This week we talked to Riftweaver’s Creative Director, Darci Manley, about the design of the starting inventory for our seven classes. Here’s what she had to tell us.
Seven Bags for Seven Classes
We are just beginning to design Fablecraft’s inventory items, and we've tapped the incredible Linda Lithén to bring them to life. Linda has been working with us for two years at this point and is really an expert on what our world looks like, from the people and creatures who live there, to the regions they call home.
After we settled on our seven classes, the next step was to bring them to life in a way that supported storytelling. We thought it would be fun to design a custom kit, or bag, for each.
We knew the starting items for each class would be very different (and a little bit weird!). We'd need the bags to be physically easy to transport - after all, Mages in Mythas are explorers. They also needed to be roughly the same size to fit seamlessly into the actual game design. We wanted to highlight 2-4 items to reinforce the class personalities. We knew the colors, materials, and contents of each bag needed to reflect our world and lore. And finally, we were determined that each bag would feel equally special and unique.
So, Linda got busy sketching! You can see some of our early exploration and final designs below.
Early exploration for the Performer bag
Variant sketches for the entire collection of class bags
The Guardian Class
Our Guardians are basically a fantasy sheriff without the pistols. These characters tend to be do-gooders and, honestly, a little bit smug about it. The bag is outdoorsy in its color palette by design. We’ve got some elements that look like leaves here as well. The natural world always influences our art direction, so that’s coming into play here. This is also the most traditional bag shape out of the bunch.
You’ve got the shackles there to reinforce the authority of the class, but also, Claire Purcell (Riftweaver’s lead storyteller) came up with this idea of giving our Guardian a “Watchful Eye.” With a successful Might check, you can roll this magical eyeball around a corner or under a door to see what’s going on. It’s so weird and kind of gross and just endlessly hilarious to me!
The Inventor Class
Our Inventor is a magical MacGyver type. This is the kind of character who is going to grab a seashell, a few feathers, and a pile of sand, then create a new gizmo to get themselves out of a pit trap and/or defeat a Tidemaw and/or detect buried treasure.
There are lots of handy tools and schematics in the bag, plus the stitching and shaping of it is just really fun. The goggles were oddly the hardest part of the design. We had to make sure they didn’t read as too steampunk since that’s not the look of our world.
The Merchant Class
I just love this bag. All of the vibrant compartments, woven details, and straps, and the general shape–it’s such a fun interlocking puzzle of potential fun (and sales!). You can think about it as an on-the-go storefront for pretty much anything a player could dream up.
In particular, I love the shell detailing on the scale and the colorful abacus. When you roll a successful Empathy check as a Merchant you can gauge a fair cost during any negotiation. There are so many story hooks for this class!
The Naturalist Class
This bag is so pretty and sweet. When I want to play a character who is going to try and tame every animal they meet (which is most of the time, tbh), this is the class for me.
The bag is basically a herbalism kit that highlights a variety of our regions. The structure is woven from grass from the Long Meadows–this is also where the bioluminescent butterfly comes from. We’ve got a shell from the Coral Coasts and a mushroom from the Wildwoods. The flower is a rare one from the Highlands, and the sickle is handy anywhere you’ll travel in Mythas. The bag sets you up to make any number of herbal concoctions and brews.
The Performer Class
This was the first bag we designed, and it remains my personal favorite. In Fablecraft, a performer can be anything—a singer, tap dancer, mime, or drag queen. If there is a Performer in the adventuring party, you are almost guaranteed to have some dramatic scenarios.
The bag contains this beautiful mask that Linda designed as a cue to our Highlanders. The moon and stars are integral to our world, and I love that these details were included in the bag. If you zoom in, there are even sequins stitched on! The bag of glitter is endlessly entertaining to me. The thing about glitter is that it gets everywhere and is impossible to clean up. When I play a Performer in Fablecraft, I leave a trail of the stuff wherever I go!
The Rogue Class
Ya gotta love a Rogue to add some chaos and thievery into any story. We’ve provided a number of lockpicks and skeleton keys for all of your troublemaking needs, plus a Wanted sign. Cause that’s when you know your thieving career has really taken off. ;)
This bag was kept small and simple, the better to get in and out of sticky situations. Still love the thoughtful stitching and fun colors, though!
The Sage Class
An intellect, are you? One look at this bag confirms it! You’ve got your esoteric scrolls, your quill and ink, some magical crystals, and no doubt a number of dusty old tomes safely packed away as well.
As for that strange glowing cube? We imagine it works just like a magic eight-ball. Shake it and find out the future. Just don’t blame us if the outlook is hazy or if you need to ask again later. Depending on your GM, a successful Academics check may clear things right up!
The Final Collection
With all of our bags, we really leaned into bright colors, which is the approach for most of the Fablecraft artwork we create. If you google “fantasy adventure bag,” you’ll find a lot of brown leather backpacks. Nothing wrong with that, except that it’s been done before. So we tried out something a little more vibrant and fun. Let us know if you have a favorite!
Wishlist Us On Steam
We love hearing from all of you, so please keep the feedback coming! Your support makes a huge difference to an indie game like ours.
Join our party on Discord and Wishlist Tales of Fablecraft on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2176900/Tales_of_Fablecraft/?utm_source=steam&utm_content=steam-update-040224