Afterglow
The sun has not gone out, it has been darkened.
It still exists, somewhere above the sky, but its light no longer reaches the world.
In the darkness, people disappear.
They are not killed.
They are not taken.
They simply cease to exist once no one can see them.
Humanity survives in pockets of artificial light: generator-cities, lighthouse fortresses, roaming caravans carrying fire and glow. Light is currency. Darkness is a sentence.
The only Factions have been given the ability to stand against the dark. The Order of Light.
THE ORDER OF LIGHT, CALL TO THE LIVING
The sun has not risen in generations.
The dark does not wait.
And humanity is running out of names to forget.
When the world fell silent, most factions broke.
Kings hid. Churches prayed. Cities burned their last fuel and closed their gates.
Only one force was given the right and the burden to stand against the dark.
The Order of Light
We are not rulers.
We are not saviors.
We are those who walk where others vanish.
The Order grants its members the means to survive Absolute Darkness:
Light that does not immediately fail
Training to resist erasure
Authority to act beyond borders, laws, and thrones In return, we ask for everything.
WHO WE SEEK
We recruit:
Those who have lost someone to the dark
Those who have stood in total darkness and returned
Those who can carry light without believing themselves pure
You do not need faith.
You do not need nobility.
You only need to endure being seen and seeing others fade.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
As an Initiate of the Order, you will:
Escort light through dead lands
Recover people who are already halfway gone
Decide who receives light — and who does not
Face what waits in places the sun abandoned
You will be sent where maps end.
You will not always be welcomed.
You will not always be right.
WHAT WE PROMISE
You will be remembered
You will not face the dark alone
If you fall, your light will not be wasted
But understand this:
Joining the Order does not mean you will survive.
It means your death will matter.
Pathfinder - 1
3-5 Players
Post rules : At least 2's a week
Level range: 1–12 (low-level fear , mid-level moral horror ,high-level cosmic truth)
Tone: Dark fantasy, survival, psychological horror
Core Rule: The Dark
The Dark Trait
Certain areas are affected by Absolute Darkness (stronger than magical darkness).
Effects:
Normal darkvision does not work
Light spells are suppressed or weakened
Creatures without protection gain Dark Exposure
Dark Exposure:
When a creature spends time in Absolute Darkness, it makes a Will save (frequency depends on area).
Failure adds 1 stage of Dark Exposure:
Disorientation
– –1 to Perception and Will
– Subtle whispers, movement in the corner of vision
Erosion
– –1 to all saves
– Character loses emotional details (GM asks player to remove or alter a memory)
Fading
– Creature becomes Concealed, even to allies
– Cannot benefit from Aid or morale bonuses
Unmade
– Character is removed from play
– Becomes a Shade NPC
Critical Success on a save reduces exposure by 1 stage.
Light as a Resource
Light sources have Light Points (LP).
Examples:
Torch: 3 LP
Everburning Lantern: 6 LP
Divine Light (spell): variable LP
When LP hits 0:
The light flickers
Dark Exposure checks increase in frequency
Spending LP can fuel abilities, but attracts Shades.
Spells & Magic Changes
Light spells gain heightened effects but limited duration
Darkness spells are dangerous to cast — they risk Dark Exposure
Illusion magic becomes unreliable in Absolute Darkness
Clerics & Paladins:
Divine light is safer, but gods are silent or distant
Buy Points 25 - No buying over 17. Only racial
Materials : Search for - Archives of Nethys - All Classes but gunslinger.
Gold start 200 gold - No guns.
All PCs gain a Free Archetype: Lightbearer or Lightbound
Archetype : Lightbearer
You gain the following abilities when you take this archetype:
Immediately (Level 2)
You ignore the effects of Stage 1 Dark Exposure.
You gain an imprecise sense for Shades within 30 feet.
While benefiting from an active light source, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against fear and mental effects.
Stabilize the Fading
Gained at Level 4
Trigger: A creature within 30 feet gains a stage of Dark Exposure.
Spend 1 LP from a light source you control.
The target immediately attempts a new save against Dark Exposure with a +2 circumstance bonus.
On a success, the condition does not advance.
Additional Benefit (Level 7)
If you are Expert in Religion or Occultism, the target also regains 1d8 HP.
