DOWNCAST

Dankmar. The Undercity. This network of ancient tunnels lies far below the city above. Much of the city's sewage and waste finds its way down here, along with its criminals.

You and others have been pronounced guilty of crimes, regardless of whether or not you actually committed them. Your sentence - to be thrown down below and left for dead.

Should you survive the fall, you must now fight to stay alive, battered and weaponless. It will take all of your cunning and gods willing, a bit of luck. If you can make your way out, a new life awaits you, as you will surely not be the same person.

You are a ..

downcast /doun·​kast/  -

 1. : being in a state of lowered confidence or courage : dejected. 

2. : directed down.

"DOWNCAST: Ill-fated in Dankmar" began as an idea a couple of years ago. The premise involved not just traditional dungeon-delving, but rather, escape. The dangers would be not only presented by the horrors that lurked there, but also by the very dungeon itself. It would have an intelligence all its own, hoping to keep its visitors trapped forever. Over time, it would corrupt them. They would either become food for its deadly denizens, or become as they were. Those sentenced to exile in the Undercity must cling to Hope, attempting to battle their way upwards to freedom. But Despair weighs heavily on them. The longer they dwell here, the more lost they become, physically, mentally and spiritually.

Inspired by fantasy fiction and the classic games that followed, the city of Dankmar also takes its name from Fritz Leiber's city of Lankhmar from the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories. A vile city run by cruel masters stands atop an ancient labyrinth. All of its refuse finds it way below, and unfortunately, your characters have been dumped there as well.

The premise and tack-on rules of Downcast can be used by themselves or used alongside your favorite RPG systems. Use it for one-shots, pbp, campaign play or whatever you like. Whether you play any version of classic fantasy, modern DnD, 5E, OSE, Savage Swords, Shadowdark, Pathfinder, Castles & Crusades, Dungeon Crawl Classics, Mörk Borg, post-apocalyptic fantasy, etc., you can find a way to utilize these rules. Options will also be included for use with modern horror such as Survive This!, Dark Places and Demogorgons and Call of Cthulhu, or even sci-fi adventure TTRPGs. Blow the dust off some game on your shelf and breathe some new life into it.. 

Recently I began running a PBP (Play-by-Post) experiment on Discord with a single player. The Downcast rules are being used here alongside an OSR/5E adjacent rules set (Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer d20, in the post-apocalyptic, sci-fi/fantasy, gonzo world of Cha'alt.) 

You've been wandering for days. Will you ever see the sun again?

Some delve into forgotten depths, descending ever deeper to find some abandoned treasure or bit of forgotten lore. But here you strive only to travel upward and escape. And yet the corridors and tunnels have taken you far away from where you landed. Surely you're some distance away from the city you once knew. Is this perhaps some infernal realm or different world entirely?

The RULES:

YOUR ASCENT INTO MADNESS BEGINS

Downcast is a "reverse dungeon," but not in the sense that you play monsters trying to overcome adventurers. Instead, PCs are dropped to the bottom of a dangerous dungeon and must attempt to escape. They will have to pick and choose their battles. Forget scaled encounters. Powerful foes may be encountered anywhere, and the grearest threat is the very dungon itself..

Characters who find themselves in the Undercity start with the clothes on their backs and not much else. The jailers also did not waste food and drink on the condemned. To survive, food, water and weapons must be found.

Characters can be made using only the Downcast titles (classes) or use them with existing classes from other games. However, some abilities from other settings may work differently in these depths. Beings who see in the dark may encounter impenetrable darkness. Mages may discover that they are stripped of magical knowledge and must now uncover ancient magiclks from long ago. Priests may find their prayers falling on deaf ears and their faith tested. Perhaps the gods help those who help themselves..

Downcast is meant to be modular. Run it as-is. Use it alongside another rules set. Use any of the rules a la carte with other games. Use it for a low level "funnel" adventure or drop higher level characters into it. Play solo in an emerging dungeon or combine the premise with that mega-dungeon you've been dying to use. It all works.

HOPE AND DESPAIR

In the Undercity, the struggle to survive can feel utterly hopeless. There are ways to cling to Hope, but many setbacks cause Despair. In fact, there is a constant feeling of dread here that seems to exude from the very walls. It is as if this very place seeks your failure, desiring that you become food for the many vile creatures that dwell here or worse.. expects you to become as they are.

Beginning characters start at Hope 0 and Despair 1 (Things look pretty grim right from the beginning.) Receiving a point of Hope can erase a point of Despair, or can add to the Hope total. No total can go above 5 or below 0. It is possible to gain more than 1 point from a single event. Hope can also be spent to remove harmful status effects.

