MODULAR RULES & PROCEDURES FOR CAIRN RPG

CAIRN
Adventurer’s Guide

BY ADAM HENSLEY
Overview
This document lists some optional, modularly-designed rules &
procedures for Cairn. They’re designed to be plug-n-play, so just grab
what you like and discard the rest. They aren’t critical to the structure of
the game and are completely optional.

Note: L is used in reference to player level. Example: A level 2 player

would see Ld6 and roll 2d6. Text licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0

Credits & Inspiration: “Dungeon Procedurs” by Skerples (Many Rats on

Sticks) Necropraxis, Failure Tolerated, The Luminescent Lich, Ten Foot
Polemic, Xenio in a Bottle)

Table of Contents
NPC Reactions & Wants 2

Dungeon Exploration 3-4

Wilderness Explorations 5-6

Leveling Up 7

Carousing 8-10

Vices 11-12

Advanced Combat Options 13

Magic Damage Types & Special Materials 14

1
NPC Reactions
When the PCs encounter an NPC whose reaction to the party is not
obvious, the Warden may roll 2d6 and consult the following table.
2 3-5 6-8 9-11 12

Hostile Wary Curious Friendly Helpful

What Do They Want?

Most NPCs will have something they want. Roll a d10 on the following
table to find out what they want.

D10 Want Description

You can distract them with rations, point them towards
1 Food corpses, cast a food illusion.

2 Aid They could be hurt and need medical aid of some sort.

3 Money They want money. Extortion, toll, tax, tribute, or greed.

Rare or unique items. Excellent pairings can result in their

4 Valuables friendship or gaining as allies.

This is their turf. They will defend it, ask you to leave, or to
5 Territory prove why you should be able to pass through.

They want to know about a nearby NPC, faction, landmark,

6 Info or location.

They need something from nearby, probably somewhere

7 Help dangerous. Kill something, clear out an area, retrieve
something.

They have random equipment (from each category on

equipment tables) and want to trade or sell. 1 in 6 chance
8 Trade they have something rare or valuable. Good business
means possible friendship.

They’re in service to another nearby NPC or faction and are

9 Mission helping to achieve a goal for them.

They are lost and need directions somewhere, or help being

10 Directions escorted there safely.

2
Dungeon Exploration
Dungeon Turns
A dungeon turn is approximately 10 minutes. Dungeon exploration can
be turned into a subsystem of managing resources, making strategic
decisions, and structuring the dungeon crawl into a sort of mini-game.
There is an element of pushing your luck as you spend more time
searching, checking for hidden things, and lingering in dangerous
locations. Time spent always has a cost, and that cost is provoking an
encounter roll. These encounters can involve running into monsters, but
can also challenge or reward the party in other ways.

Sequence of Play Per Turn

1. Encounter Roll: GM makes a d6 loaded encounter roll once every
few dungeon turns, or at their discretion.
2. Actions: The party decides what action to take. (e.g. moving,
searching, listening, entering or exiting rooms).
3. Description: GM describes & resolves what happens. If encounters
were rolled, they happen here. If (1) was rolled on the encounter die,
make a reaction roll and proceed from there.
4. End of turn: GM updates time, and management of light, food,
need to rest, or any sort of usage dice rolls can be made.

Dungeon Turn Movement

• Players can move carefully about 200 ft. in a 10 minute turn. Players
moving carefully spot signs of all traps. Traps should be designed
to be disarmed or subverted with ingenuity and creative thinking
using common sense and inventory.
• Players can quickly move 600 ft. in a 10-minute turn. Players
moving quickly may get a chance to roll under WIL to notice a
trap (GM discretion). Otherwise, they may trigger a trap if it
is concealed (usually 1-2 on a d6, adjust as necessary for trap
deadliness)

3
Searching
• A quick search takes 1 minute, covers roughly a 30x30’ space, and
reveals only the most obvious information.
• A detailed search takes 10 minutes (1 turn), covers roughly a 30x30’
space, and reveals most hidden information, at the GM’s discretion.
• You can replace 30x30 with small, medium, and large rooms, and
require additional turns to complete a detailed search.

