The Arcane Compendium: the ultimate TTRPG character deck for Game Masters and players!

Eren's Arcane Compendium of Characters* is the ultimate collection of fantasy characters for TTRPGs: an indispensable resource for both Game Masters and players!
In development for mid 2023, The Compendium is a system-agnostic deck of cards that feature high quality and diverse characters to be used in fantasy TTRPGs, either as player characters, NPCs or anything else TTRPG enthusiasts might need.

Fully illustrated, written and designed by Eren Angiolini, professional TTRPG illustrator and comic colourist (Critical Role, Justice League, Doctor Who), developed through 2 years of hard work with the support of their Patreon community: the ArtVenturing Guild.

THE CHARACTER CARDS
Each card has a character portrait on one side and a set of details on the other, providing useful inputs to integrate the figure in any game, without limiting the DM’s or player’s creativity.

The information provided include:
•Character’s name and suggested pronouns: including nicknames or titles, when applicable.
•Profession and specialisation: a more targeted and a more generic option are provided for each character, to make them as versatile as possible.

•Background: a brief description of the character, their origin or any other relevant information for a first encounter.

•Personality: attitude, approachability or the way in which the character is usually perceived or how they present themselves.

•Flaw: everyone has a weakness, a fear or an unpleasant trait to avoid or exploit.
•Goal: the thing that the character is openly working towards, be it an adventurous mission, a career or life aspiration or a short-term objective.

•Secret: a personal piece of information kept hidden by the character: could be about a dark past, a lost love or the true objective of their mission.

•Fun Fact: from a favourite dish, to the reason why they chose their career and much more! These facts are meant to give more dimension to the character, without being necessarily connected to their plot.

Additionally, the background side of each card is framed in a different colour, to quickly categorise them in one of the main 5 groups: Adventurers, Entities, Experts, Merchants and Miscellaneous (not visible in the previews yet, but it is being implemented).

The Compendium helps GMs, Dungeons Masters and players alike to build characters in a variety of scenarios. Here are just a few ways to implement the deck in your stories:

•Fast player character creation: need a quick idea for a new character? Fish a random card from the deck or choose the one that visually appeals to you the most! The background will provide enough information to jumpstart the character creation process and help drive the character forwards in both long-term or short-term format games.

•DM, who do I find at the tavern’s counter? suddenly need to populate the tavern with NPCs? Need a merchant for an unexpected shopping session? No problem, the deck has got you covered! With plenty of options for artisans, villagers and experts to give life to any location.

•Campaign preparation: are you planning your new campaign and want to fill it with interesting characters for your party to meet or fight? The goals and secrets of each character will help you build plots and subplots, connect storylines and give your players hundreds of awesome allies, opponents, loved ones and arch-nemesis!

•The more, the merrier!: bring variety into your games, with an impressive selection of diverse character options. Different cultures, ages, body shapes and identities at your disposal to make your world come to life in the most vibrant and interesting way!
•Surprise! Here’s your character: spice things up and organise a one-shot with randomly selected characters! A fun way to push you and your party to try new things, without the pressure of having to build everything on your own.

•Any way YOU want! Or you can simply integrate the characters in your world building or character ideation process in the way that best suits your needs and desires! Have fun!

The Compendium is fully system agnostic, so it can be used with any fantasy setting of your choice. With no mention of specific races or classes, each character can be personalised, expanded and connected within an existing IP or can merge seamlessly with your homebrew creations!
Creative freedom is at the core of this project and making sure GMs and players can adapt each portrait to their own needs and interpretations is one of the main principles of the deck.

DOING THINGS RIGHT
A professional Cultural Consultant has been hired to check both the artworks and the character bios and make sure the contents of the deck are respectful and appropriate.
The design (still in the works) is also being created consulting dyslexic folks, to make sure the cards are as accessible as possible.
The designs you see in this document are still a work in progress, as both the layouts and the formatting have not been finalised yet.

*The project is set to launch in mid 2023 and is still in development. Project details may change before launch.