than the cards value; with a failure, hell
Every time a character completes a Ritual gain zero; and with a critical failure, hell
he can choose between the following: lose instead of gain the cards value.
Gain one Spirit. REMEMBER: Only the GM should know the true result
of the Check and the true Spirit of each character.
Transcend. NOTE: A character might lose more Spirit points that
he gains from a Check, reducing his Spirit pool accord-
TRAN SCE N D ingly.
Every time a character Transcends, he
must perform a hard Rites Check (+6) and Corruption
regardless of the Checks result, the GM Both the GM and the player should keep
must discard a card from the top of the track of how much Spirit a character
deck and tell the player the result, that is spends. The GM will know when the charac-
how much Spirit the player should write ter has truly ran out of Spirit, but she must
down he has gained on his character sheet. not let the character know.

49
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

When a character spends or loses a


Spirit point he does not have, he gains a
Corruption point. A character never knows
how many Corruption points he has, these
are written down only in the GMs sheet.
They allow the GM to use terrible abilities
against the character and his companions
depending on the characters religion.

Spells
MAGI C R E S I S TAN CE
For each point of Magic Resistance, a
character gains one advantage for confron-
tations against someone using a Spell.

C E R E MO NY
Certain spells require a Ceremony, which
may vary in length from minutes to hours,
and complexity from requiring a single
person to a whole congregation depending
on the Spell. The most important thing to
know about a Ceremony is that it cannot be
started while resolving Rounds.

50
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ChristianitY
THE CHRISTIAN FAITH is an old and powerful religion that
was born in Europe under the romans and now finds itself
with the possibility of expanding into a whole New World.
The Christian faith does not consider its abilities magic;
au contraire, it finds magic to go against God. Christian
believers consider their abilities as Godsend powers given
by their Lord to expand their faith, conquer the unfaith-
ful, and turn them to God and salvation.

Rituals If you try to Transcend, gain one advan-


tage if you converted more than one or any
Christians can gain Spirit in the following of them were important to another religion
instances: (e.g. a Priest).
F I GH T I NG H ER E SY PROTEC TI NG TH E FAI TH FUL
Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which
non-Christian characters have died due to you saved other Christians from Heretic or
damage dealt by you or because of your Demonic characters (the majority of the
influence (e.g. you order them killed, you Christians present must survive for this to
plotted for their death). trigger).
If you try to Transcend, gain one advan-
PRAYI NG
tage if several non-Christian characters
were killed, if any of them were important Spend a whole day praying and repenting
to another religion (e.g. a Priest), or if any to perform a Transcend Check with one dis-
of them had the trait Demonic. advantage. Praying will automatically fail
with a critical if you had any Corruption.
CO N V E R S I O N
VOWS
Gain Spirit at the end of a Scene in which
you converted characters to Christianism. If you have a vow and you stay true to
Not every christian can convert other char- it you might gain Spirit as determined by
acters; a character must be Baptized to be- that Vow.
come a Christian, which is a Miracle of the
Priesthood Scriptures.

52
Miracles
He (Jesus) replied,
Because you have
so little faith. Truly
I tell you, if you
M I RA C L E S A RE C HR ISTIA N Spells.
All Christian characters can use the
Pater Noster and the Ave Maria Miracles.
AVE MARI A
All the other Christian Miracles are divided Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
have faith as small
in Scriptures. with thee; blessed art thou amongst
as a mustard seed,
women, and blessed is the fruit of
you can say to this
mountain, Move Ordained characters thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother
of God, pray for us sinners, now
from here to there, Characters need to be ordained in the and at the hour of death. Amen.
and it will move. Church to gain Scripture Talents. The only Cost: 2 Spirit.
Nothing will be way to be ordained is by being the willing
impossible for you. target of an Ordain Miracle. REACTION: After starting your
- Matthew 17:20 turn, gain one Magic Resistance
Ordained characters belong to one until the end of the Scene. It does
Christian order. Each order has its own not stack.
rules of behaviour and interests. Ordained
characters must follow the rules of the
order, or be expelled. Priesthood Scriptures
E XPE LLE D CHAR AC TERS
ABSOLUTI ON
Using a Miracle costs an additional Spirit
May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you; and
point for an expelled character.
by His authority I absolve you from every
bond of excommunication and interdict,
Scriptures so far as my power allows and your needs
Every Miracle but Pater Noster and Ave require. Thereupon, I absolve you from
Maria belong to an Scripture. A character your sins in the name of the Father, and
who has an Scripture Talent knows all the of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Miracles that belong to that Scripture. Cost: 0 Spirit. Ceremony.
You must listen to another Christian
character, who willingly and repented must
reveal to you all his sins since his last con-
PATE R N OSTE R fession. Then, you will assign them a pen-
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be ance and absolve them. The GM must listen
closely to all of this.
your name. Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is Based on what she is heard, the GM then
in heaven. Give us this day our daily decides by how much shell reduce the sin-
bread. And forgive us our debts, as ners Corruption - which she does in secret.
we also have forgiven our debtors. In general, if everything was done correct-
And do not bring us to the time of ly, she should reduce it as much as the sin-
ners Rites.
trial, but rescue us from the evil one.
Cost: 1 Spirit. If the sinner forgets or avoids mention-
ing some of his sins or if the penance does
REACTION: After declaring an ac- not seem strong enough - as determined
tion use this ability to gain one by the GM - the GM can consider that
advantage. the Absolution failed completely or par-
tially, and not reduce at all the sinners
Corruption or just reduce it a few points,
also in secret. Additionally, if the sinner

53
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

does not complete his penance in a rea- Rites. If after that he does not have any
sonable time hell suffer twice as much Corruption he is immune to magic, and
Corruption as his Rites. therefore he cannot be the target of necro-
mancers or other creatures of evil who use
B APT I S M the dead.
This is life eternal, that they may
know thee the only true God, and WORD OF GOD
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Now the whole world had one language
Cost: 0 Spirit. Ceremony. and a common speech. - Genesis 11:1
You convert a willing character to Cost: 2 Spirit.
Christianism (it cannot be perform to a INSTANT: Use this at any time to be able
character how had been Christian or is al- to speak in a foreign language until the end
ready a Christian). From now on that char- of the Scene.
acter will consider Christianism his reli-
OR
gion and will be banished from all others,
his Spirit will be reduced to zero, but he REACTION: After declaring an intimida-
will keep his Corruption. tion action against a Christian use this abil-
ity to gain one advantage. It does not stack.
Performing a Baptism allows you to ob-
tain Spirit through the Ritual of Conversion. EXP EL DEMON
If the character being converted was lying
about his intentions and was protected by Then a demon-possessed man who was
a spell from another religion, the Baptism blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and
is a failure without you knowing so - it He healed him, so that the mute man spoke
also means that the Ritual of Conversion and saw. All the crowds were amazed,
automatically fails as if you had tried to and were saying, This man cannot be the
Transcend and failed with a critical. Son of David, can he? Matthew 12:22-32
Cost: X Spirit. X is the target demons
EU C AR I S T I A level.
For I received from the Lord what I also ACTION (Rites): Target a demon within
delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on your sight and up to 10 meters away from
the night when he was betrayed took you. Hell confront you with his Competent
bread, and when he had given thanks, he Skill. If you are successful, hell suffer one
broke it, and said, This is my body which disadvantage towards all his actions until
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. the end of the Scene. If successful by a crit-
Cost: 3 Spirit. Ceremony. ical, additionally, hell suffer as much un-
preventable damage as your level.
All other willing Christian characters
near you are the target of this Ceremony,
and after taking part in it they can use one Old Testament Scriptures
Pater Noster and one Ave Maria without
cost. It does not stack. EXODUS SERP ENT
Youll gain one Corruption for each char- So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and
acter who benefited from this and had did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron
Corruption. cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his
servants, and it became a serpent. Then
R E Q UI E M Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the
sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt,
May his soul and the souls of all
also did the same by their secret arts. For
the faithful departed through the
each man cast down his staff, and they
mercy of God rest in peace.
became serpents. But Aarons staff swal-
Cost: 1 Spirit.
lowed up their staffs. - Exodus 7:10-12
Use it over the dead body of a Christian Cost: 2 Spirit.
to reduce his Corruption as much as your

54
Invoke a huge serpent that will follow all of your For I will restore you to health And I will heal
commands, and will disappear when killed or at the you of your wounds, declares the LORD, Because
end of the Scene. they have called you an outcast, saying: It is
Zion; no one cares for her. - Jeremiah 30:17
Cost: 2 Spirit.
exodus serpent ACTION (rites): Target a character in physical contact
with you or choose yourself as the target - but, you can-
level 1 initiative 4 not choose a character who already has been the target
COM PE TE N T Mel. , A th . , S t ea l th 6 of this Miracle during this Scene.
ME D I OC R E 2 The action is confronted by the wound as if it was an
NPC with a Skill equal to the amount of damage and
attack plays as many cards as the number of injuries on the
ME L E E P ie rc ing , mag i ca l , p o i s o n o u s II 2+ target. If successful, remove one injury from the target
or remove one Poison.
RA N G E D 0
MOSESS BLESSI NG
Health 4
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went
AR M OUR S of t 1 out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three
MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E 1 days in the wilderness and found no water. When they
came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of
Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named
Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying,
What shall we drink? Then he cried out to the LORD,
and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into
the waters, and the waters became sweet There He
made for them a statute and regulation, and there
He tested them. And He said, If you will give earnest
heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what
is right in His sight, and give ear to His command-
ments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the
diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians;
for I, the LORD, am your healer. Exodus 15:22-27
Cost: 1 Spirit. Ceremony.
AG G R E S S I V E ME S O A ME RI C A N
M O V : 5m W E I G H T : 68kg H E I G H T : 167cm Turn wood and dust into food and water enough for a
day for as many people as your Rites.
OR
S A M S O N S T R EN G TH
Perform a Rites Check to make as many meals as your
Then Samson went down with his father and mother
Rites free of poison, disease and any other illnesses. If
to Timnah, and they came to the vineyards of Timnah.
the food was good to begin with the Check is always
And behold, a young lion came toward him roaring.
successful, otherwise its difficulty is set by the charac-
Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and al-
ter who made it bad.
though he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in
pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his LI ST C URSE
father or his mother what he had done. - Judges 14: 5-6
Cost: 2 Spirit. But God said to Balaam, Do not go with them.
You must not put a curse on those people, be-
REACTION: After declaring an unarmed Melee ac- cause they are blessed.Numbers 22:12
tion gain one advantage and if successful deal one ad-
ditional damage, additionally the attack is considered Cost: 2 Spirit
Magical. It stacks.
ACTION: Choose a target who has a Curse within your
D IV I NE H ANDS sight up to 20 metres away, and perform a Rites Check
against the curser, if successful, the curse is cancelled.

