Cryptdigger's

GuideTo Survival
Z.Cox & B.Brown
2
There are things that dwell beneath the earth and some are Best Left Buried
Within old and dusty ruins, the last memories of broken civilisations remain.
These fallen empires have been left in dust by the eons that have passed since
their zenith. Their servants endure as twisted echoes of their ancient selves,
gangling and half-dead. With their society decayed, the sanity of these
heathen folk has been lost along with the things that made them human. Left
alone in tenebrous places, they have been cracked by isolation and lust for the
light they forgot they needed. They have long descended into feral barbarism.
All that survived the fall are raving priests, slobbering minions and gibbering
monstrosities.
Even as their worshippers moulder and shrivel, the hungry gods sleep,
slumbering in their long forgotten temples. These are chthonic deities:
uncaring, impossible and beyond all forms of human comprehension. To even
perceive these terrible entities drives the sane to madness.
This place is the Crypt.
There is a breed of strange folk that take to these ruins, known as
Cryptdiggers. They might be Wizards, Knights, Godsmen, Freeblades or
Man-Killers, but they are rough folk all. They are grim, determined and
seemingly indefatigable. Seeking gold, fortune and perhaps even adventure,
they come with swords, sorcery and righteous fury to reap the Crypt for all it
is worth.
The Crypt takes these brave and foolish folk and spits them out dead or
broken.
The wounds that do not kill them fester and leave them maimed. The eldritch
touch of magic takes their flesh and corrupts it. The abominations they fight
take the aberrant corners of their minds and turn their spirits against them.
Their minds and souls DECAY until they themselves are left RUINED.
You are these folk. The Crypt will take you in, make you rich and powerful
and then destroy you.
I hope you have fun.

1
Chapter 1: Introduction
There's a joke going around that everyone has their own fantasy
heartbreaker. This is ours.
I fell out of love with modern versions of some games a while back.
They were too easy, too complicated and too weighty in literature. The
decisions in each game had no consequence, or at least none that
couldn't be averted with a rest or a resurrection spell. The monsters
were too iconic. You can't put fear into the hearts of your players
when they know the exact subspecies of ooze they are facing or how
many hit points the troll has.
This game tries to alleviate those problems. Characters are simple to
make and classless, so no two heroes are the same. Monsters are
bizarre. Afflicition, injury and death are certain fate for the characters.
The Crypt will take them in and spit them out broken.
You possess the Crypdigger's Guide to Survival, which gives you
everything you need to play the game. If you fancy something more,
you can find high level advancements, more monsters, non-human
archetypes, and loads of stuff on running the game, treasure and
settings in the Deluxe version, which will soon be arriving on
DriveThruRPG in print and PDF. If you are a Doomsayer, the poor
fool who has elected to run the game, you would be well served to
pick up this.
Enjoy,
Zach and Ben

2
 Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 2
Chapter 2: Making a Character 5
Chapter 3: Advancements 19
Chapter 4: Playing the Game 29
Chapter 5: Consequences 41
Chapter 6: Monsters 51
Appendix: Character Sheet 60

Acknowledgements
Published by SoulMuppet Publishing
www.SoulMuppet.co.uk
www.facebook.com/SoulMuppet
Writing and Layout by Zachary Cox (@JellyMuppet)
Art by Ben Brown (@IllustratorBB)
Art Direction by Sash Steele (@HeyySash)
Edited by Ben Warren, Alex Hill, Neil Benson, James Lader, Harrison
Swift, Sam Sleney, Abigail LaLonde and Josh Davenport
Contributions from Ben Milton, Perrtu Vedenoja, Luka Rejec, Michael
Lombardi, Connagh Doohan, Huw Williams and Michael Bacon
3
"The four of them had travelled halfway across the Duchy to reach this cave.
The tunnels below had a name. The folk in the inn at Quelyn had called it the
Warrens. They ran deep in the earth. Unspeakable creatures and wondrous
treasures were said to dwell in its roots. The villagers said that monsters were
known to shamble forth from the hills and take feast on goats that dwelled
there. They said there were strange deep caves that loomed like great portals
in the side of the mountains.
The party was of four capable folk, met in the Guildhall of the Blue Moon in
the Grand City of Falfe. Albert Du Lac, bastard of Dentwine, peerless warrior
of hammer and helm. Lillian the White, conjurer of tricks and knower of great
secrets. Osford of the Nine Fingers, acolyte of the Blue Order and mutant of
the priesthood. Carris 'Fingers' Delton, a gutterscum thief who knew the
subtle art of knifework and treachery.
They did not tremble, for each thought themselves made of sterner stuff than
steel. They did not stop to pause or delay, and they entered the Crypt."

4
Chapter 2: Making a
Character
When making a character in Best
Left Buried, you should always start
with a name. Aramis de Beauregarde
is probably a very different character
to Kyra Daggert, Cordin Pyre or
Helga Brightbelly.
Take the name and use it as a
springboard to generate how your
character looks, talks and behaves.
Think about how they dress, their
mannerisms or accent. Think about
what they might have done prior to
the events of your game and how
this might affect how they make
decisions. Think about what your
character wants and how they go
about getting it, to make sure they
are Motivated and Capable.
Do this quickly. Characters emerge
better through play than through
thinking of reems of backstory
during character creation. Think of a
few short facts then move on.
If you’re having trouble thinking of
any of this stuff, think of your
favourite character in fiction or
history. Take them and combine
them with another completely
different character you like, taking
your favourite elements of both and
mixing and matching their
personalities. They don’t have to be
the same archetype, gender or even
5
genre. Some of the strangest
combinations can make an
interesting character.
If you really can't think of
anything, or just fancy letting the
dice do their thing, head on over to
DriveThruRPG and check out
Maze Rats, which has a bunch of
fantastic random tables which will
help you come up with an idea for
an interesting character.
Stats
Best Left Buried has three Stats:
Brawn, Wit and Will.
Brawn represents attributes of the
character revolving around
physical strength. It encompasses
things such as bodily power,
athletic ability, endurance and vital
force. The Brawn stat is used when
pushing open a door, wrestling
with a monster, hitting something
with a sword, resisting the effects
of poison or completing an
arduous task without rest. A
character with high Brawn might
be well-built and likely a capable
warrior, whereas one with low
Brawn could be sickly or frail.
Wit represents attributes of a
character based around agility, both
physical, mental and social. It
encompasses acrobatic elegance,
conversational eloquence and quick
thinking. The Wit stat is used when
trying to dodge a fireball, convincing
an NPC you are a friend, sneaking
and picking pockets as well as
quickly figuring out a puzzle or
riddle. A character with high Wit
might be nimble, charismatic and
subtle, whereas one with low Wit
could be awkward, clumsy or a bit
slow.
Will represents attributes of a
character centred around the power
of the mind and its intellect. It
encompasses things such as ability to
retain large quantities of knowledge,
cast powerful magics and resist
psychological horrors. The Will stat
is used when remembering an
obscure fact, resisting a debilitating
spell, reading body language,
tending to a person’s injuries or
using intuition to solve a problem.
Will is also used by most spellcasters
to channel their magics. A character
with high Will might be wise,
scholarly or strong minded, whereas
one with low Will could be
fainthearted, simple or possibly not
the brightest tool in the shed.
In Best Left Buried characters start
with +2 in one stat, +1 in another
and then +0 in their final one. These
statistics are beyond normal folk, but
normal people don’t tend to become
Cryptdiggers. Characters are very
good at one thing, pretty good at one
thing and average at another.
6
Sometimes during the course of
play a character’s stat is lowered
below 0, like -1. This could be due
to an ability of a monster, or maybe
an Affliction or Injury. Don’t
worry, sometimes your character
might be a bit weak, clumsy or
foolish, but use that as an
opportunity for character
development. If a stat is negative,
simply take away the score from
any situation where you might
normally be required to add that
stat.
Vigour and Grip
Your character has two measures of
how well they are surviving:
Vigour and Grip.
Vigour is similar to hit points that
appear in other games. New
characters have Vigour equal to 6
plus their Brawn.
Grip is a coagulated mix of
stamina, mana and sanity, used as a
resource for re-rolls or character
Advancements, or depleted when a
character faces a psychologically
damaging monster or environment.
New Characters have Grip equal to
4 plus their Will.
Throughout play, characters
become more powerful and gain
additional Advancements. Each
time a character gains a new
Advancement in this way, they
gain an additional point of Grip
and Vigour. Vigour can never
increase in play above 5 + Brawn +
number of Advancements.
Archetypes
Character in Best Left Buried start
off with an Archetype of abilities
that define some of the things they
are good and bad at, as well as
offering a few special powers. Some
of the Archetypes resemble classes
from other famous games, some look
more like backgrounds. The
Archetypes are designed to make a
simple, pick up and play character,
that can then be customised as they
become more experienced.
The core rule book Archetypes from
Best Left Buried are: Believer,
Cabalist, Cutthroat, Dastard,
Everyman, Freeblade, Outcast,
Scholar, Protagonist and Veteran.
Each is detailed below.
If your character resembles one of
these Archetypes, simply write
down all the abilities and start
playing. If they don’t, use the
Everyman Archetype, designed to
represent characters that aren’t
covered by one of the other
Archetypes.
As well as an Archetype, the player
starts with one (or more)
Advancements, which can be found
in Chapter 3. There’s quite a lot of
advancements available, so a few
suggestions for starting
Advancements are included below.
If you are unsure, you can always
take Extra Will, Extra Wit or Extra
Brawn to increase one of your
character’s stats.
7 Believer is a healer.
Believer
Believers are holy folk, guided by
the voices of the Gods. They might
be devout preachers, honourable
knights, sacred healers or holy
monks. The only thing that defines
a Believer is their faith in
something else – some higher being
that is greater than mortal folk.
Holy Mission: A God will assign
their Believer a specific Holy
Mission. Once per adventuring
day, if they are enacting their Holy
Mission, Believers can spend a free
point of Grip to re-roll an Attack or
other Stat Check. This quest could
be to destroy heathen worshipers,
to spread their faith or build
temples.
I Am No Preacher, I Am A
Prophet: Believers have the Upper
Hand when they make Wit or Will
check to spread the word of their
God.
Hand of the Holy: Believers are
certain of their actions, for the
Divines guide their way. Believers
begin play with an Affliction:
Guided by the Gods. However, not
all Believers are actually deluded or
answer to other, darker powers. If
so, change the specifics of the
Affliction from Hand of the Holy
to a more fitting one.
Suggested Advancements: Take My
Shining Armour Gleams if your
Believer is a holy knight. Take I See
Truth In The Stars if your Believer
receives visions from their God.
Take Lay On Hands if your
Cabalist
Cabalists are often cultists or
wizard’s apprentices. They’ve had
some manner of unpleasant
experiences with the terrifying or
otherworldly. Cabalists do a slightly
better job at handling the strange
world of the underworld than most
other adventurers.
Been There Done That: Cabalist's
strange experiences allow them to
shrug off what would terrify others.
The first time each adventuring day
a Cabalist would spend or lose a
point of Grip, they ignore it and
don’t lose a point.
I’ve Seen Things: In their time as
cult members, most Cabalists have
seen a fair quantity of awful things.
Cabalists have the Upper Hand
when making Grip Checks due to a
monster or environment.
Already Slightly Gone: Cabalists are
a little unhinged. During character
creation, roll a random Affliction or
agree on one with the Doomsayer.
Cabalists have already suffered this
Consequence before play begins. For
a list of Afflictions, see Chapter 5.
Suggested Advancements: Take Fire
and Lightning Strange if your
Cabalist enjoys blasting things with
magic. Take Spirits of the Beyond if
your Cabalist is interested in
necromancy. Take Tough As Nails if
your Cabalist is a grizzled
henchman.
8
Cut­throat
Cut-throats are criminals and other
unsavoury folk. They might be
thugs, ruffians, thieves, assassins or
other general lowlives. The
common denominator is that they
will lie, cheat and murder to get
whatever they want, and do worse
to get the things they need.
Silver Tongue: Cut-throats have
the Upper Hand when they make a
Wit check to willingly deceive an
NPC.
Tricks of the Trade: Cut-throats are
experts in actions from outside the
sphere of traditional legality. Once
per adventuring day, while
engaging in unlawful, illegal or
similar activities (such scaling a
sheer surface, breaking a lock or
performing a trick of sleight of
hand), Cut-throats can spend a free
point of Grip to re-roll a Wit based
Stat Check.
Honour Amongst Thieves: Despite
what the tales tell, Cut-throats are
in it for themselves. Cut-Throats
cannot make a Heroic Rescue
unless the character they are
attempting to save is another Cut-
throat.
Suggested Advancements: Take Knife
from the Shadows if your
Cutthroat is a man-killer or
assassin. Take Tough as Nails if
your Cutthroat is more of a brute
than a thief. Take Master of Deceit
if your Cutthroat really does like
never having to tell the truth.
Dastards
Dastards are charlatans, tricksters
and fast-talkers. They might be
mountebanks, bastards of the second
estate, swashbucklers or pirates. All
are charismatic and flamboyant, and
most are better at talking their way
into of trouble than getting out of it.
You Magnificent Dastard: Dastards
are extravagant people. Up to three
times per adventuring day, while
employing an obnoxiously
convoluted and daring solution to a
potentially simple problem
(examples: swinging from
chandeliers, elaborate blackmail
schemes, anything involving using a
disguise), Dastards can spend a free
point of Grip to re-roll a Wit based
Attack or other Stat Check.
Lovable Rogue: Dastards possess a
certain ineffable charm. Dastards
have the Upper Hand when making
Wit checks to interact with a non-
hostile NPC.
At Home In The City: Most
Dastards have lived comfortable
lives, and are not ready for the
Crypt. Dastards are Against The
Odds when making Grip Checks
due to a monster or environment.
Suggested Advancements: Take Knife
from the Shadows if your Dastard is
a criminal or charlatan. Take
Weapon Master if your Dastard is a
duelist or pirate. Take Nimble
Dodge if your Dastards runs from
their problems instead of fighting
them.
9
Everyman
Not everyone makes it where they
do through military training or
sorcery. Some just get there by not
dying. Everymen are experts at
this.
Probably Good at Something:
Take a relatively niche thing that
your character did as part of their
backstory. Everymen have the
Upper Hand when attempting to
do this thing.
Probably Bad at Something Else:
Take a skill, vice, drawback or
negative personality trait from your
backstory. Everymen are Against
The Odds when attempting to do
this thing, or do something that
involves it.
Suggested Advancements: Literally
anything.
Note: Quite obviously, the
Doomsayer is fully expected to
veto anything too powerful within
this archetype. The Everyman
archetype should be less powerful
than the other archetypes. This is
the price paid for flexibility.
Freeblade
Freeblades are heroes of a more
financial orientation. They aren’t
looking to save the world or to
watch it burn, they just want to get
paid. They might be mercenaries,
professional soldiers, assassins for
hire or spell-swords.
Soldier of Fortune: Freeblades are
used to sticking their necks out to
make sure they get paid. Once per
adventuring day, if it results in the
party’s immediate financial gain
(example: completion of a quest,
acquisition of a treasure horde or
capture of an NPC with a bounty),
Freeblades can spend a free point of
Grip to re-roll an Attack or other
Stat Check.
I’m A Professional: Freeblades
know their way around the job
market. Freeblades have the Upper
Hand when making Wit checks
related to looking for work or
negotiating with a potential
employer.
Heart of Gold: Sometimes
Freeblades cannot resist the glint of
coin. Freeblades are Against The
Odds when they take Will checks to
resist bribery.
Suggested Advancements: Take
Weapons Master if your Freeblade is
of the martial persuasion. Take
Knife from the Shadows if your
Freeblade is an assassin or man-
killer. Take a magic advancement,
such as Fire and Lightning Strange
or Arcane Wards if your Freeblade is
a spell-sword.
10
Outcast
Outcasts adventure because they
don’t fit in anywhere else. They are
often homeless vagrants, often
because their family kicked them
out, sometimes because of their
own choice. They might be hedge
knights, lone wizards, brooding
rangers or asocial hermits. They are
always grim, fiercely capable
survivors.
True Grit: Outcasts are grizzled
folk, used to the worst the world
can offer. The first time each
adventuring day an Outcasts
would lose Grip due to a Grip
check from a monster or
environment, they ignore it and
don’t lose a point.
Home In The Wild: Outcasts are
skilled at surviving the outdoors.
Outcasts gain the Upper Hand
when they make a Will check to
find food or navigate in a
wilderness environment.
Not A People Person: Most
Outcasts live outside the
boundaries of society. Outcasts are
Against The Odds when they
make a Wit check to interact with
an NPC.
Suggested Advancements: Take
Tough as Nails if your Outcast is a
classic anti-hero. Take a magic
advancement, such as Fire and
Lightning Strange or
Concoctionist if your Outcast is a
hermit or spellcaster.
Protagonist Suggested Advancements: Take the
My Shining Armour Gleams or
“ You are not rewarded for heroism in Lay on Hands if your Protagonist is
RPGs. That is, unfortunately, what of the knightly persuasion. Take
makes the act heroic.” Child of Prophecy if your
Hackslashmaster Protagonist is the chosen one. Take
Rallying Shout if your Protagonist
In a world of repugnant moral greys, is a leader of men.
the Protagonist is a shining beacon of
hope. Cynics might look on them
disparagingly, but none doubt their
nobility and honour. Protagonists
are an eclectic mix of chosen ones,
righteous knights and general do-
gooders.
Saving the Day: What is a hero but
the sum of their deeds? Once per
adventuring day, while engaging in
feats of heroism, Protagonists may
spend a free point of Grip to re-roll
an Attack or other Stat Check.
Saviour of the People: The common
folk know and adore you.
Protagonists have the Upper Hand
on Wit checks when convincing
friendly NPCs to aid them in their
heroic quest.
No Stain on My Honour: Heroes
never lie, even when the situation
demands it. Protagonists are Against
The Odds when they make a Wit
check to willingly deceive an NPC.
I Shall Protect Thee: Protagonists
never let their friends die while they
watch. When an enemy uses a Finish
Him! move on a downed ally, they
must always attempt a Heroic
Rescue.

