BRUTAL

QUEST
FANTASY NARRATIVE SKIRMISH GAMING
B A S E D O N T H E P L A N E T 28 RULES
 Brutal Quest - Written and illustrated by Nicolas Evans.
Published by Mammoth Miniatures 2021.
With huge thanks to the kitbashing community, the play testers, proof readers,
patreon backers and of course everyone who supported this project through Kick-
starter.
 BEGIN YOUR QUEST. . .
BRUTAL QUEST IS A MINIATURE NARRATIVE SKIRMISH GAME FOR TWO OR
MORE PLAYERS, DESIGNED FOR WARBANDS OF CONVERTED AND
KITBASHED FANTASY CHARACTERS.
BUILT ON THE PLANET28 RULES SYSTEM, BRUTAL QUEST IS SIMPLE ,
QUICK AND ADAPTABLE, ALLOWING YOU TO PLAY ANYTHING FROM A
SINGLE ENCOUNTER TO A FULL STORY CAMPAIGN.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED.

To play a game of Brutal Quest you’ll need the following things:
•Miniatures 4,6,8,10,12 & 20 sided die. A couple
The most important part of any of extra 10 sided dice are also
miniature game: a selection of useful.
miniatures to represent your •Tape measure
characters on the tabletop. A tape measure or ruler marked in
•A battlefield centimetres (cm) for measuring
Your battlefield is the surface you weapon ranges and movement.
play on. This should be a space at •Pens and paper
least 60x60cm. Throw in plenty of Some pens and paper for keeping
model scenery - trees, rocks, ruins track of your character’s stats and
and homesteads all help build your abilities.
battlefield. •Tokens
•Dice A handful of tokens (glass beads,
Each player will need a set of coins etc) for tracking your
polyhedral dice containing a character’s health and brutality.

ROLLING DICE.
In a game of Brutal Quest, your characters act by making dice rolls known as
skill rolls. The skill roll is the main way of determining whether a character
has succeeded in completing an action. All skill rolls are done in the same
way - simply determine which skill a character’s actions fall under and roll a
single 10 sided die (referred to hereafter as a D10 or 1D10)
If you roll UNDER the character’s skill value then the action is a
success. If you roll EQUAL to or OVER then the action is a failure.

A roll of 10 is always considered a failure regardless of any modifiers, and

likewise a roll of 1 is always considered a success regardless of modifiers.
There are plenty of other ways you’ll use your dice during a game, but these
will be covered later on.
CHARACTERS.
Each of your miniatures represents a single character. Collectively your
characters make up your warband.
Each character has the following basic skills:
•Agility (A) •Ranged (R)
How well a character navigates their How well a character fights with
environment. Agility also ranged weapons.
determines when a character acts in •Awareness (AW)
a turn. How well a character responds to
•Melee (M) their surroundings.
How well a character fights in hand •Psyche (P)
to hand combat. How intelligent a character is and
how well they cast spells.

As well as the skills listed above, every character in your warband has the
following basic characteristics:

•Speed (S) •Abilities

How far in cm a character can move Abilities are special actions a
in a single action. character can perform instead of or
•Hit points (HP) alongside their normal actions.
How much damage a character can •Inventory
take before they’re considered slain. A character’s inventory contains all
•Traits their equipment, weapons and
Traits are special characteristics that armour, as well as any gold or
alter how your character acts in other items they might gather
certain situations. Some are good throughout a campaign.
and will offer a bonus to your
character, while others are bad and
hinder your character’s actions.
CORE CONCEPTS.
The turn.
Every game of Brutal Quest is divided into a number of turns. How many turns
will depend on what kind of scenario you’re playing.
In a turn each character may make 2 actions. Rather than one player acting
with all their characters first, both players activate characters according to
their agility score.

Starting with the highest (A) and working down, players perform
actions with their characters until all characters have had a chance to act.
If two or more opposing characters have the same (A) then the character with
the highest (AW) may choose to act either first, second or so on. Should two
opposing characters have the same (A) and (AW) then both players should
roll 1D10 - the player with the lowest roll can then decide which character
acts first.

Once all characters have had a chance to act the turn is over and a new turn
begins.

Actions.
Every character in
Brutal Quest performs actions in order to
achieve their goals during a game. All
characters may choose from the same set of basic actions. Characters are
free to perform actions in any order or combination. Characters can perform
the same action twice.
The basic actions a character can choose to perform are:
Move, Charge, Fight, Shoot, Ability, Item & Hold.

Alongside these actions a character can also perform a Universal action.

