1

Acknowledgments
Arcane Ugly Version Public Beta 1.3

Arcane Ugly is a hack of Knave 1.0 by Ben

Milton aka The Questing Beast under Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Art by
Trent Holbrook
Rachel Clayfield
Luke of NerdCraftHQ
Bill of BerserkerWorks
Raquel of RaqrexArt
Terran Conjured Craft
Jeremy of BlackMagicCraft
Franky of Franky.D.Crafter
Tanner of Simpsominiatures
Danny of 3d Printed Tabletop

Rules & Writings by

Trent Holbrook
Bill of BerserkerWorks
Luke of NerdCraftHQ
Terran Conjured Craft
Tanner of Simpsominiatures
Danny of 3d Printed Tabletop
Matt Batten
Manu Rimoni
Nic Schultz

Playtested by
Matt Batten
Nic Schultz
Mitch Sigley

2
Arcane Ugly Game License
Anyone may publish free or commercial material
based upon and/or declaring compatibility with
“Arcane Ugly” without express written permission,
as long as they adhere to the following terms:

If your product declares compatibility with Arcane

Ugly you must state the following in your legal
text and on any websites from which a
commercial product is sold: “[product name] is
an independent production by [publisher name]
and is not affiliated with the creators of Arcane
Ugly.”

The creators of Arcane Ugly take no

responsibility for any legal claims against your
product.

The mechanics and concepts of Arcane Ugly

may be reused freely.

The text of “Arcane Ugly” may not be used

verbatim. All artists maintain copyright of their

work.

-
PS. I stole this license from Troika!

Join The
Communityhttps://discord.gg/
4pNQA8fSRv

3
 Welcome To Arcane Ugly
The world of Arcane Ugly is a place of strange, wild and whimsical magic.
Someone set for an adventure can always find one, typically in a dungeon
deep underground. Dungeons in Arcane Ugly aren’t all drab stone walls and
endless mazes, in fact some dungeons are technicolour landscapes or giant
underground oceans or abstract shifting planes. The deeper you explore, the
stranger the world becomes. Be warned — those who spend too long
underground never return home the same.

How The Game Works

Arcane Ugly is a role-playing game that explores weird and wonderful places in
the pursuit for arcane artifacts and powerful spells. A typical game of Arcane
Ugly consists of 2-6 Adventurers and a Gamesmaster. A Gamesmaster
describes fantastical worlds, challenges, creatures and conflicts for
Adventurers to interact with and the Adventurers in turn describe how they
interact with them. The aim isn’t to win or lose in Arcane Ugly, instead the aim
is to share a narrative between players and have a fun time.

What You’ll Need

 �. Koppa
��. Armor Value
Armor Value (AV) represents your ability to defend yourself from an attack.

Your Armor Value is described by the armor you are wearing. If you are
not wearing armor your Armor Value is 11.

Common Armor A
V
Types
Leather Armor 12
(1 Slot)

Studded Leather 13
Armor (2 Slots)

Chain Armor 14
(3 Slots, -1 Dexterity)

Half Plate Armor 15

(4 Slots, -2 Dexterity)

Full Plate Armor 16

(5 Slots, -3 Dexterity)

Accessories A
V

Shield +
(1 Slot) 1

Helmet +
(1 Slot) 1

Enchanted +
1

18
 ��. Ward Value
Market Vendor Charm 12
Ward Value (WV) represents your (1 Slot)
ability to defend yourself from a
magical attack. Hedge Witch Charms 13
(1 Slot)
Your Ward Value is described by the
charms you are wearing. If you are not Blessed Charm 14
wearing any charms your Ward Value (1 Slot)
is 11.

Common Charm A
V
Types

��. A Helping Hand

4, 4 Meta Magic for
Beginners
Roll a d4 for every Ability of 1 you
have. Mysteries of Mirrors
1, 1, 1
If you roll any multiples of the same 2, 2, 2 The Magic of Art Vol II
number, you find a Treasure with a
title described by the Helping Hand 3, 3, 3 Forbidden Knowledge
table. Otherwise add the dice results
together and gain that value in 4, 4, 4 Mutant Maker
Koppa.
1, 1, 1, 1 Gods and Deities
Helping Hand
2, 2, 2, 2 Time & Untime
Multiples Title
3, 3, 3, 3 Magical Maintenance
1, 1 Master of the
Elements
4, 4, 4, 4 Lost Magic

2, 2 So, You Want To Be a

Wizard?

3, 3 Ocular Olfactory
Omens

19

Playing The Game

The rules in this chapter are the foundation of Arcane Ugly and everything a
Gamesmaster should read before playing. First time Gamesmasters may find
learning these rules daunting, but remember the most important thing is to
 have fun and keep the game moving—if you are unsure on a rule, improvise
and look it up later.

Abilities
Each of an Adventurer’s four Abilities are used in different circumstances.

Strength: Used for melee attacks and tests requiring physical power such as
lifting gates and bending bars. Strength is also used to resist poison,
sickness and cold.

Dexterity: Used for ranged attacks and tests requiring poise, speed,
and reflexes like dodging, climbing, sneaking, picking pockets and
balancing.

Intelligence: Used for tests requiring concentration, perception and

precision, such as recalling information, navigating, searching, crafting and
tinkering.

Weird: Used for tests requiring an understanding of magic and the arcane,
such as casting spells and using alien technology.

Ability Tests
Ratings
If an Adventurer attempts something
other than an attack where the
DR 10 Easy Tasks
outcome is uncertain and failure has
consequences, they may be asked by DR 12 Challenging Tasks
the Gamesmaster to make an Ability
Test. To make an Ability Test roll a d20 DR 15 Hard Tasks
and add the score of the Ability being
tested. If the total is equal to or greater DR 18 Very Hard Tasks
than the Difficulty Rating (DR)
determined by the Gamesmaster, the
Adventurer succeeds in their task. If
not, they fail.