11
Scholar
Scholars are characters invested in
the accumulation of arcane and
esoteric knowledge. They might be
reclusive wizards, disturbed
researchers or priests who find
solace and enlightenment in
communion with occult gods.
Forbidden Knowledge: The Scholar
asks many questions, but some
should just be left unanswered. Once
per adventuring day, Scholars can
ask the Doomsayer a question that
the Scholar might previously have
uncovered in unusual research in
forgotten tomes and obscure
libraries. The Doomsayer then
names a price in Grip, which the
Scholar must pay if they wish to
receive the answer. The price should
be steeper for questions that are
chthonic, archaic or unanswerable.
Pendulum Sanity: Scholars have
seen much and develop coping
mechanisms. When Scholars develop
an Affliction, they reset their Grip to
11, not 10.
Mindcracked: The thirst for secrets
leaves many Scholars susceptible.
The first time each adventuring day
Scholars spend or lose a point of
Grip, they lose an additional point.
Suggested Advancements: Take a
magic advancement, such as Fire
and Lightning Strange or I See
Truth In The Stars if your character
uses their knowledge to find arcane
power. Take Eldritch Pact if your
Scholar has made an unholy bargain
with a demon or eldritch being.
12
Veteran
Veterans are masters of the Crypt.
They have spent some time below
the earth, digging for exotic
treasures. Generally, it doesn’t treat
them well. Most folk who spend
time beneath the earth come out a
little bit mad, and Veterans reflect
this.
Years of Experience: Veterans have
seen a fair share of shit in their
time. When fighting monsters they
have fought before, Veterans have
the Upper Hand on attack rolls.
Before play, talk with your
Doomsayer about the kind of
creatures your Veteran might have
experience fighting.
Danger Sense: Veterans have
learned to spot the many dangers
of the Crypt. Veterans have the
Upper Hand on Observation
Checks to detect potential dangers,
such as traps or ambushes, while in
the Crypt or similar environments.
Battle-Scarred: Veterans have
usually suffered some kind of
injury during their career in the
Crypt. During character creation,
roll a random Injury. Veterans
have already suffered this
Consequence before play begins.
For a list of Injuries, see Chapter 5.
Note: Don’t re-roll or drop the
character if you don’t like the
Injury your Veteran gets from
Battle-Scarred. If they do die in
character creation, feel free to roll
up a new character.
Suggested Advancement: Take While adventuring, your character
Weapon Master or Tough As Nails can carry an item in each hand, two
if your Veteran is a combat specialist. items easily accessible on a belt or
Take Trap Breaker if your Veteran is in a scabbard, and then whatever
a martial engineer. Take Battle equipment they can fit within their
Frenzy if your Veteran is a ferocious backpack.
killer.
Using Equipment
Equipment At the Doomsayer’s discretion,
All characters in Best Left Buried equipment might grant The Upper
start play with a toolkit of useful Hand on certain Stat Checks, make
items and weapons. They can take Impossible checks possible and
two weapons and five pieces of some possible checks Trivial. If
equipment from the following lists. your character carries something
Weapons: Hand weapons, Light that isn’t on the list, negotiate its
weapons, Heavy weapons, Long cost and usage with your
weapons, Throwing weapons, Doomsayer. If a piece of equipment
Ranged weapons. is listed in bold above, you can find
its effect in one of the lists below.
Equipment: 10 Pieces of Medicine: Each character can use a
Ammunition, Book, Crowbar, 50ft of dose of Medicine once per day to
Rope, 10ft of Chain, Pickaxe, restore 1 Vigour. This cannot be
Manacles, 3 Doses of Medicine, done in a combat, and takes about a
Bottle of Alcohol, Lantern, minute to apply. Medicine might
Lockpicking Kit, Shield, Plate be a bandage, tonics, salves or
Armour, Shovel, Chisel and doses of primitive painkillers.
Hammer, Bear Trap, Caltrops,
Mirror, Lucky Charm, Religious
Symbol, Small Bag of Iron Dust,
Long Pole, Tinderbox, Musical
Instrument, One Dose of Poison, Set
of Fancy Clothes, Small Vial of Acid,
a Tent.
All characters are equipped: a week's
worth of Rations, a Full Waterskin, a
Backpack, a Bedroll, three Torches
and a set of Basic Armour.
During character creation, characters
may swap one weapon for two extra
pieces of equipment and two pieces
of equipment for an extra weapon.
13

Weapons
Hand: Hand weapons can be
wielded in one or two hands. They
include weapons such as
broadswords, hand axes and maces.
They are the most common weapons
used by Cryptdiggers and they are
prized for their flexibility. If a hand
weapon is used in one hand, it deals
normal damage and can be used
with a shield or another item in your
off hand. If a hand weapon is used in
two hands it deals normal damage
plus 1. If you are using it in one
hand, you can use a shield or
another item in your off hand.
Heavy: Heavy weapons are large
and powerful weapons. They are
always wielded with two hands.
They include weapons such as
greatswords, battleaxes and
warhammers. Heavy weapons deals
normal damage plus 1, but are
cumbersome, decreasing Initiative
by 1. Heavy weapons also do serious
damage to monsters, and will deal a
Critical Hit and inflict an Injury to
the enemy if the dice used for
damage is 5 or 6, not just when a 6
is rolled.
Light: Light weapons are weapons
that rely on finesse and flourish
rather than brute strength. Light
weapons tend to be smaller and
less lethal than other weapons, so
they deal 1 less damage in combat.
If you are using it in one hand, you
can use a shield or another item in
your off hand. They include
weapons such as daggers, rapiers
and scimitars. Since Light weapons
use Wit as an attack stat, not
Brawn, they are best suited for
more nimble and dexterous
Cryptdiggers.
Long: Long weapons can be
wielded in one or two hands. Long
weapons are large, hafted weapons
designed to keep their users away
from the enemy. They include
weapons such as spears, halberds
or other pole-arms. They are often
used by weaker Cryptdiggers to
help maintain distance from
dangerous foes. They can attack

