Furyborn... An Overlooked Pathfinder Enchantment

Magic weapons are one of those things characters tend to acquire as they advance in level in Pathfinder classic. However, it's particularly easy to get caught up in all the choices for weapon enchantments as we try to figure out which options are going to be most effective against the particular enemies we're fighting, which ones work best with our character's class features, and which ones provide the most bang for our buck.

There is an enchantment that often falls through the cracks, though, and it's easy to overlook it if you aren't the sort of player who goes through rulebooks from cover to cover. And if you didn't dig into Ultimate Equipment (which I would recommend getting a copy of if you haven't), you may have missed the Furyborn enchantment.

Do not test me, for my fury has no limits.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

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A Deadly Enchantment For All Occasions

The Furyborn enchantment is born of the frustration from a warrior whose enemy refuses to lay down and die. It is a +2 enchantment that can be placed on any melee weapon, and every time the weapon hits a single target, the enhancement bonus increases by +1 to a total of +5. So even if you have your weapon as a +1 furyborn weapon, a single hit raises it to +2, a second raises it to +3, and so on, and so forth, until you have a +5 furyborn weapon.

The bonus resets if you attack a different target than the original, the original target dies, or 1 hour passes.

Just die... it's the only way to end this!

Now, on the one hand, that likely sounds pretty good. After all, if you have a character with a full base attack bonus who can take iterative attacks, every hit you land makes you more likely to hit again, and adds a little bit of bonus damage. Because a +5 enhacement to hit (and the +5 enhancement to damage that comes with it), ain't nothing to sneeze at.

But there's another benefit that comes with a weapon's enhancement bonus that a lot of us simply don't think about. If you look in the back of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook on page 562, it lists the kinds of damage reduction that's overcome when a weapon has a high enough enhancement bonus. If a creature has DR that's overcome by silver or cold iron, then a weapon with an enhancement bonus of +3 ignores that ability. DR that normally requires an adamantine weapon to bypass can be ignored by a weapon that has an enhancement bonus of +4. And if a creature has alignment-based DR, that can be overcome by a weapon with an enhancement bonus of +5.

So if you're fighting a werewolf with your furyborn weapon, the first two hits will apply its DR, but after that your furry friend will take the full brunt of your blows. If it's later in the game and you're opposing devils, demons, or even angels (it's hard to say where your campaign will go), connecting with 4 hits means that your weapon is now going to pierce their protections and cut into them... and if you're a full-BAB martial character, that can mean you're only sacrificing a round or two to overcome your enemy's biggest defense.

And, of course, an extra handful of damage can really make a difference in conjunction with your general combat strategy... especially if you're confirming critical hits and multiplying that damage by 2, 3, or more!

So, if you're not sure what kind of weapon enchantment will work for your next game, consider grabbing this one for your melee weapon. Especially if you are the sort of player who likes to focus on a single enemy until they are down for the count, and out of the fight.

Further Reading Recommendations

If you enjoyed this week's advice, consider checking out the following Pathfinder RPG supplements as well!

- Sellswords of Sundara: A collection of 10 mercenary companies, each one comes with its own, unique class archetype!

- Feats of Legend: 20 Story Feats: One of the capstone pieces from the Feats of Legend series, this one covers one of the most under-utilized feat choices that can be extremely rewarding in a Pathfinder campaign.

- Pathfinder Player Companion: Bastards of Golarion: My first official contribution to the Golarion setting, this one covers a variety of tricks that can be a serious boon to adventurers who want to come out ahead.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Game Masters, Remember, You Aren't Required To Go To Level 20

Level 20 has, in the minds of many of us, been enshrined as the ultimate end goal of any level-based RPG. While we go on about how Dungeons and Dragons isn't the only game out there, it set the standard for so many things in tabletop gaming, and that level 20 finish line is present in so many games. And while there are some games where you might go beyond that into epic levels, or using mythic tiers as Pathfinder created, level 20 is commonly accepted as the "normal" end. It's what many Game Masters designed their campaigns around, and in the minds of a lot of players it's when you finally reach your character's full potential.

Something to remember, though... just because you can do something, that doesn't mean you have to do it. Your game is no less fun, and no less valid, for choosing to get off the bus before the route terminates at the epic capstone showdown.

