A familiar refrain occupied the commentary of MCDM’s Illrigger release:

“Is this different enough from ‘X’?”

Many folks look at the Illrigger and think the Knight of Hell trope is “covered” by other Paladin Oaths (such as the Oath of Conquest or the Oath of Vengeance) or the villainous anti-Paladin Oathbreaker, or even by Warlocks who bargain for fiendish power. And maybe this theme has been explored.

So what?

Just because one version of a theme has been written, doesn’t mean you can’t explore that same space in a new way.

New Setting

Perhaps your theme is rooted in a different world.

This was the case with MCDM’s Illrigger, which draws heavily on Matt Colville’s world, Orden.

It was also the case when I wrote the Psychopomp for Mythic Classes of the Odyssey to coincide with the release of Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Similarly, when I released…