The Icarus Games Monthly RPG Magazine

ISSUE 0 - PREVIEW
PREVIEW ISSUE
A FIGHTER SUBCLASS BUILT ON BLOODLUST

AN ACCURSED NEW MONSTER

A COLLECTION OF MAGIC ITEMS

5e
2
 Welcome to This Preview:
SIDEQUEST The Reaver…...…04
A new fighter subclass with a focus on violence and
Greetings gamers, and welcome to this special bloodlust, who becomes more dangerous the more they
preview issue of SIDEQUEST magazine. battle.
Contained in this preview pack you’ll find a
selection of articles taken from issues of
SIDEQUEST magazine and presented here for you
to get a feeling for what to expect in each issue.
Bane Creeper…...06
Kicking things off we have the Reaver, a fighter Twisted servants of hags and witches, Bane Creepers
subclass from issue 15 that builds up violence dice are mutated newts that have become towering threats.
that they can spend for devastating results in
combat.
Next up we have the Bane Creeper, this beastie
first appeared in issue 9 and is the result of the
Vinder’s Vault…..08
The enigmatic vendor, Ven Vinder, brings magical items
question “what happens to all those newts whose from across the realms to delight you.
eyes get used in witch and hag potions?”
Finally, we have an instalment of Vinder’s Vault, a
recurring article series that brings new magical
items to your game. This particular selection is
taken from issue 12.
Credits
WRITTEN BY: Anthony Cerrato, Ben Doherty, Connor Henry, Salim
Though all the content in this preview features Hakima, Tal Woodnblaze.
mechanics compatible with D&D 5e, from issue 25 EDITING & ADDITIONAL DESIGN BY: Anthony Cerrato
LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGN: Anthony Cerrato
in July 2023 we will be presenting new content with TRADE DRESS: Alderdoodle
mechanics for both 5e and Pathfinder Second COVER ART: Hokunin
Edition where possible. INTERIOR ART: Hokunin, Jarek Madyda, Michael Fiore, Soulafein.
SPECIAL THANKS: The Icarus Games Playtest Community.
If you like what you see here, be sure to sign up
to our patreon to get each issue as its released. This work includes material taken from the System Reference
Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and
available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-
Much love document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons
Anto Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Icarus Games supports real, human artists and every effort
has been made to ensure the stock illustrations and
images included in this publication were not produced
using AI/Stable Diffusion models.

3
 Choose Violence
The Reaver
A Fighter Subclass WRITTEN BY Ben Doherty
3rd-level Reaver feature
Beginning at 3rd level, you can use your violence dice to
There is power in the shedding of blood. Ancient, perform the following abilities.
terrible power. Brutality. You drive your attack forward with violent
Since the dawn of time, demonic entities of hatred, force.
savagery, and slaughter have thrived on it. And they When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack,
have always had their champions—vicious marauders you can expend a number of Violence dice (up to a
who revel in war and senseless violence. maximum equal to your proficiency bonus), gaining a
Such warriors are often called Reavers. Reavers are bonus to the damage roll equal to the total number
possessed of an unquenchable thirst for blood which rolled plus your proficiency bonus.
drives them in battle. However, it can drive them too Tenacity. You grit your teeth, determine to stay, and
far, turning them into mindless killers who cannot tell revel, in the battle. As a bonus action, you can expend a
friend from foe. They see only meat to be butchered. number of Violence die to gain resistance to
How and why your character falls down this dark, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for a
blood-soaked path is up to you but the Reaver Origins number of rounds equal to the number of dice
section below provides some examples and inspirations expended.
for you to consider. Ferocity. You wield your weapon with reckless
abandon, caring not whose blood is shed, yours or the
Table 4.1: Reaver Origins enemy’s. As an action, you can a expend a number of
d4 Origin Violence dice to make a melee weapon attack against a
1 After dying on the battlefield, you made a pact with a number of creatures within 5 feet of you equal to the
demon, giving you a second life and the opportunity to number of dice expended, with a separate attack roll for
exact your revenge, in exchange for your soul, which each. Immediately after this attack is made, each
the demon will claim when you die once more.
creature within 10 feet of you can use their reaction to
2 One of your ancestors belong to a demonic cult and the
dormant power in your bloodline has awoken after you make a melee weapon attack against you if you are
have slain many foes—each one a sacrifice to that dark within your reach. This attack counts as an opportunity
entity. attack.
3 You are gifted or discover a strange weapon. Cruelty. You try to exploit your victim’s weak spot to
Unbeknownst to you, this weapon is cursed and binds
you to the murderous consciousness which was cause as much pain as possible. As a bonus action, you
imprisoned in it centuries ago. can expend one Violence dice and choose a creature
4 Your destructive prowess on the battlefield has caught that you can see within 10 feet. Until the end of your
the attention of a demon. Impressed, the fiend “blesses” turn, any melee weapon attacks you make against the
you with diabolical power so you might sow further
death.
target score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20 on the
d20.
Savagery. A single death cannot slake your
bloodthirst. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points
Reaver Subclass with a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can
expend one Violence die to use your reaction to move
up to half your speed and make a melee weapon attack
Features against another creature. On a hit, you add the Violence
die to the attack’s damage roll.

Pain and Gain Bloodlust

3rd-level Reaver feature
3rd-level Reaver feature
Inflicting pain and dealing death empowers you. As you
shed more and more blood, you can perform greater If there are ever have more than 4 Violence dice in
and greater acts of violence. your pool or expend more than 2 Violence dice in one
This murderous potential is represented by Violence turn, you enter an uncontrollable bloodlust.
dice, which are each a d8. Whenever you reduce a While gripped by this bloodlust, you must use your
creature to 0 hit points with a melee weapon attack or action each round to attack the creature nearest to you
score a critical hit against a creature with one, you gain with a melee weapon attack. If you can make extra
one Violence die. attacks as part of the Attack action, you use those extra
When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of attacks, moving to attack the next nearest creature after
your Violence dice increases: at 10th level (d10) and you fell your current target. If you have multiple
18th level (d12). possible targets, you attack one at random.
When you fall unconscious, you lose all violence dice If you can spend Violence dice on those attacks, you
in your pool. must do so, spending as many as possible at any one
time.

4
 The bloodlust lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you If your bloodlust ends this way, you can choose to
are knocked unconscious or start your turn with no keep up to 2 violence dice in your pool.
creatures within 60 feet of you that you can see or hear. Once you successfully end a bloodlust, you can’t
When the bloodlust ends, you lose all Violence dice. attempt to do so again until you finish a long rest. The
The number of Violence dice you can have in your Reaver
pool before triggering a bloodlust increases when you
reach certain levels in this class: at 5th level (6), 9th level Butcher
(8), 13th level (10), and 17th level (12). In addition, the 18th-level Reaver feature
number of Violence dice you can expend in one turn
before triggering a bloodlust increases when you reach If it bleeds, you can slaughter it. You have advantage on
certain levels in this class: at 10th level (3) and 18th level melee weapon attack rolls against any creature that Bane
(4). Creepers
doesn't have all its hit points. The creature must be
capable of bleeding for this feature to function.
No Surrender
7th-level Reaver feature
Retreat is not an option—if you are to die, you will go Vinder’s
down in a blaze of glory and a storm of blood. Vault
If you start your turn with less than half your hit
points remaining, you gain one violence die. You don’t
gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points.
When you are reduced to 0 hit points but not
killed outright, you drop to 1 hit point instead and
enter a bloodlust. Once this effect triggers, it
doesn’t trigger again until after you finish a long
rest.

No Mercy
10th-level Reaver feature
Your malice knows no limit and woe to those who feel
it.
You can roll one additional weapon damage die when
determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a
melee attack. This increases to two additional dice when
you reach 18th level in this class.

Cold-Blooded
15th-level Reaver feature
Like a true apex predator, you
have learned to control your
frenzies, though the urge can
only be denied so long.
When you are in a state
of bloodlust, at the end
of each of your turns,
you can make a
Wisdom saving throw
to attempt to end it.
The DC for this saving throw is HO
KU
equal to 10 + the number NI
N
of violence dice in your
pool. On a
successful save, MEET VATHEK
your
Vathek is our “iconic” fighter, a collection of characters who
bloodlust will feature in artwork and articles in the future. You’ll meet
ends. more of the iconics over the coming months.

