NPCs & Followers

NPCs are non-player characters, anyone who exists in the game's fiction who isn't one of the PCs. This includes people, of course, but also includes spirits of the wild, shades of the departed, and bound entities.

It can even include beasts like dogs, horses, or plucky chickens. If it has a personality, and the PCs can communicate with it, it's an NPC.

Many NPCs are also threats that cause ongoing trouble for the PCs or the village. NPCs can also be monsters that the PCs can fight. This chapter, though, discusses them as people (or at least, as sapient beings) with whom the PCs interact.

If an NPC takes orders from a PC, deferring to them and generally doing what the PC says, then that NPC is a follower. Players can trigger moves like Clash or Seek Insight via their followers, and followers can hold Loyalty that makes them more likely to do what a PC wants.

Followers are discussed in detail starting on Game stats.

NPCs in play

Part of your job as the GM is to portray NPCs. What they do, what they say, how they feel—that's all up to you! Practically, you portray NPCs as part of the core loop of play.

As you establish a situation, say (or ask) what NPCs are there, what they look like, how they're dressed or how they carry themselves.

Say (or ask) what they're up to. Speak in their voices or summarize what they say.

When you make a GM move, you can use NPCs to make it. Announce trouble by having a follower sidle up to the Marshal and whisper, "we're being followed." Put them in a spot by saying, "He's about to scream bloody murder, what do you do?"

Show a downside by saying, "Mari got all handsy with the waitstaff again, and got a pitcher of ale over her head, again, and she's about to lose her temper—again."

When you resolve player actions, you decide how NPCs react or are affected. When the Fox passes off a barrel of swill as fine whisky, you decide whether the merchant just falls for it, or would never believe it, or might believe it but only if the Fox Persuades them.

When the Marshal has her crew Clash and gets a 7-9, you decide who among them suffers the enemy's attack.

When PCs do something that doesn't trigger a move, you say what happens, and "what happens" often involves how NPCs react.

When the Would-be Hero says, "I love you" to his sweetheart for the first time, there's no player move that tells you how she responds.

The point is: portraying NPCs—framing scenes with them, describing them, making moves with them, saying how they react—is a big part of running the game.

Modes of portrayal

When you portray an NPC, you can speak in their voice, in first-person ("I… just don't know if I can keep… doing this"). Or, you can summarize what they say and how they say it, in third-person ("She tears up and says she can't keep doing this—it's awkward").

Speaking in an NPC's voice tends to be more immersive and engaging than just summarizing their words. It prompts players to respond in kind, speaking in the voice of their PCs. It allows you to show instead of tell. And it can be an awful lot of fun.

Summarizing an NPC's words is often easier to do. It doesn't require skill in acting. It's easier to correct yourself. It often takes less time to summarize a conversation than to play it out. You can be more intentional about the info you share and the GM moves you make.

In practice, you'll often switch between modes. You might start in third-person but deliver a key line in an NPC's voice.

You might start in first-person, then zoom out to summarize their tale. You might describe a conversation that involves multiple NPCs, but punctuate it with a few key lines in specific voices.

Try to be mindful and intentional about how you use modes of portrayal. Pick and choose based on the needs of the scene, the pacing of the session, and the preferences of your players.

Challenge yourself! If your instinct is to always summarize what NPCs say, try a bit of first-personal portrayal. If you find that you always speak in-character, try summarizing conversations instead. GMing is a practice, and you only get better at things you try!

Multiple NPCs at once

You'll inevitably have some scenes where multiple NPCs are in conflict or at least have conflicting opinions.

In such scenes, you need to balance giving your NPCs life with being a fan of the PCs.

Try to keep the conversation centered on the PCs. Have NPCs appeal to them and get them to take sides.

If that doesn't make sense, then focus on conveying the gist of the conflict.

Use third-person summaries more than first-person portrayal. Very few GMs can make an extended scene of "NPCs talking to each other" work.

That doesn't mean you should avoid first-person portrayals when NPCs are in conflict. It just means that you should do so sparingly. Frame the conflict with a few lines of dialogue from each NPC, and then zoom out to summarize the conversation and the salient points.

When you do portray multiple NPCs in the same scene, be as clear as you can about when each NPC is talking.

Having distinct voices or mannerisms for each NPC can really help with this. Another trick is to shift your head/body from side to side as you switch characters, leaning left and looking right as NPC #1, and the opposite as NPC #2.

Dialogue scenes

Many scenes will be dialogue scenes, scenes where one or more PCs are talking to an NPC, and that's the extent of the action.

It's easy to fall into "just talking," where you all are inhabiting the PCs and NPCs and just play-acting, seeing how they respond to each other. It's fun, and it's a chance to give your characters life and to let things breathe. But be careful! It's also easy to let dialogue scenes drag on and meander without purpose.

Like all scenes, good dialogue scenes have a purpose. There's a reason that you (or your players) have initiated this conversation, between these characters. The PCs are trying to accomplish something; you're trying to convey something; there's a question that needs answering; there's a conflict to resolve—or escalate! Keep the reason for the scene in mind, even as you're portraying the NPC(s) and speaking in their voice(s).

Try to stick to the core loop! Establish the situation—the time and place, the NPCs involved, the tone and gist of the conversation—and then make a soft GM move.

Have the NPC ask, "So, what can I do for you?" Or, have them say something provocative and give the player a chance to respond.

Or, step out of character and say how the NPC is acting nervous, or how they look unwell, or how there's a strange new idol on their hearth that wasn't there before. Ask, "What do you do?" Go from there.

Remember to be honest and generous with the truth and detail. When you make a GM move (soft or hard) via an NPC's voice, step out of character and be explicit about the implications of what you just said. If you intend to portray an NPC being shifty and nervous, deliver their lines and then say, "He's being shifty and nervous." Don't assume that your players will properly interpret your portrayal.

Keep an eye out for players triggering moves during dialogues. If you (as an NPC) put up resistance and the PC persists, they just triggered Persuade. If you ask the PCs a pointed question and they straight-up lie, they're probably Defying Danger. If the PCs have special moves that kick in during a conversation (like Under

Your Skin or Up With People), ask the player if they want to use them.

When the purpose of a scene has been resolved, or when the dialogue starts to fizzle out or swirl, wrap up the scene. Step out of character, transition to the next scene, move the spotlight, and/or shift into loose play.

Creating NPCs

Remember that one of your principles is to give your characters life.

You want your NPCs to be distinct and memorable, believable and compelling people instead of just names on a sheet. A world full of interesting NPCs is a rich and mysterious world.

You want your players to care about your NPCs and their fates—even if that means hating them or wanting them dead. When your players care about your NPCs, it's much easier to punctuate the PCs' lives with adventure.

Finally, you want your NPCs to act with integrity and their own internal logic. This makes them more believable and compelling, but it also means you can fall back on, "What would this NPC do?" and answer it honestly. It's a key part of playing to find out what happens.

So: how do you do that?

1) Give them a name

2) Conceptualize them

• Build on what's established
• Ask the PCs questions
• Pick a memorable trait

3) Give up to 3 impressions about them

4) Flesh out details as needed, such as:

• An instinct
• Their connections to others
• Their motivations
• How you'll embody them in play
• Game stats: tags, HP, armor, damage, and GM moves You might also add details to treat them as a follower, monster, and/or threat.

You'll often improvise these details in play and flesh out the NPC between sessions.

But if you expect an NPC to appear in an upcoming session, prep some or all of these details in advance. As always, though, prep only as much as you find useful and valuable.

