Cthulhu Dark Cthulhu Grey: By Oliver Lucas & Jakob Ziegler, Based On By Graham Walmsley And By Aaron M. Sturgill

Cthulhu Grim

By Oliver Lucas & Jakob Ziegler, based on Cthulhu Dark by Graham Walmsley and Cthulhu Grey by Aaron M. Sturgill Foreword – 2 Basic Systems Dice Needed – 3 Rolling Checks – 3 Rerolling Dice – 3 Opposed Checks – 3 Cooperation – 4 Harm and Insanity – 4 Healing – 5 Magick – 6 Chases – 6 Character Creation Occupation – 8 Skills – 8 Personality – 8 Motivation – 9 Source of Sanity – 9 Relationships & Inventory – 9 Finishing Touches – 9 Character Advancement Gaining New Skills – 10 Occupational Specializations – 10 Mental and Physical Problems – 10 Besting The Mythos – 11 Parting Words – 11 Special Thanks – 11 Appendix Character Sheet – 12 Chase Grid – 14 Sample Occupations & Skills – 15

Foreword I always liked simple rules systems for RPGs. I'd rather have a system I can pick up and play within minutes than a system where character creation alone takes hours. So, when I was looking for systems I could use for a lovecraftian game, I was delighted when I found Cthulhu Dark by Graham Walmsley. It was an elegant, easy to grasp system and explaining the rules and creating characters could be done in less than 5 minutes, theoretically. However, it was also a bit too simple. So I was even happier when I found Cthulhu Grey, a hack by Aaron M. Sturgill, whose group also thought the system was too simple, prompting Sturgill to change and expand the original Cthulhu Dark, by adding, for example, a stat to represent physical harm and a rudimentary skill system to make the characters more distinct. However, that was not enough for me and my group. I wanted rules that could apply to campaign play. Another player wanted more options to define his character. We also found the Insanity and Harm systems lacking a bit. So me and Jakob got together and brainstormed some ideas. Some just refinements of Sturgill's system, some inspired by systems found in Call and Trail of Cthulhu, and even some new, original ideas. In the end, we came up with a system that, in our eyes, kept the spirit of Cthulhu Dark – a quick, easy to grasp system in which a character is defined almost entirely by words instead of numbers – but also improved it for players who still want a bit more meat to their gameplay and want to play some longer campaigns, with deteriorating physical and mental states and character progression. We sincerely hope that other friends of lovecraftian horror and RPGs will enjoy this system. Have fun going mad!

Oliver

Basic Systems Dice Needed To play Cthulhu Grim, each investigator should have a set of five six-sided dice (d6). Three of those d6 are the main dice used for checks, the other two are a red Harm die and a blue Insanity die. Rolling Checks To roll a check, an investigator needs a pool of dice. They get one die as long as the attempted task is within human capabilities (no superhuman or supernatural feats), and an additional die if the task falls within their occupational expertise or a skill they have. Generally, an investigator succeeds a check automatically, with the highest roll telling them how well they succeeded. A 1 means they did the bare minimum of what they tried to attempt (while researching, they found out just enough to continue the story; while barricading a door, they got done just as their pursuers reached them) and a 6 means they succeeded exceedingly well (they found out everything there is to know about the subject they researched, maybe prompting an Insanity roll; they barricaded the door long before their pursuers caught up to them, with no chance of them ever breaking the barricade). An investigator may also choose to add their Insanity or Harm die (depending on the situation) to the roll, increasing their chances by risking mental or physical harm (see Harm and Insanity below). Rerolling Dice If an investigator chooses to, they may reroll a check. If their previous roll included their Insanity or Harm die, the number of dice is unchanged. If it didn't involve either die, they must now include one of them (again, depending on the situation). A reroll may mean two Harm/Insanity rolls. Opposed Checks If the Keeper decides to, they may oppose an investigator's roll, by rolling a number of dice, depending on the difficulty of the opposition.

