It's a dirty word in these lands. You're a scoundrel, sword-for-hire, villain, wastrel, criminal, a cutthroat...

You've come to this place because you have no other options but to make your own fortune in a world that shuns and fears you. There's naught for you in this world save blood and treasure: no inheritance, no dowry, no place on the farm, not even a job. A life of adventure is all you've got. If that means delving into ruins of a long dead civilization and slaying a dragon or two, so be it. At least you'll live it up before the end. And who knows? Maybe you'll score big and carve out a stronghold of light against the vast, weird dark after all.

Revised, refined and expanded after nearly 10 years of playtesting, Torchbearer Second Edition is ready to take you into the darkest dungeons and leave you there, begging for more. The core rules consists of two books-the Scholar's Guide and the Dungeoneer's Handbook-in an attractive but functional slipcase. The Scholar's Guide contains all the procedural elements necessary to play a game of Torchbearer: How to begin a session, factor the difficulty of tests, apply and alleviate conditions, participate in conflicts and spend rewards to affect rolls. It contains procedures for the camp and town phases and walks game masters through the process for designing adventures and creating loot. Monsters, game master advice and a demo adventure, the Dread Crypt of Skogenby, are all contained within. And of course we provide reference lists for camp events, town events and sample twists. It's enough to create an entire world.

The Dungeoneer's Handbook contains everything necessary to describe your scabrous vagabonds in Torchbearer: how to make them, their abilities, nature, wises, traits, skills, inventory, magic, advancements and level benefits. All of these can all be found within. This book also contains reference lists of gear, skills, traits, spells and invocations for your edification.