ISSUE 1 | JULY 2021

APOCRYPHAL WRITINGS
~~ SACRED
SACRED TEXTS
TEXTS FROM
FROM THE
THE DISCIPLES
DISCIPLES OF
OF THE
THE DEMON LORD ~~
DEMON LORD
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
RONNY ANDERSSEN

W
elcome to the very first issue of
Apocryphal Writings, a fanzine for
Shadows of the Demon Lord! Our goal ART:
is to give all you homebrewers out there All images used are in the Public domain and are remixed with
a place to tell others about your creations. Be it house filters and adjustments unless specified.
rules, game content, art, comics, articles, essays, Shark photo by Brent Storm.
anything centered around Shadow of the Demon Lord Throwing knife by Skupshikov.
Vampire Hunter D by OnceAndFutureLaura.
and Dark Fantasy in general. Whirligig Saw image uses this image by Stefan Keller.
This issue was first announced back in October african giant skipper by Adedotun Ajibade (CC BY-SA 2.0).
2020, but life has happened and we didn't manage to Sorceress image by cocoparisienne.
get it out until now! Hopefully, we'll be able to get the Vault image by H. Hach.
Cage by Th G.
next issue out faster, as we've gotten a lot of the
This product was created under license. Shadow of the Demon Lord is a trademark of
technical stuff nailed for this and future issues. Schwalb Entertainment, LLC. This work contains material that is copyright Schwalb
The zine is made by the community, os if you have Entertainment, LLC. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content
something you want to submit for the next issue you Agreement for the Disciples of the Demon Lord CC.

can join our Discord, use this Google Form, or just

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CONTACT@RA-PRESS.COM // RA-PRESS.COM

CONTENTS
CHARACTERS ................................................................................... 3 GEAR ............................................................................................15
Ancestries & Backgrounds ............................................................. 3 Bloodborne Weapons by William Buxton ................... 15
Characters from Balgrendia by William Buxton ........................ 3 MAGIC .........................................................................................17
Mythos Ghoul by Ronny Anderssen ........................................... 4
New Blood spell: Bleeding Blows by David Rybacki .. 17
Promethean Ancestry by Arkham Jones ..................................... 5
New tradition: Eldritch Words by Ronny Anderssen .17
Expert Paths ......................................................................................8
Besieger by by Liam#6899 & Si_S#2927 .......................................8 ADVENTURES ......................................................................... 19
Bowman by Nezzeraj .....................................................................8 Pass on Strong by Pantelis .............................................. 19
Thrower by Nezzeraj ..................................................................... 9
THE HOMEBREW VAULT ...................................................25
Master Paths ....................................................................................10
Reference Guides .............................................................25
Death Dealer Variants by Nezzeraj ............................................ 10
Sanguine Weaponmaster by David Rybacki ..............................11 Items, relics, and trinkets ................................................25
BESTIARY ..........................................................................................12 IN CLOSING ..............................................................................26
Butterfly Spiders by Jarred Caldwell ...........................................12
Sharks by Ronny Anderssen .........................................................12
Curse from a Glacial Grave, an encounter by Jay Richards ..... 13

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 CHARACTERS
2 A malevolent Faerie of Midnight lands held you prisoner
ANCESTRIES & BACKGROUNDS for 1d20 years.
Plague wiped out your village as a child, you were

T
his chapter details a variant background 3 rescued & raised by Sisters of Sorrow till you came of
table for Balgrendian characters. And a age.
couple of new powerful ancestries, the You are a follower of the New God and received
Promethean, and the Mythos Ghoul. 4 education from them. You Can Read/Write in a
Language you know.
You
5 languagetraveled extensively. You speak one additional
.
You were attacked by Reavers of the Skull King, who
Peeled off your skin and tore out your heart. Somehow
6 you came back to life, start the game as a Revenant (ToD
5) or gain 1d6 Insanity.
7 You were seduced by a Devil of Midnight Lands, start the
game with 1 Corruption.
You worked on a farm, working hard, & staying vigilant
8 against horrors of the twisted woods. Add farmer to your
list of professions.
You're a Descendant of the Amri-tribe (Brown-haired,
9 Dark Skinned), you speak Amrin & Balgrennish
Languages.
You're a Descendant of the warlike Bhal-Tribe (Dark-
10 Haired, pale Skin), you speak Bhali & Balgrennish
Languages.
11 You Follow the Tenets of the Old Faith, Add devotee of
the Old Faith to your list of professions.
Your Descendant followed the tenets of the Old Faith but
converted
12 yourself amongto the New God a generation ago. You count
the faithful, but you often think about
your ancestors and their beliefs.
A faerie laid a curse on you for some wrong you
13 committed. You can add the Cursed story complication
(DLC 5)
You Gained the Friendship of a Fey (Elf or Fey of Diff 10
or lower). Given a special Trinket (flute, 4-leaf Clover,
14 seashell, etc) may use it as a minor activity to call upon
their help, arriving immediately and helping you to the
best of their ability, Trinket then breaks.
15 time,Traveled
You and got lost in the Midnight Lands for a
finding only horror & Misery. Gain 1d3 Insanity
CHARACTERS FROM BALGRENDIA
(VARIANT) Gained the Favor of Late King Frederick after
committing some great deed or service. Choose
Written by William Buxton. influence, information, or security. The character can
16 provide the benefit to you once (“Connections” SoTDL
207). Come up with details about this favor, and the

P
layers who create characters from
Balgrendia can use the following table in
nature of service/Deed with the GM.
place of their ancestry background table to
You have a small house in town or a farm in the
17 wilderness. Work with the GM to determine the location
determine an important event from their of your property and the assets that come with it.
past. This Variant uses information from various sources 18 You came into money and start the game with 2d6 cp.
for its entries Hunger In The Void, Kingdom of God, Terrible Lived as a Hag's Thrall for 1d6 years, in return for
Beauty, etc. 19 1completing her Obscene Activities, you parted with
d3+1 Eyebright Ointments (Terrible Beauty pg 5), and
gain 1 Insanity.
d20 Balgrendia Background
Blessed by the Queen of Air and Darkness for Good
You were Captured and tortured by The Yellow Spears, a
vast tribe of Beastmen, but you survived and escaped. 20 Deeds of honoring the old ways, or act of courage. you
gain a random favor (Terrible Beauty, page 36), or
1 You start the game with the Mad Story Complication Enchanted Object of the GM’s choice.
(DLC) or a Quirk (SoTDL 201-202).

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MYTHOS GHOUL LEVEL 1 MYTHOS GHOUL
Written by Ronny Anderssen (Ra Press). Characteristics Defense +1, Health +2, Perception +1
Natural Weapons You can attack with your claws and

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his is a Ghoul variant that is closer to teeth. Together, they count as a basic weapon with the
Lovecraft's version of Ghouls. It merges the finesse property that deals 1d6 + 3 damage.
Ghoul found in Flesh of the Fallen, with the Unwholesome Recovery When you use your Psychic
Feast talent, you heal damage equal to your healing rate.
Mythos Ghoul found in Petersen Games' Once you use this talent, you must complete a rest
Cthulhu Mythos book for DnD 5e and Lovecraft's writing. before you can use it again.
When creating a mythos ghoul, first create a character
LEVEL 2 MYTHOS GHOUL
with your choice of ancestry. The chosen ancestry cannot
be immune to the diseased affliction. Then apply the Characteristics Defense +1, Health +2, Perception +1
following traits to your character.
Strong Psyche You can hold double your Intellect
modifier of Insight from consuming corpses. And
spending Insight on a relevant roll grants you 2 boons
CREATING A MYTHOS GHOUL instead.
Attribute Scores Constitution +1, Intellect +1 Gain one of the following benefits:
Characteristics Perception +1 Magic Increase your Power by 1, discover a tradition, and
Languages You can speak Ghoul learn a spell from that tradition.
Immune damage from disease or poison; diseased, Weapon Training When you attack with a weapon, you
poisoned make the attack rolls with 1 boon.
Darksight You can see in areas obscured by shadows and Feast on Thoughts Once per round, when the total of
darkness within medium range as if those areas were lit. your attack roll with your natural weapons is 20 or
Beyond this distance, you treat darkness as shadows and higher and exceeds the target number by at least 5, you
shadows as lit. can feast directly off of the creature's thoughts. Choose
Grave Nose You make all rolls that rely on smell to notice its effect below:
or recognize corpses, decaying things, meat, and undead Probe Mind You perceive the creature's surface
creatures with 1 boon. thoughts, whatever is currently on its mind. You can
Dreadful Appearance When you attack a living creature choose to probe deeper with an Intellect challenge
that can see you, the target creature must make a Will roll against the creature's Will. On a success, you can
challenge roll. On a failure, it becomes frightened for a probe for specific knowledge or even their
number of rounds equal to 1d3 + its Insanity score. It capabilities, like if they can cast spells, and if so, the
becomes immune to your Dreadful Appearance until highest unknown spell they can cast. Or one combat
after it completes a rest on a success. talent.
Psychic Feast You can use an action to eat one dead Draw Insight You gain the same benefits as Psychic
creature you can reach, which requires concentrating Feast without eating their corpse first.
for 1 minute. At the end of this time, you completely Arcane Insight Roll an Intellect attack roll against
consume the target corpse and gain 1 Insight per week the creature's Will. On a success, you learn the
the corpse has been dead (minimum 1). When you make names of up to 3 random spells the creature knows
any roll relevant to what the consumed corpse knew or of a Rank half your level or lower. You can then
was capable of in life you can choose to spend this choose one of these spells and expend one of the
Insight to gain 1 boon on the roll. You can hold a creature's castings of it. You can expend the spell's
maximum number of Insight equal to your Intellect Rank in Insight to cast this spell as if you knew it
modifier (minimum 1). yourself at any time before you complete a rest.
Accursed Compulsion At the end of each round that you Casting the spell this way doesn't require you to have
are within short range of a dead creature, you must the appropriate Power.
make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, you must move
toward the dead creature and use your Psychic Feast
talent when you are next able. Once you do so, you lose
Accursed Compulsion for 1 hour.
Powerful Ancestry When your group attains level 1, you
do not choose a novice path. Instead, whenever the
Advancement table indicates you would gain benefits
from a novice path, you gain the benefits from your
ancestry for that level. If you already chose a novice
path before you became a ghoul, remove the path and
any benefits you gained from that path, starting with the
benefits gained at the highest level and then working
backward. For each set of benefits lost in this way, you
gain 1 Insanity.

