You are the last mortal remnants of the Breaking, an arcane apocalypse that sundered reality forever. The magic of the world has been corrupted into Decay, a poisonous entropic force that destroys all it touches. The gods are dead — there is no divine intervention or idyllic afterlife waiting for you. The unravelling of magic distorted reality, rendering time and distance unpredictable. Communities are scattered and isolated, and even the shortest journey is a deadly trek through surreal landscapes.

You are Survivors. You must establish safe Havens, protect them from endless corrupted monsters that wear the shadows of the ones you loved, and explore the ruined world for life-saving treasures of bygone glory. You cannot save this fallen world — the end has already come — all you can do is try to build something lasting and leave the world a better place after you are gone.

That is what it means to win in the Broken World. To forge bonds and communities that endure, find joy in the bright moments amongst the darkness, stand when you should fall, and never give up hope.

PLAYING BROKEN WEAVE

The great cities that once stood have long fallen or have been forgotten to time. The people that remain have built small communities throughout the Broken World. These scattered Havens, often no more than a few hundred souls, have come together to carve out a small, relatively safe space to live and build towards the future. You live in one such Haven. You are a Survivor — a trusted member of the community with the skills needed to brave the Broken World. You must do everything you can to protect your Haven and build a lasting home for future generations.

When you and your friends gather to play Broken Weave, the first thing you will do is create your Haven. Havens are a vital part of your campaign, and will be integral to the stories you tell in the Broken World. Everyone, including the GM, creates the Haven together. When you have made your Haven, you will create your Survivor (see page 24). Everyone in the Broken World has had to endure hardships, but you and your allies are Survivors — people with the skills, talents, and determination to face the horrors beyond a Haven’s walls. You are some of the few that have the force of will to survive and thrive in a shattered world.

Your Haven will face countless threats and crises over your lifetime, and you and your allies must find a way to protect your home and loved ones. Decayed Monsters stalk the lands, plague and sickness are rampant, and other desperate Havens will do everything they can to survive. There is no one else to face these threats — you must be the ones to overcome them.

You must leave the comfort and safety of your Haven and venture into the Broken World to connect with other Havens and rebuild the world. You will hunt Monsters, and embark on far-ranging journeys across ever-changing terrain to explore the Decay-wracked ruins of fallen civilisations. You bear a heavy burden. There is no guarantee you will return to your Haven unscathed, if you return at all. This is not a world of adventure and glory, it is one of survival and necessity. There may come a time when you must sacrifice yourself to safeguard your community and those you love, all in the hope of creating a better world.

If your Survivors overcome the threat and return home, the Haven can breathe easy for a time. If you are lucky, days, weeks, or even months can pass before another crisis threatens your Haven. During these fleeting moments, Survivors live their lives as best they can; growing their community, developing skills, forging a family, or pursuing any number of personal and community goals.

When the next threat arises, a new group of Survivors is brought together to face it. It may include some or all of the Survivors who saved the Haven previously, or it may be formed from their descendants, those who owe their existence to the sacrifices of their forebears. This is the cycle of life and death present in the Broken World — one you can expect to experience in full during your Broken Weave campaign.

WHAT’S CHANGED FROM 5TH EDITION?

If you are using 5th Edition to play Broken Weave, the following changes apply:

• Characters are created using the Lifepath system (see Survivor Creation thread).

• Races are replaced with Lineages (see Lineages thread).

• Classes are limited to those found in Broken Weave (see Classes thread).

• Feats are not used, instead, players gain Talents at different Levels (see Talents thread).

• Inspiration is replaced with Hope.

• Some Skills have been added or replaced.

• Broken Weave uses a new list of Tools (see Equipment thread).

LIFE IN THE BROKEN WORLD

Slowly, constantly, Decay pulls the world apart. Continents, ecosystems, and history itself rip asunder, even as the greatest works of dead civilisations crumble into ruin. Corruption lurks within every person, unravelling their sense of self until something monstrous squeezes through the gaps and swallows what remains. The gods lie dead, and from death there is no return.

Yet in this world, people still live. They hope, strive, fail, and hope again. Despite all the challenges set against them, they build new communities and dare to face the uncertain dawn. They hold on to each other, maintaining the last, most important connections in the Broken World. Hope is the only thing that can overcome Decay and reverse its entropic effects.

Here are some aspects of Broken Weave that are vital for all players to know before starting the game. If you are the group’s GM, read this section out to your party during the first session.

