The World Below Core Rulebook is the core rulebook for The World Below in the Earthbane Cycle.
Summary[]
You must dig. You must explore. You must map. You must build. You must defend. The World Below provides, but only to the worthy. The unworthy fall, consumed by bugs, lava, acidic fog, the vagaries of Kaos, and the World Below’s convulsing tunnels.
The World Below is a game of adversity, heroism, terror, and awe. Your characters will overcome or be defeated by terrible beasts, environmental calamities, and Kaos storms ravaging their surroundings and the souls they encounter. They will chart their journeys, chronicle their tales, and pass their stories down to their descendants, who will, in turn, become your characters when your old ones perish or retire.
The World Below is a complete tabletop roleplaying game. It includes:
- Numerous playable options, some from the traditional fantasy mold, others unique to the World Below.
- The complete Storypath Ultra System, allowing you to play this game straight from the book.
- Myriad settings, monsters, powers, and abilities for use in your stories, which you can play as minimalist dungeon crawls or World Below-spanning expeditions.
Contents[]
An Introduction to The World Below[]
Includes a bird's eye overview of the World Below and glossary.
Chapter 1: The Initial Descent[]
Contains a detailed description of the setting of the World Below.
Chapter 2: Paths into the World Below[]
Covers the Character Path options for player characters.
Chapter 3: Character Creation[]
Character creation rules, pregenerated characters, and character advancement rules.
Chapter 4: Game Systems[]
Contains rules for the Storypath Ultra System.
Chapter 5: Survival Systems[]
Contains rules for survival mechanics, trade, favors, repairs, resting, and Kalm which is used for character downtime.
Chapter 6: Thesis and Synthesis[]
List of character ability options.
Chapter 7: Kaotic Sorcery[]
List of character spells with Kaos magic.
Chapter 8: The World Below[]
Contains the lore of the setting such as pre-history, realms, The Well, The Wards, and faiths.
Chapter 9: Storyguide Wisdom[]
Advice on crafting game sessions, setting tone, twists, goals, and sample settings.
Chapter 10: Dangers of the World Below[]
Lists antagonists and environmental threats.
Appendix[]
Contains additional information on Exploration, Excavation, Cartography, Realm Building, and Realm Creation.