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 LEVEL 4 MYTHOS GHOUL EXPERT CREATING A PROMETHEAN
Characteristics Health +2 Starting Attributes Strength 12, Agility 9, Intellect 10,
Gain one of the following benefits: Will 11
Magic Either discover a tradition or learn a spell. Random Starting Attributes Strength 10+1d3, Agility
Sharpened Teeth and Claws Your attacks with your 7+1d3, Intellect 8+1d3, Will 9+1d3
natural weapons deal 1d6 extra damage. Perception equals your Intellect score
Feast on Thoughts You gain another effect from the list Defence equals your Agility score
above. Health equals your Strength score +3
Healing Rate equals one-quarter of your Health,
LEVEL 5 MYTHOS GHOUL EXPERT rounded down
Characteristics Health +2 Size 1, Speed 10, Power 0
Gain one of the following benefits: Damage 0, Insanity 1d3, Corruption 0
Magic Increase your Power by 1 and either discover a Languages and Professions You speak the Common
tradition or learn a spell. Tongue
Combat Prowess Your attacks with weapons deal 1d6 Immune asleep, charmed, dazed, fatigued, stunned
extra damage. Lightning Conduit You take half the damage from
Feast on Thoughts You gain the last effect from lightning. If you would be incapacitated or killed by
the list above. lightning, you instead heal damage equal to your
healing rate.
LEVEL 8 MYTHOS GHOUL MASTER Unstable Rage When you would take damage, you also
gain 1 Insanity. If you would go mad, you instead suffer
Characteristics Health +2 from Battle Madness instead of rolling on the Madness
Sense Flesh You make Perception rolls to find any living Table.
or dead creatures that have physical bodies with 1 boon. Powerful Ancestry When your group attains level 1, you
As well, you reduce the number of banes to your attack do not choose a novice path. Instead, whenever the
rolls against such creatures by 1. Advancement table in Shadow indicates you would gain
Gain one of the following benefits: benefits from a novice path, you gain the benefits from
Magic Either discover a tradition or learn a spell. your ancestry for that level.
Combat Expertise When you use an action to attack
with a weapon, you can either deal 1d6 extra damage LEVEL 1 PROMETHEAN NOVICE
with that attack or make another attack against a
different target at any point before the end of your turn. Attributes Increase two by 1
Feast on Thoughts Whenever you feast on thoughts, Characteristics Health +6
you deal 1d6 extra damage. Gouging Blow When you inflict damage with a melee
weapon attack, you can use a triggered action to heal
PROMETHEAN damage equal to your healing rate. Once you use this
talent, you cannot use it again until you complete a rest.
Written by Arkham Jones.
LEVEL 2 PROMETHEAN NOVICE

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rafted from corpses and given life by
unusual magic or dark science.
Characteristics Health +6
Gain one of the following benefits:
Prometheans are shambling hulks of dead Magic You increase your Power by 1, discover the Storm
flesh instilled with an incomprehensible Tradition, and learn one spell from it.
rage at their own existence and those who created them, Deadened Skin When not wearing heavy or medium
armor, you gain a +1 bonus to Defense.
often destroying their birthplace and everything around
them. Some Prometheans however, develop a keen LEVEL 4 PROMETHEAN EXPERT
intelligence and awaken strangely docile. Taking in their Characteristics Health +6
surroundings and their existence with aloof strangeness, You either learn one spell or gain Adaptive Form.
not unlike that of a newborn child. These unique Adaptive Form Prometheans can knit their flesh back
together using materials harvested from corpses. By
Prometheans are astonishingly rare and while they spending 1 use of a Healer’s Kit and 1 hour, you can
struggle with their tortured forms and unstable minds, either replace one lost body part (eye, limb, etc) or heal
they embrace the world in all its horror and glory to seek damage equal to your healing rate for each point of Size
their destinies, even if the world around them views them of the dead creature (minimum 1). A creature cannot be
harvested more than once in this manner.
as utter abominations.

