sterlingvermin

New Saurian Subraces Preview - Feedback Encouraged!

Race Preview: the Godblooded

Hello there backers!

Today I wanted to get your feedback on this barebones stripped down outline for a race I have been thinking about off and on for awhile. I had been developing a much more complicated version of the same idea and decided I was making it more difficult than it had to be and should just reference cleric class divine domains rather than coming up with a bunch of unique features per subrace. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this before I do a blog update on this concept! In particular I'm interested in hearing concerns you have about balance and how you would clean up / clarify the language.

Announcing the Sterling Vermin Anthology!

Hello backers!

Today I launched the Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co. Anthology on the DM's Guild! As I discussed with you all in a previous post this anthology contains only material already available individually as PWYW on the DM's Guild. The anthology is for people who appreciate the ease of having all content in one convenient location or who want to support the Sterling Vermin.

Since you are all generous supporters of the Sterling Vermin already I *highly* encourage you to wait a week or two to pick up this title as it will be part of a DM's Guild mega-sale where the top authors on DM's Guild steeply discount their titles.

Thanks for all your feedback as I weighed my options with creating this anthology and, as always, for your ongoing support.

- Benjamin

The Avenger Class

Requested by one of our Living Legends, Jared Jolley, he and I have spent the last few months developing a 5e translation of the 4e class, the Avenger. Check it out!

Backer Feedback Requested!

Hello patrons!

I was contacted by DM's Guild yesterday and would like to get the input of my backers. According to the DM's Guild I am one of the top 30 sellers on their site (which blows my mind!) and they requested I participate in a flash sale. The hitch, however, is that all of my stuff is PWYW so there is nothing I have to put on sale (their message made it clear they would not accept PWYW content for this). In order to participate in the flash sale I am considering putting all current content from the DM's Guild into a single document, the Sterling Vermin Omnibus, that will have a fixed price and include all content so far released by Sterling Vermin on the DM's Guild.

This DOES NOT mean I will take down all the PWYW options it just means there will be an option that allows people to purchase the Omnibus for (approximately) $10. For people who'd like to offer support but want to do so without joining this Patreon it would be an alternative way of showing their love for the Sterling Vermin. The description of the Omnibus would make it clear that is a compilation of PWYW content from one author.

As I have made missteps in the past in terms of how I chose to handle various situations I wanted to open it up to all of you for feedback. I feel like this is a pretty harmless option that will provide a new spotlight for the Sterling Vermin but I'd love to hear your thoughts and concerns!

Thanks,

Benjamin

Patreon Backer Exclusive: the Knights Stygian v0.2

Hi backers!

I have updated the Knights Stygian preview with a new 14th level feature. It is quite potent but also, possibly, balanced by the fact that on a miss it does nothing. I feel like it could provide some really awesome moments in game but check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Thanks for your support,
Benjamin

the Sorcerer Revisited

In the last week I've been working on a slight rebuild of the sorcerer class to improve its identity and niche in the game. I got a bit of feedback on an earlier version earlier this week from /r/unearthedarcana but today I'm hoping to get feedback from all of you. Presented here are two very similar options for a sorcerer rebuild.

In option 1, sorcerer's pool of sorcery points gets bigger by leaps and bounds as they level up. This gives them a ton of flexibility but, in practice, might lead to spamming their highest level spell slot over and over again.

Option 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Er4Ohgo9ZqUnEdxuwigB32NKc6yfio93-binvOo9Vos/edit?usp=sharing

In option 2, sorcerer's pool of sorcery points gets slightly bigger as they level up and they gain the ability to completely refill their pool of sorcery points once a day (twice a day at higher levels). This maintains most of the flexibility of option 1 but adds in a bit of constraints so that spamming your highest level spell slot may not always be the most efficient use of your sorcery points.

Option 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G5QxsYzt4dsB7gy4nnXrfnx6OuvUiq5k4rWw1m_A874/edit?usp=sharing

Vote early because I'd like to incorporate the feedback received here into the post for this upcoming week. I hope you like this revision of the Sorcerer class and thanks for your support!

The next Magus archetype is...

Here today, before even the official announcement, is the first draft of the next Magus Eldritch Society: the Knights Stygian. The necromantic magus archetype was by far the most popular of those in the poll and I'm happy that today I get to do right by my patrons and reveal the first draft.

A lot of TLC went into crafting the Knights Stygian spell list so I think you'll enjoy the new spells they bring to the table. The 7th and 14th level features I am up in the air about - do you think they do the best possible job they could expanding on the themes of the archetype?

I'm looking back to hearing all of your thoughts. As always, thanks for your ongoing support!

- Benjamin

Saurian Now Available on the DM's Guild!

Hi patrons!

