Totems of the Dead

Totems of the Dead is a Heroic Fantasy RPG setting inspired by the Ancient Americas.

This page needs a better description. You can help this wiki by expanding or clarifying the information given.

Tropes used in Totems of the Dead include:

• Action Girl: Present on the cover art.
• All Myths Are True: Particularly Native American, aztec and Norse myth. Cryptozoology is also referenced occasionally.
• Alternate History: Not a historical setting, but draws a lot of inspiration from history.
• Ancient Astronauts: As seen in the adventure "The Star Being from Yog."
• Atlantis: In this case it is an evil dystopia and Advanced Ancient Acropolis.
• Aztec Mythology
• Badass heroes.
• Big Bad "Wildcard" villains.
• Big Badass Bird of Prey: Thunderbirds and a number of other giant deadly avians.
• Big Badass Wolf
• Black Magic: Called "sorcery" or "following a black road."
• Blood Magic: Used mainly by the Maztlani.
• Chupacabra
• Cool Pet: As seen on the cover and some of the interior art/Edges.
• Damsel in Distress: Present on the cover art.
• Dreaming of Times Gone By in the Obsidian Shadows adventure.
• Eldritch Abomination with the possibility of Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? in some adventures.
• Everything's Better with Dinosaurs with a nod or two to Dinosaurs Are Dragons.
• Everything's Better with Princesses: And why not?
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry
• Evil Sorcerer: Can't have swords and sorcery without them!
• Famed in Story
• Fan Service: Not as much as in some other sword and sorcery titles, but it is in there, both male and female.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Most cultures in the Untamed Lands have a real world analogue.
• Giant Spider
• God of Evil: There are several, particularly the ones worshiped in Atlantis.
• Heroic Fantasy: A.k.a. swords and sorcery.
• Hot Amazon is present, both as literal Amazon warrior women and through other strong female characters.
• Human Sacrifice
• Inca Mythology: As seen in the Yaurcoan Empire.
• Intoxication Ensues: In the "God in the Pit" adventure.
• Kill It with Fire: Most spirit creatures are susceptible to fire damage.
• Leg Cling: Present on the cover of the Player's Guide.
• Mysterious Mist: Masnifest in the "spirit mist."
• Native American Mythology
• Necromancer
• The Need for Mead: Most (sucessful) adventures end in carousing and revelry.
• Noble Savage is an Averted Trope
• Norse Mythology
• Our Demons Are Different: Demons based on Native American legend.
• Our Vampires Are Different: Scaled vampires.
• Panthera Awesome: See the panther animal companion on the cover.
• Physical God: Human god-kings, as well as gods, demons and other spirits taking physical form.
• Pirates are present in both Type I and II.
• Random Events Plot
• Rated "M" for Manly
• Religion of Evil: Ass seen in the religion of Atlantis.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Sheti serpent men.
• Run or Die: One adventure starts like this.
• Scaled Up: Several varieties of giant animal.
• Scenery Porn: The art features some dramatic cityscapes.
• Shapeshifting abounds, particularly Voluntary Shapeshifting.
• Shrouded in Myth
• Silver Has Mystic Powers: As does turquoise and jade.
• Skin Walker: As a player race.
• Sorcerous Overlord: Several sorcerer kings.
• Tome of Eldritch Lore: Or birchbark scrolls, petroglyphs, or a runestone in some cases.
• The Trickster: Manifests in several forms, from Coyote to Mudhead Kachinas.
• Vision Quest: Game contains rules for embarking on one of these.
• Wendigo
• Wild Child: This trope is turned into an entire player race as seen in the Feral Ones.
• World Half Empty: War, invasions, rampaging monsters, awakening eldrich horrors, environmental and social decline.
• A World Half Full: Thanks to the heroes, there is still hope.
• Wretched Hive: Vidar, city of thieves. Also the Pirate Isles.