Credits

Game Design & Layout - Giles Penfold

Twitter: @GilesPenfold

Artwork & Graphic Design - Edward Yorke

Twitter: @eddieyorke

This work is based on Caltrop Core,

published by Titanomachy RPG. The Caltrop
Core SRD is licensed for use under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
4.0 International License.

Titanomachy RPG Twitter:

@titanomachyRPG

Titanomachy RPG Itch.io: https://

titanomachyRPG.itch.io

2 Note: This is an early release. Version 0.1

3
 Content Warnings
Blood, bodily fluids, body horror, body parts, bones, cannibalism,
death, decay, eldritch monstrosities, insects, rats, snakes,
weapons, violence.

What You Need to Play

A d4 die
A pack of 52 regular playing cards
A pencil
A sheet of blank paper
(Optional) Some d6’s to keep track of game resources
(Optional) Determination

Premise
You are an Unearthed, born from tainted soil at the foot of the
deceased Giant King Kohln. The putrid Kingdom of Kohlnren
lies above you, carved from the giant’s decaying form. It is the
fate of all Unearthed to ascend through the body of the Giant
King and to claim the Rockskull Crown, taking rule over the
Kingdom of Kohlnren, lest they rot into the earth once more.
Countless try, few succeed. Shall you become the new Rockskull
Monarch?

4
 Table of Contents
Credits………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Kingdom of Kolhnren Map..……………………………………………………………. 3
Content Warnings…………………………………………………………………………….. 4
What You Need To Play ……………………………………….………………………..… 4
Table of Contents .……………………………………………….…………………………… 5
Character Setup………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Kingdom of Kolhnren Setup…………………………………………………………… 9
Encounters……………………………………………………………………..………………… 11
Ending Encounters……..………………………………………………..………………… 11
Combat…………………….……………………………………………………..………………… 12
Enemy Encounters………………..……………………………………..………………… 15
Special Encounters………………..……………………………………..………………… 16
Weapons …..……………...……………..……………………………………..…………….… 20
Skull Shards………….………………..……………………………………..………………… 25
NPC Encounters………………..…..……………………………………..………………… 25
Boss Encounters…………………….……………………………………….……………… 27
Blackened Blood Vial Encounters……………….……………..………..……… 28
Returning to Camp………………..……………………………………..………………… 28
Death………………..…………………………………………………………….………………… 29
Factions………………..………………………………………………….…….………………… 30
Blackened Blood Knights………………..……………..…….…….………………… 30
Slit-Stomach Scabs………………..……..……………………….…….………………… 36
Rockskull Magi………………..…………………………….……….…….………………… 41
Bileblights…….……..………………………………………………….…….………………… 47
Optional Rulesets..……………………………….……………….…….………….……… 54
Feedback………………..……………………………………………….…….………………… 55

5
 Setup
First, you will create your character. Then you will create your
Kingdom of Kohlnren.

Character
Take a piece of paper and place it in front of you. This is your
character sheet.

Name. Give your character a name.

Health. You start with 4 maximum Hit Points (HP).

Earthen Bulbs. You start with 3 Earthen Bulbs. You may expend
an Earthen Bulb to reroll all your dice for one roll, taking the
new rolls instead. You gain one Earthen Bulb after defeating an
end of act boss.

Bone Fragments. You start with 0 Bone Fragments. Bone

Fragments are earned by killing enemies and bosses.

Blackened Blood Vial. You start with 1 charge of your Blackened

Blood Vial. When used, your Blackened Blood Vial heals 4HP or it
allows you to reroll all your dice for one roll, taking the new rolls
instead. You regain all charges of your Blacked Blood Vial when
you rest at a Camp (see Returning to Camp). Place a joker card
vertically next to your character sheet to represent the vial.
When you use your Blackened Blood Vial, turn it horizontally to
indicate that it has been used. Place the second joker to the side
for now. When you gain a second Blackened Blood Vial, place the
second joker next to your first.

6
 Statistics. You have six statistics which form your character:
- Vitality. Your health. For every point in Vitality, increase
your maximum HP by 2.
- Endurance. Your ability to dodge attacks.
- Strength. Your ability to use heavy weapons.
- Dexterity. Your ability to use nimble weapons.
- Intelligence. Your ability to use magical weapons.
- Faith. Your ability to use holy weapons.

You start with 1 point in either Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence,

or Faith and 0 in every other statistic. To place a point into a
statistic, you must expend Bone Fragments at the Camp. The
number of Bone Fragments required increases for each
additional point you wish to put into a statistic based on the
Levelling Table below. You may have a maximum of 4 points in
each statistic.

Levelling Table
Points in Statistic Cost for Next Point
0 4
1 8
2 12
3 16
4 -

7
 Weapons. Weapons may be found over the course of the game.
When equipped, a weapon grants Equipped Benefits, which are
temporary bonuses to your statistics and, with some rare
weapons, passive boons. Some weapons have statistic
requirements to equip them and may not be used unless you
meet those requirements. You deal damage to enemies equal to
the damage of your equipped weapon. You may only have one
weapon equipped at a time. You may have up to two weapons in
your inventory at once. When you pick up a third weapon, you
must choose to either discard it or to replace one of your current
weapons.

You begin with a Starting Weapon. Starting Weapons cannot be

upgraded. Decide your Starting Weapon by taking all four aces
from the deck, shuffling them, and then randomly choosing a
card. Place the remaining three aces aside, they will not be used
for the rest of this run. Write down the statistics of your weapon
from the Starting Weapon Table below on your character sheet
and place the card next to your character sheet.

Starting Weapon Table

Suit Weapon Requirements Equipped Damage
Benefits
Hearts Warped Femur None +1 Strength 1
Clubs Blood-pricked None +1 Dexterity 1
Rib Bone
Diamonds Skullshard Staff None +1 Intelligence 1
Spades Bile-Soaked None +1 Faith 1
Sack

This is your character set up. Now you may move on to

setting up your Kingdom of Kohlnren.
8
 Kingdom of Kolhnren
This is the Kingdom for this run of You Died. The Kingdom is
split into three acts: Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. As you are preparing
the cards, all cards should be placed facing down.

Preparation. Place each value of card, excluding the aces and the
jokers, into its own pile and shuffle these well. Combine your 2
value and 3 value piles, then shuffle these together to form the
Encounter Deck. Now you are ready to create Act 1.

Act 1. Place four cards from the Encounter Deck into an Act Pile.
Then place one random card from each of the 7, 8, 9, and 10
value piles on top. Shuffle the Act Pile thoroughly then place one
random card from the Jack pile on top. Set the Act Pile to the top
left of your character sheet. This is Act 1.

Act 2. Take the 4 value pile and shuffle it into the Encounter
Deck. Place four cards from the Encounter Deck into a new Act
Pile. Then place one random card from each of the 7, 8, 9, and 10
value piles on top. Shuffle the Act Pile thoroughly then place one
random card from the Queen pile on top. Place the second joker
card on top of the Act Pile. Set the Act Pile to the top middle of
your character sheet. This is Act 2.

