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God save us all
The realm is consumed by death. Restless, undying bodies rise to do the bidding of powerful necromancers who seek power while the world is weak. Young ones are taken. Cities and churches are attacked as holy relics are plundered. The Church has united christendom under a single command: eradicate all evil wherever it is found. This is the Age of Dark.
Who are you traveler? A knight sworn to an order? A pilgrim on a journey to a holy relic? Or lost soul desperate for answers? Do you really think this world can be changed by you? What will you do in the Age of Dark?
Logo by HINOKODO
Age of Dark is, and will always be, made by humans. While AI may be used as a tool or reference, AI generated text, art, or other creative content will never appear in the game.
Age of Dark is an indie game by Jacob Rex and released under the ORC License.
Absolutely nothing in this work is intended to endorse, promote or condone the occult or to mock, insult, or denigrate Christianity. All glory belongs to God.
Age of Dark is a nobledark fantasy roleplaying game where the relics of legendary saints are mankind's last hope against the undead. You play with polyhedral dice, pencil and paper. In addition to the standard dice, you will need several d6s, several d10s and 2d20s per player.
Outcomes in Age of Dark are determined by testing your Abilities. The GM will tell you which Ability to Check and you will roll 2d20. Each die that rolled within your Ability (less than or equal to) counts as a Hit and each that did not counts as a Miss.
Hits
Outcome
0
The action fails
1
You succeed at a cost
2
The action succeeds
The GM should only call for a Check when the outcome of the roll matters. If you have adequate time, safety, or its reasonably trivial the GM should not call for a Check.
Neither the GM or non-player characters (NPCs) ever roll Checks.
A Check's Difficulty is the lowest number that counts as a Hit. Hits must meet or exceed the Difficulty and be within your Ability to be counted. The GM chooses the Difficulty and may decide that an action is impossible.
Difficulty
Description
1
Ordinary
2-5
Difficult
6-10
Challenging
10+
Daunting
A Check's Intensity is the highest die rolled. A roll of 12 and 4 has an Intensity of 12. Intensity can break ties or determine matters such as Initiative at the GM’s discretion.
Some complex or difficult tasks require multiple Hits or Misses to resolve. Continue making Checks until you reach the required number of Hits or Misses, which then determines the outcome.
Example
Jack is picking a complex lock in a ritual chamber. The GM has told him he must make 3 Hits before 2 Failures or something bad will happen.
To create a character, choose or randomize a background, roll Abilities, determine Faith and Gift where relevant, then purchase equipment.
Choose
Background
Roll
Abilities
determine
Divine Gift
Select
Equipment
Backgrounds describe your character's origins and give you and the GM an idea about the skills, knowledge and connections they might have. Unlike classes, Backgrounds do not lock you into any particular style of play or limit which weapons and skills your character can use.
Might — melee damage, pushing, pulling, lifting, throwing, climbing.
Agility — melee combat, athleticism, speed, reflexes, dodging.
Skill — ranged combat, riding, using tools, moving silently, hiding, balancing.
Endurance — starting life, carrying capacity, resisting sickness, pain, and suffering.
Intellect — logic, knowledge, deduction, reasoning.
Presence — using magic, personality, confidence, physical appearance, influence.
Faith — prayer, invoking relics, morale.
Starting Life — Equal to your Endurance
Minimum Damage (Melee) — Equal to 1/3 your Might
If your Faith is 14 or higher, you have been chosen by God for a greater purpose and given a Divine Gift. Roll d6 to determine your ability. You must accept the result.
Divine Gifts are miraculous, mysterious and rare. No one knows why God chooses certain people but it can happen to anyone and many with abilities have become saints after their death.
Discuss what starting Equipment you think your Character would reasonably have with your GM. They have the ultimate say in whether or not its allowed.
Whenever you take damage you lose that much Life. When you've lost all your Life you are Dead. Check Endurance:
Hits
Outcome
You're brutally slain in an instant
You're mortally wounded and will die after your next turn
You have just enough strength to say 1d10 words before you die
Damage in Age of Dark always represents meaningful harm. Getting reduced to 1 hp means you came within inches of death and could take days or weeks with adequate food, water and shelter to recover.
Catch Your Breath — Once after taking damage, consume water to Check Endurance. You recover 1d6 Life for each Hit.
Recover — After spending a full day resting, consume food and water to Check Endurance. You recover 1 Life for each die that Hits.
