The Anvil of Legend, crafted of a single pure block of mithril and said to hold the heart of a star within its depths, is one of the finest artefacts ever. Every hammer-blow imbues objects crafted upon it with tremendous sorcery, with no need for an inelegant fire-based forge.
Most of the secrets it once held have been lost, but it is still used to create magical items, when the need is great. For now, it is under a sheet in an isolated tower, put aside until someone can find a use for it. How you can use the Anvil of Legend in your games: - Perhaps an enemy force has seized the tower, equipping their troops with rapidly-forged magical weapons. It must be taken back, but perhaps the regular army cannot be spared- adventurers will be needed. - For a PC whose magic [item] has been broken or destroyed, this might be a place they need to seek out to make a replacement. Perhaps the tower is now monster-haunted or has spiritual guardians to defend it. - If the tower is inhabited, perhaps the master-smiths have found that the star-heart at the centre of the anvil is finally dying. A replacement must be found before it dies altogether, or perhaps only one last mighty object can be made using its power. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 29 August 2020. In part two of my Raiding the Dungeon series, some more 'Dark Sun'd-up adventure briefs, stolen from the pages of Dungeon magazines:
- Assist a merchant to reclaim their stolen contract, allowing them to sell something at vast value. - Follow a murderer into an old ruin, and the secret caves below. - Hunt a monster which is preying on the slave pens of a city, devouring the slaves at night. The slaves are refusing to work, as they are not safe. - Assist the widow of a warlord in claiming her property, accompanying her to a meeting despite traps and ambushes laid for her. - Find an ancient fortress inhabited by beast-headed giants in the Sea of Silt, and stop a Defiler who is building a terrible obsidian spire designed to expand the range of her defiling by hundreds of miles. - Attend a family event, interrupted when someone is stolen away by a monstrous being. - Hunt a notorious outlaw into an old Dwarven city, filled with the ghosts of those who failed to defend it. - Free a kidnapped noble who is being held by a maddened psionicist. - Explore a waterhole that gleams with treasure, and leads to a cave system. - A Templar has siezed reign over a valley, and is stirring up trouble with a vicious undead creature to gain personal power. - Follow an animal companion who is trying to seek help for their druid master, imprisoned by escaped slaves turned bandits. - A puzzle- and athletics-filled competition is being held. Win glory for your city or people! - The PCs witness a confrontation between two powerul psions in the strets of the city, threatening bystanders and the peace. - On reaching a town on the shore of the Sea of Silt, the PCs witness bodies 'washing up', and are asked to investigate. A dastardly murder has been covered up, and a vengeful undead wants to put things right. - A lazy Defiler has conjured a powerful elemental spirit which has killed her, and is terrorizing the slums. - A band of Elven raiders has encouraged a beast to prey on a roadside stop-in. - An artifact is creating golem-grafted creatures to work in a volcanic mine, and has sent them to capture more people to experiment on. - A scheming noble has uncovered an old family manor in the wastes linking him to the Sorcerer-King. However it hides a secret shame that is dangerous to all nearby. - An old hunter demands help on his last hunt, chasing down a dangerous beast that has been maddened by Gith raiders. - A mischeivous elemental spirit tries to frighten away people who visit its oasis. - An elite band of thieves using psionic powers steals from the Sorcerer-King's palace while they are away. The PCs are conscripted to help by Templars who threaten their families. - A terrible prison far underground houses dangerous prisoners with terrible powers. - An ancient temple haunted by a vain undead creature also houses a band of half-giants led by a psionic chieftain. - A cave is inhabited by a creature petrifying those who venture within. - A tribe of lizardfolk has begun war against a town for stealing the water which they agreed to share. Recognize anything? Drop a line! Our next issue will be working on one of Pathfinder's adventure paths, experimenting with ideas on a cohesive narrative. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 August 2020. Sir Humbert Feathercomb is a professional hunter and commissioned officer. His comportment is indisputably impeccable at all times, and his gear and clothing are immaculate. He spends his time hunting monsters, the more dangerous and exotic the better, and might run into the Player Characters at some point.
