TEXT: Black Sun 
  
  Black Sun Deathcrawl, copyright 2015 Aleph Null Publishing. This product is 
  based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, published by Goodman 
  Games. This product is published under license. Dungeon Crawl Classics and 
  DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. All rights reserved. For additional 
  information, visit http://www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-
  games.com.  To tell me how this game ruined your life, email me at 
  james@alephnullpublishing.com.  Blame must also be shared with Adam, Doug, 
  Wayne, Edgar, Noah, Jeremy, Eliad, Justin, Nathan and of course Monica. 
  Lastly, the sincerest of apologies to Gustave Doré. 
  To hear what life under the Black Sun sounds like, follow this link: 
  www.tinyurl.com/blacksundeathcrawl 
  
  1
  Time is Entropy
  Gravity is Death 
  The Cursed Creed 
  
  2
  
  3
  In the 
  Beginning…
  There was the nothing. 
  
  4 
   
  
  5 
  Then came the Twin Suns 
   
  Light Sun 
   
  Black Sun 
   
   
  And where they met there was life 
   
   
  
  6 
   
  
  7 
  But the Black Sun did ascend, and 
  bring with it suffering eternal 
  The door between the All and the 
  Other slammed shut 
   
  All that was good fled in the face of 
  Terror Itself, hoping to trap the 
  Black Sun within a prison of 
  existence 
  
  8 
   
  
  9 
  Now there is a grinding certainty to 
  life 
  Day over day  
   
  Those that stand out are measured 
  and worn down  
   
  Eroded by the unrelenting pressure 
  of existence, until only a smooth 
  surface remains   
   
  Even memory fades, yet existence 
  continues on  
   
  Ultimately undisturbed 
  
  10 
   
  
  11 
  Now we, The Cursed, are 
  condemned to this bleak existence  
   
  We measure days in terms of length 
  and depth   
   
  The lengths we are willing to go to 
  survive  
   
  The depths to which we will sink  
   
  There used to be Life  
   
  Now there is only the Black Sun and 
  Its Black and Terrible Thoughts  
   
  We dig deep to escape Their Wrath  
  
  12 
   
  
  13 
   
  The charred remains of What Was 
  surround us  
   
  Scattered like spoiled meat upon 
  this darkling plain  
   
  As the Black Sun looks down with 
  sanguine menace 
   
   
  Once we had names 
  Once we were people 
  Now we are only The Cursed 
   
   
  Pray for us 
  
  14 
   
  
  15 
  The World 
  
  16 
   
   
  The Black Sun squats in 
  the center of a black and 
  broken land, Its baleful 
  gaze so strong that It has 
  pulled reality itself 
  around it.  Now It shines 
  down upon everything, 
  crouching in the center of 
  a hollow universe.   
   
  Day by day, the All is 
  constricted, pulling 
  tighter and tighter 
  around the Sun, and one 
  day All will be pulled 
  within it, finally ending 
  Its Eternal Evil. 
   
  
  17 
   
   
   
   
  The only living beings that 
  survived Its Ascendance 
  were those able to escape 
  to the cool darkness of 
  the Underground. 
   Condemned to eternal 
  suffering by the Black 
  Sun, they dig and hide 
  and try and escape 
  Wrath.  
   
   Light is an inexorable 
  force, though, and the 
  Black Sun's light has 
  been chasing the 
  survivors ever since. 
   
  
  18 
   
   
   
  The unknown irony of 
  the Cursed’s existence is 
  that their digging is 
  loosening the bolts to the 
  prison door - the 
  Firmament that traps the 
  Black Sun is weakening.   
   
  Day by day, the beast 
  rattles the cage, and the 
  Black Sun’s Unholy Light 
  worms its way closer and 
  closer to freedom as the 
  last layers of the earth 
  are corrupted.  
   
  Soon, it will be free. 
  
  19 
   
   
  And yet the Cursed dig. 
   
  Not because they hope to 
  escape… 
   
  Not because they hope to 
  find a better life… 
   
  Not because they hope… 
   
  But rather, because they 
  have forgotten what it 
  means to do anything 
  but dig, fight and flee. 
   
  Life itself can be a curse. 
   
