getting into.

Present challenges for the

RULES characters to overcome, and follow where the
players lead you. Tempt them with the
Whispers of the Dark Gods. Test periodically
Play: One player is the Game Manager. The for trouble (1) or signs of it (2-3) using a
GM controls and describes the world. The d6.Improvise rulings to cover gaps in rules;
other players create characters that inhabit on a break, revise unsatisfactory rulings as a
the world. group.
Risk: If the outcome of an action is ever NPCs: All NPCs have a damage stat (DMG), a
uncertain and failure carries some sort of risk, number of wounds, and in some cases, one or
choose an appropriate stat and roll d20; a more special abilities. If an attack roll or other
result under the chosen stat is a success. roll against an NPC was unsuccessful, inflict
• If something you can do, know, or are wounds equal to their DMG. If Damage is not
skilled at from your background would help, interesting, create a physical, mental, or
add +1 to the number you need to roll under. social obstacle that must be overcome with a
• If a piece of equipment you have or an successful STR, DEX, or WIL roll. Most
element of the scene or environment would intelligent NPCs will attempt to leave combat
help, add +1 to the number you need to roll after half or more of their wounds have been
under. marked off. Special abilities can give NPCs
narrative permission to do special things,
Combat: If an attack roll is successful, roll require characters to make successful rolls to
your DMG die and deal that many Wounds. overcome or avoid negative effects, or change
Advantage In Combat: Add an ongoing +1 other aspects of the rules. Similar NPCs acting
(Max +3) to the number you need to roll as a group can be formed into a mob. Increase
under while in combat whenever you: their DMG and wounds by 1 for each NPC
• Charge Head First Into Combat beyond the first.
• Deal Damage With An Attack
• Create An Opening Without Dealing Damage
You lose advantage when you fail an attack
roll. Spend all of your advantage to safely
CHARACTERS
disengage from combat. ► Roll 3d6 for each Ability Score.
Criticals: If you roll 1 or 20: Strength (STR) – Fighting, fortitude, and
•Success: Inflict a terrible wound(deal double toughness.
damage), Gain a Boon etc. Dexterity (DEX) – Stealth, athletics, and
•Failure: Receive a terrible wound (receive reflexes.
double damage), Gain a Curse etc. Willpower (WIL) – Confidence, discipline,
and charisma.
Harm: PCs can receive up to 6 wounds. ►Roll 4 times on the Clobber List
Injuries take time and rest to heal.If killed, ►Roll (or choose) a Background Give one stat
make a new character to be introduced ASAP. that reflects your background +1
Favor inclusion over realism. ►Note 3 Skills you have from your
Corruption: Mark Corruption to: Background Skills should be comparably
• Utter a prayer to gain +1 to a roll narrow, not broad.(e.g “Melee Weapons”
• Utter a prayer to heal d6 wounds out of instead of “Violence” for a Pit Fighter.
combat ►Give yourself a name.
• Live past your 5th wound…

CLOBBER
Demons inflict Corruption instead of
Wounds. When you mark your 8th
Corruption, you succumb to the Dark Gods.
PCs may accept a Mutation to avoid death and ► Roll d20 four times
clear all Corruption.
Advancement: Every 1 or 2 sessions, PCs may 1 Dagger ( d4) 11 Assorted Herbs
advance. They can raise an ability score by +1 2 Sword ( d6) 12 Spyglass
(max 18), or learn a new Skill. 3 Staff ( d4) 13 Rope
4 Axe (d6) 14 Caltrops
GM: Describe the world and the characters in 5 Torch 15 Grappling Hook
it. Paint the world with mud, blood, and
piss.Use Grey-and-Gray Morality; Order ≠ 6 Lantern & Oil 16 Shovel
Good, Chaos ≠ Evil. Have the world react in 7 Lucky Dice 17 Large Trap
response to the characters’ choices. Allow 8 Crowbar 18 Alchemical Potion
their actions to have weight & meaning.Point 9 Lockpicks 19 Poison
to possible consequences before dice are 10 Spiked Boots 20 War Hammer (d8)
rolled so the players know what they are
 BACKGROUNDS The Holy Empire is in shambles, its
nations lie in disrepair as Cults of Chaos
►Roll d20 (or choose) act boldly throughout the world. The
1 Barbarian 11 Gambler Church is at war with itself, as the
2 Butcher 12 Magician Empire’s Inquisition spreads across the
3 Burglar 13 Ranger lands in search of Heresies and
4 Cleric 14 Outlaw
Corruption. Strange folk and
5 Agitator 15 Rat Catcher
6 Bounty Hunter 16 Pickpocket unspeakable monstrosities await in this
7 Gravedigger 17 Pit Fighter grim and dark mysterious world.
8 Hunter 18 Soldier
9 Alchemist 19 Smuggler
10 Mercenary 20 Witch
FACTIONS
MAGIC ►Roll d20
1,2 The Holy Empire
Characters with magical ability use WIL as
their spellcasting stat.To use magic, create a 3,4 Cult of Chaos (roll for Dark God)
spell, describe its effect. If a spellcasting roll 5,6 The Inquisition
is unsuccessful, mark Corruption; if 7,8 The Universal Church of the Lord Deus
successful roll d6 for its effect. A larger effect 9,10 Preservers of the Crown
allows the character to improve aspects of the 11,12 The Voiceless Resistance
spell, such as:
• Its duration, area, or distance; 13,14 The People’s Church of Deus
• The number of targets affected; 15,16 Independent Barons
• The amount of damage done; 17,18 The Order of the Flame
• The number of wounds healed; 19,20 Sisterhood of Xaos
• The difficulty in dispelling or countering its
effects.
Improving multiple aspects of a spell reduces
its overall strength. Example: A circle of
LOCATIONS
protection can have a large area, a long ►Roll d20
duration, or a medium area & duration. 1 Infested 11 Witch Grove
BEWARE THE INQUISITION, LEST IT JUDGES YOU Graveyard 12 Shrine to Dark God
2 Battered Keep 13 Punishing Plains
A WITCH…. 3 Shanty Town 14 Isolated Island
4 Desecrated Church 15 the Barrens
MUTATIONS 5 Putrid Crypt
6 Rotting Rowhouses
16 Fungal Cavern
17 Misty Mountain
►Roll d20 7 Dark Dungeon 18 Magma Fields
8 Decrepit Dock 19 Tavern of Ill
1 Rat Tail 11 Horns 9 Shadowed Swamp Repute
2 Bulbous Eyes 12 Huge Head 10 Weird Woods 20 Frozen Wastes
3 Gray Fur 13 Giant Arm

