Secret Garden Games
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Cultures: Bughitawo Tribes
In our Cultures series, we discuss various ethnolinguistic groups within Bukana and beyond. An ethnolinguistic group is an umbrella term for a number of tribes that are joined together by common language and traditions. For instance, today we are looking at the Bughitawo. This is a term that may or may not be used by members of this culture to describe themselves. Many “Bughitawo” would instead refer to themselves by their specific tribal name, without acknowledging any relation to another Bughitawo-speaking tribe. Players are encouraged to work with GMs to come up with a character’s tribe and think about how they relate to other nearby tribes. We have recently discussed how we intend to handle “racial” stats in Bukana, by using Cultural and Tribal feats that are not tied to any particular ancestry (race) or bloodline (subrace).
The Bughitawo are believed to have been the first humans to arrive in a number of the Bukanese islands. These nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers tend to be shorter than other indigenous people with dark skin and kinky hair. They are said to be the descendants of the “Old Men,” an ancient people who have left many ruins in the deepest hearts of the islands. Most of these tribes have resisted outside cultural influence and still practice their traditional mobile farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering forest products. The Bughitawo live in harmony with nature and their beliefs and rituals form the basis for most Bukanese traditions of ghost archery, the temporary imbuement of arrows with willing spirits to achieve spectacular effects. Headhunting is very rare amongst these tribes.
Historically, these tribes have been displaced by other groups. Over the centuries, the Bughitawo have become fractious as they migrate due to incursions by other cultures. They now live on many different islands, almost always having been pushed inland to dense forest and rugged upland terrain. These people seem to have a special relationship with the engkanto and other spirits of the islands, and they are sought out by those in search of ancient secrets. Anyone looking to explore the ruins of the Old Men usually have to gain the approval of a local tribe of Bughitawo or be turned away.
The scattered tribes of the Bughitawo venerate all spirits, however each has its own patron creator. The most widely worshiped supreme deity is Tatananod, but others such as Munan-Muwa and Batbatbake are also known. Some tribes are even monotheistic, worshipping the entities that other tribes see as separate gods as merely aspects of Tatananod. Most pay respect to a single god of the Under-Realm, Huwis, who is the guide and judge of the dead. No spirits attend Huwis, who is the only occupant of Busad, the underworld waystation of the mortal dead.
Bughitawo (tribal)
Prerequisites: Starting character, can speak Bughitawo, and either human ancestry or Bukanese Human Society feat
You are one of the nomadic tribes of Bughitawo. You possess a deep connection with the spirit world of Bukana and live in union with the natural world. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Wisdom score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the Insight, Nature, Survival, and Spirit Lore* skills.
- You have proficiency with the Longbow and the shortbow.
*new skills to be previewed in a later article
Bughitawo Pantheon
| Bughitawo Pantheon | Alignment | Domain | Symbol | Worshippers |
| Tatananod, lord of Lampanag* | LG | Creation | Omen Bird | Bukanese heroes & commanders |
| *Ampaggalaw, aspect of action | CG | Glory | Grass hut | Commoners, spouses |
| *Mamopol, aspect of growth | LG | Agriculture | Golden lion | Warriors, guards, Tamahaling |
| *Halawkop, aspect of love | NG | Beauty | Simple knot | Paladins, some lawyers |
| *Painawa, aspect of death | LN | Malice | Gazelle resting | Healers, Mahomanay |
| Makat-eh, goddess of the hunt | N | no clergy | Pregnant jackal | Executioners, judges, morticians, Patron of the Amethyst Hounds |
| Inanah, god of the forest | LG | druids only | none | Artists, warriors, monks |
| Bawil, Goddess of the sea | CN | druids only | Mountain | Judges, paladins of Revenge |
| Munan-Muwa, the creator | LN | Any Domain | Crossed hook swords | Warriors, some dwarves |
| Batbatbake, hero of Lampanag | NG | Glory | Gold coin | Traders, administrators, some adventurers |
| Nalindeng, goddess of mountains | N | druids only | Eagle holding a blade | Travelers, fire elves, pongo |
| Halta, spirit of strength | CN | Glory | Catamaran | Explorers, fire elves, shipwrights |
| Huwis, the lonely one | NE | Malice, Divination | Loom | Wizards, sorcerers, dervish monks |
Legal Information Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively known as the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD5”) is granted solely through the use of the Open Gaming License, Version 1.0a. This material is being released using the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a and you should read and understand the terms of that license before using this material. The text of the Open Gaming License itself is not Open Game Content. Instructions on using the License are provided within the License itself. The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster Manual, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, d20 (when used as a trademark), Forgotten Realms, Faerûn, proper names (including those used in the names of spells or items), places, Underdark, Red Wizard of Thay, the City of Union, Heroic Domains of Ysgard, EverChanging Chaos of Limbo, Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Tarterian Depths of Carceri, Gray Waste of Hades, Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, Nine Hells of Baator, Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, Twin Paradises of Bytopia, Blessed Fields of Elysium, Wilderness of the Beastlands, Olympian Glades of Arborea, Concordant Domain of the Outlands, Sigil, Lady of Pain, Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, beholder, gauth, carrion crawler, tanar’ri, baatezu, displacer beast, githyanki, githzerai, mind flayer, illithid, umber hulk, yuan-ti. All of the rest of the SRD5 is Open Game Content as described in Section 1(d) of the License. The terms of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a are as follows: OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. 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(h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. END OF LICENSE
Bukana Illustrated: Druid vs. Kurita
As we’ve seen with his Duwende Bridge piece, Ash Ben is a fantastic illustrator. So the second piece we gave him was of a Bukanese Orangutan fighting a kurita. We don’t blame you if you aren’t familiar with a kurita; it’s an obscure creature from Maguindanao myth. The Aswang Project says this about it the monster: “Many limbed monster who eats all of the creatures he can find. Digs claws into hero’s flesh.” We sent this description to Ash and he kicked back some concepts:
When I showed these to our consultant Karl Gaverza over at Spirits of the Philippine Archipelago, he let us know that his research informs him that the kurita is more of a “land-shark-gaping-maw-type” critter. Going back and forth between Ash and Karl, we came up with this much more terrifying interpretation:
The idea for the piece is that an Orangutan druid of the Circle of Nature’s Wrath was blasting a kurita across a two-page spread. Here’s the gorgeous work that Ash hit us with as our intrepid hero confronts the creature in its lair.
