Razade
2020-08-22, 11:14 AM
For another project, I decided to do a TTRPG inside a TTRPG but it came out well enough that I think it could run on its own as a very simple, very stripped down dungeon crawl on its own. It's certainly not 100% balanced but figured I'd share.
What you need to Play: To play Cats and Catacombs you need five (or six) people. Four to Five players and a GM. The GM needs the rules, some graph paper, two six sided die, and a pencil. The Players need a flash card for their character and a pencil.
The Furmidable: A dogged warrior wearing mighty armor and wielding a greatsword
Wounds: 5
Ability: Can attack two non-Catster Enemies in a room without marking Wounds
Skill: Can spend 1 Wound to protect another player when entering a room every two rooms.
Weakness: Marks 2 wounds when defeating Catsters instead of 1.
The Ratscal: A sneaky rat, delving the Catacomb to earn their freedom
Wounds: 4
Ability: Can disable traps without taking a Wound
Skill: Can scout a room ahead every two rooms, revealing all Threats
Weakness: Marks 2 wounds from solving a Puzzle instead of 1.
The Catogapher: A curious mapmaker, charting out the scatterbrained Catacomb
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can take out a single Clerlick per room without taking Wounds
Skill: Can solve puzzles without taking a Wound every two rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds when revealing a Trap instead of 1.
The Ducktor: A trained medic, ducking combat to heal their allies
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can take out one Catster per room without taking Wounds.
Skill: Can heal two Wounds every two rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds when defeating a Champlion instead of 1.
The Troubaboar: A musician despite all its warts. Never a bore
Wounds: 4
Ability: Earns an additional Coin for every enemy defeated.
Skill: Can mimic another Role’s ability once per three rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds from Cheeters instead of 1.
The Salamancer: A slippery magician, swamped with work
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can remove a Status Ailment for one Role per Room.
Skill: Can revive a fallen Role to full Wounds every 4 Rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds from Clerlicks instead of 1.
Actual Play: Players take Turns exploring the Catacombs. Players determine in what order to go and who goes first. The first to enter a Room counts as revealing it. The effects of a revealed Room apply to the Role that reveals it. If additional Enemies, Traps, Puzzles or Status Effects remain they apply to subsequent Roles until the Room is free of Threats. The goal is to defeat the Boss of the Catacomb and move up a floor to find the End Boss..
Players earn Coins by defeating enemies. The players may spend these Coins to make beneficial rooms. It costs 1 Coin to make a Room and additional coins depending on the Room’s ability. The players may choose to make a room before a reveal, placing it before a GM’s room or after.
Tavern: A Tavern in the Catacomb that heals 1 wound per Role, costs 1Coins.
Weapon Shop: Provides a powerful weapon which takes out one Enemy the first time you enter a Room, your choice. Costs 2 Coins.
The Apothocanary: Heals the Status Ailments of your team. Costs 2 coins
Oculus: Reveals the next room, costs 3 Coins.
Shrine: Revives a Role with full Wounds, costs 3 Coins
The GM must have paper and pen to chart out the Catacomb. Every three rooms the GM may roll 2d6. On a 1-6, they earn three Threat tokens. On a 7-9 they earn 5. On a 10+ they earn 6. They may spend these Threat Tokens on the following. The GM must spend 1 Threat every two rooms.
Trap
Cost: 1 Threat. The GM may only spend half their Threat on the following Room to a minimum of 1.
Effect: Marks a Wound on the first Role entering the Room. Can be disabled by Ratscales without marking Wound. Marks 2 Wound if a Catographer is the first to reveal it.
Puzzle
Cost: 1 Threat. The GM loses one Threat if the Puzzle is solved by the first player entering the Room to a minimum of 0.
Effect: Marks a Wound on the First Role entering the Room. Can be solved by Catographers without marking Wound. Marks 2 Wound if a Ratscale is first to reveal it.
Enemy
Cost: 1 Threat per Enemy
Effect: Enemies have 1 Wound unless otherwise stated. An Enemy is defeated when they cannot Mark a Wound. Enemies mark a Role’s Move when they enter a Room. Enemies drop 1 coin each.
Champlion: Marks 2 Wounds on the Ducktor.
Catster: Marks 2 Wounds on the Furmidable.
Clerlick: Marks 2 Wounds on the Salamancer
Cheeter: Marks 2 Wounds on the Troubaboar
Status Ailment
Cost: 1 Threat Token per Threat (see text)
Effect: A Status Ailment cannot be put in a Room without an existing Threat. Status Ailments apply to either an Enemy, Puzzle or Trap. Status Ailments resolve when the Threat they are applied to resolve, effecting the first Role entering a room. Status Effects last a single Turn unless otherwise stated.
