Version 1.

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Introduction
Welcome to the Dark Fantasy X role-playing game. The foremost priority of this game is that it
be short, quick to read, and play very quickly without bogging down in mechanical complexity in play.
Games should be played where players describe in natural language, not references to mechanics,
what their characters are doing, and GMs have tools to interpret this and give them checks to make
with their dice. This has a few consequences that are worth being discussed briefly:
• It was never the intention of this kind of system to provide rules for every situation. However,
because the rules are simple and consistent, it provides a very convenient tool for GMs to use
to adjudicate any situation in a way that makes perfect sense, is predictable, and feels natural.
One of the (two) mottos for “Third Edition” was "tools, not rules." That promise didn't end up
being true, but it certainly is for this game.
• Because of this tools first approach and rules lightness, it is expected that players simply
describe what they are doing in naturalistic language and the GM interprets them using the
tools of the game. This facilitates a narrativist approach where players don't have to "get out of
character" to interact with mechanics.
• Combat, barring unusually complicated and rare exceptions, requires no graphical
representation and can all be done via "theatre of the mind." Again, this enables players to
stay in character and not have to "stop" the game to play a completely separate tactical
miniatures game.
This game will occasionally have notations, such as Hardcore Mode notes or Alternative Rules notes.
These will indicate changes that can be adopted at the GM’s discretion to change the tone or feel of
the game in some way.

What You Need In Order to Play

In order to play a game of Dark Fantasy X, you'll need only a handful of things. First off, this
book will be nice. The GM can handle a game this uncomplicated and rules-lite if you haven’t read it,
but if you plan on being part of a long-running, ongoing campaign of play, a familiarity with the rules
is probably something you will want to develop. A handful of friends to play with is essential. In a
pinch, two can play; one as the GM and one as a regular player, but the ideal is probably closer to 3-5
players or so in addition to the GM. You'll want some paper to take notes on and a pencil to write
with, unless you prefer to do that kind of thing digitally or have a super good memory. You'll also need
a character sheet. You can easily whip one up on your own with nothing more than a piece of
notebook paper or even an index card, but if you'd prefer, there’s one included with this book that you
can use. And finally, you'll need a set of polyhedral gaming dice. These can be bought online, or from
many hobby stores. Gaming dice are often colorful, and always come in a variety of funny shapes,
with a variety of ranges on them. Probably the single most important of these is the twenty-sided dice
(or d20) which you'll use all the time in combat and task resolution. There is also a twelve sided die
(d12) probably two ten-sided dice; one of which has 10, 20, 30, etc. instead of 1, 2, 3, etc. If you roll
the two of them together, you get an effective percentile dice giving you a result from 1-100. Rolling
just the ones dice is called a d10, while rolling the two together is often called a d%. There is also a
d8, a d6 (shaped like a cube with numbers 1-6; just like regular dice that you're probably used to from
every other game you play), and finally a pyramid shaped die that’s called a d4.

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 Finally, you'll need a stash of some kind of tokens. Almost anything will do from poker chips to
a handful of pennies to a bag of garbanzo beans. My own personal preference is to use some party
favor fake pirate coins made of metal that I bought on Amazon for a few bucks, but that’s only because
they look especially cool; anything will do. Other than that; at the risk of sounding a little hoaky, bring
your imagination, maybe something fun to eat while you're playing, and be ready to have fun.

Characters
The first thing you need to do when playing is build your character. My preference is to do this
all together with the entire group. It only takes a few minutes really, and it's a great way to set the
mood before starting; plus that way you can be sure you understand what it is that the GM will expect
of your character and make him accordingly, as well as plan the party together with the other players.
However, some groups prefer to make their characters ahead of time and arrive already ready to hit
the ground running. In reality, both are just fine if it suits the needs of the gamemaster.
The following section of the rulebook will walk you through creating a character step by step.
This is probably the only time you need to refer to the rulebook during actual play (again; unless
you're the GM) but it's easiest done if you have this rule-book and a character sheet ready to go and
follow along as you read.
Header. First off, spell out some of the very basic details of your character at the top of the
sheet. What's his name? What does he look like? How old is he? At this early stage of character
creation, you probably also want to think about the concept of who your character is, much as an
author coming up with a quick and dirty profile of a character he will use in a novel or screenplay. You
don't have to come up with a long or detailed backstory (I certainly don't encourage it, although if you
like to do that kind of thing, knock yourself out. Just don't throw a fit if you spend all that time on a
character backstory only to have him killed in the first half hour of play) but these kinds of early
thoughts should also lead you towards what the race and class choices you will make are likely to be,
as well as getting you to think about how you will assign your stats.
Generate Stats. "Stats" is a shorthand term for three scores, or statistics, that your character
will have. These basic scores give a quick, simple and abstract number that quantifies some of your
innate traits and capabilities. The three stats are Strength (abbreviated STR), Dexterity (DEX) and Mind
(MND.) Your STR score describes how tough and strong you are physically, while your DEX score
describes your reflexes, hand-eye coordination, agility and speed. Your MND score speaks to your
intelligence, wisdom, personal magnetism, and other traits that have less to do with your physical
body and more to do with your presence or wits.
Stats are, by design, quite generic and abstract, and describe innate traits. Skills, on the other
hand, while also fairly generic and abstract, will describe abilities that you have learned, practiced and
developed. If the GM decides that there is some inherent risk in a task you have elected to do, he will
have you make a "check" to see if you are successful. Most of the time, these checks will consist of
rolling a d20, taking the result of that roll, adding to it your Stat bonus and your Skill bonus, and
comparing the result to a target number, which by tradition is called a Difficulty Class (DC.)
Generating the score of a stat is a little bit convoluted, but the range of numbers is traditional,
and I have elected not to buck tradition here too much. Roll a d8 four times. Ignore the lowest roll on
the four dice. Subtract 4 from each of the three remaining numbers, which will turn them into three
scores with a range of -3 to +4. The average should be about +1 or so, although of course it may vary.
If you are quite a bit lower than this your GM may allow you to reroll these scores, if you're not whiny

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about it. Some GMs, on the other hand, feel that playing with the hand the dice deal you is part of the
fun.
For these scores, higher is better. Assign the scores to your stats as you see fit, to best fit the
concept of your character (for example, if you envision your character as a scholarly or quick-witted
fellow, put your highest score in MND—if you picture instead a big, athletic bruiser, you probably want
to put your highest score in STR.) If your STR score ever falls to -5, your character dies. If your DEX
score ever falls to -5, your character is completely immobile and cannot move at all. If your MND score
ever falls to -5, then your character is brain dead and effectively removed permanently from play.
HARDCORE MODE: If using the Hardcore Mode optional rules, you still roll your stats the same way,
but you do not roll four of them, pick the best three, and assign to taste. For extra hardcore, don’t
assign to taste; put them in the order that you rolled them.
ALTERNATIVE RULE: If you want, you can pick the “default array” of stats instead of rolling them. The
default array includes a -1, a +1 and a +3. That’s a fairly generous array, but you cannot decide to use
this after rolling. You pick one method and stick with it. You cannot use this alternative if using the
Hardcore Mode option.
Pick Race. Pick a race for your character. The races that are available are listed below. The
game may vary in terms of what is available, depending on decisions your GM has made prior to the
start of play. While all of the races are part of the Dark Fantasy X setting, by a long shot, humans are
the most common race across the entire setting, and sometimes the other races simply aren’t known
at all in some regions.
• Human: +1 to all skills. Humans are, of course, the baseline. All of us know what a human
is. Humans in this setting may belong to one of several ethnicities, but the mechanics for
using them remain the same regardless. Due to their variability and flexibility compared to
the other races, all humans gain a +1 bonus to all skills.
• Atlanteans: +1 to DEX and Stealth affinity. Atlanteans, or Wendaks in their own language,
are the original inhabitants of the area where the protagonist nations are, and some of
them still linger deep in the wilds and woods that are lightly settled by the other races.
They look human enough, albeit exotic: short and dark, with bright blue eyes, and a
primitive technological material culture. Never very common to begin with, they have not
prospered in competition for the land with other more recent arrivals.
• Orc: +2 to STR. Orcs are similar to humans, but with an olive drab to gray skin and a more
robust, muscular build; orcs are famously stereotyped (correctly, to be fair) as savage and
barbaric and not particularly intelligent. They are sometimes prized as neighbors for their
ability to outdo others in manual labor. While they mostly come from and still live in their
own homeland of Gunaakt (outside of the scope of the setting), some few have spread to
other lands.
• Goblin: Small, often perceived of by others as ugly and untrustworthy, goblins are a
different phenotype or subspecies related to the orcs, and share the same homeland as
they do. They usually have a greenish or brownish leathery skin, wide faces, pointed teeth,
and average 3-4 feet tall. They are rangy and wiry most of the time. +1 DEX and a +2 to
the Subterfuge skill.
• Hyperborean: Racial affinity for Stealth, +1 to Athletics and +1 to Knowledge. These
characters are exiles from long-lost Hyperborea. They have exotically pale gray-colored
skin, and white or silvery hair and eyes, and are altogether almost completely colorless.

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 Many speak in a voice that sounds like a rasping whisper. They mostly live in the city-state
of Lomar, or in the even further to the north, but pressure from invading Inutos in their
original homeland has caused more of them to be seen in the lands to the south.
• Jann: The jann have brick-red skin, but pale blond hair and piercing yellow eyes, and are
usually hot-headed and passionate in their personality as a result of, they claim, their
distant ifrit ancestry. The jann gain a +1 to any 2 skills, and also have the fire strike ability;
they can infuse one attack per day with the power of the ifrit and their weapon will burst
into flame doing an additional 2d6 damage for 1 combat. They hail from the northwestern
part of the setting, and their original homeland is further north, beyond the scope of the
setting as detailed. In the past they have had vast empires that stretched over much of the
territory now occupied by others.
• Kemling: Like the jann, the kemlings have an exotic admixture in their ancestry, in this case
with a daemonic twist. In the past, they had powerful Imperial polities in the mountains to
the West. Those days are past, and the old kemling empire, Baal Hamazi, is now a
balkanized land of warring city-states and primitive villages and tribes. Many kemlings
have fled the turmoil in their homeland and now live elsewhere as part of a massive
kemling diaspora. Kemlings have soot-dark skin, tiny horns poking up through their hair,
and yellow "predator" eyes (think of Nightcrawler from the X-men with Darth Maul horns
poking through his hair). Kemlings gain +1 to DEX, a racial affinity for Stealth, and the
ability to see in the dark with a biological equivalent to night vision goggles.
• Seraphim: The seraphim, or seraphs, claim that their exotic ancestry is angelic, and they do
look the part, with beautiful, well-proportioned bodies, pale skin, silver-white hair, chrome
eyes and clear voices. However, if angels left progeny amongst mortals, then they must, by
definition, be fallen angels… A seraph gains a +1 to MND and a +1 to Knowledge and
Communication. They are rare enough that they don’t have any specific homelands or
communities, but live among others.
• Woodwose: The woodwoses were, according to legend, once werewolves, but the power
of their lycanthropic "gifts" faded over generations, until they became merely a race of
hardy outdoorsmen with a few bestial physical features and abilities. They are a bit larger
than humans on average, and often walk with a stoop, sometimes putting a hand to the
ground as they move. They are covered in short brownish hair, or even fur, and have
yellow wolf-like eyes, as well as pointed ears and teeth. Their nails are often almost claw-
like and they rarely wear shoes or boots. Woses gain +3 to their STR, -1 to MND, +1 to their
Survival Skill, and -1 to their Communication skill.
Pick Class. There are five basic classes available to choose from. Classes represent a character's
profession and learned aptitudes. They are adventuring archetypes that are iconic, yet flexible enough
to enable a wide variety of interpretations. In some games, you can "multi-class"—that is, take
abilities from more than one class per character. In this game on the other hand, the class benefits are
not so great that that is necessary, and any character can be competent across multiple activities,
making the need for multi-classing obsolete. Class benefits are relatively modest, and apply
immediately at character creation, but do not lock your character into an archetypal strait-jacket from
which they cannot evolve or develop as the game unfolds. The five classes are Fighter, Rogue,
Outdoorsman, Expert, and Shadow Sword.

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• Fighter: Fighters add +3 to their Athletics skill, and +1 to all Attack and Damage rolls. This
increases to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 8th level.
• Rogue: Rogues add +3 to their Subterfuge skill, and can make a Sneak Attack to add their
Subterfuge bonus to their attack and damage roll in an attack. This can usually only be done
when the opponent is unaware of the location of the rogue, as when the rogue sneaks up on
his victim, or when he attacks someone who's already engaged in combat with someone else
and therefore distracted. If the rogue is clearly seen before a combat starts, this will obviously
be problematic, and the rogue will have to attempt some kind of distracting maneuver to use
this ability. Sneaking is usually done by making a Subterfuge + DEX check opposed by his
opponent's own Subterfuge + MND check.
• Outdoorsman: Many people in this setting make their living in the wilderness. An outdoorsman
gains +3 to his Survival skill, and gains a +1 to hit with ranged weapons. They can also gain an
animal companion of HD 1. At 4th level, they can upgrade this to an animal companion of HD 2
or less, at 8th level to HD 3. (For an explanation of HD, see below in the Monsters section of
this document. You can advance the same animal or give the Outdoorsman a new animal
companion, as he wishes.) This animal is not just an extension of the character, and although
you can usually tell it to do what you want, occasionally the GM will intercede if you're
attempting to have the animal do something unreasonable. Note that this doesn't mean that
animals can't display loyalty, including risking their lives for their master.
• Expert: Experts get two Affinities and +3 to their Knowledge skill. An affinity is a broad area of
expertise, and any task (subject to GM approval) that falls under the heading of this affinity can
be re-rolled if it fails the first time. A number of sample Affinities is listed here: Healing,
Craftsmanship, Ancient Lore, Investigation, Deception, Sorcery, Wilderness Survival, Acrobatics.
Others could be devised too, but this list already runs the risk of being a bit too specialized—I
wouldn't recommend it. At 3rd level, Experts gain another Affinity, and then again at 6th and
9th. Normally, an Expert would take a new Affinity, but if for some reason a player wants to
take the same Affinity again (thus giving himself a second chance to re-roll it) then there's no
reason not to let him. He's sacrificing the ability to be more flexible to increase his chance of
being successful on something that's obviously very important to him. You will notice that
there is no Combat Affinity. You can never use an Affinity to re-roll an attack or damage roll.
This is true even for spell attack and damage rolls and the Sorcery Affinity. It can, however be
used to re-roll the checks to save against Sanity loss (MND damage), or any number of other
rolls, but not magical attack or damage rolls. Affinities also can only be used to re-roll rolls that
the Expert character with the Affinity makes. They cannot be used to force or allow re-rolls
that another character has made, including non-player characters.
• Shadow Sword: This is a rare finding in the setting; representing a character who has learned
to manifest a supernatural, shadowy weapon out of thin air. Because the abilities of the
Shadow Sword don’t exactly match up with the major and minor abilities listed above, the
Shadow Sword is not a customizable class.
o Shadow Blade: Gains combat bonus advantages to attack and damage (as per the
Fighter class), but only when using a shadow sword; a weapon of pure shadow
substance that can be summoned at a moment's notice. (Note that the weapon doesn’t
have to be a “sword” and can be represented by any of the weapons listed in the

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 Equipment section below.) Also, any unarmored character with this ability can add ½ of
his character level to his armor class (AC) (rounded down.)
o Shadow Swords also can cloak themselves in Shadow, which makes them difficult to
spot. When doing so, they gain a class bonus of +3 to any Subterfuge + DEX checks.
Classes can be customized. Three of the base classes presented above have a major and a
minor class ability; the Outdoorsman has three minor class abilities. The abilities of the Shadow
Sword don’t quite match up to those of the other classes, so it is not a customizable class. Otherwise,
however, you can easily mix and match different minor abilities to customize your class, and even (if
you wish) give it a different label. As with the Outdoorsman, instead of using one major and one
minor, you can also combine three minor abilities to create a custom class.
The major class abilities that define each class are as follows:
• The attack and damage bonus associated with the Fighter (+1 to Attack and Damage; increases
to +2 at 4th level, and +3 at 8th level.)
• The sneak attack associated with the Rogue.
• The two affinities associated with the Expert.
The minor class abilities that can be switched are as follows:
• A +3 skill bonus to any skill.
• 1 affinity as per the Expert class, although when used as a minor ability, you only ever get the
one, not two, and not a progression as you level up.
• An additional +1 to attack and damage with ONE weapon type (the Outdoorsman comes with
this in Ranged weapons.)
• An animal companion as per the Outdoorsman.
A few examples of customized classes, not meant to be exhaustive:
• A sorcerer or witch could be made by combining a single affinity (Sorcery) with an animal
companion (a familiar!) and +3 to the Knowledge skill to better learn spells.
• An assassin or sniper could be created by using the Fighter’s combat bonus plus the
Outdoorsman’s bonus to Ranged Weapons. On the other hand, if you took another weapon
type, you could make him a duelist, gladiator or weapons-master.
• A ranger could be created by using the Fighter’s combat bonus with an animal companion. A
scout could be a slight variation on the Outdoorsman where instead of +3 to Survival, he has
an affinity for Wilderness Survival.
• The wizard or mage could be created by taking the Expert’s major affinity (but selecting
Sorcery every single time) and a familiar.
Calculate Hit Points. Your maximum hit point score for all characters, regardless of class, is
generated by using the STR score plus 5. Hit points indicate how much damage a character can take
before being too injured to continue. Your maximum hit points, when uninjured, can never be
surpassed, except possibly under the influence of a magical effect (which will usually be temporary.)
However, when injured, you will lose hit points. If, for example, your character is hit by a duelist
against whom he is fighting and takes 7 points of damage, your current hit points will be reduced to 7
below maximum. It won't stay that way; characters do heal lost hit points, but even so, it never will go
above his maximum hit point total. When you move from 1st to 2nd level (and every additional level
gained thereafter) your character’s maximum hit point total will increase by 2.
HARDCORE MODE: To generate hit points for Hardcore Mode, just use your STR score without
the +5. You still gain 2 hit points upon leveling like normal.

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 Characters who, for whatever reason, reach 0 hit points or lower, collapse into
unconsciousness and shock, and are at risk of imminent death. When in this state, the character must
succeed on a check of his STR + character level, DC 20 every round or die. Even assuming that he
passes this check, the next round, he will have to make this same check again if something hasn’t been
done to stabilize or heal him. Naturally, it behooves the rest of the group to "stabilize" the character
before he dies, while he is still unconscious and in shock. Another character can attempt to administer
quick and dirty first aid by taking a round, while adjacent to wounded character, and making a MND +
Knowledge check, DC 15. This represents very minimal bandaging or other first aid, and the character
will be stabilized, and will no longer be at risk of near-term death (unless, of course, he takes more
damage while unconscious and starts the process over again) but the character will not at this point
regain any lost hit points, and he remains unconscious, and it takes the tending character’s full action
for the turn to do so.
HARDCORE MODE: No doubt you saw this one coming. Once you reach 0 hit points or below,
you die. There’s no save, stabilization, etc. You just die. However, as an option, the GM may allow this
to be a mortal wound rather than an instant death. You are still unable to act, as you’re laying on the
ground bleeding out or otherwise dying, but once the combat is over, your character gets to have a
deathbed confession, last words, or Boromir death scene moment before it all fades to black. If you’d
rather focus on a more “grimdark” attitude, this doesn’t happen, however—characters just die
instantly when reaching 0 hp.
Even in Hardcore Mode, however, a player can spend a Heroism point (see below) to turn a
death into a “near death” experience at the last minute. When spending a Heroism point in this way,
your character is still out of the action, as if dead, but when the combat scene is over, he reverts to 0
hit points and is hovering in a semi-conscious state and can be revived by another character.
Skills. Skills are trained or learned specialties, although they are very broad like stats are. As
stated earlier, most tasks that a character will undertake are done by combining the stat bonus that is
most applicable and the skill bonus that is most applicable, adding that total to the result of a d20 roll,
and comparing it to a target difficulty class (DC). If you match or beat the DC, you are successful, if you
do not, you fail the check and the results are determined by the GM. A standard difficulty task has a
target of 15, while an extra challenging task can be 20, 25 or even higher. There is no "system" for
determining DCs, the GM makes one up that he feels is appropriate for the task at hand, accounting
for any conditions or factors that might make it easier or more difficult (for example, poor visibility,
poor footing, etc.) Few rolls lower than standard difficulty are worth bothering with; GMs should just
assume that characters are successful rather than making them roll except in unusual circumstances.
In some situations, rather than applying a skill, a level check might be made. In this case, the
bonus that you apply is simply your character level. This is done in unusual situations in which none of
the five skills really apply, but generic experience should provide some kind of bonus (a good example
is resisting the effects of a supernatural attack or magical spell, which is usually a MND + level check.)
Which skill applies in all given situations is impossible to determine in so brief a rulebook (nor
is it desirable to do so), so GM interpretation will feature heavily. The five skills are as follows:
• Athletics – the ability of the character to perform physical feats, such as running, throwing
something, maintaining balance, etc. Most often combined with either STR or DEX in task
resolution, depending on which is more applicable.
• Communication – the ability of the character to interact with other non-player characters
(NPCs) successfully. This could involve giving a rousing speech or debate, the use of diplomacy

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 to convince someone to give you what you want, or the ability to write a revolutionary
pamphlet that will inflame the passion of the populace. Usually combined with MND in task
resolution, but there could be exceptions.
• Knowledge – the ability of a character to demonstrate or research esoteric knowledge. This
isn't necessarily conferred via formal education, but it does represent how well the character
has accumulated facts, techniques and details about the world around him, and how well the
character is able to retain this information and access it when needed. Usually combined with
MND to accomplish a variety of non-physical tasks.
• Subterfuge – the ability of the character to operate without another NPC or monster being
aware of them and their intentions. While this includes sneaking around quietly (Subterfuge +
DEX) it can also include a variety of Subterfuge + MND checks to do things like create a forgery
or disguise, or deliver a convincing lie. A Subterfuge + MND check can also indicate how aware
a character is, and if they are able to spot hidden details, or someone else trying to sneak up
on them!
• Survival – the ability of the character to fend for himself in the environment. This is especially
applicable in the wild, where a character may want to do things like track the spoor of
something he is hunting, forage for berries and nuts (or other edible plants), build shelter and
fires, cover the tracks of his own group so that they're not easily followed, avoid getting lost, or
even interact successfully with potentially dangerous wildlife (i.e., intimidate a bear into not
attacking, etc.) This wide variety of tasks means that Survival can be paired with any of the
three stats, depending on the situation. Many of these outdoorsy tasks can also be adapted to
life in urban environments, of course, as needed, in which case this same skill would still be
used.
The character's skill bonus for every skill is equal to his character level + any skill bonus granted
by class or race. For example, a 4th level Human fighter would have an Athletics skill of 4 (because he's
4th level) + 1 to all skills as a human racial trait, and +3 as a Fighter class trait, for a +8 total.
To Hit Scores. There are three To Hit scores. These are used mostly in combat situations. They
operate very similar to Skills; they could perhaps be called specialized combat skills. The first is Melee
To Hit, and represents the ability you have to successfully hit (and damage) an opponent with or
without a weapon in hand to hand combat. It is calculated by adding your STR modifier to your
character level, plus any class based bonus you may have (such as the Fighter's bonus.) When added
to a d20 roll, this is the modifier you will use to attack an opponent in hand to hand combat. The
Ranged To Hit represents your ability to throw or shoot a weapon. It is calculated the same way,
except that instead of using your STR modifier, you will use your DEX modifier. Do the same for the
Magic To Hit, using MND. Keep in mind that characters may not always have the means to make a
certain kind of attack (this is especially applicable to Magic attacks, where characters most likely do
not have any access to magic at the beginning of the game.) But make a note of it anyway; you never
know what may happen in the course of the game!
Sanity. Sanity is a special application of the MND stat that gives the game almost as much of a
horror setting tone on occasion as an adventuring fantasy setting. Sanity checks come into play when
your character is faced by intrusions into your mind or particularly horrible sights or revelations. This is
particularly applicable when casting spells, since doing so is a perversion of natural law, and the
human mind is ill-equipped to use magic.

