Running the Story
Many great books, podcasts, and videos are already out there helping you become a great Gamemaster (GM), so this section will focus on helping you create, run, and enjoy SagaBorn and DarkMana per Level: 3 Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: 60... More Return games. In SagaBorn, we call the GM the StoryGuide (SG). The following are suggestions and optional rules, but they can be used to set the foundational guidelines for your games.
The Story Guide Motto for SagaBorn:
The StoryGuide (SG) is a fan of the player. The StoryGuide should make rulings in favor of the players during ties, rules interpretations, and cinematic flair.
Running in the World of the Dark Return
Atheles has long suffered under the shadow of many catastrophes, and its cultures and people reflect that. They have long been afraid of what might come in the next cycle or what lurks out in the darkMana per Level: 3 Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: 60... More, empty woods between settlements. You should convey this to your players as they begin their adventure. Those who brave the wilds have just as often disappeared and then returned.
In addition, the past 30 years have seen the DarkMana per Level: 3 Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: 60... More Return of magic and monsters. Seven hundred years ago, the Disappearance occurred, leaving Atheles barren of arcane and mystical forces, artifacts, and creatures. Species bound with magic just vanished. Slowly, they have begun to creep back into the world, returning from the misty limbo between the worlds, throwing Atheles into chaos and turmoil. The actions of the player-heroes, the SagaBorn, will define and characterize this world and its stories.
Adventure Hooks
The world of Uteria is fraught with crises and conflicts, any of which is a dire threat to the peoples of the lands.
Invasion From the Navirim
Eldritch horrors and bloodthirsty demons findMana: 5 Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 15 miles Target: Single ... More their way into the world from the Navirim. Stopping their invasion might be a fool’s errand, but you are among the few who stand against the onslaught nonetheless.
The Return of Magic
The return of magic has brought peril and uncertainty to some and power to others. Will a hero who employs magic be hunted by the powerful or pious for their arcane usage? Will the local people suffer under the new yoke of an all-powerful sorcerer-queen/king?
The Uthgard Empire
A rising new star in the north, a new King has begun amassing power for the old Kingdom of Uthgard. His armies defeated the invading giants from the tundra, and he has now turned his attention to the lands in the South that once swore fealty to his throne.
Rebellion in Kowal
The city of Kowal has recently sworn allegiance to the Uthgard Kingdom. A catastrophe ended the old power structures, but a new one, emboldened by the Ministry of the Arts and the Uthgard Royal Army, has brought an iron fist down on the city. The Duke enjoys the wealth of the metalwork factories relighting their fires. Still, whispers of rebellion skitter along the avenues and alleys of the grey city.
Demons From the Never
As magic has returned, so have the fae and elves. But that is not all: demons and other Navirites have made their way from beyond the veil and invaded Atheles. The darkMana per Level: 3 Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: 60... More places of the world now have new inhabitants.
Storms and Disaster
The DarkMana per Level: 3 Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range: 60... More Return has brought massive storms to the continent. Acid rain that burns the skin or storms whose green lighting turns vast swaths of land to waste pummels the land relentlessly. The ecological fallout from these storms is enormous, and scholars have no idea how to combat them.
Treasure:
Overall Treasure Value
| Rating | Creature CV | Wandering Treasure Value | Average Treasure Value (Hoard) | Rich Treasure Value |
| Very EasyYour skill is doubled when a task is easier than normal. Eas... More | 1/8 | 5 sp | 1 gp | 3 gp |
| Very EasyYour skill is doubled when a task is easier than normal. Eas... More | 1/4 | 1 gp | 2 gp | 6 gp |
| EasyYour skill is doubled when a task is easier than normal. Eas... More | 1/2 | 2 gp | 5 gp | 15 gp |
| EasyYour skill is doubled when a task is easier than normal. Eas... More | 1 | 12 gp | 25 gp | 75 gp |
| Average | 2 | 25 gp | 100 gp | 300 gp |
| Hard | 3 | 40 gp | 200 gp | 600 gp |
| Very Hard | 4 | 150 gp | 600 gp | 1800 gp |
Random Treasure Tables
Types of Rewards
Gold, of course
Spells
Charged Magic Items
Expertise
Renown
Story Guide Reward Checklist
Start of Session:
Starting Saga PointSaga Points can be used to adjust any dice roll that affects... More
After or During Session:
Encounter XP
Extra Saga Points
Expertise
Renown
Economy
The economy in the world of Atheles is a struggling one, with most people relying on agriculture, fishing, and hunting to make a living. The wealthy and powerful people in the world hold most of the wealth, and the poor and downtrodden are often left to fend for themselves. The warring factions fight over resources, which further destabilizes the economy. Inflation is rampant, and many findMana: 5 Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 15 miles Target: Single ... More it difficultYour skill is halved when a task is harder than average, whi... More to make ends meet.
