TEXT: Bazyl’s Bill of Brawlers
  By Loren Dean
  City folk watch the processions with rapt 
  interest: gaudy, party-coloured wagons 
  and pennants in caravan, forming a circle 
  on the outskirts of town, tents springing 
  forth like enormous vibrant ﬂ owers. 
  Excitement’s in the air, the sire song of 
  coming entertainment distracting children 
  from their chores. When a carnival comes 
  to town, everyone turns out for the good 
  time. The performers are exotic, beautiful 
  and dapper and the polished ringmaster 
  hawks sights and sounds to beggar the 
  imagination.
  Yet there is a dark mirror of this festivity, 
  another procession not so colourful, where 
  the boisterous carnival is pressed aside 
  by the rough belligerence of desperate 
  pit ﬁ ghts. Still come the carts and wagons 
  to the edge of town but instead of a tent, 
  an amphitheatre magically rises from the 
  earth, the space within cleared of cover and 
  concealment. Colourful barkers are absent; 
  no announcements are made aloud but 
  whispers spread about the arrival. Mothers 
  warn their children to keep well away, 
  watching sadly as their husbands head 
  out for less festive entertainments. The 
  gladiators have arrived, you see and there 
  will be blood tonight.
  This article, prepared for the burgeoning 
  Fantasy Craft GM, presents Bazyl’s Bill of 
  Brawler, a crew that can offer your heroes 
  challenge, enmity or even a strange and 
  specialised set of contacts. Read on, if you 
  think you can handle the pain.
  The Brawlers are a corrupt and violent 
  gladiatorial ring that you can add to any 
  setting or backdrop. They set up near cities, 
  towns and thoroughfares – anywhere 
  coin’s to be had. They arrange ﬁ ghts 
  between their champions and local takers 
  and participate in a number of illicit related 
  activities including drug and human 
  trafﬁ cking, prostitution and worse. 
  Bazyl himself is a wily drake, with a circle 
  of close cohorts to help run the show. His 
  right hand (on several levels) is long-time 
  associate Casdon Basette, a pech with a 
  sinister air and a talent for numbers. Helping 
  them are Anta Mandrake, a sly recruiter of 
  fresh meat for the ring, and Frida, a dour 
  apothecary of ﬂ exible morality who keeps 
  the ring’s champions (reasonably) healthy. 
  The Brawlers arrive with little fanfare. 
  Bazyl’s cronies are quite adept at 
  spreading word of mouth, which lets the 
  crew promise anything without needing 
  to deliver the same. First, Casdon shape 
  shifts into a child of the area, befriends 
  some locals his perceived age and talks 
  about the “big fellas” and their wagons 
  parked outside town. Having trouble with 
  secrets, the children tell their friends – and 
  more importantly their parents. A day or 
  two later, Anta enters town and starts glad-
  handing, buying drinks, complimenting the 
  locals on their “obvious physical prowess,” 
  and suggesting they try their might to 
  “earn some extra coin.” Takers are brought 
  to the camp to meet Bazyl, who uses his 
  spells and hypnotic gaze to make sure they 
  sign up to ﬁ ght. 
  Bazyl also spearheads the building of the 
  arena, casting Move Earth to dig the ring 
  and form a mounded circle around it. He 
  takes his time, as anyone spying on the 
  encampment is bound to spot him and 
  his spells, leading to even more rumours, 
  excitement and visitors when the Brawlers 
  open for business. 
  Fight night is always a spectacle. Bazyl’s 
  a skilled master of ceremonies and easily 
  keeps the crowd on the edge of their seats 
  through ﬁ ght card after ﬁ ght card. Casdon 
  runs the betting wagon, to which Anta 
  drives trafﬁ c between hawking souvenirs 
  and anything else she can sell. 
