ROGUELIKE

A RPG of Commercial At Heroes

Writing and Design

James D. Hargrove

Artwork and Fonts

http://www.lordkyl.net

Additional Credit
This work was inspired by many a roguelike
PC game and by John Garwoods paper and
pencil RPG entitled Monsters & Mazes.

Roguelike is Copyright 2004 by James D. Hargrove, All Rights Reserved

Introduction
Roguelike is a tableto p role-playing game designed to emulate a spe cific type o f computer game com mon ly
referred to as being roguelike - that is, similar to a game called Rogue that was unleashed upon the world in 1980.
Tradition ally, roguelike games are single-player computer role-playing games, comprised entirely of randomly generated
dungeons that are represented by ASC II characters on the computer screen - the hero (the character being controlled by
the player) is, as you might have alread y guessed, rep resented by an Comm ercial A t symbo l. Desp ite the extremely
simple nature of roguelike games, they continue to enjoy a large amo unt of popu larity even today.
Despite its stated design goal of recreating the experience of very simple PC gam es on the table-top, Roguelike
isnt a beginners RPG - it assumes that the reader has at least some basic familiarity with the tenets and terms associated
with table-top role-playing games. That said, if you read Roguelike and feel that you understand it, then run with it (after
all, being adve nturous is what the gam e is abo ut).

Preparation
Roguelike can be played either solo (by yourself) or with other friends, but either way youre going to need a
few things handy. First, each player is going to need a few six-side d dice (technically, each player can get by with a single
six-sided dice, but ideally theyll have access to at least three) a piece of paper (or a copy of the character sheet included
at the end of this document), a few sheets of graphing paper, and a pencil. And it probably goes without saying that
youll need a co py of this d ocument.
If youre playing Roguelike solo, you can go ahead ans skip ahead to the section of this document entitled
Creating a Character. If youre playing Roguelike with friends, youll need to appoint on e of these friends as the
Referee (the person responsible for telling you how things go down when you roll the dice). Ideally, the Referee sho uld
be the player with the best understanding of the rules.
Now, if youre playing Roguelike with friends, you may be tempted to work toge ther in an effort to tell a story dont be. Roguelike isnt about telling stories or working together - like the games that it seeks to emulate, Roguelike
is all about beating the crap out of anything and everything that mo ves (inc luding those pesky rival Commercial At
symbols), looting bodies, amassing a hoard of wealth, and eventually dying in battle while attempting to smite a ferocious
dom esticated house cat.

Creating a Character
Characters in a game of Roguelike are generated
in a random fashion, period. The very idea of a player having
some say as to w hat kind of character they play is largely
unheard of in most roguelike games - as a result, its simp ly
not an option in this game, either (but a chance can be fun,
anyho w).
First off, you need to determine yo ur characters
occupation. To do this, pick up a single six-sided die and roll
it. Onc e you have ge nerated a die result in this manner,
consult the following list to determine what your characters
occupation will be .
#
1
2
3
4
5
6

Character Occupation
Priest
Thief
W arrior
W izard
Barbarian
To urist

W hile its not in the spirit of roguelike games to inform the player as to what a given character occupation
actually is or does, this is a pretty standard feature of table-top role-playing games. I thought about this long and hard,
and decid ed to stay true to my initial design goal of emu lating roguelike PC games - if you want to kno w what a Priest
is or where a Wizards magic comes from, use your imagination.
Once you have de termined what your characters occupation will be, you need to determine their race. Again,
youll turn to a single six-sided die to m ake this d etermination (random a ll of the wa y, remembe r?). R oll it as you did
to determine your characters occup ation and then consult the following list to d etermine your characters ra ce.
#
1
2
3
4-6

Character Race
Elf
Dwarf
Hairfoot
Human

Much as was the case with character occupations, for a roguelike game to actually describe character races is
extrem ely rare. H ere Ill leave such description to your imagination again (if you cant imagine what a Human is, then
you need to put this game d own and go find another hob by). N ow, once yo uve determined yo ur characters occupation
and race, yo ull need to reco rd their derive d attributes.
Any given charac ters derived attributes are go verned spe cifically by the ir occupation and race - that is, a
chara cters occup ation and race de termine all other aspects of a character. All you need to do is consult the following
charts and record the inform ation tha t pertains to your characters o ccup ation and race.
Character Occupation Health Attack Defense Special Abilities
Priest
9
9
5
5 Miracles
Thief
15
6
7
2 Picks, 1 Sneak
W arrior
18
4
9
2 Dodges
W izard
6
9
4
3 Spells
Barbarian
20
5
5
1 Berserk
Tourist
8
10
4
None
Character Race Speed Power Intellect Special Abilities
Elf
Dwarf
Hairfoot
Human

