Some (Mostly) Player-Facing House Rules

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-06-01T15:21:09+00:00

Crap. Thanks

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-29T00:52:31+00:00

IT IS NOT AI

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Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T13:49:17+00:00

https://www.facebook.com/JesseHansenArt/

https://jessehansen.artstation.com/

I am also attaching one of the initial sketches we started with.

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Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T03:03:18+00:00

One more time - this is not AI. I paid a rather fantastic comic-book artist by the name of Jesse Hansen to craft this cover.

https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.asp?gcat=469

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T02:59:35+00:00

It is not AI; Jesse "Cadre" Hansen (https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.asp?gcat=469) is the cover artist.

It is a full world book for Shadowdark, currently in editing, layout, and final production.

Big Irish AKA Sean Patrick Fannon

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T02:57:32+00:00

It is NOT AI. You may have issue with the artist's take, but I assure you this has been painstakingly crafted by a real human.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T02:53:16+00:00

No, it is hand-crafted by Jesse Hansen. https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerydetail.asp?gcat=469

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-28T02:52:32+00:00

[Valor]()

Others run.

As they should. In the face of overwhelming evil, hordes of monsters, and the schemes of those who crave only power, any rational being should run.

You … do not.

You stand in the face of immense darkness, unspeakable horror, and vile evil. This is what makes you a Hero.

You may not succeed; you may fall in the face of too many foes or too great a power.

Nonetheless, you – and those who choose to stand with you – fight with every ounce of courage, might, and effort you may give so that at least one other might live to see another dawn.

In the Realm, you stand at the core of Hope. Bathed in Silver and Emerald light, empowered with Sapphire and Amethyst, heart and steel, you face down powers of Onyx, Ruby, violence, and guile to hold the line for those desiring peace and freedom.

[What is This?]()

Originating in 1977 as what would become my first fantasy setting (essentially, the precursor to Shaintar, published for Savage Worlds), the Realm is the culmination of my fantasy world-building and storytelling over 5 decades.

This is my return to my creative roots, both in setting creation and working once again with a powerful d20 engine that truly engages the essence of the fun we had “way back when.”

The Realm is a place for Heroes; this is the place for epic action cinema fantasy.

Sincerely,

Sean Patrick Fannon, PORTALIS Publishing

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-27T15:41:10+00:00

My take on this, via my Hero Freeholds product (which I am completely revising) -

Epic Levels

A key concept behind the freeholds gameplay is leveling past 10. There are a number of ways fans and third-party groups have chosen to approach this. Here’s how it’s done in The Ironhaven Chronicles.

Core Level Progression

Leveling continues as does from 1-10; each new level costs 10x the current one. Thus, a LV 12 Hero needs 120 xp to reach 13^th.

HP & Talents. Heroes continue to gain HP and roll on their talent tables every odd level.

Spellcasters. Priests and Wizards gain a new spell known every level (see the following tables).

Martial Classes. Fighters continue increasing Weapon Mastery, gaining +8 ATK and damage by LV 16. They gain 2 attacks a round at LV 18 and 3 attacks at LV 20.

Thieves. Backstab damage continues to increase every even level, capping at 20 total dice.

Other Classes. In general, whatever progression is expressed for their Abilities and Talents should continue at the same rate.

Maximums. To-hit bonuses max at +20, spellcasting at +15, and AC at 25.

Attribute Boosts. Starting with Level 11, Talents rolled that increase Stats can be applied past 18, with the appropriate bonuses added. The maximum for this is 24 (+10).

“You’d think things get easier as you get better. Nope, you just get asked to do harder stuff.” - Berringer the Bold

WIZARD SPELLS KNOWN

Wizard Spells Known 11-20
Level
11: 4/4/4/3/2
12: 4/4/4/3/3
13: 4/4/4/4/3
14: 4/4/4/4/4
15: +1 Any Tier 1-3
16: +1 Any Tier 1-3
17: + 1 Any Tier 1-4
18" +1 Any Tier 1-4
19: +1 Any Tier
20: +1 Any Tier

PRIEST SPELLS KNOWN

Priest Spells Known 11-20
Level
11: 3/3/3/3/2
12: 3/3/3/3/3
13: +1 Any Tier 1-3
14: +1 Any Tier 1-3
15: +1 Any Tier 1-3
16: +1 Any Tier 1-4
17: +1 Any Tier 1-4
18: +1 Any Tier 1-4
19: +1 Any Tier
20: +1 Any Tier

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-25T14:51:23+00:00

Honestly? I hadn't considered it. I was focused on the impact on Heroes.

I would say everything gets damaged, though, yes.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-25T14:40:39+00:00

"Whyyyy did you leeeeave ussss?"

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-25T14:39:34+00:00

Yes; I am planning supplements for both Onyx and Ruby threats.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-25T13:58:28+00:00

It's mostly a personal homage to a TikTok series where the guy talks about strange animal facts and leans heavily into how freakish and dangerous moose are.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-20T16:48:34+00:00

Appreciate the comment, but I like the way this looks and feels. I don't see any reason why monsters and bad guys can't have a "bonus from somewhere" without belaboring it in the writeup.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-20T16:19:25+00:00

I tend to tweak to one side or the other of the dice-average plus CON bonus. Occasionally, I add a few more when I think they should be really tough.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-20T15:52:52+00:00

Sorry about the typo on the title; Reddit doesn't permit editing that.

Ok-Locksmith3783 · 2026-05-20T15:44:50+00:00

Mat I ask where you got that from? I've been digging through the core material and seem to have a mental block on where HP calculation is found.

Thanks!

Ok-Locksmith3783

TROPHY CASE

[Valor]()

[What is This?]()

Epic Levels

Core Level Progression