Shadow & Fae

  "The Underworld" - From Mythic Bastionland's Quickstart Mythic Bastionland  captured my attention when the quickstart came out, and—having now run a few games in it—it's amazing how simple and versatile it is. That said, all characters are knights sworn to Seek the Myths, Honor the Seers, and Protect the Realm. While this does create fun stories that swing from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail to something like Elden Ring's crumbling world, there certainly remains some room for new ideas. One that's pecked at me for awhile is the idea of Sorcerers or Mystics. Here's a quick crack at it.  You can find the final edition (including custom character sheets) on itch .  Mythic Bastionland - Sorcerers All sorcerers begin with a pony and a staff (d6, shatter to  deny  an attack).  Instead of gaining glory, sorcerers gain  wisdom . 0 Wisdom - Novice - Worthy to learn. 3 Wisdom - Mystic - Worthy to speak. 6 Wisdom - Magus - Worthy to teach. 9 Wisdo...

Death & Divinity Artist Unknown Look upon the world, how rain falls, trills down the hillsides, pours into the rivers and seas, and rises again as mist in the air. If our world is so careful to conserve the stuff of rivers and seas, how careful shall we suppose it to be with the stuff of souls? And yet, as one can never step in the same river twice, it is known that no being is ever truly reborn. The stuff of their soul melds into the great Will of all things, blending with the immaterial essence, the Materia Animae, of all other souls, and from this great sea, new souls are drawn. And they are born into the world we leave them. Our lust for divinity will not lead to life, but to an eternal lingering death, in which nothing is renewed, and all things fade. The Fault of Eternity Immortality is not agelessness.  All things fade, crumble, and give way in time. Though some have achieved immortality through binding their souls to arcane constructions known as “Bastions”, even those ...

  Art by Eric Belisle You are not fully yourself until you realize your place in the wider universe, your connection to the leaves, stones, sun, moon, and all other things. You are the universe. Reach out your hand, and the mountains shall shatter. The Monk: A Class for Shadow & Fae 2e , and Other GLoGs With each Chapter, gain Combatant, and... One, Lesson of Water Lesson of Earth Lesson of Air Lesson of Fire Starting Gear : Staff (d6, 1b, 2H, Light, Shatter d4), Incense (1b), Flint & Steel (1/3b), d4 rations, 2d6 GP. Starting Skill : Cantor | Spirits | Herbs | Brewing Combatant : Gain 2 HP and +1 to Hit and Damage each time you take this. If you take this feature 3 times, you may take an extra action in combat, which may be an attack. If you are Mortally Wounded, roll a d6 instead of a d8. One : You are at your best when you realize your place within the universe. By meditating for at least an hour, you may restore a pool of Ki dice equal to your Monk Chapters. Ki dice are...

  Art from Rune Factory 2 The biological ancestry of a slime is dubious at best. Are they in fact some form of mold given mobility by the evolutionary process? Or are they a magical creation or mishap? Furthermore, some slimes have been noted to carry the bones of a single humanoid within them, forming around them as a replacement for flesh. Is the slime actually the changed body of the old humanoid? Strangest still, and rarest of all, are those few slimes that bear true sentience... Nicholas RookZero Slime: A Simple GLoG Ancestry You may choose "Slime" as your optional race. This comes with the following benefits and drawbacks: Morph : You can squeeze through openings only an inch wide. You can move gear through as well, so long as it would fit. Slimeform : You take 1/2 damage from physical sources, but double from elemental sources. You have about as much mass as an average human, and can shape it as you see fit. Sticky : You can cling to walls and ceilings and move along t...

Art by Andy Romanchik Someone on Reddit got me thinking about a loose class system that really lets you go wild with building your character the way you see fit. This is probably wildly broken. Regardless, I love it. And it should "just work" with most GLoG systems. ModuGLOG At level 1 gain a "History". With each level, gain 2 "Feat Points". Spend a Feat Point on any Path to gain a feat of your choice from that path. Histories Each history grants a Skill, Starting Gear, and a Feature. You may choose your history, or roll a d6: 1-3. Human | 4. Dwarf | 5. Changeling | 6. Returned Human Anywhere you can find water, sun, and dirt, you're sure to get humans. Skill (d8): 1. Chef | 2. Sailor | 3. Smith | 4. Doctor | 5. Merchant | 6. Herbalist | 7. Thief | 8. Noble Starting Gear : 1 Weapon, Light Armor or Bow, Tool related to Skill, 2d6 GP. Versatile : Gain +1 Feat Point at level 1. Dwarf Carved from stone and sung to fleshy life, the dwarves don't ty...

"The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them." - Lois Bujold, Art by Chenxi Kang Guilt, Fear, Anxiety, Foul Magics, there are ten thousand reasons for the dead to stir in their sleep, even to rise in a restless semblance of life. It is our place to give them their rest by whatever means we may. Cleric of the Requiem Starting Gear : Mace (d8, 1 Bulk), Light Armor, Shield, Lantern & Oil, Chalk (1/3 Bulk), Black Oilcloth Cloak (1 Bulk, Waterproof), Strange Memento (See Below) Skill : Dead Languages | Ancient Machinery | Forgotten History A . Friend of the Dead, Last Rites, Casting B . Psychopomp, +1 MD, +2 Spells C . Inviolate Wards, +1 MD, +2 Spells D . Order of the Requiem, +1 MD, +2 Spells (Chosen, not rolled) Friend of the Dead : Mindless undead encounters will not attack you on an X-in-6 roll, where X is your Cleric of the Requiem level. Sentient Undead roll +X on reactions to your party. Last Rites : You may anoint a mindless undea...

