Lost in The Dark - Core (Alpha) PDF

 

Lost In The ark “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, and dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.”

Summary - 

You play strong men and women on the horror shaken streets of Coldharbor a crumbling fantasy city. There is strange alchemy, the art of pyromancy, superstition, weird cults, horrifying monster and sharp blades.

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The players are part of a group of daring survivors fighting for power against all odds and overcoming the horrors of the cataclysm.

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Gameplay focuses on the moments of daring action during expeditions into the dark and moments of respite during downtime.

Touchstones Books: H.-P. Lovecraft Literature, Literally Everything by Joe Abercrombie, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Dark Tower Series by Steven King, Berserk Comics

Video Games: Bloodborne & Dark Souls by From Software, Darkest Dungeon by Red Hook, Witcher Franchise by CD Project Red, Lords of the Fallen by Deck13 RPGs: Torchbearer, Burning Wheel, Blades in the Dark, Dungeon World, Apocalypse World TV / YouTube: Game of Thrones, Berserk-Anime, RollPlay “The West Marches” by ItMeJp and Silent0siris, Brotherhood of the Wolf (Movie),

Theme Song Iron by Woodkid, If I Had A Heart by Fever Ray

The Game  is game about a group of the so called „Damned – former inmates of the “Blackreach-Prison” Lost in the Dark  is on the island of “Wreaclast” set free to fight the horrors of the “shattering” where ever they may manifest. On the haunted and horror shaken streets, the flooded districts of the old city, in the lost ruins of days long forgotten and even in the minds of you and the people around you. We´ll play to find out if the characters can hold their ground against the daring threats of rivaling bands of warriors, powerful weird cults, horrific and wrathful old gods or the Witchhunters of the Inquisition and the weakness of their minds and souls.

 

The Setting Angland the empire of the west has fallen. Adua - the ivory city burned to the ground. The realm is consumed by a hundred year war - a war that has lost all meaning and all glory -there is no victory. And the scriveners foretold that when the hearts of mankind are encircled by thorns the flame of mankind will fade and darkness will rule the world. Darkness will corrupt the soil, darkness will bring stillbirth, darkness will take away your soul and darkness will shatter the reality and reveal what is hidden to the mortal eye. In the end it was unclear what happened in these fateful days but it left the world in ruins, mankind is driven to the edge of extinction. The sky is obscured by everlasting grey clouds and no sun is shining on the blackened sea. The Shattering destroyed the gates of the dead and let the realm of the living collide with the Dark. And from the Abyss nightmarish creatures crawled in this world. Dark D ark tendrils that pierce through your very soul drain the world of memories. The end is a slow death that never comes. Far in the north lies Wreaclast the island of the damned. Before the war it was called the “Crown of the North”. Praised for the wisdom, knowledge and inventions that was created there. The Great Watchtower of the Scriveners resides there holding a copy of ever scroll, every book and every written word the world has ever saw. And Coldharbor the biggest city north of the “Harrowing Sea” was a place of faith and worship. And outlandish and secretive cults have a long tradition in this old city. The Faith of the Old Ones is still to this day the most practiced religion even if it is now in secrecy. The high-priests of this most peculiar cult were fascinated with strange artifacts found in excavations far to the t he north. But the reclusive “Norsemen” raided the sites fearing the destruction of their ritual sights and their ancestor’s graves. They feared the wrath of the dead warriors that were buried there a long time ago. Furious the priest turned to the “Council of Lords” but their call for revenge was dismissed. And their unquenched fascination became obsession. They dug deeper and deeper into the squirming earth. Their lust for knowledge unearthed the old city that was once the foundation of Coldharbor. There they found what desired so mad. Something they could tend to, something worthy of their prayers. The “Great War” spared the island but the refugees, the broken and sick soon started to overrun the cities. The Council feared them and the things will brought with them: Sickness, crime, heretic religions and war. For them they were the harbingers of doom. They left them to starve and freeze in the streets, letting the guardsmen rob every last bit of coin and riches these poor souls had left. They took away their dignity and in truth they robbed them of their humanity. The situation got worse by the day, it tore apart the city. Open rebellion, looting and murder followed shortly after. Every death on each site only gave cause for more people to fight and kill. In the last decade before the world worl d was consumed by the abyss, the Immortal Emperor of Coldharbor in a last effort of justice ordered the destruction of a whole district and build the Blackreach-Prison. An infamous black hole where no light shines and no hope will ever pierce through its cold walls. A place where the filth of mankind and the innocence alike were locked up to slowly rot away and vanish into nothing.