Burn Brighter
Gained at Level 4
Once per hour, when you spend 1 LP, choose one:
+2 circumstance bonus to one attack roll
+2 circumstance bonus to one saving throw
Treat one failure on a darkness-related flat check as a success
Improved Effect (Level 12)
If you are Master in your class DC, you may instead treat that failure as a critical success.
Shared Glow
Gained at Level 6
Allies within 10 feet of you ignore Stage 1 Dark Exposure.
Allies in the aura gain a +1 status bonus to Will saves.
The aura functions only while you benefit from an active light source.
Improved Radius (Level 12)
Aura radius increases to 20 feet.
Scorch the Dark
Feat 6
Archetype, Lightbearer
Gained at Level 6
When you damage a Shade or creature with the Dark trait, deal an extra 1d6 positive or mental damage.
Improved Damage (Level 12)
Extra damage increases to 2d6.
Unblinking Presence
Gained at Level 8
You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saves against effects that would:
Remove you from play
Apply petrified, paralyzed, or similar incapacitating conditions
Advance Dark Exposure
Improved Resistance (Level 10)
On a critical success against Dark Exposure, reduce the condition by 2 stages instead of 1.
Illuminate the Lost
Gained at Level 8
Target one Shade within 30 feet.
The Shade attempts a Will save vs your class DC.
Effects scale normally by save result.
Narrative Effect (Always On)
On a critical failure, the GM reveals one true memory from the Shade’s former life.
Beacon of Defiance
Gained at Level 10
You emit a 20-foot aura of steady light.
Absolute Darkness becomes normal darkness inside the aura.
Allies gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls against Shades.
Dark Exposure saves occur one step less frequently.
Sustain Cost
Costs 1 LP per minute to maintain.
Consume the Light
Gained at Level 12
Trigger: You would be reduced to 0 HP.
Destroy a light source you control (LP permanently reduced to 0).
You remain at 1 HP and gain heroism (3rd) for 1 minute.
You are immune to Dark Exposure for the duration.
Aftereffect (Always Applies)
When the effect ends, you immediately gain Stage 2 Dark Exposure.
Lightbound Dedication
Gained at Level 2
You gain a Light Reservoir equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
When you would gain Dark Exposure, you may spend 1 Reservoir point to ignore the stage increase.
While your Reservoir has at least 1 point, you gain a +1 status bonus to Intimidation and Deception checks.
Special You can’t take another dedication until you gain two other Lightbound feats.
Condensed Radiance
Gained at Level 4
You can compress light into a killing edge.
When you Strike while holding a light source, you may spend 1 Reservoir point to deal an extra 1d6 fire or positive damage.
Scaling (Level 10)
Extra damage increases to 2d6.
Starve the Crowd
Gained at Level 4
Trigger An enemy within 30 feet benefits from light or a light-based effect
You drain the light they rely on.
The target must succeed at a Will save vs your class DC or become frightened 1.
If they fail, their light source loses 1 Light Point (LP).
Hoarded Glow
Gained at Level 6
You do not share.
You ignore Stage 1 and Stage 2 Dark Exposure while your Reservoir is not empty.
Allies do not benefit from your light unless you choose to spend 1 Reservoir point per ally per minute.
This is a choice — and NPCs will notice.
Gilded Shadow
Gained at Level 6
Your light bends around you.
While you have at least 1 Reservoir point, you are concealed in dim light.
Shades treat you as hidden unless you attack them.
Burn the Unworthy
Gained at Level 8
When a creature within 30 feet gains Dark Exposure, you may spend 1 Reservoir point as a free action to:
Choose one:
Prevent the exposure and deal 2d6 mental damage to the creature
Allow the exposure and regain 2 Reservoir points
Yes. This is as awful as it sounds.
Light Is Power
Gained at Level 10
You emit a 15-foot aura.
Enemies in the aura take a –1 status penalty to Will saves.
Allies must succeed at a Will save or become uneasy (–1 to social checks with you).
This aura can be suppressed as a single action.
Crown of Radiance
Gained at Level 12
You may store light in yourself.
Your Reservoir maximum increases by 5.
You no longer need a physical light source to use Lightbound abilities.
If reduced to 0 HP, you may spend 3 Reservoir points to remain conscious at 1 HP.