Warped Femur

Blood-pricked
Rib Bone
9
 Bile-soaked Sack

Skullshard Staff

Act 3. Take the 5 value pile and shuffle it into the Encounter
Deck. Place four cards from the Encounter Deck into a new Act
Pile. Then place one random card from each of the 7, 8, 9, and 10
value piles on top. Shuffle the Act Pile thoroughly then place one
random card from the Jack pile on top. Set this Act Pile to the
side for now. Take the 6 value pile and shuffle it into the
Encounter Deck. Place three cards from the Encounter Deck into
a new Act Pile. Then place one the final card from each of the 7,
8, 9, and 10 value piles on top. Shuffle this Act Pile thoroughly
then place one random card from the King pile on top. Set this
Act Pile on top of the first Act Pile, then place the combined Act
Pile to the top right of your character sheet. This is Act 3.

Place all remaining cards to the side. Do not look at them. They
will not be used in this run. You have now created your Kingdom
of Kohlnren and are ready to play the game.

10
 Playing The Game
You Died is played in three acts: Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Each act
has encounters and ends in a boss battle. After you defeat all
three acts, you rise as the Rockskull Monarch and win the game.

When you are ready to start the game, take the Act Pile for Act 1
and place it to the right of your character sheet. Turn over the
whole pile to begin the Act. The top visible card is your first
encounter card.

Encounters
As you progress through the Act Pile, you shall run into different
encounters. Some of these are good encounters, some of these
are bad encounters. Some encounters have the chance to be
both good and bad. Refer to the sections below to figure out
which encounter you have stumbled upon.

Ending Encounters
After you finish an encounter, perform the action indicated by
the encounter’s “After Encounter'' description. This will reveal
the next encounter. Some encounters may be encountered more
than once and are placed face down next to the Act Pile, into
what is called the Rebirth Pile.

Before you reveal the next encounter in the Act Pile, you may
choose to do any of the following before performing the “After
Encounter” section:
- Heal by using one of your Blackened Blood Vials.
- Swap your equipped weapon.
- Discard a weapon from your inventory.
- Return to Camp (see Returning to Camp).

11
 Combat
When you encounter an Enemy or a Boss, you enter into combat.
Enemies and Bosses are the primary encounters which respawn
after resting or dying. Some encounters may respawn if you died
to them, such as NPCs and Specials.

Combat has three phases: Enemy Phase, Player Phase, Item

Phase. These phases cycle until the player or the enemy reaches
0HP. When damage is dealt, subtract it from the HP of the target.

Enemy Phase. The enemy attacks you. You must attempt to

Dodge or Parry the attack.

Dodge. Roll one d4 plus a number of d4s equal to half your

Endurance statistic, including the temporary bonuses granted
by your equipped weapon, rounded down to a minimum of 0.
Take the highest roll.
1. Critical Hit. The enemy deals double damage.
2. Full Blow. The enemy deals normal damage.
3. Glancing Strike. The enemy deals half damage (rounded
down, minimum of 1).
4. Dodge. The enemy deals no damage.

Parry. Roll one d4. On a 4, you successfully deflect the attack and
deal a Critical Hit to the enemy. On any other value, you must try
to Dodge but roll one fewer die. If you have no dodge die to roll,
the enemy automatically scores a Critical Hit.

Blackened
Blood Vial

Earthen
Bulb
12
 Player Phase. You attack the enemy with your equipped weapon.
You must roll to hit the enemy using a statistic of your choice. If
you have 0 points in the chosen statistic, you are considered
Untrained in that statistic. When you are Untrained, you must
roll one d4 before you Attack. On a 1 or a 2, the Attack fails. On a
3 or a 4, you may Attack as if you had one point in the chosen
statistic.

Attack. Roll one d4 plus number of d4s equal to half your chosen
statistic, including the temporary bonuses granted by your
equipped weapon and Pendant of Decay, rounded down to a
minimum of 0. Take the highest roll.
1. Whiff. You deal no damage.
2. Scraping Scratch. You deal half damage (rounded down,
minimum of 1).
3. Impactful Strike. You deal full damage.
4. Critical Hit. You deal double damage.

Depending on the enemy, you may deal extra damage (see

Strengths and Weaknesses in Encounters: Enemy).

When attacking, you may choose to Block, taking a defensive

stance. You roll one fewer die to Attack, but you gain one
additional die to Dodge on the next Enemy Phase.

13
 Item Phase. You may perform one of the following actions:
- Drink one of your Blackened Blood Vials, healing 4HP.
- Swap your equipped weapon with another weapon from
your inventory.

If you are reduced to 0HP during combat, you die (see Death). If
you reduce the enemy to 0HP, you kill them and gain a number
of Bone Fragments based on the Bone Fragment Reward table
below.

Bone Fragment Reward Table

Card Value Bone Fragments
2, 3 2
4, 5 3
6 4
Jack 6
Queen 8

Bone Fragments
14
 Encounter Types
There are a number of different encounter types in You Died.

Enemy
Face Value. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
After Encounter. Place the card face down next to the Act Pile
into the Rebirth Pile.

When you encounter an enemy, you must engage it in combat.

Enemy Hit Points. An enemy has hit points equal to the card’s
face value.

Enemy Damage. An enemy deals damage equal to half the card’s

face value (rounded down, minimum of 1).

Strengths and Weaknesses. Enemies have weaknesses and

strengths based on the faction they belong to, determined by
their suit. You deal 1 extra damage when rolling to attack using
the statistic an enemy is weak against and 1 fewer damage
(minimum of 1) when using the statistic an enemy is strong
against. This damage is applied after Critical Hit or Scraping
Scratch damage is calculated. Refer to the Enemy Faction Table
below to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy.

Enemy Faction Table

Suit Faction Strong Against Weak Against
Hearts Blackened Blood Strength Intelligence
Knights
Clubs Slit-Stomach Scabs Dexterity Faith
Diamonds Rockskull Magi Intelligence Dexterity
Spades Bileblights Faith Strength

15
 Special
Face Value. 7
After Encounter. Discard from the game.

You stumble upon a strange oddity of the Kingdom of Kohlnren.

Based on the suit below, see what you have found. If you die to a
Special encounter, treat it as if you had died to an Enemy
encounter.

Hearts. A blood-soaked knight blocks your passage. Blackened

grime covers their form, with a rusted bone sword embedded
into their chest. Roll a d4 plus a number of d4s equal to your
Dexterity. Take the highest roll.
1. The knight lunges at you with blinding speed, cutting you
before you have a chance to react. You take 2 damage.
Proceed to 2.
2. You must fight the knight. The knight has 8HP and deals 2
damage. You gain 4 Bone Fragments for slaying them.
3. The knight passes you by. Nothing happens.
4. The knight wrenches the blade from their chest and
shatters it, before proceeding on their way. You gain one
Skull Shard.

