Q: If you could choose between being able to cast any one spell from D&D: Honor Among Thieves, what would you pick? The icy finger Prestidigitation honestly seems pretty neat, I don't know how often I'm gonna need to like, strangle someone with a giant tentacle.
Oh, I'm just talking about the spells you see people casting in the movie. Off the top of my head, there's Time Stop (but it doesn't work the same way...), Misty Step, Prestidigitation, what might be Hold Person or perhaps Entangle, Meteor Storm, Major Image, Reverse Gravity, and Counterspell.
One small thing: meteor swarm is not actually cast in the movie. That was actually a special ability that is included in one of the stat blocks WotC made.
I think it would be more accurate to say "Meteor Swarm (but it doesn't work the same way...)," then. Because they named the feature "Swarm of Meteors," lmao. It's definitely meant to evoke that same spell, it just didn't fit the scene to use it as written.
Oh yes, I forgot to answer. Prestidigitation is my number one choice. It is simply the most useful spell, especially since what is listed in the spell is only some of what it can do. If it were real, then the world is your GM and the only way to learn about its abilities would be testing them. Perhaps it can levitate items a few inches, unlock locks, or even locate words in books. The possibilities are endless!
Q: If you could choose between being able to cast any one spell from D&D: Honor Among Thieves, what would you pick? The icy finger Prestidigitation honestly seems pretty neat, I don't know how often I'm gonna need to like, strangle someone with a giant tentacle.
Prestidigitation would probably be the most useful.
There's nothing in the film to suggest that the different uses of Prestidigitation we see are in fact the same spell. If we were to assume they're different spells, would you pick "project the smell of freshly cut grass," "make a tiny lighter flame," or "cool down a hot beverage"? XD
Q: What plant monsters do you include in your games? It's one of the severely underrepresented monster types. I sometimes add the plant type to existing stat blocks and change the theming. My favorite one is the Darktrapper, a terrifying hallucinogenic Venus fly trap that moves on four legs like a tiger. It's just the Cloaker stat block, with different movement speeds and no languages, and it's a plant. But I also really love the Corpse Flower monster from Mordy's Tome of Foes. The one that eats bodies and spits out zombies. The updated one in MotM is also good. Same critter basically.
There's nothing in the film to suggest that the different uses of Prestidigitation we see are in fact the same spell. If we were to assume they're different spells, would you pick "project the smell of freshly cut grass," "make a tiny lighter flame," or "cool down a hot beverage"? XD
Q: What plant monsters do you include in your games? It's one of the severely underrepresented monster types. I sometimes add the plant type to existing stat blocks and change the theming. My favorite one is the Darktrapper, a terrifying hallucinogenic Venus fly trap that moves on four legs like a tiger. It's just the Cloaker stat block, with different movement speeds and no languages, and it's a plant. But I also really love the Corpse Flower monster from Mordy's Tome of Foes. The one that eats bodies and spits out zombies. The updated one in MotM is also good. Same critter basically.
Definitely freshly cut grass. So many ways to use that. Actually, tiny lighter flame would be better.
I once ran a game that was in a town overrun by blights. It was really fun, little scraggly bushes grew in odd spots all over the place and transformed into twig blights if approached. Needle blights stalked the wooded area around a Druid hut and the pollen they spread when they die freaked out my players. Vine blights lurked in most water sources, disguised as river weed. It was great because the characters tried to escape the village by swimming underwater in the river and then were almost drowned by reeds. I was somehow able to make a bunch of stick men terrifying to my players. In the end, the Gulthias tree was guarded by a floralhydra (a homebrew monster I found) that the party had to kill. Vine blights acted like the tree’s mouths, so when they found out this tree was intelligent after fighting a bunch of mute bushes they were worried. A vine blight tried to bargain with them, offering power as long as they let it live. They wisely refused, but we’re almost tricked. It was a fun game.
I have the idea for a NPC that the characters will find. It is a treant that is bound in the form of a bonsai. The villain carefully trims it everyday with magical pruning shears, and the pot the bonsai-bound treant is in has magical wards preventing its escape. The bonsai treant serves as a sort of arcane focus for the villain, giving him extra power. If the pot is shattered, the treant will explode out of its pot and use some weakened treant stats.
That same villain has a garden filled with a bunch of other plant monsters, along with a daughter who is poisonous to the touch and I haven’t decided if she will be friend or foe yet. Her name will be Beatrice (Rappacini’s Daughter) and growing up in a magical garden full of poisonous plants will have caused her to become touched with the poison.
