Exploration is a huge part of worldbuilding, for players and GMs. Whether you've got players who will pore over every piece of written lore you give them, and start constructing their own campaign bible, or just describing an atmospheric and interesting location for your players, exploration is one of the three main pillars of RPGs (the other two being Conflict, and Social). It's important not to neglect it. So, what are some tips you can use? First, pick your locale. Is it a desert, a cave, a beach? Are there trees? Think of this as what base colour battle-mat you're drawing the encounter for, if that helps. If you've got a slate-grey one with mossy flagstones, that might work for a dungeon or cave, or town, but is less convincing for a lush forest or a sparse desert. Next, add adjectives. This might seem silly, and having a thesaurus handy can be useful, but adding some descriptors to what you're describing can make it much more stimulating. Are the trees twisted? Are the bushes sparse, or thick? Is the sand fine, or coarse? What colour is the vegetation? Don't go over the top into purple prose, but remember that "a silent, misty grey swamp full of twisted, mossy trees" evokes a much more imaginative environment than "You're in a swamp". If you need, find pictures. Think of movies with locations like this if you need, and add ", like Dagobah" if you want your swamp to have a very specific feel, or find concept art on a variety of websites. Heck, even just do a Google Image Search for "swamp", and add descriptions of some of the weird types of trees or things you see in them, like "Trees with roots covered in thick mist, and a pale blue light filtering through the branches." Last, and I find this one is great fun, describe the sensations. Don't just go with what they can see- as your characters are trekking through the swamp, describe the scent of the earth, describe the moisture on their skin and under their armour, describe the cold, the blood-draining leeches, the squelch of mud that gets into all but magically-sealed boots. Describe the constant dripping sound, and the taste of the air in their mouths. It doesn't have to affect their encounters or give any penalties, but it will make them feel at home there. So, remember: Locale- Adjectives - Pictures - Sensations. Let's go with another, for practice- Locale: a cave in a sandy desert, with an old ruin. Adjectives: The ruin is crumbling and undead-haunted. The sand underfoot is fine and pale. The sandstone walls are striped with red and brown, and rough. The tiles of the building are old and dusty. Pictures: I've just done a quick Google Image search, with a screenshot. Sensations: The air is stale and dusty, the walls are polished but old. The halls of the ruin are silent and still, and something about the place feels uneasy. In some rooms, there is a faint scent of lightning storms (magical traps? Pot-pourri? Who knows?). The mummies within are dry and disintegrating, their voices are parched and malevolent. Congratulations, we've just put together a quick list that makes this ruin so much more characterful than just a 10 foot by 10 foot room, with an Orc and a chest. Also poste on Game Masters Stash on 11 May 2019. In dramatic storytelling, it’s generally better to show something rather than just tell about it. For first-person roleplaying games, most exposition happens as a matter of the GM reading the boxed text, a few players being on their phones, and one person paying attention.
But there’s a better way! In a foreshadowing adventure, your Player Characters sit down to hear the exposition from the bard, or noble, or merchant hiring them... and then you throw a feathered hat on, and hand them new character sheets for the characters who took part in the story. They get to play through a historical flashback, with some fun inaccuracies, and they’ll certainly remember the events much better than several paragraphs with fantasy trope names liberally scattered through. These characters might have abilities like “Charming Grin +12”, “Simple Wisdom +6” or “Your Honeyed Words Have No Effect Upon Me +16”. Maybe even “Courage of a Halfling +20”. It keeps your players from getting too involved in the nitty-gritty, and means they’re viewing the one-shot adventure through a narrative gaze where they know this is inaccurate but can enjoy that trope as well. Play through the lens of the characters hearing and reacting to this story, and let them notice and call out obvious tropes (“OF COURSE the King’s advisor is evil, look, he has a goatee!”), but get them to invest in the story- they know that some of their characters will have died (heroically, of course!) and that Good Will Triumph, because That’s What Heroes Do. But it means they’ll care more about that +3 Defending longsword, knowing