Death Heart was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1980 by David A. Hargrave

David A. Hargrave

David Allen Hargrave , known as The Dream Weaver, was a prolific and sometimes controversial game designer and writer of fantasy and science fiction role-playing games...

 and published by Grimoire Games

Grimoire Games

Grimoire Games was a publishing company run by Jim Mathis. Active from 1978 to mid 1981, Grimoire Games's primary focus was the early Arduin series of RPG supplements, written by one of the grandfathers of the genre, David A. Hargrave. The most famous of these Hargrave supplements is the so-called...

. It was the last of Hargrave's officially released dungeon modules before his death in 1988 and was an extension of his Arduin Multiverse, which at the time of Death Heart's publication was known as The Arduin Trilogy.

Setting

At 24 pages, Death Heart contained overland maps, regional descriptions, a short story, and historical overviews. The package also contained a set of 16 unique creature and treasure cards, which could be detached and used in-game. There were also unique new traps in a matrix at the rear of the module.

Also included was reference material regarding The Howling Tower

The Howling Tower

The Howling Tower was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1979 by David A. Hargrave and published by Grimoire Games. It was based upon Hargrave's gaming system known as Arduin...

 and its relevance to the Arduin multiverse, plus an overview of the last known locations of Caliban

Caliban (Arduin dungeon)

Caliban was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1979 by David A. Hargrave and published by Grimoire Games. It was based upon Hargrave's gaming system known as Arduin...

.

System

While designed for use with the Arduin gaming system, Death Heart was usable with any d20

D20 System

The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...

 or other RPG

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 system.

History

Death Heart was originally published by Grimoire Games

Grimoire Games

Grimoire Games was a publishing company run by Jim Mathis. Active from 1978 to mid 1981, Grimoire Games's primary focus was the early Arduin series of RPG supplements, written by one of the grandfathers of the genre, David A. Hargrave. The most famous of these Hargrave supplements is the so-called...

 and went out of print in 1984. In 2002 reprints of Death Heart were made available from Emperor's Choice Games and Miniatures, but were discontinued in August 2006. Since then, the company folded Death Heart and all other Arduin dungeon modules into a single publication called "Vaults of the Weaver".

See also

• Caliban
  Caliban (Arduin dungeon)
  Caliban was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1979 by David A. Hargrave and published by Grimoire Games. It was based upon Hargrave's gaming system known as Arduin...
  
  : Arduin Dungeon Number One
• The Howling Tower
  The Howling Tower
  The Howling Tower was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1979 by David A. Hargrave and published by Grimoire Games. It was based upon Hargrave's gaming system known as Arduin...
  
  : Arduin Dungeon Number Two
• The Citadel of Thunder
  The Citadel of Thunder
  The Citadel of Thunder was a standalone short story and gaming module written in 1979 by David A. Hargrave and published by Grimoire Games. It was based upon Hargrave's gaming system known as Arduin...
  
  : Arduin Dungeon Number Three