Weapon Types
Type Range Attack Stat Damage Modifier Initiative
Hand Melee Brawn 0 (+1 if two handed) 0
Heavy Melee Brawn +1 -1
Light Melee Wit -1 0
Long Short Brawn 0 (+1 if two handed) -1
Throwing Short Wit or Brawn 0 (-1 if used in melee) 0
Ranged Long Wit 0 0
14
enemies at short range and melee
range, but are cumbersome,
decreasing the character’s initiative
by 1. If a long weapon is used in one
hand, it deals normal damage and
can be used with a shield or another
item in your off hand. If a long
weapon is used in two hands it deals
normal damage plus 1.
Throwing: Throwing weapons are
smaller weapons designed to be
used as projectiles. They include
weapons such as daggers, throwing
axes and javelins. They can be used
to attack enemies at short range to
deal normal damage, or used in
melee range to deal normal damage
minus 1. Throwing weapons such as
axes or javelins will use Brawn, but
weapons such as darts or daggers
will use Wit. Determine with the
Doomsayer which stat the throwing
weapon uses when you initially
choose it. The ranged weapon
always comes with 3 pieces of
ammunition.
Ranged: Ranged weapons are used
to attack enemies from afar. They are
always wielded with two hands.
They include weapons such as
crossbows, shortbows and
longbows. They can be used to
attack enemies at long range, doing
normal damage. If a ranged weapon
is used to attack an enemy in melee
range, the attack is Against The
Odds. The ranged weapon always
comes with 10 pieces of ammunition.
15
Strange Weapons Types
If your character uses some form of
exotic weapon, skin it as one of the
other weapons. A whip might be
approximated as a Wit based
throwing weapon. A main-gauche
might be approximated as a shield.
A quarterstaff might be
approximated as a hand weapon or
a long weapon. A poleaxe might be
approximated as a heavy weapon
or a long weapon. If a weapon has
multiple grips or different ways it
can be used, treat each grip as a
separate weapon that requires an
action to switch.
Gunpowder Weapons
Some Best Left Buried games
include gunpowder weapons. If
your Doomsayer allows them then
they function as a subcategory of
regular weapons and are chosen
with a type. A Ranged Gunpowder
weapon may be a musket or
arquebus. A Throwing Gunpowder
weapon may be a pistol. A Heavy
Gunpowder weapon may be a
blunderbuss.
Gunpowder weapons always attack
with Wit. They have the range,
damage and initiative modifier of
the normal weapon type. They
ALWAYS attack with the Upper
Hand, whatever the target or
situation. They require a full
minute to reload, which means
they can only usually be fired once
per combat.
Ammunition for gunpowder
weapons is shot and powder. 10
attacks worth of the ammunition are
provided when the weapon is
selected in character creation. If the
powder or weapon is spoiled by
water, it is ruined and will not fire. If
the powder is subjected to flame or
high levels of magic, it may explode.
Gunpowder weapons are expensive
and, if purchased, will likely cost 5-
10 times as much as a normal
weapon of their type.
Shields and Armour
Shield: Shields are boards made of
wood or metal worn on the off hand
designed to defend the user against
enemy attacks. Shields increase the
target score for weapon attacks by 1.
A shield can be used with either a
Hand weapon, Finesse Weapon,
Throwing weapon or a Long weapon
when the weapon is used one
handed.
Basic Armour: This set of basic
armour is standard distribution for
all Cryptdiggers and is worn by
many types of adventurers. It is
made of a mixture of heavy boiled
leather with hard studs set into it. A
chain shirt is usually worn over the
torso and it often comes with a
protective helmet. It does not
prevent characters from casting
spells. It increases the target score for
attack rolls by 1.
Plate Armour: Plate armour is made
up of solid, interlocking plates or
scales of metal, traditionally worn
16
over the same materials as Basic
Armour. It increases the target
score for attack rolls by 2. However,
the armour is heavy and
cumbersome so requires at least 2
points in the Brawn stat to wear.
The character's Initiative also
decreases by 1 when wearing plate
armour in combat. Like Basic
Armour, Plate Armour does not
impede spellcasting.
Characters may only wear one kind
of armour at a time.
Advancements
The final step before starting play is
to choose an Advancement from
Chapter 3: Advancements.
Remember, you can always choose
Extra Brawn, Extra Wit or Extra
Will, or go with one of the
suggested advancements for your
Archetype if you're short of ideas.
Starting Play
Now you’ve finished your first
character, go back and make one or
two more. Your characters are
probably going to die at some
point, so you’ll need a few back
ups. Try to make your characters as
different as possible, so the game is
varied and exciting. Never make
duplicates of the same adventurer
and throw them into the meat
grinder until one levels up.
Most Cryptdiggers operate as part
of large companies. The attrition
rate is fairly high, so they tend to
make a large camp somewhere on
the surface near the Crypt’s entrance
and then send down small,
disposable parties into the Crypt to
gather information and supplies.
At the start of the campaign, your
PCs will likely be inexperienced
Cryptdiggers. After a few sessions
those characters who survive will
become leaders of the company. This
means they are entitled to greater
shares of the treasure, but also
brings additional responsibilities,
such as the planning of expeditions,
the tactics of organising forays into
the crypt, as well as recruiting new
Cryptdiggers (who may even
become future characters).

17
"We entered the chamber guided by the light of Lillian's staff. Within the
cave was a murky pool of turgid water that smelled of rot and liquorice. Soon
after our arrival there was a great shudder of the earth, and we drew our
weapons ready for combat. Before we could act further, a Crypt-thing burst
out from beneath the surface. It was a great, gormless beast with pink flesh
that dripped with ichor.
As we retreated back to the entrance, a tentacle whipped towards Delton and
wrapped around her waist, dragging her into the shallows of the water. She
screamed maniacally as her sword clanged to the floor. The thief struggled
hopelessly, trying to somehow pry herself free from its merciless grip.
Lillian held forth her staff, beginning to summon some great spell of warding,
hoping to turn the beast away.
We looked on helplessly as the spearlike point of the tentacle pierced her chest.
With a final cry of pain, she slumped forward, dead."

18
Chapter 3: Advancements
Characters gather Experience
through play, through gaining
treasure, passing Grip Checks and
through particularly cunning plans.
Every time they get 8 Experience,
they can reset this to zero and level
up.
Every time they level up, a character
can choose an Advancement to add
to their character sheet. They also
gain 1 extra Vigour and Grip. This
also increases the max Vigour they
can recover to through resting or
healing.
Starting characters get one
Journeyman Advancement for free.
These Advancements are available
to all different kinds of characters
across various archetypes.
Each Advancement comes with
suggested flavour, contained in a
short descriptive text. These are
guidelines, not rules.
For example, Battle Frenzy is a
martial ability, and this is reflected in
its flavour text. However, the rage
might be holy or spiritual in origin,
making sense for a character from a
religious background, such as a
Crusader or Godsman.
The Holy Song Of War is
traditionally a Holy Advancement.
However, this could also be the
rousing song of a devious bard or
the battle tactics of a martial
commander.
19
Think outside of the box. There are
many unorthodox choices that can
be made.
It is also not infeasible that a
character from a traditional
archetype might bolster their
abilities with something from
another “class”. A rogue who can see
the future with I See Truth in the
Stars. A cleric who can call searing
holy light with Fire and Lightning
Strange. A fighter who grabs some
additional damage with Radiant
Blade. A tinkerer wizard who
invests in Trap Breaker for some
extra utility.
Some Advancements have a type
after them, such as Arcane, Devious,
Holy or Martial. Once a character
has taken at least 4 advancements in
total, including 2 Journeyman
Advancements from one certain
type, they gain access to a special list
of Advancements for that type. It is
recommended that the first of these
Advancements you choose is Blood
of the Magi, Blood of the Godsman,
Blood of the Shadowjack or Blood
of the Conqueror, but this is not
compulsory.
Arcane, Devious, Holy and Martial
advancements can be found in the
Deluxe version of Best Left Buried.
Journeyman
Advancements
Arcane Wards (Arcane)
‘ Each time the Crypt-thing seemed to
strike him, Palavar would raise his hand
and a spectral wall would form,
shielding him from its unholy grasp.’
When the character is hit by an
enemy attack, they may spend a
point of Grip to reduce the damage
taken by an amount equal to the
character's Will stat.
Using Arcane Wards multiple times
is straining. Each time the character
uses this ability in a single combat,
its Grip cost increases by 1. (1 the
first time, 2 the second time, 3 the
third time, etc).
Battle Frenzy (Martial)
‘ Lairys was ferocious, without a hint of
grace. She gave a wordless bellow that
screeched the ear, then charged in and
cut the Beasts apart. She did not bleed,
for she was fury incarnate.’
The character can spend 3 points of
Grip to enter a Battle Frenzy. Until
the end of the combat, they must
move into melee against the nearest
enemy and attack it. During this
state melee attacks they make have
the Upper Hand and melee attacks
made against them are Against The
Odds. The character can end the
Battle Frenzy early by spending
another point of Grip.
20
Child of Prophecy
‘ They spoke great tales of Leo. He told
us a star fell in the village green the
day he was born. A hag-seer told him
he would grow to be a legend, known
across the Nine Duchies. ‘Twas a
shame he died in that ditch, rent by the
claws of the Shamblers. Such an ironic
destiny for so great a hero.’
Something great is forthcoming in
the character’s destiny and luck
guides them to that point. The
character rolls a D6 at the start of
the adventuring day. They may
choose to use this die to replace a
single die rolled, regardless of who
rolls it. The die is replaced after it
has been rolled, but before the
outcome is applied.
This advancement can only be
chosen during character creation
or, if the Doomsayer allows it,
following some weird or wonderful
act of destiny that must have been
the Wheel of Fate in action.
Concoctionist (Arcane)
‘ Erock was a tanner by trade, but was
also skilled in the brewing of chemics.
Each night he would take the flesh and
glands of the Beasts we had slain and
brew them into hideous potions.’
At the end of each adventuring
day, the character can brew a
number of Potions up to half their
Will score, at the cost of one point
of Grip each.
When taking this advancement,
choose two types of Potion that the
character can make: Amorphous,
Aquatic, Blinking, Flamewreathed,
Firebreathing, Hex-Proof, Nimble,
Shadowclad or Woundknitting.
Concoctionist can be taken multiple
times to gain the ability to make
different types of potion. Your
character can add 2 more types of
potion to their list each time they
take Concoctionist.
Drinking a Potion takes an action
and 3 points of Grip and will give
the benefits of an Adaptation for a
single combat (or five minutes if
used out of combat).
Once you have drank the potion, it is
gone and cannot be used again.
The Grip loss represents the
negative effect of the potion's
chemistry ravaging your mind and
body.
Ears of the Owl
‘ The campfire whispers tell that Frannan
was a thief and a fence before his time in
the company, where they kept him as a
lookout. He could hear the penny as it
fell, ne’ermind when it dropped.’
The character has the Upper Hand
on hearing based Observation
Checks.
Eldritch Pact
‘ Quentyn was an odd fellow. Always
mumbling to himself. Always observing
strange little rituals. We mostly thought
him just mad, as we all were in our
own ways. When we first saw the
Fiend he had made his deal with, we
knew him in a moment as little better
than the Crypt-things themselves.’
The character makes a pact with a
powerful Blackbeast, Herald or
Dreaming Ancient, granting them
world-bending power in exchange
for their service. The character may
immediately choose two additional
Advancements from the normal list
as gifts from their patron.
However, touching the mind of
such powerful beyonders has an
adverse effect on a character’s
sanity. They immediately gain a
random Affliction.
These two new Advancements do
not count towards the sum of
advancements needed to unlock
other Advancement tiers, such as
Arcane, Devious, Holy or Martial
Advancements .