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 LEVEL 5 PROMETHEAN EXPERT PROMETHEAN FORM
Characteristics Defense +1, Health +4 3d6 Form
Stunning Blow When the total of your attack roll is 20 or You are a small Promethean, formed of halflings and
higher and beats the target number by 5 or more, you small humanoids. Increase your Agility by 1, reduce your
deal 1d6 extra damage and the target must make a 3-8 Speed by 2, and your Size to ½. You are 3 feet tall and
Strength challenge roll or become Stunned for 1 round. weigh 80 pounds.
Gain one of the following benefits: You are a stocky Promethean fashioned from the
Magic You increase your Power by 1 and either discover a 9-12 corpses of dwarfs and similar-sized creatures. You are 4
tradition or learn a spell from a tradition you have feet tall and weigh 130 pounds.
already discovered. You are a humanoid Promethean, formed from multiple
Combat Prowess Your attacks with weapons deal 1d6 13-15 dead bodies of humans. You are 6 feet tall and weigh
extra damage. 250 pounds.
You are a hulking Promethean, formed from the corpses
LEVEL 8 EXPERT PROMETHEAN 16-17 of orcs and bigger creatures. You are 8 feet tall and
Characteristics Health +4 weigh 600 pounds.
Gain one of the following benefits: You are a colossal Promethean, formed from the
Harness the Storm You wield the arcane energies that 18 corpses of Jotun and imposing creatures. Increase your
birthed you to great effect. You learn a spell from the Size to 2 and your Speed by 2. Reduce your Defense by
3. You are 10 feet tall and weigh 800 pounds.
Storm Tradition. In addition, any spells you cast that
deal damage cause an extra 1d6 damage.
Inhuman Strength You have dedicated yourself to PROMETHEAN APPEARANCE
perfecting your physical form, becoming a titan of 3d6 Appearance
strength. You gain a +4 bonus to Health, and whenever You are beyond hideous, poorly stitched together and
you use an action to attack with a weapon, you deal 1d6 3 covered in lightning burns. The stench of your carcass is
extra damage. unbearable for those in close vicinity.
You are ungainly, your limbs are different sizes and of
PROMETHEAN DEVELOPMENT TABLES 4-5 alternating hues. Cobbled together using whatever was
The following tables can help you generate a
available, animal or human.
background story for your Promethean. And what it looks 6-8 Loose stitching hangs from your body like tattered skin,
otherwise, you are solidly constructed.
like. Roll on each of the following tables. They should be You are passable as a living creature, save for dark
9-12 surgical scars and the occasional stitch.
fairly self-explanatory.
You were crafted with care and precision, though dead
PROMETHEAN AGE 13-15 flesh only goes so far. While patches of skin cover up
lingering damage, the obvious nature of your
3d 6 Age patchwork body is easily concealed with clothing.
3-8 You are a newly created Promethean, 5 years old or You were expertly stitched together with surgical skill.
younger. 16-17 Your body was built with fine specimens and
9-12 You are still fresh, 6 to 19 years old. imperfections can only be seen up close.
13-15 You are world-worn, 20 to 99 years old. You are hauntingly beautiful. Only the finest, preserved
You are venerable among your kind, 100 to 299 years 18 corpses were used and you were handled with near-
16-17 old inhuman skill.
18 You are ancient, one of the few, more than three PROMETHEAN QUIRK
centuries old.
3d6 Quirk
PROMETHEAN ORIGIN 3 You have a particular disdain for a random part of your
d20 Origin body that twitches and disobeys you from time to time.
1-4 You were created as a replacement for a loved one. 4-5 Your skin is truly patchworked, having been fashioned
by many people from a variety of lands, close and far.
5-8 You were created as a bodyguard for your creator. Your creator substituted animal parts when creating
9-12 You were created but unfinished, a freak storm brought 6-8 you. A paw instead of a hand, a cat’s eye fitted to your
you to life instead. eye socket, a patch of fur or hide stitched on your body.
13-16 You were created as a short-lived experiment by your 9-12 A part of your body was removed by your creator in a
maker to study the effects of resurrection. fit of rage. A finger, a toe, your nose, or even genitals.
17-20 You were created for an unknown reason. 13-15 You were created with whatever was at hand. You have
two left hands or feet, or a limb bending the wrong way.
16-17 Your blood was replaced with a viscous sludge that
reeks of acrid chemicals when you bleed.
18 You sometimes herald bad weather, your body crackles
with sparks during a storm.
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 PROMETHEAN PERSONALITY There was nothing for you where you were born, so you
7 decided to travel and observe how others operate. You
3d6 Personality speak one additional language.
You rage at your own existence, hating the way your You use your unbridled anger to save the weak from
dead flesh moves and are fully conscious of the fact you 8 oppression, those that know of the rumor speak of you
3 are a hideous construct. While you may not hate others, only in hushed tones.
you envy their completeness. Your creator raised you like a child of their own before
Unlike your body, you are full of life and find your 9 you outlived them. You buried them but still feel guilty to
4-5 existence a free one, full of possibilities. this day.
You are oblivious and naive to the workings of the You spent 1d6 years in a permanent rage that left utter
6-8 world, treating everything as a brand new experience. 10 destruction in your wake, resulting in a professional killer
being hired to track you down by the survivors.
You view the world through a coldly logical perspective,
9-12 emotions rarely trouble you as you find them more of a You accidentally wandered into a Hidden Kingdom and
nuisance than anything else. 11 made friends with the elves, who dressed you strangely
and threw rotten fruit at you for fun.
13-15 You are solemn and withdrawn, only revealing your true
self to others that you can trust. Choose a character in your group. They were around
12 when you were resurrected by lightning and you believe
16-17 You are cold and aloof, but when your emotions flare up them to be your creator.
you are a fearsome thing.
Your brain is that of a famous philosopher, you are prone
18 Your emotional responses are switched around, you 13 to giving lectures on wholly bizarre and existential
might cry at a joke, or laugh during a funeral. ramblings. Gain 1 Insanity.
A necromancer sought to control you, but you liberated
PROMETHEAN BACKGROUND 14 him of his life and made friends with the bones of his
d20 Background servants.
You were created as a killing machine from the corpses You were born amidst a pile of skulls, you carry one with
15 you
1 of serial killers. Gain 2 Corruption that sometimes talks to you in a strange voice.
At the moment of your ‘birth’, witch hunters stormed the You were picked up by a traveling circus and used as a
2 laboratory and put it to the torch. You made sure the 16 performer for a time, you brought many to the attraction
witch hunters never escaped. Gain 1 Corruption. and earned 2d6 cp.
You awoke alone on a wooden operating table with no One of your hands is made of non-organic matter and is
17 covered
3 sign of your creator, you’ve been looking for them ever in runes. You do not know what they mean.
since. You’ve suffered from a constant itch in your arm until
You were found by scholars who took you to a remote 18 one day you tore open the skin and found a map to a
academy and were studied as an anatomical study. One faraway land.
4 day you decided to leave, but not before learning much Your creator didn’t leave you anything to wear, you
more about yourself. traveled to the nearest tavern to ask for clothes and they
19 laughed
You were brought to life, killed by your creator, then at you. You left with a hodgepodge outfit while
5 broke out of your grave after a freak storm awakened they nursed more than their drinks.
you. You are not alone, there is an identical Promethean out
Fleeing your creator, you fell in love with someone from a 20 there in the world. You feel them drawing closer to you
distance, enamored with their beauty but terrified of every time you rest.
6 what they might think of you. You’ve never spoken to
them, yet.

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 Pavise You cannot use the pavise in melee combat. It is a
EXPERT PATHS light wooden wall shield studded with metal lining to
reinforce and a small spike to embed into the terrain. It
hat follows are three homebrewed Expert has a Size of 1. Replacement cost is 2 silver.

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paths: The Besieger, the Bowman, and the Dig In You can use a triggered action or an action on your
Thrower. turn to deploy your pavise. While your pavise is
deployed you count as half-covered if targeted by
attacks. Once deployed the pavise cannot be moved. You
must use an action to disassemble your pavise. While
behind the shield’s cover, you gain a passive +1 Defense
bonus.
Swift Reload As per fighter talent.
LEVEL 6 BESIEGER
Characteristics Health +4
Durable When you would heal damage equal to your
healing rate, your healing rate equals your Health
divided by 3.
Crossbow Master You make attack rolls with crossbows
with 1 boon. If your attack roll is above 20 and beats the
target's Defense by 5, the attack deals 1d6 extra damage.
LEVEL 9 BESIEGER
Characteristics Health +4
Swift Shot Crossbow You may take a second shot with
your crossbow immediately after using Swift Reload.
The second shot is made with 1 bane.
Pavise Mastery While behind the cover of a pavise, you
gain a passive +2 Defense bonus instead.

BOWMAN
Written by Nezzeraj.
asters of bows and crossbows, the bowman

M
prefer to attack from a safe distance, whittling
down foes before their enemies have a chance
to do any harm. Some focus on long-range
precision fire with the longbow, others with a rapid-fire
fusillade from a shortbow, and others still with the
devastating power of a crossbow. Whatever form it takes,
the bowman is a capable archer on both the first and last
THE BESIEGER lines of defense.
Expert Path by Liam#6899 & Si_S#2927
LEVEL 3 BOWMAN
his homebrewed expert path combines a
Attributes Increase two by 1

T
pavise with the crossbow for safer dispatching Characteristics Health +4, Perception +1
of one's enemies from range. It's a good Languages and Professions You speak another
alternative to the Paviser master path found in language or add a profession to your list of professions.
Masters of Arms.
Fast Fingers You can use a triggered action on your turn
to reload a weapon that has the reload property.
Alternatively, if you are wielding a ranged weapon
LEVEL 3 BESIEGER without the reload property, you can nock two arrows
Attributes Increase two by 1 and make an attack as if you were attacking with two
Characteristics Health +5, Perception +1 weapons (Shadow, page 51).
Languages and Professions Add one martial profession Hawkeye Reduce the number of banes imposed by the
to your list of professions. ranged attack options called shot, distant shot, and
Equipment You gain a pavise. staggering shot by 1.

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 LEVEL 6 BOWMAN LEVEL 3 THROWER
Characteristics Health +4, Speed +1 Attributes Increase two by 1
Pinpoint Accuracy You deal 1d6 extra damage with Bows Characteristics
Languages
Health +4, Perception +1
and Professions You speak another
and crossbows. If the total of your attack roll is 20 or
higher and beats the target number by 5, your attack language or add a criminal profession to your list of
counts as if you had succeeded on either the called shot professions.
or staggering shot attack options. Honed Edge When throwing knives or daggers, the
Keep Your Distance When you heal damage equal to at damage die becomes 1d6. While throwing darts
least your healing rate, you can move up to your Speed. increases the damage die to 1d3. In addition, you gain a
This movement does not trigger free attacks. boon on ranged attack rolls with weapons with the
thrown property.
LEVEL 9 MASTER BOWMAN Cloak of Knives You gain a cloak that grants +1 Defense
and holds a number of cleverly concealed thrown
Characteristics Health +4, Perception +1 weapons equal to your Agility score. You don't have to
Perfect Aim Reduce the number of situational banes keep track of the number of knives, but if an attack roll
imposed by cover or obscurement by 2. results in a 0 or below, you have depleted your cache. It
Trick Shot On a successful ranged attack, you may costs 1 ss to restock your cloak. Additionally, when you
immediately make another ranged attack with 1 bane to use the attack action, the weapon can be drawn as part
one additional target within short range of the first of the attack and does not require the use an item action
target. or a minor activity.
LEVEL 6 THROWER
Characteristics Health +4
Bull s Eye You aim for a vulnerable area. When using the
'
called shot ranged attack option, you reduce the
number of banes by 1.
Versatile Thrower You can add either your Strength or
Agility modifier to damage dealt by thrown weapons.
Additionally, increase the range of thrown weapons to
medium.
LEVEL 9 MASTER THROWER
Characteristics Health +4, Perception +1
Fan of Knives You can use an action to throw out a
barrage of blades dealing normal weapon damage +1d6
in a 5-yard radius around you. All creatures can make an
Agility challenge roll to take half damage. After using
this talent you must wait 1 minute before using it again.

THROWER
Written by Nezzeraj.

