Essentials Vol 2: Masterminds of Crime

by DRS Publishing

Get a complete guide to how villains think, work, and act. Masterminds of Crime is packed with new mechanics, items, feats, NPCs, and more…

You’ve gathered the intel, cracked the codes, paid off the right people, interrogated shady contacts, and listened to the bartender who gave away more than he should have. You’ve scoped out the scene, mapped every detail, and now, it’s time to bring down the mastermind behind the crime.

Introducing: The Essentials II: Masterminds of Crime. This 6×9-inch hardcover book is built to last and the perfect size to fit in your bag, along with all your other gaming essentials.

Masterminds of CrimeMasterminds of Crime introduces twelve new subclasses, one for each class, each exploring a unique facet of the criminal underworld. From silent infiltrators who manipulate the shadows to silver-tongued masterminds who weave webs of deceit, every subclass delves into a different philosophy of crime. Some embrace chaos and rebellion, while others see crime as an art form, a tool for justice, or a path to personal power. Together, they form a diverse collection of antiheroes, outlaws, and schemers who redefine what it means to live beyond the law.

Extended Thieves’ Tools is carefully designed for players and GMs who want to bring more depth, creativity, and danger to the art of thievery. It transforms the humble toolkit into a full-fledged system of its own.

Within Extended Thieves’ Tools, you’ll find:

Magical and Cursed Thieves’ Tools: Beyond the standard lockpicks and wires, this collection introduces enchanted instruments crafted by guild artificers, cursed relics from forgotten heists, and tools that blur the line between magic and trickery. Some allow you to slip through magical wards or steal intangible things like voices and shadows, while others come with unpredictable side effects that may turn fortune into misfortune at the worst moment.

Extended Thieves’ Cant is here to elaborate the secret language of thieves with new symbols, hand signs, slang, and regional variations. This expanded system lets players and GMs bring the Thieves’ Cant to life in play: hidden meanings in tavern walls, coded phrases in merchant ledgers, or silent exchanges in a crowded market. It provides examples, interpretations, and optional mechanics for deciphering or concealing messages, deepening the immersion of underground communication.

Black Market expands the criminal underworld into a full, interactive system of trade, power, and consequence. It introduces detailed rules for buying, selling, and smuggling illegal goods, from cursed items and forbidden spell components to stolen treasures and experimental alchemy. 

In a campaign centered around crime, monsters take on a different face, that of the law itself. Instead of beasts lurking in the wilds, the greatest threats are the guards, enforcers, and watchers who stand between criminals and their prize.

The monsters section introduces a wide variety of guard types designed for every corner of the city: from street patrols and elite wardens to inquisitors, bounty hunters, and arcane sentinels. Each is designed to fit different tones and challenges, whether your story leans toward gritty street crime, political intrigue, or magical espionage.

With these additions, every heist, chase, and rooftop escape becomes more dynamic. Guards shall become the pulse of urban tension, with Masterminds of Crime, shaping how players plan, act, and survive within the criminal world.

Within Poisoncraft, players gain access to new crafting rules, ingredients, and poison types, from subtle nerve agents that dull the senses to magical venoms that warp memory, emotions, or will. Each poison can be brewed through experimentation, rare materials, or deals with the wrong kind of apothecaries.

The system also introduces poison tiers, delivery methods, and side effects, making every concoction a balance between potency and control. A master poisoner may create blends that mimic illness, counter magic, or even compel truth, but one mistake can be just as deadly to the maker as to the victim.

Alongside these new mechanics, Poisoncraft introduces 30 unique poisons, each crafted to serve a different purpose within the world of crime and intrigue. From slow-acting toxins that imitate illness to instant killers favored by assassins, these poisons offer players a wide range of tactical and narrative options. Whether used in assassination, intimidation, or subtle diplomacy, Poisoncraft turns the story into a high risk hight reward one.

Masterminds of Crime introduces a pantheon of new deities born from the shadows, patrons of thieves, assassins, liars, smugglers, and betrayers. These gods do not sit upon thrones of light; they rule from alleyways, dens, and whispered oaths, embodying the darker instincts of mortal ambition.

Each deity represents a distinct aspect of crime, Greed, Deception, Revenge, Chaos, or Survival, and their worshipers range from desperate street urchins praying for a lucky escape to crime lords who see faith as another form of power. Temples to these gods rarely bear their names; they are hidden in gambling halls, behind false walls in taverns, or beneath the streets where only the devoted dare kneel.

Alongside their detailed descriptions, the book presents stat blocks for each deity’s avatar, physical manifestations that may appear in the mortal world. These avatars are designed for use as powerful allies, rivals, or climactic foes in urban campaigns.

Within Masterminds of Crime lie 10 Relics of Legendary Criminals, artifacts steeped in history, sorrow, and defiance. Each relic carries the essence of its creator, some cunning, some cruel, some driven by the quiet desperation that only those who lived in the shadows could know. 

Alongside these relics are 20 new crime-themed spells, forged by spellcrafter assassins, spies, and those who had to make darkness their ally, these spells capture the delicate balance between danger and necessity. Some wash away footprints as if they were memories, still the air in a single breath, or draw a veil of silence over a trembling secret. Others expose betrayal, twist fate, or conjure illusions that let the guilty hide their shame.

Backerkit Link : Essentials Vol 2: Masterminds of Crime