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 If your GM requests a Sanity check, roll 1d20 and add your character level and MND score. If
you are below the target DC for the roll, roll an additional 1d6 and consult the table below:
Roll Result
1 Going to be OK, but noticeably shaken up. No mechanical effect.
2 PC has a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls of any kind (except related to running away) until the end of the scene.
3 PC has a -4 penalty to all d20 rolls of any kind (except related to running away) until the end of the scene.
4 Afflicted with hysterical emotional outburst. Unable to attack or cast spells until the end of the scene.
5 Faints of shock until the end of the scene.
6 Catatonic with despair. Cannot attack, speak or cast spells; must be led by allies for the rest of the day.
The main reason that a character would make a Sanity check involves the use of magic,
although some extremely unearthly monsters (especially daemons) or other unusual circumstances
can spark a Sanity check as well. If a character ever rolls a natural 1 on the Sanity check, he will receive
a permanent mark on his psyche. This plays out as greater susceptibility to future sanity check failure,
and the character will receive a -1 to all future sanity checks. Mark this detail in the character notes
for future reference. If he rolls another natural 1 on another check in the future, he will have an
additional -1. Once his penalty to sanity reaches -3, it will completely overwhelm his MND score, and
the character becomes permanently insane. This is—for all practical purposes—equivalent to a
character dying, as an insane character is no longer playable.
Equipment. Adventurers live and die by their equipment. Equipment comes in three
categories: weapons, armor and other. Weapons and armor have specific qualities that impact the
character’s performance in combat. Other equipment can be used mostly in ways that are self-
explanatory.
All equipment has a cost. The basic unit of currency is the noble (nb), also known as a gold
piece (gp). Some of the equipment on the Other section is really cheap; in those cases you can use
shillings (sh) also known as a silver (sp) to purchase it, or even pennies (pf) also known as a copper
(cp). Each gold is worth ten silver, and each silver is worth ten copper.
All weapons also have a damage type, which indicates which dice you would roll when
determining damage if you hit an opponent with that weapon. Armor has a bonus to Armor Class that
it confers. Other equipment shows only a cost .
Both weapons and armor are simplified into categories, and all items of a given category
behave identically in terms of game rules. This may be more streamlined than you are used to in other
games, but I don't see the value of bogging down what is meant to be a brief document of simple
rules with long equipment lists. Some examples of typical varieties of armor or weapons in each
category is given, but by and large, you can use any type of weapon you can imagine, and with the
buy-in of your GM, you can categorize it as you see fit. All of the game information related to it (cost,
damage, etc.) will be unchanged. Some few weapons (such as daggers) can be light weapons and
thrown weapons, but the cost and damage should be the same. Any thrown weapons can no longer
be used in any given combat unless the character has a chance to retrieve it.
Ranged weapons also have a range listed in their description. Any distance beyond this range is
considered long range, and any To Hit rolls will be assessed with a penalty of at least -2 by your GM,
depending on how far away it is. Some targets are simply too far away for there to be any chance at
hitting them, in which case, all attempts to attack automatically fail.

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 Armor (and shields) offer an armor bonus to your Armor Class (AC) but limits the amount of
DEX bonus that you can receive to AC because it makes you less able to dodge; the armor hampers
somewhat your movement, or tires you more easily because of its weight.
Although characters may find equipment, or be given equipment by patrons or friends,
throughout the course of the game, mostly they have to buy what they want. Most of the items listed
here (with the possible exception of weapons and armor) are reasonably common and can be
assumed that any type of town or city will accommodate the entire list of equipment in some shop or
specialist vendor's stall somewhere (although it may be "on back order" for smaller towns whose dry
goods stores don't necessarily keep everything in stock all of the time.) Smaller villages and hamlets
might be much more limited. As always, the GM may rule otherwise as he interprets the setting of
your game.
In addition to whatever money a character finds throughout his career as an adventurer, all
characters start with 20 + (3d6 x 5) nobles with which to equip the character before the game begins.
Take a moment as part of creating your character to equip him with whatever gear you feel you need
to start.
ALTERNATIVE RULE: For some campaigns, a more swashbuckling approach may be preferred,
and you may not want to encourage the use of armor. In this case, reduce the wealth given at
character creation to 20 + (2d6 x 3). To calculate armor class, use the character’s Melee To Hit bonus
and add it to 10 instead of your DEX bonus and Armor bonus.
HARDCORE MODE: Hardcore mode characters only get 3d6 nobles to outfit themselves.
Honestly, that’s not even that hardcore. Be happy that you have that much!
Some games also feature weight and encumbrance rules. I've elected to ignore that, and
assume that you are able to utilize some common sense in terms of what you are able to carry on your
person at any given time—but if you use the optional travel rules in Appendix II, be sure that you do
utilize some common sense on what is reasonable to carry! There are also no wealth per level
guidelines, or anything else like that. It is not a feature of any game that I'll ever run that the
acquisition of vast amounts of wealth is likely to be a major goal or activity anyway. Cold iron or silver
weapons are usually not for sale, but can be commissioned at an additional cost of +20 and +100 nb
respectively.
Weapon Type
• Unarmed - cost is free, damage is 1d4
• Light (daggers, tomahawks, etc.) - cost is 5 nb, damage is 1d6
• Medium (swords, axes, etc.) - cost is 12 nb, damage is 1d8
• Heavy (two-handed swords, two-handed ax, etc.) - cost is 20 nb, damage is 1d10. Cannot use
shields with this size weapon, as they typically take both hands to use properly.
• Thrown (daggers, tomahawks, etc.) - cost is 5 nb, damage is 1d6. Range is 50 feet (no
increments; it's either in range or not.)
• Ranged (Bow and arrows, crossbow, etc.) - cost is 40 nb, damage is 1d8. Range is 500 ft.
Assume unlimited ammunition (as per most action movies! It won't break the game because
combats never last more than a few rounds anyway and tracking arrows is tedious.)
Armor Type
• Light (padded cloth, leather, etc.) - cost is 10 nb, Armor bonus to AC is +2, max DEX +3
• Medium (chainmail or breastplate) - cost is 50 nb, Armor bonus to AC is +4, max DEX +2
• Heavy (full suit of plate armor) - cost is 250 mb, Armor bonus to AC is +6, max DEX +1

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 • Light shield (buckler or wooden shield) - cost is 10 nb, Armor bonus to AC is +1
• Heavy shield (kite shield or fully metal shield) - cost is 15 nb, Armor bonus to AC is +2
You can calculate your armor class once you have purchased any armor that you may buy. Your
Armor Class (AC) is determined by adding 10 + your DEX + your armor bonus (including any
bonus for a shield). If, for example, you were playing a 3rd level Outdoorsman, who can use (and
owns) medium armor, and had a DEX bonus of +2, your AC would be 10 + 2 (your DEX bonus) + 4 (the
armor bonus for wearing medium armor) for a total of 16—a respectable AC that will protect you from
the attacks of many opponents. Not that as noted above, wearing armor may limit your dexterity and
give you a max DEX bonus, even if your DEX score is high enough to merit a larger bonus.
Other Equipment Crowbar—2 nb
Backpack—20 sh Fishhook—1 sh
Basket—15 sh Fishing net, 25 square feet—4 nb
Barrel—2 nb Flask—3 sh
Bedroll—1 sh Flint and steel—1 nb
Bell—1 nb Grappling hook—1 nb
Winter blanket—5 sh Hammer—50 sh
Block and tackle—5 nb Ink (1 ounce vial)—8 nb
Glass bottle—2 nb Inkpen—1 sh
Bucket—20 sh Ladder, 10 foot—2 nb
Caltrops—1 nb Lamp—10 sh
Candle—1 pf Hooded lantern—12 nb
Canvas (per square yard)—1 sh Lock—40 nb
Chain (10 ft.)—30 sh Manacles—15 nb
Chalk—1 pf Mirror, steel hand-held—10 nb
Chest—2 nb Parchment (sheet)—2 sh
Clothing, artisans—1 nb Miner’s pick—3 nb
Clothing, priest’s vestments—5 nb Pole, 10-foot—2 sh
Clothing, cold weather outfit—8 nb Iron pot—5 sh
Clothing, courtier’s outfit—30 nb Rope, 50-foot—10 nb
Clothing, entertainer’s outfit—3 nb Sealing wax—1 nb
Clothing, explorer’s outfit—10 nb Signet ring—5 nb
Clothing, noble’s outfit—75 nb Spade or shovel—25 sh
Clothing, peasant’s outfit—1 sh Spyglass—100 nb
Clothing, royal outfit—200 nb Tent—5 nb
Clothing, scholar’s outfit—5 nb Torch—1 pf
Clothing, traveler’s outfit—1 nb Waterskin—50 pf
Characters may also buy other goods and services, such as mounts, animals, hirelings, meals,
stays at inns, etc. In general, these costs are either relatively ephemeral transactions (drinks, meals,
stays at inns) in which case they should be fairly cheap—very rarely even as much as a single gold—or
they are unusual and unique (a horse to ride, legal services, a porter to carry your stuff, etc.) in which
case they should be "quoted" to you uniquely by the GM rather than spelled out here.
Heroism Points. Heroism points represent a character's determination and their importance to
the forces of fate (i.e., the game and the GM.) A character gets one heroism point per session to start
with. However, the GM may (and should!) decide to give extra Heroism points to characters who do

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something particularly exciting, interesting, harrowing, or entertaining. These points and the one you
start with can be saved to be used later during the session, or spent immediately. Heroism points do
not carry over from session to session; they must be used in the session in which they are granted, or
they are lost (although the next session will give you a new Heroism point to spend again.) Heroism
points can be used to add a +10 to any d20 roll that the character makes. It can also be used as a
"healing surge;" to instantly heal 2d6+2 hit points as needed, or they can be used to turn a character
death in to a “near death experience” as described in the hit points section.
HARDCORE MODE: Hardcore mode players don’t start with any heroism points, but they can
be earned through play as described above.
When your Heroism points are completely spent, they are gone for the rest of game session. A
character's Heroism points are restored to their starting amount at the beginning of a game session.
Heroism points can be noted any way that works for you, but my preference is with counters that are
returned to the GM when spent. Any type of counter will work—small paper chits, poker chips, potato
chips, pennies, etc. My favorite are novelty pirate coins, just because they look cooler than beans or
poker chips.
Character Links. As soon as your character is finished mechanically, write a small blurb; no
more than two or three sentences, about an adventure of some kind that happened to him in the
past. Every character will do this. Make three copies; one for yourself, and two that you fold up and
put in a cup or hat or other container. Every player will draw two character's backstories out of the
cup (or hat or whatever.) If you get your own character, or the same character twice, put them back
until you have two other characters. Read their past adventure blurbs to yourself.
Then, write a sentence or two about how your character was involved in these other
characters' adventures. Every player shares the adventures he has with the entire group. The purpose
of this is to create a web of interconnectedness, past history, and relationships between the various
characters, and you've got a strong footing right off the bat to start a campaign and explain why your
group is all in this together. It also gives a lot of roleplaying opportunities that have proven out as
great fun in playtests.
Sample Character Generation: Mike sits down to create a character with his friends to start a
game. Looking over the header section of the character sheet, he decides that he wants to make a
Viking-like adventurer named Ottvar; rough, tough, and good with a sword. He fills in some
descriptive details, and then rolls up his three stats: a +1, a +4 (w00t!) and a 0. Given what he
imagines Ottvar to be like, he clearly needs to put the +4 in STR, and he assigns the +1 to MND and the
0 to DEX. Not a bad set of rolls; Ottvar has no penalties, and although two of his stats have either no
bonus or only a modest one, his STR score is as good as it gets.
Although Mike flirts momentarily with the notion of using the Outdoorsman class to represent
Ottvar, he ultimately decides that he's more of a warrior than a hunter, so he chooses Fighter. At this
point, Mike can go further down the character sheet filling in more detail as he goes. His Hit Points are
equal to his STR score + 5, so he writes in 9. He skips Armor Class for now, since he hasn't yet equipped
Ottvar, but he fills in all of his skills. Because he's first level, his base skill bonus for all skills is +1, but
he gets an additional +1 to all skills because he's a human, and another additional +3 to Athletics
because he's a Fighter. For Athletics, his skill bonus is +5, where for all of the other skills, it will be +2.
His Melee To Hit is going to be his STR modifier (+4) plus his level (+1) plus an additional +1 as a
Fighter bonus, so it will be +6—a rather fearsome score for a first level character! His Ranged to Hit is
the same, except that it uses his DEX modifier (0) instead of his STR modifier, so the total is only +2.

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His Magic To Hit score is +3. Mike is now ready to equip his character for adventure! He rolls a total of
5 on his 3d6 wealth roll; a low score, but he still multiples that by 5 and adds it to 20 for a total
equipment budget of 45; probably sufficient to get what he needs to at least start. Keeping in mind his
notion of creating a fantasy analog of the Germanic warrior, he decides on a nice pattern-welded
sword (a medium weapon) and a padded shirt of mail and a buckler complete the ensemble; light
armor and a light shield. He has spent 32 gold pieces of his 45 total, so more than half, but he can
now go in and fill out his Armor Class—starting with 10, and getting no bonus for his DEX, but adding
+2 for his mail shirt and an additional +1 for his buckler. His AC is 13 for now.
He can also fill in his weapons table at the bottom of the first column, writing in his sword. The
damage is 1d8 for the sword, but he needs to remember to add his STR modifier (+4) plus his fighter
bonus (+1) to all damage, making the entry read 1d8+5.
He spends some more of his money on equipment that he figures will be crucial for an
adventuring career: a backpack, a winter blanket to sleep in, flint and steel, a cold weather outfit of
clothing as well as a traveler's outfit (he won't look nice when presented to important company, but he
has to make do on a budget for now) as well as a small iron pot to cook in, a rope, a tent and two
waterskins. He writes all of these down, calculates how much money he's spent, and writes the
remainder in his wealth boxes—a little bit for a rainy day, and to make sure he doesn't starve as the
game starts! He'd like to have some nicer clothes to make himself presentable to various functionaries
over time, and he'd like to have a pack horse to carry his stuff, and maybe another horse to ride. He’d
also like heavier armor and a francisca or throwing ax to complete his ensemble, but he'll have to wait
until he's earned or found some more money before he attempts to buy any of those things.
Finally, Mike doesn't have any spells yet (neither do any of the other players, but in Mike's case,
he doesn't intend to pursue that option anyway) and he writes down his Fighter class bonus and
Human race bonus in the Notes section. They're already figured into the numbers, but he wants to
make sure that he remembers them in the future. He decides for his Character Link story that he
wants to focus on something that just happened earlier in the day; "Ottvar arrived in town as a
caravan guard with the train of the merchant Marvolo the Fat yesterday. While he was supposed to
continue south with them today, while in town he got rip-roaring drunk at the Slippery Eel tavern and
got in a friendly fight with several other patrons. He woke up, dirty and hung over, in an alley late in
the morning to find that the caravan had already moved on without him. Lucky to have escaped being
robbed, he brushes himself off and heads back to the tavern, hoping to find rumors of further work."
After putting Ottvar’s story into the pot, he draws out two other characters from the group; Manoel
Vaz do Camões, a Tarushan nobleman who's down on his luck and penniless whose story involves
attempting to seduce a rich merchant's wife to fund his lifestyle, and Angus Reidhaid, a wanderer from
the Hill Country who, after helping a passing traveler escape from a trap set by a band of orc brigands,
decides to see more of the world. Mike decides that Ottvar was briefly Manoel’s partner, and that he
was meant to rob the merchant's treasure while Manoel distracted her in her boudoir, but it all went
wrong, and the two of them had to flee town hidden in a haywain. He also decides that he was the
traveler Angus saved, after clumsily falling into a snare set by orcs because he wasn't paying attention.
Ottvar now already knows two of the other characters and has a past with them, so when they all find
themselves sitting in the same tavern later, they'll have more of a reason to get together as an
adventuring party than "just because."

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Adventuring
If you've read this far, you've already seen pretty much how the task resolution system works,
which will solve all kinds of problems that your character may have while adventuring. You have a stat
mod and a skill bonus. When combined with a d20 roll, this is called a check and it is the building
block of the entire game, and the way in which you interact with the game world. Do not look at your
character sheet for options in what to do. The skill system is meant to be more reactive rather than
proactive. Simply describe what you want to do, and the GM will decide what kind of skill check best
models it. In many instances, he won't require any roll at all; most dialog can be modeled without
making any rolls, for instance, and so can all kinds of other activities. The point of making a roll is to
introduce an element of risk for activities that you may want to do, where the GM will come up with
consequences for failure. The skill check ensures that this isn't just arbitrary; if you want to climb a
cliff to get to the top, the GM doesn't simply decide whether or not you succeed, what he decides is
how difficult it is to do, and then allows you to roll to attempt it. If you roll high enough, you are
successful. If you do not, you may end up falling and hurting your character.
This element of risk is a big part of what makes the game fun. Role-playing games are not
equivalent to just sitting around telling a story collaboratively together; it's also a game, after all. The
brief momentary anxiety of wondering if the roll is going to come up high enough for you to have
succeeded creates dramatic tension and excitement. Don't fall into the trap of personalizing failures.
The game should be fun whether or not your character succeeds or fails in what he's trying to do. In
fact, in many cases, failures can be much more entertaining than successes.
There is room for some creativity here, though. The example above of climbing a cliff could be
a totally different check depending on how you approach it. Mike's character Ottvar would probably
just have at it and haul himself up by brute strength (a STR + Athletics check) whereas Angus Reidhaid,
a scholarly expert chasing down occult lore might rather prefer to carefully study the cliff face and
plan out a detailed route, examining every potential hand and foothold before starting, and maybe his
GM will allow him to roll a more advantageous MND + Athletics check because of his approach.
When making a d20 roll for any reason, a natural 20 is always successful, and a natural 1 is
always a failure. Natural 1s might also be “critical failures” where something even worse than simply
not accomplishing what you’re attempting to do may happen; in combat, you may drop your weapon,
or when casting a spell, you may have it backfire on you, etc.
Combat. Combat is the ultimate challenge in most role-playing games. As such, the rules for it
are more involved than the rules for other task resolution scenarios, which typically involve making a
check of your stat modifier plus your skill bonus plus a d20 roll, which must meet or beat a target
number (DC) to succeed. However, combat does follow a similar pattern. At its heart, a character
makes a To Hit roll that is similar to a check, against a target number (Armor Class, or AC) and if you
meet or beat it, you have hit and may roll damage, which your target must then take. The To Hit roll is
usually STR + character level + any class modifier + the result of a d20 roll. When using a light weapon
you may use your DEX instead of your STR if you choose. When making an attack with a ranged
weapon (instead of a close-combat, melee weapon) you must use your DEX instead of your STR. If
using some kind of magical attack, you use instead your Magic To Hit which is modified by your MND.
GMs can simplify distance between combatants by giving them one of three range increments:
engaged (in hand to hand combat,) nearby, or far. Maybe a fourth too; “too far” where you can’t
attack them with anything—out of bowshot range, basically.

