Die Screaming Players Guide
Newly revised with a major update in July 2020 This update streamlines the game¸ offers new options for players¸ and updates older options. All previous expansion content has been built into the core books and revised. Any future updates to the game will be built into the core books on the same month they release. This change ensures that if you own the full game¸ you have both an authoritative resource as well as an idea of what new content has been added through newer expansions. Some things are worse than death. Maybe you'll live long enough to become one of them. "Every species can smell its own extinction. The last ones left won't have a pretty time with it. In ten years¸ maybe less¸ the human race will just be a bedtime story for their children. A myth¸ nothing more." - In the Mouth of Madness Die Screaming is a toolkit for apocalyptic survival horror roleplaying in the d20 system¸ emphasizing tactics¸ cinematic and grisly combat¸ dark humor¸ and even darker evil in a contemporary setting. As the game continues¸ the survivors slowly lose their minds and become corrupted by their own mortal frailty and the growing evil around them. In the end¸ to fight the monsters invading the Earth¸ each survivor becomes something even worse. The 300+ page Die Screaming Player's Guide contains everything you need to create and play a character¸ while the Director's Guide contains the information and resources on how to run the game. Streamlined and simplified post-apocalyptic d20 "You think you've seen everything? There's a whole world you've never dreamed of. Thomas saw it¸ and it destroyed him." "I've seen a lot¸ but nothing would ever make me cut out my tongue." "Wait a few days." - End of Days Enjoy a smoother d20 experience. Just four ability scores¸ along with streamlined mechanics; add your level and ability score to attacks¸ damage¸ saves¸ and skills. 10 character levels¸ with dramatic differences between each¸ rather than 20¸ 30¸ or 40. Stop counting coppers and experience points instead of playing. Level when it is narratively appropriate. Use simple bartering and crafting systems. Dynamic combat "It ate him... Bit off his head... Like a gingerbread man!" - From Beyond Random events triggered by player choices mean that no two fights are alike. As characters take sanity damage¸ they suffer short-term psychotic episodes and long-term insanities that affect the outcome of the battle and their characters. Player spellcasters can accidentally or intentionally cause supernatural anomalies that randomly affect the battlefield for good or ill. Together these mechanics represent hundreds of random events. Play as classic horror tropes "We've all become God's madmen¸ all of us." - Dracula Every player is a character in a movie¸ choosing from one of 48 classic tropes. Your trope serves as both your core character concept and your mechanical role in the party. Play as a commando¸ geek¸ redshirt¸ secret agent¸ or even a dog. Every trope description includes 3-4 unique abilities that support different play styles and party roles. As characters in a movie¸ players use stunts to affect die rolls and activate special abilities unique to their trope¸ gaining more ways to use stunts as they progress in level. The right tools for the job "Winchester¸ 30.06¸ Mossberg pump¸ and the Lee Harvey Oswald rifle... Why we have that¸ I do not know." - Eight-Legged Freaks Wield dozens of melee weapons¸ firearms¸ grenades¸ and other weapons needed for battle against dark horrors. Scavenge random equipment from the battlefield¸ making do with what limited weaponry and ammo you find¸ and craft or trade for better items as the game progresses. Achieve a dark destiny "I was born to murder the world." - Lord of Illusions At level 3¸ the scope of the g