Darkness Reforged - SRD (Version 0.4)

15 Feb, 2026

Darkness Reforged is an urban fantasy roleplaying game of Gnostic Horror about people caught in a City that should not exist - an artificial reality forged from the Darkness by post-human powers. Players portray professionals and outcasts who survive the City on its own terms while secretly navigating a second, supernatural life as some of the few who have seen behind the Veil. Play is driven by tightly wound narrative loops - personal, supernatural, and communal - that generate pressure, fallout, and escalation through an alternating cycle of action and downtime. Resolution uses a dice pool of d6s, every roll a wager with clear risks and stakes. Success comes at a price, failure leaves scars, and players quickly learn when to push through and when to take the loss. Things spiral, the group’s cover is burned, and in the end the City always balances its ledger. The characters must decide whether they will feed on it, break it open, or reshape it - knowing that every choice reforges both themselves and the world around them.

Core Mechanics

This section presents the core mechanics of Darkness Reforged in a self-contained, setting-agnostic form. Later sections introduce additional mechanics that build on this foundation, bringing the City and its denizens to life.

The Three Pillars

When a game mechanic requires interpretation, the GM and the Players lean on the Three Pillars:

Common Sense - follow cause and effect, weigh risk and reward, protect the shared fiction.
Genre - read books, watch movies, play other TTRPGs, share your finds.
The Table - be present, be mindful, be consistent.

An interpretation must stand on at least one Pillar and break none.

How do you know when something breaks a Pillar?

It twists logic for advantage.
It does not fit the established tone and scale of the game.
It ignores, or outright rewrites, what already happened.

Flow of Play

Play alternates between two phases: Act and Downtime.

An Act begins when the Characters, acting as a Group, commit to a clear Goal. It ends when that Goal is decisively resolved - whether they achieve it, lose it, or the situation changes so completely that there is no going back.

During the Downtime that follows:

Characters recover resources, reflect on what has changed, and prepare for what comes next.
The GM plays out the world's response - calling in debts, escalating consequences, and setting new pressures in motion.

The Player Characters decide to pursue the Wraith through the Underground, establishing a clear Goal. Once they confront the Wraith - whether they succeed or fail - the Act concludes. During the subsequent Downtime, they must navigate the consequences and smooth things over with the Underground Authority.

Core Game Elements

Game mechanics are built out of the following elements:

Actions - Player-driven attempts with clear intent and real risk.
An Action pushes the Act's Goal toward decisive resolution.
Dice Pools - Pools of d6s rolled to generate successes.
The size of a Dice Pool is fixed, but the type of dice can vary. Different types, distinguished by color, generate successes differently on rolls of 1–3, 4–5, and 6.
Resource Pools - Reserves of internal power or tangible assets. They can be spent to buy extra successes and are recovered during Downtime.
Traces - story beats bookmarked for later use within the mechanics of the game.
- A Trace is a short phrase that can be invoked to recall the original scene.
- positive Traces enable a Character to attempt Actions that would otherwise be impossible, based on a skill, power, or ability established in a prior scene.
- negative Traces restrict a Character’s available Actions, reflecting a limitation, injury, or truth revealed in a prior scene.
- Traces can be temporary or permanent.
Cuts - A measure of insight gained through trauma and repetition.
A potential experience point, that can be spent to turn a Failure into a Success. Each Act begins with 0 Cuts; at Act’s end, all unspent Cuts become Scars.
Scars - A record of lessons learned hard - an actual experience point. Scars can be spent during Downtime to alter the Character, reflecting growth, change, or trauma.
Consequences - Things getting worse, the GM decides the "how": burning Resources, assigning negative Traces, closing windows of opportunity, or other narrative complications.
Marks - Deferred Consequences that will materialize sooner or later unless addressed.

Action Resolution

Whenever a Character attempts an Action:

Declare Intent - The Player states what they want to happen and how they make it so.
Check Feasibility and Trace - Is the Action possible at all? Is there any real risk? Can a Trace enable it (positive) or hinder it (negative)? Keep in mind the Three Pillars.
Set Risk and Cost -The GM assigns:
- Risk (default 1) - reflects danger or uncertainty.
- Cost (default 2) - how many successes are needed for the full effect.
Assemble the Dice Pool - The Player identifies the appropriate Dice Pool, which determines the number of d6s to roll.
- A number of dice equal to the Risk are Risk Dice; the remainder are Pool Dice.
- If a positive Trace is invoked, replace 1 Pool Die with 1 Trace Die before rolling.
- If a negative Trace is invoked, replace 1 Risk Die with 1 Trace Die before rolling.
- Only one Trace may be invoked for a given Action.
Roll and Count Successes - Dice generate successes as follows:
- Pool Dice: 0 successes on 1-3, 1 success on 4-5 and 2 successes on a 6.
- Risk Dice: -1 success on 1-3, 0 success on 4-5 and 1 success on a 6.
- Trace Dice: 0 successes on 1-3, 1 success on 4-5 and 1 success + 1 Cut on a 6.
- Total successes may be 0 or even negative.
Failure (Total successes less than 1) - The Player chooses:
- Accept Failure - The GM describes Consequences and the Player earns 1 Cut.
  Cuts can be spent to Push Through or saved to fuel Character advancement.
- Push Through - Spend enough Cuts to raise the total to exactly 1 (1 Cut = 1 missing success), and continue as if the roll was a Success.
  Only Cuts, not Resources, can be spent to Push Through.
Success (Total successes at least 1) - The Player's intention becomes reality.
If the Total is less than the Cost, then the Player has to choose:
- Pay the Cost: Pay 1 Resource per missing success.
  Only Resources, not Cuts, can be spent to Pay the Cost.
- Take a Mark: Pay nothing, but receive a Mark - a Consequence that will show up sooner or later, and whose severity is proportional to the unpaid missing successes.

John’s Character, Agent Drake, aims to incapacitate the Wraith by shooting them in the leg. He has a relevant Dice Pool (Agent, 4 dice) and invokes the positive Trace “Sharpshooter”, recalling a previous scene where he shot the Ace of Spades clean off someone’s hand.

The GM sets Risk 2 (the Wraith is fast and the Underground is dark) and Cost 2 (default for this action). If Drake had aimed to kill the Wraith, the Cost would have been higher.

John assembles his dice: 2 Risk Dice (for Risk 2), 1 Pool Die, and 1 Trace Die (the positive Trace replaces one of the Pool Dice).

John rolls the dice:
The Risk Dice come up 1 and 3 → -2 successes.
The Pool Die comes up a 4 → 1 success.
The Trace Die comes up a 6 → 1 success + 1 Cut.
The total is 0 successes, but at least the Trace Die grants John the first Cut of the Act.

John now chooses: Accept Failure or Push Through.
If he accepts failure, the GM narrates: “Drake takes the shot, but misses - they’re not called the Wraith for nothing. You’ll get them next time.” John also gains one additional Cut.
John decides to push through instead, converting the 1 Cut from the Trace Die into one extra success, reaching the 1 total success needed for the Action.

The GM reminds John that Cost 2 still applies. The Wraith takes a bullet to the leg, but he must cover the remaining Cost.
Drake can Pay the Cost, for instance by taking 1 Harm - a minor injury suffered while stumbling about in the dark.
Choosing to conserve Resources, John opts to Take a Mark instead.

The GM records it: “Drake – 1 point Mark while chasing the Wraith.” The echoes of gunfire travel through the Underground…

Loops

Loops are behavioural patterns a Character keeps repeating, driven by their desires, compulsions, or circumstances - pursued no matter the cost.

Mechanically, they tie together game elements (Dice and Resource Pools, Positive and negative Traces, Downtime activities) to model how the Character interacts with the City.

A Loop contains:

Loop Dice - a Dice Pool used for Actions relevant to the Loop (remember the Three Pillars).
Hook - a permanent negative Trace that draws the Character into the Loop and into trouble.
Edge - a permanent positive Trace the Character relies on to escape trouble.
Source - a Resource Pool that can be spent to Pay Cost while navigating the Loop.
Reset - a Downtime activity that replenishes the Source and should eventually return the Character to the Hook, closing the Loop.

To decide whether an Action is relevant to the Loop, whether the Edge or the Hook can be invoked, or whether the Source can be spent to Pay Cost, apply the Three Pillars.

John is creating a new Character, Drake.
The GM describes a scene, a club at the fancy part of the City near Skyline Station, and asks John 'Why is Drake there?'.
John answers 'I hold a briefcase - it contains an untraceable 9mm semi-auto and a photo.' This is the Hook of the Loop - John writes down the negative Trace "9mm and a photo". In future sessions, the Trace will immediately bring to mind this first scene at the club near Skyline; when they call, Drake has to answer.

