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BREATHLESS

SHOOT • LOOT • SURVIVE

A Survival Horror Role-Playing Game

The first sign of the infection was the memory loss. Then, for some, the change. Those became the Breathless; ravenous dead who tore the world apart. One bite wakes the sickness inside, and soon you join their endless swarm. You are alongside strangers, with one thing left to do is: LOOT, SHOOT, SURVIVE.

To create a character write their name, pronouns, and their prior occupation.

Characters rely on a set of 6 skills:

Bash : wreck, move, force.
Dash : run, jump, climb.
Sneak : hide, skulk, lurk.
Shoot : track, throw, fire.
Think : perceive, analyze, repair.
Sway : charm, manipulate, intimidate.

Assign a d10, a d8, and a d6 to three Skills you think the character is good at. Set the rest to d4. Then set the Loot Skill to d12, decide on an Item the character has with them, and note it down as a d10 Item.

During the game, one person acts as the game moderator (GM). The rest are players. The GM guides the story, presents challenges, and uses or improvises rules to handle uncertainty in the story. Players narrate their characters’ actions and play to find out what happens.

ROLLING TABLES

WEAPONS

Splintered plank
Baseball bat
Sledgehammer
Crowbar
Cast iron pan
Golf club
Rusted katana
Shovel
Machete
Police baton
Pitchfork
Banjo
Chainsaw
Skateboard
Dumbbell
Cricket bat
Fire axe
Lead pipe
Pickaxe
Hatchet

LONG-RANGE WEAPONS

Revolver
9mm pistol
Hunting rifle
Shotgun
Bow
Flamethrower
Sniper rifle
Assault rifle
Crossbow
Molotov cocktail
Grenade
Pipe bomb

OCCUPATIONS

Chef
IT technician
Nurse
Fitness coach
Content creator
Police officer
Architect
Teacher
Soldier
Mechanic
Park ranger
Student
DJ
Engineer
Drifter
Contractor
Bartender
Firefighter
Farmer
Scientist

LOCATIONS

Apartments
Mall
Market
Hospital
Church
Arcade
School
Hotel
Worksite
Club
Factory
Motel
Gas station
Parking garage
Subway station
Warehouse
Police station
Pharmacy
Fire station
Sewers

COMPLICATIONS

Another survivor is yelling for help.
You’ve attracted a swarm of Breathless.
Bandits are on your tail.
New and nasty kind of Breathless.
Maniac shooting everything that moves.
You meet another group of survivors.
The zone you’re in is booby trapped.
You’re out of munitions.
One of your items suddenly breaks.
The only way out is blocked.
You meet someone you knew before.
You face a pack of feral animals.

MISSIONS

Your group is almost out of supplies.
Someone in your group is very sick.
Thugs kicked you out of your safe zone.
The military is planning to bomb the city.
You’ve met someone who’s immune.
The government planned a supply drop.
A cult is giving people to the Breathless.
You’ve met a scientist who has a cure.
Someone in your group was captured.
You’ve heard of a sanctuary filled with survivors on the other side of the city.
There’s a fire raging across the district.
Your group has found itself in the middle of a gang war.

CHECKS

When a character tackles a challenge or tries to avoid a Consequence, their player makes a Check. The GM first determines the risks. The player then chooses the Skill that best fits their character’s approach and rolls the die that matches its rating. If another player character helps, they also make a Check but share the same risks. Keep and look at the highest result:

1-2 : The action fails. When facing a Consequence, it is suffered in full.
3-4 : The action succeeds, but with reduced effect. When facing a Consequence, it is lessened.
5+ : The action succeeds. The higher the result, the greater the effect. When facing a Consequence, it is fully avoided.

After the Check, every participant steps down the Skill they used by one step: d12 → d10 → d8 → d6 → d4. A die rating can never step above d12 or below d4.

The GM can use this procedure to test for luck; on a 1-2, things go wrong. On a 3-4, things are okay, but not ideal. On a 5+, things are great.

POSITION

When the fiction has a significant impact on a Check, the GM sets the roll’s Position.

Absolute : The action succeeds outright.
Good : Roll a stepped-up Skill die.
Standard : Use the Skill die as is.
Bad : Roll a stepped-down Skill die.
Impossible : The action is beyond reach.

GRIT

When a character performs a feat of pure determination, they may consume their Grit which acts as a single-use d12 to be rolled in place of a Skill die during a Check.

HARM

When a character faces a Consequence, the GM may inflict on them 1 to 3 Harm, depending on the severity of the threat.

Whenever a character reaches 5 Harm, they become Vulnerable.

From that point on, failing a Check could mean being taken out or sudden death.

CATCH YOUR BREATH

When a character takes a second to Catch Their Breath, all their Skills reset to their initial ratings and their Grit is restored. This can happen even in moments of high tension. Afterward, the GM introduces a new Consequence to the whole group.

If multiple characters Catch Their Breath at the same time, it is resolved as a single event.

SAFE REST

When a character finds a safe shelter and rests there for at least a day, they gain the same benefits as if they were Catching Their Breath, but without the GM prompting for any Consequence.

A Safe Rest also allows them to clear a set amount of Harm determined by the GM.

LOOT CHECKS

When a character scavenges a location, they make a Loot Check by rolling the die that matches their Loot Skill.

1-2 : They find nothing, and a Consequence occurs.
3-4 : They find an Item of lower quality or quantity, with a lower die rating.
5+ : They find an Item. The higher the result, the higher its die rating.

After the Check, the Loot Skill steps down.

A character may still Loot at d4, but at their own risk. Looting is only possible when the fiction allows for it.

ITEMS

Every Item a character carries has a die rating, from d4 to d12, that reflects its quality or quantity.

Whenever an Item is used, roll its die.

1-2 : The Item steps down. If it was Stressed, or would step below d4, it is depleted, worn out, or consumed.
3-4 : The Item is marked as Stressed. Its die rating does not change.
5+ : The Item remains unchanged.

A character may try to repair an Item with a Check, as long as they have the right tools or skills. Characters can carry as many Items as the fiction allows. Items may improve a Check’s Position or lessen a Consequence.