The

Crying
Hack
 THE CRYING HACK
V. 1.5

AN OSR HACK BASED ON

DAVID BLACK’S

THE BLACK HACK

INSPIRED BY

THE CRYING BLADES HOUSERULES

A WORK IN PROGRESS BY DAIMON GAMES

WWW.DAIMONGAMES.COM

ADDITIONAL CREDIT GOES TO

Lamentations of the Flame Princess by James Raggi, Swords

& Wizardry by By Matthew J. Finch, WhiteHack by
Christian Mehrstam, Apocalypse World by Vincent Baker,
Dungeon World by LaTorra and Koebel, Freebooters of the
Frontier by Jason Lutes, Fate by Evil Hat, Rosie Turner and
Logan Knight of www.lastgaspgrimoire.com, Necropraxis
Productions for the Hazard System v0.2

Cover by Gustave Doré (public domain)

INTRODUCTION MODIFIERS
The Crying Hack is a hack and Attributes’ modifiers (mod) are
homage to The Black Hack by used for the Save Thresholds, and
David Black, which features for other specific purposes for
several changes to the rules. In a which you’re encouraged to insert
way, it’s a crossbreed between the your houserules as appropriate.
original Black Hack, with its OSR
spirit, and The Crying Blades, Attribute Modifier
my own OSR hack. If anything 3 -3
looks unfamiliar to you, it 4-5 -2
probably comes straight from The 6-8 -1
Crying Blades houserules. 9-12 0
13-15 +1
CHECKS AND SAVES 16-17 +2
Most of what characters do is 18 +3
defined either as an action or a
reaction. Actions are resolved by CHA mod:  hirelings number and
(Attribute) Checks: roll a d20 loyalty  discount on prices 
equal or lower than the Attribute’s reaction rolls 
score for success. Reactions are CON mod:  Hit Points  Save vs
resolved with Saves (Saving death 
Throws): roll a d20 equal or lower DEX mod:  Initiative  Armor
than the Save Threshold to avoid Class  ranged attacks 
danger or mitigate damage. INT mod:  spoken languages 
Save Thresholds are equal to: spells’ power 
5 + Character Level  Attribute STR mod:  melee attacks  melee
modifier. damage 
WIS mod:  notice and perception
ATTRIBUTES  clerical blessings’ power 

Roll 3d6 in order for Charisma

(CHA), Constitution (CON),
Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence
(INT), Strength (STR) and Wisdom
(WIS). You may swap two scores.
For each 3d6 roll, record the lowest
die as the Gift score of the given
attribute. Gift points are burned
and never recovered, as described
in the dedicated section.
CLASSES
There are four available Classes:
fighter, rogue, cleric, sorcerer.
Multiclassing is allowed but
limited.
COIN
Start with Charisma score x 10
coins (silver or gold pieces, as you
see fit for your game’s economy).

2
ARMOR WEAPONS
All characters start with Armor All weapons have a damage die, to
Class equal to 0 (zero). It’s roll when the attack is successful.
explained later, trust me. Armor  Weapons marked with this
adds to the Armor Class. All symbol inflict a -1 cumulative
characters can use any armor. penalty to non-fighter Classes.
 Armor marked with this symbol (2) Two handed weapons exclude
inflicts a -1 cumulative penalty to the use of a shield.
any action, incl. combat, to non-
fighter classes and takes 2 slots. Weapon Damage Cost
Pike (2)  d10 30
Armor AC Cost Staff (2) d4 10
Padded +1 20 Spear d8 20
Leather +2 50 Longsword (2)  d8 50
Mail  +4 100 Mace, axe, sword d6 30
Plate  +6 1,000 Dagger d4 10
Shield (S) +1 25 Bow  d6 35
Shield (L)  +2 50 Crossbow d8 55

EQUIPMENT
All equipment takes one slot. Carry a number of items equal to
Gear marked with , two slots. Strength score with no penalties.

Item Cost Item Cost

Arrows/darts (10) 5 Lock 10
Backpack 5 Manacles 15
Bedroll  2 Mirror 25
Bell 10 Nails 3
Candles (9) 3 Oil for lantern 5
Chains  25 Pole  2
Chalk 1 Rations (1) 3
Crowbar 2 Rogue tools 50
Flint and steel 3 Rope  5
Garlic 1 Sack 2
Grappling hook 10 Small livestock  3
Hammer (or tool) 10 Spikes 2
Holy water 15 Tent  10
Hourglass 50 Torches (3) 3
Ladder  5 Whistle 1
Lantern 25 Wine 3

