Wicked Ones - Undead Awakening 1.0 [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

Ben Nielson Victor Costa

An expansion for

Wicked Ones

Cass Rea

Victor Costa

Game Design and Editing

Illustrations and Maps

Ben Nielson Consulting Designer, Layout, and Editing

Character sheets and game materials! banditcamp.io

Join the discussion on Discord! discord.banditcamp.io

Thanks to the playtesters, for letting me run evil experiments on them. Ken Stine, Bradley Close, Cody Knox, Alexander Summerful, and so many more. Thanks to the following people for sticking with me through this project. Ben for allowing me to create a weird experimental dev loop. Victor for bringing style and enthusiasm to every epic art piece. Ken Stine for his patience and whit. Everyone on the Blades Discord #hack-talk channel for their limitless support and feedback. The Kickstarter backers and Discord members. The creators of all that zombie fiction I digested over the years. Kat for being a well of patience and honest feedback. Crosby and Fenn, the cutest little monsters I know.

Wicked Ones © Ben Nielson, Undead Awakening © Cass Rea 2022. This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Blades in the Dark™ is a trademark of One Seven Design. The Forged in the Dark Logo is © One Seven Design, and is used with permission.

Wicked Ones

Table of Contents THE UNDEAD AWAKENING...............5

CYCLE OF PLAY..................................38

A Blank Slate............................................5

Raid ...........................................................38

GAMEPLAY CHANGES ........................6 BECOMING UNDEAD ..........................7

The Goal & The Target ........................39

Choose a Calling....................................7

Aftermath ...............................................41

Choose a Type ..........................................7

Conquest.................................................42

Type Examples ..........................................8

Domain Rolls .........................................44

Undead Impulses & Essence................10

The Final Conquest..............................45

The Plan & The Details........................40

Mindless ...................................................10

The Dark Plan........................................45

Exposed.....................................................10 Anatomy & Secretions..........................11

EX: A DESPERATE ASSAULT.............46 CAMPAIGN CREATION.....................48

Undead Actions......................................11

Campaign Theme....................................48

Temporary Abilities & Minions ..........11

Doom.........................................................48

Advancement ..........................................12

Madness ...................................................49

Communication .....................................12

Wrath .......................................................49

Undead Minion Upgrades ..................12

Factions & The Sandbox.....................50

THE CYCLE OF UNDEATH ................13

Adventurers ..........................................50

Resurrection ..........................................13

Domain Atmosphere .............................51

ABOMINATION....................................14 DEFILER.................................................16 LICH .......................................................18 LURKER................................................20 REAVER ................................................22 REVENANT...........................................24 EX: RETURN OF THE UNDEAD.......26 THE UNDEAD CONQUEST...............29

Origin ........................................................51 So, You're a Zombie ..............................52

MOONLIT KINGDOM........................54 ANOMALY EVENT...............................58 MALL OF THE FUTURE .....................62 EX: A KINGDOM IN RUIN ...............66 GM TOOLS...........................................68 Random Adventurer Table...............69

Domains ...................................................29

Random Zombie Table .........................69

HORDE .................................................30 HORROR ..............................................32 CORRUPTION.....................................34 THE TIDES OF WAR ...........................36

HIVEMIND............................................70 POKE IT WITH A STICK.....................72

Threats & Assaults ...............................36

Alternate Undead XP ..........................73

Playing a Longer Campaign..............72 Alternate Candle Themes ..................72

Defenses....................................................37

Awakened Undead in Wicked Ones.73

The Candle ..............................................37

INDEX....................................................74

Undead Awakening

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Wicked Ones

The Undead Awakening In Wicked Ones, evil fantasy monsters bear the mantle of leadership, defend their ever-expanding dungeon home, and raid the overworld. If you don't already have it, you'll need it for this expansion and you can grab the WO: Free Edition from DTRPG! Flipping the usual tropes and playing as the villains brings a fun and fresh new perspective, but the freshness stops here. There are even more terrible monsters lurking, waiting for their opportunity to emerge from the earth. In Undead Awakening (UA), rotting undead commanders raise armies of corpses, spread evil throughout the land, terrify the living and seek to conquer the realm. These are monsters we’ve seen in countless novels, horror movies, video games and other media, spawned from our own myths and nightmares. Most undead are mindless husks, but you are something more, something to be truly feared. No longer a mere skeleton or zombie, you are a powerful creature mutated by dark power, able to command lesser undead and defy even the bravest heroes - you are Awakened.

We play to find out how the scourge will succeed in their dark plan, ditching the dungeon to focus on overwhelming humanity and spreading undeath throughout the land. We play to find out what unleashed such evil, what gives it purpose, and what fragments of your former lives survive into undeath.

Each time you play, a new story emerges - another time or place fighting the oldest fight. In every era, the forces of undeath must strive to conquer the living, or be destroyed - once again lying dormant until the next Undead Awakening.

A Blank Slate Recently Awakened Undead usually hold only fragments of their former selves, their own origins unknown. Work with your group to decide how much history your characters have within the setting, leaving as much room as possible for details to emerge naturally through play. This is a collaborative and emergent experience, and those horror movie moments hit harder when a cool new detail is revealed simultaneously. As you help tell this dark tale, you will have ample opportunity to expand on the history of both your character and the setting. Mechanics like undead impulses, your Horror domain (pg. 32), and character death itself prompt these moments along the way.

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Gameplay Changes While basic gameplay mechanics remain the same, UA changes the cycle of play and certain rules to provide a faster paced and significantly grosser undead experience. Instead of building a dungeon and commanding lowly minions, you command mindless undead on three key battle fronts in a race to conquer the land before humanity can mount a resistance. Refer to Wicked Ones for base rules, replacing certain sections with the ones that follow. This supplement assumes you own Wicked Ones and are familiar with it. The following is an overview of gameplay changes and features: ➤ 6 Undead callings, each with a list of unique abilities that focus on what makes undead truly horrifying. A new primal monster has also been included! ➤ 3 Undead Impulses, shared by all undead. Hunger for flesh, engage in Reverie of your past life, or Torment your enemies. ➤ 2 New Actions, Command and Horrify, which you can use to lead your undead minions or terrorize humanity. ➤ Anatomy & Secretions, giving you flexibility to fill your gear spots with grotesque body parts and disgusting goo that makes more sense for some undead. ➤ Type, giving each undead different magical characteristics and themes, while also acting as a magic focus so all PCs have the ability to Invoke tier 1 magic. ➤ Resurrection, as death is not the end! You can return either as a simple zombie looking for brains or via a ritual summoning fulfilled by your allies. Each time, you return stronger but with more of your physical husk rotting away. ➤ The Undead Conquest, a new campaign style where you wage war against humanity. Raid your enemies in an aggressive 4 - 6 session campaign arc and grow your power along three domains - Corruption, Horde, and Horror. ➤ Conquest phase, where you zoom out and focus on the overall flow of the war and your domains. ➤ Conquest moves, ensuring that the PCs are an active force with great impact to influence the zoomed out conquest phase war effort along each domain's front. ➤ Flexible Campaign Themes, allowing you to set your undead campaign in a broad range of settings - from a fantasy kingdom to a space station! ➤ The Candle, a representation of the time you have left in this world, slowly burns down. As it burns, you rush to gain more power as you slowly rot away. When it finally burns out, the Final Conquest begins and the fate of humanity is decided.

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Becoming Undead The world may have forgotten about the undead for centuries, only a legend, or maybe skeletons are a common sighting for dungeon delvers. In any case, you are something new and terrible, an Awakened Undead, with awareness and purpose. You stand twisted and monstrous as the once brave falter, realizing the worst legends were true - the Undead Awakening has come!

Choose a Calling You begin by choosing your calling, the type of Awakened Undead that you return as. You choose from the list below, which are detailed from pg. 14 - 25. ➤ Abomination: A Terrifying Shapeshifter ➤ Defiler: A Putrid & Twisted Crafter ➤ Lich: A Terrifying & Powerful Necromancer ➤ Lurker: A Nightmare in the Darkness ➤ Reaver: An Unstoppable Monstrosity ➤ Revenant: A Herald of Doom & Vengeance ➤ Hivemind (Primal Monster): A Parasitic & Infectious Sentience (pg. 70)

Choose a Type Each Awakened Undead has a type, a descriptor that defines their substance or physical makeup as well as their magical characteristics and alludes to their unique origin. In addition to giving each PC a unique theme, type interacts with and informs spellcasting, some calling abilities, and gives the GM ways to bypass an undead's inherent resistance to mundane damage. Choose one of the below types, or come up with one of your own:

amalgam - demonic - elemental - fungal otherworldly - preserved - rotten - skeletal

An ice undead might be especially vulnerable to magical fire arrows or a demonic undead might be easily turned away by holy symbols. Type is useful thematically to convey what shock and being exposed might look like for your character.

SPELLCASTING As magically reanimated remains, you may Invoke tier 1 spells of your type, yourself functioning as a corrupted magic focus. Keep in mind, however, that these spells are saturated with necrotic energy and can even serve to reanimate the dead. Other varieties of magic foci may be obtained and likewise corrupted, always producing an evil version of their original power. The Lich, an undead calling, gains the ability to cast tier 2 and 3 spells of their type.

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TYPE EXAMPLES

AMALGAM You are made up of writhing bits of corrupted flesh, insects, and weird goo. Or maybe you have been pieced together from various bits of others. In any case you are disgusting to behold. You might be able to focus on your own body and Invoke magic of the flesh, corrupted blood, or twisting swarms.

Anti-Type: The science which created you, reconfigured to set things right.

DEMONIC Spawned from the pits of hell itself! Your form is an unholy evil, the torturous corruption of mankind to serve the wills of the ancient lords below. As the gates of hell unleash demons on the mortal world, you step through to lead them. You are a demonic focus, calling forth hellfire, summoning lesser demons, or empowering the opening of a demonic portal.

Anti-Type: The purging light. Righteous and Courageous acts as the humans defy hell itself.

ELEMENTAL The elemental magics hold great power, all of which can be corrupted. Your particular brand of undeath is associated with ice, fire, acid or some other element. You seethe with the element, always accompanied by associated weather events and temperature shifts, leaving a wake of destruction. Focusing on your corrupted elemental form allows you minor control of your element.

Anti-Type: The balancing force of an opposing element. The destruction of the source of power.

FUNGAL The cycle of undeath can corrupt nature itself. Your form consists of corrupted vines, rotting branches, and spore bearing fungi always spreading mycelium. A toxic cloud follows you, or is that a strange glowing ooze? You can Invoke the powers of rot, unnatural growth, and contaminated wildlife.

Anti-Type: Kill it with fire! The blighted technology which created you. Druidic magics.

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OTHERWORLDLY You originate from another plane of existence, an ancient place which has always existed but is horrifying for humans to behold. To look upon you is to witness writhing tentacles, unnatural shapes, and too many eyes. Your form can focus the power of mind bending fear, twisted flesh, and dark illusions. Your arrival brings forth a madness in humanity, one which you control.

Anti-Type: Unwavering leadership and spirit, occult knowledge which has always defied you.

PRESERVED Ancient humans concocted a lot of methods for turning the corpses of their deceased loved ones into something which would not rot and decay. Often enacted to honor and remember them or to speed their passing to the next world - make them regret it! You awaken with the power to Invoke belief in the old ways, old magics thought lost.

Anti-Type: Protectors who have been foretold in the oldest prophecy. Again, probably wielding fire.

ROTTEN Depending on how the corpse you occupy died and how long it had been lying around, you are likely not in great shape as you awaken. Flesh rots away revealing twisted limbs, bloated organs, oozing goo, and exposed bone. You are very gross and humans will labor to destroy you just to rid your horrid form from their sight. Focus on the virus, magical corruption, or dark power which animates what's left of you, show them that death and obliteration comes for all.

Anti-Type: The cleansing power of nature. If that doesn’t work, try fire.

SKELETAL The dark magic which animates your bones eschews the need for muscles and tendons, the flesh is weak! You wear the tattered robes or armor which you died in long ago, now given purpose once more by sinister magic. Does this manifest as glowing smoke, billowing shadow, or something else? Invoke this power subtly from within or bring it forth in the world under your control.

Anti-Type: A paladin with a hammer. Pure arcane force.

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Undead Impulses & Essence (Impulses & Dark Hearts) Unlike the Wicked Ones, each undead has all three undead impulses, which may be compelled by the GM. You can then choose one of these to focus on and lean fully into that choice or move freely between impulses. In place of dark hearts, undead experience a surge of essence after they follow through on a compel. This represents the dark power that animates your battered corpse, be it corrupted life force, evil magic, or twisted science. You have the following undead impulses: ➤ Hunger: The most straightforward impulse for undead, who crave juicy brains and are prone to snacking on the living. Your PC might be compelled to seek out a particularly juicy morsel or eat a corpse at a bad time, putting the PC or the raid objective in peril. Do you feel the dark power course through you? ➤ Reverie: Being undead has its perks, until one of those creeping reminders of your past life pops up. These compels reveal details about the PC's past and aid in worldbuilding. You might be compelled to lose control of your minions or miss your part in the raid plan as you recall your dark past. Take this opportunity to explore the world and expand on its shared history. ➤ Torment: Monsters just can't help themselves - tormenting humans is in their nature. These compels reward the player for acting like a horror movie monster. Giving the humans a fleeting chance at escape, revealing your position with a spooky noise, or throwing yourself recklessly at your grinning nemesis who wields a shotgun and chainsaw.

Mindless (Feral) When an undead would go feral, they instead go mindless, succumbing to the relentless pull of undeath. They may be haunted by who they once were, locked in reverie or tormented by dark purpose. Others forget themselves entirely, thinking only of hunger. When an Awakened Undead becomes mindless, follow the process for going feral in Wicked Ones, using the replacement undead dark impulses. A mindless creature of such power should be terrifying to behold, both for what it is and for what it once was.

