Beyond Fear: Cosmic Horror Rules For Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying
Beyond Fear: Cosmic Horror Rules For Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying
Beyond Fear: Cosmic Horror Rules For Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying
Beyond Fear
Cosmic Horror Rules for Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest
and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
-H.P. Lovecraft
There is a place beyond nightmares where alien gods dwell. Unfeeling, uncaring and
uninterested in the machinations of humanity, these elder beings exist beyond time
and space. They are ageless - they always were and always shall be.
But very occasionally we mere fragile mortals will catch a glimpse, a shard of a
dream in which we glance in awe and horror at the reality of the universe, one that is the
playground of gibbering, inexplicable entities. Even these rare glances bring about
madness in us, a madness that can manifest in different ways. Some become cult leaders,
writing in blackened grimoires the sights they have experienced, the voices which utter in
alien tongue that guide them. Others try to become like the elder gods, using ancient,
blasphemous rites to call upon lesser beings from the starry plane to transform them into
superior creatures.
Yet most of us live an existence blind from these maddening wonders. We go about
our daily lives without the slightest inkling that, even in our very midst, there are
otherwordly things
that haunt our shores, forests - even our cities.
Beyond Fear is a ruleset for Unbelievably Simple Roleplaying (USR) that casts the
players as people who have seen beyond the veil and who are being beckoned into the
darkness. Heavily inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers.
Beyond Fear does away with the high action and combat of many other roleplaying games
and replaces it with investigation and dread.
To play, you will need a copy of the free USR 2.0 rules. The Beyond Fear rules are
an addition to this core book, giving advice on creating characters for Beyond Fear, adding
rules for madness, and offering a bestiary of creatures that stalk the edge of nightmares.
Players should not expect to survive. In the time honoured traditions of the weird
fiction genre, Beyond Fear isn’t about winning or even survival - it’s about delving deep
into the mysteries of the elder gods, about creating a mood of fear and dread around the
gaming table. Characters will very likely go mad or die, for this is the inevitable path for
anyone who learns about the creatures Beyond Fear.
can be detailed and evoke a mood when you know the place you’re talking about and can
picture it in your mind’s eye.
It’s a good idea to go out and really explore your hometown. Look at it through the
lens of weird fiction and ask yourself what could happen there that would creep you out?
Look at the people around you - does anyone stand out? Could there be inspiration for the
leader of a cult on your very doorstep? Look at news from your area and re-imagine the
headlines with a conspiratorial bent for plot inspiration.
That said, it’s not compulsory that you only use your local area. Some of the best
weird fiction tales involve travelling to different locales. If you want to run a game where
there are various expeditions to different countries then use Wikipedia to research those
places, read travel sites for destination information, or even better - use countries you
have already visited as a guide. Have you just returned from a holiday in Greece? Why not
have some of the adventure set there?
It is unlikely that players will ever come directly face-to-face with an Elder God. If
this happens, then it probably means that the world has ended. Instead, they will
experience them passively - through dreams, in scriptures, and in the ravings of madness.
Character Creation
“He had no ears. The artificial ones, which now stood out at an angle from the fine wire,
were his one weakness. They were made of wax and painted a shell pink, but the rest of his face
was yellow.” - King in Yellow
Character Archetypes
Players in Beyond Fear take on the role of ordinary people who get sucked into a world of
gods and monsters. In the works of Lovecraft these people were often academics -
historians, occult scholars and the like, while Chambers wrote characters who were
artists. There really is scope to be whoever you would like in the game, but characters
should make sense in the context of the game. Why would they be pulled into this other
world? What reason would they have to uncover more about a mystery? Here is a list of
professions and example Specialisms for each. These are just suggestions - feel free to mix
and match Specialisms and create your own archetypes.
