DIE RPG BETA v1.3

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1) RULE CHANGES

2) ADVANCEMENT

3) RUNNING THE ARCHETYPES (ERRATA & ADDITIONS)

RUNNING THE MASTER

RUNNING THE GODBINDER

RUNNING THE FOOL

RUNNING THE NEO

NON-MASTER ANTAGONISTS

NON-PLAYER ARCHETYPES

4) SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

DIE: DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME (WE KILLED A KOBOLD AND TOOK ITS STUFF)

DESIGNER NOTES

5) HANDOUTS (CHARACTER SHEETS & REFERENCE)

CHARACTER SHEETS

GM SHEETS, CHECKLISTS AND CHEAT SHEETS

KIERON GILLEN © 2020 ART BY STEPHANIE HANS Copyright © 2020 Lemon Ink Ltd & Stéphanie Hans Studio. All rights reserved. DIE, the Die logos, and the likenesses of all characters herein or hereon are trademarks of Kieron Gillen Ltd & Stéphanie Hans. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (except for short excerpts for journalistic or review purposes) without the express written permission of Lemon Ink Ltd & Stéphanie Hans Studio. All names, characters, events, and places herein are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, or places is coincidental. Representation: Law Offices of Harris M. Miller II, P.C. ([email protected]) INTRODUCTION v1.3

Hi again.

As I said last time, I suspect this is the last of the Beta add-ons for DIE, at least in terms of new major content. It basically completes what I consider the core DIE Beta experience.

It takes the form of the previous update, in terms of working as an errata to what already exists in the main manuals. This release also includes what was in the 1.2 release, with some more tweaks. The character sheets entirely replace those in the previous edition.

The main new areas in this are…

1. A full Master class, which can be played by any player, GM or otherwise. 2. The option to make a non-Master class be the antagonist. 3. A remixed Godbinder. 4. Some minor rule tweaks for things like Specials and a new Initiative system. 5. A new easy-to-run basic scenario for DIE. 6. The Emotion Knight has all levels of creative violence accessible at the start of the game, and access to their stances and Venting (which is what we’ve renamed Greater Abilities). 7. The NPC archetype rules that were in the comic, tweaked to work with current rules. 8. Advancement tweaks, including Master advancement.

As I said, if there’s more releases for DIE in this open Beta stage, they’ll likely be fixes for what’s released rather than big new content. The push of the work now is on making the campaign game work – or, rather, making it work properly. At the time of writing, I’m 32 sessions into my first fullDIE campaign, and we’re approaching the end game. It’s giving me a lot to fold back into the design. We’re having a lot of fun. There are a lot of emotions. Also, the Fool character just tried to punch the Fair in the balls.

The full release of DIE, if it goes ahead, will be a big step forward - the Campaign Mode is significant, to say the least. It’ll also include a lot of reworking through the whole text. Some changes are the sort of fundamental tweaks that are just a lot of leg work. I may need to change how we describe Difficulty in game, which basically means reducing the difficulty of all challenges by 1, which means going through the whole book and changing every single one. That’s not worth it right now, right? Same with some other small changes of terminology. Especially as I’m not sure I want to do this - there are costs as well as benefits.

That said, I think I’m within a breath of being able to actually hand the game to another designer who can look at what I’ve done and then make more stuff in that template. That excites me hugely.

Thanks everyone for playing this. It’s been everything.

Kieron 11.12.2020 RULE CHANGES

SPECIALS INITIATIVE

Specials now work in the following way, changing We’ve changed up Initiative, as Initiative was the core mechanic. These changes have been rubbish. worked into the character sheets, and the cheat sheets. Each character rolls their Dexterity dice pool and states the sum total of the dice rolled. This is one Any dice that rolls a 6 can be used to activate any exception to the core mechanic. The GM does the relevant Special. Each Special can only be applied same for each group of combatants they control, once per roll to any individual target, unless noting their sum totals. All the combatants of the otherwise stated. same sort act at the same time.

For example, Trevor the Knight has a Special on The results are then arranged in order, from the his attack which says “this hit counts as two hits”. highest total to the lowest, with the highest going He attacks the mean old orc, rolling a 6, 4 and a 2. first. This is the Initiative order. The orc has a defence of 1, so he would normally do two hits (the 6 and a 4). However, the 6 can If a player’s and a GM-controlled character’s activate the Special, counting as two hits. He does totals are equal, the player’s character acts first three hits. If he had rolled a 6, 6 and a 2, he would in the order. If players roll identically, their order is have still done three hits. Any individual Special ascertained in clockwise order from the GM. For ties can only be applied once. If he had a second of the GM-controlled characters, the GM decides relevant Special, he could have used the second which order GM-controlled characters act in. 6 to activate that. Basically, number of successes didn’t give This means Specials are now less “swingy” in enough of a spread to give a meaningful order. impact. They’re a bonus, but an Emotion Knight With reluctance, I’ve been doing this. I hate rules rolling two sixes isn’t going to just kill basically exceptions. I hates them forever. everyone. It’s also worth noting that the rule says you can apply the Special on any individual CASTING SPELLS OFFENSIVELY affected, so if you are (to choose one example) casting a spell that affects many people in an Note: this is a rule which was originally in the area, if you rolled sufficient sixes, you could apply Godbinder’s section. It’s being moved here as it’s the same Special to each of them. used for Masters’ and Fools’ spells as well.

For example, Phillipa the Pyromancer is throwing a When casting spells, Scripture, or anything where fireball at a group of mean old orcs. She rolls 6, 6, a character must roll a dice pool to see if a spell is 3, 3. As each orc has a defence of 1, each orc will successful, which is also used to directly attack suffer two hits. However the fireball has a Special or affect a target, the dice pool is simultaneously of “Set orc on fire. They suffer one hit at the start compared against both the spell’s Difficulty and of each of their combat rounds until extinguished.” the target’s Defences. She uses the Special to set two orcs on fire. What she couldn’t do is set one orc on fire, twice. For example, Gareth Godbinder casts a fireball (Difficulty 2) at a group of Fallen (Defence 1, so As a final note, if a player has access to two Difficulty 1). If Gareth rolls two successes, they identical Specials from different sources, they can cast the spell and hit the Fallen, as the number activate both those Specials on the same target. of successes matches or is higher than both the casting Difficulty (2) and the Fallen’s Defence (1). If Basically, wing it. Gareth rolled only one success, they would fail to cast the fireball (Difficulty 2) so no Fallen would be Throughout playtesting DIE, I’ve found myself harmed. thinking of one of Elmore Leonard’s rules for writing: “Leave out the parts that readers tend to DAMAGE skip.” I suspect the same is true for game design. If there’s a rule even I’m not using, why the hell is Just lose the “take disadvantage at low health” it in the core rules? stuff unless you’re running a particularly realistically styled game. Add disadvantages if BASIC SCENARIO DESIGN there’s a described narrative effect which seems especially relevant. In the initial encounter, have the players face a number of Lesser Fallen equal to the number For example, Violent Trevor is in a fight and of players (i.e. no Greater Fallen). Players are we describe his hands being hit beneath a significantly more fragile now. hammer blow from a mean ol’ orc. He is down to 1 Health. In previous games of DIE, he’d be on 2 Note - this Beta includes a pre-generated disadvantages, but we’ve decided that is just no scenario which is an easier way to play a first fun. However, shortly later, Violent Trevor tries to game. pick a lock. The GM thinks the fine motor control required from this may be a good time to throw a disadvantage in. ADVANCEMENT

As initiated in DIE 1.2, DIE starting characters Most of the choices on the sheet are explanatory, have significantly less power (both in terms of expanding the options the players pick from their raw power and flexibility). As such, if you wish, character sheet. For example, if a Neo gains a new you can choose to advance throughout the game. gift, and selects Energy Blade, they gain it and all If you choose to do it, it works like this… abilities (and further choices) beneath the Energy Blade. When you reach a crucial moment, the players’ dice burst into life and the players gain new You should include the activation of these powers abilities. This is a levelling-up moment. Why is into the narrative in the same way as the initial this happening? As the players are overcoming transformation into the DIE character. struggles and acting, their dice are attuning themselves to their owners, and vice versa. There are some abilities which are new, lifted from the Campaign and described in the later sections When the group is first asked to level up, present - the Neo ones in Running the Neo and the Fool the players with the advancement sheet (see ones in Running The Fool. page 7), which will tell them what reward they will get. The GM’s character also advances. Previous Beta editions of DIE had a power rush from the off, with all the characters being hugely If you’re playing the basic structure of DIE, powerful immediately. In this version, they likely depending on the level of sessions you have, this start as merely as good as anyone on Earth, (or is where we suggest placing the level-ups: better than anyone on Earth within a limited field) with a handful of superhuman abilities. Instead, ONE-SESSION GAME the longer they stay in DIE, the more they appear • Level up: after the defeat of the initial Fallen to gain more abilities. or their entry into the fantasy world proper. (Optional) This can be folded into the narrative – the implicit • Level up: before the final confrontation. question is how powerful will the players be if they continue to stay here? TWO-SESSION GAME • Level up: after the defeat of the initial Fallen or ALTERNATVES TO THE ABOVE ADVANCEMENT: their entry into the fantasy world proper. • Level up: before the final confrontation. POWERLESS Don’t use advancement. Try with the characters THREE-SESSION GAME as level 1 characters throughout. This is how I’m • Level up: after the defeat of the initial Fallen or starting the actual campaign in the playtest. their entry into the fantasy world proper. Works fine, and does make it easier for everyone. • Level up: at the climactic moment at the end of None of my group (all of whom have played DIE the second session. before) have objected to starting like this, and still • Level up: before the final confrontation. had lots of fun. In a real way, reducing the number of abilities you have makes you focus in on things FOUR-SESSION GAME you can do. • Level up: at the climactic moment at the end of the second session. POWER-CRAZED • Level up: at the climactic moment at the end of Start with the characters at maximum power – as the third session. in, with all four advances and all the points for • Level up: before the final confrontation. their stats. This is basically identical to how the characters were in the earlier Betas. spent, but only level 1 abilities. This means you have much greater chances of success, but STAT-CRAZED aren’t overloaded with extra abilities to figure out. Starts with your stats at the maximum of 6 points ADVANCEMENT TABLE

Every time a player advances, they can increase The Fool and the Neo have abilities which are not one stat by 1, but to a maximum of 4. In addition, presently described on their character sheets. they gain the following ability, depending on their They are described later in this document, in the class. Running the Fool and Running the Neo sections.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Neo START PICK NEW MAJOR PICK ONE OF THESE PICK NEW MAJOR All your new GIFT THREE MINOR GIFTS GIFT gifts will require Select one of the Jetpack/Enhanced Select one of the activation with other abilities on Vision/Radar. other abilities on Fair Gold, as per your sheet. The gift can be used your sheet. your original one. in the narrative appropriately. Dictator START PICK A SECOND PICK A THIRD PICK A FOURTH EMOTION FOR YOUR EMOTION FOR YOUR EMOTION FOR PALETTE PALETTE YOUR PALETTE The designer wishes all of these were as easy to do as the Dictator. Godbinder START PICK A NEW LEVEL PICK A NEW LEVEL IN PICK A NEW LEVEL IN ANY GOD ANY GOD IN ANY GOD The designer is also fond of you, Godbinder. You don’t make it too hard. Fool START GAIN ‘FOOL’S PREP’ A SECOND FLUKE GAIN ‘FOOLS RUSH Write on sheet and Make up / select IN’ ask GM what it a second fluke. Write on sheet means. Choose whichever and ask GM what you wish when you it means. roll your circle. Emotion Knight START GAIN ACCESS TO PICK A SECOND CHOOSE A SECOND EMOTION DRAINING VENTING ABILITY STANCE You may only have a single Stance active at once.

Master START GAIN AN EXTRA GAIN AN EXTRA RULE GAIN AN EXTRA RULE If you have lost RULE If you have lost Mastery, regain it. If you have lost Mastery, regain it. Mastery, regain it. RUNNING THE ARCHETYPES (ERRATA & ADDITIONS) RUNNING THE MASTER

This section entirely replaces the Running The Master section in the 1.1 Manual.

WHO TO GIVE THE MASTER TO You’ll note that a non-Master antagonist does not get this ability… but non-Master antagonists It’s suggested that the GM reserves the Master tend to be significantly more resilient than for their own character, at least in the first game Masters. It’ll average out, probably. they run. The core experience of the GM playing the character class that is basically “Evil GM” is Hey, it’s a Beta for a reason, folks. part of the game’s meta thrill. RULES: The Master is less flexible in terms of the types of classical character types it matches: it is a Yes, attentive Beta reader, you may recognise magic-user. There are different flavours, but the ghost of the magic system from the Arcana, they’re more akin to the schools of magic than resurrected into a new, more streamlined, more something fundamentally different. useable and hopefully more fun form.

