Threats

Minion

Minions are simple and weak. They pose little physical threat, don’t employ tactics in combat, and are easy to bully or frighten. Use this template to represent untrained peasantry, prey animals, and weak monsters.

Minion template

Attributes: Swords 0 | Pentacles 0 | Cups 0 | Wands 0

HD 2/0

Minions do not have any default greater dooms.

Brute

Brutes are powerful but stupid. Whereas they might have hulking strength or deadly magical abilities, they are easy to outwit. Adventurers fighting brutes in a straightforward way will likely be overwhelmed. However, if the adventurers employ a plan to trick, deceive, trap, or otherwise outsmart a brute enemy, you should allow this plan to work automatically.

Brute template

Attributes: Swords 6 | Pentacles 4 | Cups 1 | Wands 1

HD 2/6

Notes

• Tough. Actions that target brutes must exceed (not just match) their Initiative.

Greater dooms

(Choose 1 or 2)

• Overwhelming Attack. The brute can play a greater doom card as an Attack action.

• Deadly Attack. When the brute Attacks, discard a greater doom card to deal a deadly attack. If successful, deal 2 Wounds instead of 1 .

• Corrosive Attack. When the brute Attacks, discard a greater doom card to target an adventurer’s gear. If successful, deal no damage but Destroy one item.

• Untouchable. The brute can play a greater doom card as their Initiative.

Strategist

Strategists are physically weak but intensely clever. Play strategists to the utmost of your ability, using your abilities to hit the adventurers where it hurts. Strategists never fall for obvious plans and always approach combat cautiously. Disengage and utilize guerrilla tactics whenever possible.

Strategist template

Attributes: Swords 1 | Pentacles 4 | Cups 2 | Wands 3

HD 3/3

Greater dooms

(Choose 1 or 2)

• Tactics. Discard a greater doom card to turn a standard Challenge Action into an interrupt (p. 114). This action does not count towards the one card per turn limit.

• Cautious Retreat. Discard a greater doom card to automatically disengage from a single adventurer (p. 109). This action does not count towards the one card per turn limit.

• Sorcery. The strategist can cast spells using the rules in Appendix A. They have a few components at their disposal. Cast spells by playing a lesser doom Speak Incantations action and discarding a greater doom card instead of spending Resolve. Each additional greater doom card discarded counts as an additional +1 Resolve.

Elite

Elites are competent enemies capable of matching an entire adventuring guild on their own. Elites have potent magical abilities that allow them to ignore mundane threats.

Elite template

Attributes: Swords 4 | Pentacles 4 | Cups 4 | Wands 4

HD 12/0

Notes

(Optional)

• Invulnerable. The elite ignores all damage except from a specific source (e.g., silver weapons, iron weapons, fire).

• Retributive. Any creature engaged with the elite automatically takes 1 Wound at the start of their turn.

• Threshold. The elite does not take any damage until they are dealt 2 Wounds in a single turn. Afterwards,

they take damage normally.

Greater dooms

(Choose 1 or 2)

Command. When the elite Attacks, discard a greater doom card to attempt to command the target instead of dealing damage. If successful, the target is Controlled— they immediately perform the commanded action. The total value for the Controlled action is equal to the value of the lesser doom card used to Attack.

Intangible. Discard a greater doom card to turn tangible or intangible. While intangible, physical objects pass harmlessly through the elite. This action does not count towards the one card per turn limit.

Potence. Play a greater doom card to cause all adventurers in the elite’s zone to automatically take a specific effect (e.g., Stun, Deafen, Notch).

Regenerate. Discard a greater doom card to Heal 1 Wound. This action does not count towards the one card per turn limit.

Shapeshifter. Play a greater doom card to take a new shape. The elite gains any abilities associated with the new shape, such as flying or swimming.

Dungeon Lord

Each dungeon level of the Underworld is ruled by a dungeon lord. These ancient creatures possess magical powers, wealth, and monstrous minions. They understand the secret history of the Underworld (p. 331 of Appendix E).

Dungeon lords are the most dangerous enemies an adventuring guild can face because they are both hyper-intelligent and powerful. To represent their heightened intelligence, you can use your meta-knowledge as the GM (like listening to the players’ table chatter) while taking actions for a dungeon lord.

Each dungeon lord is like a puzzle. Although singular creatures, dungeon lords have several pools of Health and Defense. Each pool has special rules associated with it, like lesser and greater dooms. As long as that pool of HD is undefeated, the dungeon lord has access to those abilities.

For example, the Sporehulk can use different dooms associated with specific parts of its body: its torso, its arms, and its legs. If one of these sections is defeated, the Sporehulk can no longer use those dooms.

Each pool can be attacked separately. The GM must make it clear what parts of a dungeon lord can be attacked.

For example, each part of the Sporehulk is a separate zone. You cannot reach the Sporehulk’s body with a melee weapon unless you first climb up its legs.

Sometimes a dungeon lord can only be defeated if you destroy each pool of HD. Sometimes the dungeon lord can only be defeated if their core pool of HD is depleted.

For example, the Yellow King will only be defeated if you destroy his phylactery, which has a separate pool of HD than its physical body.

Dungeon lord template

Attributes: Swords 3 | Pentacles 3 | Cups 3 | Wands 3

(Choose 1 attribute to increase to 6)

HD: Special (see above)

Dungeon lords do not have any default greater dooms. Two example dungeon lords are listed in this chapter to give you a sense of how their powers can change the paradigm of combat: the Titan Sporehulk and the Yellow King.

Bestiary

As examples for the process of creature creation, we have provided a bestiary of pre-made creatures for you to use. Each creature is a combination of a theme and a threat, along with unique greater dooms. The stats have been tweaked to make them fit the creature concept more perfectly. Use them as a starting point to make your own!

“Behold and see, that which sprung from the egg of a cock, hatched by the deaf adder. The glance of its eye sufficeth to turn to stone any living thing that standeth before it. Were I but for one instant to loose my spells whereby I hold it in subjection, in that moment would end my life days and thine..”

– The Worm Ouroboros, E.R. Edison