Corvid Court

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 Special thanks to:
Corvid Court
Rowan, Rook and Decard for making an amazing
system to base this game on.

My incredibly supportive partner, Kate.

Fnally, the Black Vale.You know who you are.

This work is based on the Resistance Toolbox, product

of Grant Howitt and Chris Taylor, and published by
Rowan, Rook and Decard for our use under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Writing, layout, and design: Spencer Campbell

gilarpgs.itch.io
gilarpgs.com
@gilarpgs
by
Cover and interior art from Freepik. Artists: Ardana.artwork, Spencer Campbell
secondsydicate, badsynx, mikalaimanyshau, tuleedin,
DEYASA_346

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 Take Flight The Core Mechanic

You are Birds, members of the Corvid Court. Many in the city of During play, GM’s will describe scenes and situations, and the
Nest would call you a cult, full of killers, liars, and thieves. That Birds will respond. Most of the time that prompts the GM to
doesn’t stop them from paying your fee to get work done. The describe some more, and the Birds respond again. This is called
Court has blessed you with power, and it is up to you to take flight roleplaying. But because Corvid Court is a game, we’re going to
with it. Soar high, don’t crash. need to roll some dice.

When a Bird describes taking a risky or consequential action, they

have to roll. This means they only roll when there are stakes, and
when failure is both meaningful and interesting. If there are no
stakes, or failure wouldn’t really mean anything, then it’s not a
roll, it’s roleplay.

What is This? A roll is made of a pool of dice. A Bird always starts a roll with one
Corvid Court is a tabletop roleplaying game about bad people d6. They add one more d6 if they have a Skill that is relevant to
doing bad things. There’s no way around it, you’re the baddies the attempted action. Finally, they add one more d6 if their
here. But the city of Nest is filled with lots of vile people, so “bad” Domain is in play. The Bird rolls their pool of dice, and takes the
is relative. Sometimes, bad people do good things. Sometimes. highest roll to determine their result:
• 1-3: Failure, with a consequence.
The players of this game, called Birds, are part of an organization
known as the Corvid Court. The Court, for short, does dirty work • 4-5: Success, but with a consequence.
for people who want to keep their hands clean. The Birds take on • 6: Success, and no consequences.
jobs, and the GM will play alongside them to see what happens
along the way. Oh, and are you actually playing as birds? Probably Consequences, Resistance, and Stress
not, but that’s up to you to decide. Consequences should be narrative complications that the Bird has
to deal with. It shouldn’t be killing them outright (that’s what
What Do I Need? Fallout is for). Instead, their character is put in a tough position,
You’ll need at least one player, up to four, and someone to be GM. making them try a new tactic, or the same approach with the risk
This game uses six-sided dice (d6). Character sheets can be found of making things even worse.
in the back of this document, and online at gilarpgs.itch.io.
Consequences are tracked by stress, which is marked on a Bird’s
Resistance-Born resistance tracks. Each Bird has three resistances:
This game is made using the Resistance system made popular in • Claw: Durability, bodily harm, endurance.
the RPGs Spire and Heart, published by Rowan, Rook and
Decard. If you’ve played one of those games before, a lot of how • Eye: Mental stability, keeping a level head, focusing attention.
Corvid Court works will look familiar. However, there are some
modifications, as this game runs on a slimmed-down and lighter • Beak: Social status, remaining undetected, Court status.
version of the Resistance system. If you have never played a Anytime a Bird suffers a consequence, they mark one box of stress
Resistance game, don’t worry, I’ll explain everything you need to on the appropriate resistance track. If it isn’t obvious which one,
know along the way! the GM will tell decide.

