Man, I don't know how you all do it. The combination of being annoyed by the One D&D playtest material and the OGL disaster has just totally robbed me of the will to homebrew. Maybe I'll change my tune when the next edition actually comes out.
Until then I'll probably just look through my personal archive for submissions. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Man, I don't know how you all do it. The combination of being annoyed by the One D&D playtest material and the OGL disaster has just totally robbed me of the will to homebrew. Maybe I'll change my tune when the next edition actually comes out.
Until then I'll probably just look through my personal archive for submissions. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Writing homebrew is about as close as I get to "creative writing" lol. I almost enjoy homebrewing D&D content as much as playing D&D, despite the fact that I know that my creations may not see the light of day, even among my friend groups.
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Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews!Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Man, I don't know how you all do it. The combination of being annoyed by the One D&D playtest material and the OGL disaster has just totally robbed me of the will to homebrew. Maybe I'll change my tune when the next edition actually comes out.
Until then I'll probably just look through my personal archive for submissions. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Writing homebrew is about as close as I get to "creative writing" lol. I almost enjoy homebrewing D&D content as much as playing D&D, despite the fact that I know that my creations may not see the light of day, even among my friend groups.
Same (To Kaboom's statement). I love creative writing and whenever I come up with an idea I like, I often try to create it in Dnd, that way there is a higher chance of it being used. Also just because the business puts out things you disagree with doesn't have to change the way you play at your personal table.
Same for me. And I like to think that I can help other DMs out there with my homebrew versions of monsters that are either lackluster or outright missing from official content :-)
I just realized that I've been sitting on a perfect magic item for the DM category this whole time: the Attorney's Badge. You probably need at least surface-level knowledge of the Ace Attorney series, since I made it for a relative who's really into it.
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Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
I just realized that I've been sitting on a perfect magic item for the DM category this whole time: the Attorney's Badge. You probably need at least surface-level knowledge of the Ace Attorney series, since I made it for a relative who's really into it.
“For you see, Von Karma, the bullet is in your shoulder. My evidence is this: *shows badge* I am a lawyer!”
I think its time for an update. There is a little over one week remaining in the submission period for this iteration of the competition. As it stands, there are four submissions for Letter of the Law, five submissions for Windows to the Soul, and two submissions for A House of Cards. The_Summoning_Dark is the only contestant at this time to have submitted one item for each category, so I think its safe to say they have an edge towards victory, especially in the case of a tie!
If you are interested in putting something forward for this competition, please take the time to put the finishing touches and be ready to submit by midnight on the 19th. For those of you who have already submitted, please take the time to review your submission and let me know (either through a comment or private message) if you are making any updates which would require me to change the link to your submission in the first post's Contestant section.
Best of luck to all, and I look forward to what the next week brings.
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Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews!Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Here is my submission for the Players' Options: (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/426698/The-Beholder?affiliate_id=3811156). It's "Pay what you Want," so it won't cost you anything to review it for the contest. I've never published on DM's Guild before, this is my first attempt, so please lemme know if there are any issues with it.
And now for my Interactive Option. Welcome, my friends: to the Starguide Casino!
Starguide Casino
This casino is well-known in the city for its standards. I mean, what kind of gambling den takes itself seriously enough to have someone punched unconscious and left on the street for cheating? The casino resides in a middle-class district, attracting people of many demographics, from businessmen and merchants to miners and students.
Staff
The staff of the Starguide Casino consist of the following:
Asher Dolor is the human male head of security who is working at the Starguide Casino because of a lost bet with the proprietor. He refuses to confess the details under any circumstances. The truth? He and his young daughter were targeted by a malevolent criminal syndicate for working against them while Asher worked under the city guard. Dolor ultimately went to the proprietor of the Starguide Casino for help. The proprietor, due to his sick sense of humor, agreed to grant Dolor protection, but his daughter’s protection would be guaranteed only by a game of cards — which Dolor lost. In desperation, Dolor offered to pledge his service to the proprietor if it would save his daughter. The proprietor, seeing the opportunity, accepted.
Dani Banna, goliath non-binary working to support their mother
Ponol Regatta, gnome female working for subsistence
Ginann Flightweather, elf female saving to hire a bounty hunter for revenge against a member of a criminal syndicate
Prugeln Zerstörer, human male working for subsistence
Gogan Steelsoul, dwarf male working for subsistence
Nox the Fleet, fairy female working because of a debt owed to the proprietor
Proprietor
Razzix Elonias is a tiefling man with the gift of infinite youth who came into possession of the casino when he found the gambling den going out of business and saw an opportunity. No one alive knows how he stopped aging, and any who ask simply are retorted with “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Any guests that cause trouble that cannot be contained by the casino’s security answer directly to him. This having happened a few times, Razzix has each time made a terrifying display of what happens when he is crossed. One observer, a researcher of magic, described his method of fighting as “a full and complete control over the shadows of all things.” As far as anyone is concerned, the proprietor is not to be messed with.
Layout
The building is composed of two sections aside from the staff rooms: the lobby and the game room. Notably, the casino is larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Lobby
The lobby is a large 45x45’ square room which is entered through the doorway in the center front wall. On either side of the room, additional doors lead to the game rooms, flanked by cushioned chairs. At the front of the room, 15 feet from the doorway, the clerk mans a counter that blocks immediate entry to the doors. Here, the active clerk takes the name of entering guests, as well as the entrance fee of 2 silver per person.
Behind the counter, the clerk has at their disposal a ledger that contains accounts of all entrants in the past 1d8-1 days, as well as an ample supply of chips, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 20) chest with 700 gp, and a heavy crossbow to ward off would-be robbers.
Game Room
This H-shaped room has two entry points from the lobby on the inside of the lower bars of the H. The room is carpeted with red, and its smooth stone walls bear painted artistic depictions of the four suits. Each of the seven segments of the room is 30 feet by 30 feet, except for the central one, which is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long.
Within all of the seven segments of the game room is a table with a specific game, with the upper two sections having Three-Dragon Ante, the lower two sections having Goldmine, the middle two sections having Hellhound, and the central section holding the proprietor’s personal favorite: Siren’s Brine.
There are also bars maintained within the middle two sections, with a selection of drinks from throughout the known world and a skilled bartender. The bar only accepts coin.
Games are detailed at the end of this section.
Staff Rooms
Three locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 15) doors in the inside of the upper part of the H-shaped game room lead to the Break Room, which is T-shaped. The entry is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long, and the larger section is 105 feet wide and 40 feet long.
The room is carpeted in black and furnished with comfortable chairs and small tables, as well as a large cupboard with food enough to last 3 days. The walls are painted plain red. In the middle of the upper wall is a mahogany door with an ornate brass knob and no lock. This door supposedly leads to the proprietor’s study, but only the head of security ever enters aside from the proprietor himself.
The Proprietor’s Office
This room is dark, despite a fire going in the fireplace on the left side of the room from the door. There are no outlets for the fireplace visible on the outside of the casino. Darkvision does not pierce the shadows that fill the corners of the room. There are shelves of books and various odd (nonmagical) objects that make up the walls of the room, and an unlit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There is a red cushioned chair before the fire with a wooden nightstand next to it.
An ancient-looking book named Guiding Moonlight can be discovered to be a lever with a DC 20 Investigation check, but a DC 25 Investigation check discovers that it is also trapped with a glyph. Activating the lever by pulling it back without also pulling a second, scarlet book named Ace of Spades activates the glyph, which teleports the head of security, Asher Dolor, and the proprietor, Razzix Elonias, into the room. One can assume what happens after.
If the lever is pulled with Ace of Spades as well, a secret drawer is mechanically pushed open in one of the bookshelves. Within the drawer, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 25) chest of 3d4 x 100 pp lies. Also within the drawer, as a DC 20 Perception check reveals, is a small indentation on the back. When pressed, a compartment in the floor opens.
Within the compartment is an item of your choice. This item ought to connect the proprietor to the plot of the campaign in a negative aspect.
Games
The games of the Starguide Casino include Three-Dragon Ante, Goldmine, Hellhound, and Siren’s Brine.
Three-Dragon Ante
A game known for its dependence on chance. The buy-in is 2 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to become the closest to 23 as possible without reaching 23. Each player rolls 3d10, displaying the total publicly. Then, each player either bets or folds. Remaining players then choose to either reroll all of their dice or add a d10, keeping their new total secret. Players then either bet or fold before the rolls are displayed and the game ends. The player with the total closest to 23 wins. If a player has 23, they automatically lose unless they are the only player that did not fold. On a tie (including when the only remaining players are multiple with 23), the game is played again with the remaining players. The winner takes the entire pot of bets.