3
SAVES
Since Saves are not described by
type (i.e. “magic”), they are rolled
on the most appropriate attribute.
Use the following as guidelines:
CHA: vs. charming and possession
effects, including spells.
CON: vs. physical damage already
inflicted (like poison or being hit
by a trap). Includes ultimate Saves
against sudden death.
DEX: vs. danger to dodge or avoid
(including area effects like certain
spells and most traps).
INT: resisting spells and spell-like
effects (most magic, including
magic items) that are not purely
elemental (for example Save vs. a
curse, but not vs. petrification or
vs. a fireball).
STR: vs. physical damage that
cannot be avoided, but just
resisted or endured (like burning,
drowning, freezing and similar),
and also spells or powers like
petrification or paralysis.
WIS: vs. deception and illusions,
and against all cleric-like abilities
or spells, including most undead
magic, and dark-clerics magic.
TALENTS
Each Class offers some Talents by
default (all active) and some to
unlock. At chargen, unlock a
number of random Talents equal
to the Gift score of the primary
attribute of your Class (STR for
fighter, DEX for rogue, WIS for
cleric, INT for sorcerer).
4
GIFT SCORE
Burn Gift points (that are never
recovered) during the game to re-
roll for the given Attribute. For
example burn one Constitution
Gift point to re-roll a failed Save
vs. poison.
Burn Gift points when you level-
up if you want to multiclass. To
multiclass, burn one Gift point of
the primary Attribute of the
secondary Class (i.e. a rogue burns
a STR Gift point to multiclass as
fighter).
SPACE
Divide space in Zones. A Zone is a
small enough but meaningful area.
It is close enough that all those
within can be in melee.
A room is a Zone, a corridor is a
Zone. A large room can be split,
and so does a long corridor. Split
for size, but also for physical
barriers (“down here” one Zone,
“up there” another Zone).
Moving within the Zone is a
minor action (you can attack in
the same round). Moving to
another Zone is a major action.
ROUNDS
Combat is typically the only
moment when you measure time
in Rounds (a handful of seconds).
Do one major action (attack, cast,
or move to another Zone) per
round, and one minor (prepare
something, talk, move within the
Zone).
TURNS
A Turn is a longer unit of time. It
takes a Turn to search a room or a
corridor, or more precisely, to
search a Zone.
At the beginning of every Turn, in
dungeons or dangerous areas, roll
the Hazard Dice as instructed in
the appropriate section.
INITIATIVE
Initiative is usually useful only in
the 1st round of combat. All of the
characters check DEX: on success
they act before the opponents, on
failure they act after.
In melee, in the 1st round only the
side with the initiative can hit.
After the 1st round, all attacks
resolve at the same time.
If one side cannot attack the other,
roll normally but apply only
meaningful results.
COMBAT ROLL
To attack and defend, a character
rolls a single d20. The character
rolls vs. the monster’s AC (as by
your monsters manual or module).
The same roll determines if the
character hits the monster and if
the character defends successfully.
The monster HD + 10 is the
monster’s Attack Rating, to
determine if the character is hit.
The monster loves it when the
player rolls below HD + 10 but
higher than character’s AC.
5
ROLL RESOLUTION
To hit the opponent, the
character should roll equal or
higher than the monster’s AC.
Apply modifiers where
appropriate.
The monster hits, with the same
roll, on a raw (no modifier) roll
higher than character’s AC, but
equal or lower than monster’s
Attack Rating (HD + 10).
EXAMPLES
A fighter (AC 4, melee bonus +2)
vs. a monster (AC 15, HD 2+1).
The player rolls a d20: the fighter
hits the monster on 15 (monster’s
AC) or more but with +2 melee
bonus, 13 would be enough.
The same roll (raw, without the
+2) is used for the monster. The
monster hits on a 12 or lower
(monsters’ Attack Rating is 12,
HD + 10), but the character is
protected by armor on 4 or below
(character’s AC 4). The math
works, trust me (one point in
favor of the characters; use attack
rating of HD + 11 to be precise).
A rogue with a bow vs. a monster
(AC 12) hits with 12 or more. This
monster has no ranged weapon so
it cannot return the attack.
CRITICAL DAMAGE
A natural roll of 20 when the
character is attacking is treated as
Critical Damage: roll double
damage against the monster.