Also in the garden, there will be vampire vegetables (a real thing from mythology), “blades” of grass, possibly a whomping willow, and a hidden tree shaped like a hand that is actually a portal to another plane. (Another book reference.)
I like shambling mounds probably because I like Swamp Thing.
Also have a nostalgic love of all the plants in S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
I’ve been meaning to try the 5e conversion S3
I love all these conversions and I’m glad that WotC weren’t the ones to make them. While WotC has made some excellent products, preserving the classic feel of the old modules is not something I’d trust them to do.
I like shambling mounds probably because I like Swamp Thing.
Also have a nostalgic love of all the plants in S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
I’ve been meaning to try the 5e conversion S3
I love all these conversions and I’m glad that WotC weren’t the ones to make them. While WotC has made some excellent products, preserving the classic feel of the old modules is not something I’d trust them to do.
WotC did sort of revisit the Barrier Peaks for 5e in an extra life adventure called Lost Library of Kwalish. I like it. It actually has a few things that I've lifted out of it for parts of my larger campaign. It's not the tome the Goodman adaptation is, but offers a flexibility on running it as a one shot up to a ~20-25 hr. game.
I like shambling mounds probably because I like Swamp Thing.
Also have a nostalgic love of all the plants in S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
I’ve been meaning to try the 5e conversion S3
I love all these conversions and I’m glad that WotC weren’t the ones to make them. While WotC has made some excellent products, preserving the classic feel of the old modules is not something I’d trust them to do.
WotC did sort of revisit the Barrier Peaks for 5e in an extra life adventure called Lost Library of Kwalish. I like it. It actually has a few things that I've lifted out of it for parts of my larger campaign. It's not the tome the Goodman adaptation is, but offers a flexibility on running it as a one shot up to a ~20-25 hr. game.
Yes. I saw that. I’ve been meaning to run it. However, in terms of creating a game worthy of the source I think Goodman has a much better understanding of old school gaming (DCC RPG anyone?)
On a side note, Check out this fun new thread over in Unearthed Arcana! I’d love to know what everyone thinks about it. I personally love these odd and half-designed UA articles because they have so much potential!
It’d been a long night of bickering and snapping at one another, as the party made their way through Dolorosa Wood. Because of the Hobgoblins that had been spotted, the party decided to move through Dolorosa Wood because the forest was well known for its unique trees called ‘Dolorosa’ – which stood for ‘wood of thorns’ – because the trees were covered in thousands of thorns, so traveling through these woods often cut those who ventured into it. Worse still was the majority of what made up the ‘Dolorosa’ tree was the fact that it was poisonous – the bark, the leaves and the seeds. Thankfully, the thousands of thorns that protruded from the trees were not poisonous as well.
AEDorsay looked around, as they made their way, trying to remain calm as the thorns penetrated her delicate robes, ripping and tearing into them. “It would seem the lion-one is missing again.”
Sirtawmis, the half-orc fighter, with sword strapped on his back, using his shield to smash the thorns in front of him. “Bastard people didn’t want to get a thorn in his paw.”
“Or his curse truly isn’t broken,” Theology of Bagels shrugged as fragments of thorns rained down on them from the smashing Sirtawmis had done with his shield. “It seemed as if he wasn’t careful, the curse would return and banish him again. The curse mentioned he would need to be pure in heart, which was the whole frozen heart thing, or else the curse would return.”
“Well, we don’t have the time or energy to go back to the manticore’s cave and see if we can undo it again,” the normally cheerful Satyr Bard, IAmSposta muttered, not enjoying the voyage through Dolorosa Wood.
“This is taking too long,” Drakenbrine muttered, and cast “Acid Splash” on the tree next to him, before anyone could do anything.
However, it had a reverse effect – as the spell struck the tree – thousands more thorns suddenly emerged, springing about all around, long enough to pierce Drakenbrine’s flesh.
“Don’t cast magic on the trees,” Quar1on growled. “Do you know know about the Dolorosa Wood?”
Antonsirius was casting “Cure Light Wounds” on Drakenbrine as Quar1on explained, “These woods thrive off of magic. When people use magic against the trees, it feeds them. The only way to get through these thorns is to follow his lead,” and he gestured towards Sirtawmis, “and either avoid the thorns or smash through them physically, without magic. Story goes, this forest was once very, very small – no more than 100 feet wide; but some wizard, tired of the thorns cast a fireball spell on the woods – and the woods erupted in size, impaling the wizard and killing him.”