1 Name

Give the NPC a name, or ask the players to do so. Choose from the appropriate name list or Book II entry, or use a name with a similar sound or origin.

• Stonetop names are Welsh-inspired
• Marshedge names are Irish-inspired
• Hillfolk names are Breton- or Frenchinspired, but clipped and missing vowels
• Manmarcher names are Germanic
• Barrier Pass names are Tibetan- or Nepalese-inspired
• Southern names draw from Greek, Hebrew, Persian, or Arabic.
• For other peoples (like the Ustrina), consult the appropriate entry in Book II.

Add the NPC's name to the steading playbook.

Prior to leaving on a trade mission to Gordin's Delve, Rhianna Musters the village to guard against crinwin. She gets a 10 and picks "1 or 2 individuals show real potential; ask the GM who and how." I don't have anyone in mind, so I look at the list of Stonetop names and say "Uh… let's say that Andras catches your eye to replace good old Garet. And, oh, Elios. He's someone you can leave in charge while you're gone." I add both names as residents of Stonetop in the steading playbook.

2 Concept

Figure out who this person is.

What are the most obvious and important things about them? What are their pronouns? How old they are? Where are they from? If you had to describe them in just a few words, what would they be?

Build on what's established

Start with what you already know about this NPC and extrapolate. If the NPC is written up as a follower, monster, or threat, then their concept is already well-established and you just need to fill in some details. But if you're making up this NPC from scratch, you'll need to do more work.

No matter how sparse the details, you always know something about this NPC.

How or why were they introduced? What can you infer about them based on that context? What have you already established about the world that can fill in the blanks? Go with the obvious answers or intentionally choose something that undermines a trope.

Hold your ideas lightly for now. As you ask questions and choose traits for this NPC, your initial concept for them might change. That's great! Stay loose!

I just introduced Elios as a good person to take charge of the defenses while the PCs head to Gordin's Delve. I figure Elios is an established farmer, maybe around Rhianna's age. I instinctively thought of him as a "he." I tell this to Rhianna. I'm now thinking of a good, well-liked family man, but we'll see what my players have to say.

Ask questions

Many NPCs will be people who the PCs would know, or least know of, so ask your players about them. They'll care more about NPCs that they help create! Keep the Line in mind. Ask the characters questions that they'd be able to answer. The closer the PCs are to an NPC, the more questions you should ask.

For locals or people PCs know well:

• Are you related to them? How?
• What's their family situation? (Married? Kids? Parents? Siblings?)
• Who else are they close to? Who cares about them?
• What do you like/dislike about them?
• What are they respected for?
• What do others say behind their back?
• What's their most notable feature?
• How have they always treated you?
• What do they seem to like/dislike?

For outsiders, but ones the PCs know:

• When/how did you first meet them?
• When did you last see them?
• What do you know of their family?
• How would you describe them?
• Why do you (not) look forward to seeing them again?
• How have they changed since last you met?

For folks the PCs have heard of but don't actually know:

• What are they known for?
• What is said to be their most notable trait?
• Who do you know who's met them?
• How are they different than what you expected?

For specific NPCs, you can be much more provocative. Frame your questions so that they assert things that you want to be true, while still asking the player something meaningful. When you introduce a mercenary from the Heavy's blood-soaked past, maybe ask, "Why would you never want to cross swords with them?" or "What dastardly deed did you once see them do?"

If multiple PCs know the NPC, spread your questions around. Even better, ask questions that push the PCs towards conflicting opinions of the NPC. If you asked the Heavy what dastardly deed they saw this mercenary do, then maybe ask the Seeker how that same mercenary once saved their life.

Build on the answers your players give you.

Clarify and ask follow-up questions, but otherwise treat their answers as if they've been true all along.

I ask Rhianna, "So what makes Elios a good choice to leave in charge?" She says that he helps her drill the militia. Folks have always looked to him when she's out in the Wood. "Why is that?" She says he spent time as a mercenary when he was younger, and has actual experience with this stuff. Interesting!

"Cool!" I say, then turn to Blodwen. "How are you related to him? And what's he like?" She says that he's her uncle (her mother's brother), a hard worker, gruff but always kind to her.

I then ask Vahid what he dislikes about Elios. And he's like "Ugh. He's the worst. Can't take a joke. No sense of humor at all."

Assign memorable traits

Give the NPC at least one specific, memorable trait and play that trait up. These traits become your touchstones for portraying them. Folks might not remember that the publican's daughter is named "Tegid," but they'll remember "the girl who runs everywhere."

Pick traits from the list of NPC Traits in the steading playbook, or make them up, or ask the players to do so. Write these traits down next to the NPC's name, along with their occupation or lot in life, plus any key relationships.

An NPC's traits might flow naturally from what's already established, but you can also pick a trait that contrasts with what you know or what you'd expect. Maybe the burly smith also knows all the gossip. Maybe the Fox's kind-hearted spouse harbors a hatred for the Hillfolk. Such contrasts make NPCs more compelling and memorable.

Based on what we know, I jot down:

ELIOS (he/him): farmer, humorless, ex-mercenary, Blodwen's uncle I check the NPC Traits list, looking for an interesting contrast. My eye catches on "just got married." I think it's a bit fraught, and ask the PCs why. Vahid pops in with, "He married a younger woman, someone very talkative and bubbly. It's a weird match, but they seem happy enough. Well, she does. Elios is never happy."

I love it. I add "just married" to his write up, and make a note to figure out who his new wife is, too!

3 Impressions

At this point, you should have a solid concept for the NPC, enough that you can start portraying them.

If you're creating this NPC on the fly, frame a scene with them (if you haven't already) and give up to 3 impressions about them, their surroundings, or what it's like to be around them.

If you're prepping the NPC in advance, decide on these impressions now and write them down, to whatever level of detail you find helpful. Bring them up when you first put the NPC on screen.

Impression examples

Face: angular, broken nose, dimpled, freckles, hawk nose, leathery, missing teeth, paint, scar, scowl, soft, sunburnt, tattoo, warts, etc.

Eyes: big, bright, cool, cloudy, dark, deep, droopy, missing, pale, small, squinty, quick, watery, etc.

Hair: bald, curly, greasy, straight, thick, thin, etc.

Body: big, heavyset, little, lithe, meaty, missing __, round, short, stooped, tall, thick, thin, wiry, etc.

Presence: alert, brooding, cheery, elegant, fidgety, friendly, haughty, hunched, intense, serene, etc.

Scent: earthy, musky, floral, ripe, sour, smoky, etc.

Clothes: boots, charms, clean, [color], dirty, furs, ribbons, silk, torc, threadbare, unkempt, etc.

Voice: breathy, clipped, crass, gruff, high, hoarse, lilting, lisping, monotone, mumbly, nasally, quavery, rumbling, shrill, soft, stutter, etc.

Each impression should involve a different sense or aspect of the NPC (see the sidebar for examples). Keep impressions short, simple, and evocative. Give less detail than you think you need; let the players' imaginations fill in the rest.

Maybe ask the PCs to help describe the NPC, especially if it's someone they know well. Of the Would-be Hero's crush, maybe ask "What do you find most attractive about them?" When Brennan the Claw first appears on screen, maybe say "Rhianna, you've met him—what about his face makes it just so punchable?"

Most impressions should reflect an NPC's concept—they're a way to show rather than tell. But maybe give one impression that contrasts with the rest of the NPC:

give the dastardly mercenary soft, sad eyes, or say that the well-dressed merchant reeks of body odor. Such contrasts give your NPCs depth and texture.

