Is everybody ignoring part 3 because I’m stretching the story way too thin or did nobody see it?
I think the main thing is they're so short - just a few lines - literally. That it's difficult to get into it too much because before you do it's over.
If I were to give a recommendation, write a few paragraphs (or dialogue equal to a few paragraphs) - so that there's something to read.
Otherwise it's these small tiny speed bumps that are just quick blips.
You need hooks to get a reader's attention.
Bob ran through the open door.
Is a sentence right?
But now change that to -
Bob stared down the long hallway, reflecting on what he'd been running from. The door out of this maze of terror was now in front of him. Was it another trap? He was almost certain it was. Death could be waiting just on the other side - but after all he'd endured - he was ready to face death. Bob swung open the door and ran through.
Chances are the reader is going to be more curious about Bob, and what's beyond the door, and what maze he was just in compared to the first sentence.
Nice stories everyone. I do so love being a tortle in one of the stories, reptiles make great pets, and I own several. Hopefully I will be adding a new reptile to my collection soon. RIP Smaug.
While I know you aren’t talking to me specifically, thanks for the compliment. I’ve always wanted a bearded dragon.
Also, this has been a long day. Imma go be Aloy for a bit.
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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
Biadh – The Deity, gender fluid (neither male nor female, much like their sphere) – food. Biadh is the deity of food, consumption, and to the extreme, gluttony. As a side note: the word ‘Biadh’ is Scottish Gaelic for “food”
North Amptonshire – “The City of Light” –this is a reference to a place in the UK called Northamptonshire – and within there is a town called “Daventry” – Daventry happens to be the name of the Kingdom in a game I love called “King’s Quest”
Desumāchi – Band of Hobgoblins from the continent of Kyokutō
“Hey, we got something back here,” Amnon_Balderk called out over his shoulder, his Orc eyes peering towards the mouth of the cave where the others were standing.
Drakenbrine came to stand next to Amnon_Balderk. “Blast. The lad is right. There’s a door way here. One of these rocks must be the doorway.” Drakenbrine began feeling the wall – when he suddenly paused and looked back at Amnon_Balderk. “Wait, how did you know there was a passage way back here? Orcs aren’t known for being that perceptive with stonework.”
Amnon_Balderk shrugged. “When I channeled my Ki – it vibrates off the energy around me. This wall back here sounded different than the rest of the stone around me – I assumed there must be a hidden passage back here. Besides,” Amnon_Balderk smirked, “some orcs live in mountains. One day I will tell you about a band of orcs that sprung a trap on a Dwarven King.”
“Impossible!” Drakenbrine’s beard bristled.
“If your grandfather,” Amnon_Balderk began.
“Great, great grandfather,” Drakenbrine corrected.
“Fine, yes, him, if he can survive a pit of snakes, as AEDorsay said somehow survived,” Amnon_Balderk shrugged, “I suppose it’s possible that even orcs can surprise and capture a mountain dwarf king.”
Sirtawmis was watching the two near the secret entrance they’d discovered, his arms folded in front of his chest. He looked over at the Satyr, who sat there, gazing onward, disinterested. “You’ve been unusually quiet.”
The Satyr looked over at Sirtawmis, “Well you keep telling me what a horrible bard I am.”
“Well,” Sirtawmis shrugged. “You really are horrible at it. Not so much at the instrument itself – you can play a lute just fine – but your lyrics need a lot of work.”
“I suppose you could do better,” IAmSposta muttered.
“I might know a thing or two about,” Sirtawmis began, then stopped when he noticed ChoirOfFire standing directly behind him, as if eavesdropping. Sirtawmis raised an eye brow, “Apparently whatever deity it is you follow, Paladin, doesn’t believe in social distancing? Why are you standing so close?”
“Me?” ChoirOfFire asked, innocently. “I was just trying to see what the half-orc and the weird dwarf sorcerer were into.”
“They claim to have found a secret passage,” Sirtawmis shrugged. “Yet neither of them has figured out how to open the door.”
Quar1on approached and added to the conversation, “I consulted my patreon,” he began.
“Patron, you mean,” AEDorsay corrected, heaving a sigh as she closed his book.
“No, my patreon,” Quar1on began. “I collect funds to do spells and they donate gold monthly to me. And I scribe updates, usually on my adventures – and I had asked what they wanted me to work on next and they mentioned unlocking the barbarian curse. So then,” he emphasized, “I consulted my patron. Asked the Great Rubber Ducky, what they know about the icy trap which DeadpanC_C is being banished to – and he provided me this riddle…”
“The man with the courageous heart; but driven by darkness and shadow. Cursed by the rage that consumed the once noble heart; now twisted into a monster, given flight on the wings of Hades. Guarding now, a passage as cold as his heart; cursed to feed on the flesh of those he once loved.”