 

Now a year after the “Shattering” the city lies in ruins. Like a rotting corpse it´s giving birth to maggots, filth and disgust. The “Holy Inquisition” hunts all strange, wicked and mysterious fearing a second apocalypse and seeking revenge for all that is lost. And in their desperate need of souls to hold their banner and swing their swords they set the imprisoned free and gave them a chance to redeem themselves. Tasked with a suicidal mission their fate and the fate of all now lie in their hands.

The Characters & Their Faction The characters are the most important component of this game. Their actions and the consequences of them are the engine that drives the game forward. They characters create and change the world. They follow their own motivations, they fear and hate, they love and adore. Their beliefs and goals are the center of play. They try to stay alive and establish a serious organization that stands against all enemies and holds their ground. They do this by taking dangerous missions from the mighty or the weird -maybe even the poor and broken -and most importantly by following their own goals. They make preparations to peer into the dark, make enemies, forge alliances and perform strange rituals. Their faction can be anything from raiders of the Norsemen seeking revenge, cultist on a dark path to danger-loving tombrobbers. But they all have something in common a lust for power.

The Players Each player creates a unique, interesting character and works with the other players to create the faction to which their characters belong. Each player strives to bring their PC to life as an interesting, daring, conflicted dark-fantasy adventurer character who reaches boldly beyond their current safety and means. The players decide as a group on the tone and style of the game by making judgment calls about the dice and actions, along with oversight from the GM. They shape the world by answering and in return ask questions about it.

The Game Master The GM establishes the dynamic world around the characters, the remaining people of the cities, the monsters and unspeakable horrors, the brutal Witchhunters and the t he strange cultists behind the scenes. The GM plays all the non-player characters in the world by giving each one a concrete desire and preferred method of action. actio n. They present opportunities to the PCs and in return the PCs present opportunities to the GM. It is a shared task. The GM has to incorporate details and knowledge created by the players into play.

 

New / Changed Systems: The new or redesigned features and rules are ar e listed below:

Consequences: These are new consequences. Handle them just like the existing ones! Take Harm: This should be the standard consequence now because of the rule shift to more combat. Take Corruption: This should be the alternative to take harm when dealing with monsters. Take A Condition: This should be a consequence for failed travel-actions, camp action etc. or a consequence in dominant actions.

 Asymmetrical Combat: The Harm-System is now asymmetrical. PC´s receive harm. NPC´s receive numeric damage and have hitpoints. The system to determine the position of the action is untouched. If you want to harm your enemy you have to make your intention clear. For example: “I want to cut of the ghoul´s head of”, says the Player. The GM says: “This would result in a great effect but this is also a desperate move because your enemy is standing and ready to counter attack. (If the enemy is lays on the floor maybe it´s only a risky move.) You can (with the right group of course) make the attribute of real-life r eal-life weaponry more or less important. A rule of thumb is greater effect needs greater risk. Damage is calculated like this: 1/2/3 D6 (depending on effect) + 1D6 for heavy weapon.

Corruption & Stigma The world lies in dark and the very earth is tainted with a rotting corruption eating away every sign of beauty and peace.

Corruption an undesirable resource and is obtained by coming in contact with hor-rors, tainted blood and strange powers. Supernatural abilities and artifacts of the old world also can be the source of corruption. There are two kinds of corruption tempo-rary corruption and permanent corruption. If you suffer temporary corruption and don't cure it until the end of the t he session it transforms into permanent corruption.