This is okay for some games... but not ALL games...

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

It's An Option. Not A Requirement.

Over the years I've met my share of Game Masters who lamented how frustrating it was to have to really crank up their math at higher levels of a campaign in order to keep their players challenged. I've also met my share of folks who wanted to try their hands at being a Game Master, but they were intimidated by the idea that they'd have to tell a full, complete story over such a huge stretch of levels in order to keep their players happy, and to be a "real" GM.

So, while a lot of us already know this, I'm going to repeat it. The scale of your story is entirely up to you, and your players. If you want to tell a grounded story that's going to take the PCs from level 1-5, that is your prerogative. If you want to have your punch up with the BBEG around level 10-11, because level 13 is where the math gets too frustrating for you, that is perfectly acceptable. Hell, if you just want to run a series of occasional one shots that are loosely strung together with hand-waved plot explanations where characters are only going to gain a level every 10 sessions and you're calling it quits at the end of level 3, there is nothing stopping you from doing that.

And, for the record, this applies to all RPGs... I'm just using level-based ones as an easy example. I made a video expounding on this for the World/Chronicles of Darkness a while back in case you missed it.

However, with this said, there are some caveats I'd throw into this.

First and foremost, ballpark where you plan to take your campaign so that your players know, and can set their expectations accordingly. If you show up to a game that you think is going to go to level 20, and you're excited to play an epic-level wizards with all the overpowered 9th-level spells you can handle, you might feel you were cheated if the campaign ends at level 6 because you had expected another 14 levels. Alternatively, if some of your players like to build a foundation for their end-game goals, then it might be good to know they should be going for something like the champion of a local town or small city, rather than a legendary paladin who went toe-to-toe with a great daemon lord for the fate of the world by the end of this game.

Secondly, if your players have concerns, make sure you address them. If you are comfortable with a game that runs in the 4-7 level range, but your players want that huge, epic finish, then you may not be able to give them what they want. That's all right, too. Just like how sometimes people don't want to play the particular RPG you want to run, sometimes they also don't want to play a story at the scale you want to run it at. Try to talk things out and find common ground so you can all have a good time, but don't sacrifice your fun and comfort level as a GM; it's better to have no game rather than a game that's burning you out, and you aren't enjoying.

Thirdly, examine the kind of scale, power level, whatever you want to call it of the game that you're running. If you want to run a game of Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons (most editions), or even some Savage Worlds that's relatively low on stakes and character power (a medieval murder mystery, a weird West gang dispute over a frontier town, so on and so forth), you can probably make that happen without too much bending and twisting. But if you're running a game that is meant to be a big, bombastic, high-powered thing (Scion, Exalted, and so on) they aren't really supposed to be small in scale or effect. Which is not to say you can't find a way to make it happen if you want to keep things smaller scale, but just be aware that some games are easy to do this with, and other games you're going to be swimming upstream to try to make it happen.

At the end of it all, though, I just wanted to remind all the GMs and prospective GMs out there... you don't have to go big or go home. You can run games that stop before they become rocket tag, or which keep the numbers at a lower level. You can run campaigns that can be wrapped up in 6-7 months, or even just 3 months if that's all the gas you have in your tank. You are allowed to do whatever the hell you want, as long as your players back you up, and everyone is willing to make this happen.

A Bit of Additional Reading

If this is the sort of advice that you (or someone you play with) needs to see, I'd actually recommend grabbing a copy of 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better Game Master, as it collects some of the best field-tested pieces of advice that have appeared on this blog over the past dozen years or so. And if you're feeling really frisky (or you just like to have both sides of the coin), consider grabbing the sister supplement 100 Tips And Tricks For Being A Better RPG Player while you're at it!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

"Broken Heroes" Is Finally Available (And You Should Check It Out Immediately!)

For all the folks who've been awaiting fresh Warhammer 40K content from yours truly, you're going to have to wait just a bit longer... but I do have something that turned out phenomenally I want to share! Because a majority of my stories have been about space marines, ogryns, and the imperial guard, but I have had a single story that really stuck out for me as a writer. A story about a feudal world that had, once upon a time, been a knight world... and which might become one again!