However, generally speaking, it’s a class that Combining Rules rewards more experienced players. It gives a lot of power, both in terms of freeform improvisation The process of combining Rules is deliberately (in its cheating) and lots of nuts and bolts of left as a creative act for the Master. By the actual mechanics (in its Rules that require selections, the Master likely has a basic idea player invention). Any of that can overwhelm a for things they want to do. If they don’t, have a player. Equally, for a player who doesn’t have chat with them in terms of what they’re thinking a developed sense of how much time they’re of. It’s worth noting that if they don’t have an taking up, they can lead to a player grinding idea, you may have chosen the wrong person to a game to a halt. There will likely be some be the Master - as I said at the start, it’s a class conversation with the Master about trying to which demands a certain sort of familiarity with avoid this, if they’re not aware. “rules” as a general concept. You may want to give some suggestions. GO READ THE SHEET NOW Note that the Rules have a mechanic effect, The rest is commentary to what you’ll find in which the players add their own description to. there. The description can create effects in the world. If Damage Duration is defined as Fire, it can set fire Phew. That’s a lot, huh? to things generally. If Damage Duration is defined as a mass of writhing attack termites, it can be CHEAT TOKEN CHANGES used to gnaw at tree roots or (er) a source of protein. Ugh. You will note that the GM’s Master gets one less Cheat Token than before. This will mean they’ll On the following page is a selection of basic likely die one attack earlier. However, they are combinations to get the idea of how to create a allowed to access the DIE MASTER cheats via the selection of standard RPG-esque spell effects. usual cheating process. Worth noting some of these use identical Rules to create significantly different spells. This is This means that the game will likely end with very much the point. the Master trying to cheat using the D20 rather than die. In practice, this extends the Master’s survivability slightly. • Range + Damage = Fire an attack at a single Rules Lawyering Extra Rules person. If a player wants to choose the same Rule multiple • Area + Damage = Hurt everyone around you times, and give each a keyword, that’s great. (including you - see Selectivity below). Choosing Enhance (Attack) and then Enhance • Duration + Damage = Enchant weapon to (Strength) is perfectly okay. Equally choosing the deliver Special. (Plus the Mastery advantage, same Damage and giving it a different narrative if you have Mastery.) component is fine. Maybe you want to be be able to throw fire AND poison people - which are best • Duration + Damage = Set hands on fire, simulated by the Damage (Extended) Rule. delivering Special. • Duration + Area + Enhance (Attack) = Everyone You can also choose each of your Rules near you when you cast the spell gets a bonus repeatedly to increase scale (explained properly to hit for the rest of combat. below). • Duration + Area + Enhance (Attack) = As long However, you - as the GM - may also want to add as someone is near you, they get a bonus to other rules to your game. The player may also hit. have an idea for a Rule that isn’t on the sheet - understandably, as this is the first Beta release • Duration + Area + Hinder (Attack) = Anyone of this, and we wanted to keep it fairly basic. The near you trying to attack gets a disadvantage. old Arcana may give some ideas, or you may just • Damage + Duration + Ranged = Create a violent want to make them up. Almost any Special in the creature you can control up to that range. game could be an alternative basis for a Damage, for example. • Duration + Movement = Levitate Spell. • Range + Movement = Telekinesis. Selectivity is an ability I suspect people will be unlikely to choose but also one they need a lot. • Duration + Ranged + Movement = Create Living This means “I can cast a fire blast around myself Animated Servant. and not blow myself up.” Selectivity also scales as listed below - level 1 means you can remove • Damage + Duration + Ranged + Movement = yourself; level 2 means you can remove a few Create Living Animated Servant which kicks people from the effect. ass. You may wish to have selectivity be an exception It’s worth noting that a Rule is the top scale of to the Rules Lawering risk costs - increasing risk what it could achieve, so could achieve less. So if by 1 rather than 2. This encourages people to you take Damage (fire) you could use its narrative select it as a Rules Lawyering effect, and has a effect to light a match. You don’t have to just fun 1-in-20 chance of disaster à la D&D. murder people with it. So Damage (fire) and Range could be used to light a torch across the room. Scale Generally speaking, the fictional component is in Scale is a way to quantify whether a spell addition to the mechanic component, and entirely affects something. Each time the identical Rule is for free. If a player is trying to make a combination selected, it increases the maximum level of scale. (or fictional element) do something that sounds a If a spell includes none of a Rule, it operates on bit borderline, it is likely best to just accept it and scale zero. You get this for free. say the extra desired effect requires some Rules Lawyering to do. Speaking generally, this is for guidance. You don’t

need to memorise it. You can easily wing this in terms of “Well, touch is 0, 1 is basic range, and this target is a long way away, so it’s 2.” Range Movement (Direction) 0 = Touch 1 - On one plane (I.e. Levitation or moving 1 = Thrown Range around as normal) 2 = Bow Range 2 - Flight 3 = Gun Range 3 - Pass through other objects 4 = Line of Sight 5 = Country-Wide Damage 6 = Region-Wide This scales, but less dramatically. It means that it adds the same Special multiple Area times. What does this allow? While the core 0 = Touch mechanic states that you are unable to use 1 = Arm’s reach the same Special more than once on the 2 = 10 ft range same target, you can apply identical Specials 3 = Large room size multiple times. So you’re essentially hoping 4 = What? you roll a bunch of sixes. 5= Seriously, this is dangerous? What are you thinking? You’re going to take someone’s eye Failure To Roll Difficulty To Cast A Spell out. 6 = That cool bit in Akira. No, not the bit where Like all failure, it is meant to be interpreted. his arm goes SHLUNK! or the bit with the bike Especially with high difficulty spells, the spell and the lasers. The bit with the explosion. That will likely still work, but without its full effect. For bit. example, casting a fully active kick-ass construct is a Difficulty 4 spell. If you roll fewer successes, Duration it’s possible that the effect only lasts for a combat 0 = Instantaneous round or perhaps two. 1 = Length of a Combat 2 = Hour Rules Lawyering To Reducing Difficulty 3 = Day 4 = Week Worth stressing an implicit part of the Rules: any 5 = Month new Rules you add to a spell do not increase its 6 = Year and a Day Difficulty. So if you add two Rules you know to a spell, and then use Rules lawyering to add two Selectivity more, its Difficulty is 2. 1 = You can make it not affect you. 2 = A spell can not affect anyone near you. However, also implicit in Rules Lawyering is the following: if a Master chooses to add a Rule to As a general rule, complete selectivity inside an the spell which they already know via Rules area requires a level of selectivity equal to the Lawyering, rather than their knowledge of the size of the area. So if you’re casting a fireball that Rule, it does not increase the Difficulty. You are has a scale of 3 for area, it will need a scale of 3 essentially trading Difficulty for the increased in selectivity to ensure that you get to pick who chance of being caught. gets hurt inside it. E.g. The Master is trying to create a warrior Movement (Velocity) construct. As described above, it needs range, 1 - Walking movement, damage and duration. The Master has 2 - Running all those Rules, but that adds up to 4 Difficulty. 3 - Horse Gallop The Master decides to Rules Lawyer, and add 4 - Vroooooom! damage and duration for 1 point each (as they 5 - The engines cannae take it, Captain. know them). As they’re added by Rules Lawyering, they do not create any increase in difficulty. They can summon the construct if they roll Difficulty 2. CHEATING god. This is 100% the Fair (or whoever) having all the power and they can hit you with the full It should be noted that as standard the cheat still punishment any moment they choose. A Master happens even if the player is caught. They’ve should not be too comfortable. done the crime. Now to do the time. It is possible that some punishments include undoing it, of Yes, “contempt of court” could lead to hitting course… them with a punishment more than is suggested. A warning would be polite, of course. TRIALS BY THE POWERS THAT BE For players who are not exactly good at this It says on the Master’s sheet that when the D20 is sort of thing, you may wish to allow a Charisma selected from the player’s hand, the Powers That roll with the number of successes determining Be arrive. You may note that isn’t defined on the whether it can be cut down. sheet. The Master is unlikely to know who they are until they turn up, unless they specifically go PUNISHMENTS and try and find out, and maybe not even then. There are some ideas on the sheet, but here’s a If there is something in your game which seems basic list of things to consider, in increasing levels to be ideal for policing reality, use it. If not, the of severity… standard judges are The Fair. The clue’s in the name, right? The Fair exist as a higher level force across all the pocket dimensions of Die, so are • Losing the Mastery: the basic one. Just very into this. something a Master hates. • Community Service: A specific task a player How does a trial work? has to do, on cost of further punishment.

For a GM-controlled Master, unless it’s something • Suffering Wounds: Clearly can be fatal, but which adds to the plot, it’s unlikely you’ll want to more often an annoyance. show the trial. The Master maybe has a moment • Curses: Some in game disadvantage, either of begging for forgiveness to thin air, before the mechanically or a narrative, or both. punishment hits them. More likely a moment of panic before the punishment hits is enough. That • Quests: A big, difficult-to-achieve thing - think said, if you want to role-play begging for life and of what a God may demand of a Godbinder for let the players decide if it’s convincing, that could guidance. be fun too. I’m not the boss of you. • Instant Death: Anything which is active 100% game-breaking cheating should get hit with If it’s a player-controlled Master, the Fair (or this.. whoever is judging) appear and describe the crime and punishment, and ask if there’s anything • Killing loved ones and party members too: for the court to consider. The Master then can For things which are cheating in a way which say whatever they wish to try to get off, or at is actively trying to destroy the game (as in, least get them to be lenient. The latter isn’t a bad in the fiction, not in real life) or subvert the tactic - getting a punishment dialed down is more whole justice system, collateral damage is in likely than being forgiven entirely. The Fair are also character. not cruel - it is likely a “well, this was your first offence” will lead to it being cut down. • Trapping them in an eternal hellish pain which destroys them mentally and physically and While a Master begs for their life, be aware this leaves no room for resurrection and escape: is different from a Godbinder argument. That Death is a mercy. Sometimes, if a Master is is a Godbinder trying to come to a deal with a bad enough, there’s no mercy. TAKING IT SLOW (aka Writing The Rules) people to actively snoop, which rarely ends well. However, we all do hear about previous games You’ll note there is a section that says some and people do share stories. If you hear that a cheating may take some time. This is equivalent player has used an excuse before, the Fair know to a Godbinder’s miracle side-stepping the plot - about it. as in, if a cheat is trying to do that, you will likely demand some equivalent work to do it. Which is why I’m not telling you as, if I ever play a Master in any of your games, I don’t want you It’s also worth noting that slow cheats need saying “I believe you’ve used that before, Kieron.” not be cheats which have a huge punishment if caught. In fact, they’re arguably less likely to You won’t get me like that. be - crafting a citadel from the ground over a week is less offensive to the nature of reality than THE MASTER TRYING WEIRD SHIT something that happened simply not happening. A smart Master will try something neither you nor In the campaign, this sort of long-scale reality your friend the game designer will have thought warping task is very much a part of the Master’s of. Well done them. advancement, so is something of a placeholder or an inspiration for those who wish to play around Cheating has an enormously high chance of with this in your games. failure. The penalty of failure is in proportion to how large a scale cheat it is. And any ongoing There’s a line which will likely go into the full cheating (as in, cheating that is still present, campaign: What is writing the rules in an RPG including spells created from Rules) can be other than bending the rules until they stick? included in that punishment. In other words, if a crime is ongoing, if the cops turn up in any point, This would be akin to that. you may be trouble.

META NONSENSE TO THE MAX However, a Master can and should absolutely go for it. I am resisting giving you the clever excuses I would use as a Master player begging for my To choose one example, a Gamist Master has life after being caught cheating for two reasons. the ability to “Overturn or create an exception Firstly - these Rules are the game posing a to a major existing Rule in an archetype.” A question, and the point is for each group to have Master could choose the Rule to be “the cheating fun finding their own answers. detection Rules” and the limited context to be “in this room”. Secondly… Surely that will mean a Master can throw off The Fair, as characters, are going to be less indefinite cheats in this room? Is that allowed? forgiving of repeated identical excuses from the same character. “No, human, your dog did not eat Yeah, why not. Let’s see what happens. your reality user manual again.” That’s logical, and you already know that. However, as the Firstly, it’s still a 50% chance of failing and Fair exist across all games of DIE, they are also having to go before the judgement of the Fair. This sensitive to repeated excuses used by the same is an extreme cheat - this is a worse evasion of player. the Rules than “make something that has just happened not happen”. That has a compulsory When I first wrote this section I wrote “Do feel free punishment of death. What could a worse to ask previous GMs about what sort of excuses compulsory punishment be? You tell me. That’s players have used in previous games when what they’re risking. playing Masters” but that seems to encourage Secondly, they need to specify which cheating don’t disappoint them. Have fun thinking of the detection Rule. Major or minor? They’re two unexpected consequences of cheating. Perhaps different Rules. If they don’t specify, the cheat turning off “the ability for anyone to be hurt” would be exactly what they say. If not, the has no awful side-effects… or perhaps it means other one will be in action. Same as the area. that the metabolic cycle in every single cell of What are the boundaries of “this room”? Can everyone’s body stops, due to the inability of they be manipulated? Smart opponents can enzymes to “hurt” glucose molecules. fuck with the Rules. Foolhardy Masters can fail to see their limitations. The caveat there is not We’ve all seen the Magician’s Apprentice fucking playing “Gotcha” with a player - they are risking up in Fantasia. Players know the difference a lot whenever they try to cheat. Giving them between a clever cheat and trying to avoid something, even if they don’t get everything, is a playing the game, and the latter absolutely is way to sweeten the pill. going to end up with an army of mops destroying civilization. That said, warning a player that Thirdly, if at any point this is brought to the they’re stepping into significantly dangerous attention of the Fair, via any kind of cheat roll areas is the absolute minimum. or any other method (Neo contacting the fair, Godbinders using a miracle to get them there, etc, For GM-controlled Masters, I would not etc), we return to point one. An ongoing cheat is recommend any of these huge game-breaking ongoing evidence, and we get whatever awful sorts of cheating. We can assume their training punishment this terrible cheat gets. will have involved being taught to avoid trying that. Clearly, the usual “unless there’s a really Generally speaking, if a player jams their cool thing that seems exciting” caveat applies. fingers in the socket to see what happens, RUNNING THE GODBINDER

This section entirely replaces the Running The Godbinder section in the 1.1 Manual.

WHO TO GIVE THE GODBINDER TO? a decision. If the Godbinder is the sort to want to read everything, you may not wish to give them The Godbinder is arguably the most flexible and this, or at least you could encourage them to look directly powerful of the classes. In terms of at the gods as “which fictional entity do you want traditional D&D classes, it is most akin to a cleric, to talk to regularly” rather than “what Scripture but if the player’s choices lean more martial, they are you fishing for?” can act like a Knight. If the choices lean more academic in style, the Godbinder can operate in a It’s also worth noting that this sheet’s Rules manner akin to a warlock or any magic user. are basically untouched since version 1.2. As Scripture is more limited than the Minor Miracles But while the Godbinder is based around it replaces, the Scripture you get from individual managing debts with various gods, it isn’t really gods is significantly better. Only the gods on the for those who are looking for crunchy mechanics main sheet have been upgraded - the Scripture on – it’s one where the player gets to interact with the second sheet lacks the punch. a series of god characters and explicitly barter for what they want. In other words, it’s the class PLAYING THE GODS whose abilities most involve role-play as a core element. If a player likes yapping to GM-controlled The player gets to define their gods, and then the characters, this is one of the best choices for GM plays them. The names the player selects and them. their domains are your cue to their personalities, and you can build on that. The gods are big USING THE D12 personalities, and I would suggest leaning them iconic. If you’re a reader of the comic DIE, you’ll The Godbinder is one of the less complicated likely have a selection of gods for inspiration. archetypes in its use of dice. The dice is used The gods, generally speaking, either want the simply as a tool the player brandishes to contact player to owe them, or they want to cause things the god. Some people use it as a phone. Some related to What They’re The God Of to happen in people use it as an altar. Just make the players the world. When role-playing the gods – including aware of it, and encourage them to lean into the setting deals – bear this in mind. ritual of it. Unless the Godbinder (or the god) decides The D12 is also added to any dice pool which otherwise, time is frozen when speaking to a god, involves a Godbinder’s miracles, including attacks and no one else can hear them. Describe that (and the players’ physical attacks if transformed effect to the Godbinder as you wish. It’s a good or enhanced by a spell in some way). So if a idea for a god to pro-actively speak to the player player is transformed into a bear, they would get in the first scene, to show it’s an option, and to roll their D12 in any dice pool related to bear introduce the concept of Miracles. A favourable- activities. If you magicked up a divine sword, deal early Miracle is a good idea to encourage you’d use the D12. tentative Godbinders to play with the system. The first hit’s free, after all. THE SECOND GOD SHEET I give each of my gods their own voice, though This sheet gives a selection of other gods a avoid any accent that could be read as offensive. Godbinder may follow. You don’t need to give the I lean towards modes of speaking more than Godbinder this sheet - it expands their options, anything else. I would also think of staging – my and so may expand the time they take to make personal trick is, when playing a god, to go and stand behind the Godbinder and speak into GOD DEBT their ear. Clearly, I get permission for this kind of boundary pushing. The effect of the Godbinder God Debt is a generalized currency for gods. A not being able to see who they’re summoning and Godbinder should keep a record of their God Debt everyone else being able to certainly increases to each god. They can never have more than 5 the sense of magic. When playing remotely I often God Debt to any single god. It is possible for a turn off my camera when being a god, and lean Godbinder to be in credit to a god - as in, they owe into the voice. you. They can never owe you more than 5 either.

