Decades ago a rumble went through what seemed like half the world.
All at once great stone structures erupted from the ground, air which
hadn't flowed in millennia hissing as it escaped its prison. Not long
after that the curious began to explore them. Most never returned,
but those who did became fabulously wealthy. Now nearly every dungeon
which hasn't been cleared has a boom town, if not a city, associated
with it and adventuring is a well respected, if often short-lived
profession.
What You Need
=============
In order to play Malice, you'll need the following:
* A tarot deck
* A set of seven d6
* Recommended: paper and a pencil to play this as a journaling RPG.
Introduction to Tarot Decks
===========================
Much of a tarot deck is set up like a normal playing card deck: cards
in suits going from an ace to a king. These cards are called minor
arcana. The Page, Knight, Queen, and King (like the Jack, Queen, and
King of playing cards) are called the court cards rather than face
cards. In the game these represent normal dungeoneering, either
finding resources in the case of number cards, or challenges to be
overcome for a reward in the court cards.
A Tarot deck features four suits, each of which has its own meaning
in Malice:
* Cups are temporary boons which can be spent to overcome events. A
potion quaffed at the right time, a fellow delver who owed you a
favor, a lucky circumstance. Anything which helps you now, but not
in the future.
* Swords are permanent boons which help you on your journey. An
excellent piece of equipment, a trustworthy companion, or just
lessons learned from your adventure.
* Wands are objects of divinatory power. You can use them to see and
perhaps even change your fate.
* Pentacles are valuables from gems to gold to books. These are what
you want to bring back to strike it rich.
In Malice, the numbers of minor arcana do not matter. The Ace of
Wands is exactly the same as the Five of Wands. The value of court
cards does matter, however.
The remaining cards, the ones numbered from 0 to 21, are called the
major arcana. These represent special events in the game. If you're
journalling, these are where most of your detail will likely go.
They're kept in a table at the end of this book.
Generating A Character
======================
In Malice you have 6 attributes:
* Might: Your ability to exert power by your own hand.
* Agility: Your quickness and flexibility.
* Luck: The mother of all abilities. A wildcard which can be used for
any roll, but you can't gain it back.
* Intelligence: The depth of your knowledge.
* Charm: Your ability to bring intelligent beings to your side.
* Evocation: Your skill in the magical arts.
These are your innate and gained abilities which will help guide you
through the dungeon in search of your fortune. To generate a
character, roll 6d6 and read them from left to right for your
attributes.
Playing The Game
================
Your Goals
----------
Your goal in Malice is to dive into a dungeon and not only live to
tell the tale, but to escape with stacks of loot as well. In order to
do this you'll be making use of your attributes as well as whatever
you can scavenge while in the depths. You'll flip cards from the
deck, collecting Pentacles cards until you either hit 0 in an
attribute and die, or you flip The Fool and make your way out of the
dungeon. If you make it out of the dungeon, the number of Pentacles
in your hand is your score.
Beginning
---------
After generating your character, draw cards equal to your
intelligence and shuffle any major arcana back into the deck.
Checks
------
Most events in Malice are resolved by checks. In order to make a
check, look at your skill in the relevant attribute. If the event is
harder than normal, subtract from your skill. If you've used cups to
improve your chances, increase the skill (your skill can't go above 6
or below 1 for a check.) Then roll a d6. If the result is at or below
the target number, you overcome the check. In other words you're
attempting to roll at or lower than [relevant skill] + [bonuses from
cups] - [minuses from the event]. Rolling a 6 is always a failure. If
you fail a check, then reduce your skill in that attribute by the
amount you failed by (for example: if your target roll was a 3 and
you rolled a 6, reduce it by 3.)
You may re-roll a failed check and decrease your luck by 1, unless
you roll a 1.
The Play Area
-------------
The game state consists of the following:
* Your attributes at the moment.
* Your hand of cards.
* The deck (always face down.)
* The discard pile (always face up.)
In addition to these there's another face-up pile called the Corpse.
When you die, place your entire hand face up as the Corpse. If you
encounter a ghost and successfully guide them out of the dungeons,
all of their loot is yours.
Taking A Turn
-------------
The game progresses through a series of events, revealed as flipping
cards from the top of the deck. A turn is played as follows:
* Use one Action from your hand if you'd like.
* Flip a card from the deck to trigger an event.
