College of Jesters

Bardic College

Comments from the Pinky: Here comes the clown prince of crime!

College of Jesters

Consummate humorists, acrobats, and orators, bards of the College of Jesters can often be found in royal courts and livening up the local tavern. These bards specialize in truth through biting humor, rather than stories or sonnets, and compliment their razor wits with acrobatic stunts and other feats of showmanship. When among nobility, jesters offer off-kilter wisdom and fierce satire in equal measures. Among their peers, jesters make fine companions, as long as you can take a joke. 

Beastborne

Ranger Archetype

Comments from the Finger: We are born of the blood, made men by the blood, undone by the blood...

Beastborne

Whether by infected bite or insidious curse, your blood was marked by the indelible stain of beasthood, a curse of lycanthropy. A new form, a primal, bestial self lies just beneath your skin, awaiting the allure of blood and the thrill of a hunt to emerge in a terrible spectacle. Perhaps, if you can avoid the violence of combat or the siren call of moonlight, you can resist the lycanthropic urge. Or perhaps you see the infection as a blessing, a fearsome weapon, with claws that rend and teeth that bite.

Rage Mage Redux

Primal Path

Comments from the Pinky: When a barbarian gets so spectacularly angry that they start spitting fire from their hands.

Path of the Rage Mage

Most barbarians who possess the spark of arcane talent never realize it, introspection not always being a barbaric strength. Those who find this spark, however, might learn to channel their brute ferocity through magic, and embark on the Path of the Rage Mage. Through their rage-fueled arcane might, such a barbarian possesses a uniquely calamitous fury, merging physical prowess with spell slinging in a warpath of fire, blades, and blood.

Spellbreaker

Ranger Archetype

Comments from the Finger: We continue our quest to make actually good rangers with the spellbreaker, a mage-killer extraordinaire! 

Spellbreaker

When a wizard embraces forbidden, volatile magic or a sorcerer loses control of their arcane power, a spellbreaker is not far behind. This ancient order of rangers tracks dangerous spellcasters, from rogue bards to demonic warlocks, and eliminates them before their magic can wreak havoc on an entire city or endanger the multiverse itself. They are trained in techniques to bypass magical defenses and rip small holes in the fabric of magic itself to catch unaware any spellcaster caught in their midst. While most spellbreakers execute their quarry or capture them for the authorities, a few still burn witches at the stake, earning all spellbreakers a grim reputation. For this reason alone, a mage on the run has good reason to look over their shoulder and fear the spellbreaker's arrival. 

Warmage Redux 2.0

Base Class

Comments from the Finger: And with this, the Palm, Pinky, and I have created the GREATEST CLASS IN D&D. Come at me you cowards. 

The warmage wields cantrips like a fighter wields weapons. It's a perfect class for beginners and veterans alike. If you dig it, check out the Complete Warmage (new and improved)!

Warmage

An elf recites the motions again for the simplest spell she knows, repeating them until she knows they are perfect. With a single, precise stroke, she unleashes a wave of arcane energy, focused into a searing blue beam. 

A tiefling waves her hands to conjure floating greatswords of humming blue energy, which dance about in mesmerizing and deadly arcs. One blade takes on an aspect of fire, and the other lightning, as she begins to cleave through the goblinoid horde.

Waving a black and red checkered banner, a dragonborn king charges into the fore. At his sides are warmages of all houses, a chessboard of elite arcanists, poised to turn the tide of battle.

The undisputed masters of cantrips, Warmages turn the most fundamental types of magic into a deadly and precise art. 

Writing a Character in 4 Easy Steps

Article

Comments from the Finger: This article is based on some oft-quoted character writing advice that I've seen in a million forms. Hopefully it proves moderately useful! 

Writing a Character in 4 Easy Steps

Every new RPG player is first tasked with creating a character; no small feat, given that screenwriters and novelists build entire careers around writing compelling characters. Usually, new players will piece together the superficial elements of a character -- the name, some distinctive personality traits, and maybe a cool weapon -- without ticking the essential boxes of what makes a character work in a story. 

Thankfully, this is an easy task, once you know where to begin. You can create an interesting character by answering these four questions from your character’s perspective: