Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Content

Greetings Readers!

Starting today, with the first strip of Chapter 4 of A Chronicle of Thieves, Chronicle will officially be making the move to providing Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition content.

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If you followed us in the past, you may have seen content produced for Pathfinder and wonder why we made the move to Dungeons & Dragons and specifically 5e. The truth is that Dungeons & Dragons has always been the rule system of Chronicle. It began as an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign and evolved into a 3rd Edition campaign. Pathfinder, in my eyes, was always seen as an extension of D&D especially when I found it hard to convert my already written content to 4th Edition. That being said, I don’t have that problem with 5th Edition, as I find it easy to create and convert content for 5e.

So, what can you expect from the D&D content? Well, each week there will be some piece of game material that accompanies the strip. It may be a stat block for a cast character, NPC or monster, it may be a new subclass or subrace, it may be a new magic item, or it might even be a one-page encounter.

This week, we’re starting off with something basic, the Brotherhood Guards. These guards bring a bit of muscle to back the investigators of the Ebon Path like Algernon.

These will all be collected under our The World of Chronicle section. If you have ideas for the types of content you would like to see, feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think.

We’ll see you next week with our first cast member stat block for Kereth!

The Chronicler Returns.

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A familiar face walks in and sits down next to the fire. This face is older, with a few more lines and a bit more greying at the temples and in the beard, but it is him. How can this be? He disappeared almost two years ago! Some say he died, some say he burned out and walked away, and some say that he has been imprisoned in a troll’s den these past months. Whatever the case, he has appeared again, ready to continue his story and tell new ones.

He looks over at you and says, “Now then, where did I leave off.”

Your eyes are not deceiving you! This is a brand new post in the The Chronicler’s Notes! I have been gone for some time and have a lot of catching up to do but I am indeed back and ready to get back to it.

First off, let me say thank you to all of you who waited patiently and supported me while I was away. I never stopped thinking and writing about Chronicle, but life got in the way of producing a weekly comic strip. Let me answer a couple of questions.

So, what specifically happened?

Well, lots of life changes. The first was that I got a new job (again) that required a lot of focus as I got into the groove there. My children started school and suddenly we had homework, Cub Scouts, and piano lessons at night! Finally, there was my health. I was finding it harder and harder to stay awake at night to even be able to work on Chronicle. I would literally fall asleep with my stylus in my hand and wake up two hours later with no progress to speak of.

So, what changed?

The good news is that most of this has righted itself. My new job is great and I have lots of co-workers who support my comic. My kids are getting older and becoming more self-sufficient. They’ve also figured out that I’m a comic artist and want me to draw more. My health - well, I’m losing weight and have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I’m getting it under control, but there’s still a ways to go.

I started writing for Meeple Mountain, a tabletop gaming news site and that stirred the creativity a bit. Go give them some love, they helped me get back on track and are great people.

Also, I just got back from GaryCon XI where I was able to talk to so many wonderful people about my work and they were genuinely interested and wanted to check it out. With that kind of energy boost, now is the time to get back into it.

So, what can you expect from Chronicle?

  • First, weekly strips as often as possible. I can’t guarantee there won’t be a gap, but there won’t be another hiatus if I can help it.

  • Second, I really want to put out more of the RPG material that I’ve written for Chronicle. I have converted most of it to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition and want to share that with people.

  • Third, new stories! I have a few ideas for Chronicle stories outside of The Chronicle of Thieves. Which leads us to the big one…

  • Chronicle turns 20 years old this year! This all started out as a self-published comic book back in 1999 and has been building ever since! To celebrate, there will be some 20th anniversary material showcasing Chronicle’s roots. More to come on that down the road.

Starting today, there will be a new strip each week and it will begin with the “lost last strip of Chapter 3.”
I actually drew this last strip before I headed off to interview for my new job and I never got around to publishing. That was quite the cliffhanger to leave you guys with!

Come back again next week for an all-new Chronicle strip with some surprise guests!

See you then…

THAN

The Chronicler's Notes - Name That Rogue Contest! - March 10th, 2014

Welcome to another week at Chronicle!

Last week's strip had 25 Rogues in it!  I had a lot of fun drawing it and putting in some of the scoundrels and thieves that have influenced my characters over the years.  To commemorate, I'm launching Chronicle's first contest:

NAME THAT ROGUE!

All you have to do is click on this CONTEST LINK and name as many rogues as you can (the two Chronicle characters appear multiple times, you only have to name them once each) and leave your name, address, and email.*  The person with the most correct names wins! In the event of a tie, a winner will be randomly selected.

