TEXT:  
  1 
   
   
   
  Additional Rules & New Options for Revised MAZES & MINOTAURS 
   
   
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio
  Legendary Games Studio    
      
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  2 
  MAZES & minotaurs 
   
  THE ROLEPLAYING GAME OF HEROIC ADVENTURE IN THE MYTHIC AGE 
   
   
   
  Foreword 
   
  The book you are about to read could be described 
  as “the fourth book of the trilogy”. Whereas the three 
  Revised Mazes & Minotaurs rulebooks previously 
  published by Legendary Games Studio (the Players 
  Manual, the Maze Masters Guide and the Creature 
  Compendium), gave you all the rules needed to play 
  countless perilous expeditions and heroic quests, 
  the Mazes & Minotaurs Companion is a collection of 
  optional rules on a wide variety of topics.  
   
  ‘Optional’ is the key word here : each Maze Master 
  is free to decide which of these rules they want to 
  use in their M&M games; like all other books and 
  modules published by Legendary Games Studio, 
  the Companion is a fully official M&M product, but 
  ‘fully official’ does not mean ‘mandatory’. 
   
  In keeping with the spirit of the Revised edition, 
  most of these optional rules are streamlined or 
  (sometimes heavily) reworked versions of rules that 
  first appeared in original, pre-Revision supplements 
  (like the venerable Men & Monsters and Myth & 
  Magic or the more recent Unveiled Addenda) or in 
  the columns of Griffin but this book also includes 
  100% new, never-before published material.  
   
  Many of these options take the Mazes & Minotaurs 
  rules “beyond the labyrinth”, expanding the horizon 
  of the game into new directions and territories, such 
  as military campaigning, divine power plays, court 
  intrigue or even romantic interludes, illustrating the 
  endless possibilities offered by roleplaying games in 
  general and Mazes & Minotaurs in particular.  
   
  Let the Odysseys begin – over and over again ! 
   
  Olivier Legrand, Winter 1987 
   
  Credits 
   
  Editor / Reviser : Olivier Legrand 
   
  Contributors : Luigi Castellani, Paul Elliott, Olivier 
  Legrand, John Marron and Erik Sieurin. 
   
  2008 Proofreading : Matthew Rees. 
   
  Cover Art : © Luigi Castellani (d’après J.A. Lee) 
   
  Interior Art : Diverse Hands, including the ancient 
  master John Flaxman (1755-1826) and the talented 
  Squire & Mars feminine duo. 
   
  Some illustrations © copyright Clipart.com  
   
  Special Thanks to Joseph C. Wolf, David Jenkins 
  and, of course, Luke G. Reynard. Additional (and 
  anachronistic) thanks to the Faithful Hoplites of the 
  M&M Yahoo newsgroup (too many to list here, sorry 
  guys !) for their ideas, dedication and loyal support 
  when things went tough. Minotaurian salute to all ! 
   
   
  Table of Contents 
   
  I : CHARACTER OPTIONS  
   
   
  Background Talents 
   
   
       3 
   
  Alternate Soldier Classes 
   
       5 
   
  Noble Heritage  
   
   
       6 
   
  Heroic Development 
   
   
       6 
   
  II : DIVINE AGENTS 
   
  Divine Favor 
   
   
   
       8 
   
  Becoming an Agent 
   
   
       8 
   
  Divine Boons 
   
   
   
       8 
   
  Obedience & Reprisals  
   
       9 
   
  Divine Agent Profiles 
   
   
       9 
   
  III : COMBAT OPTIONS 
   
  New Tactics & Techniques 
   
       14 
   
  Homeric Combat 
   
   
       15 
   
  Critical Hits & Fumbles Tables 
   
       16 
   
  Chariots 
   
   
   
       17 
   
  IV : MAGIC OPTIONS 
   
   
   
  Light & Darkness 
   
   
       19 
   
  Shapeshifters 
   
   
   
       20 
   
  Metamorphosis  
   
   
       20 
   
  V : RELIGIOUS OPTIONS 
   
   
   
  Acolytes 
   
   
   
       24 
   
  Ritual Sacrifices  
   
   
       24 
   
  Non-Olympian Cults 
   
   
       25 
   
   
   
  Cult of Cybele 
   
   
   
       25 
   
  Cult of Dionysos 
   
   
       26 
   
  Cult of Mithras  
   
   
       26 
   
  Druidic Faith 
   
   
   
       27 
   
  VI : MISCELLANEOUS RULES 
   
   
   
  Traps 
   
   
   
   
       29 
   
  Influencing NPCs 
   
   
       31 
   
  Taming Beasts & Monsters 
   
       33 
   
   
   
  Expert NPCs 
   
   
   
       35 
   
  Philosophers 
   
   
   
       36 
   
  Appendix : WARFARE RULES 
   
  A Mass Combat System for M&M ! 
       37 
  
   
  3 
  I : CHARACTER OPTIONS 
   
   
  Background Talents 
   
  In addition to their attributes and class abilities, 
  M&M characters may be given background talents 
  to reflect their upbringing and prior experience.  
   
  Background talents add an extra touch of life to a 
  character’s personal history as well as an element 
  of diversity to the composition of any adventuring 
  group, since two characters with the same class 
  may have very different background talents. 
   
  Since they represent a character’s education and 
  pre-adventuring life, background talents can only be 
  chosen at character creation. With the exception of 
  Nymphs (see below), each character receives two 
  background talents, which must be chosen by the 
  player according to the character’s class : 
   
  Amazon : Choose two talents among Armorer, 
  Beastmaster, Equestrian, Healer, Mountaineer and 
  Wrestler. 
   
  Barbarian : Choose two talents among Armorer, 
  Beastmaster, Equestrian, Mountaineer, Woodsman 
  and Wrestler. 
   
  Centaur : Choose two talents among Bowyer, 
  Healer, Musician, Orator and Wrestler. 
   
  Elementalist : Choose two talents among Orator 
  (any), Scholar (any), Armorer (fire), Healer (earth or 
  water), Mountaineer (earth) and Sailor (water or air). 
   
  Hunter : Choose two talents among Beastmaster, 
  Bowyer, Healer, Mountaineer and Woodsman. 
   
  Lyrist : All Lyrists automatically have the Musician 
  and Orator talents. 
   
  Noble : Choose two among Equestrian, Musician, 
  Orator, Sailor, Scholar, Tactician and Wrestler. 
   
  Nymph : All Nymphs have the Musician talent but 
  no other talent, since they never received anything 
  resembling an education or apprenticeship. This is 
  counterbalanced by their affinity with their natural 
  milieu (see Players Manual). Also remember that 
  Nymphs never get old, so please stop complaining. 
   
  Priest : A Priest’s choice of talents varies according 
  to his deity. Choose two talents among Armorer 
  (Hephaestus), 
  Beastmaster 
  (Artemis), 
  Bowyer 
  (Apollo, Artemis), Healer (Apollo, Hermes and all 
  Goddesses), Musician (Apollo and all Goddesses), 
  Navigator (Poseidon), Orator (all deities), Scholar 
  (Apollo, Zeus, Athena) and Tactician (Ares, Athena).  
   
   
   
   
  Many Centaurs have the Musician background talent 
   
  Sorcerer : All Sorcerers automatically have the 
  Scholar talent, plus a second talent chosen among 
  Actor, Healer, Musician and Orator. 
   
  Spearman : Choose two talents among Armorer, 
  Equestrian, 
  Healer, 
  Musician, 
  Orator, 
  Sailor, 
  Tactician and Wrestler. 
   
  Thief : Choose two talents among Acrobat, Actor, 
  Healer, Musician and Orator.   
   
   
  Example of Talent Selection 
   
  Remember our old friend Pyros the Spearman ?  
   
  As a trained professional soldier from the Land of 
  the Three Cities, Pyros has a very broad choice for 
  his two background talents. His player selects the 
  Tactician and Wrestler talents, making Pyros a 
  decidedly athletic and martial fellow.  
   
  As a further illustration of how background talents 
  may help define a character’s education and prior 
  experience, we shall also determine the talents of 
  Pyros’ companions of adventure, as shown on p 5 
  of the Players Manual : 
   
  Lythia the Huntress is a strong-willed, self-reliant 
  forester, making Woodsman a mandatory choice. 
  Lythia’s player selects Healing as a second talent, 
  making her a very valuable asset for the party. 
   
  Faros the Noble is a heroic (but somewhat 
  overconfident) Noble from the city of Thena. His 
  player selects the Orator and Tactician talents to 
  reflect Faros’ typical aristocratic education. 
   
  Xenon the Elementalist likes to play the part of 
  the mysterious and charismatic magician : the 
  Orator and Scholar talents seem natural choices 
  for such a character. 
   
   
   
  
   
  4 
  Talents in Play 
   
  Most talents are directly tied to a specific type of 
  D20 roll commonly used in M&M adventures. When 
  a character is advantaged on a D20 roll by one of 
  his talents, two D20s are rolled instead of one and 
  the higher roll is kept as the result. 
   
  Some talents may also give a character extensive 
  knowledge in one or even several fields of study. 
  The precise benefits of this knowledge in game 
  terms are left to the Maze Master’s discretion and 
  will have to be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis.  
   
  As a general rule, such knowledge talents should 
  seldom be used in conjunction with dice rolls. The 
  easiest way to use them during the game is simply 
  to give additional (or more accurate) information to 
  the player, reflecting his character’s knowledge. 
   
  List of Talents 
   
  Acrobat  
  Equestrian  
  Sailor 
   
  Actor  
   
  Healer   
  Scholar 
   
  Armorer   
  Mountaineer  
  Tactician 
   
  Beastmaster  
  Musician  
  Woodsman 
   
  Bowyer   
  Orator   
  Wrestler 
   
  Description of Talents 
   
  Acrobat : Characters with the Acrobat talent are 
  advantaged on all their climbing rolls and other feats 
  of balance or agility requiring Athletic Prowess rolls. 
   
  Actor : Characters with this talent are skilled at 
  feigning emotions and impersonating others. In 
  game terms, they are advantaged on all their 
  deception rolls (see Influencing NPCs, chapter VI).  
   
  Armorer : Characters with this talent know how to 
  make and repair metal weapons, shields, helmets 
  and breastplates. 
   
  Beastmaster : Characters with this talent are 
  advantaged when rolling to tame an animal by craft 
  (see Taming Beasts & Monsters, chapter VI). 
   
  Bowyer : Characters with this talent know how to 
  make and repair bows (as well as arrows). 
   
  Equestrian : Characters with this talent are 
  advantaged on all their Danger Evasion rolls while 
  riding or driving a chariot. This also applies to their 
  horses’ own Danger Evasion rolls. 
   
  Healer : Characters with this talent have knowledge 
  of basic medical techniques and remedies which 
  allow them to perform simple surgery, deliver babies 
  and (occasionally) speed a patient’s recovery. 
  Wounded individuals who recover under the 
  attention of a character with this talent are 
  advantaged on their weekly Physical Vigor roll. 
   
  Mountaineer : Characters with this talent are 
  advantaged on all their climbing rolls as well as on 
  Danger Evasion rolls made to avoid or detect 
  natural 
  perils 
  of 
  the 
  mountainous 
  milieu 
  (treacherous paths, avalanches etc). 
   
  Musician : Characters with this talent know how to 
  play an instrument (usually the lyre or flute); they 
  are also able to compose tunes and to sing in an 
  attractive manner.  
   
  Orator : Characters with this talent are advantaged 
  on all their persuasion rolls (see chapter VI) when 
  making public speeches, using rhetorics etc. 
   
  Sailor : Characters with this talent are advantaged 
  on all their Danger Evasion rolls made while sailing 
  as well as on all their swimming rolls. 
   
  Scholar : Characters with this talent have extensive 
  knowledge in many fields of study - flora, fauna, 
  history, geography, astronomy, philosophy etc. They 
  also know two extra languages.  
   
  Tactician : Characters with this talent are trained in 
  strategy, battle tactics, siegecraft and other military 
  arts. This will advantage them in various ways when 
  preparing military operations; it may also be used 
  with the mass combat rules given in chapter III. 
   
  Woodsman : Characters with this background 
  talent are advantaged on all their Danger Evasion 
  rolls (including all detection and stealth rolls) made 
  while operating in woodland or forest environment. 
   
  Wrestler : Characters with this background talent 
  are advantaged on all their wrestling attacks made 
  against humans and other medium-sized opponents 
  as well as on their rolls to break free from such 
  opponents’ grappling holds.  
   
   
   
  Practicing the Wrestler background talent 
  
   
  5 
  Alternate Soldier Classes 
   
  This section presents two optional new military 
  classes : Cavalrymen and Archers. Both are more 
  specialized (and thus less versatile) than the 
  standard M&M classes and will probably be more at 
  home in a military-oriented campaign than in a 
  series of epic quests and adventurous odysseys. 
   
  ARCHERS 
   
  Archers are elite, military-trained bowmen.  
   
  Category : Specialists. 
   
  Primary Attributes : Skill and Wits 
   
  Gender : Male only. 
   
  Basic Hits = 10 
   
  Marksmanship : Archers add their Skill bonus to 
  their damage roll when using bows. 
   
  Quick Aim : Archers add their Wits bonus to their 
  Initiative when using their bow. 
   
  Weapon of Choice : All Archers must (obviously) 
  take the bow as their weapon of choice. 
   
  Level Benefits : Each level beyond the first gives 
  an Archer +2 Hits, +1 to Luck and +2 to Will, Wits or 
  Skill (player’s choice). 
   
  Possessions : Bow, quiver of 24 arrows, dagger, 
  sword, helmet and breastplate. Their starting wealth 
  is equal to 3D6 x 5 silver pieces. 
   
  Background Talents : All Archers have the Bowyer 
  talent, plus a second talent chosen from Equestrian, 
  Mountaineer, Woodsman, Sailor or Tactician. 
   
  Patron Deities : Most Archers follow Apollo. 
   
  Advancement : Archers gain Experience by killing 
  enemies and creatures with their bow; these awards 
  are calculated as per the usual Glory awards but are 
  doubled for Archers. Killing opponents in melee 
  combat does not bring any Experience to an Archer. 
   
   
  Reputation Effect : None. 
    
   
  Archer in action ! 
   
   
  A proud Cavalryman and his equally proud battle horse 
   
  CAVALRYMEN 
   
  Cavalrymen are elite equestrian fighters, with expert 
  training in mounted combat and horsemanship. 
   
  Category : Warriors. 
   
  Primary Attributes : Skill and Will 
   
  Gender : Male only. 
   
  Basic Hits = 12 
   
  Mounted Combat : A Cavalryman adds his Skill 
  bonus to his Initiative and to his melee Defense 
  Class when fighting on horseback. 
   
  Horsemanship : Cavalrymen add their Will bonus 
  to all the Danger Evasion rolls they make while 
  riding as well as to their mount’s own Evasion rolls. 
   
  Weapon of Choice : Cavalrymen usually select the 
  sword or the spear as their weapon of choice. 
   
  Level Benefits : Each level beyond the first gives a 
  Cavalryman +4 Hits, +1 to Luck and +2 to Might, 
  Will or Skill (player’s choice). 
   
  Possessions : Sword, spear, dagger, breastplate, 
  shield and helmet, a good battle-trained horse. Their 
  starting wealth is equal to 3D6 x 10 silver pieces. 
   
  Background Talents : All Cavalrymen have the 
  Equestrian talent, plus a second talent chosen from 
  Armorer, Healer or Tactician. 
   
  Patron Deities : Most Cavalrymen follow Ares. 
   
  Advancement : As other warriors. 
   
  Reputation Effect : Military Comradeship. 
   
  Battle Horse : All player-characters Cavalrymen 
  are allowed to start the game with a battle horse of 
  exceptional quality, with the usual characteristics of 
  Horses (see Creature Compendium, p 58), plus the 
  Uncanny Agility special ability. 
  
   
  6 
               
   
   
  Two typically aristocratic profiles 
   
  Noble Heritage 
   
  Since attributes do not all have the same 
  importance in game terms, allowing a Noble’s player 
  to choose his character’s second primary attribute 
  will very often result in exceptionally super-Mighty 
  Nobles (and very rarely in super-Graceful ones) – or 
  may leave irresolute players agonizing over the 
  respective merits and drawbacks of each attribute.  
   
  Maze Masters may decide to replace this ‘free 
  choice’ approach with a roll of 1D6 on the Noble 
  Heritage table given below, adding an extra degree 
  of randomness and variety to the profile of Noble 
  characters. Luck is excluded from this table since it 
  already acts as a primary attribute for all Nobles. 
   
  Noble Heritage 
   
  D6 
   
  Attribute 
   
  1 
   
  Might 
   
  2 
   
  Skill 
   
  3 
   
  Wits 
   
  4 
   
  Will 
   
  5 
   
  Grace 
   
  6 
   
  Player’s Choice 
   
  A Noble’s favored attribute may also be used to 
  determine the divine affiliation of his family. This 
  indicates which god or goddess acts as the Noble 
  character’s patron deity and may also reflect the 
  character’s divine lineage if he belongs to a family 
  that claims to descend from a god. To determine 
  this divine affiliation randomly, roll 1D6 on the table 
  below, cross-referencing the result with the favored 
  attribute. Note that these tables do not list all gods 
  and goddesses and only include suitably aristocratic 
  deities like Zeus, Athena, Apollo and a few others. 
   
  Noble Divine Affiliation 
   
  D6    Might      Skill       Wits      Will         Grace 
   
  1      Ares         Apollo    Apollo    Athena    Aphrodite 
   
  2      Ares         Apollo    Artemis  Athena    Aphrodite 
   
  3      Poseid.    Artemis  Athena   Hera       Aphrodite 
   
  4      Poseid.    Athena   Hermes  Poseid.   Apollo 
   
  5      Zeus        Athena   Zeus      Zeus        Apollo 
   
  6      Zeus        Zeus      Zeus      Zeus        Zeus 
  Heroic Development 
   
  Every time a character reaches a new level, he 
  gains 2 extra points in one of the attributes listed in 
  the level benefits of his chosen class, as detailed in 
  the first chapter of the Players Manual.  
   
  Since no attribute can exceed 20, this means that 
  characters who start with very good or exceptional 
  scores in their class-related attributes will tend to 
  reach their peak at an early level.  
   
  A Spearman who starts with a Skill score of 18, for 
  instance, will only have the opportunity to increase 
  this attribute once before reaching the upper limit of 
  20 ; once this limit is reached, the character will still 
  be able to increase his Might, his Will or even his 
  Wits but will have reached his peak as far as 
  weapon expertise (Skill) is concerned. 
   
  This « attribute peak » limitation is not a design flaw 
  and was purposefully built into the system with 
  game balance in mind. Yet, some players and Maze 
  Masters may find this limitation a bit frustrating.  
   
  At the Maze Master’s discretion, the following 
  optional rule of Heroic Development may be used to 
  boost the improvement potential of characters. 
   
  Unlike other attributes, the two primary attributes of 
  a character (ie Might and Will for Barbarians, Luck 
  and another attribute for Nobles etc) may be raised 
  up to a maximum, truly Supreme score of 21, for a 
  corresponding modifier of +5.  
   
  Thus, Amazons and Spearmen will be able to reach 
  unparalleled heights of Skill (reflecting their superior 
  martial training), while Nobles, Priests, Lyrists and 
  Nymphs will be able to improve their Luck past the 
  usual limit of 20 (reflecting their higher divine favor). 
   
   
   
   
  Heroic Development has changed my life ! 
  
   
  7 
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  It’s All Optional 
   
  Welcome to the 20th anniversary facsimile edition of 
  the Mazes & Minotaurs Companion, often referred 
  to as “the fourth book of the trilogy”.  
   
  Unlike the three core books of the Revised rules 
  (the Players Manual, the Maze Masters Guide and 
  the Creature Compendium), the Companion was 
  ENTIRELY composed of optional rules.  
   
  The persistence with which the authors of this 
  venerable tome constantly remind their readers that 
  “all of this is strictly optional” might appear a bit 
  surprising by today’s standards : in our enlightened 
  21st century, Maze Masters (or game masters in 
  general for that matter) have long taken the healthy 
  habit of tweaking and customizing game mechanics 
  according to their own gaming tastes…  
   
  But back in 1987, terms like “strictly official”, 
  “completely noncanon” and “house rules” (not to 
  mention the ubiquitous “simple question of common 
  sense” or the dreaded “semi-official clarification”) 
  could easily turn what had begun as a friendly 
  evening of heroic gaming into a four-hour long 
  session of heated squabbling about Maze Master’s 
  fairness, game balance, mythic realism and various 
  other cryptic concepts.  
   
