TEXT: ﻿
  Wolves
  i n  t h e  B o r d e r l a n d s
  B e a s t s  &  B a r B a r i a n s 
  One Sheet #3 
  A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds One Sheet for Beasts and Barbarians
  By David thomas and Umberto Pignatelli
  
  ﻿
  Cover by Jeremy Mohler, Standart Stock Art 02 by Empty Room Studios Publishing
  Layout: winnicki art studio | www.winnicki.pro
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.com. 
  Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used with permis-
  sion. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose of this product. Some 
  artwork copyright Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under license. www.roninarts.com 
  ©2011 Gramel Justyna Koryś, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are trademarks 
  of Gramel Justyna Koryś. All Rights Reserved.
  
  3
  “Nobody goes into Black Forest willingly. Only those that’s 
  taken, and they don’t be returning.”
  - Old Borderlands Saying
  introduction
  The heroes are members of the Border Wolves, a large 
  mercenary company serving in the Borderlands, whose 
  men have signed up for a five-year “Price of Blood” con-
  tract (See Beasts and Barbarians Player Guide, p.21). The 
  heroes are assigned to a small division that comprises 
  themselves plus another four comrades. During the whole 
  scenario, the mercenaries are under the party’s control. To 
  add some realism, the players should choose a commander 
  for the division from among them.  
  The heroes are currently serving at Fort Vanguard, not far 
  from the Godaxe River and on the edge of Black Forest, 
  whose tall, black trees mark the border of the Caledlands.
  (M) Border Wolf Mercenary (1 per hero)
  rescue
  The story is simple: Fort Vanguard, a small but sturdy forti-
  fication, stands on the very border of Black Forest. The lord 
  of the Fort, Commander Voorhess, has a beautiful daughter 
  named Kara, who was captured by Caled raiders three nights 
  ago while on her way to visit her father. Her retinue of three 
  soldiers and a slave girl were also captured. The raiders took 
  their captives back into Black Forest, beyond the Godaxe.
  Being short of men, Commander Voorhess has ordered you, the 
  Border Wolves, to pursue the raiders and rescue his daughter. 
  You know the truth: you have been chosen because any other 
  man in the small garrison would have refused such a danger-
  ous mission.
  Black Forest is dark and silent and, although you constantly 
  feel you are being watched, nothing hinders your advance. 
  After pursuing them for two days, you have now located the 
  raiders in a small Caled village...
  The village consists of about eight huts, a central fire pit, 
  some strange rock arrangements, and a crude wooden cage 
  in which Kara is held captive. Next to the cage there are 
  four wooden racks, with a corpse tied to each. The corpses 
  are of the three captured soldiers and the slave girl. They 
  are tied to the racks with vines, which also grow in and 
  out of their flesh. Though dead, their eyes roam back and 
  forth, keeping watch over the village. They have Notice d6 
  and let out loud shrieks if they spot an intruder. Any hero 
  hearing such horrible shouts must make a Fear check or 
  be Nauseated until the end of the scene.
  Some smaller wooden racks hang from the trees sur-
  rounding the village, but luckily no corpses are tied to 
  them. A Survival (-4) or Lotusmastery roll also allows 
  noticing Green Lotus growing on nearby oaks (d6 doses, 
  see sidebar). Half of the village’s Naked Spearmen are 
  standing around, while the others and the Warchief are 
  inside the huts but will immediately come out if the alarm 
  is raised. Kara’s cage is held shut with vines, which can be 
  cut (Toughness 6). Alternatively, the wooden cage can be 
  broken. (Toughness 8). Anyone who frees or protects Kara 
  in this scene gets a Bennie.
  (M) Naked Spearmen (2 per hero +2)
  (M) Cuttrah, Naked Spearmen Warchief. Spearman 
  with Fighting d10, add the Command Edge.
  (M) Kara. She is a Wild Card commoner. She has d6 in 
  all attributes except Healing d8, plus the Attractive Edge 
  and Damsel in Distress Hindrance.
  a Face in the Flames
  Read the following part after the heroes defeat the Caleds.
