Soulslike tabletop roleplaying

Credits
Written by Juan Carlos Hernández
Inspired by the Soulsborne franchise, and Grave by Jason Tocci
Core mechanics adapted from Mörk Borg by Pelle Nilsson.
Some mechanics adapted from Grave.
Artwork gathered from a variety of public domain databases and edited
by Juan Carlos Hernández

Mörk Själ is an independent production by Juan Carlos Hernández and

is not affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell. It is
published under the MÖRK BORG Third Party License.

MÖRK BORG is copyright Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm

Kartell.

Make this game

your own
Mörk Själ is built on top of a long history of OSR games. It was born from hacking,
mixing, matching, removing and replacing.

Like many OSR games, it intentionally leaves gaps for the GM to fill. Feel free to
add, remove, or replace as you deem appropriate for your table.

1
 Index
What is Mörk Själ? 3
The World 3
Character Creation 4
Playing the Game 5
Abilities 5
Ability tests 5
Stamina 6
Combat 7
Magic 9
Damage and Death 10
Resting and Healing 11
Advancement 11
Equipment damage 12
NPCs 13
Morale 13
Best practices 14
Classes 15
Character generation Tables:
Names 17
Broken Bodies 18
Hazy memories 18
Equipment tables 19
Weapons 19
Armors 20
Additional Equipment 21
Magic 22
Magic Items 22
Sorcerous scrols 23
Miraculous scrolls 24
Creatures 25
Bosses 29
Converting creatures 30

2
 Mörk Själ
What is Mörk Själ?
Mörk Själ is a system for soulslike tabletop roleplaying built from Mörk Borg’s core
rules, incorporating some original ideas and adapting some soulslike mechanics
from Jason Tocci’s Grave. It is not intended to be a recreation of the mechanics of
the Soulsborne series, nor a faithful representation of its lore, but instead a
translation of some elements of its gameplay and atmosphere into Mörk Borg’s
system.

To play, you will need pencil and paper, a full set of polyhedral dice, and a player
to serve as the GM. This ruleset presupposes that you have some level of familiarity
with standard Tabletop RPGs and their related terminology.

The world
The world fades. Once clear skies are now perpetually overcast, once
sun-bathed castles and gleaming white towers now covered in everlasting
dusk. Formerly human inhabitants are now afflicted by the undead curse,
which denies them their peaceful rest. As the endless cycle of dying and
coming back perpetuates, many have lost their minds, becoming rabid beasts
of pur instinct. Former great lords retreat to their towers like hermits, hiding
away from the world as it falls to disrepair, as beasts, demons, and other
horros make themselves at home in the ruins.

A group of undead awaken with only vague memories of who they used to be.
Why are they travelling together? What do they seek? A way to break the
curse? A way to heal the world? An escape, in hopes of finding a place that
isn’t like this? Or simply to helplessly lash out against the growing darkness
any way they can?

3
 Character
Creation
Players can choose one of the 10 classes included with this book (page 15), or
create a classless character.

For classless characters:

1. Roll 3d6 for each of your abilities (Strength, Toughness, Agility, Presence).
Compare the sum of this roll to the following table to obtain that ability’s score.
Record the score in your character sheet, and discard the sum, as it isn’t used
for anything beyond this point. You may swap the scores of two abilities if you
wish.

2. Roll 1d6 + Toughness for your HP.

3. Roll 1d20 on the Weapons (page 19) , Armor (page 20), and Additional
Equipment tables (21). You may choose to reduce your roll on the Weapons
and/or Armor table to 1d6 in exchange for a roll on the Magic table (page 32)

Sum Score For class characters:

2- -4 Roll for Abilities, HP, and Equipment according
to the instructions given for your class. You
3-4 -3 may not swap any ability scores.

5-6 -2 For all characters:

7-9 -1 Choose a name or roll one on the names table
(page 17).
10-11 0
Roll once on the Broken Bodies table (page18).
12-14 +1
Roll once on the Hazy Memories table (page
15-16 +2 18).

17-18 +3 Max inventory slots equal 8 + Strength

19 + +4 Max Stamina equals your number of unused

equipment slots.

4
 Playing the Game
The GM is the interface between the players and the fiction. They
describe the situation, the players describe how they act, and the
GM adjudicates how the world reacts. When the outcome of the
action is uncertain, the GM may ask for an ability test.

Abilities
Strength: For tests that require
physical might, such as pushing
an enemy or lifting a heavy
object.

Toughness: For tests that

require resistance, such as
resisting poison or surviving
damage from a fall.

Agility: For tests that require

dexterity, coordination, and
balance, such as jumping a great
distance.

Presence: Tests that require

knowledge, perception, and
attention to detail, such as
aiming at a distance or casting a
spell.

Ability tests
When attemping to do something
with a significant chance of
failure, an ability test is made
against a Difficulty Rating (DR).
Roll a d20 + an appropriate
ability, and compare it to the
DR. The GM will determine the
DR and the ability to use
depending on the nature of the
task.

5
 Stamina
It’s possible to push yourself beyond
your normal limits to obtain an
advantage, both inside and outside of
combat, but your ability to do so is
limited when you’re burdened with
your equipment. You have Stamina
equal to your empty inventory slots.
Spend one stamina to:

-Dodge, block, or parry an attack

(ignore half damage of a failed
defense roll, or spend two stamina
to ignore all damage)
-Perform a strong attack (Add an
extra damage die to you damage
roll)
-Perform a sweeping attack (hits
additional enemies adjacent to the
enemy attacked Apply -1 penalty to
damage roll per extra enemy
attacked)
-Perform an extra action during your
turn.
-Cast a spell after you’ve run out of
magic charge.
-Lower the DR of any ability test by
2.
If your stamina reaches 0, the DR of all tests increases by
2 until you can recover.

