Running a level-0 DCC Funnel in Shadowdark
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What’s a Funnel?
A level zero funnel is a type of adventure in OSR games with each player piloting multiple level zero characters. There’s lots of opportunity and likelihood of death, but whichever characters survive then level up and can be used for future games.
What’s the differences between DCC and Shadowdark?
At top level the big differences I see between Dungeon Crawl Classics and Shadowdark are:
DCC uses Special-sided die like D24 and D30, Shadowdark uses the standard 7: D4, D6, D8, D10, D%100, D12, D20
DCC has attribute-grouped saving throws like Fortitude, Reflex , and Willpower, where as Shadowdark only has attribute checks (which can act as saves but not added math for saving versus PC agency actions.
Shadowdark only ever uses D8 for monster hit dice, DCC uses different sized hit dice.
DCC can have creatures use dice other than D20 for an attempted attribute check.
In general, DCC has more complexity which means it creates dangerous situations for the PCs ways different than Shadowdark would, but the lower level interactions should be similar between both games outside of some DC nudging.
There are some special abilities to interpret, but in general you could run any monsters from a DCC game in a Shadowdark game with minor tweaking. For instance, I made this simplified statblock without even writing it down when we played the session:
Pandemonium Deer (Shadowdark):
AC 11, HP 11, ATK 1 antler charge +2 (1d6) or 1 bite +0 (1d4), MV double near, S+0, D+2, C+2, I-2, W-2, Ch-3, AL C, LV 2
Demonic vulnerability. Receives double damage from demonic sources.
With these considerations in mind, the focus can be on the story.
The Story
Spoiler alert! Unless you’re a GM/Referee who will run this module or dont’ mind having it spoiled for you, do not read on.
The player characters are amongst the latest class of recruits in a secret cult that meets every 7 years at the site of the spear of seven trees in a ritual that has been passed down for generations that whomever pulls the spear from the mound would be crowned the king of the surrounding lands.
Very sword in the stone, but I love the twist - which is the message has been scrambled over the ages and the spear is actually keeping a massive entity known as the Gorflagratior the World Ender who would be free to fulfill their wishes of destroying the world if the spear were to come loose. Luckily no one had managed to be the chosen one and set the thing free, and all who attempted became permant members of the cult with a disfigurment like growing multiple eyes, or really long limbs or became just a head with arms and legs, but in this session - one of the players has the bloodline to set Gorflagratior upon the world…
You see what happened was…
I had two players for this and they’d never played a funnel in any system before. I laid the intro out and they took control of one character each from their stable of four and were led to the ritual site where they would be given a chance to pull the spear along with a larger group.
Everyone in the group tries and fails after being introduced to the concept and then every character that attempts and fails rolls on a big roll table to see what kind of life-altering change occurs to them. According to the module, randomly one of the PCs will actually pull the spear from the mount, and then Gorflagratior will erupt from the earth - killing the character that pulled the spear.
A mythical creature appears as if awakened by the release of Gorflagratior and starts to fight it, clearly a better match for it than the meek peasant level characters in all directions in the chaos.
Gorflagratior thinks it needs to save itself by giving its black heart wings and sending it flying to hide somewhere. Per the module, the sun comes up and as the heart is in the light it burns and is damaged, which means it flies looking for a cave to hide in while leaking black ichor and a trail to follow.
I will not spoil all of the details of the module, but the directive is clear - the player characters are to take the spear and hunt th eheart, if they can slay the heart, they will save the world at least for a time.
My players did indeed succeed, after both players being reduced to their last characters. They had to make a trade with a local lord who happened to get involved in the plot, but they made the trade, and now have two characters in our regular Shadowdark game heading towards the area all their other characters are currently exlporing. A couple of new level 1 characters with some loot and a fun adventure had by all involved.
My Thoughts
I do enjoy OSR/NSR gaming having some or better compatibility with the seemingly endless library of modules out in the world. Some need more work than others to cross sytems, and I’m sure there are level bands that just don’t feel right, but the ideas can definitely be crossed over.
I think the things i’ve gained the most from reading as many different styles of modules as possible is insights into adventure design and game mastering. I am a big fan of aspects of the older school when it is direct and explicit as to how to referee something, but dislike when OSR stuff refuses to untether from the arcane practices of old that just seem to obfusciate clarity on how to get the story to connect with the system.
I am looking forward to reading and trying more DCC module ideas out in my Shadowdark games.
What I Am Up To
TTRPG Reading: Tome of Adventure Design (re-read with physical copy! I love this book)
Audiobook: Hunger of the Gods (Bloodsworn Trilogy: IT SLAPS!)
Project: Almanac of Abominations Zine - System Neutral - Preorders are live! Backers recieving rewards within 2 weeks!
Current Campaign(s):
GM - Shadowdark - Custom Setting (Giathos) - Kinholdt town cleansed of the Yellow Death?
Player - Storm King’s Thunder - 7 Swashbuckler Rogue / 5 Bladesinger Wizard - In the finale! Dragons and Giants and heroes going at it hard!
Useful Things For Your Game
Spotify Playlist Add - Role: Prologue