A storm that should have killed them. A continent that doesn't appear on any map. Three outcasts who don't remember reaching shore.
Livia: a sanatorium nurse who survived a plague that killed every patient, every friend, every neighbor she had.
Miranda: a tavern girl who killed a nobleman's son with a broken bottle in self defense, and would do it again.
Sten: a river boat captain who lost his ship, his crew, and his name to a piracy charge he wouldn't answer.
Three strangers boarded the same ship for the same reason: nothing left for them in the old world.
The storm came too fast and the lightning was the wrong color.
They wake on a beach in a world the maps don't know, with strangers in their heads who call themselves spirits, and powers in their hands they have no idea how to use.
Driftbane: The Long Awaited is a tactical RPG of grid combat, recruited allies, and a corruption killing two worlds at once. Strategic battles on an isometric field where the fastest fighters strike first. Terrain shapes every engagement. A flank lands harder. A counter only triggers from the front, and only for allies who've earned the skill. No permadeath. Risks stay risky instead of save-scummed.
Stone, Water, Fire - and the Reasons They Chose You. Each party member carries a virtue tempered by their worst experience. Spirits recognize that virtue and grant power that matches it: stone that won't yield, water that won't stop, fire that cauterizes.
Powers grow as the bonds deepen. Units grow in strength with levels, equipment and class promotion paths. The why of any of it is the story you're playing for.
Every Ally Earned.
The spirit-realm is home to fantastical beast-folk like Vulpari fox-folk in the meadows, Ulfar monks in the frozen north, and others further inland. Each has a culture and a corruption they face. If you can help them overcome it, you will gain allies in your fight to seal the drift. You earn their loyalty through story and exploration.
A World Sick With Things It Has No Word For.
The rain is wrong. The crops are dying. The native races have no defense against vices they have no word for. Behind it all stand the Four Horsemen. Villains or perhaps just consequences gathering weight. Discover the secrets of the Drift.
Dungeons That Teach Before They Reward Dungeons during the campaign reward you with gear that matters. Each is a gauntlet of battles, resource management, and a boss at the end. Even a failed run pays out experience and loot to make the next attempt stronger.
Tiered Endgame: When the campaign ends, the dungeons keep going. Each tier of increasing difficulty and better loot, preparing you for the next tier.
For anyone who grew up on Shining Force 2, Fire Emblem, or Tactics Ogre and never stopped looking for the next one this is built for you.