ANCIENT HEROES
Copyright © Mark Henshaw, March 1, 2006

Ancient Heroes is a fast, fun, and easy to play RPG which doesn’t rely on dice. The game is strategy - oriented and encourages character - building without an excess of numbers. Veteran gamers might find it unusual at first, but it is quick and easy to learn.

As an overview of Ancient Heroes, characters are created by rolling up (or choosing) Attributes; Agility, Mind, Charm, and Strength, each rated from 3-18. Then a class is chosen; Warrior, Rogue, Mage, or Nomad. (All classes can learn all abilities, but Mages are better at spellcasting, warriors at fighting, and so on.) Then Skills are bought, items are bought, the character is fleshed out, and the game can begin. This process is fast, taking under 10 minutes. During combat, characters choose their actions, and then simultaneously reveal them; the “winning” actions occur while the defeated actions don’t. For example, a Chop will defeat a spell of any kind, but a Thrust is faster than a Chop, but a parry in turn beats a Thrust. (Ganging up on enemy characters is especially effective, since it is difficult to select a move which will beat two or more enemy actions.) After an adventure, characters gain Experience in the fields of Mind and Agility to buy more skills, and if a town is nearby they can use their money to buy new items. Over time, long-running plots, character relations, and intrigues can naturally develop.

The game is open to expansion - new skills and classes should be easy to design after you’ve played the game a few times, but you should be careful not to create too many new abilities which bog the game down with complexity.

Making a Character

Attributes: Roll 3d6 for each. You may reroll one attribute at your option, but rerolls are final. If you don’t have dice or would rather not roll, then assign 15 to one Attribute of your choice, then 13 to another of your choice, then 10, and then 7 to the last Attribute.
Agility: Your ability to learn physical moves. Add your Agility Modifier to the amount of Agility skill points you earn at the end of every adventure.
Mind: Your ability to master tricks and spells. Add your Mind Modifier to the amount of Mind skill points you earn at the end of every adventure.
Charm: Charm, social grace, and desirability. Subtract your Charm Modifier from the price of anything you buy and add it to anything you sell.
Strength: Your might and endurance, how much punishment you can withstand and weight you can carry. When your strength falls below your encumbrance, you’re unconscious; if your strength below 1, you die. (There is no Strength Modifier).

Attribute:	3 - 5	6 - 8	9-12	13-15	16-18
Modifier:  	-2	-1	0	+1	+2

Classes: Choose one - Warrior, Mage, Rogue, or Nomad.

Skills:
Roll 1d6 +Agility Modifier for Agility Skill points, 1d6 +Mind Modifier for Mind Skill points, and take an additional 10 Skill points to use as you wish. All skills cost 1 less to learn if they are part of your Class.

	Basic Skill: 3 Skill Points
	Intermediate Skill: 5 Skill Points
	Expert Skill: 7 Skill Points (Can’t be learned until you know all Basic Skills)
	Master Skill: 10 Skill Points (Can’t be learned until you know all Intermediate Skills)

After every adventure, the Game Master decides how difficult it was and may give everyone in the group either:

•	1 point to Agility and Mind Skills (if it was short or easy),
•	1 point to Mind Skills and 1d6 +Agility Modifier to Agility Skills (if the adventure was rather action oriented), 
•	1 point to Agility Skills and 1d6 +Mind Modifier to Mind Skills (if more puzzle and role-play oriented), or
•	1d6 +Modifier to both Agility and Mind Skills (if it was very long or difficult).

The Board: Play takes place on a board divided into 2 x 2 meter squares, each of which can be occupied by only one character.  With a melee weapon, you may only attack anyone occupying one of the four adjacent squares at the start of the Turn, or a character two spaces away by advancing to strike them. (Spears are an exception; they can also attack corner squares).

Play Procedure: At the start of every Turn (three seconds of game-time), each character gets one action, which he selects in secret. After everyone has chosen their move, actions are revealed and resolved. Sometimes actions can occur in tandem; for instance, if one character jogs, that will have no effect on whether another character draws his weapon. But in other cases only one character's action can succeed, as when two characters are fighting.

Resolving Actions: If two characters try to enter the same square, whoever has the higher Agility score gets there first by virtue of his superior speed and reflexes; the other character must stop one space short. But when two (or more) characters are fighting, the situation becomes somewhat more complex. Some actions are listed as beating others (for instance, a Thrust will beat a Backslash every time) but the winner is not always instantly clear. In these cases, always follow the rule of initiative: When two characters are fighting and their actions tie, whoever has Initiative wins.

Determining Initiative: As soon as two characters engage one another in battle, Initiative is granted to the Character with the longer weapon, (or shorter weapon in cramped quarters,) or, if the weapons are equal in length, then to the fighter with higher Agility. Thereafter, Initiative is taken by successful maneuvers of any kind (for instance, if you Chop against an opponent’s Block, he wins and takes Initiative; if he Jumps into your Chop, you win, deal damage, and get Initiative).

