TEXT: PDQ 
  (PDQ#)
  Atomic Sock Monkey Press
  ©2008 Chad Underkoffler
  
  2 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Contents
  PDQ# Basics  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  3
  PDQ# Master Chart  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3
  PDQ# Characters .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  4
  Elements of a PDQ# Character  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Fortes  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  4
  Common Swashbuckling Fortes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Forte Ranks  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
  Swashbuckling Forte  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Foibles  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Common Swashbuckling Foibles   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Player-Initiated vs . GM-Initiated Foibles  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
  Techniques  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  Types of Techniques .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  6
  Stacking Techniques  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
  What Sort of Technique is “Laughing,  
  then Jumping Off of Something”?  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Common PDQ# Fortes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Acrobatics  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  Aristocrat   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  No Average [0] Aristos? .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  7
  Fencing .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  7
  Fencing: the Gentle Art of Slashing & Skewering .   .   .   .  7
  PCs without Fencing? .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  7
  Minions .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  8
  Motivation: [X]  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Fiddly Bits: Multiple Motivations?  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Past: [X] .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  8
  Repartee  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8
  Sidekick  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
  Wealthy .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  9
  Style Dice  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .10
  Bowl vs . Box  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .10
  Every Session  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .10
  GMing Style Dice .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .11
  Behind the Curtain: Hoarding Style Dice .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .11
  Good Form vs . Bad Form (Gaining Style Dice) .   .   .   .   .   .11
  PDQ# Acclaim .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .12
  Social Awards (Box)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Affected By Foible (Box)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Good Form (Bowl)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Feeding the Plot (Bowl) .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .12
  Vexing Misfortune (Box)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Win a Flashy Challenge (Box)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Changing the Odds (Using Style Dice)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .12
  Be Impressive   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .13
  Catch Your Second Wind  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .13
  Create the World  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .13
  Temporary Gear & Temporary Wealth Rewards .   .   .   .   .14
  Good Form Gifting .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .14
  Training Points  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Gaining Training Points .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .14
  Using Training Points  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Increasing a Forte Rank .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .14
  Purchasing a New Forte  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .14
  Purchasing a New Foible .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .14
  Purchasing a New Technique  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15
  Character Generation: Build an Adventurer  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15
  Name  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15
  Core PDQ# Elements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .15
  Fiddly Bits: Swashbuckling Forte .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .16
  Four Additional Fortes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .16
  Fiddly Bits:  Breaking Additional Fortes .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .16
  Spend 5 Technique Points to Purchase Techniques  .  .16
  Style Dice & Training Points  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .16
  Miscellany  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .16
  Justifying Why the PCs are Together   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .16
  Example Character 1: “Xavier” (Xavia)  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .17
  Example Character 2: “The Raven”  
  (Edward the Yeoman)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .17
  Challenges & Duels  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  Time, Range, and Speed  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .18
  Challenges .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .18
  Social Challenges  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19
  Difficulty Ranks .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .19
  Challenge Results  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19
  Advice: Ellipses  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .19
  Narration of Failure & Success?  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .20
  Using Multiple Fortes for Tasks  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .20
  Flashy Challenges  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .20
  Duels 21
  Duel Opponents  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21
  Minions & Minion Squads  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .21
  The Element of Surprise!  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .22
  The Duel Itself   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .22
  Engage Foes .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .22
  Divvy Duel Dice  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .22
  The Charge  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .23
  The Clash of Steel  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .23
  PCs Ganging Up  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .23
  The Touch  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .24
  Volte-face  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .24
  Fiddly Bits: Extra Duel Tweaks .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .25
  Damage  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .25
  The Key to Understanding PDQ# Damage .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .26
  Failure Ranks  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .26
  Wound Ranks  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .26
  Zeroing Out  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .26
  Mostly Dead .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .27
  Coup de Grace  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Recovering from Damage  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Failure Rank Recovery   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Wound Rank Recovery  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Mostly Dead Recovery  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Story Hooks  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .27
  Setting the Dials  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  Aesthetics  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  The Breadth of Forte Penumbras .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .28
  Bringing a Musket to a Swordfight   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  Justify Why PCs are Together?   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .28
  The Purposes of Poison .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .28
  What’s in S7S? .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .28
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  3 
  PDQ# Basics
  PDQ#’s core design concept pits a character’s Fortes 
  (called Qualities in other PDQ games) against Difficulty 
  Ranks. Fortes are a measure of story-effectiveness 
  rather than reality simulation and summarize a range of 
  attributes, advantages, merits, skills, special equipment or 
  relationships.
  The PDQ# Master Chart (see below) is the foundation 
  of PDQ#. When attempting a task, players roll dice plus the 
  Modifier (MOD) from the Rank of the relevant Forte. To 
  succeed, they must beat the Target Number (TN), provided 
  by either the Difficulty Rank of a task or the result of an 
  opposing roll by another character.
  NOTE - A number of elements found in the free PDQ 
  Core Rules download, Dead Inside, Truth & Justice, 
  and The Zorcerer of Zo do not appear here, some have 
  been radically altered, and all new elements have 
  been added to PDQ#. The PDQ# system appearing 
  here is a simplified version of the underlying rules for 
  Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies.
  A free download of PDQ# can be found at 
  http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com/freebies.asp
  PDQ# Master Chart
  Level
  As Forte Rank
  Modifier to roll
  As Difficulty Rank
  Target Number
  Poor
  Notably Inept. 
  -2
  A trivial task.
  5
  Average
  Typical human 
  capability.
  0
  Straightforward task.
  7
  Good
  Better than usual; 
  most professionals or 
  talented newcomers. 
  +2
  Complex task, requiring 
  attention to detail.
  9
  Expert
  Noted/famed profes-
  sional; talent with 
  skill to back it up.
  +4
  Intricate task, difficult and requiring 
  sharp concentration, hard for a 
  typical untrained person (Average).
  11
  Master
  Acclaimed genius: 
  talent with substantial 
  skill behind it.
  +6
  Extremely difficult task, 
  hard for most professionals 
  in the field (Good).
  13
  Impressive
  —
  —
  Ridiculously difficult task, hard 
  for most skilled and experienced 
  professionals in the field (Expert).
  15
  Intimidating
  —
  —
  Ludicrously difficult task, one 
  in a million shot, hard for 
  most Masters of the field.
  17
  Impossible
  —
  —
  Even Masters of the field cannot 
  regularly accomplish this task.
  19
  Inconceivable!
  —
  —
  The difficulty of this task 
  beggars the imagination!
  21+
  
  4 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Fortes
  A Forte is a noteworthy talent, skill, relationship, or 
  resource of a character. It is an inherently positive aspect; 
  a strong point. A Forte represents a broad skill, field of 
  knowledge, unique perspective, personality trait, special 
  gift, or social connection. (Any relevant gear needed to 
  properly take advantage of a Forte, like lockpicks for a 
  Thief or a sword for a Musketeer, are assumed.)
  If a particular Forte is relevant at all to an action or topic, 
  the character may apply it when attempting that action or 
  understanding that topic. This is called the penumbra (or 
  “shadow”) of the Forte. Therefore, a player shouldn’t pick 
  Fortes that are too narrow or its penumbra will be too 
  narrow; too broad, and identifying the sorts of things that 
  should fall under the penumbra becomes pointless. Proper 
  word choice is key. The parameters for what’s “too broad” 
  or “too narrow” are up to the individual GM.
  Consider a character who has the Forte of “Pirate.” 
  The penumbra of Pirate probably contains such things 
  PDQ# Characters
  Elements of a PDQ# Character
  as sailing, maritime crime, connections to other pirates, 
  knowing pirate stories, fighting (especially on a ship), 
  evaluating the worth of booty, intimidation, that sort of 
  thing. (See also Setting the Dials, p. 28.)
  IMPORTANT NOTE—If a PC wants to be particularly 
  better at some Forte that might normally fall under 
  the penumbra of another Forte—for example, taking 
  “Musketeer” and “Fencing” separately—that is 
  perfectly okay, provided that the player realizes that 
  in exchange for the benefit of being able to use both 
  Fortes at the same time (adding the MODs together; 
  see p. 20) when they get into a scuffle, this character 
  generation choice limits the total breadth of what 
  the character can do.
  Common Swashbuckling Fortes
  Acrobatics, 
  Brawling, 
  Courtesy, 
  Fencing, 
  Firearms, 
  Highwayman, Horsemanship, Knows the King, Musketeer, 
  Pirate, Prankster, Repartee, Servant/Sidekick, Strong, 
  Wealthy .
  Forte Ranks
  Fortes have Ranks that indicate increasing levels 
  of proficiency (see also the PDQ# Master Chart).  The 
  numbers in square brackets following the Rank of the 
  Forte show the Rank’s Modifier (or MOD)—how much is 
  added to or subtracted from a 2d6 dice roll for resolving a 
  Challenge (see p. 18) or from a 3d6 dice roll for a Duel (see 
  p. 21). 
  IMPORTANT NOTE—At everything else, characters 
  are neither noteworthy nor inept—that is, they’re 
  Average [0]. They can attempt a 2d6 roll for any task, 
  knowledge, or skill that is not specifically secret, 
  technical, or esoteric. That is, while any character can 
  look for the secret door in the library, it’s doubtful 
  they’ll be able to successfully decode the encrypted 
  battle-orders for the Musketeer regiment without at 
  least one espionage or military Forte.
  Fortes also absorb damage (see p. 25).
  During character generation, players choose several 
  Fortes to describe their characters. Never fear: if after play 
  begins, a particular Forte sees no use and doesn’t really add 
  to the characterization of a PC, the player and the GM can 
  work together change it to something that fits better.
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  5 
  Swashbuckling Forte
  Every PDQ# character has a particular swashbuckling 
  specialty: some characters swashbuckle with swords, 
  others with repartee, skullduggery, or sailing. A character’s 
  Swashbuckling Forte is the thing that they they astound 
  with, granting them a wider range of abilities in that Forte.
  Any Forte can be a Swashbuckling Forte, but a character 
  can only have one Swashbuckling Forte. (Further, by 
  choosing a Swashbuckling Forte the PC helps the GM 
  tailor his adventures to the PC’s tastes.) 
  A character gets a discount on purchasing Techniques 
  (see p. 6) chained to their Swashbuckling Forte, both during 
  character generation and later advancement after play.
  Foibles
  A Foible is a failing or feature that presents opportunities 
  for interesting failure. It is an inherent negative aspect of the 
  character; a weak point stemming from ignorance, flawed 
  understanding, physical or mental incapability, recurring 
  duty(s), a particular penchant for trouble, or some other 
  vulnerability. (Sometimes, a Foible gives a better idea of a 
  character’s motivation than Motivation itself; see p. 8!)
  Players should pick a word or phrase that describes 
  something that will be fun or entertaining to deal with 
  during play. A recurring cabal of villains, an uncomfortable 
  situation, or an activity that the character just regularly 
  flubs are all possible Foibles. 
  Foibles are unranked—they do not add to rolls or absorb 
  damage (see p. 25). They serve as constant Story Hooks (see 
  p. 27) for characters. When a Foible comes directly into 
  play, the PC gets Style Dice (see p. 10).
  Common Swashbuckling Foibles 
  Drunkard, Enemy of the Crown, Greedy, Honorable, Loyal 
  to the Crown, Naïve, Perfect Gentleman, Poverty, Proud, 
  Secret Identity, True Love, Unrequited Love .
  IMPORTANT NOTE—If a player makes his character’s 
  Foible and Motivation (see p. 8) the same thing—say, 
  True Love—then those aspects will be a constant 
  presence in his adventures. True Love will cause them 
  trouble, but will also give them the strength to win 
  through. This can be very fun, but limits the sorts of 
  things that will happen to a character: their life will 
  ultimately revolve around True Love.
  NOTE—If a Foible ever needs to be rolled against (for a 
  Challenge situation), treat it as a Poor [-2] Rank Forte. 
  However, it still cannot absorb damage (see p. 25).
  Player-Initiated vs. GM-Initiated Foibles
  A character’s Foible can come directly into game-play in 
  two ways:
  1 . The player specifically plays to the Foible, allowing it to 
  dictate their responses to a situation; or
  2 . The GM tries to activate the Foible, reminding the player 
  that the character has that particular flaw .
  In the first case, the player can and should remind the 
  GM when playing to his or her Foible, earning a Style Die 
  for good roleplaying . In the second case, the player can 
  always refuse to go along with the GM’s attempt  .  . he or 
  she just doesn’t get the Style Die . In those cases, the GM 
  can escalate, sweetening the pot with multiple Style Dice 
  and making it a better offer . The player can always refuse, 
  of course .
  Activating a Foible is all about good characterization and 
  putting complicated situations and difficult choices in the 
  character’s path -- not about hosing the character, and not 
  about forcing a single direction or behavior for the player 
  to follow . It’s about giving the character—and player—a 
  chance to act non-optimally (but in-character) in a situation 
  for a later benefit .
  
