SIGILS IN THE DARK

A SINGLE PLAYER JOURNALING GAME

SEE HOW FAR YOU WILL GO IN THIS

COMPATIBLE WITH
GAME OF DARK MAGIC & DESIRE
WRITTEN BY KURT POTTS
You have a need, a deep burning need
that drives you. Is it love, regret, desire?

The darkness whispers,

“I can help you…”
Minutes turn to hours as you try to focus
on the voice. Symbols, shapes, swirl in the
darkness at the edge of your perception.
If only you could grasp them, your needs
would be met and more.
What is Sigils in the Dark?
Sigils in the Dark is a journaling game and GM supplement. The goal of the game is to create an evil mage’s
spellbook. You’ll take up the role of this wizard with a desperate need, in search of arcane power to get what
they want. They will try to understand dark sigils just outside their perception by randomly generating spells
and adding liner notes to their grimoire. In the end, you’ll have an in-game artifact that you can pass on to
players and hopefully know a little more about what your evil mage has sacrificed to get where they are.

Need
As you fill the pages of your grimoire with liner notes and struggle to pay the costs of each new spell, remember
that your need will make it all worth it. With each setback, you’ll double down because everything will be
perfect once you achieve your goal.
To determine your need fill in the following:
My need will be fulfilled when { Needs }.

# Needs # Needs
1 my pet is broght home 7 my mentor sees i’m stronger than them
2 my enemy is defeated 8 my coworkers grovel at my feet
3 my friend sees i’m right 9 my boss begs for my mercy
4 my lover is mine 10 my crush is mine
5 my rival is humiliated 11 wealth secures my future
6 my school understands my genious 12 I have the power to show them all

How to play
On the first page of your grimoire write what you think a future owner of this tome
would need to know about you. Usually a Name, Location, and Why you are searching
for arcane power, i.e. your Need. For best results use a moleskine or other notebook.
Example
On page two you’ll create your first spell. Print or draw the three-point spell circle. Spell Circle

As your character peers into the unknown and tries to make sense of the swirling
shapes. You, the player, will roll on the Segment table to generate what they see.
Roll on the Segment table now and draw the segment between two of the three
points on your initial spell circle. Example Segment
How to play
Now roll on the effect table to permanently define
what the segment means. Write the effect rolled next to
the image on the segment table then make a note next
to your spell circle about what the segment means.
In this example, the player rolled 1 on the
Segment Table and a 1 on the Effect Table
getting the effect Bind.
Example of the segment and note added to the
Spell Circle.
Add two more segments to your spell circle in the same
manner. Rolling an effect for each new segment. Now
that you have sealed off an area in the center between
these effects it’s time to add the object of the spell.
Example of a Spell Circle with
three Segments and notes.
The Object is what the spell can interact with. To
add the object, roll on the Symbol table and draw
that symbol in the center of the triangle made by
your segments. Then roll on the object table and
write the result next to the symbol on the Symbol
Table and make a note on the spell page.
Example Symbol
Example of a completed Spell Circle
with three Segments and a Symbol
Now that you know what your spell can do and
what it can target it’s time to name the spell and
describe it in your spellbook.
Example Spell name
and description:
How to play
Once you have your Magic Circle completed roll a Example of the cost and notes in the spellbook.
d6 on the cost table. Later spells will have increased
costs, but for this one just roll a single d6.
Example: Our wizard rolls a 6,
eaning the cost to cast this spell is A
Lie, believed.

Once you have your cost add it to the spell page with a You’ve finished your first spell. The only
few notes on how to acquire the cost and any problems question now is will this spell get you what
acquiring that cost may have caused your wizard. you need or must you press on?

What’s Next
Continue creating spells until your need is fulfilled or the costs are too great and you walk away.
To begin your next spell, select a 3, 5 or 7 point spell circle for the next page of your spellbook.

