I've read its description but I don't understand if I can only use those 3 effects or I can invent more.

I'm hoping for advice and feedback on creating a Glamour knack for my game, based on one of my players' character.

The Musketeers of Charouse have started swapping stories about Madigan, an Inish Glamour mage in the court at the Chateau de Soleil. The story goes that Madigan has fairy blood, and her folksy ways endeared her to the Captain of the Musketeers. And when she heard that some of his Musketeers were in a bind, she got herself arrested, outsmarted the guards, freed the Captain's innocent men and walked right back out of the gates of the fortress where she'd been held a prisoner, dressed like a Musketeer herself.

The truth is that Madigan was held as a guest/prisoner of Queen Maab's court until her noble Sidhe lover helped her to escape. And the schemes and conspiracies of Charouse's court seem absolutely harmless in comparison. So when Madigan and her fellow Heroes stumbled onto a conspiracy of religious zealots to overthrow the Empereur, she wasn't shy about investigating. She was the least subtle in her approach, but either managed to bluff her opponents or impress them with her sheer audacity.

The good guys thought she was trustworthy, if brash and naive; the bad guys ended up severely underestimating her. And while she always had help, all the Musketeers have seen is that she walks boldly into danger and walk right back out again. No matter what jam Madigan Rusé (Crafty Madigan) find herself in, she always just slips away, and usually ends up saving some Musketeers in the process.

Here's what I've got so far:

Madigan Rusé (Finesse)
Apprentice: Spend a Drama Die to instantly communicate to any creature in sight that you mean them no harm. This doesn't automatically make them friendly: animals won't feel threatened, but if they're hungry predators there's nothing that says they won't still attack you. Humans and other sentient creatures likewise won't be dissuaded from attacking you if they already mean you harm, but if they're not certain of your intentions, this will convince them regardless of language or cultural barriers. This only works if the Glamour mage truly has no violent intentions towards the targets - it can't be used to mislead anyone into lowering their guard. You may affect as many creatures as you have Ranks in this Knack with a single action.

Adept: Spend a Drama Die to instantly free yourself from any restraints. Knots come undone; locks click open without their key, nets unravel, cloth tears, etc. This cannot be used to unlock the door of a prison cell, only for things like such as ropes, chains, or manacles that are restricting your movement. It can also be used to instantly free yourself from being Grappled, but only if you have more Ranks in in this Knack than the Brawn of whatever creature is grappling you.

Master: Spend a Drama Die to allow your allies to ignore the effects of Surprise, and turn the tables on their opponents. You can choose one person per Rank in this Knack; you cannot choose yourself. Each of your Surprised allies you choose can act normally; each enemy you select is Surprised instead. You cannot select more enemy characters than allies.
Example: Steve and three friends are ambushed by five pirates, and all three of his friends are Surprised. Steve has Rank 4 in Madigan Rusé. Steve can choose two of his friends to act normally, and two pirates to be Surprised, or he can choose all three of his friends can act normally, and one pirate can be surprised.
(Not sure how this would work as far as Brute Squads - I'm tempted to make each Brute count individually, because negating Surprise is pretty powerful as it is. And immediately hitting up to two Henchman or Villains with a reflected, Surprise without a chance for them to resist, might be too much? Maybe they need to make a Contested Roll to give them a chance to resist?)

I'm all ears for feedback!

Episode Two: Shadows Cast

Upon leaving port, our heroes each had a chance to speak with Jimmy Two Feet privately regarding the information he had for then. Following those meetings, they all reconvened and agreed their next port of call should be La Motte. While they did not reveal fully what it was each sought, they knew that they all had to go there next.

Aa they had this discussion, a sailor by the name of Sven stumbled into them, and began coughing. He continued to cough as thick black smoke began to pour from his mouth and nostrils. He passed out as the last of it seeped from his face, and it took a humanoid form, with two glowing red eyes. "interesting, it said. "So you're the Six, are you? The six that are supposed to stop...well I must say you don't look like much"

They confronted it, asking who or what the creature was. In reply it said the following;

"oh no, you don't get that yet, not this early. Where's the fun in that?But I'll be seeing you all very soon, I'm certain of it."