   
   
  
  20 
   
   
  Black Thoughts Init +6; claws +3 (1d6, special: 
  Will save DC 10 or overwhelmed by suicidal 
  thoughts, incapacitated for 1d6 rounds) melee; AC 
  13; HD 2d6; MV 60’; ACT 1d20; SP noncorporeal 
  (able to move through solid objects not made of 
  Blackstone), 50% chance of Surprise; SV Fort 0, 
  Ref +4; Will 0 
  Black Thoughts worm and slither, sliding 
  through the cracks. They can be driven 
  off, and sometimes even destroyed. Thin 
  and flimsy things, they flutter and shiver, 
  preferring to take their enemies unaware, 
  while 
  they 
  sleep 
  or 
  are 
  otherwise 
  distracted. 
  Terrible Thoughts Init +0; fists +7 (1d12) melee; 
  AC 24; HD irrelevant; MV 5’; ACT 2d12; SP 
  indestructible; SV Fort +12, Ref -10, Will +5 
  Terrible Thoughts break and smash. Huge 
  and Solid, they cannot go where the 
  Cursed have not already been to loosen 
  the earth for their passage. They cannot 
  be destroyed, only escaped. 
   
   
   
  
  21 
   
   
  Oblitus Omega 
  There is a tale, told in hushed whispers 
  among the rare gatherings of the Cursed.  
  A tale of time’s event horizon, when the 
  Multiverse will succumb to heat death, 
  leaving nothing but the cold dead space of 
  the Black Sun’s inevitable victory – Ultima 
  Null. Through this frigid expanse, they 
  say, floats Oblitus Omega, the Last God.   
  Driven to insanity and desperate to escape 
  his isolation, they say, he drew upon all 
  his remaining power and hurled himself 
  backwards in time.   
  Ricocheting across multiple timelines, his 
  madness infected time itself and causes 
  anomalies in causation whenever 
  he 
  intersects with reality. Someday, the 
  legends say, he will shatter time itself, and 
  the Cursed will be free. 
  There is a 10% chance per half hour of 
  game 
  play 
  that 
  Oblitus 
  Omega 
  will 
  manifest. 
   
   
  
  22 
   
   
   
  The first time the group encounters Oblitus Omega, he is 
  at his nadir, having encountered the group twice before, 
  as he perceives time.  A mewling wretch, blackened and 
  raw, bits of divinity fall away as he fights like ashes from 
  the flame.   
  He begs and pleads for the characters to stop hurting 
  him, wailing that they are killing him, though they have 
  never met. 
  Oblitus Omega (1st Encounter) Init -1; fists +1 (1d4 x 2) 
  melee; AC 10; HD 1d10; MV 20’; Act d16; SP Summon 
  Monster; SV Fort -2, Ref -1, Will +5 
  The next encounter, both the group and Oblitus Omega 
  will recognize each other, as this is the second encounter 
  for both, but from different directions as they perceive 
  time. 
  Oblitus Omega (2nd Encounter) Init +1; fists +3 (1d6 x 
  2) melee; AC 14; HD 2d10; MV 30’; Act d24; SP Summon 
  Monster; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5 
  In the final encounter, Oblitus Omega is still flush with 
  power, a hypercolor caul of liquid time enveloping him. 
  He does not recognize the party, and can be negotiated 
  with.  However, if the group does not fight him after 
  doing battle twice before, Time Itself is fractured, which 
  splinters the reality prison, freeing the Black Sun and 
  destroying all life. 
  Oblitus Omega (3rd Encounter) Init +3; fists +1 (1d10 x 
  2) melee; AC 16; HD 4d10; MV 30’; Act 2d20; SP 
  Summon Monster; SV Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +5 
   
  
  23 
   
   
  Teeth Init +2; bite +1 (1d4) melee; AC 14; HD 
  1d10; MV 30’; Act d20; SV Fort +2, Ref+4, Will +0 
  No one is sure what these creatures are, 
  or where they came from. Perhaps they are 
  another foul minion of the Black Sun, 
  although they do not seem to work in 
  tandem with the Black and Terrible 
  Thoughts. Perhaps they are some sort of 
  opportunistic interdimensional predator, 
  drawn to the stench of universal carrion.   
  Regardless of their origin, they live in the 
  darkness, unseen save for their massive 
  set of teeth. Packs of these foul beasts 
  (1d6) frequently can be found feasting on 
  the carcasses of the fallen, but have been 
  known to strike at the unwary.   
  Slaves Init +0; fists +1 (1d4) melee; AC 10; HD 
  1d6; MV 20’; Act d20; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0 
  Under the best of circumstances, the line 
  between sanity and what lies beyond is 
  razor thin. The oppressive yoke of the 
  Black Sun skews that line, and even the 
  most sure-footed can lose their way. 
  Slaves believe that the only way they can 
  be free of the curse of existence is to 
  release the Black Sun from its prison.  
  They believe they must dig, not to escape, 
  but to crack the foundations of the All’s 
  mortar so their God may escape. 
  