5
 BANE CREEPERS

WRITTEN BY: Connor Henry

The Cursed Servants of Witches & Hags
Slinking about the realms of Hags and Witches,
feeding on the residual energy of the profane rituals Tactics
and those foolish enough to enter their domains. For the bane creeper to be effective in its
The bane creeper is a tragic and deadly creature, goal, which is to aid the Dark Magic Caster or
who is forced to serve the ones who twisted them Hag, in theme and combat it helps to
into the malformed creatures they are. understand its goals mechanically.
This monster has some decent hit
points and the ability to
Accursed Nature regenerate, but after
Many Witchcraft brews and incantations call for the a few rounds of
eyes of newt, and these newts die soon after. direct combat it can go
To reduce this waste, one crafty and sadistic Hag down. Therefore, it’s
created a ritual to pour an overwhelming amount of important to use terrain
negative energy into the gaping eye sockets of the to your advantage, retreating
lizard. from direct combat to hide
Over several days the Newts would grow tenfold and regenerate.
and shed their skin many times, loosing all former When using the hex breath
markings and coloration. ability, targeting strength or
Left with black scars from the necrotic energy and dexterity is a good way to reduce
a grey discoloration they appear nothing at all like the threat of front-line foes, making
their former selves. it easier to grapple melee foes and drag
Instead, they are malicious, vindictive, and prone them away from the group or use them as
to incredible violence. bargaining tools.
Where possible, using a bane creeper in
combination with another monster that can
Creature of Tragedy target the PCs saving throws will dramatically
Bane creepers have an undying need to recover increase the threat level of the encounter.
their lost eyes. These cursed eyes are what the Hags Sea Hags, Bheur Hags and other spell casters
use to control the bane creepers — consuming one that require saving throw spells benefit greatly from
eye in their spell or brew, and keeping the other the effects of the bane poison and hex breath,
close to control their new pet. allowing you to seriously reduce the effectiveness
Forced to serve their cruel masters and devise of the party.
plots to recover its eyes, the true tragedy is that due A Coven of Sea Hags with a bane creeper slinking
to its immense size the eyes would never fit, and around their seaside lair would be an encounter to
since the curse is apart of its biology it can’t be remember. Sea Hags have some of the nastiest
undone. This has led some scholars to feel a save-based abilities of any Hag, and paired with
modicum of pity for the conniving monsters. their coven it would become an encounter that
A cunning witch hunter can use the creatures’ could challenge even high-level parties that are
tragic needs and hatred of its creator to their unprepared.
benefit and there are stories of uneasy alliances If you want to run a bane creeper as a solo
being formed between those looking to slay a hag monster however, they function best in dark areas
and their bane creeper guardians. of dense terrain where they can make the best use
of their climb and swim speeds.
A party that learns the truth of the Approaching the party underwater or from an
elevated position and using the hex breath in the
Bane Creepers could use their first round of combat is a great way to immediately
knowledge to recover its lost eye and put them on the back foot.
free it from its eternal suffering — or If the bane creeper can grapple a party member
take control of it for themselves. and drag them away from the group in the
confusion, even better.
DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
You can get the full artwork for the Bane Creeper, as well as VTT
tokens and the stat block as an image here.

6
 STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
21 (+5) 18 (+4) 21 (+5) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 9 +(-1)

DYDA
K MA
JARE

7
 Bulwark of Thunder
Vinder’s Vault WRITTEN BY Salim Hakima
ADDITIONAL WRITING & EDITING BY Anthony Cerrato
Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
Step into Vinder’s Vault, home of all your heart’s A large round shield with a mountain carved into it and
desires, and discover the latest treasures that have been at its peak a blue gem.
located. While holding this shield you have a +2 bonus to your
AC and gain resistance to lightning and thunder
Xidol, the God-Killer damage.
Additionally, you can take the following actions while
Xidol is the name of the all seeing master, also known attuned to the shield.
as an eye-tyrant, whose soul resides within an enchanted Lightning Rod: When you are targeted by an attack
dagger. that deals lightning damage, you may use your reaction
Xidol hungers for souls, and grants those that are to absorb the damage dealt into the shield. Make a note
willing to deliver souls to him a powerful weapon to do of the amount of damage absorbed.
so. Lightning Strike: When you have lightning damage
Tales of this weapon’s bloody exploits can be traced stored in the shield, you may use your action to
back over one thousand years, and it has brought low discharge it. Choose one creature you can see within 60
the mightiest creatures in the cosmos, from heroes, to ft. That creature must succeed a DC 15
kings, and even a god. Dexterity Saving throw or suffer an amount of
Xidol is a god-killer, a weapon powerful enough to lightning damage equal to that stored in the
make even the most powerful creatures in the cosmos shield. If the creature succeeds their saving
think twice before engaging in combat. throw they suffer half damage.
Xidol is an artifact that demands centre-stage, and Static Barrier: As an action the wielder of
should serve as a major plot point in your campaign. the shield can speak the command word and
Beginning by placing it in possession of an enemy, can create a 10ft magical sphere around
showcasing its ability to snuff out life is a great way to themselves. The shield must be storing
cause your players to treat the wielder with the lightning damage to do this.
appropriate level of fear. Any creature within the static barrier
has +2 to their armor class while inside
Xidol the barrier.
Weapon (dagger), artifact (requires The static barrier remains centred on
attunement) the shield for 1 minute, but can be
removed with the dispel magic spell.
Xidol is a +3 dagger that deals an
additional 2d8 necrotic damage.
While attuned to this item, you
IORE
cannot be frightened. AEL F
MICH
Additionally, any creature Jonty’s Bracers of Limitless Time
reduced to 0 hit points by this WRITTEN BY Tal Woodnblaze
weapon is killed instantly, and ADDITIONAL WRITING & EDITING BY Anthony Cerrato