  Back in those days, the Letters page of Griffin 
  magazine was regularly invaded by recurring and 
  passionate controversies about fascinating topics 
  such as the real effects of combat fatigue, the time it 
  actually takes to draw a sword from its scabbard 
  with an arrow in your arm, how magic was really 
  supposed to work and, of course, cubic feet.  
   
  By the middle of the 80s, the term “rule lawyer” 
  began to appear; conventions, magazines and even 
  local gaming shops were regularly plagued by self-
  proclaimed M&M experts who had apparently more 
  fun lecturing other people on How the Game Should 
  be Played than actually playing it. 
   
  The Gaming Inquisition 
   
  These people became quickly known as “the 
  Gaming Inquisition” and the words “Ah ah ! Nobody 
  expects the gaming inquisition !” became a popular 
  catchphrase around gaming tables.  
   
  Worst of all, the Gaming Inquisition had its own 
  arch-enemies, who were easily as fanatical and 
  boring : the so-called “Revisionists” whose only goal 
  in life was to inflict on anyone even remotely 
  interested in M&M lengthy diatribes about Why and 
  How This Particular Rule Should be Changed.  
   
  Within such a heated context, the whole “strictly 
  optional” mantra of the M&M Companion resounded 
  as a declaration of gaming freedom.  
  It was a way of telling players and Maze Masters : 
  Hey, this is only a game and these rules are only 
  tools for you to use, not the bloody Constitution, 
  Bible, Qûran or Little Red Book. Feel free to 
  interpret them, modify them, expand them as you 
  like. Have fun (and get a life, too).  
   
  Sure, this declaration might seem pretty timid by 
  today’s standards (and I’ll say nothing about 
  Gaming Theory here) but back in those days, it 
  really struck a blow for tabletop freedom. Now you 
  know what those weird older gamers refer to when 
  they talk about the “spirit of 87”. 
   
  First Reactions 
   
  But let’s get back to the book itself - and let’s start 
  with the beautiful, full-color cover art by Luigi 
  Castellani. Like pretty much everything related to 
  Mazes & Minotaurs, this picture had its fervent 
  supporters and its detractors.  
   
  I will always remember the reaction of M&M guru 
  Luke G. Reynards (yes, the Twists in the Maze guy) 
  when he first saw the Companion cover : “Wow. 
  Feels like the Virgin Mary is sooo going to kick your 
  ass.” He was, of course, referring to the blue-robed 
  priestess of Athena. 
   
  Most of the various Character Options presented in 
  the first chapter proved very popular with players 
  and Maze Masters alike – especially the Heroic 
  Development rule (“At last !  A simple and elegant 
  solution to the biggest flaw in Revised M&M !”) and 
  the Background Talents, which added variety to 
  characters “without grafting a Glyphquest-like fully-
  fledged skill system on good old M&M”. The rules 
  on Noble Heritage were obviously more popular with 
  Maze Masters (“At last !  A simple and elegant 
  solution to the biggest flaw in Revised M&M !”) than 
  with players (“Improved Grace ?? Give me a f***ing 
  break !”). Of course, you could always find people 
  who were completely unhappy with everything (“And 
  you call this a skill system ?”). 
   
  Revised or Recycled ? 
   
  As noted in the Introduction, a good proportion of 
  the material included in the Companion had already 
  been published in supplements for the original M&M 
  rules (such as the memorable Unveiled Addenda) or 
  in the pages of the Griffin magazine;  
   
  This is why some detractors of Mazes & Minotaurs 
  (most of whom were ex-Wargamist contributors) 
  used to talk about Recycled (and not Revised) 
  M&M. But such crude sarcasms were a bit unfair, 
  since most of this previously-published material had 
  been thoroughly Revised (and not simply Recycled). 
   
  And now it’s time to Go Mythical…   
  
   
  8 
  II : DIVINE AGENTS 
   
  Divine Favor 
   
  All M&M player-characters are assumed to enjoy 
  some degree of favor from the gods in general and 
  from their patron deity in particular.  
   
  In game terms, this form of divine attention is 
  reflected by the character’s Luck and by the fact that 
  all characters increase their Luck as they gain new 
  levels : thus, the more Glory, Wisdom or Experience 
  a character accumulates, the more attention and 
  protection he will receive from their patron deity.  
   
  Deities may grant even more spectacular privileges 
  to a chosen few among their many devotees and 
  protégés. These very rare individuals, who act as 
  their patron deity’s champions and troubleshooters 
  in the mortal world, may be called by a variety of 
  titles, such Herald of Apollo, Champion of Athena, 
  Warlord of Ares or Chosen of Aphrodite; in game 
  terms, they are collectively known as Divine Agents. 
   
  The following rules detail the various requirements, 
  special benefits and obligations associated with the 
  status of Divine Agent.  
   
  Like everything else in the M&M Companion, these 
  rules are entirely optional and should probably not 
  be used in M&M campaigns which do not place a 
  major emphasis on the various conflicts and power 
  plays of the Olympian deities. 
   
  Becoming an Agent 
   
  A player-character can only become a divine agent 
  if the player and the Maze Master (who rules over 
  all divine decisions) agree on this choice.  
   
  The character must also have a score of 20 in Luck 
  and a score of 16 or more in another attribute, which 
  varies according to each deity’s personality and 
  sphere of influence (see below).  
   
  Thus, only a few Nobles might start the game as 
  divine agents, since they are the only ones who can 
  meet such requirements at level 1. Other characters 
  will have to reach higher levels before attracting 
  their patron deity’s closer attention.  
   
  If all these conditions are met, the deity will appear 
  to the character at a suitable time and let him know 
  he has been chosen as a new divine agent. This 
  usually occurs when the character reaches the level 
  which allows him to meet the attribute requirements. 
   
  Once the divine agent status has been conferred to 
  a character, there is no turning back : this is a life-
  long commitment and agents who abandon their 
  sacred duties are sure to provoke their patron’s 
  divine anger – but more on this later. 
   
   
  Hello, I’m looking for a brave and noble champion… 
   
  Divine Boons 
   
  The special benefits granted by a god to his agents 
  are called divine boons. A character receives three 
  such divine boons as soon as he becomes a Divine 
  Agent. In addition, he will also receive one extra 
  divine boon at each new level he gains thereafter. 
   
  Thus, a character who is made an Agent at level 4 
  will receive three boons at level 4, another one at 
  level 5 and a last one at level 6. 
   
  Although they are granted by the deity, divine boons 
  are chosen by the agent’s player. There are three 
  different types of divine boons : Mythic Attributes, 
  Divine Calls and Mythic Items. 
   
  Mythic Attributes 
   
  This boon can only be taken to increase an attribute 
  which has already reached the usual limit of 20, 
  increasing it to the Supreme score of 21 (see p 6) 
  even if it is not one of the primary attributes of the 
  character’s class. This boon can only be taken once 
  for each attribute favored by the deity (see below). 
  
   
  9 
  Divine Call 
   
  This divine boon allows him to call a single Divine 
  Intervention as per the level 6 Divine Prodigy, 
  except that it costs no Power points to use and 
  works automatically.  
   
  This boon can be chosen several times, since each 
  Divine Call only guarantees ONE answer. 
   
  Unlike the Divine Intervention prodigy, Divine Calls 
  can even be sent by unconscious or dying Agents, 
  in which case the help received will often take the 
  form of a life-saving deus ex machina.  
   
  Remember that gods do not always intervene in 
  person; they often prefer to act in disguise or 
  through spectacular manifestations of their power 
  over nature, which might also be interpreted as 
  natural phenomenons (especially in the case of 
  gods such as Zeus or Poseidon). 
   
  Mythic Items 
   
  The deity gives a mythic item to the character. The 
  item will be chosen by the Maze Master among the 
  items associated with the deity, as detailed below. 
  This boon can be taken multiple times, granting the 
  character a different item each time. 
   
  Deities can only give mythic items which are 
  associated with their name or sphere of influence. 
  Each deity is given a list of typical mythic items (see 
  below) but this list is by no means limitative ; the 
  Maze Master remains the final arbiter on this matter.  
   
  As a general rule, two types of mythic items are 
  never granted as divine boons : items with a limited 
  number of uses such as potions (which are too 
  ephemeral to qualify as proper boons) and, of 
  course, Unique Artifacts, which can only be gained 
  as the result of epic quests and odysseys. 
   
  Conditional Boons 
   
  In some situations, deities may send characters who 
  are not (or not yet) their appointed Agents on quests 
  or other perilous missions, even if the characters do 
  not meet the requirements of Divine Agent status. 
  This often occurs in desperate times, when the 
  player-characters happen to be the only or the most 
  suitable champions available on short notice. 
   
  In such cases, each character chosen by the deity 
  will be granted a single Mythic Item (selected by the 
  Maze Master rather than by the player). If the quest 
  or task is fulfilled, the character will be allowed to 
  keep the boon; if, on the other hand, the character 
  fails, the deity will take back its gift. 
   
  This particular approach might even be used in 
  campaigns which do not feature full-time Divine 
  Agents, allowing characters to become “occasional 
  agents” of the gods without attaching their entire life 
  and destiny to the service of a deity.  
   
   
  Agents should always think twice before  
   
  provoking their patron’s divine anger 
   
  Obedience & Reprisals 
   
  As can be seen, being a divine agent confers many 
  powerful benefits - but as one great sage once 
  said : with great power comes great responsibility… 
  and divine agents have the greatest responsibilities 
  of all. In game terms, these great responsibilities are 
  reflected by the agent’s sacred mission (see below). 
   
  Even more than other characters, divine agents are 
  expected to show an irreproachable degree of zeal 
  and obedience in the service of their patron deity.  
   
  Whenever an agent causes the wrath of his deity by 
  his decisions or actions, he permanently loses one 
  of his boons – be it a Mythic Attribute, a Mythic Item 
  or unused Divine Calls. This choice is made by the 
  Maze Master, playing the role of the deity.  
   
  If the character has already lost all his boons, he 
  suffers a permanent divine curse which reduces his 
  Luck score by 2D6 (down to a minimum of 1).  
   
  On the other hand, an ex-agent is freed from all his 
  obligations toward his ex-patron deity. If he ever 
  does anything that should cause the deity’s anger, 
  however, he will immediately suffer XD6 of damage, 
  where X equals his own level. That’s what you get 
  for being an ungrateful and stubborn mortal. 
   
  Divine Agent Profiles 
   
  This section gives a general profile for the agents of 
  the 12 major deities, using the following format : 
   
  Preferred Classes : The characters most likely to 
  be chosen as agents by the deity. As implied by the 
  term “preferred”, exceptions are always possible, as 
  long as the attribute requirements are met. “Priest” 
  or “Priestess” always refers to the deity’s own. 
  
   
  10 
  Requirements : This gives the minimum attribute 
  scores required to become the deity’s agent. 
   
  Sacred Mission : The character’s general duties 
  and responsibilities as a divine agent. 
   
  Favored Attributes : The attributes which can 
  benefit from a Mythic Attribute boon (see above).  
   
  Mythic Items : Examples of items which may be 
  given by the deity as divine boons. These lists are 
  by no means exhaustive and may be expanded by 
  Maze Masters to include additional items. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Each god or goddess has a 
  special restriction regarding the divine boons it may 
  grant to its agents. This restriction usually reflects 
  the deity’s personality and attitudes toward mortals. 
   
  Agents of Aphrodite 
   
  Preferred Classes : Noble, Lyrist, Priestess. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Grace. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Agents of Aphrodite must protect 
  and defend her priestesses, devotees and sacred 
  sites. Aphrodite also has a tendency to embroil her 
  agents in her games of divine intrigue, especially if 
  agents of other deities are also involved.   
   
  Favored Attributes : Grace, Luck and Wits. 
   
  Mythic Items : Aegis, Dagger of Aphrodite, Amulet 
  of Aphrodite, Tunic of Fortune. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Aphrodite loves to intervene 
  in the affairs of mortals. For this reason, the first 
  three divine boons granted to an agent of Aphrodite 
  must include at least one Divine Call. 
   
   
   
  A Huntress Agent of Artemis with her loyal companion 
  Agents of Apollo 
   
  Preferred Classes : Centaur, Hunter, Lyrist, Noble, 
  Nymph, Priest, Light Elementalist (see chapter III). 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in one attribute 
  among Skill, Wits and Grace. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Apollo must 
  protect and defend his sacred sites, his priests, his 
  devotees and his various protégés, which include 
  most lyrists and oracles. They must also help to 
  spread the worship of their divine patron (even in a 
  purely solar, abstract form) throughout the world. 
   
  Favored Attributes : Grace, Skill and Wits. 
   
  Mythic Items : Bow of Apollo, Breastplate of Apollo, 
  Spear of Defense, Spear of Striking, Staff of Light, 
  Harp of Poetic Insight. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Apollo prefers his agents to 
  be truly exceptional individuals. For this reason, the 
  first three divine boons granted to an agent of Apollo 
  must include at least one Mythic Attribute. 
   
  Agents of Ares 
   
  Preferred Classes : Barbarian, Noble, Spearman. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Might. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Ares must 
  protect and defend his sacred sites, his priests and 
  his devotees. From time to time, Ares may also 
  command them to actively participate in wars – or 
  even to contribute to their outbreak. 
   
  Favored Attributes : Might, Skill and Will. 
   
  Mythic Items : Breastplate of Ares, Helmet of Ares, 
  Spear of Striking, Sword of Ares. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Ares despises those who 
  call for help. For this reason, the god of war never 
  grants Divine Calls to his divine agents.  
   
  Agents of Artemis 
   
  Preferred Classes : Amazon, Centaur, Hunter, 
  Noble, Nymph (Dryad), Priestess. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in one attribute 
  among Skill, Wits or Grace 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Artemis must 
  protect and defend their goddess’ sacred sites, her 
  priestesses, devotees and various protégés, which 
  include most dryads, wild beasts and various forest 
  Folks such as Acteons, Sylvans and Bee-Folk.  
   
  Favored Attributes : Grace, Skill and Wits. 
   
  Mythic Items : Bow of Artemis, Quiver of Artemis, 
  Amulet of Artemis, Girdle of Protection, Tunic of 
  Fortune, Bridle of Taming, Flute of the Shepherd. 
   
  Special Restrictions : The first three divine boons 
  granted to an agent of Artemis must include at least 
  one Mythic Item and one Mythic Attribute. 
  
   
  11 
   
   
   
   
   
   
       A valorous and charismatic Agent of Athena 
   
   
  Agents of Athena 
   
  Preferred Classes : Amazon, Noble, Priestess, 
  Spearman. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in one attribute 
  chosen among Skill, Wits and Will. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Athena must 
  protect and defend her sacred sites, her priestesses 
  and her devotees. They must also help to spread 
  civilization, peace and wisdom throughout the world. 
   
  Favored Attributes : Skill, Will and Wits. 
   
  Mythic Items : Aegis, Helmet of Athena, Spear of 
  Athena, Spear of Defense. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Athena is a goddess of 
  protection and personal excellence : the first three 
  boons she grants to an agent must always include 
  at least one Mythic Attribute or one Mythic Item. 
   
  Agents of Demeter 
   
  Preferred Classes : Nymph (Napaea or Helead), 
  Priestess. Agents of Demeter are always females.  
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Will. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Demeter must 
  protect her sacred sites, priestesses and devotees 
  (which include many peasants and country folks). 
   
  Favored Attributes : Wits and Will. 
   
  Mythic Items : Caduceus, Staff of Earth, Amulet of 
  Health, Amulet of Protection, Ring of Good Fortune, 
  Tunic of Fortune, Flute of the Shepherd. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Demeter rarely intervenes in 
  mortal affairs. The first three boons she grants 
  cannot include more than one Divine Call. 
   
  Agents of Hephaestus 
   
  Preferred Classes : Barbarian, Priest. Male 
  Elementalists specialized in Earth and Fire may also 
  be considered if nobody else is available. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Might or Will. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Agents of Hephaestus must 
  protect and defend his sacred sites, his priests and 
  his devotees (which include most blacksmiths) ; he 
  must also help the various races placed under the 
  smith-god’s protection (such as Lesser Cyclops).  
   
  Favored Attributes : Might and Will. 
   
  Mythic Items : Aegis, Weapons of Hephaestus.  
   
  Special Restrictions : Hephaestus does not 
  usually meddle in the affairs of mortals. For this 
  reason, he never grants Divine Calls to his divine 
  agents. In addition, the agent’s first three divine 
  boons must include at least one Mythic Item. 
   
  Agents of Hera 
   
  Preferred Classes : Noble, Priestess. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in one attribute 
  chosen among Wits, Will and Grace. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Agents of Hera must protect and 
  defend her sacred sites, her priestesses and her 
  devotees. Their patron goddess will also regularly 
  command them to interfere with her husband’s own 
  affairs and intrigues in the mortal world… 
   
  Favored Attributes : Will, Wits, Luck and Grace. 
   
  Mythic Items : Aegis, Sword of Ruse, Amulet or 
  Girdle of Protection, Ring of Invisibility, Cloak of 
  Concealment, Tunic of Fortune. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Hera loves to intervene in 
  mortal affairs and watch her protégés closely. For 
  this reason, the first three divine boons given to an 
  agent of Hera must include at least one Divine Call. 
   
   
  
   
  12 
   
   
  Sandals of Speed and Caduceus 
   
  A typical mythic panoply for Agents of Hermes 
   
  Agents of Hermes 
   
  Preferred Classes : Priest, Sorcerer, Thief. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Wits. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Agents of Hermes must protect 
  and defend his sacred sites, his priests and his 
  numerous devotees (which include many traders, 
  merchants and travellers) ; they must also help to 
  expand and develop the practice of peaceful trade 
  between cities and nations.  
   
  Favored Attributes : Wits, Luck and Grace. 
   
  Mythic Items : Ring of Good Fortune, Sandals of 
  Hermes (especially that), Caduceus. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Hermes loves his agents to 
  have visible tokens of their divine responsibilities; 
  for this reason, the first three boons granted to an 
  agent of Hermes always include at least one Mythic 
  Item (especially a Caduceus or Sandals of Hermes). 
   
  Agents of Hestia 
   
  Preferred Classes : Priestess. Hestia never uses 
  any other character class as her divine agents. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck, 16+ in Will. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Hestia must 
  protect and defend her sacred sites, her priesteses 
  and her numerous devotees.  
   
  Favored Attributes : Will and Grace. 
   
  Mythic Items : Caduceus, Amulet of Health, Amulet 
  of Protection, Ring of Fortune, Tunic of Fortune. 
   
  Special Restrictions : A goddess of modesty and 
  domestic life, Hestia only selects her divine agents 
  from the ranks of her own Priestesses. 
   
  Agents of Poseidon 
   
  Preferred Classes : Noble, Nymph (Nereid), Priest. 
   
  Requirements : 20 In Luck, 16+ in Might or Will. 
   
  Sacred Mission : Divine agents of Poseidon must 
  protect and defend his sacred sites, his priests and 
  his devotees (which include various undersea folks 
  such as Dolphins, Tritons, Mermaids, Nereids etc).  
   
  Favored Attributes : Might and Will. 
   
  Mythic Items : Trident of Fury (same properties as 
  a Spear of Striking), Amulet of the Merfolk, Amulet 
  of the Nereids. 
   
  Special Restrictions : Poseidon does not like to be 
  disturbed from his undersea realm but has been 
  known to intervene at the request of his champions ; 
  for this reason, the first three boons granted to his 
  agents cannot include more than one Divine Call. 
   
  Agents of Zeus 
   
  Preferred Classes : Noble, Nymph (Oread), Priest. 
   
  Requirements : 20 in Luck and 16+ in any other 
  attribute (Zeus has eclectic tastes). 
   
  Sacred Mission : Agents of Zeus must protect and 
  defend his sacred sites, priests and many devotees. 
  They must also do everything in their power to battle 
  creatures of Chaos and other enemies of Olympus. 
  From time to time, Zeus will also command them to 
  intervene in the affairs of kings and other powerful 
  mortals or in his own games of intrigue against the 
  agents of his spouse Hera. 
   
