Shadow of the Weird Wizard Is Finally Here!

Long anticipated, it’s here! You can grab the PDF from DriveThruRPG. In fact, it has hit the #1 spot on the site.

By Rob Schawlb, SotWW is the sequel to Shadow of the Demon Lord and presents a more family friendly version of the game system.

Not DnD - Shadow of the Weird Wizard

Shadow of the Weird Wizard voted as one of the most anticipated ttrpgs of 2023 by EN World users. Join us as we discuss Rob Schwalb's family-friendly incarna...

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Shadow of the Weird Wizard® is a fantasy roleplaying game in which you and your friends assume the roles of characters who explore the borderlands and make them safe for the refugees escaping the doom that has befallen the old country. Unsafe are these lands: the Weird Wizard released monsters to roam the countryside, cruel faeries haunt the shadows, undead drag themselves free from their tombs, and ancient evils stir once more. If the displaced people would rebuild their lives, they need heroes to protect them. A brand new game built using the system powering Shadow of the Demon Lord, this game gives you everything you need for you and your friends to champion the innocent, to brave grave dangers, and right terrible wrongs, all while exploring the wild frontier of the borderlands!

Some saw him as a mad sorcerer who commanded eldritch powers of staggering might. As proof, one only has to look at all the abominations he set loose in the lands—the hybrid beasts, the multilegged hulking collectors, floating eyes that hang in the air trailing their nerve endings. And then, far, far beyond the edges of the new lands rose the walls of the Forbidden City and the clockwork peoples who dwelled there in seeming servitude to the dread mage who ruled over all he surveyed.



But the Weird Wizard is gone. His shadow remains, but the figure casting it disappeared and none, not even his closest servants, know where he went. It might be coincidence that his absence preceded the bloody civil war that tore the Great Kingdom apart and that precipitated the violent struggle between the other nations in the west, or the Weird Wizard might have had some stabilizing influence that enabled civilization to flourish once more following a far older, nastier decline. Too, he could have been the source of the conflict and abandoned the world to its fate.

Either way, the instability sends people by the thousands spilling into the borderlands. As this territory grows more and more crowded, refugees are looking to the east to make their homes. The first forays into the strange place have ended with disappearances and death, and the few people who have returned carry tales of hostile inhabitants, cruel faeries, and hideous, ravenous monsters. If the new lands would be tamed, there must be peace with the inhabitants.

Such efforts demand heroes. Luckily, there might just be a few around. This book shows you how to make a hero who can meet and triumph over the greatest challenges of exploring a world that stands in the shadow of a Weird Wizard.

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[The Soloist]

what is the rationale for the characters always going first? I am not aware of one, it’s just a design decision to speed combat up.

To allow for it, you buff the monster’s defenses, here you presumably weaken them a little instead.

Makes sense. Until the Secrets book comes out, if you used SoTDL monsters, how would you adapt them for WW?

 

[mamba]

Makes sense. Until the Secret book comes out, if you used SoTDL monsters, how would you adapt them for WW?

I am not sufficiently familiar with SotDL or SoWW, so cannot really help you there…

On a gut level I’d probably reduce HP by a third or a quarter and lower the AC a little to undo the ‘chars go first’ buff of SotDL and then lower the attack damage by a quarter for the ‘monsters go first’ part.

I have no idea if that are the right tweaks however / whether the WW chars have the same power level as the DL ones. I believe the WW ones are stronger, so nothing might be needed at all… I’d probably start with the tweaks and see whether I like how combat goes, and then adjust from there

 

[Aldarc]

Let's talk about the rules.

Initiative: No roll. Adversaries always go first if combat is triggered by either party. It speeds up play but it seems a bit harsh. Usually with that type of rule PCs always go first. What is the reasoning behind having the adversaries always go first?

edit: I found this on page 48: Take the Initiative
If you’re aware of your enemies when a new round starts, you can use a reaction to take the initiative, which lets you take your turn immediately before your enemies take theirs. If you and other allies take the initiative, decide among yourselves who goes first as normal, or the Sage does if no one can decide. Wearing heavy armor, and some effects, limit when you can take the initiative.