Blood-Soaked Knight

16
 Carrion Scab Swarm

Clubs. The scuttling of boney feet can be heard behind you. A

swarm of carrion scabs clatters by, fighting over some recently
stolen Bone Fragments. You attempt to hide from the swarm.
Roll a d4 plus a number of d4s equal to your Endurance. Take the
highest roll.
1. The swarm chitters and slices at you, grabbing wildly. Lose
an unequipped weapon from your inventory and 4 Bone
Fragments. Take 2 damage.
2. The swarm scrapes past you, narrowly avoiding your
backpack but scratching you all over. Take 2 damage.
3. You hide just in time as the swarm scuttles past, a few Bone
Fragments dropping from their bags. Gain 2 Bone
Fragments.
4. You hide with time to spare and manage to grab a pouch
dangling from one of the scabs. Gain 6 Bone Fragments.
17
 Diamonds. A wicked cackling comes from up ahead. Turning the
corner, you find an old harpy who wears the skull of a great
snake upon her head. She beckons you to join her for tea. Roll a
d4 plus a number of d4s equal to your Vitality. Take the highest
roll.
1. The tea poisons you. You lose 1 point from a statistic of your
choice and roll 1 fewer die when attacking until you return
to Camp or die (minimum of 1).
2. The tea has a bitter taste, making you feel sick. You roll 1
fewer die when attacking until you return to Camp or die
(minimum of 1).
3. The tea warms your fingers and your stomach. You roll 1
additional die when attacking until you return to Camp or
die.
4. The tea sears through you, invigorating your soul. You gain
2 maximum HP and roll 1 additional die until you return to
Camp or die.

Old Harpy
18
 Jittering
Bilewretch

Spades. A jittering bilewretch leaps from the crevices of

darkness latching on to you with its twisted pincers. The will of
the Rockskull seems to be for you to die at the hands of this
monstrosity. You try to pry the creature from your throat. Roll a
d4 plus a number of d4s equal to your Strength. Take the highest
roll.
1. The bilewretch slices at your neck, which becomes
infected. You take 2 damage. During the next combat
encounter, you take 1 damage at the start of each Enemy
Phase.
2. You manage to pull free, but not before you are badly
wounded by the bilewretch. During the next combat
encounter, you take 1 damage at the start of each Enemy
Phase.
3. You scrape free by the skin of your teeth, narrowly avoiding
becoming wounded. Nothing happens.
4. You overpower the bilewretch and crush it with your
weapon. As you do, you find a number of Bone Fragments
19 wedged within its ribcage. Gain 6 Bone Fragments.
 Weapon
Value. 8
After Encounter. Place the card into your inventory or discard
the card.

You stumble upon a discarded weapon. You may take the

weapon into your inventory or leave it behind. If you have two
weapons already, you must discard a weapon to make room for
the new weapon.

When you pick up a new weapon, reference which Act you are in
to determine which Act Weapon Table to look at below. Then
look at the suit of the card and find it in the relevant Act Weapon
Table to see which weapon you have acquired.

Act 1 Weapon Table

Suit Weapon Requirements Equipped Damage

Benefits
Hearts Rotwood 1 Strength +1 Strength 1
Warhammer
Clubs Sharpened 1 Dexterity +1 Dexterity 1
Bone
Diamonds Wand of 1 Intelligence +1 Intelligence 1
Fingers
Spades Pulsating 1 Faith +1 Faith 1
Eyeball

20
 Sharpened
Bone

Rotwood
Warhammer

Wand of
Fingers

Pulsating
Eyeball

21
 Act 2 Weapon Table
Suit Weapon Requirements Equipped Damage
Benefits
Hearts Skin-Crested 2 Strength +1 Strength, -1 2
Mace Endurance
Clubs Jawbone 2 Dexterity +1 Dexterity, -1 2
Dagger Faith
Diamonds Wicked 2 Intelligence +1 Intelligence, 2
Tongue Staff -1 Strength
Spades Rotten Scab 2 Faith +1 Faith, -1 2
Dexterity

Act 3 Weapon Table

Suit Weapon Requirements Equipped Damage
Benefits
Hearts Shoulderblade 3 Strength, 3 +2 Strength, +2 2
Shield Endurance Endurance
Clubs Giant’s 3 Dexterity, 3 +2 Dexterity. 2
Fingerbone Faith Heal 1HP when
you deal
damage
Diamonds Brainclump 3 Intelligence, 3 +2 Intelligence. 2
Staff Dexterity If you deal
damage to an
enemy, they
cannot critical
hit you on their
next attack
Spades Sinnew Whip 3 Faith, 3 +2 Faith. You 2
Intelligence attack once for
free at the start
of combat.

22
Skin-Crested
Mace

Jawbone
Dagger

Wicked
Tongue
Staff

Rotten Scab

23
Shoulderblade
Shield

Giant’s
Fingerbone

Brainclump
Staff

Sinew Whip
24
 Skull Shard
Face Value. 9
After Encounter. Place the card into your inventory.

You find a fragment of Kohln’s skull, which may be used to

upgrade your weapons. Add the Skull Shard to your inventory.

Upgrading Weapons. Weapons may be upgraded using a Skull

Shard, indicated by the 9 value cards. All weapons, apart from
the Starting Weapons, may be upgraded once by discarding one
or more Skull Shards from your inventory while at Camp. Act 1
and Act 2 weapons cost one Skull Shard to upgrade, whereas Act
3 weapons cost two Skull Shards. When you upgrade a weapon,
turn it horizontally to indicate that it has been upgraded and
choose one of the following Equipped Benefits to grant the
weapon:
- Statistic Boost. The weapon grants +1 to a chosen statistic
while equipped.
- Damage Boost. The weapon deals +1 damage.

NPC
Face Value. 10
After Encounter. Place to the right of your character sheet face
up.

You encounter a friendly NPC. The suit of the first NPC

Encounter card you meet determines which faction’s NPC you
shall encounter for the remainder of the game. Every time you
encounter an NPC Encounter card, you progress the story of the
chosen NPC. Do not read the next encounter in an NPC’s story
until you reach their next encounter card.

25
 When you first meet an NPC, they grant you a Pendant of Decay,
which is represented by the first NPC Encounter card and placed
to the right of your character sheet. If this gets upgraded, rotate
the card horizontally. After you complete a NPC Encounter, place
the card under your current pendant card. If you die during an
NPC Encounter, treat it as if you had died to an Enemy
Encounter.

When you run into an NPC Encounter, you may choose to skip it
instead of progressing the NPC’s story, proceeding on to the next
encounter and placing the NPC Encounter into the Rebirth Pile.
If you fail to complete an NPC Encounter before the relevant Act
Pile finishes, the NPC questline is failed and you must discard all
future NPC Encounters.

NPC Encounter Table

Suit Faction NPC
Hearts Blackened Blood Sir Toleg of Innerheart
Knights
Clubs Slit-Stomach Rascel the Rat Lord
Scabs
Diamonds Rockskull Magi Odella
Spades Bileblights Blethine of Sallow

26
 Boss
Values. Jack, Queen, King
After Encounter. Place the card face down next to the Act Pile
into the Rebirth Pile.

Boss encounters function the same as Enemy Encounters, apart

from bosses have much more health and randomise their
attacks. Bosses have the same strengths and weaknesses as
normal enemies. When you encounter a boss, go to the faction
related to their suit, found in the Factions section, and find the
relevant boss. Engage in combat as you would a normal enemy
except for when the boss attacks.

Boss Attacks. When the boss attacks, roll a d4.