  Favored Attributes : Might, Will, Luck and Wits. 
   
  Mythic Items : Aegis, Lightning Bolt, Sword of 
  Ruse, Staff of Light, Wand of Air, Amulet of 
  Protection, Ring of Fortune, Ring of Invisibility.  
   
  Special Restrictions : As the supreme ruler of all 
  gods, Zeus places no special restriction on the 
  boons he grants to his agents.  
   
   
   
   
  What ?  Another call for divine assistance ?  Again ? 
  
   
  13 
  2007 Edition Comments 
   
   
   
   
   
  Here Come the Agents ! 
   
  Remember the great Mazist / Mythist / Modernist 
  schism of the 90s ?  Well, it’s an uncontested fact 
  among hobby historians that it all started with the 
  Companion – and their Divine Agents rules.  
   
  The concept of  “divine boons” was first introduced 
  in the 1973 Myth & Magic supplement but many of 
  its specific features had been made obsolete by the 
  new Revised rules, which no longer used Faith as 
  an attribute and allowed characters to improve their 
  attribute scores as the regular form of personal 
  advancement, something which could only be done 
  with divine boons in the Original M&M rules.  
   
  All this to say that the Divine Agents rules had been 
  much awaited and were generally welcomed by the 
  M&M community at large. 
   
  From Two Options to Four Styles 
   
  One interesting aspect of these rules is the way they 
  interacted with the Heroic Development option to 
  create four different combinations that eventually 
  evolved into four different styles of play, each with 
  its own jargon nomenclature : Standard campaigns 
  used neither option, while campaigns which used 
  either the Heroic Development option or the Divine 
  Agents rules (but not both) were respectively called 
  Heroic and Mythic. Campaigns which combined 
  both options (by far the most frequent choice) were 
  known by a variety of weird appellations, such as 
  Hero-Mythic, Mytho-Heroic or Full Monty.  
  From Four Styles to Three Schools 
   
  By the end of the 80s, these various combinations 
  laid the foundations for the three “schools of 
  thought” that would dominate much of the 1990s : 
   
  Mazists (who mainly saw M&M as a game of good 
  old cavern-crawling and monster-slaying) tended to 
  favor Standard or Heroic campaigns,  
   
  Mythists (who wanted to “go back to the 
  mythological roots of the game”) were clearly in 
  favor of the Mythic approach (or “mythic paradigm” 
  to use typical Mythist jargon) 
   
  …and Modernists (who were aplty described by a 
  Californian friend of mine as “the cosmic children of 
  Ray Harryhausen and that British guy who wrote 
  this War of the Kings trilogy” – he was, of course, 
  referring to the world-famous J.R.R Tarquin, but Jim 
  had a bad memory when it came to literature) were 
  strong proponents of the Full Monty / Mytho-Heroic / 
  Anything Goes philosophy.   
   
  The Coming of Mithras 
   
  By the end of the 80s, these various combinations 
  The Divine Agents rules also played a major role in 
  the birth of the notorious “Mithraic Heresy”, which 
  created yet another take on the M&M universe (and 
  caused yet more uproar, dissent and division among 
  the M&M community (not to mention terrible 
  moments of metaphysical doubts). 
   
  But that little piece  of gaming history is a whole 
  story in itself – see p 28 for more details… 
    
  
   
  14 
  III : COMBAT OPTIONS 
   
   
   
  A prone noble warrior suffering a -4 penalty to his EDC. 
   
  New Tactics & Techniques 
   
  Bashing 
   
  This special attack can only be attempted by a 
  character armed with a battle weapon. It cannot be 
  used against Large or Gigantic opponents. It may 
  be combined with a Charge into Battle. 
   
  The character may elect to make a bashing attack 
  instead of his usual melee attack, using his 
  armament to push back (or even knock down) his 
  opponent – rather than to wound him. A character 
  who attempts a bashing attack gains a special +2 
  attack bonus if he has a shield. 
   
  If the attack roll succeeds, the defender takes no 
  damage but is knocked down. He will then have to 
  spend an entire battle round getting up, suffering a 
  penalty of -4 to his melee EDC while prone.  
   
  Disarming 
   
  This special attack can only be used by a character 
  with a Skill of 13+ armed with a sword. It cannot be 
  used against opponents wth a larger Size category. 
   
  Instead of attacking his opponent to injure him, the 
  attacker tries to disarm him. This requires a Melee 
  attack roll against a special target number equal to 
  20 + the defender’s own Melee modifier. This makes 
  disarming an extremely difficult maneuver, unless 
  your Melee mod is significantly higher than your 
  opponent’s. In a game like M&M, this maneuver is 
  more a showy display of swordsmanship rather than 
  a sensible option in a real, full-blooded fight. 
   
  If the attack succeeds, the target takes no damage 
  but loses his weapon. Picking up a dropped weapon 
  during melee takes a full battle round, during which 
  the character can perform no action other than 
  defense (with a -4 penalty to his EDC, as if prone). 
   
   
  Hey, Andros, maybe it’s time to use this  
   
  Double Attack tactic you told me about… 
   
  Double Attack 
   
  Characters are normally limited to a single melee 
  attack per battle round but warriors (and only them) 
  may try to ‘split’ their attacks between two different 
  opponents engaged in melee during the same battle 
  round. This requires a Melee modifier of at least +4. 
   
  These attacks will both take place at the character’s 
  regular Initiative score, with a separate attack roll for 
  each, with a Melee attack mod equal to one-half the 
  character’s usual Melee mod (rounded down). 
   
  This special tactic cannot be used to attack the 
  same opponent twice in the same round. It cannot 
  be combined with any other special melee tactic, 
  except Charge into Battle (in which case the Charge 
  bonus applies to both attack rolls) or Shield Bashing 
  (in which case the Bashing effects only apply to one 
  of the character’s two attack rolls). 
   
  Mounted Archery 
   
  It is normally impossible to shoot a bow while riding 
  a horse… except for Amazons with the Equestrian 
  talent. Even for such characters, however, shooting 
  a bow while riding will incur a -2 attack penalty (or -4 
  if the horse is galloping). 
   
   
  The ancient Amazon art of equestrian archery 
  
   
  15 
  Net Fighting 
   
  Characters with a Skill of 13+ may use a net as an 
  off-hand weapon. This net may be used to deliver a 
  special entangling attack instead of the character’s 
  regular melee or missile attack in any battle round. 
   
  When used as a missile weapon, the net has a 
  range equal to the character’s Might in feet but can 
  only be used once per combat, just like any other 
  thrown weapon.  When used as a melee weapon, 
  the net can be used for multiple attack attempts. 
   
  In all situations, attacking with a net requires a 
  successful Missile attack roll against the target’s 
  Basic Defense Class (no armor or shield bonuses).   
   
  Also note that the usual modifiers for target size do 
  not apply to this roll. On the contrary, the larger a 
  creature, the harder it will be to catch or ensnare. 
  Simply reverse the usual target modifiers (ie Tiny 
  +4, Small +2, Large -2, Gigantic -4). 
   
  If the attack succeeds, the target takes no damage 
  but must make a Danger Evasion roll to avoid 
  becoming entangled in the net.  If this roll fails, the 
  target cannot move but may continue to fight with an 
  attack and Initiative penalty of -4. This penalty also 
  applies to any subsequent Danger Evasion rolls the 
  character may have to make.  The entangled 
  character may try to break free as per the  wrestling 
  rules, rolling against a hypothetical Might of 16.   
   
  In melee, the net wielder may also attempt to pull an 
  ensnared target down to the ground. To do this, he 
  must roll a successful wrestling attack against the 
  ensnared individual’s Might score. Prone characters 
  suffer -4 to their melee EDC. 
   
  Creatures quite likely to use nets in combat include 
  Bronze Colossi (with a Might of 20 due to their 
  Large size), Ichtyocentaurs, Sons of Dagon, Swamp 
  Folk and Tritons. In this case, this special weapon 
  should add +5 to the creature’s basic Glory award, 
  since it represents a weaker version of the Entangle 
  special ability. Lastly, only creatures which also 
  have the Missile Weapons special ability will be able 
  to use their net outside melee combat. In all cases, 
  the creature will use its net with an attack mod equal 
  to the sum of its Ferocity and Cunning (with a +2 
  bonus for Large creatures, who use larger nets). A 
  combat net costs 20 sp and has an encumbrance 
  value of 1 (because of its bulk). 
   
   
   
  See what I told you ?  You can’t beat this combo ! 
   
   
   
  - Ayaaah ! It’s Homeric Combat time !!! 
   
  Homeric Combat 
   
  The following optional rules may be used to add an 
  extra element of epic heroism, spectacular violence 
  and dramatic unpredictability to combats. 
   
  Critical Hits 
   
  Whenever a player-character’s Melee or Missile roll 
  exceeds the target’s EDC by 10 or more, the attack 
  is a critical hit. Critical hits represent exceptionally 
  well-aimed (or incredibly lucky) blows or shots. 
  Whenever a critical hit occurs, a new D20 roll must 
  be made on the appropriate table (see next page). 
   
  This rule only applies to player-characters’ attacks ; 
  creatures and NPCs (no matter how powerful) can 
  never inflict critical hits. This restriction reflects the 
  fact that player-characters are the heroes of the 
  story and thus enjoy a greater degree of combat 
  fortune and dramatic stature. 
   
  Fumbles 
   
  Whenever an attack roll results in a natural roll of 1 
  (regardless of modifiers), the attack is not only a 
  failure, but a fumble. A new D20 roll must then be 
  made on the appropriate table (see next page). 
   
  This risk theoretically applies to all attackers, except 
  for player-characters (and major NPCs) with a Luck 
  of 13+, who are lucky enough to be immune to such 
  embarrassing failures. Thus, most high-level PCs 
  and NPCs will be immune to fumble results. Lastly, 
  creatures using their natural weapons (claws, fangs 
  etc) are also immune to fumbles. 
   
   
   
   Fumbles : How to Make a Fool of Yourself In Melee 
  
   
  16 
   
   
  Melee Critical Hits 
   
  1-4 = Stunned !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is -2 to 
  attack and EDC next round.  
   
  5-8 = Dazed !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is -4 to 
  attack and EDC next round. 
   
  9-12 = Knocked Down !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is knocked 
  down and must spend a round getting back up.  
  Prone characters suffer a -4 penalty to EDC. 
   
  13-14 = Armor Strap Cut ! 
  Opponent takes normal damage and loses a 
  randomly chosen piece of armor. If the opponent 
  wears no armor, roll an extra D6 for damage. 
   
  15-16 = Weapon/Shield Broken !  
  Opponent’s weapon is broken – unless he has a 
  shield, in which case the shield is rendered 
  useless. Opponent also takes normal damage. If 
  the opponent has no weapon (other than its 
  natural ones), roll an extra D6 for damage. 
   
  17-18 = Grievous Wound ! 
   Roll an extra D6 for damage. 
   
  19 = Maimed !  
  Opponent takes 2 extra dice of damage and 
  loses a randomly chosen limb. 
   
  20 = Instant Kill !  
  Attacker beheads (or otherwise instantly kills) his 
  opponent (even if multiple-headed). 
   
   
   
   
  Missile Critical Hits 
   
  1-5 = Stunned !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is -2 to 
  attack and EDC next round.  
   
  6-10 = Dazed !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is -4 to 
  attack and EDC next round. 
   
  11-16 = Knocked Down !  
  Opponent takes normal damage and is knocked 
  down and must spend a round getting back up.  
  Prone characters are at -4 EDC in melee. 
   
  17-18 = Grievous Wound ! 
   Roll an extra D6 for damage. 
   
  19 = Hit Vital Spot !  
  Opponent takes 2 extra dice of damage and 
  loses a randomly chosen limb. 
   
  20 = Instant Kill !  
  Target shot between the eyes, through the heart 
  or other instantly fatal wound. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Melee Fumbles 
   
  1 = Clumsy Move.  
  Embarrassing, but no extra effect. 
   
  2-5  = Weapon Arm Numb / Pull Muscle !  
  Attacker is at -2 to attack and EDC next round.  
   
  6-10 = Lose Balance ! 
  Attacker is at -4 to attack and EDC next round. 
   
  11-13 = Trip/Fall !  
  Attacker falls to the ground and must spend a 
  round getting back up. Prone characters suffer a 
  penalty of -4 to their EDC in melee.  
   
  14-15 = Armor Strap Breaks !  
  Attacker loses a randomly chosen piece of armor. 
  If this is impossible, treat as Trip/Fall. 
   
  16-17 = Drop Weapon !   
  Attacker’s weapon flies 2D6 feet in a random 
  direction. If unarmed, treat as Trip/Fall. 
   
  18 = Weapon Broken !   
  Attacker’s weapon shatters. Magical weapons 
  are automatically immune to this effect. If the 
  attacker has no weapon, treat as Trip/Fall. 
   
  19 = Hit Friend !   
  If the attacker has an ally within melee reach, he 
  accidentally hurts him for 1D6 damage. If no ally 
  is within reach, the attacker hits himself as below. 
   
  20 = Hurt Self !  
  Attacker hits himself with his weapon (1D6 Hits). 
   
   
   
  Missile Fumbles 
   
  1 = Clumsy Move.  
  Embarrassing, but no extra effect. 
   
  2-4 = Vision Impaired ! 
  Attacker is at -2 to Missile attack next round. 
   
  5-8 = Vision Blocked ! 
  Attacker is at -4 to Missile attack next round. 
   
  9-10  = Weapon Arm Numb / Pull Muscle !  
  Attacker is at -2 to attack and EDC next round.  
   
  11-12 = Lose Balance ! 
  Attacker is at -4 to attack and EDC next round. 
   
  13 = Armor Strap Breaks !  
  Attacker loses a randomly chosen piece of armor. 
  If this is impossible, treat as Lose Balance. 
   
  14 = Weapon Broken !   
  Attacker’s weapon breaks or becomes useless. 
  Magical weapons are immune to this effect. 
   
  15-19 = Hit Friend !   
  If the attacker has an ally within weapon range, 
  he accidentally hits him for 1D6 damage.  
  Otherwise, the attacker hits himself as below. 
   
  20 = Hurt Self !  
  Attacker hits himself for 1D6 damage. 
  
   
  17 
   
   
   
  A proud Noble posing with his chariots and horses 
   
  Chariots 
   
  A chariot is pulled by two horses. If this is a racing 
  or travelling chariot these will be normal horses; if 
  the chariot is used in war, they will be fully trained 
  for battle. Chariots are deadly on the battlefield, 
  providing cover for the crew, mobility (moving at the 
  speed of a horse), a high advantageous position, 
  and also a devastating charge attack.  
   
  In combat the chariot can hold the driver and one 
  warrior. Otherwise up to three passengers can 
  squash into a typical chariot.  
   
  Of course a chariot, its horses and a well-trained 
  driver, do not come cheaply. Each horse costs 6 
  GC, and a good chariot will cost 30 GC. The driver 
  is often a typical Minor NPC Follower.  
   
  Chariot Combat 
   
  Characters fighting from a chariot gain a +2 melee 
  attack bonus against opponents on foot if these 
  opponents are of Medium size.  Against Large or 
  Gigantic creatures, fighting from a chariot brings no 
  bonus. Against smaller opponents chariot-fighters 
  are actually disadvantaged by their higher position (-
  2 versus Small opponents and -4 versus Tiny ones).   
   
  Characters in a chariot also benefit from a +2 bonus 
  to their EDC (against all opponents) as the chariot 
  provides a little cover and protection.  
   
  When Charging into Battle, a driver adds both 
  horses' Charge bonuses to his own Initiative score 
  and Melee attack roll (for a total bonus of +4), in 
  addition to his own Might-based Charge bonus. 
   
  Although these charges can be deadly (a chariot 
  can run down two adjacent targets, while the 
  chariot-warrior strikes at a third!) the enemy might 
  choose to attack the chariot-horses rather than the 
  crew. In this case, any single injury that causes 4 
  Hits or more to the horse requires a Danger Evasion 
  roll from the beast or it stumbles and falls, and the 
  chariot comes to a halt.  
   
  It is this danger of being brought to a halt that has 
  made archery and javelin-throwing a more popular 
  form of chariot-warfare, coupled with drive-by spear 
  or sword attacks when opportunity arises.  
   
  A charioteer who is Knocked Down (by a Critical Hit) 
  will be knocked out of the chariot and suffer 1D6 
  damage; a Danger Evasion roll is allowed.  
   
  Chariot Feats 
   
  Spectacular chariot feats are possible! Drivers can 
  attempt jumping over obstacles (logs, bodies, low 
  walls, irrigation ditches, boulders, shield walls!), 
  galloping down steep slopes, racing on a single 
  wheel, side-swiping other chariots, carrying out 180° 
  turns and so on...  
   
  The player makes a single Danger Evasion roll for 
  the horses. If it fails the maneuver does not succeed 
  and hurts one or both of the horses (take 1D6 
  damage), and damages the chariot. A chariot 
  damaged twice is destroyed ; its crew will also take 
  2D6 Hits unless they make a Danger Evasion roll. 
   
  Characters with the Equestrian are advantaged on 
  all their Danger Evasion rolls while driving a chariot. 
  This advantage also applies to their horses’ own 
  Danger Evasion rolls.  
   
  Magical Chariots 
   
  Various types of magical chariots may exist, as 
  shown by the following two examples.  
   
  Chariot of Turning 
   
  This baby can wheel on a dime, and negotiate even 
  the most cluttered battlefields. In game terms, a 
  Chariot of Turning adds a +4 bonus to all Danger 
  Evasion rolls made by its driver and its horses. 
   
  War Chariot of Ares 
   
  This chariot adds an extra +2 to the EDC of its crew 
  members and must be damaged thrice (instead of 
  only twice) to be destroyed. An even more powerful 
  version (the Armored War Chariot of Ares) exists, 
  which adds an extra +4 to EDC and is destroyed 
  when damaged for the fourth time. 
   
   
   
  Test-driving the new War Chariot of Ares 
  
   
  18 
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  Chariots & Charioteers  
   
  According to most reliable sources, the chariot 
  rules (which had first been introduced in the old 
  Men & Monsters supplement) were the work of 
  Paul Elliott, the very progenitor of the Mazes & 
  Minotaurs game concept.  
   
  As a result, chariots had quickly become a 
  recurrent cliché in fantasy roleplaying games – 
  they were even the central theme of a whole 
  RPG, Pagan Chariot Racer, set in a fantasy 
  version of Dark Ages Britain (Brythanika).  
   
  Critical Hits & Fumbles  
   
  As you all know, these tables provided their 
  share of spectacular scenes, weird results as 
  well as memorable moments of unexpected 
  comedy. And they changed the way M&M 
  combats were played, forever. 
   
  Like the charioteering rules, these tables had 
  first appeared in the original Men & Monsters 
  supplement. Many veterans considered them to 
  be a classical element of the game and were a 
  little disappointed not to find them in the Players 
  Manual, as many other concepts originating 
  from Men & Monsters (such as Centaur player-
  characters, Thieves, Hunters etc).  
   
  But then the M&M Companion came out, 
  allowing everybody to “go Homeric” once again. 
  As the old Monty Python & the Golden Fleece 
  saying goes : “And there was much rejoicing”. 
   
  Compared to their Men & Monsters ancestors, 
  these tables had been slightly altered – but the 
  spirit was the same. What puzzled quite a few 
  Maze Masters, however, was the immunity to 
  fumbles granted to characters with a Luck of 
  13+ - which leads us to our next topic. 
   
  The Fumble Controversy 
   
  This infamous controversy raged in the Letters 
  column of Griffin magazines for no less than 
  five issues. It all started with a lengthy diatribe 
  by one Donald Peterson from Grosse Pointe 
  (Mich.), which ended with the following words : 
   
  “ This is nonsense !  It means that no high-level 
  character – and the vast majority of low-level 
  ones as well, since almost everybody has at 
  least a decent Luck score – will EVER have a 
  chance to fumble ! ”.  
   
  This could have ended here – but Peterson had 
  apparently struck a nerve. Quite surprisingly, 
  the anonymous designer who was responsible 
  for the whole “fumble immunity” concept 
  entered the discussion the following month : 
   
  “You’re perfectly right when you say that a good 
  proportion of player-characters (especially at 
  high levels) will be immune to fumbles... but that 
  IS precisely the idea behind the whole thing. Do 
  you really want your heroic Noble or your level 
  5 Spearman to make a fool of himself in combat 
  because of a bad die roll ?”.  
   