  6 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Techniques
  A Technique is a bit of inherent nature, training, or 
  background that provides a bonus or benefit in specific, 
  relevant situations. It’s a bit of recurring style or flair of the 
  character. 
  IMPORTANT NOTE—If a PC wants to be particularly 
  better at some particular aspects of a Forte with a very 
  broad penumbra—for example, chaining “Situation: 
  While Fencing” or “Vs.: the Cardinal’s Men” to the 
  “Musketeer” Forte is perfectly okay, because that is 
  providing differentiation between the character’s 
  general strengths compared to other Musketeers. 
  Then again, the character could take all Fencing-
  related Techniques on his Musketeer Forte, making him a 
  specialist in fencing. That’s fine too.
  However, taking “Situation: While Fencing” as a 
  Technique of the “Fencing” Forte is just Bad Form (see 
  p. 11).
  When used in a Scene, a Technique can have one of 
  two effects: 
  Roll & Keep:
   
  ɶ
   When rolling, each Technique that 
  comes into play allows an extra die to be rolled. The 
  character then keeps the best 2 dice for Challenges 
  or 3 dice for Duels and discards any other dice; or
  Flat Bonus:
   
  ɶ
   Each Technique that comes into play 
  allows a +1 to the roll result per Technique used. 
  NOTE—Techniques are functionally the same as the Be 
  Impressive use of Style Dice (see p. 13).
  Each Technique can only be used once per Turn within 
  a Scene, but multiple Techniques can be used at the same 
  time. They can be used before a roll if a character wants 
  to pull them in explicitly when doing an action, or after 
  a roll when a character realizes that he has a Technique 
  that covers the situation. (It’s up to the player whether they 
  want to roll an extra die and assemble a better roll total 
  from the dice they can keep, or just take the flat +1. The flat 
  +1 usage of a Technique can be used to boost a roll total 
  after the character has already succeeded.)
  Techniques are unranked; this means they do not absorb 
  damage (see p. 25). They appear on the character sheet in 
  parentheses.
  If a Technique must be used with a specific Forte, it is a 
  chained Technique, and is usually listed on the character 
  sheet near the Forte in question. Most Techniques are 
  chained Techniques. An unchained Technique can be used 
  with any Forte. 
  Unchained Fortes are more “expensive” to purchase 
  and have a wider scope than most Techniques. Chained 
  Techniques are “cheaper” and are related to a specific 
  Forte. Techniques chained to a character’s Swashbuckling 
  Forte are cheapest of all.
  Types of Techniques
  There are five main types of Techniques:
  Idiom
   
  ɶ
  : Idiom is the “style” or “flavor” of the action 
  undertaken. If the player describes their character’s 
  actions and reactions according to their Idiom, 
  they get a bonus. Examples: Acrobatic, Calculating, 
  Drunken, Pedantic, Fierce, Languid, Sarcastic, 
  Precise. 
  Location/Situation
   
  ɶ
  : Some Techniques give a 
  bonus in particular situations or places. Examples: 
  City Streets, Bars & Taverns, At Court, Mounted, In 
  Masked Identity, Shipboard, On Cluttered Ground, 
  Under the Orders of a Superior, Kitchens, In Total 
  Darkness, While Wounded, With a Partner.
  Maneuver
   
  ɶ
  : Some Techniques give a bonus in 
  using a specific type of tactic, method, or stratagem. 
  Examples: Convince, Dodge, Research, Parry, 
  Specializes in Silken Goods, Lie, Throw.
  Foes(s) 
   
  ɶ
  or vs. [X]: Some Techniques give a bonus 
  against preferred targets. Examples: vs. Aristocrats, 
  vs. Mounted Foes, vs. One’s Nemesis, vs. Soldiers, 
  vs. Enemies of the State.
  Tool 
   
  ɶ
  or Weapon: Some Techniques give a bonus in 
  using a specific weapon or tool. Examples: Rapier, 
  Crowbar, Cutlass, Saber, Lockpicks, Unarmed, 
  Dual/Paired Weapons, Prepared Speech, My 
  Father’s Forge, Found Objects/Scenery.
  Characters can mix and match Techniques—all 
  Locations, just Idioms, all Foes, or whatever. 
  Stacking Techniques
  When stacking Techniques, only one Idiom can be active at 
  any time . 
  Also, it is unlikely that many Techniques will align at one 
  time for a particular situation . However, if they do align, 
  characters should get all of the benefits!
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  7 
  What Sort of Technique is “Laughing, 
  then Jumping Off of Something”?
  That depends on how the player envisions it:
  If “LtJOoS” is seen as the character running around 
  always grinning and bouncing around like a crazed 
  monkey, that’s probably an Idiom (Think Douglas 
  Fairbanks, Sr . in the Mark of Zorro) .
  If “LtJOoS” is seen as the character striking a particular 
  pose for great effect, that’s probably a Maneuver (Think 
  Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood) .
  Common PDQ# Fortes
  Below is a brief list of Fortes commonly found in 
  swashbuckling games. Bold indicates that the Forte is Core 
  for PDQ#. At the GM’s option, some of the Fortes listed 
  below might be contained within another’s penumbra (like 
  Acrobatics for Pirate, or Wealth for Aristocrat, Repartee 
  for Musketeer, etc.; see Setting the Dials, p. 28).
  Acrobatics
  Swinging on chandeliers, climbing down a rocky 
  crevasse, hanging by one hand off a high balcony, leaping 
  over tables, scaling a castle wall—Acrobatics (also called 
  Athletics) is the Forte that lets you do it all. 
  Aristocrat
  The Aristocrat Forte indicates good breeding, the 
  knowledge of good manners, and a certain degree of 
  status, wealth, property, political baggage (duties to liege 
  and vassals, connections to other aristocrats), and savior-
  faire. Aristocrat characters should strongly consider also 
  taking Minions (see p. 8) and/or a Sidekick (see p. 9). 
  No Average [0] Aristos?
  A character can take Average [0] Aristocrat, with the proviso 
  that they (or their families) are of gentle birth, but limited 
  means and/or title . If one wishes to play a disgraced, poor, 
  provincial, or otherwise looked down upon by the rest of 
  the noble class, taking Aristocrat as a Foible is an acceptable 
  option . However, the PC should be prepared for a lot of 
  sneering comments and treatment that is, at times, worse 
  than that dished out to the peasantry!
  Fencing
  Fencing is a martial art, much more refined and potent 
  than the simple “hack and block” of the common ruffian 
  or soldier. Fencing also includes knowledge of fencing 
  weaponry and various dueling traditions, as well as social 
  connections and status with other fencers. It covers all 
  sorts of swashbuckling combat—not just formal duels.
  See also The Duel, p. 21.
  Fencing: the Gentle Art  
  of Slashing & Skewering
  Fencing is the sine qua non of swashbuckling adventure; 
  many characters will take it as their Swashbuckling Forte . 
  Fencing is what separates swashbuckling heroes—and 
  villains!—from the typical Guardsman, Pirate, or Merry 
  Man: the cheap  Techniques granted from a Swashbuckling 
  Forte makes them devastating with a blade .
  PCs without Fencing?
  Player characters who do not take Fencing (directly, or 
  effectively via another Forte like Musketeer) will suffer a 
  disadvantage when it comes to sword-fighting Duels (see 
  p . 21), as they will be using an effective Average [0] Forte 
  to do so . That may be totally okay, depending upon the 
  character conception and the thrust of the campaign . 
  However, it is generally a good idea for a PC in a PDQ# game 
  to have some access to Fencing in one of their Fortes .
  
  8 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Minions
  The character has a number of henchmen or followers 
  to carry out his orders. These might be crewmembers, 
  guardsmen, liveried servants, or employees. The TN of the 
  Forte Rank gives the total number of Minions the character 
  possesses. 
  Minions each have a Name and one Forte at Good 
  [+2] Rank. The GM will design and play these Minions as 
  NPCs. When the character gives an order to his Minions 
  to carry out, the GM will determine a Difficulty Rank for 
  the command. The character then rolls 2d6, plus the MOD 
  of his Minion Forte, to determine how well the Minions 
  follow their edict.
  See also Sidekick (p. 9), and Minion Squads (p. 21).
  Motivation: [X]
  Motivation is a special Forte representing the most 
  important drive or goal of a character. Players should come 
  up with a single word or phrase that explains the seed of 
  their character’s underlying ambition. If a situation or task 
  directly involves the character’s pursuit of their Motivation 
  (and the GM agrees), it can be used in addition to any 
  other Fortes relevant that task. 
  SPECIAL RULE: If a character is involved in a situation 
  that is “the point” of their Motivation—meeting the 
  character they have sworn revenge upon, or hard on 
  accomplishing their overall goal—they can “burn” their 
  Motivation to get a bonus of double their Motivation 
  MOD throughout the duration of that Scene. However, 
  win or lose, the character must then discard and change 
  their Motivation to something else!
  The seven basic swashbuckling Motivations are Freedom, 
  Honor, Power, Revenge, Romance, Status, and Wealth. 
  (Often these are more specific, like Revenge on Marquis 
  Dupree or Find a True Love.) However, players shouldn’t be 
  limited to these—other goals and principles are perfectly 
  fine. Examples could include Get Married to Prince Viktor, 
  Buy Back the Family Farm, Find My Long-Lost Father, and 
  so on.
  See the IMPORTANT NOTE under Foible (p. 5) 
  about making a character’s Foible and Motivation the 
  same thing.
  Motivation is one of the Core Elements of a Character.
  Fiddly Bits: Multiple Motivations?
  Can my character have multiple Motivations?
  Sure! A character who purchases multiple Motivations in 
  character generation has several issues or situations spur 
  them on to great deeds .  .  . and great internal conflicts . 
  (Also, a GM that doesn’t force a character with multiple 
  Motivations to choose between them in a difficult Scene is 
  missing a trick!)
  Past: [X]
  The Past Forte represents the character’s skills and 
  knowledge gained before the start of play. This could 
  include what he or his family did for a living while he was 
  growing up, a horrific event in his youth, or a profession 
  that the character has formerly held. Useful Pasts include 
  Disgraced Noble, Ex-Pirate, Farmboy, and Former 
  Seminarian. 
  Past: [X] is one of the Core Elements of a Character.
  Repartee
  Not just the knack of witty badinage, Repartee is also 
  the skill of public speaking, rhetoric, and oratory. It can 
  be useful in any situation, not simply social or political 
  contexts. It can definitely be used in business or professional 
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  9 
  situations (such as haggling over a price), or even combat! 
  Combining Repartee with another Forte (see Using 
  Multiple Fortes for Tasks, p. 20) is always appropriate.
  Sidekick
  A Sidekick is a named NPC who serves the PC in some 
  regard —as valet, chauffer, bodyguard, etc.; especially-
  intelligent animals like horses, dogs, or wolves can also be 
  Sidekicks. 
  While ultimately controlled by the PC’s player, Sidekicks 
  are often more entertaining when another player or the 
  GM portrays the Sidekick’s responses to their master’s 
  orders. 
  The GM can take over playing a Sidekick at any time. If 
  this usurpation of control from the player is truly negative 
  or dangerous in a situation, this counts as an instance of 
  Vexing Misfortune (see below, p. 12), and the character 
  gains 3 Style Dice. 
  Sidekicks can earn Style Dice (see p. 10), which go to 
  the player of their master, but they do not earn Training 
  Points (see p. 14)—for themselves or their controlling 
  PC. PCs can spend Style Dice or Training Points on their 
  Sidekicks’ behalf, however, to improve a Sidekick’s Fortes 
  and Techniques).
  If a Sidekick is captured or incapacitated during the 
  course of a session, this is effectively a Vexing Misfortune 
  (see p. 12) to the controlling PC, and the PC receives 
  3 Style Dice. If the Sidekick is killed during the course of 
  the session the player may select a new Forte of the same 
  Rank for their character at the end of the session. 
  Types of Sidekicks can include:
  Bondsman/Friend: Name, Foible, a Forte at the Rank 
  that the PC used to add Sidekick to his sheet (or Fortes; for 
  example, an Expert [+4] Sidekick could have an Expert [+4] 
  Forte or two Good [+2] Fortes), plus an extra Good [+2] 
  Forte, an Average [0] Forte, and 2 chained Techniques.
  Example: (Good [+2] Sidekick) Oded, Foible: Gambler, 
  Good [+2] Valet, Good [+2] Charming, Average [0] Brawling, 
  Technique: Dress the Master for Court (with Valet), and 
  Technique: An Eye for Cooks (with Charming) .
  Pet/Mount: Name, a Foible, a Good [+2] (Animal) 
  Forte, plus a Forte at the Rank that the PC used to add 
  Sidekick to his sheet (or Fortes; for example, an Expert [+4] 
  Sidekick could have an Expert [+4] Forte or two Good [+2] 
  Fortes), an Average [0] Forte, and 2 chained Techniques.
  Example: (Good [+2] Sidekick) Thunderbolt, Foible: 
  Stubborn, Good [+2] Horse, Good [+2] Fast, Average [0] 
  Knows the Way, Technique: War-Trained (with Horse), and 
  Technique: Sprint (with Fast) .
  Wealthy
  While a PDQ# character is assumed to have enough 
  resources (based on their Fortes) to live adequately, there’s 
  nothing like simply being Wealthy. Wealthy means that 
  a character is rich “enough” at his Rank to comfortably 
  maintain that Rank, even with plenty of expenses. 
  However, a character’s Wealthy status has an inherent 
  Foible: Can Be Exhausted if Squandered. During a 
  session, a character can use his Wealthy Forte to purchase 
  something beyond his means (i.e., valued at the next higher 
  Rank) or two things that push his means (i.e., valued at the 
  same Rank as Wealthy). If the character either purchases 
  something behind his means once or purchases two things 
  that push his means, the character’s Wealthy Forte is 
  permanently reduced by one Rank. (Permanent increases 
  in Rank are handled through the use of Training Points, see 
  p. 14.)
  See also Temporary Wealth, p. 14.
  
