DAMN! Quickstart(a D6 TTRPG/Wargame)

  © 2025 DB Spitzer

What Is DAMN!?

DAMN! is a grim, rules-light tabletop RPG of desperate action, weird science, and horrific magic. It thrives on fast play, deadly decisions, and evocative worldbuilding. This quickstart is designed to get players running a session — like The Mirewarren — with no prep and minimal overhead.

Core Mechanics

The Four Stats

Characters are defined by four stats, each representing a different aspect of survival:

D (Damage) – How hard you hit and how much punishment you can take

A (Agility) – Reflexes, dodging, finesse, aiming

M (Movement) – Running, climbing, enduring cold, escaping danger. Movement = 2” movement.

N (Notoriety) – Your presence, infamy, social gravity, and magical influence.

HP (Hit Points) – Twice your notoriety equals your HP. HP are subtracted for every single successful attack.

Each stat ranges from 1 to 10+, and you distribute points using Build Points (BP).

Build Points

Standard characters start with 20 Build Points.

You may not put more than 8 points into a single stat when building a character.

Typical builds:

Balanced: D5 A5 M5 N5

Tank: D8 A4 M4 N4

Speedster: D2 A6 M8 N4

Rolling Dice

To make a test, roll a number of six-sided dice (d6) equal to the relevant stat.

4–6 is a success. 6 is a heroic success, 1 is a Critical Failure. Checks are against your attribute, others are based on difficultly. I success for an easy task, 3 successes for a standard task, and 6 for really difficult tasks.

Example: Climbing an icy ledge might be M5 — meaning the PC must roll Movement and get 2 or more successes. If they have equipment that makes the task easier(ice shoes give a +M2 on ice, and a -M2 elsewhere).

Opposed Rolls

When two characters oppose each other (e.g., one attacking, one dodging):

Each rolls their relevant stat.

Whoever gets more successes wins the exchange.

Traits

Each character may select 1–2 Traits to reflect talents, origins, or learned tricks. Traits offer mechanical benefits, narrative tools, or both.

Sample Traits:

Bogborn – Immune to cold-related conditions. Smell like peat.

Veteran – Once per session, reroll any failed combat roll.

Arcane Touched – +1 Die when casting spells. Glows faintly when wounded.

Fast as Hell – +1 Die to any Movement check to flee or chase.

Unsettling Aura – +1 Die to Notoriety rolls that intimidate or command attention.

Scrapper – +1 Die when fighting unarmed or improvised.

Ritualist – May cast one ritual per session without backlash.

Carrion Wise – You know undead. +1 Die when recalling lore or exploiting their weakness.

Traits can be used to encourage roleplay, world flavor, and creative problem solving. GMs are encouraged to let players invent new traits with clear utility.

Actions & Combat

Initiative

Roll Movement. The highest result goes first.
Reroll ties.

Actions

Each round, characters may:

Move and Act, or

Move twice, or

Act twice (if reasonable)

Examples of Actions:

Attack, cast, aim, shove, reload, rally, intimidate, drink potion, light lantern

Attacks & Damage

Roll D (or A for finesse/ranged weapons)

Defender rolls A or M to avoid

If attacker gets more successes, the hit lands

Damage:

Light Weapon (dagger, staff): +1 D

Heavy Weapon (axe, sword): +2D

Massive/Brutal Weapon (maul, spell blast): +3D

Special Rules

Conditions

Bleeding: Lose 1 HP per round until treated

Frozen: -1D to all rolls until warmed or healed

Terrified: Cannot approach source of fear; N Roll each round to resist

Exhausted: -1D to Movement and Agility

Healing

Rest: Regain 1 HP per day of safe downtime

Tonics/Potions: Heal 1D or stop bleeding 

Magic or Ritual: At GM discretion

Gear

Each PC starts with:

One weapon (light or heavy)

Cold-weather clothing and rations

Choose one kit:

• Lantern + 3 oil flasks
• Rope + hook + climbing gear(+2M on Ice)
• Tonic (heals 1D) + bandages (stops bleeding)

Optional: PCs may also begin with a relic or oddity — at GM’s discretion.

