Ethos and House Rules
These additional rules complement the core ShadowDark guidelines, aiming to enrich gameplay and thematic elements. Their purpose is not to penalize players or increase game difficulty. Developed through live playtests, these rules promote rewarding experiences in long-term, semi-episodic campaigns within a semi-open table environment. As the game progresses, numerous players will explore this world, with a variety of characters experiencing brief or abruptly ended adventures at our table.Real-Time Passage: It's Alive
- Always Active World: ShadowDark operates on a '1-to-1 time' system, mirroring real-world time.
- Dynamic Progression: Every real day equals a day in the game, with continuous world evolution.
- Time Pressure: Regular participation is key; the game world advances even in player absence.
- Organic World Changes: Factions, NPCs, and villains actively pursue goals; treasure and opportunities are finite.
- Rival Competition: Rival groups (player-led and NPC) continuously hunt for treasures.
- Consequences of Absence: Dungeons left uncleared might be looted; ignored threats grow stronger.
- Real-Time Effects: Training, healing from illness or wounds, and other developments take actual time.
- Multiple Characters: Expect to play multiple characters due to these real-time dynamics.
Lifestyle/Upkeep Costs: Nothing's Free
- Pay your way: Each character must select & pay a daily cost of living.
- Rest Requirement: To gain a boon, characters must rest in town for a full week (7 days).
Meager (1d4 cp/day):
Lifestyle: Bare minimum, akin to a hardworking peasant. Boon: None.- Established (1d6 sp/day):
Lifestyle: Comfortable with good meals and a warm bed. Boon: "Well Rested" - Gain temporary hp equal to 1 per level. - Wealthy (1d10 gp/day):
Lifestyle: Luxurious like a noble, with servants and exotic amenities. Boon: "Prepared" - Gain temporary hp equal to 2 per level, +1 to attack/spell cast rolls, +1 to damage.
Note on Temporary HP:
- Added to "current" HP, can exceed max HP.
- Cannot be healed or regained.
- Represents advantage from being in peak physical/mental state; boon fades once temporary hp depleted.
Character Stables: It's fun with more than one
- Minimum Requirement: Players must maintain a minimum of two characters in the game world at all times.
- Initial Setup: Before the first session, players are required to generate two distinct characters.
- Diverse Gameplay: Having multiple characters allows players to experience different facets of the game world and storylines.
- Strategic Depth: Players can choose characters best suited for specific adventures or challenges.
- Realistic Scenarios: Characters may be temporarily unavailable due to in-game events like death, illness, training, or other narrative reasons.
- Flexibility in Play: This rule ensures that players always have an active character to participate in ongoing adventures, even if one of their characters is sidelined.
- Player Autonomy: While players are required to have multiple characters, they retain full control over when and how to use each character, allowing for personalized and dynamic gameplay experiences.
Class Options: Unlocking New Potential
- Unlocking Mechanism: Additional classes, including both official ShadowDark content and homebrew options, are unlocked through in-game interactions.
- Finding Mentors: Players must discover and befriend in-game contacts who can train their characters.
- Mentorship and Training: These contacts act as mentors, enabling players to access new classes for their current or new characters.
- Starting Selection: The core game begins with four basic classes available to all players.
- Classes Unlocked Through Gameplay:
- The Witch class, unlocked by Character Horjak (played by Player Will).
- Dynamic Game Progression: This system encourages exploration and interaction within the game world, adding depth and personalization to the player experience. Players are motivated to engage with the game's lore and characters to expand their class options.
Ancestries: Society of Diversity & Struggle
- Humans: The dominant ancestry in The Prelacy. They are central to the society and hold the most influence.
- Dwarves: Recognized for their commercial acumen, these displaced beings were forced from their ancestral homes in the southern mountains. Now integrating with human society, they maintain their distinct aesthetic and cultural traits.
- Elves: Known for their captivating beauty, elves have found acceptance in society primarily through roles that leverage their service or knowledge. They contribute uniquely to the community's cultural and intellectual richness.
- Halflings: Small and often mistaken for children, Halflings face challenges in being taken seriously due to their stature. Their ability to blend into their surroundings has led to stereotypes of thievery, and actual transgressions are met with harsh societal responses. Despite these prejudices, they are tolerated in society.
- Half-Orcs: Viewed as aberrations, half-orcs often have tragic origins, with many born from violent circumstances. They possess human intellect and spirit but bear the physical traits of orcs, a feared threat from the north. Most half-orcs face severe challenges to survival, with only a few managing to gain acceptance in select circles.
- Goblins: These small, often misunderstood creatures are generally distrusted and marginalized. They typically exist on the fringes of society, either as servants or living in the shadows. Only a rare few have overcome societal biases to walk in daylight without fear. The general reputation of goblins as a dangerous people is a reflection of broader societal tensions and prejudices.
Note on Society and Ancestries:
- This structure of ancestries reflects the complex societal dynamics of The Prelacy, where acceptance and integration vary greatly among different groups. The game encourages exploration of these diverse backgrounds and the unique challenges and opportunities they present to characters.
Game Modes: Enhancing the Grit
ShadowDark core rules (pg. 111)- Deadly Mode: Death timers are always 1. DC 18 INT to stabilize dying.
- Grinder Mode: You only regain HP equal to one roll of your hit points die and 1 stat damage per stat with each successful rest. Dwarves roll with advantage. Spellcasters choose 1d4 lost spells to regain after a successful rest.
House Rules: No more drop and pop
- Instant Death: HP reduced to negative CON SCORE.
- Enduring Wounds: If a PC survives going to 0 HP, Dc 12 CON or gain wound. (CS #2 pg. 26)
- Exhaustion: Failure to get a night’s sleep. Going a day without food or water. Suffering an illness or disease. Each time a character gains exhaustion they gain a new exhaustion effect, stacking as they go. (Random Table, homebrewed)
- Hex Crawling: Assumed to be THROUGH hex squares, Unless a request to "Explore" the hex is called by the group.
- Exploring Hex: will find hidden features of a hex. Special Chance to uncover a "Secret of the Unknown".
- Secret of the Unknown: these are dungeons/events/secrets that are NOT known to the world (GM), when found these will be created in play. Random dungeons/events, random rewards, and challenges. This will be a birthing of fiction into the world that will never be balanced or fair. Expect the completely unexpected.
Table Top Escape
Established April 11th 2020
The Prelacy of Middenmark
First Session: 4/14/23
Heartfelt Gratitude: A special acknowledgment to the players who have been pivotal in establishing and nurturing this world:
- Diane
- Josh
- Josh
- Rod
- Will
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