Symbaroum
Core RulebookBest For
Groups who want long-form dark fantasy expeditions into ancient ruins, where magic, cursed relics, and the darkest parts of the forest put each character's soul at risk of permanent taint.
Core Mechanic
Roll a d20 and try to land equal to or under one of eight Attributes: Accurate, Cunning, Discreet, Persuasive, Quick, Resolute, Strong, and Vigilant. Opposed tests adjust that Attribute by 10 minus the opponent's relevant value, so a weak foe grants a bonus and a strong one imposes a penalty. Only players roll dice, so an enemy attack becomes a player Defense test and NPC stats appear as fixed modifiers on the player's roll.
Resolution is a single d20 roll under one of eight attributes, adjusted by the opponent's value. The depth lives in Corruption, whose learning and casting costs shift with a mystic's tradition and tier. Tiered abilities then layer onto a multi-step combat sequence of Defense, Armor, Toughness, and Pain Threshold.
- Free to tryQuickstartA free starter you can actually play
- Get it nowSold newIn print or as a legal PDF
- ✓IndexFind any rule by page number
- ✓GM guidanceA chapter on how to run the game
- ✓Examples of playRules shown in action at the table
- ✓Quick referenceCheat sheet or summary tables
- ✓Cross-referencesRules point to each other by page
5 of 5 book tools found in the core book
Highlights
Corruption turns casting and cursed relics into a gamble: temporary taint that pushes total Corruption to half a character's Resolute leaves permanent Corruption and a Stigma, a step toward becoming an abomination. Witchsight reads the colored Shadow of a creature, place, or object to expose corruption and deceit, at a temporary Corruption cost per attempt that rises with the ability's tier. Only players roll dice, turning every exchange into player attack, Defense, damage, and Armor rolls against fixed NPC values.
Considerations
Mystic play carries steady bookkeeping: Corruption costs for learning and casting vary by tradition and tier, and temporary and permanent totals must be tracked against the threshold. Each hit passes through several steps (Armor reduction, damage against Toughness, and a Pain Threshold effect when one hit exceeds it), which adds bookkeeping in busy fights. The core book deliberately limits its setting to the region around Davokar; the lands south of the Titans and the broader world receive only brief mention.
Third-Party Publishing
Supplements (adventures, setting material, or rules additions) that require the first-edition Symbaroum core game, published in print, PDF, or VTT form in English, Swedish, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, or Italian; standalone games, reproduced or replacement core rules, new attributes, official text, art, or trade dress, and future editions are excluded.
Supplements must carry the A Supplement For Symbaroum logo and a non-endorsement notice, and generative-AI content must be disclosed.
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