✦ Currently in Development ✦
The Middle Lands
A grimdark tabletop RPG set in Caldaryn — a continent where human ambition collides with ancient powers, the Veil bleeds into the waking world, and every decision carries weight that can't be rolled away.
The Pitch
OSR lethality. 5e depth.
Grimdark consequence.
The Middle Lands is a fantasy tabletop RPG currently in development, built for players who love the depth of games like D&D 5e, but crave higher stakes and more meaningful choices. At its core is a d6 dice pool system where you can push your luck for a second chance, but every risk carries real consequences: lost HP, broken gear, or creeping corruption from spellcasting.
Magic is always available but dangerously corrupting, combat is deadly, and character advancement lets you specialize or diversify through flexible point-buy progression. Set in the continent of Caldaryn, where human city-states push into ancient lands, and the Veil bleeds strange powers into reality.
"What are you willing to risk for victory?"
How It Works
Core Mechanics
Every mechanic earns its place. If it doesn't create interesting decisions, it doesn't make the cut.
Fail a roll? Push it, reroll all dice that are not a 6 or a 1. Each push carries a consequence: HP loss, equipment degradation, mental strain, corruption. The system rewards boldness and punishes greed.
Magic is drawn from the Veil, a membrane between worlds that is actively fraying. Cast spells freely, but each use risks corruption. The more you push yourself the more the magic changes you.
No class levels, no locked archetypes. Spend advancement points across attributes, skills, and abilities and talents. Lock yourself into a traditional archetype or build your own.
Armor doesn’t just protect — it degrades. Each hit wears it down, turning reliable defense into a risk. What saves you early may fail you later.
Shields aren’t passive protection, they’re a decision. Each block turns aside a blow up to its limit, but anything stronger pushes through and breaks it down. The more you rely on it, the closer it gets to failing.
Turns NPC relationships into a living resource. Trust is earned, spent, and sometimes broken. Instead of static allies, contacts respond dynamically to your choices.
The Setting
The Continent of Caldaryn
A world in the grip of expansion, entropy, and something older than both.
There is no alliance, only ambition. Human city-states like Solren push outward, each seeking to claim what they can before the others do. Roads, outposts, and settlements spread across the old lands, often at the expense of those already living there. Demi-human resistance grows stronger with each incursion, and the frontier grows more dangerous by the day.
Magic is a rare and dangerous gift, and in the eyes of the city-state rulers, it is a resource to be controlled. Those born with the spark of the arcane are given a choice: bend the knee to serve the crown’s military ambitions or be hunted as a threat to the realm. Many flee to the "crumbling towers" of the wilds, living in isolation to avoid the reach of the kings' trackers.
As human borders push further into the ancient forests, the elves are retreating deeper into the shadows. The "shimmering air" and twisted glades of the Veilgrove serve as both a refuge and a warning to those who dare to encroach. While humans see only timber and land, the elves see the destruction of a delicate balance, and the forest itself has begun to react with inexplicable disappearances.
Encounter Design
Every fight should be a story you can tell after.
Combat in the Middle Lands is not static. Each exchange changes the situation. Damage accumulates, defenses wear down, and the options available to you shift over time. What works early in a fight may not hold up later as pressure builds. Armor degrades. Shields absorb what they can until they fail. Injuries begin to limit what a character can reliably do. By the end of a fight, the outcome reflects more than a single moment. It reflects how the situation developed, and how it was managed as it changed.
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Playtest When It's Ready
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