Contents Thanks 1 troduction 2 Backqround 3 Character Creation 5-13 How to Play 14-21 The Stone Grave Valley 22 The Axe of the Dwarvish Lords 24 The Tomb of Grehl the Gratuitous 26 The Gauntlets of Ogre Power 28 The Tomb of Silas the Slayer 30 The Horn of Valhalla 32 The Temple of Brazzoth 34 The Cubic Gate 36 The Tomb of Mystak the Necromancer 38 Skate Trick Names 40 Thanks for checking this game out. Skate Wizards is a collaboration between visual artist (Michael ¢. Hsiung) and musician (Levi Nuiiez/Loot the Body) who share a love for old school fantasy. The core rules were inspired by Ben Milton’s Maze Rats and Nate Treme’s In the Light of a Ghost Star. Thanks to Chris Lackey, Steve Dempsey, Jason Woodburn, Rafe Ball, Lex Man- drake, Sam Doebler, Numbered Works, Jon Boyle, and Harley Stroh. Dedicated to an 0G Skate Wizard Jesse Erickson. 2.Introduction Skate Wizards is a fantasy adventure game (also known as a role-playing game or RPG) of exploration, problem-solving, and arcane skateboarding tricks. This zine will walk you through Character creation, basic rules, and an adventure that includes various non-player characters (NPCs) and four mini- dungeons.Background Ages ago the world was civilized. Various cultures thrived and were protected by wise rulers wielding powerful magical items. One day, barbaric warlords invaded from another dimension. They turned the world into a wasteland, and when there was nothing left to destroy, they slowly turned on each other. Today with the warlords long dead, the leaderless remnants of their diminished hordes roam the land, seeking to snuff out the embers of civilization. In this critical moment, a Call for help has been sent to a re- mote peak where legend has it Skate Wizards preserve the last pure source of magic.You are a Skate Wizard! You are a member of the Hermetic Order of Skate Wizards. Once you rolled in the lowlands, and before the trouble came, you had retired to your sanctuary high in the mountains with the remaining brothers and sisters of your order. There you delved deeply into the mystical skateboarding arts. One day, several envoys reached your secluded sanc- tuary, calling for your help. You answer that call to action and roll down intent on locating the long-lost magical items that could stoke the dying flames of civilization. To be a Skate Wizard means to exist in symbiosis with your skateboard. Your board is your wp identity: the source of your health and the wellspring of your magic. You have spent a lifetime cultivating your skills. You may be immortal, but your board can suffer damage and eventually break.Character Creation The six steps of character creation involve determin- ing and notating the following on your character sheet: 1. The connection between Skate Wizards and their skateboard is so complete that they share all stats. Abilities Health and Defense Permanent Spells Rando Spells Bootleg Spelis ItemsSTEP 1- Abilities A Skate Wizard’s abilities are comprised of three attributes: + Strength: raw power, stamina, and physical resilience. « Dexterity: speed, agility, and precision. + Will: force of personality, perception, and will power. Roll 1D6 on the table below to determine your stats: i von eo | Step 2 - Health and Defense Every Skate Wizard begins at + Health and 6 Defense (DN). These stats increase as you level up. 6STEP 3 - Permanent Spells Skate Wizards can cast these three spells anytime: Ramp: A magical ramp about the size of a park bench ap- pears below your skate- board. Sidewalk: A magical side- walk appears directly below your board. Rall: A magical rail about as long and tall as a picnic table appears below your skateboard. Depending on the circumstances, the &M can allow Skate Wizards to cast simultaneously to increase the area/impact of a spell.Step + - Rando Spells Starting Pcs get one Rando Spell per day. Once that spell is cast, PCs must wait until the next day to roll for a new Rando Spell. Roll 1012 on each of the columns from left to right to determine your spell: poe | me - Awesome |Animating ae > [ated Attracting fr Dope Bewildering |Dust Epic concealing |Earth Consuming |Fire Chain 7 - Expanding |Shadow |Lute Revealing 12 |Stoked Summoning | Water Well The effect of the resulting spell will be determined by the Pcs and GM when it is cast. 9Step 5 - Bootleg Spells Skate Wizards have access to a sweet and arcane collection of sick skate vidz. At the start of each day, PCs can prepare one Bootleg Spell from this collection. Roll 106 or choose from the tricks below: 1. Mattress: Create a magical cushiony king-sized mattress that minimizes the impact of a fall from three stories or less. 2. Wannabe: Disquise yourself as any creature of your relative dimensions. 