As much as everyone loves a good chest full of gold at the end of the day, sometimes you yearn for something a little more civilized. One of the options is to have a “downtime” session, where the PCs are invited/summoned to a feast in their honour. Tell them the dress code, let them do some ridiculous shopping montage, hide knives in secret sheathes, argue with the guards and bring their swords in- and have a genuinely good time. Having some cook prepare a gingerbread castle in their shape of their recent glorious victory, complete with sugar paste decorations and painted marzipan replicas (potentially hilarious) of the PCs and their monstrous foes. Let them expect trouble, and be surprised when it doesn’t happen. Let them be given (meaningful or meaningless, either) fancy titles as “protectors of the realm”. Improve their renown, and have shopkeepers recognize them and *offer* them discounts. It may not be as shiny as yet another +1 longsword, but it might be what makes your PCs stick around and look after people, instead of being murderous disaster maniacs. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 30 November 2018) Categories All The law may have a long arm, but sometimes it has a short memory... or deep pockets. Having traveled overseas recently, I can personally advise that dealing with law enforcement and civil authorities in different countries can be a really odd experience. Depending on where you go, authorities can be casual and easy-going, or strict, no-nonsense, and threatening. For example, in England, I stayed near the Tower of London, which is an active military barracks. The people patrolling nearby wore body armour and submachine guns, but also smiled at people and stopped at the nearby ice cream shop. In France, however, the police cars use their sirens and lights *any time* they’re moving (which is worrying when a dozen cars scream past at shift change), and the military moved through crowds in tight formation, hands on weapons at all times, and with no eye contact, which was very intimidating. Similarly, these kinds of experiences can affect how your PCs feel in a foreign country. In a small farming town, there might be. A single Sheriff, who spends their time at a location where they can be found. A town might have a militia, but they’re all going to be people who live and have families in town. A city will have a lot more guards, and they may not be local- they might even be foreign mercenaries (or more exotic, like a garrison of Hobgoblins). Having external sources for guards allows the rulers to avoid personal conflicts of interest, but it also means they often don’t have qualms about putting down rebellions, punishing regular folk, and the forcing the will of the ruler, rather than the spirit of the law. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 29 November 2018) Categories All This item was made by master Dwarven artisans, hollowed our from a single colossal emerald. It was given to an Elven kingdom as part of their peace treaty over the issue with their gift of a Dwarven lock many centuries ago. Statistics: any liquid poured into this cup is purified and cleansed from any poison, disease, or impurity. This does *not* remove alcohol, but actually fortifies it, making almost twice as strong, regardless of its original strength. The Dwarves intended this function to show off their drinking capacity and make fools of their hosts, but were surprised when the Elves supplied their own warm and fragrant clear cordial, which they called Miruvor, and drank several of the Dwarves under the table with it. This helped cement the peace treaty. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 28 November 2018) Categories All Great quests require great NPCs, and some of the greatest are barely human at all. Eldritch NPCs are these, people so removed from mundane concerns that their appearances *and their goals* aren’t ordinary any more. They’re less likely to need ten Giant Boar skins than to need the laugh of an orphan, the compassion of a Balor, and the hair of the Moonlight Goddess for their research. These NPCs should be alien in appearance as well, and one of the best ways to communicate this is to play on the face, that people use for nonverbal communication. Whether angels with a bright shining brand where their face should be, or a Golem King with no reactions, or a spellcaster who has delved too far into the Far Realms to be human any more, Eldritch NPCs can be a really interesting way of demonstrating different levels of responsibility from leveling up. Eldritch NPCs rarely work with low-level agents personally. They might delegate a task out to some of their higher-level agents, who PCs may meet again later on. “Oh, I assume you remember my agent [X], who stole the Wand of Everton from the vaults after you delivered it there? I’m afraid I owe you due to the bad press that generated for you, but you’ll be compensated nonetheless. I just needed it more.” Eldritch NPCs aren’t likely to be evil, unless you want them to be. Their goals are a long way beyond predictable, and may even involve acting against their short-term interests to be able to further their long-term goal. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 27 November 2018) Categories All Exploring the ruins of previous civilizations is a time-honoured RPG tradition. But what if the ruins were a bit more recognizable? Adventuring through the wreck of something recognizable (or at least, you know what it was or is likely to be) can be a change from the usual mildewed stone walls. Archaic markings in yellow and black might warn of long-forgotten practices, and tin signs bearing glyphs might be caution signs for hazardous chemicals, or be warning of automated defenses. Deckplans, basic schematics, or blueprints may be available online for all sorts of things, like shopping malls, cruise ships, or office buildings, which you can use. And having that kind of knowledge up front can make for a much more interesting dungeon-crawl than a standard “underground structure” one. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 26 November 2018) Categories All This spell was invented to preserve the life of a young Queen, foully poisoned. When the spell is cast, up to a dozen willing targets can be selected, as well as a single recipient of the spell, who must be dying (at -1 or fewer hit points, or suffering from another condition which would lead to their imminent death). From then until the spell is willingly ended by all living targets, the fate of the targets is bound to the recipient. The recipient is sealed away in a crystalline structure that preserves them, slowing time to a fraction of its usual progress. Each day, one of the targets (randomly selected) loses 1 point of Constitution permanently, as their life force is sapped away to preserve the recipient. This loss is not recoverable by any means. While this spell is in effect, the recipient is immune to magic and any physical damage, being effectively preserved. However, this means that the spell can only be lifted when a cure or other means of saving the recipient is immediately nearby. This spell works best as the motivator for a quest, or the reason PCs might be trying to reach a goal. However, it has also been used on rare occasions when a villain is struck down, but able to be rescued, and stopping the villain’s henchmen from restoring them may be the next step. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 23 November 2018) Categories All The Interior Decorator of Sin, the Rug-Layer of Disaster, the Clear Eye for the Evil Guy “Yes, yes, your exalted unholiness, columns made of your fallen enemies’ spines *would* look lovely lining the cloisters, but we need to seriously look at the light here, otherwise no-one will be able to see them, and appreciate your magnificent grandeur! They will, however, be expensive... and I don’t think you want to give your foes the impression that you’re cheap, after all.” Meet George. George was once a simple carpenter, swept up into the service of a local evil-doer (in fact, he remembers his first job working for Malko the Necromancer fondly, and keeps a binder with sketches of his work there). He discovered a talent for arranging architecture and interior design in such a sinister way that it drew the attention of another local warlord who visited, and quickly made a career of sourcing exotic and terrible materials. Many of the best dungeons bear his handiwork, and he is well-paid. One evil Demigod for whom he worked was so impressed that they conferred an extended life upon him, and for hundreds of years, George has made a comfortable living crafting intimidating fortresses, strongholds of evil, and modest holiday homes in the mountains. He is a pleasant and well-tempered man who has created countless job opportunities for the morally infirm and underprivileged, he tithes to all of his local temples, and donates to the local orphanages (of which there are unfortunately many). He regrets the actions of his various employers, but he truly enjoys the challenge of his job, and looks forward to new and exciting opportunities serving nightmarish overlords from the Far Planes, undead Lich-kings from the dawn of civilization, and whatever other masters life throws his way. He will brook no intimidation or threats to convert him to an undead minion, however; he is fiercely independent, and his blessing renders him unable to be changed from his nature. He has been kidnapped and tortured for information unsuccessfully many a time, but would honestly tell about what he has built over a cup of nicely-steeped tea any day. “Tyrants come and go, but wondrous architecture lasts many lifetimes.” Statistics: George is a Neutral 20th-level commoner. He has no combat skills whatsoever, but his knowledge of building, both practical and theoretical, knows no equal. It is rumored that he was consulted by an Overgod for constructing the new Pantheon of the Gods, but he will not speak of that, just referring to mysterious “nondisclosure agreements”. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 22 November 2018) Categories All For people with spoken history and Animist beliefs instead of recorded writing, communicating distance and navigation of a journey are hard concepts. Thus, the idea of Songlines was created- by singing the words of a specific song for that particular journey, you navigate the way to your destination. A song might describe traveling toward the setting sun for three days and nights, stopping at a particular lake when the song cannot be heard over the cicadas nearby. It might then describe turning beside the old grandfather tree towards the mountains, and following the river until the rocks sing the song back towards you (echoes in a canyon). A songline only works in one direction for a journey- you need a different song to get back, or the next song might only take you to a different destination. Listening to the song of the land is the same as walking on this songline and observing the land. Therefore, unlike a map, the song doesn’t make sense without the context of being in the location, but once you’re there, it’s easy to know what to do next. Songs are taught to children like parables: as tales of the people who made these journeys, the adventures they had along the way, and how they felt as they made the journey. By following the instructions in the songs they know, a person can navigate the same path spiritually and geographically. A low-level Songline might be like taking a family road-trip: you follow the same route walked by your parents before you, and their parents before them, stopping at the same sites for food and water, sleeping at the same camping spots, and coming together as a family, until you reach the destination your family has been going to for many generations. In addition to normal journeys like “how to reach the next town”, more powerful, secret Songlines are taught as Bardic ritual magic. They don’t have to be used to make the specific journey, but their effects will be limited in usefulness if the creatures encountered and events are not ‘correct’. It’s important to note that you’re not just walking the same way as the people in the song, you’re literally walking the same steps as them, and taking the emotional journey that they took as well. For example: Journey to Battle the Hydra (3rd-level Divination) Casting time: 1 hour (ritual) Range: Personal Components: V Duration: Until the next sunrise This song tells the story of Durru, a warrior who traveled across the land, evaded angry water spirits, got lost and then trapped by goblins before escaping, fled a powerful Stone Giant, and battled a Hydra, barely surviving its poison. When you cast this spell, you and up to six targets, who must remain within 10ft. during casting, gain all of the following effects. The specific triggers do not have to be encountered in order to gain the relevant benefits, they are the point in the song where that event happens. • Beginning the journey: when you leave town, you succeed automatically on a Diplomacy check to make your way past unfriendly guards. • When you leave the path near the rock that looks like an old turtle: gain advantage on Jump checks to cross a river, and a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against angry water elementals. • When you are lost and hungry below the mountain with a hook like a witch’s nose: gain advantage on Survival checks to find food and water, and on Con saves against goblin traps. • When you flee the Stone Giant: you take disadvantage on Dex saves against not falling down an escarpment. • When you pause to watch the sunset over the canyons: gain the benefits of a Long Rest from taking a short rest when you watch the sunset. • When you battle the Hydra: a creature gains disadvantage on reaction attacks made with its Reactive Heads. • When poisoned by the Hydra’s venom, and remembering the faces of your loved ones: gain advantage on Con saves against a Hydra’s poison ability. • When returning to confront the father of your beloved: automatically succeed on one Intimidate check when presenting the heads of the Hydra. There are also Bardic/Druidic rituals to learn the Songlines of an area you journey through- to gain knowledge of the song for that journey, and be able to travel that journey in the future, or use its effects as needed. (This concept is inspired by Australian Indigenous culture, with respect and thanks) (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 20 November 2018) Categories All Quivnozz is a recently-hatched Beholder, only a few weeks old. Although he has gained the racial memory of the Beholder race, and knows that he is a fierce, perfect being that deserves solely to rule the cosmos, the fact that he’s a squishy ball about the size of a fist, with very weak magical powers, and only one tooth, makes this difficult. Don’t get him wrong, he *wants* to kill you all... he just