8
6
4
7

6
9
5
8

7
7
7
8

1 Sp ell
1 Smithing
1 Heal
None

[Note: These lists denote attributes and abilities for characters of the
first level only. See the section of this document entitled Leveling
Up for information o n raising a characters attributes and abilities
abo ve these base values.]
Once youve recorded your characters derived attributes o n the character sheet, yo u need to cho ose the ir
starting Spells and/o r M iracles as indicated on the lists above. For instance, if your character is an Elven Priest, they will
begin play with one spell and five miracles of your choice (see the section of these rules entitled Spells and
Miracles).To cast a spell or enact a miracle, a player only need state that they are doing so and then mark the said sp ell
or miracle off the list of abilities available to their character (once its used, its gone). Picks, Heals, Sneaks, Berserks,
Do dges, and R epair require a bit m ore explanation.
Picks are merely representative of lock picks. If a Thief character com es across a lo cked chest or door, their
player may ex pend a P ick ability to unlock it. Sneaks are representative of a Thief characters well-known ability to move
undetected through shadows and past adv ersaries. A T hief character may au toma tically bypass one obstacle that requires
them to move stealthily if their p layer expends a Sneak ability.
Berserks represent fits of insane bloodlust, during which a Barbarian character doubles the amount of damage
that they deal for three combat rounds. In order for a Barbarian character to enter a berserker rage, the ir player need only
expend on B erserk ability.

Dodges repre sent the ability of a W arrior character to m aneuver expertly in combat situations and reduce the
amo unt of damage de alt to such a character in a given com bat ro und b y half when they are expe nded by a player.
Repairs repre sent a D warve n characters ability to repair destroyed or damaged items. Should a Dwarven
chara cter stum ble ac ross a b roken or d amaged item, they m ay repair it if their player expends a Repair ability.
Finally, Heals represent a Hairfoot characters knowledge of medicine. A Hairfoot character may heal 4d6
points of damage to any character (including themself - and maybe especially themself) if their player expends a Heal
ability.
[Note: Once a sp ecial ability has been expended by a player (to whatever end), it is gone forever. The only way to
replenish a characters spec ial abilities is to raise their level or discover items that duplicate their effects (Heal Potions,
Lock Picks, Repair K its, Ma gic Scrolls, etc).]
Finally, every character starts play with the same equipment (hey, the game is called Roguelike)- a rusty dagger,
a burlap sac k, and three rations.
[Note: You may say, Hey! My character would never leave the house equipped like that! - but then youd be forgetting
that this is a roguelike game and that your cha racter is also wandering into a bottom less dungeon, risking certain death
or worse just for the hell of it. So, yeah, not only wo uld your chara cter leave the house equipp ed like that, but theyd also
wander into a deep pit of hell equipped like that. For no good reason. Obviously those Intellect scores briefly mentioned
earlier dont count for much (oh, and in case youre wondering, a rusty dagger does one whole point of damage when
wielde d aga inst an oppo nent in comb at).]

Killing Stuff
W hen characters engage in killing stuff (sometimes referred to as combat in games with more class than
Roguelike). Action is broken up into sections of time called turns, with each turn representing a space of ten seconds
passing in the dungeon during which a single character or creature takes an action (for examp le: the Referee will use his
turn to attack your character with the Big Ugly Dragon and you will then use your characters turn to act out their death).
To determine the order in which players take their turns, each player particip ating in killing stuff rolls one sixsided dice and ad ds their c harac ters Speed score to the result. Players then tak e their turn in descending order with the
player who scored the highest result having their character act first, the player who sco red the second highest result
having their character act second, and so on. Should two players score the same result, the computer will lock up and
you will ne ed to reinstall your op erating system (o r alternately, I guess that you could just roll the dice again).
On their turn, a players character must perform one of the following actions - Attack, Defend, C ast Spell, Pray,
Use Other Ability, Run Away or Comm it Suicid e (they m ay also d ie from woun ds sustained in the course of killing stuff,
but this isnt co nsidered an action).
[Note: There is no moveme nt (other than running away) available to a character engaged in killing stuff. Remember that
in roguelike gam es, killing stuff isnt a cinematic endeavor - there is no swinging from chandeliers, there are no flying
fists of fury, and there most certainly arent wicked cool spell effects. Actions and descriptions thereof should be kept
as dry and simple as p ossible in a gam e of Rogue like.]
Attack - Players who decid e to have their charac ter Attac k need to roll two six-sided dice. If the combined result of both
dice equals or exceeds the characters Attack score , then the attack has succe ssfully hit its intende d targe t unless, perhap s,
if the intend ed target is defending (see b elow).
Defend - A character for whom the Defend action was chosen on their turn is assumed to be defending. In this instance,
the player of the defending character rolls two six-sided dice and totals the results whenever a potentially successful
Attack has been scored against them. If the combined result of both dice is equal to or lesser than the characters D efense
score , the attack has be en ave rted.
Cast Spell - Players who choose to have their character cast a spell merely declare what spell their character will be
casting (remembering to mark it off their characters list of available spells), specify a target and then announce the effect
of the sp ell in the plain est term s possible.