A story about a one-armed smythe's apprentice named Renn who finds a weapon lost to time that is ready to get back into the fight against the insectoid creatures that have overrun the world, Broken Heroes has always had a soft spot in my heart.

Even better, it can now have a special place in your ears, thanks to Altered State Adventures!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

There's More To Come (But Only So Many Hours In A Day)

As I said late last year in Hungry For More Warhammer 40K Content? You're In Luck!, I've had a lot of plans for working on additional stories from the grim darkness of the far future. However, I've got a lot of stuff on my plate right now with running two blogs, needing to put out two RPG supplements out a month, working on at least one video per week for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, putting together a Chronicles of Darkness podcast, and dealing with other, miscellaneous projects... and there just isn't a lot of free time to pen more short stories with all of those plates spinning.

Doesn't mean I'm not gonna try, though.

Forward! For the Emperor!

While I'm going to start working on the third story in the Waking Dogs series of tales about my renegade World Eater Crixus (Waking Dogs and Broken Chains are the first two stories that are already out), there is another, small achievement that I want to acknowledge in this week's update. Because now that Broken Heroes has debuted, that means there is only one original story of mine that hasn't been given an audio version yet; my Death Watch story, Blackest Knights!

(And technically my Leagues of Votann story Pyramid Scheme hasn't been dramatized yet, either, but that was a two-person job, so it gets its own category.)

So, if you want to stay tuned for more great audio dramas based on my work, definitely subscribe to Altered State Adventures, and dig through their archive of content! And if you're hoping to catch Blackest Knights when it finally comes out, along with listening to a lot of my older stories, you should also subscribe to A Vox in The Void if you haven't done so yet!

And in the event you didn't see the video about some of my other goals for 2025, please take a moment to check that out, too!

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Bue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

More Updates For "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" Are On The Horizon!

As regular readers know, I've been sporadically putting out updates for my setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for a few years now. Currently available for Pathfinder Classic and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, the idea behind this setting was to have a world that's strange and unusual, which feels familiar enough that fantasy fans will be able to get their bearings, but which is different enough that there's always something new to discover!

From removing old standbys like the alignment system (and following the ripples that came with that decision), to replacing the complex multiverse with a single world of magic and one of material, to emphasizing problem solving and innovation, Sundara has a lot to offer! The difficulty has been, of course, getting people to come in and check it out.

Which is why I wanted to let folks know there are some fresh updates to the setting, as well as a few things that are coming over the horizon in the near future!

If you have a need, we have something to fill it!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

First and Foremost: AMA For An Upcoming Interview!

If you spend any time over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which your should subscribe to if you haven't already done so), then you probably know about my series Speaking of Sundara. This is a show where I talk about the setting, my inspirations for it, where some of my ideas and supplements are going, and so on. It operates as a kind of behind-the-scenes glance into Sundara, and I try to answer folks' questions while also giving everyone an elevator pitch about why they should come in and try it out for themselves!

It's been sort of irregular over the past year, mostly because I haven't been producing a lot of new Sundara content. However, there is going to be a new episode filmed soon, and it's going to be my first one with a special guest... author, and fellow Sundara creator, Isaiah Burt!

Seriously, check him out if you haven't yet!

Author of the novellas Legacy of Flames (a story about a unique lizardfolk taking his hunt into the mountains outside Ironfire), as well as Blight Bane's Gambit (a tale of a tricksy green dragon and a band of orc mercenaries), Isaiah has added many of his own brush strokes to the setting I started. And so we thought we'd have a collab about Sundara as a whole, what draws us to it, and what are some things we'd like to see it do in the future!

And if you, dear readers, had any questions you'd like to see answered then make sure you leave them in the comments below so we can address them! This will be the second AMA I've put together for Sundara, and if you haven't seen the first one, then check it out below!

A New Series: Locales of Sundara!

In addition to the Whispers & Rumors supplements I've been working on (currently the only one out is Whispers & Rumors For Ironfire, The City of Steel, but supplements are in editorial for Moüd, City of Bones and Silkgift, City of Sails), there is a new occasional supplement one should keep an eye out for... Locales of Sundara!