These are actions that do not require a specific dice roll to complete but
which still take time to perform. Things like crouching down, searching a
corpse or picking up a dropped weapon would all count as universal actions.
Move.
A character can move in any direction up to their (S) in cm. Characters may
change direction at any point during a movement action in order to travel
around obstacles, other characters, through doorways etc.
Moving over terrain.
Terrain in Brutal Quest is either Even, Rough, Hazardous or Impassable.
•Even terrain represents flat open •Hazardous terrain includes rapid
ground, ladders, stairs or low deep water, jagged rocks or haunted
obstacles that could be traversed ruins. A character entering hazardous
without incident. Moving over even terrain must first make a skill roll
terrain requires no skill roll; simply against their (AW). If they succeed,
move your character to where you they may treat the terrain as rough
want them to go. for as long as they remain within it.
If they fail, they must make an (A) roll
•Rough terrain represents thick for every turn they spend in the
forest, flowing water, walls less than terrain. If they succeed they move at
5cm in height or generally uneven half speed –1D4cm for the turn. If
ground that might slow someone they fail they take 1D10 damage,
down. When moving through rough minus armour rolls.
terrain, make a skill roll against the
characters (A). If the roll succeeds, •Impassable terrain includes sheer
the character moves as normal. If the cliffs, flowing lava or anything else
roll fails the character moves at half that simple can’t be walked over.
speed. Impassable terrain cannot be moved
through.
Climbing.
If a character wishes to move over an obstacle 5cm of more in height, it
counts as climbing. To climb an obstacle, simple make an (A) skill roll. If the
character passes, they may climb up to their remaining speed in CM.
Characters must make a skill roll for every action in which they climb - so a
character using both their actions to climb a tall tower must make 2 skill rolls.
If a character ends their turn mid climb they must make a further (A) roll to
remain in place until the next turn. Climbing characters may not make any
further actions until they have finished their climb.
Falling.
Should a character fail their skill roll when climbing then they have fallen.
Measure the distance from the point at which they fell directly down to the
nearest flat surface. For every cm above 5 the character takes 1 damage.
Damage taken from falling cannot be stopped with armour.
Place the fallen character on the next flat surface directly below the point
from which they fell.
(E.G - a character fails a skill roll when climbing a 6 cm wall – they have fallen and take 1
damage.
Character 2 fails a skill roll whilst climbing a 20cm tower. They were 10cm up when they fell,
and so take 5 damage.)

Charge.
A character may perform a charge if they end their move action in base
contact with an enemy character. The charging character may make 1 extra
fight action at +1D4 to their (M) skill.
Fight actions after the initial charge do not receive a bonus.

The charged character may make an (AW) roll before the attack is carried
out. If they succeed, they have seen the charge coming and braced for it in
time. The charging character then receives +1D4 to their (M) for their next
fight action, but does not receive the extra action.
(Example 1 - character 1 moves into base contact with character 2. Character 2 fails their
(AW) roll. As such ,character 1 may now make 1 free fight action at +1D4, and use their
remaining action to fight as normal.
Example 2 - Character 1 moves into base contact with character 2. character 2 makes a
successful (AW) roll. Character 1 must now use their remaining action if they wish to attack,
whilst receiving +1D4 to their (M) ).

Fight.
Characters may fight any characters that they have charged or that are
within 5cm of them.
First declare which character you wish to attack, then move the attacking
character so that their base touches the base of their chosen opponent -
this is referred to as base contact. Note that this does not count as a move
action and as such the attacking character does not count as charging,
despite having moved. If a character has already charged then they do not
need to be moved, as they will already be in base contact.

Enemy characters in base contact are said to be locked in combat.

Once you have moved the attacking character, they must make an (M) roll.
If the roll succeeds, the attack has hit home. The attacking character now
rolls for damage by rolling their weapons damage dice, and finally the
enemy character may make any available armour rolls before removing the
remaining damage from their hitpoints. You may only attack with one
weapon per action.
If the attacker successfully deals damage to their opponent they may choose
to push them backwards 3cm. To do so, simply move the target character
directly away from the attacker by 3cm. Both characters are now counted as
no longer being locked in combat.
If the attacking character fails their (M) roll, both characters remain locked in
combat.
If a character is reduced to 0 hitpoints, they are considered slain and
removed from the game.

Multiple opponents.
If a character is locked in combat with more than one enemy, they must first
pass a focus test before making an attack action against any single enemy.
To make a focus test, count up the number of enemy characters in combat
with the attacking character.
Add this number to the attacker’s (AW) skill, then make an (AW) roll.
If the attacker succeeds, they may attack as normal for the remainder of the
turn.
If they fail, they suffer –1 to their (M) for every enemy character in base
contact.

(E.G. Character 1 has an (AW) of 7 and is in combat with 3 enemies. They minus 3 from their
(AW) skill and roll to see if they can attack as normal. They roll a 2, and as such succeed and
may attack any enemy they wish as normal.
In the next turn character 1 is still in combat with 3 enemies. They roll a 5 for and as such fail
their (AW) roll. Their (M) is 9, which is now reduced to 6 - 1 for each enemy in combat.)

Characters in combat with multiple enemies may split their actions between
targets during a single turn.
(E.g. Character 1 is in combat with two enemies—they use their first action to fight the first
enemy and their second to fight the other.)

Countering.
If a character is being attacked and has not yet acted this turn, they may
choose to use on of their actions to fight back. In this case both characters
make an (M) roll at the same time. If both characters succeed then both take
damage from each other’s weapons, minus any armour rolls.
If both characters fail then they remain locked in combat.
If one character fails and the other succeeds, the successful character
resolves their attack as normal.
Leaving combat.
A character that is locked in combat may leave combat at any time by
making a move action and moving out of base contact with their opponent.
Characters leaving combat move at –1D4cm to their (S).

When a character leaves combat each of their opponents may make 1 free
attack action before they move.

Shoot.
Shooting is resolved in much the same way as fighting.
First, the shooting character selects a target that is within range of their
weapon that they can see.
A character can see another character if any part of their body (meaning
head, legs, torso, arms) is visible from the miniature’s point of view.
A character can shoot in any direction.

To make a shooting action simply make an (R) roll.

If the roll is a success, the shot has hit its target. The shooting character may
now roll damage, and the target may make any armour rolls before removing
the remaining damage from their (HP).
If the roll fails, the shot has missed and nothing happens.

