CREATED & WRITTEN BY

AlAN bAhr
ADDITIONAL TEXT BY
Alana Joli Abbott
MICRO-SETTINGS BY
Alana Joli Abbott & Gwendolyn N. Nix
 Created & Written by Alan Bahr
Additional Writing by Alana Joli Abbott
Micro-Settings by Alana Joli Abbott & Gwendolyn N. Nix
Edited by Alana Joli Abbott
Interior Art by Nicolás R. Giacondino
Cover Art by Nicolás R. Giacondino & Jeremy D. Mohler
Book Design & Layout by Jeremy D. Mohler
Tombpunk Line Management by Alan Bahr
Published by Jeremy Mohler

Dedication: I wrote this to get it off

my brain, so I can move on. Now
that’s done.

Licensed & Published by Outland Entertainment, 2020.

Tombpunk is ©2020 and a trademark of Alan Bahr. All rights reserved.
“The Jerk in the Castle” & “Dirty-Hand Haven” ©2020 by Outland
Entertainment LLC.

Reproduction without the written permission of the publisher is

expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and for any
blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use
only.

Created & Printed in the United States of America.

www.outlandentertainment.com
 TablE of
CoNTENTs
Introduction....................................................5
The Comic........................................................8
The Game.......................................................14
The Core Mechanics.......................................16
Classes............................................................22
Weapons........................................................29
Armor.............................................................35
Other Gear......................................................37
Movement & Travel.......................................39
How To Play the Game..................................40
Combat...........................................................44
Dungeon Econ 101.........................................46
Dungeon Gear................................................50
Light & Darkness............................................51
Dungeons & Traps.........................................55
Enemies..........................................................57
Hirelings........................................................70
Ancestries & Cultures....................................72
Micro-settings...............................................78
Some Notes From the Creator......................100
 iNTroducTioN

Hey.
I’m Alan.
I wrote this game. You might want to
know why, what it’s all about, and what
I was thinking. Or you might not. If you
don’t, just skip this letter section and move
on. No skin off my nose (I mean, I’m a little
hurt, but you gotta do you.)
So, what the hell is this Tombpunk thing?

5
Tombpunk is best called a “classically
inspired” roleplaying game. It’s designed
to feel like old games from the 70s and 80s,
with a bit of a modern design ethos tossed
in there, given a good shake and then kinda
just…dumped out.
It’s a deliberately imperfect game,
designed around four core ideals I had
when I wrote it:

• Keep the rules quick, dirty, to the

point, and deliberately incomplete.
• Don’t sweat rules for everything.
Provide just enough rules to play.
• Keep the tone straightforward and
conversational.
• Avoid the possibility of power
creep.

Yeah, but why did you write it? you

might ask (and rightly so). Because I like a
design challenge. Because I had an itch to
scratch. Because someone told me I couldn’t
do it, and I am a stubborn bastard who hates
being told no.

6
 Look, putting words on paper, no matter
how messy, helps me grow as a writer and
game designer. Tombpunk is a mess, but
it’s my kinda mess. I hope you dig on it as
much as I do, cuz it’s gonna be a hell of a
ride.

7
 ThE coMic

If everyone really is out to get you, you’re

not paranoid. In Alan Bahr’s Tombpunk, the
odds are intentionally stacked against the
adventurers. The government? Out to get
you. Random monsters? Out to get you. The
forces of chaos? They’re definitely out to get
you.
But just because the world is a mess, it
doesn’t mean you have to be dour about it.
When I was asked to write a comic inspired
by Tombpunk, I knew exactly who I wanted

8
my main character to be: Sunny, a newbie
adventurer with tons of heart and a huge
positive outlook. You need more than that to
survive in Tombpunk, of course, but despite
the ending of this strip, I don’t think this is
the last we’ll see of Sunny.
When the world is a mess, sometimes it’s
best to go down smiling.

9
10
11
12
13
 ThE GamE

Tombpunk operates on a quick and dirty

RPG system, designed to play fast, get out of
the way, and let you have high-octane, high
action adventures. We’re not going to spend
pages telling you how to play the game, so
we assume you’re familiar with RPGs. If
you’re not, some quick YouTube searching
will set you up just fine.
The game is written to be as simple,
conversational, and easy to understand as
possible. Rules first, story later.

14
Here’s what you need to play:

• This book.
• A set of polyhedral dice. Tombpunk
uses d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and a rare
d20.
• A few players—one to be the
Narrator, and at least one to be a
Character. We recommend having
at least three Characters at a table.
• Some pencils and paper.
• Your imagination.

15
 ThE corE
MEchaNics

The Attribute Test is the core resolution

of situations in Tombpunk. To make an
Attribute Test, you roll a d12 and compare
the result to your Attribute.
There are two potential outcomes that
you can have:

16
 • If the result of the roll is equal to
or lower than your Attribute, your
Test is successful.
• If it is higher, you fail.

Any time you want to do something that

could fail, just pick the appropriate attribute
and roll.
When the Narrator attacks you, they have
to roll over your attribute to be successful.
This one rule will govern most of the rolls
in the game.
If something gives you Advantage, you
roll two d12s and take the lower one. If
something gives you Disadvantage, you
roll two d12s and take the higher one. If you
have both Advantage and Disadvantage
(unlikely, but possible), they cancel. You
can never roll more than 2d12.
The second most common Test is a
Resource Test. To make a Resource Test,
you roll a d6 and compare the result to your
Resource score. All Resource Tests succeed,
but a high roll (above your Resource Score)
requires you to reduce your Resource score
by one point.

17
 aTTribuTEs
There are three Attributes in Tombpunk
that govern the heroes the characters
will play. To determine your score in an
Attribute, roll a 1d4 and add 4. This gives
you a number between 5 and 8.

