Very ambitious, super impressed that you managed to fit so much in and make it feel pretty distinct. I'm not sure I get all of the flavor of the options (are Virgos commonly associated with queen bees? Asking for my own sake!), but I'm not really a Zodiac person anyway, and it's cool how distinct they are. I'm not sure about the connected kit swapping in practice, as it looks like it would take 3 respites to jump across the circle, but it's a fun idea and I do also appreciate it being free in exchange for that limitation. Neat stuff!
Play supplment
Zodiac Stormwight - Alternate Primordial Aspect for Draw Steel's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #6 | 3.962 | 3.962 |
| Usability | #7 | 4.050 | 4.050 |
| Theme | #10 | 4.000 | 4.000 |
| Enjoyment | #11 | 3.700 | 3.700 |
| Creativity | #13 | 4.100 | 4.100 |
Ranked from 20 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
The very first thing I said when I opened this document was “Hot damn! This is a lot!” (/complimentary). I feel like this document in its current presentation might be difficult to scale down, print out, and read at the table (but I’m up for the challenge!)
I’m struggling to see why you’ve tied these abilities to the Stormwight subclass. There are enough options, flavor, and versatility for this to stand on its own and be its own subclass (perhaps inspired by and following similar progression as the Stormwight). I feel like this is a more broadly accessible path versus having many of your options have “replaces <this Stormwight feature>” text. I see that you don’t have alternate versions of mid-game Stormwight mechanics, but I figure that you can rather easily rewrite and/or reflavor them to fit a full Zodiac subclass.
I really like the idea of switching your kit in accord with the diagram, as opposed to having free reign to swap at later levels - though I do think this sort of functionality comes on a bit late. It’s a nice piece of utility, but compared to the ‘Menagerie’ ability it’s replacing, is kneecapped a bit by having to follow the diagram, rather than just choosing a new kit from the list. Similarly, having this ability become available earlier could grant this as a subclass additional flavor (months and seasons passing throughout the characters’ adventures), while also showing mechanical distinction from the Stormwight offering.
As the absolute smallest of nitpicks: it threw me off seeing the ‘Effect’ before the Power Roll chart on the Sagittarius kit; but from a mechanics and ease-of-use perspective, I see why you ordered it that way.
Overall - this is a fantastic piece that I will wholeheartedly recommend and offer to players at my table. The theming, design, fantasy, and mechanics are all on point. I’d recommend formatting it into its own subclass, since that should help it clear the slight accessibility gap (it’s much easier to pitch and offer a player a subclass versus a set of rules to hack an existing subclass to fit their desires).
Absolutely outstanding work in making everything fit two pages. The layout and contents are impressively economical while still being very clear to understand. The approach to Stormwight is quite cool, and the rebuilding of it into something familiar but new is a breath of fresh air after seeing 20+ "here's another Stormwight kit" homebrew options over the past year. Major props to ya.
There is so much ground covered in this supplement. Such a different way to look at the Fury. Maybe not something to give to all players new to the game as it seems quite complex.
Or....
Have a player access to say 3 of the Signs to begin with, unlocking more on their questing. I'm thinking like Jackie Chan Adventures.
There's so much packed into these two pages. I am very impressed you made it all fit. These are all super flavorful, and I'm a big fan. I really would love to test this out and see how it plays. I can see a certain type of player absolutely loving this and diving into it.
I love how many options these 2 pages give! I have a player that chose the stormwight as the closest thing DS has to the Shapeshifting Druid fantasy. I think that your Zodiac better fulfills the fantasy.
My player finds it hard to change kits as the change isn't worth a respite activity, so the multi-animal fantasy is unfulfilled. I love how the Zodiac has the diagram to enable free kit changes; an elegant balance solution that also prevents analysis-paralysis.
I do wonder how often a zodic would be changing kits in long term play vs settling on one. aka How many "good" options vs bloat (the classic 5e wild-shape-tier-list). But it is very clear how each form has a specialty, making each distinct. Excellent product!
My first thought was "this document is beautifully economical." (A trait that this jam is certainly testing by limiting creators to 2 pages of content)
However, upon further thought, I think that if you expanded this to a longer form product, or included it in a bigger supplement of some kind, I would hope that it would stay the same size. It is so incredibly easy-to-read and easy-to-interpret for a product that has so many options on offer.
Great work! Next time I have a fury player, they'll be seeing this pop up in their DMs as an option. :D


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