The first is Locales of Sundara: The Silkgift Gazette by Adrian Kennelly! Located within Fool Street, this newspaper is a hive of activity for all the news in the city, and its broadsheets are distributed all across the City of Sails... and given that Silkgift is a port city with a massive canal running through it, these newspapers can often end up quite far from the place they were printed!

Whether you're looking to run some games in Silkgift specifically, in Sundara in general, or you just want to have a gazette in your own fantasy world, I'd highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy of this supplement while it's still hot off the presses!

Seriously... don't sleep on this one!

My question for folks out there who think this would make for a snazzy series of supplements... what would you like to see next? And where in the setting would you like to see it? Would you like to see a combat school teaching the trade of steel in Ironfire? A pseudodragon cafe in Hoardreach? Or an enchanted notary in the floating city of Archbliss?

Throw your suggestions in the comments below, but also make sure you leave them on our social media pages so that both myself, and other contributors to this setting, can see them, and run with them!

Lastly, if this is something that perks your interest, I highly recommend checking out Merchants of Sundara, as it has 10 additional businesses/brands one can encounter across this setting... though you can pluck them out and put them in whatever world you wish! It's also the supplement that continued the story begun in the original release for the setting, which is dramatized below for all those who enjoy a bit of storytelling flair to draw them into a game world!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

A Dekas of Dwarven Clans... Should This Be The Start of a Supplement Series?

Folks who follow my regular releases likely noticed that my latest TTRPG supplement, A Dekas of Dwarven Clans, went live on Drive Thru RPG this past weekend! I put a lot of work into this supplement, and it gives you 10 dwarven clans complete with history, colors, battle cries, culture, noted NPCs, and several rumors to help flesh them out in your setting. And while I finished it several months ago, now that it's out, I'm wondering if this is a formula folks would like to see me expand on in the future?

Seriously... go grab a copy if you haven't yet!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Is This A Format You Want To See More Of?

If I had to compare this latest supplement to something I've done before, I'd compare it to A Baker's Dozen of Noble Families, which came out in winter of 2018. And since that older supplement went Electrum, I figured there must be something in there that people were interested in. So as an experiment, I decided to expand the general idea, and to put together 10 dwarven clans. After all, if there's anything I learned from the Species of Sundara series I put together, it's that folks who play fantasy games love dwarves.

It makes a great entry into Sundara as a setting!

While A Dekas of Dwarven Clans is hot off the press, it was one of several ideas on the workdesk when I was putting ideas on my to-do list. Others included A Baker's Dozen of Barbarian Clans (for folks who want to expand on something like a "barbarian nation" for their raging character), or A Dekas of Orc Clans (which follows the same format as the one I wrote for dwarves). I could, of course, expand this out to other species, other environments (if we want something like "mountain clans" or "desert clans"), and so on, depending on what people want to see more of.

The question, of course, is would you all like to see that happen?

As most folks know, discoverability is in the toilet for RPG products these days, and actually getting the stuff we make in front of the eyes of people who could use it is hard as hell to pull off. As such, it's tougher than ever to judge whether something actually has interest from the audience, and if they'd like to see more of it.

So if this is a format you want to see more of, or if any of the ideas I mentioned above sound interesting, here is what I would like you to do:

- Buy A Copy Of A Dekas of Dwarven Clans: As the saying goes, money talks, and the more sales this supplement brings in for the publisher, the more obvious demand there will be for sequels.

- Leave A Review: If you already got a copy of the supplement for yourself, leave a rating and review for it on Drive Thru RPG.

- Share On Your Social Media: Whether you share a link to the supplement, or a link to this post, the more people who boost the signal, the better the chance there is that people who will be interested in this supplement find out it exists, and they can decide if they want to buy copies for themselves.

- Comment On This Post With What You'd Like To See: If you want to see more supplements like this one, leave a comment below with which idea I mentioned that you want to see covered, or if you'd like to see something else entirely! And if you saw this post on social media, leave your comment there as well in order to boost the signal in the algorithm!

If I can count on folks out there to do all of those things, maybe this project will get a bit of traction, and I can actually make some room for it going forward. But as with everything else, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the supplements with big numbers and lots of attention get sequels.

So make your voices heard!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Who Is Your Clan (And What Does That Mean)?