The sun has not gone out, it has been darkened.
It still exists, somewhere above the sky, but its light no longer reaches the world.
In the darkness, people disappear.
They are not killed.
They are not taken.
They simply cease to exist once no one can see them.
Humanity survives in pockets of artificial light: generator-cities, lighthouse fortresses, roaming caravans carrying fire and glow. Light is currency. Darkness is a sentence.
The only Factions have been given the ability to stand against the dark. The Order of Light.
THE ORDER OF LIGHT, CALL TO THE LIVING
The sun has not risen in generations.
The dark does not wait.
And humanity is running out of names to forget.
When the world fell silent, most factions broke.
Kings hid. Churches prayed. Cities burned their last fuel and closed their gates.
Only one force was given the right and the burden to stand against the dark.
The Order of Light
We are not rulers.
We are not saviors.
We are those who walk where others vanish.
The Order grants its members the means to survive Absolute Darkness:
Light that does not immediately fail
Training to resist erasure
Authority to act beyond borders, laws, and thrones In return, we ask for everything.
WHO WE SEEK
We recruit:
Those who have lost someone to the dark
Those who have stood in total darkness and returned
Those who can carry light without believing themselves pure
You do not need faith.
You do not need nobility.
You only need to endure being seen and seeing others fade.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
As an Initiate of the Order, you will:
Escort light through dead lands
Recover people who are already halfway gone
Decide who receives light — and who does not
Face what waits in places the sun abandoned
You will be sent where maps end.
You will not always be welcomed.
You will not always be right.
WHAT WE PROMISE
You will be remembered
You will not face the dark alone
If you fall, your light will not be wasted
But understand this:
Joining the Order does not mean you will survive.
It means your death will matter.
Pathfinder - 1
3-5 Players
Post rules : At least 2's a week
Level range: 1–12 (low-level fear , mid-level moral horror ,high-level cosmic truth)
Tone: Dark fantasy, survival, psychological horror
Core Rule: The Dark
The Dark Trait
Certain areas are affected by Absolute Darkness (stronger than magical darkness).
Effects:
Normal darkvision does not work
Light spells are suppressed or weakened
Creatures without protection gain Dark Exposure
Dark Exposure:
When a creature spends time in Absolute Darkness, it makes a Will save (frequency depends on area).
Failure adds 1 stage of Dark Exposure:
Disorientation
– –1 to Perception and Will
– Subtle whispers, movement in the corner of vision
Erosion
– –1 to all saves
– Character loses emotional details (GM asks player to remove or alter a memory)
Fading
– Creature becomes Concealed, even to allies
– Cannot benefit from Aid or morale bonuses
Unmade
– Character is removed from play
– Becomes a Shade NPC
Critical Success on a save reduces exposure by 1 stage.
Light as a Resource
Light sources have Light Points (LP).
Examples:
Torch: 3 LP
Everburning Lantern: 6 LP
Divine Light (spell): variable LP
When LP hits 0:
The light flickers
Dark Exposure checks increase in frequency
Spending LP can fuel abilities, but attracts Shades.
Spells & Magic Changes
Light spells gain heightened effects but limited duration
Darkness spells are dangerous to cast — they risk Dark Exposure
Illusion magic becomes unreliable in Absolute Darkness
Clerics & Paladins:
Divine light is safer, but gods are silent or distant
Buy Points 25 - No buying over 17. Only racial
Materials : Search for - Archives of Nethys - All Classes but gunslinger.
Gold start 200 gold - No guns.
All PCs gain a Free Archetype: Lightbearer or Lightbound
Archetype : Lightbearer
You gain the following abilities when you take this archetype:
Immediately (Level 2)
You ignore the effects of Stage 1 Dark Exposure.
You gain an imprecise sense for Shades within 30 feet.
While benefiting from an active light source, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against fear and mental effects.
Stabilize the Fading
Gained at Level 4
Trigger: A creature within 30 feet gains a stage of Dark Exposure.
Spend 1 LP from a light source you control.
The target immediately attempts a new save against Dark Exposure with a +2 circumstance bonus.
On a success, the condition does not advance.
Additional Benefit (Level 7)
If you are Expert in Religion or Occultism, the target also regains 1d8 HP.
