A downloadable ttrpg

This is all old. Grim is still in growth, as always, but I believe I have learned what I actually want from this game. This was my first RPG project, and it started from a D&D makeover, so beware.

Grim's new focus is on character development in episodic storylines, where in each session characters grow mechanically by expressing parts of their personalities.

  • Damage and Traumas affect your character like negative traits both physically and mentally
  • Skills are grown by performing actions
  • There are no classes, so your character is your own. Character building will still be easy-ish though.
  • There are no levels, so the only way to grow your character is to grow as a character. Even then, there is a cap to growth, and your character can either change their traits or cement them.
  • There are no attributes. Stats are changed by the skills you pick.
  • A crafting system and damaged armor system and loot generation (oh my!)
  • An exploration and mapping system that generates locations for characters to visit and grinds your character's resources down.
  • A 2d6 system advantage/disadvantage system and an interesting theater of the mind Positions system for combat.


”Man is more insidious than any beast, more devious than any devil, and more evil than any spirit.” -Grandhunter Ivlek

      Grim is a tabletop roleplaying game set in Demia, a harsh medieval dark fantasy setting. In it, players take the part of characters who trudge through and survive a world of suffering and superstition to combat the darkness, doing what good they can along the way. Characters can explore the wilds, delve into dungeons, or travel through the few cities left, strife with poverty and disease. 

      Adventurers come from many different backgrounds, and each have their own goals in this dim world that they seek to achieve, but the primary objective is to survive what comes next. Decisions mean the difference between life and death, and every action has a consequence.

     This setting is inherently abhorrent to the dismay of the innocent and good-willed, and it is such a world that they as characters must trudge through, keeping faith, keeping clean of sin. In such a great blackness, a pure light shines brighter among all the filth of humanity. Will you shine, or fade away into the murky history of Demia like so many others?

     Grim, the RPG boasts

  • Quick and meaningful character creation leading to;
  • A Hope system for characters in line with their Beliefs,
  • Simple and deadly combat with special Abilities for battle masters,
  • And an ever-shrinking pool of Fate for those foolhardy adventurers.

    And for the dreadful Gamemaster?

  • Rumors to lead adventurers through dirty dungeons and the murky swamps,
  • Interesting travel leading to discoveries and complications,
  • A Fate Pool that works with and for the plot,
  • And a simple, intuitive ruleset with ease of creation and worldbuilding through the use of plot frames and defined level frames.

And far off into the dark future, the Demia Worldbook approaches, filled with Spirits, Strangers, and Beasts, and a setting rife with eccentric Groups and Archetypes for all your Historian's dreams.

Grim is currently in development and is open to playtesting. You can also reach me through the /rpgdesign reddit as Frostyablaze.


Players need:

  • 1 20-sided die (1d20)
  • Some 6-sided dice (3d6)
  • And a Character Sheet

And all work is done by yours truly, so I'd appreciate any help. Art, Design, Editing, and Layout. So it may take a while to finish this.

Download

Download
Grim Amalgam 76 kB
Download
Grim 2.1.pdf 7 MB
Download
2.5 Player’s Section.pdf 39 kB
Download
Character Sheet 2.1 (Image) 1 MB
Download
Grim 1.1.docx 644 kB
Download
Grim 1.1 Character Sheet.xlsx 6 kB
Download
Mother Demia (Art) 1 MB
Download
Afflictions and Conditions.txt 1 kB
Download
Grim - Weapons.txt 1 kB
Download
Grim.txt 16 kB
Download
Grim-Abilities.txt 6 kB
Download
Grim-Conditions.txt 3 kB
Download
Grim-Equipment.txt 4 kB

Development log