  The Brawlers maintain a stable of up and 
  coming gladiators and stage a variety of 
  scenarios and match-ups, from simple 
  one-on-one 
  or 
  even 
  team-on-team 
  confrontations to king-of-the-hill events 
  (uneven sides, with the smaller number 
  occupying a central spot in the ring) to 
  baiting (a single large creature or animal, 
  usually tethered and made to ﬁ ght off a 
  crowd of attackers). Events are sometimes 
  declared “ﬁ rst blood,” “last man standing,” 
  or “to the death,” depending on Bazyl’s 
  gauge of the crowd’s mood and the 
  ﬁ ghters’ willingness.
  Main events are held for late in the evening 
  and feature the Brawlers’ top gladiators. 
  They are pitched to upcoming ﬁ ghters as 
  “a shot at greatness” to overcome anxiety 
  about facing such impressive opponents 
  and every trick at the crew’s disposal is 
  used to secure a thrilling line-up. By this 
  point the crowd is often near a frenzy, so 
  betting runs fast and furious for these 
  events, which are almost always fought to 
  the death. 
  When the last blood is shed and the crowd 
  has gone home, Casdon and Bazyl count 
  the money while Anta and Frida see to 
  the surviving champions. Frida patches 
  wounds (saving blood when she can as a 
  favour to Casdon) and Anta congratulates 
  the winners. The ﬁ ghters get a small cut 
  of the gate coin and wagers and the 
  process repeats for as many nights as 
  contenders sign up. Promising locals are 
  sometimes offered the chance to travel 
  with the Brawlers as professional pit 
  ﬁ ghters, though there are a number of 
  hidden pitfalls accompany such offers (as 
  discussed later).
  Trouble can visit the arena in a variety of 
  ways. The local law might decide that blood 
  sports are not in the best interest of the 
  community, sending one or more ofﬁ cials 
  to roust the Brawlers. Bazyl (or Casdon, or 
  Anta) can generally bring such ofﬁ cials 
  around to their way of thinking, though 
  it is often enough to make them consider 
  moving on early.
  Also, relatives or associates of former or 
  current gladiators (or local challengers) 
  may come around looking for payback 
  (against Bazyl or one of the ﬁ ghters) or to 
  rescue their loved one. Of course, those 
  looking for trouble at the arena often ﬁ nd 
  it and many do not live long enough to 
  warn others. 
  38
  
  Bazyl 
  “Roll up, good people: see, and thrill! I give 
  you … the Gladiators!”
  Bazyl is a drake with deep crimson scales, 
  tinged with black. He wears a massive 
  amount of jewellery (rings, bracelets, a 
  thick, gold rope necklace and several 
  ostentatious piercings in the delicate 
  leather of his wingtips and earﬂ aps) and he 
  is roguishly attractive, even to non-drakes. 
  He spent his formative years in travelling 
  carnivals but quickly branched into much 
  more lucrative gladiatorial events. 
  A criminal to the core, Bazyl has no real 
  morality. He does what is best for him – and 
  while he will not admit it, he is quite willing 
  to sacriﬁ ce any or all of his crew if it means 
  he lives to proﬁ t another day. This also 
  makes him quite amenable to enslaving 
  others, as ﬁ ghters or in any other capacity 
  that makes him more coin.
  Bazyl (Large Beast Flyer — 112 XP): Str 
  14, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10; 
  SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 40 ft. winged 
  ﬂ ight, 30 ft. ground; Init IV; Atk V; Def II; 
  Res II; Health II; Comp IV; Skills: Bluff IX, 
  Impress V, Sense Motive VI, Spellcasting VI 
  (Spells: Charm Person III, Invisibility, Move 
  Earth, Quench, Tongues I, Unseen Servant); 
  Qualities: Attractive I, cagey II, class ability 
  (Assassin: cold read I; Burglar: he did it!; 
  Courtier: master plan I), condition immunity 
  (ﬁ xated, frightened), feat (Agile Flyer, Hidden 
  Spells, Repartee Basics, Repartee Mastery, 
  Repartee Supremacy)
  Attacks/Weapons: Fire Breath (ﬁ re damage 
  attack II: 20 ft. beam; dmg 1d6 ﬁ re per 2 
  TL, Ref DC 15 for 1/2 damage), Bite II (dmg 
  1d10 lethal; threat 17–20), Claw III (dmg 2d8 
  lethal; threat 19–20), Hypnotic Domination 
  (bafﬂ ing attack III: Will DC 20 or bafﬂ ed for 
  1d6 rounds, upgrades: gaze)
  Gear: Booze (1 use), concentrated knockout 
  poison (3 uses)
  Treasure: 2C, 2L, 1T
  Casdon Basette
  “Psst! 
