ICOTALEOfficial
Court intrigue · d20 rulebook
The Masked Ball
- 2–5 players
- Difficulty 2 of 3
- Not recommended under 14
- Available in: Français, English, Español, Deutsch, Italiano
One night of a ball in Venice, a hundred masks, a single dagger. Before dawn, someone will have changed the fate of the Most Serene Republic.
The rulebook at a glance
- d20 + attribute
- 4 attributes
- Masks
Choose an adventure
- One-shot
Midnight in Venice
1 session · intrigue, duels, deception
Cost: 1 Die for the whole table
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The Carnival of the Doges
3 sessions · investigation, rivalries, carnival
Cost: 3 Dice for the whole table
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By the Icotale team
The world
- PlaceThe Contarini PalaceWhere the ball is held: hall of mirrors, hanging gardens, hidden staircase.
- PlaceThe Grand CanalGondolas come and go all night long; whatever falls into it disappears.
- PlaceThe Hall of MirrorsThere is dancing here at midnight, and every reflection may hide a witness.
- FactionThe Council of TenThe secret police of the Serenissima, who already know almost everything.
- FactionHouse MorosiniRivals of the Contarini, they dream of seeing the ball turn into a scandal.
- CharacterDoge AlviseOld, cunning, and far less naive than he lets on.
- CharacterCountess Isabella ContariniThe hostess, who is betting her fortune on this night.
The rulebook
Resolving actions
- Roll 1d20 and add the attribute modifier against a difficulty from 10 (easy) to 20 (nearly impossible).
- In a verbal duel, both sides roll: the higher roll wins.
Initiative : 1d20 + Grace modifier
Attributes
- Wit WIT
- Repartee, deduction, intrigue.
- Grace GRA
- Dancing, fencing, stealth.
- Nerve NRV
- Lie without blinking, keep your cool.
- Rank RNK
- Connections, titles, doors that open.
Special rules
- Masks
- As long as they wear their mask, a character cannot be recognized without a Wit roll against 15. Removing your mask in public is a move that can't be undone.
- Favors
- Each character starts with a favor owed by a guest. Calling in a favor makes a social action succeed automatically, just once.
Character creation
Roll 4 dice with 6 faces per attribute, keep the 3 best · 2 rerolls allowed4d6kh3
Origins
- Venetian nobility
- A famous name and enemies to match; +1 to Rank.
- Foreign embassy
- Guest of honor, closely watched; +1 to Wit.
- Palace staff
- Invisible, everywhere at once; +1 to Grace.
Vocations
- Spy
- Knows how to listen at doors.
- Duelist
- Quick blade, touchy honor.
- Courtesan
- Knows the bedroom secrets of half the ball.
- Alchemist
- Vials, perfumes and antidotes.
Derived values
- Hit points
- 8 + Grace modifier
- Defense
- 10 + Grace modifier
- Initiative
- 1d20 + Grace modifier
Starting equipment
- A mask
- A hidden blade
- An invitation (real or fake)
Veils
Topics kept off screen: the Narrator never shows or describes them.
- sexual violence
- detailed poisoning