Wield weapons, wit, and supernatural powers as a monster hunter struggling with their own monstrous nature. Inspired by Bloodborne, The Witcher, Devil May Cry, Castlevania, etc.
Business first: this product is a third party digital supplement for Draw Steel, MCDM's Heroic Fantasy RPG. Chiefly it's the titular Huntsman player class, but it includes a variety of extra content such as new Kits, Treasures, Perks, Complications, Retainers, Rivals, and more. Ideally, The Huntsman will feel like a natural, fully featured addition to your burgeoning Draw Steel library which contributes even to campaigns that don't include a Huntsman player character.
I figure the Huntsman is about five main points: 1- For the Monster Enthusiasts If you want your hero to know all about monsters, specialize in hunting them, and even wield the same abilities they do, then this class is for you. Characters like Geralt of Rivia, Trevor Belmont, Blade, and Dante of âDevil May Cryâ would fit well as huntsmen in Draw Steel.
2- Slowly Becoming The Monster Huntsmen/women fight fire with fire, becoming partially monstrous themselves (whether figuratively or very literally) via their epic resource- Cruelty, which they get at 1st Level. Over the course of each adventure, players should be tempted to let their cruelty grow in exchange for increased strength and an eventual monstrous transformation!
3- Ruthless Aggression This is a class focused on dishing out damage, securing kills, and making life difficult for enemies through debuffs and manipulation. Each ability has a unique additional effect from spending cruelty, increasing tactical depth and versatility. Huntsman brings the pain!
4- Ranged Weapon Support The Draw Steel Heroes book is pretty light on character options for ranged weapon wielders. Huntsman contributes a lot to that archetype not only by serving as an excellent class for archery, but by doubling the options for ranged kits. Much like the characters that inspired it though, this class makes for great melee builds as well.
5- Fitting in with Core Classes Ideally, the Huntsman would be perceived as a natural pick for the tenth option in the Heroes book. If Censor is brother to Tactician, and Talent is sister to Elementalist, then Huntsman is sibling to Shadow. This class isnât trying to replace anything else, or to be a âmaster classâ unsuitable for beginners. It fits into most any setting, yet certainly couldnât be described as âoatmealâ.
But don't just listen to me! Take some opinions from playtesters and fellow designers:
Oozing with both heroic and monstrous flavour, the huntsman joins the pantheon of excellent third party classes for Draw Steel, wonderfully complementing the core game roster.
- Mateusz "Ananam" Malarski of Triglav Games
It has an interesting back and forth balance of power and danger. The fun for me was getting as close to the edge as I could without going over. But mostly, I need to play this again.
- Eran "Sabre Runner" Arbel
Every time I play a Hunstman, I discover a new fun interaction between the fiction, features, and abilities. This class has a massive depth of satisfying gameplay mechanics.
- Jacob "Jacons" Consenz,
I have fallen in love with many homebrew classes (Kiln, Scion, Rook to name a few) but this is the one that I wouldn't be able to tell you it's not a core class if i didn't know already.
- Alex (Cauldron of Tales)
I've never been more scared of my ally... and that's a good thing.
The core class is already feature complete Levels 1-10, and the same is nearly true of the first three subclasses: Blood Warrior, Night Watcher, and Planes Walker. Some of the extra goodies are finished as well, such as 8 new Kits, and Rivals for each Echelon. Point being- the rules, the actual game content will get done regardless.
The funding is primarily for commissions. I'm no visual artist, and I'd never monetize AI slop. So if we want more badass artwork like the piece above from MikoĆaj DoĆhun, then we're paying good money for it!
The initial goal of $2000 is planned to cover: - 1 portrait featuring the iconic huntsman and their looming "Monster Within" - 3 character pieces exemplifying the 3 base subclasses - 3 monster pieces featuring original designs of each subclass's "Monster Within" - Professional-grade layout for the final PDF
Further funding goes to art commissions for additional subclasses, treasures, complications, etc. It may also go toward professional playtesting, or implementation of Huntsman onto Virtual Tabletops like Draw Steel Codex, or Foundry VTT (depending on demand).
If somehow we go beyond the Stretch Goals, then I guess I'll actually make money up-front! Though I'll likely just put it into my future Draw Steel projects, which are already in preliminary stages.
By the way, here's Miko's BlueSky and ArtStation in case you want to see more of his gorgeous work!
