My third season of competition in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket

(Hopefully, that title is unambiguous enough that no one will be tricked into clicking into this post without knowing exactly what they're getting into...)

This post is about my third season of competition in Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket (once more for emphasis), the mobile simplification of the IRL TCG that's been hugely popular since it came out last October.  I previously wrote about my journeys through the first two competitive seasons:  For the season designated A2b, my summary is here, and the season A3 recap can be found here.  As long as I'm trying to climb the ladder, I'm going to post about it here on Monstrous Matters for the few who might stumble upon it and take some interest.  There is definitely a chance that this will be the last entry for a little while; after hitting the Master Ball rank a third time, I now have enough emblems to fill in all three slots we're allotted to show off on our account...

Charizard's replacement with another Master Ball logo will definitely prove my dedication to the game!

...and honestly, it probably wouldn't be bad for me to force myself to just not worry about being "successful" in this quest for a little while.  As I've hinted at previously, I'm not really sure why I'm so driven to get to that that top level (especially since it isn't really the top level, as that would be those who place highly enough to earn numerical rankings)...and it probably occupies more of my mental space than it should when I'm in the midst of the grind.  BUT...the new season (that started last Friday, after the new set dropped on Thursday) has already tempted me to get in a handful of games.  A generous handful of games.  It's my worst start yet, so the smart move at this point would be to let it rest this month.  I guess that means I'm probably in it for the long haul...

SO...season A3a!  Going into last month's matches, it didn't seem as clear where the biggest forces shaping the new format would come from.  There weren't any individual cards that were going to so obviously boost or burden popular strategies as the two high-impact entries from the last set (all individual card images are from Game8).

The focus of season A3a's new set ("Extradimensional Crisis") is the group of Pokémon known Ultra Beasts.  These visitors from beyond our concepts of time and space are actually kind of cool; I've always thought they had some Lovecraftian implications surrounding their appearance.  And for some reason, I've always dug the appearance of the Ultra Beast known as Buzzwole...

Sure enough, a couple of strategies focused on the synergy of Ultra Beasts and their related cards were probably the biggest additions to the metagame.  Darkness decks based on poison and Guzzlord as a finisher saw some success, and Grass decks running Buzzwole ex were pretty much at the top of the meta at one point.  And they all made use of Celesteela to cheat on the cost of moving Pokémon into and out of the active spot every turn.

As with the first two seasons, I jumped around with the decks I played, giving up way too soon on some that were generally strong but happened to hand me some bad luck for a few games straight.  And as with both of the earlier seasons, somewhere around the time it looked like I was doomed to endlessly spin my wheels on the treadmill of the ranked ladder (yes, I do realize that just one of those...spinning wheels or a treadmill...would do the trick...), I somehow "locked in" with a specific deck and was able to hit Master Ball.

The key for me was finally embracing the hard-hitting Stage 1 Pokémon Silvally, especially in combination with the even harder-hitting Stage 2 dinosaur Rampardos...

To make sure I'm in "full disclosure" mode here: I did not have a good record for the season overall (166-174-4).  But looking back over the portions of the run that I kept track of...which may have included all of the games I played pairing Silvally with a Fossil Pokémon...the results were pretty solid for those pairings (58.5% win rate with Aerodactyl and 66.0% with Rampardos).  I probably would have been smart to stick it out a little longer through some of the runs of bad luck I had with them (Rampardos especially) so that I didn't have to "rediscover" the deck in order to hit my goal.

But, I mean...there's always next season.  For good or ill, it's always around the corner...

----------

And now, of course, it's time to give RPG stats to a 'mon based on its TCG card.  Silvally and its pre-evolution Type: Null (yeah that's its name) are honestly pretty cool creations.  I don't know a ton about their lore, but as synthetic creatures designed with the express goal of battling the Ultra Beasts, they seem to be used as vehicles to explore some potentially interesting themes like trust and free will.  At some point I'll have to take a little time to learn more about them and their crazy Frankensteinian anatomy.  For now, I'll just whip up a simple take on Type: Null...