  C’mere, 
  lemme 
  show 
  you 
  something…”
  Ticket 
  seller, 
  accountant, 
  bookmaker, 
  vampire – Casdon is all these things. A 
  pech con artist, he died and rose again over 
  a century ago when he tried (and failed) 
  to swindle the wrong mark. He has been 
  drifting with Bazyl for decades and it is a 
  good ﬁ t: he is easily as amoral as the drake 
  and arguably more dangerous. For now he 
  is content in the Bazyl’s shadow – after all, 
  so long as the Brawlers stay in business, 
  there is always a supply of fresh blood.
  Despite his combat prowess, Casdon prefers 
  to avoid ﬁ ghts if he can help it, relying on 
  his array of vampiric abilities (especially his 
  beguiling and shape shifting) to escape 
  tense situations. He also has an unhealthy 
  (most would say twisted) attraction to 
  children. He loves to take a child’s form 
  to spread rumours of the crew’s arrival in 
  town – it feeds his superiority over weak 
  living creatures. And if one of the children 
  he talks to never makes it home, well, he 
  doesn’t know anything about that. 
  Fantasy Craft lets the GM build any monster 
  he wants, allowing endless variation. By 
  example, Casdon has some of a vampire’s 
  common weaknesses but none of the 
  lethal vulnerabilities. He dislikes sunlight 
  and suffers a variety of penalties when 
  exposed to it but does not burst into ﬂ ame. 
  He does not sleep in a cofﬁ n and is not any 
  more vulnerable to a stake in the heart 
  than your average commoner. He actually 
  rather likes garlic, especially when it is 
  mashed and spread on toast. 
  Casdon Basette (Small Folk Undead 
  Walker — 100 XP): Str 12, Dex 12, Con 10, 
  Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 12; SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); 
  Spd 30 ft. ground; Init IV; Atk II; Def IV; Res 
  II; Health V; Comp IV; Skills: Bluff IX, Impress 
  V, Sense Motive V; Qualities: Achilles heel 
  (divine, ﬁ re, ﬂ ash), attractive I, beguiling, class 
  ability (Assassin: cold read I; Burglar: he did 
  it!; Courtier: Master Plan I), damage deﬁ ance 
  (cold), damage reduction 3, darkvision II, 
  fast healing, feat (Darting Weapon), killing 
  conversion, 
  light-sensitive, 
  nocturnal, 
  shapeshifter I, superior climber II
  Attacks/Weapons: Bite V (dmg 3d6 lethal, 
  threat 16–20), Drain Blood (life draining 
  attack II: Fort DC 15 or suffer 1 lethal 
  damage per TL, Casdon healing the same 
  amount, upgrades: supernatural attack 
  (bite)), Sap (dmg 1d6 subdual; threat 19–
  20; qualities: ﬁ nesse)
  Mounts and Vehicles: Coach (Spd 20 ft. 
  ground (Run 40 ft.); Travel 4; SZ/Def L/9)
  Gear: Booze (1 use), concentrated knockout 
  poison (3 uses)
  Treasure: 2C, 2L
  Anta Mandrake
  “Of course it’s legal.” 
  Bazyl calls Anta his “facilitator,” as it falls 
  to him to drum up business and ﬁ nd new 
  gladiators. Anta is here for the money. He 
  makes large quantities of coin, operating 
  on commission for Bazyl and will not 
  hesitate to vanish the moment the money 
  stops ﬂ owing. 