6
 Combat

Initiative: Attacking
When attemping to attack an enemy,
players make an attack roll by
When combat starts, every player rolls
testing an appropriate ability. DR for
a DR12 Agility test.
attack rolls is 12 unless stated
otherwise.
Pass: Act before the enemies
Fail: Act after the enemies Ranged Weapon
Test Presence
Optional rule: Reroll initiative each round.

A combat round is long enough Light Melee Weapon

for players to traverse a
normal-sized room and attack, Test Agility
cast a spell, or perform an action
that takes a similar ammount of Heavy Melee Weapon
time.
Test Strength

Crit (Nat 20): Add extra damage die to

attack, or a level of wear to enemy
armor.
Fumble (Nat 1): Add one level of wear
to weapon, or enemy gets a free attack

7
Defending
Test Agility DR12
Enemies don’t roll to attack Crit: Gain a free attack.
players. Instead, when attacked, Fumble: Add extra
players must make a defense roll
damage die to the attack,
to avoid the attack. Defense rolls
or add a level of wear to
are DR12 unless otherwise
specified. your armor.

8
 Magic
If you intend to be a spellcaster, every time you rest roll
1d4+Presence. This is your magic charge: the number of times
you can cast spells before you need to rest again. Spells can be
cast from scrolls, but a scroll can be consumed to permanently
learn the spell in it. Doing this destroys the scroll.
Regardless of casting method, casting a spell requires a succesful
DR12 Presence test, otherwise the spell fails and the caster loses
d2 HP
Casting a spell from a
scroll
To cast a spell from a scroll you
must be holding the scroll in one of
your hands. Casting a spell from a
scroll doesn’t consume it. You can
cast the same spell as many times
as you want from the same scroll.

Casting a learned
spell
After learning a spell. it needs to
be prepared in order to cast. While
resting, you may prepare a number
of learned spells equal to your
Presence. Spells don’t need to be
prepared multiple times, a single
prepared spell can be cast as many
times as you have magic charge.
Casting a learned spell requires at
leats one of your hands to be free,
or holding a staff.

In practical terms, casting spells from scrolls means they don’t need
to be prepared, but each scroll takes up an inventory slot. Casting
learned spells prevents spells from taking up inventory, but they need
to be prepared before they can be used. Both consume your magic
charge and require a Presence test.

9
Damage and death
When you’re hit by an enemy’s attack, substract the value of your
armor’s protection from the damage you receive. All attacks will
deal at least 1 damage, even when armor would cause it to go
below 0.

When your HP reach 0, you die, although the undead curse

prevents you from staying dead for long. Increase your death
counter by one and lose all the souls you were carrying.
While dead, your disembodied spirit may aid one of your allies by
lowering the DR of one of their tests by 1d6 (can be applied before
or after they roll)
Once the rest of your allies are out of danger, your spirit will
return to your body and you’ll rise from the dead with full HP and
Stamina. However, you’ll lose all the souls you were carrying, and
you physical condition will temporarily worse (roll in the following
table to find out how.

d6 Impediment Impediments from deaths are

cumulative, but they all disappear the
1 -1 Max HP
next time you rest at a safe place.
2 -1 Agility
3 -1 Strength Optional rule: Every three deaths, rol
4 -1 Presence again on the Broken Bodies Table
5 -1 Toughness
If the entire group dies, they’ll
6 Unable to catch breath
reappear back at the last safe place
to recover stamina
they rested at.

Giving in to the Curse

The curse prevents you from definitely dying but it also clouds
your mind. Every time you rise back from thedead, there’s a
chance it’ll be the time you finally lose yourself.

Roll a d100. If the result is equal or lower than your death

counter, you lose your mind and become a husk: a mindless,
shambling body lashing out and acting out of instinct. The GM
might choose to save your character to use as a foe later down the
line. Roll up a new character to be introduced as soon as possible.

10
 Resting and
healing
Resting at a safe place will restore all your
HP and Stamina and give you a chance to
prepare spells and reroll magic charge. It’s
up to the GM to define what counts as a safe
place, but safe spots where the group can
stop and rest uninterrupted will be relatively
few and far imbetween.

Without access to a safe place, the most you

can do is stop a moment to catch your
breath, as long as there are no foes or other
threats around. Catching your breath will
restore d2 Stamina.

Outside of resting, you can recover health

through consumables and spells.

Advancement Souls function as both your XP and this world’s

coin. When an enemy is defeated, the souls it
carries will be evenly spread among the group. A
defeated enemy grants 50 souls per HD, plus 50
souls per every beneficial special ability it has.
Souls can be used to purchase items from
merchants, or sacrificed to increase your level.

Any time you rest, you may choose to sacrifice

1000 x your current level in souls to gain a level.
Upon gaining a level:

1. Roll a number of d6 equal to your level and add

your Toughness. If this number is higher than your
max HP, replace your max HP with it. Otherwise,
increase your max HP by 1.

2. Increase one of your abilities by 1. Your

decaying flesh can only be improved so much.
Improving any of your abilities above +8 will
require you to pick another to lower.

11
 Equipment
Damage

Some pieces of equipment specify an Usage Die (UD). If this is the case, roll
the item’s UD after each use (for weapons and armor, a combat encounter
counts as a“use”). If you roll a 1 on its Usage Die, it means the item gains a
level of wear.

