Forging the Self

This campaign uses a mix of official, third-party, and variant rules to support grounded, thematic character creation. The following rules apply:

• Playable Races
  Playable lineages have been curated to reflect the tone and history of Masada. You’ll find the approved list in this guide. Custom lineage is not permitted. If a race isn’t listed but isn’t monstrous, feel free to ask about its availability.

• Classes & Subclasses
  All official classes and subclasses are allowed, along with approved third-party options from Mage Hand Press and Laser Llama. The Peace Domain subclass is banned. Multiclassing is disabled to preserve both narrative clarity and mechanical cohesion.

• Ability Scores
  Use the Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) for your character’s ability scores.

• Backgrounds
  Backgrounds from official sources are permitted. Players are encouraged to re-flavor existing options to better match the setting’s cultures, factions, or regions.
  
  

If you have a concept that pushes against these boundaries, bring it forward early so we can work together on a fitting solution.

Homebrew Content Access

This campaign makes use of select homebrew and third-party supplements to enhance depth, variety, and player agency. A full list of approved content is available in the Discord for easy reference. While I maintain familiarity with most systems in use, players are encouraged to bring up mechanics or features they wish to explore. I’ll provide clarification or rulings as needed.

What to Expect from Included Content:

• Expanded Equipment & Crafting: Expect more options for harvesting materials, customizing gear, and commissioning specialized equipment. Rare parts, magical reagents, and exotic components can be gathered and repurposed into items that matter.

• Alternative Progression & Loadout Options: Feats, class variants, and gear upgrades allow all character types to express growth in new ways. Players will have more tools to refine their combat roles, non-combat utility, and thematic identity.

• Injury & Risk Systems: Optional mechanics introduce brutal wounds, curses, and lingering injuries in rare but high-stakes scenarios. These won’t be constant, but they will make serious hits feel serious.

• Base Building & Downtime: Characters can invest in strongholds, shops, or sanctuaries that grant bonuses, narrative hooks, or long-term impact. This system allows players to leave a lasting mark on the world.

• Magic Variants: Curses, corruption, and transformation mechanics from Grim Hollow add weight to magical risk and supernatural power. Magic is still potent, but it may carry consequences.