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 Combat order is decided by Initiative. The only exception to this is when one group attacks
another that is for whatever reason unaware of them (or at least their hostile intentions;) in this case,
the group that is surprising the other group gets a free round of attacks before determining initiative
order at all. You determine initiative each round by rolling a d6; one for the NPC opponents and one
for the PCs. Highest rolling team goes first. If there is a tie, both groups go at the same time, and all of
their actions are resolved, even if one of the PCs, NPCs or monsters dies in the course of that round.
This entire cycle of every opponent taking a turn is called a combat round. In theory, a round lasts a
several seconds, and the actions you take during the round are somewhat abstracted (i.e., making an
attack roll does not mean one swing of the sword. It includes abstracted back and forth of blows for a
few seconds, feinting and trying to find a way past the opponent’s guard). On his turn, your opponent
may also attempt to attack you. He will make a check with his To Hit score against your Armor Class
(AC).
ALTERNATIVE RULE: Although the d6 initiative is my preference, there are a number of viable
alternatives. I’m presenting here three potential alternate initiative systems: 1) There is no initiative.
Everybody takes their action simultaneously. At the start of each combat, everyone declares what their
action will be, and then all actions are resolved. If you declare an attack against an enemy that ends
up being dead because someone else also attacked it too, too bad. This represents the tunnel vision
and fog of war that you would naturally have when engaged in a fight for your life. 2) Initiative order
is simply determined by your DEX score; combatants with the highest DEX go first, followed by the next
highest, and so on. Any ties are resolved simultaneously. 3) All combatants roll initative at the start of
combat, which is a d20 + DEX. Your initiative order is fixed for the entirety of the combat. This is my
least favorite, because it is the slowest and hardest to track.Normally, if there is more than one NPC
combatant, they all resolve their actions on the same initiative count.
If you successfully hit your opponent, you get to roll damage. Damage is determined by the
weapon type; for example, a medium weapon does 1d8 damage. Add to this your STR if it is a melee
attack, or a ranged attack where your strength would have an impact (such as a thrown weapon
attack) but not one in which you attack with a bow or similar fired weapon. This is how many hit
points worth of damage you have done to your opponent. If your attack brings the current hit point
total of your opponent to 0 or lower, then the combatant is in shock and falls unconscious and is at
risk of death (see the Hit Points section for further details). For most NPC combatants, you can simply
assume that they die, unless there is some reason the GM (or the PCs, if they make the attempt!)
would want them to stabilize. Combatants are not in any way incapacitated after being hit unless their
hit point total is 0 or lower. If your roll on a To Hit check is a natural 20, then a successful attack is a
critical hit, and will do double damage. Do not simply multiply your damage, double your STR modifier,
and roll the damage twice (so, for example, a critical hit with a medium weapon would do 2d8 damage
rather than simply 1d8 x 2.)
While there is no technical limit to what you can do in a combat round, keep in mind that it's
only a few seconds long. Your GM may rule that certain combatants are far enough away that you
can't reach them in a single round or that if you're attempting too many things that you won't be able
to do them all and you'll have to cut some back. A good rule of thumb is that if already engaged, a
character can fight for that round. If not engaged, they can move and make an attack, unless they’re
too far away in which case they can fire a weapon, or simply move farther so that they can attack in a
subsequent turn. In many combats, if the group are all standing relatively close, it is assumed that
they can move around within the combat area and still attack the foe of their choice. If opponents are

15
specifically trying to protect another combatant (like several fighters blocking access to a sorcerer, for
example) then you may have to either sneak past, or fight past any such obstacles. Other obstacles,
such as terrain, bushes, fruit carts, etc. that may infringe upon your freedom of movement are
similarly up to the GM to adjudicate. He may require using the task resolution system by making
checks to do certain things that you attempt, and if the combat area is complex, he may make a quick
sketch of it so you can see where things are.
Sorcerers may wish to cast spells in combat. Targeting an opponent with a spell works exactly
like targeting one with any other kind of attack, although the stat used is not DEX nor STR but MND.
Combat continues until all of the combatants on a given "side" are defeated (0 hit points or
less), or they have managed to flee the combat, or one side gives up and surrenders. Position in
combat is also abstracted, and there is no combat grid, or tactical positioning supported by the rules.
The GM should describe the scene, including answering any questions, such that questions of
positioning or tactics are clear to all participants (i.e., if you can't reach an opponent in melee because
he's behind a wall of protectors, that should be apparent from positioning, so you don't attempt to
attack that person with a melee weapon.) Players are also similarly encouraged to find solutions more
interesting than "I attack it with my sword." Because the solutions can be anything from, "I swing in to
engage the baron on a hanging chandelier," to "I splash a bucket of oil across the floor and set it alight
with my torch," it is impossible and in fact undesirable to give too much prescriptive guidance on how
to handle these types of situations. GM's are encouraged to use the task resolution system to
determine the effects of such actions—pick the appropriate stat modifier, pick the appropriate skill
bonus, and tell the player to make a check. One great way to handle this is to allow the player
character, if he’s successfully done some kind of maneuver like this, gain advantage for the next
attack. This means that he can roll two d20s for the attack and take the better of the two rolls. If he
fails on his attempt to gain advantage (i.e., on the skill check for whatever his maneuver was) you
need to determine the effects of failure. Often this means that they are disadvantaged on their next
attack and have to roll two d20s and take the lower of the two rolls. Players are encouraged to try to
gain advantage by attempting all kinds of interesting or dynamic actions rather than simply walk up
and say, “I hit it with my sword for 4 damage.” Keep in mind that enemies might attempt these kind
of combat stunts as well!
Chases. If a character, NPC or monster attempts to flee a combat, their opponent may let them,
or may choose to give chase. To break away from combat and initiate a chase, first the one running
away must beat an opposed Athletics + DEX check. If the one running away does not beat the result of
the check of the one who is trying to prevent him from running away, he is not able to break away
from the combat cleanly and whomever he's directly engaged with automatically gets to make a free
attack against him. If he succeeds, then he runs away and the pursuer may choose to give chase. If he
does, then both opponents make opposed Athletics + DEX checks to adjudicate the chase results.
Terrain or other hazards may present a situational modifier to the check of one or more of the
opponents. For example, if the character running away attempts to knock a pile of barrels into the
path of his pursuer, that may create a disadvantage situation for the pursuer, where he has to roll two
d20s for his opposed check and take the lower of the two!
After five rounds of chasing, each combatant must make an additional Athletics + STR check
(DC 15) or become fatigued from all that running. A fatigued character can still make opposed chase
rolls, but will do so with disadvantage. (If he’s already disadvantaged for some other reason, then add
an additional -5 penalty to his check.) If the character is successful on the check, he may continue the

16
chase as normal, but will still have to roll to avoid becoming fatigued every round thereafter. Once a
character is fatigued, he will remain fatigued for the remainder of the chase. If the chase ends in
combat, a fatigued character will suffer a -2 to all To Hit and Damage rolls as well. The fatigued
condition ends when the "action scene" is over and the character has a chance to catch his breath.
Other modifiers can apply as well, determined by the GM. For example, if one character manages to
mount a willing horse or other mount, he will gain a significant bonus (+10 normally for being
mounted on a horse) to his opposed check. Monsters that are expected to be faster or slower can also
have a modifier to the chase roll, as noted in the monster section under the Speed (SPD) bonus.
The chase is over when either the character fleeing manages to get away, or the character
pursuing catches up to his opponent and the chase scene becomes, again, a combat scene between
the two of them. Normally this will happen when one of the participants in a chase scene "wins" the
opposed check by a difference of 10 or more. If the character fleeing beats the pursuer by more than
10, then he usually manages to break away and escape—unless this result make no sense, for example
a chase on a wide open plain. If the pursuer, on the other hand, wins, then he has caught up to the
one fleeing and the chase becomes a combat, following all of the rules of combat detailed above.
There are a few exceptions to this. If the environment allows, the one being chased might
manage to duck into an alley, or into a barrel, or otherwise hide and lose his pursuer by making a
Subterfuge + DEX check vs the pursuer's Subterfuge + MND check. Again; use the Skill + stat task
resolution system, interpreting the stated actions by assigning which stat and skill best apply to
resolve any other attempted actions. Apply any bonuses or penalties that the situation and
environment may suggest. It is not meant that the rules be comprehensive in how to do this, as GM
ruling and interpretation is the final arbiter in terms of how to resolve tasks.
Example of Combat and Chase. Mike's character Ottvar is alone. The group is negotiating a
tense deal with a local crime lord in the streets of glittering Simashki, and because Ottvar is not well-
liked by the crime lord's gang, he’s been sent to inspect the local horse trader's merchandise in the
meantime. While examining the horses, Ottvar is attacked by a mugger allied with the crime lord! The
mugger attempts to approach Ottvar without his intentions being known. The GM calls for Mike to
make a MND + Subterfuge check against the mugger's own DEX + Subterfuge check to sneak up on
him. Because of the press of people in the market, the GM gives the mugger a +5 bonus. His total is
23; Ottvar only rolls a 15 to counter it. Because Ottvar is going to be unaware of his approach, the
mugger makes a free attack on Ottvar with a vicious dagger thrust to kick off the fun. Ottvar is
suddenly aware of his hostile intent when three inches of steel sinks into his side. The GM tells Mike
that Ottvar takes 4 points of damage. His eyes widening, he spins and draws his sword. The two
combatants now roll initiative (DEX + d20) and Ottvar has the higher total. He gets to go first in the
combat, and decides that with a yell of fury, he's going to show that mugger who's boss. The mugger
is simply wearing street clothes, while Ottvar has a mail shirt, and the mugger's dagger looks like a
poor comparison to Ottvar's heavy pattern-welded sword. Sure enough, Mike rolls a 13. He adds to
this his To Hit bonus with the sword, which is +6, for a total of 19. This is more than enough to hit the
thief's AC of 13, so Mike gets to roll damage—1d8+5 for Ottvar because he is using a medium weapon,
has a high STR modifier and the Fighter class bonus to damage. Mike cheers as his d8 comes up with a
6—he's done 11 points of damage to an NPC that only has 12 hit points!
The mugger groans in pain and regret and turns and runs! He gets a 16 on his Athletics + DEX
check to break away from combat, which Ottvar is not able to match with a paltry 7 on his part, so the
combat has now become a chase. The high-dexterity thief is able again to beat Ottvar’s chase roll in

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the first round; but only by 4. He has managed to keep his distance, but not lose him. The thief turns
into a small street, and although he knows Ottvar will be right behind him, he thinks maybe he has an
opportunity to lose him by hiding behind a stack of barrels. He makes a DEX + Subterfuge roll to hide.
When Ottvar comes around the corner, Mike makes his own MND + Subterfuge rolls, and beats the
GM’s roll. Ottvar sees the thief and hurls his throwing ax at him. He now rolls a Ranged To Hit: he
gets a middling roll of 12 and adds his DEX modifier (0) and his Fighter bonus (+1) for a total of 13;
exactly the thief's AC, and therefore just barely a hit. Rolling a 1d6+5 damage roll will automatically,
even with a minimum roll, be enough to finish off the thief's 1 remaining hit point and take him below
zero, so the throwing ax kills the thief and ends the combat.
Other Hazards. While entering into combat with deadly weapons is clearly a hazardous
endeavor to those involved, adventurers may encounter a number of other situations on a semi-
regular basis that may be perilous to their health. By design, this system gives GMs tools with which to
make rulings as he best sees fit, but here's a few examples:
• Falling: A character takes 1d6 damage per 10 feet fallen. This can be reduced to half damage
with an Athletics + DEX check with a DC equal to the height fallen in feet, representing a
tumbling fall to avoid injury.
• Spikes: Add +3 point to the 1d6 falling damage for every 10 feet fallen if spikes or other rough
terrain is at the bottom.
• Poison: If poisoned, a character makes a level + STR check to avoid damage or for half damage,
depending on poison. A DC of 15 is a standard poison, while a more potent one may 20, 25, or
even more. The effect of the poison varies with poison type. Most do either regular damage
(i.e., they attack your hit points as if it was a successful attack) or they attack one of your stat
scores. A mild poison that leaves you feeling sick and woozy might do 1d4 STR damage, for
instance, while a much more dangerous poison might do 3d8 points of damage. Some poisons
need an antidote or other action to purge them, or they will continue to cause additional
damage over time.
• Disease: Diseases operate the same as poisons, except that they tend to be slower. Every day
that the character is not healed of the disease, he must make the same character level + STR
check or take whatever damage the disease causes. If he beats the disease DC by 10 or more,
the disease is cured. GM's may adjust that band depending on the virulence of the disease;
i.e., a minor illness might only need be beat by 5. However, if the disease really is that mild,
maybe you should think about not exposing the characters to it? Disease might be well and
good in a Medieval simulation game, but this is meant to be an action/adventure game.
• Extreme Heat & Cold: If not wearing suitable protection, make a character level + STR check
once every 10 minutes of exposure to extreme temperature (DC 15, +1 per previous check),
taking 1d6 damage on each failed save. This applies to weather—if you are hit by a fireball, for
instance, you will burn no matter what.
• Swimming and Drowning: There are no hard and fast rules for how long a character can swim
and it should be assumed that some basic swimming should be accomplished without a check,
the same way that walking or running would be. When a GM decides that they need to make
one it is Acrobatics + STR (or possibly DEX, depending on the style of swimming that a
character is attempting to describe.) When this check fails, the character becomes fatigued, as
described in the rules for Chases, and will suffer disadvantage to every subsequent d20 roll. On
subsequent failures while still swimming, a fatigued character will begin taking 1d6 points of

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 damage for every failure. This is a fairly permissive system; characters won't start drowning
until they start losing hit points, and it will probably take most characters quite some time to
actual pass out and sink below the water. This same system can be adapted if a character has
their head held underwater (opposed checks to escape) or are in an environment where other
forms of suffocation are a risk, such as in a pocket where oxygen is limited, etc.
Healing. In some cases, your stats can take damage from certain attacks or conditions (such as
poison, disease, or certain attacks.) If this happens, your stat score is immediately reduced by the
amount of the attack. Stat damage will heal and return to its normal total at a rate of 1 point of
damage removed for every overnight rest taken. If, for example, a character takes 3 points of STR
damage after being slipped a poison, it will take three nights of rest to restore it to normal. He will
have to operate the next few days with a lingering penalty to his score, but the final night of rest will
restore the last point of damage and his STR score will be back to normal.
Most healing, however, refers to the recovery of hit points after having lost them in a combat
or other type of action scene. When not in combat or other stressful environment, a character can
attempt more deliberate medical or surgical treatment. The character attempting to heal another one
makes a MND + Knowledge check (DC 20) and if successful, heals 1d4 + 2 hit points instantly. NOTE:
This can only be done once. You can't perform back to back treatment and expect to be restored to
full hit points. It can be done again if the character takes new damage, but otherwise, any remaining
missing hit points must be recovered naturally. Natural healing is accomplished by bed rest. While
undergoing a full night's rest, characters recover hit points at a rate of their level x 2 every night. If
they cannot take the time to completely heal naturally, they can still regain hit points every night, but
must operate at less than full hit points during the day until they are able to recover all of their hit
points via multiple nights' rest.
In reality, nobody likes to sit around recovering from an injury in what is supposed to be an
action-packed and exciting game (my biggest pet peeve with the novel and movie of Ivanhoe is that
he's lying around recovering from injury received at the lists of Ashby for at least half the book, maybe
more), so borrowing a convention from action movies everywhere, characters heal much more quickly
and thoroughly than in real life, so as to avoid excessive down time. Heroism points can be used to
mitigate this waiting, as noted earlier in the description of Heroism points.
Although it may not need to be said, I'll do it anyway; if you roll higher than your hit point total
on a medical treatment, you still don't go up above that. Your maximum hit points is your maximum,
until you gain more by advancing in character level. Recovering lost hit points will restore you to your
hit point total, but will not raise you above your maximum.
Level Advancement. Characters normally start at 1st level, but they may not at the GM's
discretion, and in any case, one hopes that characters who survive their adventures get better at
having them after a time. One of the fun things about playing an ongoing game is improving your
character, which because of legacy and tradition is done through levels. Gaining a level, or leveling up
happens at the GM's discretion, based on the pace that he wants the game to have.
Each level adds the following to a character:
• The maximum hit points of the character increases by 2. HARDCORE MODE: Remember; only
1 in Hardcore Mode.
• +1 to all To Hit rolls.
• +1 to all Skill modifiers. In addition, if the level divides by three (i.e. level 3, 6, 9) add 1 point to
your STR, DEX or MND ability score. However, you can never increase your ability score to

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 higher than +4 plus your racial bonus. If you have increases to spend as part of leveling up,
you will need to spend it on another ability that isn’t already maxed out. If you somehow have
maxed out all of your ability scores, you don’t get this increase. It’s hardly like you need it, you
lucky dog!
• Don’t forget, if you play a Fighter, you gain +1 to your attack and damage rolls at levels 4 and 8.
• Experts gain new Affinities at 3rd, 6th and 9th level.
• Outdoorsman can increase the hit dice of their animal companion at levels 4 and 8.
Although there's no reason why you can't go on from a mechanical perspective, this game is
not meant to support levels above level 10.
Although it's normally presumed that all characters in an adventuring party are the same level,
there are times when this will not be true, such as in the event of character death and replacement, or
when a new player joins the group, etc. Although some GMs prefer to start new characters at the
same level as existing characters in the group, others do not. If you have characters at different level,
be sure and note their level in your notes (you probably want to know certain details about the
characters anyway) and the GM may wish to track their advancement separately, to have the lower
level characters advance more quickly and gradually catch up to the rest of the group.

Magic
In this game there isn't a spell-casting class—any individual can learn to cast spells and become
a sorcerer. Spells must be "discovered" by the character in order to be used, however, and are usually
uncovered in ancient tomes and blasphemous texts. One side effect of this is that GMs have complete
control over which spells appear in a game, because characters can't just go out and learn any spell
that they want; they can only learn ones that the GM allows them to find. That said, if a player wants
to learn spells, or even a specific spell, you should think long and hard about not allowing him to find
it with some effort. The concept is one of "just say yes"—GMs tend to run games that players enjoy
more if the players get to indulge the things that they came to the table hoping to do, after all. Just
keep in mind that such players may want to be discrete; in most places, people around them still see
any kind of sorcery as akin to witchcraft and solid grounds for a lynching or burning at the stake. And
keep in mind that just say yes isn’t an excuse to turn into the old Monty Haul. It’s OK to make PCs have
to work for and earn what they get.
Casting a spell of any kind costs Hit Points, i.e. it physically tires and drains the caster’s vitality.
The cost is 1 + double the level of the spell being cast. A 5th level spell (the highest normal level in the
game) would therefore cause 11 points of damage to the sorcerer upon casting. If this is more than
the caster has, it could kill him to make the attempt! Casting spells is also damaging to the minds of
sorcerers, since it involves breaking the fundamental laws of reality; a task for which the mind of
mankind is not suited. Upon successfully casting a spell, a sorcerer must also make a MND + character
level check, DC 12 + the level of the spell, or take MND damage equal to the level of the spell. This
MND damage heals the same as any other type of stat damage, at a rate of 2 per night of rest.
Therefore, for a 5th level spell, a sorcerer would need to make a MND + character level check with a
DC of 17 or take 5 points of damage to his MND score. Ouch! Keep in mind that certain spells might
have secondary MND damage as well—summoning a horrifying daemon causes MND damage as
normal to cast the spell, but the sight of the daemon could well be a sanity rending event in its own
right.

