Wyrd of the Week: Goblin Brewmaster

Goblin Brewmaster (Goblin)
Defense: 16
Endurance: 12
Reduction Value: 3
Attack Modifier: +3
Attacks: Brew-Dipped Utensil (1d6)
Special: Ambush, Brew-Dipped Weapon, Secrets of the Brewmaster, Wicked Laughter 
Move: 5
Saving Throw: 15
Despair Rating: 6

Hags (see The Hero's Journey, Second Edition page 156) often bind lesser creatures to their service. Though it is commonly known that some bind cats, ravens, or snakes to serve as familiar in rare cases the children stolen by these wicked witches are not devoured, but instead corrupted by vile magic and turned into twisted into malicious little servants known as Goblin Brewmasters. Some even believe that the first goblins to walk the earth were the product of hag sorcery, though only the Brewmasters themselves speak of this openly and with any pride. They decry any claim that they were ever so innocent or pure as a child.

Goblin Brewmasters appear similar to Goblin Merchants, favoring long coats or robes as their mode of dress. They often have sickly green skin and long, beak-like noses that protrude out from beneath their beady green eyes. Most have wicked, wide grins filled with jagged teeth that cackle with malicious laughter, along with stringy black hair. Almost all of them wear broad-brimmed, conical black hats. If forces into combat, they forgo the use of traditional weapons and instead favor large wooden spoons of hardwood or wicked and rusted butcher's blades. 

These impish little beasties are rarely found far from the hags they serve because their power is bound up in that vile pact between servant and master. As long as a Goblin Brewmaster is within 120 feet of either a hag or a Hag's Cauldron (see below), they receive +2 to all attack rolls and Saving Throws. In addition, if they drink Goblin Brew (see below) from a Hag's Cauldron they are completely restored to their full Endurance and gain Advantage on all Initiative checks for one hour. 

Though cowardly, if a Goblin Brewmaster has time to prepare then they can be quite deadly. In either dark or natural environments, they are almost always able to ambush any prey and increase the chance to surprise an opponent by +6 as they meld with jagged shadows and twisted vines. Brewmasters also have a wicked cackle that can insight madness in those who hear it. Once per day they can spend an action to let out this evil laughter. Anyone within 120' of the Goblin Brewmaster who is not a goblin or hag hearing this laughter must make a Saving Throw or find themselves thrown to the ground as they join in the same twisted cacophony for the next 1d4 rounds. While they are laughing a victim of this wicked cackle cannot speak, move, or attack - though they can still defend themselves. More dangerous still is the fact anyone hearing the victim's laughter must make a new Saving Throw each round or they themselves will fall victim to this terrible effect. This means the laughter can easily spread and consume those who were previously able to resist it as their allies are driven to madness.

Though not inherently dangerous in direct battle, if a Goblin Brewmaster is able to dip their weapon into a Hag's Cauldron containing Goblin Brew, their weapon becomes soaked in that terrible concoction. The weapon remains so coated until the Goblin Brewmaster makes a successful melee attack, up to one hour. Anyone struck by a weapon coated in Goblin Brew must make a Saving Throw or suffer the effects as if they had actually consumed a dose of that horrid alchemy themselves as shown on Table 1-2: Goblin Brew Effects. 

Fortunately, Goblin Brewmasters are always solitary and most often found in the company of the hags to whom they are bound. A Goblin Brewmaster found on their own is likely either a spy for their master or has managed to escape from the service to which they were once bound. There are whispers that if anyone can free a Goblin Brewmaster from the service of the hag to which they are bound that the creature will give them the secrets of how to make Goblin Brew. Unfortunately, if there is truth to the legend that Goblin Brewmasters were once innocent children there is no known way to return their lost innocence.

Grigory Emberheart, Dwarf Yeoman, rushes to protect poor Bandoras
from the wicked Goblin Brewmaster and its vile master.

New Heirlooms

Presented below are two new Heirlooms for use in your legendarium that are strongly associated with hags and goblin brewmasters.

Hag's Cauldron

These large cauldrons are most often crafted of cast-iron and in spite of being called a Hag's Cauldron are most often made by Goblin Brewmasters under the command of their hag masters. They are massive, holding fifty or more gallons of liquid. They can be filled with any liquid from pure water, to muddy swamp muck, to blood. They are most often used to draw upon a hag's Cauldron's Brew ability as described on page 157 of The Hero's Journey, Second Edition core rule book. However, in special circumstances they can be empowered to accomplish even greater evils.