MIGhT
Might represents fortitude, health,
strength, and physical force. It is used to
determine your lifeblood, and as well as
how hard you can swing a weapon.

GrIT
Grit governs your soul, willpower, and
magical abilities. It enacts magic spells, as
well as how well you keep your wits about
you when the blood starts to flow.

DEFTNESS
Deftness represents your physical agility,
your dexterity, nimbleness, and reaction
time. It’s what you use to determine if you
can avoid being hit in combat.

18
 rEsourcEs
Resources are aspects of your character
that change. Unlike Attributes, your
Resources are fluid at any given time;
they ebb and flow throughout the game.
Beginning Resources are determined by the
Character’s Class. The Narrator can call for
a Resource check at any time.
If you don’t have a Resource, you can’t
do a check with it.
Resources can’t go lower than 0 or higher
than 5.

cOUrAGE
To use courage, a character states their
intention and makes a Courage check. They
roll a d6. If the result on the d6 is equal
to or less than their Courage, they use it
successfully. If d6 is higher, the result is
still successful, but they must decrease their
Courage by one.
The most basic use of Courage is to resist
terror.

19
 cOIN
Coin represents your money. To use
Coin, a character states what they want to
purchase and makes a Coin check. They
then roll a d6. If the result on the d6 is equal
to or less than their Coin, they buy the item.
If d6 is higher, the result is still successful,
but they must decrease their Coin by one as
they have overspent their reserves.
You can sell one point of Treasure to
gain 1d3 points of Coin to spread among
Characters. You can find out more about
Coin on page 37.

WIll
Will is the spiritual strength of each
character. A Resource Test of Will is often
rolled when confronted with dark magics,
horrific scenes, or occult nightmares.
A Character also restores lifeblood equal
to their Will once a day (the Character gets
to use this ability for free once per day at
their discretion.)

20
 lIFEblOOD
Unlike other Resources, Lifeblood isn’t
used for Tests. Instead, it’s a representation
of the amount of physical damage a
Character can take before they are knocked
unconscious or die. Like the other Resources,
beginning Lifeblood is determined by class.
Lifeblood is further explained in the Death/
Dying section on page 43.

21
 classEs

There are three professions (classes)

in Tombpunk: Warriors, Shepherds, and
Ritualists. These three classes form the core
elements of the heroes that make up the
world.

WArrIOrs
Warriors are the most common type
of hero in the land. Fighters, thieves, and

22
soliders, Warriors are physical, skilled
combatants.

23
 Warriors start with Lifeblood equal to
their Might+10, Courage 3, Coin 2, Will 2,
and the Special Ability Weapon Training.
Warriors begin with two weapons with one
quality, or one weapon with two qualities.
WEAPON TRAINING: Every time
a Warrior attacks, they may add any
single weapon quality to their weapon
for the duration of that attack. (See
Weapons on page 29.)

Warrior attacks do 1d10+Courage damage.

ShEphErDs
Shepherds are the spiritual guides of the
land, attempting to assuage the soul against
the horrors of the night.
Shepherds start with Lifeblood equal to
Might+8, Courage 3, Coin 1, Will 3, and the
special abilities Prayer, Healing, Tithes, and
Guidance.
PRAYER: Shepherds may make a
Will check once per day at sunrise (if
they worship the Everlasting Sun),

24
or sunset (if they worship the Moon
Indomitable). They may either restore
1 Courage or 1 Will to a nearby ally.

25
 HEALING: Shepherds may make a
Will check to restore Lifeblood to a
target. Healing restores a number of
Lifeblood equal to the target’s Will.
TITHES: Shepherds may eat and
lodge for free at any church of their
faith (and may request such for allies,
though accommodations are not
guaranteed.)
GUIDANCE: Shepherds may
automatically lower their Will by one
point in order to add advantage on
any test.

Shepherd attacks do 1d8 damage.

rITUAlISTs
Ritualists are magicians, occultists, and
Tombpunk’s equivalent of researchers.
Ritualists start with Lifeblood equal
to Might+6, Grit 2, Coin 4, Will 2, and the
special abilities Alchemy and Spells.
ALCHEMY: A Ritualist may craft

26
alchemical items such as potions,
poisons, and esoteric metals. To do so,
they must make a Coin test to craft an
item. Some of the items they can craft
are:

27
 SMOKE BOMB: As an action, this
bomb imposes Disadvantage on all
Tests against the Ritualist.
HEALING SALVE: This salve can
be applied to a wounded target,
healing 1d3 Lifeblood. It takes 10
minutes to apply this salve.
ALCHEMIST FIRE: This bomb
can be thrown as an attack that has
the Burning 2 quality.
SPELLS: The Ritualist can cast spells.
It takes a successful Grit check to cast
a spell, but spells can do a multitude
of things. Rather than layout all the
varied combinations, the Narrator
should work with the Advantage/
Disadvantage mechanic to determine
effect.
For example: Perhaps a Ritualist wishes
to summon a gout of flame at a ghoul. A
Ritualist normally does 1d6 damage, but
they wish to do 2d6 instead. The Narrator
tells the player that such a feat is possible,
if they can make the Grit check with
Disadvantage.

Ritualists attacks do 1d6 damage.

28
 WEapoNs

Weapons are defined by qualities, not

damage dice (as damage is tied to class).
Where a quality has an “n” value, you may
increase the value of n by +1 each time you
take that quality.
Each character starts with a weapon with
one quality, except the warrior, who has two
weapons with one quality or one weapon
with two qualities.

29
 Because damage is tied to class, the type
of weapon (sword, spear, battleax, etc.) is
primarily for the sake of flavor, with one
exception: whether the weapon is ranged,
for use at a distance, or melee, for use in
close combat. Ranged weapons, such as
bows or crossbows, automatically begin
with the Reload 1 quality. Ranged weapons
Test Deftness to attack, unless otherwise
stated. Melee weapons Test Might.
Some qualities are drawbacks and grant
weapons additional qualities. Drawbacks
don’t take up one of your quality choices
when you select them.

