D&D 5E (2014) [Let's Read] Heroes of Tara: D&D Historical Fantasy in Iron Age Ireland!

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Edition Note: This product was written for the 2014 version of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Historical fantasy settings have been around since tabletop's beginning, but the advent of the Open Gaming License saw a marked increase as people began adapting the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset to legendary interpretations of various times and places such as Ancient Rome, Egypt, and even the Biblical era! Combined with crowdfunding projects and D&D being more mainstream than ever, you could say that we're now in an historical fantasy renaissance.

Heroes of Tara is one such book, set in a fantastical version of Iron Age Ireland. Inspired by the tales of Cú Chulainn and Fionn mac Cumhaill, the island of Ériu is a sparsely-populated yet wondrous land filled with superhuman warriors, wicked Formorians, mysterious sidhe rarely witnessed yet omnipresent, and magic wrought from filidh belonging to various respected orders. Heroes of Tara seeks to turn mythic Ireland into a gameable setting, much like how many other ttrpgs have done the same with Greco-Roman myths and legends.

The author of the book, Jacob Vollette Duerksen, is not Irish, and his archeologist day job primarily covers the northeastern United States. However, he took great pains to ensure that his research draws upon authentic sources, and takes care to explain his inspiration and sources within the text in multiple places. Regarding the opinions of Irish historians, here's his interview with the author by the Brehon Academy, an organization focused on teaching Irish history and culture to a wider audience. In short, the Academy's spokesman was quite impressed with Heroes of Tara.

Our book starts out with the question What Is "Celtic?" The author talks about how the concept of a Celtic identity is very broad, and the lack of primary written sources has complicated research in that most surviving texts are told from the perspectives of outsiders. The word derives from the Greek "Keltoi," an umbrella label applied to the various tribes of north-western Europe. The term fell out of use after the Classical period, but experienced a revival of sorts among Renaissance-era scholars.

The concept of a distinct Celtic identity formed around the 18th Century via the Archeologia Britannica, a work published by the Welsh linguist Edward Lhuyd demonstrating similarities between the ancient languages of the British Isles and Gaul, formally grouped as "Celtic" languages. It wouldn't be long before this discovery made its way into broader society, and the rising prominence of nationalism and nation-states during the 19th Century would see the Celtic label applied in many different socio-political ways. The author goes on to explain the intricacies of Celtic languages and archeological evidence, from geographical designations such as "continental" mainland languages vs the "insular" British Isles; how the earliest-known Celtic group were the Hallstatts, who were among the first iron-working Europeans and whose goods were traded as far as Mesopotamia; how Celtic and Germanic tribes exchanged words and cultural traditions; and how once-accepted theories were later disproven or expanded upon, such as the belief that the Bronze Age Bell Beaker cultures were at first believed to have been ethnically cleansed by invading Celts, but now it's instead believed that the two groups married and intermingled over time.

The author ends with a discussion the need for a more precise label for the Heroes of Tara setting. He quotes how Tolkien, who is said to have had a distaste for Celtic things, compared the term to a "magic bag" into which anything may be put, and out of which almost anything may come. Heroes of Tara thus uses the more specific terms for the inhabitants of Ériu: Gael and Gaelic.

The Legends and Their Sources talks about Iron Age Ireland from a more literary perspective, noting that Irish mythology is generally accepted to be divided into four chronological cycles, and lists notable stories and works for each. The Mythological Cycle focuses on Ireland's earliest history around 2,000 BC, with stories dominated by the gods and their many conflicts. This is followed by the Ulster Cycle, taking place around the 1st Century AD which is the "current era" of Heroes of Tara. Ulster tales focus on Cú Chulainn and the Warriors of the Red Branch. The Fenian Cycle takes place around the 3rd Century AD, focusing on the hero Fionn Mac Mumhaill. Finally, the Cycles of the Kings are a broad compilation of tales adhering to varying levels of historical accuracy, lasting into the Early Medieval period and covering many different heroes and figures. As Iron Age Ireland held strong taboos against writing for the purposes of record-keeping, a lot of written Irish tales were compiled by the island's Christian clergy long after such tales took place. But oral folktales still persisted alongside written sources, which this book also draws from as major inspiration. The author also advises that not all stories should be taken as exact translations, nor as people and events that the Gaelic people at the time believed to be historical fact. Even the views of Irish monks are colored by their own biases and perspectives, while still acknowledging the value of their research.

Heroes of Tara's prefacing prologue ends with discussion of how this works for Translation Into a Tabletop Role-Playing Game. The author says that while they strove for an authentic and internally consistent setting, the book takes the mythological route in cases where mythology and actual history/archeology/etc collide, and that authenticity shouldn't come at the expense of the players' fun. Heroes of Tara had to make compromises and creative liberties, particularly when it came to filling in gaps in the world and lore due to game design or for making a more complete setting. So while the book does engage in some "ahistorical pop culture tropes," one of the Appendices in back discusses Accuracy to the Source Material for readers who wish to know where the dividing lines are drawn.

An Introduction to Ériu​

Heroes of Tara is split into four major sections consisting of multiple unnumbered chapters. The first section, An Introduction to Ériu, focuses first and foremost on describing the history and daily life of Iron Age Ireland. The setting as it stands is presumed to take place sometime around 100 BC to 300 AD. The Abrahamic faiths are unknown in this part of the world, and cities such as Dublin and Cork have yet to be established. The Roman Empire stands strong still, and is currently waging campaigns of conquest in Gaul and the eastern island of Albion. The people of Ériu know about them and vice versa, but contact is thus far limited to individual groups of Roman traders and explorers coming ashore. The island's terrain has mountains in the north, west, and south, which help block the worst oceanic storms from ravaging inland, with the central region a vast plain. Half of Ériu is covered by forests and bogs, the majority untouched and unexplored by human hands and feet. Fog is present during all seasons, with the summers warm and vibrant and the winters dangerous as freezing rain turns roads into mud and swells the rivers to flooding.

The first known mortals to settle Ériu were part of successive waves of sailors: first the Cessairians, whose majority were slain by storms at sea, then the people of Partholón who at first seemed blessed with fortune only to all later die from a plague. Two immortal sages who are the sole survivors of the respective civilizations, Fintan Mac Bóchra and Tuan Mac Carill, have appeared throughout history to tell stories of the olden days. The third group, the Nemedians, faced a similar disaster at the hands of nature, with the survivors discovering the existence of the Formorians. Wicked and monstrous creatures who live in dark places, they were responsible for the natural disasters that killed their predecessors. Thus the Nemedians went to war, but the Formorians won and turned the losers into slaves. Over generations the Formorians grew self-assured and careless in their seeming invincibility, and were overthrown. The survivors retreated into deep caves before summoning devastating tidal waves to drown much of the land. The Nemedians who fled to ships in time entered into exile, where they became enslaved again by the people of distant Hellas. These slaves would become known as the Fir Bolg, or "men of the bag," so named for their labor that involved taking bags of soil to fertilize rocky mountainsides for agriculture. The Fir Bolg won their freedom through force, and turned their bags into sail-cloth to venture back to Ériu, which was now a seemingly empty land they named the Island of the Setting Sun.

The next significant civilization to settle Ériu are the Children of Danu, faerie descendants of the goddess of the same name who lived in the Otherworld. The Tuatha De Danann were the greatest of the Children, who were guided by prophecy to leave their home cities and set sail for an island of green across the sea. The Tuatha De Danann would also take along the Aes Sidhe during their voyage, and they came into contact with the Fir Bolg. The Tuatha De Danann initially asked for "only half the island" on which to build their civilization, but the Fir Bolg viewed this as a grave insult and went to war instead. The First Battle of Magh Turied was a short yet devastating four-day conflict, whose resolution was decided by single combat between Sreng of the Fir Bolg and King Nuada of the Tuatha De Danann. Even though Sreng was but a mortal in comparison, he managed to smash Nuada's arm off with a club, disarming the god-king of his Sword of Light. As the Tuatha De Dannan only allowed those "unblemished and whole in body" to rule over them, Nuada stepped down, replaced by his younger brother known as the Dagda.

While the Fir Bolg won the battle, the Children of Danu won the war, for they managed to hold onto three-quarters of the island, with the Fir Bolg living in what would be known as Connacht. The Dagda would become Ériu's first High King, who ruled from the Hill of Tara and whose demeanor had an effect on the very land itself. Despite the lofty-sounding title, his reign was far from noble, being a mischievous and neglectful sort. Huge portions of once-settled land were immediately overgrown and reclaimed by the wilds, and the passage of time lost meaning as the Dagda would move the sun, moon, and stars in the sky to his whims. The major redeeming value of his rule was that he ensured that his people never went hungry, and over time he abdicated the throne to Bodb Dearg, who was not of the Tuatha De Danann but the Aes Sidhe, which caused a great scandal and internecine sabotage. This was a prime opportunity for the Formorians to take their revenge, who took on beatific guises and bribed their way into the royal courts. Bres, a child of the Tuatha De Danann and Formorians, was crowned High King, who brought the island into an age of darkness as his desire for revenge elevated the Formorians and imposed burdensome labor and tributes upon the Children of Danu. Ériu, the name of the woman he wed and also what the island would become named after, learned of Bres' true nature as a monster and disowned her son. But Bres' reign would end once Nuada had an arm of flesh and bone restored via advancements of medicine and smithing. He challenged Bres for rulership of the throne, but there was no battle; one of the courtly bards penned a scathing critique of Bres that marred his face in boils and scars, causing him to flee in shame as he retreated with his fellow Formorians.

Several more significant events would occur. There was the tale of Lugh, another Tuatha/Formorian child, but one who would become a great hero who led forces during the Second Battle of Magh Turied against Balor of the Evil Eye, the greatest warrior and general of the Formorians of that time. Balor killed King Nuada, but would meet his end at the hands of Lugh, who instead slain the fiend by throwing a rock into his eye and through the back of his head. The surviving Formorians retreated, and while they would never menace the land in such numbers again, they still survive in the dark corners of the world, as well as ancient towers and palaces said to lie on far-flung islands. As for Bres, he was initially sentenced to death after being taken as a prisoner of war, but his groveling earned him the punishment of eternal exile.

War had destroyed much farmland, so the nature spirit and foster mother of Lugh, Tailtiu, labored herself to death in restoring vast tracts of land. Lugh was appointed High King, and lingering resentments between the non-Formorian peoples were put aside in a new era of harmony and prosperity. Sadly this was not to last, for Lugh was murdered by vengeful sons of the Children of Danu who grieved their father's death in war. The three sons would all become kings (but not High Kings apparently) of the Tuatha De Danann.

The next major event in Ériu's history was the arrival of the Milesians, descended from the Scythians who later settled in Hispania. They too were brought to the Island of the Setting Sun after witnessing its beauty from afar. Initially intending to visit as peaceful explorers, their delegate, Ith, was the brother of Mil who was the leader of the Milesians. He was received poorly by the three Kings, who fought him to be the spy of an invading army. Ith insulted them for this lack of hospitality, and they were all too happy to prove him right as they cut him to death with their swords. Needless to say, the Milesians took this news so poorly that they declared oaths of vengeance and began a wholesale invasion of the Island. The Children of Danu had declined greatly during the reign of the three kings. They were unable to gather a united force, while the Fir Bolg were divided between fighting besides the Children of Danu or the invaders. Some Children sought to let the lands of rivals be taken over, only to have this come back to bite them when the Milesians didn't discriminate between the many Tuatha De Danann factions of the island. The Milesians also possessed iron-working and chariots, and they had an accomplished mage known as Amergrin whose powers were such that even the gods feared him. The only hero of the Children of Danu who could mount an effective counter, Morrigan, instead chose to watch as a neutral observer, taking the form of a raven that soared above battlefields. The three queens, all sisters of Ériu, sought to lead armies at the front unlike their husbands, but were taken as prisoners of war for their efforts. They initially sought to argue for peace by allowing the Milesians to settle the land and the Children of Danu would retreat to the Otherworld. But the three kings managed to break into the proceedings, where it was learned by both sides why the Milesians invaded in the first place and the kings happily admitted their crimes. It became clear that the suffering of many was due to the hands of a few, and the Milesians were willing to accept the queens' terms for peace. Still, their customs demanded satisfaction for Ith's murder, and the kings were too prideful to not go down fighting.

Thus an unconventional conflict was arranged: the Milesians would sail back and attempt to invade the island again. The Tuatha De Danann and their allies would muster the greatest warriors and workers of magic they could to bring about the fiercest storms ever known. If the Milesians made landfall, they would be declared victors. The Aes Sidhe who sided with the queens were ready to move back into the Otherworld regardless of the winner, while the Fir Bolg were split between whether to side with the three kings or Milesians.

At first the storms seemed insurmountable, but Amergrin managed to sing songs that repelled the nature spirits and allowed the fleet safe passage. The kings of the Tuatha De Danann challenged the sons of Mil to single combat. The three kings managed to slay many sons before they themselves were killed, with only three sons of Mil left standing. The Children of Danu had lost their morale, and would have all departed along with the Aes Sidhe. However, the queens reached a deal with the Milesians, that the Children of Danu would still receive tribute via ritual sacrifice and dedication. Some Milesians disagreed, although Amergrin convinced them to accept in the name of peace. The mage also named the Island of the Setting Sun after Ériu, so that its people would "forever know the land by their names." The three sons of Mil took over as High Kings upon the Hill of Tara, while Amergrin traveled the island to help the various civilizations rebuild. Sadly, Amergrin's eventual passage from the mortal world also saw the death of the sole voice of reason upon the Milesian Kings, who ended up turning upon each other in an attempt to become sole ruler of Ériu. The dreams of a united island ended, and centuries later the land still remains divided. The descendents of the Milesian settlers call themselves the Gaels, divided into five kingdoms, with the Fir Bolg and some Aes Sidhe living in smaller numbers.