When an item’s wear increases, reduce its effectiveness by one tier. For
example, a weapon that does d8 damage will do d6 damage after gaining a
level of wear, an armor that grants -d4 protection will do -d2 protection after
gaining a level of wear. (If it’s impossible to reduce an item’s effectiveness
further, leave it as it is)

Additionally, reduce the size of the item’s UD following this schema:

d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4

When an item’s UD is a d4, a roll of 1 will result in it breaking, making it

impossible to use again until repaired. Certain NPCs may offer repair
services. It costs 1d8x5% of the item’s value to remove a level of wear.

Optional rule: Instead of tracking individual ammouts of ammo and other stackable
items, instead assing them a UD. When it“breaks”it means the item has run out.

12
 NPCs
Not all creatures will we hostile to
the players. Most undead have long
lost their mind to the curse, but
some of them, like the players, still
hang on, hiding in relatively safe
spots from the horrors or the
world, or braving its depths seeking
to push back against them. They
may be merchants, allies, or rivals.
If the players meet an NPC whose
reaction is uncertain, roll 2d6 on
the following reaction table:

2d6 Reaction
2-4 Hostile
4-6 Distrustful
7-8 Apprehensive
9-11 Amicable
12 Helpful

Morale
Most creatures, even mindless husks, won’t fight to the
death, and will attempt to flee if they face more danger than
they were expecting. Make a morale roll (2d6) if:

Their leader is defeated.

Half of their group is defeated.
A singular creature is down to 1/3 of its HP

If the result is HIGHER than then creature’s morale value, it

attempts to flee.

Creatures with a morale of 12 never flee.

13
 Best Practices

While there is no right or wrong way to enjoy TTRPGs, certain games mesh
better with certains tyles of play. There are certain parts of the OSR mindset
that I feel are important enough for this game to warrant explicit codifying.

For Players: For the GM

- Try to verbalize both action and - Prioritize in-fiction problem solving
intent.“I cast a fireball to set the over rolling Ability tests. If your player
bridge on fire”is better than either“I says“I want to check for traps”,
set the bridge on fire”or“I cast a saying“how do you check?”is more
fireball”. interesting that“roll Presence”, one
will get you“I tap the flagstones ahead
- The solution is not on your with my staff to check for pressure
character sheet. Look for ways you plates and inspect the hallway for
can engage with the situation in the tripwires”as a response and the other
fiction before you start looking for the will get you“14”.
ability to roll. Don’t assume every
action you take will require a roll - Use rolls as a tool to resolve
either. situations where the risk of failure
enhances the fiction. If the players are
- Don’t presume balance. Your GM attempting to do something that any
shouldn’t intentionally try to screw person would be expected to routinely
you up, but you still shouldn’t come succeed at, or something that they
in with the expectation that would eventually succeed at if they
encoutners were intentionally keep trying, it probably shouldn’t
balanced for the right ammout of require a roll unless there’s an
challenge for your level. Like many additional source of tension such as
OSR games, Mörk Själ is built with needing to do it within a certain
they idea that you’ll often find amount of time. Similarly, if an action
yourselves in unfair situations where is legitimately impossible, it shouldn’t
merely pitting your numbers against require a roll because it simply
the enemies against the enemies won’t wouldn’t succeed no matter how high
be enough to win. Fight dirty, try to anyone rolls.
outwit, outsmart, outmaneuver, and if
nothign works, you can always flee
and come back later.

14
 Classes
Although you can play a classless character, you can also choose one of
the following classes, or roll 1d10 to randomly pick one. Follow your
class instructions to roll for abilities, and compare the results to the
table on page 4, and then roll for HP and initial equipment.

1. Warrior:
Abilities: 3d6+2 Strength, 3d6+2 Agility, 3d6 Toughness, 3d6-4 Presence
Equipment: Roll d20 on weapon table. Roll d12 on armor table. Roll d20 on
Additional equipment table.
HP: d10 + Toughness
Special: May roll twice on weapon table and keep the preferred result.

2. Knight:
Abilities: 3d6+2 Strength, 3d6-4 Agility, 3d6+2 Toughness, 3d6 Presence.
Equipment: Roll d12+2 on weapon table. Roll d20 on armor table. Roll d20
on additional equipment table.
HP: d10 + Toughness
Special: May roll twice on armor table and keep the preferred result.

3. Wanderer:
Abilities: 3d6 Strength, 3d6+2 Agility, 3d6-2 Toughness, 3d6 Presence.
Equipment: Roll d8 on weapon table, roll d6 on armor table. Roll d20 on
additional equipment table twice.
HP: d8 + Toughness

4. Thief:
Abilities: 3d6-2 Strength, 3d6+4 Agility, 3d6-2 Toughness, 3d6 Presence.
Equipment: Roll d6+2 on weapon table. Roll d4 on armor table. Roll d20 on
additional equipment table. Choose between: Skeleton key, thief tools, or
rolling on the magic item table.
HP: d4 + Toughness
Special: All attacks against enemies who are unaware of your presence are
automatic crits.

5. Hunter:
Abilities: 3d6 Strength, 3d6+2 Agility, 3d6-4 Toughness, 3d6+2 Presence
Equipment: Choose between:
*Crossbow + roll d6 on weapons table for additional weapon
*Bow + roll d4 on weapons table for additional weapon.
2d6 + 10 + Presence ammo for chosen ranged weapon. Roll d4 on armor
table. Roll d20 on additional equipment table.
HP: d8 + Toughness

15
6. Bandit:
Abilities: 3d6+2 strength, 3d6 Agility, 3d6+2 Toughness, 3d6-4 Presence.
Equipment: Roll d12+2 on weapon table. Roll d6 on armor table. Roll d20
on additional equipment table.
HP: d10 + Toughness
Special: Player may choose to replace weapon rolled with a battleaxe with
one level of wear.