  Handsome in an oily, worldly way, Anta is 
  every lady’s chivalrous paramour, every 
  gentleman’s 
  backslapping 
  drinking 
  cohort, and every peasant’s chance at the 
  opportunity of a lifetime. He can function 
  in high society and low, and recruits 
  gladiators from both to ﬁ ght and die in 
  Bazyl’s arenas. 
  He is also a bit of a coward but he covers 
  it well. In a confrontation, he always backs 
  down gracefully, though he later pays 
  one of the Brawlers to “take care of” the 
  problem.
  Anta Mandrake (Medium Folk Walker 
  — 50 XP): Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 
  10, Cha 14; SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. 
  ground; Init IV; Atk II; Def II; Res II; Health 
  39
  
  II; Comp IV; Skills: Bluff IX, Impress V, Sense 
  Motive VII; Qualities: Attractive I, class ability 
  (Assassin: cold read I; Burglar: he did it!)
  Attacks/Weapons: Sap (dmg 1d6 subdual; 
  threat 19–20; qualities: ﬁ nesse)
  Mounts and Vehicles: Coach (Spd 20 ft. 
  ground (Run 40 ft.); Travel 4; SZ/Def L/9)
  Gear: Booze (1 use), concentrated knockout 
  poison (3 uses)
  Treasure: 1C, 2L
  Frida 
  “Quit your squirming — I can’t keep the 
  stitches straight.” 
  The Brawlers’ cook and healer, Frida is a 
  stout, homely woman. She has also got 
  a mean streak, smiling at others’ pain 
  even as she bandages them. The Brawlers 
  appreciate her skills but few are friendly 
  with her. She stays because she was never 
  much good at healing regular people – she 
  is just too standofﬁ sh. Bazyl’s gladiators, on 
  the other hand, are glad for her skills and 
  Bazyl sees that she is well paid in both coin 
  and amusement. 
  Frida is mean to the core and does not mind 
  a good scrap but is not a skilled ﬁ ghter.
  Frida (Medium Folk Walker — 36 XP): 
  Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 
  10; SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; 
  Init I; Atk I; Def IV; Res III; Health III; Comp 
  III; Skills: Crafting IV, Medicine VI, Resolve IV; 
  Qualities: Expertise (Medicine), feat (Alchemy 
  Basics, Bandage, Basic Skill Mastery (Healer))
  Attacks/Weapons: None
  Mounts and Vehicles: Cart (Spd 20 ft. ground 
  (Run 40 ft.); Travel 2; SZ/Def L/9)
  Gear: Bandages (10), chemist’s kit, doctor’s 
  bag
  Treasure: 1C, 1M
  Gladiators
  “We who are about to die salute you!”
  Most arena contestants are low-end pit 
  ﬁ ghters trying to take their shot or press-
  ganged thugs with no hope for the future. 
  Bazyl usually keeps a dozen or more of 
  these sorry souls on hand to stoke the 
  audience before a night’s big matches. He 
  keeps them well supplied with booze and 
  suppresses their non-combat instincts 
  with magic. Every now and again, when 
  one shows promise, Bazyl cuts the ﬁ ghter 
  in legitimately, elevating him to the ranks 
  of the elite. Most however are fated to 
  die, messily, at the hands of the Brawler’s 
  champions, to the roar of a bloodthirsty 
  crowd. 
  Gladiators (Medium Folk Walkers — 36 
  XP): Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, 
  Cha 10; SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. 
  ground; Init IV; Atk IV; Def III; Res II; Health 
  IV; Comp I; Skills: Athletics III, Intimidate III, 
  Notice III, Tactics III; Qualities: Class ability 
  (Soldier: rugged weapons), feat (All-Out 
  Attack, Combat Instincts)
  Attacks/Weapons: Glaive (dmg 1d8 lethal; 
  threat 19–20; qualities: keen 4, reach +1), 
  metal shield (dmg 1d4+2 subdual; threat 
  20; qualities: guard +2), short sword (dmg 
  1d8 lethal; threat 19–20; qualities: keen 4)
  Mounts and Vehicles: Cart (Spd 20 ft. ground 
  (Run 40 ft.); Travel 2; SZ/Def L/9)
  Gear: Partial chainmail with light ﬁ ttings 
  (DR 3, Resist Edged 2; DP –1; ACP –1; Spd –5 
  ft.; Disguise –8)
  Treasure: 1C
  Gwetha (Champion)
  “Stay down. I don’t want to have to kill 
  you.”
