Logo by Jeremy Kostiew

Illustration by Christianne Benedict

by Ben Lehman
Inspired by Deeds & Doers
Renee Knipe
A Game by
Module R1
The with the
Doll
Bloodstained Lips
Baron Viol Larescu
level 2, phys 4, fort 4, dex 3, sense 2, acu 4, mien 5, skilled
swordsman
Razvan’s Simulacrum
A ventriloquist’s dummy, made in the image
of the vampire-lord himself. Eerily impervious
to harm. When fed fresh blood, the donor rolls
1d6, -1 for each time it’s tasted their blood before:
0 or less. The donor must save or have their soul
consumed by the doll.
1. The donor becomes the doll’s thrall.
2. Rats, bats, or wolves arrive to do the doll’s bidding.
3. It speaks with Razvan’s voice for a time. It may cast
Charm.
4. It animates and can act under its own will for a time. It
may cast Touch of Death. If it can also speak, it may
cast Animate Dead.
5. It grants the donor one wish. Thralls wish for what What Must They Do?
Razvan wants. Discover why the kindly Baron Larescu is suddenly murdering his
6. Razvan’s soul is released from its prison to take mortal form again in the world. house guests and resolve whatever danger exists.
Razvan, Vampire-Lord Why Must They Do It?
level 8, 5 in all attributes, typical vampiric powers and vulnerabilities, plus Viol said something about “terror and pain reborn.” That doesn’t
spells: Charm, Animate Dead, Touch of Death. sound good.
Where Are They? Who Opposes Them?
Just regaining consciousness in the Dining Room of Castle Larescu, perhaps (tell them as much as they would know)
the victoms of a Sleep spell. A fellow dinner guest , Forel, is dead, the blood Baron Larescu, under the enchantment of the vampiric doll, and the
carefully drained from a wrist. doll’s many other minions.
Coffin Crashers is a horrific permutation of Deeds & Doers,
by my friend Ben Lehman. Deeds & Doers is not required
for play, but characters and modules are entirely compatible
between the two games.
Get Deeds & Doers at http://www.tao-games.com/deeds-
and-doers/
PLAYERS
What is a dungeon if not a symptom of a macabre mind? And
what more fearsome a creature can one imagine than the primeval
dragon, older than all humankind? Truly, every hero who hefts a
torch helps throw back the night from the be-shadowed corners of
man’s imagination, lifting us all from fear, regardless of the halls
they brave or the foes they face. But there are some villains who
exist for fear itself...just as there are some heroes who put aside the
metaphors and take the torches to them directly.
To make a character, roll your attributes (physique, dexterity,
fortitude, sense, acumen, and mien), choose a class, choose
one class ability, and make a note of your gear. You are level
1. Introduce yourself to the other characters and in brief
discuss how (or even if) you all know each other.
Constable (1): trusty weapon, proper armour, good-
hearted, righteous aura, sense wrongness, took an oath.
Likely gear: knife, copper penny, badge, torch, uniform,
other as approved by the Fortune Teller.
Cleric (1): Divination spell, Healing spell, Bless spell, holy
FORTUNE TELLERS
Tell the players: Where they are, what they’re trying to
achieve, and why it’s important they do so. Tell them what
they know about whomever or whatever opposes them.
Always describe the situation to them. You are their senses,
but sometimes senses betray. Bring the darkness, shadows,
and dread.
You never roll, except once at the very beginning of the game
(see below).
Injure, stress, and traumatize the characters as needed. Hinder
or kill when the circumstances call for it.
When the characters take action, if it’s likely, it just happens,
no roll necessary. If it’s unlikely, have them roll for it. If it’s
impossible, tell them so, no roll allowed. Skills are likely
except when impossible. Spells are always likely.
No situation remains unchanged after a roll, something
interesting always happens.
Some villains may possess abilities and skills of their own,
which impact the characters’ chances of success. Where
relevant, make note of them.
Outside of a fight, when something terrible happens, you
may allow the affected parties a saving roll to avoid its effects.
symbol, repel undead, reared in the Church. Use each spell
once per outing. Likely gear: holy symbol, robes, torch, some
bread and water other as approved by the Fortune Teller.
Scholar (1): forbidden lore, polyglot, quick-thinker, a
helpful assistant, a clerical or wizardly spell, your reputation
precedes you. Use each spell once per outing. Likely gear:
copper penny, books, spectacles, nice-but-well-worn clothes,
torch, other as approved by the Fortune Teller.
Grave Robber (1): breaking and entering, without a peep,
avoid traps, find hidden things, an item of some value,
underworld contacts. Likely gear: A shovel or pick, dirty
clothes, copper penny, torch, other as approved by the
Fortune Teller.
You may also use your Deeds & Doers characters with this
game.
When playing, describe what you do.
If called upon to roll, a 5-6 succeeds. Add for advantage,
add for item, add for high attribute, add for higher level,
minus for low attribute, minus for hinderance, minus for
lower level. Two adds at best, one minus at worst. When
making save and fear rolls, add and subtract nothing.
Most times, the Fortune Teller will tell you when to roll. The
one exception is the fear roll: if the Fortune Teller describes
something suitably scary, creepy, or horrific, you should
make a fear roll; if you fail, they’ll tell you what you do next.
Fear rolls are like a saving rolls, except the players decide when
to make them, not you. Give them every reason to make these
rolls. When they roll against fear and fail, they lose control of
their character for a moment; you decide the next thing they
do, which can be irrational, dangerous, or simply debilitating.
You can and should fudge rolls to create suspense, but you
can only do so a certain number of times. At the beginning of
an outing, roll once; if you roll a 6, re-roll until you do not roll
a 6. Do not tell the players the number. Any time a roll would
negatively impact a villain you may spend a fudge and treat
a success as a failure or a failure as a success. Reveal to the
players something new that explains why the situation favors
the villain despite the outcome of the die roll. The villains may
not kill the pcs until all of your fudges have been used up.
When a character has faced something they’ve never faced
before, has suffered and struggled with great adversity,
emerged wiser and more well-prepared for next time, and has
an opportunity to quietly reflect upon these lessons, increase
their level. They may pick another item from their own list, or
from any other (with permission of the player of that class, if
someone is playing it).
Love and thanks to Ben Lehman, for creating Deeds & Doers
and supporting this project. Christianne Benedict for art,
layout, and maps. Jeremy Kostiew for the logo. Dave Fried,
Eric Duncan, Jennifer Martin, and Christianne Benedict for
playtesting with me.