The Blood Prairie Player’s Guide is almost done! What Class are you going to play?
We’re into final edits on the Blood Prairie Player’s Guide ashcan. Getting it all to fit at zine-length is no easy feat.
We hope you’re as excited as we are!
I wanted to put together a little guide, to help folks pick which character class interests them most. Read on! Let us know which class appeals to you most!
The Escaped Human Cattle
Most Like: Barbarian/Rogue
Playstyle: Escaped Human Cattle survived being domesticated food animals on vampiric ranches. They’re tough as hell and sneaky to boot. Emphasis is on survivability: avoiding combat through Stealth, ignoring conditions (like Bleeding and Incapacitated) that hamper other classes, and spending Soul to surge up your physical stats when flight isn’t an option. You can also specialize in scavenging, rolling twice on loot tables, if you prefer thriving to surviving.
Gunslinger
Most Like: Fighter
Playstyle: No one slings guns like the Gunslinger. One of the things I loved about playing Lamentations of the Flame Princess was the Fighter class; if you were going to get in a fight, you really needed to bring a Fighter. The Gunslinger specializes in making impossible shots, fighting on the run, and (my favourite) multiattacking. Other classes can dual weild (at Disadvantage), but only the Gunslinger can fire two guns without penalty, or Fan the Hammer to get three shots off in a turn. This gives them unparrelled stopping power; Gunslingers may be outnumbered, but they’re rarely outgunned.
Hard Case
Most Like: Barbarian
Playstyle: Hit it with your axe! The Hard Case is a Melee specialist and the game’s Tank class. A min-maxed Hard Case can be rolling +10 on Injury Tests (compared to most character’s +2-ish, if they’re lucky) and take Advantage on their first Injury each day and any Exhaustion Injuries they take. They’re also the only class that can carry Oversized objects in a single slot. They’re also the closest thing we’ve got to a DnD Monk; in terms of the punching, I mean, not the Wisdom (though maybe that too).
Mad Doctor
Most Like: Bard
Playstyle: Mad Doctors are the Blood Prairie’s generalists. They can be healers, hypnotists, or Mr. Hyde-style Melee mutants. With their high Eye and Hand scores, they make great gunfighters, and their high Wit makes them talented spellcasters (presuming no Occultists are on hand). They also get a proffessional discount on medical supplies.
Occultist
Most Like: Wizard/Warlock
Playstyle: Attempting to weild Occult power is dangerous. In your case, it’s mostly dangerous to other people. Although all classes can use Grimoires, only the Occultist can research their own spells. Your magic may run from the mundane (summoning household sprites) to the shadowy (veiling yourself in shadows by eating eyeballs) to the catastrophic (summoning man-eating demons into every nearby horse). Be warned: you may have to negotiate with esoteric beings for your abilities. Luckily, if the Occultist provokes the spirits, they can offer other characters up as scapegoats.
Unemployed Angel
Most Like: Cleric/Sorcerer
Playstyle: After the death of God, you have a finite amount of the Divine Light left. How you spend it (and wether you can learn to replenish it) will define your time on Earth. Unemployed Angels can use up parts of themselves to heal people, multiply loaves and fishes, turn the undead, walk through flames, and even (at high levels) bend bullets.
Wild One
Most Like: Ranger
Playstyle: Specialize in long-range attacks, animal handling, and hexcrawling. In a game about crossing vast expanses of hostile landscape, every Posse should have a guide. The Wild One brings bonuses on Wilderness Initiative and Navigation together with a hard-nosed combat style focused on rifle, bows, and cutting hamstrings.
What Are You Playing?
So what do you think? Which character class appeals most to you? Did we miss any player fantasies you think belong in the setting?
We’ve got a little plan brewing for some post-humous prestige classes, but we’re still brewing those up. Take part in this big playtest! We could use your opinions and reactions. Sign up for our mailing list to get the Player’s Book when it comes out (free!) or keep checking this blog. Stay weird, buds!
Check out some of our Blood Prairie Playtest Reports. We’ve also done some recent microreviews of various OSR systems, a discussion on horror TTRPGs, some Blood-Prairie-inspired tips for running one shots, and some alternate Zombie rules for Troika. Check them out!