CENTURIES AGO, the world was a lush paradise of
fantasy tales. But then came the ARCANE WARS,
when the Archmages toppled kingdoms and their
Defiling Sorcery desecrated the land into a broken
wasteland. Now, even the Sun is dying.
► d20 quests
1 (re)capture a dangerous? prison escapee
2 Slay a huge beast terrorizing the vicinity
3 Retrieve rumored treasure from beast-ridden ruins
4 Arrest an exiled sorcerer, wanted by King Mÿr-Tul
5 Fence forbidden items into/out of Tarnath
6 Escort a merchant caravan through the Wastelands
7 Overthrow a warlord subjugating an isolated town
8 Recover a stolen Relic for the Relicants of Zihm
9 Find the Arcane Lens, a Relic to defile km's around
10 Escort a Wizard to some ruins to find an ancient Spell
11 Rescue a noble's daughter; captured by brigands
12 Find ancient Relic weapon from ruins beneath the sand
13 Help a settlement survive an Arcane Typhoon
14 Infiltrate a remote fortress, taken by brigands
15 Deliver a message or VIP covertly from Zihm to Mÿr
16 Steal a precious Relic from a noble's state
17 Rescue a priest(ess) from a Serpent Cult tower temple
18 Interrupt an evil cult's secluded summoning ritual
19 Assist the Rebels in Mÿr to revolt / overthrow the King
20 Claim the Horn of the Great Wyrm, a legendary Relic
► d8 locations
1 The narrow streets of Tarnath, city of thieves.
2 The central plaza of Mÿr, the largest city-state.
3 The Museum-Mecca in Zihm, holy-state of the Relicants.
4 An abandoned outpost in the middle of the Dune Sea. Size multiplier for medium creature = 1; huge = 2; gargantuan = 3.
5 A clearing in the dead forest of the Ashen Wastes.
6 A hidden spot in a crevice in the Jagged Ranges.
7 The remains of a raided caravan in the Red Wastelands. ► Relic Item Type (d6)
8 Inside a giant skeleton in the Barren Mudflat.
► d10 encounters in the Wastelands
1 A pack of Velocirraptors, hunting for prey
2 A band of Raiders, ready to kill and steal
3 Reanimated Skeletons; urge to bring others to their ranks
4 A flock of giant Sand-Rays; electric sting; burrows
5 2d6 Zombies; why can't the dead rest here?
6 A Sand Elemental: manifestation of nature's wrath
7 A Wraith; a specter of a vengeful soul, lost in the desert 3 Shocking / Galvanic
8 A Shoggoth; giant amoeba-like, tentacled slime
9 A gargantuan Sand Worm, eating all; producing spice
10A great Wyvern; flying in search of prey
v1.1 by @tatooka • May 2023 • Built with the 24XX SRD by Jason Tocci under a CC BY 4.0 license • Cover Art by Midjourney
Most folks struggle to adapt under the unwavering
fist of the Sorcerer-Kings, rulers of the few
remaining city-states. But not you: You are a
wastelander, a survivor, and maybe even the only
hope for those in need under the DYING SUN.
► d12 Magical Mishaps, which occur on a Spellcasting
Disaster and on each nat-1 when Defiling.
1 The spell affects much more/less than intended.
2 You are physically sapped (hindered).
3 A nearby ally/item is adversely affected by the spell.
4 An entity of horror is summoned. It has no master.
5 The weather worsens locally, following you around.
6 An arcane nexus beacon triggers at your location.
7 Your eyes (or ears) bleed; you are blind (or deaf).
8 You lose the ability to understand any spoken word.
9 Everyone you see looks and sounds like yourself.
10 You suffer memory loss and blackouts.
11 Your mind switches bodies with that of a nearby ally.
12 You can hear people’s thoughts. Very loud.
Most of these effects act as injuries; they hinder you and heal
over time (or with proper rest), but always leave a scar.
► Inside the carcass of the felled creature you find...
1 d6 (x size) chunks of bone.
2 d8 (x size) meat (1-week rations).
3 d6 (x size) chunks of chitin/scales/leather/fur.
4 1 (x size) pieces of armor from eaten adventurers.
5 1 (x size) weapons from eaten adventurers.
d10 (x size) ◈; belongings of unlucky adventurers.
6 A body-part from a Sorcerer with a tattooed spell.
7
8 A strange Relic from ages past.
Material quality of items depends on creature rarity / danger.