that this was Prince Herbert’s Duelling Sword, stolen from him by the wicked vizier and recovered at great peril, than just a random treasure roll. Let them succeed (or fail!) at some rolls according to dramatic rules, rather than D&D ones, and abstract the rules a little- “The duel went on for hours of furious fighting, and as the others watched in horror from the courtyard, they could spy Prince Herbert battling his father’s advisor in the battlements above!” “Wait, a round ago we were all in the feast hall, now John's up on the battlements and we're in the courtyard?” “Indeed, but this is how the story went.” Remember that if something goes wildly out of what you expected, the narrator of the story can correct things and recall that that’s not how things went at all- he definitely died heroically at the gates of the castle, not fighting the bear! (Unless your players go all out and decide to meet the narrative so well that they bring his body with them to the gates of the castle, because everyone remembered that he wanted to die heroically on a battlefield!) Try out something wacky and fun- you might like it, your players might love it, and it lets you change things up for a bit. Plus, they’ll recall those stairs with the treacherous step, the snakes in the moat, and those arrow-slits that the traitors fired crossbows out of for when they’re at the same castle, and can buy into using those things, whether to avoid them or turn them on enemies. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 10 May 2019. Excoriants, informally known as 'Flayed', are horrifying creatures made from humanoids tortured past the point of madness. They lash out at all living things within sight, seeking only to inflict pain on others. They are occasionally created by Evil-aligned groups as shock troops for unleashing on soft targets. Excoriants are short-lived, and resistant to any healing magics. They continue existing only through slaying living creatures.
Creating an Excoriant: Magical torture, which shall not be described here, creates one of these over the course of six days and six nights. All of the target's skin is removed, and they emerge as a bloody and murderous creature, frenzied by their own agony. Statistics: Excoriant Medium-size Humanoid (Augmented) Hit Dice: 4d8 + 8 (27 hit points) Initiative: +3 Speed: 40ft. Armour Class: 12 (-1 natural armour, +3 Dex), touch 13, flat-footed 9 Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+8 Attack/Full Attack: Longsword+6 melee (1d8+4, 19-20/x2) or grasping claws +6/+6 melee (1d3+3) Fighting Space/Reach: 5ft./5ft. Special Attacks: Frenzy, Strength from pain Special Qualities: Immune to Healing and Mind-influencing effects, Short-lived Saves: Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +0 Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 6, Wis 8, Cha 2 Skills: Climb +6, Jump +6, Listen +3, Spot +3 Feats: Dodge, Run Environment: Any Organization: Solitary or struggle (3-6) Challenge Rating: 3 Treasure: None Alignment: always Chaotic Evil Advancement: 5-12 HD (Medium) Level Adjustment: - Excoriants look like humanoids without skin, their muscled torsos glistening and bleeding. Their eyes burn with a yellow light, and their teeth gnash. Frenzy (Ex): When reduced to half hit points or less, Excoriants gain +2 to attack and damage rolls, and -2 to Armour Class. If they regain enough hit points to rise above half their hit points again, this effect fades until they are reduced again. When frenzied, an excoriant will not distinguish between allies and foes, only hesitating before attacking another Excoriant. Strength from pain (Su): An Excoriant gains succor from slaying other living beings. They regain 1d8 hit points each time they kill a living being of at least 1 HD, and regain 1 hit point each time they slay a creature or less than 1 HD. Short-Lived: Excoriants lose 1 hit point per round in which they make an attack roll. These cannot be regained through any means other than the Strength from pain ability. They can be stored in a dormant state if controlled by an Evil cleric or other person with negative energy channelling, as if they were undead creatures with equal HD. Excoriants gain a +2 racial bonus on Grapple checks. You wouldn't want to handle them either. How you can use Excoriants in your game: - A local cult has turned one of their less faithful members into an Excoriant, as a demonstration of their power, to the others. Forcing each member to participate in the ritual of creation will harden most souls, and shares the guilt and complicity. Your Player Characters might run across it, awakened as a guardian in case of trouble. In this instance, it might turn on any in its vicinity. - An Evil group might also turn a captured member into one of these horrifying monsters, luring it by means of a trail of rats into the city marketplace and unleashing it upon a crowd to terrify and slaughter their opponents. A group of PCs who have some tracking skill might be able to use this to find the cult's headquarters. - The ritual to craft such monsters was learned from Devils, who use this as a punishment and have built 'Flay-Factories' churning out hundreds of these in a week, to use as shock troops in fighting the Blood Wars. In this case, they are often equipped with weapons which can harm their enemies, like silvered or unholy weapons. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 May 2019. Mages traditionally are known for many items- wands, rods, staffs, orbs, or even stranger items. This allows an option for mages who would like an item, rather than the standard option of a familiar. This might be one of the options mentioned above, but could be an amulet containing the source of their magical power, a specific weapon, a brooch, a particular statuette, or other option as allowed by the Game Master. Note: This class ability is intended for use with my Mage class. If used with an ordinary Sorcerer/Wizard, it may take some tweaking. As part of their training (or leading up to when they select the ability), the mage carefully crafts or receives the item, personalises it with their own touches, and attunes the item to their unique magical signature. It might be handed down to them by a master, or be a traditional item of their family. What matters is their familiarity with the item, and the ability to continue developing it over time, whether that means engraving runes upon the item, investing magical power into its crystal matrix, or imbuing it with their soul. Statistics: As the Mage advances in levels, the focus item (or sometimes just 'focus') gains additional powers, as below. If the Mage's focus item is destroyed, they gain the drained condition, increasing the hit point cost of any spellcasting they perform, until they can craft a new focus. Benefits: Double hardness: The Focus is supernaturally hardened, and doubles its ordinary hardness. It also has 5 hit points per Mage level, making it extraordinarily difficult to destroy. Cantrips: The Mage's focus can emit a soft light as per the spell at will, which is maintained without concentration until the mage dismisses it as a free action, or if the mage drops to 0 or fewer hit points. In addition, the focus item can hold a single cantrip of the mage's choice when it is first crafted. Once per day as a standard action, the mage can activate this cantrip from the staff as if they were casting it. The cantrip's save DC is always 10. Deliver touch spells: The Mage may choose to use their focus to deliver a touch spell. If the focus is a weapon, this is made as an attack roll instead of a touch attack. If this attack roll is a critical hit, the spell's damage is also multiplied as per the critical. Enhanced defence/weapon: From 3rd level, the Mage gains a +1 enhancement bonus to Armour Class and saving throws while grasping their focus in at least one hand. If the focus is a weapon, it also gains a +1 enhancement bonus on attack and damage rolls. From 7th level, this enhancement bonus increases to +2, and at 13th level, it increases to +3. Drain resistance: From 5th level, the Mage gains Drain Resistance 1 while holding their focus in at least one hand. Note that this does not stack with drain resistance from being in Focus, but does stack with the reduction in spellcasting costs from the Arcane Font ability. From 15th level, this increases to Drain Resistance 2. Call item: From 9th level, as a standard action, the Mage can call their focus to their hand. Unless restrained somehow, it flies at a rate of 50 feet per round. If it is being restrained, it uses the Mage's Charisma bonus as its Strength modifier. The focus attempts to fly in a straight line, and does not possess any pathfinding ability. From 19th level, the Mage can choose instead to have their focus teleport to their hand. Mighty: From 11th level, the Mage can take a standard action to 'charge' their focus. This 'charge' lasts a maximum of 3 rounds, and is discharged the next time the mage uses the focus to cast a damaging spell through, or deliver an attack (if it is a weapon). The focus increases the spell's damage (or the attack's damage) by an additional +1d6. This does not apply if the attack would not normally inflict damage (or is used to deliver a non-damaging spell, for example). From 17th level, this bonus is +2d6 damage. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 May 2019. Tarrence Hargrave is a cultured, erudite, man of the world, a mage who travels to learn the secrets of the magical realms. He enjoys fine fashion, a good cup of tea, and long walks through a library.