How you can use Sir Humbert Feathercomb in your games: - Sir Humbert might first encounter the PCs while they both hunt the same creature. He will graciously allow them to "assist him" but will take the bragging rights for having slain the creature, however useful his actions might have been. While his manner can be abrasive, his generosity in coin and capacity for damage with his enchanted firearm might make it worth putting up with him. - Sir Humbert might call upon his former "retainers" to help with another hunt- some fearsome fiendish Manticore or half-fire elemental Chimera, perhaps. He is willing to pay handsomely for assistance, but the hunt will be very dangerous. - A rival noble hunter might even seek to entrap and ensnare the wily Sir Humbert, leading him into an ambush with a terrible beast far too dangerous to take on. The PCs might have to track Sir Humbert across the wilderness, tracking him by the journals he has left, and save him from stumbling into a trap designed to overcome his defenses and bring an end to him. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 27 August 2020. The legendary fountain of Golden Plaza was gifted to the city by the Duveron family to demonstrate their incredible wealth. For nearly a century, hundreds of gold coins each day have tumbled forth from its mouth and into the sink below, where they vanish, unless someone takes them. The family has declared that all of the coins come from their coffers, and that they can spare so much of their wealth that they can afford the cost, and that any who need to partake of their bounty is welcome to it. The homeless have all built their own houses, the poor are well-off, and the Duveron family enjoys the love of all of the city. For now, most of the coins tumble unheeded, and all in the city want for little.
How you can use the Coin Fountain of Golden Plaza in your games: - Poor PCs who arrive in the city might be amazed by the incredible wealth on display, and almost-utopian happiness here. If they question how everyone is so comfortable, the smiling citizens direct them to Golden Plaza, where they can help themselves to some free coins. There are guards present in the plaza, but only to stop people fighting over the coins, and they gently help any PCs who need a hand. - If you want a darker turn, the utopian period might have been brief, and free wealth available might have led to rampant inflation, completely overturning the intended effect of the fountain. A constant riot is fought over the coins spilling from the fountain's basin, and the price of even simple supplies like a loaf of bread or a chicken has spiralled, putting it out of the reach of any but the most wealthy. The magic fountain has led to a city wracked by theft and violence, and undoing its magic might be the only way to bring the city back to any kind of balance. - The Duveron family, beggared by the constant flow of wealth generated by their ancestors, are desperate to undo the magic and cut off their losses. They surreptitiously seek out assistance in another city to undo the magic and save their legacy. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 26 August 2020. Playing an epic story is much more difficult than telling a story, unless your players are just passive observers. Making your story amazing is about hitting the right story beats with an interactive audience, people who might tell you the things they want, and might want the things they tell you that they do.
So what are the steps you need to follow? I like to get everyone building their characters ahead of time, usually texting with my players back and forth over the week or so preceeding, to get some ideas flowing. I want ideas I can spin off- not a fully-written story, but an idea I can take and run with, along the lines the player wants. If they tell me that their character is the bastard child of the king, then you'd better believe that's coming into play somewhere along the line, maybe not where they expected, but somewhere. If their character dies, then that's sad, and that means I need to think on the fly- how are their parents going to react when they find out, how do I incorporate the new character, how does that affect my ongoing storyline? It takes a lot of thinking on your feet to do this well, and really the only way you can do it, is by doing it. If it doesn't work, then work through that, talk to your players and be transparent. Try asking them what they think would work best, like a writers' room of a TV series. Remember that even though you're the GM, they're part of this process too, and good players are often experienced players and GMs themselves. So remember to include them in decision-making, and in your storytelling. They're a part of this, and epic stories can't happen without them! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 August 2020. Father Khudonlir is a warm and friendly traveling artificer, a dwarf given to experimenting with new ways and technologies, sometimes with success. He usually travels from place to place, and might be able to come up with what's needed in a pinch- if it doesn't explode!
Statistics: Father Khudonlir is an 8th-level Artificer, able to construct devices capable of great magical capacity. He is Neutral Good in nature, and usually willing to help out, especially if it gets him some business down the line. How you can use Father Khudonlir in your games: - As a traveling merchant and tinker, Father Khudonlir might have some magical or mechanical items available for sale, or be able to craft some temporary items which would be quite affordable, if short-lived. - If a disaster threatens, Father Khudonlir might be able to assist- the Player Characters might have to drag him along to defuse a fiendish device or close some kind of magical portal. - Father Khudonlir might turn to previous allies if he's in trouble- or if his clan is threatened. Rescuing the clan that cast him out once before might be enough to save his family's honour. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 21 August 2020. The creatures known as Trikarii are strange and almost unknowable, their alien mindset and bizarre physiology setting them very much apart from mortal races. Their limbs are long and many-jointed, and they seem to perceive time completely differently from mortals. They say they hail from a crystal palace beyond the Far Realms, on the borders of the Ethereal Plane, and occasionally journey to the Prime for reasons they do not explain.
