Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Session Structure 5

Random Event Tables 8

How to Play 12

Equipment 21

Best Practices for the GM 26

Character Improvement 28

Ending The Game 31

Introductory Story: Escape Through the Tunnels 31

Red’s Bestiary 36

Red’s Guide to Hazards and Traps 44

Tables for Random Generation 46

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Introduction
We Die in The Woods is a cooperative role playing game about a group of people trying to escape a
world that has been overtaken by the mysterious forces of nature. It uses old school,
renaissance-inspired mechanics to fuel the exploration of a modern setting where The Woods have
grown so large that they have taken the world back from humans. It is a game for 3-6 players,
including one Game Master (GM) who will run the world, the creatures in it, and the non-player
characters (NPCs). The other players will run individual characters, and will explore the world in a
desperate attempt to escape The Woods.

To the players:
The Woods are a terrible place, and they are all you have ever known. Tangled branches and reaching
trunks surround the disheveled remains of the human world. You hide in the shadow of nature.
Strange monsters lurk in the dark, and a protective incense is all that stands between you and their
nightly onslaught. You recoil at the smell and slip into your nightly oblivion. You aren’t sure if you
will wake up covered in mud, branches, or blood this time. You do not care, because there is no other
way to keep your mind whole. The Woods are a cold, relentless, and unforgiving place. One thought
holds fast in your mind:

You have to escape.

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Who Are You?
You are a person, or what’s left of one. From here, players and other humans are known as characters.
You have been surviving in The Woods for years, and you have never known anything but The Woods.
You don’t know many people because straying too far from your safehouse is incredibly dangerous.
Much to the dismay of anyone who may care about you, you have recently started hearing The Call.
This strange compulsion strikes those who live in The Woods like lightning, and all who feel it have a
desperate desire to find a way out of The Woods. No one who tries to escape has ever come back and
no one has ever resisted The Call. The only thing that lets you go one more night without trying to
leave is a hallucinatory incense that you must burn nightly, and eventually your supplies of that will
run empty. You will make it out, even if it kills you.

What are you trying to do?

You are trying to escape from The Woods. How you do that, and what you accomplish along the way,
is up to you. Some groups may only go on expeditions in order to find the resources they need to
attempt an escape. Others might try to help those they meet along the way in an effort to make The
Woods a better place before they go. As you explore The Woods, you will meet people, fight creatures,
and scavenge for resources. Warped objects infused with corruption will change who and what you
are, and you will drift away from your old life in pursuit of escape. By the time your story is over, you
may not even recognize yourself anymore.

What kind of people will you meet?

Most of humanity is huddled in small towns, growing herbs to keep themselves safe from the madness
of nightfall. Those who have left these few safe havens have done so for a variety of reasons. Many of
them have heard The Call, doomed to attempt a seemingly impossible task. Some have become tired
of a life of fear, and struck out into The Woods to see what the rest of the world is like. Others have
become warped by corruption, and been forced from their homes out into The Woods.

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What kinds of creatures will you face?
The things that you find in The Woods are not monsters in the traditional sense. They are not beings
from another world, magical dragons, or demons from the abyss. They are animals, plants, and
humans that have become so twisted by corruption that they have become monstrous. These
creatures are as much a part of The Woods as the trees that surround you, and they are just as hostile
to humans like you.

What is Corruption?
Corruption is something that comes for all things living in The Woods. It is a strange force that
warps people, places, and things into something barely similar to their original form. Corrupted
creatures will hunt you, corrupted people will lose their minds, and corrupted objects will change you
in fundamental ways if you take them home and consume them. Warped objects are stranger yet,
being corrupted to the point where they bend the laws of nature.

How to run a game of We Die in The Woods?

We Die in The Woods is best enjoyed when the GM is not taking an adversarial position with the
players, the game will do plenty of that for you. It is the GMs job to arbitrate the situations the
players get themselves into fairly, and create a resolution that everyone is satisfied with. If you find
something that is not covered by the setting or rules, this is intentional. Every table will have a
different vision for The Woods, and you should feel free to interpret the rules or setting however your
group will enjoy it most.

Choosing a Story:
When you start a game of We Die in The Woods you will have to choose a story. This affects what the
ace cards from your event deck will do, and what your Escape will look like. This book comes with the
Escape Through The Tunnels story, but you can feel free to design your own.

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Session Structure
Sessions of We Die in The Woods follow a structure that helps to facilitate some of the broad mechanics
behind expeditions and resource management. The GM will draw three event cards, and the players
will go on an expedition. After the expedition is resolved, players vote to choose which player will
collect the card from this event, and that player will be given that card to keep (these may be used later
to influence other events). Players are encouraged to vote for the person that they think did the most
to help the group this expedition, but they may use any reasoning they like. The other two events that
are not selected are removed from the deck permanently. After the event card has been resolved and
awarded to a player, they must then Survive the Night.

Drawing Event Cards:

Before each session (or at the end of the previous session), the GM will draw three cards from a deck
of 54 cards. These cards serve as prompts. They do not tell the GM exactly what must happen, they
only serve as a set of ideas for them to work with to make the world feel full and alive. If the GM feels
that a specific card would be particularly relevant to the story, they may select the first of the three
event cards themselves. The other two must still be drawn randomly. Jokers cannot be selected in
this way. The events that the players do not select will be resolved without their input, sometimes to
disastrous consequences to those involved. Afterwards those two cards not awarded to players will be
shuffled back into the deck. At the beginning of the session, the GM will make the players aware of
the three events that are happening. Players will select one of these events to interact with, and go
on an expedition to resolve it. After the expedition is over, one player is awarded the card from this
expedition to keep. The players vote who should be awarded the influence card with the GM serving
as a tiebreaker. Note that these cards are permanently removed from the deck once they are awarded,
your event deck will get smaller as the game progresses.

Expeditions:
During expeditions players will work to resolve the event card they chose by going on an expedition of
some kind. They could be on an extended journey into the darkest parts of The Woods, or they could
make a medium visit to a creepy, neighboring house. Expeditions will take up the bulk of a game
session, and GMs should feel free to run them however they want to. This is where players will make
friends, fight enemies, and explore. Before players choose which expedition they would like to go on,
the GM will tell them what the objective of that expedition is. To earn the influence card they will get
for a successful expedition, they must accomplish this objective. The players may ask the GM to

5
change the objective during the expedition if they find a reason to change their objective. The GM is
encouraged to be flexible about changing the objective of an expedition, as player goals are likely to
change as situations develop. After the players complete (or fail) the objective of their expedition, they
will need to return to their safehouse before night falls.

Safehouse:
These locations have been reinforced against The Woods, and have a fireplace to burn the
hallucinatory incense that keeps them from attempting to escape The Woods for the night. Any
attempt to survive outside of a carefully crafted safehouse will result in failure and death. The players
start with one safehouse for the whole group, but may find others as the game progresses. The players
and GM should work together at the beginning of the story to decide what their safehouse is like.

Surviving the Night:

After an event card is resolved, the players must return to their safehouse, and prepare to fend off the
creatures from The Woods that will assault their safehouse at night. The smoke from the incense they
use to fill their home at night will keep them from running into The Woods in a desperate attempt to
escape, but it's hallucinatory properties make it almost impossible to remember what happened while
under its influence. You must expend one unit of herbs for each player in the safehouse when you
Survive the Night.

Each night, each player will roll to see what equipment is lost, destroyed, or consumed while under
the effects of the incense. Roll a d10 and see which item from your inventory corresponds to the
result. That item is lost. If there is no item in that slot, the player character instead suffers one
wound, adding a wound die and rolling their wound dice as normal (Page 13). If a character dies from
this roll, they are lost to The Woods along with all of their equipment. If a player does not have herbs
to expend to create hallucinatory incense, their friends must physically restrain them inflicting a
wound automatically. If no one has herbs to create incense, they must attempt to Escape The Woods.
If a player is not in their safehouse at nightfall, they are lost to The Woods. The GM should always
give the players a reasonable opportunity to return to a safehouse by nightfall. Keep in mind that this
does not have to be your own safehouse, only a reasonably defensible location that has a fire to burn
incense. If the players are in a particularly poor quality safehouse, the GM may require them to roll a
second time to Survive the Night.

