A Grimdark Fantasy Setting

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 WHAT IS

ROTGRIND?
For the past 300 years, the world of Tyne has wasted away. ROT IS BEHIND EVERYTHING
No single cataclysmic war, great plague, or invasion from realms
A core concept of the campaign is that everything is in a state
beyond is responsible. Instead, the world has simply stagnated
of decay thanks to the Rot. Nations crumble under their own
and withered as its greatest nations fall to hubris and indolence.
respective problems, not to mention the pressure of outsiders.
Those few people who openly acknowledge this decaying state
Cities, including the great metropolis of Outset, have long ignored
call it the Rot or the Demise, a term which equally applies to a
necessary upkeep, and entire sections collapse without warning.
malignant corruption that spreads across the world. The gods
Even Tyne’s people, including the world’s most prominent leaders,
refuse to help, and instead entrust the salvation of this dying
have succumbed to dark desires or outsider temptations that now
planet to the would-be heroes of this era of slow death.
consume them from the inside.
Why adventure in such a grim world? For some, it’s the chance
to challenge the Rot that takes its hold on the planet. For others, SOME STILL FIGHT THE DEMISE
it is the opportunity to laugh in the face of the coming change and
make one’s mark in what many believe to be the end of all things. While the world of Tyne is dying its slow death, countless people
Rotgrind is a Campaign Setting for Pathfinder 2nd Edition that in the world struggle to keep the planet going. Though some have
is set in the world of Tyne. It is a grimdark fantasy setting with let the Rot into their souls and willingly accept the world’s coming
a medium-to-high level of magic. death, others stand opposed to the decline and do what they can to
push through change and act as beacons of hope for others.

@laura_pendl

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WHAT MAKES ROTGRIND UNIQUE?
There are several elements that make Rotgrind stand-out from
other settings. All of this (and more) will get new and unique
rules content that you can use in running your own games in the
Rotgrind setting or your own custom campaigns!

THE ROT

The concept of Rot is integral to the campaign setting and over

the past 300 years has spread across the world. Rot appears in
the setting as a corruption that takes root in all things, inevitably
exerting some sort of alien influence over them. In game terms,
Rot is a bespoke damage type that operates alongside existing
types of damage (such as fire, lawful, mental, poison, and others)
and has unique interactions with various rules elements. In addition,
the rotten condition is a new condition that directly represents the
growth of Rot in a creature, both physically and spiritually.

DEATH & SPONSORS

In a world that’s dying, it can be hard for adventurers to stand

against the threats arrayed against them for too long. Luckily, some
divine powers, as well as other esoteric forces, grant their blessings
to those who struggle against the Rot. These sponsors grant heroes
and villains alike the uncanny ability to return from death and
continue the fight. However, such transcendence of the normal @BHBehemoth
process of life and death takes its toll on those who make such
journeys. Such miraculous returns from death allow the Rot to
take root in those restored.

A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

The appearance of the Rot has forced the nations of the world
to adapt in face of the world’s end. In the past two centuries,
nations have unleashed new technology to stymie the Demise.
From airships that enable travel and trade between continents
to firearms ranging from pistol to siege weaponry, every land
develops its own innovations to keep itself relevant. Rumors
persist of some nations that have developed radical solutions to
the spread of the Rot, such as warriors encased in golem-armor or
some utilizing undead components in creating unique weapons.

@Einflys

@Tooth_and_Tonic
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 THE

WORLD OF TYNE
Tyne is a planet with many continents and many people, all of whom struggle to survive. It contains many major
continental landmasses. As we begin to explore the world, the focus begins on the continent of Pridoma: specifically,
the region of the Solitude and the city of Outset. This region is cut-off geographically from the rest of Pridoma and the
greater world, but has recently seen a resurgence in outsiders thanks to the innovation of airships.

