Let’s do a quick recap of the work done so far on my dark fantasy roleplaying game, Adamiir:
A couple of years back, as a part of dungeon23, I started work on a nameless dark fantasy project. I created the mythology, world lore, and a high-level look at some of the factions in the setting.
Later in the same year (after failing incredibly hard at dungeon23, barely making it out of January) I played Wolves Upon the Coast by Luke Gearing. I really enjoyed the structure of the game, from the rules to the way the locations were presented—and especially how treasure and monsters were handled in their own respective books.
Last year, I revamped the project, naming it The Shattered Isles—only to rename it again later in the year to Ädamίr and, then finally simplifying it toAdamiirearlier in 2025.
And then, since May, updates quietly stopped.
Since then, though, I launched a Mothership Month crowdfunding campaign, brought home kiddo #2, had to say goodbye to a family pet, and experienced a whole slew of big, capital-L life events.
But that’s not to say I haven’t been working on it in the meantime.
Actually, quite the opposite: I’ve been working on it a lot.
Which leads to the first thing…
As I’ve been working on this project, I’ve been finding myself chafing against the Adamiir name. What first felt like a cool name that I could repurpose from an older project has now become a bit of an albatross around my neck.
A core task of game design is clarifying what your game is about—what it encourages players to value, even when their personal objectives differ.
In Mothership, this is survival.
In Dungeons & Dragons 5E, this is getting incrementally stronger and more heroic.
I’ve realized that what I want my game to be about is staking a claim on the world—whether it be by right, by greed, or by duty. Essentially, making a part of the world yours.
But in a dying world, there’s only so much to go around.
And there are a lot of powers out there that believe they alone are the inheritors of it.
So, to combat them, you must think of yourself in the same way.
Adamiir is now known as… Inheritor
Inheritor is a dark fantasy roleplaying game set in a dying world where characters seek to enact their will upon it and, potentially, escape the consequences of it.
It’s inspired by a whole slew of sources, some of which are listed below:
Games
Cairn; Yochai Gal (2020)
Caves of Qud; Freehold Games (2024)
Dark Souls, Elden Ring; FromSoftware (2011-2022)
Into the Odd; Chris McDowall (2015)
Rain World; Videocult (2017)
Traveller, Marc Miller/GDW (1977)
Ultraviolet Grasslands; Luka Rejec (2019)
Wolves Upon the Coast; Luke Gearing (2021)
Writing
The Book of the New Sun; Gene Wolfe (1980)
The Dying Earth; Jack Vance (1950)
Elric of Melniboné; Michael Moorcock (1972)
Vermis I, Vermis II; Plastiboo (2023-2024)
The Worm Ouroboros; E.R. Eddison (1922)
Zothique; Clark Ashton Smith (1970)
Here are some images to help give you an idea of the general vibes:
And a bit of history to help guide a new inheritor:
Long Ago, At the Beginning
SHE was born, alone, in eternal night. SHE saw the void that surrounded HER and the immensity of it and in that black night SHE saw empty spheres, or wastelands in the vast darkness like stones at the bottom of the greatest sea.
At once SHE knew a secret so dark and so terrible SHE wept. As SHE did, the fallen tears glittered; each invested with light with which to see markings upon the dead worlds of those who came before.
At once SHE knew a secret so dark and so terrible SHE raged. Summoned forth then was a great and terrible Light that shone in all directions, for all time, and from this Light HER tears glowed ever brighter, and their countenance became the stars in the skies above; whose Light revealed a dead world and its secret chambers of which their dead were kept in the number of thousands upon thousands.
At once SHE knew a secret so dark and so terrible SHE loved and with HER love SHE perfused the dead with Light so that they may tell HER what misfortune fell upon them. Of the thousand thousands, seven rose and they did not remember that which came before.
SHE promised to protect them as HER children, and named them, one and all, ELFIN.
- Passage I, Tablets of M’re
From Then to Now
In time, the Elfin Seven turned against one another, their hearts poisoned by enmity. Then came the Upheaval, a sundering that cast the world into ruin, and the Age of Ice, when all was sealed in cold and silence. Millennia passed before the Thawing, and with it, the rise of the Sages of the Sapphire Lyceum —seekers of knowledge, bearers of light in an age still shadowed by frost.
Then came the First Visitation.
And with it, the Shattering.
In the tumult came the Age of Argentum , by all accounts a time of peace and prosperity. A century ago, the Lords Argent stood in defiance of the invading Blackhands from across the Misted Sea in the War of Iron and Silver, their blades ringing in this world and the next. But when the Second Visit ati on came, the last of their kind were cast into oblivion, and the world was left adrift—once more and for a final time.
Now, under the fading sun, the starless sky, and the moonless night the world festers under the weight of history. The world that remains is yours.
What’s left of it, anyway.
The plan was to release by end of 2025—that still happening?
I don’t want to set a firm deadline on it—it’ll be ready when its ready after all—but I would think sometime mid-2026 is the goal. Next week, I will publish my 2025 recap article, so look for that for more concrete details on the timing.
But! I wanted to give a little peek at what’s going on here, so here’s a first look at Character Creation:
Creating a Character
A Character has three Attributes, each generated by rolling 3d6:
Physique (PHY), or physical prowess and health
A Character can have a number of inventory slots equal to their PHY.
Intellect (INT), or mental tenacity and learnedness
A Character can have a number of proficiencies whose values are equal to or less than their INT.
Ego (EGO), or metaphysical keenness and understanding
A Character can have a number of attunements whose values are equal to or less than their EGO.
Once attributes have been determined, a Character’s Foundations can be discovered. If running a one-shot or for tables that don’t wish to linger on character creation, Pregenerated Characters are available.
NOTE: Inheritor is a “roll-under” system.
Foundations
A Character’s Foundations represent the early truths, burdens, and shaping forces that define who they were before to determine who they are today.
The process of determining a Character’s foundations is separated into the following:
Origin: The nature of the Character’s birth.
Vocation: The training that made the Character.
Events: The obstacles that blocked the path of the Character.
Origin
A Character’s Origin determines which Starsign they were born under, each with their own permanent effect. All Origins add +10 Years to the Character’s age.
Vocation
A Character’s Vocation determines which equipment, proficiencies or attunements, and life events made them who they are.
A small snippet of vocations. Right now I have a tentative 20 vocations, but it’ll probably end up begin a larger number than that.
Events
A Character’s Events are moment-to-moment decisions in their lives that made them unique.
NOTE: Because there’s going to be a LOT of these, I’m just going to highlight one of the event tables: Agrarian Events. My best estimate has probably 10 or so more in the final rules
Aging
When a Character reaches middle age, they risk the loss of physical or mental ability. Whenever years are added to age beyond 40, roll 3d6 for both PHY and INT:
If the roll is above the Attribute score, the attribute decreases by 1.
If the roll is equal to or below the Attribute score, it remains unchanged.
Once a character reaches the age of 50 and above, the 3d6 rolls made above are with disadvantage[-].
Above the age of 60, both attributes automatically decrease by 1 each.
Next time we chat about Inheritor, I want to discuss phases and turns—the core time-tracking elements of the game.
Until then! 🟦
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Man...ngl, I thought you were calling me out...
I was like "I don't know...I'm still working on it?"
But when can we buy it??? ;) Just kidding - looks very interesting.