The game world is in crisis—a crisis created by the Demon Lord. A malevolent and eternal force of entropy, it exists to
devour universes and consume the souls inhabiting them. Although it is an entity of staggering power, the Demon
Lord cannot pass through the boundary between the Void and the universe—at least not yet. Cracks and fissures
appear in the barrier from time to time, though, allowing evil to slip through. Once the Demon Lord’s attention falls on a particular
universe and its hordes have begun to intrude, its influence starts bleeding out from the Void like an evil stain. The
Shadow of the Demon Lord disrupts the cosmic order, weakening and ultimately unraveling the barrier that keeps
the ultimate darkness at bay. The influence of the Shadow can be local, regional, or global. Should it touch a being of immense magical
power, magic might behave in strange and unexpected ways. If it falls over the Gates of the Underworld, they
might seal shut and prevent the souls of the dead from leaving their corpses.
Using the Shadow
The Shadow of the Demon Lord is an optional element that can greatly enhance the mood of foreboding and terror in
your game. It might loom over the entire campaign or be an unstable effect that changes once, twice, or many times. It
can be the main crisis in your stories or a distant threat that lurks in the background.
Black Sun
The Shadow eclipses the sun, turning it black. Impossibly, light still emanates from the shadowed disk, but it is
brown, sickly, and unwholesome. The sun’s gentle warmth becomes a hellish furnace, destroying life as the landscape
becomes a bone-strewn dustbowl.
Game Effect
Food and water grow scarce, and temperatures climb to intolerable levels. Creatures are subject to the effects of exposure (see Game Master’s Toolbox)
for each hour spent unprotected in the tainted sunlight. If exposure causes a creature to take a penalty to Health, it becomes badly burned and blistered.
The dreadful radiation oppresses all that it falls over. From the hours of 9:00 to 11:00 AM and 2:00 to 4:00 PM, creatures in the black sun’s light make all d20 rolls with
1 bane. From the hours of 11 AM to 2 PM, they make the rolls with 2 banes.
Bloom
The Shadow infuses flora with malevolent power, causing plants to shoot up to astonishing size. Forests spring up
overnight. Vines swallow cities. Overland travel becomes almost impossible. In this new environment, strange
creatures skulk through grasses a dozen feet tall or higher to make a meal of whatever they can grab.
Game Effect
The wilderness largely reclaims civilized lands, making travel challenging. Roads disappear, and overland
movement is at one-quarter the normal rate. Lakes and streams become choked with the roots of towering trees.
The wilderness becomes much more threatening: when checking for random encounters, roll twice and use the
higher number.
Corrupted Organization
A powerful organization, such as the Inquisition, the druids, or the Black Hand, comes under the sway of the Demon Lord
and bends its efforts toward hastening the end of the world.
Game Effect
The effects of the Shadow vary with the organization, but usually it induces an obsession with mass destruction.
For example, the Inquisition might persecute anyone who uses magic, not just those who dabble in the dark arts.
The Black Hand might turn to assassinating the rulers of nations, plunging the land into chaos.
Curse of the Beastmen
Overnight, one person in ten transforms into a beastman such as a fomor or warg (see Chapter 10). The victims go
mad and turn against their families in an orgy of violence. Chaos and upheaval spread as the beastmen gather into
hordes to destroy the civilized world.
Game Effect
The flood of new beastmen emboldens the existing tribes, making them more powerful. All beastmen make attack
rolls with 1 boon, and their attacks with weapons deal 1d6 extra damage.
Famine and Drought
The rain stops. Weeks turn into months and months turn into years without a drop from the sky. Water becomes
more precious than gold, and ultimate power belongs to those mortals who can reliably create water with magic.
Game Effect
The world becomes a desert. Water is almost impossible to find. A character attempting to cast a Water spell must first
get a success on a Will challenge roll. Otherwise the spell fails, the casting is expended, and the action to cast it is wasted