  10 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Style Dice
  Style Dice represent the heroic energy, fortune, 
  indomitable will, and plucky attitude that makes a 
  swashbuckling character larger-than-life. By using Style 
  Dice, characters can shift the odds in their favor, get up 
  when a normal person would be down for the count, 
  temporarily surpass their limitations, and persevere 
  through adversity. 
  The basic use of Style Dice is to add bonus dice to a 
  character’s rolls, which they can then pick through for 
  the highest roll total amongst the dice they can keep: 2 
  dice for Challenges (see p. 18) and 3 dice for Duels (see 
  p. 21). These are in addition to any bonus dice given for 
  using appropriate Techniques (see p. 6).  Furthermore, the 
  character with the most Style Dice in front of them wins 
  Initiative. 
  All earned Style Dice “go away” at the end of a session, 
  so players should use them or lose them!
  NOTE—It’s recommended that GMs use a different 
  color and/or size of dice to represent Style Dice, so that 
  there’s no confusion for players between their Style 
  Dice and the dice they usually roll for tasks. GMs may 
  need a big supply of dice to provide their players with 
  plenty of Style Dice. Luckily, blocks of dice can be found 
  fairly inexpensively in your friendly local game store.
  A group could also use Poker chips, pennies, or 
  matchsticks to represent Style Dice, if they don’t already 
  have a lot of dice.
  Bowl vs. Box
  The GM has two sources of Style Dice to award to 
  players: the Bowl and the Box. 
  The Bowl is all of the dice the GM can assign as he/she 
  desires—the Bowl is the repository of player style.  The 
  Bowl starts a session with a number of dice equal to twice 
  the number of players (including the GM).
  The Box contains all of the dice that come into play due 
  to other game mechanics.
  NOTE - The GM uses his own, personal Style Dice for all 
  NPCs (however, some NPCs may have a “set” number of 
  Style Dice that they start play with, which is in addition 
  to the GM’s Style Dice.)
  Every Session
  At the beginning of each session, the GM should give 
  out Style Dice awards for pre-play social issues (all of these 
  come from the Box): 
  Showing Up: Just for showing up for the session, every 
  PC gets a Style Die.
  Hosting: If the player is hosting the session in their 
  home, they get an extra Style Die.
  Providing Snacks and/or Beverages: If the player 
  has brought snacks or delicious beverages, they get 
  an extra Style Die. 
  Loaning Materials: If a player loans a pen, paper, or 
  dice to another player, they get an extra Style Die.
  Outside Awesomeness: If a player has produced 
  outside material (artwork, handouts, short stories, 
  placed material on a PDQ# wiki, made an Actual 
  Play post to a message-board, etc.) since the last 
  session and they make the GM aware of this, they get 
  an extra Style Die.
  At a minimum, all players should get at least 1 Style 
  Die for showing up to play. Everything else is up to them. 
  (The GM counts as a player here—if the GM is hosting the 
  session, he or she gets an extra Style Die added to the pool 
  in front of them—see textbox.)
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  11 
  GMing Style Dice
  When the GM has dice in the Bowl (or in front of him), he 
  can say “Good Form” like any other player and hand over 
  Style Dice . But when that pool is exhausted, he’s limited 
  to saying “Indeed, Good Form!” and handing out dice that 
  come out of the Box . (See the PDQ# Acclaim textbox on 
  p . 12 for more details .)
  GMs are advised to pump most of their Bowl dice into the 
  PC Style Dice economy as soon as possible—not just to set 
  the tone, but also to encourage the players to use or gift 
  them .
  After the GM has run out of Style Dice from the Bowl, there 
  is only one thing that moves Style Dice from the Box the 
  Bowl: Good Form Gifting . (Mechanical effects—like a Foible 
  coming into play, a Vexing Misfortune, or winning a Flashy 
  Challenge—grant Style Dice directly to a player .) After 
  a player has done Good Form Gifting, the GM can add an 
  additional Style Die from the Box to the Bowl (or, in extreme 
  cases, one to the Bowl and one directly to the stylish player) 
  with an “Indeed, Good Form!”, thus increasing the total 
  number of Style Dice in play .
  If PCs wish to use their Style Dice to Good Form Gift the 
  GM, the GM should take the dice, place them in front of 
  themselves, and immediately note down that the players 
  wish more of whatever the hell just happened!
  Behind the Curtain: Hoarding Style Dice
  Some folks may be worried about players hoarding Style 
  Dice . Do not worry .
  Once the trickle of players using or gifting Style Dice starts, 
  it usually turns into a flood . The simple reminder that all 
  Style Dice go away at the end of a session (“use ‘em or lose 
  ‘em) is usually enough to trigger the players into saying 
  “why not?”
  Good Form vs. Bad Form 
  (Gaining Style Dice)
  Every action a PDQ# character takes is an opportunity 
  to be stylish. While Justice may be blind, Luck is a people-
  watcher. 
  The key to doing well is showing Good Form. Good 
  Form is a combination of sportsmanship, justice, wit, and 
  panache. Any action that shows flair, courage, audacity 
  (especially in the face of a significant risk or failure), or 
  good roleplaying is potentially Good Form. 
  Whenever a character acts heroically or stylishly, the 
  GM (or even the other players!—see Good Form Gifting, 
  p. 14) should give him a Style Die. GMs should award Style 
  Dice immediately after the heroic or stylish action.
  There are other ways that a character can gain Style 
  Dice: Social Awards, being Affected by one of their Foibles, 
  having Vexing Misfortune happen to them, or Feeding the 
  Plot. (See also the textbox on p. 14, Temporary Gear & 
  Temporary Wealth Rewards.)
  NOTE - Style Dice can be earned by a character for a 
  task even if the character is already using Style Dice to 
  perform that task.
  Bad Form, on the other hand, is taking undue advantage 
  of one’s momentary situation, or acting cravenly, 
  villainously, or (frankly) boringly. Biting the hand that 
  feeds you, deceiving the innocent, creating needless 
  mayhem or suffering, betraying a friend, breaking a truce, 
  rubbing salt in a wound, flaunting one’s power, killing a 
  helpless enemy—all are Bad Form. 
  Showing Bad Form does not deduct Style Dice. . . but 
  the other players and GM should feel free to cry out “Bad 
  Form!” when one of their fellows acts the cad. Within 
  the game, however, when a character starts showing Bad 
  Form… well, other characters are going to notice and take 
  that into account.
  NOTE—The character with the most Style Dice in front 
  of him wins Initiative in Duels (see p. 22).
  
  12 
  PDQ Sharp 
  PDQ# Acclaim
  PDQ# has a number of “ritual phrases” associated with Style 
  Dice, meant to enhance the play experience . All players can 
  say “Good Form!” or “Indeed, Good Form!” to another player 
  and hand over Style Dice to them (see Good Form Gifting, 
  p . 14) . “Well said!” or “Well done!” or “Zounds!” or even “By 
  the Dog!” can work . (“Good Form!” is the Musketeer version 
  of this ritual phrase . If playing a predominantly Pirate game, 
  “Yarr!” and “Indeed, Yarr!” are suggested . For Robin Hood/
  Zorro style campaigns, “Huzzah!” and “Indeed, Huzzah!” are 
  suggested .) 
  In terms of Creating the World (see p . 13), the GM could use 
  some ritual phrases to indicate to the players the Style Die 
  costs of taking hold of the narration . For example, say a PC 
  asks, “Is there a chandelier here?”
  “Certes, there is!”
   
  ɶ
   = Minor fact; no Style Die cost .
  “Is there?”
   
  ɶ
   = Significant fact; 1 Style Die cost .
  “I’m not sure...”
   
  ɶ
   = Major fact; 2 Style Dice cost .
  (Note that simply saying what is ends up being cheaper 
  than asking!)
  A good phrase for GMs to use to inject complications into a 
  player’s description of their successes and failures are “But 
  alas!...” or “Yet, unknown to all…”
  And, as always, groups can pick the ritual phrases they 
  prefer, or make their own ones up .
  Social Awards (Box)
  See Every Session (p. 10) above for the social issues that 
  give the session’s starting Style Dice. These dice come from 
  the Box.
  Affected By Foible (Box)
  If a situation comes up that triggers a character’s Foible 
  (say, a Sailor with Mute being questioned by a Musketeer, or 
  if a Rude character needs to talk nicely with the pompous 
  Baron of Erzay), they gain a Style Die. 
  If the player runs with the situation, making:
  A. His attempts to successfully get around the Foible; 
  or
  B. His portrayal of how incredibly bad the failure 
  caused by his Foible is; 
  … particularly impressive, dramatic, or entertaining, 
  he should gain an extra Style Die or two. These dice come 
  from the Box.
  Good Form (Bowl)
  +1 Style Die for acting heroically or stylishly. Good Form 
  rewards are for when the GM feels the player has described 
  their character’s actions suitably for the swashbuckling 
  genre. (See also the PDQ# Acclaim textbox, on this page.)
  Feeding the Plot (Bowl)
  When the player or character does something—
  even inadvertently—that advances the main plot of the 
  adventure (like accidentally starting a fire while escaping 
  a fortress’ dungeons, which just so happens to distract the 
  guard while an NPC army attacks); advances a subplot 
  (whether their own or someone else’s) (like connecting 
  one’s long-long brother to another character’s Motivation 
  of Revenge); or gives GM an idea for new plot twists, NPCs, 
  locations, or Scenes, the character gains a Style Die.
  Vexing Misfortune (Box)
  If the GM wants to have a Vexing Misfortune happen to a 
  PC that they cannot resist (for cliffhanging purposes, or to 
  place them into specific situations—dropping them down 
  an oubliette, taking away their favorite sword, capturing 
  them while asleep, framing them for stealing the Baroness 
  of Erzay’s diamond brooch or the like), the PC instantly 
  gains at least 3 Style Dice to ease the pain. (GMs should 
  probably not hit a character with Vexing Misfortune more 
  than twice a session—once is plenty!)
  Win a Flashy Challenge (Box)
  If a character wins a Flashy Challenge (see p. 20), they 
  gain a Style Die.
  Changing the Odds 
  (Using Style Dice)
  Style Dice can be used to change the odds in the hero’s 
  favor; recover from injuries; or add new material to the 
  situation, plot, or setting (see below). By burning Style 
  Dice, a player can make things go his character’s way. 
  Below is a suggested list of ways to Change the Odds, a 
  description of their effects, and their total cost (including 
  Style Dice). A PC may use any or all of his available Style 
  Dice. Style Dice can be used to Be Impressive, Catch 
  Your Second Wind, Create the World, or for Good Form 
  Gifting—and players are encouraged to come up with new 
  ways of using them as well.
  When spent, Style Dice go back to the Bowl.
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  13 
  Be Impressive 
   A character can spend Style Dice to Be Impressive, 
  adding Style Dice to the task’s pool of dice. He can also add 
  a Style Die to gain a flat bonus of +1. However, he can still 
  keep only 2 dice in Challenges and 3 dice in Duels.
  NOTE—Being Impressive functions the same as using 
  Techniques (see p. 6).
  Catch Your Second Wind
  To recapture his Second Wind, a character can spend 
  one Style Die to recover Ranks of damage (see p. 25). Roll 
  the die, and whatever comes up is the number of Ranks 
  recovered.
  Create the World
  Creating the World is the most flexible use of Style . 
  This lets the player (or players who pool their dice for a 
  joint creation) dictate new facts about the campaign 
  setting. There are several methods for Creating the World, 
  including:
  Dictate a Minor Fact 
   