CONTINENTS
As the campaign begins, the continent of Pridoma is our starting point, KWANSHIIR
but there are adventures to be had all across Tyne. The following are
details on some of Tyne’s varied continents. A land of vast deserts, Kwanshiir is sectioned off from the adjacent
regions of Terleem and Zeskoran by great walls. These great
architectural marvels act as fortified positions to defend against
ACARATH Terleem’s raiders and a check-point for the open trade that flows
The lands of Acarath are a land divided into two major biomes. from Kwanshiir’s many nations and those in the lands of Zeskoran.
Acarath’s western lands are a vast and open plain, home to Still devoted to Fundamental concepts, the varied nations of
countless roaming mixed ancestry bands known as Acars. A great Kwanshiir are unified in equal beliefs of the Perfection and
mountain chain due east of the steppes, separates Acarath and Beneficence, which they refer to as the Balance.
acts as the heavily fortified homeland of the technologically
advanced Bastion Freehold. Beyond the mountains are rampant PRIDOMA
jungles that stretch from the mountains to the far east of Acarath’s
Tyne’s central continent and the home of the world’s first city.
shores. These once verdant lands of primordial nature have
The birthplace of the Empire of the First House that expanded
become infested with the Rot, which has spread with a horrifying
across three continents and became the de facto pantheon for
vigor throughout the jungles.
much of the world after the empire’s architects ascended to
divinity. Today, the continent is known for its squabbling successor
AMARI nations that form the vast region referred to as the Inheritor Lands.
People speak of the southern continent of Amari with fear and The desolate northern tundra of the Mournwracked Expanse and
wonderment. Stories boasting of magical treasures found within its undead nobility, along with the swamps of the Solitude (along
sealed tombs and ruined cities emerge from these lands. Others with the city of Outset) are also located on Pridoma.
tales tell of beasts and horrors that the world should be thankful
never cross the seas. Those who wish to leave Amari are rigorously TERLEEM
checked for infection or corruption in order to prevent its spread
The volcanic lands of Terleem are known for its earliest peoples
to other lands. To travel to Amari is either a fool’s errand or as cargo
venerating the Fundamental concepts of Anarchy and Malice.
onboard a prison ship heading straight to the Kingdom of Dern.
The dragons of distant Bahaua later invaded Terleem. The
It’s advised to adventurers paying for voyage to these lands to bring
people quickly switched to venerating the dragons instead of
silver or cold iron to give them a chance to bite back at the darkness
Fundamentals, a practice which would continue until the Empire
that envelopes this strange land.
of the First House conquered the continent with a stated intent
of “liberation”. The Empire of the First House quickly abandoned
BAHAUA their conquest in the aftermath of the ascension of the First House
Only known as the distant homeland of the dragons. However, deities, leaving the people to their own governance. Terleem is
news has reached the other nations that the dragons have a desolate wasteland now filled with vicious bands of raiders and
disappeared. Little else is known for this distant land. ruins dedicated to ancient Fundamental and draconic powers.

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 In order to adapt, the leaders of Outset decided their only option
ZESKORAN
was to start building upwards.
Some primordial event rocked the lands of Zeskoran, creating With thousands of years passing, Outset remains one of the
a vast inland sea that allows for a great deal of naval access most populous cities on Tyne, though it has remained so by
throughout the region. Zeskoran is primarily known by other constantly building atop itself. The city’s forgotten generations
regions for a prevalence of strange minerals that it trades, now lie beneath Outset’s current ground level, as the weight of
as well as an abundance of spellcasters that create and export the soaring city constantly pushes the old down, further and
unique occult innovations. further under the earth.
Today, Outset is a city that rises up almost 2,000 feet (the
THE CITY OF OUTSET equivalent of 140 stories) at the highest points of its nine immense
The focal point for the new campaign is the city of Outset on the supporting pilasters. Each pilaster is a settlement in its own right
continent of Pridoma. Known as “The City of a Million Faces” due to and houses tens of thousands of people. The city space itself
both its size and the stone faces strewn throughout its architecture, encompasses the entirety of 12.5 mile diameter territory set forth
Outset was the first true settlement of the Tyne’s varied ancestries. by the Old Powers. It takes a full day for a citizen to travel through
the city’s complex web of stone passages from one end of the city
Built after the people of that primordial era reached an accord to the other.
with the elemental beings known as the Old Powers, Outset began
on the paradise lands ceded to those people. The Old Powers only
THE SOLITUDE
demanded that the city expand so far, and their edicts set forth
the city’s size. A desolate swampy section of land cropped in by vast cliffs and
Of course, people are foolish and test any boundaries imposed a churning maelstrom of a sea. Outset, the City of a Million Faces
on them. After Outset’s great expansion and a relative golden age, rests in the center of this land, and legends persist that this site
the city decided to expand beyond the borders set forth by the Old was the first settlement of the world. Many now flock to Outset,
Powers. The results were cataclysmic, with elemental retribution believing that as the city was the first to stand, that it will be the
turning the surrounding lands into a desolate swampland and the last to fall as the world finishes its dying age. The vast eastern
attempt at a second settlement reduced to a smoldering wreck. cliffs separate the Solitude from the Inheritor Lands.

