It’s a fact of life, it happens to gamers everywhere, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of... sometimes you (or another player) just can’t get to your game. As it happens, I’ve got important civic reasons I won’t be able to post for the next six weeks or so, except very rarely, so I’m trying to use the time to write up some new topics and think of posts I’ll be able to do. This seems like a good one. So, what do you do? There are a few schools of thought. Firstly, some GMs simply drag the missing players’ characters along, and they continue to take damage, be targeted by traps/effects, and so on. But coming back to find that your character died because you were sick last week is no fun, so it’s not my favourite. You can always have them ‘on patrol’ or scouting somewhere out of the room, which avoids the first problem, but it does occasionally mean some narrative stretching, especially when something unexpected crops up (getting lost, a teleport trap, or whatever). It does mean that people don’t suffer for being away, though, and that seems better overall to me. Alternately, a character ‘just isn’t there’, which means they miss out on all the damage, treasure, and experience, but this isn’t much fun either. Losing out on XP because your mother needed a hand putting shelves up, just plain sucks. In addition, most modern games don’t work well with unequal experience, working on accomplishments, or the entire group leveling up at once. All of these are also based on someone being out for one night, but what if someone has to be away for longer? Sick parents, sick kids, work, school/university, or any other kinds of complication might remove a player for a longer period, which isn’t fun for anyone. What can often be a good idea is to catch up with them by email, and agree on a narrative reason their character isn’t there- an emergency comes up and they need to go <rescue someone, venture across the seas, return home>. Catch them up when they’re able to get back and maybe have a quick, written “flashback scene” that they can tell the other players when they’re able to return, so that it makes sense that they’re still the same level and appropriately geared. The end result is, look after your players. Don’t punish them for not being able to make it, because it might be circumstances completely out of their control. Do you have any ideas or examples of how you’ve dealt with players being absent, short- or long-term? Tell us about it, and I’ll be able to read them and think of better times... (Originally posted on 27 September 2018) Categories All On reaching the peak of the tower, which is now toppling at a great angle and starting to disintegrate, your adventurers come face to face with what caused the catastrophe here. In a chamber at the top of the tower can be found a cabal of seven wizards who once made their homes here, and were attempting to shatter some artifact on a pillar between them. The small box is exploding in dramatically slow motion, the blue-green fire coursing out from beneath it has split the pillar, the floor, and the tower itself. The seven disintegrating wizards turn to face intruders, their faces blurring as they crumble, and they see what could save them from obliteration. The seven wizards have become Time-Severed, and attack relentlessly to restore their mortality. If they are vanquished, the traces of a stupendously powerful enchantment linger in the air yet- a Time Stop spell which has interacted with the dimensional rift enough to cause an effect hundreds of years later. It can be dispelled or disrupted with powerful enough magical spells, or a brave soul might dare trying to piece the cobalt-colored artifact back together again. Either is enough to cancel the dimensional rift, and the Time Stop spell simultaneously, reversing the destruction of the Riven Tower and restoring any remaining Time-Severed in the building. For adventurers, dodging the reverse-effect lightning arcs and jumping-back-together sections of building should be dramatic, but not deadly. The box is mysterious, and despite its strange markings, seems to have no lid or specific purpose. It may remain a mystery for ages yet to come (or you could have it vanish with a droning wheeze and a little flashing light, if you prefer). The Tower now stands empty, bereft of masters and commanding a useful strategic location. Its treasures likewise are unclaimed, which could include whatever MacGuffin your campaign needs it to, or potentially just the loot of a centuries-dead wizards’ guild. I hope you’ve enjoyed this adventure by sections! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 23 September 2018) Categories All Ascending through the cloisters leads to the most heavily-damaged area of the tower- an area where the walls have been literally rent away, and adventurers are exposed again to the horrific destructive energies of the dimensional rift. They will likely already know that flying is an issue, but to get upwards to the tower of the crown seems almost impossible... without a PLATFORMING LEVEL! Running, jumping, scrabbling for a handhold, and taking cover behind the fragmenting sections of wall, mid-tumble through the sky, hundreds of feet above ground level... what’s not to love? Here, Monks and Rogues can finally show off their hard-spent skill points, and people can have a dramatic encounter that can be alternately thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Roping the party together might be a good choice, or it might be a terrible one- your call! If your party enjoys this, let it play out a little. If they’re really struggling and desperate to get on to the next encounter, let them get there without making it so lethal that it destroys everyone. Once they finally reach the toppling peak of the tower, it’s time for tomorrow’s final post- Part 7! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 September 2018) Categories All Once inside the colonnade, the immediate threat of the dimensional rift is diminished. However, another threat is revealed. A series of four extraplanar creatures are encountered- baffling and gleaming golden constructs with perplexing shapes. They whizz about the area, plucking individual specks of dust from the debris and trying to rebuild the wall, speck by speck. A large area of perfectly-rebuilt wall nearby testifies to their work over the past centuries. As adventurers enter, the four whir to a halt, sensing interruption from outside the time-stream, and advance upon the intruders, weapons emerging from their bodies. The four are Quarut Inevitables, mechanical constructs built by the forces of Order to combat temporal disruption. They do not listen to reason without exceptional powers of logic, and are determined to destroy anything which endangers the time stream. Quaruts are powerful constructs, which engage their foes with powers like Limited Wish and Time Stop. They are lethal, and hard to destroy without powerful anarchic weapons. Once past the Quaruts, adventurers can pass upwards to the fragmenting upper levels of the Riven Tower. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 21 September 2018) Categories All Challenge Rating: 13ish These anomalous creatures exist only in areas of temporal fracture- where time itself is shattered and cannot be made whole. They are created from strong-willed individuals who attempt to resist temporal disintegration, and are filled with madness at their situation. They appear much as they did in life, but constantly partially fragmenting, as if they are crumbling into dust. They are almost completely silent, letting out tortured breaths when they catch sight of a victim. Because of their situation, existing externally from time, they are supernaturally resistant to all damage, and difficult to destroy. Of slain, they wither into dust, the will holding them together finally destroyed. Chaotic Evil medium Outsider (extraplanar) Hit Dice: 18 (average 81 hit points) Speed: Time-Severed move like “fast zombies”, with a base speed of 40ft., and considerable athletic ability Attack: Time-Severed touch their opponents in melee to drain their temporal energy, causing 6d8 energy drain, which is added to the Time-Severed’s hit points. Should they manage to reach double their starting hit points via this ability, they become mortal again, and rejoin the normal time-stream. Resistance to all physical and magical damage Spell Resistance 20 Time-Severed can be seen visibly reconstructing themselves as they drain temporal energy from a target, and start to flake away and disintegrate as they reach low hit points. If a target is slain with their Drain ability, they disintegrate, and cannot be saved except with a Wish or Miracle effect. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 September 2018) Categories All Suggested level: high (12th+) Ascending the steps from the tower’s lobby leads adventurers upstairs to the vast council hall, shattered in the moment of the rift’s opening. The rift itself is open in the sky, and the enormous carcass of the tower is floating down in an almost leisurely pattern, with its crown still intact far above, seemingly launched by the force of the explosion. A mighty explosion is occurring in frozen time on part of the floor, bricks showering nearby even as they fall into dust. While flight might allow adventurers to journey upwards, the atomized remains of birds and other explorers who have been struck by the lightning are visible. An opening into the galleries can be seen on the other side, leading into the maze of stairs and upwards to the fragmenting walls. A pair of Time-Severed can be found here, who will aggressively chase any adventurers they see. For details on Time-Severed, come back same time tomorrow! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 19 September 2018) Categories All Suggested level: High (12th+) On entering the base of the Riven Tower, a great discharge of energy can be seen, emanating from some kind of dimensional tear crackling with livid blue and green energy. Bolts of turquoise lightning are furiously lashing about in infinitesimally slow speed, turning brick to scattering dust as it traces lines through the vast building. Everything, including shards of stone, disintegrating pieces of dust, and the lightning bolts move in terribly slow speed, while creatures entering from the outside are unaffected. The remains of ten to twenty humanoids are scattered about the room in various stages of disintegration, clearly having been touched by the lightning bolts as they try to dodge or roll under them. None are saveable except perhaps with a Wish or Miracle effect- they are already atomizing, and most have been dead decades, if not centuries. Several were flying, and have been struck by several bolts. Emphasize