  A lithe saurian, Gwetha is always in 
  motion. He bounces and bounds, pulls and 
  sheathes knives, ﬂ ips coins – anything not 
  to keep still. He got started on the road as 
  a carnival acrobat and knife-thrower but 
  accidentally killed a spectator. Bazyl took 
  him in and shielded him from the law and 
  he has been ﬁ ghting for the drake ever 
  since. Thanks in large part to Bazyl’s magical 
  persuasion, Gwetha is convinced that the 
  arena is his last chance, so he ﬁ ghts every 
  night, without hope of a normal life.
  Gwetha is the champion most called 
  upon to engage in non-lethal tests of skill 
  (balance, footraces and the like). When 
  he does ﬁ ght, his specialty is “Last Man 
  Standing” events, where he can win by 
  wearing his opponent down. He is deadly 
  with a knife and willing to kill when needed 
  but ﬁ nds it distasteful. 
  Gwetha (Medium Folk Walker — 80 XP): 
  Str 12, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10; 
  SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init V; 
  Atk V; Def IX; Res II; Health VI; Comp III; Skills: 
  Acrobatics VI, Athletics V, Prestidigitation 
  V; Qualities: Always ready, aquatic I, class 
  ability (Burglar: I’ll cut you! I); Captain: 
  battle planning I (guard yourselves!, steady 
  now!); Scout: sneak attack I), cold-blooded, 
  darkvision I, feat (Knife Basics, Knife Mastery, 
  Knife Supremacy), treacherous, tricky (Called 
  Shot), veteran II
  Attacks/Weapons: Dagger × 4 (dmg 1d6 
  lethal; threat 19–20; qualities: bleed, hurl), 
  long sword (dmg 1d12 lethal; threat 20), 
  Tail Slap II (dmg 1d8 lethal; threat 19–20; 
  qualities: reach +1)
  Mounts and Vehicles: Riding horse (Spd 50 
  ft. ground (Run 250 ft.); Travel 7; SZ/Def L/
  IV) 
  Gear: Partial studded leather armor (DR 2, 
  Resist — ; DP –1; ACP –0; Spd  — ; Disguise 
  –0), game, spirits (1 use)
  Treasure: 2C
  Saren (Champion)
  “Admit it. I scare you.”
  Saren is a massive ogre and a willing 
  participant in Bazyl’s arena. He requires 
  no magical compulsion as the money’s 
  Bazyl’s Bill of Brawlers
  40
  
  good and he gets to throw people around 
  without the intervention of pesky town 
  guards. He stomps around the pit, bellowing 
  and roaring, basking in the adulation and 
  fear of the crowd and keeps himself well 
  groomed to display the ﬂ amboyant and 
  meaningless runes tattooed on his ﬂ esh. 
  Often, he ﬁ ghts in the nude, which tends to 
  intimidate men of smaller stature.
  A one-on-one, bare-knuckle brawler, Saren 
  ﬂ ings opponents around like dolls, ﬁ nally 
  snatching them up in his thick arms and 
  crushing them to death. He has been 
  known to stage impromptu puppet shows 
  with the pulped remains of his victims 
  – a crowd favourite and a perfect ﬁ t for his 
  gallows humour. 