  Not to be outdone, Donald Peterson retorted in 
  the Letters page of the following issue : 
   
  “This is all very well, but then what is the point 
  of having rules for fumbles if they are almost 
  never used ?”  
   
  For reasons that remain a mystery even to this 
  day, the anonymous (and probably a bit over-
  obssesive) designer once again felt compelled 
  to reply. His answer shed a fascinating light on 
  the creative reasoning behind the Revision of 
  the fumble rules – but it was actually quite long, 
  so we will only quote the interesting bits :  
   
  “First, remember that everybody does not have 
  a Luck of 13+.  
   
  Secondly, don’t forget that fumbles can happen 
  to creatures, too (well, at least to those which 
  use weapons).  
   
  Thirdly, how many times have you seen Jason 
  or Herakles drop his weapon or trip over during 
  an epic combat scene ? (...) 
   
  Eighthly, remember that even the luckiest 
  characters can sometimes suffer a permanent 
  loss of Luck points (because of divine curses 
  and other manifestations of divine anger) that 
  will take their Luck below 13 : and what better 
  illustrations of such characters’ misfortune, I ask 
  you, than the risk of fumble in combat ?”   
   
  In the following issue, Donald Peterson tried to 
  counter-attack under the somewhat transparent 
  pseudonym of Peter Donaldson. This time, the 
  designer’s answer took only three words :  
   
  “Go fumble yourself.” 
   
  Still reading ?  Okay, so you might wonder why 
  I actually spent half-a-page on a long-forgotten 
  (and moderately interesting) anecdote – but 
  then nobody said those 2007 Edition Comments 
  had to be top-notch, groundbreaking stuff.  
   
  What ? 
   
  Okay, okay, I confess : I was the “anonymous 
  designer”. And I simply couldn’t miss such an 
  opportunity to set things right and justify my 
  design choices once and for all. Because you 
  see, even after all these years, the pain is still 
  there. Burn in hell, Donald Peterson. 
  
   
  19 
  IV : MAGIC OPTIONS 
   
   
  Light & Darkness 
   
  As mentioned in the description of Elemental Magic 
  in the Players Manual, some Elementalists are able 
  to manipulate the pre-elemental forces of light and 
  darkness. Elementalists may only select Light or 
  Darkness as their second element, but never as 
  their primary element, which must always be one of 
  the four classic elements (Air, Earth, Fire or Water).  
   
  In addition, the Powers of Light can only be chosen 
  by Elementalists who follow Apollo as their patron 
  deity. Powers of Darkness, on the other hand 
  should only be made available to Elementalists who 
  follow a dark deity such as Hades or Persephone, a 
  choice that should be restricted to NPCs. 
   
  Powers of Light 
   
  Magnitude 1 : Arcane Lanthorn 
   
  An item touched by the Elementalist grows brightly 
  and illuminates everything within (Mystic Strength x 
  2) feet. If the spell is cast upon a weapon, shield, or 
  piece of armor, the Elementalist's Mastery bonus is 
  added to the EDC of whomever uses it against 
  melee attacks; the bright glare makes it hard to 
  focus on the wielder. This lasts for a number of 
  hours equal to the Elementalist's Mastery. 
   
  Magnitude 2 : Aura of Helios 
   
  The Elementalist's body momentarily grows so 
  bright it is painful to look at him. Everyone within 
  (Mystic Strength x 2) feet of the magician (including 
  his allies) must make a Danger Evasion roll or be 
  blinded for a number of rounds equal to the 
  Elementalist’s Mastery (or twice that amount if they 
  were in darkness). 
   
  A blinded being suffers a -4 penalty on Melee 
  Attack, EDC and Danger Evasion, and cannot make 
  missile attacks. If he moves faster than at half 
  speed, he must make a Danger Evasion roll each 
  round or fall over and be prone. Beings that are 
  vulnerable to sunlight (such as Empusae) will suffer 
  the effects of one round of full daylight exposure. 
   
  Magnitude 3 : Arrows of Apollo 
   
  Rays of searing light strike from the Elementalist's 
  fingers. This attack requires no roll and has a 
  maximum range equal to twice the magician’s 
  Mystic Strength in feet. The rays may hit a number 
  of different targets equal to the Elementalist’s 
  Mastery. Each target automatically takes 1D6 points 
  of damage unless a Danger Evasion roll is made.  
   
  This attack can damage Insubstantial beings – who 
  actually take double damage from it (2D6).  
   
   
   
  A gracious Light Elementalist 
   
  Powers of Darkness 
   
  Magnitude 1 : Cloak of Shadows 
   
  The Elementalist is enveloped in flickering shadows. 
  He gains +2 to his EDC, since he is hard to focus 
  on. He also adds his Mastery x 2 to all his Stealth 
  rolls as well as to the target number of all detection 
  rolls made against him, unless he is in bright 
  daylight. This spell lasts for a number of minutes 
  equal to the magician’s Mastery. 
   
  Magnitude 2 : Eldritch Eclipse 
   
  An area within (Mystic Strength x 4) feet of the 
  Elementalist of up to (Mystic Strength x 2) feet in 
  radius becomes completely dark. No light can pass 
  in or out and all light sources are temporarily 
  darkened. This spell lasts for a number of minutes 
  equal to the Elementalist's Mastery. 
    
  Magnitude 3 : Wandering Shadow 
   
  The Elementalist transforms his shadow into a 
  Shadow (see the Creature Compendium) under his 
  complete command for a number of minutes equal 
  to (Mastery x 10).  
   
  If the Shadow is killed, the Elementalist now lacks a 
  shadow and cannot cast this spell; he will be treated 
  with superstitious fear by anyone who notices this 
  disturbing absence (-4 to NPC Reaction rolls). Only 
  Divine Interventions may restore a lost shadow. 
  
   
  20 
   
  SHAPESHIFTERS 
   
  Shapeshifters are humans blessed with the innate 
  magical ability to transform their body into a variety 
  of forms, including animal ones. This wondrous 
  magical gift appears to be partly genetic in nature, 
  coming from the father or mother of the character 
  and being transmitted to his children.  
   
  Category : Magician 
   
  Primary Attributes : Wits and Luck. 
   
  Gender : Shapeshifters can be male or female. In 
  addition, the character’s powers allow him / her to 
  alter his sex (and even become hermaphrodite if 
  desired – see following pages for more details). 
   
  Basic Hits = 8 
   
  Metamorphosis : Shapeshifters’ magical powers 
  are described in detail in the following pages. 
   
  Protean Repertoire : This is the name of the 
  Shapeshifter’s magical talent. It is equal to the sum 
  of his Wits and Luck modifiers and affects the 
  number of different animal and fantastic forms the 
  character may take, as detailed below. Unlike all 
  other magicians, Shapeshifters do not have (or 
  need) a Mystic Strength score, since they can only 
  use their powers on themselves. 
   
  Power : Shapeshifters start with (4 + Luck mod) 
  Power points at first level and increase this total at 
  the usual rate of +4 per level. Shapeshifters do not 
  recover Power points in the manner or at the same 
  rate as other magicians (see following pages). 
   
  Level Benefits : Each level beyond the first gives a 
  Shapeshifter +2 Hits, +4 Power points, +1 to Luck 
  and +2 to Will, Wits or Grace. 
   
  Possessions : Dagger, 3D6 x 5 silver pieces. 
   
  Background Talents : The two background talents 
  of a Shapeshifter almost always have something to 
  do with the natural world or with trickery. Favorite 
  talent choices include Acrobat, Actor, Beastmaster, 
  Healer, Mountaineer, Sailor and Woodsman. 
   
  Patron Deities : Shapeshifters who have a divine 
  patron usually select Hermes or Artemis. 
   
  Advancement : As other magicians. 
   
  Reputation Effect : Because they can change their 
  face and appearance at will, Shapeshifters never 
  benefit from any form of Reputation. 
   
  Restrictions : The powers of Shapeshifter do not 
  mix very well with armor, shields and cumbersome 
  weapons, as detailed in the description of the 
  Metamorphosis realm of magic (see chapter III). 
   
   
   
   
   
  Shapeshifter turning into a Stag (or  into an Acteon ?) 
   
  Metamorphosis 
   
  Metamorphosis is the gift of shapechanging. Those 
  who possess it are called Shapeshifters ; most of 
  them are tricksters and imposters, accustomed to 
  alter their form to deceive others… and to escape 
  the consequences of their actions afterwards. 
   
  Contrarily to popular belief, Shapeshifters cannot 
  transform others – the notorious Circe was a 
  Sorceress (or was she an Elementalist ?) with 
  special powers, not a Shapeshifter herself. 
   
  Shapeshifting Basics 
   
  Shapeshifters can adopt a variety of different human 
  forms ; depending on their magical talent, they may 
  also transform themselves into a limited number of 
  Beasts or nonhuman Folks – but unlike what some 
  rumors and wild tales (surely created and spread by 
  Shapeshifters themselves) would have us believe, 
  they are absolutely unable to turn themselves into 
  Monsters (not to mention Spirits or Animates).  
   
  Thus, a Shapeshifter may be able to alter his human 
  form at will, mimic someone else’s appearance or 
  change into an eagle or fox, but will never have the 
  power to take the form of a Chimera or Minotaur.  
   
  This reflects the fact that Monsters are essentially 
  unnatural creatures, whose unnatural appearance 
  and constitution cannot be duplicated by the natural 
  magic of Shapeshifters. Similar reasons explain why 
  Shapeshifters cannot change into Spirits (which 
  have no natural, organic body) or Animates (which 
  are at least as unnatural as Monsters). 
  
   
  21 
  Shapeshifters & Power 
   
  Shapeshifters also differ from other magicians in 
  that they do not have a Mystic Strength score (since 
  they never use their magical powers against others).  
   
  Furthermore, they do not regain lost Power points in 
  the same way or at the same rate as other adepts of 
  the magical arts ; because of the very nature of their 
  abilities, their Power recovery is more erratic and is 
  heavily tied to the everlasting cycle of day and night.  
   
  While all other magician classes recover Power 
  points according to their level, Shapeshifters regain 
  1D6 Power points per day (at sunset) if they are in 
  their true form when the sun sets – or only 1 point if 
  they are in any other form. 
   
  Furthermore, Shapeshifters who are not in their true 
  form when the sun rises lose 1D6 Power points. If 
  this reduces their Power to zero, the Shapeshifter 
  will obviously be unable to use his powers until the 
  next sunset. Thus, Shapeshifters may sometimes 
  be « trapped by dawn » in a transformed shape. 
   
  Protean Repertoire 
   
  A Shapeshifter’s magical talent is known as his 
  Protean Repertoire. It is equal to the sum of his Wits 
  and Luck modifiers.  
   
  A Shapeshifter’s Protean Repertoire score indicates 
  the number of different nonhuman forms (Beasts or 
  Folks) he can take. These nonhuman forms must be 
  selected when the character is created and a new 
  form will be added to the Repertoire every time the 
  character increases his talent by one point.  
   
  Thus, a Shapeshifter who starts with a Protean 
  Repertoire of 4 will have four different nonhuman 
  forms (such as Eagle, Fox, Stag and Acteon or 
  Wolf, Bear, Bearman and Boar) and will add a fifth 
  one when his magical talent is increased to 5. 
   
  The nonhuman forms of the Shapeshifter’s Protean 
  Repertoire can be chosen by the player from the 
  various Beasts and Folks described in the Creature 
  Compendium, with the following restrictions : 
   
  Only creatures of Medium, Small or Large Size may 
  be chosen. Creatures of Tiny or Gigantic Size are 
  beyond the powers of a Shapeshifter. 
   
  Flying variants of Beasts or Folks (Pegasus, 
  Pegataur, Flying Unicorn etc) can only be chosen as 
  forms by Shapeshifters whose Protean Repertoire 
  already includes the non-flying version of the 
  creature (Horse, Centaur, Unicorn etc). This rule 
  also applies to superior versions of a specific 
  species (such as Sagittarians for Centaurs). 
   
  Lastly, adopting the form of a creatures does not 
  necessarily grant you all of its abilities : see 
  Shapeshifting Effects below for more details.  
    
   
   
   
   
  Transformation completed ! 
   
  At the Maze Master’s discretion, a Shapeshifter’s 
  Protean Repertoire may also include Beasts whose 
  characteristics are not specifically detailed in the 
  Creature Compendium but which can easily be 
  defined using the rules from the Creatures chapter 
  of the Maze Master’s Guide, such as ravens, cats, 
  otters or even pikes, as long as they respect the 
  various restrictions detailed above. 
   
  Shapeshifting Effects 
   
  Each transformation takes a full battle round of total 
  concentration, during which the Shapeshifter cannot 
  do anything else, and costs a number of Power 
  points equal to its Magnitude, as detailed below. 
   
  Regardless of his current form or appearance, a 
  Shapeshifter always retains his own current Hits 
  total, even in Small or Large forms. 
   
  He also retains his attribute scores and modifiers ; 
  the creature’s Ferocity, Cunning and Mystique do 
  not modify his characteristics in any way.  
   
  The creature’s Size, however, will affect his Melee 
  mod and his natural damage, as per the usual rules 
  (but not his Hits total). The Shapeshifter will also 
  gain the movement rate of his new form.  
   
  Thus, a Shapeshifter who turns into a Large Bear 
  will keep his Hits total and his modifiers but will 
  receive a +2 bonus to Melee for his Large Size and 
  will inflict 2D6 damage with his natural attacks. 
   
  The Shapeshifter also gains the special abilities of 
  his new form (which may give him various bonuses), 
  except special abilities which are clearly magical, 
  supernatural or psychic in nature.  
   
   
  
   
  22 
   
   
   
  Damn !  I almost forgot the stupid horns ! 
   
   
  Insubstantial, Invulnerability, Life Energy Drain, 
  Magic Resistance, Psychic Powers, Sixth Sense, 
  Supernatural Vigor and Vocal Entrancement cannot 
  be duplicated by Metamorphosis.  
   
  Thus, a Shapeshifter who turns into a Mermaid will 
  be able to breathe underwater (Aquatic) but not to 
  sing like a true Mermaid (Vocal Entrancement).  
   
  This restriction also applies to unique magical 
  abilities (such as the Unicorn’s power of healing or 
  the Icarian’s mastery of winds) or to abilities which 
  are specifically presented as ‘magical’ for a given 
  creature type (such as the Camouflage-granting 
  magical garments of Sylvans).  
   
  Also note that special abilities like Breath Weapon, 
  Mindless or Petrification cannot be duplicated by 
  Shapeshifters, since these powers are the privileges 
  of Monsters, Animates or Spirits. 
   
  Metamorphosis cannot change your clothes nor can 
  it create weapons, armor or other items. When a 
  Shapeshifter takes a nonhumanoid form, he may be 
  forced to abandon his clothing and possessions.  
   
  For this reason, many Shapeshifters prefer to hide 
  their garments and belongings in a safe place 
  before taking a Small or Large form.  
   
  This habit has given birth to various folk tales about 
  shapeshifters who could not revert to their original 
  form because  their clothes had been taken away – 
  which is, of course, just another fallacy. 
   
  Lastly, Shapeshifters who change into Beasts lose 
  the abiliy to speak (but retain all their Wits as well as 
  the ability to understand the languages they know). 
  Metamorphosis Powers 
   
  As all other magicians, Shapeshifters have access 
  to six different powers, each with its own degree of 
  Magnitude (which determines its Power cost). 
   
  Magnitude 1 : True Form 
   
  This power allows the Shapeshifter to revert to his 
  true, original human form. 
   
  Magnitude 2 : Alter Appearance 
   
  This power allows the Shapeshifter to change 
  various features of his appearance (hair, eyes, body 
  frame, facial features, voice, apparent age etc) while 
  retaining a human form. The only exception is 
  gender (but see Gender Change below).  
   
  This power be used as a magical form of disguise, 
  either to make oneself incognito or to adopt the 
  appearance of a specific individual (provided the 
  Shapeshifter has had the opportunity to observe 
  and study the person he wishes to mimic for a 
  sufficient period of time). Characters (and animals) 
  who are familiar with the individual being mimicked 
  will sense ‘something wrong’ with a successful 
  detection roll against a target number of 20. 
   
  This alteration will not affect the character’s attribute 
  scores, except for Grace, which may be temporarily 
  modified by up to 4 points, up to a maximum of 18 
  or down to a minimum of 3. Increasing Grace costs 
  1 extra Power point per point added ; decreasing 
  Grace does not entail any extra Power cost.  
   
  Magnitude 3 : Gender Change 
   
  This power allows the Shapeshifter to change sex or 
  even to become hermaphrodite, turning into a 
  masculine, feminine or androgynic version of their 
  current form. This power may be combined with 
  Alter Appearance, at a cumulative Power cost.  
   
  Magnitude 4 : Shapechange 
   
  This power allows the Shapeshifter to take one of 
  the nonhuman, Medium-sized forms from his 
  Protean Repertoire (see above for more details). It 
  may be combined with Gender Change or with Alter 
  Appearance (to mimic a specific individual member 
  of the chosen species) at a cumulative Power cost. 
   
  Magnitude 5 : Reduction 
   
  This power works exactly like Shapechange, except 
  that it allows the Shapeshifter to turn into a Small 
  creature, provided this form is part of his Protean 
  Repertoire. Like Shapechange, it may be combined 
  with Alter Appearance and/or Gender Change.  
   
  Magnitude 6 : Enlargement 
   
  This power works like Shapechange or Reduction 
  above, except that it applies to Large creatures. 
     
  
   
  23 
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  An Important Note 
   
  Before we start delving into the secret history of 
  the Magic Options chapter, we’d like to inform 
  our esteemed readers that the Anonymous 
  Contributor responsible for that stupid rant in 
  the Comments of the last chapter has been 
  swiftly disposed of. The following Comments 
  (and those of the next chapters) are brought to 
  you by another, far more reliable Anonymous 
  Contributor (but you can call me Dave). 
   
  The Sieurin Legacy 
   
  The rules on Light and Darkness powers for 
  Elementalists were originally written by Erik 
  Sieurin, one of M&M’s long-time contributors 
  (and the original creator of the well-known 
  MinotaurLabrys alternate universe), well before 
  the Revised edition; they were initially intended 
  for an OM&M (Original Mazes & Minotaurs) 
  supplement on alternate realms of magic, which 
  was to be called Mages & Mystics but was 
  never 
  published 
  due 
  to 
  arcane 
  editorial 
  reasons. Fragments of its first draft survived, 
  however, and can be found buried in the 
  Messages list of the official Mazes & Minotaurs 
  Internet newsgroup, detailing variant magician 
  classes such as the feral Beastmaster or the  
  oriental-inspired Gymnosophist.  
   
  If some rumors are to be believed, the decision 
  not to publish Mages & Mystics was made after 
  Legendary Games Studio had discovered that 
  Erik Sieurin was actually the author of the 
  unofficial, apocryphal and much controversial 
  supplement Misdeeds & Madness (published by 
  the now defunct Justicars College), which dealt 
  with what someone at LGS called “very 
  unsavory themes” (more on this in the Notes & 
  Comments of the Religious Options chapter).  
   
  Shortly after the publication of the three 
  Revised core books (which included some of 
  his material), Erik Sieurin publicly expressed his 
  dislike of the new version and quickly became 
  one of the most active proponents of the 
  GROOOMMR movement (Grognards for the 
  Resurrection of the One and Only Original 
  Mazes & Minotaurs Rules). He then went on to 
  work on DADA (Dark Ages Daring Adventures), 
  a RPG which used M&M-based rules with some 
  notable differences (such as the treatment of 
  weapons and armor) in an early medieval 
  setting - now, THAT was a weird idea...  
   
  Shapeshifting Redux 
   
  Some of you might recall that the Shapeshifter 
  class first appeared in the old Myth & Magic 
  supplement, alongside the now long-forgotten 
  Oracle and two of the most popular magician 
  classes ever designed for M&M - the Lyrist and 
  the Elementalist. Many M&M veterans were 
  surprised by the return of the Shapeshifter in 
  the pages of the Companion – and even more 
  to see that the completely unbalanced, totally 
  over-the-top Metamorphosis powers from Myth 
  & Magic (which, among other things, allowed 
  high-level Shapeshifters to turn into Dragons...) 
  had been turned into a fairly coherent set of 
  rules which actually made the Shapeshifter a 
  viable (if a bit unusual) character choice.  
   