A character may not shoot at any character that is locked in combat.

A character may not use a shoot action

when locked in combat.

A shooting character gain +1 (R ) if they

are 5cm or more above their target.

A shooting character suffers -1 (R) if their

target is 5cm of more above them.

A shooting character suffers -1 (R) if they

have already moved this turn.
Cover.
If any part of a character’s body (torso, head, arms, legs) is covered or
obscured by terrain, they are considered to be in cover.
A character in cover receives an additional 1D6 armour roll against shooting
actions, as well as their existing armour.

Break tests.
Whenever a character’s hit points are reduced to below 50% they must take
a break test.
To make a break test, simply make a (P) roll. If the roll is successful the char-
acter may continue to act as normal.
If the roll is unsuccessful, then the character must immediately move at full
speed towards the nearest playing area edge. If a character reaches the
edge of the playing area before they can pass a break test, they are consid-
ered removed from the game.

A character must keep using actions to take break tests until they
either succeed or are removed from play.

A character below 50% hitpoints must take a break test every time they take
damage, suffering –1 to their (P) for every successive break test they take.
A character with only 1 hitpoints remaining does not need to perform break
tests for the remainder of the game.

(E.G. character 1 has 9 hit points. In combat they are hit by character 2 and lose 5
hitpoints, dropping them to below 50% of their starting hitpoints. They must now take a break
test. They fail and as such retreat towards the nearest board edge.

As they have not acted yet they have two actions left when their turn arrives. In order to act as
normal they must now make another break test, suffering –1 to their (P) due to their failed test
earlier in the turn.

If they fail, they must retreat again and use their remaining action to attempt another break
test, this time at –2 (P). If they succeed they may use their remaining action as normal.)

Ability.
A character may use an action to perform a special ability. To do so simply
read through the rules for the specific ability they wish to
perform and act them out as written. Characters can also use an ability
action to perform spells if they have the relevant traits.
Item.
Characters may use an action to swap between weapons or use an item
from their inventory.
Some items will have specific instructions on how and when they can be
used (such as healing potions/magical scrolls etc). However, you may wish
to use items in unconventional ways. When using an item in a manner other
than the intended one, it’s best to talk through your action with your
opponent or the game master and decide between you what happens next.

Hold.
Instead of using both actions straight away, a character may choose to hold
one or all of their actions until later in the turn.
A character wishing to hold an action simply declares that they wish to do so,
and then does not act at their usual turn.
At any point in the turn after their assigned turn, a holding character may
declare that they are no longer holding and may then use their actions as
normal.
Holding does not take up an action.
Held actions must be used by the end of the turn or they are lost.

Universal action.
A universal action is any action that a character may wish to perform that
doesn’t fall under any of the other specific actions. Anything from crouching
in place behind cover to get out of line of sight, to crafting an impromptu club
from a piece of rubble, can be considered a universal action.
When performing a universal action you should declare what it is the
character wishes to do, how many actions you think it should take, and what
skill rolls (if any) you feel are best used to represent the action.

Universal actions are best used in games with a game master who can
decide how the action should be resolved, but there’s no reason why you
shouldn’t propose a universal action to your opponent and decide between
you how the action should be best carried out.

(E.G. player 1 wishes to break down a door with character 1.

They talk with their opponent and decide since the door is a heavy wooden door it will take a
successful (M) roll to break down. They then also decide that since the door is studded with
iron nails, character 1 should suffer –1(M) for every successive attempt they make, and –1 HP
for every failed attempt.)
WEAPONS.
Every weapon in Brutal Quest has its own profile to tell you how it works,
when it can be used and how much damage it will do.
Each weapon has the following elements:
•Type •Special rules
Weapons are either Melee or Some weapons will have special
Ranged. Melee weapons are used rules that determine how they can be
during fighting actions, whilst ranged used or how they behave. These will
weapons are used in shooting be written on the weapon’s profile.
actions.
•Size Ranged weapons also have the
Weapons are either one handed or following elements:
two handed. A character can only •Range
wield two hands worth of weapons at Range tells you how far in cm a
a time, so they may wield either a ranged weapon can fire.
single two handed weapon or two
one handed weapons.
•Ammunition
•Damage
Ranged weapons such as bows and
Damage tells you which dice to roll to
crossbows require ammunition to
determine how much damage a hit
make an attack.
from this weapon does to an
This ammunition will be kept in your
opponent. Damage is represented by
character’s inventory, but without it
a combination of numbers and dice.
you won’t be able to make any
So for example, when hitting with a
attacks with that weapon.
weapon with 1D6+2 damage, you
Every time you make a shooting
would roll 1D6, then add 2 to the
action, you should remove 1 piece
result to determine how much
of ammunition for that weapon
damage the hit has done.
from your inventory. What kind of
You should roll your damage dice
ammunition a weapon needs will be
after every successful hit.
written in its profile.
ARMOUR.
When a character wearing armour is attacked they may make an armour roll.
Each type of armour has its own defence rating, represented by a
combination of numbers and dice similar to a weapon’s damage dice. To
make an armour roll, simply roll the relevant dice and add any modifiers. The
total of this roll is then removed from the damage done by the attack, and
any remaining damage is removed from the character’s hitpoints.
A character cannot change their armour during a game.
BRUTALITY.
One of the best ways for your characters to get the edge over their
opponents during a battle is with brutality. As your characters get into the
flow of battle their rage and pain causes them to fight harder - their every
blow becoming a crushing death stroke as they face down enemy after
enemy in increasingly unhinged and vicious combat.