Examples of Difficulty
20
Example: An Adventurer describes attempting to scale down a steep cliff in
the rain. The Gamesmaster asks the Adventurer for a Dexterity Test. The
Gamesmaster has decided this task has a Difficulty Rating of 14 but the
Adventurer rolls a 15 (A natural roll of 13 + 2 for their Dexterity) and
overcomes the challenge.
Another Adventurer attempts to do the same but rolls a 12 (11 + 1 for their
Dexterity) and fails. The Gamesmaster then describes the failure—“You climb
down the cliff with ease until half-way down your hand grabs a loose rock and
you slip! You fall about ten feet into a puddle of mud and sharp rocks. You
receive d4 damage.”

Assistance
Adventurers may wish to combine their efforts to complete a single task
that requires an Ability Test. In which case add +1 to the results of an
Ability Test for each Adventurer that significantly contributes to a task.
Adventurers must describe how they are uniquely assisting the task.

Reattempting a Failed Task

It is natural for desperate Adventures to attempt a failed task over and over in
hopes for a different outcome. It is important to remember Gamesmasters are
responsible for declaring an Ability Test, not Adventurers. Gamesmasters
should only ask for an Ability Test if an outcome is unclear.

In the event an Adventurer reattempts a previously failed task, a

Gamesmaster should ask themselves “Have they gained any significant
knowledge that may help since their last attempt?” or “Are they trying
something new this time?” If the answer is yes to either consider asking for
an Ability Test, if no, simply describe what happens based on the previous
outcome.

21
Challenges
 When two Adventurers oppose each other in a battle of strength, speed,
skill or wit and the result is unclear it is called a Challenge. Both parties roll
a d4 + Ability and the highest result wins the conflict.

Social Challenges
Sometimes the result of a social interaction may be unclear such as one
Adventurer trying to intimidate another. In which case a Challenge takes
place. Both parties use the most applicable Ability based on their
performance or an attempt to resist/counter a performance.

Example: One Adventurer might try to intimidate with their Strength, while
another might attempt to counter using their Intelligence. An entrancing
dance might use Dexterity, an intimidating stance might use Strength,
cunning deception or charm might use Intelligence or revealing an unsettling
mutation might use Weird.

Recalled Experience
Once per session an Adventurer can recall a moment or teaching from
their Previous Occupation that might help them overcome a challenge that
calls for an Ability Test. If the Gamesmaster finds their recollection
reasonable and applicable the Adventurer gains +1 to that dice roll.

22
Injury, Healing & Death
Injury
Any number of things can cause an Adventurer to lose Hit Points—attacks
from monsters, triggered traps, falling from a height or backfired spells.
Adventurers have a tendency to get themselves into all sorts of mischief, so
as a Gamesmaster it’s not always clear how many hit points to subtract from
a player when they get hurt. As a general rule start with a d4 and add more
d4 dice with each increasing level of severity.

Healing
After a meal and a full night’s rest, Adventurers regain lost Hit Points equal to
a d8 plus their Strength bonus. Resting at a safe haven restores all lost Hit
Points.

Death
If an Adventurer’s Hit Points reach 0, they must immediately roll a d6. On
a 5+ the Adventurer heroically lives to face another day and gains 1 Hit
Point, otherwise they are dead.

If an Adventurer reaches 0 Hit Points but lives to tell the tale they are also
gifted a Permanent Injury chosen by the Gamesmaster or rolled on the table
below.

Permanent Injury (d20)

1-5 Leg Wound -1 Dexterity

6-10 Arm Wound -1 Strength

11-1 Organ -1 Max HP

9 Trauma

20 Head +1 Weird or -1
Trauma Intelligence

23
Combat
After enough time in a dungeon Adventurers will inevitably have to
defend themselves from potential threats.

Who Attacks First?

The instigator of the combat rolls a d6. If the target of the combat was startled
add +2 to the result. On a result of 4+ the instigator and their allies have the
first turn of combat.
 How Does Combat Work?
On their turn Adventurers may move their Speed and take up to one combat
action. This action may be making an attack, casting a spell, making a
second move, attempting a Stunt, or any other action deemed reasonable
by the Gamesmaster.

Rolling to Attack
Adventurers can use melee weapons to strike adjacent targets or use
ranged weapons to attack from a distance. While engaged in melee
combat a ranged weapon cannot be used.

To make an attack, roll a d20 and add the attacker’s Strength or Dexterity
score, depending on whether they are using a melee or ranged weapon,
respectively. If the attack total is equal to or greater than the defender’s Armor
Value, the attack hits. If not, the attack misses.

Rolling For Damage

If a successful attack is made, the attacker then rolls their weapon’s
damage die to determine how many Hit Points the defender loses.

Critical Hits
During an attack roll, if the attacker rolls a natural 20 (a roll of 20 before
any modifiers are applied), add an additional damage die of the weapon’s
type.

Stunts
Stunts are combat maneuvers such as stunning, shoving, disarming, tripping,
sundering armor, and so on. They are resolved with an appropriate Ability Test
or Challenge determined by the Gamesmaster. They may not cause damage
directly, but may do so indirectly (for example, pushing an enemy off of a
ledge).

24
Advantage
An attacker that has Advantage against their target may perform a Stunt
action and an attack action in the same round of combat.

Adventurers can gain Advantage in combat by attacking a target that is

unaware, on lower ground, off balance, disarmed, distracted, or tactically
disadvantaged in any significant way. The Gamesmaster, as usual, has the
final say.
Called Shots
If an Adventurer is attacking a giant-sized target there may be some tactical
advantage in targeting specific parts of the body with an attack (e.g. a
tentacle or feathery wings or a giant unblinking eye.

An Adventurer can announce they are attempting to target a specific part of

the body before an attack roll is made. Then resolve an attack roll as
normal dealing any damage specifically to that part of the body.

The part being targeted must be human size or larger otherwise the attack is
resolved as normal. Resolving called shots is up to the Gamesmaster’s
discretion but using an eighth of the total target’s HP is an easy way to track
the health of the targeted limb.

Cover
Defenders of an attack that are partially behind cover add +2 to their Armor
Value. Defenders with the majority of their body behind cover add +4 to
their Armor Value. Defenders entirely behind cover cannot be directly
targeted by most attacks.