Armor piErciNg N
The weapon ignores n points of Reduction
(see Armor on page 35).

bruTal N
A brutal weapon allows the Character
to roll an additional damage die per n and
keep the highest. For example, a Warrior
using a Brutal 1 weapon would roll 2d10
and use the higher of the
two results.

30
 burNiNg
A target hit with a Burning weapon must
make a Deftness check immediately. If the
target fails, they have been set on fire and
take 1d6 damage at the start of their next
Turn. They must repeat the process—as
though they’d again been hit by the Burning
weapon—until they make a successful
Deftness check to put out the flames.

DEfENsivE N
The weapon provides
an Deftness bonus to the
Character using it. For example,
Defensive 1 would give +1 to the
Character’s Deftness to avoid
being hit. Multiple Defensive
Weapons do not stack.

lighT
The Character can use either
Might or Deftness to attack
with the weapon.

31
 proTEcTivE N
The item provides a Reduction bonus (see
Armor on page 35) to the Character using
it by an increase of n. Multiple protective
items do not stack.

rEach
You can attack
enemies up to 10
feet away. (Weapons
without the Reach
quality can only reach
targets up to five feet
away.)

rEload N
You must Reload this weapon after n
attacks with it. A reload takes a Turn. All
ranged weapons have Reload 1 automatically.
Taking this quality grants your weapon one
additional quality for each numerical value
in n past the first. (Therefore a weapon with
Reload 2 has two qualities.)

32
 SaNcTifiEd
This weapon adds the Character’s Will to
their damage roll when attacking undead,
demons, or evil creatures.

ThrowN
This weapon may also be used to make
Ranged Attacks and Tests Might (instead of
Deftness).

Two-haNdEd
(Drawback)
The Character must use
both hands to properly wield
the weapon. Taking this
quality grants the weapon one
additional quality.

UNwiEldy
(Drawback)
This weapon imposes
Disadvantage when it is
used. Taking this quality
grants the weapon one
additional quality.

33
 VErsaTilE
Even though the Character may wield the
weapon with one hand, if a Character uses
two hands, it upgrades the damage die one
step. (For example, a d8 damage die would
become a d10, and a d10 would become a
d12.)

34
 armor

Armor provides Reduction. Light armor

provides one point of Reduction, medium
armor provides three, and heavy armor
provides five, and a shield gives +1 to the
Character’s total Reduction. However,
heavy armor imposes Disadvantage on all
Deftness tests, and medium armor imposes
Disadvantage on any Deftness tests related
to movement, agility, or speed.

35
 Characters using a shield can’t use a
two-handed weapon. However, they might
live longer, so it’s up to you what you want
to do with that information.

36
 OThEr GEar

Any other piece of gear should serve a

narrative purpose and be adjudicated by
the Narrator as appropriate. A character
can carry a number of pieces of gear equal
to their Might.

TrEasurE poiNTs
As Characters explore Tombpunk, they
discover items, loot and treasure. These are
represented by treasure points.

37
 Each treasure point can be “sold” to
generate 1d3 points of Coin. These points
of Coin can be spread between Characters
in order to increase their Coin resource.
Alternatively, each point of treasure can
be spent to add a new quality to an item if
appropriate craftspeople can be found.

38
 movEmENT &
TravEl

A character can walk 8 miles a day, ride

a horse for 24 miles, or sprint a number of
yards equal to their Deftness if it comes up!
Money in Tombpunk comes from local
regions, nearby countries, or further. We
use the term Coin to refer to your resources
to simplify the game, but you might use
the copper grosh, the silver aspri, the gold
florin, and electrum guilders—though the
truly rich might have even more coin.

39
 how To play
ThE gamE

Once your Character is made, you can

start playing! There are two ways to play
the game: as a one-shot, or as a campaign.
When playing a one-shot, the game
wraps up in one evening (maybe two), and
you play a limited scenario with a fixed goal
(like a stand-alone movie.)
A campaign goes a little longer, with
a linked series of sessions, that form a

40
41
complete narrative arc (like a season of TV).
That’s the simplest breakdown we’ve got.
Play however you want.
Let’s talk about some key parts of the
game you’re going to want to know.

INiTiaTivE, TurNs,
& AcTioNs
Initiative is rolled when a scenario, scene,
or element of the game requires a focus or
knowledge of who acts in what order. This
is generally combat, but a Narrator might
call for it at any time.
To roll Initiative, each player makes a
Deftness Attribute Test. Those that pass go
before the enemies; those that fail, go after.
Characters who pass can decide as a group
who goes first.
On the Character’s Turn, they can take
one action. Moving is an action. Attacking
is an action. Reloading is an
action. Basically, doing
anything that takes
more than a few
seconds is an
action.

42
 SavEs
Saves are normal Attribute Tests or
Resource Tests that, if the Character fails,
have a negative effect on the Character.
Usually a trap or a spell allow for a save.
Saves are determined by the Narrator.

Xp & lEvEliNg
You don’t level or get XP in Tombpunk.
Just try not to die.

DamagE & DyiNg

If a Character is hit in combat, they take
damage. (The attacker rolls damage dice;
the target loses that much Lifeblood.)
If a Character goes to 0 Lifeblood, they
must make a Grit Attribute Test every
time you take an action. If the Character
fails, they die after resolving that action.
Healing magic (like the Shepherd or
Ritualist have) can heal Lifeblood, or the
Character can just use the once per day
healing effect (see page 14, Will). After that
once per day ability is used, though, you
better hope you have someone with healing
magic, or you’re in trouble.