Getting Hurt: Any time a character is struck, he deducts the damage dealt from his Strength score; if this ever drops to zero, he dies. Assiuming that he is still alive, he moves backwards 1 square and his attacker may immediately move into the vacated square (at his option). If the character can’t back up because there is a wall in the way, he remains in the spot he’s in, but falls over.

Free Moves Open to All Characters

Draw - readies a melee weapon, missile weapon, a potion, or any other item for use.
Load - load or otherwise ready your missile weapon
Jog - move 3 spaces in any direction, but not diagonally, turning as desired. This loses to all attacks, so if anyone attacks you while you tried to jog, you are automatically hit. If two characters simultaneously attempt to move into the same space, the character with the lower Agility must stop short.
Advance - move 1 space and perform another action immediately afterwards. Again, if two characters try to enter the same space, the character with the lower Agility must stop short.
Fall Prone - You can only Crawl, Roll (to your feet), Hide, Thrust, Fire, or Stand up while prone. Slashes and Thrusts miss pronated fighters, but Chops, Kicks, Lunges, and Takedowns strike home.
Stand up
Crawl - move 1 space in the direction you’re facing, or turn to face another direction.

Warrior Abilities

Attacks (Agility-based; you can't try an attack unless you are adjacent to an enemy.)
Chop (B) - An overhanded chop, 5 damage, beats Lunge, Takedown, Feint, and Disarm.
Slash (B) - A high slash to the side, 4 damage, beats Kick, Feint, and Disarm; negated by large shields.
Backslash (E) - a spinning backhand to the off-side, acts as Slash but deals 6 damage and isn't negated by large shields.
Thrust (B) - A quick thrust, 3 damage, beats Chop, Backslash, Kick, Feint, Takedown, and Web of Death.
Lunge (I) - A low attack, 3 damage, beats Slash, Backslash, Feint, and Death Blow.
Feint (I) - If your feint succeeds, follow it with any attack you know for an automatic hit.
Disarm (E) - Beats Thrust and Lunge. Disarms opponents who use 1-handed weapons.
Combination (E) - adds a Lunge to a successful Backslash, a Kick to a successful Chop, or a Thrust to a successful Lunge; you must know both moves in the Combination to link them together in this way, and you can't do this from a Counterstrike or Feint.
Web of death (M) - whirling web of steel, beats Thrust, Lunge, Jump, and Roll, and deals 4 damage to everyone nearby.
Death Blow (M) - Kills on a successful strike.

Defensive Maneuvers (Agility-based)
Block (B) - a high block, defeats Chop, Thrust, Death Blow, and Web of Death.
Parry (B) - a quick parry, defeats Slash, Backslash, Thrust, Lunge, and Death Blow.
Circle Ward (I) - a sweeping outside parry, defeats Chop, Slash, Lunge, and Web of Death.
Counterstrike (I) - After successfully defending against an attack, you may automatically hit with a Lunge after a Block, a Chop after a Parry, or a Backslash or Disarm to after a Circle Ward; you must know both moves to use them. Characters with Large Shields are immune to Counterstrikes.
Lightning Defense (E) - you are immune to Counterstrikes and Disarms and automatically negate them; you start with initiative on any round after you negate an enemy Counterstrike or Disarm.
Missile Defense (M) - you can use Parry, Block, or Circle Ward against missiles as though you had a shield.

Rogue Abilities

Attacks (Agility-based, No Plate Armor or Large Shields allowed)
Fire (B) - fire an arrow or bolt like a Thrust, which can’t be Blocked or Parried without a shield. No one can be in the flight path, however, and you must spend an action loading beforehand. Negated by Large Shields.
Throw (B) - throw a dagger, spear, sling-bullet, etc. like a Thrust, which can’t be Blocked or Parried without a shield. No one can be in the way, however, and you must Load beforehand. Negated by Large Shields.
Aim (I) - If you Throw or Fire next turn, your strike is +1 damage and will hit even enemies with Large Shields.
Takedown (B) - You must have 1 free hand to perform a takedown; this beats Slash, Backslash, Roll, Jump, Feint, and Disarm. If successful, you deal 1 damage, and on every subsequent round you may either perform a lock (1 damage, irrespective of armor) or a flurry of strikes (2 damage), while your opponent tries to guess what you will do. If he guesses correctly, he throws you off and you both end up lying down; otherwise, wrestling continues next round.
Tackle (E) - if you know the appropriate skills, you can perform a Takedown on the same round as a successful Sprint, Jump, Roll, or Sidestep.
Submission Fighting (M) - Your takedowns beat a starting Slash, Backslash, and Deadly Slash, and all damage you deal because of the Takedown is doubled. If you are ever taken down, you have the option to reverse rather than escaping, and end up on top.
Kick (I) - Deals 2 damage; beats Block, Parry, and Circle Ward.