Pray - See Cast Spell above (they both work in exactly the same way, m echanically speaking ).
Use Other Ability - A player whose character is using an ability other than casting spells or req uisitioning miracles via
prayer should consult the section of this document that explains the use of a characters special abilities (under the
head ing Creating a Character on p ages fo ur and five).
Run Away - A player who wishes their character to Run Away from killing stuff (or stuff killing them, as is usually the
case), needs to roll two six-sided dice and add their characters Speed score to the result. If the result equals or exceeds
the Speed score of the foe that the character is trying to escape from, then they have successfully Run Away. If not, their
attempt has to Run Away has been thwarted and they lose their next turn.
[Note: You might be wo nde ring why a failed attem pt at escape causes a character to forfeit their next turn. The logic
behind this is that in ord er to Run Away, a character must turn their back on any foe that they are fleeing. If the fleeing
character fails to outrun their fo e, said foe gains an oppo rtunity to attack them unhindered due to their disadvantage of
facing the wrong direc tion.]
Commit Suicid e - A player whose charac ter has the means available to comm it suicide may have them do so (and, yes just in case youre wondering - a character can successfully slit their own throat with the aforementioned rusty dagger).
Should a p layer choose to have their charac ter enact this option, that charac ter dies instantly.
Killing stuff continues in this m anner until
either everything that poses a threat to the player
characters has been killed, the player characters have
all been killed, or the player characters have
successfully Run Away from the glory of killing stuff
(or being killed by stuff). Should all of the player
characters be killed, the game is over and points (see
the section of this document entitled Leveling Up for
details) can be tallied.
After all of the stuff that needed killing has
been killed, any surviving characters may scour the
bodies of the dead things and loot them of the ir
personal belongings (if creatures o r NP Cs, roll on the
loot table in Append ix B to determine what personal
belongings that they have in their possession). And,
no, defiling the dead in any other way simply isnt an
option in Roguelike (at least until the MMORPG
upgrade is made available for downloa d).
[Tip: Some of you may be tempted to portray monsters
and NP Cs in Roguelike as thinking, intelligent, beings.
Do nt. Again, the game is called Roguelike for a
reason - monsters exist o nly to kill player characters
and will fight to the death. They wont run away
(running away is for spineless player characters o nly)
and theyll never try to talk out their differences - and
if you ever suggest such a thing to your Referee, I give
him my perm ission to slap you.]
Finally, once the killing of stuff has come to an
end, if any character has gained eno ugh points to L evel U p you should make a note of it and then advance the character
acco rdingly (again, see the section of this do cument entitled Leve ling Up for more information pertaining to character
advancement).
Pay no attention to this line of text. This is filler and filler only. I swear that it isnt a cleverly hidden in-joke.

Death and Damage

W henever an Attack successfully hits a target, it deals an amount of damage to said target equal to the damage
rating of the weapon being used by the attacking character and their Power rating, minus the armor rating of the target
character (monsters, as seen in A ppendix A, alread y have their Power rating factored into the listed damage). For those
of you who find math se xy, I present the fo llowing formula in a che ap attempt to get you hot and bo thered :

DMG = (WDR + PWR) - AR

This dam age is subtracted from a ch aracters Health rating. Should a characters Health rating ever be reduced
to zero, the character has be en kno cked unconscious. Sho uld a charac ters Health rating ever be reduced to less than zero,
the character is dead and gone forever. Characters that perform the Commit Suicide action automatically hav e their
Health rating reduced to less than zero , rendering themselves stone cold dead .
[Note: Death in Roguelike is final, unlike death in many other fantasy role-playing games. As it is impossible to save the
state of your game and try again in roguelike games, so is it impossible to resu rrect your character and try again in
this game. Death mocks you at every turn of the dungeon corridor in Roguelike, so be sure to think about the possible
consequences of any given ac tion be fore yo u com mit to it. Or, hell, throw caution to the wind fo r all I care.]
Weapon Name
Rusty Dagger
Dagger
Club
Big Club
Staff
Short Sword
Long Sword
Short Bo w
Long Bow
Crossbow
Morning Star
War Hammer
Battle Axe
Halberd
Spear
Grenade
Armor Name
Robes
Animal Hide
Leather
Studded Leather
Ring M ail
Chain M ail
Field Plate
Full Plate
Buckler
Sma ll Shield
Large Shield
To wer Shield
Skull Cap
Helmet
Bracers

WDR
1
1d6-1
1d6
1d6+2
1d6+1
1d6+1
1d6+2
1d6-1
1d6
1d6+1
2d6
2d6+1
2d6+2
3d6
2d6+1
4d6
AR
3
4
5
6
7
8
15
20
3
5
8
10
2
3
2