Tarrence makes himself available for hire to solve magical problems, and is quite willing to deal with difficult and challenging feats of spellcraft and arcana. He's fascinated and wants to study magical traps and unique effects, stopping to take detailed notes, sometimes for hours at a time. He occasionally needs prodding along to actually take steps instead of just studying things. Tarrence has crafted several unique magical items for personal use, including a small ceramic heated plate to keep his tea heated, a folding box for keeping his shirts clean and pressed, and a razor enchanted never to part flesh. Statistics: Tarrence is a 6th-level Neutral Good Wizard, with several feats dedicated to his studies of magical theory. How you can use Tarrence Hargrave in your game: - Tarrence might be available to work with an adventuring party, for the right price. He's willing to do do a lot to find interesting magical secrets, but he's got a conscience, and will get a bit queasy if this involves any cruelty to living things. - Tarrence might run into your party if he's working for bad guys. It might give him an opportunity to beg their forgiveness and change sides, or at least stay out of the way. He'll make it clear that he's not meaning them any harm, if it lets him out of a bad contract. - Your Player Characters might find Tarrence trapped within a magical device, abandoned by his previous employers. If they're able to free him, they'll definitely earn his loyalty. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 May 2019. This is a close-range spell, designed by mages who often see combat, as a damaging defensive measure. It unleashes a localized directional blast of fire which harms and blinds opponents.
Flare Evocation [Fire] Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1 Components: Somatic Range: 5ft. Area: Cone-shaped burst Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Reflex half, see spell description Spell Resistance: Yes With nothing but an open palm, you cast forth a white-hot blaze of fire, dazzling and harming your opponent. The target takes 3d4 fire damage (Reflex save for half damage). If the target has eyes, they become dazzled (no save) for 1 round. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 May 2019. The Exarch of Blades, one of the Ten Thousand Kings of Hell, is a brutal and vicious warrior Devil. In life, he was once one of the finest swordsmen of history, who thrived on the challenge of taking on more and more challenging opponents. In his current state, he is trapped within his own realm, able to see the struggles of his followers and witness their efforts, but forever frustrated by their lack of perfection.
The Exarch appears as a towering warrior, clad in battered and rent Hellish plate. The helmet is missing some portions, and seems to have no body within its shell. His armour twists itself back into and out of shape constantly with tortured metal squeals. His hand is tightly gripped always on the hilt of his sword, unable to release its clenching. In demeanour, the Exarch of Blades is constantly desperate for conflict, hungering for personal battle. He often pushes his followers into battle, almost salivating at the opportunity to test themselves against an opponent which desires their death. The Hall of Blades, the Exarch's personal domain, is laid out like a dojo or sword school, the walls festooned with weapons from every culture known and unknown. It is haunted by violent and eager warrior-devils, policed by his Osyluth lieutenants. The Exarch grants his followers insight into others' thoughts and movements, a short-range form of prescience, and enhanced skill as a warrior. Those who have his favour bleed slightly from their eyes when excited. Statistics: The Exarch's statistics should be about equal to a Cornugon devil, with a +3 Vicious bastard sword. He possesses six bonus Fighter feats, and can re-select one per hour. How you can use the Exarch of Blades in your game: - As one of the Ten Thousand Kings of Hell, the Exarch makes an ideal patron for a Warlock or Hexblade type. He encourages and requires those who bear his favour to accept any personal challenge to combat, and rarely allows them to halt at first blood. - The Exarch's followers occasionally gather in numbers, and when a champion emerges among them who can bring them all to heel, they become disciplined and dangerous foes as a unit. If they choose to take umbrage, little can stand in their way. - Followers of the other Ten Thousand Kings of Hell alternately loathe and admire the Exarch's servants. They often seek to hire them as mercenaries or set up plots which set them at the throats of their own opponents. In such a way, these can be revealed as additional foes, but not the ultimate threat. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 5 May 2019. Occasionally, things don't go the way we plan. While it's excellent to talk about our successes, it's also equally important to acknowledge our failures and be able to discuss them.