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 Fallout Removing Stress & Refresh
All that stress takes a toll on anyone, even cutthroats like the Once Birds realize how bad Fallout can be, they are going to want
Corvid Court. The more stress a Bird takes, the more likely the to get rid of their stress. There are three ways to remove stress.
next consequence they suffer will have a lasting impact.
First, they can just lay low for a while, recovering from whatever
If the highest die in a roll is less than or equal to the current stress ails them and waiting for the storm to pass. If the players want to
for that resistance, the Bird suffers Fallout. This check is made do this, that’s completely fine, but let them know there might be
after marking any stress from consequences of the roll. fictional consequences to their inaction. Maybe their window of
opportunity to move on a target has shrunk, or while they were
A Fallout is an even worse consequence. Usually Fallout are recovering their target shored up their defenses. The GM should
permanent changes to the character, or at the very least are going decide how much stress is cleared when laying low, though the
to require some real work to fix. That doesn’t necessarily mean amount should depend on how long the Birds are staying cooped
dead, but something very bad happens. The severity should be up.
based on the amount of stress the Bird had when the Fallout was
triggered. Second, each class has a Refresh action. Birds and the GM should
work together to decide what would qualify as their refresh action.
The GM will tell the Bird what has happened, the Bird has to fix If a Bird completes their Refresh, they roll a d6 and remove that
it. Some examples of Fallout are listed below. Feel free to work much stress from their character, from whichever resistance tracks
together as a table to come up with an appropriate consequence. they like. It is important for the GM to make refresh opportunities
for the Birds. Without them, the stress will overwhelm them
• Claw: Bleeding out, lose a limb, break so many bones, die. quickly and they’ll break before they finish their first job.
• Eye: New phobia, hallucinations, mental breakdown, insanity.
Finally, all stress is removed at the end of the session, regardless of
• Beak: Cover blown, betrayal, Court blacklists you, go broke. the outcome. Birds always take on their next job fresh and ready
to fly.

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 Skills Creating a Bird
Skills are labels for a set of related talents and actions. When a Ready to take to the skies and work for the Corvid Court? Of
Bird makes a roll, they get an extra die if they have a Skill that is course you are! Let’s make a Bird.
relevant to the task at hand. There are four Skills Birds have:
• Caw - Commanding, deceiving, persuading. Choose Your Class
There are four different types of Birds, called classes, that you can
• Murder - Killing, harming, lashing out. play as. Familiarize yourself with each of the classes and then
• Spy - Studying, perceiving, understanding. choose the one that fits the play-style you are going for.You’ll find
a description and character sheet for each class on the pages that
• Swoop - Sneaking, dodging, tumbling. follow, as well as a blank sheet to create your own.
Domains Choose an Ability and Equipment
While Skills represent a set of related talents, Domains represent After selecting your class, choose one
expertise or knowledge in a broad discipline. When a Bird makes a of the abilities listed on their character
roll, they get an extra die if they have a Domain that is relevant to sheet. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to
the task at hand. Domains are added to the roll if they are directly unlock the others the more you play
related to the action (powering up an ancient engine is Tech) but (assuming your Bird lasts that long).
also if the action is indirectly related to the task (attacking the mad
sorcerer is Occult). There are four Domains Birds can have
expertise in:
• Coin - The flow of coin and trade.
• Crime - Criminal organizations and networks.
• Occult - The arcane arts of Nest.
• Tech - Working with old and new tech.
The last thing to do is to describe three
pieces of equipment that you keep on
you. This isn’t an exhaustive list of
everything you carry, but instead three
of the most important things you own.
These don’t serve a purpose
mechanically, but they may provide
opportunities during roleplay that you
may be able to take advantage of. Work
together with the entire table when
coming up with your equipment; you’re
in this together after all.

That’s it, you’re ready to get to work for

the Corvid Court!

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 Crows Jay
Crows are made to kill, literally. They Jays love to be heard. That might be
have the Murder Skill for a reason. because they hear voices in their head all
Crows can enhance their strength and the time, and maybe they’re just carrying
speed to unnatural heights, and terrify on the conversation for everyone else to
those around them that witness their hear. Either way, when a Jay speaks,
fury. Perhaps most horrifying of all, people listen. They can use their
Crows can summon a flock of their persuasive voices to control others, drive
namesake to them, picking apart and them mad, maybe even kill. Jays are even
devouring their unlucky target. Crows known to mimic the sights and sounds of
are all about shows of force, and so they others, such is their mastery of
refresh by destroying symbols of those persuasion. While the Corvid Court
who would oppose the Court. prefers to stay largely hidden, a Jay finds
great relief in spreading the reputation of
the organization to all that would hear it.