Potions & Poisons

Potions and poisons must be absorbed by the body in its entirety in order to
take effect. Potions may be applied to weapons and will affect the target of an
attack if at least 1 damage has been dealt by that weapon.

Common poisons and venoms deal 1 damage per hour or 1 damage per two
hours if the affected remains unmoving.

Most poisons can be cured with an antidote kit and a DR10 Intelligence
Test unless specified otherwise.

25
Non-Adventurers
Any being, creature, ally, friend or foe controlled by the Gamesmaster is
referred to as a Non-Adventurer. Non-Adventurer could describe anything
from a talking mouse, sentient rock or colossal-sized man-eating giant.

Non-Adventurers Rules
All Non-Adventurers share the same rules as Adventurers unless specified
 otherwise. Non-Adventurers perform Ability Tests, Challenges and
experience combat in the same way as an Adventurer but are controlled by
the Gamesmaster.

Why Non-Adventurers?
Many tabletop role-playing games opt to use those terms like monster, enemy
or NPC, or make distinctions between friend or foe, so why not Arcane Ugly?
Arcane Ugly wants to remind players the inhabitants of its world don’t exist to
be slain nor befriended and the distinctions and degrees between friend or
foe are determined by those playing.

Non-Adventurers For Your Game

An ever-growing collection of Non-Adventurers can be found in the chapter
The Bestiary. To make your own Non-Adventurers try modifying an entry from
The Bestiary the best suits your design or use the chapter Creating an
Adventurer as a guide.

26
Treasure
Why else would one become an Adventurer but for the Treasure? Treasure is
the lifeblood of Arcane Ugly. Treasure is power.

What is Treasure?
Treasure are the artifacts of the world that Koppa simply cannot buy. Treasure
is earned though adventure or traded for other Treasure.

When Adventurers are awarded Treasure

from a Gamesmaster, they’ll receive a card
that looks like something like this →

Keywords
Some Treasure cards have keywords
beneath the title that correspond to rules
or further information text not present on
the card. These rules are referred to as
Advanced Rules as there non-essential to
start playing Arcane Ugly and can be read
once relevant to your game. The chapter
Advanced Rules, contains rules for each
keyword found on a Treasure card.

Distributing Treasure
Gamesmasters should build a curated
deck of Treasure cards most fitting for
the adventure taking place, or based on the desires of the Adventurers.
When a reward is needed, the deck should be shuffled and drawn from by
an Adventurer.

27

Items & Shops

No doubt Adventurers will seek more items and reasources beyond their
starting equiptiment. This chapter is a collection of items and shops for
Gamesmasters to populate their world with.

Hunter’s Tools & Dungoeneering Supplies

Item Kopp Information
a
 Basic Hand 10 Hammer, file, drill, crowbar,
Tool saw, bucket ect.

Basic Building 1 Plank, tar, spike, grease, nails,

Material glue ect.

Hunting Tool 15 Net, tishing rod, beartrap ect.

Lifting and 10 Rope (50ft), chain (10 ft), twine

Linking (300 ft), block and tackle ect

Cookpots 10

Waterskin 5

Oilskin 5
Trousers

Oilskin Bag 5

Tent (3 man) 100

Bedroll 10

Candle 1 Burns for 4 hours

Lantern 30

Lamp Oil 5 Burns for 4 hours

Torch 1 Burns for 1 hour

Tinderbox 10

28

Deja’s Armory
Item Kopp Information
a

Dagger, Cudgel, Sickle, 5 d6 damage, 1 slot, 1 hand

Staff, etc.
Spear, Sword, Mace, Axe, 10 d8 damage, 2 slots, 1 hand
Flail, etc.

Halberd, War Hammer, 20 d10 damage, 3 slots, 2

Long Sword, Battle Axe, hands
etc.

Sling 5 d4 damage, 1 slot, 1 hand

Bow 15 d6 damage, 2 slots, 2

hands

Crossbow 60 d8 damage, 3 slots, 2

hands

Arrows (20), Bolts (20) 5

Leather Armor 60 AV 12, 1 slot

Studded Leather Armor 500 AV 13, 2 slots

Chain Armor 1200 AV 14, 3 slots, -1 Dexterity

Half Plate Armor 4000 AV 15, 4 slots, -2 Dexterity

Full Plate Armor 8000 AV 16, 5 slots, -3 Dexterity

Shield 60 AV +1

Helmet 60 AV +1

Night Markets
Item Kopp Information
a

Market Vendor Charm 60 WV 12, 1 slot

Hedge Witch Charms 500 WV 13, 1 slot

Blessed Charm 4000 WV 14, 1 slot

Cat 100 WV +1, 1 slot

Eye Makeup 50 WV +1, 0 slot

Life Potion 60 Restores d4+2 Hit Points,

only effective once per
session.

29
Salt, 1 bushel 3
Sunday Market
Spices, 1 lb 100
Item Kopp
Sugar, 1 lb 12
a
Wine/ale, bottle 1
Travel rations (1 day) 5
Chicken 1
Animal Feed (1 day) 2
Cow 100
Bacon, side of 10
Dog 50
Bread, 1 loaf 1
Donkey (5 Slots) 300
Cheese, 1 lb 2
Goat 10
Cider, 4 gallons 1
Hawk 1000
Cod, whole 20
Horse (10 Slots) 1000
Eggs, 24 1
Ox (5 Slots) 300
Flour, 5 lbs 1
Pig (2 Slots) 30
Fruit, 1 lb 1

Garlic, bunch 1

Grain, 1 bushel (8 gal.) 430

Thieves & Fools
Herbs, 1 bunch 1
Item Kopp
Lard, 5 lbs 1
a
Onions, 1 bushel 8
Grappling Hook 10
 Caltrops (bag) 10 Spiked boots 5

Cards 5 Manacles 600

Fake Jewels 50

Glass Marbles 5
Gammy’s Garments
Lens 30
Item Kopp
Lockpicks 300 a

Mirror (small, 5 Common Clothing 10

silver)
Fine Clothing 50
Musical 10
Instrument Noble Clothing 3000

Padlock and Key 10 Fur Clothing 5000

Spyglass 1000 Winter Clothing 100

Set of Loaded 5
Dice

Ab’s
Academia and
Apothecary
Item Kopp
a

Bottle/Vial 1

Chalk (10 1
pieces)

Holy Water 25

Incense 20
(packet)

Quill and Ink 50

Book (Blank) 300

Cauldron 40

Poison 100

Antidote Kit 100

31

Items & Shops

Marvelous Magic
Item Kopp Information
a

Wand of 2000 Should you fail to cast a spell

Protection while holding a Wand of
Protection you may choose to not
trigger a Miscast! Event if your
casting roll is within 2 of the spells
DR.

