Basic Rules

2021
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Words by Geoffrey Cullop
Art by Goran Gligović

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 FICTION FUNCTION
Somninauts is a role playing Somninauts uses a d20 roll-
game about adventurers under resolution mechanism
exploring a dream space that and requires little more than
exists within the shared a 20-sided die and your
subconscious of sentient life. imagination to play.
Game fiction exists in two Game Terms
very different realms.
Advantage - roll twice and
The waking realm of the keep the best result.
mundane and the surreal
realm of dream space. Attribute - Character abilities
expressed by a number.
Characters use a dream
machine to dive into dreams, Bail - when a Character exits
where they’ll solve mysteries dream space.
and drive back the nightmares
fighting to invade reality. Character - an adventurer
controlled by a Player.
The dream space rejects the
Characters’ wakeful presence Lucidity - powers Characters
and presents Encounters to wield in dream space.
expel them.
Player - any playing the game.
The fiction of Somninauts is
inspired by the work of Recursion - measure of dis-
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, connection from dream space.
as well as the writing of
Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Referee - the Player who
Gaiman, Jules Verne, H.G. adjudicates play.
Wells, and Christopher Nolan.
Talent - special skill used to
For further inspiration, seek gain Advantage.
out the artistic works of
Salvador Dali, H.R. Giger, M.C. Test - a die roll to resolve
Escher, and Moebius. uncertainty.
Threat - measure of risk of
dream space encounters.

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 “All that we see or seem; Is but a dream within a dream.”
--Edgar Allen Poe

ATTRIBUTES TALENTS
Characters have 3 Attributes: Characters each have a unique
Strong, Quick, and Clever. Talent. A Character’s Talent
sets them apart from their
Strong is used in situations peers and makes some tasks
that require muscle or less risky both in dream space
endurance. and in mundane reality.
Quick is used in situations Players asked to make a Test
that require speed or should check to see if their
coordination. Character’s Talent is
applicable to the risk. If the
Clever is used in situations Player can convince the
that require logic or wit. Referee that the Talent
applies, then the Player makes
When making a new the Test with Advantage.
Character, Players assign the
numbers 15, 12, and 8 to the When making a new
Attributes in an order of their Character, Players will choose
choosing. one, single-word descriptor as
a Talent. Players are advised
The higher the number to choose a word that is both
assigned, the more likely the specific and evocative. Players
Character is to succeed when may write their own Talent,
their Player Tests the or roll on the table below.
Attribute.
Talents
1 Resourceful 11 Alert
2 Tough 12 Dexterous
3 Sneaky 13 Imaginative
4 Persuasive 14 Musical
5 Stubborn 15 Practical
6 Flexible 16 Logical
7 Perceptive 17 Reliable
8 Careful 18 Shrewd
9 Efficient 19 Wary
10 Graceful 20 Versatile

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 RECURSION LUCIDITY
The presence of fully awake, Characters manifest amazing
cognizant beings in the powers while visiting dream
shared subconscious upsets a space. This phenomenon is
tenuous balance of trans- called Lucidity.
dimensional geometry.
Lucidity manifests differently
Through encounters, dream for different Characters. A
space constantly works to Character’s Lucidity is written
remove conscious visitors as one or two evocative
from the subsonscious in words. When in dream space,
order to correct the trans- a Character may use their
dimensional imbalance. Lucidity to resolve encounters
in ways related to its
This increscent expulsion of description.
Characters from dream space
is referred to as Recursion. The Lucidity resolves low
Threat encounters instantly
Whenever a Character fails a and without the need to Test,
Test to resolve an encounter but requires the Character to
in dream space, they mark mark 2 Recursion. More
Recursion. experienced Characters may
be able to mark additional
Test results that are lower Recursion to resolve higher
than the Attribute Tested and Threat Encounters.
greater than the Character’s
Recursion succeed, meaning When making a new
success gets more and more Character, Players choose one
difficult to achieve as Lucidity. Players may write
Recursion builds and the their own Lucidity, or roll on
dream space itself fights the table below.
against the Characters’
intended actions. LUCIDITIES
When a Character marks 1 Telekinesis 11 X-Ray Vision
Recursion equal to or greater 2 Flight 12 True Sight
than their lowest Attribute 3 Summoning 13 Absorb Energy
score they Bail, wearily 4 Calming Words 14 Change Size
returning to the waking 5 Elemental Storm 15 Laser Eyes
world. 6 Rewind Time 16 Shapeshift
7 Read Thoughts 17 Colossal Might
New Characters start with 8 Invisibility 18 Press Pause
zero Recursion. 9 Lightning Fast 19 Precognition
10 Teleportation 20 Stretchy Limbs

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 DETAILS BONDS
Give the Character a name Establish bonds with your
and describe their fellow adventurers by
appearance. answering any of these
questions about them:
Decide upon the final details
of the Character by answering -Who have you known since
three or more of the following childhood?
questions:
-Who was once a great rival?
-What is the Character’s
vocation or occupation in -To whom do you owe a favor?
their industrial city home?
-Who scares you a bit?
-What drives the Character to
seek adventure and mystery? -Of whom do you dream?