Thoughts: Heroes of Tara is an intriguing concept for a setting, and the author clearly shows both his passion for the source material as well as his due diligence in research. The history helps set up major players and events that shape the land, from Formorians as a major threat lying in waiting to how the various playable tribes* first established their respective civilizations upon Ériu. One notable element is a bit of Values Dissonance in regards to physical abnormalities: notably, where King Nuada is dethroned due to his injury in battle, while the Formorians adhere to the "ugliness is evil" cliche where they have to make use of illusions to disguise their monstrous natures. The exceptions come from Ethniu, Balro's daughter who is both unique for her beauty as well as being of good nature. Bres is beautiful due to his Tuatha De Danann heritage, and when unmasked for his evil he is cursed with ugliness as a form of literal poetic justice. But besides these rather politically incorrect aspects, Heroes of Tara's history manages to hit high point after high point in fulfilling classic fantasy tropes in a way that is easily understood by newcomers to Irish mythology.

*Heroes of Tara doesn't use the D&D concept of race or species as the major designator, although there are non-human playable options via the Aes Sidhe and faeries.

Join us next time as we cover the rest of the Introduction to Ériu in Cultural Characteristics!

 

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Ériu in the Present​

Now that we covered Ériu's past, the rest of this section details it in the present.

Social Structure is our next entry. The island has a population of about 300,000 people, minus the Aes Sidhe and other faeries. There's a distinct lack of urban centers, with most settlements being rural farms, homesteads, and villages. These places are all protected by a hillfort within a day's journey that holds the chieftain's family and retainers. Society is either agricultural or pastoral, with most population centers rarely exceeding 500 people. A settlement or domain may just as commonly be a spread-out community of individual homes as a village of closer buildings. The most common and important social unit is the clan, a network of family groups led by a chieftain. There's about 300 such clans on Ériu, and they can range in size from several hundred to several thousand, although the average number is 1,000. The origins of most clans comes from the exploits of a famed ancestor, and they hold onto units of land which are fiercely guarded from their neighboring rivals. Loyalty to land and kin is not only accepted, it is viewed as an individual's first and foremost priorities.

A King or Queen is a special kind of chieftain who managed to take control of neighboring clans by martial might, their lands consisting of much larger territories than normal. Ériu currently has five kingdoms: Midhe, Ulster, Connacht, Munster, and Leinster, and the most powerful clan's chieftain is the king/queen. A kingdom's clans pay seasonal tribute and are obligated to take up arms during times of war, but otherwise a monarch's authority is very restricted on directly governing the day-to-day affairs of individual clans. Many people of Ériu treat the concept of kingdoms as a distant idea or something for rich people to play at, and it's not uncommon for clans of the same kingdom to engage in small-scale raids and skirmishes. Such affairs are tolerated as the way of things, provided that they don't threaten trade and the central rulership.

Ériu is divided into four major social classes: royalty, nobility, free folk, and servants, which are further divided into even more castes. The royalty is made up of kings and queens, chieftains, and ollamhs who are the most respected among the filidh. The nobility includes rich warriors as well as all fidh and their family members. The free folk are the majority population, comprising all manner of laborers, artisans, and tradespeople. Servants are indentured servants or slaves who live at the behest of another and lack their own lands and assets. Outlaws include all those who have been cast out from society.

One's status isn't ironclad, for a person can climb the social ladder via various deeds. A free folk who holds themself well during war or defending their community might be elevated to nobility, while a tradesperson who saves up enough money might apprentice their children to a fili. Certain combinations of clothing colors are used to easily distinguish classes and castes, where one is permitted to have more colors on their garments the higher they are in status. While different classes and castes have distinct legal rights and obligations, physical separation between classes isn't as prominent as in more urban and future feudal societies. Thus, it is not uncommon for higher class people to have a better understanding of how the "common folk" live.

As for the closest thing Ériu has to a universal ruler, the High King is the figure who sits on the Hill of Tara. That land is touched by the gods and visitors can feel a vague supernatural presence. Currently the kingdom of Midhe holds the Hill of Tara and thus its ruler is the High King. One is not simply born into the position: a tri-annual event known as the Feis Temrach is a gathering of scholars and nobles from across the island, who debate law and policy to appoint the next High King. A magic stone known as the Lia Fáil is the final part of the royal anointment, where the candidate stands upon the stone. If the stone approves, it will exclaim this in a joyful roar, but otherwise is silent. While the silence is taken as a sign of grave tidings, no would-be monarch has voluntarily stepped down after coming so far and gaining the approval of so many allies. They are eventually dethroned, as their reigns are inevitably filled with hardship.

Ériu after the departure of the Tuatha De Danann lacks a history of ancient and stable dynasties, as no clan has managed to claim the seat for more than several generations. Its prominence encourages countless chieftains and power-mongers to scheme and war for the throne. In the past the High King had the power of supreme authority, but in the setting's present era the title is more ceremonial. The other four kingdoms are pretty much free to rule themselves as they see fit, even if the pomp and circumstance acknowledges the High King's power. The current High King is Cormac Mac Airt, a man famed for his wisdom and relatively peaceful ascent, but the Lia Fáil's silence has caused doubt in even his most eager supporters.

Governing Principles covers three values upon which Ériu's societies are built. The first is honor, measuring a person's reputation for fairness and trustworthiness. This is often expressed through various kinds of oaths and agreements, as well as repayment of debts and avenging the wronged. A person's honor is held as more valuable than their life, for one who cheats and manipulates others causes social discord if others follow in their wake.

The second virtue is hospitality, the appointment of the home as an area of safety and refuge from the outside world. To accept another into one's home is a sign of both great respect and trust, and this principle exists so that people have safe places to turn to in an often dangerous and chaotic world. Both host and guest are obligated to abide by various rules: in the host's case, they provide food, comfort, and safety within reason, and in exchange the guest must offer some form of compensation for being hosted as well as coming to the home's defense in the event of an attack. Thus, guests are not asked to disarm themselves, for that implies that there is no trust, and thus any guest who draws their weapon in anger is as good as dead as everyone else in the house is very likely to fight them. Hosts can choose to let guests stay without the expectation of compensation, which is a mark of great charity. But it's still customary to have a gift of some kind, even if just a trinket. To violate this host-guest agreement is considered the worst crime, with the offending party declared an outlaw and cursed by the gods.

The third virtue is the veneration of knowledge, which is viewed as the domain of the gods and thus is a distinct force that exists apart from subjective mortal conception. Knowledge is imagined as a force of nature that anyone can tap into, and the filidh are known as the most respected mortals in this field. Knowledge is grouped into various forms, with empirical observation, intuitive inspiration that comes seemingly out of nowhere, and finally the powerful gift of magic.

Cultural Characteristics is the final and longest section of this post. It is made up of 16 different topics covering a little bit of everything, ranging from common architectural features and diets to trade and funerary customs. It's here that the author really shows their work when it comes to drafting up an intricate mental image of life in Iron Age Ireland. For example, we learn that the standard form of dwelling is a roundhouse with a conical roof made of straw, reeds, or sod. Walls are made from stone or wattle and daub, while homes in bogs or near the shore might be constructed on stilted platforms. Wealthier families can afford to pad their floor with floorboards and even carpets, while tables are a status symbol. The latter kind of furniture is usually employed for communal feasts and then put away to save space.

When it comes to food and drink, dairy is a foundational part of meals, and its people have a knack for fermenting it into various tangy flavors. Foreigners have taken note of this, causing a demand for such edibles in foreign trade. Meat is common among all social classes, with those of meager means able to eat such food one to three times a week. Cows are greatly preferred for milk, so beef is rare, with pork, mutton, and wild game being the most popular kinds. Certain animals, such as deer and boar, can only be hunted by the nobility and royalty. But such laws are hard to enforce and poaching is common. Chickens are a relatively new addition to Ériu, brought from the Mediterranean and are valued for their eggs. Barley and oats are the most common grains, and wheat is a delicacy as it is difficult to grow in the local climate. Every house can afford a small garden filled with various vegetables and herbs ranging from onions, carrots, garlic, peas, and more. Apple trees are the most commonly-grown fruit, with other fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, and cherries commonly foraged for in the wilds.

Ériu's economy primarily functions on a barter system, and one's wealth is measured in a variety of ways. Livestock is one of the most common means of ascertaining material wealth, and gold and silver coins are brought onto the island from foreign lands. Three units of abstract currency are used: from least to greatest they are the unga, set, and cumal. There is a dizzying codex of Brehon Law that has compiled values for just about every kind of property. In spite of there being technically universal standard prices, barter is still common as most people can't be expected to remember such exacting values. An unga is worth 1/6th of a set and is usually used for determining the value of small handheld goods that take relatively little skill or value to craft such as common household objects. The set is the most common form of financial measurement, and is worth half a cow. The average family doesn't own items worth more than 2-3 set at most, for even a single cow is of great value. A cumal is worth 3 cows, and is primarily used for larger transactions in the exchange of multiple valuable goods and services. The lack of large towns and cities means that most artisans and traders are mobile, traveling between population centers to provide goods and services. Most people are living in subsistence lifestyles, and the average person relies on crafting what they need with their own hands or getting it from someone in their immediate community. Even the most prosperous nobles have to engage in manual labor.

The most common language in Ériu is known as Gaelic, and is widespread due to the Gaels' political dominance on the island. Gaelic shares features in common with the languages of the Britons, Picts, and Gauls, but a Gaelic speaker will still need some degree of fluency in foreign tongues in order to understand these people and vice versa. The Fir Bolg and Children of Danu actually shared the same language that is now known as the Old Tongue, and there is much debate and theory as to why these two originally far-flung groups managed this parallel development. In modern times the Old Tongue is most commonly spoken by Fir Bolg and Aes Sidhe as their primary language among themselves, and is also known by faeries and the Tuatha De Banann. The Formorians have their own language, but it is all but forgotten save by members of those people as well as all manner of monsters, madmen, and bearers of dark magic. The most common tongues from foreign shores are Gaulish due to the presence of settlers and refugees from the mainland escaping Roman conquest, while Brythonic is the linga franca of the eastern island of Albion and is spoken by Britons and Picts. Latin, Greek, and Phoenician are typically learned by chieftains, traders, and filidh in order to talk with merchants and sailors from the Roman Empire.

Literacy is rare on Ériu. The island does have a written alphabet known as ogham, so named by the deity Oghma who is credited with introducing the concept to mortals. However, there is a major cultural taboo against using it due to the belief that writing words wounds the power of language itself. A word put to paper, stone, or physical form is deprived of potential by being effectively frozen in meaning. Knowledge is instead preserved by oral traditions, and most people of Ériu believe that those who rely on the written word are weak in mind and memory and see little use for it in their daily lives. The only native islanders who make use of ogham are individual filidh who pass on their knowledge from mentor to apprentice, and it's used mainly for sending messages and accounting records. Ogham is considered exempt from other written alphabets, as it "preserves and transmutes the magic of language rather than deadening it."

Another interesting subject discusses how warfare is conducted: skirmishes most often occur between rival clans during spring and summer, where people retire back to their homes for autumn and winter. People fight for fame as well as fortune, for warfare is done primarily not to kill one's foes but to show to friend and foe alike that oneself and one's comrades are brave warriors par excellence. Most people have participated in at least one battle by age 18, and it is believed that souls enter the Otherworld upon death to live life anew, so there is little fear of oblivion or hellish punishment. Most warbands are small-scale, no more than a hundred fighters maximum, with most units being extended family members led by an elder member. This results in most of Ériu's wars being small in scope and personal, with no lasting interest in years-long sieges or fighting for a distant king rather than one's own family and hometown.

Pertaining to religion, the people of Ériu honor many different gods, although they have no recognized creation myth or apocalyptic ending. Reality is viewed as an endlessly repeating cycle, and even the gods themselves are impermanent fixtures who will one day cease to be. The only universal constant is the existence of a mortal world and Otherworld, the latter of which is a parallel reality where the gods and other magical beings live. Religion's chief purpose is a traditional honoring of the relationship between mortals and the Tuatha De Danann who once ruled over Ériu before retreating to the Otherworld. In exchange for the gods leaving Ériu to mortals, the mortals will honor the gods in various forms of payment and dedication.

The specifics of the terms of the mortal-god treaty have been largely lost to time, with once-political tribute gradually taking a form closer to divine rituals. The Tuatha De Danann seemingly approve, for the mortals haven't been punished yet for supposed inaccuracies. Each of the three major tribes honor the gods, albeit it takes different forms: the Fir Bolg still hold pride for violently resisting the Tuatha De Danann in past wars but acknowledge their power and thus pay tribute. They also particularly respect the nature spirit Tailtliu, who is believed to still watch over their people. The Gaels understand that their people managed to best the gods during their decline, so there is a bit of fear that the Tuatha De Danann might one day return from the Otherworld as conquerors. The Gaels are thus very timely in their rituals and reverence. Then there are the Aes Sidhe, who view the gods closer to that as a mortal might look upon their chieftain and elder family members given that they are closer kinfolk to the Tuatha De Danann than the other two groups. Some of the more prominent Aes Sidhe nobles even view themselves as equal to the gods.

Beyond the gods, Ériu's people also harbor animist-like beliefs: every physical feature, from rocks and rivers to wisps of smoke, harbors a spirit which provides an animating force of life to an otherwise nonliving thing. Gods and spirits who choose favored dwellings often turn the area into wellsprings of supernatural power, and the features become awe-inspiring portraits of natural beauty. The Hill of Uisneach is perhaps the most famous such site, which holds the grave of Lugh and is the physical and spiritual center of the island of Ériu.

There's a concept referred to multiple times in this chapter known as Brehon Law, but it's not detailed on its own until later in the book. It's still worth discussing here in my opinion. In short, it is a detailed collection of civil laws that are derived from a combination of clan customs and the laws of the natural world, further refined and formalized through many debates. Brehon Law does not seek an ideal society nor is it considered the perfect word of a single entity or society. Rather, the Law is supposed to reflect universal truths that accept and govern mortalkind as they exist in an imperfect state. Brehon Law is recognized not just by mortals, but also by faeries and the gods. Although there's always going to be people among all three groups who choose to follow the law when convenient, and find loopholes and excuses to bend and break them. A specialization of fili known as a Brehon is trained in memorizing such laws to serve as judges and mediators for Ériu's people.

