Shadowhand Gaming

@shadowhand-gaming

Creating content for Draw Steel and 5e. Toronto, Canada Itch Shop: Patreon: Email: shadowhandgaming@gmail.com Banner art: Corey Rivera

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Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jul 8

The Stitched Whiplash might be one of my favourite monsters in our upcoming monster booklet, Denizens of the Underwode, and Michele is working on some absolutely awesome art for the whiplash. #drawsteel #ttrpg

concept sketch of a humanoid torso grafted onto a giant millipede with large insectoid arms grafted onto the back with heavy organic whips attached to them

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jun 16

Been updating Crucible, our character creator for #drawsteel, so we have the Summoner and Beastheart at launch. Been busy writing the .json files for the new classes and designing the character sheets cause they require some unique features. #ttrpg A closer look at Crucible will hopefully soon!

Layout mockup of a character sheet for draw steel showing each class option in the game and their respective primary characteristic, recoveries, resource and subclass

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jun 10

Michele has been working on some art for the Weaver Matron for our next #drawsteel booklet, and let's just say he's been having fun. #ttrpg

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· May 28

Having a little too much fun working on the cultists for the next monster booklet. The minions being based around those drawn into the cult have made for some very fun ideas, like the homicidal artist. Excited to share more once the band is in a more complete state. #drawsteel #ttrpg

Stat block for the Draw Steel tabletop role-playing game creature called the Homicidal Artist, Weaver Cultist. A Level 3 Minion Harrier with keywords Humanoid and Cultist, worth 5 Encounter Value for four minions. Core statistics: Size 1M, Speed 5, Stamina X, Stability 0, Free Strike 2, no Immunity, Weakness, or special Movement. Characteristic scores: Might +0, Agility +2, Reason +0, Intuition +1, Presence +0.

Signature Ability
Sharpened Implement: a melee weapon strike dealing 2d10+2 damage, targeting one creature or object per minion at Melee 1 range. Tier results: tier 1 (11 or lower) deals 2 damage; tier 2 (12–16) deals 4 damage and applies A less than 1 bleeding until save; tier 3 (17 or higher) deals 5 damage and applies A less than 2 bleeding until save. Effect: if 3 or more Homicidal Artists target the same creature, potency increases by 1.

Trait
Violent Inspiration: when this creature rolls a tier 3 result on an ability roll, it immediately makes a free strike with no action required; if that result would make the target winded or dying, it makes two free strikes instead.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· May 19

Check out Michele's early concept for the Ungoli for the next #drawsteel booklet. #ttrg

A grayscale pencil-on-paper concept sketch set against a neutral gray background. The creature, identified as Ungoli, stands in a dynamic crouched pose facing right. Its body combines insect and humanoid features: a massive, ridged wing casing or shell rises from its back, textured with bumps and segmented ribbing. The torso is upright and humanoid, with multiple pairs of thin, articulated limbs; some mechanical or exoskeletal in appearance. The creature grips a long diagonal staff or spear across its body. Its head is small relative to the body, with wide eyes, prominent fangs or mandibles, and spiny protrusions along the crown. The lower limbs end in multi-toed clawed feet. The sketch uses loose, expressive linework with tonal shading to suggest volume and texture.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· May 14

An early exploration from Michelle for the cultists for the next monster booklet for #drawsteel! #ttrpg

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· May 11

It has been a bit since we provided an update on Crucible, our character creator for #Drawsteel. I hope to be able to show a more in-depth view of the character sheet soon! But in the meantime, here's a peek at the mobile design we are trying out.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Apr 17

I have been thinking about maps for #DrawSteel a lot lately, including region maps and how to create a travel system for Draw Steel that keeps the game's heroic, cinematic feel, encourages travel, and makes your worlds feel alive. #ttrpg Check out the first post: www.patreon.com/c/Shadowhand...

Hex map showing the sketch of a region lush with greenery with a city at the base of a mountain with caves in the mountains and multiple roads leading to it with a lake to the east as well as a forest and a military fort to the north west and a barrow to the south west as well as a town along the western road.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Apr 4

Life has been hectic lately; work on the next booklet for #drawsteel is still underway. A fourth band has been added to the booklet, the stitched, underlings created by the Weavers to serve them. Here is a preview of the Igmite.

