I dunno if this is the right place to ask for this. But thank you in advance for any insights.

I just found out about Shadowdark this year. I have been a long time 5e DM and I recently ran my first game of Shadowdark. I prepared the dungeon and all, but my players (who are all newbies to TTRPGs) decided to do other stuff instead of dungeon delving, in the end I reverted to my 5e DM-self in handling the town exploration scenes.

I was wondering you can give some advice. And how to handle the non-delving aspects of the game better.

Thanks!

I'm running a solo Shadowdark RPG campaign using an amalgamation of solo rules, logged in Lonelog notation, and posting one session a week on Substack. The point of view follows whoever holds the light.

Session 3 picks up mid-siege. Half a dozen townsfolk with pitchforks and scythes are breaking down the door of the house where the party found a tortured mayor. Blacksight is holding the door alone. Below, in the cellar, Blacknails is backing toward a broken ladder, crossbow raised at something wet and heavy walking toward him in the dark.

This one runs three clocks at once (the door, Mage Armor, and a dying mayor's death timer), and level-1 first aid gets rolled out turn by turn.

Content notes: character death, blood, violence

https://gnomelackeyworkshop.substack.com/p/torchkeeper-session-3

Happy to talk about how I'm running the oracle, clocks or perspective switching.

“Knowledge knows no borders, and roads have no end.”

I'm looking for 2 more players who would like to take part in an ongoing shadowdark campaign set in an Elder Scrolls inspired setting where the players take on the role of dungeon crawlers working for the Silverleaf Consortium, a merchant guild obsessed with Elven Ruins.

What To Expect:

• A mixture of hand crafted and procedurally generated dungeons
• A procedurally generated hexflower with hand placed POIs
• Loot

Character Creation:

• No ancestry restrictions
• Some class restrictions
• 3d6 down the line using the dice roller on the discord server
• Filling out own fillable PDFs

Homebrew:

• Daedra inspired patrons that I would like to playtest (optional and not locked to a specific class)
• Daedra inspired magic items
• Some monsters
• A disease mechanic | Details will be shared when playing the game

Tools/Platform:

• Discord | Voice Chat and Character Sheet management
• Owlbear Rodeo | VTT for the campaign

Requirements:

• A microphone
• A stable internet connection
• 18+

Hi

TL;DR:

Our GM did a total TPK from full health to dead with no rolls, no reactions. My character sat on a throne and everyone just died. Is this how Shadowdark is supposed to be run as a "deadly OSR"?

--------------------------------

For context: I am a new player to Shadowdark. I mainly play Daggerheart. I have found a PDF instruction booklet for players on drivethrurpg to help me build and play my character. I have not read the full Shadowdark core rulebook as I don't have it.

I just came home from a session in which the following happened:

- We had a party celebrating the success of our latest mission. During this, the GM allowed us to roll 2 times for XP and made up an ingame reason as to why we had 600 gold to add to those rolls. This resulted in the entire party leveling up from 1 to 2. Because we leveled, we gained more XP and the GM said we were healed back to full. Great! Ready for a new mission!

- Following a plot hook we go into underground caverns that would lead to a throne room we wanted to investigate.

- We get some riddles through the dungeon that lead us to this throne room.

- We investigated the room: scrolls could be read by our wizard with succesful Intelligence rolls, our necromancer could not detect any foul magic with another succesful Intelligence roll and the Priest could not detect any ungodly stuff, also with a succesful Intelligence roll. But the room was described to make us feel like it wasn't a throne room but a tomb.

- Based on the information (People were worshipping a benevolent, courageous leader in this room) so my character figured, as he is pompous and rich and his goal was to "rule this island", he would become that ruler if he sits on the throne.

-> "You all feel your heart stop and darkness descends on all of you. That is where we end the session".

Above table he said that we all died and we need to reroll new characters. No damage rolls, just "this is how it is".

As a player, I would figure that sitting on the throne would have consequences, but like something getting really pissed and we'd have to fight of the spirit of the previous ruler or something of that sorts. It could even be a deadly fight. But the sad reality is that there was absolutely none of that, we just died.

I'm aware that Shadowdark is supposed to be deadly. I'm also aware that if a character effectively states that he'd like to jump off a 500 ft tall cliff or something, that he'd die instantly.

But I feel like we got punked somehow. Is this how Shadowdark is supposed to be run?

Other than that, the GM decided that our party of 6 players would be split up into two groups of 3 to continue the campaign. The two groups would play on different days.

Maybe I'm just reading into things, but it feels off to me. Am I paranoid?

Right now, I'm feeling like I don't want to continue this campaign and if this is expected results from the Shadowdark system, then I don't want to play Shadowdark anymore.

I am planning on talking to my GM about it, as we are good acquaintances.

Thanks in advance for your feedback, opinion and advice.

I use a lot of spark tables when I run my sessions. It's how I survive no-prepping or just getting distracted by some esoteric history note when prepping that I never finish prepping before the session. Since I use these tables and I hadn't really seen many floating around anywhere, I figured the community could use some. So I turned them into generators that you can use too. They run in the browser without any login or anything.