Exposed (Bloodied) Though you are likely to become "bloodied", it will probably not be your own. When an Awakened Undead would become bloodied, they are instead considered exposed. Unconcerned with minor damage to themselves, an exposed undead likely has a large portion of their body missing or serious damage inflicted by their opposing type (pg. 7). This exposes the dark essence within you, making you vulnerable and near destruction. Otherwise, this functions the same as the bloodied status in Wicked Ones.

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Wicked Ones

Anatomy & Secretions (in addition to gear & supply) While a Lich or Revenant may appear mostly humanoid wielding gear and supply as normal, some undead monsters are highly mutated. These creatures might grow sharp claws or teeth, have tentacles protruding from their spines, or ooze glowing acidic bile. To better frame such creatures mechanically, gear & supply can be used interchangeably with anatomy & secretions. Like gear, anatomy is a part of the creature’s body and is always with them. It may be temporarily removed as a consequence, but will always grow back during recovery. Secretions can be used in place of supply, gross substances that function as minor items carried within the body of the creature. You can also base your gear defense on your anatomy. Here are some example defenses: ➤ Minion Mistakes: You might bear a powerful signet or have a bellowing maw. ➤ Detection: You might have camouflaged hide or a strange movement. ➤ Magic: You might be etched with archaic seals or wear enchanted vestments. ➤ Wounds: You might be covered in bony hide or have regenerating flesh. ➤ Enemy Movement: You might sprout tentacles or shoot spines. ➤ Containment: You might secrete corrosive acid or have a pliable body.

Undead Actions Two actions, Banter and Threaten, are replaced in UA by Horrify and Command. This helps us frame Awakened undead both as commanders and as the most terrible of monsters. The Awakened have no time for idle banter, and threatened is an understatement when it comes to dealing with humans. Likewise, mindless undead need not be coerced by force so much as willed to obey. On your calling sheet you will find these actions: ➤ When you Command, you issue direct orders to mindless undead, either a minion or a member of the Horde (if present). You might direct a portion of the horde to crash through a barrier and charge a group of soldiers, or instruct your minion to prepare an ambush. ➤ When you Horrify, you bring your ghastly nature to bear against the living to break their spirit and overwhelm the mind. You might shriek menacingly at a foe to cause them to flee, reveal yourself briefly with a creepy sound, or brandish a toothy grin.

Temporary Abilities & Minions Some characters have ways to gain temporary abilities. These are selected like a flex slot on the character sheet, but last only until the end of the current game phase, which is usually the end of the raid. Temporary minions function in the same way. When you gain a temporary ability, tell the table what it looks like. Is it a gross mutation, a strange new power, or something else?

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Advancement In place of xp, the Awakened grow in power over time, but also slowly rot away. As you do, you gain an advancement, which is your choice of increasing an action rating by one or taking a new ability. Rot is more fully explained on the following page. ➤ Rot 2: You gain an advancement. ➤ Rot 3: You gain an advancement. ➤ Rot 4: You gain two advancements. Any new character brought into the game has only the remaining time indicated by the Candle (pg. 37). They take the amount of rot indicated on the Candle at that point and the advancements along with it.

Communication The flow of information is quite open in UA, with players often discussing gameplay elements on a meta level. For the sake of smooth gameplay, all undead are assumed to understand the languages of their enemies and are mind-linked with each other, so that characters are able to communicate through wailing moans while the players have a meta level discussion. You can also just describe your characters communicating telepathically! Have fun with it and don't worry too much about the why - horror movie monsters always know too much, lurking and listening in the darkness.

Undead Minion Upgrades Undead minions have upgrades that differ slightly from the minions in Wicked Ones. You can choose from the following when upgrading your undead minions: ➤ Adept: Your minions can cast a single tier 2 spell once per cycle. They take -1d on this as normal, but don't have to pay stress. ➤ Dormant: Your minions have a passive appearance at first, allowing them to appear human or go unnoticed at a casual glance. ➤ Equipped: Your minions gain a defense of your choice from their gear or anatomy. ➤ Expendable: Your minions don't need to be re-recruited when destroyed, replenishing on recovery with this upgrade, though they can't have other upgrades. ➤ Oozing: Your minions have 1 secretion slot which can be used to produce a substance of their type or access your supply. ➤ Ravenous: If your minions succeed at killing a living foe they may recover. ➤ Twisted: Once per cycle, your minions may mutate their form, rearranging their action ratings. The changes remain permanent until they mutate again. ➤ Versatile: Your minions have another primary (2d) and two more secondary (1d) actions.

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Wicked Ones

The Cycle of Undeath You’re not looking too good - sorry, it had to be said. Fact is, you’re literally falling apart. The corrupt essence that animates you is powerful but it can only hold dead meat together for so long. As your character falls apart, they gain rot.

You begin the game with 1 rot. When you make a new character, mark the first rot box on your sheet and detail exactly what part of you is missing or damaged.

Awakened Undead can have a maximum of four rot. Rot is gained in two ways: through resurrection or by the burning of the Candle (pg. 37). ➤ Each time you are resurrected, you come back a bit less than you were before. ➤ As the Candle burns down, the Awakened also take rot. At specific points indicated on the conquest sheet, all PCs take rot equal to the number indicated there. If the candle burns down to a certain spot and you don't have that rot already, you now take that rot as your time in the world diminishes. If you were already at that level of rot, you don't take any extra. Each Awakened can only take a maximum of four rot. However, taking rot isn't all bad. As your physical husk falls apart, you gain in power and earn advancements (detailed on the next page). When you take rot, detail it - How have you been torn apart, but also empowered through the process? What remains of you?

If you are destroyed while all rot boxes are full, you face your final destruction and cannot be brought back. It is important to note, however, that each time you die, you can perform a death knell if you have the essence to do so.

Resurrection As an Awakened Undead, death is not the end! It's just an inevitable and necessary part of the cycle - and a great chance to create a cool death scene for your character. As long as you have an empty rot box, you can be resurrected. When destroyed, you are knocked out of the game until the next conquest phase. You can then use your conquest move (pg. 42) to reflect on the void and prepare for resurrection, choosing a method: ➤ Ritual Summoning: Start a tier 2 ritual clock and roll your current rot to tick it. Your spirit fulfills the first requirement. During the next raid, the other Awakened can locate the second requirement, then make action rolls to further tick and finish the clock, immediately summoning you back into existence. Narrate your dramatic return, and any PC that witnesses it gains essence. ➤ Zombie Reawakening: You begin the next raid as a lowly zombie with your own engagement roll. Use the So, You’re a Zombie starter from pg. 52. Once you manage to reawaken, take rot and narrate your reawakening!

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Abomination A Terrifying Shapeshifter

You Awaken a shifting, mutating monstrosity! A formless amalgamation of your type, the evil that binds you can sculpt flesh in ways that bring madness to the minds of men. You absorb and concentrate corrupted essence to grow in power and mutate into endless horrors. Altering your form to suit your needs in the moment, you can grow new weapons, manifest terrifying abilities, or change your shape entirely. For this you are known as an Abomination, to be feared and purged from the land, your past deeds forgotten. You begin play with the following core ability:

Mutation: When you gain essence, you also mark a point in your mutation pool. You can spend mutations to: grow a temporary weapon with an edge (1pt) permanently swap two action ratings (2pts) - gain a temporary flex ability (3pts).

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Wicked Ones

Abomination Abilities Dark Link Your mind link with other Awakened undead is powerful and direct. You can spend essence to give an ally +1d on a roll. On a success, they can then give another ally +1d to an immediate follow-up action.

Essence Charge In the chaotic aftermath, you feast. You gain an extra conquest move which can only be used to charge essence. Roll dice equal to your rot. On a success, you and an ally gain essence. On a mixed, you gain essence. On a failure you gain essence but must pay cost.

Fodder Your minions roll one final action when they are destroyed. On a success, they are destroyed but regenerate or re-emerge almost immediately.

Infuse When you subdue a living target, you can spend stress to hide yourself within it. The target will regain consciousness with no memory, under the GM's control but manifesting one of your rot features. On your command, you can burst forth from the form and reappear, taking +1d on any follow-up action.

Mimicry You can spend stress to alter your form to perfectly blend into an environment or structure. If you have a moment to do this without being witnessed, your mimicry is undetectable without very good reason.

Mind Drain When you kill or subdue a living target, you may read the thoughts of the victim and gain some insight. You can establish a fact or have the GM reveal a secret. When you or an ally first leverages this information, you or they take +1d.

Overgrowth Your reanimated form has returned as something more. You gain two additional anatomy slots, a defense based on them, and one more secretion. Describe your twisted anatomy in gory detail.

example gear & anatomy crushing jaws

multitude of skulls

bone protrusions

mass of eyeballs

spinal cord harpoon

oozing tentacles

poisonous blood

glowing slime

shards of bone

discarded refuse

half-digested armor

toxic alchemical residue

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Defiler

A Putrid & Twisted Crafter You are a repulsive collector of corpses, weaver of flesh, and regurgitator of nightmarish vileness for which there are no words. You are known as a Defiler, said to be the worst type of undead to encounter, wielding what was once revered by your enemies against them. Your collection makes you dangerously unpredictable, able to subsume and repurpose the worst they throw at you. You begin play with the following core ability:

Collector: Your supply is replaced by a collection of vile trophies kept on or within your body. You can spend stress to find and corrupt a trophy, adding it to your collection. You may Tinker with a trophy to instantly summon minions or craft concoctions. Take +1d to the roll if you permanently sacrifice a trophy.

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Defiler Abilities Fetid Bile Your secretions are repulsive to even the most willful mortals. On a success when wielding your supply or secretions, you take +1d to any follow-up Horrify roll.

Gut Chamber You gain an extra conquest move which can only be used to craft concoctions. You also gain a steady supply of a single tier 2 secreted concoction.

Overwatch You maintain an eerie gaze on the battlefield, relaying dark schemes to fellow undead. The first ally to act after an engagement roll takes +1d to their roll. You also gain a defense against raid plans being disrupted.

Rending Maw Rows of vicious teeth and acidic bile await any who stray too close. On a success when attacking in close combat, you can also (choose one): hold them in your teeth - push nearby enemies back with viscera spray - spit them at a nearby enemy.

Sever Parts of your body can detach and act on their own. When you take shock, you can spend stress to summon a temporary minion of your type. It excels at all actions within that attribute, which you roll your own Command for. You roll 0d on anything else.

Skitter Your form has mutated significantly, giving you a strange gait and making you difficult to pin down. On a success when resisting enemy attacks, you can also (choose one): disappear to a hiding spot - lure them out - maneuver behind them.

Spore Bearer Sometimes corruption is in the very air itself. When your minions are destroyed, they explode into a cloud of lingering spores, causing an effect to any living caught within the cloud (choose one): blinding - hallucinatory - necrotizing - sickening.

example gear & anatomy gravedigger's shovel

toothy maw

vestigial heads

terrifying sightless eyes

mutated appendages

maggot infestation

cursed graveyard soil

acidic bile

corrupted yew wand

barrel of lantern oil

bits of spiked barricade

slain druid's head

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Lich

A Terrifying & Powerful Necromancer You Awaken to a dark energy so profoundly evil and powerful that your harrowed form can barely contain it. The corrupted essence which reanimates you grants terrible magic and will eventually destroy you - but not before reforming you into the most feared and vilified of sorcerers. You have been resurrected to wield the power of death itself, feared by the living and spoken of only in whispers - you are the Lich. You begin play with the following core ability:

Dark Vessel: You are a conduit for the power that animates all undead. You can spend stress to Invoke tier 2 and 3 spells. Your mastery allows you to take +1d on a spell if you also (choose one): cannot resist any consequences - engage in resurrection - sacrifice a minion.

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Lich Abilities Behold Undeath You have elevated raising minions to an art form - yours are especially terrifying. Minions you create take +1d to Horrify. What makes your minions so scary?

Command Undead You can spend stress or essence to give your minions +1d on their next roll. On a critical, they gain a temporary upgrade that lasts until the end of the current raid. How do you invigorate them with your commands?

Dark Warding On a success when resisting magic, you also (choose one): absorb the spell and clear stress - learn a secret about the caster’s power - reflect the spell back at them.

Foul Harvest When you would become exposed or destroyed, you can designate a nearby minion to become exposed or destroyed instead. When they are destroyed in this way, you gain essence and they can perform a final action.

Grand Corruption When you defeat a magical foe, you can corrupt and sacrifice their magic focus to Invoke a tier 2 spell without spending stress. The spell is always a twisted version of the foe's magic path. On a success, you gain essence.

Reaping Strike Your weapon gains an appropriate edge based on your type. On a success when striking down an enemy with it, you take +1d to an immediate follow-up spell.

Rise! On a success on a summon or incant conquest move, the move is not consumed. You also gain a conquest move which can only be used on one of these moves.

example gear & anatomy ceremonial blade

harvester's scythe

adorned burial garb

bone mail

corrupted holy symbol

penetrating gaze

satchel of finger bones

skull of a worthy foe

still-beating heart

forgotten scroll

death rattle

glistening shard

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Lurker

A Nightmare in the Darkness A vile and twisted predator, evolved to hunt its terrified prey in the dark. You Awaken to a body mutated by dark powers, perfectly formed to evade and outmaneuver your foes. There is always a way through their barricades, always a weak link to exploit. In the darkest places, you do your evil work. A Lurker, the thing that goes bump in the night, the creature in the dark. You begin play with the following core ability:

Predator: You mercilessly prey on the living! Gain an anatomy mutation which grants special movement (choose one): burrowing - gliding - inhuman contortion - spider climb - unholy quickness. On a success when stalking or taking down prey with your special movement, you regain essence spent on the roll.

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Lurker Abilities Brood An unusual sort of nursery, your minion pack is immediately replaced by a broodling which shares your movement mutation and has an additional upgrade of your choice. If destroyed, you can spend 1 stress to bring it forth again from any suitable host.

Devious Intent Clever Girl. You gain an extra conquest move which can be used to scout ahead and sabotage enemy defenses, triggering on your cue. During a raid, you can spend stress to flashback to sabotaging a second defense.

Jump Scare You wait until the last possible instant to launch your assault, for maximum effectiveness. When you go hard while lying in wait to ambush someone, you take +1d on the roll. On a success, anyone nearby becomes terrified.

