Twisted Afflictions
Twisted Afflictions throws you into a heroic fantasy roleplaying setting with a terrifying twist: body horror. This isn’t your typical hack-and-slash game. Instead, it’s a story-focused, character-driven experience where every decision you make sends ripples through the narrative. If you think you’ve got a handle on your heroic destiny, think again.
The sourcebook blends imagination, collaboration, and agency, turning each session into a creative, unpredictable ride. Your choices don’t just influence the story—they mutate it. Expect every character’s path to twist, tangle, and maybe even unravel as they confront the horrors not only around them but within them. Will your hero triumph, or will they be consumed by their own affliction?
What sets Twisted Afflictions apart is how it pushes players to dig deep into their imaginations while also leaning heavily on collaboration. You’re not just playing a game, you’re shaping a unique, terrifying story together. It's perfect for fans of body horror who want a familiar genre but crave something that feels new. The creatures may be grotesque, and the stakes high, but it’s your choices that make the game a living, breathing nightmare.
So, if you’re tired of the same old hero’s journey and want something that challenges not just your character but your creative instincts, grab Twisted Afflictions. It's time to embrace the horror that’s been lurking beneath the surface, waiting to twist your fate.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are classic Lightspress titles, refreshed with updated design and a quick pass from our current editorial team. While they may not hit the same marks as our latest releases, they still bring solid value to your roleplaying collection without breaking the bank.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms—mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
Inside Twisted Afflictions, you’ll find everything you need to bring terrifying body horror into your heroic fantasy roleplaying sessions. Here's what awaits you:
Worldbuilding: Forget the usual heroic landscapes. This section gives you the tools to craft a world where the very land itself warps and twists with corruption. From cursed kingdoms to forgotten ruins where the walls themselves seem alive, you’ll dive deep into a setting where decay and mutation are as much a part of the story as the characters.
Characters: These aren’t just heroes with stats. You’ll explore how afflictions can take hold, both physically and mentally. Players will deal with motivations driven by survival and desperation as their bodies betray them. You’ll find ways to incorporate personal transformations, struggles with identity, and the terrifying realization that the monster within is just as dangerous as the ones outside.
Guilds: Forget your typical town guilds. These factions are twisted—clandestine groups researching forbidden transformations, cults worshipping monstrous powers, and secret societies trading in cursed knowledge. You’ll get tools to create organizations driven by fear, power, and grotesque ambition.
Creatures: The monsters in Twisted Afflictions aren’t just enemies—they are physical embodiments of the world’s corruption. Expect grotesque beings that mutate before your eyes, creations that blur the line between man and beast, and horrors that echo the twisted forms of those who created them.
Magic: Magic in this world doesn’t come without a price. Rituals are dark, costly, and irreversible. You’ll explore spells tied to twisted powers and rituals that change the user, sometimes beyond recognition. Don’t expect to walk away unscathed.
Magic Items: Artifacts in Twisted Afflictions are more curse than blessing. These objects carry horrific histories and bring misery to anyone who wields them. Expect items that corrupt, mutate, or bind their owners to a fate far worse than death.
Adventures: Pre-made story hooks designed to plunge players into the twisted depths of body horror. These aren’t your standard hero’s journey quests. Expect moral ambiguity, physical and mental corruption, and endings that might leave the heroes wondering if their afflictions are the real monsters.
Reference: Stock characters, creatures, tools, and guidance to help you adapt Twisted Afflictions to your system of choice. Plus, a glossary to expand your horror vocabulary and dig deeper into the body horror genre.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Twisted Afflictions isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
Stay Connected and Join Us
If you’re tired of the same old grind and ready to try something that actually respects your input, then The Simple Approach is calling your name. We’re not just offering a game. We’re inviting you to join a movement, a way of playing that values your time, creativity, and agency.
For more on The Simple Approach and our unorthodox take on roleplaying, visit lightspress.com. Subscribe to our newsletter, The Manifesto, for updates on new releases, roleplaying advice, and a healthy dose of our opinions. If you’re ready to embrace something different, download the free Lightspress Handbook—your guide to what we’re all about.
