First Edition Revised Glamour
These rules entirely replace the Glamour rules in the Player's Guide, the Avalon sourcebook and the Sidhe Book of Nightmares. They are intended to retain Glamour's flavor as a reputation-driven "bag of tricks" focused on myth and legend while bringing it in line with the power of other sorceries.
- Knacks: Dwimmer-craft, Sooth-sight, Spell-warding, Witch-cunning, Glamour-mien
- Apprentice Degree: Fables
- Adept Degree: Stories
- Master Degree: Legends
Apprentice Ability: Jack of Fables
The character gains two Legends (see below). Additionally, the Glamour apprentice can use Reputation Dice as Glamour Dice, spending them instead of Drama Dice to activate Legends.
Glamour Heroes and Scoundrels can use Hero Reputation Dice or Scoundrel Reputation Dice as Glamour Dice; Glamour Villains use Villain Reputation Dice and Scoundrel Reputation Dice.
Adept Ability: Lord of Stories
The character gains a third Legend. The Glamour adept also has reached a level of fame that he can expect entry into the courts of Sidhe lords and ask for Lesser Boons (see below.)
Master Ability: King of Legends
The character gains a fourth Legend, and masters are mages of such power that even the royalty of the Sidhe must treat with them. They can enter the royal courts of the Sidhe and bargain for Great Boons (see below.)
The Knacks
Dwimmer-craft
Dwimmer-craft is the heart of a sorcerer's power with Glamour, representing the skill and strength of his Glamour workings. Ranks in this knack represent the strength of a mage's Glamour, and the kanck is the most commonly used to grade effects from a mage's particular Legends.
Sooth-sight
Unlike many sorceries, Glamour mages are generalists - their blood sparkles with the stuff of Avalon's dreams, rather than channeling some specific power fought for by their forefathers. Part of this manifests in the Second Sight - the ability to detect workings of sorcery and pierce illusions. Glamour mages can spend 1 Action and roll Wits + Sooth-sight to see if some Sorcery is being worked within 30 feet.
The base TN for the roll depends on the type of magic: 20 for Glamour, 25 for Porté, Sorté, El Fuego Adentro and other Numan sorceries, and 30 for Pyryrem, Laerdom, and other exotic sorceries. If the Sorcery has a very subtle effect, the TN is increased by 10. If the Sorcery affects a large area or large group of people, the TN is decreased by 5.
By default, the character knows only that Sorcery is being worked. They can make Raises to learn more. When trying to learn about the nature of the Sorcery, Glamour mages can make 1 Raise to determine the general type of Sorcery (Glamour, Numan, Pyryem, other), 2 Raises to determine the specific type of Sorcery (Seelie, Porté, et cetera) or 3 Raises to determine the type of effect the Sorcery is creating. When trying to learn more about who and what is being affected by the Sorcery, the mage can make 1 Raise to determine the location or item being affected and 2 Raises to determine the identity of the Sorcerer.
Some effects may obfuscate Sooth-sight, including the Witch-cunning knack below and the activities of certain very powerful Sorcerers.
Spell-warding
Glamour mages - by virtue of their connection to the magic that suffuses Avalon - gain some resistance to Sorcery's effects. Other characters trying to use Sorcery to affect the Glamour mage add the mage's Spell-warding to their TN; if the Sorcery they are using is Glamour, they instead add twice the mage's Spell-warding to their difficulty.
Witch-cunning
Because of the prevalence of Glamour in Avalon, Glamour mages must also learn to sometimes to conceal their workings. Glamour characters can use Witch-cunning to increase the TN to detect the use of one of their Legend powers; by doubling the time to use a Legend power, they can add twice their Witch-cunning knack to the TN of characters trying to detect their Sorcerous effects. Legends that can be invoked without spending an Action instead require 1 Action if Witch-cunning is being used.
Glamour-mien
Sorcerers who practice Glamour can use their skill with the fabric of Glamour itself to impress Sidhe and other creatures of Legend - flexing their sorcerous muscles, effectively, to awe supernatural creatures with their power. Glamour mages can add twice their Rank in this Knack to Repartee actions and other social rolls involving the Sidhe.
Legends
Glamour mages are able to channel the spirit of various Legends as they gain rains in the Sorcery. Each Legend ability provides a Glamour mage with a single "trick" related to the essence of the individual who created the legend.
Robin Goodfellow
The legendary archer could shoot farther and more accurately, it is said, that any man. Characters with the Robin Goodfellow Legend can spend a Drama Die to lower the effective Range of their next ranged attack by 5 feet per Rank of Dwimmer-craft, or 10 feet per Rank if that attack is with a bow.
The Horned Hunter
Stories of the great hunter say that he was stronger than any man, able to hurl boulders and leap enormous distances. Characters with the Horned Hunter Legend can spend a Drama Die to perform a feat of superhuman strength, increasing his Brawn by his Dwimmer-craft for one non-combat roll.
Jack
This trickster was a master of misdirection and illusion, and Glamour mages conversant in his legend can effect such illusionary transformations. They may spend a Drama Die to transform a small object (less than one cubic foot in size) into one of the items on page 202 of the Player's Guide until the next dawn (or until you will the enchantment to end), when it reverts to its former self. If a transformed object is broken into pieces, all of the pieces disappear at dawn except for one (randomly chosen), which reverts to its original unharmed form.
The Green Man
The legend of this ancient warrior says he challenged a knight to strike off his head and then picked it up and put it back on his shoulders. Characters with the Green Man Legend can spend a Drama Die and have the next Dramatic Wound the character suffers this Scene miraculously heal itself at the end of the round. This ability can bring someone back from being Knocked Out but cannot cure death.
Thomas
The legendary monk used his faith and great wisdom to defeat sorcerers with their own power. Characters with this Legend can spend a Drama Die to cancel one use of Sorcery he can sense within 30 feet, provided that his Rank in Spell-warding is equal or greater to the rank of the Knack being cancelled. In the case of permanent effects, this cancellation lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Mastery Level. Some very large effects cannot be completely canceled; in such cases, the Thomas legend will only affect a nearby part of the magic.
Anne O' The Wind
The woman who could outrun the wind gives those mages who know her Legend some measure of her swiftness. By spending a Drama Die, characters with the Anne O' The Wind Legend can add their rank in Dwimmer-craft to their Sprinting knacks and Initiative Totals for a number of rounds equal to their Mastery Level.
Blackcloak
The legendary thief could pass without a trace into the night. Characters with the Blackclock Legend can spend Drama Die to increase the TN for all attempts to track the character by 5 for every rank in Dwimmer-craft that character posseses. If the glamour mage is moving with a party, the Legend increases the TN to track the party by double the character's Dwimmer-craft Rank.
Iron Meg
The toughest woman who ever lived can impart some of that toughness to a Glamour mage with her Legend. Characters with the Iron Meg Legend can spend a Drama Die and add ten times their Rank in Dwimmer-craft to a single Soak roll.
Isaac Snags
The bowman with the lightning hands imparts some of his amazing reflexes to heroes with his Legend. They can spend a Drama Die to catch an arrow, bolt, or thrown weapon out of the air, automatically succeeding an Active Defense in doing so.
Jeremiah Berek
The master of the Sea Dogs is a living legend, famous for his incredible luck in the most difficult of circumstances. Characters with the Jeremiah Berek Legend can spend a Drama Die before a roll to reroll all exploding dice in a roll twice, keeping both extra dice.
King Eilodd
The first High King of Avalon, King Eilodd made the original treaty with the Sidhe that granted humans the power of Glamour. Glamour mages with this Legend can call upon the Sidhe for aid; they spend a Drama Die and roll Resolve + Glamour-mien against a TN of 30, and a nearby Sidhe will come to aid you from the court of the character's choice. If the roll totals less than 10, the arriving Sidhe will instead be from the opposite court. The arriving Sidhe will be a common fairy if the Glamour mage is an apprentice, a Sidhe knight if the mage is an adept and an important noble if the mage is a master of Glamour.
Mad Jack O'Bannon
Another living legend, the King of Inismore is famous for his ability to disappear behind objects he can never fit behind. Spend a Drama Die while standing behind an object that partially covers you in order to disappear; you cannot see or be seen, but you can hear what is going on around you.
King Robert the Dark
The great warlord of the Marches's legend brings success in battle. Characters with this Legend can spend a Drama Die to add their Rank in Sooth-sight to their Personal Results Roll for a number of mass combat rounds equal to their Mastery Level.
St. Rogers
The first pirate is a powerful Legend for sea-faring Glamour mages - he and his ship were one, able to survive even impossible storms and sea-battles. Characters with this Legend can spend a Drama Die to instantly heal a ship of a Critical Hit.
The Stone Knight
The legendary knight was renowned for his bravery; he once stood his ground against an invading army all by himself for a full day and night before help arrived. Characters with the Stone Knight Legend can channel his indomitable will and spend a Drama Die to subtract his Dwimmer-craft from all Fear Ratings he faces for a number of rounds equal to the character's Mastery Level.
Queen Maab
The Queen of the Sea is terrible and violent as a storm, but she rules the waves and mages with her Legend pay that heed. A character with this Legend can spend a Drama Die to speak and use Repartee against sea creatures for five minutes per Rank in Sooth-sight.
Lady of the Lake
The Queen of the Earth is wise Sidhe who sees into the mists of the future. Characters with this Legend can channel her legendary perception, spending a Drama Die to automatically succeed at a Perception check whose TN is less than or equal to 10 times the character's rank in Sooth-sight.
The Seelie Queen
The Queen of the Sky is a powerful ruler whose royal mien is legendary. Characters with the Seelie Queen Legend can use their power to increase their stature in the eyes of others; by spending a Drama Die, they can add twice their rank in Glamour-mien to all social rolls against a single target for the duration of the Scene.
The Horned King
The Horned King is the masculine power of the Sidhe, full of primal lust and power. Characters with this Legend can spend a Drama Die to gain three times their Glamour-mien Knack as a bonus to all Seduction checks against a single target for the duration of the Scene.
Red Cap
The most fearsome of the goblins, Red Cap tortures his victims and fills them with fear. Characters with his Legend can spend a Drama Die before Phase 1 to gain a Fear Rating equal to their Mastery Level for the remainder of the round.
Boons
In addition to their Legends, Glamour Adepts and Masters can seek out the lords and ladies of the Sidhe and beg for Boons - gifts of Glamour granted by the Sidhe in exchange for services rendered. Boons come in two stripes: Lesser Boons, granted by the nobility of the Sidhe, and Great Boons, granted by Sidhe royalty. While ultimately Boons are a matter of GM discretion, several example Boons (and associated services) follow.
To gain any Boon, the Glamour mage must seek out the granting Sidhe, ask them for the Boon, complete the required service and spend a Drama Die. The Boon then takes effect once the Sidhe works its Glamour upon the character or other desired target of the Boon. Note that asking for a Boon is not a merchant's sale: the Glamour mage asks for the Boon, the Sidhe demands a service, and the mage accepts or graciously declines. Haggling with the Sidhe is a sport for those who do not value their health or sanity.
Lesser Boons
Lesser Boons generally provide heroes with a temporary effect that lasts generally for no more than a single Scene; while the effect's bonus may vary, two to three Free Raises to non-combat tasks is roughly appropriate. The service required for a Lesser Boon should usually require no more than a single Scene to complete.
Example 1: Smooth Sailing
A character might bargain with a water nymph to see that their ship has smooth sailing from Canguine to La Bucca, riding smoothly through storms and catching the correct currents - providing perhaps two Free Raises to Sailing checks related to a smooth journey. In exchange, the water nymph may ask the characters to drop all of their cannonballs overboard as a sacrifice of iron or to recover a great pearl from the necklace of a Montaigne lady visiting the Governor of Canguine.
Example 2: Finding the Lost
A character might bargain with a Sidhe lord with domain over some territory to find a person or thing within the Sidhe's lands; alternately, he might seek out some forest satyr to find something lost within the many forests of Avalon, or amountain spirit to discover the location of a hidden person in the hills. Because the Sidhe are creatures outside time and space, the answers may require some puzzling, but with such a Boon the character will be set on the right path. In exchange, the Sidhe noble might ask the character to wear only green until he finds his prize, or to always walk through doors backwards for a day and night. The mountain spirit might require the heroes to turn loose the sheep of cotholder who did not pay him proper obeisance, or to gather for him fourteen wind-smoothed stones from a mountaintop.
