It’s time for another blog for The World Below!
The World Below Ashcan Edition errata has closed but you can buy the PDF right here and you’ll get the updated version once we’ve incorporated any changes! Thank you all so much for the excellent feedback, some of which I intend to address on this blog. I’ve also received a fair few messages and been trawling the Discords and forums where the game is being discussed, so let’s get to it! As ever, if you have any questions or requests to see anything from the game, post in the comments below.
Are compasses flat or spherical in The World Below?
This is an excellent question. Inhabitants of the World Below are living in a three-dimensional plane where traveling up or down is just as viable as north or south. Therefore, the Excavators and Explorers Collective and the Union of Cartographers and Stratigraphers (two of the guilds within this setting) make good use of spherical compass devices, typically crafted with a Kaos rock in the center.
Does the Complicate Trick give you advantage over a target?
It gives you an advantage, but not Advantage (a mechanical term). The Ashcan notes how such an advantage could be dealing damage. We’re clarifying the finished text to use the word “benefit” instead of “advantage.”
Will the Range Band table in the full version list VTT squares?
Yes! This is something we’re definitely keen to do and simply couldn’t justify the space for the Ashcan. There will be a sidebar dedicated to translating range bands to VTT squares.
How do I use environmental weapons for damage?
I think I get what this question is going for, so this is my answer: if – for instance – you have the Personal Cavern Thesis, three dots grants you spikes with a weapon tag on them as a form of defense or trap. If a character or monster was thrown into said spikes, I would allow the player to make their normal action to attack, and use the weapons on the wall (spikes in this case) along with their tags to calculate damage and any Status Effects or Tricks that follow. If it’s simply a case of falling into a pit of spikes, the falling person needs to roll to avoid harm (to determine their defense, basically) against a flat damage that may also have a tag (such as Piercing, which negates armor).
Where are the Shadow and Abyssal tags?
I added the Black Blade Synthesis near the end of my writing the Ashcan, which is how they were missed! They will however appear in the errata’d version.
Does the Magnetic Synthesis nullify all metallic ranged attacks?
No, because that would be far too overpowered for a one-dot Synthesis. It does allow the defender to make an Artistry + Presence roll to project their magnetism and slow a thrown ferrous weapon, however, if they score more hits than the thrower. The thrown weapon then becomes harmless.
What kind of Complication stems from Reveal Falsehood if not bought off?
If someone is subject to Reveal Falsehood, they start giving off tells in the form of fidgeting, stammering, maybe sweating, or otherwise giving themselves away as a liar. In other words, Reveal Falsehood complicates life for someone trying to tell a lie. If in a crowded place, this could even earn them the Status Effect Fabulist, in theory, which means everyone knows you for a liar.
What kinds of tags can the Spark Synthesis enable?
In the Ashcan we listed Electrified, Flaming, Ice, Poison, and Shadow, but as this is an introductory book we only provided Electrified in the list of tags. You’ll be pleased to know that Shadow will also be an option once the errata is in. We’ll reserve Flaming, Ice, and Poison for the full version.
What kinds of basic minion can Call Animal summon?
Good question! In the full game, you’ll have a template you can apply to any number of basic minions (small mammals, reptiles, large bugs, etc.) but for the purposes of the Ashcan, it enables you to summon a pest level arachniida (which is detailed in the book). I’m amending the text to clarify!
Who drew the fossil dragon on the cover?
That would be our Creative Director, Rich Thomas! Rich created a different conceptual art piece for The World Below each day of Inktober last year. If you find him on Twitter (@rich_thomas_op) you can scroll back and see all the concept pieces from that month.
Will all the peoples in The World Below receive their own art?
That’s the intention, yes! It’s always useful to show players what their characters might look like. We’ve received some interesting questions about how the makiru might appear, with some going for full-blown skaven ratfolk and others (such as Victoria in our actual play during Onyx Path Con) having their character more human but with elongated rodent ears. We’ll provide artistic reference for the full version, but your characters are your own and you can deviate from what we present!
What is the Fade?
The Fade goes by many other names (the Dream, the Pale, the Miasma, the Mist) and is a place of enlightenment, nightmare, and access to other worlds. In theory, it’s a vast, all-encapsulating Kaos Portal that might drop you anywhere if you don’t know how to navigate it. Dream spirits are very much at home there. Most humanoids are not.
As ever, I’d love to see more questions submitted. If we get some, I’ll answer them on next week’s blog!
Please continue to share these blogs. Post about them, message them to your roleplayer friends, and discuss what you want to do with this game!
It states kaos touched weapons pass thru armor that isn’t warded against it. Is armor with the artifact tag intended as being resistant to kaos (and or other energy tags, like Abyssal) or does that specifically require the X Touched tag?
Hi Shawn! I’ll answer this one here. The Artifact tag applies Durability Advantage on defensive actions, unless the attack uses the Abyssal or Kaos Touched tags. The errata changes will address this also.