Black Void Core Book - PDF
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A dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying game about the fall and resurgence of humanity"
In the days when Babylon was the greatest city on Earth¸ mankind lived in placid ignorance of the grandeur¸ vastness and horror of the cosmos. Following cataclysmic events on Earth the fragile veil between reality and the Void was shattered and the truth of existence revealed. As mankind cried for salvation they were torn from their homeworld by Void-torrents and the surviving peoples of Earth were scattered among the stars. Countless were lost and mankind seemed all but perished. Over the decades the survivors¸ stragglers and ragged remnants of mankind's tribes struggled for their lives across countless uncaring worlds. However¸ a few managed to go beyond mere subsistence and travel the Void-currents to congregate in fabled Llyhn¸ epicentre of the cosmos.
BLACK VOID takes place in a distant past which is both familiar and outlandish in its dark and exotic ambience. As descendants of the survivors of Earth¸ characters can adopt many roles such as:
- Serving as emissaries¸ defending the enclaves and last remnants of human civilization.
- Travelling the Void-currents as explorers seeking riches and glory across the cosmos.
- Venturing to find Earth¸ the long lost cradle of humanity.
- Seeking influence and claiming a new home for mankind¸ taking their rightful places as leaders of mankind.
- Diving into the intrigues of Llyhn or perhaps building an empire in the dark depths of the city's underworld.
- Discovering the true essence of existence finding enlightenment beyond the veil of reality; in a Void filled with mindless abominations.
Black Void uses an original rules set: The entire system is based on a few basic principles¸ making the rules easy to grasp and implement¸ which in the end gives more time for the fun bit¸ namely playing the game.
Game mechanics: Actions are resolved by a single roll using a twelve-sided dice to determine their success or failure. Actions have a difficulty rating¸ which is the value the dice-roll must equal or exceed for the action to be successful. Rolls are modified by adding Trait¸ ability and conditional modifiers - with the key feature that actions can be associated with differing Traits or skills enabling players to adopt their individual style depending on circumstances or personal preference.
Key features: Two main factors in the game are enlightenment and Wastah. Each factor significantly impacts the game as enlightenment grant characters the ability to traverse the Void as well as extraordinary powers and abilities while Wastah confers tangible and vital sway¸ authority and social influence with other sentient species. Aspects that are essential as mankind's - and the character's - very existence is threatened.