How does Death work in CRAWL!?

Question

Complete rules for Death in the CRAWL! tabletop RPG system, covering all mechanics and procedures.

Iron Brothers Games · Accepted Answer

Abandoning the Dead: All party members gain +1 AP immediately  Disadvantage on Parley checks until proper rites performed  The dead may not rest easy (GM discretion) Burial or Cremation: Costs 1 Supply and one hour  Each participant may choose: Remove 1 AP -or- gain Advantage on next Resilience check  Prevents undead rising (GM discretion) Final Acts Listing: Deliver crucial information ("The key is hidden in the…")  Make one last attack which auto-hits and inflicts 20 Effort  Move up to 10 feet (crawling to safety, reaching for something)  Destroy something important (snap the artifact, bar the door) Gear Procedure: Pack drops at death site - becomes a treasure cache  Recovering it requires returning - likely facing whatever killed them  After 1d6 hours, something found it  Carried bodies halve movement speed and trigger extra Event Countdown checks Last Words & Final Acts: Death in Crawl! is final. No ghostly returns, no bargains with dark powers. But death ripples outward, affecting those who survive. These rules handle what happens after someone falls. When a PC drops to 0 HP and fails their Resilience check, before they die, the table may choose to spend 1 Law token (flipping it to Chaos) to grant the dying character one final action.  This is a gift from the table's shared fortune, not a right. Death remains absolute after this moment. Oath Types: Vengeance: Kill what killed them  Duty: Complete their unfinished task  Legacy: Deliver their effects to family  Memorial: Erect marker/tell their story in town Oaths to the Dead: When a comrade falls, survivors often swear oaths. Each PC may choose one type of oath.  While Unfulfilled: Earn 1XP on a Fortune.  Earn 1AP on Folly.  When Fulfilled: Gain 2 Path Points (growth through grief). Rites & Remembrance: The dead deserve respect, but respect costs time and resources. The Fallen's Gear: When a PC dies, their equipment becomes a problem.

Iron Brothers Games · Answer

Unlike D&D 5e's death saving throw system or OSE's instant death at 0 HP, CRAWL! uses a Wounds system that creates meaningful narrative moments through Last Words and Oaths to the Dead. Abandoning the Dead: All party members gain +1 AP immediately  Disadvantage on Parley checks until proper rites performed  The dead may not rest easy (GM discretion) Burial or Cremation: Costs 1 Supply and one hour  Each participant may choose: Remove 1 AP -or- gain Advantage on next Resilience check  Prevents undead rising (GM discretion) Final Acts Listing: Deliver crucial information ("The key is hidden in the…")  Make one last attack which auto-hits and inflicts 20 Effort  Move up to 10 feet (crawling to safety, reaching for something)  Destroy something important (snap the artifact, bar the door) Gear Procedure: Pack drops at death site - becomes a treasure cache  Recovering it requires returning - likely facing whatever killed them  After 1d6 hours, something found it  Carried bodies halve movement speed and trigger extra Event Countdown checks Last Words & Final Acts: Death in Crawl! is final. No ghostly returns, no bargains with dark powers. But death ripples outward, affecting those who survive. These rules handle what happens after someone falls. When a PC drops to 0 HP and fails their Resilience check, before they die, the table may choose to spend 1 Law token (flipping it to Chaos) to grant the dying character one final action.  This is a gift from the table's shared fortune, not a right. Death remains absolute after this moment. Oath Types: Vengeance: Kill what killed them  Duty: Complete their unfinished task  Legacy: Deliver their effects to family  Memorial: Erect marker/tell their story in town Oaths to the Dead: When a comrade falls, survivors often swear oaths. Each PC may choose one type of oath.  While Unfulfilled: Earn 1XP on a Fortune.  Earn 1AP on Folly.  When Fulfilled: Gain 2 Path Points (growth through grief). Rites & Remembrance: The dead deserve respect, but respect costs time and resources. The Fallen's Gear: When a PC dies, their equipment becomes a problem.

Death

Abandoning the Dead

Burial or Cremation

Final Acts Listing

Gear Procedure

Last Words & Final Acts

Oath Types

Oaths to the Dead

Rites & Remembrance

The Fallen's Gear

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