Statistics: Trikarii are Neutral-aligned outsiders, able to use Haste and Slow on themselves at will, and Time Stop oncer each per long rest. Their motives are unknown and sometimes confusing, sometimes even acting against one another and taking things extremely civilly. In combat, the floating objects behind their shoulders lunge forward to deliver electrical shocks to those who threaten them- as a 1st-level Shocking Grasp if targeted by one appendage, 2nd-level if by two, and 3rd-level if by all three at once. How you can use Trikarii in your games: - Trikarii are ideal 'strange' NPCs or enemies, naming themselves things like Fourth Pair Of Scissors From Left, Romanticized Ideal of Spring, or Slightly Broken Branch. They might be involved in grand schemes to acquire priceless artifacts like That Child's Shoe, The Slightly Discoloured Brick Over There, or the Staff of Vecna, with very little in between. - For a multiplanar campaign, Trikarii might serve a purpose like the Dabus- alien merchants and purveyors of odd wares with strange motives. They might be scheming something up, or they might just be weird. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 August 2020. This vast complex was built over the reign of three successive kings, and drops a hundred feet below the ground's surface. Access to the well takes place over 13 flights of stairs criss-crossing from side to side, and one side of the complex is made up of a temple of local pink sandstone, a place of worship for pilgrims and royal courts. Its artwork and architecture have known no equal for centuries, and it is said that the well's waters have healing properties. Within the temple is another, private, well allowing exclusive access to those who pay for the privilege.
Within the well's depths, nearly another hundred feet below the surface of the water, a scheming beast makes its lair- a dread Morkoth. Making its lair there, the creature has manipulated pilgrims and royalty alike for hundreds of years. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 19 August 2020. Having posted my big rant about Dark Sun only last week, I've been bubling over with some ideas- but I always get stuck on individual adventures. So I went raiding the Dungeon- specifically, my collection of back issues and other adventure modules on the shelf, looking to get just a very brief synopsis of each adventure to see how I could 'Dark Sun' it up.
See if you can recognize any specific adventures or issues! - Explore the tomb of the Lords of the Way, who are mummified psionicists. - Help to conquer a lush valley and defend your fort from cannibal halflings, and underminded by a powerful Defiler who wants the valley for his own use. - Explore an abandoned Blue Age ruin and stop a warlord awakening a life-shaped sword with powerful psionic enchantments. - Rescue a band of children stolen away by a tribe of Gith, and the Belgoi that wishes to use the children's life force to return to its home plane. - Free a dwarven town and copper mine from an elven elementalist, and his monstrous servants. - Save a frontier town afflicted by a fungal plague spreading from deep undergroundm in a city filled with horrid worm-folk. - Rescue a craftsman who has been siezed by a pair of Giants. - Resolve a conflict between warring druids who have attacked a fort on the wilderness frontier. - Explore a sand-choked ruin where an elven tribe has based itself to raid a trade route. - Infiltrate the lair of a group that are trying to call down a mighty Tyr-storm upon the area. - Follow a powerful ranger who claims to be one of a Sorcerer-Kings' children, in their attempt to infiltrate the palace and assassinate them. - Locate a skilled hunter who has gone missing, poisoned by his enemies in a distant valley. - Explore an old shrine with a monstrous attendant. I hope this gives you some ideas to spark from! I'll be back with more. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 15 August 2020. Those who commit grave sin in their mortal life are sometimes elevated to rulership as one of the Ten Thousand Kings of Hell. The Gelid Vojvodkyna (voy-vod-keen-a) is one of the most ancient of these Kings, a warrior who elected to choose her own shape, and selected that of an insectile, many-jointed, many-limbed horror, with her head formed of a translucent, veil-like blob, split by a bloody smile. As one of the Kings of Hell, the Gelid Vojvodkyna represents fierce and independent choice over one's own destiny, whatever the cost.
Those who serve Her Translucence swear oaths never to let another oppress them, and often choose to mutilate themselves if they must serve someone, proving ownership over their body and destiny. Her servants work to undermine those who force servitude on others. They are fine wariors and ruthless opponents. Statistics: The Gelid Vojvokyna is around equivalent to a Pit Fiend in power, with the ability to lash out with up to four segmented blade-limbs per round, each slashing opponents for 2d6+5 damage. She can Inflict Wounds as a 3rd-level spell slot at will, the wounds being horribly disfiguring (exposed muscle/bone, rotting skin, and so on). How you can use the Gelid Vojvodkyna in your games: - The servants of Her Translucence often foment chaos in freeing those unjustly imprisoned or enslaved, and overthrowing tyrants, which is unusual for servants of the Hells. However, their efforts are often capitalized on by servants of the other Ten Thousand Kings, and those freed by them rarely benefit for long. - The Gelid Vojvodkyna's court is an icy waste, flensed by razor winds blowing shards of crystalline ice. There, tyrants are frozen into walls of ice and eternally skinned, their howling propelling the winds only louder. Player Characters might have to visit Her Translucence in order to find out information that one of these tyrants recalls. But begging her mercy for even a moment may be costly. - The Gelid Vojvodkyna sometimes goes to war with the other Kings of Hell, sometimes to overthrow a tyrant, other times merely to stir up a fight. This kind of conflict may draw in some of the mortal realms and involve PCs even if they are not seeking trouble themselves. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 August 2020. This ancient device is fabled to be able to contain any fiend or outsider.
