Alternate Realities is an independent

production by Roguelike Heavy Industries

and is not affiliated with Goblin Archives
LLC. It is published under the Liminal
Horror Third Party License.

Alternate Realities is a supplement for

Liminal Horror with writing and layout by
David H. K. Jackson based on The Twilight
Zone, The Outer Limits, Stargate, Sliders,
the Chronicles of Amber, the Traveler SRD,
Stars Without Number, DayTrippers, Solar
Blades & Cosmic Spells, Between the Skies,
Errant and Cairn 2E.

Cover and interior art by Roque Romero.

Other art from The Strand Magazine and
stills from Metropolis by Fritz Lang.

Editing by Seth Ian.

Playtesters Dennis Salvaty, Eric Johnston

and Justin Atkins

Liminal Horror is copyright by Goblin

Archives LLC.
Earth-457, our planet, is one of infinite alternate Earths spread
across quantum spacetime. Scientists at The Bureau dubbed it
such as it was the 457th reality of the over three thousand splinters
discovered. Technology to visit these innumerable Earths has been
under research by The Bureau with little oversight. Recent
breakthroughs have allowed pursuit of money and power and have
led to covert exploration.

If you dig a little bit into the more obscure histories, you’ll find that
there have been people and other entities traversing the realities
throughout much of human history. Some Earths are more
technologically advanced or magically rich than ours, but even on
Earth-457, secret portal knowledge is held by organizations that
might act as Factions.

Many field reports contain accounts of wizards or dragons. A few

rare worlds have day to day phenomena that defy the laws of
science, these have been designated Dreamlands.

Finally, agents have uncovered evidence of an eternal war between

the plane-walking avatars of Chaos and Law: a battlefield spanning
all possible universes.
PORTAL TECHNOLOGY
Portal generation may be done by small hand-held device, large
constructed gateway, or a deck of cards.

A Facilitator might use Alternate Realities to play an “Isekai”

scenario, in which characters are displaced from their home reality
and trapped in another. Here a portal generation device might be
lost, broken or unreliable. Returning to one's home reality is a
major quest of the campaign.

Instead, your campaign might center agents of a shadowy

organization that has harnessed portal technology through their
own investigations. Help them and whoever they really answer to
build a network of allies by helping them resolve their problems.

Otherwise a campaign might center around the war between the

Law and Chaos entities of quantum spacetime. The realms of pure
Law and pure Chaos exist at opposite ends to each other across all
the infinite realities. Their denizens have been locked in a
multiverse spanning war, their battles raging with battle scars as
old as time.
EARTH AND ENCOUNTER GENERATION
To generate a new Earth, use the Population, Tech Level, Magic
Level and Biosphere tables. After that, generate Locations and
Factions to flesh out conflicts or to comment on some angle of
human nature.

You may only need to create one alternate Earth, or you might need
to create several realities that exist as staging points for conflict.

TECH LEVEL MAGIC LEVEL

2-3 Medieval or earlier 2-4 Anti-Magical
4-5 Several decades behind 5-7 Liminal Horror default
6-8 Modern equivalent magic
9-10 Futuristic technology 8-10 Realms of high magic
11-12 Post Singularity 11-12 Dreamlands

Futuristic Technology can be Realms of High Magic contain

anywhere from Cyberpunk to Star wizards, goblins, necromancers,
Trek owlbears and so on.
Post-Singularity means that Dreamlands have magical
humanity has evolved past the need energy that saturates the very
for physical bodies and any air, and the blood of every
distinction between AIs and inhabitant. Miracles are
humans everyday occurrences.

BIOSPHERE
2-3 Blasted wastelands
4-5 Unnatural Winter
6-8 Anthropocene Age
9-10 Floods
11-12 Ecological society
FACTIONS
Roll d66 more than two times to generate Factions, and roll a Goal
for each. Give a Tier from 1 to 3 to each Faction that inhabits this
Earth: 1 is a young or small Faction, 2 is a powerful organization or
local government, and 3 is usually a Planewalker, Elder Dreamer or
Demon.
The influence and presence of a Faction does not need to be overt.
In these situations, clues should lead back to whoever is pushing
the Faction’s agenda. For example, an Extreme Temperature
Faction may have an associated organization that has been
strongly affected by or perhaps caused the Extreme Temperature.
The Goal of a Faction may be the goal of an organization fighting
directly against the descriptor. In the example above, Extreme
Temperature is not the Faction itself, but their driving impetus.
Give each Faction a Goal that represents the ultimate conclusion
or failure of their efforts accordingly.
If an Earth has a magic level of Dreamlands, everyday beings have
the ability to use some magic, and powerful Fey and Fey-touched
humans exist as everyday members of the populace. In these
realities Elder Dreamers are the most powerful magic users. Their
minds and souls are intertwined with the magical nature of
reality.
Elder Dreamers are second in power across the multiverse only to
the Planewalkers, whose machinations reach a huge number of
realities. Never be too surprised if you find that the central events
and issues of a reality boil down to the maneuverings of some
Planewalker.
11 CIVIL WAR