There are benefits to gaining Hope, but Despair can spell your doom.

At 3 Despair, the character receives a Downgrade and succumbs to the corrupting influence of The Undercity. The character changes in some way, and it's rarely good.

At 5 Despair, the character becomes Downcast forever, lost to the Undercity and made one of its twisted, permanent denizens.

Examples of Hope:

- Avoiding starvation and dehydration

- Gaining an ally

- Overcoming a particularly dangerous foe or group of foes

- Escaping or surviving a trap or hazardous situation likely to cause instant death

Examples of Despair:

- Starvation/lack of water

- Being betrayed

- Losing an ally/seeing them die horrifically

- Acquiring an Affliction

Each Downcast Title also has ways of earning Hope and Despair.

SETTINGS

The default setting is classic sword and sorcery, but ideas for other genres will be provided, such as:

• MODERN HORROR - Beneath a bustling metropolis, far below its winding subway tunnels, the remnants of a pre-human civilization harbors terrible evil..
• SCI-FI - A thriving colony was built atop ancient alien ruins. Anyone deemed to be a threat to the colony is cast below..

MONSTERS (As below, so above..)

Any number of traditional fantasy monsters may be encountered in the Undercity. However, there are strange creatures that are exclusive to this accursed realm. Pray that you escape the corruption that breeds such things.

What horrors await to block your ascent?

Encounter tables and sample encounters will be provided, along with tips for including foes from other sources and tailoring the Undercity to various settings and genres. Statistics compatible with most old school, d20-based rules will be provided for some creatures unique to this realm.

TREASURES AWAIT, BOTH FAIR AND FOUL

Your characters will have to make do with whatever arms and armor they find. Rules for improvised weapons and repair will be included. Items won from fallen foes may bestow wondrous boons or exert a corrupting influence.

ALLIES

In Downcast, they're not mere henchfolk. They have minds of their own. They have needs. They may not open doors just because you tell them to.

PBP (Play-by-Post) and Other Options

Downcast can be run with as little as one player (or as a solo game.) An alternate, ultra-lite system can be used that uses "hits" for quick or simple play. Damage types from other systems are converted to set numbers, usually causing one or two hits. Feel free to use standard systems instead.

WRITING:

Writing duties will be performed by the one-man team of me. If any collaborators join the project, they will be credited and announced through updates.

ART:

Art will be done by myself and will also include licensed art from other artists. No AI art will be used in this project.

FULFILLMENT:

DOWNCAST will be printed in the USA in saddle-stitched, A5 zine format on quality paper with a black and white interior and durable, UV gloss covers. The total page count is subject to change, but expect it to be at least forty pages. I hope to cram in as much as I can, and may even expand it into two or more separate zine booklets if funding allows. POD (Print on Demand) versions will be fulfilled through lulu.com and available internationally wherever Lulu ships. PDFs will be distributed through drivethrurpg.com.

STRETCH GOALS?

• $2,000 - A separate zine with additional setting ideas and bestiary material will be made. (TWO ZINES!)

• $3,000 - THREE ZINES will be made (RULES, SETTINGS and THREATS.)You won't find a better deal than that (unless you loot a dungeon corpse and get really lucky.)

ADD-ONS:

You can pick up a copy of my previous title, SPACE LABYRINTH. It's a solo and co-op sci-fi adventure generated as you play.

BONUS ITEMS:

All physical (U.S.) backers will receive free DOWNCAST stickers, (exact dimensions TBD.) It's been a tradition to provide stickers with any project I do, so stickers you shall have. Additional stickers will be available for purchase. Stick them on things and if people ask, tell them "Downcast" is the name of your Roleplayers' Anonymous support group, which of course, it will be..

Listen to the summary on RPG Overviews:

Q&A with Dan Davenport, a.k.a. The Harboiled GMshoe:

https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/2026/03/27/qa-roger-jones-downcast/

TESTIMONIALS SO FAR:

• "I'm enjoying the reverse dungeon concept." - Playtester whose character hasn't died yet.
• "If I wasn't making this thing, I would totally buy it." - The Author

PLAYTESTING:

Playtesting is already in progress and will be ongoing to ensure quality and compatibility with various systems and styles of play. Do you have a blog or channel and want to feature a mash-up of Downcast with your favorite system? A playtest document will be provided upon request.

I believe Downcast can provide an interesting spin on familiar concepts. I hope you do as well.