I'm ready to portray Elios, so I frame the scene. "Like you said, Rhianna, you double the watches and step up drills. A few days later, you find Elios, competently running a shield wall."

I give some impressions that play up his role. "He's got this deep, almost monotone voice that folks kind of lean in to hear, and a scar on his face that you assume he got in his days down south." Then, to make him a little more human, I add, "And as he watches folks practice, you realize that he's, like, fidgeting with a… locket? Probably a gift from his new wife."

4 Additional details

Fill in the rest of an NPC's details only as they become important and relevant to the story or to how you portray them.

If you're making the NPC up on the fly, you likely won't have time or the mental bandwidth to do these intentionally.

It's common to just portray new NPCs naturally and instinctively, based on what you've already established. You can then go back after the session and take notes about how you portrayed them, and/or flesh out some of the missing details.

If you're prepping an NPC in advance, think about the following areas and make some decisions about them. But remember: prep only what's useful and valuable to you.

Embodiment

Consider one or more of these tricks to help embody the NPC. Tricks like these can help make the NPC distinctive, even if you're not a natural performer.

• Pick an actor or character from TV, film, or theater. Tell the players to picture them as the NPC. Or, try to portray that character but don't tell the players you're doing so!
• Pick someone you know personally. Impersonate them, but don't tell anyone.
• Pick a way of speaking or tweaking your voice, a catch phrase, a physical tic, or a behavior for this NPC. Use it whenever you portray them.
• Find or create a picture of them. Display it when portraying this NPC.

These tricks are relatively easy to use on the fly, while improvising a new NPC. If you do use one, make a note to yourself after the session about what trick you used, so that you can portray the NPC consistently in the future.

As the scene unfolds, and Rhianna starts telling Elios her plans and how she wants him to be in charge, I lean into that "deep, almost monotone voice" that I described him having. I lower my pitch and keep my tone flat. I realize that I'm doing the voice of Eeyore, the sorrowful donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh, and that seems right.

I jot down "Eeyore voice" in my notes.

Instinct

Between sessions, consider writing an instinct for your NPC. Write them in this format: "to [do something]."

If the NPC is…

• a monster or threat, their instinct should bring them into conflict with others.
• a follower, their instinct should cause trouble for the PC who leads them.
• anyone else, their instinct should reflect their basic outlook and how they approach the world.

Use an NPC's instinct to guide how they behave and react. If you're unsure what an NPC would do, look to their instinct. Have them do that.

After the session, I think about Elios a bit and write this instinct for him:

To complain but get the job done.

Connections to others

When you have time—usually between sessions—think about how this NPC gets along with others. Ask yourself some or all of the following:

• What do they think of the PCs?
• Who are they related to? Friends with?
• Who are they loyal to, and why?
• Who do they dislike, and why?

Ask yourself follow-up questions. If you're unsure of an answer, leave it as something to wonder about for now.

Use the answers to portray the NPC, and to help resolve PC actions. The smith dislikes the Fox's spouse? The Fox might have to Persuade the smith to do an otherwise simple task. The smith is loyal to the midwife? Her support might get the smith to agree.

Don't flesh out an NPC's entire social network. Leave blanks, and fill in details as they become relevant to play.

My notes for Elios now look like this:

ELIOS (he/him): farmer, humorless, ex-mercenary, Blodwen's uncle.

Newly married. Eeyore voice.

Instinct: to complain but get the job done.

After the session, I ask myself some of these questions and add these notes:

Respects Rhianna. Kind to Blodwen.

Vahid is a dangerous weirdo. Loyal to his wife.

I need to flesh out his wife, but it can wait until I need her for a scene.

Motivations

If you want to really flesh out an NPC's internal life and motivations, ask yourself some or all of the following:

• What do they want from the PCs?
• What do they fear?
• What angers them?
• What do they long for?
• What do they think they deserve?
• What do they aspire to do or be?

Unless you really enjoy this kind of prep, save these questions for NPCs whose inner lives and motivations really matter.

In most cases, you can rely on an NPC's concept, traits, and instincts.

Elios's motivations seem straightforward to me. For now, humorlessness, his instinct ("to complain but get the job done") and his new marriage give me plenty to work with.

In the future, though, maybe folks start to doubt Rhianna's leadership and look to Elios instead. At that point, I might ask myself some of these questions. What does he want from the PCs? He wants Rhianna to get her crap together. What does he fear? Being responsible for the entire town's safety, but also his wife or infant son coming to harm. What angers him? The way Vahid and Caradoc keep bringing trouble down on the village, and how Rhianna turns a blind eye towards that.

Such answers would imply a looming confrontation between Elios and Rhianna, where he might demand that she rein in Caradoc and Vahid or else step down from the role of marshal.

Game stats

If you think that an NPC…

• might get into a fight with the PCs, stat them up as a monster.
• will cause ongoing trouble, write them up as a threat.
• will regularly act on a PC's orders, stat them up as a follower.
• needs HP, armor, and a damage die, but isn't a monster or follower, then use the follower guidelines anyhow. Or just wing it.

An NPC might not need these stats when you first create or conceive of them, but that might change over time. A friendly NPC might start following a PC's lead and become a follower. Or they might become a source of ongoing trouble and become a threat. Or both. Both is good.

When I first introduce Elios, I don't expect him to get into a fight with the PCs, and he's not causing them any trouble. So there's no need to give him monster stats or write him up as a threat.

He respects Rhianna, and generally defers to her when it comes to the town's defenses, but I don't really see him as her follower.

As play progresses, though, and the town becomes frustrated with Rhianna's leadership, I might decide that Elios has become an ongoing problem and I'd write him up as a threat (a wildcard,

probably, at least to start).

Followers are NPCs who generally take orders from a PC and follow their lead.

They're usually people, but well-trained beasts, bound spirits, and even sentient artifacts can count as followers. PCs can gain followers mechanically (via their playbook, a move, or an arcanum), or naturally through the course of play.

Followers are, first and foremost, NPCs.

You, the GM, ultimately decide what they do and what they say, and what happens to them. What distinguishes them from other NPCs is that...

• they'll generally do as their PC says;
• they can accumulate Loyalty to their PC, which makes them easier to lead and manage; and
• when a PC has them do something, they can trigger player moves.

Followers also get a full set of stats, very similar to those of monsters.

They have tags, HP, armor, a damage die, an instinct, and possibly GM moves.

Followers also have two additional stats: a cost and Loyalty.

A follower's cost describes what keeps them following a PC's lead. It's usually a few words, like "coin, payment, treasure" or "affection, respect" or "training." When a PC pays the follower's cost, the follower holds Loyalty.

Loyalty is a currency the followers can hold. The follower's player can spend that Loyalty to get the follower to ignore fear, behave themselves, or do something they'd rather not do. See the Strengthen Your Bond move for details.

Here's an example follower:

As the Marshal, Rhianna starts with a crew and gets to define who they are. Her crew are the town's hunters. We generally treat them as a group, but Eira, Lowri, Harri, and poor departed Garet have all been established as individuals.

After Garet's death, Rhianna recruited:

ANDRAS, apprentice hunter

He caught her eye when she Mustered the village before a trip to Gordin's Delve.

Over time, Andras became more and more competent, eventually merging with Rhianna's crew of hunters.

Here's another example:

Fflur is one of the town's two horses, listed on the steading playbook as assets. The PCs Requisitioned her and a cart for their trip to Gordin's Delve, but it was Blodwen's player who named her.