SRD Apocrypha: Bardic College of Lore
Our Bukana roleplaying setting is being published using the Open Game License (see below) provided by Wizards of the Coast, makers of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG. This allows us to use the core rules of Fifth Edition (5e) without using any of their settings or brands. Under the license, we are allowed to use those rules that they provide in the System Reference Document. In there are all of the classic “Races” and Classes that players of 5e are all too familiar with. Many of those rules will be reprinted in our core rulebooks after we launch our Kickstarter in 2021. Our rulebooks will have A LOT of new content including forty (yes, 40!) new sub-classes, as well as new rules & modifications. We want to minimize the amount of redundant information between the 5e core and our own rules. However, we also hope that Bukana will bring in new players and those not familiar with the 5e rules, so we do want to provide those folks with the player options that won’t be in our core book, but are relevant to our setting.
See our previous article about the Paladin Oath of Devotion. You may also recognize the Vanara, Gautam from our Bukana Illustrated: Pongo article. Check out the first draft rules for our new Barbarian and Bard Subclasses too.
Gautam, Seeker of the Sacred Truth
Gautam had lived quite the unassuming life. Born to a middle-class troupe in a safe suburb of the capital of a small nation near Bhodan. Always curious, he trained as a librarian with the Pahli-Cha Church and became assistant to the chief lorekeeper of a small shrine. He was content.
That all changed when a traveler, wounded and fading, pressed an ancient scroll into his hand. her dying words: “Find the works of the old men” meant nothing to Gautam. Upon deciphering the text, the young Vanara soon found himself immersed in obscure documents and prophecies that spoke of primordial evils set to return to the mortal world. He set out to learn more and now his quest has brought him to the jungles of Bukana.
Bardic College:
College of Lore (Mananalaysay)
Bards of the College of Lore know something about most things, collecting bits of knowledge from sources as diverse as scholarly tomes and peasant tales. The college’s members gather in libraries and sometimes in actual colleges, complete with classrooms and dormitories, to share their lore with one another. They also meet at festivals or affairs of state.
Bards of the College of Lore are researchers without equal. The indigenous cultures of Bukana rely on a vast oral tradition to preserve their stories and knowledge. However, the foreign religions brought to the islands have established impressive libraries in those barangays that have embraced them, each with an organization dedicated to their upkeep. These bards are almost always associated with an organized religion, or government. Between the relative scarcity of native practitioners and the many burdens of duty these lorekeepers bear, very few enter the adventuring life in Bukana. Prominent colleges that these bards belong to are listed below.
In the Anggrephon Rajahnate, each Pahli-cha shrine and temple of adequate size houses a collection of documents and masters that pass on their secrets of enlightenment. Numerous colleges are supported by loosely-knit, but dedicated experts. Most of these attendants are lay-people, monks, or wizards. However, those bards tasked with maintenance and preservation of the collections are often members of the College of Lore.
In the Amethyst Sultanates, bards of this college are more numerous. Many colleges exist that serve various deities, as well as the staggering legal libraries that the Church maintains. The bards spend countless hours assisting the clerics, monks, and wizards as experts in the courts and Ascension Councils whose mission is to determine whether or not newly encountered deities are, in fact, aspects of the One.
The last of the Bukanese nations that utilize significant numbers of bards of this college is the Vanuwa Wangdom. Little more than a puppet state of Yudiguo, this tiny nation houses a library within its shadowy Inner City compound. Though small, this archive collects many obscure texts of arcane lore. Access is granted only to members of the Word Ministry and select scholars of approved bardic colleges.
Colleges of Bukana
The Six-Fold Brotherhood is largely composed of monks and clerics of the Path of Sacred Truth who are supported by bards of this college. Its duty is to maintain and catelogue the disparate resources scattered across the many smaller shrines and temples of the Pahli-cha faith in the islands.
The Barrister University trains and deploys many advocates within the labyrinthine legal courts of the Amethyst Church and Sultanate. Its many bards of the college of lore spend their days and nights poring over obscure legal precedence and relaying their findings to judge tribunals.
The Most Elite Counsel of the Divine Court (or ‘the Counsels’ for short) serve the clerics and magistrates of Vanuwa. In addition to preserving the occult library, these bards act as assistants to the nobles and magistrates of their nation, often swearing oaths of service to their lords.
College of Lore Features
Bonus Proficiencies
When you join the College of Lore at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.
Cutting Words
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use your wit to distract, confuse, and otherwise sap the confidence and competence of others. When a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a damage roll, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and subtracting the number rolled from the creature’s roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature makes its roll, but before the GM determines whether the attack roll or ability check succeeds or fails, or before the creature deals its damage. The creature is immune if it can’t hear you or if it’s immune to being charmed.
Additional Magical Secrets
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Peerless Skill
Starting at 14th level, when you make an ability check, you can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration. Roll a Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to your ability check. You can choose to do so after you roll the die for the ability check, but before the GM tells you whether you succeed or fail.
New Feat
Our setting will include new rules for making certain skill checks as Rote.
Expert Researcher
Prerequisite: Bard of the College of Lore. Charisma score of 14 or more.
Increase your Intelligence and Wisdom scores by +1 each to a maximum of 20.
When you have access to a library or collection of texts that the GM determines is of sufficient size and nature, you may make Arcana, History, Investigation, & Religion skill checks as Rote* when researching.