Loaded Encounter Roll

Roll a d6 encounter dice every 2 or 3 rounds (at your discretion, adjust
as needed) or when players make noise. Only a roll of 1 will result in an
encounter, and they won’t always be hostile. Roll the reaction dice to see
their disposition, and remember that they’re already doing something.
Optionally, you can roll non-loaded encounters with only and encounter
occurring on a roll of 1, while nothing else happens otherwise.

1. Encounter (roll on encounter table or choose, roll reactions +

wants)
2. Sign (Clue, “spoor”, track, abandoned lair, scent, victim,
droppings, etc.)
3. Locality (context-dependent timer, water rising, ritual completing,
The party's surroundings shift or escalate in some way.)
4. Exhaustion (rest next round or deprived)
5. Expiration (Ongoing effects end, light usage roll, resource usage,
bellies rumble.)
6. Discovery or Treasure (The party finds something interesting and
possibly beneficial.)

Light
Torches, lanterns, and other radial sources of light illuminate 40’ clearly
and provide dim outlines and shadows for a further 40’. In the dark,
light sources are visible miles away. Standard torches will last about 6
turns, or 1 hour, before they burn out.

4
Wilderness Exploration
Hex Crawling
Each hex represents 6 miles. An adventuring day is divided into 6 turns
of approximately 4 hours each. Two of these phases, approximately 8
hours, must be spent sleeping in order to avoid becoming deprived. In
each turn, the following procedure is followed:

1. Exploration Action: The party decides on one exploration action for

that turn.
2. Event Roll: The GM rolls on the event die for encounters and other
random events.
3. Resolution: The action and event rolls are resolved.

Exploration Actions
The party may choose one of the following standard actions each
4-hour wilderness turn.

Travel: Exiting a hex and moving into an adjacent one.

» Roads: The party travels through two tiles (three if mounted).
» Standard Terrain: 1 tile is traversed.
» Difficult Terrain: ½ tile is traversed. (requires 8 hours, or 2
turns)
» Treacherous Terrain: ¼ tile is traversed. (requires 16 hours, or 4
turns)
» Getting Lost: There is a 1-in-6 chance, when traveling off-road,
of getting lost. This is increased to 2-in-6 in tiles classified as
difficult or treacherous. An experienced woodsman or explorer
decreases the chance of getting lost by 1-in-6.
» Off-Course: When lost, assign a number to each adjacent tile
starting from the top (north) as 1, continuing clockwise. Roll 1d6
and move the players one tile off-course that direction.
» Weather: Adverse weather can optionally increase the chances of
getting lost or the difficulty of the terrain, at your discretion.
» Reorientation: If players get lost, they will need to spend the
next turn reorienting themselves.

5
 • Explore: Looking for interesting features within a hex. There
is a 4-in-6 chance of discovering the main location in the hex
description. Difficult terrain reduces this to 3-in-6. An experienced
woodsman increases the chance by 1-in-6.
• Locate: Looking for something which was previously encountered
in a hex. The basic chance is 5-in-6 or 4-in-6 in difficult terrain. An
experienced woodsman, tracker, or navigator increases the chance
by 1-in-6.
• Interact: Staying in the current location (e.g. exploring a dungeon,
town, etc).
• Camp: Resting and/or sleeping. See later for details on resting in
the wilds.
• Forage: Hunt, fish, or forage for food. There is a basic 3-in-6 chance
of success. An experienced hunter, angler, or woodsman increases
the chance.

Event Roll
The GM rolls a d6 and consults the table appropriate to the party’s
location.