55
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Christian Corruption mal Rites Check (+3) will realise that hes been pos-
sessed or that he is in front of a possessed character.
Corruption represents the influence of the Devil in
the characters. Satan works in mischievous ways and You can use Ill Fortune for free in a character pos-
even the most pious Christians can suffer his influence sessed by a Level 2 Demon. Additionally,
if they are not careful. Characters cannot know exactly
how much the Holy Father has blessed them, as God LEVEL 3 DEMON
does not create in straight lines. Therefore, inadvert- Being possessed by a level 3 Demon is absolutely obvi-
ently, it is possible for a character to spend Spirit that ous: the characters complexity will change complete-
is not given to them by God. When that happens it is the ly, hell grow horns, claws, his skin will expel black
Devil who provides the energy, mimicking Gods mira- steam and hell be completely mad.
cles to fool his followers and entering into the mind of
the Christian, corrupting his soul. The player loses control over the character com-
pletely. The player will gain back control if the Demon
Players are unaware if they have any corruption at all is destroyed. The character is now consider an NPC
(but they can suspect it). Only the GM keeps track of it under the control of the GM with the trait Demonic (It
in his GM sheet. The GM can and should use the charac- ignores one damage from non-magical attacks), with
ters corruption against him. Every Session, the GM can an advantage towards all actions and knows all of the
use Corruption Curses against a character with a total Spells from the Necronomicon.
Corruption as that characters Corruption. Corruption
is not spent by this, a Christian must get rid of his LEVEL 4 DEMON
Corruption himself as best as he possibly can.
When a character is possessed by a level 4 Demon
I LL F O R T U NE he is ripped apart from the Evil force going through
him and will automatically die, spawning a powerful
1 Corruption.
Demon.
REACTION: After playing the cards for a Check in
which this character is participating, use this to gain
the effects of a Joker against him.

PO S S E S S demon
All Corruption.
INSTANT: At any time, ask the character to perform
an easy Rites Check (+0) to see if he is possessed by a
Demon.
For each point of Corruption you can give one disad-
coming soon!
vantage to the character when Checking against this
ability OR increase the Demons level by one (it has an
starting level of 0).

LEVEL 1 DEMON
Being possessed by a level 1 Demon does not show ex-
ternally, and only if a character success in a hard Rites
Check (+6) he will realise that hes been possessed or
that he is in front of a possessed character.
You can use Ill Fortune for free in a character pos-
sessed by a Level 1 Demon.

LEVEL 2 DEMON
Being possessed by a level 2 Demon shows certains
signs, such as ill temper, black veins in the upper arms
and chest, sores, etc. A character who success in a nor-

56
DEMONIC
It ignores one damage from non-magical attacks.

NECRONOMICON
It knows all the Spells from the Necronomicon.

FLYING EXTR A CONTENT


It can move flying.
Extra spells will be made available on November
WA N D E R I NG SOU L 1st (the first day of Kickstarter campaign for DCA).
You ll receive a message from Drivethru RPG
1 Corruption. with the update. It will be free of charge!
REACTION: After this character spends a whole day
dead his soul will get lost, tricked by demons and spir-
its. Hell become a Wright under the control of the GM,
that will haunt his old friends who let him die without
the appropriate Requiem.

wandering soul
level 1 initiative 4
CO M PE TE N T Me l. , A t h . , S t ea l th 6
MED I OC R E 2

attack
MEL E E P ie rc ing , ma g i c a l , p o i s o n o u s II 2+
RAN G E D 0

Health 4
A R M O UR S of t 1
MA G I C R E S I S TA N C E 1

wr ight
It cannot be damaged by non-magical attacks.

cor ruption outpour


REACTION: After successfully attacking a char-
acter, the GM discards a card in secret and re-
duces that characters Spirit by the cards value.

Soul of the departed


It will keep one ability from the character it
was of the choice of the GM.

AG G R E S S I V E M E S O A ME RI C A N
M O V : 5m WEI G H T : 68kg H E I G H T : 167cm

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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

58
CC by Lacambalam, Own Work based on Aztec cosmological drawing.

59
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Mesoamerican
religioN
WORK IN PROGRESS

EXTR A CONTENT
At the time of writing, we are working on
the Mesoamerican Religion segment.

This section will be published on November 1st


(the first day of Kickstarter campaign for DCA).
You ll receive a message from
DriveThruRPG with the update.

60
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dr agons conquer a mer ic a

E P I S O D E 0 , I N T R O D U C T O R Y ADVENTURE

The coatli stonE


T H E C O A T L I S T O N E is a short adventure for the Dragons Conquer America.
Its intended to introduce a group of new players to DCAs setting and rules,
pitting them against greedy Spanish explorers, mysterious Nahua locals and
the dark magic creatures that lurk behind the visible veil of the Mesoamerican
world.

62
IntroductioN
D UR I N G TH I S A DV E N T U RE , the PCs discover the
existence of a hidden treasure a gigantic precious
stone, which turns out to be the egg of a Xiuhcoatl
Mexica explorers have already found and named some
of these ruins, but many remain hidden or mythic.
One such myth is the Coatli Temple, a legendary and
dragon. However, the egg lies inside a dangerous, trap- undiscovered Olmeca ruin that many Nahua explorers
filled temple, in the lands of an isolated tribe with no and travellers claim to have seen or heard about during
allegiance to either natives or invaders. Plus, a Spanish their travels through the Eastern Roads. According
expedition has arrived into the area, intending to to legend, the Coatli Temple was built by an ancient
plunder its riches; they are bound to find out about the caste of Olmeca wizard-priests that one day turned
egg and compete with the PCs to recover it. The PCs into dragons and flew away from the mortal world.
must race against time, go around the temples traps The many versions of the story variously hold that the
and beat a fully-armed Spanish force to the prize, also Coatli priests were the first tribe to breed and rear
dealing and the temples zealous guardians, which may Xiuhcoatl dragons, or that they hunted dragons and
help or hinder their quest. used their blood to give themselves long life, or that
they were descendants of dragons themselves. Many a
The adventure consists of three main chapters during
legend exists about the Coatli ruin and its priests, but
which the action takes place.
thats all it has ever been a legend.
Chapter 1 has the PCs arriving to the territory of
Things changed when Father Gaspar Hernndez, one
the Atlaca tribe, guardians of the Coatli Temple.
of the first European missionaries to arrive to The West
Chapter 2 has the PCs entering the ancient Indies, heard the tales and decided to go look for the
temple and facing an ancient spirit that protects Coatli Temple. It is assumed that Father Hernndez
the egg. did find the Coatli Temple, for such is the claim of
his personal diary, which later explorers found in
Chapter 3 introduces the Spanish expedition
a market at Hispaniola. The diary also holds that
force, and determines whether the PCs keep the
the temples purpose was to guard a kind of gigantic
egg or lose it to the Spanish.
stone or jewel, likely worth a kings ransom. Mentions
After the climax is resolved, the PCs have either of such a gem, which Father Hernndez called The
acquired the egg or lost it, be it to the Spanish Coatli Stone honouring the legends about the old ruin,
expedition or the zealous Atlaca natives. The PCs may sparked the greed and imagination of many a Spanish
also have allied with or against the Spaniards or the trailblazer and opportunist. However, the secret of the
Atlaca, kept the egg for themselves or been forced to Temples exact location seems to have died with Father
flee empty-handed. Whatever the PCs choose, the Hernndez, who apparently was caught and flayed
outcome of the adventure will influence the future of alive by some Mayan or Nahua tribe that didnt take
DCA, as the Xiuhcoatl hatched from the egg serves kindly to foreign looters, even if they were pious and
either the Natives or the Invaders in the upcoming war. free of sin.
Heres where the legend becomes interesting, and
Adventure Background where it crosses into the present. According to the
The people known as Olmeca, the Rubber People, diary, Hernndez did draw a map to the Coatli Temples
were an unknown, ancestral tribe that lived centuries location on his skin. He claimed he had the map
ago in the Eastern Coasts of the New World, near the tattooed to avoid it falling on the wrong hands. It
area where the Spaniards first landed. Nobody knows was an interesting passage, but one not worth much
what was the Olmecas true name or nature, but attention, as the Fathers body was never recovered.
hundreds of ruins and relics from their culture remain Or so it was believed.
in the jungles and beaches of their former territory.

