Duskara: Stormtide

Content Warning: Environmental peril, resource scarcity, survival themes, psychic phenomena. Befo...

Eight hundred years ago, the colony ship Stellar Horizon limped into orbit around an unknown worl...

The Day Side: Temperatures exceed 400°C. Radiation scours the rock. No human can survive unshield...

Duskara's harsh conditions and unknown radiations awakened latent abilities in humanity. These ps...

The Stellar Horizon carried perhaps a few thousand survivors. Now, 40 million descendants live ac...

In Duskara: Stormtide, you'll navigate this world of scarcity and wonder. You might: Escort cara...

When you attempt something risky or challenging, you make a check to see how it plays out. If an ...

To reset all your skills to their original ratings, you can catch your breath. This is a brief re...

When the fiction allows it—scavenging ruins, salvaging day-side mining drones, looting abandoned ...

Items in your backpack can be used instead of skills for checks. They start with a die rating (d6...

When you attempt something extraordinary—a stunt—you roll a d12 instead of your skill rating. Stu...

When you face complications, you may take stress. Stress represents physical exhaustion, psychic ...

Who are you? Answer these questions: Name: What are you called? Pronouns: He/him, she/her, they/...

You have 6 skills that represent your capabilities. By default, all skills start at d4. Assign on...

Psychic abilities are common on Duskara but not universal. If you want one, choose from the list ...

You begin with 1 item in your backpack as a d10 item. Choose something that reflects your role: ...

Name: Kael Serin Pronouns: They/them Role: Deepkin Scout Skills: Endure: d6 Navigate: d10 Percei...

Close Combat Windblade (d6-d10): Curved blade designed to cut efficiently in high winds. Light, a...

Geothermal Armor (d8): Insulated suit for thermal extremes. Protects against heat, cold, and mino...

Wind Compass (d6): Mechanical or psychic-enhanced device that reads wind patterns. Essential for ...

Water Tokens: Small sealed vials of purified water. Function as currency and emergency resource. ...

When you make a loot check, roll for item type based on result (d6, d8, d10, or d12 item). Then r...

General Complications (d12) Roll or choose when players catch their breath or checks produce comp...

Aetherion (Population: 1.2 million) Largest twilight belt city. Built around the Stellar Horizon ...

Weatherworking Guilds Power Base: Major settlements with storm observation infrastructure Goals: ...

Stormwatch (Population: 200,000) Militant settlement positioned at the most volatile storm corrid...

Type: Flying predator / bondable mount Size: 20-40 meters long Behavior: Hunts in twilight belt t...

Type: Ambush predator Size: 2-4 meters long Behavior: Heat-seeking, camouflaged in day-side margi...

Type: Apex predator (night side) Size: 3-5 meters tall (bipedal) Behavior: Hunts by sound in abso...

Type: Bioluminescent cave-dweller Size: Individual: 10-20 cm; swarm: thousands Behavior: Filter-f...

Type: Burrowing scavenger (day side) Size: 1-2 meters long Behavior: Burrows through superheated ...

Type: Former Beastwalker mount (any species) Behavior: Psychic bond broken by trauma, death, or s...

Type: Flying insect / swarm Size: Individual: 5-10 cm; swarm: thousands Behavior: Native to twili...

Type: Burrowing predator Size: 3-6 meters long Behavior: Lives in Deep Roads and twilight belt cr...

Type: Night-side herbivore Size: Wingspan: 30-50 cm Behavior: Gentle creature that feeds on ice c...

Type: Plant / ambulatory organism Size: 1-2 meters diameter Behavior: Semi-mobile plant that migr...

1. Choose Scale: 50,000-150,000 (cave/outpost), 200,000-500,000 (mid-size), 500,000-2,000,000 (ma...

1. Define Core Goal: What does this faction want? Control resource (water, energy, knowledge, ps...

1. Choose Niche: What role does this creature fill? Predator (hunts humans or other fauna) Prey ...

1. Choose Sensory or Motor: Does it enhance perception or allow manipulation? Sensory: detect so...

1. Telegraph Risk: Always tell players what they're risking before they roll. "If you fail, the s...

1. Caravan Expeditions Premise: Players escort trade caravans between settlements, dealing with s...

Opening: Establish scene, location, immediate goal. "You're two days from Khal-Rim when the wind ...

Complications aren't predetermined events—they're prompts you interpret based on what's happening...

Don't micromanage. Track water, food, and energy loosely. Use scarcity as narrative flavor, not t...

Psychics aren't mandatory. Non-psychics contribute through skills, equipment, and ingenuity. Over...

RPG storytelling emerges from player choices and system interactions. Don't plan outcomes—respond...

Sessions 1-3: Establish Stakes Introduce settlements, factions, key NPCs Focus on simple mission...

Main Plot: Overarching campaign goal (stop rogue faction, decode ancient mystery, survive mega-st...

Player: "Can I use weather working to create a localized fog to hide our approach?" GM Response: ...

Solo play follows this iterative structure: Step 1: Establish the Scene Where are you? What's hap...

Use this when your character isn't directly involved, or when you need to disclaim decision-makin...

Use this when your character attempts something challenging with uncertain outcome. Assess your l...

These tables help generate content when you need inspiration. Mission Generator (d12) Locate Wat...

Choose one framework or blend elements to create your own. 1. Lone Wanderer Concept: You're a sol...

Solo play benefits from journaling. After each session, answer one or two prompts: What did you ...

Premise: You're Kael Serin, a Deepkin Scout escorting a small caravan from Lumina Caverns to Auro...

Aetherion Central Market (bustling trade hub, vertical farms visible) Khal-Rim Thermal Forges (h...

Your settlement's water cistern is poisoned. Find the culprit and new water source. A caravan is...

Use these when players catch their breath, fail checks, or you need sudden drama. Superstorm int...

Clear Twilight: Gentle winds, moderate temperature. Rare and cherished. Dust Storm: Day-side win...

When you loot ruins or salvage day-side operations, you might find: Data Crystal Fragment (corru...

Auroral Disruption: Night-side aurora intensification causing electromagnetic interference and ps...

Making a Check GM telegraphs risk Pick skill, roll matching die Interpret: 1-2 = fail + complica...

Name: _________________ Pronouns: _________________ Role: _________________ Skills Endure: [ d4 ...

Question Oracle (Yes/No Questions) Very unlikely: d4 Unlikely: d6 Likely: d8 Very likely: d10 Al...

Duskara: Stormtide © 2025 Roberto Bisceglie Based on Cradle & Ward Designer's Framework by Robert...