The horses are important to the town, and Blodwen can talk to animals, so the players and I were interested in Fflur as a character. We decided to treat her as a follower.

Because Blodwen can speak to her and she took the most interest, we agreed to treat Fflur as Blodwen's follower, specifically.

And one more:

Vahid discovered a cracked flute of yew wood—a minor arcana—in the Green Lord's tomb. After a few weeks of practice and misadventure, he can now summon the andalau that's bound to the flute. It'll generally do what he says, but it's a fickle thing and he has to keep it happy or the flute will shatter and become worthless.

Follower moves

These moves become relevant when PCs interact with their followers.

Rhianna just saw Caradoc get smashed by the hagr, and she rushes to his side yelling, "Eira, Lowri—shoot!" They recover their wits, nock arrows, and Let Fly.

The crew have the archers tag (but not the exceptional tag), so Rhianna rolls +1 and gets a 7. The crew deals damage but Rhianna has to pick: reduce ammo, hold steady, move closer, or rush their shots. "I think they take a bunch of shots," she says, and marks ◇ low ammo on her crew's gear. She then rolls 1d6+1 (her crew's damage, +1 because there are two of them shooting) and gets a 5.

"Nice!" I say. "It howls in pain and rears up, looking for what stung it, giving you time to reach Caradoc. Vahid, you've been watching this unfold, what do you do?"

Rhianna doesn't trust the hostler up in Gordin's Delve, so she tells Andras that he'll be sleeping in the cart and keeping an eye on it and the horse.

Andras is a follower and he'll be keeping watch off-screen, so I say, "I think you're having him Defy Danger, the danger being whatever the hostler gets up to. But don't roll it just yet." I have Rhianna roll the next day, after a few PC-focused scenes.

Andras's observant tag applies, so she adds

+1 but she gets a 5. "Caradoc, a bloodynosed Andras finds you at the inn, and he's like, They stole Fflur! What do we do?'"

Try to resolve follower actions with as few moves and rolls as possible. Zoom out and resolve complicated tasks with a single Defy Danger. If a follower takes the same action as a PC, treat that as the follower Aiding the PC rather than triggering a move of their own.

Eira is all but dead, the Shadowy Presence having sucked the life out of her. Blodwen asks "Do we know how to treat this? I'll consult with Gwendyl and Seren." We all agree that Blodwen's Ordering Followers, but it's unclear whether she's having them Know Things, or Knowing Things and having her followers Aid her. We decide on the latter, as it keeps the focus on the PC.

So, Blodwen rolls +INT, with advantage. She gets a 12 and I tell her "Eira's soul has been wounded. Gwendyl can fortify her body, but to actually heal her you'll need to go into a trance, contact her spirit, and try to restore it with your own. It'll be hella dangerous. What do you do?"

Blodwen and Seren have found Eira's nearferal soul. Blodwen tries to Persuade Eira to let her help, but rolls a 4 and I put someone in a spot. "After some coaxing, she lets you approach. But as you do, Seren curses and shoots off. You see a pack of leering spirits emerging from the mists, and she's going to face them down!"

Blodwen asks if Seren is Defending or Clashing. "Neither," I say, "she's doing this on her own, not at your direction" Then I tell her the consequences. "She's holding them off for now, but she can't keep it up for long. You can help her, but Eira will run away. Or you can help Eira and hope you're quick enough to get Seren out of there. What do you do?"

Note that followers don't have access to the PC's playbook moves. The Marshal can order a follower to give a rousing speech, but they won't trigger We Happy Few. The Ranger might have Big Game Hunter, but their pet wolf doesn't deal +2 damage vs.

large foes as a result.

Loyalty

When a follower's cost is paid, they hold

+1 Loyalty, up to 3. If a follower holds

3 Loyalty, then Strengthen Your Bond doesn't trigger.

The follower holds the Loyalty but the PC they follow (or rather, that PC's player) chooses to spend it. As a rule, a follower is tied to one PC, and only that PC can pay its cost or spend its Loyalty. But if an NPC follows the party as a whole, then any PC can generate or spend that follower's Loyalty.

A PC will typically spend a follower's Loyalty after you make a GM move and show that the follower is afraid, or about to do something dumb, or doesn't want to do as they're told. The player can spend Loyalty to resolve that problem without having to trigger a move like Persuade or Defy Danger.

A player can proactively spend Loyalty, too, but if they do, consider whether it's really necessary. If the follower wasn't going to balk or do something dumb, tell the player that there's no need to spend the Loyalty after all.

It's easy to think of a follower's cost and Loyalty as transactional: I did this for you, now you owe me. That's true for some followers, but for most, Loyalty represents trust, respect, fondness, or even just habit.

Ask the player what it looks like when they spend a follower's Loyalty. Maybe the PC claps them on the shoulder and says something inspiring. Maybe they make eye contact and shake their head. Or maybe the follower just swallows hard and does what needs to be done. Work with the player to establish how this particular follower's Loyalty manifests.

The trip to Gordin's Delve takes four days, and the first day we establish that Blodwen is caring for Fflur. She's taking pains to groom her in the evening, brushing her down and keeping her company while she grazes. We agree that this pays Fflur's cost ("extensive care, grooming") and Blodwen's player marks 1 Loyalty for Fflur.

The next day of travel passes without any significant scenes. Blodwen takes care of Fflur again when they make camp, and asks if she Strengthens Their Bond again. "No," I say, "you just did, right? Like, yeah, a day passed in-game but you've basically been caring for her this whole time, right?" So Fflur still holds just 1 Loyalty.

The next day, a frythanc (a huge bird of prey) swoops low over the party. The magic of the roads will keep them safe if they stay put, but I show a downside and play up Fflur's instinct ("to panic"). "Blodwen, Fflur bucks, rears, and knocks you back, tumbling onto the pavestones. She's still in the tackle, and if she keeps this up, she'll, like, break her leg. What do you do?"

"I get up and calmly approach, hands out like 'whoa, girl." She's trying to use her Into the Lion's Den move, which lets her calm beasts with a touch.

"I know the move says she won't harm you, but she's still kicking and rearing. I think there's still a danger that you flinch or show fear. You'll be Defying Danger with WIS. Or you could spend Fflur's Loyalty to keep her from acting on her instinct."

Blodwen uses the Loyalty and I ask what this looks like. "I'm like whispering to her, hands out, 'shhh girl…" and she calms down. Does that work?" It sure does!

Things are getting creepy out in the woods. The sun just dimmed. Trees are bleeding. Ominous shadows flit just out of sight. Vahid is painting a sanctifying mark on Caradoc's shield, but it'll take time.

"While they do that, Rhianna, your crew is kind of freaking out. What do you do?" She whistles and directs them to encircle the PCs, intending to have them Defend.

"Yeah, but I think they're Defying Danger first," I say, "the danger being their own fear. You know how superstitious they are!"

"Uh, no," says Rhianna. "I'll spend their 1 Loyalty to overcome their fear to do as I say. I don't think it looks like much, that whistle just snaps them out of it. So… I roll for Defend, then?" She sure does!

Gwendyl hasn't shown up for Vahid's Breaking-of-Fast party, and Blodwen goes to her house to find out why. Gwendyl claims she doesn't hold with "those decadent southern ways," but really, she's feeling neglected by her favorite pupil.

I expect Blodwen to press Gwendyl and trigger Persuade. Instead, Blodwen gives her a hug, apologizes for not being around, and says, "We don't need to go. Plenty to be done here." They spend a few hours cutting and bundling herbs. Then Blodwen asks if this pays Gwendyl's cost of "consideration, affection." I sure think it does.