  ɶ
  (0 dice): A minor fact is 
  really just local color, and has limited plot signif-
  icance. This includes things like “I frequent this 
  tavern, and they consider me a regular” or “Duke 
  Johannes loves tomato juice.”
  Dictate a Significant Fact 
   
  ɶ
  (1 die): A significant 
  fact is something with more impact on the course 
  of the game, like “I met the Empress once at a party, 
  and I swear she was flirting with me” or “I know a 
  guy who trades in smuggled wine.”
  Dictate a Major Fact 
   
  ɶ
  (2 dice): A major fact is 
  something with extreme relevance and importance 
  for the current events of the campaign, like “We’re 
  looking for a substantial amount of silk, right? 
  Well, it just so happens a ship with that cargo has 
  come into port…” or “This impregnable fortress 
  just happens to have a sewer entrance that is 
  unguarded.”
  Create a Named NPC
   
  ɶ
   (1 die):  By spending a Style 
  Die, a player can instantly create a new permanent, 
  recurring NPC that drops into the setting. “I greet 
  Herman, the bartender, and ask for the usual.” 
  While this sort of thing usually happens en passant 
  in a campaign, when a player spends a Style Die in 
  this way, he is telling the GM he wants Herman to 
  hang around and be important to his activities. This 
  is usually a prelude to…
  Giving a Named NPC Specific Fortes/
   
  ɶ
  Techniques (+1 die per Rank, starting at Average 
  [0]): By spending a Style Die, a player can grant a 
  new NPC Fortes and Techniques. For example, “I 
  ask Herman, since he has Good [+2] Criminal 
  Contacts (spend 2 Style Dice), about the Black 
  Mask…”
  Temporary Fame, Gear, Sidekick, or Wealth 
   
  ɶ
  (+1 die per Rank, starting at Average [0]): For 
  every Style Die spent, a character can pick up a 
  Temporary Forte of Reputation or Status (say, 
  from winning a footrace with a noted athlete or 
  receiving preferment at court), Gear (by purchasing 
  a new pistol), Sidekick (hiring a horse or servant), 
  or Wealth (from gambling winnings or adventure 
  trading; see also p. 14). Temporary Fortes like this 
  have the Can Be Stolen or Can be Squandered flaws 
  automatically, cannot absorb damage like other 
  Fortes, and disappear at the end of the session in 
  which they were purchased. 
  
  14 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Temporary Gear & Temporary 
  Wealth Rewards
  Temporary Gear and Temporary Wealth are great ways 
  to represent booty taken by pirates, adventure trading 
  profits, gambling winnings, gifts from patrons, spur-of-
  the-moment purchases, and interesting artifacts somehow 
  acquired by the PCs . GMs should feel free to offer Style Dice 
  awards in this form .
  Each Style Die can be traded in for a point of MOD 
  (minimum 1 for Average [0] Rank) Temporary Wealth . Thus, 
  4 Style Dice transformed into Temporary Wealth would be 
  Expert [+4] Temporary Wealth .
  But what does that mean? How is it represented in the 
  game setting?
  Temporary Gear is pretty straightforward: a Good [+2] 
  Temporary Gear Rank represents a well-crafted (Good) 
  sword .
  Temporary Wealth is where it gets interesting . Some players 
  may not be happy being told, “Oh, it’s an Expert [+4] Rank 
  amount of Temporary Wealth .” They want to know how 
  many coins (or pieces of jewelry) that is; how much value 
  they have .
  GMs can use the names of currency with these rough 
  amounts and explanations to help concretize what the 
  different Ranks of Temporary Wealth mean . (For this 
  example, let’s use ducats .)
  Average [0] Temporary Wealth: 50 ducats; enough to live 
  well for a month .
  Good [+2] Temporary Wealth: 500 ducats; enough to live 
  well for a year .
  Expert [+4] Temporary Wealth: 5,000 ducats; enough to 
  buy a small townhouse or majority ownership of a ship .
  Master [+6] Temporary Wealth: 50,000 ducats; enough to 
  buy an estate of middling size or a ship outright .
  An important consideration for GMs: do things purchased 
  with Temporary Wealth (say a house) also disappear at the 
  end of the session, or do the characters retain them for the 
  rest of the game? 
  Good Form Gifting
  See the PDQ# Acclaim textbox on p. 12 for more 
  details.
  Training Points
  Training Points are used for improving a character’s 
  abilities and adding new ones. 
  Gaining Training Points
  Since swashbuckling character tend to be pretty 
  impressive right from the get-go, they often don’t improve 
  much during the course of a campaign. Therefore, PDQ# 
  characters only earn Training Points when they fail at a 
  roll, be it in a Challenge or a Duel. 
  Depending upon how well the player narrates the 
  failure, a character could gain Training Points and Style 
  Dice simultaneously, provided the player takes the time to 
  describe the failure in a particularly flavorful way. (See also 
  Challenge Results, p. 19.) 
  GMs should keep track of Training Points earned by 
  each of the PCs, and announce them at the end of the 
  session. 
  Using Training Points
  Training Points can be used in several ways: Increasing 
  a Forte Rank, Purchasing New Fortes, Purchasing New 
  Foibles, or Purchasing New Techniques.
  Increasing a Forte Rank
  Spending 4 Training Points raises a Forte one Rank, 
  up to a maximum of Master [+6]. To raise Good [+2] 
  Housekeeping to Master [+6] Housekeeping would require 
  8 Training Points (4 Training Points to go from Good to 
  Expert and 4 more to go from Expert to Master).
  Purchasing a New Forte
  Spending 8 Training Points and creating a related Story 
  Hook (see p. 27) grants one new Forte at Good [+2] Rank. If 
  a character wished to learn Sailing, he would have to spend 
  8 Training Points and provide the GM with a relevant seed 
  for a future plot, subplot, or adventure tied to Sailing (“hey, 
  maybe I get shanghaied by the Imperial Navy...”).
  Purchasing a New Foible
  While Foibles can constrain a character’s actions 
  in-play, they are also a great method of generating Style 
  Dice. Spending 4 Training Points and having a good 
  explanation permits a character to gain one new Foible 
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  15 
  (“After spending so much time in the company of the 
  Princess, I have become more of a Gentleman”). 
  Purchasing a New Technique
  Training Points can also be used to purchase new 
  Techniques: Chained to Swashbuckling Forte (2 Training 
  Points), Chained to any other Forte (4 Training Points and 
  an explanation), and Unchained (6 Training Points and a 
  related Story Hook).
  Character Generation: 
  Build an Adventurer
  PDQ# allows you to play swashbuckling adventurers 
  who have extraordinary skills and potent drives, allowing 
  them to perform amazing feats of derring-do. 
  With luck, the GM and players have already discussed 
  what sort of campaign they want to play in, and talked 
  about Setting the Dials (see p. 28).
  A PDQ# character is made up of several elements: 
  My 
   
  ɶ
  Name?  They call me….
  I must confess, I’m known to have a 
   
  ɶ
  Foible or 
  two…
  My strongest desire, my greatest hope, my 
   
  ɶ
  Motivation (Good [+2] Forte) is…
  And my 
   
  ɶ
  Past (Good [+2] Forte), which has helped 
  make me what I am today, is ….
  You might say that my 
   
  ɶ
  Swashbuckling Forte 
  (Good [+2] Forte) is…
  Fortes
   
  ɶ
  ? Why yes—I’ve several! (4 additional Good 
  [+2] Ranks; can be used to improve existing Fortes)
  And 
   
  ɶ
  Techniques? Certes, monsieur! (5 Technique 
  “points”)
  Chained to Swashbuckling Forte = 1 point.
   
  ɶ
  Chained to another Forte = 2 points.
   
  ɶ
  Unchained to any Forte = 3 points.
   
  ɶ
  Style Dice 
   
  ɶ
  & Training Points: PDQ# characters 
  start with at least 1 Style Die and zero (0) Training 
  Points.
  Not enough of me yet? Ah yes, I know the feeling… 
   
  ɶ
  Perhaps this assortment of Miscellany (appearance, 
  clothing, habits) will tide you over, mm?
  A player doesn’t have to decide these elements in any 
  particular order, though each could influence the selection 
  of the others. The PDQ# system is fast and flexible, allowing 
  nearly anything to be defined as a Forte.
  Name
  Select a Name for the character, suitable for the setting 
  and period.
  Core PDQ# Elements
  Four aspects are Core Elements—every PC and most 
  NPCs of significance will have them. They are the absolute 
  minimum description for an interesting and effective 
  PDQ# PC. The four Core elements are Foible, Motivation, 
  Past, and Swashbuckling Forte.
  Select the specifics of the character’s four Core 
  Elements: 
  Foible 
   
  ɶ
  is a Foible, and is always unranked.
  Motivation 
   
  ɶ
  is a Forte, and starts at Good [+2] 
  Rank.
  Past 
   
  ɶ
  is a Forte, and starts at Good [+2] Rank.
  Swashbuckling Forte 
   
  ɶ
  is a Forte, starts at Good 
  [+2] Rank.
  
  16 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Fiddly Bits: Swashbuckling Forte
  Can I take my Motivation or Past as my Swashbuckling 
  Forte?
  Sure, if you want to run with that concept . If you want 
  to be an Ex-Pirate, just list it on your character sheet as 
  Past/Swashbuckling Forte: (RANK) Ex-Pirate . Since you’re 
  doubling-up here, take another Additional Forte (5 instead 
  of 4) in the next step of character creation . (See also the 
  Fiddly Bits: Breaking Additional Fortes Textbox on this page .)
  Four Additional Fortes
  Now, select four more Fortes at Good [+2] Rank, or 
  use those Ranks to improve other already-selected Fortes 
  (for example, a player could use one of the four Goods to 
  increase his Good [+2] Past: Scholar up to Expert [+4] 
  Rank) or buy a new Forte of Repartee at Good [+2].
  Fiddly Bits:  Breaking Additional Fortes
  A player may use only those four Good [+2] Ranks of 
  Additional Fortes to purchase additional character 
  elements . These have a cost equal to:
  Fortes: The Rank’s MOD (Average [0] counts as 1) . A character 
  can break a Good [+2] Forte into two Average [0] Fortes . 
  Because PDQ# characters are considered to already have 
  an effective Average [0] Rank in anything that’s not secret, 
  technical, or esoteric (for example, Fortes like Alchemy, 
  Aristocrat, Spy, or Priest), breaking a Good [+2] Forte into 
  two Average [0] Fortes is really only useful if the player 
  wishes to have an Average [0] Ranked secret, technical, or 
  esoteric Forte . (However, having an Average [0] Forte to roll 
  against is a great way to earn Training Points—see p . 14!)
  Foibles: Counts as 1 point . With the GM’s permission, a player 
  can break a Good [+2] Forte into two additional Foibles . (A 
  great way to earn Style Dice—see p . 10!)
  Techniques: A character can break a Good [+2] Forte into 
  two additional Technique points .
  These can be mixed and matched . For example, breaking a 
  Good [+2] Forte into an extra Foible and an extra Technique 
  point, or an extra Technique point and an Average [0] Forte, 
  is perfectly fine .
  Spend 5 Technique Points 
  to Purchase Techniques
  At this point, players should use five Technique Points 
  to select some Techniques.  During character generation, 
  Techniques cost: Chained to Swashbuckling Forte (1 point), 
  Chained to another Forte (2 points), or Unchained to any 
  Forte (3 points).
  Also at this time, players should design their characters’ 
  Minions and Sidekicks (if any).
  Style Dice & Training Points
  PCs start with at least 1 Style Die (from Social Awards, 
  see p. 10) and zero (0) Training Points.
  Miscellany 
  Now just fill in some quick details on your character’s 
  appearance, habits, preferred clothing, family background, 
  and so forth. Even a short paragraph or two describing 
  things like where the character was born, what his family is 
  like, where he’s been, and who he’s met along the way can 
  pay big dividends when actually playing that character.
  IMPORTANT NOTE to GMs: Mine this section of the 
  character’s write-up to provide them with interesting 
  adventures!
  And that’s it! Look on the following page for the 
  write-ups of two example characters:
  Justifying Why the PCs are Together
  The PDQ# GM should suggest that everybody sit 
  around the game table and throw out their ideas and 
  opinions on the sort of game they all want to play (see 
  Setting the Dials, p. 28) and even each others’ characters. 
  This can lead to more cohesive groups, as players differ-
  entiate and interconnect their PCs. 
  Another great feature of group character generation is 
  the option to give the PCs an explicit common structure or 
  organization. Maybe they have similar or complimentary 
  Motivations or Pasts, or were all witness to a particular 
  event—powerful tools for keeping the group together and 
  friendly. Don’t neglect it!
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  17 
  Here are some examples of shared PC structures 
  in PDQ#:
  Noble Household/Family Affair:
   
