Funnel Rules
- For use with Liminal Horror by Goblin Archives
- The below text are the adapted rules for create in PCs and for running a a funnel adventure.
- Adapted from Xenio’s Cairn Funnel Rules.
- This content is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.
- PDF version is available on itch: https://goblinarchives.itch.io/funnel-rules
A funnel is often an intro game mode where each player has control of multiple PCs who are often fresh, inexperienced, and squishier then regular Liminal Horror characters. A common aspect of funnels is the spectacular and memorable ways PCs meet their grim ends.
Critical Damage - Death (and dismemberment) in the Funnel
Rule Change: When Funnel PCs take Critical Damage (when damage hits their STR and they fail the resulting save) they die. This is different than the Core rules for Liminal Horror where they are incapacitated.
Death: When a character dies in a Liminal Horror Funnel it should be graphic, big, and memorable. Use the narrative, monster abilities/drives to inform what happens to the DOOMED PC.
Some examples are: loss of limb, split in two (or more) pieces, exploding, melting, combusting, eaten, ripped, sliced, mauled, crushed, de-fleshed, etc.
Critical Stress - Becoming Weird in the Funnel
Rule Change: When Funnel PCs take Critical Stress and receive Fallout, the PC becomes lost, consumed by the weird abyssal changes of the fallout (they are now an NPC).
Character Creation
Each player creates 3 characters according to the following steps:
- Generate the Ability Scores of each character by rolling 2d6 for each ability in order (for a total of 2-12 in each ability score). No results are swapped.
- Roll 1d4 to determine each character’s starting Hit Protection (HP).
- Roll on Background table (below) unless the adventure has custom backgrounds.
- Optional: Roll on the Traits tables (Traits - Liminal Horror pg. 9).
- Each of the characters start with a phone (one slot), cash ($3d10 x 3d10 ) and two items from their background according to the following table:
| Background | Item 1 | Item 2 |
| Journalist | Audio Recorder | Camera |
| Store Clerk | Lighter | Mini-baseball bat (d6) |
| Private Investigator | Old Pistol (d6) | Flask |
| Cleric (ex?) | Vestment (or other clothing) | An old, priceless book |
| Medic | Scalpel (d6) | Bag of uppers |
| Academic | Reference Texts | Scroll they cant read (Scrolls pg. 20) |
| Artist | Sketchbook | Camera |
| Athlete | Piece of Sports Equipment | Sweatband |
| Criminal | Lock-pick set | Mask & Gloves |
| Drifter | Switchblade (d6) | Travel stove |
| Old Money | Tennis Racket | Expensive Antique |
| Author | Ornate letter opener (d6) | Cigarettes and Lighter |
| Skater | Skateboard/Skates | Speakers |
| Very Online | Laptop | Online following |
| Lawyer | Briefcase (d4) | Stack of the firm’s letterhead |
| Gig-Worker | Bike | Helmet (+1 Armor) |
| Trades | Tools of the trade | Safety Wear (+1 armor) |
| Social Work | Taser (targets DEX) | Gift cards |
| Finance | Gun (d6) | Illegal substances |
| Hospitality | Mace (targets DEX) | Walkie Talkies |
The Only PCs Left Alive
After the funnel any surviving characters become full fledged investigators.
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For each ability, roll 1d6 and add the result to the ability score.
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Roll 1d4 and add it to their HP
The surviving PCs may have higher than normal HP, but that serves as a small reward for surviving the funnel. Players can choose which surviving character (if more than one) they want to play as going forward. Anyone not chosen can be a connection for the PC (Connections - Liminal Horror pg. 8).