Dark Fantasy Setting

Overview

This extension adds a dark fantasy layer to the Grit system: two new Essence attributes (Blood and Shadow), associated combat techniques, a world shaped by The Shrouding, five human folks, and a willpower-driven magic system. It requires the core Grit system.

New Essence Attributes

Two additional Essence attributes, gated behind origin, gift, technique, or cultural tradition (see Attribute Combination Tiers in the core system).

Attribute Combination Tiers (Extensions)

Tier 3 — Blood or Shadow Access

Blood and Shadow each require a source: ancestry, magical gift, combat school, or GM-determined circumstance. Once unlocked, they enable Body + Essence combinations:

Strength + Blood     Agility + Blood     Constitution + Blood
Strength + Shadow    Agility + Shadow    Constitution + Shadow

Tier 4 — Legendary Exception

Mind + Blood, Mind + Shadow, or Essence + Essence combinations (e.g. Blood + Shadow) are only allowed with explicit GM permission. Reserved for exceptional characters, monsters, or high advancement.

Essence Combat Styles

Blood Pool

Blood represents raw life force, heritage, and fury in combat. "I win because my body, my rage, or my lineage is stronger than your technique."

Blood is inherently volatile. Consider harsher consequences on a fumble when Blood is used for the pool (see Blood Rage technique below).

[!why] Blood vs. Body attributes A character using Strength + Constitution fights through endurance and training. A character using Strength + Blood fights through raw ancestral fury. Mechanically similar pools, but narratively distinct — and Blood fumbles should feel wilder and more dangerous. The attribute colours the fiction even when the numbers are the same. It also opens access to Blood-specific techniques (like Blood Rage) that Body combinations cannot use.

Shadow Pool

Shadow represents concealment, deception, and elusiveness. "I win because you can't quite get a hold of me."

Shadow thrives in darkness, chaos, ambushes, tight spaces, deception, and unfair fights.

[!gm] When to let Shadow shine Shadow pools should feel strongest when the environment favours them: dim lighting, crowded battlefields, surprise rounds. Consider giving Shadow fighters a harder time in broad daylight, open fields, or when the enemy is fully alert. The fiction should reward choosing the right moment.

Combat Techniques

Blood Rage

Feel: reckless, self-destructive, overwhelming — trading safety for power.

Shadow Fighting

Feel: unfair, slippery, punishing — you don't win clean fights, you make sure the fight was never fair.

Folks

All player characters are human. But isolation during The Shrouding — centuries or decades of separation — shaped distinct folks, each pre-allocating one of your 3 starting points as a +1 bonus to a signature attribute. Magic is available to all; the second casting attribute is determined narratively, not by folk choice.

[!why] Why all-human? Rather than fantasy species with fixed traits, the Grit setting explores how environment and isolation shape people differently. The +1 bonus is subtle — it nudges without defining. A Mountainfolk character isn't locked into being a tank; they just start slightly tougher than average, and what they do with that is up to the player.

See the individual folk pages for cultural traditions, naming conventions, and character concepts.

Magic System

Magic is raw, chaotic energy bent by willpower. It has no separate resource pool — casting costs exhaustion like any other strenuous act.

Core Principles

1. Willpower is the foundation. All magic keys off Willpower. The second attribute is determined narratively by tradition, folk, or personal style (Willpower + Instinct for gut-feel magic, Willpower + Intelligence for studied magic, Willpower + Blood for ancestral magic, etc.).
2. Magic is always dangerous. A failed or interrupted spell triggers a chaotic effect.
3. No Mana attribute. There is no separate mana pool, spell slots, or magical resource. Exhaustion is the cost.

[!why] Why Willpower + narrative pairing? This lets every character's magic feel different without creating a list of magic classes. A Fenfolk hedge witch using Willpower + Instinct casts by gut feeling; a Havenfolk archivist using Willpower + Intelligence casts through careful study. Same system, different flavour — decided by the character's story, not a menu.

Spellcasting Procedure

1. Declare the spell and its upgrades, then roll your current effective pool (max pool − exhaustion).
2. Count net successes (dice showing 4+ are successes, dice showing 1 are failures. Net = successes − failures).
3. If net ≥ 1: the spell succeeds. Spend upgrade points on your chosen upgrades. Unspent points are lost.
4. If net ≤ 0 (net-negative or zero): chaos. The spell fails with a chaotic effect. Magnitude = |net|.
5. Extensions. If net ≥ 1 but you want more upgrade points: pay 1 exhaustion, keep your running total, and roll again with your reduced pool. Add the new net to the running total. Stop when satisfied or out of pool.
6. Interruption or Fumble. If you are interrupted while extending, or if an extension roll produces a net-negative result (1s outnumber successes), the spell fails with a chaotic effect. Accumulated successes do not carry over.

[!example] Casting a spell A mage with Willpower 7 + Instinct 6 (pool 13 → 4d6) and Technique Rank 1 (+1 upgrade point) declares a Heal Touch spell. They roll [3, 4, 5, 1] → 2 successes, 1 failure → net 1. The spell works! With net 1 + technique bonus 1 = 2 upgrade points. They spend 1 on Reach (Short instead of Touch) and 1 on Duration (Brief instead of Instant). The spell is a brief, ranged heal. Total exhaustion cost: 0.

Now the same mage casts Fireball. Roll [2, 3, 1, 4] → 1 success, 1 failure → net 0. Zero is not ≥ 1. Chaos! Magnitude 1 — the caster is scorched by stray flames but the spell fizzles.

Spell Components

Spells are built from six categories. Each has a free default — a minimal cast always works. Upgrade points (from net successes + technique bonus) let you raise any block by one step, flat 1 point per step.