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Random Event Generation:
The following tables randomly generate a seed for the events that the players will have to resolve.
They are loose descriptions of something that is happening, but they are intended to be interpreted
however the GM wants. Use them to light a creative spark; they are not a complete event on their
own. To generate events, draw three cards from the deck, and consult the following tables. If there
are not three cards left in the deck, the players must attempt to Escape The Woods as detailed in The
End of the Game. The same deck of cards is used throughout the entire story. This means that the
deck you are drawing from will become smaller as cards are handed out to players. Any cards that are
not chosen for an expedition are shuffled back into the deck.

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Random Event Tables
Hearts (People)

2 A pair of people are in love, and in dire trouble.

3 Someone is jealous, and they are going to do something about it.

4 A family needs help.

5 Someone needs help with something mundane, that is stranger than it seems.

6 Someone needs help with something truly bizarre.

7 Someone is trying to leave The Woods, and is leaving their safehouse behind.

8 Someone is angry, and they are going to do something about it.

9 Someone wants someone else hurt, but not killed.

10 Someone wants someone else killed.

Jack Someone is causing a lot of trouble for no good reason.

Queen Someone is close to finishing an important project.

King Someone has a demand that they need addressed.

You hear about a strange hermit, who might be able to help guide you through the
tunnels if you can convince them to leave their dangerous swamp and come with you.
Ace
They can also tell you where the tunnels are, but you may want to gather other
supplies before going there.

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Spades (Monsters)

2 Two monsters are fighting, and it is causing problems.

3 Monsters are getting closer to a location.

4 Monsters have overrun a location.

5 Someone is willing to pay to have monsters killed.

6 A creature is asking for help.

7 A dangerous creature guards a new safehouse.

8 A creature killed a person, and someone wants revenge.

9 A creature is talking to people.

10 A person is turning into a creature.

Jack A creature has made a mess of someone’s plans.

Queen A creature is making more creatures.

King A creature is leading other creatures.

Someone tells you where some powerful insecticide and gas masks, which they think
will help you escape through the tunnels. Now you just have to go get them, which
Ace
will be no easy task. They can also tell you where the tunnels are, but you may want to
gather other supplies before going there.

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Clubs (Places)

2 A location is suddenly closer than it used to be.

3 A location is suddenly further than it used to be.

4 Someone needs help getting somewhere safely.

5 A new location suddenly appears.

6 A location is changed for the worse.

7 A location is mysteriously empty.

8 A location has been destroyed.

9 A location is being destroyed.

10 A location is being swallowed by The Woods.

Jack A location has been driven into chaos.

Queen Someone wants help moving to a new location.

King You find a new safehouse, if you can get to it.

Someone has a map to the escape tunnels that they are willing to give to you, if you
Ace help them first. They can also tell you where the tunnels are, but you may want to
gather other supplies before going there.

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Diamonds (Things)

2 Someone’s favorite thing is gone.

3 Something keeps showing up where it shouldn’t.

4 Something useful is found in The Woods, but it is hard to get to.

5 Someone found a map that doesn’t make sense to them.

6 Something is acting very strangely for what it is.

7 Something has changed into something else, and it is making things difficult.

8 Everyone finds out about something worth fighting over.

9 Something important has gone missing.

10 A cache of supplies has been discovered, but no one has gotten to it yet.

Jack Someone finds something that will change things.

Queen A new safehouse is discovered.

King Something you have never seen before is found.

Someone is willing to trade you a flamethrower to help you kill your way out of The
Ace Woods, but only if you do something for them first. They can also tell you where the
tunnels are, but you may want to gather other supplies before going there.

Jokers are shuffled back into the deck after they are drawn. They are not an expedition you can
choose to go on, they just happen when they are drawn.

Red Joker A friend gives you a gift, and asks for nothing in return.

Black Joker A person you know dies.

Aces are specific to the story that you are playing, the ones listed here are for the Escape Through
the Tunnels story. If you are playing a different story or have made your own, replace the result of
Aces listed here with the aces from your story.

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How to Play
Core Statistics:
The core statistics that determine what your character is best at are called Cunning, Powerful and
Strange. These are not combat stats--your ability to hurt things is determined by the tool you use to
hurt them. These statistics are used to modify d20 rolls made to solve various physical and social
problems that don’t involve ending the life of a living thing. These stats will be added or subtracted
from a d20 roll, and if the result is equal to or greater than the difficulty rating (DR) of the problem
you are trying to solve, then you achieve the intended result. These d20 rolls are called checks. In
most situations a check cannot be attempted more than once, even if a different character wants to
try. If it makes sense for one character to help another with a roll, they may assist them to grant them
advantage on the roll.

Cunning is used to be quick and shrewd, either with your body or your mind.
You could use Cunning to:
Sneak past a monstrous tree
Convince someone to give you the key to that old train car
Jump from branch to branch to avoid an angry mob of wildmen

Powerful is used to be strong and bold, either with your body or your mind.
You could use Powerful to:
Force open a locked container with a crowbar
Run faster than your friends, leaving them to be mauled by an angry mob of wildmen
Shout at someone until they give you what you want

Strange is used to be more like The Woods, and less like a person.
You could use Strange to:
Talk to a mob of wildmen, and convince them to howl at the moon with you
Smell the air, and know where you are going in The Woods
Convince someone never to talk to you again at all costs

How to set the DR of a check:

It is the GM’s role to set the difficulty rating (DR) of a check. This can be difficult to guess in the
moment, so below is a list of example DRs. These numbers are intended as guidelines, not as rules. In

12
your version of The Woods, things may be different--in fact they should be. Everyone creates their
own experience, and it is up to you to decide how difficult peoples lives should be after they hear The
Call. Feel free to create a DR for checks that you feel fits your game, just make sure that everyone at
your table is having fun. If something seems easy enough where you feel a roll shouldn't be necessary,
or so difficult that it might as well be impossible, please tell your players instead of rolling.

DR Example check

8 Scaring away a squirrel that has been looking at you funny

9 Acting so strange that a friend is worried about you

10 Stealing something while your friend distracts the owner

11 Scaring away a wild man that you have outnumbered

12 Calming a deer with your pleasant humming

13 Convincing someone you are their friend when you have just met them

14 Breaking down a standard door without tools

15 Convincing a watcher owl to sit on your lap (it still hates you though)

16 Sneaking past a creature with eyes on the back of its head

17 Scaring away the wild men that outnumber you

18 Breaking down a reinforced door without tools

25 Clearing a new path by chopping down the trees faster than they grow

About Knowledge Rolls:

We Die in The Woods is not a game where your characters know many things about the world around
them. Before they heard The Call, their experience with The Woods had been limited. Characters
may not roll to know more about The Woods, that is something that comes with experience and
communication. Suggest instead that they ask the characters they encounter for more information.
The GM should tell players the answer to any basic questions that everyone should know the answer
to.

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Creating a Character:
When you first create a character, you will have to allocate points to their three core stats to determine
what they start at. Their toughness will always be 4 at character creation, they will start with 0 wound
dice, 0 corruption dice, 0 inspiration cards, and 3 points of Hope.

Starting Stats:
Your character starts with 4 points to spend on stats. They all start at -1, and can be bought up at a 1
for 1 rate at character creation. Some example starting options are:

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Cunning -1 Cunning -1 Cunning +1

Powerful +1 Powerful -1 Powerful 0

Strange +1 Strange +3 Strange 0

Toughness:
A character or creature's toughness represents their ability to survive physical harm. All characters
start with a base toughness of 4. If an attack deals damage equal to or greater than a target’s
toughness, they suffer a wound die.

Wound Dice:
As a character takes damage, they will add wound dice to their pool. Each wound die is a d6, and
when you take damage you will add a new die to the pool and then roll all of the wound dice that you
have. If any of these result in a 1 and are not altered with Hope or armor, your character dies.
Characters start with 0 wound dice.

Corruption Dice:
Players gain corruption when they take corrupted items home and use them to create beneficial (and
sometimes also detrimental) mutations. Characters start with 0 corruption dice.

Characters Starting Equipment:

Characters roll on the miscellaneous loot table five times (Page 39), three herbs, and pick from two
knives, a pipe, or a pipe pistol with six shots (Weapons Statistics Page 18). Note that herbs do not take

14
up an inventory slot, and are stored separately. They are so important that your character will never
forget or lose them.
Starting Loot Table

1 A personal keepsake

2 A tree branch

3 A book of matches

4 Four feet of rope

5 A burlap sack

6 A lighter

7 Ammo

8 Ammo

9 Ammo

10 Ten feet of rope

11 A steel mirror

12 Broken Armor (Needs supplies to repair to level 1 Armor)

13 A lantern

14 Supplies

15 Supplies

16 Supplies

17 A flashlight without batteries

18 A few torches

19 A knife

20 A pipe pistol without ammo

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Who will tell your story when you are gone:
This is a purely narrative choice, but everyone leaves a story behind them after they are gone. It could
be a friend, a relative, an enemy, or even a notebook left under a floorboard.