"You know, there might be some baklava left at Vahid's," says Blodwen. "I spend that Loyalty to get her to do something she doesn't want to do." But, now that she's feeling better, I think Gwendyl would be fine going to the party, and I tell Blodwen to hold onto that Loyalty.

Followers in play

Followers are NPCs. They fall on your side of the Line, and it's your responsibility—not the players'—to portray them, to say what they do and what they say. A little blurring of the Line is natural, but if a player portrays a follower like they're a second PC, pause the game and reset expectations.

As with any NPC, use followers as part of the core loop. Include them when you establish the situation. Make GM moves (soft or hard) with them or against them. Decide how they react to the PCs' words and deeds—and that goes for all the PCs, not just the PC they follow!

With that said, followers generally do what their PC tells them to do, and they often look to the PC for direction. It's perfectly fine to ask, "And what do you have your crew do?" or to say something like, "He looks at you expectantly, do you tell him to do anything?"

The more established the follower is, the more you should ask questions and build on the answers. If the Marshal's crew is like family, lean on them when fleshing out the individual members or even when deciding what they'd do. "Rhianna, how do you think Hari would react here?"

Remember, though: Order Followers triggers only when the PC directs a follower.

If you ask the player what they think their follower would do, and you agree that, yeah, they do that—that's not Ordering Followers, and the follower doesn't trigger any moves. You just decide what happens.

The burden of leadership

Followers can be useful, but they should also be sources of stress and conflict.

For starters, followers get scared. They might freeze up when surprised, or flee from a terrifying foe, or panic in the face of supernatural horror. Tell the player when this happens, and ask what they do.

If the PC gives them an order, the player can spend 1 Loyalty to have the follower overcome their fear and do as they're told.

Otherwise, ask yourself: would the follower do this willingly if they weren't scared?

If they would, then the PC is having them Defy Danger (the danger being that they freeze up, panic, or screw up).

If they wouldn't, then the follower needs to be convinced, via Persuade or some other move.

Even when they aren't scared, followers won't always do as they're told. They might resist orders if...

• they're angry, miserable, shocked, or otherwise overwhelmed;
• the order is unreasonable, foolish, degrading, distasteful, etc.; and/or
• the order goes against the follower's instinct, tags, cost, or other traits.

For example, a warrior follower will usually be willing to go into battle, but if the odds are overwhelming, or they haven't eaten for a couple days and they're wet and cold and have had enough of this crap, well, they're probably going to need some convincing!

When you decide that a follower doesn't want to do as they're told, then reveal that to the player! "He looks at you with tired eyes and doesn't even get up, what do you do?" Or, "You want me to what? That's…

no, no way." Or, "You can tell he doesn't want to, you're going to have to convince him—what do you do?"

The player can then choose to spend the follower's Loyalty (if they hold any) to have them "do something they don't want to do." Or the PC can Persuade the follower, or use a different move to convince them. Or they could let it drop and do something else. Whatever they do, follow the rules and the dice and portray the follower with integrity, and play to find out what happens.

Play up a follower's instinct, tags, and traits as a source of trouble for the PCs.

Does the Ranger's wolf have an instinct of "to fill its belly?" Then have it chomp on the obvious bait, or refuse to leave a carcass uneaten. Is one of the Marshal's crew a gambler? Have her leave her post to join a game of dice, or have a creditor from Gordin's Delve show up to collect. The player can spend 1 Loyalty to have their follower "resist acting on their instinct/ tags/traits," but if they don't, they need to convince them to stop or else deal with the consequences.

Emphasizing a follower's fear, foibles, and troublesome behaviors makes their Loyalty valuable! If a follower always just does what the PC says and never gets scared or acts up, then their player will see no reason to pay the follower's cost and Strengthen

Their Bond.

Vahid walks down the road from the logging camp and plays a spritely tune, calling up the andalau that's tied to his flute. Wind gusts and swirls, and when Vahid stops playing I stage whisper, "More! More more more!"

Vahid wants the spirit to find those ruins that Iwan visited, and lead him to them. Given the andalau's instinct ("to play and frolic") and mischievous tag, I don't think it wants to. I sigh and whisper, "Boooorrrrring."

The Dancing Wind Spirit arcanum says that the andalau holds 1 Loyalty when it manifests; Vahid could just spend that. But the flute will break if the spirit has no Loyalty when dismissed. Vahid Persuades it instead. "Boring? Why, it'll be a fine game of hide and seek!" He rolls an 8.

"It's not convinced," I say, "but if you turn it into a game when it leads you to the ruins, it'd think that was fun. That'd even pay its cost." Vahid offers that and the spirit agrees. The next morning, the spirit returns. "Found it, found it, come, come, follow! Play!"

Vahid tells Rhianna that he can lead them to the ruins, and she has everyone get ready to go. But when her superstitious crew realizes that they're following a fickle spirit on a game of "hot and cold," they dig their heels in. Now Rhianna has to convince them to go along with this plan. If she had let the crew celebrate last night, it would have paid their cost and she could just spend their Loyalty. But she didn't, and they hold no Loyalty, so now she's going to need to Persuade them.

Off-screen orders

When a player sends a follower off-screen to do something, resolve it with a single move (at most!). The PC won't be there to give follow-up direction when things snowball, so zoom out and pick a single move to represent the off-screen action.

Resolve that one move. Let all the other things that could go right or wrong color the outcome.

If you really can't decide which move the follower is making, it's Defy Danger.

In general, have the player roll for their follower's off-screen move when the PCs could learn the outcome. If a PC leaves their follower in Gordin's Delve to spy on Mutra the Teeth, have the player roll to Seek Insight when the PC gets back to Gordin's Delve.

Sometimes, though, you want to know the results up front, so that you can weave it into unfolding events. Say the Marshal has her crew sneak around to flank a foe.

You might have the Marshal roll Defy Danger right away, and then reveal the results maybe a scene or two later. "A 7, huh? Okay, cool, cool." Then, after the PCs have snuck up on the bandit camp and are about to attack: "There's a commotion to the north, and one figure drags another out of the brush. Oh crap, they've got Hari!

Everyone in camp is going to see what the fuss is about. What do you do?"

Followers in fights

Followers can have a big impact on fights.

They can help even the odds or allow the PCs to overwhelm a single foe. But followers can also complicate the situation by panicking, getting into trouble, or acting rashly.

Keep followers in mind while you run fights. They might defer to the PCs or look to them for direction, but they'll rarely just stand there! When you establish the situation or make a GM move, think about what the followers have been up to while the spotlight was on the PCs. "You dispatch this crinwin, but see another one on top of Glaw. Hari's lining up a shot, but hesitating.

That other crinwin is fleeing with your mess kit in its hands. What do you do?"

Remember, though, that followers only trigger player moves when directed to do so by their PC. If the PC ignores Hari and Glaw and chases after the fleeing crinwin, then it's your call whether or not Hari shoots. If he does shoot, you decide whether his shot lands, or misses, or hits Glaw instead. But if the PC shouts, "Hari, shoot, dammit!" while they rush after the fleeing crinwin—then they're Ordering Followers, and the player rolls to have Hari Let Fly.

Clear communication is hard during a fight! It's loud, you don't have much time (or breath!), and everyone is rather preoccupied with not getting killed. Don't let players give elaborate, detailed orders while a fight rages. A few words or hand signals is probably all they get!

