Ironclaw


 * There is an artist called Ironklaw.

Ironclaw is a role-playing game by Sanguine founded on a dice comparison system and created with furries in mind. There are a total of 12 initial species, although players are encouraged to create their own.

Character creation
During the character creation process, the players are given 20 points with which to develop their character. The player starts by choosing a species (which may cost some character creation points) and career. 10 points may be spent on 'Gifts', or special abilities or characteristics that give the character an advantage over others.

The player is then encouraged to imbue their character with 'Flaws', which add more depth to their character (the players are asked to roleplay any flaws they give their character). Beginning characters may gain up to 10 points back through flaws, both to round out the character as a person and give the player a few extra points to spend. Finally, the player chooses a selection of skills for their character, defining what they can do.

In-game factions
The basic premise of Ironclaw is one of caste struggle on the mythical island of Calabria. The are four great noble houses locked in a struggle for superiority:


 * Rinaldi: a house of foxes that control the economic and cultural capital of the island. They were once a great and powerful house but they have fallen from their former glory.
 * Avoirdupois: a noble house of religiously devout and martial horses.
 * Bisclavret: a wolf house that has given up its pagan past and seeks its place through modernization.
 * Doloreaux: a house of stubborn boars who practice the 'old ways' of nature worship.

There are numerous other minor houses of various races that swear fealty of the four great houses.

Set in a European early-renaissance fantasy theme, players can select to become anything from mercenaries to wizards to scoundrels and everything in between.

Game system
The dice system is a bit unusual to most to begin with, and it isn't without problems, but it handles very well once players become used to it. All tests (skills, combat, finding things, etc) are run through comparing dice-rolls ranging from four-sided to twelve-sided in size.

One of the advantages the system does offer is flexibility from the lack of traditional 'classes'. A character can be a generalist following many paths with very little ease, but not at the cost of making focused 'class-style' characters unplayable. It is suggested that players do take a variety of abilities to make their characters more well rounded, however.

The magic system in Ironclaw is a modification of the skill system. A character slowly gains ability in casting a spell, going from an attempt through mental capacity of the character alone to doing it near effortlessly from practice and understanding.

Schools of magic
There are four primary schools of magic but minor ones exist as well. The most common are as follows:


 * Elementalism: specializing in the use of the four natural elements, this magic is flashy, loud, and quick to learn. It is primarily a 'combat magic' but in the hands of a clever wizard it is much more.
 * Green and Purple Magic: Magic of the mind. Magicians of this school are prone to being subtle and mysterious and are rightly feared by those who know them for what they are.
 * White Magic: traditional 'cleric stuff' such as protection and healing magics. The vast bulk of magicians following this path come from the church of S'allumer, but a few have learned this path on their own.
 * Thaumaturgy: The magic of manipulating magic. The vast bulk of these spells change the workings of other magic spells, strengthening or weakening them.
 * Necromancy: The forbidden school of black magic and manipulating the forces of life and death. Standard dark sorcery such as raising undead, inflicting curses and generally stealing or snuffing life from their victims. Dungeon Masters are encouraged by the guidebook to discourage newcomers from picking this school, as there is a high price to pay for wielding such magicks.

Second edition
A second edition, titled "Squaring the Circle", was set for release on July 31, 2010, available as both a hardbound book and a PDF digital download.