When our time is gone and we ascend to the angels and demons, you can still be young and be like, "Remember those old adventurers that were like 'back in my day' and 'get off my lawn'... "
Future Me: "Back in my day, when I was your age kiddos, I was gettin' me hands dirty engaging in Online forum debates about alignment and various other mechanics! Oh, the good old days where I would discuss the game with those that had been playing D&D close to when it first came out!"
I live in a gated community that only allows gravel.
I would say get off my rocks.
(ok, sorry, again, she's being a pest, and I need to make some money to quiet her down and restore her hoard...)
That just means you have a lawn of rocks.
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"Come with me, and you'll be. in a world of pure imagination. Take a look, and you'll see, into your imagination. we'll begin, with a spin. traveling in a world of my creation. what we'll see will defy explanation!" ~Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
their is no light without dark. no calm without storm. no heroes without villains. I, unfortunately am the dark. I am the storm. I. Am. The. Villain (not really considering I'm a forever player and never get the chance to DM)
I am spending the day alternating between filling out a series of huge tables for trade goods (that will ultimately impact my entire commerce set up) and sorting/re-writing special abilities from the Feats and Special abilities here to fit with the new structure in the next campaign (where Everyone gets a choice at each level of something extra to add to their character, and this is the list of things; basically, every special ability from every class and subclass and every feat, plus a few).
So a huge part of me is bored to tears. They said game design was exciting, interesting. They gloss over the long boring parts, lol.
I feel you. Iâve been working on the crunchy, mechanical pieces of my system and it is making me feel like homebrewing for D&D is the better path. But we must never give up! It is us that pave the way into the unknown for others, so they might one day take on our worlds and systems and delve even deeper into the unknown abyss of *Things that arenât D&D.* Oooo⊠spooky!
egads! My stuff is absolutely D&D! It is just D&D with MORE, lol.
Once I post up the Aspects stuff, folks will get why I killed subclasses, lol. They are not needed, because you can still make your own â I made âhome brew subsâ a part of character design. The whining about how class X isnât there is answered simply with âthey arenât in the settingâ but they can be made (or super close to any of them) because excepting certain abilities only available to the main classes, all the rest is a choice away, lol.
Magic is different? Oh yeah, it is. You can now cast fireball even if you are a cleric or paladin and you can cast it a bunch of times without forgetting it â but be wary of your energy.
Extra ability scores? Pshaw. Perception is already kind of its own, lol, Sanity is a standing option, and if you are going to have magic points a score helps out a lot for that (think prof bonus for spell casting).
I mean, yeah, I could just go whole hog and say âit ainât D&Dâ, but honestly? Iâd be lying, lol. it is 5e with some reworked stuff from 1e and 2e and spell points that I made easier onthe backend to plan out my encounters for.
I mean, if Dark Sun, Manteca, and the original Oriental Adventures were still D&D, what I have is absolutely still D&D. If Spelljammer is still D&D, what I am doing is. Just.. more. I only have 125 monsters created (roughly, lol) for it. ANd nearly all of them are variants on existing stuff int eh game.
But yes â this stuff is hard work, especially when you are as deep into the weeds as I am (I am now breaking my outfitting list â equipment tables â into assorted Guild lists so that I can have prices by shop and drop the whole âMarvelous Mercantileâ thing, lol). Pain in the as, but now Iâll have the ability to do different prices in different locations for different goods, and more role playing because they hav to go to different places to get different things â and of course not all towns have a chandler, sheesh.
Sadly, people are already saying it isnât D&D here, so you have a point, lol. Long Live the Crunch!
Well, I meant RAW or homebrew stuff⊠youâve gone an extra step!
I live in a gated community that only allows gravel.
I would say get off my rocks.
(ok, sorry, again, she's being a pest, and I need to make some money to quiet her down and restore her hoard...)
That just means you have a lawn of rocks.
Dear heavens, please don't tempt her! Pedantic Toni is hard enough to keep in a box as it is!
LOL
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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
Just got additional feedback. Was asked to make some changes (minor). So Clerics now have Rebuke to Paladins Smite and Shrinewards Aegis. I am somewhat concerned, because a Rebuke generally indicates a failure to comply, and Clerics are supposed tobe gathering people, not punishing them, lol. The baseline is still that most people (about 60%) don't trust or like the Gods (which is why they are called The Powers That Be and never gods or deities), and so the goal of all three of those groups is to inspire, protect, and aid the people in the thinking that it will slowly bring them over to the god's sides.
However, in their defense, they were playing the classes in a different world that doesn't have that kind of problem, lol.
Was asked if a Bard with the old artificer special abilities can make a lute that plays itself.
Was also asked if bards can do spam. As in, a bunch of junk messages and noise. You may not be surprised to learn it was a 16 year old who asked.
I "need to make multiclassing easier". That will require some more conversation with the group as a whole. One of the impacts of the new magic system is that "the streams don't cross" -- an Arcane user cannot use Divine, a Divine user cannot use Primal, etc. So if yo multi-class, you may lose access to abilities within that category if you jump to a class with a different basis. This only applies to classes that are officially magic users -- though anyone can learn magic, it isn't something that Corsairs, Warriors, Vanguards, or Gunslingers learn at the start, and they have to sacrifice to get it.
