Toad Rider Shadowdark Class: Who Needs Horses When You Have a Giant Toad?
Horses Are Overrated and Toads Are the Future
Hey there, adventurers! Today, I’m bringing you something special—a brand-new class for Shadowdark that I’ve been working on. And yes, it’s as ridiculous and awesome as it sounds. Inspired by the Magic: The Gathering card Tatsunari, Toad Rider (because, let’s face it, I’m a TTRPG and MTG nerd), this class is a love letter to all things amphibious and absurd. It’s also a nod to Jiraiya from Naruto, because who doesn’t love a ninja who rides toads?
This class is based on the Desert Rider from Cursed Scroll #2 by The Arcane Library, but with a twist. Instead of camels or horses, you get a giant toad. And let me tell you, hopping into battle on a toad is way more fun than galloping on a horse. Trust me.
What Makes the Toad Rider Unique?
The Toad Rider Warrior is all about mobility, battlefield control, and a deep bond with your toad companion. Here’s what sets it apart:
Jumping Instead of Galloping: Your toad moves by leaping, which means you’re limited to one-handed weapons (gotta hold on tight!). This gives the class a distinct flavor and forces you to think strategically about your loadout.
Sticky Tongue: Your toad’s tongue is its deadliest weapon. Use it to grab enemies and pull them close, leaving them helpless while you and your party clean up.
Oil Spray: At higher levels, your toad can spit oil at enemies, dealing damage and setting them up for fiery follow-ups. It’s like having a flamethrower, but slimy.
Toad Ceremonies: Losing your toad? No problem. Just perform a ceremony in the mountain to summon a new one.
Toad Personalities: Each toad has its own quirks, from messy and erratic to sage and wise. These personalities come with bonuses (and sometimes drawbacks), making each toad feel unique.
How Does It Compare to the Desert Rider?
The Desert Rider is all about charging into battle on a camel or horse, dealing massive damage with mounted attacks. The Toad Rider, on the other hand, trades raw damage for versatility and battlefield control. Here’s the breakdown:
Mobility: The toad’s double speed in hex and dungeon crawls makes it a beast for exploration.
Combat: While the Desert Rider focuses on charging attacks, the Toad Rider excels at controlling the battlefield with Sticky Tongue and Oil Spray.
Durability: The toad has its own HP and can be targeted in combat, adding a layer of risk and strategy.
Flavor: Let’s be real—riding a toad is just cooler than riding a horse.
Toad Rider Class
Wise and agile ninja warriors, who cross the mountains by jumping on their toad companions, causing havoc in battles thanks to their great ability to move and the strong tongues of their companions. Avid in meditation and appreciation of nature, forging strong bonds with creatures of the mountains.
Weapons: One-handed only.
Armor: Leather Armor only.
Hit Points: 1d8 per level.
Toad Mount. You have a common Toad with a random personality to start, you choose his main skin colour and roll his HP. It comes when you call and never spooks. Check the Toad Stats section to see the detailed stats. You can only have one such mount at the time. While you mount you both get a bonus to AC. You can freely leap on or off your mount once per round. If you loose your mount, you can use your downtime and the "Toad Ceremonies" to accquire another Toad companion.
Sticky Tongue. 3/day, your toad can grab an enemy and pull them close. DC 12 DEX + toad level to resist.
Oil Spray. At toad level 3+, your toad can spit oil, dealing d4 damage per level and giving enemies disadvantage on DEX checks for one turn. Fire damage deals an extra 1d4.
Toad Rider Talents
Roll 2d6 (Effects):
2: Your toad gains +1 slot to carry items.
3-6: Your toad gets extra 1d6 HP permanently.
7-9: +1 melee attacks when mounted on your toad or +2 to Strength or Dexterity.
10-11: Gain an additional use of your Sticky tongue talent each day.
12: Choose a talent or +2 to distribute to stats.
Toad Stats
To get a new toad you must succeed on a "Toad Ceremony".
Every time you get a new Toad, you roll on the “Toad Personality” table and choose his main skin color.
The toad has HP = 4d6 and AC = 10 and a separate level equal half your level (round down and minimum 1).
The toad has 2x speed on hex and dungeon crawl and has 2x your STR bonus as slots to carry items.
The toad needs to consume rations equals to his level every week and it heals fully with the same rules on resting than normal PCs.
While you mount your toad, you both get a bonus to AC equal to half your level (round down and minimum 1)
Toad Ceremonies
To get a new Toad you need to go into a Mountain and succeed on the ceremony requirements:
Toad Ceremony Requirements (Roll 2d6):
2: a full night of meditation on the mountain with the new toad, give 3x rations, pass a DC 14 CHA check.
3-5: give 3x rations and pass a DC 12 CHA check.
6-8: give 2x rations and a full night of meditation on the mountain with the toad.
9-11: give 1x rations and pass a DC 11 CHA check.
12: give 1x rations.
Toad Personalities
Each toad has a unique personality with some bonuses:
Roll 2d6 + CHA (Demeanor - Behavior - Bonus):
0-4: Messy - ironic, untidy, stubborn.
Bonus: The toad occasionally drops items (for every hex traversed on the Toad, 1d6 check: on 1-2 you loose a random item), but gains +1 to AC from its erratic movements.
5-7: Sleepy - indifferent, always hungry, rude.
Bonus: The toad moves slower (-5 ft. speed) but gains +2 HP per level.
8-9: Cheerful - energetic, though, protective.
Bonus: The toad inspires allies, granting +1 to morale-based checks within near distance.
10+: Sage - peaceful, clever, loyal.
Bonus: The toad can sense danger, granting advantage on initiative rolls.
Final Thoughts
The Toad Rider Warrior is a fun, flavorful, and balanced class that brings something truly unique to Shadowdark. It’s perfect for players who want a mix of mobility, battlefield control, and amphibious shenanigans.
If you’ve got suggestions for balancing or improving the class, drop them in the comments! I’m planning to release this on my itch.io with some killer artwork, so I want it to be as polished as possible.
Now go forth, hop into battle, and show those horse-riders what real style looks like. Until next time, and remember, keep your blades sharp and your shields up!
-Mirokus (Codex Gigas)
Sure, it’s great… until the toad croaks.
Interesting class.