Tear-catchers are a cultural tradition of the Eastern Baronies, whereby one who has lost a loved one stores the tears they shed, and pours them upon the grave of their departed after a year.
However, the one that inspired it all is the magic item Lachrymatoria, the Saver of Sorrows. This tiny glass bottle, inlaid with gold and bound around with ancient necromancy, has a gold stopper depicting a weeping maiden. The legends tell that the god Aelarion's sorrow was so deep that he wept seas of tears for his slain sister, until Nïa the Necromancer forged a bottle of soulsteel strong enough to contain it. By catching his tears, the mortal realms were saved from drowning. The story continues, and tells that when it had stored up all his sorrow, a galaxy's worth of despair and loneliness and misery, it changed him, and stripped the misery from him. His sorrow was truly gone. Its purpose served, Lachrymatoria was put away and forgotten, where it passed many times into the hands of mortals. When used by mortals, the magic is even stronger- those who pour their tears into it forget the existence and history of those they have lost. For some, this is sweet release from their agony. For others, this mystery only worsens the loss. Lachrymatoria, the Saver of Sorows Wondrous item, unique, requires attunement by shedding tears into the bottle over a year When used, the target becomes subject to a Modify Memory spell which removes the memory of the person who they have lost, forever (no saving throw). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 31 July 2020. Having the right tool for the right job is important- any craftsman can tell you that. So competent adventurers should know to bring the right weapons for any job, for whatever they're expecting to run into.
Bringing a mace to deal with skeletons is important, and a big cutting blade for zombies, while bringing a rapier might be handy if you end up having to duel a noble. A flaming blade is handy for a troll, but useless if you're fighting a red dragon. So how do you store and organize such an arsenal, not to mention bringing it along? For medieval knights, a baggage train was important, with several squires or pages bringing replacement weapons and sparing all the extra weight. For adventurers, extraplanar storage is really handy, meaning you can transport and carry more without all the extra weight and bulk. Gloves of Storing can be a really nasty trick, letting you seem unarmed, while you actually have a weapon, or wand, or something else nasty, handy. If your adventurers have a base of operations, keeping a well-stocke armoury can be vital to making sure not only that you can defend it well, but also set out on adventures appropriately-prepared, and that's how you get the job done! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 30 July 2020. This magic item is forged by trapping a spirit of chaos and destruction within an ensorcelled glass bottle, bound with protective inscriptions. When it shatters, the spirit explodes in a wave of rampant annihilation, engulfing the area in carnage.
Demon Bottle Potion, very rare As an attack, this potion can be thrown up to 50 feet. The round after it lands, at the start of the thrower's turn, it explodes, and each creature within a 20-foot radius centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 4d6 acid, 4d6 cold, 4d6 electricity, 4d6 fire, 4d6 psychic, and 4d6 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. How you can use Demon Bottles in your game: - A devastating explosion causes terrible destruction to a city block, tearing up an entire building and slaying or harming dozens. Witnesses say that a figure at the heart of the explosion was diving for a glass bottle at the moment of eruption, and that the bottle bore glowing runes upon its surface. - A chaos sorcerer has been crafting Demon Bottles and is distributing them to select clients, who are using them to wreak havoc across the city, taking hundreds of lives. His lair is hidden inside a demiplane rife with chaotic magic, and stopping the flow of these weapons is paramount to keeping the city safe. - Powerful demons sometimes use these weapons in war, laughing off the energy damage as they wade into their opponents. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 29 July 2020. This glorious rapier was forged of the starry night sky by an archmage of phenomenal power. It is said he made this as a betrothal gift for the Goddess of the Sky, and with it won her heart. She occasionally bestows the blade as a gift on those who please her with a gift of art or worship.
In the hand, it feels like it weighs almost nothing, and the blade and handle seem to be not physically connected, the crosspiece and basket hilt formed of the softly-swirling arms of a galaxy, with a great dense glowing core at its heart. As it moves through the air, it hums in a high pitch softly. Deep Sky Magic weapon, unique (requires attunement outdoors at night) This +2 rapier functions as a Ring of Shooting Stars, lighting up itself or causing opponents to be illuminated by tiny starry motes of light at will. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 25 July 2020. The back alleys of the Free Cities are not just dangerous, they're downright lethal. If the pickpockets of the markets haven't ruined your life, the cutthroats will end it. The criminal gangs often employ a pair or more of these cutthroats to safeguard their business, and if their business is threatened, they have no remorse.
