Tiptap (Patreon)

Greetings adventurers!

We were scrounging through the discarded piles of an inventor’s workshop when we came across this little metallic figure looking something like a crab with a crystal on top. I thought it was perhaps some measure of children’s toy, but sure enough it emitted magic. I would have stayed to examine it a bit longer, but the sound of an angry inventor and the approaching pitchforks and torches made it obvious that we were no longer welcome. I have no idea why Tiptap was discarded, but with a little touch of magic they spring to life and are happy to travel along with their new friend.

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Design notes from Matthew:

I’ve had this idea for something that acts as a remote casting device for awhile. Honestly it’s something that I think should be woven into sorcerer gameplay by default with a metamagic option, but that’s not for me to decide. Instead, I can make a cool little magic item that comes with the ability to do it anyways.

Really the idea was so simple that I knew it needed something else to make the item more interesting. That’s why I decided to go with a little cheerful bot like Tiptap to make the item exciting and fun while also giving some roleplay possibilities to it. I can absolutely see a party taking them on as a little mascot for the group. I also realized I could never let permanent harm befall this little critter, so I wanted to make sure it was reparable.

This is kind of how I like to approach simple items though. If it really only does one basic thing, well that’s okay. I also want to give it a splash of personality and something for the player to be excited about when they get it.

Illustration notes from Fernando:

We love designing frens, we can’t help ourselves.  A lot of our items end up pushing the boundary into “creatures” because we love to infuse everything we make full of character.

The description Matthew sent me for this one was a spiderling, or crab, I thought about making it a clockwork creature right away, I don’t know if it was the right or wrong choice but it sure as heck was the obvious one.

I added some gears and mechanisms at the bottom or make it more clock-worky, the joints on the leg make no sense to have those cog teeth, they are just there for aesthetic since nothing says clockwork like cogs and gears.

I revisited this one the next day and added some more details because initially it looked a little plain.  This is a good example of why it’s important to focus as much as possible on the under sketch/drawing as the final painting.

Anything that is as simple as something that lets you cast remotely should always have a bit of personality to it in some manner. I think that’s essential for creating inspiring items that get your players excited at the table. It’s a good reminder that an item doesn’t have to be extremely powerful, it can just offer options!

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Rewards for Patrons!

Kraken's Kohorts ($3 tier)

Kraken's Kompanions ($6 tier)

Kraken's Kollaborators ($10 Tier)

*Skitters away*,

- Fernando & Matthew