Hand-beaten from black iron, the 'box' is a cube about 13 feet on each side. The front bears a door graven with ancient and powerful sigils which glow with fiery heat, and the top bears rooflike spires. It is generally wrapped around with chains of iron and blessed silver, and held within a building designed around the great artifact. It must weigh several tonnes, and from time to time, it rocks roughly, as if whatever is within it is trying to escape. How you can use the Sanctus Box in your games: - This box currently contains a fiend of unimaginable power- an Infernal that, if unleashed, would swiftly raze an entire city and then return to the Hells where it might declare war on the Greater Devils and Demons which imprisoned it to begin with. Such a being's freedom would b sought only by the most violent and nihilistic cults. - The box has trapped a powerful Solar, and has been leaching its essence for centuries. Worse, the Devil responsible for the deed has been masquerading as the Solar all this time, corrupting the church to its very core. Even if freed, the Solar's power is sorely depleted, and it may require mortal agents to prosecute its duty for years to come. - Knowledge of the Box's location in a ruined and abandoned city hits the market, and there is a rush of vile cults, agents of chaos, and good-hearted agencies all competing to reach and claim the Box before their rivals can. Adventuring groups might be hired in to assist, or even to defend it from any comers. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 13 August 2020. Zarinah, known mostly by her epithet, 'the Kingslayer', has been Steward Regent of the kingdom for ten years now. Those who rankle under her rulership point to her elevated position and sole survivor of the King's guards, her slaughter of the kingdom's ruler, and her refusal to apologize for such a heinous deed. Those who know her at all feel the uneasiness of her mantle, and her sorrow at the actions she had to take to assume it.
When she emerged onto the King's balcony during court, cradling his dripping head, and assumed rulership, there was shock and horror, but she quickly and efficiently defended her new kingdom against internal and external threats. Statistics: Zarinah is a very accomplished warrior, around Challenge rating 7-9 on her own. She will generally be accompanied by guards and knights of the Court, however their loyalty to her may prove more temporary than desired. She is Lawful Neutral in demeanour. How you can use Zarinah, the Kingslayer in your games: - Perhaps the Kingslayer is all she seems- a power-hungry mercenary who fought her way to her position, and then forsook her most sacred oath to sieze the power of the man who trusted her implicitly. She is paranoid and cruel, and always on the lookout for enemies. - Or perhaps the Kingslayer killed her ward for a moral reason- the violation of a servant-woman, planning the murder of countless dissidents, perhaps some even more awful outcome. Those who support her rule often point to the survival of the young Princess, kept safe in a guarded and secret location so that none of her father's enemies can reach her, as proof of her mercy. - Maybe the Kingslayer had good reasons, maybe she didn't. But what is known is that she seeks someone else to take up her position. If someone can earn her trust and respect, the position might be theirs- and all the responsibilities and threats she has held off so far. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 12 August 2020. Count Constant de Pinchemont is a feudal lord in the oldest sense, a swaggering bully who thinks himself better because he owns horses and armour, and has been trained in the use of a sword. His guards are tough and competent, and his servants and serfs fear his wrath.
Statistics: Count de Pinchemont should be equivalent to a Knight, quite difficult to defeat in battle and decked out in expensive armour, paid for with the taxes from his sprawling lands. He is Lawful Evil, and given to small, petty revenge on the people who displease him. To his social superiors (never 'betters'), he is sweet-tongued and diplomatic, always on time with his tithes and scutage, and shows strength and reliability. How you can use Count Constant de Pinchemont in your games: - The Count works well for a low-level villain, someone oppressing the lands around him, or who has wronged one of the Player Characters in the past. He has personal prowess and a battalion of guards and knights who serve him, making him dangerous for what he can do when PCs look the other direction. If they oppose him, he will not hesitate to bring wrath down upon a whole town due to their perceived support for a cause. - The Count may also be a (begrudging) ally to the PCs. They might serve his purposes or even champion his causes, and while they are in his graces, they are rewarded. But those who disobey his orders are given no further chances. - If a PC is a noble or acting in the context of a feudal Court, the Count also makes an ideal antagonist- someone who blocks their motions, or supports those who they oppose. He is intelligent enough to be dangerous, and dangerous enough to be quite troubling. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 August 2020. Continuing with older campaign settings, I was lucky enough to pick up a box set of the Council of Wyrms set a few years ago. This is an amazing setting, which shook up some of the established AD&D ideas in favour of letting players do something truly spectacular- play as a Dragon!
