Fishing (SWADE) Redo Fish notes

Fishing (SWADE)

"...Creatures of the sea will not only keep ya fed and paid—if ya catch the right ones—but some can even change a man. I seen the faces of crews turn to demons and tear apart fleets twice their size, just ‘cause the galley cooked up the right fish! Ya got assassins and alchemists mixing up fish guts with their potions and salves, regardless if it be for healing or hurting..."

Before you head out.. Learn about the Gear

🎣 Rods

You need a rod to fish—but don’t worry, any ol’ pole will do! That said, low-quality rods don’t make for the best fishin’. Better rods mean better odds—and more room for weird, wild upgrades. Want to lash a soulstone to the grip? Add a cursed lure carved from coral? You’ll need a Quality rod that can handle it.

The Rod Quality determines two key things:
• 🎯 Rod Casting Modifier: Adds a bonus or penalty to your Casting roll.
• 🧰 Max Components: Determines how many gear pieces, or magical attachments can be slotted onto the rod.

🪱 Bait

No fish likes a bare hook. To fish, you must attach bait to your rod. Bait determines not only what you might catch, but how the sea responds to your offering. Some bait is mundane, some is sacred, and some is downright cursed.

• 🎯 A Modifier to your Casting roll (positive or negative)
• 🧪 A Special Effect that may trigger during the Catching phase
• 🐟 A Catch Bias—certain bait types attract specific fish categories.

🧩Components

Components are permanent upgrades that grant special attributes and effects to your fishing rod. They can modify casting rolls, extend fishing encounters, or trigger unique abilities. Unlike bait, their effects are always active. The number of components you can equip depends on your rod’s Quality—higher tiers allow more customization and synergy.

🎣 Rod Quality 🪱 Bait 🧩 Component
Old – Modifier: –2, Max Components: 0 Regular Bait – No special effect but allows you to fish Natural Flow – Ignores penalties from Clubs and gear on Fishing rolls
Common – Modifier: –1, Max Components: 1 Tier Lock – Guarantees a specific catch class regardless of roll outcome Token Starter – Grants 1 success token at the start of the Dramatic Task
Uncommon – Modifier: ±0, Max Components: 2 Ritual Extension – Adds +1 round to the Dramatic Task Selective Catch – Choose one catch class lower than your rolled result
Rare – Modifier: +1, Max Components: 3 Double Haul – Grants 2 success tokens at the start of the Dramatic Task Extended Tension – Adds +1 round to the Dramatic Task
Mythic – Modifier: +2, Max Components: 4+ (GM’s call) Lingual Line – Allows communication with the caught fish once reeled in Echo Line – On Raise, roll d6: on 5–6, gain an extra token
Salt of Memory – Catch reveals a fragment of personal or ancestral lore Chillsteel Core – Immune to Mishaps on Critical Failures
Mirrorscale – Reflects one Mishap back onto another target Memory Weave – Catch reveals a fragment of lore or prophecy (GM’s choice)
Tactile Thread – +1 to Fishing roll if used with a Natural Flow rod Ritual Channel – Substitute Occult for Fishing once per task
Bait of Echoes – On Rare+ catch, roll d6: on 5–6, gain a duplicate catch Barbed Fate – On Joker, gain +2 tokens instead of the usual bonus
Gravehook Spores – Catch is undead, cursed, or bound—triggers a secondary encounter Tension Coil – After a failed roll, reroll once per task (take –1 on reroll)
Driftseed – Reroll one failed Fishing roll during the task (take –1 on reroll) Spirit-Tether – Catch may be sentient one tier earlier
Familiar Scent – Catch is docile and may be kept alive without a Mishap roll Whisperhook – Catch is silent/incorporeal one tier earlier
Pactline – Catch offers a boon or bargain if kept alive (GM’s choice)

Lets Fish!

This section will teach you the mechanics of fishing, which is a 2-step process: Casting to determine the fish and its difficulty, then Catching through a Dramatic Task to reel it in.

1. Casting - Must have a rod and bait!

Roll Fishing Skill and take into account your rod quality modifier and bait modifier (if applicable). The casting roll may also be modified by narrative context (nighttime, sacred waters, curses) and/or if allowed, support rolls by other player characters.

If successful check your success and raises to the casting chart to determine your the fish type that is caught and sets the token threshold for your ensuing Dramatic Task. On Critical Failure roll on the Mishaps Table.

