Shadowdark: The Obsidian Vaults Redefines High-Level Attrition

Shadowdark: The Obsidian Vaults from The Arcane Library represents a pivot point for the OSR-adjacent scene, moving beyond the simple crawl and into the systemic rot of high-level play. As reported in this week’s crowdfunding roundup, the project has already eclipsed its funding goals, signaling a massive appetite for games that prioritize lethality over the superheroic safety nets common in the current 5th Edition landscape. For veterans who remember the sting of level drain in older editions but crave the streamlined action economy of modern design, this supplement is a masterclass in tension.

The mechanics, or the crunch as we greybeards prefer, center on a brutal new system called Attribute Decay. In most fantasy RPGs, your Strength or Intelligence is a static number, perhaps bolstered by a magic item or a temporary buff. In the Obsidian Vaults, the environment itself is predatory. Every time a player fails a check against the pervasive Void Miasma, they do not just lose hit points; they lose a point of a core stat. This creates a downward spiral that forces meaningful tactical retreats. You are not just managing your spell slots or your premium d6 sets; you are managing the very integrity of your character sheet. The real-time torch timer, a hallmark of the Shadowdark experience, is expanded here with Vault Candles, which burn faster but provide the only light capable of revealing hidden necrotic traps. It forces a level of decision-making speed that makes the average combat round feel like a high-stakes heist.

From a lore perspective, the Obsidian Vaults are not merely another series of stone corridors. The fluff describes them as the calcified dreams of a dead deity of silence. This is not just flavor text; it informs the mechanics. In the Vaults, sound is a literal resource. Cast a spell with a verbal component, and you risk drawing the Echo Stalkers. It is a brilliant synthesis of setting and system that reminds me of the best parts of Planescape, where the philosophy of the world dictates the difficulty of the encounter. The writing avoids the typical corporate fluff, opting instead for evocative, punchy descriptions that a GM can read directly to the table without cringing. It treats the dungeon as a living, breathing antagonist rather than a passive backdrop for loot collection.

The table feel is where this project will either make or break your group. If your players are used to the invulnerability of modern d20 builds where death is a minor inconvenience, the Obsidian Vaults will be a cold shower. However, for those of us who miss the stakes of THAC0-era play, this is peak TTRPG development. It creates a sense of genuine dread. When the torch is flickering and your Fighter’s Strength has decayed from an 18 to a 14, the decision to push into the next room becomes a heavy, narrative moment. It moves the game away from the question of how to kill a monster and toward the more interesting question of how to survive the floor.

Furthermore, the community creativity surrounding this crowdfunding wave shows a move away from the massive, 400-page hardcover bloat. The Obsidian Vaults utilizes a lean, zine-inspired layout that prioritizes usability at the table. No more flipping through twenty pages of lore to find a single stat block. Everything a GM needs is contained within a two-page spread. This respect for the GM’s time is something more publishers need to adopt. It is clear that the designers are veterans who actually sit behind a screen, rather than just writing for a theoretical reader. This project proves that there is still plenty of room for innovation within the d20 framework, provided you are brave enough to let the players fail.