Legal Information Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively known as the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD5”) is granted solely through the use of the Open Gaming License, Version 1.0a. This material is being released using the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a and you should read and understand the terms of that license before using this material. The text of the Open Gaming License itself is not Open Game Content. Instructions on using the License are provided within the License itself. The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster Manual, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, d20 (when used as a trademark), Forgotten Realms, Faerûn, proper names (including those used in the names of spells or items), places, Underdark, Red Wizard of Thay, the City of Union, Heroic Domains of Ysgard, EverChanging Chaos of Limbo, Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Tarterian Depths of Carceri, Gray Waste of Hades, Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, Nine Hells of Baator, Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, Twin Paradises of Bytopia, Blessed Fields of Elysium, Wilderness of the Beastlands, Olympian Glades of Arborea, Concordant Domain of the Outlands, Sigil, Lady of Pain, Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, beholder, gauth, carrion crawler, tanar’ri, baatezu, displacer beast, githyanki, githzerai, mind flayer, illithid, umber hulk, yuan-ti. All of the rest of the SRD5 is Open Game Content as described in Section 1(d) of the License. The terms of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a are as follows: OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. END OF LICENSE
Alpha Test: Barbarian & Bard Subclasses
This is the first of yet another series. Today we begin showing you all first looks at the earliest drafts of our character option rules. As we revealed in our Subclass Descriptions, each class has 3 subclass options in what will be our Player’s Guide. Let’s start pulling those initial descriptions apart and see what we’re thinking about how they translate into mechanics… We look forward to your feedback.
Barbarian (Malupit)
Heroes of the ancient ways, barbarians possess a deep bond to their ancestors and to their homelands. This connection to timeless, primal forces opens up a wellspring deep within them of animalistic rage. When they choose to tap into this primordial fury, a barbarian is driven to fantastic feats of physical prowess.
The Guided Path (Inapo)
When a great warrior rises amongst the barangay of the wilds, they often draw the attention of the anitus of their tribe. These ancestral guardians watch over those who follow the guided path. A barbarian who has attracted such a spirit can harness its power for spells and other supernatural effects. Ultimately, they allow their anitu to possess them during rages, becoming a juggernaut of man and spirit.
Guided Path Features
Abyan Guide
Beginning when you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain an Ancestor Spirit Companion that you build using 2 Companion Points (see Spirit Companions). If you already have the maximum number of Spirit Companions allowed, either you must dismiss one of them if none of them are Ancestors, or you gain 2 Companion Points which you must spend to augment one of your Ancestor Spirit Companions. You gain an additional 2 Companion Points at 9th level, which must be spent on an Ancestor Spirit.
Your companion helps you maintain focus in battle. You may maintain concentration on a spell that targets you (and only you) while raging.
Spellcasting
By time you reach 3rd level, your ancestors have instructed you to use their power to cast spells.
Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the Guided Path spell list. You learn additional Guided Path cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Guided Path Spellcasting table.
Spell Slots. The Guided Path Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your guided path spells. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell jump and you have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level slot available, you can cast jump using either slot.
Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the Guided Path spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Guided Path Spellcasting table shows when you learn more guided path spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Spellcasting Ability. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your guided path spells, since your magic draws on your attunement to the spiritual world. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a guided path spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Spiritual Fortitude
Beginning at 6th level, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you take in order to maintain your concentration on a spell.
You also gain 2 Companion Points that you must spend on an Ancestor Spirit Companion.
Spiritual Knowledge
Also at 6th level, you gain proficiency with the Spirit Lore and History skills.
Ancestral Prowess
At 10th level, you gain one additional feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.
Ancestral Ascendancy
Beginning at 14th level, you may have your anitu companion possess your body when you rage. When you do, your physical appearance changes to adopt aspects of the spirit. When you gain this feature, choose two of the following attributes that you gain when you rage:
Elemental. You are made of natural elements. Choose one of the following damage types – acid, cold, fire, lightning, necrotic, poison, radiant, or thunder. Your melee attack damage has this type. You gain immunity of that type.
Bestial. You take on the aspect of a wild animal. You gain a climbing or swimming speed equal to your walking speed. You gain Darkvision. You gain proficiency in the Athletics skill and have advantage when making Athletic checks.
Four-Armed. You grow two extra arms. You can use two-weapon fighting even if the one-handed weapons you are using are not light. You gain two additional attacks that can only be used to make unarmed strikes or to make a grapple attack. You have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made during grapple attacks.
Brute. You grow to have a hulking presence. Your Strength and Constitution modifiers are doubled. You gain temporary hit points equal to your barbarian level + your Constitution modifier.
Zephyr. You take flight. You gain a flying speed of 30 feet. You have advantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.
Armored. Spiritual energy coalesces into armor around you. You gain a bonus to your armor class equal to your Wisdom modifier. You gain advantage on all saving throws. You are not considered to be wearing armor due to this attribute.
The Path of the Moon-Eaters (Laho)
There is no life without death. No joy without pain. There are barbarians who choose to become forces of destruction in the world. Many believe that in order for the mortal realm to thrive, balance must be maintained between civilization and the wilderness. Others just want to burn the world. Regardless of their motivations, those that choose to emulate the fabled “moon-eater” epic beasts, this path leaves a wake of debris. In their presence, the intricate skeins of magic unravel and the best laid strategies fall to chaos.
Path of the Moon-Eaters Features
Smash!
Beginning when you choose this path at 3rd level, you have advantage on Strength checks to break objects and on attack rolls against objects and constructs.
Drain Vitality
Starting at 3rd level, as part of the bonus action to enter your rage, choose a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you, that creature gains a level of exhaustion. You may not use this ability again until you complete a short or long rest. At 9th level, you may choose a second creature when you use this feature.
Unravel Magic
Starting at 6th level, while you are raging, any creature that attempts to target you with a spell or that includes you within its area of effect (such as with a cone or sphere) must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or the spell has no effect. The creature does not expend a spell slot.
Sundering Blow
Starting at 10th level, while you are raging, you may use your action to make an attack roll with a melee weapon. If this attack is successful, you have advantage on the damage roll and the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier) or become stunned until the end of your next turn. If the attack is successful, your rage ends.
Shred Weave
Starting at 14th level, you may enter a baleful state that frays the magical essence around you. When you rage, you may gain the effects as though you have cast Antimagic Field. These effects end when your rage ends. When this rage ends, you gain a level of exhaustion. You may not use this ability again until you complete a long rest.
Path of the Headtaker (Kalinga)
For many of the Bukana tribes, their traditional ways of life are being eroded by the visitors that swarm their islands. Not so for those barbarians that walk the path of the headtaker. Whether they collect the actual heads of their enemies or bind their souls to effigies, the Kalinga as they are called, practice the old rituals of vengeance that maintain their ancestral heritage and bring glory to their people.
