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  1 
  @rpgnatalie on Twitter 
  rpgnatalie.itch.io 
   
  @sasha_reneau on Twitter 
  sashareneau.com 
   
   
   
  Happy rebel tapestries is: 
   
  Natalie the Knife (she/her) 
  @rpgnatalie on Twitter 
  rpgnatalie.itch.io 
   
  Nora Blake (she/her & zi/zin) 
  @NeitherNora on Twitter 
  neithernora.itch.io 
    
   
  
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  4 
   
  It forgets history, kings in halls of gold with conquering hands 
  stained red. It forgets faith, the high walls of righteous keeps and 
  thatched roofs of humble chapels. It forgets knowledge, musty 
  libraries and clockwork machines. It forgets life, skin tinged with 
  blushes and eyes wet with tears. 
   
  A great fog of forgetting creeps in, stealing things you used to 
  know. Always in your peripheral, it wafts and waits to consume the 
  things you love. 
   
  We hold it back with torches of memory's ire. One last breath of 
  fight before the dusk. One last scrambled meaning before the dark, 
  oppressing shadow of oblivion. 
   
  But the sun rises on the wrong horizon. The edges of the map fade 
  like ink on parchment. The wind dies, the creatures of the woods fall 
  silent. 
   
  Go, traveler. Find meaning where you can, before the sleep of 
  forgetfulness whisks you away into the eternal night... 
   
   
  
  5 
  Delver is a game of dungeon crawling. You will need: 2 – 5 
  players, some six-sided dice, and something to write with (paper 
  and pencil, an online writing tool - whatever works). 
   
  The world is starting to forget, and its memories are pooling into 
  the dungeon. The dungeon is ever-present and you can always find 
  an entrance if you know where to look. All manner of strange 
  things, unknown histories, and storied artifacts have trickled in, as 
  well as the people who seek to recover them. Some want their past, 
  some want power, some want truth, and some want redemption. 
  All of them want to survive and get out, but the dungeon resists. 
   
  One of you will play the Record Keeper. It will be their job to 
  present the Threats that populate the dungeon and to speak for the 
  other peoples within the dungeon. 
   
  The rest of you will play as members of the party, your group of 
  scavengers, heroes, thieves, and scholars. You have been hired, 
  volunteered, or forced into this - but to get out you will need to 
  work together. As a group, read the party principles aloud 
  together. These are the most important tenets of play for you, 
  whether you play a delver or the Record Keeper. Try to keep them 
  in mind as play progresses and stop to refresh yourselves if you feel 
  like you’ve forgotten. 
   
  
  6 
  ● Fill the dungeon with mystery 
  ● Live dangerously, live passionately 
  ● Find clever solutions to your problems 
  ● Build together 
   
   don’t assume you know 
  perfectly well how the dungeon works - none of us do. No one has 
  even the slightest inkling of what it holds, how long it has been 
  here, or who built it. No one is the master of the dungeon. Every 
  time someone enters the dungeon, it is in a different configuration, 
  with a different environment, and filled with different threats. No 
  two dungeons are the same. 
   
  As a player, fill the dungeon with questions that you are interested 
  in seeing answered, and try to find out what the answers are as you 
  play. Trust in your friends to say and do interesting things, to 
  provoke an understanding of what the dungeon is and what secrets 
  it holds. Don’t plan out what you want to happen: the dungeon will 
  thwart you. 
   
  Think about your character similarly – you don’t know everything 
  about your past, your present, or your future. As you play, be open 
  to revelation. Embrace uncertainty in the dungeon. 
   
   in the dungeon, any 
  moment could be your last. But any moment could also be a 
  chance at greatness; at happiness; at truth. You must take those 
  moments with purpose and clarity of vision. Do not go headlong 
  into danger, but also do not shy away from it. Think cleverly, but 
  also think quickly.  
   
  As a player, don’t be afraid to give the first answer that comes to 
  your mind. Indulge yourself in the things you find interesting and 
  
  7 
  exciting - don’t spend time worrying about if your friends will like it. 
  Trust that they will, or if they don’t that your time on this world will 
  be fleeting enough for it not to matter. 
   
   the dungeon will 
  kill you if you let it. It will chew you up and swallow your bones and 
  your memories and your name. To survive in the dungeon, you will 
  have to be quick on your feet, but more importantly, you must 
  cloak yourself in your wits. Find patterns and exploit them to 
  survive. This is what the dungeon asks of you. 
   
  As a player, think of the dungeon as a series of puzzles. Your job is 
  to learn how they work, what makes them tick, and to solve them 
  before they kill you. The unfortunate thing is that you won’t find the 
  solutions on your character sheet. You might be able to solve an 
  enemy by killing it, but it would be just as quick and not nearly as 
  dangerous to sneak around it, to confound it, to find a different 
  path, or to befriend it. Not every enemy will be amenable to this - 
  this is where your cleverness must factor in. 
   
   you don’t need to be glued to each other at all 
  times, but if you turn on your party, you will be destroyed. If you 
  want to get out of the dungeon alive, you’ll have to work together. 
   
  As players, encourage each other. When it’s hard, support each 
  other. Pay attention to what your friends are feeling, what they’re 
  doing, and what they’re saying. Ask for help when you need it. 
  Offer help when you can. If you’re describing a room, or coming 
  up with an item, and you’re not sure how to do it - ask for help. If 
  you’re uncomfortable with what’s going on in the game, or with 
  something someone said: please take care of yourself. I know it’s 
  hard. I know it’s scary. But it is their role, both as a player in this 
  game and as your friend, to listen to you and to care. 
  
  8 
  Before you enter the dungeon, you must cast off the things that 
  cling to you. Declare, if you want, something to cast off from your 
  mind before you enter. 
   
  Anything that you do not feel ready to confront should be cast off 
  here. Perhaps you will be ready to face it in another time, in 
  another dungeon, with another group, but that needn’t mean you 
  are ready to face it now. All things come with time. 
   
  Some examples might be violence targeting a specific body part 
  like eyes or teeth; perhaps you carry a fear of spiders and do not 
  wish to face any within the dungeon; or maybe you aren’t ready to 
  confront abuse in the dungeon. 
   
  Whatever your friends cast off, respect these decisions. Honor their 
  trust and vulnerability – do not let that which they have cast off find 
  its way into the dungeon. 
   
  Remember to 
  . Take care of each other when you 
  delve. One of your friends might not realize that they aren’t ready 
  to confront something until they encounter it in the dungeon – 
  respect them and their needs and help them avoid it until they are 
  ready. 
   
  
  9 
  Characters in Delver are defined by resources, gear, and the 
  interactions they have with each other. The three resources every 
  character manages are 
  , 
  , and 
  . Keep 
  track of these on a character sheet, or whatever you have to write 
  on. 
   
   
   is your physical wellbeing, and it depletes as you are 
  wounded in battle. It can be restored with items, spells, and rest. 
  Health is only relevant in Combat. 
   
   is your short-term energy, and it depletes as you take 
  actions in the world. It restores itself periodically; after ever round 
  of combat, and after every round of exploration actions. Stamina 
  factors into the Combat and Exploration phases, but not Downtime. 
   
  is your long-term energy, and it depletes as you take 
  actions of particular difficulty or intricacy, such as casting spells, 
  activating certain items, executing impressive feats, or resisting 
  effects. It can be restored in the Downtime Phase when you take 
  time to yourself and Reflect. 
   
   
  
  10 
  Everyone besides the Record Keeper makes a character. All 
  characters start out with 10 Health, 10 Stamina, and 10 Focus.  
   
  While everyone else is making characters, the Record Keeper 
  should read the How To Play The Record Keeper section (page 48). 
  If the Record Keeper is still reading after you have made your 
  choices, read ahead to see what you might need to know. 
   
  Overview 
  ● Pick a background 
  ● Pick a gift 
  ● Pick your raiment 
  ● Pick your goals 
   
  Your background represents your character’s history, but it won’t 
  lock you out of anything. You can become anything here. 
   
  Apostate 
  ● A wielder of dangerous magic frowned upon by society. 
  ● Arcane Rod, Tongue of Flame, Axe, a vial of blood 
  Bard 
  ● A storyteller and songwriter with a tongue as sharp as their 
  sword. 
  ● Shortsword, Shortbow, an instrument of your choosing 
  Berserker 
  ● A warrior driven only by rage. 
  ● Greatsword 
  Bloodletter 
  ● A professional killer. 
  ● Stiletto, Stiletto, a mask 
  Doctor 
  ● A physician who relies on wisdom over faith. 
  