Defensive Maneuvers (Agility-based, No Plate Armor or Large Shields allowed)
Sidestep (B) - steps one space in any direction (including diagonally), defeats Chop, Thrust, Kick, and Web of Death. If another Character with higher Agility moves into your way this turn, your Sidestep is interrupted and you take no action this turn.
Backdash (B) - dash into any of the three spaces adjacent to your rear. Backdash negates all Warrior attacks except Lunge, but does not earn Initiative. If you are struck while Backdashing, you fall over.
Sprint (B) - Move up to 5 spaces in any one direction (or up to 4 spaces diagonally); you can’t change direction mid-Sprint. This loses to all attacks; if you are struck while Sprinting, or if another Character with higher Agility moves into your way this turn, you fall over.
Roll (I) - roll 1 space in any direction (including diaginally). Beats Slash, Death Blow, and Thrust. If struck while Rolling, or if another Character with higher Agility moves into the space you're trying to Roll into, you fall over.
Jump (I) - moves two spaces in one direction (but not diagonally). Beats Lunges. If you are struck while Jumping, or if another Character with higher Agility moves into that space, you fall over.

Special Rogue Actions (Agility-based, No Plate Armor or Large Shields allowed)
Climb (I) - scale a wall
Hide (I) - Avoid detection by remaining motionless; defeated by Perception or Expert Alertness.
Vanish (M) - Disappear from plain sight in a puff of smoke. Defeated only by Expert Perception.
Sneak (E) - After a Hide, avoid detection while moving. You may only move (not attack) while sneaking. Defeated by Perception or Expert Alertness.
Stalk (M) - Like Sneak, but defeated only by Expert Perception.
Pick simple lock (I) - Pick a simple lock
Open any lock (M)
Foil simple traps (I) - If you are suspicious, you may state that you are looking for simple traps activated by pressure plates and tripwires; if there is either a falling rock or pit trap, then you become aware of its existence, but not what kind it is. You may then state that you are attempting to disarm the trap, but you must decide what kind of trap you are disarming. If you disarm the appropriate trap, all is well; if not, you spring the trap.
Foil complex traps (M) - you may also look for complex traps; if there is either a blade or net trap, you become aware of it, though not what kind it is. As with simple traps, you may attempt to disarm it, but if you guess wrong, you spring the trap.
Thievery (I) - Steal an item while your target isn’t watching
Smuggle (E) - Conceal any item such that only Expert Perception can reveal it.
Disguise (E) - Hide your identity
Quickdraw (E) - perform a Load or Draw action for free at the start of any round.
Phenomenal Luck (M) - Once per day, if some attack or effect would kill you or knock you out, something inexplicable happens to save you (your attacker is distracted by a falling pine cone, you accidentally drop the poisoned wineglass, etc.) This only works once per day.
Escape (E) - Any time you are tied or chained up, you can mysteriously Escape when no one is watching. If you are ever taken down, you immediately and automatically twist to your feet somehow.

Magic Spells

Note on Magic Spells: Magic Spells are defeated by any nonmagical attack, as such strikes are faster and do not require any ceremonious utterance or arcane gesticulation.

Basic Magic Spells (Mind - based, cost 0 Strength to use, No shield or Armor allowed)
Wizard Blast - works like a fired arrow; can be parried or blocked with a shield. 2 damage.
Gaze of Fear - Anyone who looks at you is terrified and must retreat for 1 Round; this doesn’t work on anyone more than once. (Willpower is proof against this.)
Summon Bats - summons 1d6 bats, which arrive in 1d6 rounds. Can only be done once per battle.
Read Runes - Decipher ancient runes.
Identify Magic - Identify potions, magic items, or magic books on sight
Reveal Secrets - Reveals secret doors or hidden traps
Hypnotize - hypnotize a captive (anyone with Willpower is immune)
Light - causes any object to glow like a lantern for four hours.

Intermediate Magic Spells (Mind - based, cost 1 Strength to use, No shield or Armor allowed)
Whirling Flame - hurls a flaming disk of fire up to 5 spaces; acts as an unparryable Slash. 5 damage.
Windburst - knockdown on nearest 3 characters and negates all missiles within 5 spaces.
Stun Gaze - Stun anyone who looks at you, for 2 rounds (Expert Willpower renders immunity)
Force Wall - This spell, unlike other magic spells, negates any and all physical attacks from the front, and deals 2 damage to characters attempting a Kick or Takedown.
Counterspell - counters any magic spell being cast this round by a particular character, who must be visible to you and who must be identified when you decide to try a counterspell; if he casts no spell, this effect fizzles.
Summon Wolves - summons 1d6 wolves, which arrive in 1d6 rounds. Can only be done once per battle.
Open/Lock - opens or locks any door or chest
Brew Potion - brew a Potion of Wisdom, Strength Potion, or Potion of Poison. (This takes 1 day to finish.)