Staff of 4000 Should you fail to cast a spell

Protection while holding a Staff of Protection
you may choose to not trigger a
Miscast! Event if your casting roll
is within 5 of the spells DR.

Wand of Sparks 4000 Spellcasting through this wand

mutates all spells and MISCAST!
Events to have a hint of lightning
to their function, appearance and
sound.

Wand of Bang! 4000 Spellcasting through this wand

mutates all spells and MISCAST!
Events to have a hint of
explosion to their function,
appearance and sound.
 Wand of 4000 Spellcasting through this wand
Flames mutates all spells and
MISCAST! Events to have a
hint of fire to their function,
appearance and sound.

Wand of Seas 4000 Spellcasting through this wand

mutates all spells and MISCAST!
Events to have a hint of water to
their function, appearance and
sound.

Wand of 5000 Spellcasting through this wand

Toadstools mutates all spells and MISCAST!
Events to have a hint of fungus to
their function, appearance and
sound.

Wand of The 6000 Spellcasting through this wand

Wild mutates all spells and MISCAST!
Events to have a hint of madness
to their function, appearance and
sound.

32

Items & Shops

Marvelous Magic
Item Kopp Information
a

Wand of Focus 5000 The DR of spells cast through

this wand are -1

Staff of Wisdom 6000 The DR of spells cast through

this wand are -2
Orb of Undoing 3000 Once per session you may ignore
the result of a Miscast! Event but
not before making a note of the
would-be outcome.

Any time you or a nearby

Adventurer would use an Orb of
Undoing in this way again, roll a
d4. On a result of 4, all would-be
Miscast! Events by nearby
Adventurers are executed.

If an Orb of Undoing is destroyed,

all would-be Miscast! Events from
nearby Adventures are executed.

Staff of Time 4000 You may postpone the result

of a Miscast! Event by d6
minutes.

Wand of Power 6000 The DR of spells cast through

this wand are +3. All
successful spellcasting
attempts are cast at double
power.

Hat of 1000 While wearing a Hat of Knowledge

Knowledge you may use Intelligence in place
of Weird while casting a spell.
Should you fail to cast a spell
while using the Hat of
Knowledge, the hat becomes
mundane.

Orb of Strength 1000 While holding an Orb of Strength

you may use Strength in place of
Weird while casting a spell.
Should you fail to cast a spell
while using the Orb of Strength, it
breaks.

33

Advanced Rules
 The rules in this chapter are Advanced Rules and are non-essential to
start playing Arcane Ugly. These rules can be read as you play when
directed by a Treasure card to do so.

Consumable (*)
Some Treasure is consumed upon use, perhaps eaten, destroyed in the
process or stolen by a floating hand from an interdimensional hellscape
abyss.

A Treasure with the Consumable (*) keyword has a limited number of

uses denoted within the parentheses. Treasure with Consumable (1) can
be used once, Treasure with Consumable (3) can be used three times
and so forth.

Lightning
While rolling to hit a target using a weapon with the Lightning keyword, roll
a d6. On a 6, a zap of lightning shoots from the weapon, and the target is
momentary stunned reducing their Speed by half for the following turn. If
the target is halfling-sized or smaller their Speed is instead reduced to 0.

Tattoo
Treasures with the Tattoo keyword must be permanently applied to an
Adventurers skin via a magical tattooist. A tattooist is never far away from
the location of which a tattoo Treasure is found.

34
Brewing
At first glance, the art of potion-making can seem like nonsensical
madness, and for the most part, is it. Few potion-makers understand the
process in its entirety and those that do typically have names that end in
“the Mad”, “the Unsound” or “The Delirious.”

Brewing Potions
To brew a potion you must have an understanding of how it is made by
studying a sample or by following a recipe. Combine all the necessary
ingredients in a boiling vessel of water and brew for four hours in the
presence of the night’s sky.

The potion recipes in this section list ingredients in either quotations or in

italics. Ingredients described in quotations like “snake” mean an item with that
word in its title. Ingredients described in italics such as something furry could
be any item that fits that description.

Example: A potion asks for “spider”, “tooth” and something sharp. So an

Adventurer adds a giant spider leg, a lizard tooth and a knife to their
potion.

Potion Recipes
Potion Ingredients

Grow Potion “chicken egg”, “spider”, “fur”, “giant”, “wing”, “human

skull”, yellow flower, shiny blue object.

Essence of “giant”, “slug”, “chicken skin”, “tooth”, “bat spleen”,

Great Slug “dried moss”, “blood”, root of a tree.
Skin

Odd Milk “milk”, “stomach”, “clock”, a rare insect, something

you love.

Pin Toad “dreamcatcher”, “wing”, “lamp oil”, something toad

Venom shaped that is not a toad, gills of a large water
creature.

Potion of The “hand”, “dung”, “star”, “twine”, a secret from a

Twisted Hand stranger, heart from something with exactly six
limbs.

Potion of “lock”, “key”, “tentacle”, “acid”, “dead”, a rare tool,

Undoing something stolen.
 35
Spellbook
Spells
A Treasure with the Spellbook keyword allows an Adventurer to cast a spell.
The Treasure will list four locked spells, unable to be cast until unlocked.
Upon first touch one spell is randomly unlocked determined by a d4. All spells
and their effects can be found in The Arcane Library chapter.