Hope:
Players start with three Hope, and have a maximum of three Hope. Hope does not come back on its
own, it can only be recovered by spending Influence cards. Using one influence card restores them to
maximum Hope. Players may spend Hope to influence rolls in the following ways:
- After rolling wound dice and rerolling any failures with their armor, a player may spend Hope
to reroll one of their failures. They may do this as many times per wound roll as they would
like.
- Before rolling a check, a player may spend Hope to give themselves advantage on the check.
- Before making a damage roll, a player may spend Hope to give themselves advantage on the
roll.
- Before rolling a damage roll, a player may spend Hope to increase their die size by one type.

This changes all the dice rolled (For example, a player with advantage who would normally roll 2d4
and take the highest result would roll 2d6 and take the highest result instead). Dice cannot be raised
above a d12 in this way.

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Influence Cards
Influence cards allow players to make changes to the narrative of the game. Only one influence card is
awarded at the end of every session, and using one should have a profound impact on the story. When
they are used, the player and the GM should take time to cooperatively decide how they are resolved.
If the player feels that the proposed effect is not what they wanted, they may decide not to use the
card or gain the effect. Once the effect has been implemented, you cannot retract use of the influence
card. Suggested uses for influence cards are as follows:
- Restore Hope until you are at your maximum Hope value.
- Find a convenient cache of 5 items that may be any combination of supplies, herbs, or ammo.
At your GMs discretion you may select other items.
- Create a narrative development, such as an NPC arriving to help or an opposing faction
arriving to make trouble for your enemies. Work with your GM to create something that
makes sense for your story.
- Shape The Woods in a new and interesting way, such as finding spores that can be used to
make a poison, or discovering paths that lead to new and bizarre places. Work with your GM
to create something that makes sense for your story.

Advantage and Disadvantage:

When a character or creature is in a significantly beneficial position and is making a roll, the GM may
decide to grant them Advantage. This allows them to roll two dice, and take the highest of the two
results. Disadvantage is applied when a character is in a significantly detrimental position, and forces
them to roll two dice and take the lower of the two results. Advantage can affect both checks and
damage rolls. Players may assist each other to grant advantage on checks at the GMs discretion, but
may not assist with damage rolls. If you would have advantage and disadvantage at the same time they
cancel each other out.

Beginning combat:
When one of two parties decide to commit violence on the other, it is time to roll for initiative. Roll a
d20 for the party, adding the highest cunning score among them to the roll and compare this to a d20
roll for their adversary. If there is a tie, the players go first. If one group ambushes the other, they will
have advantage on this roll. The party with the highest roll goes first, choosing who in the group
should act first, second, third, etc. After one party has gone, the other party takes their turn in a
similar way. After both parties have taken their turn, a new round starts using the same initiative
order as the previous round. A character may choose to save their turn until later in initiative,

17
choosing to go before or after another character or creature that they are aware of. This becomes
their new place in the initiative order.

Actions during combat:

Once combat has started, each player may make one action on their turn, and they may move. An
action is often an attack, but some mutations may allow you to use your action in other ways. You can
also use this time to perform other actions that would only take a couple of seconds such as opening a
door, searching for something you dropped, or reloading a firearm. Longer actions may take multiple
turns to complete, such as restarting a generator or hastily constructing a makeshift bridge. If a
player does nothing but move during their turn, they may move a second time.

Range:
Characters will end up fighting their opponents at a variety of distances. To keep this clear and
streamlined, all attacks are defined as happening at one of three ranges. Weapons will define what
range they are able to attack at, and monsters will attack at different ranges depending on the attack
they are using.

Short Range:
Anyone at short range is within arms reach of their target. Place models that are at short range so
that they are adjacent to each other.

Medium Range:
Anyone at medium range is near enough that you could get to them in a few seconds. Place models
that are at medium range so that they are in the same location, but not adjacent to each other.

Long Range:
Anyone at long range is far away, only near enough to see. Place models that are at long range in
separate locations.

Movement during combat:

As players explore The Woods, they will explore a series of new locations. Rather than using a grid,
these locations are represented as pictures of the areas that they are exploring. Movement is handled
by moving character tokens between these locations. During combat, a character can move to an
adjacent location once during their turn. Characters may use their movement to move into short

18
range with another creature instead of moving to another location. The GM should make new
locations when they feel it is appropriate, usually when discovering a new area to explore or when it
does not seem plausible to still be at medium range within two different parts of an area.

EXAMPLE: In the pictures above, character A is at short range with creature B. Creature C is at
medium range from character D. If character A were to shoot out of the shed into the yard at creature
C, they would be attacking at long range.

Adding Locations:
The GM should add new locations to move between any time the players become aware of a new area
it would take more than a few seconds to move to. This does not have to remain consistent.
Sometimes you may add a new location every time a new room in a house is discovered, while other
times an entire house may be one location. The number of locations within an area should not change
during combat however, players need to be able to make informed decisions about how to move
during a fight.

Attacking:
When a character makes an attack, they do not roll to hit. They just roll the damage dice provided by
their weapon, and add any modifiers from mutations. The highest individual die result is compared to
the target's toughness. If it is less than the target’s toughness, nothing happens. If it is greater than
or equal to the targets toughness, it inflicts a single wound die. The target then rolls its total number
of wound dice (from this attack, and any others it has suffered previously). If any of them result in a 1,

19
the character dies. Armor provides you with a number of rerolls equal to its value, allowing you to
negate results of 1.

EXAMPLE: Martin is being attacked by a wolf. The wolf rolls its damage dice (1d6) and the dice
come up as a 4. This is greater than or equal to Martin’s toughness. Martin receives a wound die.
Because Martin already has 2 wound dice from previous fights, he rolls 3d6 (2 from earlier, plus 1 from
this attack). They result in two 1’s and a 5. Martin is staring death in the face, good thing he has an
armor value of 2! He uses both rerolls from his armor to reroll the 1’s, getting a 3 and a 5. Nothing
bad happens to Martin yet, but he had better do something about this wolf quickly!

After combat ends, players must make breakage rolls for any equipment that they used during the
combat (Page 21).

Stealth:
When players are trying to sneak past a character or creature at medium range, only the character that
is closest has to roll Cunning to sneak past them successfully. Any character that comes into short
range has to roll to sneak past, and characters at long range normally do not have to roll at all, they are
automatically successful in most situations. Characters may not normally assist each other on these
rolls. If you attack something that is not aware that you are there, you may make one attack before
rolling initiative.

Healing:
After a character survives the night and makes any necessary wound rolls, they reduce the wound dice
in their pool by one. Characters may spend one unit of herbs to remove an additional wound die at
this time only. This is the only time that players can heal naturally or through herbs.

Panacea:
Characters can use herbs to create a panacea to protect them against poisons, venoms, and diseases.
When a character chooses to create a panacea, they use up one unit of herbs and make one character
immune to the next monster or hazard effect that references poison, venom, or disease. This effect
lasts for one hour. Any character who is already under the effect of a poison, venom, or disease may
be given a panacea to end the effect immediately. If this is done during combat, it takes an action to
give a character a panacea. Panaceas cannot remove wound dice.

20
Equipment
Inventory:
The Woods have a terrible effect on a person's memory. Things that aren’t actively thought about
tend to go missing. Sometimes they are found later, sometimes they are not, and sometimes they are
changed so completely that they could not be recognized even if you found them. What this means, is
that a person cannot hold more than ten items in their memory. Each slot can hold one thing, though
that individual thing may consist of several smaller items.

Supplies:
These represent the resources that you need to refill any item that has limited resources. They could
be more fuel for a lantern, a replacement handle for your axe, batteries for night vision goggles, or a
few days worth of food. You do not have to decide what the supplies are prior to their use, it is
declared once the supplies are used. Each unit of supplies takes up one inventory slot.

