Cloak of Steel (PDF)

Cloak of Steel

Across Tierplana, gigantic armoured warriors stride into battle.

These are the Cloaks: towering engines of steel, steam and magick, built in the image of men, beasts and stranger things. Nations place their futures in the hands of those bold—or unfortunate—enough to pilot them.

The wars of Tierplana are not simple contests between shining heroes and cackling villains. No demonstrably present gods descend to declare who is righteous. People must decide that for themselves, then live with the consequences when their ideals collide.

Faith, ideology, slavery, rebellion, national ambition and cultural hatred provide the battle lines. The decisions of mortals determine the future.

Preferably from inside an enormous metal war machine.

A WORLD AT WAR

Tierplana is a broad fantasy setting of rival nations, disputed beliefs and incompatible visions of civilisation.

Its peoples include humans and the magically created Half-Men, whose animal characteristics bring both unusual abilities and widespread prejudice. Each nation has its own culture, religion, allies, enemies, military traditions and approach to magick and technology.

Some rely upon enchanted machinery. Others trust steam, steel or sorcery. Their Cloaks reflect the societies which built them: hulking humanoid knights, animalistic engines, transforming aerial machines and other personalised instruments of battlefield diplomacy.

Smaller Squires provide powered armour at a more intimate scale, while airships carry war into the skies.

THE LIVE SYSTEM

Cloak of Steel uses Postmortem Studios’ Live System, a substantial reworking of Open Game Licence mechanics designed to produce faster, deadlier and more cinematic adventures.

Characters are not confined to classes or conventional level advancement. They are assembled from attributes, skills, feats, advantages and disadvantages, allowing players to build the person they imagine rather than selecting the nearest available occupational box.

Magick is likewise built through feats and fuelled by mana, giving characters access to supernatural powers without requiring them to join a traditional spellcasting class.

INSIDE

• Classless and levelless character creation

• Streamlined, dangerous OGL-based combat

• Skills, feats, bonuses and detriments

• Heroic action and cinematic rules

• Feat-based magick powered by mana

• Weapons, armour and equipment

• Rules for designing and operating Cloaks

• Smaller Squire powersuits

• Airships and large-scale weapons

• Adversaries and creature-building material

• Extensive information on Tierplana’s nations, cultures, religions and conflicts

• Maps and campaign material for launching a war of ideals, territory or simple bloody-mindedness

The result is a complete fantasy-mecha roleplaying game with enough setting detail to support an extended campaign and enough machinery to ensure that political disagreements can eventually be settled by something weighing several tonnes.

ARTWORK

Illustrated by Raven Morrison and Icymasamune of Shadowlark Symphony, with artwork blending fantasy adventure, magickal machinery and the dramatic visual language of giant-warrior fiction.

FORMAT

Digital PDF download.

• Complete roleplaying game and setting

• 217 pages

• English language

• First published in 2004

This listing is for the PDF edition. No physical book will be posted, nor will an airship lower one majestically onto your lawn.