1. Wind Up. The boss winds up their attack. The first instance
of damage dealt to the player by the boss’ next attack or
ability is increased by 2. This damage is applied after the
boss’ base damage has been modified by a Critical Hit or a
Glancing Strike. If the boss rolls this ability for a second
time before attacking, it instead performs a regular attack.
2. Attack. The boss performs a regular attack, as per an
Enemy Encounter, dealing damage found in the boss’ info
block.
3. Faction Ability. All factions have their own unique ability,
found under the faction info in the Factions section. The
boss performs their faction’s ability.
4. Boss Ability. Each boss has its own unique ability. The boss
performs its unique ability found under the boss’ info block.

27
 Killing a Boss. If you kill an end of act boss, you gain one
Earthen Bulb and return to Camp for free before starting the
next Act. Once you do so, remove all Enemy and Boss encounter
cards from the previous Act from the game. Then take the next
Act and place it to the right of your character sheet. The next Act
begins once you have finished with the Camp (see Returning to
Camp). In Act 3, you do not return to Camp for free after the
mid-Act boss.

If you have defeated the King card, then congratulations! You are
now the new Rockskull Monarch until such a time that another
Unearthed seeks to dethrone you…

Blackened Blood Vial

Face Value. Joker
After Encounter. Place next to your other Blackened Blood Vial.

You may pick up one additional Blackened Blood Vial during the
course of the game, after defeating the boss from Act 2.

Returning To Camp
You may choose to return to the Camp as many times as you like.
You automatically return to Camp after defeating the end of Act
boss. When you choose to return to Camp, you may reveal the
next encounter in the Act Pile before returning.

When you return to Camp, perform the following actions:

- Place all cards in the Rebirth Pile back onto the Act Pile.
They should be in the same order that you first encountered
them.
- Turn your Blackened Blood Vial cards vertical, replenishing
them.
28
 The Camp is a safe haven, the one true place you can rest in the
whole of the Kingdom. When you return to Camp, you may graft
Bone Fragments onto your body to put points into your statistics
(see Character). The only time you may do this is during a rest at
a Camp. You may also upgrade your weapons at Camp using
Skull Shards (see Skull Shard) and freely equip whichever
weapon you like from your inventory.

Once you’re ready, you may head out into the Act again or, if you
have just beaten a boss, begin the next Act.

Death
When you die, you must do the following actions:
- Write down how many Bone Fragments you had then
reduce your current Bone Fragments to 0.
- Turn the encounter card that killed you horizontally and
leave it on top of the Act Pile.
- Place all cards in the Rebirth Pile back onto the Act Pile, on
top of the horizontal card. They should be in the same order
that you first encountered them.
- Turn your Blackened Blood Vial cards vertical.

You died! Oh no! Don’t worry, death is part of the game. It’s even
in the title! You’ve just dropped all your Bone Fragments and
your earthy, soil-like body has reformed at the Camp.

To regain your lost Bone Fragments, you must make your way
back to where you died and defeat the encounter that killed you.
If you die again before reaching that point, you must turn that
encounter card vertically and mark the Bone Fragments it held
as lost forever. You will likely end up dying a lot during the
course of the game, but eventually you’ll break through, regain
your Bone Fragments, and can return to Camp with your haul.

29
 Factions
There are four major factions who live throughout the Kingdom
of Kohlnren. You’ll encounter each of their minions as you fight
your way to claim the Rockskull Crown.

Blackened Blood Knights

Birthed from the decaying blood of the Giant King Kohln, the
Blackened Blood Knights rule over the realm of Innerheart — the
torso area of the giant. Led by the Lord of Blackened Blood, these
knights valiantly defend the Kingdom from invaders while
bending to the higher order of the Rockskull Magi. All is not well,
however, in these lands for the knights are losing sense of who
they once were, slipping into the realms of decay and corruption.

Faction Ability: Curdle Blood. Roll 1d4. On a 1 or a 2, you lose one

charge of your Blackened Blood Vial.

Faction Bosses
Baron of Buboes
A bubo infested wretch whose single eye gazes from a pile of
blood-stained armour.

Card. Jack of Hearts

Health. 12
Damage. 1
Boss Ability: Blood Decay. Roll to
Dodge. On a 1 or a 2, you become
infected with the Blood Decay.
Until the end of this combat,
when you deal damage, your
maximum HP reduces by 1. This
ability stacks.
30
 Clot-Born Knight
This fallen knight lurches, a bulging clot bursting from her
platemail. Behind her a vein-riddled greatsword is dragged,
leaving a smear of rotting blood along the ground.

Card. Queen of Hearts

Health. 24
Damage. 2
Boss Ability: Incit Clot. Your
maximum HP is reduced by 2
until the end of combat. This
ability stacks.

Lord of Blackened Blood

A towering monstrosity of bone-plated armour stands, woven
with the pulsating veins of the Giant King Kohln himself. A
barbed flail hangs from his grasp, aflame with vibrant black fire.

Card. King of Hearts

Health. 40
Damage. 2
Boss Ability: Heart Wrench. The
Lord of Blackened Blood takes
1d4 damage and increases his
damage by 1 until the end of
combat.

31
 Faction NPC: Sir Toleg of Innerheart

First Encounter. A Blackened Blood knight huffs and puffs,

resting from an ascent up some stairs. “Ahh! Greetings!”. The
knight greets you with a cheery smile and a beleaguered salute.
While the rest of his face is concealed behind a vibrant
red-plumed helmet, you can still see his blood-stained teeth
grinning through the visor. “A fellow traveller, eh? Wonderful! I
am Sir Toleg of Innerheart, at your service!”. He continues to
ramble on about himself, stating that he is on a noble quest to
avenge the murder of his sister, Velicosa of Innerheart, and
invites you to join him. He cuts his hand and holds it out to you.
You do the same, binding your earthen soul in blood to the
knight. “We are Blood Brethren now. For Innerheart!” he
exclaims, raising his sword to the sky. You are granted the
Innerheart Pendant as you join Sir Toleg. Place Sir Toleg’s card
next to your character sheet to represent the pendant.

Innerheart Pendant. Pendant grants +1 Strength when using a

weapon which does not innately grant Strength. You cannot be
Untrained when attacking with Strength.
32
 Second Encounter. You find Sir Toleg standing over the bodies
of several scabs. Dozens of rats scamper around them. He picks
at the bodies with his blade, checking them over for anything of
interest. “Aha! Blood Brethren, you have arrived!” His bloody
smile shines through his visor as he raises his sword. “And you
have brought friends, I see.” The scurrying of scabs can be heard
behind you. “For Innerheart!” Sir Toleg exclaims, leaping to your
side.

You must fight the scabs alongside Sir Toleg. The scabs have 2HP
each and deal 2 damage. There are four scabs of type clubs.
When the scabs attack, you must attempt to Dodge or Parry
against each of the scabs still alive. Sir Toleg protects your flank,
preventing the scabs from scoring critical hits, instead reducing
them to normal damage. When you Attack, Sir Toleg attacks
alongside you, allowing you to roll an additional die when using
Strength. If you win, you gain 6 Bone Fragments.

After combat, Sir Toleg grins a blood-stained grin and salutes

you. “Mighty good fighting, Blood Brethren. I knew I chose the
right soul to undertake this quest alongside me.”. Sir Toleg
reaches down and pulls a tattered scroll from the body of one of
the dead scabs. He reads it and his grin fades for but a second
before returning. “It would seem our quest continues!” he says,
gripping the scroll in his fist. “A wretch of ill-repute, the
Blisterborn Rat Lord of Slit-Stomach is our mark. It seems these
scabs were their minions and they wish us dead. Worry not,
Brethren, for we shall slay this vile raconteur of lies! For
Innerheart!” Sir Toleg salutes you before departing.

Third Encounter. You meet Sir Toleg at a crossroads. He seems

puzzled about which way to go. “Aha! Greetings, my noble Blood
Brethren. I am in a spot of bother.” His smile twitches slightly
with a hint of frustration.

33
 “Perhaps you could direct me? The Rat Lord, Rascel, passed by
not minutes ago. We are hot on their trail, yet they have slipped
us by!”
Roll a d4 plus a number of d4 equal to your Intelligence to help
Sir Toleg find his way to fight Rascel. Take the highest roll.
1. Sir Toleg Dies. Your bad directions guide Sir Toleg to his
death. When you encounter the next NPC Encounter card,
discard it.
2. Sir Toleg Gets Lost. Sir Toleg gets woefully lost through
your direction. When you next encounter Sir Toleg’s
encounter card, place the card into the Rebirth Pile and
shuffle the entire Rebirth Pile together. You then return to
Camp for free and reset the Act Pile.
3. Sir Toleg Finds His Way. Sir Toleg is given good directions
and picks up the trail of Rascel the Rat Lord. Nothing else
happens.
4. Sir Toleg Finds a Shortcut. You help Sir Toleg find a
shortcut, allowing him to lay in wait to ambush Rascel the
Rat Lord. Sir Toleg is eternally grateful to you.

Fourth Encounter. Sir Toleg kneels over the body of Rascel the
Rat Lord, his sword embedded through the scab’s heart. “It is
done.” he proclaims. “My fate is fulfilled. And yet…” He turns to
you, pulling his sword from the body. “...I now know you seek the
Rockskull Crown. You are a threat to the existence of the
Rockskull Magi and the Blackened Blood Knights. I cannot let
you live, my dear Blood Brethren. For Innerheart, you must too
fall by my sword.”

You must fight Sir Toleg of Innerheart. He has 14HP and deals 3
damage. If you rolled a 4 during the Third Encounter, Sir Toleg
surrenders when brought to 4HP or lower.

34
 If you win, Sir Toleg falls to the ground defeated. He kneels,
accepting his fate at your hand. “Do it, my Brethren.” he says, his
smile no longer present. “For Innerheart, I die.”. Choose one of
the following and discard the encounter card from the pile.
- Kill Sir Toleg. Upgrade your Innerheart Pendant. Your
pendant now grants +2 Strength when using a weapon
which does not innately grant Strength.
- Spare Sir Toleg. Permanently increase your Strength by 1, to
a maximum of 4.

If you lose, Sir Toleg kills you. When you awaken, your Strength
is permanently reduced by 1 until you defeat Sir Toleg in battle.
His card remains in the Act Pile until he is defeated.

Pendant of the Rat

Lords

Innerheart Pendant

35
 Slit-Stomach Scabs
Cretins and rogues, the Slit-Stomach Scabs exist within the
stomach and groin regions of the giant’s body. These packs of
deceitful bandits pick the Giant King of flesh and bone, robbing
those who dare enter their territory of their Bone Fragments.
Where they can, these troublesome packs strike into the regions
of the upper body, looting and raiding where they see fit before
being ousted by the Blackened Blood Knights.

Faction Ability: Cut Tendons. When you next Dodge, you take 2
damage.

Faction Bosses
The Unpassed
A tower shield of hardened skin blocks this entity from sight. It
shifts in the shadows, avoiding your gaze wherever you try to
observe it. Jagged daggers of bone pulsate from the shield’s
crest.

Card. Jack of Clubs

Health. 10
Damage. 1
Boss Ability: Barbed Reflect.
Until the end of combat, when
you would deal damage to The
Unpassed, take 1 damage. This
ability stacks.

36
 Rat-Festered Blade
Hundreds of scab-infested rats cling to this unwieldy blade,
which moves of its own volition as the swarm scurries around it.

Card. Queen of Clubs

Health. 24
Damage. 2

Boss Ability: Swarm Tide. You

get swept away in the swarm’s
cascade. When you next Dodge,
roll 2 fewer dice. If you have no
dice to roll, the attack is
automatically a Critical Hit.

Scabbed Monarch
Thousands of scabs line the form of this lithe,
scarred individual, forming a hard shell of
armour. Four needle-like swords are held aloft
by withered arms.

Card. King of Clubs

Health. 36
Damage. 3
Boss Ability: Needle Strike. The
Scabbed Monarch attacks four
times with a damage of 1. You
roll 1 fewer die when dodging
these attacks.

37
 Faction NPC: Rascel the Rat Lord

First Encounter. A hoard of squeaking rats scurries by. You

witness a shadow manifest in the corner of the chamber, taking
form from the swarm. “Newcomer eh? Fresh meat?!”. The
strange figure awkwardly stumbles towards you, leaning in
close. There is a rancid smell on their breath and you swear you
can see rats moving under their tunic. They sniff at you.
“Freessssh meat. No. Earthy meat. Earthkin! Earthkin!” they
shout, “Join us, earthkin! Yesss. We hunt, we hunt. Hunt the
blood, hunt the heartkin.” They place a silver-coated rat’s skull
into your hand before dissolving into a puddle of rats and
slipping through the cracks in the floor. You are granted the
Pendant of the Rat Lords. Place Rascel’s card next to your
character sheet to represent the pendant.

Pendant of the Rat Lords. Pendant grants +1 Dexterity when

using a weapon which does not innately grant Dexterity. You
cannot be Untrained when attacking with Dexterity.
38
 Second Encounter. Two Blackened Blood knights guard a
passageway up through the Great Spinal Steps of Kohlnren.
Unsure how to pass them by, you stride forward to engage them.
You have barely taken a step before the scuttling of rats is heard
behind you. As you turn, the fumbling form of Rascel appears
before you. “Hunt, yessss? Heartkin, yessss?” they chitter, their
head tilting curiously. “Let us hunt, earthkin! Yesss!”. With that,
Rascel disappears into a blob of rats which pour towards the
knights. They draw their blades, seemingly unsure of how to
deal with the barrage of rodents.

You must fight the knights alongside Rascel. The knights have
4HP each and deal 3 damage. There are two knights of type
hearts. When the knights attack, you must attempt to Dodge or
Parry against each of the knights still alive. Rascel’s rats batters
the knights at the start of your attack phase, dealing 1 damage to
each knight. If you win, you gain 4 Bone Fragments.

