A ruler, or their servants, might have all sorts of jobs to pass on to eager adventurers. Here are a few different jobs your adventurers might be able to solve, for gold or glory. You can roll 1d6 or pick one (or more) from the list, whatever works for you:
1 - In his youth, the King was er... indiscreet. The youth he (ahem) sired is now of age and is setting out on an adventuring career, and the King would like to make sure that he's well-protected on his first expedition or two. [Complication:the adventuring party he's signed up with can clearly see his parentage, and they're angling to be well-rewarded] 2 - A chambermaid has been accused of thieving a noblewoman's jewelry, and although she swears innocence, her husband is known to hang around with a gang of street toughs. 3 - A young noble begs discreetly to be kidnapped from his marriage of dipplomacy- he wishes to run away to be with his true love, a dairymaid. However, an important alliance rests on this marriage. 4 - A noblewoman's cousin has been arrested for making indiscreet comments about the Duke's niece. Although the comments are true, they were hideously cruel about her appearance. The noblewoman begs for someone to intervene with the Duke regarding her cousin's sentencing. 5 - In a war between two families, the Stricher family siezed the Fridrich family's traditional war-sword as loot, and has paraded it for a generation. The Fridrich family want it stolen back without re-igniting the war. 6 - A border-dispute has raged for several generations between two counties- one county's charter says that their territory extends to the edge of a river, while the other's charter says that after a dam was erected twenty years ago, the river's course changed by twenty miles, and that the land should be theirs. Frustrations are escalating quickly, and the Duke would like an investigation performed quickly. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 30 April 2021. Treant Joe's is a fabled location deep within the woods, but for those who make their way there, and are willing to pay the price asked by the friendly and creaking Treants who ply their trade, exotic treasures can be had. They pride themselves on the They often ask for water or seeds from exotic places as payment, or for their customers to plant their own seeds in far-off places.
Items to be found for sale may include: - Ironbark plate armour (takes one week to be grown, during which the wearer must be present for fittings; as hard as steel plate but made of living bark). - A punnet of Goodberries (6 Goodberries in a box made of pressed and hardened moss). - Potion fruits of healing (luscious and fresh fruit which work as a potion of healing, and taste wonderful). - Fastgrow Seed (this large seed pod functions as a Quaal's Feather Token - Tree when planted into dirt) - Grownwood weapons (take about one wek to be grown, made from steel-strength wood and often incorporating stone elements, have a natural appearance) - Cidersap (fermented fruit sap made with water from a babbling waterfall, lightly aerated and alcoholic) - Myconal leather (this leather-substitute is made from mushrooms prepared by the treants, and can be grown in nearly any colour imaginable) - Stickysap (this glob of ultra-sticky sap hardens on contact with a pollen supplied in a small bag, and can be use either as manacles or a hunting trap, as required) Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 29 April 2021. Borrowing a concept from 2019's Greedfall, the Nadaiga are mystics who become so devoted to the concept of defending their lands that they permanently change into a creature sustained by magical energy. In this way, they can forever protect their beloved territory as Nature Guardians. Those who treat the lands respectfully might be allowed to pass if they complete the correct rituals.
Nadaig Magamen are spirits known as the Lord of the Plains, able to cover great distances with their long legs, and are mighty defenders of their tribal territory. They retain enough humanity to craft and wield enormous spears made with jagged obsidian blades, and have some druidic powers in addition to their physical might. NADAIG MAGAMEN Large fey, neutral Armour Class 18 (natural armour) Hit Points 126 (12d12 + 48) Speed 50ft. Str 20 (+5); Dex 17 (+3); Con 18 (+4); Int 6 (-2); Wis 15 (+2); Cha 7 (-2) Saving Throws Strength +8, Charisma +1 Skills Athletics +8 Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks Senses Darkvision 60ft. Languages Understands but does not speak Common and its native language Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Innate Spellcasting. The nadaig magamen can cast Spike Growth or Thunderwave at will (spell save DC 13). Pass Without Trace. The nadaig magamen constantly passes without trace, as the spell, without needing to maintain concentration. Pounce. If the nadaig magamen moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a spear attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the nadaig magamen can make one stomp attack against it as a bonus action. Actions Multiattack. The nadaig magamen can make two spear attacks, or one spear attack and one stomp attack. Spear. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 10ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8+5) piercing damage. Stomp. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., each target in range. Hit: 10 (2d4+5) bludgeoning damage. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 April 2021. The Rite of the Sightless Eye inscribes an incredibly intricate series of magical runes on a creature's iris. The ritual is quite dangerous, and the slightest mistake can ruin the magic, as well as the medium on which it is inscribed. However, many judge the reward as being worth the potential risk. Some powerful magic-users have been known to perform this ritual on some of their most useful and valuable servants, allowing them increible power to discern foes hidden by magical auras.
