"Who will you become when the world dies?"
Grim horror fantasy from D&D veteran Robert J. Schwalb. A d20 engine stripped to the wiring and rebuilt: d6 boons and banes instead of stacks of modifiers, fast and slow turns, Insanity and Corruption. Characters, rules, bestiary and a region of the world all fit in one book. Campaigns are short and brutal: level 0 to level 10 in about eleven sessions.
- you want grim horror fantasy in a world on the brink of ending
- you want short, brutal campaigns: level 0 to 10 in about eleven sessions
- your group enjoys Insanity and Corruption as the price of power
- you want hopeful heroics — its sibling Shadow of the Weird Wizard fits better
- your table is uncomfortable with gross-out horror and bleak themes
- you plan a long, open-ended campaign
Urth stands on the brink. The Demon Lord strains to break free of the Void, and its Shadow brings war, plague and ancient horrors: herds of beastmen, warped spirits loosed from the Underworld, demons spilling into the world. The world needs heroes, but in these last days it will take anyone it can get — heroes, blackguards and madmen alike. You can also run it as plain dark fantasy without the inevitable end.
Boons and banes on d6
d20 plus a modifier (score minus 10) against 10 for challenge rolls; attacks target Defense or one of the target's attributes. Boons and banes cancel one for one, the rest are rolled as d6s and only the highest counts.
Fast and slow turns
Each round runs in phases: player fast turns, enemy fast turns, then the slow turns. A fast turn gives you a single action but lets you beat the monsters to it; a slow turn gives you a move and an action. Speed or completeness, every round.
Insanity
Horrors, grievous wounds and the deaths of loved ones build Insanity. Each new point leaves you frightened for as many rounds as your Insanity total. When the total reaches your Will score, your character goes mad.
Corruption
Cold-blooded murder and learning forbidden traditions like Black Magic and Demonology stain the soul with Corruption. A few points and children cry, animals turn on you and food spoils at your touch. Power is there for the taking, but your soul pays for it.
Open in Session Zero to let every player vote and see the results.