1. Encounter: Roll on an encounter table for that terrain type

or location. Don’t forget to roll for reaction and want.
2. Sign: Clue, spoor, or indication of nearby encounter, locality,
hidden feature, or information about a nearby hex.
3. Locality: Shifts in weather, terrain, or other local changes.
4. Expiration: Resources are drained in some way. Roll a d4.
1-2: Exhaustion (rest for a turn or add 1 fatigue)
3-4: Hunger (Eat a ration or add 1 fatigue)
5. Discovery: Discover something useful such as food, treasure, or
other resources.
6. Hidden Feature: The main feature of the hex is discovered, or,
choose or roll randomly for a unique hex feature from a random
table. Options include small dungeons, secret areas, factions, etc.

6
Leveling Up
Experience Points (XP)
Gain a new level every 1,000 XP. Optionally increase the XP needed each
level. A good place to start is adding between 500-1,000 XP each level.

Gaining XP
Experience points are gained at a rate of 1 XP for every 1 gold (or your
game’s standard currency) retrieved and returned to the safety of a town
or your base of operations.

Increasing HP & Ability Scores

Each time you level up:
• Roll 1d6 and add to your HP total.
• Re-roll each Ability Score with 3d6. If a result is higher than your
current score, increase that Ability Score by 1.

7
Carousing
You can spend your hard-earned credit on experiences rather than on
things. Carousing lets you double-dip your experience by spending it
at a 1-1 ratio. The more you spend, the more impactful or eventful your
experience. Carousing represents having a good time, donating your
money, investing in a “business opportunity”, or some other experience
involving your wealth and blowing off steam. Alter these tables or
add your own mishaps and fortunes. They generally represent getting
into shenanigans while inebriated but can also be sober celebratory
outcomes.

Carousing Roll
Declare the amount of gold you’re spending and roll 2d6 to see how your
evening went.

2d6 How Things Went

2-5 Experience is gained. However, you’ve all made fools of

yourself in some manner. Roll on the carousing mishaps
table.

6-9 Experience is gained.

10+ Experience is gained. You’ve all had a stroke of good

luck! Roll on the carousing fortunes table!

Mishaps & Fortunes

Roll 1d6, adding + 1 to the results for every 100 gp you carouse with
(increase this amount at your preference, or as players level up.) More
decadent partying comes with the potential of more volatile or legendary
consequences. See the mishaps & fortunes table on the next page to see
what happens. Alternatively, just roll a 1d12 and check the results.

8
 D6+ Mishaps

Start a brawl. You all are involved in a brawl that gets out of control.
1 Start the next adventure with a black eye and -1 STR per level. The local
tavern keeper is no longer quite as amicable.
Minor misunderstanding with local authorities that you’re unable to
2 smooth over. You all spend the next 1d6 days in jail. Now seen as local
troublemakers.

One of you insulted a local person of rank. They will hold a grudge
3 unless you all publicly apologize and humiliate yourself before them.

Hangover from hell. The first 2d6 hours adventuring the next day are
4 done with disadvantage to all STR saves.
Gambling binge. Your party owes a collective debt equal to roughly
5 half the amount spent carousing to someone you’d rather not own
money to.
You’ve ruined the local economy! Your excess spending means that all
6 prices are now double until next session.
Major misunderstanding with local authorities. All equipment is con-
7 fiscated until fines and bribes totaling 1d6 x 100 gold is paid.
While in a drunken stupor and a spot of trouble, you sought refuge
8 in a church. They took care of you but now as repayment have begun
hounding you to perform a charitable act.
Bad Investment. Invest all your spare coin in some smooth-tongued
9 merchant’s scheme. Turns out it’s a sham. One of the towns mer-
chants flees.

Due to a lost game of darts and a few inflammatory remarks at

10 the tavern, you make bitter enemies with a local rival adventuring
party.

Beaten and robbed. You are waylaid by a bunch of thugs during your
11 drunken carousing. Collectively lose L6d100 coins.
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! Accidentally start a conflagra-
tion Roll 1d6 twice. (1-2) burn down your favorite inn (3-5) some other
12 den of ill repute is reduced to ash (6) a big chunk of town goes up
in smoke. (1-2) no one knows it was you guys (3-5) one other person
knows you did it (6) everybody knows.