1d6

Simple opposition

2d6

Tough opposition

3d6

Mythic opposition

4d6

Godly opposition

If the Keeper's highest roll is equal to or higher than the investigator's highest roll, the investigator fails the check. However, the Keeper may not oppose a roll if the investigators are rolling to gather clues or information they need to progress the story. Investigators may also oppose other investigators. In that case, both investigators roll their dice pool (adding Insanity or Harm die as the see fit) and the investigator with the die showing the highest result wins. In the case of a tie, the investigator with the higher Insanity score wins. In the case of of tied Insanity scores, the investigator with the higher Harm score wins. In the case of a tied Harm score, both investigators reroll their dice (though they don't need to add their Insanity or Harm die for this reroll). Cooperation Two or more investigators may also cooperate on a task. In that case, they simply roll all their available dice as one pool, with the highest result of that roll deciding the success of the cooperation. Harm and Insanity Whenever an investigator rolls their Harm or Insanity die as part of a check and the results of the regular dice are all either lower or equal to the result of the Harm/Insanity die OR if something happens within the story that might cause the investigator mental or physical harm, the investigator needs to make a Harm/Insanity check, rolling ONLY the corresponding die against this table, depending on the severity of the cause of harm: Target Number

Difficulty

Insanity Example

Harm Example

2

Easy

Gruesome, but mundane

Fist; grapple

3

Moderate

Horrific; light Mythos contact (e. g. reading texts)

Knife; falling short distance

5

Difficult

Significant Mythos contact (e. g. seeing a monster)

Sword; firearms; falling moderate distance

8

Hard

Great Cthulhu

Explosives; falling great distance

If an investigator has to roll a Harm/Insanity check due to rolling their Harm/Insanity die as part of a regular check, the difficulty is usually considered “Moderate.“ If the result of the investigator's roll is lower than the Target Number, the investigator gets dealt Harm/Insanity according to the difference between the roll and the Target Number. Example: Howard sees Great Cthulhu and has to roll for Insanity. He rolls a 3. Since his Target Number was 8, he now takes 5 points of Insanity. If an investigator rolls a 1 during a Harm/Insanity check, deal damage as normal, then reroll. If they roll another 1, they get a Physical/Mental Problem. Example: Howard sees a Deep One emerge from the ocean and rolls a 1. Since his Target Number was 5, he takes 4 Insanity, and since he rolled a 1, he rolls again. He rolls another 1 and the Keeper decides Howard now suffers from Thalassophobia, fear of the sea. If an investigator reaches 6 Harm/Insanity, they have to do an additional Difficult Harm/Insanity check, which will result in a Physical/Mental Problem if failed. If they reach 12 Harm/Insanity, they are considered dead/insane and are out of the game. Players are expected to roleplay according to their character's physical and mental state. Healing Having a healthy mind helps having a healthy body, and in turn, not having to worry about your physical state can help your mental state. Therefore, in Cthulhu Grim, having a low Harm level increases an investigator's chances of healing Insanity, and vice versa. Both an investigator's Harm and Insanity are divided into two levels. To heal either, they have to look how many points they have in their current level of the other. They are considered to be on “level 1“ if their total Harm/Insanity is below 6. As soon as it's 6 or higher, they're considered being on “level 2.“