  11 
  ● Dagger, Axe, Medicinal Salve, a child’s toy 
  Hero 
  ● A loudmouthed braggart and self-appointed savior. 
  ● Shield, a ceremonial longsword 
  Hunter 
  ● A tireless tracker with a keen eye. 
  ● Longbow, Dagger, a pressed flower 
  Mesmer 
  ● A practitioner of magic that defies categorization. 
  ● Arcane Rod, Minor Illusion, Dagger, a magnifying glass 
  Naturalist 
  ● A hermit, wise in the old ways. 
  ● Wand of Holly, Claw (spell), Buckler, an acorn 
  Neophyte 
  ● A mender of hearts and bodies, robed in faith. 
  ● Sacred Bell, Healing Whisper, Flail, a symbol of divinity 
  Officer 
  ● A member of nobility cast aside. 
  ● Rapier, Buckler, Medicinal Potions, an inlaid flask 
  Scavenger 
  ● An untethered forager abandoned to the dirt. 
  ● DETERMINATION 
  Sellsword 
  ● A mercenary for hire. 
  ● Shield, Longsword, a compass 
  Strider 
  ● A nomadic scholar full of knowledge. 
  ● Quarterstaff, Binoculars, a magic ring 
  Warden 
  ● A stalwart warrior pledged to protect. 
  ● Shield, Spear, a locket with a faded portrait 
  Witch 
  ● A wretched wielder of unknown magics. 
  ● Wreathe of Flame, unloved hands 
   
  
  12 
  These are benefits to differentiate your character from your friends’. 
  This choice can be changed, but it is much more difficult. 
   
  ● 
   you have 12 Health, Stamina, and Focus 
  instead of 10 
  ● 
   you may choose to take up to 3 damage to 
  increase the damage of the next Attack you make by twice 
  the amount you took. 
  ● 
   you have experience and familiarity with 
  unsavory environments. When you Salvage in an area no 
  one else will touch, it doesn't cost Stamina. 
  ● 
   mercy is a balm for the giver as well as the 
  receiver. When you have the opportunity to hurt someone 
  and you do not take it, recover your Focus. 
  ● 
   you have an air of kindness about you. If there is 
  ever any question of whether you can convince someone to 
  back down, cool off, or work with you, you can if you spend 
  3 Focus. 
  ● 
   you are exceptionally good at keeping a low 
  profile. If there is ever any question of whether you can 
  sneak past, deceive, or distract someone, you can if you 
  spend 3 Focus. 
  ● 
   your dreams often give you visions of the future. 
  When you enter the Downtime Phase, Scout one room for 
  free and treat it as if you had Avoided Danger. 
  ● 
   violence recenters you. When you deal damage, 
  you recover half that much Focus rounded down. 
  ● 
   your arms are a haven. When you Block, you can 
  take hits for other characters as if they had targeted you. 
  ● 
   when there is a question of who goes first, it's you. 
  Your actions during the Combat Phase happen before 
  everyone else’s – resolve them first.  
  
  13 
  ● 
   you know beasts, wild things, and unthinking 
  instinct better than you understand people. Tell the Record 
  Keeper to always treat Monsters as People when they 
  interact with you. They’ll understand. 
  ● 
   you are exceptionally good at identifying people 
  and enemies in the dungeon. When the Record Keeper 
  makes an enemy before combat, you get to say its name 
  and can assign tags to its attacks with the Record Keeper. 
  ● 
   you know how to break rules and avoid 
  the consequences – no one can make you do anything you 
  don’t want to. Tell the Record Keeper that you are immune 
  to any repercussions from Curse Moves that they make. 
  They’ll understand. 
  ● 
   nothing can stop you or hold you back. Tell 
  the Record Keeper that you are immune to any 
  repercussions from Trap Moves that they make. They’ll 
  understand. 
  ● 
   any weapon you wield has [Mighty 4]. Tell 
  the Record Keeper that you are an ax in their hands. They’ll 
  understand. 
  ● 
   it is nigh impossible to get the drop on you. 
  The cost to Scout and Avoid Danger is the lower of your 
  weapon’s Heft and 2. 
  ● 
   you catch and hold the attention of others with 
  ease. You can give your allies your Stamina or Focus by 
  spending it and saying something to bolster or encourage 
  them. 
  ● 
   you have undergone intense combat training. 
  Any weapon you wield gains the [Parry] tag. 
  ● 
   you have mastered the magical arts. Spells you 
  cast cost half the normal Focus (Stamina is unchanged). 
  ● 
   you may add an additional detail whenever 
  someone describes the memories of an item. 
  ● 
   no effect. Good luck out there. 
  
  14 
  Raiment is purely aesthetic and can’t be damaged or lost - it’s your 
  own self-image, your own memory of what you wear. If you have 
  lost your raiment, you have lost yourself. 
   
  Framed another way: when you reach a pivotal moment, grow as a 
  person, or become someone new, consider changing your raiment. 
  If you do change your raiment, let your friends know. 
   
   Armor, Ornate, Ancient 
   Clothes, Academic, Tidy 
   Armor, Handmade, Rusty 
   Arcane, Smudged, Durable 
   Armor, Religious, Gleaming 
   Clothes, Costume, Colorful 
   Clothes, Sturdy, Scarred 
   Gleaming, Rusty, Expensive 
   Towering, Oppressive, Yellow 
   Macabre, Horned, Bloodstained 
   Clothes, Pockets, Ragged 
   Clothes, Ornate, Ancient 
  
  15 
   Clothes, Ragged, Dirty 
   Arcane, Macabre, Pockets 
   
  Clothes, Smart, Fraying 
   
  Clothes, Elegant, Dirty 
   
  Clothes, Durable, Clean 
   
  Armor, Durable, Ragged  
   
  Armor, Gleaming, Chained 
   
  Armor, Rusty, Bound 
   
  Sharp, Subtle, Stony 
   
   Uncertain, Kind, Gentle 
   
   Closed-off, Calculating, Distant 
   
   Warm, Jolly, Inviting 
   
   Heated, Quick, Suspicious 
  Armor, Powerful, Damaged 
   
  Tender, Calm, Hopeful 
   
   Carapace, Sleek, Reflexive 
   
  Angular, Ethereal, Macabre 
  
  16 
  Everyone who does what you do has a reason. What's yours? 
   
  Think of this list as generative; these goals are springboards into 
  something interesting and personal to your character. You needn’t 
  pick a goal specifically from this list, but perhaps it can be an 
  inspiration for you. 
   
  Character goals are one source of Experience. When you complete 
  your character goal, mark 1 Experience. 
   
  ● Recover your family’s lost heirloom 
  ● Find your friend or sibling deep in the dungeon 
  ● Seek out knowledge long-lost 
  ● Protect one of your allies 
  ● Get revenge on someone who hurt you 
  ● Find your lost animals 
  ● Seal away something that should not exist 
  ● Achieve or avoid your fated destiny 
  ● Achieve or avoid your impending doom 
  Choose this as a group. Think of this as a flag to the Record 
  Keeper – this will tell them what kinds of Threats you are interested 
  in seeing in the dungeon. Keep your party goal largely undefined 
  as you start play, but keep it in the back of your mind – this is one 
  way to determine when you have finished play. 
   
  ● Survive, get paid, repeat 
  ● Recover an important relic 
  ● Rescue someone lost 
  ● Destroy a storied foe 
  ● Find a secret 
  ● Restore someone’s memory 
   
  
  17 
  Your gear is all the material stuff you carry with you through the 
  dungeon. Anything that you possess or carry with you, besides your 
  raiment, is gear. 
   
  Your Load is the amount of stuff you are carrying. Add up the Heft 
  of all of your gear: weapons and items - including spells; this is 
  your Load. Treat each item without a Heft tag as if it had 1 Heft for 
  the purposes of Load.  
   
  If your Load is less than or equal to your maximum Stamina, you’re 
  fine. If your Load is greater than your maximum Stamina, take the 
  difference as a penalty to your Stamina during the combat and 
  Exploration Phases. 
   
  
  18 
  Every weapon has a 
   tag. Heftier weapons will be more likely 
  to land and deal more damage, at the cost of requiring more 
  Stamina to Attack and Dodge with. 
   
  This list and the lists that follow are a set of examples. When 
  Salvaging, you can pick an item on this list, if you wish, or make 
  one up wholecloth. Don’t feel constrained to the lists. More on 
  Salvaging in the Exploration Phase section (page 33). 
   
  Note: every person in the dungeon has their Fists at all times, but 
  can only use them when they wield no other weapons. 
   
