The 5e Amazons vs Valkyries Player’s Guide has been in development since 2017. Portions of this content have been released as PDFs on DriveThu. Most of it has received 5-star reviews. Many of those files have also been revised and updated several times. This content is currently being put through a final test and edit before being compiled into a hardback, 300-page Player’s Guide.
What’s in the Book
The 5e game rules in this book are designed with an eye toward historical accuracy and verisimilitude. They are intended for adventuring in the ancient world – specifically, the Hellenistic Age.
New Ancestries
The ancestries in the Amazons vs Valkyries setting are based on ancient folklore rather than modern fiction. Dwarves are bent, mishappen creatures with magical powers. Elves are fairies from another world. Gnomes can burrow in the ground. The ancestries in this book include the following:
- Desert Dwarf
- Grey Dwarf
- Marsh Gnome
- Savannah Gnome
- Light Elf
- Midgard Elf
- Giant-kin (Earth, Fire, and Frost)
- Nymphs (mountain and forest)
Most of these ancestries can also be found in the Ancestries PDF on DriveThru.
New Classes
A few new classes were necessary to flesh out the roles players may take in ancient times. These are:
- The Priestess (with five domains: TBD)
- The Scholar (with three archetypes: Astronomer, Philosopher, and Physician)
- The Witch (with three archetypes: Enchantress, Hag, and Pharmacist)
The priestess and the Scholar are currently available on DriveThru and have received 4 and 5 star reviews. The Witch will be coming exclusively to Patron in the near future.
New Archetypes
Many new archetypes have been developed for the Amazons vs Valkyries setting. Nearly all are currently available as PDFs on DriveThru and most have received 5-star reviews. The archetypes in this Player’s Guide include the following:
- Bard: College of the Muse
- Barbarian: Berseker, Beast Rider, and Mighty Heroine
- Druid: The Pheryllt (alchemist druids)
- Fighter: Commander (new content) plus Guard, Mercenary, and Raider
- Ranger: Manhunter (new content)
- Rogue: Outlaw, Scout, Trickster
- Sorceress: Fate Bender, Rune Caster, Spirit Caller
Heroic Bloodlines and Feats
Heroic bloodlines are an optional set of rules for your PC. Some, many, or even all the characters in your adventuring group may have access to these special feats, inherited from the gods.
These feats and the family stories of their origins are covered in this PDF available from DriveThru.
Language and Homeland
One of the defining features of the Amazons vs Valkyries setting is its highly detailed (and historically based) depiction of languages. There is no Common language in this setting. Rather, there are Trade languages (Greek, Norse, Gaulish, and Phoenician). There are also many lost and forgotten languages, rogue languages, and prestige languages (all ripped from the real world). While the PDF about this topic is lengthy and detailed, the Player’s Guide will contain a brief summary and table, similar to what currently appears in the free Optional Rules PDF. As in the real world, your homeland, ancestry, and upbringing determine your starting language.
New Backgrounds
This chapter covers six new backgrounds designed for historical accuracy and verisimilitude.
- Athlete
- Exile
- Farmer
- Huntress
- Professional
- Slave
New Skills
Three new skills are necessary to help bring this setting to life:
- Endurance
- Engineering
- War
These skills are currently detailed in the free Optional Rules PDF.
New Equipment
Proper equipment is essential to bringing this setting to life. This chapter covers all the period appropriate armor, weapons, and miscellaneous gear an adventurer in the Hellenistic Age may need (and have access to). Some of the period appropriate equipment in this chapter includes:
- Astrolabe
- Diving bell
- Falx
- Hobnailed sandals
- Kestros
- Lamellar armor
- Linothorax armor
- Plumbata
- Rhomphaia
- Water organ
Magic
Magic is one of the biggest areas where the ancient world differs from modern fantasy fiction. Some of the most iconic spells in the 5e Core Rules are rooted in war gaming (like fireball and lightning bolt) or are inspired by modern media (like magic missile). Ancient writers (and spellcasters) may certainly have imagined wizards hurling lightning bolts, causing fiery explosions, or flinging magical bolts of energy, but magic in the ancient world was much more about enchantment, divination, transformation, abjuration, and necromancy. Spellcasters can manipulate fate, hurl curses, and perceive the future. They do this by interacting with daemons and spirits.
Although the magic chapter is designed to make magic play and feel much more like it was believed to have worked in ancient times, these rules also adhere to the standard 5e framework of spell slots and known spells. So these spells and rules work seamlessly with existing 5e rules. However, some of the spells themselves bend or even break traditional game rules. Some spells require seemingly impossible components. Others may only be cast on certain days of the month or year. Some have a range measured in miles or a duration measured in years.
A great deal of research was done on this topic. All the spells in this chapter are derived from historical accounts, ancient literature, actual spellbooks, and inscriptions on tombs, monuments, and sarcophagi.
New spells in this chapter include:
- Animal Powers. A 3rd level spell that imbues the subject with certain beastly traits
- Battle Shaping. A 9th level Valkyrie spell. This is how they determine who lives and who dies
- Control Time. Delay dawn or dusk
- Curse of Abandoned Spirits. What happens when your guardian spirits are forced to leave you
- Curse of Three Tragedies. If the first two don’t kill the target, the third one is guaranteed to work
- Nightmare Ride. Take a trip to the lower planes
- Falcon Spell. Tie an inscribed scrap of paper to a falcon’s leg and utter this spell of protection
- Midsummer Vision. See your future, but beware, it might not be a good experience
- Past Remembrance. Recall your past lives
- Witch Arrows. Become a bundle of arrows and slay your enemies
- Wolf Wind. An ethereal wolf attacks your enemies
Many of these spells and rules are currently available in pre-release form on my Patreon for all supporters at the Instigator level.
In Summary
This book is a collection of 5e rules that help your game play much more like a realistic experience in the ancient world, rather than a cinematic, modern fantasy. These rules feature numerous adjustments to the 5e core system to help it better emulate adventure the ancient world, such as:
- Spears have reach
- Longswords (and many other weapons) are exotic weapons
- There is no studded leather armor (studded leather is not historical)
- There is no splint mail armor (splint mail is a neologism from the Victorian era)
- Lamellar armor is quiet common and replaces studded leather and splint mail
- Linothorax is common light armor
- Some warriors wear only a cardiophylax, others only a helm and greaves
- New shields (wicker, small, wooden, metal) and rules for using them in combat
- Warriors can learn to use a shield while simultaneously using a spear two-handed
- Some berserkers may be shapechangers, similar to lycanthropes
- Magic is primarily about hurling curses, altering fate, and predicting the future
- Spells inspired by ancient literature, folklore, and inscriptions
- Unarmed attacks are a weapon proficiency and some classes are not proficient
- New class: Scholar (with three archetypes: philosopher, doctor, and astronomer)
- New class: Witch (with three archetypes: enchantress, hag, and pharmacist)
- New class: Priestess (with five domains: TBD)
- New Backgrounds (Athlete, Farmer, Professional, Slave, and more)
- New feats and skills for adventuring in the ancient world
Coming Soon to Kickstarter!
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