Sworn by

Ghostlight
The Ebon Wood Effigies

By
Matthew John
Contains Core Rules & Character Sheet

Based on the Ironsworn RPG System

The haze of the moon's Ghostlight
illuminates the words and sketches of your
notes as it bleeds through your window.
The charcoal eyes of six victims—each
found dead in the Ash District—stare up at
you, imploring you to find their killer.
In your hand you hold one of the crude
carvings left behind at each scene. A
figurine of a woman carved from the
charred wood of an ebony tree found in the
left hand of each victim. It is the only
thing known to connect these poor
unfortunates, and undoubtedly placed
there by the killer.
A sudden rapping pulls you from your
thoughts. Beneath your door, someone has
slid a letter.
You know the words therein before even
reading them.
The killer has struck once more.

Sworn by Ghostlight is a GM-less game intended for solo play—or co-op

with two investigators—over one to two sessions.
You play an Occult Investigator in a haunted, Victorian-London
inspired city, where the moon's cracked surface bleeds Ghostlight
onto the world, festering as ghosts, necromancy, and undeath.
Investigate locations & clues. Interrogate suspects & witnesses. Fend
off assailants. Solve the investigation and close the case.
In a game of Sworn by Ghostlight the culprit—their motive, means, &
opportunity—are not predetermined. Rather, the clues you gather
help you in envisioning them. When you feel that you have all the
information you need, make the final reveal & close the case.
But, will you catch the real culprit, or is there more to the case? Are
they out there still, even now? Play to find out.

Sworn by Ghostlight is played using simplified rules from the Ironsworn RPG System.
Every game of Sworn by Ghostlight is unique to your version of events.
May Ghostlight guide your path.

Players: solo, or co-op | Playtime: 1+ hours

Sworn by Ghostlight (v1.1) is a game by Matthew John, © 2022

@yuigaron
For more games and further cases in the Sworn by Ghostlight series, visit
www.yuigaron.itch.io
Licensed under CC BY 4.0

This work is based on Ironsworn (found at www.ironswornrpg.com),

created by Shawn Tomkin, and licensed for our use under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
THE ACTION ROLL
When you take a risky or uncertain action in the narrative, envision what
you hope to achieve if you succeed, and what you fear will occur if you fail.
Envision which of your abilities applies and roll the following dice together.
● Challenge dice: Two ten-sided dice (D10)
● Action die: A six-sided die (D6)
The total of your action die & your ability is your Action Score.
To resolve the outcome of your action, compare the Action Score to
each of the challenge dice. You want it to be greater than the individual
value of those dice. Ties always go to the challenge dice. Your Action
Score needs to exceed - not equal - the challenge dice to count as a hit.
There are three possible results for an action.
● Strong Hit: Your Action Score is greater than both the challenge
dice. You succeed at what you are trying to do.
● Weak Hit: Your Action Score is greater than only one of the challenge
dice. You succeed, but with a lesser effect or your fear manifests.
● Miss: Your Action Score isn’t greater than either of the challenge
dice. You failed, your fears coming true.
Interpret the outcome based on your envisioned hopes & fears. The
result may include mechanical changes to your statuses (such as +/-
1 or 2 to your Momentum or Spirit) and / or narrative changes to your
current situation.
When you score a Miss on a move, pick the most likely negative
outcome or roll on the Pay the Price special move to see what happens.
The main thing to remember on a Miss: Something always happens.
The situation gets more complex, dramatic, or dangerous.

ROLLING MATCHES
When the challenge dice roll matching numbers the remarkable
occurs. The outcome of a match should be based on the result of your
action. If you’re unsure what happens, roll on the Ask the Oracle table.
● Strong Hit: The match represents a twist in the narrative,
something interesting, or a new opportunity.
● Miss: The match represents a heightened negative outcome, a
complication, or new danger. Things get worse for you.
You can let the intensity of your success or failure frame how you
interpret a match. Rolling matched 10’s is as bad as things can get.

