Haste 5e Strategies

If you’re looking for more speed, extra actions, and more defenses for your D&D 5e game, then the haste 5e spell must have caught your attention.


Haste is one of the game’s most iconic spells, from even the very first edition Dungeons and Dragons. Though the rules have changed slightly, nowadays, D&D’s haste 5e can give you an edge when battling monsters, allow you to escape dangerous situations, and give your teammates terrific mobility in key situations. Of all spells in any TTRPG, haste has to be one of my favorites, if for no other reason than how much fun it can be.


If you're ever playing a classless RPG (such as a system like Skyrim offers), then you know that haste is one spell that virtually everyone ends of choosing to enhance their character, at least by the end of the game.

 

So, want to know more about how haste 5e works in D&D, what classes can use the spell, when you can use it, or which scenarios the spell is most beneficial? Keep scrolling as I share with you how to maximize this great spell.

Eternity TTRPG Haste

How Haste 5e Works

The Haste 5e spell is a third-level transmutation spell. Transmutation spells cause changes in creatures’ physical properties, so if your wizard ally casts a haste spell on you, you’ll be remarkably fast, along with a host of other related benefits.

 

When casting haste 5e, you pick one willing creature that you can see within a 30-foot range. The speed of the target is then doubled. Apart from that, the target also enjoys a bonus +2 their AC, a dexterity saving throw advantage, and an extra action each turn as well, which the target can (only) use to hide, disengage, dash, use an object, or make one weapon attack.

 

Haste is a concentration spell, and lasts up to one minute. The spell also comes with a downside since when its effect ends, the target becomes exhausted and can’t take any further actions or move until their next turn.

 

What Classes Can Cast Haste?

Wizards, Sorcerers, and Artificers can all cast Haste 5e. Wizards and Sorcerers may learn the spell at fifth level, while Artificers have to wait a bit longer, and may only acquire the spell at ninth level. Several subclasses also have access to haste 5e though.


Ninth Level Subclasses: horizon walker rangers, oath of vengeance, and oath of glory paladins are all able to cast haste once they reach ninth level.


Thirteenth Level Subclasses: similarly, eldritch knights and arcane tricksters gain a third-level spell slot once they reach level 13, which they can use to acquire haste.


Fifteenth Level Subclasses: for blood hunters joining the order of the profane soul, haste becomes accessible at level 15.

Circle of the Lands Druids: this druid subclass is also able to cast the haste spell if they pick Grassland as their connection.

Rakdos Cultist

The only background that can offer the capacity to cast a haste spell is Rakdos Cultist. However, Rakdos Cultist is found in the Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica, which means that the campaign should be set in Ravnica to be legal for Adventurer’s League. Although for any other type of RPG campaign, most dungeon masters are likely to let it fly, regardless.


Characters with the Rakdos Cultist background should also make sure to have the Pact Magic class or a spellcasting capacity, too.


Rare Items

You can drink a Potion of Speed to get a one-minute haste effect that does not require concentration. However, this item is quite rare, so you shouldn’t count on always having one available during important moments of your campaign.


Speaking of rare items, there’s also the Infernal Machine of Lum the Mad, then the legendary weapon Blackrazor, which both allow players to caste the haste spell (though both also come with terrible risks).

D&D 5e Spell Card Decks

As a quick aside, if you haven't seen the spell cards they make for D&D now, they're worth checking out. If you're like me and my gaming group, you often have lengths of time where someone has to look up a spell's specific effect, which of course means piling rulebooks on the table. Normally, that's no big deal, but during a combat encounter - such as when you're actually using a spell like haste 5e - that can be a bit anti-climactic.


The D&D spell cards contain all the spell info you need to know for each class. When your players learn a new spell, just have them pick out that single card from the deck, and keep it next to their character sheet. Next time they need reminders on how to use it, they can quickly reference the spell without causing a hangup. Lastly, this particular bundle (if you want them all) will save you about $40 off the normal price for buying the spell cards separately.

How to Optimize the Haste 5e Spell

Since haste 5e comes with so many beneficial effects, there are actually numerous ways to optimize your use of the spell. Overall, I wouldn’t say that haste is necessarily a top-tier spell in D&D, so you really want to make sure when casting it that you are getting the most out of your efforts.


Buff Martial Classes

Compared to spellcasters, martial classes benefit much more from haste. Since you can’t use your additional action from haste 5e to cast a spell, haste’s offensive piece is basically wasted on a caster. Meanwhile, the melee brute or deadly ranger in your group actually benefit quite a bit from that extra attack per round that haste grants them.


Class-Specific Optimizations

Arcane tricker, eldritch knight, war mage, sword bard, or bladeslinger all have relatively low AC compared to other martial classes, yet still often find themselves on the front lines of any combat encounter. It’s a great idea if you’re playing one of these classes to get haste, as it not only increases your survivability and defense against area of effect spells, but also gives you more weapon attacks each turn.


Check out my post on some specific character ideas for your game that you might be able to fit in with a haste build. If you want to create a character or NPC based around a haste spell concept, that guide could be of some help for you.


Escort Missions

D&D is rife with quests where you need to protect someone during a journey, and let’s be honest – the ones you’re helping are usually pretty weak, and they’re often incapable in a fight. Thus, of course, why they hired your heroes in the first place.

When you get into any kind of battle during your escorting mission, protect important NPCs with haste, which of course gives them +2 AC, advantage on dexterity saving throws, and enough bonus on movement that they should be able to reposition themselves away from the main danger to stay relatively safe.


Of course, haste can come in handy for any number of quests and encounters. If you want to use it more in your game and need some ideas, check out these awesome D&D Quest Ideas for inspiration.


Insane Movement with Dash

In any situation where you or your ally wants to become faster and more evasive, haste is a good spell to cast. Hasted characters obviously get double movement speed, but they can also use their extra action for the turn to dash, which also doubles your movement speed for the turn. Most characters start with a speed of 30 feet, so dashing while hasted actually quadruples your speed to 120 feet (which is pretty insane).