* Optionally play Cups cards from your hand to reduce the difficulty
of the check.
* Resolve the event.
Using Actions
-------------
Before the turn's event occurs, you have the option to use one action
from your hand. You can either strengthen yourself with Swords, or to
try to peer into the future with Wands.
In order to use a Swords action, pick one of your attributes. Discard
Swords from your hand equal to your skill in that attribute, then
increase your skill by 1. For example: if you have a Charm of 2, then
discard 2 Swords cards, regardless of value, and increase your Charm
to 3.
To use a Wands action, discard 1 to 3 Wands cards from your hand then
make an Evocation check. If you fail the check, you still lose the
cards. If you succeed, you receive an effect matching the number of
cards you discarded:
Wands Spent Effect
----------- ----------------------------------------------------
1 Look at the top card and put it back on top.
2 Look at the top card, put it back on top or on the
bottom.
3 Look at the top 3 cards, put them back in any order,
and put 1 on the bottom.
Revealing An Event
------------------
After you've taken or skipped your action, flip the top card of the
deck. If it's a numbered minor arcana, put it into your hand and go
to the next turn. If it's a court card then check one of the suit's
attributes at the associated penalty. You cannot spend cups to help
overcome a cups court card; the check is pure luck. If you overcome
it, add the card to your hand. Remember: your skill can never raised
above 6, even temporarily.
If it's a major arcana you must either undertake the event or attempt
to skip it with a check, if allowed. If the card's description says
to "overcome with [attribute]" then it's skippable with a check. If
you fail the check then you experience the event on top of the damage
from the failure. If it says "roll" then that roll is just part of
the event and isn't subject to damage.
Using Cups
----------
You may discard cups cards to temporarily boost your skill in an
attribute. You must spend your skill in cups cards to boost it by 1
as many times as you like. For example: if your skill in Might is 2
and you want to boost it by 2, you must pay 5 cups cards. 2 for the
first boost and 3 for the second.
Resolving The Event
-------------------
If it's a court card or an event you're skipping with a check, make
the check. If you're taking a major arcana event, then follow the
instructions for the card. Make any changes to your skills as needed,
then the turn ends.
Persistence
-----------
There are two persistence mechanisms in Malice: The Corpse and
success. When you die, set aside your non-World cards in the corpse
pile. You can retrieve this if you pull The Hierophant and guide the
dead adventurer's soul out of the dungeons. The other method of
persistence follows your score. When you leave the dungeon, count up
your score in pentacles. At the start of your next game if you choose
to delve with the same adventurer (you don't re-roll your stats,)
your starting hand size is that adventurer's score on their last
delve plus their intelligence. Put any major arcana back into the
discard pile.
The Cards
=========
The Minor Arcana
----------------
Beyond its effect in your hand, each suit as associated with one or
more attributes:
Suit Associated Attribute
--------- --------------------------
Swords Agility and Might
Wands Evocation and Intelligence
Pentacles Charm and Intelligence
Cups Luck
The Major Arcana
----------------
The Fool
A way out! Escape the dungeon with your life, if you so choose. If
you've led a ghost here, take its Corpse pile.
The Magician
A statue of a figure cloaked in robes sits in front of you, one hand
pointing to the sky and the other to its feet. The inscription on the
base is faded and somehow ever-changing. Roll Evocation. On a pass,
increase it by 1. On a fail, decrease it by 2.
The High Priestess
Place 3 cards face down in front of you. Pick one. If it's a number
card, nothing happens. If it's a court card, overcome it at double
difficulty. If you pull a major arcana, +1 to luck. Discard them all.
The Empress
Discard 2 cards from your hand to weigh down a pressure plate which
hold closed a door in your way. Overcome with Intelligence.
The Emperor
The ceiling crumbles above you and your pack is pinned underneath the
rubble. Discard a card while you waste time trying to rescue it, then
discard 5 cards at random for what was crushed. Overcome with Agility
or Might.
The Hierophant
You meet the remains of the last unlucky adventurer and their lost
spirit. If you have a Corpse, set The Hierophant on top of the corpse
pile. It's now your time to guide the lost soul until you reach the
dungeon's exit.
The Chariot
Wide caverns and smooth floors stretch out ahead of you. Discard the
top 3 cards as you progress deeper into the dungeon while paying
little notice. Overcome with Intelligence.