43
 combaT

To attack with a weapon, make a Might

Attribute Test. On a success, roll damage
(determined by class and any modifications
from the qualities on the weapons or spell).
The target loses that much Lifeblood (minus
any Reduction from the armor they’re
wearing armor).
When a Character is attacked, the Narrator
rolls a d12 against the Character’s Deftness.
If they roll higher than the Character’s
Deftness, the enemies succeed—you’re hit!

44
Then, while the Narrator rolls damage, you
check your armor and hope you don’t die.
If the Narrator rolls equal to (or lower)
than the Character’s Deftness—you’re good.
They missed. (Lucky you.)

45
 duNgEoN
EcoN 101

Being an adventurer blows. In the world

of Tombpunk, it costs one Coin a week to not
starve and die in the gutter. You lose this
Coin at the start of the week. That’s right.
Every time your Narrator tells you a new
week has started, you have to lose one Coin
from your Coin resource.
Not very fun, huh?

46
47
 The lord always takes one Coin in taxes
from anyone living in their territory at the
start of the month. As an example: A farm
in service to their feudal lord generates
1d3 Coin a month. This means, even if you
only make one coin that month through
farming, your lord is taking it. Keep some
money and food squirreled away.
But let’s say you’ve had enough of this
farmer life. You’re gonna get out there, earn
fortune and fame at the edge of a sword.
Good on you. You’re probably gonna
die soon, but at least you’re trying to get it
together and improve your lot in life.
An average dungeon delve pays you
1d3 Treasure points. That means at most,
you can get nine coins from a dungeon.
Oh, don’t forget the adventurer’s tax of
one coin a month.
Meanwhile, your lord is
sitting in their castle, ruling
300 farms, and netting
300 coins a month, before
they collect and charge the
adventurer’s tax (and your
lord is probably
spending a third
of their income
on guards).

48
Let’s recap:

• One coin a month to not die.

• One coin a month to the lord.
• 1d3 Treasure points per dungeon
(1d3 Coin per Treasure point).

Hell, economics is fun.

49
 duNgEoN
GEar

Most gear in dungeons (such as thieves

tools, etc.) simply provides advantage on
appropriate tests.
It takes a Coin Test to acquire gear you
need or want. If you ever roll an 11-12 on
a Test where the gear provides Advantage,
the gear breaks.

50
 lighT &
darkNEss

When you first go into a dungeon, you’ve

got to contend with the darkness. Each
dungeon has a darkness rating, or just how
hard the dungeon will be to defeat. Generally
this is equal to the number of Characters
x2 (the typical difficulty it can have when
entered), though it can be modified by
the inhabitants of the dungeon (powerful
enemies might increase the darkness rating.)

51
 As you clear the dungeon, the rating can
go down. The party has a light rating (equal
to the number of Characters). Each time you
clear a room or defeat a monster (or group
of monsters), you group rolls a d8 against
your light rating.
If you roll equal to or under your light
rating, permanently lower the darkness by
1. When a dungeon’s darkness rating is at
0, you’ve cleared the dungeon and you get
your Treasure Points. You don’t actually
have to get to the end of the dungeon...
Get the hell out if you can.
However, an empty dungeon recovers
1d3 darkness points a month.
Yes, that means that you can re-clear the
dungeon, but it also means everyone else
can, too, and you’re gonna have to fight for
those scraps.

52
53
54
 duNgEoNs &
Traps

Traps are pretty easy to handle. The

Narrator simply decides what the trap does
(damage, poison, time-travel, etc.), and
makes the character who trips it make an
Attribute Test.
Use the following guidelines to determine
which Attribute to Test when a trap springs:

55
 • Deftness for jumping out of the way,
dodging something, or similar.
• Might for catching something,
pushing, pulling, or physically
applying force to resist.
• Grit for poisons, gasses, holding
your breath, and mental attacks.
The Narrator knows which traps are in
the dungeon and will let you know if you
spring one.
Traps are bad. Don’t spring traps.

56
 ENEmiEs

Here is a bestiary and list of enemies—

things you can fight in dungeons as you try
to make your lives better. Don’t die.
Enemies have three sorts of attacks:
Standard (normal d12), Advantage (2d12,
take the better), and Disadvantage (2d12,
take the worse). That’s what the Narrator
rolls when the enemies attack.
They don’t need a defense, because the
players roll against the Character’s own
Attributes to successfully hit.

57
 All these enemies are foul minions or
servants of Chaos, so that makes them ok
to kill. Chaos wants to eat the world and
unmake it into a swirling vortex of just...
mish-mashed leftover mortal gunk. Chaos
makes lots of monsters by just slamming bits
and pieces of reality together. Sometimes
cultists can use magic to structure monsters,
or the monsters reproduce (like the goatfolk
can).
So, yeah. The world sucks, but Chaos will
make it a lot worse. But cuz all these chaos
jerks are in dungeons (where better to do
evil, nasty rituals?), you can kill two birds
with one stone (or two goatfolk, I guess).
Kill some Chaos, save the world, get
some Coin, upend the social order, and
throw down your damn overseers.

GoaTfolk
LIFEBLOOD: 20
ATTACK: STANDARD
DAMAGE: 2D6 (SWORD)

NOTES: If a goatfolk rolls a natural 12

on an attack roll, they immediately perform
an additional headbutt attack against their

58
target. This attack automatically hits and
deals 1d6 damage.

59
 CulTisTs
oF Chaos
LIFEBLOOD: 10
ATTACK: DISADVANTAGE
DAMAGE: 1D6 (KNIFE/DAGGER)

NOTES: Cultists of Chaos always have a

few goatfolk around them, and often are led
by a theurge who can cast magic. They also
are kinda smelly and dirty.