Path of the Headtaker Features
Soul Points
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain a number of Soul Points equal to your barbarian level which increase as you gain levels. Soul Points represent the portion of your enemies’ souls that you have captured when you ritualistically take their heads or bind them to your head effigies. You regain all spent Soul Points after a long rest or after you have captured the soul of a new worthy enemy, as determined by the GM. You can never have more Soul Points than your barbarian level. You may expend one or more Soul Points in a number of ways as shown in the following table. You gain additional uses for Soul Points as you advance in barbarian levels.
Soul Point (SP) Uses
| Level | SP | Effect |
| 3 | 1 | As a bonus action, gain proficiency with a skill of your choice for 1 minute. |
| 3 | 1 | As a bonus action, Add your Rage Damage to a successful attack when not raging. |
| 3 | 3 | As a bonus action, Gain advantage on Strength checks & Strength saving throws for 1 minute when not raging. |
| 6 | 6 | Use your action to gain the benefit of the Guidance cantrip which must target yourself. |
| 6 | 6 | As a bonus action, if you are raging, up to 3 creatures within 30 feet of you gain a bonus to melee damage rolls equal to your Rage Damage. This effect ends when your rage ends. |
| 10 | 10 | As a bonus action, you enter a rage. This does not use one of your uses of rage. |
Harvested Knowledge
Also at 3rd level and again at 10th level, you gain proficiency with a skill or tool of your choice, and you can speak, read, and write one additional language of your choice. At 9th level, you may choose an additional skill, tool, or language.
Feared & Fearless
At 6th level, your demeanor and trophies mark you as a fearsome opponent. You have advantage when making a Charisma (Intimidation) check.
Other characters have disadvantage when making Charisma (Intimidation) checks against you.
You may use your Strength modifier on Intimidation checks instead of your Charisma modifier.
Accumulated Prowess
At 6th level, you gain one additional feat of your choice for which you meet the prerequisites.
Grim Harvester
Starting at 10th level, when you reduce an opponent to zero hit points, choose a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. As a bonus action you may immediately move a distance up to your speed and must end this movement closer to that creature. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks. If you are raging, then you must end your movement within melee weapon range of that creature if able, but that creature then has disadvantage on attacks targeting you until the beginning of your next turn.
Wrathful Warcry
Beginning at 14th level, you may use your action to let loose a terrifying scream. When you do so, choose a number of creatures that you can see within 30 feet of you equal to the number shown for your barbarian level in the Rages column of the Barbarian table. All creatures that were chosen that are within 30 feet of you and can see or hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Bard (Tagapalabas)
All of the people of Bukana have a rich oral tradition that is handed down through the generations. Even now that most tribes have adopted written languages, much folk knowledge is passed on by storytellers, poets, and through ritual songs. These performers seamlessly blend their art with the story of their people. With the arrival of foreign cultures and religions, many colleges and libraries have been established in some urban centers, but most bards in the islands rely more on loose societies of like-minded artists to exchange stories and find mentors.
College of Storytelling (Paratawag)
Traveling storytellers have always been a part of every Bukanese human culture for millennia. Even as baybayin script was being learned through communion with the spirit world, the oral tradition was still the most common way to tell stories, pass on information, and entertain folk across the islands. The arrival of a wandering paratawag is cause for a barangay to gather, learn, and interact. These storytellers are masters of the spoken word and through it, have become adept at learning about and acclimating to the widely disparate cultures throughout Bukana.
College of Storytelling Features
Linguist
When you choose the Storyteller tradition at 3rd level, you learn to speak two new languages. Note that you cannot read or write these languages, as you have learned them through spoken conversation only.
Additionally, when you make a Linguistic or Culture skill check to acclimate to a new culture, you may add your Charisma modifier in addition to the usual ability modifier.
Heroic Inspiration
Also at 3rd level, your inspiration becomes more powerful. Your Bardic Inspiration die (as determined by your bard level) increases by one size. Therefore, if your level indicates that you would have a d6, you would instead have a d8. Similarly, a d8 becomes a d10, a d10 becomes a d12. However, a d12 becomes 2d8 (instead of a d20).
Traveler’s Prowess
At 6th level, you gain a feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
Group Inspiration
At 14th level, when you use your Bardic Inspiration feature, you may choose more than one creature to gain a Bardic Inspiration die. For each creature chosen beyond the first, you reduce the size of the die by one. For instance, if your die is a d12 and you choose a second creature, each would get a d10. If a third creature was chosen, each would get a d8. Once your die is reduced to a d4, no more creatures may be chosen.
College of Fools (Panakawans)
It is common in the heroic tales of certain cultures in the Bukana islands to include servants, apprentices, or sidekicks for the main heroic character. Often used for comedic relief and to make the hero seem even more adept, these “fools” are popular characters with audiences. It is this tradition that has led to the creation of the so-called “College of Fools,” the tongue-in-cheek title of a fellowship of jesters. Panakawans serve many roles, they are performers like most bards, but focus their tales on their chosen heroes and comrades, thereby increasing their renown. In combat, they trick their opponents into underestimating them while providing advantages to their fellows
College of Fools Features
Sidekick
At 3rd level when you choose the College of Fools, you may select one creature to be your Hero. This creature does not need to be willing (and often isn’t). You may choose to replace your Hero with a new creature whenever you gain a bard level, or when your current hero dies.
When your Hero rolls a Bardic Inspiration die from you, they may roll two dice of that type and choose which value to add to the roll.
Taunt
Also at 3rd level, you learn to frustrate an opponent into making rash decisions. By expending a use of Bardic Inspiration, you may force a target creature that you can see and that can see or hear you to attack you at its next opportunity, moving to do so if necessary. The creature has disadvantage on attack and damage rolls made against you until your next turn. The creature will not put itself into obvious harm, nor will it choose to provoke Opportunity Attacks. It may drop or stow a melee weapon in order to make a ranged attack. The GM is the final arbiter of what the creature does and does not do to attack you. Once the creature has made an attack roll against you, it can act normally.
If the chosen creature cannot affect you physically or cannot attack you for any reason, then this feature immediately ends. A creature may only be affected by a single use of this feature; if it is affected by a second use, the effects of the first use end.
Envigoring Sidekick
At 6th level, when your hero benefits from your Sidekick feature, if they choose the lower value (or either if they are tied), they immediately heal that many Hit Points in addition to adding the value to their roll normally.