There is an Aspect (a Feat) that allows you to do so, but it can't be learned until 9th level or later.
That same thing also limits some of the feats available, but they skipped that rules for the sessions (and honestly, I agree with it).
all the Tears of the Kingdom playing folks want to know if I am going to have crafting, lol. That game is going to burn through D&D, I am telling you. As a mechanic, it is going to enter the game if even a third of the wotc staff play it.
Right now, the rating is 75% positive, with the dings being mostly related to some of the holes I haven't patched up yet. Lore, the "class construction set", the background development kit, magic system all scored a perfect 100. Races are "kinda boring" per the most positive feedback, lol.
They do love the new combat options, but some are still pissy about their weapons no longer having properties inherent -- and those are all the newer players, so it has a lot to do with the minmax thing and familiarity.
DM wise: classes are less powerful but don't feel like it. I am required to note that I was not paying attention last night, and that combat took 30 to 45 minutes per fight and I apologize for mis-stating the time. Combat wise, however, it made for a much more exciting combat that really got dicey in the fourth since they'd only had one short rest and the mages had used most of their magic by then.
(yes, I had to include that because they do read these forums, lol)
Dm says the spamming of fireballs can change the mechanics of how the party plays dramatically -- which will be cool for big fights and major boss fights. I am smiling while being dead inside because I never thought folks would spam fireballs since they know they will be out of magic fast. Teach me, why don't they.
We've already playtested that part and they didn't though -- so...
Character creation is a bit slower when you are whipping up new characters at high levels. That could be a problem. The issue is choice paralysis. Essentially, at high level, they get so many choices from a list of so many choices that it feels a bit overwhelming. Some grumbling about wishing they had chosen a different set of options.
Interaction with magic items is going to take a center stage next time given what they have now. THey burned through the dungeon, lol. All of us have played White Plume and Tomb several times, both original and new, so even slightly tweaked they are familiar and the beats are known. Be interesting to compare with tonight's crew (we often have to run in chunks, because of scheduling and the sheer size of our group).
Also, to all of you, thank you for putting up with me doing this.
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
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
Writerâs Note: This madness is something out of sheer boredom. It all began when AllMightyLordOfDND assigned races and classes to people who were participating in the thread. He was basing it on peopleâs responses, avatars, signatures (I am not sure what his formula was). But I was bored, and decided to start writing⊠I canât even call it a story. I will call it an âAttempt To Curb My Boredom.â It keeps going, and no idea how long it will even go for. I have no plans where this story is going, as the conversations in the thread often dictate where the story is headed.
âI am not blowing anyone or anything,â the Dragonborn growled.
âListen,â Midnightplat laughed, âyouâre the biggest one here being a dragonborn. And being a bard, youâre used to⊠blowing instruments. Youâve got the best set of lungs among us.â
BoringBard stared at Midnightplat and yanked Barkwood out of his hands.
âEasy with the shaft!â Barkwood growled. âI am not just some object, you know.â
Everyone failed to suppress their laughter.
BoringBard put his lips on the Wood Woadâs head and blew â and sure enough a loud whistle burst forth from the Wood Woad, its mouth and nose acting as a part of the whistle. BoringBard rapidly set the Wood Woad down.
âNow what,â the embarrassed Dragonborn bard asked.
âOh, nothing,â IAMSposta laughed. âWe just wanted to see if youâd blow him.â
BoringBardâs scales almost turned to the same color as a red dragon, as anger took over.
âI kid, I kid,â IAMSposta said. âNow we wait to see who answers the call first.â
âWhat does that mean?â Quar1on asked.
âWe either just drew the attention of the Perytons, who feast on humanoid hearts that live in Heartstone Ridge mountains, or we get the help of someone helpful on the other side. Now itâs just a waiting game,â IAMSposta answered as he eyed the opposite shore eagerly.
Part 22: The Lying, The Witch, and The Great Sword.
A huge shadow passed over, moving quickly east to west. âWhat was that?â Amnon_Balderk asked, gripping his quarterstaff tightly, his eyes scanning the skies above him.
âWhat was what?â IAMSposta asked, turning to face the orc.
âA huge shadow just passed over us from above,â Amnon_Balderk answered, his teeth clenched.
âWell that canât be good,â IAMSposta confessed.
âWhat does it mean?â Amnon_Balderk asked.
âMeans the Perytons heard the whistle,â IAMSposta shrugged, his eyes now looking to the heavens.
At that moment, two massive birds, whose wingspan was easily twenty feet, from tip to tip, dove out of the dark clouds that theyâd been using for cover. Everyone quickly began to scatter by three fire arrows fired at each of the pertyons deterred them from pursuing their next meal.
IAMSposta looked up from behind the rock heâd hidden behind, glancing around, wondering why the perytons had suddenly fled.