This setting had rules for playing as dragons of different age categories, ruling over humanoid kingdoms, and amassing truly epic hoards of treasure. It laid out a large continent filled with tribes and nations that worshipped or served dragons, and ways in which you could make play fun around managing that. I GM'd a 3rd edition game using this setting, and it was great fun- the players had human(oid) PCs who each had a dragon companion/mount, and got to undertake diplomatic and military missions alongside or without their compatriots. For anyone who's a fan of How To Train Your Dragon, this is the setting box you want! The content in the box is phenomenal, even if you're not using to play a 2nd edition game, so keep an eye out for it! Thanks for coming to my 2ed Talk! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 August 2020. In the ancient and near-forgotten year 1991, TSR released a brand-new fantasy setting which was quite unlike any previously-published campaign setting. Although it has had minor updates for 3rd and 4th edition D&D, it never really became a full setting on its own after 2nd edition, and our world is so much poorer for it.
Now, I'm not one of those hoary old fellows who goes on about how brutal and unforgiving the setting is, and "silly little snowflakes" who could never possibly understand the themes of the setting- that's all garbage. Instead, I'm going to tell you why Dark Sun is the perfect setting to play in, right now! It featured (at the time) revolutionary concepts for D&D, like the following:
With all this and more, how could you not want to play in this vibrant, violent, amazing setting? Thanks for coming to my 2ED Talk! Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 August 2020. King Eurystheus set Hercules twelve 'impossible' tasks to win his penance. In other cultures, fathers-in-law often set a prospective groom an impossible task. This can be a way to show villainy, to challenge your heroes to perform great deeds, or get them killed, among other outcomes.
Ways you can use Impossible Tasks in your game: - Hercules 'cheated' to accomplish several of these tasks, and setting things that seem impossible, but can be accomplished with the aid of magic (or friendship, in the case of the Lernean Hydra) can be a way for your Player Characters to feel bonding and complete mighty deeds together. A well-timed combination of attacks can be fantastic when it all works, and letting your players actually succeed in doing what they want is something I'm a big fan of. - An employer might set an impossible task if they don't want to pay for services- "oh, and don't forget I want the beast's hide WHOLE, no marks on it!". For normal adventurers, killing a monster might be challenge enough, but doing so without harming it with weapons sounds impossible. Perhaps not for a monk, or a spellcaster who can charm the creature to sleep, poison it, or snuff out its life-force instantly. This might leave an employer dumbfounded and frustrated at having to actually do the thing they've agreed to. - Adding conditions that seem innocuous but are designed to make the task difficult could also be a complication. For example, leaving a note that they need to go to the Duke's summer palace to be paid, but only leaving it after they've left town to go on their quest. This means more overland travel, or writing off payment for their task. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 August 2020. The mage Emorn The Hilarious crafted this as a prank when commissioned to forge a suit of plate armour for a young knight. The knight's family were aghast at the joke, but the young knight, without better protection, donned the bizarre armour and competed in the tournament.
Although his appearance drew confusion and laughter, the flexibility of the magically-hardened ceramic plates allowed him to avoid blow that might have felled him otherwise, and he placed second in the tournament, and won glory and renown, as well as enough money to go to a reputable wizard for armour. Nevertheless, Emorn's prank was told for many years through the knight's family, and the suit of armour is still displayed as a warning to be careful what you ask for. Emorn's Plate Shirt Magic armour, unique, requires attunement This enchanted shirt is nearly unbreakable, and grants an Armour Class of 16 + Dex modifier (max +2). Although its appearance is notable, it does not draw disadvantage on stealth checks, except any made to blend into a crowd. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 5 August 2020. This spell conjures ghostly-seeming vipers that lash out aorund you.
Viper's Nest 3rd-level conjuration (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard spell) Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self (10-foot radius) Components: V, S, M (a viper's tooth) Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes You call forth a nest of semi-real vipers to protect you. They writhe around you to a distance of 10 feet for the duration. When you cast this spell, you can designate any number of creatures you can see to be unaffected by it. When an affected creature enters the area for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it takes 2d6 poison damage. A creature that takes damage from this spell must take a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature becomes Poisoned while they remain in the area. At Higher Levels: When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level above 3rd. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 1 August 2020. |
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