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hile some knife fighters prefer to get up
close and personal with their victims,
throwers prefer to keep them at a distance.
With deadly accuracy they can silence,
blind, mutilate, and kill with a well-aimed throw. Throwers
keep an arsenal of well-balanced and sharp but ultimately
disposable small blades at their disposal.
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MASTER PATHS DEATH DEALER
Written by Nezzeraj.

N
ot one, but two variants on the Death

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Dealer master path from Shadow. And a eath Dealers sound cool on paper, but in
completely new, blood-focused master path play, they can feel somewhat
that can manipulate their blood to their underwhelming. What follows are two
advantage. variants on the Death Dealer to make them
live more up to their name.

DEATH DEALER VARIANT 1

This variant makes the Death Dealer excel even more at
using heavy weapons or even use two one-handed
weapons to create their carnage.
LEVEL 7 DEATH DEALER
Attributes Increase three by 1
Characteristics Health +6
Brutal Swing When you incapacitate a creature with an
attack using a heavy weapon, you can use a triggered
action to attack with the same weapon at any point
before the end of your turn.
LEVEL 10 DEATH DEALER
Characteristics Health +6
Heavy Weapon Master When wielding heavy weapons,
your attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage. Additionally,
ignore the cumbersome property, and one-handed
weapons can be treated as off-hand weapons.
DEATH DEALER VARIANT 2
Another variant of the Death Dealer, with a Savage
Cyclone that decimates foes and allies alike around you,
replacing the Make Mountains of the Dead talent.
LEVEL 7 DEATH DEALER
Attributes Increase three by 1
Characteristics Health +6
Brutal Swing When you incapacitate a creature with an
attack using a heavy weapon, you can use a triggered
action to attack with the same weapon at any point
before the end of your turn.
LEVEL 10 DEATH DEALER
Characteristics Health +6
Savage Cyclone When wielding heavy weapons, you
can use an attack action to spin in a circle, striking every
adjacent creature, including allies. Make a single attack
roll with 1 bane. Each creature successfully hit takes
extra damage equal to your Strength modifier. After the
attack is resolved, you are fatigued for one round.

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 SANGUINE WEAPONMASTER LEVEL 10 MASTER SANGUINE WEAPONMASTER
Written by David Rybacki. Characteristics Health +3
Sanguine Masterstroke When you attack with your
asters of both blood and steel, Sanguine Sanguine Weapon you can use a triggered action to

M
Weaponmasters have moved beyond the expend a casting of one of your Blood spells. If the
limitations of common weapons and attack deals damage, it deals +1d6 extra damage and
inflicts a bleeding wound that deals 1 damage for each
have instead mastered the ability to Rank of the expended spell at the end of each round.
create the perfect weapon for a given encounter. The bleeding lasts until the target or another creature
This path uses the Blood tradition that can be found in uses an action to stanch the wound.
Tombs of the Desolation, page 15 and is expanded upon in Hunger for Blood When you damage a bleeding
opponent with your Sanguine Weapon, you can use a
Haematurgy: Blood Magic and Tapping the Pulse of Power. triggered action to heal your Healing Rate. You can do
Check the Magic chapter for a new Blood spell that can this a number of times equal to your Power, regaining
be used with this path. any expended uses when you complete a rest.
Improved Sanguine Weapon When you summon your
LEVEL 7 SANGUINE WEAPONMASTER Sanguine weapon, you can choose an additional
property from the list, or increase the Defensive or
Attributes Increase three by 1 Reach property's value to +2.
Characteristics Health +3, Power +1
Magic You learn the Blood tradition or learn one Blood NEW WEAPON TRAITS
spell
Summon forth the Sanguine Weapon You can use an The following weapon properties are a preview of the many
action or a triggered action on your turn to take a 1d6 new properties introduced in Finduviel's Emporium from Ra
penalty to your Health and create a one-handed Press.
weapon from your spilled blood. This weapon lasts Entangle This weapon can be used to grab an opponent
until you release the weapon willingly, at which point within reach. Make the attack roll against the target's
you reduce the penalty taken from summoning the Agility. On a success, the target takes no damage but
weapon by one, as the weapon returns to your body and instead becomes grabbed. While a target that is your
the wound closes. Any left-over Health penalty gained Size or smaller is grabbed this way, you can use an
this way is removed when you complete a rest. The action or a triggered action on your turn to pull the
weapon has the following benefits: target towards you a number of yards equal to your
Implement - The weapon counts as your implement. Strength modifier minus the target's Strength modifier
Attack - Your attack rolls with the weapon are made (minimum 0).
with 1 boon. Flexible Attacks with this weapon ignores an opponent's
Damage - The weapon deals 2d6 damage if you're defense bonus from shields and banes from guarded
Size 1 or smaller, adding 1d6 extra damage for each attacks.
Size larger than 1.
Properties - When created, you can select two of the
following properties for the weapon: Defensive +1,
Finesse, Reach +1, Thrown, Entangle, or Flexible.
Blood Bound - The weapon can not be destroyed,
disarmed, or dispelled while you are still
conscious or until you release it.
Open Wound - As long as you maintain the
weapon, you count as if you're bleeding
which can not be stanched until you
release the weapon. While this does
not cause any additional damage,
it makes you vulnerable to any
attacks or effects that require a
bleeding target.

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 BESTIARY
BUTTERFLY SPIDERS SHARKS
Written by Jarred Caldwell (Ra Press). Written by Ronny Anderssen (Ra Press)
hese beautiful, yet giant butterflies he depths are dangerous for even the

T T
haphazardly hover around fields and toughest of adventures. Filled with not only
forests. But when they see a human, they monsters but also dangerous animals that
become very dangerous. They capture want to eat any unsuspecting heroes. These
humans and wrap them in their silk webs. Instead of shark variants are perfect for your aquatic adventures.
eating them like normal boring spiders, they inject a They're based on the animal creature blocks from Shadow
substance to melt the human inside the web. The human with an added shark theme to them.
then slowly transforms, much like caterpillars do in
cocoons, and they reform as afresh new Butterfly Spider REEF SHARK DIFFICULTY 5
themselves.
Size 1 aquatic animal
Perception 12(+2), sightless
BUTTERFLY SPIDER DIFFICULTY 10 Defense 12; Health 20; Insanity 0; Corruption 0
Strength 12(+2), Agility 11(+1), Intellect6(-4), Will 10(+0)
Size 1/2 faerie Speed 0; swimmer 10
Perception 10(+0), darksight Pack Fighting When the reef shark attacks a target within the
Defense 10; Health 15; Insanity -; Corruption 0 reach of another creature with this trait and that is friendly to
Strength 7(-3), Agility 12(+2), Intellect 5(-5), Will 8(-2) the reef shark, it makes the attack roll with 1 boon. Otherwise,
Speed 10; flyer the creature makes the attack roll with 1 bane.
Immune damage from disease; charmed, diseased. ATTACK OPTIONS
Spell Defense A butterfly spider takes half damage from spells.
When a creature attacks the butterfly spider with a spell, the Teeth (melee) +2 with 1 boon (1d6+1)
butterfly spider imposes 1 bane on the attack roll and makes
the challenge roll to resist the attack with 1 boon.
Iron Vulnerability A butterfly spider is impaired while it is in HUNTER SHARK DIFFICULTY 10
contact with iron. As well, the butterfly spider loses Spell Size 2 aquatic animal
Defense for as long as it remains in contact with iron and for 1
minute after. Perception 12(+2), sightless
Defense 13; Health 30; Insanity 0; Corruption 0
ATTACK OPTIONS Strength 14(+4), Agility 11(+1), Intellect6(-4), Will 11(+1)
Digestive spit (medium range) +2 with 1 boon (2d6 plus Dissolve Speed 0; swimmer 10
on 20+) Blood Frenzy A hunter shark makes attack rolls against injured
Dissolve The target must make a Strength challenge roll with 1 targets with 1 boon.
bane. On a failure, it takes 2d6 damage. The corrosive ATTACK OPTIONS
substance dissolves any clothing, weapons, armor, and other
equipment. For each piece of equipment The spit contacts, roll Teeth (melee) +4 with 1 boon (2d6+1 plus Rend Flesh on attack
a d6. On a 1 the equipment is rendered useless. roll 20+)
SPECIAL ACTIONS SPECIAL ATTACKS
Cocoon The butterfly spider wraps one defenseless creature Rend Flesh A living creature of flesh and blood suffers a bleeding
within its reach in strands of silk until the creature becomes wound that remains until it heals any damage. At the end of
wholly cocooned. A cocooned creature is immobilized until it is each round when a creature suffers a bleeding wound, the
freed. The cocoon has Health 10 and takes double damage creature takes 1d6 damage from blood loss.
from fire. A creature cocooned is Defenseless and Immobilized.
A creature who
spends a rest
cocooned is
permanently
transformed
into a
butterfly
spider.