Avoid TPKs

Worst-case scenario, the wizard in your group who's able to cast haste can probably survive most TPKs in D&D. So long as one person in your group survives (and your party's high enough level to afford such things), they can run back to town, and find a way to eventually resurrect everyone else. Since a hasted team member has extra defenses, and probably enough movement speed to outrun any danger, they can act as your last line of defense against a total party wipe.

Haste 5e

The Downsides of Haste 5e

Haste can be useful in terms of mobility and defense, but it’s also received some criticism from the D&D community, and for good reason. In the right situations, I still feel that haste 5e has its place, and so long as you use it in the situations provided above (or something similar), you should be fine. But to be honest, spells like Bless 5e actually have much more overall utility. Here’s why:


Losing Concentration is a Major Negative

The single biggest drawback to haste is the negative effect for losing concentration. According to the Player’s Handbook, after the haste spell ends, the spell’s target can’t move or take any action until after their next turn.


Honestly, concentration spells are kind of bad enough because:

  1. Each character can only maintain one spell at a time.
  2. And whenever you’re attacked while maintaining a spell, you have a chance to lose concentration of that spell, and thereby also lose its benefits.


However, with haste, two party members suffer the consequences of a failed concentration save, as the target character also loses an entire turn on top of the spell’s effects being lost. That’s pretty bad. Bad enough in many cases that it’s actually not even worth casting haste on someone to begin with, if you think there’s any chance at all that you might fail a concentration save.


Phantom Steed for Movement

There are also other several lower-level spells that provide the same benefits as haste, just broken up into separate effects. Phantom steed, for example, gives the target a speed of 100 feet (replacing that character’s normal speed value), meaning that phantom steed actually gives a substantially better movement speed boost than haste does, for most characters.


If the phantom steed is attacked, it fades, true, but most monsters won’t waste their time attacking the summon from a 1st-level spell slot. So, at least as far as movement speed goes, haste is definitely not the overall best option, even though it’s a 3rd-level spell.


Raw Damage from Spells like Fireball

Haste’s bonus attack that it gives is definitely nice for warrior-type classes, but when it comes to damage output, there are many better options. Haste takes 1 action to cast, and gives bonus damage over time. As an alternative, fireball, for example – also a 3rd-level spell – also takes 1 action to cast, but provides much, much greater damage, and right away.


Getting Silenced

It probably goes without saying, but haste has a verbal component to its spell casting requirements. So, if you get silenced, haste is a no-go for you, either for casting or maintaining it. As such, you simply need to be aware of enemies who can cast silence, and have countermeasures in place - if you plan to be successfully casting haste a lot, this is.

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Haste vs. Slow

Haste 5e and slow 5e are two sides of the same coin as slow produces effects opposite to haste. Instead of getting +2 AC, targets of slow have a -2 AC. Affected creatures can also only take an action or a bonus action each round, but not both, and they are not able to use reactions.


Slow also affects up to six creatures in range. However, the slow spell also requires a wisdom saving throw for it to initially hit, and gives affected targets an additional wisdom saving throw at the end of every round, to remove the effect. Meanwhile, the haste spell works automatically, given that you have solid concentration for the entire minute.

Rolling for Initiative 5e

Haste in D&D 5e vs. Eternity TTRPG

In D&D 5e, the haste spell provides several benefits that all emulate what may actually happen if a character suddenly sped up in time – at least, that’s how I think of it. The increased evasion (+2 AC), ability to quickly avoid area of effect attacks (advantage on dexterity saves), movement speed, and even an extra action per round.


In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, haste provides similar benefits, but is greatly simplified in terms of how it actually “works.” Of course, there are many games like DnD out there. In particular, I created haste in Eternity TTRPG to be more like what’s seen in the legendary video game, Final Fantasy Tactics, where the target of a haste spell simply gets to take their turn more often.   


Initiative in D&D 5e

Taking more actions in combat really brings up the topic of initiative, and taking turns in combat. The term “Static Initiative” when it comes to tabletop RPGs typically refers to the practice of using a set value for monster initiative, rather than rolling and adding a bonus for them. The reason dungeon masters do this is because it saves time at the start of combat from rolling for each and every monster. Meanwhile, when the players each roll for their initiative at the start of battle, that’s considered “Active Initiative.”


In my opinion though, the entire D&D system of initiative is, in fact, static. The reason? Simple. Each player rolls for initiative one time at the start of combat. After that, the order of who goes when is set in stone – more or less – making it static. It certainly isn’t dynamic, so let’s say that, if anyone disagrees.  

Initiative Tracker for Your Game

If you are going to use the basic D&D initiative tracking system (whether static or as-written), I've always found that it's great to have something visual to cue the players in my group.


When I'd first started dungeon mastering, I always just wrote players' initiative scores in my notebook, and let them know when it was their turn to go. However, nowadays, I let something fun and more engaging do the work for me, like this "sword" initiative tracker. Players seem to enjoy the aesthetic of the tracker, they're more easily able to tell when their turn's coming up, and it's just more fun than just keeping initiative in a notebook.

Initiative in Eternity TTRPG

In my opinion, one of the best game design elements of Eternity TTRPG, and the most innovative, is the use of a truly dynamic initiative tracker system.


In Eternity TTRPG, players roll for initiative at the start of every round of combat. Each round of combat, the players new initiative roll is added to their previous initiative value, creating an ever-increasing total. Then, players get to take a turn each time their total initiative passes certain thresholds (every multiple of 50 total initiative).


The system’s actually very intuitive (and easy to use, with the online initiative tracker), and results in some characters actually taking turns more often than other characters. The system makes initiative its own highly dynamic stat that allows for an incredible amount of strategy.


Haste in the Eternity TTRPG Game System

So, back to haste. In Eternity TTRPG, the haste spell gives targets a chance each turn to generate an additional turn (turns generated by haste can’t generate more haste turns). The reason this spell is so powerful is because it scales in value as the affected target’s initiative value increases.