An official announcement will go  up on the blog in a couple of days but I wanted to give all of you first crack at checking on the updated & fully artified Saurian race! Like with the Magus I have a couple of stretch goals on this one as well starting with two new subraces and then adding some magical items you might find in the ruins of an ancient Saurian city-state after that. You're welcome to share the release with others if you like but, as I said, I will do an anouncement through the blog & normal channels later this week.

Enjoy!

Benjamin

The Sterling Vermin in 2017

Happy new year, patrons!

I was daydreaming today about some of the things I'd like to accomplish with the Sterling Vermin this year and decided I'd like to talk a bit about that with all of you!

In terms of content, I have a lot of projects I'm interest in as well as an open mind about projects I haven't even considered yet. Obviously the Scholar will continue development and be released in 2017. I also would like to revise and get original art for the Saurian race first posted a couple months ago.

A longer term project that I'd like to do is to go back through the Complete ________ Handbook series I wrote at the start of last year.  I'd like to do this because, first of all, I think I could dramatically improve their balance with an additional year of D&D 5e design under my belt and, second of all, I'd like to add new content to them. I'm not sure exactly when I would expect to start working on this project but probably the first half of 2017.

Other content ideas I'd like to work on this year include Darkest Dungeons & Dragons (D&D rules that incorporate some of the themes and feel of the Darkest Dungeon video game), Kingdom Death & Dragons (D&D rules that incorporate some of the themes and feel of the Kingdom Death boardgame), and dive back into exploring science fantasy as a genre in 5e. While I'd like to do all of these, their status is more up in the air than the other content - they are all big commitments and I will likely only complete one or two of them.

Finally, I've let you all know that I'm interested in creating a print book themed around taverns. While the work has gotten slow on it recently I still fully intend to complete the project as a printed Sterling Vermin book would be a real dream come true for me.

Other than content, I have some other ambitions for the Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co this year as well. Last year I toyed with the idea of starting a podcast but about the time I did that my old computer died. I've been writing for the blog on a Chrome book since then and, while it does the trick, it's certainly harder to write longer pieces on it and it's impossible to do more complicated projects (like recording and editing a podcast). With the money I've made from DM's Guild I can finally afford to replace my old computer so I'll be doing that next month and, when I do, I can finally look more seriously at producing a podcast and / or doing a video series.

At the same time as I'm looking to expand into new formats of content I'll also be considering how to update this Patreon to the new opportunities that come from that. I have been considering the idea of tiers that would open up a monthly chat room for those who pledge at a particular level or possibly even running games for folks. I don't have a lot of solid ideas about this yet but I am focused on maximizing the number of people I can reach without necessarily adding a lot to my workload - I want to keep myself as busy with I can writing new material!

Finally, while I don't have any specific plans around this yet, I'm hoping that 2017 brings me some opportunities to partner with others in the community. There are several folks out there doing their thing with D&D 5e be it by writing adventures, creating videos, or some other innovative projects.

And that's about it! If you're interested in sharing I'd love to hear what your personal D&D goals are for 2017 or what you'd like to see out of the Sterling Vermin this year.

Happy new year!
Benjamin

Reminder to follow us on twitter!

Hey everybody!

Just wanted to remind you that, if you aren't already, you should follow us on twitter. Sometimes when I'm stuck on a project or bored at work I'll tweet questions or comments about something I'm working on. It's a great way to get a bit of a preview, if you're into that, or even to help me brainstorm. So if you're on twitter be sure to join the conversation with me!

- Benjamin

the Shadow Court, v0.2 - Revised Based on Backer Feedback

Hi everyone!

Hope you all have had a great holiday season so far and are set to enjoy New Year's! Personally it's been a rough last few weeks for me with my dog getting seriously injured (and requiring surgery) and being quite sick myself but I'm happy to be closing the book on 2016 soon (and hopefully my dog and I will have better health to look forward to in 2017 too!).

Anyway! It seems backers were more or less satisfied with the Shadow Court in its previous iteration but were very skeptical of the ability to convert hits to critical hits at the cost of a Mystic Mark. This new version changes the effect of removing an enspell and the two cantrips that explicitly keyed off of critical hits have been changed as well.

As always I am open to feedback about the things that have changed as well as the things that haven't changed. I believe the Shadow Court will be added to the Magus class in the next 2 weeks so now's the time to give me all the feedback you have. I've already begun working on the next Eldritch Society and I have to say I'm excited for when I get to announce it too!

**Lastly and importantly** - if you haven't rated the Magus on the DM's Guild, please do so. The Magus has received 5 5 star reviews and 2 4 star reviews but 2 very low reviews are tanking its ratings. I feel like the general consensus of the class' value isn't being accurately reflected so please, if you get the chance and haven't yet, head over there and rate it what you think it deserves! http://www.dmsguild.com/product/200237/the-Magus-Class

Thanks,
Benjamin

Happy Holidays!

Hello backers!