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 Any time a sorcerer rolls a natural 1 on this MND damage check, they take double MND
damage, and have a 5% chance of attracting the attention of 1d4 hounds of Tindalos who attack them
in three rounds from their extradimensional homes. Remember that a natural 1 also risks a
permanent -1 penalty to any Sanity checks in the future, as described above in the Sanity section.
More than one sorcerer can attempt to cast a spell together, and both the hit point and MND
damage cost are spread equally between the casters (although in most cases, the maximum number
of sorcerers who can join together this way is three.) Sorcerers can also attempt to channel a portion
of the hit point and sanity cost to a sacrifice or proxy. Up to 50% of the cost (rounded down) can be
transferred this way if a sacrifice or proxy is included as an element of the ritual. This sacrifice is
another character—either a player character, or a GM-run non-player character. The sacrifice makes a
MND + level check, DC 15 + the spell level to resist this, although a willing sacrifice can willingly fail
this saving throw. If the saving throw is successful, the sacrifice does not take any hit point or sanity
damage, and it all reverts to the caster (or casters.) If the sacrifice fails his check, he takes 50% of both
the Sanity and hit point damage and only the remainder is suffered by the caster (or casters.) One
example of a willing proxy to take this damage is a players familiar, if he has the Animal Companion
ability. This is especially convenient, because familiars, being animals, are not required to make a
Sanity check like characters are. This is, after all, the reason why having a familiar is popular among
those who delve into the arcane.
Sacrifices are especially popular, as are joint castings; you can imagine that if three casters put
50% of the 11 points of damage related to a 5th level spell on a sacrifice and then spread the remaining
50% amongs the three of them, that they are significantly mitigating the personal cost that they have
to pay.
Some spells allow the target of the spellto make a check to avoid or mitigate the effects of the
save. Whenever this happens, the check that the spell victim must make has a DC of 10 + the spell’s
level + the caster’s MND bonus.
Sorcerer’s who know a spell that has been cast by someone else can attempt to dispel the
spell. This is a difficult process, equivalent to casting the spell itself in terms of the DC required, hit and
the Sanity check required. The damage it does to dispel is 5 more than it takes to cast a spell in the
first place, and it takes 10 minutes per spell level to effect a dispelling.
ALTERNATIVE RULE: While this is the default for how to cast spells in Dark Fantasy X, some
GMs may prefer a system that is a bit more encouraging to players who want to cast more spells. This
alternate system will replace the rules listed above. However, it is strongly recommended that a GM
choose between one of the two systems and not allow them both to exist in the same game.
In the alternative system, a sorcerer who has a spell may cast it by making a Magic To Hit roll,
with the target number he’s trying to hit being 10 + (2 x the spell’s level.) In this case, a third level spell
would have a DC of 16, for instance. Spells can be cast as often as a sorcerer wishes to, and there is no
hit point damage. There is also no sanity damage unless the spell fails, at which point the sorcerer
must make a sanity check as normal. However, on a natural 1 roll to the spell check, the results are
significantly more dramatic. The sorcerer will have to make a sanity check at disadvantage
immediately upon the spell failing, and one of three things will happen, which the GM should
adjudicate. 1) the spell backfires and targets the sorcerer himself. If it is an area effect spell, like
dormius major, it may not only cause the PC attempting to cast the spell to fall asleep, but the rest of
his group may all fall asleep too, and if it’s breath of the ancient star, they may all burst into flame! 2)
If there is no obvious backfire effect to fall on the PC who rolled a natural 1, an alternative is that the

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spell has caused some kind of rupture in the fabric of the universe, and a creature from beyond the
world is able to slip through and immediately attack the sorcerer who inadvertently summoned it. This
can be something like a hound of Tindalos, or an imp daemon, or any other creature who’s origin is
obviously not the normal mundane one that has at least 2 hit dice. 3) the spell simply misfires, and
either a completely different spell (maybe one that the character doesn’t even know) is cast instead, or
the spell will randomly target some other target within the immediate vicinity (including another PC,
most likely) or both.
This system will allow PCs to cast significantly more spells without it being over punitive on
their health, but they will probably self-regulate, because the risk of a spectacular backfire is
considerably higher.
Blasphemous Tomes. The following is a list of tomes, texts, codices, grimoires and books in
which spells may be found. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, and you can follow the same format
to create your own. To learn the spells included in such a source, a character must study the book full
time for the length of time indicated and then succeed on MND + Knowledge check at the DC
indicated. The character then takes MND (or Sanity) damage as indicated whether or not he is
successful. If the check is successful, the character learns the spells that the book contains (the entries
that follow give an idea of how many each book should contain) and can add the spells to his
character sheet as spells that he can now cast. If the character is unsuccessful, he doesn't learn any
spells and must repeat the entire process (although he still pays the Sanity cost.) It’s worth noting that
this is best done during a few days (or weeks) of downtime, so the character can recover from this
ordeal before having to get back in to the thick of things.
—The Necronomicon. The most infamous of the blasphemous tomes available. Written by the
mad foreigner Abdul Alhazred, this book comes in various translations of varying quality and
faithfulness to the original.
Study period: 2d10 days
DC 24
MND damage 1d4
Contains 3d4 spells
—Nameless Cults. Written by the northern scholar known only by the partial name of von
Junzt, this is often called "the Black Book."
Study period: 2d8 days
DC 23
MND damage 1d2
Contains 3d4 spells
—The Book of Eibon. Claimed to have been penned by a prehistoric sorcerer from a legendary
land that is unidentifiable today, the earliest verified version still available is no more than 600 years
old now. This book was never printed, so only hand-copied versions are known.
Study period: 1d12+1 days
DC 22
MND damage 1d3
Contains 2d6 spells
—Cultes des Ghoules. Written by the notorious Comte d'Erlette, who was burned at the stake
as a heretic, this foul manuscript survives in a few moldy copies here and there, although possession
of it is highly illegal.

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 Study period: 1d8+2 days
DC 22
MND damage 1d3
Contains 1d8 spells
—The Eltdown Shards. A questionable translation of mysterious hieroglyphs found on clay
fragments near the small town of Eltdown.
Study period: 1d8 days
DC 21
MND damage 1d2
Contains 1d6 spells
—Pnakotic Manuscripts. Also known as the Book of the Black Prince, this volume was
transcribed by an ancient scholar of unknown race named Barzai. They were discovered by the
Hyperboreans, and came to the Three Realms with the establishment of Lomar. The original explorer
who found them left Zobna on a great expedition of discovery. Seven years later, he returned alone
and delirious, clutching the book to his chest, written in his own blood. He died shortly after under
mysterious circumstances. The Prince of Zobna at the time ordered everyone (besides himself) who
heard the explorer’s last words put to death to ensure they would never plague future generations,
yet somehow it survived to come south. Only a few copies are rumored to exist still.
Study period: 2d6 days
DC 23
MND damage 1d3
Contains 2d4+1 spells
Spell List. The following is the list of spells available to sorcerers, sorted by spell level. These
descriptions are not meant to be too definitive and clinical, and certain things (such as the spell’s
duration) will depend on GM rulings (usually, for the duration of a single “scene” is assumed to be
default, but it will vary by spell). Sometimes the details of how exactly a spell functions can’t be known
except by trial and error, and the would-be spellcaster will just have to cast the spell and hope for the
best. There is an alphabetical index of the spells near the back of the book as well.

1st Level
Banishment of Passing: Holds door or gate shut.

Benevolence of Timar: Repairs a broken or torn small object. It does not restore expended or lost
magic.

Binding of the Poltergeist: Summons an invisible spirit that obeys the caster and is able to perform
simple tasks and exert light amounts of force. It cannot attack and is ineffective beyond 30 feet from
caster.

Cackling Breath of Moloch: A fan of flame shoots from caster’s hands, doing 1 hp/caster level damage
to all hit.

Cryptic Circle of Itrito: +2 to AC and checks against mind control, keeps out elementals and enchanted
monsters.

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Cushion of the Shantaks: Target creature or object falls slowly and takes no damage from landing.

Dormius Major: Puts 4d6 minion type beings into magical slumber. Creatures with more than 4 hit dice
are not affected.

Eye of the Mi-Go: Caster can perceive in places, people, or things, the presence of a magical spell or
enchantment.

False Voice of the Wisp: allows caster to “throw his voice” absolutely convincingly.

Mind Grab of Shaggai: Puts one living humanoid totally under your influence, although it does 1d4
point of MND damage to both the caster and the victim each hour.

Peal of Clanging Woe: Sounds a mental or audible alarm (caster’s choice) each time a creature enters
the warded area (about the size of a standard bedroom in a house) without speaking the password
(set at casting).

Shield of the Angels: Improves caster’s armor class by +4 versus thrown weapon attacks and to +2
versus melee attacks.

Sickly Illumination of Tuma: Imbues an object with illumination that lights a circle with about the same
radius and brightness as a lantern.

Strength of the Gug: One target per caster level instantly recovers 1d8+2 Hit Points. No effect on
targets in combat or other heavy activity. This spell can only affect a specific target once per day.

Withering Blast of the Lliogor: Creates a magical attack which automatically hits its target for 1d6+1
damage.

Understanding of Cadazzo: Read any written language.

Voice of the Ghost: Caster points to any creature in range and whispers a short message that the
creature (and only that creature) will hear.

2nd Level
Arachnidan Detritus: Sticky webs fill a 10x10x20 foot area. Burning or cutting through the webs takes
6+1d4 minutes. They can be torn or broken with a DC 20 STR + Athletics check. Otherwise they are
stuck in place.

Blight of Alhazred: Magical absolute darkness which even blocks the night vision of creatures that
have it.

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Breath of Cthulhu: Creatures within 20 foot cloud must succeed on a STR + level check or be unable to
act for 1d4+1 minutes. Those unaffected must save every round they are within cloud.

Burning Effects of the Witch: Caster creates either fireworks or blinding smoke from a normal fire.

Glance of Yog-Sothoth: Unlocks or unbars all locked or magically sealed doors or gates.

Grip of the Bloodspawned: Allows the character to cling to walls and ceilings and crawl across them as
easily as he can walk.

Hayaz’s Rupturing: Causes one normal item (up to 10 pounds/caster level) to shatter into pieces.

Invocation of the Dweller in the Gate: Locks a door magically. Permanent until dispelled. The Glance of
Yog-Sothoth spell opens without dispelling. The caster can pass through without lifting the spell, and
the door can still be broken open.

Light of Kuranes: Like the Sickly illumination of Tuma spell, but it lasts until dispelled or cancelled.

Movement of the Byakhee: Caster floats up and down as he desires.

Phantasmal Mirage of Gaziyat: Vivid illusions of nearly anything the caster envisions, lasts as long as
the caster concentrates. Damage caused is real if target believes illusion.

Power of the Gug’s Arms: Adds 1d6+1 to a single character’s STR temporarily. Maximum Strength is 21.

Stealth of Selvans: Subject is invisible until spell broken by caster, some outside force, or until subject
attacks.

Unerring Vision of Ishtar: Senses the direction of an object (specific or generic type).

Vision of the Tcho-tcho: Detect invisible items and beings within 10 feet per caster level.

Voice of Vencança: Mouth appears on a target object and delivers a message of up to 30 words when
conditions set by caster are met.

Withering From the Haunter: Target is temporarily weakened, and will lose 1d4 from his To Hit and
Damage rolls. The target also feels weak and dizzy.

3rd Level
Breath of the Ancient Star: All subjects (except the spell caster) within a 20 foot burst take 1d6/caster
level fire damage.

Dagon’s Breath: Subject can breathe water temporarily.

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Eyes of Lucifer: See in the dark, as if in possession of magical night vision goggles.

Glance of the Gorgon: Paralyzes a human (or humanoid) target.

Invocation of Ahm I: Caster summons monster(s) of a combined hit die of 3 or less (i.e., one 3 HD
monster, or three 1 HD monsters, etc.) They will then serve until slain or the spell expires.

Leaden Limbs of the Gnophkeh: Subject becomes extraordinarily slow. All subjects involved in any
chase scene suffer disadvantage to opposed chase rolls, and may take longer to accomplish other
actions as well.

Moloch’s Word: Deals 1d6 + character level of fire damage when read.

Nightgaunt’s Mobility: Subject can fly temporarily.

Perception of the Yith: See and hear events at a distance for 2 hours.

Perun's Smite: 1d6/caster level damage from a lightning bolt to multiple targets.

Tongue of Cadazzo: Grants the target the ability to speak and understand the language of any
intelligent creature.

Tsatvii’s Horror: Subject can run extraordinarily fast. When involved in any chase actions, the subject
gains a +7 to the opposed rolls made.

Vaktu’s Unraveling: Cancels magic effects and spells. (MND + Knowledge vs. the spell's DC for success)

Will of the Shan: Caster makes 1-2 sentence hypnotic suggestion to a target. If the resist check is
failed, the target will carry out suggestion for as long as the duration of the spell. Only 1% chance
target will obey suggestion that obviously would result in target’s death/extreme injury.

4th Level
Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth: Creates an aura of fear around the caster that extends about 100 ft.
Creatures within the aura must resist or flee in horror.

Curse of the Damned Ones: Change the target into the form of another being, both visually and
vocally. The change is complete but does not include gaining special abilities or memories of creature.

Door of Susnacco: Teleports subject a short distance (up to 360 feet).

Greater Invocation of Shaggai: Makes one monster (or NPC) of 3+ hit dice (or 3d6 monsters of less
than 3 hit dice) believe they are the caster's strong ally. May attempt to resist every hour or when
asked to do something obviously against the being's interest.

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Hejaz’s Cleansing Touch: Frees subject from a curse, poison or disease.

Invocation of Ahm II: Caster summons monster(s) of a combined hit dice of 5 or less (i.e., one 5 HD
monster, or five 1 HD monsters, etc.) They will then serve until slain or the spell expires.

Ithaqua’s Arms: Creates wall of ice up to 20 feet long and 15 feet high. Wall lasts as long as it would
take to melt; usually several days except in extreme heat, but can be broken by dealing 15 + caster’s
character level in damage to it .

Mind-bond of Shaggai: Caster can speak mind-to-mind with any intelligent being he is in eye contact
with.

Moloch’s Arms: Creates a wall of flame that deals 2d4 fire damage out to 10 ft. and 1d4 out to 20 ft.
Passing through the wall deals 2d6 damage +1 point/caster level. The wall lasts as long as caster
concentrates on it.

Seeping of Kadath on the Mind: Subjects (up to 2d6 hit dice) behave oddly/cannot act effectively. Roll
1d4; on a 1, the target attacks the nearest other creature, even if it’s an ally, on a 2, the target flees
the scene as quickly as he is able, on a 3, the target attempts to harm himself, and on a 4, the target
simply babbles incoherently.

Summoning of Ithaqua: 30 foot cubic vortex of ice, snow, and hail appears doing 5d6 damage to all
within.

Vaaktuka’s Cancerous Growth: Plants in an area up to 30x30 yards become overgrown and nearly
impassable. Effect is permanent, but the plants are just normal plants and can be killed, burned or
otherwise removed.

5th Level
Alhazred’s Folly: Lets Caster ask yes/no question of an otherworldly entity, 1 question/caster level. The
chance of correct answer is 9%/caster level, maximum 90%.

Burrowing of the Dhole: Creates a human-sized passage up to 10 feet long through a wood or stone
wall.

Command of Tarush: Create undead skeletons or zombies under control of caster from dead bodies,
1d6 creatures/caster level.

Flanks of Shub-Niggurath: Creates a wall of stone in any shape. 1000 square feet (6 inches thick). R: 60
feet.

Gate of Yog-Sothoth: Instantly transports subject up to 100 miles/caster level. Caster must know target
location exactly.

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Hand of Nyarlathotep: Moves object by mental power. Up to 50 pounds/caster level.

Invocation of Ahm III: Caster summons monster(s) of a combined hit dice of 7 or less (i.e., one 7 HD
monster, or seven 1 HD monsters, etc.) They will then serve until slain or the spell expires.

Mind Link of the Shan: Caster forms a telepathic connection with up to one other willing intelligent
being per 3 caster levels. Those so linked can communicate via mental speech regardless of distance.
Mental attacks on one member of the link does not affect others.

Mindspike of the Mi-Go: Subject's MND score drops to -4.

Servant of Nodens: Conjures one 8 HD elemental who will serve the caster until dispelled or dismissed
or the caster no longer concentrates. Caster can only summon one of each type in a day.

Sight of the Gorgon: As glance of the Gorgon, but any creature.

Summon the Colour Out of Space: Creates a moving, poisonous cloud of vapor which is deadly to all
creatures with less than five hit dice (except those not truly alive, such as elementals, undead or
constructs.) 30 feet in diameter, moves with wind or 6 feet per minute.

Vaaktuka’s Cancerous Swelling: 1d6 normal animals grow to giant size.

Ritual Only spells

Ritual spells do not have a normal level, although for purposes of figuring MND damage and DC, they
are effectively 7th level spells. Ritual spells cannot be cast during combat, as their casting time is
measured in hours (however long the GM needs.) They are often cast in groups, and often with a
sacrifice to absorb MND and physical damage from casting the spell.

Amrruk’s Fist: Caster can adjust weather.

Arzana’s Shaping of the Earth: Move small hills, dig ditches and moats, other surface features, etc.
Land moves at 6 feet per minute.

Canopic Talisman of the Great Race: Moves caster's soul to a fixed object from which caster can try to
possess others. Target may attempt to resist. The spell lasts until dispelled, the target makes his save
(a new saving throw is allowed every caster level days), or the caster ends the spell. A caster with a
canopic talisman who’s unsouled body is killed will recover in 1d4 weeks unless the talisman is also
destroyed. Many sorcerers will do this to themselves voluntary as a precaution against being
murdered. The possessor of the talisman can control the actions of the unsouled body to a great
degree, although it will still go about its normal routine as much as possible and act indistinguishably
from how it did before having its soul stolen.

Change of Culsans: Spell allows any object to be turned into another object, animal, vegetable, or
mineral. The degree of change will affect the spell’s duration. Animal-to-animal changes, vegetable-to-

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vegetable changes, and mineral-to mineral changes are all likely to remain permanent until dispelled.
Thus, turning a human into a jann, or turning a wall into a pile of sand, would both result in a
permanent change. On the other hand, turning a shrub into a thinking human being would last only a
few hours at most.

Denial of Azathoth’s Entropy: This spell makes the effect of another spell permanent—unless a
sorcerer of twice the caster's level dispels it. No more than one permanency is ordinarily possible on
any one object, and no more than two upon a creature. GM discretion required: many spells should
not be subject to being made permanent.

Gullet of Yog-Sothoth: Creates an opening to other dimensions or worlds that can either be used to
travel through or can be used to summon a specified, tremendously powerful being from the other
plane, including gods and daemon-princes. The caster must know the true name of the creature he is
attempting to summon, or the spell will fail. There is a 5% chance that the wrong being may be
summoned, and (regardless whether the summoned being is the right one or not) there is a 5%
chance that it will lack interest in the situation and return through the gate. The summoned being is
not necessarily friendly to the caster, and may be extremely annoyed.

Huudrazai’s Names: Creates a magical trap in the shape of an arcane symbol. The rune's magic is
activated when any person or creature hostile to the caster reads it, or passes over, under, or past it.
Various different runes are known, and others may be possible:
- Symbol of Death: Deals 80 hit points of damage to every target individually. Note that this
should kill every player character that you can make in this game, as well as most monsters or
creatures with very few exceptions.
- Symbol of Discord: Causes all creatures in the hostile group to begin arguing, and possibly
fighting among themselves with lethal intent.
- Symbol of Fear: Casts a Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth spell, but this effect is a permanent
curse.
- Symbol of Insanity: Up to 100 HD of creatures are driven insane by a curse. Characters level is
equivalent to their HD for purposes of spells.
- Symbol of Sleep: Casts a Sleep spell affecting double the normal number of creatures and with
double the normal duration.
- Symbol of Stunning: 150 hit dice (HD) of creatures are completely stunned (unable to act) for
1d4 hours.

Invocation of Kadashman: Summons a powerful outsider or servitor from Outside of existence. The
spell provides no protection against the summoned creature, so the magic user should use other
spells or items of protection. As the summoned creature is not forced to aid or obey the caster, that is
a matter of negotiations and threats between the caster and the fiend.

Kefte’s Void: Makes the target immune to any form of detection by magic including the perception of
Yith or any other form of scrying), etc.

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Many-Angled Assassin: Summons an invisible stalker, an extra dimensional monster, under the control
of the sorcerer who may give it a single mission which it will carry out until it is finished.

Mennefer’s Curse: Force a creature to obey one long-term order.

Nefererkare’s Wrath: Makes one creature or non-magical object vanish, turning it to fine dust.

Path of Dagon: Parts bodies of water up to 10 feet deep.

Susnacco’s Secret Passage: Creates an invisible door that can only be opened by the caster. Similar to a
burrowing of the dhole but invisible and only the caster can open the door.

Taraam’s Theft of the Soul: Restores dead person to life in a random (usually humanoid) form. In
addition to the random form to which the person is restored, the character comes back traumatized
and just a touch insane from the experience (-2 permanently to MND, plus possible other role-playing
effects, as determined between player and GM) and there is a 10% chance that the soul of the dead
adventurer does not come back alone...

Monsters and Other Foes

Monsters are any creatures that serve as opponents to the PCs (although some situations may
cast them as allies on occasion.) Monsters have very limited information provided in terms of game
data. The following rules are also necessary to understand how to read the monster entries and use
them effectively. First, all creatures have a bonus to all skills equal to their number of Hit Dice (HD),
which is effectively equivalent to their level in most respects. Stat bonuses are also included for skill
checks if needed; but don’t get carried away and try to use the stat bonuses to affect the attack and
damage scores. The attack and damage scores are already set where they need to be without doing
that. Secondly, if you need a tougher version of a monster, for whatever reason, you can add more hit
dice. Each additional HD adds one to their skill and combat bonuses, as well as more hit points which
are usually the average roll for the hit die (5 for d8, for example.) Thirdly, you can create your own
monsters as needed as well. Assign HD (d6 for most mundane people or animals, d8 for monsters or
very tough animals, although d10 and d12 can very occasionally be used for certain extreme
monsters). Attack bonus and skill level is equal to the number of hit dice, sometimes with an
additional bonus due to STR or other extraordinary feature. Monsters may have several forms of
attack, but unless specifically called out, can only use one per round (the exception being if the attack
is listed as something like “2 claws”—in which case they can make two claw attacks as one attack.)
Create an AC that is sensible giving the size and toughness (or quickness) of the creature. Add stat
bonuses to suit.
To read the entries, AC is Armor Class, HD is Hit Dice, hp is hit points, AT is attacks, and STR is
Strength, DEX is Dexterity, and MND is Mind. SPD is the creature’s speed bonus in chases, and S is the
creature's special abilities. Undead creatures are immune to mind-affecting spells, and death by
certain types of circumstances (suffocation, for instance) as well as having a d12 HD. All monsters that
have the ability to cast spells do so without needing to make a Sanity check, and they normally
shouldn’t suffer the risk of MND damage. The effective caster level for spell DCs is equal to the
monster’s HD.