Spells and Miracles

As established earlier, some characters are adept at casting spells or requisitioning miracles from their god. The
following are the lists of spells and miracles common to Roguelike, as well as their effects. How these spells and miracles
are utilized in p lay is discussed in the sectio ns of this document entitled Creating a Character (page 4) and Killing
Stuff (pages 5 and 6 ).
[Note: W here sp ell and miracle dam age is concerned, it is figured in exactly the same way as weapon damage (as
discussed on the previous page of this document), except that the spell or miracles damage rating is used instead of a
weap on damage rating and that a characters Intellect rating is add ed to this value, rather tha n their P ower rating.]
Spell Name
Fireb all
Ice Storm
Blast
Magic W MD
Minor H eal
Major Heal
Blocker
Unblocker
Sleep
Paralyze
Molasses
Amphetamine
Teleport
Invisibility
Miracle Name
Healing Touch
Detox
Convert
Create Food
Detect Ev il
Detect M agic
Curse
Remove Curse
Clap O n
Clap O ff
Holy To uch
Ho ly Kick
Ho ly Crap !
Confession

SDR
4d6
4d6
5d6
8d 6
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
MDR
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
4d6
5d6
8d6
NA

Effect
Exploding b all of flame materializes in the air and strikes designated target.
Fo cused stream of ice an d sno w spra ys from casters hands and strikes designated target.
Bolt of lightning mysteriously materializes in d ungeon and strikes designated target.
W MD mysteriously materializes, evading wea pons inspe ctors, and strikes all characters.
Restores 2d 6 po ints of H ealth to the designated target.
Restores 4d 6 po ints of H ealth to the designated target.
Seals doorway or other portal with a magic barricade.
Dissipates magic barricade created using the spell Blocker.
Causes target to lose thre e turns.
Causes target to lose 1d6 turns while killing stuff.
Red uces targets Spee d rating by half (round ed do wn) for three turns.
Doub les targets Speed rating for thre e turns.
Random ly teleports target to unexplored area of the dungeon (generate a new room).
Renders target invisible for three turns, raising their Defense score by ten p oints.
Effect
Restores 3d6 points of Health to target when caster slaps them on the forehead.
Flushes all poisons from targets system, preventing them from doing any further damage.
Convinces N PC opp onent to join your religion a nd fight alongsid e you until they die.
One ration materializes on the dungeon floor. Mmmmm... food!
Allows p etitioner to discern the whethe r a crea ture, cha racter or item is evil.
Allows p etitioner to discern whether a creature, character or item is magical.
Reduces targets Speed, Power, Health and Intellect ratings by three until removed.
Removes Curse as per above.
Lights casters current location (roo m or co rridor) in dungeon whe n caster claps hands.
Da rkens casters current location (room or corrido r) in dungeon when caster clap s hands.
Inflicts holy dama ge to unholy (evil) creatures or NP Cs.
Inflicts ho ly damage to unholy (evil) creatures o r NP Cs.
Petitioners go d is angry and lays the smack d own on all characters.
Makes petitioner feel good about them selves. Raises Attack rating b y four for three round s.

thank you to everybody from

rpgnet and tangency that was
kind enough to help me out.

The Dungeon
Many table-top fantasy role-playing games have vast detailed settings to explore, deep themes full of metaphor
that make players pause to examine their own lives, and developed story arcs that tie these themes and settings together.
This game , howe ver, has none of these things - in Roguelike these things are all considered hindrances to an entertaining
adventure. Instead of depth and detail, Rog uelike has a dungeon - no t a wilderness area with boundaries or an enclosed
a building - an honest to god b rick and mo rtar dungeo n, a sprawling underground complex that exists for no good reason
and is chock full of evil creatures (also for no good reason).
[Note: You may be asking yourself what makes a dungeon so special - after all, a lot of table-top fantasy role-playing
games have dungeons, right? W ell, what lots of table-top fantasy role-playing game s don t have is a dungeon that is
generated extemporaneo usly as you re playing the game. A lot of games also do nt have random dungeon generation
matrices. Ro guelike, unlike lots of gam es, has b oth of these things.]
As you may have gu essed , all games of Roguelike take place in the aforementioned dungeon (after all, this game
is all about killing stuff and looting bodies - and what better place to do that than in a dungeon). That said, every game
of Roguelike will be different, as the dungeon in any given game of Roguelike is defined extemporaneously by rolling
dice and consulting the next several pages of dungeon matrices (o kay, theyre really tables, but if Gygax can call a
collection of tables m atrices, then so can I). T o get started, co nsult the following matrix first:
Dungeon E ntrances - Roll 1d6
Die Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Entrance Type
Woode n Do or
Rusty Iron D oor
Stone Archwa y
A Big, G aping, Pit
A Small H ole
Secret Entrance