Once full, this liquid if set to a flame and brought to a boil under the absent light of a new moon, then at midnight on such an evening, a hag can cast the flesh and bones of any creature deemed to be pure of heart into these terrible waters. The victim must make a Resolve-based Attribute Saving Throw with Disadvantage or they become wracked with pain and overwhelmed with dark energies and unable to more or resist. Victims suffer 3d6 damage each round they are in this putrid liquid. At dawn anyone who has died by being boiled alive in a hag's cauldron rises to life as an evil creature in service of the hag. Roll on Table 1-1: Hag's Creature to determine what has become of these poor victims.

Table 1-1: Hag's Creature

Roll (1d6)	Creature Created
1	Black Dog
2	Fetch
3	Goblin Brewmaster
4	Redcap
5	Skeleton
6	Zombie

The leftover residue from the creation of such creatures produces 3d6 doses of a vile potion that restores any of the creature types noted on Table XX: Hag's Creature to their maximum Endurance once per day. Alternately that residue can be poured out in small vials and buried in the soil of a Blighted Land for one full lunar cycle to create 2d6 doses of Goblin Brew (see below).

Anyone can use a Hag's Cauldron for a few unique effects. If filled with simple water and a single round is spent concentrating, the user can make a Resolve-based Saving Throw to gaze into the future. This vision of the future is true and accurate, but is always presented to the viewer in the worst possible context or of some great and terrible calamity that will come to pass. Alternately, they can fill the Hag's Cauldron and toss in a either a mushroom or sprig of foxglove. Doing so will cause the waters to serve as a portal to Fairie which will remain open for 1d6 rounds. This portal is one-way and anyone stepping through cannot use the same means to return to the Mortal Realm. They have no means of determining exactly where in the vastness of Fairie they will arrive. The Hag's Cauldron is considered a Changeling Heirloom. Cost: 4 Myth Points.

Goblin Brew (Heirloom)

This vile potion is created by scraping the remnant liquid from a Hag's Cauldron which is stoppered in a container and buried beneath the soil of a Blighted Land for a full cycle of the moon. Once unearthed, it has strange and terrible properties that can be beneficial, dangerous, and even deadly. Anyone consuming Goblin Brew rolls on Table 1-2: Goblin Brew Effects to determine what happens to them. These effects are permanent, though legend holds that anyone who can perform some great and terrible deed for a hag can be restored or saved after a binding oath. The Goblin Brew is a Goblin Heirloom. Cost: 1 Myth Point.

Table 1-2: Goblin Brew Effect

Roll (1d10)	Effect
1	Imbiber becomes violently ill for the next hour, reducing their Movement by one-half and causing Disadvantage on all attack rolls and Saving Throws.
2	Horrid, muscular growths sprout all over the character’s body, increasing their Might by +2, but reducing their Bearing by -4.
3	The character’s mouth becomes impossibly wide and fills with jagged teeth, allowing them to make a melee bite attack (1d4 damage), but they now look obviously evil and gain a Despair Rating of 5 (or increases existing Despair by +1).
4	The character’s skin turns a sickly green color. Sunlight inflicts 1 damage for every round of exposure that cannot be mitigated by Reduction Value.
5	The character’s spine twists and contorts, causing them to walk with an inhuman loping slouch, but they become remarkably agile. The character can no longer run, but increases their Defense by +1.
6	The character’s hands grow to obviously inhuman size and nails develop into claws which can be used in combat to inflict damage as a dagger. Fine motor tasks are now done at Disadvantage.
7	The character now titters and laughs randomly and uncontrollably. All efforts to remain stealthy and silent are made with Disadvantage and any attempt to cast a spell or use other voice-based ability require a Resolve-based Attribute Saving Throw.
8	Normal food offers no further nourishment. The character must eat garbage and rotted meat to survive. They perpetually radiate a foul reek, reducing their Bearing by -2 and making efforts to ambush anyone within 30’ all but impossible to those who are capable of smelling them.
9	Character regenerates 1 Endurance per round, even exceeding their maximum. Once a character reaches double their maximum Endurance they explode in a bloody mess that is spread across a thirty foot radius.
10	Roll on Table 1-1: Hag’s Creature. The consumer is permanently transformed into the creature rolled unless they make a successful Resolve-based Saving Throw. Even with a successful Saving Throw, they still suffer 2d6 damage as their body twists, contorts, and bends briefly into unnatural and painful shapes before restoring itself.

You can buy The Hero's Journey, Second Edition and all its supplements on DriveThruRPG.com!

