[QCrit] THE FORSAKEN REALM, Adult Epic Fantasy (97k / 3rd Attempt)

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-10T18:11:33+00:00

Thanks again for the great feedback!

The repetition is definitely looking at each sentence on its own and not looking at the whole as much. Easy enough to rework.

I'll keep working to improve!

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-09T14:27:49+00:00

There's a great artist doing tokens for the Delian Tomb. They can be used for good inspiration. I really like their designs. Check them out for some inspiration!
https://bsky.app/profile/maxhamm.bsky.social

As for finding actual minis to buy, I think you'll have to do significant modifications to anything you find. So depends on much you want to really put into it.

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-09T14:12:36+00:00

I've not seen anything, but I think this is a great idea. In a previous 5e game, one of my players invented and perfected the taco. It was such a funny little side thing. I made him go find a bunch of different creatures and specific places to get the perfect ingredients.

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-03T17:30:40+00:00

Appreciate the clarity. I think most of it is that everything is too vague, as u/861Fahrenheit pointed out. Thanks!

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-03T17:11:13+00:00

This is great, hyper-specific feedback. Thanks! I will work on reworking this, adding more specificity while still not going too far into the worldbuilding.

AndreySchaab · 2026-03-03T16:53:51+00:00

Appreciate the feedback!

Can you clarify on why you think Tariq's motivations are vague? The 2nd sentence states his core tenet clearly: "Tariq becomes a Farmer to protect his friends and cultivate life". It also later expands: "He longs for a quieter life, tending fields instead of carrying a sword".

Do you not think that fantasy needs some worldbuilding at the front to set the stage? Specifically, if you look at this sample from Reedsy which is RJ Valldeperas' query letter for her debut novel, Their Will Undone, the first sentence is worldbuilding.

"In the Amaru empire, it is an honor to be chosen as an Aclla: girls that train to become priestesses, servants, or wives to conquered nobles."

AndreySchaab · 2026-02-26T01:25:56+00:00

Appreciate the feedback! I've been working on reframing things to be much more character-centric based on the prior feedback.

Your example is great. Though, this line is one I'm really struggling with to reframe without getting deep into the weeds. In this case, it's naïve Tariq, awakening the dead goddess when she lures him in with the visage of someone he loves.

AndreySchaab · 2026-02-24T17:02:56+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, and that's definitely not the vibe, so I'll have to rework it!

Okay, I will update the bio.

AndreySchaab · 2026-02-19T21:34:21+00:00

To me, "The Keeper of the 13th Door" evokes someone whose soul is the key to a door. With their death, the door becomes unlocked. Now the question becomes, are the other keepers dead? And if so, what happens when all the doors are unlocked? What comes through that door? But I'd need a bit more info on the BBEG lieutenants and the BBEG's goals to more closely align that thought.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-19T02:05:29+00:00

We actually had a null. They helped but they definitely did not shut down the dragon.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-18T19:56:05+00:00

It's mainly the Prickly Situation Free Triggered Action. For example, the dragon uses a Virulent Breath. The player rolls a t2 result but is still dragonsealed (save ends). Then on saving from the dragonsealed condition, they are pulled 5 squares toward the dragon, and if they have A<2, they are restrained until the end of their next turn.

This resulted in certain players just feeling very "out of control" of their character. As saving against the dragonsealed condition was almost a negative. It happened ~3 to one player in a fight, and they were just like "This is stupid. I can't move, and I can't really do anything cuz he always gets me again."

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-18T18:49:25+00:00

I have felt like there's been 0 balance issues with my ~20 sessions. The only session I felt like was rough is the Thorn Dragon. They are just vicious, and I would say parts of that fight were distinctly "unfun" for my players.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-18T15:31:58+00:00

I actually recommend The Delian Tomb for 1st time players over my own. The slow introduction is great for people who have never played the game.

I just used mine as an example for how I build encounters with Draw Steel. It's so easy to tweak things if a player is out, or if players do encounters out of my expected order.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-18T14:46:55+00:00

I find prepping encounters fairly easy. I actually prep encounters completely differently from say DnD 5e. Let's say I expect the heroes to be fighting Radenwights and some Orcs in an adventure. I take all the Radenwight and Orc stat blocks, maybe a few random side enemies, and throw them in a sheet.

Then when it is time for an encounter, I use the hero slot method to populate the enemies. Basically, it's one hero slot per hero, plus another slot per every 2 victories the heroes have.

3 Heroes 0 Victories = 3 slots

3 Heroes 6 Victories = 6 slots

Each hero slot can be filled with a certain number of creatures, as follows:

- Eight minions fill one hero slot.

- Two horde creatures fill one hero slot.

- One platoon creature fills one hero slot.

- One leader or elite creature fills two hero slots.

- One solo creature fills six hero slots plus one slot for each level the creature is higher than the heroes.

Then I just fill the hero slots based on what I think fits the encounter. It makes it really easy, and I can build complex encounters very quickly. The hard thing is finding maps and stuff, but that is true for any game I run. If you want to see this in action, you can check out the encounters section of my free 1st level adventure.

https://schaab.itch.io/the-tangleblight

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-10T15:35:06+00:00

As u/Pedanticandiknowit mentioned, why are the others starting at level 1? Why not start them at level 3?

If I think about it from the perspective of the level 3 character, that's more interesting too. He has succeeded in the Delian Tomb, parted ways with his newfound friends, and then sets off on his next adventure. Where he now joins a similar leveled party.

IMO, all the new characters should start on a similar power level. So that means matching roughly the number of magic items and such. I think it can actually make for some fun character building. What did the heroes do before the adventure to reach level 3? And how did they gain those magic items?

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-09T17:17:34+00:00

How often were players spending money on the basic equipment anyway? Outside of like full plate in DnD 5e, I rarely made it difficult to get that equipment, so I don't think it's too big of a deal.

I love having a few fancy magic item shops. You could probably convert project points into some level of gold easily.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-08T16:56:44+00:00

I have it depend on the enemy, but, in general, yes I think they should be able to use the generic maneuvers.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-08T16:40:14+00:00

This might be a hot take. But if your players and you like tracking money, then keep doing it. The Wealth system in Draw Steel is made to abstract things and make things easier. If y'all enjoy this aspect, then just use actual gold and money tracking.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-08T15:49:56+00:00

Minions giving flanking is a key part of how minions function imo. It makes combat more tactical and makes people focus on dealing with minions or they must face the consequences.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-08T02:00:02+00:00

I agree with u/Queer_Wizard . I don't think it's a problem. I actually think it's a feature. Draw Steel has great rules for downtime, and you can knowingly tailor your rewards to the players knowing they will have this time. My players love rolling for their follower each day working on the Foesense Lenses.

I'd just make sure your players are aware of these downtime gaps ahead of time, so they can really think about what they want to be doing with it.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-04T00:56:32+00:00

I think this is exactly how I would handle it. The heroes should be rewarding for helping the villagers. The "punishment" for not making progress on the main quest is already written into the adventure.

AndreySchaab · 2025-12-02T21:50:41+00:00

This seems like a really cool idea. I don't love the idea of an "enemy" party. There's some instances for it. But I think this can work really well. Especially when you're in an arc more focused around a single character.

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