I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Call of Cthulhu is a delightfully high stakes pen and paper RPG system.
Set against the backdrop of the Cthulhu Mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft and expanded by countless others (including myself), it’s a setting that’s ripe for mystery, danger, horror, and madness.
While the game system comes with a functional set of rules for the Luck stat (one of the more novel additions to the rules), the optional rule that allows investigator to spend luck is one of the more delightful mechanics in the game.
In these modified house rules, we’ve tweaked the way luck is spent and earned, allowing for more ebb and flow of the stat over the course of the night or campaign.
How do these rules change the luck mechanic in Call of Cthulhu?
Investigators will find themselves gaining luck through fortuitous events and then having more ways to spend it to change the outcome of their actions.
However, there’s a limit to what they can change. To turn back more spectacular failures, they will have to gamble – roll off to see if it succeeds or not.
This leads to tense moments around the table where the investigators have to weigh burning away all their luck (and the good fortune that comes with it) or really push it and live with the consequences.
Notably, any time an investigator’s luck hits 0 – the universe turns against them.
At zero luck, bricks have a way of falling off buildings near them, enemies singling them out in combat, and even the lowliest scratch has a chance to become seriously infected.
Guess it’s time to start counting your lucky stars… and praying things go your way!
Was this house rule play tested?
This is the go-to way for using the luck mechanic in our games – I’ve personally been the GM of two full campaigns using this mechanic and it’s been a blast.
If you’re a fan of the alternate luck mechanic, or looking to add more stakes to your games, I’d recommend giving this one a spin.
Where to get the house rules for The Gambler’s Burden?
You can pick up a copy of the PDF over at our Ko-Fi page for The Gambler’s Burden.
Flavour text below:
The following document outlines a set of rules intended to replace and adapt the existing Optional Rules for spending Luck in the 7th Call of Cthulhu RPG (as found in the Keeper Rulebook). The optional Luck mechanics are among the most engaging elements in the current Call of Cthulhu rules and using these slightly modified rules can help bring more high stakes moments for the Investigators during gameplay, and some fun roleplaying flavour for the keeper.