63
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Three years ago, during the first killed Quixum for treason, but she had
skirmishes between Natives and Europeans, already managed to gather a small band of
a small Huastec city fell to a combined force freelancers and deserters, giving them her
of Spanish invaders and Maya allies, and own directions to the Coatli Temple. With
the many treasures of its temple became Quixums indications, these mercenaries
the raiders loot. This loot included a fold have overtaken De Medina and are about to
of cured human skin European skin beat the Spanish force to the Temple. What
with a tattoo, a Maya-style drawing, on it. they will find there remains to be seen.
The drawing described a hidden temple, a
precious stone and the way to find it.
At first nobody made the connection
between this bizarre relic and the tale of
Father Hernndez, until a Spanish explorer
by the name of Cuesta sold it to the
Governor of La Isabela as the map of the
Coatli treasure. The Governor then gave it
to one of his captains as part of a reward,
and thus the map changed hands for
several months, until it reached Lorenzo
De Medina.
Captain Lorenzo De Medina, a Spanish
hidalgo and explorer, arrived two years
ago, looking for land, treasure and a power
base in The Indias, along with a small Player Character
troop of more-or-less loyal mercenaries Background
and gentlemen of fortune. With no
patrons or backing other than his own The PCs that play this adventure are
military experience and considerable mercenaries with no allegiance to any
fortune, De Medina is a bit of a wild card Native culture or Spanish explorer; a
among European invaders; nobody likes motley crew of mixed-race adventurers
him, but hes made no enemies either. He that serve no side but their own.
hired a couple dozen Natives as guides However, they may end up allied with
and added protection, and started two or either the Natives or the Spaniards,
three unsuccessful expeditions into the which will alter the course of the war.
mainland. Hes stepped in no toes so far, As the adventure begins, the PCs
but he intends to become powerful and are arriving to the Coatli Temple area
recognised as quickly as possible. some time before De Medinas main
After his last failed inland trip, De force, expertly guided by Quixums
Medina came across the flayed skin of instructions. Whether they will be able
Father Hernndez with the Coatli Treasure to find the treasure and leave with it is
map, and he immediately began preparing entirely in their hands.
for a new excursion to find it. This time, he You may read aloud any or all the text
thinks, he will succeed. contained in the Adventure Background
What De Medina didnt count on section to the PCs; just be sure to make it
was Quixum, one of his Native guides, clear that they are the mercenary band that
recognising the area shown on the map. Quixum managed to gather before she died.
Quixum, a Huastec woman, knew the Coatli As soon as youre ready to start the
ruins only from legend, but she identified adventure, proceed to Chapter 1: The Lost
some of the landmarks, and decided to People.
mount her own hunt for the treasure,
even convincing some of De Medinas
men to betray him for her. The Captain

64
Chapter 1:
the lost PeoplE
O N C E Y O UR P L A Y E RS are ready to begin and have
understood their PCs backgrounds, read the fol-
lowing aloud:
To understand the Atlaca language, ask the PCs to
perform a Knowledge or Perception Check (+3 if they
are Nahuatl speakers; +6 if they dont speak
Nahuatl). If the check fails catastrophically, you may
give the PCs opposite information, such as the Atlaca
Theres a cacophony of complaining ma- being openly hostile, wanting the PCs for ritual
caws as you step out of the jungle shrubbery mating or anything you want to come up with.
and into a heavily wooded slope. Down the slope
you can see a winding river, beyond which theres The guards motion the PCs to follow them; if the PCs
the smoke and thatched houses of an inhabited comply, proceed to Encounter 2: Ixcahuina.
village. This at least proves part of the legend true If the PCs refuse or attack, they must fight.
there are indeed people living this deep into the
jungle. FI GH TI NG TH E ATLAC A GUARDS
But the definitive confirmation that youre on The Atlaca guards try to subdue the PCs if possible,
the right track is what appears beyond this sur- and dont fight to kill. If a PC falls to 0 health, they
prising view. Just behind the village, perhaps 600 leave him traumatised, not bleeding out. If the PCs
metres into the woods, the mists mark the sil- begin winning, the guards fly back into the town to call
houette of a building: An ancient pyramid, com- for reinforcements.
pletely overgrown with moss and vines, engraved
If the PCs win the battle, the Atlaca call for
with the ancient spirits of lost peoples the Coatli
reinforcements:
Temple.
Create a normal encounter using a combination of
Native Warriors, Native Archers and Native Warrior
Leaders.
Whether the PCs try to avoid the village or approach
it directly, a group of Atlaca scouts walk up to them; AFTER TH E ENC OUNTER
proceed to Encounter 1.
If the PCs win both battles in a row, they are
now free to explore the Atlaca village, while all the in-
Encounter 1: The Atlaca habitants have locked themselves up in their huts, ter-
rified of the invaders.
You see a group of squat, muscular men, The Atlaca guards carried strange inscribed,
filled with tattoos and ceremonial piercings, jade-tipped stone spears, the PC may keep them
walking towards you. One of them raises his hand as weapons. Their gathered jewellery is worth
and talks to you in a language you dont recog- around 2 to 4 quachtli.
nise at first.
If the PCs stay at the village, they eventually
The Atlaca guards want the PCs to identify them- come across the chief priests hut; proceed to
selves, but they of course dont speak any common lan- Encounter 2.
guage. The Atlaca language is an ancient variation of If the PCs leave the village, nobody stops them
Nahuatl, but it otherwise doesnt resemble any from reaching the temple now. Proceed to
language spoken today. Chapter 2: The Coatli Temple.

65
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

If the PCs lose one of the battles, the guards spare If the check succeeds, the PCs may parley with
them (that is, leave them traumatised instead of bleed- Ixcahuina; he is fluent in Nahuatl, Maya, Spanish
ing out), tie them up and take them to their leader. and the extinct Mokaya tongue. Let the PCs
Proceed to Encounter 2. conduct the conversation as they wish, asking and
answering as they go, and using the following as
Encounter 2: Ixcahuina excerpts from Ixcahuinas dialogue:

This encounter begins when the PCs walk around the


We are the Atlaca.
Atlaca village, whether they are following or caught
by the Atlaca guards, or roaming freely after defeat- We are caretakers; we live at the shadow of the
ing them. Temple.
We did not build. The Mokaya did.
At a first glance, this village resembles
other settlements, with clean, well-built hous- The Mokaya built those ruins and this village
es and an advanced irrigation system; theres even during the previous Sun.
a few dogs among the huts, recoiling from you as The Atlaca inherited the land, inherited the
you approach. The only off-putting element are care, the task; we inherited the temple.
the designs and decoration; its unlike anything
Not much longer will the Atlaca keep vigil. The
you have seen before, like it all belonged to an-
Atlaca are fallen, diminished; we are a diminished
other era.
people. Too long have we waited, too long have
As you ponder this, you see an elder man stand- we been.
ing in your path, flanked by more warrior guards.
The spirits whisper to me, the Saints talk to me.
He is a gentle, older Nahua priest, dressed in the
They share the stories, the gossip. I know the gos-
simple white tunic and cloth headdress of a peas-
sip of the Saints.
ant, but his skin is entirely covered in spiralled
tattoos. Instead of talking to you, he slams his staff Our covenant is to watch the Temple, kill the
into the earth, and you feel dizzy for a second. unworthy, wait for the worthy.
If you are worthy, the Coatl will be born for you;
it will uncoil for you.
This man is Ixcahuina, the priest of the Atlaca people. If the Coatl doesnt come, we kill you. That is
Regardless of whether the PCs arrived peacefully or by the covenant.
force, he looks at them with disapproval, squints his
eyes and then yells in their language: Im not the leader of the Atlaca. The leader is
Haahiu, there in the Temple.
What do they seek? Why are they here?
Haahiu guards the Coatl; he tests the warriors.
Let the PCs conduct the encounter as they wish. He decides if we kill you, if you die.
If they wish to parley with Ixcahuina, ask them
If you find the Coatl, we are free; we dont need
to perform a Charisma action against Ixcahuinas to follow Haahiu any more.
Competent Skill. The PCs suffer 2 disadvantages if
they attacked the guards previously. The Temple is closed; its always closed, it can-
not be entered.
If the PCs directly confess that they wish to sack
the Temple, they actually get 1 advantage on the ac- Time is the friend of Haahiu; he talks to time.
tion, as the Atlaca are tired of guarding the Temple Time cycles, time circles. Time turns, this is
generation after generation. The Atlaca actually hope they key to the temple.
that someone will take away the Coatli Stone, kill the
Temples undead master and finally relieve them from
their duty.
If the check fails, or if they attack Ixcahuina, they
must fight; proceed to Fighting Ixcahuina. If the PCs
were prisoners already, they are set aside for sacrifice.
Proceed to Encounter 3: The Sacrifice Pit.