Goldmine
A game only locally played. The buy-in is 1 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have the highest total. Aces low, kings, queens and jacks are worthless. Each player draws four cards and lays them face-down without looking at them. Each player then looks at two of those cards secretly. Then, starting left of the dealer and moving clockwise, each player chooses to trade left, right, or not at all. When a player chooses to trade, they and the other player shuffle their cards and give each other one at random. After the trading round is done, the players may then look at two of their cards. The game proceeds this way three times before the betting begins. Players bet or fold, and then the game ends, at which the players reveal their cards. The player with the highest total out of remaining players wins, taking the pot. On a tie, winners split the pot.
Hellhound
A game adapted from its original version in the Nine Hells. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have as low a number as possible by the end of the game without reaching or going lower than 0. Aces low, Jack is 11, queen is 12, king is 13. Each player draws three cards and looks at them in secret. They then roll a d8 before deciding to bet or fold. A player’s total is determined by adding their cards’ values together and subtracting the total of their rolled dice. After deciding to bet or fold, the players then may choose to either draw a card or roll a d8. Bet or fold. Repeat once more before the game ends. The player with the lowest score greater than 0 wins, taking the pot. If all players have a score of 0 or lower, the pot is divided evenly. On a tie, the winning players roll dice to determine the winner.
Siren’s Brine
The proprietor’s personal favorite. Known for being based on a good deal of both skill and luck. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to win. The game is mechanically impossible to plot out; its rules are many, varied, and extremely complex. An observer not paying attention merely understands that the game uses dice and cards both, as well as chips. In terms of game mechanics, a player rolls a d20 and adds its bonus to Deception, Persuasion, Insight, and Sleight of Hand to the same roll, and can bet an additional 5 gold to gain advantage on this roll. For each additional 3 gp of chips bet, a player adds 1 to the roll. The player with the highest roll wins and takes half of the pot. The game is played twice this way, but the full pot is the stakes for the third game.
Naturally, if a player has never played the game before, they subtract 7 from the rolls of the first and second rounds.
A character observing the game that succeeds on a DC 23 Investigation check can draw connections between the game and certain events that have taken place in real life. Once realized, the resemblance is terrifyingly uncanny.
Starguide Casino Questlines
Nox’s Debt (Low-Level)
Nox, the fairy clerk of the casino, has reached out to the party for help. She’s grown increasingly afraid that something has happened to her family in the Feywild, and has to leave to find them. But, until her debt is paid, she can’t leave the city. Problem is, her debt currently stands to have her working at the casino for the next 9 months. Thus, she offers to pay the party 300 gp to ask the proprietor on her behalf; Nox, as she admits, is too afraid to do so herself. If asked, Razzix responds with laughter and bets Nox’s debt on a 1-on-1 game of the players’ choice with the addition of three strangers. Razzix will not only release Nox if the players win, but also based on their overall performance.
The Lost Deck (Mid Level)
Murmur in the casino is that the proprietor’s own personal deck of cards was stolen, and that he’s offering a handsome reward of 1,000 gp if it’s found. The deck was stolen by Hadorn Deant, a bartender of the establishment, in the hopes to pawn the deck for money, as his family has recently fallen into hard times. How and what happens next is at your and the party’s discretions, but if the party mentions Deant’s crime to Razzix, Deant will never be seen or heard from again.
The proprietor’s deck of cards is very, very old, judging by the cards’ coloration and designs, but they hold still to the 52-card set.
In Too Deep (High Level)
The party has been recruited by a thieves’ guild to act crew to a spy already undercover at the casino, Ray Kateich. Kateich can inform the party that she’s learned highly valuable treasure might be stashed somewhere within the proprietor’s study. She recommends the players attempt to steal it the next night at midnight via a roof vent that leads into the staff room; the proprietor being on a trip. Kateich herself can’t join the party, being under too much scrutiny for being involved in an incident involving an assassin that occurred in the last 7 days. If the party successfully infiltrates Razzix’s room and if they activate the secret compartment in the floor, Kateich messages the party, letting them know that whatever they just did, it alerted the captain of the guard, Asher Dolor. Asher enters the room 12 seconds after the message is received, giving the party 2 rounds to react. Asher Dolor enters the room with two guards (veterans). The guards stay outside the door while Asher does a sweep of the room. If Asher is unable to find anything unusual (such as a hidden character or an open compartment) then he exits the room and informs Razzix via his sending stone that his study alerted Asher to intruders without cause.
Should Asher discover evidence of intrusion but not the characters themselves, he investigates the room with extreme caution and scrutiny, making use of his blindsight.
If at any time Asher finds a character where they should not be, he begins pursuing them with aggression, using his binding heavy crossbow to apprehend the intruders if they try to escape. Asher’s goal is not to kill, but to incapacitate. If the party is captured, they are held in Razzix’s study until his return.
If the party all escapes with the treasure, Kateich asks them for the thieves’ guild’s 50% cut, which she delivers to the guild. If they refuse, Kateich urges them to give it up, for if they continue to refuse, they will have made enemies of a criminal organization, as is also the case if they give less than half of what was gained. Should the party give the cut, Kateich and the party part ways, noting in her report to the thieves’ guild that they have proven to be a reliable ally.
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know any feedback so I can improve!
Let's try this again. For my Interactive option entry: Our Lady of the Busted Flush
At the end of a dirty alley in one of the more run-down parts of the city, there's a battered wooden door. No sign tells you what lies beyond it, but scratched roughly into the wood with a knife is a poker hand – the ace of hearts, the jack of hearts, the nine of hearts, the four of hearts... and the six of clubs.
This is the hole in the wall known as Our Lady of the Busted Flush.
Inside, the space is long and narrow, with little in the way of decor. This is no hoity-toity “tavern” with a passable kitchen and rooms upstairs you can rent for the night. This is a place to drink, maybe do some gambling, and then stumble home. The bar stretches about half the length of the room on the right, and while there's a step down after about 20 feet, the top of the bar stays the same height, giving shorter folk a space at the front they can belly up to the bar comfortably. Behind the bar, just about every night, is a tiefling named Ebullient (CG swashbuckler). “Ebbie”, as he's known, doesn't live up to his name; he's generally pretty dour while serving drinks and doesn't often get engaged in long conversations. Once upon a time he was an adventurer, but that was a long time ago, and good luck getting the story out of him of how he came to own this ramshackle place.
Past the bar, the space opens up a bit, and there's a cluster of tables and chairs. These fill up quickly every night with people playing various gambling games... save for one, which remains empty. Usually, it goes unused all night.
Sometimes, though, it doesn't.
Newcomers to Our Lady of the Busted Flush will be surprised to notice that, while the drinkers at the front of the bar match the low-rent atmosphere, the gamblers at the back generally do not. There are a lot of high rollers packed around those tables, and a shocking amount of gold getting passed around. These games are just to kill time, though, in the hopes that She makes an appearance.
At some point in the evening, on the evenings when it happens, one of the bar patrons will become possessed by a spirit. The person will shudder, look down at the floor, then look back up, their eyes now an icy pale blue. They will stand, move around behind the bar and retrieve a carved wooden box containing a single deck of cards. As others in the bar notice what's happening, the din goes quiet. The possessed patron will sit at the empty table, remove the cards from the box and methodically begin shuffling them, saying to no one in particular in a distinctly feminine voice regardless of its host, “All are welcome to play.” This is the entity that gives the bar its name – the ghost affectionately nicknamed among regular patrons, and folks in the know, as Our Lady of the Busted Flush.
At that point, those who have decided to try their luck will excuse themselves from their current games and take a seat.
(PCs who attempt to thwart the possession will encounter some obstacles. One, any attempt to turn undead or cast a spell that protects the possessed person will discover that the spirit has a plus-10 bonus on any saving throws against ending the possession, possessed patrons have a minus-10 penalty on any saving throws they make to end it, and that the spirit has an effective CR of 5 against being turned. Two, if the spirit is driven out of their current body, it will simply begin going around the bar trying to find a new host, with targets needing to pass a Charisma saving throw at a DC of 20 to avoid being next. Three, if the PCs manage to drive Our Lady out of three different people, she will give up for the night... at which point, the party will have to deal with a bar full of very angry patrons who had their fun for the night ruined. Possessed patrons are unharmed at the end of the night, but have no memories of what happened while they were possessed. The spirit has no preference in terms of gender or species who it chooses.)
No one is exactly sure who Our Lady was in life, or why she has this routine. There are plenty of theories and rumors, though. Some believe it's the ghost of a high priestess of a forgotten deity of fortune, and that the temple once stood on this very spot. Others speculate Our Lady was a gambler who cheated and got cursed, and now has to watch others gamble as penance, without participating herself. The spirit never speaks of her past, only focusing on the present as she serves as the dealer for this one table.
The game is always poker, of some variation. Our Lady lets the players at the table decide for themselves exactly what kind of poker they want to play, and for what stakes. Once that decision has been made, she crisply asks everyone to ante up and begins dealing.