Type: Null

HD 2 (8 HP), AC 12

Type: Colorless

Weakness: Fighting

Attack: Quick Blow +4 (1d6 damage)

----------

The fantasy heartbreaker rolls on: Drafting a Thief class

Image from the Forgotten Realms Wiki

Listening to the Pomps' "World Full of Traps" this past weekend eased me into thinking about how a Rogue should be set up in this fantasy heartbreaker I'm currently dedicating my heart and soul to (eh, more or less). This is, of course, the skill class...the one that became an Expert in the True20 system and a Specialist in Lamentations of the Flame Princess.  So I have to really start working out the answer to two big questions if I'm going to make any progress:

1. Do I want a general "skill user" class, or one that maintains the old school Thief flavor?

...and probably more importantly...

2. How the heck are skills even gonna work in this game?

For the first...as I noted on Saturday, I really think I want to go with a Thief in both style and name.  I like the idea of the class having an explicit connection to previous editions of D&D.  Calling it The Thief will certainly do that, as will giving it some of the classic Thief/Rogue abilities...the climbing and the listening and the backstabbing and the Thieves' Canting.  I'm fine with having some sort of Expert class as well...and in fact, that almost seems like it will eventually become a necessity.  BUT...I don't think it makes sense to have a character that's an expert in...well, pretty much any random skills that aren't related to thievery...and then carry on with, "Oh, yeah, and they're good at sneaking around and killing people from behind.  Just because."

So, for now at least, a Thief it is...

That second question is one that's surely going to take more actual play to determine if I'm moving in the right direction or not.  This whole Monstrous Heartbreaker is essentially 5e-based, with some quirks in how the modifiers are derived from ability scores -- and in how proficiency is treated -- that will hopefully make it suitable for older editions of D&D as well.  Fifth Edition has an interesting approach to skills in that most of them are REALLY broad...like they almost occupy a space in between the broad application of an ability score and the more specific skills that would be used in something like D6 Star Wars.

I want to build on that and also snag the approach that 5e takes with Tool proficiency...although classifying those proficiencies specifically as "Tools" has always felt a little too limiting for me.  I think the term should be open-ended enough that anything you want to work into a character concept is feasible.  I've been going with the word Talents for now (the name for skills in D6 Star Wars' predecessor, WEG's Ghostbusters).  Having recently realized that Tales of the Valiant uses the term Talent for an aspect of its rules, I may need to rethink that...but there really don't seem to be a lot of great options as synonyms.  I mean, I don't know, I've never had much of a knack for words.  You might say I lack prowess with vocabulary, so obviously I keep consulting a thesaurus to compensate for my lack of aptitude in this area.  But maybe something will come to me.

Oh!  Two other important things to note: (1) As in 5e, Expertise will denote a higher level of capability in a skill, and (2) The rules are going to be very clear in how to handle situations where both a broad Skill and a Talent (or whatever) apply.  This seems like it is bound to happen a lot, and it's another spot where 5e has just never felt quite right to me.

So, anyway, here's what I've got so far...

----------

The Thief

Art by David A. Trampier from the 1e Player's Handbook

Hit Die: d8

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, swords, hand crossbows

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth

Talents: Climbing, Lockpicking

To represent your experience up until Level 1, choose one additional Skill and one additional Talent; you gain those proficiencies.

Equipment

Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM). This should definitely include what are usually known as “thieves’ tools,” which include lockpicks and instruments used to disable traps.

Thieves’ Cant

At Level 1, you are able to read, write, and speak in the heavily coded jargon known as Thieves’ Cant.

Backstab

Beginning at 1st level, you are exceptionally good at harming an unsuspecting foe. When you make an attack at an enemy’s back, and the target is is unprepared to be attacked from behind, you get a +1 Class Bonus to the attack roll and a +1d6 Class Bonus to any damage dealt. These bonuses go up to +3 / +2d6 at Level 3 and +5 / +3d6 at Level 5.

And do you really consider yourself a thief...?

At Level 2, you determine which of the many capabilities of the Thief you will take on as your specialty. This decision will file you into one of the following less-broad categories within the broad Thief class. However…I mean, hey, being called a Thief doesn’t even mean you’re actually a thief (just that you’re good at thief things), so being called one of these doesn’t define you as a character, either. (Unless you want it to...)

•  Assassin – You gain proficiency with the Talent Poisons and an extra 10% chance of achieving a critical hit. (For example, if a weapon normally provides a critical hit on a 20 only, you score one on an 18-20 instead.)

•  Burglar – You gain proficiency in Investigation; you also gain expertise in Stealth and the Talents Climbing and Lockpicking.

•  Cutpurse – You gain proficiency in Deception and the Talent Picking Pockets; you also gain expertise in Sleight of Hand and Stealth.

•  Scam Artist – You gain proficiency in Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion 

•  Scout – You gain proficiency in Survival and the Talent Finding/Disarming Traps; you also gain expertise in Athletics and Perception.

Move Like Lightning

Starting at 3rd level, whenever you make a Dexterity saving throw, you only fail on a roll of natural 1.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Only the first of these can be used to Backstab, as you will no longer have the element of surprise with your second attack.

----------

Geeky SKAturday: The Pomps' "World Full of Traps"

The Pomps just made their way onto my radar this year as they started releasing songs from their newest record, Partial Eclipse of the Pomps.  They bring a really interesting sound to the scene with this album...it's certainly ska, but with an especially New Wave influence, and even some touches of quirky indie rock. 

I think this was the second song released for Partial Eclipse..., and I really dig it.  I've gone back and listened to a bit of their previous stuff, and man, am I glad to have gotten them into my rotation, even if I am pretty late to the party.

Alright, enough blathering...here's a song with a title that's oh so appropriate for a blog that often discusses old school roleplaying..."World Full of Traps"...

----------

Now...to really geek out this Skaturday, I'll tie this into the RPG setting of time-traveling, universe-saving ska musicians that is slowly taking shape, Agents of SKA.  Let's talk about traps!  In D&D-style gaming, those are ideally tackled by a Rogue, or...in games old enough or cool enough to use it...a Thief.  I haven't squared away that portion of my own fantasy heartbreaker yet (although I'm pretty sure I'm gonna use a Thief), so I'll just brainstorm here about the Agents of SKA analogue, which I think should probably be the Gangster.

Working on the premise that the classes among the Agents of SKA will operate like Monstrous Heartbreaker classes...and therefore be five levels of an approximation of 5e, but (hopefully) simpler...there are four levels to work with (since 4th is set aside to raise ability scores).  I definitely want to have a backstab/sneak attack type of ability.  That and some of the essential skills of thievery and sneaking around seem like they'll fit both a fantasy Thief and a time-traveling Gangster.  And among the Agents of SKA, everyone is a "spellcaster," in that they all have the ability to harness the spirit of ska songs as they play out out their adventures.  Surely the Gangster shouldn't be a full caster though...half or less...

Eh...if I'm gonna beat midnight, I should quit brainstorming there.  First to come this week though: The Thief for the fantasy heartbreaker...then I'll work from there...

(Hope you're all having an awesome weekend!)

Celebrating Fourth Wing...a Dragon Rider class for 5e and heartbreaking fantasy gaming

As I mentioned when I reviewed the novel Fourth Wing a couple of days ago, I wanted to also share a fairly simple Dragon Rider class.  This should be suitable, for the most part, for 5e games and is designed to work with the classes of the ever-developing fantasy heartbreaker I'm trying to follow through on.  While the dragon rider trope has varying characteristics depending on the universe you're drawing from, this one is very much based on the warriors of Navarre...

----------

The Dragon Rider

Image from Pixabay

Hit Die: d10

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, all shields
Weapons: All simple and martial weapons

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
Skills: Athletics, Perception

To represent your experience up until Level 1, choose one additional Skill and one Talent (a competency not directly represented on the Skill list) proficiency.

Equipment

Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM).  You do not necessarily begin with a dragon mount, although this class assumes you have gained the abilities that accompany having one.

You Can Ride Dragons!

At 1st level, you gain proficiency on all checks that involve dragon riding.

Channeling the Dragon’s Power

Beginning at 1st level, you are able to achieve some feats of magic with the help of your dragon.  Your beginning Dragon Rider knows the cantrip Mage Hand and the following new cantrips:

Trustworthy Pen – A quill or pen that you control writes with a consistent and smooth line and does not run out of ink.

Sphere of Privacy – You may establish a sphere of up to 20 feet in diameter, centered on you.  Sound cannot pass into or out of this sphere.  (However, creatures can move through this barrier as normal.)  The sphere lasts for 10 minutes or until dispelled or eliminated by another creature’s magic.

Signature Power

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to cast a Level 1 spell from any spell list that can be accessed by a Mage in your world.  Per the DM, this spell may be chosen or determined randomly.  It is okay to rename and tweak the flavor of a spell in order to fit a slightly different theme; e.g. Witch Bolt may simply become Bolt for a character who is able to cast lightning.

You may cast your Signature Power a number of times per day equal to your Dragon Rider level; this is replenished after a long rest.  It is always cast as a Level 1 spell (unless its enhanced version is selected at 5th level as your Ultimate Power).  Wisdom is the ability you use for all spellcasting checks.

More Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to also cast the following spells:  Knock, Arcane Lock, and Haste (Self) (which functions like a Haste spell that can only be targeted at yourself).  Whenever you cast one of these spells, it uses up one of your Signature Power slots for the day.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

Extra Mounted Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn while you are riding a dragon.

Ultimate Power

At 5th level, select a Level 3 spell from any of the Mage spell lists.  This should be related to the spell that defines your Signature Power (at the DM’s discretion).  If your Signature Power spell has an enhanced version for casting at Level 3, you may use this instead of choosing a new spell.  In addition to the spells you can already cast a number of times per day equal to your Dragon Rider level, you may cast this Ultimate Power spell once per day (it is also replenished after a long rest).

Monstrous Mini-Review: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Laura has been on reading spree lately like none I have ever observed before (and certainly unlike any I've ever undertaken myself).  And with the influence of some friends and/or BookTok, one of the main directions her reading interests have drifted is toward romantic fantasy.  Or...as it seems to be popularly portmaneau'ed these days (yeah, I don't think that's actually a verb either)...romantasy.  OR...as Laura has told me it can be considered a subgenre of...when in understanding company (and based upon the understood target audience of such books)...cliterature (be careful with that one).

The genre has apparently boomed over the past few years along with the popularity of the two biggest names in the business right now, Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros.  Among other works, Maas writes the series stemming from the book A Court of Thorns and Roses (conveniently called ACOTAR by fans); Yarros, meanwhile, is known for her Empyrean series, a romance/military/fantasy mashup that started with the novel Fourth Wing.

This probably isn't a direction I would have taken my reading otherwise, but with my wife now excitedly starting conversations with me about stuff like bonding with dragons and magic use (in a world where no one has heard the word "Muggle"), I had to get in on it.  So, I started with Fourth Wing, recently finished it, and figured I'd share my thoughts here in a review...or, at least, some mini-thoughts in a mini-review.

Image from Goodreads

Fourth Wing is the story of the young woman Violet Sorrengail's first year at Basgiath War College, where she is learning to go into battle on the back of a dragon as part of the Riders Quadrant.  Most of the story is told in the first person, from Violet's perspective.  We follow her trials and successes as she navigates through a world of danger she never planned to be a part of.

You see...Basgiath is a freaking brutal place.  Students in the Riders Quadrant die all the time.  The tests are dangerous, the dragons are dangerous, and -- if all of that isn't enough -- cadets regularly kill each other in the normal course of training.  This may further their own success, but more importantly, it eliminates weak links before they jeopardize the whole army in battle.

Violet, meanwhile, has spent her entire life dreaming of joining the Scribe Quadrant (pretty much what it sounds like, although there's an acknowledgement of the power held by those who control information).  She also has what seems to be a congenital disorder giving her bones and joints below-average sturdiness (apparently based on Yarros's own experience with such a challenge).  Oh!  And her mom just happens to be the the commander of the war college...and there was no way General Sorrengail was going to have her third child skip out on following in the footsteps of the two siblings who achieved renown as riders before Violet even became a student there.