Horror in the Dark Sometimes the worst monsters are the ones you cannot see. On a success to avoid detection, you can also (choose one): learn a secret about enemy tactics or defenses - maneuver unseen to a beneficial location - sow panic and fear in nearby enemies.

Midnight Snack When you kill or subdue a lone target, you can also (choose one): defer suspicion to another cause - hide the body to prevent detection - leave horrifying implications.

Smell Fear A predator is always on the lookout for the weakest prey. You take +1d to detect or track a target which is afraid, injured, or panicked.

Venom Your natural weaponry seethe with terrible substances. On a success when attacking someone using these, you may apply a venom effect (choose one): necrotizing paralyzing - paranoia - sickening.

example gear & anatomy barbed claws

unhinged mandibles

layers of flesh & sinew

whiptail

huge glowing eyes

spine launcher

boiling blood

scent-marking blossoms

binding mucous

fear toxin

unhatched chrysalis

betrayer's knife

Undead Awakening

21

Reaver

An Unstoppable Monstrosity You are a terrifying and unstoppable force, a heartless beast. Walls crumble and armies fall to the cry of “Reaver!”. Your mutated form charges violently into the maelstrom, utterly lacking self preservation - or craving final destruction. The relentless draw of hunger, the haunting memories of what once was, the desperate blows of your foes - these only serve to fuel your frenzied rampage. Once unleashed upon the land the Reaver cannot be stopped, as certain as death itself. You begin play with the following core ability:

Frenzy: You can spend stress to take +1d on an aggressive physical action, but you cannot resist any consequences from this roll. On a success, your frenzy continues and applies to any additional immediate follow-up action , likewise continuing on a success. On a critical, you gain essence.

22

Wicked Ones

Reaver Abilities Lead from the Front You are hard to ignore, distracting foes and creating openings for your allies. When you successfully charge into battle ahead of others, you can establish a fact about the battlefield or have the GM reveal a secret. When you or an ally first leverages this information, you or they take +1d

Meat Shield When resisting physical harm, you take +1d and spend 1 less stress than normal. What part of your body absorbs the blow?

Nightmarish​ You are truly terrifying to behold. After a succesful display of violence, take +1d when you follow-up with Horrify. You also never lose effect due to the scale of your enemies when you Horrify.

Resurgence After rolling with shock and clearing it, you take +1d to any follow-up action. Also, any time you become exposed, you gain essence.

Scourge You have a steady supply of a secreted tier 1 concoction of your type. When you are exposed, this concoction becomes tier 2. Also, when performing a death knell, any action you take gains scale.

Siege Weapon You are living artillery. You can easily lift large objects or minions. When throwing in this manner, you gain (choose one): increased range and accuracy - increased force and power - a scattering spray. You may also spend stress to choose an additional feature.

Wrecking Ball You take +1d when using your body to Smash structures, objects, or terrain features. You also gain a defense against harm from collapsing structures and terrain.

example gear & anatomy endless rows of teeth

razor sharp protrusions

massive cleaver

twisting horns

peeling layers of flesh

huge arm

burst of spines

spreading ooze

scalding breath

various impalements

collar and manacles

cracked gravestone

Undead Awakening

23

Revenant

A Herald of Doom & Vengeance You return from nothingness, seething with corruption and hatred for the living. You are a harbinger of doom, the embodiment of fear and impending destruction in a land you once knew. In you, the forgotten sins of mankind have resurfaced, a Revenant raised from the dead to enact terrible vengeance. The tragedy which created you is now only a distant memory, slowly rotting away - the first sacrifice in a chain of dark rituals which you now carry out dutifully, without hesitation or remorse. You begin play with the following core ability:

Harbinger: You can spend stress to reveal dark secrets. Establish a fact about a person or place in the world and take +1d on your first action against the target. When you bring your target down, mark a point of doom on your sheet. You can spend doom to immediately manifest rituals, with the tier of the ritual equal to the amount of doom used.

24

Wicked Ones

Revenant Abilities Ancient Bulwark You are adorned in cursed armor not seen in ages. On a success when resisting an attack, the attacker (choose one): has their weapon destroyed - is affected by a tier 1 spell of your type - is terrified.

Fallen Legion You control a minion pack with the companion and expendable upgrades, as well as one additional upgrade of your choice. You can spend stress to call them forth from the depths. How did this group follow you to their demise?

Menace You put the torment of others over your own safety. You take +1d when you go hard to intimidate or terrify someone. On a critical, you clear 1 stress.

Nemesis You can spend stress to force a target to engage you. You also take +1d to resist moves from an engaged adventurer. Why does this hero despise you so?

Throne of Madness You gain an extra conquest move which can only be used to whisper madness into the corrupt mind of a once great leader. As their condition worsens, you can establish a fact or ask the GM to reveal a secret. During a raid, you can spend stress to whisper madness once more.

Unholy Weapon Your weapon is possessed by a dark awareness. Choose a tier 2 spell effect, on a success wielding this weapon, you can spend stress to release the effect, which is automatically successful. The weapon however has its own dark impulse (choose one): bigmouth - cruel - deranged - fickle - obsessed - paranoid - reckless - vengeful.

Vengeful Demise When you are slain by a foe, you can always perform a death knell regardless of remaining essence. If you target the one who destroyed you, you take +1d to the roll. In addition, your death empowers a domain of your choice and immediately activates one of its abilities.

example gear & anatomy reliquary blade

forlorn plate mail

intimidating helm

burning eyes

rattling chains

funerary cloak

defiled icons

ancient signet ring

flock of corvids

dust of the ages

vial of simmering hatred

undelivered letters

Undead Awakening

25

Return of the Undead This group has chosen the provided Doom campaign theme, originating with a dark ritual attempted by a human necromancer on the night of an auspicious full moon.

PCs: Blue Skull [Lich] - Spindle [Lurker] - Sir Lucious the Fallen [Revenant] GM

Moonlight pierces the ceiling of a forgotten crypt. Cultists light candles around a fresh sacrifice, one of their own. Their leader steps forward, chanting intensifies until the full moon wanes to total eclipse, going dark. The cultists fall silent. The leader shouts “NO! I followed the text exactly!” Something has gone wrong. We’re using the Zombie Start, so I need 1d engagement rolls from everyone, then describe your zombie as it emerges.

Sir Lucious rolls 1d engagement and gets a success! Lucious

Nothing fancy, a ragged corpse buried here long ago. I guess I'm Skulking in the darkness, reanimated just behind some of the cultists?

GM

Sounds like the ideal place to be. Let's see where the others end up and we’ll return to your zombie. Who’s next?

revenant

Spindle rolls 1d engagement and gets a mixed! Spindle

Uh-oh, that's not good. My zombie is extra Horrifying, with half their face and jaw rotted away. I'm gonna scare the hell out of whatever is near me. I must be nearby also, but not in a great position?

GM

Don’t worry, zombies are expendable. I think you start in a crypt right next to a startled cultist, who has just lit a torch. It's dire. Let's see a roll.

lurker

Spindle rolls 2d Horrify and gets a failure! GM

Yikes, that's enough to get this zombie killed, but you’ll get another chance. Tell us how your zombie is destroyed, then we’ll circle back around to you.

Spindle

I burst out of the crypt, shrieking horribly. That cultist is freaked out, but they shove the torch into my head and I crumble into a pile of bones.

lurker

Blue Skull rolls 1d engagement and gets a failure!

26

26

GM

Not great... That same cultist makes a break for it, dropping his torch, igniting a dry wooden casket - the one your zombie is inside of!

Blue Skull

Hell of a way to come back to life! This is a Smashing zombie for sure. No way that cultist makes it out of here, I want to burst through the flaming casket at him!

lich

Blue Skull rolls 2d Smash and gets a success! GM

Our first Awakening! It's all you, give us a cool scene where you get this guy and then Awaken into your true form, including your rot feature.

Blue Skull

The casket lid explodes as I reach out and grab the cultist, pulling him in with me. The flames turn blue and gather back into the casket. A fully formed Lich steps out with a rasping voice, “Itttssss been sooo lonnng…” Evil blue flames flicker in his eyes and escape from his cracked skull.

GM

Awesome! Don’t forget you start with 1 Essence. Let's see if the others can Awaken, too. Sir Lucious, you were in a good position earlier. Time to strike?

lich

Sir Lucious rolls 2d Skulk and gets a success! Lucious

I launch out of the shadows at the stunned cultists and tear into my victim's head. My eyes glow blue for a moment, then suddenly I fall apart into swirling ash. There's a rumbling, then the lid cracks open on a sarcophagus behind the cult leader. A skeletal knight in ancient battle armor emerges, dragging his massive warhammer with one arm! “Brother, I have returned. Where is our dear sister?”

Blue Skull

I have an idea here. Spindle still needs to Awaken right? My Lich gets +1d to resurrection rituals. Can I summon her from the sacrificed cultist corpse?

GM

Yes, that sounds great! The cult leader will certainly retaliate if you fail. Spindle, you cool with this?

revenant

lich

Spindle

lurker

You know, I’ve never been summoned before! Let's do it.

Blue Skull rolls 4d Invoke and gets a success! Spindle

lurker

The cult leader stares into hollow eyes as the body stands, mutating before him. Ribs snap and protrude, limbs elongate, forming insectoid appendages. My jaw splits open into mandibles as I release a terrifying shriek. You both hear my voice in your minds, “Brothersss, how I have misssed you...”

27

27

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Wicked Ones

The Undead Conquest In Undead Awakening, the dungeon layout with its lurking and calamity phases are replaced by the conquest phase. During this phase, you confront the factions of the region on a large scale, narrating cutscenes and montages as the undead seek to gain power over three key battle fronts known as domains. A Candle, measuring the limited existence of the Awakened, slowly burns down as the conquest rages on. As they grow in power, they also rot away as their physical husks crumble. Power must be grabbed while time remains, for when the Candle reaches its end, the final conquest is launched and the Awakened test whether their dark plan will come to fruition.

Domains Domains abstract the battle with the living into the physical, mental and metaphysical planes. You must conquer the enemy on all fronts, your foe resisting your every advance. There are three domains: ➤ Horde is the rampaging undead army - the physical domain. ➤ Horror is the breaking of the minds of humanity - the mental domain. ➤ Corruption is the magical twisting of the landscape - the metaphysical domain. Guided by the Awakened, domains seize power from the living through raids as your influence and presence spread throughout the land. In addition to any other goals you might have, the Awakened seek to gain power in a domain with each raid. During or after a raid as described on pg. 38, the domain you target with the raid gains power - giving you a domain rating increase or an ability.

Note: You can never have more abilities in a domain than its power rating.

Horde

Horror

Undead Awakening

Corruption

29

Horde This Horde represents the struggle on the physical plane, one where the dead now rise from the earth to form a massive army. Typically mindless skeletons and zombies, these are the most common forms of undead. They are capable of overwhelming foes with sheer numbers but without the fiendish command of the Awakened, this front can be threatened by superior military force, stark defenses, or raw heroism. A low Horde power might mean only a few zombies wander the lands, not yet an overwhelming force. A high Horde power indicates great scale from sheer numbers, overwhelming any factions not heavily bolstered against them. The GM may use this domain rating as a fortune roll to model its presence or the players may access it through the following abilities. You start with the following core ability:

Army of the Dead: On a success on engagement rolls with this domain, the horde has already overcome the first defense. You can also spend stress to roll the domain rating as a fortune roll to have the horde accomplish something at great scale or attempt to enter the scene. When the horde is nearby, you can Command small groups of them or use them as a summoning source.

HORDE EXAMPLES Horde: Rating 1 · A few mindless zombies or skeletons expected in most dungeons. The full extent of the undead threat is not yet known. · Most humans haven't seen or don’t believe in the undead - they're just a myth. · A necromancer left unchecked can be a real danger, but undead have never been seen commanding and organizing their own with such cunning.

Horde: Rating 2 · The horde grows and can no longer be ignored. Tireless, shambling groups of undead overwhelm any not prepared against their numbers. · Heroes begin to rise up, arming themselves to resist the mass of the horde. · You have access to truly unending reinforcements as people die fighting you.

Horde: Rating 3 · Do not go outside. The majority of the population has been eaten or converted and huge masses roam the land - the horde dominates the region. · The horde is so massive, more a wave of flesh or avalanche of guts and bone. · Those humans who have not fallen now survive only by hard won determination, desperately wielding their remaining power against you.

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Wicked Ones

Horde Abilities Adaptive Mutation When the Horde is Empowered, a surge of corruption causes rapid mutation. You can spend this mutation to give another domain +1d to a roll. This effect also occurs any time you successfully remove a Threat from this domain. How does the mutation manifest to aid the other domain? “The humans' devastating war machine now lies broken, overwhelmed by undead. Its unstable core goes into full meltdown in a flash of light and heat. To the horror of onlookers, the dust settles not on destroyed zombies but instead reveals a terrifying new mutation.”

Endless Wave You command an overwhelming mass of mindless corpses with no fear or remorse. When the Horde domain rolls a failure, you may immediately roll an additional 1d which counts toward the roll. On a success the horde succeeds and is empowered. “A devastating assault levels the undead menace. The forces of the living celebrate a brief victory before witnessing a single zombie rise, battered but unyielding. Slowly, another corpse rises, then another. The army reforms itself and marches onward toward their foe.”

Spawning Pit During a raid, you may declare the location of a spawning pit within the scene and make a sacrifice to activate it. Once active, you take +1d when summoning minions from the pit. Any minions from the pit can take the expendable upgrade for free. “An ancient graveyard just outside the village will provide an excellent source of minions, the humans have been stocking it with their deceased loved ones for years. A single sacrifice converts their once revered site into their doom.”

Voracious The Horde devours living prey, always giving in to hunger. When the Horde is nearby, you take +1d to all hunger compel rolls. On a critical, the Horde joins in the feast and becomes empowered. “The Reaver charges forward through withering fire and debris, driven only by reckless hunger. It lifts a slain commander into the air with a roar, ready to devour them! The horde follows suit, swarming past the Reaver to feast on the now demoralized soldiers.”

