Drivethru RPG

With the series “Whispers of the Night” I offer you suggestions for the various background traits in Vampire: The Masquerade. Whether you use them as a player to enrich your character, or as a storyteller to give your NPCs contacts – these ideas are meant to give you inspiration and orientation.

In this little booklet, you will find my ideas and inspiration for the Herd background. 

This is suitable for every Vampire edition. 

Mit der Reihe „Flüstern der Nacht“ biete ich dir Vorschläge für die verschiedenen Hintergrundeigenschaften in Vampire: Die Maskerade. Ob du sie als Spieler nutzt, um deinen Charakter zu bereichern, oder als Erzählerin, um deinen NSCs Kontakte zu verleihen – diese Ideen sollen dir Inspiration und Orientierung bieten.

In diesem kleinen Heft findest du meine Ideen & Inspiration zu dem Hintergrund Herde. Dies ist für jede Vampire Eiditon verwendbar. 

Wax seal rendering image for use as an illustration, game aid or diegetic document.

Enter a world where empires stand on the brink of war, and terrible monsters tear at the fragile borderlands of men; where decaying cities teem with chaos and corruption, weeping innocents are sacrificed to chthonic cults and nobles live in decadent pleasure while the realm burns; where heroes, wizards, and rogues risk everything in pursuit of glory, fortune, and power. This is a world where adventurers can become conquerors — and conquerors can become kings. Will you survive the perils of war and dark magic to claim a throne? Or will you meet your fate in a forgotten ruin beyond the ken of men?

The Adventurer Conqueror King System™ Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) is the new edition of the acclaimed bestselling fantasy role-playing game. Built on more than 12 years of playtesting and hundreds of hours of methodical research and development, ACKS II is a three-volume D20 fantasy RPG that that offers everything you need to run epic fantasy campaigns with a sweeping scope. 

This book, the ACKS II Monstrous Manual, is a 432-page compendium of the creatures found in the worlds of ACKS II. To make the Monstrous Manual a bestiary like no other, we returned to the primordial source material of myth and legend and re-created all the classic fantasy creatures from the ground up. In the Monstrous Manual you get:

• More than 290 monster entries, each featuring a full-page description of the creature's game statistics, combat abilities, habitat, reproduction, and spoils.
• Monster creation rules that reveal how to create your own ACKS II monsters using the same mechanics that the designers used.
• Monster taming and training systems that take into account monster intelligence and attitude, training complexity, and more. 
• Monstrous henchman rules that let you level up your monstrous companions into fearsome sidekicks and allies.
• Monster part mechanics that let adventurers collect furs, ivory, and even magical components from slain monsters. 
• In-character commentary and lore from the sages and explorers of the Auran Empire campaign setting.
• And much, much more!

Whether you expect your adventurers to fight monsters or breed them, the ACKS II Monstrous Manual is the bestiary of fantasy creatures you need! 

Enter a world where empires stand on the brink of war, and terrible monsters tear at the fragile borderlands of men; where decaying cities teem with chaos and corruption, weeping innocents are sacrificed to chthonic cults and nobles live in decadent pleasure while the realm burns; where heroes, wizards, and rogues risk everything in pursuit of glory, fortune, and power. This is a world where adventurers can become conquerors — and conquerors can become kings. Will you survive the perils of war and dark magic to claim a throne? Or will you meet your fate in a forgotten ruin beyond the ken of men?

The Adventurer Conqueror King System™ Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) is the new edition of the acclaimed bestselling fantasy role-playing game. Built on more than 12 years of playtesting and hundreds of hours of methodical research and development, ACKS II is a three-volume D20 fantasy RPG that that offers everything you need to run epic fantasy campaigns with a sweeping scope. 

The ACKS II Judges Screen Inserts are a set of 24 full-color printable sheets designed for insertion into a landscape format tri-fold GM screen. The sheets included in the set are: 

•  Animals and Vehicles
• Combat I - IV
• Dungeon Delves I - II
• Wilderness Expeditions I - III
• Sea Voyages I - II
• Warfare I - III
• Visiting Settlements
• Henchmen Recruitment and Management
• NPC Reactions and Domain Morale
• Magical Commerce
• Mercantile Ventures
• Merchandise for Arbitrage and Consignment
• Entertainment & Eating I - II

Get the most out of your precious playtime with all of the most important rules and tables at your fingertips.