7. Sorcerer:
Abilities: 3d6-2 Strength, 3d6 Agility, 3d6-2 Toughness, 3d6+4 Presence
Equipment: Roll d4+2 on weapon table. Roll d4 on armor table. Roll d20 on
additional equipment table. Start with a random sorcerous scroll + two free
rolls on magic table.
HP: d4 + Toughness
Special: DR -2 to cast sorcerous spells, DR +2 to cast miraculous spells.

8. Cleric:
Abilities: 3d6 Strength, 3d6-2 Agility, 3d6 Toughness, 3d6+2 Presence.
Equipment: Roll d12+2 on weapon table. Roll d12+2 on armor table. Roll
d20 on additional equipment table. Start with random miraculous scroll +
free roll on magic table.
HP: d6 + Toughness
Special: DR -2 to cast miraculous spells, DR +2 to cast sorcerous spells.
May consider a hand with a shield or a hand wielding a mace as“free”for
the purposes of casting prepared spells.

9. Battlemage:
Abilities: 3d6 Strength, 3d6 Agility, 3d6-2 Toughness, 3d6+2 Presence.
Equipment: Roll 1d8+2 on weapon table. Roll 1d6+2 on armor table. Roll
d20 on additional equipment table. Start with random scroll (choose
between miraculous or sorcerous) + free roll on magic table.
HP: d6 + Toughness

10. Pariah:
Abilities: Roll 5d6 and drop the lowest 2 dice for every ability
Equipment: Roll d2 on weapon table. Roll on magic item table. Starts with
rags as armor. Doesn’ t roll on additional equipment table.
HP: d8 + Toughness

16
 Names
Roll twice to determine a combination of name and moniker. Some
examples of names rolles with this table: Ofydd of Deadhelm, Sigrid of
the League of the Raven, Hunter Róisínn, Ciannán the Crooked

D66 Name Moniker

11 Jannik x of Flameguard
12 Vinzent x of Deadhelm
13 Valentin x of Silverwick
14 Drake x of Gracia
15 Timber x of Hollowrun
16 Flint x of Beneventum
21 Oleander x of Segobria
22 Calico x of The Violet Wilds
23 Trevan x of The Ash Woods
24 Sidonia x of Kingfisher Thicket
25 Sigrid x of Vogfaldir
26 Onyx x of Zhenwei
31 Vex x of Pagorus
32 Gideon x of Khebydos
33 Georgine x of Shellthorne
34 Duncan x of Cindermire
35 Chauncey x of Lonmoor
36 Emir x of Oxynbrook
41 Oxton x of the League of the Raven
42 Brynn x of the Sanguine Templars
43 Serpent x of the Lancers of Iron
44 Elmore x the Defiant / Defiant x
45 Caulder x the Crooked / Crooked x
46 Aísling x Swift-stride / Swift-stride x
51 Lenaig x the Observer / Observer x
52 Ofydd x the Hunter / Hunter x
53 Alwen x the Wild / Wild x
54 Ciannán x the Demonchaser / Demonchaser x
55 Abaigeal x the Vermin / Vermin x
56 Róisínn x the Butcher / Butcher x
61 Bertram x the Grinning / Grinning x
62 Katherine x the Deserter / Deserter x
63 Theodor x the Hermit / Hermit x
64 Híldr x the Proud / Proud x
65 Kaspar x the Champion / Champion x
66 Sisenna x the Martyr / Martyr x

17
 Broken bodies
d20 Wound
1 Walks with a limp
2 Several missing teeth
3 Missing eye(s)
4 Constantly shivering and shaking
5 Missing ear(s)
6 Broken, crooked nose
7 Skin peeling off
8 Solid black/white eyes
9 Section of skull caved in
10 Black, cracked fingernails
11 Black liquid constantly leaking from mouth and / or eyes.
12 Missing fingers
13 Gaping wound on chest/abdomen/back that will not heal
14 Missing foot, leg ends on a stump
15 Severely crooked spine
16 Fingers are exposed bone
17 Missing nose
18 Joints constantly crack and pop loudly
19 Frostbite on extremities
20 One limb severely affected by necrosis

Hazy Memories
d20 You remember...
1 The promise you broke
2 The words of a fortune teller
3 The face of a childhood friend
4 The name of a sibling
5 The mission you failed
6 The ally who betrayed you
7 A lover
8 A rival
9 The first time you died
10 The town you grew up in
11 A profane ritual
12 Your favorite melody
13 A scrap of a poem
14 A secret passage
15 The name of a chivalric order
16 A moment of happiness
17 A moment of grief
18 A noble's shameful secret
19 Some words of advice
20 A cryptic warning

18
 Equipment tables
Roll on the following tables as directed by your class to determine your
initial equipment. Prices listed define how much an NPC will sell the item
for. Items can be sold to an NPC for (1+1d4)x10% of their price (20%-50%)

Weapons
Light weapons take up one inventory slot, heavy weapons take up two.

Unarmed attacks use Strength for attack rolls.