Narrating with the Horde When you narrate with the Horde, consider the scale of the mindless, roaming undead now present in the world, how do they behave? How do humans react to their numbers? Commanding the horde gives the opportunity to narrate scenes of undead masses ignoring bodily harm to swarm over their foe, feasting and bolstering their numbers. Have fun with the scale of your undead army as it grows.

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31

Horror The most terrifying monsters work in the shadows to crush the resolve of the living and enfeeble their minds. This domain represents the mental plane, where your foes attempt to plot against you, inspire comrades even in the face of terror, and stand together against the dark. You must exploit the fragile minds of the living, stoking paranoia and fear. A low Horror power might mean the living have not yet developed a healthy fear and respect for the undead - just another kind of monster to bash. A high Horror power rating indicates great terror among the living, who tremble at the thought of such monsters - only the bravest or most desperate dare stand against you. The GM may use this domain rating as a fortune roll to model its presence or the players may access it through the following abilities. You start with the following core ability:

Compulsion: Short lives and immediate concerns lead many humans astray, even when they should know better. During a raid, you can spend stress to compel a living target to act illogically in your favor. Use Horror as a fortune roll if the target's will is in question. Describe the scene from their perspective. What drives them? Why do they act in this way?

HORROR EXAMPLES Horror: Rating 1 · Humans are naturally fearful creatures, they do not yet know what waking nightmares lurk in the dark. · Your presence is a strange unknown which cannot be tolerated, most will stand against you. · Just whispers, only a legend. No one really believes in that stuff, right?

Horror: Rating 2 · Tales of horrible monsters become common, haunting the doomed survivors. · Paranoia and fear begin to take hold in the minds of the living, creeping into their waking thoughts and nightmares. · Your presence immediately separates the cowards from the steadfast.

Horror: Rating 3 · Untold horrors not believed possible by mortals, suffering not seen for centuries. · Day to day existence for those who survive is plagued by paranoia and fear, things will never be the same. · All logic, leadership and heroism crumble in your presence. The region is overwhelmed by abject horror which consumes every mind.

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Wicked Ones

Horror Abilities Ancient Vault You learn of terrible secrets sealed off long ago. On a success during aftermath, a secret from the vault is revealed (choose one): discover a powerful magic item - learn a weakness of your enemy - summon a minion with an upgrade. The vault may also be accessed once per cycle with a conquest move. “Secrets buried long ago, quickly forgotten in short lifetimes, but the dark truth cannot be hidden forever. In fact, as it sits idle, its power grows in the darkness. Now, the living must confront these stark reminders of the past, and face their doom.”

Chaos Rift The Awakening has created a tear in the fabric of reality, entangled with other Awakenings throughout time. Before each raid, choose a new temporary ability from any domain. You may not choose the same ability twice until they’ve all been chosen. Where does the first rift appear? “From the tall battlements, the human leader witnesses a terrible sight. Their once thriving, idyllic kingdom is now in ruin and a horrible tear cuts its way through the middle like an axe wound. A maddening light escapes from it, altering all it touches forever.”

Dark Conduit All Awakened Undead are mind linked, but your connection defies human understanding. When you work together, all 6s rolled by anyone count towards a critical result. Also, on a critical when compelled, all other PCs gain essence as well. “On first observing their cunning, most mistake the Awakened as simply evolved undead. The truth is more terrible, they are connected, a manifestation of a larger, ancient evil which has existed since the dawn of time.”

The Stories Were True! Your reputation precedes you as wide-eyed survivors relay horrifying tales of a new kind of undead stalking the land. You take +1d to all torment compel rolls if the victims have possibly heard of you. On a critical, Horror becomes empowered. “The Awakened intentionally allow a single survivor to escape, knowing the harrowing tales they tell will spread through the humans and pollute their minds with fear. Naming a thing which should not exist gives it power.”

Narrating with Horror Horror scenes give the opportunity to narrate from the perspective of the human foe, the kind of protagonist focused scenes we are used to seeing in horror movies. Those B-list actors with only a few lines of dialogue are fodder to build up tension, slowly reveal the monsters and give context to the world. Create small characters with their own motivations and fears who inevitably set up the players for tropey, cinematic moments.

Undead Awakening

33

Corruption Every Awakening is different, but the very nature of undead means there is always a battle of a metaphysical nature. A corrupted forest, a haunted mansion or cursed graveyard, this is the plane of dark magic - the source of corruption manifested in the environment itself. As is the way of these things, an antithetical power is a persistent threat, seeking to learn your secrets and banish the Awakened forever. A low power rating might mean Corruption is slow to spread, with minor manifestations of forgotten magic on the land. High Corruption represents a twisted and dangerous landscape which lashes out at the living and seems to have its own dark agenda. The GM may use this domain rating as a fortune roll to model its presence or the players may access it through the following abilities. You start with the following core ability:

Tormented Landscape: The environment becomes corrupted by the Awakening, twisted and writhing under your terrible power! A ritual effect manifests and spreads from your origin, equal in tier to your Corruption. On a success on engagement rolls with any domain, the ritual is already present in the location of the raid, altering the environment in your favor.

CORRUPTION EXAMPLES Corruption: Rating 1 · The power which animates you is familiar, considered by humans to be only a minor troubling aspect of the natural cycle of life. · The presence in the land manifests subtly at first, slowly taking root. · Corruption goes unseen, called forth only by the Awakened.

Corruption: Rating 2 · Anywhere you have been, the landscape is altered and is itself conquered. · The living now associate the undead with a twisting malice on the land which always manifests in a particular way. · The flora and fauna in a region become unnaturally violent and aggressive, showing clear signs of mutation.

Corruption: Rating 3 · Humanity desperately shelters against the endless spread of corruption in the land, barely holding it at bay. · The ecosystem is forever changed, giving way to something evil underneath. · No survivors in the harrowing and vicious landscape you’ve created, which now does your job for you.

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Wicked Ones

Corruption Abilities Corrupt Altar Once revered by the living, now defiled and hastening their doom. When you use the incant conquest move, you also seethe with dark power and gain a mutation (choose one): a gear or anatomy item gains +1d on a single roll - take +1d on your next resistance roll - your next failure becomes a mixed. “A river of blood flows from the statue at the center of the town, once a depiction of their bravest hero. Now a site of desecration and slaughter, the Lich hovers over it concentrating dark power. As the dark ritual is completed, the Lich’s tattered robes form into demonic wings.”

Dramatic Entrance On a success on engagement rolls or when resurrecting, your Corruption manifests as an automatically successful spell equal in tier to this domain's rating. Also, this effect always occurs during the final conquest regardless of the roll. “From their most secure fortress, the living bolster their defenses - spiked barricades, reinforced gates, and archers with alchemical arrows await the attack, unaware that the Awakened will arrive via impending meteor impact.”

Essence Burn The land courses with malicious energy as you spread undeath. When the Corruption domain becomes empowered, you can choose to take shock to gain essence. You also gain essence at the start of any assault or the final conquest. “Spreading like a wave, the forest itself becomes infused with corruption, twisting growth and mutating all life. As it strikes the Awakened, their flesh gives way, revealing their rotten nature, unleashing the dark energy within.”

Vile Menagerie A monstrous creature equal in tier to your Corruption roams the land. It is mindless and not under your control. Make a fortune roll each conquest phase to determine its behavior. On a success, it appears during your next raid. If it is destroyed, a new one may be summoned with a conquest move. “Over the sound of the rain, a slow, rhythmic stomping slowly grows louder, closer. A young soldier watches a nearby puddle pulse with each stomp. Through the trees, an unnatural monstrosity emerges, shattering branches and terrified screams echo over the forest.”

Narrating with Corruption Use the Corruption domain to help set the scene and convey a mood. Often in horror media, the land itself is a major character in the world and a signifier of its downfall. Take the opportunity to describe the crumbling world you awaken into, and how dark powers slowly manifest within the chosen setting. Getting creative when narrating this subtle environmental presence can often help convey a completely new spin on zombie fiction.

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The Tides of War As the tides of war swing in favor of a domain, such as it having considerable momentum or increased potency, it is marked as empowered, giving you +1d with that domain. On a success on that roll, it remains empowered - otherwise, it loses it. Already empowered domains gain no extra benefit from being further empowered. Domains can be empowered in the following ways: ➤ Conquest Moves: You can use a conquest move to empower a domain. You can only do this once per conquest phase. ➤ Domain Rolls: On a critical on a domain roll, the domain becomes empowered in addition to the benefits of the roll. In the darkest times, a few brave souls will themselves awaken and defy death itself. When a threat exists that is directly targeting a domain, it is marked as threatened, giving you -1d with that domain. The domain remains threatened until the threat is removed. Domains become threatened as a result of failure on aftermath rolls and domain rolls, with the GM deciding based on the fiction or using a fortune roll to choose which domain comes under threat.

Threats & Assaults Threats are represented differently depending on the domain, but are usually on the scale of an adventurer or similar level challenge - survivors seek revenge, leaders rise, and ancient magic is leveraged by great heroes looking to purge you from their land. The Awakened can confront these threats directly or the GM can bring them into scenes, giving opportunity to remove the threat.

If an already threatened domain would become threatened again, it manifests in two ways, depending on when it occurs: ➤ During a raid, an immediate, powerful threat appears in the scene. ➤ During aftermath or the conquest phase, your enemy assaults you. You skip recovery and the next raid's target is chosen by the GM, bringing the threat to bear against that domain. The Awakened are always on the offensive - but sometimes caught off guard! You can also use the random table below to give some quick seeds for threat ideas.

random Threats (roll 1d6 twice)

36

HORDE (1-2)

HORROR (3-4)

CORRUPTION (5-6)

1

Hero from the crowd

An inspiring leader

A powerful apprentice

2

Artillery barrage

Unwavering zealots

Force of nature

3

Armored contraption

A unique mind

Purging energy

4

An elite squad

Tracking systems

Act of renewal

5

Advanced tactics

Steady snack supply

Alpha beast

6

The survivor

Battle song

Drastic measure

Wicked Ones

Defenses Factions possess defenses, narrative facts that give them an interesting edge or tactical advantage as they fight you until the very end. When defenses are present, they can present additional challenges to raids launched against the faction. Each faction begins play with a few defenses appropriate for the setting (pg. 50) and more can be gained through mixed rolls on aftermath rolls and domain rolls or when it makes sense within the fiction, at the GM's discretion. Defenses are removed when confronted during a successful raid. Remember that remaining defenses will be present on the final conquest raid - so don't let them stack up! Defenses may be literal things, such as high walls, spiked trenches, or barricaded doors. They might also represent special training, advanced technology, or any factor which allows them to stand stronger against the spread of undeath. You can also use the random table below to give some quick seeds for defense ideas.

random Defenses (roll 1d6 twice) HORDE (1-2)

HORROR (3-4)

CORRUPTION (5-6)

1

Barricaded entry

A rousing speech

Cleansing waters

2

Guarded perimeter

Disciplined training

Preventative measures

3

Impenetrable walls

An inspiring symbol

Protective aura

4

Automated defenses

Divine wisdom

Energy transfer

5

Bait or traps

Driven by revenge

Resistant creatures

6

Reinforcements

A secret from the past

An ancient truth

The Candle Though being undead has its perks, you are on borrowed time. The Candle on the conquest sheet is a representation of this, burning down as time ticks on. You must conquer the land and reveal these secrets before the power of the Awakening fades or is purged from the land. Each aftermath roll (pg. 41) has a chance of ticking the candle once or twice. Every two ticks, the larger flame, on the candle give the indicated level of rot to any PC who doesn't already have that level as you literally fall apart. During this time, you play to discover ancient secrets of your 2 Rot origin, revealing your dark plan, and launching your final conquest. A dwindling magical candle measures the time remaining until the campaign’s finale. This can be literal if the awakened were summoned by ancient candle-lit ritual or a more abstract measure of time. The amount of narrative time that passes during each tick of the candle is up to the group, who may wish for their invasion to play out over years, days or hours within the setting.

3 Rot

4 Rot

As each awakening is different, you can also explore thematic variations which better suit the time scale and setting theme. A list of ideas for adjusting this is available on pg. 72.

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Cycle of Play Play in Undead Awakening revolves through the Raid, Aftermath, and Conquest phases, simulating your efforts to spread undeath through the land and your foe’s efforts to resist you - ultimately resulting in the final conquest.

During a raid, the Awakened Undead command a direct effort to seize power in one of the three domains. This is your chance to drastically alter progress along a battle front and gain vital power in preparation for the final conquest. A target and a few details are chosen, then we jump straight to the action, rolling your chosen domain rating as an engagement roll - plan already underway. During the aftermath, you have gained power from the raid, but at what cost? Commanding three battle fronts is a difficult balance and even you cannot be everywhere at once. Your actions may have stirred an enemy faction to action, revealed a weakness in your ranks, or simply given your foe enough time to build up their defenses elsewhere. Depending on how well the raid plan was executed, the GM’s aftermath roll may give the Awakened additional conquest moves during the conquest phase or generate troublesome defenses, threats, or assaults. During conquest, the undead seek total conquest of all domains - it is their singular purpose. Domain rolls are made as the group narrates quick montages of the great war waging across all fronts. We see how the horde spreads and replenishes itself. Watch leadership rise and crumble upon witnessing unspeakable horrors. Hear the cold wind blow over a rotting and corrupted landscape. This paints the Awakening’s effect on the setting in broad strokes and also sets the stage for the next raid.

Raid During the raid, players confront the opposition’s bolstered defenses and destroy or assimilate them, gaining power in that domain. Raids are pivotal moments or decisive battles waged across each front, the Awakened Undead personally leading their forces or striking behind enemy lines. To launch a raid, choose a domain as your goal and a faction to represent that front as a viable target. Discuss any defenses and prepare a plan. You then roll the chosen domain rating as engagement to start the raid. Like Wicked Ones, you’ll want to stick to the parameters of your chosen plan or risk threats and assaults.

