Symbaroum - Le Guide du Meneur

The Leader's Guide, a supplement for the Symbaroum role-playing game

A deathly silence...

... reigned in the ranks, so intense that the creaking of our leather armor seemed deafening; as silent as our Davokar outpost had been for the past three weeks. Even the mercenaries our Lord had hired to try to tip the scales in his favor seemed to appreciate the gravity of the situation—they formed the rear of the column, lined up atypically, exceptionally disciplined. Silent.

We didn't know what to expect. The scouts had not returned, nor had the first or second troops that had left for the outpost. Some carrier pigeons belonging to the latter had returned, but without any information about what had happened. Was it a warlike branch of the Karohar clan? An enraged troll lord or a pack of predators? An ancient or dark contagion, or even a traveling abomination?

The truth turned out to be much worse: warriors of the Iron Pact, supported by sworn barbarians. They attacked without question, without hesitation, without mercy—emerging from the shadows, the foliage, from behind roots, stems, and stones. My advice to you, who will inherit my Lord's domain, is simple: be content with what can be harvested in the open air; it is not your place to possess or save what lies beneath the canopy of the Davokar trees. You must accept this truth or join the ranks of the dead...

With this Game Master's Guide, the Symbaroum resource books are now complete! Here are three comprehensive sections designed to inspire and support Game Masters in all areas, from creating homemade adventures to managing games. Whether you choose to use everything or select only what suits you, the alternative rules and tips offered in this book will certainly help make adventures in the Symbaroum universe even more epic, exciting, and memorable!

Contents

• An Adventures section includes chapters on worldbuilding, chronicles, landscapes, and adventures set in the Underworld, the Outworld, and the Spirit World. It also offers advice on designing scenarios for experienced player characters, as well as guidelines for using troops in Symbaroum.
• A Challenges section contains alternative rules for fierce battles, elaborate traps, and social challenges. There are also chapters on Ceremonial Magic (with sixteen ceremonies), expeditions into the Davokar Forest, exploring ruins, designing legendary creatures, and rules for managing Characters who own and manage estates or lesser properties.
• A Rewards section offers suggestions on various ways to reward characters and their players, beyond experience and hard cash. These chapters also provide guidelines for designing what are known in Symbaroum as Curiosities, Mystical Treasures, and Artifacts. The book concludes with descriptions of no fewer than twenty-seven artifacts—all with unique backstories.

This book cannot be used without the Symbaroum Core Rulebook, and it is recommended that you also have the Player's Guide and the Monster Codex for optimal use.