If a Godbinder has more than one god, it’s likely There is a problem with being in debt to a god. At that they’ll take over the game if the Godbinder any time, the god may call in any number of these likes role-playing with them. If there’s more favours. If the player refuses, they suffer Wounds players, lean the gods more taciturn. Of course, equal to the number of debts the god chooses to this excess of NPCs around the player means the call in. A god does not need to use all the God Debt Godbinder is a very good choice for a solo game. at once.

It’s also worth noting that a Godbinder can call Gareth Godbinder owes the fire god 3 God Debt. on their gods to just talk to them - and Gods can On the way home, he passes a field of wheat. The contact the Godbinder when they have something fire god wants it to burn. Gareth is going to refuse, on their mind. It doesn’t have to be all business. but the Fire God points out that the Godbinder Gods tend to have strong opinions. only has 3 Health. If they say no, he’ll be reduced to 0 Health and keel over. Swearing at the hard- SCRIPTURE, MIRACLES & GOD DEBT bargain-driving-bastard, they reach for their torch... In previous versions of DIE, the Godbinder had two major forms of magic – Minor Miracles and Major The question of what is reasonable is key - the Miracles. Scriptures replace the Minor Miracles, god has to say how much of the debt they are and Miracles replace the Major Miracles. This is calling in on the favour. Equally, how brutal and not 1:1 in any way – essentially the vast majority of manipulative a god is depends highly upon the freeform elements have been moved away from personality of the god in question, which will the Scripture/Minor Miracles to the new Miracles. emerge in the game. Some gods would never really want to kill you. Other gods are 100% trying So, now a Godbinder has two magical effects - to lure you into spending just enough debt so they Scripture and Miracles. Scripture operates like can off you instantly. This should all emerge in spells in a traditional game, and is all listed (or your games. chosen) on a Godbinder’s sheet. For those gods which are actively aggressive Miracles are bespoke effects which a Godbinder against the player you should be sure to warn petitions a specific god for by picking up their D12, them. A lot of this may just come from the gods and describing what they want. The god will give selected - if you choose the Eldritch god, there’s a cost, and then the Godbinder either agrees or an implicit danger there, and an accepting of it by not. choosing them. “I had no idea the being with all the tentacles and non-Euclidean geometry would One of the standard costs is God Debt, which a eat my face.” player accumulates with each god, and which the god can then trade in to demand favours - and Paying Off God Debt hurt the player if they refuse. As well as a god making demands to pay off debts, if a player does something that a God Let’s explain God Debt first, as it funds the other would want the players to do, the GM may have two. it pay off some God Debt. A Godbinder may even suggest things to the god which they could do in exchange for wiping some God Debt off their slate. Difficulty 1). He rolls zero successes. He presently has zero God Debt to Fireo the Fiery god of It’s worth noting that, in the campaign, a Flames, so must spend it to make the Scripture Godbinder has more ability to manage debt and succeed. He does so, and now has 1 debt to Fireo. pay it off “for free”, and the debt economy here is a step towards that. If a player wishes to do something that the Scripture doesn’t specifically do, you can always Leaving Die In Debt To The Gods turn to a miracle to add the missing functionality - Let low-level debt slide, especially if it’s just been see later. forgotten. It’s a good thing to use to put a few weird notes in the epilogue. If a player’s response For example, Gareth Godbinder is firing his fireblast to escaping is to act in the world like the god again, but the target is on a distant hill. It’s out of would have wished them to, this pays off a lot of range of the spell. Gareth wants to shoot anyway God Debt. - and the GM Fiero says it’ll work for 1 God Debt. Great! If it’s deliberately running off without paying a big God Debt, do feel free to create physical injuries CHANGES SINCE LAST VERSION to the persona in the real world proportionate to their God Debt. A literal pound of flesh is perfectly Previously, the Difficulty for casting a Minor acceptable in some cases. Miracle (now Scripture) was its level. This is no longer true. A single success will cast any SCRIPTURE Scripture.

These are minor abilities, more akin to the “How much Scripture can you cast?” and other standard spells in a role-playing game - as in, D&D-y questions they have standardised effects which happen There is no limit on the amount of Scripture you every time. You can use them creatively, but they can cast in these rules, though the specific world are primarily for the set effect. the players arrive in may create some problems. There is an obvious risk in accumulating God The Godbinders have three which all Godbinders Debt. “They’re Cantrips” is a good way to explain have, and then have additional one(s) picked. To Scripture to a D&D player. At which point they may cast the effect, a Godbinder must roll a Wisdom go “Wait – Fireball is my Cantrip?” And then you roll against the spells level. As in, the spell’s level go “Uh-huh” and they can go “Whoa.” is also its Difficulty. MIRACLES If you fail to cast a Scripture, a Godbinder must (if they are able to) take on God Debt to make the Miracles can be anything a Godbinder can ask a Scripture work. The steps of this are… god for, and is vaguely within the area of a god’s power. The structure is as such… 1. You can never have more than 5 God Debt to a single god. 1. The Godbinder player lifts their dice and 2. If you are able to take on the God Debt to cast addresses the god, saying what they want to the Scripture, you must. If you can’t take God happen. Debt on, the spell simply fails. 2. The God says whether they’ll do it, and if so, 3. If you take on 1 God Debt, you add 1 success for what cost. to the pool. This is enough to make the spell 3. Perhaps a nice little haggle. work, but may not be enough (for an attack 4. If both parties agree, it happens. spell) to hit its target. Miracles vary from something like a spell in a For example, Gareth Godbinder is firing his fireblast classical role-playing game (as in, akin to, or even (Difficulty 1) at a single Fallen (Defence 1, so identical to the Scripture) up to a world-scale event, interacting with large-scale plot problems For example, a Godbinder and party are presented or when the players are in deep trouble. You are with a 100 ft giant guarding the door to the lair of essentially bartering with a god for them dealing the Master. The players don’t fancy their chances, with a problem in exchange for a service. and contact the God of Ice to ask if they can freeze the giant for them. Sure, says the God of A god can also just say “No, I’m not interested in Ice. But first you have to defeat a Fire Demon who a deal”. Especially if the players have pissed the is troubling the region to the east. The Fire Demon god off somehow, or it is something that the god is an enemy about as difficult to defeat as the has no interest or ability in (for example, asking giant. the Ice god to heal someone isn’t exactly their thing… unless your Ice god is quite unusual, which A god can also offer deals which are clearly is fairly usual in DIE). something no sensible player would take... but remember, players tend to not be sensible. For Gods occasionally do Miracles they really want example, a god which sets their cost as “You to do, just for the fun of it, if it’s aligned with their need to kill someone in your party” is not enough nature. This can be especially useful early in the to stop at least some players from doing it. adventure to show exactly how big a miracle can That said, that also sounds like it could be an be. Wiping out the initial wave of Fallen is a good interesting situation. I would advise against giving way to show what the scale of their power can an offer that you cannot stand the players saying be, for example. yes to. Someone will always call your bluff.

The god’s price can be anything, but typically If a player breaks a promise based on this kind involves one or more of the below: of Miracle, they immediately receive God Debt in proportion to how big the Miracle was. You judge 1. The player taking on some God Debt. this. If it was something genuinely plot changing, 2. The player having to perform a specific task. give 4 or even 5 God Debt. The god can save this 3. The player promising a favour, to be decided for future player manipulation or use it instantly down the line. to harm the player - likely the latter, as it’s such a betrayal. 1) Taking On God Debt 3) Favours For the former, the cost varies depending on the scale of the task. For something akin to a This is the equivalent of writing a god a blank traditional spell (”Summon sufficient food to feed cheque. This plays out as a specific task, but its this village” “I want to cast a Fireball!” “Can I fly nature is revealed down the line. for a bit?”) a cost of 1 or 2 God Debt would be a good rule of thumb. Access to any Scripture of Generally speaking, this is most useful when the a higher level is definitely just a single God Debt. GM wants to create a debt which can’t be paid off For things beyond a classic spell, more debt is piecemeal like God Debt. Equally, it’s a good way suitable. to put a gun on the mantlepiece. Everyone at the table knows this will be a sizeable thing when it’s 2) Specific Task called in.

This can either be something to be done before That said, a favour should be proportionate to they’ll perform the Miracle - or if not afterwards the miracle. If a Godbinder gives a god a favour in - with consequences if you don’t. For the former, exchange for getting a toffee apple, calling in the it’s mainly if a Miracle is big enough to sidestep favour to murder everyone they ever met is just a major part of the play. The task should be not on. basically as hard as solving the actual problem itself. RUNNING THE FOOL (additional)

This combines the new rules from the 1.2 errata with the advancement rules from this 1.3 edition. All other stuff in Running The Fool in the v1.1 manual remains true.

REPLACEMENT FOOL RULE: FLUKES When a player gets to make up a Fluke, there may be a tone discussion. It is a place for player As debuted in v1.2, the full new system for Fool’s creativity, but should align with the desired tone symbols (which they draw on their dice) is of all players (and the good taste). In extreme described on their character sheet. cases, the X-card is available.

In short… Do not delete any symbols between adventures.

1. Whenever a Fool rolls a dice pool which Clearly, if the player wants to use different includes the Fool’s dice, and does NOT roll a symbols from either circles or crosses, feel free. side with a circle on, you ADD a circle. 2. If you roll a circle, the Fool’s Fluke happens. FOOL ADVANCEMENT RULES Delete all the circles bar one, and also add a CROSS to another side of the dice. If you’re playing with advancement, Fools can 3. If the Fool rolls the cross, a negative thing will gain other abilities. Two of the below are from the happen to either them or the people around last Beta and another one I’ve just added: them. All the crosses are then deleted. Fools Rush In In other words, this system will slowly build Fools with this ability, if they initiate combat towards something good happening for the player. before the rest of the party have agreed to When that does, there is a chance for something engage in combat, get one free extra action at the bad to happen to the party, which will build until start of the combat, before friends or foes. it happens. This is, as the “opponent gets buried alive under something unfortunate” line may Fool’s Prep suggest, a power primarily inspired by that bit in Once per session, a Fool can declare an item they Back to the Future where Biff gets his head stuck need, and they either have it with them (having in the manure. luckily picked it up on a whim) or it’s in the nearby vicinity. The GM should feel free to ask questions If the cross is rolled, select one of the Flukes the about it for more details. Fool has selected and apply it against the group. Ask the Fool to strike it on the list, and select a Never Tell Me The Odds new Fluke. If they enter a game of chance and are willing and able to add a cross to their dice, they will never Yes, it’s possible that in certain situations a Fool lose. may start making up positive Flukes, thinking that the odds are they will be rolling a cross, so affecting the party. This is 100% fine. RUNNING THE NEO (errata)

This is additional to the section in DIE v1.1.

NEO ADVANCEMENT: LESSER GIFTS It should be stressed that narrative also impacts the mechanics. So you could rule that a Lesser Gifts are Neo abilities which, while character who is flying quickly with a jetpack is requiring activation (and could be overcharged), harder to hit, so anyone trying to do so suffers a do not provide a specific mechanic advantage, disadvantage. However, you could also rule that only narrative effects. if you’re flying that quickly, attacks are harder for you as well. They are described as an evocative noun, and you should discuss what that looks like and feels like. (For example, a jetpack would allow the character to soar through the air and provide different approaches to problems.) NON-MASTER ANTAGONISTS

Now that we have a fully functional Master cheats without Cheat Tokens. They only have character, it’s likely someone will want to play a access to the cheats in the DIE MASTER section of Master as a PC. the Master sheet.

This works like so: This can be justified in the fiction in many ways - the easiest is that they have been gifted a When the dice are distributed, give a player magical artifact of some kind which gives them the D20 and say they’re the Master, then mastery of the area they’re in, and a number of continue as normal. wishes. Rings of Power, Magic Lamps and so on. Alternatively, there may be a Master character in That was easy. the world who works for the antagonist, and does the dirty work for them. Whatever the method, Antagonist it’s likely folded into the reason the adventure is happening. However, this leaves the problem that if the Master is taken, who does the Gamesmaster The Cheat Tokens are primarily a way to extend play? the survivability of the antagonist (I.e. when you hit them, they don’t just die) and offer temptations It works like this… to the players .

When the dice are distributed, when all other Areas To Consider players have got their dice, the GM holds up one of the remaining dice, says what class it If you wish, the Highlander Variant from the main is, and then continues as normal. rules can also come into play. The antagonist and the player can both be Masters. See, that was easy too. Equally, if a player is a Master, it opens up Hurrah! different end game possibilities, which you should consider. Can the player Master take over the How That Actually Works In Play realm? How would they do that? There are no hard answers to this - they’re just story prompts, When transported to Die and transformed, the at least for now. antagonist character (as well as gaining the normal abilities of their archetype) gains access Yes, I suspect Masters waging war and trying to to the DIE MASTER rules, including a number carve out their own regions is going to turn up in of Cheat Tokens equal to the number of other the campaign game, whether I write rules for it or players (I.e. not including you). not.

As they do not have a D20, they can’t perform NON-PLAYER ARCHETYPES

It’s possible that you meet characters on Dictator. If a Dictator dies, all their compulsions your adventure who have abilities akin to the end – with the exception of any created by a archetypes. This is how you do it. critical fail.

THE CLASS DICE FOOLS

There’s only one of each of the special character A basic Fool just has access to the Fool’s dice. dice in each world of Die. An Elite may choose one of the three styles. The Heroic Fool gets access to ‘If All Else Fails’. There’s one D4, one D8 and so on. That means any character you meet can’t have that same Roll a D6 as your class dice. A Fool’s dice does not dice. As such, every character in a class without accumulate circles - but does gain crosses. the requisite dice tries to simulate it, normally using one or two easily identifiable D6 as a KNIGHTS surrogate. Each class below explains what to roll, and how to interpret it. An exception would be if a A basic Knight gets to select an Arcane Weapon. character somehow comes into possession of a The Elite Knight gets to choose a Stance. A Heroic class dice, in which case it’s added to the pool. Knight gets to choose a greater ability.