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 COSMOLOGY
Rotgrind does not use the cosmologies of other settings, and instead has a unique set of metaphysical realms. Tyne is a
world located on the Material Plane and the main focus of the setting. Other worlds may exist on the Material Plane, but
exploring them is well beyond the current scope of the setting. Beyond the Material Plane, there are several other subsets
of planes where other powers reside.

THE BETWIXT

A transitive plane that combines elements of the traditional

concepts of the Shadow Plane and Ethereal Plane. This is a place
of darkness where ghosts exist, and acts as a dark mirror of the
Material Plane. It borders the Material Plane and the Crucible
of Creation. It is a mysterious place of incorporeal creatures,
malign fey and strange shadow beings.

CRUCIBLE OF CREATION

The realm where the spark of life first appears, then thrives, and
then ends. The Crucible of Creation is a combination of the Positive
and Negative Energy Planes with the equivalent of the First World
or Feywild in the middle. An almost unlivable space on either “end” @laura_pendl
while the center is a verdant land of growth where fey reside.

ELEMENTAL CHURN

A combination of the four elemental planes (air, earth, fire, and

water), constantly churning against one another. A primordial
landscape that the Material Plane pulls from to create the building
blocks of its own existence. Home to the Old Powers.

FUNDAMENTAL BATTLEFIELD

A plane of existence where the concepts of Evil, Chaos, Good and

Law constantly war for supremacy in a physical representation of
their metaphysical struggle. Souls of the dead come here to take
part in the battle, and their destruction acts as fuel for the ongoing
cycle of the Crucible of Creation. Here the great embodiments of
the Fundamental concepts reside: the Malice, the Anarchy, the
Beneficence, and the Perfection.

REALMS OF THE MIND

Countless mindscapes and hidden away demiplanes exist, though

only at the behest of truly powerful beings. These mind realms act
as the setting’s equivalent for the Astral Plane.

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PANTHEON
Just as its cosmology is unique, Rotgrind also contains its own set of divine-level beings that can be worshipped by mortals.

THE FIRST HOUSE FUNDAMENTALS

The deities of the First House are the core deities of the people Metaphysical embodiments of the core tenants of Evil, Chaos,
of Tyne, specifically the people of Pridoma and its former vassal Good, and Law, the Fundamentals exist to constantly war against
kingdoms. In life, these were each people who rose up and helped one another in the realm of the Fundamental Battlefield. Their
build an empire, known as the Empire of the First House, that concepts seeped through the Crucible of Creation and onto the
spanned across three continents. At the height of their empire, world made by the Old Powers to create the first ancestries, who
these leaders ascended through unknown means to divinity. in turn fought for these concepts. The Fundamental powers consist
Now, led by the King and Queen, the powers of: The Malice, the Anarchy, the Beneficence, and the Perfection.
of the First House are the commonplace gods
of the land. They consist of: the King, ENTITIES
the Queen, the Knight, the Rook, The
Bishop, the Pawn, the Baron, and the Beyond the understanding of most mortals are the assumed-to-
Squire. The Prince is also part of their be divine beings known as the Entities. These unknowable beings
number, though he joined after the appear to exist somewhere outside the boundaries of material
initial ascension of the others. reality and time. Truly unknowable by mortals, only the deranged
and desperate would seek succor in these alien powers.
THE OLD POWERS
FAITHS & PHILOSOPHIES
As old, if not older, than fundamental concepts,
the Old Powers represent the four elements There are a variety of regional faiths and philosophies that exist
(air, earth, fire, and water). Their worshippers beyond the core powers listed above This includes living demigods,
are dedicated but scattered, now dedicating or long-dead heroes that somehow grant powers to those
their efforts to using their granted powers who worship them and other beings who grant divine powers.
to combat the Rot. The Old Powers These encompass the beliefs of distant lands, such as the spirit
consist of Papa Storm, Mama worshipping practices of the ogreoths in the Frozen North. It also
Decay, Uncy Blaze, and Auntie encompases unique beliefs, like the fey philosophy of the Disciples
Drown. Other more esoteric names of Creation, that espouses the life and death cycle of the Crucible
exist for these strange entities. of Creation is a concept worth venerating as a deity of its own.