Roll on the Segment table or select defined Segments until all points are connected. Then Roll on the Symbol
Table or select an already defined Symbol for at least one of the sealed sections of your spell circle.
If you roll an already defined Segment or Symbol put a mark in the cost upgrade box and roll again until you
get an undefined Segment or Symbol. Choosing a defined Segment or Symbol does not increase its cost.
To uncover the costs for your spell, roll on the costs table. The dice used and number of times you roll change
depending on your spell.
Your First Spell
If you followed this guide your first spell required you to roll a single d6 on the costs table one time and note
the result on your spell page. The result of the roll in the example was 6, A lie, believed.

Spell Circle:
As the points in your spell increase so will the number of costs associated with it. See below:
3 Point Spell Circle: Roll once on the cost table.
5 Point Spell Circle: Roll twice on the cost table.
7 Point Spell Circle: Roll thrice on the cost table.

Symbols:
When rolling on the costs table, roll one die for each symbol in the spell and
keep the highest result. Your first spell had a single symbol in the center. Future
spells with more segments will give you the oportunity to include more symbols.
This spell has 5 points and 4 symbols. For this you would roll on the costs table
two times and each roll would be 4d6 keep the highest.

Cost Upgrades:
Increas the die rolled on the cost table for each cost upgrade in the Segments or Symbols table. Dice are in-
creased as follows:
D6 > d8 > d10 > d12 > 2d8 > d20 > 2d12 > 2d20
For die sizes with multiple dice, sum the dice. If you should make multiple rolls for extra
Symbols, add one extra die of that type for each symbol and keep the two highest.
In this example, we see that Bind has 3 cost upgrades but Influence has zero.
Effect and Object tables
# Effect # Effect # Object # Object
1 Bind 11 Move 1 Spirit 11 Lightborn
2 Create 12 Heal 2 Matter 12 Energy
3 Bring forth 13 Transmute 3 Element 13 Machine
4 Protect 14 Redirect 4 Emotion 14 Small Item
5 Send away 15 Destroy 5 Flesh 15 Shadow
6 Do Harm 16 Influence 6 Plant 16 Time
7 Connect 17 Strengthen 7 Animal 17 Memory
8 Shrink 18 Contact 8 Location 18 Illusion
9 Weaken 19 Find 9 Plane 19 Gem/Metal
10 Animate 20 Grow 10 Darkspawn 20 Senses

Cost Table
# Cost # Cost
1 An apple; coveted 21 The tongue of a traitor, taken
2 A family heirloom; taken 22 The heart of a lover, burst
3 A love letter; undelivered 23 Flesh of a pet
4 The light of a waxing crescent moon 24 Ashes of a house of power
5 A pail of fresh-fallen snow 25 Lies of a prophet, confessed
6 A lie; believed 26 The faith of the downtrodden
7 A secret; overheard 27 Last memory of a loved one
8 7 strands of hair; taken unknowingly 28 A follower, punished
9 A cry of passion 29 An ill fate, accepted
10 The spit of a fighter 30 Joy of a Darkspawn unleashed
11 Tears of the heartbroken 31 A survivor’s broken promise
12 1 eye; given 32 Pity of an old friend
13 3 pints of blood; in a stone basin 33 An Apprentice, lost
14 A murder, witnessed 34 Cries of a crowd
15 Crushed bone, human 35 Third sacrifice committed in your name
16 A body part, given 36 A Chosen Tempted
17 The heart of a drowned parent 37 A sacrifice committed by a former Chosen
18 Hope, shattered 38 Betrayal of The Four by a Chosen
19 Skull of a Lightborn (Good Monsters) 39 Death of one of The Four
20 3 Darkspawn chanting (Bad Monsters) 40 Our world delivered to the Darkness
Segment Table Symbol Table
# Segment Effect Cost Upgrade # Symbol Object Cost Upgrade

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

6 6

7 7

8 8

9 9

10 10

11 11

12 12

13 13

14 14

15 15

16 16

17 17

18 18

19 19

20   20
Connectors Spell Name

Spell effect

Symbols

Costs
Connectors Spell Name

Spell effect

Symbols

Costs
Connectors Spell Name

Spell effect

Symbols

Costs