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spin this wheel to get a random d&d class. you are instantly transported into the d&d world and have to live as that class
how fucked are you
very. i am very fucked
this is not gonna be easy, but i can do it
literally fine
might be a challenge at first, but not hard
FUCK YEAH I PREFER THIS
Fishing in Barovia's Waters - A free PDF
Discord really wanted my solo RPG journal tables in an easier-to-read format for their own games, so I took some time to type them all up! It's up on my Ko-Fi for free!
Ever had your players ask "Can we go fishing?" in Barovia and scrambled for rules that fit the setting? This fishing system has you covered! Built specifically for Curse of Strahd using Transylvanian fish species, this supplement transforms a simple survival activity into atmospheric gameplay.
Roll for encounters ranging from common catches to legendary horrors, discover what unfortunate souls rest in the deep, and choose your equipment wisely. Location matters: Lake Zarovich offers abundant but cursed catches, while the Raven River's blessed waters provide safer fishing. Complete with equipment rules, bait quality mechanics, and enough gothic flavor to make even catching dinner feel appropriately Barovian.
GRAB IT HERE!
Why You Should Try Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Part 8: Fun and Easy Character Creation
This is part 8 of a multi-part series of posts about the awesome features of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, in no particular order.
Find the earlier parts here:
Part 1 Link: We Worked Hard on It!
Part 2 Link: It's Easy to Learn!
Part 3 Link: It's Easy to GM!
Part 4 Link: It's Easy to GM and Supports Narrative and Roleplay!
Part 5 Link: It Revolutionizes Investigation and Mystery Solving in TTRPGs
Part 6 Link: PCs are Not Just Mystery Solving Automatons
Part 7 Link: Excellent Time-Keeping Mechanics Keep the Pressure On
I talked about Skills in previous parts, and here we will go more in-depth into them, as well as other awesome things that make up a Eureka character.
Skills
As mentioned before, Eureka characters have an all-purpose array of 21 Skills meant to cover just about anything they’re likely to encounter while trying to solve a mystery, with a rating that tells you how good or bad they are at each of these skills. You don’t roll for skill points, nor do you get a set amount of them to distribute. The only rules are that each skill must be set to a rating between -3 and +3, and at the end, they all have to add up to a net 0. This means that for every +3(making them an expert at that skill), they have to have a -3 somewhere else, or three -1s, etc. This can make character creation a little bit like a puzzle, where you slowly uncover just who your PC is as you move their skills around to add up to 0, while still giving you complete control over their strengths and weaknesses.
There are also additional “Write-In” skills, which are more specialized. You can also write in your own skills as Write-In skills if none of the official ones suit your PC. Any Write-In skill has to be set to +1 or higher, and counts for the total.
Traits
In addition to skills, Eureka characters are made up of Traits. These are literally personality traits that have a mechanical effect on that PC’s gameplay, further supporting roleplay. Each PC has 3 Traits by default, but additional Traits, up to 6 total, can be added at the cost of extending how many Investigation Points it costs them to get a Eureka! Point.
Traits can radically change how the PC plays, and of course help define their personality by encouraging and discouraging certain behaviors through bonuses and penalties. Many Traits also provide additional ways of spending Eureka! Points.
Here’s a few examples and a link to a big masterpost of Traits, though at the time of writing this there’s even more Traits than the masterpost shows. You’ll have to download the Eureka rulebook to see them all. (It's linked at the top of this post.)
Truth
A PC’s “Truth” is another mechanic that really fleshes them out in gameplay. It is one of more extra little elements of their personality. It could be a motto they live by, their short temper, their overly trusting nature, etc. The only rule is that it has to be something that would be likely to spur them to action or get them into trouble. Once per Scene, when they say or do something that is in line with their Truth, they gain a +1 bonus to their next 5 skill checks. This keeps your characters acting in-character, and rewards it.
Inventory and Wealth
You might have noticed that "Wealth" is a skill. In short, this skill is rolled when PCs buy something, or when they need to know something about high-society. (It can also be reversed when they need to know things about lower class environments.)