Expert Magic Spells (Mind - based, cost 2 Strength to use, No shield or Armor allowed)
Lightning Bolt - a Lightning Bolt streaks from the sky, striking any unmoving target within 20 spaces for 7 damage, ignores armor modifiers.
Ice Ax - hurls a glimmering ax up to 8 spaces which acts as an unblockable Chop. 8 damage.
Earthquake - everyone who doesn’t Jump takes 2 damage + knockdown. If near a cliffside, or inside, everyone takes an additional 1d6 damage for each of the next 2 Rounds unless they Block with a shield or perform a Sidestep or Roll.
Raise Dead - raises 1d6 skeletons, which awaken in 1 round. Can only be cast with corpses present, and skeletons which have been destroyed cannot be re-raised.
Summon Shadow Warriors - summons 1d6 shadow warriors, which form in 1 round. This can only be cast once per battle, and may not be cast in broad daylight.
Gaze of Terror - Anyone who looks at you is terrified and runs screaming. (This works multiple times, and only Expert Willpower is proof against this.)

Master Magic Spells (Mind - based, cost 3 Strength to use, No shield or Armor allowed)
Snuff - this takes two rounds; if it is completed, it snuffs out a single life. The target must be visible. Anyone with Basic Willpower falls unconscious, and anyone with Expert willpower is immune.
Dominate - completely bends another person to your will. The target must be visible. (Anyone with Basic Willpower can resist your commands while you are gone, but may not try if your Charm is high enough; Anyone with Expert Willpower is immune.)
Fireball - Fires a swirling ball of blue flame up to 8 spaces away which erupts next round, dealing 8 damage to everyone within 3 spaces of the epicenter and knocking them over. Anyone lying down takes only 4 damage, but a man-sized target directly struck by the ball is instantly reduced to charred ashes with no hope of resurrection.
Call Elemental - calls forth a single elemental which arrives in 1d6 rounds and thereafter rampages mindlessly before returning to its plane of existence 10 Rounds later. Generally, Elementals do not attack their summoner. (While the elemental is being summoned and until it arrives, the wizard must continue to chant; if he is struck during this time, the spell fails.)
Enchant Armor - The suit of enchanted armor reduces damage by an extra -1 henceforth. (This takes a full day to accomplish)
Enchant Weapon - The enchanted weapon deals an extra +1 damage henceforth. (This takes a day to finish)

Nomad Skills

These are all Mind-based. Each Nomad Skill is available at both the Basic and Expert levels; Expert abilities are more fully developed than Basic Abilities. (You can’t use Expert Nomad Skills in Plate Armor.)

Alertness - Passively detect unexpected sounds or scents, etc. Be immune to surprise
Perception - Actively examine items, find secret doors, spot tracks, see through lies, etc.
Deception - Your ability to Lie. Depending on your Charm, people may be unlikely to use Perception to determine that you are lying.
Willpower - resist domination and terror of any kind
Set Trap - Set a falling rock or pit trap; this takes an hour and 1 gold piece worth of materials purchased beforehand. At expert level you may set a poison dart or net trap; this takes a day to accomplish and 6 gold pieces worth of materials purchased beforehand.
Animals - befriend, train, and command animals
Survival - Start a fire, forage for food, don’t get lost, skin a bear, etc.
Music - Perform, read music, recognize songs
Lore - Know random knowledge, such as the abilities of Level 1 and 2 enemies. Expert Lore grants knowledge of the abilities available to level 3 and 4 enemies.)
Languages - Speak foreign languages. (Expert grants Ancient Languages)
Extra Attribute - Gain +2 to one Attribute. You can only get this once as a Basic skill, and once as an Expert skill.

Money & Equipment

You automatically start with 3 Gold (that’s worth 18 Silver), plus another 2d6 Silver; use this to buy equipment as desired from the list. If you don't have dice or prefer not to roll, just start with 4 Gold.

6 Bits are worth 1 Silver; 6 Silvers are worth one Gold; 6 Gold is worth 1 Crystal. Any time you buy an item, your Charm Modifier is subtracted from the cost (in whatever coins it is given as). Any time you sell an item, cut the value in half, and then add your Charm Modifier.

For example, say your Charm is 14 and you are buying a Mace. Your Charm Modifier is +1, so the cost is only 11 Silvers, not 12. Then, if you want to sell a Hand Ax, you would get (7/2=) 3, plus 1 for your Charm Modifier, or 4 Silvers.

Close-range Melee Weapons (Weightless)
Empty hand: Deals only 1 damage on Thrusts (jabs) or 2 damage on Slashes (rearhand punches); can’t perform any other attacks and on the defense can only Parry other Empty hand moves (including Kicks, which cannot otherwise be Parried.)
Dagger, 5s: Can only perform Thrust, Lunge, Feint, Kick, and Death Blow; must be paired with a shield in order to defend. Can be thrown 8 spaces as a Thrust.