can’t. And it makes him adorably sulky. Quivnozz may be willing to be SERVED BY (be a familiar for) a lesser race willing to worship and feed him. Especially if they can tear the food up small for him, because he can’t chew very well yet. His eye rays are pretty low-powered at this stage of growth, as follows: Central eye: Dispel Magic as a 1st-level caster, once per day. Eye 1: makes the target think Quivnozz is adawwable and he’s got such cute widdle cheeks. Eye 2: makes the target a little bit numb, in an area about the size of a gold piece. Eye 3: startles a target, like they just lost their purse for a moment, and then found it in another pocket. Eye 4: makes a target yawn. Eye 5: makes a target get a chill up their spine, like someone just “walked over their grave”. Eye 6: functions as a Mage Hand spell, but pretty clumsy. Eye 7: makes a target feel a little bit tired, like they could go for a nap in like half an hour or so. Eye 8: this ray actually works as a Petrification ray, but only on creatures about as large as ants. Eye 9: this ray actually works, but it’ll only Disintegrate very small dead material. Ideal for shaving with. Eye 10: deals 1 point of negative energy damage, if the target fails a DC 10 Will save. Gets annoying over time. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 19 November 2018) Categories All The great wizard Tineldur was known for two things: having a tower cluttered with thousands of books, on the shelves, tables, and floor; and many unique spells which she had written in the course of her life. When she passed away peacefully in her favorite armchair, a cup of tea resting by her arm, her tower was ransacked by rivals who wished to plunder her secrets. To this day, not a single one of her specialized spells has ever been learned by others, because of the measures she took against them being discovered. Each spell was split over two or more of her regular books, ensuring that the entire collection wouldn’t be split up. An enterprising young mage might accidentally happen across details in second-hand books by putting together some recipes or history books. When united, the lettering along the spines flashes silver momentarily, allowing the reader to see the spell hidden within. If the books are separated, the spell is no longer legible, hidden within ordinary texts about a dazzling variety of subjects. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 18 November 2018) Categories All A Monstrance is a guardian built by a church, to protect their holy relics. Made of fine materials and often decorated with gilt and gems, they appear to be a part of the church itself. When dormant, they fold themselves into the shape of a small shrine, but if someone attempts to take their holy object without speaking a particular phrase, it animates and will attack those who remain nearby. The tiny spark of animating spirit within is often proud and desires to do its purpose. These should be more powerful than a Shield Guardian, but not quite as tough as a full golem. They mend 1 hit point per round when on consecrated ground, making them difficult to damage. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 16 November 2018) Categories All As a young surgeon, Achefield was constantly jealous of those who visited churches for magical healing instead of his hard-earned mundane skills. He began a rumor that the churches spread a spiritual disease with their healing- one that dangerously affected those in his city when an actual plague came through. Nine tenths of his city died in agonizing boils, stubbornly refusing aid from the clerics and paladins who offered to help them, including Achefield. Achefield, however, was visited by a servant of the Demon of Plagues, astounded that so much wicked progress had been made here, far beyond the demon’s wildest dreams. On his deathbed, he was offered daemonic immortality, if he just made his rumor spread. Now, centuries later, he has established many small cults, and stalks the land for new prey, preparing the way for his virulent master. Statistics: Achefield makes for an effective “but I’m not the real villain” boss, leading on to his daemon master, Incabulos. He is a 12th-level Cleric, and often makes his way in simple robes, purporting to be a surgeon. When he rouses his forces for battle, however, he dresses in thick, pitted and rusting plate with a helm bearing the likeness of a plague doctor’s beak, and bears a sword that seems to smoke as it passes through the air, teeming with disease and foul vapours. He will rarely deign to fight foes head-on, often preferring to face people through intermediaries. Where he can, he will convince loved ones and innocents of the rightness of his cause, shielding him from frontal assault by church forces. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 15 November 2018) Categories All Displacer Beasts are terrifying, nightmare-spawned hunters that delight in the visceral fear of their prey. Occasionally, though, they have been known to cross-breed with more domestic feline species. The result is... less terrifying. These wide-eyed critters are easily domesticated, but intelligent and willful enough that they are never, ever, fully trained. They enjoy being wild creatures, even though they also enjoy warm beds (not to say whose bed, though), and grow to a maximum size equivalent to a Golden Retriever. Being cats, they also exhibit curiosity, as well as inscrutable stubbornness at times. Statistics: Treat infant Displacer Kitties as housecats, and fully-grown Displacer Kitties as Wolves, with an additional ability (at both age levels) to use a bonus attack to grapple with their tentacles, with a +2 racial bonus. They occasionally accompany Druids or Rangers, though those often find the creature’s unnatural origins disturbing, more often finding their home among more accepting wizards seeking exotic familiars. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 14 November 2018) Categories All Most of you will have seen the news about Stan Lee passing on today, which has been long expected/dreaded, but really isn’t a surprise. I wanted to take a minute to honour those who created the things we draw pleasure and inspiration from- the Creators. We’ve lost several titans of the entertainment industry in recent times. JRR Tolkien went long before my birth, in 1973, but what he created with the Lord of the Rings launched a vast amount of what we know now as the fantasy genre. Gary Gygax, the “father of D&D”, died only ten years ago, and what he and Dave Arneson (2009) created with D&D is the reason most of us are here now. Without their work, modern role-playing games wouldn’t be what they are. And now Stan Lee, the face of Marvel. Since 1939, he had been in the comics business, telling stories, creating characters, and recently heavily involved in creating the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what is now a juggernaut of 21 feature films, 11 TV shows, 5 short films, and countless other tie-ins over a period of only 10 years (that’s right, Iron Man was only released in 2008!), a shared universe that has never been accomplished before. The MCU has normalized a lot of what used to be just geek culture, and brought superheroes into amazing colour and life. Countless millions of people are reading comics now who would never have touched them before, and opening up to fantastic storytelling. (And we can make them gamers more easily now, too!) So whether you’re just pressing F to pay respects or gushing a long, heartfelt letter about what it meant to you, thank the people who have created what you love. Thank your GMs for the worlds they create. We’re not all Ed Greenwood (who is thankfully still alive), but a GM’s work is (sadly) never complete. Thanks for everything, Stan Lee. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 13 November 2018) Categories All When building your world, a fun way to have ruins and monsters and magic items scattered around is to have previous civilizations which have fallen, leaving the remnants behind. You could go for the Tolkien style and have “ruins of the Kingdoms of Man”, peppered with old Elven ruins or something, it’s a fairly strong theme that most people will “get” immediately. However, another option is to go a bit stranger. A long-term post-apocalypse setting can be really interesting (so, less Mad Max and more Shannara). Ancient ruins could use the floor plan of your local university, or a skyscraper. They could be old military bases which used to have automated defenses. They’re probably powered-down now, right? Or go even further- use crashed and abandoned or ruined spaceships. Relics of this time could literally win kingdoms on their own, if you can power them up. What it comes down to is how people remember their past- whether there is a strong tradition telling the story of The Shepherd who broke the galaxy and marooned everyone on their own planets, or the Demon who fought against the Reclaimers to preserve humanity, having some kind of creation-myth is important to just about any Worldbuilding you do. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 12 November 2018) Categories All This fabulous Hall was built for the Elven Prince Celäril, in times long past. Famously vain, he had this room crafted to frame his special mirrors, made to order at immense cost. Each mirror had been made in a perfectly dark room, smoothed and polished without the slightest speck of light, and transported to his princedom wrapped in layers of velvet. The mirrors had never shown the reflection of any person but the Prince, and he visited it frequently, but always worried about whether someone else would intrude upon them and ruin their beauty for him. When a delegation of Dwarves visited, he was so grateful that they brought him one of their fabled unpickable locks, that he used it to secure the door containing his hall of mirrors, his most valued treasure. The Dwarves, for some reason, were