   2 Heft, 3 Grade, Close 
   
   3 Heft, 2 Grade, Close 
   
   4 Heft, 3 Grade, Close 
   
   4 Heft, 3 Grade, Close 
   
   4 Heft, 3 Grade, Close 
   
  3 Heft, 3 Grade, Close, [Reach] 
   
   6 Heft, 4 Grade, Close, Messy, Heavy 
   
   3 Heft, 3 Grade, Reach 
   
   4 Heft, 3 Grade, Parry, Close, [Reach] 
  2 Heft, 2 Grade, Touch, Vorpal 
  
  19 
   5 Heft, 3 Grade, Close 
   
  2 Heft, Touch, Weightless, [5 Heft]+[Double-Edged] 
   12 Heft, 12 Grade, 3 Guard, Reach, [Area] 
   
   3 Heft, 7 Grade, Far, Ammo, [Close]+[Reach] 
   
   5 Heft, 4 Grade, Far, Ammo 
   
   7 Heft, 3 Grade, Far, Ammo, [Close] 
   
   2 Heft, 5 Grade, Touch, 2 Guard, [Parry] 
   
   4 Heft, 5 Grade, Touch, 3 Guard 
   
   6 Heft, 6 Grade, Touch, 5 Guard 
   
   2 Heft, 2 Grade, Talisman 
   
   2 Heft, 2 Grade, Catalyst 
   
   5 Heft, 3 Grade, Ammo, Reach, Messy, [Area] 
   
   5 Heft, 3 Grade, Reach, [Area]+[Close] 
   
   3 Heft, 2 Grade, Reach, Subdual, [Parry] 
   
   4 Heft, 2 Grade, Reach 
   
   4 Heft, 3 Grade, Close, Catalyst 
   
   7 Heft, 7 Grade, Reach, Talisman, Holy 
  
  20 
   3 Heft, 2 Grade, Close, [Invisible] 
   
   3 Heft, 3 Grade, Close, [Flaming] 
   
   3 Heft, 1 Grade, Reach, [Far]+[Subdual] 
   
   
   
  
  21 
  Items are a catch-all for non-weapons. They include spells as well 
  as non-spell items. All items without a Heft tag are treated as 
  having 1 Heft for the purposes of Load. 
   
   [Alert] 
   
   3 Grade, Ammo, Alert, Flaming 
   
  6 Grade, Ammo, Talisman 
   
   2 Heft, 2 Grade, Healing, Ammo 
   
   3 Heft, 2 Grade, Healing, Ammo, Touch 
  3 Grade, Poison, Applied, Ammo 
   2 Drain, Sacrament, Healing, 2 Lingering, 
  Touch 
   4 Drain, Sacrament, Healing, 1 Lingering, 
  Reach, [Area] 
   
  3 Drain, Sacrament, Close, Messy, Poisoned 
   
  2 Drain, Sacrament, Close, Vorpal, Poisoned 
   
   3 Drain, Magery, Reach, Flaming 
   
   7 Drain, Magery, Touch, Flaming 
   
   2 Drain, Magery, Subdual, 2 Lingering, Far 
   
   4 Drain, Magery, Subdual, 2 Lingering, Far 
  
  22 
   
   3 Drain, Magery, Harmless, Invisible, 1 Lingering 
   
   6 Drain, Magery, Harmless, Invisible, 2 Lingering, Reach, 
  [Area] 
   
   8 Drain, Sacrament, Reach, Holy, Messy 
   3 Drain, Sacrament, Harmless, 4 Guard, 1 
  Lingering, [2 Lingering] 
   
  5 Drain, Close, Area, Hex, Flaming
   
   
  
  23 
  A tag is either Passive or Focus. Passive tags are always in effect. 
  You can invoke a Focus tag for 2 Focus, in which case the item 
  gains that tag for a round. Focus Tags are denoted by square 
  brackets around the tag like so: [Reach].  
   
  Two or more Focus tags may be linked [like]+[this]. In such a case, 
  treat them as if they were one tag, activated for 2 Focus like any 
  other. 
   
  If the Focus Tag is the same as one of the tags the weapon already 
  has (for instance, a Heft tag with a different Heft value), or if the 
  tag is a range tag, replace the Passive Tag with the Focus one. 
   
  If you feel like there isn’t a tag for the mechanical or fictional effect 
  an item needs, feel free to make one up. If the tag is powerful, your 
  friends will give any items that have it commensurate downsides. 
  Focus on the fiction of the item, rather than the balance of the tag 
  itself. 
   
  (mechanical, cue) 
  The cost to Avoid Danger is the lower of your weapon’s Heft 
  and 2. 
   
  (mechanical) 
  Whenever you use this item (to Attack, heal, or whatever 
  else) reduce its Grade by 1.  
   
   (constraint) 
   
  This effect can’t be used on yourself. 
   
  (constraint) 
  This weapon or effect hits everything in its range. 
   
  
  24 
   (constraint) 
  This weapon or effect hits one target in range, and then 
  everything within [Range] of them. 
   
   (constraint) 
  This item allows you to cast Mageries while you wield it. 
   
  (constraint, a range) 
  This weapon or effect has a range of about 2-4 feet, or the 
  range of most melee weapons held in hand. 
   
   (constraint, mechanical) 
  This weapon or effect can only be used once per round in 
  the Combat and Exploration Phases. 
   
  (cue) 
  This weapon or effect causes spontaneous and 
  uncontrollable burning to anything it touches. 
   
   (cue) 
  This item is cursed, and may turn on you at the least 
  opportune moment. Tell the Record Keeper to treat it as a 
  potential Threat. 
   
   (mechanical, constraint) 
  When you deal damage with this weapon or effect, you 
  take half that much damage rounded up. 
   
   (constraint, a range) 
  This weapon or effect has a range of ten or more feet. 
   
   (cue) 
  This weapon or effect is wreathed in fire. It provides a 
  steady light and can be used to burn flammable material. 
  
  25 
  (cue) 
  This item allows you to fly. 
   
   (mechanical, cue) 
  This item can be eaten, but when it’s eaten it’s consumed 
  entirely. 
   
  (mechanical) 
  How much wear and tear the item can suffer before it stops 
  functioning. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  This weapon or effect can function as a shield. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  How heavy, and dangerous, a weapon is. An item with Heft 
  can be wielded on its own to hurt someone. Heft 
  determines how much Stamina it costs to Attack and Dodge 
  in the Combat Phase, and to Scout and Avoid Danger in 
  the Exploration Phase. Heft determines how many dice you 
  roll to Attack, and how much damage your Attack does. 
   
  (mechanical) 
  This item or effect heals an amount equal to its Heft or 
  Drain. Applying or using it costs Stamina equal to its Heft or 
  Drain, but you do not roll to hit. 
   
   (cue) 
  This weapon or effect is wrought to destroy the profane - 
  demons, undead, specters, and all manner of unholy thing. 
   
  (cue) 
  This weapon or effect is massive and unwieldy. It easily gets 
  in your way or hampers your movement. 
  
  26 
   (constraint, a range) 
   
  You must be physically intimate with them to affect them. 
   
   (cue) 
  You cannot be seen by normal means while you wield this 
  item or are under this effect. 
   
   (cue) 
  This weapon or effect often causes obvious, and reckless 
  damage to the target or whatever it hits. 
   
   (mechanical, enemy only) 
  This weapon or effect does an additional n damage when it 
  hits. This does not affect the Stamina cost to Attack. 
   
   (constraint) 
  This effect can’t be used during the Combat phase. 
   
  (mechanical) 
  When you Dodge an Attack while holding this weapon you 
  automatically deal damage equal to its Heft, so long as you 
  are in the appropriate range. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  This weapon or effect has a deadly toxin. Whenever you 
  successfully deal damage with it, the enemy takes 1 
  damage at the start of the next round. 
   (cue) 
  This weapon or effect is cursed, demonic, or damned. It is 
  inimical to the blessed and the righteous. 
  
  27 
   (constraint, a range) 
  This weapon or effect has a range of about 4-8 feet, or the 
  length of a spear. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  Your first Dodge per round in the Combat Phase costs no 
  Stamina. 
   
  (constraint, mechanical) 
  This weapon or effect does its damage to Stamina instead 
  of Health. This lowers the defender’s Stamina at the start of 
  the next round. 
   
   (constraint) 
  This weapon allows you to cast Sacraments while you wield 
  it. 
   
  (constraint, a range) 
  This weapon or effect must be delivered from close enough 
  to the target that one could touch them with their palm. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  This weapon or effect deals double damage if all the dice 
  rolled to use it roll the same number, if it is used on 
  someone who is Staggered, or if it is used on an unaware 
  enemy. 
   
   (mechanical) 
  Ignore this item when calculating your Load. 
  
  28 
  Magic is a powerful force in the world. It can smite an enemy or 
  mend a wound with just a few gestures, some incantations, and a 
  splash of concentration. Collectively, actions performed through 
  magic are called spells. 
   
  Spells are items in Delver – they are physi-magical manifestations 
  of power. They carry weight and memory with them in the 
  dungeon. You can Salvage them just like any other item. 
   
