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Shadowdark House Rules

by Mike on 31 March 2025

I love Shadowdark. I ran a year-long campaign in Shadowdark and learned a lot about the system. The following is a list of house rules I've used that have made the Shadowdark experience more fun for me and my players.

In case you missed it, Shadowdark is running a massive Kickstarter for their new Cursed Scroll products and a bunch of other stuff. You can also download the Shadowdark Quick Start rules (which I think is the best D&D starter set) for free!

Now on to the house rules.

Don't Lose a Spell Until You've Succeeded At Least Once

Instead of losing access to a spell when you fail a spellcasting check, you instead lose the spell only if you've cast it successfully at least once.

This rule is forgiving but it ensures a character gets to successfully cast a spell at least one time before they lose it.

One Hour Minus 1d12 on Torch Timers

The GM subtracts 1d12 from the torch timer so no one is quite sure when it's going to go out. This alteration adds a little fun variance.

No Torch Alarms

Players aren't allowed to use a timer to keep track of torches on their side. They can look at their watch or phone and note the time but they can't set a stopwatch or timer to keep track of torches for them.

This limitation puts more responsibility on players to remember to deal with their torches before they go out.

Lighting a Torch in the Dark takes a DC 12 Int or Dex Check at Disadvantage

Lighting a torch when you can see requires no check. Lighting a torch in the dark requires a DC 12 Intelligence or Dexterity check at disadvantage (since you can't see).

This check isn't exactly a house rule but it came up often enough that I'm explicit about it. Being in the dark should be really scary.

No Stabilization – You have One Hit Point or You're Dying

Character's can't be stabilized at zero hit points. Characters either have at least 1 hit point or they're dying. Stabilizing someone can bring a character back to one hit point if you roll a 20 but otherwise they're dying.

This rule prevents players playing an unconscious character when they just want a new character to jump into the action. I've seen variants where characters who were stabilized return to 1 hit point after ten minutes – just long enough to be out of combat. I don't hate this idea but I haven't tried it.

Start with One Luck Point

Characters start with one luck point at the beginning of a session and luck points generally don't come back. If, for some reason, they already begin with one luck point, they instead have two luck points. Luck points can be shared among players and can let them reroll any d20 roll but they cannot use luck points to force monsters to reroll.

No silvery barbs here...

Characters Begin with Max Hit Points

1st level characters start with maximum hit points and add their Constitution modifier if it's above zero.

I haven't used this one myself yet but a lot of people said it works well – just taking the edge off of the super-deadly nature of Shadowdark. I'm going to try it out.

The GM Rolls Death Rounds in Secret

When a character drops to zero, the GM rolls 1d4 in secret to determine the number of rounds before that character dies. Then the GM looks at the player, forlorn, shakes their head slowly, and forces a tear to drop from one eye.

[Editors note: facilitator for storytelling my ass.]

Lose One Death Round for Damage Taken

When a character at zero hit points takes damage, they lose one round on their death timer. Determined monsters can coup de grace a character at zero hit points if they choose, killing dying characters instantly. GMs should warn players if death is likely to happen given the situation.

More to Come

Shadowdark is a superbly hackable game so I expect this list to grow but, for now, I think these house rules add a lot of fun to the game. What are your favorite Shadowdark house rules?

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RPG Tips

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Try to ensure a single character doesn’t get pinned down and is unable to act in combat.
Roll randomly for monster attacks when no path is clear. Also act towards the most fun for the entire group.
Avoid picking on any single character in combat unless they’re really asking for it.
Plan three options for the characters’ next quest. Offer them and get consensus on a single path before the end of your session.
Always aim towards character decisions and actions. What can they do?
Write down one way to connect each character into the next session.
Focus adventures on goals, locations, and inhabitants. Make them direct, focused, and practical.

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