High Valor (1st Edition)

“The weight of the world is upon your shoulders my son, we the last born children of the dream. Even now, the darkness gathers. The Fane-lords have not relented in their desire to see us broken again by their lashes and yoked to their rule. The Black Gate trembles and cracks. Soon, we will be all that stands between the Fane and man. Now is the time that the valor of few will decide the fate of legions.”

The Long Night comes. The Fane-Lord armies sweep across the land, and the Free Kingdoms will be plunged into darkness. Where will you make your stand?

High Valor is a dark fantasy game inspired by Celtic and Germanic myth and legend set in the original world of Aeia. The Free Kingdoms struggle to leave their Dark Ages behind just as their deepest fears are realized. The enemies of mankind, demonic Fane-Lords who once enslaved man, have destroyed the Black Gate that held them in their own lands. Now all of the races of man: Dvegr, Humans, Sidda, Sidhain, and Fane-created Fomoradgh must stand together or fall before them and become their slaves once again.

High Valor takes fantasy gaming along familiar paths but trods in different boots. Glory in battle and die for your cause; face down evil and kindle a light in the onrushing dark; rhyme your spell words and sing songs of magic; humble yourself before the High Lord and in the Martyr's name to gird your people against monsters; take the sword and fight. Rely on will, faith and valor as you risk damnation, death, and terrible ends for the needs of others.

High Valor uses a custom system based around the idea of "FEAT pools", small dice pools called Will, Faith, and Valor. These are the central attributes of each hero, and they are drawn upon to add game results to specific Traits you describe yourself (or draw upon from the many examples provided). Make these traits what you want them to represent and leap into the dangerous world of Aeia. Character advancement comes only in the form of Triumphs and Dooms: Only through both great successes AND harrowing failures will your character become stronger.

Incredible amounts of written advice for both the gamemaster and players assist in making the game as easy to understand as possible by explaining in clear detail what the characters are supposed to do, how the setting should be portrayed, and how the game should feel and flow. Elements like magic and herbalism are explained with detailed and setting-rich examples.