66
After talking to Ixcahuina, ask the PCs Encounter 3:
to perform a Knowledge Check (+3). If the The Sacrifice Pit
check succeeds, they identify the Mokaya
as the ancient dwellers of the East Coast, This encounter only takes place if the PCs
a millennia-old, extinct culture that the failed to befriend Ixcahuina at the village
Nahua call Olmeca. If the check is a criti- and were defeated by the Atlaca natives in
cal failure, you may give the PCs deliber- battle. The PCs spend the night as Atlaca
ately wrong information; for example, that prisoners, during which their wounds are
the Mokaya were ritual cannibals and the tended and they may draw cards and re-
Atlaca surely inherited this custom. cover all damage and an injury of their
choice.
G M TI P Ixcahuina is a peaceful man; he will only
If y ou want attack if provoked. Then, just before dawn the following day,
to tes t the a group of village guards come for the PCs,
lim i ts of th e FIG HTIN G IXCAHUI NA bind their hands and feet and take them
pr eju d i c es of If the PCs provoke Ixcahuina into a outside the village; surprisingly, towards
yo u r gr ou p, the Coatli Temple.
fight, create a very hard encounter using
tr y tr i g ger -
in g a xeno- Ixcahuina and a combination of Native They dont reach the main pyramid struc-
phobi a c hec k Warriors, Native Guardians, Native ture, but stop at a stone-paved court some
of one of the Leaders, and Native Priests. 100 metres away from the central build-
PC s towar d s ing. The court is overgrown with vines and
Ixcahuina and his guards dont strike to
Ixc ahu i na. If grass, just like the rest of the temple.
fai l ed , the P C
kill. If the PCs lose the fight, they are trau-
m ay d o or s ay matised, not bleeding out; the guards im- Theres a four-metre deep pit in the mid-
som eth i ng prison them and set them aside for sacri- dle of the court; the guards throw the PCs
that of f en d s fice. Proceed to Encounter 3: The Sacrifice down the pit. Every PC must perform an
the l ead er . Pit. Athletic action confronted by a level 2
AFTE R THE E N CO UNTER TSE (the fall itself). If the PC loses the con-
frontation, he suffers 1 point of damage
If the PCs befriended Ixcahuina, he lets for every point of difference between his
them go on their way to the Temple; as he result and the TSEs result, and automati-
sees it, if the PCs are intruders, the Temple cally gains an injury.
will kill them on its own. He even offers to
let them dine and rest at the village; after After throwing the PCs down the pit, the
all, the Temple wont open unless they Atlaca guards leave them there and return
prove themselves worthy (see Encounter to their village.
4: Opening the Temple). The bottom of the pit is filled with dried
If the PCs ask for more details on
bloodstains and bleached human bones:
Haahiu and the history of the Coatli many people have died here.
Temple, Ixcahuina shares the information Theres nobody watching below, so the
on History of the Temple. PCs are free to declare actions once they
If the PCs defeated Ixcahuina and his
are left alone.
guards, they may explore Ixcahuinas hut; The PCs may try to cut their bonds with
besides a 47-quachtli loot of assorted jew- a jagged piece of rock or bone; this suc-
ellery and arcane reagents, they find an ceeds automatically and requires no check.
ancient codex carved in stone, detailing
The PCs may try to bind their wounds
how the Temple door works (as described
through the Medicine skill, correcting in-
in Chapter 2, Encounter 4: Opening the
juries and regaining health lost from the
temple).
fall.
If the PCs killed Ixcahuina, the other
The PCs may try to climb outside; how-
villagers wont dare exit their homes until
ever, as soon as any of the PCs tries to
the PCs have left the village.
climb out of the pit, something happens...
Once the PCs leave the village, proceed
to Chapter 2: The Coatli Temple.

67
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

As the sun shines over the edge of the pit, the shad-
ows begin to move only they move unnaturally, like
they were not following the light, but bothered, stirred,
by it.The shadows are moving.
These are shadow spirits conjured by the magic of
Haahiu the Mokaya Priest; the PCs must fight them.
Create a normal encounter using shadow demons. The
PCs have no weapons or equipment during this fight.
Trying to get out of the pit during the combat is con-
fronted by a level 2 TSE.

A F T E R T H E E N COU N TE R
If the PCs survive the fight, they may now exit the pit
with no problems.
There are enough ancient weapons among the pit
bones to outfit every PC in the team, as replacement
for their lost equipment; every PC may take a magi-
cal macuahuitl or magical stone spear and an ancient
leather shield.
If the PCs continue to the Temple, proceed to
Chapter 2.
If the PCs return to the village to recover their
equipment, run Encounter 2 again, except that the
priest is much more likely to parley with them now,
as hes impressed that they managed to escape the pit.
If the PCs fight Ixcahuina again, this time its to
the death they are not taken prisoners again.
If the PCs manage to befriend Ixcahuina, he re-
turns their equipment to them (besides giving
them the information detailed in the encounter).

Due to budgetary constraints, Episode 0 uses several illustrations that belong to Episodes I & II and thus their
depictions may not accurately match the NPCs described in the text.
68
Chapter 2:
the coatli templE
The outer circle has 52 notches, marked with 52 ancient
After a few minutes, you notice the ter- Mokaya kings or saints.
rain is slowly sloping upward. Only its not the
Any PC can recognise these symbols without a check;
terrain. The earth, roots and undergrowth cover
calendar divisions and cardinal directions are a com-
actual carved stone steps. The jungle grew over a
mon element of most Mesoamerican cultures, and have
large stairway, and you are ascending it.
been for centuries.
There is a smaller, hand-sized dial on the wall beside
As your climb ends, you reach a great pyrami- the disc, marked with 52 notches. By rotating this dial
dal structure, with carved spirits and monsters on one notch, each of the four circles in the larger disc ro-
every side and a half-dozen, half-eroded columns tates independently by one notch.
marking the way to its main staircase.
Other than this contraption, theres no way into the
Theres an eerie silence, as if even the jungle pyramid; the PCs must decipher how to open the disk
creatures had learned to be quiet in the buildings to enter the temple.
presence.
To understand how the disk works, ask the PCs to
perform a Knowledge, Perception or Rites check
(+3). If the check succeeds, give them one or more
Let the PCs explore around the temple as they wish; (your choice) of the following facts:
its all Olmecatl (Mokaya) architecture, which some PCs
may recognise based on their skills, while most may The notches in the circles are slightly misaligned;
not. As soon as the PCs climb the staircase to the top of its clear they must be aligned for the disk to open.
the pyramid, proceed to Encounter 4. To align a circle, it must make only full rota-
tions; that is, turn the exact number of notches it re-
Encounter 4: quires to complete its full count. A partial rotation will
Opening the Temple misalign the circle again.
The only way to align all four circles is to find a
As the PCs reach the top of the stairs, they find a
large stone chapel in the shape of a huge dragon head. number of turns that causes each disk to complete a
There seems to be no entrance to the building, but the number of full rotations.
dragon heads mouth seems to be holding a time disk, To make all the circles make exact full rotations
wider than a mans height. with the same number of turns, the PCs must find a
The disc consists of four concentric circles. Each cir- common multiple to all four circle notch divisions (4,
cle is divided in a different number of notches, marked 13, 20 and 52), and turn the dial that number of notch-
as follows: es, so that the four circles turn by a number of notches
that causes them to complete full rotations.
The inner circle has 4 notches, marked with the 4 directions.
The right answer is 260, which is also the number of
The second circle has 13 notches, marked with the 13 cal- days in the Aztec ritual calendar. By turning the small-
endar signs. er dial 260 notches, all four circles will make exact full
The third circle has 20 notches, marked with the 20 days rotations: the inner circle will make 52 rotations, the
of the lunar count. second circle 20 rotations, the third circle 13 rotations
and the outer circle 4 rotations.

69
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

When they think they have the right answer, they The PCs are under attack by shadow demons. Create
must press the dial to open the stone disk that will lead an easy encounter using shadow demons.
them into the temple. However, each time they press
before they align the circles properly will spawn a vio- AFTER TH E ENC OUNTER
lent Shadow Demon right next to them. If the PCs survive the fight, they may continue de-
If the PCs are stuck with the solution to the puzzle, scending the stairs until they reach the bottom a long
ask them to perform a Knowledge, Perception or stone passage leading deeper into the pyramid.
Rites check (+6). If the check succeed, you may give The stairs and the passage are filled with stone en-
them a clue such as how many days are in a ritual gravings of men and monsters in sequence. This is ac-
year? or what do you do when you need to find a com- tually a codex, and its telling a story. If the PCs stop
mon number with no fractions? to examine the engravings, they learn the information
contained in the History of the Temple sidebar.
A F T E R T H E E N COU N TE R
At the end of the passage there are three paths; one
Once the disk is open, the PCs may enter the Temple.
goes straight ahead, another goes left and another goes
Read the following aloud as they go inside:
right.

The inside of the Temple is dark, but not If the PCs take the left path, proceed to Encounter 6.
entirely as might have been assumed of such If the PCs take the right path, run Encounter 7.
an ancient, forgotten building; you notice there
If the PCs continue ahead, proceed to Encounter 8.
are small lighted censers, cleverly placed behind
columns and crevices to give a dim light to the in-
terior chambers. It might be assumed the villagers Encounter 6: The Second Test
keep the censers lit.
The path ends in a closed stone door a few metres
The walls are carved with strange monster faces later. The door may be pushed inward with some effort
and naked human Saints, made monstrous by the (it is an automatic success).
shifting shadows from the flickering flame of the
Read the following as the PCs enter the chamber:
censers.
As you step into the inner chamber, the floor This is a bare stone room, with no furni-
shifts slightly, and another mechanism slowly re- ture other than the familiar, flickering torches
veals a descending staircase. hidden in the corners - and a large stone statue at
the centre. The statue, as tall as a man, represents
As the PCs reach the stairs, proceed to Encounter 5. an upright snake.
When your eyes adjust to the dim light, you
Encounter 5: The Temple Stairs notice the snakes jaws hold a metal object that
glints by the torchlight: an engraved half-disc
As the PCs descend the temple stairs, they begin see- made of gold.
ing things and hearing voices.