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 In the decades since, every year a glacial wind begins to
CURSE FROM A GLACIAL GRAVE gust down from the glacier beginning on the first day of
An encounter written by Jay Richards. summer, ending on the last day of summer. Most of those
now gleams in the high mountains on the who went to investigate did not return, and the few who

S
edge of the Blasted Lands. Frigid waves and did report seeing a horrifying spirit of the once fair
motes of ice from the Frozen Sea lap at the princess drifting near the place of the still blackened pyre
harbor of a port monarchy nestled in a small marks. As the stories of this spirit spread the townsfolk
fjord there. Even as summer dawns after a began calling her the "Ice Queen". Many people left during
rainy spring in the river valley. Icy winds start to blow the first decade of the Ice Queen's curse due to the cold
down from the glacier at the sunset on the summer solstice during the growing season made farming nearly
from the highest peak overlooking the kingdom. The gale impossible, and those who have stayed survive through
chills the lands to sub-zero temperatures overnight and it hunting and trading with nearby villages. One of the few
remains frozen throughout the season. The hardened silver linings is that herds of wooly sheep and caribou flock
inhabitants of these lands call this the Ice Queen’s Curse. to the fjord down from the mountains during the summer
The local legends say that long ago the kingdom's lands looking for food and water.
were peaceful. They exported ice from the glacier, and
textiles made in the town from caribou fur-felt woven into
ICE QUEEN'S CURSE: WINTER’S GALE
lightweight and warm garments and blankets. In the A particularly strong blast of icy air buffets against
kingdom's castle, twin princesses lived content, until the creatures and causes extremely low temperatures
king and queen traveled abroad, and their ship was lost at triggering Cold Exposure in the fjord or on the mountain:
sea. In grief, they were unable to decide who would be the Each hour outside a creature is subject to Extreme Cold,
new ruler. So the sisters journeyed to consult with an where it must make a Strength challenge roll.
ancient troll who was frozen within the glacier. He On a failure, the creature becomes fatigued. If it is
magically conjured a shard of glacial ice for them. The troll already fatigued, it instead takes a cumulative ?1d6 penalty
explained that on the solstice, should they look upon it as a to Health. This penalty remains until the creature is no
mirror it would give them a glimpse into their futures. longer fatigued and is no longer subject to exposure. A
When the time came the princesses stared into its depths. creature fatigued from exposure removes this affliction
The reflection of the sister with auburn hair was that of a when it completes a rest in a comfortable environment. If
regal and noble queen. The tow-haired sister looked into exposure causes a creature to take a penalty to Health, it
the mirror, and they saw a rotted figure with awful develops frostbite.
frostbitten and melted skin. She screamed and threw the EXTREME COLD
mirror to the floor which shattered it into thousands of
shards each retained the horrible image of the horrifying Cold Exposure makes activity difficult, during morning
reflection frozen inside. hours from the hours of 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM, and evening
Rumors spread that the fairer princess was secretly an hours from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM, creatures exposed to the
evil witch. Some legends even recount that it was the red- cold weather make all d20 rolls with 1 bane. During the
haired princess who began the surreptitious witch gossip. night from the hours of 8:00 PM to 2:00 AM, creatures
One year later, after a particularly harsh winter that lasted make the rolls with 2 banes.
nearly until summer. The town pitched itself into a fervor ICE QUEEN'S GRAVE
as crops failed. A starving mob marched en masse on the
castle with torches and farming implements in hand and During the summer months the Ice Queen's Spirit,
claimed that the evil witch caused the famine. The fair- deformed into the same terrifying visage the troll's mirror
haired princess submitted herself to the crowd in hopes to predicted, can be found drifting around the glacier
allay their fears and reach an understanding. especially near the spot she was put to the pyre. The area is
However, she was met with a fever of hunger and rage. subject to a constant blizzard while the Ice Queen's Spirit
When she realized there would be no leniency she fled restlessly wanders the glacier.
from the rioting mob up the ice harvesters' mountain trails BLIZZARD CONDITIONS
to the glacier, with nowhere left to go she faced her people
The glacier's terrain makes moving and balance difficult
and pleaded for mercy. None was to be found. The fair-
terrain due to ice and snow, as well as heavy
haired princess was burned alive in a pyre at the edge of
obscurement caused by the swirling snow of
the glacier.
the blizzard. 13
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ICE QUEEN'S SPIRIT ICE QUEEN'S SPIRIT DIFFICULTY 500

Size 1 horrifying undead spirit

The Ice Queen's translucent spirit is a visage of horrible
burns and frostbite. Her skin hangs partially melted off a Perception 13 (+3), truesight
Defense 15; Health 50; Insanity 8; Corruption 2
charred skeleton, turned black by frostbite. She wails in Strength — (—), Agility 15 (+5), Intellect 13 (+3), Will 12 (+2)
pain along with the howling of Winter's Gale and seeks Speed 10; drift
only to destroy all warmth and life that approach the Immune damage from cold, disease, poison; gaining Insanity;
asleep, blinded, deafened, diseased, fatigued, immobilized,
glacier. The Ice Queen does not speak, only wails with poisoned, slowed.
incoherent shrieks. Spell Defense The Ice Queen's Spirit takes half damage from
The constant blizzard that rages around the Ice spells and makes any challenge roll to resist a spell with 1 boon.
A creature attacking her with a spell makes the attack roll with
Queen's Spirit causes heavy obscurement, blocks the sun 1 bane.
from the sky, and triggers Cold Exposure from Winter's Insubstantial The Ice Queen's Spirit takes half damage from
Gale each minute for any living creature on or near the weapons, can move through solid objects and other creatures,
and ignores the effects of moving across difficult terrain.
glacier. The Ice Queen's Spirit begins combat with the Fatal Horror A creature that gains Insanity from the Ice Queen's
Sorrowful Wail with the intent to trigger Fatal Horror upon Spirit must succeed on a Strength challenge roll or take
anyone who comes within her range, then each round she
damage equal to its healing rate. A creature that goes mad
from Insanity gained from the Ice Queen's Spirit instead takes
attempts to catch as many living creatures in a howl, and damage equal to its Health, it dies instantly and rises as a
she only uses chilling touch as a last resort. compelled cold corpse 1d6 rounds later.
The frozen bodies of old villagers, and more recent ice Heat Sense The Ice Queen's Spirit knows the location of each heat
source including living creatures within 1 mile of her. Such
harvesters who dared too close to the glacier litter the creatures cannot become hidden from her, and her attacks rolls
ground all around the end of the mountain path. against living targets ignore banes imposed by obscurement.
Determine how many are recently deceased when first
Vulnerable to Fire The Ice Queen's Spirit takes double damage
from fire and heat.
encountered by rolling 1d3 to find the number of cold Impaired by Sunlight The Ice Queen's Spirit is impaired while in an
corpses wandering around the glacier. Attracted by the area lit by sunlight.
warmth of the living cold corpses will always attack the ATTACK OPTIONS
nearest living creature with its claw and continue attacking Chilling Touch (melee) +5 with 1 boon (3d6 damage)
until the living creature is no longer living, then it will Howl She unleashes a bone-chilling scream in a 6-yard-long cone
move to the next living creature in its perception area, and
that spreads from a point she can reach. Every living creature in
the cone must roll a success on a Will challenge roll or gain 1
repeat until no living creature remains, in which case they Insanity.
will wander aimlessly around the glacier until they freeze SPECIAL ATTACKS
solid from the blizzard.
Sorrowful Wail The Ice Queen lets loose an unholy shriek with the
power of a blizzard. Each living creature within medium range
COLD CORPSE DIFFICULTY 10 that can hear must get a success on a Will challenge roll with 2
banes or take 3d6 damage and gain 1d6 Insanity. Once the Ice
Size 1 horrifying undead Queen's Spirit uses Wail, she must wait 1 minute before she can
use it again.
Perception 11(+1), darksight
Defense 13; Health 15; Insanity 5; Corruption 0 SPECIAL ACTIONS
Strength 13 (+3), Agility 12 (+2), Intellect 7 (-3), Will 11 (+1) Drift The Ice Queen's Spirit can use an action or a triggered action
Speed 10; ice walker on its turn to move up to its Speed without triggering free
Immune damage from cold; gaining insanity, and frightened. attacks.
Ice Walker A cold corpse ignores the effects of moving across
difficult terrain caused by ice or snow. END OF THE ROUND
Vulnerable to Fire A cold corpse takes double damage from fire
and heat. Freezing Presence Waves of lethal cold radiate from the Ice
Queen's Spirit, freezing all liquids within short range. As well,
ATTACK OPTIONS each creature within short range, other than herself, must
Claw (melee) +3 with 1 boon or 2 boons against a slowed target succeed on a Strength challenge roll or take 1d6 damage and
(2d6 damage plus Freeze) become slowed. Plants in the area wither and die.
Freeze A living target must get a success on a Strength challenge Undead Recovery The Ice Queen's Spirit removes one affliction
roll or become slowed for 1 round. While slowed in this way, the from herself.
creature makes attack rolls and challenge rolls with 1 bane. A
target already slowed instead takes 1d6 extra damage.