Casting Spells
To cast an unlocked spell, an Adventurer must succeed its described Ability
Test or a Miscast! Event is triggered. Every spell has its own Miscast! Event,
which is described below the spell.

Unwilling Targets
If the spell is cast upon an unwilling target, the Ability Test result must be
equal to or greater than the target’s Ward Value. If not, the spell is still cast
but spell misses the target.

Dueling
As a reaction to having a spell flung at them the target of a spell may
increase their Ward Value by in-return casting a spell to defend themselves.
The spell must be successfully cast at a higher Ability Test result than the
opposing caster’s Ability Test result. The Adventurer must be able to
describe why their spell can counter the opposing spell e.g. “My water spell
will turn the fire spell into steam”. Spells cast in this way can still trigger a
MISCAST!.

FAQ
Q. Can you elect to fail casting a spell instead of rolling in order to trigger
a Miscast!?
A. Are you mad!? Yes.
36
37

Treasury
Mr. Hungry CONSUMABLE (1), POTION

d6 Damage. 2
1 Heal 1 Hit Point every time this
Potion of Undoing weapon successfuly damages a
 appears to be alive.
target. HAND 1 This concoction will unlock all non
magical locks. Simple HANDS 2
mechanisms can take d4-minutes
to unlock while complex
mechanisms can take SLOTS
4d6-minutes.
SLOT
The gray sludge inside this jar
AU#26

AU#83

38
Wand of Fire discover a secret room in your this key is also granted
favourite tavern known only to unquestionable ownership of that
you. The fi nder of room.

Spellcasting through this wand

mutates 1 1
all spells and MISCAST! Events to HAND
have a hint of fi re to their
function, appearance and sound. HAND 1 AU#1

Key to the Other SLOT 1

Basement SLOT
AU#89
By fi nding this key, you will soon
 Map of Nowhere In Particular Forbidden Knowledge
CONSUMABLE (1) SPELLBOOK

2 1
Upon spoken request this tattered map Forbidden Knowledge of Body & Mind
reveals a secret passage book never meant to be (Re)attachment.
1
in a nearby location. If no HANDS found.
secret passage exists, 1
Contains spells: Exquisite HAND
one is created. Corpse, Harden Skin,
SLOT Split Self and Limb
Written by Gaius Rego, a SLOT
AU#63

AU#3

39

Arcane Library
 Eat To Transform Bear Lobber
DR14 | Range: 20ft | Duration: Instant
DR20 | Range: Self | Duration: Instant
You summon giant catapult from which a
You must eat a feature of a creature in its
single black bear is thrown.
entirety. Within 1 hour that feature will
grow on your body.
Black Bear
Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Intelligence 2,
Weird 0 Hit Points: 10, Speed: 40ft ,
Armor Value: 14, Ward Value: 12, Slots:
4.
Combat Actions:
Rip & Tear: Melee damage, 2d4 damage.

Miscast!
Follow the Miscast Event: Miscast!
What Have I Become!? Follow the Miscast Event:
Magical Scraps
SPELLS #27
SPELLS #37

40
 Range: Self | Duration: Instant You feel
your negative emotions tear themselves
away from your soul. These negative
emotions manifest themselves as an
physical, functioning and near-identical
copy of you.

Miscast!
Follow the Miscast Event:
Forbidden Texts For a Reason
SPELLS #11

Exquisite Corpse
DR14 | Range: Self | Duration: 10min You
summon a lifeless body into existence.
You have no control over the size, species
or (likely obseen) appearance of the body.

This spell can be cast at DR 19 to animate

the summoned body to follow a 3 word
command.

Miscast!
Follow the Miscast Event:
Dead. Harden Skin
SPELLS #9
DR14 | Range: Self | Duration: 30min
Your skin toughens and your pain
threshold rises. The weight of your own
body seems to double. Your Armor Value
and Ward Value increases by 2 and your
Split Self Dexterity score decreases by 1.

DR14 |
 DR14 | Range: Self | Duration: Instant
You may reattach a limb to yourself or any
being and it will function.

This spell can be cast at DR 19 to attach

any limb to any being and have it function
as intended.

Miscast!
Follow the Miscast Event:
Who Am I?
SPELLS #10

Miscast!
Follow the Miscast Event:
Dead.
SPELLS #12

Limb (Re)attachment

41

Miscast! Events

Miscast Event!
The Elements Have Gone Mad!
You loose control of the magic you attempt to harness, your body turns
hot, then cold, then weightless and then you feel nothing at all—before:
 d20 + Weird

1-5 The spell you’ve attempted to cast has grown wild and is
entirely out of your control. With the assistance of the
Games Master roll on the Narrative Table below. Create a
narrative that severely hinders, both you and your party
using each of the keywords rolled.

6-18 The spell you’ve attempted to cast has grown wild and feels
nearly impossible to control. With the assistance of the
Games Master roll on the Narrative Table below. Create a
narrative that hinders, both you and your party using each of
the keywords rolled.

19+ The spell you’ve attempted to cast has grown wild and
unpredictable but you attempt to harness it. With the
assistance of the Games Master roll on the Narrative Table
below. Create a narrative that assists you in accomplishing
a goal using each of the keywords rolled.

Narrative Table: The Elements Have Gone Mad! d6, d6,

d6

1 Fire 1 Colorful 1 Explosion

2 Water 2 Odd-shaped 2 Steal

3 Wind 3 Dusty 3 Swap

4 Darkness 4 Sticky 4 Chase

5 Earth 5 Twisted 5 Destroy

6 Heal 6 Fragile 6 Mutation

42
Miscast Event!
Put It Out!
You loose control of the magic you attempt to harness, your body turns
hot, then cold, then weightless and then you feel nothing at all—before:
 d20 + Weird

1 You feel yourself burning from the inside. Pain travels up

through your arms, to your chest and eventually, the pain is
so much you can't feel anything at all. You receive 4d10
damage.

2-10 You create a stream of water.

11 You create a herd of flaming cats.

12-1 You create a:

3 Flaming Bull
Strength 3, Dexterity 1, Intelligence 0, Weird 3
Hit Points: 10, Speed: 50ft, Armor Value: 13, Ward
Value: 13, Slots: 4 Combat Actions:
Charge: Melee attack, 2d4 damage.