Another thing that Wealth governs is the PC’s inventory items.
Inventory items are determined on a per-scenario basis by rolling for how many Wealth Points can be spent on items before the scenario starts. You’ll get your investigator a house (or equivalent), a vehicle, and whatever else they can afford. Having the right item for the job can save lives, but powerful weapons, fast cars, comfortable homes, etc. can get expensive quick. Just like in real life, rich people generally have an easier time of things, but some of the best moments in our own campaigns have come from PCs struggling with money.
(You also fill out the PC’s Tiers of Fear in character creation but I already talked about that in Part 6.)
The Magestar has arrived!
Magestar officially launches today! If eldritch apocalypses and thoughtfully messy maps are your thing, grab yourself a copy below.
Build a map together as you explore a world changed by a magical apocalypse.
For those for whom $2.99 USD is a barrier, there are community copies as well thanks to its kind backers. =)
One of my persistent hyper fixations right now is Firelock 198X by Rifle Infantry.
Here's the artist and writer over on Twitter.
Defy the Gods review
Queer sword & sorcery adventure-romance in fantasy ancient Mesopotamia
I highly recommend this game, especially to anyone who's already interested in games like Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Agon or Runequest. Some highlights of what I enjoyed - gorgeous and evocative artwork, really cool character abilities, building a city together that our characters loved and cared about, playing our own enemies in cutscenes, flavorful worldbuilding options to decide what the gods are or what is magic, and opportunities for dramatic reveals or vulnerable moments.
When I had the opportunity to play this game, we saw some really fun larger-than-life character abilities ("Miracles", "Spells", "Moves", etc.) like -
changing the timeline
summoning a posse of shades who are super helpful until they get hungry
making an illusion of people so real that you single-handedly change your city's demographics
communing with a mythical beast and convincing them to become a guardian spirit of the nearby river instead of eating people
disguising yourself completely as a high priestess and taking over the temple without any question from the acolytes
emanating the power of the goddess of hopeless wishes so powerfully that an enemy just decides to leap back in the Underworld
literally flying with the power of friendship
Learning the rules was pretty easy, rolls are 2d6 with a modifier if applicable. Epithets work both as sort of stats/abilities and conditions/health/durability. You write a unique phrase that talks about your character's behavior or values. You rewrite one of these epithets when your character experiences Crisis (from taking too many Wounds - which usually comes from low rolls) or Doom (from gaining too much Fire - which comes usually from high rolls). You gain XP when you roll low, or when you do certain things that match the theme of your specific character archetype (for example, communicating with otherworldly forces for one playbook, endangering yourself to seek knowledge for another.) There's definitely some fun toys on each character sheet to keep track of and challenge everyone to dive into the drama.
There's an example adventure in the back of the full book, however it seems easy to set up a simple adventure by just looking at the playbooks that people are interested in and the World Forces (the authorities in the world that hate your characters for their subversive lifestyles and adventuring ways). In fact, each player makes a character who is a World Force, which also helps with fleshing out the opposition.
We encountered a god of revenge who was angry that our Revenant didn't want to serve them, city officials who sent guards to tear down our neighborhood to make way for a "fire break", a river god spreading curses to our neighborhood who also hated the Vessel's deity for not being a traditional goddess, and Atlantean sorcerers who wanted to plant their city in the Wild and our neighborhood alike without regard for either the wild creatures or city-dwellers. The players fleshed out some ideas at the beginning of the game of what creatures served the Underworld, what were characteristics of Atlantis, and what the city government was like.
For a one session game, I would definitely recommend doing as we did and starting each player character off with 2 XP and 2 Fire, and truncating some of the world building. I could definitely see this system being compatible with a bunch of sword n sorcery adventures as long as the group made sure to create dramatic relationships with each other and the opposition (World Forces).
Anyway, 10/10, would defy the gods again! :)
Another chance to get the award-winning game, now with new adventure... START!
Just a few more days left in START's Kickstarter!