To heal Harm, an investigator simply needs to rest. For how long, and if they need a hospital, is decided by the Keeper. To heal Insanity, they need to spend time with their Source of Sanity or get professional help. Again, how long they need to spend time with their Source of Sanity or their professional help is up to the Keeper. If the conditions are met, they need to roll the Harm/Insanity die and exceed the number of points in the current level of the other stat. Example: Howard has 9 total points of Harm. Since he is above 6, he is considered to be 3 points into the second level. He also has 7 points of Insanity and is therefore considered to be 1 point into his second level of Insanity. He decides to spend time with his family, his Source of Sanity. He rolls his Insanity die and gets a 6. He subtracts the 3 points in his second level of Harm from his roll of 6 and can therefore heal 3 total points of Insanity, bringing him to 4 total points of Insanity, and therefore also 4 points into his first level of Insanity. Physical Problems, like broken bones, can also be healed after enough rest, at the Keeper's discretion. Mental Problems, like phobias and psychoses, can only be healed through professional help or extraordinary circumstances. Magick Magick is considered outside of human capabilities, and therefore, an investigator attempting to use it has to roll the Insanity die as their standard die. They can still add extra dice if they have skills relating to Magick. Magick should always be rolled as a simple Opposed Roll. Whether the attempt at Magick works or not, the investigator has to tick off one box of Magick on their character sheet. If all six are ticked off, they will have to add their Harm die to the roll as well. Their Magick regenerates completely at the Keeper's discretion. As a mere guideline, two days of rest for one point of Magick are reasonable, but the Keeper may regenerate Magick slower or faster if they deem it appropriate for the story. If attempting Magick prompts an Insanity check, the Target Number for that check is considered 5. Chases To run a chase, use the grid on page 14 of this PDF. The investigators start on the middle space and each of them rolls their dice pool as normal, adding skill or occupational dice and maybe the Harm die. The Keeper rolls an Opposed Roll with one die. Each investigator moves the difference between their highest die and the Keeper's highest die. Right, towards safety, if the investigator's die was higher or left, towards the pursuer, if the Keeper's die was higher.

If an investigator reaches the right end, they're out of danger. If they reach the left end, they're dead or caught. If, after three rolls, there are still investigators left in the chase, the Keeper does three more Opposed Rolls, this time with two dice. If there's no conclusion after that, the Keeper does three more rolls with three dice. After that, any investigator still in the chase rolls one die and moves that many spaces. If they reach the right side, they're safe, if not, they're caught.

Character Creation Occupation Choose a fitting occupation for your investigator. Your occupation serves as a collection of skills relating to your field. Every time you attempt a check, you will get to roll an additional die if that check somehow relates to your occupation. Example: Howard is a doctor, so whenever he attempts a roll relating to medicine, anatomy, biology and related fields, he gets two dice (a standard die and one for his occupation). Try to think about why your character has that occupation. Make it part of your character's backstory. Skills You get to choose three skills to start out with. These should be rather specific (“Talking“ is too broad, “Convincing“, “Lying“ or “Intimidation“ are preferable) and should not relate to your character's occupation. If you want to, you can get a fourth skill by dealing your character two points of Insanity that can never be healed (fill out the box instead of just crossing it out). You can then choose a fifth by doing the same for Harm. Example: Howard's player decides she wants her character to be a charismatic hobby mechanic with an interest in history, so she adds the skills “Convincing“, “Repair“ and “History“ to his character sheet. She also wants him to be able to pick locks (explained by his interest in mechanics), so she fills out the first two boxes of his Insanity stat. Again, try to think about why your character has these skills. Important: The two permanent points of Insanity/Harm still count for determing whether your character is in their first or second level. Personality Think of two adjectives that describe your character's personality well. They should be central parts of their personality. They don't have a direct impact on gameplay, but should serve as a guide to how you play your character.

Motivation Think of three things that drive your character. Three things that will get them to follow a lead. It could be money, or family, or curiosity, or revenge. No matter what happens, if something relates to one of their motivations, your character will pursue it. This will help your Keeper to create scenarios that can actually get the characters involved. Again, think about why these things motivate your character. Source of Sanity Think of something or someone that means a lot to your character. It could be a person or group of people they feel very close to, or just a hobby they're very passionate about. It shouldn't just be something or someone they like, but something or someone that is insanely important to them. Whenever your character spends enough time with their Source of Sanity, they will get a chance to heal some of their Insanity. As always, think about why your character's Source of Sanity is so important to them. Relationships & Inventory Think of some important people in your character's life and how they are related to them. They shouldn't be as important to your character as their Source of Sanity, but they also shouldn't just be all of their co-workers and their entire extended family. Also think about some things your character would usually carry with them. Something they don't leave the house without. Put it in your inventory. If your character own something special, like a store or a boat, also put it in there, but mark it with a * to denote it's not something they have on their person. Finishing Touches Give your character a name, a sex and an age. Also think about some things that maybe haven't come up during character creation. Think about whether or not they have any relationships to other player characters, and if yes, which ones.