  ɶ
   The PCs 
  are related, an extended family with pre-existing 
  amities and enmities. This permits fun in-character 
  bickering and intrigue.
  Pirate Crew:
   
  ɶ
   All PCs are Pirates, joined together in 
  their love of treasure and rum. Arrr!
  Regimental Comrades: 
   
  ɶ
  The PCs all belong to the 
  same military organization (Musketeer detachment, 
  naval crew, etc.); they probably possess comple-
  mentary professional specialties.
  Someone Done Us Wrong:
   
  ɶ
   The PCs are joined 
  together by a desire for revenge (may or may not 
  rise to the level of a Motivation) against a common 
  foe (obviously, a significant NPC).
  The League of Extraordinary Swashbucklers:
   
  ɶ
   
  The PCs are (secret) agents of an NPC leader, tasked 
  with seeking out and nullifying threats within and 
  without. PCs should have wildly-varied professions 
  and Fortes.
  Example Character 1: “Xavier” (Xavia) 
  Foible(s): Unrequited Love (for Lieutenant Tortelli); Secret: 
  Not a Man .
  Motivation: Good [+2] Freedom 
  Past: Good [+2] Aristocrat .
  Swashbuckling Forte: Expert [+4] Musketeer . 
  Additional Fortes: Good [+2] Attractive, Good [+2] 
  Sidekick (Horse): Thunderbolt (see p . 9), Average [0] 
  Overheard Secrets .
  Techniques: (with Musketeer): Idiom: Precise, Situation: 
  In the Country, Situation: Mounted, Weapon: Pistol, and 
  Weapon: Saber .
  Style Dice: 1
  Training Points: 0
  Miscellany: Raised by a former Musketeer, Xavia grew up 
  as a tomboy . Disguising her gender, she joined the King’s 
  Musketeers as her nonexistent brother “Xavier” (with her 
  father’s surprising assent!) . She is attractive (as either a male 
  or a female), on the short side, with black hair worn in a 
  masculine style and green eyes that flash with haughtiness . 
  Witty and well-spoken, she is as fast with a quip as she is 
  with her saber .
  She is in love with another Musketeer (currently on 
  detached duty): Lieutenant Tortelli—who has no idea she 
  is a woman . 
  Overheard Secrets is a Forte reflecting information she may 
  have overheard while in women’s garb and identity . (Xavia 
  traded in one of her four additional Fortes for an additional 
  Foible and an Average [0] Forte .)
  Example Character 2: “The Raven”  
  (Edward the Yeoman)
  Foible: Revenge (against the evil Count James) .
  Motivation: Good [+2] Revenge (against the evil Count 
  James) .
  Past: Good [+2] Huntsman . 
  Swashbuckling Forte: Expert [+4] Fencing . 
  Additional Fortes: Good [+2] Archery, Good [+2] Secret 
  Identity .
  Techniques: (with Fencing) Idiom: Flashy, Situation: When 
  Masked, Location: In the Woods; Idiom: Acrobatic, Weapon: 
  Saber . (with Archery) Maneuver: Trick Shot .
  Style Dice: 1
  Training Points: 0
  Miscellany: Imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, 
  Edward escaped . Taken under the tutelage of a mysterious 
  old swordsman, Edward learned how to fight . He seeks 
  to make those that wrongfully incarcerated him pay… 
  forevermore!
  (Edward traded in one of his four additional Fortes for two 
  additional Technique points, which he used on a chained 
  Technique for Archery .)
  Edward is 6’ tall, about 180 pounds, with blonde hair and 
  tanned skin . As the Raven, he wears a black mask and 
  feathered cloak .
  
  18 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Challenges & Duels
  When a character tries to perform any task, the GM will 
  determine if the task is a Challenge or a Duel. This determi-
  nation usually revolves around matters of drama, pacing, 
  and threat level.
  A Challenge is a low-drama, low-threat task that can 
  be quickly resolved in a single roll (pass-fail), against 
  inanimate factors (keeping one’s footing in a storm, 
  climbing a wall, getting information from a contact, etc.) 
  or fighting a few Minions (see p. 8). A session can have any 
  number of Challenges.
  A Duel is a high-drama, high-threat task that must be 
  resolved in several rolls (back-and-forth), against a Minion 
  Squad, Lieutenant, Villain, or Archvillain NPC (see p. 21). 
  A session should only have one or two full-blown Duels.
  Time, Range, and Speed
  For most things that come up in a PDQ# game, the following 
  information is sufficient . 
  Time
  For most purposes, time measurements are as normal: 
  seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc . However, the 
  terms used in PDQ# for identifying the passage of “game 
  time” are Sessions, Scenes, Turns, actions, and reactions .
  Sessions are the overall time that players take to sit down 
  and play a PDQ# game . A Session will contain Scenes—often 
  many of them .
  Scenes are however long it takes for a distinct action or set 
  of actions (combat, library research, defusing a bomb, a 
  business meeting, traveling across town, etc .) to happen . 
  Scenes can be long or short, and can collapse or extend 
  time as necessary . Sometimes, Scenes contain Turns . 
  A Turn means “the set of all characters’ next actions and 
  reactions .” Each character takes an individual action: 
  that’s when they make their move, say their piece, throw 
  a punch, etc . Other characters react during a character’s 
  action—saying something back or performing a defense, 
  usually—but reactions can only be in response to the 
  actions of the character whose turn it currently is . They 
  cannot initiate moves of their own until their action . The 
  Turn is over when each character’s action and any resulting 
  reactions have been resolved .
  How the Sessions, Scenes, and Turns of game time relate to 
  the seconds, minutes, hours, etc . of real time is variable .
  Range
  In PDQ#, ranges are either Near (can punch it), Middling (can 
  run up and punch it), Far (can throw or shoot at it), or Too 
  Far (out of range) . If one wants to connect Difficulty Ranks 
  to these Ranges, Near is equivalent to Average [7], Middling 
  is equivalent to Good [9], and so forth .
  Speed
  In PDQ#, speeds are either Slow (leisurely walk), Medium 
  (normal trot), Fast (a hurried trot or lope), or Lickety-Split 
  (rapid gallop) . If one wants to connect Difficulty Ranks to 
  these Speeds, Slow is equivalent to Average [7], Medium is 
  equivalent to Good [9], and so forth .
  Challenges
  A Challenge is any non-trivial task that a character 
  is confronted with, where there would be only mild 
  consequences for failure (though a small amount of 
  damage—see p. 25—can be done to a character, if the 
  situation warrants). Most Challenges involve some sort of 
  opposition or obstacle, and are usually “done in one roll.” 
  (Trivial tasks or ones without interesting consequences are 
  not Challenges.)
  There are several types of Challenge that can arise, 
  in PDQ# games: physical (knocking out a Minion, brief 
  athletic contests), mental (solving puzzles, analyzing clues, 
  short debates), social (relationships with other people, 
  groups, and society at large; see also textbox); and profes-
  sional (business dealings, mercantile skullduggery). 
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  19 
  Social Challenges
  Some gaming groups won’t want to use the Challenge 
  (or even the Duel) “rolled” mechanics to resolve social 
  interactions . Instead, they may want to rely on pure 
  roleplaying . This is perfectly fine, but the mechanics do 
  exist if a group wishes to use them .
  For PDQ#, it is recommended to use a middle path for “rolled” 
  social Challenges and Duels . This middle path involves 
  three main elements . First, the PC states his intent (what 
  he is trying to achieve in the social interaction); second, 
  he describes how he is trying to accomplish his intent; and 
  third, rolls . (The GM may award some Style Dice to the PC at 
  any point for insightful or flavorful roleplaying!)
  Difficulty Ranks
  Difficulty Ranks are like Forte Ranks for things, tasks, 
  and situations—like a wall that needs to be climbed, a 
  lock that must be picked, a palace guard that must be 
  sneaked past, and so forth. The Difficulty Rank shows how 
  challenging a thing, task, or situation is. 
  The GM looks at the PDQ# Master Chart (see p. 3), and 
  sets the Difficulty Rank of the task. The numbers in square 
  brackets following the Difficulty Rank show its Target 
  Number (or TN)—the number a character must match or 
  beat on a roll to succeed or overcome the task. 
  GMs will usually figure out many Difficulty Ranks in 
  advance when designing an adventure for players, but 
  the simplicity of the PDQ# Master Chart makes it easy to 
  determine the complexity of a task that comes up in play. 
  NOTE—To accomplish higher Difficulty Rank tasks, 
  more Fortes have to be brought into play - either from 
  the character’s other core attributes (like Motivation), 
  or even from the assistance of other characters! (See 
  the Using Multiple Fortes for Tasks textbox on p. 20.)
  The lesson here is “when in dire straits, turn first to your 
  other Fortes, then to your allies!”
  Challenge Results
  For Challenges, the GM sets the Difficulty Rank 
  (and thus TN) of the task. The player rolls two six-sided 
  dice (2d6), at a minimum; if the character has relevant 
  Techniques (see p. 6), those can contribute bonus dice to 
  the roll (see textbox, Advice: Ellipses, on this page). The 
  player keeps the best two, then adds any MODs for relevant 
  Fortes. Then, the result of the roll is compared to the TN.
  If the result is lower than the TN, the player narrates how 
  his PC failed in the task. The GM then tweaks the details of 
  the PC’s failure slightly (adding or subtracting elements) 
  if necessary, or accepts the player’s description as-is. Also, 
  every failed roll in a Challenge earns a Training Point (see 
  p. 14). Depending upon the sort of failure, the PC may 
  even take damage (see p. 25)—and generate Story Hooks 
  (see p. 27)—from it. 
  Players should keep in mind that failing at a task doesn’t 
  necessarily have to be a failure of skill on the part of the 
  PC: it could just as easily be the fault of some change in the 
  environment or the arrival of a new factor in the situation. 
  A good example would be if a character is climbing up a 
  rope during a tower siege. A failed roll in Climbing might 
  not be that the character loses his grip on the rope, but 
  rather that a defender at the top dislodged his grapple, or 
  friendly-fire cut the line, or a comrade higher on the line 
  starts to slip and the character lets go to avoid being struck 
  by his falling friend, or halts his advances to catch said 
  falling comrade.
  Example: Vanezza (Expert [+4] Gambling) is playing cards 
  in a dockside tavern with a bunch of sailors who have 
  nothing better to do when ashore than gamble away their 
  pay (Good [9] Difficulty) . Vanezza rolls 2d6+4 vs . a TN of 9 . 
  She rolls a 2 and a 2, plus 4 for Gambling, for a total of 8 . 
  Vanezza narrates that she loses more coin than she wanted 
  to .  .  . but she suspects that the sailors are actually cheating! 
  Depending upon the nature of, and how well the player 
  narrates, this sort of failure could help the character gain 
  Advice: Ellipses
  The absolute best advice for a player is: don’t finish a 
  statement while the outcome is “live.”
  PC: “I hold my blade low, and make a stab for his kidneys 
  and . . .” (Roll dice . Roll result is a failure, by 1 point .)
  PC “He’s too fast for me, knocking my blade aside—but I 
  spin in from the outside to blindside him with an elbow . . .” 
  (This is the player pulling in a Technique of Maneuver: 
  Blindside . The player uses the Flat +1 option for Techniques, 
  and makes his roll result a tie… which PCs win!)
  This allows a character to pull in Techniques after the roll . 
  Techniques can also be used before the roll, if desired, front-
  loading extra dice for effect—but the PC needs to include 
  the Technique(s) being pulled in their initial narration .
  