The shadows seem to move unnaturally. At If the PCs approach the snake, ask them to perform
first you assume they are the flickering projec- a Perception check (+3) to notice that the floor tiles
tion of the lighted censers, but soon realise they are shifting plates, and there are suspicious slits on the
seem to move on their own, as if the light both- walls.
ered, rather than create, them. Then there seems
to be someone speaking at the edge of your hear- If the PCs fail the check or willingly step on the shift-
ing, a low and rasping voice. You cant understand ing plates, a barrage of darts comes out from the slits.
the words, but they seem to be something like Ask the PCs to perform an Athletic action, confront-
kaya Haahiu Quum kaya Haa Haa kaya ed by a level 2 TSE. For every point below the needed
result, the PCs suffer 1 point of damage.
The PCs may avoid the darts by crawling close to the
floor as they approach the statue.
Then one of the shadows takes on the full form of a
monster, and strikes at you.

70
HISTORY OF THE TEMPLE
The Coatli Temple was once a religious centre of the Mokaya civilisation, pri-
mal ancestors to the Olmeca and every other culture in the continent. They even
predated the Aztlan culture, although no Nahua will accept it. And their tem-
ple was not called Coatli, but nobody remembers what its true name was.

This temple was not part of any city, but a stop for religious pilgrims and journey-
ing kings or diplomats. Here, the ancient priests gave blessings, food and water to
travellers, or made the trip themselves to sanctify a building or a new royal birth.

The head of the priests was Haa hiu, the Chanter Man; they said
it was him who first learned and taught others how to pray and
give worship to the spirits and Saints of the otherworld.

Once Haa hiu fund a strange stone, the size of a large water gourd, but
polished as a gem and heavy as a boulder. Haa hiu ordered the stone
brought to the temple, and it took three men to carry it back.

The first night after the stone was carried to the temple, thunder rumbled
and the skies parted, and a dragon flew down to the pyramid. It was the Old
Dragon, the Heaven Snake, which the Nahua call Mixcoatl; and he had come to
talk to Haa hiu, for the stone was one of his eggs and he wanted it back.

Haa hiu didnt return the egg, but instead threatened the Old Dragon;
he said that Mixcoatl and his kin should serve mortals from that day on-
ward, or else Haa hiu would kill the egg and Mixcoatls son.

The Old Dragon accepted the deal, but on the condition that mortals sacrificed
their children to the dragons, just as Mixcoatl had sacrificed his child to mortals.

Thus, the covenant was sealed, and the Mixcoatl dragons came down to hu-
man cities and blessed and protected them, and in exchange mortals fed them
with their children. And the Dragon Stone, the Ancient Stone, remained in the tem-
ple as a witness of the pact; and the egg never hatched, and the dragon never
was born, because it was a witness to the pact between dragons and mortals.

But one day there would come warriors, Haa hiu knew; warriors that would break the
covenant between dragons and mortals. When that happened the egg would break and
the dragon would be born, and he would be like his father in glory and godlike might,
and he would serve the warriors that came for him. So Haa hiu didnt die, but remained
a living shell, a deathless guard, watching over the temple for centuries after centu-
ries, until the age of the breaking of the covenant; until the warriors came that could
reclaim the egg of Mixcoatl and summon the Child of the Old Dragon to battle.

71
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

If the PCs avoid the darts, they lodge on the stone The disc may be dislodged from the ceiling by a
snake, precisely hitting matching slits on the statues ranged weapon. If the PCs want to try, ask them to per-
body. The darts are feather-shaped obsidian knives, form a Shooting action, confronted by a Level 2 TSE.
and when they hit the snake body it looks like they are
If the PCs try to find a secret exit or mechanism,
covering it in feathers.
ask them to perform a Perception or Rites Check (+3).
If the PCs reach the snake without being hit by the If the check succeeds, they notice there are shifting
darts, be it by crawling or by defeating the trap with plates on the floor, one in front of each of the four
an Athletic action, the snake, now covered in obsidian dragon carvings on the walls.
feathers, animates and attacks the PCs. Create an en-
In three turns, the room will become entirely
counter against one Itztlicoatl.
flooded and the PCs will start drowning.
If some of the obsidian darts hit the PCs, they dont
The PCs may reach and grab the golden disc from
reach the snake and the statue doesnt activate.
the second turn.
If the PCs defeat the snake or reach it without animat-
If a PC kneels in front of one of the dragons, the pres-
ing it, they may take the golden half-disc on its mouth;
sure plate causes a mechanism behind the wall to open
it is one half of the key required to enter Encounter 8.
the dragons mouth, letting the water drain through.

Encounter 7: The Third Test The pressure plates in front of each dragon
carving are only activated by kneeling; not standing or
The right path leads to a stone arch. pressing in any other way.
Read the following aloud when the PCs cross the At least two of the plates must be kneeled on, and
threshold: two of the drains activated, for the water to actually
recede; otherwise it will flood the chamber anyway.
This chamber of white stone is complete- After the first turn, kneeling on a plate requires
ly empty, save for bas-reliefs of the four drag- diving against the water pressure. If a PC wants to
ons on the walls: the Sun Dragon of the East, the kneel after the first turn of flooding, ask them to per-
Storm Dragon of the North, the Heaven Dragon of form a Athletic action, confronted by a Level 1 TSE.
the West and the Earth Dragon of the South.
The only way to exit the chamber is to drain the
There are symbols asking visitors to kneel be- water away. If the PCs succeed at doing this, the stone
fore the Four Dragons; Seems whoever built this slab blocking the exit raises, and any PC trapped in the
temple worshipped them too. chamber may now come out.
There is also a glint that catches your eye and The golden half-disc dangling from the ceiling is one
makes you look up. half of the key required to enter Encounter 8.
Theres a half-disc made of gold, dangling from
the ceiling some 10 metres above you. Encounter 8: The Tomb of Haahiu
The tunnel ahead of the stairs is, like the rest of the
temple, carved with figures of monsters and people.
However, the carvings here tell another story: how the
As soon as the PCs enter the chamber, a stone slab head priest of this temple was buried alive, and alive he
falls behind them, closing the exit, and water begins would remain, waiting below the stone for centuries.
raining from holes in the ceiling. The room is flood-
After the PCs have walked about thirty metres down
ing quickly.
the passage, they reach a stone slab with the symbols of
The PCs need only wait until the water level hits the a priest, a dragon and a precious stone. There seems to
ceiling to float and reach for the golden disc; however, be no way to move the slab, but as the PCs approach it,
eventually the room will become completely flooded they notice a small circular depression at the centre, as
and drown the PCs. if it was missing a disc-shaped piece.
Let the PCs state their actions and intentions. The door to the chamber can only open if the PCs
bring the two key halves from Encounters 6 and 7.
The stone slab that blocks the exit cannot be moved,
not even by any PCs that may have stayed outside the If the PCs survive those encounters and bring both
chamber. halves of the key, they fit the depression and open the
door.
72
Read the following aloud as the PCs enter the AFTER TH E ENC OUNTER
chamber:
If the PCs survive the battle against Haahiu, they
have defeated the most dangerous creature in the re-
This square chamber is flanked by four gion and the power that maintained the curse of the
censers in full view, and so its monstrous carv- Coatli Temple.
ings are both better illuminated and scarier than
the rest of the pyramid. Theres a stone slab on The Haahiu mummy owned jewellery with a total
the floor, just like the one on the entrance, except value of 50-100 Quachtli.
this one doesnt slide on its own. As soon as the PCs defeat Haahiu, they hear some-
Theres a small, moon-shaped pedestal on a side. thing has shifted in the pyramid above. Something has
An inscription on the slab reads when the moon changed about the area they came from.
turns red, the Priest shall rise to his final death. As soon as the PCs go back up to see whats changed,
proceed to Encounter 9.

The only way to open the stone slab and continue the
Encounter 9: The Coatli Stone
adventure is for one PC to sacrifice a bit of their own As the PCs go back upstairs and reach the top of the
blood and drip it on the moon-shaped pedestal. If the pyramid again, they notice theres something at the
PCs dont think of this solution, they have no choice entrance something that wasnt there before. A ped-
but to turn back and proceed to Chapter 3. estal has risen at the platform just outside the Temple
If at least one of the PCs sacrifices blood to the moon- entrance, past the mechanical door with the time disc.
shaped pedestal, they suffer 1 point of damage and the And on that pedestal, theres an oval-shaped stone,
stone slab swings open, thick billowing shadow pour- shining under the rays of the midday sun.
ing out of it as if it was a barrel of smoke. The PCs lis- The stone is about the size of a large gourd, but
ten to Haahiu again in their heads, and must succeed its incredibly heavy to move. It requires a combined
on a Courage Check (+3) or suffer a disadvantage for Athletic value of 5 or greater to lift and carry. More
the rest of the encounter (those that suffer a critical than one PC may pool their efforts to lift the stone if
failure will run out of the temple as fast as they can). needed.
FI G H T I N G H AA HIU Whether the PCs take the Coatli stone or not, as
soon as they look around, they realise theyre not
After the cloud of smoke, a mummy comes out of the
alone; proceed to Chapter 3: The Spanish Force.
tomb on the ground, half-crawling and half-floating;
this is Haahiu, the undead priest that sealed this tem-
ple and the deal for the servitude of dragons more than
2000 years ago.
Haahiu doesnt offer any diplomacy. Hes waited
centuries for a warrior to be proven worthy of taking
his duties away from him, and worth is measured by
spilling blood his own or that of the PCs. He sum-
mons a group of demon shadows indicating it was he
who sent the others after the PCs before and attacks
immediately.
Create a hard encounter using Haahiu and shadow
demons.