Spells & Rituals 

Characters may be allowed one spell or ritual. These may cause backlash, attract attention, or require blood.

Sample Undead-Related Spells:

Warding Sigil: Prevents undead entry for 3 rounds

Black Wither: Melee spell that deals 1D and halves target’s movement for 1 round

Black Call: Summons a weak spirit to answer 1 question before fading

Casting a spell usually requires a Notoriety Roll (N), with failures causing unwanted side effects.

THE MIREWARREN

A brutal bog-crawl for DAMN! the RPG

You are not heroes.
You are heat in the dark. Meat in motion.
The mire remembers nothing — but it never forgets the taste of living flesh.

You have been hired by a local apothecary to bring back bog mummy parts for a client.
North of the client is a bog that is frozen due to magic. The magic also attracts the undead. It is far enough away from anyone to be a problem, but it could be a problem down the line.

DUNGEON LOCATIONS

1. The Bone Causeway

Description: You step onto a narrow bridge made of pale, overlapping bones, stretching across a half-frozen, black water expanse. Each step cracks beneath your feet, echoing in the cold silence. Below the thin ice, something stirs, unseen but present. Move cautiously — rushing or running risks breaking through the fragile ice, soaking you and chilling your bones. The bones themselves seem alive, subtly shifting when you look away. This crossing is a perilous test of patience and nerve, where one wrong step could plunge you into the dark depths below.

Hazard: Anyone moving faster than a slow walk must Roll M or break through thin ice (2D cold damage and soaked gear: -1D to next D or M roll).

Detail: The bones shift slightly when no one is looking. Something is underneath.

2. The Throat-Lock

Description: You enter a tight, chilling passage flanked by cairns of melted armor and frostbitten jawbones. The air vibrates with quiet, constant growling that presses in on your senses. Ahead, three frostmaws—ghastly, jawless ghouls with frozen, shattered teeth—lurk hungrily. Their cold breath fills the passage as one lunges forward; this narrow choke point lets no one escape their icy grasp easily.

Enemies: Frostmaws (x3)

Once-human ghouls, now pale, jawless beasts. Their mouths stretch wide with frozen muscle, filled with shattered teeth and black rot. They eat anything warm.

D2 | A3 | M3 | N2

Frostbite Lunge: On hit, target must Roll M or take -1 HP from sudden muscle lock.

Pack Scent: If an ally hit this turn, gain +1 Die attack.

Tactics: One charges the party’s front; the others circle from behind and sides.

3. The Slag Pit Shrine

Description: You find yourself in a vast circular pit, the ground soaked with mire and bordered by leaning stone monoliths, each etched with ancient, cryptic carvings. At the center, a pool of flickering, heatless white flame pulses coldly, casting twisted shadows that stretch the wrong way. Light dims to half its usual reach, obscuring your vision. Stay too long, and a biting burning sensation creeps over your skin, sapping your resolve. This place whispers of “The Flame That Freezes” and warns of a terrible hunger lurking beneath the surface.

Hazard: While in this room, light sources dim to half range. Visibility is poor. Players who remain here for more than 3 rounds feel a burning sensation on their skin.

Detail: Ancient carvings speak of “The Flame That Freezes” and “The Hunger Below.”

4. The Hollow-Bride’s Grasp

Description: The Hollow-Bride’s Grasp

A tunnel entrance blocked by thick, writhing thorns looms before you. Beyond stands the Hollow-Bride, pale and wrapped in rotted linens, her cracked ribs filled with black fungus. Her outstretched arms demand you stay trapped in her deadly embrace. One strike from her grasping limbs can root you fast in the choking thorns. Her haunting wail of hunger shakes your very soul, staggering those near with dread. When wounded, she tears free, growing fiercer and more aggressive. The thorns pulse in time with her ragged breath—
escape will not come easily.

Mini-Boss: The Hollow-Bride

Once a martyr. Now a vessel for blind, choking hate. Her ribs are cracked open and filled with black fungus.