Water or Food & Water are required to Catch Your Breath and Recover. Without at least a bedroll to sleep in, the GM may increase the Difficulty of these Endurance Checks or decide they are impossible.
The GM decides when Players earn XP, such as after defeating a powerful foe, protecting the innocent, or returning a holy Relic to The Church. Players may spend 1 XP at any time to do one of the following.
Increase Life — Roll d20. If you rolled higher than your Life, your max Life goes up by 1.
Increase an Ability — Roll d20. If you rolled higher than the chosen Ability it goes up by 1.
Re-roll — Re-roll a Check.
Smite — After rolling Damage, add +1d6 Damage.
Soak — After rolling Defense, add +1d6 Defense.
Equipment covers Weapons, Shields, Armor, and Gear.
Carrying capacity— You can carry a number of items equal to your Endurance. Small items and personal effects do not count towards this limit (at the discretion of the GM). Increase the Difficulty of all Might, Agility and Skill Checks for each item you carrying beyond your capacity. Your maximum capacity is 2x your Endurance.
Damage— Roll a number of d10s equal to your Weapon's Damage when attacking and take the highest die. If it's a 10 it explodes and adds +1d10 which can also explode. The final result is how much Damage your attack does.
Defense — Roll the Defense die provided by all available Equipment and take the highest die. If that die rolled its highest number it explodes and adds another die of the same type. The final result is how much damage you prevent.
Ruined — Damaged equipment that has its Damage and Defense reduced by 1 or 1 die. Ruined Equipment sells for 1/10th of its original value.
Selling Equiment — Equipment sells for 1/3 its retail value
Usage — Every time you use a consumable item, roll its Usage die. On a 1 or 2 it downgrades a die (from d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4). When a 1 or 2 is rolled on a d4 no more of the item remains.
Use Agility to attack with a Melee Weapon or Skill to attack with a Ranged Weapon. Melee Weapons only provide defense against Melee attacks.
† — Two handed
Shields can defend against both Melee and Ranged attacks when you're actively defending.
† — Cannot defend against Ranged attacks
Armor always defends you whether you're actively guarding or not.
Combat in Age of Dark is brutal, short and deadly. Every time you step onto the battlefield, you are fighting for your life!
Once Combat breaks out, gameplay is broken down into Rounds. The GM sets the scene and each Player says what they intend to do. The GM tells each Player what Checks they will make and then Players roll Checks at the same time. Initiative goes in order of each Check’s Intensity.
Check Agility to make a Melee attack.
Hits
Outcome
0
You're hit! Roll to Defend!
1
2
You hit! Roll Damage!
Multiple combatants — Increase the Difficulty of Agility Checks and incoming Damage by 1 for each enemy beyond the first.
Check Skill to use Ranged Weapons. Cover, conditions, etc can affect the Difficulty at the GM's discretion.
Hits
Outcome
0
1
2
Sample Combat
GM: As you set foot into the chamber, you hear the rattling of bones as 3 Skeletons in horned helms and rusted chain armor emerge from the shadows with glowing eyes. One takes a shot with his Bow at the Crusader, one is coming for the Footpad with a Battleaxe, and the last one charges the Man-at-arms with an Arming Sword and Round Shield. What do you do?
Crusader: I'll try and use my Shield to block.
GM: Okay, Check Endurance to block the attack. Then you'll roll to Defend.
Footpad: Can I leap out of the way and attempt to trip the Skeleton coming at me?
GM: Yes, but it'll be tricky! Check Agility at Difficulty 5 to dodge and trip the skeleton. How about you Man-at-arms?
Man-at-arms: I'll meet the Skeleton head on with my War Sword.
GM: Ok! Everyone ready? Roll!
Crusader: I got 16 & 3. Thats only one Hit.
Footpad: I got 4 & 7. Two Hits!
Man-at-Arms: I got 6 & 10. Two Hits for me also!
GM: Okay, Crusader you rolled an 18 so we'll resolve your action first, then we'll do the Man-at-arms' exchange and finally the Footpads maneuver…
Magic in the Age of Dark takes two forms: the holy and the occult. Holy magic is asked of and given by God through his grace. Occult magic uses secret knowledge and forbidden rituals to compel, invoke or command demonic entities.
Say what you're praying about and then make a Faith Check.