STATISTICS When using Creative Violence, roll a D6 rather than a D8. Note that this makes a Knight significantly Here’s three increasing levels of character. For more likely to hurt or kill themselves. If a Knight each, you may wish to select equipment from the uses Creative Violence, an opposing Knight should first sheet of each archetype – that likely gives be able to use their ability as a response. The you too many stats, and you can make do with higher emotional level gets to decide the effect. If just setting their Defence. emotional levels are equal, the higher roll on their class dice gets to decide the effect. • Level 1 - Basic: Choose one relevant stat as a 3. All others 2. A basic Emotion Knight’s maximum Creative • Level 2 - Elite: Choose two relevant stats as a Violence is 2. An Elite is 3. A Heroic is 4. 3. All others 2. • Level 3 - Hero: Choose one stat as a 4, two as NEOS a 3, all others 2. A basic Neo has access to their AI and a single DICTATORS cybernetic. For each further level of Neo, select another cybernetic system. A basic Dictator chooses one emotion. For each additional level, choose another. Select two recognizable D6 to simulate the class dice. Roll a D6 as your class dice. 1 to 4 on your class dice counts as the number rolled. A 5 or 6 counts If the dice total is 2-6, it counts as a failure. as zero successes. If it’s 10 or more, it also counts as a failure and the gift loses its charge. Dictators working together use the rules for group If it’s 7-9, it counts as a success. attacks – as in, roll for the most powerful Dictator and add one dice to the pool per assisting This is weird math, but trust me. GODBINDERS A Master uses the D6 as a class dice, for all purposes. This means that when Rules Lawyering A basic Godbinder chooses a level in a god. For to add new Rules, failure is much more likely. each further level they can choose another level in a god. (Easiest if they’re all from the same god.) In terms of hardcore cheating, each level of A god owes a Godbinder one miracle for each level Master ups the scale of punishment they can risk. they possess. They’re likely loathe to spend those A level 1 can only risk the “Lose Mastery” style miracles. cheats, a level 2 the 1-2 Wounds, and level 3 the death ones. Use a D6 as their class dice. The GM should also pick up a D6 and speak to it when a Godbinder If an NPC Master is Master of a region they are in, converses with their god, because if the players they gain access to the cheats shown in the DIE do it, the GM should too. MASTER boxout on the last page of the Master Character Sheet. They can have a maximum MASTERS number of Cheat Tokens equal to their level. So a level 1 Master could only ever have one Cheat A Basic Master chooses 3 Rules. For each higher Token, no matter how many players they faced. level, choose one new Rule. A Master also decides what kind of Master they are - Gamist, Simulationist, Narrativist. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL DIE: DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME (WE KILLED A KOBOLD AND TOOK ITS STUFF)

This is a pre-generated scenario for DIE. Unless a room’s discussed Lines (I.e. if you’ve agreed otherwise stated, all that follows is additional there’s no inter-party romance, skip questions to all the standard parts of running a DIE game. related to romance). If it doesn’t include any The Arcana has other game set-ups in this direction, a question can be asked to anyone in format, each of which offers a completely the group. Choose someone and ask them. different way of playing a DIE game. This one differs in that it uses the core set-up of DIE. This If you know you want specific archetypes in the isn’t an alternate scenario - it’s just a way of game, turn the initial questions into a statement. approaching the basic game with a lot more GM See Character Generation for which Persona support. It gives you set questions, a standard is hooked up for which Archetype as standard. set-up, and a set way to generate the backbone For example, if you want to include a Godbinder, of your adventure. You can always go off piste instead of asking “Who was the most popular too if inspiration strikes. kid?” say “You’re the popular kid.”

As per the main game, this is a group of friends In a three-player game include Popular Kid, who used to play a role-playing game, who get Obsessive and Nerd. For each further player, add together years later to play again. Computer Geek, Joker and Meanie.

PREPARATION In smaller games, a player may take multiple roles – for example, you ask someone the questions Nothing extra. about both the Popular Kid and the Joker.

PERSONA GENERATION PERSONA GENERATION QUESTIONS

The following is a list of questions which should If the GM is to play the Master… generate a suitably DIE-esque group. Feel free to • I ran the game. Why did I say I wanted to run a add your own questions in addition to these, or role-playing game? even jettison all of these questions and perform the Persona Generation as per the main manual. Any further questions which relate to the GM’s character should be addressed to the other What follows will assume you have the simplest players… unless you have an idea you really like. motivation for your antagonist: they’ve nursed a grudge against at least most of the other players, If you want a player to be the Master… and this dungeon gives them a chance to kill them • Who’s the biggest fantasy nerd in the group? and then live on in this fantasy world. At best, the • [Nerd] Well done, nerd. How did you discover GM is utterly ambivalent to their fate. Bringing fantasy? them into this world was the cost for reaching this • [Nerd]Why did you decide to run a fantasy- world. It’s possible they hope some other players role-playing game? decide to join and stay, but if they don’t, fuck ‘em. If another motivation for the Master occurs The Rest Of The Questions to you in Persona Gen (or later), feel free to use it • One of you was an obsessive fan. Who? instead. • [Obsessive] What was it of? Music? TV? • [Obsessive] How does it make you feel? Why Some questions are for a specific Persona. Don’t did you need to feel like that? ask any for a Persona who isn’t in the game. Also, don’t ask any questions which are against • One of you is popular. Who? • [Ask everyone] What do you wish you were • [Popular] Why do people like you? doing? • [Popular] So why on Earth did you play a nerdy • [Nerd] What stops you indulging in your love of fantasy game like this? fantasy as much now? • [Popular] How come you don’t have as many • One of you could never take anything friends now? seriously. Who? • [Obsessive] Why did your obsession stop • [Joker] What did you do that annoyed people? satisfying whatever it satisfied? • [Joker] What did people mock about you? • [Meanie] Did you ever stop being such a manipulative shit? • One of you was a Techie. Who? • [Joker] Behind the jokes, there’s a deep • [Techie] You hate fantasy. Why did you play a sadness. What keeps you up at night? fantasy RPG? • [Techie] What part of the future most • [Techie] What’s your favourite videogame? disappoints you? • [Techie] What was your weirdest predictation • [To whoever had the admired attribute] That about the future? attribute that got so much respect in school? It’s gone. How do you feel about that? • One of you was particularly harsh Who was • Who are you most in contact with? mean? • Who are you least in contact with? • [Meanie] How were you cruel to people? • Something makes your life harder on a nearly • [Meanie] Why were you cruel to people? daily basis. What is it? • [Meanie] How did you ensure you were invited to the RPG group? As always, ask more if you feel it’s necessary.

• [Everyone] What character class did you play? CHARACTER GENERATION

• You had an attribute that was widely admired As per usual. at high school. What was it? The dice are distributed as so… • Who do you think everyone think was the smartest person in the group? • Popular Kid: Godbinder • [To that person] Were you? If not, who was? • Techie: Neo • Obsessive: Emotion Knight • Who did you fall out with and not talk to for • Joker: Fool years? • Meanie: Dictator • (To person) What did you do? • Nerd: Master. • (To original person) Why do you pretend it’s all water under the bridge? This is a fairly solid set-up. If there’s a different idea which strikes you or the room as • [If the time-gap has not been established by entertaining, swap them around. now] Time has passed. How long has passed? 10 years? 20? INTO DIE

• Who is the most successful person in the The players appear in a dungeon room. That’s the group now? only way to explain it. It’s a 20 ft by 20 ft room, • [To person] How did you become successful? with a 10 ft high ceiling. Exactly. The players Who is resentful of your success? appear in the centre, with their dice floating • [To person] Why are you resentful of their mysterious before them. In the middle of the success? north wall is a wooden door. The players do not • [Ask everyone] What do you do now? What is know why this wall is to the north. They just do. your job? The players may realise that they can’t identify the sort of wood the door is made of, any more REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME than “it’s wood”. It’s platonic wood. Its woodiness cannot be denied. The walls and ceiling are made If a player is the Master, turn to them ask for the of dungeon. Do not explain what that means. It first location in their first ever adventure. If the GM means dungeon. is the Master, ask the same question to a player. Either way, then follow the instructions in the The Master grabs the D20 and teleports Locations Rules below. (spending a Cheat Token), as per the standard game. The line before they disappear is “Oh, I Afterwards, ask the next persona a question: need to set up.” Perhaps the Master cackles. It’s “What was the goal of the first adventure?” This that kind of scenario. is their goal.

After the players have had a chance to look Every time the players move on, ask a new player around and perhaps grab their dice, the door what happened next in the adventure, and feel to the north opens and an orc sticks their head free to guide the questions according to what the around the door, sighs, and then shouts back. adventure needs next. “So - what friendly face “Oh, adventurers, guys! They’re here to kill us and helped you next?” “Wasn’t there some kind of take our stuff!” difficult terrain next?” “What sources of food did you find in the woods?” Use theLocations Rules The orcs enter. The orcs are Fallen. Their stats are to determine its accuracy. in the Monsterography at the end of this section.. If you have an encounter which flows logically All they have in their heads is the desire to fight the from where you are at one point, use it. Equally, players, or be killed by the players, so the players if there’s an encounter on the list (see later) use can take their stuff. They are fatalistically resigned it instead. I try to use all encounters on the list to this. The aimed tone for this is particularly before the end of the game. creepy black comedy. You know the thought experiment about whether it’s ethical to eat a pig Repeat this process until you have time left for that wants to be eaten? This is that. These orcs one extended encounter. If there’s an encounter are here to be killed and their stuff taken. They may on the list you think works well for a conclusion, encourage the players to do so. “Take our stuff! pick that one and use it. If not, generate it exactly Look - it’s self-defence. I’m attacking you. If you kill like another encounter, with a question like “So me, you can take our stuff.” - what was interesting about the final encounter with the bad guy?” If a player asks where the The next room is another 20 ft by 20 ft room, with adventure ends earlier, you can generate it there - no other exits. If anyone has a way to sense an though don’t reveal how accurate it is. outer world they get nothing. The void goes on forever. Reality is these two rooms. IN THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

On the chest, there is a small note. It reads “Our As part of the first encounter, one NPC just reads Stuff”. from a piece of paper, like a GM reading text.

Inside the chest is 372 copper pieces, a key and a Welcome, Adventurers! You are in peril! You can 10 ft pole. The players know there are 372 of them, only return to your distant land if everyone votes automatically. Look at the players in a confused to do so - including your missing friend. Merely manner if they ask how the 10 ft pole can fit in the form a circle and each say, in turn, “The Game Is chest. Over.” Beware! The land is unstable, and will be destroyed if you don’t come to a consensus soon. When the key is picked up, reality starts falling apart. As Master, spend a second Cheat Token… Note - this does not explain you can stay. This is and the party appears somewhere quite different. left for the antagonist character to explain that’s an option - and it too will stabilise the realm. “The on the list from a previous question, repeat Game Continues” would be the phrase for that. the Location Rules process. To stress the subtext here: for each point where you need Have reality crumbling as an ongoing note as you an answer, anything added to the list can’t be play. used as the encounter.

LOCATION RULES For example, Tony, Julia and Chrissy are the party in DIE, with Beelzebub as the GM. Beelzebub asks Don’t ask for much - just a sentence or two is Tony what happened next. He says it’s a magical great. “An inn where the party gathered” or “a inn full of fairies, then rolls a 6. Beelzebub checks, path to some kind of fantasy town” are great and there’s nothing on the encounter list, so he answers. Clearly encourage people to try and writes down Tony’s idea, and then asks Julia build on what has been established, rather than what was actually there. She says it was a river trying to derail it. city of friendly elves… and rolls a 5. While Tony’s answer is now already on the list, as it’s too new, Then ask them to roll a D6, and look up the results Beelzebub just adds Julia’s answer to the list too on the following table. Do not let the players see and then asks Chrissy, who answers “Didn’t we this table. If you’re inspired, tweak the table. jump down a big hole?” and rolls a 1. Bingo! The players find the big hole.

