Cats Have No Lord

Death & Treasure (V 0.1 Playtest)

Game Rules

Death & Treasure

Version 0.1 | January 2026 | Luke Simonds (Cats Have No Lord) | CC-BY-SA 4.0

Introduction

Death & Treasure is a solo adventure game for playing choose-your-own-adventure style dungeons. The rules are inspired by a number of “old-school” tabletop roleplaying games, such as Old School Essentials, Cairn, The Black Hack, Perils & Princesses, and Fantastic Medieval Campaigns. While it could theoretically be compatible with existing adventures for one or more of those games, it is intended to be used with particular solo adventures in the style of those produced by TSR, such as BSOLO and XS2.

In this game, you take on the role of an Adventurer delving into the dungeons near your town to recover treasure and, with any luck, make a better life for yourself without dying young.

This game is a work in progress. The current version includes all the rules you need to create a character and explore the included Sample Dungeon. However, more is planned for the future as I fine tune the basic procedures, including multiple classes, leveling, magic, mapping procedures, and more.

Direct any feedback to catshavenolordgames@gmail.com.

Making an Adventurer

Complete the following steps to make an adventurer:

  1. Roll Ability Scores
  2. Select Equipment and Determine Starting Encumbrance
  3. Determine HP and Defense scores

Ability Scores

Roll 3d6 for each ability listed below and assign the numbers in order to the abilities:

  1. Strength (STR)
  2. Dexterity (DEX)
  3. Constitution (CON)
  4. Wisdom (WIS)
  5. Intelligence (INT)
  6. Charisma (CHA)

You may swap any two scores after rolling.

Your ability scores set the number you are trying to roll under when attempting risky actions during play related to that ability. Additionally, each score may have another effect if it is higher than 13 or lower than 8..

  1. STR - >13 -1 to hand-to-hand attack rolls and +1 to defense score; <8 +1 to hand to hand attack rolls and -1 to defense score
  2. DEX - >13 -1 to ranged attack rolls and +1 to defense score; <8 +1 to ranged attack rolls and -1 to defense score
  3. CON - >13 +1 HP on hit die rolls; <8 -1 HP on hit die rolls
  4. WIS - >13 1-in-6 chance of being surprised; <8 3-in-6 chance of being surprised
  5. INT - >13 learn d4 additional languages; <8 +1 to rolls to communicate with creatures in your own language
  6. CHA - >13 -1 to reaction rolls for unfamiliar creatures; <8 +1 to reaction rolls for unfamiliar creatures

Equipment and Encumbrance

Standard adventuring gear consists of the following, which does not affect your encumbrance:

  1. Backpack
  2. 50 ft. rope
  3. Crowbar
  4. Knife
  5. Hammer
  6. Iron Spikes
  7. 14 days rations
  8. Waterskin
  9. Lantern
  10. 3 Flasks Lantern Oil

Adventurers may carry additional gear with a total weight score equal to their STR score. If carrying weight greater than their STR score, an adventurer must roll twice and take the worse result for all dice rolls.

When creating an adventurer, after noting your basic gear, first select your weapon(s) and armor. Then, if you have the capacity to carry more, you may select additional gear, remembering that any treasure you collect will also contribute weight.

Weapons

For each weapon below, note its damage die, type, and weight.

  1. Bow - d6 - ranged - Weight 1
  2. Crossbow - d8 - ranged - Weight 2
  3. Dagger - d4 - ranged/hand-to-hand - Weight 0
  4. Handaxe - d6 - ranged/hand-to-hand - Weight 1
  5. Shortsword - d6 - hand-to-hand - Weight 1
  6. Sword - d8 - hand-to-hand - Weight 2
  7. Axe - d8 - hand-to-hand - Weight 2
  8. Greatsword - d10 - hand-to-hand - Weight 3
  9. Greataxe - d10 - hand-to-hand - Weight 3
  10. Polearm - d10 - hand-to-hand - Weight 2

Armor

For each piece of armor, note its Defense bonus, restrictions, and weight.