  24 
   
   
  Direct exposure to the light 
  of the Black Sun causes 
  agony and death, stretched 
  into infinity by the weight of 
  its Thoughts. 
  The Black Sun is far too 
  sadistic to simply allow 
  Death to come so gently, 
  however. Before Death 
  comes physical and mental 
  deformity. The Black Light 
  worms its way inside 
  everything, corrupting what 
  it does not destroy. 
  If a character is exposed 
  to the Black Light, roll 
  1d4 on the following 
  chart, adding +1 for every 
  additional sixty seconds 
  (six rounds) of exposure 
  
  25 
   
   
   
  Black Light Exposure Corruption Chart 
  1. Migraine: Exposure to light brighter than a 
  lantern 
  causes 
  excruciating 
  pain, 
  -1 
  to 
  initiative for 1d6 hours. 
  2. Muscle Melt: Some muscle mass turns to 
  liquid, -1 to Personality, -1d3 to Strength 
  3. Cave Blind: Eyes turn milky and full of 
  cataracts, -4 Agility. 
  4. Skinscab: Skin becomes scaly and scabrous,    
  -1d4 to Personality for 1d4 days, after which 
  scabs fall off revealing skin colored: 1. Fiery 
  Red 2. Ebon Jet 3. Bone White 4. Pus Yellow. 
  5. Extended Limbs: Muscles lose tensile strength 
  as they are stretched along lengthened bone.  
  Gain 2d4 inches in height, lose 1d6 Strength. 
  6. Radsick: Nausea, Headache, hair falls out over 
  1d2 
  weeks. 
  -2 
  Stamina, 
  -2 
  Personality.  
  Permanent. 
  7. Thought Infection: Overwhelmed by crushing 
  depression. Each day, make a Will Save (DC 
  12) or lose 1 point of Hope. 
  8. Hell Symphony: Unceasing cacophony prevents 
  sleep. Fort Save (DC 13) daily or lose 1d2 
  points of randomly determined physical stat. 
  9. Quadrupedal: Chracters limbs are twisted so 
  they bend the wrong way.  They must move 
  around on all fours, scuttling like a crab: +1d3 
  to Agility, -1d8 Personality. 
  10. Wormtongue: Tongue becomes metasentient 
  and begins communicating with the player 
  (note player, not character) via notes from the 
  judge, prophesying doom. 
   
  
  26 
   
   
  11. Skinseal: the character’s skin begins to grow, 
  gradually sealing over all orifices. The eyes are 
  the first to go, followed by the nose, mouth and 
  finally the pores of the skin. The character may 
  use a sharp object to cut open their orifices, 
  but suffer a permanent reduction of 1 hit point 
  as they continually cut themselves in order to 
  remain functional. 
  12. Liquid Brain: A part of the character’s brain 
  liquefies and runs from their nose and mouth,  
  -1d8 Intelligence. If the liquid can be collected 
  and ingested, regain the Intelligence, but only 
  until it is passed from the system via urine, at 
  which point it may be collected again, ad 
  infinitum. 
  13. Limbwither: 
  A 
  randomly 
  determined 
  limb 
  shrivels and falls off over the course of 1d6 
  hours, causing a loss of one half (rounded 
  down) of the character’s Strength (if arm) or 
  Agility (if leg), spread evenly across that 
  timeframe. 
  14. Shrinking Skin: The skin shrinks around the 
  body, causing blinding pain as it slowly pulls 
  and finally tears over the course of a week, 
  causing 1d6 points of Stamina loss. For every 2 
  points of Strength above 10, add plus 1 to the 
  roll. Immersion in water for at least one hour a 
  day will make the skin elastic enough to avoid 
  this consequence. 
  15. Devolution: The character devolves into a race 
  of its ancestry (1d4: 1. Dwarf 2. Elf 3. Human 
  4. Halfling) and receives all the appropriate 
  abilities (if Human, gain two levels).  They also 
  become overwhelmed with grief as they truly 
  understand their plight for the first time.  -6 
  penalties to all rolls going forward.  
  
