Ink & Mayhem — A Cartoon Universe for Exodus NDS
POW! SPLAT! BONK! ZAP!
An Exodus NDS Universe Sourcebook
INK & MAYHEM
Cartoon Universe · First Edition

You don't obey the laws of physics.
You negotiate with them.

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What if cartoons were real — and you were one?

Ink & Mayhem is a full cartoon universe for Exodus NDS. You play a Toon — an animated character in a world where the studio is always watching, the script is always wrong, and gravity is a matter of opinion. Your personality is a superpower. Your pockets are bottomless. The fourth wall is a door you can actually use.

Whether you're a rubbery Bruiser who treats pianos as acceptable projectiles, a fast-talking Charmer who closes deals before the GM finishes the sentence, or a Wildcard who didn't read the script and honestly neither did the universe — there is a place on the call sheet for you.

Cartoon Physics Signature Gags Unbreakable Pockets Fourth-Wall Mechanics Shtick-Driven Play 80 XP to Start
PICK YOUR TYPE
BRUISER 💥
"The floor is a suggestion."
You hit things hard enough to leave craters in the script itself. Anvils, pianos, falling safes — all equally valid tools in the right hands. Your hands. You are indestructible. Everything else is a stunt prop.
BRAIN 💡
"I calculated this three scenes ago."
While everyone else runs, you already mapped the trajectory of that cannonball and positioned yourself at the exit. You don't avoid trouble — you already filed a variance on it.
ZIP ⚡
"If you stopped, gravity would catch up."
Faster than physics allows. Leaves a speed-line contrail. Has already crossed three sets and looped back around before you finished saying "wait." Speed isn't a stat. It's your entire personality.
CHARMER ✨
"One smile. One quip. Done."
The villain hands you the keys and thanks you for the lesson. The guard apologises for being in your way. The locked vault opens out of professional courtesy. You don't pick locks. You make them feel silly for ever being locked.
PRO 📋
"There's a form for this. I filed it."
You filed the paperwork in triplicate before the episode started. The universe respects that. Chaos doesn't apply to you — you have a waiver. You are the one thing in this cartoon that actually works as intended.
WILDCARD 🎲
"Even you don't know what's next."
The script is a starting point. The plan was a rough outline. You contain multitudes and most of them are on fire right now. You're not unpredictable. You're differently predictable, and that's worse.
WHAM!
HOW IT PLAYS
YOUR SHTICK IS YOUR POWER
The only RPG where playing your personality pays dividends

Every Toon has a Shtick — a locked comedic identity that defines how you move through the world. "I am the world-weary detective who narrates everything." "I am the chipper optimist who makes things worse by helping." Play into it and your dice reward you. Fight your nature and the universe pushes back, hard, in both directions.

This isn't a personality quiz. It's a mechanical contract between you and the story. In-Shtick moments give you bonus dice. Against-Shtick moments turn the same situations into crises. The game literally pays you to be yourself.

BITS — YOUR SIGNATURE GAGS
The catalog of cartoon classics, yours to deploy

Every Toon carries Bits — moves from the classic gag catalog. The Rocket Rollerskates. The Tiny Disguise. The Falling Piano. Once per scene unless noted otherwise. They're not spells. They're comedy commitments. The table will know when one lands.

HAMMERSPACE
That pocket is bigger on the inside. Much bigger.

Need a plunger? A full-size ladder? A second grand piano? Your pockets are bottomless by law of cartoon physics. Pull out exactly what the scene requires. Nobody asks how. This is a cartoon universe. The only limit is imagination and the GM's chaos budget.

THE FOURTH WALL
It's a suggestion. A very thin suggestion.

You can address the audience. Steal props from other productions. And at high enough tier? Rewrite a small detail of recent events. The Fourth Wall isn't a barrier in Ink & Mayhem — it's a door with a handle, and you know where the handle is.

GAG TOKENS vs. CHAOS POINTS
The arms race that keeps the table laughing

Players bank Gag Tokens. The GM stockpiles Chaos Points. Both sides can spend them to tip the scales. The result is a constant, escalating comedy of intentions where the GM is as motivated to create mayhem as you are to survive it. This is not a balance. It's a feature.

ELASTICITY, NOT WOUNDS
You bounce. That's the whole thing.

Toons don't take wounds in the traditional sense. Your Elasticity measures how much cartoon punishment you can absorb before you accordion flat — and then, next scene, you're fine. Because you're a Toon. Getting hit is a comedic beat, not a death spiral.

THE BIT CATALOG

Ink & Mayhem ships with a full catalog of 33 classic cartoon gags — ready to learn, ready to deploy. Each one is a scene-level commitment with mechanical weight. You're not just saying you do a thing. You're doing a Bit. There's a difference. The table will feel it.

Rocket Rollerskates Falling Piano The Tiny Disguise Anvil Drop Mirror Gag Sign Painter Tunnel Painting Spring Shoes Accordion Hit Instant Hole Suitcase Swap The Double-Take …and 21 more
"I reach into my pocket and pull out a fully loaded trebuchet."
— every Bruiser, eventually
KA-POW!
WHY PLAY THIS?
Consequences Are Temporary
Cartoon logic means the danger is real but the damage is comedic. You can take a stick of dynamite to the face. You'll be fine next scene. That freedom changes how players approach every problem.
The Story Rewards Roleplay
The Shtick system isn't optional flavour — it's mechanically enforced. Playing in-character moves the numbers. The game is literally built to reward the player who commits to the bit harder than anyone else at the table.
Short Seasons, Clear Arcs
Ink & Mayhem is structured for episodic and short-season play. Toons have Contracts, Studios, and season arcs. It's perfect for limited-run campaigns, one-shots, or groups who want a defined story with a clear curtain call.
Runs on Exodus NDS
If your group already plays Exodus NDS, everything transfers directly. Same dice system, same core skills, same talent pyramid — layered with cartoon-specific rules that feel native, not bolted on.
The GM Has Toys Too
Chaos Points mean the GM isn't just setting the stage — they're a player in the comedy arms race. The best sessions of Ink & Mayhem are the ones where nobody was sure who was winning the joke until the last beat landed.
Everyone Gets a Spotlight
Six Toon Types, each mechanically distinct, each with a different relationship to mayhem. The Bruiser charges in. The Zip is already gone and back. The Brain already solved it. There's no "who rolls Perception" because everyone has a thing.
Ready to
sign the contract?

Ink & Mayhem is available now for Exodus NDS.
Your Shtick awaits. Your Bits are warming up. Your pocket is already full of things that shouldn't fit.

GET INK & MAYHEM $29.99

Exodus NDS Core Rules required · Compatible with all Exodus NDS Universes