1 - Correct. Later, Beelzebub asks what happened next, The encounter is entirely as they remember. and it’s Tony’s turn again. He says “I think we (Yes, there were friendly halflings around the found a dungeon, right?” and rolls a dice. It’s a corner.) six. However, now the list has Tony and Julia’s previous answers on the list. The Beelzebub picks 2 - Wrong. Tony’s previous answer (the inn full of fairies). Their memory is 100% off in one large and Beelzebub adds “a dungeon” to the list and tells crucial fashion, possibly to be entirely the the players that down the hole they’ve found opposite. (Yes, there were halflings around the Tony’s Magical Inn Full Of Fairies. Tony laughs. He corner. But they’re not friendly.) knew it was around here somewhere. Beelzebub smiles kindly, and thinks of how the great pits of 3 - Exactly as they remember, with one other hell will hail his triumph against the mortals. element. This is the core backbone for inspiring Turn to another player and ask what the first encounters. player has forgotten. This is exactly what is missing. Being a DIE game, the GM should take the 4 - Exactly as they remember, with one other encounter you’ve generated and integrate element… but off. material from the Personas’ backgrounds and desires to colour the experience. NPCs should Turn to another player and ask what the first recall the real-world hopes and fears of the player has forgotten. The exact opposite of Persona, etc. Mashing the real-world pain and whatever they pick is what’s missing. longing and these very D&D tropes is pure DIE, 5/6 – Add encounter to list and then use and you should have fun. previous encounter on list (if there is one). If there isn’t one, ask again and repeat process. As always: remember to ask questions about the real world. Ask about parents, partners, children, Write down whatever the player said. If you old lovers, etc, and then integrate aspects. have any previous encounters written down Persona gen never ends. from a previous question which got a 5-6, pick one, and that happens. If there’s nothing THE FINAL ENCOUNTER The hoped-for tone is black comedy inching into This takes place in the final location, as generated horror. Players will likely laugh to start with. I earlier. Reality should be nearly collapsing by this would advise digging past the laughs to get to point, forcing things to come to a conclusion, one something bleaker. Orcs begging you to kill them way or another. and take their stuff can be funny. Continuing to do it while you describe in detail (lines and The antagonist will explain that they can all stay veils withstanding) how their skin is sloughing here - but only if they agree. We don’t have to go off after they’ve been set on fire can perhaps home. They will happily kill the other players to reach another place. settle the matter. What will the players do? That said, a funny DIE adventure is also fine, and Do sprinkle in encounter elements that were as this is designed as an introductory game, stored on the list that didn’t turn up before the leaning a little gentle isn’t the worst thing in the final encounter. (”Oh - here come the river elves. I world. knew there were river elves here somewhere!”) MONSTEROGRAPHY WHY STAY HERE? Here’s some very basic stats to use for random There’s a whole fantasy world out there to creatures you may meet, taken from some broad explore. Who knows what it means? The sell here D&D archetypes. With a few tweaks and changing is primarily potential. A new life, whatever that the Specials, they can likely be used for almost means. If the antagonist is dead, they may still anything you would meet. want to stay. This fantasy world is likely better without the antagonist in it. KOBOLDS Stats: All 2, except CON, which is 1. THE END GAME Defence: 1 Does whatever a Kobold does and looks like If the living players return to Earth, all the players whatever a party remembers a Kobold to look like. who died in Die will be dead of what appears to Ask the players, find out. I have no idea. be a heart attack. No time will have passed. If you have a better idea, go for it. ORCS Stats: All 2 Do the aftermath questions as per usual Defence: 1 - if they choose to go home, ask how the Abilities: Beserk (No Guard, advantage on experience altered their life. If they choose to attacks.) stay, ask what their life is like here and either Likes to murder, has stuff to take, surprisingly chill add a sad note from the real world or something about it. to twist it. Then everyone cheer each other, they did great. ELVES Stats: Dexterity 3, Charisma 3 GM ADVICE ON ATMOSPHERE Defence: 1 Abilities: Any bow attack at a range in woodland DIE is always at least a little meta – this set-up, has the Special: elf disappears into hiding after especially with how the adventure starts, can this shot. be a lot meta. The cold open when you arrive in Nimble, beautiful, think they’re really smart, but Die is straight deconstructionary and the fact y’know, INT 2, so they’re not fooling anyone. the world is mashed together and confusing is justified by the fact it is based on someone’s first scenario. It makes no sense, as they rarely do. WIZARD Stats: Intelligence 3 DRAGON Defence: 1 Stats: Strength 6, Wisdom 3, Intelligence 3 Abilities: Advantage on all magic spells. Main Defence: 5 attack spell - Fire blast: Blast of flame to medium Specials: Can breathe fire every second round range. Special: ignite opponent, doing 1 hit per doing an INT attack with Special: Ignite opponent, round until extinguished. Special: hits extra doing 1 hit per round until extinguished, at anyone nearby target. vaguely where its snout is pointing. Good or bad? Quirky or magnificent? Forget it. Just Note the incredibly high Defence. The Dragon tell us about what hat they’re wearing. Pratchett is covered with ludicrously thick armour which was right: all forms of magic use are about the renders it invulnerable… except in one single area. hat. Can cast any spell which you think this sort of Gaining information on the Dragon’s weak spot Wizard can do. likely leads to significant Advantages on this attack. Make sure players realise how high its OGRES Defence is, because otherwise they’re likely toast. Stats: Strength 4, Constitution 4 That said, with a beast being this powerful, you Abilities: Massive Bulk (Health is 2x CON) can be sure the fight won’t… drag… on. Defence: 1 You won’t like them when they’re angry. When I’m sorry. they get angry they go berserk (No Guard, advantage on attacks). Likely you won’t like them Thanks to playtesters: Jim Rossignol, James anyway. Ogres don’t tend to be charming. Hewitt, Chris Gardiner. DESIGNER NOTES

This took a while, for a bunch of reasons. It was I keep on thinking back to a bit in 2nd edition partially due to the 2020 of 2020, and partially Paranoia, the first RPG manual I ever truly loved. because running the ongoing DIE campaign has It’s in a section about how you should feel free to taken up a lot of space (which also led to some of make the rules your own. There’s no Games Police the most significant tweaks here and more down who are going to turn up and arrest you. This is the road), but mostly because the Master is a accompanied by a delightful cartoon of a young right bastard. man sticking his head out of his bedroom window, to find the house surrounded by heavily armed I knew the heart of the Master and how it was SWAT teams. One of them screams up with a meant to feel, but I was far less sure about how to loudhailer: “All right, Billy! This is the Game Police! actually mechanise it. It didn’t help that Sol’s the We know you’re ignoring the movement die roll character we’ve seen least in action in the comic. modifiers! Come out with your hands up!” He’s been treated at a distance, for all the obvious reasons he has to be - the GM is always behind This always amused me, and the Master is the screen in a classical D&D game. We don’t get basically an RPG class where that cartoon is much of his perspective. 100% true.

So it’s appropriate that we finally get a first take Problem is: how on earth do you actually turn that on the the Master rules in-game when the lens of into mechanics? I made things more difficult for the comic turns back to Sol. myself in several ways.

The idea of the Master was “Mage as Reality Firstly, I wanted to do something as robust as the Manipulator” which is pretty basic. What does other five archetypes. This is a noble goal, but that mean? at the same time, means that I was resistent to doing something simpler and then iterating. It’s The core of it: the Master is a wicked portrait of not as if any of the archetypes started where you the classical GM. saw them.

The Master is about being the person who Secondly, part of DIE’s overall aesthetic is that owns the rules and gets to interpret them and each of the archetypes are their own thing. While rewrite them. They are abstractly the impartial there’s a shared language each builds on, each adjudicator, but if you are the person who creates has things which no one else has to consider. and tweaks the systemic forces that shape a The problem there is that I have used five sets world, you are always showing your bias. “It’s just of ideas, and needed another one. I repeatedly the rules” is a figleaf when you are the person played around with an idea, only to realise it was who controls the rules. actually just a slightly different way to do what another class did. More than this, when push comes to shove, the Master can cheat. Yes, those are the rules. I’m A good example of both of the above was when I breaking them. I’m in charge. The core abuse of was playing around with the idea of the D20 as a the position. playing piece you move around the exploded D20 shape shape (as in, like on the DIE covers). This The twist is that the Master is a player too, and is 100% over-complicated and impossible to get there are bigger powers than them who can come working in a simple way AND also basically is the a calling if they notice… same gaming verb as the Emotion Knight’s use of dice as token. I escaped the above by just giving myself dichotomy for the Godbinder. A Godbinder is either freedom. I didn’t need a full system - I needed doing things by rote, or is really communing with the skeleton. Each of the classes has two things god and haggling. And that differs from the reality - a set of core standard adventure-with-twists cops turning up due to the power dynamics in abilities (for example, the Neo’s gifts) and a big play when the Master is doing it, etc. hefty narrative changing freeform ability (for example, the Neo’s overcharges). That’s what I In the end, the Master is now much more needed. This is where Rules and Cheating came developed in this initial draft than I could have from. hoped. I’ll be interested to see what folks do with them. They’ve certainly been pretty entertaining The problem was that Rules, at their core, are in playtest. basically how Minor Miracles (now replaced by Scripture) used to work for Godbinders. I realised Speak soon. Hope 2021 is better than 2020. that the solution was actually to edit that freeform ability to take spells away from the Godbinder Kieron and give it to the Master (where it sits more 11.12.2020 conceptually) and lean into the Scripture/Miracles HANDOUTS Character Sheets & Reference v1.3 THE NEO

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D10

Adventurers’ lust for gold makes them all thieves, which makes the STATS prejudice against rogues a little odd. They all do it. But everyone knows why people are suspicious about Neo… Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class. The Neo’s magical technology needs to be activated by Fair Gold every day. It disappears every dawn. If they can’t find enough then all their gifts STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION means nothing. They chase it. Some practically, some obsessively, most Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of selfishly. combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc.

Adventurers all want gold but only Neo need it.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, options as the sheet describes. willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT You start with all the following: • A Dagger (or any pointy thing which stabs) • Another Close Weapon (short sword, a second dagger or • ______) • A Ranged Weapon (shortbow, crossbow, pistol or ______) • Leather Armour (Defence 1)

YOUR LOOK Choose one of the following: • Black Leather, studs and chrome • White leather, bleach and catsuits • Billowing black cloak and sinister scarlet eyes • Exposed metallic exoskeleton and vat grown muscle • Your own idea: ______

DEFENSIVE STATS

GUARD HEALTH CORE MECHANIC REDUX Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution

• Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if directed) your class dice. • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty you fully succeed. • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any DEFENCE WILLPOWER Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence roll.

COMBAT

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action. DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE

For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM. THE NEO IN BRIEF

Collect Fair Gold to spend to activate your fancy tech equipment and then spend more to use its fancier abilities.

GIFTS OF THE FAIR THE GOLD OF THE FAIR

You always have an AI system and ability to access the Fair Field. All your gifts start the game deactivated, unable to use their special abilities. A single piece of Fair Gold is required to activate each one for the In addition, select one technomagical gift. Each is a tool which, as with rest of the day. You’ll find a slot, likely in the back of your neck, where you other stated abilities, allows you to do anything that the gift would can insert the coin. logically let you do. However, each must be activated with Fair Gold before its special abilities can be used. What’s “Fair Gold”? You’ll know it when you see it. Ask your AI if you get stuck.

Gun Active You should keep track of how many pieces of Fair Gold you possess. Maybe you’ll be passed tokens? That’d be nifty. (Replaces Ranged Weapon from Equipment. As in, can be fired as a normal gun before being activated.) You are in possession of an arcane gun, gifted to you from the Fair. FAIR FIELD Define its appearance:______

Choose one of the below. When activated, you gain this special ability on its attacks. As a core part of your enhancements, you’re able to access the magical Fair Field which connects many technological magics in the world of Die. Explosive You are able to interact with and subvert it. Imagine being a hacker in a (Special: apply individual hit — not whole attack — to another target in the vicinity.) Homing fantasy world. Look for places where you can interact with the arcane (Special: this individual hit — not the whole attack — bypasses Guard.) technology. AI-Aided Targeting (Never has any disadvantages on a hit roll.) The dice pool is based on your Intelligence. If you succeed against the difficulty, you bypass the problem. The dice pool has aSpecial : subvert the Active system according to your will for one action. Energy Blade

(Replaces close combat weapon from Equipment. As in, can be used as a normal blade before being For example, the Neo faces a Fallen – a being which they can interact with activated.) via the Fair Field. The GM sets a difficulty of 2 to try and hack it. The Neo You have a searing energy blade, Luke Skywalker. You may use Dexterity for its dice pool instead of Strength. rolls three successes, one of which is a 6. The Fallen freezes and, with the 6, the player activates the Special, causing the Fallen to turn on its allies. Define its appearance:______

Choose one of the below. When activated, you gain this special ability on its attacks. Once more, do feel free to ask your AI questions.

Intangible (Special: this individual hit — not the whole attack — bypasses Guard.) Searing THE D10 (Special: if hit wounds, ignites target causing 1 Wound per round until extinguished.) Neurosleep Add the D10 to any dice pool when trying to achieve a task an active Gift (Special: target is hit by a sedative. If number of times they are hit by a sedative ever equals their constitution, they fall into a natural sleep.) would be of use in achieving.

As well as the normal meaning of the number (as in, a 4+ is a success, a 6+ Stealth Field Active can activate a special) if the result is a 0 (or, if the D10 you’re using has a You can become virtually invisible at will. You will not be noticed unless someone is actively 10 rather than a 0, a 10), the Gift uses up its charge. It deactivates and will searching for you, and possibly not even then. You’re basically the Predator. require another Fair Gold to reactivate.

When activated: It’s hard to hit someone you can’t see. Gain +1 defence. OVERCHARGE

Teleporter Active All the Fair Gifts are capable of higher performance if fueled with extra gold. This is called Overcharge. A gift must be activated before it can be You can make short scale teleport jumps – 1-5m. These can be chained. Yes, you’re Nightcrawler from the X-Men. overcharged.

When activated: Say what you wish your equipment to do. The GM will set a cost in gold to It’s hard to hit a teleporter. Add one disadvantage to any attempt to hit you. achieve the task. On average, a single gold is enough to change one of the limitations.

Pet Active For example, using the Teleporter to teleport the whole group a short You have an awesome cybernetic pet. distance would be one gold. Using the teleporter to transport yourself a long distance would be one gold. Choose what animal it is: ______

Choose what its personality is like: ______If you wish to proceed with the task, you spend the gold, and roll your D10.

When activated: If it’s Odd, it works. If it’s Even, something goes amiss. Gain advantage on any task the animal could feasibly help with. It is also autonomous, capable of following instructions. Its defence value is the same as yours. If it suffers a wound it dematerialises, and reappears beside you. The wounds are transferred to the Neo. THE DICTATOR

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D4

You read a sad story. You cry. Do you think that’s sinister, as if someone STATS has taken over your emotions? Of course not. That’s just what art is. Anyone who’s ever met a Dictator would disagree. Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class. By performing, they alter other people’s emotional states. Dictators play people like a musician plays a harp. They can pluck the strings. They can STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION snap them. Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc. In D&D terms, they are like Bards, if everyone was fucking petrified of bards.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, options as the sheet describes. willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT You start with the following: • The Dictator’s Clothes (Defence 1) In addition, choose one of the following options: • A Rapier (Use Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. Special: recover one Guard.) • A Dagger and a Ranged Weapon (bow, pistol) including ammunition • Magical Death Touch (May use Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. This weapon is concealed and cannot be disarmed.)

YOUR LOOK Choose one of the following: • Austere, severe angular outfits • Flamboyant, straight out of a stage show • Spectacular eveningwear • Your own idea: ______

DEFENSIVE STATS

GUARD HEALTH CORE MECHANIC REDUX Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution

• Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if directed) your class dice. • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty you fully succeed. • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any DEFENCE WILLPOWER Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence roll.

COMBAT

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action. DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE

For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM. THE DICTATOR IN BRIEF

Select one emotion and then think of clever and/or horrific ways to inflict them on people.

BUILDING YOUR EMOTIONAL PALETTE This is a character class that has questions of consent buried right in the 1 ______heart of it. You’re the character class who is most likely to prompt an X card, especially if you start to use your emotional control abilities on an 2 ______unwilling player (assuming a thing is even possible in your game). Read the room. 3 ______

Every artist has their favourite themes. Look at the Emotion Wheel below. 4 ______Choose one of the spokes.

