This is a preview for October's Tools of the Trade compendium! This 30-page compendium features expansions to artisan’s tools including special components and alternative uses, artisan’s boons for the crafter...
2022-10-25 14:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post
This month I failed (again) to reduce my workload so it's 30 pages again! I'm sure this will be the last time since for this one, I felt compelled to include all the artisan's tools, which were a lot, and I didn't give up until I had it all on paper. The next one, being fiend-themed, is much more...
2022-10-25 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Hammers are not particularly interesting because they're often made for a single purpose (smashing things) but I kinda like the name I picked for this one. Less of an "adjective+noun" or "Proper Noun" kind of name, but simply a collection of nouns that imply a progression.
---
The...
2022-10-24 14:04:01 +0000 UTC View Post
I just learned that loupes are a specialized form of magnifying glass for jewelers to inspect gems. I designed the mechanics thematically around the magnifying glass (identification, burning) and visually around the emerald because that's a hella cool color!
---
Such magnifying le...
2022-10-24 14:03:00 +0000 UTC View Post
For this one, I wanted to test out the engraving technique I used for the No Safe Arbor. I'm not 100% sure if this worked out but at least the silhouette still looks pretty imposing! For the design I leaned into the leatherworking and made them especially effective against organic armor, with a b...
2022-10-24 14:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This is one of the couple tool/weapons that use changing forms to conceal their true nature. It's a pretty simple one (just hold it the other way!) and was quite straightforward to design as any smith will use heat metal. Power-wise it feels most like a Flametongue but with half the power.
...
2022-10-24 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
During research I made a list of tools and a list of weapons that I had not designed for yet, and the sling and wire cutter made for a perfect union - that along with the garrote use. Even though it's visually simple, I really like how this item can benefit your sneaky characters and really make ...
2022-10-17 14:04:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Drawing a wood file wasn't actually that bad - I ended up being able to duplicate most of the filings and being strategic with the lighting. I brainstormed different ways for these tool/weapon combos to be deadly and this was the result - instead of focusing on damage, it instead focuses on armin...
2022-10-17 14:03:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The idea for a writer to control a dart was pretty self-explanatory. The Trace the Path feature is a good way to deal ~10 possible extra damage to distant enemies, or manipulate lightweight things like a ball bearing in a puzzle.
---
The calligrapher's fine hand coordination and c...
2022-10-17 14:01:02 +0000 UTC View Post
I'm not sure if spun centrifuges are a thing but this was a great opportunity to design a flail (not a commonly chosen weapon). Brewing isn't limited to alcohol, of course, so I wanted to also showcase some alternative uses of the brew.
---
Chain-spun extractors typically find usa...
2022-10-17 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostIt really feels like just last week I wrote the previous month's poll - time goes by so fast. Thank you again for all of your support - there's no way to express how much my life has changed thanks to all of you.
This month's tools theme feels pretty good, though I think I stumbled upon a c...
2022-10-10 14:05:00 +0000 UTC View Post
I really like the Painted Arcana features, which lets you pre-draw a spell's area! It would be a pretty cool set-up for all sorts of missions, like luring the targets into certain areas, and have the benefit of not requiring concentration if you are prepared.
---
The larger paintb...
2022-10-10 14:04:00 +0000 UTC View Post
The strange issue with blowguns is that it's a ranged martial weapon that deals only 1 damage. This blowgun in particularly doesn't use darts (which are often poisoned for damage output), so it's up to the blowgun to match typical damage by itself.
---
A tiny fire elemental in the...
2022-10-10 14:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
To make some of the tools appear more harmless, I designed some that require a bit of assembly beforehand! These are the Death Threads - easy to sneak into any place and use effectively. For missions, they're excellent at catching escaping targets, from the Catcher's Cradle property to the minor ...
2022-10-10 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
You're probably wondering why this month's theme is so bloody and in response, I say, that's just red paint!
---
The knives bound to this knife block were stolen from the mortuarium of the shadowlord Kayn, sharpened by revenant claws in the Shadowbarren. For this reason only few s...