Whereas haste is beneficial on a low-initiative target, still giving them extra actions every so often, the spell’s effect on a high-initiative target is multiplied so that they become a blur, sometimes taking 3-4 turns for every 1 turn that other characters end up taking.

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What Classes in Eternity TTRPG can Cast Haste?

Haste is decidedly a time magic spell, which falls within only the purview of the Archon (Eternity TTRPG Classes Expansion). However, there is also a relic called the Chronos Armlet which characters may equip to also gain the haste effect for themselves as an ongoing buff. The Chronos Armlet effectively makes the haste spell accessible for all characters and classes.


Archon – Core Class Spell

Haste (Magic): 4Range, after this spell has been cast, on every one of the target’s turns, roll d20. If they roll 18-20, the target gets to take an additional 1 Action at the end of the Round, after every other character has gone. An Action triggered from “Haste” cannot trigger another Action from “Haste.” Targets may not use any Wisdom during an Action gained from “Haste.” You can instead choose to continually maintain this spell for 3Inspiration, per target.

  • (Zenith) Whenever your target gets an additional Action from “Haste,” they also heal +1Wisdom. This critical allows affected targets to heal 1Wisdom above their normal max Wisdom. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 5Inspiration (and 0Wisdom), per target.
  • (Spells of True Weaving) Roll 16-20. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 6Inspiration (and 0Wisdom), per target.
  • (Chrono Mage) Also, up to 3 enemies in 4Range of your target, roll your +4Faith vs. Resilience. If this critical hits, on every one of each affected enemy’s turns, roll d20. If you roll 20, that target loses their turn. If the enemy is already affected by or becomes affected by “Slow,” this effect instead allows you to roll 1 lower to hit with that spell. This critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block. You can instead choose to continually maintain this critical for 2Intelligence (plus the base 3Inspiration, and 0Wisdom), per target.


Chronos Armlet – Relic

Note that relics come in three tiers of power, as shown for the Chronos Armlet, below. You may wear this relic in addition to the armor you already have equipped. “Chronos Armlet” cannot be used if you already have the “Haste” Spell maintained upon you.

Tier 1

4Range, on every one of your turns, roll d20. If you roll 19-20, take an additional 1 Action at the end of the Round, after every other character has gone. An Action triggered from “Chronos Armlet” cannot trigger another Action from “Chronos Armlet.” Targets may not use any Wisdom during an Action gained from “Chronos Armlet.” Wearing this relic requires that you use either 2Intelligence, 2Inspiration, or 1Intelligence and 1Inspiration.

Tier 2

4Range, on every one of your turns, roll d20. If you roll 18-20, take an additional 1 Action at the end of the Round, after every other character has gone. An Action triggered from “Chronos Armlet” cannot trigger another Action from “Chronos Armlet.” Targets may not use any Wisdom during an Action gained from “Chronos Armlet.” Wearing this relic requires that you use either 4Intelligence, 4Inspiration, or 2Intelligence and 2Inspiration.

Tier 3

4Range, on every one of your turns, roll d20. If you roll 16-20, take an additional 1 Action at the end of the Round, after every other character has gone. An Action triggered from “Chronos Armlet” cannot trigger another Action from “Chronos Armlet.” Targets may not use any Wisdom during an Action gained from “Chronos Armlet.” Wearing this relic requires that you use either 6Intelligence, 6Inspiration, or 3Intelligence and 3Inspiration.

Haste 5e for Melee Characters

Other Haste-Like Effects

Even though the haste spell, specifically, is only accessible by the Archon class, many other classes are able to buff both themselves and others with initiative-increasing effects. As described above, since initiative in Eternity TTRPG is dynamic, any initiative increase comes with the wonderful possibility of actually increasing a character’s number of turns – very similarly to the actual haste spell.


Here are some of the most prominent classes, spells, and abilities that provide initiative buffs in Eternity TTRPG.


Judge – Core Class Spell

Vigilance: 4Range, the target gains +3Initiative. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Ability for 3Inspiration, per target.

  • (Voice of the Realm) Also, up to 3 enemies in 2Range of your target, Strike Bonus vs. Resilience or, Faith vs. Resilience, gives all affected targets -3Initiative. This Critical effect cannot Double-Hit or give a Block.
  • (Shield of Order) Gives +7Initiative. You can instead choose to continually maintain this Critical for 7Inspiration (and 0Wisdom), per target.
  • (Swift Justice) Instant Action. When you use this Critical, you can’t use any more Wisdom this turn. 1turn Recharge.


Legionnaire – Specialization/ Critical Option

Superiority: up to 3 allies in 4Range, each move your respective Speed values -2 (rounded down). You (but not allies) can instead choose to move 2 spaces (regardless of current Speed value), if you prefer. 3turn Recharge.   

  • (Art of War) All affected allies also gain +7Initiative for 1turn.


Summoner – Specialization/ Critical Option

Eidolon (Magic): this Spell requires 2turns to cast, which do not need to be consecutive. You may “prepare” the first 1turn of this Spell even when no targets are in Range, then finish casting at any later time during the same battle that you’d like. You can only have one (1) summoner Spell “prepared” at any given time.

Up to 3 enemies in 4Range, -1Faith vs. Will, deals 1damage to all affected enemies.

           (Double-Hit): deals 2damage. You can only Double-Hit one target each time you cast this Spell.

  • (Enhanced Gateways) You also have +7Initiative while casting this Spell (for 2turns).
Haste 5e and Initiative

Counters to Haste in Eternity TTRPG

Haste may seem like it’s basically the best spell in the game since it not only provides characters with additional actions, but may even allow them to take more turns, overall, than their enemies.

 

However, the way that debuffs work in Eternity TTRPG – and especially damage over time effects – is that those effects either trigger, or have a chance to trigger, every time the target of the effect takes a turn. With a hasted character, since they’re probably taking far more turns than anyone else, they’re actually harmed quite a bit by debuffs.