MONSTERS’ CRITICAL
If the roll is exactly the monster’s
Attack Rating (HD + 10), the
monster hits for Critical and rolls
double damage against the
character.
(DIS)ADVANTAGE
Do not give yourself an headache
over this. If there is a significant
advantage, roll twice and keep
the best result; if there is a
significant disadvantage, roll
twice and keep the worst result.
For an advantage or disadvantage
to be significant, there must be
some very clear description, clever
maneuver, some investment, some
risk taken to get to that position,
or some very smart thinking.
ENCUMBRANCE
You can carry a number of slots/
items equal to your STR score.
Any item takes one slot (even
lighter ones; it’s a generic
encumbrance system), 100 coins
one slot, some large or heavy
items two slots. When you used
all slots by the STR score, take a
cumulative -1 to everything for
each additional slot you use.
DEATH
At zero Hit Points a character is
knocked out, and can take no
actions. The character looses 1 HP
per round and dies at a negative
HP score equal to their Level (a 4
Level character dies at HP -4).
6
RESTING & HEALING
One short and one long rest per
day allow to regain HP; more are
allowed but grant no HP.
When making a Short Rest (1
Turn), all characters regain 1 HP.
1 HP more is granted if eating a
ration, and 1 HP more (3 max) is
regained with a Save on CON.
A Long Rest with camp and all,
grants the same. If the long rest is
skipped, all take 1 HP damage and
-1 penalty (cumulative).
In civilization, characters regain
an additional 1 HD (as per their
class) Hit Points per day.
EXPERIENCE
Gain 1 XP for every 1 coin of
treasure you squander when
you’re back to civilization.
Investing, banking and buying
gear gives no XP.
Monsters grant HD x 25 XP
when killed or defeated.
LEVELS
To get to the new Level, spend
XP equal to your current Level x
1,000. A Level 2 character needs
to spend 2,000 XP to get to Level
3. Since XP is spent, you begin
counting near zero after you level-
up. At level-up, decide:
 Roll the Class HD and increase
Hit Points
 Get a new random Talent of
your Class
 Add one point to an Attribute,
by burning a related Gift point
MULTICLASS
When multiclassing, burn one
Gift point of the primary
Attribute of the secondary Class.
As advancement, you can roll the
secondary Class HD, or take one
random Talent of that class.
Your secondary Class Levels add
up with your normal Level, for the
XP required to level-up.
A rogue/fighter of 4/1 Level
needs 5,000 XP (4+1) to level-up.
HAZARD DICE
Every Turn, roll together a d6
and a d12 for encounters and
resources.
On the d6:
1) Kill one light (torches first,
then candles, then lamps)
2) Kill an active spell
3) Environmental threat
4) Fatigue: rest 1 Turn or take -1
5-6) Safe break
On the d12:
1) Hostile encounter: roll initiative
2) Neutral encounter: roll reaction
(use Charisma, right!)
3) Kill two lights
4) Kill a spell and a light
5) Hunger: eat a ration or take -1
6) Ruling: lights, spells, rations,
any other possible consequence of
exploring, as the GM rules
7-12) Safe break
If both roll the same number,
you have a twist or opportunity.
7
SPELLS & BLESSINGS
Sorcerers cast spells, clerics cast
blessings, but often in the rules
both are referred to as spells.
Every day, a caster can cast any of
the spells they know (spells are
not prepared and forgotten).
There is daily limit of spells: a
caster can cast a number of spells
in a day equal to their Level + the
INT mod for sorcerers, or + WIS
mod for clerics.
Casting requires passing an
Attribute Check on INT for
sorcerers or WIS for clerics.
The time required for a spell is
decided by the caster: a Round or
a Turn (so it’s possible to cast
during combat).
Failing the Attribute Check
means that the spell either fails or
produces unwanted results. The
spell is still counted towards the
daily limit also when it fails.
The caster needs to roll on the
table below to determine the
effects of a failure. Always roll
2d6: if casting took a Turn (slow
and careful) then the caster
decides which die to keep, if the
casting took only a Round, it’s the
GM that decides which to apply,
or if to propose another effect.
Roll Result
1-2 Energy drain: spell costs
double (as 2 daily spells)
3-4 Spell backfires: suffer
1d6 damage
5-6 Spell unstable: cannot be
used again today
 Fighter
Hit Dice: d8 Score Mod Gift Save
Starting HP: d8+2
Level-up HP: +1d8 CHA
HP max/current:
AC: CON

