Pathfinder maker Paizo is stepping away from high fantasy and into the dark. 13 Omens is a new rules-lite horror TTRPG set in a shadowy reflection of the modern world, one full of vengeful spectres, human killers and cursed places best left alone. It is designed by Paizo veterans Jason Bulmahn and Joe Pasini, and its central hook is a bag of dice that turns against you as the night wears on.
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Set up your group for freeEvery player draws from one shared bag of six-sided dice. Some are ordinary, safe dice; others are Omen Dice. As the story darkens, more Omen Dice go into the bag, and rolling low on one of those spells trouble. The longer your group survives, the more loaded the bag becomes against you, so tension climbs toward a terrifying finale. The Game Master, here called the Host, never rolls at all.
Rather than a sprawling campaign, 13 Omens is built for a single evening of play. There is no lengthy character creation; scenarios hand you ready-made archetypes so you can dive straight in, which makes it an easy pick for a one-off spooky session with your regular group. UK players got an early taste at UK Games Expo, where Paizo ran three-hour demo sessions.
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Find events near youThe full reveal comes at Gen Con in Indianapolis (30 July to 2 August), where Paizo is running hands-on demos, a design panel with the creators, and a live play session hosted by Paizo's Erik Mona. If you have been hunting for a horror game to run this autumn, keep an eye on this one.
Fancy hosting a scare of your own? Set up a game night and gather some brave souls.
Sources: Paizo | Wargamer | Prism News