Stumbling Taunt
Also at 6th level, when a creature that is affected by your Taunt feature misses you with an attack, it becomes Prone.
Valued Sidekick
At 14th level, when your Hero rolls the two dice gained by your Sidekick feature, you heal a number of Hit Points equal to the value of the die not chosen.
Mass Taunt
When you use your Taunt feature, you may affect a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier
College of Sirens (Manunukso)
The bards of this college emulate the myriad tales of engkanto and sirens luring poor fools astray. These mesmerizing minstrels are certainly touched by the Feywild and are able to sway the hearts and minds of those who are enraptured by their songs. Such enchanters can be found hypnotizing patrons of a tea house, manipulating bands of weak-minded bandits, or luring the unwary into their clutches.
College of Sirens Features
Fey Secrets
At 3rd level, when you choose the Silver Road, you may learn a cantrip from any class, including this one.
The chosen spell counts as a bard spell for you and is included in the number in the Spells Known column of the Bard table.
Skilled Performer
Also at 3rd level, your performances become sublime. You have advantage on all Performance skill checks.
Otherworldly Prowess
At 6th level, you gain a feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
Enchanter
Also at 6th level, as a bonus action, when you cast an enchantment spell, you may expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to give all target creatures disadvantage on any saving throw that the spell causes them to take.
Siren’s Call
At 14th level, you may use your action to expend a use of Bardic Inspiration to target a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see and that can hear and see you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against a DC of 10 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier. If the save fails, they become Charmed by you as long as you maintain concentration.
You may only have one creature Charmed by this feature at a time. If you use this feature while you already have another creature charmed, the first creature is no longer charmed.
Legal Information Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively known as the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD5”) is granted solely through the use of the Open Gaming License, Version 1.0a. This material is being released using the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a and you should read and understand the terms of that license before using this material. The text of the Open Gaming License itself is not Open Game Content. Instructions on using the License are provided within the License itself. The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster Manual, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, d20 (when used as a trademark), Forgotten Realms, Faerûn, proper names (including those used in the names of spells or items), places, Underdark, Red Wizard of Thay, the City of Union, Heroic Domains of Ysgard, EverChanging Chaos of Limbo, Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Tarterian Depths of Carceri, Gray Waste of Hades, Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, Nine Hells of Baator, Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, Twin Paradises of Bytopia, Blessed Fields of Elysium, Wilderness of the Beastlands, Olympian Glades of Arborea, Concordant Domain of the Outlands, Sigil, Lady of Pain, Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, beholder, gauth, carrion crawler, tanar’ri, baatezu, displacer beast, githyanki, githzerai, mind flayer, illithid, umber hulk, yuan-ti. All of the rest of the SRD5 is Open Game Content as described in Section 1(d) of the License. The terms of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a are as follows: OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. 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Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. END OF LICENSE
Cultures: Tigayon Tribes
This is a new series of articles that will discuss various ethnolinguistic groups within Bukana and beyond. An ethnolinguistic group is an umbrella term for a number of tribes that are joined together by common language and traditions. For instance, today we are looking at the Tigayon. This is a term that may or may not be used by members of this culture to describe themselves. Many “Tigayon” would instead refer to themselves by their specific tribal name, without acknowledging any relation to another Tigayon-speaking tribe. Players are encouraged to work with GMs to come up with a character’s tribe and think about how they relate to other nearby tribes. We have recently discussed how we intend to handle “racial” stats in Bukana, by using Cultural and Tribal feats that are not tied to any particular ancestry (race) or bloodline (subrace).
Tigayon Archer
You may remember this brave warrior from our one of our very first articles.
The Tigayon-speaking tribes hail from the northeastern islands. They are a lowland people who have been heavily influenced by regular contact with Bhodan. Like the Lampasigan, they have many large, cosmopolitan ports and rely heavily on foreign trade. As such, they are a gregarious people with whom many merchants prefer to have their dealings. Similarly, they also have a well-established warrior-caste called the Timawa. However, their military duties have largely become ceremonial, as a whole. The Tigayon language has made many contributions to the Bukanese Common trade tongue and speakers of these languages can convey simple ideas to each other with some difficulty.
The Pahli-cha religion has found fertile ground amongst these people, but outside of the Anggrephon Rajahnate, its practitioners are a minority. Their native religion focuses on duality and balance. They pray to many spirits, but their gods are split evenly between courts of the Sky- and Under-Realms. Each of these dual pantheons is ruled by a pair of deities. These powerful spirits often have both male and female aspects to them found throughout the teachings of the Tigayon.
The married rulers of the Sky Court are Kusog and Lawom, supreme gods of the sky and sea, respectively. These deities are attended by Nagdan-ag, Landong, Walog, Naghunahuna, and Malumo. Their home is Kahilwayan, one of the highest among the Sky-Realms. The Tigayon also place a great deal of emphasis on venerating their ancestors and make regular sacrifices to these anitus.
The Under Court is ruled by the siblings Nagyelo and Nagdugok – purveyors of death and disease. They lord over Giya, Maloloy-on, Pagluwa, Nasuko, and Natago. Maloloy-on is the twin of Landong with whom she switched courts so that they could learn from each other. These dark spirits live in the Under-Realm of Kasakitan.
Tigayon (tribal feat)
Prerequisites: Starting character, can speak Tigayon, & either human ancestry or Bukanese Human Society feat
You are from one of the Tigayon-speaking tribes of the northeastern islands. You are well-versed in negotiations and have spent a great deal of time interacting with people of different cultures. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Charisma ability score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You have proficiency with the Negotiation* and Linguistic* skills.
- You have proficiency with the handaxe.
- You can speak, but not read or write, one additional language of your choice.
- You may add both your Intelligence and Charisma bonuses to your Negotiation and Linguistic skill checks.