 

So, if you’re fighting a difficult enemy who’s affected by haste, use some spell or ability on them that provides damage over time effects. Then, watch and laugh as all of their extra turns actually generate more damage to them than you could maybe ever do otherwise. With this simple counter, you can turn any high-initiative or hasted enemy into a liability for themselves.

 

Curious about the Eternity TTRPG Game System?

If you’ve read all this way and haven’t yet checked out Eternity TTRPG Game System yet, you may be very interested. What makes Eternity TTRPG different than other tabletop RPGs you’ve played?

 

Well, first off is the dynamic initiative system, which is wildly fun, and you just read about here. Second, Eternity is a multiple-game master system, meaning that everyone in the group may contribute as much (or as little) as they want to the game’s overall story, world, and more – all while playing their own character.

 

If you're curious about trying out a new TTRPG, check out the Eternity TTRPG Game System where you can learn more about how the game's played, races, classes, and a host of resources for getting started.

 

You can pick up an inexpensive PDF copy of Eternity TTRPG at the Eternity shop. We’re a small, family-owned company, with a game system and site that are beginning to get big. But, we’ll never get so big that your support won’t be greatly valued and appreciated. If you do decide to check out the game, let me know what you think! Happy gaming.

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Jacob Tegtman Eternity TTRPG Creator

Author - Jacob Tegtman

Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed this article. Tabletop gaming has been a passion of mine since I was 6 years old. I've played just about every game from Dungeons and Dragons to video games like Final Fantasy. These games have inspired me, made me laugh, made me cry, and brought me endless hours of enjoyment.


I started Eternity TTRPG - and the indie tabletop game that goes along with it (Eternity Shop) - to share my love of gaming with others. I believe that in our technology-driven age, tabletop games help bring a sense of magic and community back into our world.


If you love the site, please share it with others! I have lots of gaming-related material for you to peruse and use in your own gaming sessions. If you have any questions about the site or want to contribute, just send me a message using the "Contact" page, which you can find in the site's footer.

Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset RPG and Pen RPG

Interview with Game Designer Josiah Mork: Creator of Starset & PEN

By Jacob Tegtman • March 27, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9In5gaz65s8 Transcription Jacob Tegtman (00:01.848) Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, where we cover really everything tabletop gaming related, Dungeons and Dragons. Now we're finally jumping into some of my favorite topics, which is game design and getting to spend some time with great game designers up and coming, people who are established. And today we're interviewing Josiah Mork, who is the owner and lead designer for Hoodwink Gaming. So welcome to the show. Thanks for being part of the channel. Josiah (00:33.142) Thanks, it's my pleasure. Yeah, it's been great working with you on eternity and getting to swap ideas. So I'm really looking forward to being able to talk through some of that process with you. Jacob Tegtman (00:44.478) Awesome, Ben. Yeah, I've been looking forward to talking with you. We always have a lot of fun when we catch up. I think this will be a really good conversation. There's so many parts of your mini games that I've wanted to ask you about for really such a long time. And it always felt like we were working on some project or discussing something. But now I have a really good excuse to just nail you down for maybe about an hour-ish and hopefully die. Josiah (00:50.028) for sure. Josiah (01:04.972) There's always something. Jacob Tegtman (01:14.352) dive into what you've been doing and why you've made some of the decisions you've made, which I think are really interesting. I'm sure, yeah. So do you just want to maybe start by introducing yourself more, know, who you are, what you've done, and yeah, where you're going? Josiah (01:20.968) Yeah, well, hopefully I've got good answers for you. We'll see. Josiah (01:32.756) Yeah, absolutely. yeah, like you said, I'm Josiah. I'm from Michigan, living just out of DC now. I've been designing and playing board games since my early teen years, I guess I would say. I love creative writing and storytelling. That's just been an amazing way that I've found to connect with people. My actually my undergrad and my grad degrees were in communication and looking at how communication connects us and strategies and stuff behind it. And so I find a storytelling a really compelling way to do that. But before I had gotten into school and whatnot, you know, I was homeschooled. I was in late middle school and I was reading this cartoon. Maybe you are some of your viewers have seen it. Foxtrot comics. And there are some. Have you seen it? Highly recommend, highly recommend. It's really funny. But there are these two characters, they're really nerdy middle schoolers and they were playing Dungeons and Dragons in the comic. And I just thought that was the coolest thing. But my parents, know, I'm a Christian, my family's Christian, fairly conservative. And so my parents were more familiar with like the 80s, like D &D scare, very like Stranger Things season four. And so they were not really like, yeah, not really D &D fans. And so I was like, well, okay, I'll create my own. And that's how it all got started, you know? And then it was a great way to make friends in my Boy Scout troop. You know, we would play, would swap ideas, we would... Jacob Tegtman (02:51.202) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (02:55.042) Not too far ahead. Sure. Yeah, that's awesome. Jacob Tegtman (03:08.12) time. Josiah (03:09.972) you know, go on crazy adventures with rules that didn't quite work. And then over time, you know, I just realized that there were all of these cool avenues to explore and storytelling that D &D didn't necessarily do. And so I just felt really passionate that this is my way to connect with people and connect people with each other is through writing games. Jacob Tegtman (03:30.508) That's amazing, man. Yeah, it's funny, like the ways that we get into gaming too. Like you mentioned those comics. you ever see Dexter's Lab? Okay. Okay. Yeah, was probably a little bit before. Yeah. There was like an episode that was kind of based on Dungeons and Dragons and I saw it when I was like six and that's what got me into it as well. yeah. Josiah (03:39.616) Yeah, well, I've heard of it. Yeah, I've seen clips from it, yeah. Josiah (03:52.972) It's so funny how it seems like every show, know, Community, Gravity Falls, like, there are all these shows of every different genre, and they all have like a D &D episode for some reason. And I love it, you know, but it's so random. Jacob Tegtman (03:58.679) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (04:05.302) Yeah, like all of them. Me too. Yeah, it is. Yeah. I also like the takes that different shows have on like nerdy board games. I think was like Parks and Rec had, I forget what the game was called. Yeah, you remember it. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool, man. Josiah (04:20.81) The Cones of Dunshire, yeah. Love that, love those episodes. Jacob Tegtman (04:29.646) So I want to dive into really all of those things more, but what games do you currently have available then? And your website will post it in the show notes as well, but it is hoodwinkgaming.com for anybody who's interested. But yeah, tell us about some of your games. And again, I feel like I want to go into all of these in more detail, but yeah, give us the summary version at least for now. Josiah (04:55.05) Yeah, so it's a little deceptive at the moment. My original titles and kind of most of the games that I do are under the pen brand. So play easily now is the acronym. We have war game and role playing game. But actually neither of those are on the market at the moment. If you go to my website. Yeah, we've got a landing page for the war game and we've got a preview for the RPG. And I've actually I've got. Jacob Tegtman (05:12.95) really? I was actually, yeah, I was checking it out like yesterday, so. Josiah (05:24.422) know, prototypes of both of those here. But they are still in development because of various different reasons of wanting to refine some ideas or just kind of ended up having to move to other projects. So they're almost launch ready. But those are the ones that they're working on for the longest, just the newest editions aren't quite together yet. Jacob Tegtman (05:29.506) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (05:39.96) Yeah, nice. Jacob Tegtman (05:46.04) Very cool. Josiah (05:46.164) And then the one that I've been working on most recently, and that we actually have a new project launching next month for, is Star Set. So that's a grimdark survival-oriented tabletop role-playing game that we launched initially a couple years ago, and then just did a relaunch for the second edition for, which is much more crunchy, much more mechanical, and much more narrative-based. So really looking forward to building that out. Jacob Tegtman (06:14.542) That's exciting. Yeah, I can attest that game is great. I really enjoyed reading through it. Everything from the design of the book to the art to the way that you have, especially character building in that, I find super fascinating. You can just tell, yeah, the amount of attention to detail in there is like out of this world. It really feels like you guys... Josiah (06:27.148) Well, thank you. Josiah (06:34.966) haha Jacob Tegtman (06:38.478) You took the lore of the game and you baked it into every part of the game. Whereas I think a lot of games like, you know, we'll talk about D &D later. D &D is like the game that's everything. So it's like if it's in a fantasy book or movie or anything, like we'll just jam it into D &D somehow. And, you know, that kind of has its place, but for building characters and stuff, you know, like you don't, I don't know. It's supposed to be able to fit many different genres and you're Josiah (06:42.72) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (07:08.612) I think what's so cool about is that when you're playing Star set you're playing Star set Because from the very first thing you do with your character and their background and their skills even it's all based on the lore of this whole universe so Josiah (07:19.902) Mm-hmm. Well, I really appreciate