Savage Kingdoms RPG

05/07/2026

Sharing a random SK 4E blood talent today. Enjoy!

GOBLIN-BLOODED (Blood)

Talent Point Cost: 5

Prerequisites: Must be human and can have no other blood talent

You have the oft-tainted trace of goblin blood in your veins, that ancient race of dark fey humanoids infamous for its long-running foils against humankind and Sidhe-folk in particular. Note that goblins are sometimes referred to as Goblings, particularly in the North. There are two primary types of goblinoids, one of which you must select for your partial ancestry:

-GOBLING: You gain a +1 boost to your Agility attribute but must suffer a -1 penalty to your Magnetism or Willpower (your choice), these modifications expanding your starting minimums and maximums by the same amount. In addition, you gain either the ‘Smell’ specialty of the Perception skill or the ‘Forests’ specialty of the Stealth skill (again, your choice).

-ORUK: Also known as Hobgoblins, you receive a +1 boost to your Vigor attribute and a -1 penalty to your Intellect or Magnetism (your choice). Additionally, you gain either the ‘Intimidation’ specialty of the Persuasion skill or the ‘Polearms’ specialty of the Melee Weaponry skill (your choice).

Lastly, regardless of precise bloodline, you gain Goblin-tongue as a starting language.

05/05/2026

New video about the Talents system in SK 4E, one of the primary building-blocks of any character. Enjoy, and please Like and Subscribe!

Herein we discuss one of the primary building-blocks of a Savage Kingdoms character, Talents, which support the game system every bit as much as Skills, Attr...

04/26/2026

THE WESTERN PANTHEON-
These are the divinities of the far west of Astagonia (the Western Continent), the gods and goddess of the lands of Brythia, Caerndon, Cymredd, and the Emerald Islands.

BRAN FINNON
A deity of the Old Gods, the ancient gods of the West, and therefore served by members of the Druidic Order. Thus, he is predominately worshipped in Caernia, Cymredd, and the Emerald Islands (and to a lesser degree in Brythia), particularly by bards and skalds and lovers of music, travel, and the arts. Bran Finnon’s primary symbol is a blue-green horseshoe and his priests, who are mostly male, are members of the Druidic Order. The sacred colors of his sect are blue, green, and silver.

BRIANNON
Another member of the Gaernic pantheon, the Old Gods of the West, served by Druids and worshipped primarily worshipped in Brythia, Caernia, Cymredd, and the Emerald Islands as a goddess associated with childbirth, motherhood, dawn, and the Greater Moon. Her holy symbols is a triple-knot and her sacred colors are emerald-green, red, and white. Though members of the Druidic Order are her priests, it is usually females that pray to her most.

CORMAC
Another deity associated with the Old Gods of the West, Cormac is associated with strength, masculinity, and hunting (and to a lesser degree warfare). He is most popular in Caerndon (Caernia), but also admired in Cymredd and the tribal-kingdoms of the Emerald Islands. Members of the Druidic Order are his priests and his sacred symbol is a red boar, primarily, though secondarily a red pair of antlers suffices. His holy colors are red and brown.

GAELRITH
A goddess said to influence the sea, fate, and death, one of the primary deities of the Old Gods of the West and therefore served by those in the Druidic Order. Sailors often offer sacrifices to Gaelrith before or during a voyage, be it coinage or gems or, in some cases, living creatures. Her holy symbol is said to be a maelstrom, a spiraling whirlpool, usually in her sacred colors of dark green or dark grey. She is popularized most by the Gaerns of the Emerald Islands, but is also highly worshipped – usually out of appeasement – by the Brythians and even the Cymreddi (of whom fear her most).

LYWELLA RAVENDARK
One of several major deities of the Old Gods of the West, Lywella Ravendark, is recognized as a goddess of night, shadows, and black magic by the Brythians, Caernians, Gaerns, and especially, the Cymreddi, who seemingly hold Lywella even higher than Briannon and Cormac. Her symbol is a raven silhouetted against a crescent moon and her sacred colors are black and yellow-gold. Lywella’s priests are Druids, although the mysterious Circle of the Raven serves very nearly such a function.

04/22/2026

Brand-new video about the Savage Kingdoms 4E Skill system. Like, Subscribe, and enjoy!

The Savage Kingdoms 4E Skill System

04/21/2026

Brand-new weakness, pretty much the opposite of the last one we posted!

PACIFIST

Bonus Points Gained: 2
Prerequisites: Cannot have the Vengeful weakness

A difficult demeanor to maintain in a world filled with swords and sorcery, pacifism does exist within certain Central Prydonian philosophies as well as some of the tenets and beliefs in Tai-Kinaran or Tajaharin culture or perhaps even in the far-flung land of Ar. In the northwestern reaches of the known world, the relatively new teachings of Saint Paladyr in Aradorn uphold some degree of pacifism, at least among the priesthood.