Enter a world where empires stand on the brink of war, and terrible monsters tear at the fragile borderlands of men; where decaying cities teem with chaos and corruption, weeping innocents are sacrificed to chthonic cults and nobles live in decadent pleasure while the realm burns; where heroes, wizards, and rogues risk everything in pursuit of glory, fortune, and power. This is a world where adventurers can become conquerors — and conquerors can become kings!

The Adventurer Conqueror King System™ Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) is the new edition of the acclaimed bestselling fantasy role-playing game. It offers everything you need to run epic fantasy campaigns with a sweeping scope.  The ACKS II Judges Journal includes:

• A setting construction system using the top-down zoom-in methodology, with a comprehensive explanation of how to create a functional sandbox that creates emergent play. 
• A realm generation system that allows you to bring your setting into the ACKS II economic and political framework, determining realm types, establishing urban settlement sizes, demarcating territory, and more.
• A settlement generation system with dynamic building tables that let you fill each city block with establishments and occupants on the fly. 
• An NPC creation system that lets you quickly generate anything from a 0th level farmer to a 14th level emperor, complete with entourage of vassals and array of magic items.
• An abstract dungeon delving and wilderness exploration system that allows your high-level heroes to dispatch their minions on adventures, with resolution that reveals casualties and treasure. 
• A monster encounter system with tables for 18 different terrain types that take into account the extent of civilization and the rarity of monsters.
• A custom class creation system using a system of point allocation and level trade-offs. All of the classes in ACKS II were designed using this system, so anything you create with it will be seamlessly compatible with the existing material.
• A custom race creation system that goes beyond elf, dwarf, and halfling. Whether you want sapient cockroaches, winged lizardmen, sinister serpent people, or just a bunch of weird elves, you can build it.
• A custom spell creation system that takes into account magic type, magic school, effect, duration, targeting, and saving throws. The spells in ACKS II were created with this system, too.
• A custom magic type creation system that allows you to transcend the ordinary limits of arcane and divine magic. Create varieties of shaded magic that can cause horrific corruption, cross the boundaries of cleric and mage, and more.
• More than 150 marvelous magic items to astound, delight, and terrify your adventurers, each with a detailed description and lore behind its creation. 
• And much, much more!

With the ACKS II Judges Journal, you can create a living, breathing world — one in which the rules function as natural laws, and players are endowed with the agency only objective mechanics can provide.

Enter a world where empires stand on the brink of war, and terrible monsters tear at the fragile borderlands of men; where decaying cities teem with chaos and corruption, weeping innocents are sacrificed to chthonic cults and nobles live in decadent pleasure while the realm burns; where heroes, wizards, and rogues risk everything in pursuit of glory, fortune, and power. This is a world where adventurers can become conquerors — and conquerors can become kings!

The Adventurer Conqueror King System™ Imperial Imprint (ACKS II) is the new edition of the acclaimed bestselling fantasy role-playing game. It offers everything you need to enjoy epic fantasy campaigns with a sweeping scope. Whether you want to crawl through dungeons, experiment with alchemy, crossbreed monsters, run a merchant emporium, raise an undead legion, or conquer an empire, ACKS II supports your playstyle. The ACKS II Revised Rulebook features:

• 18 character classes, each with 8 quick-start templates featuring pre-selected proficiencies, spells, equipment, and encumbrance that let you start playing in minutes!
• 110 proficiencies carefully selected to help you customize your character to your taste without risk of skill traps, min-max chains, or feat taxes.
• 378 spells carefully calibrated for long campaigns that ascend from dungeon delves to pitched battles with armies. Magic doesn't have to make a game world implausible or unbalanced anymore!
• Dungeon delving mechanics that let your adventurers interact with the subterranean environment by spelunking, rappelling, traversing, and more.
• Wilderness expedition rules that bring the challenges and dangers of the wild to life, including mechanics for wilderness survival, inclement weather, and more.
• Sea voyage and naval warfare system with mechanics for boarding, grappling, ramming, rowing, sailing, and siege weapons.
• Combat mechanics that play like a realistic simulation of ancient hand-to-hand battle at low levels and a cinematic emulation of the legendary exploits of demigods and heroes at high levels.
• Stronghold and domain rules that allow you to establish domains, rule realms, take vassals, establish a senate, and more.
• Hijinks and hideout rules that let high-level thieves run their own criminal guild or spy network, dispatching their ruffians to racketeer, smuggle, surveil, and steal.
• Magic research mechanics that go beyond spell design and magic item manufacture. Crossbreed monsters, construct golems, practice necromancy, and engage in magical experiments with unforeseeable consequences.
• Mercantile venture system that let you set up a trade routes, build and manage caravans and merchant fleets, start and run businesses, engage in moneylending, and more.
• Mass combat mechanics, with scalable rules for raising and organizing armies ranging from dozens to hundreds of thousands of soldiers, maneuvering them on the strategic theater, maintaining lines of supply, and fighting pitched battles and sieges.
• And much, much more!

This is a rules supplement. It is PWYW.

Instead of paying for this, please donate to the local veterans organisation in your home country such as https://www.dvnf.org/ or https://ptsdidanmark.dk/ 

This document was made with the help of the Twilight:2000 Facebook community.

Giant Hollow Tree Shrine & More (24”×36”)

They say the roots of this enormous oak plummet down and punch into the Fair Folk’s world — but good luck getting past its guardian!

This map, I’d use as the entrance to another world. It’s partially inspired by the Old School Essentials module The Hole in the Oak, but a friend says it reminds him more of the Great Deku Tree. I was a Playstation kid and the new Link to the Past is the first & last Zelda I’ve played to date, so that would’ve slipped my mind otherwise…

Thoughts

• I hate spiders, but there are much worse things that live in trees. Like owls. Or certain bears.
• Could be a spot to gather magical materials. See those red flowers on the vines? That’s a plot device right there.
• You may also want to treat the tree itself as a youkai. The Saigyou Ayakashi in full bloom!

Contents

• Giant Hollow Tree Shrine: An enormous oak tree that someone once considered sacred — or maybe they still do!
• Spider Hollow: Oh, Christ. I don’t even want to look at this one, and I don’t even have arachnophobia.
• Winter: Bring some Christmas lights.
• Cherry Tree: In full bloom, raining blossms..!
• Fairy Forest: An odd tone for a more fair-folkish forest.
• Sealed Tree: Something’s gone terribly wrong. Is someone trying to protect the tree, or are you being protected you FROM the tree?
• Sealed Inner Gate: The tree’s core is glowing violently. A portal? Or a weakness?
• Tree House: A house inside a tree! How quaint. A trap-door is included so you can expand it into a dungeon or cellar if desired.
• Canopy Overlays: For VTT usage!
• Day/Night Variants: Wherever applicable!

All maps are provided with & without square grids in WEBP format. (Please note that while WEBP is compatible with all major VTTs, it may not be previewable in old Windows 10 photo viewers.)

In addition, a Foundry module with a compendium of pre-built scenes for major variants is provided!

Furthermore, full-color PDF files in both single-page and divided poster formats are provided for printing!

• The divided poster PDFs are cut into US Letter-size pages; they have guidelines, sheet numbering, & a convenient sheet for sticking them together after you’ve printed them out, and have margins so that you don’t have to be pixel-perfect when cutting with your scissors.
• The single-sheet PDFs are suitable for making high-quality prints via print shops & on large-scale printers.

The Nexus of Worlds

In the Nexus of Worlds, you are either a native of the planet Xutec or a newcomer drawn from your world and time to the planet via random energy portals. Xutec is perpetually covered with an Aurora Borealis, and the planet’s three moons banish darkness from the entire planet’s surface.

The natives of the jungle world of Xutec are green-skinned, raven-haired, no taller than five and a half feet, and their eyes are lavender in color and resemble and physically compatible with humans.

The World of Xutec draws from a nexus of realities. An Imperial Roman soldier could arrive alongside a reptilian from another planet from the far future. The newcomers can be friends of the natives, or the natives can consider them threats; only the cards will know.

