Why Chickens? A Discussion of By Feather and Coop

 The Gallantfunding is currently active for By Feather and Coop, the latest supplement for The Hero's Journey, Second Edition. This zine supplement will be available in both PDF and Print. You can get the PDF for $3.99 or the Print+PDF combo for $6.99. I'd really appreciate your support in this little project.

I know it might seem strange to do a book that focuses on chickens, but for me it was never really out of the question and fits quite well within the paradigm and ethos of The Hero's Journey, Second Edition. THJ2e is firmly rooted in folktales and mythology and more than a few children's stories. This is where the idea began to germinate in my mind - in the works of novels such as The Book of the Dun Cow or fable of Chanticleer and the Fox - the latter of which dates back to the medieval period. 

But beyond even that, The Hero's Journey, Second Edition has a very "salt of the earth" subtext in how it presents player characters. Most of the professions in the core book are workers, farmers, craftsmen, and the like. There are no superheroes in this game. Even its Archetypes, like the Yeoman, are presented with a humble overtone. 

Animal protagonists have a place in fables and animal companions have a place in fairy tales. They'e humble, steadfast, loyal, and use their unique inhuman (yet still very rooted in the real world) abilities to aid their two-legged allies that wield sword and spell to defeat evil. They are often the heart of the story given characterization and form. Whether it's A Horse and His Boy, the dog Denmark from Castaways of the Flying Dutchman, or everyone's favorite pack pony Bill of Lord of the Rings fame. 

Chickens are present in my everyday life and have something so very mundane, so very humble, so very simple in their nature. Feathers to provide mattresses and pillows, eggs to provide food, a crow to wake us at the dawn. But if you've ever seen a rooster get their ire up and prance about proudly, then you know they can be quite fearsome when riled. Provider and protector, yet firmly rooted in the comforts of home that the simple chicken enjoys and protects without complaint.

I can't think of something that more accurately encapsulates the values of The Hero's Journey, Second Edition.

By Feather and Coop is currently Gallantfunding until October 7th. You can support the fundraising pre-order at this link.

Castigant Preview: Sorrow

The following is a preview from a few pages of Castigant: Gothic Roleplaying in a Time of Inquisition. In this preview I'll reveal the unique way that Castigant handles character advancement.

Sorrow

Every player character in Castigant is weighed down by the burden of some terrible deed or event in their past. This can range from the tragic death of their one true love, being violently driven from their homeland after being branded a heretic, having committed some horrible crime such as murder, abandoning those they loved in their time of need and leaving them to their death, or some other moment in a character’s life where their actions (or lack their of) had dire, long-term consequences and has marked them with deep scars of regret that dog them to this day. This event is called their Sorrow. Their Sorrow is often the direct reason why a player character has taken up the battle against the forces of darkness, though not always. 

Players are encouraged to work with the Narrator to determine exactly what their character’s Sorrow is and how it colors their actions. At least once per adventure the Narrator should include a scene, situation, or encounter that reminds each player character of their Sorrow. When this happens, the player character must make a Despair Saving Throw. If that Saving Throw is successful, they are able to steel themselves and draw upon those horrible events to find the strength and resolve to face the coming darkness. The player character immediately recovers 1d4 Endurance per level and receives Advantage on all other Despair Saving Throws for the remainder of the scene.

A character who fails their Sorrow Saving Throw loses 1d4 points of Endurance per level - though they can never be reduced below 1 Endurance by this loss, and suffers Disadvantage on all attack rolls and Saving Throws for the remainder of the scene.

As players continue on their adventures in Castigant they may gain additional Sorrows beyond the one that is taken at character creation. In fact, this is almost guaranteed to happen and directly impacts how the character advances in level. See Sorrows and Level Advancement for more information.

House Rule: Sorrow-Bound

A player that has not yet had to make a Sorrow Saving Throw during an adventure can inform the Narrator that the current scene or situation has triggered such a Saving Throw. They must then inform the Narrator how the scene relates to their Sorrow and if the Narrator approves, the player character can then choose to make their Sorrow Saving Throw. Narrator permission is required when doing this to prevent abuse of the potential benefits of succeeding at a Sorrow Saving Throw or mitigating the consequences of a failed Sorrow Saving Throw in a situation where such a failure would have no significant consequences.

Sorrows and Level Advancement

During the course of a Canticle, players are encouraged to lean into the gothic drama of Castigant. At the end of each session of play, the Narrator should review and discuss the events of that session with all of the players. If, during that session of play, a player character displayed a significant emotional reaction to a horrific or negative situation that occurred during play, the Narrator should discuss with the player whether or not their character gains a new Sorrow. Suggestions can be offered by the player in question and even other players at the table, but in the end the individual player makes the final decision on whether or not they gain a new Sorrow. All characters begin play with one Sorrow, as described above and characters can never have more Sorrows than their level, plus one. Thus a first-level character can only have two Sorrows, while a fourth-level character can only have five Sorrows.

Whenever a player character makes a successful Sorrow Saving Throw and appropriately roleplays how their character is dealing with and overcoming that situation, they should make note of it on their character sheet. If a character makes five successful Sorrow Saving Throws that are all related to the same Sorrow, they permanently overcome that Sorrow and remove it from their character sheet. When a character overcomes a number of Sorrows equal to their current level, they may advance to the next level. Thus a first level character must make five Sorrow Saving Throws related to the same Sorrow they advance to second level. A second-level character would need to overcome two Sorrows to reach third level, and so on.

Castigant: Gothic Roleplaying in a Time of Inquisition is projected for an Autumn 2022 release in digital format with print on demand format to follow.