Throughout a game characters will gain brutality points by completing

certain criteria. These points can then be spent in game to provide rerolls,
modifiers or even extra actions, or saved up until the end of a game to be
spent on permanent skill level increases.
A character may only have 6 brutality points at any one time. Any additional
points earned are immediately lost. Characters can only gain points for one
specific action at a time, but may choose which one they wish to claim
points for. (E.G - a character that slays another character can choose to claim 6 points for
the slaying, or just 1 for dealing damage, but not both.)

The table below tells you which criteria provide you with brutality points and
how many points each is worth.

Action Brutality points

Deal damage to an opponent. 1

Block all damage from an

1
opponent’s attack.
Cause an opponent to take a break test by dealing
2
damage.

Counter an enemy attack and achieve a draw. 2

Counter an enemy attack and achieve a victory. 3

Roll maximum damage with a weapon during combat. 3

Slay a character by reducing them to 0 hitpoints. 6

Spending brutality points.
Characters can spend brutality points at any time during a game.
To do so simply declare that you wish to use your brutality points, then
remove the points you have spent from your total brutality. You should
always declare that you’re using your brutality points before you perform
your actions, with the exception of rerolls.

A character can spend their brutality in any combination they like during a
turn. (E.G. A character can choose to spend all 6 of their brutality points on a single extra
action for a cost of 6 points, or 6 -1 modifiers to their skill roll at a cost of 1 brutality point
each.)

The table below tells you which brutality effects a character can claim and
how many brutality points each effect costs.

Cost Effect

1 -1 to skill roll result during this character’s next action.

1 Automatically pass a break test.

+1D6 weapon damage next time this characters deals

2
damage.

3 Reroll 1 failed skill roll.

4 +1 to one skill for the remainder of the game.

This character deals an automatic 1D10 damage to their

5
opponent. Opponent may make armour rolls as normal.
This character may make one additional action during this
6
turn.

After the game is over this character may increase one of

6
their core skills by 1.

Any unspent brutality at the end of a game can be kept for the next game or
converted into points to purchase new traits and abilities at a ratio of 1:1.
WARBAND CREATION.
Building your warband is one of the most important parts of Brutal Quest.
When building each character of your warband you should
follow the steps outlined in this section.
Background.
The starting point for every character is their background - this should inform
how you assign skills, traits and abilities to each individual character in your
warband. Think of a backstory for each of your characters - who are they,
why are they part of this warband, what are their strengths and weaknesses.
Not every character needs to be a faceless grizzled mercenary.
Points.
Characters in Brutal Quest are built using a points system - you can either
decide with your opponent ahead of time how many points each of you will
spend on your warbands or build your warband beforehand and
negotiate any points imbalances later on.
Skills.
Once you have your character’s background figured out, you should set their
skill levels. Each character’s core skills (A,M,R, AW,P) start at 1. You can
increase a skill by a value of 1 for a cost of 10 points.
(E.G. increasing a skill from 1 to 5 would cost 40 points.)

Every character starts with 20 hitpoints. A character can increase their

hitpoints by a value of 2 for a cost of 10 points or decrease their hitpoints
by a value of 2 for a cost of -10 points.

Every character starts with a speed of 10cm.Speed cannot be changed

with points.
Traits.
Traits are specific qualities your character has that alter the way they do
certain things, impact how their core skills work or provide them with
benefits (or hinderances!) in certain situations.
You should choose traits that you feel best reflect your character’s
background. A trait can be added to a character for the points cost listed on
its entry in the traits table.
When choosing traits, remember that not all traits are beneficial, and some
traits might only be useful off the tabletop in-between games. Some traits
have a negative points value, meaning they actually make your character
cost less points.
Abilities.
Abilities are unique actions that a character can perform in lieu of their
normal actions. Each ability has its points cost listed on its entry on the abili-
ties table.
Inventory.
The last thing to do is fill your character’s inventory with weapons, armour,
equipment or any other things they might need. Unlike everything else in
this sections, Inventory items do not have a points cost. Instead all items,
weapons and armour have a
cost listed in Gold coins.
When building your warband
you may exchange points
for gold coins at a cost of
1 point to 1 coin. Once your
warband is built you may no
longer use points to purchase
inventory items and must
instead use gold coins.
Any unspent points left over once
you have built you warband can be
exchanged for gold coins that your
characters can spend at a later date.
Spells.
If your character has chosen the sorcery trait
you should also take this chance to choose
their spells from the spell table.
SETTING UP A GAME.
Once your warbands are built, it’s time to set up your game. There are a few
ways you can go about setting up a game of Brutal Quest - from simple
battles to multi game campaigns.
However you choose to play, you should take the following things into
account:

The Gamemaster.
The first thing to consider is whether or not you wish to play with a
gamemaster. The gamemaster acts as a referee and storyteller - it’s their job
to set up the narrative for the games and plan out where and why your
battles are taking place. They can also be in charge of deciding which
characters grow and develop, which warband is victorious in a given game
and what direction a campaign takes. The gamemaster isn’t there to win, but
to guide the direction of the other players .
The gamemaster doesn’t always need to be a separate player. If you’re
playing with multiple warbands you could each take it in turns to act as
game master for a specific game in a campaign, or work
collaboratively to decide how a campaign should progress.
If you wish to play with just two warbands then one player acts as
gamemaster, creating scenarios and challenges for the other player to over-
come or writing a campaign in which the gamemaster takes on the role of
monsters and villainous opponents rather than playing with the same
warband in every game.