What makes the game so popular is that, while Our Lady is dealing, luck seems to be amplified – both good luck and bad. Anyone at the table making a skill check to determine their success at the game ignores advantage or disadvantage, and instead rolls two d20s every time. If the sum of the dice is even, the roll is considered to have been made with advantage. If the sum is odd, the roll is considered to have been made at disadvantage. And if the dice roll the exact same number, you add them together – meaning at this table, it's possible to roll more than a 20 on a d20 roll.
This applies only to those playing the game fairly, though. Anyone attempting to cheat, either by magic or by pure sleight of hand, makes all checks at disadvantage and has to beat Our Lady's Passive Perception of 30. If they are caught, the spirit stops plays, stares at the person with her dead, icy gaze, and simply says, “You are no longer welcome at this table.” The patrons take care of the rest.
With luck taking such wild swings, there is no better fix in the city for those hooked on the adrenaline rush that gambling can provide. Multiple times a night, hands are decided by who has the better four of a kind, or the better straight flush. Bluffing also becomes that much riskier, and that much more rewarding when it works, and more than one professional card sharp has a favorite tale from Our Lady's table of the time they got a rival to lay down four nines to their pair of sevens.
At a certain point in the evening, all other games stop and all eyes focus on Our Lady's table, as the bets get bigger and the action more raucous. Given the bankrolls involved, no one playing tends to sweat their losses, but occasionally, someone truly desperate will save up all their coin for a chance to get a life-changing score at the table, hoping Our Lady smiles upon them. It generally doesn't go well. If someone loses their last coin at the table, though – their true last coin, leaving them absolutely penniless, not simply the last coin they brought with them that night – the spirit won't send them home empty-handed. She will smile sadly at the loser, take the smallest denomination coin from the pot, hand it to them and say, “May you find better fortune tomorrow.” When they leave the bar, the person will find the coin is now a Lucky Coin of Our Lady.
At dawn, the possession ends, and so does the game. The table breaks up, and drunken patrons stagger out into the early morning light – except for the possessed patron, who is stone sober and very, very confused. Ebbie puts the cards back in the carved wooden box, tucks them behind the bar, shoos out any nosy PCs still lingering about and locks up.
Story Hooks
- the party are hired to investigate a robbery of church funds by a cleric. The theft was an inside job by his own child, who is on a big winning streak at Our Lady of the Busted Flush in the hopes of turning it into a fortune massive enough to keep their new girlfriend, a succubus, happy
- Our Lady is pleased to see the party, because they might be the ones she's been waiting for. She ends the game early and sends everyone else home. Behind the bar, unknown even to Ebbie, is a long-forgotten trap door leading down to a crypt. Somewhere down there, Our Lady's mortal remains lie. There are dangers, but also treasures. Will they brave the crypt and give her body a proper burial, so that she might rest at last? Or is the talk of treasure a ruse to lure victims down to her lair, where she might steal their luck, and their lives?
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
One more before the deadline: For my DM Option, the Dagger of Pacts
Dagger of Pacts
Weapon (dagger), very rare (requires attunement by a warlock)
This dagger has a series of runes inscribed along its blade; when a creature attunes to it, those same runes magically appear somewhere on its body as scars. The scars disappear when the attunement ends.
When an attuned wielder deals damage to a creature that is not an undead or a construct with this dagger, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw equal to the wielder's Spell Save DC plus the damage dealt by the attack. On a failed saving throw, for the next minute a mystical pact is forged between the two creatures. As long as the creature that took damage from the Dagger of Pacts is within 60 feet of the wielder, the wielder gains resistance to all damage. Each time the wielder takes damage while this pact is in effect, the creature they wounded with the dagger takes the same amount of damage.
The pact ends if either creature drops to 0 hp, if the two creatures become separated by more than 60 feet, if the two creatures are on different planes at the end of a turn, if the wielder deals damage to the creature again by any means before the pact ends, or if the wielder deals damage to a different creature with the Dagger of Pacts and forms a new pact with them.
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Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I am, sadly, still working on systems, and have not established any DDB based versions of the relative handful of oddities and accoutrements that I have had developed for my setting.
However, soon I shall. While I will not be doing anything with classes or feats, I am likely to do a great deal with many other things.
I confess to grabbing liberally from novels, lol. one that is currently in use in the games we play comes from a bit of effort on the part of a Warlock, who wanted an ability to communicate among the party whilst they (foolishly) separated in an intentional attempt to drive the DM nuts whilst exploring a labyrinth.
They called them Caumstones, about the size of a marble, that insert themselves at the base of the ear next to the jaw. They come in matched sets, and allow spoken words to be transmitted to other stones paired to them.
They are soon to learn that forcing me to run seven different rooms simultaneously will result in the discovery that these stones were all forged by a dark lord who, in secret, forged an eighth stone, that only plays music. Loudly. and some little twerp elsewhere in the dungeon has it.
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Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities .-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-. An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more. Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
And now for my Interactive Option. Welcome, my friends: to the Starguide Casino!
Starguide Casino
This casino is well-known in the city for its standards. I mean, what kind of gambling den takes itself seriously enough to have someone punched unconscious and left on the street for cheating? The casino resides in a middle-class district, attracting people of many demographics, from businessmen and merchants to miners and students.
Staff
The staff of the Starguide Casino consist of the following:
Asher Dolor is the human male head of security who is working at the Starguide Casino because of a lost bet with the proprietor. He refuses to confess the details under any circumstances. The truth? He and his young daughter were targeted by a malevolent criminal syndicate for working against them while Asher worked under the city guard. Dolor ultimately went to the proprietor of the Starguide Casino for help. The proprietor, due to his sick sense of humor, agreed to grant Dolor protection, but his daughter’s protection would be guaranteed only by a game of cards — which Dolor lost. In desperation, Dolor offered to pledge his service to the proprietor if it would save his daughter. The proprietor, seeing the opportunity, accepted.
Dani Banna, goliath non-binary working to support their mother
Ponol Regatta, gnome female working for subsistence
Ginann Flightweather, elf female saving to hire a bounty hunter for revenge against a member of a criminal syndicate
Prugeln Zerstörer, human male working for subsistence
Gogan Steelsoul, dwarf male working for subsistence
Nox the Fleet, fairy female working because of a debt owed to the proprietor
Proprietor
Razzix Elonias is a tiefling man with the gift of infinite youth who came into possession of the casino when he found the gambling den going out of business and saw an opportunity. No one alive knows how he stopped aging, and any who ask simply are retorted with “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Any guests that cause trouble that cannot be contained by the casino’s security answer directly to him. This having happened a few times, Razzix has each time made a terrifying display of what happens when he is crossed. One observer, a researcher of magic, described his method of fighting as “a full and complete control over the shadows of all things.” As far as anyone is concerned, the proprietor is not to be messed with.
Layout
The building is composed of two sections aside from the staff rooms: the lobby and the game room. Notably, the casino is larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Lobby
The lobby is a large 45x45’ square room which is entered through the doorway in the center front wall. On either side of the room, additional doors lead to the game rooms, flanked by cushioned chairs. At the front of the room, 15 feet from the doorway, the clerk mans a counter that blocks immediate entry to the doors. Here, the active clerk takes the name of entering guests, as well as the entrance fee of 2 silver per person.
Behind the counter, the clerk has at their disposal a ledger that contains accounts of all entrants in the past 1d8-1 days, as well as an ample supply of chips, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 20) chest with 700 gp, and a heavy crossbow to ward off would-be robbers.
Game Room
This H-shaped room has two entry points from the lobby on the inside of the lower bars of the H. The room is carpeted with red, and its smooth stone walls bear painted artistic depictions of the four suits. Each of the seven segments of the room is 30 feet by 30 feet, except for the central one, which is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long.
Within all of the seven segments of the game room is a table with a specific game, with the upper two sections having Three-Dragon Ante, the lower two sections having Goldmine, the middle two sections having Hellhound, and the central section holding the proprietor’s personal favorite: Siren’s Brine.
There are also bars maintained within the middle two sections, with a selection of drinks from throughout the known world and a skilled bartender. The bar only accepts coin.
Games are detailed at the end of this section.
Staff Rooms
Three locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 15) doors in the inside of the upper part of the H-shaped game room lead to the Break Room, which is T-shaped. The entry is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long, and the larger section is 105 feet wide and 40 feet long.
The room is carpeted in black and furnished with comfortable chairs and small tables, as well as a large cupboard with food enough to last 3 days. The walls are painted plain red. In the middle of the upper wall is a mahogany door with an ornate brass knob and no lock. This door supposedly leads to the proprietor’s study, but only the head of security ever enters aside from the proprietor himself.