Write your choice to the right (each spoke’s core emotion is shown underlined, and that’s what you should write below):

(The Wheel of Emotions was created by Professor Robert Plutchik in 1980. This Wheel is from Wikipedia’s entry on the Wheel of Emotions, which is public domain. Hurrah for Wikipedia! We’re working on our own version at the moment.) THE VOICE RESISTING YOU

When you control emotions, you merely speak commands aloud. But Someone’s emotional resistance is measured by their Willpower. Willpower something gives you away and people know exactly what you are. What is is equal to a character’s Intelligence plus Wisdom, so an average character it? has 4. In a combat situation, you’ll need to match their Willpower to permanently remove them from the combat, one way or another. Strange facial scars (possible to whisper, visibly obvious)

Demonic, loud voice (impossible to whisper, not visibly obvious) A character with high Willpower will not be entirely overcome unless you match or exceed their Willpower in successes, but they will certainly be Strange smells emerge from your mouth (not visible, scent lingers) influenced by the emotion. The stronger the emotion, the bigger the effect. Something else: ______

EMOTIONAL SCALE PERFORMING WITH YOUR D4 The final number of successes is intensity. It’s rated on this scale. You may If you want to try and influence another character, you roll a dice pool note the Emotion Knight player also uses this scale. including your D4 (see next section). Note the results solemnly, and ceremonially pass the D4 to the affected player. Their character is now 1 You feel it enough to influence you. being influenced by your abilities. 2 You feel it intensely. It’s hard to do anything not related to it. 3 Feeling it as intensely as most people ever feel it, except in extremis. If you want to use your powers on someone else, you must first reclaim the Active compulsions. D4. You can do this instantly, and doing so ends that previous compulsion. 4 If we’re talking love, more than you love your partner. 5 All consuming obsession. Often the further reaches of madness. The Dictator is left to think of clever uses of all these emotions – the useful 6+ Supernaturally intense emotions beyond anything in reality. formula is choosing an emotion and a target. If it matches or exceeds a target’s Willpower, in terms of effect, anything For example, “Fear” and “me” could lead to someone running away from beyond 6 is very much in the GM’s control. Expect fireworks. Like all you. Or it could lead to their heart exploding in sheer terror. Go read the creators, while you can aim to have a certain effect on an audience, the Emotion Scale section opposite and see what you’re getting into. audience will respond in their own way.

To create a compound emotion – as in, an emotion that lies between two of the spokes – you must possess and use the two emotions beside them. CRITICAL FAILURE So, to actually make someone fall in love, you must have Joy and Trust emotions. As a starting Dictator has a single emotion, this will not be If you roll a critical failure, you are unable to to remove this emotional state. initially possible. It’s permanent. You’ve broken someone. Oh dear.

These emotions, while magically created, are real. While the target is likely aware that you have done this to them, it doesn’t make the emotion any A LITTLE EMOTIONAL NUDGE less real. If a Dictator has possession of their D4, and is in a situation where any subtle emotional manipulation may give them an edge, they may roll the THE EMOTION CONTROL DICE POOL D4 as part of their dice pool. The D4, rather than counting as a dice, can be used to increase any one dice in the dice pool by the amount the D4 rolls. The Dictator is incredibly powerful. That’s the problem. While other It’s cute to put the D4 on top of the Dice you’re boosting, like a little hat. characters struggle to gain enough successes, the Dictator’s problem is ensuring their powers actually do what they want them to do. There’s not much cute about your character, so enjoy it while it lasts.

While your Emotional Control is a Charisma dice pool, it is NOT calculated like normal. The number on the D4 is the number of successes. Each other success you roll in the dice pool allows you to modify that, with each success allowing you to increase or decrease by one. You don’t need to use all your successes. THE FOOL

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D6

Always look on the bright side of life. STATS Always look on the bright side of life. Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any Always look on the bright side of life. stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class. Always look on the bright side of life. And if I don’t things will be worse. STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION Fools rush in... and their friends have to deal with the consequences. Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select options as the sheet describes. WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT Whatever you wish to wear, it always counts as Defence 2. In addition, choose two of the following options: • A fine and noble Longsword (Advantage when talking with regal sorts and those impressed by regal sorts.) • A Rapier (Use Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. Special: recover one Guard.) • A Cutlass (Advantage when talking to with Underworld sorts and impressionable romantic sorts.) • Martial Arts (May use Dexterity instead of Strength while fighting with no weapons.) • A Pistol or other Ranged Weapon • Concealed Throwing Weapons (knives, throwing stars)

YOUR LOOK This can either be the same or different from “Your Style” over the page… Choose one of the following: • Light fabrics, exposed skin, a big grin • Black leather, a deck of cards and fast fingers • A long cloak balanced between elegantly-wasted and scruffy • Your own idea: ______CORE MECHANIC REDUX ______• Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if directed) your class dice. DEFENSIVE STATS • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty GUARD HEALTH you fully succeed. Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any roll.

COMBAT RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH • Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the DEFENCE WILLPOWER numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action.

For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM.

DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE THE FOOL IN BRIEF

Act in a cavalier fashion to get access to your special powers, or give away access to your powers temporarily to get out of any trouble.

FLUKES SCHOOL’S OUT

Choose one side of your D6. Draw a circle on it. Hey, look around the table! I’m willing to bet all those other nerds are still doing their homework. The Fool involves a few less choices, so you may still If you roll the circle, as well as the usual effects of the number underneath, have some thumb-fiddling time. On the rest of the page are some exercises some fluke of luck will happen. Choose it from the list NOW or make your for getting into a suitably Foolish state of mind. If you’re already firmly own... connected with your inner fool, feel free to chill, or have a little snooze.

Your opponent is buried alive under something unfortunate. Your opponent gets talking and confesses something useful to you. WHAT DO YOU LOVE? Your opponent mistakes you for a long lost love. ______Write a mark out of ten for each of the following, depending on how much ______you like them:

If you don’t roll the circle, add another circle over another number. _ _ Fozzie Bear _ _ Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun If you do roll the circle, pick a fluke to happen. Then, delete the circles bar _ _ prawn crackers one, and choose / make up a new fluke fornext time. Also, add a cross to _ _ The Queen’s Gambit another side. _ _ seeing two magpies at once _ _ bears If the cross turns up, something unfortunate will happen either to you or _ _ the ringing of a landline (more likely) the people around you. You then delete all crosses. _ _ salted caramel chocolate _ _ Die Hard II If there’s no space on your dice to add another symbol, don’t. _ _ weighted blankets _ _ the concept of joy THE FOOL’S D6 _ _ Tom Hanks _ _ Tom Hanks’ children If your D6 is in your possession, it is added to a dice pool any time when _ _ putting marshmallows on sweet potatoes on purpose the character is acting in a foolish, daring or cavalier fashion. In any _ _ LUDO, FRIEND dice pool which includes the Fool’s D6, you gain access to the following Special... DRAW A PICTURE Special: roll another D6 and add it to the present dice pool.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

If you’re in a dire situation you wish to escape, hand your GM your D6. You (and possibly your friends) will get out of the situation via a piece of unfeasibly good luck.

The GM may return your D6 at any point, to create an entirely unfair event on a similar scale of awfulness.

If at any point before then you deliberately cause a plan to fail in a spectacular or amusing fashion, retrieve the D6 from the GM.

YOUR STYLE

Fools are, above all things, fools – charming or otherwise. However, as much as any other class, they also have their own approach and skills, and can appear to be something more like a traditional adventurer than the rest of the party. What style of fool are you?

Swashbuckler What does this picture make you feel? Please write your answer below: (Example Archetype: Han Solo, Errol Flynn) Choose another option from your equipment list and look the part. ______A Trickster Wizard (Example Archetype: Rincewind, John Constantine) ______Can cast cantrip-styled minor magical spells (Max difficulty of 1). See ______what you can talk the GM into. ______A Rogue (Grey Mouser. Garret from Thief.) Add the Concealed Throwing Weapons and thieves tools to your equipment. THE ______KNIGHT

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D8

These eight orders of Knights are the world’s greatest warriors, each STATS devoted to a single emotion. Whether it be joy, hate, or fear: if they feel it, they can use it to fuel the power of their sentient, arcane weapons. Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class. When consumed by their sacred sensation, they are incomparable warriors, capable of miraculous feats. Nothing can stand against their STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION blades – armies, mountains, even ideas. They can defeat anything. Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc. Except the passion which drives them.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA options as the sheet describes. Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT

You start with:

Your Arcane weapon (see next page).

In addition, choose one of the following: • Chainmail (Defence 2) • Leather Armour (Defence 1), and a normal, non-magical Ranged Weapon of your choice (bow, crossbow, throwing knives). The latter includes ammunition.

YOUR LOOK

Choose one of the following: • Worn leather, a long cloak and a scowl • Gladiator gear, all skin, spikes and black leather • Covered head to foot, with a full helm showing only your eyes • Your own idea: ______

DEFENSIVE STATS CORE MECHANIC REDUX GUARD HEALTH • Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution directed) your class dice. • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty you fully succeed. • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These

abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any roll. DEFENCE WILLPOWER Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence COMBAT

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action.

DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM. THE EMOTION KNIGHT IN BRIEF

If you’re experiencing your iconic emotion, you gain powers. Spend some of that emotion to fuel other powers. Use up all the emotion in a single burst to do really awesome stuff.

YOUR SACRED EMOTION THE EMOTIONAL SCALE

Your powers are driven by you feeling an emotion. Look at the Emotion Look at the Emotional Scale on the third page. Place your D8 at zero. Wheel on the third page. Depending how intensely your character is feeling this emotion, the D8 will move up or down the scale. The further up the scale it is, the more Select the word that best fits your emotion (from the main coloured spokes intensely a character feels this, and the more likely it will be nearly only). It can be the one most related to your Persona, or the one you think impossible to do something unconnected to this emotion. is most interesting to explore. Talk to your GM if you want to know more about what “interesting” may mean. To stress: the emotion is generated from events in the fiction. For example, if you are a Terror Knight surprised by a monster, you are likely to be Now write that emotion into the blank space at the top of p1, to denote scared, which means your D8 will move up the scale. what the type of Knight you will be. You are not immune to your emotion. When you experience willpower level Now you’ve picked, fill in the other blanks on the third sheet. All three of you will be overwhelmed by it. these words are aspects of your Sacred Emotion. EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED If you are unsure what emotion to pick, “Rage” is a simple one to play. When your d8 is above zero on the Emotional Scale, you gain advantage on any attack the weapon makes. Your Stance is also activated. Your THE ARCANE WEAPON Emotional Stance is... (choose one):

All the Emotion Knight’s special abilities are channeled via their arcane Guard (Choose someone in vicinity. If they are attacked, you can choose to be instead) Ranged Attack (You can attack with your magical weapon at a range equivalent to a Bow.) weapon. All arcane weapons, whatever their form, are sentient and can Riposte (Any opponent whose attack fails to hit you gives you a free attack back at them.) communicate with its owner (both audibly or with short range telepathy) and share a bond with its owner. It is also able to sense strong sources of Feel free to describe how these abilities manifest. its emotion in its vicinity. VENTING Your weapon is... (choose one of the following): If you are emotionally engaged, you can vent to move your D8 one step Sword down the emotional scale, to activate one of the following venting abilities. Hammer Trident Pick one ability. Your idea: ______Decapitation Strike (This attack bypasses Guard. Your weapon’s main attribute is... (choose one): This attack can only target one individual.) Combat Frenzy (Apply the results of this attack Brutal (Special: if this removes a Health from your opponent, remove to all enemies within 2m of the Knight’s position.) two Health instead.) Duel (Choose one opponent. They cannot attack Fast (Special: when removing a Guard from your opponent, remove anyone else until you choose.) two Guard instead of one.) Incredibly Elegant (Uses Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice CREATIVE VIOLENCE pool. Special: recover two Guard.) If a player has two or more of an emotion they can expend it all to achieve Your weapon’s personality is... (choose one): an incredible feat. They pick up the D8 and hold it towards the centre of the table. Describe what you’re trying to do. You can defeat anything which fits Aggressive one of the nouns on your current level, or below. (So for example, if you are Sarcastic level 3 you can defeat an army.) You are encouraged to interpret “defeat” Cutsie poetically. This ability is about creative violence. Your idea: ______Then roll the D8. If you roll your emotion level or beneath, you suffer that number of wounds in achieving your goal. Replace the dice at the zero point on the scale.

THESE ABILITIES MAY BECOME AVAILABLE AS YOU PROGRESS

EMOTION DRAINING

Emotion Knights can siphon their Sacred Emotion from a target character. If the character resists, this requires a Charisma roll with a difficulty of 1. For a success, and each success above it, a level of emotion is transferred from the target to the Knight. NB if a player is not experiencing that emotion, an Emotion Knight cannot siphon it.

A critical failure means the target can never feel emotion towards that source ever again. (For example, a peasant is petrified of a dragon. A Fear Knight tries to drain the peasant’s fear, but critically fails. The Peasant will never be scared of dragons again.) However, the Knight gets all the emotion the target feels. THE EMOTION WHEEL THE KNIGHT’S EMOTIONAL SCALE

Once you have chosen the core emotion for your Knight (as described on page 2), now Level 6+: Inhuman fill in the following: You can defeat: a god, hope, yourself. Great: ______(The closest to the center) Level 5: Consumed Medium: ______You can defeat: a (The middle one in the spoke) country, a religion. Minor: ______(The furthest from the center) Level 4: Lost You can defeat: a city, despair, someone you truly love.

Level 3: ______You could defeat: an army, a mountain range, a town.

Level 2: ______You could defeat: a mob, a blockage, a village, a weakness.

Level 1: ______Greater and lesser abilities available. Gain advantage on attacks with your weapon.

Level 0: Nothing

(The Wheel of Emotions was created by Professor Robert Plutchik in 1980. This Wheel is from Wikipedia’s entry on the Wheel of Emotions, which is public domain. Hurrah for Wikipedia! We’re working on our own version at the moment.) THE GODBINDER

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D12

You don’t believe in gods. STATS

I mean, they exist. Obviously. You owe the Fire God for that time he burned Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any that fortress, and you’ve got that favour from the God of the Wild when you stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class. saved her rainforest… but believe? That’s a strong word. STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION Really, no, you don’t really believe in gods. You believe in tools. Useful tools. Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc. The Godbinder is the D&D Cleric as demonologist.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA options as the sheet describes. Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT Choose one of the following:

Holy Warrior: Two-handed Hammer (Special: if a hit wounds, it does 2 against metal armoured opponents), heavy protection (Defence 2) Most Holy: Quarterstaff (Special: recover 1 Guard), robes or loincloth (Defence 1) Not Holy At All: Worn leather gear (Defence 1) – Dagger or Knuckledusters, Cigarettes or Pipe, Playing Cards, Advantage to sleight of hand tricks

YOUR LOOK Choose one of the following: • Heavy-metal holy crusader, likely looking for trouble • Beatific holy person, looking for peace, probably • Wild tattoos, frenzied eyes, likely looking for drugs • Urbane street magician, likely looking for the gold in your pocket • Your own idea: ______

DEFENSIVE STATS CORE MECHANIC REDUX GUARD HEALTH • Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution directed) your class dice. • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty you fully succeed. • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any roll. DEFENCE WILLPOWER Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence COMBAT

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action.

DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM. THE GODBINDER IN BRIEF

Cast Scriptures which act like normal D&D-y spells, or actively barter with your gods for anything you want… at a cost.