Things escalate: the person of interest is dancing on an elevated platform in the middle of the club and time is running out fast. The GM inquires 'How do you get out of this?'
Drake is no ordinary hitman, he is one of those who have seen behind the Veil. A near-death experience has left him with a 'glitch' - he occasionally 'drops out of time'. Drake feels the blood cool in his veins, as the beat slows down and the dancers freeze in place.
This is the Edge of the Loop, John writes down the positive Trace "Drop out of Time". Whenever in doubt about whether this Trace applies, John will be asking himself 'Does this feel like the club scene?'

The deed is done; the GM asks 'What did it cost?'
John thinks about it a bit and answers 'Warmth, Drake spends Warmth'. This is the Source of the Loop, the stuff that Drake burns through to survive.

In the coda of the scene, we find Drake back at his apartment. He is on the Net, warm drink on the side, looking for those that send him the briefcase. This is the Reset of the Loop, and John writes it down simply as "Research".

Playing in the City

In this section, we present further game elements and mechanics that capture the realities of living in the City.

Character Loops

Player Characters are special, having peeked behind the Veil and managed to live with that vision. By virtue of that experience, each Character is locked into two Loops:

The Sleeper Loop - the role the Character keeps playing within the normal operation of the City. It need not be mundane, legal or safe, but it should 'fit in'.

Alice's Character, Bonnie, is a District Attorney (her Sleeper Loop). Bonnie is stuck in a vicious cycle of backroom dealing (her Hook) and brilliant political manoeuvring (her Edge) that puts strain on her Consciousness (Source). She recovers it with pro bono work for the community (Reset), that is possible only through the grace of her powerful patrons...
The Awakened Loop - the pattern that the Character adopted to deal with the hidden side of the City. Empowering, ensnaring, essentially unique.

Bonnie is also known by the locals as Our Lady of Chance (her Awakened Loop). When a member of the community surrender themselves to chance, she feels the pull (Hook) in the warp and weft of the City, and can tug at them (Edge) to nudge probabilities one way or another. She pays for this in Certitude (Source) as her sense of what actually happened is compromised - only the focused pursuit of her own personal needs (Reset) can reassert her sense of self.
Although it is not enforced mechanically, the City constantly presses the Sleeper Loop and the Awakened Loop against each other. When one is strengthened, the other suffers.

During Downtime, Bonnie needs to constantly balance the needs of the community (her Sleeper Reset) versus her own personal desires (her Awakened Reset).
The GM guides the Players through role-playing the defining scenes of their two Loops during Session 1.

The Group - Resonance and Veil

The Player Characters are not random strangers, but integral parts of a communal Group Loop. The structure of the Group Loop is identical to the individual Loops, but its components have special meaning and particular mechanics:

Resonance is the Group Dice Pool- a measure of the collective experience of the Group that any Character can tap into.
The Call is the Group Hook - a permanent negative Trace, the one thing the Characters can not ignore.

The Player Characters gather at the Founder’s Memorial, near Knightsbridge Station, their sleep disturbed by a recurring vision: a sword embedded in concrete at the City’s very foundations. This is their Call, represented mechanically by the negative Trace “Summoned in Dreams.”
The Bond (the Group Edge) - a permanent positive Trace, the one thing the Characters can only do as a unit.

Following the metaphysical trail, the Group arrives at the Weaver Tower, an imposing structure at the heart of Knightsbridge. Though heavily guarded in the waking world, the path is open once they step into the Dreaming. This is their Bond, represented by the positive Trace “The Dreaming.”
Veil (the Group Source) - a Resource Pool that the Characters can burn to Deny, Deflect and Distract.

The GM warns: 'Your crossing into the Dreaming does not go unnoticed - your Veil is reduced by 1.'
The Group Loop does not have its own dedicate Reset - every time a Character goes about their Sleeper Reset in the Downtime, the Group's Veil goes up by 1.
The GM guides the Players through role-playing the defining scenes of their Group Loop during Session 1.

Resonance and Veil interact with each other, and with the rest of the system, in important ways:

Resonance and Veil share a single 10-point track, marked from opposite ends. Increasing Resonance immediately reduces the maximum Veil.
When Veil runs low, all Consequences hit harder - enemies strike back with force, political opposition is more direct, supernatural effects are intense and visible.
Resonance can never exceed the lowest individual Loop Dice Pool (Sleeper or Awakened) among the Characters.
No individual Loop Dice Pool or Source may be higher than Resonance+2.
When all individual Loop Dice Pools are at least Resonance+1, and the Group makes a choice that changes the City irrevocably, the GM may increase their Resonance by 1.
Resonance may never be decreased.