14 You create a d4 bonfires.

15 You cause fire to rain from the sky. d8 individual balls of fire
may be directed anywhere within 100ft. Fireballs may be
dodged by succeeding a DR11 Dexterity Test otherwise
they deal d6 damage.

16 You create a giant magical explosion 10ft wide in a location of

your choosing within 50ft. Those inside the giant explosion
are dealt d4 damage.

17-1 For 1 hour upon command a 10ft stream flames shoot

9 from your finger tips. This can be used an attack action
using Dexterity dealing d4 damage.

20+ You summon a:

Baby Dragon
Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Intelligence 3, Weird 3
Hit Points: 20, Speed: 50ft, Armor Value: 15, Ward Value:
15, Slots: 4 Combat Actions:
Rip & Tear: Melee attack, 2d4 damage.
Firebeath: Range attack, 25ft, d6 damage.

43
Miscast Event!
 Magical Scraps
You loose control of the magic you attempt to harness, your body turns
hot, then cold, then weightless and then you feel nothing at all—before:
d20 + Weird

1-2 You are the sworn enemy of all birds for 7 days.

3-4 Mundane creatures that aren’t birds are now birds.

5-6 You summon d100 big toes, bowls of soup, sword

handles or coffins. (d4)

7-8 You are unable to blink unless a conscious effort is made.

9-10 You’re now dying of hunger or thirst.

11-1 The day in the middle of the week is now universally

2 named something else.

13-1 Something important that happened today, didn’t happen.

6

17+ You unknowingly create a wild tornado that will encounter in

d100 minutes. Any creature within 15ft must pass a Dexterity
or Strength DR12 test or be sucked into the tornado.
Creatures within 5ft must pass a Dexterity or Strength DR15
test or be sucked into the tornado. Creatures within the
tornado are dealt d4 damage every round of combat (or every
6 seconds).

44
Miscast Event!
What Have I become!?
You loose control of the magic you attempt to harness, your body turns
hot, then cold, then weightless and then you feel nothing at all—before:
d20 + Weird

1 Your hands swap sides or all fingers move to one

hand. -1 Dexterity

2 A limb turns to stone. -1 Dexterity or -1 Strength

 3 Your arm falls off an scuttles away. -1 Dexterity or -1 Strength

4 You are now cube shaped.

5 You glow blue, always.

6 Your face becomes that of an animal you dislike.

7 You loose a finger, toe, ear or tooth. (d4)

8 Your hair falls out, turns white, grows furiously or turns curly.
(d4)

9 Your mouth doubles in size.

10 Your hands are always covered in ink.

11 You shrink by 10%, shrink by 25%, grow by 10% or grow by

25%. (d4)

12 You are now the tallest being within 100ft.

13 Your skin sheds and gains random splotches of irregular

colors.

14 Your pupils become lizard-like and you can only see in black
and white.

15 You face swaps with someone else's far away.

16 During this session everywhere you step is now wet and

your constantly cold.

17 During this session everything you touch feels sticky and

your hands seep ooze.

18 Your face becomes that of an animal you like.

19 Edible (but vile) mushrooms now forever grow on your skin.

20+ Your skin grows scales increasing your Armor Value by +1.

45
 Bestiary
Sad Jacks

3 Hit Points:
10
1 Speed: 40ft
Armor
1 Value: 12
Ward
3 Value: 13
Slots: 1

Strength These guys live underground and don’t

Dexterity Adventurers who travelled too deep
and could not get home. Their low
Intelligence
blubbering can be heard through the
Weird tunnels, only stopping as they attack
Combat Actions: with cries of “take me home.”
▸ Bludgeon: Melee attack, d8
damage. Small and slow, they will usually
enjoy it. Said to be the spirits of lost attack in groups of three. They will
 use their massive mouths to hold bludgeon them.
Adventurers down while they

46

Erik

0 Hit Points:
40
0 Speed: 1ft
Armor
2 Value: 14
Ward Value:
1 14 Slots: 1
 Strength In the depths of the forest hides a
Dexterity sizable lump of fluff. It huffs. When
Erik signed up for life as a monster he
Intelligence
pictured infamy and striking fear in
Weird villager’s eyes as he tore them to
Combat Actions: shreds. Instead, he has found himself
▸ Squish: Melee attack, d4 damage. at the bottom of the monster pecking
Erik is now on his side unable to order, the boxing bag for the other,
stand back up until a DR19 Dexterity stronger beasts.
test is passed.

47
Bestiary
Sainted Yeti

4 Hit Points:
60
1 Speed: 40ft
Armor
4 Value: 14
Ward Value:
5 14 Slots: 25

Strength Through the falling snow and frozen fog

Dexterity Weird
Intelligence
 Combat Actions:
▸ Silent Walk: Make a Move
action that is absolutely silent.
▸ Devour: Melee attack ,
d6+2 damage.
Slots:
▸ d10+5 survival themed
items ▸ 1 survival themed
Treasure
you begin to see a silhouette.
Surely nothing could survive on
the sides of these mountains at
48
Spud
this elevation. A
large hairy creature dressed in a
clean robe takes shape, its
appearance causes fear, but its
demeanor is calm and inviting. The
Yeti will offer you food and survival
equipment, which they retrieve from
inside their robe, and give it at no
cost. Exactly 66mins later the yeti
will attack anyone who accepted a
gift, and retrieve their items to place
under its robe.
 1 Hit Points: 4
Speed: 60ft
3 Armor
Value: 11
1 Ward
Value: 11
3 Slots: 2

Strength “Look like yummy shroomy b-on’t taste Dexterity too great,
too bony.” - Bork The Orc Intelligence
Weird
Combat Actions:
▸ Sneeze: A spray of spores
paralyses all targets within 10ft if
they fail a DR10 Dexterity Test.
▸ Fast: Can perform 2 Combat
Actions as 1.
▸ Punch: Melee attack, 2 damage
▸ Kick: Melee attack, 2 damage

49

World Building

Magic
For centuries the art of magic was lost to man, in a blink of an eye; it
vanished. But something like magic could never be lost forever, it’s just not
how these things work. One day, suddenly, like little seeds planted all over
the world, the arcane texts, the study books, the rune inscribed artifacts, the
sigil covered tomes—they all began to grow. Not grow in a literal sense, but
instead, the words on the pages transformed; the runes, the sigils, the
diagrams and charts themselves—all became magic. Through these
artifacts spells once lost, could again be cast—but this is young magic, wild
magic, insatiable, unpredictable magic—it comes with a risk as much as a
reward.