Short-range Melee Weapons (Weight 1)
Hand Ax, 7s: Can’t perform Thrust, Parry, Counterstrike, Lightning Defense, or Missile Defense. Can be thrown 5 spaces as a blockable Chop.
Shortsword, 10s: Can’t perform Chop, Backslash, Block, or Web of Death.

Mid-range Melee Weapons (Weight 1)
Mace, 12s: Can’t use Thrust, Parry, Counterstrike, Lightning Defense, or Missile Defense.
Longsword, 6g: Performs all moves.

Long-range Melee Weapons (Weight 2)
Quarterstaff, 10b: Double handed, can perform all moves.
Ax, 20s: Double handed, +1 damage. Can’t use Thrust, Parry, Counterstrike, Lightning Defense, or Missile Defense.
Greatsword, 9g: Double handed, +1 damage. Performs all moves except Counterstrikes.

Great-range Melee Weapons (Weight 1)
Spear, 8s: The only warrior abilties whic can be used with a spear are Thrust, Lunge, Feint, and Death Blow; you must have a shield in order to defend. Can be thrown 10 spaces as a Thrust. Spears are longer than the other weapons and can attack all 8 adjacent squares, not just the 4 squares sharing an edge with the square you are on.

Missile Weapons
Sling & Sling Bullets, 12b, Weight 1: Allows the user to Throw sling bullets up to 15 spaces as a Thrust.
Bow & Arrows, 10s, Weight 2: Double - handed, allows the user to Fire up to 15 spaces. +1 damage.
Crossbow & Quarrels, 6d, Weight 3: Double - handed, allows the user to Fire up to 20 spaces, +2 damage. Loading takes 1 extra round.

Armor & Shields
Small Shield, 5s, Weight 1: Allows you to use Parry, Block, Counterstrike, and Lightning Defense even if your weapon otherwise disallows that; you may also defend against missiles and spells with a shield. You can’t use Intermediate or higher Rogue Skills with a Small Shield.
Large Shield, 12s, Weight 2: Functions as a Small Shield, but also negates Slash, Counterstrike, and all non-Aimed missile shots.You can’t use any Rogue Skills with a Large Shield.
No armor: If you aren’t wearing any armor, then all strikes you suffer are +1 damage.
Leather armor, or Gladiator Armor, 10s, Weight 1: Basic. You can’t cast spells in this armor.
Bronze Plate, 4g, Weight 3: All strikes you suffer are -1 damage, but you can’t use Expert Nomad Abilities or use even Basic Rogue Abilities while wearing Bronze Plate.
Enchanted Robes, 8g, Weight 1: Works as basic armor, but allows you to cast magic spells.

Other Items (Weight 1 unless otherwise stated)
Torch, 4b: Lasts for 2 hours, and renders almost no light if dropped.
Lantern, 4s: Uses flasks of oil; each flask burns for 4 hours.
Lockpicks, 4s, Weightless: Needed to open locks.
Book, 5s: All Mages need a spellbook to write their spells in.
Flask of wine, waterskin, mug of ale, 4b: Recover 1 Strength (no more than 2/day from liquids)
Loaf of Bread, Bag of trail mix, 5b: Recover 1 Strength (no more than 4/day from solids)
Venison, Wheel of Cheese, 2s: Recover 2 Strength (no more than 4/day from solids)
Rope & Grappling Hook, 6s, Weight 2: A long rope with a grappling hook to be thrown over walls
Strength Potion, 5s: Can be drunk as an action during combat to recover 5 Strength
Potion of Wisdom, 10s: Can be drunk as a combat action to gain all Basic Miscellaneous Skills for 1 hour (except for Extra Attribute)
Firebomb, 12s: This potion can be thrown, dealing 7 damage to anyone it strikes and 4 damage to anyone within 2 squares away from where it shatters. 
Potion of Poison, 8s: Lose 1 Strength if you drink this, and then 1 additional Strength every Turn until you roll a 6 on a six sided die. Applied to an edged weapon (it takes 1 minute to do this), a Potion of Poison allows you to deal +1 damage for 1 hour. If thrown, the noxious vapors of this potion stun everyone within 2 squares away from where it breaks unless they have Willpower.

Adventuring Hazards

Poison: A poisoned character loses 1 Strength immediately. Thereafter, he loses 1 Strength every Turn until he can roll a 6 on a six sided die. If you don't have dice or prefer not to roll, then lose 1 Strength every Turn until you have spent three complete Turns lying on the ground resting.

Starvation & Sleep Loss: If you don't rest for 8 hours in a day, lose 2 strength. If you don't eat anything during the day, lose 2 strength. If you don't drink anything at all, lose 4 strength. 