  You are still standing among the fallen enemies, when sud-
  denly the fire in the pit roars and blazes as tall as the sur-
  rounding trees. You see an evil face among the flames, which 
  bears a strong resemblance to the Warchief lying dead at your 
  feet. As you are looking at the necklace of severed heads around 
  the man’s neck, he speaks in a bloodcurdling voice: “Blasphe-
  mous dogs, how dare you enter our lands and kill the blood 
  of my blood? I swear that before the moon is full I’ll have my 
  vengeance and I’ll add your heads to my Necklace of the Dead 
  Ones. Gulta Morn has spoken!” And then, with a terrible 
  howl, the fire turns to ashes.
  A Common Knowledge roll allows the heroes to remem-
  ber that Gulta Morn is a druid of tremendous power, no-
  torious on both sides of the border for his evil deed. If 
  the Warchief they killed really is his relative, they should 
  flee as far away as they can! The moon will be full in two 
  nights, exactly the time they need to reach Fort Vanguard. 
  Harvesting in Black Forest 
  Two things are worth harvesting in the Black 
  Forest: Green Lotus and ears. Green Lotus is a 
  strange plant which can be found with a Sur-
  vival (-4) or Lotusmastery roll. Each attempt 
  requires an hour and yields a batch with a suc-
  cess, two with a raise. If a Lotusmaster uses this 
  Lotus in a concoction with a plant trapping, he receives +2 to 
  the Lotusmastery roll and the standard duration of the potion 
  is increased by one time unit. However, any Caled Druid 
  within a mile will automatically be aware of the user, once 
  the concoction is used. Each dose can also be sold for 50 Moons 
  or, with a Lotusmastery roll, two batches can be used to make 
  a Refined Lotus dose (in this case, the Lotusmastery bonus 
  doesn’t apply).
  The ears of the Caled warriors are another prized trophy. The 
  Commanders of the border forts pay 30 Moon for each right 
  ear delivered to them. So, a man with a sharp dagger can be-
  come rich if he is brave (or mad) enough to hunt human quar-
  ries in the forest. Yet, if the hunter is caught by the Caleds, he 
  will certainly face a long, painful death.     
  
  4
  ﻿
  escaping 
  from Black Forest
  Gulta Morn is now in trance in a holy cave several miles 
  away. But this doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous: his powers 
  extend all over Black Forest and the heroes won’t be safe 
  until they leave these dark woods. The journey back takes 
  two days and the heroes will have to face three encounters 
  each day.
  Survival: The heroes are allowed a group Survival roll at 
  the start of each day. In case of success, they can skip an 
  encounter or recover a level of Fatigue (Game Master’s 
  choice). This represents their ability to choose better paths 
  avoiding difficult terrain, to find shelter, and so on.
  First day
  Drums in the Night. The scenario is written assuming 
  that the heroes leave the Caled village at once. The Game 
  Master is free to send a patrol of Naked Spearmen (2 per 
  hero) to pursue them. During the night the heroes hear 
  wood cracking along with booming and hammering and, 
  in the distance, the sound of drums. The sounds are occa-
  sionally accompanied by unintelligible shouts. This causes 
  a Fear check. Any Extra who fails the fear check will flee 
  into the forest. If he isn’t stopped and brought back within 
  three rounds, he will disappear and never return (but he’ll 
  come back to haunt the heroes as a Cursing Head, below).
  Mud Terror. Early in the morning, the sky darkens and 
  a cold, howling wind starts blowing. The heroes are soon 
  in the middle of a rainstorm. It rains incessantly until past 
  midday and the heroes and their allies must make a Vigor 
  roll or suffer a level of Fatigue, due to the fact that march-
  ing has become more and more difficult. 
  In the afternoon the rain subsides, but this area of the 
  forest has turned into a bog and this allows Gulta Morn’s 
  dark magic to manifest itself again. Silently, a giant claw 
  of mud rises behind the character bringing up the rear of 
  the group and tries to crush him (Fighting d8, damage 
  d12+2)! If the claw hits with a raise, it grapples the victim 
  as per the Grappling rules and continues to inflict damage 
  every round. If the ambushed character misses an opposed 
  roll versus the claw’s Stealth d8, the dreadful thing has 
  also the Drop. 