  27 
   
  
  28 
   
  Truths 
  
  29 
   
  Identity is 
  Irrelevant in 
  the Face of 
  Oblivion 
   
   
  Characters have no 
  names, no races. They 
  are only the Cursed. 
   
   
  
  30 
   
  Only the 
  Strong 
  Survive 
   
   
   
  Roll 4d6 and drop your 
  lowest die when 
  determining your 
  attributes. 
  
  31 
   
  Knowledge 
  Has no 
  Meaning in a 
  Fallen World 
   
   
   
   
  There are no Wizards. 
   
  
  32 
   
  Possessions 
  Have No 
  Value in an 
  Impermanent 
  World 
   
   
   
  There are no Thieves. 
  
  33 
   
  If There Is a 
  Higher 
  Power, It 
  Does Not 
  Care 
   
   
   
  There are no Clerics. 
   
  
  34 
   
  Life is 
  Endless 
  Conflict 
   
  All Characters start as 
  1st level Warriors with 
  no equipment. 
   
   
  
  35 
   
  Corruption is 
  Inherent to 
  Our Nature 
   
  Upon creation, each 
  character should roll 
  1d6 for Black Light 
  Corruption. If they roll 
  a 6, take the result and 
  roll again. 
   
  
  36 
   
  Entropy is 
  Absolute 
   
  Each half hour of real 
  time game play, each 
  player rolls a cumulative 
  1d2 on the Black Light 
  Corruption Chart as Black 
  Light seeps into the earth 
  (1d2 after the first half 
  hour, 2d2 after the 
  second, etc). Attributes 
  bottom out at 3, except 
  Hope, which can only drop 
  below 3 by choice (see 
  below). 
  
  37 
   
  Existence is 
  Random and 
  Without 
  Meaningful 
  Purpose 
   
  During the Entropy 
  Roll, if the die comes 
  up 1, gain a level.   
  
  38 
   
  Any Respite 
  from Reality 
  is Temporary 
   
  Blackrock is a rare metal that 
  can hold back the rays of the 
  Black Sun for longer than 
  normal earth (approximately 
  6 hours). Normal, solid earth 
  only provides 1 hour of 
  resistance. Six hour rest 
  restores HP equal to the 
  character’s Stamina attribute 
  score, and 1 randomly 
  determined stat point (never 
  exceeding the original total), 
  1 hour 1/6 of that amount, 
  but with no stat regeneration. 
  
  39 
   
  Everyone 
  Digs Their 
  Own Grave 
   
   
   
  Anyone with a 0 
  Strength modifier can 
  dig 5 cubic feet per 
  hour.  For every point 
  of Strength modifier, 
  add (or subtract) 2 
  cubic feet. 
  
  40 
   
  There is No 
  Luck. Only 
  Hope can 
  Save Us, 
  and It is 
  Finite 
  Rather than a Luck Attribute, 
  there is Hope, which may be 
  burned in the same manner 
  as Luck.  However, Hope does 
  not regenerate. If the 
  character’s Hope reaches 
  zero, they have given up 
  utterly and commit suicide, 
  finding peace at last. 
  
  41 
   
  Cull the 
  Weak 
   
  Characters may steal Hope from 
  another character. In order to do so, 
  the player should pass the judge a 
  note, indicating what they will do to 
  another character in order to do so.  
  This can be something as simple as 
  stealing their food in the middle of 
  the night (1 point) to tripping 
  another character as they flee to 
  allow them a greater chance of 
  escape (6 points). The amount of 
  Hope stolen depends on the action 
  taken, the description given, and the 
  discretion of the judge.   
  Note: Characters with Hope scores of 
  3 or less may not have their Hope 
  stolen. The final 3 points may only 
  be burned by choice.   
  
  42 
   
  We Are 
  Exceptional 
  Only in the 
  Manner In 
  Which We 
  Choose to 
  Exit This 
  World 
  Mighty deeds of arms only trigger 
  if the character is burning his 
  final point of Hope. 
  