However you choose to play the gamemaster should start each game by
telling the players where they are and what they’re trying to do.

Scenery.
Once you’ve decided whether or not to play with a gamemaster you should
decide what kind of scenery to use. For the best results you should match
the scenery to the kind of story you want to tell with your games.
A playing area of 90x90cm is recommended, with multiple levels of scenery
and plenty of cover for characters to hide behind.
As a rule of thumb at least 60% of your playing area should be covered by
some sort of scenery.
If you don’t have a specific scenario in mind, work with your opponent to set
up a play area that you both feel looks fun to play on.
Game length.
If you wish to set a limit to the length of your games, roll 1D10 and add 6.
The game will last for this many turns, and at the end of this many turns the
game is over.

Deployment.
Once you have your scenery set up you need to decide where your warband
will start the game. If you’re playing with a game master then they will tell
you where each warband is placed at the start of the game.
If you are playing without a gamemaster, number the sides of your playing
area from 1-4. Each player should then roll 1D6 on the following table to
decide where their warband will be placed.
1D6 roll Deployment
1 Set up your warband within 10cm of side 1.

2 Set up your warband within 10cm of side 2.

3 Set up your warband within 10cm of side 3.

4 Set up your warband within 10cm of side 4

Set up your warband within 10cm of the centre of the playing
5
area.

6 You may choose where you set up your warband.

Scenario.
By far the most important part of setting up your game is the scenario. A
scenario tells you what is happening on the tabletop, why your warbands are
fighting, what they’re fighting for and how you can determine who has won
(if there’s even a clear victory to be had!).
You can let your imagination run wild when creating scenarios - you could
have a simple battle in the woods in which each player is trying to slay the
other’s warband, or a fight to capture a mysterious figure rumoured to be
carrying a map to ancient treasure. Regardless of what your scenario is
about, it should include a description of the scenery you’re playing in, the
motivations of the warbands involved, victory conditions/objectives and the
deployment details for each warband.
Scenario prompts.
The table below gives you a selection of narrative prompts to use when
creating scenarios. You can either use these to improvise a scenario on the
spot, or link them together into a series of more developed scenarios as part
of a campaign.
1D6
Prompt.
roll.

In the far village of Ironwood, all the graves are empty. Someone or something has
been seen in the dark carrying the dead away to who knows where, to do who
knows what. The town’s small militia refuse to go out at night, and so a
1 reward has been put out for the head of whatever foul creature has been
stealing the buried remains of the long dead. Many have come seeking to claim
the reward, but only one warband can do so. Who knows, they might even
figure out where all the bodies have actually gone...

In the ancient city of Amdol was once the sight of a great battle. It is said that the
very fate of the world was decided here, that on its white stone roads the gods and
devils of the world made war and slew each other. Now of course Amdol is a
2 haunted ruin - a labyrinth nestled in the mountain valleys of the far north. Few go
there, and those who do tell tales of ghosts and the restless dead. But now new
tales have come from Amdol - tales of ancient relics, hidden
treasures, and even the blades of the gods themselves, all ripe for the taking...

A mysterious group of travelling pilgrims has stopped off in the small hamlet of
Farsummer. One of the strange travellers is said to be hiding a scroll containing
3 ancient magic, though which one is anyone's guess since no one has seen what’s
hiding under their tattered robes...

The twin mountain top cities of Spirecarn and Highthrone have been at war for
longer than anyone knows. Linked by a single monumental bridge stretching
4 between the two peaks, each city has hired a band of mercenaries to infiltrate the
other and end the ancient conflict once and for all...

Night is approaching. Bloodied and on the run, your warband is surrounded on all
5 sides by enemies. If you can just make it to the morning you might be able to
escape...

The high priest of the church of the sacred sun has set his acolytes lose in the
streets of Goldheim. Murder and chaos rein as crazed cultists seek out the
faithless and the sinful. In the midst of the madness the high lords of Goldheim
6 seek a way out of the city through the catacombs. little do they know that the
ancient warrens of bone beneath the cities streets have been hosting far more
profane rites than even the deranged high priest could imagine...
CAMPAIGNS.
One of the best ways to play a game of Brutal Quest is as a campaign.
Campaigns consist of multiple games, linked together into a single storyline
in which your warbands can grow and expand (or shrink if you aren’t
careful!). Characters can become stronger, gain new skills and even
complete unique quests.

Advancement.
In a campaign your characters can grow and advance and your warbands
can recruit new members. To do this, your characters must spend their
brutality points.
•A character can spend 6 brutality points to increase any skill by 1.
•A character may spend brutality points equal to the cost of any skill or
ability to add that skill or ability to their profile.