The runes glow when revealed, blinding the user when that eye is opened. For this reason, many wear a leather patch or crystal monocle to hide the eye, which takes a lot of adjustment. However, when the eye is in use, it allows the user to view and focus in on magical auras, granting incredible acuity. Rite of the Sightless Eye Rare magical ritual, permanent (requires attunement) The user is blinded in one eye, permanently taking disadvantage on any sight-based Wisdom (Perception) checks, and reducing the range of any ranged attacks to two-thirds, rounding down to the nearest 5 feet. When activated, this grants the user Truesight to a range of 30 feet, and activates Detect magic. Both of these effects require concentration to use. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 24 April 2021. Queen Mardyth, more properly titled Dowager Queen Mardytha I, is ruler of the kingdom she was born and grew up in, a renowned noble of proper birth and upbringing, and a widely-known murderess. She was chosen by the late King Reinwald as his wife, and on their first night of marriage, she most vilely slew him and took his crown. All of the kingdom breathed a sigh of relief that his tyrannical ways had finally been ended, and promptly sentenced her to life imprisonment as their new ruler.
Queen Mardyth is fair, kind, and everything her once-husband failed to be. She grieves for the loss of her potential, the ability to be anything but her people's queen, but is still joyous that King Reinwald's evil has been ended. Untangling the decades of neglect and wickedness which he wrought will take her even longer, but it is the task she set herself. However, the kingdom's coffers are nearly bare, squandered on many vile delights and wicked pasttimes for her husband. How you can use Queen Mardyth in your games: - Queen Mardyth makes an excellent semi-secret patron for a group of good-aligned adventurers. She seeks out people who have an interest in doing good, and although she cannot pay well, there may yet be rewards in the houses of downcast noble families or mercenary companies who served Reinwald. - PCs travelling throuh the kingdom ruled by Queen Mardyth may find it an unusual place, and her particular case a very odd one. Her enemies tell stories of a land ruled ruled by a vile murderer who slew a just king, and though she does not dispute the murder, those around her tell that the circumstances are very different. - Queen Mardyth is still young, and although she has no interest in continuing the crown's hereditary rule over her land, she would not mind finding love herself. A handsome face may catch her eye and perhaps even earn her favour, if they show compassion and a good heart. Also poste on Game Masters Stash on 23 April 2021. The Langtawa Wetlands were once a glorious and vibrant marshland, the home of a thriving civilization. Lost in the mists of time and the swamp, some disaster befell the original builders, and their society fell into overgrown ruins. Now choked with vines and fetid water, the wetlands are a dismal and grim place to visit.
The ruins of Langtawa are eerie, and those who spend much time in them swear that the stones move in the moonlight. They are graven with worn images which appear to resemble reptilian humanoids, but none of them are clear enough to read. Several large tribes of debased goblins make their homes here, conducting vile rituals and worshipping some dark force that they believe dwells beneath the tumbled stones. This creature, which they name Kul'gumuth, is rumoured to have wings of shadow and eyes of darkest coal. Curiously, this description matches that of an exiled demon listed in the Demonomicon of Iggwilv, and which is mentioned in Farinas' Spirit Guide, so there may be some element of truth to it. How you can use the Langtawa Wetlands in your game: - Your PCs might be required to detour through the Wetlands to evade a foe, or to outpace a caravan travelling around its borders. The misty swamp, swollen with vines, is a dangerous place to pass through. They may encounter hordes of goblins, swamp-dwelling beasts, or worse on their journey. - Your PCs may seek out the ruins of Langtawa for something they once contained, or secrets of the people who first built them. However, they may contain traps (or just failing construction), or perhaps even darker secrets beneath their surface. - The lizardfolk who once built Langtawa have fallen far, and no longer recall any of the grandeur of their people. However, not all of their ancient kin are permanently dead- some were mummified and retain knowledge of their society and powerful magics. If awoken by incautious intruders, they have the chance of uniting and perhaps restoring their people to greatness- perhaps at great cost to the neighbouring territories. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 April 2021. Garemon is a ruthless warlock who sold his soul many lifetimes ago for the power and longevity he craved. Since then, he has known three different masters, traded from patron to patron to further his ambition. He delights in his frightful appearance and has high standards of dress and bearing. He speaks with a curiously guttural voice, due to years of theatre training as a boy, and his teeth are yellow and sharpened to points. His eyes have jaundiced to an almost-pure yellow, and his bizarre helmet gives his head a hooked, horned shape. When confronted, he disdains conflict, often telegraphing his foes' movements ahead of them to show off his experience.