âIAMSposta,â a voice called from the other side of the river. The Satyr looked up to see who had called his name.
He spotted a beautiful dryad emerging from the woods on the other side, slinging her bow over her shoulder. âGaliorra,â IAMSposta called back thankfully.
âJust call me Gali,â she called back. She suddenly saw AEDorsay stand up. âYou bring an elf with you?â Then Midnightplat stood. âMidnight,â she called out, recognizing the changeling. Wyspera was next to stand, and Gali drew her bow again. âA wererat is behind you all!â
IAMSposta waved his arms frantically. âNo! No! Heâs with us.â
âYou travel with a wererat?â she asked, questioningly.
âLong story,â he shrugged.
âAll of yours always are,â Gali laughed.
Next were SirTawmis and Amnon_Balderk, which Gali looked at IAMSposta. âYou bring orc-kind to our land?â
IAMSposta looked over his shoulder. âTheyâre with us too. Listen the world down on the mortal plane has changed much.â
SirTawmis shook his head at IAMSposta calling it the âmortal planeâ again.
Quar1on, ChoirOfFire and BoringBard all stood up as well.
âYou bring quite a motley crew with you,â Gali commented. âNot too shocking since you often associate with riff-raff.â
âDid she just call us riff-raff?â Amnon_Balderk asked SirTawmis in hushed tones.
âI believe she did,â he chuckled, hardly taking offense. âI believe people of the Fey do not censor their emotions.â
âItâs evident,â Amnon_Balderk responded.
Gali whistled and the large oak tree nearest the edge of the river suddenly came alive. It extended a massive branch across the river, its roots rising from the ground, and wrapping around the branch to make the bridge stable. IAMSposta turned to face the Wood Woad, âOakroot was right there? Why didnât you tell us?â
âWell, a good blow always clears me out,â the Wood Woad named Barkwood. IAMSposta should have known Oakroot was near â the Wood Woads rarely travel too far from the treants from which theyâre birthed from. BoringBard could be seen fuming â to which, IAMSposta found entertaining so his frustration at the wooden stick quickly passed.
As the others crossed, IAMSposta took note that SirTawmis could not keep his eyes off Gali. âWhatâs gotten into you?â the Satyr whispered as they followed Gali into the woods.
âI donât know,â SirTawmis replied, his half-orc eyes lingering longingly on Gali.
Suddenly IAMSpostaâs eyes widened, âSon of a orc! I know whatâs wrong! Cover your eyes idiot.â Quickly IAMSposta ripped a piece of AEDorsayâs tattered robes off and tied it around SirTawmisâ eyes.
âWhatâs going on?â AEDorsay asked, coming to stand next to the Satyr, staring at where heâd ripped her already tattered dress.
âHe hurt his eye crossing the bridge,â the Satyr lied. âGot poked in the eye by a stray branch. I will have the Queen look at it when we see her.â
AEDorsay knew the Satyr was lying, but now was not the time to bring it up.
Gali lead the party through Haillonwood. Inside the depths of the woods, nature was vibrant and alive â animals scuttled about and flowers of a thousand colors bloomed all around them. âIf youâre with Midnight, I assume youâre here to speak to the former Queen of the Faeland.â
IAMSposta nodded. âWe are.â
Gali escorted the party to a large room to await the former Queen.
After several hours, Gali entered, âThe Former Queen will see you now.â
The party entered an area, within a large oak tree, where a female Spring Eladrin sat on a wooden throne. âWhat can I do for you, Midnight?â
âI have returned from the Prime Material Plane,â Midnightplat bowed deeply, âmy Queen.â
âI am not the Queen anymore,â Aristalla smiled, though her smile hid the pain poorly. âIt is Mealladh who sits on the throne now, alongside her appointed King, Lord Bhasmhor.â
âShe is a false Queen,â Midnightplat replied, his head still bowed.
âYou could have your head cut off for such words,â Aristalla commented.
âI would risk it,â Midnightplat retorted, âbecause I would never call the Hag my Queen, and would rather die than do so.â
âWhat have you learned, Changeling?â Astralla asked.
âThe rumors are true,â Midnightplat confirmed, finally raising his head to meet Astrallaâs gaze. âLord Bhasmhor murdered the entirety of the Lightbringer family and has stolen their one weapon that was to fulfil the Prophecy of Mealladhâs demise, then returned here to the Faeland with it to join Mealladhâs side. So he has been working for her.â
âI had feared as much,â Astralla sighed. ââWeaver of darkness, weaver of shadow; knowledge of the tower to ascend in power. Darkness over light, shadow over day; the blight will run wild, throughout the Fae. Of mortal human hands, the blade bearing light; to put an end to their plight.â She shook her head. âWithout a Lightbringer, I fear all is lost.â She shook her head. âSheâs also employed a hobgoblin warrior by the name of Buraddobaundo.â
Quar1on gasped.
âYou know him, I take it,â Astralla asked.