“These seems ridiculous,” Drakenbrine muttered as the last of his wounds healed. The Dwarven sorcerer found it odd, that he was thanking a kobold druid – once, the great enemy of the dwarves. “Plants that live off of magic?”
“Not so crazy as you might think,” IAmSposta said, strumming his lute. “Before the written word, they say that a battle between the Heavens and Hades raged so violently that it spilled into other planes. One of those planes was the Feywild – which, then breached into this world. Magic poured out of the Feywild uncontrollably, giving this once, magic deprived world a fountain of endless magic. To this very day, there’s still rips and tears in the fabric of dimensions between the Feywild and Deeyandy. That’s how I got here. That’s why you will occasionally see Pegasi, Unicorns, and Sprites and Pixies have made their home here – they do love to torment the people of Deeyandy with their practical jokes – more so Pixies than Sprites. Sprites are really more focused on the nature of the world and how ‘it feels so different.’”
“What’s that got to do with these damn thorn trees?” Drakenbrine muttered, waiting for IAmSposta to get to the point – but like every bard, they start telling a story and wind down a thousands side passages that the story takes before being reeled back in.
“Right,” IAmSposta strummed his lute again. “In the Feywild, there are entire forests, whether animal, elemental, plant, that literally feed on the magic of the Feywild. The same way you and I breathe air – it’s something we can’t see unless we freeze it. Magic is the same way. It is all around us, and these plants ‘breathe’ it in. Give them a huge burst and they get ‘fat.’”
“Do these damn Dolorosa come from the Feywild?” Drakenbrine asked, frustrated.
“Depends on if you’d believe the story,” IAmSposta began with a dramatic strum of his lute.
“I wouldn’t,” Drakenbrine growled.
“It goes like this,” IAmSposta began.
“I said I wouldn’t believe it,” Drakenbrine snapped.
“Yeah,” IAmSposta smiled, “I heard you and I am ignoring you. You don’t like it – go walk over there, away from Sirtawmis smashing these plants.”
“I just might!” Drakenbrine threatened.
“Please do,” IAmSposta smiled.
Drakenbrine stared at the side where massive thorns waited for flesh to pierce and decided better of it.
“Thought so,” IAmSposta said, and strummed his lute again. “As I was saying, according to the story – these trees were indeed first from the Feywild. Although there, they’re slightly different – probably because the volume of magic they’re exposed to – but the story goes,” he repeated, and strummed his lute again. “That an elderly human druid named Dolorosa, was getting up in age. She’d had no lover,” his strum of the lute was a sad tune, “and had no children. Her bloodline, she feared would end with her, for she was her mother’s only daughter,” he strummed the lute again dramatically, “her mother’s only child. And so, Dolorosa, reached out with her magic – and a green hag, by the name of Mealladh. Mealladh is very well known in the Feywild, one of the strongest hags to run a coven… at any rate, Dolorosa’s desperation was like the sweetest candy to Mealladh, and Mealladh answered her prayers in the form a merchant selling plants. Mealladh, in her disguised told Dolorosa that if she planted this tree and fed it with magic, and on the thirtieth day of feeding – to pour all of her magic into it – the tree would provide a way to spread her bloodline. Dolorosa was skeptical, but also desperate. For thirty days, she fed this plant with her magic – and on that thirtieth day – she poured all of her magic into it. The tree sprung out thousands of thorns impaling Dolorosa – her blood sprayed and fed the land and the trees – and Mealladh laughed and laughed. She’d kept her promise. Dolorosa’s bloodline had been spread across the field.”
“You mean to tell me we’re walking in the very woods that this woman supposedly died in?” Drakenbrine shook his head. “That’s ridiculous…”
IAmSposta gestured behind Drakenbrine – who then turned and saw everyone else was also frozen stiff – a ghostly banshee of a female figure drifted in the air in front of them.
One of the fun things I liked to do is put in references.
So when I started writing about this forest full of thorns - and one of our companions vanished again - Sirtawmis mutters about leonin not wanting a thorn in its paw.
This is a reference to the common folk lore of the man who pulls the thorn from the lion's paw, in case that wasn't clear.
Anyone have a fantasy that doesn't fit with DnD's base mechanics at all?
*cracks knuckles*
There is a PDF file for a world setting in my signature.