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 GEAR
Finisher Sweep: You attack all creatures within
BLOODBORNE WEAPONS reach of the weapon. The Bloodletter then
transforms back to being a mace, removing the
Written by William Buxton penalty to Health from Bloody Halberd.

B
uilding upon the Ra Press book Way of the When the Bloodletter is transformed back into a mace,
Transforming Blade, the author decided to you take a penalty to your Health equal to the number of
convert the transforming weapons found in charges spent. This penalty is removed when you next
the video game Bloodborne, which Way of complete a rest.
the Transforming Blade drew heavy inspiration from.
Transforming a weapon from one form to another is a HOLY MOONLIGHT BLADE
Minor Activity (unless noted otherwise).
The Holy Moonlight Blade is an intricate silver bastard
BLOODLETTER sword of ancient origin. It can be transformed into a
greatsword, and upon transformation, explodes in
A bloodstained mace wrapped in torn, crimson ribbons, shimmering colors of green and blue, that reflect off of it
crossguard, grooves along the haft, and five serrated like moonlight. The wielder can draw upon its power to
flanges clean of blood. The wielder can sacrifice their very channel the abysmal cosmos within and hurl waves of light
lifeblood and plunge the weapon into their chest. The at their foes.
weapon they pull out has a pulsating, spiked ball of Enchanted Blade The Holy Moonlight Blade is a finesse
solidified blood for its head. weapon and you make attack rolls with 1 boon and it
With a flick of the wrist, the weapon can transform into deals 1d6 extra damage. The damage counts as Celestial
a spiked halberd instead. And wicked hunters know how to and Sunlight for the purposes of any effects. Also,
against Undead, you gain another boon and deal +1d6
turn this transformation into an unexpected and bloody extra damage (Hereto Righteous Damage).
assault, with the weapon extending out their backs briefly, Channel Abyssal Cosmos: The weapon contains three
siphoning some lifeforce, before fully retracting the charges. You can use an action to spend one of these
weapon out of the body for use. charges to activate one of the following effects:
Bloody Halberd While the weapon is in its mace form, Transformed Strike: Your attack with the weapon
deals 1d6 extra damage and if the target takes
you can use a triggered action on your turn and take a damage, they become prone from the explosive
penalty to Health equal to 1d6 + your Healing Rate to impact of energy. After, the weapon automatically
transform the Bloodletter to its halberd form. It stays transforms into its other form.
transformed as long as you have a Health penalty from Lightwave: Your attack with the weapon can target a
the weapon. creature up to 10 yards away, and deal 6d6 Righteous
Or you can use an action on your turn instead, to Damage instead of its normal damage.
both transform the weapon into a halberd, taking the All spent charges are refilled when you complete a rest.
penalty to Health, and attack with it. You make the
attack roll with 1 boon and if you damage your target, KIRKHAMMER
you reduce the penalty to your Health by 1d3.
When you complete a rest, you reduce any Health The Kirkhammer is a silvered sword that can be
penalty imposed by this weapon by 1d3. sheathed into a special scabbard shaped like a huge block
Staggering Strike While the weapon is transformed into of stone, effectively transforming it into a maul.
a halberd, and a target takes damage from it, they must
make an Agility challenge roll or fall prone. Blocking Stance While wielding the Kirkhammer in its
Blood Power When you transform the Bloodletter, it maul form and a creature attacks you, you can use a
gains three blood charges. You can use an action to triggered action to impose 1 bane on the creature's
spend one of these charges to activate one of the attack roll. If they still hit you, you take only half the
following effects: damage and ignore the following afflictions: Dazed,
Frenzy Slam: You strike the ground with the weapon Impaired, Prone, and Stunned.
and an explosion of blood erupts into a 2-yard-
radius. All creatures except the wielder within the
area take 3d6+5 damage, gains 1 Insanity, and fall
prone. A creature can make an Agility challenge roll
to take half the damage instead and ignore the
insanity gain and prone affliction. Finally, the
wielder must make a Will challenge roll or gain 1
Insanity.

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TONITRUS
A mace of simple pure-steel-like design, with a large
round circular head, 3 pitted holes at the top, ring-like
design coiling down the haft to an intricately twisted
handle. The wielder can strike the weapon, and a switch
within the weapon makes it emit a bright current of blue
electricity that dances safely around its head.
The Tonitrus is a morningstar that can become electrical.
Electrical While wielding the Tonitrus, you can use a
triggered action on your turn to activate its electrical
property until the end of the round. While electrified,
the weapon deals 1d6 extra damage and all damage
dealt becomes lightning damage. At the end of the
round, roll a d6: On a 1, the weapon loses its Electrical
property until you complete a rest. On a 6, the weapon
continues to be electrical until the end of the next
round, which also prompts another d6 roll.

WHIRLIGIG SAW
The Whirligig Saw is a staff that can be inserted into a
huge circular saw that transforms it into a greataxe.
Mutilate: If your attack roll with this weapon results in a
20 or higher and beats the target number by 5, the target
takes 1d6 extra damage and suffers a bleeding wound.
While bleeding, it takes 1d6 damage at the end of the
round until the target heals damage or a creature uses
an action to stanch the wound.

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 MAGIC
STAY! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 1
ew magic; both a new tradition and spells,

N
brewed by our finest brewers. For this first Target One creature that can hear you
issue, we have a new spell for the Blood The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, they
tradition and a new tradition complete with become immobilized for 1 minute.
new spells: Eldritch Words. DIE! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 2

Target One creature that can hear you

BLOOD The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
Written by David Rybacki. target must immediately attack themselves with their most
powerful attack.
BLEEDING BLOWS BLOOD UTILITY 1
PROTECT! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 2
Target One target weapon within short range
Target One creature that can hear you
For a number of rounds equal to your Power score + 1, a bloody
crimson aura surrounds the target weapon and enhances its The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, they
ability to tear open bleeding wounds. When the weapon deals must protect a target of the caster's choosing for 1d6 rounds.
damage to a creature, you can use a triggered action to cause KILL! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 3
the creature to suffer a bleeding wound. The wound deals 1d6
damage to the creature at the end of each round until the Target One creature that can hear you
creature dies, or someone uses an action and makes an Intellect The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, they
roll, stanching the bleeding on a success. must attack a target of the casters choosing until their target is
dead.
ELDRITCH WORDS MINE! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 3
Written by Ronny Anderssen (Ra Press).
Target One creature that can hear you
new tradition focused on eldritch words of

A
The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
power. Each of the eldritch words spells target must immediately give you all their equipment, even
consists of a single word that manifests into stripping to do so.
reality to enact what it details. TRUTH! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 4

LIGHTS! ELDRITCH WORDS UTILITY 0

Target One creature that can hear you
The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
Duration 1 hour target becomes cursed. While cursed this way, the creature must
Target One creature or object within medium range always tell the truth.
The target starts to emit light into a 10-yard radius. The light
OBEY! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 5
follows the target for the duration.
STOP! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 0
Target One creature that can hear you
The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
Triggered When a creature you can see within medium range target becomes cursed. While cursed this way, they will follow
moves or uses an action, you can cast this spell and force them wherever you go. You can make an Intellect attack roll against
to stop. Make an Intellect attack roll against their Will. On a their Will. On a success, the target becomes compelled 1 minute.
success, they cannot move or use actions until the end of the
round. FETCH! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 6

ATTACK! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 1 Target One creature that can hear you
Target One creature that can hear you The target must make a Will challenge roll with 2 banes. On a
failure, the target becomes cursed. While cursed in this way, they
The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, they must do anything in their power to retrieve a single item of your
must immediately attack a target of the casters choosing for 1 choice. The creature must keep looking for the item, no matter
round. where it is in existence until they successfully get it to you or the
BLEED! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 1 curse is removed.
Target One creature that can hear you
The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
target starts to bleed out of all their orifices taking 1d6 damage
at the end of each round. The bleeding can be stanched by the
target or any other creature by using an action.
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SILENCE! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 7

Target One creature that can hear you

The target must make a Will challenge roll. On a failure, the
target becomes cursed. While cursed this way, the creature is
unable to speak or make any sound.
CHALLENGE! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 8

Target One creature that can hear you

Make an Intellect attack roll against the target's Will. On a
success, the target becomes cursed. Until the curse is lifted or it
dies, the creature must challenge every creature they meet to a
fight to the death.
Aftereffect If you complete a rest and the target is still cursed,
you gain 1 Corruption.
HEAR ME! ELDRITCH WORDS UTILITY 9

Triggered When casting an Eldritch Word spell, you can use a

triggered action to expend a casting of this spell. Your booming
voice carries up to a 1-mile radius, affecting everyone that can
hear with the Eldritch Word.
Aftereffect You must make a Will challenge roll with 3 banes or
lose your voice for 2d20 days.
GO TO HELL! ELDRITCH WORDS ATTACK 10

Target A 100-yard-radius sphere centered on a point you can

see
Your word echoes strangely and makes the whole area vibrate as
the ground splits open, devil's hands grasping anyone nearby. All
creatures within the area must make a Will challenge roll, or
immediately be dragged down to hell. Creatures make the roll
with a number of banes equal to their Corruption total.
Aftereffect You must get a success on a Will challenge roll with a
number of banes equal to your Corruption total, or gain 1d6
Corruption and 1d6 Insanity.