So, here's a story about my last game, and some musings on how it could have gone better. In my home game last night, the party had gathered their treasure after rescuing a bunch of kids who had been kidnapped by an evil mage and his goons, in a city established as corrupt and petty. I had the party confronted by a tax collector with a warrant from the City Council, demanding 10% of their loot. The party was understandably not terribly on board with this plan, and the tax collector went away with a threat of "I'll be back tomorrow at noon". From my perspective, this was an encounter to reinforce the corruption and pettiness of the town, but something that could be avoided by making a deal, turning over some of their gear instead, or just paying the bill up front. From the party's point of view, they would be giving money to a corrupt government which hadn't rescued the kidnapped children, and which would probably waste it. This led to the party deciding to noisily decamp from town, which meant that the guard stationed outside went off to tell his superiors, who returned in force with a warrant for the party's arrest. This escalated quickly, and members of the party were just about ready to slaughter their way out of town until one member decided to pay the party's tax bill out of her share. It de-escalated the situation, but it led to the pary members being very unhappy, in and out of game, with how it had all gone, and with one party member substantially down on her money, compared to the others. In addition, tension at the gaming table was really high, and I wasn't happy with how I had done as a Game Master, overall. So, how could I have done that better? - For a start, being able to bribe the tax collector, or letting the players bluff on how much loot they'd made, might have helped. Giving players and their characters an 'out' that still leaves them with dignity intact is much better than escalating to open conflict. This also reinforces what the players already know about the town, meaning their understanding isn't challenged. - Letting the players negotiate with the Lord, the City Council, or the tax collector for the services they'd performed (rescuing two dozen kidnapped children) would have been good. In hindsight, framing this as the encounter might have been better than having the tax collector track them down. - Letting the players leave town without a guard spotting them (or letting them roll to evade the guards) could have made this a situation of fun hijinks, rather than an IRL tense moment that left everyone stand-offish. This could have let the stealthy characters take point, let the social characters do some distraction, and allowed everyone a bit more fun. Sometimes, this is just going to happen. As a Game Master, you need to be able to roll with unexpected reactions and accept that not everything you do is going to work. Talking about when we fall down, and how we could have done it better, is how we all learn. So if you've got any other ideas about how that could have gone better, throw 'em in the comments below! We can all learn from others' ideas. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 May 2019. Molly Jennings is the daughter of farming folk, raised simply and in a loving home.
As a thirteen year old, when her homeland was threatened by invasion, however, she decided that she could not ask defence of others if she was not wiling to offer it herself, and joined the recruits at the army. The diminutive girl was ridiculed for her size and stature, but worked hard, and the little curly-haired girl learned the sklls of arms and armour. Her moment came when she was confronted by a warlock serving The Apostle of False Faith, and she began to glow, smiting down the warlock with holy power. The soldiers with her began to idolize her, serving her orders directly rather than those of their superiors. Although this caused some conflict to begin with, the general of the army soon recognized the morale value she had with any regiments she passed by, and isolated her troops from the command structure, equipping them with better gear and sending them on special missions. Over the last year, Molly Jennings has become revered as a living saint, and news of her arrival brings hope to beleaguered soldiers in need of aid. Statistics: Despite being a 14-year old girl, Molly has the statistics of a 7th-level Paladin. Her Chosen Warriors are 2nd-level Fighters in masterwork full plate, and are her faithful defenders, bringing her aid at the cost of their lives if necessary. Molly is determined, but a little naive, and could do with some help sometimes. In demeanour, Molly is calm and confident, lending her hope to all those who see her. How you can use Molly Jennings in your game: - Molly works well as an unexpected reinforcement if your Player Characters are threatened by evil forces. She and her soldiers can fight the larger battle, but might ask your PCs to perform an important duty, like destroying a ritual circle, or defeating a spellcaster. - If your PCs have become allies to Molly, she might ask for their aid in a mission that seems difficult for her, or where she doesn't understand something. She doesn't want to undermine the trust her sodiers have in her wisdom, but she can also recognize when she needs help. - A disturbing rumour is spreading that Molly's power comes at the cost of an infernal bargain. Your PCs might have to combat foes both physical and political, trying to root out the source of such vileness as well as battling those who would see Molly dead. And the rumours are starting to affect her confidence, and her powers as a result. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 3 May 2019. Although it is described as a single location, the Goblin Town is a sprawling collection of tunnels and chasms, filling miles upon miles of territory. It takes up space like a spider's web- vast but sparse.
