AZAG_HXIhXc.pdf

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CREDITS
Writers:
Lex Mandrake (rules/fi.ction/setting)
Chris Boudreau (rules/setting)
Diogo Nogueira (fi.ction/setting)
Safi.aAldulaijan (fi.ction/setting)
Mahar Mangahas (fi.ction/setting)
CONTENTS
Pg1 -
Foreword
Pg2 -
The Name of the World
Short Fiction by Lex Mandrake
Pg4 -
Section 1:Rules
Basic, Complex, and Optional Tools for
Running the Game
Pg9 -
The City of Masks
Short Fiction by Diogo Nogueira
Pg11-
Section 2: Characters
Creation and Advancement
Pg13 -
The Dream of The Amaranthine City
Short Fiction by Lex Mandrake
Pg15 -
Section 3: Abilities
Talents, Spells, and Their Uses
Pg22 -
The Invasion
Short Fiction by Mahar Mangahas
Pg24-
Section 4: Items
Mundane Objects and Magic Item Tables
Pg29 -
The Webs of Byzaron
Short Fiction by Lex Mandrake
Pg31 -
Section 5: Places
Descriptions and Encounters
Pg4 7 -
The Intractable General
Short Fiction by Safi.aAldulaijan
Pg49 -
Section 6: People
Motivations and Plot Hooks
Pg64 -
The God in Silver
Short Fiction by Lex Mandrake
Pg66 -
Section 7: Monsters
Statistics and Lore
Artists:
Luis Melo (Cover)
Logan Stahl (Interior Art)
Daniel Walthall (World Map)
Music:
Loot the Body
Playtesters:
Chris Boudreau
Safi.aAldulaijan
Logan Stahl
LBHackemup
Jorphdan
Ben Abbot
Peter Brown
Lizzy Dorrell
Kelly Moore
Brandon Owen
Dan Ouellette
Kyle Goines
Sam Cooper
Legal Disclaimer:
AZAGis an independent production by Dank
Dungeons and is not affiliated with the
Melsonian Arts Council.
FOREWORD
Welcome to my book! Thanks for buying it! I procrastinated as much as possible in its creation. In
fact this foreword is the last bit of writing I'm doing.
You know what an RPG is right? If not, it stands for Role Playing Game. This particular kind is
played using paper, pencil, and dice (or equivalent). A group of Players and a Game Master (GM)get
together to do some shared storytelling. Rules mechanics and rolls of the dice randomize elements of
that story, hopefully to its benefit.
Let's drill down a little more shall we? This game is inspired by some very good and cool stuff.
Mechanically this is a 'rules hack' of Advanced Fighting Fantasy as detailed in the 1989 book
Dungeoneer!
I've also stolen a bit of math from Daniel Sell's
Troika!
Though, I've departed in some
significant ways, like creating a Social Encounter system, or throwing out damage charts in favor of
polyhedral dice. I try to keep the rules fairly modular, so if you'd like to ignore some of them it
shouldn't be too big a deal. One of the things I try to do here is create tools that GMs can use during
play to improve the impact of their scenarios. For instance, there's a modifier system which replaces
static bonuses with a flexible dice chain.
What about the setting? What about the favor of the thing? Well, like far too many before me, I find
myself drawn to the Sword
&
Sorcery pulps of old. While I like Howard's
Conan,
I think the really
weird corners of Appendix N don't get referenced enough. All we got from Vance was a lousy spell
system, and there just so much more in
Dying Earth.
Lovecraft gets referenced a lot but hardly ever
his
Dream Cycle
stuff, and it's super interesting weird fantasy. Speaking of weird fantasy, Clark
Ashton Smith's
Hyperborea
is delightfully strange. Throw in some of the off kilter humor of Leiber' s
Lankhmar
too, why not?
I'll tell you why not! This genre is deeply problematic! Heaven forbid a woman in a Conan story not
be completely sexualized. Lovecraft certainly never passed up an opportunity to portray people of
color as alien or beastial. There's a lot that you can and should criticize these authors for. So how do
we write Sword
&
Sorcery material in light of this? Well we can start by dropping the negative stuff,
but I wanted to go further. I hired some extremely talented people from all over the world to give
their own perspectives on the genre. The way they've helped craft this setting is really awesome, or at
least I think so.