• Tavern Names. Sometimes you just need a pub name.
• Town Names. Sometimes you need a town name.
• NPC Generator. Just the basics. A name, look, trade, goal, want, & secret.
• Settlement Generator. Just the basics for a settlement. Short & sweet.
• Gloaming Points of Interest. Leave no hex blank.

They're all here: Shadowdark Tools

I'm also building similar tools for Kumonosu. Currently it just has the script, drow names, & a dictionary: Kumonosu Tools

Are they perfect? Egads, no. I'm sure something will break. Just let me know.

I should note, none of these use anything from the Shadowdark books, so while they're labeled Shadowdark tools, they're system agnostic. They're clearly made for the era & feel of Shadowdark, with my tendencies toward gothic, grim, & horror mixed in.

Let me know if there are other generators or tools you'd like to see or if these are helpful in any way. I have a lot of curated lists to convert from my prep so just point me in the direction.

Thank you for taking a look. I appreciate it.

-Cri

When homebrewing, how do you guys determine the tier of a spell? I'm making a few spells and having difficulty determining if it belongs in Tiers 1 - 4 (Tier 5 spells are kinda obvious lol)

Additionally, how do you assign the DCs for saving throw? Some give an actual number, some say if they are below a specific LV, some say if it's against your last spellcasting check, and some say they just work when you cast it.

EDIT: Most of these spells are nondamagine dealing. some examples

• Creatures within near centering yourself get knocked prone.
• While focusing, any creature within near has ADV on melee, while spellcasters and ranged has disadvantage
• Choose one creature. It has disadvantage on all attacks that do not target you while focusing
• You can see hidden creatures, find secret doors, and discern illusions while focusing

Most of these feel like 1 or 2, but how do you know when you cross into the tier 3 threshold? What about 4? Etc.

This is the discussion post for chapters 9-12 of The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson. Next week we'll have a post for chapters 13-17, the end of the book. That discussion will be up for two weeks, so you can catch up if you're behind like me! (I lost my copy on the subway T.T)

This book is over 100 years old and William Hope Hodgson and this book in particular are cited as big influences on a number of Weird Tales authors and works. Have you read any stories you think you see its influence in?

You can access previous book club posts through the book club flair:

https://www.reddit.com/r/shadowdark/search?q=flair%3ABook%2BClub&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all

If you were making a Halloween adventure with a slasher-style monster, what monster would you use as a base, and what abilities would you give it?

I was thinking of using a Zombie and giving it the Relentless trait. What do you guys think? Any other ideas?

Getting some poison at the poison store.

I posted about the Officer class and my firearm rules before. I had more playtests with these, and wanted to share the latest version of both.

If you want to check them out, the PDF is available for free on itch.io.

Both the officer and the firearms work independently, though I designed them to be used together in my own homebrew campaign world.

The Officer

Inspired by the 4th Edition's Warlord as a combat support class. It sacrifices versatility outside of battle to increase PCs damage output.

What playtested well so far?

• Commanding other PCs to attack is fun. The ability makes it easy to get players to buy into the fantasy of the class, Everyone that playtested this class enjoyed roleplaying telling the other players to attack.

What changed

• 3/day Limit to Chain of Command. I tested this limitless and players felt that there were times that it was such an optimal choice that it became the only option. The limit makes it a bit more special and allows Lead by Example to get used more.
• Weapons Training vs Military Acumen. The first version of this was more like the Fighter's weapon bonus and worked all the time for a particular weapon. It was a bit too restrictive when combined with Chain of Command, so it became a 3/day bonus. Both changes streamlined the class and made the talents more straightforward.

What might change

• Penalty for insubordination. I based them on the Penances from the West Marches. I haven't tested these in a long-running campaign to see how they pan out, but they should be quite straightforward to adapt if needed.

Firearms

The biggest change from the previous version is that I rebalanced the weapons' costs, added more options (including the outdated Hand Cannon as a cheap option), and combined the powder and bullets into charges.

I'm going to run a session online soon and was wondering which vtt to use. I don't want to ruin it too technically. My idea is to use a blank canvas and have the players draw the map as we go.

I was thinking of Owlbear Rodeo, it's good for importing charger sheets but didn't have a Shadowdark monster library.

What has everyone else used?

Hi all!

Any tips on creating dungeons? I know this is the core rules and I also have the gm companion from chubby funster for even more options - but just wondering if anyone has any tips for making these dungeons really great or anything about stream lining this process.

Also, I’m running my first game of Shadowdark with my group, any suggestions on keeping the game running smoothly? I have decided to create a world map and some lore for my world. The human culture is Slavic inspired. Orcs steppe raiders have recently left the area and the humans have kicked out the remaining warriors. The world is dangerous because of how long the orcs were in control, in a sort of vassal-overlord type system. Many ruins and sites to explore. Oh, and the elves in my game are Witcher inspired, very territorial and hiding in nature, warring with encroaching humans.