Each successful raid results in a gain in power in a domain, giving an increase in domain rating or an ability. This can happen mid-raid, when a significant event connected to the domain or ability happens, but it might make sense for it to happen after the raid has resolved.

These can make for great scenes during a raid, as your plan comes to fruition and you capture what you needed to unlock the ability or destroy a significantly powerful foe, but they don't always fit nicely into the scene. Either way works well, so follow the fiction and do what's most interesting!

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THE GOAL & THE TARGET The goal is always to seize power within a domain. How that power manifests within the setting is influenced by the interesting factions you’ve created. Faction tiers are instead represented by domains, so don’t worry too much about relative power level. Choose the one which offers a viable target for the type of power you wish to gain. To gain an ability, you must take appropriate action to acquire it within the fiction of the raid, similar to looting for dungeon room materials in Wicked Ones. Talk with your GM and choose a fun scene everyone at the table would like to play out. You might... ➤ Overrun a heavily defended population center, go in as Zombies! ➤ Strike with overwhelming force to topple their strongholds. ➤ Rescue an Awakened Undead from captivity and experimentation. ➤ Deceive the living into taking action which will destabilize the region. ➤ Stop a troublesome clock or assimilate the enemy’s defenses. ➤ Infiltrate a secure facility, reveal their secrets. ➤ Acquire a valuable relic for use in a dark ritual. ➤ Corrupt and let loose powerful wild creatures against your foes. ➤ Sow further death and rot in the land, curse a vital wellspring. When the players acquire power within the fiction of the raid and “unlock” a rating increase or ability, go ahead and give it to them! Opening a Chaos Rift in the middle of a battle or suddenly having a Horde of much greater scale makes for cool scenes as they finish out the raid!

Horde Raids: The Horde is overwhelming but mindless, during a raid you lead them to victory with your ability to strategize and wield the dark power that binds you. You may command and accompany them into battle or strike behind enemy lines, creating an opening for the Horde to advance. Ultimately, you will attempt to overwhelm and destroy barriers to your end goal: the final conquest. Horror Raids: The living have great willpower and determination but their minds can be easily sown with fear, greed and deceit. In these raids, you will torment and use Horror to defeat your foes on a psychological level, breaking their morale and causing paranoia to spread amongst them. This might cause a faction to turn on its allies, abandon a source of power, or lose crucial leadership. Corruption Raids: The cycle of life & death has always been linked to the land, which you shall cultivate in your own way. With your guidance, Corruption spreads through the environment insidiously. Though your magical, technological, or even alien origins may manifest differently and vary by setting, raids of this type always further the Corruption in the doomed land you seek to conquer.

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THE PLAN & THE DETAILS Choose a domain and faction to target, briefly discuss your plan and give a few details, then skip straight to the action. The GM considers which of the target's defenses might apply, whether there are any threats or assaults out there, then rolls your chosen domain rating as engagement and describes the raid as it is already underway.

Go in as Zombies!: Facing the enemy takes guts, the zombified kind. The Awakened may elect to utilize a unique strategy wherein they shed their Awakened husks and once again occupy zombie forms. This can be applied to any plan, modifying it to allow viciously clever schemes which humans will not expect. This mode is fully explained in So, You're a Zombie on pg. 52.

INFILTRATE

OVERRUN

Sneak into a secure location, avoiding detection until their fate is sealed, then disappear without a trace. How do you avoid detection? What happens if discovered?

Bring full force to bear, destroying or assimilating all who stand against you. What enemy defenses will your minions struggle with? Who commands the first wave?

STRIKE

TERRORIZE

Hit them where they are vulnerable, attempting to avoid the bulk of enemy defenses. What is the signal to strike? How do you bypass defenses? Who stands in your way?

Indirectly torment your foes to the point of madness, abandoning a strategic position or losing control of their forces. Are they aware of the Awakening? Who is likely to succumb first?

UNLEASH Summon a dark power, corrupt a holy relic, or awaken buried evils forgotten by time. What now holds this power at bay? Is your target aware of what you intend to unleash?

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Aftermath Once the raid is complete, the GM zooms out and narrates the aftermath which ensues. What have the undead taken from the living? How does their power grow and at what cost? The GM then makes an aftermath roll based on how well the plan was executed. While it is initially difficult for mortals to stand against your dark power, they will begin to bolster their defenses, recruit, research, and even put aside past grievances in order to defeat you and save their realm. Each plan comes with its own guidelines which inform the aftermath roll. Spending too much time executing your plan or having it go off the rails wastes valuable time and makes it harder to gain power in preparation for the final conquest. ➤ On a failure, your foe defies you! You must pay dearly for the advance, allowing them time to rally forces against you. ➤ On a mixed, there is an endless struggle between life and death which entangles even you. You are able to advance on this front with momentum lost elsewhere. ➤ On a success, the undead forces under your command are unstoppable. The Power you gain in this domain gives momentum in the greater war.

Aftermath Rolls The GM rolls 1d, 2d, or 3d depending on how well you stuck to the raid plan. Failure: The Candle is ticked twice and a domain of the GM's choice becomes threatened. Mixed: The Candle is ticked once and the GM adds a secret defense. Success: The Candle is ticked once and each player takes essence and an extra conquest move this cycle. Critical: Also, the Candle isn't ticked at all! ❖ Remember, failure on aftermath rolls can trigger assaults!

Smooth Transitions and Letting the Fiction Breathe Aftermath is an opportunity to transition between zoomed in raids and the zoomed out conquest phase. Let the players revel in the destruction caused during the raid and see the corruption seeping into the lands! If they want to chase some villagers around or eat tasty brains, now's the time! The GM can then describe what the other factions have been up to and their response to the raid. This sets the broader scene, prompting players to think about the next raid.

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Conquest During the conquest phase, the Awakened command their forces and scheme against their foes. We make domain rolls to model the struggle across all fronts, setting the stage for the next raid. Players take turns selecting their conquest moves and making domain rolls, with each roll generating an opportunity to narrate a montage glimpse at the greater war. The Awakened attempt to maintain momentum on all fronts or risk losing ground, allowing the enemy to bolster their defenses or make a move against you. Will you personally lead the battle for a domain or make preparations for the next raid?

CONQUEST MOVES During the Conquest phase, you have the opportunity to utilize conquest moves to alter the tide of the war. The scourge of undeath itself is mindless, relying on the Awakened to scheme, plot, and strategize a path to conquest. Each player receives one conquest move per cycle, and possibly more from aftermath rolls or abilities. Unlike downtime actions in Wicked Ones, conquest moves are not actions with position and effect and you cannot risk it to re-roll them. Instead, the player chooses a move and activates its unique function which immediately alters the course of the war. Choose your moves wisely, as they can have a lasting impact on the state of domains and final conquest. ➤ Surge over the enemy, empowering the Horde with your presence. You roll the domain this cycle, but on a failure you must pay cost. · Success: Success Describe how you lead the horde to victory, removing a defense and crushing your foes. The domain remains empowered. Mixed: ixed The enemy is able to repel you with some previously unknown defense, · M what do they deploy against you? The domain is no longer empowered. · F Failure: ailure Your forces are repelled by a powerful foe! The domain is threatened and you begin the next raid or assault with shock. ➤ Meddle with the fragile minds of the living, empowering Horror with your influence. You roll the domain this cycle, but on a failure you must pay cost. · Success: Success Describe how you instill terror and doubt in your foe, removing a defense and breaking their will. The domain remains empowered. · M Mixed: ixed The enemy morale is more resolute than expected, bolstered by a previously unknown defense. The domain is no longer empowered. · F Failure: ailure Your machinations backfire! The domain is threatened and you begin the next raid or assault with shock.

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➤ Sow dark magics across the land, empowering Corruption with sinister cultivation. You roll the domain this cycle, but on a failure you must pay cost. · Success: Success Describe how you manipulate and amplify corruption, removing a defense and bringing ruin to the landscape. The domain remains empowered. · M Mixed: ixed Your magic struggles to breach a previously unknown defense, what could withstand such power? The domain is no longer empowered. · F Failure: ailure Your magic is counteracted by your foe and used against you! The domain is threatened and you begin the next raid or assault with shock. ➤ Creep along the battle fronts to discover weaknesses or secrets about them. You can establish a fact about the faction or ask the GM to reveal a secret. Choose an action and make a fortune roll to decide how reliable the information is. · Success: Success you may establish a useful fact about the enemy or have the GM reveal a secret defense. · M Mixed: ixed you reveal a secret about the enemy, but they are tracking your presence and will target you on the first opportunity. · F Failure: ailure you discover useful information about the enemy, but are discovered and injured in the process. Start the next raid with shock. ➤ Summon a permanent minion to join you on raids. You can also give an existing minion an upgrade or morale. Roll Invoke or Command as a fortune roll to determine the quality. Minions always accompany you on raids. · Success Success: Choose 2 from the options above · Mixed: Mixed Choose 1 from the options above · Failure Failure: Choose 1, but the minion now has an impulse or drawback. ➤ Incant a dark ritual (Rituals, Wicked Ones pg. 132) for powerful magical effects or cursed items. Special requirements must be fulfilled based on the ritual's tier. · Success Success: You call on foul magics to do your bidding. Tick the ritual clock twice. Mixed: ixed You struggle to control the full strength of the magic. Tick the ritual · M clock once. If this completes your ritual, the item or effect is volatile in some way. · F Failure: ailure Your foul magic garners too much attention. Tick the ritual clock once, but the next threat you face is upgraded by one tier. ➤ Reflect on the void of undeath as you prepare for resurrection. A destroyed Awakened can only use this move. Reveal a secret aspect of the mysterious power which animates all undead, then choose your resurrection method: · Ritual Summoning: Roll 1d for each marked rot, beginning your tier 2 resurrection ritual. (See Resurrection pg. 13) · Zombie Reawakening: Begin the next raid as a zombie with your own engagement roll. (See So, You’re a Zombie pg. 52)

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DOMAIN ROLLS Each conquest phase, each domain is rolled once to show how the battle on that front wages on. These rolls can occur at any point during conquest, before conquest moves, after them, or even in the middle of them. Players take turns rolling a domain, then narrating the results. If an Awakened is commanding a domain with their conquest move, they usually also make this domain roll. When you roll a domain, grab dice equal to its rating, make the roll, and narrate a quick scene. The fronts shift as the Awakened launch their next raid. Remember: ➤ Empowered domains take +1d on the roll. On a success, it remains empowered. ➤ Threatened domains take -1d on the roll. A threatened domain cannot be empowered until the threat is removed within the narrative by the Awakened during a raid.

Domain Rolls You roll the chosen domain rating, taking +1d on the roll if it is empowered or -1d if it is threatened. Failure: Your foe strikes out against you! The domain is now threatened. If already threatened, a major threat appears or assault begins. Mixed: The enemy holds you at bay! The GM adds a defense to that faction. Success: You push onwards! Remove a defense from that faction. Critical: Also, a domain of the player's choice becomes empowered or is no longer threatened! ❖ Remember, failure on domain rolls can trigger assaults!

Horde: When you roll this domain, describe the shambling mass as it clashes with the forces of the living. On a success, it shatters the first line of defense, your foes overwhelmed by mindless undead. On a failure, the enemy has mustered a powerful force able to stand against them, cutting them down and leaving the Awakened without their army. Horror: When you roll this domain, set up a scene of paranoia or fear from the perspective of your living foes. On a success, your foes have begun to panic, soldiers breaking ranks or letting down their guard. On a failure, their resolve is bolstered by a powerful leader or symbol, rallying cry or military discipline. Corruption: When you roll this domain, describe the spreading evil within the environment and its effect on those who dwell there. On a success, the corruption within the landscape manifests aggressively, giving the Awakened a distinct advantage. On a failure, the magic of your foe is stronger or they have found a way to purge corruption from the land, halting your advance.

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The Final Conquest The final conquest is the culmination of all of your efforts, the make or break raid event that determines the fate of your dark plan. When the Candle burns down fully, time is up for the undead. The dark ritual that animates them fades or the living finally band together in a final stand. The Awakened must confront the final threats and defenses of the living with what power they have managed to gain and complete their dark plan - or be forever defeated. This is the end of the campaign, creating pressure and making player choices about domain powers meaningful. The Candle ticks at a different rate determined by aftermath, with different defenses and threats, so no final conquest is the same. They should all be a truly challenging endeavor, ramping up in difficulty with more threats and defenses in play.

THE DARK PLAN By the end of the campaign, mysteries of the Awakening have emerged. Character origins have been explored through compels, and the dark history of the land revealed through play. Before the final conquest begins, discuss and agree on one final objective, something that ties the previous raids together into a fitting culmination. This may be a final push to overwhelm the last bastion of humanity, access and corrupt the last remaining font of life, or a concerted effort to break the sanity of their most stalwart leader. If the players are unclear about their objective or if an assault is launched, this may instead culminate in a final assault on you. This can be played out as a final desperate maneuver by the living to defeat the forces of undead for good, attacking on all fronts - a last gambit that might be enough to finally defeat the undead scourge.

Final Conquest (Process) After the aftermath roll triggers the final tick of the candle, the campaign has reached its culmination. Follow these steps to play out its conclusive battle: 1. Agree on the dark plan, discussing it with everyone. Decide on how you want the final scene of this story to be set. 2. Go through a conquest phase, rolling domains, making conquest moves, and recovering as usual. 3. Make a special engagement roll, rolling each of the three domains to set the stage. The GM blends together the decided dark plan, these results, and the remaining defenses and threats into one last, climactic raid. GMs, throw everything you've got at them! 4. Begin the final conquest. The Awakened must then repel or overcome all remaining threats and defenses and establish superiority in each domain to obtain victory or be destroyed in the process.

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A Desperate Assault After a series of conquest moves and unlucky domain rolls, the Awakened are forced to contend with an assault on their Corruption domain, defending their hard-earned magical power over the land. They will not be able to choose their raid this session and may lose valuable time in their push for total conquest.