Characters also gain the following additional brutality points after each
game.
•1 brutality point for surviving the game
•1 brutality point for ending the game without taking any damage
•1 brutality point for each character of the winning warband

A warband can add a new character at any time. Each new character costs
an initial 20 points, plus the points needed to create the character. Any new
characters must pay for their equipment in gold coins and cannot exchange
brutality for gold.
Characters may only spend their brutality on themselves unless creating
new characters, in which case multiple characters can use their brutality.
Characters can save brutality from a game to spend on advancement, but
may not use saved brutality in future games. (E.G. a character who ends a game
with 3 brutality points can save them for as long as they like but will always start their games
with 0 brutality points. Those saved brutality points are considered separate from in-game
brutality.)
Quests.
One of the most exciting ways to structure a campaign is with quests.
Quests add specific narrative focused goals that each warband can take on
during a campaign. Unique to each warband, Quests are managed by the
gamemaster and can provide bonuses as a warband gets closer to
completing its quest.
Should you wish to use quests in your game, you should follow these steps:
•Quest - What is your warband’s goal. •Progress - how do you track each
You can either have each warband warbands progress in their quests?
decide on their own quest, have This is very much dependent on the
quests set by the game master, or game master - you could simply say
have a single shared goal throughout that a warband moves closer to
an entire campaign. Whatever the having finished their quest once they
case, you should think creatively reach a certain amount of brutality/
about what kind of things the gold/etc, Or you could have specific
characters in a warband would be objectives that have to be completed
trying to achieve. Perhaps they are in order for a quest to advance.
seeking a lost lover, looking for the •Reward - how do you reward the
whereabouts of a banished king, or progress a warband makes in
simply seeking to claim the golden completing their quest? Again this will
sword of high lord summerisle. depend very much on what kind of
•structure - How do these quests fit campaign you wish to play. A more
into your campaign. Is the campaign battle driven campaign can focus on
written around each warbands increased skills or unique weapons,
individual goals, or is it a linear race while a warband questing to reunite
to see which warband will claim their two lost lovers may instead get their
quest first? Remember a campaign rewards in the form of new off table
can be completely separate from a traits or simply the good will of any
warbands quests - having opposing NPCs they encounter.
goals can add to the narrative of your
games.

Quests are completely optional and require a good deal of work and
cooperation from both the gamemaster and the players, But they’re only as
complicated as you wish them to be.

You may find that something as simple as “both warbands are questing to
find the lost city of Mirath” can provide all the structure you need for multiple
campaigns with warbands progressing slowly over many games. In this way
warbands could gain anything from gold found on the bodies of lost
adventurers, to additional traits and abilities as they battle in strange
environment's or face new threats
Off table games.
After each game in a campaign your warband will need to spend their
brutality, heal any injuries and generally manage themselves in
preparation for their next game. This time can be incorporated into off table
games. Off table games take the form of roleplay sessions and can be used
to add structure to a campaign.
In an off table game the game master should first describe where each
warband is, what kind of locations they can visit, and how much time will
pass before the next game.

It is a good idea to use off table games as a chance for warbands to heal and
spend any gold they may have gathered.
You can also use off table games to add to the story of a campaign or
pursue campaign and quest goals.
Off table games are very much the responsibility of the game master and will
all vary, but an example of an off table game might go
something like this:
“2 warbands have been fighting in the ruins outside the fortress town of Rhinbough in
an attempt to find the entrance to the old catacombs. Both have been wounded and
bloodied and both have retreated into the town to resupply.
Warband 1 visits a local shop to buy more arrows for their bows,
having run out in their last battle. Warband 2 decides to spend their time in the town
archive trying to find clues about the hidden tunnels into the old catacombs. Over the
next 3 days they search for the entrance, their movements being tracked by warband 1
at every turn!
Sure enough on the evening of the 4th day in the town, Warband 2
discovers the secret tunnel to the catacombs, only to be ambushed my warband 1 who
hope to steal their prize!”

In this example we know that 5 days have passed, that warband 1 has spent
gold on some arrows, that there is a town full of shops and locations to visit,
and that warband 2 has gathered information about the catacombs beneath
Rhinbough. This tells us all we need to set up the next battle at the entrance
to the catacombs.

Injures.
When a character is slain in game, they must roll on the injury table after the
game to determine what kind of injuries they have sustained.
All injuries except death can be healed for a cost of 10 brutality points or a
relevant skill/item.
TABLES.
The following pages contain all the tables for traits, abilities, spells, weapons,
armour, equipment, and injuries.
Traits table.

Trait Cost Effect

This character is missing an arm. They may only wield a single 1
Armless -10 handed weapon or use a single item at any time.
This character may roll 2D10 for all skill rolls and keep the
Blessed +30 lowest score.
This character gains an additional +1(F) when charging. This
Big +6 character suffers -3cm speed.

Bulwark +10 Enemies do not receive +1D4(F) when charging this character.

Brawler +12 This characters fists do an additional +1D6 damage.

Brave +15 This character may reroll 1 failed break test per turn.

Between each game this character may craft 1 of the following

items for free - 1D12 arrows. 1 club. 1 healing potion.
Bushcraft +35 This character may do nothing else in-between games if they
spend their time crafting.

barbaric -10 This character cannot enter towns or cities in off table games.

This character may not make any generic actions, cast spells or
Beast -15 perform any abilities. They suffers -1 (P) to all break tests.

This character must roll 2D10 for all skill rolls and keep the
Cursed -30 highest score.
This character must make a break test when charged and may not
Coward -15 charge any other character.
This character gains +2 (A) when attempting to climb any
Climber +6 vertical surface.
When rolling on the injuries table this character may treat Death as
Deathless +18 Uninjured.

Fast +6 This character gains +1D6cm to their speed each turn.

This character is immune to the effects of the Fearsome and

Fearless +12 terrifying traits.

