GRIMDARK CAMPAIGNS #

You can use the following mechanics when the party explores a vast and grim world of magical corrupting Shadow punctuated by scattered sanctuaries built around Sacred Bonfires that emit a halo of safety-providing light.

SHADOW-TOUCHED #

Adversaries in this campaign can have a feature called Shadow-Touched:

Shadow-Touched – Passive. This Adversary critically succeeds on attack rolls of 19–20.

When you introduce a Shadow-Touched adversary, describe how magic has warped their essence and form.

PCs can also become Shadow-Touched when corrupted by dark magic. A Shadow-Touched PC gains a damage bonus equal to the number of scars they have marked. When a Shadow-Touched PC marks their last Hope slot with a scar, they succumb to corruption and charge into the darkness instead of making a death move.

SACRED BONFIRES & TORCHES #

Sacred Bonfires are vibrant magical pyres lit by the flames of rare and magical Sacred Torches, each of which carries a fragment of divine power. Sacred Bonfires burn out unless continuously provided with a bit of kindling, and can’t be reignited without a Sacred Torch. When a Sacred Bonfire is relit, each PC present gains 3 Hope. A Sacred Bonfire’s light repels all but the most powerful monsters from its immediate vicinity.