ThEurgE
of Chaos
LIFEBLOOD: 18
ATTACK: STANDARD
DAMAGE: 1D6 (KNIFE/DAGGER)

NOTES: A theurge can cast magic. This

takes whatever form the Narrator wants, but
generally theurgic Chaos magic does 1d8
damage (roll above Deftness to hit a target)
or can impose Disadvantage on targets (roll
above the target’s Will.)

60
61
62
 MariliTh
LIFEBLOOD: 60
ATTACK: TWO ATTACKS WITH
ADVANTAGE, OR SIX WITH
DISADVANTAGE.
DAMAGE: 2D8 (VARIOUS WEAPONS)

NOTES: Mariliths are demons, and as

such, they are pure embodiments of Chaos.
They have LOTS of weapons and will use
them to poke holes in you. A lot.
They’re really good at it.

SkElEToNs
LIFEBLOOD: 6
ATTACK: DISADVANTAGE
DAMAGE: 1D6 (KNIFE/DAGGER)

NOTES: Skeletons are undead. You

can find them anywhere you can find
necromancers. Sometimes skeletons have

63
weapon qualities applied to them (more
powerful necromancers can do this). That’s
how you get burning skeletons (or sundry
other types).

hYdra
LIFEBLOOD: 50
ATTACK: DISADVANTAGE (ONE PER
HEAD)
DAMAGE: 1D10 (BITE)

NOTES: Hydras gain a new head every

time they take 10 damage. This new head
grants them a new attack. Hydras always
have 5 heads when first encountered (excess
heads eventually fall off, about one head
per week). They also regenerate 5 Lifeblood
at the start of their Turn until they’re back at
their maximum.

64
65
 GobarriEs
LIFEBLOOD: 6
ATTACK: DISADVANTAGE
DAMAGE: 1D6 (GOBARRIES’ RUSTY
WEAPONS)

NOTES: Gobarries are grimy, foul

creatures, sprung from dark Chaos magics
and the foul thoughts of men. Every time a
man commits a foul deed, a new Gobarries
is born, and they crave the damp darkness
of dungeons.
SPECIAL: Gobarries increase the
darkness rating of any dungeon they are in
by +1.

pumpkiN God
LIFEBLOOD: 31
ATTACK: ADVANTAGE
DAMAGE: 2D10 (CLAWS [MELEE
ATTACK] AND VINES [RANGED
ATTACK])

66
67
 NOTES: The Pumpkin God is the dark
mystical overlord of all Gobarries (so
the Gobarries claim). This strange being
appears with no discernible pattern, leading
the Gobarries it encounters into a frenzied
battle against the surface world. When you
enter a dungeon with Gobarries, there is
a 1 in 20 chance that the Pumpkin King is
there. (The Narrator rolls a d20. On a 1, the
Pumpkin King is there.)
SPECIAL: The Pumpkin God raises the
darkness rating of any dungeon it dwells in
by +3.
When slain, the Pumpkin God revives in
a different dungeon 3d4 days later.

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69
 hirEliNgs

You can hire someone to help you!

Hirelings are pretty useful.
It costs one Coin per month for each
Hireling you have (you lose this Coin at the
end of the month), and you must share your
treasure with them if they accompany you
on adventures (they take one extra Coin per
adventure).
Hirelings don’t have their own attributes
or resources (assume they have a ‘6’ in every
attribute, and if you need to roll, just roll a
d12 against that 6).

70
71
 ANcEsTriEs
& culTurEs

(OPTIONAL RULES)
Tombpunk assumes you’re a human, but
what if you’re not? What if you’re an elf,
dwarf or halfling?
If you want to play a character of a non-
human ancestry, here’s what you do.
First, pick your ancestry and gain its
benefits.

72
 Elf
You gain Low-Light Vision. You also age
one year for every 10 human years.

73
 Dwarf
You gain Dark-Vision. You also age one
year for every 10 human years.

74
 halfliNg
You gain Small Stature. You gain
Advantage on Deftness Tests related to
squeezing into spaces, fitting into spaces, or
sneaking. You age like a human (poorly.)

75
 Low-Light Vision and Dark-Vision do
exactly what they sound like. They let
you see better in certain circumstances.

NEXT, PICK YOUR CULTURE.

This choice represents an overwhelming
influence on where you grew up, and while
you can be at odds with your culture,
everyone does pick up some life lessons
from their environment. (If you’re using
these rules, let the human characters pick a
culture too.)

MiliTanT
BENEFIT: Pick a weapon. Once per day,
you can reroll damage with that weapon.

rEligious
BENEFIT: Once per day, you can reroll a
failed Will test.

MErcanTilE
BENEFIT: Once per day you can re-roll a
failed Coin test.

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 Magical
BENEFIT: Once per day, you can cast a
spell as though you were a Ritualist. If you
already are a Ritualist, once per day, you
gain Advantage on a single spell casting
attempt.

law-Abiding
BENEFIT: Once per day, you can double
your damage against a Chaos creature.

KNowlEdgEablE
BENEFIT: Once per day, you can make a
Grit test to see if you know something.

Your Narrator might create new cultures,

based on environments, conflicts, or more.
Whatever they do, just have fun and
don’t be a jerk.

77
 Micro-
sETTiNgs

So here’s the deal. Being the Narrator is

tough. Inventing a campaign out of the ether
and expecting your players to cooperate can
be an impossible task. We can’t help your
players cooperate, but we can give you
some notes to get started. Following are
micro-settings—basic concepts, characters,
locations, and villains—to give you a
shortcut in starting your campaign. We’ve
started the work, but you can make them

78
yours. If your players set our villages on
fire, we don’t mind.