Art: H.J. Ford, The Faithful Servant Art: Gustave Dore, They Fiercely Charged Forward In a world where wizards fling spells at dragons, it might seem strange to play as a commoner, or even a mundane soldier, and yet there is a style of play that can't be captured properly if every player is a sort of superhero. For dragons to be fierce and terrifying, we must be weak and mortal. The interest is generated by the contrast, and it's incredibly memorable if common folk actually manage to slay such a creature.  Commoners are useful for beginning new campaigns and "rolling" characters - PCs in Shadow and Fae set their stats with a kind of Point Buy system, so the chart here is useful for players that would rather roll. It's also a useful page for rolling up hirelings in a hurry. As for soldiers, they may seem mundane compared to sorcerers and fae, but for most of us it is just as much a fantasy to wield a sword in life-or-death combat as it is to fling spells. I wanted ...

  Little John, by Louis Read, Colorized GLoG Classic Class: The Thief This is the first post in a series I am intending to start that revisits classic classes to breathe new life into them. Not merely a set of bonuses to existing play options, my hope is that these revisitations will open interesting gameplay options to the players that choose to take them. Thieves have been a troublesome class since their introduction in the early days of D&D. Gygax himself famously hated the thief class, adding it primarily due to pressure from fans of the Hobbit. And his disdain is perhaps justified. The very nature of the class removes many of the threats of dungeoneering. Traps? Send the thief. Monsters? Have the thief sneak past. An unsuspecting guard? Backstab!  Rather than create interesting play scenarios, it is very easy to design thief classes that simply negate them. Much as Rangers in 5e come under fire for making wilderness exploration procedures irrelevant, the thief can act...

  Tucson Waldorf School, Artist Unknown Students of Wind & Stone Starting Equipment : Staff, incense, robes in a color of your choice, 3 rations. Skill : Spiritualism | Nature | Riddles A . Ki, Ways of the Masters, Honor B . Flow, +1 Understanding, +1 Way, +1 Ki C . Wisdom, +1 Understanding, +1 Way, +1 Ki D . Choose 1 Form, 1 Element, & 1 Master, +1 Way, +1 Ki A. Ki , Your mastery of your body has unlocked the flow of ki within it. You have 1 Ki, and gain 1 Ki with each level. You may regain all your ki by remaining motionless for 10 minutes. A. Ways of the Masters , You have sat with ancient masters and repeated the same careful motions countless times.  Your unarmed strikes deal d4 damage, your unarmored AC is 12+DEX+[Templates], and you may attempt 1 non-damaging maneuver (shove, grapple, etc.) for free on your turn. In addition, this patience has granted you understandings of the capabilities of the human body that few truly grasp, known as Ways. Using a Way costs ...

The Alcomancer Some seek gold, or glory, or powers beyond comprehension. You're just looking for a good brew. Alcomancers are magicians skilled in the manipulation of fermentation. With a few simple ingredients and a moment's work, and Alcomancer can create truly wondrous  beverages. Starting Gear : Brewer's Tools (2 slots, contains bottles, yeast, cloth, etc.), Heavy Ladle (Medium Weapon), 3 Rations, Bottle of Strong Liquor (1/3 Slot), Heavy Apron & Gloves (Light Armor) Skill : 1. Bartering, 2. Herbalism, 3. Urban Navigation A. Brewing, Suppliers, Vice B. Secret Ingredients, +1 BD C. Master Brewer, Label, +1 BD D. Brewery Boss, +1 BD Intoxication  - Whenever a creature drinks an alcoholic beverage they must save or gain a level of intoxication (TOX). A creature may choose to fail this test. For every 2 points of [TOX] taken, creatures gain 1 fatigue when they sober up. If a creature stops drinking, it will sober up in [TOX]*20 minutes. While intoxicated, a creature mus...

Gold and Sleeping Bears The gold is just lying there, but so is the bear. What do you do? And just like that, we're playing Dungeons and Dragons. Now, yes, someone will tell me there's all sorts of rules about Conflict Resolution, Dice Mechanics, Action Economy, Death and Dismemberment, etc. But all of that exists to support one question: How do you get the gold? This gives us not 2, but 4 categories to consider: 1. Rewards What is the reason for the players being here, what do they want? While gold is the simplest answer, and the most versatile, other rewards exist as well. 2. Danger Why hasn't someone else claimed the treasure? 3. Environment Dreams of the Slumbering Moon Each player takes on the role of a member of the small village with an important job. Each turn represents 1 week, wherein the members of the village do their best to overcome the struggles of the village and prepare for the coming festivals. Each season is 12 weeks, and ends with a Festival. To start, p...