Wielding a melee weapon in both hands allows you to add your Strength
score to the attack roll, but prevents you from using a shield or casting
spells.

d20 Weapon Damage UD Price

1 Unarmed d2 - -
2 Femur d4 d4 Worthless
3 Staff d4 d6 2d4x100
4 Throwing knives (Presence+10) d4 - 2d4x100
5 Shortsword d4 d6 2d4x100
6 Dagger d4 d6 2d4x100 Light
d6 damage or
7 Rapier d6 d6 2d6x100 less

8 Crossbow (Presence+10 Bolts) d6 d6 2d6x100

9 Whip d6 d6 2d6x100
10 Club d6 d6 2d6x100
11 Bow (Presence+10 Arrows) d8 d8 2d8x100
12 Mace d8 d8 2d8x100
13 Saber d8 d8 2d8x100
14 Battle Axe d8 d8 2d8x100
15 Spear d8 d8 2d8x100
Heavy
d8 damage or
more
16 Warhammer d10 d10 2d10x100
17 Composite bow (Presence+10 Arrows) d10 d10 2d10x100
18 Morningstar d10 d10 2d10x100
19 Zweihander d10 d10 2d10x100
20 Augmented weapon (Roll Again) +1 bonus - x10

19
Armor
Armor applies its protection value to physical damage, but spells will still
do damage as normal. All helms and shields reduce incoming damage by a
flat value of 1, but higher quality ones have bigger usage dice and are thus
less likely to break. Protection from different pieces of armor stacks, a
character wearing light armor, a shield and a helm will substract -(d2+2)
from incoming attacks.

d20 Armor Protection UD Price

1 Rags 0 - Worthless
2 Cloth Armor (Light) -d2 d4 2d3x250
3 Leather Armor (Light) -d2 d6 2d3x500
4 Fur Armor (Light) -d2 d8 2d3x1000
5 Low Quality Helm + Roll again -1 d4 d4x100
6 Low Quality Shield + Roll again -1 d6 d4x200
7-8 Splint Armor (Medium) -d4 d6 2d4x250
9-10 Half-plate Armor (Medium) -d4 d8 2d4x500
11 Mid Quality Helm + Roll again -1 d6 d6x100
12 Mid Quality Shield + Roll again -1 d8 d6x200
13-14 Scale Armor (Heavy) -d6 d6 2d6x250
15-16 Full Plate Armor (Heavy) -d6 d8 2d6x500
17-18 Chainmail Armor (Heavy) -d6 d10 2d6x1000
19 High Quality Helm + Roll again -1 d8 d8x100
20 High quality shield + Roll again -1 d8 d8x200

Light Armor
1 Inventory slot, -d2 protection

Medium Armor
2 Inventory slots, -d4 protection, increase DR of all Agility tests by 2,
including defense rolls.

Heavy Armor
3 Inventory slots, -d6 protection, increase DR of defense rolls by 2 and
all other Agility tests by 4.

Helms and shields take up one inventory slot.

In an emergency, a shield can be used to negate all damage from one

attack, but doing this causes the shield to break.

20
 Additional Equipment
Unless otherwise specified, all items here take up 1 inventory slot.
Stackable items such as ammo or consumables can be stacked into 1-slot
stacks. Details such as UD and usage mechanics are specified in the
description. If description is empty, assume you can use them as you would

d20 Item Price Description

1 d4 Smelling salts 50 (unit) Smell to regain d4 Stamina
2 10 Extra ammo 2d6x10 10 ammo for any ranged weapon the player has.
If player doesn’t have ranged weapons, reroll.
3 d4 Repair powder 2d6x50 (Unit) While not in combat, can be used to remove one
level of wear from equipment.
4 Repair box 2d4x1000 Use at a safe haven to remove one level of
wear from equipment. 2 Inventory slots. UD: d10
5 Binoculars 2d6x200 -
6 d4+1 Torches 20 (Torch) Use to illuminate dark spaces. A torch will burn
+ Tinderbox d6x10 (Tinderbox) for about 20 minutes and can be wielded as a d4
damage weapon with a d4 Usage Die. Tinderbox
can be used to light up torches or other
flammable objects.
7 d4 Herbs 150 (Unit) Chew to recover d4 HP
8 Skeleton key Can’t be bought Successfully opens any lock, but breaks after
one use. 0 Inventory slots.
9 Thief tools 3d6x250 Allows DR12 Presence check to open lock
Increase DR by 1 for every level of wear. UD: d10
10 d4 Bombs 200 (Unit) Can be thrown as a ranged weapon for d10
damage to creature hit + d6 damage to nearby
creatures. Can be dangerous if the attack roll to
throw it fails.
11 Shovel 50 -
12 Rope 30ft 100 -
13 Bear trap 3d6x100 Takes a combat round to set up. d8 damage,
ensnares, DR15 Strength to break free. Decrease
DR by 1 for every level of wear. UD: d8
14 d4 Poison 3d6x20 (Unit) DR 14 Toughness to resist, on a failure, target
takes d6 damage for d4 rounds.
15 Crowbar 100 -
16 Lantern + d4 Oil 40 (oil) Use to illuminate dark spaces. Each unit of oil
d6x20 (Lantern) will light the lantern for about an hour, and can
also be poured out and ignited.
17 Net 3d6x50 DR 15 Strength to escape. DR to escape
decreases by 1 with each level of wear. UD: d8
18 Chain 30ft 300 -
19 Quill and ink 20 -
20 Roll on magic table

21
Magic
Roll on this table first and then roll on the table it directs you to

D20 1-2 3-11 12-20

Roll on... Magic items Sorcerous scrolls Miraculous scrolls

Magic items
Magic items have no price listed as most of them would be hidden away or given
as a reward for perilous quests and not put up for sale like lowly equipment. In
the rare occasion that a merchant does decide to put up one for sale, don’t
expect them to part with it lightly. Jewelry items such as amulets and rings don’t
take up an inventory slot, but you can only benefit from two of them at the same
time.