After combat, the horde of scab-covered rats reforms into

Rascel. “Yesss… Good hunt, good hunt, earthkin.” You spy a few
rats gnawing the arm off one of the knights, which is then pulled
in under Rascel’s robes. “Yesss, very good hunt. Fresh meat,
fresh meat.”. There is a crunching sound from within Rascel’s
robes as the rats underneath shift and slide. “Off we go, more to
hunt, more to hunt. Yes!” Rascel taps their elongated, rusted
visor before slinking back into a puddle of rats and disappearing.
You see a single rat, which leaves a chunk of flesh upon your
foot. You must choose one of the following:
- Partake in the fresh meat. You consume the flesh of the
knight. Permanently increase your maximum HP by 2.
- Decline. Nothing happens.

Third Encounter. You find the torn bodies of several Blackened

Blood Knights strewn across a chamber. Rats swarm all over
them. As you pass through, you find your path blocked by a
swarm of rats, who drag a severed heart across to your feet.
39
 You must choose from the following:
- Partake in the fresh meat. You consume the heartflesh of
the knight. Permanently increase your maximum HP by 2.
- Decline. You must fight the rat swarm. They have 6HP and
deal 2 damage. They leave behind 4 bone fragments.

Fourth Encounter. The body of Sir Toleg of Innerheart hangs

from the ceiling of a rat-infested chamber. Hundreds of scabby
rats crawl over his form, forming blobs of shifting, matted fur. A
familiar voice echoes around the room. “Earthkin… Heartkin…
Skullkin… All the same. All the same. We smell your fear, it reeks!
Once the hunter, now the hunted, earthkin.” The rats fall in
clumps to the floor, which slowly form into the shape of Rascel.
“Fresh meat, yesss. Fresh meat.”. You must fight Rascel the Rat
Lord. They have 12HP and deal 3 damage. Add 4HP to Rascel’s
maximum HP for every time you have partaken in fresh meat.
When Rascel reaches 8HP, they split into four as their
rat-covered form shifts. Each of the Rascels have 2HP and deal 2
damage. When the Rascels attack, you must attempt to Dodge or
Parry against each of the Rascels still alive.

If you win, Rascel reforms into a hunched, semi-humanoid form

covered in dense, matted rat fur. Their body lies dead upon the
ground. Choose one of the following and discard the encounter
card from the pile:
- Partake in the fresh meat. Permanently increase your
Dexterity by 1, to a maximum of 4. Increase your maximum
HP by 2.
- Burn the body. Upgrade your Pendant of the Rat Lords.
Your pendant now grants +2 Dexterity when using a
weapon which does not innately grant Dexterity.

If you lose, Rascel kills you. When you awaken, your Dexterity is
permanently reduced by 1 until you defeat Rascel in battle. Their
card remains in the Act Pile until they are defeated.

40
 Rockskull Magi
Observed by some as the descendants of Kohln’s inner mind and
by others as the lying cheats who masquerade in positions of
power, the Rockskull Magi defend the Rockskull Crown held
atop the peak of Kohln’s Crown. Their wisdom is seldom
emparted to those of the lower body, though whatever is said
comes across as cryptic and nonsensical. The Blackened Blood
Knights are sworn to protect the Rockskull Magi from the
Unearthed who dredge their ways up from the ground beneath
the body.

Faction Ability: Shatter Mind. When you next Attack, roll a d4.
On a 1 or a 2, you become confused and attack yourself instead of
the enemy. You must Dodge against your own attack.

Faction Bosses
Shattered-Spine Magus
A hunched form of a decrepit magus whose body twists and
contorts painfully. Jagged protrusions of bone pierce their veiled
robes.

Card. Jack of Diamonds

Health. 8
Damage. 1
Boss Ability: Withering Touch.
The Shattered Magus attacks
twice with corrupting magic,
dealing 2 damage for each attack.
For each attack that hits, roll a d4
and reduce the rolled statistic by
1 until the end of combat.
1. Strength
2. Dexterity
3. Intelligence
4. Faith

41
 Scroll-Grafted Scion
Dozens of scrolls are pinned to the skin of this wicked sorcerer,
forming scribed robes of arcane etchings. Two gnarled arms are
all that are visible of this banished being.

Card. Queen of Diamonds

Health. 22
Damage. 2
Boss Ability: Illusory Double.
The Scroll-Grafted Scion creates
an illusory duplicate of itself.
When you Attack, roll a d4. On a 1
or 2, you hit an illusion, which is
then destroyed. The
Scroll-Grated Scion can have
multiple illusory doubles at once.

Six-Skulled Serpent
Six twisting, skeletal serpent heads protrude from a ragged robe,
stained with putrid brain matter. Beads of globulous crimson
energy form in their mouths, which click and chatter ominously.
Each head has 6HP and must be individually targeted by your
attacks.
Card. King of Diamonds
Health. 36
Damage. 3
Boss Ability: Hydra’s Whirlwind.
Each head still alive attacks for 2
damage. You must Dodge against
each attack. If three or more
attacks deal damage, the
Shatter Mind faction
ability triggers.

42
 Faction NPC: Odella

First Encounter. You enter into a dimly lit library. The books are
bound in a strange leather: skin-like in texture. A chill runs
down your spine as you make tracks quickly through. An azure
light catches your eye as you pass through the stacks, emanating
from a hooded lantern. An unnaturally tall figure glides through
the rows, searching for something. She hums a discordant tune
as her skeletal fingers trail across the shelves. There is a pause
as she takes a musty, crimson-stained book from the top shelf,
reaching up to extract it with her elongated arm. As you take
another step forwards, the figure’s head snaps in your direction,
two hollow eyes peering from under her shrouded cloak. The
humming stops. The cloak flutters as she rushes away from you,
deep into the depths of the library. You head after her but by the
time you reach the next row, she has already disappeared into
the darkness. You see at the foot of one of the stacks, a small
pendant made from a hunk of skull bone has been dropped. You
are granted the Hollowskull Pendant. Place Odella’s card next to
your character sheet to represent the pendant.