1-2 Weapon (roll d8 on the Weapons table)
3-4 Armor Piece (roll d6 on the Armor table)
Accesory ! Ring @ Amulet # Talisman
5-6
roll d6 $ Circlet % Earring ^ Necklace
► Relic prefix & suffix (d6, d6)
1 Fiery / Flaming 1 of Absorption
2 Chilling / Freezing 2 of Regeneration
3 of Protection
4 Venomous / Toxic 4 of Celerity
5 Chromatic / Vorpal 5 of Amplification
6 Demonic / Cursed 6 of Etherealness
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RULES
PLAY: Players describe what their characters do.
The GM advises when their action is impossible,
demands a cost or extra steps, or presents a risk.
Players can revise plans before committing so as
to change goal/stakes. Only roll to avoid risk.
ROLLING: Roll a skill die — d6 by default, higher
with a relevant skill, or d4 if hindered by injury or
circumstances. If helped by a risky stunt (push
hard, hindering your next roll) or circumstances
(high ground, or an injured foe), roll an extra d6; if
helped by an ally, they roll their skill die and share
the risk. Take the highest die.
1-2 Disaster. Suffer the full risk. GM
decides if you succeed at all. If risking
death, you die.
3-4 Setback. A lesser consequence or
partial success. If risking death, you’re
injured.
5+ Success. The higher the roll, the better.
If success can’t get you what you want (our blades
can't pierce the beast's hide!), you’ll at least get
useful info or set up an advantage.
LOAD: Carry as much as makes sense, but more
than two bulky items (or more than 3 pieces of
armor) may hinder you at times.
DEFENSE: Say how one of your items (an armor
piece, or a weapon used to block) breaks to turn
a hit into a brief hindrance. Broken gear is useless
► Choose your character’s species.
until repaired.
HARM: Injuries hinder, and heal with time or aid.
If killed, make a new character to be introduced
ASAP. Favor inclusion over realism.
(noned8d10d12), gain d6 gems (◈).
ADVANCEMENT: After a quest, increase a skill
GM: Describe characters in terms of behaviors,
risks, and obstacles, not skill dice. Lead the group
in setting lines not to cross in play. Fast-forward,
pause, or rewind/redo for pacing and safety;
invite players to do likewise. Present dilemmas
► Choose or invent 2 skills at d8.
you don’t know how to solve. Move spotlight to
give all time to shine. Test as needed for bad luck
(e.g., run out of supplies, or into guards) — roll a
die to check for (1– 2) trouble or (3–4) signs of
it. Improvise rulings to cover gaps in rules; on a
break, revise unsatisfactory rulings as a group.
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d66 random names: 11: Agor, 12: Aris, 13: Ashula, 14: Brom, 15: Cerdak, 16: Desh, 21: Drash, 22: Fyra, 23: Harn, 24: Jraati, 25: Karth, 26: Kestria, 31: Klak,
32: Krosh, 33: Kryss, 34: Lazra, 35: Mirath, 36: Muth, 41: Näl, 42: Parn, 43: Radurak, 44: Rayn, 45: Rhan, 46: Ribic, 51: Rül, 52: Shari, 53: Shuleh, 54: Solzak, 55: Strom, 56: Taarna, 61: Teyn, 62: Twil, 63: Tyr, 64: Zhyrr, 65: Zohr, 66: Zyl
CHARACTERS GEAR MAGIC
use gems (◈) for currency. You begin with d4 ◈.
► Choose your character’s class. ► Metal is too scarce to use as coin. Wastelanders ► Magic takes its energy from the life essence
of everything around the caster. A magic-user
WARRIOR: An adept fighter, a barbarian of the
Jagged Wastes, a gladiator of the arena of Zihm or knows how to tap just enough, to power their
MATERIAL: Weapons and armor are usually made spells in a safe way.
a brigand in search of bloody battle.
of Low quality readily-available materials like
Increase Melee (d8) and Warfare (d8). Bone, Chitin, Stone, Leather, Furs, etc. These SPELLS must be tattooed on the caster's
Warriors are the only ones who can wear up to 5 tend to break easily on roll results of Disasters or body and recited at the time of execution. To
pieces of armor without being hindered. Setbacks. create a Spell, generate a formula with a d6:
Items of Medium quality (Strong Bone or Hide, 1-2: Effect+Element, 3-4: Element+Form, 5-6:
Roll d8 on the Random Weapons table twice, and
twice ◈ to buy/repair.
get 3 random pieces of armor. or even Bronze)only break on Disasters, but cost Effect+Form. Then define it with the following
tables, extrapolating function from its name.
the player chooses so, but costs 5x◈.
WANDERER: A natural-born explorer, a scoundrel High quality material like True Steel only breaks if
1 Transforming 6 Deceiving
from the streets of Tarnath, an expert guide or an
errant adventurer of the Red Wastelands. 2 Attracting 7 Mending
EFFECT
When generating random weapons/armor, first 3 Paralyzing 8 Disintegrating
Increase Marksman (d8), Survival d8) and
roll for quality (d10): 1-6: Low; 7-9: Med; 10: High. 4 Revealing 9 Repelling
Tracking (d8).