d20 Magic item

1 Ring of False Death: Return to life with level x 1d4 HP when you die. The ring
immediately breaks.
2 Ring of Cat Eye: See perfectly in darkness.
3 Ring of True Sight: See through invisibility and illusions.
4 Ring of Shadow: Become undetectable when standing completely still.
5 Explorer’s compass: Once per day, sense the general direction of an item, place, or
person.
6 Nomad’s Ring: Agility +2 if at least half of your inventory slots are free.
7 Cleric’s holy idol: Lower DR to cast miraculous spells by 2
8 Sorcerer's amulet: Lower DR to cast sorcerous spells by 2
9 Greedy Diamond Ring: Gain 10% more souls per enemy slain.
10 Amulet of Explosive Vengeance: When the wearer dies, it emits a burst of magical
energy, dealing 3d10 damage to all nearby creatures.
11 Tireless Emerald Amulet: Reduce max Stamina by 2 (to a minimum of 1), but have
1-in-3 chance to recover 1d2 Stamina each combat round.
12 Sturdy Ruby Amulet: Reduce max HP by 2 (to a minimum of 1), but have 1-in-3
chance to recover 1d2 HP after each combat encounter.
13 Mystical Sapphire Amulet: Reduce Magic charge by 2 (to a minimum of 1),
but have 1-in-3 chance to recover 1d2 magic charge after each combat encounter.
14 Burdensome Stone Amulet: Reduce Agility by 1, gain 2 extra inventory slots.
15 Lightstep Amulet: Your footsteps are completely silent
16 Absorption Ring: 1-in-3 change that incoming magic damage gets absorbed as
magic charge instead. Doesn’t work if player’s magic charge is full.
17 Bloodthirsty weapon (roll d20 on Weapon table to determine type): Gain a free
extra attack roll this turn whenever you slay a foe with it.
18 Blessed Armor (roll d20 on Armor table to determine type): Works like normal
armor, except its protection applies to magical damage too.
19 Golden Elixir: Drink to reduce death counter to zero
20 Vengeful Viper Weapon (roll d20 on Weapon table to determine type): When a 1 is
rolled on its damage roll, it inflicts poison on the target.

22
Scrolls
There are two types of spells a scroll can contain: Sorcerous and
Miraculous. Anyone can cast any type of spell, but Scorcerers specialize in
Sorcerous spells and Clerics specialize in Miraculous spells. These scrolls
can be consumed to be permanently learned. Some NPCs may sell spell
scrolls for 2d4x500 souls.

PRE in the spell’s description refers to the caster’s presence.

d12 Sorcerous Scroll

1 Spirit arrow: Creates d2 Magic arrows, each able to hit a
creature for 1d4+PRE damage.
2 The Fortress: Creature of your choice is enveloped by a magical
barrier. -d2 protection to all incoming magical damage for
d4+PRE combat rounds.
3 Hide in Plain Sight: Creature gains the appearance of an
inanimate object of roughly the same size. Undetectable when
standing still. Effect ends after 1d6+PRE minutes, or whenever
the creature affected takes any action other than walking slowly.
4 Scorch: Launch a fireball that deals 1d6+PRE damage to d2
creatures
5 Gallows: A creatures suffocates, suffering 1d4 damage each
round for 1d4+PRE combat rounds
6 Eye of the mind: Create a visual or auditory hallucination for
d2+PRE creatures. DR14 presence to resist effect. Ends after
d4+PRE minutes.
7 True eye: See through all illusions for 1d10+PRE minutes
8 Smith’s Hands: Touch an item to remove one level of damage.
9 Premonitions: Sense traps and other dangers for 1d10+PRE
minutes
10 Arcane weapon: Currently held weapon gains+PRE magic
damage for 1d4+PRE combat rounds
11 Slumber: 1d4 creatures must succeed a DR14 Presence test or
fall asleep for 2d4+PRE minutes
12 Windwalker’s Feet: Levitate for 1d6+PRE combat rounds.

23
d12 Miraculous Scroll
1 Essence of Life: d2 Creatures recover d8+PRE HP
2 Blessing of Vigor: A creature gains 2d4+PRE temporary HP for
1d6 combat rounds
3 Gift of Replenishment: A creature recovers 1+PRE HP per round
for 1d4 combat rounds.
4 Purifying Flame: Flames erupt from the ground, dealing
1d6+PRE Damage to 1d4 creatures within line of sight
5 Merciful Sunlight: Light up darkness for d8+PRE minutes, or
blind 1d4 creatures with sunlight for d6+PRE combat rounds.
6 Oath of Silence: Prevents all spellcasting for d6+PRE combat
rounds
7 Blessing of Fortune: A creature of your choice receives +d6 on
any roll. Spell expires if not spent in d10+PRE minutes
8 Celestial Guidance: Receive helpful but cryptic visions and
messages in response to a single question.
9 Seek refuge: Transport entire group to the last safe place you
rested at.
10 Divine command: A creature must pass a DR 14 Presence test or
be forced to blindly follow a single command from the caster.
11 Repel Sinful: Push 1d2+PRE creatures away a distance of
2d10+PRE meters. Doesn’ t directly cause damage, but they will
be harmed if it causes them to collide with something or fall off a
ledge.
12 Confessional: A creature must succeed a DR14 Presence test or
speak only the truth for 1d4+PRE minutes