Every character has a family. Even if they're dead, estranged, or just far away from where your current adventure is taking place, someone raised them, and helped them acquire the skills they currently possess. However, there is something that is bigger than just your family, in the sense of those you share a close blood tie with. This is something that can set the culture a character was raised with, covering everything from what they value, to how they dress, to what morals they have.

This concept is your clan, and it can be a useful thing to consider when you're trying to build your character's backstory!

I pledge my sword to the House of The Sun, and the Seat and Seal of Clan Blackwind.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What Is Your Clan (And What Does It Mean To You)?

We often think of a clan as a particularly big family, so I want to take a moment to break down what I mean in this context. Because a clan is not just a family, but it is (typically, at least) a rather large group of interconnected/interrelated families. So a character will have their immediate family (parents, siblings, children), their extended family (grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins), and then beyond that immediate family, you have your clan.

But what goes into a clan?

For Hawkwind! For Clan Darkhelme!

A clan is many things. At its most basic, it's a social support structure that acts in a way similar to a family, in that its members can rely on one another. So whether there's a disaster where one part of the clan has lost homes or crops, or the new generation needs to learn skills from more established professionals, the families of the clan can rely on one another to provide. This can even go so far as adopting members who have lost parents, or whose parents are unable (or unfit) to care for them. The clan takes care of its own.

Beyond that support structure, though, a clan also has obligations required from members. As an example, some clans might require that all members learn how to fight, and that tours of service be completed. There might be a kind of clan tax levied in order for the clan to support itself, with resources being distributed as needed. If one wants to stay in good standing with the clan, they need to fulfill their obligations, or suffer the consequences for ignoring them (such as becoming an outcast for refusing a major obligation they owe).

Lastly, a clan has its own culture. This can vary from clan colors and battle cries, to social norms regarding courtship and marriage, to what is considered a duel-worthy offense. Clans have their own internal politics, their own mores and norms, and they also have their own relationships with outsiders (which members may have to deal with when they travel, even if they are no longer an active part of their clan). They may even have their own clan law, which can come into conflict with the law of the land depending on where they happen to be.

All of these things can have an affect on your character. For a few examples, consider:

- Did your character's family have high standing in the clan? Low standing? Has their standing changed since your character's birth, and is that connected to their current adventure at all?

- Did your character defy any of the clan norms or laws? If so, have they escaped punishment for it, or is it still a secret?

- What is your character's clan heraldry, and is it different from their family heraldry? Does your character wear their colors and sigils openly and with pride? Or do they forego them unless required?

- Is your character proud of their clan affiliation, or ashamed of it? Are they willing to stand up for their clan, even if they consider them problematic or wrong in some way?

- Is there something about your character that people can immediately tell what their clan is? Whether it's something as obvious as a tattoo or a brand, or something more subtle like a particular weapon of choice, fighting style, or even an accent or turn of phrase?

All of these, and many more, can be unique ways to think about where your character came from, and what effect the clan had on them as they grew, and became who they are today.

Additional Resources

If you haven't grabbed your copy yet, get it today!

If you're looking for some additional things to help build your character's backstory, and to expand on the idea of a clan, the following resources might be of help!

- A Dekas of Dwarven Clans: From the grim-faced Ironhelms, to the indefatigable Craggs, this supplement contains 10 clans complete with history, heraldry, example NPCs, and rumors about each clan.

- 100 Fantasy Battle Cries (And Their Histories): If you're looking for a cry that can define your clan, consider some of the options in here, along with how they came to be!

- A Baker's Dozen of Noble Families: Similar to clans, these overarching noble families share a lot of similarities, and can be used as a basis for creating clans.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Dungeon Design Tips: Antagonist Action Economy (Never Fight Just One BBEG)

Every Game Master has been in this situation. The party has been working their way closer and closer to a final confrontation with a powerful enemy. They've bested their traps, they've slain their minions, and now it is time for an epic clash! But when the dice hit the table, the antagonist you spent so much time building up and preparing is roundly stomped into the pavement, left beaten, broken, and defeated in a matter of a few rounds (or sometimes less).

While there are a lot of factors that can go into this kind of defeat, one of the common threads between most of the stories you hear GMs tell is that they were running a 4-on-1 combat... and that's a losing scenario for most monsters!

