Axioms Magazine

By Issue

Published Issues

Axioms #1

  • Beyond Arcane and Divine: rules for designing custom magic types for your campaigns
  • The Shades of Magic: Rules for shaded magic, where dark magic can cause corruption of the body and soul
  • Introducing the Wizard: a Mage-like class that utilizes shaded magic
  • The Art of Arcanogenesis: Creating new life forms with magic from scratch
  • Overcasting: Casting spells beyond one’s traditional limits, with a price

Axioms #2

  • A Culture of Battle: History and Social/Economic structures of beastmen
  • Domains of Chaos: Rules and demographics for beastman clanholds, chaotic domains, and tribal warriors.
  • The Weapons and Warriors of Woe: Variant rules for beastmen arms, armor, and leaders.
  • Bred for War: Building custom classes with beastman racial builds.
  • Who Stands Against the Beastmen?: How the Auran Empire defends its borderlands.

Axioms #3

  • Strongholds and Domains: Refined rules for ACKS domains
  • Seperating Land and Lordship: Running domains where the ruler of the land and the owner of the land are distinct entities
  • Senatus Consultum Ultimum: Rules for domains with a senate or other ruling body
  • Wandering Into War: Random encounters at the domain level – wandering beastmen and monsters arriving to pillage or settle
  • Of Coins and Commerce: The underlying economic system of ACKS, and rules for mercantile investments
  • The Economics of Peasant Families: How peasant families generate value
  • Flocks and Herbs And Silver And Gold: How animal husbandry generates value

Axioms #4

  • Pitching Battle!: A revised ruleset for Domains At War: Campaigns battle resolution
  • Aide De Camp: Printable play aids for the above ruleset
  • Elite Troops: Training region or culture specific elite troop types
  • Morituri Te Salutant: Running gladiatoral games, and maintaining a gladiatoral school as a domain type

Axioms #5

  • Hedge Wizardry and Village Wisdom: Cantrips for ACKS.
  • Potions, Lotions, and Other Commotions: Cantrip Items and item creation.
  • Of Mischief and Mountebanks: Two new classes.
    • The Fool: A class relying on charisma and luck
    • The Mountebank: A trickster who can brew quacksalves (potions of dubious effectiveness)
  • A Blight Upon The Earth: Drawing divine power from the land itself.

Axioms #6

  • What’s Your Condition?: A dictionary of various conditions (affecting creatures) in ACKS
  • Well Met! Now Prepare to Die, Handsome: Expanded mechanics for diplomacy, intimidation, and seduction in ACKS
  • Prepare for the Future: A peek into what might happen in an ACKS 2E

Axioms #7

  • Magic Item Research: Calculations of value for each magic item in ACKS, to aid in item creation.
  • Magical Compounds: Enhancing the flexibility of the magic item creation rules by using/distilling common, multi-use compounds from monster parts.
  • Alternate Progressions for the Arcane Values: Reworking the lesser arcane value spell slot progression for better value balance
  • A Grimoire of Spells: Nine new spells of 5th level and higher.

Axioms Special Edition: Campaign Play

  • Campaign Play: Scheduling the resoution of various domain play activities
  • Campaign Activities: Managing various activities – adventuring, growing congregations, ruling domains, magical research, guild hijinks, and mercantile adventures in the framework of a long term campaign.

Axioms #8

  • Make Magical Items Magical Again: Thematic minor effects to indivualize magical items.
  • Put Your Game Face On: Generating PC/NPC appearances based on race and ability scores
  • Stocking the Wilderness: Revamped mechanics for broadening the scope and flavor of wilderness encounters
  • What’s In Its Pockets?: Valuables, trinkets, and oddities found in other people’s pockets.

Axioms #9

  • Creating Custom Fantasy Races: Creating races compatible with the Player’s Companion class building system
  • Hauberks and Hobbits: Armor weights and costs for small and large creatures
  • Folks Fair and Foul: Eight new fey monsters.
  • Noncombatant Characters: Leveling noncombatant, non-adventuring characters – normal men – into higher levels

Axioms #10

  • Grim Heroes: Three new grimdark classes for grimdark worlds:
    • The Flagellant: a zealot fighting fores of Chaos
    • The Revenant: Free willed undead with a singular goal
    • The Sorcerer: A spellcaster steeped in Chaos, with a custom magic type weighted towards summoning and control
  • Terrors of the Night: A pair of new undead creatures inspired by monsters of legend.
  • The Fetid Crypt of Anatu the Defiler: a dark and haunting dungeon in the Auran Empire’s Borderlands

Axioms #11

  • Behind the Veil: A new class – Nobiran Veildancers, a graceful fighter with divine power
  • Temptress of the Temple: Revealing the dark secrets of the Priestesses of Nasga
  • Lore of the Stars: astrology in the Auran Empire
  • Metaphysics of the Cosmos: the cosmogonic secrets of the universe, revealed!