A game statblock for "Stitched Igmite," a Level 8 Minion Controller with the keywords Stitched and Humanoid, worth 10 EV for four minions. Core stats: Size 1, Speed 6, Stamina 12, Stability 0, Free Strike 4, no listed Immunity, Weakness, or Movement. Characteristic scores: Might +0, Agility +3, Reason +4, Intuition +2, Presence +0. Signature Ability — Fire Spin (2d10+4): a Magic, Melee, or Ranged Strike action targeting one creature per minion at Melee 2 or Ranged 5. On a roll of 11 or lower, deals 4 fire damage; 12–16 deals 7 fire damage and the target can't take move actions until end of turn; 17 or higher deals 9 fire damage with the same movement restriction. If more than 2 Igmites join to use Fire Spin, the target takes an additional 4 fire damage at the start of their turn. Two villain abilities are listed: "Numb to Pain" — the Igmite is immune to the bleeding and weakened conditions; and "Highly Combustable" — when reduced to 0 stamina, the Igmite explodes for 4 fire damage to all enemies within 2, doubled if fire damage caused the death.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 30

Sketching out the new layout for the Ungoli arena based on the playtests so far. Going for a more web aesthetic and a whole new floor has been added for verticality. One of the encounter maps for my next monster booklet for #drawsteel #ttrpg #battlemap

Sketch of arena map on the shape of a web using octagon. Showing first floor and second floor layouts. First floor showcases shrapnel wall around exterior, stands, vip box, and central shrapnel column. Second floor has outer metal platform with shrapnel wall, a central platform, stands and joint platforms.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 27

Been working on a rough draft of the third echelon monster band for my next #drawsteel booklet, the Weavers, and it didn't feel right to have minions in their band...So I created a new one, the Stitched, a minion band full of humanoids that the Weavers have experimented on. #ttrpg

Creature statblock for the Stitched Arachnite, a Level 8 Minion Defender with keywords Stitched and Humanoid. EV: 40. Size 1, Speed 6, Stamina 12, Stability 1, Free Strike 4. No immunities, weaknesses, or special movement. Characteristics: Might +3, Agility +3, Reason +4, Intuition +2, Presence +2. Signature Ability — Impaling Arm Blade (2d10 + 4): Keywords Charge, Melee, Strike, Weapon; Distance Melee 2; Target one creature per minion; Main Action. Tier 1 (≤11): 4 damage. Tier 2 (12–16): 7 damage; grabbed and restrained until end of turn. Tier 3 (17+): 9 damage; grabbed and restrained until end of turn. Effect: If used as part of a charge main action, the Arachnite makes a free strike against an additional target. Villain Actions — Numb to Pain: The Arachnite does not suffer the effects of bleeding or weakened. Grafted Limbs: Whenever the Arachnite makes a free strike, they can make two free strikes instead.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 25

Exploring some map overlays for maps being made for #drawsteel. Been noodling on some fun ways to use maps and sandbox style play for DS while keeping the heroic feel! #ttrpg

Screenshot of a map sketch with a hex grid and a point of interest depicting a temple sitting upon a hill with two trees with a river to the north and a road below. Above the temple is a pin showcasing a skull icon, a treasure icon and a hammer icon.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 19

Playtests of the Ungoli monster band for #drawsteel kicked off last week, and so far they've been loads of fun. Lots of interesting things are happening with the maps and encounters being designed for the band. The Arena encounter is getting some more testing this weekend with a new objective!

A top-down view of a virtual tabletop (VTT) battle map depicting a circular gladiatorial arena with tiered stone seating surrounding a sandy floor. A yellow circle outlines the arena boundary. Several character tokens are positioned across the sand: "Ungoli Flugar" on the left with a health bar showing 126/140, "Ungoli Grautir" at the bottom with a magenta-bordered token showing 59/160 HP, a token labeled "Talent, Cheater Guy" near the top with 29/36 HP, and "Shadow (Greg)" on the right at 38/43 HP. Additional smaller tokens with health bars are scattered in the center and lower portion of the arena. Blue diagonal lines cross the map, likely indicating line-of-sight or movement paths. The map uses a gray-and-brown palette evoking a Roman-style colosseum viewed from above.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 6

Working on the third of three monster bands for my next monster booklet. Making monsters for the third echelon is turning out to be a lot of fun.

Screenshot of a tabletop RPG monster stat block titled “Weaver Mindbreaker,” described as a Level 8 Elite Hexer with EV 40 and keywords Weaver, Fey. Core stats listed include Size 4, Speed 6, Stamina 190, Stability 5, Free Strike 8, with immunities to Corruption 8, Holy 8, and Poison 8, and Climb movement. Attribute bonuses are Might +3, Agility +3, Reason +4, Intuition +2, Presence +2.

The creature’s signature ability, “Everything, Everywhere All at Once,” is a ranged magical attack (range 10) dealing 15–22 psychic damage depending on roll tier and inflicting dazed or dazed and slowed conditions; dazed targets take +8 psychic damage, and spending 3 Malice can teleport the target.

A second attack, “Mindbreaker Slash,” can strike two targets at melee 2 or range 5, dealing 12–21 psychic damage, causing psychic weakness, and potentially dazing or restraining the target.

Additional abilities include “Bow at my Feet,” an area maneuver forcing enemies in a 3×3 cube within 5 to make a Reason test or fall prone, possibly taking psychic damage and being unable to stand.