 Every combat round, take +STR DEX

mod to the to-hit roll or damage roll
 Can carry at most a number of INT
magic items equal to Level
 No penalties on weapon or armor STR
 +2 on all Saves on STR and CON
WIS
Starting talents
Roll starting talents equal to STR Remember: Save is 5+ Level  mod
Gift score; duplicates are lost. You
can roll here again after level-up,
duplicates shift one up or down. XP: Level:

1) Bastion: +1 AC
2) Blood-drive: regain 1 HP x
Level after a kill (per combat)
3) Steel trained: all armors and
weapons count 1 slot
4) Defend: give up the attack, take
all hits directed to a nearby ally
5) Merciless: add Level to all
damage rolls
6) Veteran: make 1 attack x Level
x round
Other talents
Roll here only at level-up; if you
choose to do so, roll a d8 instead.
7) Critical: hit for double damage
on 19-20 and not just 20
8) Disarm: give up damage roll to
try to disarm with STR check
Coins:
(100=1 slot)
Inventory
Carry up to STR score. More and each
slot is a cumulative -1
1 10
2 11
3 12
4 13
5 14
6 15
7 16
8 17
9 18
artwork by Maciej Zagorski - The Forge Studios

8
 Rogue
Hit Dice: d6 Score Mod Gift Save
Starting HP: d6+2
Level-up HP: +1d6 CHA
HP max/current:
AC: CON

 Backstab: pass a DEX check to DEX

backstab and add +2 damage
(only when positioning allows it) INT
 Background: describe your roguish
profession; take a +2 of those offered STR
in the Talents below
 +2 on all Saves on DEX and CHA WIS

Starting talents Remember: Save is 5+ Level  mod

Roll starting talents equal to DEX
Gift score; duplicates cumulate. You
can roll here again after level-up,
duplicates cumulate max to +6,
then shift one up or down.
1) Keen senses: gain +2 to all
notice and search actions
2) Sense of position: +2 to all
mapping and orienteering
3) Agile: +2 to climb and swim
4) Scavenger: +2 to foraging and
searching
5) Hunter: +2 to track and hunt
6) Thief: +2 to pick locks,
pickpocket and disarm traps
Other talents
Roll here only at level-up; if you
choose to do so, roll a d8 instead.
7) Assassin: +2 to backstab,
stealth, hide
8) Magic touch: as read magic
spell, just by touching
XP: Level:
Coins:
(100=1 slot)
Inventory
Carry up to STR score. More and each
slot is a cumulative -1
1 10
2 11
3 12
4 13
5 14
6 15
7 16
8 17
9 18
artwork by Maciej Zagorski - The Forge Studios

9
 Cleric
Hit Dice: d6 Score Mod Gift Save
Starting HP: d6+2
Level-up HP: +1d6 CHA
HP max/current:
AC: CON

 Start with a number of blessings DEX

equal to WIS Gift score
 Can cast daily a number of INT
blessings equal to WIS mod + Level
 Cast blessings with WIS check STR
 +2 on all Saves on WIS and CON
WIS
Starting talents
Roll starting talents equal to WIS Remember: Save is 5+ Level  mod
Gift score; duplicates are lost. You
can roll here again after level-up,
duplicates shift one up or down. XP: Level:

1) Comfort: regain 1 HP through

prayer while resting
2) Intercession: +2 on all Saves
with DEX and CHA
3) Divine Power: random Level 1
blessing cast with no limit
4) Unorthodox: random Level 1
sorcerer spell avail. to you
5) Holy water: bless water as a
spell, 1d6 damage vs. undead
6) Bastion: +1 AC
Other talents
Roll here only at level-up; if you
choose to do so, roll a d8 instead.
7) Steel trained: all armors and
weapons count 1 slot
8) Robust: +2 on all Saves with
STR and CON
Coins:
(100=1 slot)
Inventory
Carry up to STR score. More and each
slot is a cumulative -1
1 10
2 11
3 12
4 13
5 14
6 15
7 16
8 17
9 18
artwork by Mark Huffman - Auralius Art

10
CLERIC’S BLESSINGS
Start with random blessings equal
to the WIS Gift score. Duplicates
are lost at chargen, rerolled when
buying new blessings at level-up.
Add random blessings at Level-up:
pay 100 xp x blessing level you
add, no more than 100 x new Level.
Roll to see which ones you get.