A character possessing this weakness, regardless of origins, means that whenever attempting to engage in a violent activity a DR 15 Resolve roll must first be succeeded. If this is failed on three separate occasions over a character’s career, then the character loses this weakness and the 2 talents points gained for it at the next Advancement.

04/14/2026

Brand-new Weakness option for SK 4E!

VENGEFUL

Bonus Points Gained: 2

Prerequisites: None.

A form of obsession, but specific enough (and common enough in sword-and-sorcery fiction) to qualify as its own type of weakness. Characters with the Vengeful weakness are dedicated, at least to some extent, in hunting down and slaying (or capturing) a powerful foe who wrong them some time ago. This foe can be a potent individual or a small group of less skill and power. At the end of every week of in-game time, the Vengeful character must succeed in a DR 15 Resolve roll or be compelled to seek after this nemesis.

04/12/2026

We did a video about this a month or two ago, but since not a lot of folks follow the YouTube Channel, here are 13 Things That SK 4E Is Different From (And Better Than) SK 3E!

1. Player-characters start with a total of +4 in Attributes instead of merely +3.

2. Skill Specialties now grant a +2 bonus instead of just +1.

3. Starting equipment is selected now from both Race/Culture and Calling.

4. The Difficulty Rating (formerly Difficulty Level) is successfully casting a spell via the Magical Arts skill is now uniformly 10 + the spell's minimum level to learn (for example, a "level 3" spell is DR 13).

5. Spells cost the magician a number of Stamina points equal to their minimum level to learn (for example, a "level 4" spell would expend 4 Stamina points).

6. A player-character's Race/Culture yields 10 talent points to buy talents at character creation. The ones listed are Favored Talents - that is, costing 1 (sometimes 2) talent points less than the base cost - although any can be purchased so long as all prerequisites are satisfied.

7. Player-characters' Calling grants another 10 talent points to spend either on the listed Favored Talents (again, saving a point or two) or any for which all prerequisites are met.

8. A PC's Calling also yields 10 skill points that can be spent on a list of Skills; in some cases, one or two Skills are automatic, such as Survival for the Hunter calling or High-born for Nobles.


9. Human characters may choose 4 skill specialties per their race/culture instead of merely 3 as before. (Non-humans, which are still optional, only choose 3.)

10. Monsters, generally speaking, are slightly more lethal and mysterious than former creature stat blocks. You have been warned. ;)

11. Combat now utilizes a three-action system, which has worked brilliantly in playtesting, meaning you could choose to move, attack, move again, move twice, then attack, load a crossbow and shoot, cast a spell then move (or vice versa), etc. Some actions cost two actions, such as casting a spell or making a full sprint (three actions). Only one action can be an attack action, however, unless you have a talent or racial ability - such as Ambidexterity, Shield Bash, or a Chenari's claws - to gain another attack action. The exception to this is spending all three actions, which must be declared before your turn, to make an Offensive Frenzy (which enables three attacks with the same weapon, each at a -4 penalty).

12. The Imploding 1 system is back from the Reforged (2E) edition, meaning that when you roll a Natural 1, you add your modifies per normal and then roll another 1d20 and subtract that from the initial; if the result is a zero or less, you have critically failed at your task be it attack, spell, skill, or whatnot.

13. The Exploding 20 system remains intact, one of SK's renowned mechanics. However, in 4E, a second 20 on the reroll caps, meaning that there is no further roll after two back-to-back 20s (albeit rare). Instead, you gain +1 to Luck if this rare feat occurs. Also, instead of rolling again after the Natural 20, you may choose to take +10 instead. As always, a result of 20 or more over the DR is a critical success.

There are a few other changes, upgrades, and differences, but lucky 13 will do for now. Cheers and skol!

04/08/2026

Day Two of my spring break camp with yet more young gamers and theatre types!

04/06/2026

A mock-up of the potential Savage Kingdoms 4E core rulebook cover!

04/03/2026

RAIN OF ICE (Water)

Prerequisites: Magical Arts: Water level 4
DR: 14
Casting Time: 2 actions
Stamina Cost: 4
Range: 20 yards (Short)
Effect Area: 3x3 yard area
Duration: Instantaneous
Ritual Components: Three of the following – a pinch of ice or snow, a bowl or cup of rainwater, a piece of broken glass or crystal, a scale from an Ice Wyrm, or the tooth or claw of an Ice Demon.

Details/Description-
The magician calls down a rain of freezing cold hail and razor-like shards of ice, forcing all creatures within the 3x3 yard effect-area to succeed in an Acrobatics roll (versus a DR set by the mage’s Magical Arts roll) or suffer 1 point of cold damage per point of failure (armor is half-effective). Maximum damage is 10. In addition, if the Acrobatics roll is failed by 5 or more, the creature also slips and falls prone.

-Critical Success: The hard-driving, icy rain gains Armor Piercing 3.

-Critical Failure: You slip to the ground prone from ice appearing beneath you, suffering 2 points of cold damage (armor is half-effective).