Shadowfeats: OSR Feats and Quirks for Shadowdark

by Dream Shrike Press

Add Depth, Danger, and Flavor to Your Shadowdark Characters

Shadowdark’s advancement rules already give you a rich mix of rolled talents and bonuses as you level, but what if you want even more ways to shape your hero’s story and skills? This zine introduces two optional systems, Feats and Quirks, designed specifically for Shadowdark (but easily adapted to other OSR systems).

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Feats offer focused, flavorful abilities that rarely overshadow core class features and give characters memorable edges at every even level. They were crafted with care not to overlap existing talents or spells and to stay true to the gritty, low-powered feel of Shadowdark–badass normal, not superheroic.

Quirks, on the other hand, aren’t just roleplaying flourishes–they’re character challenges that invite dynamic play and emergent stories. Each Quirk has mechanical impacts and storytelling hooks that encourage players to embrace flaws as opportunities for tension and growth. In my home game, the two systems work together: taking a Quirk at first level also allows a character to learn a Feat.

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This guide grows out of the design thinking laid out in its opening pages: character options should add meaningful choices while supporting Shadowdark’s simple, fast-paced rhythm. Inside, you’ll find a complete list of 130 Feats and 135 Quirks, expanded from work first shared on my blog, A shrike for my dreams.

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Whether you’re running a classic dungeon crawl or a grim Western Marches campaign, these grounded options set characters apart without softening Shadowdark’s edge.

May your PCs be unique before they die.

Shadowfeats: OSR Feats and Quirks for Shadowdark is available through DriveThruRPG in PDF.

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