Character #27: Shadowdark

 

I'm sure everyone has heard about Shadowdark. It made a big splash in the OSR/Retro-clone world. It's main claim to fame is tracking torches, with no infravision, so torch management and the dungeon raid mentality is back. That was alot of OD&D: get in, grab what you could, and get out before something killed you. I've heard nothing but good things about Shadowdark. While I have not picked up the full ruleset/book seen above, I did grab the free Quickstart intro to try and get a feel for it.

Here's what the Quickstart guide says about the game:

WHAT DEFINES THIS GAME?

Speed, danger, and simplicity. Magic is perilous, and battles are fast and deadly. Being clever is crucial for survival.

Shadowdark RPG is rules-light and intuitive. It encourages quick decisions rather than hunting through the rulebook for answers.

In this game, a torch only holds back the pressing darkness for one hour of real-world time. There isn’t a moment to waste when the flames are burning low...

So let's roll a character! The Quickstart guide covers the basics, if not somewhat disjointed (not presented in a stepwise fashion). But I got there.

 First is a Background 1D20 roll on a table: I got Sailor.

Then roll 3D6 down the line for standard D&D stats, and note the Modifier from a table:

STR 11 +0

DEX 15 +2

CON 14 +2

INT 10 +0

WIS 10 +0

CHA 13 +1

Next is pick Ancestry (Race). There are six available (dwarf, elf, halfling, half-orc, human, and goblin), so I rolled a D6: Goblin! Goblins know the Goblin and Common tongue, and have Keen Senses so cannot be surprised (nice!).

Next is picking Class from Fighter, Priest, Thief, or Wizard. Given my DEX, Thief seemed appropriate.

You get one roll on the Thief Talents table, and I got +2 to STR, DEX, OR CON (I originally misread this and thought it was to ALL of those!). I'll take it on my already high DEX, which will effectively give my an additional +1 to my AC using leather armor, the only armor allowed to thieves.

Thieves have Advantage on checks for Climbing, Sneaking/hiding, Disguises, Finding/Disabling Traps, and Picking pockets or locks. They also get thieves tools, which do not take up a gear slot (see below).

They also have a Backstab attack, if the target is unaware of your attack, giving a Plus 1/2 level (rounded down) weapon damage dice.

Next is Alignment (Chaos, Neutral, or Law: more old school!). I choose Choas for my Thief, whose first level title is Thug (titles are based on class and alignment), and I pick the Chaos Deity Memnon.

I finally find the formula for starting gold (2D6 x5) giving 35. I have Gear Slots equal to my Strength or 10, which ever is higher, so 11.

I buy leather armor for 10 gp, which takes 1 gear slot and has an AC of 11 plus my DEX modify (3), for a total AC of 14. A shortsword for 7gp and dagger for 1gp completes my armor and weapons, and I'm down to 17 gp. A Crawling Kit of basic gear is available for 7 gp and 7 gear slots, so I pick that up and I'm left with 10gp. The Crawling Kit consists of a Backpack, flint&steel, 2 torches, 3 rations, 10 iron spikes, a grappling hook and 60 feet of rope. 

I roll for hit points, 1D4 for thief (a 3), plus my CON modifier (2) for 5 Hp.

Lastly, there is a great table to roll a name on based on race, excuse me, Ancestry. A 14 for a Goblin gets me Deeg.

So here's Deeg, the 1st Level Shadowdark Goblin Thief. 

STR 11 (+0)

DEX 17 (+3)

CON 14 (+2)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 10 (+0)

CHA 13 (+1)

AC 14 Leather Armor

HP 5

GP 10

Short Sword (1d6 Damage)

Dagger (1d4 Damage)

Special Abilities: Goblin - Keen Senses - Cannot be surprised

                            Thief - Advantage on thief actions (climbing, sneaking, etc)

                            0 gear slot thieves tools (lockpicks, etc)

Crawling kit gear.

I really hope I get a chance to play Shadowdark. And I'd like to play Deeg! I'm usually not a thief player, but playing a true Goblin of Chaos sounds like fun!

#CharacterCreationChallenge