Hollowskull Pendant. Pendant grants +1 Intelligence when using

a weapon which does not innately grant Intelligence. You cannot
be Untrained when attacking with Intelligence.
43
 Second Encounter. You may not skip this encounter. Walking
along a rib enroute to the upper regions of Kohlnren, you notice
a bundled figure wrapped in a tattered black cloak resting within
an alcove, an azure hooded lantern illuminating the area.
Spindly pale limbs protrude from the cloak, holding a
crimson-stained book. She idly turns the pages, enraptured with
whatever the contents hold. As you approach, two gaunt eyes
look over the book at you as she shuffles to hide her face. “It is
you. From the library.” she says, her voice crackling like a hearty
fire, “My apologies for running. You startled me.” Her skeletal
arm reaches out to the pendant around your neck. “Ahh… I was
wondering where it was.” she pauses, before retracting her hand.
“No, you keep it. May it serve you well.” She notices your eyes
peering towards the book. “Ahh… This? It is for my studies. I am
Odella. A magus of Hollowskull Temple, training to become a
part of the Altus Cerebrum. This contains knowledge I require to
meet that goal.” She sighs quietly, looking out over the plains
beyond the kingdom. “How grand it would be to look upon the
Realm Beyond from atop the peak. To observe what the grant
magi observe. What wonders abound are beyond our vision as
ignorant creatures of these low regions.” She places the book
upon her lap and looks to you, two forlorn eyes peering out from
under her hood. “Care to sit with me for a while, risen of the
earth, and share thy warmth with me?”. Choose one of the
following:
- Sit with Odella. You sit with Odella for a while. She imparts
knowledge to you of places unknown, of the Realm Beyond.
You feel your essence slowly fade as Odella talks, with
Odella seemingly growing stronger from your presence.
Reduce any statistic, apart from Intelligence, by 1. Increase
your Intelligence by 1 to a maximum of 4. Odella thanks you
for granting her strength to continue on her path and
eventually departs.
- Leave Odella. You leave Odella alone. Odella dies shortly
after, unable to muster the strength to proceed with her
quest. Discard any future Odella cards.
44
 Third Encounter. You may not skip this encounter. “Ahh… Risen
of the earth. You have travelled far, it seems.” The quavering
voice of Odella greets you as you pass through a crumbling
shack. You see her form lingering in the shadows, illuminated
solely by her azure-tinted lantern. Her two beady eyes peer at
you curiously from the darkness. “How long has it been since…?
Ahh… It is of no matter.” There is a slight pause in her speech. “I
see you keep the pendant with you still. It has got you this far. I
am glad.”. You get the sense that she is smiling under her hood,
though it is impossible to tell. “I have almost reached the end of
my book.” She taps the crimson-stained tome at her side. “Soon I
shall reach Rockskull Temple and join the Altus Cerebrum. I
shall see the stars, and the sun, and the Realm Beyond. What
knowledge, what insight into our world I shall hold.”. You see her
quiver lightly, her arm slumping against the wall. “Ahh… I
apologise. My body, it is… not as it once was. It is rude of me to
ask, risen of the earth, but might you share your warmth with me
one last time?”. Choose one of the following:
- Sit with Odella. You sit with Odella for a while more. It is
oddly calming as she speaks to you of the great deeds of the
Altus Cerebrum and the Realm Beyond. You cannot help but
notice her posture improving as she softly mumbles away,
granting you what fragments of wisdom she holds. Reduce
any statistic, apart from Intelligence, by 1. Increase your
Intelligence by 1 to a maximum of 4. Odella bids you
farewell and good luck on your journey upwards.
- Leave Odella. You leave Odella alone. Odella dies shortly
after, unable to muster the strength to proceed with her
quest. Discard any future Odella cards.

Fourth Encounter. You ascend the lofty steps of Hollowskull

Temple. Bodies of cloaked figures line the path upwards, their
arms reaching out to the doorway above. You push past the
grand doorway, entering into the central chamber. Before you
towers a mass of pulsating brain-like flesh and bone.

45
 It is grey, withered, and covered in the tatters of old black cloaks.
You see limbs jutting from the form at awkward angles. More
cloaked bodies line the floor, all reaching towards the mass. As
you approach, the mass quivers as it seems to sense your
presence. Along the base of the mass, you find dozens of cloaked
forms half absorbed within it, each with elongated, spindly
limbs. One arm protruding from the base catches your notice. It
clings to a crimson-stained book, an azure-tinted lantern lying
shattered alongside it. Choose one of the following:
- Take the book. Upgrade your Rockskull Pendant. Your
pendant now grants +2 Intelligence when using a weapon
which does not innately grant Intelligence.
- Burn the Altus Cerebrum. Permanently increase your
Intelligence by 1, to a maximum of 4.

Hollowskull Pendant

46
 Bileblights
Twisted Unearthed and vile monstrosities born from the
decaying lower body of Kohln, the Bileblights are not necessarily
a faction more than they are a collective of entities which coexist
within the same region. These entities know not their reason for
existing. They know little at all, in fact. Mindlessly wandering
and seeking to claim whatever progress they can upwards into
the higher regions of the Giant King’s form. This is the fate of
many Unearthed who seek to ascend the Giant King’s body,
blighted by the rancid bile left from centuries prior, lost to the
world and themselves.

Faction Ability: Unlucky Poison. When you next roll a 4, you

take 1 damage. This damage stacks if taken multiple consecutive
times.
Faction Bosses
Sallow’d Sack
A single, rotting arm protrudes from a torn sack. A yellow-tinged
eye stares out from a hole in the sackcloth.

Card. Jack of Spades

Health. 10
Damage. 2
Boss Ability: Entrap. Sallow’d
Sack pulls you into the sack. If
you are in the sack already,
Sallow’d Sack attacks. Instead of
attacking, you must try to escape
the sack. Roll a d4. On a 3 or a 4,
you succeed and are freed from
the sack. While inside the sack,
you take 1 point of damage at the
start of the Player Phase and roll
one fewer d4 when you Attack
and Dodge (minimum of 1).
47
 Bile-Struck Commander
A burly knight garbed in platemail shuffles awkwardly, a slain
commander of the Blackened Blood Knights. Their jaw hangs
loose from their helmet, dribbling acidic fluids which decay the
ground at their feet.
Health. 24
Damage. 2
Boss Ability: Spit Bile. The
Bile-Struck Commander spits
three globs of acidic bile at you
dealing 2 damage each. You must
Dodge each glob individually. For
each glob that deals damage to
you, you roll one fewer dice to
Dodge during the next Enemy
Phase. If you have no dice to roll,
the attack is automatically a
Critical Hit.

Bloated Baroness
This bulging noble sways from side to side, two crooked sickles
protruding from their engorged body. As they spin, flecks of
acidic spittle fly around the room, burning into the walls.
Card. King of Spades
Health. 34
Damage. 3
Boss Ability: Sallow Slice. The
Bloated Baroness spins with her
sickles. Each deals 3 damage.
Roll to Dodge against each. For
each sickle that deals damage to
you, you roll two fewer dice
when you next Dodge. If you
have no dice to roll, the attack is
automatically a Critical Hit.

48
 Faction NPC: Belthine of Sallow

First Encounter. You wade through a dense swamp of yellowish

bile. Bilewretches lurk nearby, who soon become alerted to your
presence. You head towards a clustering of rotting shacks,
rushing inside before slamming the door in the face of the
bilewretches. The shack is mostly barren, a few smashed barrels
and a decayed bed laying to one side. Hunched upon the bed is a
strange figure. Moss-tinted fungi grows from her head and arms,
which seems to emit an oozing orange pus. Bandages wrap
around some of these growths, though they do little to stem the
flow. The woman looks up to you, cat-like amber eyes gazing
curiously into your own. “Prrrr… Rude of you to enter without
knocking, earthblight.”. Her eyes trace your movements, keeping
a close-off posture. “Step carefully, Being From Below. Lest you
catch my sickness. The plague of these lands.” She gestures to a
backpack across the room. “Grab me the bandages from there.”.
You do so, placing them onto the bed beside her before backing
away. She nods in thanks before wrapping them around her
fresh wounds.
49
 “For your troubles.” She gestures towards the backpack again,
pointing at a crooked symbol hanging from the side. “A pendant.
An icon of this town. A reminder to keep your health.”. You are
granted the Pendant of Sallow’s Ward. Place Belthine’s card next
to your character sheet to represent the pendant. After she
finishes tending to her wounds, the woman looks back towards
you. “I am Belthine. The healer of this town. The last healer of
Sallow. Alas, we cannot overcome this plague. I must travel
upwards to seek a cure.” She pauses. “Maybe we shall meet
again, earthblight. Perhaps you shall show more manners next
time. Though little can be expected of an earthblight.”.