mortally offended, and left in a huff, Boeing vengeance for his insult. Celäril spent many days in reflection within his Hall, seeking the perfection of true judgement on how to answer this dilemma. However, his servants heard a ghastly scream, and entered to find him dead at the centre of the Hall, his face white with shock. The mirrors still bore his reflection, smirking at the servants. The Hall was closed up and has never been re-entered, for who knows what caused this? How you can use this in your game: • Perhaps some advice needs to be sought from the shades of Celäril, and the mirrors are the only place containing any remnants of him. The PCs need to enter whatever nightmarish realm his soul was spirited away to, and find out what he knows. • The mirrors could lead to another plane (the Shadowfell, for example), and traveling through these mirrors could be the only safe journey nearby. (And a special thank you to our loyal reader Liana Ampelos, who had the idea for this post yesterday) (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 11 November 2018) Categories All These locks, made in a heavily stylistic shape, are the pinnacle of Dwarven manufacture. They rarely pass out of Dwarven hands, as they are so incredibly valuable. It is said that one was given to an Elven prince once, who used to fasten a door. The dwarves who gifted it to him were so incensed that they have established a rivalry between their races for many generations. These locks are functionally un-pickable. The locks and keys are made of enchanted adamantium, and incorporate internal moving clockwork parts, as well as magical recognition systems between the key and lock. They are valued in the hundreds of thousands of gold pieces, and possessing the lock or key alone is a powerful status symbol. Possessing one of each makes you fabulously wealthy. It is also said that a Gnome has invented a way to bypass the lock. Thieves Guilds the world over are vying for the inventor’s attention and patronage, while the Dwarven nations are outraged by the very notion, as well as the practical application of such knowledge. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 10 November 2018) Categories All This terrifying monster luckily haunts less-civilized areas, where people are unlikely to trouble it. It quickly rises to the top of any food chain excluding full-blown dragons, as its speed and ferocity overwhelm most prey.
These beasts harbour a truly dangerous intelligence, able to flush their prey into ambushes (although they usually lack the ability to make traps). They have even been known to lure prey into the lairs of other enemies to set them against each other. However, they are also incredibly dangerous in combat. They have three times the Hit Dice of ‘normal’ tigers, and are able to make six claw attacks on a full-round attack. For each two of these that hit, they can make an additional bonus attack. They can also bit for skull-crushing damage, with enough strength to shear a horse in two. No-one knows, or really wants to know, where these fierce creatures spawned from. They are stuck with the unfortunate reality of an eighteen-limbed predator smart enough to outwit most hunters, and dangerous enough to cause villages to be abandoned. (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 9 November 2018) If you’re trying to build a new world, something that can be a lot of fun for you (and also your players) is using a very familiar local map, exaggerating the reputations of suburbs, their inhabitants, and the surrounds. (“Here be dragons” indeed) This map, which was done a few years ago and did the rounds on Facebook, is the city I live in, and sharing that with players can be a great source of enjoyment for everyone, with a sly wink to modern life. If you’re worried about it being too obvious, flip it, or reverse the map, and stretch some portions out. You can do a lot with cheap graphics editing these days, and even more with paper and pencil, if you build the skill. It generally avoids having fantasy-trope places like The Shire... unless you’re from southern Sydney, anyway. So try it yourself- show us pictures of what you’ve been working on! (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 8 November 2018) Categories All Suggested level: medium-high (6th+) This ornate and impressive mace seems sized as if for an Ogre. Its solid steel shaft is nearly two inches thick, and over five feet long. Any human-sized creature will struggle to use it, even with two hands. The mace head is made up of flanges of gilt-adorned steel depicting griffons. When swung through the air, the air whistles through its pierced areas, somehow creating the trademark scream of a griffin stooping to attack. +3 great mace (melee, 1d12 bludgeoning, two-handed) and on a critical hit, a target is stunned for 1 rounds (Con save DC 16 negates). (Originally posted on Game Masters Stash on 7 November 2018) Categories All |
AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|