9
 Fortunes

Jackpot! One of you strikes it rich at the gambling tables! Gain level x 100 gold.

Gain a local reputation as the life of a party! Those of ill repute are much
more friendly and see you as one of their own.

Whoa what a trip! The strange powder you sniffed revealed mystic truths
about the universe. Young people in the settlement see you as cool and not
one of the squares. (Optional: gain a random spell or generate a Maze Rats
spell, either one-use or permanent.)
Well fed, well rested, and ready to go! The next day of adventuring all saves
are done with advantage.
Citizens arrest! You catch some criminal in the act and are able to restrain
them until the authorities arrive. You are seen as hero’s by the settlement for
a short time.
The local blacksmith, due to your influx of cash, has been able to order in an
exquisite weapon that he’s willing to sell to you guys for the normal price.
The local clergy see you guys as protectors of the settlement. They offer you a
blessing before your next adventure.
Impressed by your ability to drink for days and keep standing, a local hireling
of high repute is willing to join you on your next adventure if you wish at no
initial cost.

Killer Investment! Invest all your spare cash in some smooth-tongued mer-
chant’s scheme. Turns out it’s real! It returns 50% profits next d4 sessions.

Local celebrity. Your ability to carouse with the common folk as lead them
to see you as one of their own. The peasants of the settlement are thankful to
have you around. You receive free room and board in this settlement of poor
quality.
Hot Goss. Your time spent carousing has let you in on some juicy gossip. You
learn one major secret about a person in authority.
Heroic Carousing! It was a night of truly epic debauchery. Everyone roll a d6
to see how your legend grew.
(1) Re-roll HP for that level, take new result if higher, increase by 1 if lower.
(2) Gain 1 STR (3) Gain 1 DEX (4) Gain 1 WIL, (5) Gain a random spell book (6)
Gain Ld6 x 100 GP.

10
Vices
Vices serve as both character
growth and a way to pressure PC’s
pockets and keep them continuing
to adventure & acquire wealth to
support their vice. If PCs start out
with a group debt, a vice is a nice
way to continue bleeding their
wealth after they pay off their
debt.

Gaining Vices
Players can roll for a vice during Gambling: Playing cards, throwing
character creation, or acquire dice, or other forms of risking money
one through the fiction of play. to games of chance.
Roll a d8 for a random vice. Alcohol: Drinking ale, wine, spirits,
Otherwise, consult the triggers or other alcoholic beverages that
for suggestions on what might intoxicate your senses.
trigger a character to develop a Drugs: Narcotic delights to smoke,
vice. You can require them failing snort, or consume in search of
a WIL save after hitting a trigger oblivion.
if you wish. Alternatively they can Lust: Pleasures of the flesh such as
willingly take on a vice they find daliances with strangers or paid sex
interesting. workers.
Luxury: Expensive clothing, decadent
Satisfying Vices food, art, and general opulence.
Vices must be appeased once a Weird: Consorting with devils,
week or the PC must pass a WIL contacting unknown entities, and
save. Failing a WIL save adds the performing forgotten or forbidden
deprived condition until they rituals.
satisfy their vice. Appeasing a vice
Obligation: Devotion to a cause,
should cost money in some way, organization, charity, or family.
whether directly from money or
indirectly via resources. Violence: Spectating extreme violence
or participating in the bloodshed
yourself.
Faith: Dedicatation to a power, diety,
ancestry, or other belief system.
Ambition: Pursuing a personal goal,
vendetta, or personal project.
11
D10 Vice Triggers Satisfying