Corruption Every character has up to 9 points of corruption organized in groups of three. If a group is filled with permanent corruption the group is locked and the effect of that stage is active a group is filled with temporary corruption a stigma is gained. They stay until the group is empty.

 

Corruption Effect When the last group is filled with permanent corruption you will lose yourself in madness and your body will transform into an unspeakable abomination.

Stigma If your character gains a stigma you can either roll 2d6 2 d6 to determine the effect or talk with GM if your or the GM has a special stigma in mind that fits the situation. 2D6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Stigma - Description Discolored skin, blemishes and severe rashes Vision of otherworldly creatures or a glimpse at the true world. An evil symbol that burst out of the skin Eyes that glitter in the dark Eyes that actually blacken with anger, hunger or lust Drawn to dark places by unheard voices Veins that bulge black when experiencing anger or other strong emotions Dark streaks in the blood, visible when the creature bleeds Cold as a corpse or feverishly hot without any signs of sickness or disease Suffers from constant nightmares Degeneration· of sight -relying on other senses instead, like smell and touch A festering wound that does not heal

Conditions Hunger will be first step and slowly drive you over the edge until fear takes over.

The world is a harsh place and wandering the old roads will be dangerous and terrifying. Digging deeper in the dark and the constant grind will strain your body and soul.

The Constant Suffer You can suffer conditions automatically over time but they are most likely suffered through consequences. Conditions will negatively influence your abilities and actions. Condition can stack automatically overtime if they are not resolved. The order is Hunger/Exhaustion/ Angry/Sick/Fear. They must be resolved in this order.

Conditions in Roleplay Playing out your conditions is a viable method to earn Experience. Conditions The list below shows the condition, its effect and the way to resolve the condition. Hunger Effect: Double the Camp-Action-Cost. Resolve: Use a Ration. R ation. Exhaustion Effect: Be considered as heavy loaded. Resolve: Only in camp by the "Respite" action.  Angry Effect: Inability to make use of your special abilities. Resolve: Only in Camp by the "Calm Your Heart" action.

 

 Sick Effect: Blocks the first level of wounds. Resolve: Only in Camp by the "Cut It Out" action. Fear Effect: Take stress (1-6) to act against every enemy or mysterious manifestation. Resolve: Only in Camp by the "A Glimpse Of Hope" action.

 A Moment Of Respite Sometimes you will need a moment of respite in the eye of the storm. A trusty bonfire and a sturdy meal - just enough to keep the darkness at bay. But don´t hesitate and don´t wait long. Wait for too long and the fire will fade and darkness will take control. You can camp once during a mission. NOTE THAT A CAMP CAN BE ANYTHING – IT DOESN`T NEED TO BE A BONFIRE IN THE WOODS When you want to make Camp the GM tells you if it’s a safe, risky or dangerous camp. Then roll on the Survey-action. The result will determine a camp event/modifier. It´s severely influenced by the type of camp. Highest Number

Town-Event

Critical 6 4-5 1-3

Peaceful Camp Minor Inconvenience Mayor Inconvenience Disaster Camp

Events & Respective Effects It´s the GMs task to describe the event as interesting as possible and give a reason for the effect he chooses. Keep the fiction in mind. Peaceful Camp Minor Inconvenience Mayor Inconvenience Disaster

Gain a free action, Gather information, Bonus die for engagement roll, Find something useful No free action, Lose rations, Break equipment Double the cost of actions, Block certain actions Gain a condition, Lose equipment Ambush, No action possible

 

Camp-Moves: In camp every character can make camp-actions to recover from stress, harm or conditions. After the camp-event is rolled you make camp. Camping doesn´t require an action roll and is played out quick and without much roleplaying. You get one free action and can buy more action by using rations. One ration equals one action. Nearly all actions need a special item to be performed. Rations are the used to create actions. 1 Ration is 1 action. Name Shake of the Horror Treat your Wounds Repair your Armor Burn out the Evil A moment of Respite Calm Your Heart Dine In Hell Shake Of The Sickness A Glimpse Of Hope Tales Of Days Past

Effect Heal the latest stress group Heal first and second level harm Repairs 2 Points of Armor Heal the latest corruption group Recover from Exhaustion Recover from Anger Recover from Hunger & Thirst Recover from Sickness Recover from Fear Make a Flashback-Scene

Requires / Bandages Armorer Tools Holy Oils and Symbols Survival Gear Alcohol or Drugs Ration Alchemic Herbs Torch /

The Flashback Scene

The Flashback scene is a great way to tell the group more about your character. Only one flashback-scene is possible during a camp. One player starts his story and earns 1 Destiny Point, Every player then can ask a question about the character. The storyteller then chooses two characters that also earn a destiny-point.

 

Town Phase The town phase is very similar to the camp phase but with a much bigger scope and more social and political interaction.

The Devils You Awake When you return in the t he vicinity of the town the GM estimates the horrors awakened by the PC's actions and writes them down on the town-sheet. If you gain 9 points of horror the city is struck by an "Assault of Darkness." This is a special town-event that will shift the narrative dramatically. If this is the cases you don't roll for a town event. Horrors awakened (These are estimations and should be used as such) The PC's are sneaky and don't mess with the dark The PC's are neither sneaky nor very loud The PC's are loud and act with little caution The PC´s awake something that should have stayed in its slumber

0-1 1-3 3-5 5+

When you return at the gates of the city you roll for the consequences of your journey. The roll is a d6 + 1d for each "Assault of Darkness"- level. Note that critical rolls are not in your favor. Lower is better. Highest Number Town-Event Critical Disaster 6 Mayor Inconvenience 4-5 Minor Inconvenience 1-3 Peaceful Town The GM chooses a suitable town-event based on the result above.

 

Horrors And The Onslaught Of Darkness The truth is unsettling indeed. To see the truth one must close their eyes. But the dark is fearful.

Horrors is like corruption or stress organized in three by three groups. Darkness is like trauma.

Horror & Darkness Wreaclast is an island of prying eyes, sharp ears, superstition and traitors (both living and ghostly). Anyt hing hing you do might be witnessed, and there's always evidence left behind. The creatures from f rom the beyond hate humans interfering with their plans; the Inquisition fears your strength and a real or imagined alliance with the dark. To reflect this, your faction acquires horror as they do missions. When your horror reaches 9, you gain a darkness level, the higher your darkness-level, the more serious the response when the Inquisition or the forces of the Darkness takes action against you. The second effect of a Darkness Level is that your enemies especially the Gods of the Abyss fear you even more and unleash new horrors on the world or maybe the Inquisition begins burning seeming random citizens. These are the "Assaults Of Darkness"

Note that Horror can´t be resolved!

 Assaults Of Darkness These effects can be used to create story climaxes and will affect the world in a strong way. The GM should always speak with their players and work out a proper event with them. Use their ideas and make them involved - This will make them care about it. t he Three Dark Horsemen. They Unleash The Horde (An army born of the Abyss is coming lead by the will live as long as their names are not forgotten.

Glooming Nights (The black sky is ghostly glowing, awakening the spirits, bringing madness to all)  (Demons from the sea attack destroying the harbor and singing their sad songs) Leviathan Attack  (Demons

Rise of Black Winged Death (Fear the six-winged one. Its wings bring still-birth - Its whispers consume the land, Its breath burns the souls of men)

The Purge Of The Wicked  (The  (The wicked must burn, burn the weak and sick so that the living may live) Rise Of The Bloodmoon (The old scholars foretold the awakening of the Bloodmoon - When is moon shines in blood its nightmarish horror will descend to the earth)  (Round up the Damned let them show their worth. Let them fight for the March Of Damned  (Round amusement of the people)

The Big Looting (Seize the gold, seize the food, seize their young ones, seize every man to fight the dark)

The End Of Everything This is an optional rule and should only be used if the players and the GM agree on using it. If all four boxes of Darkness are filled the t he Town will be obliterated by the Abyss. The PCs will make a final stand. This can be used as a grand finale.