  1. Leather - +3 - Weight 1
  2. Chainmail - +5 - Weight 2
  3. Plate - +7 - Weight 3
  4. Shield - +1 - Occupies 1 hand - Weight 1
  5. Helmet - +1 - Weight 1

Gear

Below are available items of adventuring gear with their uses and weight scores.

  1. Backpack - Weight 0 - holds standard adventuring gear or, if gear is dumped, items up to weight 6.
  2. Crowbar - Weight ½ - Opens stuck doors, crates, chests, or other objects
  3. Grappling Hook - Weight ½ - If attached to rope, helps secure ropes for climbing or pulling
  4. Hammer - Weight Âź - Used with crowbar, spikes, or other tools
  5. Lantern - Weight Âź - Provides light in dark places, may be covered to hide light, takes up one hand while in use, but may be set down while continuing to provide light
  6. Lantern Oil (3) - Weight 1 - Lantern uses 1 flask of oil every 24 turns, may be used as a thrown weapon (d6 damage and sets target on fire)
  7. Rations (7 days) - Weight 1 - Rations are required to regain lost HP from rest
  8. Rope (50 ft.) - Weight 1 - Does rope stuff
  9. Sack (small) - Weight 0 - Holds up to Weight 5 of treasure
  10. Sack (large) - Weight 0 - Holds up to Weight 10 of treasure
  11. Spikes (5) - Weight 1 - Useful for holding open doors or creating handholds to climb
  12. Tinderbox - Weight 0 - Used for starting fire
  13. Waterskin - Weight 1 - Water is required to regain lost HP from rest

Treasure

Below are common types of treasure and their corresponding weight scores. Unique treasures will have their weight listed in their description.

  1. 1,000 coins - Weight 1
  2. 10 gems - Weight 1
  3. 5 pieces jewelry - Weight 1

HP and Defense

HP represents your ability to avoid life-threatening injuries, while defense is your ability to block all incoming attacks in combat.

Roll 1d8 to determine your starting HP, adding +1 if your CON is greater than 13.

Starting Defense without armor is 9. Increase your Defense based on the armor you have selected and your DEX score.

Game Procedure

The game takes place in a sequence of turns representing 10 minutes of time in the story. A turn is generally long enough to move from one location to another, take an action at your current location, or resolve an encounter. Follow these steps in each turn.

  1. Check for Encounter
    1. Resolve Encounter if Needed
  2. Read Room Description
    1. Ask Oracle Questions if Needed
  3. Take Action or Move to New Room

See below for specific rules on how to accomplish these steps.

Encounters

Each time you enter a new room or spend a turn in the same room, there is a 1-in-6 chance of an encounter occurring. On a result of 1, roll on the encounter table appropriate for the adventure and location. Then follow these steps:

  1. Check for Surprise
  2. Roll Reaction
  3. Choose What To Do Next

Surprise

There is generally a 2-in-6 chance you will be surprised by the encounter, but this may be modified by your WIS score. Consult the Oracle if you are unsure how other circumstances affect your chances of surprise.

Reaction

Roll 2d6 (modified based on CHA score) to determine the creature’s reaction to you:

2–4 - Attacks immediately
5–9 - Neutral/indifferent
10-12 - Friendly

What’s Next?

If you or the creature decide to initiate combat, follow the rules for combat.

If you speak the same language as the creature, you may attempt to speak to it, rolling CHA checks as appropriate to convince it.

If you wish to run away, make a DEX check. If you drop food (for unintelligent creatures) or treasure (for intelligent creatures) there is a 3-in-6 chance they will be distracted and let you escape.

Room Descriptions

Room descriptions include bolded text indicating elements of the room you can interact with. Each includes the difficulty of any checks made to interact with that element and the number of the entry to read for success or failure in interacting with the element.