  Spells cost Focus, take Stamina, do damage, and roll dice with the 
  same number: the spell’s 
  . By default, the effects of a spell 
  only last for the round in which the spell is cast. Spells can have 
  tags just like any other item, but there are some tags that only 
  affect spells. 
   
   (mechanical, spell) 
  The spell cannot be used to do damage. If it affects an 
  unwilling person, you must still roll to hit as you usually 
  would. 
   
   (mechanical, spell) 
  The spell lasts n rounds before fading. Healing, Harming, 
  and Subdual spells function as normal on the first round, 
  and then heal or do damage equal to their Drain on each 
  following round. 
   
   (mechanical, constraint) 
  Every round in the Combat Phase that you do not pay Focus 
  equal to the spell’s Drain, it is cast whether you like it or 
  not. You do not pay Focus or Stamina for a spell cast this 
  way, and you don’t need an implement to cast it. The 
  Record Keeper chooses targets, if applicable. You can’t cast 
  this spell normally. 
   
  
  29 
  The difference between mageries and sacraments is, primarily, a 
  cultural one. There are many schools of magic, and many which 
  claim that their techniques are unique, that they are bestowed by 
  God or wrought from primordial forces, and with history fading, 
  there are fewer and fewer ways to prove anyone's claims correct. 
   
  The truth, for most people in the dungeon, is that magic is magic. 
  Whether cast by the gentle chime of a silver bell or flung from the 
  end of a rotting chunk of driftwood, the spells you find on your 
  expeditions will aid you just the same. 
   
  The spell list provided in this book is aligned with broad 
  assumptions many people make about spells and their sources, but 
  healing mageries and deceptive sacraments are far from 
  impossible to find (or create). 
   
   
  
  30 
  Delver has a specific flow to the game that play follows. You should 
  read this whole section together before following its instructions. 
   
  After you’ve made your characters and chosen your party goal, 
  start at the beginning of the dungeon. Everyone besides the Record 
  Keeper say what weapons you wield at the start of the dungeon.  
   
  Then the oldest person playing – and you can lie – describes the 
  entrance you take and the first room you step in, as if it were the 
  Exploration Phase and they had Scouted (ignore the Stamina cost). 
  You cannot Avoid Danger in the first room of the dungeon. Then 
  continue as instructed by the rules of the various phases. 
   
  Everyone compares their ages. Natalie is the 
  oldest, at 420 years young. 
  She says: “The entrance of the dungeon is a tree out in your 
  family’s field. If you climb up the tree and fall asleep in its 
  limbs, you will be taken to the dungeon.” 
  They then turn to the Exploration Phase and read the Scout 
  action. 
  “The first room of the dungeon is an enclosed stone room, 
  with the same tree you fell asleep in.” 
  Abe says: “The room smells like old wine, almost vinegary.” 
  Ell says: “There’s a whole bunch of casks on the walls 
  here.” 
  MK says: “One escape from this place is to find the oldest 
  cask and take a sip.” 
  Natalie says: “Another escape is to destroy all of the casks.” 
  Abe says: “There is the sound of conversation coming from 
  the casks, and that draws us into the room.” 
  They decide they don’t want to answer any more questions. 
   
  
  31 
  Then Natalie says: “there’s someone here, at the foot of the 
  tree. They say ‘what are you doing in here?’ in an angry 
  voice. What do you do?” 
  Play is separated into three phases: the Exploration Phase (page 
  33), the Downtime Phase (page 44), and the Combat Phase (page 
  38). You will move back and forth between the various phases 
  without any particular order. The party will decide most of the time 
  when and how the phase changes, but the Record Keeper has final 
  say on whether or not a phase is possible - some places are too 
  dangerous to rest or explore, and their Threats must be dealt with 
  first. Sometimes, the Record Keeper will get to declare the Combat 
  Phase without the party choosing it at all. 
   
  As you move between phases, keep track of your Stamina. It 
  refreshes between rounds, but not between phases. If you Scout 
  when you are low on Stamina, be careful of whatever enemies you 
  may encounter – you might not be able to defend yourself. 
   
  The only condition on changing phases is that the party cannot 
  take two Downtime Phases in a row. 
   
  After the party defeats the wine guard in a 
  contest of riddles, Abe turns to Ell and MK and says, “I’m 
  kind of low on Focus. Can we take a Downtime Phase?.” 
  MK says, “oh my gosh yeah, I want to talk with the Doctor.” 
  Afterwards, they go back to Exploring. 
   
  Stop playing when you’ve run out of time together, or when the 
  party completes their party goal. If the party completes their goal 
  before you have to stop playing, they are rewarded in wealth, 
  
  32 
  power, satisfaction, or nothing at all. If not, they return empty 
  handed and must try again at their goal. 
   
  If anyone completed their personal goal, they should cross it off, 
  write in a new one, and mark 1 Experience, or else retire their 
  character. 
   
  When you play again, pick a new party goal if you successfully 
  completed the last one, or else go back and try to finish the 
  incomplete party goal. Be warned - the dungeon and its dangers 
  will have changed since you last delved.  
   
   
  
  33 
  When characters are exploring, scouting, salvaging, or engaging 
  with the Threats in the dungeon without violence, they are in the 
  Exploration Phase. During the Exploration Phase, the party will 
  describe what they do in the rooms of the dungeon. If there is a 
  Threat there, the Record Keeper will tell them what it does. Most of 
  the things that the party says and does are resolved by the whole 
  group, or if they’re interacting with a Threat, by the Record Keeper.  
   
  Sometimes you will say something special, something that has 
  special mechanical weight. When you pick up an item, receive a 
  gift, or take something from someone, you are Salvaging. When 
  you escape from the room you are in, you are Scouting. When you 
  do so carefully, without letting anything get the drop on you, you 
  are Avoiding Danger at the same time.  
   
  Stamina refreshes at the start of each Round, minus any 
  Overextension penalties. A round in the Exploration Phase ends 
  when every party member’s Stamina is 0 or less. 
   
  Scouting allows you to describe the features of the dungeon you 
  explore together, and add them to your collective map (whether it is 
  physical or just in your imagination). 
   
  Scouting costs Stamina equal to your weapon’s Heft. When you 
  Scout, describe a room in the dungeon connected to the one you 
  are currently in, in as much or as little detail as you want. Then 
  everyone takes turns answering questions from the list: 
  ● What is an interesting feature that it has? 
  ● What does it smells like? 
  ● What draws you to it? 
  ● How can you escape from it? 
   
  
  34 
  The Record Keeper will tell you if there are any Threats in it and 
  how they pose a danger to you. 
   
  The Mesmer, MK’ character, scouts a new room 
  by drinking from the oldest cask of wine. They grip their 
  dagger tight – it costs 2 Stamina to Scout. MK describes the 
  room. “As we drink the wine, the room twists in our vision. 
  When our eyes refocus, we’re in the same room, but the 
  casks are replaced with bookshelves.” 
  Abe says: “the books tell our life stories, and the knowledge 
  of what is to come draws us in.” 
  Natalie says: “the room smells like old ash and pine.” 
  Ell says: “I think this time an escape is to write in the ending 
  of our own stories.” 
  They decide that is enough for the questions. 
  Avoiding Danger is staying vigilant against whatever Threats the 
  Record Keeper might put in a room, whether they be traps, curses, 
  hidden enemies, or other explorers in the dungeon. Avoid Danger 
  is similar to Dodge in the Combat Phase. 
   
  Avoiding Danger costs Stamina equal to your weapon’s Heft. When 
  you Avoid Danger, you avoid springing the next Threat the Record 
  Keeper would introduce. You can identify the Threat and choose 
  how to avoid or approach it on your own terms. 
   
  But the Mesmer Avoided Danger when they 
  Scouted. “I think if you let yourself, you could read these 
  books forever. Oh, but you Avoided Danger. I think you can 
  recognize that dangerous impulse in yourself, and you stop 
  before you open the books. What do you do?” 
   
  
  35 
  Salvaging allows you to find lost, forgotten, or unwanted items in 
  the dungeon. 
   
  Salvaging costs 5 Stamina. Any given room can only be Salvaged 
  in twice. When you Salvage, propose the item to your friends that 
  you want to find. Describe what it looks like, what it does, what 
  secrets it might hide, and suggest some tags that would be 
  appropriate. 
   
  If anyone feels the item is inappropriate or too powerful, they can 
  add a tag that would complicate its use, make one of the Passive 
  Tags into a Focus Tag, or Link two or more Focus Tags together. If 
  anyone feels that the item is still inappropriate or too powerful, they 
  can veto it; start anew with a different item. If everyone is okay with 
  the item, write it on your character sheet. 
   
  When introducing an item, feel free to create weapons, spells, or 
  regular items. The item you create doesn’t even have to have tags: 
  perhaps it is a key to a yet to be found door, a painting of 
  inestimable beauty, or preserved food to be shared with your 
  companions. Introduce an item you would be interested in seeing, 
  or that would complicate the party’s lives in interesting ways. 
   