Ammunition:
Ammunition functions like supplies, but it is specifically for your weapons. It might be described as
some loose bullets, a spare magazine, or a handful of gunpowder. Note that ammunition is flammable
but not particularly explosive. Any weapon that uses ammunition will need ammunition to fire. You
cannot use supplies to reload weapons, or to provide ammunition. Each unit of ammunition takes up
one inventory slot.

Herbs:
Herbs are so important that players will never forget or lose them. They do not take up one of your
ten inventory slots, and instead are tracked separately. A character may carry any number of herbs in
this way, as they do not weigh much and can all fit in a small pouch or pocket together. They are
usually used to Survive the Night, but may also be used for healing or to create a panacea. Herbs are
valued by everyone in The Woods, and are a rare thing to find. Characters will rarely find them
growing at random, and if they do it will usually be a significant part of an expedition.

Warped Objects:
These are items that have been so deeply corrupted that it has changed what they are and how they
function. Your GM will tell you what additional special properties they have.

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Corrupted Items:
These can be brought home to induce mutations in your character, and are the primary way to
improve your character. Each that Survives the Night with you induces a mutation, adds to your own
corruption, and is consumed. See Character Improvement for more details (Page 29).

Melee Weapons
Name Damage Range Special Qualities

Tree Branch 1d4 Short

Rock 1d4 Short/medium Thrown

Sharpened Stick 1d4 Short Brutal

Torch 1d4 Short Fire

Hammer 1d6 Short

Knife 1d6 Short/Medium Thrown

Sickle 1d6 Short Brutal

Pipe 1d8 Short

Hatchet 1d8 Short/Medium Thrown

Shovel 1d8 Short Brutal

Sledge 1d10 Short

Spear 1d10 Short/Medium

Pickaxe 1d10 Short Brutal

Woodcutter 1d12 Short

Spear Thrower 1d4 Short/Medium 1d12 damage when throwing a spear

Brutal, it must be refueled with supplies before

Chainsaw 1d12 Short
it is useable in the next fight

22
Ranged Weapons
Dama
Name ge Range Special Qualities Resupply

Slingshot 1d4 Any No ammo needed, Quiet -

Pipe Pistol 1d6 Any Ammo 1 2d8

Handgun 1d8 Any Ammo 15 2d6

Revolver 1d8 Any Brutal, Ammo 6 2d4

Improvised
1d10 Any Ammo 10 1d6
Rifle

Hunting Rifle 1d10 Any Brutal, Ammo 5 1d4

Pipe Shotgun 1d10 Short/Medium Ammo 1 1d6

Double Barrel
1d12 Short/Medium Brutal, Ammo 2 1d6
Shotgun

Pump
1d12 Short/Medium Ammo 5 1d6
Shotgun

Bow 1d8 Any Ammo 1, Quiet 2d4

Crossbow 1d8 Any Ammo 1, Quiet 1d6

Flamethrower 1d10 Short/Medium Ammo 10, Brutal, Fire Not Possible

Improvised Weapons
Name Damage Range Special Qualities

Small Improvised Weapon 1d4 Short/Medium Thrown, Awkward

Awkward, unarmed
Unarmed 1d4 Short attacks cannot become
damaged from use

Medium Improvised Weapon 1d6 Short Awkward

Large Improvised Weapon 1d8 Short Awkward

23
Weapon Qualities:
Damage Value - The type of dice you roll to deal damage with
Brutal - Attacks at this weapon’s intended range are rolled with advantage. Attacks made at a range
other than their intended range are not rolled with advantage.
Thrown - May be used to attack at short or medium range, but if used at medium range it is now on the
ground. To pick a weapon up uses your action for the turn, but not your movement. Thrown weapons
are not removed from your inventory unless they are not picked up again later.
Ammunition (Value) - How many times you can shoot a weapon before you have to reload it. Reloading
a weapon that uses ammunition takes your movement or your action for the turn.
Quiet - Normally when you attack with a ranged weapon, it will alert any enemies at long range or
closer. Quiet weapons only alert enemies at short range to the one hit.
Fire - Weapons that are aflame will light things on fire when you attack with them, regardless of
whether or not you inflict a wound.
Resupply - This value tells you what to roll when you use a unit of ammo to get more shots for your
weapon.
Awkward - Attacks with this weapon always rolls with disadvantage (advantage can cancel this out).

Fire
When you set someone or something on fire, they gain one level of fire. At the end of their turn, they
take damage based on the level of fire they have. Each level of fire increases the die type that is rolled
for damage, starting with a d4. For example, a character with three levels of fire would roll a d8 for the
damage they take. If the damage roll is a 1, the fire goes out on its own. A character may spend an
action to remove one level of fire from themselves or another character. If you end your turn at short
range from an enemy that is on fire, you gain one level of fire.

Ammunition:
Ranged weapons have two values regarding the amount of shots they use, an ammo value and a
resupply value. The ammo value is the amount held in the weapon, and the resupply value is the
amount of ammo you get from converting ammunition into ammo for that weapon. Any ammo
created from a resupply that cannot fit into the weapon must be held in a separate slot in your
inventory.

24
Armor:
Players may find or fashion their own armor to try to stay alive. Each level of armor allows a player to
reroll one failed die on a wound roll. Players may find armor already made that has a level from 1 to 4.
Players may use supplies to fashion their own armor, but this armor will always be level 1. When
armor is used to reroll a wound roll, its level is reduced by 1 temporarily, but can be repaired with
supplies. Every time supplies are used to repair armor increases the armor’s level by 1, to a maximum
of its original value. Only one piece of armor may be used for a wound roll, multiple pieces of armor
may not be combined.

Weapons Breakage and Repair:

After an encounter where weapons or tools are used, players must roll d6 to determine if any of their
items are damaged. On a result of 1, that piece of equipment is now damaged. Whenever a damaged
item is used a player must roll a d6, and on a result of 1 that item is destroyed and is never usable
again. When a player is at their safehouse, they may expend supplies to repair a piece of equipment so
that it no longer is damaged. If multiple characters use an item over the course of an encounter, only
roll for breakage once.

Other Items:
There are many things you might find in your travels through The Woods, and it would be pointless to
try to make an exhaustive list of all of these items. Just know that anything you might carry with you
will take up a space in your inventory, and anything that might break or be used up will require a
Breakage roll after it has been used for a while. Items that are consumable in some way, like torches
or a flashlight, will need supplies to refill them after they have been used for an expedition.

25
Best Practices for the GM
When to call for a roll:
Players should only be asked to roll dice to accomplish something when their success is questionable.
For example, a player should not have to make a Powerful roll to climb a flight of stairs or open a
normal door. Rolls are used to resolve tense situations where failure is a reasonable possibility, and
has consequences. When possible, resolve as much of a situation with a single roll as you can. This
helps to add tension, and keeps the focus on what is happening in the scene rather than what you are
rolling.

Items and character inventory:

We Die in The Woods is a game about carefully choosing what items to take with you, not a game about
scarcity. While they players may not always have exactly the item that they want with them, it is not
fun or interesting to be looking at an empty inventory. Give the players a lot of chances to pick up
things, even if they aren’t terribly useful things. You should make sure that when players Survive the
Night, they usually have a full inventory rather than a half empty one. They may be low on
ammunition, or short on supplies, but if an average night leaves them with filling their pockets with
sand then you have not given them enough to work with.

Character Death:
The mechanics of We Die in The Woods are designed so that players will usually have control over
whether or not their character dies. This is intentional. Players should be able to have close brushes
with death, but use Hope and Influence cards to buy their way out of it. Players should only die if they
think their character’s story is finished, or if they choose to go into a situation where they may not
make it back. Players usually are not happy to find that their character has died for no reason, so we
do not suggest doing this to them.

Lean into strange ideas:

Encourage the players to have bizarre ideas and come up with creative solutions to problems. The
Woods are a strange place, and they are full of strange people. A player who comes up with a weird
and unexpected solution to a problem should be rewarded, not punished. Make them roll to have
these ideas work out in their favor, but try not to deny them outright. It is more fun to have someone
sit down for a tea party with the wildmen in the rune circle than it is to say no and force them to fight.

26
Herbs and ending the game:
Your players need to find herbs in order to continue playing, so make sure that they have an
opportunity to find them. There may be times when they choose to find or use fewer of them than
they need, but if they ever run out completely then they will immediately try to Escape The Woods and
your game will end! Don’t let this happen by accident, this is a way to signal to the players that you’re
about ready to end this story.