Level Blessings
1 1 Light Cure: heal 1d6+1 HP with touch
2 Detect Evil: anything evil glows of a dim red light
3 Detect Magic (cleric): anything magical sounds like a bell at touch
4 Light: cast a dim candle-like light from an object or body part
5 Protection from Evil: +2 AC and Saves against Evil
6 Turn Undead (minor): turn 1d6+Level HD worth of undead
2 1 Bless: +1 to-hit and damage rolls of touched target, plus morale
2 Cure Poison: neutralize a poison or roll next Save w/advantage
3 Find Traps: nearby traps glow in purple dim light
4 Silence: the zone around the cleric falls into magic silence
5 Purify Food: purify food and water for 1d8 worth of rations
6 Remove Fear: cancel Fear effects or roll next Save w/advantage
3 1 Continual Light: cast bright light, restart after first kill spell
2 Cure Disease: neutralize a disease or roll next Save w/advantage
3 Hold (cleric): paralyze 1d8 HD of creatures, 1d10 HD of humans
4 Holy Water: bless water; 1d4 damage against undead
5 Sanctuary: enemy must pass a Save to attack cleric
6 Turn Undead: turn 1d10+Level HD worth of undead
4 1 Bless (advanced): target gains 1d6+Level points to spend for rolls
2 Speak w/Animals: understand and speak with animals and monsters
3 Locate object: know where to find a specific object
4 Read Magic: decipher magic (as Detect Magic of the sorcerer)
5 Resist: better resist to an element (like cold or fire); +2 all Saves
6 Sacrifice: remove x HP to heal x HP to a companion
5 1 Create Food: make rations (incl. water) in number of 1d4+Level
2 Critical Cure: heal 4d6 HP with touch, or a single mutilation
3 Dispel Magic: neutralize a spell
4 Remove Curse: end a curse; remove prev. effects w/Critical Cure
5 Speak with Dead: speak with a dead corpse (not older 1y/Level)
6 Turn Undead (major): turn 2d8+Level HD worth of undead

The above are the “standard” blessings of the Church.

Clerics will find others, besides by leveling-up, in their adventures.

11
 Sorcerer
Hit Dice: d4 Score Mod Gift Save
Starting HP: d4+2
Level-up HP: +1d4 CHA
HP max/current:
AC: CON

 Start with a number of spells equal DEX

to INT Gift score
 Can cast daily a number of spells INT
equal to INT mod + Level
 Cast spells with INT check STR
 +2 on all Saves on INT and WIS
WIS
Starting talents
Roll starting talents equal to INT Remember: Save is 5+ Level  mod
Gift score; duplicates are lost. You
can roll here again after level-up,
duplicates shift one up or down. XP: Level:

1) Silent caster: casting requires

no spoken words
2) Immobile caster: casting
requires no gestures
3) Natural Power: random Level 1
spell cast with no limit
4) Stabilizer: recover one unstable
spell per day with a short rest
5) Staff master: charge up to 3
spells in your staff (say which,
cast each, once, for free)
6) Magic touch: as read magic
spell, just by touching
Other talents
Roll here only at level-up; if you
choose to do so, roll a d8 instead.
7) Warlock: charge a blade as a
staff
8) Scholar: get two cleric blessings
Coins:
(100=1 slot)
Inventory
Carry up to STR score. More and each
slot is a cumulative -1
1 10
2 11
3 12
4 13
5 14
6 15
7 16
8 17
9 18
artwork by Maciej Zagorski - The Forge Studios

12
SORCERER’S SPELLS
Start with random spells equal to
the INT Gift score. Duplicates are
rerolled at chargen, and at level-
up. Sorcerer beats cleric.
Add random spells at Level-up:
pay 100 xp x spell level you add,
no more than 200 x new Level.
Roll to see which ones you get.

Level Spells
1 1 Charm: befriend1d6 HD worth of humanoids
2 Detect Magic: detect and decipher (read magic) any magic nearby
3 Hold Portal: magically lock a door or lock
4 Light: cast a dim candle-like light from an object or body part
5 Magic Missile: strike for 1d6 damage or 1d8 if roll to-hit
6 Shield: gain +1 AC in melee and +2 AC vs ranged attacks
2 1 Darkness: magic darkness that blinds all creatures except you
2 Hold (sorcerer): paralyze 1d6 HD worth of creatures
3 Knock: open one door or lock by touch
4 Levitate: stop a fall or levitate slowly around
5 Mending: fix any mundane object or similar
6 Sleep: put 2d6 HD worth of creatures to sleep, wake if attacked
3 1 Cause Fear: save w/Wisdom or run in fear for Level/HD rounds
2 Drain Force: drain 1 HD from target; -2 all Saves. Just once/target
3 Illusion (I): copy sorcerer or other target; AC 16, disappears when hit
4 Invisible Carrier: invisible servant that carries up to 10 slots
5 Message: speak in a target mind w/your own voice, at any distance
6 Web: holds (but cannot be attacked) 2d8 HD creatures then breaks
4 1 Animate Dead: raise up to 1d8 HD worth of dead creatures
2 Detect Illusions: illusions and invisibility and the like become visible
3 Dispel Magic: neutralize a spell
4 Invisibility: target becomes invisible as long as it moves slowly
5 Wall: evoke a 5 zones wall of selected material
6 Water Breathing: be able to breathe in water or other fluids
5 1 Arcane Eye: detach an eye and send it flying and spying max 4 zones
2 Dimensional Door: teleport one target to a known place
3 Fly: not just levitate; really fly at double speed than normal humans
4 Fury: target resists all curses/magic w/+4 and attacks once/enemy
5 Polymorph: change the appearance of a target, at will (no skills)
6 Read Mind: read the mind of a selected creature, even non-human

The above are the “standard” spells of the known magic schools and known books.
Sorcerers will find other spells, besides by leveling-up, in their adventures.