DARK GODS
4 Scaly Skin 14 Melted Face
5 Claws 15 Arachnid Pincers
6 Eyestalks 16 Venomous Fangs
7 Tentacle Arms 17 Warty Skin ►Roll d6
8 Rotting Innards 18 Goat Legs
9 Acidic Blood 19 Body Barbs 1 Retcheus - The 4 Sangdia - The Blood
10 Giant Claws 20 Demonhood Prince of Excess Goddess
2 Mordvok -The 5 Heqtrix - The Witch
Changer of the Ways Queen
THE DARK GODS GIVETH… 3 Dyxzar - The Great 6 Xaos - The Dark
THE DARK GODS TAKETH AWAY…. Lord of Decay Mother
 T1 Feminine Titles
ENCOUNTERS 1 Abbess
2 Apostle
11
12
Lady/Overlady
High Priestess
Use these examples to create your own or 3 Baronness 13 Herald
adapt from OSR Beastiries. 4 Commander 14 Matriarch
LOW-LEVEL FOES 5 Consul/Elder 15 Minister/Reverend
6 Counselor 16 Paladin
Have a DMG of up to 2, between 1 and 3 7 Master 17 Queen/Princess
Wounds, and are mainly dangerous in mobs.
8 Eminence 18 Sage/Seer
SKELETON — DMG: 1 Wounds: 1 Skeletal 9 Grand Master 19 Warrior
remains reanimated by dark magic. 10 Priestess 20 Witch/Magi
MID-LEVEL FOES T2 Masculine Titles
Have a DMG of around 3, up to 6 Wounds, and
can threaten characters on their own. 1 Abbot 11 Lord/Overlord
2 Apostle 12 High Priest
DEATH KNIGHT — DMG: 3 Wounds: 4 Undead 3 Baron 13 Herald
Knight that wields dark magic. Undead. 4 Commander 14 Patriarch
Armored — -1 to DMG rolls against this foe. 5 Consul/Elder 15 Minister/Reverend
6 Counselor 16 Paladin
HIGH-LEVEL FOES 7 Master 17 King/Prince
8 Eminence 18 Sage/Seer
Have a DMG of 4 or more, at least 8 Wounds, 9 Priest 19 Warrior
and can be deadly for an entire party. 10 Grand Master 20 Magi
DIRE WOLF DMG: 4 Wounds:8 Hideous
Undead creature with skull-like head, A1 Adjectives
glowing red eyes, and rotting black fur.
Mindless. Savage. Undead. 1 Abandoned 11 Grim
2 Anguished 12 Mad
3 Bitter 13 Mysterious

NPCS 4 Blind
5 Corrupted
6 Cruel
14
15
16
Righteous
Somber
Stormy
►For a contact, client, rival or target; first roll 7 Defiant 17 Vigilant
d6, then roll for each table indicated. 8 Demonic 18 Wicked
9 Exalted 19 Wretched
1 N1, T1 of A2 4 N2, T2 of A2
10 Grieving 20 Zealous
2 A1 T1 N1 5 A1 T2 N2
3 N1, A1 T1 of A2 6 N2, A1 T2 of A2
A2 Aspects
N1 Feminine Names
1 Anguish 11 Spirits
1 Achae 6 Eangyth 11 Bathild 16 Rafenild 2 Balance 12 Wisdom
2 Aethelu 7 Denegyth 12 Gytha 17 Rowena 3 Battle 13 the Sun
3 Garwynn 8 Domneva 13 Hilda 18 Saewynn 4 Blades 14 the Night
4 Cwenburh 9 Cynehild 14 Inga 19 Waerhild 5 Change 15 the Blind
5 Nothgyth 10 Estrith 15 Begilda 20 Wulfwyn 6 Chaos 16 the Brave
7 Charity 17 the End
N2 Masculine Names 8 Cinders 18 the Flame
1 Acwulf 6 Teowulf 11 Eluric 16 Caedmon 9 Liberty 19 the Wicked
2 Saegar 7 Bernulf 12 Aelred 17 Turoc 10 Knowledge 20 the World
3 Grimbald 8 Delwyn 13 Yric 18 Ulfric
4 Balther 9 Eadger 14 Indulf 19 Wulfrun
HATH THE LORD DEUS ABANDONED
5 Cynred 10 Garmund 15 Osgar 20 Maerec THE HOLY EMPIRE?
Rules derived from 2400 by Jason Tocci, Sledgehammer by
- Dying Words of Adelard, Apostle of Light
GayHalfOrc, Bright Hammer by HyveMynd, and Into the Odd by
Chris McDowall. Blood Reign is an independent production by
Y.K. McGlinchey and is not affiliated with Pretendo Games, CORRUPTION IS SALVATION
GayHalfOrc, HyveMynd or Bastionland Press.
- Cynwise, Somber Witch of Chaos