“That sounds like it’s about DeadpanC_C,” AEDorsay said. “Courageous heart could be the courage of a lion; cursed by rage that consumed the noble heart, could be the fact that he’s a barbarian; and given flight into Hades, could be that’s where he’s being banished to. I just can’t figure out the last two lines.”
Midnightplat who had come up to see the secret passage that could be hidden in the back of the cave, told the dwarven sorcerer and half-orc monk to step aside. “I’ve had my share of prisons I’ve needed to escape from,” the changeling rogue explained, “if I couldn’t use my ability to shape change to get me out of it. I am all too familiar with,” and with a click, a stone moved inward, “finding hidden passages.”
“And I think I can solve the rest of the riddle,” Thorrison gazed over the heads of others, his stout humanoid hippo-like form, towering over others. Just inside he could a thin bridge made of ice; and in the center, a pulsating heart made of ice. “I don’t think the riddle had anything to do with our Leonin friend; but rather the Manticore that we killed. Or that they,” he looked at ChoirOfFire, BoringBard and The_Summoning_Dark, “they killed.”
IAmSposta turned to Quar1on, “You mentioned your patron said there was an icy trap thing to save the leonine, right?”
“He did,” the warlock nodded.
“Well that’s an ice bridge, and it seems to tie to the riddle,” IAmSposta continued. “So who should cross the bridge?”
“I’d do it,” Thorrison offered, put placed his large hands on his hips. “My people are not made for walking across fragile ice bridges, on the account that gravity is a big part of who we are.”
“Not so much gravity,” IAmSposta muttered, “but size.”
Sirtawmis slapped IAmSposta. “Seriously.”
“What? It’s true? The Giff are large people,” the Satyr sighed.
“One of truth faith,” AllMightyLordOfDND said, peering into the hidden room; staring at the thin, icy bridge, and the depths of darkness around it. “One of truth faith,” he repeated, “to walk in the light and fight the darkness; one of warm heart to fight the cold; one to learn to trust rather than deceive.”
Sirtawmis leaned against the wall and looked at ChoirOfFire, “Pretty sure he means you, missy,” he smirked. “One of faith, walk in the light, warm heart probably a reference to your name – but man, am I curious about the trust bit.”
ChoirOfFire flushed red, her cheeks matching her reddish hair. “Fine,” she snarled and pushed her way through the others. Her Tiefling eyes peered into the darkness around the frozen bridge. She could not see the bottom, but she could clearly hear the wind howling furiously all around. “So what do I do?” She spun and faced AllMightyLordOfDND, “I mean, once I reach the frozen heart.”
“Compassion,” she sighed and turned around. She began walking across the bridge and was instantly greeted by a breeze that was so cold, that she could swear the blood coursing through her veins, turned into fragments of ice, as they streaked through her heart and caused her immense pain. She doubled down and gasped for breath.
BoringBard moved through the crowd, “Choir, don’t do this! We don’t need to prove anything to them! We don’t even know this Leonin that they’re talking about. He’s not worth this.”
“Compassion,” Sirtawmis muttered, “see you got plenty of it, Dragonborn.”
The Dragonborn, a towering figure turned and bared at his teeth at Sirtawmis. “Watch your tongue, half-orc.”
Sirtawmis placed his hand on his sword. “Any day you want to try it, Dragonborn.”
The_Summoning_Dark placed his hand on BoringBard and pulled him away. “Not now. Not yet,” he whispered.
Theology of Bagels looked as ChoirOfFire struggled to stand. “I am so glad it wasn’t me,” they said. “I barely just have a fur vest and loin on. I would have froze out there. And probably blown right off the bridge.”
Wysperra, the Halfling artificer who’d been standing next to Theology said, “Well, I could have given you a potion or two that would have made it feel like your blood was on fire. I am not entirely certain of the success of survival if consumed, but I have learned that is one of the side effects.”
Antonsirius watched, as ChoirOfFire buckled again. “She’s going to die out there. Either by getting thrown over the edge, or freeze to death. More than likely freeze to death. She’s barely moving now.”
“Son of a,” Sirtawmis growled. “Hold my sword,” he shoved his sword into IAmSposta’s hands.