Enemies wishing to charge this character must first pass a break

Fearsome +12 test.
 Enemy characters receive 1 damage for every turn they spend in
Foul aura +15 base contact with this character.
This character may wield 4 single handed weapons or 2
Four armed +25 double handed weapons at once.
This character gains all the effects of Big plus the following. This
character is not counted as being in cover unless completely
Gigantic +20 obscured from sight. This character cannot be pushed back after
combat. This character only takes fall damage from heights of
20cm or more.
This character may spend an off table game healing one injury
Healing
+15 from any character in their warband. They may not do
hands anything else during that game.
This character may move through obstacles and other characters
Incorporeal +10 as if they were moving over even ground.
Friendly characters within 10cm of this character receive +1 to
Inspiring +20 their skills.
This character may make an additional 1D4 armour roll whenev-
Iron skin +8 er they take damage.

Master
+13 This character may reroll a failed spell once per turn.
sorcerer
This character may not gain any bonuses from their warbands
Mercenary -10 quest progress. They may convert their brutality to gold after
each game.

This character treats all injuries except death as being

painless +25 uninjured.

Petty noble +40 This character gains 1D8 gold coins after each game.

This character may never leave combat. They will fight until they
Rage -5 die or their opponent dies/leaves.

Slow -6 This character suffers -1D6cm to the speed each turn.

Sure This character treats rough terrain as even and hazardous terrain
+12
footed as rough.

This character may purchase spells from the spell table and use
Spellcaster +10 them in game as laid out in the spells instructions.
Enemies must pass a break test to charge, attack or shoot at
this character. During off table games any citizens of towns or
terrifying +30 cities will run away from or show hostility towards this
character.
Abilities table.
Ability cost Effect
This character may use an action to aim their weapon at an enemies
Aimed
+10 weak spot. Their weapon does an additional +1D8 damage in their
shot next attack this turn.
This character may remove a single hitpoints from any character
Drain +25 within 5cm and add it to their own hitpoints.
This character may restore 1D6 hitpoints to any other character in
Heal +20 base contact.

This character may haggle the price of items in off table games. Roll
Haggle +30 1D6. On a 1, 2 or 3 the price is reduced by 1D4 gold. On a 4, 5, or 6
the price is reduced by 1D10. the price can never go below 1 gold.

When in combat, roll 1D10. on a 4 or less both characters break

Persuade +25 from combat. Neither character can attack the other for the
remainder of the turn.
This character can throw any character in base contact 1D12cm in a
throw +15 straight line, in a direction of their choosing. Characters thrown off of
ledges must take fall damage.

Inspiring A chosen friendly character within line of sight receives +1D6 to their
+25
zealotry skills for the remainder of the turn.

Spells table.
Spell Cost Effect

A blinding flash of light renders all who see it transfixed, robbing them
Blinding
+18 of their sight. Make a (P) roll. If successful all characters within 15cm
light cannot make any actions for the remainder of the turn.

A ball of writhing flame dances across the battlefield scorching

everything it touches. Make a (P) roll. If successful, 1 character in line
Fireball +20 of sight suffers 1D10+5 damage. The affected character must use an
action to extinguish the flame or suffer 1D4 damage for
every turn they fail to do so.
Select a character within line of sight and make a (P) roll. If
Mind successful, the acting character may make one additional action with
+25
control the chosen character. This action does not count as one of the
target characters usual actions.
Select a character within line of sight and make a (P) roll. If
Rend the
+25 successful, all terrain within 20cm of that character counts as
earth hazardous terrain for the remainder of the game.
 Make (P) roll and Select a character within line of sight. If successful
you may place an exact duplicate of that character anywhere on the
Summon +40 board and control them for the next 1D4 turns, after which they dis-
appear. Characters attempting to cast this spell do so at –2(P).

Make a (P) roll and Select a character within line of sight. If

Shield +15 successful the target character may not be targeted by ranged or
melee attacks for the remainder of the turn.
Make a (P) roll and select any part of the playing area within line of
Teleport +15 sight. If successful you may move this character there immediately.

Make a (P) roll and select a character within line of sight. If successful
Weaken +20 that character suffers –1D4 to their skills for 1D6 turns.

Mind death.
Every time a character fails in casting a spell, they have a chance of suffering
mind death. Roll 1D10. If you roll below the characters current (P) score, the
character suffers no consequences. If you roll above, the character suffers
damage equal to different between their current (P) value and the result of
the failed casting roll. Every time a character suffers mind death, their (P) is
reduced by 1 for the remainder of the game.

(E.G. A character with a (p) of 8 rolls a 10, failing their attempt to cast teleport. They roll 1D10
and roll 9, and so suffer mind death. They take damage equal to the difference between their
(P) and the roll of their failed spell, which was 10 - meaning they suffer 2 damage. Their (P) is
now reduced from 8 to 7 for the rest of the game.)

Type Cost Value

None 0 gold 1D4-1
Leather 5 gold 1D6
Mail 12 gold 2D6
Light plate 23 gold 2D8+2
2D10+4
Full plate 40 gold
-1 agility
Enchanted 120 3D12
plate gold +1 agility
 Weapons table.
Weapon Cost details Melee.1 handed.
1D4.targets hit
Melee. 1 handed. Flaming 10 suffer an
Fists 0 gold
1D4-1
torch gold additional 1D4
damage for 1D4
Improvised Melee. 1 handed.
5 gold turns.
club 1D4
Ranged.20cm.
Melee. 2 handed. 2 handed.1D6.
Heavy club 7 gold 1D6 Short bow 8 gold
ammunition -
Melee.1 handed. arrows.
Dagger 7 gold
1D4+2 Ranged.30cm.
Short 12 2 handed.2D8.
10 Melee.1 handed. longbow gold ammunition -
sword gold 1D6+1
arrows.
Melee. Can be Ranged.10cm.
12 used 1 handed at Pistol 15 1 handed.3D4.
longsword gold 1D8 damage or 2
handed at 1D8+2
crossbow gold ammunition -
arrows.
20 Melee.2 handed. Ranged.20cm.
zweihander gold 3D6+2 20 2 handed.2D8+5
crossbow gold ammunition -
15 Melee.1 handed.
axe gold 3D4 arrows.

