Protean Class Update
about 1 year ago – Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 09:04:17 AM

The protean class has already received a major update, based on playtesting. You can download protean v.2 here, which is stronger and overall working better.

If you haven't looked into the playtest for Monstrous Heroes yet, you are invited to play through this simple adventure path called Shadows of Vengeance and provide your feedback.

Thank you everyone who is doing playtesting, this is a crucial phase that helps identify and resolve issues, in order to make this book the best it can be!

Monstrous Heroes - Open Playtest - BIG Update (August 2023)
about 1 year ago – Mon, Aug 14, 2023 at 01:24:33 PM

Hello everyone!

Progress on Monstrous Heroes is reaching a major milestone. The initial design of the classes is wrapping up, and I am inviting you to join in an open playtest.

There will be 4 different adventure paths, which are each like a fast, simple campaign. Each adventure path features certain monster classes and is composed of encounter modules at a few different levels.

The first adventure path, Shadows of Vengeance is launching as of right now. It features the revenant, hag, troll, and protean classes. Follow this link to download it, play through the scenarios with a group of 4–6 players + GM, and return the feedback survey. Your playtest feedback will help Monstrous Heroes be the best it can be.

I have also just uploaded a YouTube video in which I introduce and announce the open playtest. Watch it here for more details.

Progress

The overall state of development continues to look good. The monster classes are basically all through initial design, so things are now largely transitioning into more of a testing and revision phase. Like I’ve mentioned already, things are a bit slower and more complex than I initially envisioned, but not terribly so. Compared to Esper’s Emporium of Esoterica (my previous book), things are flowing with more efficiency and cohesion.

On a related note, I just released the new version of the preview pdf as well (v.4.7), which smooths out a couple features, revises and expands on some of the main rules of the book, and includes a couple character backgrounds. You can grab it here from the Monstrous Heroes preview (pinned post) on my Patreon page.

I also continue to work with artists on a regular basis, who are creating some wonderful illustrations for the book. As a rough estimate, I’d say about half of the book’s artwork is complete at this point.

Many thanks, as always, for your support. For those who can participate in the playtest and feedback, I hope you enjoy these monster classes in their beta test states, and you have my gratitude for playing a role in whipping this beast into shape!

Until next time,

Esper

Monstrous Heroes - Progress Report (July 2023)
about 1 year ago – Sat, Jul 29, 2023 at 08:49:33 AM

Hello everyone!

July has flown by. More than flown, it disintegrated. My productivity on Monstrous Heroes remains high, though as I mentioned before, it is taking longer than anticipated (sounds familiar, right?). The conclusion of the first phase of the project is drawing near—initial class design. This means the major building blocks of all 17 monster classes are almost all in place. Next, I will move onto revisions, revisions, and more revisions, as well as creating the other sections of the book. Here’s a breakdown of how things are looking.

If you haven’t caught my July newsletter yet, here are the links: free version | patron version. I talk a bit about Monstrous Heroes in it and show a tiny sample of how the vivilith class came together. It also features zombie monsters that you can use in your 5e campaigns, including the zombie horde, an efficient way to run a mass group of zombies.

In the very near future, I am going to make an announcement calling for an open playtest so I can get feedback from a wider variety of people. My plan is to provide some simple adventure paths along with packets of 4 or 5 monster classes. People can play through the encounters and scenarios of the adventure paths, then fill out a feedback form. Look out for that coming soon.

I’ll leave you with a glimpse at a bit more artwork, some upcoming illustrations by Ashkan Ghanbari.

Until next time,

Esper

Playtest Livestream Tonight + Updated Preview PDF (v.4.6.5)
over 1 year ago – Wed, Jul 05, 2023 at 01:04:13 PM

Hey guys, I'll be livestreaming this evening at 7:30 pm Central. We'll create a Monstrous Heroes character and run a playtest encounter.

Voting for which monster class, plus the stream link, can be found on my post here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSugqsoAdTQumuRVGdXz7w/community

Also, there is a new version of the preview PDF, which has a number of revisions: https://www.patreon.com/posts/77535876

See you tonight!

Esper

Monstrous Heroes - Progress Report
over 1 year ago – Tue, Jun 27, 2023 at 09:42:17 AM

Somehow, it is already almost July. Can someone please cast time stop? I’ve made a LOT of progress on Monstrous Heroes, and still, things are going slower than I had anticipated. These next several weeks need to be exceptionally productive. Here is a breakdown and overview of progress on the book.

Some classes are well on their way to their final forms, while others still need a good amount of testing and revision. And seven classes still need to get into initial design, which really is the biggest step, the time when the main components of a class are created and put in place.

I continue to feel inspired and motivated with this book, the fire continues to burn hot! The classes are shaping up so well, and both myself and my close circle of playtesters are really liking how things are going. There so much I could say, maybe I’ll do a livestream that goes into more nitty-gritty detail.

On the artwork front, I estimate that about 25% of the illustrations are completed. Here is another sneak peek at a few: minotaur horned shaman and vampire nocturne by Aleksandar Kostic, spriggan brindlecap by Marlies Draaisma, and wereboar by Miqueias Silva.

My recent newsletter featured an ogre NPC I built using options from Monstrous Heroes, along with a biomechanical dragon-construct, and a random table of 100 different encounter circumstances. I’ll link that here for you all to grab.

Once again, thank you all for your support, and wish me efficiency and swiftness as I do my darndest to wrestle this hydra under control.

Until next time,

Esper