The Lovers
You find a lost adventurer in the dungeon, hardly clinging to their
sanity. If you choose to help them, draw 5 cards from the deck face
down and place The Lovers above it. If you guide the adventurer out
of the dungeon all the loot in their backpack is yours. Otherwise you
leave them to their fate.
Justice
You meet a fellow adventurer in the depths and swap tips. If your
last skill check was a failure, raise that skill as your experience
is helpful to them. If it was a success, lower it; we learn from
mistakes, not successes. Overcome with charm.
The Hermit
You find a cool, well-lit room whose burbling fountain drowns out the
horrific noises which echo through the labyrinth outside. Take a
moment to rest and consider your journey so far. Gain +1 in any one
skill except Luck.
The Wheel of Fortune
Everything changes, you even find yourself unfamiliar in these
crushing depths. Make an Intelligence check. If you succeed rotate
your stats left or right, whichever you choose. Otherwise, rotate
them left. Might will become Evocation and every other skill moves
one to the left to make room for this.
Strength
A room in the dungeon gapes wide. Within is the very picture of one
of your greatest fears. Your body would have no problems slipping
past, if only your mind could cooperate. Roll against charm or
intelligence. -2 to whichever you used on failure.
The Hanged Man
You narrowly escaped a room with your life and resolve to never let
that happen again. Figure out what went wrong and right it. Discard 1
card of a suit, then check one of its related attributes. If you fail
the check, then gain +2 in the skill you failed. If you pass the
check, nothing happens.
Death
A fissure opens up before you with jagged stairs leading downwards.
The way behind has closed off, you have no choice but to descend
deeper into the dungeon. Reduce all of your skills by 1, place the
discard pile back into the deck, and shuffle it.
Temperance
The passageways tighten, jagged edges of rock grabbing onto your and
your equipment like the hands of the damned trapped within this hell.
There doesn't seem to be a way to fit through with all that you have.
Discard cards in your hand until all suits have the same count. This
number can be 0. Overcome with Agility.
The Devil
You stumble upon a pile of loot left by a presumably-dead adventurer.
Reduce a skill of your choice by 1. Draw cards equal to that skill's
value; if it's a suit card, put it into your hand. Overcome with
Intelligence.
The Tower
A trapdoor opens beneath you, shooting you into an elaborate series
of passageways fed by gravity. All of your possessions are thrown
from your body from the speed and the jostling before you're finally
deposited into a whole new room. Discard your entire hand. Check
luck. If you overcome, draw a hand 1 bigger. If you did not, draw
back at half the size (rounded up.)
The Star
You've come to a dead end. There's no clear path forward and you're
unsure of the way back. Look for a new way to continue. Overcome with
Agility or Intelligence. If you choose not to overcome, discard 3
cups cards.
The Moon
Water splashes around your ankles in this room and an eerie, pale
light filters in through a hole in the ceiling. As you look down you
see something you've lost. Roll Evocation or Intelligence. On
success, take the top minor arcana from the discard pile into your
hand. Otherwise discard a random card from your hand.
The Sun
You swear that you feel the sun on your face for the first time in
what feels like an eternity but it's something far better: a treasure
room bathed in warmth with a banquet set in the center. Rest, relax,
and regain your strength. Gain +2 in any one skill.
Judgment
Cursed! You're unable to make use of any of your inventory until
you've passed the next challenge. Overcome with Intelligence.
The World
The well runs dry. You've chanced upon the dungeon's greatest
treasure and there's no doubt about it. Keep it; it counts as 10
pentacles cards, but if you die it doesn't stay with your corpse.
Acknowledgments
I'd like to thank the following for helping to make Malice happen in
roughly chronological order:
* Chris, who was present for and helped me talk through the original
idea all those years ago.
* Fief, whose self-titled albums helped me feel the mood for a dark
fantasy dungeon crawl.
* MercyMorbid, for consulting on the game and being my first
interaction with tarot that wasn't The Binding of Isaac.
* MrsMothMom, for exposing me to more tarot and during whose stream I
realized that the cards would be a much better fit for the theme
and gameplay.
* Mini, for playtesting and being absolutely lovely in general.
Notable Characters
==================
* Polnath: 21 loot across 2 runs, 1 dungeon cleared.
* Hiram The Lucky: 17 loot, 1 dungeon cleared.