*new skills to be previewed in a later article
Tigayon Pantheon
| Tigayon Courts | Alignment | Domain | Symbol | Worshippers |
| Kusog, supreme sky god | LG | Creation | Sun over waves | Noble-caste |
| Lawom, supreme sea god | CG | Creation | Sun over waves | Noble-caste |
| Nagdan-ag, the good sun | NG | Glory | Sun & Blade | Warrior-caste |
| Landong, the sinner moon | LE | Divination | Crescent moon | Penitents, paladins of rebirth |
| Walog, of the plains & valleys | LN | Agriculture | Row stalks | Farmers, travelers |
| Naghunahuna, watcher of streams & lakes | NG | Beauty, Divination | Winding snake | Diviners, artists |
| Malumo, keeper of happy homes | LG | Agriculture, Beauty | Grass hut | Commoners |
| Nagyelo, deathbringer | LE | Destruction | Human skull with fangs | Warriors, murderers |
| Nagdugok, diease speader | CE | Malice | Human skull with horns | Warlocks, poisoners |
| Giya, the ferryman | N | Divination | Boat | paid respect during funerals |
| Maloloy-on, the merciful | CG | Beauty | Human heart | Healers |
| Pagluwa, steward of volcanoes | NE | Destruction | Volcano | Smiths, Nature’s wrath druids |
| Nasuko, bringer of war | CE | Glory | Crossed sword & spear | Warriors, paladins of revenge |
| Natago, the protector of forbidden places | CN | Beauty, Malice | Moon behind cloud | Druids of mists, recluses, certain thieves |
Legal Information Permission to copy, modify and distribute the files collectively known as the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD5”) is granted solely through the use of the Open Gaming License, Version 1.0a. This material is being released using the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a and you should read and understand the terms of that license before using this material. The text of the Open Gaming License itself is not Open Game Content. Instructions on using the License are provided within the License itself. The following items are designated Product Identity, as defined in Section 1(e) of the Open Game License Version 1.0a, and are subject to the conditions set forth in Section 7 of the OGL, and are not Open Content: Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master, Monster Manual, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, d20 (when used as a trademark), Forgotten Realms, Faerûn, proper names (including those used in the names of spells or items), places, Underdark, Red Wizard of Thay, the City of Union, Heroic Domains of Ysgard, EverChanging Chaos of Limbo, Windswept Depths of Pandemonium, Infinite Layers of the Abyss, Tarterian Depths of Carceri, Gray Waste of Hades, Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, Nine Hells of Baator, Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus, Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, Twin Paradises of Bytopia, Blessed Fields of Elysium, Wilderness of the Beastlands, Olympian Glades of Arborea, Concordant Domain of the Outlands, Sigil, Lady of Pain, Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, beholder, gauth, carrion crawler, tanar’ri, baatezu, displacer beast, githyanki, githzerai, mind flayer, illithid, umber hulk, yuan-ti. All of the rest of the SRD5 is Open Game Content as described in Section 1(d) of the License. The terms of the Open Gaming License Version 1.0a are as follows: OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content; (b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” means product and product line names, logos and identifying marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters; stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents, language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses, formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas, likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments, creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects, logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos, names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor to identify itself or its products or the associated products contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor (g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy, edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. END OF LICENSE
New Rules: Cultural & Tribal Feats
Our Bukana game uses the Feat rules presented in the 5E Core Rules. Instead of being optional, as they are in that document, they are the standard for us, although we will present optional rules for NOT using them.
The portrayal of race has been a hotly debated topic in roleplaying games for years for obvious reasons. The mere use of the term “race” to designate members of different species and the assignment of predetermined ability score modifiers has been extremely problematic. While this practice is largely baked into most early games (especially Dungeons & Dragons), today many of us bristle when anyone states that all ___ are good at ___. Although negative racial ability modifiers have been removed from 5e, is it any better to say that “all Elves are dextrous?” Even if you establish that the unique physiology of elves allowed for fast reflexes and manual dexterity, aren’t adventurers supposed to be exceptional characters? Fifth Edition makes numerous allowances for customizing characters, especially with GM approval. However, Secret Garden Games wants to make our games more inherently open to building unique character origins.
So we introduce to you our Cultural and Tribal feat system. Here, we boil down each Ancestry (race) to a couple of traits that are inherent to their physiology such as darkvision, resistances, and unique movement speeds. These are supplemented by two feat slots which must be used to select a Cultural Feat and a Tribal Feat. These special feat types can only be chosen during character creation, so have a prerequisite of “Starting character.” Beyond that, cultural feats generally only require the ability to speak the appropriate language of the culture, so if an elf wanted to take the Dwarf Society cultural feat, they would only need to be able to speak Dwarfish. The tribal feats are a bit less straightforward, These have prerequisites of a bloodline (subrace) OR an associated cultural feat. For instance, the Dalaketnon tribal feat requires that the PC is either a Bane Elf or has taken the Elven Society feat. For those who want to make characters that balk at societal norms or who are from a less populous culture, fear not, because there are “build-your-own” cultural and tribal feats. These sacrifice benefits for versatility, but are perfect for those players who don’t let others’ expectations determine their destiny.
Let’s look at some examples. Here are the Dwarf and Elf entries in our Player’s Guide:
Dwarf Traits
Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven physiology.
Age. Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.
Size. Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
Darkvision. Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have
resistance against poison damage.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write two languages. These are often dwarvish and common. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.
Culture Feat. You gain one cultural feat of your choice (see “Feats”) that you meet the prerequisites for. The Dwarven Society feat represents common training of people that have been raised in the ancient traditions of the dwarves.
Bloodline. Dwarves of Bukana usually belong to one of two playable bloodlines: Blood Dwarves and Terrace Dwarves. You may choose one of these bloodlines. You gain one tribal feat of your choice (see “Feats”) that you meet the prerequisites for. The Sagay and Calanget feats represent common training developed by those who have embraced the traditions of the blood and terrace dwarves, respectively.
Elf Traits
Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities.
Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven
understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.
Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write two languages of your choice. Frequently these are elvish and common. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.
Culture Feat. You gain one cultural feat of your choice (see “Feats”) that you meet the prerequisites for. The Elven Society feat represents common training of people that have been raised in the ancient traditions of the elves.
Bloodline. Most elves of Bukana belong to one of our playable bloodlines: spirit elves, bane elves, whistling elves, & fire elves. You may choose one of these bloodlines. You gain one tribal feat of your choice (see “Feats”) that you meet the prerequisites for. The Mahomanay, Tamahling, Dalaketnon, Palasekan, and Jinn feats represent common training developed by those who have embraced these traditions.
