Game Master's Guide

Welcome to the Ashfall Game Master's Guide. Running a game in a post-apocalyptic wasteland requires balancing tension, resource scarcity, and moments of desperate hope.

Core Resources

The full game-mastering rules — including encounter building, CR calculations, and the lethality dial — are covered in the Game Mastering rules chapter.

Encounter Building

Ashfall uses a CR-based encounter system tuned for bounded lethality. Even low-level threats remain dangerous, so carefully consider action economy and environmental hazards when designing encounters.

The Lethality Dial

Ashfall supports a range of tones from gritty survival to cinematic action. The lethality dial lets you tune rest frequency, damage scaling, and resource availability to match your table's preferences.

Bestiary

Creature stat blocks are organized into five categories. Browse the full collection in the Rules section, or jump straight to the bestiary for ready-to-use threats for your sessions.

Quick Tips

• Gritty rests matter. Short rests take 8 hours and long rests a full week. Plan your pacing around this economy.
• Ammo and supplies are currency. Track consumables to maintain tension.
• The wasteland is a character. Use environmental hazards, radiation zones, and scarcity to drive drama.
• Bounded lethality keeps combat tense. A max +18 bonus cap means even veteran characters respect a pack of raiders.