Wyrd of the Week: Bucca

Bucca An Animal Lineage for The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition

Most regard goats as simple farm animals to be ignored at best or servants of infernal forces at worst, but these tenacious, agile, and resilient little creatures have been the companions of humanity almost as long as canines. In fact, goats are keenly social creatures whose bonds of love and loyalty run as deep as any human. Villagers and those who live in the rural herding communities of the wild regions of the world still recall and respect these ancient allies. 

On rare occasions a goat is born a little keener, a little curiouser, and a little more tenacious than its kin. These uncanny kids grow into Bucca, eager for adventure, curious to climb the highest peaks, to taste the strangest meals, and to do it all alongside a band of loyal friends.

Table 1-1: Bucca Attributes

Attribute	Dice Pool
Might	2d6+3
Finesse	2d6+6
Resolve	2d6+6
Insight	1d6+6
Bearing	1d6+2
Weal	2d6+6

Table 1-2: Bucca Archetypes

Archetype	Level Limit
Bard	--
Burglar	3
Knight	--
Ranger	5
Swordsman	--
Warrior	4
Wayfarer*	3
Wizard	--
Yeoman	3

*See The Hero’s Companion, pg 23-26

Bucca Lineage Abilities

Horn and Hoof: Buccas cannot use weapons, armor, or shields of any kind. Regardless of any ability to do so granted by their Archetype, they can only attack with surprisingly strong swat of their horns, or a stomp of their hoof. All Buccas opt to either make two melee attacks as a single action with a pair of hooves, or a single attack with a butt of their horns. Both are considered melee weapons and are impacted by a Bucca’s Might modifier. Each attack with a Bucca’s hooves inflict 1d4 points of damage, while a butt of the horns inflicts 1d6 damage. If the Bucca is able to move one-half of its normal movement rate before making an attack with its horns, it receives Advantage on the damage roll. Their bite is even capable of chewing through rope or leather cord if given 1d4 rounds of time to work at it. Because they cannot wield weapons, Bucca may spend any Myth Points they earn to add Aspects to their natural weapons.

Goatly Grace: Buccas are small and quick. They typically stand around three feet at the shoulder and weigh no more than sixty pounds. Their natural grace and lean stature grants them a +4 bonus to their Defense, while their thick fur grants them a Reduction Value of 1. They have the same Move as a Human or Elf. Curious by nature, Buccas Burglars are capable of using their teeth for the fine tasks necessary to use the Thievery skill when picking locks or disarming traps. In addition, all Bucca are natural climbers and capable of extraordinary feats of balance. As long as they can find a hoofhold or perch, Buccas can climb and cross narrow passages as long as they move at once half their normal Move.

Shocked and Startled: Bucca receive Advantage whenever they roll Initiative and are only surprised by a 1 on 1d12 under normal circumstances. In addition, whenever a Bucca would suffer a Grievous Wound they must make a Weal-based Saving Throw. If this Saving Throw is successful, they faint instead of suffering a Grievous Wound. They remain stiff and still, appearing for all purposes to be dead, for the next 1d6x10 minutes. They then awaken, recovering 1d4 Endurance. If they are injured while in their fainted state, they are slain.

Baying Bleet: Bucca cannot speak in the language of humans, but can understand it. They can, however, speak the language of natural cloven-hoofed animals and most common farm animals. This includes other goats, cows, deer, pigs, and sheep. They are, however, capable of an extremely loud scream that can be heard upwards of a mile away, provided the sound is not obstructed.

Intestinal Fortitude: Bucca receive Advantage on all Saving Throws made to resist poison. In addition, they can ingest a wide variety of scrub, brush, and even garbage for sustenance.. 

Bucca and Professions

Bucca do not normally have a profession (see page 13 of The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition) and almost all are Unskilled. If the Narrator wishes to allow Bucca to have a profession, then they should reference Table 1-3: Bucca Professions. Regardless of their profession, Bucca do not begin play with any equipment or gold.

Table 1-3: Bucca Professions

Roll (1d100)	Bucca Profession
Farmer	1-15
Forester	16-20
Gambler	21
Navigator	22-24
Unskilled	25-100

You can buy The Hero's Journey, Second Edition and all its supplements on DriveThruRPG.com! If you're looking for more Animal Heritages then check out the Rover, a loyal canine, in The Hero's Companion or our supplement dedicated entirely to playing furry and feathered friends, Of Beasts Brave and True!

Wyrd of the Week: Autumn Harvest

This time on Wyrd of the Week, we take a look at the Festivals and Festival Actions of Autumn Harvest! Your players can celebrate the season in spooky fun with these optional rules which are a preview of the forthcoming supplement Mischief and Merriment!