MOMENTUM
Mechanically, Momentum allows you a chance to improve your result
on an Action Roll. Fictionally, Momentum indicates whether things
are going your characters way, or if things are turning against them.
After making an Action Roll, you can exchange your Action Score
with your current Momentum to improve your odds at success. If you
do, reset your Momentum to zero and then resolve the Action Roll.
You cannot exchange your Progress Score with your current
Momentum during a Progress Roll.

THE PROGRESS ROLL

Objectives that take more than one Action Roll to resolve—such as
fights, investigations, or interrogations—use Progress Tracks to
determine the outcome. Progress Tracks start with 10 empty boxes
empty and are filled as you succeed at actions. Assign the track a
difficulty as follows.
● Troublesome: Mark 5 progress per hit.
● Dangerous: Mark 4 progress per hit.
● Formidable: Mark 3 progress per hit.
● Extreme:Mark 2 progress per hit.
● Epic: Mark 1 progress per hit.
To resolve a Progress Track, tally the number of marked boxes. This is
your Progress Score. Then, roll your challenge dice and compare your
Progress Score to the value of the dice.
Determine the outcome as you would for an Action Roll, with Strong Hits,
Weak Hits, and Misses. Keep an eye out for matches on the challenge dice.
When deciding whether to yet resolve a Progress Track, weigh your
chance of success against the risk of continuing to mark boxes. It’s not
necessary to fill your Progress Track before resolving it. In fact, a Weak
Hit or Miss on a Progress Roll can lead to exciting new story possibilities.
The Case Progress Track is a special track with distinct outcomes.
Refer to the Closing the Case special move for details.
YOUR CHARACTER

NAME PRONOUNS
LOOK
DETAILS

Edge Heart Iron Shadow Wits

Health Spirit Supply Momentum

CASE TRACKER EPIC

DESCRIPTION DIFFICULTY

DESCRIPTION DIFFICULTY

Create more Progress Tracks as and when you need to.

ENVISION YOUR CHARACTER

Envision your character; their look, motivations, skills, personality, and
weaknesses.
Give them a name and pronouns.
Envision their past deeds. What drew them to this work? Do they
work for a particular organisation or for themself? Are they famous or
infamous? Why?

ABILITIES
Arrange these bonuses across your five stats in any order: 4, 3, 2, 2 & 1.
● Edge: Quickness, agility, and prowess in ranged conflict.
● Heart: Courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
● Iron: Brawn, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess in close conflict.
● Shadow: Sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
● Wits: Expertise, knowledge, and observation.

STATUSES
Set the following statuses to their defaults.
● Momentum: Set to 2. Maximum momentum is 10. Resets to 0.
● Supply: Set to 5. Maximum supply of 5. Represents your preparedness.
● Spirit: Set to 5. Maximum of 5. Represents your mental state.
● Health: Set to 5. Maximum of 5. Represents your physical condition.
If your spirit or health are at 0, and you must reduce them more, take
from your momentum instead. If you cannot, your character cannot go on.
THE CASE
Before you begin, fill the blanks below using the tables on the next
panel. Roll again if a result makes little sense to you.

The killer's latest victim—a ROLE by the name of NAME—was

discovered in the alley behind a THEME LOCATION on Cinder Street.
Besides the ebon wood effigy, the only lead yet found is a CLUE on/
near the body.

Envision the scene as your character enters the alley; the sights,
sounds, & smells. It might help to journal the case as it progresses; be as
detailed or as brief as you wish.
Sergeant Cawley is here, examining a small, carved effigy. Are they a
trusted friend or rival? What do you talk about? Ask the Oracle if unsure.
To investigate the crime scene create a dangerous / formidable
progress track. Marking progress on a success could indicate you have
found new information or clues. Resolving the track with a hit should
indicate this information provides a lead, whilst a miss indicates more
needs to be done.
Whatever your next move is, end the current scene and cut to it. Use the
tables to help guide you if needed. Using actions and progress tracks,
bring the scenes that follow to conclusions that help or hinder your case.
When you feel you have made progress in the case, mark the Case Tracker
once. When you feel you have made enough progress, Close the Case.
Some examples of scenes are: conversations: investigations: seances:
interrogations: a race across the city: eavesdropping: fights.