As a writer, gamer, and game creator, I like to help other like-minded individuals create their worlds. You may use this solo game as an aid to your writing or ideas for your own game. If you are an introvert, stuck at home with a sick day, a fan fiction writer, or just want to try something new, this is your solo adventure.

There is endless replayability and the only limits are your imagination.

Tools you'll need: A Deck of Standard Playing Cards with Jokers and something to record your choices. Paper or a word processing program.

Begin your adventure and create your worlds!

The galaxy is an endless tapestry of stars, vast and indifferent. Within its boundless expanse, the lives of trillions are spun into a web of intrigue, deceit, and conflict. Somewhere among the void, unseen hands orchestrate the rise and fall of empires, their tools neither armies nor fleets, but shadows and whispers. Chief among these secretive players is the Eclipse Conclave, an ancient guild of assassins whose existence is both whispered legend and feared certainty. Their blades carve destinies, their allegiances bought with wealth and power, yet their true purpose is known only to the Council of Shadows, the faceless leaders who govern their bloodstained art. The Conclave is not a monolith of death but a paradox—a body of unparalleled killers bound by a creed of balance. They claim to serve the galaxy by removing threats to its delicate equilibrium, whether it be despots or revolutionaries. Yet, to the operatives who carry out their will, the truth often feels far more elusive. As the galaxy spirals deeper into chaos, cracks form within the Conclave itself. Whispers of betrayal ripple through its ranks, and rumors of the Solari Dominion’s secret agenda to dismantle the guild spread like wildfire. It is in this shadowed maelstrom of lies and violence that your story begins. You are an operative of the Conclave, sworn to its creed, though the bonds of loyalty chafe like chains. A new assignment awaits you—a seemingly routine elimination of Senator Arlex Torva, a staunch opponent of the Solari Dominion’s expansionist policies. But nothing about this mission feels routine. The weight of unseen forces presses down on you, the stars themselves seeming to hold their breath as you prepare to strike. The airlock door seals behind you with a hiss, and you step into the cold embrace of Auronis Prime, a city-planet that gleams like a diamond wrapped in shadow. Neon lights flicker and pulse, casting kaleidoscopic hues over the ever-moving throngs below. Somewhere in the labyrinth of spires and alleyways, Torva’s life hangs by a thread—a thread you are meant to sever. But as you delve deeper into this world of veiled intentions and hidden truths, you begin to sense a darker purpose behind your assignment.

________________________________________________

In this Solo Adventure you assume the role of a Character in a Dark Science Fantasy setting. You will  require The Haven Fallen Core Rulebook (CRB), and any associated Expansions you wish to use to assist you, along with a pen and paper or word-processing document, to play.

The story is set up with an Introduction, a handful of location details and a few pertinent Story Points. The rest is down to you and your imagination.

The Actions you take should depend on who and what you see, and how you wish to interact. Keep a record of your story and adapt it as per the result of each Action. As you progress you will see that you are behaving as your own Storyteller, creating the interactive world in which you are playing.

Use the Character Creation section of the CRB to create your Character and use the Storyteller section of the CRB to assist with generating NPCs.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the  following few pages, you are ready to begin.

THE BONUS DIE

When allowed to roll a Bonus Die, roll two of the same required Dice and choose the most beneficial result.

