Tome of Intriguing Options

Greetings, Eager Intriguer!

Be not beleaguered! For in this tome we offer players and GMs an array of intriguing options to add variety, depth, and dimension to any game of Honor + Intrigue Swashbuckling RPG! This book is full of guidelines on how to adapt the swashbuckling action and romance of Honor + Intrigue in many new ways.

The Tome of Intriguing Options builds onto the framework of Honor + Intrigue, adding a number of options for the existing historical setting, as well as expanding the game to other settings that fit the swashbuckling tone. Whether you want to take your campaign to the stars or enter a high fantasy world, this book provides the rules and tools necessary to do it.

Here is a summary of what you can find in each section:

Rules + Story

This section gives lots of new optional and alternate rules and equipment to use with your campaign, as well as story ideas to insert into your campaign. Gambits, chases, epic battle scenes, grittier games, “player facing” rolls, and many more!

The Duelist’s Guide

This part focuses on dueling with new Maneuvers, all the previously published dueling styles plus many new ones, and guidelines for making new dueling styles. A total of 46 dueling styles in  all for low-tech and high-tech campaigns! 10 of the dueling styles included here are new, with 6 designed for high-tech campaigns, and 4 to add to a fantasy or historical game! (The 11 Sword-Caster styles are located in the Spells + Spellcasters section, though to keep them closer to the magic rules).

Blasters + Intrigue

Want to take your campaign to the stars? This section is a primer on running a swashbuckling campaign set in a space opera or other sci-fi setting from space-pulp to cyberpunk. Build and equip sci-fi characters with high-tech gear. Cross energy blades on the deck of a capital ship. Dogfight your starfighter through a nebula.

Your swashbuckling sci-fi escapades need not be limited only to space opera, however. We give some advice on how to address a number of sci-fi subgenres that lend themselves well to the high-action or intense-intrigue of Honor + Intrigue RPG campaigns from space pulp to steam punk to cyber punk, and sword and planet.

Nonhuman Characters

We provide the tools to build your own fantasy and science fiction folk. There are also over 50 sample PC ancestries to get you started including elves, dwarves, orcs, aliens, Atlanteans, robots, and more.

While you will find gnomes, goblins, and all the other fantasy folk you'd expect, you will also find pixies, centaurs, and a number of unique beings. Walrus-folk called the rosmar,  half-vampire dhampirs, shapeshifters, the bat-like chiropterans, as well as Venusians, Martians, Lunarians, other aliens and robots await you as well. We wanted to provide a lot of options whether you plan for high fantasy on the high seas, or a game set in the depths of space. Most have guidelines on how to adapt them for sci-fi or fantasy, too.

Spells + Spellcasters

Experience an alternate high-fantasy magic system bringing wizards, paladins, druids, clerics, psionicists, and magic items to your campaign. Over 140 spells to master to unlock even greater abilities.  Each spell has its own special effect when it is mastered. Or, wield both weapons and spells together as a Sword-Caster! Dozens of magic items have also been included here.

Appendices

The backmatter of the book should be useful to minimize page flipping. There's tables of New Equipment (low-tech, modern, and high-tech), an index of Magificent Technology by rarity and alphabetical, an Index of Science Fiction Vehicles, Table of Vehicle Boons & Flaws, a complete Spell Index, an Index of new Boons and Flaws introduced in this book, a Chase Scene Chart for the new chase scene rules, Initiative Chart for the Pass/Fail Initiative system, and a standard alphabetical Index to help you find any key terms from the book.