Wild Homebrew Jam Winner: Zelda’s Refuge and Zant’s Curse

First among our Homebrew Jam winners to be highlighted is Shines, with their new spells, Zelda’s Refuge and Zant’s Curse.

Some homebrew projects are vast projects, with tons of new additions. Some, though, are subtler – filling in niches that were previously unexplored, or only barely touched upon. So it is with Shines’ two spells here.

The first spell, Zelda’s Refuge, helps fill in the niche of a ‘master of disguise’ with an upgraded version of Impa’s Disguise. It’s more resistant to casual interference, allowing you to better navigate a crowded street or a close dance. It also allows for a more thorough transformation, including your size, which might help a Hylian present as a Gerudo – or as a Deku. All in all, it’s the kind of spell I wish I’d thought of, way back when we were first creating Reclaim the Wild.

The second spell, Zant’s Curse, serves double duty. On the one hand, it allows a player to provide this transformative magic to their friends, which can allow a whole party of Heroes to, say, enter a Gerudo town, infiltrate a cult, or hide their identity when pursued by the town guards. On the other, it works well as a spell primarily for villains, with its capability to force changes upon a foe. (Though in that capacity, I would encourage you to talk with your players before you use it directly upon them.)

Speaking with Shines, they were able to give us some insight into why they wanted to explore these spells as options for players and foes alike.

I’m a big fan of shapeshifting and transformation in stories and games, and I wanted to give those as options for both players and Game Masters. I was inspired by the changes seen in Zelda transforming into Sheik, as well as a number of terrible fates seen in the Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask games. Hopefully this enables you to play a true master of disguise or shapeshifter, or offers another way for a Game Master to have a truly memorable villain encounter.

If you or your players would like to include Shines’ new spells in your game, check ’em out here!