 

 

The Town-Phase Procedure The town-phase follows a strict course of events: 1

Roll the Town-Event or trigger an Assault of Darkness. 1.1 If this is the case play it out and skip the rest of the town phase 2 Downtime in Town 2.1 (Faction Turn) 3 Select Mission, Choose a Plan and Detail 4 Change Equipment 5 Begin Mission Town phase is conducted differently than the adventure or camp phase. It's downtime for your weary traveler. Roleplay is kept to a minimum. Instead, you focus on book-keeping. You choose a location where you stay most of the time and make actions sim-ilar to the camp-phase. In addition to engaging with the services of the town, you can conduct any personal business you might have-meeting with a friend, repairing your kit, research a ritual etc.

Prime the Adventure The GM should use the events in town from the players or generated by the tables to set up the next adventure. This the most important part of the town phase. All the options are created for this reason: -To shape the world, characters or factions and inspire play! Once the players are ready to go, don't let them wander off. The GM must take them in a firm hand and point them to the next mission.

 

The Town Actions Ever character gains one free action in town. To perform more action they have to spend coin. One O ne coin pays for one action.

Training You train and prepare yourself to hold your ground. You gain 1 Practice point in one of the 3 attributes. Check Your Town-Sheet for what is available.

Vice You can follow your vice whether it´s drugs, alcohol, games, pleasure of the flesh, pain etc. Roll 2d6. +1D. If your friend or a fellow pc is with you +1D ffor or each Coin payed extra 2 3 4 5-7 8-9 10 11 12

Disaster: Something goes horrible wrong Breakdown: You can´t help yourself and fall deeper in the dark (gain stress) Overindulge: You take a big consequence No Satisfaction: Gain the angry condition Small Satisfaction: Recover from the angry condition Recovery: Remove one segment of stress Small Gain: Remove one segment of stress and gain 2 coin Eavesdropping: Remove one segment of stress and Gather Information

Rumors Pay the bard a coin to play another tune and encourage your companions to keep talking. Roll 2d6 +1D for each extra coin co in you pay. You hear a rumor about… 2 3 4 5-7 8-9 10 11 12

A dark secret about this town A key figure in the town A coming doom Your enemies Your alliances A haunted place A lost treasure A terrible creature

Hire Help At the tavern, the ring of blood or in dark corners you can hire soldiers, guards and guides to aid your endeavors. All such services must be paid in advance. 1 coin pays for 3 coins pay for 5 coins pay for

squire, simple mercenary, two militia men decent fighter, an archer or priest/cultist armored knight, a skilled hunter, a holy man

Bargain Find our buy a gadget to use in your next mission. Buying a gadget costs coin. Both the GM and the player discuss the possibility and price of the gadget.

 

Praying A traveler may pray at the shrine, mediate in silence, commune with their god or patron of their choice. Roll 2d6 on the table below: 2-3 4-5

The curse counts as a factor when judging the position until removed. An ominous omen crosses your path. Take angry or afraid condition.

6-8 9-11 12

The immortals are deaf to your prayers. Visions: You are visited visited with a strange vision. Resolve Resolve angry or fear condition. Remove one segment of stress and corruption.

Rest You patch yourself up and heal your wounds. Heals all 1-2 level harms. Taking this action a second time heals all 3 level harms.

Burn It Out You banish the corruption from your body. Heal the latest segment of corruption. Taking this action again removes a stigma.

 

Traveling The world is vast and hostile and death lies behind every corner. Traveling is neither easy nor without hardship. If the PC-s decide to travel between know location's they discuss with the GM whether or not they want to play out the journey or make a simple roll. If the PCs decide to play out the journey here is a list of stuff you can do to spice up the journey: Make sure to include a camp-scene, describe lengthy traveling in a mon-tage, hint at impending doom, use different scenes, offer short "meaningful encounters", use your NPCs.