ThE JErk iN ThE

CasTlE
By Alana Joli Abbott

INTroducTioN
Carson turned over the last of his coin
and scowled after the sheriff’s back as the
larger man left Carson’s small shack at the
edge of the woods. The taxes would just
as likely line the sheriff’s pockets as they
would the halls of Lord Rodney’s castle, and
they’d be wasted both places. Lord Rodney
the Rotter—or so the villagers called him—
had added yet another set of banners to the
damned place. Red, this time. The color of
blood.
Carson huffed at the irony. He was pretty
sure the Rotter had never bled for anything.
Carson hefted his axe over his shoulder
and headed into the woods. He was on his
own these days—after his dad passed last
year, it was up to him to carry on the family
business, such as it was. He’d learned the
trade of woodcutting at a young age. He

79
knew the forest as well as anyone, and
unlike most of the villagers, he wasn’t afraid
of it. He was more afraid of the monster who
lived in the castle than he was the dangers
of the forest.
Not that he’d ever say something like that
aloud. He liked his neck too much.
The woods were quiet today, but not too
quiet, so as far as the birds and beasts were
concerned, all was well. Carson’s stomach
growled. He wondered if any of the traps
he’d set yesterday would have a decent
dinner for him. He couldn’t be spotted
taking anything from the traps, of course,
let alone setting them.
No, no, these woods belonged—
technically—to the Rotter, and hunting in
them was poaching. So he just never let
anyone see him. No one came out into these
woods anyway.
But a shadow behind one of the trees put
a lie to his thoughts. There was someone in
the woods, waiting for him, he guessed. A
bandit, maybe? Seemed odd, but there were
worse things. He hefted his axe.
“I haven’t any money,” he called out.
“The Rotter took my last coin this morning,
so you won’t have any luck with me!”
A woman emerged from behind the tree,
tall and beautiful in the scariest way Carson

80
could have imagined. She was like a blade,
sharp all over, and just as likely to cut.
Despite the axe in his hands and his empty
pockets, he was a little afraid. But only a
little. She couldn’t take something he didn’t
have, and he was used to Lord Rodney
taking everything.
“I don’t want your coin,” the woman
said, her voice a scratch, like nails against
stone. He noticed a long scar across her
neck and wondered how she’d gotten hurt.
“I want your skills. A man like you ought
to be able to help us tell the Rotter where to
shove his taxes.”
Carson hefted his axe, nodded, and
smiled.

ThE SETTINg
Lord Rodney du Roquefort, also known
as Rodney the Rotter, rules his small feudal
territory with an iron fist. High on taxes and
low on concern for anyone living within
his borders, the Rotter is well known for
his ambitions and vanity. He’s primarily
concerned with appearances, frequently
changing the banners and decorations at his
castle rather than investing in the fields of
his serfs.
But that’s the way of most lords, isn’t it?

81
 ThE roTTEr’s plaNs
Lord Roquefort’s plans to increase
his lands lie in two areas: military and
diplomacy.
Most of the recruits to his growing guard
are the second or third sons of merchants
and lesser nobles. Some enterprising serfs
have managed to secure lower ranking
places among the Rotter’s soldiers, helping
provide better for their families who
continue to run their farms on his holdings.
The Rotter plans to take the Camembert
estates to the south by force, when the time
is ripe. Lord Camembert is a sickly, aging
lord whose heir is only nine years old.
The second plan involves winning the
hand of Lady Perenelle, only heir to the
Cabecou holdings that border du Roquefort
on the east. There’s rumor of an accident
that cost the woman her voice during her
youth—not that Lord Roquefort ever listens
to women, anyway.
As he begins to put these plans into
action. Lord Roquefort largely relies on
his right hand man, the Sheriff du Brie, to
enforce his will on his lands. Du Brie is as
corrupt as his master, and his own manor
house has been funded with illicit increases
to the villagers’ taxes.

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 ThE WrEN
Unknown to Lord Roquefort or to her
parents, Lady Perenelle has her own agenda.
Unlike most nobles, Lady Perenelle has
taken an interest in the people who work
her family’s lands and is appalled with the
state of their lives. While she currently has
no influence over the Cabecou taxes, she’s
determined to do whatever it takes to better
their conditions. Even if that means living
on the other side of the law.

83
 Thus, Perenelle has taken a second
identity: The Wren. It’s not an intimidating
name, but she’s gathering a flock of villagers
who are tired of the status quo in the woods
between Cabecou and Roquefort. These
runaway serfs live in the relative freedom of
the woods, poaching and harvesting gardens
in the shadows of the wilds. The forest has
its dangers, but encountering goatfolk and
gobarries is no worse than losing their last
coin to their lords.
The Wren and her followers hide in the
treetops, hovering over the roads, targeting
wealthy merchants and nobles that travel
between the two holdings. They also loot
the dungeons of the area, raising funds to
support the community, so they can get the
supplies they need without giving away
their location.
And what about that injury around
her neck? Neither the Wren’s bandits nor
Lady Perenelle’s courtiers receive a straight
answer. The Wren’s followers don’t know
her true identity as a noble, and they believe
that she escaped the hangman’s noose or was
nearly killed in a duel with a pirate. Lady
Perenelle’s acquaintances are better bred
than to ask over such an injury. However
it happened, the scar has left her without
full use of her vocal chords. She can merely
whisper, which has become a metaphor for
her entire campaign against the accepted

84
way of life.
Lord Roquefort has become quite vexed
by the presence of this bandit on his lands,
and he has tasked du Brie with removing the
danger from his woods. However, du Brie is
generally fearful of the woods, and though
he reports that his militia have thoroughly
hunted the Wren and her followers, they’ve
only made the barest incursions into the
woods. There are goatfolk in there, after all!

ThE DuNgEoNs
There are two notable cave systems
between Roquefort and Cabecou. One leads
to the sea and would provide a fantastic
opportunity for the Wren and her followers
to meet with smugglers. The other could
provide an excellent base for the villagers to
remain hidden should their makeshift homes
in the woods be discovered. Unfortunately,
both dungeons are inhabited and have
to be cleared—multiple times—for either
to be useful. To that end, the Wren has
become more aggressive in her recruitment,
determined to bring the strongest and
bravest villagers into her flock and teach
them to become adventurers.