Traps: There are four basic kinds of traps.
Simple traps are sprung when someone steps into the space with the trap, either hitting a tripwire or stepping on a pressure plate; they only affect the character who triggers them. There are two kinds of simple trap; falling rock traps deal 8 damage to whoever sets them off. Pit traps deal 4 damage and effectively immobilize the victim until he can Climb out or someone helps him out. After a simple trap is sprung, it is no longer a threat.
Complex traps are more ingenious; these can be sprung by turning a doorknob, opening a chest, pulling a rope, or any number of innocuous actions. These traps not only affect the character who springs them, but also anyone standing in the four adjacent squares. There are two kinds of complex trap: Poison Darts deal 1 damage to anyone struck; anyone wearing armor strong enough to negate the damage is protected. But all other characters lose 1 Strength every Turn until dead, although they may roll a die every Turn; on a 6 they fight off the poison. Net traps spring up to ensnare characters who are helpless until someone cuts out the line with an Aimed missile attack or the characters inside can rip it open (this takes 10 Turns); either way, everyone takes 4 damage when they fall out.

Monsters

Note: Don’t worry about encumbrance with monsters; just use their Strength like “hit points.”

Level 1 Monsters (for beginning adventurers to fight, or intermediate adventurers to encounter in large numbers)
Bats: Strength 1. Immune to Thrusts and Lunges. Can only swoop in sideways or vertically (as a Slash or Chop) for 1 damage; flee if successfully Parried or Blocked.
Wolves: Strength 6, unarmored (take +1 damage). Immune to Slashes. Alertness, Perception. Thrust, Sidestep, Sprint, Takedown (Wolf takedowns are throat-bite for 2 damage irrespective of armor, or snap for 3 damage).
Peasants: Strength 8, unarmored (take +1 damage). Carry Mace. Chop, Slash, Backdash.
Giant Spiders: Strength 2, poison fangs can’t harm anyone wearing Chainmail or Plate Armor. Immune to high Slashes and Thrusts. Hide, Sneak, Jump, Sidestep, Bite (as a Thrust), Takedown.

Level 2 Monsters (encountered in very small numbers for beginning adventurers to gang up on, or expert adventurers to encounter in large numbers)
Huntsmen: Strength 6. Carry Bows and shortswords. Slash, Fire, Aim, Roll, Sidestep, Jump, Hide, Sprint, Quickshot. Huntsmen carry 1d6 silver.
Amazons: Strength 8. Carry 3 Spears. Thrust, Kick, Throw, Sidestep, Parry, Climb, Sprint. 1d6 silver.
Town Guards or Bandits: Strength 8, chainmail (take -1 damage). Carry maces and small shields. Chop, Slash, Block, Parry. Guards carry 1 Gold each; Bandits carry 2d6 Silver.
Skeletons: Strength 5, take -2 damage (resistant to damage). Immune to mental attack of all kinds. Carry Shortswords and small shields. Thrust, Freehand, Parry, Block, Automatic Gaze of Fear.
Shadow Warriors: Strength 3. Carry Longswords. Immune to mental attack of all kinds. Alertness, Perception, All Basic and Intermediate warrior moves, all Basic Rogue moves, Gaze of Fear (not automatic), and Expert Willpower.
Red Priestess of Chaos: Strength 5, no armor (take +1 damage). Wizard blast, Summon bats, Whirling flame. Red Priestesses have 2d6 Silvers.
White Mage: Strength 5, no armor (take +1 damage). Brew Potion, Counterspell, Summon Wolves. White Mages have three potions which they will gradually use in combat, but which become spoils of war if they are killed quickly.

Level 3 Monsters (encountered in very small numbers for intermediate adventurers to gang up on, or more advanced adventurers to fight one - on - one)
Giants: Strength 16, deals +1 damage. Carry Axes. Slash, Overhand Smash, Sidestep, Takedown, Weak - minded (all spells requiring Willpower to resist have double effects against Giants). Giants carry 1d6 Gold each. (Often found with Bandits.)
Blue Sorceress: Strength 7, Wizard’s Robes. Carries Quarterstaff. Parry, Block, Thrust. All Basic Mage spells, plus Force wall, Windburst, Stun Gaze, and Ice Ax. Blue Sorceresses have 1 Crystal. (Often found with Peasants.)

Level 4 monsters (These monsters will destroy all but the most powerful adventurers if they are encountered in anything other than one at a time.)
Black Mage: Strength 7, Wizard’s Robes. Carries Dagger. Thrust, Sidestep. All Basic and Intermediate Wizard abilities, plus Raise Dead, Summon Shadow Warriors, Snuff, and Expert Willpower. Black mages have 2d6 Golds. (Often found with Skeletons and Shadow Warriors)
Servitor of Chaos: Strength 15, Bronze Plate armor (take -1 damage). Carry Greatsword. All Basic and Intermediate warrior moves, plus Sidestep, Web of Death, and Willpower. 2d6 Gold. (Often found with Red Priestesses of Chaos.)