-How did the Character first IMPROVEMENT

find out about the ability to
travel into dream space? Over time, Characters get
more competent at handling
-What secret shame does the the various challenges
Character hide from even presented in dream space.
their closest friends?
Characters improve after
-What possession does the every four excursions into
Character carry with them dream space.
everywhere?
Upon returning from their
-What caused the Character to fourth dream space adventure
fall out of favor with their (or their eighth or twelfth,
family or community? etc.), a Character immediately
improves in one of the
-What is the Character’s following ways, as chosen by
recurring nightmare? the Player:
-What is the Character’s - Increase an Attribute score
favorite pass time or hobby? by one point. (Max 18)
-What superstitious beliefs - Select an additional Talent.
does the Character hold?
- Select an additional Lucidity.
-What would the Character
sacrifice everything to obtain? - Upgrade Lucidity.

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“You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two
ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for
instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.”
--H.G. Wells
SAFETY PLAY
It is important to establish a Somninauts is a Role Playing
tone at the table that is Game. Players work together
welcoming and considerate to to create and experience a
all Players. Players should be story of a team of adventurers
free to break out of play if who use a dream machine to
they feel uncomfortable and explore the surreality of
need to pause, or stop. dream space.
Somninauts promotes the use The Referee describes the
of safety tools such as the X- worlds, both mundane and
Card and Lines and Veils. surreal, providing mysteries
For more on safety tools, to solve and challenges to
please visit: bit.ly/ overcome.
ttrpgsafetytoolkit.
Other Players describe how
Safety considerations are their Characters appear and
especially important in interact in the waking and
Somninauts due to the nature dreaming worlds.
of dream space.
DREAM MACHINE
Dreams can involve many
complex and mature themes, The Characters possess a
from horrific nightmare to dream machine that can
salacious fantasy. transport them to dream
space without sleeping.
Discuss acceptable themes Discuss what the dream
with your fellow players at a machine looks like and how it
Session Zero so that all are on works, generally.
the same page regarding the
boundaries for the dream The dream machine is
space you wish to share with equipped with a sub-
one another. conscious positioning system,
using mundane clues to direct
exploration of dream space.

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 MUNDANE PLAY CLUES
When the Characters are Some physical objects possess
interacting in their waking unique psychometric energy
lives, they are experiencing that can be utilized by the
the mundane world of reality. dream machine’s sub-
conscious positioning system.
Players shouldn’t need to roll
Tests for their Characters in This means that clues found
day to day, waking life. in the mundane world guide
Characters are competent and the Characters’ adventures in
capable in the real world and dream space.
can get things done without
the need to risk much danger. Referees should consider
what mundane objects found
They are not super heroes. If by the Characters might act as
they take chances, then they keys for dream space
can get seriously hurt. adventures. Advice on
working mundane clues into
If a waking Character’s greater mysteries can be
actions could result in found in forthcoming
especially perilous outcomes, materials.
the Referee will ask the Player
to Test against the risk taken. SURREAL PLAY
For example, if the Characters When the Characters use their
get into a fist fight, then the dream machine, they travel to
Player will be asked to Test the dream space of the shared
against fist fight. Success subconscious while remaining
means victory and failure wide awake and fully capable.
means injury or even death.
In the surreality of dream
Consequence of failure space, Characters have
correlates to the risk taken. amazing abilities. They can
For example, being punched is use their Attributes, Talents,
less risky than being stabbed. and Lucidities to change and
control the dream space
injuries/death around them.
1 Bumps & Bruises 11 Lasting Wound
2 Bit of Blood 12 Ongoing Pain
3 Sprained Muscle 13 Disoriented Taking bold actions with risky
4 Needs Stitches 14 Incapacitated outcomes may result in the
5 Needs Brace 15 Hospitalized
6 Needs Cast 16 Intensive Care Referee asking the Player to
7 Needs Surgery 17 Comatose make a Test. Most commonly,
8 Torn Ligaments 18 Barely Breathing
9 Broken Bones 19 Dying the Referee will ask for Tests
10 Concussed 20 Dead when Players face encounters.

