The Dark Lore

I already posted a draft of this new archetype I'm going to include in my Fragments setting (check out the  introduction  and  part I of my design diary ) on the G+ game's page. I wanted to refine the concept a little bit, so... here it is! It's worth noting that while I started thinkin' about it as a Fragments feature, it is perfectly playable in any fantasy setting where "destiny" is a serious matter, since it is an evocative concept using the luck die mechanic to perform awesome stunts. The Fateweaver Fateweaver Hit Dice:  1d6 Hit Points per level Luck Die:  d10 Prime Attributes: Intellect  and  Willpower A  Fateweaver  receives the following  Special Abilities: Alter Fate:  A Fateweaver can make a  Willpower  test to downgrade his  Luck Die  in order to restore a nearby creature’s  Luck Die  by 1 step. Alternatively, he can make a  Willpower  test to restore his...

In the  previous article , I introduced my setting for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells (Ss&Ss from now on). Thing is, I introduced it to myself too, since it's still growing and I don't honestly want to draw a complete canvas. Still, I want to provide you (and myself) with enough meat to feel comfortable and ready to go, same feel I have whule reading and re-reading the rulebook.  As Nogueira states in his masterpiece, let me paraphrase him, Ss&Ss is a simple but yet concrete project, which doesn't fall apart in the OSR ocean, bringing in an adult and smart old school spirit design.  "Fragments" is not intended to be particularly low magic, as it is usually intended. It is a world full of crystal like structures where fragments dusts of many colors dot the landacape, often hiding their raw and dangerous nature behind the chromatic havok.  Here we go with a few design notes about Fragments, crystals and all the hell going on with colours...

Ok, this is great stuff, ladies and gentleman. It' plenty of in depth resources/reviews about Ss&Ss, so I'll just jot down what compels me the most: why this game is absolutely awesome. This game is published by  Old Skull Publishing  and written by Diogo Nogueira, a kind guy you should really meet on G+. It's a less than 50 actual pages long full fledged game, with more meat than you might even imagine: it has personality, doesn't clone anything. It is loosely based on our favorite game, but the author puts enough fun into the mix to make it a completely different beast.  I'm not against classic d&d, but I always support cleverness. Nogueira is a clever guy, who discovers the truth above all else: nothing can be created from scratch, but you can get what you know and improve it following your istinct and tastes. Not only he does this at full power: Ss & Ss is an insanely refreshing game, with tons of inputs. All within one book, with the prop...

This mini, but still deep setting, will be my attempt to provide a **sinister world for a sinister game .  It's not low fantasy or particularly tied to a specific era; you will find tons of dark fantasy reference, clear inspiration to some videogames, books, comics and movie. It's a sandbox, themepark world that I'll like to play in and that will hopefully help you to create your base setting. Recently I'm mosty play FATE Accelerated and it is a storytelling based game with tons of dramatic and pulpy elements… well, Ss&Ss is one of the few games still grabbing my attention and brings that kind of freedom (complications, vocation, story-based abilities, etc) that I love. Take this sense of freedom, mix it with a very strange world that find its roots in the concept of macro isolation and boom: you will have a perfect framework to weave some good stories with your players! Last but not least, I wanted to give each of the game's options a place a...