How you can use Garemon, Warlock Sinister in your game: - Garemon makes an excellent Saturday morning cartoon-style villain in a long cloak and always with a monologue and a snappy line as he escapes to plot again. Although his villainy is real and dangerous, he values his long life more than he does any specific plan. - Garemon is also a sometimes-mercenary, willing to hire his power out for gold, magical secrets, or other benefits. He might make an altogether horrid servant to a much worse villain, only to desert them when confronted, leaving with a mocking smile. - Garemon's disdain is strongest for warlocks who serve celestial powers, feeling that they have squandered their potential. His view is that if you sell your soul, you should do so convincingly, not for some nonsense 'greater good'- do it for power's sake alone. He might take an especial dislike for a player character in such a compact, seeking to corrupt them further. Successes in this field have only disappointed him- he truly longs for someone incorruptible. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 21 April 2021. Some legends say that a witch is "born with two hearts, two souls and two rows of teeth", and that once they pass away, they keep only one of their souls and roam among the living. There, they devour prey, hungry to recover their lost soul.
Anchoring your monsters in some level of reality like this can make them seem a little more than just a sack of hit points with some special abilities. In addition, bringing back a fallen foe (a few adventures later, perhaps) can give your PCs some level of obligation to go back and "finish the job", especially if witnesses can also recognize the previous witch. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 17 April 2021. The Cold Walkers are an ancient race of Fey who delight in cruelty and the hunting of humankind. They dwell in a place elsewhere from the Material Plane, and when the icy winds blow from the north, wise fo know to bar their shutters at night and keep iron weapons close. In form, they appear similar to immensely tall, gaunt humanoids, with eyes that burn with a cold blue fire. They move with incredible and alien grace.
Cold Walker Medium fey, neutral evil Armour Class 19 (plate armour) Hit Points 51 (8d8 + 16) Speed 30 ft. Str 16 (+3); Dex 19 (+4); Con 14 (+2); Int 16 (+3); Wis 15 (+2); Cha 17 (+3) Saving Throws Dexterity +7 Skills Perception +5, Stealth +7, Survival +5 Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage from any weapon not forged of cold iron; Psychic Damage Immunities Cold Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages Common, Sylvan Challenge 5 (1,800 XP) Hoarfrost Breath. Cold walkers are so intensely frozen that their breath alone coats a weapon with intense, soul-chilling frost. A cold walker's melee attacks inflict an additional 5 (1d8) cold damage, which is included in the statistics below. In addition, any creature which grapples a cold walker takes 9 (2d8) cold damage at the start of its turn. Out of Phase. Cold walkers move so quickly in combat that they form a blur, only their eyes clearly visible. Attacks against a cold walker which is aware of its opponent are made at disadvantage. Unnatural Grace. Cold walkers wear armour which fits like a second skin. They have no penalty to their Stealth checks for wearing plate armour. Actions Multiattack. The cold walker makes two melee attacks. Frostsword. Melee weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 +4) slashing damage and 5 (1d8) cold damage. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 16 April 2021. The Circle of Ivy is made up of philosophers and activists who work together to preserve and restore the natural world, often in spite of civilization. They have a special bond with plants, allowing them to change forms and eventually to take on aspects of plant life themselves.
Bonus Cantrip When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you learn one additional druid cantrip of your choice. Circle Spells Your mystical connection to the natural world infuses you with the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to circle spells connected to your form. Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepare, and it doesn't count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn't appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you. 3rd level: Barkskin, Calm emotions 5th level: Call lightning, Plant growth 7th level: Freedom of movement, Grasping vine 9th level: Awaken, Commune with nature Plant Form When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to use your wild shape to transform into a variety of plant creatures. The following forms are available for you to wild shape into, depending on your level. 2nd level: Twig blight (CR 1/8), Needle blight (CR 1/4) 4th level: Vine blight (CR 1/2) 8th level: Dryad (CR 1) Viridian Blood At 6th level, the blood flowing through your veins is replaced with oozing, green sap. You gain resistance to poison damage, and have advantage on any saving throw against poison effects. In addition, you can use Speak with Plants by expending one use of your wild shape, without expending a spell slot or material components. Nature's Ward When you reach 10th level, you can't be charmed or frightened by elementals or fey creatures, and you are immune to poison and disease. Shifting Form At 14th level, your type counts as both Plant and your previous race type, and you may use whichever gives you greater benefit in any situation. In addition, you can use Tree stride at will, without expending a spell slot or material component. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 15 April 2021. This spell allow a caster to temporarily call upon the support of the spirits of your ancestors, taking some of the strain you suffer while concentrating on deeds of magic. While some use it as a study aid, it is in reality far more useful than this.