The World is Broken

Centuries ago, magic unravelled and broke the world. No one knows how or why it happened, or even how long ago, but everyone knows the results of that cataclysmic event. Overnight, the land fell to ruin. Great civilisations crumbled to dust, horrifying monsters emerged from the shadows, dying gods fell from the sky, and every magical object and creature became a deadly source of corrupting energy.

The Breaking, as it came to be known, destroyed the world and shattered reality. Precious few mortals survived and those who did found themselves in a Broken World that bore little resemblance to their once great land.

The Gods Are Dead

The corpses of the gods can be found scattered across the Broken World. Most lie abandoned by those who once worshipped them, their names and domains lost to memory. Yet some cults still cling to the rotting cadavers of their deity — conducting strange rites in the hope of returning to them some spark of life. Their prayers go unanswered. The gods are dead, and divine intervention is never coming.

These god-corpses spawn strange creatures, cause unnatural phenomena, or offer valuable resources that draw communities to them, but those who live in the shadow of a dead god court danger in their every waking moment.

The Past is Lost

The people of Broken Weave live amongst the bones of a once great world. The land is filled with the ruins of the past, faded memories of what once was. However, no matter how much they hope, or what they salvage of that old world, its history is lost. No one remembers what came before, and they have no way to recreate the glories of their ancestors.

That greatness can never be reclaimed, and the people of the world today are constantly reminded of what their lives could have been.

Magic Corrupts

Before the Breaking, powerful sorcerers could create and destroy with the snap of their fingers, but no more. Magic is broken and in its place is Decay, a cursed arcane force which erodes reality and remakes the world in strange and surreal ways. Those who dare to weave spells with the frayed threads of the magic that remains become slaves to the corrupting influence of Decay. The powerful arcane artefacts of forgotten heroes may promise salvation for a Haven, but the poisonous power twists any wielder into a grotesque abomination. Unchecked Decay eats at your memories and corrupts your flesh and spirit, gradually turning you into a Monster.

Monsters are Everywhere

Magic touched all things in the pre-Breaking world, though some more than others. After the Breaking, Decay twisted and warped any creature with a hint of arcane power. Beings who relied on magic, wielded powerful arcane artefacts, or were suffused with sorcerous energy suffered the most. They became nightmarish reflections of what they once were, cursed to haunt the Broken World. These Monsters are a constant threat. Some lurk in the darkest corners of the world, nurturing their malicious power and feeding on Decay, while others crawl from the shadows to steal what they crave and destroy what they can’t have.

Time and Distance Are Fluid

Decay warps time and distance in strange and unusual ways. As you travel, your environment can shift and change around you — stretching or contracting in nauseating ways beyond your perceptions. You may even return home after a short trip to find that years have passed in your absence.

The more Decayed an area, the more pronounced this effect. The only way to combat Decay is to solidify the land in your mind, by walking the same paths and constructing memorable Waymarkers along them, and by building relationships and communities with a shared history.

Memories Fade

Decay erodes everything, even your memory. If you travel through a Decayed area, you may forget loved ones, a defining moment in life, or even the way home. Yet just as Waymarkers can combat the warping of the land, Memoria can combat the warping of memory. Memoria are trinkets carried by Survivors which remind them of precious memories. By creating, carrying, and meditating with Memoria, you can help to protect your mind from the touch of Decay.

You Are Cursed

Magic once ran through the blood of the people of the world. Now, Decay lurks in its place.Every Lineage bears their own Curse which manifests as they are overcome by Decay. Humans slowly rot and become soul hungry undead, Dwarves burn up from the inside and become eternally burning infernos, Elves turn to crystal constructs that flense the skin from living creatures, Halflings melt into life draining oozes, and the Forgotten crumble into nothingness before the eyes of their loved ones.

These curses are real and present dangers to all Survivors, and their effects are irreparable. Certain unusual situations like arcane artefacts or strange locations may even overwrite your Curse, changing you in nightmarish ways you never expected.

Hope Remains

Despite all of this, there is one force which can fight back Decay — Hope. Hope is an intangible force which is generated when people come together into communities and strive towards a common goal. When Survivors embark on adventures to protect a Haven, the community invests their Hope into them, granting them the ability to fight back Decay. Hope can hold back and even reverse the corrosive touch of Decay, push you to feats of heroism, or even lift you up when you should fall. Hope grows as you build community, work together, and connect with other Survivors of the Broken World. The strength of this shared belief for a better future can reshape the land and restore the world to what it was before the Breaking.

Hope is the most precious resource in the Broken World, as without Hope, there is nothing to stand against Decay.