  43 
   
  Only We Can 
  Choose When 
  the Suffering 
  Ends 
  When a character’s hit points 
  fall below zero, they leave the 
  game for one round, before 
  being returned to life, all hit 
  points restored.  They may 
  not roll another character, 
  and must roll 1d6 on the 
  Black Sun Corruption Chart.  
  Only when their Hope 
  attribute reaches 0 may they 
  actually perish. 
  
  44 
   
   
  
  45 
   
   
  The 
  Curse 
   
   
   
   
  
  46 
   
  No one knows how long it has been since 
  the Black Sun ascended, crushing the 
  surface to a deathly smooth plane of 
  despair. Since that time existence has 
  suffered from a rolling apocalypse as the 
  light from the Black Sun has wormed its 
  way through the earth, down through the 
  nigh-infinite sewers and dungeons and 
  caves, bringing death and despair to all 
  reality.   
  Perhaps you are one of the few who were 
  born on the surface, or perhaps you were 
  born underground. It no longer matters to 
  you, if it ever did. Your life has been worn 
  down to its most essential elements – 
  fighting when you must, hiding when you 
  can, searching for food and water, and 
  digging. Always digging.   
  You travel with others that come and go as 
  the whims of fate dictate, and your lives 
  have been measured in screams and blood 
  and dirt. It has been ages since you’ve 
  eaten, and you’ve forgotten when you last 
  tasted water. You allow yourself a brief 
  indulgence to think wistfully that, in the 
  Time Before, the lack of food and water 
  would have debilitated, or even killed you.  
  
  47 
   
  Now, though, it just brings torment as you 
  suffer from dehydration and starvation 
  without the release of death. You have the 
  barest recollection of something called 
  sleep, but the word has no meaning 
  anymore, and it slips from your mind, 
  unable to find purchase.   
  Your crooked, calloused fingers push, then 
  pull you along, the earth sliding around 
  you, and you can sense the rest of your 
  group burrowing nearby. Suddenly, you 
  feel your hands break through and you feel 
  the air upon them. For a moment, you are 
  consumed by raw terror and draw back – 
  open space means Black Light means pain.  
  Timidly, you test the open space before you 
  with the very tip of your finger, but feel 
  nothing. Joints pop and muscles stretch as 
  you emerge from the earth, naked and 
  shivering. The earth collapses behind you, 
  swallowing your tunnels, but you hardly 
  notice. Slowly, your center of gravity 
  adjusts, and for the first time in ages, you 
  stand straight. Your mind struggles to take 
  in the size of this cavern as your eyes roll 
  back and forth, unaccustomed to such 
  scope. You wince at the light provided by 
  softly glowing rocks, scattered throughout 
  
  48 
   
  the cave walls. Distracted, you do not 
  notice a group of small creatures, covered 
  in hair, until they are almost upon you. 
  “Who… who are you?” they ask.  Their 
  words are strange, but intelligible. It’s a far 
  less efficient language than the one the 
  Cursed have developed, but similar enough 
  that 
  you 
  can 
  understand 
  and 
  be 
  understood, 
  should 
  you 
  choose 
  to 
  communicate. 
  Encounter One:  
  The group has broken into the outskirts of 
  the 
  underground 
  city, 
  Silverside.  
  Populated by dwarves, this city is hidden 
  so deep that they have remained blissfully 
  unaware of the havoc wreaked upon the 
  world above. After a brief conversation, the 
  group will be attacked by a group of four 
  Black Thoughts.    
  With your attention focused on these 
  strange creatures, you almost miss the 
  telltale fluttering in your eardrums which 
  heralds the arrival of Black Thoughts. 
  Bursting forth from the recently collapsed 
  tunnels, they utter a keening whine, which 
  you know all too well to be the summoning 
  
  49 
   
  for Terrible Thoughts, the unstoppable 
  behemoths which follow wherever the 
  Cursed dig. 
  Dwarves Init +0; mace +1 (1d6) melee; AC 12; HD 
  1d10; MV 20’; Act d20; SV Fort +1, Ref+1, Will +0 
  Should any of the dwarves survive, they 
  will offer to lead the group back to their 
  city to convince the elders of the danger.   
  City… you roll the word around in your 
  mouth, 
  tasting 
  all 
  the 
  implications.  
  Civilization, as yet untouched by the 
  apocalypse. Food. Shelter. Comfort. You 
  sense there are more words, things that 
  you have forgotten. Perhaps you could 
  remember them here? Could this be a place 
  worth fighting for?   
  If none of the dwarves survive, the group 
  finds itself alone on the outskirts of the 
  city.   
  Is this… Is this a city? You struggle to 
  provide context to a concept which has long 
  since lost any meaning. You’re unable to 
  take in the entirety of the scene before you, 
  instead compartmentalizing it. A stalagmite 
  sweeping upwards. A small, squat creature 
  bristling with hair walking, head down. A 
  