The Group decides to pull the Sublime Sword from beneath the foundations of Weaver Tower. Their Resonance has been at 3 for a while - not overwhelmingly powerful, but enough to leave a mark on the City.
The GM checks with everyone: do their Loops have a Dice Pool of at least 4 dice each? The answer is yes; some Players are already at 5, the current maximum.
Pulling the Sword will shift the City’s power dynamics - the Group has crossed the Rubicon. The GM announces: 'Your Resonance increases to 4. Congratulations!"
The maximum Veil of the Group also drops immediately to 6 - all eyes are on them.

Traces

Traces are story beats bookmarked for later use within the mechanics of the game.

Think of television characters: what they can and cannot do is determined by the show’s continuity. If we saw it happen, and it mattered, it becomes part of who they are.

A Trace:

exists because the table witnessed a notable scene - an action, choice, or behavior - and decided to preserve that memory for future play.
is a short phrase that immediately recalls the original scene.
can or can not be invoked for the current Action, based on the Three Pillars:
- Does the Trace make sense in the current situation?
- Does this moment feel like the original Trace scene in tone and mood?
- Is this consistent with how we have used this Trace before?

Recall the following Trace-related rules:

Traces can be temporary or permanent.
positive Traces enable a Character to attempt Actions that would otherwise be impossible, based on a skill, power, or ability established in a prior scene.
negative Traces restrict a Character’s available Actions, reflecting a limitation, injury, or truth revealed in a prior scene.
Invoking a Trace during an Action replaces 1 Risk Die (for negative Traces) or 1 Pool Die (for positive Traces) with 1 Trace Die before rolling.
Only one Trace may be invoked per Action - choose the one that most directly shapes the current moment.

Traces enter play in the following ways:

As part of a Loop.
A Player may burn Veil to distill an important element of the current scene into a temporary Trace. That Trace may be invoked for the remainder of the Act.
The GM may create a temporary Trace as a Consequence - when a Player Accepts Failure, when resolving a Mark, or as a direct response to events in the fiction.

At the end of the Act,

All temporary Traces are cleared, unless the GM chooses to make some permanent.
A Player may also make a Trace permanent by investing Scars in it - the cost is determined by the GM.
Depending on the specifics, a permanent Trace may be associated with:
- A Loop, as a new Hook, Edge, Call or Bond.
- A person, location or artefact in the City.

Acts, Downtime and the Ledger

At the beginning of each Act:

The Group commits to a clear Goal, to be pursued to its decisive conclusion.
Each Character starts with 0 Cuts.

During the Act:

Characters engage in Actions - they spend Resources to Pay the Cost, gain Cuts by Accepting Failure and invoking Traces, and use them to Push Through or choose to take Marks instead.
The Veil of the Group drops - players spend it as a Resource to Pay Cost or to create temporary Traces, and the GM may burn it as a Consequence for particularly flashy Actions.

At the end of the Act:

Unspent Cuts become Scars.
Temporary Traces are cleared, unless they become permanent by GM fiat or Scar investment.
Unresolved Marks become debts, and the GM moves them to the Ledger.

The Ledger is a key GM tool and the beating heart of the City - it is a dynamic table whose entries include:

Rumours and Omens
Enemy Factions and their Plans
City-wide Activities
Unresolved Marks

During Downtime, each Player may take two free Downtime Moves:

A Reset to restore a Loop's Source. Sleeper Resets additionally restore 1 Veil.
Gather Info and Assets - create Resource Pools or Traces that can be used during the following Act.
Resolve Debt, removing it from the Ledger.
Spend Scars to permanently improve a Loop:
- Increase the Loop Dice Pool (cost = new level, can not exceed Resonance+2).
- Increase the Source Pool (cost = old level, can not exceed Resonance+2).
- Adjust a Trace (Hook or Edge) to better reflect the fiction (cost = 1 Scar).
Any other activity that does not involve risk (i.e. is not an Action).

After all the Players have completed their Downtime Moves, the GM rolls on the Ledger:

The lower the Veil, the resolution of the Ledger roll hits harder and more direct.
This is the City's turn to come alive around the Characters - they might not know exactly what happened, but there are always signs and portents.
The Players may take a further round of a single Downtime Move each, but it will trigger another Ledger roll by the GM.
This can continue, one round of Downtime Moves followed by a Ledger roll, but any given roll on the Ledger might trigger a reactive Act, putting the Characters on the defensive and forcefully ending the Downtime.