  The attention given to Shapeshifters (three 
  whole pages !) and the fact that Metamorphosis 
  powers really ‘felt different’, made a famous 
  game critic write that “the Shapeshifter class 
  itself feels like a whole new game”. This was 
  actually quite prophetic, as these Revised 
  Shapeshifting rules eventually gave birth to one 
  of the weirdest M&M variants ever to grace a 
  tabletop : often referred to as “Changequest”, it 
  focused exclusively on ageless Shapeshifters 
  wandering the Ancient World in a mystical quest 
  of self-discovery – all this with a distinctive New 
  Age, all-roads-lead-to-Avalon feel. 
   
  Over the years, Changequest evolved into a 
  wholly different game (even though it was never 
  published as such, at least officially), with a 
  much simplified set of mechanics (only three 
  attributes and nothing else, if I recall correctly). 
  In more traditionalist M&M circles, it was also 
  known as “the Manimal variant” and the “No 
  Shifters Allowed” motto quickly found its way 
  into the ever-expanding M&M jargon. 
   
  Wizards & What-Have-Yous 
   
  Speaking 
  of 
  jargon, 
  some 
  gamers 
  also 
  complained about the scarcity of new “magical 
  crunch” in the Companion (“Half-a-realm of 
  magic, a single new class... and that’s it ??? I 
  can’t believe this !”). It was well-known that the 
  folks at LGS tried to avoid the proliferation of 
  new magician classes – something which was 
  typical of unofficial M&M supplements such as 
  the aforementioned Misdeeds & Madness.  
   
  As an elegant way of filling this last paragraph, 
  we give you a partial, alphabetical list of various 
  alternate magician classes taken from unofficial 
  supplements, magazines and fanzines (and 
  yes, some names were used more than once) : 
  Alchemist, Arcanist, Artificer, Beastmaster, Blue 
  Adept, Cabalist, Conjurer, Demonist, Diabolist, 
  Diviner, Druid (at least five of them), Enchanter, 
  Evoker, Exorcist, Gymnosophist, Hexmaster, 
  Hierokeryx, 
  Illusionnist, 
  Invoker, 
  Kabbalist, 
  Mage, Magist (don’t ask), Magus, Mystagogue, 
  Mystic, Necromancer, Oracle, Runemaster, Sea 
  Witch, Seer, Shaman, Spiritualist, Stellar Mage, 
  Summoner, Thaumaturge, Thessalian Witch, 
  True Druid, Warlock, Witch, Wizard... 
  
   
  24 
  V : RELIGIOUS OPTIONS 
   
   
  Yes, this is a Divine Prodigy : a single illustration that perfectly reflects the two topics covered on this page. 
   
  Acolytes 
   
  Acolytes are Minor NPCs who assist Priests in the 
  service of their deity as officiants and celebrants. As 
  far as social hierarchy is concerned, Acolytes are 
  considered as auxiliary Priests ; in fact, most of the 
  resident « priests » serving in a temple will actually 
  be Acolytes in the service of the local Priest(s).  
   
  Acolytes have the usual characteristics of Non-
  combatant Minor NPCs (4 Hits, no attack etc) and 
  can also be used as special followers by Priests. A 
  Priest cannot have more Acolytes in his service than 
  his level and these will be counted in the character’s 
  regular maximum number of followers.  
   
  Acolytes do not have the mystical powers of true 
  Priests and cannot call on the Divine Prodigies of 
  their patron deity. Nevertheless, their faith and 
  devotion can help the Priest they serve to recover 
  his expended Power points by assisting him in the 
  necessary rituals and ceremonies. When a Priest 
  performs such ceremonies with the assistance of his 
  Acolyte(s), roll 1D6 at the end of each hour. If the 
  result is lower than or equal to the number of active 
  Acolytes, the Priest recovers one extra point of 
  Power (up to his maximum, as usual). 
   
  Lastly, the faith and devotion of Acolytes also make 
  them somewhat more resistant to mystical forces 
  than other Non-combatants, who are normally never 
  allowed saving rolls. Acolytes are a partial exception 
  to this rule and can make Mystic Fortitude rolls, 
  using 1D20 and no personal modifier. 
  Ritual Sacrifices 
   
  According to the M&M rules, Priests recover a 
  number of lost Power points equal to their level for 
  each hour of ritual ceremony they perform. These 
  ceremonies may be ended by the sacrificial killing of 
  a single Beast by the Priest or his Acolytes (see 
  above). This will allow the Priest to recover a 
  number of extra Power points (up to his maximum) 
  depending on the Size of the sacrificed Beast : 1 if 
  Small, 2 if Medium and 3 if Large (which explains 
  why Bulls are so often chosen for sacrifices).  
   
  Thus, a level 2 Priest who has expended 5 Power 
  points could recover them all by performing a one-
  hour long ceremony (2 Power points) concluded by 
  the sacrifice of a Bull (3 Power points) ; without this 
  sacrifice, it would take our Priest 3 long hours of 
  ritual ceremony to recover his 5 Power points.  
   
  Note that Beasts are the only type of creature which 
  may be offered in sacrifice to an Olympian deity. 
  Only dark, evil or barbaric deities (such as Cybele, 
  Hecate or the weird gods of the Hyperborean 
  barbarians) will accept Folks as sacrificial victims – 
  and NO deity would ever accept a Monster, Animate 
  or Spirit as a proper sacrifice. Also note that Beasts 
  killed in combat cannot count as sacrificial victims. 
   
  In rare occasions, Olympian deities may ask for the 
  sacrifice of a human being, but such extremities are 
  always the consequences of a severe Divine Anger 
  case and have nothing to do with the regular 
  recovery of priestly Power. 
  
   
  25 
  Non-Olympian Cults 
   
  Olympian gods and goddesses are, by far, the most 
  widely worshipped deities, but a typical Mazes & 
  Minotaurs world may also have room for a few 
  other, non-Olympian deities (such as Dionysos, the 
  underworld king Hades, his spouse Persephone or 
  even gods of foreign, non-Hellenistic cultures), with 
  their own cults, followers and Priests.  
   
  While all player-character Priests are assumed to 
  serve Olympian deities, Maze Masters may want to 
  use Priests of non-Olympian deities as NPCs.  
   
  In game terms, such characters function exactly as 
  Priests of Olympian deities, except that some of 
  their powers work differently, as detailed below.  
   
  In particular, such characters can never benefit from 
  true Divine Interventions. This restriction reflects the 
  fact that Olympian gods are the dominant divine 
  powers in the universe (or perhaps the other gods 
  just prefer to let them think so). This current state of 
  the cosmic balance also prevents non-Olympian 
  deities from using Divine Agents in the mortal world. 
   
  Unless otherwise stated, non-Olympian Priests have 
  the same primary attributes as other Priests (Luck 
  and Will) and receive the following attribute gains for 
  each level beyond the first : +1 to Luck and +2 to 
  either Will or Wits. Exceptions are always possible, 
  as in the case of Druids (see below).  
   
  Here are a four examples of non-Olympian cults that 
  exist in the fantasy world of Mythika, along with their 
  variant Divine Prodigies. These changes only affect 
  the Divine Blessing (magnitude 1), Divine Gift 
  (magnitude 4) and Divine Intervention (magnitude 
  6). All other Divine Prodigies (magnitude 2, 3 and 5) 
  work exactly as per the standard rules. 
   
  The following section details four non-Olympian 
  cults : the Cult of Cybele, the Cult of Dionysos, the 
  Cult of Mithras and Druidic Faith. 
   
   
   
  A Daughter of Cybele, Servant of the Dark Mother 
  Cult of Cybele 
   
  Cybele is an earth mother goddess whose cult 
  come from the Land of the Sun. Some scholars 
  think she is simply Demeter under another name but 
  the eastern “Dark Mother” (as she is often called by 
  her followers) also shares some resemblance with 
  Persephone, the queen of the underworld.  
   
  The worship of Cybele involves secret gatherings, 
  human sacrifices and wild orgies, under the tutelage 
  of Priestesses and (castrated) Priests collectively 
  known as her “Daughters”.  
   
  Because of its gruesome and morbid aspects, the 
  Cult of Cybele has long been outlawed in the Land 
  of the Three Cities and is actively fought by 
  Priestesses of Demeter who see it as a barbaric 
  degradation of their own faith. 
   
  Magnitude 1 : Divine Blessing 
   
  In the case of Cybele, the name of this Prodigy is 
  both misleading and ironic, since the “blessings” of 
  Cybele actually weaken its victims.  
   
  They work exactly as Divine Blessings for duration 
  and Power expenditure, but instead of bestowing a 
  +2 bonus, they inflict a temporary -2 penalty to one 
  of the following scores : Melee, Defense Class, 
  Mystic Fortitude and Physical Vigor.  
   
  Victims are allowed a Mystic Fortitude saving roll to 
  avoid this effect. Lastly, this power only works on 
  male characters or creatures, making Amazons, 
  Nymphs and other female characters completely 
  immune to its effects. 
   
  Magnitude 4 : Divine Gift 
   
  Like Priestesses of Demeter, Daughters of Cybele 
  can bestow the Gift of Endurance. 
   
  Magnitude 6 : Divine Emasculation 
   
  The supreme power of the Daughters of Cybele 
  takes the form of a terrible, permanent curse, which 
  can only be lifted by Divine Intervention. 
   
  This power requires eye-to-eye contact and can 
  only be used within 10’ of the victim, who is allowed 
  a Mystic Fortitude saving roll. 
   
  This terrible curse can only be bestowed on a male 
  character or creature, changing the victim’s gender 
  to female. Except for obvious anatomical changes 
  and pilosity, the victim’s physical appearance is 
  unaffected (thus, a big, burly Barbarian will become 
  a big, burly female Barbarian).  
   
  In game terms, none of the victim’s attributes, mods 
  or other scores are affected but the victim can no 
  longer benefit from his/her Reputation effect bonus.   
   
  
   
  26 
  Cult of Dionysos 
   
  Dionysos, the mad god of wine, insanity and dark 
  passions, is served by unusual Priests known as 
  Hierokeryxes (“sacred heralds”).  
   
  Carrying the Thyrsos, a club or staff twined with vine 
  leaves, as their sacred symbol of power, these 
  Hierokeryxes wander the land in search of new 
  initiates for their cult (which involes quite a lot of 
  drinking, dancing and carnal debauchery). They are 
  known to get on well with Satyrs. 
   
  Magnitude 1 : Divine Blessing 
   
  Scores which can be Blessed by Hierokeryxes 
  (Priests of Dionysos) are Physical Vigor, Mystic 
  Fortitude and Danger Evasion. 
   
  Magnitude 4 : Divine Madness 
   
  Hierokeryxes can temporarily bestow the Gift of 
  Madness on a chosen subject (with the same 
  restrictions, duration etc as for other Divine Gifts). 
   
  While affected by Dionysiac Madness, a character 
  throws off all his clothing (including armor) and will 
  behave in a generally insane, grotesque manner. 
  While he is in this state, all phsyical and magical 
  attacks (including Divine Wrath etc) made against 
  him will automatically fail but the character cannot 
  make attacks (including magical ones) himself. 
   
  Hierokeryxes may, of course, bestow this Gift on 
  themselves (which they often do). 
   
  Magnitude 6 : Divine Intervention 
   
  This works as the usual Divine Intervention power, 
  except that Dionysos does nothing when he 
  intervenes, aside from appearing in a terrible, 
  unspeakable form which drives insane all those who 
  behold it (no saving roll allowed – even averting or 
  closing your eyes won’t work since the Madness of 
  Dionysos affects and transcends all senses).  
   
   
      
   
   
  Cultists of Dionysos sure know how to party ! 
   
   
  A Hierokeryx with his Dionysiac Thyrsos 
   
  (a.k.a « weird guy with a beard and a  weird staff ») 
   
  Hierokeryxes and devotees of Dionysos (who are all 
  already crazy anyway) are immune to these effects. 
   
  This form of insanity is permanent and can only be 
  cured by Divine Intervention; its specific effects are 
  left to the discretion and the imagination of the Maze 
  Master and can vary from one individual to another.  
   
  Player-characters who have been driven insane by 
  Dionysos cannot participate in quests, odysseys 
  and other adventurous pursuits; they become NPCs 
  whose fate is entirely within the hands of the Maze 
  Master, until they are cured by Divine Intervention. 
   
  Cult of Mithras  
   
  Mithras is a solar god from the eastern Land of the 
  Sun. As far as scholars from the Land of the Three 
  Cities are concerned, this god is simply Apollo 
  under another name or a long lost son of Apollo, 
  “gone east” for some mysterious reasons.  
   
  Priests of Mithras (who are sometimes known as 
  Heliodromes, which apparently means something 
  like “heralds of the sun”) have an entirely different 
  opinion on that matter, since they see their deity as 
  the only god in existence – a rather weird concept 
  (“monotheism”), which has recently become a 
  subject of heated debate among Philosophers. 
   
  Aside from being a god of the sun (or the son of 
  such a god), Mithras also seems to be a god of 
  soldiers (at least in the Land of the Sun) and is often 
  known as “the bullslayer” – a nickname which refers 
  to his worshippers’ habit of sacrificing bulls but also 
  seems to be connected with Minotaurs in some way. 
  Perhaps the devotees of Mithras were the first men 
  brave enough to fight the Gorgotaurs, eastern 
  bovine monsters thought by some scholars to be the 
  progenitors of the various Minotaur races (see the 
  Creature Compendium for more details). 
  
   
  27 
  Magnitude 1 : Divine Blessing 
   
  Scores which can be Blessed by Priests of Mithras 
  are Defense Class, Melee and Mystic Fortitude. 
   
  Magnitude 4 : Divine Gift 
   
  Priests of Mithras can temporarily bestow the Gift of 
  Victory on a chosen subject (with all the usual 
  restrictions, duration etc). 
   
  Magnitude 6 : Divine Resurrection 
   
  This spectacular Prodigy gives Priests of Mithras 
  the power to resurrect fallen warriors – something 
  that even the Olympians are unable (or unwilling ?) 
  to do. This requires no roll; the Priest must simply 
  touch the dead individual, who is then filled with a 
  burst of luminous energy and comes back to life. 
   
  The chosen individual must not have been dead for 
  a number of battle rounds greater than the Priest’s 
  Spiritul Aura bonus. For reasons known only to 
  Mithras himself, this power only works on warriors 
  (and not on magicians or specialists).  
   
  In addition, anybody resurrected by this power has 
  ‘seen the light’ and is automatically converted to 
  Mithraic faith upon coming back to life.  
   
  Druidic Faith 
   
  In the fantasy world of Mythika, the word “Druid” 
  refers to the Priests of the Hyperborean Barbarians.  
   
  In addition to their various ceremonial duties, Druids 
  also act as seers and advisors for the local kings 
  and chieftians. They have long beards, wear white 
  robes and use golden sickles to collect various 
  plants for their rituals.  
   
  The identity of the gods served by Druids is unclear; 
  they seem to be weird barbarian versions of Apollo, 
  Ares, Zeus, Artemis and Demeter. Unlike other 
  Priests, Druids do not serve a specific deity but act 
  as mediators with the divine world as a whole.  
   
  This absence of a clearly defined patron deity 
  affects the nature of the Druids’ powers, which can 
  be defined in game terms as a weird mix of Divine 
  Prodigies, Sorcery and Nature’s Gifts.  
   
  The Druid’s strange approach to religion is also 
  reflected by their systematic use of the adjective 
  ‘Druidic’ instead of the usual term ‘Divine’ when they 
  refer to their powers (eg Druidic Prodigies, Druidic 
  Blessing, Druidic Vitality, Druidic Wrath etc).  
   
  Druids even have different primary attributes (Wits 
  and Will, which are also the only attributes they can 
  improve with level (in addition to the usual Luck 
  increase) as well as a different name for their 
  magical talent, which works like Spiritual Aura but is 
  called Druidic Lore. At least they recover Power 
  points in the same way as other Priests.  
  Magnitude 1 : Druidic Blessing 
   
  This works exactly like Divine Blessing, with a 
  duration based on the Druid’s Druidic Lore talent.  
  The four scores Druids may bless are Melee, Mystic 
  Fortitude, Physical Vigor and Danger Evasion. 
   
  Magnitude 4 : Druidic Compelling 
   
  This power works exactly like the Sorcery power of 
  Compelling, except that the Druid’s Druidic Lore 
  bonus is used instead of Psychic Gift. 
   
  Magnitude 6 : Druidic Curse 
   
  This power works exactly like the Affliction power of 
  Heleads and Napaea (Nature’s Gifts, Magnitude 5), 
  except for the following differences.  Druidic Curses 
  are not delivered through a kiss : the Druid must 
  simply be within 10 feet of his chosen victim and 
  utter the curse verbally (usually in a sinister voice). 
  In addition, a Druidic Curse also affects the victim’s 
  very fate, reducing his Luck by 1 in addition to the 
  1D6 loss in Might, Wits or Grace.  
   
  Thus, the same individual may lose up to 3 points of 
  Luck if Cursed by a Druid - or even more if several 
  Druids unite their efforts. This effect is one of the 
  reasons why Druids often refer to themselves as 
  “masters of Fate” and are feared by even the 
  mightiest kings and heroes of Hyperborea. 
   
   
   
   
  A Druid performing some kind of mumbo-jumbo 
  ceremony amid a crowd of superstitious, uneducated 
  and thus easily-awed Barbarians. 
  
   
  28 
  2007 Edition Notes & Comments 
   
  Acolytes & Sacrifices 
   
  These rules were generally welcomed by the 
  members of the Mythist faction, but were not so 
  popular 
  with 
  the 
  Mazists, 
  who 
  felt 
  they 
  “endangered game balance” by giving “excessive 
  advantages” to Priests.  
   
  The designers of these rules obviously wanted to 
  give Priests an edge over other magicians, on the 
  grounds that Divine Power should legitimately 
  surpass all other forms of magic – especially 
  since Priests had to respect a far stricter code of 
  behaviour than Sorcerers or Elementalists. And to 
  be fair, these “excessive advantages” were not 
  THAT excessive – and seem even less so in our 
  age of crunchy bits and power combos.   
   
  The Call of Cybele 
   
  Religion has always been a touchy subject in 
  M&M history. In 1987, the entire hobby was still in 
  the fires of the Big Anti-RPG Crusade launched 
  by the fanatics of WAMM (Worried About Mazes 
  & Minotaurs) and other similar groups of religious 
  fundamentallists – yeah, these guys wanted to 
  ban everything M&M-related on the grounds that 
  (a) the game promoted pagan polytheism, (b) one 
  of its early supplement included a few lines about 
  decresating temples, (c) they were a bunch of 
  stupid, dangerous, book-burning bigots.  
   
  But let’s get back to the Companion. Within such 
  a heated context, publishing the gruesome 
  section about the Cult of Cybele was quite a 
  courageous move from LGS – and one which 
  spawned yet another type of M&M variants. 
  Known as “Call of Cybele” (or CoC) campaigns, 
  these games focused exclusively on the darkest 
  and most horrific aspects of the M&M universe, 
  with the Cult of Cybele acting as an ubiquitous 
  secret menace constantly plotting to bring the 
  mythic world to an apocalyptic end.  
   
  In CoC games, Olympian gods took a backseat 
  and Cybele herself was pictured as a gigantic, 
  tentacled 
  monstrosity 
  reminiscent 
  of 
  (and 
  sometimes identified with) HP Lovecraft’s Shub-
  Niggurath, the Dark Goat of the Wood with a 
  Thousand Young. Such campaigns also featured 
  detailed rules on madness, ancient scrolls that 
  could drive you insane and, of course, all sorts of 
  horrendous rituals and orgies. Luckily for us all, 
  WAMM never found out about CoC.  
   
  The Two Heresies 
   
  This chapter also presents the “Two Heresies” of 
  M&M – the Dionysiac Heresy and the Mithraic 
  Heresy. Both faiths were regularly the subject of 
  heated debate within the M&M community, each 
  with its staunch defenders and its relentless 
  detractors – the latter complaining about how 
  these two divergent religions spoiled the “elegant 
  Olympian feel” of True M&M (hence the term 
  “heresy”). On closer examination, though, the Two 
  Heresies are actually two very different stories. 
   