  When you Salvage an item, the lingering memories of its previous 
  owner wash over you. Ask a friend to describe who used the item 
  and what they used it for. Alternatively, ask them to describe the 
  place it was made in and what purpose it was made for. Whatever 
  they say, write it down in such a way that it can be deleted or 
  destroyed later. 
   
  
  36 
  Ell, as the Strider, decides to Salvage. Ze picks 
  up a book off the shelf and reads the cover; it’s the story of 
  zer missing friend’s life. Ell decides that reading the book 
  brings comfort to the Strider and can heal them. Ze gives it 
  the tags “4 Heft, Healing, 1 Grade, Weightless.” 
   
  MK feels like the book probably takes some time to use, so 
  they suggest adding the “Preparation” tag. Everyone agrees 
  that that is for the best, and Ell writes down “Book of 
  Memories: 4 Heft, Healing, 1 Grade, Weightless, 
  Preparation.” 
   
  Ell turns to Natalie and asks her to describe who last used 
  the book and what they used it for. Natalie thinks for a 
  moment and decides that the last person who used it was 
  Grandfather Time, and he used it to determine a person’s 
  destiny before they were ever born. 
   
  You can swap your weapons whenever you please, but it takes 
  some time.  
   
  Swapping weapons costs two Stamina. Say which of your weapons 
  you now wield. You can wield two weapons if you want, but use the 
  higher of their Hefts for the purposes of Scouting and Avoiding 
  Danger. 
   
  You cannot attack with weapons you aren’t wielding. 
   
  The Doctor is carrying an Axe, which is 4 Heft, 
  and they’re at 7 Stamina. It makes the most sense for them 
  to be the one to Scout, but then they will have an 
  Overextension penalty if they get into combat. 
   
  
  37 
  The cost to Scout and Avoid Danger with the Axe is 4 
  Stamina. The cost to Scout and Avoid Danger with just the 
  Doctor’s fists is 2 Stamina. Swap Weapon costs 2 Stamina. 
   
  Abe decides to Swap Weapons (2 Stamina) by putting away 
  the Axe and just have their fists at the ready. Then, they can 
  Scout (2 Stamina) and Avoid Danger (2 Stamina), and it will 
  save Stamina compared to if they had Scouted (4 Stamina) 
  and Avoided Danger (4 Stamina). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  38 
  Each round of the Combat Phase, characters choose actions and 
  allocate resources. Each round is an abstraction, temporally 
  speaking, so don’t worry about precise timing. All actions take 
  place at the same time and resolve together. 
   
  Even so, certain effects are resolved before others, in the interest of 
  maintaining a cohesive combat narrative. The order of operations 
  in combat is as follows: 
   
  1. Stamina refreshes, and then Stamina damage from the 
  previous round and Stamina penalties from Load or 
  Overextension take effect. 
  2. Lingering effects, including healing, poison, environmental 
  effects, etc. take effect. 
  a. Apply healing first, 
  b. Then damage, 
  c. Then miscellaneous effects afterward. 
  3. All players and enemies attack, defend themselves, etc. 
   
  If you choose an action that would bring you below 0 Stamina, you 
  may perform that action at the cost of taking an Overextension 
  penalty to your starting Stamina on the next round equal to the 
  difference between the Stamina you have and the Stamina you 
  would spend. 
   
   Natalie describes three guardians in the Room 
  of Stories: Lightning, who wields three swords; Rain, with 
  three bows; and Hail, with three hammers. The three of 
  them face off against the three members of the party. 
   
  Ell decides to Block for the round, leaving zer Stamina at 
  10. MK declares that they will cast Minor Illusion on Rain, 
  Goad Hail once, and Dodge three times, total 10 Stamina. 
  
  39 
  Abe decides to Attack Hail twice with their Axe, and Dodge 
  once. 
   
  Natalie then reveals that each of the guardians is attacking 
  each of their respective targets thrice. The sword, bow, and 
  hammer all have 4 Heft, the first and third with the Close 
  tags, the second with the Far tag. 
   
  Attacking is your primary method of dispatching foes. You cannot 
  Attack and Block in the same round. 
   
  Every Attack costs Stamina equal to the weapon’s Heft. You may 
  Attack as many times with your wielded weapons in one round as 
  you wish, keeping in mind overextension penalties. 
   
  Once you have chosen a target, describe how you Attack them and 
  roll dice equal to the weapon's Heft. Compare the results to the 
  target's Might. Dice that meet or exceed the target's Might are 
  called successes. If your roll produces 1 success, the Attack lands 
  and the enemy takes damage equal to the weapon’s Heft. Any 
  additional successes increase the damage of the attack by 1 per 
  success. 
   
  If your roll has no successes, you have 3 options: 
  1. Your Attack misses, dealing no damage. 
  2. Your Attack lands anyway, but you take an Overextension 
  penalty to your Stamina on the next round equal to the 
  weapon's Heft. 
  3. Your Attack lands anyway, but you damage your weapon, 
  reducing its Grade by 1. If your weapon has no Grade, you 
  cannot choose to reduce it. 
  4. Your Attack lands anyway, but you take a hit to do it, taking 
  1 damage. 
  
  40 
  The Doctor, Abe’s character, makes two Attacks 
  at Hail. They roll dice equal to its Heft, four six-sided dice, 
  and get [6, 1, 3, 2]. Natalie tells them that Hail is Might 2, 
  so they get three Successes. The first makes their Attack hit, 
  and the other two provide a point of bonus damage each. 
  Six damage from the first Attack! 
   
  They roll again, but this time they get [1, 1, 1, 1]. Unlucky! 
  With no Successes, they miss. Abe decides that they 
  manage to get the hit, but their Axe is damaged by Hail’s 
  hammers. Its Grade is reduced by one. Four damage from 
  the second Attack. 
   
  Dodging is your only means of protecting yourself while on the 
  offensive. The amount of Stamina a Dodge costs is equal to your 
  equipped weapon's Heft. You may Dodge as many times in one 
  round as you wish, keeping in mind overextension penalties. When 
  you Dodge, you completely avoid one incoming attack or spell.  
   
  If you are wielding two weapons, the cost to Dodge is the higher of 
  the weapons’ Heft.  
   
  MK Dodged three times. When Rain attacks 
  them thrice, all three of the attacks miss. They take no 
  damage! Abe only Dodged once, so two of the attacks hit 
  the Doctor, dealing their Heft in damage. 
   
  Blocking is your most effective way to defend yourself, but it takes 
  strength and focus. You cannot Block and Attack in the same 
  round. When you Block an Attack, the incoming damage is 
  
  41 
  reduced by your shield's Guard score, and any remaining damage 
  is applied to your Stamina before your Health. 
   
  Ell blocked, even though they have no shield. 
  Ze reduces incoming damage by zer Guard, which is zero, 
  and then apply that damage to zer Stamina before zer 
  Health. Lightning’s attack has 4 Heft, so ze takes four 
  damage from each attack. The first two are fully blocked by 
  zer Stamina, but the last one gets in two points of damage. 
   
  By goading your enemy, you can drive them into a heedless rage. 
  This is useful against enemies who tend to keep their guard up, but 
  watch out - you’ll have to survive their attacks against you.  
   
  Goading costs Stamina equal to your weapon’s Heft, and is 
  resolved as if you were making an Attack. The number of successes 
  you roll is how many rounds the enemy will focus on you, provided 
  that you cause it damage or pain during each of those rounds. 
   
  Goaded enemies will not defend themselves, even if they have the 
  chance to. 
   
   MK Goaded Hail. They roll the Heft of their 
  weapon, a dagger, and gets [5, 1]. That’s one success, so 
  starting in the next round, Hail will only attack them. 
  Unfortunately for the Doctor, that doesn’t prevent it from 
  attacking other targets in this round. 
   
  You can swap your weapon whenever you please, but it takes some 
  time.  
   
  
  42 
  Swapping weapons costs two Stamina. Say which of your weapons 
  you now wield. You can wield two weapons if you want, but use the 
  higher of their Hefts for the purposes of Scouting and Avoiding 
  Danger. 
   
  You cannot attack with weapons you aren’t wielding. 
   
  The Strider takes up zer Quarterstaff from zer 
  back. Ze is determined to protect the book ze recently 
  acquired. After the two Stamina for swapping weapons, ze 
  has just enough Stamina to Attack twice. 
   
  You can always run away. It costs no Stamina, though you might 
  need to Dodge or Block in order to survive running away. 
   
  Whatever you were fighting might chase you, or might stay where it 
  is. You can run past it into an unexplored room, or back the way 
  you came. If you run past, treat it as the Exploration phase, but tell 
  the Record Keeper that whatever you were fighting is an ax 
  hanging above your head. They’ll understand. 
   
