Darkest Dungeon II TTRPG - Torchbearer 2e Hack
A downloadable game
This is a Torchbearer Dungeoneers & Dragonslayers
Non-commercial licensed production
This hack requires the Torchbearer 2e books to play. This document is not for re-sale.
Torchbearer 2e can be purchased here!
Darkest Dungeon II is a player-driven narrative game that focuses on player created stories using Atonements, Darkest Secrets and Instincts to generate content. It is set in the world of The Darkest Dungeon and all the Lovecraftian horror filled elements that come with it.
This game is a hack of the Torchbearer 2e System. The game is mechanically simple, with the easy to learn d6 dice pool system yet it has many gears that makes it function. The game focuses on the fiction, requiring fast thinking and world development that happens from session to session.
The key elements of Darkest Dungeon 2 is knowing when to gain helping dice, how to use your traits, and when to spend/earn Artha. The game also has a memory system based on the Hero's Darkest Secret that will slowly unlock your past to reveal moments of strength and weakness', helping you understand how you are linked to the overall story. All these are all things you learn about as you narrate your character's actions. This is not a game you will learn in a single session but rather something that comes more alive and understandable after 6+.
If you played Torchbearer 1e or 2e before this game will feel VERY different. Instead of being hobos trying to survive, here you are heroes that hold The Flame. The manifestation of The World's Last Hope. If all hope is gone, so is any chance of fending off the Darkness.
Changes to the Torchbearer 2e System Summary:
Phases of Play
GM Phases - Adventure and Exploring Phase
Player Phases - Camp and Town Phase
New Stock Characters
Based on the Darkest Dungeon II video game.
New Hero Traits
Special Traits just for Heroes!
Skill Changes
A reworking of skill that fit the theme.
Changes to Spells, Prayers
A new list of spells and changes on how to learn and use them!
The Flame Tracker
Adds more flavor when count down The Grind.
Upgraded Conditions
Your Heroes are Sterner stock than the Hobos of Torchbearer. The Grind is less likely to make you wither away into nothingness but the added weight makes Stress and Kill Conflicts all the more perilous.
Stress Meter
Try and avoid going to the brink, and lose your hope for humanity.
New Athra - Glimmers of Hope
Your heroic actions helping The Desperate Few will come with it's own rewards.
Changes to Nature
Your Nature is your ability to remain human and keep your sanity.
Quirks, Afflictions & Virtues
Completed new list of character changes that both help and hinder your hero.
Conflict Changes
Conflicts will have 4 actions a round and now also have a position which needs to be taken into account when rolling your dice.
Town Phase Changes
A new Town Event's Table and yet there is So Many Town phase changes to list them all.
Flashback & Memory System
Unlock memories on the fly to learn more about yourself and your darkest secret. Build a story that will lead to a flashback of a decisive moment that changed your life.
Level Up Changes
Glimmers of Hope is now a level up requirement.
Design Your Own Adventure or Dungeon
New rules on making dungeons and adventures for GM's to use.
I have been working on for the past few years using the Burning Wheel dice system and the Torchbearer 2e Core rules set. This game has been reviewed and approved for the use of the Dungeoneers & Dragonslayers - Non-commercial license.
A guide in the document has been made with Key Rules that a GM should book mark in the Torchbearer 2e book to allow an easier time to user this hack.
I recommend that is anyone does try and play this, let me know your experience. I am always trying to playtest this with different people to get all the little issues worked out.
The hack is 189 Pages, so if you are willing to read it all, you deserve the Brave (or Foolhardy) trait!
I hold no rights to the Darkest Dungeon IP or the Torchbearer system and will remain Non-Commercial and for education purposes only.
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Hello!
I wanted to know where I can get the rules to play this hack. It being a mixture of Burning Wheel and Torchbearer 2e I wanted to make sure I am playing the game right
The Hack is listed under the following file: Darkest Dungeon II - v1.02.pdf
Due to licensing limitations key elements too similar to the Torchbearer 2e book have been cut and replaced with a reference to the Torchbearer book for said elements.
The items you will need to bookmark in the Torchbearer 2e document is:
Other than those it should be able to be run as a stand-alone. While it uses the Torchbearer RPG system as reference, the feel for the game is going to be VERY DIFFERENT (Non-OSR). If you wish to chat about this, you can find me on discord.
Username: vicarothdalgan
If there is enough interest, I might open a discord server to answer questions and provide additional content to help play this hack of the system.