For example, Tripwire (D2, S17, F21) indicates that interacting with the tripwire has a difficulty of 2 and that you should read Entry 17 if you succeed or Entry 21 if you fail.

Sometimes, the entry will specify an ability check required to interact, in which case the ability will be listed before the difficulty. For example, Chasm (DEX D3, S24, F78) indicates that a Difficulty 3 DEX check is required to jump the chasm, reading Entry 24 on success or Entry 78 on failure.

If an entry has a difficulty of zero, there will only be an entry for success included. For example, Open Doorway (D0, S53) indicates you can move through the door and then read Entry 53.

The Oracle

If you ever have questions not answered by the adventure text, ask a yes/no question and then roll a d6, setting the odds of a yes answer based on how likely you think it is:

1-in-6 - Unlikely
2-in-6 - Possible
3-in-6 - Probable
4-in-6 - Almost Certain

Taking Action

When you interact with elements in the room, you have flexibility to decide how you want to interact with them based on the stated difficulty level, as described below. The difficulty level indicates how many of the following three options are required:

  1. Spending a Turn
  2. Using Appropriate Gear
  3. Passing an Ability Check

Difficulty 0 - No Requirement - Examples: Opening an unlocked door or walking down an open passageway
Difficulty 1 - Requires One of the Three - Examples: Opening a locked chest, avoiding a simple trap, searching
Difficulty 2 - Requires Two of the Three - Examples: Crossing an open chasm, avoiding a complex trap
Difficulty 3 - Requires All Three - Examples: Climbing a steep wall, crossing a raging river,

If spending a turn, roll to determine if an encounter occurs while you are interacting.

If gear, use common sense for how gear may be used or consult the Oracle.

For an ability check, roll the dice stated below based on difficulty, succeeding if the result is equal to or lower than the relevant Ability score. Consult the oracle if you are uncertain which score is appropriate.

Difficulty 1 - 2d6
Difficulty 2 - 3d6
Difficulty 3 - 4d6

Damage, Healing, and Death

Damage may occur as the result of failure in interacting with the adventure, in which case the appropriate damage would be listed in the adventure entry, or during combat.

If damage reduces your HP to 0, you die. Make a note of which room your adventurer died in, as future adventurers may find them and take their gear or treasure.

You may spend 1 turn to regain d4 HP so long as you have at least 1 ration and a waterskin. You may do this up to 3 times per day. You use 1 ration per day, shared among all of the rests for that day.

Healing may also occur as part of an adventure entry.

Combat

Combat takes place in a number of rounds. Regardless of the total rounds elapsed, combat is presumed to take 1 turn. Follow these steps for each round of combat.

At the beginning of each round, roll 1d6 for yourself and for enemy creatures. The higher result acts first in that round.

When you make an attack, roll 1d20 (modified based on your ability score), attempting to roll equal to or under your STR (for hand-to-hand) or DEX (for ranged) score. If you succeed, roll the listed damage die for your weapon and apply that damage to the enemy creature.

If the enemy attacks you, roll 1d20, attempting to roll equal to or under your Defense score. If you fail, roll the damage die listed for the enemy and apply that to your HP.

At the start of each round, you may choose to attempt an escape following the escape rules as described for encounters.

When you first deal damage to an enemy and when they are reduced below half their maximum HP, they must roll 2d6 and flee if the result is less than their Morale score.

Light and Panic

Your lantern burns for 24 turns on a single flask of oil. Other light sources, such as torches and sconces, may be available throughout the adventure.

If you are ever in the dark without a light source, you cannot continue until you find a source of light. If you do not find a source of light within 6 turns, you will become lost forever in the dungeon.

Each turn without light, make a WIS check. On failure, you immediately become lost forever.

When lost, you must create a new adventurer. If that adventurer goes into the same dungeon, there is a 1-in-6 chance in each room that they will find the previously lost adventurer.

