Trial of the Slime Lord - A Gauntlet for Shadowdark RPG

"Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of." - Charles Spurgeon

Fire. Screams. Death. Those are the last things you remember before blacking out. Someone must have been working with them, with that weird Slime Cult. They attacked and raided the village. The sheriff and his guard were overwhelmed. The mayor, killed in the street. Now all you remember is chanting, followed by a sense of falling, and the pain as you impacted with the ground. You look up, and see a torch lit, beyond a hole in the ceiling. It falls, landing beside you. Then you hear rock scraping, as the night sky is engulfed by darkness. You look around and see the terrified faces of about a a dozen or so of your fellow villagers. You can just make out the glistening, slime-slick stone walls of this round chamber. The sound of running water echoes faintly through a foreboding dark archway to the south. There are words carved into the archway and it reads: “WELCOME TO DISSOLUTION. ESCAPE OR FEED RAKA-OOKU.”

This is a Gauntlet style game aka a Funnel for the Shadowdark RPG. Each player will have 2-4 characters depending on final table size, all 0-level villagers with no class. Any who survive will be brought to 1st-level. The scenario can be brutal and character deaths are not only possible but expected. This cursed place serves as a sort of crucible for an ooze-worshiping cult. Those who survive are granted a boon from the Slime Lord. Those who do not, wander the halls as the unquiet dead, doomed to serve the ooze for eternity. The player characters have just been kidnapped from their village and thrown in a pit to face the Trial of the Slime Lord. With nothing more than their wits and the clothes on their backs, they must escape... or die.

Shadowdark RPG is a fantasy adventure game where you and your companions delve into buried ruins, lost cities, spider-infested forests, and even fearsome dragon lairs in search of gold and glory. The Shadowdark is any place where danger and darkness hold sway. It clutches ancient secrets and dusty treasures in its rotting claws, daring fortune seekers to tempt their fates. With your adventuring companions at your side, you confront the Shadowdark's sinister traps, formidable magics, and ruthless monsters. If you survive, you'll bring back untold riches plucked from the jaws of death itself. And before long, you'll hear the Shadowdark's call once again!

We will be playing using Shadowdark , using Pre Generated Characters provided by the scenario, however I will be allowing 0-levels characters to be made at the start but with no equipment. Shadowdark is a d20 based system, using target difficulties where you must roll high in order to succeed. The game will most likely be 4 hours or less, depending on the players and should be one session but it may take two sessions to complete.

Please come online early or on time, as we will have a limited time to play. We should be done by 11pm. Shadowdark uses a single d20 along with the "basic set" of dice used for RPGs (d12, d10, d8, d6, and d4). This game will be held online on the groups Discord Server for Voice Chat. We will be using Foundry VTT for Maps and Dice Rolls

Invite Link for the Discord group is here: https://discord.com/invite/pMkGr89

If interested in looking over the Rules or get a feel for the Setting, feel free to download the Quickstart player's guide here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/413713/shadowdark-rpg-quickstart-set

A heads up as to how I run games. I go for full horror. What that means, is slow moments of tension followed by moments of high terror. A roller coaster, if you will. Humor has its place at the table as long as it is within the game narrative. Please keep outside humor to a minimum as it distracts from the game. I also tend to focus on ROLEplay over ROLLplay. I have run games where dice rolls have been in the single digits. I am also flexible with the rules, which the main hard rule being If you roll equal or higher then your attribute, you succeed and if lower, you fail. Everything else is up to me. No Rules Lawyers Please. Also Progression is not prominent in my games and this is because characters tend not to last too long. If your character survives 3 to 4 adventures, they will be a bit improved but your attachment to the character will be more based on the experiences he/she went through. Its about your STORY not your STATS. If none of this seems to be a match for your mentality, I would suggest trying another game, but if you are willing to give this play style a chance, feel free to attend.

Any questions or concerns? Feel Free to ask in the comments.

(The date is currently tentative, I'll notify if it changes)