Casting Roll Catch Type Tokens Needed Notes
Success Standard Catch 2 Edible, trade-worthy
1 Raise High-Quality 3 Gourmet, prized, or culturally revered
2 Raises Rare Species 4 Alchemical, arcane, or ecologically vital
3 Raises Threshold Catch 5 Sentient, cursed, or transformative
4 Raises Aquatic Oddity 6 Glowing, whispering, or partially incorporeal
5+ Raises Mythic Catch 7+ Legendary being, artifact, or campaign-altering
Roll Mishap Effect
1 Tangled Line Lose gear or time
2 Hooked Yourself Take 1 Fatigue or Wound
3 Capsize Boating check to avoid sinking
4 Predator Attack Triggers a combat scene
5 Cursed Catch Roll on a magic mishap table
6 Eldritch Whisper Gain a temporary hindrance (Delusional, Phobia, etc.)
Careful a mishap can turn a good day real bad, real quick!
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2. Catching

By default the player has 2 rounds to acquire the amount of tokens needed to catch the fish.

Each round

Fishing can be boring, so make it wild. Let your players unleash their imagination—have them do a backflip they’d never pull off in real life just to reel in that sucker. This isn’t about realism—it’s about fun. Give them space to go nuts and turn every catch into a cinematic moment.

Fish Events

Some fish trigger events that will take place before during or after. Additionally, fish may initiate a combat sequence after the Dramatic Task. They must be defeated to complete the catch. This post-task fight should treated as a separate encounter. Always check the Note section of the fish chart carefully!

What to do with your new prize?

Cook it and gain its effects. Sell it. Trade it. Use it as rations. Hit someone with it. Mount it on the wall. Feed it to your cursed pet...

Who cares? It’s yours now—you figure it out

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Fish Charts

🐟 Standard Catch (2 Tokens)

Fish Name Effect When Eaten Notes
Aquaray Heal fully. Chance of poison if not prepared by a chef.
Velvet Viper Heal all fatigue. Attracts nearby predators.
Smooshy Remove any common status condition—no roll required. Emits calming aura—+1 to Spirit rolls nearby.
Rustfin Heal 1 Wound. Rod rusts slightly—–1 to next Casting roll.
Sunburst Tuna +1 to all damage in next battle (does not stack). Sky clears dramatically.
Dreamscale Heal all wounds, regardless of age. Causes vivid dreams next time you sleep.

🐠 High-Quality Catch (3 Tokens)

Fish Name Effect When Eaten Notes
Serpenthorn Heal all wounds and refill mana. Lightning crackles overhead—roll Fear.
Offset-Koi Heal 1 Wound and gain a mundane item from its belly. Belly whispers a name—gain +1 against that target.
Crystal Moonglow Create orbs of light for 24 hours. Moon rises early—night begins immediately.
Sapphire Glassfish No need to breathe for 24 hours. Water becomes breathable for 10 minutes.
Lunar Sparkler Can be used to craft 1 dose of lethal poison. Shadows lengthen unnaturally.
Coralwhisperer Cast voice into anyone’s mind for 24 hours. Hear a distant scream—no source found.
Bok-Bok Gain advantage on all rolls during next combat. Fish laughs. Everyone hears it.

🧬 Rare Species (4 Tokens)

Fish Name Effect When Eaten Notes
Shadowfin Refresh Devil’s Luck. Shadows cling to your skin—–1 Charisma for 1 hour.
Psyquill Obeys all non-violent commands for 1 hour. Writes your name in blood on the boat deck.
Starlight Mirage Trout Create immersive illusions for 24 hours. Reality flickers—roll Smarts or believe illusion.
Mysticore Read minds for 1 hour. Everyone hears each other’s thoughts for 1 minute.
Trouser Trout Irresistible aphrodisiac for 24 hours. Causes uncontrollable blushing.
Dar’sak Avoid next instance of lethal damage. A death omen appears nearby.
Macho Understand any language for 24 hours. Tongue glows faintly—can’t lie for 1 hour.
Hairfin Reanimate a corpse. Nearby corpse twitches.
White Piranha Shrink to 1 inch for 1 hour. Water level rises rapidly—must escape.
Snow Eel Become invisible for 24 hours. Breath fogs even in heat—visibility drops.
Glowing Squid Raise mana pool by 3 points. Emits blinding flash—everyone rolls Agility.
Etton Chatter Speak with saltwater fish for 24 hours. All nearby fish begin chanting.
Mocha Starfish Consumer immediately empties bowels. Causes uncontrollable laughter.