A triggered action, “Bend Fate” (3 Malice), alters another creature’s power roll with advantage or disadvantage.

Passive traits include “Breaker of Minds,” granting bonuses against dazed enemies; “Web of Possible Futures,” giving an edge after a tier-3 roll; and “Web Walker,” increasing speed to 12 on webbing terrain and preventing speed reduction there.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 4

Industrialist vampires who intentionally pollute the skies to block out the sun. I have had this idea for a while now and finally got around to writing about it abit and that's how the concept of Tenebrous Towns came into being in my World War Fantasy setting for #drawsteel.

Screenshot of text for tenebrous towns:

## Tenebrous Towns

Industrial towns where the skies are so choked with ash that the sun never shines. The streets sit in eternal darkness, giving rise to all kinds of frivolity and trouble. Often homes to some of the largest black market networks, gangs often run amuck in these towns, controlling all that moves in and out. However, more often than not there are those that lie in the shadows, orchestrating the comings and goings with an invisible hand. Vampires, creatures of the night who have long lost their humanity call these towns home. Rumours even stir that it was the vampire courts of old that orchestrated the rise of the industrial complex, quite a convenient way to ensure the sun never bothers you again. The many courts now spread into countless covens that control territory amongst these many towns, hosting parties and events to lure the downtrodden masses seeking refuge from a long days work in the factories to feed their bloodthirsty overlords.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 3

Working away on the two encounters that will pair with the Ungoli monster band in the next #drawsteel monster booklet. Looking forward to the playtests and iterating on the map. River Fort map created by Two Minute Tabletop — (2minutetabletop.com/product/rive...)

gridded battlemap showing a river fort from above with monster tokens in place and a yellow rectangle representing the hero starting area.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Mar 2

Been thinking about setting maps for #drawsteel and how to leverage the system when it comes to maps. Overlays to identify resources for projects and montage test guides, I have some ideas... Here is an early sketch of a territory map that the great Michele Galavotti is working on.

digital map sketch of region showcasing mountains and forest along the coast with a pilgrim road. Has a hex map overlay.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Feb 19

The first of three monster bands for my next #drawsteel monster booklet is about ready for playtesting. This band is the Ungoli arachnid fey from the Underwode who conduct raids on the surface to capture humanoids to fight in their arenas. Here's a sneak peek of an Ungoli horde brute:

Dark-themed statblock titled “Ungoli Jarnife.” The top section lists creature details: Level 4 Horde Brute, EV 6, keywords Ungoli and Fey, size 2, speed 8, stamina 53, stability 2, free strike 3, immunities to corruption 4 and poison 4, movement climb, no listed weaknesses, and attributes showing Might +3, Agility +1, Reason +0, Intuition +2, Presence +0.

Below are abilities presented in sections. “Spiked Knuckles +3,” labeled as a melee weapon main action targeting one creature or object at melee distance 1, with tiered damage values and bleeding effects, a special rule allowing increased damage or potency by spending temporary stamina, and a malice option to target an additional creature.

“Jarnife’ Web Sling,” a ranged weapon maneuver with distance 10, shows tiered pull effects and free strikes, damage scaling based on distance pulled, and a malice option replacing the free strike with clawed knuckles.

“Sustained by Agony” is a free triggered self action that grants temporary stamina when a visible creature becomes winded or dying for the first time.

Two star-marked traits follow: “Pleasure from Pain,” allowing condition removal on a tier 3 damage result, and “Web Walker,” increasing speed on webbing terrain and preventing speed reduction there.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Feb 17

I collect a lot of art books, and it’s one of my favourite ways to look for inspiration. Finally was able to get my hands on the Art of Evolve which I’ve been meaning to grab for a while. Excited to dig in!

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 28

Sometimes you can spontaneously write something you like unprompted in the middle of the day. A little bit of the Overview section for the World War Fantasy campaign frame for #drawsteel

A text document that details the lore of the Great War for the World War Fantasy campaign frame for Draw steel. The text displayed is as follows:

Overview

If your group decides to play this campaign, give your players the following information before character creation.

The Great War
Some say the war never truly ended, one conflict just lead to another. Beginning as a conflict meant to cement the rule of a young elven emperor, Calenion, set the world on a path from which it will never return. Calenion believed crushing the human kingdom of Iloronia would be swift and precise like so many confrontations that came before it, the elves had quelled countless human vassals that had grown too large and believe they deserved a seat at the table. The banners were rallied, the Dwarven high kings gathered their forces at Tývor, and the collective armies of three elven empires prepared the appropriate counterspells for that they presumed was a great act of sorcery that has caused the humans to grow so bold. The humans brought something new, something no elven oracle could ever have predicted. From an old dwarven blueprint, a seemingly harmless schematic, showing how a piston could be moved back and forth using steam the humans of Iloronia had devised machines unlike anything the world anything had every seen. They brought the most destructive creation to Tývor, the automatic machine gun, the elderkin forces were il prepared, their spells and tactics meaningless against the assault of bullets and explosions that met them on the battlefield.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 27

Working through one of the monster bands for the next #drawsteel booklet. A preview of 5 of the statblocks within the weaver cult monster band is now on the Patreon for preview. Get updates and see how the sausage is made as I work towards the first playtest! www.patreon.com/posts/weaver...