âI do,â Quar1on nodded, then bowed, unsure what to do. âHe is very dangerous.â
âWe can not give up hope,â IAMSposta stepped forward before realizing heâd spoken out of place and bowed his head and took a knee.
âThere is no need to bow or take a knee,â Astralla smiled. âAs I said, I am not a Queen.â
âAs Midnight said,â IAMSposta kept his head bowed, âyou will always be our Queen.â
âWhy would you say we can not give up?â Astralla asked. âIn the tower, Mealladh uses her hag powers amplified by the tower⊠itâs cloaked in darkness. Those who have dared to try to enter have come back out, their minds broken.â
âI know we donât look like much,â IAMSposta raised his head. âBut weâre here to fight. Weâve lose some friends along the way. But we never waivered. They followed me because I told them that I could pay them good money when this was all said and done. Not once has any of them said this isnât worth it, despite the things weâve seen to get where we are. My Queen, I humbly ask, you allow us to try and finish this Quest.â
âYou are right,â Astralla noted. âThis does seem like an odd group you have gathered. An Elf Wizard seems like a wise choice,â her eyes falling on AEDorsay, who in turn, gave a curt bow. âMidnight, I am very familiar with. I see an infected wererat among you, and one of the enemies of our realm â an orc â and a half orc. There, a gnome ⊠I sense dark magic around him, so I assume a warlock of some kind. And behind him, one of the half-breed demons bearing a holy symbol and a dragonborn with musical instruments.â She shook her head. âIf I allow you to continue, I will be sending you to your deaths.â She paused for a long moment. âBut if thereâs anything Iâve learned is that few people can tell you what to do, Satyr.â
âYou know me too well,â IAMSposta smiled. âI ask, only to be polite.â
âThatâs a first,â Quar1on whispered from the back.
After resting, the party departed and headed for Haillonwood Keep, where the OGL tower was located. As they made their way through the woods â it wasnât far beyond where Astralla had formed her rebel camp that the woods began to look sickly. Deeper and deeper, the woods became more sparse, or dead, their branches limp with sickness.
âHer infection is already spreading rapidly,â AEDorsay commented, her hands touching one of the trees, which was strangely cold to the touch. âWhat is it thatâs happening?â
âRemember when I told you, that the magic you mortals use in the mortal plane comes from the Fae? Well, the entire land here is doused in magic â and sheâs using the power of the OGL tower to siphon it like a stirgeâs beak piercing flesh, drinking the magic into herself. It is said that only the âLightbringerâs Bladeâ â which we thought was some magical weapon forever â turns out, itâs a family blade, from mortals no less - is the only thing that can cleave the darkness that sheâs created around the tower to protect herself as she drinks in this magic.â
âDoes that mean if she succeeds the mortal world as you call it would be depleted of magic,â ChoirOfFire asked.
âThatâs one of the things that would happen,â IAMSposta replied.
âWhat else?â BoringBard asked, assuming that had been the worse of it â which, admittedly was already bad enough.
âShe would have the power to ascend and challenge the gods,â IAMSposta replied matter-of-factly.
âThatâs not good at all,â ChoirOfFire replied, placing her hand on her breastplate which bore the symbol of her deity.
The party finally reached the edge of the Haillonwood Keep, staying about sixty feet away. From here they could see the swirling darkness around the tower. Occasionally an animal would wander into the darkness, then come out a skeletal figure, eyes deranged with madness.
âWe have to get through that?â Quar1on asked, gulping down his nerves.
IAMSposta heaved a deep sigh. âI have the craziest idea thatâs probably going to get us killed. But if we donât do something, when she ascends, weâre all going to die anyway.â
Several hours later, just outside the swirling black mist, a loud sound came pounding.
From inside the tower, Lord Bhasmhor turned to the hobgoblin, Buraddobaundo. The red skinned hobgoblin, whose golden eyes stared back at Lord Bhasmhor with intense hatred. Buraddobaundo was known for his murderous rampage and thatâs why Mealladh had employed him as a guard.
The hobgoblin made his way down the stairs, and heard the racket. He gripped his amulet and whispered the words that Mealladh had taught him and walked through the black mist unaffected. He came out to a sight he was not ready to see â a Satyr was playing a lute, and singing horribly, while a dragonborn was pounding on drums.
Quar1on recognized Buraddobaundo and could not wait â he envisioned all that the hobgoblin had murdered and cried out, âPatron of power â of water and life â of tide and sea â I beseech thee â flow through me and strike my hated enemy!â
A thunderous loud âQuack!â filled their air with such intensity that everyone was swept off their feet â and to everyoneâs astonishment a large, yellow, rubber duck landed on Buraddobaundo, crushing him. The duck took a more corporeal form. âWhere is this enemy you need me to vanquish faithful one?â
Quar1on stood up and brush himself, âUnder you, my patron.â
The giant, yellow, rubber duck leaned to one side, and saw nothing but smeared blood. âSo he is,â it said, in a squeaky voice. âSo he is. Well, then I leave you!â And with another loud, thunderous quack, the patron of Quar1on disappeared.