85
 AdvENTurE hooks
Most adventurers in this setting have
been recruited by the Wren to join her
campaign against the nobles on either side
of their woods. However, there’s also the
possibility that the adventurers have been
hired by du Brie to infiltrate the Wren’s
camps and turn her over to the authorities
for a healthy reward. Narrators can use
these hooks as starting places.
• The Wren wants the
smugglers’ cave cleared out.
Unfortunately, no matter how
many times it is cleared, it
remains occupied. The gobarries
are persistent—rebuilding traps
no matter how many times the
system is cleared, which has
led the Wren to believe that the
cave system is more extensive
than any of them believed.
This dungeon cannot be fully
cleared until the adventurers
have encountered and defeated
the Pumpkin King. (Luckily,
the Treasure Points, along with
gobarries, keep being restored.)
• In an effort to draw the
Wren and her followers out of
the woods, du Brie is hosting
an archery contest, with a large

86
87
 reward (skimmed from tax
money, no doubt). The Wren
recognizes the trap, so she needs
adventurers in the tournament
on the chance they’ll win the
prize. The tournament has
also attracted the attention of a
wandering Theurge of Chaos
and her followers, who feel
Roquefort is a perfect location to
establish a new branch of the cult.
When she joins the tournament,
clearly, chaos ensues.
• Young Lord Reynaud of
Camembert has heard the tales
of the Wren and is determined
to become an adventurer
himself. But when he arrives
in the woods, he’s captured
by goatfolk. The Wren sends
adventurers after Lord Reynaud
to save him before Camembert
can blame Roquefort or Cabecou,
an insult that could give the
Rotter the excuse he needs to
finally launch his soldiers into
war.

IN Your library
“The Jerk in the Castle” is clearly based
on the Robin Hood legends. With this

88
setting’s intentionally cheesy tone, you can
easily gather inspiration from Men in Tights.
Similarly, the downtrodden villagers in this
setting are inspired by the peasants who
holler “Help, help, I’m being oppressed” in
Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

89
 DirTY-haNd
havEN
By Gwendolyn N. Nix

INTroducTioN
“The thing about robbing a grave is that
it’s all about who you know,” Haven said
as she studied the high gate enclosing the
cemetery. She pushed the hood back from
her head just enough for Colette to see her
sharp profile. “Especially when it comes to
the high and mighty.”
“I just want my mother’s ring back,”
Colette whispered. “We lost everything
after my father died. They sold it at auction.
I want it back. That’s it.”
Haven’s smile flashed in the dark and she
thumbed the edge of her sheathed dagger.
“Course you do, dove,” she murmured.
“That’s what you’re paying me for, isn’t it?
The ring is almost yours. I hear they buried
the old Countess with it still on her gnarled
finger. Said she liked the gaudy flash of it.
Said she liked wearing that costume piece.”
Colette’s cheeks flushed hot. “It’s not
gaudy,” she hissed. She swore to herself
she’d never make another back-alley deal at

90
the Bone Diggers bar ever again.
“Course not,” Haven said. “Just slinging
quotes. Sounds lovely to me. Whaddya’ say
it looked like? Teal stones and gold inlay?”
Colette didn’t answer even as she fumed.
Haven knew what it looked like. Haven
knew because Colette had been crying over
the obituary broadsheet when they’d met.
It was just a ring after all. A stupid ring.
Yet when she’d caught sight of her family’s
heirloom drawn on the bony stick of the
Countesses hand for mourning, she’d about
lost her senses by getting raging drunk.
Enter Haven. Earth-Fingered Haven.
Dirty Hand Haven. A woman known for the
dirt under her nails and her craftmanship
for running her hands over any cranium and
identifying where the poor dead thing had
come from. Haven, who’d watched Colette
grip the mortuary broadsheet and sauntered
over, saying oh poor dear, darling dove, the
world is cruel, to her so many times that
Colette began to believe her. Believed when
Haven said she could have it back. Half up
front now, half later. Colette had given over
her earnings from gutting fish right there.
Now here they were. Standing in front of
a cemetery that people would give their left
arm to be entombed inside, even if it was
rumored to be haunted. A huge piece of

91
land that held the cream of society’s crop.
Colette would’ve been buried here. If her
father hadn’t squandered their fortune.
“How are you going to get around the
wards?” Colette asked, eyeing the gargoyles
perched on the gate posts. Marks had been
etched into the monster’s foreheads and
Colette shivered. She’d heard that the marks
allowed the stone creatures to pounce on
you if you entered with ill intent. She never
thought she’d have to be scared of them
before.
“Don’t fuss,” Haven said as the front
cemetery gates opened a sliver. “Ah, right
on time.”
A gravedigger stood in the open space.
She pushed back her hood, revealing short,
gray hair and motioned to Haven and
Colette.
Haven shot Colette a grin. “You’re getting
a fine discount here, my dove,” Haven said as
she strode towards the gravedigger. “I don’t
let people come in with me for nothing.”
“What generosity,” Colette muttered
and tried to dig deep inside for her bravery.
She imagined her mother wearing the ring,
and her grandmother, the way it had been
passed down for generations through their
blue-blood line.

92
 As they approached the gate, the
gravedigger wore a frown and blocked the
path letting them inside. “The dolls, Haven,”
she said.
Haven’s smile became sharper. Forced.
“Not in front of the girl.”
“The dolls,” the gravedigger reiterated.
“I can’t touch them on my own. I hope you
brought someone who can.”
“I did,” Haven said and pushed past the
gravedigger, motioning Colette to follow
her.

