One-Page RPG Contest 2025 Entry! shr00m!!

Well, here we go.

I've never published any of my own original work, but after seeing an ad for it on the always excellent Cauldron forums I figured I would give a shot to actually writing and publishing something.

What follows is my attempt at a one-page rpg in both text and one-page format. Let me know what you think!! Just not about the hand-drawn logo. Not taking feedback on that because it is PERFECT

In .pdf format

INTRO

You are a Shr00m Lord, a hive mind incarnated in creatures you infect with your Sp00res, hunted by the firemongers of the Myconiquisition. Your shr00m name is (Your Middle Name) (adjective starting with same letter as first noun)-(noun) the (title). Join with your Shr00m patriots and GROW !!

You begin having taken over one substrate, who was once a (d6: 1 daft 2 clumsy/-1 hand 3 evil/+4d6 copper 4 agile/+1 feet 5 strong/+1 hand 6 ugly) (d6: 1 sellsword: Hand 2 feet 0 +sword 2 thief: hand 1 feet 1 +dagger 3 baker: hand 1 feet -1 + rolling pin 4 seamstress: hand 0 feet 0 5 butcher: hand -1 feet 1 +butchers knife 6 child: hand -2 feet -2)

They gain one ability of your choice at level 1. Each substrate has six inventory slots, each big enough to carry an object the size of a book and up to 5 pounds. Yours has d10 twice: pocketful of dirt, 50 ft rope, whistle, d6 torches, knife, flint & tinder, 4d6 copper, scythe, axe, leather armor.

ATTRIBUTES AND TESTS

• Substrates: # of creatures you currently incarnate. Reduced by damage.
• Hands: Hit. Tinker. Open. Shove. Used to attack.
• Feet: Run. Hide. Used to dodge.
• Flavor: sum of ability levels of all substrates. Used for Myconid abilities.

Test: d20+attribute, meet or beat Difficulty Rating (DR)

When you turn a person into a substrate, you wipe out their mind and replace it with your own; their attributes are added to yours. Always use attribute totals when making tests.

MYCOLOGY All substrates have the following abilities.

Disguise: test Flavor DR 12 to appear like a normal person. Use of abilities means automatic failure.

Undeath: you do not need to eat or sleep, but must spend 1 hour per day in contact with dirt, or lose 1 substrate. Clear encumbrances when you do.

Infect: hands DR 12 and Flavor DR 12 when within 5 feet of a living creature. If both succeed, creature becomes a substrate in 1d6 rounds. Adjust attributes.

Consume: if infecting when substrates is 3, remove a substrate of your choice. It becomes 3 pockets full of dirt. Increase the level of one of your substrate's abilities by 1. This could be the new substrate.

ABILITIES

Each substrate gains one level 1 ability when they become a substrate. May be leveled up via Consume; lower level abilities are still available at higher levels. To utilize active abilities, test DR 12 and choose which substrate the effect emanates from. That substrate gains an encumbrance. May not use abilities when inventory is full.

Expectorant

• A creature you can see throws up, taking 1d2 damage.
• Uncontrollable pooping for all within 10 feet of you. 1d3 damage.
• A creature you can see vacates all fluid from their body. 1d4+1 damage.

Hallucinogen

• A creature you can see either perceives something that isn’t there, or cannot perceive something that is.
• Passive: Unless they see you use an ability, all who meet you believe you are a normal humanoid.
• Your hallucinations become real and can deal 1 damage.

Euphoric

• Passive: All who meet you regard you as a kindly friend.
• Choose an emotion. Someone you can see either cannot feel that emotion, or can only feel it.
• All in 20 feet are stunned by euphoria for 1d3 rounds.

INITIATIVE

D6 1-3 enemies begin 4-6 party begins. Reroll each round.

50 feet total movement. If they begin and end at the same point, substrates of the same Lord may share movement; else they spend separately. Take actions equal to substrate. Test hands DR 12 for melee or ranged weapons. Test feet Dr 12 to dodge enemy attacks. Hits deplete Substrate, resulting in the destruction of an appropriate number of substrates. This does not require the substrates to be proximate; Shr00m Lords often disregard locality.

Substrate 0: May try to infect who killed you. Else, dead.

Weapons

- 1 damage - bare hands

- 2 damage - improvised (pitch fork, sickle, knife, sling)

- 3 damage - weapons of war (spear, axe, sword, bow)

Armor: reduces damage taken by...

- light: 1 point

- heavy: 2 points

SETTING

The OverLord sends his minions where he will. With your Shr00mpatriots, you are currently in the (d8: 1 haunted 2 haunted 3 idyllic 4 weird-ass 5 tiny 6 charming 7 puritanical 8 warm) (d4: 1 farm 2 hamlet 3 village 4 town) of (d6 1-4 Consonant 5-6 vowel roll til it sounds like a word). They are governed by a (d4: 1 duke 2 council 3 oligarchy 4 military dictatorship), known for their (d6: 1 art 2 food 3 unique customs 4 warrior spirit 5 smithy 6 cattle) and things are generally going (d4: 1 great 2 well 3 poorly 4 it's all falling apart). There is a (d6: 1 no 2-3 light 4-5 medium 6 heavy) presence of the Myconiquisition, and your goal here is to (d6: infect everyone, recover samples of hair from those in charge, assassinate all farmers, take over the place, recover a valuable artifact, free the proletariat).

OTHERS

In general, humanoid enemies have 3 HP, and somewhere between +2 and -2 for feet and hands.

Fox

HP: 1 Hands: -2 Feet: -1 Claws + teeth (2)

Ability: super cute.

Inventory: pelt, organs, meat

Farmer

HP: 3 Hands: +1 Feet: -1 Knife (1)

Ability: Plant x grain seeds and reap xd4 grain months later

Inventory: Grain seeds.

FireMonger

HP: 3 Hands: 2 Feet: 1 Sword (3), Light Armor (1)

Ability: Creature they can see tests Flavor DR 14 or reveals whether that creature is shr00m.

Inventory: d6 coins, drawing of a tree, flint and tinder.

FireMonger Hawker

HP: 3 Hands: -1 Feet: -1 Staff (1), Heavy Armor (2)

Ability: Creature they can see tests Flavor DR 12 or combusts (3 dmg)

Inventory: holy text, brick of gold, flint and tinder, ever-burning torch.