3. Trailblaze: Leave a trail of fire in your skate- board’s wake for a full minute. 4. Sweet Jamz: Create great music that fills the air. All non-Skate Wizards in the vicinity have Disad- vantage for five minutes. 5. High Times: Transform your skateboard into a cloud you can ride up to two stories above the ground. It lasts five minutes and does not impact movement or speed. 6. Gleam the cube: Defy gravity with your board for five minutes, allowing you to skate on walls and ceilings. 10Whenever a Bootleg Spell is used, roll 1D6 to deter- mine if the videotape survives: 1-3: Tape’s good. You can cast the trick again. 4-6: Tape’s busted. You can’t cast the trick again today.STEP 6 - Choose Your Items Starting characters are equipped with three items from this list: (Choose or roll 1D12.) 1. Stat or Wand: Once a day it doubles the dis- tance, area, size, or effect of a spell you cast. 2. Skate Key: Once a day you can fine-tune your board and receive +1 Health. 3. Smoking Plpe: Puffing the sacred smoke prior to a roll provides Ad- vantage once per day. Passing to other Skate Wizards on the left hand side grants them Advantage as well. 4. Shield: provides +1 Defense when held. PCs may choose to have it shatter in combat to ignore all damage. 5. Melee Weapon: adds +1 Damage but not to Attack Rolls (i.e. a knife, sword or mace). 126. Ranged Weapon: adds +1 Damage but not to Attack Rolls (i.e. a bow or crossbow). 7. Lore from Yore: Retrieved from under a mattress, this stack of old skate mags contain articles and tidbits about various cultures and bygone days. J {1 INS mR Ry f re 7 a A 2 LO mc? i? LK Q x be ears So Q Voge i 2 8. Lockpicking Tools: used by many Skate Wizards to get into the archmage’s secret stash. = NEL Br SEY 9. Oil Flask: viscous (ubricant, flammable, and tastes great on salads. 10. Rope: made of hemp, obvi. 1. Torch & Tinder: A beautiful monogrammed matching set received on your last birthday. 12. Ball Bearings: A pouchful taken from the prototype of a new mega skate wheel design you’ve been messing with. 13How to Play The Basics One player acts as the Game Master (GM) while the remaining players take on the role of Player Charac- ters (PCs): Skate Wizards. Although paper, pencils, and dice are involved, the core of the game is a con- versation: the GM tells the PCs what is happening; the Pcs tell the GM what their Skate Wizards do in re- sponse; and the GM describes how their actions in turn affect the world. Danger Rolls Whenever possible, a PC’s actions should be resolved by a player simply describing what the character does. However, if the action is risky and difficult to resolve through description, the GM may call for a Danger Roll. The PC rolls 2D6 and adds the relevant bonus. If the total is 10 or higher, the Pc avoids the danger. If not, the GM describes how things go wrong. Opposed Rolls If one PC takes an action against another, the GM may decide to call for an Opposed Danger Roll. In this case, both P¢s make a Danger Roll with each trying to beat the other’s total instead of trying to roll a 10 or high- er. Defenders win ties. 14Initiative Both sides roll a die when combat breaks out, re- rolling any ties. The side with the higher roll will act first during the first combat round, followed by the other side. 0n a side’s turn, each of its characters, in any order, may move/skate 30 feet and take one ac- tion. Types of actions include: attacking a target within range, casting a spell, and using an item. 'f a group ambushes another group or NPC, it auto- matically gains initiative as well as Advantage on the Attack Rolls during the first round. The leader of the ambushed group may be permitted a Will Danger Roll to avoid surprise. Advantage and Disadvantage \f the risk of an action is reduced due to the Skate Wizard’s preparation or situational factors, the GM may grant Advantage to the ‘ roll. In this case, the PC rolls 3D6 instead of 2D6 and uses the two highest dice. The GM can also grant Disadvantage to a roll, requiring the Pc to roll 36 and use the two SX lowest dice. asCombat Here’s what happens when a Character attacks an- other: 1. The attacker makes an Attack Roll (AR) by rolling 2D6 and adding his or her Attack Bonus (AB), if ap- plicable. 