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 Monsters do not have categories. While it should be obvious from the entries that some
monsters are, for example, animals and others are humans or humanoids, there is no mechanical
distinction between them. This occasionally leads to conclusions that are unusual. For example, if
there is no mechanical distinction, can an Outdoorsman’s animal companion be any monster,
assuming it’s in the correct HD range? Can his animal companion be an imp, or a dwarf, or a human
bandit? Ask your GM. Many will say no; your animal companion must be an animal. Others may say,
“give me an interesting reason for it, and I’ll let you have anything you want that works within the
bounds of the rules.” Personally, I’m a fan of the latter approach, but I can hardly complain about the
alternative.
It’s also worth mentioning that many of these creatures are really extremely dangerous for
typical player characters, even of high level. Depending on what result you want, you may want to be
extra mindful of warning the PCs of the dangers that they might be getting into, if they are used to
playing games where shouting huzzah and attacking everything is typical behavior. Many of these
monsters should not be faced by any PC group without careful tactical planning to squeeze every
advantage possible from the situation, and even then you may expect some casualties.
Lower level monsters (lower HD, mostly) and many more mundane animals and foes are often
a better alternative, and saving the really monstrous foes for special set-pieces is a good idea.
ALTERNATIVE RULE: The monsters all have hit points that are pegged for what the monster
should be like if a group of player characters is facing a single one. For lower powered monsters, its OK
to add more of them without adjusting, but as you get to the middle and higher power levels, you may
want to reduce the hit points to ~75% of what’s listed, or even 50%, depending on how many you plan
to add. This is less about monster lethality and more about making sure that combats don’t drag out
and become tedious, especially when the outcome starts to become obvious. In most cases, shorter,
punchier combat is to be preferred to long, dragged out combats. This can go, in some circumstances,
all the way to the “minion” status for a monster, where it literally only has 1 hp, and a single hit will
automatically kill it, no matter the damage roll. This can be fun, because it allows you to throw large
numbers of monsters at the players
This minion concept can also be extended as a short-cut when you don’t want to worry too
much about the hit points. For every ten hit points (round to the nearest ten, and then adjust by one or
two if needed), each monster has a “hit” and any hit, regardless of damage, will reduce the monster
by one hit. A character who’s damage role is in the top 2-3 points of his damage range will be
considered to have caused two hits. This alternative shouldn’t be used for literally every combat, but it
can be a time-saving shortcut for many of them when desired.

ANGEL: AC: 25 HD: 20d8 (100 hp) AT: 2 weapon + 20 (2d8), STR: +10, DEX: +12, MND: +12, SPD: +20, S:
Immune to all spells less than 5th level, Cast spells up to 5th level, teleport at will, special powers as
granted by patron deity.
Angels are supernatural, beautiful creatures, like painfully beautiful humans with alabaster
skin, silver or golden hair, chrome-colored eyes, and feathered wings. They are powerful creatures,
but are usually benevolent, or at least tolerant and indifferent to humanity. When in combat, they use
their magical abilities as well as hard-silver swords.

APE: AC 14, HD 3d8 (15 hp) AT: 2 paw slams +4 (2d6) STR: +7, DEX: +5, MND: -3, SPD: +5, S: Acrobatics
affinity

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 Represents large creatures like gorillas, and other potentially more anthropoid apes as well.
Although possessed of large, powerful teeth, they mostly fight with their powerful paws.

ATLANTEAN (Wendak): AC: 11 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +2, MND: +0 SPD: +0
Stocky and stealthy natives, originally from Atlantis. See character creation rules for more
detail.

BABOON: AC: 12 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite +2 (1d6) STR: +1, DEX: +3, MND: -4, SPD: +5, S: Acrobatics
affinity
Gathering in large, communal groups, baboons are mostly herbivorous, but can be territorial
and fiercely protective of their group, swarming and biting intruders or others who irritate the group.

BEAR: AC: 15 HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: bite +6 (2d6), claws +6 (2d8), STR: +7, DEX: +0, MND: -4, SPD: +7
Large predators that have mostly developed a slow-moving, herbivorous diet, bears are
extremely dangerous when surprised, or with their young, or hungry. They are also fiercely territorial
and sometimes see the intrusion of humanity into their territory as a challenge that must be met with
force.

BOAR, WILD: AC: 12 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: gore +3 (3d4) STR: +5, DEX +0, MND: -4, SPD: +5, S: attacks for
2 rounds after death.
Wild boars and feral boars are common, and are often hunted for their meat, although they are
dangerous prey; mean and armed with wicked tusks.

BYAKHEE: AC: 15, HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: Talons +4 (1d8) or Bite +4 (1d4), STR: +1, DEX: +2, MND: +3, SPD:
+8, S: Flies, can carry medium-sized creatures, telepathic.
Alien flying horrors that are "not altogether crows, nor moles, nor buzzards, nor ants, nor
vampire bats, nor decomposed human beings." They are sometimes summoned by evil sorcerers.

CAMEL: AC: 12 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: bite +3 (1d6) STR: +5, DEX: -2, MND: -4, SPD: +7, S: +5 to any
Survival skill roll
Known from deserts, savannas and other open territory, these large herbivores are both native
grazers and are often domesticated as beasts of burden.

CAT: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: bite +1 (1d4) STR: -3, DEX: +4, MND: -3, SPD: +5, S: +3 to Subterfuge
NOTE: these same stats can be used to represent other small climbing animals such as a
monkey or raccoon.
These small animals make great pets, familiars, or animal companions. They are wild through
much of the territory of your typical fantasy world, and may also run feral through the city streets.

CENTAUR: AC 12 HD 2d8 (10 hp) AT: kick +4 (2d6) weapon +4 (damage as per weapon used) STR: +4
DEX: +2 MND: -1, SPD: +10
Human upper bodies attached to the lower body of a horse. They are notorious drunks and
lechers, and communities that live near them often consider them pests at best, and outright enemies
at worst.

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CHIMERA: AC 19, HD: 9d8 (45 hp) AT: 2 bite +10 (2d6+4), gore +10 (1d8+4), 2 claws +8 (1d6+2) STR: +4
DEX: +0 MND: -2, SPD: +6, S: flies, fiery breath 6d10 fire damage (DEX + Athl to dodge half of the
damage DC 14)
A monstrous creation of the old gods, the chimera has a lion-like body; two heads (one with
goat-like horns) and a tail with a snake-like mouth on its end. It flies and breathes fire. It is one of the
most fearsome leftovers from the Gigantomachy of pre-historic times.

COCKATRICE: AC: 14, HD: 3d8 (15 hp) AT: +4 (1d4 + special attack) STR: +0 DEX: +0 MND: -2, SPD: +0, S:
flies, petrification bite (target turns to stone on failed DC 19 MND + level check.)
This dangerous beast looks like a cross between a leathery-winged snake and a rooster. Its
most dangerous trait is that its bite will turn its target to stone.

CROCODILE: AC: 16 HD: 6d6 (24 hp) AT: bite +12 (3d6) STR: +6, DEX: +2, MND: -4, SPD: +0, S: drags
underwater on roll 4 higher than needed to hit, underwater creatures take 1d6 automatic damage
every turn as the crocodile rolls. A STR or DEX + Athletics check DC 15 will allow the character to
escape, although he will still then be in the water.
An aquatic ambush predator that is large enough to feed on any PC and its mount. When it
attacks, it lunges suddenly from the water where it waited unseen, drags its prey into the water, and
rolls violently to tear pieces of flesh from the still struggling creature as it drowns.

CTHULHU: AC: 35 HD 40d8 (200 hp) AT: 2 slams +40 (4d8+20), STR +25, DEX:+10 MND: +15, SPD: +10,
S: Immune to all spells less than 5th level, Cast all spells (including rituals) instantly, all characters who
come face to face with Cthulhu make a MND + Level check (DC: 30). If they fail they are impacted for
1d4 hours with an effect identical to The Seeping of Kadath on the Mind spell. If they fail it by more
than 15, they die instantly.
One of the most infamous of the old gods, defeated and imprisoned in the Gigantomachy in
prehistoric times. Cthulhu still waits, comatose and dreaming, in the depths of the ocean in his fossil
city R'lyeh. In addition to his formidable physical attacks, Cthulhu can bend reality around him (can
cast any spell instantly) and causes his foes to go insane with fear at the sight of him. Many would die
outright at merely catching a glimpse of Cthulhu.

CYCLOPS: AC: 15, HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: 2 claws +8 (1d6+6) or thrown rock (range 100 ft.) +8 (2d6+8) STR:
+8 DEX: +2 MND: +0, SPD: +2, S: when both claw attacks hit in the same round, the cyclops can rend
his opponent, causing an additional 2d6 points of damage.
Powerful, savage, one-eyed giants with clawed hands. Their favorite tactic is to sit back at a
distance and throw boulder-sized rocks at their enemies to soften them, before charging in and
rending with their paws.

DARK YOUNG OF SHUB-NIGGURATH: AC: 12, HD: 5d8 (25 hp) AT: 4 tentacles +8 (2d4) or trample +8
(4d8) STR: +10, DEX: -2, MND -3, SPD: -2, S: On successful tentacle attack automatic 1d4 damage
every round thereafter until either victim or Dark Young is dead. Victim can escape this tentacle grab
with a STR or DEX + Athletics check, DC 16.

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 Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, is a hideous, monstrous
old god, either dead or imprisoned since the Gigantomachy. Its monstrous brood still linger; four-
limbed creatures with leech-like mouths and backs covered with hoary tentacles, which are its
preferred method of attack. Like all lingering monsters from before the Gigantomachy that remade
the world, it hates all human-kind and related creatures with a passion that drives it to attack on sight.

DAEMON, BAAL-ROG: AC: 19 HD: 10d8 (60 hp) AT: sword or flaming whip +10 (2d6+10 + 2d6 fire
damage) STR: +10, DEX: +5, MND: +10, SPD: +12, S: flies, flaming (3d6 damage to all who hit it in
melee or whom the baal-rog touches), 75% chance that spells cast at the Baal-Rog have no effect, all
attacks with non-silver weapons do -20 damage. Can create a pall of darkness that effectively shields
him from view, making all attempts to hit him have a 50% chance of missing outright.
Daemons like the baal-rog are spirits that predate creation, like the angels, but which have
become utterly corrupt and evil. The baal-rogs are some of the most fearsome; massive, shadowy
creatures cloaked in smoke, shadow and flame. Baal-rogs attack with flaming swords or whips, and
any that attack them are likely to be burned themselves.

DAEMON, IMP: AC: 18, HD: 2d8 (10 hp) AT: Tail sting +2 (1d4 + poison) or 2 claws +2 (1d4), STR: -2,
DEX: +3, MND: +2, SPD: +0, S: Tail sting has a poison that causes paralysis (1d4 rounds), can assume
the form of a specific kind of vermin, can ask one question of demon lords per week and receive a
correct answer. Some are winged and can fly clumsily.
A small daemon who serves often as a messenger or courier to the daemon lords. Many
escape their servitude and cause misery to mortals, and many even serve as familiars to evil sorcerers.

DAEMON, NOSOI: AC: 18 HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: 2 claws +7 (2d6+8) bite +7 (1d12) tongue +3 (see below)
STR: +7 DEX: +0 MND: +2, SPD: +0, S: acid vomit range 20 ft, 6d6 acid damage unless target makes DC
15 DEX + Athletics check to dodge for half damage, can make a tongue attack where the tongue
launches out and sticks to opponents. On a successful opposed STR check, the nosoi pulls the target
to his mouth and gets an automatically successful bite attack.
A daemon associated with plague and disease, the nosoi is a pustule-covered, diseased,
elephantine biped with a gigantic, toothy maw on the end of their heads, and sometimes a second
one on their belly. Nosoi have no visible eyes, but can sense their targets as effectively as if they could
see. They attack with powerful claws and bites, and can vomit their stomach acid at their enemies.
They also have a long, bifurcated (sometimes trifurcated) tongue which can launch out of their mouth
to grab opponents and draw them closer for a bite, like a massive toad.

DAEMON, SERVITOR: AC: 17 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: claws +3 (1d6) STR: +3, DEX: +0, MND: +0, SPD: +5, S:
regenerate 1 HP/minute unless attacked with silver weapons.
This represents a wide variety of less-powerful daemons.

DAEMON, SERVITOR (MAJOR): AC: 19 HD 8d8 (40 hp) AT 2 claws +8 (2d8+5) STR: +5, DEX: +1, MND:
+3, SPD: +5, S. regenerate 5 HP/minute unless attacked with silver weapons, casts any 1-2 level spell.
This represents a wide variety of more powerful daemons.

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DAEMON, SUCCUBUS: AC: 10 HD: 6d6 (24 hp) AT: claws +6 (1d6) or kiss (2d4 STR damage per round)
STR: -2, DEX: +2, MND: +5, SPD: +2, S: all attacks with non-silver weapons do -5 damage, 70% that
spells cast at the succubus have no effect, casts spells as a up to 2nd level. Can cast Greater Invocation
of Shaggai at will.
Succubi are beautiful daemons who are less likely to physically attack their targets, but rather
prefer to use their ability to fascinate and mentally entrap targets, draining their strength with their
vampiric kisses. Although they do have clawed hands, they usually wear gloves to disguise their true
nature.

DAEMON, TYPHON: AC: 20, HD: 8d8 (40 hp) AT: 2 claws +8 (1d6+6) bite +3 (1d8+3) STR: +8 DEX: +2
MND: +0, SPD: +7, S: when both claw attacks hit in the same round, Typhon can rend his opponent,
causing an additional 2d6 points of damage. Typhon is completely immune to any direct magical
attack.
Like a red-skinned, fanged and spiky gorilla with much larger than normal fangs, and multiple
baleful eyes, the rare typhon daemons are a force of destruction and fury. They attack with abandon
and barbaric savagery and fight to the death, feasting on the remains of their victims.

DEEP ONE: AC: 14, HD: 2d8 (10 hp) AT: Spear +2 (1d8), STR: +5, DEX: -2, MND: +0, SPD: +0, S: Swims,
Attacks that miss by 2 or less start will still coat the target in a sticky substance exuded from the Deep
One’s skin that causes -3 to all d20 rolls until cleaned off.
Strange, fish-like humanoids that grow from the perverted off-spring of depraved humans who
make deals with them. They live in vast underwater cities and worship Cthulhu. Other than those
whom they entrap in their cult and use as breeding stock, they hate humans and envy them their
easier access to land.

DINOSAUR, ARMORED: AC: 23, HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: trample +6 (2d6+7), club tail +6 (1d10+7) STR: +10,
DEX: +3, MND: -4, SPD: -3.
Like low-slung, elephant sized herbivores covered in bony armor and wielding a powerful tail
club, these slow-moving and dim-witted creatures are almost more likely to be dangerous by accident
than on purpose. Ankylosaurus is the iconic real-world example.

DINOSAUR, CARNOSAUR: AC: 17, HD: 8d8 (40 hp) AT: trample +8 (2d6+10), bite +8 (1d10+10) STR: +10,
DEX: +0, MND: -4 SPD: +6, S: swallows whole on bite attack roll 4 higher than needed to hit, swallowed
creatures take 1d6 automatic damage every turn. Swallowed characters, if they can deal 20 points of
damage with a light weapon before dying, can escape.
Any large, meat-eating dinosaur, such as T. rex or Allosaurus can be represented by these stats.

DINOSAUR, HORNED: AC: 19, HD: 7d8 (35 hp) AT: trample +7 (2d6+8), gore +7 (1d10+8) STR: +10, DEX:
-2, MND: -4 SPD: +4 S: because of its great size, if galloping towards target, it cannot easily stop itself
and can do trample and gore in the same attack.
Elephant-sized horned dinosaurs often live in herds and are aggressive and dangerous.
Triceratops is the most iconic real-world example, but any large, herbivorous, dangerous animal can be
represented by these stats.

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DINOSAUR, PTERODACTYL: AC: 14 HD: 4d6 (16 hp) AT: bite +4 (1d6) STR: +3, DEX: -1, MND: -4, SPD: +5,
S: flies
NOTE: These same stats can stand in for other large flying creatures such as giant eagles
Large, flying predators can all be represented by these stats.

DINOSAUR, RAPTOR: AC: 15 HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: bite +4 (2d6), 2 claws +4 (2d8), STR: +5, DEX: +3,
MND: -4, SPD: +6
Smaller, cursorial hunting dinosaurs, that often group into packs for more efficient (and
dangerous) hunting strategies.

DOPPLEGANGER: AC: 14 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: broadsword +3 (1d6), STR: +2, DEX: +2, MND: +2 SPD: +0,
S: Can change form as a single action.
Can mimic the appearance of any character, PC or NPC.

DRAGON: AC: 20 HD: 15d8 (75 hp) AT: Bite +15 (2d10+4), 2 claws +15 (d10+3) STR: +12 DEX: +6 MND:
+6 SPD: +15 S: flies, fiery breath 10d10 fire damage although target can reduce this by half with DEX +
Athletics check DC 18.
Large, powerful flying reptiles with fiery breath and fearsome claws and teeth, dragons are
another leftover remnant from the Gigantomachy. Most were slain in that prehistoric conflict, but
those that remain are devious, powerful and bitter, and hate the new heirs to the earth—humans and
their humanoid kin.

DRYAD: AC: 17 HD: 5d8 (25 hp) AT: 2 slams +6 (1d8+3) STR: +6 DEX: -2 MND: +0 SPD: -2 S: takes double
damage from fire attacks, can wail with the wild rage of the forest; all characters who hear this wail
must make a Level + MND check DC 14 or be subject to the effects of The Seeping of Kadath on the
Mind for 3 rounds.
Beautiful tree-spirits that fascinate and fear humanity. To defend their forest homes, dryads
clothe themselves in the actual forms of thick, woody trees and fight with savage fury. Their unearthly
call confuses and terrifies their foes, allowing them to attack at will.

EAGLE: AC: 12 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite +2 (1d4), 2 claws +2 (1d4) STR: -3, DEX: +2, MND: -3, SPD: +10 S:
flies, +8 bonus on any attempt to spot while flying.
NOTE: these same stats can be used to represent other relatively larger flying animals such as a
large owl or even a pseudodragon, an animal-like reptile built like a dragon but without their
intelligence or fiery breath. May serve as familiars or animal companions.

ELEMENTAL, AIR: AC: 19 HD: 8d6 (32 hp) AT: slam +8 (2d6) STR: +5, DEX: +3, MND: -1, SPD: +15, S: can
cause a whirlwind that makes movement impossible and carries away lighter objects, extra damage
against foes in the air (1d6)
Spirits of the air that attack like a hurricane. There is a solid creature underneath their swirling
of wind and debris, however.

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ELEMENTAL, EARTH: AC: 19 HD: 8d6 (32 hp) AT: slam +8 (2d6) STR: +12, DEX: -3, MND: -2, SPD: -4, S:
can cause stone to disintegrate into sand at a rapid rate (2 rounds to create a hole large enough to
pass through), extra damage against foes standing on the ground (1d6).
Powerful spirits of the earth, that mostly live deep underground, or near volcanic vents.

ELEMENTAL, FIRE: AC: 19 HD: 8d6 (32 hp) AT: slam +8 (2d6) STR: +5, DEX: +10, MND: +0, SPD: +5, S: all
characters hit by fire elemental must make a DEX + Ath check (DC 15) or be set on fire, which deals an
additional 1d6 damage each round. Flammable materials can be set alight by the elemental at will on
contact.
Spirits of fire that also often live near volcanic vents, or other places where heat is (or has
been) intense.

ELEMENTAL, WATER: AC: 19 HD: 8d6 (32 hp) AT: slam +8 (2d6) STR: +7, DEX: +3, MND: -2, SPD: +2, S:
overturn boats, extra damage against swimming foes (1d6).
Spirits of water that live in oceans, rivers, lakes, or even in the air "swimming" in vast clouds
and thunderheads.

ELEPHANT: AC: 17, HD: 8d8 (40 hp) AT: trample +8 (2d6+8), tusk +8 (1d10+8) STR: +10, DEX: +0, MND:
-3, SPD: +2
Large, usually wild animals that can be dangerous to the unprepared. Some cultures do
domesticate them, however, and use them as beasts of burden.

ELF (Faerie): AC: 17 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: sword +3 (1d6) or bow +3 (1d6) STR: +3, DEX: +0, MND: +0,
SPD: +5, S: +10 on any subterfuge checks, regenerate 1 HP/minute unless attacked with cold iron
weapons.
Normal denizens of the land of Faerie

ELF (Sidhe Lord): AC: 19 HD 8d8 (40 hp) AT Sword +8 (d8+5) and bow +8 (1d8) STR: +5, DEX: +1, MND:
+3, SPD: +5, S. +10 on any subterfuge checks, regenerate 5 HP/minute unless attacked with cold iron
weapons, casts any 1-2 level spell.
A powerful denizen of the land of faerie.

ETTEN: AC: 19 HD: 9d8 (45 hp) AT: club +13 (2d8+8) or thrown rock (range 100 ft.) +8 (2d6+8) STR: +8
DEX: +2 MND: -1 SPD: +1
Large humanoids, usually between 12-15 feet tall (although truly extraordinary ones nearly 20
ft have been spotted) that have a usually hostile relationship with the smaller people. Leftovers from
the days of the Gigantomachy, few still live in the normal world, but those that do are terrifying
scourges on their neighbors. Like cyclopses, they often prefer to attack first by throwing rocks, and
then wading in with their massive clubs to pummel their foes to death.

FELL GHAST: AC: 20 HD: 15d8 (75 hp) AT: Bite +15 (2d10+4), 2 claws +15 (d10+3) fell breath (DEX +
Athletics check DC 25 to avoid) 1d4 STR damage STR: +12 DEX: +3 MND: -1 SPD: +1- S: flies, immune to
mind control, disease or posion, can cast at will Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth DC 19, when the fell
ghast reaches 0 hit points or less, it turns into 1d4 bat swarms as per the monster entry.

