Project Aon

The [Grand Master] Game Rules

These rules do not come from any particular book. They are a generic set of rules designed to help new readers familiarize themselves with the rules--not walk the reader through a particular book. The details of the rules in each book will differ from what you find here.

You keep a record of your adventure on the Action Chart.

During your training as a Kai Master you have developed fighting prowess--COMBAT SKILL and physical stamina--ENDURANCE. Before you set off on your adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it on to the Random Number Table. If you pick 0 it counts as zero.

If you have already completed an adventure with your character, you should not pick his COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE again. You should use those scores already picked.

The first number that you pick from the Random Number Table in this way represents your COMBAT SKILL. Add 25 to the number you picked and write the total in the COMBAT SKILL section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 6 in the Random Number Table you would write in a COMBAT SKILL of 31). When you fight, your COMBAT SKILL will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.

The second number that you pick from the Random Number Table represents your powers of ENDURANCE. Add 30 to this number and write the total in the ENDURANCE section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 7 on the Random Number Table you would have 37 ENDURANCE points).

If you are wounded in combat you will lose ENDURANCE points. If at any time your ENDURANCE points fall to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost ENDURANCE points can be regained during the course of the adventure, but your number of ENDURANCE points can never rise above the number you started with.

If you have successfully completed any of the previous adventures in the Lone Wolf series, you can carry your current scores of COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points over to this book.

While it may seem obvious that player statistics should transfer over in the same way as they did between the Kai and Magnakai series, there are a few points to bear in mind. The word "can" seems to imply that you may choose whether or not to carry over your basic statistics to the Grand Master series although this isn't certain. There are reasons you may choose to pick new statistics for the Grand Master series.
In the Kai and Magnakai adventures, new characters' COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are chosen by picking random numbers and adding 10 and 20 respectively while in the Grandmaster series, new characters' statistics are modified by 25 and 30. This seems to some players to be an unfair advantage even though veteran characters (i.e. those carried over from previous adventures) have gained bonuses, items, and skills that are unavailable to new characters and may more than make up for the new character's statistics. This boost in basic statistics was probably designed to even the playing field and make the game enjoyable for veteran and novice characters alike.
This advantage may not apply to all veteran characters. They may not have completed all previous adventures (although this is less likely today given that the Lone Wolf books are available for free on Project Aon). Veteran characters may have lost key items in previous adventures. For example, it's possible to lose the Sommerswerd in one particularly infamous encounter. A veteran character may have permanently lost statistics in previous adventures (e.g. through the use of Helshezag). Such characters may be at a considerable disadvantage compared to characters starting fresh with the Grand Master series. They may be unprepared for the difficult situations and combats presented in these books.
However, it is possible for a veteran character to have obtained bonuses to their basic statistics that exceed the bonuses given here to a freshly-created character. Also, a veteran character with Magnakai Weaponmastery and Psi-Surge may have the luxury of choosing two disciplines other than Grand Weaponmastery and Kai-surge since their bonuses are already at the same level as those of a new Grandmaster. On the other hand, these advantages may disappear should the veteran character be forced to fight without skills, weapons, and items, and even veteran characters will find some of the books very challenging.
All that notwithstanding, it might be better for some weaker veteran characters to discard their statistics for the Grand Master series. The instructions fairly clearly spells out what to do if you wish to carry over your statistics, but they are vague on what to do if you choose not to do so. There are a number of common recommendations for handling this situation although you are certainly not limited to the following.
You may discard and re-roll your existing statistics adding 25 and 30 to your rolls, discard all bonuses, and keep all weapons and items.
You may discard and re-roll your existing statistics adding 25 and 30 to your rolls but keep all bonuses, weapons, and items.
You could compensate for the changed modifier to the random number rolls by adding 15 and 10 to your previous statistics.
Finally, you could discard everything (i.e. all statistics, weapons, bonuses, and items) and roll a completely new character.

You may also carry over any Weapons and Special Items you have in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Action Chart (you are still limited to two Weapons, but you may now carry up to ten Backpack Items).

You may also carry over any Backpack Items and Gold Crowns that you possessed at the end of the last adventure. Some readers feel that you should not carry over Meals since they are perishable, but this is not hinted at in the rules so this is optional.

However, only the following Special Items may be carried over to the Lone Wolf Grand Master series (Book 13 onwards):

  • Crystal Star Pendant
  • Sommerswerd
  • Silver Helm
  • Dagger of Vashna
  • Silver Bracers
  • Jewelled Mace
  • Silver Bow of Duadon
  • Helshezag
  • Kagonite Chainmail
  • Korlinium Scabbard
Late in the Grand Master series, this list undergoes some alterations to reflect events of the stories. If you begin the Grand Master series with Book 13, use this list throughout. If you begin later in the Grand Master series, then use the list as published in the appropriate book.

You many choose one bonus Grand Master Discipline to add to your Action Chart for every Lone Wolf Grand Master adventure you successfully complete (Books 13-20).

You may add one Grand Master Discipline if you have completed a previous Grand Master adventure successfully. In other words, you earn one new Grand Master Discipline each time you complete a Grand Master adventure successfully.

< Improved Magnakai Disciplines | ReadersHandbook | Grand Master Disciplines >