No matter how powerful you think they are.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

The Problem

The idea of the party facing down a single creature in battle, their combined strengths necessary to overpower it, is an iconic image. Whether it's a lich lord, a full-sized red dragon, or some other adversary, so many of us have been raised on this setup (both in games as well as in films, comic books, etc.) that we just assume that's the way things are supposed to be.

The problem is the numbers of your action economy just don't add up.

Now, for folks who aren't familiar with the term action economy, it's just a fancy way of saying the amount of stuff you can do on a single turn. For example, let's say you're facing down a necromancer lich. They are a potent foe with a nasty template, a slew of immunities, and a bunch of dire powers to draw on... but generally speaking, they can only use one of those abilities on their turn. So if the lich wants to cast a spell, they'd better make sure it counts... because the party wizard and cleric also get to cast a spell, and that's on top of having to deal with the angry barbarian charging straight at the lich, and the paladin who isn't far behind him!

Oh balls...

Typically the big bosses of the dungeon have fat sacks of hit points, a bunch of pre-cast buffs, monstrous templates, and enough magic items to help them become a threat to an entire party worth of adventurers... the problem is that they need to dodge every bullet the party fires, metaphorically speaking. If the party manages to land a status effect, to slow the enemy, to instantly counter their spells or abilities, etc., then no matter how powerful they're supposed to be it's going to be Good Night Gracie in a big damn hurry.

And while this can make the party feel like big time badasses, it can also make what should be a climactic battle feel... well, anticlimactic. And while I've talked about cover and firing lines, combining traps with combat, and even getting rid of doors in this series, I'd say this week's solution is one that will solve more than half of all the problems that Game Masters deal with.

In short, stop giving your players a single target to gang up on.

The Solution

Give your antagonists backup. That's it... that's the solution.

Whether your lich lord has a cadre of bodyguards to defend their person, or your fallen paladin is backed up by a conjurer and a sniper, the idea is that you are breaking up the laser focus of your party, and giving everyone a dance partner.

If the lich has an undead champion to guard their person, now the party members have to weigh the pros and cons of dividing their attention. Does the barbarian engage the undead black knight, hoping to keep him busy while the paladin closes with the necromancer? Or do the melee bruisers both double team the bodyguard, hoping to take him out quickly while the spellcasters attempt to contain the lich?

Forcing your players to make these decisions means they have a wider array of options, and they have to sometimes get creative with their strategies and tactics. For example, with multiple targets on different ends of the battlefield, would the wizard get more use out of spells that put a wall of iron between the party and the black knight instead of directly attacking the lich? With multiple enemies, does the cleric choose to buff the brawler going toe-to-toe with the bodyguard, keeping him in the fight longer so the paladin doesn't end up having to fight a two-front battle?

And the more antagonists you put on the board, the more choices your players are going to have to make. Not only that, but you are going to have more strategic options, and you won't have to focus so much on making any single antagonist powerful enough to face down the entire party on their own.

This is actually where we get into The Anti-Party, which can best be summarized as the Legion of Doom to your party's Justice League. If you have an evenly-matched party of antagonists with similar abilities, now your players have to get really creative in order to make sure they are able to best their foes.

The important thing to remember here is that when you add multiple enemies, you should be diluting the power of the Big Bad and spreading it around. It also allows you to have boss antagonists who aren't either extremely powerful monsters (dragons, demiliches, etc.), powerful spell casters, or some combination of the two. For example, if you want to challenge your party with a bandit lord, you could have them as a decently high-level ranger, in an area that's full of traps they've set to give themselves an advantage. However, you could also give them half a dozen henchmen, or some kind of tamed monster threat to sic on the players. So rather than the entire party versus a single ranger, they have to deal with his arrows, his traps, but also the two dozen ghouls he's released from their cages, and his two bodyguards who are also taking pot shots at the party.

The more targets there are on the field, the wider the array of tactics the party will have to make use of in order to be successful. For example, does the evoker create a wall of fire to hold back the ghouls, buying their companions a precious round or two before the undead monsters close? Or do they sling spells back at the archers, trusting the front line fighters to hold the line? Does the barbarian's great spear come in handy due to its reach, and does the fighter stick close with them, using their shield to grant their companion additional protection from the rain of arrows above?