IAMSposta stood and brushed himself off. âWell, that wasnât a part of the plan⊠but I liked it,â and gives a thumbs up to Quar1on.
At that moment, Lord Bhasmhor walked through the black mist. âWhat in the Hades is that noise and why havenât you put a stop to it?â
IAMSposta shouted, âNow!â
At that moment, ChoirOfFire stepped out from a wilted tree, holding her necklace in her hand, shouted a prayer â magic twirled from her hands and struck Lord Bhasmhorâs ears â as he suddenly drew his blade and rushed towards her. Her Compel Duel spell had worked. She stood her ground and just as Lord Bhasmhor reached her, Midnightplat emerged from the shadow and whispered, âWatch your back, murderer,â as he plunged his blade between the metal pieces of Lord Bhasmhor arms, piercing into his heart. Lord Bhasmhor roared in pain and suddenly the truth of what he was became evident â he bore his fangs â he was, as suspected â a vampire.
But the plan had worked. Theyâd lured him away from the tower. Already AEDorsay was whispering the words of magic as she held her hands above her head unleashing a Fireball spell â but, as an Evocation wizard, she shaped the fireball to avoid her companions â focused directly on Lord Bhasmhor who screamed further. ChoirOfFire delivered a holy smite into him, bring her sword hard into his shoulder. Amnon_Balderk struck the vampire with so much speed and force, that Lord Bhasmhor could scarcely tell where the attacks were coming from. It was the surprise bite from Wysperra, whose teeth broke, but still penetrated Lord Bhasmhorâs gauntlet that stunned him and forced him to drop the blade.
A blade that SirTawmis calmly picked up. The blade began to glow brightly as did SirTawmis. Everyone was forced to avert their eyes, but it was Lord Bhasmhor who screamed the most. The searing light burned him to the core, his flesh burning away like paper in a bonfire. His eyes, barely able to see watched as the half-orc in front of him changed into a human â a human Mealladh herself had cursed into a half-orc to ensure the âhuman hands on the bladeâ part of the prophecy would never come true, when Lord Bhasmhor failed to find him after murdering the rest of Tawmis Lightbringerâs family. Now with the Greatsword in hand, Tawmis Lightbringer smiled, âThe curse is finally broken,â and broke the sword with a heavy swing across Lord Bhasmhorâs neck, severing it. The vampireâs hateful gaze continued for a few seconds more before it to had turned to ash.
âHold up,â AEDorsay shook her head. âYouâre human?â She thought back. âWait. Thatâs why IAMSposta covered your eyes in Galiâs presence. Humans are susceptible to a Dryadâs natural lure, even when theyâre not trying to beckon a human forward. Their⊠visual pheromone, if you will.â
âWe had suspected as much,â ChoirOfFire and BoringBard said.
âShe was looking for you,â BoringBard pointed to ChoirOfFire, âbecause weâd heard you were the sole survivor of your familyâs massacre and that youâd been cursed. Most of what she knew came from me,â the Dragonborn smiled. âI have many songs about your family. You were,â the Dragonborn smiled, âa very convincing half-orc. You should go into acting.â
âLetâs finish this,â IAMSposta smiled.
âGive me a second,â Amnon_Balderk kneeled down and picked up the medallion which Lord Bhasmhor had wore. He looked at the tower â saw the highest room and threw the amulet into the air, then jumped in the air â spun and gave it a kick â striking it with such force that it landed in the largest window at the top.
The hagâs fury could be heard as her scream came burst through the window. âWho dares?â
IAMSposta looked to Tawmis Lightbringer. âNext part is you.â
Tawmis nodded to his Satyr friend. He stood before the swirling darkness, and brought his sword down â light exploded outward, fragments of darkness, like shards of glass flew in every direction, cutting into the dead and dying trees.
âWitch,â Tawmis growled. âWeâre coming after you.â
The party rushed up to the top of the OGL tower where Mealladh floated in the center of a large, glistening pool. Magic pulled out of the pool and swirled around her giving her a magical shield.
âThereâs no hope for you,â Mealladh growled. âYou may have taken my guard and my king â but the Queen is the most powerful piece on the cheeseboard.â
âPerhaps,â IAMSposta smiled, âbut even the Queen can be taken down by a pawn.â He held up crushed ruby stones.
âWhat hope do you have to do with that? You think you can Force Cage me?â Mealladh laughed at the thought.
âNot you,â the Satyr smiled as he rubbed the dust across the lute. âJust next to you.â He played the lute and a force cage appeared half way between Mealladh and the rest of the pool â since it could not contain her, it shoved her outside of the poolâs protective energies.
She looked, âBut how?â
âPawn takes the Queen, witch,â IAMSposta smiled.
As she stood up, BoringBard played the drums â casting Power Word: Stun which locked the hag in place, as she frantically tried to get back to the magical pool.
âI canât hold her for long,â BoringBard warned.
âYou wonât have to,â Quar1on smiled and called upon his patron again â and this time bricks flew off the walls and formed a wall of stone between Mealladh and the pool.