Detective:
Handguns (Act), Perceptive (Wit), Interrogation (Ego)
Journalist : Perceptive (Wit), Worldly (Wit), Networking (Ego)
Priest:Holy Knowledge (Wit), Calming (Ego), Occult Knowledge (Wit)
Occult Scholar: Occult Knowledge (Wit), Artefact appraiser (Wit), Geography (Wit)
Paranormal Investigator: History (Wit), Occult Knowledge (Wit), Celebrity (Ego)
Doctor: First Aid (Wit), Medical Knowledge (Wit), Steady Hands (Act)
Lawyer: Law (Wit), Debate (Wit), Showmanship (Ego)
Antiquarian: Artefact Appraiser (Wit), History (Wit), Perceptive (Wit)
Explorer: Geography (Wit), Tough (Act), Anthropology (Wit)
Geologist : Geology (Wit), Geography (Wit), Climbing (Act)
Psychologist: Psychology (Wit), Empathy (EGo), Perceptive (Wit)
Historian: History (Wit), Occult Knowledge (Wit), Artefact Appraiser (Wit)
Artist:
Art History (Wit), Painting (Act), Art Appraisal (Wit)
Starting Gear
Characters start with equipment that makes sense for their archetype, so note down five
items that your character would have. For instance, it makes sense for an Occult Scholar
to have a small notebook full of writings about a certain subsection of the occult, or a
priest to carry a Bible. Remember that these items can also include a phone or laptop,
which can come in very useful during an investigation.
Blasphemous Secrets
“If I am mad, it is mercy! May the gods pity the man who in his callousness can remain sane
to the hideous end!” - The Temple
The world holds more secrets that you ever thought possible. There are books in forgotten
libraries that still hold the putrid grimoires of the Elder Gods. There are still people out
there who want nothing more than to tear a hole in the fabric of reality and usher in a
new age of madness and carnage.
Throughout a game of Beyond Fear, players will come across strange new artefacts,
blasphemous texts, deranged cults and even creatures they never dreamt possible. This
section deals with the cults and texts in Beyond Fear, as well as the madness they bring.
Madness
It’s very likely at some point in a game that something will touch a corner of a person’s
mind in such a way that they are reduced to lunacy. I will stress that madness in the
context of Beyond Fear is an almost cartoonish notion - one that is exaggerated and is in
no way meant to belittle any form of actual mental illness. Rather, it is a way of
conveying the deep fear and unfathomable reality that the players experience throughout
the game.
Each time that a character comes into contact with something not of this world,
they must made a Madness Roll. They must roll their Wits die and if they score a 1 or 2,
they come ever closer to the brink of madness. A player who fails a Madness Roll receives
a Madness Token (i.e. a glass bead or poker chip). Once a player receives their third
Madness Token, they have gone mad. They can no longer continue and that character is
out of the game.
A character can get rid of one Madness Token by pushing these thoughts to the
backs of their minds. However, doing this may cause them to plunge further into madness,
so it is quite a risk. They must make a Madness Roll on their Wits die. On a 3+ they may
remove one Madness Token. If they score a 1 or 2, they gain a Madness Token.
Madness Triggers
Anything that could be considered incredibly disturbing to the character calls for a
Madness Roll. This includes: seeing an Elder God, seeing a Lesser Being, seeing a gruesome
scene, hearing an incantation and reading a secret grimoire.
Secret Grimoires
Over the centuries, books have been written on the subject of cosmic entities, Elder Gods
and spells that should never be uttered. These books are known as Secret Grimoires, rare
works with seldom any copies available, that contain the secrets of the hidden world
around us. They were sometimes written by scholars, sometimes occult leaders, and other
times raving lunatics.
Book of Ways
Thought to be written in the 13th century by an unnamed sorcerer, the Book of Ways
would come to be known by Christians as a Satanic text, although this would be profoundly
wrong. The Book of Ways had nothing to do with Judeo-Christian religion, but everything
to do with spells to conjure cosmic entities from the vast reaches of the universe. The
book describes the Four Ways that are required to summon such a creature, which include
the Way of Flesh, the Way of Silence, the Way of the Mind and the Way of Death. For
centuries the Book of Ways has been lost, although some antiquarians believe they have
spotted it at night auctions among dealers of the cursed and corrupt.