  20 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Training Points and Style Dice simultaneously, provided 
  the player takes the time to describe the failure in a partic-
  ularly flavorful way. 
  Narration of Failure & Success?
  If a player just hates narrating the elements of their PC’s 
  failures and successes, the player can just say what they’re 
  attempting and the GM can narrate the result instead . It’s 
  totally okay . (However, this means the player will lose out in 
  a key way of earning Style Dice for their PC .)
  If the result is equal or higher than the TN, the player 
  narrates how his PC succeeded at the task. The GM then 
  tweaks the details of the PC’s success slightly (adding or 
  subtracting elements) if necessary, or accepts the player’s 
  description as-is. 
  Example: Yuen the Nimble (Good [+2] Acrobatics) is 
  climbing the outside wall of an aristocrat’s townhouse 
  (Good [9] Difficulty) . Yuen rolls 2d6+2 vs . a TN of 9 . He rolls 
  an 11, plus 2 for Acrobatics, for a total of 13 . “Yuen handily 
  scales the wall .“
  The PC may earn Style Dice (see p. 10) for good 
  description of their successes. As noted for narrating 
  failures above, succeeding on a task doesn’t necessarily have 
  to be solely based the skill of the PC. . . but cool actions by 
  a character are always apropos.
  Example: As noted above, Yuen the Nimble climbed that 
  outside wall of an aristocrat’s townhouse . He describes 
  the lanterns that line the walls, as well as the tricky traps 
  (barbed wire, nightingale bricks, paralyzing darts, etc .) that 
  he surmounted in climbing the wall . The GM gives Yuen’s 
  player a Style Die for his impressive description .
  If a player is having trouble coming up with interesting 
  descriptions of ways to fail and succeed, they can take 
  suggestions from the other players; otherwise, the GM 
  should help out. (However, please note: in some gaming 
  groups, it’s impolite for other players to volunteer 
  suggestions without first being asked.)
  Using Multiple Fortes for Tasks
  If the GM agrees that multiple Fortes can be brought to 
  bear on a task, the character simply combines the MODs for 
  all relevant Fortes when rolling . 
  Furthermore, combining multiple Fortes also works if 
  multiple characters wish to team-up to perform a task . If 
  several characters are joining forces, only one of them 
  needs to roll; usually, that’s the character who’s on the spot . 
  If damage (see p . 25) is caused by failing at the task, the 
  brunt of it is taken by the rolling character .
  Flashy Challenges
  Characters can use their abilities to contest against other 
  characters in Flashy Challenges against other characters 
  (NPCs or PCs). Flashy Challenges must be a quick contest 
  chock full of swashbuckler mojo. 
  A Flashy Challenge is a 2d6 roll (plus relevant MODs 
  and Techniques), the challenger versus the challenged. 
  Whoever has the higher roll result is the winner. The 
  winner of a Flashy Challenge gets a Style Die (from the 
  Box, see p. 10); the loser of a Flashy Challenge takes a 
  Failure Rank. Flashy Challenges are a great way to weaken 
  opponents before a Duel. (For Flashy Challenges during a 
  Duel, see Impasse in the textbox on p. 25.)
  Example: Confronted in his castle, Count Erzay (Expert 
  [+4] Fencing) attempts to overawe Bernardo the Musketeer 
  (Master [+6] Musketeer) with a Flashy Challenge: the Count 
  uses his sword to slice through a candle sitting upon his 
  desk . The Count rolls a 3 and a 5, plus 4, for a total of 12 in 
  this Flashy Challenge .
  Bernardo rolls 2d6, plus his Musketeer MOD . He gets a 3 
  and a 4, plus 6, for a total of 13 . Since this is more than the 
  Count’s 12, Bernardo wins! Bernardo has sliced through an 
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  21 
  entire candelabra without much effect… until he blows at 
  the candles, and all of them topple!
  Bernardo gains a Style Die, and the Count takes a Failure 
  Rank of Damage . 
  (If Bernardo had rolled, say, a 1 and a 3, for a total of 
  10—1+3+6=10—he wouldn’t have beaten the Count’s 
  Flashy Challenge, and Bernardo would have taken a Failure 
  Rank as damage, while the Count gained a Style Die .)
  Duels
  Duels are tasks that are be fun to play out in detail 
  (combat, chases, witty repartee, high-stakes gambling), 
  which involve important people, important things, or 
  extreme risks. 
  Duels in PDQ# include more than just the immediate 
  success or failure of an attempted action: here, the 
  conflict includes the back and forth of an active contest, 
  out-maneuvering the competition, and wearing down an 
  opponent’s resistance. In Duels, 3d6—plus MODs and 
  Techniques—are divided between attack and defense rolls 
  (see below for more detail).
  As with Challenges, there can be several types of 
  Duels: physical, mental, social, emotional, and professional. 
  Examples of Duels include fencing with Baron Korek, 
  seducing the Baroness Korek, climbing the Deathspire, 
  haggling with Hazin the Loquacious, and so forth.
  Duel Opponents
  There are five “threat-levels” of NPC opponents in 
  PDQ#: 
  Minion:
   
  ɶ
   Usually (but not always) a nameless 
  character, like a random soldier or pirate. Minions 
  usually have only a single Average [0] or Good [+2] 
  Forte. To a swashbuckling PC, they are only really a 
  threat in a Minion Squad (see below).
  Sidekick:
   
  ɶ
   A named character that is somewhat 
  memorable, like a servant, pet, or “Minion Sergeant.” 
  Sidekicks have more Fortes than Minions, and may 
  have Techniques. 
  Lieutenant:
   
  ɶ
   A named character that is definitely 
  memorable. Lieutenants are built like PCs, but have 
  no starting Style Dice. 
  Villain:
   
  ɶ
   A named character of importance. Villains 
  are built like PCs.
  Archvillain:
   
  ɶ
   
  A 
  named 
  character 
  of 
  great 
  importance, skill, and power. Villains are built like 
  PCs, but with more Fortes and Style Dice. Four 
  extra Fortes (i.e., 8 extra “points” of MOD) and 3 
  Style Dice makes a creditable Archvillain.
  Minions & Minion Squads
  An individual Minion—at least, not all by their 
  lonesome—is no real threat to a PC, just a Challenge. 
  However, two or more Minions with similar Fortes and 
  MODs can combine into Squads, which are treated in a 
  Duel as a single character: they make one attack roll and 
  one defense roll as a unit. Each Minion adds +1d6 to their 
  pool of dice (remember, in a Duel, it’s the best of three 
  rolls). Minions can add their collective MOD to rolls—for 
  example, a Minion Squad of 4 Good [+2] Guardsmen 
  would roll 4d6+2, keeping the best 3 divvied between 
  attack and defense. (Minion Squads of 2 are very weak, 
  and not recommended, unless they have a MOD of at least 
  Expert [+4].)
  Damage (see p. 25) applied to a Squad wounds the 
  individuals in a serial fashion: each Minion in a Squad can 
  absorb one hit of damage. Thus, if a PC does two points of 
  damage to a Minion Squad, he has Zeroed Out (see p. 26) 
  two Minions of that Squad. 
  
  22 
  PDQ Sharp 
  The Duel Itself
  In this section, Fencing is our example for Dueling, but 
  the overall method can be used for one-on-one conflicts 
  using any Forte (for example, Repartee for debate, Gambler 
  for games of chance, etc.).  
  The character with the most Style Dice in front of him 
  goes first; if there is a tie, then the highest Ranked character 
  goes first. PCs win any ties with NPCs. The “winner” here 
  can cede initiative to foes with lower totals, if he so desires. 
  The benefits of going first are often balanced by the benefits 
  of being able to react to an opponent’s decisions. (See also 
  The Element of Surprise!, p. 26.)
  In Duels, characters roll 3d6. Relevant Techniques can 
  add a +1 or a bonus die (before or after the fact; see the 
  Advice: Ellipses textbox on p. 19); characters keep the best 
  three. Then, the MOD(s) of relevant Forte(s) are added.
  Dueling is handled in Turns; a character’s Turn is 
  usually composed of at least one action (attack) round and 
  one reaction (defense) round. 
  Here is a quick list of the steps of a Turn of the Duel 
  (each will be discussed in depth below):
  Engage Foes.
   
  ɶ
  Divvy Duel Dice:
   
  ɶ
   Character divides their three 
  dice each Turn between attack and defense.
  The Charge:
   
  ɶ
   The attacker’s attack and the 
  defender’s defense are announced.
  The Clash of Steel:
   
  ɶ
   The attacker and defender roll. 
  Roll results are compared.
  The Touch:
   
  ɶ
   If necessary, damage (see p. 25) is 
  determined.
  Volte-face:
   
  ɶ
   Steps 3, 4, and 5 are repeated, this 
  time with the attacker becoming the defender and 
  vice-versa. After the second Clash of Steel (and 
  Touch, if necessary), go to next set of duelists.
  After all combatants have had their attack and 
   
  ɶ
  defense, go to Next Turn. (That is, unless someone 
  calls for an Impasse—see the Fiddly Bits: Extra Duel 
  Tweaks textbox on p. 25.)
  Engage Foes
  A character must Engage foe(s) to enter into the Duel 
  with them, and can only Engage two foes per Turn (Minion 
  Squads count as a single foe).  If there are four or more 
  characters in a Duel, they must split into pairs and trios 
  (see also the PCs Ganging Up textbox on p. 23)—because 
  that is the swashbuckling way. 
  A character’s defense roll stands against all Engaged 
  opponents, but separate attacks must be made against each 
  foe.
  Example 1: Molly (Expert [+4] Pirate; Techniques of Idiom: 
  Acrobatic and Weapon: Cutlass) is engaging a Minion Squad 
  of four Good [+2] Guardsmen .
  Example 2: Pyotr (Good [+2] Fencing; Techniques of Idiom: 
  Precise and Weapon: Paired Rapier & Main Gauche, as well 
  as an unchained Technique of Foe: vs . Criminals begins a 
  duel with Muktar the Hawk, a Lieutenant-level foe (with 
  Expert [+4] Highwayman; Techniques of Idiom: Fierce, and 
  Weapon: Scimitar) .
  Divvy Duel Dice
  In Duels, the PC will be rolling three six-sided dice 
  (3d6). There are four main ways to divide up the basic 3d6 
  in Duels between attack and defense:
  All-out Defense (Negligible Attack) 
   
  ɶ
  =  
  0d6 attack, 3d6 defense.
  Strong Defense (Weak Attack)
   
  ɶ
   =  
  1d6 attack, 2d6 defense.
  The Element of Surprise!
  If surprised by the sudden appearance of an enemy, the 
  surprised character—PC or NPC—loses Initiative for that 
  Turn . If caught completely and horribly unawares (often 
  by an turncoat ally, a long-dead foe back from the grave, 
  impressive mystical effects, or other story-intensive 
  situations), the character can only strongly defend on that 
  Turn, with no attack roll possible . (And the GM should 
  consider handing over some Style Dice .)
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  23 
  Strong Attack (Weak Defense) 
   
  ɶ
  =  
  2d6 attack, 1d6 defense.
  All-out Attack (Negligible Defense) 
   