Twisted Afflictions throws you into a heroic fantasy roleplaying setting with a terrifying twist: body horror. This isn’t your typical hack-and-slash game. Instead, it’s a story-focused, character-driven experience where every decision you make sends ripples through the narrative. If you think you’ve got a handle on your heroic destiny, think again.
The sourcebook blends imagination, collaboration, and agency, turning each session into a creative, unpredictable ride. Your choices don’t just influence the story—they mutate it. Expect every character’s path to twist, tangle, and maybe even unravel as they confront the horrors not only around them but within them. Will your hero triumph, or will they be consumed by their own affliction?
What sets Twisted Afflictions apart is how it pushes players to dig deep into their imaginations while also leaning heavily on collaboration. You’re not just playing a game, you’re shaping a unique, terrifying story together. It's perfect for fans of body horror who want a familiar genre but crave something that feels new. The creatures may be grotesque, and the stakes high, but it’s your choices that make the game a living, breathing nightmare.
So, if you’re tired of the same old hero’s journey and want something that challenges not just your character but your creative instincts, grab Twisted Afflictions. It's time to embrace the horror that’s been lurking beneath the surface, waiting to twist your fate.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are classic Lightspress titles, refreshed with updated design and a quick pass from our current editorial team. While they may not hit the same marks as our latest releases, they still bring solid value to your roleplaying collection without breaking the bank.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms—mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
Inside Twisted Afflictions, you’ll find everything you need to bring terrifying body horror into your heroic fantasy roleplaying sessions. Here's what awaits you:
Worldbuilding: Forget the usual heroic landscapes. This section gives you the tools to craft a world where the very land itself warps and twists with corruption. From cursed kingdoms to forgotten ruins where the walls themselves seem alive, you’ll dive deep into a setting where decay and mutation are as much a part of the story as the characters.
Characters: These aren’t just heroes with stats. You’ll explore how afflictions can take hold, both physically and mentally. Players will deal with motivations driven by survival and desperation as their bodies betray them. You’ll find ways to incorporate personal transformations, struggles with identity, and the terrifying realization that the monster within is just as dangerous as the ones outside.
Guilds: Forget your typical town guilds. These factions are twisted—clandestine groups researching forbidden transformations, cults worshipping monstrous powers, and secret societies trading in cursed knowledge. You’ll get tools to create organizations driven by fear, power, and grotesque ambition.
Creatures: The monsters in Twisted Afflictions aren’t just enemies—they are physical embodiments of the world’s corruption. Expect grotesque beings that mutate before your eyes, creations that blur the line between man and beast, and horrors that echo the twisted forms of those who created them.
Magic: Magic in this world doesn’t come without a price. Rituals are dark, costly, and irreversible. You’ll explore spells tied to twisted powers and rituals that change the user, sometimes beyond recognition. Don’t expect to walk away unscathed.
Magic Items: Artifacts in Twisted Afflictions are more curse than blessing. These objects carry horrific histories and bring misery to anyone who wields them. Expect items that corrupt, mutate, or bind their owners to a fate far worse than death.
Adventures: Pre-made story hooks designed to plunge players into the twisted depths of body horror. These aren’t your standard hero’s journey quests. Expect moral ambiguity, physical and mental corruption, and endings that might leave the heroes wondering if their afflictions are the real monsters.
Reference: Stock characters, creatures, tools, and guidance to help you adapt Twisted Afflictions to your system of choice. Plus, a glossary to expand your horror vocabulary and dig deeper into the body horror genre.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Twisted Afflictions isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
Stay Connected and Join Us
If you’re tired of the same old grind and ready to try something that actually respects your input, then The Simple Approach is calling your name. We’re not just offering a game. We’re inviting you to join a movement, a way of playing that values your time, creativity, and agency.
For more on The Simple Approach and our unorthodox take on roleplaying, visit lightspress.com. Subscribe to our newsletter, The Manifesto, for updates on new releases, roleplaying advice, and a healthy dose of our opinions. If you’re ready to embrace something different, download the free Lightspress Handbook—your guide to what we’re all about.