The smoke dissipated, and as they all stood there dumbfounded, they heard the cry from a sailor at the gunwales.

"man overboard!"

Everyone could see someone floating in the water. They also all noticed the foggy drifting across the water, which began to envelop the ship.

Then they started to see bits of wreckage, and another body. Then another. Then the flaming remains of a ship.

Aa Captain O'Sullivan barked out orders to lower a boat to search for survivors, Sigrid took advantage of the flames passing by the ship to state into them, reading the future.

She asked a simple question.

Should we enter the fog in search of survivors?

The answer came quickly; no.

They convinced Captain O'Sullivan it was a bad idea, and she had the ship brought about to leave the wreckage behind. As they did so, a body was seen pulled under the water.

Then another, snatched from below.

And finally the third, and this time an oily slick tebtacjr was seen grabbing it.

The Captain called for more speed, but it was too late.

A bulbous, oily black creature broke the surface, with two writhing tentacles and three yellow, blinking eyes.

A battle ensued! Cannons were fired at the creature and it's tentacles, pistols and knives were unleashed at it's horrible eyes. Tentacles smashed down on the deck.

Seconds before the second tentacle was severed by a cannon ball, it snapped in the air and flung 10 crabs the size of a human head on board.

The crabs put up a fight but it was quick work for our heroes to slash and stab them, kick them overboard, and finally Vera transformed into an owl, and picked one up ands dropped it to the deck, killing the wretched thing.

One remained. It grabbed a dagger in one hand, and approached Pen de Medici, snapping the other claw threateningly.

The pair duelled, with the crab getting in some lucky hits before finally being skewered!

Aa they surveyed the wreckage they all agreed to head for La Motte at top speed.

Audra summoned her demon, and he appeared by crawling over the side of the ship, with spindly arms and legs.

She asked for a gust of wind, to help the See, Whiskers arrive that much faster.

He obliged asking only for her to thank him, which she did profusely.

With that, they arrived in La Motte just as the sun was setting.

Next Episode; A Little Drop of Poison.

Our heroes enter the markets of La Motte in search of answers.

What will they discover, and who is sending street urchins to follow them?

https://preview.redd.it/l866j097i8sd1.jpg?width=837&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0e4325a94dff46d1bcdd2c20a17d0fc7590c5870

• On the left we have Penelope von Caccini: A sortilega from Vodacce who fled her noble background to live as a pirate. She uses her magic to navigate her way through the pirate life.

• On the right Nadine Sanchez: Originally from Montaigne but spent time in Castilla. She’s a doctor and scholar with secret ties to the Rilasciare. Despite her intelligence, she sometimes struggles to relate to the common folk and can come across as rude.

I was able to GM a 7th Sea second edition game for the first time last night. My group did have a lot of fun but they did feel like super heroes. I know that’s the point. I wanted them to be a little more challenged with out throwing 80 brutes at them. Any advice for making The Game more of a challenge.

So I was reading through secret societies and under Novus Ordo Mundi they have the character of Wawrzyniec, a sort of enigma who has recently come into possession of one of the NOM rings and joined. That's fine and not necessarily odd, but his story hooks, with references to him offering to reveal the society to heroes and another with a raving mad man in the streets ranting about "the Devil" taking everything make me feel like there's something I'm missing. Does anyone know where there might be more info on this?

Trying this here too since i didn't have much luck in r/TTRPG. I'm GMing a 7th Sea campaign, and I'm trying to find a fitting soundtrack for a combat sequence involving two specific NPCs (twins). They are Rasmussen School journeymen and Porté sorcerers, and I have an idea in my head for how their fighting style would sound, but I’m struggling to find a music piece/song/track that fits. The last note is that I’m looking for something up-tempo and dynamic. Here’s what I have in my notes about their fighting style's "sound":

"The battlefield becomes an auditory experience, filled with the percussive sounds of their pistols and the eerie melody of their Porté sorcery.

Every shot is a beat in the symphony. The twins are not just firing to kill—they are percussionists, controlling the rhythm of the battle with each shot. The cracks of their pistols set the tempo, dictating the speed and intensity of the fight. Sometimes they fire in rapid succession, creating a fast and frantic rhythm, while other times they let silence build, drawing out the tension before the next shot rings out.

