Sourcebook Content

This campaign volume abandons the familiar dust of 1920s New England for the neon-soaked, hyper-capitalist frenzy of 1980s Japan, offering a tonal shift that experienced players will find immediately refreshing. The three linked scenarios—Dream Eater, Fanfic!, and The Pallid Masks of Tokyo—leverage the “Bubble Era” clash between ancient tradition and aggressive modernity. Instead of investigating dusty libraries for forbidden tomes, Investigators are navigating the high-pressure world of manga publication, dealing with yakuza turf wars involving faceless corpses, and exploring a mass hysteria of sleep paralysis in a rapidly urbanizing town. The horror here is intimate and cultural; it replaces the standard “tentacles and fish-people” with the psychological unraveling of identity, driven by a reimagined King in Yellow—the “Prince of Pale Leaves”—who doesn’t just destroy Investigators, but actively offers to “help” them achieve their desperate ambitions at the cost of their reality.

Mechanically, these scenarios introduce a distinct “Exposure” system that functions as a parallel, hidden Sanity track, specifically measuring the corruption of the King in Yellow. For players used to managing their Investigator’s Sanity like a resource, this adds a layer of paranoia, as the “Prince” rewards those who read the Sutra with genuine insights and successes before the inevitable ontological collapse. The campaign structure is also notably modular; while it tells a cohesive story about the Sutra’s resurgence, the scenarios are designed to give the Keeper flexibility in pacing, allowing for a sandbox feel where the horror emerges naturally from the Investigators’ professional lives and personal obsessions rather than a linear breadcrumb trail.

Intent

There are three scenarios in The Sutra of Pale Leaves. These can be played independently, or as a loose campaign. Sample characters are included.

  • Dream Eater - 1–2 Sessions (approx. 4–6 hours)
  • Fanfic! - 3–4 Sessions (approx. 10–14 hours)
  • The Pallid Masks of Tokyo - 2–3 Sessions (approx. 6–10 hours)

There is also a followup volume, Carcosa Manifest.