The galaxy is vast, cold, and indifferent to the struggles of its inhabitants. Among the glittering cities of the core worlds and the desolate reaches of forgotten star systems, tales of horror weave themselves into the fabric of civilization. Whispers grow louder of a shadow moving through the expanse—a specter known only as The Sculptor. A name that is both a curse and a prophecy, it speaks of atrocities that defy understanding, of lives extinguished in grotesque artistry, bodies arranged like the mocking remnants of ancient rituals. Where the Sculptor walks, silence follows, the void itself recoiling from the unholy tableau left behind. This is no ordinary murderer. The Sculptor’s work spans systems, worlds, and species, a trail of death that challenges the very institutions meant to keep order. The Galactic Concord, strained by political fractures and economic unrest, has declared the Sculptor the most wanted criminal in known space. Bounties rise, investigators burn themselves out, and yet, the killer remains a phantom, leaving behind only a chilling signature: geometric arrangements of the deceased that baffle even the most advanced minds. Some call the Sculptor an artist, others a mad prophet. A few whisper a darker truth—that the killings are not the actions of one but the bidding of an ancient force older than the stars themselves. The hunt for the Sculptor has led many to Voralis IX, a dying industrial moon where the air stinks of rust and despair. Here, the factory districts crumble under their own weight, and the surviving inhabitants whisper of shadows that move where none should be. Voralis IX is a place abandoned by hope, a perfect hunting ground for a predator of the soul. The Galactic Concord’s Crimson Judiciary has sent its agents, bounty hunters stalk the alleys, and shadowy factions pull strings from the void, each seeking the Sculptor for their own reasons. Yet, the deeper one delves into the heart of Voralis, the more the question grows: is the Sculptor the hunter, or are they merely the herald of something far worse? This story begins in the decaying bowels of Voralis IX. You are among the few with the courage—or the recklessness—to tread these haunted streets. Perhaps you seek justice for the lives stolen. Perhaps you crave the fortune offered for the Sculptor’s head. Or perhaps, like so many others drawn to this place, you are running from your own ghosts. Whatever brought you here, the path forward is shrouded in darkness, where truth and terror intertwine.

________________________________________________

In this Solo Adventure you assume the role of a Character in a Dark Science Fantasy setting. You will  require The Haven Fallen Core Rulebook (CRB), and any associated Expansions you wish to use to assist you, along with a pen and paper or word-processing document, to play.

The story is set up with an Introduction, a handful of location details and a few pertinent Story Points. The rest is down to you and your imagination.

The Actions you take should depend on who and what you see, and how you wish to interact. Keep a record of your story and adapt it as per the result of each Action. As you progress you will see that you are behaving as your own Storyteller, creating the interactive world in which you are playing.

Use the Character Creation section of the CRB to create your Character and use the Storyteller section of the CRB to assist with generating NPCs.

Once you have familiarised yourself with the  following few pages, you are ready to begin.

THE BONUS DIE

When allowed to roll a Bonus Die, roll two of the same required Dice and choose the most beneficial result.

Need Gish? Something like a one third-caster but they're throwing grenades rather than spells. With the Grenadier, fish, fish, you got your Gish!. Abbreviated spell list, but plenty of area of effect and crowd control, support or frontline, your choice. Put the Grenadier on your tabletop today!

GRITTY SCI-FI ACTION USING THE AMAZING SAVAGE WORLDS RULE SET!

   On the edge of known space, criminal syndicates, and bounty hunters flourish among the cold and uncaring stars. SAINTs and Synners fight to bend the Rim Worlds to their will, their conflict shaping the destiny of the region.

  You can play as a SAINT, undercover agents moving through the underworld, dedicated to taking down the criminal syndicates. A world the SAINTs know well... as former criminals themselves! Or you can play as a Synner, looking out for yourself and your Crew. Do you try to make it through another day or choose to rise to the top and form your own Syndicate Faction.

 The edge of the galaxy is standing on the brink; just a push could slide it into the abyss. What do you choose, SAINT or Synner?

BY THE NUMBERS

• 200+ Pages of Content
• 10 Playable Species
• 10 Professions 
• 4 New Arcane Backgrounds
• 30+ Edges
• 1 Adventure Generator

The Starbreaker Setting: Explore a galaxy rich with detail. You can visit the Core Worlds, raid the Corporate Worlds, and hide out from syndicate assassins on the Rim. This setting is full of interesting aliens, engaging factions, and territories where the rule of law is often far more of a suggestion.

Character Options: You can be a SAINT or Synner if you choose, building your crew from the ground up to adventure in this gritty sci-fi starscape. You can select your allies and opposition, then detail the starship your crew relies on to traverse the bloody spacelanes.

• You can choose to be human or from one of 12 different alien species, like the batlike Nakhyra or the artificial lifeforms known as Synths.
• You can select one of several new professional edges, such as Psy Commando or Bounty Hunter.
• New edges, new hindrances, and new arcane backgrounds are all at your fingertips! There are even special edges just for your crew, such as Cover Story or Street Smarts!