Gods
 The greatest of the Gods, Her, created a perfect world, well not at first, but
over time it just sort of worked itself out. When Her grew bored of this world in
all its perfection, they destroyed it but not before collecting 100 or so of the
most interesting inhabitants.

Her created a second world on the ruins of the first and made the 100 or
so recused inhabitants into Gods to make the world as they wish.

Her, watched.

The Three Witches

Three Giant Witches stir a bubbling brew in the center of the earth. This brew
is the embodiment of magic. This magic is pure, this magic is wild and this
magic corrupts.
It is said that the further below the world’s surface you explore the weirder
and wilder it becomes.

50
Node
Nodes are giant magical contraptions and a gift of Her to the Gods that walk
the world of Arcane Ugly.

Nodes allow Gods to express themselves and shape parts of the world and
its rules to their own design.

A rule might be “The creation of black power is impossible.” Or “The sun

never sets” or “Floating islands exist here”.

The rules of a Node are enforced by ancient and otherworldly magic and
are impossible to break unless the Node is destroyed or it’s rules are
changed.

By design, changing the rules of a Node is difficult and requires

powerful, magical energy, typically reserved for Gods.

Nodes are typically hidden or well guarded. Some Nodes have been
abandoned, some Nodes have been lost. Some Nodes have been taken over.
 Nodes in Your Game
Before a game of Arcane Ugly starts, a Gamesmaster and Adventurers
should discuss the Node of the region they’re about to adventure in. The
rules of the Node should be a group decision, led by the Gamesmaster. All
players must agree and feel comfortable with the rules of the Node before
the game continues.

Ruins
Remnants of an old civilizational can be found scattered throughout the
world you adventure. These remnants might be arcane treasures, strange
places or even very, very occasionally and against all odds, ancient beings.
These ruins are often an Adventures motivation to... well, adventure.

51

Patreon THankyous!
Thanks to the wonderful support of the following people
on Patreon this game was made possible.
Lilgeezums Dalton Basan Seti Jay Muir
Nonova Edgar Glover Jeff My name CrabConspiracy Igor
Bidness Wes Fournier Lester Seale Ryan Parry Catalin Haldan
Gavino Stefan Porath Jack Ryan MetaBlueGenesis Darren Fox
Bambino Andersson TheSage1202 Jake Shepperd Jacob Wood
Thommy_Elgie Liam Perry Scott Thor Sloane Christopher Burns
Jonas Porter Talie Teakle KJKeener Creighton Mark Townsend
Jan-Erik Güds waifulhu brosse à dent Hendrik Freie LR
Sidtvicious Damon Dullahan Roger Solans LaundryRH Mitch
Josh JOSHUA TURNER Sam Ledwich Jerard Mower Boshambles
Pieter du Plessis squid Lieven MirrorM Master50 Orion Blaha
Scott Mitchell Benjamin Hendrickx itsMattBrady Michael Milligan
Fabusel Golding Ag3nt Alexandre Boivin Micha Nelis ImGoliath
Łukasz Kaszubowski Alaska Griffin B Nemaphius Kazoogame
Peter Forget Lvcifer Ramiro Aznar SlimShim Edward Green
Joe Kevin Geartooth Labs Sam Newman William Parker
Clipper Arnold Aaron Pond mcloving Dan J Mallory
Dylan Baird Mitchell Anderson Br4d_jh BIG easy Ben Horwood
Lukas Stark Jack Stead Peter Larson peter Stewart D’Silva
Isaac Vivvely Shane Bevin JudgementalDjinn Zed the Fat One
Günter Wilde Squidly1 charlie mudd Iván Fernández AntsForTheAntGo
Big Jazz Pluto Eldritch Crafting with known_blob d Jonah Hanley
Helge Wilhelm Jake Sam Fourgous Justaguy
Dahl Somnderian Jalapeño Sauce steONE The Willless Author Steve Wolfhard
Dear _Obi Charles Syson Jill Munro Paul no The next gentry
 stein Caora KleineMK Aliashelper Alatorre Märt Maasikas Heffelfinger Mike
Ryan Dean Droog_The_Cultis Anders Nilsson Shushi Max Davison
Jamie Romp t Nicholas Urruty Omnl Shawna Marcum Decoy
Jason de Nys Kryštof Uhlíř Hudson Thorpe Damien Sapien II BerserkerBryan
Albert Plante Morris Hansing Doubble Donovan Dwyer Sezoxeufu
Madeleine Samantha Nino Smith Nai Ana Charlie V Jens Bähring
Moujaes Daugherty Gavin C. Andres Paredes-Vincent Josh Haueter Colin T
Stephen Little Griffin Fields Heal_Drop Colin Eversdijk Mossbarger Casey
Shane Murphy Warren (Stephen) Bobby Silicani Chris Otterburn Frame
Darian Rose NetherVolt 3C273 Benson Roylance JimJam
Toni Miller Franco Alvarado Kat Bristol Jamieson DrMemeD302
Andrew Keller Arno Sophie Emerson Poncia Lennard Rahn
James Moxon kenneth AJ Finch NecroLynn Sam Doebler
David King Tjark Julius Ethan Attridge Christian coneythebarbarian
Kieran Lapcinski Ilan Aberman Anthony Scruton Laverde Morgan Adrian Hoppe
Mitchell Bolstridge Alex Simpkin Baconivore Swiers Florence
Israel Medeiros Ashley Lindsay Chris Boyce Christopher Nielsen Jules Schurer
William Barry JugglerVR Max Tenner Jacob Ava Islam
Inkwyrmling Max Pauly Orion Kuldrik Artyom Shelly
Zachary Nick Thornton (Pandazmon) Forgeborn Jacob Simon Terry
DelCarpine no Valentino Hrnčir Chad_the_Rad Ballinger Nerd Craft HQ
Vinicius Bezerra Gabriel Tobias Ilg Ty Kendall William
Papa Briscoe Pete Campbell Dau David Cleverson
Fooble The Sean Smith FootofTape theConcernedWyvern Júnior Khou
Goblin Dylan kenny de jong Green Skovich Roux
SpellBrochure Slavomir Katkin Matthew Nelson Jordan Wylam Alexander Thorland
Jay Joshua Tolliver Justin Lietz Quinn Hebertson TinyElijahWood
Raelene Byrnes Evan Forest Blue ThreeLittleSquigs Douglas Christy
Calen Heydt Joshua Wilson Sam Kayli Franklin ARCC
Donald Kelly Cash Oliver C Matt C. Ikajda
jackson Bo Natalie Miles Tornadofyr Landon Guss
Justin Greer zombielibrary Ben J Joshua Thirkell Luke Crimmins
cameron clark Eric H Alan Gardner Hayden Dely tim ten have
Dark Hours Co. TripodCow inc. Karl Williams Luke Ford Intrepid Goldfish
Levi Wahl Devon Bourgeois laurie parrett Ramon Edward Modecki
anniegreengable raenithestrange Daniel Christie Bhoorasingh Treven Mellett
James Ritchie Joseph Robinson JPShrad Naughton Alex colin_fulmer
Alignment Ink Filipe Rato Alexander Howard Morsey Wil Morrison
Z. Daniel Barnett Jody Shanabrook Pixel Marker Julia Jonathan Johnson
Simon D Alex de Ville Henry Riley Clements
Tin Penny Sam Davis Carlos Eduardo Ryan