With so many additional moving parts, a battle becomes an actual battle, instead of a grudge match against one enemy. Not only that, but you have more things you can do as the Game Master than options that feel like dirty tricks, or which could permanently cripple player characters (rendering them permanently blind, giving them debilitating curses or diseases, destroying their enchanted gear, etc.). While you shouldn't make every fight with a boss (or mini boss) into the Battle of Helm's Deep, ask yourself why the head of an entire assassins guild, a feared bandit lord, or the head of a dark cult is standing alone against an entire hit squad coming for them... then ask who they would keep around just to make sure it's a fair fight.

Also, if you haven't watched any of my series Discussions of Darkness, check out episode 25 below, Don't Overuse The Game's Big Bads. Because if you're no longer trying to have just 1 antagonist taking on the whole party, it throws the party's plans into chaos because they now have to deal with a wider array of challenges coming at their faces.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Reaching Fresh Milestones (Some Good News Among All The Fire and Brimstone)

Right now the world is on fire. If you're on social media, or you're watching the news, it feels like we're living through a prequel of some of the worst post-apocalypse movies of the 1980s. However, as a lot of folks are reminding us, it's important to take the victories where you can find them, and to acknowledge your successes where they exist.

So even though it can sometimes feel tough to keep working, and to keep making art in all its forms, I've recently had a couple of good things happen that I want to talk about. And if you're one of those folks who is looking for ways to pitch in on good causes, don't you worry, I've got a section for that below!

You take your wins where you can get them...

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Carving A Few New Notches

I wanted to start out of the gate with some stuff that I'm pretty pleased by, and that I could not have done without all of you!

First and foremost, when I wasn't looking, Improved Initiative crossed the 1,000 post line! I've been running this blog for over 10 years now, and it's got over a thousand unique posts and articles on it (and that's not including any of the posts I've written for my Vocal.media archive, which is another 300 and change). It's a really big number, but while I'm patting myself on the back for it, I wanted to remind folks that this blog doesn't actually make me any money, and it's basically underwritten by all my affiliate links for my TTRPG supplements, as well as my Patreon page. So if you want to make sure I can keep this blog going, consider becoming a Patreon patron today!

It's going to be an uphill journey!

In addition to the growing archive of this blog, another accomplishment for the year is that the Azukail Games YouTube channel got itself monetized right at the start of January, which was a goal I'd been hammering away at for 3 years or so. While I'm currently working on a video detailing the process, and how we went from where we were to where we are, trust me when I say it was... an endeavor. Not only that, but as of yesterday we hit 1,500 subscribers, which is tiny in terms of what YouTube thinks is big, but given that we had barely 300 people when I started contributing I'd say we've come a damn long way!

But I don't want to sit on my laurels with this one, so if you've been holding off on subscribing, I'm hoping to keep the channel growing. First to 3,000 subs if we can, and then to 5,000 if we can manage that! More is always better, but I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself on this one.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about a goal I mentioned in the above video, because we are (technically) about halfway there at time of writing. I mention my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic, and how a lot of folks have wanted to see me put together an actual play of this game in action. That's a lot of time, energy, effort, and editing work, and it's unlikely to result in any real interest or sales of the game... however, I have pledged that if the game hits Silver metal status by the end of 2025, then I will put together such an episode, and upload it to the Azukail Games YouTube channel for everyone to see.

And as of time of writing, the base book just hit Copper metal status!

For those who aren't familiar with Drive Thru RPG and what the metal levels mean, Copper means at least 50 copies of the book have been sold, while Silver means it's crossed the 100 level mark. So if you're one of those folks who want to see me get a squad together to tackle one of the missions that's come out by then, get yourself a copy of Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic to get us closer to this goal!

And Now, Some Other Causes You Should Help Out!

Like I said, the world is on fire (both literally and metaphorically), but there were two particular causes I wanted to draw folks' attention to before I call this Monday's update done.

First, we're dealing with the California fires.