21
Eldritch Pacts always return to bite
characters who take them. Their
patrons may demand additional
favours from their servants, which
may be confusing and difficult, but
must always be met. If the character
refuses the demands of their patron,
the consequences are dire. These
consequences include, but are not
limited to, additional Consequences,
loss of Vigour or Grip, reduction in
stats, removal of the Advancements
granted by the Pact or even death.
Extra Brawn
Increase the character’s Brawn stat
by 1. Remember to recalculate the
character’s Vigour after this
advancement is taken.
Extra Grip
Increase the character’s Grip by 3.
Extra Will
Increase the character’s Will stat by
1. Remember to recalculate the
character’s Grip after this
advancement is taken.
Extra Wit
Increase the character’s Wit stat by 1.
Extra Vigour
The character immediately returns to
their full Vigour. This pool is
measured by 5 + Brawn + Number
of Advancements.
22
Eyes of the Hawk
‘ Rora was an archer and a huntsman
without compare. Just as she had once
stalked deer through the arboreal
lowlands, she turned her sharp gaze to
the dark tunnel and spotted the group
of Crypt-things lurking amongst the
drooping vines.’
The character has the Upper Hand
on sight based Observation
Checks.
Fire And Lightning Strange
(Arcane)
‘ Helwys stared into demon’s eyes and
spoke a cryptic incantation. Her hands
shook and her pupils glowed in an
otherwordly light. She smote the beast
with a discharge of arcane force and it
fell to the ground, its flesh crisp and
smouldering.’
When taking this advancement, the
character chooses one type of
element or magical substance, such
as fire, ice, water, lightning, thorns,
gravity etc. The character can use
magic as a weapon to strike down
their enemies with their chosen
element.
The character can spend an action
and up to 3 points of Grip to make
a Will based attack against an
enemy within short range. The
attack ALWAYS has the Upper
Hand and deals damage equal to
the damage die result multiplied by
the cost in Grip the character spent.
The damage counts as magical for
any relevant Advancements and
Adaptations.
Fire and Lightning Strange can be
taken multiple times to gain the
ability to attack with multiple types
of magical element. The character
may then choose which element to
use each time they take an action to
use it.
The Holy Song of War (Holy)
‘ As we fought, the Preacher Fedele sang
the song of the Warrior-Saint Lean the
Martyr, hero of the Fallowed Fields. To
hear of such tales, to know of her
heroism! It bolstered us. We felt as a
single point of light in a great expanse of
black. We heard the preacher’s words
and, for once in our days, all was not
lost.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to grant a
number of allies up to their Will the
Song of War. Each ally can use the
Song of War once before the end of
the combat to apply the Upper Hand
to an Attack Roll or Stat Check.
Horde Killer (Martial)
‘ Angest stood proud and triumphant,
even as the beasts tried to drag him
down to the dirt by weight of number
alone. Their teeth and claws dashed
harmlessly against his shield and his
sword slew two of them with each and
every blow.’
When enemies Gang Up on the
character, negate the first two
instances of the Upper Hand.
23
I See Truth In The Stars
(Arcane/Holy)
‘ Each night, Doulan sat beneath the
moon in communion. He gazed up,
seeing the shimmering stars amidst the
hungry void. The stars sang to him,
and he listened.’
At the end of an adventuring day,
choose a number of Grip points to
spend on receiving cryptic visions
from dreams, stargazing or bone
throwing. Depending on the
number of points you spend, the
Doomsayer should give a cryptic,
but increasingly detailed gift of
foresight concerning the events of
the next adventuring day.
Knife From The Shadows
(Devious)
‘ The sorcerer looked at us head on, his
hands crackling with magical energies.
Before he could utter a single
incantation, a dagger slipped in
between his ribs and he slumped to the
floor. Little did he know, Jaxar had
skulked behind him and ended him.’
When the character makes an
attack on an enemy who is
unaware of them, the attack has the
Upper Hand and deals double the
normal amount of damage.

Lay On Hands (Holy)
‘ Caramon placed a hand over the gaping
hole in Mercer’s chest wound, blood
staining the sleeves of the Godsman’s
robe. He said a line of prayer, and the
flow of blood began to slow then ceased
entirely.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to restore an
ally's Vigour by an amount equal to
D3 + the character's Will.
My Shining Armour Gleams
(Martial)
‘ Sir Durandel entered the Crypt with his
plate lustrous and polished like a mirror.
He returned covered in mud and
excrement, and caked with blood that
was not his own.’
24
Non-magical weapon attacks made
against the character are Against
The Odds.
Master of Deceit (Devious)
‘ He had a silver tongue, that boy
Betram. He could talk anyone out of
anything, such was his blather and
guile. He wasn’t much use in a fight
though, divines bless him.’
The character has the Upper Hand
on Wit based Stat Checks when
lying to NPCs.
Nimble Dodge (Devious)
‘ Kyra was lithe as anything. She
ducked and dived through the melee
and nothing touched her as she went.’
The character has the Upper Hand
when trying to Escape while in
combat.
Nose of the Dog
‘ After years in her chemic filled lab,
Deliah had a keen nose. She could tell a
half-gram of sulphur from ammonia at
twenty paces and always smelt a
Crypt-thing before she saw it.’
The character has the Upper Hand
on smell based Observation
Checks.
Radiant Blade (Holy)
‘ Thaddeus spoke the name of his God
and his sword lit with cold licks of holy
flame. It swung with righteous force
and took the head of the Crypt-thing
clean from its shoulders.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to make a special
attack. The attack is made with the
Upper Hand and deals D3 extra
damage if it hits. The additional D3
damage counts as magical for any
relevant Advancements and
Adaptations.
Rallying Shout (Martial/Holy)
‘ The beasts were upon us, but Hallion
cried out in full voice the name of our
city, our homeland; sweet Lendal to
which we would one day return. Our
spirits strengthened, we pushed them
back and claimed the day.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to grant each ally
who can hear them a point of
Vigour.
Shadow Glamours (Devious/
Arcane)
‘ With a sly grin, the assassin gave a
wink, spoke a cursed word and melted
into a cloud of shadow.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to either:
- Gain the Upper Hand on a Wit
check to hide.
- Make all enemies Against The
Odds on Observation Checks
to spot them for one round.
- Alter visual aspects of the
character’s cosmetic
appearance, such as clothing,
facial detail or hair. These
changes are visual only and will
25
thus react inconsistently with
the other senses. These
changes will last for the next
minute.
Spirits of the Beyond (Arcane/
Holy)
‘ Krauss, who was a gravedigger by
trade, knelt over the corpse and put his
hand down into the depths of its throat,
reaching for some blackened thing. The
cadaver convulsed, opened its pale eyes
and pulled itself to its feet. That wasn’t
the last time we saw him raise the
dead.’
The character can spend an action
and a point of Grip to reanimate a
corpse to serve them until the end
of the combat with the below stats.
Corpse
Wit
Brawn Will
1 1 0
Vigour Initiative Adaptations
6 -3 Undead
Tough As Nails
‘ Dellius was always a stubborn man,
defined by his grim refusal to die.’
The character gains an additional
point of Vigour for each
Advancement they have. When
Injured, spend a Grip point to roll
two dice on the Injury table and
choose the result you prefer.
Toxic Blade (Devious)
‘ Jacke was known to lace his blades in all
sorts of venoms. He made them with
ingredients he harvested from the Crypt
and its inhabitants. Briarwine, Cyst-
Taint, Liar’s Bane, Widowkiss,
Milkweed, Cadaver, Gankleblood. That
man had a poison for everything.’
At the end of each adventuring day,
the character can spend a point of
Grip to prepare a dose of a type of
Poison. Poison is applied to a
weapon or kept as a dose to be put in
food or drink.
The first time a Poisoned weapon
deals damage to a monster, or when
a monster consumes the poison, they
are affected by a negative
Adaptation or status condition for 5
minutes or until the end of the
combat. Once the Poison is used, it is
gone.
When taking this advancement,
choose two types of Poison that the
character can make: from the
following , Brittleskinned, Dulling
(-1 Will), Hex-Addled, Maiming (-1
Brawn) , Paralysing (-1 Wit).
Toxic Blades can be taken multiple
times to gain the ability to make
different types of Poison and make
an additional Poison each
adventuring day. The character can
make an additional poison per
adventuring day and add 2 more
types of Poison to their list each time
they take Toxic Blades.
26
Trap Breaker (Devious)
‘ Knowing something was wrong, Lorel
rapped her knuckles against the floor,
noting the vacant, hollow sound. She
raised her fist, a signal for the party to
wait, and then pointed towards the
spot from where she reckoned the pit
trap would trigger.’
The character has the Upper Hand
on Stat Checks made to make,
modify or disable traps or secret
doors and Observation Checks to
detect them.
Weapons Master (Martial)
‘ Crellace was a dancer and fine
swordsman. In all my years, I never
knew a man his match for his
darting silvered blade.’
When taking this advancement, the
character chooses one type of
weapon. Once per combat, the
character can spend a point of
Grip. For the rest of the combat,
attacks they make with that type of
weapon have the Upper Hand.
Weapons Master can be taken
multiple times to gain it for
different types of weapon.
A Note On Destructive
Magicks
The use of magic as an offensive
weapon always bears
consequences.
Using Advancements like Fire
And Lightning Strange is the
equivalent of unleashing a hand
grenade in a modern knife fight.
Remember, intelligent enemies
who see themselves at a
disadvantage will flee.
More powerful spells that target
entire Zones will also hit allies for
full damage.
27
In narrative terms, spells that miss
(or hit) will scar the landscape of
the battle field. Blasting magic
unleashes excessive force and
energy, such as heat, radiation or
cold. The equipment or spoils
carried by a target may be
rendered useless by these kinds of
magic, as may loose items in the
Zone targeted if the attack misses.
While Doomsayers can use this to
punish players who are careless,
smart players may use this to their
advantage.
"Albert, illegitimate offspring of Lord Dentwine, was mocked with the
bastard's name Du Lac. He was trained by the Marshall of his father's keep.
His helm was castle forged. He was a soldier, a freeblade and a warrior born.
He was a blessing in the Crypt. Every swing of his mighty hammer brought
screams to the beasts that we faced. He was the grim, implacable certainty of
victory that spat in the face of our enemies. They would come against him
with tooth and claw and be turned by the strength of his cold-steel plate.
When his titling came, that named him the Blackhammer."