  ɶ
  =  
  3d6 attack, 0d6 defense.
  Note that even if a duelist is going for an All-Out Attack, 
  they still get a Negligible Defense. Though they are rolling 
  zero dice, with a result of zero, they still get to add their 
  Fencing MOD to that.
  Using Fencing Techniques allows the character to add a 
  +1 bonus or to “re-roll” dice to maximize the basic 3d6 roll 
  result (see p. 6). Technique dice do not have to be assigned 
  specifically to attack or defense before they’re rolled; they 
  can also be used after the roll, if relevant.
  Example 1: Molly will go for a Strong Attack (Weak 
  Defense) against the Minion Squad; this is 2d6 for attack 
  and 1d6 for defense . The Minion Squad will respond with 
  a Strong Defense (Weak Attack); this is 1d6 for attack and 
  2d6 for defense—but since there are 4 of them, they have 
  an extra die to roll, which they can use in place of any 
  low-result die .
  Example 2: Pyotr is wary of Muktar, so he opts for a 
  Strong Defense (Weak Attack); this is 1d6 for attack 
  and 2d6 for defense . Muktar, for his part, will be 
  using an All-Out Attack (Negligible Defense); this is 
  3d6 for attack and zero dice for defense .
  The Charge
  The attacker announces and describes his type 
  of attack (and any Fortes used), then the defender 
  announces and describes his type of defense (and 
  any Fortes used).
  Example 1: Molly bounds forward and begins laying 
  about with her cutlass . (She is using Expert [+4] 
  Pirate and adding in her Technique of Weapon: Cutlass up 
  front; she could probably also pull in the Idiom: Acrobatic 
  Technique .) Her Forte gives her MOD bonus of +4 to her 
  attack and defense rolls, and her Technique allows her to 
  re-roll a die (if she chooses, or add a flat +1) . 
  For their part, the guardsmen are a bit taken aback by the 
  screaming pirate, but know their duty . The Minion Squad 
  has no Techniques, but their Good [+2] Guardsman Forte 
  adds its MOD to their attack and defense rolls, and since 
  there are four of them, they’re rolling four dice in total .
  Example 2: Because Pyotr has heard tales of the martial 
  prowess of the Hawk, this influences his assay . Pyotr’s 
  Good [+2] Fencing gives a +2 MOD to both his attack and 
  defense .
  Muktar moves forward with brutal speed and strength, 
  whirling his flashing scimitar, with seemingly little thought 
  of even trying to parry Pyotr’s blows . (He is using his Expert 
  [+4] Highwayman Forte and the Techniques of Idiom: Fierce 
  and Weapon: Scimitar .) His Forte gives his MOD bonus of 
  +4 to his attack and defense rolls, and his Techniques allow 
  him to re-roll two dice, or add a total of +2 .
  The Clash of Steel
  In the Clash of Steel, the attacker’s roll, plus any relevant 
  MODs from Fortes (plus any use of Techniques), is 
  compared to the defender’s roll, plus any relevant MODs 
  from Fortes (plus any use of Techniques). 
  Comparing the roll results:
  If attack roll ≥  defense roll
   
  ɶ
  , the attacker does 
  damage to the defender (see below, The Touch).
  If attack roll < defense roll
   
  ɶ
  , the attack does no 
  damage.
  PCs Ganging Up
  It is tres gauche for PCs to join forces against small Minion 
  Squads and lone Lieutenants . Bad Form!
  When characters team up (be they PC or NPC) versus a 
  single foe, only one of the characters rolls—the other 
  characters simply provides MODs of their relevant Fortes 
  to the roll . (This rule is to encourage the swashbuckling 
  genre’s tendency towards one-on-one duels, rather than 
  several against one .)
  All this being said, PCs are totally encouraged to gang up on 
  Villains and Archvillains . Indeed, they may need to, simply 
  to survive!
  
  24 
  PDQ Sharp 
  NOTE - The attacker’s defense roll result and the 
  defender’s attack roll result can be rolled at this time 
  and saved for the Volte-face phase of the Turn (see 
  below).
  As with Challenges, the player narrates the PC’s 
  successes or failures (recall that Training Points are earned 
  by failed rolls; see p. 14). 
  In PC vs. PC match-ups, the losing character’s player 
  narrates. Ties between PC mean no damage is done, no 
  Training Points are earned, and the pair of them need to 
  combine their narrations of the lock-up.
  Example 1: Molly is rolling 2d6+4 for attack and 1d6+4 for 
  defense, and she has a Technique in play . The Guardsman 
  Minion Squad is rolling 1d6+2 for attack and 2d6+2 for 
  defense, and it has a bonus die (because there are 4 of 
  them) .
  Molly gets a 3 and a 3 on her attack dice, a 5 on her defense 
  dice; she rolls her Technique die and gets a 4, and uses this 
  4 to replace one of her 3s on the attack roll . Thus, her overall 
  attack roll is 3+4+4=11 . Her overall defense roll is 5+4=9 .
  The Minion Squad gets a 4 on its attack die, a 2 and a 4 on 
  its defense dice; and rolls a 2 on its extra die for having 4 
  Minions in the Squad—which does it no good . The Squad’s 
  overall attack roll is 4+2=6, and its overall defense roll is 
  2+4+2=8 .
  Comparing Molly’s attack of 11 to the Guardsman Squad’s 
  8 means she has done damage to the Squad—go to the 
  Touch! (The Squad’s attack roll and Molly’s defense roll are 
  saved for the Volte-face .) Her cutlass is a whirlwind of steel, 
  driving back the foolish guardsmen!
  Example 2: Pyotr is rolling 1d6+2 for attack and 2d6+2 for 
  defense . Muktar is rolling 3d6+4 for attack and 0d6+4 for 
  defense, with two Techniques in play .
  Pyotr gets a 3 on his attack die, a 2 and 5 on his defense 
  dice . His overall attack roll is 3+2=5 . His overall defense roll 
  is 2+5+2=9 .
  Muktar gets a 1, a 3, and a 6 on his attack dice, a zero on his 
  defense dice, and he uses his Technique dice to re-roll the 
  1 and the 3, rolling a 2 and a 4 . He uses the 2 to replace the 
  1 and the 4 to replace the 3 . Thus, his overall attack roll is 
  2+4+6+4=16 . His overall defense roll is 0+4=4 .
  Comparing Pyotr’s attack of 5 to Muktar’s defense of 4 
  means Pyotr has done damage to the Hawk—go to the 
  Touch! (Muktar’s attack roll and Pyotr’s defense roll are 
  saved for the Volte-face .) Pyotr’s nimble blade easily pierces 
  the rudimentary defenses of the charging Highwayman’s 
  furious assault… but at what cost to our hero?
  The Touch
  If damage has been taken, the defender applies it to his 
  or her Fortes. See p. 25 for a full discussion of damage.
  IMPORTANT NOTE—For purposes of the Volte-Face (see 
  below), even if a defending foe is greatly weakened or 
  even Zeroed Out in a PC’s attack, the foe’s pre-damage 
  attack still goes off. 
  Also, note that the first hit of damage taken by a PC in a 
  Scene generates a Story Hook (see below, p. 27), as does any 
  damage that Zeroes Out a Forte.
  Example 1: Molly’s attack of 11 to the Guardsman Squad’s 
  8 means the Squad takes 3 ranks of damage, in this case 
  Wound Ranks . That’s enough to Zero Out (see p . 26) three 
  of the Guardsmen entirely . This will drop the strength of 
  the Squad to only one Minion next Turn—making the sole 
  survivor not even Duel-worthy!
  Example 2: Pyotr’s attack of 5 to Muktar’s defense of 4 
  means Muktar takes 1 Wound Rank in damage . Muktar is 
  able to put the damage on another of his Fortes, such that 
  his Highwayman Forte remains at Expert [+4] .
  Volte-face
  The attacker now becomes the defender, and the 
  defender the attacker. Run through the Charge and the 
  Clash of Steel again (and the Touch, if necessary). See 
  above for the IMPORTANT NOTE regarding weakened or 
  Zeroed Out defenders.
  Then, the spotlight moves onto the next set of duelists. 
  When all sets of duelists have had their attack and defense, 
  move to the next Turn.
  Example 1: The Squad’s attack of 6 to Molly’s 9 means the 
  Squad’s blows were easily warded off .
  Example 2: Muktar’s attack of 16 to Pyotr’s 9 (2 + 5, plus 2) 
  means that Pyotr shouid take 7 Wound Ranks in damage . 
  However, Pyotr decides to try and pull in his two Fencing 
  Techniques of Idiom: Acrobatic and Weapon: Paired Rapier 
  & Main Gauche . Pyotr describes how he’s trying to use his 
  Techniques: “I twist away into a tumbling roll, using both 
  my rapier and main-gauche to deflect Muktar’s blows!” 
  (Pyotr chooses the re-roll option for Techniques on both 
  counts—he rolls a 4 and a 6 . He replaces his roll of 2 with 
  his Technique roll of 6; this makes his defense 5 + 6, plus 2, 
  for a total of 13 .)
  Though Pyotr could not counter Muktar’s attack, through 
  the use of Techniques, he was able to reduce the damage 
  he took from 7 Wound Ranks to only 3 Wound Ranks!
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  25 
  Taking those three Wound Ranks, Pyotr temporarily 
  reduces his Good [+2] Captain Forte to Poor [-2], because 
  he doesn’t think his navigational acumen will help him in 
  this swordfight (and gains a Story Hook, see p . 27, related to 
  Captain), which handles two of the Wound Ranks . He takes 
  the last Wound Rank on his Motivation: True Love, reducing 
  it from Good [+2] to Average [0] .
  Repeat the Duel Turn sequence as many times as 
  necessary to determine overall victory, by one of the 
  duelists surrendering, escaping, or being knocked out of 
  the conflict (see below, Zeroing Out).
  Fiddly Bits: Extra Duel Tweaks
  Here are some extra methods to add more interest to Duels . 
  The Tweaks marked with an asterisk (*) can be used once 
  per Duel for free, but after that use require the expenditure 
  of a Style Die .
  Cyrano Gambit: If a character wishes to add in a seemingly 
  unrelated Forte—for example, adding Repartee to their 
  Fencing in a swordfight—to the relevant Forte of the Duel, 
  in order to take advantage of its MOD (see the Using Multiple 
  Fortes for Tasks textbox on p . 20), they must roleplay it to get 
  the bonus!
  Dirty Tricks*: Throwing sand in eyes, low blows, “what in 
  the world can that be?” (points off-screen)—all sorts of 
  stuff . Counts as a Feint (see below) .
  Disarm*: An attack against a foe’s weapon rather than a 
  foe himself . The attacker must do at least his foe’s Fencing 
  MOD in damage to make the foe drop their weapon . 
  Disarmed foes cannot use Fencing (unless they have the 
  Unarmed Fighting Technique; see p . 6), and must either 
  find a new weapon, brawl, surrender, or attempt to escape .
  Feint*: An attack can be declared a Feint . If the attack is 
  successful, the character does no damage but gains the 
  margin of success (minimum 1 for a tie) as a bonus on their 
  next Turn’s attack . If the feint fails, the character gets the 
  margin as a penalty on their next Turn’s defense roll . Both 
  engaged duelists can Feint .
  Impasse*: Anyone (PC or NPC) can call for the momentary 
  suspension of Duel-based violence between Turns . 
  (Impasses are those moments during a fencing duel in 
  a swashbuckling movie where there’s no active sword-
  related mayhem—getting locked corps-a-corps, slicing 
  candles, yanking rugs, grabbing the chandelier rope and 
  cutting it for some elevator action, that sort of thing . It’s 
  basically a Flashy Challenge—see p . 20—that gives the
  winner a mild advantage and dings the loser for a Failure 
  Rank .) Recall that the winner of a Flashy Challenge gets a 
  Style Die, and the loser takes a Failure Rank . (GMs should 
  decide if Impasses use 3d6 for being in Duels, or 2d6 like 
  other Flashy Challenges, and stick to that rubric .)
  Parry-Riposte*: If a character is defending before 
  attacking in a Turn, he may sacrifice his attack roll for the 
  Turn and declare his defense a parry-riposte . If his defense 
  is successful, the character gains the margin of defense 
  (minimum 1 for a tie) as a bonus on his next Turn’s attack . If 
  the defense fails, the character gets the margin of defense 
  as a penalty on their next Turn’s attack . If both duelists 
  declare that they are Parry-Riposting, the nothing happens 
  that Turn . Neither are attacking, so neither can defend .
  Surrender: Players who decide to surrender before Zeroing 
  Out may put conditions on their defeat—a conditional 
  surrender . (“If I surrender, you will let Lady Agatha and Lord 
  Gilgamesh go free?”) A character can always offer terms for 
  his withdrawal, so long as he isn’t totally defeated . Whether 
  or not their opponent accepts said terms is another 
  question . (If the NPC displays Bad Form, the PC gets a Style 
  Die .)
  Weapon Recovery: Use an action to recover a lost weapon 
  (or come into possession of a new one) .
  Damage
  If a character fails at a Challenge or Duel, there is a 
  good chance that they might take damage. Damage is the 
  general term for the loss of capability to continue a task; it 
  is a loss of resources, be they physical, mental, emotional, 
  or spiritual.  In PDQ#, this damage is represented by a 
  temporary reduction to the character’s listed Fortes. 
  The player selects which of his Fortes takes the damage, 
  and can spread out the overall damage across several Fortes 
  at once. Whichever Forte the player decides takes the “first 
  hit” of damage in a conflict generates a Story Hook (see 
  p. 27), as does the damage that causes one of a character’s 
  Fortes to Zero Out (see below, p. 26). If character is forced 
  to use a Forte that has taken damage, before that damage 
  has been recovered (see p. 27), they use the current Rank.
  In Challenges, damage is equal to the difference between 
  the roll total—after including all MODs—and the TN. In 
  Flashy Challenges, the loser takes a single rank of damage (a 
  Failure Rank; see below). In Duels, damage is equal to the 
  difference between the roll totals of the successful attacker 
  and failing defender. (In the case of tied rolls, PCs always 
  
