High Caster is an epic fantasy game. It’s definitely a game where the story is king and where the PC’s are legends in the making.
In the world of High Caster the times are dark, literally and figuratively. The Gods were the stars and the Stars are gone, having fallen from the sky. Legends abound as to what caused their fall. The great empire that was is now fragmented into smaller, more regional groups. This is the world you play in, one where your character may become a legend, perhaps in their own time, perhaps in the future.
Before getting deeper, DTRPG as of 12/8/2022 prices the game: PDF $19.99, hardcover $39.99, and combo $39.99.
Overall layout of the book is good, and similar to others in the genre. Right out of the gate, we are advised this will be a different breed of RPG. We’re told that while heroes can die, they only die at the appropriate time, and not at the whim of the dice. It gives, in chapter one, a quick overview of the cultures (the different empires that now exist), the heritages (lineages/races), and path (archetype/class) for a basic idea of the game’s terminology.
The game introduces humors: virtue, courage, and prestige. They are assigned a value of d4, d6, or d8 (one die specific to each humor, and each can only be used once) which is added to your dice pool during rolls.
Sessions are divided into “chapters” which can have a different focus (such as Culture, Hero, Prepare, etc.) and the rules are slightly adjusted based on the chapter to allow different actions and consequences.
Instead of traditional combat, we have “threats.” they may be single stage or multiple, depending on what’s at stake. There are even varying degrees of success. A dice pool roll of 10 - 19 is a success with some potential caveat. A roll of 20+ is a success and the player can add a “truth” to the lore of the game and usually have narrative control for that moment.
Chapter 2 goes a little deeper into the history of the world, expanding on concepts presented previously as well as new concepts about spirits, immortals, star shards, and others.
In chapter 3, we get into the character creation process. There’s a backstory on each of the 7 cultures, presented for the game. Each culture has its pros and cons, as they should, and it makes for difficulty in deciding which to pick. Also in the chapter, you also pick: any additional languages, a cultural talent, a trade, and a general area of the region you are from.
Chapter 4 introduces the heritages and there are plenty to choose from (9). Included in the chapter are: draken, mortal descendants of dragons; giantkin, mortal descendants of giants; and Nomes, mortal descendants of fay. You also flesh out your look and main ability.
There are 8 paths to choose from in chapter 5. Named differently in High Caster, you can play everything from a bard to a warrior, and several in between. It’s this chapter where you put your brain to use, as there are 3 sections of questions you are asked to answer about your character (17 total) to flesh them out. You pick a discipline and are told what your path talent does.
To finish off your character, we get to chapter 6. Most of your traits will add modifiers to your pools, and feats are designed to give you advantage in other aspects of the game. There are 24 and include: Leader, Learned, Driven, and Suave.
Chapter 7 goes into game mechanics for both PC’s and Chronicler. The rules are kept to a minimum when possible to allow for smooth and quick play. One of the more interesting items in the chapter (and there are many) is the Favor. You receive 1 every session, and it’s use it or lose it as it doesn’t carry over. You can also receive one for rolling 20+, or when you allow the Chronicler to escalate a threat. They can be used to introduce a truth into the game as well as add a d6 to your dice pool.
Chapter 8 gives the Chronicler everything else they need to know to run the game and help make it a more enjoyable experience. It explains more fully creating, escalating, and de-escalating threats.
Chapter 9 is full of great monsters from Arakna (giant tarantula) to Saeskar (kraken) and Starv (zombie-esque creatures created by the corruption and decay of the fallen gods).
Chapter 10 helps with building your personal High Caster world and populating it, while chapter 11 provides rules for single player non-chronicler games and how to run a session. It’s an interesting concept that I personally have not seen in many games, but seems to becoming more common.
The final chapter allows for you to adapt other systems over to the Caster system, so you can take your favorite module from another system and adapt it with minimal effort.
The appendix is a quick compendium of the major rule points and includes a character sheet and pronunciation guide.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLFcyvRAGQY1l8mzUSyywfdB2Nk__3Udc check the order