I like that better. It gives the PCs more control at the expense of using their reaction for the turn.

I kind of like it. GM going first gives the players time to decide what they are going to do, and they can react to what's happening.

Fabula Ultima has an unofficial version of initiative (from the creator) that I also like: PCs go first when there is no named villain, but named villains go before PCs.

 

[The Soloist]

I am not sufficiently familiar with SotDL or SoWW, so cannot really help you there…

On a gut level I’d probably reduce HP by a third or a quarter and lower the AC a little to undo the ‘chars go first’ buff of SotDL and then lower the attack damage by a quarter for the ‘monsters go first’ part.

I have no idea if that are the right tweaks however / whether the WW chars have the same power level as the DL ones. I believe the WW ones are stronger, so nothing might be needed at all… I’d probably start with the tweaks and see whether I like how combat goes, and then adjust from there

Thanks. I'll think about that and make simulations.

 

[Shardstone]

I think having the GM go first is more elegant for the fiction. Now you have to try and outwit your opponents (successful agility roll or lay an ambush) to outperform them. It lets you keep an OSR-mind set of "never take a fair fight" despite the game being in the 5E-realm of character creation/mechanical intensity. This being the default also reframes the agility roll so you don't feel bad about going after the monsters -- its just typical!

 

[The Soloist]

I think having the GM go first is more elegant for the fiction. Now you have to try and outwit your opponents (successful agility roll or lay an ambush) to outperform them. It lets you keep an OSR-mind set of "never take a fair fight" despite the game being in the 5E-realm of character creation/mechanical intensity. This being the default also reframes the agility roll so you don't feel bad about going after the monsters -- its just typical!

I like how you frame it. Thanks.

 

[The Soloist]

I ran a battle with four level 1 PCs (Fighter, Priest, Mage, Rogue) against 3 animated dead not long ago. It runs very well even with unmodified SotDL creature stats.

My solo summary
[Shadow of the Weird Wizard] Rangers of the Wilderlands (01)

The four rangers are from three of the five villages around the Lake of Plenty, south of The Wilderlands. Today, while on patrol in a [forest], they stumble on a [rock formation] with a [cave entrance]. [Three Animated Corpses] are standing in front of the opening.

Monte the mage, Easton the priest, Axton the burglar rogue and Umbar the hunter fighter slow down their advance. The undeads [do not react]. The rangers are tasked with destroying creatures of Grandmother Spore (setting goddess necromancy) whenever they find them.

The Rangers Take the Initiative (by spending their Reaction for the turn). Umbar shoots an arrow and hits. Axton uses his sling and hits. Both advance. Easton and Monte advance. The fight lasted three rounds. Umber suffered severe injuries (50%). Easton suffered light injuries (25%). Easton uses his Healer’s Kit (5 uses) to treat Umbar’s injuries (2d6 = +7).

The Rangers enter the cave…

 

[Distracted DM]

Does anyone know if there are plans for FoundryVTT support? I guess maybe there's already a working Demon Lord ...?

 

[The Soloist]

He plans to release Secret of the Weird Wizard in a text format so backers can play the game before the books go to graphic design and printing. No idea if this will be available for non-backers. I hope so.

KS update Feb 22:
'We are still on target to get Shadow of the Weird Wizard, Secrets of the Weird Wizard, and the screen out in print by August, but it's going to be a few minutes before we can get Secrets through layout. (I anticipate layout will go faster once we nail down Shadow.) Because of this, we're starting the proofing process on Secrets next week and then I will release Secrets in an art free, graphic-design free form so you can actually play this game.'

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'd suspect that's only to backers. Its probably not going to be delayed all that much even with the re-layout on Shadow.