Poison: Deals 1 Wound at the start of the next Room.
Paralyze: The Role cannot choose to enter the next Room first.
Frightened: The Role cannot engage an enemy, taking one 1 wound if they reveal a room.
Befuddled: Cannot solve a Puzzle if they reveal the Room.
Muddled: Cannot solve a Trap if they reveal the Room.
Boss
Cost: 4 Threat, must be placed after 6 rooms on a Threat Roll of 10 or higher
Effect: A Boss marks 1 Wound on all Roles outside their Room and 1 Wound to the Role revealing their Room. Bosses have 3 Wound and take 1 Wound per Role that enters its Room.
Advancing a Level: The Catacombs are a vast and every shifting labyrinth. Once you beat a boss you progress to the next level in your quest to find the treasures and enemies deeper inside. Bothplayers and GMs level up at the completion of a Floor.
When the Players end a floor, they heal all Wounds and pick an advancement from the list below.
Player Advancement
- Gain one Wound
- Gain a Tool, this can mimic a Role’s Ability. This lasts for one floor.
-Gain a Scroll, this can mimic a Role’s Skill. This lasts for one floor.
-Gain an Item. An Item can deal one Wound to an Enemy, clear a Trap or Puzzle without marking Wounds or clear a Status Ailment once.
For every subsequent Floor past the first, the Players must defeat a number of bosses equal to 1 plus the number of floors they are on. The GM gains +1 to their Threat Roll for every two floors cleared. The GM gains an additional Threat token every two rooms cleared after the first floor. The GM may choose the following when a Floor is cleared[/B].
GM Advancement
-You may spend a Threat Token to increase an Enemy’s Wound by 1 per Threat Token
-Status Ailments lasts two rooms instead of 1. This lasts one floor.
-You may spend two Threat Tokens to include an Enemy, Puzzle or Trap in a Boss Room
-You may spend six Threat to place another Boss into a Boss Room
__________________________________________________ ____________
Once all choices above the line are taken, the GM may add the following to their list of Threats
The End Boss
Cost: 5 Threat, may only appear after the players have cleared two or more Boss Threats
Effect: The End Boss functions like a regular boss but instead marks 2 Wound on all Roles not in its Room. The End Boss has 6 Wound instead of 3 and deals a Status Ailment of the GM’s choice to any Role not in its Room.
What you need to Play: To play Cats and Catacombs you need five (or six) people. Four to Five players and a GM. The GM needs the rules, some graph paper, two six sided die, and a pencil. The Players need a flash card for their character and a pencil.
The Furmidable: A dogged warrior wearing mighty armor and wielding a greatsword
Wounds: 5
Ability: Can attack two non-Catster Enemies in a room without marking Wounds
Skill: Can spend 1 Wound to protect another player when entering a room every two rooms.
Weakness: Marks 2 wounds when defeating Catsters instead of 1.
The Ratscal: A sneaky rat, delving the Catacomb to earn their freedom
Wounds: 4
Ability: Can disable traps without taking a Wound
Skill: Can scout a room ahead every two rooms, revealing all Threats
Weakness: Marks 2 wounds from solving a Puzzle instead of 1.
The Catogapher: A curious mapmaker, charting out the scatterbrained Catacomb
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can take out a single Clerlick per room without taking Wounds
Skill: Can solve puzzles without taking a Wound every two rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds when revealing a Trap instead of 1.
The Ducktor: A trained medic, ducking combat to heal their allies
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can take out one Catster per room without taking Wounds.
Skill: Can heal two Wounds every two rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds when defeating a Champlion instead of 1.
The Troubaboar: A musician despite all its warts. Never a bore
Wounds: 4
Ability: Earns an additional Coin for every enemy defeated.
Skill: Can mimic another Role’s ability once per three rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds from Cheeters instead of 1.
The Salamancer: A slippery magician, swamped with work
Wounds: 3
Ability: Can remove a Status Ailment for one Role per Room.
Skill: Can revive a fallen Role to full Wounds every 4 Rooms
Weakness: Marks 2 Wounds from Clerlicks instead of 1.
Actual Play: Players take Turns exploring the Catacombs. Players determine in what order to go and who goes first. The first to enter a Room counts as revealing it. The effects of a revealed Room apply to the Role that reveals it. If additional Enemies, Traps, Puzzles or Status Effects remain they apply to subsequent Roles until the Room is free of Threats. The goal is to defeat the Boss of the Catacomb and move up a floor to find the End Boss..
