Beasts Of Latra

"One must first lose sight of the shore in order to make new discoveries" 

-Milo, first of the Rangers

In this new TTRPG inspired by Monster Hunter™ you will battle mighty Beasts and explore the unforgiving wilds of Latra. Join one of three factions, or ride solo as an independent, and traverse the highest peaks, the densest jungles, and the deadliest deserts where no other explorer has dared to venture before. Whether you wish to broaden humanity's reach, gain knowledge, or coexist with the wildlife is your choice to make. 

But beware, because being the first to discover something is a double edged-sword be it a poison with no cure or a hungry Beast lurking in the foliage.

Now get out there, Ranger!

The whole team behind this project consists of:

Raxi. He has worked for the host of the Harmacists Youtube channel, Skorak, as an editor and is able to use Blender and FL Studio on an advanced level. He is a more capable artist than most and is in charge of most visual-related aspects on Beasts Of Latra. In his free time he makes music which he uploads on his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@raxi9619/videos

Hiukas. Hiukas is a massive history buff and ls currently writing a novel set in a fantasy world he made. He is in charge of the writing for this project.

This project was inspired by the video game series Monster Hunter™ and is an attempt to bring the thrill of that experience to the table. Being TTRPG and video game enthusiasts, the desicion to combine the two was not a difficult one to make. We envisioned a game where you can see and do much more than in the videogame counterpart, and we believe we accomplished that vision by:

-Translating video game mechanics to tabletop 

-Making Beasts deadly and reactive.

-Emphasizing the combat and exploration as a core part of the experience

Beasts of Latra has a variety of mechanics and features aimed at recreating the feeling of adventuring through uncharted territory and fighting Beasts. Some of those mechanics include:

• Your weapon is also your class. Leveling up grants unique abilities which reflect your ever growing mastery over your weapon. Each weapon has a completely different playstyle reminiscent of the weapons in Monster Hunter™. The "Messer" for example, weaves in and our of multiple Guards that help it stay flexible to the situation at hand, and the "Whip Sword" gathers a special resource called "Focus" as it fights that it can spend to perform powerful abilities. Each weapon also has access to 2 subclasses that allow you to hone into the playstyle you want even further.
  
• Opportunity Actions: Beasts will not sit idly by while your're trying to sip on a healing potion or sharpen your weapon. They will take advantage of openings and attack. Be mindful of their gaze.
• Beasts are no joke, teamwork and a solid understanding of the envioroment are crucial to survive an encounter with one. Sometimes, retreat is the smartest option.
• Specializations: It is every Ranger's duty to fight when there is no escape. However, your specialization defines your role in the team and grants you useful bonuses. Whether you are a Tracker, Chef, Blacksmith, Tamer, Herbalist, or Trapper, your skill set will be indispensable to your party.
• Tracking checks: While traversing the wild, your party will occasionally make Tracking checks. Their result represents the party's overall awareness of their surroundings in this moment. Success can be the difference between knowing that a Beast is 30 minutes away, or right behind you.
• Terrain pieces, are envioromental features that can be placed on the battlefield and have varying effects (Quicksand, stalagmite etc.). This allows GM's to spice up their encounters on the fly and provides players with new strategic opportunities.

The familiar mechanics: This is a d20 based system, were you will add modifiers and try and get as high a result as possible to beat DCs. You have a regular action and a bonus action per turn. Grid based. You have base stats, social stats and skills like Athletics, Foraging, Perception, Persuasion etc.

The NEW mechanics: No initiative, roll to dodge (no Armor Class), Enemy opportunity actions, stance breaking, "Sharpening" which is an action that is taken to maintain your weapon mid-combat, tracking checks, map making and exploration mechanics, Foraging, antidote crafting, tools and artifacts, new stealth system, traps and trap crafting, a befriending mechanic for animals and Beasts.

Desperate times call for inovation. And so the criminals who first landed on Latra, virtually defenseless in the face of the Beasts, jerryrigged massive weapons from metal, wood and scrap. Though their design has improved over the decades they are still unreliable, prone to breaking and need constant maintenance even in the middle of battle. And yet, to a Ranger there is no stronger bond than the one they hold with their weapon. You will eat, sleep, fight and explore with it constantly on your back. You will come to know your weapon as well as the back of your hand, as it is your equalizer against a much fiercer foe.

In this game, your class and weapon are one and the same. Additionally, each weapon has two possible subclasses to choose from. Your level represents your mastery over your weapon and higher level means higher expertise. We believe this feature will bridge the gap between screen and table in a unique for the TTPRG scene way. 

Few believe the Ragners when they tell tales of predetors as massive as buildings, fewer still keep a steady hand when first seeing one. Beasts are wildlife of immense power whose mere presence commands respect from anything that isn't another Beast. They are the defining characteristic of Beasts of Latra and no one should ever take them lightly. Our goal is to make every Beast encounter special using gameplay and presentation. 

Making Beasts and Biomes was our favourite part of the creative process and we loved spending time researching (watching nature documentaries) in order to create more authentic encounters.

On Latra you will find three Ranger factions holding onto differing ideologies regarding the future of the continent:

The Samzal, who believe in the pursuit of knowledge.

The Gheran, whose goal is to further humanity's reach.

The Vespus, who aim for coexistence with the wildlife.

We believe that although politics are lacking in Monster Hunter™, the addition of the factions is a major strengh of our system and will create many opportunities for roleplay, story moments and plotlines that focus on the human aspect of this world.

Your choices and allegiances can decide the fate of Latra and its inhabitants. Consider your choices carefully.

Now, get out there, Ranger!

 https://discord.gg/qWtu4emXWG

https://www.youtube.com/@BeastsOfLatra

Disclaimer: "Laelaps Games" are not affiliated with or endorsed by Capcom, the owner of the "Monster Hunter" trademark.