@laura_pendl
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 M ONSTERS & MYTHS
Tyne is home to a variety of disturbing and unique creatures for its adventurers to interact with. Many of these beings are
tied to the Demise and the setting’s unique cosmology, while others simply struggle to survive in the last days of the world.
Creatures born of the Rot become more and more common as Other beings exist wholly outside the touch of the Rot,
the Rot spreads across the world. Though many creatures react the but survive in unique ways. The strange outsiders known as
same, with their consciousnesses devoured by an alien intellect, particulums are motes of pure Fundamental energy that emerge
other creatures seem to form parasitic relationships with the Rot from humanoid hosts they use as vehicles. Various insectile species,
and become unique entities. Some physical manifestations of Rot such as the Solitudes’s skeeterfolk, form tight-knit communities
take on distinct forms and archetypes, as though the Rot is slowly outside the world’s largest settlements. Even Tyne’s once-powerful
creating its own subset of creatures akin to dragons, fiends, or giants. dragons have only survived by becoming entities entirely dedicated
to embodying forms of entropy beyond the Rot’s influence.

@sSleepyflowers

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@jamieisfeld

@laura_pendl

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 WHAT NOW?
Our goal is to build out a fully realized world that you can invest
yourself in, as well as run your own tabletop RPG games with.
Over the coming months, we’ll be releasing a bevy of custom rules
content for Pathfinder 2nd Edition, though the rules can easily be
adapted for other game systems as necessary. We’re looking at
releasing bespoke new rules and mechanics, as well as expansions
to existing rules like: new monsters, new spells, unique items,
backgrounds, ancestries, and so much more!
As the Rogrind campaign starts up and we release more and
more preview content, the focus will be on the city of Outset and
the macro-level elements of the setting (continents, nations,
pantheons, cosmology, etc.). Our plan is to gauge the reaction and
adjust the type of content being released as time goes on, and
based on feedback from our audience. All of this bespoke content,
as well as regular releases for content used on the show, is going to
be provided for you to use in your own games!
Supporting the show and our Patreon is the best way to get this
content and see it in action!
Thank you for your support. It really matters more than you could
ever realize. Keep checking back for more!


ZORANTHEBEAR.COM TWITCH.TV/ZORANTHEBEAR

CREDITS
©2021 Payton Smith, Warhams All rights reserved. Reproduction without
Publisher Payton Smith (@ZoranTheBear) the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. Warhams
Lead Creative Producer Thurston Hillman (@oncallgm) and the Warhams logo is a trademark of Payton Smith. All rights reserved.
All characters, names, places, items, art and text herein are copyrighted by
Art Director Laura Pendl (@laura_pendl) Payton Smith. The mention of or reference to any company or product in
Layout Jamie Isfeld (@jamieisfeld) these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned.

Artwork @BHBehemoth, @Einflys, Jamie Isfeld, Compatibility with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game requires the
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Publishing, LLC. See http://paizo.
Laura Pendl, @ sSleepyflowers, com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying
Game. Paizo Publishing, LLC does not guarantee compatibility, and does
Jacob Leavenworth (@Tooth_and_Tonic) not endorse this product.
Pathfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and the
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
Compatibility Logo are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used
under the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Compatibility License. See
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on the compatibility license.

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