Codex Incantum
An 11th century text written by a man
called Edward Black, the Codex Incantum
was found sealed in a vault beneath the
surface of Castle Rising in Norfolk,
England. The book details magic spells and
curses, as well as instructions on
enchanting and ensnaring through magical
means. It is a book that is said to corrupt
all who read it, although its current
whereabouts is unknown, like so many of
these tomes.
Livre de Gris
A 17th century French book, the Livre de
Gris is an account of one Pierre Durand, a
scholar at the University of Strasbourg who
stumbled across a tomb filled with dead
creatures from another world. Durand
spent two years writing about the strange
beings - detailing their physiology, naming
them, and, eventually, going mad from his
discoveries.
Forbidden Lore
Stephanie Corrin, a 19th century witch,
wrote what was considered to be one of
the most blasphemous books in existence.
When the book was published, the Mayor
of London had Corrin arrested and copies
of Forbidden Lore burnt on a pile. The
book contains incantations, rites, songs,
pictures and enchantments that were revealed to Corrin in a series of dreams over 10
years. Corrin would later be hanged for her sins and any remaining books were hunted
down by the authorities. However, being so sought after, few remaining copies of
Forbidden Lore have made their way into the hands of collectors, scholars and the
criminally insane.
Cults
It is human nature to crave power and if we see the opportunity to grasp it, we will do
with abandon, even if it means the end of everything as we know it. Cults have formed
around all manner of entities and texts, often as a means of bringing about change in the
status quo of reality. In Beyond Fear, cults are usually the driving force behind a cosmic
entity being brought into the world, or the prophecy of an ancient god destroying the
universe. Even a character could be an ex-cultist - fleeing the order due to a momentary
realisation that what they are doing could destroy everything they hold dear.
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has long since vanished, the Yellow Sign has been seen throughout the world in more
recent times. A cult arose around this strange emblem, which is said to have the powers to
control minds. Those who copy down the symbol come under the control of the King in
Yellow, an otherwordly entity - possibly an Elder God - who resides in the world of
Carcosa.
Creating a Cult
Of course, there is no reason why you shouldn’t create your own diabolical cults for the
players to fall foul of. Generally, people join cults, not because they want to end the
world, but because they want to serve themselves and even help to better humanity. From
the outside, a cult seems inviting. Here you have a community of people with a common
goal and the wish fulfilment that goes along with it. If you look at the Esoteric Order of
Dagon, the cult is generally formed of an entire fishing community whose livelihoods are
heavily affected by the amount of fish that are caught on a daily basis. If the fish stop
coming, the town falls into ruin, so it’s in their best interest to do as much as possible to
make sure their economy stays afloat, even if it means worshipping an ancient amphibious
god.
Every cult has a charismatic leader, like Enoch Bowen - someone who is
well-respected and, most importantly, intelligent. The leader’s goal is not to harm people
(that’s an unpleasant side-effect), but to gather as many followers as possible to make
their dreams a reality. Some cult leaders are actually Lesser Beings, or even Elder Gods
themselves - in which case their purpose is completely self-serving.
Cults will have meeting places - whether in the civic halls of their towns,
underground lairs or even in the middle of swamps. When meeting, cults won’t generally
be plotting the end of the world and be making sacrifices - these things are saved for
special occasions. Instead, the leader will reinforce their beliefs in order to make the
following stronger. They will greet new members warmly and offer sermons to their gods.
On the occasion when the stars are right, or when a cult has obtained an artefact that
they require to summon a god, then the real problems begin. Ritual sacrifices, kidnappings
and even necromancy will play a role when things come to a head. Think about what your
cult’s ultimate goal is and how it’s going to do it. This goal may take years, even centuries
to achieve, but when it comes to the players stumbling across them, it’s likely that things
are hotting up.
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Gods + Monsters
“
Atop the tallest of earth's peaks dwell the gods of earth, and suffer not man to tell that he
hath looked upon them ” - The Other Gods
Beyond the veil of reality exist creatures of nightmare, creatures that very few people
have knowledge of. They do not care for humanity - indeed, they have no feeling towards
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it whatsoever in most cases. It is those who disrupt these beings who face their full wrath,
whether it’s through force or simple being driven to madness.