Sample Dungeon

Encounters

  1. 1d6 Goblins
  2. 1d6 Giant Frogs
  3. 1d4 Goblins fighting 1d4 Giant Frogs
  4. 1d4 Giant Frogs chasing 1d4 Goblins

Goblin HP 3 | Morale 7 | Sword or Bow d6

Giant Frog HP 6 | Morale 10 | Bite d8 | Special: On failed defense roll, make DEX check or be swallowed by frog. Take 1d4 damage each round inside frog. Deal 4 or more damage to cut your way out and kill it.

Adventure Entries

1 Your time has come! You’re finally old enough to go adventuring and find a horde of treasure big enough to take you out of squalor and set you on the road to nobility! You may be questioning this choice as you now stand outside the cave, the looming mouth of a gigantic stone frog blowing ominously hot, damp air into your face. But it’s too late now. Everyone in the village would laugh at you if you came back without treasure. Death would be better than that. You can go in the Frog Mouth (D0, S2) or search for other entrances (D1, S3, F4)

2 Inside the mouth is a massive, hot cavern, water dripping throughout the space from stalactites. While the roof is rough, natural stone, the floor and walls are carved by human hands. The floor is covered in a grid of squares (D1, S5, F6), some noticeably lower than others, as if they may be depressed, and faint footprints across some of them. A stone chest and open passageways are visible, but you must cross the grid to reach them.

3 You thoroughly search the outside of the cave, finding it is, in fact, a natural rock outcrop carved entirely into the shape of a giant frog. You find another small tunnel, lined with thick mud, at the butt end of the frog. You may enter the tunnel (D1, S12, F13) or return to the front of the cave (D0, S1).

4 You search fruitlessly and cannot discern anything significant amidst the dense vegetation around the cave. You eventually return to the front of the cave (D0, S1).

5 You successfully plot a course through the grid along squares that do not depress. You may walk to the side of the room opposite the mouth to a frog-shaped stone chest (D2, S7, F8). Open passageways lead north (D0, S9), southeast (D0, S10), southwest (D0, S11), and outside (D0, S1).

6 You make a mistake and step on a square that depresses into the ground. Poison darts shoot from holes in the walls. Make a DEX check to avoid the darts. On failure, take d4 damage and make CON check or be poisoned and take 1 additional damage each hour the next d6 hours. You may then walk to the side of the room opposite the mouth to a frog-shaped stone chest (D2, S7, F8). Open passageways lead north (D0, S9), southeast (D0, S10), southwest (D0, S11), and outside (D0, S1).

7 You manage to open the chest without triggering a trap, which you see would have dropped a false stalactite from above onto your head. Inside the chest is 500 coins, 5 gems (500 coins each), and a silver crown shaped like a frog (1,000 coins). You must navigate the grid of squares (D1, S5, F6) to move to another location.

8 You make a mistake while opening the chest, and a false stalactite falls from above. Make a DEX check to avoid the stalactite. On failure, take d10 damage. If you survive, you may look inside the chest, finding 500 coins, 5 gems (500 coins each), and a silver crown shaped like a frog (1,000 coins). You must navigate the grid of squares (D1, S5, F6) to move to another location.

9 Stairs lead up to a wooden door (D0, S25) or down to the cave mouth (D0, S2).

10 You are in a cramped, natural cavern chamber, dense with stalactites and stalagmites. There is an open passageway (D0, S2) to the north or the cramped tunnel (D0, S3). You smell something fishy (D1, S14, F15) but you have a hard time placing exactly where it is coming from.

11 A hallway leads between a wooden door (D0, S26) and the cave mouth (D0, S2).

12 Moving through the thick mud in the dark is difficult, but you manage, pushing your gear ahead of you and sucking in your gut in the narrowest places. You emerge, covered in mud, into a small chamber (D0, S10).

13 Try as you might, you are unable to push your way through, and you eventually crawl back out, covered in stinking mud, to the backside of the frog (D0, S3).