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 Large, dragon-sized and dragon-like undead monsters that are forces of pure necromancy,
these animated collections of bones, dried, mummified skin, and stiff, dead flesh are terrifying
creatures that only the most powerful of evil sorcerers can hope to deal with as equals.

FLESH HOUND: AC: 14 HD: 2d12 (10 hp) AT: bite +4 (1d6+2) STR: +3, DEX: -2 MND: -3 SPD: +4, S:
Immune to most forms of magical attack, as well as poison or disease. Regular weapons do only half
damage. Fire (magical or mundane) does 2x damage.
A golem made in the rough image of a hound.

FURY: AC: 13 HD: 6d8 (30 hp) Attack: Scourge +6 (1d6+poison) or Lasso +6, STR: +1, DEX: +1, MND: +2,
SPD: +5, S: Flies, Knockout poison on scourge causes characters to fall immediately unconscious if they
fail a STR + level check (DC 13), 30% spells cast at the Fury fail, Furies can see invisible characters or
objects at will, can cast up to 2nd level spells.
Flying, screeching, vaguely bat and woman-like creatures with fanged, dog-like heads, black
skin and glowing red eyes, and snake-like hair in some descriptions; in others, they are merely bat-
winged, wiry old women. In all accounts, they are infamous for their horrible screeching, and the
terrible scourges with which they whip their victims.

GARGOYLE: AC: 14 HD: 4d6 (16 hp) AT: claws or bite +4 (1d6), horns +4 (1d6) STR: +6, DEX: -2, MND: -
1, SPD: +2, S: fly, ignores the first 2 points of damage from all attacks.
Animated and strange winged, stone statues.

GHOST: AC: 16 HD: 4d6 (16 hp) AT: touch +4 (1d6) STR: -4, DEX: +2, MND: +1 SPD: +0 S: undead
immunities, only hit by magic or silver weapons, arrows do a max 1 HP damage. Ghosts also have one
of the following special attacks. More powerful versions can be created by giving them two or more:
• drains 1d3 DEX on touch, creatures reduced to -5 DEX are immobile and helpless for coup de
grace attack that kills them automatically
• as an action, may cast the spell Withering of the Haunter
• forces a Sanity check on all characters that can see the ghost
• under a permanent effect as if constantly casting the Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth spell
• can cast all spells up to 3rd level
The spirit of the departed, which for reasons which are unknown, lingers on earth to bring
misery and fear to those who remain. Many, even when defeated, will return after many weeks,
months or even years, if their remains are not properly attended to—they usually need to be
exhumed, doused in salt, and burned.

GHOUL: AC: 13 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: claws or bite +2 (1d6) STR: +2, DEX: +0, MND: -1, SPD: +0, S: touch
paralyzes for 1d4 rounds, humans wounded by ghouls are cursed if they fail a MND + level check (DC
12) and will slowly turn into ghouls themselves. This process involves taking 1 point of MND damage
every day (which does not heal overnight) until they reach -5, at which point the conversion is
complete. GM may provide antidote/remedy to counter this curse.
Formerly humans, who fell prey to daemonic, cannibal rituals, and were transformed via
blackest necromancy into feral, subhuman monsters that endure endless hunger for human(oid) flesh.
Their most fearsome ability is their tendency to spread their curse to those who survive their attacks.

38
GHOUL-HOUND: AC: 13 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite +2 (1d6) STR: +2, DEX: +0, MND: -1, SPD: +5, S: touch
paralyzes for 1d4 rounds, humans wounded by ghoul-hounds are cursed if they fail a MND + level
check (DC 12) and will slowly turn into ghouls themselves. This process involves taking 1 point of
MND damage every day (which does not heal overnight) until they reach -5, at which point the
conversion is complete. GM may provide antidote/remedy to counter this curse.
Ghouls hounds are to wolves or large dogs what ghouls are to people; a kind of undead
monstrosity with many of the traits of a ghoul. These horrible canine monsters sometimes haunt the
area surrounding a powerful undead, such as the forest around the castle of a vampire lord.

GOBLIN: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +2, MND: -2, SPD:-2
Small, leathery humanoid with bat-like ears and sharp teeth. Usually seen as a pest at best by
civilized people, as a scourge to be annihilated at worst.

GOLEM, FLESH: AC: 16 HD: 4d12 (28 hp) AT: slam +8 (2d6+4) STR: +8, DEX: -2 MND: -3 SPD: -2 S:
Immune to most forms of magical attack, all poisons and disease. Regular weapons do only half
damage. Fire (magical or mundane) does 2x damage.
The stitched together remains of human(oids) given an evil unlife by foul magic. Flesh golems
are notoriously tough and difficult to kill, although luckily they are very rare, and the research into the
creation of one is usually punishable by death in most civilized lands.

GRIFFON: AC: 17 HD: 8d8 (40 hp) AT: bite +8 (1d12) STR: +7, DEX: +0, MND: -3 SPD: +13 S: flies
Large creatures with the bodies of lions, but the head and forelimbs of eagles, as well as wings.
Their razor sharp beaks are dangerous, but the brave and exceptional individual can occasionally tame
one as a steed.

GUG: AC: 15, HD: 10d8 (50 hp) AT: 4 claws +10 (2d6) or bite +10 (1d8), STR: +10, DEX: -2, MND: +0,
SPD: +1.
Massive monsters that live underground, with arms that split at the elbow, giving each four
hands, and a massive, fanged maw that splits the head vertically.

HAWK: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: bite +1 (1d4), 1 claws +2 (1d4) STR: -3, DEX: +3, MND: -4, SPD: +10, S:
flies, +8 bonus on any attempt to spot while flying.
NOTE: these same stats can be used to represent other small flying animals such as a raven or
owl

HELL HOUND: AC: 15 HD: 5d6 (20 hp) AT: bite +5 (1d6) STR: +3, DEX: -1, MND: -3, SPD: +7, S: breathe
fire (1d10 HP damage—DEX + Athletics check DC 14 will halve damage.)
Supernatural, black, daemonic dogs, hellhounds, when they are seen on earth, are
tremendously dangerous. Their ability to breathe fire makes them even worse.

HERESIARCH: AC: 17 HD: 10d6 (40 hp) AT: touch +5 (1d6) STR: +4, DEX: +2, MND: +3, SPD: +5, S:
immune to mind control, disease or posion, only takes half damage from non-silver weapons,
regenerates 3 hp per round, on a successful hit (MND + level to resist, DC 19) does 1d4 STR damage,

39
can hypnotize (MND + level check, DC 19), canopic talisman, cause fear in creatures under 4th
level/HD (sanity check), can cast spells up to 5th level.
While vampires and liches have a powerful undead grip on immortality (of a sort) they are pale
shadows of the true masters of undeath, the Heresiarchs. There are only a handful such that exist, but
all are powerful scions of undeath and dweomercraft, and attack with powerful physical as well as
magical abilities when they are spurred to combat. They rather spend their time in Machiavellian
manipulation against each other and other rivals, however—if they are reduced to fighting for their
lives, usually something has gone really wrong for them.
LikelLiches, Heresiarchs have canopic talismans that make their total destruction extremely
difficult, and many enemies that think that they have destroyed one find to their fatal chagrin that
they just keep coming back.

HORSE, RIDING: AC: 12 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite or kick +2 (1d6) STR: +5, DEX: +2, MND: -3, SPD: +10, S:
when ridden, grants a +10 to chase checks
Not trained to fight, riding horses can still be dangerous when spooked. Most often, however,
they are simple beasts of burden; useful for riders or farmers.

HORSE, WAR: AC: 12 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: bite +3 (1d6) or kick +3 (2d6), STR: +5, DEX: +2, MND: -3 SPD:
+8, S: when ridden, grants a +10 to chase checks
Larger and more fearless than riding horses, warhorses are capable of bringing their masters
into battle and fighting alongside them.

HOUND OF TINDALOS: AC: 15, HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: Tongue +4 (special) or bite +4 (1d6+4), STR: +4, DEX:
+2, MND: +3, SPD: +3, S: Teleport through time and space to any sharp angle, tongue attack causes
curse that does 1d4 damage to all stats.
Hounds of Tindalos are named after the first sorcerer known to have fallen victim to them.
Strange, extradimensional predators, they are not really "hounds" as they are not really very doglike.
They are very lean, four-legged predators, emaciated and skeletal, with alien heads, strange eyes that
can vary tremendously, jagged, sharp teeth, and a long tongue-like organ that drips bluish, glowing
ichor.

HUMAN, BANDIT/SOLDIER: AC: 12 HD: 1d10 (6 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +2, DEX: +0, MND: +0
SPD: +0
The stats for a regular fighting man.

HUMAN, COMMON MAN: AC: 11 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +0 (1d6), STR: +0, DEX: +0, MND: +0, SPD:
+0
The stats for a regular civilian.

HUMAN, VETERAN: AC: 14 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: weapon +3 (1d6), STR: +2, DEX: +2, MND: +2, SPD: +0
The stats for a more powerful fighting man, or captain.

HYDRA: AC: 15 HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: 5 bites +4 (1d10+3) STR: +6 DEX: +0 MND: -3 SPD: -2, S: the hydra
recovers 10 points of damage every round, unless the damage was dealt with fire or acid

40
 A tremendously dangerous, multi-headed serpent-like creature that is almost impossible to kill
without burning.

HYPERBOREAN: AC: 12 HD: 1d6+2 (6 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +2, MND: +0 SPD: +2, S:
May have (50%) a first level spell of the GM’s choosing.
Pale, human-like beings who are exiles from the strange land of Lomar in the north.

IFRIT: AC: 16 HD: 10d6 (40 hp) AT: slam +10 (2d6) STR: +8, DEX: +3, MND: +4, SPD: +0, S: flies, can turn
invisible, immune to any but silver weapons, and can cast any fire-related spell.
Genies of fire that live in the fabled City of Brass. The Jann claim to have some descent from
the ifrit mingled with their otherwise human ancestry.

INVISIBLE STALKER: AC: 16 HD: 8d6 (32 hp) AT: 1 bite +8 (1d6) STR: +1, DEX: +2, MND: -2, SPD: +6, S:
flies, invisible
An assassin spirit summoned by evil warlocks to kill their rivals.

JABBERWOCK: AC: 12 HD: 7d8 (35 hp) AT: 2 claws +10 (1d8+4) bite +10 (2d6+5) STR: +8 DEX: -2 MND: -
2 SPD: +8, S: flies, can make a tongue attack where the tongue launches out and sticks to opponents.
On a successful opposed STR check, the jabberwock pulls the target to his mouth and gets an
automatically successful bite attack. Also, any character that sees a jabberwock must succeed on a
Level + MND check, DC15 or be subject to an effect identical to The Seeping of Kadath on the Mind for
4 rounds.
A bizarre creature, supposedly created from a spectacularly botched spell by some ancient
wizard that is a disturbing hybrid of multiple large monstrous creatures. Seeing one often makes
victims literally lose their mind in terror, as does listening to their gibbering, meeping calls.

JANN: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +2 (1d6) STR: +1, DEX: +1, MND: +0, SPD: +0, S: For one strike
per combat, the Jann can make a Fire Strike which does an additional 1d6 fire damage to his
opponent.
A red-skinned human who claims distant ifrit ancestry many generations ago.

KEMLING: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +1, MND: +0, SPD: +0 S: Kemlings
can see in the dark as if they had the biological equivalent of night-vision goggles.
A black-skinned human who claims distant daemonic ancestry many generations ago.

KETOS: AC:30 HD: 30d8 (150 hp) AT: 4 slams +30 (3d8+10) STR: +18 DEX: +2 MND: +0 SPD: +10 S: fully
amphibious, immune to 1st-3rd level spells, Ketos can vomit a flood of sea water that flows from his
mouth like a flood. Creatures in it's path must make a STR + Athletics check to avoid being washed
away, but still take 2d6 damage from the force of the water. Targets that fail the check are washed
away and knocked down. If they smash into a solid surface (such as a wall) they take an additional
4d6 damage as the water pounds them into the hard surface
A terrible aquatic monster from the Gigantomachy that has occasionally been appeased by
sacrifice, but otherwise is known to be responsible for the destruction several ancient kingdoms and
city-states, including Argos, Joppa and Aethioppia.

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LICH: AC: 20 HD: 12d6 (48 hp) AT: touch +HD (1d6) STR: +4, DEX: +0, MND: +5, SPD: +0, S: immune to
mind control, disease or posion, touch causes paralysis (save DC 15), causes fear in creatures under
4th level/HD (Sanity check), can cast spells up to 5th level, canopic talisman
One of several end-states for evil, necromantic sorcerers, who prolong their life with their
magic. These skeletal, undead wizards usually create canopic talismans, which allow them to return
even from death if defeated, unless the canopic talisman is itself destroyed.

LION: AC: 13 HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: bite +4 (2d6), 2 claws +4 (2d8), STR: +7, DEX: +4, MND: -3 SPD: +7
These same stats can be used to represent other large, dangerous predators (like tigers, for
instance) but lions are particularly dangerous because of their social hunting strategy.

LIZARDMAN, BRUTE: AC: 17, HD 3d8 (16 hp) AT: Club +5 (1d8+4) or javelin +3 (1d6+4). STR: +4, DEX:
+0, MND: -2, SPD: +2, S: amphibious
Large, powerfully build, anthropoid lizards who live in swamps semi-aquatically.

LIZARDMAN, SCOUT: AC: 13, HD 2d8 (10 hp) AT: Club +2 (1d8+2) or javelin +3 (1d6+1). STR: +0, DEX:
+3, MND: +0, SPD: +5, S: are amphibious
A smaller (but more intelligent) morph of the lizardman race.

MANTICORE: AC: 17, HD: 6d10 (36 hp) AT: 2 claws +8 (2d4+5) bite +6 (1d8+2), spiked tail +8 (1d8+2)
STR: +5, DEX: +2, MND: -1, SPD: +6, S: flies, spikes from tail can be thrown up to 100 ft.
Another leftover horror from before the Gigantomachy, the manticore is a strange hybrid
between man-shape and lion-shape, with a large scorpion-like tail.

MEDUSA: AC: 15, HD 3d8 (16 hp) AT: bow +3 (1d6) or dagger +3 1d6+1) STR: +1, DEX: +1, MND: +0,
SPD: +0, S: Turn to Stone on failed DC 14 MND + level check) if you look Medusa in the eye
Another lingering horror from prehistoric times, Medusa is a strange hybrid between woman
and snake, and her malignant gaze will turn any who see it to stone.

MINOTAUR: AC: 15, HD: 8d8 (40 hp) AT: 4 claws +10 (2d6+4) or gore +10 (1d8+4), STR: +10, DEX: -2,
MND: -2, SPD: +4.
Cursed monsters that are hybrids between men and giant, shaggy bulls, minotaurs have
developed a taste for human flesh.

NIGHTGAUNT: AC: 15, HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: Squeeze +4 (Special), STR: +1, DEX: +1, MND: +1, SPD: +5, S:
Flies, tail caress while being squeezed renders most creatures helpless to react, can cast Leaden Limbs
of the Gnophkeh spell
Human-sized, rubbery and lean, faceless black flying creatures, nightgaunts are greatly feared,
but curiously not always hostile.

ORC: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +3 (1d6+2) STR: +4, DEX: +0, MND: -2, SPD: +0
Powerfully built humanoid creature with greenish-gray skin. See character creation rules.

42
PHOENIX: AC: 19 HD: 12d6 (48 hp) AT: bite +12 (2d6) STR: +5, DEX: +5, MND: +0, SPD: +15, S: all
characters hit by the phoenix must make a DEX + Athletics check (DC 15) or be set on fire, which deals
an additional 1d6 damage each round. Flammable materials can be set alight at will on contact
Massive bird of flame that will burn most things that it comes into contact with.

PLAGUE HORROR: AC: 15, HD 10d8 (50 hp) AT: Tentacle +10 (2d6+6) maw hand +10 (2d6+6) STR: +10,
DEX: -2, MND: -2, SPD: +4, S: A hit with tentacle may grapple its foe on a check vs. DC 20 (STR or DEX +
Athletics). A grappled opponent automatically takes 1d8+3 damage each round and cannot do
anything until he escapes. A hit with the maw hand will infect the target with a disease unless it
succeeds on a STR + level check DC 20. The disease causes almost instantaneous flesh rotting, which
causes 1d4 point of STR damage the round after the attack, and an additional 1d4 STR damage when
the combat is over, assuming the character survived, and will continue to do so once a week until the
character dies or the disease is somehow cured.
An elephant-sized mutated former plague victim that betrays little of its former humanity after
daemonic reanimation. Spines cover its back, and one arm ends in a toothed maw, the other has
become a powerful tentacle.

RAT, GIANT: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: bite +1 (1d3) STR: -3, DEX: +3, MND: -4, SPD: +2, S: 25% chance
of disease from bite—must succeed on DC 12 STR + level check or take 1d4 DEX damage in 1 day, and
1d4 STR damage in 2 days, which will continue until healed (successfully saved against).
An aggressive, territorial rat the size of a large dog.

RATMAN: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +2, MND: +0, SPD: +2, S: 25%
chance of disease from successful attack—must succeed on DC 12 STR + level check or take 1d4 DEX
damage in 1 day, and 1d4 STR damage in 2 days, which will continue until healed.
Disease and filth carrying humanoid rat-people.

RAT BRUTE: AC 15, HD 4d8 (20 hp) AT: 2 claws +4 (2d6) bite +7 (1d8+3) STR: +7, DEX: +5, MND: -3,
SPED: +2, S: 25% chance of disease from bite or claw attack—must succeed on DC 12 STR+level check
or take 1d4 DEX damage in 1 day, and 1d4 STR damage in 2 days which will continue until healed.
A massive, muscular, ogre-sized breed of ratmen.

RHINOCEROS: AC: 18 HD: 6d8 (30 hp) AT: trample +7 (2d6+6) gore +7 (1d10+6) STR: +8, DEX: +0, MND:
-4 SPD: +6
NOTE: this can also represent other large, charging herbivores like bison or aurochs

SABERTOOTH: AC: 14 HD: 5d8 (15 hp) AT: bite +5 (2d10), claws +5 (2d8), STR: +8, DEX: +3, MND: -3
SPD: +7
A massively muscled cat with extraordinarily long fangs.

SCYLLA: AC: 19 HD: 11d8 (55 hp) AT: 4 maws +11 (2d6+5) bite +12 (2d10+5 and paralytic poison) STR:
+8 DEX: +1 MND: -3 SPD: +2 S: fully amphibious, successful bite attack administers paralytic poison
(STR + Athletics check DC 17) that makes opponents completely unable to move for 2d6+3 rounds

43
 An aquatic monster from prehistoric times with many heads, each equipped with a sucking,
lamprey-like mouth. It can crawl onto land with four powerful clawed feet, and its bite delivers a
dangerous paralytic poison that leaves its victims helpless.

SEA SERPENT: AC: 17 HD: 15d6 (75 hp) AT: bite +15 (4d6) STR: +12, DEX: +2, MND: -4, SPD: +5, S:
swallows whole on roll 4 higher than needed to hit, swallowed creatures take 1d6 automatic damage
every turn. Swallowed characters, if they can deal 30 points of damage with a light weapon before
dying, can escape.
Gigantic, aquatic snake.

SERAPHIM: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +1 (1d6) STR: +0, DEX: +1, MND: +1, SPD: +0, S: +1 to
any Knowledge or Communication checks.
Beautiful humans with a touch of angelic ancestry, giving them pure white hair, chrome
colored eyes, and extraordinarily beautiful features. Seraphim are usually the descendants of fallen
angels, however, so their beauty sometimes masks a darkness of soul that not even the kemlings can
match.

SHOGGOTH: AC: 5, HD: 12d8 (60 hp) AT: slam +12 (1d8), STR: +12, DEX: +2, MND: -1, SPD: +3, S:
Immune to critical hits and poison, regenerate 3 HP/round, only takes half damage from fire, cold,
electricity, and bludgeoning attacks, amphibious
Massive and powerful amoeba-like creatures cursed with a bitterness and anger at the
creatures of the current age (or even the age before the Gigantomachy, for that matter; shoggoths are
one of the few remnants from the age before even that.)

SKELETON: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon or strike +1 (1d6) STR: -1, DEX: -1, MND: -4, SPD: +0, S:
immune to mind control, disease or posion, only takes half damage from arrows or bullets.
A magically animated skeleton, which can serve necromancers as servitors or even warriors—
although they are relatively poor at the latter.

SNAKEMAN: AC: 16, HD 2d8 (10 hp) AT: bite +3 (1d8+4) or bow and arrow +2 (1d6+4). STR: +2, DEX:
+0, MND: -1, SPD: +2, S: amphibious, successful bite attacks deliver poison. Target must succeed on
STR+Level check DC 14 or take 1d4 STR damage. One minute later, a second check must be passed or
character takes 1d4 DEX damage.
Powerful children of Medusa (the original) they often are ruled by a lesser medusa (as shown
in the stats listed here). They lack the petrification ability, but are quite large and strong, and have a
poisonous bite. From the waist down, they are a slithering snake, like medusae, but they lack the
snake "hair" and in general have a more serpent-like face.

SNAKE, CONSTRICTOR: AC: 14 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: constriction (1d3) STR: +1, DEX: +1, MND: -4, SPD: +4,
S: On successful attack, automatic 1d3 damage thereafter until dead or the snake changes its target.
Can be escaped with an opposed STR check.
Large snake that attacks by coiling its body around a victim and suffocating it.