For most of us, the massive California wildfire is still fresh in our memories. A huge amount of homes were destroyed, people lost their livelihoods, and communities have been left smoldering. The California Wildfire Relief Bundle from Fainting Goat Games is trying to help those suffering from these events by donating a portion of proceeds to the American Red Cross... an agency that is definitely going to need all the help it can get! So whether you want a slew of fresh gaming products for your table, you want to help those in need, or both, consider grabbing a copy!

Secondly, I want to get some help for one of our own.

Most of us out there know that Owen K.C. Stephens recently beat cancer... but he hasn't yet defeated the U.S. healthcare system. So if you want to help him keep the wheels turning, and give him the resources he needs, head over to his Go Fund Me to add your strength to the cause!

If you do want to grab some of his work rather than just giving him money (or you want to do both!), I'd personally recommend getting Essays on Freelance Tabletop RPG Writing and Publishing, as well as the companion piece Essays on Surviving an Independent Tabletop RPG Career. And if you're the sort of person who wants something more mechanically useful for your table, you simply can't go wrong with Like A Boss- A Book of Boss Encounters which covers a variety of TTRPG systems!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

An Update on The Chronicles of Darkness Podcast "Windy City Shadows"

As I first mentioned going on a year and a half ago, I would love to do longer, more involved audio dramas, particularly for the Chronicles of Darkness... but I just didn't have the ground work laid to make it feasible. However, as regular readers found out recently, the Azukail Games YouTube channel (where this podcast will be available, in addition to other platforms) finally got monetized!

And now that this piece of the puzzle has slotted into place, I figured it was time to start cranking up the story engine, and I wanted to give folks an update on where I am with this project right now.

And if you haven't tuned-in, let me tell you why you should!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What It Is, And Where I'm Currently At

For those who haven't heard about this project until just now, the short version is that Windy City Shadows is going to be a Chronicles of Darkness podcast where I and a crew of voice actors tell tales about the things that lurk in the dark corners of Chicago. The first season is titled Grim Promises, and it's a Changeling: The Lost story that follows the former Fall Court's chief enforcer being pulled out of retirement against his will to handle one more sensitive matter, and to fulfill a last, dangling promise.

If you need an immediate comparison, it's modern fantasy John Wick with a more noir sountrack.

However, I wanted to give folks an update as to where we're at now. Because even though the Azukail Games channel was only monetized at the start of this month, I didn't want to let the grass grow under my feet on this... because this project is going to take a long time for me to finish, and it's going to take a lot of work to bring it all together.

Also, if you haven't checked out the AMA I did about the show, I'd recommend giving it a watch!

As of Fall 2024, it looked like we were coming up on our goals. So I started storyboarding Grim Promises to make sure that I had the general shape of the series. Once I had that set up, I reached out to some folks I've worked with on the Azukail Games channel before (in addition to some new voices you all haven't heard before). Then in December 2024 I started writing.

At the time of this update, I've completed the first episode script, and I'm diving into the second episode! In addition to that, I'm putting together scripts for some commercials, previews, and some character introductions so that folks can dip a toe into what's coming, and get some additional context before I throw them into the deep end. However, each script is looking like it's going to come in at 7K-8K words, and with a 10-episode series, I'm essentially working on a novel's worth of text before we even start recording.

So, I'm starting off strong, but I didn't want folks to think that silence on my end meant the project had been dropped... especially because a lot of my regular readers have expressed interest in finally getting something bigger, longer, and in-depth for my Chronicles of Darkness fiction!

While I covered some of this in my recent video about Azukail Games Goals For 2025!, I'd recommend folks check out that video for more details, and leave comments over there so that both I and my publisher can see them.

Speaking of The World/Chronicles of Darkness, Though...

Before I sign off for the week and get back to work on scripting this show, I wanted to take a moment to draw folks' attention to the most recent piece of mine that dropped. Because I still have plans to expand the World/Chronicles of Darkness video essays I've been putting up on the channel, and the latest one has been something of a slow starter. As such, any and all views, signal boosts, comments, and subscribes would be much appreciated!

So whether you're a fan of Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Warhammer 40K, or a bit of both, consider giving Which Space Marine Chapters Best Represent The Garou of Werewolf: The Apocalypse?

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my hard-boiled noir series featuring the street beasts of NYC in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Bue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.