Old Gods of Appalachia

Game Master Reference Screen

Cypher System — Core Rules

The Core Mechanic

Roll 1d20 and meet or beat the target number. The GM sets the task difficulty (0–10); multiply by 3 to get the target number.

Only players roll dice. When the GM's creatures attack, players make defense rolls. When the GM's creatures act, players roll to resist. NPCs never roll.

"If something seems impossible, it can't be done, no matter what the dice say."

Difficulty	TN	Label	Who can do it
0	—	Routine	Anyone — automatic success
1	3	Simple	Almost anyone
2	6	Standard	Trained individuals
3	9	Demanding	Requires skill & focus
4	12	Difficult	Real expertise required
5	15	Challenging	Even experts struggle
6	18	Intimidating	Near human limits
7	21	Formidable	Beyond unaided humans
8	24	Heroic	Legendary — almost impossible
9	27	Immortal	Beyond mortal ken
10	30	Impossible	Cannot succeed without aid

Special Die Results

Certain natural roll results trigger special effects regardless of the target number:

Roll	Result
1	GM Intrusion — GM offers a complication (2 XP: 1 to PC, 1 to any other PC)
17	Minor Effect (on a hit) — +3 damage, or a small narrative bonus
18	Minor Effect (on a hit) — same as 17
19	Major Effect — always succeeds plus something extra-beneficial
20	Triumph — major effect and +4 damage on attacks

GM Intrusion (Rule): The GM can offer any player a GM Intrusion at any time. The player can accept (receives 1 XP; another PC also receives 1 XP) or refuse (spends 1 XP). On a natural 1, the GM may invoke an intrusion without the player being able to refuse it.

The Three Stat Pools

Every character has three stats: Might, Speed, and Intellect. Each has a Pool (raw capacity) and an Edge (reduces cost to use).

Stat	Covers	Damage from
Might	Strength, endurance, constitution, durability	Physical blows, disease, poison (physical)
Speed	Quickness, reflexes, stealth, ranged combat	Poison (coordination), traps, paralysis
Intellect	Intelligence, will, charisma, magic perception	Psychic assault, fear, Power of the Voice

Damage: Attacks reduce the appropriate Pool directly — there is no separate hit-point total. When any Pool reaches 0, the character moves to the next damage condition.

Condition	Effect
Impaired	1 Pool at 0 — all tasks hindered
Debilitated	2 Pools at 0 — can only move; all tasks hindered
Dead	All 3 Pools at 0 — the character is dead

Just a Scratch (Protector ability): Ignores the Impaired condition; treats Debilitated as Impaired.

Effort

Before rolling, a player may apply Effort to ease the task (or add damage). Each level of Effort reduces difficulty by 1 step.

Levels	Base Cost	With Edge 1	With Edge 2	With Edge 3
1	3 pts	2 pts	1 pt	0 pts (free)
2	5 pts	4 pts	3 pts	2 pts
3	7 pts	6 pts	5 pts	4 pts
4	9 pts	8 pts	7 pts	6 pts

Key rules:

Effort must be declared before rolling — never after.
Spend from the Pool matching the action type (Might roll → Might Pool).
Edge reduces cost but may only be applied once per action.
Max Effort per roll equals the character's Effort score (1 at Tier 1).
Effort can also be used to add +3 damage per level instead of easing.
On area attacks, Effort adds only +2 damage per level (but hits all targets).

Recovery Rolls

Characters can rest to recover lost Pool points. Each recovery action requires a specific rest duration and uses the character's recovery roll: 1d6 + Tier. Distribute the result among your Pools however you wish.

#	Duration	Notes
1st	1 action (10 sec)	Quick breather mid-scene
2nd	10 minutes	Short rest
3rd	1 hour	Extended rest
4th	10 hours	Full sleep/rest — resets all four

Rest bonuses: Some abilities add to recovery rolls. Restful Presence (Sage) adds +1 to allies within short range. Generous (Protector) adds +1 to allies who spent the last day together. Special options can add +2 to all recovery rolls (costs 4 XP at advancement).

Skills, Assets & Hindrance

Difficulty can be modified by training and circumstances:

Modifier	Effect
Trained (skill)	Ease task by 1 step
Specialized (skill)	Ease task by 2 steps
Asset (equipment, ally help)	Ease task by 1 step each
Hindered	Increase difficulty by 1 step
Inability	Always hindered in this task

Maximum easing: A task's effective difficulty cannot go below 0. Easing past 0 still counts as an automatic success.

Magic skills (Crafting magic, Understanding magic, Using magic): Require training. Without training, a character has an inability — the task is always hindered.

Character Types (OGoA)

Type	Identity Examples	Focus
Protector	Bodyguard, Logger, Sheriff, Veteran, Railroad Worker	Combat, defense, community protection
Sage	Granny Witch, Doctor, Root Doctor, Midwife, Yarb Doctor	Healing, magic, knowledge
Explorer	Miner, Hunter, Reporter, Caver, Book Woman, Mountaineer	Exploration, investigation, wilderness
Speaker	Preacher, Lawyer, Storyteller, Union Boss, Musician	Social, leadership, influence

Character sentence: "I am a [Descriptor] [Type] who [Focus]."
Example: "I am a Gracious Protector who Defends What Matters."

Character Advancement

Characters advance through Tiers 1–6 by earning XP and purchasing four character benefits (4 XP each) before moving to the next tier:

Benefit	Cost	Effect
Increasing Capabilities	4 XP	+4 pts to distribute among Pools
Moving Toward Perfection	4 XP	+1 to one Edge (Might, Speed, or Intellect)
Extra Effort	4 XP	Effort score increases by 1
Skill	4 XP	Trained in one skill (specialized if already trained)

Other Options (instead of Skill, 4 XP):

Reduce Speed cost for wearing armor by 1
Add 2 to all recovery rolls
Select a new type ability from current or lower tier

Buy one of each category before advancing; then repeat.

Combat Summary

Each round, each character takes one action and moves up to a short distance. Actions include: attack, use an ability, move a long distance, do something else.

Armor Type	Examples	Speed Cost/round
Light	Leather jacket, hunting coat, oil slicker	0
Medium	Overall jacket, sheepskin-lined coat	2
Heavy	Metal-plated, reinforced jacket, breastplate	3

Weapon Weight	Damage	Examples
Light	2 pts	Knife, pen knife, whip, axe (small)
Medium	4 pts	Hatchet, machete, shotgun, handgun, rifle
Heavy	6 pts	Sledgehammer, heavy handgun, heavy rifle

Range categories: Immediate (~10 ft), Short (~50 ft), Long (~100 ft), Very Long (~500 ft).
Attack rolls: Player rolls d20 vs. target's difficulty (based on creature level). Creature level × 3 = target number to hit.

Experience Points (XP)

Source	XP Awarded
GM Intrusion accepted	1 XP to that PC + 1 XP to any other PC
Completing a character arc step	1–2 XP
Completing an adventure	1–4 XP (GM discretion)
Discovery / major revelation	1 XP
Refusing GM Intrusion	Costs 1 XP; no complication occurs

Player Intrusions: Once per session (without cost), a player may introduce a helpful fact or twist — a small miraculous luck. Costs 1 XP to use a second time in the same session. Insight focus: once after each 10-hour rest, use a player intrusion for free.

Getting to Know Appalachia

"There are places in this world that humanity was never supposed to see — walled in by mountains of burning black rock, isolated by a choking canopy of poison flora, woods where tooth, claw, and hunger still sit atop the food chain. Long before our kind ever set foot in these mountains, darkness was brought here in cages made of fear. Our tongues do not have the shape to speak the true names of what they are . . . and that's are, not were." — Season 1, Episode 0: Prologue

The Setting

Old Gods of Appalachia is set in an alternate early 1900s Appalachia — the same mountains, hollers, and communities, but with a dark current running beneath the stone. The game covers the mountainous parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Towns may have shifted on the map
Historical events slide forward or backward in time
Places get up and walk; hollers hide themselves and are forgotten
Magic is real, ancient, and deeply tied to the land
The culture is diverse — not the stereotyped "hillbilly" of pop culture

Pronounce it right: "Apple-ATCH-a" — like "throwing an apple atcha." An outsider character's mispronunciation will give them away right quick.

