Ker Nethalas — solo necropolis crawler

"You survived the execution. The necropolis is just beginning."

Diced100 (2d10)

Players1

Prep~15 min

Foundry VTT—

Complexity

What is this system

A solo dungeon crawler built from the ground up for a single player, set in a dark fantasy necropolis. You regain consciousness deep within Ker Nethalas — the endless underground realm of a long-dead necromancer empire. A d100 system resolves everything: combat, exploration, magic, crafting. 20 Masteries, 100 abilities, procedural dungeon generation, sanity and exhaustion systems. Think Diablo II or Nethack, realized at the tabletop.

Setting

Ker Nethalas — the Midnight Throne — is the colossal necropolis of the Vaelorian Ascendancy, a necromancer empire lost to history. At its heart, legend holds, stands the Midnight Throne itself: a great black dais where the ancient rulers once sat, channeling the essence of death and commanding legions of undead. Inspired by 17th-century England and the height of the Spanish Inquisition, reimagined as dark fantasy where the dead never rest and the darkness never lifts.

What it looks like at the table

You are mapping Domain IV. Room generation roll: 47 — T-shaped corridor. The encounter table triggers at the entrance: d100 = 83, 'Shambling Horror.' Opposed combat check — your Blade skill 42 versus its 55. Both roll. You: 31 — success. It: 61 — failure. Strike. But you have 2 torch charges left. Three more rooms to camp. Let the darkness come, and the Exhaustion starts eating your HP.

Playstyle

Combat Exploration Survival Fantasy Weird

Key mechanics

Opposed combat

No 'my attack, your defense.' You and the enemy both roll d100 simultaneously. This keeps every fight in a state of permanent, unscripted tension.

20 Masteries, 100 abilities

A classless system. You decide who your character becomes: a berserker who launches cold blasts, a warlock in heavy armor who raises the dead, an invisible hand-to-hand specialist.

Procedural necropolis

Every room, corridor, and Domain is generated randomly. You are literally drawing a map that did not exist before you sat down. Each run is a necropolis no one has ever walked before.

Resources and survival

Track your torches — darkness triggers Exhaustion. Eat and rest; fortify your camp first. Sanity erodes against abominations. Death is permanent. Camp wisely. Map carefully.

What people say

Ker Nethalas feels like an analog Diablo II played alone at midnight. The opposed combat checks keep you permanently on edge, and the random dungeon generation means every session is genuinely unknown territory. I've died 11 times. I can't stop.— u/veldonia_survivor, r/solorpg

This game nails the analog roguelike feel better than anything I've played. Managing torches, food, and sanity while mapping out the necropolis room by room scratches an itch I didn't know I had.— u/midnight_cartographer, BoardGameGeek

Art & materials