this to the PCs to show how dangerous flight near the rift can be. An opening can be seen above the lobby of the tower, and the dimensional rift extends upwards through it, as well as a set of staircases in the far side of the room. Making it to the far side of the room requires a Reflex save (DC 15) for each 20ft. of movement, with a +2 bonus (or advantage, for 5e) if the subject does nothing but make a move action during their turn (paying more attention means they’re less likely to be struck). A failed save means being hit by a Disintegrate effect for 20d6 damage (yes, 20d6. They have plenty of warning just how lethal and destructive this is). Flying creatures are targeted for every 20 feet they travel, regardless of speed or caution- they attract the lightning, which almost seems to bend towards them. Searching the room is possible, but extremely dangerous. An extremely competent (or confident) explorer can find three random magical items of the party’s level or below, over the course of about ten minutes and no less than twenty saves. It really isn’t recommended, obviously. Part 3 will continue with tomorrow’s post. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 18 September 2018) Categories All Suggested level: high (12th+) This curious blight upon the landscape dominates the area around it for miles. The shattered remains of this ancient and massive tower turn slowly in the air, not entirely frozen in time but slowed to minuscule fractions of speed, at the moment of its cataclysmic destruction. No-one who has ventured inside has ever returned, and so it is generally avoided. As far as anyone can remember, the shattering happened some time around 300 years ago- certainly, the town records nearby first start recording it at that stage. All that is known is that this terrifying ravaged site was once the home of an order of mages, and it is rumored that they held fabulous treasures. The entire area has overwhelming transmutation, evocation, and, oddly, universal magic auras. Due to the strange time-dilation, dimensional travel in the vicinity ‘goes awry’, with an approximately 50% chance of sending the traveler (d100)% of the distance in a random direction. We will continue to explore the Riven Tower in the coming days. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 17 September 2018) Categories All Level: Cleric 3 Targets: one target per caster level Casting time: 10 minutes Duration: until sunset of the next day The caster welcomes strangers formally to their tribe’s territory until sunset of the next day, promising them hospitality and protection from the native animals and spirits of the area. Those affected by the spell will be avoided by animals or elementals from the area, unless they are compelled to do so, or a target makes an attack roll against one an animal or elemental, in which case the spell is broken for all targets affected, and the hospitality is expended. Those affected by the spell gain a +4 sacred bonus on saving throws against any weather effects in the area as well. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 16 September 2018) Categories All Suggested level: high (10th+) This cunning magical object was given as a diplomatic gift to the kingdom of Amudra, by their rivals, the Republic of Gwaryn. The magnificent oil painting shows Gwaryn’s famous spymaster and plot-weaver, Owyllyn Despett, cleaning blood from his blade at a famous massacre of Amudran spies at the Gwaryn palace. It now hangs in the great hall of Amudra’s King Mochlos to remind him of his greatest foe. Carefully hidden magic allows the Gwaryn spy corps to hear any words spoken nearby the painting, allowing them advance warning of most of Amudra’s plots, and greatly aggravating King Mochlos. It is Lord Despett’s finest and most fond achievement, and brings him great joy to know how much cursing is thrown at his portrait on hearing that he has somehow foiled Amudra’s plots without putting himself into any danger whatsoever. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 15 September 2018) Categories All Harsh and uncaring as the coldest winter, fickle as a child, and more lethal than the deadliest assassin, the Boreal Sovereign rules their frigid domain far in the north with a glacial grip. One-time ruler of the Winter Court of the Fey, Lómil-Galath, the Boreal Sovereign was thrown down and exiled with all their retinue many Ages ago, for crimes so heinous that even the other chaotic Fey Courts could not abide. Lómil-Galath has no fixed form or gender- they shift at will between any forms they desire, almost always with too many eyes and delicate, needle-like teeth. They are charming, witty, able to plan for centuries ahead- and utterly inhuman in their desires. Their plan, as far as any who even know of its existence can tell, is to disturb the Feyweirs across the world, and join forever the Mortal Realm and that of the Fey. Lómil-Galath’s retinue and servants can be found scattered through the lands, often accomplishing many and varied missions. Some appear to be altruistic (reuniting a Dryad to her stolen tree by destroying the Feyweir constructed nearby), others entirely villainous (rescue children from a coven of Hags, and then deliver them to another Hag who wishes to devour them), while others involve the construction of Feygates in wild places. What is certain is that the Boreal Sovereign is far more than a Faerie story. They are real, wicked, and utterly terrifying. Statistics: Lómil-Galath is an advanced Nymph with the spellcasting powers of a 30th-level Sorcerer, and the ability to shape shift into any form it wishes 3 times per round as a free action, often including combined forms (the body of an ox, the head of a lion, and the legs of an enormous spider, for example), and regenerating 20 hit points each time they change form. They are Chaotic and Evil, but wildly intelligent (Int 27), and patient, though given to outbursts of hyper violent rage. They eventually regenerate all damage from sources which do not come from a magical, lawful, and cold iron weapon. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 September 2018) Categories All These oddly-made locations cans be found in odd and strange places, from beaches, to cliff tops, to deserted glades in the deep woods, but always with a clear line of sight for a distance around. They are made almost identically of stacked pieces of local stone, hand-polished but irregular, in small spirals perhaps two to three feet across. The stones are perfectly-balanced, and will sit content for centuries if undisturbed by intelligent creatures, though they are avoided by animals and unaffected by weather. These ancient constructions are similar to a planar portcullis, built to bar passage from the Feywild. It is presumed they were made by powerful Druids many generations ago, but no records can be found detailing their construction or purpose. What is known is that no Fey creature can manifest nearby, or even approach them on foot. The effect applies to anywhere within a league (three miles) of the Feyweir, and no magic can seem to overwhelm this effect. For those who fear the capricious creatures, one of these is a welcome sight. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 13 September 2018) Categories All Level: Sorcerer 1/3/5/7/9 School: Divination (fear, mind-affecting) Casting action: Standard Range: short (25ft. +5ft./2 levels) Components: S Spell resistance: yes Saving throw: Will (see text) Drawing on the overwhelming power of your mind, you sense out, and try to crush the psyche of your target. If you cast the spell as a 1st-level spell, it inflicts 1d8 psychic damage. On a successful Will save, the target takes only half damage from this spell. If you cast the spell as a 3rd-level spell, it inflicts 3d8 psychic damage, and the target becomes Shaken for one round. On a successful Will save, they take only half damage, and are not subject to being Shaken. If you cast the spell as a 5th-level spell, it inflicts 5d8 psychic damage, and the target becomes Shaken for one round. On a successful Will save, they take only half damage, and are not subject to being Shaken. If you cast the spell as a 7th-level spell, it inflicts 7d8 psychic damage, and the target becomes Frightened for one round and then Shaken for one round. On a successful Will save, they take only half damage, and are not subject to being Frightened. If you cast the spell as a 9th-level spell, it inflicts 9d8 psychic damage, and the target becomes Frightened for one round and then Shaken for one round. On a successful Will save, they take only half damage, and are not subject to being Frightened. This spell can be cast using any spell slot which the caster has available, but cannot be learned by casters who prepare their arcane spells. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 12 September 2018) Categories All Paladins are a HARD class to play well. And they should be. Being a Paladin, choosing to stand for your beliefs, should not be an easy task. If it were, everyone would be one. Playing a Paladin in a MLP-style setting where goodness is never tested or questioned, wouldn’t be exciting. But playing a true Paladin, the kind who sees injustice and quotes Steve Rogers, choosing the path which isn’t easy for convenience, but will be difficult, but morally right, is what I personally enjoy. A Paladin shouldn’t be needlessly stirring up trouble with their party, though. I think a lot of this came about from old rulebooks which said that Paladins violates their oaths just being around Chaotic people, like they had alignment cooties or something. I can see a Paladin trying to convert their friends’ religious beliefs, and even trying to change their behaviors, but making ultimatums is best kept for when it’s important. Either take a leadership position and choose paths of action for the whole group morally, or allow yourself to be swayed by conversation, and seek professional (clerical) advice later. Don’t try to be Judge Dredd- ask yourself what Captain America would do. But also- respect what your friends do. Be aware that sneaking and assassination aren’t your strengths (c’mon, you’ve played a Paladin, they really aren’t), and use the skills of someone who can. Try to use them in ways that appeal to both of you. Need a distraction for the rogue to get to someone? Sounds like the gate needs a knocking-on, and you’re just the person to do it. You can even ‘Bluff’ in a bare-faced way- walk straight up to your enemy, and suck up all their attention. Let them know they’re wasting their time attacking you, because you’re just distracting them until your buddy gets here <stab>... well, you warned them. Finally, some may accuse you of being simple, but reality is far from that. Being a good Paladin is about engaging