XII - Inner Demons

Forget everything you ever knew. Demons are real. Parasitic beings only loosely related to the creatures of myth, they feed on suffering, devouring the traumas of the weak and downtrodden. You are the poor soul who has experienced a very special kind of trauma, so special that it’s caught the eye of a truly dangerous enemy, the most monstrous and impossible of their kind. With the help of a ragtag band of lesser demons who certainly don’t have your best interests at heart, or perhaps another human with a kindred soul and no clue what they’re getting into, you have twelve days to confront the suffering that has been plaguing you... or face a very unfortunate end indeed. XII: INNER DEMONS is an urban survival horror fantasy tabletop role playing game, set in a world much like our own, but with a lurking layer of supernatural predation and nightmare just out of sight. The players take up the roles of either mortal humans, thrust into a deadly game to confront their worst fears or be devoured by a nightmarish, otherworldly threat, or lesser demons working alongside these humans in search of power and to escape the ensuing collateral damage when one of the strongest members of their kind tears its way into the world to devour a human. With twelve days before an Archdemon rips through the fabric of reality to devour one of the humans (and any unfortunate others who happen to be caught up along the way), it’s up to the players to stop it. To do so, they must hunt down six Seals, anchor-points that have tied themselves to the target human’s greatest traumas and fears and unravel them before they can pull the Archdemon into reality. But these Seals are guarded by monstrous servants and other demons, eager to stall the players and feast on their delicious fear all the while. It’ll be up to them to either overcome those demons or face their own and resolve the root of the trauma that powers each seal.

Between the pages, XII: INNER DEMONS uses a straightforward and flexible 3d10 system, with an emphasis on easy-to-use abilities and quick and efficient mechanics. Players always roll 3d10 (or sometimes more) and count up the number of dice that have rolled over a target number: The more successes they get, the better they manage to do whatever it is they’re doing. Players can modify these rolls by purchasing Competences (for humans) or Powers (for demons), which allow them to add extra dice to their pool, though they’ll still only ever pick three dice to choose from. These Competences and Powers also give abilities and effects for players to use, from direct information from the GM to extra dice on different rolls to things like shapeshifting, possession, and wanton destructive force. XII is best played with groups of 4-6 players with one player as a GM, though is flexible enough to allow larger or smaller groups easily.