Endeavours

There is little respite from horror and war in the Mortal Realms, but when those quiet moments do come, it is vital to embrace them. This chapter presents a number of activities, called Endeavours, that you can undertake between your adventures.

## Champions of Death

To be undead is to be denied the peace of the grave. But while the dead dedicate eternity to their ceaseless toil, sometimes they are rewarded the rare chance to rest. They cherish these moments of respite, even if they are but a brief moment of quiet before the next age of suffering.

Soulbound presents a number of Endeavours you can undertake in the downtime between your adventures. Champions of Death expands on that list, introducing new Endeavours customised for the forces of Death.

## Champions of Destruction

Even the forces of Destruction can’t fight all the time. Troggoths take long naps between their emergences, Ogors spend entire weeks simmering tough cuts of meat, and even Orruks, Grots, and Hobgrots need time to tell their mates exaggerated versions of their latest exploits. The breaks between their rampages and raids are rarely idle. Gorkamorka’s followers spend this time searching for their next targets, throwing revels that border on riots, and overthrowing bosses so that everyone knows who’s in charge when the proper fight begins. A natural rhythm follows, as these schemers and marauders get antsy as soon as they’re fully recovered, and their idle attempts to pass the time soon escalate into a full-blown Waaagh! once more.

While champions of Destruction can take Endeavours just like Order characters, by default, they cannot take the same kind of Endeavours that a ‘civilised’ character can take — such as those found in the Soulbound corebook. Most Destruction characters simply don’t have the temperament to spend extended periods of time within civilisation, even if the inhabitants of a city were somehow uncharacteristically welcoming to creatures they mostly know as rampaging monsters. The exception to this are Ogors, who are a common enough sight in cities that they can operate without too much resistance — even if they are given a wide berth and watched closely. In addition, the Create Spell and Train Companion Endeavours can be taken by characters with the relevant Talents.

But a lack of access to civilisation does not mean Destruction characters spend their downtime inactive; quite the opposite. Champions of Destruction provides an alternative list of Endeavours customised for the forces of Destruction.

## A Matter of Time

The Soulbound are not average people with normal lives. If they have been sent to one of the Cities of Sigmar, it is because there are all manner of problems to be dealt with. As such, what free time they have is limited.

Soulbound assumes that characters have no more than a week of downtime before they are called upon again. You can complete one Endeavour in this time. If you have more time, you can take one additional Endeavour per week of downtime, up to a maximum of three.

* At the end of your downtime, you recover all Wounds.

### Servants of the God-King

There is no respite for the Stormcast Eternals — the God-King’s enemies are boundless and wars are fought on every front in every realm. Between adventures, Stormcast Eternals are recalled to their Stormhost to rejoin the war against the servants of Chaos, the legions of Death, and the rampaging Greenskin hordes.

* Stormcast Eternal characters must spend the first Endeavour of each downtime returning to their Stormhost.

If a Stormcast Eternal character was killed during the previous adventure, GMs can use the time between adventures for them to be Reforged. This way, the player can rejoin the party at the start of the next adventure in a natural way.

## Beyond Death's Grasp

While undead Soulbound claim far more autonomy than the rank-and-file undead servants of Nagash, they are still the walking dead. As a result, undead characters cannot easily undertake a number of the Endeavours found in the Soulbound corebook and other supplements. Vanishingly rare is the Sigmar-worshipping shopkeep that would offer their services to a Ghoul for example, which makes the Shopping Endeavour more difficult.

This availability may change given any number of conditions, from the location and services required, to the character or NPCs involved. The GM can impose additional Skill Tests to represent undead characters disguising, tricking, or intimidating NPCs into facilitating an undead character’s Endeavours, should the situation allow it. For example, a Soulblight Vampire may be able to go Shopping in a City of Sigmar, provided they disguise themselves well by making a DN 6:1 Mind (Guile) Test. On the other hand, there are certain special locations in the Mortal Realms, most notably the vassal cities and states of Death within Shyish, where the living and the dead exist in harmony, or mortals suffer undead rule. In these strange places, even a Wight or Nighthaunt may find opportunities to undertake Endeavours they could not elsewhere.

### Death and Tithes

There is no respite for the Ossiarch Bonereapers — the Undying King’s enemies are boundless and bones must be reaped across the realms. Between adventures, Ossiarch Bonereapers must tally their grim harvest, no matter who they truly serve.