Axioms #12

  • The Art of Thievery: revisiting the rules for thieves and related classes
  • Re-Thinking Thieves, Part I: a mathematical assessment of whether thief skills are balanced
  • Re-Thinking Thieves, Part II: some roguish ideas to tinker with thieves
  • Live by the Fist: presenting a streetfighter that packs a punch
  • The Purse is Mightier than the Curse: with the newly revised venturer, the wizards work for you
  • Hench Wanted: finding and hiring the right henchman for the job at hand

Axioms #13

  • Machinery to the Max: Vastly expanded Automaton rules for Machinists

Axioms #14

  • Codex & Scroll I: Writing, Reading, Buying, and Selling Books
  • Codex & Scroll II: Libraries and Authorities
  • Codex & Scroll III: Spells, Formulae, and Systems

Axioms #15

  • Lords of the Night: The Nosferatu as a racial class.
  • Scion of the Shadows: The Nosferatu Scion class.
  • The Katripol of Eastern Ulruk: A New Race for ACKS and Auran Empire Campaigns, the Katripol, with skill in machines
  • The Magical and the Mechanical: The Katripol Artificier class.

Axioms Special Bonus Issue 2020

  • Compiled Equipment Collection: The collection of all arms, armor, and equipment from ACKS, Player’s Companion, Domains at War, and Heroic Fantasy Handbook.

Axioms #16

  • Wounds & Woe: Expanded rules for permanent wounds and tampering with mortality

Axioms #17

  • Ore Never Changes: Rules for placing veins of ore, domain mechanics for mines, and dwarven steampunk mining!

Axioms #18

  • Integrated Spell Power Guidelines: Integrated tables combining the Player’s Companion and Heroic Fantasy Handbook‘s spell building resources in one place.

Axioms #19

  • Dynasties: New rules for dynasties, including birth, succession, blood rights, and more.
  • Cohorts: New mechanics for adventurer-scale battles with large formations of troops.

Axioms #20

  • Of Arms and Armor: Overview of historical metallurgy, revised weapon and armor characteristics based on physics, plus rules for armor made of unusual materials

Axioms #21

  • Classical Auran: An overview of the Auran language, with a primer for English speakers, overviews of pronunciation, grammar and syntax, plus a 1,000 word dictionary of useful terms for naming places, people, and items.

Unpublished Articles

These articles are available now on Autarch’s Patreon, and will soon be available as individual issues.

  • ACKS v.01: A look at the set of house rules modifying B/X that birthed the system
  • ACKS Encounter Table Generator: Quickly customize wilderness encounters for any area you define
  • Calling, Conjuration, and Summoning: Expanded options for summonings and conjurations by Frank Skeivoll Romsvig
  • History and Timeline of the Auran Empire
  • Who’s On Point?: A look into streamlining sneaking and surprise in ACKS 2E
  • The Flow of Combat: A study and overhaul of ACKS’ combat sequence
  • Horsing Around: The economics of horse herds.
  • What is Best in Life? I,II,II: The underlying economics of nomads, such as the Mongol, and how their domains are structured in ACKS
  • Magical Research Revised, I,II,III: An update for Magical Research rules in ACKS, plus updates to the Experimentation rules from ACKS:PC and drawing Arcane Power from the dungeon.
  • Secrets of Dwarven Mycoculture: The mechanics and methods of dwarven mushroom farms
  • Rule of the Few: Oligarchies in ACKS
  • The Price of Everything: A review of prices of common merchandise in ACKS
  • The Econometrics of Aurëpos: A review of how new demographics rules alter the econometrics of the Auran campaign setting.