ThE SETTiNg
Most cities have a seedy underbelly and
this one is no different. With high society
keeping money regulated with the lords and
ladies from cradle to grave, it’s no wonder
that when you fall, you fall hard. It’s the
same for Colette, once Lady Colette of the
ancient Opal family, whose fortune was lost
and family turned to the streets. Now a fish-
gutter for hire, Colette sought to do nothing
but survive the cold nights and live through
the grief of losing her mother—until she
saw a familiar heirloom on the finger of a
dead woman. Now, she’s desperate to get
back what once belonged to her.
But doing so means she—and anyone

93
else with reasons to search for treasures
within the graves—need to enter the High
Friar’s Kirk. A cemetery full of tombs
and mausoleums built by a greedy and
suspicious upper class and maintained by
the Gravediggers Sect, the resting place
is rumored to be protected by enchanted,
vicious gargoyles who pounce on any
who enter with ill intent. That’s nothing
compared to the ghosts that walk narrow
grassy walkways—some thieves that have
died there, others restless nobility clinging to
some semblance of life. But what you really
need to watch out for are the gravediggers.
Gravedigging might be considered a
lowly position in other places, but at High
Friar’s it is an honor to be among them.
Trained to fight and defend with both
fist and spell, gravediggers are sworn to
protect the cemetery at all costs by entering
a secret sect that binds their loyalty to the
grounds. Rumor has it the gravediggers are
after more than just honoring the dead—
there’s whispered talk of necromancy, but
no evidence exists for such a scandal to be
fleshed out. Sometimes, seeing so many
beautiful pieces put to rest might make
some gravediggers a bit greedy to bite off
more than they can chew—or make deals
with the thieves eager for a piece of wealth.

94
 DirTY-haNd havEN
Dirty-Hand Haven is a graverobber of
some renown, targeting the cemeteries and
tombs of the high and mighty. Sometimes
she robs out of the goodness of her heart,
sometimes for a price, but she always likes
to sneak the jewels and baubles buried
with the snobs and get them back into the
marketplace. Selling them to the auction
houses or even right back to another member
of the royal family, she generally can turn
a pretty penny, unless she’s caught by the
gravediggers or even the gargoyles that

95
guard the cemetery gates. But stealing isn’t
all shiny odds and ends. Sometimes, there
might be something occult stuck in there or
a piece of grave magic ripe for the taking.
Sometimes, Haven must pay back old foes
by doing dirty deeds and possibly using an
innocent girl for her own means.

AdvENTurE hooks
Most adventurers in this setting work
with Haven to find something they’ve lost
or some kind of gear that they want—or
find themselves dealing having to get out of
booby-trapped tombs or gravedigger lures.
There’s also a chance that the adventurers
have infiltrated the dregs of society as
undercover gravediggers, desperate to keep
their jobs, protect the Kirk, and expose the
thieves breaking into the land under their
care.
• Haven wants to acquire
an occult doll for a gravedigger
she owes. Unfortunately,
getting something like that
requires muscle she doesn’t
have and someone who won’t
ask questions. At the same
time, she can’t be seen by the
other gravediggers patrolling
the cemetery. If she takes
out too many, the others will

96
get suspicious. If she doesn’t
take out any at all, she’ll be
caught by the sheer number
of guards. Plus, with so many
goodies lying around, can she
resist stealing more than she
should? The dungeon cannot
be won until Haven finds the
occult doll to pay her dues to
the gravedigger, while staying
stealthy in the cemetery, and
keeping her companion from
wandering off and alerting
the gravediggers. She might
be waylaid by necromancers
or other nasty spooks that go
bump in the night…but Haven
doesn’t put much stock in ghost
stories like those.
• Even though Haven
has become friendly with a
gravedigger, that doesn’t mean
she shouldn’t watch her back.
When a young newly hired
gravedigger arrives looking to
make a deal, she must decide
if she’s ready to enter the lion’s
dead by trusting this new person.
They’ve got debt to pay and
want her to take as many objects
from the cemetery as she can.
With a negotiated thirty percent
commission, Haven decides it’s

97
not that bad and that she can
hire some adventurers to help
her out. But can she get in and
out of the cemetery undetected,
loaded to the gills with loot?
What kind of new traps have
the gravediggers placed to catch
such thieves? She’s about to find
out.
• When Haven finds herself
breaking into the tomb of one of
the oldest families, she expects
corpses and maybe even some
nasty smells, but she never

98
 expects to find the tomb booby-
trapped. Now, Haven and her
fellow adventurers must make
their way out of the tomb before
it collapses and leaves them
suffocating with the bodies of
the snooty high-born. Leave
their loot behind? Never!

IN Your library
Dirty-Hand Haven is based off the rich
tales of grave robbery with a darker, stealth-
focused back-stabbing tone. To inspire your
game, think Edinburgh’s Burke and Hare
(maybe even the movie!) stealing corpses (or
perhaps the mysterious, historical miniature
coffins found in Scotland) mixed with the
exciting quest and discovery of Tomb Raider.

99
 somE NoTEs
from ThE
CrEaTor

Look, this isn’t a game where everything

makes sense.
I kinda just wrote it as I went one day,
because I needed a break for my usual RPG
work. It’s incomplete, messy, and imperfect,
but I love it anyway. It’s loads of fun when
you throw down and play it.

100
 Keep in mind that Tombpunk is just a
fast, quick, rules light game. It can’t cover
every eventuality, and god knows I don’t
wanna write it like that. I won’t even answer
questions about rules if you ask me. Just
figure it out yourself.
Be creative. Hack, modify, and adjust this
game as you see fit. Do what you want with
it at your table, ’cuz that’s the point.
Have a good time with it. It’s all about
sitting around the table, having fun, making
shit up on the fly, and laughing as stuff gets
weird. ’Cuz when stuff gets weird, that’s
when you have the most fun!

Alan Bahr, June 2020

101
102