Level 5 monsters (These monsters are nearly invincible and almost always must be evaded, tricked, or negotiated with. Destroying them is the subject of an epic quest. )
Dragon: Strength 20 (take -2 damage from nonmagical attacks). Dragons take up six squares in the shape of a 2x3 rectangle. All Basic Nomad abilities; Quick Firebreath as Whirling Flame, or deep breath as Fireball, or Jump to create an earthquake, or flap wings as a Windburst (no strength cost to use these), or tail whip as a Low Slash which works against all characters behind it. Instead of using one of those abilities, Dragons may take two of the following actions per round: Parry, Block, Circle Ward, Deadly Slash, Lunge, Overhand Smash.
Elemental: Strength 15, Immune to nonmagical attacks. Sidestep, Circle Ward, Deadly Slash, Lunge, Overhand Smash. Also - depending on element - Whirling Flame, Ice Ax, Windburst, or Earthquake, Automatic Gaze of Fear, Willpower. Anyone touching an Elemental with a Freehand, Kick, or Takedown, or attacking an elemental with a dagger or punch takes 2 damage.

Ancient Heroes Character Sheet

Name:	Class:	_
Appearance:		_
Agility:	Mod:	Mind:	Mod:	Charm:	Mod:	_
Strength:		Weight:	Armor Modifier:			_
Offensive Warrior Moves:																			
Defensive Warrior Moves:																			
Combat Rogue Skills:																				
Other Rogue Skills:																					
Combat Mage Spells:																				
Other Mage Spells: 																					
Nomad Abilities: 																					
																									
Agility Pts:	Mind Pts:	Bits:	Silver:	Gold:	Crystals:	_
Combat Items:			 																			
Other Items:																						

Ancient Heroes Character Sheet

Name:	Class:	_
Appearance:		_
Agility:	Mod:	Mind:	Mod:	Charm:	Mod:	_
Strength:		Weight:	Armor Modifier:			_
Offensive Warrior Moves:																			
Defensive Warrior Moves:																			
Combat Rogue Skills:																				
Other Rogue Skills:																					
Combat Mage Spells:																				
Other Mage Spells: 																					
Nomad Abilities: 																					
																									
Agility Pts:	Mind Pts:	Bits:	Silver:	Gold:	Crystals:	_
Combat Items:			 																			
Other Items:																						

MEDIEVAL HEROES

If you wish to play a more Dark Ages style game, you can use these additions to Ancient Heroes.

New Races - If your Attributes fulfill the requirements, you may choose to be a nonhuman chararacter.
Elf: Maximum Strength is 13. Minimum Charm, Agility, and Mind is 10.
Dwarf: Maximum Charm and Agility is 13. Minimum Strength is 10.
Orc: Maximum Mind and Charm is 8. Minimum Strength is 13.

New Class - Priests. The Priest has these restrictions:
•	May not travel with (undisguised) Mages or Nonhuman characters, as they are of the devil
•	Must donate half of all treasure acquired to churches, monasteries, or to the poor
•	Must avoid combat and bloodshed, using only maces or staves when absolutely necessary
•	May not blatantly lie, cheat, or steal; should behave in a pious (though not necessarily nice!) manner

Additional Priest Skills - (Charm-based, each one can only be used once per day)
Rebuke the Unclean (B): This only works on elves, goblins, trolls, mages, sorceresses, or undead (shadow warriors, vampires, etc.) All characters without Willpower turn to flee, and any character with Basic Willpower is still stunned; you must have a crucifix. 
Prayer of Healing (B): Adjacent character regains 5 Strength.
Purification (B): You must have a crucifix. Cures a character of poison, or renders a potion (of any kind) inert.
Sermonize (I): Convince any one other person to “do the right thing.” Anyone with Basic Willpower will vacillate and may follow your urgings if your Charm is high enough, but Expert Willpower renders immunity.
Blessing (I): Creates a vial of holy water, or makes a weapon +1 damage for 1 hour. The blessing takes 1 minute to finish and you must have a Psalter to perform it.
Sense Evil (I): Sense the presence of Mages, Nonhuman characters, Undead, or magical items in any given square to within eight squares. This prayer does not reveal what kind of evil is manifest, only which square(s) in which it lies. (Note that the clerical definition of "Evil" may be more broad that that which other characters use...)
Holy Light (E): Like Rebuke, but all unclean creatures without Willpower are obliterated, while anything with Basic Willpower flees. If there are no other unclean creatures to rout, this will rout a single unclean creature with Expert Willpower.
Prayer of Joy (E): Adjacent character gains 10 Strength, even above his normal maximum. The extra Strength wears off in 1 minute.
Ceremony of Resurrection (M): Raises one person from the dead, who must not have been dead more than 1 minute at the start of the ceremony. You must have a Psalter to do this, and the character permanently loses 1d6 Strength. This ceremony takes 1 minute to finish.

