Orignially posted here: https://theotherside.timsbrannan.com/2022/10/100-days-of-halloween-witch-fated-souls.html

Witch: Fated Souls Second Edition

I have been a fan of Witch: Fated Souls and Elizabeth Chaipraditkul for a while now. I even got her to the foreword for my own The Green Witch for Swords & Wizardry book.

So for this Halloween day, I give you Witch: Fated Souls Second Edition, Quickstart, AND the Witch: Fated Souls Second Edition, Kickstarter.

Quickstart

PDF. 36 pages. Full-color cover and interior art.

Design & Development: Elizabeth Chaipraditkul & Steffie de Vaan

This quick start covers the basic rules of Witch: Fated Souls Second Edition and includes a quick adventure to play.

Like the 1st Edition, Witch: FS2 deals with people (Witches or "The Fated") who sell their souls for power in the modern world. The different sorts of "demons" these characters sell their souls to will determine what sorts of power they will get and how they interact with the world, or their "Fates".

Pausing for a second I can see already improvements in gameplay, readability, and layout of this Quickstart over the original Witch: FS1.

Characters now have nine abilities, not eight, and are grouped by Mind, Body, and Spirit with three sub-attributes each. These are all explained and how they are used in the QS. Checks are also explained. The new mechanics are based on Elizabeth Chaipraditkul and Steffie de Vaan's other game Afterlife: Wandering Souls. This opens up a whole level of play if you have both games. But I am going to wait on that one.

We have a section on magic and knowing Witch: FS1 there is going to be a lot more in Witch: FS2.

There is even some detail on advancement. So really, as far as characters go you have enough here to keep you busy until the Second Edition Kickstarter is done.

Demons are covered in their own section and they are the most interesting and likely complicated thing in this game. Complicated that is in how to run them and interact with their Fated.

The last half of the quickstart covers the included sample adventure, "The Devil Made Me Do It."

There are included NPCs, similar to the ones that appear in Witch: FS1 and using the same art; which is great for returning players helping them get acclimated to the new system. It is recommended you use these characters to aid you in learning the game.

The Fated

If the full product is anything like this Quickstart then we are in for a treat!

For the last few days, I have soloed my way through Witch: Fated Souls 2e Quickstart (36 pages, free at DriveThruRPG). This is like the TV show Supernatural, but you are playing a witch. I used Solo by M. D. Spurlock (12 pages, free/pay what you want at DriveThruRPG) as the solo engine. I did use six of the seven player characters that are included in the Quickstart.

I changed the location, so the characters started at the Oregon District in Dayton, Ohio on a Friday night. They noticed that they were being watched, so they did have a conversation with her (Lara). Their friend Jens showed up, they picked up a calling card from the ground (a clue), and John the PC went into White’s Pawn & Gun and bought a .38 Special and a switchblade. John wanted ammo for his gun, so the second location they visited was Charlie’s Firearms down by the Miami river. The third location was Decker’s Pawn Shop (they had followed the clue). Next they went back to their Coven Home. They ate dinner and then they were visited by Jens. He told them his new problem (it is a quest).

They went to their fifth location, Pearl’s Fen, a wetland. It was here that they ran into four cultists (they worship the serpent). The leader was armed with a sacrificial dagger and he wanted to use it. Mae stabs one of them, John punches one, and Diego kills two with the gun. The cultists run away. Now they have to deal with the serpent. They figure out that it used to be a naiad. Diego has a solution. He kills the serpent with his gun. They now gather up some swamp water and head back home. It is here that they heat up the water and use condensation to purify this water (now it is a quest item). Next, they go to Decker’s Pawn Shop. Lara is there again and they have a chat with her (she is not human). Jens now goes into the shop and exchanges the Water of Acheron for his soul. So, Jens is now “cured” but the forces of evil now have a magic item that they wanted. Yep, things are going to get ugly.

Give this fun RPG a try!