Pertaining to family and gender roles, marriage is most often viewed as a matter of financial practicality and for the creation of progeny, with romantic love viewed as a separate recreational activity. Same-sex relationships are legal and tolerated, but such people are still encouraged into entering heterosexual marriages to ensure the continuation of the bloodline and to provide more hands for their clan. Adopting children is socially acceptable for those who cannot have children or don't have any children, and legally speaking an adopted child is treated as the adopter's flesh and blood. Most marriages are monogamous, and someone who wishes to have more than one partner is allowed, but requires permission of all existing spouses. It is rare due to the heavy financial obligations. When it comes to gender roles, women are viewed as equal to men and can pursue various careers beyond domestic duties.

Lastly, this post will cover the practice of slavery. Slavery in Ériu most often happens when someone is taken as a prisoner of war during a raid, and raids of lands beyond the island's shores have brought various foreign people back. Most often these foreign captives are Britons and Picts, but less commonly Romans. The next most common forms of slavery are either as a form of criminal punishment, or tribute demanded by a stronger clan. In the latter case, the weaker community chooses who among their number shall be given up for slavery. The rarest form of slavery is where one person is deprived of immediate family and are effectively the lone survivor. As such people would otherwise be believed to be outlaws, they have no choice but to become the slave of another in order to avoid dying in the wilderness. Most slaves serve chieftains and the nobility, with some richer artisans having one or two at most.

Slavery is not for life nor passed on to their children. Slaves can earn their freedom if they work off their debt or marry a free person, and have the right under Brehon Law to own their own property and give witness testimony in trials. To keep a slave into old age is considered morally reprehensible, and it is expected that a slave who lives with a clan or family unit for long enough is eventually accepted as kinfolk and freed. While it may appear that slaves in Ériu have more rights and better treatment than in other places, like any other form of slavery it is powered by the ever-present threat of coercion, for their owners can still threaten them into performing unwanted actions. Certain degrees of beating and torture are legal, although killing a slave is treated as murder all the same, and there are similarly harsh punishments for treatment that results in permanent injuries. In practice, people with influence have enough social clout to not have the law apply to them. Selling slaves to foreign merchants is considered the worst punishment, as such people are practically guaranteed to never return home as they're taken into the Roman Empire. Romans believe the people of Ériu to be violent, musclebound barbarians, and usually set them to work in manual labor or gladiatorial combat.

Thoughts So Far: This is a well-written, detailed look into Iron Age Ireland via an historical fantasy lens. The focus on economic and social topics covering a broad variety of issues helps both DM and players better immerse themselves in the setting, while also giving enough cultural detail to differentiate Ériu from yet another by-the-numbers Generic Pseudo-British Fantasy World. It is entertaining to read on its own and doesn't feel like a burden, as even mundane subject matter is made to feel intriguing.

Join us next time as we begin the next chapter: Rules for Player Characters!

 

[Distracted DM]

This definitely seems like the kind of book I'd want the physical copy of so I could read it for pleasure, and to consume it, rather than just reference it... unfortunately it's $60 on DTRPG! Not saying I'd never spend that, but at the moment it's a bit high.
Hm, page count is 406. I suppose that's pretty thick, that probably explains the price.

Appreciate you doing this readthrough!

 

[Libertad]

Rules For Player Characters: Tribes​

Now that we covered some of the fluff, it's time to dive into the crunch! This section's chapters provide all of the necessary tools for PC generation in a mythical Ireland. But the rules aren't merely an extension of the 5th Edition Player's Handbook: they outright replace the basic races, classes, backgrounds, feats, and even some skills for their own plus the addition of various house rules. The major changes to basic 5e are laid out at the beginning of this chapter, with the most notable change being the extension of Short Rests to 8 hours and Long Rests to 7 days. Short Rests remove 1 level of Exhaustion, and taking one while in a friendly indoor environment grants +1 bonus Hit Die roll for healing. Long Rests, meanwhile, heal all such levels along with restoring all spent Hit Dice but can only be taken in a secure habitat. The rules for spellcasting and spell lists are kept pretty intact, although casting spells now requires a relevant skill check depending on a character's specialization: Bardic Verse for Bards, Brehon Law for Brehons, and Druid Lore for Druids.

And speaking of skill checks, Arcana, History, and Religion are replaced with Bardic Verse, Brehon Law, and Druid Lore, which use Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom respectively. There's also a Chariot Driving skill that uses Strength which is as exactly as it sounds, and Intimidation can use either the higher of Strength or Charisma.

The author explains their various decisions in detail. For example, the rarity of darkvision is to emphasize that traveling during nightfall is rarely undertaken and for good reason, and that the lengthened requirements for rests both encourage downtime while preventing characters from opting for 15-minute-adventuring day exploits. They also explain that various aspects of the new rules rely quite a bit on area and distance, so that grid combat helps make the most out of Heroes of Tara even though it can still be played with Theater of the Mind.

One notable error throughout this section and other places in the book is the mention of a "standard action." There is no such action type in 5th Edition, so I presume that the author means an Action.

Tribes are the race/species equivalent for Heroes of Tara, and encompass both human ethnic groups and humanoid fantasy creatures. They are separated into three categories of 3 tribes each: Major Tribes consist of the most numerous and prominent groups on Ériu; Outlander Tribes consist of foreign ethnic groups from Rome and nearby regions who are close enough to the island that they have a fair amount of knowledge and exchange with Ériu. The Hidden Tribes are more overtly supernatural nonhuman people who are an optional addition, for their inclusion can make things lean more heavily on the "fantasy" side of "historical fantasy."

In addition to typical race/species traits, each Tribe has Class Bonuses, where upon taking one of the 3 campaign-specific classes they gain a unique benefit in line with their culture and professional calling. To help allow for more diverse character concepts, each tribe allows for the choice of +2 to one of two ability scores (one physical, one mental) in line with that tribe's achievements, and +1 to another ability score of choice. This is helpful in that ability-wise every tribe is just as valid to take for martial or magical reasons. Every Tribe except the Gaborchend speaks Gaelic as a starting language, and all but the Gaels and Fir Chlis also speak a second language that is typically their local tongue. The two exceptions are the Romans, who speak Gaelic, Latin, and a third tongue if the language of their homeland isn't Latin; and the Gaborchend, who speak Formorian and the Old Tongue but not Gaelic.

The Aes Sidhe are not of the Tuatha De Danann, but they are Children of Danu all the same and thus faerie instead of mortal. They are a rare site in Ériu, most often living in subterranean enclaves dug deep into hills. Such places are hidden from casual inspection, but their presence is oftentimes an open secret where outsiders living nearby know to give the "faerie mounds" a wide berth. Such mounds have portals to the Otherworld, and while they are more closely related to the Tuatha De Danann than mortals, they are still far below them in power.

Content Warning: Child Death, Child Abuse

Spoiler

The Aes Sidhe's dark secret is that the Formorians demand tribute of children to kill and eat. For the times when the Aes Sidhe cannot afford to wage war or do not wish to continue fighting, they kidnap children from mortal parents and replace them with a sidhe child to be raised by the mortals. The Aes Sidhe keep this secret from the other tribes, for if this was discovered then the other people of Ériu will declare war on them.

The existence of changelings is known among mortals, although they don't know the full reach or gravity of things. Many families react differently upon discovery; some don't blame the changeling for the crimes of their parents, while others abuse or exile the changeling child.

Statwise the Aes Sidhe are Heroes of Tara's pseudo-elves: they get +2 Dexterity or Intelligence, have immunity to non-magical diseases and advantage on saves vs. poison, have advantage on Stealth checks in the wilderness and can Hide when only lightly obscured, and gain a bonus skill proficiency representing fae intuition for either Animal Handling, Insight, or Perception. Their Class Bonuses reinforce this, such as the Warrior of the Red Branch gaining additional offensive spells to use in conjunction with physical attacks and the Fili being able to meditate for 4 hours instead of sleeping for 8.

The Fir Bolg have a proud history of being the oldest surviving culture on Ériu, having resisted all manner of hardship and oppression. They were early adopters of druidism, which put them in contact with many nature spirits across the land. They were the first to discover and popularize Brehon Law, which helps bridge legal and cultural divides with their Gaelic neighbors. Due to their declining political dominance, Fir Blog are more insular out of a desire to preserve their traditions.

Statwise the Fir Bolg are the "enduring people who are close to nature" tribe: they get +2 to Constitution or Wisdom, proficiency in Brehon Law, Druid Lore, or Survival, have advantage on saves vs Exhaustion, and get +1 Hit Point every level. Their Class Bonuses represent various means of natural or supernatural insight, such as Fennid gaining 30 feet of darkvision or Fili gaining advantage on mental saves vs magical effects.

The Gael are the third major tribe and the most numerous and politically dominant group on Ériu. They are a proud people who take to the martial and performing arts with gusto, and they expanded their reputation as ironworkers and chariot-builders to becoming accomplished at other crafts such as gold and silversmithing. Their people have begun exploring beyond Ériu's shores, building settlements on Alba's* western coast and the Isle of Manannán.

*another name for the Isle of Briton.

Statwise they are Boisterous Bruisers, gaining +2 to Strength or Charisma, proficiency in Athletics, Chariot Driving, or Intimidation, advantage on saves vs fear effects, and can drop to 1 hit point instead of 0 once per Short or Long Rest. Their Class Bonuses reflect their desire to have their skill go down in fame, such as the Fennid being able to reroll a failed d20 check once per Short or Long Rest with a bonus to the reroll based on the number of allies who can see them.

Thoughts: I do find it amusing that the Hidden Tribes are considered optional due to being closer to high fantasy, but one of the three playable default tribes are literally fairy folk cousins to the gods. But their inclusion as a Major Tribe makes sense given their iconic status in Ériu's history. The mechanical rules are all quite broad and don't pigeonhole the Major Tribes into any one class archetype or role. Even the Aes Sidhe, the most magically-minded of the three in the fluff, get some nice abilities for other roles, such as better sneaking while in the wilderness or damage-dealing buff spells for a Warrior of the Red Branch.

Briton is a broad term for the various non-Pictish tribes living on the eastern island, called Alba by the Gaels, Britannia by the Romans, and many different names by the Britons such as Cymru or Ynys y Cedyrn ("the Island of the Mighty"). It is believed that the practice of druidism originated on Alba, with the holy island of Ynys Môn being the oldest known spot and is thus a pilgrimage destination for even Gaels and Gauls. Many Britons live free and govern themselves, but others have been colonized by Rome. The most famous figures leading the fight against Roman imperialism are the warrior-queen Boudica and the literal giant Bendigeidfran, the latter of whom is among the last of his kind.

Statwise Britons are kind of gishy in being divided between martial-friendly and caster-friendly routes. They get +2 to Constitution or Charisma, proficiency in Bardic Verse, Chariot Driving, or Druid Lore, and can choose from one of 3 feats as a bonus feat: Acorn Knowledge (akin to Magic Initiate in the PHB), Blood of Giants (+1 Strength and you treat yourself as Large for for various advantages), or Traditional Battle Dress (+1 Strength or Dexterity, gain various buffs including AC boost when fighting with no armor or clothes).* They use the Class Bonuses of the Fir Bolg.

*There are several means of making viable "naked/unarmored warrior" builds in Heroes of Tara via feats, but they explicitly don't stack with each other.

The Gauls are a large assortment of tribes who live in what is now France and nearby territories. While still falling short of Rome's sprawling lands and cities, they are more urbanized than the people of Ériu, having walled cities bigger than Ériu's largest hillforts and exceed even the Gaels in iron and stonework. They do not use chariots in battle, instead riding upon horses with saddles and are the most skilled horsemen in the known world. Like the Britons, they are waging a long, drawn-out war against the Roman invaders, and one-third of all Gauls have been killed or enslaved as a result. Many Gauls have fled and taken up new lives elsewhere, with southern Ériu home to many Gallic settlements who have now stood there for generations. The Gauls worship their own deities, which the Tuatha De Danann and their worshipers acknowledge as being both real and welcomed as akin to guests and cousins. There have still been cultural misunderstandings and fights between the Gauls and the islanders, though.

Statwise Gauls are the brawny artisans of the Tribes: they get +2 Strength or Intelligence, tool proficiency in 1 of 4 crafting tool sets their culture is known for, and their 3 bonus feats are Grove Guardian (you're a good guerilla fighter in forest environments), Horseback Riding (you can perform neat tricks and fight better while on horseback), or Shield Wall (can grant shield AC bonus to allies and and vice versa, also make counterattacks against those who attack someone in your shield wall). They use the Class Bonuses of the Gael.

The Picts are the other major human cultural group in Alba, primarily living in the island's northern reaches. A distant and isolated people even to the Britons, the Roman occupation has more or less cut them off from the rest of the world. The Roman invaders struggle dearly to hunt down Pictish warriors, much less hold onto their territory. The Pictish tribes share much in common, but unlike other Major and Outlander tribes in this chapter they have never been truly united. This may very well change, for more and more tribes recognize the need in putting aside their differences to fight Rome, and Calgacus the Swordsman is their most promising candidate.

Statwise Picts are optimized for guerilla fighting: they get +2 to Dexterity or Wisdom, have proficiency in Animal Handling, Stealth, or Survival, and they can choose their bonus feat from Find Familiar (pretty much the PHB spell), Night Raider (gain darkvision and various buffs in shadows and when you surprise a creature in combat), or Woad Tattoos (gain AC bonus plus temporary hit points when you are wearing no clothes or armor). They have the Class Bonuses of the Fir Bolg.

Roman is a broad term that refers to anyone from the Mediterranean and surrounding regions. Anyone from such places who came to Ériu would have had to pass through Roman territory with the Empire's consent, and thus most islanders group them all together. Many people of Ériu have taken the Roman Empire's claims of having conquered the civilized world literally, which ironically makes them all the more proud that their little island is supposedly the last untouched bastion of independence. Most Romans believe that Ériu is a frozen wasteland whose people are one step removed from animals in mentality, although Romans in Alba/Britannia know better. Beyond some scouts and spies, the Roman military has more or less left Ériu alone, as they have their hands full dealing with the Briton and Pictish resistance movements.

Statwise Romans are the Variant Humans of Heroes of Tara: their +2 ability boost can be for any score of choice, they gain one bonus skill and feat of choice, and their Class Bonuses are those of the Gael.