2022-10-10 14:00:10 +0000 UTC View Post
This weapon set borrows a bit of the ranger's dual-wielded weapons concepts, applying extra damage over multiple hits. Like hammering in a nail, hammering in this stitching awl deals extra damage, for which you benefit if you have a bonus action attack! 1d6 per hit seems strong, but considering t...
2022-10-03 14:03:00 +0000 UTC View Post
This map is great for the cartographer who needs to do a job in a secure compound. I thought a lot about its unlimited use of 15-foot mapping, which would theoretically reveal a labyrinth's secrets, but I figure the 10-minute use time would make whatever threat in the labyrinth much more deadly (...
2022-10-03 14:02:00 +0000 UTC View Post
The act of combining chemical substances on the fly is a hallmark trait of an alchemist and designing an alchemist item that doesn't do that would be a disservice. This did end up with the unfortunate side effect of being like Honey Lemon's purse from Big Hero 6. On the flip side, during research...
2022-10-03 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Welcome to the new month! I gotta admit I wasn't exactly sure where this month was going to go when I first threw it out there. I knew I wanted to focus on the artisan's tools, probably a couple uses for them, and perhaps something else "mysterious." I settled on a series of tools that could be u...
2022-10-03 14:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
This is a preview for September's The Ranger's Guide compendium! This 29-page compendium brings you exploration guidelines, 46 new ranger character traits, 3 new plus 3 updated ranger archetypes, 24 new items wit...
2022-09-26 14:11:01 +0000 UTC View Post
I keep planning on 20 pages in the compendium but the amount I write keeps getting away from me. I really felt the character creation tables would make it really good. At least this month's compendium has less pages than last month's, which means I'm probably doing better with my workaholism prob...
2022-09-26 14:10:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This ranger first appeared in December 2020's Santa All The Way compendium, an old first-attempt at homebrew. It was then called the Northern Guardian (aka Santa) but has now been updated to be theme-agnostic.
Frostheart Guardian Design
This ranger is primari...
2022-09-26 14:06:01 +0000 UTC View Post
This ranger first appeared in the Unearthed Gems compendium back in July. Revisiting this allowed me to reverify and fix some old errors, as well as streamline the play experience.
Stonewarden Design
This ranger was designed to be defense-focused, much like e...
2022-09-26 14:05:01 +0000 UTC View Post
I like to think my subclasses are never done - I make mistakes and the meta and needs surrounding the game often changes. That's part of the reason why I have so few subclasses: I spend a lot of time designing and testing it, both before and after they are released. For this compendium, I am re-e...
2022-09-26 14:04:00 +0000 UTC View Post
I struggled with designing this subclass for a long time because many of my ideas were already implemented in other subclasses. I nearly scrapped it, but I perservered and finally found something unique and interesting.
Storm Speaker Design
This ranger is designed aro...
2022-09-26 14:02:00 +0000 UTC View Post
There hadn't been an elemental ranger as of late and I always felt there was a lot of room to interpret - after all, the elemental planes are real places that rangers could theoretically travel. I also wanted to try a summoner for the first time, so it was either this or the Ooze Wrangler's slime...
2022-09-26 14:01:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Welcome to the first in a series of ranger subclasses! There will be three new ranger subclasses available in the upcoming Ranger's Guide compendium, as well as updated reprints of three previously re...
2022-09-26 14:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post
A very nice auxiliary weapon designed to convert your attack bonuses to damage, but only works for favored enemies. It'll work much better for the Tasha's Favored Foe option, but shhhh that's not SRD.
Some of these items also reference a couple ranger conclaves which I hope to explore in a ...
2022-09-19 14:04:01 +0000 UTC View Post
There are some REALLY pretty druidic medallions out there and I really like how this one turned out. The Cat's Eye gemstone is a must for what this does, plus a couple very lovely tree patterns.
Primeval Awareness isn't a great feature for the original ranger, but I'm not trying to fix it. ...
2022-09-19 14:02:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Bonus action usage, especially from casting hunter's mark, has always been a pain point for many rangers, so this hat simply addresses it by allowing a quick cast and free up your BA for something else.
---
Speed and stealth are often crucial for a ranger's work. The tip ...
2022-09-19 14:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post