Example 3: Cloak of Shadows
A Hero might ask a spider fairy to weave a cloak of night-black silk that provides him with concealment for the duration of an evening, providing two Free Raises to Stealth checks until the strands melt away at dawn. In exchange, the web-weaver might ask for three beautiful songbirds in silvered cages - dinner for the hungry Sidhe and her children.
Example 4: Gremlins!
A Hero - or Scoundrel - might want to work some curse of annoyances upon a person they dislike, seeking out a troupe of goblins to perform diverse mischiefs on an individual for the span of a week. No single act is particularly problematic, but a week's worth of drafty windows blowing open at night, lost quills and ink and cats underfoot to trip servants with glasses of wine will fray any temper. The goblins, however, are creatures of prank by nature - and so they might ask the heroes in turn to wear a fool's cap for that same week, or to shear them off a lock from the head of recently hanged criminal.
Great Boons
Where Lesser Boons are bargains with ordinary Sidhe, the Great Boons are agreements between the mightiest masters of Glamour and the rulers of the fae themselves. They can powerfully affect heroes - providing temporary bonuses to Traits on the order of +2 or +3 - and beyond personal effects can change the destiny of nations. They require concurrently great services, however, often requiring an Act or entire Story to complete.
Example 1: Mists of Avalon
A character might ask the Queen of the Sea to shield a ship in a mystic fog-bank, allowing it sneak into a harbor - even under the guns of an enemy fleet or fort - unseen. In exchange, Queen Maab may ask that the heroes destroy a nest of Sirens on a distant rock, or to safeguard a mysterious traveler deep into the Lady of the Lake's forest and back without attracting the attention of the Queen of the Earth.
Example 2: A Phial of Courage
A hero who knows he must face some terrible monster - perhaps a distant island god, or a still terrifying but more human figure like Captain Reis - might ask the Lady of the Lake for a phial of golden water that contains the essence of spiritual strength. Quaffing such a phial would grant the Glamour master +3 Resolve for a single Scene. In exchange, the Lady of the Lake may require the character give up the memory of her first love: remembered again for a moment in the Lady's pool and then gone forever.
Example 3: A Man's House Is His Castle
A hero might seek out a powerful Sidhe who while not strictly a monarch is one of the great legends of the fae - a figure like Jack, the Seelie Queen's jester. In exchange for a service, he might ask Jack for an enchanted cottage, many times greater on the inside than the outside where no one ever ages, its location masked by Glamour so that none can find their way. For such a Boon, Jack might ask the heroes to slay a giant for him, or to masquerade as a Duke or Baron and his court for a week while Jack spirits the real noble away.
Example 4: The Hunt
A master of Glamour needing to find someone might entreat the Horned King to turn the Wild Hunt after his quarrel, traveling via paths of Glamour with the Wild Hunt to find his prize wherever he hides. In exchange, however, the Horned King might ask the hero to join his Hunt every full moon for the following year, going with him wherever he wills in pursuit of whatever prey has caught the Horned King's eye.
Example 5: The Stalwart Champion
Faced with a dire circumstance, a Glamour mage may entreat the Queen of the Sky or some other Sidhe potentate for a desperate boon: Glamoured survival in some enchanted place for a day and a night, during which the hero can neither be killed nor crippled. After such a great boon, however, the Seelie Queen might require the character's presence as a knight in her service for a year and a day in Bryn Bresail. With the eerie time of the faerie world, the hero might return from the land of the Fae finding only days or weeks have passed, or he may instead discover his companions grown old and gray.
Legendary Boons
Beyond the Great Boons, some mythic sorcerers have made even greater bargains still: Derwyddon raised Carleon from a plain in a single night, while on several occaisons the entire Avalon fleet has benefited from a shroud of mist. Indeed, the Graal itself could be said to be the greatest Boon of all. What price the Sidhe extracted for these gifts, however, remains unknown.