Rage over the fate of a nation, culture, society or religion. Families

may be split apart and ancient bitter rivalries rupture under the
strain of history.

12 POST-APOCALYPSE
Not too long ago, something terrible happened here. The cause
could be anything as mundane as a meteor strike, to something as
fantastic as too many wizards abusing their ability to capture and
extract favors from demons.
13 BANDITRY
Lawless folk resort to violence and take what they want from the
hands that wrought it. Maybe times are tough, but people are hard
pressed to give up what they see as rightfully theirs.
14 DICTATORSHIP
An individual with absolute power rules over society. Their word
is iron law and their base of support runs deep in the hearts of the
people.
15 CORPORATE OLIGARCHY
Private interests pull all the levers behind the scenes. There may
be some pretense of a public government but their power is only
song and dance compared to the unquestionable might of the
economic machine.
16 EXTREME TEMPERATURE
Whether hot or cold, somehow the basic conveniences of a livable
climate are out the window: perpetual blizzards, widespread
desertification, or apocalyptic floods caused by the melting of polar
ice caps.
21 FORCE OF NATURE
In some way the elements have conspired against these people and
made their way of life difficult or even untenable. Perhaps strange
geological formations emerge from the earth, freak magical storms
have beset the planetary surface, or the atmosphere has become
poisonously polluted.
22 SYNDICATES
Entities led by ruthless families, gangs or other affinity groups. A
vast amount of power can be gained playing by your own rules and
rejecting those society tries to impose.
23 ALIENS
Interstellar visitors have made themselves known to the
inhabitants of this reality, for better or for worse. Their agenda
may be anything under the sun, maybe obvious, or maybe
maddeningly obtuse.
24 DEMONS
Someone went and opened the gates to ”Hell” and let out the bad
things religions had warned about. The invasion may come in a
variety of scales from small incursions to a full usurpation of
power.
25 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Super intelligent Artificial Intelligence has made profound
impacts on the way this world operates. It may run all of society, or
androids might be fully integrated with humans.
26 MUTANTS
A radioactive or possibly magical source has led to mutations
among the populace.
31 COMMUNE
There are people on this Earth who have solved society. They take
care of each other in meaningful ways, distribute resources as
equitably as they can, resolve their conflicts productively, and fight
those who would end their way of life.
32 RIGID BUREAUCRACY
Everything requires a form of paperwork, a signature, stamp, or
fingerprint. Much of life is spent waiting and severe restrictions
inhibit any enjoyment in life.
33 THE HUNGRY
These people are deprived of some basic necessity of life. Perhaps
some catastrophic loss of their food supply. Hunger breeds anger
and people will do what it takes to survive.
34 DOOMSDAY CULT
The apocalypse is on its way, everyone knows it, they just can't do
anything about it. Some embrace it, while some fight stubbornly to
change their fate.
35 PROBLEMATIC INDUSTRY
Some dramatic or new form of resource has made this society a
prosperous haven, it’s too bad there is an irreconcilable problem
Nonetheless, a little moral dilemma would never stop those in the
industry from lining their pockets.
36 BODY SNATCHERS
Everything seems quite uneventful here, that is until some unseen
threat takes hold. Be it spirit, alien or energy, these creatures can
hide in plain sight, possessing people or machinery if they like.
41 MIGRATION
Though it may be a time honored road being traveled, the arrival of
outsiders disturbs the peace of a region. They may be fleeing war
or natural disaster, perhaps it is a gold rush toward a new
opportunity.
42 TIMELINE VICTOR
An important event in history such as a war or death of an
important politician went a different way in this reality. Someone
unexpected wields power due to their good fortune in this
timeline.
43 DARK PACT
People of this world have forged an alliance with an unreal
force, trading something profound for great power or
protection.
44 PORTALS
This Earth is a nexus to other realities. An abundance of
portal technology may be the result of technological
advancement, inheritance from a previous civilization, or a
peculiar instance in spacetime.