Hits
Outcome
0
1
2
The GM will ultimately decide how your prayer is answered or if something can be prayed for or not. For example, if you said something like "God, deliver us from this dungeon!" success doesn't necessarily mean the walls literally split open. Maybe you notice a lose stone, maybe the guard drops his key without noticing, or maybe you're moved to a new cell.
Relics are the bones, bodies and possessions of dead saints, which maintain the holiness of the person they belonged to and are venerated as sacred objects by Christians.
The Church carefully stores, records and entrusts them to those who have need of their power against evil. Significant relics are the enshrined in the altars of churches and cathedrals, and the discovery of a relic can often lead to the creation of a new Church.
Relics are not commodities: they are recovered, gifted, inherited or entrusted, but never bought or sold.
Relics are rarely found in the open such as in a niche, sarcophogus or wrapped in cloth. More commonly, they have been enshrined in some kind of sacred vessel called a Reliquary.
Example Relic
Weapon - Dagger - Exorcist
Perhaps this dagger can attack with Faith against evil, glows when demons are near or has increased Damage vs certain enemies.
Example Relic
Remains - A few bones - Visionary
Perhaps these bones boost prayers for guidance or maybe holy people who touch them have visions of the future or prophecies.
Relics work via Prayer to the Saint the belong to. Describe something you'd like to do related to the Relic you posses and make a Faith Check.
Hits
Outcome
Nothing happens
What you asked for happens
Something extraordinary happens
The exact function of a Relic is intentionally vague and up to the GM.
The Occult is a profane inversion of what is good. While Prayers are made to and answered by God, Occult power is given… for a price.
Biblical law requires submission to God. The Occult attempts to force or bypass divine will which is an affront to God's sovereignty.
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
The Church carefully stores, records and entrusts them to those who have need of their power against evil. Significant relics are the enshrined in the altars of churches and cathedrals, and the discovery of a relic can often lead to the creation of a new Church.
TBD
TBD
These are the records of what has been encountered by the brave souls who have sworn to defend christendom.
Damage — Foes roll a number of d10s equal to their attack's Damage and take the highest die. If it's a 10 it explodes and adds +1d10 which can also explode. The final result is how much damage their attack does.
Demoniac
A human body stolen by a demon to demoralize and tormenting the living. The soul of the victim is gone and the demon now knows all their memories and uses this knowledge to cause terror and suffering until their host's body breaks.
Life — 6d6+6 (27)
Equipment — Any
Attacks — Unarmed (Damage 1)
Defense — d6
Unnatural — Demoniacs have 18 Might and can levitate, crawl, contort, or move in ways no human being should.
Undying —At 0 Life a Demoniac collapses and returns to full Life in 1d6 minutes . Only dismemberment, burning, or burial ends the possession.
Liar — A Demoniac can speak an appear as the human it was before possession. Check Intellect, or you believe the lie.
Infectious — Make a single Presence Check as part of an Extended Presence Check (2 Hits / 2 Misses) each time you're damaged by a Demoniac. After 2 Misses, you pass out and becomes a Demoniac in 1d6 minutes. After 2 Hits, you have fully resisted possession for now. You must re-do the check if you take further damage.
Deathless
A necromancer who wanted immortality but got something much worse. Their body cannot die but they feel every moment of its rot and decay. Their agonizing existence is halted only in the moments after consuming fresh human brain, which they seek recklessly & relentlessly whenever humans are nearby.
Life — 6d6+9 (30)
Attacks — Bone claws (Damage 2); Devour (save vs death)
Defense — d6
Difficulty — 5, it attacks with reckless abandon while enraged
Bone claws — The fingers of deathless have been worn to sharpened bones from constant scratching at anything alive in its midst (Damage 2).
Deathless — A deathless at 0 Life is incapacitated, or perhaps dismembered, but its body and the pieces of it continue to live and consciously seek fresh brain.
Devour Brains— Check Might or the Deathless tackles you and bites through your skull killing you instantly. Consuming a brain restores 3d6 Life and ends the Deathless' pain for 1d6 hours. While relieved, it is calm and capable of reason.
Ghoul
A ravenous corpse eater with an insatiable hunger. They lurk in graveyards, battlefields, mass graves or anywhere human carrion can be found.
Life — 3d6+6 (16)
Attacks — Claws (Damage 2); Devour (Damage 4)
Defense — d6
Claws — Check Endurance after taking damage from a Ghoul's claws (Damage 2) or become Stunned for 1 round on a partial success or until you can roll a full success.