The Proprietor’s Office
This room is dark, despite a fire going in the fireplace on the left side of the room from the door. There are no outlets for the fireplace visible on the outside of the casino. Darkvision does not pierce the shadows that fill the corners of the room. There are shelves of books and various odd (nonmagical) objects that make up the walls of the room, and an unlit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There is a red cushioned chair before the fire with a wooden nightstand next to it.
An ancient-looking book named Guiding Moonlight can be discovered to be a lever with a DC 20 Investigation check, but a DC 25 Investigation check discovers that it is also trapped with a glyph. Activating the lever by pulling it back without also pulling a second, scarlet book named Ace of Spades activates the glyph, which teleports the head of security, Asher Dolor, and the proprietor, Razzix Elonias, into the room. One can assume what happens after.
If the lever is pulled with Ace of Spades as well, a secret drawer is mechanically pushed open in one of the bookshelves. Within the drawer, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 25) chest of 3d4 x 100 pp lies. Also within the drawer, as a DC 20 Perception check reveals, is a small indentation on the back. When pressed, a compartment in the floor opens.
Within the compartment is an item of your choice. This item ought to connect the proprietor to the plot of the campaign in a negative aspect.
Games
The games of the Starguide Casino include Three-Dragon Ante, Goldmine, Hellhound, and Siren’s Brine.
Three-Dragon Ante
A game known for its dependence on chance. The buy-in is 2 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to become the closest to 23 as possible without reaching 23. Each player rolls 3d10, displaying the total publicly. Then, each player either bets or folds. Remaining players then choose to either reroll all of their dice or add a d10, keeping their new total secret. Players then either bet or fold before the rolls are displayed and the game ends. The player with the total closest to 23 wins. If a player has 23, they automatically lose unless they are the only player that did not fold. On a tie (including when the only remaining players are multiple with 23), the game is played again with the remaining players. The winner takes the entire pot of bets.
Goldmine
A game only locally played. The buy-in is 1 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have the highest total. Aces low, kings, queens and jacks are worthless. Each player draws four cards and lays them face-down without looking at them. Each player then looks at two of those cards secretly. Then, starting left of the dealer and moving clockwise, each player chooses to trade left, right, or not at all. When a player chooses to trade, they and the other player shuffle their cards and give each other one at random. After the trading round is done, the players may then look at two of their cards. The game proceeds this way three times before the betting begins. Players bet or fold, and then the game ends, at which the players reveal their cards. The player with the highest total out of remaining players wins, taking the pot. On a tie, winners split the pot.
Hellhound
A game adapted from its original version in the Nine Hells. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have as low a number as possible by the end of the game without reaching or going lower than 0. Aces low, Jack is 11, queen is 12, king is 13. Each player draws three cards and looks at them in secret. They then roll a d8 before deciding to bet or fold. A player’s total is determined by adding their cards’ values together and subtracting the total of their rolled dice. After deciding to bet or fold, the players then may choose to either draw a card or roll a d8. Bet or fold. Repeat once more before the game ends. The player with the lowest score greater than 0 wins, taking the pot. If all players have a score of 0 or lower, the pot is divided evenly. On a tie, the winning players roll dice to determine the winner.
Siren’s Brine
The proprietor’s personal favorite. Known for being based on a good deal of both skill and luck. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to win. The game is mechanically impossible to plot out; its rules are many, varied, and extremely complex. An observer not paying attention merely understands that the game uses dice and cards both, as well as chips. In terms of game mechanics, a player rolls a d20 and adds its bonus to Deception, Persuasion, Insight, and Sleight of Hand to the same roll, and can bet an additional 5 gold to gain advantage on this roll. For each additional 3 gp of chips bet, a player adds 1 to the roll. The player with the highest roll wins and takes half of the pot. The game is played twice this way, but the full pot is the stakes for the third game.
Naturally, if a player has never played the game before, they subtract 7 from the rolls of the first and second rounds.
A character observing the game that succeeds on a DC 23 Investigation check can draw connections between the game and certain events that have taken place in real life. Once realized, the resemblance is terrifyingly uncanny.
Starguide Casino Questlines
Nox’s Debt (Low-Level)
Nox, the fairy clerk of the casino, has reached out to the party for help. She’s grown increasingly afraid that something has happened to her family in the Feywild, and has to leave to find them. But, until her debt is paid, she can’t leave the city. Problem is, her debt currently stands to have her working at the casino for the next 9 months. Thus, she offers to pay the party 300 gp to ask the proprietor on her behalf; Nox, as she admits, is too afraid to do so herself. If asked, Razzix responds with laughter and bets Nox’s debt on a 1-on-1 game of the players’ choice with the addition of three strangers. Razzix will not only release Nox if the players win, but also based on their overall performance.
The Lost Deck (Mid Level)
Murmur in the casino is that the proprietor’s own personal deck of cards was stolen, and that he’s offering a handsome reward of 1,000 gp if it’s found. The deck was stolen by Hadorn Deant, a bartender of the establishment, in the hopes to pawn the deck for money, as his family has recently fallen into hard times. How and what happens next is at your and the party’s discretions, but if the party mentions Deant’s crime to Razzix, Deant will never be seen or heard from again.
The proprietor’s deck of cards is very, very old, judging by the cards’ coloration and designs, but they hold still to the 52-card set.
In Too Deep (High Level)
The party has been recruited by a thieves’ guild to act crew to a spy already undercover at the casino, Ray Kateich. Kateich can inform the party that she’s learned highly valuable treasure might be stashed somewhere within the proprietor’s study. She recommends the players attempt to steal it the next night at midnight via a roof vent that leads into the staff room; the proprietor being on a trip. Kateich herself can’t join the party, being under too much scrutiny for being involved in an incident involving an assassin that occurred in the last 7 days. If the party successfully infiltrates Razzix’s room and if they activate the secret compartment in the floor, Kateich messages the party, letting them know that whatever they just did, it alerted the captain of the guard, Asher Dolor. Asher enters the room 12 seconds after the message is received, giving the party 2 rounds to react. Asher Dolor enters the room with two guards (veterans). The guards stay outside the door while Asher does a sweep of the room. If Asher is unable to find anything unusual (such as a hidden character or an open compartment) then he exits the room and informs Razzix via his sending stone that his study alerted Asher to intruders without cause.
Should Asher discover evidence of intrusion but not the characters themselves, he investigates the room with extreme caution and scrutiny, making use of his blindsight.
If at any time Asher finds a character where they should not be, he begins pursuing them with aggression, using his binding heavy crossbow to apprehend the intruders if they try to escape. Asher’s goal is not to kill, but to incapacitate. If the party is captured, they are held in Razzix’s study until his return.
If the party all escapes with the treasure, Kateich asks them for the thieves’ guild’s 50% cut, which she delivers to the guild. If they refuse, Kateich urges them to give it up, for if they continue to refuse, they will have made enemies of a criminal organization, as is also the case if they give less than half of what was gained. Should the party give the cut, Kateich and the party part ways, noting in her report to the thieves’ guild that they have proven to be a reliable ally.
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know any feedback so I can improve!
MFW D&D Beyond comes out with an official version of Three-Dragon Ante a few days after I post my own
I hope you like it! Feedback is always welcome, I might need to update this subclass anyways :-)
Author's notes:
Magic to Behold: I would have liked to give spells that can be used as eye rays here so that I can word eye rays similarly to the Aberrant Mind sorcerer's Psionic Magic, restricting it to subclass spells. But unfortunately, this does not really work when I allow the player to exchange spells from their subclass list, following the mechanics introduced in Tasha; and I needed the list to include spells like dream, arcane eye and clairvoyance, which aren't sorcerer spells by default. Otherwise I could have included more "eye ray" spells.
Enchanted Vision: They basically get detect magic, which I worded like this as I wanted it to not be a spell itself, but rather an innate ability coming from their eyes. It should not trigger other detect magic spells or any traps that react to spells being cast.
Vivid Dreams: I loved the idea of them dreaming another creature into existence. Since I wanted the sorcerer to have a key ability like that as early as possible (especially considering that not many games go past like level 10), I added this ability at level 1 with Find Familiar. I also tried to differentiate the conjured object from the Conjuration wizard's Minor Conjuration by increasing its size slightly and having it last for longer in exchange for the sorcerer only being able to conjure one object per day.
Eye Rays: This is the ability I struggled with the most and it is likely to change in some way I think. My issue here is, just like I already said in regards to the spell list, that I struggled to come up with a good restriction and wording for the restriction. Since limiting it to spells from the subclass list does not work, I would have loved to apply that feature to all single-target spells that force the target to make a saving throw and to all spell attacks, provided the save fails or attack hits, but found no way to word that in an easily understandable, streamlined way. I really wish we had spell categories or keywords... :-)
Eye Thief: One of my favourite features with a ton of creative potential. It applies to friends as it does to enemies, and of course to your familiar. Imagine casting scrying on someone and being able to see and cast through their eyes instead of just seeing through the scrying sensor...