13
CREATURES
All creatures, by default, have the
following scores:
AC: roll equal or higher to hit
them in combat
HD: roll this number of d8 to
determine their Hit Points
Save: by default, all monsters Save
with a roll under 5+HD; other
bonus or penalties are listed in
this section
Attacks: how many attacks, and
for which damage each
Notes: any special attack, special
feature or power is listed in the
white line below each monster’s
row of scores
Remember that monsters grant
XP when killed or defeated equal
to their HD x 25.

Monster AC HD Save Attacks

Boar, wild 11 3+3 5+HD-1 Gore (3d4)
When killed, attacks the killer once more for 2d6 damage
Bear, huge 12 4+1 5+HD-2 2xClaws (2d4)
A bite attack (1d6) follows the 1st successful attack of each round
Blood Bat 12 1 5+HD-2 Bite (1d4)
Every 4 rolled for harm, Save vs. disease or be infected
Dwarf 15 2+2 5+HD+5 Weapon (1d8)
Resents humans for past slavery. Additional +2 Save vs. magic
Elf 15 3+1 5+HD+5 Weapon (1d8)
Resents humans that can breed freely. 1 in 10 w/magic weapon +1
Giant 18 6+6 5+HD+4 Huge weapon (2d8)
Every even round can throw a boulders for additional attack (3d6)
Griffon 16 5+5 5+HD+2 2xClaws (1d4)
Every even round Bite (1d10). Very precious eggs (200+ coins)
Mirror Golem 14 3+2 5+HD+2 Weapon (1d6)
Every hit gives -1 damage on future hits against it
Night wolf 15 3+2 5+HD+2 2xBite (1d8)
Can cast Darkness once per fight. Can cast Knock while unseen
Ogre 14 4+1 5+HD+2 Weapon (1d8+2)
1 in 6 knows Magic Missile, Shield, Darkness, and Knock spells
Spider, giant 12 4+2 5+HD-2 Bite (1d6)
Save vs. poison or lose 20% of your HP every round, until 0 (faint)
Spider, poison 14 2+1 5+HD-2 Bite (1d4)
Save vs. poison or lose 50% of your HP
Werewolf 9 3+2 5+HD+2 2xBite (1d8)
Only silver and magical/blessed weapons can hurt it

14
UNDEAD
Oh so common in crypts, tombs That’s why you have a cleric in
and dungeons. your group, don’t you?

Monster AC HD Save Attacks

Demon, red 10 4+2 5+HD+1 2xFirespit (1d10)
When hit, fire crawls on attacker for 1d4 damage
Demon, purple 15 2+2 5+HD+1 2xClaws (1d6+1)
Flight. Half damage from non-magical/non-blessed weapons
Demon, white 14 5+5 5+HD+1 3xCold (1d8+1)
Suffers double damage from fire
Ghost, guardian 14 3 5+HD+1 Blade (1d10)
Cannot move away from room/treasure. Every hit from the ghost
burns 5% of the coins in the treasure
Ghost 12 2+1 5+HD Life drain (1d4)
Reappears in 2d6 rounds
Ghost, shadow 13 3 5+HD+2 Despair (1d4)
Every hit drains -1 from Wisdom (all recovered at the end of the
fight). If Wisdom goes to zero, run away in despair
Ghost, white 15 4 5+HD+1 Cold (1d8)
Every hit from the ghost, permanently drains 1 Strength
Can be hit only by magic/blessed weapons
Ghoul 9 2 5+HD-1 2xBite/claws (1d4)
Save vs. Paralysis or lose a round of combat
Mummy 8 2+2 5+HD-1 2xClaws (1d4)
A wound inflicted by it will stop normal HP recovery until magical
cure is found (Light Cure, but also Dispel Evil etc.)
Necrotroll 9 5+3 5+HD+2 2xWeapon (1d8)
Recover 1 HP per round
Skeleton 8 1 5+HD Weapon (1d6 avg)
1 in 6 casts Cause Fear on encounter
Zombie 9 2 5+HD-1 Weapon (1d6 avg)
Characters always attack first (have initiative)
Zuktrek, sorcerer 8 1+1 5+HD+1 Lightning (1d4)
When it dies, it’s reborn in 1d4 rounds, and increases of 1 all stats
and its size each time (for example AC 9, HD 2+2, Save +2, 2
attacks for 1d4 damage), until killed with a magic/blessed weapon

As in all OSR manuals, these are just examples. Make your own monsters!
And fuck balance!