Back-alley Cutthroat Medium humanoid (any race), Neutral Evil Armour Class 13 (leather armour) Hit Points 32 (6d8+6) Speed 30ft. Str 12 (+1); Dex 14 (+2); Con 13 (+1); Int 9 (-1); Wis 11 (+0); Cha 8 (-1) Skills Intimidate +1, Stealth +5 Senses passive Perception 11 Languages Common, foul language Challenge 2 Sneak Attack. Once per turn, when a back-alley cutthroat deals an extra 10 (3d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the back-alley cutthroat that isn't incapacitated and the back-alley cutthroat doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll. Actions Multiattack. The back-alley cutthroat makes two melee attacks against the same target. Dagger. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) slashing damage. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 24 July 2020. Last week, my Apocalypse World players ventured into the horrid black tunnels beneath the city, searching for a medical imager. Setting tone and making things difficult in a system that doesn't require a lot of rolls can be tricky, and skipping over some intervening exploration can be key (exactly like watching a TV series).
In my game, I had a cannibal group chasing after people, and one member of the party got separated while trying to keep pursuit off of the others. I talked to that player quietly off to one side, and then they stayed at the table while the other players had some harrowing and nailbiting encounters, concerned that the other PC had just died. I'd done some research, and someone on Reddit had suggested a custom move, that let the PCs roll to explore once they were out of danger. One rolled well, and found some kind of artifact, while the other rolled a miss, which called down extra trouble. this let me introduce some familiar elements they'd been hearing up on the surface for a few weeks- the high-pitched sound of a mechanical saw, and an unven number of glowing red eyes in the dark. They absolutely fled, all thoughts of trying to fight one of the Things completely gone from their minds. They did manage to find what seems to be a clone of their old friend, who definitely remembers them, but is missing all of their scars, and has some different mannerisms. At this point, this was the first time one of them has even seen one of the Things, and they have not got any clue what the statistics for this creature are. Having them run in utter terror was an absolute success for me as a Game Master, and I look forward to the next time they have to venture into the tunnels, and actually have to deal with one of the Things. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 23 July 2020. The cursed Shire Shoes are a dreadful magic item, made from the living skin of a halfling, and able to hide the wearer's tracks.
Shire Shoes Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) While wearing these shoes, you gain the benefits of Pass Without Trace. However, Halflings gain advantage on any weapon attacks against you. How you can use Shire Shoes in your game: - A villain preying upon a Halfling community might be seeking a target to craft the perfect pair of these leather shoes. The assassin wants shoes to allow themselves perfect stealth, and has seized several targets. One has survive and fled their tanning shed, stumbling into town with bleeding extremities and clearly wounded. - This assassin might be a member of a vile society who all wear these shoes, silencing their steps right before they silence their victims. A counter-society has sprung up, recruiting paladins of the Halfling pantheon to serve justice upon these scoundrels. - The creation of a wicked necromancer, the first pair of these shoes are renowned to shed absolute silence whereever their foot falls, and were cut from the skin of Brandobaris himself. Heroes of the Halfling race have sought for centuries to steal these back, and the person who accomplishes such a feat would earn great renown, and definitely a second breakfast. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 July 2020. This spell wraps targets in coruscating bands of rainbow-coloured energy. These restrain the target, but only cause magical effects if the targets struggle against their power.