Every time they open a portal, a soft, eerie whisper fills the air, like the haunting melody accompanying their deadly performance. These whispers are like lyrics, just out of reach—unsettling for their enemies, yet part of the music for the twins. The battlefield is filled with these faint voices, creating a dissonant soundtrack that only they can follow.

As they move, blood splatters in graceful arcs, painting the battlefield with every step. These aren’t random marks—they are brushstrokes, carefully placed to create a mural of blood that tells the story of the fight. Even the corpses fall exactly where they want them, as if every movement, every drop of blood, is part of the masterpiece they’re creating."

Thank you for your suggestions!

Episode One: The Striking of the Match

Note: the players or Sigrid Olvadette and Adélard Benoît Félix were unable to join us for this session. They remained on the ship, no doubt sleeping off hangovers.

Our campaign began in an octagonal stone chamber, with one entrance barred by a portcullis. On either side of the portcullis were two very bored guards. Based on their armour and features, they were Avalonian. Each side of the room had a torch, and in the center of the room was a pedestal, upon which rested a very old helmet.

There was a sudden flash of purple light, and a small girl stood in the center of the room, looking scared. She wore a cloak and a kilt, though the tartan could not be made out. She looked around quickly and grabbed the helmet, as the guards drew their swords.

In another flash of purple light, she was gone.

The next scene was in a brightly lit market square. Based on the architecture, the clothing worn by nobles and that of the very obvious lower classes, this was Charouse, the capital city of Montaigne. Based on the banners, it was the birthday of l'Emperor.

Our heroes were all standing side by side on a makeshift wooden platform, ropes around their necks.

A man stepped forward with a scroll.

"Vera Nikilorov of Ussura, Pen de Medici of Castille, Killian of Inismore, Audra Aorsi of of the Sarmatian Commonwealth, Sigrid Olvadette of Vesten and Adélard Benoît Félix of Montaigne, for crimes against the great nation of Montaigne, and against L’Empereur du Monde, you are to be hanged until dead. There will be no reprieve, there will be no pardon."

He stepped back, and the the sound of wood dropping out from under their feet could be heard.

Just as they felt the nooses tighten, they woke up.

They were arriving at the Montaigne port city of Pourisse on the good ship See, Whiskers! captained by Kira O'Sullivan of Inismore.

It was l'Emperor's birthday, shortly before a parade would carry on throughout the city.

They all headed to The Thirsty Pig, where they were to meet a contact called Jimmy Two Feet.

Shortly after they arrived and had purchased an abundance of ale, there was a flash of purple light and the girl from the opening scene appeared in the center of the tavern. Her cloak billowed, and her kilt could be seen. It was a black, white, and purple tartan. She looked around again, frightened, clutching the helmet in her hands, and in another blinding flash of purple light she disappeared.

One patron fled the bar, just as Jimmy walked in.

He approached them and introduced himself, and just then then a group of 5 members of the City Watch burst through the door.

"Here ye, by order of the Vaticine Church, all who witnessed the supernatural phenomenon are hearby under arrest. Either come quietly, or we will make you come with us."

One of the Watch saw Jimmy, and pointed him out to the Captain, who listed off an assortment of crimes and proceeded to say Jimmy was now under arrest.

At the same time, 5 Pirates burst in the door on the other side of the tavern, yelling "two feet, you're ours!"

A brawl ensued, highlights including Pen distracting the City Watch by offering them beer, Audra approaching the Watch and scaring them all away, and Killian & Vera stabbing a bunch of Pirates, leaving one alive who ran off.

Jimmy suggested going somewhere safer and they all agreed to head to See, Whiskers!

They escaped through the crowds of the parade, escaping Pirates and evading the Watch.

Highlights of that included Pen grabbing a circus performer's flaming baton, swigging whiskey and breathing fire while Killian ducked and dodged through the croud. Audra remained hidden from the Watch and Pirates, and pointed out to Vera that there was a livestock crate with a bear in it. Vera summoned the power of the Leshye, and commanded the bear to attack the Watch as they all made their escape.