that. mean, that's really the heart behind it when we were working on it is, we had a story that we wanted to tell and really created the universe to tell that story. And one of the things, you know, that I picked up studying communication is that, you know, we are attracted to details. And even if it's details that, we haven't necessarily experienced in our own lives. Jacob Tegtman (07:24.963) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (07:33.324) Yeah. Josiah (07:45.324) hearing vivid details or strong emotions in other people's stories lead us to be more connected with them. And so that was something that we really trying to flesh out in Star Set. hopefully, from the sound of it, it hopefully worked pretty well. Jacob Tegtman (08:00.352) I think so, yeah, absolutely. So, what do we talk about first, man? Like, what do you want to talk about first? Josiah (08:01.452) Thank you. Josiah (08:11.672) man, I could talk about games for hours and hours, so I better let you guide that conversation. Jacob Tegtman (08:14.944) You Okay, I just want to make sure we cover like the big things before we dive into the nitty gritty here. Yeah. Yeah. Josiah (08:24.332) Oh yeah, I mean, I kind of touched on, I guess I'll throw it out there. I'll throw it out there because it's really important to me and kind of the company into my story. you know, I really do, we're about to, you know, dig into the nitty gritty, like you said, and Dungeons and Dragons and all the different games that are out there. And I just think, you know, before whether you're a designer or a player, whenever you kind of step into a game, I think the most important thing and what's in the mission kind of a hoodwink that we try and do differently is that Jacob Tegtman (08:33.379) Yeah. Josiah (08:53.446) The games are just kind of an excuse. Really, the games are just an excuse to get together with people and to have FaceTime with people. And if working in social media has taught me anything, it's that people need that more than anything. And that's why we call it Hoodwink Games, because we kind of have all these substitutions. get hoodwinked into thinking that socializing is something that it's not. And really, it's just fellowshipping with people and joining community and FaceTime with people. and talking about the things that matter with people. And the way to do that from going from stranger to best friend is in my experience games. And so that's kind of the heart behind it. Jacob Tegtman (09:30.658) That's been a cool one. Yeah. You know, it's interesting you bring that up too, because this is something I've been thinking a lot about recently, especially as everybody's been seeing more AI come into their work, into their lives. And I feel that more than ever, people are wanting that human, real human interaction. And so as good as video games are looking nowadays and as fun as MMOs are and stuff like that, and I like all of those, I don't think I've Josiah (09:43.628) Mm-hmm. Josiah (09:53.004) Mm-hmm. Jacob Tegtman (10:03.53) found anything that's as fun is sitting around playing a tabletop role-playing game, especially in person. mean, even, you over FaceTime like this is fun, but something in person about it just makes it one of the best experiences. Josiah (10:09.729) video. Josiah (10:13.142) Mm-hmm. Josiah (10:18.686) It really does. It's those shared memories and those shared jokes. And, you know, I work in politics, doing social media for politics. And the thing that just aggravates me the most about politics, but also religion, people say don't talk about politics or religion because people care about it so much. And it's like those are things that we care about the most. So we should be able to share those with people. But you can't because as soon as you bring them up, you know, there are all these walls. Jacob Tegtman (10:39.48) Sure. Josiah (10:48.062) and games when you've played for a couple hours with somebody and slayed the dragon and made a couple jokes, then it's like, well, okay, now your opinion isn't the thing that I'm defining you on. The thing I'm defining you on is that, you know, you're a half drunk elf paladin or something like, and it just makes it easier. Jacob Tegtman (10:48.416) I guess. Jacob Tegtman (11:04.014) Yeah, that's so true. That's so true. Yeah, it definitely does break down those walls and give you that sense of shared history, even if it's like a shared mental history, theater of the mind. So, yeah. Josiah (11:17.27) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's great. Jacob Tegtman (11:21.428) I agree, man. Especially when you're doing... So I haven't read through all of the lore of Starseq. There's just so much in there. I've read through a good deal of it. But I think one of the things that also stands out about at least that game, because I know Penn's still in the work in progress... Josiah (11:38.599) the Jacob Tegtman (11:39.446) that, you know, it does cover a lot of political things and it covers a lot of religious things and you aren't like pushing a view on anybody, but just inherent to human life is politics and religion. so games let you approach these topics like in ways that allow you to explore what could be, but in a safe way and have conversations about what could be without feeling like you're being attacked or told. Josiah (11:53.856) Mm-hmm. Josiah (12:01.6) Thank you. Josiah (12:05.836) Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really the, again, I'm really glad that you feel that way about the game, because that was one of the number one priorities of it, is there are just really hard conversations that should be had. And that game kind of came out of COVID, where there were a ton of hard conversations people were having. And I think you could spend every day, every minute of every day with people. Jacob Tegtman (12:14.306) Yeah, for sure. Jacob Tegtman (12:23.394) That's right. That's right. Yeah. Josiah (12:33.664) but if they're not people that you feel like you can have hard conversations with, then you haven't really been in community at all. And so having a medium like that, where, like you said, I don't wanna tell anybody what they should believe. There are things that I believe are true about God and about the world and about politics and stuff, but those things have to exist relationally for them to mean anything to you. so... Jacob Tegtman (12:39.788) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (12:50.542) Sure. Josiah (12:58.954) to have that space to kind of explore and talk and then role play through just makes it fun for one thing, but also makes it so much more personal and so much more impactful, I think. Jacob Tegtman (12:59.374) Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:10.772) I agree. So what is the next thing that you said you're working on with StarCert? I think I missed that when you mentioned earlier. Yeah. Josiah (13:16.436) Yeah, so my co-writer, Emily, and her husband Ryan, who did some of the art for Star Set, they have actually written and illustrated the first campaign for it. It's called Echoes on Mars, and that's going to be launching on Kickstarter next month. Jacob Tegtman (13:31.822) Okay. Okay, cool. That's exciting, man. So what number of Kickstarter will this be for you? Josiah (13:38.092) Thank Josiah (13:42.294) That's Josiah (13:46.806) seven maybe six or seven. I'm doing this one well I should say the plan is to do it on Kickstarter but changing a lot of things. I'm still talking to them. My wife is behind me. I still want to talk through some of them with her because it had a lot of very negative Kickstarter experiences and learned a lot. So we're to do this one if we end up doing it on Kickstarter very slim down and very different than some of the other ones. So it's a constant learning experience. Jacob Tegtman (13:48.43) Sort of. Yeah. Jacob Tegtman (13:54.094) Sure. Jacob Tegtman (14:16.43) Yeah, I just remember I feel like every year or so I feel like you're launching something on Kickstarter successfully. So at least from the outsider's view looking in, it's like man Josiah just knows what he's doing with selling games. Josiah (14:30.208) You Well, I know a little bit more than I did last time and that's the goal. Yeah.
An anime-style character with long white hair

