Around the beginning of this year, a fan and first-time game
designer named Keith McBlane approached me with the idea
of producing a Fifth Edition conversion for my best-selling Fursona
character creation system. After hearing Keith’s proposal, we agreed on some
terms and started sharing resources to produce a fairly unique book in
Otherverse Games’ history.
Fursona 5E is an unusual book in a couple of ways. First and
foremost, it’s our first complete sourcebook for Fifth Edition, and man, it’s a
great introduction to the ruleset. All the flexibility and creativity offered
by the original Fursona system with the more concise and pithy efficiency of
Fifth Edition. Mechanically, Fursona 5E
is a pretty impressive work, offering a ton of new character creation options
for your 5th Edition campaigns.
Fursona 5E is also
unusual in it’s the first Otherverse Games release not written by me. Keith
took a working draft for Ultimate Fursona
I shared with him, skewed the mechanics to play nicely with 5th
Edition, and rebuilt most of the campaign flavor to favor the all-ages,
high-fantasy worlds of 5th Edition.
As an author, it’s interesting to see how another writer
approaches a familiar topic. I think in this case, by stepping back and letting
Keith do his thing, we ended up with a truly excellent product. I think that
eventually Fursona 5E will become the
most popular iteration of the ruleset, and will probably end up with more sales
than my eventual release of Ultimate
Fursona for the Pathfinder
Roleplaying Game. Most of this is
due to the tack Keith took with the text. Where I’m more focused on weirdly
politicized military sci-fi and pornographic horror campaign settings, and my
take on Fursona was frankly more than a little ‘yiffy’, Keith made the probably
wise decision to keep Fursona 5E all-ages, and thus accessible to a wider
audience.
Cover Art
At top-right we’ve got the cover art work for Fursona 5E,
depicting a really attractively designed group of Anthro heroes about to become
dragon-chow, by Anthony Cournoyer. Looking at this cover makes me wish, not for
the first time, that I had the resources to produce action figures based on
some of Otherverse Games’ iconic characters and creatures. These are some
kick-ass looking furries! (I love that armored bear dude!)
Meet Keith McBlane
I asked Keith to send me a brief blurb to advertise Fursona 5E and to introduce himself.
Fursona 5E is
an update to the series for D&D 5th Edition. It contains converted content
from the original Fursona, plus new material exclusive to this
sourcebook.
It features a
streamlined approach to character creation, so generating an anthro has never
been easier. Choose from 21 races and 72 subraces, or create your own creature
using a comprehensive list of traits.
Also included are new
subclasses, backgrounds, feats, spells, items, and everything else you need for
an anthro campaign. Whether you are a player looking to create your perfect
furry avatar, or a DM building a vast world with diverse and fantastical
residents, Fursona 5E is your
definitive source.
The author, Keith
McBlane, is a freelance graphic designer, and DM of six years. He hosts
two podcasts, Friendship &
Firelight and Dice To Meet You,
the latter of which is an Actual Play D&D game, which he runs for a group
of complete strangers. This is his first publication in the world of RPGs, and
if you don’t buy it, it will be a powerful blow to his self-esteem.
You can also visit Keith’s portfolio at www.keithmcblane.com or listen to some
of his podcasts at www.fnfpod.com or www.dicetomeetyou.com.
Dogs & Cats Living Together, Mass Hysteria!
The character creation process in Fursona 5E is a bit different than the Orders of Fursona and the “Gifts of Nature” system
that will be introduced in Ultimate
Fursona. Keith took advantage of Fifth Edition’s race/subrace paradigm,
creating general and fairly generic categories of Anthros, using subraces to
distinguish individual species types within this larger genus. It’s a fairly
genius conversion idea.
Today, let’s take a look at Canine and Feline Anthros. I’m
putting up a free preview of Canines and Felines because they’re pretty much
the entry point for furry characters: every setting with Anthros, from Disney’s Robin Hood, to Thundercats to Omaha the Cat Dancer or The Extinctioners, includes these most
familiar of animalistic semi-humanoids.
By the way, it’s made clear elsewhere in the text (though
not in this excerpt), but 5E Anthros are considered Humanoids with the Anthro
tag. And by the way, in case you’re worried, there’s a full chapter about
custom building your own furry races in this edition, just in case the already
expansive list of animal heroes on deck isn’t complete enough for you.
Canines
Ability
Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
Keen
Smell: You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks related to scent.
Natural
Weapons: Your unarmed strikes are augmented by sharp fangs. Your
bite is
treated
as a light finesse weapon, and deals 1d6 piercing damage + the relevant
modifier.
Your
bite can be used as part of two-weapon fighting. You cannot use your bite
attack if
your
mouth is full.
Pack
Hunting: Your are expert in coordinating attacks with your allies,
exposing your enemies’ weak points, and leaving them vulnerable. As a bonus
action, select one enemy you can see within melee range. All melee attacks your
allies make against this enemy do an additional 2 damage until the start of
your next turn.