  Unlike that of Mithras, the existence of Dionysos 
  in the M&M universe was never put into question : 
  he was a fully legitimate, fully official part of Greek 
  mythology... but he was also the object of a 
  strange, unhealthy fascination from some gamers, 
  who saw the Mad God as the embodiment of their 
  secret desires to play bad, dark, crazy, oversexed 
  characters (such as Satyrs or even the infamous, 
  cannibalistic Maenads).  
   
  These self-proclaimed “Dionysiac Heretics” had 
  their own Bible, the unofficial and notorious 
  Misdeeds & Madness supplement, which covered 
  All Things Dark and Dionysiac (you can still find a 
  PDF facsimile of it in the Files section of the 
  official M&M newsgroup). For the true Dionysiac 
  Heretic, the section on the Cult of Dionysos in the 
  Companion was just “vanilla Dionysos” : a 
  watered-down, emasculated (their words, not 
  mine) imitation of “the real thing”. And no, WAMM 
  never found out about them either.  
   
  The Mithraic Heresy was taken far more seriously 
  by M&M traditionalists, because it introduced a 
  “completely anachronistic concept” that had 
  “nothing to do in the mythical fantasy world of 
  M&M” and that could “endanger the whole 
  metaphysical fabric of the game we all love”. They 
  were, of course, talking about monotheism.  
   
  But the Cult of Mithras also had its fervent 
  defenders. For those “Mithraic Heretics”, the new, 
  monotheistic solar faith was far more than an 
  interesting game option ; it reflected the necessity 
  of spiritual rebirth in the M&M world.  
   
  It was as if these guys had been touched by 
  Mithras himself. They began to run entire 
  campaigns based on the triumphal advent of the 
  One True God in Mythika and its struggle against 
  the “decadent semi-deities” (yes, the Olympians), 
  with player-characters acting as champions and 
  missionaries of the great Mithraic Crusade.  
   
  The only part of the Companion which really 
  bothered the Mithraic Heretics was the little 
  sentence in the section on Non-Olympian Cults, 
  which stated that Non-Olympian deities could not 
  have Divine Agents. This “arbitrary and unfair” 
  prohibition was quickly disposed of in Mithraic 
  circles and within a few months, articles on 
  Mithraic Agents and even fully-fledged classes 
  (such as the Mithraic Champion, the Mithraic 
  Initiate and the Mithraic Paladin) began to appear 
  in various unofficial supplements and fanzines, 
  such as The Mithraeum, which acted as the voice 
  of the Mithraic community until its demise in 1994. 
   
  
   
  29 
  VI : MISCELLANEOUS RULES 
   
  Traps 
   
  Monsters are not everything in a hero’s life. During 
  their adventurous expeditions, characters may also 
  run into traps – especially when exploring lost tombs 
  and underground mazes… 
   
  Trap Characteristics 
   
  Type : A trap may be an indoor trap or an outdoor 
  trap. This distinction is especially important as far as 
  Thieves and Hunters are concerned (see below). 
   
  Effect : Each trap has a specific effect : the victim 
  may fall into a pit, get pricked by a poisoned needle, 
  end up buried under an avalanche of stone boulders 
  etc. There are five basic trap effects : direct 
  damage, falling, crushing, poison and entrapment. 
  See below for more details about these effects. 
   
  Ratings : A trap has two ratings : a Concealment 
  rating, which reflects how hard it is to detect, and a 
  Danger rating, which reflects how hard it is to avoid. 
  Both are rated from 15 to 20 and act as target 
  numbers, as detailed below. 
   
  To randomly determine the various characteristics 
  of a given trap, first roll 1D6+14 twice to determine 
  its Concealment and Danger ratings, then roll 1D6 
  on the table below to determine its effects : 
   
  D6 
  Indoor Traps 
        Outdoor Traps 
   
   
  1 
  Direct Damage 
        Direct Damage 
   
   
  2 
  Falling  
        Direct Damage 
   
   
  3 
  Crushing 
        Crushing 
   
  4  
  Entrapment 
        Crushing 
   
  5  
  Poison  
        Entrapment 
   
  6  
  Combination* 
        Entrapment 
   
  * Roll again on the following sub-table : 
   
  1-2 = Falling + Direct Damage  
   
  3-4 = Falling + Entrapment 
   
  5 = Direct Damage + Poison 
   
  6 = Crushing + Entrapment 
   
  Detecting Traps 
   
  Traps can only be detected by characters who are 
  actively searching for them. Inattentive characters 
  will automatically trigger the trap as soon as they 
  take the required move or action. 
   
   
  Will Krondar the Barbarian make his detection roll ?  
   
  Detecting a trap requires a successful detection roll 
  made against a target number equal to the 
  Concealment rating of the trap. 
   
  Thieves and Hunters normally add their special 
  Thievery or Hunting bonus to all their detection rolls. 
  As far as traps are concerned, Maze Masters may 
  wish to restrict the Thieves’ bonus to indoor traps 
  and the Hunters’ bonus to outdoor traps, to reflect 
  the specialized skills of each class. 
   
  If a trap is successfully detected, the character will 
  be aware of its presence and general mode of 
  operation, which will usually allow him to avoid 
  taking the action that would trigger the trap. 
   
  Avoiding Traps 
   
  Traps which have not been successfully detected 
  will be triggered by the first applicable victim.  
   
  This victim is allowed a last chance Danger Evasion 
  roll made against a target number equal to the 
  Danger rating of the trap.  
   
  Thieves and Hunters do not add their Thievery or 
  Hunting bonus to Danger Evasion rolls made to 
  avoid undetected traps. 
   
  A successful roll means the character managed to 
  avoid the trap at the last second. A failed roll means 
  the character was not alert or fast enough to avoid 
  the trap : see Effects of Traps below. 
   
  Depending on the size and working of the trap, its 
  effects may apply to a single victim or to anyone 
  within a certain area etc. Such specifics depend on 
  the physical characteristics of the environment and 
  are left to the discretion of the Maze Master.  
   
  Most traps are single-use devices : in other words, 
  they only work once and have to be reset or re-
  armed in order to function again.  
  
   
  30 
   
   
   
  Mmmh… I wonder how that works… (famous last words) 
   
  Effects of Traps 
   
  Traps may have various effects when triggered : 
   
  Direct Damage : The victim suffers 1D6 Hits of 
  damage, caused by stakes, blades, javelins etc. 
   
  Falling : The victim falls 10 feet or so and suffers 
  1D6 Hits of damage. This effect may be combined 
  with Direct Damage above (for 2D6 Hits) if the 
  victim falls on stakes, spearheads etc. 
   
  Crushing : The victim is buried under falling 
  boulders, crushed by a massive stone, hingeless 
  door etc for 2D6 Hits of damage. 
   
  Entrapment : The victim is trapped into an 
  enclosed space, with no apparent natural exit… 
  This may be combined with Crushing or Falling. 
   
  Poison : The victim is pricked by a poisoned 
  needle, blade etc. The effects of this poison can be 
  defined as per the Poison ability of some creatures 
  (see Maze Masters Guide p 20). This effect may be 
  combined to Direct Damage, taking the form of 
  poison-coated stakes, spearheads, blades etc. 
   
  Disarming Traps 
   
  Once a trap has been detected, characters will be 
  able to tell which actions or movements may trigger 
  it (and thus avoid making such actions).  
   
  In most cases, this means that the characters will 
  not be able to take a certain course of action (such 
  as opening a treasure chest or passing through a 
  doorway) unless the trap is disarmed. 
   
  Thieves and Hunters are the only characters who 
  may attempt to disarm traps. Thieves can only 
  attempt to disarm indoor traps, while Hunters can 
  only attempt to disarm outdoor traps. 
   
  In the context of these rules, « disarming a trap » 
  means neutralizing or removing it, depending on 
  how the trap actually works. Warning : attempting to 
  disarm a trap is a very hazardous activity, even for 
  experienced Thieves or Hunters.   
   
  To disarm a trap, the Thief or Hunter must attempt a 
  Danger Evasion roll against a target number equal 
  to the Danger rating of the trap, as per the rules for 
  Avoiding Traps (see above). A failure has the usual 
  consequences (the trap goes off) but if the roll 
  succeeds, the trap will be successfully disarmed. 
   
  If the roll fails, the trap is triggered but the Thief or 
  Hunter is allowed a Danger Evasion roll against the 
  Danger rating of the trap, as per the usual rules. 
  This last chance roll is not increased by the 
  character’s Thievery or Hunting bonus, since the 
  character failed to disarm the trap in the first place. 
   
  Given the appropriate time and equipment, Thieves 
  and Hunters may also be able to build or install the 
  same type of traps they can disarm (ie indoor traps 
  for Thieves and outdoor traps for Hunters). These 
  « homemade » traps normally have Concealment 
  and Danger ratings equal to (14 + character’s level). 
   
  Special Traps 
   
  Maze Masters may wish to pit their players against 
  magical or extremely advanced mechanical traps. 
   
  In a typical M&M Bronze Age game world, such 
  marvelous contraptions should remain extremely 
  rare and should always be the works of Derro 
  engineers or long-dead Daeadalus-like inventors. 
   
  Such devices always qualify as Indoor Traps. They 
  have the same Concealment and Danger ratings as 
  more common traps but will always be far more 
  difficult to disarm. The target number required to 
  disarm such a trap will be raised by 5. Thus, a 
  mechanically advanced trap with a Danger rating of 
  16 will have a disarm target number of 21. 
   
  Here are a few examples of special effects magical 
  or advanced mechanical traps may have : 
   
  Self-Reload : The trap has a normal Crushing, 
  Direct Damage or Poison effect (or a combination of 
  these effects) but the device automatically reloads 
  or rearms itself after each use. 
   
  Fire Trap : The victim(s) of the trap is hit by a burst 
  of flame. Treat as a 2D6 Breath Weapon, which can 
  be avoided with a successful Danger Evasion roll. 
  This may be combined with Self-Reload. 
   
  Explosion : KA-BOOM ! The trap explodes when 
  triggered . In game terms, the effects are the same 
  as Fire Trap above, except that everyone in a 2D6 
  feet radius may be affected. This special effect 
  cannot be combined with Self-Reload. 
   
  Gas Trap : The trap lets out a cloud of poisonous 
  gas. In game terms, this has the same effects as 
  Poison, except that everybody in a 1D6 foot radius 
  may be affected by the cloud. In addition, if this 
  effect is combined with Entrapment, every victim will 
  be affected and will have to make a new Physical 
  Vigor saving roll every round against an increasing 
  target number, as per the Drowning rules. 
  
   
  31 
   
   
  Elethos the Eloquent gets ready for a difficult Influence roll 
   
  Influencing NPCs 
   
  Influence & Roleplaying 
   
  The Mazes & Minotaurs rules are extremely concise 
  when it comes to dealing with NPCs in a non-violent 
  manner. In fact, the Reaction table is the only game 
  system related to this topic : everything else is left to 
  the discretion of the individual Maze Master.  
   
  While this lack of actual rules might be seen as an 
  incentive for players to roleplay their characters, it 
  also has a few unfortunate side-effects. Good 
  players are not always good actors and most will 
  probably feel more embarrassed than amused by 
  the prospect of roleplaying a seduction attempt or 
  an inspiring public speech, preferring to avoid such 
  opportunities altogether – which is a pity as far as 
  roleplaying is concerned. The purpose of the 
  following optional rules is to resolve such situations 
  using a set of simple game mechanics. 
   
  Influence Modifiers 
   
  A character’s Personal Charisma represents his 
  presence and power of command ; as such, it has a 
  significant impact on first impressions (Reaction 
  rolls) and an even greater impact on the loyalty and 
  morale of the character’s followers (Leadership).  
   
  But showing presence and authority is not the only 
  way to interact with NPCs – especially if one wishes 
  to go beyond first impressions. Characters who wish 
  to influence NPCs in a significant manner may use 
  three different methods : Intimidation, Persuasion 
  and Seduction, each with its own modifier.    
   
  Influence Modifiers 
   
  Intimidation = (Will mod x 2) + Luck mod 
   
  Persuasion = (Wits mod x 2) + Luck mod 
   
  Seduction = (Grace mod x 2) + Luck mod 
   
   
  Intimidation involves bullying, browbeating and 
  coercing NPCs into cooperation, passivity or 
  submission. In this specific case, Trustful or Friendly 
  reactions should be interpreted as cooperative and 
  submissive attitudes. A character’s Intimidation mod 
  is equal to his Luck mod plus twice his Will mod. 
   
  Persuasion 
  involves 
  using 
  rhetoric, 
  logical 
  arguments and oratory techniques to gain the 
  NPC’s favor or attention. The Maze Master may ask 
  the player to deliver a convincing speech (or, at 
  least, to paraphrase it) before making the roll. A 
  character’s Persuasion modifier is equal to his Luck 
  modifier plus twice his Wits modifier. 
   
  Seduction involves flirting and using various forms 
  of facial and somatic communication to attract the 
  NPC’s attention or interest. Seduction only works if 
  the character and the target have compatible sexual 
  affinities (a topic which goes beyond the scope of 
  these rules). A character’s Seduction mod is equal 
  to his Luck mod plus twice his Grace mod. 
   
  A character’s influence rolls may also benefit from 
  his reputation effect (see Players Manual) ; thus, 
  Centaurs will get an influence bonus equal to their 
  level when trying to influence other Centaurs, while 
  Nobles will get an equivalent bonus when trying to 
  influence people from their homeland. 
   
   
   
  - Excuse me, are you trying to intimidate me ? 
  
   
  32 
  Target Numbers 
   
  The target number of an Influence roll is normally 
  equal to 15 but may be modified by various factors 
  which are summarized below. 
   
  Loyalty :  If the NPC is a follower or servant of 
  another character, this loyalty may, in some cases, 
  make him harder to influence. In such cases, the 
  Leadership of the commanding character is added 
  to the target number. Thus, trying to influence the 
  guards of Skelos the Tyrant (Leadership +8) will 
  require an Influence roll of 23 or more (provided 
  those guards aren’t already Hostile). 
   
  Resolve : Strong-willed individuals are harder to 
  influence than average persons. NPCs with a Will 
  score add their Will modifier to the target number of 
  Influence rolls made against them. Thus, influencing 
  a character with a Will of 15 (+2) will require a roll of 
  17+. Conversely, NPCs with a particularly low Will 
  (8 or less) will be easier to Influence, subtracting 
  their Will penalty from the target number. 
   
  Deception : Influence may also be used to deceive, 
  or trick NPCs : this usually applies to Persuasion 
  (lying, fast talking, telling tall tales etc) but may also 
  be used with Intimidation (false threats, poker-style 
  bluffs etc) or Seduction (using charm or sex appeal 
  to distract, trick or manipulate someone). In such 
  cases, the target number will also be modified by 
  the NPC’s Wits modifier : the more clever the NPC, 
  the more difficult he will be to fool. Like Resolve 
  above, this only applies to Major NPCs, since Minor 
  NPCs do not have attribute modifiers. 
   
   
   
  - I’m sorry, but THIS won’t get you an Influence bonus ! 
  Effects of Influence 
   
  To make an Influence roll, roll 1D20 and add the 
  player-character’s relevant Influence modifier. The 
  roll succeeds if the final total is equal to or higher 
  than the required target number (see above). 
   
  Influence can only be used on Trustful, Neutral or 
  Wary individuals ; it has absolutely no effect on 
  Hostile characters and is simply superfluous with 
  already Friendly characters.  
   
  A successful Influence roll shifts the NPC’s initial 
  reaction by one category (ie from Hostile to Wary, 
  from Wary to Neutral etc) in favor of the character.  
   
  A failed roll will actually shift NPC’s Reaction one 
  category down (ie turn a Neutral attitude into a Wary 
  one or a Wary attitude into a Hostile one). 
   
  Limits of Influence 
   
  Depending on the situation, an influence roll might 
  apply to a single individual or to a whole group of 
  NPCs or to any fraction of the group specifically 
  designated by the character. In the latter case 
  (group Influence), a single Influence roll is made for 
  the whole audience but some of its members may 
  have higher target numbers than others (because of 
  their higher Will, Wits etc) : thus, Maze Masters will 
  be able to determine which individuals are affected 
  by a character’s Influence roll.  
   
  In most situations, the effects of an influence roll will 
  affect its target NPCs as long as they remain in the 
  character’s presence – or until a specific event 
  causes them to reconsider their attitude.  
   
  As shown by the various modifiers detailed above, 
  most Influence rolls will have high to very high target 
  numbers, making success quite unlikely, except for 
  adventurers with high Influence bonuses.  
   
  Remember that the main purpose of these optional 
  rules is NOT to turn every conversation between 
  player-characters and NPCs into a series of dice 
  rolls, but to make things easier for players and Maze 
  Masters when dealing with decisive interactions. 
   
  Maze Masters should refrain from calling for 
  Influence rolls every time characters wish to request 
  something from NPCs. First reactions should always 
  be taken into account and Influence rolls should 
  only be called for when characters are really trying 
  to Intimidate, Persuade or Seduce NPCs into doing, 
  telling or accepting things that go beyond the normal 
  manifestations of their attitude : Trustful (or even 
  Neutral) NPCs, for instance, won’t have to be 
  Persuaded or Intimidated to reveal information they 
  have no particular reason to conceal.  
   
  Also remember that influence is not mind control 
  and NPCs are not puppets with no will of their own. 
  Also remember that influence rolls can never be 
  used against Beasts, Monsters, Animates or Spirits, 
  other player-characters, deities or Maze Masters. 
  
   
  33 
   
  Taming 101 MCQ : This fearless adventurer is trying to Tame a Bulll   (a) by Force   (b) by Craft   (c) by Charm. 
   
   
  Taming Beasts & Monsters 
   
  In most Mazes & Minotaurs adventures, the only 
  form of interaction between adventurers and Beasts 
  or Monsters is combat.  
   
  Yet, many legendary tales feature heroes who have 
  loyal animal companions or who are required to 
  tame a fantastic creature as some sort of heroic 
  task. This section presents optional rules to deal 
  with such situations between game sessions. 
   
  There are three ways of taming a Beast or Monster 
  that has been caught alive : by Craft , by Force or 
  by Charm. Each of these three methods is 
  described in detail in the following sections. 
   
  Taming by Craft  
   
  Only Hunters, Barbarians and Amazons can tame 
  Beasts (but not Monsters) by Craft.  
   
  At the discretion of the Maze Master, this ability 
  might be extended to Shapeshifters (see chapter 
  IV), who have a natural affinity with animals. 
   
  To do so, the character must make a Danger 
  Evasion roll versus a target number of 14 plus the 
  creature’s Defiance rating. Hunters also add their 
  Hunting bonus to this roll. 
   
  A Beast’s Defiance rating is equal to the sum of its 
  Ferocity and Mystique modifiers. 
   
  Each attempt takes as many weeks as a damage 
  roll for the creature’s Size (ie 1d3 for Small animals, 
  1D6 for Medium-sized ones, 2D6 for Large ones).  
   
  If the natural result of the D20 roll (not counting 
  modifiers) is less than or equal to the Beast’s 
  Defiance rating, it can never be tamed (at least by 
  craft) and runs away.  
   
  Thus, taming a Lion (Defiance 2, Medium-sized) by 
  Craft will take at least 1D6 weeks and will require a 
  Taming roll total of 16 or more ; furthermore, if the 
  D20 roll is 1 or 2, the Lion will prove impossible to 
  tame and will run away. 
   
  During this process, the Beast must somehow be 
  kept in captivity. A character can never have more 
  animals Tamed by Craft than his level. 
   
  Taming by Force 
   
  Anyone with a Might of 13+ can tame a captured 
  Beast or Monster by Force. Since it relies on 
  physical strength, Taming by Force is the favorite 
  taming method of most Barbarians and Centaurs. 
   
  Only Medium-sized or Large creatures may be 
  tamed in this way. 
   
  Creatures have a Force rating which measures their 
  resistance to this form of taming. This rating is 
  simply equal to 2 plus the creature’s Melee modifier 
  (which is a direct reflection of its Size and Ferocity). 
   
  Thus, a Bull (Melee +4) has a Force of  6, while a 
  Giant Boar (Melee +6) has a Force of 8. 
   