On the ship, Killian spoke to the captain and learned that the tartan worn by the disappearing girl was of the Bain Clan, who are a cursed clan of the Highland Marches. They settled on the Shannagary islands, and it's said that they discovered something there.

Something that got the entire clan killed.

Next week, Episode Two

Shadows Cast

The open ocean, secrets hidden & shared, and a strange arrival.

Have you ever noticed how quiet the water is just before a storm?

I'm listening to The Writer's Room; A 7th Sea Podcast from 2022, and they are referencing bonus dice that Capt. Jesse gets from an ability called "Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew." I couldn't find any reference to that ability in any of the official books; I have them all from the kickstarter, but maybe I missed it somewhere?

Does anyone know if that's a homebrew ability they made up for the podcast, or from a 3rd party expansion on DriveThruRPG maybe?

I'm going to be running a campaign soon and one player has the Rasmussen school. This is the VV pistol school, which gives a 3 point obligation background to "defend the School and your fellow students from the Swordsman's Guild." How do I resolve this background? is it resolvable short of making pistol dueling socially acceptable or dismantling the swordsman's guild? would resolving it after they've defeated a few swordsmen guild members be adequate? its a 3 point background so it seems like resolving it ought to be significant but im at a loss for how to do that.

I am preparing to run my first 7th Sea campaign (we decided on first edition, and I plan to run Erebus to start with), and came across the rule compendium. How would I go about "merging" these changes so I do not have to keep referring myself (and players) to two documents to check whether a rule was updated or not.

The introduction of the compendium states that its intent is to bridge the gap between first publications of the rulebooks and second publications of the rulebooks (where the compendium changes would be present). I can't find anything that suggests the current 1st edition rulebooks are anything but first publication. I assume that means there is no "up-to-date" rulebook?

Just what the title says: free on DTRPG

I'm encouraged to see Chaosium drop this goodie right after the 'Price of Arrogance' campaign kickstarter, but think it's a little strange that nobody announced it anywhere.

Still, gift horses and all that.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/494730/7th-sea-quickstart-long-live-the-prince?affiliate_id=36142

I'm starting a 7th Sea campaign for my ongoing Thursday night group, we did character creation last night and last week(as some players couldn't make it last week). The campaign is writing itself thanks to their stories!

So far we have

A Castillian member of the Vaticine Church, intent on rooting out the evil that has taken hold of the church, starting with the Bishop of a town yet to be decided upon

A Montaign revolutionary duelist with a vendetta to avenge the death of his parents (totally based off Inigo Montoya, and why not?)

An Ussuran sorceress who wants to protect the Leshiye, possibly by extending her life through magical means.

An Inish Pirate on the run from the Sidhe, as they stole a Sidhe artifact

And a Vesten Rune Reader working with Sophia's Daughters to smuggle Fate Witches out of Vodacce

We have one player still to make her character.

My mind is just spilling over with possibilities. Can't wait to get this going next week!

I have a vague memory there was a system for investing money and effects how it grew or shrunk in value in 7th sea.

Is it so or have I read it in some other game and just misremember it?

I've recently done the impossible and convinced my regular group to try systems that are [pause for efferct] not 5e! I've run through a few other systems including Warhammer, Cthulhu, World of Darkness, and Deadlands and now it's 7th Seas turn.

While making some handouts for my players I realized someone must have done this all already, and probably much better than I could manage. So I went looking for any begginers resources, things like backgrounds lists, nations summaries, etc. and other than the official quickstart pdf (which isn't what I'm looking for) but I can't find much. Am I missing it all? Can any of you help me out?

Thanks.

Total Speculation here…

Do you think that Chaosium might be considering having Studio Agate to finish the Khitai KS and continue the line?

John is gone and though Mike is apparently still involved there has been no talk about Fuso, Agnivarsa, Shenzhou, or Han books?

Then suddenly we get this translation project from SA. Is this KS a way to gauge interest?

I’ve been a long fan of Shadows of Esteren so if Chaosium cannot devote the resources to 7th Sea, I am happy to have Studio Agate do it.