  Saren (Large Folk Walker — 88 XP): Str 
  14, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10; 
  SZ L (2×2, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init V; 
  Atk V; Def VI; Res II; Health VI; Comp III; Skills: 
  Athletics III, Haggle V, Intimidate V, Tactics 
  III; Qualities: Banned action (Outmaneuver, 
  Tumble), class ability (Captain: battle 
  planning I (crush them!, stand fast!)), 
  feat (Wrestling Basics, Wrestling Mastery, 
  Wrestling Supremacy), tough I, treacherous, 
  veteran II
  Attacks/Weapons: Slam III (dmg 2d8 lethal, 
  threat 19–20), Squeeze III (dmg 2d12 lethal, 
  threat —)
  Treasure: 3C
  The Machine (Champion) 
  “Flesh is weak — yours especially.”
  A ﬁ endish clockwork horror, The Machine 
  is all blackened steel, steam leaking from 
  its joints, with an ever-burning hell-ﬂ ame 
  in its throat and arms ending in long 
  wicked spikes. This abomination does not 
  ﬁ ght for money or glory; it ﬁ ghts to kill. It 
  approached Bazyl a short time ago and 
  offered to ﬁ ght for free. Bazyl was happy 
  to accept, assuming the mad thing would 
  be destroyed in a gruesome outpouring 
  of proﬁ t but The Machine survives. This 
  gives Bazyl pause but as long as the metal 
  monster refuses pay, as long as it is happy 
  with the slaughter, the drake will keep it 
  on. 
  The Machine enters the arena using 
  Disguise Self to appear as a small robed 
  ﬁ gure. It dances and chants weirdly 
  during Bazyl’s introduction, using this 
  time to Consecrate the arena to Evil (for 
  combat bonuses in the ﬁ ght to come). 
  At the peak of Bazyl’s introduction, The 
  Machine dismisses its Disguise, emitting a 
  horrendous roar and blowing the robe to 
  scraps to revealing itself in all its diabolical 
  glory. 
  Most ﬁ ghts against The Machine are to 
  the death and it revels in the opportunity 
  to spray gore and dance among a fallen 
  challenger’s entrails. Occasionally, The 
  Machine is put forth as a challenge of 
  courage. Bazyl announces that anyone can 
  wager on the time they can stay in the circle 
  with it. In these events The Machine uses 
  all its abilities to frighten the challenger, 
  aiming to drive them headlong out of the 
  arena so Bazyl can collect his due. 
  The 
  Machine 
  (Medium 
  Construct 
  Outsider Walker — 93 XP): Str 14, Dex 12, 
  Con 10, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10; SZ M (1×1, 
  Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init V; Atk V; Def 
  VI; Res II; Health VI; Comp III; Skills: Athletics 
  III, Intimidate X, Prestidigitation III; Qualities: 
  Always ready, class ability (Captain: battle 
  planning I (no prisoners!, press on!), Scout: 
  sneak attack I), damage reduction 3, devoted 
  (Evil II), interests (Alignment – Evil), natural 
  spell (Command I, Disguise Self), treacherous, 
  tricky (Called Shot), veteran II
  Attacks/Weapons: Talon III (dmg 2d6 lethal; 
  threat 19–20; qualities: aligned (Evil))
  Gear: Partial chainmail with light ﬁ ttings 
  (DR 3, Resist Edged 2; DP –1; ACP –1; Spd –5 
  ft.; Disguise –8)
  Treasure: None
  The King (Champion)
  “I’m the King! I’m the King! Yay! Yay!”
  A burly human with more muscle than sense, 
  The King ﬁ ghts for fun. He was a village idiot 
  in a nameless hamlet Bazyl’s crew passed 
  through a while back – an easy mark for 
  the drake. The King believes Bazyl is his only 
  true friend, having no idea the cruel joke his 
  name is to the draconic sociopath. When 
  not ﬁ ghting, the King helps around camp. 
  He has a soft spot for Frida and believes 
  she secretly loves him, though he is far too 
  bashful to say anything.
