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, simple rules for crafting during adventures, 22 artisanal items, 4 monsters for artisans, and lore for the covert group Master Artisan assassins.
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2022-10-25 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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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 freeform/open-ended so hopefully I'll stop before it gets too unwieldy.
While writing this compendium, I was wholly aware XGE and DMG also have their own crafting/artisan's tool rules. It was t...
2022-10-25 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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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.
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The hammer appears like any other mason's hammer, tooled specifically to hew stonework or pound them into place. With the right words, however, it grows to a tremendous size, its properties magnified by ...
2022-10-24 14:04:01 +0000 UTC
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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!
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Such magnifying lenses are exorbitantly expensive and difficult to find. The last alleged location of such a lens was in the hands of an unassuming master jeweler, called to inspect and maintain the Numarruan crown jew...
2022-10-24 14:03:00 +0000 UTC
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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 boost to two-handed fighting to keep up at the higher levels. It'd be really thematic for a ranger for sure!
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These seemingly oversized shears find practical use among master leather...
2022-10-24 14:02:01 +0000 UTC
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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.
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This pair of tongs find popularity among dwarven master smiths, many of whom prefer the minor enchantments that help maintain the internal heat of their worked ingots. It also finds use ...
2022-10-24 14:01:03 +0000 UTC
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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 use of the surprised condition.
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Few trained hands understand the unique uses of the cutting wire. Those with the finesse and dexterity to sculpt clay innately know the best the are...
2022-10-17 14:04:01 +0000 UTC
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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 arming your team in disarmed situations.
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For master woodcarvers, danger lies not in the weapons they bring, but in the very material of the environment itself. Those deft with the file ...
2022-10-17 14:03:01 +0000 UTC
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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.
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The calligrapher's fine hand coordination and control make them surprisingly excellent wielders of darts. In the right hands, this dart flies exactly as planned, elegant and perfectly curved, even turning distant corners to strike targets far from...
2022-10-17 14:01:02 +0000 UTC
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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.
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Chain-spun extractors typically find usage solely among master artisans as their unwieldy designs tend to discourage amateur brewers from the art. Such extractors greatly accelerate the separation process so traveling brewers can be on thei...
2022-10-17 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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It 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 couple art and mechanical design mistakes, and some things I somehow don't feel 100% satisfied with. Hopefully it's not that bad. I really like the freemason-feel of these tools, especially how they ca...
2022-10-10 14:05:00 +0000 UTC
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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.
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The larger paintbrush is uncommon among canvas artists, used primarily by master painters skilled enough to paint large murals. Such murals tend to be enormous, stretching across walls, ceilings, or even entire buildi...
2022-10-10 14:04:00 +0000 UTC
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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.
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A tiny fire elemental in the blowpipe helps keep the glass temperature high as a glassblower works. In the hands of skilled artisans, the pipe can launch viscous globs of molten glass at targets from a distance, effectively burn...
2022-10-10 14:02:01 +0000 UTC
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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 version of the Web spell. Catcher's Cradle appears useful at first glance, but any character could just walk a little further and grapple.
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These needles are most commonly used by m...
2022-10-10 14:01:03 +0000 UTC
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You're probably wondering why this month's theme is so bloody and in response, I say, that's just red paint!
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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 such blocks exist, solely in the hands of chefs brave enough to use them.
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Revenant Block
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a character pr...
2022-10-10 14:00:10 +0000 UTC
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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 these are d4/d6 weapons (and you'd have to hit with the d4 weapon first), it's comparable to a regular martial weapon.
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The mallet and stitching awl are ubiquitous among cobblers who...
2022-10-03 14:03:00 +0000 UTC
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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 (and a game more tense).
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Master cartographers have killed to get their hands on one of these mapmaking parchments. Some have already done so literally, using the map to identi...
2022-10-03 14:02:00 +0000 UTC
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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 I did learn that Costrels are a thing.
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An impressive feat of alchemical engineering straight from the development worktables of Eidorik's Laboratory, this costrel is designed to c...
2022-10-03 14:01:03 +0000 UTC
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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 used for covert "missions" a la hit jobs, with a generally lower profile. Some inspiration taken from the Freemason conspiracies - master artisans being mercenaries/assassins are a pretty common trope....
2022-10-03 14:00:08 +0000 UTC
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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 with beautiful art, 3 new ranger foes, and 6 pages of lore about the wonderful conclaves of rangers.
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Want to see more? Purchase it now either through the 2022-09-26 14:11:01 +0000 UTC
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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 problem.
Anyways, this is super fun to flesh out and I really liked writing all sorts of subclasses for the ranger. I brainstormed a bunch of conclave/archetype ideas and settled on a few. Not sure ...
2022-09-26 14:10:01 +0000 UTC
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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 primarily focused on surviving or excelling in icy conditions and generally benefits the ranger in small ways.
Frostheart Guardian Features Overview
- Frostheart Guar...
2022-09-26 14:06:01 +0000 UTC
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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 earth or stone. It improves overall survivability while also providing a debuff for enemies.
Stonewarden Features Overview
- Stonewarden Magic - The sp...
2022-09-26 14:05:01 +0000 UTC
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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-examining three previously released ranger archetypes and updating them for the games.
The fewer changes I need to make, the more robust and timeless the design is. It seems the Dune Sentinel req...
2022-09-26 14:04:00 +0000 UTC
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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 around positioning: bringing your enemies close together to benefits you and your allies. All features are built around this philosophy and the Storm Speaker will shine in the right hands.
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2022-09-26 14:02:00 +0000 UTC
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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 companions (which ended up in the compendium anyway!)
Primordial Shepherd Design
The main goal of the Primordial Shepherd ranger was to design a ranger with a companion, ...
2022-09-26 14:01:04 +0000 UTC
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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 released rangers. I'm actually really excited for how they turned out. As always I spend hours designing and fine-tuning them so you can justify to your DMs they're balanced.
The ranger d...
2022-09-26 14:00:09 +0000 UTC
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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 little more detail later on.
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A weapon of interwoven metal and stone, its runes were inscribed by the Rune Callers, rangers familiar with the lands and customs of giants. Like a gia...
2022-09-19 14:04:01 +0000 UTC
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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. At the very least, this will make expending higher spell slots more worth its cost.
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Rangers of yore were said to carry personal stones intended as a focus for their mystical powers...
2022-09-19 14:02:01 +0000 UTC
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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.
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Speed and stealth are often crucial for a ranger's work. The tip and shape of this cap ensures a ranger's mystical focus never wavers, always ready for battle at a moment's notice.
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Hunter's Cap
Wondrous item, un...
2022-09-19 14:01:03 +0000 UTC
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