If I had to give Fourth Wing a pithy little "____ meets ____" description, I'd say it's like Harry Potter meets Full Metal Jacket.  But there's another part of it, too, and how one reacts to that other part may be what will have the greatest bearing on whether or not a reader likes the series.  It's the part where every other page or so (an exaggeration, I'm sure...), we're reminded that Violet is a horny 20-year-old who can't help but notice how good some of the manly men around her look, and smell, and make her feel.  I guess you could add Twilight into the mix I'm trying to describe, but Fourth Wing takes the descriptions of intimacy up to another level.

Now, I am honestly not all that well-read when it comes to the breadth of fantasy literature.  For romantic fantasy, I think of books that were explicit influences on the Blue Rose RPG, as discussions of that game are the main places I've ever seen the term used.  Having never read the works of Mercedes Lackey or Diane Duane, I can't say how closely Fourth Wing follows that model.  In some of the broad strokes, I think it's probably quite comparable.  The world of Fourth Wing (centered on a kingdom known as Navarre) is home to a society that is quite egalitarian when it comes to gender roles.  There's unequivocal LGBTQ representation.  And there isn't a focus on the interactions of all the high fantasy species we're used to...elves and dwarves and orcs and all that.  It's just humans and their dragons (or, for the opposing kingdom, their gryphons).

However, I've never imagined that the smoochy, sweaty aspect of the romantic designation would be this prominent in those earlier well-known works of romantic fantasy, although I could be way off.  I also don't think I've ever read a real romance novel in my life, so maybe I'm just surprised by any story that gives that much attention to the steamy sessions played out by the heroine and her love interest.  A couple of times, Fourth Wing reminded me of passages from trashy paperbacks that a friend would entertain us with through interpretive readings in high school.

And so, this is the biggest qualifier I would have to throw out there in recommending Fourth Wing to anyone (even though I enjoyed the book quite a bit), and why I wouldn't give it as a blanket recommendation for anyone who likes fantasy.  I imagine the conversations I'd later have with friends to go something like this:

"How'd you like Fourth Wing?"

"It was tedious and unnecessarily detailed."

"Unnecessarily detailed?  But you love Tolkien...!"

"Well, Tolkien never wrote the line, 'It might damn us both, but I can't wait to feel you come around my cock.'"

"Fair point."

To completely belabor the issue...in case it means anything to you, Fourth Wing earned 4 out of 5 flames for spiciness from romance.io, falling into the category of Explicit Open Door and fulfulling the criteria of "At least two intimate scenes, explicit language with a variety of sexual acts."

But...now that that's out of the way, let me say again that I really did enjoy the story!  There's nothing incredibly innovative about the worldbuilding, but it's a good universe, and one that I've spent plenty of time thinking about gaming in.  The students in the Riders Quadrant have a fighter-pilot-esque cockiness about them, and the core concept -- of bonding to dragons so that together you become the pinnacle of combat ferocity -- is just cool.  

The greater intrigue to be found within the realm of Navarre is set on a slow burn throughout the story, and (hopefully without giving anything away) I can say that the book ends in a way that ratchets up that aspect of the plot enough that I was happy to jump immediately into the series' second entry, Iron Flame.

Image also from Goodreads

It should also be noted: You could remove the romance from the story and it would still work pretty well, especially to someone like me who thinks about the whole thing in terms of how it would play out as a D&D campaign.  I guess it wouldn't be as popular, but it would definitely still be a cool story.  At this point, I'm kind of afraid that I've talked about it enough that my dismissals may sound like I'm "protesting too much" and trying to hide my interest by making sure you all know that there was no way I was into all of that girly stuff.  But truly...I accepted the romance portion of the book for what it was, and I embraced the fact that the interpersonal conflicts tied up in it do impact the novel's fantasy framework as a whole, and for the better.  (And really...to compare it to works of literature especially germane to the typical topics of this blog: Am I really going to act like the romantic interactions between Sword & Planet princesses and the heroes of Edgar Rice Burroughs's stories are particularly well-written?  Nah...)

Even aside from the romance, though, Fourth Wing isn't going to be for everyone.  It seems to be a fairly divisive title among fantasy aficionados, with many readers simply disliking Yarros's style of prose.  As a first-person narrative from the perspective of a 20-year-old, it is quite informal, and perhaps even more grating for some, it feels quite modern.  I actually think this works well in making the characters seem real and relatable, especially for readers who may not be used to the tropes of ostensibly medieval fantasy.  But I've seen enough anger about Poe Dameron making a "your mother" joke that I recognize that the shattering of verisimilitude takes different forms for different people.  So...be warned, I suppose.

I've also seen criticism of of Yarros's writing centered on its repetitive nature.  And indeed...there's some stuff that seems to come up a lot.  Ironically, one example is that "fair point" line I spoke above in my own hypothetical conversation...it's used multiple times and has the sort of modern feel that will make it especially noticeable to some.  There are a lot of jaws ticking and lips curving into smiles.  And the gazes...gods, everyone has a gaze.

Overall, though, the prose does what it needs to.  It drew me into the world of Basgiath War College as it has many, many others before me.  The characters are solid and generally likable or unlikable as the story dictates, and there's enough of a connection forged that at least one genuinely emotional moment pops up.  As someone approaching the book wanting a good story, I got what I bargained for, and as someone approaching it as a fantasy RPGer looking for inspiration, I got even more than that.  If I'm giving it a simple thumbs up or down, it's definitely pointed up, just keep those caveats above in mind if you decide to give it a shot as well.

----------

Thanks for reading, all!  I was going to tie this into my usual Monstrous Matters fare by also sharing a simple Dragon Rider class here...but I didn't expect to write so much about the book itself.  That'll be coming soon though...!

Meta Monday: Nintendo Power magazine's 1989 Zelda fanfiction

When I started thinking about putting together these Meta Monday posts, one of the first items I had in mind was today's topic.  I think this is probably a pretty obscure little piece of Legend of Zelda lore, but for some reason, it became planted firmly enough in my 11-year-old brain to get me to seek it out decades later...

In the very early days of Nintendo Power magazine, the publishers held a fiction contest.  I don't remember if I even saw the original announcement (I became a loyal reader but wasn't there from the very beginning), but the winners were announced in the magazine's sixth volume, May/June 1989.  The top entry was printed in that issue...the short story "Friends," by Robbie H. Lawton.

Image from Nintendo Power, and taken from this Tumblr post

For whatever reason, this story was really memorable to me.  Maybe it was the fact that, at the time, I was in the process working myself into an obsessive frenzy over the NES, and The Legend of Zelda was a magical and mysterious entity I had yet to explore.  Maybe it was because it seemed to be written by a kid like me, and I had an idea that I could contribute to the world of Nintendo with a creation like this.  And maybe it was just because it's a delightful little story.

In the tale, we meet young gamer Jason, who is working his way through the The Legend of Zelda like countless other youngsters at the time.  Instead of tapping away on a control pad, however, Jason climbs into his television and adventures around Hyrule as Link's partner.  The story is about searching for the seventh dungeon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and...given away by the title...friendship.

Another image from the story, also snagged from that Tumblr post

I went to the right place when I decided to try searching up the old story, as a post on Reddit quickly led some kind and helpful Zelda fans to point me toward a thread started by a child of the Jason of the story (who goes by PunishedYoshi on Reddit).  It seems their grandmother actually penned the tale and submitted it to Nintendo Power, and after a long search, they finally located it in a Tumblr post by nteamhero.  If you'd like to read the story in full, just click that Tumblr link...it's a quick read and truly is...well, delightful!  (That's through my thick nostalgia glasses, of course...)  And according to PunishedYoshi, their grandmother also drew at least some of the accompanying pictures, in which case...awesome!

(And for whatever it's worth, it also seems that r/zelda has some genuinely nice folks among its posters...)

Anyway...I really love these little stories of things that happened on the periphery of gaming and pop culture history.  (And, the older I get, the more I think I just like remembering being young...)

----------

Since I jotted down some details on Toads for 5e and my fantasy heartbreaker the last time I talked NES on here, this seems like a good time to take a look at Link and Zelda's species...!

Hylians

Image from the Zelda Wiki

Hylians are very similar to humans and may indeed be simply a subgroup of humans.  They're pretty diverse themselves, though, as there seem to be various races and ethnicities within Hylians as a group.  It should be noted, however, that they have pointed ears and often a degree of innate magical ability.  So, maybe they're more like elves.  Largely town elves, I guess.  You can find out more about them at the Zelda Wiki's Hylian page.

