April 1st, 2025 – Polyhedrons the world over thought it would be fun to prank their gaming groups with a full day of rolling only 1s. As the missed attacks and failed saving throws piled up, the severe consequences of...
It’s a good thing Essence20 settings are team-based, because today’s build needs a friend. Welcome to Essential Builds, the blog that ties Essence20 strings to popular culture icons and makes them dance. I’m Ryan Costello, one of the designers...
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” – Maya Angelou Mmm, if only more leaders...
“Characters make your story. If the people come alive, what they do becomes the story.” – Sol Stein Every character matters, especially those called to act like the conscripts above, but we’re rarely ready for just how much they...
“The most prestigious schools from far and wide now come to us in our fortress-city of Nerosyan, as the Academy of the Reclamation hosts the first international Convocation. Lasting several months, this gathering draws together academies of magic and...
This build isn’t Steve Rogers! You’re right. It’s not. Welcome to Essential Builds, the blog that slaps wings on popular culture icons so they can soar into Essence20. I’m Ryan Costello, one of the designers of the Essence20 system...
“The eternal void is filled with infinite possibilities.” – Laozi I like to hope life is also filled with infinite possibilities, but truly all of our existence came from nothing or the collapse / recombination of compressed matter in...
“The essence of a role-playing game is that it is a group, cooperative experience.” – Gary Gygax We play together. We tell a story. Maybe we push ourselves to be heroes. Maybe we explore dark themes. But ultimately, it’s...
She’s here to eat nuts and kick butts, an attitude that helped her canonically beat some of Marvel’s biggest villains. Welcome to Essential Builds, the blog that turns unbeatable popular culture icons into bushy-tailed Essence20 Player Characters. I’m Ryan...
Just to be honest up front, if you are a big Ultraman fan, you might be disappointed in this entry. I know less about Ultraman than any other subject I’ve covered for Essential Builds (the blog that turns popular...