“Don’t do this,” the Satyr warned. “You know that…”
“Keep your mouth shut, Satyr,” Sirtawmis growled and made his way out to the bridge.
The cold wrapped around him like talons of death, sending him to his knees, just shy of ChoirOfFire.
“I,” he shouted, “need you, to fight…” Sirtawmis growled. “Stand… up…” Words were barely coming to him as his body rapidly succumbed to the cold that seemed to emanate on the bridge.
ChoirOfFire turned and saw the half-orc, his beard covered in ice in seconds. “What are you doing out here,” she stammered, barely able to talk.
“Thought I’d try to save you,” he laughed, despite the cold and his teeth clattering uncontrollably. “Not working out how I thought,” he admitted. “Much colder out here than over there.”
ChoirOfFire managed to get back to her feet, though her knees shook, as if they were ready to buckle again. She heard, “I am sorry,” from behind her, just as Sirtawmis stood and flung himself forward, shoving her forward uncontrollably. Initially she’d thought he was trying to kill her – but as she stammered forward she realized, with every step she was closer to the beating, frozen heart.
She stumbled and clasped onto the massive beating heart before falling over the edge. “Now what?” she shouted to no one in particular.
“Touch the heart,” she heard AllMightyLordOfDND’s voice in her head.
She looked at the heart and thought she needed to touch it in the way, one touches ones heart with soft and beautiful words – but then she looked at her hands and placed both of them on the heart and expended all of her radiant energy in the form of Lay On Hands upon the heart – and suddenly the temperature rose to be warm once again – she took a step back as the heart began to swirl and change – and soon, DeadpanC_C fell out of the swirling blood as the heart continued to beat.
A voice – the voice of the manticore! – said, “You have risked your own life, to show compassion for one who has wronged me. I was once a Leonin like him – but he and I both loved the same. We had gotten into a fight over her and in his rage he struck her – and cut her so deep, it left a scar that would never heal. He fled, like a coward, while I remained. I tried to explain what had happened – but her mother had blamed me and cursed me to become a manticore – the foul lion beast with a frozen heart. I found Deadpan, and cursed him to come back and relive that moment in my heart whenever I felt like punishing him. But I gave him a way out – if someone could speak for him – someone would risk their life for him – then perhaps he is redeemable. Perhaps he is worth saving.”
DeadpanC_C looked up, his massive lion form looking as small as a kitten. “He speaks the truth. The manticore was none other than my brother. We both loved the same Leoniness. When I struck her and scarred her in my blind rage, I fled. And never looked back. I was ashamed. But I have seen the error of my ways now and shall do what I must to redeem myself.”
“You are free of your curse for now,” the manticore’s voice boomed in the hall. “Do not give me reason to find you and banish you again.”
In the back, Drakenbrine sighed, "One more I need to share my story bandwidth with..."
My husband passed away in 2014. It has not been the most wonderful of decades since. Related slightly, the pup who became my fiercest guardian after he passed died Saturday night at the age of 18. Hellyeah was a very cool little dog. I handle grief poorly, so threw myself into spring cleaning, and that will take a bit of time going forward, lol. I have to make room and set up for the 3d printer, after all. My office is currently a disaster area as I adapt to adding in additional consulting work and what appears to be a second job, lol.
Oh my gosh, sending warm fuzzy waves. /HUGS
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
The story is getting darker and more epic! I also was just thinking about using ki to sense disturbances the other day! Totally stole the idea and improved on it from my first one.
I must be really out of it. What D&D thing? I know the movie is coming out this weekend...
I think they're talking about the D&D Direct thing, though I could be wrong.
Ah, right. Yeah, gonna skip that. I'm far more interested in hearing about the Creator Summit.
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
I must be really out of it. What D&D thing? I know the movie is coming out this weekend...
I think they're talking about the D&D Direct thing, though I could be wrong.
Ah, right. Yeah, gonna skip that. I'm far more interested in hearing about the Creator Summit.
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
I mostly just play Dnd with friends that I knew before we started playing. I play in a pre-established friend group.
I must be really out of it. What D&D thing? I know the movie is coming out this weekend...
I think they're talking about the D&D Direct thing, though I could be wrong.
Ah, right. Yeah, gonna skip that. I'm far more interested in hearing about the Creator Summit.
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
Started playing with friends I already knew. Met an amazing person in my current group, though it was mostly people I already knew too. I only met the person in question about a year ago, so thus far no particularly long-standing friends met through the game
I must be really out of it. What D&D thing? I know the movie is coming out this weekend...