Here are the cultural feats associated with the overarching traditions of the dwarves and elves:
Dwarven Society (cultural)
Prerequisites: Starting character and can speak Dwarfish
The societies of dwarves focus on hard work, stringent laws, and rigorous training in both craft and war. A deeply ingrained sense of heritage and justice creates a tendency toward Lawful alignments. You have been conditioned to think before you act and to move methodically. Your base walking speed is reduced by 5 feet, to a minimum of 25 feet. However, you gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Constitution score by 2, to a maximum of 20.
- You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.
- You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.
- Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Elven Society (cultural)
Prerequisites: Starting character and can speak elvish
Grace and fluid movements are valued by elven cultures. Furthermore, you are trained to hone your mind so that you may truly enjoy the myriad forms that magic and beauty take. Elven cultures usually place little value on rules and encourage their people to follow their hearts in all things, so Chaotic alignments are common. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Dexterity increases by 2, to a maximum of 20.
- You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
- You don’t need to sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that others do from 8 hours of sleep.
- Magic can’t put you to sleep.
Here is a selection of tribal feats for dwarves and elves:
Dalaketnon (tribal)
Prerequisite: Starting character and either bane elf bloodline or Elven Society feat
You have trained in the witch courts of Dalakit City with its dark masters. The treacherous politics of the bane elves follow few rules and rarely reward kindness, so Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil, and Neutral Evil are prevalent alignments among the Dalaketnon. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Charisma score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the dagger, short sword, and hand crossbow.
- You gain proficiency with one of the following tools: Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit, Poisoner’s Kit, or a Musical Instrument of your choice.
- You know one cantrip of your choice from the warlock spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
Jinn (tribal)
Prerequisites: Starting character and either fire elf bloodline or Elven Society feat
You have been raised in the ways of the fire elves. You are touched by the burning essence of your faroff homeland. Chaotic alignments appeal to people of this tribe, like moths to a flickering flame. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Constitution score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the scimitar.
- You gain proficiency with Acrobatics and Survival.
- You have resistance to fire damage.
Sagay (tribal)
Prerequisites: Starting character and either blood dwarf bloodline or Dwarven Society feat
Decades of intense labor has imbued you with a strong physique. Your people forge the finest metal armor and weapons in Bukana. Toil in dangerous environments and belief in harsh justice make Lawful Neutral and Lawful Evil common alignments. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Strength score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You have proficiency with all armor and shields.
- You have proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice.
- You can see in dim light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. If you have the Darkvision feature from another source, its range increases by 60 feet, to a maximum of 120 feet.
Calanget (tribal)
Prerequisites: Starting character and either terrace dwarf bloodline or Dwarven Society feat
The Calanget are engineering experts. Furthermore, they rely much more heavily on trade with outsiders than other dwarven clans. This interaction promotes compassion and understanding, so they lean toward Lawful Good, Neutral Good, and Lawful Neutral alignments. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Intelligence increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with one artisan tool of your choice.
- You gain proficiency with light armor and shields.
- Choose up to two of your artisan tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check that you make that uses either of these two proficiencies.
- You can speak, but not read or write, one additional language of your choice.
With this handful of options alone, you could create a wide range of character origins. For instance, if you want to play a bane elf, you could play an archetypical Dalaketnon, who has spent their entire lives in cutthroat intrigue with the Elven Society and Dalaketnon feats. Alternately, you could have been captured by blood dwarves and raised as one of their own by taking the Dwarven Society and Sagay feats. Or perhaps you are a member of a minority community of Dalaketnon who live within a Calanget community, you could take the Dwarven Society feat, but then choose to take the Dalaketnon tribal feat to show that while you are part of the larger Calanget culture, you still maintain many of your traditional ways.
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Bukana Illustrated: Mariner & Warrior-Caste Backgrounds
In this installment of Art of Bukana, we introduce Gladys Domalaon. This very talented artist comes to us from Luzon. We found her work on Instagram and were very impressed with her Hiraya project, in which she illustrated numerous creatures of Philippine myth. Her style and imagination had us reach out to her immediately.
Luckily she was available, so we put her right to work on two of our brand new Backgrounds, the Mariner and Warrior-Caste. Being an archipelago populated by intrepid seafaring tribes, the mariner can be chosen to represent all manner of folk who are at home on the waves, from pirates and foreign sea captains to humble fishers and guides. This fellow is a Sangibu deckhand on an armed merchant ship sailing out of the Amethyst Sultanates.
Like the maharlika of the Tagalogs or the timawa of the Visayans, many Bukanese cultures have proud warrior traditions. This Lampasigan maharlika is a minor noble of a coastal tribe on Panabas Island.
You’re going to see a lot more of Gladys’ work since we have decided to let her bring our character options to life. Meet us back here next month to see our vision for the merfolk bloodlines.
Lessons: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything
When I heard that WotC was putting out an expansion that offered some remedies for their troublesome take on Races, I knew that I needed to see their solutions since we would be making our own corrections on the system. Therefore, I immediately bought it when it went on sale yesterday. What they offered was an OK set of optional rules to patch up what they did in their PHB. Seeing what they did, I feel confident that our system will be better, and will still allow you to make the folks that you know and love. We will largely accomplish this through Feats, many of which will have appropriate Prerequisites so that they can’t be abused by minmaxers. I don’t want to go into what we’re working on until all of the Ancestries are done and the Rules Duwende have had at least a chance to look at them. The one thing that I took away from TCoE was their lackluster “generic origin.” It didn’t seem particularly good or to offer many options, but it did make think of offering something similar. Let us know if you have strong opinions one way or the other on that one.
Something in Tasha’s Cauldron that had more of an effect on how I viewed our offerings was their system of Class options. Many of these were simply additions to spell lists and patching oversights like allowing a Bardic Inspiration Die to add to spell damage and healing – something we were going to include anyway. They also put in a rule for most, if not all, classes that allowed you to swap out some character choice when you hit Ability Increase levels. We were going to have a generic rule that’s even more generous, so nothing earthshattering there, either. However, it’s where we see the straight-up additional Class features that raised an eyebrow. We were already looking to give some classes a bit more oompf through Sub-class features, but these addenda provide us with an exemplar to which we can compare the changes that we made. The fact that some changes, like the Barbarian’s start earlier than some of our Barbarian subs. For instance, this makes me think that even though our Path of the Moon-Eaters offers awesome high level features, maybe we should even the boosts out from the beginning. The first of our Beta Rule articles were slated for this Friday and this may push that back to next week. Stay tuned.