ANCESTRAL SUPPORT 4th-level conjuration (ritual) (Cleric, Sorcerer) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a possession belonging to at least two of your ancestors, worth 100gp or more) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You conjure the spirits of your ancestors to support and empower you during trying times. They take on some of the strain, allowing you to concentrate your mind to an amazing degree. While this spell is active, you call one ancestral supporter, which appears only in your mind and has no statistics. You can cast one additional spell which requires concentration, and have this spell held by your ancestral supporter. The ancestral supporter cannot lose concentration on the spell, even if you are distracted or damaged (although you might lose concentration on this spell). When the spell which the ancestral supporter is holding for you expires, it bids you farewell silently, and cannot hold an additional spell for you. In addition, you have advantage on Arcana, Nature, and Religion checks while you maintain concentration on this spell. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 5th level or higher, you call one additional ancestral supporter for each slot level above 4th. Each may hold one spell. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 April 2021. Some monks choose a feral ascetism, pursuing an animalistic lifestyle of survival over meditation. Their style is undoubtedly effective, but earns disdain from many monasteries who prefer a cleaner and tidier way of life.
Monks who follow the path of the wild fist may only use clubs, quarterstaffs, and spears as monk weapons. Fortitude At 3rd level, when you choose this way, you gain proficiency in Constitution saving throws. Unarmoured Defense From 3rd level, your unarmoured defense equals 11 + your Dexterity modifier + your wisdom modifier. From 6th level, this increases to 12 + your Dexterity modifier + your wisdom modifier. From 11th level, this increases to 13 + your Dexterity modifier + your wisdom modifier. From 17th level, this increases to 14 + your Dexterity modifier + your wisdom modifier. Feral Trance In battle, a monk of the wild fist can enter a feral trance. On your turn, you can enter the feral trance as a bonus action by spending 2 Ki points. While in the feral trance, you gain the following benefits if you aren’t wearing armour:
From 3rd level, this damage bonus is +2. This increases to +3 damage at 9th level, and to +4 damage at 16th level. Your feral trance lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature or taken damage since then. You can also end your feral trance on your turn as a bonus action. Feral Instincts By 6th level, your instincts are so honed that you have advantage on initiative rolls. Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat and aren’t incapacitated, you can act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your feral trance before doing anything else on that turn. Relentless Feral Trance Starting at 11th level, your feral instincts can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you’re in a feral trance and don’t die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 0. Feral Senses At 17th level, you gain preternatural senses that help you fight creatures you can’t see. When you attack a creature that you can’t see, your inability to see it doesn’t impose disadvantage on your attack rolls against it. You are also aware of the location of any invisible creature within 30 feet of you, provided that the creature isn’t hidden from you and you aren’t blinded or deafened. Urakidai is a mysterious being- some kind of local demigod and undead being, who collects and preserves mementos of the dead. It prefers skulls and bones, but relics of any living creature which has died are valued as tribute to it. It honours these gifts with continued good weather and good harvest, but can be easily offended if the creature has not truly died, or if the offering is 'unworthy' somehow, then refusing to co-operate for weeks of months at a time.
Those who would pass by its necropolis would do well to bring gifts, the more exotic the better. The tailbones of a manticore, the skull of a remorhaz, the teeth of a demilich- these things delight it and may even result in an exchange of gifts. Those who refuse to offer tribute, or who offer unworthy or insulting gifts, may draw its ire and a dreadful curse dooming their family. Although several adventuring missionaries have set out to destroy the creature, none have proved to be victorious, and their skulls now seem to adorn Urakidai's walls. How you can use Urakidai, Bone Antiquary in your games: - Merely passing through the creature's territory can be a frightening and dangerous affair: the necropolis is beset by mobs of ghouls, and although they are individually weak, their numbers can draw down even mighty attackers. They do seem to flee at the presence of Urakidai, however, so bringing some favour to offer is a very wise move. - Characters who hear tell or see sketches of this creature might feel it necessary to venture forth to destroy it, realizing little of its cultural importance and power. With statistics roughly equivalent to a Skull Lord, this mighty spirit will have little struggle in shrugging off attacks, and merely wishes for distance. If they press the attack, its curse might give them pause, although its phsical might is highly respectable. - Those who have knowledge of Urakidai's powers, especially its curse, might try to 'game' the system- a player character descended from the Big Bad Guy could level a curse upon them . The fallout might threaten other members of their family, whether they know their identity or not- which could lead to a whole new quest in lifting the curse before it finishes them! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 10 April 2021. DM: "You see a warehouse in the distance."