âYou dared to think you could ascend and challenge the gods? I am a messenger of those gods,â ChoirOfFire called out â holding her necklace of her deity â and summoned a celestial being, âAnd they would like to have words with you.â
The celestial angel began slamming Mealladh with its powerful mace, time and time again.
Howling in fury, and bloody, Mealladh shouted, âThis isnât over! I will bathe the world in darkness and drink its magic.â
âThere will be no darkness tonight,â Amnon_Balderk said as he slid in beneath the angelâs mace and landed his own stunning strike â his last one shoving an orb into Mealladhâs mouth â which then exploded as a searing sunburst, thanks to his Way of the Sun Soul abilities.
Tawmis Lightbringer cleaved his sword across Mealladhâs back. âNormally I would hate to strike a woman, let alone from behind, but you are no woman, and you do not deserve the honor of fair combat for the evil you breed and infest the land with!â
AEDorsay, knowing how hags thrived on fear, wanted to give the hag the same treatment as she raised her hands above her head and cast Weird. Suddenly all around Mealladh, she saw only Astralla and her infinite beauty â she screamed in fury. âGet away! I know this isnât real! I know itâs not!â
âItâs time to end it,â Midnightplat whispered, and stabbed Mealladh in the back. âThis,â he whispered, âis for my Queen, the true Queen of Faeland, Astralla.â
Mealladh was on her knees holding her head, bleeding everywhere. IAMSposta tore the string off of his guitar heâd kept on his back and wrapped it around her throat, and with a quick tug of each of the metallic strings, decapitated Mealladh.
IAMSposta looked at her head as it rolled away. âHoly Hades,â he muttered. âWe did it. We really did it.â He took in a deep breath and looked at the others, âIf I am going to be honest, I really thought we were going to die when we got to the tower.â
With Haillonwood Keep restored to Astralla, the healing began. A celebration of immense size was held for all of those who had survived the ordeal. There was festivities in the manner that none of them could have possibly imagined â everything, but everything â was over the top and extravagant.
Not only that, the party didnât end for two weeks.
Back on the mortal planeâŠ
âDo you think the others died?â Drakenbrine asked as the dwarf took a big deal from the ale in front of him, not even certain it was his.
âI wish weâd all died,â Theology of Bagels sighed. Heâd been excited to show his friends his deity.
âI donât think so,â Antonsirius the Kobold Druid shrugged. âAbout two weeks ago, I felt a surge in nature Iâd not felt in a long time.â
âKnow them, theyâre lost somewhere in Faeland,â Thorrison, the massive Giff ranger laughed as he clanked his mug against Drakenbrine.
âProbably the only thing that lot died from is boredom, am I right?â The_Summoning_Dark, the tortle bloodhunter laughed, his very, very, very slow laughâŠ
I am very impressed. This was a fantastic finale Tawmis!
Thank ye, sir. It was quite fun to write, just because of the chaotic nature of it.
But many on here don't read it, so I figured it was time to wrap it up. Was fun looking at the character classes, and spells, and seeing how they'd all come in at the very end, to give everyone a moment to shine.
Making a follow-up post instead of editing probably contributes. ;P
Of my many in-the-fire irons, of the creative variety, which each get a tiny fraction of a percent of my attention during any given week, one has recently re-emerged that might be of interest considering it's topical. That is, I'm slow-cooking a game of my own! Currently it would be more accurate to say I'm waiting for the water to boil before I start putting ingredients in. But this metaphor cannot hold up so I'm gonna drop it. It's not very far into development at all is what I'm saying.
The game is one of piracy and playing cards. Here is the basic shape of it: A group of players take on the role of plucky underdog pirates in a crew. Their character sheets feature a few special, unique moves they can activate by playing cards from their hand that match the correct suits. There would also be universal moves which more or less take the place of skill checks. So, perhaps it's always a spades move to knock someone over. Each player's deck of cards is small and specific: One might have a 2, 3, and 4 of hearts and a 2 of the other suits, and nothing else, for example. On the open sea are other ships: targets for pirating. Each has a cargo of cards to take as loot and add to your decks. The "boarding the other ship" part is where you play your cards. Higher numbers are better, just like with dice. Target DCs perhaps.
I'm imagining each ship as a dungeon: these are no normal vessels, but rather floating strongholds, each with a fantasy theme. Perhaps one is a maze with the captain being a minotaur. They represent a series of challenges to overcome. Each room, draw a fresh hand of cards. You probably draw more cards as you level up or something. Some character powers let you do stuff like mulligan or replay cards from your discard.
Red suits are volatile. When you play one, something bad happens: a hearts card damages your crew's health or morale (mutiny!), and a diamonds card costs you money, be it for repairs, fairer dividends of booty, bribes, or whatever. However, you can permanently discard (remove from your deck) a hearts card to heal someone, or a diamonds card to pay for something. Presumably the numbers correlate to the amount of HP or doubloons. Black suits are safe. If they have special features, I haven't thought of them yet.
I'm thinking each character gets a face card to represent them, and when a matching card is played, something special happens for them.