How to deal with treasure in Atheles:
- Make money worth something
- Goods are scarce; not every shop has everything adventurers want. Many shops have little operating funds, and thus a smaller selection of items. Make the adventurers covet good gear and goods.
- Money can be spent on finding equipment, building strongholds, and paying allies.
Spell Worth
What is a spell worth? You may findMana: 5 Casting Time: 1 hour Range: 15 miles Target: Single ... More a scroll in a treasure hoard or ask a trusted mentor to teach you a spell. These spells have a value that may fluctuate but generally follow the chart below in average cost. This is for an artificed magic item, and the price is for an item with one charge. This can also be used to figure out the worth of a spellbook, with the spells worth being its Mana per level.
| Mana | Cost |
| Variable | 600 gp |
| 1 | 25 gp |
| 2 | 75 gp |
| 3 | 150 gp |
| 4 | 225 gp |
| 5 | 300 gp |
| 6 | 400 gp |
| 7 | 500 gp |
Traps
Traps as Puzzles
We suggest running traps in Sagaborn as puzzles as opposed to a “gotcha” moment. No one likes a bunch of boulders just dropping on their head without a chance to discover that in advance or how to avoid triggering it. Traps should make the experience fun and discourage players from slowing down gameplay with their constant fearMana per Level: Varies Casting Time: 1 Standard Action Range... More of traps. A common occurrence we have seen is that once a player encounters a trap, they spend the rest of the night tapping every stone with a 10’ pole. That is decidedly not fun for anyone.
The best way to counter this is to treat the trap as a puzzle for the players to solve. We want to build a sense of wariness, mystery, and suspense, but we don’t want wariness devolving into tedium. The mechanical change we have made to trapfinding is that the SG initiates the search for the trap rather than the players.
When a trap is in an area, the SG should call for a Spot check. If there is a rogue archetype in the party, they should be the first to search. Otherwise, the party picks someone in their group to roll the check. If the roll is a success, they are aware of the trap and given a clue as to how it works. The party can now decide whether to try to circumvent the trap or attempt to disable it.
Example: Success in Discovering a Trap
The adventurers are heading down a narrow hallway, with Krimson the Rogue is second from the lead. There is a poisoned dart trap in the hall. The SG calls for an Spot check. Krimson Spots and rolls a 23, which is a success. The SG tells Krimson he sees three small, round openings in the wall and that the floor looks different under those holes. Krimson inspects the trap and sees that it is a poisoned dart trap with a pressure plate. The problem is that the pressure plate is as wide as the hall and six feet in length. Either he disables the trap, which then uses Fine Manipulation, or the party tries to jump over it. Good luck.
Example: Failure in Discovering a Trap
Using the example above, Krimson rolls a 95 Spot check, failing to spot the trap. Milentus, in the lead, walks onto the pressure plate and springs the trap.
Social
Bonding
As adventurers travel together, they talk, help, console, or annoy each other. When long periods of downtime or travel occur, they often Bond. An adventurer chooses someone else in the party, rolls d20 plus Cha, and refers to the chart below.
17+: Bonding
8-16: Reveal
7 or lower: Enmity
Bonding: The chosen character bonds with the other over a specific event or discussion.
Reveal: The chosen character reveals something about themselves to the other.
Enmity: The chosen character upsets the other with an action or conversation.
These interactions should be recorded in the Notes section of the player’s character sheet.