15
HOUSERULES
In the spirit of OSR, feel free to
tune the game to your needs and
liking with the appropriate
houserules. The Crying Blades is
actually named “houserules”
material rather than a game.
Below are some examples of
possible optional rules.
USAGE DIE
The original The Black Hack
contains the Usage Die rule as one
of its cornerstones. In this hack,
the Hazard Dice ends magic,
lights and like, but you can use a
Usage Die instead.
Give a Usage Die to everything:
light sources and equipment, of
course, and also spells duration
but even chance of encounters,
hunger, fatigue, and so on.
Use the original rule: roll every
turn and when you get a 1-2
result, reduce the die size. A 1-2
on a d4 means the resource is
exhausted, somehow.
When reducing the die size,
proceed as follows:
d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4
MORALE FOR MONSTERS
Give them a Usage Die: as simple
as that. Roll it every Round in
combat after they’ve been hit once,
until they run away.
HIRELINGS
Simple hirelings do not really
fight; they just carry torches, and
16
loot. They can carry up to STR 12
and cost you 1 coin per session,
plus a 2% of your cut of treasure.
They have 4 HP and a d6 loyalty.
Better hirelings are mercenaries:
they can fight for you, they give
you (your choice every round)
either +2 to hit or +2 to the
damage roll, and absorb half of the
damage directed to you.
They have 6 HP and d8 loyalty.
They can carry up to STR 12 (their
own gear is heavier than the one
of hirelings).
They cost 3 coins per session, and
demand a 5% cut of your treasure.
This price must be paid to their
corporation; failure to do so might
incur in serious trouble.
When a hireling has done
something dangerous for you, and
after every fight, roll the loyalty
die. Drop the die size as any
Usage Die; until they leave your
service.
Improve the loyalty die with
houserules for CHA and with
increased pay.
THE CRYING BLADES
The Crying Blades are probably
just a legend: they’re named after
their magic swords that cry after
they’ve slain an enemy.
According to the rumors, the
Crying Blades are a gang of
adventurers, acting as mercenaries
on the pay-book of nobles and
merchants, of priests and
commoners. They are often
greedy bastards, and their rich
employers always have to pay
more than they’d like for their
services. On the other hand, it’s
common knowledge that
commoners and regular folks
usually enjoy a better treatment.
When they deal with the Crying
Blades, customers pay according
to their own wealth, not just for
the service they require or the
skills of the adventurers they hire.
If you ask around, you’ll hear
different opinions about the
Crying Blades: some say they act
for the greater good, for the glory
of God; other say they protect
regular people from monsters and
abominations, from demons and
demi-humans. Several priests
accuse them of making use of
sorcery and blasphemous rituals;
others swear that there are
Christian clerics among their
ranks.
There are clear reports indicating
that the Crying Blades, when not
in service, have a tendency to go
tombraiding and show no remorse
to plunder recent Christian graves
as well as ancient loot.
17
THE ETERNAL CITY
One of my favorite settings is the
so called “Eternal City” or Infinite
City” - I change the name
depending on the mood. Often the
two names refer to the same place;
perhaps according to different
cultures, or different legends.
The Eternal City might be Rome,
or what is left of it after the
Empire was destroyed by the
merciless tides of history... and an
invasion of monsters and demons
with no precedents. The Eternal
City is now surrounded by an
immense wall, higher than a castle
tower and with no gates.
The wall is huge, so long and so
thick it must have been built by
someone, something, with far better
skills than the simple men now
left to garrison it. It makes you
wonder if stories about dwarves,
elves and giants might be true.
Standing guard on the wall are
countless soldiers of every
kingdom, every duchy, every city-
state of the continent.
It’s literally an army, by size and
complexity of operations, and
everyone is involved in
maintaining the wall’s security.
Everyone is trying to make sure
that what’s inside the city will
remain inside. Of course, together
with monsters, the city must
contain so, so many treasures.
SAMPLE ADVENTURE
This is a short presentation of the
OSR dungeon The Tukram’s
Tomb. The pdf of the adventure is
available for free, so download
that if you want more details
about the tomb and its perils.
LOCATIONS
1. Entrance: stale and humid
2. Offering chamber: a corpse on
the floor, a bear in the corner (it’s
actually dead). A skull carved in
the far corner of the south wall.
Drop a coin in its mouth and gain
a free reroll
3. Stairs: getting dark, slippery.
The dot is a pressure plate, and
there’s a corpse there: 1d6 spears
from the ceiling for 1d6 damage
each. Easy to bypass
4. Treasure Chamber: all coins
from 2 fall here. Every turn spent
digging reveals 1d10 sp. A
barbarian tribe depicted on the
wall slaughtering peasants
5. Warriors’ Chamber: three
statues of a barbarians. One is a
naked man, one a woman, the
third is covered in furs. A
poisoned needle is behind the furs
for 2 HP damage, Save for half
damage. The statues are magical
but do not move. Stone coffin in
the other room; the skeleton of a
horse is inside, with a 100 sp ruby
in its mouth
18
6. Stairs again: another corpse
where there is the dot; but step
where there is the number 6 tiles
downwards and failing a Dex
Save, the character falls onto the
pressure plate (same as 3)
7. Scale Chamber: a scale on an
altar with a dagger on one side, a
red stone, a little eagle carving
and some black powder on the
other plate. The dagger is +1, +3
against undead; the red stone is
worth 100 sp but if crushed grants
a +1 bonus for an entire fight, the
eagle carving is rotten and
useless, the black powder makes
an impenetrable barrier for
undead or inflicts 1d6+4 damage
is thrown against an undead.
Touching the scale and taking any
treasure awakens a necromancer
in room 9 and unlocks the door to
room 9
8. Skulls’ Chamber: two plates
with 100 sp each on an altar;
hundreds of skulls carved into the
walls, some with holes in their
mouth. Drop one coin in each of
the 22 skulls with the open mouth
and the secret door to room 10
opens. Otherwise it must be
detected by searching and opened
by force
9. Burial Chamber: Tukram’s
corpse is not here, but Zygar the
necromancer is: 3 HD, 13 AC,
Save roll under 12, Claws 1d4
damage + rusty sword 1d6. Every
round also roll 1d6: on 1-2 the
necromancer casts Pain Circle
(near characters take 1d6 damage
unless Save vs Magic), on 3-4
evokes 1d4-1 ghosts (see the
Undead page) that vanish when
the necromancer is killed, on 5-6
animates one statue from room 5
(Animated Statue: 4 HD, 12 AC,
19
Save roll under 10, 2 attacks for
1d6 damage with stone fists). The
statue takes 2 rounds to join
combat from room 5 and freezes
when the necromancer is killed
Download the full Tukram’s tomb
dungeon for free if you want more.
LICENSE
OPEN GAME CONTENT
Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of the Open Game License Version 1.0a
(OGL). This entire work is designated as Open Game Content under the OGL, with the exception of
Product Identity.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the
Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All Rights Reserved.