Character Advancement Gaining New Skills If the Keeper thinks an investigator has done something either a lot, or exceptionally well during a session, and what they did is not already covered by their skills, the Keeper can reward them by giving them an additional skill relating to that at the end of the session. Example: Howard is not a fighter, but during this session, he constantly kept rolling 5s and 6s when punching cultists. The Keeper decides to give Howard the “Boxing“ skill. From now on, when punching another character, Howard will be able to roll two dice. Occupational Specializations Similarly, if a character does something a lot or exceptionally well, and it falls within their occupational expertise, the Keeper may reward them with a skill relating to their feat, giving them an additional die to roll whenever they do that specific thing. Example: Howard has treated many wounded characters and the Keeper decides to give him the “Treat Wounds“ skill. From now on, Howard is able to roll three dice when treating wounds (one standars die, one occupational die, one skill/specialization die). Mental and Physical Problems An investigator gains a Mental/Physical Problem whenever They go from Insanity/Harm level 1 to level 2 and then fail a difficult Insanity/Harm check ● They roll a 1 during an Insanity/Harm check and then roll another 1 during their reroll (except for a check to decide whether they gain a Mental/Physical Problem) ● Something happens within the story that the Keeper decides warrants gaining a Mental/Physical Problem ●

Mental Problems are things like phobias an psychoses, Physical Problems are broken bones, cripplings and the like. The Keeper decides what kind of Problem an investigator gains, but it should be reasonable (a stabbed shoulder shouldn't result in a broken leg).

Mental Problems don't have an immediate mechanical effect, but should be taken into consideration when roleplaying a character who has them. The mechanical effect of Physical Problems is up to the Keeper (e.g. a broken leg requires the investigator to roll the Harm die instead of one standard die when running). Physical Problems can be cured through extended rest or hospitalization (depending on severity), Mental Problems only through professional help (if at all). Again, these things are up to the Keeper. Besting The Mythos Should the investigators be successful and reach an important goal within an adventure or campaign, the Keeper can reward them by healing their Insanity for free. If the Keeper decides to do that, each investigator rolls two dice, subtracts the lower result from the higher one and heals the according amount of Insanity.

Parting Words We hope these rules provide a good framework for simple, but engaging lovecraftian roleplaying. We also urge you to check out the original Cthulhu Dark and Cthulhu Grey rules by Graham Walmsley and Aaron M. Sturgill. Contrast and compare between our system and the systems it is built on and decide for yourself which one fits the needs of you and your group. Also feel free to send feedback to [email protected], subject line “Cthulhu Grim.“ I'd love to hear from you!

Special Thanks To Graham Walmsley, who started the whole thing To Aaron M. Sturgill, who built upon it To the makers of both Call and Trail of Cthulhu, because we stole from you too To Spider-Man, because why not? And of course, to Howard Phillips Lovecraft for creating this world and all of YogSothothery

Sample Occupations & Skills Occupation Private investigator ● Student ● Professor ● Police officer ● Librarian ● Mechanic ● Journalist ● Doctor ● Politician ● Entertainer ● Criminal ● Pastor ● Federal agent ● Antiquarian ● Bookstore owner ● Hunter ● Bar/Speakeasy owner ● Photographer ● Soldier ● Psychologist ● Author ● Athlete ● etc ●

Skill Seeing ● Hearing ● Archaeology ● History ● Pistols ● Rifles ● Boxing ● Martial Arts ● Medicine ● Hiding ● Sneaking ● Astronomy ● Convincing ● Intimidating ● Seducing ● Psychology ● Anatomy ● Remembering ● Geography ● Geology ● Dodging ● Barter ● Library use ● etc ●