The Goblin Town was established many years ago, and has festered beneath the earth since then, thriving with easy access to the surface for food, and defensible exits for Goblins to flee when threatened. It has now built up enough population density to resist anything but an invasion-force army, or a particularly hungry small dragon. It is ruled by the wily mind of Wremvigz, a cunning and shrewd Goblin who long ago realized that he would never win by being the strongest on his own. He has established many new traditions which have benefited the Goblin Town in general, perhaps at the expense of individual Goblins within the town. These include trading with surface folk and Underfolk alike, and being prepared to sacrifice members of his own race for the survival of the race in general. Goblin Town is at all times and places a rickety, risky venture which seems perpetually on the verge of falling down. Ropes are replaced only when necessary, planks are used until they literally rot to pieces, and candles burn down to spattering nubs. The philosophy of life being easily replaceable, and constantly at risk, is pretty much an assumption of getting around day-to-day, although the wares that can be found in its legendary markets are sometimes quite valuable. Pliedunk is a regular trader, although he likes to come in, trade his things, and leave again, finding the Goblin Town a little too cloying for his tastes. How you can use the Goblin Town in your game: - Your Player Characters might make an unexpected visit to Goblin Town, similar to the adventurers of The Hobbit, by being kidnapped and taken to be sold as slaves in the Goblin Market. - Your Player Characters might have to detour into Goblin Town if a foe they're chasing flees this way. Locating one Goblin amoung countless thousands will be near-impossible, but your Player Characters might be able to find a native guide, or a scapegoat. - Visitors to Goblin Town might get press-ganged into defending it from some invading force, like a Deep Dragon. What could Wremvigz offer your PCs to make it worth the risk to them? Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 2 May 2019. Shadow of Mordor, and its sequel Shadow of War, used the Nemesis System to advance basic enemies from minor bosses all the way to top-level warlords, making them unique, frightening, and dangerously unpredictable opponents.
While a Tabletop RPG is easier to create boss enemies for, it's useful to have some ways to make enemies a little more unpredictable and fun. Here are some traits you can randomly generate to add to bosses. If you want an enemy to be more dangerous, you can add more than one trait at once. Roll (1d8): Table 1: Leadership skills 2-3: Resistances 4-6: Combat skills 7: Hunting skills 8: Magical powers Leadership Skills (roll 1d6) 1: Restorative (Boss can restore d6 hp/level to an ally within 10ft. as a standard action) 2: Inspiring (Allies within 30ft. gain +1 to hit and damage) 3: Ferocious (Allies within 10ft. gain +4 on saves vs. fear effects) 4: Rage aura (Allies within 30ft. gain +4 damage, -2 Armour Class) 5: Cunning aura (Allies within 30ft. gain +4 on Perception checks) 6: Terrifying aura (Boss can terrify an opponent within 30ft. as a standard action, as Fear) Resistances (roll 1d6) 1: Resistant to Ranged attacks 2: Resistant to Melee attacks 3: +4 to save against any Divine spells 4: +4 to save against any Arcane spells 5: Immune to Fear effects 6: Resistance 10 to one element (Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, or Sonic) Combat Skills (roll 1d6) 1: Berserker (Boss can Rage as a 1st-level Barbarian) 2: Skilled Warrior (Boss gains +2 to attack and +4 to damage on one attack per round) 3: Dual Spirit (Boss can strike incorporeal opponents) 4: Poisoned attacks (Boss gains a single attack per round that inflicts poison damage) 5: Quick Attacker (Boss can make one additional attack per round, all attacks take -2 penalty) 6: Heavy Hitter (Boss can make one attack as a full attack action, double base damage) Hunting Skills (roll 1d6) 1: Sneaky (Boss gains +4 on Stealth checks) 2: Scent (Boss gains Scent ability) 3: Ambush (Boss is Invisible until the first time they attack) 4: Retaliator (Boss gains +2 AC against a single chosen opponent per round, like Dodge feat) 5: Fast Pursuit (Boss gains +10ft. speed) 6: Slayer (Boss gains +2 on attack and damage rolls, and all opposed skill checks, against one race type) Magical Powers (roll 1d6) 1: Fire bolts (Boss can Produce Flame at will) 2: Mage hunter (Boss can Dispel Magic once per encounter) 3: Summon aid (Boss can call minions with Summon Swarm) 4: Paralyzing hold (Boss can Hold Person as a standard action) 5: Healing word (Boss can Cure Moderate Wounds on self once per encounter) 6: Teleport (Boss can Dimension Door once) You can customize this system with abilities and skills of your choice, and add more skills with additional Hit Dice as enemies survive and level up. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 1 May 2019. |
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