  The claw is totally immune to attacks. The heroes can try 
  to run away (the claw cannot leave the mud), which trig-
  gers a short Chase sequence (5 rounds, Agility based). As 
  the heroes are hindered by the mud, the claw has Agility 
  d6 and +4 to Chase rolls.
  There is actually a way to destroy the claw. Each round the 
  heroes spend attacking it, they are allowed a Notice (-4) 
  roll. In case of success, they spot a tiny salamander in the 
  mud. It is the source of the magic animating it and can 
  be dispatched with a Called Shot (-4), breaking the spell. 
  The salamander is also detected as a magical being by the 
  Detect Arcana power.
  The Cup of the Green Giant. Immediately before dusk, 
  the party sees a massive oak with ancient Caled runes 
  carved into it. One of its branches is twisted in the shape 
  of a receptacle containing a pool of rainwater, which the 
  sap of the old tree has turned bright green. With a Knowl-
  edge (Arcana) roll, an adventurer can examine the runes 
  and understand this is a holy place. With a raise, he also 
  understands that the oak, known as the Green Giant, is a 
  sort of forest god and, as long as the heroes stay under its 
  branches, no Caled can harm them.
  This doesn’t mean the place is safe: the pool of rainwater 
  is imbued with strong magic. It is toxic, and drinking it 
  has the same effect as a poison spell cast with Sorcery d10. 
  But looking into it is also extremely dangerous. The first 
  player saying his hero is examining the water must make 
  a Spirit roll. The various visions the hero can experience 
  are detailed below.
  Failure. The hero sees a strange cave, its ground covered 
  in dead leaves and its walls inscribed with strange runes. 
  An old man, Gulta Morn, sits among the leaves in deep 
  trance. Suddenly he opens his cat-like, yellow eyes and 
  notices that someone is spying on him. The hero must do 
  a Fear check. 
  Success. The hero is walking with his companions through 
  a forest of weeping willows. Suddenly, the soft leaves of 
  the trees become as sharp as blades and, in a few mo-
  ments, the adventurer’s body is covered in hundreds of 
  tiny wounds. Terrorized, he looks around and notices that 
  humanlike hearts beat under the bark of the willows. This 
  is an omen of the encounter with the Sap Warriors the 
  party is about to have. The hero won’t be surprised by the 
  encounter and will also have a useful hint about how kill 
  these elusive enemies. 
  Raise. The hero is sitting astride a trunk floating down 
  a peaceful river. He is steering the trunk with an oak 
  branch. Suddenly, the water starts bubbling and a hideous 
  creature, its mouth as large as a house, surfaces to attack 
  him. The hero throws his branch into the monster’s mouth 
  and the creature disappears. This is a premonition of the 
  Crossing the River scene (see below). If, during that scene, 
  a hero cuts a branch from the Green Giant and throws it 
  into the whirlpool’s mouth, the water instantly reverts to 
  being placid. 
  Two Raises. The character is on the edge of a crevasse, 
  wrestling with Gulta Morn. Despite being very skinny, 
  the druid has incredibly strong hands and is strangling 
  the hero. With his last strength, the hero snatches Gulta 
  Morn’s necklace of severed heads and shatter it. Suddenly, 
  the druid turns into ashes and disappears forever. This is a 
  hint about how to kill the spirit of Gulta Morn in the last 
  scene of the adventure.  
  second day
  Cursing Head. The night passes quietly, even though far-
  away thunder claps are heard. The heroes and their allies 
  should stop and rest; otherwise, they must make a Vigor 
  roll or suffer a level of Fatigue. If they manage to find 
  
  5
  safe shelter and relax a little, this is the perfect moment 
  to break the tension with an Interlude. Then, at dawn, 
  they start marching again. It is a foggy day and, although 
  the rain has stopped, the air is heavy and the vegetation 
  thicker than ever. Distant drums start sounding again, in-
  creasing their sense of urgency. After a while, they come 
  to a small clearing and, in the middle of it, they see a staff 
  stuck in the ground with a severed head on it. If the heroes 
  have lost an ally during the adventure, the head belongs to 
  their missing companion, otherwise it belongs to Cuttrah, 
  the Warchief. When the heroes examine it, it suddenly 
  opens its eyes and starts speaking in a hellish voice. This 
  causes a Fear check and, if the heroes fail it, they will be 
  Nauseated for the whole scene.