Festivals

If player characters are participating in a festival or celebration, the Narrator may allow them to take one of the Festival Actions described below. Each Festival Action is associated with a specific festival or celebration and may only be taken during that specific event. Festival Actions associated with a Lineage Festival may only be taken by characters of the appropriate lineage in most instances unless the Narrator decides otherwise.

Autumn Harvest

As summer fades to autumn and the land shows signs of sliding into its winter slumber, many communities prepare for the coming days where the darkness is long and the days are cold. Crops are harvested in the last days of warmth and stored for the winter. Sometimes called the season of mourning, Autumn Harvest is a bit less raucous than Spring Equinox or High Summer. Feasting is indeed a part of the festivities, but these are often smaller in nature and held between families in a community and not the community as a whole. Instead, the most common communal activity during Autumn Harvest is the literal harvesting of the last crops of the season. Farmers and field workers come together to help one another take every last seed that has flourished and might provide sustenance through autumn and a long winter. On this final harvest, each man and woman who assisted in bringing in the last of the crops is given a seat at the table so they might share together and show that even in darkening times they can still offer comfort and hope to one another.

No less important to Autumn Harvest, though more mournful in nature, is the tradition of honoring the dead. Many spend the evening after the feast of Autumn Harvest lighting candles for those who have left the Mortal Realm behind. The dead are honored for the deeds they did in life and the gifts given that last beyond their legacy. This is also seen by some as a supplication of the cursed spirits who wish the living ill fortune. Offerings are sometimes left on doorsteps or in fields for these wayward spectres and vanish without a trace as accepted offerings from those who now dwell in the Land of the Dead.

One of the following Festival Actions may be taken during Autumn Harvest by a player character:

• Harvest Feast: After a day of bringing in the final crops of the season, the player character then assists the community in preparing a great feast that is shared by the community. The day of hard work combined with the fruits of their labor and the fellowship of the people who worked by their side helps them remember the importance and simple joy of sharing a meal with friends if a successful Resolve-based Attribute Saving Throw is made. If the Saving Throw is successful, the character gains a +2 bonus on all rolls to Relax Around the Campfire (see THJ2e, page 90).

• Honor the Dead: The player character spends the evening under the dark of the night sky and lights a candle or leaves an offering for those who have passed on to the Land of the Dead in hopes that they have found peace in whatever afterlife lay beyond the Mortal Realm. If the character makes a successful Insight-based Saving Throw they are given a small measure of protection from malicious Undead creatures they encounter for the next year, increasing their Defense by +2 when attacked by such creatures.

• Pilfer the Offering: A more mischievous Festival Action than most, the player character spends the evening of Autumn Harvest sneaking about the community, snatching up offerings meant for the spirits of the dead. This kind of flippant disregard for the power of the dead drives them to reckless bravery, granting them Advantage on all Despair Saving Throws made to resist Overwhelming Evil when facing Undead creatures, but they have drawn the ire of the restless dead. When facing Undead creatures in combat, they suffer Disadvantage on all Initiative checks as these lifeless horrors are drawn to them with unnatural ferocity.

Treehymn (Elf Lineage Festival)

Each leaf that falls is a mournful tear shed by the forest, or so the elves claim. Their bond with the natural world, and the forest in particular, is unparalleled among the Goodly Folk and when the first chill winds of autumn blow through the ageless woodlands of the world, they know that Treehymn will soon be upon them. On the first new moon of autumn, elves gather and for those three nights they sing songs of promise and mourning to the forest which will sleep until the coming spring. No spoken words are passed between the elves and no outsiders are permitted to attend. Only a choir of elves, the music of their voices joining with the wind and sound of falling leaves. 

While the greatest and most common tradition among elves is to sing together a song for the death of all that will fade in the winter and the promise to protect what remains until spring, other silent rituals also occur. Some elves slip alone under cover of darkness with a single seed, which they set into the earth with a single tear they have shed, in hopes that it will grow fresh and new - a sign that life shall endure for all time as the elves themselves do. A rare few elves join in no songs, but instead sit and listen to the sound of falling leaves as a means to commune with the other natural creatures that dwell there in harmony with the land, hoping to carry a small part of that peace with them through the winter.