24
 Creatures
Creature stats: Husks:
HD: Hit Dice, number of dice rolled to Husks are undead affliced by the same curse
determine a creature’s HP. Hit dice are as the players. However, they have given in
assumed to be d6s, but changing the die to the curse and lost their minds, wandering
size is an easy way for the GM to around like wild animals and lashing out out
increase or decrease the game’s of instinct.
difficulty. Some creatures may have
variable Hit Dice (such as 1-3) to Husk Shambler
represent more powerful variants. HD: 1
Optional rule: If you’d rather use a Armor: None
fixed HP value for creatures, calculate Attack: Femur, d4 // Torch d4
HP by multiplying their HD by 4 (or Morale: 4
by another value if you want an easier
or harder game) Husk Soldier:
HD: 2
Morale: A creature’s propensity to fight Armor: Splint or Half-plate -d4
to the death. Creatures with a morale of Attack: Any weapon. Favors shortsword,
12 never surrender or flee combat. d4+2
Creatures with a morale of 2 always flee Morale: 6
or surrender when a morale check is
triggered. Husk Archer:
HD: 2
Armor: Subtract this value from Armor: Fur or Leather -d2
incoming damage from physical attacks. Attack: Any ranged weapon.
A successful attack will always deal at Morale: 6
least 1 damage, even if armor protection
would cause it to be zero or negative. Husk Knight
HD: 2-10
Attack: Creature’s attack and its damage Armor: Full plate -d6. May have shield if
roll. using one-handed weapon.
Attack: Any weapon. Damage as
Special: Special features, attacks, etc. weapon+Special (see below)
Morale: 8
Special:
Creature ability tests: -Strong attack: When performed, it adds
Generally, since creatures rarely have to
its number of HD as a bonus to its damage
roll for anything other than the damage of
roll, but lowers the DR of defense roll to 8
their attacks, it’s not worth detailing their
-Slow and heavy: attack rolls are DR10.
ability scores. However, there are certain
situations where a creature might have to
Husk Assassin
roll an ability test (such as Presence for
HD: 2-10
resisting a player’s spell, or Toughness for
Armor: Leather -d2
resisting poison). In this case, you can
Attack: Dagger, d4+Special (see below)
probably get away with using a flat 1d20
Morale: 6
roll. Or, if you determine that it’s an ability
Special:
that the creature should be good at, use its
-Poisoned weapon: On a roll of 1 on its
number of hit dice as if it was its ability
damage roll, player must succeed a DR14
score.
Toughness test, or be poisoned (lose 1d6
HP for 1d4 combat rounds)
-Fast and precise, attack and defense rolls
are DR14.

25
Husk Bandit
HD: 2-10
Armor: Fur, -d2
Attack: Any weapon. Favors Battle Axe, d8
Morale: 9
Special:
-Reckless. Attacks twice per round, but is
bad at evasion. Attack rolls are DR10.

Husk Sorcerer
HD: 2-10
Armor: None
Attack: Staff, d4
Morale: 7
Special:
-Spells: Knows 4 sorcerous spells. Can cast
spells a number of times equal to its HD.

Husk Priest
HD: 2-10
Armor: None Spirits:
Attack: Mace, d8 Ghost
Morale: 7 HD: 2
Special: Armor: None
Attack: Touch, d4+Special
-Spells: Knows 4 miraculous spells. Can cast
spells a number of times equal to its HD. Morale: 11
Special:
Skeletons: -Incorporeal: Attack rolls are DR15
Skeletons are long-dead remains animated by -Touch attack drains 1d4 Stamina
dark magic. Unlike husks, the feel no emo-
tion or instinct and never flee from battle. Banshee
Any attack from a blunt weapon dealing at HD: 3
least 6 damage instantly shatters a skeleton. Armor: None
Attack: Touch d4+Special
Skeleton warrior Morale: 11
HD: 2 Special:
Armor: Bone body -d2 Incorporeal: Attack rolls are DR15
Attack: Any weapon, damage as weapon Touch attack paralyzes. DR14 Toughness test
Morale: 12 each round to break the effect.

Skeleton abomination
A mess of human bones grotesquely assem-
bled into a huge quadrupedal form.
HD: 3
Armor: Bone body -d2
Attack: Bone claw, d8+2
Morale: 12
Special:
-Slow and heavy, attack rolls are DR10

Skeleton crawler
A skull crawling around on spider-like legs
made of finger bones
HD: 1
Armor: Bone body -d2
Attack: Bite, d4
Morale: 12

26
Wraith: Drake:
HD: 4 HD: 6-12
Armor: None Armor: Dragonscales -d6
Attack: Touch d4+Special Attack: Tail, d8 // Claw, d6 // Fire, d8+Spe-
Morale: 11 cial.
Special: Morale: 11
Incorporeal: Attack rolls are DR15 Special:
Touch attack drains 1 Strength, Agility and -Fire attack: +1 damage bonus for every 3
Presence for the duration of the fight HD (Starts at d8+2 for a 6HD drake) Can
target all creatures in a narrow cone.
CReatures hit by it are set on fire, and will
Other creatures: take d4 extra damage every turn until they
Amphibian shaman succeed a DR12 Agility test to put the
HD: 2-5 flames out. Takes 2d6 rounds to recharge.
Armor: None -Flying.
Attack: Throwing Knives, d4 // Femur, d4
Morale: 8 Ent:
Special: HD 2-5
-Quick hops, DR14 for attack and defense Armor: Wooden body -d2
rolls Attack: Vine whip, 1d6+Special
-Knows d3 spells. Can cast spells a Morale: 9
number of times equal to its HD. Special:
-Vine whip: 1-in-3 chance to ensnare
Ash knight player, Strength DR14 to break free.
HD: 5-10 -Flammable: Takes double damage from
Armor: Full plate -d6, Shield -1 any attack involving fire.
Attack: Any weapon // Shield Bash, Special
(see below), DR 14 to avoid. Lizard Mage:
Morale: 12 HD: 3-6
Special: Armor: Scales -d2
-Shield bash: doesn’t damage HP, but Attack: Staff, d4 // Bite, d4+Special (see
drains 1d4 Stamina. below)
Morale: 7
Special:
-Venom: If hit by its bite attack, the player
must succeed a DR14 Toughness test or
be poisoned (lose 1d6 HP for 1d4 combat
rounds).
-Knows d4 Spells. Can cast spells a
number of times equal to its HD.