  “Give up trying to save yourselves. You will soon be added 
  to the Necklace of the Dead Ones, as I have been. You cannot 
  escape Gulta Morn!”
  At this point, the head lets out a hideous laugh, and all 
  the characters must make a Spirit roll. The character with 
  the lowest score is so anguished that he suffers the effects 
  of the lower trait power, cast with Sorcery d10, until the 
  party gets to the other side of the Godaxe. The evil magic 
  can be broken by simply smashing the head. This makes 
  the wretched thing explode in a shower of malodorous 
  sparks (2d6 damage in a Medium Burst Template). The 
  character that smashes the head should be rewarded with 
  a Bennie.
  Sap Warriors. The heroes are now crossing a thick forest 
  of wild willows, with hollow, worm-eaten trunks. Some 
  Caled warriors are hiding inside the hollow trunks. They 
  have smeared their skin with yellow willow sap and in-
  voked the protection of the trees; so, they are virtually in-
  visible (Stealth d12+1) as long as they don’t step out of 
  the trees. They wait for the heroes to approach and try 
  to surprise them. In addition, they can move from tree 
  to tree with supernatural ability: a Caled warrior com-
  pleting his turn in contact with the trunk of a willow can 
  start the next turn in contact with any other willow on 
  the battlefield. Moreover, he is considered hidden again 
  (Notice roll opposed to the warrior’s Stealth to spot him). 
  Place twice as many trunks as there are Caled warriors 
  on the battlefield, each at least 6” away from the next. Yet, 
  the warriors’ amazing powers come at a price: the souls 
  of the Sap Warriors are linked to the trees and they can 
  be killed by destroying the trunks (Toughness 7). A hero 
  who experienced a vision by looking into the rainwater 
  pool (see above) has guessed their weakness and cannot 
  be surprised by them.
   If the party manages to capture and question a Caled, 
  he reveals that a big war band is approaching (see scene 
  below) and tells the adventurers they don’t stand a chance. 
  (M) Sap Warriors (1 per hero). Same as Naked Spearman 
  but without the Naked Warrior special ability. They are 
  armed with stone hatchets (Str+d6).
  Crossing the River. The party finally gets to the Godaxe. 
  Once they cross it, they’ll reach the safety of the fort, but 
  it won’t be easy. The heavy rains have swollen the river 
  and the wooden bridge leading into the Borderlands is 
  submerged under several feet of muddy water, so the party 
  must find another way to cross.
  Swimming is impossible, since the current is too strong. 
  The best way to cross the river is to build a makeshift raft. 
  It requires a cooperative Repair or Survival (-4) roll and 
  half an hour of time. Note that the heroes manage to build 
  a raft even if they fail the roll, but it is very unsafe. The ba-
  sic raft has Toughness 4, plus 2 for each success and raise 
  on the roll (maximum 8). As the heroes are about to take 
  to the waters, a large party of Naked Spearmen emerges 
  from the vegetation. But they are too late, and can only 
  scream their rage while wildly throwing their spears 
  (counts as a Suppression Fire attack against all the party). 
