Call of Cthulhu at a Glance
Four ideas carry most of the game. Each part of the guide builds on them.
Roll Under
Every skill and characteristic is a percentage. Roll d100 and score equal to or under it to succeed; half is a Hard success, a fifth is Extreme.
Bonus and Penalty Dice
Circumstances add an extra tens die: keep the better one for a bonus die, the worse one for a penalty die.
Pushing and Luck
Fail a roll and you may push it with a new approach, but failing again brings something worse. Luck can save a roll, until it runs out.
Sanity
Seeing the truth costs Sanity. Lose too much at once and your investigator breaks, for a while or for good.
The Guide
Players first, then the Keeper's pages, then playing solo. Read in order or jump to what you need.
Getting Started
For Players
Creating an Investigator
The eight characteristics, derived values, occupations, skill points, Credit Rating and a backstory worth losing.
Game Mechanics
Rolling under your skill, Hard and Extreme successes, bonus and penalty dice, pushing a roll, Luck, opposed rolls and combat.
Sanity
Sanity rolls and losses, temporary and indefinite insanity, bouts of madness, recovery, and playing mental illness respectfully.
Investigation
How mysteries are built, finding and following clues, interviews, research in libraries and archives, and field work.
Investigators & Groups
161 Character Concepts
One-line investigators with occupations, key skills and hooks, for solo play, pairs and teams of up to six.
56 Ready-to-Play Investigators
Full characters with characteristics, derived values and skills, from the 1890s, 1920s and modern eras.
150 Character Names
Fifty masculine, fifty feminine and fifty gender-neutral names with an era feel, plus naming ideas.
Character Examples
Investigators built step by step, balanced groups, and what skills, combat and Sanity look like in play.
Investigator Groups
Why the group investigates together, the roles in a team, and sample teams for every era.
For the Keeper
Keeper Information
Building scenarios, pacing dread, NPCs, handling Sanity at the table and running a campaign.
The Cthulhu Mythos
The Great Old Ones, servitor races, forbidden tomes and Mythos places, and how to use them without spending their horror.
Playing Solo
Tools
Use these at the table.
Dice Roller
Percentile checks with Hard and Extreme results, bonus and penalty dice, exact odds, Sanity rolls, Luck spending and damage dice.
Character Sheets
Fillable investigator sheets with half and fifth values, Hit Points, Sanity, Damage Bonus, Build and MOV worked out, plus save, print and file import/export.