27
Character Improvement
Mutations:
Characters may find corrupted items as they explore The Woods. These items have a profound effect
on a character when they are kept with them at night, warping their mind and body. While many
people would shy away from something so dangerous, those who have heard The Call know that they
need every edge they can get. When you successfully bring a warped object back to your safehouse
and Survive the Night without losing it, you gain one corruption die and select a positive mutation.
You then roll a number of d6 equal to your total corruption dice and if any of them result in a 1, you
have to select a negative mutation along with the already chosen positive mutation. Corrupted objects
are consumed when they are used in this way.

Positive Mutations: (Any marked with a * may be taken multiple times)

Enemies that harm you at short range suffer a 1d4 damage attack from your caustic
Caustic Blood
blood.

Claws Your unarmed attacks deal 1d8 damage and do not have disadvantage.

*Cunning Add one point to your Cunning attribute.

Doctor Once per day you may spend one unit of supplies to heal a wound die from a character.

Any time you make a short attack, you may make an additional bite attack that deals
Fanged
1d6 damage.

Night Eyes You can see in the dark without need for light of any kind.

*Powerful Add one point to your Powerful attribute.

People tend to trust you. Pass a DR12 Cunning test to have a character treat you like a
Silver Tongue short friend or family member when you ask them for something. If you fail, they see
you for what you are and treat you accordingly.

Siren’s Song You may make a DR10 Strange test to put a group of 1-3 people to sleep for one hour.

Snakeskin Increase your toughness from 4 to 5.

*Strange Add one point to your Strange attribute.

28
 You may spend 1 Hope to perform a feat of strength that borders on superhuman.
Choose one of the following:
Strength -You automatically succeed on a Powerful check where physical strength is involved as
Beyond long as it is DR 15 or less.
Measure -You gain a +6 on a Powerful check where physical strength is involved.
-You roll an extra 1d12 damage on a short range attack. Make a breakage check for the
weapon used immediately. This attack may still only inflict one wound.

Strong Arm Any weapon with an intended range of short can be thrown at medium range.

You may feed on the corpse of a creature and remove one wound die from your
Use Every
character. Anyone who sees this may find it grotesque. This takes at least 5 minutes,
Piece
and each corpse is used up completely.

29
 Negative Mutations: (Any marked with a * may be taken multiple times)

*Bland Reduce your Strange modifier by 2. This can reduce your modifier to a negative number.

You aren’t winning a footrace any time soon. Any time you try to outrun something, you
Bum Leg
always fail.

Reduce your Cunning modifier by 2. This can reduce your modifier to a negative
*Dim
number.

*Grim You have one less maximum point of Hope.

One of your equipment slots is filled with a small useless item of your choice. If this
*Keepsake item is lost to a Survive the Night roll, you lose one Hope and immediately find a new
keepsake to fill the void.

Reduce your Powerful modifier by 2. This can reduce your modifier to a negative
*Meek
number.

Roll an extra die for survive the night rolls. If the same result comes up twice, lose that
Moon Sick
item and one Hope.

You make annoying sounds at inopportune times. You might sing to yourself, emit a low
Nervous Tick droning sound, or bark occasionally. No matter your tick, it makes hiding from things
that can hear all but impossible.

*Open Sores Whenever you roll wound dice you roll one extra die.

You become a vicious thing once blood is spilled. If you or another creature is injured
Rabid
while you fight, you will always fight them to the death.

Sunken Eyes You may not make attacks at long range.

30
Ending The Game
Eventually the players will decide to make an attempt at escaping The Woods on their own, or they
will be forced to because they only have the two jokers left in their event deck. At this point, the
players will be forced to Escape the Woods, which will work differently depending on the Story that
you have chosen to play.

Introductory Story: Escape Through the Tunnels

Escape Through the Tunnels is an introductory Story designed for first time players of We Die in The
Woods. In it, the characters will be trying to find a set of tunnels that they have heard lead out of The
Woods. Once they have found the tunnels and gathered sufficient supplies, they can make their escape
attempt through the monster-filled tunnel complex, and defeat the fungal guardian that blocks the
way out.

What to tell the players:

A strange sharp-toothed man called Red is aware that the characters have heard The Call, and doesn’t
mind doing them a favor just this once. He knows there are some tunnels somewhere nearby and that
rumors say they lead to somewhere beyond The Woods. He also knows that there are a lot of bug-like
monstrosities that live there. He’ll even tell you that there’s some kind of plant monster that has
grown over the exit. It’ll be a hell of a fight to get through, but if you find the right tools you just
might be able to make it.

What not to tell the players:

Red does not believe that they have a chance of making it out of The Woods, but he stands to make a
huge profit from having some band of misfits stir the pot for him. Even better if they manage to clear
out the tunnels for him, there might be some good loot down there. Whether or not Red is right is up
to you, but it is best to leave it ambiguous for as long as you can. The characters have heard The Call,
they will have to try to escape eventually or succumb to the madness of The Woods.

31
What there is to do before escaping:
To attempt this escape, the characters will need to find where the tunnels are. This can be done by
going on any of the expeditions for aces that are drawn, which will give the players a resource that will
aid in their escape and tell them where the tunnels are. The characters may decide that they want to
gather more supplies or information before attempting their escape, or they may decide to go there as
soon as they are able to. Make sure that they understand that if their escape is successful it will be the
end of this story, and likely the last time they see the characters they are playing now.

The escape itself:

Escape through the tunnels is handled through a series of interconnected locations detailed below.
Each location will have a description of what challenges reside within it, and what locations it
connects through. Several of these locations are unnecessary or can be bypassed. These will have a
note at the end stating which possible events will have given the players the information or materials
necessary to avoid them, but they can still choose to enter them if they wish. Locations will tell you
what creatures and hazards are in them, but they will not tell you the exact number of creatures there.
This is so that you can adjust the number of creatures to create an appropriate challenge for the
number of characters you have. If you find that earlier areas are more or less challenging than you had
planned, we encourage you to adjust the number of creatures in subsequent rooms.

Location: The Woods Nearby

Connects To: Tunnel Entrance
Description: Without the map from the ace of clubs, the players will have trouble finding their way to
the Tunnel Entrance. If they do not have the map, they must roll three successful Strange DR 13
checks. Each time they fail they will encounter some Lunatics and Watcher Owls.

Location: Tunnel Entrance

Connects To: Wildmen’s Den
Description: The outside entrance to the tunnels the characters must use to attempt their escape. A
large steel door bars the way inside, but can be moved with a tool such as a shovel or crowbar with a
DR 10 Powerful check, or a DR 13 Powerful check if they do not have tools. If they fail a check, the
Wildmen in the Wildmen’s Den are alerted to the invading characters and have advantage on their
initiative roll.
Above the door there is an access to the ventilation system, but the vent is only a few inches wide so a
character could not fit through. If the characters have the insecticide from the ace of spades, they will

32
be able to use this here to kill some of the creatures further into the tunnels (it will be noted in the
location if the creatures there are affected). Separate from the ventilation system is a small chimney
from which smoke is pouring out. Anyone who listens closely at the chimney can hear the grunting of
Wildmen below.

Location: Wildmen’s Den

Connects To: Muddy Descent
Description: A large group of Wildmen waits inside the door. If the characters made too much noise
breaking in, the Wildmen have advantage on their initiative roll. The floor here is muddy, and there is
a roaring campfire in the middle of the room. On the opposite side is a crude wooden door placed
over a hole that leads to the Muddy Descent. Any Wildmen who draw Spades for their action will
push the nearest standing character to the ground, giving any other Wildmen who attack them
advantage on their attacks. A character may spend their movement for the turn standing up to remove
this effect. Note that after this room, there is little natural light in the rest of the tunnels.

Location: Muddy Descent

Connects To: Insect Chamber
Description: This muddy ramp is more of a slide than a staircase. A character may make a Cunning
DR 12 roll to descend carefully. If they fail they take 1d6 damage as they tumble gracelessly into the
Insect Chamber, alerting any creatures alive inside.

Location: Insect Chamber

Connects To: Dilapidated Tunnel, Damp Tunnel
Description: This room is full of cocoons and shed husks from the fungal insects that call this pit
home. This place is swarming with fungal insects, unless the players used the insecticide from the ace
of spades on the vent outside. If they did, there are no creatures alive inside, but it is deadly to enter
without gas masks (1d6 damage per turn unprotected). If there is no insecticide and the characters kill
all of the fungal insects inside, the room will fill with more by the time the characters return to it.