Magpies
Ravens Magpies are covetous people. But that’s
Ravens are the opposite of Crows. They because they know there is power in
prefer to keep a distance and watch, to possessions. Collectors of all varieties of
see the best possible solution to any trinkets, valuables, and really anything
problem before them. Ravens understand not nailed down, Magpies like to sneak
technology better than most, and are in, take what they want, and be gone
able to use it in ways others can’t. For without a trace. They see links between
example, no door can hold a Raven, but possessions and their owners that others
they can also use any door to hold off the can’t, and they know how to pull those
rest of the world. Secrets are their trade, strings. Take a favor from a Magpie and
and gathering them up to support the you’ll be theirs; give a Magpie something
Court’s efforts helps relieve a Raven’s and you won’t be able to lose them.
stress. While they prefer holding on to whatever
they get their greedy wings on, Magpies
refresh when finding items that the
Court would find useful.

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 The Conspiracy
When Birds take flight on a job, it’s called a Conspiracy. A
Conspiracy represents a single job that the Birds must accomplish
Crow
for the Corvid Court. Given the light-weight nature of the game,
it’s recommended that a Conspiracy take no more than one Name:
session to complete. Any more than that, and you start to run into
some very stressed out Birds. Look:
Roll on the following tables for inspiration for the task, client, SKILLS ABILITIES ADVANCES
target, and complication for the Conspiracy. Work out some details Caw
as a table, ask each other questions, then play to find out what Once per session you may engulf Gain an Ability
Murder someone in crows, devouring
happens. Or make your own Conspiracy! Observe them. Gain an Ability
Swoop
Once per scene you may act with
d6 Task d6 Client/Target supernatural speed and strength. Gain a Domain
1 Assassination 1 A rival Court Doing so again that scene costs 1
Claw stress. Gain a Skill
2 Theft 2 Church of the Black Star DOMAINS
3 Seize territory 3 The Tomb Wardens Crime When you harm someone, any
witnesses will flee in terror or be +1 die when
4 Transportation 4 Nest Academy Coin using Murder
paralyzed by fear, your choice.
5 Espionage 5 Cult of the Crimson Spire Occult
6 Ritual 6 Blacklisted Birds Tech
EQUIPMENT REFRESH
Destroy a symbol of
d6 Client/Target d6 Complication opposition from one of
1 Rising crime boss 1 Rival Court is on the job the Court’s foes.
2 The Sterling Nail Vault 2 It’s a trap
3 Local politician 3 Your client is really bad
4 Revolutionary group 4 The client is a friend
5 Last will and testament 5 It’s on a major holiday RESISTANCES FALLOUT
6 The Corvid Court 6 Have to cross rival turf Claw
Eye
Advancement
After completing a Conspiracy, every Bird takes an advance Beak
regardless of how the job went. We learn from our mistakes and
build on our successes, right?

After doing so, all stress is cleared. However, any Fallout might
still remain, if it requires the Bird to do something specific to get
rid of it.

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 Raven Jay
Name: Name:
Look: Look:
SKILLS ABILITIES ADVANCES SKILLS ABILITIES ADVANCES
Caw Caw
You don’t check for Fallout until Gain an Ability Those who can hear your Caw Gain an Ability
Murder you have at least 3 stress in a Murder will follow one word commands
Observe track. Gain an Ability Observe from you. Gain an Ability
Swoop Swoop
All doors unlock with your Once per session mask your face
touch. Doors may also be locked Gain a Domain and voice to match someone who Gain a Domain
so only you may pass. you have seen and heard.
Gain a Skill Gain a Skill
DOMAINS When you take Claw stress, burst DOMAINS When you Caw with mad
Crime into a cloud of ravens and reform Crime jabbering, choose an effect on
somewhere within eyesight. +1 die when those who can hear: madness, +1 die when
Coin using Observe Coin pain, paralysis. using Caw
Occult Occult
Tech Tech
EQUIPMENT REFRESH EQUIPMENT REFRESH
Discover a secret that will Spread fear of the Corvid
benefit the Corvid Court. Court to those who think
themselves immune to it.