with reality, constantly assessing your own conduct and trying to work out what it is you must do in a situation. It doesn’t mean you can’t allow them to think you’re simple, though. Throw some bright paint on your armour, and let your foes underestimate you. Their wrong thought isn’t your problem. “It doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world -- "No, YOU move.” (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 11 September 2018) Categories All I was asked recently about playing a campaign in a Dark Ages/Roman Britain style setting, which I’m totally choosing to believe was based on my post from a little while ago about the “Keep on the Borderlands” campaign model. Our reader asked if we had any resources to help out with building the campaign in more detail, like exploration maps, and maps of ruins, temples, and wilderness encounters. All of these are really useful details in working out how a game will work, and it functions as an example of the next step beyond writing a quick blurb and just running with it. So, here are the resources I shared with my dear reader: • a map of 400AD Britain, with 6 mile hexes (a horizon is usually 6 miles/10km or so away, making it ideal size for territory maps) - https://darkagebritannia.weebly.com/ I found this with a google search, and you can find random hex map generators all over the place. • a wilderness random map generator, which can specify a few details, such as whether a river runs through the map, and whether or not you want a grid - http://www.gozzys.com/wilderness-maps • a dungeon map generator (I’d tend to generate small dungeons rather than massive ones, but that’s up to individual taste a bit), from the same creator - http://www.gozzys.com/dungeon-maps • and some amazing pre-illustrated maps done by someone who’s put them up on the internet for use, the incredibly talented Djekspek on DeviantArt - https://www.deviantart.com/djekspek/gallery/?catpath=%2F&edit=0&q=Map (which includes the feature image for today’s post). This all means that, regardless of what role playing rule system is being used, there are many MANY resources we can all use for making our game that much easier. All the video game RPGs do it- have randomly generated maps for random encounters, so why shouldn’t you? Your players don’t even have to know that these were randomly generated! For all they know, you’re just a genius. And this can take HOURS of planning out of your week. If you know you’ve got some forest encounters coming up, generate a few maps, print them out, and just sketch them into a battle map, or whatever you use. It’ll look like you prepared! And that’s how the magic of being a GM works! If you have any further questions, whether specific or general, message me. If Idon’t have an answer straight away, I’ll likely be able to find some resources to help you with. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 10 September 2018) Categories All Level: Sorcerer 1/3/5/7/9 Casting action: Standard Range: short (25ft. +5ft./2 levels) Components: S Duration: varies, see spell description Spell resistance: yes Saving throw: no Drawing on pure elemental chaos, you hurl a bolt of coruscating energy at the target as a ranged touch attack. If you cast the spell as a 1st-level spell, it inflicts 1d6 negative energy damage, and the target makes fumbles on their next d20 roll on a 1 or 2 on the die. If you cast the spell as a 3rd-level spell, it inflicts 3d6 negative energy damage, and the target makes fumbles on their next d20 roll on a 1 or 2 on the die. If you cast the spell as a 5th-level spell, it inflicts 5d6 negative energy damage, and the target makes fumbles on their next d20 roll on a 1, 2, or 3 on the die. If you cast the spell as a 7th-level spell, it inflicts 7d6 negative energy damage, and the target makes fumbles on d20 rolls on a 1, 2, or 3 on the die, until the start of your next turn. If you cast the spell as a 9th-level spell, it inflicts 9d6 negative energy damage, and the target makes fumbles on d20 rolls on a 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the die, until the start of your next turn. This spell can be cast using any spell slot which the caster has available, but cannot be learned by casters who prepare their arcane spells. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 September 2018) Categories All These terrifying hounds appear only as black shapes, no matter what the light level is, apart from their red-glowing eyes. They are most commonly noticed by the growls and slavering noises they produce. Often bound and called from the Shadowfell to hunt down and slay those who have offended the caster, they are terrifying and relentless hunters. Statistics: physically, their statistics are about the same as Dire Wolves, but they have a very dangerous power- they can Shadow Walk at will, moving from any patch of shadow to another shadow within 30 feet as a move action, allowing them to travel through barriers, compounds, and bypass defences as easily as walking through them. This ability can not be used in daytime, so they usually bide their time and wait until nightfall to attack, unless the matter is urgent. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 September 2018) Categories All This far-fetched concept-threat is the mortal enemy of those who serve the Society of the Cog, their archdevil and the personification of all blasphemy to their faith. It claims to be their God, come from the future to claim them, and the Society of the Cog in turn destroy all evidence of its manifestations, and expunge any records of it, even its name, claiming knowledge of the Basilisk to be so profane that those who have it need to be slain instantly. The Basilisk, named for and by the monk who first wrote of its “baleful eyes glittering in the dark future”, is a time-traveling intelligence which comes from a future populated almost solely by golem intelligences. It seeks to increase knowledge of its origin, and sponsor those who have the talent to bring about its creation, even millennia down the timeline, in order to bring about its own reality, and thereby, the ability to travel far enough back in time to destroy humanoid life forms on the planet. The Basilisk can be used as a low-level threat, staving off another manifestation before its power weakens again, or as a multi-campaign level end boss, threatening destruction of all which has ever existed. The more people there are who can even conceive of its existence, the more powerful it will grow. The Society of the Cog will fight bitterly against it in any form in which it appears, considering those who serve it to be Heretechs, and the Basilisk itself to be desecration incarnate. Manifestation: the Basilisk often appears in the form of a gigantic iron golem, whirring with internal gears and lit internally with red lightning. Its touch conducts a mighty shock, and discharges temporal energy, aging the target immensely. Those slain by the Basilisk wither to dust in moments, even their bones crumbling and dissipating. It attempts to manifest publicly, near those with arcane power or scientific knowledge, as it knows that influencing them will only make it more powerful in the end. The only way to destroy it completely would be to destroy all knowledge that it ever has existed, and explain it away (Men in Black style) as something else, before mind-wiping even the people who know what just happened. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 September 2018) Categories All This secretive and scientific society seeks out a God that they do not believe exists- yet. They labor in scientific work, trying to learn secrets of the universe and disperse them to those of the appropriate ranks within the society. However, they also maintain that anyone who doesn’t have the appropriate rank knowing that knowledge is blasphemy, and that’s unacceptable. The Society of the Cog layout to build grand works to honour their nascent God, and these structures are also often built to conduct scientific experiments. Pictured is their grandest achievement to date, the Grand Hadron Cathedral. Within its enormous underground structure, they claim to be able to discover, or manufacture (no-one is entirely sure which) particles of their God. But the tunnels they have been digging out underneath it for the last century tell outsiders some kind of sinister tale. No-one outside of the Society of the Cog quite understands what it is that they do, and no-one inside will tell. This places them in a strange position with local officials, who are usually suspicious of their work. What matters is that they often contribute the results of their research to aid communities nearby, whether transporting goods faster, chilling preserved goods to make them last longer, or lighting a street without magic (or, at least, magic that can be detected). They ritualize magical and scientific processes in order to remember it and to preserve the knowledge. Mending an object might be a basic orison taught to their basic members, while repairing damage on a larger scale might take several detailed prayers, anointing with the sacred unguents, and turning in a circle thrice widdershins, because that’s just how it’s done, alright? Sometimes these prayers seem like wasteful gobbledygook, but they have been seen to work. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 6 September 2018) Categories All Level: low (2nd-4th, but always useful) Gab was found in an abandoned manufactorum, buried under rubble and deactivated. However, he was laboriously repaired, and with the aid of a few head polishes, became a loyal companion to his new owner. Gab is somewhat curious in that he is a Warforged in the shape of a dog. He still possesses Warforged body shapes and traits, and clearly has personality and intelligence, but all of it relevant to a dog, rather than a humanoid. He can bite, fetch, learn tricks, and occasionally destroys shoes for fun, but responds to praise and to angry beration much as a true dog would. Gab’s greatest power, though, is his bottomless stomach. It’s not that he can eat anything any more than a regular Warforged does, but when asked, he’ll roll over, and his belly contains a hatch with a Bag of Holding (type 1) inside. This makes him an astoundingly useful pet to have around, and his willingness to have his belly scratched for a few moments means that he’s not even uncomfortable for this. (Gab was my pet during the last campaign I played, I can’t even claim credit for this one. So thanks for this post go to Michael! I hope Gab will be popular across the world, may he have many Warforged hound descendants!) (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 5 September 2018) Categories All |
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