Prismatic Strands 3rd-level evocation (Sorcerer, Wizard spell) Casting Time: 1 action Range: 100 feet Components: V, S Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute With a gesture, you cause shimmering ribbons of prismatic energy to target a 10-foot radius area within range, enwrapping and entangling those within. The ribbons shift in colour as time passes, and each colour has a different effect. Each round, targets who begin their turn within the area may choose to struggle or submit to the spell. Those who struggle may make a Dexterity saving throw, and take a random effect from the list below. Targets who make a successful saving throw may move and act normally. Those who fail a saving throw, or who choose to submit, become Grappled. Targets who are already grappled become Restrained, instead. Targets who are restrained, become Incapacitated instead. For each target who fails a saving throw after struggling, roll a d8 to determine which colour affects them. A target who chooses to delay their action may roll twice and take the result they choose. 1. Red. The target takes 4d6 fire damage. 2. Orange. The target takes 4d6 acid damage. 3. Yellow. The target takes 4d6 lightning damage. 4. Green. The target takes 4d6 poison damage. 5. Blue. The target takes 4d6 cold damage. 6. Indigo. The target becomes restrained immediately. It must then take a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If it successfully saves three times, this effect ends. If it fails its save three times, it turns to stone and is subjected to the petrified condition for 1 hour. The successes and failures don't need to be consecutive; keep track of both until the target collects three of a kind. 7. Violet. The target is blinded, 8. Transition between two colours. Roll twice more, rerolling any 8s. How you can use Prismatic Strands in your game: - This is designed to be a nonlethal spell for capturing enemies, but also allowing those who choose to struggle against it, a chance to break free (with some consequences). City guard, or a controlling archmage, might use this to capture upstart adventurers. - Player Characters can use this spell if they wish to restrict or hold enemies, offering them some different damaging effects, but with the opportunity to cause other interesting effects as well. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 18 July 2020. One of the complaints I often see about games is scaling- as soon as you level up, all of the bad guys do, too. This can be a difficult act to juggle, and sometimes ends up wayyyyyyyy overpowered, making you leveling up seem like a complete waste of time. I once had a GM when playing 3.5 edition D&D who would use a spreadsheet to upgrade each critter's Challenge Rating to the player's level, so a level 12 character fighting Orcs would be fighting 30 Hit Die Half-Dragon Half-Fiend Orcs which would hit you for colossal damage, while the level 6 player would only be fighting 10 Hit Die Orcs, for example. It was a gruelling game.
5th edition seems to favour set statistic blocks, without the advancement options that 3.5 (for example) has for every critter. Which means by the time you get to be whatever feels like high level, you've actually got an opportunity to be a proper badass, wading through fights with the City Watch or the Royal Guard, as appropriate. And as much as it feels like a good idea (as a GM) to up the challenge so your players are fighting harder foes, my advice is: don't. Let them have their moments where they swing into action and literally mow their way through hordes of guys, and feel like all that levelling up has been worth it! You can still give them challenges, but not everything has to be difficult. One of my takeaways from playing Apocalypse World is that one of the specific rules for the GM is "be a fan of the characters". Let them get moments where they get to be cool, and everyone goes "holy crap you just took down ten guards without a scratch", or "wow, you just sneaked past a Dragon!", or "you just counterspelled that mage's impossible death magic, NICE!!!". It'll mean that there's a difference in intensity between some fights, so you can vary the challenge and not just keep the pressure on all the time. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 17 July 2020. One of the games I'm GMing at the moment is Apocalypse World, a very atmospheric game of life after the end of the world. As it's very different to the standard D&D-style game, I thought it might be useful to document some of my learnings, because a lot of it can be applicable to GMing any kind of game.
We started by discussing how we wanted the setting to be, establishing some guidelines ("no zombies", for instance) and spitballing some character ideas from the established playbooks - which are similar to 'classes', but function a little differently. We decided to set the game in the ruins of the near-ish future, so most technology and architecture would be familiar, but there would still be some whiz-bang proper science fiction stuff in it. We didn't want to just rip off Fallout, so we also decided that everything wasn't just tin shacks in the ruins- things were starting to recover. So we decided there were some thriving communities, starting to reclaim the world and make things better again. We've also set our game in what's left of Sydney, Australia. As a gaming group of former Sydneysiders, it's a place we're familiar enough with to make it familiar, but not so much that we'll be arguing about what's down a particular street or not. Once we'd worked out our setting, characters were the next step. Since each playbook gives you some options as to what kind of possessions or contacts you have, it was important to work out what kind of assets players would have access to, and what kind of threats would endanger them. We ended up with a mobile trader who owns a great big beast of a vehicle, hardy and able to cross the wastes. and with contacts in lots of locations; a medic who has established a clinic with some NPC staff helping them out; and a weird youngster making their home in the crater that used to be a mad-science university and scavenging for high-value tech. This meant I didn't have any characters who were tough fighter-types, and were mostly linked to specific locations, so although I can certainly have some beefy boys try to beat up my PCs, it's not what they're interested in, and I probably want to have some challenges which do line up with what they do, and where they're based. I'll be trying to keep things updated as the weeks pass, so keep an eye out next Thursday for the next update! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 16 July 2020. Tarja is a young Druid, making her home a day or two's travel from town. She is usually found with her head in the cloud, and her pockets full of berries, speaking to any birds she spies. Even for a druid, she seems quite 'not all there', and will often speak of the feelings of the grass, or the whispers of the north wind. She can be quite useful, however, and she has a large number of friends in the animal world.