Player: "Is that like a werewolf, but instead of a wolf, it turns into a house?" DM *frantically writing down stats* "It is now." - i_amJeremy (@dr5bludgeoning on Twitter) Well write frantically no more, for I now present statistics for this creature! Werehouses are distantly related to Mimics, and it is whispered that the first Werehouse was a man cursed by a powerful deity for their temerity in asking for more storage space in their village. He was transformed into a wooden building, and on the full moon, his power awoke, transforming him into a bloodthirsty walking abomination- the very first Werehouse. Centuries later, Werehouses have reproduced by some unknown means, and are now a stable race of their own. Their hunger is terrible and insatiable, their mercy nonexistent. When they awake, they grow many taloned limbs, and can prowl the streets and leap upon their prey. Although they can transform during the rest of the month, they only do so rarely, to save themselves from destruction. Werehouse Gargantuan monstrosity (shapechanger), chaotic evil Armour Class 18 (natural armour) Hit Points 125 (10d20+20) Speed 10ft. Str 14 (+2); Dex 6 (-2); Con 14 (+2); Int 6 (-2); Wis 13 (+1); Cha 7 (-2) Skills Athletics +6, Stealth +2 Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage from weapons Senses Darkvision 60ft., tremorsense 20ft., passive Perception 11 Languages Common, as well as the language of the streets Challenge 10 (5,900 XP) Shapechanger. The werehouse can use its action to transform into an odd-looking ordinary house, or back into its true form, which is a monstrous house-creature hybrid. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form. Any decorations on the outside of the werehouse are preserved, but actual furniture or objects placed within the werehouse are often damaged. Curiously, Mimics are unharmed by Werehouses- perhaps they recognize a kindred spirit, or perhaps their link is deeper thanimagined previously. It reverts to its true form if it dies. False Appearance (House form only). While the Werehouse remains motionless in house form, it has a +10 bonus on Stealth checks to appear as a normal house. If someone is not looking for it particularly, it seems to be an ordinary-looking building with some curious angles or features. Grappler. The Werehouse has advantage on attack rolls against any creature grappled to it. The Werehouse is immune to the Grappled condition, even while it is grappling another creature. Only if another Gargantuan creature grapples or is grappled by the Werehouse is it subject to the condition. Pounce. If the Werehouse has moved at least 10 feet straight toward an opponent and then hits it with a bite attack, that target has disadvantage on the Strength saving throw against being grappled. Actions Multiattack. The Werehouse can make two talon attacks against different opponents, and one bite attack. Talon. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6+1) slashing damage, and the target must make a Strength saving throw (DC 13) or become Grappled. Bite. Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 12 (3d6+1) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is Restrained. Variant: Liquidation Werehouse It is whispered that some Werehouses are even filled with acid, and that once someone has been fed into their open doormouth, it is swiftly digested and turned into biological swill. These rarer Liquidation Werehouses are only seen briefly, and seem to flit from town to town quickly. A liquidation werehouse has a Challenge rating of 11 (7,200XP), and the following traits. Digestion. A target who becomes restrained by a liquidation werehouse takes an additional 11 (3d6) acid damage per round. Acid Spray (Recharge 5-6). The liquidation werehouse exhales acid in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in this cone must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 67 (15d8) acid damage on a failed save, or half damage on a successful one. The liquidation werehouse's digestion trait does not function until the start of its next round. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 April 2021. A –kinetic, or -kineticist is a character that has discovered that a little power goes a long way — if you are interested in only a single type of arcane energy, that is. -kinetics somehow have an incredible focus on magical power to a single type of energy. Each of these specialists is known by a slightly different name, depending on their specialty, as below.