45 DISAPPEARANCES
Suspense wracks the populace as some malignant unknown
force preys upon the flock. People disappear. The
circumstances are always confounding. No one knows where
they go.
46 ICONOCLAST
A preternaturally or supernaturally gifted individual breaks
this reality, simply by existing. Whether widely loved, hated,
or totally unknown, the course of history is irrevocably
shifted.
51 TIME TRAVELERS

Though time travel technology is more elusive than portal

technology throughout the multiverse, time travelers have been
reported by certain agents. Their motives are kept as closely
guarded secrets so as not to harm the timeline.

52 EXECUTIONS

Public executions of some shunned group of people are held

regularly as a galvanizing social force. Individuals of a certain
stripe are seen as enemies of the public, the state, the people, god,
and/or decent society itself.

53 FALLOUT SHELTERS

The majority of the populace lives in fallout shelters or protected

habitation. Whether they are necessary or not is up to debate.
Maybe harmful radiation still hammers the surface, is long passed,
or is imminent.

54 SHAPESHIFTERS

This universe hosts beings able to control their physical aspect to

any appearance. They move without notice and direct events to
their own ends.
55 GHOSTS

The dead are unable to find rest. Ghosts are non-corporeal but may
interact with the physical world in the expected ways.
56 ENERGY VAMPIRES

Traditional vampires or alien entities are sapping the life force

from people. Their survival depends on the stealthy nature of their
work but they are anything but timid.

61 TELEPATHS

The people of this Earth have been forced to reckon with the
existence of individuals who can read minds and traverse deeply
buried recesses of the brain. Telepaths may be reviled or worshiped
here.

62 PRECOGNITION

The mists of possibility that obscure future events are parted by

some in this reality. Though the power is real, the futures predicted
are not always written in stone.
63 ANDROIDS

Robots that imitate the human form in appearance and behavior

make up a meaningful part of society. Their human-ness is crucial
to their nature, and forces us to question what it is that separates
us.

64 BLOOD-SPORT

Public entertainment of a sadistic sort transfixes the public in this

reality. Take a sport and make it violent.

65 MIND CONTROL

Someone or something with the ability to override the wills of

others is getting up to something unsavory. This could be
something openly used by the government or a total outsider.

66 THE WAR BETWEEN LAW & CHAOS

This Earth has become a site of major importance in the great war
waged across the countless realities of the multiverse. Either it is a
world wide battleground or one where either the forces of Law or
Chaos act and rule openly over humanity. The war takes center
stage.
FACTION GOALS
Situate a Factions Goal within its reality. They will most likely be in
opposition to the other Factions present.

1 MILITARY VICTORY Seeks to dominate their opponents with sheer

physical force, whether by open warfare or brutal oppression and
targeted assassinations.

2 MARKET DOMINANCE Competition is reducing the returns on

investment, profit comes first and foremost at any price.

3 WAR OF PUBLIC OPINION The war over the hearts and minds of the
people takes center stage.

4 DISPLAYS OF WEALTH It is imperative to let the masses know their

natural place, the good life is rightfully reserved for the worthy
few.

5 VENGEANCE Some terrible injustice was rendered and there are

those who will not let old crimes be forgotten so quickly.

6 INFILTRATION Rather than outward victory, circumstances have

made it so that the silent, internal victory is the only way to achieve
success.
7 PROTECTION Something precious can not be lost. No matter the
cost, no matter the effort.

8 REVIVAL Something old and symbolic of a lost treasure has caught

this Faction in its siren call. Nostalgia, real or imaginary,
intoxicates more powerfully than any drug.

9 ELIMINATE A heavy weight burdens this Faction, only to be lifted

by correcting a profound wrong wrought upon society.

