Dreams of Kingsport: Tools of Investigation

A dream and a favor, a ship in the storm…and many an offer more…

Whatever you do, don’t wake up, investigators! It’s Leah again, here chat a bit about the third chapter of the upcoming Dreams of Kingsport setting guide for the Arkham Horror RPG. This part of the book is crammed full of gameplay goodies and I’m excited to finally have the chance to talk about it.

In Chapter 3: Tools of Investigation we introduce a brand-new archetype for players to choose from (with GM permission, of course)—the Dreamer. When designing this archetype, I wanted to evoke the idea of walking the line between inspired brilliance and surrendering to despair, which I think a lot of creative folks will resonate with. The core of the Dreamer is about pushing the mind to its’ limit and taking what horrifies you most and turning it into power, but you’ll have to be careful not to let the horror consume you.

Dreamers have several types of unique knacks, including ones that redirect and channel both horror and traumas, some that fortify and inspire their allies, those that conjure dream beasts and passages to other places, and those that use the veil of dreams to deceive the eye.

But a new archetype is only one of the tons of new content to play around in this chapter. We also introduce a new mechanic called Favor, which offers GMs a new way to reward players for how they interact with different NPCs and factions. If an NPC is particularly pleased with an investigator, they might off them a favor—whether the investigator chooses to accept or decline is up to them (though declining might offend the offering party). An accepted favor offers some sort of benefit, which could be anything from the ability to talk to cats to having a one-time-use ride on a nightgaunt!

We also talk about astral projection, going without sleep for long periods of time, and some of the hazards you might find at sea (Kingsport is a port, after all). We include a handful of ship examples (for both the sea and the skies) that offer descriptions, crew sizes, cost, what skill(s) are used to handle them, and some have special rules we note.

We’ve also got new equipment including weapons (you really wanted a M1885 Remington-Lee rifle and a fishing net profile, we know!), protective equipment fit for the sea, useful items, and information on various services you might seek out in Kingsport. New (ancient) relics! Esoteric tomes! Take a walk down to Neil’s Curiosity Shop or see if the kindly Gladys Pickman is keen on letting you peruse her personal library and see what peculiar and dangerous knowledge you find. 

I want to end by giving a shout-out to Christopher Hunt who contributed pretty heavily to this chapter, especially when it came to the equipment and tomes sections. With that, keep an eye out for more articles about this supplement and our other upcoming products, folks!

Whoops, one more thing—don’t forget to make sure your physical body is properly watered and fed while you’re off astral projecting, otherwise…well. Just don’t neglect your mortal form, investigators!  –Leah Hawthorne

Dreams of Kingsport is a setting guide for the Arkham Horror RPG, scheduled for release at the end of 2025.