cannot be brought back to Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)

life by any means except for
a wish spell. These silver bracers have been carefully etched to show
If the a creature has special an intricate scene of the sun and moon moving through
abilities which would allow the sky.
them to escape death (such If a character wearing the bracers watches closely, they
as a vampire’s misty escape, will see the passage of the sun and moon across the
or a lich’s rejuvenation) these bracers, giving them knowledge of what time of day it
abilities do not work. is.
Destroying the Dagger: To Each day, the bracers have 5 charges. As a bonus
destroy the dagger, a character action, the player can spend charges to activate one of
must cast the gate spell, and speak Xidol’s true name; the following effects:
Xidol Kryvanos, seventh son of the Khotor Dominion 1 charge: Additional speed. The player can move an
(see issue 2 for rules on true names). This will draw additional 10ft until the start of their next turn
Xidol from his prison domain into the plane in which 2 charges: Avoidance. The character's movement
the character casting the spell resides. does not provoke attacks of opportunity until the start
Xidol must then be slain, which will strip the dagger of the next turn.
of its magical properties, causing it to turn into a 3 charges: Additional reaction. The player gets two
mundane dagger. reactions until the start of their next turn.
4 charges: Haste. The player gains the benefit of the
haste spell. The effect lasts for 1 minute.

8
 5 charges: Temporal shift. If an enemy rolls a natural Mercy’s Blade
20, the player can use their reaction to change the 20 to Weapon (longsword), artifact (requires attunement)
a 1.
Each time the player uses one of the bracers affects The
Mercy’s blade is the most famous artifact of the Reaver
the GM rolls a d20. If the DM rolls a 1 the magic will knights of mercy, an ancient order of heroes that
misfire producing a negative effect. were dedicated to keeping the material plane safe
The GM should consult the table below to determine from forces beyond.
the outcome based on how many charges the player The knights of mercy are famous for
used:. helping to stop Parax the Warmaster during
1 charge: Decrease in speed. The player's speed is his first attempt at dominating the
reduced by 10ft until the start of their next turn. Bane
material plane, and they were Creepers
2 charges: Confrontation. The player is unable instrumental during his second attempt
to take the disengage action this turn. hundreds of years later.
3 charges: No reaction. The player is unable While attuned to this weapon, you
to take a reaction this turn. gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage
4 Charges: Slow. The player suffers the rolls made with this it. In addition, while
effects of the slow spell. The effect lasts you are attuned to this weapon, you may use
for 1 minute. your action to call upon the spirits of the Vinder’s
Vault
Knights of Mercy, summoning 1d4 friendly
Dragonbone Whistle specters for 1 hour.
Wondrous item, very rare The Knights of Mercy are friendly to you and your
FEIN allies, and can be commanded as a bonus action,
LA
Said to be crafted from the SO
U otherwise they will follow their most recent command
tooth of one of the primordial or take the dodge action.
dragon gods, this whistle can Once you have summoned the Knights of Mercy, you
command dragonkind. cannot do so again until the following dawn.
The whistle has 6 charges, and recovers 1d4 charges
every 7 days. Delver’s Pack
As an action, a character can blow the whistle and Cost: 15gp Weight: 60 lbs.
choose to use a number of charges to produce one of
the following effects; The delver’s pack was designed for dwarven miners who
1 Charge: Grant yourself resistance to one of the had to navigate the depths of their underground
following damage types for 1 minute; acid, cold, fire, tunnels, while keeping their hands free to wield their
lightning, necrotic, poison, thunder. weapons against the creatures dwelling there.
2 Charges: Remove one damage immunity The pack has a pair of folding arms which can hold
from a creature with the dragon type two standard candles and sheds bright light in a 10-foot
that can hear the whistle within 120 ft. radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet
of you for 1 hour. for up to one hour.
4 Charges: Choose a creature with The pack includes a backpack, a bedroll, a
the dragon type that can hear you shovel, a dagger, 10 pitons, 10 candles, a
within 120 ft. of you. That tinderbox, 10 days of rations, and a
creature must succeed a DC 15 waterskin. The pack also has 50 feet of
Wisdom saving throw or be charmed hempen rope strapped to the side of it.
by you for 1 hour.
6 Charges: Summon the spirit of
the dragon (use the wyvern statblock).
This summoned dragon is an ally to
you and your companions. In
combat, the creature shares your
initiative count, but it takes its
turn immediately after yours. It
obeys your verbal commands
(no action required by you). If
you don’t issue any, it takes the Dodge
action and uses its move to avoid danger. SOULAFEIN

9
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