Many-Eyed Menace: Now the character turns more and more into a true beholder. Just like I might change the eye rays themselves, I might change the eye ray buff granted as part of that feature. I think some kind of eye ray buff is important here, especially considering the spells eye rays can be used with aren't particularly strong; although there's good synergy with crown of stars.
Eye of the Beholder: I might change this to have a time limit and have further uses require 5 sorcery points; on the other hand I think it sounds much more powerful than it actually is. The antimagic field hinders the sorcerer themselves as well as their allies, while, considering it is a cone and thus touches them at only one single point, not protecting them from most magic.
Reality-Twisting Nightmares. Now the sorcerer can dream some strong creatures into existence. At first I considered a once per day cast of simulacrum here, but that would have been way too powerful in my opinion, so I went with a simple Tasha summon instead. I did not limit to the beholderkin and left the feature fairly open in terms of flavor so that the player can choose how they want the creature to look and what abilities it should have.
Love the way this looks and the way it consistently plays off of the Beholder's dream powers. I have just a few notes on things that I think tip it towards being overtuned.
1) I think that the damages for Eye Rays is a bit too much. At that point you are basically casting an extra cantrip on top of your spell for 1 sorcery point. The fact that it is randomly determined does help to balance this out. That being said, I think that it should be nerfed a little. A few suggestions would be to i) reduce the damage die for the damaging effects, ii) increase the sorcery point cost, iii) tie the use of this feature to a Bonus Action so it can only be applied once per turn and cant be used in tandem with Quickened spells, iv) require the sorcerer to declare the use of the feature BEFORE the attack is made instead of after a hit, or some combination of those.
1a) Another thing to consider is that because they get Eldritch Blast as a cantrip they could potentially be using this for every one of their EB attacks. I imagine this was an intentional design choice, but in that case I would remove damaging effects altogether. At higher levels when you have 4 attacks and can roll twice on the table every time, its possible for the sorcerer to be dealing and extra 12d10 necrotic damage across 4 attacks in addition to the cantrip's damage for the cost of just 4 sorcery points.
1b) With the above two comments in mind, I would also consider adding the stipulation that a creature targeted by an attack with the Eye Ray cannot be affected by more than one condition imparted at once. A creature shouldnt be blinded + frightened + charmed all at once without a save.
2) For Eye of the Beholder, I agree that this needs some sort of limit and I think it should need an Action or Bonus Action to activate. I think 5 sorcery points for a small "antimagic field" is fair, especially if you give them one free use per day.
3)Reality-Twisting Nightmares seems too powerful. Getting one free 9th level spell for free that also doesnt require concentration is too much, in my opinion. I definitely think that this ability can work, but at this point you are basically summoning an extra party member every single day. I think this ability should either be tuned down (maybe the spell is cast at 4th level instead of 9th) or once its used it should have some extended cooldown (like 2d4 days or something like that).
3a) Also, although I like the flavor of the ability, the bit about nightmares makes it feel like it will have the party asking the DM whether they get the benefits of the long rest if they are near the sorcerer and what the effective area for that would be. If this is meant to have mechanical effects on a creatrues long rest, then I think things like range and what sort of detriment it imparts should be specified.
I know theres alot of critiques in there, but beyond those points I really do love the design as a whole. Im adding it to the list for now, but let me know if you update the link
Love the way this looks and the way it consistently plays off of the Beholder's dream powers. I have just a few notes on things that I think tip it towards being overtuned.
1) I think that the damages for Eye Rays is a bit too much. At that point you are basically casting an extra cantrip on top of your spell for 1 sorcery point. The fact that it is randomly determined does help to balance this out. That being said, I think that it should be nerfed a little. A few suggestions would be to i) reduce the damage die for the damaging effects, ii) increase the sorcery point cost, iii) tie the use of this feature to a Bonus Action so it can only be applied once per turn and cant be used in tandem with Quickened spells, iv) require the sorcerer to declare the use of the feature BEFORE the attack is made instead of after a hit, or some combination of those.
1a) Another thing to consider is that because they get Eldritch Blast as a cantrip they could potentially be using this for every one of their EB attacks. I imagine this was an intentional design choice, but in that case I would remove damaging effects altogether. At higher levels when you have 4 attacks and can roll twice on the table every time, its possible for the sorcerer to be dealing and extra 12d10 necrotic damage across 4 attacks in addition to the cantrip's damage for the cost of just 4 sorcery points.
1b) With the above two comments in mind, I would also consider adding the stipulation that a creature targeted by an attack with the Eye Ray cannot be affected by more than one condition imparted at once. A creature shouldnt be blinded + frightened + charmed all at once without a save.
2) For Eye of the Beholder, I agree that this needs some sort of limit and I think it should need an Action or Bonus Action to activate. I think 5 sorcery points for a small "antimagic field" is fair, especially if you give them one free use per day.
3)Reality-Twisting Nightmares seems too powerful. Getting one free 9th level spell for free that also doesnt require concentration is too much, in my opinion. I definitely think that this ability can work, but at this point you are basically summoning an extra party member every single day. I think this ability should either be tuned down (maybe the spell is cast at 4th level instead of 9th) or once its used it should have some extended cooldown (like 2d4 days or something like that).
3a) Also, although I like the flavor of the ability, the bit about nightmares makes it feel like it will have the party asking the DM whether they get the benefits of the long rest if they are near the sorcerer and what the effective area for that would be. If this is meant to have mechanical effects on a creatrues long rest, then I think things like range and what sort of detriment it imparts should be specified.
I know theres alot of critiques in there, but beyond those points I really do love the design as a whole. Im adding it to the list for now, but let me know if you update the link
I am glad you like it and thanks for the feedback :-)
1) I actually think the condition rays are the more powerful ones here than the damage options. Probably reducing the damage upfront, but having it scale up later would be good?
1a) that indeed is intentional, but comes at quite a steep cost. For comparison, the aberrant mind sorcerer can cast a component-less (super-sublte) psychic lance for the same 4 sorcery points, which is more powerful than any of the eye ray options :-) Maybe it would be better if the buff at level 14 was something other than rolling twice, such as a damage increase (with lowered damage at level 6)?
2) yes, I agree. That would also be in line with abilities like Trance of Order.
3) I actually disagree here. You need to take into account that this is level 18. High level sorcerer spells aren't that good outside of Wish. From level 14 onwards, Wiizards are casting Simulacrum, which is much more powerful than even a non-concentration Tasha summon at 9th level, and both wizards and druids can cast Shapechange to become true beholders or other powerful monsters for some time (and Shepherd druids can cast a 9th level summon spell for free without concentration from level 14 onwards, but they need to be incapacitated to trigger that). You also need to take into account that summons in general do not scale well. While Tasha summons deal good damage when upcast, their HP, saving throws and AC still leave much to be desired, thus killing or disabling them is rather easy for most high-level monsters.
1) I think that having scaling damage for the ability would definitely be the way to go.
2) Im not sure the 7d6 damage + incapacitated from psychic lance following a failed save is necessarily much better than 4d10 + 12d10 damage or 4d10 + being frightened, and blinded, and charmed or 4d10+8d8 where you also regain 8d8 hit points, or any of the other combinations that could be fostered. Granted, I acknowledge there is a steeper setup for the EB since you have to hit with all 4 attacks, but I think by the level where things start getting wacky you probably have a decent spell attack modifier. In any case, I think that Psionic Sorcery + Psychic Lance is a very powerful combo and probably shouldnt be the benchmark by which the balance of an ability is judged, even if both are available to sorcerers.
3) I understand the comparisons drawn to other 9th level spells available to other classes, but in this case its more than just an extra 9th level spell known. Its an extra 9th level spell that is also cast for free every day, so its basically an extra 9th level spell slot as well. Even if the saving throws arent spectacular, having an extra meat bag with 130 HP & 20 AC that can soak up damage or deal an extra 4d8 + 48 damage per turn {assuming the Beholderkin using its Eye Ray 4 times} is nothing to sneeze at. I also disagree with your statement that 130 HP & 20 AC {at 9th level} would leave much to be desired and be disabled quickly. That sort of HP is comparable to a full caster at level 20 (assuming they did not invest heavily in their Con score) and the 20 AC is even better than what those casters will get using Mage Armor or even wearing Plate.
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Man, I don't know how you all do it. The combination of being annoyed by the One D&D playtest material and the OGL disaster has just totally robbed me of the will to homebrew. Maybe I'll change my tune when the next edition actually comes out.
Until then I'll probably just look through my personal archive for submissions. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Writing homebrew is about as close as I get to "creative writing" lol. I almost enjoy homebrewing D&D content as much as playing D&D, despite the fact that I know that my creations may not see the light of day, even among my friend groups.