World of Bukana: Pahli-Cha, the Puzzle-Walk
Pahli is the Bhodhani god of mazes, secrets, and enigmas. In that far-off land, they are but a single minor divinity amongst a multitude of gods. However, in the last several centuries, their worship has transcended that pantheon and has now spread out from the continent, forming its own, separate religion. Pahli-Cha (the Puzzle Walk) has made inroads throughout the region and has become the dominant religion in a number of smaller nations.
The Pahli-Cha holds that mortal existence is a maze at whose center can be found Balance or enlightenment. Their teachings claim that there are a number of paths leading to the center. Travelers along each of these routes are guided by one of the Asura – demi-gods created by Pahli to assist mortals through the maze via one of the Six Sacred Endeavors. Usually referred to simply as “Paths,” they represent what the teachings claim to be those mortal struggles that can lead one to join Pahli in the Sky-Realm as one of their Enlightened Exarchs. It is not expected of mortals to have but a single attempt at Balance. A soul set along one of the Paths is in a cycle of birth, learning, death, and rebirth, reincarnating until they reach enlightenment.
The Pahli-Cha religion is largely administered through a loose-knit clergy as well as individual “wise ones” who are said to be those farthest along their paths to Balance and act as mentors. Temples are built by communities of the faith, particularly those led by wealthy nobles. These structures often house not only mazes, but vast libraries, gardens, conservatories, and laboratories. In Bukana, the northern nation of Anggrepohon has declared Pahli-Cha its national religion after the great Raja, Tanggul Maj I converted over two centuries ago. His descendents of the Matahari Dynasty still rule today and have created a number of magnificent temple mazes and compounds. Smaller communities of puzzle-walkers exist throughout the archipelago and their numbers seem to be on the rise.
The Master of Mazes is represented as a humanoid standing in the Ibis-stance wearing a simple loin cloth. They are a hermaphroditic entity, depicted as having three faces: masculine with generally dwarf-like features (Baho), feminine elven (Ahn) , and a hooded face believed to be of neuter or fluid aspect (Ceneli). Each is bald and has a third eye in the middle of their forehead. Baho faces to the right, Ahn is central, and Cenali is to the left. Each aspect represents one of the three Great Ages; as these ages advance, the orientation of the faces change. The oldest Pahli carvings place Baho in the middle. Ahn was facing to the left and wore a loose veil. As the Age of Settling ended some one-thousand years ago, the deity’s images changed to its current form. The wise ones say that once the current Age of Seeing comes to an end, Cenali will reveal themselves and usher in a new, unknown time. Pahli has six arms with each holding an item that represents the Six Sacred Endeavors. The positioning of the specific items is one of the few regional variations observed in the depictions of the god. Their bare chest is featureless save for a series of intricate, maze-like tattoos.
Native adherents to the Pahli-Cha in Bukana are largely human or orang utan. Foreign puzzle-walkers are quite numerous though, with elves and vanara well represented. Outside of the islands, the pious often shave their heads completely or leave a braided queue of varying length. Indigenous Bukanans often leave a long ponytail instead, thereby marrying local and outside customs. Head and chest tattoos are quite common amongst these practitioners; they usually use styles emulating those of their patron. Puzzle-walkers tend to dress simply, sometimes going bare-chested when conditions allow.
The Asura and their Sacred Endeavors are listed below:
| Asura Guide | Alignment | Path | Domain | Symbol | Worshippers |
| Garima, trainer of body & mind | N | Sacred Vessel | Glory | Clenched Fist | Warriors, Monks |
| Bora, curator of knowledge | N | Sacred Truth | Divination | Rolled Scroll | Bards, Historians |
| Indah, singer of beauty & love | CN | Sacred Soul | Beauty | Paint Brush | Artists, Bards |
| Ambhom, navigator of the stars | LN | Sacred Sky | Divination | Sextant | Sailors, Astrologers |
| Nuveena, parent of home & community | NG | Sacred Tribe | Agriculture | Hammer | Builders, Healers |
| Opame, keeper of magical power | NE | Sacred Power | Destruction | Broma Hand-Sign Aflame | Wizards, Mathematicians |
Bukana Illustrated: Pongos
So we’re going to take a lookar a new Ancestry (race) available to players along with its two Bloodlines (subraces): the Pongos.
In brief, the Pongo ancestry is composed of species with ape- or monkey-like features. That’s it. I’m sure that once we explore other regions of our world, we’ll have plenty more bloodlines, but in Bukana, there are two commonly found bloodlines of the pongo.
We talk a lot about how Bukana is inspired by the Philippines, but the truth is that regions of it are also inspired by Indonesia and other nearby islands. That includes Borneo. I’m sure that you are all familiar with orangutans, but if you aren’t, here are some pictures of the highly intelligent and adorable apes:
The name Orangutan comes from the native Malay term “Orang Hutan,” literally “People of the Forest.” They apparently considered to be people and orangutan skulls have been found along with humans’ in headhunting tribes’ collections, further suggesting that they were seen as at least near-equals by locals. In Bukana, they definitely are people and have similar intellects to humans and other intelligent races. They are also more upright. We enlisted the help of Endless Studios out of Indonesia to help bring these people to life. An Orangutan ranger:
Although not native to the Bukanese islands, the Vanara have traveled to the archipelago in droves to seek adventure and enlightenment. The Vanara hail from the land of Bhodan that is inspired by South Asia. The name comes from the forest-dwelling monkey people that appear in the Hindu epic: Ramayana. Like the many artistic renditions of those people, we base ours on humanoids macaque monkeys, seen here:
To test our the concept, we had artist Darwind from India illustrate a Vanara Bard for an upcoming SRD Apocrypha article on the Bardic College of Lore:
You’re going to see a lot more Pongos in our setting. In fact, next week see how artist Ash Ben incorporated the Orangutan in to a action piece, including concept work.