Bones Deep

Bones Deep

Bones Deep is a tabletop RPG adventure of skeletons exploring the ocean floor. Built for Troika, usable anywhere. 120 pages, color interior, A5 digest hardcover book.

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The Book Includes:

  • 120 pages of underwater weirdness.
  • 6 skeleton backgrounds, ranging from cute to creepy.
  • 20 locations, each with a dozen encounters.
  • 36 spells inspired by ocean phenomena.
  • 50 creatures inspired by real deep-sea life.
  • 5 adventures to kick off your campaign.

Straightforward underwater sandbox. No swimming allowed, no oxygen required, no extra math. As a skeleton, you can treat the ocean floor like an alien world and jump right in.

Emergent adventures. Every random encounter in Bones Deep aims to draw you deeper into the setting. Warring factions, clues to hidden treasure, terrible foes, cute pets, and nefarious mysteries all compete for your attention. The book includes 5 detailed quests to kick off your campaign.

More real than you’d imagine. It was written by a team of folks who were heavily inspired by real deep-sea life, including a boat captain and an underwater educator. We even wrote the real-world scientific names of creatures so players can marvel at the wonders of the deep.

Hardcover purchases include the digital files:

  • Hyperlinked PDF with handy navigation menus
  • Accessible HTML version
  • Hardcover PDF that mirrors the print version
  • Character Sheets
  • Rules Reference
  • Maps

Reviews & More

Plus One Exp Actual Play with the lead writer as a GM!

“Having that connection to the local ecosystem is a point of pride for Technical Grimoire, and it’s something that David Schirduan feels accounts for the way Bones Deep has connected with players all over the world.” - Charleston City Paper

“The creatures in this thing are wild, and what is even more worrying is that they all feel like they could be actual things living in our oceans.” - Anton Kromoff of ComiCon

“I have played this game multiple times with friends and every time it’s been an absolute blast. The pdf is by far one of the best examples of good hyper-linking, it’s fantastically acessible and worth every single cent. You’ve raised my standards of accessibility with this book.” - MintRabbit

“I’m struck by how well it’s balanced between chasing the fun ideas and remembering this is a game to be played. I always wind up grinning when I read it.” - Evey Lockhart

“Horror with a sense of humor.” - Ian

“The Bones Deep spell list is both hilarious and useful for customizing your Skeleton, to say nothing of the storytelling aspect of this magic. As a sampler, you can look forward to bangers such as Eject Bone, Halocline, and Spectral Sea Pig.” - Lauren Neuburger