Give me time enough and freedom from the hell of my job at present, and I will tell you the wonders and joys of what it means to have to write a 500 page book of just the rules, and a 400 page book of just the setting, so that you can play in a world that is intentionally designed to not use the same core inspirations al material and still be D&D.
And this isn't the first time I have done it, lol.
So, yes. Yes I have.
I must be off! Not sure why, but something tells me I need to fix my rather expensive and luxurious robes.
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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
So give it to me - what do you like or dislike so far about the "story" - are there any things that stick out (good or bad)? Anything you'd like to see more of?
You keep dropping the cliff hangers!
Heh - I am that jerk DM that often will end sessions on a cliff hanger during games too.
It's a great way to get the player's reactions! (Evil, yes, but oh so delicious!)
The cliffhangers are truly worth it. I love cliffhangers in games because of the looks on my players faces. I promise I’m usually nice though. I did one shot my first ever PC yesterday though. That was a truly eye opening experience.
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I think it would be more accurate to say "Meteor Swarm (but it doesn't work the same way...)," then. Because they named the feature "Swarm of Meteors," lmao. It's definitely meant to evoke that same spell, it just didn't fit the scene to use it as written.
I'd have to go with Prestidigitation because is has many many practical uses.
Bigby's Hand would be cool though.
"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
Oh yes, I forgot to answer. Prestidigitation is my number one choice. It is simply the most useful spell, especially since what is listed in the spell is only some of what it can do. If it were real, then the world is your GM and the only way to learn about its abilities would be testing them. Perhaps it can levitate items a few inches, unlock locks, or even locate words in books. The possibilities are endless!
Prestidigitation would probably be the most useful.
But bigby’s hand would be really cool.
There's nothing in the film to suggest that the different uses of Prestidigitation we see are in fact the same spell. If we were to assume they're different spells, would you pick "project the smell of freshly cut grass," "make a tiny lighter flame," or "cool down a hot beverage"? XD
Q: What plant monsters do you include in your games? It's one of the severely underrepresented monster types. I sometimes add the plant type to existing stat blocks and change the theming. My favorite one is the Darktrapper, a terrifying hallucinogenic Venus fly trap that moves on four legs like a tiger. It's just the Cloaker stat block, with different movement speeds and no languages, and it's a plant. But I also really love the Corpse Flower monster from Mordy's Tome of Foes. The one that eats bodies and spits out zombies. The updated one in MotM is also good. Same critter basically.
I like shambling mounds probably because I like Swamp Thing.
Also have a nostalgic love of all the plants in S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.
"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
Definitely freshly cut grass. So many ways to use that.
Actually, tiny lighter flame would be better.
I once ran a game that was in a town overrun by blights. It was really fun, little scraggly bushes grew in odd spots all over the place and transformed into twig blights if approached. Needle blights stalked the wooded area around a Druid hut and the pollen they spread when they die freaked out my players. Vine blights lurked in most water sources, disguised as river weed. It was great because the characters tried to escape the village by swimming underwater in the river and then were almost drowned by reeds. I was somehow able to make a bunch of stick men terrifying to my players. In the end, the Gulthias tree was guarded by a floralhydra (a homebrew monster I found) that the party had to kill. Vine blights acted like the tree’s mouths, so when they found out this tree was intelligent after fighting a bunch of mute bushes they were worried. A vine blight tried to bargain with them, offering power as long as they let it live. They wisely refused, but we’re almost tricked. It was a fun game.
I have the idea for a NPC that the characters will find. It is a treant that is bound in the form of a bonsai. The villain carefully trims it everyday with magical pruning shears, and the pot the bonsai-bound treant is in has magical wards preventing its escape. The bonsai treant serves as a sort of arcane focus for the villain, giving him extra power. If the pot is shattered, the treant will explode out of its pot and use some weakened treant stats.
That same villain has a garden filled with a bunch of other plant monsters, along with a daughter who is poisonous to the touch and I haven’t decided if she will be friend or foe yet. Her name will be Beatrice (Rappacini’s Daughter) and growing up in a magical garden full of poisonous plants will have caused her to become touched with the poison.
Also in the garden, there will be vampire vegetables (a real thing from mythology), “blades” of grass, possibly a whomping willow, and a hidden tree shaped like a hand that is actually a portal to another plane. (Another book reference.)
I’ve been meaning to try the 5e conversion S3
I love all these conversions and I’m glad that WotC weren’t the ones to make them. While WotC has made some excellent products, preserving the classic feel of the old modules is not something I’d trust them to do.