Players earn Coins by defeating enemies. The players may spend these Coins to make beneficial rooms. It costs 1 Coin to make a Room and additional coins depending on the Room’s ability. The players may choose to make a room before a reveal, placing it before a GM’s room or after.
Tavern: A Tavern in the Catacomb that heals 1 wound per Role, costs 1Coins.
Weapon Shop: Provides a powerful weapon which takes out one Enemy the first time you enter a Room, your choice. Costs 2 Coins.
The Apothocanary: Heals the Status Ailments of your team. Costs 2 coins
Oculus: Reveals the next room, costs 3 Coins.
Shrine: Revives a Role with full Wounds, costs 3 Coins
The GM must have paper and pen to chart out the Catacomb. Every three rooms the GM may roll 2d6. On a 1-6, they earn three Threat tokens. On a 7-9 they earn 5. On a 10+ they earn 6. They may spend these Threat Tokens on the following. The GM must spend 1 Threat every two rooms.
Trap
Cost: 1 Threat. The GM may only spend half their Threat on the following Room to a minimum of 1.
Effect: Marks a Wound on the first Role entering the Room. Can be disabled by Ratscales without marking Wound. Marks 2 Wound if a Catographer is the first to reveal it.
Puzzle
Cost: 1 Threat. The GM loses one Threat if the Puzzle is solved by the first player entering the Room to a minimum of 0.
Effect: Marks a Wound on the First Role entering the Room. Can be solved by Catographers without marking Wound. Marks 2 Wound if a Ratscale is first to reveal it.
Enemy
Cost: 1 Threat per Enemy
Effect: Enemies have 1 Wound unless otherwise stated. An Enemy is defeated when they cannot Mark a Wound. Enemies mark a Role’s Move when they enter a Room. Enemies drop 1 coin each.
Champlion: Marks 2 Wounds on the Ducktor.
Catster: Marks 2 Wounds on the Furmidable.
Clerlick: Marks 2 Wounds on the Salamancer
Cheeter: Marks 2 Wounds on the Troubaboar
Status Ailment
Cost: 1 Threat Token per Threat (see text)
Effect: A Status Ailment cannot be put in a Room without an existing Threat. Status Ailments apply to either an Enemy, Puzzle or Trap. Status Ailments resolve when the Threat they are applied to resolve, effecting the first Role entering a room. Status Effects last a single Turn unless otherwise stated.
Poison: Deals 1 Wound at the start of the next Room.
Paralyze: The Role cannot choose to enter the next Room first.
Frightened: The Role cannot engage an enemy, taking one 1 wound if they reveal a room.
Befuddled: Cannot solve a Puzzle if they reveal the Room.
Muddled: Cannot solve a Trap if they reveal the Room.
Boss
Cost: 4 Threat, must be placed after 6 rooms on a Threat Roll of 10 or higher
Effect: A Boss marks 1 Wound on all Roles outside their Room and 1 Wound to the Role revealing their Room. Bosses have 3 Wound and take 1 Wound per Role that enters its Room.
Advancing a Level: The Catacombs are a vast and every shifting labyrinth. Once you beat a boss you progress to the next level in your quest to find the treasures and enemies deeper inside. Bothplayers and GMs level up at the completion of a Floor.
When the Players end a floor, they heal all Wounds and pick an advancement from the list below.
Player Advancement
- Gain one Wound
- Gain a Tool, this can mimic a Role’s Ability. This lasts for one floor.
-Gain a Scroll, this can mimic a Role’s Skill. This lasts for one floor.
-Gain an Item. An Item can deal one Wound to an Enemy, clear a Trap or Puzzle without marking Wounds or clear a Status Ailment once.
For every subsequent Floor past the first, the Players must defeat a number of bosses equal to 1 plus the number of floors they are on. The GM gains +1 to their Threat Roll for every two floors cleared. The GM gains an additional Threat token every two rooms cleared after the first floor. The GM may choose the following when a Floor is cleared[/B].
GM Advancement
-You may spend a Threat Token to increase an Enemy’s Wound by 1 per Threat Token
-Status Ailments lasts two rooms instead of 1. This lasts one floor.
-You may spend two Threat Tokens to include an Enemy, Puzzle or Trap in a Boss Room
-You may spend six Threat to place another Boss into a Boss Room
__________________________________________________ ____________
Once all choices above the line are taken, the GM may add the following to their list of Threats
The End Boss
Cost: 5 Threat, may only appear after the players have cleared two or more Boss Threats
Effect: The End Boss functions like a regular boss but instead marks 2 Wound on all Roles not in its Room. The End Boss has 6 Wound instead of 3 and deals a Status Ailment of the GM’s choice to any Role not in its Room.