🧠 Threshold Catch (5 Tokens)

Fish Name Effect When Eaten Notes
Emberfish Refresh mana. Fire erupts from water—roll Agility or take damage.
Holy Diver Swap bodies with another creature. Both bodies flicker—roll Vigor or suffer confusion.
Mud Fish Speak with freshwater fish for 24 hours. Mud floods the boat—roll Boating or sink.
Hypno-Toad Forget the last 74 hours. Everyone nearby forgets their name for 1 minute.
Re’nak Roll 1d2: (1) legs fall off, (2) arms fall off. Screams echo from the deep—roll Fear.
Flame Frog Permanently mute voice. Tongue burns—take 1 Wound unless resisted.
Topaco Permanently deafens consumer. All sound vanishes for 10 seconds.
Bloodburn Eel Hands melt metal for 1 hour. All metal nearby begins to vibrate.
Hate Tooth Boils consumer’s blood for 6d6 damage. Water turns red—everyone rolls Fear.

Edges

🐣 Novice Tier

🪝 Hooked Right

Requirements: Novice, Fishing d6+
You’ve learned how to set your bait with care, anchoring it in ritual and instinct. So long as you succeed on your initial Casting roll, you will not lose your bait if you fail during the subsequent Fishing Dramatic Task.
Secure the lure! Even if the fish escapes, you’re the one who keeps the bait.

🎏 Token Starter

Requirements: Novice, Fishing d6+
You begin each Fishing Dramatic Task with 1 success token, representing your preparation, intuition, or sheer luck.
This token counts toward the total needed to catch your quarry and stacks with any other effects (like bait, rod components, or Edges).

🐟 Gourmet Lorekeeper

Requirements: Novice, Survival d6+, Common Knowledge d6+
You’ve studied the sacred, cursed, and culinary properties of sea creatures. You ignore up to -2 penalties when identifying fish species or preparing them for consumption (including cooking, alchemical use, or ritual offerings).
Additionally, once per session, you may ask the GM for a hidden trait or secret tied to a caught fish—whether it’s a latent effect, a lore fragment, or a potential transformation.

🧭 Seasoned Tier

🧠 Unorthodox Method

Requirements: Seasoned, any non-Fishing skill at d8+
You’ve developed a personal technique for fishing—whether it’s tactical, spiritual, or purely chaotic. Once per Dramatic Task, you may substitute any one non-Fishing skill you possess at d8 or higher in place of Fishing.
This reflects your unique approach, such as using Stealth to bait silently, Persuasion to coax the catch, or Repair to manipulate gear mid-task.
On a Critical Failure, you roll on the Injury Table instead of the standard Mishap Table—your method may be clever, but it’s also dangerous.

🎏 Token Weaver

Requirements: Seasoned, Token Starter, Fishing d8+
You’ve learned to read the ripples before the cast, weaving your intent into the current.
When you begin a Fishing Dramatic Task, you gain 2 success tokens instead of 1.
Additionally, once per session, you may spend a Benny to gain an extra token at the start of a Fishing Dramatic Task—this represents a moment of deep intuition, ancestral guidance, or a whispered pact with the water.
These tokens still stack with bait, rod components, and other effects.

🛠️ Veteran Tier

🎣 Been There, Done That

Requirements: Veteran, Fishing d8+
You’ve faced cursed waters, spectral bait-thieves, and leviathans that whisper in your sleep—and you’ve come out with scales and stories. Your experience grants you the following benefits:

This Edge doesn’t just reward survival—it celebrates mastery. You’ve earned the right to choose your battles, name your quarry, and prepare it with reverence or defiance.

🧙 Heroic Tier

🎯 Masterful Haul

Requirements: Heroic, Token Weaver, Fishing d8+
Your technique is honed to perfection—every flick of the wrist, every tug on the line, is a study in precision.
During a Fishing Dramatic Task, each Raise on your Fishing or substituted skill roll grants 2 tokens instead of 1.
This stacks with the base token from a successful roll, allowing for explosive progress when the stakes are high.

🌌 Legendary Tier

🐠 Fisher of Fate

Requirements: Legendary, Fishing d10+
You’ve mastered the moment of the cast—when fate hangs on the line.
When you succeed on a Casting roll (the initial Fishing check before the Dramatic Task), you may choose any fish from the appropriate chart, regardless of your actual roll result or token threshold.
This represents your ability to bend destiny at the moment of contact. You still perform the Dramatic Task to reel it in, but the quarry is yours to name.