Players will not be facing many of these beings. It is suggested that an adventure
contains only one or two otherworldly thingsto allow for suspense and stop the risk of
players just getting used to the fact that these creatures exist. The fact is, they won’t
stand a chance against even the Lesser Beings, never mind the Elder Gods, whose powers
can be almost limitless. It’s unlikely that they will ever be able to destroy these beings by
sheer force and instead will have to be clever about it. This might mean finding the right
way to banish it or preventing its arrival into our world in the first place .
The creatures in Beyond Fear are split into Elder Gods and Lesser Beings. Elder
Gods are usually firmly behind that veil of reality, only seen in pictures, or in dreams.
Sometimes they will speak directly to a cult leader, but this is likely to drive a sane person
mad. If the players find themselves face-to-face with an Elder God then it’s likely all over
for humanity. Lesser Beings, on the other hand, are the servants of the Elder Gods. They
are much less powerful, but are still difficult to overpower.
Lesser Beings
Deep One
"Their croaking, baying voices, clearly used for articulate speech, held all the dark shades of expression which their
staring faces lacked ... They were the blasphemous fish-frogs of the nameless design - living and horrible." - The
Shadow Over Innsmouth
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against surfacing to mate with humans, producing blasphemous hybrids of land and ocean.
They worship Father Dagon and Mother Hydra deep beneath the surface of the sea.
Deep Ones rarely surface alone, so the investigators will likely come face-to-face
with a group of them, usually 4 or 5, but sometimes many more. They emit a foul fishy
stench that can give away that there are Deep Ones nearby, and their hideous gurgling
voices do not speak the tongue of humans.
Elder Thing
“Six feet end to end, three and five-tenths feet central diameter, tapering to one foot at each end. Like a barrel with
five bulging ridges in place of staves. Lateral breakages, as of thinnish stalks, are at equator in middle of these
ridges. In furrows between ridges are curious growths – combs or wings that fold up and spread out like fans. . .
which gives almost seven-foot wing spread.” - At the Mountains of Madness
Action: d8
Wits: d10
Ego: d8
Hits: 28
Weapon: Tentacles +3
Specialisms: Tentacle thrash (Action +4)
Elder Things are vegetable-like
creatures with wings and eyes attached to
stalks. They are cosmic travellers, using their
membranous wings to soar through space to
their destinations. On Earth, they are often
found deep within the mountains of the polar
regions. They usually hibernate for thousands
of years at a time unless they are disturbed.
They make a piping sound with their strange
tongues - a language that is incomprehensible
to humans.
Elder Things are also the creators of the fearsome Shoggoths, a slave race made to
do their bidding. However, the Elder Things eventually lost control of the Shoggoths, who
freed themselves from their oppression and escaped.
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Ghoul
“These figures were seldom completely human, but often approached humanity in varying degree. Most of the bodies,
while roughly bipedal, had a forward slumping, and a vaguely canine cast. The texture of the majority was a kind of
unpleasant rubberiness.” - Pickman’s Model
Action: d10
Wits: d6
Ego: d6
Hits: 20
Weapon: Claws +2
Specialisms: Claw assault (Action +3), Sneaky (Action +3)
These nocturnal cannibals are the embodiment of fear and found throughout the world in
the darkest of places. While they are fearsome beings, feeding on the corpses of humans
in the dead of night, they are not always hostile - but if they are hungry they are capable
of tearing someone limb-from-limb.
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Specialisms: Evisceration (Action +5), Flight (Action +3), Grapple (Action +2)
Also known as ‘The Abominable Ones’, the Migo are part fungus, part crustacean, with
wings and pincerlike claws. They come from the moons of Yuggoth, traversing space to
make a temporary home on Earth.
They are said to have made deals with inquisitive humans to transport them to Pluto.
However, in order to do this, they place the human’s brain within a cylinder so that it can
withstand the vacuum of space.