73
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Chapter 3: the
spanish forcE
As soon as the PCs come out from the temple at the If the PCs survive the battle, regardless of the side
pyramid summit, they realise they can see the ocean they took, De Medina in person arrives to the bat-
from here and they see a ship moored at the coast. tle site and faces them. Proceed to Encounter 11.
The ship of Captain Lorenzo De Medina.
If the PCs want to take advantage of the confusion
The Spanish expedition has arrived. to slip unnoticed, they must all succeed on a Stealth
Action, Confronted by the Spanish Soldiers medio-
Let the PCs decide what to do now.
cre skill.
If no more than a full day has passed (that is, the PCs
If even one PC fails the check, the Spanish
havent rested more than once since they entered the
Explorers find them; run Encounter 11.
Temple), De Medina has not yet reached the Temple.
Right now, the PCs have a very short window to flee If the check succeeds, they have all escaped no-
before the Spanish expedition overtakes them. If they tice and may now flee the area. Proceed to Ending
choose to make a run for it, or to warn the Atlaca vil- the Adventure.
lagers of the Spanish arrival, proceed to Encounter 10.
If the PCs are or wish to be in good terms with Encounter 11: Captain De Medina
De Medina, they may actively seek the Spanish explor- The PCs come face to face with a squad of Spanish
ers; proceed to Encounter 11. explorers. They demand the PCs stop and give them a
If the PCs have been in the temple for more than chance to surrender.
one full day, De Medina is already reaching the sum- If the PCs resist, they must fight. Create a normal
mit. Proceed to Encounter 12. encounter using a combination of Spanish conquista-
dors and Spanish gunners.
Encounter 10: the Battle
If the PCs win the battle, or go peacefully with the
As the PCs walk down the Temple stairs, they notice soldiers, they are approached by Captain Lorenzo De
smoke coming out of the Atlaca village. Its too late for Medina himself.
a warning; the Spanish have engaged the Natives in
If the PCs attacked the Spanish soldiers but surren-
battle.
der to the Captain, they may attempt a Charisma ac-
The PCs may run to the battle to help either side; tion, confronted by De Medinas competent skill.
they reach the village in a matter of minutes, where
If the PCs win the confrontation, they get on De
the carnage is still going strong. De Medinas favourite
Medinas good side and may parley.
butcher, the mercenary known only as Aguirre, is lead-
ing the attack. If the PCs lose, they are taken prisoner; proceed
to Ending the Adventure.
If the PCs side with the villagers, Create a nor-
mal encounter using Aguirre and a combination If the PCs are in good terms with Captain De Medina,
of Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners. or present themselves as their allies, he accepts their
word and lets them join his troop. Let the PCs conduct
If the PCs side with the Spanish, Create an easy
the negotiations as they wish, using any or all the fol-
encounter using Ixcahuina (if the PCs havent
lowing excerpts as part of De Medinas dialogue:
killed him already) and a combination of Native
Warriors, Native Warrior Leaders and Native
Priests.

74
If the PCs win on a confronted Charisma action
Twas the will of God that we met here. against De Medinas competent ability, he prom-
The Natives didnt want to listen to reason. ises them a valuable share of the gems profits,
seeing as how it was them who secured the stone.
They insisted that we were interrupting a kind He is an honourable man, and intends to fulfil the
of test of theirs, or ceremony, and attacked us. promise.
They said we were interrupting the test of If the PCs havent finished Encounter 8, they, De
worth, whatever that meant. That we had to wait Medinas men or a mix thereof must wait until the next
for the worthy ones to die first. midday and go back downstairs. Run any encounter the
Be as it may, hast thou been inside the Temple? PCs havent completed between 6 and 8, except now
en to the Temple? Hast thou seen it from the in- the PCs have the backup of a troop of Spanish soldiers.
side? Hast thou found the stone? If the PCs finished Encounter 8 but hadnt yet se-
cured the Coatli Stone, Medinas men have already re-
If the PCs dont have the Stone, they may re-
moved it from the pedestal and are hauling it on Baque
turn to the Temple and try to secure it again; proceed to transport it back to the ship.
to Encounter 12. If the PCs agree to let De Medina have the Coatli
If the PCs have the Stone, its unlikely they can hide
Stone, proceed to Encounter 13.
it; Captain De Medina demands they give it to him as If the PCs refuse to give De Medina the Stone
his right of conquest. or want to take it from him they must fight, as the
If the PCs win on a confronted Charisma action Captains guards rush to stop the PCs. Create a hard
against De Medinas competent ability, he prom- encounter using a combination of Spanish conquista-
ises them a valuable share of the gems profits, see- dors and Spanish gunners.
ing as how it was the PCs that secured the stone. If the PCs survive the fight, proceed immediately to
He is an honourable man, and intends to fulfil the Encounter 13.
promise.
If the PCs have the Stone and strike a deal with De Encounter 13: The Mad Dragon
Medina, they have nothing else to do here; proceed to
Read the following aloud as the PCs prepare to attack
Ending the Adventure.
Captain De Medina or to go down the Temple Stairs
If the PCs resist De Medinas men or try to attack having allied with him:
him, create a hard encounter using a combination of
Spanish conquistadors and Spanish gunners. Wait.
If the PCs survive this battle, De Medina has fled to- Somethings not right.
wards the Temple. If the PCs wish to pursue him, pro-
ceed to Encounter 12. Otherwise, they may escape at Baque, De Medinas black dragon, begins fuming
last; proceed to Ending the Adventure. at the nostrils, and swaying its head erratically.
La Gaditana, its rider, tries to calm the beast
Encounter 12: The Summit down, but the monster swaps her aside with a cas-
ual flick of its tail and sends her flying over the
This encounter only takes place if the PCs return to edge of the pyramid.
the top of the Coatli Temple after the Spanish soldiers
have massacred the Atlaca village. The other soldiers immediately draw swords, as
Captain De Medina takes a couple of steps back-
At the pyramid summit, the PCs encounter Captain ward, looking sideways at his ship, moored at the
Lorenzo De Medina, escorted by many of his soldiers. beach a kilometre away.
Waiting for them at the summit is a black dragon
the size of a large bull; its Baque, De Medinas drag- While you and De Medina, it seems consider
on, along with his rider, the woman known only as La your options, the crazed dragon starts a carnage
Gaditana. among the soldiers. What is happening?
If the PCs have already secured the Coatli Stone,
De Medina demands they give it to him as his right of
conquest.

75
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Ask the PCs to perform a Knowledge or Rites Check


(+3) to understand whats happening. Any PC that suc-
ceeds at this check realises there are strange black
fumes coming out of the Stone. The ancient enchant-
ments preserving the egg are too powerful for the mind
of a smaller, weaker European dragon, and the pres-
ence of the eggs spirit is driving Baque crazy.
The dragon is slaughtering Medinas soldiers; the PCs
have a quick window of opportunity to decide what to
do.
The dragon is too powerful for the PCs to defeat; if
they try to attack it, it sweeps them away easily, and
the soldiers yell at them to run away.
If the PCs decide to flee, they may now leave the
Temple with Captain De Medina. Proceed to Ending
the Adventure.
The PCs may take advantage of the confusion to
escape with the Coatli Stone; proceed to Ending the
Adventure.
The PCs may try to use the distraction created by
Baque to intercept De Medina; create an encounter
against Captain Lorenzo De Medina. If the PCs win
this battle, they may take the Coatli Stone and attempt
to flee on their own.
The PCs may try to actually stop the dragons fren-
zy. This requires the PCs to perform a Charisma action
to calm the dragon, a Rites action to take over the eggs
magic effects, or a Riding action to submit the dragon
into cooperation. Any of these actions is confronted
by Baques Competent skill of 6 and plays three cards.
If the PCs win the confrontation, they make Baque doc-
ile and subservient again.
If the PCs survive the encounter, with or without
Baque on their side, proceed to Ending the Adventure.

76
Ending the
adventurE
T H E R E AR E M A N Y ways the PCs can finish this adventure.

C U LT U R A L TIPPING THE SCALES


POL L I NAT ION
If the PCs failed to secure the Coatli Stone, If the PCs take the Coatli Stone and escape
Captain De Medinas men find it and La with it, by next midday they find a crack in
Gaditana, Baques dragon rider, learns to con- the egg and the Mixcoatl dragon is born,
trol it. Eventually the Mixcoatl dragon hatches, loyal to the PCs and willing to go to bat-
loyal to La Gaditana and De Medina, who uses tle for whatever side or tribe they lead it to.
its new, incredibly powerful dragon to become a The Mixcoatl will heavily tip the balance of
feared tyrant among Spanish Encomendados the war for whatever side the PCs choose.
and a possible villain for another adventure.

SHIFT IN POW ER SOA R ING TO


If both the PCs and Captain De Medina fail to se-
NEW HEIGHTS
cure the Coatli Stone, wandering Nahua explor-
If the PCs recover the Coatli Stone and let
ers find it and gain control of the Mixcoatl when
Captain De Medina have it, he is terrified when
its born, giving the Native kingdoms a game-
the Mixcoatl is born of it and lets it fly away, un-
changing weapon against the European invaders.
able to control it or make use of it. The dragon
returns to the heavenly realms, choosing no
side and helping no mortals. La Gaditana, badly
wounded by the temporary rebellion of her
dragon, survives and becomes a limp and bitter
veteran, selling her services to the highest bid-
der - and perhaps becoming an antagonist for
future adventures. Captain De Medina offers the
PCs employment and a permanent place in his
troop, giving La Gaditanas dragon rider posi-
tion to any female PC with a high riding skill.