But that's all I have for now. In a month or seven I'll probably have more.
I missed eleventy eleventy because I was too busy working on game and arguing on the forums, lol.
Tawis, excellent ending!
Choir-of_Fire, that is awesome news and I am lookin forward to hearing more.
Second group is done making characters. Additionally they opted to prep for Tomb of Horrors. The Shrineward was the deciding factor, lol (but only because liches are still undead in the other DM's world). Final Class collection: Shrineward, Monk, Nomad (with complaints I should just call them a mystic), Warlock (think elemental specialist), Witch, two Warriors (fighters).
They almost fell for one of the false entrances, tossed a gold coin intot he great green devil's mouth (calling is a standard toll that everyone has to pay), tackled the gargoyle, got nailed by some crossbow bolts, missed the door enterley on one go around to the hall of spheres, found it on a second, and lost one of the (younger player) characters to the magic archway. They are currently trying to meet each other and i have never heard of a jedi being this pissed off (so good thing they aren't Jedi, lol). They are also arguing about who is going to give up what so the naked Jedi isn't completely uncovered. In a darn good piece of luck, his nomicon is tattoos all over his arms and legs (his spell book), so he at least has that.
Oh, and for shits and giggles, the DM is randomly throwing small vegepygmy bands at them. Apparently a bunch of them went in to explore and got trapped.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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
Thanks! I enjoyed writing it - but also bringing the OGL story to a final end.
I giggled at myself with the title I called the last one - The Lying, the Witch, and the Great Sword.
An obvious (I hope?) nod to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
The lying being about SirTawmis' true identity... the witch, well, being the hag (though when they say things like, "You're next witch!" - there's another word I want to use instead of witch but didn't want to offend anyone and get the post marked as offensive or something! So I just kept with "witch")... and the Great Sword, obviously the blade that gets revealed.
Over all, very fun to write from time to time. When my brain wasn't quiet and I needed something to do to soothe the voice... the OGL story was a fun thing to go, "OK, brain, you're keeping me up - let's see where this goes."
Still waiting on feedback, but apparently they stayed up all night to finish it.
What I do have is a flat out request by 13 players that I run a version of Tomb of Annihilation (the one set in Chult on FR that is "Acererak before Tomb of Horrors"). Apparently they have had a blast with the White Plume and the Tomb, but want to test things out, under my DM, in a more involved setting where the new features can be more thoroughly explored.
I don't own TOA, lol. So I guess I should buy it.
Unrelated, I seem to have angered a rules maven, because I am aware of underlying mechanics and the presumptions that guide them, while they are more focused on just the narrow "what is written" stuff. Very peculiar.
Edit: Also unrelated, kinda sorta, but my big book crossed 1000 pages, so I had to drop out a reference section (stuff for "how to do this") that will get worked into the website overall. I finally figured out a way to take the sections I have written (in MA Word) and get them into the website with most of the formatting similar and automagically uploading any pictures.
The final "big book" will still be a few hundred pages over 1000, but I will break it into chapbooks ( 5 of them expected right now) to make it more manageable. Trade stuff is nearly finished, the slowdown right now being that I am still going through the outfitting list and breaking it down into all the different kinds of guild shops. Gotta say, breaking it into seven "Trade Zones" plus the "Start" is making for a bit of a headache, but aso, it is starting to feel like there's an actual economic system in place here -- and not the default "buy high, sell low" crap that the game prefers. Not that it is likely to be used , mind you -- but as they say, if you build it, they will come.
I have until November 30th to finish it all, so the crunch is on.
Anyone know any third party crafting mechanics that could be good inspiration?
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
Just because... I went back to get the link to the 21st part... and I stumbled across Dane MacKenzie (made by IamSposta) and Dastardly the Duck (made by me in response)...
That this stumbled into my brain as a quick giggle...
EpilogueâŠ
The crowd was cheering wildly. Dane MacKenzie, the âMadâ Magician peeked from behind the curtain. He gulped nervously looking frantically about. One of the performers approached him, âYouâre up, Dane. Looks like the Weird Potato druid got the crowd pumped up!â
âI canât go out there yet!â Dane was wheezing now, his nerves getting the better of him.
âWhy not?â Aluap, a human juggler asked.
âI donât know where myâŠâ Dane began then heard a loud quack.
âDastardly! Where the Hades have you been?â He pushed Aluap to the side and gestured beyond the curtain. âThe crowd has been waiting for us!â
Dastardly the Duck quacked a number of times.
âSomeone summoned you because youâre their patron? Quar1on? What are you talking about,â Dane shouted throwing his arms up in frustration. âYouâre not any kind of patron â itâs a peryton feather you have. Nothing to do with patron â patron and peryton are two very different things.â
Dastardly quacked a few more times.
âA tower? What are you⊠â Dane shook his head. âListen, whatever. Go put on your mage hat and letâs do this show and get it over with.â
Dane pulled back the curtain and Dastardly waddled next to him and the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered.
Still waiting on feedback, but apparently they stayed up all night to finish it.