Location: Dilapidated Tunnel

Connects To: Corpse Pit
Description: The Strange Hermit from the ace of hearts will tell you that this area leads to a place
where infected corpses from a nearby town used to be dumped. It is probably not worth visiting. If
the characters do not have the Hermit with them or they ignore their advice, the characters will find
themselves through a rickety tunnel to a sloppy pit of animate human corpses.

33
Location: Corpse Pit
Connects To: Nothing, Dead End
Description: This room is a wide pit with a grave shaped opening 40 feet above. The floor is littered
with human bodies, some of which have turned into Bloated Shamblers. The corpses have been
stripped of all valuables and most of their clothes.

Location: Damp Tunnel

Connects To: Glowing Pools
Description: The walls of this tunnel are damp to the touch, but otherwise unremarkable. After
winding for a short distance, they lead to a room that gives off a greenish glow.

Location: Glowing Pools

Connects To: Underwater Passage
Description: This room has three large opaque pools that give off a soothing green glow, making it
the only lit room since the tunnels entrance. There are strange markings on the walls above two of the
pools, made by some Wildmen or travelers that have been here in the past. The map from the ace of
clubs will warn the characters not to go into the marked pools. A Strange DR 12 check reveals that
they are a warning not to go in these pools. The two marked pools have several Cave Crabs hiding in
them, while the third pool leads to an underwater passage that is impossible to see without climbing
into the pool. There is a collapsed tunnel that used to lead to a room beyond, but it is impossible to
excavate.

Location: Underwater Passage

Connects To: Mushroom Cult Chamber
Description: A short underwater tunnel that leads into the chamber beyond. Any electronics,
firearms, or motorized items must be dried out before they can be used after going through this tunnel
unless the characters find a way to keep them dry. The hermit from the ace of hearts will have
brought a waterproof pouch capable of holding three smaller items or one large item.

Location: Mushroom Cult Chamber

Connects To: Spore Spider’s Lair, The Woods Nearby
Description: This large chamber has a strange fungus growing from the walls and ceiling. A large
door is on the opposite end with a symbol painted on it. A Strange DR 11 check will translate this
symbol to mean “God” or “Savior”. Strange shrines and offerings litter the floor of the room. The

34
many Wildmen in the room are infected with a mind controlling mycelium. These use the regular
statistics for Wildmen, except that when they are killed they release a choking spore that gives anyone
who is at short range to them disadvantage on their next attack unless they are wearing a gas mask.
There is a ladder leading out of this room and back into The Woods, but the characters feel drawn to
the door as their means of escape. If the characters leave and come back to this room through the
ladder, it will be full of three times as many Shambling Corpses as there were Wildmen when they
return. The door to the next room opens without having to make any kind of check.

Location: Spore Spider’s Lair

Connects To: The Final Door
Description: This large room appears empty aside from the mycelium that covers the walls and floor,
and the growth of strange vibrating mushrooms that almost completely cover the heavy steel doors on
the other end of the room. There is a massive Spore Spider hiding in a web on the ceiling, Cunning
DR 13 to spot it. The Spore Spider will attack the characters if they attempt to cross the room or
interact with The Final Door. Players may attempt a Strange DR 15 roll to coax the door to open, or a
Powerful DR 15 roll to pull it open. Once they have succeeded at any combination of these rolls 3
times, The Final Door is open.

Location: The Final Door

Connects To: Unknown
Description: Once the players have made it through The Final Door, it is up to you what happens to
them. You can leave it to your players imagination whether or not they escaped, and tell your party
how life in The Woods looks now that they’re gone. You could make up what kind of life there is
outside of The Woods, if you think there is such a place. If you want to continue your story from there
you could even have the characters find themselves deeper into The Woods, fighting against more
horrible monstrosities and bizarre creatures. What happens through The Final Door is up to you, but
try to make it something that you and your players will be satisfied with.

35
Red’s Bestiary
Hello friends and countrymen! My name is Red, and someone who didn’t want their poor kid to die paid me a
lot of bullets to write them a book about all the nasty things that live out in The Woods. It is truly tragic that
their little boy has heard The Call, and I will make sure to do my absolute best to write a book that will tell them
every single detail I can possibly remember about how to kill these nasties. I just want to make sure that you
know though, I’m not a psychic, nor am I a biologist or a rocket surgeon. I may have made some mistakes here,
so don’t come crying to me if it turns out something works a little different than what I wrote down here. This is
my guide, feel free to write your own if your experience is a little different.

How damaging creatures works:

Creatures have wounds, which represent the number of times a player can hurt them before they die.
Creatures do not suffer from wound dice in the way that players do, when damage surpasses their
toughness they simply take a wound. When they have suffered damage a number of times equal to
their wounds, they are simply dead.

How creatures attack:

Creatures have a set of abilities which they use at random. Which ability a creature uses is out of the
GMs control, and many abilities will even specify which person a creature attacks. This is not by
accident. The Woods are a cruel place, and it is out of the GMs hands if several creatures decide to
gang up on one hapless explorer. When it is the creature's turn to act, you draw a card from the event
deck for each individual creature. These cards will determine the actions of the creature according to
their bestiary entry. After the creatures have taken their actions, these cards are shuffled back into
the deck. The same deck of cards is used for both events and creatures. Cards used for creatures
attacks are always shuffled back in after combat is over, or when there are no cards left for creatures to
draw. If a creature without a joker action draws a joker, they act as though they had drawn a Club.

Player interference and strange situations:

If players have a creative way to interfere with creature actions, let them! Blocking doors, setting
traps, and climbing trees are all ways players may try to stop creatures from attacking them. Have
players roll a check to see if it works, and if they succeed they may negate a creature's entire action.

36
Name: Wild Man
Threat: Annoyance
Toughness: 3
Wounds: 1
Actions
On Red Card - Throw Stone [1d4]: Move to medium range and throw stone for 1d4 damage at the target
that attacked most recently.
On Clubs - Club [1d6]: Move to short range and hit with a club for 1d6 damage at the target that dealt
damage most recently.
On Spades - Howl: All enemies in medium range must pass a DR10 Strange check or have disadvantage
on their next attack.
Description: These mud covered savages used to be human, once. They probably lost their minds when their
safehouse ran out of incense, but maybe they just gave up? Either way, these howling naked lunatics are better
off dead.

Name: Watcher Owl

Threat: Annoyance
Toughness: 2
Wounds: 1
Actions
On Red Card - Screech [ - ]:
Let out a horrible hooting screech that gives the nearest enemy
disadvantage on their next damage roll.
On Black Card - Evil Eye [ - ]:
Lock eyes with the enemy that has attacked the least during this fight.
Any attacks against them have advantage. Draw no more cards for this
watcher owl, instead continue the effect of Evil Eye against the same
target.
Description: They call these horrific little creatures “owls” because they have
feathers and can turn their head all the way around, but the reality is that
they’re more of a winged rat. They’ll follow you around and make your life
hell, so it’s worth taking the time to hit them with something. The good news is
that they can’t really fly, they just skitter around from tree to tree. They aren’t
that hard to catch if you aren’t busy with something else bigger than them.

37
Name: Wolves
Threat: Dangerous
Toughness: 3
Wounds: 1
Actions
On Red Card - Pack Tactics [1d6]: Move to the closest enemy and bite it for 1d6 damage. This attack
has advantage if there is another wolf at short range from the target.
On Black Card - Finish the Weak [1d6]: Move to the most damaged enemy and bite it for 1d6 damage.
Description: They hunt in packs, and they’ll pick off the weakest of you before turning on the rest. Aren’t they
just beautiful?

Name: Bloated Shambler

Threat: Dangerous
Toughness: 3
Wounds: 1
Actions
SPECIAL: When it dies, make a 1d8 damage attack on everything at short range (this will hit allies and
enemies). Before this creature has seen enemies, it will lie on the ground looking like a dead body,
Cunning (DR 10) to see it is not a normal corpse.
On Red Card - Slap [1d4]: Move and attack the closest enemy for 1d4 damage.
On Black Card - Spew Bile [1d6]: The bloated shambler lets out a horrendous stream of corrosive
vomit, dealing 1d6 damage to the least damaged enemy in medium range. The bloated shambler then
makes a 1d4 damage attack against itself.
Description: Human corpses full of animated fungus and explosive gas, nasty business. I’d keep my distance if
I were you, they’re liable to pop if you hit them too hard. They’re slow, so just stay back and put a bullet in
them if you have one to spare.