CONTRACT WITH GOD SCRIPTURE

To begin with, choose a total of one level from any of the gods below, Godbinders gain access to spells called Scriptures. Unless the god and tick the box next to each one. (You have to choose level 1 in a god they’ve picked is entirely against any of the of the three concepts below, before level 2, and level 2 before level 3.) This defines how close your all Godbinders get these three scriptures for free. The can be any relationship is to the god. The higher, the closer you are (or at least the noun related to the god. For example, with “The God of The Wild” you could more leverage you have). fire thorn-blasts and could detect wildlife.

Each level comes with an associated Scripture. Handy. Scripture is Blast (Does an attack at a target in medium range.) described to the right. Heal (Can heal a character within a short distance. Max 1 Health healed.) Detect ______, THE GOD OF LIGHT God Debt Casting Scripture has a difficulty of 1. You will roll your Wisdom dice pool LEVEL ONE to do so, including your D12. (The D12 is added to your dice pool any time Healing light: Can heal a character within a short distance. 1 Health healed per success, up to max level in god. Special: extra Health healed. Special: disadvantage a miracle is influencing you. So if you have turned into a bear, you can to anyone attacking the target for rest of combat. Special: advantage to any attack made include your D12 in your dice pool for bear tasks. If you create a magic against creatures of darkness for rest of combat. sword, you get to add the D12 to your attacks too.) LEVEL TWO Bless: For each success you roll, bless a nearby ally. All attempts to attack that ally suffer a disadvantage for the length of the combat. Special: Double Wounds Against Undead for If you fail to roll even a single success, you must take on a God Debt (if length of combat. you can). This adds one one success to the dice pool. LEVEL THREE Divine Light: Ranged Attack, single target, extreme range. Special: blind opponent for rest of combat. Special: if this hit wounds, does 2 Wounds instead of 1. GOD DEBT

______, THE GOD OF THE WILD God Debt For each god, a Godbinder can acquire up to five God Debt. They can also be in credit to a god for up to five God Debt. LEVEL ONE Furious Briars: Summons area of aggressive plant life which attacks all enemies in close area to caster. Remains for rest of combat. Special: immobilize target. Requires Each point of God Debt can be called in by the god, who can choose to call a strength test to break free. in the debt at any time. The god will request an action and, if the player LEVEL TWO refuses, the player will suffer 1 Wound for every point of God Debt. Forked Lightning: Ranged Attack. Each success can choose an extra target, up to your level in the god. Special: opponent suffers two disadvantages next action. LEVEL THREE God Debt can also be removed if the player acts in a manner according Animal Form: Transform into hulking beast of your choice. You gain additional health to the god’s desires. A godbinder may be proactive and suggest things to equivalent to number of successes rolled until you change back. If your Wisdom is lower than your Strength, your Strength is increased to the level of your Wisdom. their gods. You should keep track of which gods you have Debts to in the box provided to the right of their names.

______, THE FIRE GOD God Debt MIRACLES LEVEL ONE Fire blast: Blast of flame to medium range.Special: ignite opponent, doing 1 Hit At any point, you may hold your D12 to talk to one of the gods. You can then per round until extinguished. Special: hits extra nearby target - maximum of one selection per level in god. request a Miracle. The GM, speaking as the god, if they are willing to do it, LEVEL TWO will give you a cost. After any haggling, you decide whether to accept or Extended Fireball: Ranged attack which fills room-sized area with fire which stays for the not. If you agree, it happens. length of a combat. Can be dismissed at any time. Special: ignite opponent, doing 1 hit per round until extinguished. LEVEL THREE Costs tend to be one of three things… Phoenix: requires a dead body to cast. From it bursts an enormous flying bird, wreathed in a fire which only harms your enemies. Once it starts to fight, it lasts for a combat. It can carry 5-6 people. STR 3 DEX 3 and its attacks have Special: ignite opponent, doing 1 hit per round 1. Taking on God Debt. until extinguished. 2. Making you perform a specific task for them. 3. Owing them a favour.

Miracles can be anything a specific god could conceivably do, with the payment demanded proportionate to the difficulty.

BREAKING PROMISES

If you have promised to do something for a Miracle and you choose not to do it, the spurned god immediately acquires God Debt according to the scale of the Miracle broken (as ascertained by the GM). A god may hold onto the debt, or immediately use it to harm the Godbinder. MORE FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Welcome to the third page, Godbinder, where we introduce another nine ______, THE UNDERWORLD GOD God Debt (count ’em!) gods to use. Some death gods are loving. Some are hateful. It is worth stressing - these gods are actively worse than the gods on the All have a place for us all. previous page. These have not been changed since the 1.2 beta, where LEVEL ONE the gods on your main sheet have been considerably improved. Heal: Can heal a character within a short distance. Max 1 Health healed. LEVEL TWO As the GM has decided to pass you this, they’ve decided that they trust Death Beam: Medium ranged attack. Has Special: lose one strength for length of this combat. you – our friend the Godbinder – not to spend eight hours chewing over LEVEL THREE your choices. Skeleton Mob: Summon 10 awesomely stop-motion skeletons for a combat. They have no Guard and 2 Strength.

God Debt ______, THE SEA GOD ______, THE WAR GOD God Debt

God of the ocean, in both its stillness and rage. The god of all those who fight for right. But might makes right, so… LEVEL ONE Sinking Sands: All enemies nearby are slowed, suffering a disadvantage on active tasks. Special: a character is stunned, sinking into the mud. LEVEL ONE LEVEL TWO Enchanted Weapon: Choose one weapon. It gains advantage in attacks until the end of the Wall of Water: Summon a wall of water, shaped according to your will. Whatever number of combat and Special: target suffers a disadvantage on next task. successes you roll is the difficulty to cross it. LEVEL TWO LEVEL THREE Godly Frenzy: Swap your Wisdom and your Strength for the combat. Gain Special: opponent is Drowning: Any nearby enemies’ lungs start to fill with water. Counts as an attack with overwhelmed by your fury, and is stunned for an action. Special: bypasses guard. LEVEL THREE Heroic Leadership: All friends near you gain advantage in attacks until the end of the combat and Special: regain one Guard.

______, THE ELDRITCH GOD God Debt ______, THE GOD OF EXCESS God Debt Gods beyond human imaginations, wrapping their cold tentacles around existence. God of one-more-drink-at-3am-on-a-school-night.

LEVEL ONE LEVEL ONE Sacrificial Knife:Summon an unholy blade. It can be used once to attack someone. Party Hard: All individuals within arm’s reach all gain advantage on Dexterity tasks for a Gain advantage on attack, and Special: if it wounds, it does one hit per round until combat. dispelled. LEVEL TWO LEVEL TWO Sleep: Make all individuals in an area fall asleep. You need to match or exceed each target’s Horrifying visions: If you can make eye contact with someone, you reduce their Willpower by Wisdom in successes to affect them. They can be awoken. two for the length of a combat. LEVEL THREE LEVEL THREE Higher State of Consciousness: Become intangible for length of combat. Invulnerable to Summon Horror: Summon an abomination. It has 2 stats of 4, and abilities suiting its form. physical attacks. Can attack with psychic power, using Wisdom for the dice pool. Use target’s You do not control it. Wisdom as their defence.

______, THE FORGE GOD God Debt ______, THE STORM GOD God Debt

God of craft, technology and all those who work The angry and often paternal god of lightning. by their hands and their mind. The elements unleashed and hostile.

LEVEL ONE LEVEL ONE Little Robot Friend: Summon a little robot friend who can perform tasks. He cannot fight. He Lightning Blast: Ranged attack. Special: does a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of has Constitution 3 and Defence 2. target. LEVEL TWO LEVEL TWO Divine Hammer: Summon a magical hammer for length of combat. Uses Strength, but can Chain Lightning: Lightning bursts from the caster, attacking any close enemies. Special: does attack at bow-range. Special: Knocks over target. a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of target. LEVEL THREE LEVEL THREE Big Robot Friend: Summons a larger robot friend who can perform tasks, including fighting. He Summon Storm: A room-sized storm persists for a combat. Every round, it attacks a has Strength 4 and Defence 2. random character in the space. Special: does a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of target.

______, THE FATE GOD God Debt ______, THE TRICKSTER GOD God Debt What will be, will be. I should be so lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky in LEVEL ONE role-playing games. Forewarned: Can see imminent threats. Use Wisdom to generate your Guard instead of Dexterity. Reset Guard to maximum. LEVEL TWO LEVEL ONE Our Destiny: Fate provides Wisdom. For this combat, all characters nearby at the moment of Disguise: You can appear to be anyone you wish. You do not gain any of their abilities. casting gain Special: this hit bypasses Guard. LEVEL TWO LEVEL THREE Distraction: A burst of light makes everyone in a room-sized area be startled. One Their Fate: You reveal an awful truth to one individual nearby. It counts as an attack, disadvantage on all tasks. Adds Special: this attack blinds the target for a combat round. automatically stuns them for a round and has Special: suffers a disadvantage for rest of LEVEL THREE combat due to existential horror. Disappearing Trick: Teleport yourself to any place within sight. THE MASTER

YOUR NAME: CLASS DICE: D20

Who rules? STATS

The Master is the magic user as a reality manipulator. Sometimes you Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any change the laws of physics. Sometimes you change the laws of the game. stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this Sometimes you change the laws of fiction. class.

The Rules rule, and you rule the Rules. STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION And you never, ever cheat. Physicality, hand-to-hand Dodging, ranged combat, Health, amount of Ever. combat, etc. initiative, etc. damage you take, etc. Stop looking at me like that.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select options as the sheet describes. WISDOM INTELLIGENCE CHARISMA Understanding, miracles, Education, perception, Personal skills, willpower, etc spells, willpower, etc attractiveness, etc.

EQUIPMENT No matter what you’re wearing, it has Defence 1.

Choose one of the following:

Quarterstaff (Special: recover 1 Guard) An elegant handgun (Special: if a hit wounds, it does 2 against unarmoured opponents) A Huge Tome (Advantage on tasks involving research, heavy enough to be an improvised club)

YOUR LOOK Choose one of the following:

Wizard Robes straight out of a 1980s kids fantasy cartoon Killer Suits straight out of a 1980s Corporate Badguy Fetishwear straight out of a 1990s Vampire LARP Your own idea: ______

DEFENSIVE STATS CORE MECHANIC REDUX

• Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if GUARD HEALTH directed) your class dice. Guard = Dexterity Health = Constitution • Each 4+ is a success. • If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty you fully succeed. • Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special. Each target can only be targeted by any given Special once in any RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH roll. DEFENCE WILLPOWER COMBAT Set from Equipment Wisdom + Intelligence

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool and total the numbers on the dice. Characters with highest total act first. • Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action.

For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM. DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE THE MASTER IN BRIEF

Arrange your Rules to make your own spells, and if not, cheat to get what you want… and hope you don’t get caught.

MASTERY YOUR RULES

You have Mastery. If a Master has Mastery they have an advantage when Select three Rules from the options below or talk to your Master about casting spells via their Rules or on later actions related to the spell (e.g. If other Rules. (If your spell requires further scale or more Rules, see Rules you enchant a weapon, you would get to add the Mastery Dice to pools as Lawyering.) well as any effect the spell itself would have). Range: The effect is able to reach as far as a thrown weapon. If lost, Mastery returns at the start of each session. Area: Affect all within arms reach.

PLAYING BY THE RULES Duration: Last about the length of a combat.

By connecting magical Rules together, you can manufacture your own Damage - Duration: Damages target. (Special: ignite opponent, doing 1 magical spell. E.g., if a Master has “Range” and “Fire Damage” they can Hit per round until extinguished.) combine them into a ranged attack. If they also have “Area” they could Description: ______combine all three into something, like a fireball. Use your imagination and chat to the GM. Damage - Curse: Damages target. (Special: target suffers a disadvantage on next action.) The difficulty of the spell is the number of different types of Rule in the Description: ______spell. You roll your Intelligence pool to match or exceed it. Heal: Target heals 1 Health. (Special: heals an additional Health) Each Rule gives you the ability to create the effect described - which is Description: ______“scale 1”. If you select the Rule a second time, it increases the Rules scale (longer range, bigger area, etc). In short: the bigger the effect, the more Enhance (______): Adds advantage on the defined task/stat. scale is required. Ask your GM for more details here. Description: ______

With each selection you get to define what these Rules look like in the Hinder (______): Adds disadvantage on the defined task/stat. narrative. So if you choose Damage (Duration) you can describe it as “Fire” Description: ______and its narrative effect would be to set things alight etc. You can choose the same Rule multiple times, and change its its description. For example, ______Movement: Gifts movement in either velocity or direction. E.g., Damage (Duration) could be “Toxic sludge” or “Poison” and so on. making you move quicker (Velocity), or levitate (Direction). Description: ______In the case of Enhance and Hinder, you have to choose a specific thing to affect when selecting it. This can be a stat (Strength, Wisdom, etc) a type Selectivity: Allows you to remove yourself from the effects of a spell. of action (ranged attacks, personal interaction, etc).

RULES LAWYERING

If your chosen Rules are insufficient to create the effect you want, if you possess Mastery, you can add other Rules as required… at a risk. To calculate the risk, do the following calculation.

• Add 1 for each scale of an option you have. • Add 2 for each option you don’t have.

You then add the D20 to the dice pool, and roll it. If the D20 is your risk or less, your cheating is caught. You lose Mastery. Note: the spell still takes effect. The D20 does not contribute successes to the pool - it only determines if your Rules Lawyering is caught.

For example, a Master with Range and Damage as Rules wants to throw a fireball at bow length. That’s a longer range than Range 1 allows - so add 1 for another scale of range. The Master doesn’t have area - so costs 2 to add a level of scale. This is a total of 3 risk. The Master throws their dice pool (including the D20) and the D20 turns up a 2 (i.e. a number same as or less than the total risk). Oh noes. The Master loses Mastery.

