Darkness...
A dark future world with feudal kingdoms and futuristic cities. A world
where the horror of advanced technology has created another dark age,
regulated by wizards and computers. A world where something
tainted awaits in the darkness...
Darkness is a dark future role play game set in a world that has advanced
so far that it destroyed itself then somehow returned from the ashes.
It is not a phoenix reborn a new, but rather a beast, twisted and confused.
A dark future world of fantasy, magic and demons.
- Game Idea is a good place to start to get
the feel.
- Character Generation explains how to create
a character.
Major update here...
Character sheet is now in spreadsheet form!!! --> Darkness.zip
Follow much the same basic concepts as the original but with plenty of
changes.. Mostly self explanatory.
Spend 80 points, GMs set max skill level and slowly raise it based on
their campaign.
- History
to get an Idea what's happened.
- System
Summary for a rules overview
Have fun!!
You'll need a 20 sided dice, some friends and all the imagination
you can spare.
What's New!!
15/10/07: Ok ts really been a while now... Alot has happened since I
made anything resembling an update here. The whole world has been tunred
up side down... and not just in game terms. I have a new son named Daniel
a new job. Things have even been changed in game.. I'm actually starting
again rather than editing everything. Manythings are the same but many
improvement have been made to make things flow faster and simpler.
The world map has seen major changes to fix simple things like the weather
patterns.(not on the site yet) There is now a character generation spreadsheet
which is up to version 3.112 and growing. Here
is the most current version, its a work in progress, it does most
of the point calculations but only displays talents, it fails to charge
for them or add their bonuses in. There are a few new concepts on the
sheets that have not been explained here, mostly sort of explained on
the sheet. Even if you want to stick to the pen and paper character generation
it will allow you to print out blank sheets(which are now prettier. Its
recommended new characters start with 80 starting points and one free
Talent with a skill limit of 'Skilled' (3).
It presents a couple of new concepts. Weapons damage and commonly used
skills are clearly displayed on the sheet. Defence works much like armour
(but only reduces damage in melee/close combat to a minimum of one point
of damage.) Resist reduces duration of magic effects, durations of 1 round
are considered a stalemate, and only lasting till the end of the round
it was cast in, possibly having no real effect. Dodge reduces damage not
number of hits vs area effect. Any Fumble requires a sanity failures require
a sanity reaction. A new concept is being developed of temprary sanity
loss/damage, no real rules yet but it recovers like minor wounds. Arcana
is no longer limited for those that don't have Darkness however all skill
as limited by the characters skill level. This limit is set by the GM
and could easily last several games before increasing (GMs deciding when
to move the party to the next level.) it gives a more rounded character.
Magic now costs a wound to the torso or head to cast. This is reduced
by Darkness based on the range/size of hte spell (minimum one). There
are talents that mitigate this wound loss.
Healers (see talants) live by the three fold rule and can only cast benificial
spells other wise suffer triple wound loss. However they also suffer this
penaly when helping those with darkness.
'Those touched by Darkness forever lose the touch of
angels.'
Magic healing is not permanent unless darkness is spent or the caster
has the healiner talent. Personality now has an effecton magics and resist
rolls. Personality is not a rating of how well liked, but rather thier
forcefullness their personality strength their character. Personality
is what keeps them awake when poisoned, or forces back the demons when
they come knocking.
There is always more work to do but I felt the place had fallen into
too much disrepair to not make some sort of push to update.
5/4/2007: Yet more changes most of them major. Even thought the site
hasn't seen many changed in the last the last year I have been doing a
lot of play testing. Some major changes have been made to the charcter
sheet. Re-vamps include :The Effect table, Arcana, Hit location, weapon
specific damage chart (really speeds combat) new defence ruling. Dropping
of hte success level concept simplifying opposed rolls. (still working
on this to make it consistant and fair.) World map has had a major change.
and is soon to see an even bigger change to correct weather patterns.
Looking at better ways tohost the website, espesially character sheets
which change semi regularly.(been about 10 updates that never made it
to the web site due to the hosting method.
/2/2007: FLarg its been a really long time. More tidying and a few rule
improvements and new races and a major map/world change all due to some
heavy play testing over the last few months.. The BIG changes. Success
level is no longer directly compared rather the result of the roll is
the penalty for resisting character. This should make magic a little bit
more balanced. Non-damaging magics were a bit too powerful. Magic no longer
requires Magic Points. (I always hated that concept but many players felt
more comfortable with. It has now been replaced with a shock check for
every magic roll(at a penalty of the magic level reduced by darkness)
Map changes. The northern continent has been split into two continents
a pseudo modern society with its undercities (with a bit more free travel
between) the north eastern continent is now a forbidden continent with
its demongrounds. The dangers of demonground though still present are
now more legend.
The demon roads and runners are a concept I always loved but a hard
concept to make work so have become a part of history or legend. Road
maintenance and the lack of a society has always been too much of a contradiction
for me so its becoming a part of history/legend. There are more scavengers
and a post halaucsot society on that continent, they are well aware of
the 'legends' of demons, demons that keep their society from maturing.
The roads are no longer 'magically' maintained.
The new continent has its tech regulated by the undercites anything more
modern that present day being illegal out side of undericites. Officially
it is to prevent wars and uprisings but hte conspiracy therories of the
existance of demons still linger. There are still runners but using guille
rather than speed. This opens up demon hunter games.
The new layout allows for more modern storylines, the normality making
horror plots easier to create. A safe ordinary background setting provides
better contrast. There are still runners the traveling hte deomongrounds,
delivering people, supplies etc. but their enimies are more likely to
be scavengers or road gangs than demon. knowledge is still smuggled between
undercities but the new continents undercities are more open to comunication.
Charcater sheet changes... The result/damage table is differnent, 1-4
=1 and so on. It tends to make more powerful charcter weaker and vice
versa. Characters now start off with a free talent.
Firearms damages have been increase and ranges given a numerical rating,
as per magic, to make recording it simpler.
Interestingly enough alot of these concepts are moving back to the games
earliest begins
7/8/2006: Flarg its been a while!!! Lots of tidying a few non-specific
updates. Armour ratings increased a bit and now reduce athletics rather
than reflexes to make armour more usable. Got around to doing a bunch
of stuff I've been putting off. World history got tweaked, scavengers
are being expanded. A section on current and continuing wars is being
put together. Hope to be up soon
27/09/2005: Tidied up some of the racial histories and added a few more
races Halflings now known as Childer. Included the races orginal names,
tidied generation page. Corrected ancient starting money and changed undercity
money (Luck x Int in Shillings x20 for credits).
13/8/2005 Approx: Psi and faith sheets have been up a while but not mentioned. Again done bit of tidying etc.
Previous Updates
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