Gamble with at least 10% of

Major win or loss at a high your personal wealth, wager a
1 Gambling
stakes game or wager. unique/useful/powerful item,
put other major stakes up.
Consuming large amounts of Binging heavily, buying rounds
2 Alcohol booze, drinking heavily for for the whole bar, brewing your
multiple days. own booze.
Indulging in addictive Regularly indulging in your
3 Drugs substances, overuse of stims/ addiction, massive binges,
chemicals/boosters. expensive synthetics or cures.
Regular visits to brothels, Indulging with new partners,
4 Lust unique or novel sexual frequent copulation, finding
experiences lusty or kinky novelties
Blowing your money on
Experiencing massive
ostentatious displays, buying
5 Luxury decadence, acquiring rare
expensive clothes/food/art,
forms of wealth
patronage of an artist or savant.
Discovering forbidden
Consorting with strange knowledge/magic/items,
6 Weird entities, exposure to forces growing weirder, gaining
beyond comprehension. corruption, learning weird
secrets.
Experiencing charity or aid,
Supporing your obligation
supporting another through
7 Obligation through financial assistance or
difficulty, developing a strong
help.
sense of duty.
Watch or bet on bloodsports,
Regularly spectating or
participate in bloodsports,
8 Violence participating extreme violence,
commit an act of extreme
especially as entertainment.
violence.
Close encounter with a
supernatural being, near Paying tribute, tithe, sacrifices
9 Faith death experience, discovering with expensive materials,
something faith-related about donations to causes.
your past.
Desiring something grand Making significant progress
from being greatly impressed toward your ambition.
10 Ambition
(building a keep, raising an Spending money towards your
army, attaining status) goal.

12
Advanced Combat Options
Weapon Traits
Below are some optional traits a magical or good quality weapon might
have. Sweep, parry, and reach are traits any weapon of that type can
have. Any of the other traits should be limited to 1 per rare, special, or
magic weapon.

Sweep: (2 handed weapons only) Make a second attack against an enemy

within reach if you roll for maximum damage or your attack reduces the
targets HP to zero or lower.
Parry: (swords & daggers only) Melee
damage of 1-2 is harmlessly parried
away.
Reach: (polearms only) When
attacked with a melee weapon
without reach, the attacker must roll
half or higher on their damage roll or
else you get to attack them first.
Enchanted: (magic weapons)
Damage ignores armor.
Brutal: (magic bludgeoning weapons;
2h only) Critical Damage resulting
from a Damage roll of 8 or more from
this weapon is an instant kill, and
forces a morale Save on the enemy.
Deadly: (magic weapons; rare) Re-roll on max damage and add to total.
Vorpal: (magic blades; rare) Damage immediately bypasses HP, going
straight to STR and requiring a save against Critical Damage
Blood-Thirsty: (cursed magic weapons; rare) On max damage, upgrade
dice type. 6>8>10. 10 on a d10 will reset the weapon to its base dice and
the weapon will need 2d6 hours to recharge. Should have some type of
curse or drawback.

Shield Splintering
Players can opt to absorb all damage and effects from an attack in
exchange for their shield breaking.
13
Magic Damage Types
Below are some magic weapon damage types other than +1 damage.
Magic damage type on a weapon should lower it’s damage by 1 dice size
to account for the extra effect.

Cold: On a hit, target makes a STR save or next attack is impaired.

Thunder: On a hit, target makes a DEX save or can’t move next turn.
Necrotic: On a hit, target makes a WIL save or loses next turn.
Poison: On a hit, target makes a STR save or 1d4 damage for 1d4 rounds.
Disintegration: On a hit, target makes a DEX save vs instant obliteration
& the wielder takes 1 fatigue. Exceptionally powerful & rare.

Special Materials
Most weapons will be made from steel. Some special weapons, however,
could potentially come from different materials. Consider making a
weapon of a special material one dice size less to compensate for its
advantages.

Cold-Iron: Heavy and prone to breaking. Enhanced vs. fey.

Silver: Expensive. Enhanced vs. undead & certain monsters.
Mithril: Elven alloy. Silvery-gold. Enhanced vs. goblins.
Orichalcum: Dwarven alloy. Deep red-bronze. Enhanced vs. undead.
Electrum: Magically forged alloy. Green-gold. Enhanced vs. demons.
Meteor Ore: Rare star metal. Multi-hued. Enhanced vs. dragons.

14
May 2022