  In the ring, The King is an unsurpassed 
  master at ﬁ ghting large crowds. He merrily 
  wades into throngs of opponents, swinging 
  his maul like a blunt scythe, laughing 
  jovially the whole time. It is possible he 
  does not even realise he is hurting anyone. 
  He just swings and swings, as fast and hard 
  as he can, until he is the last one standing, 
  when Bazyl proclaims him, once again, 
  “King of the Hill!” 
  The King (Medium Folk Walker — 89 XP): 
  Str 16, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 10; 
  SZ M (1×1, Reach 1); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init V; 
  Atk V; Def VI; Res II; Health VI; Comp III; Skills: 
  Athletics III, Haggle V, Intimidate V, Tactics 
  III; Qualities: Always ready, class ability 
  (Captain: battle planning I (Crush Them!, I 
  Want Them Alive!); Scout: trophy hunter), 
  feat (Combat Instincts, Cleave Basics, Cleave 
  Mastery, Cleave Supremacy), frenzy III, never 
  outnumbered, treacherous, tricky (Called 
  Shot), veteran II
  Attacks/Weapons: Dagger × 4 (dmg 1d6 
  lethal; threat 19–20; qualities: bleed, hurl), 
  Maul (dmg 2d6 subdual; threat 19–20; 
  qualities: massive)
  Mounts and Vehicles: Riding horse (Spd 50 
  ft. ground (Run 250 ft.); Travel 7; SZ/Def L/
  IV) 
  Gear: Partial chainmail with light ﬁ ttings 
  (DR 3, Resist Edged 2; DP –1; ACP –1; Spd –5 
  ft.; Disguise –8)
  Treasure: 2C
  41
  
  Bazyl’s Bill of Brawlers
  Grimslade (Champion)
  “Do you honestly believe I give a ﬁ g about 
  your applause?” 
  This fearsome Minotaur lived in a cave 
  outside a mid-sized town and over the 
  years acquired a signiﬁ cant hoard of 
  treasure taken from adventurers come to 
  “save” the townsfolk from him. Over time, 
  he grew bored with his solitary life and 
  when he met Bazyl and Casdon he became 
  a silent third partner in the pit ﬁ ghting 
  enterprise, bankrolling the initial crew. 
  The other Brawlers have no idea about 
  Grimslade’s true involvement in the outﬁ t, 
  nor that he commands a bigger cut of the 
  proﬁ ts. Grimslade has made his money back 
  tenfold over the course of his pit ﬁ ghting 
  career and continues to ﬁ ght solely to pad 
  his nest egg (which he has on anonymous 
  deposit with several moneylenders and 
  banking houses throughout the world). 
  Grimslade stands silent and motionless in 
  the arena during his introduction, letting 
  his challenger claim as much of the crowd’s 
  adulation as desired. When the ﬁ ght starts, 
  however, the minotaur erupts into motion, 
  charging across the ring and savagely 
  smashing his opponent. Grimslade is not 
  showy but he is certainly thorough. By 
  agreement with Bazyl at the outset, all 
  ﬁ ghts with him are to the death. He is not 
  interested in playing with an opponent and 
  often eats the heart of fallen challengers 
  in front of the crowd – both to show his 
  contempt for all and to reclaim their praise.
  Grimslade (Large Folk Walker — 97 XP): Str 
  18, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 8; SZ L 
  (2×2, Reach 2); Spd 30 ft. ground; Init X; Atk IX; 
  Def IV; Res VII; Health VI; Comp II; Skills: Notice III, 
  Survival III; Qualities: Always ready, class ability 
  (Captain: battle planning I (guard yourselves!, 
  no prisoners!)), condition immunity (ﬂ at-footed), 
  feat (Charging Basics, Charging Mastery, Rage 
  Basics), fearless I, ferocity, improved sense (scent), 
  natural spell (Orient Self), treacherous, veteran II
  Attacks/Weapons: Large broad axe (dmg 
  2d6+3 lethal; threat 19–20; qualities: AP 2, 
  massive), Gore III (dmg 2d8+3 lethal; threat 
  19–20; upgrades: bleed)
  Gear: Partial chainmail with light ﬁ ttings 
  (DR 3, Resist Edged 2; DP –1; ACP –1; Spd –5 
  ft.; Disguise –8)
  Treasure: 2C, 1G, 1T
  GM Notes and Adventure 
  Seeds
  First and foremost, Bazyl and his crew are a 
  pack of dirt bags. They make their living on 
  the corpses of others and are not the sort 
  to be swayed by pleas for pity, compassion, 
  or to “do the right thing.” Still, this does 
  not mean they must be villains (or even 
  adversaries). You may ﬁ nd that Bazyl’s 
  crew make great contacts (of questionable 
  morality, of course, but that is powerful 
  grist for the roleplaying mill). Bazyl and his 
  crew might also be introduced in any of 
  the following ways. 