I think they're talking about the D&D Direct thing, though I could be wrong.
Ah, right. Yeah, gonna skip that. I'm far more interested in hearing about the Creator Summit.
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
I started with a couple people I was friendly with, but not close friends, one close friend, and two people I didn’t even know. Since then I’m no longer close with the close friend (he moved and kind of moved on), some of the people I was friendly with have drifted between very close and definitely people I don’t like and now all both hover around dislikable and not friendly. The other two that I didn’t know were great. One is still a friend, though not a super close one, and the other I lost contact with, though she was great. Even our GM moved. Now I’m actually closest with two other people. One of them played with our GM (he ran 4 groups back then) and began playing with me after he left. My other close friend I have known for 10-12 years and I introduced him to the game a little after I started playing. I still play with one of those toxic people, both of my close friends, two slightly less close friends, and the husband of another friend, though she pops in to play occasionally. It’s a decent group sometimes. I also play with some other friends that I actually met through fencing, which has a surprising population of nerdy ass D&D players. I haven’t seen Mercer wandering around the fencing gym yet, but I’m hopeful!
I have just spent a lot of time that I don't have compiling this list of questions that have been asked on this thread. These do not include questions from the original thread. I might collect those later if I have the time, but definitely not today. They are only sort of in order. Here they are:
Is DDB still fun?
Where do you stand in terms of DM rulings vs. predetermined rules for every possibility?
What is your favorite magic item from the core rules?
To homebrew, or not to homebrew?
What is the biggest heartbreak your character experienced (besides their own demise)? Was it the demise of another character? An NPC? A weapon or trinket lost forever? Let's hear it.
Do you punish your dice if they roll poorly for you? (Swap them out during the session for another dice) Do you use Digital Dice on D&D Beyond? If so, do you swap them out if they roll poorly for you?
Physical dice rolls. Do you prefer they be contained within something like a tray or tower, or do you encourage the "Stranger Things" style "shooting" of a d20 like it's a game of craps, or somewhere along a spectrum between those two poles? (Waiting for someone to say they insist roles take place between two poles).
Your dice - are they all from one set or are they dice muts (coming from different sets)?
Do any of your groups do rotating DMs - whether in the same campaign, switching off for new campaigns, or for occasional one-shots to give the usual DM a break?
Question: Is there any Table Top RPG you play (other than D&D... and maybe Pathfinder, since it's very similar)? If so, which one? If not, is there one that interests you? If you are playing a different one, what is the appeal? If you're not playing another one but interested, what is the appeal?
What was the greatest or most appreciated "gift" a GM ever gave you?
Dor your campaigns do you prefer to make a completely Homebrew world? Personally I do as it means the players can’t look at the stats and it’s so much fun.
When was the last time you had a BBEG use high level spells against the Players?
Have you taken the player survey?
Does this sound balanced?
Is there a specific song, artist, or album you listen to when it's raining?
If you were to homebrew a class (or sub class) that you feel is missing - what would be the general theme of this class/subclass?
Do skeletons talk in your games? RAW, they can't, but idk how many people know that, and I prefer talking skellies anyway.
Do you think there's some low level (or, heck any level) monsters where their CR seems too low?
Does anyone use Ordeals in their games?
Have you watched the incredibly funny web series called "Neverending Nights" - which is made using Neverwinter Nights - about two heroes out to kill a dragon? If not, why?
What is your preference of music (if any specifically) and what are some bands that you enjoy listening to?
Who was the first person you ever interacted with on the DDB forums?
Do you have a monster you tend to use more for comic effect or recurring "bit" rather than an actual threat to your party?
How many of you visit DDB during work hours?
Would you use a generated culture to help you create a new one for your setting?
when making a pantheon, what rules do you follow?
Do you have specific days that you play D&D? Or is it just when everyone can make it? Or do you plan the next session (if it's not always on the same day of the week) at the end of the current session?
Have any of you played a proper game of dnd at level 20? Proper means you’re actually following the rules correctly.
Actually, not a question! Tell me about the most memorable moment your character has had (or a memorable moment as a DM, if you're more DM than player) in any of your campaigns (and if it's not clear, tell me why it was so memorable). :)
What are some house rules in your game (whether DM or player)? What are some house rules you like or dislike (may or may not be in any game you're in, but just some you've heard of?)
what are some parts of dnd that you are a noob at?
while we’re on the subject of encounter balance, two players versus four goblins. Fair?