28
Chapter 4: Playing The
Game
You now know how to make a greater than 9, the character has
character, so here’s how to use one to passed the check and succeeded in
play the game. their attempt. If the result is less than
9, they have failed the check and
Stat Checks their attempt has been unsuccessful.
In either case, the Doomsayer will
The basic mechanic in Best Left narrate the result and then the
Buried is the Stat Check. A Stat character may be able to do
Check is required when a PC, NPC something else.
or Monster attempts to do The target number for a Stat Check
something that has a chance of is always 9. If the Doomsayer wants
failing. Opening an unlocked door to make the situation harder or
doesn't require a Stat Check, but easier, they should not change the
forcing open a jammed or blocked target number, they should instead
door does. Walking across a clear apply the Upper Hand or Against
room doesn't, but quickly traversing The Odds.
a room filled with traps or hazards
might. Remembering the name of
their hometown doesn't, but The Upper Hand
recalling an obscure fact about its
history might. The Doomsayer will give the
character the Upper Hand if their
Stat Checks also act like saving task is easier than a usual Stat
throws from other famous games, Check. This might be the case due to
and might be used to shrug off the an advancement, some training,
effects of poison, dodge a dragon's situational equipment or the
breath or resist a spell. circumstantial nature of the
A Stat Check either relates to one of environment. A door might be easier
the three stats (Brawn, Wit or Will to force open if the character has
as described in Chapter 2), or may be someone helping them, is using a
an Observation Check, detailed later crowbar or if the door is made of
on. sodden, rotten planks. Any of these
elements would grant a character
To make a Stat Check, roll 2D6 and trying to force the door open the
add the result to the relevant stat Upper Hand.
modifier. If the total is equal or
29
When making a Stat Check with the
Upper Hand, the player instead rolls
3D6 and discards the lowest, adding
their stat and comparing it to the
target number as usual.
Against The Odds
The Doomsayer will put the
character Against The Odds if their
task is harder than a usual Stat
Check. This might be the case due to
an adverse Advancement, a
Consequence, their lack of training
or necessary equipment or the
circumstantial nature of the
environment. A door might be
harder to force open if the character
has an Injury or is waist deep in
water, or if the door is particularly
well constructed or jammed on the
far side. Any of these elements
would put a character trying to force
the door open Against The Odds.
When making a Stat Check with the
Against The Odds, the player
instead rolls 3D6 and discards the
highest, adding their stat and
comparing it to the target number as
usual.
Multiple Instances
Gaining two instances of the Upper
Hand or Against The Odds does not
grant any extra dice. Stat Checks are
never rolled with more than 3 dice.
However, each case of the Upper
Hand cancels out a single case of
Against The Odds and visa versa. If
a character with a crowbar is trying
to open a door with rotten wood
30 Against The Odds, this is final.
while waist deep in water, they do
so with the Upper Hand, as two of
the instances cancel each other out.
The crowbar cancels the water, but
the door is still rotten, so it's easier
than normal. If the same character
also found the door to be blocked
by something on the other side,
then the two instances each would
cancel each other out. Rotten and
crowbar now cancels out water and
blocked, so the character would roll
2D6 normally.
Additionally, if a character gains
three more instances of the Upper
Hand than Against The Odds, the
check becomes Trivial and the
character no longer has to make a
Stat Check. The odds are so heavily
in their favour that it is no longer a
matter of chance.
Likewise, if there are three more
cases of Against The Odds than the
Upper Hand, the check becomes
Impossible and the character can
no longer made the Stat Check and
automatically fail. The odds are so
heavily against them, there is no
chance of success.
Gameplay in Best Left Buried is
based around players trying to
ensure as many cases of the Upper
Hand as possible, both to eliminate
any instances of being Against The
Odds and, if possible, to eliminate
chance entirely and render the Stat
Check Trivial.
Equally, don't let the rules here
cancel out common sense.
Everything is a guideline. If the
Doomsayer says the check is
Observation Checks
Players make Observations Checks
when trying to discern particular
unusual features of an environment.
Characters use them when trying to
see, smell or hear something that
wouldn't be trivial to notice. They
can normally always hear the
speech of their companions in a
quiet room, but they might not be
able to over the cacophonous groans
of a ghoulish horde or the
thundering machinery of a ruined
dwarven forge. character might see the arcane
They might use it to recognise the runes on the wall of the dungeon,
Duchess's distinctive perfume or to but they will not understand their
recognise a particular chemical importance. They might mistake
stench. They might use it when the shouts of their party members
trying to spot mysterious figures in as background noise.
the fog or noticing arcane runes Doomsayers can also respond to a
etched into the dungeon walls. failed check with a description that
Following the Doomsayer's general reflects uncertainty or is intended
description of the location, players to mislead the party. They might
may ask for further detail, which even offer them correct information
may require an Observation Check. in a manner that seems unreliable,
Alternatively, the Doomsayer may reflecting their poor observation.
ask one or more characters for a There is no stat relating to
check to notice hidden dangers, Observation Check, just roll 2D6
such as traps, or other details. Note, and compare the sum to the target
even if the character passes a self of 9.
prompted check, there may in fact
be nothing notable to describe and Common Advancements relating
then the Doomsayer will simply to Observation Checks are Eyes of
explain this. When characters make the Hawk, Nose of the Hound and
an Observation Check they aren't Ears of the Owl, which grant the
just checking to see if they perceive Upper Hand in Observation
something, but also to find out if Checks.
they perceive it as noteworthy and
worth paying attention to. The

31

Combat
Combat works differently from
normal gameplay in Best Left
Buried. Normally, time moves at the
pace the Doomsayer desires and the
players can move or act however
they wish. The Doomsayer may
prompt movement from different
characters in different order to let
them do different things.
However, in combat time is strictly
divided into Rounds, each
representing about 10 seconds of in
game time. During a Round,
character take Turns in a specific
order determined by their Initiative.
Characters can only move and act on
their Turn and not during other
characters’ Turns.
Initiative
Initiative determines the order of
action within a single Round.
Initiative is determined by rolling a
D3, and then adding the character's
Wit and any modifiers from their
weapons, Advancements or
Adaptations.
Characters take turns in descending
Initiative order, with the highest
going first.
Note down each character's
Initiative for the combat. If a new
character or monster arrives, then
determine their Initiative.
32
Within the confines of the battle,
the Doomsayer may request a
recalculation of Initiative, if the
battle takes a sudden turn or the
plane of the combat shifts. If you
want to play on hard mode,
cultivate randomness and
encourage innovative tactics that
don't rely on a static turn order,
you could even recalculate
Initiative every turn.
Surprise
In Best Left Buried, rarely are
combats a set piece battle. They are
often a result of an ambush, one
party sneaking up on another or a
chance encounter in a random
hallway. If a character might be
Surprised and not ready for the
start of a combat, they cannot move
or take any other action on their
first Turn.
Getting the drop on the bad guys is
an easy way to make a hard combat
easier. Likewise, even the most
measly of foes will be more of a
threat if players have no time to
react.
Zones
Like time, space in combat is more
precisely defined than in regular
play. An area in a combat is called a
Zone, and represents the space that
a character could easily move
through or into during one turn. It
might be a large, open, circular
space about 20 metres across or a
very small cramped space full of
lots of obstructive terrain that would
heavily slow movement. It might be
a sheer cliff that takes a turn to scale.
The Doomsayer should map out or
describe the details of each Zone to
the players and explain any barriers
that might keep them from moving
from one Zone to another.
A normal character can move from
one Zone to any adjacent Zone
during their Turn. Faster characters
might be able to move two or more
Zones during their Turn.
A character can attack an enemy
with a melee weapon if they are in
the same Zone as you.
A character can attack an enemy
with a short ranged weapon if they
are in an adjacent Zone to you.
A character can attack an enemy
with a long ranged weapon if they
within 5 zones of you.
Some Zones are ordinarily
Impassable. This might include the
space above a crevasse, a cave wall
or cliff. You cannot move through an
Impassable Zone unless you have
an Advancement or Adaptation that
allows you to do so.
Turns
On each of their Turns, a character
can move one Zone. They also have
an action, which can be used on any
of the following:
33
Attack – Characters which Attack
on their turn can make an Attack
roll with a weapon they are holding
in their hands or on their belt. If
they attack with a weapon on their
belt, this weapon is now in their
hands and the previous item is now
on their belt. If they can't place the
item in their belt, then they drop it.
Move – Characters that Move on
their turn can pass through an
additional zone that turn, doubling
the distance they can travel.
Escape – Characters that Escape on
their turn can Escape safely
without having to take a Wit Check
to see if an enemy can attack them
as they run away.
Use an Advancement – Lots of
Advancements and Adaptations
require characters to spend their
turn to use them.
Finish Him! - Any enemy might
use Finish Him on their turn to
finish off an unconscious character.
Do Something Else – If a character
wants to try something different or
not explained in the normal rules,
they might need their turn to do it.
They cannot use any items located
in their backpack, only items from
their hands or belt. If they do
something with an item from their
belt, this item is now in their hands
and whatever they were holding
previously is now on their belt. If
they can't place the item in their
belt, then they drop it.

Attacking
Attacks can be made by a character
on their turn. To attack a target, the
character must be able to see it,
which may require an Observation
Check if the target is hidden or
obscured.
Attack rolls have a target number,
usually between 7 and 11. For a
normal attack roll, roll 3D6. The base
target number is 8, but it might be
changed by equipment such as
armour or shields or monstrous
armour. Advancements may also
change this target number.
If any two of the three D6 plus the
Stat used for the attack meet or
exceed the target number, deal the
third dice as damage to the target’s
Vigour pool. The damage may
change due to the weapon or
advancement used for the attack.
34
If two of the three D6 plus the Stat
used for the attack are less than the
target number, the attack does
nothing.
Note: The smaller dice of the 3D6
may be enough to beat the target
score, especially if you roll well, the
character has good modifiers or the
target number is low. If so, a
character may be deal the largest
dice as damage.
When attacking with the Upper
Hand, roll 4D6 and discard the
lowest dice, calculating the damage
as above.
When attacking Against The Odds,
roll 4D6 and discard the highest
dice, calculating the damage as
above.
The amount of damage dealt by an
attack can be modified by some
weapon types.
If an attack is ever Trivial, the attack
hits automatically, regardless of target
number. In this case, roll 2D6 and
deal the higher dice as damage.
If an attack is ever Impossible, it has
no effect.
If the damage dice against a character
or monster is a 6, the attack is a
Critical Hit. The character or monster
must roll a random Injury in addition
to normal damage.
Example 1: Pietr fires a crossbow at a
skeleton with a target number of 8. He
has plus +1 Wit. He rolls 5, 3 and 2. 5
+ 2 + 1 = 8, which meets the target
number of 8, so Pietr deals 3 damage
to the skeleton.
Example 2: Thuran attacks an
armoured Crypt-Thing with her war-
axe. She has +2 Brawn and has used
Weapon Master this fight, so attacks
with the Upper Hand. The target
number is 9. She rolls 6, 4, 3 and 1.
The 1 is discarded, due to the Upper
Hand. 4 + 3 + 2 = 9, so Thuran deals 6
damage to the Crypt-Thing and also
makes it roll an Injury, as this is a
Critical Hit.
Example 3: Killian attempts to stab a
Cultist with her knife. Killian has
already failed a Grip Check imposed
by the creature, so the Doomsayer
rules the attack is Against The Odds.
He has +1 Wit. The target number is
8. He rolls a 6, 4, 2 and 1. The 6 is
discarded, due to Against The Odds.
4 + 2 + 1 does not meet the target
number of 8, so the attack deals no
damage.
35
Monsters and Ganging
Up
Most of the time, monsters work
like normal characters. They move
like characters, determine Initiative
like characters and take turns like
characters.
If multiple identical monsters are in
the same combat, they share
Initiative and all act at the same
time. They can, however, still do
different things.
When a monster attacks, decide its
target. If multiple identical
monsters in the same Zone are
attacking a single character, roll
their attacks together with an
instance of the Upper Hand for
each additional monster beyond
the first in the same Zone attacking
the same target.
This mechanic is known as
Ganging Up. It is not an option for
characters, who always attack
individually.
Remember, if four or more of the
same monster are attacking the
same target, the attack may be
Trivial, no matter the attack target.
This means even the beefiest
fighters may be dragged down by a
horde of enemies. Cryptdiggers
who wish to fight with multiple
monsters at once are recommended
to take the Horde Killer
advancement.
Escape
Sometimes in a combat the odds are
poor and characters have to run
away to save their skin.
If a character moves away from a
Zone with an enemy monster in it,
they have to make a Wit check to
Escape. If they fail, they must either
stay in the original Zone or one of
the monsters in the Zone may make
an Attack against them.
If they take the Escape action on
their turn, they always escape freely
and never get attacked when leaving
the Zone.
Characters are unable to decide to
take the Escape action after they fail
the Wit Check. They have to declare
they are trying to escape with their
action at the start of their turn.
36
Dying
When a monster or NPC is reduced
to zero points of Vigour, it dies.
When a character is reduced to zero
points of Vigour, their situation is
dire.
Flip a coin.
Tails, they die.
Well done. Your character has
shuffled off their mortal coil. Cry
for a bit, then make a new one.
Heads, they are knocked
Unconscious. Your character is
unable to do anything while
Unconscious apart from slowly
bleed to near death. After D6 hours
have passed they return to
consciousness and they receive one
Injury and one Affliction. They
don't receive any of the Grip points
they would normally get for
choosing to take on these
Consequences. Nearly dying is
brutal and not fun.
When they are revived from
Unconsciousness, they return with
1 point of Vigour. You may spend
up to 6 points of Grip to grant your
character additional Vigour upon
revival, at a transfer rate of 1 to 1.
While in combat, an enemy might
use their action to Finish Him! over
an Unconscious character. Taking
the action kills this Unconscious
character.
This can only be prevented by
another character using their turn to
make a Heroic Rescue. A Heroic
Rescue stops the Unconscious
character from dying, but also uses
the complete turn of the Heroic
Rescuer, including movement.
The Heroic Rescuer must be in the
same or an adjacent Zone as the
unconscious character, otherwise the
rescue will fail. If the Heroic Rescuer
leaves a Zone with a monster, they
must make a Wit Check to Escape,
as if they moved out of the Zone
normally without using their turn to
Escape.
Characters have no obligation to
perform a Heroic Rescue on their
allies, especially since it could very
well get them killed instead.
Exertion
Characters can use Grip to push
themselves to Exertion. After rolling
any kind of dice, but before the
Doomsayer narrates the result of the
roll, you may use Exertion to spend
a point of Grip and re-roll any one
die of your choice. This can be done
inside of combat or out.
You can re-roll multiple dice with
Exertion, each one costs a Grip
point.
The new result stands, even if it is
worse than the original. You can
never re-roll a re-roll from Exertion.
You can also use Exertion to make
an opponent re-roll a single die per
point of Grip while attacking you.
37
Grip Checks
Characters are forced to make Grip
Check whenever they are exposed
to a terrifying, mind bending or
unfathomable event, monster or
environment.
A Grip Check is a Will check with
a target of 9. If they pass, they are
shaken but still level headed and
gain a point of Experience. If they
fail, they lose 1 point of Grip.
Some Grip Checks may be Against
The Odds or made with the Upper
Hand. Some environments make
you lose more than 1 point if you
fail.
Resting
At the end of each adventuring
day, you must rest for a while.
Depending on the quality of rest
and food you have, you gain a
different quantity of Vigour and
perhaps even some Grip,
determined by the Doomsayer.
A few hours of sleep scratched
together in a wet, damp cave
without a fire, while monsters hunt
for you might grant no Vigour at
all.
Six hours of rest with a single
watch shift in a relatively dry cave,
along with some rations and a
small fire, might restore 3 Vigour.
A proper night’s sleep in a guarded
base camp on the surface, away
from the terrors of the Crypt might
grant 5 Vigour.
Sleeping in a tavern with a warm
mattress and a proper meal might
grant 6 Vigour and a point of Grip.
Establishing a well guarded camp
with a good supply of food, light
and warmth is vital when journeying
into the Crypt.
If you are running multiple
characters, think about what they
might be doing while the others are
adventuring. Some might be on the
surface doing routine guard duties at
camp, some might be back in the city
spending their hard earned coin on a
few night's rest.
If your entire Cryptdigger company
heads back to the city to gain some
more Grip, consider making some
new characters to continue the
adventure while they recuperate.
Levelling Up
The DM will give characters
Experience for overcoming
obstacles, surviving combats,
passing Grip Checks or gaining
treasure. Every 8 points of
Experience, your character increases
in power. They add a point of
Vigour and Grip to their respective
pools and can take a new
Advancement from Chapter 3.
Status Conditions
Best Left Buried has the following
status conditions. Most will either
persist for one turn, but some might
last for a minute or until the end of
the combat. Some conditions may
38
require sucessful Stat Checks
before they can be broken. If the
rules do not specify, the
Doomsayer decides.
Blinded: Blinded creatures are
Against The Odds on all attach
rolls. All sight based Observation
Checks they make are Impossible.
Deafened: Sound based
Observation Checks are
Impossible for Deafened creatures.
Restrained: Restrained creatures
cannot move during their turn.
They can still take an action.
Stunned: Stunned creatures cannot
take an action on their turn. They
can still move.
Immobilised: Immobilised
creatures cannot do anything in
their turn. They cannot take an
action or move.
Grappling
Grappling takes an action in
combat and can be done in place of
an attack against an enemy in
melee range. The grappler must
make a Brawn check. If they pass,
the grapplee is Restrained. To
escape and remove this condition,
the grapplee must pass a Wit or
Brawn check. The grapplee can
take other actions while grappled,
but they may be Against The Odds
if this requires movement. The
grapler is also effectively
Restrained, and must use their
action to continue to Restrain the
grapplee.
Weird Rules
Lots of RPGs come with very precise
rules intended to deal with
gameplay situations. Doomsayers in
Best Left Buried are encouraged to
improvise their own subsystems to
cover such things. Here are some
examples of small, neat subsystems
designed to deal with these
situations.
Darkness: Characters in the dark
cannot see unless they use torches,
lamps, campfires etc. Observation
Checks, Attacks and some Stat
Checks in the dark are Against The
Odds. Keep constant track of the
light sources in use and describe the
environment in relation to them.
Encumbrance: Characters can carry
as much stuff as a regular human
can. If they are carrying too much,
their movement may be slowed or day they do not eat, they lose a
they may find themselves Against point of Grip and Vigour (0 on the
The Odds for some checks. first, 1 of each on the second, 2 of
Drowning or Suffocating: A each on the third and so on).
character can hold their breath for Overland Travel: Under optimal
one minute. After that, they begin to conditions characters can normally
die and lose a quarter of their travel 32 kilometres (20 miles) a
remaining Vigour and Grip every 15 day over 8 hours. The quality or
seconds until they die. quantity of roads, terrain, weather,
Falling: If a character falls off exhaustion or mounts might
something, they will take some increase or decrease this amount.
damage to their Vigour depending Swimming, Climbing or
on how far they fall. If they fall a Crawling: You can swim, climb or
long way, they will probably die. crawl at half the rate you can move
Food and Drink: Characters who do normally. As a result, Zones that
not eat or drink enough food for an require these kinds of movement
adventuring day do not regain Grip will be very small.
or Vigour at its end. Each additional
39
“When we found Albert, only the corpse and the coins were left. He was pale
as morning snow, with two puckered holes above his right ear. I hope he was
lucky enough to have died of shock before he felt the fiend drinking him.
Karts vomited, leaving what was left of his breakfast on the floor of the cave.
The rest of us looked on, taken aback but in no way surprised.
Ulan simply took a swig of her flask and heaved the sacks of gold into her
pack.
“He was a good man.” she said. ”Let’s not waste too long mourning him.”
We agreed, and headed deeper into the Crypt."