77
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

You made iT!


If you made it this far, you can consider yourselves
true pioneers of this New World. Whatever the ending WA N T M O R E ?
you reached, no matter the choices you made, they will
be transported to future books of this setting. This is just the beginning. Share your ad-
In order to get the wheels turning, jump to the next venture with us and we ll open the doors
page and send us your play-report (Stage 4 feedback). to the temple of advanced rules!
Along with dozens of travellers, you will start mak-
ing history.

78
81
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Non player
characterS
FIND HERE THE NPCS you will need to run this adventure.

D UR I N G TH E A DV E N T U RE , you have found in-


structions to create a variety of encounters using
the NPCs found in this appendix.
Then consider the difficulty of the encounter. An
easy encounter has NPCs whose added level is one
lower than the added level of the PC group, a regular
encounter has the same level, a hard encounter has
These encounters are classified as easy, normal, hard, NPCs whose added level exceeds the added level of the
and very hard. These keywords determine how many group of PCs by one, and a very hard encounter exceeds
NPCs you should use to create the encounters. the added level of the PCs by two.
First off, add together the levels of the group of PCs
playing the adventure (the pre-gen characters are all
level 1, so the sum should equal the number of players
in the game).

82
Ixcahuina Native archer
level 2 initiative 1 level 1 initiative 3
CO M PE TE N T R it . , K n o w . , Ch a r. 7 C OMPETENT Sho o t., Ste., Ath. 4
ME D I O C R E 2 MED IOC R E 2

attack attack
ME LE E 1- MELEE 1+
RA N G E D 0 R A NGED P i erc i ng 2+

Health 3 Health 3
A R M OUR 0 A R MOUR 0
MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E 2 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 0

Cur se of the flesh


ACTION: He chooses a target within his sight up
to 20 metres away. The target must perform a
Rites Check against Ixcahuina, if he fails, the tar-
get gains REACTION: At the end of each Round,
suffer one random injury.
Judge of char acter
Characters trying to lie to him suffer one
disadvantage.

C UN N I N G ME S O A ME RI C A N C A UTIOUS MESOA MER IC A N


M OV : 5m W E I G H T : 60kg H E I G H T : 168cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: 63kg HEIGHT: 165cm

Due to budgetary constraints, this Episode 0 uses several illustrations that belong to Episodes I & II and thus
their
83 depictions may not accurately match the NPCs described in the text.
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Native Warrior Native warrior leader


level 1 initiative 3 level 1 initiative 3
C O M PE TE N T M el. , S h o o t. , A th . 4 C OMPETENT M el., Ath., Di s. 5
MEDIOCRE 2 MED IOC R E 3

attack attack
M E LE E 2+ MELEE Co nc ussi o n 4+
R AN G E D P ie rc i n g 3 R A NGED 0

Health 4 Health 5
AR M O UR S of t 1 A R MOUR So ft 1
M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E 0 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 0

Strong attack
REACTION: After declaring a strong attack, he
gains blunt and causes three deterioration to his
targets weapon or armour. If the target was an
NPC, hell gain either blunt or ripped instead.

AG G R E S S I V E ME S O A ME RI C A N A GGR ESSIVE MESOA MER IC A N


M O V : 5m W E I G H T : 65kg H E I G H T : 166cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: 68kg HEIGHT: 167cm

84
p!
i
w

Native priest Shadow demon


level 1 initiative 2 level 2 initiative 2
CO M PE TE N T R it . , S te. , M ed . 5 C OMPETENT M el., Ste., Ri t. 6
ME D I O C R E 1 MED IOC R E 4

attack attack
ME LE E 1- MELEE P i erc i ng, ma gi c a l 2+
RA N G E D 0 R A NGED 0

Health 3 Health 7
A R M OUR 0 A R MOUR 0
MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E 1 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 1

Cur se of the flesh Shadow


ACTION: She chooses a target within her sight REACTION: After successfully attacking a char-
up to 20 metres away. The target must perform a acter, that character must perform a normal
Rites Check against the Native priest, if he fails, Discipline Check (+3). If he fails, he is under the
the target gains REACTION: At the end of each control fo the Shadow demon until he succeeds
Round, suffer one random injury. in the same check at the start of his turn, or until
the Shadow demon dies.

C UN N I N G M E S O A ME RI C A N A GGR ESSIVE MYTHIC A L C R EA TURE


M OV : 5m W E I G H T : 63kg H E I G H T : 169cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: -kg HEIGHT: 160cm

85
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

p!
i
w

Itztlicoatl Haahiu
level 2 initiative 1 level 2 initiative 2
C O M PE TE N T M el. , S t e. , R i t. 6 C OMPETENT M el., Sho o t., Ri t. 8
MEDIOCRE 2 MED IOC R E 5

attack attack
M E LE E P ois ono u s , ma g i c a l , 4+ MELEE Fea r, ma gi c a l 2+
R AN G E D 0 R A NGED C ONC USSION, FEA R , MA GIC A L 2+

Health 5 Health 8
AR M O UR H a r d 2 A R MOUR So ft 1
M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E 1 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 2

Stone body Demonic


All weapons suffer one deterioration when used It ignores one damage from non-magical attacks.
against it, even if their attack fails. Piercing
Summoner of shadows
weapons suffer one additional deterioration.
ACTION: Discard one card from the top of the
deck. If it is a 4 or higher, a Shadow demon ap-
pears next to it.

AG G R E S S I V E MY T H I C A L C RE A T U RE C UNNING MYTHIC A L C R EA TU RE
M OV : 10m W E I G H T : 150kg H E I G H T : 150cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: 45kg HEIGHT: 164cm

86
Spanish Spanish gunner
conquistador level 1 initiative 2
level 1 initiative 2 C OMPETENT Sho o t., Ath., Di s. 5

CO M PE TE N T Mel. , A t h . , Di s . 5 MED IOC R E 2

ME D I O C R E 2 attack
attack MELEE 2

ME LE E P ie rc ing 3++ R A NGED PIER C ING, FEA R , R ELOA D 4

RAN G E D 0 Health 4
Health 4 A R MOUR So ft 1

A R M OUR H a r d 2 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 0

MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E 0

Strong attack
REACTION: After declaring a strong attack, he
gains blunt and causes three deterioration to his
targets weapon or armour. If the target was an
NPC, hell gain either blunt or ripped instead.

AG G RE S S I V E S PA N I S H C A UTIOUS SPA NISH


M OV : 5m W E I G H T : 75kg H E I G H T : 172cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: 72kg HEIGHT: 175cm

87
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Lorenzo de Medina Aguirre


level 2 initiative 3 level 2 initiative 3
C O M PE TE N T M el. , S h o o t. , Di s . , Ch a r . 6 C OMPETENT Ri t., M el., Di s. 6
MEDIOCRE 4 MED IOC R E 3

attack attack
M E LE E P ie rc ing , mag i ca l 3++ MELEE M a gi c a l 2+
R AN G E D P I E R C I N G , F E A R, RE L O A D 3 R A NGED 0

Health 5 Health 3
AR M O UR H a r d 2 A R MOUR 0
M AG I C R E S I S T A N C E 1 MA GIC R ESISTA NC E 1

Char ism atic Divine ha nds


He gains one advantage when trying to convince A friendly character in physical contact with him
someone of something. has one injury and one poisonous effect cured.
Strong attack
REACTION: After declaring a strong attack, he
gains blunt and causes three deterioration to his
targets weapon or armour. If the target was an
NPC, hell gain either blunt or ripped instead.

S T RA T E G I S T S PA N I S H C UNNING SPA NISH


M OV : 5m W E I G H T : 80kg H E I G H T : 178cm MOV: 5m W EIGHT: 70kg HEIGHT: 173cm

88
La Gaditana
level 2 initiative 4
CO M PE TE N T Mel. , S h o o t . , A th . 7
ME D I O C R E 4

attack
ME LE E P ie rc ing , ma g i c a l 3++
RAN G E D P I E R C I N G , F E A R, RE L O A D 3

Health 4
A R M OUR H a r d 2
MAG I C R E S I S TA N C E 1

AG G RE S S I V E S PA N I S H
M OV : 5m W E I G H T : 71kg H E I G H T : 170cm

89
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

BAQUE

EXTR A CONTENT
NPC stats for Baque ( will be part of a
wave two DLC package, which will be
made available on November 1st (the first
day of Kickstarter campaign for DCA).

You ll receive a message from Drivethru RPG


with the update. It will be free of charge.

90
Gms outline
and pre-gen
characterS
U S E T H E F O L L O W I N G pre-gen characters to run the story. Create their
backstories as needed, taking into account the general setting and the ragtag
nature of the PC group.

91
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

92
93
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Sword FOR GED 4 0 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E p ie r c in g 3++

Strong attack II

o n! REACTION: After declaring an attack with this weapon,

g So suffer one deterioration to cause two deterioration to


your targets weapon or armour. If the target was an

m i n NPC, hell gain blunt or ripped instead.

Co Point attack
REACTION: After declaring an action with this weapon,
suffer one disadvantage to ignore hard armour.

Conquistador armour
REG UL AR 80 QU A C H T L I

o n!
g So
m i n
Co

Har d ar mour 2
You suffer one disadvantage towards Dodging actions.

