Swordtember 2020 Part 1

Swordtember 2020 Part 1

Ok so I thought since I’m uploading old work I shared on Twitter, that I’d discuss my Swordtember stuff, which has been a fun challenge that I used to get out of several art blocks while also studying materials.  My self imposed rules were: No thoughts, head empty. Take prompt and go. 2 hour limit. No longer. It’s okay if you drop it (a bit more relevant in 2021) Somehow i made a bunch of weapons, learned a lot, and had some fun while totally isolated in my apartment in the beginning of the pandemic! So here are some of my 2020 swords! Day 1: Fire.

“A fire blade made of obsidian. A wickedly sharp weapon that cauterizes as it cuts. Great for cooking!”

So this one was the first ever attempt and trying to very quickly find a shorthand for Obsidian and smoke were both shockingly fun and challenging. Despite the rest of the weapon feeling meh, I’m still very fond of this one. Again, two hours, I was still testing the waters. Day 2: Ice

“Her scabbard was lost, which makes wielding this weapon cumbersome at best. Please don’t stick your tongue on the sword, you will be sad.”

This is when I started realizing coming up with short prompts for my swords was… fun actually. So began the design of many cumbersome magical concepts. Day 3: Poison

“Quill and Inkwell, a rapier sheathed in poison that has started to stain the blade a beautiful green. I do not advise licking this blade either.” And here is where a running gag about not licking the swords spawned.  Day 4: Duel

“These blades must clash in order to work together. Good for snipping the tongues off the people coming in here to compare them to kill la kill.” This one turned out a bit weaker than I wanted, but such is the curse of art challenges.  Day 5: Sun

“Its name was Eclipse. His daughter mused how it looked like a sunflower. He preferred that name.” Yeah, I still like this one very much, both in regards to design and the story that was birthed alongside it.  I’ll make a post with the next 5 or so days in a bit, but for now, enjoy.

Dry Terrain of the American West Captured in a Brief Moment of Color by Guy Tal

The Badlands region in the America West is known for its arid and unforgiving vegetation. The harsh environment is lifeless, but every so often it sprouts a delicate beauty of wildflowers. Photographer Guy Tal was there to capture this rare sight. He says:  “On rare years wildflowers burst into a stunning display of color, transforming the desert into a veritable garden for just few precious days.”

“Ronald’s eggs.” just might be the scariest sentence I have ever read.

College of Grace: A new 5e Bard Subclass!

Control the tempo of the battlefield with strength and poise. Move flawlessly through every challenge.

Available NOW on DriveThruRPG, Ko-Fi, and Itch.io!

Some Quick Character Tips

Here are a handful of quick tips to help you write believable characters! 

1. A character’s arc doesn’t need to grow linearly. Your protagonist doesn’t have to go from being weak to strong, shy to confident, or novice to professional in one straight line. It’s more realistic if they mess up their progress on the way and even decline a bit before reaching their goal.

2. Their past affects their present. Make their backstory matter by having their past events shape them into who they are. Growing up with strict parents might lead to a sneaky character, and a bad car accident might leave them fearful of driving.

3. Give reoccurring side characters something that makes them easily recognizable. This could be a scar, a unique hairstyle, an accent, or a location they’re always found at, etc.

4. Make sure their dialogue matches their personality. To make your characters more believable in conversation, give them speech patterns. Does the shy character mumble too low for anyone to ever hear, does the nervous one pace around and make everyone else on edge? 

5. Make your characters unpredictable. Real people do unexpected things all the time, and this can make life more exciting. The strict, straight-A student who decides to drink at a party. The pristine princess who likes to visit the muddy farm animals. When character’s decide to do things spontaneously or in the heat of the moment, it can create amazing twists and turns.

6. Give even your minor character’s a motive. This isn’t to say that all your characters need deep, intricate motives. However, every character should need or want something, and their actions should reflect that. What’s the motive behind a side character who follows your protagonist on their adventure? Perhaps they’ve always had dreams of leaving their small village or they want to protect your protagonist because of secret feelings.

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