Retinue Building
Your retinue is the force you field in a battle. Build it in two layers: select your Identity (Archetype and one Tradition), then build your Roster (fighters, feats, gear, and spells).
Step 1 — Select your Archetype. Your Archetype sets maximum roster size, role caps, equipment access, and weapon choices. Every fighter in your retinue gains the matching Archetype keyword (Knights, Hunters, Folk, or Cult). See Archetypes and each Archetype section below for caps and equipment access.
Step 2 — Select a Tradition. Select a Tradition allowed by your Archetype (see Traditions). Every fighter gains that Tradition keyword and the matching Domain keyword.
Step 3 — Recruit fighters. A new retinue starts with 1000 Crowns. Every retinue must include exactly 1 Leader and stay within your Archetype's caps. Select an ancestry for each fighter, then apply the recruitment bonuses listed for that fighter below.
Step 4 — Select feats. Assign each fighter feats from the lists their keywords allow (see Feats). Archetype feats and Domain feats grant special rules; Proficiency feats let a fighter equip weapons from that proficiency's list. Select Proficiency feats before buying weapons.
Step 5 — Buy equipment. Buy gear from Weapons and Armor and Shields and equip your fighters. Add the cost of each fighter's weapons and gear to that fighter's total cost. Some items require a Shadow Market roll and are not available at creation unless your Tradition grants an exception — see Weapons — Alchemy.
Step 6 — Assign spells. For fighters with the Caster keyword, select spells from the list matching their Domain keyword, up to the spell allowance for that fighter's role. See Magic Domains.
Keywords
Keywords are permanent tags on each fighter profile — record them on the roster sheet. When a rule names a keyword, it checks whether that fighter carries it; Archetype, Domain, and Tradition are shared by the whole retinue. Roster-creation grants are in the table; feats and advancement add others (Caster, Vampire, Undead, and the rest). Some keywords carry a value in parentheses — record the full keyword, value included.
| Source | Keyword granted |
|---|---|
| Archetype choice | Knights, Hunters, Folk, or Cult |
| Tradition choice | Tradition name (e.g. Alchemists, Crusaders) |
| Tradition choice | Matching Domain keyword (e.g. Mortal, Light, Nature) |
| Role | Leader, Elite, Specialist, or Rank |
Summon
Fighters created during a battle through summoning magic carry Summon (value). See Summoning — Summon (value).
Large
Fighters with the Large keyword cannot perform the Hide action.
Swarm
Swarm fighters are masses of small bodies — easy to strike, hard to disperse. Its Skill equals its current Wounds.
Unarmed attack — Melee using 0 Might / Skill from this fighter's current Skill.
Enemies add +1 to the Hit attribute they use (Ranged Combat or Close Combat) when making Melee or Ranged attacks against this fighter.
This fighter never becomes Downed or Stunned. When it reaches 0 Wounds, it goes Out of Action instead.
When this fighter loses Wounds, reduce Wounds; its Skill equals its new Wounds.