Acid: acetokineticist, or acetokinetic Cold: cryokineticist, or cryokinetic Fire: pyrokineticist, or pyrokinetic Force: hyperkineticist, or hyperkinetic Lightning: electrokineticist, or electrokinetic Thunder: sonokineticist, or sonokinetic Using this origin lets you play an X-men style mutant kind of character, who specializes in one kind of power (but you can still take some spells from other elements if it works for you). Or an element-bender, if you want! Energy Focus At 1st level, when you choose this sorcerous origin, select one type of energy: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, or thunder. This affects some of the class features gained through this sorcerous origin. You have an innate and almost-total control when accessing this power, and an affinity for the creatures that use it. Your mastery of this energy means that when you cast a spell which uses your chosen energy type, you treat any damage rolls of 1 or 2 as if you had rolled a 3. In addition, you gain the Primordial language. Energy Aura From 1st level, you can call up a swirling aura of your chosen energy which guards and protects you. As a bonus action, you can surround yourself in a magical aura composed of your chosen energy for up to 1 minute, which is visible and audible while activated. While the aura persists, you gain the following benefits: - If you are attacked, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. - When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, the aura around you intensifies until the start of your next turn. During this time, your aura expands to a radius of 5 feet. Any creature that enters the aura, or ends its turn within the aura, takes 1d6 damage of your chosen energy type. This damage increases by 1d6 at 6th level (2d6) and 11th level (3d6). You may dismiss the aura as a bonus action if you choose. Once you have used this ability, you must complete a short rest before you can use it again. When you gain access to sorcery points, you may spend 2 sorcery points when the aura is dismissed or ends. If you do, this ability is not considered expended. Focus Spells Your mastery of your chosen energy means you have instinctive knowledge of the base spells which use it. From 1st level, you gain the below cantrip, depending on your energy focus. Acid: Acid splash Cold: Ray of frost Fire: Fire bolt Force: Eldritch blast Lightning: Shocking grasp Thunder: Thunderclap (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) You also gain access to additional magical secrets when you have access to certain levels of magic, as listed below. Each spell counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of spells you know. When you use this spell, it inflicts damage of your chosen energy type instead of the usual damage type, even if that is usually not an option for this spell. If the spell does not inflict damage, it instead protects from your chosen energy type, as appropriate. 1st level: Chromatic orb 2nd level: Flame blade 3rd level: Protection from energy 4th level: Elemental Bane (Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) 5th level: Destructive wave (all of the spell’s damage becomes your chosen energy type) Energy Infusion From 6th level, you have resistance to damage from your chosen energy type. In addition, when you damage a creature with a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to enhance it with the power of your chosen energy. The spell takes on a visual appearance that reflects the energy infusion (embers drift through the spell’s area, icy crystals form, a powerful boom sounds, and so on) and delivers the following additional effects depending on your chosen energy. If the creature has immunity to the energy type, it is not subject to the additional effects. Acid: The creature is distracted by pain. It is poisoned until the end of its next turn. Cold: Icy crystals form on the creature, impairing its movement. The creature’s speed is halved until the end of its next turn. Fire: The creature is set alight briefly, taking 1d4 fire damage at the start of its next turn. Force: The creature is pushed 10 feet directly away from you. Lightning: The creature is wracked by pain as arcs of lightning writhe across it. It can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn. Thunder: The creature is deafened and prone until the end of its next turn. Energy Backlash From 14th level, if you are hit by a melee attack, you can spend 1 sorcery point and your reaction to deal an amount of damage equal to 1d6 + your sorcerer level to the attacker, of your chosen energy type. In addition, the attacker suffers the effects of your elemental infusion. Primordial Soul From 18th level, you gain immunity to damage of your chosen energy type. You also gain the ability to spend 8 sorcery points as a bonus action to take on a form of pure energy, gaining the following benefits for 1 minute. - Your physical form is replaced by a whirling mass of primordial energy of your chosen type. - You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. - You have a flying speed equal to your normal speed. - You have advantage on attack rolls for any spell which uses your chosen energy type. You can dismiss this form as a bonus action. Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it again until you have completed a long rest. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 April 2021. Influential in the spirit world, the spirit shaman follows an ancient divine tradition. Their world is filled with powerful, living spirits, some helpful and some malign. By bargaining with these spirits, the spirit shaman gains power over the natural world and mighty divine magic with which to aid their comrades or smite their enemies.