Statistics: Tarja is a 7th-level Druid, who spends much of her time socializing with the animals. Thus, she is rarely encountered without at least 6 HD of animals accompanying her. How you can use Tarja in your game: - Tarja might be sought out for information on the natural world- a poison, an animal or beast, or something similar. Her knowledge is exceptional, although her communication is sometimes lacking context or... sense at all. - If a crime is committed against an animal of some kind, Tarja may join the player characters to bring the criminal to justice. A wounded race-horse, maimed hunting-dog, or injured carrier-bird will bring out her vengeful side quickly. - PCs might come into conflict with Tarja is they have been particularly destructive, or injured animals. She is no-nonsense and tells them to cut it out, or face her (and her swarms of friends). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 15 July 2020. This spell can farewell those who have died, speeding their passing to the Halls of the Dead and attemptint to ensure that they will not return as vengeful undead.
Requiescat 2nd-level necromancy (ritual) (Bard, Cleric spell) Casting Time: 10 minutes Range: 20-foot radius Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous You sing a song echoing the Words of Creation, bidding the spirits of those no longer living to take their rightful place and linger in the mortal realm no more. The spirits of all recently-deceased creatures in the area (within 1 week) become visible as immaterial phantoms, and depart to the spirit realm. Any creatures who are under the effect of Gentle Repose are unaffected. Any creatures which will become an undead creature (for example, one who has been slain by a vampire's bite) may make a Charisma saving throw (against your spell DC, if the creature did not have one). On a successful save, they depart as well, and do not become an undead creature. This spell effectively advances the time limit on raising targets from the dead, meaning that a target can't be raised using Raise Dead. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 3rd level or higher, the radius increases by 20 feet for each spell level above 2nd. How you can use Requiescat in your game: - This spell allows a cleric or bard to confer 'blessings on the dead' or similar sentiments, especially if they come across the scene of a slaughter or great battlefield. This allows the "do we have time for this?" question, with the functional benefit of ensuring/contributing to the lack of undead behind you. - Especially if undead are a major feature in your game, being able to settle recently-dead spirits so that they don't rise is important. However, it's also important to remember the psychological and spiritual impact of knowing that your dead friends have been sped on their way to final rest, and aren't lingering in spiritual pain. - The Crow Knights of the Raven Queen sometimes choose to gain this as one of their Paladin spells on reaching 9th level, and their gaunt figures can sometimes be seen stalking old or new battlefields, intoning sacred songs to calm the dead. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 11 July 2020. Locard's principle of transference tells us that nothing moves through an area without taking something of the area along, and leaving something of themselves behind. Even for the smallest creatures, this is true. On walking through a park near my house recently, I noticed a small worn dirt path, about the width of a hand, leading across the grass for tens of metres. On closer inspection, this had been left over the course of many years by the passage of ants moving to and from their nest, nearby. If even ants leave a path, then surely larger creatures can be tracked, too.
To make the game more interesting and allow a little more freedom of choice, you can allow finding tracks to be the result of random encounters. This can let your players go looking for more trouble if they feel like they can handle it, or if they think it'll be worth the trouble, or choose to lie low and escape the area if they think they could be out of their depth. Even if they can't evade it, this might give them a small opportunity to prepare for the encounter ahead, or let it prepare for them, if it's a skilled hunter. This also makes it feel like the world is populated with monsters, but not teeming with them, Final Fantasy-style. How you can use following tracks in your game: - An encounter might involve running across the signs that a creature has passed, or lives in the area. An abomination might leave mutilated corpses, while a humanoid might leave signs of its territory- trail markings, literal signs, or skulls on sticks. A dragon might leave burned wagons, half-devoured horses, and shredded scraps of plate armour from the wagon's guards. - A wily hunter, like some Gnoll rangers, or Bugbear murderers, might leave false trails to lure in greedy adventurers. A trail leading to a killbox with elevated galleries above, or into a trap, or even into another creature's lair, can all help to soften up opposition for the true hunters to claim their kill. - Letting PCs choose which prey they go after and which they avoid can help to make your world feel like a much more lived-in place, and means they might 'bookmark' some places to come back when they're more experienced. The more you can get them to make decisions in-character, the better this will be for your roleplaying. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 10 July 2020. Blademistress Ellarian Preskalyn is a favourite of the Elven Court, a cool-headed and expert warrior. She is often selected for quests into foreign lands, due to her expertise and pleasant demeanour. She brooks no insolence, however, and is well-reputed for her skill with her blades, making her an ideal person to hunt down and execute or capture enemies of the Elven Court.