40
Chapter 5: Consequences
Most adventurers don’t do well in
the Crypt. They are regularly half-
killed by murderous monsters and
power hungry wizards, left with
festering wounds and lingering
injuries. The black ichors of magic
and the touch of the void corrupt
their bodies, sickening and mutating
their very flesh. Mystical terrors,
impossible monsters and lack of
amenities drive them closer to
damnation inch by inch.
The Crypt breaks people.
Grip
Grip is the mechanic used in Best
Left Buried to represent spiritual
and physical decay and ruination.
Being reduced to zero Grip is just as
lethal as being reduced to zero
Vigour. If you run out of Grip your
character loses the final straw. They
lose their sense of self completely
and either die of shock or a heart
attack, lose the will to live or run off
into the dungeon and join the other
denizens of the Crypt.
Grip is spent in multiple ways:
- To fuel Advancements, particularly
magic, as outlined in Chapter 3.
41
- To fuel Exertion, such as re-rolling
failed Stat Checks or attacks, as
outlined in Chapter 4.
- As a result of a failed Grip check,
as outlined in Chapter 4.
- As a result of certain
Consequences your character has
accumulated during play, as
outlined in this Chapter.
The Nice Version
For those that prefer not to engage in
the normal Best Left Buried
experience, or simply prefer a
simpler game, us the following rules:
Characters instead have 3 + Will
score points of Grip.
They regenerate their full total after
each full night of rest.
When characters are reduced to zero
Grip, they don’t die, they just have
no points left to use for that day.
Every time characters would gain a
new Advancement, they gain a new
point of Grip to add to their starting
total for the day.

Consequences
Grip does not regenerate over time.
It is not recovered by long rests or
spa trips. Occasional trips back to
society may allow you to regain
individual points, but, usually, once
it is gone it is gone. Use it wisely.
To prevent characters from running
out of Grip, they develop
- Should I burn through Grip, or
conserve it as much as possible?
- Should I take Afflictions, which
harm me mentally and socially, or
Injuries, which harm me
physically?
- Do I risk rolling an Injury in
combat, which could knock me
unconscious or kill me?
- Do I take Character Flaws, which effect how I roleplay, or Growing Afflicitions, which have minor effects initially but can grow over time to punish me?

Consequences. Consequences are - How many Consequences can I

the results of unfortunate events that take before I retire the character, or
happen to them in the Crypt or ways being pushed out of adventuring
of characters coping with the weird by fearful party members?
and terrible things the Crypt throws
at them. Also, roleplaying characters with
drawbacks gained as a result of
Consequences are divided into their actions in the Crypt is great
Injuries, or Afflictions. Injuries are fun. Knowing why your Veteran is
a result of a wound or attack. an alcoholic makes pretending it a
Afflictions are delusions or mental lot easier. Remembering that time
problems, developed due to the your Cultist lost their hand only
terrifying and mind bending makes victories you earn in spite of
inhabitants or environments of the it deeper.
Crypt.
You can take a Corruption or
Affliction at any point while not in
combat. Injuries, however, can be
taken at any point, including during
combat.
This creates a number of gameplay
decisions:
- Should I push my character until
the point of near death, and accept
Consequences as late as possible, or
just pile on the Consequences early
to make sure my character stays
alive?

42
 Injuries

Roll 1 2 3
1 You are Dead (Lose 2d6 You are Unconscious Take an Insanity
Vigour instead if a (Lose 2d6 Vigour (Lose 2d6 Vigour
monster) instead if a monster) instead if a monster)
2 Lose an hand/arm. Can Lose a foot/leg. Moves a Lose an eye. Against
only use weapons that Zone every two turns. the Odds on
require one hand. Against the Odds or Observation checks
Against the Odds or Impossible on tasks you that rely on sight.
Impossible on tasks you need two legs for.
need two hands for.
3 Lose a point of Brawn Lose a point of Wit Lose a point of Will
4 Lose D3 Vigour Lose D3 Vigour Lose D3 Grip
5 Against the Odds on Against the Odds on Against the Odds on
next Attack Roll. next Stat Check. next Observation
Check.
6 No Effect No Effect No Effect

Injuries
Taking an injury voluntarily in
combat reset your Grip to 5.
Your character will also be injured if
a monster deals 6 or more damage to
them in a single hit, known as a
Critical Hit. This does not grant the
character extra Grip.
Roll a D3 and a D6 on the above
table to determine a random Injury.
Afflictions
Taking a random Affliction resets
the character’s Grip to 10. If the
player and the Doomsayer can
agree on a thematically appropriate
Affliction without rolling on a
random table, taking this instead
will also reset Grip to 10
Roll a D3 and a D6 to determine a
random Affliction. There are three
types of Affliction: Character
Flaws, Growing Afflicition and
Special Affliction.

43
A Character Flaw is an affliction that
relies on delusion and social
roleplaying. If a player fails to
roleplay a character with a Character
Flaw properly (such as a character
with Hoardlust as giving money to
beggars, or a character with Despair
of Worthiness appearing confident
or arrogant), the Doomsayer should
first warn them, and then deduct
Grip points from them if this
behaviour continues. Players should
not use a Character Flaw as a cheap
and easy way of getting more Grip
points. They are a manifestation of
psychological trauma and as such
should not be mistreated.
If you re-roll the same Character
Flaw twice, you should either
roleplay it as worsening or re-roll
another condition.
Growing Afflicitions usually
revolve around making Will checks
to avoid certain behaviours. The first
time a character develops a Growing
Afflicition, the character has the
Upper Hand on the associated
Growing Will check. If they take the
Growing Afflicition as a
Consequence again, they take the
check normally. If they take it a
third time, their checks are Against
The Odds. If they take it a fourth
time, such checks are Impossible
and as such are automatically
failed. If your character becomes
this psychologically damaged, you
should probably retire them and
make a new character.
Growing Will checks still have a
target number of 9 and are rolled in
the same way as a normal stat
check.
If you already have a Growing
Afflicition, you can choose to take
it again to reset to the full 10 Grip,
as if you rolled it randomly. The
Doomsayer may choose to veto
this, especially if it a situation
leading up to the Affliction did not
match its associated Trigger.
Growing Afflicitions often have
Triggers. Some insanities are
Triggered by interaction with an
entity, monster or opportunity. For
example, Silver Fingers means the
character compulsively steals