Lizard Warrior:
HD: 3-6
Armor: Scales -d2, Shield -1
Attack: Spear, d8 // Bite, d4+Special (see
below)
Morale: 9
-Special: Venom: If hit by its bite attack,
the player must succeed a DR14 Tough-
ness test or be poisoned (lose 1d6 HP for
1d4 combat rounds).

27
Mimic:
HD: 3-5 Rabid dog
Armor: Hard material -d4 HD: 2
Attack: Bite, 1d8 // Punch 1d6 Armor: None
Morale: 7 Attack: Bite, d6+Special
Special: Morale: 7
-Disguise: It will pretend to be a chest, a Special:
cabinet, or any other object that may -Fast: Attack rolls are DR13
contain valuables. If the players fall for its -Tear flesh: Bite attack has a 1-in-4 chance
disguise and interact with it, it gets a free of causing bleeding, doing d2 extra damage
surprise attack before initiative is rolled. for d4 rounds.
Defense DR15 for surprise attack.
Stone Guardian
Mushroom runt HD: 4-7
HD: 1 Armor: Stone body, -d6
Armor: Spongy flesh -d2 Attack: Stone sword d10
Attack: Punch, d3, defense DR8 to avoid. Morale: 11
Morale: 3 Special:
Special: If allowed to flee, might attract the -Slow but strong, Attack rolls against it are
attention of a mushroom brute. DR10, but defense rolls are DR14.

Mushroom brute:
HD: 4
Armor: Spongy flesh -d2
Attack: Punch, d10 // Strong punch, 3d10
defense DR8 to avoid
Morale: 8

Sewer rat:
HD: 1
Armor: None
Attack: Bite d4+Special
Morale: 5
Special:
-Infectious: If hit by its bite attack, the
player must succeed a DR12 Toughness
test or lose 1 Strength, Agility and
Presence until the next time they rest.
-Small and fast: Attack rolls are DR14

Giant Sewer rat:

HD: 3-6
Armor: None
Attack: Bite d8+Special
Morale: 9
Special:
-Infectious: If hit by its bite attack, the player
must succeed a DR12 Toughness test or lose
Swamp Frog:
1 Strength, Agility and Presence until the
HD: 3-5
next time they rest.
Armor: None
-Leader: When it’s around, smaller rats
Attack: Tongue d8+Special
receive a +3 bonus to morale
Morale: 6
Special:
-Tongue attack: Players hit by it will be
trapped and squeezed for 1d6 damage every
subsequent turn. Strength DR14 to break
free.

28
 Bosses
Fearsome demons. Grotesque monsters.
Additional Consideration: Enemy
Respawns
In the Soulsborne series, enemies will
Tyrants of ages gone by. Heroes of legend typically respawn whenever the player
corrupted by dark forces. Bosses are the rests or dies, with the exception of bosses
most important foes the players will face. and certain other important enemies. This
works well in a videogame, but when
Most of the time, dealing with them will be
translating this to tabletop form, most
essential to progress either physically groups it would probably find it tedious to
through the world or narratively through the run through the same areas fighting the
fiction. same encounters. Here are some ideas for
how to handle this:
They should feel momentuous and
significant. While a boss could potentially -Make enemies respawn but try to
build off of previously encoutnered enemies, emphasize the usage of creative thinking
don’t just grab a regular enemy and give it and problem-solving skills to avoid the
more HD. Give it a unique description and encounters players don’t want to engage
special attacks that reflect its importance. in.
You don’t need to create a detailed -Make enemies respawn but in lower
backstory for each of them, but a few numbers than the initial encounter.
fragments of vague but evocative lore can
go a long way. -Make enemies respawn but only after a
certain time, so players won’t have to deal
Defeating a boss should probably grant with them every time.
access to a new area of the world to
-Use encounter tables to randomize
explore, or yield a significant reward. Some encoutners each time players visit an area
bosses, when defeated, will yield their so that it won’t get repetitive.
singular Soul. This soul is bigger, heavier,
and more substantial than the common -Make monsters not respawn at all.
souls obtained from common enemies. It Ultimately, do what feels right for your
may be quite valuable, and can be table, you know them better than I do.
consumed to instantly gain a level.

29
 Converting
creatures
From Mörk Borg:

1. Divide HP by 4 (rounding up) to obtain HD

2. You can keep all other stats the same but may adjust them as
desired for flavor.

From B/X D&D:

1. Keep HD (ignoring + and - values), attacks, and morale the same.

2. If creature is difficult to hit due to being resistant to damage, give it
armor as appropriate.
3. If creature is difficult to hit due to being good at avoiding damage,
adjust DR for Attack rolls. Substract the creature’s AC from 19 to
find the DR.
4. If you feel it’s necessary to adjust the DR of Defense rolls: In the
monster attack table, look up what roll this creature needs to hit AC
0. Substract this value from 30 to find the DR.
5. Adjust other stats as desired for flavor.

From AD&D:

Same as B/X, but in step 3 substract the creature’s AC from 20

instead of 19, and in step 4 use the THAC0 value from the creature’s
stat block instead.

30
Mörk SJäl is a system for tabletop roleplaying inspired
by the gameplay and atmosphere of the Soulsborne
franchise, built on Mörk Borg’s ruleset, featuring:

-Fast character creation with randomly generated starting

equipment
-Streamlined combat rules
-Simple stamina management and equipment damage
systems.
-Instructions to convert creatures from other old-school
systems.