itch.io

Refreshed now!

Pulp Arcana is a game about slaying monsters, besieging castles, slinging spells, and realizing your favorite fantasy adventures. You have the tools to build the hero of your dreams and engage in tactical, kinetic action without sacrificing aesthetics or storytelling.

This is 5e-compatible action fantasy that harmonizes rewarding combat mechanics with contemporary narrative.

You can get this book and starter adventure for pay what you will for the next two weeks!

https://smgilman.itch.io/pulp-arcana-core

We believe that multifaceted game mechanics should not come at the cost of flavor, style, or story. Our rules aren’t crunchy; they’re pulpy. Pulp Arcana’s mechanics are carefully designed to give substance and meaning to character choices, not distract from them. If the mechanically best characters don't resemble classic figures like Conan, Gandalf, or Thor, we've gotten too far from the fiction. Playing tactically should make you feel like you’re the hero in a movie, not just like you’re good at the game.

The base game includes revamps and replacements for the 5e core classes, and three Pulp Arcana original classes:

• Sling equipment from your utility belt with the Arsenal, 
• Pick up lore and tricks from tavern-crawls and wanderings with the Bard,
• Unleash bloofy and feral violence with the Berserker,
• Cure and needy and smite the unholy with the Cleric,
• Protect and control the natural world with the Druid,
• Make enemies tremble at your mutant form with the Hybrid,
• Study dark entities from beyond the pale with the Occultist,
• Stand stalwart as the bastion of your cause with the Paladin,
• Roam, protect, and cull the outlands with the Ranger,
• Subvert, exploit, and sneak around the battlefield with the Rogue,
• Struggle to control a dreadful power inside you with the Sorcerer, 
• Weave magic and martial combat with the Spellsword,
• Bring speed, tactics, and applied combat leverage to bear with the Warrior,
• And become a walking omnibus of versatile magic with the Wizard.

An act-based spellcasting system simplifies spells into their core functions. Pulp Arcana has 41 thematic spells that evolve as you gain levels, with 9 levels of different effects. Your fire mage no longer needs to learn Fireball, Firebolt, Burning Hands, and then multiclass to be a master of the flames; in Pulp Arcana, you only need the Burn spell. Furthermore, your choice of Mage Discipline from options like Ice Mage, Necromancer, Oracle, and Shadow Mage determines your at-will abilities so that you’re fulfilling your character fantasy on every turn.

The Special Attack system grants martial characters a set of custom Attack actions. There are 22 basic options and more from your class. Guard your allies, gouge out your enemy’s eyes, and stagger a foe with a blunt knock to the head with a system more fluid than martial maneuvers.

Additionally, Pulp Arcana has an intuitive crafting system, death's door style mortality rules, and a narrative-friendly rest system.

Pulp Arcana allows for an enormous breadth of character expression. The base game includes 14 classes, 56 subclasses, 39 spells with 9 levels of effect, and 60+ craftable items. You have the pieces to build the fantasy-sci-fi-horror-action-hero of your dreams.

What’s more, we have many new classes coming out in supplemental books later on. If you can't build a fantasy version of your favorite superhero in Pulp Arcana, then the game isn't done yet.