Insanities
Dice 1 2 3
1 Despair of Worthlessness I Shall Be Clean Solace In The Bottle
2 They Are Watching The Glorious Blaze Feasting Dreams
3 Hoardlust Silver Fingers Love of the Dirt
4 Guided By The Gods Frothing Rage Man-Eater
5 I Am The Fire Debilitating Dread Brittle Minded
6 Lost And Without Hope Bitter Grudge Unholy Communion
44
things. Silver Fingers is Triggered
whenever an afflicted character sees
something they can easily steal. The
Doomsayer might declare a Trigger
or the player might suggest a
Trigger for their character. Other
players can also suggest potential
Triggers, but don’t expect to keep
your friends for long if you’re
regularly pointing out their
character’s Afflictions.
Some Afflictions, such as Bitter
Grudge or Debilitating Dread, come
with a modifiable Trigger. Players
and Doomsayers should negotiate
this Trigger together, but namely
they should relate to a monster or
feature of the environment the
character has faced recently,
preferably one they spent a large
quantity of Grip fighting or
surviving. For example, a
Cryptdigger who has been fighting
poisonous spiders buried in a dark,
web filled tunnel might
understandably develop
Debilitating Dread of monsters with
lots of legs. They might also hate the
dark, webs, tunnels, spiders or
poisonous monsters.
Bitter Grudge (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with a Bitter Grudge
develop an encompassing hatred of a
certain type of monster, or specific
foe. Whenever Bitter Grudge is
Triggered by such an instance, the
character must roll a Growing Will
check. If they fail, they must either
spend a Grip point or be Against
The Odds while attempting all
other actions but attacking and
destroying their Trigger. A
character may develop a Bitter
Grudge against more than one type
of monster if they take it a second
time.
Brittle Minded (Special
Affliction)
Characters who are Brittle Minded
have been rocked and half broken
by the horrors they are exposed to.
Any future Grip Checks they make
are Against The Odds.
Debilitating Dread (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Debilitating
Dread develop an irrational (or
highly rational) fear of a certain
environment, type of monster, or
specific foe that can reduce them to
a shivering wreck. Whenever
a Debilitating Dread is Triggered,
the character must roll a Growing
Will check. If they fail, they must
either spend a Grip point or be
Against The Odds while
attempting all other actions but
running and hiding from their
Trigger until the threat is passed. A
character may develop a
Debilitating Dread of more than
one type of monster if they take it a
second time.
45

Despair of Worthlessness
(Character Flaw)
Characters with Despair of
Worthlessness develop a deep and
foreboding sense of self hatred. They
find themselves without goal or
motivation and often undersell their
abilities to both themselves and
others. They may be characterised by
meekness, inactions or lack of
confidence.
Feasting Dreams (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Feasting Dreams
are afflicted with harsh and
terrifying nightmares. Whenever a
character with feasting dreams tries
to sleep or rest, they take a Growing
46
Will check. If they fail, they do not
regenerate Vigour or Grip after
that rest.
Frothing Rage (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Frothing Rage
often pass into fits of uncontrollable
anger during combat. At the start of
a combat, roll a Growing Will
check. If they fail, they spend a
Grip point or attack the enemy
with relentless, uncoordinated
aggression for the rest of the
combat. They will spend Grip on
the most powerful attacks and
abilities they can muster to defeat
the present foe. The Doomsayer
might take control of your
character for a round if he believes
they are acting too tactically. While
in this state, the character has the
Upper Hand on all melee attacks.
Guided By The Gods (Character
Flaw)
Characters who are Guided By the
Gods believe that a divine figure
has chosen them to fulfil some
sacred quest or mission. This figure
might be a God, Blackbeast or
Dreaming Ancient, or some other
monster entirely. They may be
characterised by self-righteousness,
arrogance or believing their actions
are guided by Divine providence
and they can do no wrong. The
divine figure may be real, or not.

Hoardlust (Character Flaw)
Characters with Hoardlust have an
unhealthy love for gold and treasure.
Sometimes Cryptdigging leaves
them hollow and reduces their
desires to a obsession with obtaining
money and other material goods.
This condition is also known as
Dragon-Sickness. In order to gather
more worldly power they will be
prepared to backstab or betray NPCs
and eventually even party members.
If given the choice of saving an NPC
or escaping with a large quantity of
treasure, they will often choose the
money. They may be characterised
as selfish, mercenary and avaricious.
I Am The Fire (Character Flaw)
Characters with I Am The Fire have
let their abilities get to their head
and believe themselves above their
fellow Cryptdiggers and even the
denizens of the Crypt itself. They
might dismiss even the sagest advice
from their companions, as of course
their plan is better. They might also
mock and patronise their fellow
Cryptdiggers and other NPCs. They
are characterised by arrogance,
selfishness and abusiveness.
I Shall Be Clean (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with I Shall Be Clean
develop a neurotic hatred for dirt,
filth, slime, blood and other unclean
elements of the Crypt. Each night the
character sleeps while not having
bathed or cleansed themselves in
47
some way, they must roll a
Growing Will check. If they fail,
they do not gain any Vigour or
Grip points for that rest.
Lost And Without Hope
(Character Flaw)
Characters who are Lost and
Without Hope have seen too much
evil in the Crypt, and have come to
realise the world is doomed to end.
As they believe the final days of
society are coming, they begin to
prepare for the Apocalypse. To do
this, they repent for their sins and
attempt to purify their bodies and
souls with self-mutilation with
tattoos, piercings or deliberating
wounding themselves. They might
be characterised by lack of respect
for their own mortality, apathy to
the consequences of their actions or
long, uncontrolled raves about the
rapture to anyone who will listen.
Love of the Dirt (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Love of the Dirt
develop a hatred of cleanliness and
order. They will refuse to clean
themselves and will wallow in dirt,
filth, blood, slime and other
unnatural elements of the Crypt.
Eventually, their body itself begins
to decay. For each instance of the
Growing Afflicition they become
increasingly disgusting for other
humans to interact with. They are
Against The Odds when making
Wit checks to interact with a non-
hostile NPC. They might also be
barred entry into certain social
environments while away from the
Crypt. Each night the character
sleeps while having bathed or
cleansed themselves in some way,
they must roll a Growing Will
check. If they fail, they do not gain
any Vigour or Grip points for that
rest.
Man­Eater (Growing Afflicition)
Characters who are Man-Eaters
develop a taste for human or demi-
human flesh and blood. If they try to
rest without consuming the flesh of a
human or demi-human, they must
take a Growing Will check. If they
fail, they do not regenerate Vigour
or Grip after that rest. Obviously,
cannibals are hunted down and
killed by other members of society,
so the character should usually act to
hide this insanity from their party.
No one wants their Cryptdigging
companions to eat their corpses.
Silver Fingers (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Silver Fingers
develop an uncontrollable urge to
steal things. When exposed to an
easy opportunity to steal something,
Silver Fingers is Triggered and the
character must take a Growing Will
check. If they fail, they must either
spend a Grip point or attempt to
steal it.
48
Solace In The Bottle (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with Solace in the
Bottle try to dull their mind with
substances such as drugs or
alcohol. If they try to rest without
dulling their mind with drink they
must take a Growing Will check. If
they fail, they do not regenerate
Vigour or Grip after that rest.
While in the alcohol addled state,
they are Against The Odds when
making Wit checks that rely on
sudden reactions and have the
Upper Hand when making Grip
Checks due to a terrifying monster
or environment.
The Glorious Blaze (Growing
Afflicition)
Characters with The Glorious
Blaze develop a love for the thrill
of arson. When exposed to an easy
opportunity to set something on
fire, The Glorious Blaze is
Triggered and the character must
take a Growing Will check. If they
fail, they must either spend a Grip
point or attempt to set it on fire.
Characters with The Glorious
Blaze also love looking at fire. They
recover an additional Vigour if
they spend a rest watching a
burning fire, gazing into its silky,
luscious depths as it descends into
embers.
They Are Watching (Character
Flaw)
Characters with They Are Watching
believe the world is secretly run by a
cult, secret society or organisation
ran by demi-humans, demons,
ancient gods or aliens. The players
around the table should take a
minute to brainstorm the exact
nature of this cult. They might be
characterised by general paranoia,
strange ticks to avoid persecution
and detection, or checking NPCs for
obscure details that might reveal
them as a non-human or member of
the shadowy cult.
Of course, the cult probably isn’t real
and the character is probably just
deluded.
49
Unholy Communion (Special
Affliction)
Characters with Unholy
Communion are contacted in
dreams and visions by a Dreaming
Ancient, Herald, Blackbeast or
other supernatural force, who
offers them power in exchange for
service. Unholy Communion
entails either service to a powerful,
evil being or a destructive rebuke.
The character must take Eldritch
Pact as their next advancement, or
else have their Grip reduced to 5 as
they are wracked by psychic
vengeance from their angered
patron. Following this rejection,
their Grip can never again increase
above 5 for any reason, including
rest and additional Consequences.
50
Chapter 6: Monsters
Monsters need to be flavourful.
Think of something cool and
terrifying that exists in your players
deepest, darkest nightmares. The
numbers aren’t important, they are
just a chassis, the skeleton of some
terrible beast. It is your job to give
the monster flavour, personality, and
a unique look and feel.
Never say, “You come into the room
and see five skeletons. What is your
initiative order?”
Describe the monster in all of the
grandeur and flourish you can
muster. When they kill it, it makes
the fight all the more memorable.
Put on a silly voice. Sound vague
and mysterious. Use purple prose.
Milk it.
Instead, say, “ Through the thick, liquid
shadows shamble five vague shapes.
Hanging from bone are rags and tatters
of baleful cloth. They are the remains of
an ancient warriors, risen from the
grave by some sinister magics. They
traipse towards you with a slow and
awkward gait. The glimmering blue
soulfire that sits where their eyeballs
might once have been stares at you and
through you. What do we want to call
them?”
Always let your players name the
monsters. Never tell them they are
fighting standard monsters, like
Wights or Zombies or Were-Bears or
Dragons. Even if they are, let the
51
players call them Tombdwellers,
Nightbears, Shamblers or Scale-
fiends. Telling the players what the
monster is called secures them in an
expectation of its power. It makes
the characters able to quantify the
monster and decide whether they
can kill it. It makes them into
mathematical agents, not
Cryptdiggers facing a do or die
situation.
Making your own monsters keeps
your players guessing. No
Cryptdigger apprentice knows every
monster in the Crypt. Such a thing
would be impossible.
Don’t make the players simulate
their character’s fear or hesitation
when faced with a supernatural
threat, make it genuine and sincere.
Combats do not only exist to be a
drain on a character’s resources and
slowly drag them closer to death.
From a game design and resource
perspective it is their purpose, but
never let the players feel like that.
Keep them on the edge of their seats,
half dying from suspense.
In Best Left Buried, every fight
could a character’s last. Make them
fear it.