This contest will run for one (1) week.  All entries must be submitted by March 16th, 2014.

The winner will be announced next week in the March 17th Chronicler's Notes.

THE PRIZE

A full color commissioned drawing of any one(1) character of your choice**.  It can be your own or someone else's.  The drawing will be done digitally and then printed on 8" x 10" bristol board suitable for framing.  I will then sign it personally and send it to the winner!

* Contact information will only be used to communicate with the winner and not sold or distributed in any way.
** Commission requests must be no worse than PG in nature.

Character Codex Round 3 - Dwarf Fighter, Monk, and Paladin

Welcome to Round 3 of the Chronicle Character Codex!  We're still making our way through all 77 race/class combinations in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.  If you've missed any of them check out the full gallery.

As always, two quick things before we start.  First, check out the Chronicle comic!  It updates every Thursday, so come back tomorrow for a new strip!  This week's is a lot of fun with 25 characters in it!  So come back and take a look.

Also, if you like what you see and you want your own character drawn, I'm running a sale on Character Sketches.  I also draw other characters besides fantasy, so if you've got a superhero, sci-fi adventurer, supernatural detective, or anything else, I'll be glad to draw it too.

Now on to the Codex!

First up is the Dwarf Fighter.  This guy is an update of a character from the original Chronicle comic book from back in the day. He has the fantastic name, Thorak Doomhammer and is a loyal companion (if the gold is good!)  The original Thorak didn't actually have armor in his design so I added in the chain shirt and greaves to bump up his AC.  

 

 

Dwarf Monk

Dwarf Monk

Finally, we have the Dwarf Paladin.  In Chronicle, the majority of dwarves have given up their warrior ways, choosing labor and craftsmanship over combat.  Their god, Jax, blesses this craftsmanship but seeks only true warriors to be his paladins.  This older dwarf is one of the select few and has seen many battles before being honored as a Paladin.  The symbol on his sword's pommel and his belt buckle is the rune for the letter J, for Jax.  His armor's (along with the Dwarf Cleric's armor's) colors (gold and black) are Jax's colors as well.

Dwarf Fighter

Dwarf Fighter

Next up is the Dwarf Monk.  I'm super pleased with how she turned out considering I had a hard time deciding what an eastern style, female dwarf would look like.  Sporting a straw hat, simple kimono-style robes, and a the two-toed sandal, she bears the simplicity of a follower of Vrae, the Chronicle god of Truth, Wisdom, and Discipline.

Dwarf Paladin

Dwarf Paladin

That's it for this week!  Next week, we head into mountains and the cities with the Dwarf Ranger and Dwarf Rogue.

If you enjoyed this, please Like, Share, Retweet this page on the social media site of your choice.

The Chronicler's Notes - New Schedule - Tuesday, March 4th, 2014

Hey everyone!

Dwarf Monk (Rough Sketch)

Dwarf Monk (Rough Sketch)

We're back after a bit of a freeze!  I hope you enjoyed the Elsa Sketch.  I had fun drawing it and i'm going to start adding some non-Chronicle related material to the galleries.  But, more on that in a second.

We had another 1000+ page views last week for the Character Codex!  This thing is picking up steam, so I've decided to give it its own spot on the weekly schedule.  It is now officially going to update on Wednesdays.  This week's a Triple Header with the Dwarf Fighter (male), the Dwarf Monk (female), and the Dwarf Paladin (male).  So, make sure to check back tomorrow to see how they turned out!

With the Character Codex getting its own update that's going to change some things around.  Here's the new schedule:

Monday - The Chronicler's Notes - This blog.  News, essays, and appearances.

Tuesday - RPG Resources and World-Building - I'm combining these two categories because they're kinda the same.  I'll make sure to note when something is an RPG element and when something is a short story so readers don't wonder what Hit Points or Armor Class are!

Wednesday - Chronicle Character Codex.  We're marching our way through all of the traditional D&D style races and classes, using the Pathfinder Core Rulebook as basis.  Each week will have at least two (a male and a female) characters.  77 of them in all!

Thursday - Comic Update - The heart of Chronicle.  This week's strip is a can't miss!  There's 20+ characters in it and I had so much fun drawing it!

Friday - Gallery Work - This is what I was talking about earlier.  I'm going to start putting up some non-Chronicle related work to let you guys see what else I can do and let you see what inspires me as an artist.  So check back here to watch me spread my wings and branch out!

Still five days of content each week! I hope you can find something you like.  As always, if you do, then please leave a Tip in the Jar, buy a sketch (still on sale!), click an ad, or at least Share Chronicle on social media.

 

Thanks,

THAN