  But the worst is yet to come. When the heroes are halfway 
  across the river, Gulta Morn’a dark magic strikes again: 
  a dark whirlpool starts sucking the heroes’ raft into its 
  vicious mouth. The adventurers must row with all their 
  strength to reach the opposite bank. It is a Dramatic Task 
  based on cooperative Boating or Strength (-2) and the 
  heroes must achieve five successes. Each round in which 
  no success is scored, the raft suffers 2d6 damage. If at the 
  end of the fifth round they haven’t managed to complete 
  the task, the raft disintegrate and the heroes must make a 
  Swimming (-2) roll to reach the bank. When failing the 
  roll, Extras are sucked into the whirlpool, never to resur-
  face, while 2d8 damage applies to Wild Cards. A hero 
  can willingly choose to hold Kara to save her (the poor 
  girl cannot swim), in which case he has an additional -2 
  to the Swimming roll but receives a Bennie for his heroic 
  behavior.
  Another simpler way to avoid drowning consists in 
  throwing a branch of the Green Giant into the center of 
  the whirlpool. In this way, Gulta Morn’s evil magic is dis-
  pelled and the whirlpool disappears.
  The heroes are finally back in the Borderlands and Fort 
  Vanguard is only a hundred yards away, on top of a hill. 
  But there a terrible surprise awaits!
  Fort Vanguard
  You stagger up the hill. Fort Vanguard isn’t big – just a few 
  barracks surrounded by a palisade and guarded by four 
  wooden towers – but today it seems fairer to you than the 
  Emperor’s Palace in Faberterra.
  Let the heroes make a Notice roll. In case of success, they 
  realize that something isn’t right. There are no sentinels 
  on the battlements and no smoke is rising from the chim-
  neys. The wooden gate is ajar. Once in the Fort’s court-
  yard, the heroes see a smelling pile. When they discover 
  its nature, they must make a Fear check or be Nauseated. 
  The smoldering ashes are the soldiers of the garrison, hor-
  ribly butchered by some savage horror.
  While you are taking in the gruesome scene, a low, deep growl 
  makes you do a double take. A nightmarish creature comes out 
  of the stables. It is a Black Forest bear, but you have never 
  seen one so big: it is almost six yards tall, its claws as sharp as 
  
  6
  ﻿
  swords and its mouth smeared with old blood. But the most 
  frightening sight is the necklace of severed heads around its 
  massive neck. With an insane yellow light in its eyes, the 
  creature charges towards you!
  The bear is possessed by the spirit of Gulta Morn. Since 
  the heroes have escaped all his traps, he has decided to 
  intervene in person. During the night, he took control of 
  this massive beast, climbed the fort’s walls and murdered 
  the entire garrison, then waited for the heroes. Gulta 
  Morn is very powerful, but he has made a gross mistake 
  this time: his own spirit resides within the beast and, if 
  the party manages to kill the Bear, this will also kill the 
  evil druid. The fort offers some useful props, including a 
  small ballista on the battlements. With a Strength (-2) 
  roll, which can be cooperative, a hero can use it to target 
  the bear (Damage:3d8, Range: 25/50/100, AP 4, 3 com-
  bat rounds to reload).
  Black Forest Bear
   aftermath
  If the heroes manage to break the necklace or, even better, 
  to kill the bear, a terrible howl is heard throughout the 
  forest. It is Gulta Morn’s cry of rage. If the necklace is 
  shattered, the druid doesn’t die but temporarily loses all 
  his powers – and won’t trouble the party for a while.
  The sound is so loud that even the Caled warriors on the 
  other side of the river hear it and, frightened, run back 
  into the thick vegetation. 
  The heroes must bury the dead ones, take charge of the 
  Fort, and send messages to the nearest ones, asking for 
  reinforcements (which will arrive in a week). Tales of their 
  deed will spread far and wide in a few weeks (+2 Charisma 
  while they are in the Borderlands), and they will probably 
  be promoted (you can also decide they receive a reward of 
  400 Moons).
  They have saved Kara but the girl has no family left now 
  (her father is among the dead ones). Finding a suitable 
  position for her can be the hook for a new adventure. 
  In addition, if they haven’t killed Gulta Morn, sooner or 
  later he will come back to take his revenge.  
  Creatures and nPCs
  Black Forest Bear
  These massive beasts have inhabited Black Forest since 
  the dawn of time, when terrors like them ruled the north-
  ern woods.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d8, Strength 
  d12+4, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Swimming d6
  Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 12 (9)
  Special Abilities
  • Armor +3: Layers of fat and very thick fur.