   Later in the dungeon, when the Party comes 
  upon Grandfather Time, they realize he is too powerful for 
  them to defeat in their current state. They decide that rather 
  than burn all their memories trying in vain to kill him, they 
  will run away and regroup before facing him again.
   
  
  43 
   
  Health is the most important resource available to you. You must 
  guard it preciously. You have 10 Health by default, 12 with the 
  Specialty gift. 
   
  To preserve your health during the Combat Phase, Dodge or Block. 
  To guard against surprise Threats during the Exploration Phase, 
  Avoid Danger. To restore your health during the Downtime Phase, 
  Rest. 
   
  When your Health is reduced to 0 or less, you can burn memories 
  instead of dying. If you do, restore your Health to full and mark 1 
  Experience. When you burn the memories of the things you've 
  found in the dungeon, erase them from your inventory. When you 
  burn your own memories, choose a new Character Goal from the 
  character creation section. When you burn other people's memories 
  of you, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  44 
  At any point during the Downtime Phase, you may change your 
  current Gift to any of the Gifts available to you. 
   
  Unlike the combat and Exploration Phases, the Downtime Phase 
  doesn’t involve Stamina at all. Instead, everyone besides the 
  Record Keeper gets one action from the following list: 
   
  Resting allows you to lick your wounds and recover your strength. 
  Rest when you are concerned about whether or not you will survive 
  the next fight. 
   
  When you rest, recover your Health. What do you find restful in the 
  dungeon? Where do you recover? 
   
  The Mesmer was wounded in the battle against 
  Grandfather Time. They take the chance to rest and recover 
  their health. They find solitude and quiet reflection the most 
  restful. They go to a corner of the Room of Stories and sit by 
  themself until they recover their strength. 
   
  Repairing allows you to fix your weapons, fletch arrows, and take 
  care of your gear. 
   
  When you Repair, pick an item and restore its Grade to full. How 
  do you take care of it? What do you use in its repair? 
   
  The Doctor ran out of Medicinal Salve while 
  fighting Grandfather Time. They decide to make some 
  more to recover their stock while everything is calmer. They 
  
  45 
  tear out pages of the books in the room and feed them to 
  their salve-worm. 
   
  Reflecting allows you to think about your experiences, analyze what 
  you have done so far in the dungeon, and learn from your 
  mistakes. Reflect when you are low on Focus. 
   
  When you Reflect, restore your Focus and mark 1 Experience. Take 
  a moment to write down some thoughts and feelings from your 
  experiences in the dungeon. What did you struggle with? What did 
  you excel at? How would you like to grow? If you don’t have time, 
  you don’t have to write it down, or you can do it after the session 
  ends.  
  The Strider decides to Reflect on zer experiences 
  so far. Ze takes a moment to read the book and find out 
  about zer missing friend’s destiny. It says that she is 
  destined to be forgotten in the dungeon. The Strider worries 
  that ze isn’t strong enough to prevent that from happening. 
  Ze takes the time to write down these worries while 
  everyone else is taking their turn. 
  Connecting allows you to take a moment with your companions 
  and talk about your feelings and what you’ve experienced in the 
  dungeon. 
   
  When you connect, take one of your companions aside and talk to 
  them about something that’s been bothering you, something you 
  need to get off of your chest, or something you want to celebrate. 
  Moments of peace to talk to your companions are rare in the 
  dungeon, so when the opportunity presents itself, take it. 
  
  46 
  The Strider pulls the Doctor aside and confesses 
  that ze is worried that ze won’t be able to save zer friend. 
  Ze tells them that ze is worried ze is too weak to do much of 
  anything against Grandfather Time. Can they really 
  reshape the destiny laid out for them? 
   
  The Doctor shrugs. “Why not?” 
   
  The Strider looks shocked at the idea. “Why… not?” 
   
  “Sure. The world is forgetting. Who’s to say that it can’t 
  forget what it thought our paths should be. We don’t have 
  to be what they made for us.” 
   
  The Strider sits down hard. The Doctor sits down next to 
  them. They share a moment of silence together. 
   
  
  47 
  As you play Delver, your characters may grow and change. Here is 
  how the game grows with them. 
  During the Downtime Phase, you can change your current Gift to 
  any of the Gifts available to you. 
   
  When you Reflect during the Downtime Phase, when you burn a 
  memory to avoid dying, or when you complete your character goal, 
  mark 1 Experience. Spend 5 Experience to make any one Gift 
  available to you. 
   
  When you Connect with someone during the Downtime Phase, 
  mark 1 Bond with them. Spend 3 Bond with someone to make one 
  of their Gifts available to you. 
   
  If you have accrued Experience or Bond and do not wish to spend it 
  on making a Gift available to you, you may instead spend it 1 for 1 
  to: 
  • 
  Ignore the effect of one Attack 
  • 
  Make someone appear suddenly 
  • 
  Ask someone a question that they must answer truthfully 
  • 
  Modify the tags on a piece of Gear – make sure everyone is 
  okay with it 
   
  
  48 
  You aren’t the master of the dungeon. You aren’t its caretaker. You 
  aren’t the person who has the final say on what happens here. 
  Think of yourself as being just like your friends, but your character 
  is the various and disparate Threats of the dungeon. You are here 
  to bring them to life. 
   
  You aren’t the master of this game either. There is exactly one thing 
  that is yours to do in Delver: to play the Threats in the dungeon. 
  You will help describe rooms and items, but you take no more 
  special a role in that than any of your other friends. 
    
  Note that “adjudicating the rules” is not your role. You have no 
  more authority over what tags to make, how to interpret tags, or 
  what the rules of the game are than any other player. That is not 
  what you do in this game. Share the responsibility with your friends. 
   
  “Keep the game running” is also not your role. The Record Keeper 
  is not the only thing holding Delver together. You will make 
  mistakes while playing this game – I certainly have. That will not 
  make it any less fun or worthwhile for your friends. You are not the 
  center of this game’s universe. 
   
  Communicate this to your friends. Let them know that you aren’t a 
  special player in this game with more authority or more burden. 
   
  ● Fill the dungeon with mystery 
  ● Bring everything back to their histories 
  ● Misdirect your Threats 
  ● Build Threats as patterns 
   
   
  
  49 
  You have much the same 
  principle as the party does here. You don’t have a special role in 
  describing the rooms of the dungeon, or in making the items that 
  are found in the dungeon, but you do create the Threats that 
  inhabit the dungeon. The threats are just as much a part of the 
  story you’ll tell together as the items or the rooms. When you’re 
  creating Threats, think about what has been established by your 
  friends and see how you can push on those questions. How can 
  you build those ideas into the Threats you make? 
   
  And never, ever, assume you have the answers to those questions. 
  Threats aren’t the place where everything comes together - they’re 
  another springboard into the unknown.  
  You can make as 
  many interesting Threats as you want – none of them will be 
  impactful if they don’t resonate with the party. To make it resonate, 
  bring it back to their histories, their desires, and their conflicts. 
   
  Open yourself to possibilities and ask. “Are they familiar to you?” is 
  the strongest question you can ask them. It will give them the 
  possibility that there is something here in their memory, something 
  they’re not quite sure of yet. 
   
  If you are given the chance, intertwine their histories, desires, and 
  conflicts together. Make it messy and fraught. 
   when you present a Threat to your 
  friends or make a move from the Threat’s list, don’t announce “this 
  is a Trap” or say “I’m splitting you up.” It very well might be a Trap, 
  and you very well might be splitting them up, but rather than 
  announce it, show them how it happens. You can say something 
  like “you notice a groove along the bottom of the floor, bisecting 
  the room. What do you do?” or maybe if they haven’t Avoided 
  
  50 
  Danger, “as you enter the room a divider comes up from the 
  bottom of the floor. The Bloodletter and Bard on one side, the 
  Sellsword and Witch on another. What do you do?” Always say 
  how it arises from the fiction.
   
  It’s not that you won’t be picking your Threats and moves arbitrarily 
  - you will. But to trick your friends into thinking that you know 
  exactly what you’re doing, pretend that you aren’t. The best way to 
  pretend you know what you’re doing is to make your Threats and 
  your moves arise from what has already been said. 
   
   think about the Threats you present 
  to your friends as puzzles - not in that they only have one solution, 
  because they don’t - but because they are something to be worked 
  out. Half of the fun of playing this game is trying to figure out how 
  the Threats work, what their function is, and how to get past them. 
   
  As such, don’t worry about having Threats be cunning - they’re 
  already deadly. The cunning ones are your friends who will defeat, 
  sneak past, or otherwise circumvent the Threats. Give Threats 
  simple, understandable motivations and simple, understandable 
  patterns to their actions, and throw them at your friends. See what 
  sticks. 
   