Ellaria Preskalyn, Elven Blademistress Medium humanoid (elf), neutral good Armour Class 18 (plate mail) Hit Points 97 (15d8+30) Speed 25ft. Str 14 (+2); Dex 20 (+5); Con 14 (+2); Int 14 (+2); Wis 13 (+1); Cha 13 (+1) Saving Throws Str +5, Dex +8 Skills Acrobatics +8, Athletics +5, Investigation +4, Perception +4 Senses Darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 14 Languages Common, Elvish Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Magic Weapons. Ellaria's weapon attacks are magical. Longsword Mastery. Opportunity attacks with Ellaria's longsword are made with advantage. Actions Multiattack. Ellaria makes two longsword attacks and two dagger attacks. Longsword. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage. Dagger. Melee weapon attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) slashing damage. Reactions Parry. Ellaria adds 3 to her AC against one melee attack that would hit her. To do so, Ellaria must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. How you can use Ellaria Preskalyn in your game: - Ellaria may have been sent on a quest that intersects with whatever your Player Characters are doing- to capture or kill the same person the PCs are chasing. She might find them to propose a temporary alliance until they can both find their target. Although she usually works alone, she sometimes has the assistance of a small squad of Elven skirmishers. - Ellaria might have to cross paths with the PCs, but not as an ally- perhaps her path requires her to end the life of someone the PCs have been paid to guard, or to protect someone who they need to arrest or kill. Although she is a professional, she might hesitate to slay someone whose side she once worked at. Although if one of the PCs is her target, all bets might be off. - Ellaria might even beg the PCs' aid if she has been gravely wounded by one of her targets. She can give guidance in locating her target, and might take to the field to bring down an overwhelming foe. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 July 2020. The Postulant is a creature of folklore, a beast said to seek out the weak of spirit and unfaithful, and test them. It is a humanoid creature that walks on all fours on taloned feet, with a spiked torso, and a bizarre, eyeless head, with porcelain-like texture and geometric designs. Although it is vicious when its prey is revealed, it is said that those who greet the creature politely and make an offer of dumplings earn its sincere thanks, and it will pass them by with no trouble.
Statistics: The Postulant is a 12 Hit Die aberration, with amazing dexterity and proficiency in Stealth and Survival. If it takes a Dash action, it can pounce and make a single claw attack at the end of its movement. If reduced to 0 hit points, the Postulant is driven away and vanishes away into the Astral plane until the next Summer Solstice. How you can use the Postulant in your game: - A town has a tradition that all visitors must be greeted with food. While pleasant and quaint, this disguises the town elder's mortal fear of being carried away by the Postulant. They might ask helpful adventurers to save them from the pernicious creature. - The Player Characters might be stalked by the Postulant themselves if one of them has been unfaithful or wavered in their duty. The creature is creepy and strange, and might leave them strange tokens to show its interest. - For a more Spirited Away-style adventure, the Postulant can be frightening and horrible, but also obeys strange internal rules it has set. No-one exactly knows what its origins or motivation are, and it can be oddly friendly if treated well. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 July 2020. Murder, that most original of sins, is always a good starter for a game plot. It represents a break in the natural order, a severing of future potential, and usually a foul motive for such a crime. It usually leaves behind family and friends who wish redress or revenge for the crime, and usually needs investigation to discover the identity of the person who has done such a deed.
Murder might be personal, political, or professional, leaving you with lots of options for investigation. There may be a cover-up, hiding some of the evidence, or it may even have been staged as a murder to hide an accident or suicide. How you can use a murder in your game: - A friend, family member, acquaintance, or professional contact of one of your Player Characters could be murdered, giving them a personal stake in bringing the murderer to justice. - For an enclosed community (like a monastery, trading post, masked ball, noble household, diplomatic event, or military barracks), your PCs might be called in as an objective group to investigate. They might be the only ones trusted (or at least, equally distrusted) in an alien situation. - As an alternative, your PCs themselves might be framed for committing (or asked to commit) the murder of someone important themselves, either to cause their death, start (or finish) a war, or distract from something else happening at the time (a theft or kidnapping, perhaps). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 4 July 2020. Ghorza (pronounced YOR-za) is an Orc, and a mercenary warrior, who travels from city to city. Although she is a passingly fair warrior, her mannerisms and performance mean she's often not hired for long stints or more than bodyguarding work. Her true talent, and most preciously-kept secret, is that she is an art thief of astounding skill. Known as the Lily Shadow, she arranges her own jobs and fences her stolen goods through several layers of secrecy (sometimes even acting as her own muscle), and a magical veil which disguises her as an elven maiden. None who have dealt with her in either of her jobs would ever suspect her.