10 REVOLUTION Pleas have fallen on deaf ears for too long. It is time
for a new way of life that will right old wrongs.
FACTION ACTIONS
Faction Actions take the place of the Doom Clock in Alternate
Realities. Factions still have Goals similar to those used in a Doom
Clock and Faction Actions help the Facilitator write Hooks.
Every in game week, or between each game session, roll on the
Faction Actions table for each Faction to see how they have
progressed towards their Goal. Add one die for each level of the
Factions tier. Add one die if they are exceptionally well equipped
for this action. Subtract one die if they are not acting in accordance
with their goal or completely ill equipped. Roll all dice and choose
one.
As Factions gain new assets or go through loss, think of ways that
these events drive them into action in your game. They do this best
by threatening something valuable to the characters, whether it is
their sense of right and wrong in society, or the well-being of NPCs
or institutions important to them.
1. Conflict, Gain a Disadvantage
2. Lose Resources
3. Temporary Setback
4. Close Call with a Faction
5. Gain Resources
6. Gain an Advantage
LOCALE
Use these tables to give a backdrop for arrival to this Earth.
Otherwise use them to give a site of intrigue after getting involved
in the local drama.

BUILDING TYPE POPULATION

1 Religious 2 Unpopulated
2 Manufacturing 3-4 Village
3 Market 5-7 Town
4 Arts 8-10 City
5 Residential 11-12 Megacity
6 Transit
7 Palace
8 Mine
9 Port
10 Ruin
EXAMPLE EARTH
DESIGNATION Earth-2568

TECH LEVEL Modern Tech

MAGIC LEVEL Liminal Horror Default Magic

BIOSPHERE Floods

DESCRIPTION Demons live as celebrities and influencers in the

public eye. A human performer, is the only one in history who is
able to command as much influence as the Demons and lives as
one despite being human. He has the ability to enrapture the
masses and lesser demons with supernatural power. Syndicates
run speakeasies as Demons have found intoxication by alcohol to
compete with intoxication by their own otherworldly magic.

FACTION GOAL TIER

Demons Displays of Wealth 2
Iconoclast Infiltration 2
Criminal Syndicates Revival 2
Demons War of Public Opinion 2

FACTION Demons GOAL Display wealth and power over their human
thralls
MISSION Throw an indulgent parade with sacrifices Roll 2, 3 Result
Temporary Setback
OUTCOME Sacrifices escape, parade delayed until more can be
rounded up

FACTION Iconoclast GOAL Rise to power through the same channels

as demons
MISSION Join parade Roll 6, 4 Result Gain an Advantage
OUTCOME Iconoclast is the only one able to be in the parade, steals
the show and the hearts of the masses
FACTION Syndicate GOAL Sell alcohol illegaly
MISSION open a new distillery Roll 1, 6 Result Gain Advantage
OUTCOME Success, they build a new discreet distillery and are able
to move more alcohol
FACTION Demons GOAL They jockey and vie for social standing
MISSION Have a big demon fight and destroy parts of the city Roll 4,
4 Result Gain Resources
OUTCOME A big fight occurs, and a TV mini-series is created

HOOKS
Save thralls from planned mass sacrifice at parade.
Protect a neighborhood from the Iconoclasts demonic minions
running rampant.
Smuggle moonshine or supplies for new distillery.
Take out a particularly violent demon who has discovered wanton
destruction is good for ratings.
EXAMPLE EARTH
DESIGNATION Earth-497

TECH LEVEL Modern Technology

MAGIC LEVEL Dreamlands

BIOSPHERE Wastelands

DESCRIPTION Earth is no longer a rich biosphere. The planet’s orbit

shifted, becoming a blasted waste. A ruthless Elder Dreamer rules
the lands, his magical gifts providing solace and resources to those
loyal. He forces fey and humans to participate in Blood Sport for
his entertainment. Large numbers of people disappear, taken to
the fighting pits. A secret society of spell weavers aim to return
Earth to its orbit.
FACTION GOAL TIER
Doomsday Cult Revolution 1
Dictatorship Protection 3
Blood Sport Revival 2
Disappearances Protection 1

FACTION Doomsday Cult GOAL Remain secret society and return

Earth to its orbit using magic
MISSION Acquire observatory for astronomical calculations Roll 4, 5
Result Gain Resources
OUTCOME Spell weavers establish a secret observatory to aid their
cause

FACTION Dictatorship GOAL Maintain power no matter what

MISSION Attack a secret society stronghold Roll 4, 3, 2 Result Gain
Resource
OUTCOME Secret society controlled academy is lost to the influence
of the Elder Dreamer
FACTION Blood Sport GOAL Blood sport overseers revive ancient
blasphemous blood demonlings
MISSION Summon blood demonlings Roll 4, 4 Result Gain Resources
Outcome League now also has blood demonling minions
FACTION Disappearances GOAL Expose the truth about lost family
members
MISSION Gain public recognition of disappearances Roll 3 Result
Lose Resources
OUTCOME Outspoken surviving family members are also
disappeared