  50 
   
  beast, weighed down with sacks of goods. 
  Curious eyes. Pity. You see these things, 
  but they exist separate from each other, 
  with no connection.  Did this all mean 
  something at one point?  You can feel the 
  tug of the familiar from somewhere deep 
  within, but when you reach for it, it is gone. 
  Should they approach, they are met with 
  stares from the populace, and provided 
  they commit no violence against the 
  populace, they will have cloaks thrown 
  across their shoulders, and brought to see 
  the council of elders.   
  The city itself is small by dwarven 
  standards, but elegantly designed, with 
  buildings 
  shaped 
  into 
  being 
  within 
  stalactites, stalagmites and other rock 
  formations. The elders offer the group food 
  and water and tell of how they have 
  suffered increasing attacks in recent days, 
  from creatures unknown to them, but all 
  too 
  familiar 
  to 
  the 
  group 
  – 
  Black 
  Thoughts. With those foul beasts, the 
  group 
  knows, 
  always 
  come 
  Terrible 
  Thoughts. As the group talks with the 
  Elders, a messenger enters the room, 
  covered in blood. Six giant monsters have 
  
  51 
   
  assaulted the city, which the group 
  recognizes from the description as Terrible 
  Thoughts. Recognizing the situation as 
  dire, the elders will ask the group to lead a 
  group of women and children away from 
  the city. If they refuse, or have avoided 
  contact with the Elder Council, they will 
  witness the destruction of Silverside from 
  the safety of the far side of town. A 
  stalactite building hurled from the battle 
  crashes into the ceiling above the group, 
  and the people from Silverside are lost. 
  Anyone who fails a DC 12 Reflex Save is 
  pinned under a large chunk of rock. They 
  can amputate their leg, reducing Stamina 
  and Agility by ¼ (round down), otherwise 
  they must be left behind. 
  Encounter Two:  
  The group notices a trail of blood before 
  them. Should they follow the trail, they 
  come across a family of dwarves who 
  managed to escape.   
  The trail of blood quickly leads you to a 
  dwarven family. The father has taken a 
  horrific wound to his side, his armor deeply 
  dented and blood spilling freely to the earth 
  from beneath. His wife and child have been 
  
  52 
   
  injured as well, and while their faces speak 
  volumes of pain and despair, they are half 
  supporting, half dragging the father. The 
  mother introduces herself as Sera of House 
  Onyxfall, Paragon of Silverside. She begs 
  for the group to help her carry her husband, 
  Gramlo and beg the group group to protect 
  them as they journey to their sister city, 
  Deepfall Cove.  The son introducs himself 
  as Creg, and shows them a map of the 
  caves between the cities.  The father begins 
  to cry out, delirious from the pain, gibbering 
  nonsensical rhymes and stroking his son’s 
  head.  You feel the telltale umblings of a 
  Terrible Thought heading your way, and 
  you realize that these people will not be 
  able to escape if they continue to support 
  the father.   
  Encounter Three:  
  You round a corner, and suddenly catch a 
  glimpse of a weak and flickering blue light 
  ahead. As you get closer, you make out a 
  shabby, 
  human-shaped 
  apparition, 
  crumpled in the corner like so much 
  discarded refuse. A pack of teeth surround 
  it and are tearing it apart as the group 
  
  53 
   
  watches. One by one, the teeth turn their 
  attention to you, then charge. 
  After combat, the figure calls out to the 
  group. 
  As you approach, the figure raises its head 
  and sees its face is smooth and devoid of 
  gender and detail, more a memory of a 
  form than an actual being. It reaches out a 
  ghostly hand, and in a weak voice calls 
  out.  
  “Are… are you them? Am I me? I used to 
  be, but I’m not sure anymore. I used to 
  help; I was helpful, wasn’t I? Did I make 
  things better? I feel like I don’t know 
  anything anymore, but maybe I can help 
  you? Maybe? I think I’m losing myself, am I 
  still here? You can see me, can’t you? Will 
  you let me help you?” 
  This is an avatar of a god that has long 
  since fled this plane, abandoning its 
  avatar like it abandoned its worshippers.  
  Blind and decrepit, the avatar’s potency is 
  all but exhausted, but it offers to heal the 
  group nonetheless. It is able to heal one 
  group member for one hit point of damage 
  before it flickers out of existence, crying 
  
  54 
   
  ephemeral tears, faced with oblivion and 
  no hope of being reunited with its creator.   
   