The Migo are worshippers of Nyarlathotep and ShubNiggurath, often gathering
hapless humans to do their bidding.
Night-Gaunt
“And worst of all, they never spoke or laughed, and never smiled because they had no faces at all to smile with, but
only a suggestive blankness where a face ought to be. All they ever did was clutch and fly and tickle; that was the way
of night-gaunts.” - The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
Action: d8
Wits: d8
Ego: d6
Hits: 18
Weapon: Dive bomb +2
Specialisms: Death from above (Action +3), Silent (Action +2), Flight (Action +2)
Night-gaunts are most notable for having no face. However, they can still “see” and find
their prey as easily as any other predator. They serve the Lord of the Great Abyss, and can
travel between the land of dreams and reality. On Earth, they can be found in foothills
and mountains across the world, preying on unwary travellers and villagers.
You will rarely hear a Night-gaunt coming until it’s too late as they are able to
move silently.
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Shoggoth
“It was a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train—a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles,
faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and unforming as pustules of greenish light all
over the tunnel-filling front that bore down upon us.” - At the Mountains of Madness
Action: d10
Wits: d6
Ego: d6
Hits: 34
Weapon: Bite +3
Specialisms: A thousand maws (Action +3), Writhing Mass (Action +3)
Created to be slaves to the Elder Things, Shoggoths are huge undulating black masses with
countless eyes and mouths - a maddening thing to behold. Shoggoths are like a nightmare
vision come true, although they are rarely seen, living in underground caverns for
centuries.
Elder Gods
Dagon
“Vast, Polyphemus-like, and loathsome, it darted like a
stupendous monster of nightmares to the monolith, about
which it flung its gigantic scaly arms, the while it bowed its
hideous head and gave vent to certain measured sounds…” -
Dagon
Action: d10
Wits: d10
Ego: d8
Hits: 170
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Father Dagon is the Elder God worshipped by the Esoteric Order of Dagon and the Deep
Ones. He lives deep beneath the ocean with his Deep One followers, sending them out to
copulate with the humans and spawn new cross-bred minions.
King in Yellow
"You are speaking of the King in Yellow," I groaned, with a shudder. "He is a king whom emperors have served." "I am
content to serve him," I replied.” - The King in Yellow
Action: d8
Wits: d10
Ego: d10
Hits: 100
Weapon: Unmask +10
Specialisms: The face beneath (Action +5), Charming (Ego +5), Carcosa Knowledge (Wits
+5)
The subject of the lost manuscript for the play The King in Yellow, this Elder God lives in
Carcosa, a place beyond our world. He wears yellow, tattered robes and a pallid mask
that, if removed, is sure to send anyone over the edge of madness.
The King in Yellow sometimes appears in our world, beckoning people to come with
him to Carcosa. He uses the Yellow Sign to take-over thoughts and control his followers to
do his bidding.
Nyarlathotep
“What his fate would be, he did not know; but he felt that he was held
for the coming of that frightful soul and messenger of infinity’s
Other Gods, the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep.” - The Dream-Quest of
Unknown Kadath
Action: d10
Wits: d8
Ego: d10
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Hits: 180
Weapon: Tentacles +17
Specialisms: Thrashing tentacles (Action +5), Human disguise (Ego +5), Persuasive (Ego +5)
Of the Elder Gods, Nyarlathotep is the most active in the world, often walking amongst
humans as a joyful, charismatic leader of men. However, behind this disguise lies a
creature of maddening form. He is a messenger of sorts, carrying out the will of other
Elder Gods on Earth, making him one of the most dangerous gods from the perspective of
humanity.
The Black Goat goes by many names and multiple forms. To humans it appears as a
part-goat, part-human creature, similar to a satyr of Greek mythology. She copulates with
her followers to then spawn her blasphemous young while she is in her other state - that of
a tentacular mass with four massive legs.
Yog-Sothoth
“Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the
key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in
Yog-Sothoth.” - The Dunwich Horror
Action: d10
Wits: d10
Ego: d6
Hits: 110
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