If a PC's orders are vague, ask what they intend and how the follower would know that. Give them leeway if they've worked with the follower a long time. The Marshal's crew have drilled and fought side-by-side for years, so "Hari, behind you!" could convey "Hari, a foe is behind you, turn and attack it!" But with a new follower, a warning like that would only get them to dodge, at best!

For examples of followers in fightsand 472.

When followers Defend

When a PC Orders Followers to Defend and gets a 7+, the follower holds Readiness but the player decides when and how they spend it.

When a player spends their follower's Readiness, consider whether the follower would actually do what the player wants.

Would they really suffer this attack in place of their ward? Would they really draw all attention to themselves? If the answer feels like "no," then the player has to spend both

1 Readiness and 1 Loyalty—they're unlikely to have time to Persuade the follower!

When a PC Defends and a follower Aids them, that PC holds the Readiness but they can spend it to have the follower suffer the damage/effects of an attack, or to have the follower draw all attention from their ward to themselves. Ask the player what this looks like. If they're slyly using the follower as a meat shield, then the follower doesn't get much say in the matter (but they might have lots to say if they survive).

If the player just expects the follower to take one for the team, well… that might

require spending Loyalty, too.

Followers at 0 HP

When a follower is reduced to 0 HP, their fate is in your hands. If the source of damage was potentially lethal, then they're out of the action and you pick 1:

• They're dead, immediately
• They trigger Death's Door (even if they weren't directed to by their PC). Their PC's player rolls
• They're dying, and will either die or trigger Death's Door soon if no one intervenes Remember: it's not your job to protect your NPCs, and followers are NPCs! Let things burn.

If the source of the damage wasn't lethal, then the follower is out of the action until you say otherwise or they regain HP (because of magic, someone's move, or because someone tends to their wounds and they Recover).

Note: a Ranger's animal companion is an exception. They get a special move, Loyal to the End, that dictates what happens when they reach 0 HP. No one wants to see the dog die.

Group followers

A follower with the group tag represents multiple individuals who share stats and often act as one. The Marshal's crew is the most obvious example. Other groups include the posse of villagers that the PCs recruit to deal with the crinwin, or the trio of wraiths bound to that tattered mantle (the one adorned with teeth).

Members of a group have the same tags, max HP, armor, damage, instinct, moves, and cost. They hold a common pool of Loyalty, but each have their own current HP.

They typically Outfit with the same gear.

The PCs and Rhianna's crew have tracked the giant spiders through the Fae paths to an ancient ziggurat in the Great Wood. They think Nia is inside. The crew each have 8 HP and are carrying a ◇ bow with bronze arrows, a

• ◇ bronze hatchet, ◇◇ thick hides, and two undefined ◇ . They currently hold 1 Loyalty as a group.

The PC who leads a group follower will often direct it to act as a whole. If this leads to the group triggering a player move (per Order Followers), then the player rolls once, applying bonuses (and/or disadvantage) based on the tags shared by the group.

Rhianna says, "I signal my crew to sneak up and get in position. I want them covering us as we approach." She's Ordering Followers, having them Defy Danger (the danger is, they get noticed or even ambushed). She rolls for them, adding +1 for their stealthy tag, and gets a 7.

When a group follower makes a move and suffers some sort of consequence, you can have that consequence affect the group as a whole, or individual members of the group.

I opt for a lesser success. "Okay, they slip forward and get into position, all except for one of them. They're half-way to the ziggurat, and looking down, like they're stuck on something. Oh, crap, you realize it's a web! And if they keep tugging at it like that, the spiders are sure to notice."

When a member of the group first stands out, then flesh them out to whatever level of detail makes sense at the moment.

Give them a name, a memorable trait, and maybe an extra tag. Ask questions about them. Take notes, or have the player do so!

I ask Rhianna which of her crew got stuck, and she decides that it's one of the heretofore undefined members. She looks at her Crew insert, which has potential names, tags, and traits. "Um, Glaw. He's small, like short and scrawny, and I think he's too serious. A bit of short-man syndrome going on." She adds him to her insert.

"But he's a veteran hunter, right? So why do you think he's sorta freaking out right now?"

"Oh, I think he's often the butt of the crew's jokes, and he just knows they aren't gonna shut up about this. So he's not like, panicking. But he's on the verge of cussing up a storm."

When a PC directs an individual member of a group, they can trigger moves as if they were a follower themselves. The group's tags and moves apply, plus any unique tags or moves they have as an individual.

Rhianna creeps forward and helps Glaw cut himself free, Defying Danger herself with a 10. I then offer an opportunity and point out a tall, thin tree that leans over the clearing. It'd be a tricky climb, but offer a clear view into the hole on the ziggurat's roof. "What do you do?"

"It's tall and skinny, you say? Sounds like a good job for someone… small. I have Glaw climb it. 'No need for the others to know about the webs, eh? I'm, uh, glad you spotted this tree and called me over.' I wink." She's asking him to do something dangerous, but I think she approached it really well. I see no reason for him to resist.

"He looks up the skinny tree and nods, then drops his bow and extra gear and starts climbing. I think he's Defying Danger again; he risks falling, or making a lot of noise." We look at his tags and decide that either stealthy (from the group) or small (his personal tag) could apply, but that still means just a +1 bonus.

Rhianna rolls an 11, so Glaw scurries up the tree, peers in, and comes back down without problem. He's pale as a sheet, though. "Nia's in there, yeah. She's… she's standing stock-still, just staring at this… tapestry? Of like a huge spider. And the tapestry's kind of… rippling. It's… it's real creepy."

A group follower holds a common pool of Loyalty, which can be spent to affect either the entire group or individual members.

The group's cost usually needs to be paid to the group as a whole, but if the player thinks it's valuable to spend Loyalty on one member of the group, they can!

Glaw just saw something creepy and supernatural, and Rhianna's crew has an instinct of "to hew to tradition and superstition." So, I show a downside and tell Rhianna that Glaw is clearly shaken, on the verge of panic. It's just him, though. "What do you do?"

"I put a hand on his shoulder. 'Nia's in there, and she's one of ours. I'm going in with the Blessed, and Vahid, and Caradoc. But I need you sharp out here." I ask whether she's Persuading him to stay cool or spending Loyalty to have him overcome fear. "I'll spend the Loyalty. I'm not risking a 6- here." The crew only held 1 Loyalty to start with, and now it's gone. But Glaw will hold steady!

Each member of a group has their own HP, and they take damage and lose HP individually. If multiple members of the

group take damage at once, roll damage separately for each member and deduct it from their current HP.

The Mother-of-Spiders sends a wave of arachnids after the PCs as they flee the ziggurat with Nia. Rhianna's crew provides cover fire (Aiding the PCs as they Struggle as One), but that draws the attention of the swarm.

Rhianna yells for them to run for the waystone. We all agree that they're Defying Danger. Rhianna rolls +0 (none of their tags apply to an outright sprint) and, alas, gets a 2.

"That's not good," I say. "To start, they each take 1d8 damage." Rhianna rolls a 1, 4, 5, 5, 6, and 8, less 1 each for the crew's armor. "So, Glaw didn't take any damage? Well, he catches up to y'all, but you hear the others cry out. Vahid, you glance back and see Hari get tackled. What do you each do?"

Members of a group usually Outfit with the same gear, but the player can have individuals load up with different items if they're willing to do the extra bookkeeping.

Likewise, the PC can direct one crew member to Have What They Need and add an item to their inventory, without the rest of the crew each producing the same item. Keeping track of this is the player's responsibility, though!

In general, don't worry about small items or which member is carrying exactly how many uses of supplies. The players can track this level of detail if they really want to, but it's rarely worth the effort.