Circle of the Spirits (Druid Archetype) You gain the following class features when you select this druidic circle at 2nd level. Chastise Spirits When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the ability to turn aside hostile spirits. Each fey, fiend, or undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell saving throw DC. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is Frightened of you for 1 minute or until it takes damage. If a creature’s true form is concealed by an illusion, shapeshifting or other effect, that form is revealed while it is frightened by this effect. Beginning at 6th level, you can use your Chastise Spirits twice between rests, and beginning at 14th level, you can use it three times between rests. When you finish a short or long rest, you regain your expended uses. Circle Spells Your circle grants you the ability to cast certain spells. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level you gain access to specific circle spells as listed below. Once you gain access to a circle spell, you always have it prepared, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. If you gain access to a spell that doesn’t appear on the druid spell list, the spell is nonetheless a druid spell for you. Druid level 3rd: Augury, Hold person Druid level 5th: Speak with dead, Spirit guardians Druid level 7th: Aura of purity, Banishment Druid level 9th: Commune with nature, Dispel evil and good Spirit Form From 6th level, you can assume a purely spiritual form yourself when you use Wild Shape. You can expend one use of Wild Shape to transform into a Specter. Ghost Warrior From 10th level, you are infused with spiritual energy. Any fey, fiends, and undead have disadvantage to hit you with melee attacks. In addition, your melee weapon attacks count as being magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, against any fey, fiends, and undead. Weaken Spirits From 14th level, when you use your Chastise Spirits ability, any creature that becomes frightened by the ability also lose any resistance or immunity to nonmagical attacks for 1 minute, as well as taking disadvantage on saving throws for 1 minute. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 April 2021. Stories in the city of Bhaengyl tell of the terrible Red Service at Sunset Chapel, a day that took the lives of hundreds of the faithful. When the screams stopped and the Beast of Bhaengyl fled into the night, and the doors were hauled open, the floor was awash with blood and torn viscera. Only a single member of the parish lived to tell the tale- a young acolyte named Rhyc. Blood-spattered and terrified, he shakily stammered out the terror of witnessing the Beast tear apart every member of the congregation, wolfing down bites in between savage attacks. The Beast was never found, and many years have passed. Now young Rhyc has become the deacon of Bhaengyl, and shepherds his flock in the very chapel that saw such desecration. He is welcoming to adventurers, and if they are doing works to protect the city, he is willing to offer healing for free.
One ancient woman of the town, however, accosts adventurers who come nearby. She tells the story from a different angle- she was a young woman at the time, late to chapel because she had been dallying with a farmhand. She missed the Red Service itself, but saw the Beast as it fled the scene, springing down from the steeple and bounding into an alley behind- where she saw it change form inexplicably into a young man. She tells the story because she wants those responsible for her parents' deaths brought to justice. How you can use the Red Service in your games: - Rhyc is some kind of Were-beast, and was responsible for the deaths of his parishioners years ago. This was his first transformation, and took him and others by surprise. Since then, he has learned to prey on animals or travelers outside the city when the time comes, laving him blameless. - Rhyc was a Were-beast, but through prayer and meditation, controls his beast-form, having claimed no more lives since the Red Service. He is truly contrite, and tries to live the most moral life he can to make up for the slaughter at this hands. If confronted, he admits his mistake in his teenage years, and asks them to consider whether his service can be balanced against the evil he once did. - Rhyc was only another victim of the Were-beast of Bhaengyl, and the true Beast is someone else from town, who has concealed their responsibility - a dwarven cooper named Deffyd. If he hears that an investigation into the Beast's identity has begun, he may try to silence witnesses, starting with the old lady, Myrdia, and moving on to the PCs. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 3 April 2021. And here we are- the culmination of seven months' work and over 30,000 words written so far on the Sorcerer-Kingmaker adventure path conversion. My many thanks to Clinton Boomer for inspiring this conversion, and to the original authors of these adventures (respectively: Tim Hitchcock, Rob McCreary, Greg A. Vaughan, Neil Spicer, Jason Nelson, and Richard Pett, as well as Paizo's creative director James Jacobs).