44
SNAKE, VIPER: AC: 14 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: bite +1 (1hp + poison) STR: -2, DEX: +2, MND: -4, SPD: +2, S:
Poison bite (DC 14 1d6 STR damage, in one minute another 1d6 STR damage.)
Smaller serpent that attacks by injecting poison into the body of its victim via its fangs.

SPIDER, GIANT: AC: 15 HD: 5d8 (25 hp) AT: bite +6 (1d6+4 plus poison) STR: +6, DEX: +1, MND: -4,
SPD: +0, S: successful bite attacks deliver poison. Target must succeed on STR+Level check DC 14 or
take 1d4 STR damage. One minute later, a second check must be passed or character takes 1d4 DEX
damage.
Modified from wyvern stats. Less of a Shelob and more of the Mirkwood spiders, though.

SPIDER-BABOON: AC: 12 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite +2 (1d6) STR: +1, DEX: +3, MND: -4, SPD: +3, S:
Acrobatics affinity, successful bite attacks deliver poison. Target must succeed on STR+Level check DC
14 or take 1d4 STR damage. One minute later, a second check must be passed or character takes 1d4
DEX damage.
A monster that was supposedly bred in Hell; these are like an agile primate, but with multiple
eyes like a spider, and a poisonous bite. They are not native to anywhere on Earth, but may infest
certain cursed areas, and some powerful sorcerers even summon one as a familiar (since it has 2 HD,
any sorcerer of 4th level or higher.)

SWARM, BATS: AC: 12, HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: 4 bites (1d8), STR: -4, DEX: +4, MND: -4, SPD: +3, S: Attacks
made against the swarm are made at -2 and have a 50% chance of hitting random adjacent creature,
flies
A multitude of small, biting bats. They are hard to fight, because they are small and travel in a
loosely aggregated mass.

SWARM, INSECTS: AC: 13, HD: 3d8 (15 hp) AT: 3 bite (1d3) (double against no armor), STR: -4, DEX: +4,
MND: -4, SPD: +1, S: Unaffected by weapons, may or may not fly, may or may not have poison causing
paralysis
A multitude of small, biting flies or other biting insect. They are hard to fight, because they are
small and travel in a loosely aggregated mass.

SWARM, RATS: AC: 12, HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: 1 bite +HD (1d8), STR: -4, DEX: +4, MND: -4, SPD: +2, S:
Attacks made against the swarm are made at -2, bite has 5% chance of causing disease (see RAT,
GIANT)
A multitude of aggressive and possible rabid rats. They are hard to fight, because they are
small and travel in a loosely aggregated mass.

THURSE: AC: 17, HD 3d8 (16 hp) AT: Club +5 (1d8+2) or javelin +3 (1d6+2). STR: +2, DEX: +0, MND: -2
SPD: +0
NOTE: These same stats can apply to any bestial humanoid such as a Sasquatch, Ogre or
Gnophkeh.
Large, powerful, hairy vaguely humanoid creature, known for feral savagery and often a hunger
for human(oid) flesh.

45
TREEMAN: AC: 19 HD: 10d8 (50 hp) AT: 2 slams +12 (2d6+9) STR: +10 DEX: -2 MND: +0 SPD: -2, S: takes
double damage from fire attacks, can trample an opponent which prompts a DEX + Athletics check DC
20 or take 3d8 damage
Powerful yet slow humanoid tree given sentience by some elder power.

VAMPIRE: AC: 17 HD: 9d6 (36 hp) AT: bite +9 (1d6) STR: +4, DEX: +6, MND: +5, SPD: +9, S: immune to
mind control, disease or posion, only takes half damage from non-silver weapons, regenerate 3 hp per
round, on a successful hit (MND + level to resist, DC 19) does 1d4 STR damage, gaseous form at will,
shape change into bat, can hypnotize (MND + level check, DC 19), avoids garlic and mirrors,
immobilized and apparently dead if a stake is driven through its heart, drowns underwater in one
round, creatures reduced to -5 STR by the vampire’s bite will die and rise 24 hours later as a lesser
vampire under the control of their creator.
Another possible end state for the evil and powerful who wish to prolong their life unnaturally
(like the lich.) Vampires retain their human appearance, but the cost is the undeniable thirst for
human blood and sacrifice.

WEREWOLF: AC 16 HD: 4d8 (20 hp) AT: claw +3 (2d8) bite +3 (1d10) STR: +3, DEX +3, MND -2, SPD: +7,
S: Can transform into either a HUMAN, BANDIT/SOLDIER or a WOLF once per combat (or from them if
it starts in either of those forms.) Transforming instantly heals all damage taken so far. A successful
bite or claw attack while in werewolf form will cause the victim to suffer a 25% chance (each attack) of
contracting the curse of lycanthropy. An individual so cursed becomes a werewolf, and can change
into a wolf or werewolf of the same HD as his regular character when desired. However, in combat, a
werewolf has a 20% each round of falling prey to an effect identical to the Seeping of Kadath on the
Mind spell. And needless to say, if the local countryfolk hear about it, they’ll come after the party with
torches and pitchforks.
Humans cursed to transform into wolf-like monsters Legend holds that the moon causes the
change to happen, but this is not actually true; stressful conditions (like being injured in combat, for
instance) is usually the trigger.

WIGHT: AC: 14 HD: 3d6 (12 hp) AT: claw +3 (1d6) STR: +4, DEX: +1, MND: +1, SPD: +0, S: immune to
mind control, disease or posion, takes only half damage from non-magical or non-silver weapons,
does 1d3 STR damage per hit (MND + level check to avoid, DC 14), creatures reduced to -5 STR will rise
24 hours later as a wight.
The reanimated corpses of powerful warriors or other champions, wights are powerful and
deadly undead creatures. In northern countries, they are often found interred in barrows or megalithic
tombs; in dry parts of the south there are some that have been mummified and interred in pyramids
or other stone tombs.

WOLF: AC: 12 HD: 2d6 (8 hp) AT: bite +2 (1d6) STR: +2, DEX: +1, MND: -3, SPD: +8
NOTE: These same stats can apply to any medium sized cursorial hunting animal such as a dog
or hyena.
A typical cursorial hunting animal.

46
WOODWOSE: AC: 12 HD: 1d6 (4 hp) AT: weapon +3 (1d6+2) STR: +4, DEX: +0, MND: +0 SPD: +0, S: +4
on any Survival type roll needed.
Savage, hairy humanoids who are often accused (and not unfairly) of hunting and eating
people.

WYVERN: AC: 15 HD: 7d8 (35 hp) AT: bite +6 (1d6+4) or sting +3 (1d6+2 plus poison) STR: +6, DEX: +1,
MND: -4, SPD: +7, S: flies, successful stinger attacks deliver poison. Target must succeed on STR+Level
check DC 14 or take 1d4 STR damage. One minute later, a second check must be passed or character
takes 1d4 DEX damage.
NOTE: Can also represent other large stinging or biting poisonous creatures, such as giant
insects, etc. May make bite instead of sting poisonous as desired, and remove flight for things like
giant spiders, etc.
Large, poisonous flying reptiles.

47
Open Game License (OGL)
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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors
Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt,
based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Microlite20 © 2006, Robin V. Stacey (robin@greywulf.net)
M20 Hard Core Rules © 2008, Alex Shroder
Microlite74 © 2008, Randall S. Stukey
Swords & Wizardry © 2008. Matthew J. Finch
Swords & Wizardry: Whitebox © 2008. Matthew J. Finch Authors Matt Finch and Marv Breig
Microlite74 2.0 © 2009, Randall S. Stukey
Microlite75 © 2011, Randall S. Stukey
Microlite74 Extended 3.0 © 2011, Randall S. Stukey
Dark•Heritage Microlite20 © 2013, Desdichado
Cult of Undeath © 2015, Desdichado
Fantasy Hack m20 © 2016, Desdichado
Dark Fantasy X © 2022 Desdichado

[End of License]

The Dark Fantasy X product is 100% Open Game Content except for Product Identity, as per the
Open Game License above. Product Identity includes the Author’s Note and Introduction.

48
Appendix
Successfully running a game of Dark Fantasy X (or any other role-playing game) is a challenging
yet rewarding endeavor. Besides; someone has to do it, otherwise there’s no game for anyone! If you
accept the challenge of being the Gamemaster, there are a few things you should know. This section
has a very small bit of advice, based on my own experience, followed by a fair number of tools that
can help you. In no particular order:
You’re a player too. Although your task, and therefore what makes the experience rewarding
and fun for you is perhaps a bit different than for the other players, this is still a game and you should
be enjoying yourself too. GMing is not a chore; it’s not a job, it’s not what the guy who gets the short
stick has to do. If you are not motivated and having a good time, the game will suffer because of it for
everyone. If so, consider giving the reins to someone else.
Be fair and be consistent. One of the things that the players need most is feeling like they can
make decisions for their characters based on reasonable risk assessment. In other words, they need
to feel like they understand the way the world works (and most likely they expect it work like the real
world does for most things.) Although this is one of those “perception is reality” kind of things,
especially on a highly rules-light game like m20, the players will rely on your judgement about how
likely things are to be successful. If they can’t get a handle on that because your rulings and DCs are
inconsistent, or if they are consistent but out of whack with their expectations, either one, it will
create the strong impression that the game is arbitrary and therefore unfair, which will dramatically
reduce the enjoyment that your players feel.
Be varied and interesting. There is a wealth of sources in terms of ideas for your adventures.
Don’t ever feel bad about borrowing from any and every source you can imagine; books, TV shows,
movies, video games, whatever. Just don’t borrow the same kinds of elements from the same kinds of
sources. In addition, if you pay attention to your players, you will before long find it easy to judge
when they are engaged and entertained, and when they are more bored or frustrated. Pay attention
to this and give them more of what they like and less of what they don’t. They may not all be on the
same page about what their favorite aspect of the game is (and they may be in different moods to do
different things at different times anyway) so some situational awareness is crucial for good GMing.
Be generous and say yes. Although I personally dislike games that are overly concerned with
the acquisition of character wealth and powers, in general, players tend to be happier when they get
what they came to the table for, rather than feeling like it’s denied them. This doesn’t mean give
them “stuff” necessarily; but it does mean allowing them to indulge what they want to do as a
character. These rules are meant to emulate swashbuckling action stories. Think of a well-known
example like the Star Wars franchise. Do the characters ever get bogged down looking for equipment
that they don’t have access to? While getting passage to Alderaan is a key plot element of the first
movie, it’s easily accomplished. When Luke needs a lightsaber, he has one. When the characters have
the opportunity to have a speeder bike chase, they’re readily available. How does Luke even get his X-
wing that he flies for most of the movies? I dunno. It’s there when he needs it. This is the kind of story
that I intend to emulate. Hoarding of gear, doing tedious accounting and shopping are not at the
heart of this kind of story; they are things that are typically breezed over because they are tedious
and boring. Now; some players actually do enjoy that kind of thing, so I don’t recommend excising it
entirely. But I do recommend a focus more on the action, role-playing and the solving of interesting
problems than I do on making things arbitrarily difficult for the characters. That’s the spirit of
swashbuckling adventure stories, after all. That said, saying yes doesn’t mean Monty Haul; it can often

49
mean giving the PCs something difficult to accomplish to get what they want. Which will make them
value its accomplishment all the more.
Let the PCs dictate the game. Don’t over-plan, because you will tend to get locked into your
plans the more time you spend on them. This isn’t your novel that the other players get to have a
minor role in. This is their game, and you’re supposed to represent the environment and the setting.
Let them be the stars of the game, not anything that you’ve created. Let them decide what kinds of
characters and what kind of party to create; don’t passive-aggressively punish them for not picking
your ideal of a “balanced party” or whatever. Don’t give them simply one solution to problems and
ensure by fiat that anything else fails (better yet, don’t envision any solution; just see what they think
of.) If you are too prone to trying to not let the PCs have their head, as the saying goes, then maybe
you should rethink being the GM. If that’s the only way you can enjoy the game, then you are
probably not equipped to be the GM. Being a successful GM means always remembering that it’s
their game. You’ll have plenty of interesting and fun things to do, and honestly, you’ll probably be a
great deal more entertained by seeing what they come up with then you will be trying to ram them
into your own ideas of what they should do.
That said, it’s also my experience that few groups have enough initiative, especially at early
stages of the game, to know what to do from scratch if you give them total freedom. Usually they will
wander around aimlessly and even with a great deal of frustration “trying to find the game.” Once
they are able to anchor themselves a bit more into the setting and their characters, they are much
more capable and willing to take the reins, start making things happen that they initiate, and pursuing
character goals that they themselves have set, rather than plot goals that you have created for them.
So ease them into it, but when they’re ready to take control, absolutely let them do so.
Be prepared with things to do if the players seem lost, bored, or just need some kind of
motivation. To quote Raymond Chandler, “when in doubt have a man come through a door with a gun
in his hand.” An ambush by brigands, thieves, highwaymen, cut-throats, or dangerous wild animals is
sometimes just the thing to get the game going again when it flags. Have a list of names appropriate
for your setting that you can draw from to give NPCs that you didn’t anticipate will give the players
the feel of being more than a hastily constructed expedient. If the PCs ignore threats or certain
events, in the back of your mind think about what is happening while they’re not intervening. Make
their decisions (or lack thereof, as the case may be) have consequences that they can see in game.
Maybe they still won’t care, although you should take that as an indication that you’re probably not
presenting them with the kind of game that’s engaging or interesting to them if so. More likely, they’ll
take the perceived failures personally and be more motivated to keep them from happening again.
Nothing gets players more motivated than a rivalry with an NPC that has gotten the best of them at
least once in the past. In short, make your setting feel like a real world, not just an environment for
them to interact with. This is the big benefit of table-top RPGs over computer ones; you can have
flexibility to do all kinds of things that a computer programmer could not anticipate, and you can
react to PC actions that they would never be able to do in a computer game. Do not make the mistake
of sacrificing this advantage for your own convenience; your game will suffer from being too much
like a computer game… but without the nice graphics.
But again, don’t over-prepare. You don’t need gigantic campaign settings the size of a
continent. You don’t need a lot, actually. A very brief outline of what you think is likely to happen over
the next session or two, including a few details about some NPCs, monsters, and locations that the
PCs are likely to encounter is usually sufficient. Take seriously Ray Winninger's First Rule: "Never force

50
yourself to create more than you must." I rarely type up more than a page of outline, and it usually
ends up lasting for several evenings’ worth of play. But in order to do this well, you simply have to
practice. Don’t be afraid of not running the best game ever when you’re starting. You’ll probably do
better than you think, and even if you don’t, you’ll get valuable practice and experience and be better
at it next time, if you pay enough attention to your group to notice what went well and what did not.
Make the supernatural special. Yes, this is a fantasy game in a fantasy setting, but magic and
monsters should never feel mundane; something that the PCs deal with without thinking about it on
their morning commute. Take the time to set it up sufficiently to be impactful when it happens; and
don’t think that every combat needs to be against weird monsters. Nine times out of ten, my combats
are with normal people or dangerous wild animals, not with monsters. That may be more than you
want to do, but the advice is still good; try and keep the supernatural special, even if the PCs are
exactly the kind of people who are always poking their noses in it. Think of structuring your sessions
like an episode of the X-files, where finding out about a supernatural threat is the endgame of the
session, not the regular routine.
The Secret Roll. As GM, you probably need a few details about your characters—a single line
will suffice, but have the character and player names, their stat modifiers, AC, and skill modifiers and
level noted at least. There are always times when as GM you will want to make rolls for the character
that the player is not aware of, or at least cannot see the result of, because a failure would give them
knowledge that their character could not have. A great example of this is where another NPC is trying
to sneak up on the character, or when the characters are traveling and may get lost but not realize it
while traveling through the wilderness. If you don’t have their Wilderness Survival bonuses, you can’t
do that.
Magic Items.
Magic Weapons: Magic weapons are better at hitting and causing damage than standard ones.
Most range from +1 to +3 to To Hit and Damage both. Magic weapons sometimes have a special spell-
like power or two. A few weapons are intelligent and have a number of spell-like powers (some even
talk). A few weapons are cursed and reduce one’s chance to hit. Magic weapons will also do damage
as if they were cold iron or silver against foes that are resistant to damage other than cold iron or
silver.
Magic Armor: Most items of magic armor are +1 to AC, with a few +2 or +3, and some of them
do not have the penalty for being heavier that caps the DEX score. Magic shields exist with similar
pluses.
Scrolls: Most hold one to six spells that can be cast even by characters who don't know them
(finding the scroll does not give you access to the spell once it has been cast, however). A few place
curses on the reader.
Potions: Potions are magic items that mimic the effect of a spell that directly affects the
character that drinks it (therefore spells that do not affect the caster or a target directly cannot be
placed in a potion).
Rings or amulets, etc.: Can also store spells, but often offer a permant magical effect, like a +1
to some stat, skill or situation, etc.
Wands or staves, etc.: Usually store a certain number of "pre-cast" spells that can be accessed
for their effect to be shown when needed. Once the total spells are exhausted, the wand or staff, etc.
has no magic left and is a mundane item.

51
 While acquiring magical items may be extremely difficult (at the GMs discretion), using them
usually is not, and none of the cost in terms of hit points or Sanity roles associated with casting spells
apply when using magic items to mimic a spell. This opens up the possibility of a new kind of
spellcaster; the “pseudomage” who doesn’t cast normal spells, but instead uses magic items.
However, given the difficulty and cost in finding sufficient of these to credibly pursue this path, it
really should mostly only apply to eccentric and very wealthy NPCs, or the occasional PC who really
takes the time to pursue it, and may open up story possibilities for PCs who are in bad with loan
sharks or other criminals.
Haunts.
Haunts are a novel idea from the Pathfinder game that combines elements of a trap and a
ghost—haunts should be used liberally to create the classic "haunted house" vibe, or to create any
eerie, horror-themed vignette in your game. In adapting the idea of haunts to m20, I'm needless to
say going to be forced to interpret the concept very differently and with considerably less complexity
than the original.
Haunts are extremely difficult to notice without triggering them. While a normal trap can
presumably be seen (if you know what to look for) haunts cannot. That said, as a haunt is being
triggered, there is a brief moment when wary characters might be able to detect that something is
happening (by making a MND + Survival or Knowledge check), and possibly mitigate its effects. If the
PCs do not detect that the haunt is about to start, they are caught unawares and off-guard under the
full effect of the haunt. If they do detect it, they have one round to attempt to do something to
alleviate the effects of the haunt; flee the haunted area, cast some spell of their own, etc. This
doesn't mean, of course, that the action that they choose to take will be effective. As GM, you will
have to adjudicate what (if anything) their actions have on minimizing or defeating the effects of the
haunt.
The effect of a haunt is usually replicated by using the mechanics for a spell. You can describe
the haunt very differently than the description of the spell, but the mechanics will be the same.
Haunts may have varying "caster levels" depending on how powerful you want the haunt to be, if the
spell used is one in which its effects vary by caster level.
Haunts cannot be "fought" like a normal ghost; they must be destroyed by the PCs taking
some specific action that causes the haunt to go away. They probably will not know what this action
is, although they may stumble across it, or otherwise figure it out. (If you want, a MND + Knowledge
check can give them a clue—often this needs to be done in a library or with a book or journal of a
ghost-hunter, or someone else experienced in the works of the undead.) Mostly, haunts don't need
to be destroyed however; the PCs' suffer the effects of them and then will usually know avoid that
same haunt again.
Haunt trigger areas are usually relatively small; a room, a dell, a small stretch of hallway, etc.
To create a haunt, you need to do the following, then:
• Pick a DC for the PCs to notice the haunt, as well as an effect that they notice.
• Pick a spell that the haunt triggers, or create your own spell-like effect.
• Pick a caster level for the spell (if applicable)
• Pick the way in which the haunt can be destroyed. In a pinch, use the go-to for ghost
destruction; find the remains or body, salt and burn them.
Here are a few samples:

52
 BLEEDING WALLS (Notice DC 20 to hear the sound of disembodied soft sobbing.) The Bleeding
Walls haunt causes thick rivulets and streams of blood to ooze from the walls, accompanied by the
piercing sound of a woman's pained screams. Effect: Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth (4th Level
spell.) If the PCs can leave the area after noticing the sobbing before it triggers, they can avoid the
effect. The haunt can be destroyed if the woman's body hidden in the walls (who's sobbing and
screaming you hear) is given a proper Christian burial in the hallowed ground of a proper graveyard.

SLAMMING DOORS (Notice DC 10 to see the door start shutting.) The Slamming Doors haunt
causes doors to slam shut and to be held shut. These door can be broken open (depending on the
strength of the door), but will otherwise remain shut. The doors are supernaturally strengthened by
the will of the malicious poltergeist that caused the door to slam. Usually, this will trap the PCs within
an area, such as within a haunted house, etc. Effect: Invocation of the Dweller in the Gate. To avoid
the effect, PCs must dart through the shutting door before it closes. The haunt can be destroyed if
the door is broken and destroyed.

CHOKING HANDS (Notice DC 20 to see/feel a cold mist starting to coalesce around the neck of the
victims.) Ghostly hands made of gray mist will choke the PCs. Effect: Casts Moloch's Word (3rd level
spell) at caster level 5. This haunt will continue each round that victims are within the target area,
although it only effects one victim at a time. Victims being choked must make a DC 20 STR + Survival
check to move, or else fall prone and be unable to move (another character can drag them out of the
area, however.) The haunt will usually target one victim at a time until dead before moving on to the
next one. The haunt can be destroyed if the body of the murderer who it is reflecting is exhumed and
their remains burned and salted (as for a ghost.)

