Add-ons and Stretch Goals: The Results
about 7 years ago
– Wed, Feb 08, 2017 at 03:33:02 PM
The results of the survey are in, and both the book of Skill spheres and the book of gish archetypes are popular enough as to merit moving them up in the stretch goal order, with the gish book being slightly in the lead.
And so, we will be switching the next two stretch goals around: when we hit $20,000 (which at the time of this writing is exactly $46 away), we will unlock the first add-on; an entire book of classes and archetypes for combining Spheres of Might with Spheres of Power to create ultimate martial/magic users!
While the final market value of the book will probably end up being more, for this kickstarter the book will be made available as a $5 PDF, or $20 for a PDF/print book combo. If this book is something you want, simply increase your pledge by the listed amount without increasing the pledge level, and after the campaign you will be able to indicate which add-on it's for.
Thank you all for your interest in both Spheres of Might and this new book of SoP/SoM goodness. Few things are as great for a designer as seeing people wanting to see more of his work.
Art and Add ons
about 7 years ago
– Wed, Feb 08, 2017 at 03:24:12 AM
Somehow, the post I thought I made 2 days ago never actually got posted, so this update will be in two parts not entirely related to each other.
The Great Add-On Survey
We are only a few hundred dollars away from $20,000 and our next stretch goal: Expanded GM support. While I'm confident that we will meet the stretch goal after that one through the 48 hour rush at the end of every Kickstarter campaign, that stretch goal is for an add-on, and it's always hard to unlock an add-on right before the campaign closes, because people often miss the window to add the book.
When it comes to great ideas that nevertheless are too big and too unique to include in the base book, there are three things that have been brought up consistently by backers: An expansion book of Skill Spheres to add utility and non-combat options to the whole Sphere system, a book of archetypes that combine Spheres of Power with Spheres of Might onto the same character, and a complete mini-bestiary of martial monsters for GMs to play with.
The issues with these books is, of course, that there has to be enough money in the project budget to create them; 40-ish pages of text and artwork means more developers/artists and their fees. Which all leads me to my question: If we changed the order of the stretch goals to begin unlocking add-ons starting at $20,000 rather than at higher levels. Is that something you would like us to do?
If you would prefer to keep the stretch goals to strictly increasing the size of the main book by small increments that is perfectly fine, but if any of the above larger options sounds like something you would love to see unlocked, we would love to make them available to you. Please, stop by the survey linked below and let us know what you'd like to see from this project; we want to give you what you're looking for, we just need to know what that is.
Spheres of Might Stretch Goal Survey
Artwork
I like art, and while most of the artwork that will be used in the book hasn't been drawn yet (we won't know exactly what we need until the book is done,) I wanted to share some with you that we already have, especially since the image of an orc blacksmith throwing a minotaur just came in a few days ago and I'm very happy with it.
Thank you to everyone who's shared this project with their friends, and we'll be back again soon with more on the project!
Classes
over 7 years ago
– Wed, Jan 25, 2017 at 01:46:24 PM
As was mentioned in the video, one of the primary reasons we love kickstarter so much is it lets us make a larger, more intricate book than we otherwise would be able to create.
This problem comes to a head most obviously in the subject of classes.
We budgeted enough room for 6 classes. As of right now, we have 10 in the works, and a thought for one more beyond that.
The Armiger
The armiger is one you've already seen if you looked though our previews. The armiger is a master of many weapons, and rather than specializing in one weapon or another, shines most when she swaps out whatever she's holding to use what best fits the situation. At her highest levels, she can turn her round into a symphony of weapons as she sticks an ax in one guy, shoots another with a crossbow, then pulls out a polearm to end her round.
The Blacksmith
Again a class that has been presented in the previews, the blacksmith was our first exploration of martial support classes; along with his specializations in equipment use and smashing the equipment of his enemies, the blacksmith can perform downtime maintenance on his and his ally's equipment, granting them bonuses for the next time they go into battle. The blacksmith is also a master craftsman, and can easily replace the token spellcrafter when it comes to supplying bonuses and creating magical equipment for the party.
The Conscript
The conscript is an extremely open-ended class, allowing you to mix and match martial powers and talents to create exactly who you want. The conscript could be the army-trained archer or phalanx, he could be a mercenary with a spear and a crossbow, or he could be a wilderness scout. He can specialize in any sphere not unlike how a wizard specializes in an arcane school, and by exchanging talents, he can gain all sorts of core martial powers such as sneak attack or even a fighter's weapon training. The conscript is the most versatile class in the book, and no matter what your concept is for a classic martial combatant, the conscript can most likely deliver.
The Scholar
The scholar is a martial support class; rather than wield magic or weapons on the front lines, the scholar supports her team by building traps, exploiting her enemy's weaknesses and feeding that information to her allies, and controlling the battlefield with science and a genius intellect. I'm not sure if a low-BAB martial exists somewhere already, but to my knowledge the scholar might be the first of its kind, and she's been awesome to play.
The Sage
Like the scholar, the sage is a low-BAB martial character, but rather than controlling the battlefield, the sage is a front-line fighter who uses ki and chi gong to do battle. As an older man who's spent his life meditating and studying soft martial arts styles, the sage lacks the physique and hit points of the other frontline fighters. However, none of that matters when he can turn attacks back on his enemies, and shatter their bones through nothing but a touch.
The Striker
The striker has also been seen already in the preview documents, but for those who haven't read that yet, the striker is a master of fists and fury, building up tension as she fights and unleashing that tension to gain powerful bonuses or unleash deadly techniques. The striker is strongest when she never lets up, as each round in the fray nets her additional bonuses.
The Technician
Rounding out the 'who needs magic' classes is the technician, a master of machines and constructing the perfect tool for the job. Like the scholar and the blacksmith, the technician can construct the things he needs to get the job done, but his power lies in invention. While on the more realistic end the technician is a problem-solver and utility master who always has a trick up his sleeve, he's also the class to go to if your character concept involves anything in the realm of steam-powered mechsuits.
The Troubadour
Like the bard, the troubadour is a performer. However, rather than singing magical songs, the troubadour is a master of playing parts. So long as he has prepared the necessary personas beforehand, the troubadour can become the hero on the front lines, the sneaky villain hiding in the shadows, or even a wise-old mentor who can use magic items as well as any wizard. While these personas needn't involve any sort of disguise, the troubadour is also a great class for intrigue games, where each persona could look and act differently, allowing the troubadour to sneak into social circles where others might not be welcome.
The Commander
The commander is the squadron leader, the legion captain, or even the master general, coordinating his allies and granting them bonuses and expert tactics to help them overcome any foe. While the commander can hold his own on the front lines, the commander shines brightest when surrounded by allies to benefit from his expertise.
The Champion
The champion is the knight in shining armor, who stands firm against any enemy. The champion can survive things that most other characters can't, and is at her strongest when challenging a foe and stepping in to shield her allies from its wrath.
Thanks!
We'll share more on these classes in future previews, but I wanted to let you know what we were thinking about for classes and where we want to take the book, if we don't have to cut any.
Thanks again for helping us make this book and make it great, it means a lot to us to have your support in bringing this book to life!
Thanks,
Adam
