Shadowdark RPG
Originally created by: Kelsey Dionne of The Arcane Library
Shadowdark is a new take on the classic genre of dungeon fantasy tabletop roleplaying games, designed with modern sensibilities built over 50 years of iteration. At its core, the game streamlines the basic system of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (with plenty of inspiration both from earlier versions and the Old School Renaissance movement, or OSR) to make the game faster, more intuitive, and more dangerous. Players take on the role of fantastic sword-and-sorcery heroes, who wield weapons, skills, and magic both arcane and divine in pursuit of wealth and glory. They'll delve into dark, ancient dungeons crawling with monsters and full of forgotten treasure with only their wits, their strength, and the light of their torches to guide them. Combat is quick and deadly, requiring players to think creatively and eke out any advantage they can to triumph over lethal and terrifying monsters. Shadowdark includes elements of survival horror as well, like the "torch timer," where your characters torches only burn for one hour of real world time, meaning your party is in a race against the creeping darkness to escape the dungeon alive! If you're looking for a cross between modern D&D and OSR games, Shadowdark is your game!
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How to Play Shadowdark RPG in 5 Minutes
The core mechanic of Shadowdark is rolling a d20, adding a bonus from your abilities, and trying to beat a target number representing the difficulty of your task or the strength of your opposition. Gameplay typically sends characters into a dungeon or wilderness shrouded in darkness to search for treasure and/or slay monsters. Play proceeds in turns, which always take place in initiative order, so each player can decide what they're doing at any given time. Characters have a limited inventory, measured in gear slots, which determines how much they can bring in and take out from the dungeon.
Characters gain experience and level up based on how much treasure they can successfully extract from dungeons, which is complicated by deadly monsters and creeping darkness. They need torches to see, and each torch only burns for one hour of real time (the GM usually has a timer running as play proceeds) before the characters are left in terrifying darkness. Characters who use magic and cast spells can wield game-changing power at a cost: they must roll to cast their magic without incident and risk losing the spell or worse if they fail. Manage light, food, weapons, magic, hit points, and other resources to survive the deadly dungeon and return filthy rich!
How to Make a Character for Shadowdark
Making a character for Shadowdark is easy and fun--but it might be a little more random than you're used to! Characters have six stats, which you roll randomly with 3d6 down the line. Some games might allow you to move your stats around, but the main way to generate stats is to roll them randomly in the order they appear, resulting in a completely random character emerging from the dice rolls! These stats tell you what your character is generally good and bad at. Next you'll pick an ancestry, what kind of being your character is, and a class, what kind of adventurer they are. Both of these will give some bonus traits and abilities and possibly affect your stats.
From there, you'll equip your character with gear and any magic spells they know, choose or roll a background for some skills they have from before they became an adventurer, roll your hit points to see how hard they are, and fill out any last pieces of information about their personality, their philosophy, any gods they follow, and their combat statistics. In no time, your crawler is ready to delve into the dungeon!
Shadowdark RPG community artists
Yuri Perkowski Domingos
Yuri Perkowski Domingos is a Brazil-based fantasy and RPG artist, part of the artists' collective Ink Potion Studios. He uses pointillist techniques to give his pieces a unique texture. Most of his work is in black and white, but his portfolio also includes the occasional piece in psychedelic color.
Explore ArtFrequently asked questions about Shadowdark RPG
Explore Shadowdark RPG Classes
Fighter
“Blood-soaked gladiators in dented armor, acrobatic duelists with darting swords, or far-eyed elven archers who carve their legends with steel and grit.” Fighters are the combat specialists of Shadowdark, and no one can match their prowess on the battlefield. They can make the greatest use of weapons and armor, and are often the most survivable character in your party. When the going gets tough, count on the Fighter.
Priest
“Crusading templars, prophetic shamans, or mad-eyed zealots who wield the power of their gods to cleanse the unholy.” Priests are blessed warriors with both some combat prowess and spellcasting ability. They can use holy magic to heal and bolster their companions and turn away the abominable undead in the dark places of the world. If you need a light in the shadows, look to your party's Priest.
Thief
“Rooftop assassins, grinning con artists, or cloaked cat burglars who can pluck a gem from the claws of a sleeping demon and sell it for twice its worth.” Thieves are skilled scoundrels who can sneak and hide in the shadows, scale walls, pick locks, and disable traps with relative ease. They can also ambush foes from hiding with their backstab ability. If you need dirty deeds done for a fair share of the treasure, make sure a Thief is on your side.
Wizard
“Rune-tattooed adepts, bespectacled magi, and flame-conjuring witches who dare to manipulate the fell forces of magic.” Wizards are masters of powerful arcane magic, able to warp reality with a few words and gestures. While they cannot wield many weapons or wear much armor, and they can hardly take a hit in combat, their magic can turn the tide of battle, provided they can cast their spell without losing it! If you want a magical ace-in-the-hole, bring a Wizard down into the Shadowdark.
Virtual table tops for Shadowdark RPG (VTTs)
Blog links about Shadowdark RPG
How to Make A Character for Shadowdark
A guide to creating your dungeon crawler to bear their torch into the dark, monster- and treasure-filled catacombs of Shadowdark RPG.
What Is the Best VTT for Shadowdark?
Explore your options for playing ShadowDark online by virtual tabletop.
The Best Places to Find a Shadowdark Group
Looking to try out the aptly-named dark fantasy RPG Shadowdark? Make your search a whole lot easier with these resources.