More and more players are discovering the exciting, dangerous, world of the Shadowdark RPG. the 2024 ENNIE-award-winning roleplaying game by Kelsey Dionne. Shadowdark combines old-school aesthetics (lots of tables) with modern, 5E D&D sensibilities (easy d20 mechanics, for instance). If you’re among those who have found themselves drawn to the dark and gritty world of Shadowdark or have been browsing games on StartPlaying Games' Shadowdark listings page, then you might be wondering what kind of character is going to give you the best chance of survival.
Let’s face it, though, the game is designed to be dangerous, so your characters, especially at low levels, are very likely doomed.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to create a new character when your previous one is hauled off into the dark by something with only slightly fewer tentacles than it has teeth. Let’s take a look at character creation for the Shadowdark RPG!
What You’ll Need
You’re going to need 3 six-sided dice and a character sheet. There’s a character sheet you can copy in the back of the Shadowdark core book, or you can download a fillable character sheet directly from the Arcane Library website. Alternatively, you can go to ShadowDarklings.Net and use their character builder. Many virtual tabletops–like Roll20, Foundry, and Owlbear Rodeo–also have character sheets; if you’re playing online, ask your GM if you’ll be using one of these and how to get started.
If you aren’t using online tools, you’re also going to need access to the Shadowdark core book or something like the character creation guide found over at itch.io.
Once you have your dice, character sheet, and the basic guidelines in hand, you’re ready to build your Crawler. Let’s take that step-by-step.
0-Level or 1st-Level
First, you need to know whether you’re making a 0-level or 1st-level, character. Ask your GM. 0-Level characters are very squishy and get killed a lot. But if one makes it through their first adventure and becomes 1st level, it can feel very fulfilling for you as a player.
0-level characters start with stats, an ancestry, hit points, an alignment, and some starting gear. Until they get to 1st level, they can wield any gear they come across. Squishable, but versatile!
1st-level characters have been around the proverbial dungeon. They get stats, an ancestry, a choice of class, a class talent roll, hit points, a background, an alignment, a title, and some starting gear. That’s a lot more stuff. Surely enough to keep them alive, right? Right?
Stats
On your character sheet, you’ll see that you have six stats. These are the common stats you’ll find in many fantasy-based roleplaying games: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Roll 3d6 for each one, in order. These are your stat scores. If you didn’t get any score above 14, you can reroll all your stats if you want.
You’ll also want to write down the modifier associated with each score. These range from -4 to +4 and can be found in your reference material.
Ancestry
Next, your cultural heritage. The core book has six ancestries to choose from: dwarf, elf, goblin, half-orc, halfling, and human. Each has a different advantage. Dwarves get better hit points, elves are good at ranged weapons and spellcasting, goblins can’t be surprised, and so on. Additional materials, such as Arcane Library’s Cursed Scrolls have more ancestries. Check with your GM to see if you are able to choose from these.
Of course you can try to optimize your choice of ancestry with your stat scores, pairing up dwarves with a high CON, or halflings with a high DEX. But you could also choose your ancestry through the luck of the dice. The Shadowdark RPG has tables for rolling up nearly everything. I recommend creating your character this way. I find it to be a lot of fun figuring out what brought my extremely charismatic goblin to choose fighter as his life’s ambition.
Class
The core book only has a handful of classes to choose from: fighter, priest, thief, or wizard. There are more in the Cursed Scrolls. Fighters are always a good choice, especially if you don’t like learning the rules around spells. Fighters in Shadowdark can use all sorts of weapons, have solid hit points, get advantage on either Strength or Dexterity checks, and can usually carry more stuff–important in Shadowdark since most characters are more limited. Priests can cast spells and get the turn undead spell for free. Thieves can Backstab and do all sorts of other roguish things. And wizards know extra languages and have access to awesome powers of magic.
Again, you can pick and choose this based on your stats and your ancestry, but for your first character, at least, you should consider rolling randomly. It’s just fun.
If you wind up with a spellcasting class, this is also a good time to choose your spells. Priests start by knowing two 1st-level spells, while wizards know three. Again, you can choose these from those available on the list or roll randomly. You know what I’m going to recommend!
Class Talents
If you’re 1st level and therefore have a class, then you also get a class talent. Each class comes with a random table of talents. No free will here; you’ll have to roll. Fighters, for instance, might gain a +1 to attacks; priests could get a bonus to spellcasting; thieves might do more Backstab damage; and wizards could start off knowing extra spells.
May the odds be ever in your favor!
Hit Points
These are easy enough to figure: 0-level characters start with HP equal to their Constitution modifier, while 1st-level characters begin with their class’ hit point die + their CON modifier. Write that into the HP area of the character sheet.
Background
The background options in Shadowdark can give you a better feel for your character. Browse through the options and see if any jump out at you. Charismatic goblin fighter? How about “Banished: Your people cast you out for supposed crimes?” Or maybe “Minstrel: You’ve traveled far with your charm and talents”?
If you don’t have any ideas about Background yet, guess what? There’s a table you can roll on. Take a chance! Keep in mind, though, just like in Game of Thrones, as soon as you tell someone your tragic backstory, you’re almost certainly going to get eaten by something.
Alignment
Your next choice is whether to be Chaotic, Lawful, or Neutral. Shadowdark is all about the clash between good and evil. Law is about doing the right thing; Chaos is about, well, not; and Neutrality is about trying to keep the balance. Where do you see your character in all this? Are they just out for themselves, no matter who it hurts? Chaotic for sure. Helping others? Law. Can’t decide? Be Neutral.
Title
You’ll also need to fill in your character’s title on the character sheet. Your title is how others might refer to you as you advance in levels. Since these are level-, class-, and alignment- based, you don’t have to roll OR make a choice. A 1st-level Chaotic fighter, for instance, would be a knave, a 1st-level neutral priest is a seeker, and so on. If you’re 0-level? Sorry, people are just going to call you by name.
Name
Speaking of names, you should probably choose one at this point, or roll on the handy random names table in the core book (or try an online name generator like the ones at https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com). Pick something epic, or at least something that will look good on the tombstone.
Gear
Finally, you’ll need equipment. 0-level characters start with 1d4 items rolled on a random table (hope for at least one torch!), while 1st-level characters have 2d6 x 5 gold pieces to take shopping.
If you have at least 7 gp, the Crawling Kit is the way to go. It sets you up with a backpack, a torch, some rations, and several other useful items. Just be aware that you’re limited in how much you can carry–your STR stat or 10, whichever is higher.
Then, if you have some coin left over, it’s probably a good idea to buy some armor and a weapon. If you don’t have ENOUGH coin left over, get a weapon. You’re going to need it.
Time to Light a Torch
There you have it! Your Shadowdark Crawler is ready to delve into dungeons for gold, experience, and glory. All you need now is a GM and some more Crawlers. Having trouble finding those in your village or hamlet? StartPlaying.Games has you covered. Check out their Shadowdark RPG listings!
And don’t let your torch go out.
C. Patrick Neagle is a writer, podcaster (The Gothic Podcast, currently in its 6th season with Ghost Hunt TV), and professional gamemaster currently living just outside of Portland, OR.