* Ossiarch Bonereapers must spend the first Endeavour of each downtime taking the Collect Bone-tithe Endeavour.

If an Ossiarch Bonereaper character died during the previous adventure but their Soultrap Gem survived, they can use the time between adventures to find a new body.

## Simmering Waaagh!

Nothing brings the momentum of a good Waaagh! to a screeching halt more than days of sitting around and twiddling your thumbs. Luckily, downtime among Gorkamorka’s followers is rarely so sedate. Inter-mob squabbles, duels, and scheming keep the blood pumping and the Waaagh!’s beat steady during these periods of rest and recovery.

If your Binding uses Waaagh! Energy (page 6), the Binding’s maximum Waaagh! decreases by 1 at the end of every downtime period. You can prevent this if at least one party member takes the Rile Up Endeavour or if anyone challenges the Binding’s Boss for leadership.

### Who's Da Boss?

Every Destruction Binding has a Boss (see page 7), but their position is far from stable. Challengers often attempt to take control during periods of rest, as it’s one of the few times when the Binding aren’t fighting foes that surround them on all sides. These disputes sometimes turn bitter, as rivals fling literal and metaphorical mud at each other to claim supremacy, but more often than not, challenges are bred out of impulsive desires to knock the boss down a peg or freedom to make their own choices, as fighting to become Boss is usually more fun than actually being Boss.

#### The Challenge

Before the party starts taking Endeavours, the GM should ask if anyone is challenging the current Boss for leadership of the Binding. If so, the Boss and all challengers should make an Extended Test. Over the course of the challenge, each participant can make 3 Tests. Whoever has the most successes at the end becomes the new Boss.

The first Test represents the challenge itself. Each challenger must declare why they deserve to be Boss of the Binding, and other party members are welcome to whoop, jeer, and interject while they talk. The DN of all Tests is 4:1, but party members who aren’t participating in the challenge can vote to give prospective Bosses Advantage (DN 3:1) or Disadvantage (DN 5:1) on this Test depending on how much they liked the speech. The challenger then rolls using a Skill that matches their declaration, such asBody (Might) if they cracked their knuckles and thumped their chest, Mind (Guile) if they slyly imply the Boss’s poor leadership lost the Binding their last battle, or Soul (Devotion) if they pronounce that Gorkamorka came to them in a vision. The current Boss goes last, answering all challenges with an appropriate Skill, such as Soul (Intimidation) if they growl at everyone to get in line.

The second Test uses a Skill of the current Boss’s choosing, like Body (Weapon Skill) if everyone’s going to brawl in a ring or Mind (Survival) if the Boss challenges their rivals to track and slay the biggest beast in a ceremonial hunt.

Finally, the third Test can use any Skill, representing whichever brutal or cunning method the participants use to get a leg up in the competition. Wrangling a wild Maw-Krusha just long enough to trounce your rivals? Use Soul (Beast Handling). Stealing the Boss’s prized trophy and planting it in their closest ally’s tent so they squabble with each other? Use Body (Dexterity). GMs can grant Advantage (DN 3:1) on this Test to encourage approaches that are flashy, risky, or over-the-top.

At the end of the Opposed Test, whoever has the most successes becomes the new Boss, and everyone else involved in the challenge suffers a Lasting Wound — this has the same effect as a Minor Wound but cannot be healed until your next downtime period. If there’s a tie between the current Boss and a challenger, the current Boss wins, and if there’s a tie between multiple challengers, the current Boss decides who inherits their title.

If the incumbent Boss maintains their position, they enjoy a temporary burst of clout. Until their next downtime period, as an Action, the Boss can shout ‘Get over it!’ or something similar at a party member within Medium Range and remove one Condition that party member suffers.

Alternatively, if the Boss is suitably swayed by their opponent’s argument for leadership, they can step down after the first Test and let an opponent assume the role of Boss. If this happens, the new Boss assumes control and nobody suffers Lasting Wounds from the challenge.

Endeavours proceed as normal once the challenge is over.

## ENDEAVOURS AND DARK RITUALS

Below is a list of Endeavours that your character can undertake. Some Endeavours have requirements that you must meet before taking them. If an Endeavour requires you to make a Test, you can not spend Soulfire or Mettle to alter your dice pool or the result.

### Advancement

Soulbound allows players to spend XP at any time to advance their abilities. However, it is highly recommended to wait until downtime between adventures to spend XP. This way, a character acquiring new Talents and Skills makes more narrative sense and helps to retain immersion.