94
95
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Sword FOR GED 4 0 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E p ie r c in g 3++

Strong attack II

o n! REACTION: After declaring an attack with this weapon,

g So suffer one deterioration to cause two deterioration to


your targets weapon or armour. If the target was an

m i n NPC, hell gain blunt or ripped instead.

Co Point attack
REACTION: After declaring an action with this weapon,
suffer one disadvantage to ignore hard armour.

Soft armour
RE G ULAR 15 Q U A C H T L I

o n!
g So
m i n
Co

Soft ar mour 1

96
97
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Quauhololli mace PR IMITIVE 10 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E c on c us s ion 4+

Strong attack II

o n! REACTION: After declaring an attack with this weapon,

g So suffer one deterioration to cause two deterioration to


your targets weapon or armour. If the target was an

m i n NPC, hell gain blunt or ripped instead.

Co
Sling FOR GED 2 0 Q UACHT L I

RA N G E D c on c us s i o n 3

o n!
g So
m i n
Co
Soft armour
REG UL AR 15 QU A C H T L I

o n!
g So
m i n
Co

Soft ar mour 1

98
99
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Ahtlatl FOR GED 2 0 Q UACHT L I

RA N G E D p ie r c in g 3+

o n!
g So
m i n
Co
Steel dagger FOR GED 6 Q UACHT L I

MEL E E 2

o n!
g So
m i n
Co
Soft armour
RE G UL AR 15 QU A C H T L I

o n!
g So
m i n
Co

Soft ar mour 1

100
Additional geaR
G I V E T H E F O L L O W I N G gear to the characters when they find it through-
out the course of their adventure.

Stone spear PR IMITIVE 8 Q UACH T L I

ME LE E 2+

R each

o n! You can attack enemies just outside your Melee range

g So as if they were in Melee range. They wont be able to


counter with Melee unless they have Reach.

m i n
Co
Spear wall
REACTION: If you have allies on both your left and right
sides within 2.5 metres, gain one advantage.

101
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Magical macuahuitl PR IMITIVE 30 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E c on c us s ion , mag i ca l 4 +

Strong attack III

o n! REACTION: After declaring an attack with this weapon,

g So suffer one deterioration to cause three deterioration


to your targets weapon or armour. If the target was an

m i n NPC, hell gain blunt or ripped instead.

Co
Magical stone spear PR IMITIVE 24 Q UACHT L I

ME LE E m a g ic a l 2+

R each

o n! You can attack enemies just outside your Melee range

g So as if they were in Melee range. They wont be able to


counter with Melee unless they have Reach.

m i n
Co
Spear wall
REACTION: If you have allies on both your left and right
sides within 2.5 metres, gain one advantage.

Leather shield
REG UL AR 15 QU A C H T L I

o n!
g So
m i n
Co

Shielding II
REACTION: After losing a confrontation against an at-
tack, cause up to 2 deterioration to this item to add
that many points to your action value. If you could
have won the confrontation with your modified action
value, your opponents action fails.

102
103
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

So whats next?
kickstarter november 1st
D R A G O N S C O N Q U E R A M E R I C A will continue its journey
on Kickstarter. Starting November 1st, we will fund the first book
of this setting, a book that will shape the events to come.

104
FeedbacK
T H I S D O W N L O A D A B L E D O C U M E N T has many purposes, chief among
them our need to gather your insights to make the best possible game. You have
many ways to take part in this process as you can see below. Whichever you
choose, well be eternally grateful.

The rights and wrongS


Stage 1: troubleshooting
W E H A V E A PRE T T Y active community on Discord.
Its the best place to give us general recommendations
and shoot us any lingering questions you may have on
the mechanics, the lore or the Kickstarter:

discord.gg/FqBe4pk

Stage 2: spelling and grammar


T Y PO S A RE E V E R- P RE S E N T in printed material but
that doesnt mean the are OK. If you want to help us
get rid of them, please share them through this form:

goo.gl/forms/ciCdwls2KXdVHepk2

We will open access to the plain text documents at a


future date.

Stage 3: rules and mechanics


PL A Y I N G T H E G A ME and breaking it apart; thats the
kind of feedback we need the most. What works and
what doesnt? What flows and what stalls? What do
you love and what could you live without? The more
specific your comments, the more we can improve the
game. For this purpose we have created a form that
youll be able to fill as many times as you need:

goo.gl/forms/arbtXlQmFbdvIkPJ2

79
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

Changing historY

Y O UR AC TIO N S W I L L shape the Universe of


Dragons Conquer America, starting NOW.

Stage 4: campaign results


T H E JE W E L O F T H E C RO W N of Dragons Conquer
America.
As you may have read elsewhere, we want to create a
living, breathing setting where your choices are trans-
ported to future books.
This initiative starts right now with Episode 0: the
Coatli Stone. Send us your results and tip the power
balance between Natives and Spaniards.
YOU WI LL C H A N G E H I S T O RY .
goo.gl/forms/rWsbYwCmZjETLlE82

Giving credit where


credit is duE
We will make sure your help will not go uncredited:

S TAGE 1 C R E DIT
Shoutout in the November DCA Kickstarter campaign.

S TAGE 2 C R E DIT
Collaborator credit in Episodes I & II book.

S TAGE 3 C R E DIT
Playtester credit in Episodes I & II and the future
Core Book.

S TAGE 4 C R E DIT
Your actions will impact the future Core Book of the
setting. You are part of the game now.

80
Episodes i
& II booK
kickstarter november 1st

T H E C O R E O F the Kickstarter cam-


paign, starting November 1st, will
be the Episodes I & II book. This book
will lay the foundation of the setting of
Dragons Conquer America. The actions
you take in these two campaigns will cre-
ate the groundwork for a future core book
of the game. The campaigns will allow you
to live this epic clash between cililizations
from the perspectives of both sides, Native
Americans and Spaniards.

KEY DATA

Page count: 250+


Format: hardbound
Content: core rules, pre-clash set-
ting, 2 campaigns.

PL E D GE LE V E L: 45

105
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

EPISODE I:
THE EIGHT
OMENS
It is the year 12-House of the
Tenochtitlan calendar. The Triple
Alliance of the Mexica, Acolhua
and Tepanec has ruled over the
Anahuac and most of its surround-
ing lands for a hundred years, and
is well in the way to doing so for
another hundred.

But something threatens the stabil-


ity of the entire region, heralded by
strange signs and portents in the
sky and the night. Will the Aztec
Empire understand these omens
in time to prevent the impending
catastrophe?

A group of unlikely heroes is about


to find out, and thus bring about
the salvation or the doom of
their people
.

EPISODE II:
CORTES PLOY
It is the year of our lord 1519 and
a ragtag mercenary force lead by
Hernando Corts has just arrived
to the coast of the New World,
without the sanction or permis-
sion of the Spanish Crown.

If their attempt to settle this


land and plunder its riches fails,
Spain will have them impris-
oned or worse. Their very lives
depend on the gamble theyve
just played, and theyre not about
to return home empty-handed.

This group of daring adven-


turers will have to forge al-
liances, fight, infiltrate, and
spread dissent among the na-
tive peoples if they are to pre-
vail... or even simply survive!

106
Pioneer seT kickstarter november 1st

I
clusive
Kickstarter ex
bo x
F Y OU W AN T something truly special and unique, we have you two-sided
covered. This Kickstarter exclusive deluxe set contains many
cool artifacts designed to immerse you in the action.

Contents:
KS exclusive two-sided box.
Episodes I & II book.
8 pre-gen character folios.
GM screen.
Two NPC decks.
Two player decks.
Map of Tenochtitlan.

PL E D GE L E V E L: 100

ap
l a n m BD)
it T
cht gn
e no desi
T al
(fin

Two NPC decks.


Two player decks.
108 NPC cards in total.
54 cards in total.
107
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

een D)
Scr n TB
GM desig
al
(fin

k
oo
Ib
s I&I
ode
Epis

en
-g s
p re olio
8 rf
e
ct
a ra
ch

108
This is just the
beginninG
T H E W O RL D O F DRAGONS CONQUER AMERICA WILL EXPAND IN UNEXPECTED WAYS. WITH
YOUR HELP, WE WILL BE ABLE TO EXPLORE IT IN FULL.

R E M E MB E R: KICKSTAR TE R NOVEMBER 1ST

109
dr agons conquer a mer ic a

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D A I L Y U PD A T E S on development.

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S N E A K PE E K S and quick news.

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I N S I G H T A N D T H O U G H T S of our game development.

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C O O L I L L U S T RA T I O N S A ND PIC S:

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D I RE C T L I N E O F C O MMUNIC A TION W ITH US:

Follow: discord.gg/FqBe4pk

110
credits

production Gr aphic design

Helio de Grado Aleksandra Bilic

Jon Egia m aps a nd glyphs

ga me design lvaro Pesquera


Jose Mara Sainz
Carlos GQ
paintings a nd art wor k
Mauricio Gmez
Landing of Columbus, 1847 by
WR ITING John Vanderlyn

JC Obal Portrait of a Man, Said to be


Christopher Columbus, 1519 by
illustr ation Sebastiano del Piombo
Rado Javor Christ on the Cross, 1627 by Peter
Paul Rubens
Antonio J Manzanedo
Apotheosis of Hercules, 17331736
Marco Brunelleschi
(ceiling) by Franois Le Moyne
Milan Nikolic
Mesoamerican art, various
George Pricopegalan authors and dates.

111

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