The Torchbearer Second Edition Kickstarter Is Live!

Cave Serpent by Arik Roper

Hello friends!

Just posting to let you know that the Torchbearer 2nd Edition Kickstarter is now live!

We’re splashing out on this like never before. The new edition is based on 7 years of playtesting and feedback on the first edition. We started off with the intention of making a few tweaks like fixing the bow and wound up revising the entire game.

Don’t worry! It hasn’t changed so much that your existing supplements will be useless, but we’ve clarified, revised, refined and expanded the rules. If you back at a tier that includes the Lore Master’s Manual, you’ll get tons of new material, some of which I know many of you have been clamoring for. It includes:

  • New class: the thief, go from a knife-wielding cutthroat to the shadowy power that rules this town
  • New class:  the shaman, fueled by the Immortals of Beasts, channeling their wild power
  • New stock: the Troll Changeling; they’re part troll, part human and all trouble
  • New conflicts: Banish, Abjure, Bind and Battle
  • New settlements like Borderland Fortress, Shire and Walled Town
  • Lots and lots of gear in a comprehensive list
  • Rules for making base camps—good for tackling those megadungeons. 
  • Economic rules so you can crash the economy of your town
  • Travel rules
  • Simple guidance on town adventures
  • More spells and invocations
  • More monsters!
  • Wild new rules for spiritual quests 
  • And more!   

Join us in this adventure and you’ll score some fabulous loot!

Into the Gloaming (Part II)

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane, by John Quidor (1858)

Hello friends and Happy Halloween!

Last year at this time I shared a trio of new Torchbearer monsters to fill your horror gaming needs: the vampire, werewolf and zombie.

I wanted to do something similar this year, but we’ve already got most of the classic horror monsters covered. As I mentioned, last year’s blog post covers vampires, werewolves and zombies. The Torchbearer core book has ghouls and skeleteons. The Petersen Bestiary (vol. 1) covers the ghost (you can also find her in The Dread Crypt of Skogenby). And the draugr from Middarmark has the revenant/mummy covered. What to do?

I discussed the issue with Jared Sorensen (check out Jared’s Torchbearer Sagas content here), and Jared suggested we do some monsters from folklore and popular culture. So without further ado, as a Halloween thank you to all of you, here’s Jared’s take on the Dullahan and the Creature and my take on the Gremlin. Enjoy!

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Don’t Bug Out

Bridge to Nowhere by Todd James

Hello friends!

You know what you can never have enough of as a Torchbearer GM? Monsters. I’ve been experimenting with some fun new critters inspired by the arthropods all around us, and Luke has been experimenting with a new stat block. I can’t replicate it exactly in WordPress, but this is a close approximation.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on both!

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Have You Heard the One About…

You All Meet at an Inn… by Rebekah Bennington

Hello friends!

The Rumor Events Table in the Town chapter is perfectly fine, but if you’ve been running Torchbearer for a while, you might be a bit bored with it. Fortunately for you, Luke has worked up a brand new table to add a little spice to your trip to the tavern. It’s actually a combination of rumors and events.

Check it out, use it in your game and let us know how it goes!

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Get a Job!

Loot by Rebekah Bennington

Hello friends!

In the Guild Hall section of the Town chapter Torchbearer1Page 91 we note that adventurers can use the Guild Hall to find work. It’s a great option if adventurers find themselves short of coin while in town, but as written the jobs only pay out a pouch of silver and there isn’t much guidance for GMs about what sorts of jobs the guilds might provide.

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Lords of the Land

The Wild Hunt of Odin, by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1872)
The Wild Hunt of Odin, by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1872)

Hello friends!

We know that settlements in Torchbearer often have temples and shrines to various Immortals—they’re among the locations you can visit  during the town phase. But the temples and shrines are generic. It’s left to the GM to fill in the details. By default, people in Torchbearer give devotion to many Immortals. Most are simply worshipped collectively as the “Lords.” But it is not uncommon for settlements to pay special attention to a Young Lord: say Yngve the Lord of Sowing, an incarnation of the Lords of Plenty.

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