Sickest Witch RPG - Core Rulebook

property of blood
property of bone
under their thumb 
your body was not your own 

sever a hand
and sever a chain
take back what they took
with a little extra pain

Content Summary

• Lore and Backstory 
• Introduction adventure - Salt of the Earth 
• Over 100 new illustrations by Justin Sirois 
• Over 100 Sickest Witch and NPC spells
• Witch Customs 
• Dozens of common and rare weapons
• World map with 13 large locations
• Social ranks for entire population
• Crafting forst resources
• 10 random encounters
• Drop Spine Table 
• Name generator 
• d8 Human enemies
• d12 Paranormal abominations 
• d6 Ambushes
• d12 Weather conditions 
• d12 Traps
• d100 Random loot 
• d12 Dwelling generator
• d100 Utility belt logo generator (stretch goal)
• Third Party License information and resources 

Great review by Dungeons and Dyslexia 

*please note, we have tweaked the combat rules so NPCs do not flee at the end of the rounds. 

What makes Sickest Witch different – The Severed System

Curious about Sickest Witch? Maybe you like really dark games or maybe you love witches—or both. You might just like the name. Sickest Witch is a dar, low-fantasy system and series of adventures. There are no dragons or fairies. Demonology is prevalent among the poor common folk who populate the towns. Black magic, plague, and famine are routine. But this is folk horror with a twist. 

Nostalgia is not what Sickest Witch is going for. There are many old school systems that do that great. Even though this system borrows heavily from the past, it is not looking to recreate it.

This is what sets the Severed System apart from others. Firstly, Witches have to harvest body parts to cast magic. Piece by piece, you become more powerful as you hack up your enemies. Additionally, nearly all magic points are shared in a pool named the Cauldron. This makes for somewhat tense moments as your Coven discusses what to do next. 

The Severed System also has a Dark Souls/Elden Ring-style resource and character sharing mechanic. Each time you do a long rest, your Cauldron can summon NPCs and special items. This relies on the network of players who contribute to the pool via social media and forums. Games, in other cities and towns, can literally be linked to each other using Cauldrons. 

Leveling up happens at the beginning of the next game session and functions as both a cliffhanger and incentive for groups to get back together again. It also acts as a fun recap of what happened in the previous session. 

If you’re familiar with old school gaming systems or D&D, you’ll be right at home here. The Severed System is very simple and relies on the shared resources to increase tension and fun. You’ll be rolling a 20 sided die (d20) to test Obstacles using your stats which are named Oracles.

Obstacles and Oracles 

This is the core of the system. Witches are made up of Oracles that they use to test Obstacles. 

Obstacles are all things players test against. An example would be an "Obstacle: 12" would need a 12 or higher to succeed. If the player rolls a 10 with their 20 sided-die and adds their Oracle Modifier of 2, they succeed.

Sometimes an Obstacle will state that a Witch has a “25%” or “50%” chance at succeeding. In this case, roll a d4 (or die of your choice) and apply the result as needed. Example: a success on a 25% chance would likely use a d4 and the 4 would be the only successful roll outcome.

Oracles are Witches’ abilities. They are what sets them apart from normal humans and gives them an edge in combat, preserving, magic, and more.  

Oracle Types 

• Fist (strength) - fight, lift, grapple 
• Flesh (durability) - resistance to physical damage 
• Nerve (agility) - balance, swim, jump, climb
• Network (mental) - perceive, aim, charm 
• Cauldron (magic) - cast spells

There is a lot more information including testimonials, reviews, images, and more on the Kickstarter page. 

The core rulebook has a lot for setting:

Overall world map 

Home town map (Black Branch) with over a dozen locations, maps, and NPCs. 

Introduction adventure (Salt of the Earth) with multiple maps, NPCs, and a boss fight/encounter.