I wanted to pop in to say happy holidays to all our backers and thanks for your ongoing support! 2016 has been an awesome year for the Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co. with the draft and release of the Pugilist & the Magus, amongst a few races and a lot of other new content for 5e. We absolutely could not have completed what we did to the standard we did without all of your support so, for that, we thank you!

For as great of a year as 2016 was, I ancitipate 2017 will be even better. I hope you'll stick with us to find out!

Sincerely,

Benjamin

1st Magus Stretch Goal Reached! Exclusive Backer Preview of New Eldritch Society!

Hello everyone!

Linked here is the text only document outlining the next Magus class archetype, the Shadow Court. I hope you'll give it a look over and let me know your thoughts before it's included in the Magus pdf when we reach the next stretch goal!

Thanks,

Benjamin

A conversation about the release of the Magus

Hello there backers!

Linked here is an /r/sterlingvermin post I just made requesting feedback from the community about the rollout of the Magus. It's been a weekend full of unexpected feedback so far and I'm reaching out to all of you to help me put in context some of the comments I've been getting. Positive or negative I hope you'll share your personal reactions with me either here or on the subreddit.

Thanks so much,

Benjamin

Patreon Backer Sneak Peek: the Magus

Hi everybody!

At long last, here is the Magus! I am releasing this Patreon backer exclusive sneak preview tonight in the hopes that you all can provide me one final round of feedback before it goes up on DM's Guild later this week.

The biggest thing I'm hoping you can try to spot for me are spelling and grammar issues. There is a lot of new language in this draft (particularly in the beginning) so I am sure there are some mistakes that crept in with those.

The second nearly equally big thing I'd like to hear from you all is suggestions for a ribbon feature at 2nd or 3rd level. I thought about doing some kind of Esoteric Senses feature but I feel like that could easily be redundant with Detect Magic and would maybe feel too much like the Paladin then too.

I will admit going into this home stretch I have a few things I'm still considering tinkering with - namely the levels at which different abilities are acquired. I'd like to consider moving Mystic Mark to 3rd level and War Magic to 7th level but I'm not sure about what all else would have to change for that to happen. I'm also considering, if War Magic moves to 7th level, moving Mystic Meditation down to 5th.

Speaking of - let me know what you think of Mystic Meditation! It's kind of a middle ground between Mystic Mark refreshing on a short rest or long rest.

But more than getting feedback, I hope you enjoy the Magus. Your support helped me acquire the art and for that I am forever in your debt!

Thanks,

Benjamin

the Scholar, Revisited

Hello backers!

This weekend I have been busy at work revising the text and some remaining balance concerns on the Magus to prepare it for its final draft. As I was doing that I took a couple hours to get sidetracked and look back at the Scholar - a class I am frequently asked about here, on twitter, on reddit, and on facebook! Since I know many backers were conflicted about which class to vote for and wanted to see the Scholar ultimately get completed I tried to make a few revisions to the lower levels. If backers feel happy with how the Scholar is looking I will expand it in January, after the final Magus and Saurian race are out the door in December.

I'm excited to hear what you think!

Benjamin

the Magus, v0.5 - Patreon backer feedback requested!

Hi everybody!

I was all excited to release the Magus, v0.5 on the blog this week and then as I was driving around for my day job a horrible realization had dawned on me - I screwed up the Mystic Mark feature. I tied the use of the Mystic Mark feature to the spellcasting ability which is now not a thing Magus' get until they choose their Eldritch Society at level 2. Oh no!

Over the past few weeks I have been toying around with how to simplify and streamline the Magus and arranging the features given in the first 3 levels is a big part of that. While I am open to feedback of all kinds I am particularly reaching out to my backers to help me figure out the best and easiest way to arrange the first three levels of features so that the Magus is both a fun class to play and adheres as closely as it can to the design style set by the Player's Handbook.

Thanks in advance for all your thoughts!

Benjamin

Magus Art Preview #1

Hi everybody!

Included here is the first art preview for the Magus class. You might note that the Arcane Order Magus depicted here has the Sterling Vermin logo on his shield and that's because he's an image of my own D&D character who started the Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co. in Faerun - Mouse! Since the Magus didn't exist when I started playing Mouse I played him as an Eldritch Knight Fighter but he is much more at home in the Magus class. I hope you like him!

As I spend Saturday working on the v0.5 of the Magus class I am also considering making an updated version of the Saurian race complete with original art and at least one, but maybe more, new subraces. Would you all be interested in that? Let me know!

Thanks,

Benjamin

A Slow November...

Hey everybody,

I wanted to just come out and apologize for a slow November. The first week of November I was kind of waiting with baited breath for the (American) elections to be over and since then I've been dealing with my own internal difficulties with the results. Having had that space to breathe though, I wanted to come out and just say that I apologize for the unscheduled slow down and that I plan to churn out a new draft of the Magus this weekend.