Y'all going to see the D&D movie? Are you going with your D&D group? And do you know how to get the special d20 popcorn bucket and/or the mug? I am, I can't wait, and if you find out, please tell me because I want them lol.
Dungeons or Dragons? Choose one and tell us why.
When will this thread die?
I was on a website article about the best forms for Druid wildshape, and it said Mammoth was the best form, but don’t Druids only go up to cr 1?
What sort of encounter would you design around an aroma of stewing misdirection?
How will you go about making a level 20 npc?
How would you go about homebrewing the stats for a vehicle? And if there is a website for it, PLEASE tell me.
What are some good Homebrew rules you guys have that I can use?
If you were a Paladin oath, what would be your tenets?
Who or what was your most challenging BBEG?
In the ‘Anything BUT the OGL’ campaign, what magic item do you want to see you’re character have?
What are you just awful at when it comes to anything but the OGL?
What's the best letter in the English alphabet? Also, what's the best letter in the Dethek (dwarf) alphabet? Are they the same? (Dethek is basically a font.) For me, it's probably... T, and "J."
We all enjoy D&D - but are there any VIDEO games (whether PC, Console, Arcade, etc.) that you enjoy? Bonus points for explaining why you enjoy them?
What is your favorite number?
Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
My one group is mostly people I knew in high school, but the other one is mostly people I met at the game store. We don't really hang out aside from D&D though, but I think people are just busy a lot of the time. Well, some of us play Magic together!
I’d love to know the story behind DDB adding Minecraft creatures. It just confuses me
It is strange, but I am not against them giving us new monsters for free. I might try to come up with situations where I can use these monsters in my games.
I’d love to know the story behind DDB adding Minecraft creatures. It just confuses me
It is strange, but I am not against them giving us new monsters for free. I might try to come up with situations where I can use these monsters in my games.
Same. I usually prefer to use my own monsters though. The MM is just a guide.
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That makes sense.
While I know you aren’t talking to me specifically, thanks for the compliment. I’ve always wanted a bearded dragon.
Hi, I’m DrakenBrine, here’s my Sig and characters
I am The Grand Envisioner!
ANyone gonna watch that D&D thing tomorrow?
Also, this has been a long day. Imma go be Aloy for a bit.
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
I will be working on site tomorrow so my forum time will probably be cut tomorrow and watching a streaming thing will be far more difficult.
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
Need a character story/background written up? I do it for free (but also take donations!) - https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?591882-Need-a-character-background-written-up
Probably not. I have got a lot of work to do tomorrow.
No. I think it will be available on demand after the stream though?
I wasn’t clear on that. But they really put it at a terrible time for everyone with work or school. I don’t know what WotC was thinking with that.
With the return of DeadpanC_C how could I not write a story that focused on his return?
Blame: AllMightyLordOfDND (https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=466 and https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=467)
Notes about the story:
Biadh – The Deity, gender fluid (neither male nor female, much like their sphere) – food. Biadh is the deity of food, consumption, and to the extreme, gluttony. As a side note: the word ‘Biadh’ is Scottish Gaelic for “food”
North Amptonshire – “The City of Light” –this is a reference to a place in the UK called Northamptonshire – and within there is a town called “Daventry” – Daventry happens to be the name of the Kingdom in a game I love called “King’s Quest”
Desumāchi – Band of Hobgoblins from the continent of Kyokutō
Part 1: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=501
Part 2: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=522
Part 3: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=552
Part 4: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=599
Part 5: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=631
Part 6: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=665
IAMsposta: satyr bard
AEDorsay: elf wizard
Sirtawmis: half-orc fighter
deadpanC_C: leonin barbarian
theology of bagels: goblin cleric
drakenbrine: dwarf sorcerer
Amnon_Balderk: orc monk
midnightplat: changeling rogue
Wysperra: halfling artificer
quar1on: gnome warlock
Antonsirius: kobold Druid
thorrison: Giff Ranger
ChoirOfFire: tielfing paladin
The_Summoning_Dark: tortle bloodhunter
BoringBard: Dragonborn bard
AllMightyLordOfDND – Multi-Race/Multi-Class
==================================
“Hey, we got something back here,” Amnon_Balderk called out over his shoulder, his Orc eyes peering towards the mouth of the cave where the others were standing.
Drakenbrine came to stand next to Amnon_Balderk. “Blast. The lad is right. There’s a door way here. One of these rocks must be the doorway.” Drakenbrine began feeling the wall – when he suddenly paused and looked back at Amnon_Balderk. “Wait, how did you know there was a passage way back here? Orcs aren’t known for being that perceptive with stonework.”