D4 | A3 | M1 | N3

Rootgrasp Limbs: On hit, target must Roll M or be immobilized in thorns.

Wail of Hunger: 1/encounter. All within 15ft Roll N or suffer -1D for 2 rounds (staggered by dread).

Split Skin: At half HP, tears free from her skin husk and gains +1 Die to A and D.

Detail: The thorns in this room twitch in rhythm with her breath.

5. The Bleeding Field

Description: The ground here is a tangled morass of mud and muck, dotted with rows of icicle-pierced stakes. Some hold bones; others, festering scraps of meat. Beneath the sluggish water’s surface, something unseen coils and shifts in slow, ominous spirals. A soft, sorrowful wailing seems to rise from the depths. Move or fight for too long, and the barbed stakes below lash out, tearing flesh and flesh again. This field is a trap disguised as a crossing—every moment spent here risks slow injury and creeping despair.

Hazard: PCs who move or fight here for more than 1 round must Roll D or take 1D damage from submerged barbs.

Detail: A soft wailing echoes in this area, seemingly from below the water.

6. The Crown Trench

Description: A sinking corridor of cracked rock and frozen mud leads you to a massive skull crowned with rusted iron roots. Standing guard are four Marrow-Guard—skeletal warriors fused with bog-iron, relentless and unthinking. Their shield strikes can shove you off balance and split your party apart. Immune to stun or knockdown, they press forward without hesitation. Once per encounter, a rallying cry boosts their ferocity. This trench is a battlefield of crushing force and unyielding defense. Stay close and coordinated, or you’ll be overwhelmed piece by bone-crushing piece.

Enemies: Marrow-Guard (x4)

Ancient royal guards twisted into hate-fueled skeletons. Their bones are reinforced with bog-iron and splints. They serve without thought.

D3 | A3 | M2 | N1

Shield Lurch: On hit, target is shoved 10ft.

No Pain: Immune to stun or knockdown.

Bone Rally: 1/encounter, one calls out a battle cry; all gain +1 Die for 1 round.

Tactics: Spread out and use Shield Lurch to split the party.

7. The Mirewarren Heart: The Bog Mummy’s Throne

Description:

You step into a shallow peat crater where the massive, withered form of the Bog Mummy lies chained with iron and black vines. His hollow eyes snap open, filled with hatred and endless rage. His presence saps your strength, punishing anyone who hesitates to strike. When wounded, a deadly pulse radiates, harming all nearby, while his thornroot spear causes bleeding wounds. He summons Marrow-Guard reinforcements unless his pit is sealed. Silent and relentless, he hunts isolated prey, a tyrant of rot and rage who will not rest until all are broken.

The Bog Mummy: The Breath-Held King

A tyrant buried alive. His rage kept him moving. His lungs filled with peat and hate.

D5 | A4 | M2 | N4

Tomb-Mass Aura: All within 10ft suffer -1D unless they struck him last round.

Death Knell Pulse: When at 50% HP or lower, all enemies in melee take 1D per round.

Thornroot Spear: On hit, target bleeds (1 HP/round) unless M Roll succeeds.

Call of the Dead: Every 2 rounds, raise one Marrow-Guard behind the party unless pit is sealed.

Tactics: Targets any isolated PC. Does not speak. Will not stop.

Rewards

Chillbrand Dagger: +1 Die vs undead, but causes constant hand tremor.

Cloak of the False Dead: Undead ignore you unless you act. Smells strongly of rot.

Bog Crown: +1 A, but you cannot sleep peacefully again.

Endings

Victory: The bog thaws. A silence falls that feels earned.

Failure: The fog spreads. Other graves begin to stir.

Retreat: Something walks behind you, step for step, from now on.

If you like this guide, pick up the books and start building armies. All you need to play this is a map or terrain, some pen, paper, about 10d6, a ruler, and some skeleton miniatures or plastic army guys. Likely you can find most of those things in a junk drawer. Tell me if you like it. I’m DB Spitzer or PGttCM on most social media.