Insectoid skull with line border, gothic worn text saying "Weavers" on a purple background with the shadowhand gaming and powered by draw steel logos.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 24

Play as a hero of the deep in #drawsteel. My submission for the 2nd #JamsOfTheTimescape deep elves! It's been a joy to be a part of the jam and see everyone's submissions. Artwork done by the incredible Michelle Galavotti. shadowhand-gaming.itch.io/deep-elf-anc... #ttrpg

thumbnail titled “Deep Elves: A Draw Steel Player Ancestry.” Against a dark blue background, an illustrated blue-green–skinned elf with pointed ears wears ornate bronze armor and a crested helmet, raising one hand forward. Text logos at the bottom read “Shadowhand Gaming,” “Jams of the Timescape,” and “Powered by Draw Steel.”

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 19

Carving out some time each day to write the Campaign frame for my World War Fantasy #Drawsteel setting. The question is... am I brave enough to write in layout? #ttrpg

Two-page exhibition layout mockup. A wide black-and-white panoramic photograph spans the top of both pages. Below the image, each page contains a bold heading reading “Heading” with a short line of placeholder text beneath. The lower portion of both pages is otherwise blank. The panoramic image depicts a barren landscape with broken, vertical tree trunks and scattered debris under a pale, hazy sky.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 7

Told myself I’d draw more this year as a way to contextualize #worldbuilding. Figured I’d start with a visual exploration for the Orcs for my World War Fantasy setting for #Drawsteel. A little rusty and a bit too heavy handed still.

Sketches of portraits at 4 stages of completition the farthest to the left is most complete and shows a muscular head with a large nose, strong cheekbones and ridged ears

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 7

Messing around with Levelling up in the Crucible character sheet for #DrawSteel

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Jan 2

A new year, a new announcement! Crucible is coming in 2026, a character creator for #drawsteel. It's been so fun working on this, and I can't wait to show more. Join the Patreon to be involved in the process and support development. Read the Patreon Post: tinyurl.com/47k2h93u

Orange title card with a thin white rectangular border. Large white uppercase text reads “CRUCIBLE,” with smaller white text below reading “A CHARACTER CREATOR.” Near the bottom, a white outlined badge contains the text “POWERED BY DRAW STEEL.”

Screenshot of a dark-themed web interface titled “Crucible” showing a tabletop RPG character sheet. The left column displays character identity and stats: a character with ancestry Devil, class Censor, subclass Exorcist, domain War, kit Panther, and career Agent; attributes for Might, Agility, Reason, Intuition, and Presence; statistics such as size, speed, stability, saves; and sections for victories, wealth, renown, XP, level, conditions, and skills. The top center shows stamina, recoveries, and resource counters with buttons. The main panel lists combat actions like “Devastating Rush,” “Halt Miscreant!,” “Driving Assault,” and “Censored!” with melee ranges and power rolls. A right sidebar contains navigation buttons for projects, treasures, perks, titles, kit, class, ancestry, culture, and complication.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Dec 30

Only 2 days left to get the Carnophage Booklet for #drawsteel on sale! The booklet features the Carnophage monster band and two unique DTOs. If you want gory vampires to throw at your heroes, look no further! itch: shadowhand-gaming.itch.io/carnophage-m... patreon: tinyurl.com/34z67mwz

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Dec 26

Boxing Day it for Sabotage

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Dec 14

Managed to do a test print of the Carnophage booklet for the fun of it; didn't turn out too bad for a test. #drawsteel

Front cover of a booklet titled “Carnophages: Monster Booklet.” The title appears in red, stylized Gothic lettering on a black background. Below the title is an illustration of a monstrous humanoid head with glowing yellow eyes, an open mouth with sharp teeth, and bone spikes protruding from the skull. A human skull rests near the creature’s shoulder. Text at the bottom reads “Powered by Draw Steel” and “Shadowhand Gaming.”

Open booklet displaying a two-page spread of tabular layouts and text blocks. The pages list multiple creature entries with headings, numerical statistics, icons, and labeled abilities. Sections are arranged in columns with bold headers and boxed areas, suggesting game rules or character profiles. Page numbers and “Carnophages for Draw Steel” appear along the bottom margins.

Shadowhand Gaming@shadowhand-gaming· Dec 7

Picture of the staff who runs this account.