Amnon_Balderk shrugged. “When I channeled my Ki – it vibrates off the energy around me. This wall back here sounded different than the rest of the stone around me – I assumed there must be a hidden passage back here. Besides,” Amnon_Balderk smirked, “some orcs live in mountains. One day I will tell you about a band of orcs that sprung a trap on a Dwarven King.”
“Impossible!” Drakenbrine’s beard bristled.
“If your grandfather,” Amnon_Balderk began.
“Great, great grandfather,” Drakenbrine corrected.
“Fine, yes, him, if he can survive a pit of snakes, as AEDorsay said somehow survived,” Amnon_Balderk shrugged, “I suppose it’s possible that even orcs can surprise and capture a mountain dwarf king.”
Sirtawmis was watching the two near the secret entrance they’d discovered, his arms folded in front of his chest. He looked over at the Satyr, who sat there, gazing onward, disinterested. “You’ve been unusually quiet.”
The Satyr looked over at Sirtawmis, “Well you keep telling me what a horrible bard I am.”
“Well,” Sirtawmis shrugged. “You really are horrible at it. Not so much at the instrument itself – you can play a lute just fine – but your lyrics need a lot of work.”
“I suppose you could do better,” IAmSposta muttered.
“I might know a thing or two about,” Sirtawmis began, then stopped when he noticed ChoirOfFire standing directly behind him, as if eavesdropping. Sirtawmis raised an eye brow, “Apparently whatever deity it is you follow, Paladin, doesn’t believe in social distancing? Why are you standing so close?”
“Me?” ChoirOfFire asked, innocently. “I was just trying to see what the half-orc and the weird dwarf sorcerer were into.”
“They claim to have found a secret passage,” Sirtawmis shrugged. “Yet neither of them has figured out how to open the door.”
Quar1on approached and added to the conversation, “I consulted my patreon,” he began.
“Patron, you mean,” AEDorsay corrected, heaving a sigh as she closed his book.
“No, my patreon,” Quar1on began. “I collect funds to do spells and they donate gold monthly to me. And I scribe updates, usually on my adventures – and I had asked what they wanted me to work on next and they mentioned unlocking the barbarian curse. So then,” he emphasized, “I consulted my patron. Asked the Great Rubber Ducky, what they know about the icy trap which DeadpanC_C is being banished to – and he provided me this riddle…”
“The man with the courageous heart; but driven by darkness and shadow. Cursed by the rage that consumed the once noble heart; now twisted into a monster, given flight on the wings of Hades. Guarding now, a passage as cold as his heart; cursed to feed on the flesh of those he once loved.”
“That sounds like it’s about DeadpanC_C,” AEDorsay said. “Courageous heart could be the courage of a lion; cursed by rage that consumed the noble heart, could be the fact that he’s a barbarian; and given flight into Hades, could be that’s where he’s being banished to. I just can’t figure out the last two lines.”
Midnightplat who had come up to see the secret passage that could be hidden in the back of the cave, told the dwarven sorcerer and half-orc monk to step aside. “I’ve had my share of prisons I’ve needed to escape from,” the changeling rogue explained, “if I couldn’t use my ability to shape change to get me out of it. I am all too familiar with,” and with a click, a stone moved inward, “finding hidden passages.”
“And I think I can solve the rest of the riddle,” Thorrison gazed over the heads of others, his stout humanoid hippo-like form, towering over others. Just inside he could a thin bridge made of ice; and in the center, a pulsating heart made of ice. “I don’t think the riddle had anything to do with our Leonin friend; but rather the Manticore that we killed. Or that they,” he looked at ChoirOfFire, BoringBard and The_Summoning_Dark, “they killed.”
IAmSposta turned to Quar1on, “You mentioned your patron said there was an icy trap thing to save the leonine, right?”
“He did,” the warlock nodded.
“Well that’s an ice bridge, and it seems to tie to the riddle,” IAmSposta continued. “So who should cross the bridge?”
“I’d do it,” Thorrison offered, put placed his large hands on his hips. “My people are not made for walking across fragile ice bridges, on the account that gravity is a big part of who we are.”
“Not so much gravity,” IAmSposta muttered, “but size.”
Sirtawmis slapped IAmSposta. “Seriously.”
“What? It’s true? The Giff are large people,” the Satyr sighed.