Thoughts: While the Major Tribes had various broadly-useful choices and features, the Outlander Tribes are a bit more situational. The default features for Brits, Gauls, and Picts don't feel as impressive as the ones of the Major Tribes, so I take it that the choice of bonus feats is meant to make up for this. Romans feel a bit too tempting of a choice given their Variant Human equivalent, although I feel that the existing Major Tribes still get enough goodies to make them appreciable choices.

One thing that I particularly like is despite the fact that the focus is on Ériu, Heroes of Tara still highlights major conflicts and figures of the Outlander cultures to still give such PCs a place in the world and others with which to compare themselves. There is a part of me that wishes that the Outlanders got their own unique Class Bonus writeups, but I imagine that this was to avoid bloat and limited by time and research constraints, so it's not really that big a mark against the book.

Fir Chlis are the first of our Hidden Tribes, representing sky-faring dancers who appear as the aurora borealis at night. They live in a post-scarcity society where nobody fears hunger or poverty, content to dedicate the rest of their days to dancing and dueling. Usually both at once, and the losers of such fights often fall down to earth, unable to return home.

Statwise Fir Chlis are all about mobility and looking impressive: they get +2 Dexterity or Charisma, are proficient in one musical instrument, can get a Fly speed of 50 feet for a number of minutes equal to Proficiency Bonus per Long Rest, are immune to falling damage from heights greater than 10 feet, and constantly emit a shining aura which they can amplify to greater area of effect once per Short Rest. They, along with the other Hidden Tribes, have their own unique Class Bonuses. In the Fir Chlis' case, they get abilities that involve fighting with style, such as Warriors of the Red Branch increasing the critical threat range of melee and thrown attacks after making an Athletics/Acrobatics/Chariot Driving skill check.

Fir Ghorma are blue-skinned humanoids who live underwater along the coasts of Ériu and Alba, with most living in the open ocean north of both islands. They live much like humans on land, but their livestock, crops, and buildings are derived from marine life and materials. They hunt whales, Formorians, and various unnamable horrors in the ocean's dark depths, making them cautious people quick to suspicion. This mentality resulted in hostility against maritime vessels, which they view as invading their territory. The Fir Ghorma don't always react with violence, sometimes demanding a toll or rhyming contest for the ship's safe passage.

Statwise Fir Ghorma are heavily specialized for undersea adventuring: they get +2 Constitution or Intelligence, can breath air and water, have advantage and resistance to cold damage and environmental effects, a swim speed of 30 feet, and can control their own buoyancy. Their Class Bonuses are a bit more diverse, such as Fennid challenging a target to a rhyming contest which they must succeed on a Charisma saving throw to win, otherwise they take extra weapon damage from the Fennid. Or gaining bonus weather-related spells as a Fili, but the spells must be spent by expending Hit Dice equal to the spell's level.

The Gaborchend are anthropomorphic humanoids bearing the heads (and/or fur, hooves, etc) of various mammals. Gaborchend clans usually have a predominant species of animal head, although it is possible for their children to sometimes be born with the head of another species. Such events are considered an auspicious omen, marking the child as having a special destiny. They are native to Ériu, believed to be the creation of Formorian sorcery for expendable slave-soldiers to fight against their enemies. Most Gaborchend live as nomadic hunter-gatherers, keeping to secretive places such as the deepest reaches of woodlands. Many misunderstandings and conflict with the other peoples of the island have made them reclusive. Some clans are content to live uncontacted, but others nurse generational hatreds against humans and fey and sometimes strike out against them.

Statwise Gaborchend make use of animal-themed abilities: they get +2 to Strength or Wisdom, have a 1d6 natural weapon attack that deals one of the 3 physical damage types upon character creation, have a stellar 60 feet of darkvision,* and advantage on Perception checks relating to smell or hearing as well as +4 to Passive Perception. Their Class Bonuses reflect being in touch with their wild side, such as the Fennid gaining boosts to their movement speed and jump distance, and the Fili can extend a ritual spell's casting time instead of sacrificing material components as a result of knowing magical secrets of the Formorians.

*Which, barring the Darkvision spell, is the best value for this sense type a Player Character can get in Heroes of Tara.

Thoughts: Whereas the Major and Outlander Tribes are more or less humans minus the Aes Sidhe, the Hidden Tribes are clearly something more. The Fir Chlis and Fir Ghorma have clear origins in places humans cannot live, while the Gaborchend are unmistakably "inhuman." Their default features and Class Bonuses are more tightly-themed, so even if they can be built in a variety of roles their fluff and crunch can still subtly press players into choosing "ideal" archetypes. For example, the Fir Chlis sound tailor-made to be Warrior-Poets (a Fennid subclass) or Bards (a Fili subclass). The Fir Ghorma's traits are perhaps the most situational in this book, for they only shine when in coastal and aquatic environments. A campaign that heavily involves inland locations will make the Fir Ghorma PC's player feel like they made the wrong choice at character creation. As for the Gaborchend, they will almost always be the party's best scouts given their Passive Perception boost and good darkvision.

Thoughts So Far: Overall I like the Tribal writeups for Heroes of Tara. There's enough options here to reflect a diverse assortment of options, although such parties will be more human-heavy than the average 5e D&D setting. I also like how the use of the variable +2 modifier and spread of default features and Class Bonuses helps avoid the pigeonhole effect of "best race for best class" that is a common occurrence in D&D. While I understand why it was done, the Roman mechanical traits are the only ones I feel underwhelmed by, when all the other Tribes have much more distinct options and abilities in line with their cultures and histories.

Join us next time as we dive deep into the Classes in Part 2 of Rules for Player Characters!

 

[Libertad]

Rules for Player Characters: Classes​

Much like how Heroes of Tara uses its own Tribes in places of typical fantasy races and species, so too does it use its own classes. There are far fewer, with 3 base and 1 optional: the Fennid, a a member of a ranger-esque society known as the Fianna who dedicate their lives to patrolling the wilderness; the Fili, a respected practitioner of magic; and the Warrior of the Red Branch, the most famous order of warriors in Ériu dedicated to games of oneupmanship, where they build up their fame through achieving ever-greater feats of might and valor. The fourth class, the Daoine Sidhe, is optional, representing various tribes of the Children of Danu such as brownies, leprechauns, and shellycoats.

The three base classes of Heroes of Tara loosely map up to the Warrior/Thief/Magic-User archetypes, with the Fennid more of a Ranger than Thief. Each of them are expectedly martial, with the Fili having the lowest Hit Die at d8 and proficiency with light armor, simple weapons, and shortswords. The Fennid and Warrior, by contrast, both get Extra Attack at 5th level, have proficiency with all weapons and shields, and the Warrior is proficient with all armor and the Fennid only light and medium. Heroes of Tara also has its own unique Fighting Styles rather than the base 5e ones, and even those of the same name are different. For example, Duelist grants +4 on damage rolls while wielding a one-handed weapon and nothing else in the other hand, or +2 on said damage if you are wielding a shield in the off-hand.

They each have three subclasses that further distinguish them, and one cannot multiclass as to become a member of that class represents a significant amount of dedication and training. For example, a fili must undertake demanding studies for twenty years. Each of the classes possess features that are tied to special trials the PC passes offscreen, representing their ever-greater fame and training. Each class has a 16th-level feature that doesn't grant any explicit mechanics, but instead gives out flavor text mentioning that at this level the character's deeds are so well-known that they're put in the good graces (or "worthy opponent" respect among enemies) of notable NPCs in the world. Each 20th level capstone feature has the PC encountering a supernatural animal that grants them legendary abilities. Furthermore, all of the classes and even subclasses have some names that are derived from the Irish language. For example, a 2nd-level Fidi learns the Ghas Ghairm (green speech) which lets them speak to and understand invisible spirits, while the Blessed Champion subclass of the Warrior of the Red Branch can undergo a magical transformation in battle known as a Riastrad (battle frenzy).

As for the Daoine Sidhe, they are akin to nonhumans from Basic D&D in that their Tribe and their Class is one and the same: a Daoine Sidhe can only be a Daoine Sidhe and not a Fennid, for instance. While these fey do have some martial options, they are the most fragile at d6 Hit Die.

A Fennid (plural is the same) is a member of the Fianna, whose leader is none other than Fionn Mac Cumhaill. They wander the roads and forlorn places of Ériu, accepted from all walks of life but only a select few manage to pass their exacting standards for membership. They forsake connections to wider society so that they may better defend society from afar.

The organization used to be a mercenary band, although Fionn swore an oath of loyalty to the current High King. Their duties now include traveling across the island as his eyes and ears. They keep the roads safe, hunt outlaws and monsters alike, and enforce the High King's will against chieftains who challenge him. There is concern of mixed loyalty, both between fennid who hail from rival clans and those who may not be entirely happy with their new duties as the High King's "lapdogs."

The Fennid class is very much a wilderness-themed martial in the vein of the Ranger, where they are proficient in Dexterity and Charisma saving throws, get the Survival skill for free, and select two other skills from a list of Ranger-esque abilities. They choose from Fighting Styles that emphasize speed and ranged combat, such as Teamwork which lets them make an opportunity attack against an enemy that makes a melee attack roll against an ally, or Steady Hand which increases the critical threat range of ranged and thrown weapons to 18 to 20. Their class features revolve around using wit and skill to survive in the wilderness and overcome their enemies: for example, their lower-level features include being able to grant themselves and their allies additional Hit Dice for healing during a short rest by preparing a special campfire for cooking known as a "deer pit;" can obtain otherwise-unknown knowledge by surveying the horizon from a vantage point for 10 minutes; and are immune to getting lost while traveling in Ériu; and a metacurrency known as Cunning Points. Cunning Points can be restored via overcoming foes in combat in various ways, and can be spent on special applications for higher-level class features such as restoring lost spell slots for the Faerie Rover subclass. The higher-level class features are a series of tests and titles: the Stick Test represents being able to spend Cunning Points to short-distance teleport between elevated spaces which is represented as sublime speed; the Thorn Test represents the ability to ignore all nonmagical difficult terrain and impose disadvantage on opportunity attacks; and the Hazel and Oak Test represents unlimited reactions per round and can reduce the damage of ranged attacks akin to a Monk's Deflect Missiles. Their 20th level capstone involves hunting a White Stag so that it can impart magical abilities to the Fennid, gaining what is akin to a permanent Freedom of Movement effect, as well as increased personal and overland speed, and can get a natural 20 on 5 Ranger-like skills (Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Perception, Stealth, Survival) instead of rolling.

The Fennid's first subclass is the Faerie Rover, who is familiar with the more supernatural aspects of the wilderness and perhaps even the Otherworld. They can cast up to 6th-level spells, although unlike the Fili they cannot swap out prepared spells and are stuck with the ones that they know by level. Their subclass features focus on the explicitly supernatural, such as being able to detect magic like a literal sixth sense, transport themselves and allies into the Otherworld via a Nature or Survival check, and summoning an illusory duplicate that the Fennid can choose to sense through (but lose senses from their own perspective while doing so). The Faerie Rover's spells are mostly battlefield control and utility stuff drawn from the PHB Druid spell list such as Entangle, Pass Without Trace, Conjure Animals, and Insect Plague.

The second subclass is the Huntsmaster, who is more mundane in comparison and represents one who specializes in tracking and subduing all manner of foes. They can choose to swap out of their Charisma saving throw proficiency for Constitution and start out with a Loyal Hound who grows in power with the Fennid and has its own action economy. The Hound and Fennid gain the benefit of Pack Tactics in relation to each other, and a lost or slain hound can be replaced during a long rest. Their other subclass features include being able to spend Cunning Points to mark a target as their quarry and can more easily track/perceive them as well as dealing additional damage; training their hound in new buffs and special abilities such as an increased damage die for bite attacks or not making any sound while moving and thus gains advantage on Stealth; and being able to discern certain aspects of a quarry's game mechanics such as Armor Class and highest/lowest ability scores.

The final subclass is the Warrior Poet, cerebral fighters who seek inspiration in the world around them and use their eloquent knowledge to bolster the morale of their allies. Their class features are themed around support and debuff capabilities, such as penning a poem post-battle to let allies roll Hit Dice twice and take the better result during short rests; can as a regular or bonus action perform various skill checks as special combat maneuvers against foes, such Sleight of Hand to disarm or Acrobatics to elude them and impose forced movement; and a capstone where they can bestow healing properties on water they touch, which can restore hit points and cure nonmagical diseases and poisons but only when out of combat, and is limited by Charisma modifier uses/Long Rest.

Thoughts: The Fennid feels like a charismatic Ranger with more team player-focused abilities. Their wilderness-related features are sure to come into play a lot given Ériu's sparse population, and its three subclasses all have distinct and useful niches. The Faerie Rover gets access to quite a number of good spells, the Huntsmaster's hound and marked target feature help make the character feel like a proper hunter, and the Warrior Poet's team-player tactics are ones that their fellow PCs are sure to appreciate.

A Fili (plural filidh) is a member of a noble caste who are valued for their specialized knowledge. With literacy and formal education a rarity in Ériu, the Filidh are valued as society's foremost lorekeepers. While Filidh serve as advisors, they also apply their talents in more active means such as conducting ceremonies, protecting against magical maladies, and healing others. Unlike the Fennid or Warriors of the Red Branch, the Filidh don't have a single over-arching society, instead belonging to "learned families" who primarily pass training from parent to child, although they are also watched over by the gods who regularly bestow upon them supernatural insight that let them understand the world better than most mortals. Filidh vary widely both in political views and schools of thought, and and there are some who even forsake wider society to live on their own as hermits. Some even make pacts with wicked spirits to learn forbidden magic, and these outlaws are known as sorcerers, witches, and warlocks.

The Fili class is Heroes of Tara's magician role, gaining access to 9th level spells in much the same manner as a primary spellcaster from the Player's Handbook, although they can only cast cantrips at 1st and 2nd level and unlock both 1st and 2nd level spells at 3rd level. They are prepared casters, meaning that they swap out what spells they have access to every Long Rest, and their spell list is dependent upon their subclass. They start play proficient in Intelligence and Wisdom saving throws, the Medicine and Persuasion skills, and choose 2 more skills from a set of primarily knowledge-related fields which are the 3 spellcasting skills along with Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, and Performance.