Speaking of the Magus, would you all be interested in seeing some of the final pieces I've commissioned for the Magus?

- Benjamin

Magus Art - the First Drafts

Hi everybody!

For the Magus art I have hired an artist I've never worked with before. I got the initial sketches back of the pieces I requested and I have to say I'm very excited! I wanted to share them with you since your generous patronage is what allows me to commission these works!

Check them out here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B02_m9TCpCJARXY4c1BHMFNjSnBOZjB5eHFEa3JBYU1aMTlj/view?usp=sharing

Given the feedback I received regarding the Magus last month I will be extending the design period out at least another month so expect another revision sometime this month. I am also going to try to put together a larger project called Darkest Dungeons & Dragons as well as possibly a revision of the Saurian race I introduced a couple months ago.

Thanks for all your support!

Benjamin

Patreon Backer Exclusive: Tavern Troublemakers Preview

Hi there everybody!

So it's time to let you all in on a secret I've been keeping for a bit - I'm working on a full supplement for D&D. My current plan is to product a digest sized book between about 120 ~ 140 pages around the theme of the ubiquitous D&D location - the tavern. The working title for the supplement is Tavern Troublemakers and I plan to include a variety of content: creatures, magic items, class archetypes, character backgrounds, and possibly some new feats & spells. I've got even more content than that planned but I guess I shouldn't spoil all the surprises in one go!

Anyhow, to help me stay motivated to focus on Tavern Troublemakers each month I will reveal a preview of some of the content available in the upcoming supplement. Please feel free to leave comments here or on the google document regarding the writing or the mechanics and I'll consider incorporating it into the final product. Once the whole thing is done I expect to run a Kickstarter for the print run of the book but there will of course be perks for all of my loyal Patreon backers as well!

This month we're going to be looking at an excerpt from the first chapter of Tavern Troublemakers, Fermented Foes.

the Vampire Prestige Class for D&D 5e now available on DM's Guild!

Hey everybody!

The official announcement will go up in the next couple of days but the Vampire Prestige Class is now available as Pay-What-You-Want on the DM's Guild - so get out there, pay-what-you-want, review it, and enjoy it!

Linky: http://www.dmsguild.com/product/196744/the-Vampire-Prestige-Class-for-DD-5e

Happy Halloween!!

Benjamin

Working on extensive revisions to Magus

Hey everybody! While the blog has been a bit slower this month I am behind the scenes writing up a storm. Soon a complete version of the critical hit charts will be available as well as the next version of the Magus - and that's what I am posting to ask you about today! The Magus is currently suffering a bit for lack of unique spells. I'd like to come up with some generic ones shared across all Eldritch Societies and some specific to each society. As I do that I am also reviewing the Eldritch Society benefits to the Mystic Mark feature and wondering about simplifying the Mystic Mark feature by placing more of those effects in spells. I feel this would have the added benefit of streamlining the most complicated feature of the clasd. What do people think about that? Looking forward to reading your thoughts! Benjamin

Patreon Backer Exclusive: the Shaman, Early Draft

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B02_m9TCpCJAUGt1bkR6VDNaM3c/view?usp=sharing

Critical Hits Revisited, Plan 1

New post up today...and a backer exclusive coming in the next day or two!

Scholar VS. Magus Results to be Announced Tomorrow

So be sure to check out the blog in the AM!

Scholar VS Magus is now live!

Hello everybody!Three things:1.) The Scholar VS Magus blog post is up on the Sterling Vermin Adventuring Co. now!

2.)  Voting on which class will get the full development treatment will begin shortly after this post goes up. Recruit level backers and higher will be eligible to vote.3.) Please don't forget to submit any questions you might have for me as I plan to do a backer exclusive podcast this weekend answering your questions. I have only received a few so far!

And that's it! Have a great weekend! Loot some dungeons and slay some dragons!

- Benjamin

Patreon Backer Exclusive this month...

Hi backers!

A couple weeks ago I picked up a mic to start working on a podcast and never sat down to learn all the ins and outs. This week I found out that Barkalot is going to be on vacation for the rest of the month (and so won't be available to work his magic on pdf-ifying anything). In order to get you your backer exclusive content this month and work on my getting familiar with the ins and outs of podcasting, I want to accept a question from every backer (yes, all of you!) that they'd like me to answer. I will begin recording the podcast next weekend so if you've got a burning question the earlier you submit it the more time I'll have to think about my response!

Thanks,

Benjamin

Limited Time Sneak Peek: the Scholar, Early Draft Revised

Hello backers!!

I am putting this out immediately to collect any feedback you all might be able to provide over the next 10ish hours. After that it will be off to Barkalot for prettification!

The Scholar has changed quite a lot since it's last go around and I am still very much exploring how best to implement Critical Analysis so if you have suggestions, lay them on me!

Thanks,

Benjamin