- Is this from our descent?
-Yes, stair six.

Introduction

Candela Obscura is a horror tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) about occult investigators who hunt down dangerous supernatural forces making incursions into a world very much like your own.

Candela Obscura is also the name of the paranormal secret society charged with protecting the sprawling, turn-of-the-century city of Newfaire—a place built atop the ruins of an ancient, fallen civilization still teeming with the remnants of powerful magick.

Though we’ve worked to collect knowledge of this magick over the centuries, our understanding of these phenomena is still limited. We know they come from a realm beyond our own, but what they want and why they’re here—that is still a mystery to us.

As part of this organization, you will traverse the wide landscape of the Fairelands—facing off against unfathomable horrors within the crowded downtown streets of the Varnish, investigating strange disappearances in the cornfields of Tottergrass, even delving into the writhing underground ruins of Oldfaire—to help us stop these powerful supernatural beings from tearing the world apart.

Content Warnings & Safety Tools

Though the intensity of the horrors in your adventures is entirely up to you, terror should come as no surprise for any who embark upon an assignment with Candela Obscura. Elements of body horror, human cruelty, violence, death, and the supernatural commonly present themselves to our investigators. Such things come with the territory. In order to help regulate these topics within your group, we strongly recommend that you use safety tools like Lines & Veils, the X-Card, and the Open Door Policy.

More information on safety tools can be found at https://bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit.

How to Use This Guide

The information laid out in this document is designed to guide you through your first game of Candela Obscura. The following page covers the important rules to keep in mind when generating lore—as long as your creations fit within the parameters here, you are playing by The Rules of the world.

If you are a player, you are encouraged to read through Additional Organizations. If you’re the gamemaster, or GM, continue on through the Example Assignment.