A Fili's low-level class features revolve around a combination of specialized mundane and magical knowledge. They include Healing Arts, where during a Short Rest they can remove certain negative Conditions and restore additional hit points to people during via rolling Healing Arts dice whose size increase with level; know how to read and write the Ogham script; and gain access to Invocation Points, which can be used to recharge used spell slots and fuel special class features. Their higher-level class features become more explicitly supernatural, such as being able to choose a permanent "sixth sense" buff every 5th level such as at-will Speak with Animals or ability to predict the weather up to 7 days ahead of time; can create Ogham sticks embedded with runes that allow other characters to cast the Fili's spells when wielding such sticks; can mysteriously vanish and appear during social encounters which is effectively an unexplainable teleportation; and can spend Invocation Points to permanently enchant items with permanent special abilities as a 1 hour ritual. Their 20th-level capstone involves finding and capturing the Salmon of Knowledge, granting supernatural enlightenment which takes the form of immunity to all negative mental effects, they no longer need to eat, drink, or sleep, have Truesight out to their natural sight, and can choose to roll 20 for ability checks made to recall lore.

A Fili's subclass represents their specialized magical knowledge, and thus their spell list, spellcasting ability modifier, and relevant skill for spellcasting ability checks. The Bard is a musician and poet whose tales are used to bring people together and tell them of vast experiences beyond their own lives. They can choose to exchange their Wisdom save proficiency for Charisma, and their spell list is unsurprisingly pretty much the same as the Player's Handbook Bard but with some more divine abilities such as Bless, Spirit Guardians, Water Walk, and Commune. The Bard's class features are heavily focused on buffs, debuffs, and social manipulation. At lower levels they can spend Invocation Points to create Compositions that have days-long durations, such as a scathing Satire that can affect a target's reputation should they fail a Charisma save, imposing a powerful disadvantage on saving throws and ability checks, although the target will know which Fili made the composition about them. At higher levels the Bard can use Invocation Points to speak one of the three Voices of Mirth, Sleep, or Sorrow a number of times per Long Rest equal to Charisma modifier, causing AoE buffs and or debuffs themed around the Voice in question. The Bard also eventually gains the Patronage of a Seelie or Unseelie fey, granting a number of special benefits. Seelie Patrons grant more beneficial and positive emotion stuff such as a Heroes' Feast once per Long Rest, while Unseelie Patrons rely on trickery and misdirection such as concealing the Fili's personal resting place/campsite from outside forces and observation.

The Brehon is a judge and enforcer of Brehon Law, ensuring that traditions and justice are upheld. Their spell list is much closer to the Cleric's, although it has quite a few Paladin spells and a touch of other classes such as the various Smite spells, Heat Metal, Knock, Elemental Weapon, Dream, and Project Image. Their initial class feature turns a staff, club, or greatclub into their badge of office, letting them make attacks with it using Intelligence and can choose from a small list of battlemage-related benefits such as gaining temporary hit points at the start of every Short of Long Rest. Their higher-level features include inscribing Ogham runes on their club/staff to make it a magical weapon and can let the weapon sustain additional Concentration spells at the cost of Invocation Points; being able to state that the day is an auspicious event for a certain activity from a random d8 table, granting a single-use d12 die that can be added to d20 rolls in relation to that activity; and the ability to impose a Geasa, or magically-binding command, upon a humanoid or faerie that fails a Wisdom save, and the Geasa deals damage to them whenever they act against the mandate.

The Druid is an emissary between the mortal world and the Otherworld, who negotiates with the Children of Danu, nature spirits, and other supernatural entities for the upholding of treaties between mortals and immortals. While many practices of a Druid bear resemblance to that of a priest's, a Druid is not necessarily a servant of an immortal. Druids who do become servants of such creatures end up detached from mortal affairs and become distrusted by their communities for their bias.

Unsurprisingly, a Druid's spell list is highly similar to that of its Player's Handbook counterpart, although they get a bit of this and that from other classes such as Hex, Unseen Servant, Invisibility, and True Seeing. In addition to their spells, the Druid's first-learned and most significant ability are their use of Rituals to create magical objects via Invocation Points. More powerful objects require more Points. The cheaper Ritual objects include the Adder Stone (creature can attune to it and look through the stone's hole as a bonus action to gain True Seeing benefit) and Tathlum Bell (can be thrown or launched from a sling to explode and deal 4d8 bonus necrotic damage), with more powerful objects including Ghost Fence (build a line of stakes with severed heads of enemies that curses any humanoid who attempts to pass or disassemble it), Silver Branch (magical apple tree branch inscribed with Ogham that lets one find routes to the Otherworld), and the Cauldron of Rebirth (can revive the corpse of a Medium or smaller creature). The Druid's higher-level features include a Wild Shape like ability at 7th level where they can take the form of Beasts; being accompanied by a bird that is a messenger of the Tuatha De Danann and whose animal species grants unique benefits, such as an owl that grants Darkvision and an ill omen AoE aura that imposes disadvantage on spell saves; and their capstone is the ability to add a limited amount of Bard and Brehon spells to their spell list provided that they are 6th level or less.

Thoughts: While still coming up short in comparison to the sheer versatility of core 5e's magical classes, the Fili's default features and three subclasses do a good job of representing both a strongly thematic yet broad-minded spellcaster. One thing I like is that the Fili is a decent healer via their Healing Arts, and both their class features and cultural prestige helps open doors for a variety of social encounters. Another thing I like is that the class spell lists shy away from more straightforward high fantasy stuff, as well as things that can step on the toes of the nonmagical classes such as Dispel Magic, Fireball, and Tiny Hut. I can tell that the author took particular care in choosing what existing spells to include while still letting the Fili have enough toys, and what to exclude and alter (Remove Curse is 6th level now) to be in keeping with the themes of Irish legend.

A Warrior of the Red Branch stands among the greatest battlemasters of Ériu. Drawing folk from every clan and kingdom, the Red Branch is headquartered in the Kingdom of Ulster, although they are guests rather than subjects of its ruler. Warriors of this lodge do not have a hierarchy of any kind, and social class does not matter. The primary driver of merit and status is what deeds a Warrior of the Red Branch achieves: tales, trophies, and scars of their deeds are the drivers of social currency. It is expected that fellow Warriors will be at odds with each other in the wider world, and there are no penalties for killing another lodge member as long as it was done fairly and justly. The Red Branch's most famous member is Cúchulain, a young man who other lodge members admire and seek to challenge. But he shows little desire to assume a leadership role or take advantage of his position, instead deciding to be a protector of Ulster in between withdrawing into his hillfort when in one of his downcast moods.

The Warrior of the Red Branch starts play proficient with Strength and Constitution saving throws, and they get no default skill proficiencies for free. Instead they choose two skills in line with what you expect from a primarily-physical fighting class such as Athletics, Chariot Driving, Intimidation, and Survival. Their Fighting Styles are more brute force than the Fennid's grace and mobility, such as Heavy Blows which automatically shoves and knocks prone Medium size and smaller creatures if the Warrior exceeds their Armor Class with a melee attack by 4 or more (or 2 or more at 10th level), or Reckless which is akin to a PHB Barbarian's Reckless Attack. The Warrior's low-level class features include Second Wind; a Salmon Leap that triples their jump distance once per Short Rest and can avoid opportunity attacks when jumping in such a way; the ability to call out to a target with an action or bonus action to challenge them to single combat, which imposes disadvantage on attack rolls for the challenged against targets other than the challenging Warrior;* an AoE ability activated as an action that imposes the Frightened condition on targets who fail a Charisma save; and a metacurrency known as Glory Points, which can be spent to recharge and gain access to certain class features and can be regained when performing feats of strength and martial skill. The Warrior's higher-level class features include being able to hurl grappled targets as a thrown weapon that deals damage to both the thrown character and target; a Heat of Battle that functions similar to Barbarian Rage but imposes 2 levels of Exhaustion for 1 minute after it ends; can increase their personal critical threat range by 1d6 when they see an ally get a critical hit against an enemy, as the Warrior strives to not be outdone and lasts for the rest of combat or until the Warrior crits; a once per Long Rest shout that can be heard from 3 miles around that causes hostile creatures of CR 9 or less to worsen in morale if in a warband or flee the area if not, while CR 10 and higher enemies will respond to the call; the shout also imposes various other utility effects, such as causing enemies "with honor" to announce their presence to challenge the Warrior in battle; and their 20th-level capstone involves finding and besting a Great Bull, granting the Warrior a variety of permanent buffs such as gaining the carrying capacity of a Gargantuan creature, doubled jump distance, immunity to Exhaustion from physical exertion, and immunity to negative effects from weather.

*But such foes must be considered a "worthy" opponent which must have a number of Hit Dice greater than half the Warrior's Hit Dice.

Blessed Champion is the first subclass of the Warrior of the Red Branch, representing one who earned the interest of at least one of the Tuatha De Danann and bestows their special favor to this mortal. Their initial abilities include turning one of their weapons into an enchanted one and the player is encouraged to come up with a unique name for it, and they can also spend Glory Points to smite enemies to deal bonus radiant damage. Their higher-level subclass features include being able to visually glow due to their inner fires of passion that is treated as sunlight and a protective aura for allies; can restore hit points at the end of every round as long as they're at less than half their maximum; and their capstone lets them enter a frenzied transformation known as a Riastrad that grants a variety of benefits such as an extra attack, immunity to charm and fear effects, and their AoE fear effect is constantly-active rather than requiring activation.

A Chariot Chieftain is a master of the use of the Melisian-crafted war machine. This subclass grants access to not just a chariot, but two warhorses and an NPC charioteer companion who advances in power as the Warrior gains levels. The subclass' other initial features include access to various fancy maneuvers when fighting on a chariot, such as being able to grapple and drag Medium and smaller creatures while the chariot moves, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet of movement; or being able to go full speed over difficult terrain with a DC 12 Chariot Driving check. At higher levels the Chariot Chieftain can leap from their chariot a number of times Proficiency Bonus/Short Rest to deal a melee attack as a bonus action that is an automatic critical hit if it connects, along with +2 Armor Class to the Warrior for a limited number of rounds; their fear-based AoE gains various buffs such as increased radius and can be activated as a bonus action instead of an action; and their capstone lets them spend Glory Points once per combat encounter to charge over all targets in their way, dealing 6d8+8 bludgeoning damage and knocking them prone.

The Student of Scathach represents a Warrior who not only ventured to the distant Fortress of Shadows, but managed to successfully train under the legendary Scathach. They've learned to rely upon more than simple physical prowess to win battles, and are capable of entering meditative trances to achieve precise awareness and self-control.

They can choose to swap their Constitution save proficiency for Dexterity, and their other initial features are the ability to spend a reaction to make an opportunity attack against an opponent who enters their reach and can halve their speed should they connect; and the Battle Trance, which grants persistent benefits such as being able to immediately move or draw two weapons when initiative is rolled, cannot be surprised, and advantage on all Acrobatics and Athletics checks made during combat. Their higher-level features include being able to spend a reaction to reduce damage akin to a Monk's Deflect Missiles, save that it applies to melee attacks instead and damage reduced to 0 grants the Student a free counterattack; can spend 3 Glory Points once per attack to break through a creature's natural defenses to impose -1 AC for the rest of combat; and their capstone lets them learn one of Scatachs's 3 Legendary Feats. These are the Cat Feat (can spend an Action to make an attack against every enemy within reach and spend Glory Points to increase your natural reach when doing this via a "quicker than the eye" multi-attack), the Javelin Feat (can throw all javelins in your possess as a 60 foot AoE cone that deals d6 piercing damage equal to the number of thrown javelins plus Strength modifier), and the Thunder Feat (can pound on a wielded shield to create an AoE that deals thunder damage to enemies within 20 feet and can deafen and stun).

Thoughts: The Warrior of the Red Branch and its subclasses look really cool, basically being a Fighter on steroids. There's quite a good number of battlefield control abilities at low level, too. For example, I like the use of challenging a target as a reliable means of drawing enemy attacks, meaning that foes who try to avoid the Warrior in order to go for the mage will suffer for doing so, while the ability to throw and grab enemies is like a more effective damaging multi-target shove. The Warrior's major weakness is a lack of non-combat abilities barring the 17th-level shout, as even the Fennid gets quite a bit of utility features. I do appreciate that the author dispenses with the "Fighters must remain within what is physically possible" that often permeates D&D,* particularly when it comes to the higher-level class features which are outright supernatural. The three subclasses all struck me as having cool options, although the Chariot Chieftain might end up finding themselves limited in certain terrain such as deep bogs or a stereotypical dungeon crawl with narrow passages.

*barring certain subclasses such as the Echo Knight.

The Daoine Sidhe is our fourth optional class. It is optional for much the same reasons that the Hidden Tribes are optional, in that their presence as a playable tribe/class hews towards a more explicitly supernatural high fantasy vibe. The Daoine Sidhe, or "little folk," aren't a single tribe or polity of faeries, but rather represent various distinct tribes who share a commonality of small size and a host of thematic supernatural abilities. Daoine Sidhe are able and willing to travel between the mortal world and Otherworld with ease, and aren't obligated like the Tuatha De Danann or Aes Sidhe to leave the mortal world to mortals as per the ancient treaties. But while they can be found anywhere in Ériu and even beyond the island's shores, they take pains to hide themselves from humans, who often only indirectly know of their presence at best.

Human attitudes towards the Daoine Sidhe can vary depending upon local settlements, prior experiences, and the reputation of the particular faerie tribe in question. However, most humans are wary of them, knowing that they possess great and unknown powers. So while a leprechaun showing up in town isn't necessarily a cause for mass panic, people might alternatingly ingratiate themselves to the fey, retreat to their homes warded with charms, or even seek to drive them away from their residences.

Society among the Daoine Sidhe is much less formal than that of humans: they don't have concepts of clans or social units larger than individual families, even if they might recognize commonalities between other fey of the same tribe. Ceremonies and laws are improvised, looking much like children playing games. Daoine Sidhe are known to live among Aes Sidhe settlements and even as servants of the Tuatha De Danann. Aes Sidhe often find their Daoine cousins to be annoying and unserious, while the Daoine Sidhe often view them as prime targets for pranks in order to be knocked off their metaphorical or literal high horses.

