Protomancer

With furrowed brow and stony gaze we soldiered on into the night, that endless night that blankets all we have ever known, for surely the light must follow the dark... Surely...

And yet the light which we sought for comfort illuminates only greater darkness. I would blind myself, blot out the light, but the veil once pierced can not be drawn again.

UNKNOWN, DISCOVERED 6391
 

Gather your arms and steady your nerve, for the cold vastness of space holds no mercy for mere mortals. As humanity seeks a destiny written in the stars, the true primordial nature of the cosmos reveals itself, tearing asunder flesh and metal alike.

PROTOMANCER is a deck-building, dungeon-crawling TTRPG for one or more players. The Core Rules include three distinct player classes with unique abilities, a selection of bizarre creatures and other challenges to face, and an example scenario with everything needed to launch straight into a game. It is compatible with standard decks of 52 playing cards and requires between two and five decks dependent on the mode of play.

Forage for treasures amongst the dust as the Scavenger, setting improvised traps and turning even the most rickety of weapons into deadly devices. Tool up as the brutal Warmonger, and stand against the protomorphic hordes with an overwhelming arsenal. Or channel your psychic energies as the Psyon, a cybernetically augmented human with a variety of unstable abilities.

The included premade scenario sees you board the fabled ghost ship SS Eurydice to recover its flight data and unique engine drive coils. In the process you will map out the vessel, scavenge for weapons and supplies, and come face-to-face with whatever horror beset the ill-fated crew. The game may be played in traditional table-top fashion with a Game Master determining encounters and puppeteering creatures, or with a simple yet comprehensive system for randomising the mission and automating the movements and strategies of your enemies.

Created for DriveThru RPG’s PocketQuest 2023.