The King is Dead: Savage Worlds Character Creation

Robin and I are going to start running a The King is Dead duet campaign to work out some of the bugs in the setting, so it behooves me to make up some character creation rules.  

A representative The King is Dead party: the 18th Century League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The King is Dead Savage Worlds Character Creation

Character creation follows standard Savage Worlds guidelines except for the following provisions.

Savage Worlds Horror Companion

The King is Dead makes use of the Savage Worlds Horror Companion.    

The following Hindrances are allowed from the Horror Companion: Bleeder, Bullet Magnet, Combat Shock, Cursed, Jumpy, Screamer, Slow, and Victim.

The following Edges are allowed from the Horror Companion: Relentless, Fanaticism, Exorcist, Necromancer/Master Necromancer, Talisman Craftsman, Monster Hunter, Tower of Will, and One of the Chosen.

The following Setting Rules from the Horror Companion are in force: Buckets of Blood, Chronological Phenomena, Rituals, Signs & Portents, and Wards & Binds.

All of the new Powers introduced in the Savage Worlds Horror Companion are available in The King is Dead.

Secret Societies

The King is Dead is a setting about conspiracies.  All player characters must choose a secret society to which to belong and for which they receive special benefits.  GMs may allow players to choose a secret society after play begins, or they may wish to run induction into the society as part of play; in those cases the characters do not get the benefits of membership until after they are inducted.  During the course of a campaign, a character may be offered honorary membership in other societies.  They do not get the Skill bonuses bequeathed by membership for any but their original secret society.

Membership in any secret society grants the Connections Edge for that society.

Membership in any secret society imposes the Vow (Major) Hindrance to uphold the goals and protect the secrets of that society.

Each secret society trains its members in Skills of vital importance to the society.  If a player does not choose a society before play begins, then the GM may feel free to impose 1d4 months of downtime on the character while she learns her society’s Skills.

• The Balefire Club: a gathering of libertines run as a mock occult society, membership in the Balefire Club grants a d4 in Knowledge (Occult) and Persuasion.
• The Bloodstained Blade: weapon masters who secretly worship the Pariah, the Enemy of Sathaniel, membership in the Bloodstained Blade grants a d4 in Knowledge (Occult) and Stealth.
• Clan O’Nail: a mad band of separatists from Clavus and Lochland who support the pretender Jacob O’Nail, membership in the Clan O’Nail grants a d4 in Streetwise and Survival.
• The Illuminated: genteel intellectuals who foment radical changes in society, membership in the Illuminated grants a d4 in Gambling and Persuasion.  [Note: the Illuminated use the incredibly common pastime of gambling to send secret messages by cheating at cards; this requires only a regular success on a Gambling roll and can be combined with gambling to win money.]
• The Red Brotherhood: a fraternity of pirates, robber-knights, and smugglers, membership in the Red Brotherhood grants a d4 in either Riding or Boating (depending on whether the character chooses to be a highwayman or live a life at sea) and Streetwise. 
• The Sorority of Belquis: dedicated to spreading the message of empowerment amongst women of all classes, membership in the Sorority of Belquis grants a d4 in Persuasion and Streetwise. 
• The Star’s Children: mutants created by the Newtown Weald meteorite who have learned to hide their special abilities in plain sight, membership in the Star’s Children grants a d4 in Stealth and Streetwise.
• The Wild Hunt: a loose network of backwoodsmen and monster-hunters, membership in the Wild Hunt grants a d4 in Survival and Tracking. 
• Zunft von Hohenheim: a society of mystic alchemists and mad inventors, membership in the Zunft von Hohenheim grants a d4 in Knowledge (Occult) and Knowledge (Science).

Leadership Edges

Characters in The King is Dead are expected to rise to positions of power and prominence in their societies; it is hoped they will become the leaders of the Glorious Revolt against the vampires.  To that end, all The King is Dead player characters receive Command as a bonus Edge at Novice.  Upon attaining every new Rank, they may choose another bonus Leadership Edge for which they are qualified. 

The benefits of Leadership Edges also apply to Mobs (see Setting Rules).

Derring-do

Even the most foppish member of the Illuminated may occasionally find the need to climb a garden wall or swim away from a sinking ship.  The Climbing and Swimming Skills are removed from play and replaced with Strength and Agility checks respectively.

Setting Rules

The following setting rules from Savage Worlds Deluxe are in effect in The King is Dead:  Blood & Guts, Born a Hero, and Joker’s Wild.  (In duet games, it can also be assumed Heroes Never Die is as well.)

The following Wine and Savages setting rules are in effect:  Anguish, Cooperative Skills, and Mobs.  (In duet games, Too Many Cooks is also in effect.)