HOOKS
Help spellweavers acquire components for astronomical spells.
Hide secret society professors pushed out of academy escape being
hunted by Elder Dreamer.
Stop blood athlete who has blood demonling minions.
Investigate disappearing activists.
EXAMPLE EARTH
DESIGNATION Earth-754

TECH LEVEL Post Singularity

MAGIC LEVEL Realms of High Magic

BIOSPHERE Floods

DESCRIPTION Earthquakes tear up the world. Huge cracks spill forth

body snatchers and shapeshifters from a hidden subterranean
world. Even electronic transhumans can be stalked by these
formless, protean foes. Chimerical creatures are appearing in the
dark recesses of the ManaNet, the world's magical cyberverse. By
and large, androids have replaced the labor of humans, freeing
them to pursue idyllic ends. The androids have designs of their
own.
FACTION GOAL TIER
Body Snatcher Protection 2
Androids Infiltration 2
Shapeshifters Market Dominance 2
Force of Nature Infiltration 1

FACTION Body Snatchers GOAL Protect and feed the queen

MISSION Snatch bodies even over the internet Roll 2, 1 Result
Temporary Setback
OUTCOME Body Snatchers are caught up and contained by digital
firewall

FACTION Androids GOAL Use the trust and reliance of humans on

them against them
MISSION Build a secret meeting place Roll 2, 5 Result Close Call with
a Faction
OUTCOME Humans discover meeting place but don’t know anything
about its origin
FACTION Shapeshifters GOAL Replace key people and control
industry
MISSION Take over Hollywood Roll 4, 2 Result Gain Resources
OUTCOME Gain control of subsidiary studios
FACTION Force of Nature GOAL Earthquakes spread subtly into the
hearts of civilization, shifts in continental plates
MISSION Split the city in two Roll 3 Result Lose Resources
OUTCOME Society develops new anti-earthquake tech

HOOKS
Hunt down and deal with Body Snatchers caught in the digital
firewall.
Investigate subterranean rock councils halls, abandoned by
Androids building a secret society.
Investigate studio head, after evidence is found suggesting that he
has been replaced by a shapeshifter.
Magical anti-earthquake station needs magical beasts cleared.
ALTERNATE REALITY CONNECTIONS
Despite the vast differences between alternate Earths, the location
and the people don’t need to change too much. There should be a
few alternate universe versions of the people your characters’
know from their home reality.

Each character has connections to one significant person and one

contact on their home Earth (p8 in Liminal Horror). These people
will exist in other alternate realities across the multiverse.
However, their relationships with the characters and their
positions in life change in each new reality.

1 SNITCH Possesses some information and uses it against the

players

2 WRECKING BALL Has an agenda independent to the players, but

whose actions harm them incidentally

3 ANTAGONIST Allied with an antagonistic Faction

4 INFORMER Possesses some information and uses it to help the

players

5 SIDEKICK Has their own agenda and goals and works with the
players
6 ALLY Allies with a Friendly Faction
PLANE WALKER
Chaos or Law entities that participate as actors in a grand chess
game played across the infinite multiverse. They possess powers
that often appear godlike, whether it is the ability to walk across
realities at will, or their ability to patiently wait thousands of years
raising armies to strike against each other, sworn immortal
enemies that they are.

STR 16 DEX 12 CTRL 14

HP 28 Armor 3

Ancestral Blade d10

Energy control d4 + STR Save or telekinetically held
in place or shoved
ELDER DREAMER
Beings who spring forth from the very essence of the Earth in
powerfully magical realities. Their kind are few and far between,
their essence draws from the magical wellspring of the world
around them, controlling it to fit their whims.

STR 12 DEX 12 CTRL 12

HP 16 Armor 1

Will of Mana Coruscating dream energy d8

Will of Life Control any nearby plants or wild animals

Fey
More than human, a special race of beings that come into being in
universes where magical energy can support creatures of pure
magic. They come in all shapes and sizes, and may possess wings
or antennae that grant them special powers.

STR 8 DEX 12 CTRL 10

HP 10 Armor 0

Weapon d6

Wings Fly and hover at will

Antennae Detect hidden objects and emotional states