Book of Heroic Actions: Catilus Unleashes Cinematic Power in 5E
When it comes to epic moments in tabletop RPGs—the kind you still talk about years later—few creators capture that sense of cinematic storytelling better than Catilus. Known for imaginative 5E supplements and rich illustrations that bring fantasy worlds to life, Catilus returns with The Book of Heroic Actions, a supplement that takes the humble hero point and turns it into the engine of jaw-dropping, narrative-defining stunts. We sat down with Catilus to learn more about the design philosophy behind this bold expansion, how it empowers both players and monsters, and what heroic worlds may be waiting just beyond the horizon.
Expanding the “Rule of Cool” for 5E
The Book of Heroic Actions brings cinematic, high-stakes moments to 5E through a new hero point system. What inspired you to create a supplement that lets players go beyond standard rules to do truly epic things?
It’s actually something we’ve been using in our games for a while now, in one form or another. Hero points already exist in 5E as an optional rule in DMG, but players can only use them to do one very specific thing (add a d6 to a d20 roll). We thought that having such a cool-sounding and rare resource should have more uses, and we went from there to add more options to use hero points, which became heroic actions. They are basically an expanded version of the existing hero points rules.
Designing for Simplicity and Balance
You’ve designed this system to be easy to implement and balance-friendly, even for GMs new to heroic actions. What were your main priorities in keeping the gameplay fun, intuitive, and rules-consistent?
Great question! My gamemaster and I generally believe that optional rules should add tactical depth and create new storytelling opportunities without slowing the game down. So, before considering adding anything new, we always make sure it actually makes the game more fun without making it more complicated. In Book of Heroic Actions in particular, all heroic action options are built upon familiar 5E terms and balanced against existing rules, which makes them easy to implement without having to read pages upon pages of new rulesets.
It’s just your good old 5E fundamentals (the very basis of both the 2014 and 2024 D&D versions) expanded to include more uses for hero points. What’s best is that gamemasters can take the system further and either build their own heroic actions or just assign a hero point cost to “Rule of Cool” situations, and the system will pretty much ensure balance with existing 5E rules!
Heroic Actions for Both Players and Monsters
One of the book’s coolest features is how it gives monsters their own heroic tools, turning every encounter into a memorable showdown. How did you approach giving monsters access to hero point-fueled abilities while keeping things fair?
Monsters get their own set of heroic monster actions, which are distinct from what players can use (with a couple of notable exceptions). If you think of the heroic action options for player characters as analogous to class features (though most of them are class-agnostic), then heroic monster actions are analogous to the traits and active abilities in monster stat blocks. Moreover, heroic monster actions are designed to be more aggressively used, as for monsters, each combat encounter with a party of player characters is usually its last, so it can burn through its hero points to unleash terrifying heroic monster actions before falling gloriously in battle.
From Art to Action: The Creative Process
You’re known for your illustrations and D&D content, and now this book combines both. How did your artistic background shape the look and feel of heroic actions in the book—and how important was it to make them visually inspiring?
I always aim for the art in my books to be both inspirational and descriptive. That’s also true in Book of Heroic Actions. My goal with the illustrations in this book is to help players visualize their characters in all sorts of epic situations and allow gamemasters to draw inspiration from the art to plan out new, unusual, and cinematically epic encounters against heroic monsters.
Looking Ahead: Expanding the Heroic Universe
With your past supplements and this new release, it’s clear you’re building a unique creative vision for 5E content. What’s next for you after the Book of Heroic Actions—and do you see more narrative-enhancing systems or illustrated guides in your future?
Well, though I have tons of ideas and plans, I prefer to focus on finishing my work on one project before setting the next one in stone. That said, we will be definitely doing more books with D&D items and creatures, and possibly more adventures and optional rules books like the Book of Heroic Actions in the future. Also, lots of fans have been asking us for a sourcebook for Theomachy, the campaign setting where the adventures of almost all my characters take place.
Since my gamemaster is a published author (Theo Koukouvitis) and we’ve been playing in Theomachy for quite a while, we are sitting on an impressive amount of exceptionally polished lore and playtested material, so I guess it’s a matter of time before that happens too! Beyond TTRPG books, I would love to publish some of my comics and work on some amazing video game concepts as well!
Interview Conclusion
Thank you to Catilus for sharing the heart behind The Book of Heroic Actions. This supplement brings back the thrill of bold moves, epic moments, and stories you’ll talk about for years. It’s a love letter to what makes 5E unforgettable.
Book of Heroic Actions, by Catilus
About Catilus
Catilus (Christina Kritikou) is a beloved artist and TTRPG creator with a passion for bringing fantasy to life through illustration and storytelling. Known for her rich portfolio of D&D items, characters, and original webtoons, she has created several 5E supplements and backed over 50 Kickstarter projects. Her mission? To help players and GMs alike see their characters come to life through inspiring art and accessible, imaginative content.