Meaningful Encounters If you want to make something happen on your journey use meaningful encounters. These encounters must be linked to the current mission, an old mission, a known enemy, a known ally, a trait, a belief or and instinct. To have a pool of ideas write down stuff you like and want in your campaign and make a table out of it. Here is an example: The PC's are on the old road in the vile marches. They are hunt-ing a mysterious unseen monster that had attacked a transport of Broken Legion. It murdered a whole lot of slaves and those that escaped were broken by an unnatural fear. On the way to the scene of the attack they see a little fire in the distance between some old ruins. It's a survivor of the attack. What will the PC-s do? There is a reward for every escaped slave. Maybe he has information. Maybe the fear took over maybe he fears the PC-s and runs away.

The Travel-Action To travel you choose where to travel to and your method of travel. This will result in an controlled, risky or desperate action. A travel-leader or pathfinder is selected who rolls on prowl if you travel unseen or marshal if you travel with heavy equipment or a lot of followers. The standard consequence for a traveling-action is more time or suffering a condi-tion. Note that having a hired pathfinder will influence the position of the action roll!

 

 Artifacts To find an artifact can be the climax of an adventure and often the beginning of new one. Maybe it is also the first step down the slippery slope of Corruption.

 Analyze artifacts To understand an artifact one must deeply study it. To study an artifact a PC has to be in town or in a place of strange power. Studying the artifact is considered an attune action roll. Of course, a person that binds an artifact to him-or herself will immediately become aware of its powers and disadvantages. But once an artifact is bound to you, it is too late l ate to change your mind: any possible negative effects of the binding will strike at the character mercilessly.

Bind artifacts In order to use an artifact, the PC must make it his own. When this is done, the player gets to know all of the artifact's abilities and disadvantages. A character can bind an artifact to him-or herself at a cost of one Destiny Point. An-other option is to suffer one permanent Corruption.

Using an artifacts You are free to use an artifact, once you have bound it to yourself. Exactly how this is done depends on the artifact, but the powers of the item always follow this template:

Title: The name of the artifact Description: The artifact's history, legends and previous owners, as well as what is commonly known or believed regarding its powers.

Powers Powers:: How the power or powers of the artifact work. The artifact usually has a gen-eral power or ability that can be used by anyone who has bonded with it, and possibly other powers that require a certain ability in order to work.

 Action: The kind of Action that is required to activate the artifact's power. Corruption: The level of Corruption the wielder suffers when activating the power.

 

 A Dance In The Dark The following segment describes the pacing of missions and the way enemies behave.

The Dungeons Action CHECK OUT BLADES AGAINST DARKNESS BY DYLAN GREEN THIS SEGMENT IS INSPIRED BY HIM At the start of the mission place a marker on turn 1. Every time the players take an action (usually when they roll) advance this clock (move the marker to the next space). Turns are an abstract unit of time. They are the time it takes for something interesting to happen, not a particular number of minutes or seconds. Also, you can/should advance the dungeon clock as the fallout from the “it takes extra time” consequence of a roll, or just when the players spend too much time bickering around. When it becomes the GM’s turn (turn 6) the dungeon responds to th the e players presence. Something has changed in the environment. Tell the t he players what they see/hear/feel because of this change. It won’t always be obvious to them what has changed, but give them a clue based on what they can perceive. After this, set the turn clock back to 1.

