Rules Reference
The full text of His Majesty the Worm chapters 1–9, reproduced from the core rulebook, plus selected gamemastering and sorcery entries. Pick a chapter or search the whole reference.
The Basics 19 entries
The Adventurer 24 entries
- The Adventurer
- The Player’s Manifesto
- Session 0
- The Call to Adventure
- Name, kith, and kin
- Attributes
- Quests
- Motifs
- Bonds
- Arête
- Languages
- Conditions
- Resolve
- Lore
- Talents
- Experience
- Animal companions and familiars
- Pack space and gear
- Retirement
- New adventurer checklist
- Prior to your first session
- At your first session
- Prior to your second session
- At the end of your second session
The Guild 9 entries
Kith & Kin 10 entries
The Four Paths 12 entries
The Crawl Phase 26 entries
- The Crawl Phase
- The Flow of the Crawl Phase
- Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
- Maps
- Watches
- Meatgrinder
- Loud Noises
- Moving Carefully
- Example Meatgrinder table
- Light
- Darkness
- Flickers
- We’re Doomed!
- Stress
- Item Durability
- Falling
- Afflictions
- Curing an affliction
- Example afflictions
- Black Honey
- Social Encounters & Disposition
- Starting Disposition
- Influencing Disposition
- Role-playing Disposition
- Example social encounter
- Example Crawl Phase
The Challenge Phase 37 entries
- The Challenge Phase
- The Flow of the Challenge Phase
- Set the Scene
- Special rules
- Draw Challenge Cards
- Play Initiative
- Take Turns
- Action Value
- Facedown Cards
- Interrupt Actions
- The Fool
- Minor Actions
- End the Round
- Challenge Actions
- Swords actions
- Pentacles actions
- Cups actions
- Wands actions
- Miscellaneous Actions
- Guard
- GMing the Challenge
- GMing the Challenge: Set the Scene
- GM Challenge Hand Size
- GMing the Challenge: Play Initiative for Each Significant Enemy
- Enemy Actions
- Lesser Dooms
- Greater Dooms
- GMing the Challenge: Minor Actions
- GMing the Challenge: End the Round
- Retreating
- Wounds
- Notching armor
- Piercing and Critical damage
- Health and Defense: Tracking enemy damage
- Death’s Door
- New Adventurers
- Example Challenge Phase
The Camp Phase 11 entries
The City Phase 20 entries
- The City Phase
- The Flow of the City Phase
- Death and taxes
- Noteworthy deeds
- City Events
- Example City Events
- Signs and Portents
- Turn in contracts
- Upkeep
- City Actions
- Beg and Busk
- Carouse
- Plan the next Crawl
- Restock the Underworld
- The Omphalic Market
- Buying new gear
- An incomplete list of pretty things
- Leeches
- Weapons
- Example City Phase