This all brings us, in a roundabout way, to the kind of setting material you're going to see in this
book. Sure there's flavorful spells and items but there's also: short fiction, npc generators, and
location tables. There's a lot of world to dive into here. As a forewarning there are a few subjects
appearing in this work you should be aware of. Of course violence is prevalent but we really tried to
put as much weight in problem solving and negotiation. There are some references to drug use,
mental illness, and disability that some may find uncomfortable. That's totally fair and we've tried to
keep this content in the peripheral. Basic Safety Tools have been included as well. I think it's really
important that people are talking about these kinds of topics before play so no one is blindsided.
Now to switch gears. This project isn't just writing! I worked with three wonderful artists on this
book. As someone who cannot draw, bouncing visual ideas off artists is a rare treat. It's a whole other
dimension of the world building that is crucially important. Speaking of other dimensions to the
project, there's a component which you may or may not engage with depending on how you
purchased the book. I'm talking, of course, about the music. Weird Fiction is ...weird, and I always felt
that psychedelic rock paired very nicely with it. So I reached out to the wildly talented Levi of Loot
the Body. He was more than happy to contribute and his instrumental work really speaks for itself.
To wrap up I feel really lucky to have been able to do this project. All the people I worked with really
floored me with their contributions. A special shout out to my regular co-author Chris. He's been
humoring my ideas for years and he did a lot of heavy lifting in here. I can't thank him enough for
that. Basically, if you like the stuff in here, read that credits page. Go support those people like you're
supporting me. Thanks everyone!
-Lex
by Lex Mandrake
My
homeland has never had
a name.
Though
many
have claimed names
for
it.
To the decadent Amaranthine Sorcerers it is Mashngi, the Great Dream. Sword smiths of
mountainous Larfar say it is called Talgurtheron. The eternally bickering priest kings of Barbasdu can
all agree its name is Anshar. It was declared Erim when the army under that banner sought to revive
the glory of the old dynasties at the point of a spear. Some, who have fallen to madness, call it for the
demon god they believe to have shaped it. The terrible and undying Azag, from whose temple and
veiled priests, no traveler has ever escaped.
I have traveled far, by painted sail and desert mount. Through saurian jungles and down silver
avenues. I have made it my life's ambition to witness every corner of my world. Those sights and
tribulations are graven upon my soul.
In the year of moving stone I held watch above the broken pass where the hard lands of X'nak border
the verdant valley of Quoz. As you well know, the battle was immeasurable. Such were the armies of the
warlock Torach, whom he clad in bronze and magic. Many had surmised their leader was invincible as
he strode the bloody causeway, striking down foes with the power of his living armor. Few remain who
saw that Torach was indeed, just a man. How his unstoppable force was brought low by the melodic
hymns of the orchid groves. I watched as an empire of carnage realized the true beauty of nature and
threw down their swords.
In the summer of crawling ice I climbed the great creeping glacier to divine what phenomenon
caused its growth. I crept through those groaning mirror caverns and beheld the servants of
Zuthaggwa in their writhing dance. Such rituals were bestowed by their alien master, and I can only
guess the outer thing's true motivations. However, it is well known that after its shrines were restored
in the settled lands, not one inch has the glacier moved.
In the last days of Noxtolar I sailed the rim of the Crescent Sea for that ill-fated city. Passing the
hushed necropolis of Kaimanu, with its cyclopean salt-swept streets and robed Toogs, who laugh
strangely under the horned moon. The gentle winds bore us past this and The Yielding Plain abutting
the Amaranthine City,only to falter at stately Lariyan. Its azure gardens and emerald streams tempted
us, but it does not do to dwell there. As time works weird phases in that sweet smelling place. Finally we
arrived at southern Noxtolar, where its twin golden rulers had grown lethargic, hiding behind the
power of their glyph gate. My companion stole from their treasure vaults an obsidian blade that had
belonged to the heroes of old. This caused our quick departure.
So many tales could I tell of daring battles and unknown magic. Of wicked acts overcome by
compassion or fury. I have experienced more than most in my life. When I began to pen this work I was
asked by my kin if I would be the one to name this place. I can only say that my homeland has many
names.
Best we deny them all, and call it
for
ourselves,
for
that is the true
freedom of
the world.
3

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