Daoine Sidhe, much like humans, take oaths and promises very seriously. But while human oathbreakers are punished primarily via social ostracism (and supernatural curses such as a Brehon's Geasa), a Daoine's bonded word has cosmically-binding principles. The book doesn't specify on how this works or what happens to a Daoine Sidhe oathbreaker, but mentions that they almost never make promises or oaths for this reason, instead adopting the habit of speaking in riddles and making use of wordplay, metaphors, and other interpretive speech. Additionally, Daoine Sidhe derive physical sustenance from gifts and positive emotions much like food and water, but even more so. Beautiful artwork, gifts, and inspiring tales can keep a Daoine Sidhe alive…literally. Daoine Sidhe require little encouragement to become adventurers. They find the mortal world a fascinating place, certain tribes such as brownies are drawn to human communities, and Daoine Sidhe of all tribes can be strongly compelled by an overriding desire to experience something new, be it to watch a blacksmith at work or take part in a real battle.

In terms of mechanics, Daoine Sidhe do not choose from the typical Classes and Backgrounds of Heroes of Tara. They are Small, have a 25 foot speed, can speak the Old Tongue plus one additional language, are squishy at d6 Hit Die, and proficient in only light armor, simple weapons, and targes (a type of shield). Their ability score increase, saves, skills, and starting wealth are derived from one of eight Daoine Sidhe tribes. Said tribes also grant two unique benefits. The eight tribes are Ballybog (froglike amphibious fey who can swim and also hide well in boggy terrain), Bauchan (brownies, household fey who gain temporary hit points while resting in a house or hall and can magically disguise themselves as household objects), Clurichaun (lovers of wine and music, resistance and advantage vs poison and drunk people are one category more friendly to them), Far Darrig (warren-dwelling fey who scavenge from human settlements at night, have darkvision and are better able to evade opportunity attacks), Ghillie (forest-dwelling fey, ignore difficult terrain and hide better in woodland terrain and foliage, can short-range teleport between trees Proficiency Bonus/Short Rest), Leprechaun (proficiency in one set of crafting tool's and can craft shoes, can reroll a natural 1 on a d20, advantage on all Intelligence checks for crafting and crafting times are halved), Pech (super-strong fey count as two sizes larger for carrying capacity and unarmed attacks deal 1d6 damage and x3 damage against objects), and Shellycoats (river-dwelling fey who wear cloaks of otter fur with seashells, coat of shells grants AC 17 that can't be modified by Dexterity and grants swim speed, meditating for 1 hour next to a river or sea lets them get a natural 18 automatically on the next Intelligence or Wisdom check).

As far as actual class features, the Daoine Sidhe is notable for having no subclasses, but the features they do get while leveling allow for a multitude of choices. Like the Fili class they are spellcasters, gaining up to 9th level spells they can choose from the spell list of all other classes in Heroes of Tara, but much like the Faerie Rover they are limited to what spells they know by level. They choose what ability is their spellcasting ability modifier, and can even be a physical one. Their low-level class features make them an Otherworldly Being with the Faerie subtype instead of Humanoid; choose whether they are Seelie Fey or Unseelie Fey, which determines what spells they get as bonus spells (Seelie get buffs, enchantment, and "light/holy" spells, Unseelie get debuffs and trickery style spells); can recover a limited number of expended spell slots while taking a Short Rest when accepting hospitality from a host; and can choose at the end of every Short or Long Rest for a creature/location/object to be the subject of their fascination, which grants a +1 bonus on d20 checks in relation to pursuing said fascination, with a cumulative +1 at the end of every Long Rest in exchange for an equal penalty to other checks not involving said fascination. Their higher-level features include spending 6 Hit Dice to bestow a Curse (new game mechanic of persistent negative supernatural effects) upon a target, although this significantly drains the fey in that they take necrotic damage every time they cast a spell and this status requires natural rest to recover from; resistance against nonmagical physical damage from sources that aren't cold iron; learning their own True Name, which grants immunity to all mind-altering magical effects, but those who learn the Fey's true name gain a host of buffs and advantages against the fey; and their 20th-level capstone involves finding and outwitting the Sorcerer Hare, an animal of the Otherworld. This capstone grants a host of permanent buffs, such as the fey being completely undetectable by those they wish to avoid, can move through various natural materials at will, can remotely become aware of creatures who speak their name, and immunity to nonmagical physical damage that isn't from a cold iron source.

The customizable features of the Daoine Sidhe class are Tricks, which they learn at 1st, 3rd, and every 3 levels after as well as at 20th. Tricks are level-gated, and we have 10 1st-level Tricks, 9 6th-level Tricks, and 7 12th-level Tricks. Tricks vary greatly in use, but are almost always explicitly supernatural and heavily tend towards broad utility over direct damage and combat. Some of the more notable Tricks include Animate Objects (1st-level, can animate a number of mundane objects between the size of a comb and cauldron equal to Proficiency Bonus to do various tasks within their intended function and even fight on your behalf), Mortal Disguise (1st-level, can shapeshift into a Medium-size human), Subtle Suggestion (1st-level, character who recovers from fey's mind-affecting magic must make a Wisdom save to realize they were under the influence of magic), Faerie Blows/Darts (6th-level, can impose blind, deaf, poison, or stun conditions on an enemy who fails a Wisdom save with a weapon attack Proficiency Bonus/Short Rest), Good Neighbor (6th-level, once per Long Rest bless a human household or hall, granting lawful residents and guests inside advantage on ability checks and saves, a curse grants disadvantage instead), Sneak-Thief (6th-level, can use Sleight of Hand up to 30 feet away, items that are pickpocketed magically teleport into fey's possession, once per Short Rest can phase through a locked non-magical door or gate), Spell Juggler (6th-level, can hold Concentration on additional amount of spells equal to half spellcasting ability modifier, rounded down), Join the Wild Hunt (12th-level, any creature of the Beast type you climb upon becomes a willing mount and gains a fly speed), Rule of Three (12th-level, 3 times per Long Rest but no more than once per turn can repeat an action two more times immediately afterwards, movement speed is tripled and spells require additional spell slots to cast) and Truesight (12th-level, visual senses gain Truesight).

Thoughts: The Daoine Sidhe may not be able to hold up as well in a straight-up fight as a Fennid or Warrior of the Red Branch, nor is it likely to have the swappable magical versatility and knowledge base of a Fili. But they make up for this with sheer customization in options. The class feels very appropriately fey in theme and mood while also not being overpowered or just plain better than their mortal counterparts. That being said, there are some abilities that may be quite exploitable, notably the stacking bonus for objects of fascination being able to more easily break bounded accuracy. Otherwise, I really like this class.

Thoughts So Far: Although few in number, the classes for Heroes of Tara are dripping in flavor and have a good amount of options for both straightforward combat and out of combat utility. The use of Irish names for certain features, their explicit ties to people and institutions in the setting, and the higher-level and capstone features being the result of passing significant off-screen trials makes PCs feel both in touch with the world and acknowledges their special place in it.

Join us next time as we cover names, Backgrounds, Geasa, Feats, and Skills!

 

[Weiley31]

This is sounding more and more like a buy.

Also, getting an option to play as Romans would surprisingly work wellish with The Adventurers Guide to The Bible 5E book.

 

[Libertad]

Rules for Player Characters: Backgrounds, Geasa, Feats, and Skills​

Covering everything else relevant to PCs that isn't equipment or spells, these chapters are devoted to the auxiliary aspects of character creation.

Heroes of Tara has its own Backgrounds, with 9 in total covering a variety of broad social classes. They follow the standard approach in the base 5th Edition rules, although they provide one bonus skill rather than 2, the personality traits aren't alignment-coded, and said traits are renamed with things like Misgivings instead of Flaws or Aspirations instead of Ideals. The Features are all pretty much social roleplay fluff rather than explicit mechanics. The exceptions are for Artisan's Apprentice, who can haggle to increase profits or reduce expenses when buying and selling, and Outlaw's Bastard, who is capable of recruiting an NPC outlaw as a follower of CR ¼ or less. Otherwise, most of the backgrounds follow realistic social classes such as the Descendant of Chieftains (born into a high caste, can read and write ogham signs if not ordinarily able), Rustic Commoner (one of their starting equipment is a common animal, but cows must be calves), or Servant of a Hall (laborer for a local chieftain and are close to the seat of power despite their low class status), Orphan in a Strange Land is a more "special" background in that it represents an auspicious beginning. In the case of a human PC, they came from the Roman Empire or other faraway land at a young age, while nonhuman characters might be faerie changelings born in the Otherworld and raised by humans.

Thoughts: The backgrounds suit the setting and cover a broad amount, although the fact that they grant 1 less skill than usual gnaws at me.

A Geas (plural Geasa) is a binding responsibility upon a person to perform or refrain from certain activities. What makes a geas different than an ordinary promise or oath is that it is enforced by cosmic laws, and those who violate it suffer a supernatural curse. A Geas is a magical effect, and thus it can be divined via Detect Magic and similar means. Ériu's communities rely upon the filidh to understand and instruct people on the particulars of the geasa.

In mechanical terms, a geas imposes a taboo or obligatory activity for a character to take, and as long as they abide by the geas they benefit from a Boon. Boons typically provide advantages on particular skills or saving throws vs certain effects, +1 to an ability score, or other minor benefits such as +5 movement speed or Darkvision 30 feet. If a character breaks the geas, the GM rolls a d20, and on a 5 or higher they suffer from a curse and lose the benefits of their Boon. This curse can be ended after a Long Rest and the character undertaking some action to rectify their error. We have a d20 table of sample geasa, although the book encourages the GM to come up with their own. Examples include bathing only in running water which grants advantage on Nature and Survival checks, being a vegetarian save for the meat of wild boars granting +1 Strength, and never sleeping indoors which grants advantage on saves against weather effects. To prevent exploitative min-maxing, a PC can begin play with only 1 geas, but it's possible to get more than 1 during the course of a campaign.

Thoughts: There is a common element I notice in a lot of fictional and historical fantasy settings inspired by pre-Christian and Early Medieval Western/Northern Europe. And that is the primacy of spoken promises as a means of moral worth. The Northlands Saga, Beowulf: Age of Heroes, Wolves of God come to mind, where to break one's oath is considered a reprehensible act no matter the context, and in some cases it is backed up by supernatural punishments. The Geas is reflective of this, but particular to Irish folklore. The fact that it shares the same name as a well-known D&D spell is helpful in that most players will immediately understand the general nature.

In terms of its use as a game mechanic I'm of two minds: despite the limitation in beginning play, the nature of the Geasa and Boons means that players are going to gravitate towards obligations and taboos that enhance their PC's best features and avoid the ones that don't, which can end up gamifying the concept. On the other hand, Wikipedia tells me that it's a common element in Irish folklore for conflicting geasa to cause a hero's doom, so in a way this is in line with it as a game mechanic.

Heroes of Tara has 38 new Feats, and much like the tribes, classes, and backgrounds, PCs must take these in place of the feats in the default 5e rules system. They can still opt for ability score increases in place of a feat at appropriate levels. Much like classes and subclasses, feats in Heroes of Tara represent the character attaining some renown for skill in a particular area, and every feat comes with a set of sample Honorific Titles. For example, the Bare-Knuckle Boxer feat, which increases the damage dice of unarmed and improvised weapons based on Proficiency Bonus, has titles such as Brazen Knuckles and Teeth-Taker. Or Gust-Breath, which grants +1 Constitution and lets you shove an adjacent target once every other round as a free action with a mighty puff or roar, has titles such as the Blusterous or the Long-Winded. A PC can have more than one honorific title at a time, although the book recommends against having more than 1 PC with the same title. This is because they are meant to be the result of their unique reputation and not pre-selected compliments.

Some of the more interesting feats include Crane Casting (empower your spells while balancing on one foot and closing one eye, decreases your movement and Perception in exchange for advantage/disadvantage on various magic-related checks such as Constitution saves for concentration), Dance of the Morrigan (+1 Dexterity, can treat longswords and spears as though they have the finesse property, can make a Performance check as a free action in combat so that any attack you're aware of that hits your AC but not your Performance result deals half damage), Faugh a Ballagh (+1 Strength, once per combat can Dash and perform a multi-target shove vs all in your way and ends early if you fail a shove attempt, 1/Short Rest can spend a bonus action to make a new saves vs a slowing or immobilizing effect), Herald of Bóruma (your consciousness went forward in time to 1014 AD to witness a future Irish High King battling vikings; every time combat begins involving humanoid enemies you roll 1d10, and on a 10 you enter a battle trance that provides various buffs such as advantage on all weapon/spell attacks and +2 AC), Keener (can emit a mournful melody which requires concentration to maintain that can abjure Otherworldly beings of the Phantom type who fail a save, and you and friendly creatures can ignore damage resistance and immunities of said Phantoms while keening), Plains Protector (+10 speed, any target you strike in melee cannot make opportunity attacks against you for the rest of your turn, you deal +1 bonus damage for every 10 feet you moved during your turn to a max of +4), Rock Hurler (can pick up and throw a boulder as an action, their size category determines the Athletics to pick them up as well as their base damage, can also catch boulders thrown at you and throw them back as a reaction), Shapeshifter (+1 Wisdom, can take the form of one CR ½ or lower Beast for an amount of hours equal to your level per Short Rest), Sharpened Shield Rim (can modify round shields in your possession to deal 1d10 slashing damage against enemies who miss you in melee, also can be treated as melee and throwing weapons dealing the same amount of damage), and Weapons Master (you trained so well with every kind of weapon that you can attune to enchanted weapons in 3 days instead of 7 and various weapons grant you unique benefits, such as shortswords you wield ignore damage resistances and immunities and great spears can attack an enemy that enters your reach as a reaction with advantage).