38
Name: Lunatic
Threat: Dangerous
Toughness: 4
Wounds: 2
Actions
On Diamonds - Call the Hunt [ - ]:
The Lunatic howls for its friends. Roll a d6,
and on a result of 6 another Lunatic joins the
fight at the beginning of the next turn.
On Other Cards - Claw [1d6]: The Lunatic
moves into short range with the nearest
enemy and attacks for 1d6 damage.
Description: These howling wildmen have been
mutated by corruption to the point that they’re no
longer human. Coming from me that might seem crazy, but that just means you haven’t met one of these loons
yet. They’re covered in some combination of fur and claws, and they’ll take a chunk out of you if you’re not too
careful. The good news is that they’re not smart enough to use guns anymore. The bad news is that they don’t
need them, and they’ve got friends.

Name: Faceless Shrieker

Threat: Dangerous
Toughness: 3
Wounds: 1
Actions
On Red Card - Scream for Blood [1d10]: Let out a shriek that literally boils your blood. Anyone within
short or medium range is attacked for 1d10 damage.
On Black Card - Shamble Away: Move out of short range from any enemies. If the Shrieker is killed
during an attack this movement provoked, any nearby shriekers immediately use their Scream for
Blood attack.
Description: Well these things are an awful mess. I’m not sure if they really want to hurt anyone, but that
doesn’t make them safe to be around. They’re like if an emaciated person started turning back into a fetus from
the top down. Their faces aren’t really formed except for their mouths, and all they do is scream their blood
boiling scream. That isn’t a creative metaphor either, I’ve seen people’s veils pop with steaming gouts of arterial
fluid. Just shoot them from far away, and shove some wax in your ears while you do it.

39
Name: Cave Crab
Threat: Murderous
Toughness: 5
Wounds: 1
Actions
SPECIAL: Waits until the 2nd round of combat to attack if it has not been spotted. Hides near
ceilings or in water, Cunning (DR 12) to notice.
On Red Card - Paralyzing Bite [1d4]: Bite the closest enemy for 1d4 damage, they must pass a Powerful
(DR 10) check or have disadvantage on their next attack. If they were bitten by a Cave Crab last turn,
they instead have to make a Powerful (DR 12) check or go unconscious for 1 minute.
On Black Card - Enveloping Tentacles [ - ]: Attempt to envelop the nearest enemy in tentacles. They
must make a powerful (DR 11) check or be completely restrained and unable to move or attack. Once a
character is enveloped in tentacles, any further black cards will cause the Cave Crab to use their joker
action.
On Joker - Plant Eggs [1d10]: Force a tentacle down the closest target's throat attempting to
impregnate them with 1001 eggs, dealing 1d10 damage. If the target is restrained by a cave crab this
attack has advantage. If the target dies from this attack, 1d20 of the eggs hatch into cave crabs 48
hours later.
Description: These awful little things hide in caves, tunnels, and other dark damp places. They’re ambush
predators, so you don’t have to worry about them much if you aren’t on your own. They like to hide near other
dangerous stuff though, so keep and eye out so they don’t jump you while you’re busy. Oh, and did I mention
that they have poisonous tentacles and like to lay eggs in corpses?

Name: Maw Hulk

Threat: Murderous
Toughness: 6
Wounds: 3
Actions
On Red Card - Rending Jaws [1d12]: If the maw hulk is adjacent to an enemy, he attempts to swallow
them whole. The target must pass a (DR 14) Powerful check or be attacked for 1d12 damage. If the
maw hulk is not adjacent to an enemy, it uses its Claws attack instead. If a character is killed by the
Maw Hulk it uses its tooth filled ribcage to swallow them and all their gear, and leaves to digest it’s
prize.
On Black Card - Claws [1d8]: The maw hulk moves towards the closest enemy and attacks for 1d8
damage with its horrible claws. If it did not have to move to make this attack, it has advantage.

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Description: Those hulking hairy brutes are a fine kind of problem. It’s bad enough having a ten foot tall
gorilla thing coming after you, but having it open up with teeth from its neck to its taint is just not a good time.
They’ll swallow you whole if they get the chance, so don’t give them the chance if you like being alive.
Name: Lashing Tree
Threat: Lethal
Toughness: 7
Wounds: 5
Actions
SPECIAL: The lashing tree draws two cards
and takes two actions on each of its turns.
The lashing tree does not take damage from
guns or bows. The lashing tree cannot
move.
On Clubs - Flail [1d6]: The lashing tree
swings its branches wildly, hitting anyone at
short or medium range dealing 1d6 damage.
On Spades - Burial [1d10]: Roots try to drag
the furthest enemy from the tree
underground, dealing 1d10 damage. If the
target is killed, they and all of their
possessions are buried 10ft underground.
On Diamonds - Spore Burst [ - ]: Spores float
out from the tree, making the world go hazy
before your eyes. All enemies within
medium or short range must pass a
Powerful (DR 13) check or have
disadvantage on their next attack.
On Hearts - Consume [1d8]: The lashing tree takes a bit out of the nearest target, dealing 1d8 damage.
If this damage causes a wound, the lashing tree heals one of its own wounds.
Description: While all trees in The Woods seem to be malevolent, these mean bastards take it to a whole new
level. They want our blood, and they will take it themselves with lashing branches and snaking vines. They’ll
swallow a person whole, and I swear they’ll smile while they do it. Watch out for trees with mouths, they’ll be
the end of you. Oh, did I mention that some of these things like to leave corpses hanging from their branches?
Sick sense of humor, these trees.

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Name: Fungal Insect
Threat: Dangerous
Toughness: 4
Wounds: 1
Actions
On Red Card - Drain Blood [1d8]: Moves to the closest character and attempts to drain their blood.
The target must make a Powerful DR 9 check to keep it off them, or take 1d8 damage and be
disoriented from blood loss for the rest of the fight, suffering disadvantage on all attacks.
On Black Card - Buzzing Swarm [1d10]: Moves to the character who has most recently been targeted
with Drain Blood, attacking them for 1d10 damage as their sharpened feelers try to find more blood to
spill.
Description: One of these isn’t a huge issue, but a swarm of them will devour you alive. Once they’ve got a
taste for your blood, your life is forfeit to a stinging, clawing swarm of foot-long insects. I wonder if they’ve
always been this nasty, or if it’s the fungus that’s growing on them that wants our blood?

Name: Spore Spider

Threat: Lethal
Toughness: 5
Wounds: 9
Actions
SPECIAL: The spore spider draws two cards and takes two actions on each of its turns. The spore
spider gives disadvantage to anyone attacking it with a weapon that is not on fire. The spore spider
may move onto the ceiling, preventing short range attacks against it. When a character wounds it
with a short ranged attack, they get disadvantage on their next attack as spores disorient them.
On Clubs - Bladed Legs [1d12]: The spore spider skitters towards the nearest target, attacking them
with its razor sharp legs for 1d12 damage, then retreats to the ceiling.
On Spades - Pounce [1d10]: The spore spider leaps to the nearest target, knocking them to the ground
and attacking them for 1d10 damage. The spore spider has advantage on any future attacks against
targets that have been knocked to the ground. A character may spend their movement for the turn
standing up to remove this effect. If the spore spider is on the ceiling when it makes this attack, it
moves to the floor and gets advantage on this attack.
On Diamonds - Spore Haze [ - ]: Spores float out from the spore spider, making it difficult to tell friend
from foe. All enemies within medium or short range must pass a Strange (DR 10) check or spend their
next turn attacking a random target with whatever weapon they are holding (the list of random targets
also includes the spore spider). The spore spider then retreats to the ceiling.

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On Hearts - Reaching Mycelium [1d8]: Tendrils of mycelium reach out from the spider and try to stab
any characters within short or medium range for 1d8 damage. If one or more characters is wounded
by this, the spore spider recovers 1 wound.
On Joker - Frenzied Rush [ - ]: Perform Pounce, Spore Haze, and Reaching Mycelium (in that order)
Description: This thing is a real mess to fight, if you didn’t bring a flamethrower it might be best to just run
away. It’s huge, with an abdomen about 4 feet off the ground and some giant spindly legs. Worse yet, it looks
like the mushrooms are the ones really in charge. It has spores growing out of it in giant, weeping sores, and the
thing acts totally crazy, even for a giant spider. I wonder if it even knows that a mutant fungus has taken over
its mind and body? Does it scream because it hates you, or because it knows what it has become?