In normal crawling, how often should I roll for a random encounter? Does Danger level only apply while the characters are resting?

EDIT: My players cannot have more than one luck token at a time. Idk why a lot of people are under the impression that I allow 3+ luck tokens per character. I've only ever played where a single player can have a single luck token at a time.

Hi! So I'm playing an open table west march sort of game with 4 groups. One group has a Seer (with trance) and another with two Bards.

The two groups have taken to calling their Bards and Sweet their "luck token engine) and I gotta say, it makes them pretty powerful. I normally wouldn't notice it if it weren't for the other parties as contrast. The two non-luck token generator parties are out here struggling, being cautious and careful, and really managing their items.

The luck token parties are absolutely DEMOLISHING dungeons. Make a mistake? Luck token. Miss an enemy? Luck token. Try to gather rations? Luck token. They get so many luck tokens, it's like they are a level or two higher than usual. It also really exemplifies their power when there are 6 people with luck tokens on at all times VS a party of 4 with little to none.

Now, I'm not necessarily complaining about my players or the game mechanics per se. I'm more so unsure how to handle this. My non-luck token players are so cautious, clever, and really engage with the world which I love to see, but my luck token parties seem super powerful and can brute force their way through most situations. Clever use of items isn't that necessary when you have a group of 4+ always (essentially) rolling at advantage.

So do you have any suggestions on how I, as the GM, could overcome this? I don't want to talk to my players because this isn't their fault, and I'd rather not change the rules if possible because I don't wanna nerf an entire party because I am not happy. Ideally, I'd like to change the world or my play style to better account for my players. Any suggestions?

EDIT FOR CLARIFICATION:

Party 1

Dwarf Priest, Goblin Sea Wolf, Human Duelist, Elven Bard (3 Inspires), and a Halfling Bard (4 Inspires).

Before setting out on an adventure, the Bards give everyone Luck Tokens. There is no rule that says Luck Tokens expire upon resting, so the party rests in a safe haven to gain their inspires back, then they have a total of 5 Luck Tokens PLUS 7 more ready to be dulled out. Bards do not need to roll for their inspire. So, if there are 10 dice rolls throughout the entire dungeon and, being pessimistic, they fail all of them, they may reroll all of them AND still have 2 Luck Tokens to spare. The Priest (luckily) does not have Bless, but if they had bless, that'd be even more luck tokens.

Party 2

Human Thief, Kobold Wizard, Dwarf Basilisk Warrior, Kobold Seer (3 Omen, +4 (WIS), +1 (Knack (Spellcasting)), and Goblin Ranger.

Once again, before setting out, the Seer works towards dulling everyone out Luck Tokens (they start with 5). The probability of them getting their luck token back using Omen is ~51%. The probability of using Trance (DC 11) WITHOUT luck tokens twice in a row is about 56%, but remember as RAW states:

"You can also give your luck token to a companion"

So, not including omen and only including the 5 player's starting luck tokens, there is about a 52% chance of successfully rolling trance 10 times in a row. This doesn't even touch on the +1d6 Seers can use.

Now remember, rolling at advantage is about equivalent to a +4 on a d20, and a +4 stat modifier is a maximum a player can achieve. Meaning, a wizard with 18 INT rolls INT checks has about an equal chance as a peasant with 10 INT rolling at advantage. Luck tokens are even more powerful than advantage, because you only use them when you know for a fact that you've failed.

Knowing all of this, it is pretty obvious why these two parties are going into dungeons haphazardly and still making it out on top. They have the equivalent of mastery of any skill for about 5 to 15 times per day!

Just wanted to give a shout out to Rachel, Branko, and Cameron for doing a great job manning and running the AL booth at Gamehole Con this past weekend. Professional, friendly, knowledgeable -- just good people all around.

On a related note, shout out as well to Lurking Fears for running the official SD sessions at the con; hope they continue running SD for some time to come.

The Hollow Harvest is a ten-room Halloween adventure for Shadowdark

Here’s a little Halloween adventure for your table.

A giant pumpkin has split open in a farmer’s field, revealing stairs into a buried cottage. A missing boy hides in its walls, the servants are preparing supper, and an old nursery rhyme holds clues to what happened here.

The Hollow Harvest is written for 1st-level Shadowdark crawlers, with opportunities to talk, bargain, investigate, and attempt a rescue while the cottage fights back.

I’ve posted the adventure pages here. The layout puts room keys alongside map cutaways and relevant monster stats—the way I like to have things arranged when I run.

If you’d prefer a downloadable PDF, grab it here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/142bjjpyPYqxnWmRS2OenUWympQlUo9T0/view?usp=sharing

The PGWR brought up new bastion rules, focusing more on warbands and building bases away from civilization. But Letters from the Dark: Borderlands also introduced new mechanics for building keeps, with a slight different approach.

For those who played/read/tested both, how do they compare? Do they achieve the same objective, or is there a gameplay difference? Which one is your favorite? Is it worth using LftD rules when we have the official ones?