  This is especially true during the Combat Phase - enemies in Delver 
  are deadly, all of them. Don’t worry about trying to kill the Party, 
  because it can happen without any effort on your part. Instead 
  create patterns out of the enemies’ attacks, and allow your friends 
  to learn how to overcome them. 
   
   
   
  
  51 
  Threats are your main way of interacting with the party. After the 
  room is fully described when someone Scouts, they will turn to you 
  as if to say “what happens next?” In that moment, you must present 
  your Threat. If they Avoided Danger before entering, describe the 
  Threat and ask them “what do you do?” If they did not all Avoid 
  Danger, make a move from the Threat’s list and ask them “what 
  do you do”? 
   
  When they say what they do, it’s your job to determine what the 
  Threat does next. There aren’t dice that will tell you, or specific 
  rules. Trust your gut and judge accordingly. If you feel like they 
  have understood the Threat and overcome it, then they move on. If 
  they do something that would make them vulnerable to the Threat, 
  make a move from the Threat’s list. Otherwise, continue describing 
  the Threat and asking them what they do. 
   
  “Hang an ax above their heads” means just that - present a reason 
  why they must overcome this Threat or else face peril. It could be a 
  ceiling slowly lowering to crush them, the pounding of mechanical 
  feet as a tomb guardian chases after them, or a poison running 
  through some innocent dungeon dweller’s veins. 
   
  Note - you can’t damage the party except in combat. The slowly 
  descending ceiling might very well be a peril, but you can’t kill 
  them with it. They might fall into that pit, but they won’t die to it. 
  Instead, think of these Threats as wearing them down, splitting 
  them up, wasting time, or draining their resources.  
   
  ● Traps (impulse: to capture, to maim) 
  ● Curses (impulse: to control, to dominate) 
  ● People (impulse: to survive, to sacrifice) 
  ● Monsters (impulse: to drive out, to destroy) 
  
  52 
   (impulse: to capture, to impede) 
  Traps are as much obstacles and blockades as they are literal 
  traps. The point of a trap isn’t to hurt; it’s to stop. A series of riddles 
  you must answer before you can move past a sphynx is a trap, but 
  so is a deep pit covered by camouflage. 
   
  Trap moves 
  ● Separate them 
  ● Capture someone 
  ● Damage their gear 
  ● Hang an ax above their heads 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   (impulse: to control, to dominate) 
  Curses are rules and laws writ flesh - they exist not to impede, like 
  Traps, but to shape their victims. A Curse doesn’t have to be 
  magical - it might be poisonous gas released into a room 
  whenever someone speaks, or a threat against a kidnapped victim 
  if the party does not give over their weapons. But it can also be 
  magical - a compulsion to give no mercy to evil, a geas against 
  killing, or an imposed desire to appreciate beauty. 
   
  Curse moves 
  ● Tell them the possible consequences and ask 
  ● Activate their gear’s downside 
  ● Drain their Focus if they don't obey 
  ● Hang an ax above their heads 
   
  
  53 
   (impulse: to survive, to sacrifice) 
  People might be enemies, but they don’t have to be. People are 
  anything in the dungeon that can think, feel, and fear death. If it 
  has no fear and does not long to escape the dungeon, it’s not a 
  Person. 
   
  People moves 
  ● Make them trade 
  ● Offer an opportunity, with or without cost 
  ● Put them in a spot 
  ● Hang an ax above their heads 
   
   
   
   
   
   (impulse: to drive out, to destroy) 
  Monsters are like people but they don’t think, they don’t feel, and 
  they don’t fear death. They live in the dungeon only as memories 
  of violence. Monsters can be tricked or circumvented, but they can’t 
  be reasoned with. Some monsters produce magical effects that 
  resemble spells; these effects are tagged and consume Stamina as 
  if they were weapons. Monsters do not require implements to cause 
  these effects. 
   
  To be clear, Monster is an ontological category here. If something 
  starts to think, or feel, or fear death, it is no longer a Monster and 
  you should not treat it as such.  
   
  Monster moves 
  ● Hunt them 
  ● Chase them 
  ● Fight them 
  ● Swing an axe at their heads 
   
  
  54 
  Making enemies and bosses before play isn’t possible in Delver - 
  your friends will be describing the terrain and the rooms of the 
  dungeon, and you’ll want to make sure the enemies you describe 
  fit into the world you’ve created together. 
   
  While your friends are describing the dungeon, creating items and 
  their histories, or resting, take time to think about what kind of 
  enemies would be interesting in the dungeon. Write your ideas 
  down but don’t create the actual enemies. 
   
  You can skip the sections that follow until you enter the Combat 
  Phase – come back and read them then. 
   
  Here is how we handle enemies in Delver: whenever you enter the 
  Combat Phase, everyone takes a 5 minute break while you take 
  one of the ideas you wrote down and turn it into an enemy. 
   
  That means: assign it a Might. Think of a couple of appropriate 
  Attacks and give them tags that make sense for their function. It 
  doesn’t sound like much, because it isn’t! It’s very easy to make 
  enemies in Delver, and it’s a fun opportunity to flex your creativity. 
   
  Bosses are made in pretty much the same way as enemies; assign 
  them a Might, give them two or three Attacks, and maybe think of 
  some potential Phase Shifts. 
   
  Don’t worry about writing down Phase Shifts immediately, however 
  - you’ll probably have figured out a cool one by the time it’s 
  necessary, and if not just take a 5 minute break and come up with 
  one. 
   
  
  55 
  Tell your friends to treat the breaks like loading screens in a video 
  game. Everyone else can get a chance to relax, talk about what 
  cool stuff has happened, strategize about the upcoming encounter, 
  or take care of their bodily functions. 
   
  Consider making a boss when: 
  ● the party reaches a dramatic location 
  ● you have an idea for a cool one 
  ● the party asks you to 
  ● the party least expects it 
   
   
  When you play as the enemies in combat, the structure will be 
  slightly different than that of the party. You don’t roll to attack - 
  enemy attacks always hit, and they do damage equal to their Heft. 
   
  Most enemies don’t Dodge - in general, only have the toughest 
  and most dangerous enemies do so. Any enemy with an effect that 
  has the Guard tag can block, and they should do so. 
   
  Follow your principles - make the enemy actions into patterns and 
  stick to them. If you want to change up the pattern, communicate 
  clearly that something is different about the enemy. Maybe when 
  the enemy is badly injured they will back away and put up their 
  shield and only Block attacks from then on.  
   
  Perhaps most importantly: don’t be afraid to kill them. 
  
  56 
  Enemies can be any Threat in the dungeon that the party can 
  reasonably defeat with violence. All enemies and bosses have a 
  score called 
  . Might ranges from 1 to 6, and is used to 
  measure how strong an enemy is. 
   
  Enemies: 
  ● 1-2 Might: cannon fodder, mooks, introductory enemies. 
  ● 3-4 Might: intermediate enemies, killable but requiring 
  more care 
  ● 5-6 Might: minibosses, difficult fights that will require 
  resources to defeat 
   
  Bosses: 
  • 
  1-2 Might: An easy boss, dangerous but quickly destroyed 
  • 
  3-4 Might: A midlevel boss – killable if they are careful 
  • 
  5-6 Might: Endgame – expect multiple deaths 
   
  When rolling to attack, only dice that meet or exceed target's Might 
  are considered successes. 
   
  Non-boss enemies are commonly found throughout the dungeon, 
  and while they might be unique, they do not on their own pose a 
  significant danger to the Party. An enemy has: 
  ● 10 Health per Might 
  ● 10 Stamina 
   
  Bosses are the big, solo enemies that lie at crucial points of the 
  dungeon. They are much tougher than normal enemies and have: 
  ● 15 Health per Might 
  ● 10+Might Stamina 
  ● Fury 
   
  
  57 
    
  As the fight progresses, bosses will change, degrade, or gain a 
  second wind. We call these moments Phase Shifts. Depending on 
  the might of the boss, they will have more Phase Shifts: 
  ● Might 1-2: 1 Phase Shift 
  ● Might 3-4: 1 or 2 Phase Shifts 
  ● Might 5-6: 2 Phase Shifts 
   
  Place the Phase Shifts at dramatic moments in the fight, or when 
  you think your friends have started to learn the boss’s moves. You 
  can initiate them when the boss hits a certain threshold of Health, 
  but you don’t have to. If you aren’t sure when to do it, ask your 
  friends when would feel right. 
   
  Some bosses deal more damage after a Phase Shift, and this is 
  reflected in their description through the Mighty tag. If an enemy 
  has an attack with a Mighty tag, it adds that number of damage to 
  its attack without increasing the amount of Stamina that attack 
  costs. 
   