Vahid chases off the spiders by using his Fear of the Flame arcanum. Rhianna goes back and drags Hari out of there. Everyone makes it back to the waystone, where Thornthumb the spriggan has been waiting for them.

Before heading back through the Fae paths, Blodwen tends to Hari, restoring his HP and stabilizing him, but he's still paralyzed. Rhianna has Lowri turn his 2 undefined ◇ into a roll-out litter to carry Hari. She writes " ◇◇ litter (Lowri)" on her crew's inventory list.

She then has the rest of her crew each

turn one undefined ◇ into ◇ supplies,

for 20 uses total (five followers, 4 uses each). The four PCs then Recover, as do the four followers who are down HP, using bandages and whisky and food that the followers brought with them. The followers have 12 uses of supplies left.

Rhianna could decide that Glaw and Eira used up all their supplies and now each carry only five ◇ total, but it doesn't really matter at this point. If it becomes important later (like, if one of the crew members gets separated from the group), we can decide then who was carrying what.

When a group...

• Clashes or Lets Fly (or Aids a PC in doing so), the attack can hurt multiple foes. They roll the move once, and roll damage separately against each foe. Consider abstracting the exchange.
• Clashes with or Lets Fly at a single foe (or Aids a PC in doing so), they roll the move once (likely with advantage) and roll one attacker's damage, +1 for each additional attacker.
• Defends, then the group holds a common pool of Readiness. The PC spends it on behalf of either the group as a whole or an individual member, whichever makes sense.
• Recovers, then each member who regains HP must consume 1 use of Supplies.
• Seeks Insight, then the PC can ask 3 questions or 1 question total, not 3 or 1 per member of the group.
• Struggles as One along with one or more PCs, roll once for the group. On a 6-, decide which member(s) of the group to put in a spot. On a 10+, ask the player who steps up to save someone, and how.
• incurs a cost, suffers an attack, is put in danger, draws unwanted attention, etc. you decide which member(s) are affected, and how.

Creating followers

PCs can gain followers...

• from a playbook, background, move, or special possession;
• by unlocking the mysteries of certain arcana; or
• organically through play.

When a game mechanic says that a PC gains a follower, it either provides the follower's stats or has the player choose stats from various prompts. Work with the player to flesh out the follower as you would any NPC. But you don't need to worry assigning them stats—the mechanic does that for you!

Followers who arise organically through play are a different story. They could come from anywhere and be just about anyone.

An NPC might start following one of the PCs around and doing what they say.

A PC might Trade & Barter to acquire a hound, or Requisition one of the town's horses. Maybe they recruit some villagers to hunt crinwin, or save a merchant from bandits, or team up with a Hillfolk rider to kill some fell beast.

Before you write someone up as a follower, ask yourself:

• Will they follow a PC's lead, and generally take orders from that PC?
• Do you and your players care enough about this NPC to give them stats?
• Do you want to let the dice decide their fate when their PC sends them into danger (as opposed to deciding what happens yourself)?
• Are you okay with the extra bookkeeping, mechanics, and spotlight time that a follower entails?

If you answer "no" to any of the above, then don't treat the NPC as a follower. This is not a hard-and-fast rubric, though. Your group might want to treat the village horses as followers, but other groups might not.

The answers might also change over time.

The troublesome refugee kid might not be a follower to start, but after a season of living with the Heavy, he might become one!

Likewise, an NPC might act as follower while they're on a particular expedition with the PCs, but cease to be one once they get home.

The PCs are preparing for their trip to Gordin's Delve. They've Mustered the village and identified two useful NPCs: Elios (who Rhianna will leave in charge of the defenses while they're gone) and Andras (a new recruit for her crew). They've also Requisitioned one of the village's horses and a cart.

Elios isn't coming with them, and I don't see him as just doing what Rhianna asks; he's not her follower. Andras, though, is an eager kid hoping to join her crew. I'll definitely treat him as a follower.

The village horse has follower stats provided, but at first we don't think of it as a follower. But as the PCs head out, it becomes clear that Blodwen and the horse (Fflur) are quite close. I'd like to disclaim some decision making when it comes to Fflur's fate, and I'm happy to juggle an extra follower, so a follower she becomes!

If an NPC is not a follower, then they don't trigger moves when they act on the PC's orders, and they don't have a cost or hold Loyalty. They might still have stats, and they still might be monsters or threats.

If you decide that an NPC is a follower, then figure out which PC they follow. Also, they need stats: tags, HP, armor, damage, instinct, cost, and maybe some GM moves.

Some followers will have stats already, from a Book II entry or a player handout.

For example, the village horses have stats on the Stonetop steading playbook, and you can find follower stats for a dog, mule, or horse in the Moves & Gear handout. If you decide to treat these as followers, then use these stats.

Note: you don't have to treat someone or something as a follower just because they have stats in a Book II entry or on a handout. If a PC has just acquired a hound but hasn't had a chance to train it, it's not a follower. If you just don't have the energy to treat the fen-walker guide as a follower, then don't!

If you decide that a monster becomes a follower, then they already have stats. To convert a monster into a follower:

1) Add any tags that you see fit, to reflect its nature or capabilities.

2) Choose (or make up) a cost, using the examples on 8 Cost for guidance.

3) Add a spot to track its Loyalty (max 3).

Otherwise, use its stats as-is.

If stats don't already exist for the follower, then you need to make them. To do so:

1) Create them as an NPC.

2) Give them tags.

3) Calculate hit points.

4) Calculate armor.

5) Calculate damage.

6) Write their instinct.

7) (Optional) Write their moves.

8) Write their cost.

9) Equip them.

This procedure is detailed on the following pages.

1 Basics

If you haven't already done so, flesh this follower out as an NPC. Give them a name, develop their concept, and think about how you'll describe them. Add additional details if they seem important or valuable. See Creating NPCs for guidelines.

Andras is a young lad who's eager to become one of the village hunters.

First, we flesh him out as an NPC. I ask some questions of the PCs, and we learn that he's Padraig's son and just a few months younger than Caradoc. Caradoc's player also suggests that he fancies Blodwen, but hasn't worked up the courage to say anything about it. That's plenty to work with!

2 Tags

Give each follower 2-4 tags, sometimes more. Tags are adjectives or nouns, and they should finish the sentence, "This follower is/is a __."

Tags serve as a guide when you portray the follower, informing how they act or what they will/won't want to do. Tags also affect what a player rolls when they Order Followers.

Avoid overly broad tags like experienced, invincible, skilled, incompetent, etc. You want tags that apply some of the time, not all of the time!

Give followers a mix of tags that are useful, problematic, and mixed blessings. Morecompetent followers should have more useful tags and fewer problematic ones, but even highly skilled followers can have some unpleasant quirks.

If the follower is truly outstanding, then give them the exceptional tag. Such followers should be rare; save this tag for the best of the best.

If you're creating a group follower, then pick tags that apply to the entire group.

As individual members stand out, consider giving each one a unique tag of their own.

I ask Rhianna to pick two of the crew's tags that Andras already has. "Hmm. I think he's already good with a bow, so archer. And I think he's observant.

That's one of those traits that's hard to teach, y'know?"

Those are both useful traits, so I add eager (a mixed blessing) and rookie

(definitely problematic).