“One of truth faith,” AllMightyLordOfDND said, peering into the hidden room; staring at the thin, icy bridge, and the depths of darkness around it. “One of truth faith,” he repeated, “to walk in the light and fight the darkness; one of warm heart to fight the cold; one to learn to trust rather than deceive.”
Sirtawmis leaned against the wall and looked at ChoirOfFire, “Pretty sure he means you, missy,” he smirked. “One of faith, walk in the light, warm heart probably a reference to your name – but man, am I curious about the trust bit.”
ChoirOfFire flushed red, her cheeks matching her reddish hair. “Fine,” she snarled and pushed her way through the others. Her Tiefling eyes peered into the darkness around the frozen bridge. She could not see the bottom, but she could clearly hear the wind howling furiously all around. “So what do I do?” She spun and faced AllMightyLordOfDND, “I mean, once I reach the frozen heart.”
“Compassion,” AllMightyLordOfDND replied matter-of-factly.
“Compassion,” she sighed and turned around. She began walking across the bridge and was instantly greeted by a breeze that was so cold, that she could swear the blood coursing through her veins, turned into fragments of ice, as they streaked through her heart and caused her immense pain. She doubled down and gasped for breath.
BoringBard moved through the crowd, “Choir, don’t do this! We don’t need to prove anything to them! We don’t even know this Leonin that they’re talking about. He’s not worth this.”
“Compassion,” Sirtawmis muttered, “see you got plenty of it, Dragonborn.”
The Dragonborn, a towering figure turned and bared at his teeth at Sirtawmis. “Watch your tongue, half-orc.”
Sirtawmis placed his hand on his sword. “Any day you want to try it, Dragonborn.”
The_Summoning_Dark placed his hand on BoringBard and pulled him away. “Not now. Not yet,” he whispered.
Theology of Bagels looked as ChoirOfFire struggled to stand. “I am so glad it wasn’t me,” they said. “I barely just have a fur vest and loin on. I would have froze out there. And probably blown right off the bridge.”
Wysperra, the Halfling artificer who’d been standing next to Theology said, “Well, I could have given you a potion or two that would have made it feel like your blood was on fire. I am not entirely certain of the success of survival if consumed, but I have learned that is one of the side effects.”
Antonsirius watched, as ChoirOfFire buckled again. “She’s going to die out there. Either by getting thrown over the edge, or freeze to death. More than likely freeze to death. She’s barely moving now.”
“Son of a,” Sirtawmis growled. “Hold my sword,” he shoved his sword into IAmSposta’s hands.
“Don’t do this,” the Satyr warned. “You know that…”
“Keep your mouth shut, Satyr,” Sirtawmis growled and made his way out to the bridge.
The cold wrapped around him like talons of death, sending him to his knees, just shy of ChoirOfFire.
“I,” he shouted, “need you, to fight…” Sirtawmis growled. “Stand… up…” Words were barely coming to him as his body rapidly succumbed to the cold that seemed to emanate on the bridge.
ChoirOfFire turned and saw the half-orc, his beard covered in ice in seconds. “What are you doing out here,” she stammered, barely able to talk.
“Thought I’d try to save you,” he laughed, despite the cold and his teeth clattering uncontrollably. “Not working out how I thought,” he admitted. “Much colder out here than over there.”
ChoirOfFire managed to get back to her feet, though her knees shook, as if they were ready to buckle again. She heard, “I am sorry,” from behind her, just as Sirtawmis stood and flung himself forward, shoving her forward uncontrollably. Initially she’d thought he was trying to kill her – but as she stammered forward she realized, with every step she was closer to the beating, frozen heart.
She stumbled and clasped onto the massive beating heart before falling over the edge. “Now what?” she shouted to no one in particular.
“Touch the heart,” she heard AllMightyLordOfDND’s voice in her head.
She looked at the heart and thought she needed to touch it in the way, one touches ones heart with soft and beautiful words – but then she looked at her hands and placed both of them on the heart and expended all of her radiant energy in the form of Lay On Hands upon the heart – and suddenly the temperature rose to be warm once again – she took a step back as the heart began to swirl and change – and soon, DeadpanC_C fell out of the swirling blood as the heart continued to beat.
A voice – the voice of the manticore! – said, “You have risked your own life, to show compassion for one who has wronged me. I was once a Leonin like him – but he and I both loved the same. We had gotten into a fight over her and in his rage he struck her – and cut her so deep, it left a scar that would never heal. He fled, like a coward, while I remained. I tried to explain what had happened – but her mother had blamed me and cursed me to become a manticore – the foul lion beast with a frozen heart. I found Deadpan, and cursed him to come back and relive that moment in my heart whenever I felt like punishing him. But I gave him a way out – if someone could speak for him – someone would risk their life for him – then perhaps he is redeemable. Perhaps he is worth saving.”