52

Patreon THankyous!
Sage Whitmore nathan ranney Sam R Paolo Cucchiara Mathilde Lemire-Nellis
Fred Bednarski ForgottenTomb Oliver Christian Davies Igo
Tom Bruce s Samuel Jakes Leaver-Smith Big Gob Sean Matthews
Der Glückslord Jeremiha Nathaniel Smith David Nandrin Chris Smith
Go4aPunch Elliot HandyBagel Skylar H. Benjamin Farrow
Sam Fernandes Collin Sellers Blamelessfish Laurel Robertson
Kled Daniel Kwan Superhorse woah Jake Johnson
Anthony Miller TheWearyGM Noah Joren K. Curtis Thomson
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Unni Charles Sanders Richard Markert Mallachie Campbell Harry Collins
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Thomas Lauth Fraye Sirlosttheplot Malcom Hubber Colin Kloecker Pieter Van Linden
The D&D Adrien Robert Jeff Worley Alex Chiaramonte Philip K.
Coalition Tara Hynson Matteo Russoniello Karch Bigby
Campbell Zammit TheCraig Thibaud Dayan Tim Wolken Reuben Elliott-Fisher
Adam Cooper lorde ventos Tyler Stribley Jeremy Shaw Samuel Lepot
Leo Nicholls Giovanni A Malasyr Christian Hockenberger Andrew Knuckey
Amicus Velasco JackdeDestroyer Conner Hack Sawyer Clifton
Jack boyle BlistexThief Collin Gustafson Jonas Smith Jack
KennyGrrr Joe Henson Garok2213 Kevin Delger Brennan Stride
Ryan Lewis Baron andi ceuca Avery T Winden James Frost-Innes Adrián Corral
de Ropp Pauliie B Samuel Moore Thomas van Grol Kobold
Preston Devon Peacock DM Porky Orcy Josh Manning Tyler Kabana
Sherman Jaison Kasparas Eat Cheese Znewbie R Jaden
Kane Bublys Pdrum Consume Souls Ren Potato’sAreReallyTigh
maurice Gazorplath Jasey Roberts Andrew Oktavec t Chad Dambrowitz
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Alex Scott Pavao Corax Heatly TJ Hotfruit
Connor K Ben Rubinstein Zerose 121 Metamorphosis Caid Mammok
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Alex Beimers Corey Sullivan Ben Moore edward yang Mihai SudoNick
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ITTHATLURKS PhlipOph Between Scorch and Alex Graham Midwinter Minis
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William Jakub Kučera Jorge Avila Alexander Danica Templeton
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William Peter Carlson Spannaway Try Keeping Up Eric Scott
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Derek Eide Patches Ryan Gannon Echorome Jonathan Benard
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pewtdmd Fiver (Sugar Candy Alex Barrett Cody Gibson workshop
Reaces Pieces Miniatures ) Nikolaus Bartunek Edmund (Ted) Thorsten Butter
Toby Liggins Andi Wille LeftyBadger Sydor Paul Juanma Conesa
Jonathan Riley Coudal Adam Smillie Broodrooster Benjamin Parr
Nick Mort Johannes Thomas Boynton Baker Danny Herrero
John Bengtsson AetherD Stefan Bethke Cpcat Leonid Lopez
Alynne Verschelde Krys Kamieniecki Daniel Barr Grant Bradford 10X Labs
Dan Montminy Tim Adams orc_smile Truman Brady Rachelle Dube
BROKKOLI_ Tanner Ben Dominic Baggott Alex Mackenzie
Isaac Miller Josef Ochmann thespinycactus HaveSomeDip John Quach
Isaac Kronholm Breizhiz_Brush Matt Dutton Some Sketchy Guy Hayden Price
Jon StormBungus Squidums Guillaume Hugonnet Matt Lewis
Matthew Minney Nathan McWilliams LostWarden Felix Argyle Adrian
Sir Fruitington Jan Warzecha Toivo Luick Tomáš Ivan Robert Colby
Mark Doran Linigami Josh Crowle Rhys William Touch
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Steven McDaniel Dude Who Knows Zamfirescu Adrian

53