GHASTLY WHISPERS (Notice DC 20 to hear crescendoing blasphemous whispering before it is

triggered.) The ghostly sound of at least dozens of whispering, screaming, sobbing, crying and cursing
voices fills the heads of its victims, driving them rapidly insane. Effect: Casts The Seeping of Kadath on
the Mind (4th Level Spell). This can be avoided if PCs run like the dickens out of the area before it
targets them. This haunt can only be destroyed by a trained exorcist performing a night-long
prayerful ritual using at least a gallon of holy water and uninterrupted prayer by an anointed priest—
although the haunt will attempt to attack the exorcist repeatedly while the exorcism is underway.

HEADLESS HORSEMAN (DC 15 to hear the clip-clop of galloping hooves before it appears.) A
ghostly, headless soldier on a ghostly, skeletal horse appears and attacks those attempting to cross its
area of road or dell or bridge, etc. Effect: This ghostly apparition cannot be fought like a normal
ghost, as all attacks against it are ineffective, even with silver or magical weapons. It, however,
attacks with its own spectral sword, with a To Hit bonus of +8 (2d6 damage) and it will continue to
attack until all targets manage to escape its area of influence (often crossing a bridge or some other
road marker) or they are all killed. The haunt can be destroyed by finding the remains of the ghostly,
decapitated victim, and reunited it with the remains of its head.) (Note that if you use the Headless
Horseman monster entry, this becomes redundant to transform the concept also into a haunt.)

BLACK CARRIAGE (DC 15 to hear the creaking of the carriage and clopping of its hooves before it
appears.) A spectral black carriage, driven by a ghostly coachman appears and runs down all in the

53
haunted area. Effect: Equivalent to the Summoning of Ithaqua (4th level spell). A DC 30 DEX +
Athletics check allows the victims to dive out of the way of the wildly careening coach, although if will
probably appear again moments later until the PCs are out of the haunted area. The haunt can be
destroyed only by casting The Invocation of Kadashman (Ritual only spell) to summon a ghostly steed
of your own which will lure the ghostly stallions deep into the ghostly realm, never to return.

Extra Race
For a variety of reasons, the dhampir wasn’t going to fit in the original setting, or at the very
least they’d be so rare that they wouldn’t really be encouraged except as very unusual one-offs. But,
the appendix is the perfect place to put something like that.
• Dhampir. +1 to STR and +1 to AC. Sometimes when a vampire attacks someone but doesn’t kill
them or turn them into another vampire, they exist in a kind of half-vampiric state. This isn’t
normally very appropriate for PCs, because of the risk that they will turn into a vampire if not
carefully managed; although the details that management will be left up to the GM to decide.

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Alphabetical Index of Spells
Alhazred's Folly (5th)
Amrruk's Fist (Ritual)
Arachnidan Detritus (2nd)
Arzana's Shaping of the Earth (Ritual)
Banishment of Passing (1st)
Benevolence of Timar (1st)
Binding of the Poltergeist (1st)
Blasphemous Piping of Azathoth (4th)
Blight of Alhazred (2nd)
Breath of Cthulhu (2nd)
Breath of the Ancient Star (3rd)
Burning Effects of the Witch (2nd)
Burrowing of the Dhole (5th)
Cackling Breath of Moloch (1st)
Change of Culsans (Ritual)
Cickly Illumination of Tuma (1st)
Command of Tarush (5th)
Crytpic Circle of Itrito (1st)
Curse of the Damned Ones (4th)
Cushion of the Shantaks (1st)
Dagon's Breath (3rd)
Denial of Azathoth's Entropy (Ritual)
Door of Susnacco (4th)
Dormius Major (1st)
Eye of the Mi-Go (1st)
Eyes of Lucifer (3rd)
False Voice of the Wisp (1st)
Flanks of Shub-Niggurath (5th)
Flesh of Shimut (Ritual)
Gate of Yog-Sothoth (5th)
Glance of the Gorgon (3rd)
Glance of Yog-Sothoth (2nd)
Greater Invocation of Shaggai (4th)
Grip of the Bloodspawned (2nd)
Gullet of Yog-Sothoth (Ritual)
Hand of Nyarlathotep (5th)
Hayaz's Rupturing (2nd)
Hejaz's Cleansing Touch (4th)
Horcrux of the Great Race (5th)
Huudrazai's Names (Ritual)
Invocation of Ahm I (3rd)
Invocation of Ahm II (4th)
Invocation of Ahm III (5th)

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Invocation of Kadashman (Ritual)
Invocation of the Dweller in the Gate (2nd)
Ithaqua's Arms (4th)
Kefte's Void (Ritual)
Leaden Limbs of the Gnophkeh (3rd)
Light of Kuranes (2nd)
Many-Angled Assassin (Ritual)
Mennefer's Curse (Ritual)
Mind Grab of Shaggai (1st)
Mind Link of the Shan (5th)
Mind-bond of Shaggai (4th)
Mindspike of the Mi-Go (5th)
Moloch's Arms (4th)
Moloch's Word (3rd)
Movement of the Byakhee (2nd)
Nefererkare's Wrath (Ritual)
Nightgaunt's Mobility (3rd)
Path of Dagon (Ritual)
Peal of Clanging Woe (1st)
Perception of the Yith (3rd)
Perun's Smite (3rd)
Phantasmal Mirage of Gaziyat (2nd)
Power of the Gug's Arms (2nd)
Seeping of Kadath on the Mind (4th)
Servant of Nodens (5th)
Shield of the Angels (1st)
Sight of the Gorgon (5th)
Stealth of Selvans (2nd)
Strength of the Gug (1st)
Summon the Colour Out of Space (5th)
Summoning of Ithaqua (4th)
Susnacco's Secret Passage (Ritual)
Taraam's Theft of the Soul (Ritual)
Tongue of Cadazzo (3rd)
Tsatvii's Horror (3rd)
Understanding of Cadazzo (1st)
Unerring Vision of Ishtar (2nd)
Vaaktuka's Cancerous Growth (4th)
Vaaktuka's Cancerous Swelling (5th)
Vaktu's Unraveling (3rd)
Vision of the Tcho-tcho (2nd)
Voice of the Ghost (1st)
Voice of Vencança (2nd)
Will of the Shan (3rd)

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Withering Blast of the Lliogor (1st)
Withering From the Haunter (2nd)

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Appendix II
Expanded Travel Rules: Depending on the situation, when PCs travel from one location to another,
one of two options should be used. The first one is the Raiders of the Lost Ark “redline.” Remember
when Indiana Jones flies from his home to Nepal to get the amulet from Marion? We’re treated to a
short scene where he boards a plane, get a menacing look from the Nazi on the flight, and then the
music changes to a montage-like music, and the video fades, to be superimposed with a map of the
world, and a moving “red line” that shows his travel. Yes, this system means that essentially you don’t
do travel; it’s merely a brief montage of description from the GM and within a minute or less, you
should be at your destination moving on to the next thing. This is actually a very good way to deal
with travel in many situations. However, there’s a second system, because sometimes both GM’s and
players feel like actually doing the travel is supposed to be part of the adventure, not merely skipping
over with a brief descriptive montage.
This second system
will take considerably more
time, but it is a rewarding
activity in its own right, and
it does make travel feel like
it is certainly part of the
adventure, and not merely a
tedious chore that has to be
done on the way to the
adventure.
To begin with, the
players will need to have at least a crude map of where they are and where they’re going, so that they
can make some informed decisions about how to get there. Let them consult a map, even if you have
to whip up a quick and dirty one on the fly (although naturally, it’s better to have one already
prepared) and let their character consult with locals who know something about the area, so that
they can make reasonable inferences about the territory that they’ll need to cross, what landmarks
they’ll see on the way, and what hazards and dangers they can expect. Of course, these locals don’t
have to have perfect or even correct knowledge about everything, but they should give the players at
least sufficient information to make informed decisions about how long they can expect to travel and
why they may want to plan one route instead of another.
Here’s an example. Let’s assume that the PCs find themselves in Timischburg, in the coastal
city of Vezhok, and that they need to get to Vyrko Lodge deep in the woods to the east. There isn’t an
immediately obvious route that goes directly from one to the other by road, so they’ll have to come
up with stages on how to get there. Perhaps they decide that they want to make an overland journey
across the Sighing Farms and join the Black River; either following the river itself to Mittermarkt, or
hailing a river boat if they can (at which point, helpful locals might tell them that there are many very
small towns where boats can be hailed along the river that are not shown on the map.) From there,
they will take the eastern road that goes around the forest by way of the town of Ubyr, because
they’ve heard bad rumors about Innsborough and the Orlock Marshes, and they want to give them a
wider berth, even if it takes a little longer.
On the other hand, maybe they want to take a ship from Vezhok to Innsborough and cut their
journey down by a considerable amount of time, and they’re not concerned with rumors about the

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strange people of Innsborough and the haunts of the marshes sound like superstitious nonsense to
them. Maybe they want to stop at Grozavest first, the capitol of Timischburg, because they want to
pick up something in the big city that they can’t get in Veszok. Or maybe they just want to go site-
seeing in the capitol. It’s a weird place, and worth a visit.
Or, perhaps they will travel by ship or overland to Inganok, at which point they’ll have well-
maintained roads for the entire trip. It’ll be a little bit longer, but the roads will allow for quick and
relatively safe travel compared to overland travel; with the exception of the Sighing Farms; well-
tended farmland will usually be safe to cross in any situation. Let the players see a map, let them
debate various alternative, and let them ask you questions about the route, assuming that there are
people nearby that they could ask. If they’re with a patron who’s hired them to travel to the Vyrko
Lodge, he probably has information about the route that he can share. If they’re sitting together at a
table in a tavern frequented by travelers and merchants, there’s probably reasonably friendly people
at nearby tables who would love a chance to talk about their experiences traveling the area and give
them good intel on the route.
Once the players have decided on a route, you will need to make some preparations yourself
as the GM for the journey. Let’s assume by way of example that the players have decided that time is
of the essence, so they will go to the docks first thing in the morning and look for a ship that can take
them from Vezhok to Innsborough. After some debate, they’ve also decided that the road goes too far
out of the way, so they’re going to cut cross-country across the marshes to try and get to Vyrko Lodge
directly. This implies two stages to the journey, a ship voyage where they will have relatively little that
needs doing by the PCs followed by an overland journey where there will be lots for them to do. Each
stage of the journey needs to have a number of days assigned to it. Based on this estimate, the
players can decide how to equip their characters. Let me talk you through an example of how to do all
of this.
Stage 1: The PCs are able to charter passage on The Mist Maid, a modest-sized merchant ship
that is heading to Innsborough anyway with a load of cargo. The quarters will be cramped and
uncomfortable, but the passage will be fairly safe, and I’d simply tell them, with some descriptive text
about the weather and the food and the crew that they make the journey to Innsborough without
incident in two full days of sailing.
Stage 2: Unfortunately, Innsborough is a thoroughly nasty place, and their journey will be
interrupted there as they have to deal with problems with the locals. This will probably take a day or
two of their time, although it doesn’t need to be treated as travel time.
Stage 3: The last stage is the overland journey through the marshes, and then later across the
maritime pine savanna until they reach the woods and Vyrko Lodge near its border. This is tough
terrain, especially the marshes, and will take them an estimated five days to traverse.
The PCs don’t need to be equipped on the ship journey, because passage includes provisions
for all passengers. They may decide not to pick up rations until they get to Innsborough too, although
that may be risky. They were warned about Innsborough, after all, and passing through it and
shopping there might end up with them stranded without any provisions other than what they can
steal or hunt en route.
This stage 3 is where the rules need to come into play. You will need to have determined in
advance the “danger level” of the journey. This varies from 1-5, with 1 being equivalent to traveling
well-tended and peaceful farms and 5 being like traveling through literal Hell. Don’t be too eager to
use the highest numbers; 3 is the midpoint, and it represents traveling through enemy territory. Five

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should be reserved for terrain in which the inhabitants are actively hostile to all travelers and have
supernatural means of locating them. Two is sufficiently dangerous for my purposes; the terrain isn’t
actively hostile, it just has dangerous wildlife, brigands and swamp-dwelling cultists and witches, as
well as quicksand, bogs, snakes, diseases and who knows what else that they might have to deal with.
You’ll now need to roll 6d6. Each d6 represents a period of the day: Predawn, Morning,
Afternoon, Evening, Dusk, and Night. For every d6 that comes up equal to or lower than the danger
level, you will have a potential encounter (on a 1 or 2, in this case, since 2 is my assigned danger level
for the route.) Let’s say that the rolls I had were 4, 5, 6, 2, 1, and 5 (because I did just roll them and
that’s what I had.) That would mean that there would be two encounters of some kind or another,
although not necessarily a combat encounter. It could be wild animals. Bandits or monsters.
Hazardous weather conditions, or anything. You’ll need to have a decent sized list of prepared
possible encounters that you can pick from. It’s also entirely possible that your encounter doesn’t
actually happen; the potential encounter could be a band of brigands and neither the PCs notice the
brigands nor the brigands the PCs and they end up passing each other without incident. Such is the
nature of dice-controlled games.
Other than the danger level, what other variables come in to play? The players should pick a
pace, and it’s OK to simplify that to fast, slow or medium/default. If the PCs are traveling at a slow
pace, they only make two-thirds progress, but all Survival + MND (or whatever stat is applicable)
checks are done with advantage for foraging, for navigation, and for spotting potential enemies or
dangers (those would all have to be rolled separatedly, however, even if they are all at advantage.) If
my party traveling from Innsborough to Vyrko Lodge traveled at a slow pace the entire time, instead
of five days, it would take them at least seven days, but they could eat mushrooms, fish or waterfowl
that they catch or hunt or gather while traveling and not consume many rations. They’d also probably
spot danger before it spotted them. Not only do they get advantage to spot danger, but any potential
enemies are at disadvantage to spot the PCs.
On the other hand, if they traveled at a medium pace, they would only take five days; the
normal time period alloted to the journey. They could still forage instead of eat rations, but they
would have to do so at disadvantage. Navigation and perception of danger checks are done normally
without advantage or disadvantage. If they traveled at a fast pace, there is no opportunity for
foraging, and all other checks are at disadvantage, while potential enemies have advantage to spot
them and potentially set up an ambush or other hazard. However, they travel faster; for every two
days traveled, they make three days of progress.
Foraging DCs depend on the type of terrain the party is traveling through. The Orlock Marshes
have plenty of water (although it’s really silty and tastes terrible) and fish, frogs, waterfowl, and other
edible plant life, so the DC would probably be pretty low. Traveling through the Boneyard, food would
be more difficult to find, although not impossible (there, water is the bigger concern.) Up in the
Sabertooth Mountains, especially if they’re above treeline or on a glacier, it would be practically
impossible to find either.
In addition to the encounters and foraging roll, the route should have a “discovery level”
between 1 and 4, with the higher numbers being more remote or off-the-beaten-path locations. Roll
one more d6 each day, and if you come in lower than the discovery score, then you need to tantalize
the PCs with something that they can see off their route that they might want to explore. This is sort
of like an encounter, although it may not have any enemies, wildlife or monsters (although, also, it
may.) This could be an old ruined tower poking up out of the trees, a burned down farmstead where a

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hidden lockbox still lingers in the sooty ashes, or a whispering of ghostly voices in the wind. (You
should have a list of these prepared in advance too.) The point of these is to tantalize the PCs with the
possibility of exploring something. It should be a trade-off between taking the time to do so and
avoiding potential risk vs. missing out on potential reward and opportunity. Depending on the nature
of what they see, it may take time off of their route. If they walk a mile or two out of their way to go
investigate a strange pile of ancient standing stones and end up getting trapped in a barrow and
facing wights, as happened to the hobbits, it will take the better part of a whole day to resolve and
they won’t make any progress towards their destination. On the other hand, if they find an ancient
shrine to a heathen Atlantean god in a meadow near their route that still has fresh food near it, or
find a bird’s nest that glitters in the sun because it picked up a gold ring that was lost by a fallen
traveler in the past, it may take very little time to resolve.
Finally, at the end of the day, you’ll need to roll a secret roll against the party’s Survival + MND
score for navigation. “The party’s” score being, in this case, the character who is the most likely to
succeed, or the one that the players’ nominate to be their guide. The DC is, again, situational. Under
cover of a thick forest, with no landmarks, navigation could be very difficult; 25 or more, even. In
rolling grasslands with occasional cliffs, buttes, rocks or stands of trees where landmarks are easily
visible from far away and visibility is good, it would be 10 or even less. If you’re following the course
of a river, it’s so easy that it shouldn’t even be rolled at all. If the party’s Survival champion fails this
roll, then the party is lost, but doesn’t know it yet. They will make no progress towards their
destination until 1) they succeed on a check and realize that they’re lost, and are able to reorient
themselves, or 2) they come across some feature that they shouldn’t and realize that they’re lost,
such as a river, mountain, or the fact that they haven’t arrived in several more days than the journey
should have taken. Make your forage checks for everyone at this point. As long as at least one person
succeeds, you’re OK on water, but for everyone who fails a forage check, at least that many rations
much be consumed by someone in the party. If everyone fails, then the party is hungry and
dehydrated, and will suffer a -2 to all checks until they can resolve that, usually at the next evening
when they make camp again.
This system actually makes travel interesting; it gives the PCs something to do other than
poorly thought out random encounter tables, and most importantly, it gives the players meaningful
choices to make: what route to take, what pace to travel, to stop and explore a discovery of
something interesting, or carry on, how much to pack for the trip, etc.
Let’s go through the Innsborough to Vyrko Lodge trip from step one. I deliberately didn’t use
encumbrance rules in Dark Fantasy X, because I’d never been a fan of how they work in D&D, and I’d
never cared for them. But GMs will have to make a ruling on how much it is reasonable for people to
carry under this new system. Keep in mind that a gallon of water weighs of 8 lbs, and hikers in general
should drink a quart every two hours; i.e., a gallon will barely get them through one day of hiking,
assuming that they have access to water at camp. A good rule of thumb is that PCs can only carry two
days worth of water, and about a weeks worth of food before being emcumbered between that and
all of their other travel/camping gear. Emcumbered characters are at a -2 to all checks; even non-
physical checks, because they are more likely to be fatigued from their load. However, our intrepid
PCs in Innsborough have been able to acquire a pack-horse before leaving town, so they can carry
enough for everyone to have three days worth of water and they pack twenty rations between the
four people; ideally, that means that they shouldn’t need to forage at all since their estimated travel
time is five days and there are four of them. Here’s hoping! They set off at a normal pace.

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 The first day, I rolled two encounters, as noted above. In fact, with a danger level of 2 and six
periods in the day, you should expect two encounters per day due to mathematical average. But these
don’t need to be combat encounters necessarily; I decided that one is a swarm of insects (from the
monster list) and the other is a vast mudfield out in the marshes where the PCs can get stuck if
they’re not careful, and have to spend extra time to extricate themselves. They’ll have to make
Athletics + DEX or STR to get out at DC 16, and they’ll have continue to make them until every
character is out. If they get out in one round, they’re dirty and miserable but otherwise unharmed. If
it takes them two rounds to get everyone out, then they lose 2 rations, which are spoiled by the mud
leaking in to their gear. If it takes them three rounds, they are so exhausted from the effort that they
are at -2 on all checks until the end of the day. If it takes more than that, then their progress for the
day will be reduced, as if they were traveling at a slow pace. If they were already traveling at a slow
pace, they’d only make half time.
My discovery roll didn’t come up with anything, but the PCs failed their Navigation check
already on the first day, and have now made no progress! The tall grasses and deep muddy water
offer no landmarks and the Outdoorsman of the group has gotten turned around.
The next day, when the sun comes up, he realizes that he’s facing the wrong way and reorients
himself, but now they’ve lost two rations to the mud, and they’ve lost a day of travel, so they won’t
make it without running out of food. (I didn’t have them forage for water. They’re in a marsh; it’s all
around them.) This time they forage while traveling at disadvantage, and three of the four characters
find enough food that only one ration will need to be eaten today. They have more encounters, and
also see a strange elevated hut in the marsh on a discovery roll. They decide to take a little bit of time
to go investigate, and are shocked to find that inside are several mutilated and dismembered bodies,
but that also there is a painting of what looks like the four PCs on the wall. From this point on until
they leave the marsh, the PCs will notice evidence of someone following them, and before they leave
the marsh, they will be attacked by a band of 3 ghouls and a ghoul-hound who’ve been following
them ever since the hut. There isn’t any explanation that they can find for their portrait on the wall;
it’s just a creepy detail that they never resolve.
Anyway, this will continue. Because of the day that they spent lost, and some time that they
spent foraging and exploring, the five day journey took seven days total. A quick glance through the
monster list gives me a number of interesting potential encounters that I can gin up as needed,
including:
• a small pack of wild boar
• a crocodile
• the ghost of a woman drowned in the marsh years ago
• a group of traveling goblins with a wagon stuck in the mud
• a gang of human bandits that are regular bandits
• another group that are strange snake cultists
• a band of lizardmen
• giant rats
• ratmen with a rat brute
• aggressive giant water buffalos (use rhinoceros stats)
• moss covered animated skeletons
• snakemen with a viper
• spider-baboons

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 • any of the three swarms
• a pounding storm that blows in from the coast, slowing their progress and increasing the risk
of them getting turned around and lost in the poor visibility
If I wanted to up the supernatural aspect of it, I could add more monstrous encounters to the
list, but my take on Dark Fantasy X is that its much more grounded than D&D. As I like to say, if D&D
5e is the Avengers movies, then Dark Fantasy X is the Daredevil show. I think I’ve got enough
supernatural stuff as it is to be creepy without it being silly.

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