Twisted Afflictions throws you into a heroic fantasy roleplaying setting with a terrifying twist: body horror. This isn’t your typical hack-and-slash game. Instead, it’s a story-focused, character-driven experience where every decision you make sends ripples through the narrative. If you think you’ve got a handle on your heroic destiny, think again.
The sourcebook blends imagination, collaboration, and agency, turning each session into a creative, unpredictable ride. Your choices don’t just influence the story—they mutate it. Expect every character’s path to twist, tangle, and maybe even unravel as they confront the horrors not only around them but within them. Will your hero triumph, or will they be consumed by their own affliction?
What sets Twisted Afflictions apart is how it pushes players to dig deep into their imaginations while also leaning heavily on collaboration. You’re not just playing a game, you’re shaping a unique, terrifying story together. It's perfect for fans of body horror who want a familiar genre but crave something that feels new. The creatures may be grotesque, and the stakes high, but it’s your choices that make the game a living, breathing nightmare.
So, if you’re tired of the same old hero’s journey and want something that challenges not just your character but your creative instincts, grab Twisted Afflictions. It's time to embrace the horror that’s been lurking beneath the surface, waiting to twist your fate.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are classic Lightspress titles, refreshed with updated design and a quick pass from our current editorial team. While they may not hit the same marks as our latest releases, they still bring solid value to your roleplaying collection without breaking the bank.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms—mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
Inside Twisted Afflictions, you’ll find everything you need to bring terrifying body horror into your heroic fantasy roleplaying sessions. Here's what awaits you:
Worldbuilding: Forget the usual heroic landscapes. This section gives you the tools to craft a world where the very land itself warps and twists with corruption. From cursed kingdoms to forgotten ruins where the walls themselves seem alive, you’ll dive deep into a setting where decay and mutation are as much a part of the story as the characters.
Characters: These aren’t just heroes with stats. You’ll explore how afflictions can take hold, both physically and mentally. Players will deal with motivations driven by survival and desperation as their bodies betray them. You’ll find ways to incorporate personal transformations, struggles with identity, and the terrifying realization that the monster within is just as dangerous as the ones outside.
Guilds: Forget your typical town guilds. These factions are twisted—clandestine groups researching forbidden transformations, cults worshipping monstrous powers, and secret societies trading in cursed knowledge. You’ll get tools to create organizations driven by fear, power, and grotesque ambition.
Creatures: The monsters in Twisted Afflictions aren’t just enemies—they are physical embodiments of the world’s corruption. Expect grotesque beings that mutate before your eyes, creations that blur the line between man and beast, and horrors that echo the twisted forms of those who created them.
Magic: Magic in this world doesn’t come without a price. Rituals are dark, costly, and irreversible. You’ll explore spells tied to twisted powers and rituals that change the user, sometimes beyond recognition. Don’t expect to walk away unscathed.
Magic Items: Artifacts in Twisted Afflictions are more curse than blessing. These objects carry horrific histories and bring misery to anyone who wields them. Expect items that corrupt, mutate, or bind their owners to a fate far worse than death.
Adventures: Pre-made story hooks designed to plunge players into the twisted depths of body horror. These aren’t your standard hero’s journey quests. Expect moral ambiguity, physical and mental corruption, and endings that might leave the heroes wondering if their afflictions are the real monsters.
Reference: Stock characters, creatures, tools, and guidance to help you adapt Twisted Afflictions to your system of choice. Plus, a glossary to expand your horror vocabulary and dig deeper into the body horror genre.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Twisted Afflictions isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
Stay Connected and Join Us
If you’re tired of the same old grind and ready to try something that actually respects your input, then The Simple Approach is calling your name. We’re not just offering a game. We’re inviting you to join a movement, a way of playing that values your time, creativity, and agency.
For more on The Simple Approach and our unorthodox take on roleplaying, visit lightspress.com. Subscribe to our newsletter, The Manifesto, for updates on new releases, roleplaying advice, and a healthy dose of our opinions. If you’re ready to embrace something different, download the free Lightspress Handbook—your guide to what we’re all about.