• New Setting Rules: The black market is a big deal out on the fringe of the galaxy, and there are setting rules to reflect this. New planetary hazards can threaten your crew's explorations of uncharted worlds, and there are rules for Schemes your crew can pull off and Syndicate Favors they can earn and use to stay out of trouble.
• NPCs and Bestiary: The galaxy is a dangerous place, and your crew might face down a syndicate boss or deal with some overzealous space marines. This book details these threats and plenty of the NPCs you can encounter: the movers and shakers of the Starbreaker setting.

Archetypes for the Starbreaker SciFi setting, using the Savage Worlds rule system. These are both Novice and Seasoned versions included.

Archetypes in this set

• Assassin
• Bounty Hunter
• Engineer
• Grifter
• Hypertech
• Pirate
• Psy Commando
• Psy Operative
• Smuggler
• Thief

Welcome to Mission Bravo, a thrilling heist set in the aftermath of Starbreaker’s jumpstart Mission Alpha.

The SSA contacts the Black Wolves with a new directive. They want the team to recover a recently discovered copy of the Memories of Captain Trelloth, the journals of a xek pirate captain who operated during the Armageddon War. The SSA believes that the captain’s journals contain the location of the legendary Starship Graveyard, the lost wreckage of dozens of starships lost during the fabled Battle of Shadows.

If you have not played through Mission Alpha, be sure to check it out now.

To recap Mission Alpha:

Welcome to Echo, a mining planet on the edge of the Rim Worlds and a source of critanium, the metal essential for creating jump drives. The planet is a stronghold for the Syndicate, a coalition of 12 of the most notorious criminal organizations on the Rim. Your criminal group, the Black Wolves, has just bought itself a seat at this table.

However, you are moles. The Star Systems Alliance sent you to infiltrate the Syndicate posing as members of the Black Wolves. You are a SAINT, a former criminal who now collaborates with the angels in exchange for a reduced sentence, and eventually, your freedom.

Alongside your fellow Black Wolves, you rescued an important civilian, auctioned off doctored jump routes, and secured your place at the Syndicate’s table. Now you work from within the Syndicate, running ops to bring them down.

If you succeed, they’ll lower your sentence. With enough wins, maybe they’ll even remove the neural inhibitor control chip implanted in your head, granting you freedom. If not, you could end up dead if the Syndicate discovers your identity.

Enemies and potential allies for your Starbreaker game. THe set is over 50 threats and includes some of the following.

• Mercenaries
• Pirates
• Combat Robots
• Star Marines
• Hive Insects

This pack includes maps for Starbreaker. Inside you will get. Both Ships will have a full ortho exterior view image and interior deck plans. The Starport is designed to have two landing pads for ships with support facilities.

• Star Raven Light Transport
• Manta Long Range Scout
• Starport

The Pharaoh's Vault

Level-1 D&D 5e + Shadowdark Adventure

The Pharaoh's Vault is an introductory adventure about a mysterious ziggurat that rises from the soil in the forest. The up-and-coming adventurers, in the nearby town of Arborhollow, are hired by Professor Hadrin and the daring explorer Lyra Telvane to escort them into the strange structure. The professor claims it may be the burial site of the last pharaoh.

When the party explores the dungeon beneath the ziggurat, they soon find immortal guardians, deadly traps, strange puzzles, and the company of other adventurers who came sooner than the characters. Before the great vault's door rests an ornate sarcophagus that contains the bodily remains of Pharaoh Ankheteph IX. This ruler from a bygone era has recently awoken once more...

This adventure has been published in both the D&D 5e and Shadowdark systems. Pick your game of choice and have fun exploring our amazing locations and adventures!

Explore fantasy worlds and immersive adventures!

Product Includes

D&D 5e and Shadowdark versions

Adventure PDF

Printer-Friendly B/W PDF

Separate Hi-Res map files

The Shadowdark version of this adventure is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.

This one-shot adventure is also included in our flagship product Dungeon Vault Magazine. Check out our Dungeon Vault Magazine publication here if you want a better deal.