Important note: any Rules Lawyering enhancement does not increase the difficulty of a spell. HARDCORE CHEATING SIMULATIONIST MASTER

Choose one of the three areas of Cheating for your Master to specialise You specialise in altering the physics of the world. Not Cheating. No way. in. You can try to cheat in any of the ways described, or ways akin to them - do use your imagination. Each cheat has a description of a typical Highly unlikely events happen. punishment if you are caught. E.g. A storm hits a coastal town. Possible punishment: Lose Mastery, community service. It is possible some extremely ambitious cheats will be so complicated as to require significant in-game preparation, likely involving quests. None of the Extremely unlikely events happen. things on the list below are of this type. E.g. A tidal wave hits a coastal town. Possible punishment: 1-2 Wounds, ongoing curses until task completed. To cheat, describe what you want to achieve, and the GM will tell you its likely punishment. Break fundamental laws of physics. E.g. A tidal wave hits an inland town. If you wish to continue, take two containers (a hand would be standard) Possible punishment: Death. and hide your D20 in one of them. Someone else picks a container. If they miss the D20, you get away with it and the effect happens. If they find it, the powers that be notice you. Erk. DIE MASTER Prepare to beg for your life, make excuses or justify yourself quickly. Good luck. If you have Mastery over the area you are in, you gain access to the following cheats. To stress: unless you are being played by the GM, you are Warning: whether a Cheat is caught or not, if a cheat has an ongoing effect extremely unlikely to have Mastery of the area you are in. and the Powers That Be become aware of the cheat, then they can and will act. At the start of each session, gain Cheat Tokens equivalent to the number of other players in the game. So if there are four players in the game, you get three. GAMIST MASTER Each Cheat Token can be used to perform a cheat without risking being You specialise in tweaking game mechanics in more favourable directions. caught. No, not cheating. You gain access to the following cheats… Change a minor Rule for the duration of a combat. E.g. GM-controlled characters act before player-controlled characters on Prevent any single event that has just happened. Uniquely, this can be equal initiative. done as an instant response to an action that’s happened (I.e. if you are Possible punishment: Lose Mastery, community service. killed, you can undo the event). Possible punishment: Compulsory instant death, no exceptions. Change a major Rule for the game for the duration of the combat E.g. You can regain Mastery at a time other than the start of a session. Offer temptation. You may create something significant from nothing that a Possible punishment: 1-2 Wounds, ongoing curses until task completed. player explicitly wants. Possible punishment: Compulsory instant death, no exceptions. Overturn or create a temporary exception to a major existing Rule in an Archetype. Escape. If not in the final encounter of the game, the Master can escape in E.g. Dictators cannot use their voice. some manner of personalised teleportation. Possible punishment: Death. Possible Punishment: 1-2 Wounds.

NARRATIVIST MASTER

You specialise in bending story out of shape. Definitely not cheating.

Summon an established character into narrative. e.g. The famous thief you heard of arrives to the scene. Possible punishment: Lose Mastery, community service.

Establish a new fact about someone in the existing narrative. e.g. The famous thief you heard of arrives to the scene… and loves helping out dimension-skipping adventurers. Possible punishment: 1-2 Wounds, ongoing curses until task completed.

Introduce a whole new character of your own design. e.g. “Hey - there’s this awesome thief in this world, and they love helping out dimension-skipping adventurers. And they’ve turned up!” Possible punishment: Death. DIE GAMESMASTER SHEETS

Print out all the following to run the game. Players, you’d be best not to read the following. THE FALLEN THE FALLEN IN BRIEF

You are an undead monster. If you kill one of the other Personas, you become alive again.

THE FALLEN FALLEN CLAWS

You have died in the realm of Die. You are a monster, perhaps similar to While it may appear to be your old weaponry, it’s changed. Whether you one of the ones you’ve been fighting. You thought they were little more stab or shoot, it always works with these rules. than undead zombies. Now you know better. Many abandon the pretence, lose their weapons, and attack with claws This may give you a new insight into their nature, and perhaps yours. sprouting from their body.

You are different from some of them in one key way: you are sentient, You now attack with this profile... holding onto your consciousness and your free will. Claws For now. Special: if this attack causes a Wound the target is poisoned. (Lose one Health per round until a character succeeds a Constitution test.) You still have all the abilities on your front sheet. If you provide the killing wound with your fallen claws to another Persona- You lose all your abilities on your second sheet. controlled character, you immediately come to life and regain all your abilities on your second sheet.

Pass the Fallen sheet to the player you’ve just killed. They’re Fallen now.

You instinctively know this to be true.

You are hungry for and jealous of what your peers possess.

This is the only certain way a Fallen can return to their living status.

Perhaps there’s other less murderous ones? You don’t know.

NOT JUST A MONSTROUS FACE

Fallen are monsters, but some are interesting monsters. Your new form gives you a new ability. Choose one:

Flight You are able to soar through the sky at a sprinting pace. Decide what this looks like – wings? Thrusters? Enormous blood-coated springs? You tell us. Intangibility You are able to move spectrally through objects that bar your path. This gives you no specific bonus to resist damage. What does it look like? Classic spectral? Becoming burrowing worms? You tell us. Size changing You can monstrously swell to four times your height or shrink to a tenth of your size. What does this look like? And sound like? And feel like?

SECOND DEATH?

You’re dead. You have no idea what happens if you die now.

When you think of it, there is a certain dread.

You know it’s not good. CORE RULES CHEAT SHEET

THE CORE MECHANIC COMBAT 1. Say what you’re trying to do. If it may fail, the GM sets a Difficulty. 1 is 1. Generate Guard (If not surprised, all characters set their Guard to normal. 2 is hard. 3 is impossible for an average human. maximum.)

2. Collect a Dice Pool. This is a number of D6 equal to your relevant 2. Determine Initiative Order (Roll your Dexterity dice pool and total statistic. In some situations you may also add your Class Dice. its numbers. The character with the highest total goes first, the character with the lowest total goes last.) 3. Determine if there’s anything which may make the task easier. For each advantage add one six-sided dice to the dice pool. 3. The Combat Round (In Initiative order, everyone takes an action. An action is anything that can be reasonably completed in 5-10 seconds, 4. Determine if there’s anything which may make the task harder. understood cinematically. An action can normally be accompanied For every two disadvantages add one to the difficulty. If there’s a by moving a short distance. You can save your action for later in the disadvantage left, add one Bad Dice to the dice pool. round.)

5. Any dice that is 4+ counts as a success. If the Bad Dice is 4+ one 4. Repeat Step 3 until combat is over. success is negated. If the number of successes equals or exceeds the difficulty, you fully succeed. ATTACK 6. For each 6+ you can activate a single relevant Special a character 1. Roll relevant dice pool, as per core mechanic. For close combat, this may have. Each target can only be targeted by any given Special is usually Strength. For Ranged, this is normally Dexterity. For spells, it once in any roll. varies depending on what sort of magician you are.

7. If you roll no successes and at least one dice rolls a 1, it’s a Critical 2. The difficulty is equal to theDefence of the target. Failure. 3. If you match the difficulty, you score oneHit . For every further success, you score an additional Hit.

DAMAGE AND DEATH • Every Hit causes a character to lose either a Guard or a Health. • Unless otherwise stated, Guard is lost before Health. • If a Hit causes a character to lose Health it is called a Wound. • If a character reaches zero Health, they will fall unconscious and die at the end of a combat. • If a character would ever be at less than zero Health, they die. Erk. GM SESSION CHECKLIST

This checklist is for the standard game of DIE. If you are playing with modified versions in the Arcana, some of it won’t apply.

PRE-SESSION CHAT INTO THE DUNGEON • Explain concept of DIE the RPG. • Describe situation – players are in a dark fantasy version of the room • Ask what sort of characters they like to play in games. they’re in. They are still their real human selves. The dice are in front • Discuss tone of game. Adventure? Horror? What rating? of them. • Discuss possible themes and players’ reservations. • The Master’s Persona grabs the D20, and transforms into their • Introduce X-card. character. • Use a Cheat Token to teleport away. PERSONA GENERATION • At any point, if a Persona grabs their dice, they transform into their character. • Explain setup (i.e. group of old RPG friends getting together down the • Shortly afterwards, Fallen arrive. (1 Lesser Fallen per player. If you line) are starting with the option of more powerful starting players, add a • Ask questions to players to generate Personas’ identities. Make Greater Fallen.) notes. • After the Fallen encounter, the players leave the area… and outside is • Continuing asking questions until the group seems defined. their teenage Fantasy world. Say its name. End session. • Look for the Core Drive of each Persona. • Be sure to ask for name of the Fantasy World they used to play in. • When satisfied, tell everyone to leave the table. When they come LATER SESSIONS back, they will be playing their Personas. • Previously On: ask the players to recap their Personas. If they don’t say information required for the adventure, remind them. BEFORE CHARACTER GENERATION • Ask questions about their teenage fantasy world and then use (and subvert) their answers in the game. • Given all you know, decide which archetype you want to give to each • Continue to ask questions about the Personas’ real lives, as and player. when relevant. Use them in the game. • You have the Master. • Halfway through session decide if the game needs to be extended to • If you have reservations, check in with players about your idea. further sessions or not. • An hour before the end of the final session, remind the players the CHARACTER GENERATION game is going to end. • Always leave time before people have to leave to decompress • Have a general chat then start the game. together after the game. • Distribute the dice and character sheets. • As you give to each player bar the Fool say: “This is your dice. There is no other dice like this in this whole game. This is special. This is THE FINAL ENCOUNTER yours.” • Voting process: ask each player if they want to end the game. The • To the Fool say: “This is your dice. This is exactly the same as every second one doesn’t, stop. other dice in the game. There’s nothing special about this dice at all.” • If everyone agrees to go home, they go home. • The Master keeps the D20. “And this one is mine.” • If everyone agrees to stay, they stay. • Get each player to read the introduction text to their character sheet • Dead people don’t get a vote. aloud. • If they don’t come to an agreement, the fantasy world is destroyed. • Go through the steps on the sheet, getting them to fill in the details. • If group is at an impasse, start the world ending. • Ask all the players to pick up their dice, close their eyes, then lower • When the world is about to end, tell the players and let them have their dice to the table. one more action. • Tell them to open their eyes and say they’re somewhere else… • Before you destroy the world, give the players one last chance to end the game.

LEAVING THE DUNGEON • All living players are back in the room they came from. Describe the scene. • Ask each living player who went home how their experience with Die changed their life. Add a note to add weirdness to their choice afterwards. • Ask each dead player how them being not at home changed their life. Also subvert. • Ask each player who stayed what their life is like there. Add note about what happened at home when they’re away. • Applaud everyone and have handshakes and high fives. Decompress and practise Aftercare. GM CHEAT SHEET FOR CLASSES

FOOL (D6) THE DICTATOR (D4) Swashbuckling hero The Bard as horror character

• Adds class D6 to rolls when acting cavalierly. • Dictator chooses emotions to form a palette. • Draws symbol on D6. If it doesn’t turn up, add another symbol. If it • Each Dictator has something which gives them away when using their turns up, a fluke they’ve chosen happens. If the symbol turns up, Voice. also add a negative symbol. If that turns up, the reverse of the fluke • Dice pool for using Voice has own mechanic. You roll D4 which sets happens, and delete all negative fluke symbols.To get out of any number of successes, while the Charisma determines how many trouble, gives D6 to GM. points you get to make higher or lower. • GM can later return D6 to put the group in trouble. • Number of successes is the level of Emotion they suffer (see Emotion • By deliberately messing up a plan, the Fool forces the return of the D6. Scale). • A Critical Fail will mean the effect is permanent. • You pass D4 to GM (or other player) when using it. You can’t use the EMOTION KNIGHT (D8) Voice while someone else has your D4. You can recall D4 at any time. Emotion-powered fighter • The D4 can be added to any normal dice pool where emotional control could feasibly give the character an edge. If so, the D4’s results can • Sentient weapon. be added to any dice. • Chooses an emotion and then tracks how strongly they feel it on their scale. • If greater than zero, has advantage on attacks with weapon and their EMOTION SCALE (Dictator/Emotion Knight) Stance is activated. • If an Emotion Knight Vents, move the D8 one place down the scale. • 1-3: normal human emotions • If 2+ emotion can use Creative Violence. Expends all emotions. It • 4-5: beyond normal human emotion can “defeat” any of the words on the chart or below. Note: interpret • 6: intensity beyond all human experience creatively, but accurately. A mob is not an individual. • For each level of emotion a character has, they suffer one • Emotion Drain: siphon emotion from target if they are feeling it. If they disadvantage when doing something contrary to that emotion. choose to resist, it’s Knight’s Charisma versus Target’s Wisdom. • At level 3 or above, they have powerful impulses. To resist, they must • A critical fail means that the target no longer can feel the emotion (at roll Wisdom against the level of emotion divided by 2. least, re: the same source) that was being drained. Knight takes all • If Emotional Intensity is greater than a target’s Willpower (Wisdom emotion though. + Intelligence) then they are overwhelmed and could even pass out (level 4) or die (level 5) or worse (6 and above).

NEO (D10) Cybernetic rogues THE MASTER (D20) The GM’s reality-controlling mage • Has sentient AI and Fair Field Hacking (allowing you to influence Fallen). Roll Intelligence vs Wisdom to succeed. A Special to take • Has Rules which they combine to create their own spells. The control of the target for an action. difficulty is the number of Rules used comprising the spell. They roll • Has Gifts of the Fair. Each must be activated with Fair Gold. You need using Intelligence. coin tokens to give the Neo. • If a Master has Mastery, they can have an advantage on casting • Each Gift must be activated each day. spells and the effects of the spells. They can also Bend the Rules. • Adds D10 to pool when making rolls using the Neo’s active abilities. If • To Bend the Rules, they can add levels of Rules they don’t know (cost roll a 0, the Gift deactivates. 2) or they do know (cost 1) to a spell. If so, roll a D20 alongside their • Overcharge: GM sets gold cost to achieve set task. If paid, roll D10. If dice pool. If they roll less than the total cost, lose Mastery. odd, it works perfectly. If it fails, GM gets to narrate what goes amiss. • Mastery returns at the start of each session. Note: does not mean fail. • Masters can also just Cheat. To do so, they describe what they want to do, based upon what type of Master they are. Two containers are held out, one containing the D20 (likely, hands). If dice is picked, they GODBINDER (D12) are caught. Cleric, but bossier • If caught, the Master has to beg to escape punishment from the powers that be. • Holds D12 aloft to speak to any of the gods. • Godbinder chooses relationships with gods in levels. Each level gives an associated Scripture. THE GAMEMASTER’S CHARACTER • Barters with each god to do Miracles. Miracles can do anything that god could do, but each will set a price. • Has a number of Cheat Tokens equal to the number of other players. • To cast Scripture, roll using Will. If has target, simultaneously roll • Can spend them on cheats from the DIE MASTER section on the against their Defence. Master’s sheet. • D12 added to any dice pool where Scripture is affecting it, and also • The number of Cheat Tokens resets at the start of each session. attempts to cast Scripture. • If you fail to cast a Scripture, you have to take on God Debt (if you can). If you do so, you gain 1 success. THE FALLEN • A god can request a player action. If player refuses, they take 1 Wound for every point of God Debt to the god. • A Persona’s character becomes Fallen when they die. • Keep all stats and abilities on first sheet, lose all on the second sheet. • If a Fallen kills another Persona’s character the Fallen comes back to life. • 1st death while Fallen = -1 stat. 2nd death = -2 stat. And so on. • Any stat reaching 1 or 0 remains true if they return to real world. NOTES