Statistics: Ghorza has 12 Hit Dice, and is about Challenge Rating 5. While she's useful in a scrap, her true talents are elsewhere- in stealth, thievery, and deception. While she often carries a brutal-looking Orcish greatsword, it tends to be "accidentally" disarmed or dropped shortly into any combat, leaving her free to engage with other weapons. How you can use Ghorza, the Lily Shadow, in your game: - The PCs might work a job as caravan guards or bodyguards with Ghorza. Although she seems capable, it might be hard to shake the feeling that maybe there's more to her than just dumb muscle. - PCs might also hear of the exploits of the Lily Shadow, having cut the Duke's grand painting from its frame right under the noses of his guards, taken the Lady Dupayne's emerald jewelry from the stand beside her while she slept, and lifted the church's jeweled relics on the eve of their grand holy day. Her exploits should be Ocean's 11-style feats of derring-do, targeting the rich and powerful. The supposedly Elven thief is a folk hero beloved by common people, and likely even the PCs will have a laugh if they discover that the scummy employer who cheated them was robbed the very next night. - Ghorza may approach the PCs if they have a similar reputation or could be of use in one of her heists (even if they don't know the full extent of what they'll be involved in). Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 3 July 2020. Red Furies are a part of the armies of the Abyss, great fiendish giants driven to pure rage by constant torment and magical imprisonment within their armour. They are engines of destruction when unleashed upon the battlefield, as risky to their allies as to their foes. They are generally only used when the situation is dire- or when great and painful destruction is desired.
Statistics: Red Furies are Huge fiends with 16 Hit Dice. They are heavily-armoured (AC 22) and may enter a rage for 1 round as a reaction when struck by an attack, gaining resistance to damage from nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing attacks, and +5 on damage rolls. They use great chains of cold-forged black iron attached to enormous bone weights as flails, granting them a 15-foot reach. As an action, they may make one melee weapon attack on each creature within reach, instead of their normal attacks. How you can use a Red Fury in your games: - Demons sometimes leave details on how to conjure a Red Fury from the Abyss scattered on the Material Plane, as a way of surprising those who might hope to summon a demon and wring its secrets out. Once conjured, they rage endlessly against their imprisonment, often destroying the ground beneath them to disrupt magical circles. - A truly desperate villain might conjure one of these if their fortress is about to fall, to fight off attackers. While it might cause enormous structural damage, it might just be enough to turn the tide of a siege and allow them long enough to flee. - If PCs are witness to a battle in the Abyss (perhaps against the Devils of Hell or the Delowin), they might see the breathtaking brutality of these creatures en masse. While one can be a terrifying force, three or more can utterly devastate any battle-line. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 2 July 2020. Once a fabled Knight of the Stars, the Voidknight knows secrets which have been hidden for generations. Some secret which he learned condemned him eternally, and now he rules over a silent court of all-seeing monsters as one of the Ten Thousand Kings of Hell. His voice is a sepulchral whisper that runs chills down the back of every mortal creature who beholds it. He wears gleaming plate armour and bears a quicksilver-fast sword, but under his cloak lurks nothing, just a starry emptiness. It is said that those who have tried to gaze beneath his cowl have lost their minds in trying to understand the hidden things of the universe.
As a patron, the Voidknight favours Hexblade warlocks, but occasionally selects others to serve his dark wishes. His orders are often confusing, and sometimes even conflicting, but those who serve him maintain that there must be some secret agenda in serving his purposes. Those who serve him lose colour in one eye, the pupil expanding to fill one whole socket. Occasionally, scintillating starlike sparkles can be spied within the darkness. Statistics: The Voidknight's ability scores are approximate to a Planetar angel, but Neutral Evil. He has the ability to use Foresight once per day. How you can use The Voidknight in your game: - The Knights of the Stars are an order that still serves some mysterious purpose. They might serve Player Characters as allies or sometimes foils, acting according to secretive needs. This might bring them into conflict with the Voidknight, or perhaps even bring them into his eerie confidences, for some reason. - Servants of the Voidknight might discover that the PCs have learned one of their deep secrets, prompting them to bring them further into their inner circle- or to attempt to slay them, to preserve their secrets. - The court of the Voidknight is a dark and oppressingly silent place in the Hells, looking out into the deepest void of the Ethereal plane. His court is attended by fiendish Bodaks and a throng of raving Nothics, their eyes sparkling with utter madness. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 1 July 2020. |
AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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