Description
A woode n door set in the side o f a small, grassy, hill.
A rusty iron d oor set in a rocky cliff face.
A massive stone archwa y set in a rocky cliff face.
A gap ing, stone -walled, pit in the gro und..
A small hole in the ground, loc ated p retty muc h wherever you like.
Roll Again. The entrance indicated is hidden behind/beneath a statue shaped
like a giant skull. Lucky yo u.
Characters (well, Commercial A t
Charac ters, anyhow) always b egin the game standing
in front of the dungeon entrance determined by the
matrix above. Why theyre there is entirely up to you
- maybe the characters are brave adventurers that
explore dungeons professiona lly or maybe theyre
criminals being forced into the Deadly Maze of
Zaksanbar as offerings to the dreaded Elder T hing of
Horror that dwells within. T ruthfully its pretty
imma terial, but if providing a justification for why
your character is preparing to walk into a monster
filled undergrou nd fortress makes yo u feel better,
feel free to do so .
Once youve determined what the entrance
to a given dungeon looks like, youll need to fill in
what lies behind it - one roo m, corridor, and
chamber at a time. That is, you wont kno w what is
in a given room or stretch of tunnel until your
character enters it, at which time youll roll some
dice and consult the following matrice s to random ly
define the room in question. Na turally, youll start
with the room dire ctly behind (o r below, in the case
of a pit or hole) the entrance to the dungeon.

Room Type - Roll 1d6

Roll Result
1
2-3
4
5-6

Room Type
Corridor
Room
Cavern
Chamber

Decription
A hewn limestone co rridor.
A hewn limestone room.
A natural limestone cavern
A natural limestone chamber

[No te: Caverns and Chambers a re the na turally occurring equivalent of Corridors and Rooms, respectively.]
Corridor and Cavern F eatures - Roll 2d6 Four Times
Roll Result
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Direction/Length
W idth/Height
Straight / 30'
5' / 5'
Straight / 60'
6' / 8'
Straight / 90'
8' / 10'
45 N Left Turn / 30'
10' / 10'
45 N Right Turn / 30'
15' / 15'
90 N Left T urn / 50 '
5' / 5'
90 N Right Turn / 50'
6' / 8'
Y Fork in Path
8' / 10'
T Fork in Path
10' / 10'
Dead End / 10'
15' / 15'
Four Way Intersection
5' / 5'

Contents
Trap (see Traps matrix)
Empty
Staircase Down
Loot Chest (see Appendix B)
Creature or NPC (see Appendix A)
Trap (see Traps M atrix)
Loot Chest (see Appendix B)
Creature or NPC (see Appendix A)
Trap (see T raps matrix)
Staircase Down
Empty

# and T ype of Doors

1 Wooden Door
2 Open Arches
4 Woo den Do ors
2 Iron Doors
1 Iron Door
1 Locked Iron Door
3 Open Arches
1 Open Arch
2 Wo oden D oors
3 Iron Doors
No D oors

Room and Chamber Features - Roll 2d6 Three Times

Roll Result
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Area in Feet
25'
50'
100'
150'
200'
250'
300'
350'
400'
450'
500'

Contents
Creature or NPC (see App endix A)
Coffins and Crypts + Und ead Creatures
Loot (see Appendix B)
Fountain 1d6: 1-4 = Good. 5-6 = Poison
Creature or NPC (see Appendix A)
Staircase Down
Staircase Up + Trap
Trap (see Traps m atrix)
Loot (see Appendix B)
Creature or N PC (see A ppe ndix A )
Trap (see Traps matrix)

# and T ype of Doors

2 W ooden D oors
3 Iron Doors
1 Open Arch
3 Open Arches
1 Iron Door
1Locked Iron Door
2 Iron Doo rs
2 Locked W ooden D oors
2 Open Arches
Locked Portcullis
Portcullis

Traps - Roll 2d6

Roll Result
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Type and Description

Damage/Effect
Pit Trap - 10'x10'
2d6
Pit Trap w/ Spikes - 10x10
4d6
Bouncing Betty Fireball Mines
4d6 to Entire Room
Disintegration Device
Death
Chute Down to New Level
2d6
Chute w/ Razors Down to New Level
4d6
Teleport - To New R oom
None
Falling Slab of Rock
5d6
Poison Arrow Volley
1d6 / +1d6 per Turn Po ison
Spinning Blades From Walls
3d6
Cursed Rune
As Curse Miracle

Saving Roll
4
6
8
10
4
6
7
8
5
5
9

[Note: A thief character entering a room w ith a trap has a chance to spot and disarm it. Their player should roll 2d6 and
total the results. If the roll result is equal to or less than the traps Saving Throw, then the Thief character has successfully
located and disarm ed the trap. If no t, the character has triggered the trap an d damage is dealt as per normal.]
The abo ve ma trices can, with a little imagination, be used to generate extensive dungeon networks for you to
explore. Oh, and in case youre wondering what chance a character other than a Thief has to spot and disarm a trap, the
answer is none -in roguelike games, all other character types will automatically trigger traps if they sh ould wand er into
a room in which they exist. Why? W ell, aside from my being a cruel bastard, its very much an unspoken rule of
roguelike P C games tha t this shall be true (therefore also being true of this gam e).