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 ADVENTURES
Originally just a fort next to the river, it developed into a
PASS ON STRONG city when the owner of the fort invited people to live near
Written by Pantelis. him, and with the expansion of it into a village and the
Art by Dimitra. need for luxuries it attracted people of all classes to settle
there.

P
ass on Strong is a Starting Adventure. The
PCs have been invited to a party that is used Some two centuries later it has become a really big town
to celebrate an Old Faith tradition in honor with the fort being used as a Town Hall and the
of Old-Man Winter. There are drinks and descendants of the people that were directly invited to live
food everywhere but everything goes south when a demon near the fort being treated as nobility and most of them
cult enters the building taking everyone hostage and wants arrogantly calling themselves that.
nothing else but to summon a great demon from the void
capable of spreading chaos.
THE GREDAR FAMILY
The family consists of four members. Rosalina, the
THE INVITATION mother, Donavan, the father, Gregory, the son, and
A handout of the letter can be found on page XX. Caroline the daughter. Rosalina was murdered on the
streets of Riverfort by a thief who just wanted some money
It is with great pleasure that I, Caroline, daughter of
for some food and unknown to the family (except for
Donovan, a priest of Old-Man Winter and our city's temple
Caroline) she was the leader of a cult. Before her death, she
and member of the noble house of Gredar of Riverfort,
had initiated her daughter into the cult and taught her how
Invite you to the party that I and the rest of my family
to run it hoping she would take over after she steps down.
will be hosting in the mansion of my dear mother. The
Due to her death though Caroline took over the cult and
mansion is located out of the city following the river
had more fanaticism than her mother radically changing
westwards. It should be but a ten-minute walk away from
the cult and making a blood sacrifice every year. The
the main gate. I have had the road to the mansion cleaned
sacrifices would either be a random person from the city or
and repaired, so do not worry about dirtying up your
someone who tried to leave the cult after joining in. This
clothes. It is a great celebration within our faith and I hope
year, after years of trying, she thinks she can summon a
to see you and your companions there. The party begins at
powerful demon although the sacrifice must be greater.
9:20 pm coinciding with the return of my father from the
Caroline looks extremely like her mother and most of how
temple.
With much love, Caroline Gredar. she acts is the same. She also has an amulet on her that
The i of course has a heart instead of a dot. looks like one side of a cage and if questioned about it she
will say that she found it in a mansion and it reminded her
INVOLVING THE PLAYERS of her mother, so she kept it. Gregory is very naive but does
It all of course depends on the player and the GM but recognize that his sister started acting weird when she
here are some ways to get into the mansion. started planning for the party which is the reason he
They could be a servant to one of the people who got investigates the library and will tell a character of her weird
invited. behavior if talked to. Donavan is a priest of the Old-Man
They could work for Caroline or even be part of her Winter and is very devoted to his work. He doesn't know of
family either his wife's or daughter's cult.
They could have been invited by Caroline directly
They could have stolen or found the invitation
They could sneak into the mansion or deceive their way in THE CULT
Extreme: They could be part of the cult since the time of The cult, during Rosalina's reign, was heavily based on
the mother and wanted to leave when Caroline took
over. This is the best opportunity they have by aiding the old faith and Old Man Winter but with the theme of
the rest of the players. the cage. The cage symbolized his entrapment which in
turn symbolizes immortality and a life without struggles.
RIVERFORT Under Caroline, however, while not immediately, the
Riverfort is the name of the city that Caroline is from influence from Old Man Winter's cult was completely
and lives in and as the name suggests it is built on top of a dropped and the themes of the cage were
river. reversed.
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 It now symbolized life itself as it is filled with struggles If they don't have the invitation they will be escorted
and it needed to be broken for the soul to be free. The cult outside the mansion and asked to leave. If they claim they
is unknown in Riverfort. Its members are from all around lost it they will be ordered to sit next to the door and after
the Empire and are extremely devoted to it. an hour or so Caroline would come out and ask them why
they are there.
THE MANSION Liking the idea of the character being indebted to her
It is located, as the invitation says, west, ten minutes she will invite them into the party unless they are wearing
away from the city. The river flows a couple of meters next rugged clothing where she would ask the guards to escort
to it and it is within the entrance of a small forest. Some of them out. Just before 11:30 pm, the guards would go in
the trees manage to reach the height of the mansion but making the total of guards in the Main Hall five.
ultimately it is the most prominent thing there. The 4. MAIN HALL
mansion from the outside seems massive with two floors, a
front and back garden, only one large window that The main hall is the first room you encounter after
envelops the main entrance doors and is facing the front walking through the main entrance. It is a huge open room
garden, and a roof made of ceramic tiles. It has been that a character would estimate takes up 1/3 of the
painted nude and has brown details around the window mansion. An awe-inspiring chandelier hangs from the
and doors. roof. The center of the room is empty and there would be
The mansion looks recently renovated and it is since it people dancing after 10:30 pm.
was abandoned by the family even before Rosaline's death. The back of the room has an elevated platform and
musicians on it. They don't start playing music until after
1. FRONT GARDEN 10:00 pm and at 10:30 pm they start playing music that
The front garden is divided into two by the pathway to people can dance to. On the side of there are tables filled
the main entrance and is entirely made up of grass and with different kinds of food and drinks (mainly wine) and
with shrubbery around it creating some pseudo-border servers who occasionally go across the room giving people
with the garden and the outside forest. Both sides of the drinks and asking them if they want anything else.
garden have a small fountain. The one on the left portrays There are two doors, one on the left that is always
some birds spitting the water into the fountain. The right guarded and leads to the lounge and one on the right that
one is grotesque and unsettling as it depicts a man laying leads to the kitchen.
down and a dagger sticking through his chest. Presumably, There are 2 servers, a total of 3 guards (as Cultists), and 4
the water would flow through the wound but it isn't musicians. By 11:30 am there are a total of 30 guests in the
currently working. On it, there's a note that reads in hall. Also in the hall is Caroline who goes around and talks
common "Ew. Replace it". to people randomly.