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Same (To Kaboom's statement). I love creative writing and whenever I come up with an idea I like, I often try to create it in Dnd, that way there is a higher chance of it being used. Also just because the business puts out things you disagree with doesn't have to change the way you play at your personal table.
Same for me. And I like to think that I can help other DMs out there with my homebrew versions of monsters that are either lackluster or outright missing from official content :-)
My submission for the Interactive Options: Shilo Grifther
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Wonderful. Will link to the post so that voters can see the mini design before looking at the sheet.
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Thanks. I superimposed two different figures with different faces and hair on top of each other to get him to look like that.
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I just realized that I've been sitting on a perfect magic item for the DM category this whole time: the Attorney's Badge. You probably need at least surface-level knowledge of the Ace Attorney series, since I made it for a relative who's really into it.
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
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My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
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I think its time for an update. There is a little over one week remaining in the submission period for this iteration of the competition. As it stands, there are four submissions for Letter of the Law, five submissions for Windows to the Soul, and two submissions for A House of Cards. The_Summoning_Dark is the only contestant at this time to have submitted one item for each category, so I think its safe to say they have an edge towards victory, especially in the case of a tie!
If you are interested in putting something forward for this competition, please take the time to put the finishing touches and be ready to submit by midnight on the 19th. For those of you who have already submitted, please take the time to review your submission and let me know (either through a comment or private message) if you are making any updates which would require me to change the link to your submission in the first post's Contestant section.
Best of luck to all, and I look forward to what the next week brings.
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Here is my submission for the Players' Options: (https://www.dmsguild.com/product/426698/The-Beholder?affiliate_id=3811156). It's "Pay what you Want," so it won't cost you anything to review it for the contest. I've never published on DM's Guild before, this is my first attempt, so please lemme know if there are any issues with it.
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And now for my Interactive Option. Welcome, my friends: to the Starguide Casino!
Starguide Casino
This casino is well-known in the city for its standards. I mean, what kind of gambling den takes itself seriously enough to have someone punched unconscious and left on the street for cheating? The casino resides in a middle-class district, attracting people of many demographics, from businessmen and merchants to miners and students.
Staff
The staff of the Starguide Casino consist of the following:
Game Managers (commoners)
Security (veterans)
Bar Workers (commoners)
Clerks (Mediator magewrights)
Proprietor
Razzix Elonias is a tiefling man with the gift of infinite youth who came into possession of the casino when he found the gambling den going out of business and saw an opportunity. No one alive knows how he stopped aging, and any who ask simply are retorted with “Wouldn’t you like to know.” Any guests that cause trouble that cannot be contained by the casino’s security answer directly to him. This having happened a few times, Razzix has each time made a terrifying display of what happens when he is crossed. One observer, a researcher of magic, described his method of fighting as “a full and complete control over the shadows of all things.” As far as anyone is concerned, the proprietor is not to be messed with.
Layout
The building is composed of two sections aside from the staff rooms: the lobby and the game room. Notably, the casino is larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Lobby
The lobby is a large 45x45’ square room which is entered through the doorway in the center front wall. On either side of the room, additional doors lead to the game rooms, flanked by cushioned chairs. At the front of the room, 15 feet from the doorway, the clerk mans a counter that blocks immediate entry to the doors. Here, the active clerk takes the name of entering guests, as well as the entrance fee of 2 silver per person.
Behind the counter, the clerk has at their disposal a ledger that contains accounts of all entrants in the past 1d8-1 days, as well as an ample supply of chips, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 20) chest with 700 gp, and a heavy crossbow to ward off would-be robbers.
Game Room
This H-shaped room has two entry points from the lobby on the inside of the lower bars of the H. The room is carpeted with red, and its smooth stone walls bear painted artistic depictions of the four suits. Each of the seven segments of the room is 30 feet by 30 feet, except for the central one, which is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long.
Within all of the seven segments of the game room is a table with a specific game, with the upper two sections having Three-Dragon Ante, the lower two sections having Goldmine, the middle two sections having Hellhound, and the central section holding the proprietor’s personal favorite: Siren’s Brine.
There are also bars maintained within the middle two sections, with a selection of drinks from throughout the known world and a skilled bartender. The bar only accepts coin.
Games are detailed at the end of this section.
Staff Rooms
Three locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 15) doors in the inside of the upper part of the H-shaped game room lead to the Break Room, which is T-shaped. The entry is 45 feet wide and 30 feet long, and the larger section is 105 feet wide and 40 feet long.
The room is carpeted in black and furnished with comfortable chairs and small tables, as well as a large cupboard with food enough to last 3 days. The walls are painted plain red. In the middle of the upper wall is a mahogany door with an ornate brass knob and no lock. This door supposedly leads to the proprietor’s study, but only the head of security ever enters aside from the proprietor himself.
The Proprietor’s Office
This room is dark, despite a fire going in the fireplace on the left side of the room from the door. There are no outlets for the fireplace visible on the outside of the casino. Darkvision does not pierce the shadows that fill the corners of the room. There are shelves of books and various odd (nonmagical) objects that make up the walls of the room, and an unlit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There is a red cushioned chair before the fire with a wooden nightstand next to it.
An ancient-looking book named Guiding Moonlight can be discovered to be a lever with a DC 20 Investigation check, but a DC 25 Investigation check discovers that it is also trapped with a glyph. Activating the lever by pulling it back without also pulling a second, scarlet book named Ace of Spades activates the glyph, which teleports the head of security, Asher Dolor, and the proprietor, Razzix Elonias, into the room. One can assume what happens after.
If the lever is pulled with Ace of Spades as well, a secret drawer is mechanically pushed open in one of the bookshelves. Within the drawer, a locked (Thieves’ Tools DC 25) chest of 3d4 x 100 pp lies. Also within the drawer, as a DC 20 Perception check reveals, is a small indentation on the back. When pressed, a compartment in the floor opens.
Within the compartment is an item of your choice. This item ought to connect the proprietor to the plot of the campaign in a negative aspect.
Games
The games of the Starguide Casino include Three-Dragon Ante, Goldmine, Hellhound, and Siren’s Brine.
Three-Dragon Ante
A game known for its dependence on chance. The buy-in is 2 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to become the closest to 23 as possible without reaching 23. Each player rolls 3d10, displaying the total publicly. Then, each player either bets or folds. Remaining players then choose to either reroll all of their dice or add a d10, keeping their new total secret. Players then either bet or fold before the rolls are displayed and the game ends. The player with the total closest to 23 wins. If a player has 23, they automatically lose unless they are the only player that did not fold. On a tie (including when the only remaining players are multiple with 23), the game is played again with the remaining players. The winner takes the entire pot of bets.
Goldmine
A game only locally played. The buy-in is 1 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have the highest total. Aces low, kings, queens and jacks are worthless. Each player draws four cards and lays them face-down without looking at them. Each player then looks at two of those cards secretly. Then, starting left of the dealer and moving clockwise, each player chooses to trade left, right, or not at all. When a player chooses to trade, they and the other player shuffle their cards and give each other one at random. After the trading round is done, the players may then look at two of their cards. The game proceeds this way three times before the betting begins. Players bet or fold, and then the game ends, at which the players reveal their cards. The player with the highest total out of remaining players wins, taking the pot. On a tie, winners split the pot.
Hellhound
A game adapted from its original version in the Nine Hells. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to have as low a number as possible by the end of the game without reaching or going lower than 0. Aces low, Jack is 11, queen is 12, king is 13. Each player draws three cards and looks at them in secret. They then roll a d8 before deciding to bet or fold. A player’s total is determined by adding their cards’ values together and subtracting the total of their rolled dice. After deciding to bet or fold, the players then may choose to either draw a card or roll a d8. Bet or fold. Repeat once more before the game ends. The player with the lowest score greater than 0 wins, taking the pot. If all players have a score of 0 or lower, the pot is divided evenly. On a tie, the winning players roll dice to determine the winner.
Siren’s Brine
The proprietor’s personal favorite. Known for being based on a good deal of both skill and luck. Buy-in is 5 gp of chips.
The goal of the game is to win. The game is mechanically impossible to plot out; its rules are many, varied, and extremely complex. An observer not paying attention merely understands that the game uses dice and cards both, as well as chips. In terms of game mechanics, a player rolls a d20 and adds its bonus to Deception, Persuasion, Insight, and Sleight of Hand to the same roll, and can bet an additional 5 gold to gain advantage on this roll. For each additional 3 gp of chips bet, a player adds 1 to the roll. The player with the highest roll wins and takes half of the pot. The game is played twice this way, but the full pot is the stakes for the third game.
Naturally, if a player has never played the game before, they subtract 7 from the rolls of the first and second rounds.
A character observing the game that succeeds on a DC 23 Investigation check can draw connections between the game and certain events that have taken place in real life. Once realized, the resemblance is terrifyingly uncanny.
