Remember 1983’s Deathstalker? Deathstalker is the titular character in four sword-and-sorcery, Conan-xploitation movies from 1983 to 1991, a 2024 comic book series, and a new movie coming soon. Despite appearing during the heyday of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons First Edition, there was never a standalone tabletop roleplaying game or a sourcebook dedicated to the fool and the hero, which begs the question, why isn’t there a Deathstalker Roleplaying Game?
That idea, or one very similar, kicks off all of the Deathstalker movies and comics. The premise is simple: Roaming through a land of kingdoms, queendoms, sorcererdoms, spells, swords, festivals, tournaments, pig men, and frivolous nudity, Deathstalker thieves, fights, and commits unspeakable acts, all in the name of saving the people from evil. (Sorta.) Or getting what he wants. (Kinda.) Or debauchery. (Always.) Deathstalker is an archetypal murderhobo in a world that rewards his worst tendencies.
In 1983, the first Deathstalker movie premiered. From Roger Corman’s production company with a script by Howard R. Cohen, the first movie spawned three sequels, two of which were written by Howard, with the author directing the final installment.
Because of its origins and treatment of women, any roleplaying game titled “Deathstalker” will not be for everyone as no game will delight every gamer. Regardless, Deathstalker fans will appreciate the game as much as they appreciate the movies.
In my “Where’s The Beastmaster Roleplaying Game?” article, I asked a similar question about whether that tale actually required a full, standalone tabletop roleplaying game or if an existing game could cover it. Deathstalker merits the same discussion. The setting, characters, powers, and adventures fit with standard Dungeons & Dragons tropes and rules. There’s not a huge need to reinvent the wheel with a full ruleset, just a setting book and a Deathstalker class/subclass would suffice. Unlike some properties where the rules need tweaks to replicate the feel of the world, Deathstalker is pitch perfect as an OSR, and a d20-related sourcebook, albeit one that features characters without good alignments, would be ideal.
A sourcebook for an existing RPG such as Dungeons & Dragons B/X (Moldvay/Cook), BECMI (Mentzer), Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition, Old-School Essentials, OSRIC, Mörk Borg, HYPERBOREA, or Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition would maximize its usability. An art-heavy sourcebook of NPCs, locations, magic items, and adventures for a popular roleplaying game would be perfect for gamers and fans of the franchise. Add in a bit of history about the movies and you have a nice RPG sourcebook and a tribute to the films in one edition.
In the next article we’ll review the success of Deathstalker-related crowdfunding efforts, what publisher might take on the challenge of publishing a Deathstalker RPG, and the odd we’ll ever see one soon.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
What is Deathstalker?
From Shout Factory’s description: “Deathstalker is a mighty warrior chosen to battle the evil forces of a medieval kingdom who sets off on a journey to…”That idea, or one very similar, kicks off all of the Deathstalker movies and comics. The premise is simple: Roaming through a land of kingdoms, queendoms, sorcererdoms, spells, swords, festivals, tournaments, pig men, and frivolous nudity, Deathstalker thieves, fights, and commits unspeakable acts, all in the name of saving the people from evil. (Sorta.) Or getting what he wants. (Kinda.) Or debauchery. (Always.) Deathstalker is an archetypal murderhobo in a world that rewards his worst tendencies.
In 1983, the first Deathstalker movie premiered. From Roger Corman’s production company with a script by Howard R. Cohen, the first movie spawned three sequels, two of which were written by Howard, with the author directing the final installment.
- Deathstalker (1983, written by Howard R. Cohen and starring Rick Hill as Deathstalker with an appearance by Lana Clarkson)
- Deathstalker II (1987)
- Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988, written by Howard R. Cohen)
- Deathstalker IV: Match of Titans (1991, written and directed by Howard R. Cohen and starring Rick Hill as Deathstalker)
- Not a movie, but another piece of Deathstalker media: Vault Comics’ Deathstalker Vol.1: The Damned Blood (2024, collects the comic books by Slash, Tim Seeley, and Jim Terry)
Roger Corman's Deathstalker in 2025
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Deathstalker is not progressive in any sense of the word. Instead, the movies luxuriate in 1980s cinema’s luddite views of women, sex, consent, maiming, and murder. The main character is not a hero, he’s an exploitative opportunist celebrated in the movies when he kills an even worse antagonist. On the Deathstalker Kickstarter page, the team behind the comics puts it this way: “The 80’s were a fun time, weren’t they? Our (totally immoral) hero warrior Deathstalker made his cinematic debut during that pinnacle of so-bad-it’s-good fantasy filmmaking.”Because of its origins and treatment of women, any roleplaying game titled “Deathstalker” will not be for everyone as no game will delight every gamer. Regardless, Deathstalker fans will appreciate the game as much as they appreciate the movies.
You Could Homebrew Deathstalker
This franchise was part of the 1980s sword-and-sorcery craze. That means these movies came out during the heydays of Dungeons & Dragons B/X (Moldvay/Cook), BECMI (Mentzer), and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition. The mythology and combat within Deathstalker could easily be told through the lenses of any Dungeons & Dragons or any d20-based OSR ruleset. The subject matter is ideal for a highly lethal OSRs such as Mörk Borg. So why create a standalone game or even a sourcebook when you could homebrew the system?In my “Where’s The Beastmaster Roleplaying Game?” article, I asked a similar question about whether that tale actually required a full, standalone tabletop roleplaying game or if an existing game could cover it. Deathstalker merits the same discussion. The setting, characters, powers, and adventures fit with standard Dungeons & Dragons tropes and rules. There’s not a huge need to reinvent the wheel with a full ruleset, just a setting book and a Deathstalker class/subclass would suffice. Unlike some properties where the rules need tweaks to replicate the feel of the world, Deathstalker is pitch perfect as an OSR, and a d20-related sourcebook, albeit one that features characters without good alignments, would be ideal.
A sourcebook for an existing RPG such as Dungeons & Dragons B/X (Moldvay/Cook), BECMI (Mentzer), Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition, Old-School Essentials, OSRIC, Mörk Borg, HYPERBOREA, or Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition would maximize its usability. An art-heavy sourcebook of NPCs, locations, magic items, and adventures for a popular roleplaying game would be perfect for gamers and fans of the franchise. Add in a bit of history about the movies and you have a nice RPG sourcebook and a tribute to the films in one edition.
In the next article we’ll review the success of Deathstalker-related crowdfunding efforts, what publisher might take on the challenge of publishing a Deathstalker RPG, and the odd we’ll ever see one soon.
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, Kobold Press Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, Kobold Press, and Amazon.