Pendant of Sallow’s Ward. Pendant grants +1 Faith when using a

weapon which does not innately grant Faith. You cannot be
Untrained when attacking with Faith.

Pendant of Sallow’s
Ward

50
 Second Encounter. You pull yourself along the sinew of the
giant’s lower stomach, climbing ever higher into the realms of
the Kingdom. You pass by a platform built out of kidney stones,
rope, and rotting wood. Upon it the hunched figure of Belthine
holds a sack of pus-filled fungi before her as she attempts to fend
off two bilewretches. Choose one of the following:
- Leave Belthine to die. Belthine is eaten by the bilewretches.
Discard this card and all future NPC encounters.
- Defend Belthine. You must fight the bilewretches. The
bilewretches have 4HP each and deal 2 damage. There are
two bilewretches of the spades type. When the bilewretches
attack, you must attempt to Dodge or Parry against each of
the bilewretches still alive. Belthine heals you by 1HP at the
start of each Enemy Phase. If you win, you gain 4 Bone
Fragments.

“Prrr… Your entry this time was certainly unannounced, yet you
have my thanks, earthblight.” Her nose twitches as she slumps to
the ground, drained from the combat. “Prrr… My apologies, this…
This sickness makes it painful to move.”. You can see that the
fungi has spread across her entire face, with just her cat-like
eyes peering back at you from a nest of seeping pus and
mushrooms. “I must continue upwards… Prrr… I hear the cure
for this sickness lies somewhere within Rockskull.”. She takes
some bandages from her backpack and begins to patch herself
up. Choose one of the following:
- Help Belthine. Reduce your maximum HP
by 1. Belthine heals you to full HP.
You part ways shortly after.
- Leave Belthine. Belthine
bids you thanks and you
part ways.

51
 Third Encounter. As you pass under the lungs of the giant, you
see a clustering of overgrown mossy fungi in a ball nearby a
partially decayed wall. Heading over, you see the form of
Belthine crumpled into a heap. She breathes weakly, barely able
to move. Her eyes are all that move as you approach, as she looks
to you pleadingly. Choose one of the following:
- Leave Belthine. Belthine dies from her sickness. Discard
this encounter card and all future NPC encounters.
- Use a Blackened Blood Vial on Belthine. Belthine’s sickness
recedes slightly. Continue the encounter.

Belthine slowly shifts into a sitting position, holding her arms

close to her as she itches at the fungi, which now covers her
entire body. “You are kind, earthblight. Even if you did not
announce your presence.”. She emits a slight laugh which turns
into a hacking cough. “I am not far from my goal now, you know.
Prrr… It is close, very close. I can make it. Prrr… I am certain.”.
Belthine begins bandaging her wounds, wiping away the pus
with whatever rags she has left. Choose one of the following:
- Help Belthine. Reduce your maximum HP by 1. Belthine
heals you to full HP. You part ways shortly after.
- Leave Belthine. Belthine bids you thanks and you part
ways.

Fourth Encounter. You travel onwards through the jawbone of

the Great Giant Kohln, heading into the darkness-shrouded
streets of Toothrun Townstead. Bilewretches cling to the
towering teeth of the giant, carving their homes within them.
You make your way onwards, passing into the Shrine of Wisdom,
whose pallid exterior is adorned with peculiar markings and
decaying plant life. Upon the central altar, raised high above the
ground and suspended from chains, you see a glimmering
golden light. The Golden Blood Vial. Underneath the altar,
collapsed into a pile of teeming fungi and orange pus is Belthine.

52
 She breathes heavily, barely able to support her own weight.
“Prrrr… I must…. Prrrr… Must get it…”. Belthine reaches towards
the altar but it is too high above for her to attain. “Must… Prrrr…
Must be free…”.

Roll a d4 plus a number of d4 equal to your Dexterity statistic.

Take the highest roll.
1. You fumble while climbing the altar with two of the chains
snapping under your weight. The altar falls, killing Belthine
and shattering the Golden Blood Vial. Discard this card.
2. You slip from the altar, grabbing the Golden Blood Vial just
in time. As you hit the ground, you take 1d4 points of
damage.
3. You grab the Golden Blood Vial from the altar, jumping to
the ground and only lightly knocking your ankle. You take 1
point of damage.
4. You gracefully snatch the Golden Blood Vial and land
without issue next to Belthine.

“Yes… Prrr… Give it… To me… Prrr… So that… I can… Prrr… Be

cured…”. Belthine says, reaching her hands out to you, her
cat-like eyes pleading for you to hand over the vial. You must
choose one of the following:
- Mix the Vial with your Blackened Blood Vials. Your
Blackened Blood Vials turn into Golden Blood Vials. When
you use a Golden Blood Vial, it heals 2 additional HP.
- Give Belthine the Vial. Upgrade your Pendant of Sallow’s
Ward. Your pendant now grants +2 Faith when using a
weapon which does not innately grant Faith.
- Drink the Vial. Permanently increase your Faith by 1, to a
maximum of 4.

If you do not give Belthine the Golden Blood Vial, she screeches
in anguish, cursing you and all earthblights. Shortly after,
Belthine dies from her sickness.

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 Optional Rulesets
These rulesets are untested and may be unbalanced, but may
also provide additional challenges and ways to play.

Tougher Enemies
Are normal enemies too easy? Want some additional challenge
to regular encounters? When an Enemy scores a Critical Hit on
you, it also triggers the Faction Ability belonging to its faction.

Co-Op Summons
Need some help with that tricky boss? Consider playing You Died
with another player. You should both play through the game
individually until you get to a boss. You may then Summon the
other player into your game as a spirit, who can help you fight
the boss.

When running this ruleset, increase the boss’s health by 1.5x.

The boss attacks twice during the Enemy Phase, once against
each of you. When you defeat the boss, only you get the rewards
for beating it. The other player may Summon you into their game
to help kill their boss.

Difficulty Scaling
You can make the game harder or easier by adjusting the
difficulty setting of the game, which modifies how much HP your
Blackened Blood Vials heal.

Difficulty Blackened Blood Vial HP

You Died Casually 8HP
You Died A Bit 6HP
You Died 4HP
You Died A Lot 2HP

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 Feedback
This is the ashcan version of You Died, an early release for the
2nd Caltrop Core Game Jam. As such, some game features may
be unbalanced or in need of adjustment and there may be typos.

If you have any feedback to provide on the gameplay, please

contact Giles on Twitter @GilesPenfold or at
contact@vynestra.com. I’d love to hear about your experiences
with the game.

Modifying You Died

You Died provides a framework for soulslike combat using the
Caltrop Core system but is by no means an end point. If you wish
to modify You Died, you are more than welcome to! Add bosses,
weapons, new Acts, new mechanics. I’m excited to see what
other ideas are out there.

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