Interview with TTRPG Renaissance Man: Mildra the Monk

By Jacob Tegtman • March 25, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si26EW5kj4Q Transcription Summary Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG discussion covered the game's high customization and free distribution via mythos inspiration and iterative research. Final Fantasy Legend Edition Origin Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG developed over 4 years to emulate the entire Final Fantasy mythos, avoiding a focus only on the SNES era. The core goal was to create a neutral sandbox emphasizing high customization that supports high fantasy, steampunk, and futuristic settings. Design Philosophy and Research The game is distributed for free to continue the tradition of high-quality, free fan-created content within the TTRPG community. Extensive research was conducted on the IP, including cut content and Ultimania books, which led to the design pillars of iteration and experimentation. Customization and Unique Features Character creation allows hybrid archetypes via the selection of 3 classes from over 50 available options with variable progression speeds. Unique Legend Edition features include row-based combat and active defenses, creating a tactical risk-reward system. Details Introduction to Final Fantasy Legend Edition Project : Jacob Tegtman welcomed Mildra The Monk, the lead designer and spearhead of the Final Fantasy Legend Edition project, to the Eternity TTRPG channel for their first interview of this kind. Mildra The Monk expressed appreciation for being hosted and agreed to begin by discussing their background and the nature of the project (00:00:00). Mildra The Monk's Background and TTRPG Contributions : Mildra The Monk introduced themself as a content creator who has reviewed games, run playtests, and conducted over a thousand interviews in the last five years. They cover third-party D\&D material, indie games, and fan games such as Naruto 5e and Dungeons of the Dragoning, the latter of which started as an April Fool's joke that combined five different RPGs (00:01:03). Most recently, they served as the lead designer and project lead for the Final Fantasy Legend Edition TTRPG (00:02:26). Running a Final Fantasy Legend Edition One-Shot : Mildra The Monk mentioned they had been running a one-shot using the Legend Edition for the past few weeks with rotating party members and ran one for Jacob Tegtman as they were planning content on the game (00:02:26). They noted that a community member has been developing a work-in-progress Roll20 sheet for the game, which had recently received a significant update (00:03:26). Virtual Tabletop Support for Legend Edition : When addressing the question of virtual tabletop support, Mildra The Monk stated that they have not done any real coding in at least ten years and lack the skill set to build a custom sheet from scratch for platforms like Roll20 or Foundry. They acknowledged the community's support, noting that people are using their own time to support the game with tools like the Roll20 sheet (00:03:26). Summary of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Legend Edition is a medium-complexity TTRPG that took about four years to create, aimed at emulating the Final Fantasy mythos. The project originated from Mildra The Monk's pet peeve that previous tabletop versions of Final Fantasy heavily skewed toward the SNES era (IV, V, and VI), neglecting entries like VII, XIV, and XVI which appeal to newer generations of fans (00:04:21). The goal of Legend Edition is to use the recurring Final Fantasy mythos as a neutral sandbox for tables to build campaigns in any direction, prioritizing customization (00:06:43). Game Design Flexibility and High Customization : The game was designed to be equally viable in high fantasy settings, like Final Fantasy III or IV, as it is in steampunk settings, such as Final Fantasy VI or XIV, and futuristic entries, such as Final Fantasy VIII or XIII. Jacob Tegtman noted that playing the game demonstrated that the number of classes and intricate character details allow players to create characters fitting any Final Fantasy experience they desire (00:06:43). Reasoning Behind Free Distribution of Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk explained that the game is available for free because they came up as a tabletop player seeing high-quality fan games that were just as good as paid games, and they wanted to pass along that torch to the community (00:09:44). They expressed the desire for someone to take their work, hack it, and put up their own version, continuing the chain of free content (00:11:02). Research and Design Philosophy for Legend Edition : A major focus of the project was capturing the soul of Final Fantasy, which involved extensive research, including reviewing existing games, cut content from games, behind-the-scenes interviews, and Ultimania books (00:11:02). The core philosophy derived from this research was "iteration and experimentation," which led to the game's foundational design pillars (00:12:16). The Inspiration to Focus on Final Fantasy : Mildra The Monk is a devoted Final Fantasy fan, but other factors drove the project, including a desire to carry on the lineage of prior Final Fantasy TTRPG fan projects like the mid-90s Returners project (00:12:16). A core motivation was bridging the gap between video games and tabletop gaming, using Final Fantasy because its consistent mythology allows for adaptation that goes beyond merely replicating the video games (00:14:29). Avoiding the Trap of Literal IP Adaptation : Mildra The Monk highlighted a common problem with tabletop adaptations of existing IPs, where designers attempt to adapt the source material wholesale, citing the early TSR run of Indiana Jones as an example where they only allowed players to play as movie characters. Instead, people generally prefer to create their own character within the world, such as being a student at Xavier Academy rather than playing as the X-Men (00:15:49). Emulating the Mythos Over One Game : Mildra The Monk emphasized that designers should emulate the overall mythos of a franchise rather than hyperfocusing on one game or one era (00:17:00). For Final Fantasy, this is supported by recurring elements such as job names, play styles, spell names, summons, and abilities that maintain a consistent theme (00:18:09). Classes, Character Creation, and Flexibility : The customization in Legend Edition is demonstrated by the character creation system where players select three classes with different progression speeds, allowing for a unique hybrid character from over 50 classes (00:21:27). This approach is a compromise that provides the strong thematic elements of the job system without restricting player choices, such as customizing weapon lists to be setting-agnostic and avoid favoring one style of fantasy (00:20:06) (00:22:24). Key Design Pillars of Final Fantasy Legend Edition : Mildra The Monk outlined the three major pillars of the game's design: "mythos not setting," "customization is king," and the **phase structure** (00:24:24). The phase structure involves four acts—preparation, exploration, encounter, and downtime—which is loosely inspired by the Asian four-act format (kishōtenketsu) and the Town-Field-Dungeon trinity pioneered by Dragon Quest (00:25:34). The Research Process as a Favorite Part of the Project : Mildra The Monk stated that the research phase was one of their favorite parts, which allowed them to discover early concepts for the video games that were eventually cut (00:27:50). Examples included the early name for Materia being "spheres," which was later revisited for Final Fantasy X, and a puzzle tattoo mechanic for Final Fantasy X's sphere grid, which was cut (00:28:33). Inspirations and Creative Liberties in Design : The research led to design inspirations such as an unused Chocobo Lancer concept art from Final Fantasy XI resulting in the Chocobo Knight class in Legend Edition, addressing the long-desired idea of Chocobo cavalry (00:29:32). The team took certain liberties, like creating the speed-based Dervish to serve as an answer to the Berserker class, and the Ravager as a spell-spamming class, drawing from inspirations like Final Fantasy XIII (00:31:48). Development of the Yo-kai Class : The Yo-kai class began as an idea for a controllable summon, similar to the Aeons in Final Fantasy X, but was changed to avoid replicating one game (00:31:48). The final concept for the Yo-kai, as avatars for Eidolons, was inspired by the design of Yoko in Bravely Second and the concept of the rider or shioal spiritualist in Voodoo (00:32:43). Impact of Extensive Research on Project Quality : Jacob Tegtman acknowledged that the depth of research, spanning Final Fantasy lore, mythology, and diverse concepts like Voodoo, enabled Mildra The Monk to create over 50 classes, each with up to seven tiers of abilities, amounting to hundreds of unique mechanics that synergize well (00:33:58). Mildra The Monk affirmed that this extensive research, modeled after the preparation of Star Trek producer Harve Bennett before producing *Wrath of Khan*, was a necessary baseline (00:36:10). Historical Context of Final Fantasy Combat System : Mildra The Monk highlighted Hiroyuki Itto, the pioneer of the job system and the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, noting that he cited American football and Formula 1 as inspirations for ATB (00:39:09). Mildra The Monk asserted that the shift toward action-based combat, seen in games like Final Fantasy XV and XVI, was an evolution building on foundations laid decades ago by Itto, not a radical shift (00:40:15). Snapshot of Unique Legend Edition Features : For those unfamiliar with Legend Edition, Mildra The Monk listed key differentiators, including high customizability in the job system, easy creation of hybrid archetypes, fewer but more impactful skills, and multiple character creation/advancement methods (00:41:59). Jacob Tegtman added the unique row-based combat and active defenses, such as parrying and evading, which create a tactical, risk-reward philosophy in the design (00:43:17). Future Vision and Upcoming Projects for Mildra The Monk : Immediate future plans include overseeing support elements like new Excel and HTML solo-play sheets, as well as writing world book guides, which are lighter books focused on emulating individual Final Fantasy entries like FFIII or FFVIII (00:45:13). They are also considering TTRPGs based on 2D fighting games, aiming for a defined setting like a fighting game version of Night City, and they intend to create a fantasy-themed mech game and a Wuxia-themed RPG (00:46:24). Ongoing Efforts to Promote the TTRPG Community : Mildra The Monk is continuing their mission to showcase the totality of tabletop role-playing games by highlighting the international scene, including content from Brazil, Germany, and Sweden (00:50:01) (00:52:17). They mentioned forthcoming streams covering the Spanish Anima Universe, Sword World, and *We's Blade*, a game compared to *Panzer Dragoon* (00:51:15). Availability and Support for Mildra The Monk : Mildra The Monk can be found streaming regularly on YouTube and Twitch, on Twitter where they highlight artists and indie games, and in their personal Discord (00:55:07). While Legend Edition remains free, they have set up support mechanisms like Ko-fi for those who wish to leave a tip (00:56:19).
A gnarled, dark tree stands in a misty forest under a pale moon.