By Content

Characters

  • Axioms #1
    • Introducing the Wizard: a Mage-like class that utilizes shaded magic
  • Axioms #5
    • Of Mischief and Mountebanks: Two new classes.
      • The Fool: A class relying on charisma and luck
      • The Mountebank: A trickster who can brew quacksalves (potions of dubious effectiveness)
  • Axioms #8
    • Put Your Game Face On: Generating PC/NPC appearances based on race and ability scores
  • Axioms #9
    • Noncombatant Characters: Leveling noncombatant, non-adventuring characters – normal men – into higher levels
  • Axioms #10
    • Grim Heroes: Three new grimdark classes for grimdark worlds:
    • The Flagellant: a zealot fighting fores of Chaos
    • The Revenant: Free willed undead with a singular goal
  • Axioms #11
    • Behind the Veil: A new class – Nobiran Veildancers, a graceful fighter with divine power
    • Temptress of the Temple:Revealing the dark secrets of the Priestesses of Nasga
  • Axioms #12
    • Live by the Fist: presenting a streetfighter that packs a punch
    • The Purse is Mightier than the Curse: with the newly revised venturer, the wizards work for you
  • Axioms #13
    • Machinery to the Max: Vastly expanded Automaton rules for Machinists
  • Axioms #15
    • Lords of the Night: The Nosferatu as a racial class.
    • Scion of the Shadows: The Nosferatu Scion class.
    • The Katripol of Eastern Ulruk: A New Race for ACKS and Auran Empire Campaigns, the Katripol, with skill in machines
    • The Magical and the Mechanical: The Katripol Artificier class.

Custom Classes

  • Axioms #1
    • Beyond Arcane and Divine: rules for designing custom magic types for your campaigns
    • The Shades of Magic: Rules for shaded magic, where dark magic can cause corruption of the body and soul
  • Axioms #2
    • Bred for War: Building custom classes with beastman racial builds.
  • Axioms #4
    • Morituri Te Salutant: Running gladiatoral games, and maintaining a gladiatoral school as a domain type
  • Axioms #7
    • Alternate Progressions for the Arcane Values: Reworking the lesser arcane value spell slot progression for better value balance
  • Axioms #9
    • Creating Custom Fantasy Races: Creating races compatible with the Player’s Companion class building system
    • Noncombatant Characters: Leveling noncombatant, non-adventuring characters – normal men – into higher levels

Equipment

  • Axioms #2
    • The Weapons and Warriors of Woe: Variant rules for beastmen arms, armor, and leaders.
    • Hauberks and Hobbits: Armor weights and costs for small and large creatures
  • Special Edition 2020
    • Compiled Equipment Collection: The collection of all arms, armor, and equipment from ACKS, Player’s Companion, Domains at War, and Heroic Fantasy Handbook.
  • Axioms #20
    • Of Arms and Armor: Overview of historical metallurgy, revised weapon and armor characteristics based on physics, plus rules for armor made of unusual materials

Spells And Magic

  • Axioms #1
    • Overcasting: Casting spells beyond one’s traditional limits, with a price
  • Axioms #5
    • Hedge Wizardry and Village Wisdom: Cantrips for ACKS.
  • Axioms #7
    • A Grimoire of Spells: Nine new spells of 5th level and higher.
  • Axioms #14
    • Codex & Scroll I: Writing, Reading, Buying, and Selling Books
    • Codex & Scroll II: Libraries and Authorities
    • Codex & Scroll III: Spells, Formulae, and Systems
  • Axioms #18
    • Integrated Spell Power Guidelines: Integrated tables combining the Player’s Companion and Heroic Fantasy Handbook‘s spell building resources in one place.

Adventures

  • Axioms #6
    • What’s Your Condition?: A dictionary of various conditions (affecting creatures) in ACKS
    • Well Met! Now Prepare to Die, Handsome: Expanded mechanics for diplomacy, intimidation, and seduction in ACKS
  • Axioms #8
    • Put Your Game Face On: Generating PC/NPC appearances based on race and ability scores
    • What’s In Its Pockets?: Valuables, trinkets, and oddities found in other people’s pockets.
  • Axioms #16
    • Wounds & Woe: Expanded rules for permanent wounds and tampering with mortality

Campaigns

  • Axioms Special Edition: Campaign Play
    • Campaign Play: Scheduling the resoution of various domain play activities
    • Campaign Activities: Managing various activities – adventuring, growing congregations, ruling domains, magical research, guild hijinks, and mercantile adventures in the framework of a long term campaign.
  • Axioms #12
    • Hench Wanted: finding and hiring the right henchman for the job at hand
  • Axioms #16
    • Wounds & Woe: Expanded rules for permanent wounds and tampering with mortality
  • Axioms #19
    • Dynasties: New rules for dynasties, including birth, succession, blood rights, and more.