The Magic of Old Gods

An ancient magic runs as deep and dark and old as the land itself. It cares nothing for humanity and its trifles. It mostly still sleeps — but characters can tap into it, and everything has a price.

The Green

The manifestation and magic of life — elemental force tied to holler medicine, granny magic, the natural world, growth, and decay. It is powerful and largely benevolent, but never tame.

Associated entities: Bartholomew, Kudzu Man, the Witch Queen.

The Inner Dark

The realm of Those Who Sleep Beneath — beings of immeasurable darkness trapped in the mountains since before human memory. Their Things serve, stalk, and spread their hunger.

The Green and the Inner Dark are not always opposed — they may work together when necessary.

Folk magic skills (require training; without training = inability): Crafting magic, Understanding magic, Using magic, Identifying magic.

The Hierarchy of the Things

"The Things" refers to all beings and magic connected to Those Who Sleep Beneath and the Inner Dark.

Low Things

Often mindless — servitors and hunting dogs of the Things
Take shapes like reanimated corpses, unnatural wildlife
Examples: Beast of the Dark Earth, Blank-Eyed Men, Hollow Men, the Hounds

Middle Things

Created by the Things — powerful servants with autonomy and thinking minds
They belong to the Things but are not of the Things
Examples: Lamp-Eyed Dead, the Gray Ladies

Deep Things

True horrors — direct agents of Those Who Sleep Beneath
Often inhuman; most powerful can take and hold a human shape
The world itself seems to want to end them
Example: The Thing Whose Name Sounds Like Horned Head But Is Not

Those Who Sleep Beneath (Old Things)

Creatures of darkness and consumption, trapped beneath the mountains
Not gods — though their power is world-ending
They do not appear in play; their awakening ends the world

Others (Independent)

Supernatural beings unconnected to the Green or Inner Dark
Ghosts, monsters, legends given form through time and telling
Examples: the Dead Queen, the Boy, J.T. Fields III, Not Deer, the Railroad Man, White Thing

Appalachian Life (Early 1900s)

The heart of this setting is community, family, hard work, and harder play. People are self-reliant and fiercely protective of their own.

Hollers: Narrow, sheltered valleys — often the center of community. Holler-folk have each other's backs in crisis.
Granny witches: Healers who mix spirituality, mysticism, and herbalism. Most folks know one — or have one in their family.
Towns: General store, post office, church, school, jail, doctor. Large towns add hospital, cinema, train station, newspaper.
Railroads: The Barrow & Locke Mining and Railroad Combine owns most mines and rail. Tweetsie (ET&WNC Railroad) runs through the Blue Ridge.

Train-hopping (stowing away in a freight car): Difficulty 3 Speed task. Hindered if the train doesn't come to a complete stop.

Notable Powers & Factions

Name	Nature
Barrow & Locke	Mining and railroad combine; owns most Appalachian mines; dangerous ally
The Hollow Men	Sinister Low Things — their plots threaten communities
Blank-Eyed Men	Low Things that may appear human until you look closely
The Green	Living magic of the land itself; can be appealed to and served
Granny Witches	Healer-magic users; community pillars; practitioners of folk magic
Melvin Blevins	Iconic Appalachian figure; helper/handyman archetype
J.T. Fields III	Trickster entity; independent of Inner Dark and Green

Character Foci (OGoA)

The verb in "I am a [Descriptor] [Type] who [Focus]."