Devour — The Ghoul begins eating a stunned human (Damage 4)
Human
Flesh and blood like you. Humans possess what the undead have lost: the free will to choose what they do with their life.
Life — 3d6 (10)
Equipment — Any
Mortal — Most humans flee, or beg for mercy after losing half they're life.
Lich
Sorcerers who have traded their mortal lives for an eternal one as an undead. Through forbidden magic and the blood of the innocent, they have split their soul into one or more phylacteries. So long as one phylactery exists, their body is rebuilt after death in 1d6 days after being killed.
Life — 10d6 (35)
Defense — d8
Difficulty — 5
Chill of Death —The touch of a Lich causes 1d6 damage and causes you to lose 1 Max Life permanently.
Patient — As an intelligent immortal being, Lich's avoid combat often preferring to trap and wait til their attackers starve and perish.
TBD
Necromancer
TBD
Possessed
A human tormented by the presence of a demon. Possession can range from partial to full control, but the person inside is still there… somewhere…
Life — 3d6 (10)
Equipment — Any
Know sins — The demon inside the person knows the sins of everyone who encounters it, and uses this knowledge to torment them. Check Faith or the Difficulty of all Checks vs the Possessed increases by 1d6 due to despair.
Tricks — The demon can manipulate the environment with sights, smells, temperature changes and more to cause Fear. Check Presence or the Difficulty of all Checks vs the Possessed increases by 1d6 due to fear.
Unnatural — People who are possessed are unnaturally strong, can levitate, crawl, contort, or move in ways no human being should.
Revenant
Restless recent corpses risen from their graves to complete unfinished business or haunt those they knew in life.
Life — 3d6 (10)
Equipment — Any or none
Attacks — Claw (Damage 1); Bite (Damage 1)
Defense — d4
Bite — (Damage 1) The Revenant regains Life equal to the Damage this attack deals.
Plague — After taking damage from a Revenant, Check Endurance or become plagued. While plagued, you cannot fight or gain Life. Every day Check Endurance and lose 1 Life for each Miss or become cured on 2 Hits.
Skeleton
Bones held together by old and hateful spells. Skeleton's obey their master's commands without hesitation or remorse until they are smashed apart or until their enchanting magic ends.
Life — 3d6 (10)
Equipment — Any
Sorcerer
TBD
Thrall
A poor soul slain by the bite of a Vampyre and enslaved to the Vampyre for eternity. Their existence is now eternal servitude, and a craving for human blood.
Life — 3d6 (10)
Attacks — Unarmed (Damage 1); Bite (1d6)
Defense — d6
Unnatural Strength — (Damage 1) Thralls have 15 Might.
Bite — Check Agility or Might or suffer 1d6 damage that cannot be prevented. The Thrall gains that much life.
Spider Climb — May climb walls and ceilings at will.
Vampyre
Powerful ancient beings who prolong their life with human blood. They are rare, and those that exist have lived for centuries.
Life — 6d6+19 (40)
Attacks — Unarmed (Damage 2); Bite (d6)
Defense — d8
Difficulty — 5
Allure — The Vampyre targets one human in line of sight. Check Presence or become charmed by the Vampyre for 24 hours. While Charmed you regard the Vampyre as a close friend and view their commands in the most favorable way possible.
Bite — Check Agility or Might or suffer 1d6 damage that cannot be prevented. The Thrall gains that much life.
Call of the Night — Once per night, the Vampyre can summon a swarm of bats or rats; or 2d6 wolves to their aid.
Shapechange — Can take the form of a bat at will.
Spider Climb — May climb walls and ceilings at will.
Unnatural Strength — (Damage 2) Vampyres have 18 Might.
Wight
Ancient corpses animated by their greed and hatred for mankind. They roam crypts, tombs, and abandoned places they knew in life, hoarding treasures and secrets even in death.
TBD
Zombie
A rotting corpse animated by dark magic. Though slow and clumsy, their bite spreads the thier undead curse making them greatly feared.
Life — 2d6 (7)
Attacks — Slam (Damage 1); Bite (Damage 1)
Defense — d4
Bite — After a failed (0 Hits) Melee attack or Agility Check take 1d3 Damage and Check Endurance. If you fail, you die in 1d3 days and become a Zombie.