GM

Ok, your last raid went alright but the domain rolls gave the enemy an opening to move against you. Since Blue Skull described sowing Corruption at the druid enclave which guards the world tree, I’ve decided their assault begins there. They ambush you with fire bomb artillery, ready to burn their sacred tree to ash rather than see it corrupted!

Spindle

I hate fire! It's the worst...

Lucious

Right? Why is it always fire with these guys?

lurker

revenant

GM

They've learned your weakness by now. This threat immediately strikes all of you! A flaming bomb lands near the tree and explodes in your face, take shock or...

Blue Skull

No way I'm letting that happen, I got us into this after all. I’d like to resist that firebomb for all of us? This is our anti-type, so this is magical fire?

GM

Yep that counts, how do you resist? I'm imagining huge catapults launching barrels of magical fire over the walls of the enclave.

Blue Skull

I want to employ my dark warding ability to counter their magic with my own, hopefully using it against them. You see me step into the path of the artillery, raising my glowing scythe above me. I better use some essence.

lich

lich

Blue Skull rolls 4d Invoke (3d + 1d) and gets a success! Blue Skull lich

Lucious

revenant

GM

Lucious revenant

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The firebomb shudders in the air briefly before I blast it back towards our attackers. It’ll take more than barrels to defy my corruption! Yes! Nice try, chumps! Nice! That'll destroy one of the three artillery making up this threat. The catapult burns and explodes, but it's not over. They'll continue the barrage as long as you're out in the open. Troops are now climbing the walls. Come to greet your old commander, then? I charge them!

GM

Actually, that's a great reverie compel! You're suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that you've been in this situation before, leading your troops in a desperate charge. There is fire, ash in the air.

Lucious

I’ll take that. Can I roll my Command to see how my old instincts kick in? Hopefully, I don't get lost in reverie and leave myself out in the open.

revenant

Lucious rolls 2d Command and gets a mixed! GM

You followed through on the compel, so you feel essence flow through you but there is some consequence as you are partially lost in reverie of your past life, what's that look like?

Lucious

It's like an echo, which distracts me and delays my charge. There is a faint image of a young man bravely leading a charge on horseback. A flaming barrel explodes nearby and ignites my rotting husk on one side. I don't appear to notice as soldiers charge toward me.

GM

That's great, take shock from the fire. Before we play out this battle, how about a compel for everyone? You've been caught off guard, unable to feast and satiate yourselves.

Blue Skull

I hunger for life essence! After I repel the firebomb, I tear into the world tree as explosions wreck the enclave around me, feeding on its essence.

revenant

lich

Blue Skull rolls 1d Smash and gets a failure! Blue Skull lich

GM

This will just make me all the more horrifying... marking shock. Spindle, where are you? Your preferred impulse is torment, correct?

Spindle

Yes, but in this case I’m not sure how to apply it? I've used my mutation to skitter up a nearby enclave tower made of stone and twisting roots.

GM

In the confusion of the battle, maybe you lure a soldier or two into the tower with spooky sounds? They might be ready to face you with torches in hand, but the chance to really freak them out is irresistible to you.

Spindle

“Yessss… come into my lair, fools!” I hiss and whisper for them to enter the tower. The door at their level creaks open slightly, beckoning them.

lurker

lurker

Spindle rolls 2d Horrify and gets a success! Spindle lurker

As their torches go out they look up and see 8 faintly glowing eyes in the darkness. It's the last thing they will ever see.

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Campaign Creation As long as there has been life, death - and undeath - have followed. Through the ages, before recorded history and into wild futures, the cycle remains. As a group, you choose details which allow you to play undead in any time period or setting. Along with your GM, discuss each prompt to create your ideal campaign - choosing a theme, a setting, an origin, domain atmospheres, and callings in the order that feels best for you. Take your time and have fun with it, worldbuilding can be a fun game of its own. You may even prefer to go through this process as a group during session 0, immediately jumping into the origin raid next time. Keep in mind that each of these decisions is setting up the kinds of scenes you want to see played out during the campaign, leading to the finale.

Campaign Theme Start by choosing a familiar setting or time period you wish to greet with the cold touch of death. You might wish to portray your favorite video game setting, explore a zombie invasion during an alternative history Black Plague era, or make your own setting from scratch. Make sure everyone agrees and is on the same page. This helps the GM represent the world as a dynamic force ripe with power, resisting all attempts to conquer it. This is also a good time to check your safety tools (such as the X-Card or Lines & Veils on Wicked Ones pg. 14) to ensure all players are comfortable with the theme’s implications. Following are some recommended themes to act as examples or for groups desiring a quick start.

DOOM Doom comes for the living, spreading across the kingdom to claim peasant, lord and wise sage in equal measure. A classic fantasy setting overrun by undead. After the starting raid, the Awakened should have obtained power in the Horde domain and activated the Spawning Pit ability. ➤ Origin: In an abandoned church an ancient ritual is finally completed, an endless night hangs over the kingdom! ➤ Type: Skeletal & rotten remains rise from the grave. Ancient Druidic nature magic opposes the undead and is itself empowered by the eclipse moon. ➤ Domain Atmosphere: The Horde consists of fallen soldiers and cast aside dead from the recent war. The Horror and fear of war has unleashed something terrible among civilization, with them blaming their leaders. Corruption spreads through the land as darkness and rot. ➤ Sandbox and Factions: Select a classic fantasy kingdom map or use the provided Moonlit Kingdom sandbox map. For possible factions which hold power in each domain, example defenses and threats, see the map on page 54.

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MADNESS Madness awaits any who venture out into the darkness. Unfathomable things from beyond bring terrible obliteration to those who dare plumb its depths. After the starting raid, the Awakened should have obtained power in the Horror domain and activated the Chaos Rift ability. ➤ Origin: A tear in reality caused by an experiment gone wrong. ➤ Type: Otherworldly horrors emerge from beyond. The bravery and tenacity of a few survivors is all that stands between the undead and total conquest. ➤ Domain Atmosphere: The Horde emerges as waves of swarming tentacles and teeth. Horror causes madness and paranoia to ensue. As dimensions become entangled, Corruption breaks down familiar locations into fragments. ➤ Sandbox and Factions: Select a populated urban map or use the provided Mall of the Future! sandbox map. For possible factions which hold power in each domain, example defenses and threats, see the map on page 62.

WRATH Wrath unleashed by the greed of the living, their demise lying for eons in wait. Environmental cataclysm leads to a broken, corrupted world which brings forth vengeful monsters and the end of humanity. After the starting raid, the Awakened should have obtained power in the Corruption domain and activated the Corrupt Altar ability. ➤ Origin: Industrial disaster and cover up. ➤ Type: Demonic terrors are Awakened once more. Technological prowess and advanced weaponry defy the undead advance. ➤ Domain Atmosphere: The Horde emerges as waves of swarming demons. Horror causes leadership to falter, leading to betrayal. Corruption spreads as vicious, shimmering crystals. ➤ Sandbox and Factions: Select a gritty space map or use the provided Anomaly Event sandbox map. For possible factions which hold power in each domain, example defenses and threats, see the map on page 58.

A World Ripe for Conquest While the setting of your campaign can be very flexible, it’s important that the whole group is in agreement. Often the best way to make this all fall into place is to start with the choice that everyone is most confident about. Choose a single seed, such as the callings you want to play or a particular map, and the rest is easier to expand on and build around that initial idea.

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Factions & the Sandbox The players and GM work together to craft a setting they'd love to see torn apart by the undead, generally being made during a session 0 where the main focus is setting all of this up. You can choose to use a map as a reference or go without one. In Undead Awakening, factions do not have tiers. This struggle and relative strength is all contained within the domains. Each sandbox has three primary factions, chosen by the players and GM during the setup. Each of these factions holds power over one of the three domains, the biggest obstacle on that front in the region. ➤ Detail each primary faction: How does this faction manage to defy you and what power do they hold which may be useful to you? The domain a primary faction focuses on informs the types of defenses it is likely to build and the domains it is likely to threaten. Adventurers coming from those factions are more likely to have ways to crush those specific domains. ➤ Give each faction two defenses: These defenses are advantageous to the living and a challenge for the undead. One of these two defenses is a secret, which the GM can bring into play during a raid, surprising the PCs. · Corruption might have to overcome a druid circle, with a defense of forest creatures and a secret defense of rune inscriptions. · Horde might have to overcome a powerful military, with a defense of fortified walls and a secret defense of flaming artillery. · Horror might have to overcome a brave king, with a defense of devoted followers and a secret defense of ancient texts.

The sandbox is not limited to these factions - these are just the primary obstacles that stand in your way. As you play, you might encounter other minor factions on the map. As always, follow the fiction and do what makes the most sense - but these three major factions are the ones you'll be trying to bring down during your final conquest. When choosing targets for a raid, you are finding targets within the faction. A successful raid does not destroy the faction itself - that only happens during the final conquest. No matter how beaten down a faction is, some remnant of it will cling to survival until the very end.

ADVENTURERS The GM can have adventurers appear wherever they make the most sense - that's what adventurers do. They most often appear as threats against domains, emanating from certain factions. The only rule with adventurers, though, is that they increase in power as the Candle burns. Adventurers start at a minimum of tier 1 and then each time the candle ticks down, the minimum tier of adventurer increases by 1. This mirrors the Awakeneds' rot and increase in power towards the climactic end.

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Domain Atmosphere Next, discuss the purview of each domain within your chosen setting. Generally, they are the physical, mental, and metaphysical planes within your campaign. Each one may have some key qualities which are important to expressing it within the setting. For example, Corruption might manifest as burning radioactive decay or as a freezing cursed fog. Consider this as a group as you answer the prompts: ➤ Horde represents the physical plane, where a shambling army awaits your command. Describe the traits of your mindless undead army as they begin to rise. Are they zombies, skeletons or something else? How are more created as others are destroyed by your foes? ➤ Horror represents the psychological plane, your foe's morale, the inner darkness of the mind. Describe a thing that humans fear which they will soon associate with your presence. What belief or cause gives them resolve? ➤ Corruption represents the plane of magic within the land itself, linking all to the cycle of life and death. Describe how corruption manifests and spreads within the environment. Where is life essence most concentrated?

Choose one domain to focus on initially and increase its rating by one.

Origin As a group, agree on the event which triggers the Undead Awakening, unleashing you upon the world. This can be vague initially, as you begin with this scene in the first raid. As you play, you expand on this concept, revealing dark secrets of the world and discovering the true nature of the undead. Below are some example origins that work well with each campaign theme: ➤ Doom: An ancient ritual, a forgotten prophecy, dark magics improperly wielded, a recurrence of the eons, a foreboding lunar eclipse, or a cold fog. ➤ Madness: An experiment gone horribly wrong, a dark shard from beyond, a tear in reality, or nightmares incarnate. ➤ Wrath: Environmental depletion and collapse, secrets once buried, or an oath from the fallen.

ORIGIN EVENT Once all of the above are finished, the GM throws the group into their first raid - their origin event. The GM pulls in all of the details that have been decided and sets the stage for the Awakening to begin. The So You're a Zombie starting scenario on the next page works well here, or you can make up your own. You burst forth from your origin, overrunning an area. As a result of this raid, either during or after it, you acquire your first domain ability. It's preferable for this to happen in play, showing how player actions immediately affect the fiction as they seize power from the living!

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So, You're a Zombie This starting scenario paired with campaign creation prompts (pg. 48) can be used to quickly jump into a one shot or start a new campaign, but is also an optional method of resurrection when an Awakened has been destroyed.

HOW IT WORKS Each player controls a mindless zombie or other generic undead within the setting and receive their own separate engagement roll. Essentially a mini-PC like a minion, zombies cannot resist or access all the capabilities of a full calling. Zombies wander around, mostly failing hilariously and getting cut to bits as they attempt to get their first juicy bite of essence. Just like a minion, zombies are destroyed on a failure. The player then takes control of a new zombie in the area and tries again. Each time this occurs, their engagement roll increases. This gives us the opportunity to start at the bottom and see what it's like to be a mindless shambling zombie. While some players may not initially enjoy the low action ratings and high chance of death, the opportunity to narrate your first Awakening scene and emerge into a full powered Awakened Undead can be extremely satisfying. This also frames the nature of the mindless scourge and it’s reliance on the steady command of the Awakened to defeat powerful adventurers.

To be clear, this zombie is not your character. You are temporarily playing as generic fodder, a member of the horde, as a way to kick off blank slate emergent gameplay. When the character Awakens they are free to narrate a transformation in their zombie, their true form erupting from within it, or the zombie melting into goo as their PC emerges nearby. Playing zombies is just a fun way for PCs to have multiple “lives” and players should not feel overly bound to it. Have fun and consider adding some sound effects.

SCENARIO START Go through Campaign Creation and make sure everyone is clear on the setting and the nature of the three domains within it. Using these choices or one of the example themes provided, jump straight into the first raid which will function as their origin or emergence event. Set the scene, then have each player make their own 1d engagement roll: ➤ Success: The player may choose an advantageous spot for their zombie to emerge, in a dominant position, ready to make their next move. ➤ Mixed: The player and GM work together to decide on a good spot to emerge. This is likely where other mindless undead have begun to appear in the scenario. The zombie likely needs to make a few rolls and overcome some challenges. ➤ Failure: The GM chooses an unlucky spot for the zombie to appear in the scene. The position is already dire and consequences are likely to be inflicted. They might be actively being experimented on, in a pack of zombies being run down by cavalry, or need to claw their way free from a burning container.

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HOW IT PLAYS OUT ➤ Depending on the result, have each player describe where and how their zombie first enters the scene. Do they claw their way out of a shallow grave or break free from an experimentation vat? They might get lucky, already poised for ambush, or rise from their grave with an adventurer standing over them, chainsaw in hand. ➤ When their zombie emerges, also have the player describe what their zombie looks like, including a feature which gives them a single 2d action. Zombies roll 1d for all other actions. They might be extra horrifying due to horrific injury or mutation, particularly sneaky or just liable to smash their way through any challenge. You can write this down if you like, but zombies don’t tend to survive very long. ➤ Next, players roll actions and narrate their zombie’s attempts to get their first juicy brain. Zombies are always compelled by hunger - and it's fun to shamble and claw your way to your first kill. ➤ Each time their zombie is killed, that player takes control of a new zombie and increase their next engagement roll by +1d. This increasing pool ensures a player is eventually given a good opportunity for zombie snack time. ➤ When a zombie finally obtains their first taste of juicy brains, their first essence, something stirs within them. The player narrates their character’s Awakening, describing their dramatic emergence or transformation into their calling. Players should have fun with this each time they Awaken, you will only get a few of these moments. If you have been resurrected, be sure to describe how rot breaks down your form exposing the evil that empowers you.