By this point, the PCs will have confronted Nyrissa, for good or ill, and the dice have fallen. All that remains is the outcome. If Nyrissa triumphs, the Tablelands might be swept away by the growth of the Blooms and the growth of the First World erupting into the Burnt World- unless others stop her. Perhaps some of the remaining Sorcerer-Kings unite to stop her, perhaps Borys or Dregoth is forced to step in. Such a titanic struggle will undoubedly change the recognizable face of Athas. Hopefully more likely, the PCs have cast down Nyrissa, ending her ancient life and the threat to their homeland. The High Folly begins to violently crumble as a Storm of Vengeance erupts from her body, maintained by her supernatural psionic power until it rages itself out of existence. The First World immediately becomes coterminous with the forest of Thousandbreaths, and is likely destroyed immediately by the terrible devastation unleashed. The threat to the Tablelands is ended, but something of ancient beauty has been lost forever. With the Blooms finished and the threat done away with, all of the PCs' settlement's Economy, Loyalty, and Stability scores are restored, and are increased by +4 each. In addition, exposure to the First World's energies infuse the PCs who survive- depending on their skills and class levels, they may be eligible to become Advanced Beings or gather enormous armies in their service. But this doesn't have to be the end, if you don't want it to be. The original adventure path included some further hooks in case you want to continue, and I'll quickly cover adaptations of those below. Fury of the First Age After a period of some years of relative peace, the PCs find a mysterious creature upon their doorstep- a figure of terrifying power and inhuman might. This figure is Maghd, Nyrissa's first Champion and a Cleric who has completed his transformation into an elemental being. He reveals his mission to exact answers from the PCs, and to atone for the destruction which Nyrissa's death has set in place. The First World was tied to Athas in incomprehensible metaphysical ways, and its destruction is hastening Athas' own doom. Only by seeking out and restoring these ties, linked to incredibly powerful elemental beings (such as ancient Drakes) and fabulous and distant locations, can this doom be ceased. Return of the Warbringer If the events of the Prism Pentad have not occurred in your world, you could steal the core plot from these wholesale, and have the First Sorcerer begin to return from his exile in The Black. You could even use this in your own fashion, having his bindings falter more softly and restoring him in mortal form. For years, the Warbringer might wander the Burnt Lands, taking up his ancient tradition of teaching Preserver magic to the people. If he keeps his head down long enough, he could avoid coming to the attention of the Sorcerer-Kings for a long time, but might come as a nameless visitor to the PCs' settlement, searching for those unconnected to his past life as allies. The Great Dictator of Balic Finally threatened into action by witnessing the PCs' heroics, Dictator Andropinis of Balic musters his forces in a war that will shake the Tablelands, leaving the War of the Silt Princes as nothing but a fond memory of past glory. The full might of a Sorcerer-King and nascent Dragon will descend on the PCs, calling in every favour and treaty owed to him, leaving them beset on all sides and even facing political pressure from their original home in Tyr. Into the Unknown The Southern Wastes, which border the PCs' settlement, are a seemingly never-ending sandy waste, of which fanciful tales are told- forests of stone pillars as far as the eye can see, rivers of fire, oceans of salt, plains of smoking ash, and maze-like wind-carved canyons. Somewhere in its depths is a ruin named Hask-Ultharan, the "Cairn of Many Torments", where something ancient and wicked stirs to life. It has been awakened by the magic of the Lens of Abaddon, and now the race of Giants rises to power once more. Fall of the Iron Storm Out of the Tyr-storms that plague the Tablelands sweep a new threat, endangering cities old and new. Rulers from the Mountains of the Sun have long kept spies in the Tablelands, and they have reported on the changes happening. Now the warlords Angdrathus and Coclavlis the Iron Mage have chosen their time, and compete for land and lives to take as their own. Their troops are armoured and equipped in a manner unknown to most Athasians, and they travel on steeds that can traverse the Tyr-Storms unharmed, giving them unmatched mobility and power. The Outlaw Council With the solidification of their realm, the PCs receive an invitation to the ruined city of Celik, there to meet with a council of independent landholders. But do these lawless lords actually seek to invite them as peers, or to ambush them to sieze what they have held? How could mere bandit-lords hope to compete with such mighty heroes, or do they have some unexpected power up their sleeves? Are they even human, or could the Psurlon empire beneath the earth have infiltrated its insidious agents into even the PCs' own settlements? And so, thank you to everyone who has read this far. I hope you've enjoyed it all - if you'd like links to download the collated books, they're here. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let me know! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 2 April 2021. Those possessed by fiendish influence can be empowered by the energies they contain, given gifts of magical defenses and weaponry. These creatures, no longer truly human or fiend, can perform astounding deeds which defy their mortal frames. They can also conjure blades formed of flaming abyssal matter, no less sharp for their origin.
POSSESSED SERVANT Medium-size fiend (any humanoid), any evil Armour Class 15 (natural armour) Hit Points 77 (9d8+36) Speed 40ft. Str 18 (+4); Dex 18 (+4); Con 18 (+4); Int 16 (+3); Wis 14 (+2); Cha 18 (+4) Saving Throws Con +7, Cha +7 Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +7, Deception +7, Intimidation +7 Damage Resistances Fire, poison, radiant Condition Immunities Frightened Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 12 Languages Abyssal or Infernal, Common, telepathy within 10ft. Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Actions Multiattack. The possessed servant can make two hellsword attacks or two eldritch blast attacks, or one of each. Hellsword. Melee weapon attack: +7 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8+5) slashing damage and 4 (1d8) fire damage. Eldritch Blast. Ranged weapon attack: +7 to hit, range 30/120ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10+4) force damage. Reactions Hellish Rebuke (Recharge 6). When the possessed servant is damaged by an attack, they can use their reaction to cast Hellish rebuke (Dexterity saving throw DC 15, damage 2d10 fire). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 1 April 2021. |
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