Wanderers always have good odds (are helped) 5 Shielding 10 Spawning
WEAPON: roll as instructed by your class.
0◈
when rolling to avoid getting lost in the wilds or 1 Acid / Poison 6 Shadow / Void
0◈
being surprised by an ambush or trap. 1 Club / Staff
ELEMENT
2 Mind / Soul 7 Air / Wind
1◈
2 Blowgun / Sling
Roll d6 on the Random Weapons table, and get 3 Fire / Heat 8 Thunder / Ray
1◈
2 random pieces of armor. Begin with an extra 3 Dagger / Shiv / Knife
4 Flesh / Body 9 Stone / Earth
1◈
ranged weapon of your choice. 4 Bow / Kunais
5 Water / Ice 10 Time / Age
2◈
5 Spear / Billhook / Pitchfork
2◈
WARLOCK: A clandestine wielder of magick, a 6 Hammer / Hand-Axe / Short Sword 1 Armor / Shield 6 Cloud / Fog
3◈
fugitive defiler or a rebel spellcaster fighting 7 Flail / Great Axe / Long Sword 2 Arrow / Bolt 7 Cloak / Zone
FORM
against the will of the Sorcerer-Kings. 8 Warhammer / Halberd / Zweihänder 3 Aura / Sphere 8 Touch / Grasp
Increase Spellcasting (d8) and Rituals (d8). 4 Blast / Beam 9 Trap / Prison
ARMOR: Can only use one piece on each body
optional: the GM can roll on this
table to determine hit-location.
Warlocks are the only ones who can cast Spells part (reroll if repeated during character creation). 5 Blade / Slash 10 Wall / Barrier
from their tattoos or execute Magic Rituals. You are hindered if wearing more than 3.
1◈
The effect of "safe" magic is usually subtle.
Roll d4 on the Random Weapons table, and get 1
2◈
1 Head: Helmet / Coif / Bascinet
random piece of armor. Begin with 3 random spells. DEFILING MAGIC is the process to tap more than
1◈
2 Chest: Breastplate / Cuirass / Bandolier what's safe for greater power. Plants wither and
1◈
3 Shoulders: Pauldron / Spaulder die, soil goes infertile and dry, and creatures
1◈
4 Waist: Belt / Waistband / loincloth weaken and writhe. When you choose to do so,
HUMAN: The most common amongst the
1◈
5 Arms: Armguard / Vambrace / Gauntlet add a d6 to your roll if you defile a few meters
wastelanders. Apply 2 skill increases (from 6 Legs: Greaves / Faulds / Cuisses around you, or 2d6 if you desecrate a bigger area.
no skill d8d10d12). You can take new Then keep the best result, but keep in mind that
skills and/or increase skills you already have. OTHER: Costs might vary depending on supply/ each nat-1 rolled triggers a Magical Mishap.
KREEN'SEKT: Mantis-like humanoids of the demand of each outpost or civilized hub.
RITUALS: Some special or powerful effects
1-week rations 1◈ night in hospice 1◈
deep wastelands. You have 4 arms (wield more GOODS SERVICES cannot be cast instantly (or be encoded as
weapons/tools) and can jump twice as far/high.
medicine supplies 2◈ hired guide p/day 2◈
spells), and require a more involved process,
adventuring gear 3◈ hired guard p/day 3◈
LIZAR'DRAC: Reptile humanoids from the Dune known as a Ritual. Magic Rituals can potentially
ammo bag/quiver 1◈ bribe a guard 3◈
Sea. You have greater resistance to heat and fire achieve any desired effect the caster can imagine.
chunk of X material 1◈ get a spell tattoo 5◈
and can stay twice as long without food/water. The GM sets 1 to 4 conditions before you roll:
shield 1◈ repair weapon 2◈
▬▬ It's going to take hours/days/weeks/months
Relic 20+◈ repair armor 3◈
▬▬ You must perform it at a special place/time
Climbing, Crafting, Deception, Disguise, Forage, ▬▬ First you must do [X] or get help from [X]
Geography, History, Intimidation, Marksman, ▬▬ The effect will be unreliable or limited
Medicine, Melee, Performance, Persuasion, Some materials can be gathered in the wild or by
Religion, Riding, Rituals, Spellcasting, Stealth, carving the corpse of felled beasts. Many waste- ▬▬ You and your allies will risk danger from [X]
Survival, Thievery, Tracking, Traps, Warfare landers craft and repair their own gear in the field. ▬▬ You'll have to sacrifice or consume [X] to do it
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