Strongholds And Domains

  • Axioms #3
    • Strongholds and Domains: Refined rules for ACKS domains
    • Seperating Land and Lordship: Running domains where the ruler of the land and the owner of the land are distinct entities
    • Senatus Consultum Ultimum: Rules for domains with a senate or other ruling body
  • Axioms #4
    • Morituri Te Salutant: Running gladiatoral games, and maintaining a gladiatoral school as a domain type
  • Axioms #17
    • Ore Never Changes: Rules for placing veins of ore, domain mechanics for mines, and dwarven steampunk mining!

Domains At War

  • Axioms #3
    • Wandering Into War: Random encounters at the domain level – wandering beastmen and monsters arriving to pillage or settle
  • Axioms #4
    • Pitching Battle!: A revised ruleset for Domains At War: Campaigns battle resolution
    • Aide De Camp: Printable play aids for the above ruleset
    • Elite Troops: Training region or culture specific elite troop types
  • Axioms #19
    • Cohorts: New mechanics for adventurer-scale battles with large formations of troops.

Magic Research

  • Axioms #1
    • The Art of Arcanogenesis: Creating new life forms with magic from scratch
  • Axioms #5
    • Potions, Lotions, and Other Commotions: Cantrip Items and item creation.
    • A Blight Upon The Earth: Drawing divine power from the land itself.
  • Axioms #7
    • Magic Item Research: Calculations of value for each magic item in ACKS, to aid in item creation.
    • Magical Compounds: Enhancing the flexibility of the magic item creation rules by using/distilling common, multi-use compounds from monster parts.
  • Axioms #14
    • Codex & Scroll I: Writing, Reading, Buying, and Selling Books
    • Codex & Scroll II: Libraries and Authorities
    • Codex & Scroll III: Spells, Formulae, and Systems

Monsters

  • Axioms #2
    • The Weapons and Warriors of Woe: Variant rules for beastmen arms, armor, and leaders.
  • Axioms #9
    • Folks Fair and Foul: Eight new fey monsters.
  • Axioms #10
    • Terrors of the Night: A pair of new undead creatures inspired by monsters of legend.

Treasure

  • Axioms #5
    • Potions, Lotions, and Other Commotions: Cantrip Items and item creation.
  • Axioms #8
    • Make Magical Items Magical Again: Thematic minor effects to indivualize magical items.
  • Axioms #14
    • Codex & Scroll I: Writing, Reading, Buying, and Selling Books
    • Codex & Scroll II: Libraries and Authorities
    • Codex & Scroll III: Spells, Formulae, and Systems

The Auran Empire

  • Axioms #2
    • A Culture of Battle: History and Social/Economic structures of beastmen
    • Who Stands Against the Beastmen?: How the Auran Empire defends its borderlands.
  • Axioms #11
    • Lore of the Stars: astrology in the Auran Empire
    • Metaphysics of the Cosmos: the cosmogonic secrets of the universe, revealed!
  • Axioms #21
    • Classical Auran: An overview of the Auran language, with a primer for English speakers, overviews of pronunciation, grammar and syntax, plus a 1,000 word dictionary of useful terms for naming places, people, and items.

Secrets

  • Axioms #2
    • Domains of Chaos: Rules and demographics for beastman clanholds, chaotic domains, and tribal warriors.
  • Axioms #3
    • Of Coins and Commerce: The underlying economic system of ACKS, and rules for mercantile investments
    • The Economics of Peasant Families: How peasant families generate value
    • Flocks and Herbs And Silver And Gold: How animal husbandry generates value
  • Axioms #6
    • Prepare for the Future: A peek into what might happen in an ACKS 2E
  • Axioms #8
    • Put Your Game Face On: Generating PC/NPC appearances based on race and ability scores
    • Stocking the Wilderness: Revamped mechanics for broadening the scope and flavor of wilderness encounters
  • Axioms Special Edition: Abstract Play
    • Abstract Dungeons: Running adventures in dungeons without the dungeon – great for groups of henchmen or secondary characters
    • Abstract Wilderness: Running wilderness lair encounters and clearing hexes with an abstracted system
  • Axioms #12
    • The Art of Thievery: revisiting the rules for thieves and related classes
    • Re-Thinking Thieves, Part I: a mathematical assessment of whether thief skills are balanced
    • Re-Thinking Thieves, Part II: some roguish ideas to tinker with thieves

Lairs And Encounters

  • Axioms #10
    • The Fetid Crypt of Anatu the Defiler: a dark and haunting dungeon in the Auran Empire’s Borderlands