Dagger: Races of Yore

The Land of Yore is a big place, and a number of races can be found within its borders. Greek myth is a favorite of mine and my players, and so I am including a few races that will fit nicely. Elves are unknown in the setting, being replaced by Centaurs and Satyrs as the woodland types. Dwarf-like beings are not unknown in Greek myth in the form of the Dactyls, and so will be fine in Yore.
These rules are all for use with the Dagger RPG by Brave Halfling Publishing. Dagger is a ruleset designed for young (7+) players and older players who don't like a great deal of rules. These rules allow new players to play in classic D&D modules with a minimum of fuss.


CENTAUR

"That is human nonsense. Trivial hurts, tiny human accidents, these are of no more significance than the scurryings of ants to the wide universe, and are unaffected by planetary movements." -Firenze
Centaurs are woodland beings who usually shun the company of men. They dwell in remote, secluded glades and pastures. The appearance of a centaur is unmistakable: they have the upper torso, arms, and head of a human being and the lower body of a large, powerful horse.
The centaurs of Yore live primarily in the wild Cacus Hills (see Map) where they keep mostly to themselves. Occasionally, centaur families or individuals will seek their fortune among men. Such centaurs usually work as herbalists and apothecaries, using their knowledge of plants and the seasons to good advantage. The less intelligent centaurs work as laborers and mercenaries.
Special Ability: Centaurs can kick twice per round with their hooves dealing 1d6 damage each and have a movement rate of 18. Centaurs can carry as much as a medium warhorse. Centaus cannot climb sheer surfaces or traverse underground tunnels.
Starting Equipment: Oaken club (morningstar), bow, 3d10 arrows.
Armor Class: 5 (14)
Centaurs advance and attack as Fighters.


CYCLOPS-KIN

"You are not dead! I like it when you are not dead!" –Tyson
Cyclops-kin are single-eyed giants that live alone or in small bands. The typical cyclops-kin weighs around 350 pounds, and stands 7½ feet tall. A single large, red eye dominates the center of its forehead. Cyclops-kin commonly dress in ragged animal hides and sandals. Cyclops-kin are not very intelligent creatures, with the nicer cyclops-kin acting like big goofy (but very strong) children. The smarter cyclops-kin are usually quite, contemplative creatures.
Wild tribes of cyclops-kin wander the mountains of Yore living in caves or in rough huts. Cyclops-kin are usually goat-herders (making surprisingly goo cheese) but will occasionally raid civilized lands, and are seen as monsters. Some tribes of cyclops-kin have learned a bit of civilization and live in or near human cities. Such "civilized" cyclops-kin work of brute laborers, herdsmen, thugs and soldiers.
Special Ability: Cyclops-kin can see in the dark up to 60’, but suffer a -2 penalty to all missile attack rolls. The great strength of Cyclops-kin grants them a +4 damage. Cyclopskin are too big for most armor.
Starting Equipment: Club, spear, loincloth.
Armor Class: 3 (16)
Cyclops-kin advance and attack as Elves and Dwarves.

SATYR

"I can no longer consider you as a friend," said the Satyr, "a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold." -Aesop, The Satyr and the Traveller
Also called fauns, satyrs are a pleasure loving race of half-human, half-goat creatures. They symbolize nature's carefree ways. Satyrs have the torso, head, and arms of a man, and the hind legs of a goat. All satyrs eat and drink too much, and are notoriously bad with money. Because of this they are often favorites wherever there is a party, but very unwelcome when there is not.
Most satyrs of Yore live in wandering bands who keep mostly to the forests and to the Cacus Hills (see Map), where they have close alliances with the Centaurs. When Satyrs live near or with humankind they generally make their living as actors, playwrights and musicians. Though they can make a good living this way, satyrs are terrible with money and are notorious carousers.
Special Ability: Satyrs can gore opponents with their horns, dealing 2d4 damage, and have a movement rate of 18. Each day, a satyr can use his musical instrument to cast one spell per level of experience. At 1st level a satyr gets one 1st level spell, at 2nd level he gets one 2nd level spell, and so on. Satyrs are all highly skilled musicians.
Starting Equipment: Musical instrument (pipes or fiddle), backpack, torch.
Armor Class: 5 (14)
Satyrs advance and attack as Wizards.

These races are for use with the Dagger RPG by Brave Halfling Publishing. Dagger is a fun, simplified version of the basic D&D rules that allows kids (and adults who want a simpler game) to play the game. These rules are perfectly compatible for classic role-playing modules. 

Dagger: Lands of Yore

For use with the Dagger RPG by Brave Halfling Publishing I have thrown together a relatively simple campaign setting. I will be purposely not getting into fine detail so that the players can help me paint the setting. Still, you can't have a good fantasy story without a MAP, so I whipped up the map you see above.
Some notes:

Cacus Hills: Wild hills that are home to roving herds of Centaurs and bands of Satyrs. Not exactly hostile, but not terribly friendly either. The Centaurs here worship a wild old god of aurochs and iron-craft.
Darrow: A small kingdom beyond the Wizarding Waste. The city is ruled by a member of the infamous Telchine Brotherhood, a powerful society of wizards and scholars.
Ereht Og: This region is ruled by a powerful Hill Giant king named Clytius (pronounced Klee-Tus). His army is composed of Hill Giants, Ogres and Trolls. Not to be trifled with.
Rowntree: Prosperous kingdom of humans that has cordial relations with most neighboring races. Centaurs, Dwarves, Satyrs and some other races (see races) can all be found living here more-or-less alongside humans.
Vollmer: Kingdom of the Dwarves hereabouts. Wealthy and not very friendly, but not an enemy either.
Wizarding Waste: Region ruined in the great Wizard War. This area is so irradiated with magic that all manner of strangeness abounds there.

DAGGER RPG

Fairly recently, I became aware of this nifty little game supplement, DAGGER. Its an attempt by the talented folks over at Brave Halfling Publishing to make a Rules Light key to help present tabletop RPGs to kids (5 and up) without all of the character stats. In my opinion, this is an excellent resource for getting kids into the imaginative aspects of RPG's without intimidating them without too much math.
The DAGGER game is made to allow DM's to use the many published (and homebrew) RPG settings and adventure modules out there, regardless of editions, without any fuss. This way, you and your players can get right to the action and using their imaginations!
The initial rules allow for playing a small number of classes/races; Knight, Wizard, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling, but can easily be adapted to allow other classes or races as desired. Both Wizards and Elves may cast spells, which include healing, so standard clerics ore not initially available.
Overall I think that this is a brilliantly simple game. I will be testing this system out on some friends kids and see how it does. I will post the games as they transpire.

A FREE black & white version of this game can be downloaded HERE. And a color version (for a mere $1.50) can be purchased HERE.