 Awakened Mind - The Dungeon itself as a semi-aware entity resisting intrusion The dungeon’s defensive systems begin to wake from slumber. How does the entity show it’s awakened? Wake Minions begin regular patrols. What entity/force is making patrols? Sweep They start systematical searching for intruders. How? Who searches? Trace They start to analyze the intruders and study their weaknesses. What marks and tracks do they find? Analysis Doors begin sealing off blocking escape and forward progress. Will they press on or retreat? How? Lockdown Guardians begin a room by room sweep of intruders. Will they escape or fight? Who will be left behind? Purge Creeping Horrors-  Strange beasts that lair here. Evidence of the monster’s movements. How long until they come back? Spoor Bodies of the previous victims show the monster’s abilities. How does the monster attack? Remains Signs of the monster making its home in the dungeon. What is the monster’s lifecycle? Lair The first encounter. How does the monster attempt to drive off intruders? Attack The monster retreats and gathers its forces. How does it prepare to fight to the death? Regroup Constant direct attacks against intruders. How does it make a last stand? Assault Fallen Souls- People who live here or nearby. Signs of the people’s movements. Where are they now? When will they be back? Spoor Markers that show who these people are. Who are these people? Faction Evidence of the people’s actions in the dungeons. What do they want here? Action People are seen/ heard at a distance from the players. What are they doing here? Sight A scout or party encounters the players. Do they know the players are here? What will they do? Scout The core of the Agent’s forces is discovered. How strong are they? Can they be reasoned with? Force The Grind   - The steady wearing away of the characters resources. The light flickers and dims. Light Hirelings need coaxing/bribing/threatening coaxing/bribing/threatening to move onward. Hirelings A character suffers a condition Condition A character suffers a condition Condition A character suffers a condition Condition A character suffers a condition Condition

 

The Enemies  The beauty of a cinematic combat system is that enemy’s don´t have to be created in advance with a dozen stats and abilities you have to remember. NPC´s have an amount of hit points. They have 3 special traits like immunity to non-magic-weapons and 3 monster abilities. Note that not every enemy has this amount of depth. Enemies that ar are e used more or less as cannon fodder have only hit points. Also remember there is no such thing as balance. Monsters are not designed to be that way. In theory a dragon has the same damage potential as a kid. Enemies are strong because of their traits, their abilities and their behavior. To help you created enemies suitable for your adventure keep these guidelines in mind 1.  There is no balance 2.  Don´t tell but show 3.  Give them weaknesses but hide them 4.  Embody the enemy! They are living (more or less) beings not mindless blobs 5.  Thing cinematic, there is no normality 6.  Play dirty and weird. Don´t play effective. Don´t recycle them 7.  Give inspiration but incorporate the ideas of the players.

The Monsters Call Every Monster is a unique beast, capable c apable of unexpected devastation and unforeseeable strength. When the GM creates the Monsters and Opponents O pponents he also writes up to three ( in some cases more) special actions the monster is capable of. After being worked against 3 times the monster can make his monster-move. Maybe the dried blood splatters on the gigantic suit of armor glow red and the armor starts an unstoppable rage, devastating the room and breaking columns and walls. It´s the GM´s task to write interesting abilities that are fair but terrifying. These abilities can´t for example outright kill a pc. But the GM doesn´t have the use the ability he wrote down if the action he wants the monster to take is plausible or a standard consequence of an action roll. For example the GM may choose that the suit of armor leaps across the room to gain a better position instead of the rage described above. Here are some more examples: The wolf raises its head and howls to the moon to call for backup. The black dragon screams and breaths black smoke that spawns fear in i n the enemy. The warped bodies rip apart into two separate monsters, scream screaming ing in pain.

 

Traits of a Beast Every important, big or just interesting monster is characterized by three traits. These are meant to reflect the physical characteristics and their way of thinking.

Mechanical Traits Some of the traits have specific mechanically effects like immunities, strengths, auras etc. Cosmetic Traits Other traits are more general like gigantic, winged or invisible to the normal eye. Here is an example of the giant armor suit: Gigantic, Immunities against weak attacks, fast for its size

This example is about a undead tree monster: Rooted, Weak against fire, Corrupted Mind

This example is about a vengeful v engeful twisted ghost: Uses Stress and Corruption, no physical body, aggressive This example is about a pack of wolves: Pack-Creatures, Hunter-Mentality, fast and agile Remember the Fiction

There is no list of traits. Traits can essentially be anything. You can also use more than 3 traits if it´s a big complicated monster. You can also use these traits as clues for the players if they investigate the monster by talking to people or if they are generally searching for information.

 

Heart Of Darkness Ours is the light and ours is the dark. We are life and death. Born from light to fall into shadows. We may fall but ours is the hope.