   
   
  
  58 
   
  Desperate for resources and a way out. 
  Might: 2 | Health: 20 | Stamina: 10 
  Dagger: 2 Heft, Close 
   
  In over their head and desperately afraid. 
  Might: 1 | Health: 10 | Stamina: 10 
   
  This was a soldier once, but no one knows for whom. 
  Might: 1 | Health: 10 | Stamina: 10 
  Sword: 3 Heft, Close 
  This undead soldier carries slightly more rusted medals on their 
  uniform than usual. 
  Might: 2 | Health: 20 | Stamina: 10 
  Halberd: 4 Heft, Reach 
   
  Two red beacons shine behind this knight's visor. 
  Might: 3 | Health: 30 | Stamina: 10 
  Greatsword: Heft 5, Close, Forceful 
  Red Resurgence: Heft 4, Magery, Healing, Lingering 1 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  59 
  Who created these creatures? Did they intend them to suffer so? 
  Might: 1 | Health: 10 | Stamina: 10 
  Claw: 2 Heft, Touch 
   
  Its screams are almost human in their quality. They say the Old King 
  bred them for war. 
  Might: 2 | Health: 20 | Stamina: 10 
  Claw: 4 Heft, Touch 
  Breath: 3 Heft, Subdual, Reach 
  A human face peeks out between its massive fangs. Its audible 
  weeping does not cease. 
  Might: 4 | Health: 40 | Stamina: 10 
  Claw: 5 Heft, Close 
  Breath: 5 Heft, Subdual, Far, Area 
   
   
   
  
  60 
   
  This knight is draped in chains, wrists bound. They carry a sword on 
  their back, but it is also chained and cannot be drawn. 
  Might: 4 | Health: 60 | Stamina: 14 
  Chained Hands: 4 Heft, Close 
  Chained Sword: 4 Heft, Close, Area 
   
  Phase Shift: Broken Manacles 
  The knight screams, and strains against their bonds. With a great 
  snap, their Manacles give way and they adopt a more feral stance 
  as they grip their weapon, blade still sealed. 
   
  Statistics as above, but replace the attacks with: 
  Unchained Sword: 4 Heft, Reach, Area, Mighty 4 
  Loping Spin: 4 Heft, Reach, Area, Mighty 4, Forceful 
   
  A massive dragon dire wolf and the Old King’s personal pet. She 
  followed him wherever he went, even after his death. 
  Might: 3 | Health: 45 | Stamina: 13 
  Claws: 10 Heft, Close 
  Silk: 2 Heft, Subdual, Far 
   
  Phase Shift: The Queen’s Waltz 
  A porcelain white human torso crawls its way from out of the 
  Queen’s throat and straightens itself gracefully. Instead of hands, it 
  has claws. Instead of a mouth, jaws. Even still, she is weeping. 
   
  Statistics as above, but replace the attacks with: 
  Claws: 2 Heft, Close, Mighty 2 
  Breath: 2 Heft, Subdual, Far, Area 
  
  61 
  A towering undead colossus. Was he like this before death, or was 
  this done to him? 
  Might: 5 | Health: 75 | Stamina: 15 
  Fists: 5 Heft, Reach, Messy 
  Body Slam: 30 Heft, Far, Area 
   
  Phase Shift: Dissolution 
  The Old King’s arms falls off to the ground and now fight on their 
  own, separate from his body. 
   
  Statistics as above, but lose the Fists attack. 
  Two new enemies appear: 
  Might 1 | Health: 15 | Stamina: 11 
  Fists: 5 Heft, Close, Messy 
   
  Phase Shift: The Crown 
  The Old King’s head falls to the ground to fight on its own, 
  separate from his body. 
   
  Statistics as above. 
  A new enemy appears: 
  Might 2 | Health: 30 | Stamina 12 
  Imperious Gaze: 6 Heft, Subdual, Far 
   
   
   
  
  62 
   
   the action of attacking, with a weapon, your body, a spell, 
  or some other means. 
   
   the action of guarding yourself, using a shield or your 
  body, to stop an incoming attack. 
   
   the action of ducking, weaving, or rolling with the intent to 
  avoid incoming danger. 
   the “soul-weight” of a spell, representing how much Focus 
  it costs to cast, the Stamina it takes to use it, how many dice you 
  roll to use it, and how much damage (or healing) it does. 
   your long term energy and ability to maintain 
  concentration. You have 10, and you regain 1 Focus for every 2 
  damage you deal (by any means). 
   
   a tag surrounded by [brackets] can only be applied 
  by spending 2 Focus. 
   
   a benefit chosen at character creation that grants a 
  permanent passive effect. 
   
   the action of taunting an enemy or otherwise drawing their 
  attention. A goaded enemy makes you a priority with attacks, 
  opening them up to other party members’ attacks. 
   
   the sturdiness, sharpness, and general condition of your 
  weapon. Grade deteriorates as an optional consequence of 
  missing attacks, and can also be affected by hitting enemies with 
  certain qualities. During the Exploration Phase, Grade can also be 
  
  63 
  reduced by environmental effects and can be restored by taking 
  maintenance actions. 
   
   the stability of an equipped shield. Higher quality shields 
  have a higher Guard, and thus are more effective. When Blocking, 
  incoming damage is reduced by your shield’s Guard, with any 
  remaining damage applied to Stamina rather than Health. 
   
   the weight, bulkiness, and general mass of a weapon. Heft 
  determines how much Stamina an Attack or Dodge action costs, 
  how many dice are rolled as part of an Attack, and how much 
  damage is dealt on a successful Attack. 
   
   tags that are connected [like]+[this] are always 
  applied together, at the Focus cost of a single tag. 
   
   Your Load is the heaviness of the items you are carrying. 
  Your Load is equal to the sum of the Hefts of all your gear (treat 
  items without a Heft rating as having 1 Heft for the purposes of 
  Load). If your Load is higher than your Stamina, take the difference 
  as a penalty to Stamina during the combat and Exploration Phases. 
   
   a measure of an enemy's size, strength, and power. When 
  rolling to attack an enemy, the attack hits if the highest number 
  rolled meets or exceeds the target's Might. 
   
   this is what happens when you fail to land a hit when 
  making an Attack action. When you miss, you either take Heft as a 
  penalty to your starting Stamina on the next round or take reduce 
  your weapon's Grade by 1. 
   
   a penalty to Stamina received by missing an 
  attack or by taking an action that costs more Stamina than you 
  have left. In the former case, the penalty is equal to the weapon's 
  
  64 
  Heft. In the latter case, the penalty is equal to the difference 
  between the Stamina cost of the action and the amount of Stamina 
  you had when you took that action. 
   
   the space of time during the Combat Phase wherein all 
  involved characters choose and resolve their actions. 
   
   a die rolled as part of an Attack action that meets or 
  exceeds the target's Might. 
   
   a character who starts a round with zero Stamina is 
  staggered, and thus cannot defend themself or attack. 
   
   your short term energy during a fight or while exploring. 
  In the Combat Phase, it’s used to Attack, Block, and Dodge. In the 
  Exploration Phase, it’s used to Scout, Salvage, and Avoid Danger. If 
  you would start a round with 0 Stamina, you are Staggered. 
   
   
  
  65 
  So you want to kill the Record Keeper. There are three ways: 
   
  When you Scout, one person volunteers to play the Threats in the 
  room. Everyone should read the Record Keeping section together to 
  understand how to play Threats. 
   
  When you Scout, everyone develops and plays the Threats together. 
  When someone makes a response to a Threat or its Moves, 
  another player says whether it works and what the Threat does, 
  and then asks a third player what they do. Everyone should read 
  the Record Keeping section together to understand how to play 
  Threats. 
   
  There are no Threats in the dungeon. When you Scout in a room, 
  relate it to your histories, your desires, and your conflicts. Continue 
  play as normal. 
   
   
   
  Remember: no one is the master of the dungeon.  
   
   
  
  66 
  Things don’t have to be this way. The world doesn’t have to forget. 
  If its walls won’t keep the memories in, then you can be there to 
  hold your hands over the cracks. And you won’t be alone. 
   
  You aren’t the only one in this world looking for meaning. You 
  aren’t the only one who is afraid of the slow march of time that 
  steals everything you love and everything you know. 
   
  Torches of memory’s ire can be shared by more than one hand. 
  You don’t have to hold it all yourself. When you share your 
  memories, when you drink deep from the dungeon’s memories 
  and from each other, what wondrous things will you see? What 
  stories will you have lived? 
   
  The secret that the dungeon doesn’t want you to know is that your 
  life doesn’t have to be endless struggle in a losing battle; it doesn’t 
  have to be flailing below the water desperate for air; it doesn’t 
  have to be like this. Any of us by ourselves could never scratch the 
  dungeon, 
   
  but perhaps together, we can destroy this motherfucker. Do you 
  want to try? 
   
   
  
  67 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Standalone/Delver 2e.pdf