Explore. Loot. Survive! Old School RPG meets modern storytelling

Creating your character

Creating character's in this system is very quick and simple but may feel very different than what you are use to if coming from D&D. Within Shadowdark, it is more accurate to say you "discover" your character rather than "create" or "build" them. Key choices for most characters will be: - Class - Ancestry - Background - Deity (if any) - Equipment After making those choices the majority of progression is tied to loot and talent rolls as you level up. _______________________________________________________________________ Character Backstory Guidelines - Make someone desperate, not destined. Your character should want something badly enough to risk damnation: relief from hunger, forbidden knowledge, forgiveness, power, or escape, etc. - Keep your backstories short and sharp. A few strong details matter more than a long history. The world will carve the rest into you. - Assume the world does not care about you. There are no chosen ones. Survival comes from caution, cleverness, and knowing when to run. - Links to character creation tools will be provided in your prep materials after joining.

Preparing for the session

- Microphone needed - Headphones appreciated to avoid echo during game - Camera is optional but helps connects a face to a name - Links to our Discord and relevant websites/tools will be found in the preparation materials after joining

What Jonny | Badger Den Games brings to the table

All the books and materials you will need! I enjoy using different voices to denote a variety of caricatures and making use of ambient sounds and music to help set the tone for the session. I don't expect players to use different character voices (but your welcome to) and the volume of background music/ambiance can be adjusted by the player to fit their comfort level. I am definitely a Rule of Cool GM but the rules are there for a reason and I will generally stay within reasonable bounds of them.

Homebrew rules

Homebrew rules will be discussed during session 0 and agreed upon by the group. Below are several optional rules from the core book to make the game harder or easier as the group sees fit. BLITZ MODE • Light timers last 30 minutes. CHAOS MODE • Reroll initiative at the start of every combat round. DEADLY MODE • Death timers are always 1. • DC 18 INT to stabilize dying. FATALITY MODE • Characters die at 0 hit points. GRINDER MODE • With each successful rest, you only regain 1 stat damage per stat and HP equal to one roll of your hit points die (dwarves roll with advantage). • Spellcasters choose 1d4 lost spells to regain after a successful rest. HUNTER MODE • Defeated monsters grant XP equal to half their level (round down). MOMENTUM MODE • You have advantage on checks to repeat an action you failed if you try the exact same action again on your next turn. • Damage dice explode. If you roll maximum damage on a die, roll again and add it to the total. There is no cap. PULP MODE • There are no maximum luck tokens a player can have. • Players start every session with 1d4 luck tokens. • You can use a luck token to turn a hit into a critical hit. • You can use a luck token to take an extra action. • You can use a luck token to force the GM to reroll a roll.

How Jonny | Badger Den Games creates a safe table

I encourage players to speak up during session 0 to freely voice any topics that you don't want in your game or areas that you wish to be handled carefully. Players can also send me a list of Lines and Veils privately if they do not wish to speak openly about certain subjects. I will never reveal players private information for any reason.