New Items (Weight 1 unless otherwise stated)
Garlic Wreath, Mistletoe Wreath, Wolfsbane Wreath; 5b: ???
Psalter, 6s, Weight 1: Needed for Blessing and Resurrection.
Crucifix, 6s, Weightless: Needed for Rebuke, Purification, and Holy Light.
Holy water, 5s, Weight 1: Works as a firebomb against Unclean creatures.

New Weapons & Armor
Morning Star, 20s: Morning Stars can only perform Chop, Slash, Backslash, and Lunge. Morning stars are unblockable except by a shield, but you also can't defend yourself with a Morning Star unless you have a shield.
Silver Dagger, 5g: Just like a normal dagger, but made of silver…
Silver Spear, 8d, Weight 2: Works as a normal spear, but with a silver head…
Chainmail, 4g, Weight 2: All strikes you suffer are -1 damage, and you can’t cast spells or use Expert or Master Rogue Abilities while wearing Chainmail.
Full Plate, 10g, Weight 4: All strikes you suffer are -2 damage, but you can’t use Expert Nomad Abilities or use even Basic Rogue Abilities while wearing Full Plate.
Silver Elfmail, 30g, Weight 2: All strikes you suffer are -1 damage, but you can use all Rogue abilities and even cast any Magic spells you know.

New Level 2 monsters 
Orcs: Strength 8, chainmail (take -1 damage). Carry maces and small shields. Chop, Slash, Block, Weak - minded (spells requiring Willpower to resist have double effects against Orcs). Orcs carry 1 Gold each.
Goblins: Strength 5. Carry several daggers each. Alertness, Perception, Deception, Smuggle, Willpower. Thrust, Throw, Sprint, Takedown, Roll, Sidestep, Jump, Aim, Hide, Thievery, Summon Bats, Summon Wolves, Willpower. Goblins carry 1d6 Silvers each, although sometimes one will carry a single Crystal. (Often found with Bats or Wolves)
Elven Archers: Strength 6. Carry Bows and shortswords. Slash, Fire, Aim, Roll, Sidestep, Jump, Hide, Sprint, Quickshot, Willpower. Elves carry 1 potion of some kind. (Often found with Bats or Wolves).
Trolls: Strength 10, deals +1 damage. Carry Spears. Alertness, Lunge, Block, Parry, Kick, Hide, Automatic Gaze of Fear. (Often found with Goblins.)

New Level 3 monsters 
Vampiress: Strength 5, (takes -2 damage against non magical or non-silver weapons); fight with claws and fangs. Slash, Thrust, Sidestep, Jump, Sprint, Takedown (deal 2 damage and regain 1 Strength every time a successful Lock comes off from blood-drinking), Hide, Sneak, Climb, Disguise, Deceive, Willpower. Vampiresses usually carry 1 crystal worn at their throat. As Vampires, they have these abilities and weaknesses: Transform into and from Bat, Hypnotize and Gaze of Fear with no strength cost, cannot approach within 1 space of garlic, cross running water, or enter an abode uninvited, cast no reflection in mirrors, take 2 damage/Round from direct sunlight. Vampiresses wear 1 Crystal around their necks.
Werewolf: Strength 10, immediately regenerate all damage except from fire, magical weapons, or silver. Carries Ax (+1 damage) and wolf pelt. Cannot approach within 1 space of wolfsbane. All basic Nomad, Warrior, and Rogue moves, and also Summon Wolves (no strength cost), Transform into and from Wolf. Werewolves carry 2d6 gold. (Often found with bandits or wolves)
Wraith: Strength 8, Immune to nonmagical, nonsilver attacks. Sidestep, Thrust, Automatic Gaze of Terror. Cannot approach within 1 space of mistletoe. A slain Wraith turns into a single Crystal.

New Level 4 monsters 
Knight of Stars: Strength 12, Silver Elfmail armor (take -1 damage). Carry Morning Star and Large Shield. Alertness, All Basic and Intermediate warrior moves (but can’t thrust), plus Roll, Jump, Sprint, Hide, Deadly Slash, Lightning Defense, and Willpower. Carries 1d6 Gold. (Often found with Elven Archers and White Mages.)

New Level 5 monsters 
Vampire Lord: Strength 12 (takes -2 damage against non magical or non - silver weapons, deals +1 damage), carry Magic Longsword. All Basic through Expert Warrior and Nomad abilities, and all Rogue abilities through Master. The following Mage abilities at no strength cost: Summon Bats, Stun Gaze, Gaze of Terror, Dominate. The following Mage abilities with Strength cost: Force Wall, Windburst, Lightning Bolt. Also has all Vampiress abilities and weaknesses - Transform into Bat, Transform from Bat, cannot approach within 1 space of garlic, cast no reflection, cannot cross running water, cannot enter an abode uninvited, take 2 damage/Round from direct sunlight, deal 2 damage from wrestling Lock and recover 1 Strength from blood-drinking.