Applies Themself Becomes the Beast Calls Home the Hounds Cannot Escape the Darkness Crafts Powerful Objects Cures What Ails Ya Defends What Matters Delves the Darkness Does What Needs Doin' Fears No Haints Gets Rough and Rowdy Hunts Knows Jack Knows the Unknowable Makes a High Lonesome Sound Manifests the Mountain Masters the Swarm Moves Like a Catamount Possesses the Gift Serves the Green Shares the Ways and Signs Shoots Sharp and Straight Speaks in Tongues Walks These Woods Would Rather Be Reading

Character Descriptors

The adjective in "I am a [Descriptor] [Type] who [Focus]."

BeholdenBrashCharming CleverClumsyCreative CuriousCursedDishonorable DrivenEducatedFoolish GracefulGraciousHardy HonorableIndustriousLoyal LuckyMysticalNeighborly OffishOutcastPerceptive RebelliousScrappySharp-Eyed ShiftySkepticalSkittish SmartStealthyStout SuperstitiousSwiftTickled Tongue-TiedUncannyUppity Vengeful

Appalachian Skills (Selected)

BlacksmithingBlockading* BoatingClimbing CookingCrafting Crafting magic†Deceiving FarmingFishing ForagingGeography GeologyHealing HerbalismHiding HistoryHunting IntimidationJumping Knowing the unknowableMining NavigationPerception PersuasionRiding SneakingSwimming Train hoppingUnderstanding magic† Using magic†Wood carving Working with animalsIdentifying magic†

* Blockading = making illegal whiskey / moonshine.
† Magic skills require training; untrained = inability.

Task Roller

Task Difficulty (0–10)

Levels of Effort Applied

Relevant Edge

Target: 6

—

Awaiting roll

Reminder: Declare Effort before rolling. Skills and assets ease difficulty by 1 step each. Natural 1 = GM Intrusion. Natural 19–20 = always succeed with major effect.

Effort Cost Quick Reference

Levels	Cost (no Edge)	Edge 1	Edge 2	Edge 3 (free!)
1	3	2	1	0
2	5	4	3	2
3	7	6	5	4
4	9	8	7	6
5	11	10	9	8

Character Tracker

Pool columns: Max · Current · Edge. Recovery pips reset each 10-hour rest.

GM Tools

GM Intrusion

A GM Intrusion introduces a complication. The player receives 1 XP and must give 1 XP to another PC. The player may refuse by spending 1 XP (except on a natural 1, which cannot be refused).

Quick Intrusion Ideas:

Press the button to generate a complication…

XP flow: GM offers → Player accepts → PC gets 1 XP, gives 1 XP to another PC. Player refuses → Player spends 1 XP, no complication. Natural 1 → Cannot refuse.

Cyphers (Appalachian Folk Magic)

Cyphers are single-use magical items — usually folk-crafted objects with a hidden power. Characters can carry a limited number (typically 2 at Tier 1).

Roll cypher level:

1d6 Spirit Conjuration Hollowed-out walnut shell + graveyard dirt, salt, tobacco, witches' butter fungus. Crack and spread at a crossroads to summon a level 2 spirit. Commands it for (level × 10) min.
1d6 + 4 Midsummer Bundle Feverfew and lemon balm picked left-handed, yellow ribbon. Pass over someone: restores Pool pts = cypher level. If injury was from a witch, restores all Pools to full.
1d6 Blessed Darkness Unnatural lump of coal. Break in half, one half in each pocket. See in pitch darkness up to short range (long if level 5+) for one day.
1d6 + 3 Danger Bone Leg bone of a deer/bear, carved with holes. Blow it when in danger — designated allies hear and understand a tune no matter how far away they are.
1d6 + 2 Gift of the Green Large leaf pressed in a powerful book for generations. Rub until it crumbles — gain an asset in all Green-related tasks for (level) hours.
1d6 Veil Lifter Smoky glass bottle of oil, cinnamon, graveyard dirt, nine safety pins. Open and hide the bottle — thin the veil within long range for (level × 10) min. See and interact with invisible/hidden beings.
1d6 + 2 Sigil and Thread Fabric woven with binding runes. Touch to a Hollow Man or empty vessel — if entity level ≤ cypher level, turns to ash; if higher, bound for (level) rounds.
1d6 Beast Shape Blessed animal bone ground to powder, aged in a tree hollow 1 year + 1 day. Ingest: transform into that animal type for ~1 hour. Retain all non-form-dependent abilities.
1d6 Charm of Retaliation Deer teeth and dried elderberries, dipped in a creek Easter morning. Anyone who strikes you receives 1 (4+: 2; 6+: 3) pt magical shock automatically — no roll needed.
1d6 Jag of Luck Cloth with dried frog blood. Place in left-hand pocket: the next failed roll may be rerolled once. Must use new result. Remains active until used.
1d6 All My Enemies (Hex Bag) False daisy, devil's shoestring, ginseng root, brown paper. Say "The Devil can't dance when he's kneeling" — attacks inflict +2 damage for 10 minutes.
1d6 Witch Ward Chip of haint-blue painted wood. Break and place halves in each pocket/shoe. Gain Armor = cypher level against all malevolent magical creatures for 1 hour.