  • Bear Hug: Bears don’t actually “hug” their victims, but 
  they do attempt to use their weight to pin their prey down 
  and rend it with their claws and teeth. A bear that hits 
  with a raise has pinned down his foe. The opponent may 
  only attempt to escape the “hug” on his action, which re-
  quires a raise on an opposed Strength roll.
  • Claws: Str+d6.
  • Size +3: The Black Forest bear is 10’ tall and weighs over 
  1,500 pounds.
  • Spirit Possessed: The bear is possessed by the spirit of 
  the Caled Druid Gulta Morn, which gives it the Arcane 
  Resistance Edge. Yet, if the bear is killed, the druid is 
  killed too. 
  • Weakness (Necklace of the Dead Ones): Gulta Morn 
  controls the bear through this necklace. If the heroes man-
  age to break it (Called Shot -4, Toughness 5), the spell is 
  lifted. At this point, when the Bear is dealt a club action 
  card, it decides to flee back into Black Forest. Due to the 
  size of the Bear, the Called Shot can be attempted with 
  a melee weapon only if the heroes climb onto the beast’s 
  body (which can be done by winning an Agility trick) or 
  jump from above. Otherwise, they can use Ranged weap-
  ons and weapons with Reach 1 or more without any prob-
  lem.  
  Border Wolf Mercenary
  The Border Wolves were founded twenty years ago by Sk-
  ragos Baldface, once a Cairnlander bandit, who received 
  an official pardon from the Count of Felantium. Today, 
  they are known as one of the most ruthless companies in 
  the north and even the barbarians fear them. Men of any 
  race and class can join the Wolves, as long as they fight 
  bravely and obey their orders. They are recognizable by the 
  wolf pelt, head included, they wear over their armor and 
  by their fearsome battle cry (see below).
  The heroes’ comrades in this adventure are: Rufus and 
  Pontios (brothers, from the Borderlands), N’Goba (Ivory 
  Tribesman), and Leus (Syranthian).
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d8, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Intimidation d6, Shooting 
  d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6, Throwing d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Gear: light armor (+1), bronze battle axe (Str+d8), small 
  shield (+1 Parry), light helm (+1), bow (Dmg: 2d6, Range: 
  12/24/48) or 2 javelins (Str+d4, Range: 4/8/16).
  Special Abilities
  • Wolf Howl: Once in each battle, the Wolves can let out 
  their terrible battle cry, similar to a real wolf ’s howl. It is a 
  free Intimidation attempt, with a +2 bonus, which doesn’t 
  count as an action.
  
  7
  naked spearman
  The most feared warriors among the Caleds, these primi-
  tive men attack savagely, protected only by their own fe-
  rocity and some magical tattoos. The tattoos identify the 
  various clans and are believed to bestow great power. This 
  warrior belongs to the Red Weasel clan.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d6, 
  Vigor d6
  Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimida-
  tion d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Throwing d6, Tracking 
  d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 5
  Gear: stone tipped spear (Str+d6, +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 
  hands, Range: 3/6/12), stone dagger (Str+d4).
  Special Abilities
  • Red Weasel Clan Tattoo: The warriors of the Red Wea-
  sel clan are renowned for going wild as soon as they smell 
  blood. If there is a wounded character (or one Shaken by 
  a wounding effect) within 6” of a Red Weasel warrior, he 
  has +1 to damage rolls.
  • Naked Warrior: As long as he wears no armor, a Na-
  ked Spearmen has the Loincloth Hero Edge and can soak 
  wounds even if he isn’t a Wild Card (in this case, he rolls 
  only the Vigor die, without the Wild Die). This ability 
  doesn’t work if the Spearman is under the effect of fear or 
  has lost an Intimidation Test of Will, since his gods shun 
  cowards.
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Beasts & Barbarians/Savage Worlds - Beasts & Barbarians - Wolves in the Borderlands.pdf