The following segment describes the new advancement system. This system puts the character in the spotlight. You are rewarded for roleplaying and creating interesting scenes.

Experience Experience is the main motivation for the characters to act. Experience is organized in three categories to reflect different kinds of progression. There are Practice-Points that reflect your yo ur training, knowledge and prowess. There are Soul-Points that reflect your characters progression, his will, his spirit. And there are Destiney-Points - they reflect a twisted version of luck, of destiny or plot-armor.

Earning Experience/ GM-Best Practice Keep in mind that it's the player’s task to ask whether or not their action is worth experience. The GM can of course also go out of his way to award something the player maybe forgot. It´s the GM task to keep the characters beliefs, instinct, traits etc. in mind but that can be very hard especially if it´s a big group of players. So write them down! The GM has the final call about the earning of experience if isn´t clearly stated. But he should always communicate with the players about his decision. As a rule of thumb it´s better to only give out experience for very good actions. Make the decision quick. "Yes", "No" or a "show me more" should be enough. The following table should clear everything up.

Earning Experience Name

Gain

Note

Make a desperate action Use Traits/Belief/Instinct / Conditions, Trauma, Stigma to create interesting scenes. Push yourself forward

1 Practice Point 1 Soul Point

If your Character makes a desperate action Use these thing stated about your character. This your main source of experience.

1 Soul Point

Lift the Veil of Darkness

1 Practice Point

Flashback-Scene ( Camp) Epic-Quest-Action Personal Goal

1 Destiny Point 1 Destiny Point 1 Destiny Point

If you press on despite grievous wounds, trauma, corruption and fear If you uncover a well-hidden secret or unspeakable knowledge More details below More details below If you resolve a personal goal like revenge

 

Using Experience Name Level up an Action-Rating Buy a Special-Ability Deus-Ex-Machina

Cost 8 Practice Points 8 Soul Points 1 Destiny-Point

The Flashback Scene The Flashback scene is a great way to tell the group more about your character. Only one flashback-scene is possible during a camp. One player starts his story and earns 1 Destiny Point, Every player then can ask a question about the character. The storyteller then chooses two characters that also earn a destiny-point.

Deus-Ex-Machina NOTE THAT THIS DOESN`T INFLUENCE THE FLASHBACK ACTION OF BLADES IN THE DARK. The Deus-Ex-Machina or “God from the Machine” - action is maybe the most powerful tool in the hands of the players to shape the narrative and the world around them. This action allows the players to make something happen - it can't change things that are already done and part of the fiction - but it can make something new or pay for something you don't want to pay. But beware everything has a price -don't expect to get everything you want without some kind of setback. Also note a Deus-Ex-Machina can't do something that is an action roll. You can't use it to fight, shot, command etc. Here are some examples: "Logan lies on the stone floor, bleeding from several wounds while the t he giant worm rises above him and open his giant mouth showing it´s giant teeth that are still covered with fleshy bits and other remains. What do you do?" - "Ok shit, shit, can't resist that i already have 8 sstress. tress. You know what; As he rises up the old stones in the ceiling start giving in since they were put under a lot of vibration v ibration and as the worm comes down the ceiling comes down on him crushing it under the stones." - "Yeah nice. So the worm makes a strange noise of fear and as the ceiling comes down smoke clouds cover the now broken hall. You can´t see anything. The north part of the hall is destroyed and you will need to find another way"

"You are fighting with the Imperial Guard at the bottom of the execution platform and as the guardsmen are forced back or killed by you the commander yells to the executioner: Do it!!! Kill these fuckers - make them fight for nothing. The executioner falls back and grabs the lever to drop the hatch under the feet of your friends- What do you do?" - "Shit we can´t shot from down hear can we?" - "Not really if you try that´s a desperate action." - "Ok I think since we can't shoot from down here maybe we positioned an archer of ours on a building nearby" - "Great idea that will you cost a destiny point if that´s ok" - "Ok I have 3 of them. Better use them now."