Threat:
Threat is a measure of how likely something is to kill you. There are four levels of threat, each more
deadly than the last: Annoyance, dangerous, murderous, and lethal.

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Red’s Guide to Hazards and Traps
Okay, so I know it’s bad enough that there are horrible creatures living in The Woods that want to kill and eat
you (hopefully in that order). I wouldn’t be writing a real survival guide if I didn’t talk about all the other stuff
that can make you die too, so here it is. Don’t think this is every possible thing out there that might put an end
to you, this is just everything that I can think of that I’ve seen kill someone.

Name: Pit Trap

Effect: The first character or creature to walk over a pit trap must make a Cunning (DR 8) roll to
avoid falling in and taking 1d8 damage. If they do fall in, they must make a Powerful (DR 10) roll in
order to climb out of the pit (if they survive the fall). After the trap has been sprung, no check is
needed to see the trap.
Description: You’ll see lunatics or wild men make traps sometimes, and these are pretty common. They’re not
usually that well hidden, but they’re often used to start an ambush. If you find one, keep your eyes open for
someone sneaking up on you.

Name: Crawling Moss

Effect: Grows at a rate of 1 inch per minute when exposed to light. Any surface covered with the
moss deals 1d4 damage if it touches bare skin. Will survive bottled in a glass container for up to 1
week, but will eat through any metals, wood, or plastics.
Description: This stuff isn’t so bad, as long as you don’t mind the dark. Expose it to light and it’ll grow like
crazy. It’ll cover doors, windows, floors, and even grow itself stretched between trees. I’ve seen entire roads get
blocked off by this stuff, stretched across like spiderwebs because some idiot dropped his flashlight.

Name: Snare Trap

Effect: A character or creature walking over a snare trap must make a Cunning (DR 11) check or be
pulled into the air by their ankle. A character who attempts to fight before they have been cut down
has disadvantage on all attacks or checks, and cannot move. When a character is cut free, either they
or the character who is at short range must make a Powerful (DR 10) check or they fall and take 1d6
damage.
Description: Alright alright, I’ll admit that most of these still lying around near here are mine. There aren’t a
lot of good ways to catch prey without using up anything too valuable.

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Name: Land Mines
Effect: A character who moves within an area with land mines must make a Cunning 8 check or
suffer 1d10 damage. Creatures who move through an area with land mines automatically suffer 1d10
damage.
Description: I think that years and years ago some soldiers tried to fight The Woods. Obviously they didn’t
win, but they left some things behind. Most things they left were pretty useful, I like my guns quite a bit. The
bombs they left lying around in the dirt are less useful, but if you can bait something into them they still serve a
purpose.

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Tables for Random Generation
NPC Physical Trait Table

1 Mouth hangs open at all times

2 Dead conjoined twin

3 Third Eye

4 Covered in mud and branches

5 Lazy eye

6 Many visible warts

7 Extremely dirty

8 Extra fingers

9 Horrible breath

10 Terrible scars

11 Always has healing bruises

12 Bandaged wounds that don’t seem to heal

13 Deformed limb

14 Missing fingers

15 Missing teeth

16 Distinctive tattoos

17 In a wheelchair

18 Missing leg

19 Missing hand

20 Face sewn partially shut

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NPC Extreme Physical Trait Table

1 Is sometimes transparent

2 Prehensile tail

3 Third eye in back of head

4 Howls loud enough to be heard from miles away

5 Tusks

6 Covered in fur

7 Fox head

8 Large bug eyes

9 Antennae

10 Barks when they laugh

11 Elongated torso

12 Catlike eyes

13 Long sharp teeth

14 Second pair of eyelids that blink horizontally instead of vertically

15 Many extra finger joints

16 Large pointed ears

17 Has a hole that goes through their body

18 Can unhinge their jaw like a snake

19 So cold that they hurt to touch

20 No eyes, but can still see

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NPC Clothing and Accessories

1 Blood stained t-shirt

2 Spiked collar

3 Tooth necklace

4 Face paint

5 Unusual jewelry

6 Wears bottle caps

7 Bell around neck

8 Strips of leather tied all over

9 Military uniform

10 Strange mask

11 Gas mask

12 Barely wears clothes

13 Burlap sack

14 Wears several flags

15 Worn out business suit

16 Wears a boot somewhere they don’t need to

17 Lucky rabbit's foot

18 Baseball cap with trippy wizard logo

19 Full biohazard suit

20 Biker jacket with snake on it

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NPC Personality Traits

1 Gets irrationally angry over the use of a specific word

2 Screams at people who they think are lying to them

3 Spends time talking to themselves

4 Smiles a very fake smile when they see you

5 Gets distracted very easily

6 Likes to collect useless shiny things

7 They think they have terrible luck, but the opposite seems to be true

8 Has a lot of pets

9 Takes meticulous notes of mundane things

10 Periodically shouts at someone you can’t see

11 Doesn’t trust anyone, even the people they trust

12 Wants to trade with you for weapons, always

13 Has the worst luck of anyone you have ever met

14 Breaks things by accident all the time

15 Finds you small keepsakes, and expects you to keep them

16 Can’t keep a secret to save their life

17 Doesn’t speak a language you can understand

18 Doesn’t speak often

19 Has a taste for human flesh

20 Doesn’t believe the world around them is real

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Miscellaneous Loot Table

1 A personal keepsake

2 A tree branch

3 Roll on the warped loot table

4 Four feet of rope

5 A burlap sack

6 A lighter

7 Ammo

8 Ammo

9 Ammo

10 Herbs

11 Herbs

12 Herbs

13 Herbs

14 Supplies

15 Supplies

16 Supplies

17 A flashlight without batteries

18 A few torches

19 A knife

20 A pipe pistol without ammo

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Quality Loot Table

1 A suspiciously shiny stone (warped object)

2 Two elongated human teeth on a necklace (warped object)

3 Some decent sized scraps of metal

4 Twenty feet of rope

5 Ammo

6 Ammo

7 Ammo

8 Ammo

9 Supplies

10 Supplies

11 Supplies

12 Supplies

13 Herbs

14 Herbs

15 Herbs

16 Bow with 5 arrows

17 Crossbow with 3 bolts

18 Handgun without ammo

19 Working Stopwatch

20 Something Someone Wants

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Weapons Loot Table

1 An Armed Land Mine

2 Supplies

3 Supplies

4 Ammo

5 Ammo

6 Ammo

7 Ammo

8 Ammo

9 Ammo

10 Herbs

11 Herbs

12 Shovel

13 Three Knives

14 Pickaxe

15 Bag of Hammers

16 Revolver with 1 bullet

17 Double Barrel Shotgun with 1 shell

18 Hunting Rifle with no bullets

19 Pump Shotgun with no shells

20 Chainsaw without gas

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Warped Loot Table - All of these objects are warped objects

1 A vial full of lavender scented toenails

2 Two dead rats, fused together

3 A crucifix that always feels warm

4 A ring that makes your head hurt when you look at it

5 A bundle of sticks tied into a strange shape

6 Some tree root, carved into a humanoid figurine

7 A glass bottle that never gets dirty and won’t hold liquid

8 Human bone, carved into an unfathomable shape

9 A letter from someone who heard the call

10 A kaleidoscope full of teeth

11 A jar of blinking eyeballs

12 A diamond that feels soft

13 A stuffed animal with a third eye

14 A picture of a man with no face

15 A key overgrown with mushrooms

16 A candle that doesn’t shed light or go out

17 A pristine toaster

18 A polaroid camera that blurs the photos of anything but trees

19 A noose made of guitar strings

20 A printed shirt where you cannot remember what is written on it after you see it

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About the Authors
We Die in The Woods is a game by Noah Meldrum & Kap Rosenberg. Edited by Brittany Wheeler.

Noah grew up in The Woods, and spends most of his time writing RPGs that he plays with squirrels
and wildmen.

Kap is a part-time illustrator and a full time Nerd who spends his late nights chasing cryptids and
studying the hidden language of flowers.

Brittany is looking forward to the day the aliens finally come to take her from The Woods; until then,
she moonlights as a space wizard.

You can follow the further development of the game on our Discord server.
https://discord.gg/D8DwsQrPmz

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