Espionage, Interrogation & Torture
“Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies.” – Jane Austen
Information is power. Secrets decide wars before banners are raised and ruin Houses without a single blade being drawn.
This system governs how secrets are stolen, extracted and paid for.
The Nature of Secrets
Westeros runs on Whispers…
Information flows through:
Servants, guards and retainers
Porters, dockhands and messengers
Bribes, favors, threats and quiet promises
True intelligence is rarely seized outright. It is coaxed, overheard, betrayed or broken loose from those who cannot endure its price.
Requirements
All espionage, interrogation and torture requires a Story Request.
To pursue secrets, a player must:
Establish narrative access through roleplay
Describe the method being used
Justify plausibility
The more familiarity a House has with a target’s structure and people, the easier infiltration becomes. Blind attempts without groundwork are rarely successful.
If the approach is plausible, the attempt proceeds to resolution.
Espionage & Spies
In order for inserted spies to gather information, the acting House must roll Awareness.
Without advantages, spies are assumed to be amateurs of convenience. The bribed, desperate or easily swayed.
Spy Network Bonuses
Spy Network
+1 Awareness
Spy Network Advanced
+2 Awareness
Spy Network Master
+3 Awareness
These bonuses reflect professionalism, loyalty and operational discipline.
Detection | The Passive Risk
Before information is gained, spies risk exposure.
Smaller House are easier to infiltrate but harder to disappear within.
Passive Detection Difficulty
Minor / Knightly House = 15
Major House = 10
Great House / Royal House = 5
Failing to meet this difficulty results in immediate exposure due to error, suspicion or betrayal.
Counterintelligence | The Active Roll
Even if information is gained, discovery may still occur.
After a successful espionage roll:
The defending House rolls Awareness
This roll is opposed against the attacker’s result
Outcomes
- Attacker wins – Information is gained quietly
- Defender wins – Information is gained, but the House knows someone is spying
- Passive failure – The spy exposes themselves outright
Knowing spies exist does not mean knowing who sent them.
Consequences of Discovery
Allowed counterplay:
Internal investigations
Purges and crackdowns
Counter espionage Story Requests
Political or military retaliation
Repeated spying escalates risk. Houses known for espionage develop reputations that follow them.
Interrogation & Torture
The Cost of Knowing
There are many forms…
Physical violence and maiming
Deprivation of sleep, food or light
Isolation, threats, and psychological pressure
Regardless of the method, the goal is the same… to break resistance and extract information.
Resolution
Opposed roll is required…
Rolls = Fighting or Tactics
Victim rolls d20 + current Health
Torture occurs in intervals, determined by the torturer’s approach
Time Scale Modifiers
Hours
-1 to Torturer rolls
Days
No modifier
Weeks
+1 to Torturer rolls
Damage & Resistance
Each interval of torture usually inflicts (1) Health damage, lowering the victim’s resistance in subsequent intervals.
Outcomes
Victim Fails
Must give one piece of truthful information they actually know
If they do not know the answer, they may invent information
Victim Succeeds
May give no information
May give willfully false information
A victim may always volunteer additional information in hopes the torture ends.
Psychological Torture
A Torturer may choose to inflict no physical damage, relying on psychological pressure alone. In this case…
The Victim suffers a cumulative -1 penalty per interval
Once penalties equal their normal Health, they become unresponsive or temporarily mad
Recovery requires Maester care. One week of care per penalty removed. Trauma frequently results in a permanent Disadvantage.
Aftermath & Trauma
Survivors of extreme torture are rarely unchanged.
Possible consequences include:
Permanent Disadvantages
Madness or instability
Political fallout
Retaliation or war
The information gained may be valuable but its cost echoes.
Final Notes
Secrets are never free…
Discovery does not equal attribution…
Torture produces truth but also lies…
Information gained through suffering reshapes the world…
All espionage, interrogation, and torture is tracked through Story Requests.