Subrace:
You gain the traits of one of the following subraces.
Small Dog
Includes
small breeds of dogs and smaller foxes. Small dogs are small in size only.
They are
often the first to be heard in conversation, and the first to attempt a
challenging
task, whether or not they have any chance of succeeding. They often make
themselves the center of attention, which can be both endearing and annoying to
those
around
them.
Size:
Your size is small.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.
Clever
Learning: You gain two skill proficiencies of your choice.
Medium Dog
Includes
medium sized breeds of dogs, larger foxes, coyotes, and jackals. Friendly,
loyal,
and
protective, medium dogs make great companions in almost any endeavor. They
are
widely adaptable, and are seen in many roles, from domestic homemakers, to
soldiers, guards, scouts, and trackers.
Size:
Your size is medium.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Tenacious
Loyalty: When an ally you can see within melee range is hit by an
attack,
you can
use your reaction to intercept it, causing it to strike you instead. You have
resistance to all nonmagical damage from attacks you intercept.
Big Dog
Includes
wolves and large breeds of dogs. Big dogs are typically either severe and
predatory, or overwhelmingly affectionate. They have a close connection with
their primal roots, and have a strong intuitive understanding of pack
mentality. Big dogs can
usually
be found around many others of their kind, but the subrace has its share of
loners.
Size:
Your size is medium.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.
Demoralizing
Cry: As an action, you let out a frightful howl. All enemies within 100
feet that can see and hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your
Charisma
modifier
+ your proficiency bonus) or become frightened until the end of your next turn.
You must
finish a short or long rest before using this trait again.
Felines
Ability
Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Darkvision:
You can see through dim light for 60 feet as if it were bright
light, and treat
darkness
as if it were dim light.
Lethargic:
You are a serious napper, and frequently require numerous short
rests throughout the day. You may only spend one hit die to recover hit points
during a short rest. This does not prevent you from benefiting from effects
that grant bonus hit dice, such as the Huddler theme.
(Themes
are a new concept explained elsewhere in the text, and are a 5E homage to the
many templates and origin stories available to Anthros in my version of
Fursona.)
You also
have disadvantage on saving throws to resist sleep, and when you are targeted
by a sleep effect that affects you based on your current hit points, such as
the Sleep spell, you are treated as though you
have only half of your current hit points (round down).
Expert
Leaper: You may use Dexterity instead of Strength to determine your
jumping
distance.
Your standing jump distance is not halved. You add a number of feet equal to
your
proficiency bonus to your high jump distance, and thrice that number of feet to
your long jump. You may use a Dexterity
(Acrobatics) check instead of a Strength
(Athletics)
check to attempt to jump beyond your normal distance.
Natural
Weapons: Your unarmed strikes are augmented by sharp claws and
fangs.
Your
natural weapons are treated as light finesse weapons, and deal 1d6
damage +
the relevant modifier. They can be used as part of two-weapon fighting. Your
claws deal slashing damage, and your bite deals piercing damage. You may not
use your claws if both your hands are full, and you may not use your bite if
your mouth is full.
Subrace:
You gain the traits of one of the following subraces.
Small Cat
Includes
housecats. Small cats are playful and affectionate. Though many have predatory
instincts,
they are often poorly expressed, resulting in small cats attacking inanimate
objects,
or their own tails. Most, however, are content as long as they are able to eat
well
and take
long naps.
Size:
Your size is small.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Scurry:
When an enemy misses you with a melee attack, you may use your
reaction
to
Disengage. Until the end of your next turn, your movement does not provoke
opportunity
attacks.
Medium Cat
Sometimes
called ‘warrior cats’, this diverse subrace includes larger housecats and
smaller non-domestic species, such as lynxes and pumas. Warrior cats are highly
competent combatants, particularly monks, who use their incredible mobility to
run circles around their enemies. They share some of the habits of their
smaller cousins, however, and can easily lose focus when matters become too
serious for their taste.
Size:
Your size is medium.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Adrenaline
Surge: On your turn, you may activate your adrenaline surge (no action
required). For one minute, you gain advantage on all Strength and Dexterity
checks and saving throws, and your speed increases by 10 feet. You must
complete a long rest before this trait can be used again.
Big Cat
Includes
the largest jungle cats, such as lions, tigers, and panthers. Fierce and
intense,
big cats
are among the most feared anthro predators. Their grace and physical strength
lend to
quiet confidence, and an attitude of unflappable nobility.
Size:
Your size is medium.
Speed:
Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Ability
Increase: Your Strength score increases by 1.
Pounce:
If you move at least 20 feet and attack an enemy with a natural
weapon, that enemy must make a Strength saving throw to avoid being knocked
prone (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). If they fail,
you may use a bonus action to make one additional attack on that enemy with the
same natural weapon
Dropping Soon
You can expect this deep character-creation sourcebook
within a few days, for sale at www.RPGnow.com.
CHRIS
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