Forgotten Fate is a supplement by Derek Garcia, containing an extensive revision of the 5e rules – styled as a sort of “5.25” version – and a fantasy campaign world.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

This is a truly monstrous supplement at over 280 pages long – and while I don’t usually mention the price, in this case I’ll say that it’s just $5. Speaking of the size, I’ll split the review into 3 different chapters: Mechanics, Weaponmaster, and Setting. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Mechanics

As I mentioned, the first part is a game system. Derek names this a 5.25-style system; essentially taking the 5e SRD and going over its rules, tweaking and fixing various points until it’s what I’d call distinct, but not different. The 5.25 label harkens back to the 3.5 edition, as well as those who call One DnD “5.5e”, signaling that those are not radically different enough to be considered entirely new editions – but there’s enough of a divergence to make the distinction. Similarly, Forgotten Fate is even less so, not quite meriting a .5 label. In truth, I’d call it more of a 5.1 patch, if we’re using software terms; There’s some changes with significance, but a lot is clearing up and clarifying rules and wordings.

I’m not going to go over them in detail; not only is there too many of them, it’s also why you buy the supplement. However, I will say that most of them are changes I agree with or have implemented myself; there are a few that I’m more ambiguous about, but it’s just a matter of preference; I can definitely see why they are there and the problems they solve. For example, there is a rework of saving throws, condensing them into 3 instead of 6 (just for the players – the NPCs continue using the original). This change neatly addresses the fact that half of the saving throws are… perhaps not bad, but you certainly prefer proficiency in let’s say Dexterity over Intelligence. It reminds me of the 4e defenses, Fortitude, Reflex, and Will, and I have to say I really like the idea of it – I’m unsure if it perhaps gives more power in the hands of the players, but we’ll return to that point in a bit.

A second major(ish) change is an adjustment in action economy, including the introduction of Minor Actions (which I like, as sometimes it feels that certain things shouldn’t take a full Action but Bonus Actions are heavily regulated, let’s say) and the renaming of Actions to Standard Actions (which is very minor but I love and have already done in my head ages ago, since I hate the ambiguity of the word – are we talking about “something a character can do”, or the “time unit” in your turn?). Additionally, there are various suggestions and minor rules on how to use skills and abilities more creatively, which is always nice to have as it lets players roleplay more easily and with more engagement to their characters. Finally (among many other things), there are suggestions on how to handle enemy scaling, how to pace the adventuring day, and how to make combat more engaging and dynamic.

I know this is a bit short to cover 130 pages of rules, but as I said, they are things you are already mostly familiar with, but with a new and improved coat of paint – and I’m not saying that disparagingly but approvingly.

The Weaponmaster

The Weaponmaster is an entirely new class with 7 different subclasses, focused entirely on melee combat. Weaponmasters only use Strength for their attacks, and only make melee attacks; in addition, they don’t get the Extra Attack feature. However, the class revolves around the use of Martial Maneuvers. These are special attacks similar to the Battlemaster’s Maneuvers, but instead of relying on the Maneuver Dice, the Weaponmaster has a different system – some Martial Maneuvers can be used at will with no extra cost, and as many times as you want; some can be used once per short rest; and some once per long rest. You don’t have a “pool” of uses for those; each Martial Maneuver can be used only once until you regain its use.

They are also on average stronger than normal Maneuvers; dealing extra damage and applying effects to enemies and allies, to compensate for both the limited use and the lack of Extra Attack. There’s also a lot of them – exactly 50, spread across the different types. It’s an interesting system, trying to have a martial class with a bit more flair and making it fun to use – doing something different each turn instead of just a standard attack (again, similar to the Battlemaster).

As for the subclasses, I mentioned there are 7 of them. Each has a distinct focus; the Perfect Weapon uses Unarmed attacks, the Destrier Blade uses mounted combat, et cetera. Something I like about each of them is that they have their own Stance; at level 20, the Weaponmaster gets an ability according to their subclass that lasts 1 minute and requires Concentration like a spell would, but gives some very strong bonuses. I like the inclusion of Concentration on martial mechanics; I think it is an overlooked mechanic that can really add some depth in abilities, besides being used as a limitation for spells.

Overall, I think the Weaponmaster has some interesting ideas; but it’s one of those classes that might feel great when they hit, but when they miss, they feel BAD. That’s not bad design, by the way; Derek mentions some of his design decisions, along with the quote that the Weaponmaster is “a different kind of martial character, which is exactly what some players are looking for” – and I agree with that. If nothing else, if you don’t like the class as-is, you can use it as inspiration to enrich Fighters and Monks (and other martials).

The Campaign Setting

Now let’s talk about the Forgotten Fate campaign setting. The world of Kenoma is an eclectic mix, combining high fantasy, some modern technology and futurism, eldritch lovecraftian horrors, and more. It’s simultaneously in a state of post-apocalyptic chaos, post-post-apocalyptic rebuilding, and at the same time inexorably moving towards complete and total annihilation.

The first apocalypse, caused by an extradimensional evil entity, was stopped after a great war – but the aftereffects were disastrous, especially on the minds of the planet’s population; so the creator-god of Kenoma, called The Monad, decided a big reset was in order. All memory of the world before was erased; all languages, knowledge, and history forgotten. Kind of like when your computer is frozen, so you press the power button and keep it down until it gently goes to sleep – except now all your files are corrupted and anyone who reads them goes insane. The world is rebuilding in a facsimile (or perhaps parody) of what it was before, but it is rebuilding nonetheless. However, the world itself is merely a moral and philosophical experiment by the Monad, soon to reach its conclusion; the invasion by this alien evil was an unexpected interruption, but it was also a fresh experience and an interesting addition to the experiment.

There are a lot of philosophical themes in play here, that I think many players that really want to do some juicy roleplaying are going to enjoy; questions about the nature of reality, morality, identity, and more. There are also a lot of mysteries, secrets, conspiracies, and lore to explore and uncover. As for actual content – there’s lore about cosmology and the gods, history (the history that matters, at least), information about the various countries that have popped up along with suggestions for adventures and campaigns, important NPCs, locations, factions, prophesies – all the good stuff that’s going to help you set up a deep story. In addition, there are new subclasses; one for each base class, all of them tied to the world of Kenoma.

Art & Layout

Well, let’s start with the elephant in the room: Yes, the cover image is certainly a little bit NSFW – but I can look past it. I do think it would perhaps be better to replace it with something else, but it’s not a hill I’m going to die on. As for the rest of the art – there is none, the book is entirely text.

As for the layout, it’s alright; nothing special, but it’s clear enough. There are some points where it could do with some minor fixes – words being bold, or some new lines missing, but the text still makes sense so I won’t take away too many points – especially since you’ll always miss some small errors with this much text.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think Forgotten Fate is 100% worth it – whether you’re looking for mechanics and rules, or a very deep and intricate world, it’s got more than enough of both.

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