14 Searching the room carefully, you eventually find a trap door hidden in the dusty floor. You can’t see what is down the twisting stairs, but the fishy smell is strong, as if someone is cooking seafood, and you hear gruff voices, although they are too quiet to understand. You may go down (D0, S16) or stay in this room (D0, S10).

15 You are unable to find the source of the smell and eventually give up (D0, S10).

16 If you previously defeated the goblins in this room, skip to 17. In a large square room cut from the natural stone, a group of 4 Goblins dance around a massive cauldron, their gruesome faces flickering in the light of the fire underneath the pot. As one of them stops to stir the pot, you see giant frog legs poking from the water. They do not see you on the stairs. You see there is a stone door on the far side of the room from the stairs. You can, go back up (D0, S10), fight (D0, S18), talk in goblin (CHA D2, S19, F18), or sneak (DEX D2, S20, F18).

17 The goblins lie dead around their cauldron. You may inspect the cauldron (D0, S21), search the goblins (D0, S22). You find the stone door (D3, S23, F24) is stuck shut. You may also return upstairs (D0, S10).

18 The goblins take up their weapons and ready themselves to fight. Follow the combat procedures. On success, go to 17.

19 You convince the goblins you are not a threat to them. They tell you they have giant frogs trapped behind the stone door because they’re delicious. They only care about eating the frogs, and they don’t mind if you take treasure from other parts of the dungeon. They will still fight (D0, S18) if you displease them or try to go through the stone door. You may go back upstairs (D0, S10).

20 You make your way quickly and quietly through the shadows along the edge of the room and come to the stuck stone door (D3, S23, F24).

21 You find frog stew. What else did you expect? You can gather rations (7) into a nearby soupskin. Return to 17.

22 You find a stone key, 50 coins, a wooden whistle, and a soup spoon. The key opens the stuck stone door.

23 You find a way to open the door. Inside is a deep pool of water with 8 Giant Frogs swimming about in it. They will not fight unless provoked. If allowed to escape, they will hop off into the dungeon to hunt goblins.

24 You are unable to open the door. Return to your most recent entry before this one.

25 A small chamber is lit faintly by light coming in from the eyes of the giant frog. You are evidently directly above the cave mouth. In the center of the room is a stone statue of a giant frog with massive green gemstones as its eyes. In front of the statue is a set of balance scales, with an inscription below stating “you must leave as much as you take.” You may attempt to take the eyes (DEX D3, S29, F30). There are doors out of the room to the southwest (D0, S11) and southeast (D0, S28).

26 Benches and table carved out of the stone of the floor, tabletops covered in half melted candles. Several tables have incomplete manuscripts (D0, S27) on parchment. A staircase leads up (D0, S28) and a hallway leads back to the cave mouth (D0, S2).

27 Manuscripts are largely incoherent ramblings, but what you can make out is clear that there was some kind of frog-worshipping cult here and these manuscripts are their attempt to record the ramblings of their leader as scripture. They mention that the ultimate treasure is “in the eyes that judge the world.” Return to 26.

28 Stairs lead up to a wooden door (D0, S25) or down to a chamber (D0, S26).

29 You carefully measure out treasure equal in weight to each eye using the scales and, as quickly as you can, swap the treasure for the gemstones. You find nothing bad happens, and you now have the gems in your posession. Each is Weight 1. If you look though the stone, you can see a creature’s true nature (evil, good, chaotic, lawful, etc..) and can see through magical illusions. Return to 25.

30 Try as you might, you falter in your attempts to take the eyes. The statue animates itself and prepares to fight. If you win, go to 31. Animated Frog Statue HP 7 | Morale 12 | Bite d8.

31 The statue stands shattered at your feet. You can take the eyes. Each is Weight 1. If you look though the stone, you can see a creature’s true nature (evil, good, chaotic, lawful, etc..) and can see through magical illusions. Return to 25.