WotC did sort of revisit the Barrier Peaks for 5e in an extra life adventure called Lost Library of Kwalish. I like it. It actually has a few things that I've lifted out of it for parts of my larger campaign. It's not the tome the Goodman adaptation is, but offers a flexibility on running it as a one shot up to a ~20-25 hr. game.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Yes. I saw that. I’ve been meaning to run it. However, in terms of creating a game worthy of the source I think Goodman has a much better understanding of old school gaming (DCC RPG anyone?)
On a side note, Check out this fun new thread over in Unearthed Arcana! I’d love to know what everyone thinks about it. I personally love these odd and half-designed UA articles because they have so much potential!
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/unearthed-arcana/169201-old-ua-mini-sourcebooks
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)
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
Part 7: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=696
Part 8: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=748
Part 9: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=811
Part 10: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=821
Part 11: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=829
Part 12: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=880
Part 13: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=972
The Story Map: http://www.tawmis.com/ogl/ogl_map.jpg
IAMsposta: satyr bard
AEDorsay: elf wizard
Sirtawmis: half-orc fighter
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
==================================
It’d been a long night of bickering and snapping at one another, as the party made their way through Dolorosa Wood. Because of the Hobgoblins that had been spotted, the party decided to move through Dolorosa Wood because the forest was well known for its unique trees called ‘Dolorosa’ – which stood for ‘wood of thorns’ – because the trees were covered in thousands of thorns, so traveling through these woods often cut those who ventured into it. Worse still was the majority of what made up the ‘Dolorosa’ tree was the fact that it was poisonous – the bark, the leaves and the seeds. Thankfully, the thousands of thorns that protruded from the trees were not poisonous as well.
AEDorsay looked around, as they made their way, trying to remain calm as the thorns penetrated her delicate robes, ripping and tearing into them. “It would seem the lion-one is missing again.”
Sirtawmis, the half-orc fighter, with sword strapped on his back, using his shield to smash the thorns in front of him. “Bastard people didn’t want to get a thorn in his paw.”
“Or his curse truly isn’t broken,” Theology of Bagels shrugged as fragments of thorns rained down on them from the smashing Sirtawmis had done with his shield. “It seemed as if he wasn’t careful, the curse would return and banish him again. The curse mentioned he would need to be pure in heart, which was the whole frozen heart thing, or else the curse would return.”
“Well, we don’t have the time or energy to go back to the manticore’s cave and see if we can undo it again,” the normally cheerful Satyr Bard, IAmSposta muttered, not enjoying the voyage through Dolorosa Wood.
“This is taking too long,” Drakenbrine muttered, and cast “Acid Splash” on the tree next to him, before anyone could do anything.
However, it had a reverse effect – as the spell struck the tree – thousands more thorns suddenly emerged, springing about all around, long enough to pierce Drakenbrine’s flesh.
“Don’t cast magic on the trees,” Quar1on growled. “Do you know know about the Dolorosa Wood?”
Antonsirius was casting “Cure Light Wounds” on Drakenbrine as Quar1on explained, “These woods thrive off of magic. When people use magic against the trees, it feeds them. The only way to get through these thorns is to follow his lead,” and he gestured towards Sirtawmis, “and either avoid the thorns or smash through them physically, without magic. Story goes, this forest was once very, very small – no more than 100 feet wide; but some wizard, tired of the thorns cast a fireball spell on the woods – and the woods erupted in size, impaling the wizard and killing him.”
“These seems ridiculous,” Drakenbrine muttered as the last of his wounds healed. The Dwarven sorcerer found it odd, that he was thanking a kobold druid – once, the great enemy of the dwarves. “Plants that live off of magic?”
“Not so crazy as you might think,” IAmSposta said, strumming his lute. “Before the written word, they say that a battle between the Heavens and Hades raged so violently that it spilled into other planes. One of those planes was the Feywild – which, then breached into this world. Magic poured out of the Feywild uncontrollably, giving this once, magic deprived world a fountain of endless magic. To this very day, there’s still rips and tears in the fabric of dimensions between the Feywild and Deeyandy. That’s how I got here. That’s why you will occasionally see Pegasi, Unicorns, and Sprites and Pixies have made their home here – they do love to torment the people of Deeyandy with their practical jokes – more so Pixies than Sprites. Sprites are really more focused on the nature of the world and how ‘it feels so different.’”