1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed
Open Game Content; (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works
and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction,
addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an
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rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content"
means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent
such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any
additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work
covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but
specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names,
logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines,
plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions,
likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio
representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams,
personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment,
magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other
trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product
Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) "Trademark" means the logos,
names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or
the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) "Use", "Used"
or "Using" means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create
Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) "You" or "Your" means the licensee in terms of this
agreement.

2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that
the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a
notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this
License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any
Open Game Content distributed using this License.

3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms
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4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant
You a perpetual, worldwide, royaltyfree, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to
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Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have
sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.

6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License
to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game
Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date,
and the copyright holder's name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content
you Distribute.

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7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as
to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of
each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with
any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content
except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or
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8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of
the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content.

9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this
License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open
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10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game
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11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the
name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.

12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with
respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental
regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected.

13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein
and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall
survive the termination of this License.

14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be
reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable.

15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathon Tweet, Monte
Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
System Reference Document © 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet,
Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R.
Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax
and Dave Arneson.
Modern System Reference Document © 2002–2004, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill
Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, Eric Cagle, David Noonan, Stan!, Christopher
Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and JD Wiker, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip
Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.
Product Identity
Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, © 2008,Matthew J. Finch.
Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy Role-Playing Player Core Book: Rules & Magic
© 2013 LotFP, author James Edward Raggi IV.
BlackHack, © 2016, David Black.
WhiteHack 2nd Edition, © 2015, Christian Mehrstam.
The Crying Hack design and The Crying Blades, Eternal City and Infinite City names and concepts.
The Crying Hack © 2016, Davide Pignedoli
Open Content: All text not specified as Product Identity.

21