Ker Nethalas - Gravebound Edition update coming soon!

When I first started working on Ker Nethalas, I couldn't imagine it would click with so many people. The main reason why I wrote it in the first place was a simple one: I love dungeon crawlers, but I felt that the existing ones left the survival element out, and that they lacked that horror aspect of being trapped underground with only a torch as your lifeline. Then there was the fact that most other dungeon crawlers didn't hit that dark fantasy sweet spot that I love in a game. Well, it looks like I wasn't the only one wanting that sort of experience, because not only was the Kickstarter campaign a big success for me, the game quickly became my best selling title, especially after Geek Gamers' video went viral. Aside from allowing me to really make Blackoath my full-time job, it brought tons and tons of people to my communities, and therefore to my other games, which is fantastic. The coolest thing as a game developer is seeing others play your games, and be excited about them. Furthermore, people started sharing their adventures, making guides, play aids, even VTT modules and adaptations. Hell, there's even a Tabletop Simulator mod for it! And some people have used the rules to write their own little dungeon crawling videogames... So yes, a dream come true for me!

Of course, with all this influx of people (Ker Nethalas has sold around 8,000 books and counting, which is absolutely nuts for me), came a lot of rules questions and feedback. Like tons and tons of it. I quickly started "patching" the game, releasing update after update, to the point where, around version 1.5 of the game, I realized I needed to update the Print on Demand files (something which, as some of you know, isn't just a matter of uploading the files, which is why most developers don't bother doing it). So version 1.5 came out, and the game was (is) in a really good spot. I released version 1.6, with a couple of changes, and that's where we currently are. The thing is, there were a series of things that always confounded people:

• Why are the Personal Goals not in the character creation chapter?

• How do I start new runs, where is the starting Domain?

• How the hell do I open a locked door?

• Are doors always trapped? How do I deal with traps?

• And the big one: combat is too complicated, the Damage Dealt table is an unnecessary hassle.

Of course, there are tons and tons of other details and questions, but these popped up (and still do) all the time. So when you have hundreds of people telling you something, you better listen! The problem was, these are changes that required a lot of moving things around and re-writing, so my initial idea was to hold out until the day I decided to release a second edition. But as I move into the game's third year, and look at all the things I have planned for it (The Warren of the Ratkin, the Book of Horrors, the Hollow Realm...), I realized that it was very important to have as solid of a foundation as I could, so I don't end up rushing a second edition just to clean up my past mistakes.

So after a lot of second-guessing myself I said "screw it" and decided to push forward with the game's largest update to date: the Gravebound Edition. I'm sure you all have lots of questions about what this implies, so let's see if I can get ahead of it.

First of all, this is a free update. Everybody who owns a copy of the PDF will get the updated PDF. Everybody who purchased a PoD copy via DTRPG will get an at-cost PoD code. If you purchased a copy via Amazon, you can send me a proof of purchase and I'll also send you an at-cost DTRPG link (I'm afraid Amazon doesn't offer the ability to do so, only DTRPG). My goal is to improve the game, not to make money out of this update.

Second, and most importantly, what exactly is changing in the Gravebound Edition? Well, aside from the new cover that José Antonio has done for it, there are tons of fixes and additions:

• The biggest one is that there's no more Damage Dealt table. Now you roll for damage, and whatever you rolled, that's the damage you dealt. There's one twist, though: only one of the damage dice you roll counts. So if you roll D6+D8 damage, and you roll a 4 and a 7, then it's up to you which one is the damage you're dealing, 4 or 7. Most of the times, you'll pick the 7, but imagine that the 4 is actually Holy damage, and you're attacking an undead monster? That 4 would become an 8 due to the Undead's Vulnerability to Holy damage, so it would make more sense to pick it. This ensures that damage remains relatively low, even at higher levels, which means the game still scales nicely and you never end up with damage and Health bloat.

• Of course, this change to how damage works does indeed mean that when you start out, damage numbers are bigger. This has resulted in a full balancing pass for all creatures in the game, and an increase in player Toughness. Since I was already changing the enemy stats, I went ahead and changed Awareness for Mind, so that it now covers not only perception but mental acuity and reason, and Athletics to Body, which now covers both physical strength, agility, and that sort of thing.

• I've added a lot of the rules that were introduced in the different issues of The Vaelorian Codex that had become essentially core gameplay elements. The biggest addition is all the containers stuff, but I've also added the monster Defensive and Fumbles tables, the full critical success and failure tables, and many other little details.

• I've streamlined and completely re-written the door and trap rules. The process is the same, but it is now better explained and detailed.

• I've cleaned up the layout and added a lot of new art (still a WIP). The game looks now better than ever.

• All the Masteries have been updated, to reflect the changes I introduced with the Book of Masteries. Still only 1 Ability per Tier, though, if you want more options you still need the Book of Masteries.

• I've re-organized some sections and moved stuff around, so now things make more sense and are easier to find.

• And lots of other changes and fixes, way too many to mention here now. All in all, the book is 20 pages longer now!

Of course, all this is having a domino effect, so I'm working on updating the whole line:

• The three issues of The Vaelorian Codex are going to be merged into a single book, with all the content updated, and new stuff to replace the rules I took out and that are now part of the core Ker Nethalas experience. Any person who owns the three zines will get a PDF and/or at-cost PoD code for this single volume of The Vaelorian Codex.

• The Book of Masteries is also being updated, since all the Mastery Abilities have been rebalanced. I've also moved some things out of this book, so to compensate for it, I'm adding two new Masteries to it. Stay tuned for more news regarding these two new really cool additions to the game! Again, owners will get this updated version for free.

• The Quickstart will be re-released with the new changes and fixes implemented.

• The different decks of cards will need to be redone, unfortunately. I will also offer free copies to those who own them, of course.

When Can We Expect It?

The good news is that all the changes to the Gravebound Edition are done, so the wait will be a short one. I'm still working on the game's balance (mostly making sure the Health of enemy creatures isn't too high or too low), and there's a lot of art missing, but I want to get this in your hands ASAP. For this reason, anyone who currently has access to the PDF version will receive the beta version of the Gravebound Edition next month. The current edition will still be available until we've eliminated all the issues this new update still has, but the moment I'm satisfied with it and all the art is in, the Gravebound Edition will become the only version available.

Once that's settled, I'll do the same for the Vaelorian Codex and the Book of Masteries.

So there you have it, I think I've covered all the basic stuff, but I'm sure everyone will still have questions, so don't hesitate to comment below, or join the Blackoath Discord server and ask me directly! And again, I want to reiterate the fact that I'm doing this to ensure the game's longevity and accessibility moving forward, it's not something I'm doing lightly! I guarantee you are all going to love the new changes and additions!