Ability Score Increase:  Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Choose one additional ability score to increase by 1.

Age/Size:  Hylians seem to age at about the same rate and are around the same size as humans.  They are medium creatures.

Name:  Whatever you like!  Known Hylian names include Akrah, Benny, Garini, Irene, Link, Sonia, and Zelda.

Speed:  Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Preternatural Hearing:  Hylians have excellent hearing and get advantage on all Perception checks involving listening.  In an ability that is also likely related to their pointed ears, Hylians are able to send and receive messages to and from other Hylians over great distances...and even when in different dimensions of existence.  To telepathically communicate in such a way, both Hylians must succeed on a Wisdom check.  Its base difficulty is 10, with 1 point added for each hundred miles of distance between the two Hylians.  If they are on different planes, the difficulty is simply 10, but both rolls are made with disadvantage.

Magical Nature:  Hylians know one cantrip that can be learned by any type of Mage in your campaign.  Per DM, this can be chosen or determined randomly from the spell list(s).  Hylians use Wisdom as their ability for any spellcasting checks.

Languages:  Hylians can read and speak Hylian and Common.  Other languages may be known according to the guidelines of your campaign.

----------

Happy Friday the 13th! Here's a minimalist, untested, overpowered 5e Slasher class...!

Hey, it's Friday the 13th!  I don't know that I've ever posted anything on here related to that most ominous of preludes to the weekend (other than pointing out a product or two that became available on the special day), so I figured I'd correct that now.

And with my mind on constructing a fantasy heartbreaker, it seemed like it'd be fun to see if I could put together a really simple Slasher class that fits the "trimmed-down 5e" vibe I'm working with.  So...here we go...!  I'm sure this has been done plenty of times over...and probably even somewhere that has been linked from this very blog, especially when you consider friend-of-MM and prolific game content creator Pun Isaac's penchant for slasher flicks, as well as the excellent horror material put out by his friends at Bloat Games.

But...I mean, that's not stopping me from making a fantasy RPG...so why would that stop me here?

Image from Wikipedia

The Slasher

Hit Die: d12

Proficiencies
Armor:  None...you don't need it.
Weapons:  Knives, machetes, chainsaws, hooks, gloves with metal claws...really, anything with a blade, a point, or a portion capable of bludgeoning someone.  And all improvised weapons, too.  (Not guns, though.)
Saving Throws:  Constitution, Charisma
Skills:  Deception, Intimidation

What are your character’s interests and hobbies? What have they done with their life up until this point? Choose one additional Skill and one Talent or Weapon proficiency to represent these.

Equipment
Begin with a set of campaign-appropriate equipment (per DM).

Unkillable
Beginning at 1st level, whenever damage would reduce your hit points to 0 or below, your HP instead become 1, and you lose one round of action.  At the beginning of the next round, you gain 1d6 HP.

A Slasher always regains 1 HP per 10 minutes of in-game time until their maximum HP is reached.

Or, y'know, if you don't feel like dealing with all the bookkeeping, you could probably just ignore hit points altogether...just make sure you occasionally take a story-appropriate round to regroup so those kids can get away...

Getting the Hang of It

At 2nd level, you choose one specific type of weapon to be associated with your infamy.  You get +1 to all attack and damage rolls using this weapon.

Two Beheadings Are Better Than One
Beginning at 3rd level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn, as long as the attacks are each directed at a different victim target.

Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1.

They Had It Coming

At 5th level, you gain the ability to quickly assess any group of people and determine who among them would please a hypothetical audience the most by dying.  (This is determined by the DM; if there's no way of knowing which one of those folks is actually an arrogant MFer who makes fun of old people and probably tortures animals, determine this randomly.)  If you subsequently kill that character, you may immediately take another round of action.

----------

Have a great weekend, all!  Stay safe out there!

Related side note that this is the only place it'll probably ever make sense to share on here...where I live in Jersey, I'm near this state park and obviously think about a certain character every time I pass it or a sign for it...