  To tame a Beast or Monster by force, the character 
  must wrestle the creature, according to the standard 
  wrestling rules, and pin the creature down for a 
  number of consecutive rounds equal to its Force.  
   
  This operation must be repeated for a number of 
  consecutive days equal to the creature’s Force 
  rating. Between these shows of force, the Beast or 
  Monster must be held captive somehow.  
   
  Note that most Beasts and Monsters will attack the 
  tamer if the grapple fails or if they manage to break 
  free before the required number of battle rounds has 
  passed, making this method quite hazardous. 
   
  
   
  34 
  Taming by Charm  
   
  Lastly, Nymphs (and only them) can try to tame 
  Beasts and Monsters by Charm, using the powers 
  of their preternatural charisma. 
   
  This can only be attempted with creatures from the 
  Nymph's natural environment  - sea creatures for 
  Nereids, woodland beasts for Dryads etc. 
   
  This process starts with a Reaction roll, using the 
  Nymph’s Personal Charisma as a bonus and the 
  creature’s Ferocity as a penalty (-1 if Aggressive,  -2 
  if Dangerous and -3 if Deadly).  
   
  The taming process may only continue if this roll 
  results in a Friendly reaction.  
   
  If this is the case, the Nymph must then spend a 
  number of days in the company of the creature to 
  create and reinforce this new bond of friendship. 
  This number of days is equal to the creature’s 
  damage roll (1D6 days for a Medium creature or 
  1d3 for a Small one, for instance). 
   
  When this period is over, make a second Reaction 
  roll with the same bonuses and penalties as above. 
   
  Friendly : The creature is Tamed.  
   
  Trustful : Try again, with a +2 bonus. 
   
  Neutral : Try again. 
   
  Wary : Creature runs away, presumably forever. 
   
  Hostile : Creature attacks (with surprise). 
   
  While trying to tame a creature, the Nymph must 
  live in the wilds near it. The maximum number of 
  creatures Tamed in this manner a Nymph may have 
  at her command is equal to her Personal Charisma. 
  Large creatures count as 2 and Gigantic ones as 4. 
   
  Thus, a Nereid who meets a Sea Serpent and gets 
  a Friendly reaction (despite the -2 Ferocity penalty) 
  may try to become its friend. This will take her 3D6 
  days (since the Sea Serpent is Gigantic). She will 
  then have to make a new reaction roll (with the 
  same -2 penalty for Ferocity) ; if she gets another 
  Friendly result, the Sea Serpent will be Tamed. 
   
  Loyalty of Tamed Creatures 
   
  After being tamed, a creature will be obedient 
  enough to follow its master around, as long as it is 
  given enough food. Its loyalty and morale may be 
  tested like those of a human follower, using the 
  same die (D10) and the same procedure ; the score 
  being tested, however, is not the tamer’s Leadership 
  but a special Bond rating.  
   
  A tamed creature’s Bond rating is equal to the sum 
  of the tamer’s Will and Luck mods and must also 
  be modified according to the taming method used : -
  2 for Force, 0 for Charm and +2 for Craft. Tthis 
  rating is also reduced by 1 for all Monsters. 
   
   
   
  The Nereid and the Sea Serpent (see example above) 
   
  A creature’s Bond will have to be tested whenever 
  the creature meets a Fearsome foe or something it 
  is afraid of. Most Beasts (but few Monsters) fear fire 
  and very loud noises as well, so encountering these 
  things can also call for a Bond check.  
   
  A tamed creature that fails a Bond check will flee for 
  1D6 hours. At the end of this period, a new check 
  must be made. If it fails, the creature will simply not 
  return to its master from its own initiative.  
   
  If the character manages to find the creature by 
  himself, a third check will be made.  
   
  If it succeeds, the creature will come back to its 
  master as soon as it can detect his proximity. If this 
  third Bond check fails, the creature will no longer 
  obey and will have to be Tamed again.  
   
  As the tamer’s Will and Luck increase, so will the 
  Bond of his Tamed companions. Those with a Bond 
  of 10 or more are completely loyal to their master 
  and will never have to test their Bond. 
   
  Lastly, it should be noted that cities, citadels, 
  temples and noble domains will not let characters 
  enter if they have a Monster with them, unless they 
  get a Trustful or Friendly reaction. In such cases, 
  each Tamed Monster following a character will give 
  him a Reaction penalty equal to the creature’s 
  Melee modifier (which reflects its Size and Ferocity). 
  
   
  35 
   
   
  A graceful Huntress with her majestic companion 
   
  Training Tamed Creatures 
   
  Tamed creatures can be taught Tricks. This takes 
  1D6 months per Trick and requires a roll to see if 
  the creature accepts the training. Roll 1D6 and add 
  its Cunning modifier, with an extra bonus of +1 for 
  each Bond point over 10. The creature learns the 
  Trick if the total is equal to or greater than the 
  Difficulty of the Trick. Otherwise, the creature does 
  not learn the Trick and will be forever unable to do 
  so. Here are the most common Tricks, with their 
  Difficulty ratings. 
   
  Attack (4) : Order to attack a designated target. 
   
  Draft Beast (5) : The creature can now pull a suitable 
  vehicle. A Loyalty check is made when it is yoked, and 
  whenever he attempts a Perilous Feat. 
   
  Guard (5) : The creature calls out when a place it is 
  guarding 
  is 
  disturbed 
  (make 
  Detection 
  rolls 
  if 
  necessary). The owner must either be present or the 
  creature must have been taught to Stay.  
   
  Heel (5) : Order not to attack a designated target. 
   
  Message (7) : The creature can carry a message to its 
  home or any person it accepts as its owner. 
   
  Mount (4) : The creature can now be ridden. A Loyalty 
  check is made when the owner mounts, and whenever 
  he attempts a Perilous Feat.  
   
  Other Owner (5) : The creature accepts another 
  person as its owner as well. It will always have a -1 
  penalty on all Bond checks, though. Note that anyone 
  can acquire a tamed Beast in this way. 
   
  Protect (7) : The creature will automatically Guard (it 
  must know that trick) its owner when he falls asleep, 
  loses consciousness etc.  
   
  Save (7) : The creature must be able to swim; on 
  orders, it will attempt to rescue a drowning person. 
   
  Search (5) : The creature actively helps searching for 
  something (making detection rolls). 
   
  Stay (6) : The creature stays in one place for up to a 
  day. Each hour after that calls for a Bond check.  
  Expert NPCs 
   
  Experts are Minor NPCs with a superior degree of 
  expertise or mastery in a specific field. In game 
  terms, all Experts are treated as Non-combatants : 
  they only have 4 Hits, cannot attack and are not 
  entitled to saving rolls but all of them have a special 
  ability reflecting their expertise, as detailed below. 
   
  Navigators  
   
  These NPCs are expert, well, navigators and ship 
  pilots. Unlike most sailors, they do not qualify as 
  fighters but have a special expertise bonus ranging 
  from +2 to +4 (roll 1D3+1) that is added to all 
  Danger Evasion rolls made to protect a ship from 
  storms and other natural sea hazards (such as 
  dangerous reefs etc). A ship may only benefit from 
  the skills of one Navigator at the same time.  
   
  In addition, a Navigator will be able to predict the 
  weather of the day with a % accuracy equal to 25 
  times his expertise bonus (eg 75% for a bonus of 
  +3) : roll 1d100 and give a wrong prediction in case 
  of failure. A Navigator can usually be hired at a daily 
  fee equal to (9 + expertise bonus) silver pieces.      
   
  Physicians  
   
  Physicians are doctors, surgeons and healers. In 
  game terms, their skills have the same applications 
  and effects as the Healer background talent (see 
  chapter I). Most of them are sedentary individuals 
  and will not accept to follow adventurers on quests 
  or expeditions. The cost of their services usually 
  varies according to the nature of the said services. 
  Those who are hired on a weekly basis (to aid the 
  convalescence of a wounded character etc) usually 
  take a weekly fee of around 20 silver pieces. 
   
  Sages 
   
  Sages have an extensive knowledge similar to the 
  Scholar background talent (see chapter I). Maze 
  Masters are free to decide that some questions are 
  simply beyond a sage’s vast knowledge or can only 
  be answered by a specific sage. Sages tend to be 
  very sedentary individuals and will usually refuse to 
  go on quests and expeditions (even for knowledge’s 
  sake) – but they are often willing to freely share their 
  knowledge with those who come to them. 
   
   
   
   
  Where is the Navigator ? asks the Sage to the Physician 
  
   
  36 
   
   
   
  Two Philosophers debating about Magic and Logic 
   
  Philosophers 
   
  Philosophers are intellectually-focused NPCs who 
  study, teach and profess complex doctrines about 
  Free Will, True Reason, Universal Logic and other 
  concepts which tend to make them quite unpopular 
  with Priests (and deities).  
   
  Philosophers are quite rare and can usually only be 
  found at the courts of the more enlightened kings 
  (acting as teachers, scholars or even mentors) or in 
  the largest cities, although some of them chose to 
  live as in the wilds as Hermits. With the exception of 
  Hermits (and the rare, misanthropic Cynist), most 
  Philosophers will usually be surrounded by a more-
  or-less numerous circle of disciples, who study 
  under their tutelage but do not have the special 
  abilities described below (until they are enlightened 
  and mature enough to become true Philosophers 
  themselves, which is actually extremely rare).  
   
  In game terms, all Philosophers have the same 
  characteristics as Non-combatant Minor NPCs (4 
  Hits, no attack)… but they also have a single, 
  unique ability which seems to defy the laws of 
  mythical reality : they are completely immune to all 
  forms of magic targeted against them, regardless of 
  the magician’s Mystic Strength or powers.  
   
  For Philosophers, Logic is the cosmic opposite force 
  of Magic. Their belief in Free Will gives them an 
  unfailing Mystic Fortitude against Sorcery, Nature’s 
  Gifts, Poetic Magic and other mind-affecting or 
  emotion-based forms of magic, while their belief in 
  True Reason makes them immune to the Divine 
  Prodigies of Priests. And since they also believe in 
  Mind over Matter, Philosophers are also immune to 
  all forms of Elemental Magic. This imperviousness 
  to magic, however, also has a big downside, since it 
  makes Philosophers immune to all friendly forms of 
  magic as well (such as divine blessings or the 
  various types of magical healing).  
   
  The only forms of magic that are unaffected by the 
  Philosophers’ immunity are the powers of the Gods 
  themselves (so beware Divine Interventions…) and, 
  for some strange arcane reason, the Petrification 
  ability of creatures such as Gorgons, Basilisks and 
  Cockatrices (so much for Mind over Matter). 
   
  2007 Edition Comments 
   
  Miscellanea Unbound ! 
   
  As its title implies, this chapter collected various 
  bits and pieces that could not be put elsewhere. 
  As such, it had that particular hodge-podge quality 
  typical of so many old-school supplements. 
   
  The rules for Influencing NPCs (which spawned 
  the diplomacy-heavy Palaces & Politics variant of 
  M&M) and Taming Creatures (which were 
  especially popular with players of Hunters and 
  Amazons) were taken from the OM&M Unveiled 
  Addenda supplement, but were also carefully 
  Revised before being included in the Companion. 
   
  The rules on Traps were a revised and expanded 
  version of an old Griffin article. Many Maze 
  Masters felt that these should have been included 
  in the Maze Masters Guide – but they were 
  probably left out for space reasons (“Nah, come 
  on...”). The section on Expert NPCs also came for 
  the pages of Griffin but this one was actually 
  shortened (the original article detailed dozens of 
  specialized hirelings of dubious utility, such as 
  professional flute players, masseurs and lawyers). 
   
  Revenge of the Philosopher 
   
  And then there was the Philosopher. What had 
  started as a joke in an April’s fool issue of the 
  Griffin was now an official (if optional) element of 
  the M&M universe – which caused quite a bit of 
  uproar and incomprehension among the most 
  “serious” members of the M&M community (“Why 
  on Mythika did you do such a thing ?  Have you 
  gone insane ?”, “Oh no ! Not that stupid 
  Philosopher again ! “, “What’s next ?  Rules for 
  jesters ?” etc etc), despite a few (okay, just one) 
  enthusiastic reaction(s) (“At last ! The Minotaurian 
  Weltanschauung is now complete !”).  
   
  Even though the class had been stripped of most 
  his original silliness and was now strictly limited to 
  NPC-dom, I must admit I was very skeptical at 
  first... until one of my Maze Master friends created 
  a 
  scenario 
  that 
  took 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  Philosophers’ immunity to magic : it was about an 
  evil Sorcerer who, under a false identity, had 
  managed to Enslave a powerful king and all the 
  closest members of his entourage – except one, 
  the local court Philosopher, whose last resort was 
  to recruit a band of valiant adventurers (including 
  a Priestess of Athena !) to free the kingdom from 
  the Sorcerer’s domination. And I must say it was 
  one of the most memorable sessions I’ve ever 
  played – there was court intrigue, sorcerous 
  machinations, sword-and-spear fights in the 
  corridors of the royal palace, betrayal, tragedy 
  and a fascinating final conversation (once the 
  kingdom has been saved, the Sorcerer defeated 
  and the order restored) between the Philosopher 
  and our Priestess about Men, Gods, the Universe 
  and Life in General. And not a single Monster. 
   
  
   
  37 
  Appendix : WARFARE RULES 
   
   
   
  Ah ah !  Rejoice, companions !  At last, rules for the ancient art of warfare and massive mayhem  ! 
   
  Epic Battles 
   
  Large-scale battles often occur in the mythic tales, 
  novels and movies from which M&M draws its 
  inspiration – just think of Homer’s Iliad or J. R.R. 
  Turquine’s War of the Kings celebrated trilogy; yet, 
  such epic battles (or even large skirmishes) can 
  hardly be simulated using the standard M&M 
  combat rules – just imagine rolling 1000 attack rolls 
  to resolve a single round of battle !  
   
  The following section presents a very simple system 
  that can be used to resolve such grand-scale events 
  as a part of a Mazes & Minotaurs scenario without 
  getting lost in technicalities or complex tactical 
  considerations – remember that M&M is not, has 
  never been and never will be a wargame. 
   
  Armies & Troops 
   
  Troops & Regiments 
   
  An army is composed of troops. These troops may 
  be divided into smaller regiments. In the context of 
  these rules, the word “regiment” simply refers to any 
  number of men (or other beings) fighting together. 
   
  Regiments are usually composed of troops with 
  similar characteristics and equipment (ie archers, 
  hoplites, cavalrymen, centaurs etc) but this is by no 
  means mandatory. Every type of Folk described in 
  the Creature Compendium may be used as troops.  
   
  Monsters may be integrated into an army, but only 
  as Unique Opponents, as detailed in the section of 
  the same name. Humanoid Animates like Skeletons 
  or Automatons may be used as troops but are often 
  subject to special rules, as detailed in the following 
  sections. Spirits can never be used as troops. 
   
  Combat Factor 
   
  Each type of troop has a different Combat Factor 
  (CF), which represents its overall martial prowess, 
  independently of its numerical size. Combat Factor 
  takes into account the troops’ natural or trained 
  fighting ability, their equipment as well as various 
  other factors detailed below.  
   
  The Combat Factor of a specific troop type can be 
  calculated from its characteristics as given in the 
  Creature Compendium, using the following formula : 
   
  CF = ( 2Fer + Eq + SA ) x Size Factor 
   
  
   
  38 
  2Fer refers to twice the being’s Ferocity mod. 
   
  Eq refers to Equipment Bonus : each piece of 
  protective equipment (shield, helmet, breastplate) 
  adds a +1 bonus to a creature’s CF. 
   
  SA refers to Special Abilities. Each Special Ability 
  which directly enhances the troops’ physical or 
  martial capabilities adds a bonus equal to one-fifth 
  of its Glory award. This only applies to the abilities 
  listed below (with their corresponding CF bonus) : 
   
  Charge into Battle (+1)  
  Missile Weapons (+1) * 
   
  Crushing Damage (+2)  
  Natural Armor (+2) 
   
  Crushing Missiles (+2)  
  Psychic Powers (+4) 
   
  Fearsome (+2)   
  Regeneration (+1) 
   
  Invulnerability (+4)  
  Supernatural Vigor (+2) 
   
  Lightning Fast (+2)  
  Tough Skin (+1) 
   
  Marksmanship (+1) *  
  Trample (+1) 
   
  Mindless (+1) 
   
  Uncanny Agility (+2) 
   
  * These bonuses should be only counted for troops armed 
  with bows. The effects of single-use missiles like javelins 
  are simply ignored in large-scale battles. 
   
  Lastly, the final Combat Factor of a troop type must 
  be multiplied by its Size Factor, which is the same 
  as the one used to calculate Glory awards : Tiny = 
  1/10, Small = 1/5, Medium = 1, Large = x2, Gigantic 
  =  x5). Do not round fractions at this stage. 
   
  As an illustration of how this system works, let us 
  calculate the Combat Factor of four Folks described 
  in the Creature Compendium : 
   
  Human Soldiers : Their Aggressive Ferocity gives 
  them a CF of 2; full military equipment (shield, 
  helmet and breastplate) adds +3 and their only 
  special ability is Charge into Battle (+1). This gives 
  them a final Combat Factor of 6. 
   
  Centaurs : Aggressive (+2), no shield or armor (0) 
  but a lot of special abilities : Charge (+1), Missile 
  Weapons (+1), Supernatural Vigor (+2), Trample 
  (+1) and Uncanny Agility (+1), for a final CF of 8. 
  This assumes that these Centaurs are armed with 
  bows; if they only had melee weapons (or javelins), 
  the Missile Weapons ability would not be counted, 
  reducing their CF to 7. Lastly, if these Centaurs 
  fought with shields, helmets and breastplates, their 
  Combat Factor would be raised by +3. 
   
  Myrmidons : Dangerous (+4), shield, breastplate & 
  helmet (+3), Supernatural Vigor (+2) and Uncanny 
  Agility (+2); this would give them a formidable CF of 
  11 if they had human size, but their Tiny size divides 
  this by 10, for a final result of 1,1 (which is not bad 
  for 1’ tall soldiers). 
   
  Tragos Marauders : Aggressive (+2), shield (+1) 
  but no helm or breastplate, Charge into Battle (+1). 
  This gives them a final Combat Factor of 4. 
   
   
  Special Troops 
   
  Archers are the only types of troops which can 
  benefit from the Missile Weapons or Marksmanship 
  special abilities in a large-scale battle. The effects of 
  javelins and other missiles are simply integrated into 
  the normal resolution system of the battle round, 
  just like melee weapons. 
   
  Cavalrymen have a Combat Factor equal to their 
  own CF plus the CF of their mount. Standard horses 
  have a CF of 4 : +2 for Aggressive Ferocity, +1 for 
  Charge into Battle, +1 for Trample. Thus, a heavy, 
  fully-armored cavalry unit will have a Combat Factor 
  of 10 (6 for the rider and 4 for the horse). 
   
  Chariots follow the same principle : add the CF of 
  the two horses to the CF of the warrior in the 
  chariot, with an extra +1 bonus for the protection 
  and cover provided by the chariot. The driver does 
  not add anything to this total. Thus, a chariot drawn 
  by two horses (CF 8) and carrying a fully armored 
  fighter (CF 6) will have a total CF of 15.  
   
  Regimental Strength 
   
  Each regiment has a Strength total which is equal to 
  its numerical size multiplied by its Combat Factor.  
   
  Thus, a regiment of 100 soldiers with a Combat 
  Factor of 6 will have a Strength total of 600.  
   
  The distribution of available troops into different 
  regiments is entirely left to the decisions of the 
  commanding general. Our regiment of 100 soldiers, 
  for instance, could be split into two regiments of 50 
  men (each of which would have a Strength of 300).  
   
  A single regiment may even include troops with 
  different characteristics and equipment : thus, a 
  joint-force of 100 human soldiers (Combat Factor 6) 
  and 50 Centaurs (Combat Factor 8) would have a 
  combined Strength total of 1000 (600 for the human 
  soldiers, plus 400 for the Centaurs).  
   
  This system also allows Maze Masters to take into 
  account the superior quality of small bands of elite 
  fighters within larger regiments (such as a handful of 
  Sagittarians among a regiment of Centaurs). 
   
  The Strength of an army is equal to the sum of all its 
  troops Strength. Thus, a joint force of 100 human 
  soldiers (Strength 600), 100 myrmidons (Strength 
  110) and 50 Centaurs with bows (Strength 400) will 
  have an overall Strength of 1110. 
  
   
  39 
  Unique Opponents 
   
  Monsters, major NPCs and player-characters may 
  also be included in regiments but qualify as unique 
  opponents. As such, they are subject to special 
  rules and restrictions.  
   
  Such opponents do not form regiments of their own 
  kind (forget about entire regiments of Giants or 
  Chimeras…) but can be integrated into an existing 
  regiment, either as leaders, champions or brothers-
  in-arms (for player-characters and major NPCs) or 
  as special support (for Monsters). 
   
  For Monsters, simply calculate the creature’s CF 
  using the method given above for creatures and add 
  it to the overall Strength of the regiment.  
   
  Player-characters and major NPCs who take part in 
  a large-scale battle can also be given an individual 
  CF to be added to their regiment’s overall Strength.  
   
  This individual Combat Factor is simply equal to the 
  character’s Melee mod with the usual equipment 
  bonus of +1 for each piece of protective equipment 
  (helmet, shield or breastplate), with an additional 
  bonus for warriors : +2 for Spearmen and Centaurs, 
  +1 for Nobles, Barbarians and Amazons.  
   
  Thus, our old friend Pyros the Spearman, with his 
  Melee mod of +5 (at level 1), his class bonus (+2) 
  and his complete spearman equipment (+3) would 
  have an individual CF of 10.   
   
  At the Maze Master’s discretion, some mythic items 
  may grant an additional +1 to a character’s CF. 
   
  Regardless of their category, unique opponents will 
  never be subject to group Morale effects or troop 
  losses. Even on a battlefield, Monsters can only be 
  dealt with in classic combat, using the standard 
  M&M combat rules.  
   
  For the fate of major NPCs and player-characters 
  taking part to a large-scale battle, see the Heroic 
  Phase section later in this chapter. 
   
  Morale & Command 
   
  An army’s Morale rating is normally equal to the 
  Leadership score (see Players Manual, p 47) of its 
  General but this may be modified before the battle, 
  as detailed in Before the Battle below. 
   
  The two major exceptions to the Morale rules are 
  Hordes and Animates. 
   
  Hordes are armies which are composed of savage, 
  fanatical fighters. Most Beastmen (Tragos, Boarmen 
  etc) will fight as Hordes. Hordes do not need a 
  General, do not have a Morale score and thus do 
  not need to make Morale checks – see the Morale 
  Phase section below for more details.  
   
  Animates (and other Mindless creatures) do not 
  have morale and always fight to the “death”. 
   
   
  Time for an inspiring speech… 
   
  Before the Battle 
   
  Omens 
   
  Before battle, a General can prepare a ritual to ask 
  the favour of the gods. Roll 2D6, add the General’s 
  Luck mod and check the table below. If a Priest is 
  present, add the Priest’s level to the result as well.  
   
  The final result may affect the troops’ Morale (which 
  is based on their General’s Leadership, as noted 
  above) for the battle to come : 
   
  2 or less = Very bad omens (-2 Morale) 
   
  3-5 = Bad omens (-1 Morale) 
   
  6-8 = No answer or uncertain omens 
   
  9-11 = Good omens (+1 Morale) 
   
  12 or more = Very good omens (+2 Morale) 
   
  Morale cannot be reduced below 1 by bad omens. 
   
  Oratory 
   
  Before the battle (and after these auguries), the 
  General (or, if applicable, any player-character with 
  a reasonable Leadership score) may also try to 
  make an inspiring speech to boost (or revive) the 
  troops’ Morale. This is not necessary if the omens 
  are already Good or Very good.  
   
  Such a speech is resolved as a Reaction roll on the 
  NPCs Reaction table, using the usual 2D10 and 
  adding the speaker’s Personal Charisma (and his 
  reputation effect, if applicable) to the roll.  
   
  The speaker will be able to inspire his troops on a 
  Trustful (+1 Morale) or Friendly (+2 Morale) result.  
  Thus, a charismatic leader may be able to offset the 
  effects of uncertain, bad or very bad omens.  
  
   
  40 
   
   
  Round Sequence 
   
  Battles are resolved in one-hour rounds. Each round 
  of mass combat is resolved as follows : 
   
  1. Strategic Phase : Commit troops and calculate 
  the Strength and battle modifier of each force. 
   
  2. Tactical Phase : Each side selects its degree of 
  Tactical Risk (see below). The sum of these two 
  ratings is called the Massacre Factor and will be 
  used to compute casualties during the next phase. 
   
  3. Resolution Phase : Each side rolls 1D20 + battle 
  modifier. Compare the results, apply the appropriate 
  effects and calculate the losses suffered by each 
  side according to the current Massacre Factor (MF). 
   
  4. Heroic Phase : Determine the individual fate of 
  participating player-characters and major NPCs. 
   
  5. Morale Phase (if needed) : Make Morale checks. 
   
  6. Retreat Phase (if needed). 
   
  Each of these phases is detailed below. 
   
  Strategical Phase 
   
  At the start of each round, the general of each army 
  decides which regiments he wishes to commit to 
  battle during the round. Depending on his overall 
  strategy, he may commit all his available troops or 
  keep some regiments behind the lines of battle to 
  use them as reinforcements in later rounds.  
   
  The regiments commited to battle are collectively 
  known as the force, while the troops left behind the 
  lines are called the reserve. This distinction does 
  not apply to Hordes, which always fight with all their 
  available troops. 
   
  The battle modifier of each force must then be 
  calculated. This modifier encompasses the following 
  factors : Superiority, Position, Morale and Fatigue. 
   
  Superiority 
   
  Superiority represents the advantage provided by 
  bigger numbers and/or better troops. This modifier 
  is determined on the table below by comparing the 
  Strength totals of each side. The force with the 
  greater Strength total receives the indicated bonus. 
  Strength Ratio  
  Bonus 
   
  Less than 1.5 to 1 
  0 
   
  At least 1.5 to 1  
  +1 
   
  At least 2 to 1 
   
  +2 
   
  At lest 3 to 1 
   
  +3 
   
  At least 4 to 1 
   
  +4 
   
  At least 5 to 1 
   
  +5 
   
  At least 6 to 1 
   
  +6 
   
  At least 7 to 1 
   
  +7 
   
  At least 8 to 1 
   
  +8 
   
  At least 9 to 1 
   
  +9 
   
  10 to 1 or more 
   
  +10 
   
  Thus, a force of 200 human soldiers (Strength 1200) 
  against 50 centaurs (Strength 400) would receive a 
  +3 Superiority bonus. 
   
  The Superiority bonus will have to be recalculated at 
  the start of each round, since the losses suffered by 
  both sides may change the Strength ratio. 
   
  Morale 
   
  Force has higher Morale score 
   
    +1 * 
   
  Force is defending its own ground, city etc   +1 
   
  Force has already beaten this foe before 
    +1 
   
  These modifiers never apply to Hordes or Animates. 
   
  Position 
   
  Each side may receive various position modifiers, 
  reflecting terrain and other circumstances : 
   
  Fighting on higher ground  
   
      +4 
   
  Defending a narrow pass or a river bank 
      +4 
   
  Attacking by ambush 
   
   
      +2 
   
  Defending in mountains, hills or behind walls    +2 
   
  Fighting in the snow or on sand 
   
       -2 * 
   
  Fighting in swamp, marsh etc 
   
       -4 * 
   
  Army with cavalry in mountains, hills etc 
       -4 
   
  * Troops that act in their natural environments (ie 
  Swamp Folk in swamps etc) do not suffer this 
  penalty. At the Maze Master’s discretion, such 
  troops may even receive a +2 bonus when fighting 
  in their natural milieu. 
  
   
  41 
   
   
  Come on, lads ! I want you all on Tactical Risk 3 ! 
   
  Fatigue 
   
  Force is moderately fatigued 
   
       -2 
   
  Force is seriously fatigued  
   
       -4 
   
  Fatigue is an optional factor and is left at the Maze 
  Master’s discretion. As a rule of thumb, a regiment 
  may be treated as moderately fatigued if it has 
  fought for a number of consecutive battle rounds 
  greater than its Combat Factor and seriously 
  fatigued if it has fought for a number of consecutive 
  rounds greater than twice its CF. Creatures with 
  Supernatural Vigor and all Animates are completely 
  immune to the effects of fatigue. 
   
   
  Calculating Battle Modifiers 
   
  Let’s suppose a force of 50 human soldiers are 
  defending a small town against a horde of 200 
  Tragos raiders. The human soldiers (CF 6) 
  represent a Strength total of 300, while the 200 
  Tragos (CF 4) have a Strength total of 800.  
   
  Superiority 
  : 
  The 
  Strength 
  ratio 
  clearly 
  advantages the Tragos raiders, who outnumber 
  the humans by more than 2 to 1 (but less than 3 
  to 1). This gives them a +2 Superiority bonus. 
   
  Morale : The human soldiers are led by a 
  valorous Noble with a very high Leadership, but 
  this has no effect since the Tragos fight as a 
  Horde. Still, the soldiers are defending their own 
  land, which gives them a Morale bonus of +1. 
   
  Position : The humans are defending behind 
  walls, which gives them a +2 bonus. 
   
  Fatigue : Neither of the two forces suffer from 
  fatigue at the start of the battle. 
   
  So, in the end, this gives the human soldiers a 
  battle modifier of +3 (for defending their own 
  city behind walls), while the Tragos marauders 
  get a battle modifier of +2 due to their greater 
  numbers. Thus, the human defenders start with 
  a slight advantage – but this situation might 
  change quite easily during the battle, especially 
  if they suffer heavy losses… 
   
  Tactical Phase 
   
  Tactical Risk 
   
  Each round, the General of the army decides the 
  degree of Tactical Risk he imposes on his troops. In 
  game terms, Tactical Risk is rated from 0 to 3, 
  according to the following scale : 
   
  0 = Minimum Risk. The troops concentrate 
  exclusively on defensive maneuvers and positions ; 
  the main goal of the General is to suffer as few 
  casualties as possible. 
   
  1 = Average Risk. This is the default choice, mixing 
  a more-or-less balanced choice of offensive and 
  defensive tactics. 
   
  2 = High Risk. The troops privilege attack over 
  defense, trying to inflict as much damage as 
  possible to the enemy, even if this puts themselves 
  in serious danger. 
   
  3 = Maximum Risk. This extreme choice usually 
  reflects a desperate or fanatical attitude and usually 
  results in maximum bloodshed on both sides. 
   
  Tactical Risk is chosen by the General of the army. 
  Forces which have lost their General and are left 
  without a leader (see Losing the General below) 
  automatically fight at Maximum Risk.  
   
  For Hordes, the Tactical Risk must be rolled 
  randomly each round on 1D3. Thus, Hordes never 
  fight at minimum risk. 
   
  Massacre Factor 
   
  Once each side has chosen its degree of Tactical 
  Risk, the two ratings are added together to give the 
  Massacre Factor (MF) of the current round : the 
  higher the MF, the bloodier the fight (see Resolution 
  Phase, below). 
    
  Thus, if one army selects Maximum Risk (3) and its 
  enemy Average Risk (1), the battle round will have a 
  total Massacre Factor of 4. 
   
  Resolution Phase 
   
  Basic System 
   
  Roll 1D20 for each army, adding its current battle 
  modifier. If the army’s General has the Tactician 
  talent, roll two D20s and use the highest one. The 
  army with the higher total wins the battle round.  
   
  The direct consequences of this are detailed under 
  Losses below. If the winner beats the loser by 10 or 
  more, he will receive an extra benefit (see below).  
   
  If both battle rolls are exactly equal, simply re-roll to 
  break the status quo. 
  
   
  42 
   
   
  The Hoplites of Heraklia charging : this is Herakliaaaaa !!! 
   
  Losses 
   
  The losses suffered by each side are calculated 
  according to the current Massacre Factor (MF) : 
   
  Losing Side’s Losses = MF x 10% 
   
  Winning Side’s Losses = MF x 5% 
   
  If the winner’s battle roll beat the loser’s roll by 10 or 
  more, the army’s General may decide to either 
  increase his enemy’s losses by one-half (making 
  them equal to MF x 15%) or to decrease his own 
  losses to a negligible (0%) level. A difference of 
  10+ between the two battle rolls will also place the 
  General of the losing army in danger (see below). 
   
  Losses are expressed in percentile proportions ; 
  thus, losses of 20% mean that the army loses 20% 
  (one-fifth) of its current troops. Drop all fractions 
  when calculating losses.  
   
  For simplicity’s sake, these losses are equally 
  distributed between all the regiments of the current 
  force (the reserve being unaffected). One-half are 
  dead, the other half are seriously wounded and 
  incapacitated for the rest of the current battle.  
   
  The only exceptions to this rule are unique 
  opponents 
  (such 
  as 
  Monsters 
  and 
  player-
  characters) who are never counted among the 
  general losses suffered by their force. 
   
  Losing the General 
   
  Whenever a force loses a battle round and its roll is 
  beaten by 10 or more, its General is in danger. This 
  character must then make a Danger Evasion roll 
  (target number 15) to avoid being captured by the 
  enemy. Captured generals may be either held 
  captive or put to death, depending on the goals of 
  the enemy. These rules only apply to NPC 
  Generals. PC Generals follow the usual rules given 
  in the Heroic Phase section below. 
   
  In all cases, a captured or incapacitated General 
  can no longer lead the force, which will have 
  disastrous effects on its Morale (see below), unless 
  a second-in-command takes the lead. Having no 
  General, Hordes are immune to this kind of disaster.  
   
  Any warrior player-character or major NPC with a 
  Leadership score of 2 or above can qualify as a 
  General or second-in-command. 
   
   
  Followers & Major NPCs 
   
  As Minor NPCs, personal followers and 
  retainers should be included in the % losses 
  determined in the Resolution Phase, according 
  to the usual rules of loss distributions. Thus, if a 
  player character fights with his followers and 
  their side suffers 20% losses, these losses will 
  also include 20% of the character’s followers 
  (which will have no effect if his followers are 
  less than five, since all fractions are dropped 
  when calculating losses). 
   
  At the Maze Master’s discretion, the Battle 
  Wounds rule from the Heroic Phase may also 
  be used to determine the fate of major NPC 
  allies or foes (including Generals who have 
  survived the previous phase).  
   
   
  Heroic Phase 
   
  This phase determines the fate of player-characters 
  participating in the battle.  
   
  Battle Wounds 
   
  Regardless of the outcome of a round, a character 
  who actively participates in a mass battle may be 
  injured. Simply compare the enemy army’s battle 
  roll to the character’s melee EDC, as if the battle roll 
  was an attack roll. If the roll is equal to or higher 
  than the character’s EDC, the character will lose 
  1D6 Hits. If the roll beats the character’s EDC by 10 
  or more, this battle damage is raised to 2D6 Hits.  
   
  Feats of Arms 
   
  As long as a player-character can fight, he may 
  accomplish feats of valor which may bring him Glory 
  (if he is a warrior) and which may even affect the 
  fate of the battle itself.  
   
  After the injuries have been recorded, roll 1D20 + 
  the character’s Melee modifier. If the total is equal to 
  or higher than the enemy army’s battle roll, the 
  character gains a number of Glory points equal to 
  20% (one-fifth) of the enemy army’s current 
  Strength. If the total beats the enemy army’s battle 
  roll by 10 or more, this Glory award is doubled and 
  the valorous deeds of the character even inspire his 
  side’s troops, boosting their Morale by +1.  
   
  Morale Phase  
   
  This phase only occurs if Morale checks need to be 
  made. Forces who have lost their General have an 
  effective Morale of 1. 
   
  A force which has lost more than 50% of its original 
  numbers (not Strength) must check Morale at the 
  end of every battle round. 
   
  
   
  43 
  Roll 1D10. If the result is equal to or less than the 
  force’s Morale score, the army holds fast; if the 
  result is higher than the force’s Morale, the force 
  routs and leaves the battlefield, suffering an extra 
  loss of 20% of its remaining troops in the process. 
   
  Having no Morale score, Hordes never need to 
  make Morale checks – but they will automatically 
  disband and rout if reduced to 20% (one-fifth) of 
  their original numbers. Animates never need to 
  make Morale checks and always fight to the “death”. 
   
  Retreat Phase 
   
  At the end of a battle round, the General of an army 
  may decide to Retreat. This requires an extra 
  Morale check, resolved according to the usual rules 
  (see Morale Phase above).  
   
  A successful check allows the force to withdraw 
  from the field without suffering significant extra 
  losses, while a failed check means the troops rout, 
  leaving the battlefield in complete panic, suffering 
  20% extra losses in the process.  
   
  In both cases, troops which have retreated or routed 
  are out of the battle and may not be reassigned to 
  the reserve : if no reserve troops are available, the 
  army is defeated and the battle is over. 
   
  Sieges 
   
  Sieges are resolved in a slightly different way : each 
  battle round represents one day (instead of one 
  hour) and all losses are divided by 5. 
   
  The defenders receive a +2 position bonus (for 
  defending behind walls); this bonus may be raised 
  to +3 or even +4 if the fortifications are especially 
  impregnable. The attackers may receive a similar +2 
  to +4 tactical bonus if they are using siege engines 
  (ballistas, catapults etc) but it should be noted that 
  such machines are a rarity in most M&M worlds. 
   
  When a besieged army has used all its food and 
  water provisions, it becomes Seriously Fatigued and 
  loses a cumulative 5% of its troops for each day 
  gone by without food and water after the first (5%, 
  then 10%, then 15% etc). Lastly, defenders in a 
  siege cannot try to retreat  and “rout” results must 
  be interpreted as surrendering the city to the enemy. 
   
   
   
   
  2007 Edition Comments 
   
  The Warfare Rules 
   
  According to most reliable accounts, these mass 
  combat rules were added to the Companion in the 
  final stages of its development – which explains 
  why they are presented as an Appendix rather 
  than as a normal, regular chapter. They are 
  actually a heavily-revised and greatly simplified 
  version of a system written by Luke G. Reynards 
  for his famous Twists in the Maze column in the 
  Griffin. Here are the opening words of the original 
  article, in Luke’s own, inimitable voice : 
   
  “So, you are tired of mazes. As a kid, you kept 
  dreaming of honor on the battlefield while reading 
  the Iliad and you just finished watching Bakshi’s 
  animated version of “Lords of Troy”. However 
  Bakshi’s version sucked (we can only hope for 
  something better in the future) LOTR really struck 
  a chord and you are just dying to bring the clash 
  of battle to your M&M games.” 
   
  And indeed, these rules were welcomed by the 
  M&M community... but they also gave all those 
  ex-Wargamist columnists and critics, who had 
  always hated M&M, a new reason to rant and 
  rave at conventions or even in the Letters column 
  of Griffin about How & Why M&M Was a Disgrace 
  to Simulation Gaming. Here is a small florilegium : 
   
  “You call this a mass combat system ?  Well, we 
  all know that, to quote your own words, “M&M is 
  not a wargame” so you should really have spared 
  yourselves the ridicule from publishing THIS.” 
   
  “Where are the rules for formation changes ? 
  Facing ?  Siege engines ? Slingers ?” 
   
  “The degree of randomness and simplification 
  found in these rules simply makes them irrelevant 
  as tactical simulation rules – and is that not what 
  mass combat systems are all about ?” 
   
  “It would have been a far better idea to design a 
  conversion system allowing gamers to use M&M 
  creatures and characters with a real, serious 
  wargame about ancient warfare, such as ‘Hoplite 
  Phalanx’, ‘Battles of Alexander’ or ‘Trojan War’. 
  Don’t you people ever play wargames ?”  
   
  “Lastly : where are the bloody NAVAL COMBAT 
  rules ?  As if your ludicrous sailing rules were not 
  enough !  What do you folks have against ships ?” 
   
  Editor’s Closing Words 
   
  Uh, last page, already ?  Well, that’s all, folks... for 
  now ! Stay tuned for more free M&M goodness 
  coming very soon from Legendary Games Studio, 
  including some never-published-before material !  
   
  A hearty Minotaurian salute to you all ! 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Mazes & Minotaurs (osr) [multi]/2nd edition (1987)/Mazes & Minotaurs 2e Companion.pdf