Starguide Casino Questlines
Nox’s Debt (Low-Level)
Nox, the fairy clerk of the casino, has reached out to the party for help. She’s grown increasingly afraid that something has happened to her family in the Feywild, and has to leave to find them. But, until her debt is paid, she can’t leave the city. Problem is, her debt currently stands to have her working at the casino for the next 9 months. Thus, she offers to pay the party 300 gp to ask the proprietor on her behalf; Nox, as she admits, is too afraid to do so herself. If asked, Razzix responds with laughter and bets Nox’s debt on a 1-on-1 game of the players’ choice with the addition of three strangers. Razzix will not only release Nox if the players win, but also based on their overall performance.
The Lost Deck (Mid Level)
Murmur in the casino is that the proprietor’s own personal deck of cards was stolen, and that he’s offering a handsome reward of 1,000 gp if it’s found. The deck was stolen by Hadorn Deant, a bartender of the establishment, in the hopes to pawn the deck for money, as his family has recently fallen into hard times. How and what happens next is at your and the party’s discretions, but if the party mentions Deant’s crime to Razzix, Deant will never be seen or heard from again.
The proprietor’s deck of cards is very, very old, judging by the cards’ coloration and designs, but they hold still to the 52-card set.
In Too Deep (High Level)
The party has been recruited by a thieves’ guild to act crew to a spy already undercover at the casino, Ray Kateich. Kateich can inform the party that she’s learned highly valuable treasure might be stashed somewhere within the proprietor’s study. She recommends the players attempt to steal it the next night at midnight via a roof vent that leads into the staff room; the proprietor being on a trip. Kateich herself can’t join the party, being under too much scrutiny for being involved in an incident involving an assassin that occurred in the last 7 days. If the party successfully infiltrates Razzix’s room and if they activate the secret compartment in the floor, Kateich messages the party, letting them know that whatever they just did, it alerted the captain of the guard, Asher Dolor. Asher enters the room 12 seconds after the message is received, giving the party 2 rounds to react. Asher Dolor enters the room with two guards (veterans). The guards stay outside the door while Asher does a sweep of the room. If Asher is unable to find anything unusual (such as a hidden character or an open compartment) then he exits the room and informs Razzix via his sending stone that his study alerted Asher to intruders without cause.
Should Asher discover evidence of intrusion but not the characters themselves, he investigates the room with extreme caution and scrutiny, making use of his blindsight.
If at any time Asher finds a character where they should not be, he begins pursuing them with aggression, using his binding heavy crossbow to apprehend the intruders if they try to escape. Asher’s goal is not to kill, but to incapacitate. If the party is captured, they are held in Razzix’s study until his return.
If the party all escapes with the treasure, Kateich asks them for the thieves’ guild’s 50% cut, which she delivers to the guild. If they refuse, Kateich urges them to give it up, for if they continue to refuse, they will have made enemies of a criminal organization, as is also the case if they give less than half of what was gained. Should the party give the cut, Kateich and the party part ways, noting in her report to the thieves’ guild that they have proven to be a reliable ally.
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know any feedback so I can improve!
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
Let's try this again. For my Interactive option entry: Our Lady of the Busted Flush
At the end of a dirty alley in one of the more run-down parts of the city, there's a battered wooden door. No sign tells you what lies beyond it, but scratched roughly into the wood with a knife is a poker hand – the ace of hearts, the jack of hearts, the nine of hearts, the four of hearts... and the six of clubs.
This is the hole in the wall known as Our Lady of the Busted Flush.
Inside, the space is long and narrow, with little in the way of decor. This is no hoity-toity “tavern” with a passable kitchen and rooms upstairs you can rent for the night. This is a place to drink, maybe do some gambling, and then stumble home. The bar stretches about half the length of the room on the right, and while there's a step down after about 20 feet, the top of the bar stays the same height, giving shorter folk a space at the front they can belly up to the bar comfortably. Behind the bar, just about every night, is a tiefling named Ebullient (CG swashbuckler). “Ebbie”, as he's known, doesn't live up to his name; he's generally pretty dour while serving drinks and doesn't often get engaged in long conversations. Once upon a time he was an adventurer, but that was a long time ago, and good luck getting the story out of him of how he came to own this ramshackle place.
Past the bar, the space opens up a bit, and there's a cluster of tables and chairs. These fill up quickly every night with people playing various gambling games... save for one, which remains empty. Usually, it goes unused all night.
Sometimes, though, it doesn't.
Newcomers to Our Lady of the Busted Flush will be surprised to notice that, while the drinkers at the front of the bar match the low-rent atmosphere, the gamblers at the back generally do not. There are a lot of high rollers packed around those tables, and a shocking amount of gold getting passed around. These games are just to kill time, though, in the hopes that She makes an appearance.
At some point in the evening, on the evenings when it happens, one of the bar patrons will become possessed by a spirit. The person will shudder, look down at the floor, then look back up, their eyes now an icy pale blue. They will stand, move around behind the bar and retrieve a carved wooden box containing a single deck of cards. As others in the bar notice what's happening, the din goes quiet. The possessed patron will sit at the empty table, remove the cards from the box and methodically begin shuffling them, saying to no one in particular in a distinctly feminine voice regardless of its host, “All are welcome to play.” This is the entity that gives the bar its name – the ghost affectionately nicknamed among regular patrons, and folks in the know, as Our Lady of the Busted Flush.
At that point, those who have decided to try their luck will excuse themselves from their current games and take a seat.
(PCs who attempt to thwart the possession will encounter some obstacles. One, any attempt to turn undead or cast a spell that protects the possessed person will discover that the spirit has a plus-10 bonus on any saving throws against ending the possession, possessed patrons have a minus-10 penalty on any saving throws they make to end it, and that the spirit has an effective CR of 5 against being turned. Two, if the spirit is driven out of their current body, it will simply begin going around the bar trying to find a new host, with targets needing to pass a Charisma saving throw at a DC of 20 to avoid being next. Three, if the PCs manage to drive Our Lady out of three different people, she will give up for the night... at which point, the party will have to deal with a bar full of very angry patrons who had their fun for the night ruined. Possessed patrons are unharmed at the end of the night, but have no memories of what happened while they were possessed. The spirit has no preference in terms of gender or species who it chooses.)
No one is exactly sure who Our Lady was in life, or why she has this routine. There are plenty of theories and rumors, though. Some believe it's the ghost of a high priestess of a forgotten deity of fortune, and that the temple once stood on this very spot. Others speculate Our Lady was a gambler who cheated and got cursed, and now has to watch others gamble as penance, without participating herself. The spirit never speaks of her past, only focusing on the present as she serves as the dealer for this one table.
The game is always poker, of some variation. Our Lady lets the players at the table decide for themselves exactly what kind of poker they want to play, and for what stakes. Once that decision has been made, she crisply asks everyone to ante up and begins dealing.
What makes the game so popular is that, while Our Lady is dealing, luck seems to be amplified – both good luck and bad. Anyone at the table making a skill check to determine their success at the game ignores advantage or disadvantage, and instead rolls two d20s every time. If the sum of the dice is even, the roll is considered to have been made with advantage. If the sum is odd, the roll is considered to have been made at disadvantage. And if the dice roll the exact same number, you add them together – meaning at this table, it's possible to roll more than a 20 on a d20 roll.
This applies only to those playing the game fairly, though. Anyone attempting to cheat, either by magic or by pure sleight of hand, makes all checks at disadvantage and has to beat Our Lady's Passive Perception of 30. If they are caught, the spirit stops plays, stares at the person with her dead, icy gaze, and simply says, “You are no longer welcome at this table.” The patrons take care of the rest.
With luck taking such wild swings, there is no better fix in the city for those hooked on the adrenaline rush that gambling can provide. Multiple times a night, hands are decided by who has the better four of a kind, or the better straight flush. Bluffing also becomes that much riskier, and that much more rewarding when it works, and more than one professional card sharp has a favorite tale from Our Lady's table of the time they got a rival to lay down four nines to their pair of sevens.
At a certain point in the evening, all other games stop and all eyes focus on Our Lady's table, as the bets get bigger and the action more raucous. Given the bankrolls involved, no one playing tends to sweat their losses, but occasionally, someone truly desperate will save up all their coin for a chance to get a life-changing score at the table, hoping Our Lady smiles upon them. It generally doesn't go well. If someone loses their last coin at the table, though – their true last coin, leaving them absolutely penniless, not simply the last coin they brought with them that night – the spirit won't send them home empty-handed. She will smile sadly at the loser, take the smallest denomination coin from the pot, hand it to them and say, “May you find better fortune tomorrow.” When they leave the bar, the person will find the coin is now a Lucky Coin of Our Lady.
At dawn, the possession ends, and so does the game. The table breaks up, and drunken patrons stagger out into the early morning light – except for the possessed patron, who is stone sober and very, very confused. Ebbie puts the cards back in the carved wooden box, tucks them behind the bar, shoos out any nosy PCs still lingering about and locks up.