OUT OF A SCENE? TAKE OVER A ZOMBIE! When a PC is knocked out of a scene and doesn't have minions present, it's sometimes fun to give the player control over a random zombie in the area. They follow the rules for zombies on the previous page, but they never Awaken - they just keep looking for more brains to munch on. This can even keep them engaged while thinking on their next character if theirs is destroyed - and maybe this zombie does awaken after all! You can also find a table to generate zombies on pg. 69 for some quick inspiration.

This Game is to Die For GMs, help your players get into the idea of playing magically reanimated corpses. They should not fear character death. Though some players might be inclined to protect their character at all costs, the most powerful feature of an Awakened is their ability to resurrect. Rot is inevitable for undead, so encourage players to have fun with their death scenes and death knells!

Undead Awakening

53

Moonlit Kingdom

The old kingdom on the far side of the sea, once powerful and reaching, now draws into itself, shut off from trade and totally isolated. In the high tower their Ruler sits idle, growing ever more paranoid and suspicious of the meddlesome advisors and sycophants of the court. Calls for aid from old allies go unanswered, warnings of vile forces in the region ignored. The Ruler has called for the destruction of the south bridge, shutting off trade for good in the region. Under high walls, the populace sits content in its yearly harvest, no soul speaking of the ruins which have begun to flood once more or the strange glow emanating from the ancient cathedral.

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER: ➤ What foul madness gnaws at the mind of The Ruler? Are the Rangers and Druid Priest advisors aware? ➤ What fuels the magic of the Great Tree, whose mountain rivers flow into the fields and orchards of the village? What have the villagers harvested? ➤ What caused the flooding? How old are the ruins and what destroyed them? Whose likeness is depicted on the castle’s courtyard statue?

The Ranger Brigade (physical) A well trained cadre of mounted patrollers who guard the royal hunting grounds and maintain order in the realm. Once celebrated as honored guardians and professional warriors, the Brigade of late is known for taking bribes, extortion of the population and abuse of power. The villagers blame this on a recent change of command, initiated by the Ruler for reasons which are unclear and never fully explained.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Walls built to withstand siege

Armored Cavalry Units

Dense forest hunting grounds

The new Lord Commander

Spiked Pits around the farms

Tower mounted ballistae

Round the clock patrols

Villagers raise a Militia

Signal Towers

Mercenaries from afar

The Ruler (mental) As monster raids and warfare tear at their neighbors, the kingdom has pulled increasingly into its borders - all by proclamation of The Ruler. Descended from the original founding settlers of the region, whose banners still fly along the castle walls, The Ruler maintains the highest order of leadership in the kingdom. Though initially celebrated, public appearances have ceased and rumors swirl of a fevered madness.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Banners in the wind

A Noble, rallying the populace

Strong ale at the Tavern

The Ruler’s sealed proclamation

A good harvest year, a feast!

Town Mayor calls for action!

The Ruler declares a holiday

Return of the nesting Griffin

Heraldry uncovered in the ruins

The Ruler’s bodyguard appears

The Druid Circle (metaphysical) A small but powerful group of magic users who maintain a direct line of consultation to the Ruler at all times. Publicly acting as healers and servants, the Druid Priests privately deal in all manner of affairs within the kingdom, always carefully controlling their interests. Splintered from an ancient order of nature worshippers, the new sect has shifted its teachings to fit the isolationist and agricultural focus of the kingdom.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Nourishment from the mountains

The Arch Druid herself

Runic seals etched into walls

Shapeshifted Forest Guardians

Statues of the Ancestors

A ritual begins in the Cathedral

The palace saplings bear fruit

The Great Tree’s seedlings

Chapel Bells ring

The hum of the old statues

Anomaly Event

As corporate asteroid mining operations push deeper into uncharted space, inspections are increasingly rare and accidents under reported. With the discovery of “the planetoid”, the opportunity for an unlicensed space colony under full company control was finally provided. Valuable minerals spew forth as gas on the sun facing side and grow as sharp crystals on the frozen side. Strange research labs and private military drone installations expand rapidly as the experimental company AI comes online. Drilling operations operate around the clock, maximizing profits at all costs.

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER: ➤ What amenities are provided to colonists in the hab structure? What strange corporate policies are upheld? ➤ What orbiting ships have survived the cataclysm? How long before humans can begin to organize a response? ➤ What is the origin of the planetoid? How do the strange mineral deposits begin to grow and spread?

The Space Marines (physical) Highly trained suborbital drop troopers tend to refer to guarding scientists and colonists as “babysitting duty”, however the private contract sponsoring this mercenary platoon comes with perks. Provided with advanced equipment upgrades, experimental weaponry, executive privileges and little to no oversight, this posting at the edge of space is preferred by the more vicious and grizzled candidates whose tactics might be considered “questionable” elsewhere.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Advanced shielding

Orbital drop squad

Drone patrol

Experimental armor system

Mining Charges

Satellite artillery strikes

Scanning beacons

Weaponized mining lasers

Automated turret system

Mercenary specialists

The Corporate AI Mainframe (mental) Experimental AI systems have been forbidden on earth for a century, but no such restrictions exist this far out. Now networked with all planetoid systems, the new mainframe has yielded increased efficiency on all metrics and doubled profits this quarter. Though some colonists have complained about strange glitches and the AIs “aggressive management of personnel," Corporate insists the system is working as intended. Research into experimental cooling systems linked to the planetoid core is ongoing.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Emergency override protocol

Executives with implants

Overclocked heatsinks

Weaponized repair drones

Regular marketing updates

Biometric hacking

Security subroutines

Algorithmic prediction software

Thermal camera network

Lawyers

The Secret Research labs (metaphysical) Unstable space minerals call for serious science, the kind of reckless research and development that only an unlimited budget can support. The advanced technologies and proprietary products emerging from this research are deemed well worth the risk to personnel, who have all signed binding contracts anyway. Details regarding the explosion in the experimental particle lab have been mostly redacted or memory purged. As the mining division nears the core, power in the labs has begun to fluctuate slightly.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Blast resistant doors

Experimental weapons division

Environmental subsystems

Unstable particle beams

Laboratory containment protocol

Specimen escapes containment

Biohazard disposal systems

Proximity sensor array

Research database

A vengeful scientist

Mall of the Future!

Featuring multiple stories of shopping bliss, the largest food court in the world, high speed escalators and a secret underground government research lab, there’s nothing the Mall of the Future doesn’t have! Coming soon to your desert community, nestled cozily between the high plateaus and local nuclear power plant. Before the new mega-mall, locals would complain that nothing interesting ever happened in this town, a good sign that the recent laboratory breaches have gone unnoticed and are contained, for now.

QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER: ➤ Which local organizations have always opposed or been suspicious of the construction of the mall? Who stands to lose or gain from its finished construction? ➤ What entities control the secrets of the mall? Do they have agents walking among the populace? What other research is ongoing in the secret labs? ➤ Where did the strange sample hidden in the underground laboratory originate? What has caused it to become unstable?

The Hardened Survivors (physical) Nothing like a zombie apocalypse to inspire and motivate a person, assuming you survive the initial disaster of course. Though most are woefully unprepared to fight the horrors unleashed by the lab, a few outliers are themselves Awakened to a new purpose, in most cases: revenge. Always managing to escape to fight another day, always a plan B, grit and determination are hard won by the survivors who now occupy and defend the mall or whatever small niche they manage to carve out in this now doomed desert town.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Barricades of debris

Mall Security

The searing desert sun

Teens on hoverboards

Overly polished floors

The survivor in a poncho

Backup power systems

Townsfolk raise a militia

Secret tunnels

Military backup

The Community Organizers (mental) Once a quiet, remote desert town content to irrigate their dry farmlands with recycled nuclear power plant cooling water, the construction of the mall has parents and church groups riled up. Though it promises economic boons and luxurious amenities, these community leaders oppose it outright through sheer will and determination, which they will surely need when the mall’s terrible secrets are revealed. What could be worse than rampant consumerism?

DEFENSES

THREATS

Informative pamphlets

A fearless priest

Church tower signal bell

The town Sheriff

Old fashioned stubbornness

Inspirational speech on loop

Positions of Authority

SWAT team arrives

CB Radio towers

Those dang kids!

Experimental Science (metaphysical) Sometimes to resolve a problem created by unregulated, unstable science you need...more science! Years of classified projects have given the labs an impressive arsenal of barely tested energy sources and unstable contraptions, right under the feet of oblivious townsfolk. Researchers living in secret within the town have enjoyed government funding and accelerated development timelines for years, but the recent specimen offers untold power if it can just be stabilized. Unfathomable secrets are soon to be unlocked, forever altering humanity’s future.

DEFENSES

THREATS

Airstrike resistant walls and doors

Robotic security units

Direct power from nuclear plant

The head scientist

Laser containment system

Embedded security team

Security scanners & turrets

Operation “Scorched Earth”

Automated surgery units

Portal gate operational

A Kingdom in Ruin In the aftermath of a raid, the Awakened must choose which battle fronts require attention during the Conquest phase. The group is still early in the game, so no domain can stand for long on its own. Can they maintain their momentum in a precarious balance of power as they push toward the final confrontation?

GM

Your aftermath result was a mixed, so your raid to unleash the corrupted creature drew too much attention, giving the enemy time to develop a secret weapon against the HORDE. I'm going to write "secret" for that defense for now. It'll surprise you the next time you raid that domain.

Spindle

Dang, that's two defenses we have to deal with on that domain now, one of which we can’t even plan for. I feel like we need more info, so I'm going

lurker

to use my conquest move to Creep ahead and see what we’re dealing with. Under the cover of darkness from the eclipse, of course.

Spindle rolls 3d Skulk and gets a success! GM

You creep past unsuspecting humans to a fortress where they're constructing some sort of warmachines. What exactly do you see?

Spindle

An arrow volley killed my living body, so these have got to be giant mobile ballistae I’m looking down on. Now we know what to expect!

Lucious

We need to take control of this domain, so I think we should launch a HORDE raid next. I'll Surge forward with the horde, leading them into battle - they followed me to their deaths once before after all.

GM

Ok, you'll be rolling the HORDE domain this session for us. How about Blue Skull? I recall you were destroyed rather dramatically last time.

Blue Skull

No regrets here - I got to cast corpse explosion on myself for my death knell! But being obliterated, there's nothing to do but Reflect on the void and prepare for ritual summoning. Sir Lucious can bring me back.

GM

Remember that when you resurrect during the raid, you’ll gain a new rot feature so be thinking about that. What strange secret do you learn as you ponder the void of undeath?

Blue Skull

I'm immersed in darkness, then a blue spark flares up and quickly burns out. Another spark from the death of the first, a thousand scattered sparks. Undeath is eternal, part of creation itself. I realize I am one of the little sparks... Whoa, there are a lot of us in here.

lurker

revenant

lich

lich

66

66

GM

Alright, that's a conquest move each. Ready for those domain rolls? Lucious go ahead and start us off since you're leading the HORDE on a Surge. The fallen knight leads his army once more!

Lucious rolls 2d HORDE and gets a success! Lucious

revenant

GM

I stand atop a hill and raise my ancient, weathered hammer. The horde rushes past, slamming into human forces attempting to hold a shield wall. We hear crushing metal and bone, the living overwhelmed, then eaten. Nice scene. A success removes a defense from that domain and you know what the other one is thanks to Spindle. I'm curious about what sort of raid we’ll have, but first let's see those remaining domain rolls.

Spindle rolls 1d HORROR and gets a failure! Spindle

lurker

Oh no! This domain is now threatened, right? We see a tavern somewhere with the townsfolk drinking and getting riled up. Someone gives a brave speech and everyone cheers. Pitchforks and torches march toward us.

Blue Skull rolls 2d CORRUPTION and gets a mixed! Blue Skull

It seems that since I'm destroyed, I can't really do much to help out. A powerful Druid is countering our power with a magical barrier. We’ll have to deal with it soon.

GM

That Horror domain threat may be troublesome in the future, we’ll see. Don’t forget to roll for your new corrupt creature from Vile Menagerie!

lich

Lucious

revenant

Oh yeah! I want it to join us on this next raid.

Lucious rolls 2d CORRUPTION and gets a success! GM

Lucky break! Your burning treant will join you, hopefully you will be able to command it. What's the raid plan everyone?

Blue Skull

I know we wanted to raid with the horde, but now I feel like we should deal with this threatened Horror domain. I don’t want to lose time to an assault.

lich

Spindle

He’s right. They should fear us!

Lucious

And so they will! Let's overrun their farmlands with our creature, summon the Lich and make sure the whole kingdom hears of it!

lurker

revenant

67

67

GM Tools The GM's Job The GMs job is to represent the chosen setting as a hostile world bent on defending itself from the undead scourge and ridding the land of the Awakened forever. It's an ongoing war between the forces of life and the plague that is the undead. The PCs are powerful, but have a limited amount of time to reveal and fulfill the dark plan. In that short time, help them make the most of an undead perspective.