Monster Stats
To make a monster do as follows:
- Come up with a crazy idea for a
creepy, violent or inhuman monster
that would live in the dark corners of
the Crypt.
- Give it some Stats. A standard
expendable mob might have +1, 0, -1
across the three stats. More powerful
monsters might have +2, +1, 0 or
even higher. Characterful monsters
tend to have stats with a high
variance.
- Give it some Advancements. You
might choose something from
Chapter 3, or one of the monster
Adaptations from below.
- Give it some Vigour and Grip.
Regular mobs may have less than 5
Vigour, but more powerful ones
have much more. Most monsters in
the Crypt are not unafflicted, so have
zero Grip, but others might have
their own supply.
- Decide if it has any weapons, or
natural weapons, such as claws,
tentacles, fists or teeth, that may act
like weapons.
- Decide how quickly it moves and
thus its Initiative modifier.
Remember: Monsters that deal high
damage and always attack before the
players are unsatisfying if the
character is instantly murdered.
- Give it a score for attack targets.
Most monsters have 9. Easy to hit
monsters may have 7 or 8 (think of it
as negative armour). Others might
52
have higher scores, being
equivalent to characters in Plate or
Basic Armour or even having a
Shield. Avoid giving monsters an
attack target of more than 11,
unless you want it to be a beastly
challenge for high level characters.
Players like hitting monsters, so
increase the Vigour pool instead or
give it an advancement like
Ironshelled or Hex-Proof.
- Give a monster a list of things it is
good and bad at to increase its
flavour. It has the Upper Hand on
things it is good at, and is Against
The Odds at things it is bad at.
For monsters from other famous role
playing games, give monsters around
D6 Vigour and 1 Grip per “Hit Dice”.
For AC from similar games, start at a
target of 8 for 10 AC and increase the
target by one for every two points the
AC increases.
Monster Adaptations
You can give a Monster any
Advancement that would make
sense, or one of the Adaptations
below.
If a monster has an Advancement
that requires Grip, but has no Grip
of its own, it uses a points of
Vigour instead. For every point of
Grip they would spend, the cost is
2 points of Vigour.
Acidic: The monster can spend an
action and 2 Grip to damage a
metal tool, weapon, or piece of
armour. This reduces its damage or
protection by 1, or imposes Against Compressible: The monster moves
The Odds on Stat Checks made at regular speed through tight
with the tool. If three of these effects spaces, possibly allowing it to
stack, the object breaks. move through Impassable zones or
Amorphous: The monster can spend move through certain zones
an action and a point of Grip to quicker.
transform into a new form. This Corpsemover: The monster can
transformation may be obvious (like spend an action and a point of Grip
a slime taking a new shape) or may to make a humanoid corpse do
be impossible to detect (like a something unnatural, like glow,
Doppelganger or other sinister stand up or dance.
shapeshifter). Devour: The monster can spend an
Aquatic: The monster can breathe action attempting to consume an
underwater. It has the Upper Hand enemy. The enemy must pass a
on Stat Checks made underwater. Brawn or Wit check or be
The creature might be Amphibious Immobilised. On subsequent turns,
or purely Aquatic depending on if it the monster can repeat the action
can also breath above water. and make their target pass another
Beetle Flesh: When killed, the Brawn or Wit check. If the target
monster turns into a swarm of rats, fails, they are fully consumed. This
bats, worms or insects. Unless this will do different things depending
swarm is destroyed, the monster
reforms in D6 days.
Blinking: A monster can use its
action and a point of Grip to
disappear from view and move to a
space up to D3 Zones away. The
monster counts as having used an
Escape action on its turn.
Bloodthirsty: This monster has the
Upper Hand on attacks if the target
has less than half its total Vigour.
Bloodscent: The monster has the
Upper Hand to detect targets with
less than half Vigour
Brittleskinned: Physical attacks
made against the monster have the
Upper Hand.
on the monster, but Vigour damage,
Grip damage and Injuries are all
possibilities.
Disguise: The monster can pass as a
certain mundane object, such as a
statue, part of the floor or wall, or a
piece of furniture. Characters may
need to make observation checks to
notice it.
Disorganised: An extra monster in
the same Zone attacking the same
target is required in order to Gang
Up on an enemy.
Elemental: The monster’s attacks
deal damage related to its elemental
type, counting as magical. Also,
attacks of that elemental type made
against the monster are Against The
Odds.
Ethereal: Attacks made by non-
magical weapons against the
monster are Against The Odds.
Fearsome: On first encountering this
monster, every character is forced to
make a Grip check.
Fear of the Light: The monster is
Against The Odds on Attacks and
observation checks while in
sunlight.
Firebreathing: Can use up to 2
Vigour as Grip to use Fire and
Lightning Strange on a target in
short range.
Flame-wreathed: If a character ends
their turn in the same Zone as the
monster, they lose 1 point of Vigour.
This effect does not stack. Characters
who are immune to flame damage
do not take this damage.
54
Flesh-gorging: The monster can
take an action to feast on a recently
deceased corpse. If it passes a
Brawn check it recovers D6 Vigour.
Flying: The monster can use its
move to fly into the air.
Gelatinous Grip: When the
monster attacks the target must
pass a Brawn check or be
Immobilized. The target can use its
action and make a Brawn check to
Escape.
Hex-Addled: Magic attacks against
the monster have the Upper Hand.
They are also Against The Odds on
Stat Checks made to resist the
effects of magic.
Hex-Proof: Magic attacks against
the monster are Against The Odds.
They also have the Upper Hand on
Stat Checks made to resist the
effects of magic.
Hulking: Ranged attacks made
against the monster have the Upper
Hand. Double the monster’s
Vigour pool.
Ironshelled: Attacks made by
weapons against the monster are
Against The Odds.
Lifedrinker: The monster regains
Vigour equal to half all damage
inflicted by its attacks.
Luminescent: The monster fills a
number of Zones with light.
Depending on the power of the
monster, this may be the Zone it is
in, every adjacent Zone or even
more.
Nimble: When the monster makes a
Wit check to Escape, it has the
Upper Hand.
Otherworldy Gaze: The monster can
spend an action to focus upon one
enemy and force tem to make an
Against The Odds Grip Check. If
they fail they lose D3 Grip.
Quick Reflexes: Wit checks made to
Escape from the monster are Against
The Odds.
Rampage: When the monster takes
damage, it may immediately make
an Against The Odds attack against
a target in the same Zone as it.
Razorclawed: Attacks made by the
monster have the Upper Hand.
Resistance: Choose a type of
damage, like fire, slashing,
bludgeoning, piercing, acid,
lightning etc. Attacks against the
monster using this damage are
Against The Odds. They have The
Upper Hand on Stat Checks made
to resist such damage.
Petrifying Gaze: The monster can
spend a point of Grip on it's turn to
attempt to Petrify an enemy. The
enemy must pass a Will check or be
Immobilised. On its next turn, the
monster can repeat expenditure of
Grip and make their target pass
another Will check. If the target fails,
they are fully turned to stone.
Powerful holy magic is required to
resurrect them, and if they return to
life treat them as being Unconscious.
55
Shadowclad: Characters are
Against The Odds on observation
checks to notice the monster while
in shadow.
Soulfeast: When the monster kills a
target, it gain D3 Vigour.
Spider Climb: The monster can
stick to walls or ceilings, allowing it
to pass some Impassable Zones.
Slippery: Any checks made to
restrain the monster are Against
The Odds.
Undead: The monster cannot be
targeted by mind altering magics
and does not have to eat, breathe or
drink. Reduce the monster's
Initiative by 1.
Unstoppable: Never roll on the
Injury table for this monster. If it is
hit with a Critical Hit, simply deal
1D6 extra damage.
Violent End: When the monster
dies, it explodes. Every creature in
the same Zone must pass a Wit
Check or take D3 damage.
Weakness: Choose a type of
damage, like fire, slashing,
bludgeoning, piercing, acid,
lightning etc. Attacks against the
monster using this damage have
the Upper Hand. They are also
Against The Odds on Stat Checks
made to resist such damage.
Wound-Knitting: The monster
recovers D3 Vigour per turn.
Depending on the monster, this
might be disabled by acid, cold,
holy or fire damage.
Non­Mechanical Threat
The following section borrows very
heavily from a blog post by Michael
Prescott of Trilemma about Non-
Mechanical Difficulty Levels for
Monstrous Threats. It is definitely
worth a read. He describes many of
these concepts with much greater
eloquence than me.
Best Left Buried has a very flat
power curve. Advancements usually
tend to grant more tools to solve
problems, rather than being fix-all
abilities. Character’s Vigour is also
quite static, and only increases 10-
15% with each Advancement.
Combat is also swingy and
explosive, rarely lasting more than a
few rounds. You can only really give
a character or monster +3 for a Stat
before the damage gets out of hand
and almost all attacks result in
Injuries.
To present truly dangerous
monsters, you have to alter their
power in ways beyond the numbers.
Equally, individually weak monsters
can become powerful when given
agency to control encounters.
Players have more power when they
can control the degree of danger they
are subject too. Think of each of the
below qualities as a scale you can
slide to alter power levels and
challenge the players in different
ways.
56
Manoeuvrability
Monsters who are stuck in on room
or area are generally less powerful.
Conversely, enemies who can move
around quickly are much more
dangerous. It is easy to exploit
terrain against a stationary
monster, or just avoid them
altogether and make combat
superfluous. Monsters who move
quickly over a wide area are
unpredictable and harder to avoid.
Also, it is easy to retreat from a
stationary monster if the encounter
goes sideways, but fast monsters
will have the advantage if one
party chooses to flee when the fight
goes poorly. However, mobile
monsters can be more susceptible
to being lured into traps, as they
are more likely to give chase.
Cohesion
Unorganised monsters are easy to
defeat, and they can be picked off
one by one. Organised groups will
rarely move alone and will
seamlessly plan complicated
manoeuvres. This might be a result
of hunting experience, military
training or even worse, shared
consciousness. However, cohesive
groups are generally more
predictable than lone monsters.
Factionality
Different groups of monsters can be
fooled, tricked or persuaded to
destroy each other. Getting
monsters who hate each other to do
this is much easier than splitting up
a strong alliance.
Aggression
Aggressive creatures will seek out
the party and attempt to destroy
them. Defensive creatures will
usually stay in the same area and
may avoid the party entirely if they
are not hostile. Much like
Manoeuvrability, this can greatly
effect the difficulty of the encounter.
Information
The more information the monsters
have about the party, the more
dangerous they are. Inattentive
monsters will usually be unaware or
just straight-up ignore the characters,
but aware monsters will be able to
better plan for their opponent. Good
information may be a result of
vigilance or just intelligence.
Obscurity
Most monsters in Best Left Buried
are unknown and mysterious, but
certain monsters are prevalent in
mythology. Knowing werewolves
are slain by silver bullets, or undead
are vulnerable to sunlight and holy
water is a powerful advantage.
Nebulous and mysterious foes create
more dangerous threats than
common enemies. We try to exploit
this by making all monsters strange
and unknowable.
Quantity
Single enemies are simple to defeat,
numerous enemies are a massive
challenge. This is particularly
57
relevant in Best Left Buried, because
of the rules for Ganging Up. Even
the hardiest warriors can be dragged
down by a horde of enemies.
Hidden
If the players do not know a threat
exists, the threat is much more
dangerous. We try to be as up front
with players about monsters as
possible, and hidden monsters
should be revealed, at least in part,
to the players with some
information, even if Observation
Checks are failed.
You can use the above list to make
low powered monsters more
dangerous and high powered
monsters less dangerous. A dragon
that is passive, singular and
commonly known of might be less
dangerous to the party than a tribe
of aggressive, cohesive and
numerous goblins. It is advisable to
fill your dungeons with monsters of
differing qualities on the above
scales, so that the dungeon is diverse
and not solvable with one-size-fits-
all solutions.
Monster Moods Great Beast (Dragon,
Not every monster should attack on Manticore, Giant)
sight. Best Left Buried will become 1 Sleepy
very lethal if that is the case. If you
need ideas, assign a monster to one 2 Satiated
of the below categories, and roll 3 Bored
randomly when it is first
encountered to see what it is doing 4 Hungry
or what its mood is. This idea is
stolen from Troika, which rocks. 5 Ravenous
These, even more so than other 6 Enraged
random tables, are guidelines not
rules. If a roll doesn't make sense, re-
roll or replace it with what does. Critter
General (Rats, Goblins, Birds)
1 Helpful 1 Distracted
2 Friendly 2 Inquisitive
3 Indifferent 3 Skittish
4 Wary 4 Opportunistic
5 Unfriendly 5 Hungry
6 Hostile 6 Playful

Abomination (Horror, Tribals (Goblins,

Demon, Elemental) Savages, Bullywugs)
1 Skulking 1 Cautious
2 Gibbering 2 Unobservant
3 Feeding 3 Friendly
4 Sleeping 4 Playful
5 Hungry 5 Lurking
6 Aggressive 6 Scheming
58
 Constructs (Skeletons, Otherworlder (Imps, Elementals,
Fungonids, Golems) Poltergeists)
1 Oblivious 1 Nattering
2 Confused 2 Ethereal
3 Indifferent 3 Destructive
4 Defensive 4 Deceitful
5 Implacable 5 Furious
6 Enraged 6 Dispassionate

Cultists (Wizards, Brigands (Raiders,

Priests, Acolytes) Bandits, Adventurers)
1 Enraptured 1 Argumentative
2 Suspicious 2 Plundering
3 Paranoid 3 Resting
4 Deceptive 4 Unaware
5 Ensorcelled 5 Curious
6 Violent 6 Violent

Guards Civilian (Merchant,

(Soldiers, Orcs, Bandits) Captive, Slave)
1 Distracted 1 Fearful
2 Tenacious 2 Confused
3 Lazy 3 Shocked
4 Corruptible 4 Supplicative
5 Arguing 5 Helpful
6 Alert 6 Panicking
59
 There are things that dwell in the Crypt, and some
are Best Left Buried.

Best Left Buried is an fantasy horror game where the

monsters are scary and the players are scared. Within the
Crypt, these adventurers will be beset by strange monsters,
bizarre environments and eldritch magics, which will take
them on their journey from freshfaced recruits to grizzled
survivors.

Within its 60 pages, this book contains all the rules you need
to run the game for both the players and the Doomsayer.
Inside are the rules for making characters, as well as the
monsters and magics used to challenge both their minds and
bodies.

Check out othe Soul Muppet books for even more soul
shattering goodness.

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