Star signs and astrology are the inspirations for this D&D supplement
Your daily horoscope is predicting adventure.
Create characters who can harness the power of the heavens in Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria, a supplementary sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5E.
Inspired by the study of astrology and star signs, Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria is a supplement for the fantasy roleplaying game that gives both players and dungeon masters an insight of the world of Aroria. Based on the setting created for the actual play series Fate’s End - which the book’s creative director, Lauren Hodges, also runs - Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria includes an overview of the world, how the celestial bodies impact its inhabitants, character creation, places of interest and the factions that exert power over them.
Aroria is watched over by a pantheon of gods whose influence depends upon whether they’re part of The Lost Gods - a group of deities with a waning sense of power - or the stronger ranks of the Masters of the Weave. The gods of Aroria are part of the celestial elements of the supplement, alongside its zodiac character build system that sees player characters being able to access abilities via their association with a particular star sign. Aroria has its own zodiac calendar with star signs that are influenced by those found in our own world, from the Fleurtide constellation - inspired by Aries - to Lamentium, whose stag aspects are derivative of the Sagittarius sign.
Players are able to choose between these different signs when creating their character, for both personality reasons and for the powers they gain from them. For example, characters born under the Fleurtide sign are extroverts who are natural born adventurers, as such the DM is encouraged to use the flaming ram constellation as a way of driving that character towards action. Alternatively, Frostwane characters - inspired by the Pisces sign - are a lot less inclined to be highly-motivated adventurers, instead letting the world take them whenever it may wish.
Spell-casters will be able to draw from different schools of magic depending on which star sign they were born under. Whilst Evocation magic enables characters to trick their opponents, Divination gives spell-casters the ability to see beyond what’s in front of them. However, each school also comes with its own series of detriments that players will have to be wary of whenever they choose to tap into their school of magic.
Apart from Lauren Hodges, Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria was also co-written by Daniel Hodges - the co-creator of the Aroria campaign setting - and designed by Jake Huebsch, who also appears on the roleplaying show Twisted Veil.
Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria is being published by Ink and Lyre, a company that hosts several actual play series, including the aforementioned Fate’s End.
The Kickstarter campaign for Stargazer’s Guide to Aroria is live until August 18th, with a pledge of $55 (£40) getting backers a hardcover copy of the book in January 2022. Alternatively, a PDF version of the book is available for $25 (£19).