Help the players feel undead by hitting them with compels that provide creative space. Undead are a mostly blank slate, so they need you to give ample opportunities for them to explore their character and the nature of the undead within the setting. Represent the world honestly while providing space for them to establish details through play, slowly setting the stage for the conclusion of the campaign. Make the world fight back! The Awakened are quite powerful and can even die several times, so make sure they face foes who know how to contend with undead. Use their type to make sure a dangerous enemy of the opposite kind is around. Go big on the defenses they must overcome and don’t hold back with adventurers. Players have tons of resources at their disposal to contend with challenges, so make them get creative. The final conquest raid should be difficult enough to feel rewarding when they complete it, possibly destroying multiple PCs and requiring a coordinated strategy encompassing all fronts. Even if not all humans are a direct threat to Awakened Undead, a mindless zombie might struggle with a simple spiked barricade or alligator filled moat. Portray a world in which undead are the scariest kind of monsters. Help them create tropey horror movie scenes starring their character as the terrible monster. The living will rally to fight back against them, but the Awakened Undead are something they’ve never seen before. The opportunity to flip the script and play “the bad guys” allows the table some commentary on humanity as a whole. Let them play into these tropes as they explore their characters and the setting, describing predictable human behaviors familiar to the action-horror genres. Balance playing the fool and the aggressor, giving them fodder between epic adventurer encounters. Represent the domains as large scale fronts, operating at a greater scope than the actions of the PCs and always under threat. During the conquest phase and when represented during a raid, be sure to narrate the domains at an appropriate scale. You might zoom out for a view of a city overrun by the horde, discuss the morale of an entire army, or describe a whole river basin becoming corrupted. Encourage the players to represent the scale of domains when they narrate conquest rolls, having fun with sweeping, epic narrations. Part of making domains feel epic in scale involves conveying a feeling of momentum or impending doom. Along with the burning Candle, the domains represent a hurried push toward a final goal. Each time power is gained or an ability is obtained, inject a feeling of progression and expansion. Each domain rating increase is an entire order of magnitude within the game world - make sure this is conveyed through your narration.

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Wicked Ones

Random Adventurer Need some details for a random adventurer? Roll one up on the random table below, then give them a passive and moves that fit the details.

RANDOM ADVENTURER - roll 2d a few times and mix them! 11

has an oversized weapon

31

has been hunting you

51

a true professional

12

a lone survivor

32

drugged out of their mind

52

oddly prepared for this

13

seems to be harmless

33

imbued with magic

53

has nothing left to live for

14

clad in elegant armor

34

disguised as undead

54

can't be sensed by zombies

15

a rival necromancer

35

just a simple retail worker

55

an intern or apprentice

16

a scientist or academic

36

seems completely out of place

56

trained for battle

21

absolutely batshit crazy

41

wielding old, passed down gear

61

old, but once was legendary

22

protecting a loved one

42

a farmer or gardener

62

a reluctant leader

23

a shapeshifted druid

43

last day on the job

63

armed to the teeth

24

the last of their kind

44

dumb as a box of rocks

64

on fire, doesn’t seem to mind

25

scientifically enhanced

45

has a very cute pet

65

powerful psychic presence

26

is training an acolyte

46

has a very dangerous pet

66

bitten, nothing to lose

Random Zombie Need to come up with a unique zombie? Roll one up on the random table below.

RANDOM ZOMBIES - roll 2d a few times and mix them! 11

dismembered hand

31

carrying military gear

51

knife stuck in head

12

tied to another zombie

32

head on backwards

52

innocent-looking

13

empty bloody eye sockets

33

enormously overweight

53

hopping on one leg

14

barely nothing but bones

34

head half bashed in

54

full of maggots and worms

15

wearing a costume

35

missing some clothing

55

hands full of local currency

16

gnashing teeth

36

crawling half of a body

56

famous local person

21

shockingly beautiful

41

just now turning

61

wearing wedding attire

22

religious figure

42

dangerous animal

62

shackled prisoner

23

spilling entrails everywhere

43

nearly burnt to a crisp

63

cuddly animal

24

filled with arrows or spikes

44

covered in mud or goop

64

huge muscles

25

dragging a weapon behind

45

member of a monster race

65

quite elderly

26

surprisingly young

46

incredibly stinky

66

waterlogged

Undead Awakening

69

Hivemind

A Parasitic & Infectious Sentience Zombies and skeletons are known as mindless, shambling husks by those too afraid or too eaten to properly study them. The truth is far more sinister: a collective, shared awareness with its own evil machinations slowly grows within these hollow forms. When empowered by an Awakening, this ancient evil can become a terrifying awareness, able to control and direct untold masses to complete its dark schemes. Hivemind is a Primal Monster with its own unique mechanics (Wicked Ones pg. 336).

Hivemind Traits Multitudes : In place of action ratings, you reanimate and control up to three special minion packs called hosts which exhibit their own rot feature and gain your type. Essence Capacity: You can store one additional essence and may transfer it freely between hosts. Hosts do not have minion morale, but can accept compels to gain essence for the hive. Stress is also shared across hosts, which may be spent to resist or activate an ability. Primal Forms: You grow in mass and power by spreading your awareness into rotting hosts. As the hive develops, you rapidly evolve and shift between three primal forms: Sinister Form, Mastermind Form, and Rampage Form, detailed on the next page. Each offers specific advantages, allowing the hive to focus on a particular strategy or you can move freely between forms depending on the circumstances. Only one primal form may be active at a time. If all of the hivemind’s hosts are destroyed, you always revert to sinister form. Essence Feedback: Due to the strong mindlink which connects the hosts, consequences or compels may transfer through one into the others, affecting the whole hive. A Hivemind which has become mindless begins to lose control over its hosts, as each one is compelled by its undead impulses. Parasite: If all hosts are destroyed, the Hivemind is vulnerable, reverting to its Sinister Form. The Hivemind does not suffer rot and, if destroyed, will always re-emerge somewhere in the scene, a little piece always managing to survive. Primal Evolution: Amorphous, sinister, and adaptable, the Hivemind gains power as the undead scourge is spread. Begin with one flex ability and unlock a new one when you gain a Candle advancement. Abilities may be applied freely to any host in the hive.

70

Wicked Ones

Primal Forms Sinister Form A swarming and shifting amalgam, overlooked but omnipresent and driven by dark ambition to control zombie hosts. While in this form, your power is spread evenly across your hosts and you can quickly create new ones as follows: ➤ You can spend stress to create a new zombie host under your control within the scene. Describe the emergence of the new minion and the source of corruption which allowed your form to manifest here. ➤ When a host you control kills an appropriate target, you may expand into them and immediately create a new host or replace one of your current ones. At this time, you can also spend stress to add a minion upgrade to any host.

Mastermind Form The most malicious hiveminds are known as Masterminds, able to reanimate and control a powerful human host. To shift into mastermind form, create a host from a slain adventurer. While in mastermind form your power is focused toward one powerful host, which leads the others. ➤ When created, the mastermind host gains some of the following features (choose 1 per tier of target): a 3 dot action - gear and a defense - an ability from another calling - each PC gains essence. ➤ When this powerful host kills an appropriate target, you can immediately create a new host with an upgrade of your choice or replace a current one.

Rampage Form The hive concentrates its power and evolves into a massive, unstable monstrosity capable of wreaking havoc as it obliterates itself. ➤ Sacrifice all hosts to create your RAMPAGE pool, taking +3d for an adventurer host, +2d for a host with an upgrade, and +1d for a normal host. While in this form you have scale, and a rampage dice pool functions in place of all host actions. You have only one action: RAMPAGE, and you roll your pool to determine its results. Each roll, take the highest result as usual, but also remove any dice with failure results from the pool. On a critical, add one to the pool. When you have zero dice in the pool, the rampage ends and you revert to Sinister Form.

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71

Poke it with a Stick The following are suggestions for ways to delve deeper and modify the game to suit your table’s playstyle or campaign goals.

Playing a Longer Campaign If you wish to extend your time as a reanimated nightmare corpse, you have a few options to stretch out the campaign. ➤ Extend the Candle using a larger clock, or play using multiple candles which get smaller as you progress (like a layered clock). You can use the alternative undead xp advancement or space out your advancements along your new Candle. If you use multiple Candles, consider increasing the stakes as you progress to smaller ones with harder conquest raids each time a Candle terminates. ➤ Instead of automatic advancement, burned Candle segments open up the opportunity for a bonus discovery raid or other alternative raid type outside of the three domains. They get the opportunity to explore their past in a flashback or have a fun beach episode in which they earn advancement through freeplay. ➤ Ditch the candle and use alternative undead xp in a freeform campaign. If a player is uncomfortable with rot now requiring their character’s death, remind them that the PC is already dead and let them use reckless xp from Wicked Ones.

Alternate Candle Themes As each awakening is different, your group may also want to use a more thematic variation which better suits the time scale and setting theme of the chosen campaign. Switching up the candle for a glowing magic orb, a digital clock countdown, or epic planetary event all lend very different context to the campaign and offer different interactive way to track the campaigns progress. Try some of these alternative candle themes to customize your campaign setting further. In addition to adjusting the size of the clock, you can get a different feeling by ticking it up or down, filling or emptying it. ➤ Eclipse: Every thousand years the blood moon hangs in the sky and the dead rise! Complete the dark ritual by bringing about the lunar phases leading to the eclipse to bring in an era of permanent night. ➤ Crystal Shard: Take turns drawing crystal shards to complete the crystal clock and permanently anchor this reality to the dark void. ➤ Digital Countdown: Measure 6 hours to core meltdown with a simple digital clock counting down from 6. Great for a modern or futuristic setting that takes place over a short period of time. ➤ Demonic Runes: Scrawl your own demonic runes to complete the ritual in time and open the gate to hell! ➤ World Egg: Add cracks to the giant egg until it hatches, releasing the worldeater from its slumber.

72

Wicked Ones

Alternate Undead XP If you prefer a longer campaign or want to play Awakened Undead in Wicked Ones, use these recommended undead triggers which otherwise function like wicked xp. Mark 1 undead xp for each trigger met within the session. Detail how it happened. ➤ You helped breathe life into the Awakening. How did you paint the world as dynamic and interesting, with brains worth eating? ➤ You grossed out a fellow player or the GM. This one’s just for fun. Zombies are gross. Be gross! ➤ You played up your rot, being mindless, or exposed. How did you express being a monstrous reanimated corpse? ➤ You made a discovery about your origins or the origins of the undead. Did you discover the nature of the undead, the secret history of the realm, or the dark plan?

Awakened Undead in Wicked Ones Undead callings are usable in a Wicked Ones campaign with a few easy tweaks. Be sure that all players are okay with having characters with slightly different mechanics and capabilities. In general, the Wicked Ones will be better at managing the dungeon and the Awakened Undead will be most useful as meatshields during a raid or dungeon invasion. Have the table consider why they are teaming up with undead. Are they an evil enclave dedicated to necromancy and dark rituals? Or maybe a Wicked One has died and the players wish for them to return as undead. When you use an undead calling in Wicked Ones, be sure to make these adjustments: ➤ Use alternative undead xp which will function like wicked xp for the purposes of the campaign. Keeping rot and allowing undead to only advance after being destroyed creates an interesting difference between the undead and the wicked ones, but make sure your players are fine with that dissymmetry. ➤ Have each undead player select a revelry. The most straightforward for undead are worship, occult and craving. ➤ Have each player create a space in their notes to track coin, perhaps renamed to flesh as undead rarely care about wealth. ➤ Use the downtime actions from Wicked Ones.

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73

Index A

E

O

abomination, 14

elemental, 8

oozing, 12

actions, 11

empowered domains, 36, 44

origin event, 51

adept, 12

equipped, 12

origin, 51

advancement, 12

essence, 10

otherworldly, 9

adventurers, 50

example of play, 26, 46, 66

overrun, raid plan 40

aftermath, 38, 41

exposed, 10

P

aftermath rolls, 41 amalgam, 8 anatomy, 11 anomaly event, 58 assaults, 36 awakened, 5 awakened undead in WO, 73

B blank slate, 5

F

players feel undead, 68

factions, 50

poke it with a stick, 72

final conquest, 45

portray the world, 68

final conquest, process, 45

power rating, 29

final destruction, 13

preserved, 9

flow of information, 12 fungal, 8

R raid goal & target, 39

G

raid plan & details, 40

gain domain power, 38

raid, 38

gameplay changes, 6

random adventurer table, 69

callings, 7

gm tools, 68

random zombie table, 69

campaign creation, 48

go in as zombies, 40

ravenous, 12

C campaign theme, 48 candle themes, alternate, 72 candle, 37 command, 11 communication, 12 conquest, 38, 42 conquest moves, 36, 42 corruption, 29, 34

reaver, 22

H

reflect, conquest move, 43

hivemind, 70 horde, 29, 30 horrify, 11 horror, 29, 32

represent the domains, 68 resurrection, 13 revenant, 24 rot, 12, 13 rotten, 9

creep, conquest move, 43

I

cycle of play, 38

incant, conquest move, 43

cycle of undeath, 13

infiltrate, raid plan 40

D

L

skeletal, 9

dark plan, 45

lich, 18

so, you're a zombie, 52

death, 13

longer campaign, 72

sow, conquest move, 43

defenses, 37

lurker, 20

spellcasting, 7

defenses, random table, 37 defiler, 16 demonic, 8

S sandbox, 50 secretions, 11 smooth transitions, 41

strike, raid plan 40

M

summon, conquest move, 43

madness, 49

domain atmosphere, 50

magic foci, 7

domain rolls, 36

magic type, 7

domain rolls, 44

mall of the future, 62

doom, 48

meddle, conquest move, 42

dormant, 12

mindless, 10 minion upgrades, 12 minions, 11 moonlit kingdom, 54

Wicked Ones

surge, conquest move, 42

T

V

temporary abilities, 11

versatile, 12

terrorize, raid plan 40 threatened domains, 44 threats, 36 threats, random table, 36 tides of war, 36 twisted, 12

W world fights back, 68 wrath, 49

type examples, 8, 9

X

type, 7

xp, 12

U

Z

undead awakening, 5

zombies, playing as, 53

undead conquest, 29 undead impulses, 10 undead xp, alternate, 73 unleash, raid plan 40

You can get character sheets, game aids, information on Wicked Ones and other supplements, plus learn more about other projects at banditcamp.io!

For inquiries about the game, contact Cass Rea at [email protected]. For inquiries about the artwork, contact Victor Costa at [email protected].

Undead Awakening

Ben Nielson Victor Costa