Leveling Up
As mentio ned earlier, charac ters pro gress in levels over the course of a Roguelike game b y gaining points.
Characters gain points by killing stuff, plundering stuff, clearing rooms, and staying alive longer than other charac ters.
The exact numbe r of points gained for these things is as follows:
Action or Accomp lishment
Points Gained
Surviving Long Enough to Leave a Room
4
Locating and Disarming a Trap
3
Land ing the K illing Blo w while... uhm... killing stuff
5
Being the Last Commercial At Character on The Screen
10
Finally, every piece of loot (see Appendix B) that your character has in their possession at the end of the game
is worth one point. For example, if your cha racter has five go ld pieces and one magic swo rd in their possession at the
end of the gam e, theyll receive six points.
For every twenty po ints that a character gains, they also gain one level. G aining levels allows characters to
improve their chances of survival, and thus, their chances to gain more points. Every time a charac ter gains a level, their
player may choose to do one of the following things:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Add 1d 6 points to a characters Health rating.

Replenish two Special Abilities of the type allowed for their character.
Lo wer the characters Attack rating by one (to a minimum rating of 3).
Ra ise the characters Defense rating by one (to a maxim um rating of 11).
Ra ise a cha racters Speed, P ower, or Intellect rating b y one p oint.

Now, as mentio ned earlier, charac ter death is a very real hazard in R oguelike gam es - which raises the question
Isnt it pretty damn boring for p layers wh ose charac ters die early on to sit around w atching somebo dy else play th e
game?. The answer, of course, is H ell, yes! - luckily, in R ogue like, that isnt what players whose characters die ea rly
on do. Instead o f sitting around like a bag of po tatoes, these players bec ome act as additional R eferees - that is, they split
the duty of defining the dungeon and adjudicating rule disputes with the original Referee (i.e. they take turns rolling dice
and narrating the game).
While sharing the responsibility of Refereeing the ga me, these individuals still earn points (they just earn them
for a different set of things) that count toward the point totals tallied at the end of a Roguelike game (see the section of
this document entitled Winning on the following page). The things that the former controller of a now-deceased
Commercial At Character earns points for are outlined below:
Action or Accomp lishment
Points Gained
Comm ercial At Character Dies on Your Turn
5
The Last Commercial At Character Dies on Your Turn
10
Having a Trap Triggered on Your Turn
2
[Note: Obv iously, you can ignore the last few paragraphs if youre playing Ro guelike solo (unless you suffer from MPSD
or something, in which case yo u pro bab ly should nt be playing games like this, anyho w).]

Winning
Thats right, you can win this role-playing game (in fact, if youre playing with a group, thats kinda the point).
If youre playing Ro guelike solo, winning is a simple matter o f scoring 100 points or more before yo ur character d ies.
If youre playing with a group, the player who scores more points than anybo dy else wins. In the event of a tie between
players, the characters of each player get to duel it out in a round of K illing Each Other (which works just like killing
other stuff, really), with the last character left standing decla red the overall victor.
[Note: If it actually comes to engaging in a round of Killing Each Other, both characters are considered to be alive and
functional for the purposes of the duel (yes, even previously dead characters). That said, if you really get off on the idea
of a living character fighting the animated corpse of a fallen comrade, you can play it that way too (you sick, depraved,
fuck).]

Appendix A ~ Creatures and NPCs

To randomly determine creature or NPC encounters, the first thing that you need to do is roll 1d6 to determine
creature or N PC type. A die roll result of one to two indicates a Type 1 creature or NPC, a result of three to four indicates
a Type 2 creature or NPC, and a result of five to six indicates a Type 3 creature or NPC. Once youve determined a
creature or N PC s type, co nsult the proper list belo w and roll ano ther 1d 6.
Type 1 Creatures and NPCs
1. Animals
2. Undead
3. Flying Crea tures
4. Humanoids
5. Humanoids 2
6. Humano ids 3

Type 2 Creatures and NPCs

1. Insects
2. Flying C reature s
3. Hum ans
4. Reptiles
5. Animals
6. Domestic Animals

Type 3 Creatures and NPCs

1. Reptiles
2. Acids and Gels
3. Elem entals
4. Plants
5. Undead
6. Dragons

Each sub-category of creature or NPC type listed above has a corresp onding list on the following page, and each
list has six entries that define comm on creatures or NP Cs of the specified type (naturally, youll want to roll 1d6 and
consult these lists as well). Each entry on these lists exists in the following format:
Name - W hat the creature or N PC is called (for examp le, crocod ile).
Health - The am ount o f damage tha t a creature or NP C may sustain b efore they fall unconscious or die.
Speed - The creature or N PCs Spped rating.
Attack - The creature or NPCs Attack rating.
Defense - The creature or NPC s Defense rating.
Damage - T he amount of damage that a creature or NPC d eals when they land a successful attack.
Loo t -Denotes whether or no t the crea ture or NP C carries loo t upon their body.

