The Dying Earth Quick-Start Rules (2000)

A future unimaginably distant...

The sun, now in its dotage, is a swollen maroon orb. It stutters and blinks. At any moment it may finally go out.

Earth, immensely old...

Dig anywhere and find a buried city or the shore of a vanished sea. Deodand-haunted woods stretch from decadent Kaiin to the Land of the Falling Wall. Erbs and grue hunt in the wilds. Isolated villages embrace surprising customs. Larger towns favor debauchery and mincing murder.

Magic, rich and colorful

Enchantment shapes the world. Any dabbler may know a few simple cantraps. Magicians in lavish Manses struggle to master Earth's last great spells, while all-powerful cabals intrigue against rivals or plot revenge for ancient feuds.

Visit the Dying Earth!

Enter this vivid world in the first roleplaying game authorized by master fantasist Jack Vance. Here a flashing sword is less important than nimble wits, persuasive words, and a fine sense of fashion. Create an adventurer for any of three different kinds of stories:

• a typical mortal such as Cugel the Clever, surviving by wits and cunning
• an ambitious Magician searching for lost lore, such as Turjan of Miir
• a supreme mage to rank with Rhialto the Marvellous, commanding the omnipotent but quarrelsome sandestins