  Encounter Four:  
  A small pool of fetid water dominates the 
  area, and an old man leans over it, his 
  back crooked with age as he drinks from 
  cupped hands. 
  Stirner, 1st level Mage Init +1; dagger +1 (1d4+1) 
  melee; AC 11; HD 3d4; MV 30’; Act d20; SP 
  Spellcaster; SV Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +4 Spells: 
  Choking Cloud, Feather Fall, Force Manipulation, 
  Read Magic, Ventriloquism – Spell Check d20+3 
  Note: Stirner will go out of his way to present 
  himself as a harmless, if eccentric, old man, and 
  will not reveal his magical abilities unless attacked.   
  Stirner is a recluse who abandoned the 
  surface years ago, preferring the freedom 
  to conduct his experiments into the nature 
  of life and death that solitude allowed. As 
  such, he was spared the fate of so many 
  when the Black Sun ascended. Having 
  long ago sold his soul to some dark, 
  extinct power, he lives on, driven mad by 
  isolation and his own eldritch might.   
  
  55 
   
  Recently 
  though, 
  the 
  focus 
  of 
  his 
  experimentation has changed. He has 
  managed 
  to 
  capture 
  several 
  Black 
  Thoughts and a single Terrible Thought, 
  and has been studying them, in hopes of 
  gaining a deeper understanding of the 
  Black Sun. He wishes to pit the characters 
  against the Terrible Thought, believing it 
  will somehow further his research.   
  He 
  claims 
  to 
  have 
  mined 
  enough 
  Blackrock to create a shelter, but lacks 
  the strength to actually build it. He took in 
  another group of Cursed, he says, who 
  turned on him and drove him away from 
  his stockpile. In exchange for the group’s 
  help in driving off the rival group, he offers 
  them respite.   
  This is a mixture of truth and lies.  He 
  does have a large amount of Blackrock, 
  but he has already built the shelter and 
  bolstered it with magic to keep the Terrible 
  Thought 
  captive. 
  He 
  will 
  lead 
  the 
  characters through a maze of tunnels, 
  shutting doors built into the rock as they 
  go. A successful Will Save (DC 10) from 
  anyone who asks about the composition of 
  the walls and/or doors allows them to 
  
  56 
   
  detect the glamour that hides the fact that 
  this entire area seems to be made of 
  Blackrock. Stirner will gift the players with 
  armor and weapons of the players’ choice 
  as they travel. If the group becomes 
  suspicious or notices the Blackrock, he 
  will 
  surreptitiously 
  release 
  a 
  Black 
  Thought from a bottle that once held a 
  genie, and cower while the group fights it.   
  Finally, he leads the group to a door 
  beyond which, Stirner tells them, hides 
  the other group of Cursed, but in fact 
  holds the Terrible Thought. Once through 
  the door, Stirner will lock the door behind 
  them and observe via magic. The room is 
  15x15 and sheathed entirely in Blackrock, 
  otherwise featureless. The first time the 
  Terrible Thought misses an attack, its fist 
  punches a hole in the wall, allowing the 
  opportunity for escape. However, the hole 
  created is too small to fit through if the 
  characters are carrying any items or 
  wearing any armor. All must be discarded 
  in order to escape. 
   