Acids & Gels

Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Green Jelly
Black Jelly
Anal Jelly
Jelly Bear
Technicolor Gak
Jelly Baby

Health
3d6
2d6
2d6
4d6
2d6
2d6

Speed
2
2
2
4
3
3

Attack
5
4
7
8
6
9

Defense
2
2
2
3
2
2

Damage
Loot
2d6 + Poison
No
2d6 + Curse
No
3d6
No
3d6 + Paralyze
No
1d6 + Poison
No
1d6 -1
No

Name
Bear
Lion
Tiger
Wolf
Platypus
Platypus of Death

Health
4d6
3d6
2d6+3
2d6
1d6
3d6

Speed
4
6
6
5
4
6

Attack
8
7
7
7
9
3

Defense
6
6
5
4
2
4

Damage
3d6
2d6+3
2d6
1d6
1d6-1
2d6

Loot
No
No
No
No
No
Yes

Health
3d6
3d6
1d6+2
1d6-1
2d6
2d6

Speed
3
5
5
4
3
2

Attack
10
8
8
3
10
11

Defense
2
3
3
8
4
3

Damage
1d6-1
1d6
1d6
5d6
1d6
1d6-1

Loot
No
Maybe
No
No
No
No

Name
Health
Fire Red Dragon
6d6
Ice Blue Dragon
5d6
Acid Green Dragon 6d6
Shadow Dragon
5d6
Clockwork Dragon 6d6
Teacup Dragon
1d6

Speed
11
9
7
9
10
10

Attack
6
5
4
6
7
6

Defense
8
7
7
10
10
2

Damage
5d6
5d6
6d6
4d6
6d6
3d6

Loot
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No

Name
Earth Elemental
Water Elemental
Fire Elemental
Metal Elemen tal
Void Elemental
Fused Elemental

Speed
4
6
6
5
8
7

Attack
9
4
5
4
5
3

Defense
9
3
2
10
9
11

Damage
3d6
4d6
4d6
4d6
6d6
5d6

Loot
No
No
No
Yes
No
Yes

An imals
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Do mestic Animals
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Cow
Horse
Dog
Cat
Goat
Pig

Dragons
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6
Elem enta ls
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Health
3d6
3d6
3d6
5d6
2d6
5d6

[Note: Metal Elementals are essentially living piles of precious metal, and drop the equivalent of 50 gold pieces in loot
when defeated. Fu sed E lementals (the result of all five other elemental types fusing together) drop the equivalent of 20
gold pieces when killed.].

Flying Creatures
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Bat
Owl
Eagle
Flying Serpent
Rok
Griffin

Health
2
1d6-1
2d6
2d6+2
3d6
4d6

Speed
9
8
7
6
7
5

Attack
5
5
4
8
3
4

Defense
Damage
8
1d6
9
1d6
8
1d6+2
4
1d6 + Poison
7
2d6+2
6
3d6

Loot
No
No
No
No
No
No

Name
Goblin
Kobold
Orc
Ogre
Troll
GUT B

Health
1d6+1
2d6
3d6
4d6
4d6
4d6

Speed
5
5
4
4
5
8

Attack
9
7
6
7
6
5

Defense
3
5
6
7
8
4

Loot
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Name
Gorgon
Minotaur
Troglodyte
Lizard Man
Doppleganger
Grue

Health
3d6
4d6
2d6
3d6
2d6
2d6

Speed
4
6
5
4
5
8

Attack
8
4
5
6
5
7

Defense
Damage
Loot
6
1d6 + Paralyze Yes
8
3d6
Yes
6
2d6
No
6
3d6
Yes
4
2d6 + Poison
Yes
9
3d6+2
No

Humanoids
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Damage
1d6
2d6
3d6
4d6
4d6
3d6

Hu manoids 1
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

[Note: The Doppleganger is a shapechanger and can appear as any other Humanoid or Human NPC or creature including an C omm ercial A t character that it has killed. A lso, theyre fun at parties.]
Hu manoids 2
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Sprite
Gnome
Pixie
Leprechaun
Black Elf
Satyr

Health
1
1d6+2
2
2d6
3d6
2d6

Speed
12
4
10
6
7
7

Attack
4
6
4
5
5
7

Defense
11
5
9
6
6
7

Damage
1
1d6 or Spell
1d6
2d6+3
3d6 or Spell
1d6 or Spell

Loot
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No

Hum ans (or Sub-Sp ecies Thereof)

Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Health
Neanderthal
3d6
Giant Human
5d6
Crazed Madman
3d6
Commercial At Character Catpiss Man
2d6
Playa Killa
4d6

Speed
6
4
6
3
8

Attack
8
5
5
9
4

Defense
Damage
3
1d6
5
3d6
6
3d6 or Spell
4
1d6 or Smell
8
3d6

Loot
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes

[Note: Comm ercial At Characters are generated using the rules covered in the section of this document entitled Creating
a Character that begins on page 3.]