DeadpanC_C looked up, his massive lion form looking as small as a kitten. “He speaks the truth. The manticore was none other than my brother. We both loved the same Leoniness. When I struck her and scarred her in my blind rage, I fled. And never looked back. I was ashamed. But I have seen the error of my ways now and shall do what I must to redeem myself.”
“You are free of your curse for now,” the manticore’s voice boomed in the hall. “Do not give me reason to find you and banish you again.”
In the back, Drakenbrine sighed, "One more I need to share my story bandwidth with..."
TO BE CONTINUED?
Check out my publication on DMs Guild: https://www.dmsguild.com/browse.php?author=Tawmis%20Logue
Check out my comedy web series - Neverending Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wr4-u9-zw0&list=PLbRG7dzFI-u3EJd0usasgDrrFO3mZ1lOZ
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Oh my gosh, sending warm fuzzy waves. /HUGS
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I must be really out of it. What D&D thing? I know the movie is coming out this weekend...
Probably not, but you never know I guess.
I think they're talking about the D&D Direct thing, though I could be wrong.
This is awesome! I need to go back and read the other parts I missed.
BoringBard's long and tedious posts somehow manage to enrapture audiences. How? Because he used Charm Person, the #1 bard spell!
He/him pronouns. Call me Bard. PROUD NERD!
Ever wanted to talk about your parties' worst mistakes? Do so HERE. What's your favorite class, why? Share & explain
HERE.The story is getting darker and more epic! I also was just thinking about using ki to sense disturbances the other day! Totally stole the idea and improved on it from my first one.
That story is really cool. I really like the leonin cursed to be a manticore with a frozen heart. I might actually use this in a Dnd game.
Ah, right. Yeah, gonna skip that. I'm far more interested in hearing about the Creator Summit.
Question: Do you have any long-standing D&D friendships? Meaning, are there people you've met through D&D that you are still friends with years later?
I'm curious how many groups are just gaming acquaintances versus pre-established friend groups versus people who became friends through playing together. I started playing with friends (and mutual friends who became friends), but since COVID I've mostly played with strangers online. Some of those have become really good friends. I'm curious if that happens more often or if that's super rare.
I mostly just play Dnd with friends that I knew before we started playing. I play in a pre-established friend group.
Absolutely. Going to watch the direct with a couple friends in later today.
Awesome story (not just saying that because it focuses on me). Definitely making a character based on my leonin.
Started playing with friends I already knew. Met an amazing person in my current group, though it was mostly people I already knew too. I only met the person in question about a year ago, so thus far no particularly long-standing friends met through the game
[REDACTED]
I started with a couple people I was friendly with, but not close friends, one close friend, and two people I didn’t even know. Since then I’m no longer close with the close friend (he moved and kind of moved on), some of the people I was friendly with have drifted between very close and definitely people I don’t like and now all both hover around dislikable and not friendly. The other two that I didn’t know were great. One is still a friend, though not a super close one, and the other I lost contact with, though she was great. Even our GM moved. Now I’m actually closest with two other people. One of them played with our GM (he ran 4 groups back then) and began playing with me after he left. My other close friend I have known for 10-12 years and I introduced him to the game a little after I started playing. I still play with one of those toxic people, both of my close friends, two slightly less close friends, and the husband of another friend, though she pops in to play occasionally. It’s a decent group sometimes. I also play with some other friends that I actually met through fencing, which has a surprising population of nerdy ass D&D players. I haven’t seen Mercer wandering around the fencing gym yet, but I’m hopeful!
I have just spent a lot of time that I don't have compiling this list of questions that have been asked on this thread. These do not include questions from the original thread. I might collect those later if I have the time, but definitely not today. They are only sort of in order. Here they are:
Dungeons or Dragons? Choose one and tell us why.
I’d love to know the story behind DDB adding Minecraft creatures. It just confuses me
My one group is mostly people I knew in high school, but the other one is mostly people I met at the game store. We don't really hang out aside from D&D though, but I think people are just busy a lot of the time. Well, some of us play Magic together!
It is strange, but I am not against them giving us new monsters for free. I might try to come up with situations where I can use these monsters in my games.
Same. I usually prefer to use my own monsters though. The MM is just a guide.