  26 
  PDQ Sharp 
  win versus NPCs, and do a single rank of damage. In the 
  case of ties between PCs, neither wins and no damage is 
  done.)
  There are two main types of damage: Failure Ranks 
  and Wound Ranks. The type of damage accrued depends 
  upon the nature of the situation. A character can suffer 
  both types in the course of a conflict situation. They are 
  functionally the same thing during a challenge, but are 
  regained by the character at different rates afterward (see 
  below, Recovering from Damage).
  Failure Ranks
  In mental, social, and some physical challenges, this 
  loss of capability is usually fleeting, and is represented by 
  Failure Ranks. All Failure Ranks are recovered at the end of 
  a Scene (see below, Recovering from Damage).
  Wound Ranks
  In many physical challenges (especially duels), the harm 
  is more enduring, and is represented by Wound Ranks. This 
  is most often injuries taken in combat, but also includes 
  environmental damage taken by running through a fire, 
  falling off a roof, or starting to drown. While most things 
  that do physical injury to a character cause him to accrue 
  Wound Ranks, some physical actions aimed at delaying, 
  tripping, entangling, grappling, pushing, pulling, flipping, 
  throwing, tiring, or confusing an opponent could be seen 
  as Failure Ranks instead. 
  Only some Wound Ranks are recovered at the end of a 
  Scene  (see below, Recovering from Damage).
  Zeroing Out
  When a character is forced to reduce the last of his 
  Fortes below Poor [-2] Rank, this causes them to Zero 
  Out that Forte. A Zeroed Out Forte can no longer be used 
  for any rolls or to absorb more damage.  Note, however, 
  a character gets another Story Hook whenever he Zeroes 
  Out a Forte. 
  After a character Zeroes Out all of his Fortes, he is at 
  defeat’s doorstep: the character is now Mostly Dead.
  NOTE—This is different from older versions of PDQ, 
  where Zeroing Out any Poor Quality knocked a 
  character out of a conflict.
  ADDITIONAL NOTE—A single damage Rank is enough 
  to Zero Out a Minion.
  The Key to Understanding PDQ# Damage
  Basically, in any PDQ# challenge or duel, some of a 
  character’s Fortes can be thought of as useful for either 
  “attack,” “defense,” or “absorption .” The player has to 
  make choices about what to sacrifice for their character’s 
  well-being and effectiveness . It’s resource management 
  at a basic level . The player must make a decision on which 
  abilities will be most useful for the remainder of the conflict 
  scene .
  As an example, say a character has Good [+2] Rank in the 
  following Fortes: Acrobatics, Fencing, Puzzle-Solving, and 
  Spice Merchant . 
  In combat (a physical task), the character will probably 
  opt to keep Acrobatics and Fencing at Good [+2] as long 
  as possible, and apply Wound Ranks to Puzzle-Solving and 
  Spice Merchant . In an argument (a social task), the character 
  will want to keep Puzzle-Solving high for as long as possible, 
  and take Failure Ranks on Acrobatics and Fencing first . If 
  haggling over something at the market (could be a mental, 
  a social, or even a professional conflict, depending on how 
  the GM spins the situation), the character would protect 
  Spice Merchant, and maybe try to keep Puzzle-Solving at 
  Good [+2] as long as he could, while sacrificing Acrobatics 
  and Fencing . 
  Additionally (and importantly!), a player’s selection of 
  which Fortes takes the first hit of in conflict gives the GM 
  a powerful tool for generating Story Hooks (see p . 27) for 
  future Scenes and sessions . 
  The abstraction of how Failure or Wound Ranks are applied 
  isn’t meant to be a one-to-one relation (“Hey, why does 
  getting punched in the face lower Spice Merchant?”), but 
  amusing justifications can be made up anyway (“Well, your 
  black eye makes it hard to see your wares . . .”), which could 
  become fully-fledged Story Hooks . Though the player 
  decides upon which ability the damage affects, either 
  the player or the GM can come up with a rationale, if they 
  want .
  
  PDQ Sharp  
  27 
  Mostly Dead
  Characters who have Zeroed Out all of their Fortes 
  (“Death first!”) are Mostly Dead. This means two things:
  The character unconditionally surrenders, and is at the 
  complete mercy of their opponent.
  For the rest of the session, the character is Mostly Dead 
  (for physical damage). Other forms of similar impairment 
  are: Driven Insane (for mental damage), Social Pariah (for 
  social damage), and Bankrupted (for business or profes-
  sional damage).
  In PDQ# games, just because a character is Mostly Dead 
  does not mean they die.  It does mean that the character’s 
  opponent can then knock out, clap in irons, or (admittedly) 
  Coup de Grace the fallen character. Being Mostly Dead is 
  often just the prelude to an exciting escape from a Villain’s 
  dungeon!
  Coup de Grace
  For physical conflicts, the default assumption in PDQ# is 
  that characters can only be killed once they are unconscious 
  or otherwise helpless . This requires no roll, check, or action, 
  simply a statement on the attacker’s next action that he 
  wishes to kill the victim . Only the most monstrous of villains 
  and grimmest of heroes will opt to do this regularly—many 
  characters will have codes of honor, hidden agendas, or 
  other limitations that prevent the killing of a helpless foe .
  Recovering from Damage
  Once a Scene ends, the injured character will begin to 
  recover lost Ranks of damage. (However, Mostly Dead 
  characters have a tougher row to hoe; see below).
  Failure Rank Recovery
  All Failure Ranks are recovered at the end of the Scene, 
  restoring all affected Fortes to their starting Ranks.
  Wound Rank Recovery
  Only some Wound Ranks are recovered at the end of 
  the Scene; players roll 2d6 to determine the number of 
  Ranks their characters get back. Each player selects which 
  Forte Ranks are restored. However, the character will not 
  recover any more Ranks until the end of the next Scene, 
  when the GM tells them to roll again, a Forte comes into 
  play, or the character spends Style Dice to heal (see p. 13).
  NOTE - A relevant Forte like “Quick Healer” should allow 
  the character to gain back the standard 2d6 roll, plus 
  their MOD. A Foible like “Slow Healer” would mean that 
  the character only gets one (1) Rank back of normal 
  recovery—but they do gain some Style Dice for the 
  Foible.)
  Mostly Dead Recovery
  If a character is Mostly Dead, Style Dice must be used 
  to restore all of the character’s Fortes to Poor [-2] before 
  normal recovery can happen. 
  To restore a Forte to Poor [-2] from zero, a Style Die 
  per Forte must be spent. (However, these Style Dice can be 
  spent by any other player on the character’s behalf.) Once 
  all of a character’s Fortes are at Poor [-2] Rank, normal 
  healing may commence.
  Furthermore, the character gains a new Story Hook, 
  related to his recovery.
  Story Hooks
  Story Hooks are exciting or interesting subplots, compli-
  cations, and events that characters. Whenever a character 
  takes the first hit of damage in a Scene, whichever Forte the 
  player selects to take that hit of damage generates a Story 
  Hook. When the ability is announced, the GM should make 
  a note of what it is, and come up with something interesting 
  related that trait for the next Scene or game session. This 
  “something interesting” can be good, bad, or indifferent, 
  but it should capture the player’s interest. For example, 
  the reason Sir Liam constantly has to ride off to rescue 
  Princess Gwen from dragons, ogres, and enchantments 
  is that he consistently uses his Average [0] True Love for 
  Princess Gwen to absorb the first Wound Rank he takes 
  in combat.(Story Hooks might also be generated based on 
  the spending of Style Dice, Zeroing Out, Recovering from 
  being Mostly Dead, etc.)
  A quick and easy way to come up with Story Hooks is 
  to compare the selected Forte to the current events of the 
  adventure, one of the character’s Core elements (Foible, 
  Past, Swashbuckling Forte, Motivation), or the character’s 
  Background description. One of these will almost always 
  offer inspiration to a new subplot or event for the game.
  
  28 
  PDQ Sharp 
  Justify Why PCs are Together? 
  Noble 
  Household/Family 
  Affair, 
  Pirate 
  Crew, 
  Regimental Comrades, Someone Done Us Wrong, The 
  Sovereign’s Troubleshooters, or something else?
  The Purposes of Poison
  As for firearms, GMs and players also need to determine 
  how potent poison is in their PDQ# campaign. 
  Does poison harm? Apply the MOD of the poison to the 
  damage total after a successful attack or failed Challenge 
  roll. 
  Does poison weaken? Characters cannot heal normally, 
  gain a Story Hook of “Poisoned!”, and the cost of Style 
  Dice-based Catch Your Second Wind is doubled, until they 
  find the antidote. 
  Does poison incapacitate or kill? Failing a Challenge roll 
  versus the TN of the poison makes the character instantly 
  become Mostly Dead (or its equivalent).
  Is the poison one-shot or enduring? A one-shot poison 
  does its work and is gone; an enduring poison hangs around 
  until it’s removed from the victim’s system (a Story Hook). 
  All of the above qualities of poison can be combined, 
  increasing the poison’s toxicity, cost, and rarity.
  What’s in S7S?
  What additions to PDQ# appear in Swashbucklers of the 
  7 Skies?
  More extensive rules discussion.
   
  ɶ
  A vast, detailed setting—the World of the 7 Skies, 
   
  ɶ
  its Cloud-Islands, skyships, intricate politics, the 
  Church, the arcane Koldun, and the Mysterious Blue.
  Mystical powers and magical items.
   
  ɶ
  Rules for Skyship and Sanctum Challenges 
   
  ɶ
  and Duels.
  An analysis of the swashbuckling 
   
  ɶ
  genre for RPG 
  purposes.
  And much, much 
   
  ɶ
  more!
  Setting the Dials
  For maximum enjoyment, all players and the GM 
  should sit down to discuss the sort of swashbuckling game 
  they’d like to play, and cover some important questions. 
  This is Setting the Dials.
  Aesthetics
  Underlying aesthetic? Musketeer (defense of Order), 
  Pirate (glorification of Chaos), or Highwayman (Chaos in 
  defense of Order, or Order in defense of Chaos).
  Concentration? Action, Adventure, Heroism, Intrigue, 
  Romance, Villainy, or a mixture of all.
  Themes? Honor, Revenge, Status, Wealth, Friendship, 
  Responsibility, Loyalty, Kindness, Hatred, Desperation, 
  Self-Reliance, Cooperation. 
  Session Style? Episodes, Miniseries, Series.
  The Breadth of  
  Forte Penumbras
  This is where GMs and players come to agreement on 
  what sorts of things fall under the penumbras of their 
  various Fortes (see p. 4), so that a player doesn’t suddenly 
  find out in the middle of play that under the GM’s interpre-
  tation of the Pirate Forte, he doesn’t have the acrobatic skill 
  he thought he did!
  Bringing a Musket 
  to a Swordfight
  GMs and players need to determine how potent firearms 
  are in their PDQ# campaign. Consider: is having a gun be 
  more powerful than a sword (or even vastly more powerful, 
  like a one-shot kill weapon) any fun? Think deeply about 
  this before you decide which way to go; it will definitely 
  affect the nature of your PDQ# game.
  Are guns just another weapon? Pistols and muskets do 
  damage as normal. 
  Are guns more powerful weapons? Firearms do damage 
  as normal, plus additional Damage Ranks equal to the 
  MOD of the attacker’s Firearms Forte. 
  Are guns one-shot kill weapons? Firearms do damage 
  as normal, plus additional Damage Ranks equal to the TN 
  of the attacker’s Firearms Forte. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Prose Descriptive Qualities System (PDQ)/PDQ Sharp.pdf