Intent — What does the spell do? (free choice, always free)

Intent is free choice — it defines what the spell does, not how powerful it is.

Reach — How does it get there?

Area of Effect — How big is the effect?

Duration — How long does it last?

Intensity — How much power?

Element — What flavour? (optional, always free)

Elements are flavour tags — they modify chaotic effects but cost nothing.

Spellcasting Technique

Everyone can cast magic. Training unlocks magical capabilities.

Bonus successes from technique or other sources apply to the first roll only. Extension rolls use raw net.

Casting Difficulty

Total upgrade points = max(0, total net successes − 1).

Total net = (first roll net + bonus successes) + sum of extension nets. The first net success is spent "turning the spell on." Everything beyond that is an upgrade.

Chaos risk depends on your pool size:

With a 4d6 pool, you succeed ~80% of the time and need ~1 extension for most spells.

Chaotic Effects

Chaos triggers when net successes are zero or negative (1s outnumber successes or cancel them all). The Intent determines the base effect, the Element adds flavour.

Element flavours: Fire (burns, scorching), Ice (freezing, numbness), Lightning (shocks, static), Earth (cracking, weight), Water (drenching, pressure), Shadow (darkness, disorientation), Blood (bleeding, life drain), Sound (deafening, resonance), Light (blinding, searing).

Magnitude scaling: |net| = 1 → minor (brief, survivable), |net| = 2 → moderate (painful, harmful), |net| ≥ 3 → major (dangerous, potentially lethal).

Spell Domains

The five domains — Shaping, Unmaking, Warding, Sensing, Weaving — are flavour tags only. They label a spell's tradition or school but have no mechanical effect. The component categories handle all mechanics.

Magic Items

Magic items grant a flat bonus on spellcasting success rolls. Common varieties include:

Full item list and pricing TBD. Bonuses should be rare and meaningful — a +3 item is legendary.

Example Spells

Each spell shows the free defaults and what upgrades buy you.

Prestidigitation (cantrip)

Base cost: 0 upgrade points. This spell always works on ≥1 net. Spend 1pt on Duration → Brief for a lingering trick.

Heal Touch

Base cost: 0 upgrade points. Spend 1pt on Intensity → Moderate for a meaningful heal. Spend 2pt more on Reach → Short for a ranged heal.

Mage Light

Upgrade cost: 4 points for a sustained area light. A 4d6 pool gives ~1.3 avg net → ~2 upgrade points on average, so this typically needs 1 extension.

Shield

Upgrade cost: 4 points. Same as Mage Light — needs extensions from a typical pool.

Lightning Bolt

Upgrade cost: 4 points. Needs extensions.

Fireball

Upgrade cost: 6 points. A high-investment spell requiring multiple extensions.

Charm

Upgrade cost: 5 points. Needs extensions and carries high chaos risk due to the Influence intent.

Equipment

Details TBD. Standard dark fantasy equipment:

• Weapons: swords, axes, spears, bows, staves (using core weapon tiers).
• Armor: leather, chain, plate (using core armor tiers).
• Shields: minor armor bonus, unique combat techniques.
• Magical weapons/armor: quality above Masterwork, unique effects, may require attunement.
• Adventuring gear: torches, ropes, rations, herbal remedies, writing kits.
• Potions and consumables: see Magic Items above.

Full equipment tables and pricing TBD.

Setting Lore

The Shrouding

An age ago, a mysterious fog — the Shroud — fell across the world. It did not burn. It did not poison. It simply separated. Communities were cut off from one another. Those who ventured into the fog were never seen again.

The Shrouding lasted generations. Some folk tell of it as a slow decay — the fog appearing gradually, isolating first villages, then entire regions. Others speak of a single night when the world went white and silent.

Then, just as mysteriously, the fog began to recede. It did not vanish overnight, but slowly, year by year. Travel between former isolation zones became possible. The Fog People — descendants of the lost — emerged from the dissipating mist.

No one knows what caused the Shrouding, or where the fog truly went. Some say it still waits beyond the horizon.

The World Today

• Blood and Shadow are real, tangible forces — not mere metaphors.
• Ancient ruins and fallen civilisations dot the landscape, many still unreachable.
• Monsters and creatures exist that exceed the 7-die pool cap.
• Factions vie for influence: warrior orders, mage circles, enclave councils, and darker things.
• The Fog People are regarded with awe, suspicion, or disbelief depending on the region.

Details TBD: geography, major settlements, faction politics, history by age.

Example Characters

The pools shown below are max pools (from attribute pairs). Effective pool = max pool − current exhaustion.

The Breaker

Without technique:

Strength + Constitution = 17 → 6d6

With Blood Rage:

Strength + Blood = 17 → 6d6

Feel: dangerous, physically dominant, turns pain and rage into violence.

The Shadow Fighter

Without technique:

Strength + Agility = 13 → 4d6

With Instinct Fighting (core technique):

Agility + Instinct = 16 → 5d6

With Shadow Fighting:

Agility + Shadow = 17 → 6d6

Feel: slippery, unfair, uses angles, timing, and darkness.

Gaps / Not Yet Designed

• Individual pre-built spell lists per domain (optional, for GM reference)
• Backlash tables with specific effects per domain (optional, for GM reference)
• Full magic item list, bonuses, attunement rules
• Folk cultural traditions, naming conventions, starting equipment
• Blood Rage rank 2 maneuvers, rank 3 masterful effect (playtest)
• Shadow Fighting rank 2 maneuvers, rank 3 masterful effect (playtest)
• Setting geography, major settlements, faction politics
• Monsters and creatures (beyond core guidelines)
• Blood/Shadow fumble tables or risk mechanics
• Equipment tables and pricing
• Starting equipment packages per background