2. BACK GARDEN 5. LEFT WING

Unlike the front garden, this one doesn't seem to be On the left wing, there is a hallway that connects the
maintained as it is covered with leaves that fell from the main hall with the lounge, the library, and the storage
nearby trees and there isn't some way to distinguish where room. The hallway always has a cultist patrolling it.
the garden ends and where the forest begins as some trees Lounge The lounge has a fireplace that is currently unlit
and two couches. On top of the fireplace, there is a
have been growing inside the borders of the garden as well. family painting with all four members. Caroline and
There is also an entrance there that leads to the kitchen Gregory look about 10 years old since it was painted
and the servant rooms. Right before the cult makes its while their mother was still alive. A door at the back of
move at about 11:20 pm they will board up that entrance. the room leads to the hallway.
Library It is filled with bookcases all over the wall except
3. MAIN ENTRANCE for the wall with the entrance and there is a table in the
middle of it. Anyone who searches it will read of the
At the end of the pathway, there is a set of double doors cult's plan if they haven't realized it already. If they find
that are guarded by two guards holding spears (secretly their way here after 10:00 pm they see the body of
cultists although there is no way to find that out on them). Gregory and his guts spilled all over the floor. Anyone
rolling Perception and succeeding on the roll finds 1d3+1
When approached they ask for your invitation. If the random incantations of rank 0 spells (or determined by
character gives them the invitation or is part of the group the DM).
of someone else who has been invited, the Storage It is filled with equipment used by the workers
guards will ask for their weapons and that are renovating the mansion. There's nothing that
could be used as a weapon, just paint, and some
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 6. RIGHT WING TIMELINE
There is a hallway that connects the kitchen, the 9:10 pm Caroline, Gregory and Donavan arrive.
servants' room, and the "barracks". There is no one 9:20 pm The first guests start showing up.
patrolling the place but cultists will investigate the place 10:00pm The music starts.
after 5 minutes to see if they missed anyone.
10:30pm Guests start dancing.
10:50 pm Caroline would go into the right wing.
Kitchen The kitchen is filled with meats and unprepared 11:00 pm Gregory goes to the library and reads the plans
food. There are 2 cooks in there and a servant of the cult and is gutted by his sister right after.
occasionally comes in to restock the tables or get a 11:10 pm Caroline would go into the main hall from the
requested drink. The staff will question anyone that left wing. She would be wearing different clothes.
comes into the kitchen and won't allow passage without 11:20pm The cultists board up the back entrance. If
any reasonable excuse. It is filled with knives that could someone tries to remove the boards it gives their
be used as an off-hand weapon. position away and the cultists swarm the place. If they
Servants Room The servants' room is mostly empty try to do that before 11:30 then the guards would escort
except for 8 beds. If searched they can find a total of 5cp. the person out and ask them to leave (politely at first)
Barracks This is where all the guards that were hired are but if they insist on staying they will attack.
temporarily sleeping. There aren't any real beds, just 11:30 pm The cult makes its move. Caroline shoots
some bedrolls on the floor and some spears and a bow Donavan and the cult puts the people in the middle of
with 10 arrows. It also has the weapons of the characters the hall and holds them hostage. (In the confusion of
that were taken from them. Some stairs lead to the the gunshot players who are in the hall can easily make
second floor. it into the kitchen if not another opportunity arises
7. SECOND FLOOR later).
11:35 pm The cultists send people on the right wing to
On the left side, there is a hallway that connects four find anyone who may be hiding.
small bedrooms each containing 1d3 ss if searched and on 11:40 pm A guest that arrived late heard the gunshot and
looked at the window. Upon seeing the people getting
the end of the hallway there is a ladder that leads to the grouped up he went to notify the town guards who
half-floor above the main hall. There are three cultists here arrive now. The guards shout at the cultists to surrender
looking through the bedrooms. since there is no way for them to escape (The cultists
On the right side, there are two rooms one is a dining scrambling to see what to do is enough for another
opportunity for the players to try to escape through the
room and contains the door to the secret room that unless kitchen). They do not rush in as they are afraid they will
successfully passing a Perception challenge roll with 2 kill all the hostages.
banes is almost invisible. 11:45 pm They start killing everyone one by one with
The second room is the master bedroom and if searched every minute that passes.
they will find 1d3 ss. On the right side of the bed is a
00:00 am After the last person dies powerful magic
starts coming out of the bodies that can be felt even by
portrait of Rosaline with a medallion extremely similar to people who cannot normally sense it. A rift enough for
the one Caroline is wearing. With a successful Perception two people to go through opens up and a demon walks
challenge roll, the character notices the medallion on the through and attacks everyone. Upon the arrival of the
demon, the cultists cut their throat except for Caroline
portrait is poking out, and if pressed they hear a door open who stays to watch the destruction, becoming the target
(the one in the dining room). of the demon if the players are not there (She won't put
The secret room is empty except for a ladder that leads up a fight). If they are it attacks them first.
to the half-floor above the main hall. 00:10 am The guards come in (They could come in
sooner if signaled by the players or if the double doors
8. HALF FLOOR are opened).
The half-floor is completely dark. If a character tries to If anything happens to disturb the schedule like the
navigate the room without light or darksight they need to finding of Gregory's body Caroline will reveal herself as if
roll an Agility challenge roll. If they fail they trip and alert it was 11:30 pm and the town guards will arrive 10 minutes
the people in the main hall of their location, meaning they after that and will get in 30 minutes after they arrive
send about 3 cultists from the main hall that fight the causing the cultists to kill the people sooner, making the
characters in that room (now with light that they have ritual fail.
brought). The characters can destroy the ceiling where the
chandelier is with a successful Strength challenge roll. If
they destroy it the chandelier falls and kills anyone below
it. It gives their position away as if failing the Agility
challenge roll.

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THE FIGHTS
There are 9 cultists (as Cultist armed with a spear) in total; 5 in the
main hall and 4 in the bedrooms of the second floor.
Two will be sent from the main hall to investigate the right wing.
Two will be sent from the main hall and one from the bedrooms
to investigate the half-floor.
Caroline is the same but is only armed with a pistol and a small
knife. She will not attack during the demon fight. Instead, she
will be on her knees in a state of ecstasy.
There is a total of five town guards (as Patroller) if they come into
the main hall.
The demon appears to be made of
metal. It is a cage that seems to hover
above the ground with hands filled
with blisters and horn-like extremities
coming out of the cage
with eyes looking out of
the darkness within it.
Its statistics are described
below.

CAGE DEMON DIFFICULTY 5

Size 2 Horrifying Demon

Perception 12 (+2); truesight
Defense 13; Health 20
Insanity -;Corruption -
Strength 13(+3); Agility 11(+1); Intellect 10(+0); Will 15(+5)
Speed 13
Immune damage from disease or poison; dazed, fatigued,
frightened, immobilized, impaired, poisoned, slowed, stunned
Spell Defense A demon takes half damage from spells and makes
any challenge roll to resist a spell with 1 boon. A creature
attacking the demon with a spell makes its attack roll with 1
bane.
Demonic Shadows Lit areas out to 1 yard around the demon
become shadows.
ATTACK OPTIONS
Claws (melee) +3 (1d6)
SPECIAL ATTACKS
Double Attack The demon attacks two different targets with its
claws.
SPECIAL ACTIONS
Void Step The demon uses an action or a triggered action on its
turn to teleport to a space it can see within medium range. Roll a
d6. On a roll of 1, the demon cannot use Void Step again for 1
minute.

TOME OF HORROR AND MADNESS

From the depraved minds of Ra Press comes two new ancestries:
The Swarm Infestation and Void Parasite.
Five new Expert paths: The Consumer of Corruption, the Iron Lord,
Mad Piper, Symbiotic Infestation, and Truth Seeker.
And finally, four new Master paths: Blood Letter, Esper, Psycho Killer,
and the Taxidermist. All focused around the themes of corruption,
body horror, and insanity.

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HANDOUT
HANDOUT
 THE HOMEBREW VAULT
ITEMS, RELICS, AND TRINKETS

Y
ou might not know this but there exists a
Google drive where we try to collect all the There are also a few documents on the vault that details
homebrew works for Shadow of the more relics and trinkets.
Demon Lord. You can find it by following Enchanted Items by MadCake details the Amulet of
this link: SotDL Homebrew Vault. Poison Warning, the Dagger of Compel Undead [A
We will use this category to highlight some of the favorite of mine! - Ed.], Dead Man's Deck, and the Har
homebrew works that we find on the vault, with the of Farewell.
Relics & Enchanted Objects by A.C. Ryder have made a
creator's permission of course. The underlined text has links number of Ravenloft artifacts for SotDL: The Tome of
directly to the vault. Strahd, the Sun blade which is most likely inspired by
the Sunsword, the Holy Symbol of the Summer Queen
(Ravenkind), Saint Markovia's Thighbone, the Icon of
REFERENCE GUIDES Ravenloft, Gulthias Staff, and the Blood Spear.
The homebrew vault has several reference guides listing Random Equipment Tables by Ronny Anderssen has
compiled all the equipment from the official releases
all of SotDL's monsters, equipment, spells, ancestries, into easy to use tables for generating a random piece of
paths, and more. equipment. It has some variations on the tables based
Ancestries and Paths Jarred Caldwell has done a terrific on the group's level tier so it follows the recommended
job collecting all the ancestries and paths in an easy to reward structure detailed in Shadow.
browse reference guide. Not only that, but it includes an
overview of all the ways a dead character can come back
to life, all the ways you can gain a pet, all the ways you
can gain corruption, an analysis of the game's poisons,
and there's more coming!
Bestiary The bestiary, by Nezzeraj and Ronny Anderssen,
lists all the monsters found in SotDL publications. From
both official and third-party books. It includes
difficulties, type, and where to find them.
Creature Modification Sort of an add-on to the above
Bestiary, this one collects all the different creature
modifications with the type of creature they can be
applied to, and where to find them.
Diseases There are not many diseases available for
SotDL, yet. But this reference guide keeps up to date
with which ones are.
Equipment This reference guide by Ronny Anderssen
aims to list all the equipment found in published SotDL
content. Including third-party publications. The
reference lists all gear, including weapons, armor,
potions, poisons, relics, and even the enchanted object
tables. Everything is listed with the book and page
where you can find it all.
Magical Compendium The magical compendium, by
Nezzeraj and Ronny Anderssen, lists all spells with the
tradition they belong to, type, and where to find them.
This also includes spells from third-party publications.

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ISSUE 1 | 2021
 IN CLOSING
pocryphal Writings is brought to you by the

A
Shadow of the Demon Lord community
and Ra Press.
In addition to collecting and editing this
fanzine, Ra Press writes and publishes sourcebooks for
Shadow of the Demon Lord, MÖRK BORG, Dnd 5e, and
other roleplaying games. If you want to join our
community, you can check out our Discord. Or if you want
to support us more directly, we're also on Patreon.

THANK YOU!
ur most sincere thanks go out to all of you who

O
contributed to our very first Shadow of the
Demon Lord fanzine.

William Buxton Balgrendian backgrounds &

Bloodborne Weapons.
David Rybacki Sanguine Weaponmaster & a new
Blood spell.
Arkham Jones The Promethean powerful ancestry.
Nezzeraj The Bowman and Thrower Expert paths,
and two variants of the Death Dealer Master path.
Liam & Si_S The besieger Expert path.
Pantelis An adventure: Pass on Strong.
Jay Richards The Ice Queen and her Curse from a
Glacial Grave.
Jarred Caldwell The butterfly spiders.
Ronny Anderssen The Mythos Ghoul powerful
ancestry, two sharks, and a new tradition: Eldritch
Blood.

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