Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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For context, my players (and everyone across the multiverse that isn't a god or a creature trapped in The Abyss) have been displaced from home by some malfunctioning portals and haven't had luck getting home in part because they do not know exactly how portals functions or the details of the multiverse.
They are coming up on the opportunity to get a formal education on these topics in The Beastlands which is basically an excuse to have an academic side quest. Obviously I'm not going to make them sit through actual lectures but I think it would be fun to have some small bonuses to knowledge checks depending on which course they choose (+1 on nature checks involving Mt. Celestia things like that).
I've already ideated a few basic courses:
Intro to Portals (with an associated lab)
Intro to the Multiverse
Individual classes about each plane and the outlands
The Multiverse and The Arts
Gods and Lesser Deities
The Thing About Dragons
Ancient Histories
I also just want some dumb goofy filler for the course list to make them laugh a bit. Something an NPC student can say they're running to before leaving a conversation. Sure the table could take the class and I can figure out the logistics later. Genuine suggestions are welcome too.
Bonus: If you have any ideas for some NPCs around the school I'd love to hear them! Its literally the entire multiverse that's been displaced and I've been having a ton of fun building out some NPCs for the players to potentially interact with during this side quest.
Across Planes: Gravity Effect
Across Planes: Time flow
The Rule of Three and Practical Application
Hell and Beyond: The Lower Planes
Intro to Planar Rifts
He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"
The Dark Side of Sigil
101 Planar Travel For Dummies
Portal Error Code 404 Not Found
The Immortal Snail
(I stole this quote off the internet)
I'm just your average troll
I’d add a class like “Planar Probability” or “Portal Statistics”. If the whole campaign is built around malfunctioning portals, it would be hilarious to have students calculate the odds of actually ending up where they intended to go, especially when the answer is something like “there’s a 14% chance you arrive in the correct plane and a 6% chance you arrive inside a tree.” You could even make the practical work about comparing portal failures and figuring out which variables seem to affect the destination. I like this because it makes the school feel like it has actual academic subjects rather than just fantasy names, and the statistics angle gives you plenty of silly assignments to work with.
I think it would be fun if there were clubs as well, and they could be whatever random stuff you want, ranging from theater club to animal languages club to the poltergeist support group (your choice on whether it is for poltergeists or those haunted by them). Some other classes could be 'table etiquette at fey courts', '(insert random language here)', 'stilt walking', 'underwater basket weaving', and also a real-life one sprinkled in here and there. I think it would be really funny if some giant hulking treant just passed by complaining about geometry homework. I don't really have specific NPC ideas I can give you, but I think it would be funny if there were just the most random-ever friend groups popping up, like a troll, a pixie, and a dragon wyrmling all hanging out together, or a drow, a talking cat, and a giant butterfly.
She/Her/Hers DM
Member of the Cult of Grammar and the Cult of Cats
An extremely theoretical and math-heavy course on portal physics--including the study of what happens when two portals fall into one another (such as a bag of holding and a portable hole) and what that implies about the higher-dimensional structure of the multiverse. Most of the time, this research is entirely useless, and its practitioners endlessly debate narrow issues. But from time to time, they arrive at a multiverse-shaking conclusion--which is why they haven't been de-funded yet.
Their last pursuit? Investigating why there is no 1024th layer of the Abyss, leading to the bold thesis that, in fact, there is no number between 1023 and 1025.
There should also be a seminar course in Tactical Legal Studies--covering how to negotiate with fey and fiends without losing too much. It's taught by a fiend and a fey, both duped into the gig and actively loathing each other. Includes a crash course in exchange rates between souls, gold, and cherished memories, plus the crucial distinction between "will" and "shall."
There's the Non-Existent Class on Anti-Memes. You haven't been enrolled in it this whole term--and the final exam isn't in 15 minutes.
And of course, 33rd-Century European Literature. Don't elaborate.
Remedial Self-Defense for Wizards and Remedial Etiquette for Barbarians.
The Art of Not Angering The Various Gods
How To Anger The Gods (And Live!)
Theory of Interdimensional Coffee Shops
Star Trek enthusiast, UTDR fan, Dean Winchester lover, and aspiring author/artist.
SPAMTON G. SPAMTON FOR [[present]]IDENT!
Thank you for these! The players might actually need this one lol I might need to make this a serious class they can take.
Yeah I'm definitely adding these, the players might also need this.
******* ominous I love it!
I'm going to mess around and start writing multiversal parking regulations if I don't hold myself back.
Thank you for the notes on the NPCs. I've been struggling to make the NPCs feel like they're actually different so this helps! These are great ideas!
God wait that is such a good idea for texture! I love these thank you!
This is so funny! Thank you for these
I fear my players are going to need the first lol!
Elemental planes 101, an introduction. (A prerequisite for a series of other classes, one for each elemental plane.)
Language classes for abyssal and celestial.
Yugoloths: they’re not demons, they’re not devils, what are they, exactly?
The blood war, a history of the conflict and what it means today
The great modron march and its impact on the outer plains
The Non-Existent Class: You have not been taking it all semester and the final exam is not in 15 minutes.
Star Trek enthusiast, UTDR fan, Dean Winchester lover, and aspiring author/artist.
SPAMTON G. SPAMTON FOR [[present]]IDENT!