Burn Brighter
Gained at Level 4
Once per hour, when you spend 1 LP, choose one:
+2 circumstance bonus to one attack roll
+2 circumstance bonus to one saving throw
Treat one failure on a darkness-related flat check as a success
Improved Effect (Level 12)
If you are Master in your class DC, you may instead treat that failure as a critical success.
Shared Glow
Gained at Level 6
Allies within 10 feet of you ignore Stage 1 Dark Exposure.
Allies in the aura gain a +1 status bonus to Will saves.
The aura functions only while you benefit from an active light source.
Improved Radius (Level 12)
Aura radius increases to 20 feet.
Scorch the Dark
Feat 6
Archetype, Lightbearer
Gained at Level 6
When you damage a Shade or creature with the Dark trait, deal an extra 1d6 positive or mental damage.
Improved Damage (Level 12)
Extra damage increases to 2d6.
Unblinking Presence
Gained at Level 8
You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to saves against effects that would:
Remove you from play
Apply petrified, paralyzed, or similar incapacitating conditions
Advance Dark Exposure
Improved Resistance (Level 10)
On a critical success against Dark Exposure, reduce the condition by 2 stages instead of 1.
Illuminate the Lost
Gained at Level 8
Target one Shade within 30 feet.
The Shade attempts a Will save vs your class DC.
Effects scale normally by save result.
Narrative Effect (Always On)
On a critical failure, the GM reveals one true memory from the Shade’s former life.
Beacon of Defiance
Gained at Level 10
You emit a 20-foot aura of steady light.
Absolute Darkness becomes normal darkness inside the aura.
Allies gain a +1 status bonus to attack rolls against Shades.
Dark Exposure saves occur one step less frequently.
Sustain Cost
Costs 1 LP per minute to maintain.
Consume the Light
Gained at Level 12
Trigger: You would be reduced to 0 HP.
Destroy a light source you control (LP permanently reduced to 0).
You remain at 1 HP and gain heroism (3rd) for 1 minute.
You are immune to Dark Exposure for the duration.
Aftereffect (Always Applies)
When the effect ends, you immediately gain Stage 2 Dark Exposure.
Lightbound Dedication
Gained at Level 2
You gain a Light Reservoir equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
When you would gain Dark Exposure, you may spend 1 Reservoir point to ignore the stage increase.
While your Reservoir has at least 1 point, you gain a +1 status bonus to Intimidation and Deception checks.
Special You can’t take another dedication until you gain two other Lightbound feats.
Condensed Radiance
Gained at Level 4
You can compress light into a killing edge.
When you Strike while holding a light source, you may spend 1 Reservoir point to deal an extra 1d6 fire or positive damage.
Scaling (Level 10)
Extra damage increases to 2d6.
Starve the Crowd
Gained at Level 4
Trigger An enemy within 30 feet benefits from light or a light-based effect
You drain the light they rely on.
The target must succeed at a Will save vs your class DC or become frightened 1.
If they fail, their light source loses 1 Light Point (LP).
Hoarded Glow
Gained at Level 6
You do not share.
You ignore Stage 1 and Stage 2 Dark Exposure while your Reservoir is not empty.
Allies do not benefit from your light unless you choose to spend 1 Reservoir point per ally per minute.
This is a choice — and NPCs will notice.
Gilded Shadow
Gained at Level 6
Your light bends around you.
While you have at least 1 Reservoir point, you are concealed in dim light.
Shades treat you as hidden unless you attack them.
Burn the Unworthy
Gained at Level 8
When a creature within 30 feet gains Dark Exposure, you may spend 1 Reservoir point as a free action to:
Choose one:
Prevent the exposure and deal 2d6 mental damage to the creature
Allow the exposure and regain 2 Reservoir points
Yes. This is as awful as it sounds.
Light Is Power
Gained at Level 10
You emit a 15-foot aura.
Enemies in the aura take a –1 status penalty to Will saves.
Allies must succeed at a Will save or become uneasy (–1 to social checks with you).
This aura can be suppressed as a single action.
Crown of Radiance
Gained at Level 12
You may store light in yourself.
Your Reservoir maximum increases by 5.
You no longer need a physical light source to use Lightbound abilities.
If reduced to 0 HP, you may spend 3 Reservoir points to remain conscious at 1 HP.
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