Tag examples

Useful tags: agile, archer, athletic,

beautiful, brave, cunning, fast, fierce, hardy, healer, intimidating, magical, observant, organized, patient, respected, self-sufficient, sharp-eyed, stealthy, tireless, tracker,

warrior, ___-wise

Problematic tags: bigoted, drunk,

greedy, gullible, lecherous, naive, proud, rookie, reckless, short-fused, stubborn, frail

Mixed blessing tags: animal-lover,

annoying, big, bully, callous, cautious, devious, eager, thieving, gossipy, honest, kind, little, shameless, terrifying

3 Hit points

Determine the follower's maximum

HP by answering the following questions:

How resilient are they? (pick 1) hp

Weak/frail/soft 3

Able-bodied 6

Tough/strong/hard 9

What else applies? (pick all that do) hp

They are tiny -2

They are large +4

The fates smile on them +2

Andras strikes me as able-bodied—a healthy young man with the strength to pull a bow. He's not tiny nor large, and I've no reason to think the fates smile on him, so he has 6 HP.

4 Armor

Answer the following:

What protects them? (pick 1) armor

Naught but cloth and flesh 0

Leathers or thick hide 1

Mail, scale, or similar 2 Steel, boney plates, carapace 3

Potent magical wards or 4 supernatural resilience

What else applies? (pick all that do) armor

They are tiny +1 They bear a shield or similar +1

They are skilled in defense +1

They lack vital organs +1

Andras is just a young man, with no special skills or protections. He has 0 armor unless Rhianna opts to Outfit him with thick hides or a shield.

5 Damage

Answer the following:

How dagerous are they? (pick 1) damage

d4 Not Very

Can defend themselves d6 Veteran fighter or predator d8 Range and other tags are based on their gear. For monstrous followers, use the damage guidelines for monsters.

Again, Andras is an able-bodied youth who's good with a bow. He's a rookie, but I think he can defend himself just fine. He does 1d6 damage.

6 Instinct

What does the follower do naturally that causes trouble for the PC they follow? Write their instinct in this format:

"to [do something]." Example instincts for followers include:

• To take things too far
• To question leadership and authority
• To cling tightly to tradition
• To act impulsively
• To give in to temptation
• To not take things seriously
• To freeze up in the face of danger

I want to play up Andras's eagerness, which I like as a contrast to Caradoc, who's growing out of his "impetuous youth" shtick. I double-down on his eager tag and give him an instinct of "to try to impress Rhianna." That should be slightly exasperating and it's likely to push him into doing some dumb stuff, without making him a complete liability.

7 Moves (optional)

Write up to 3 GM moves. Write them so that they complete the sentence:

"The follower can/will ___." For example:

• Sniff out trouble on the wind
• Weave a minor glamour
• Wander off on their own A follower's moves can reflect abilities not covered by a tag, or how they use a specific tag, and/or common behaviors (good or bad).

These moves are mostly for you and this step is completely optional, but the player sees them and they can affect what the player rolls when they Order Followers.

I consider giving Andras some GM moves like "moon over Blodwen" or "make a rookie mistake," but frankly I don't feel like I need them. Those moves wouldn't affect any rolls that Rhianna makes on his behalf, and they aren't materially different from his tags or traits. So, no moves, at least for now.

8 Cost

A follower's cost describes what keeps them following a PC's lead. It's usually a few words, like "coin, payment, treasure" or "affection, respect" or "training."

Choose one from the list below, or make something up. When their cost is paid, they hold +1 Loyalty (max 3), per the Strengthen Your Bond move.

• Coin, payment, treasure
• Renown, public recognition
• Affection, respect (from you)
• Knowledge (about what?)
• Wrongs righted, good deeds done
• Amusement, entertainment
• Progress (towards a particular goal)

Andras is a young man, eager and a rookie, with an instinct of "to try to impress Rhianna." I think that a word of praise from Rhianna, especially in public, would mean the world to this kid. And so I make that his cost: "Recognition."

9 Equipment

Either decide what gear the follower is carrying, or ask the player to Outfit them as if they were a PC.

For this first expedition up to Gordin's Delve, I decide that he'll show up with his bow, a hand-me-down cloak, some

◇ supplies, and an iron knife.

I write this down on an index card and hand it to Rhianna's player when he shows up for their departure:

ANDRAS, apprentice hunter

Updating followers

Followers can change over time. They might change mechanically, like when the Marshal takes the "Veteran Crew" move.

But often, they'll change naturally over the course of play.

Between sessions, review any followers that the PCs have. For each one, if…

• their instinct and/or cost no longer ring true, then revise them.
• any of their tags or moves no longer ring true, then delete them or revise them, whichever makes more sense
• they've shown a new aptitude, skill or behavior, consider adding it as a tag or move.
• they've become more resilient, or less so (due to personal growth, injury, illness, etc.), then adjust their max HP accordingly.
• they've become considerably more or less dangerous, then adjust their damage die.
• they've become a source of ongoing, active trouble for one of the PCs or the village at large, write them up as a threat in addition to or instead of being a follower.
• it's a group follower, did anyone leave the group, or join it? Update the group's roster to reflect this.
• they no longer look to the PC for leadership, or would no longer take orders from them, then they're not a follower anymore (see next column).
• they shift their loyalty from one PC to another (or their current leader passes off responsibility for them to another PC), then tell the players, and maybe demonstrate it via a scene in the next session. Tell the players to update their notes accordingly.

Losing followers

Followers might die, of course. But they might also stop being followers for a number of reasons.

The relationship between follower and PC might be temporary or situational.

When it no longer makes sense for them to take orders from the PC, they stop being a follower. They might return to follower status again, but for now, they have their own life to live!

Fflur became Blodwen's follower on their trip to Gordin's Delve, but after they return home, that doesn't really make sense. The publican's son takes care of the horses, Fflur and Celyn, and they're often out in the fields.

Should the PCs bring Fflur on another expedition, we'll likely treat her as Blodwen's follower again. But around town, she's just a horse that Blodwen is friendly with.

A follower might change in a way that they no longer follow their PC. Maybe they lose their nerve, or move away, or have kids and settle down, or so forth.

They might still be around as an NPC, but they're no longer a follower.

Eira survives her brush with death, and Blodwen heals her wounded soul, but she's never the same. It's like she aged 20 years in a week, and the next session, she tells Rhianna that she's done. It's an emotional scene, and we actually see Rhianna cry. When it's over, she erases Eira from her Crew insert and I add "retired" to her entry on the steading playbook.

Of course, it's not always amicable when a follower parts ways with their PC. If the breakup is messy, then the follower might very well become a threat. If the follower has been harboring growing resentment towards their PC, they might even betray them in sudden and dramatic fashion.

Vahid's put-upon wind spirit returns from spying on Thornthumb, full of news and playful energy—right as Vahid sits down for dinner with the widow Maire. He steps outside and pleads with the spirit to behave for now, and promises to play the flute out in the fields later, so that the spirit can dance and frolic.

The andalau is out of Loyalty, so Vahid rolls to Persuade. Alas, he rolls a 4. I ask Vahid how he thinks he screws this up, and he says that he loses his temper and starts shouting, trying to bully it into behaving.

I decide that the spirit has had enough. "It gets quiet and still. Then, hoo boy. The wind picks up, more and more, getting stronger. Gods, you didn't think it could be this strong. It howls, screams, and snatches at the flute." Vahid tries to hold on, but rolls a 3 to Defy Danger, and the flute gets smashed apart on the Stone.

The spirit was tethered to that flute, and now it's not. It's certainly no longer a follower. An untethered spirit would normally dissipate, but I think this one holds a grudge. It vanishes for now, but between sessions, I write it up as a threat (a magical entity, Instinct to torment

Vahid).