Fantasy Heartbreak Workshop

Recently Mike Mearls did a retrospective on why D&D 4th Edition failed. It's been over a decade since I played and ran 4th Edition ("4E") D&D, but the question of what was wrong with it still keeps coming up on occasion, and my answers to the issue are spread across various places on the internet. So this is a more unified list of my complaints, or those I can sympathize with, that have been made over the years. I'm sure there's something to the casual participants vs. tactical combat optimizers issue Mike is mentioning. But the communities I was involved with at the time were what would eventually become the "Old School Revival/Renaissance", and folks there weren't particularly concerned with either of these things (though casual participants would have been more comfortable there than optimizers). First, to be clear:  I think for some people, 4th Edition was exactly the sort of game they were interested in.  It did try to "balance...

I've been thinking a bit about the idea of counterspells over the years, probably since reading a brief example of it in Weis and Hickman's Deathgate Cycle years back. And none of the iterations I've seen of it quite sit right. In my mind: There should be some chance of failure. This is something done on the fly, so it doesn't always work. It should have some price. You can't just try it against every spell thrown against you. It should not be just one spell or power that everyone needs to take (taking up a slot). It should be a bit more reflective of the breadth of a magician's understanding. But I hadn't really thought through all the specifics of what that would entail until reading The Robgoblin's post on Beyond Vancian Magic . I still am not fully onboard with his thoughts for this particular talent. But reading it lead me to more thoroughly consider the details of how to write this up for the Ancient Red Wyrm advanced edition. Other notes: The te...

Automata are thinking machines and other constructs made of metal, wood or similar non-living substances. An automata may be powered by magic, bottled lightning, animating spirits, self-winding spring systems, arcanotech, or other odd methods. A character of this type often looks completely artificial. But even those who appear uncannily human, tend to trigger some intuition in others who instinctively know something isn’t right. Though designed to mimic the sophont mind, automata don’t always completely get the weird motives of living creatures. Automata can shut down for a preset period but don’t truly sleep or dream. Stats below are intended for use with the Ancient Red Wyrm system . But it should be possible to adapt them to other OSR and newer school fantasy role-playing games with little effort. Ability Score Adjustments (Heavy Automata): +4 STR, +2 CON, -2 WIS, -4 CHA Ability Score Adjustments (Light Automata): +4 INT, +2 DEX, -2 WIS, -4 CHA Self Repair: An autom...

Old fat spider spinning in a tree! Old fat spider can’t see me! Attercop! Attercop! Won’t you stop, Stop your spinning and look for me!    - The Hobbit , J R R Tolkien Attercops are a smaller, typically social species of humanoid arachnids, closely related to the more solitary and feral Ettercap. They drink blood and the internal organs of living creatures. Attercops had historically been subsistence hunters, working in teams to deal with larger prey and hold their own against more voracious predators. However, after the advent of livestock farming, many have adopted a more sedentary lifestyle, becoming eager participants in community life. Stats below are intended for use with the Ancient Red Wyrm system . But it should be possible to adapt them to other OSR and newer school fantasy role-playing games with little effort. Ability Score Adjustments:  +2 DEX, +2 WIS, -2 STR, -2 CHA Cobweb: Each round an attercop may produce about 1 square yard of weak, gauzy webbin...

 The following items are condensed from dreams, impressions, and tales drifting through the Feywild, or in similar fairy or dream realms. While items with similar effects may be created by mortal magicians, there is no known way to create these specific items. They must be found among fey and dreams, or obtained from another owner. Within a fey realm, the Wings of Thistledown and Wand of Whimsy are often found as part of a stereotypical fairy costume for dolls.  But, since they are normally found in the toy chests of fey giants, the magical items in question will be scaled to work well for most small and medium creatures. Wings of Thistledown These are small, costume wings which go on a character's back. The wings may be made of nearly any lightweight material including starched fabric, stiff paper, feathers, wire and gauze, or tufts of cotton. They may attach via separate straps, or be sewn into an outfit of particolored leotard and crinoline tutu.  When the wings are ...

Stompy boots are always large (seemingly oversized), metal, armored boots.  Each pair was once worn by a Knight of Chaos and is now infused with their essence.  Stompy Boots have the following advantages and disadvantages: Grants +1 protection (cumulative with other armor worn). Kicking attacks are now treated as 1d6 weapons with a +2 magic bonus to attack or damage. This bonus also applies to attempts to break things via kicking. Attacks which involve stomping on an opponent from above, do 1d12 base damage instead of 1d6. Any time the character is moving, they automatically fail at attempts to sneak or hide. Even characters without a sense of hearing can feel the vibrations in the ground and air from these boots. (These boots inspired by an item from the Trouble Juice video game .)

Flambeaux are a category of magical weapons, typically taking the form of a shortsword whose blade blazes and illuminates like a torch when drawn. Flambeaux are treated as +1 magical weapons and can set flammable things on fire with a touch. However, once a Flamdeaux is drawn, it negates invisibility and all normal attempts at stealth used by the person bearing it. Sheathing the sword must be done in daylight. If the sword is sheathed under other conditions, then the flames transfer to the carrier. The bearer's head seems to dance with bright tongues of harmless flame. These intangible flames can only be extinguished by soaking the bearer's head while lit with daylight, or if another individual takes and attunes with the sword. Because of these inconveniences, some consider Flambeaux to be cursed weapons, or at least of mixed usefulness.  However, they are also somewhat easier to construct than many other traditional flaming swords.