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 TEST RECOVERY
Roll a d20 and compare the For each 24 hours Characters
result to the Character’s most spend in the mundane world,
applicable Attribute score. they recover 2 Recursion.
A result that is less than the ADVANTAGE
Attribute Tested and more
than the Character’s Players gain Advantage
Recursion is a success. through use of Talents. Players
with Advantage roll Tests twice
Characters that fail Tests to and keep the better result.
resolve encounters mark
Recursion equal to the LUCIDITIES
encounter’s Threat.
Characters in dream space may
RECURSION use a Lucidity to resolve
Encounters without Test. A
Through encounters, the single Lucidity results in
dream space works to send immediate resolution of all
Characters back to the present Encounters Threat
waking world. This increscent Level 2 or less.
expulsion from dream space
is referred to as Recursion. Characters must mark 2
When a Character’s Recursion Recursion each time they use a
is equal to their lowest Lucidity.
Attribute score, they Bail.
Characters with upgraded
BAIL Lucidities may mark additional
Recursion equal to the number
When Characters Bail they of times their Lucidity has
exit dream space and return been upgraded. For each
to the waking world. additional Recursion marked,
an additional Threat level of
Characters Bail by choice via Encounter is resolved.
their dream machine, or by
force when their Recursion is Marking 3 Recursion resolves
equal to their lowest all Threat level 3 Encounters.
Attribute score. When Marking 4 Recursion resolves
Characters Bail, they return all Threat level 4 Encounters,
wearily to the waking world and so on.
and must recover Recursion
before they can return to
dream space.

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 ENCOUNTERS
In dream space, Characters will face danger in many forms.
Whether traps, rivals, or nightmares, singular dangers are
referred to as encounters.
To resolve an encounter, Test the most applicable Attribute.
An encounter is resolved when Players succeed Tests equal to
the encounter’s Threat level.
Most encounters are Threat 1, meaning that a single success will
resolve the encounter. More difficult encounters will have higher
Threat levels. Threat 2 requires 2 successful Tests, Threat 3
requires 3 successful Tests, and so on. Threat 6 encounters are
rare. Threat 8 encounters are mythic.
Remember, Characters that fail Tests to resolve encounters mark
Recursion equal to the encounter’s Threat.

ENCOUNTERS BY THREAT

Threat 1 Repressed Emotions; Nightmares; Small Swirls

Threat 2 Repressed Memories; Minor Terrors; Sinking Swirls

Threat 3 Stress Dessert; Terrors; Endless Swirls

Threat 4 Hauntings; Greater Terrors; Dimensional Doors

Threat 5 Extraplanar Forces; Anti Existences; Oblivions

Threat 6 Legends & Immortals

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 COMBAT a blaster. The Player Tests
Quick and fails. Repressed
Combat is a complex type of emotions are Threat 1
encounter that is made up of encounters, so the Character
smaller, simpler encounters. marks one Recursion for the
failure.
During combat, Characters
take turns acting. The The Character with the next
Character with the highest highest Quick score acts next
Quick score acts first and the and decides to use their
Character with the lowest Lucidity, “Laser Eyes.” The
Quick score acts last. Other Character’s Player describes
Characters fall in line in the scene as the Character
between based on their Quick shoots fiery red lasers from
score. their eyes, bringing about an
end to the remaining five
On a Character’s turn, their repressed emotions. The
Player Tests to resolve one of Player marks two Recursion as
the encounters present in the cost for using the Lucidity.
combat. When all encounters
are resolved, combat ends. With no further encounters to
resolve, the combat ends.
For example, Characters in
dream space are attacked by FLEEING COMBAT
a group of six repressed
emotions. Characters must Players may use their turn to
now deal with the repressed attempt to flee combatby
emotions in combat. Testing Quick. Players do not
mark Recursion if they fail a
The Character with the Test to flee.
highest Quick score acts first
and decides to kick one of the If all Characters in a party
repressed emotions in the agree to flee together, then all
guts. The Player Tests Strong Players should Test Quick. If
and succeeds. Repressed half or more of the Tests
emotions are Threat 1 succeed, then the Characters
encounters, so the single successfully flee combat.
success is all that is needed to
take care of one of them. Five If all Characters in a party
repressed emotions remain. agree to flee together, but do
not succeed the Test, then all
The Character with the next Players may mark one
highest Quick score acts next Recursion to flee combat.
and decides to shoot one of
the repressed emotions with

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Notes

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Strong - Recursion
Quick-
Clever-

Talents Lucidities

Details

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