RESISTANCES FALLOUT RESISTANCES FALLOUT

Claw Claw
Eye Eye
Beak Beak

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 Magpie
Name: Name:
Look: Look:
SKILLS ABILITIES ADVANCES SKILLS ABILITIES ADVANCES
Caw Caw
When someone takes a coin from Gain an Ability
Murder you, they must obey a single Murder
Observe word command you give them. Gain an Ability Observe
Swoop Swoop
When you acquire a trinket from
someone, you can always track Gain a Domain
their location.
Gain a Skill
DOMAINS Once per scene you may appear DOMAINS
Crime anywhere you can see. Describe Crime
how you got there. +1 die when
Coin using Swoop Coin
Occult Occult
Tech Tech
EQUIPMENT REFRESH EQUIPMENT REFRESH
Acquire someone’s
cherished belonging to fill
the Corvid Court’s
coffers.

RESISTANCES FALLOUT RESISTANCES FALLOUT

Claw Claw
Eye Eye
Beak Beak

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 Playing & Expanding the Game Nest

At its heart, Corvid Court is designed to be a slimmer RPG using What the city of Nest looks like is going to depend on your table.
the Resistance system. Some of the best parts of playing a game In fact, you and I might have very different ideas about what time
like Spire is watching your characters become these incredibly period this game takes place it, and that’s ok. Let me tell you what
weird and powerful people if they live long enough. Birds of the I think of when I think of Nest. Feel free to use as much or as little
Corvid Court burn bright, and then burn out. as you want, and of course make it your own!

This means that a “campaign” of Corvid Court has a lifespan of • Nest is a layered city, one level built on top of the next.
about 5 sessions. At least, that’s how many advances you can get. Transportation is much more focused on vertical movement
After that, it is up to you as a player and as a group to decide if than horizontal.
you want to continue to see where the story goes.Your Birds are
probably roughed up by the end of session 5, but they’ve also • Birds are usually brought into the Corvid Court, instead of
become decidedly more powerful than when they began. Will they actively seeking it out. The best candidates are those who have
use that power to keep the Court in power, take even more power, nothing to lose.
or tear it all down? That’s up to you to decide!
• Occult practices are relatively common. It’s not unheard of for
Expanding Corvid Court a family to keep a talisman in their home, or practice a low-
You’ll notice that there is room on the character sheets to add impact ritual on a daily or weekly basis. Anyone with any real
some more Skills and Domains. I tried to keep it light to start, but power usually keeps that wrapped up.
if you are looking to expand your experience with the game, that’s
where I would start. Whatever Skills and Domains you add will • The currency of choice is called Seed, and it is made of coins
have a big impact on what the city of Nest is all about, and the in a variety of shapes, sizes, and values. But haggling is a
tone of your campaign. Adding Domains like High and Low common practice at all levels of Nest.
Society signal that you’re interested in class warfare, for example.
• The Cult of the Crimson Spire
Of course if you want to get more time with your Birds, you’ll worships a city that visits us in our
want to think of some more abilities as well. Use the blank collective dreams when a blood red
character sheet in this document to brainstorm your own class. moon hangs high. Sound familiar?
What would a character based on a Kingfisher look like? Sure it’s
not a Corvid, but maybe there is a new Court in town? • The Corvid Court isn’t the only one
out there doing dirty work. Most
Tinker with Corvid Court, hack it apart, build it back together the Courts do not get along, but there are
way that you want. I know I will be, so I look forward to seeing times when working together is
what you put together, and showing you what I’ve done as well. essential for survival.

• Are you birds, or just humans in a

bird-themed cult? I’m not telling...

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 Birds of a Feather
Kill Together

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