Insects
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Giant Mantis
Giant Centipede
Giant Scorpion
Giant Beetle
Giant Cockroach
Giant Locust

Health
2d6
3d6
2d6
3d6
3d6
2d6

Speed
8
10
9
4
7
6

Attack
5
7
6
8
6
7

Defense
Damage
7
2d6
8
3d6 + Poison
9
2d6 + Poison
9
1d6+2
8
1d6-2
7
2d6

Loot
No
No
No
No
No
No

[Note: Some Insects may be used as mounts at the discretion of the Referee (or at your discretion if youre playing solo).]
Plants
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Strangle Vines
Mushroom Man
Creeping Fungus
Carnivorous Plant
Zombie Vine
Ent

Health
4d6
2d6
3d6
4d6
3d6
4d6

Speed
3
4
8
3
3
3

Attack
8
6
5
8
9
5

Defense
Damage
Loot
3
1d6
No
4
2d6
No
4
1d6 + Poison No
4
2d6
Maybe
3
Curse + Poison No
9
4d6
No

[Note: Zom bie vine inflicts no physica l Hea lth dam age, but if poison is left untreated for more than five turns, the
afflicted charac ter turns into an N PC zom bie.]
Reptiles
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Name
Boa Constrictor
Rattle Snake
Alligator
Crocodile
Giant Lizard
Giant Salamander

Health
3d6
1d6
2d6
4d6
3d6
3d6

Speed
4
7
5
6
7
8

Attack
10
7
7
5
6
6

Defense
Damage
Loot
3
1d6 + 1d6/Turn No
2
3 + Poison
No
5
2d6+2
No
7
3d6
No
5
2d6+2
No
4
3d6+1
No

Name
Skeleton
Zombie
Lich
Vampire
Mummy
Phantom

Health
1d6+2
2d6
3d6
3d6
2d6+2
1d6

Speed
4
3
6
8
3
7

Attack
8
7
6
5
7
6

Defense
6
4
7
8
4
7

Undead
Roll Result
1
2
3
4
5
6

Damage
Loot
1d6
Yes
1d6+Poison
Yes
2d6 or Spell
Yes
3d6+Poison
Yes
1d6
No
1d6 or Spell
No

[Note: Neither Zom bie or Vampire poison does any physical dam age, but if poiso n is left untreated for more than five
turns, the afflicted character turns into an N PC vamp ire or zomb ie (whichever bit them ).]
You may notice that some creatures and NP Cs have special attacks such as Paralyze, Poison, or Curse.
Unless otherwise stated, the Poison attack de livers 3 p oints of damage per round to a successfully attacke d cha racter until
they are cured, the Curse attack functions like the Miracle of the same name, and the Paralyze attack functions like the
Spell of the same name.
Finally, you may note that no method appears to determine how man y of a given creature type appear in an
encounter. This, I will admit, is an oversight on my part - for now, roll 1d6. The result of this roll is how many creatures
or NP Cs of a given typ e are encountered. Ill be sure to co rrect this when I get chance to re-edit (post contest deadline).

Appendix B ~ Loot
This Roguelike appendix allows players and/or Referees to quickly and easily generate random loot to plunder
from dead creatures, NPCs, and treasure chests. In fact, all that you need to do is roll two six-sided dice and consult the
following list for each body, room, or treasure chest plundered by a Commercial At character:
Roll Result
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Loot Plundered
Single weapon of players choice.
Single armor piece of players choice.
5 gold pieces
10 gold pieces
20 gold pieces
5 small gems
10 small gems
Bejeweled ring
Fancy Necklace
Amulet
50 gold pieces

[Note: You may be quick to note that certain loot rewards will unbalance character progression when playing Roguelike
with other p eop le. No w reca ll that I earlier mentio ned that this wasnt a game about working tog ether - its a game about
killing stuff, plundering loot, and dying with the m ost toys. N aturally, unbalanced cha racter progressio n helps promote
com petition, hence its inclusion in Roguelike.]

Roguelike Character Record

Character
Character
Character
Character

Name:
Occupation:
Race:
Level:

Speed:
Intellect:
Defense:

Power:
Attack:
Health:

Spells and Special Abilities:

Weapons and Armor:

Loot:

Points Earned:

@
Character Portrait