Playable Monster Races in D&D: the Gnarlborn - Haunted Treants

By Jacob Tegtman • March 22, 2026
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuryVcZdp4Y Transcription There are kind two ends of the spectrum for D&D races. There’s Story-specific races: These come with a strong, built-in narrative that fits specific campaign worlds or settings, that almost tells you how to play them. Then there’s more Flexible races. These are much easier to slot anywhere because they don’t necessarily come with an expected tone or backstory. You can sort of fit them into any campaign with ease – like playing a human. Some D&D player races feel like they’re built for a specific kind of story. Others feel flexible enough to drop into almost any campaign. Gnarlborn from Crooked Moon… sit somewhere in between—and that’s kind of what makes them interesting. They have strong flavor, but they aren’t restrictive for your campaign. They come with built-in lore that gives you instant roleplay direction, but they aren’t so specific that you can only play them in your Crooked Moon campaign. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG.  As you can already tell, today we’re looking at a lesser-known player option for playable races, which is the Gnarlborn from Crooked Moon. If you’ve seen my other videos on the topic, Crooked Moon has become one of my favorite D&D settings of all-time. We’re going through each of the races presented in Crooked Moon, and today getting to the treant-like Gnarlborn. Starting with the basics, Gnarlborn are – well, born – from the soil of a region called Ardengloom, a forest that’s less “peaceful woodland,” and more “haunted, thinking ecosystem.” The forest itself is filled with these massive trees called Elderwoods—each one housing lingering Fey spirits. Gnarlborn commune with these spirts and Elderwoods, forming an intricate and well-connected forest community. So yeah, you’re playing basically “a tree person.” But you’re also playing something that exists in a constant, low-level conversation with ancient, possibly unreliable spirits. That alone gives you a strong roleplay hook without needing a complicated backstory, as your tie to those spirits, and who/ what they are could gain any level of depth that you’d like, over the course of a campaign – or even a few adventures. Visually, Gnarlborn are humanoid, but like the trees in your yard, everything about them is asymmetrical—branches, moss instead of clothing accents, glowing hollows where a face might be. No two look the same. Some might feel ancient and slow, while others might come across as curious or even a little disconnected—like they’re only partially focused on the present. And since they can live for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of years, you can decide how much that actually affects your character. Are they wise because of their age, or are they just... slow? Ok, when it comes to core mechanics, let’s talk about what you actually get—because this is where Gnarlborn become very usable. First, we have: Deep Roots You get advantage on checks and saves to avoid being moved or knocked prone. This is simple, but it can be very useful against certain enemies. Next is: Elderwood Whispers After every long rest, you can pick up a new skill, tool proficiency, or even a language. Temporarily. This is probably the most interesting trait the Gnarlborn have. It’s not flashy, but it gives you day-to-day adaptability, which can be nice. It rewards players who like planning ahead—or improvising, based on expected challenges for the day. Third, we have what may be the Gnarlborn’s most *potentially powerful effect, which is: Grasping Branches As a Bonus action, you restrain a creature if they fail a Strength save. Or slow them if they succeed. The main issue here is the saving DC isn’t very high (it’s 8, plus your Constitution modifier, plus your proficiency bonus). But! Even on a successful save, the creature has half speed for a turn. So, grasping branches can be decent battlefield control without requiring you to be a spellcaster. And because this effect recharges on a short rest, you may just actually use it. It’s not overwhelming—but it’s consistently useful. Root Sense gives you tremorsense out to 60 feet. So, the ability to find Invisible enemies, Creatures behind walls, etc. And lastly, you have: Towering Size Which gives you advantage to end being grappled, and – if your group actually tracks carrying capacity, you can in fact carry more stuff. Nothing flashy—but admittedly, very practical. Playing a Gnarlborn definitely isn’t for every player. They don’t provide anything to spike damage, or even do anything unpredictable, really. But you are resisting disruption, controlling space, and adapting between sessions. They fit really well in parties that need consistency rather than specialization. From the roleplaying side, Gnarlborn also work really well in campaigns that lean into: Fey themes, Haunted environments, or Long timelines with ancient histories since they naturally connect to all of those. Gnarlborn feel connected to something bigger: whether that’s the Elderwoods, nature, fey-touched spirits, or an ancient grove deep in the dark woods. So, if you were to play a Gnarlborn, what direction would you take your character? Would you pick them for their subtle combat control, or more to explore their connection with the wilds? Whether you’ve played them in a campaign already, or you have ideas for what you might like to try, let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you in my next Crooked Moon race guide.
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