18 Melee. 2 handed. Ranged.25cm.2

Great axe gold 2D6+3 handed.4D6.
40 must spend one
Melee.1 handed. Handgonne gold action to reload.
20 1D12. Ammunition-
Mace gold -2 to enemy powder shot.
armour roll.
Melee.1 handed.
Melee.2 handed. wooden 10 Push target back
30 1D12+4. shield gold 3cm.+1 to (M)
Maul gold -4 to enemy when countering
armour roll.
Melee.1 handed.
15
Melee.1 handed. Heavy 18 Push target back
flail gold
1D8+2. Ignores
shield gold 3cm.+2 to (M)
enemy shields. when countering
War 15 Melee.1 handed. Melee.2 handed.
hammer gold 1D10+5 1D12+2.
Wielder gets 1
Melee.2 handed. 20
Halberd gold
free attack
12 1D10 .Can attack against charging
spear gold any enemy within enemies.
3cm.
Items table.
Item Cost Description
Gold
1 gold A single golden coin - worth its weight in gold...
coin
A small vial of supposedly healing liquid.it smells suspiciously
Healing 10
familiar…
potion gold
1 potion heals 5 hitpoints.
A single iron tipped arrow covered in something the merchant insists
Arrow ½ gold
is just very red rust.

A small pouch of gunpowder and lead shot, enough for a single

Powder
2 gold shot. More than enough to slay any warrior...Or blow yourself up in
shot the process.

A creased and fragile parchment marked in inky scrawls and strange

symbols.
ancient 25
1 scroll allows a character with the spellcaster trait to perform a
scroll gold
different from those they have purchased .The scroll may be used
once in a game before being destroyed.

An engraved silver vial holding a single drop of rare poison.

1 poison vial can be used to make a weapon poisonous for a single
Poison 25
game. Enemies wounded by a poisoned weapon suffer 1 damage
vial gold
per turn for the remainder of the game. This damage cannot be
stopped with armour.

For just a few coins the local lord will keep your weapons and gold
nice and safe. And if you don’t come back from your quest then
they’ll be sure to put them to good use.
Strong 5
Your warband may take any items from their inventory and store
box gold
them in the strong box. These items are not in your characters
inventory during games but can be retrieved at any time in-between
games.
Injuries table.
1D8
Injury Effect
roll
Complete This character makes a swift recovery from their wounds.
1
recovery They may fight as normal in the next game.
Out of This character is alive but bloodied. They take no part in
2
action the next game but may fight as normal afterwards.
This character is alive but their brush with death has left
3 shaken them traumatised. This character suffers -1 (P) when
making break tests in all future games.
Life long This character will never fully recover from their wounds.
4
wounds Their hitpoints are permanently reduced by 25%.
Shattered This character has narrowly avoided losing a limb. They
5
hand may only use a single 1 handed weapon for 1D4 games.
This character limps their way onto the battlefield, the
Crushed
6 bones in their leg barely set. This character suffers -1D4
leg
agility for 1D4 games and a permanent -3cm speed.
A vicious scar runs the length of this character’s skull -
Brain
7 frankly it’s a miracle they’re alive! This character suffers
damage
a permanent –2 to their (AW) and (P).
All the magic and medicine in the world couldn’t help -
This character is dead and will never fight again. Divide
8 Death
their possessions amongst the remaining members of
their warband and start looking for a replacement.

Some closing words…

Throughout this book points are provided to allow players to quickly put
together roughly even warbands. Despite this, points should never be a
limitation to fun. Brutal Quest is intended to be more than just a strict
ruleset - it’s a toolbox that can be used to create adventures. As such,
everything within this book is optional - if you don’t like something, don’t
use it! If you want to add something, do it! This book and the rules within it
are yours to bend, break and outright ignore.
 . . . AN AXE SLASHES YOUR HELM , CASTING SPARKS
INTO THE DARKNESS AND SHARDS OF METAL INTO YOUR
STINGING EYES. IN FRONT OF YOU THE SLATHERING
MONSTER ROARS IN TRIUMPH, ITS FANG FILLED MAW STILL
STEAMING WITH THE BLOOD OF Y O U R F E L L O W W A R R I O R S. I T S
VILE BROTHERS WILL FEAST ON HUMAN FLESH TONIGHT ,
BUT YOU’LL MAKE THEM PAY FOR EVERY BITE . . .

Brutal Quest is a narrative •Campaign rules for

miniature game of vicious playing in depth
fantasy combat and adventures with unique
savage adventure. goals and achievements.

Create a warband of •An armoury of weapons,

unique characters and armour and equipment to
lead them on quests arms your fights.
against your opponents.
•Guidance on creating
Within this book you’ll your own adventures,
find: adding narrative to your
bloody skirmishes.
•Rules for creating fantasy
characters. •Rules for adding
roleplay elements to your
•Miniature combat rules games, expanding your
for engaging in fast adventures beyond
and deadly battles. the battlefield.

Brutal Quest - 2021. Mammoth miniatures