$2500 - Hunter's League: Dragon Acolyte A 4th subclass, including artwork. You are a big game hunter, inheriting the immense strength and elemental powers of dragons and giants. Hurl your foes, breath fire, and take to the skies!
$3000 - Hunter's League: Spell Warder A 5th subclass, including artwork. Training in spellcraft helps you undo the results of sorcerous malpractice, such as hybrid beasts, magical automatons, and conjured spirits. Become a warrior wizard and gain traits of mystical monsters!
$4000- Huntsman's Arsenal: A Visual Armory Beyond the two extra subclasses, additional funding up to this amount will go chiefly toward artwork for treasures. Expect edgy weapons with vicious effects and tempting trade-offs, and familiar consumables from Huntsman's inspirations like Bloodborne, The Witcher, and Castlevania.
$4500- Hunter's League: Wode Weaver A 6th subclass, including artwork. I'm actually considering partnering up with another designer to make this Hunter's League based on classic Ranger/Druid/Fae themes!
Hi! Thanks for reading this far. I figured I should just provide a little insight into who you're potentially trusting with some hard-earned dough.
I'm Kyle. I've also been "Spyger" online since Napoleon Dynamite and Ratchet & Clank 3 multiplayer. This is my first time monetizing a gaming product, but I've wanted to be a game designer for over 20 years. Growing up in the wake of Jurassic Park I obviously wanted to be an archeologist just like every other 5-year-old boy, but eventually that craze died down while my love for video games, and games in general, never did.
Regarding TTRPGs, my high school friends who were into Magic: The Gathering roped me into D&D for some truly awful experiences (on account of our immaturity and cluelessness), but I remained enchanted by the potential. Fortunately I found a more experienced group a couple years later through work that showed me how to actually collaborate, and after a hiatus during military service I started regularly running games in 2015 and haven't stopped since.
Various D&D editions. Various Powered by the Apocalypse games. Pathfinder. Hunter: The Reckoning. Stars Without Number. Dungeon Crawl Classics. Blades in the Dark....
Evidently I'm obsessed. I've almost always GMed, and mostly homebrewed. I've always had a knack for math, and frequently utilized that to redesign encounters and push my friends to the point of worry and frustration, just before their cathartic victory. In the past few years I started more earnestly "fixing" games, especially 5e D&D, with a focus on monster and class design. Encouragement from my friends who so thoroughly enjoyed my designs is what gives me the confidence to try selling you this booklet now.
So please, enjoy it. Even if you don't buy, give the class a spin via the free preview. Share it with your table, and with other tables you know that are discovering Draw Steel. Then come back and let me know what you think! Find me on BlueSky, or on the Draw Steel Reddit/Discord. And keep an eye out for more from me later!
Now The Huntsman Class Preview is ready for you, as is the Chuckling Chest Games sourcebook for importing to ForgeSteel.net. These first four levels have already been playtested in over a dozen sessions, and I think this class makes a great choice for playing in The Condemned adventure coming out soon!
Higher tier supporters can gain access to the Google Doc where most of my work happens for live updates during development. If you want to play up to 7th Level today, you can!
May This crowdfunder will be over. Don't delay too long!
July Backers will likely receive a preliminary version of The Huntsman. It obviously won't be fully playtested and polished, but you can play with it anyway and maybe help me sand off the rough edges.
October - Final Release My original goal was to have the class all ready for the release of Crack the Sun. But since that got pushed back a bit, I think I can comfortably arrive in advance of that. October is 6 months from now; I've been working on Huntsman for 5 months, and it definitely seems like I'm more than halfway done.
Future I don't see myself getting bored with this game any time soon. And I already have ideas for more fun content. But expect the next couple projects to be smaller!
Credits Lead Designer and Author: Kyle Strong Director and Producer: Kyle Strong Cover Illustrator: MikoĆaj DoĆhun Header Icons: Delapouite, Lorc Graphic Designer: Dima Serbin Industry Consultants: Mateusz âAnanamâ Malarski, Gavin âGubDMâ Grant Playtesters: The Real Jojo, Jacons, Zetesofos, Schmarauder, Josh âSunRunnerâ White, Ritehunter, Eran "Sabre Runner" Arbel, Brian Drenth, Joshua A. âthousand_embersâ Brooks Critics: Alex (Cauldron of Tales), Exocist, Kormael, SurfingBird