ASH DISTRICT
On the western slope of North Hill in the city of Mónaþstone
(pronounced Moonathstun), the Ash District was the site of a great fire
over a hundred years ago.
Rebuilt from the ashes—using the charred, surviving ebon wood
beams and timbers—it is a mix of lower wealth residential and
commercial buildings, with a heart of debauchery.
Cinder Street—the busy, north-south thoroughfare of the district—is
lined with theatres, pubs, brothels and vice dens for almost every taste.

SCENES: Work weary folk trudge the steep slopes and steps to work
and back. Steel eyes and blades lurk in the alleys carved out by street
gangs. Loud, frantic markets and streets of trade. Music, fights, and
carnal sights along Cinder Street.

STREETS: Well-lit, uneven

cobble roads—crowded
with people—slope east up
a hill so steep they must
often wind back and forth.
Mazes of dark alleyways
choked with mud & slop.
Char Road, Black Stump
Way, Rubble Street, Blaze
Street.

BUILDINGS: Tall, black

brick tenements with
wooden balconies. Wattle &
daub buildings with the
charred black wooden
beams of ebon wood trees.
Pubs, brothels & theatres
spilling forth heat, light,
music and comfort onto
the wider, well-lit Cinder
Street. Abandoned and
haunted remnants of the
great fire litter the
forgotten nooks of the
district.

A section of Cinder Street where

the killings have taken place.
THE ORACLES
ASK THE ORACLE d10 CLUE
When unsure of the outcome 1 Cloth scrap
of something in the narrative, 2 Matchbook
assign the odds of a certain 3 Jewellery
outcome being true and roll d6. 4 Fine Alcohol Bottle
ODDS YES, IF 5 Sales Receipt
Almost Certain 2 or greater 6 Reluctant Witness
Likely 3 or greater 7 Letter / Note
50/50 4 or greater 8 Key
Unlikely 5 or greater 9 Injury
Small Chance 6 10 Ghost Echo

d10 NAME MIND-SET ROLE GOAL

1 Adelaide Hostile Constabulary Locate Someone
2 Alicia Unfriendly Criminal Find the Truth
3 Beatrix Suspicious Seer Defend Someone
4 Ebeneezer Desperate Saw-bone Perform Duty
5 Elfriede Indifferent Ghost Protect a Secret
6 Elijah Wanting Vendor Harm Someone
7 Minerva Curious Sex Worker Obtain Something
8 Oscar Cooperative Lord's Heir Spread Lies
9 Victor Friendly Street Beggar Gain Wealth
10 Walter Helpful Trades Person Gain Knowledge

d10 THEME LOCATION DETAIL

1 Derelict Pub Flowers / Plants
2 Haunted Theatre Balconies
3 Crowded Butchery Ebon Tree Timbers
4 Ramshackle Tenements Subterranean
5 Once-Grand Warehouse Cold & Draughty
6 Welcoming Tattooist Warm & Cosy
7 Hazardous Brewery Smokey
8 Defended Vice den Dark
9 Flooded Shop Well-lit
10 Inaccessible Brothel Incense

SPECIAL MOVES
PAY THE PRICE CLOSE THE CASE
When you feel you have the
When you suffer due to the evidence you need, envision
outcome of an action roll, roll your big reveal. Roll your
d100. challenge dice & compare to
your progress score.
● Strong Hit: You close the
A trusted community / case. Envision your reward
1-5 person loses faith in or for success.
acts against you Congratulations.
● Weak Hit: Something
6–10 You are separated from
something or someone doesn’t add up. An aspect
11-20 A new danger / foe of the case has led you
21-35 Harmful (- 1 or 2 Health) astray. Create a formidable
track for the last piece of
36-50 Delays / disadvantages evidence required. Once
you (- 1 or 2 Momentum) resolved, the case is finally
51-65 Waste resources (- 1 or 2 closed.
Supply) ● Miss: You were wrong!
66-80 Stressful (- 1 or 2 Spirit) The culprit is still afoot.
Envision what has happened
81-90 Your action has an
unintended effect (Ask the Oracle if unsure).
Either the story ends here
91-95 Something of value is or you can clear all but one
lost or destroyed filled progress on the Case
A person / community Tracker and continue the
96-00 you care about is case until the real culprit is
exposed to danger caught.