2. Compare the attacker’s total to the defender’s De- fense Number (DN). 3. If the attacker’s total exceeds the defender’s De- fense Number, the attack hits and deals damage to the defender equal to the difference between the two scores. Weapons add to this damage (but not the initial Attack Roll), while Unarmed Attacks subtract 1 Damage (but may not reduce damage to zero). If the attacker rolled double sixes, the roll is a Critical Hit: The total damage is doubled or some other effect is applied at the GM’s discretion. Subtract the dam- age from the detender’s health. Casting a Spell Casting a spell takes one action if cast during combat. The GM is the final arbiter of how the spell manifests and how it affects the current situation. 16Using Non-Skate Wizard Magical Items Skate Wizards possess their own source of magic. Non-Skate Wizard magical items will not work for them. Those who try will lose their Skate Wizard abilities and become posers. (See next page.) Encumbrance All of a Pc’s items must have a recorded location: worn, in a satchel, on the belt, or carried in his or her hands. PCs can grab belt items in combat at any time, but satchel items take 1D6 rounds to find. Money Although precious metals and jewels still have value for some, there is no money in this post-apocalyptic civilization. Bartering is how goods and services are acquired, 17Becoming a Poser If Pcs attempt using non-Skate Wizard magic or their health drops to zero or less, their magical abilities are extinguished, their board shatters, and their ap- pearances are diminished. Roll 1D6 to determine spe- cific poser attributes.. You wear breathable workout clothes and have a pair of rollerblades slung over your shoulder. You have an overwhelming urge to calculate how many calories everyone is burning. . You wear the latest “streetwear.” In one hand you’re mall-grabbing a skateboard that has never been and will never be used. In your other hand you’re holding a sending stone with which you’re livestreaming to an audience of zero. . You have a sensible haircut and wear a suit and tie. You have the irresistible urge to convince the Skate Wizards that they should monetize their brand. . Every item of clothing you have is branded with the names and logos of obscure bands. Your irre- sistible urge to talk about how cool the bands are is only there to mask the fact that you’ve never actually listened to any of them. . You are a security guard. You keep telling the Skate Wizards that the legal liability is too great to allow them to skate anywhere. This over inflat- ed sense of authority must surely hide a deep in- security. . You have a two-wheeled scooter which you can’t use. Nevertheless, you insist on explaining why your scooter is just as cool as a skateboard. 19Healing Skate Wizards recover 1 Health when they eat a meal (preferably a burrito) and get a full night of rest. Twenty-four hours of rest in a safe location re- stores all health to injured PCs. If a poser wants to become a Skate Wizard again, he or she must go through the character creation pro- cess by bonding with a new skateboard as a level 1 Skate Wizard. This process takes 2+ hours and re- quires the remaining PCs to craft a new deck, inscribe it with fresh runes, and chill around the campfire with the poser. Leveling Up All Skate Wizards begin at level 1 and gain levels over the course of the campaign. At the end of each session, the GM will grant an Experience Point (XP) for every “yes” given to the following questions: + Did you show up to the game? 1XP + Did you overcome a difficult challenge? 1XP + Did you recover a magical item? 1XP Award 1-3 Experience Points to all PCs based on how much the party has achieved. 20vt | xP Level Features | 2 [2 +2 max Health. +1 to an ability bonus. | 3 6 +2 max Health. Pick one: Attack bonus +1 or gain a Rando Spell. +2 max Health. +1 to an ability bonus. +2 max Health. Pick one: Attack bonus +1 or gain a Rando Spell. fe [30 | +2 max Health. +1 to an ability bonus. 7 42 |+2 max Health. Pick one: Attack bonus +1 or gain a Rando Spell. 21