Thoughts: I love the idea of honorific titles for specific feats, and there's a good amount of feats of sufficient power in this book that players shouldn't feel too downcast of having to give up the Player's Handbook ones. That being said, the quantity of feats means that some are going to be more appealing than others. For example, Herald of Bóruma can only activate in combats involving humanoids 10% of the time; while Rock Hurler can be great for ranged damage builds, the fact that one needs to succeed on an Athletics check to throw the boulder on top of a regular attack roll gives it a higher chance for failure. Keener is very useful against what sounds like a common type of enemy in Irish folklore and basic D&D, but as no bestiary/setting guide beyond the Player's Guide has been released for this setting the feat's implementation is highly reliant on DM Fiat.

Heroes of Tara's new Skills get a deeper look here: Bardic Verse, Brehon Law, Druid Lore, and Chariot Driving. The skills in question don't provide tables or lists of sample DCs for their use, with rules for Chariot Driving in combat covered at the end of the Rules for Player Characters section proper. The three lore skills are most commonly used by the Fili class for spellcasting ability checks. Chariot Driving covers the use of chariots in combat and other stressful situations with consequences for failure, while the three lore skills involve recollecting details on related topics. Bardic Verses cover history and fiction in equal measure, recalling the names of significant events and figures of renown; it can also be used for social purposes similar to Perform, although Perform is used primarily for entertainment and showmanship while Bardic Verse relies on teaching and knowledge as a means of commanding respect. Brehon Law covers all manner of cultural customs and civic rules, as well as using said knowledge to plead one's case in disputes and enact more lenient/harsher judgments. Druid Lore covers all manner of magical and Otherworldly subject matter, creatures, and deities.

In order to cast a non-cantrip spell, the appropriate skill must be rolled, with a DC of 8 + spell level. A failed check results in no spell cast, although the spell slot isn't expended. A natural 1 on the roll forces the Fili to save against their own spell save DC or suffer a curse. The Faerie Rover subclass and Daoine Sidhe have magic come intuitively to them, so they don't need to roll in order to pull off spells. Although not detailed in the proper class entries, these "intuitive casters" cannot cast spells as ritual spells, but Filidh can. A lot of non-ritual spells have been given the ritual tag in Heroes of Tara, ranging from Fog Cloud and Create or Destroy Water at low levels to Mirage Arcane and Polymorph at higher levels.

Thoughts: The brief overview of common activities covered by the new skills is welcome, although I do wish that the more detailed rules such as using chariots in combat and spellcasting ability checks were covered here for ease of reference. The large expansion of non-ritual spells to rituals is helpful given that Short and Long Rests take much longer to complete. So Filidh PCs are going to be encouraged to ritual cast more often than usual to preserve spell slots.

Thoughts So Far: Of the subject matter covered here, my favorite are the new feats followed up by the Geasa. The Backgrounds are serviceable if a bit skill-starved, and the Skills are interesting flavorwise but could use some more word-meat.

Join us next time as we finish up the Player-centric section with an overview of economy and equipment, new magic spells, and rules for head-hunting, curses, and chariot driving!

 

[Libertad]

This is sounding more and more like a buy.

Also, getting an option to play as Romans would surprisingly work wellish with The Adventurers Guide to The Bible 5E book.

Well, it is set around the same general time period, so there could be some crossover elements. That being said, I think that Beowulf: Age of Heroes has a more compatible cosmology to combine with Adventurer's Guide to the Bible. Beowulf's setting uses a mixture of pagan and Christian folklore without making an ultimate judgment on which one is "right."

 

[Libertad]

Chapter 2, Rules for Player Characters: Economy and Barter System​

Given that the setting of Heroes of Tara is very explicitly pre-medieval and is relatively isolated from international trade networks, a rework of money and equipment was necessary for increased historical authenticity. As mentioned earlier on in this Let's Read, Ériu primarily functions on a barter economy, with three units of value known as unga, set, and cumal. The set is based upon half a cow, and livestock is one of the easiest means of tracking a person or community's wealth. The book talks about how trade should be an abstracted process rather than in-depth bean-counting unless the group is really into that. Heroes can and will gain riches in other ways, such as the support of a grateful community or patron; receiving gifts from their reputation, obtaining priceless treasures that are of little use to common folk but which nobles, foreign merchants, and other people of means would gladly purchase; and more portable pieces of wealth such as delicate hand-crafted goods, from jewelry, brooches, and clothes colored in rare dyes.

Heroes of Tara provides a rather comprehensive list of items, ranging from livestock and pets to apparel and jewelry; common household objects such as farming implements, oil lamps, and candles of various types such as tallow and beeswax and which have different illumination radii and burning durations; musical instruments ranging from the more well-known flutes and harps to the more unique carnyxes (war horn carved in the shape of and makes sounds like a screaming boar) and bullroarer (carved wooden block tied to a rope which can make a wailing sound when swung in the air); and examples of valuable treasures such as Mediterranean spices, a bag whose leather is made from the skin of a crane which is known to be an inherently magical species of bird, and woven tapestries that can portray all manner of beautiful scenes. Some of these items aren't just for flavor: the crane-skin bag functions much like a Bag of Holding, a bullroarer can be used to charm Otherworldly beings with the Nature Spirit or Phantom subtypes, and even meager tools such as fishing nets grant +2 on ability checks to catch waterborne creatures and retrieving objects from the water. But my favorite "item," which is technically a pet, is a portable beehive which can be thrown as an improvised weapon that deals 1d4 piercing damage to those who end up in the swarm of enraged bees which disperse after 5 rounds.

Tools of War and Vehicles are items that have more immediate value to the typical adventuring types. The latter category includes a variety of mundane and magical gear, such as a pot of woad paint designed to attract the attention of the gods and can be used to give a character the equivalent of a PHB Barbarian's Unarmored Defense. Iron and bronze helmets can be used to negate 1-2 critical hits from a melee weapon attack (bronze can more easily bend before breaking and is more valuable for this) before breaking, but are quite expensive at 2 and 6 cumal each. Regarding vehicles, we have 4 land vehicles and 2 waterborne ones. The landbound vehicles include a wagon, chariot, scythed chariot, and royal chariot, the latter 3 of which are effectively more powerful forms of the preceding one with better AC and Hit Points, and the latter 2 have wheel scythes that function as multi-target attacks against any creature the chariot passes. The seabound vehicles include a rowboat and sailboat. Ériu's ships are smaller and less suited for long-term voyages than Mediterranean vessels, and are thus optimized for no more than a day or two of seafaring travel before returning to shore.

Armor and Weapons lists new and modified forms of tools of war on Ériu, along with discussion of common methods of fighting. Most people on the island fight without armor, although almost anyone expecting violence has a shield on their person. People of all social classes are expected to obtain their own gear rather than having it be bequeathed by a quartermaster or larger military unit, and soldiers identify each other by painting their faces and shields with particular colors and symbols of their clans. While Ériu's blacksmiths can and do make heavier armor such as chainmail and bronze chestplates, the majority of people who do go for armored protection make use of thick tunics, leather cuirasses, and other non-metallic options. In regards to weapons, the common types are spears, clubs, daggers, and axes, for they also serve as cheap, useful tools for rural labor and hunting. Swords are made first and foremost for battle, and bearing one is a status symbol given the large amount of bronze or iron required for forging them. In regards to ranged weapons, javelins and slings are the most common. While bows are known, they are not commonly used for warfare, save among the fey who have made such weapons into an iconic symbol of their peoples.

If you look at these tables, you'll notice a few things. The first is that what was medium armor in core 5e (chainmail and breast/chestplate) are now more powerful heavy armors in Heroes of Tara. Additionally, there are different types of shields, with the ones granting more protection imposing successive penalties to mobility. The heaviest armors are notable in imposing penalties on Acrobatics as well as Stealth checks. This is a new addition to Heroes of Tara, which isn't something I entirely agree with.

As for the weapons, what stands out to me is that there are no martial ranged weapons, and instead of differences between longbows and shortbows we have an all-encompassing bow that is a less-powerful shortbow. Spears and staves now have reach, sickles are finessable and now cause a struck target to take 1d4 slashing damage the next turn from bleeding, javelins have a slightly longer short range (40 instead of 30), daggers are good for crit-fishing builds, we get a lot less polearms in favor of a Great Spear, maces are martial but pack more of a punch, and shortswords and longswords grant +1 to Persuasion checks for their social status. Whips have a new special quality where they can be used to grapple creatures within 10 feet and also grant +2 to Chariot Driving ability checks, making them a more viable choice for non-reach builds. The hurling ball is basically a thrown weapon that must be propelled by a hurley stick, and a targe spike is affixed to the end of a targe shield that lets one make offhand attacks without negating their shield bonus to AC.

Weapons on Ériu are made out of four common types of materials: bronze, iron, cold-iron, and flint. Iron is considered the baseline standard, and flint is a lower-quality material most often used by nomads and poor folk who don't have easy access to smithies. Fey use weapons made out of flint, and so Daoine Sidhe PCs have flint instead of iron weapons at character creation. Flint weapons function as iron but break on a natural 1, but can be made for free when foraging in the wilderness via Nature and Survival checks. Only certain types of weapons* can be made of flint, so those hoping to mass-produce flint longswords for that sweet, sweet +1 Persuasion are out of luck.

*Specifically daggers, hand axes, javelins, spears, and arrowheads.

Bronze weapons are valued more than iron because they look prettier, are more resistant to rust, less likely to break, and easier to work with in blacksmithing. Bronze gear is more expensive, being three times the cost of normal iron gear. Weapons made of bronze increase their damage die by one step to a maximum of d12, and wooden weapons such as clubs can be bronzed by crafting bands of the metal around its head. They also aren't offensive or deadly for fey to wield,* so bronze is also useful for Daoine Sidhe and similar beings. Cold-iron is iron that is heated as little as possible, for the ore's impurities contain magic that is burned out during the smithing process. Cold-iron weapons thus are more deadly against Otherworldly Beings, treated as a magic weapon and imposing the Poisoned condition on a critical hit against them. However, cold-iron weapons are more brittle and thus their damage die is decreased by one step to a minimum of 1d4. They cost 1.5 times as much as normal iron gear.

*Normal iron smells noxious to fey rather than being innately deadly. Also it's easy to miss as it's only mentioned once in the Daoine Sidhe class, but their 11th-level class feature mentions that bronze is equally nauseating to them as iron, which I find odd.

Rust and wear on weapons and armor is interpreted by people as gear having spirits who grow resentful from neglect. A warrior taking care of their gear is viewed as giving their tools the proper respect that they deserve, while degradation is viewed as a weapon/armor spirit mutinying against its wielder.

Thoughts: The new items are quite comprehensive, and the author shows off their work in talking about the intricate specifics of goods, from their common uses to who in Iron Age Ireland was most likely to own and obtain them. I also like how they reworked weapons and armor to reflect a pre-medieval technology level, as all too often a lot of campaign settings don't do this and you end up with Fantasy Counterpart Romans and other pre-medieval inspired realms using crossbows and full plate. As for the new and reworked armor and weapon types, the lack of a 1d8 finesse weapon such as a rapier is a nerf to Dexterity-based melee fighters, and it's a bit harder to make long-ranged fighters due to the only bow being a worse form of the shortbow. Given the expensive nature of swords, a Fennid or Warrior of the Red Branch can pick such a weapon as their starting martial weapon (they're the only classes who can pick a martial weapon for their starting gear) and sell it to get a good amount of money. Although this isn't that gamebreaking, as a lot of the stuff you can buy with that money aren't overpowered or character-defining stuff. At best they can trade in a longsword (6 cumal) for a warhorse or bronze helmet (also both 6 cumal). Heavy armor and the better vehicles such as chariots are still right out.

Magic talks about the alterations to the basic 5e casting rules, which I discussed in the last post concerning spellcasting ability checks for 3 of the new lore-based skills and the expansion of existing spells as ritual spells. This chapter provides spell lists for the classes, as well as four new spells. The new spells are all quite high level, with the lowest-level one being a 6th level Faerie Rover spell and the other 3 being 9th-level spells for each of the Fili subclasses. This basically makes them all end-game options. They are House of the Quicken Trees (Faerie Rover, creates an illusory house as a trap, the floor turning to hot and sticky tar as an immobilizing damage-dealing AoE), the Stray/The Come Hither (bard, a curse-like spell that either causes an afflicted creature to wander aimlessly across the land, effectively immortal but also loses all sense of direction and time, can alternatively be used to go to a designated space and never leave the spot), the Dolorous Stroke (Brehon, cast on a melee weapon that can severable maim a struck target, taking the form of 4 permanent levels of Exhaustion that cannot be magically cured, and any land the target creature owns starts to rot and suffers various other misfortunes), and Well-Burst (druid, call upon water from deep within the earth to form the origin point of a new lake or river, is a damaging AoE and can continue traveling for up to 1 hour of casting time, if maintained for the full hour becomes a new permanent water source). Amusingly, the Faerie Rover illusory house spell can be cast as a ritual spell, although the Faerie Rover subclass cannot perform ritual casting. I suppose this is for when the GM imports it to basic 5e or ends up cast by another class some other way.

Thoughts: I'm not exactly a fan of skill-based spellcasting, as it's cumbersome in adding yet more die rolls to the game. Now not only do players and GMs need to roll spell attacks and saving throws to resist, they need to roll skill checks to see if the spells take effect at all. And causing a Curse to occur on a natural 1 has all the downsides of critical fumbles, as such house rules impact the PCs far more than NPCs and monsters. While this may appear to give the Faerie Rover and Daoine Sidhe a distinct advantage, the expansion of many more spells as ritual spells for the Fili class can still make the class a tempting offer. Goodberry, Invisibility, Speak With Dead, Polymorph, and many more PHB spells now being ritual spells really expands the Fili's capabilities.

One thing I do find particularly interesting as an addition is the Dolorous Stroke. I know of that from Arthurian legend, and the tale involves a trip to Ireland. But I don't know if that form of curse has also appeared in Irish folklore in and of itself. Wikipedia mentions that it popped up in various Celtic tales, but no examples are given.

Curses are a deadly form of magic that operates by cosmic law. They differ from other forms of spells in that they are not simply cast like a common cantrip, and curses can come about without there being a caster at all. In the latter case it's usually coming from taboo actions, such as breaking the laws of hospitality or violating a geas. A PC who is a Fili or Daoine Sidhe can inflict curses as part of particular class features, while NPCs and monsters have this ability via GM Fiat. Bestow Curse is not a spell on any of the PC class' spell lists, so this helps preserve it as a unique mechanic.