Creature Quick Reference

Creature level determines everything: to hit them, to resist their attacks, their damage, and their health. Level × 3 = target number. Level × 3 = health (usually).

Level	TN to Hit / Resist	Typical Health	Damage
1	3	3	2 pts
2	6	6	3 pts
3	9	9	4 pts
4	12	12	5 pts
5	15	15	6 pts
6	18	18	7 pts
7	21	21	8 pts
8	24	24	9 pts
9+	27+	27+	10+ pts

Typical OGoA creature tiers:
Low Things (Blank-Eyed, Hollow Men): Level 2–4
Middle Things (Lamp-Eyed Dead, Gray Ladies): Level 4–6
Deep Things: Level 6–9
The Witch Queen, Bartholomew (Green entities): Level 5–8

Encounter Notes

Hollow Men

Low Things — empty human shells animated by the Dark. They appear nearly normal until close up. Silently and persistently pursue their quarry. Vulnerability: salt, iron, haint-blue. Sigil and Thread cypher can destroy or bind them.

Not Deer

Something wearing the shape of a deer. Wrong proportions, wrong movement, too-knowing eyes. An independent entity — neither Green nor Dark — shaped by years of folk belief. Approach with caution; it may be curious rather than hostile.

The Hounds

Low Things — hunting dogs of the Inner Dark. They run silent until they want to be heard, then they howl. Tracking them back to their origin can reveal deeper threats.

The Railroad Man

An independent entity that rides the rails. Sometimes helpful, sometimes a herald of disaster. Appears as a man in railroad clothes who shouldn't exist. Bargaining with him is possible but costly.

Goods & Services (1900s Prices)

Category	Price	Examples
Inexpensive	$3 or less	Bedroll, rope (50 ft), lantern, compass, journal, flashlight, book
Moderate	$5–10	Boots, groceries (1 week), doctor's bag, travel pack, wheelbarrow
Expensive	$20–50	Bicycle, camera, moonshine (1 gal), saddle, suit, watch
Very Expensive	$100+	Land (couple acres), horse ($200), radio ($200), piano ($150)
Exorbitant	$500+	Barn ($1,500), car ($2,000), house ($3,000)

Train fare: $5 station to station (B&L line). Tweetsie full route: $7. Lodging: $1–2/night basic; $5/night high-end.

Character Arc Hooks

Character arcs are personal goals driving advancement. Suggest these when a PC needs direction.

Serve the CommunityHelp an organization, church, union, or community — a large or startup group that needs you.
Uncover a SecretFind hidden knowledge: a special ability, a true name of a powerful entity, a well-guarded magical working.
CleanseSomeone or something is contaminated — by the Inner Dark, a curse, an infection. You want to rid them of it.
Finish a Great WorkSomething begun in the past must be completed: a monument, a long-ago bargain, a cure's final steps.
JusticeRight a wrong or bring a wrongdoer to justice.

Session Notes

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