  Mama Told Me Not to Come
  A dependent or relative of one or more 
  heroes goes to see one of Bazyl’s ﬁ ght 
  bills and is a little too open about their 
  relationship with the party. Bazyl kidnaps 
  the dependent or relative, promising to 
  return them only if the party agrees to “a 
  little show” (he even offers to throw in a cut 
  of the gate). The heroes can work through 
  a few ﬁ ghts, in which case Bazyl frees the 
  hostage as promised, or they could attack 
  the drake, in which case they face the 
  entire crew. 
  You Do Not Talk About …
  A gladiator in the stable shakes off Bazyl’s 
  domination long enough to seek help. 
  He stumbles into the PCs, half maddened 
  with ﬂ ooding memories and conﬂ icting 
  emotions and if the PCs calm him without 
  killing him he begs them to get him to 
  safety. Unless they move fast, though, 
  Casdon may catch up with the gladiator, 
  seeking to reclaim the ring’s “property” 
  and silence any who know of the drake’s 
  magical manipulation. 
  Moving Heaven and Earth
  The heroes are approached by a warrior from 
  a distant land with a sad tale. His betrothed 
  lady-love was kidnapped from their remote 
  homeland and now he is on a globetrotting 
  quest to rescue her. He has ﬁ nally located her 
  but she is in the clutches of Master Bazyl, whom 
  the warrior believes is dabbling in human 
  trafﬁ cking. The warrior is weak and penniless 
  but with Bazyl taking private bits on his exotic 
  ﬂ ower, he must press on. Of course, he stands 
  little chance without the party’s help. 
  Kid, I Can Make You a Star
  One or more heroes are approached 
  by Anta Mandrake to participate in a 
  gladiatorial bill. Those who accept are 
  matched against reasonable threats from 
  among other locals and should they 
  win they get not only a cut of the gate 
  and wagers (a very small cut) but also a 
  generous helping of the high life, including 
  tasty food and intimate companions with 
  good teeth and no last names. Along the 
  way, Mandrake also looks to addict the 
  hero(es) on one or more exotic drugs he 
  has in stock (and introduce them to Bazyl’s 
  magical dominations), though it’s likely 
  their companions will sooner intervene. 
  It’s Loose!
  The Machine tires of Bazyl and the silly 
  trappings of “fair” combat and goes on 
  a rampage! It scatters townspeople like 
  chaff and carves a bloody swath across the 
  countryside (or through the city, as the case 
  may be). Bazyl quietly puts out a bounty, 
  which may put his crew and the party on 
  the same side in hunting the thing down. 
  Though Bazyl’s “employment” of the creature 
  prior to its rampage is not technically 
  illegal (depending on the campaign world, 
  of course), Bazyl still tries to conceal his 
  involvement, even if he has to destroy the 
  construct in the process. Clever heroes may 
  discover the drake’s secret, earning a reward 
  from the local constabulary, or they might 
  use the information or parlay their capture 
  or destruction of The Machine for Bazyl’s 
  favour in future adventures. 
  42
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/FantasyCraft/Adventure Modules/Issue_73-Bazyls_Bill_of_Brawlers.pdf