While curses can be arbitrary, they generally operate on the vague idea of moral retribution. This means that animals and creatures of similar intellect cannot be cursed, for only those self-aware and capable of being held accountable for their actions can be cursed. Formorians are also immune to curses due to their unique sorceries, so in the setting curses most often befall humanoids and faeries. The Remove Curse spell is raised to 6th level in order to preserve curses as a dire penalty and not easily removed by lower-level parties. Additionally, the spell does not lift a curse in and of itself; certain actions must be taken before or during the casting, usually by the cursed party making amends for whatever they did to trigger the curse.

Curses are otherwise permanent in duration and should have unique mechanical effects, ideally with some sense of poetic justice. Another necessary element involves a trial or action of sufficient risk and sacrifice for its removal with the aforementioned spell. To get the creative juices flowing Heroes of Tara helps the reader get a better sense of appropriate designs via 20 sample curses. For example, the Curse of Destitution causes a character to mysteriously lose 1d6 set worth of wealth every time they go to sleep, and even carried goods vanish into thin air. Such a curse can be removed by the cursed gathering an amount of goods equal to 1/4th of the total wealth lost to be ceremonially sacrificed.

As another example, the Curse of Foul Weather causes a storm cloud to constantly follow the character, unleashing strong winds and rain upon them as a 500 foot radius. This causes the cursed target to be unable to take Short Rests while outdoors ,and instead suffers 1 level of Exhaustion if they do sleep in such circumstances. The curse is lifted by the target spending 24 hours outdoors in the storm as an act of physical and mental defiance. This is represented as a series of Constitution saves, where failure causes them to retreat and must start the trial anew.

Thoughts: I like the idea for curses, and the 20 we get all have detailed mechanics that make them more interesting than simple "you take damage/disadvantage on d20 checks" that would be the easy way out by simply replicating the Bestow Curse spell. Providing unique means of lifting said curses, along with highlighting the situational yet not unreasonably-uncommon means of triggering them, reinforces the themes of Irish folklore and gives knowledgeable PCs enough foresight to know what actions can trigger them.

Armor and Weapon Enchantments are basically the magic items of Heroes of Tara. While presumably a GM can import existing 5e magic items into the campaign, this chapter provides a more broad-ended "choose your own magic item mechanics" given that PCs are capable of gaining and choosing enchanted items, most notably via the Daoine Sidhe's and Fili's 13th level features, the Blessed Champion subclass' 3rd-level feature, and the Master Artisan feat allowing one to enchant newly-created items by using 10 cumals' worth of special materials. Enchanted items require a Long Rest to attune to, so 7 days' worth in the ruleset rather than the much-faster 1 hour in standard 5th Edition. Additionally, the attunement process can last past the creature's death, when their re-embodied form in the Otherworld has a spectral copy of the item. But the attunement can end if someone steals the item from their grave.

There are 23 possible enchantments: 12 for armor and apparel and 11 for weapons. They are not grouped by item rarity or relative power, and tend to be on the lower end of the power scale when compared to regular 5e magic items. Some of the more notable armor/apparel enchantments include Ability Score Increase (+2 to a single score, can exceed 20), Invisibility (cloaks and helmets only, can cast Invisibility once per Short Rest), Return (shields only, can use a Bonus Action to use a command word to cause the shield to fly back to the attuned's grasp), Water-walking (shoes only, lets the character move normally other water, mud, and snow), and Wound-closing (armor, shields, and sword-scabbards only, during combat heal 1d4 Hit Points at the beginning of their turn, heal double the normal amount during a Short Rest, does not heal if they're at 0 Hit Points). The more notable ones for weapons include Deadly Barbs (piercing weapons, critical hits cause barbs to break off in target, incapacitating and immobilizing them until the end of their next turn on a failed Constitution save, and halve their movement even after recovering until they save again), Foe-seeker (thrown weapon, can target 1d6 additional targets if the thrower succeeds on a Dexterity check, making a new attack roll for every additional creature), Mountain-cleaver (melee weapons, can strike the ground to cause a cone-shaped AoE quake that damages and can knock prone targets), Scalding Poison (applies the Poisoned condition on damaged targets until the end of their next turn, can also be used to voluntarily apply the Poisoned condition on a willing target to curse them of nonmagical diseases and various other conditions), and Truth-teller (whoever is touched by the weapon cannot tell a lie on a failed Wisdom save and are compelled to answer the attuned's questions, the attuned wielder gains +5 to all Intimidation and Persuasion checks in general and not just for questioning).

Thoughts: While still rare and expensive enough to not be easily attainable, the fact that Enchanted items can be crafted by PCs necessitates some level of balance so they don't end up picking overpowered stuff. So this may be why such benefits are towards the lower end of the power spectrum. But even with that being said, some enchantments look more broadly appealing than others. The Ability Score Increase is probably going to be the most popular one for PCs to create, while Invisibility and Wound-closing are more appealing over situational stuff such as Return and Water-walking. For weapons, Foe-seeker and Mountain-cleaver make for good means of multi-target attacks for martial characters, while the Scalding Poison enchantment has no limit to its use. This means that a character with such a weapon can easily take care of plagues and a wide variety of nonmagical negative effects. Truth-teller, combined with the +1 Persuasion from swords and other skill-enhancing exploits, can easily break Bounded Accuracy for diplomancer builds.

Head Hunting is a new sub-system based on the cultural practice of beheading enemy warriors. The cultures of Ériu view this as a way of honoring their adversaries by preserving their likeness in the form of decorative skulls. This also leaves a trace amount of the slain person's soul within the head. This soul fragment can be harnessed to bestow special powers on the person who claimed the head. Only the heads of sapient creatures with corporeal forms can be claimed, and the head's powers only work for the person who either personally slain them or participated in direct combat against them. Additionally, the claimed head should be significant in some way, representing higher stakes than slaying a nameless mook or routine violence. Thus, a warrior combing the battlefield to chop heads off of as many corpses as they can is viewed as disrespectful. Not only does it not work for the magical enchantment process, but it turns what is a personal and honorable means of ensuring an enemy's legacy living on into another form of tomb-robbing.

In mechanical terms, a PC can claim the head of one chosen foe at the end of combat against a humanoid or faerie foe, although the text contradicts itself in saying that other creature types also work. Typically they should choose heads against foes they spent the most effort in killing, such as dealing the most damage, dealing the killing blow, or otherwise having gone above and beyond other PCs in bringing about their demise. A claimed head must then undergo a ceremonial process involving a Druid in order to both preserve it with pine oil (it will still degrade, but much slower) and to unlock its magical power known as a totemic property. A totemic property is derived from 2 d20 tables, with one table being for foes CR 5 and below and the other table being for ones CR 6 and above. Totemic properties either provide a continuous passive benefit, have an explicit amount of uses per Short/Long Rest, or have the Recuperation tag. In this last example, this indicates that the property can be used a limited number of times equal to the head-hunter's Proficiency Bonus. Once these uses are spent, the head must be given a new preservative coating of pine oil and left to recharge in a trophy hall for 14 days. It can be recharged faster if displayed on a chariot for at least 5 combat encounters. Heads require attunement in order to function, but a Medium size character can only be attuned to 2 heads at a time, with Small characters only 1 at a time.

With 40 possible properties, we have quite the number of powers. Some of the more notable CR 5 or less totemic properties include Athlete (attuned gets advantage on Athletics, +10 feet to standing and long jump distance), Fog Breath (Recuperation, can cast Fog Cloud cast at 7th level centered on the attuned character), Helpful Servant (head coughs up a tiny harmless animal that can understand the attuned character's languages and is helpful to them for a number of hours equal to PB before disappearing, can be used only once per Short Rest), Inquisitive (head provides advantage on Investigation, has darkvision 60 feet and passive Perception of 15, and can speak to alert the attuned character of things they miss), Mask (attuned has advantage on Deception checks, can swap faces with the head which appears fresh even if the trophy is desiccated), and Venomous Bite (Recuperation, head can bite enemies as a melee or thrown weapon attack, dealing damage and causing the Poisoned condition, latches onto bitten target and continues dealing damage every round until forcefully dislodged).

The more notable CR 6+ totemic properties include Fae Names (Recuperation, head learned the true names of many fey in the Otherworld, 25% of knowing a faerie's name; if knows the name, can be used to cast Command on them, but the true name sounds incomprehensible to listeners so attuned and other characters won't learn it), Fire/Frost/Gale Breath (3 different properties, all Recuperation; AoE breath attacks that deal fire damage, frost damage, or forced movement with possible bludgeoning damage respectively), Grow to Large Size/Shrink to Tiny Size (2 different properties, all Recuperation; beyond changes in physical dimensions a Large creature gets various size-related buffs but the Tiny creature still has unaltered damage/carrying capacity/etc), Hallowed Head (head must have belonged to a renowned character notable for being favored by the gods; causes surrounding land it's buried in to be holy and forms a supernatural barrier against Phantom spirits, attacks against the attuned and their allies have disadvantage), Kingly Head (head must have belonged to someone kingly or queenly in character; can be activated as an action 1/Long Rest to emit a word of command as an AoE, forcing targets who fail a Charisma save to fall to their knees and bow down, basically being a more powerful version of the prone condition as they also cannot make any actions until the end of their next turn) Medium to the Otherworld (Recuperation, attuned makes telepathic contact with a creature either in the Otherworld or mortal world, whichever the attuned is not in; contacted entity speaks through the head), Mighty Foe (Recuperation, head is tossed into the air as a body with equipment forms under the head and uses Renowned Warrior stats; the head can only attack a specific character the attuned points out as part of activation), and Ward Against Curses (Recuperation, attuned can spend reaction to hold the head up and automatically negate a curse targeting them)

Thoughts: As far as ancient Celtic/Irish cultural practices go, headhunting is not something I previously knew about them engaging in, so for me this is an interesting find thanks to the book. While claimed heads are effectively another form of magical item, their procurement, preparation, and recharging are sufficiently different in mechanics along with in-universe detail to make them stand out. The book does note that certain gaming groups might find the practice distasteful, so the author suggests that GMs of such groups take the totemic properties and apply them to more standard magic items, particularly Enchantments.

Chariot Driving is the final chapter of the Rules for Player Characters section, which can be summed up as a more involved form of vehicular combat as applied to these iconic engines of war. The crafting and maintenance of chariots are such that only the wealthy and well-connected can afford them. Even a normal chariot costs 20 cumal, and the royal chariot a king's ransom at 60 cumal!

Chariots are Huge-sized vehicles that can hold up to 2 Medium-size passengers and require two horses to pull. The horses are considered to be part of a chariot's game statistics rather than distinct, separate creatures. This means that the vehicle has mental ability scores and can be affected by mind-affecting effects, as such abilities target the horses. Chariots also restore hit points during a Short Rest, representing a combination of repairs to the vehicle and natural healing for the horses. A chariot reduced to 0 hit points has a 50% chance of either causing the vehicle itself to be destroyed or causing the horse to fall unconscious. Even if saved from death, the horse is sufficiently wounded that the chariot can only move at half speed. A destroyed chariot can be "revived" via repairs, with work done in the field being free but this requires a Chariot Driving check and imposes heavy debuffs on the vehicle. Full repairs must be part of a Long Rest and cost money.

A chariot driver and passenger are still counted as distinct creatures, however. A driver needs at least one hand free to control the chariot, but if they use both hands they gain advantage on all Chariot Driving checks. Driving the chariot is an Action all its own, and the driver can use their Bonus Action and Reaction for other activities. By default, a driver can spend a Bonus Action to perform a melee attack against an adjacent target or perform a single-target trample against a Medium or smaller creature. A Reaction can be spent to perform a Warding Maneuver, adding 1d8 to the chariot's Armor Class against an attack. Such special actions can only be performed a number of times equal to the driver's Constitution modifier/Short Rest.

Chariots are less maneuverable than on foot, so their facing direction needs to be kept track of during play and they can turn up to 90 degrees as part of their movement. A full 90 degree turn requires a DC 10 Chariot Driving check to avoid overturning. Other characters can attempt to disembark or board a moving chariot via a DC 12 Acrobatics or Athletics check, with a failure causing them to lose the rest of their movement on top of not getting where they want. A natural 1 causes them to fall in front of the chariot, where they are run over for 4d6+4 bludgeoning damage and risk overturning the chariot. A chariot that is overturned stops moving, takes 6d6 damage, and throws passengers in random directions which deals 4d6 damage to them. Overturned chariots can be set back to normal via a DC 14 Strength check performed as an action.

Lastly, chariots can be used to store and display heads as per the prior section's Head-Hunting rules. The Chariot Feat skill is the only feat in Heroes of Tara that applies specifically to chariot rules: it grants +10 movement speed to chariots the feat-taker is driving, advantage on Acrobatics, Athletics, and Chariot Driving checks when riding a chariot, and they can add the Strength bonus of their horses to the damage of melee and thrown weapon attacks or the special leap attack of the Chariot Chieftain subclass. This last part is a bit oddly worded; I presume that it means it applies the Strength of the horse's stat block, which would be +4 for a warhorse. But by using horses as plural, it sounds like it would add the cumulative Strength of both creatures. The book could afford to be clearer in this regard.

Thoughts: Vehicular combat doesn't see that much use in 5th Edition games, and I fear that adding a feat and subclass won't be enough to make it more appealing to groups who would find new sub-systems intimidating. The Chariot Driving rules look simple and straightforward, though, and combined with the Chariot Chieftain subclass it looks like it can make for a fun mobility-based martial build that has good multi-target effects and makes efficient use of the action/bonus action/reaction action economy.

Thoughts So Far: Barring some individual balance issues, I really like the redone weapons and armor, and Curses and Head-Hunting are interesting additions that make Heroes of Tara feel even more distinct from standard fantasy elements. I am rather meh on the Magic section, and the Chariot Driving looks simple enough and also a potentially fun element for martial characters.

Join us next time as we check out various non-combat minigames in Special Social Encounters!