Story Hooks
- the party are hired to investigate a robbery of church funds by a cleric. The theft was an inside job by his own child, who is on a big winning streak at Our Lady of the Busted Flush in the hopes of turning it into a fortune massive enough to keep their new girlfriend, a succubus, happy
- Our Lady is pleased to see the party, because they might be the ones she's been waiting for. She ends the game early and sends everyone else home. Behind the bar, unknown even to Ebbie, is a long-forgotten trap door leading down to a crypt. Somewhere down there, Our Lady's mortal remains lie. There are dangers, but also treasures. Will they brave the crypt and give her body a proper burial, so that she might rest at last? Or is the talk of treasure a ruse to lure victims down to her lair, where she might steal their luck, and their lives?
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
One more before the deadline: For my DM Option, the Dagger of Pacts
Dagger of Pacts
Weapon (dagger), very rare (requires attunement by a warlock)
This dagger has a series of runes inscribed along its blade; when a creature attunes to it, those same runes magically appear somewhere on its body as scars. The scars disappear when the attunement ends.
When an attuned wielder deals damage to a creature that is not an undead or a construct with this dagger, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw equal to the wielder's Spell Save DC plus the damage dealt by the attack. On a failed saving throw, for the next minute a mystical pact is forged between the two creatures. As long as the creature that took damage from the Dagger of Pacts is within 60 feet of the wielder, the wielder gains resistance to all damage. Each time the wielder takes damage while this pact is in effect, the creature they wounded with the dagger takes the same amount of damage.
The pact ends if either creature drops to 0 hp, if the two creatures become separated by more than 60 feet, if the two creatures are on different planes at the end of a turn, if the wielder deals damage to the creature again by any means before the pact ends, or if the wielder deals damage to a different creature with the Dagger of Pacts and forms a new pact with them.
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
I am, sadly, still working on systems, and have not established any DDB based versions of the relative handful of oddities and accoutrements that I have had developed for my setting.
However, soon I shall. While I will not be doing anything with classes or feats, I am likely to do a great deal with many other things.
I confess to grabbing liberally from novels, lol. one that is currently in use in the games we play comes from a bit of effort on the part of a Warlock, who wanted an ability to communicate among the party whilst they (foolishly) separated in an intentional attempt to drive the DM nuts whilst exploring a labyrinth.
They called them Caumstones, about the size of a marble, that insert themselves at the base of the ear next to the jaw. They come in matched sets, and allow spoken words to be transmitted to other stones paired to them.
They are soon to learn that forcing me to run seven different rooms simultaneously will result in the discovery that these stones were all forged by a dark lord who, in secret, forged an eighth stone, that only plays music. Loudly. and some little twerp elsewhere in the dungeon has it.
Only a DM since 1980 (3000+ Sessions) / PhD, MS, MA / Mixed, Bi, Trans, Woman / No longer welcome in the US, apparently
Wyrlde: Adventures in the Seven Cities
.-=] Lore Book | Patreon | Wyrlde YT [=-.
An original Setting for 5e, a whole solar system of adventure. Ongoing updates, exclusies, more.
Not Talking About It / Dubbed The Oracle in the Cult of Mythology Nerds
MFW D&D Beyond comes out with an official version of Three-Dragon Ante a few days after I post my own
Come participate in the Competition of the Finest Brews, Edition XXVIII?
My homebrew stuff:
Spells, Monsters, Magic Items, Feats, Subclasses.
I am an Archfey, but nobody seems to notice.
Extended Signature
Late, but at least I have something for this contest.
Behold, heree's my Dreamspawn sorcerer: https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-NNmVyWMtrwON22H9n9K
I hope you like it! Feedback is always welcome, I might need to update this subclass anyways :-)
Author's notes:
Love the way this looks and the way it consistently plays off of the Beholder's dream powers. I have just a few notes on things that I think tip it towards being overtuned.
1) I think that the damages for Eye Rays is a bit too much. At that point you are basically casting an extra cantrip on top of your spell for 1 sorcery point. The fact that it is randomly determined does help to balance this out. That being said, I think that it should be nerfed a little. A few suggestions would be to i) reduce the damage die for the damaging effects, ii) increase the sorcery point cost, iii) tie the use of this feature to a Bonus Action so it can only be applied once per turn and cant be used in tandem with Quickened spells, iv) require the sorcerer to declare the use of the feature BEFORE the attack is made instead of after a hit, or some combination of those.
1a) Another thing to consider is that because they get Eldritch Blast as a cantrip they could potentially be using this for every one of their EB attacks. I imagine this was an intentional design choice, but in that case I would remove damaging effects altogether. At higher levels when you have 4 attacks and can roll twice on the table every time, its possible for the sorcerer to be dealing and extra 12d10 necrotic damage across 4 attacks in addition to the cantrip's damage for the cost of just 4 sorcery points.
1b) With the above two comments in mind, I would also consider adding the stipulation that a creature targeted by an attack with the Eye Ray cannot be affected by more than one condition imparted at once. A creature shouldnt be blinded + frightened + charmed all at once without a save.
2) For Eye of the Beholder, I agree that this needs some sort of limit and I think it should need an Action or Bonus Action to activate. I think 5 sorcery points for a small "antimagic field" is fair, especially if you give them one free use per day.
3)Reality-Twisting Nightmares seems too powerful. Getting one free 9th level spell for free that also doesnt require concentration is too much, in my opinion. I definitely think that this ability can work, but at this point you are basically summoning an extra party member every single day. I think this ability should either be tuned down (maybe the spell is cast at 4th level instead of 9th) or once its used it should have some extended cooldown (like 2d4 days or something like that).
3a) Also, although I like the flavor of the ability, the bit about nightmares makes it feel like it will have the party asking the DM whether they get the benefits of the long rest if they are near the sorcerer and what the effective area for that would be. If this is meant to have mechanical effects on a creatrues long rest, then I think things like range and what sort of detriment it imparts should be specified.
I know theres alot of critiques in there, but beyond those points I really do love the design as a whole. Im adding it to the list for now, but let me know if you update the link
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I am glad you like it and thanks for the feedback :-)
1) I actually think the condition rays are the more powerful ones here than the damage options. Probably reducing the damage upfront, but having it scale up later would be good?
1a) that indeed is intentional, but comes at quite a steep cost. For comparison, the aberrant mind sorcerer can cast a component-less (super-sublte) psychic lance for the same 4 sorcery points, which is more powerful than any of the eye ray options :-) Maybe it would be better if the buff at level 14 was something other than rolling twice, such as a damage increase (with lowered damage at level 6)?
2) yes, I agree. That would also be in line with abilities like Trance of Order.
3) I actually disagree here. You need to take into account that this is level 18. High level sorcerer spells aren't that good outside of Wish. From level 14 onwards, Wiizards are casting Simulacrum, which is much more powerful than even a non-concentration Tasha summon at 9th level, and both wizards and druids can cast Shapechange to become true beholders or other powerful monsters for some time (and Shepherd druids can cast a 9th level summon spell for free without concentration from level 14 onwards, but they need to be incapacitated to trigger that). You also need to take into account that summons in general do not scale well. While Tasha summons deal good damage when upcast, their HP, saving throws and AC still leave much to be desired, thus killing or disabling them is rather easy for most high-level monsters.
1) I think that having scaling damage for the ability would definitely be the way to go.
2) Im not sure the 7d6 damage + incapacitated from psychic lance following a failed save is necessarily much better than 4d10 + 12d10 damage or 4d10 + being frightened, and blinded, and charmed or 4d10+8d8 where you also regain 8d8 hit points, or any of the other combinations that could be fostered. Granted, I acknowledge there is a steeper setup for the EB since you have to hit with all 4 attacks, but I think by the level where things start getting wacky you probably have a decent spell attack modifier. In any case, I think that Psionic Sorcery + Psychic Lance is a very powerful combo and probably shouldnt be the benchmark by which the balance of an ability is judged, even if both are available to sorcerers.
3) I understand the comparisons drawn to other 9th level spells available to other classes, but in this case its more than just an extra 9th level spell known. Its an extra 9th level spell that is also cast for free every day, so its basically an extra 9th level spell slot as well. Even if the saving throws arent spectacular, having an extra meat bag with 130 HP & 20 AC that can soak up damage or deal an extra 4d8 + 48 damage per turn {assuming the Beholderkin using its Eye Ray 4 times} is nothing to sneeze at. I also disagree with your statement that 130 HP & 20 AC {at 9th level} would leave much to be desired and be disabled quickly. That sort of HP is comparable to a full caster at level 20 (assuming they did not invest heavily in their Con score) and the 20 AC is even better than what those casters will get using Mage Armor or even wearing Plate.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!