One of the following Festival Actions may be taken by during Treehymn by an elf player character:

• Choir of Falling Leaves: An elf selecting this Festival Action has joined in the great Treehymn to honor the fading forest. With a successful Resolve-based Attribute Saving Throw they are able to find some semblance of peace in the fading places of the Mortal Realm and receive Advantage on all Despair Saving Throws made facing the sorrow of Fallen Allies (see THJ2e, page 79) 

• Seeds of Sorrow and Renewal: The elf goes into the forest in solitude and sets a single seed into the ground, then weeps for the winter to come and all the trees who shall not be reborn upon the coming spring in hopes that some of that lost life will be rekindled in this new seed. If the elf makes a successful Resolve-based Saving Throw, they are immune to the effects of crossing a Blighted Land (see THJ2e, page 88) provided that they return during the next Treehymn to tend the newborn sapling. An elf that does not do this suffers Disadvantage on all Saving Throws made to resist the effects of Blighted Lands for abandoning their promise.

• Silence of the Woodkin: Sitting in silence among the creatures of the forest as leaves fall and these creatures prepare for the coming winter, the elf gains a new sense of kinship with the birds and beasts living in harmony with the natural world. In addition to the peaceful reaction received when they use their Friend of the Woodland Realm ability (see THJ2e, page 23), if the elf makes a successful Bearing-based Attribute Saving Throw while encountering such a beast they can get a sense of its current emotional state and even its most basic surface thoughts.

The Hero's Journey, Second Edition and its supplements can be purchased on DriveThruRPG.com. 

Wyrd of the Week: Names of Renown

"Wingfoot I name you. This deed of the three friends should be sung in many a hall."

Heroes sometimes earn names of renown for the deeds they've done and the tasks they've accomplished. Every character in The Hero's Journey, Second Edition has a name to be sure, but what does it mean to have a name bestowed upon you for some legendary task? These are known as Names of Rewnown.

If a supporting character witnesses a player character perform a truly remarkable and legendary deed, they may choose to give that player character a Name of Renown. Whether or not they choose to do so is always up to the Narrator and is never done lightly. A player character can never earn more than three Names of Renown in their time as a hero and never more than once per level. 

A Name of Renown is often associated with some heroic deed the character has performed. This can include slaying a dragon, saving an entire city through some unique and decisive means, or performing a seemingly impossible task. A Name of Renown need not always be a good thing. A character could earn a Name of Renown for a heinous act or terrible deed as easily as a heroic one.

"When you hear them whispering Kingslayer behind your back doesn't it bother you?"

The exact title associated with the Name of Renown should be determined collaboratively between the player whose character is receiving the name and the Narrator in so much as the name should not be offensive to the player in a real world context. 

The Fellowship of the Travelling Tea Kettle were named Goblin Bane that day

Names of Renown in Play

As implied, a Name of Renown has an impact on a character's Renown. Normally, a player character is recognized by others based on a Renown check. This is done by rolling 2d6 and if that total is equal to or under the character's level then the individual in question recognizes or has head or the player character. 

A character who is recognized by these means and has earned a Name of Renown receives a +1 bonus to specific actions associated with their Name of Renown. This can result in multiple bonuses if they have earned more than one Name of Renown.

Here are a few examples of Names of Renown and what was done to earn them:

• Dragon Slayer: The character has slain a dangerous dragon in an act of great heroism such as a Lindworm or Elder Wyrm. (+1 to all attack rolls against Dragons)
• Goblin Bane: The character has driven off or defeated a great horde of goblins, saving many lives in the process (+1 to all attack rolls against Goblins)
• Longstrider: The character has traveled deep into unknown and dangerous areas of wilderness, returning with tales and artifacts of their journey. (+1 when rolling to determine whether or not a Wilderness encounter occurs)
• the Craven: The character has revealed themselves to be a coward in front of many witnesses at a key moment when bravery was called for, often to great disaster or the cost of many lives. (-1 to all Despair Saving Throws)
• the Defiant: The character stood up publicly to the will of a tyrannical ruler and was able to rally a great number of people to throw off that ruler's oppression. (+1 to the Loyalty of any Hirelings) 
• the Weal-Weaver: The character has somehow survived an impossible situation through sheer luck or uncanny action. (+1 to all Weal-based Attribute Saving Throws)

Names of Renown can be as diverse as the events that inspire them and the Narrators is encouraged to come up with ones that are appropriate to their legendarium and the actions of the player characters. The bonuses or penalties granted from a Name of Renown are never more than +1 or -1 and only last for the session of play in which the character is recognized. Remember, a player character can never earn more than three Names of Renown in their time as a hero and never more than once per level.

At the Narrator's discretion, important supporting characters can also earn a Name of Renown. This is particularly appropriate to reoccurring villains. 

The Hero's Journey, Second Edition and its supplements can be purchased on DriveThruRPG.com.