   
  
  57 
   
  Encounter Five:  
  The group reaches Deepfall Cove. A small city, it 
  sits on the shore of a massive underground sea.  
  The elders are incredulous that Silverside could 
  have been destroyed, and send the group away to 
  debate.   
  As you leave the Elder’s Cave, you are greeted by a 
  crowd of onlookers. In their eyes, you see a mixture 
  of curiosity, pity and horror. You no longer belong to 
  this, or any society - that much is certain. These 
  people, with their homes, their food, their creature 
  comforts – they are all just dressing, distractions 
  from the unremitting horror of existence. They have 
  managed to avoid it for this long, but reality will 
  catch up with them eventually. Everyone will know 
  what you have learned, even if it is only in their 
  final moments. 
  Terrible Thoughts collapse the ceiling of the cave in 
  which Deepfall Cove sits, exposing the city to a 
  sustained burst of Black Light, then attack, along 
  with a horde of Black Thoughts. 
  Around you, the townsfolk twist and unravel as the 
  light of the Black Sun shines down upon them. Of 
  the crowd, a handful survive the initial onslaught, 
  and they turn their eyes to you, and in them you see 
  understanding – and at last, recognition. They, too, 
  are Cursed now. 
  There are not enough boats to evacuate the city, 
  and there is nowhere else for the inhabitants to go.   
  
  58 
   
  Appendix  
  Refrain 
  The Cancelled Earth, Cities Last Broadcast 
  The Empty Hollow Unfolds, Raison d'être 
  Covered in Scars, Angel of Decay 
  Embracing the Shadows of Self Doubt, 
  ApollyoN 
   
  Movement 
  The Seventh Seal, Ingmar Bergman 
  Melancholia, Lars von Trier 
  Begotten, E. Elias Merhige 
  The Mist, Frank Darabont 
   
  Stasis 
  Gustave Dore 
  John Martin 
  H.R. Giger 
  Zdzisław Beksiński  
   
  Insight 
  The Case Against the Human Race, 
  Thomas Ligotti 
  The Night Land, William Hope Hodgson 
  The Road, Cormac McCarthy 
  The Stranger, Albert Camus 
  
  59 
   
  
  60 
   
  Cursed 
   
  AC _______ 
  HP ________ 
   
  STR _______ 
  AGI  ____   __  
  STA ____ ___ 
  PER  ____ 
  int   ____ 
  Hope ____  _ 
   
  Weapons 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
   
  Character 
  Details 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
   
  Warrior 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Black Sun 
  Corruption 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  __ 
  Level_____      
   
  _____speed       
  ____    Init 
   
   
       ____    Ref 
   ____ Fort 
      ____  Will 
         
   
          
   Armor 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  \ 
   Equipment 
   
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  _______________________ 
  ______________________ 
  
  Designation of Product Identity 
  All place names, character names, names of organizations and similar proper nouns introduced in this publication are product 
  identity, including but not limited to The Black Sun, The Cursed, Black Thoughts, Terrible Thoughts, and Oblitus Omega.  All 
  text that does not describe a discrete game element is product identity. 
  Designation of Open Game Content 
  All game statistics for any game elements included in this publication are designated open game content.  This includes but is 
  not limited to monster statistics, magic items and spells 
   
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 
  The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc ("Wizards"). All 
  Rights Reserved. 
  1. Definitions: (a)"Contributors" means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; 
  (b)"Derivative Material" means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer 
  languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other 
  form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) "Distribute" means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, 
  sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)"Open Game Content" means the game mechanic and 
  includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and 
  is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, 
  and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically 
  excludes Product Identity. (e) "Product Identity" means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including 
  trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, 
  symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or 
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  2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content 
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  necessary to make it enforceable. 
  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document.  Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip 
  Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Dungeon Crawl Classics, Copyright 2012 Goodman Games, all rights reserved, visit www.goodman-games.com or contact 
  info@goodman-games.com 
   
  Black Sun Deathcrawl, copyright 2015 the Aleph Null Publishing.  
   
  This product is based on the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, published by Goodman Games. This product is 
  published under license. Dungeon Crawl Classics and DCC RPG are trademarks of Goodman Games. All rights reserved. For 
  additional information, visit http://www.goodman-games.com or contact info@goodman-games.com. 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  You are the cursed - remnants 
  of life in a universe of decay.. 
   Cannibalistic parasites, you 
  suck a meager existence from 
  the corpse of a long-dead 
  reality.. 
  Once you had nations, races,, 
  goals.. 
   
  Now you are one, united at last 
  in the unending struggle for 
  survival in a reality that 
  abhors you.. 
   
  Once you had love and 
  happiness and light 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Now there is only the crawl 
   www.alephnullpublishing.com 
   
   $8 to murder a tree                          PWYW for a PDF 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG (osr)/Adventures/Third-Party/Black Sun Deathcrawl.pdf