“What’s that got to do with these damn thorn trees?” Drakenbrine muttered, waiting for IAmSposta to get to the point – but like every bard, they start telling a story and wind down a thousands side passages that the story takes before being reeled back in.
“Right,” IAmSposta strummed his lute again. “In the Feywild, there are entire forests, whether animal, elemental, plant, that literally feed on the magic of the Feywild. The same way you and I breathe air – it’s something we can’t see unless we freeze it. Magic is the same way. It is all around us, and these plants ‘breathe’ it in. Give them a huge burst and they get ‘fat.’”
“Do these damn Dolorosa come from the Feywild?” Drakenbrine asked, frustrated.
“Depends on if you’d believe the story,” IAmSposta began with a dramatic strum of his lute.
“I wouldn’t,” Drakenbrine growled.
“It goes like this,” IAmSposta began.
“I said I wouldn’t believe it,” Drakenbrine snapped.
“Yeah,” IAmSposta smiled, “I heard you and I am ignoring you. You don’t like it – go walk over there, away from Sirtawmis smashing these plants.”
“I just might!” Drakenbrine threatened.
“Please do,” IAmSposta smiled.
Drakenbrine stared at the side where massive thorns waited for flesh to pierce and decided better of it.
“Thought so,” IAmSposta said, and strummed his lute again. “As I was saying, according to the story – these trees were indeed first from the Feywild. Although there, they’re slightly different – probably because the volume of magic they’re exposed to – but the story goes,” he repeated, and strummed his lute again. “That an elderly human druid named Dolorosa, was getting up in age. She’d had no lover,” his strum of the lute was a sad tune, “and had no children. Her bloodline, she feared would end with her, for she was her mother’s only daughter,” he strummed the lute again dramatically, “her mother’s only child. And so, Dolorosa, reached out with her magic – and a green hag, by the name of Mealladh. Mealladh is very well known in the Feywild, one of the strongest hags to run a coven… at any rate, Dolorosa’s desperation was like the sweetest candy to Mealladh, and Mealladh answered her prayers in the form a merchant selling plants. Mealladh, in her disguised told Dolorosa that if she planted this tree and fed it with magic, and on the thirtieth day of feeding – to pour all of her magic into it – the tree would provide a way to spread her bloodline. Dolorosa was skeptical, but also desperate. For thirty days, she fed this plant with her magic – and on that thirtieth day – she poured all of her magic into it. The tree sprung out thousands of thorns impaling Dolorosa – her blood sprayed and fed the land and the trees – and Mealladh laughed and laughed. She’d kept her promise. Dolorosa’s bloodline had been spread across the field.”
“You mean to tell me we’re walking in the very woods that this woman supposedly died in?” Drakenbrine shook his head. “That’s ridiculous…”
IAmSposta gestured behind Drakenbrine – who then turned and saw everyone else was also frozen stiff – a ghostly banshee of a female figure drifted in the air in front of them.
“Believe me now,” IAmSposta whispered.
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
So give it to me - what do you like or dislike so far about the "story" - are there any things that stick out (good or bad)?
Anything you'd like to see more of?
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
It’s great so far. No critique.
Thanks!
One of the fun things I liked to do is put in references.
So when I started writing about this forest full of thorns - and one of our companions vanished again - Sirtawmis mutters about leonin not wanting a thorn in its paw.
This is a reference to the common folk lore of the man who pulls the thorn from the lion's paw, in case that wasn't clear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androcles
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
*cracks knuckles*
There is a PDF file for a world setting in my signature.
Give me time enough and freedom from the hell of my job at present, and I will tell you the wonders and joys of what it means to have to write a 500 page book of just the rules, and a 400 page book of just the setting, so that you can play in a world that is intentionally designed to not use the same core inspirations al material and still be D&D.
And this isn't the first time I have done it, lol.
So, yes. Yes I have.
I must be off! Not sure why, but something tells me I need to fix my rather expensive and luxurious robes.
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 feel like - and this might be way too egotistical of me - but it feels like a reference to the story. lol
Hopefully you don't have robes that have really torn! (Close your eyes, children!) lol
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
You keep dropping the cliff hangers!
"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
Heh - I am that jerk DM that often will end sessions on a cliff hanger during games too.
It's a great way to get the player's reactions! (Evil, yes, but oh so delicious!)
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
The cliffhangers are truly worth it. I love cliffhangers in games because of the looks on my players faces. I promise I’m usually nice though. I did one shot my first ever PC yesterday though. That was a truly eye opening experience.