The Witcher TTRPG Reveals New Details on Upcoming Releases

By Matthew Aguilar

R. Talsorian Games' The Witcher TTRPG has even more new content on the way, and during their Big Not At Gen Con Update they previewed two new projects in the works for the game. The first is titled Tome of Chaos and is all about introducing new magic into the game. That includes new spells, hexes, magic types, professions (Priest and Druid), and a bevy of new lore. The second new title is called Rodolf's Guide to the North, and it reveals an assortment of new information about the Northern Realms from the perspectives of merchant extraordinaire Rodolf Kazmer and his partner Brandon of Oxenfurt.

Rodolf's Guide to the North is still a work in progress, so there is no release date yet. However, they did say that it includes articles on Redania, Skellige, Mahakam, the Hengfor League, Verden, Yennifer's cosmetics boutique, and more, and also noted that this is the largest writing team they've ever assembled, a group that includes Cody Pondsmith, James Hutt, Lisa Pondsmith, Linda Evans, Tarabella Pondsmith, Simon Goudreault, Mikotaj Skrzynski, and Sara Thompson.

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(Photo: R. Talsorian Games)

We also received a chapter by chapter breakdown of Tome of Chaos, which you can find below.

  • Compiling a Tome: An overview of the book by Brandon of Oxenfurt. It also introduces Glynnis van Treharne, a magician and scholar (and the sorceress in the image above!).
  • Ley Lines: A few pages on ley lines, the invisible pathways of power, and how to use them.
  • Mages: What is a mage? What is mage society like? What are the schools (Aretuza, Ban Ard, Gweison Haul, Meiboion Haul, and minor schools) like? There's also a complete Mage Lifepath to use in place of the one from the core rulebook.
  • Priests: What is the difference between a priest and a mage? Descriptions of fourteen different deities/faiths. We split Priest and Druid into two different Professions, each with their own Skill Tree. Priests appear here and their tree branches are Cultist, Preacher, and Fanatic.
  • Druids: More information about Druids. Who they are. What they do. Information on several important circles and clans. The Druid Profession with the base ability of Rite of Oak and Mistletoe and tree branches of Initiate, Mystic Sage, and Militant. Curious what abilities they get? We don't want to spoil but we will say two things: Shapeshifting. Sacred Grove.
  • The Magical Mundane: Exploring those people born without the ability to cast spells but with some basic magical ability. There are fourteen magical gifts, each with their own unique effect and side-effect. And, yes, with GM approval, PCs can have them.
  • A Compilation of Chaos: New magic! 24 new Novice Spells! 18 new Journeyman Spells! 10 new Master Spells! For Priests: 5 new Novice Invocations, 3 new Journeyman Invocations, 2 new Master Invocations, 9 new Archpriest Invocations! For Druids: 5 new Novice Invocations, 3 new Journeyman Invocations, 2 new Master Invocations, and 6 new Hierophant/Flaminika Invocations! Plus two new advanced Witcher Signs (Somne and Supirre), 10 new Rituals of varying levels, and 6 new Hexes of varying dangers!
  • The Magical Marketplace: New glyphs, runewords, and glyphwords from Ofir! Elixirs! And a variety of new magic items and trophies!
  • The Dark Arts: Included for the sake of completeness, we certainly don't recommend your characters indulge in these forbidden magics. Certainly, they shouldn't learn the spells and rituals of Necromancy, the dangerous science of advanced mutations, or the demonic summoning of Goetia. Just remember... everything has a price.
  • Mages of Interest: Meet 16 new mages. Some are brand new in this book. Others, like Francesca Findabair, have appeared in The Witcher franchise before. Either way, these mages make for great mentors, patrons, friends, or even enemies...
  • A Binding Cause: A new adventure! Journey to the village of Spetz, in Rivia, and deal with a demon...

The new content will also include new creatures, including Living Armor, Great Bear, and more, and you can find a rundown on those below.

  • Bes: Most commonly summoned by desperate people seeking power, bes are demons of violence which delight in the torture of the living. They are difficult to deal with but if you can bind them they grant supernatural agility and power. Just be wary as they are terrifying enemies with claws like razors and the ability to possess people.
  • Casglydd: Often summoned by academics searching for rare knowledge, casglydd are demons of knowledge who can share with you great secrets. However, they are easily intrigued and that intrigue quickly turns to obsession, causing them to kidnap people away into their own realm of shadows.
  • Corpse Amalgam: Originally, created by the infamous Nilfgaardian necromancer, Cadfan of Ebbing, corpse amalgams utilize many partially animated corpses to create a golem of flesh which is capable of brief moments of sapient thought thanks to the many tormented souls trapped within it.
  • Great Bear: Common across the Continent and well respected as apex predators, bears are one of the greatest threats in the natural world. For our purposes here, we are referring to bears as the alternate form of berserkers, the deadly bestial warriors of the blood god Svalblod.
  • Living Armor: Developed by mages as a cheaper alternative to creating golems, animate armors use magic to animate an existing suit of armor to create a simple servant capable of defending its creator and performing simple tasks. Animate armors can also be found as guardians of ancient temples and high security vaults.
  • Mari Lwyd: Summoned most often by greedy or desperate people, mari lwyd are demons of avarice which can grant their summoners amazing physical wealth and material benefit. But a mari lwyd always returns later for payment, taking something of equal value which more often than not far outweighs the initial gift.
  • Penitent: Born from heinous crimes, penitent are specters which haunt those guilty of atrocities. They shroud the land in deep fog and summon wraiths to kill anyone who gets in their way as they seek some twisted form of justice. Penitent are a genuine threat for fledgling necromancers who attempt rituals beyond their means.

Tome of Chaos is in the final stages of layout, and they are hoping to ship it to printers soon. They are aiming for a release by the end of the year.

Are you excited for Tome of Chaos? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things The Witcher and tabletop with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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