What I do have is a flat out request by 13 players that I run a version of Tomb of Annihilation (the one set in Chult on FR that is "Acererak before Tomb of Horrors"). Apparently they have had a blast with the White Plume and the Tomb, but want to test things out, under my DM, in a more involved setting where the new features can be more thoroughly explored.
I don't own TOA, lol. So I guess I should buy it.
Unrelated, I seem to have angered a rules maven, because I am aware of underlying mechanics and the presumptions that guide them, while they are more focused on just the narrow "what is written" stuff. Very peculiar.
Edit: Also unrelated, kinda sorta, but my big book crossed 1000 pages, so I had to drop out a reference section (stuff for "how to do this") that will get worked into the website overall. I finally figured out a way to take the sections I have written (in MA Word) and get them into the website with most of the formatting similar and automagically uploading any pictures.
The final "big book" will still be a few hundred pages over 1000, but I will break it into chapbooks ( 5 of them expected right now) to make it more manageable. Trade stuff is nearly finished, the slowdown right now being that I am still going through the outfitting list and breaking it down into all the different kinds of guild shops. Gotta say, breaking it into seven "Trade Zones" plus the "Start" is making for a bit of a headache, but aso, it is starting to feel like there's an actual economic system in place here -- and not the default "buy high, sell low" crap that the game prefers. Not that it is likely to be used , mind you -- but as they say, if you build it, they will come.
I have until November 30th to finish it all, so the crunch is on.
Anyone know any third party crafting mechanics that could be good inspiration?
Just because... I went back to get the link to the 21st part... and I stumbled across Dane MacKenzie (made by IamSposta) and Dastardly the Duck (made by me in response)...
That this stumbled into my brain as a quick giggle...
EpilogueâŠ
The crowd was cheering wildly. Dane MacKenzie, the âMadâ Magician peeked from behind the curtain. He gulped nervously looking frantically about. One of the performers approached him, âYouâre up, Dane. Looks like the Weird Potato druid got the crowd pumped up!â
âI canât go out there yet!â Dane was wheezing now, his nerves getting the better of him.
âWhy not?â Aluap, a human juggler asked.
âI donât know where myâŠâ Dane began then heard a loud quack.
âDastardly! Where the Hades have you been?â He pushed Aluap to the side and gestured beyond the curtain. âThe crowd has been waiting for us!â
Dastardly the Duck quacked a number of times.
âSomeone summoned you because youâre their patron? Quar1on? What are you talking about,â Dane shouted throwing his arms up in frustration. âYouâre not any kind of patron â itâs a peryton feather you have. Nothing to do with patron â patron and peryton are two very different things.â
Dastardly quacked a few more times.
âA tower? What are you⊠â Dane shook his head. âListen, whatever. Go put on your mage hat and letâs do this show and get it over with.â
Dane pulled back the curtain and Dastardly waddled next to him and the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered.
Future Me: "Back in my day, when I was your age kiddos, I was gettin' me hands dirty engaging in Online forum debates about alignment and various other mechanics! Oh, the good old days where I would discuss the game with those that had been playing D&D close to when it first came out!"
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.That just means you have a lawn of rocks.
"Come with me, and you'll be. in a world of pure imagination. Take a look, and you'll see, into your imagination. we'll begin, with a spin. traveling in a world of my creation. what we'll see will defy explanation!" ~Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
their is no light without dark. no calm without storm. no heroes without villains. I, unfortunately am the dark. I am the storm. I. Am. The. Villain (not really considering I'm a forever player and never get the chance to DM)
Extended Signature
Well, I meant RAW or homebrew stuff⊠youâve gone an extra step!
Dear heavens, please don't tempt her! Pedantic Toni is hard enough to keep in a box as it is!
LOL
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
Celebrating my eleventy hundred and first post.
Here, where it belongs.
EDIT:
Just got additional feedback. Was asked to make some changes (minor). So Clerics now have Rebuke to Paladins Smite and Shrinewards Aegis. I am somewhat concerned, because a Rebuke generally indicates a failure to comply, and Clerics are supposed tobe gathering people, not punishing them, lol. The baseline is still that most people (about 60%) don't trust or like the Gods (which is why they are called The Powers That Be and never gods or deities), and so the goal of all three of those groups is to inspire, protect, and aid the people in the thinking that it will slowly bring them over to the god's sides.
However, in their defense, they were playing the classes in a different world that doesn't have that kind of problem, lol.
Was asked if a Bard with the old artificer special abilities can make a lute that plays itself.
Was also asked if bards can do spam. As in, a bunch of junk messages and noise. You may not be surprised to learn it was a 16 year old who asked.
I "need to make multiclassing easier". That will require some more conversation with the group as a whole. One of the impacts of the new magic system is that "the streams don't cross" -- an Arcane user cannot use Divine, a Divine user cannot use Primal, etc. So if yo multi-class, you may lose access to abilities within that category if you jump to a class with a different basis. This only applies to classes that are officially magic users -- though anyone can learn magic, it isn't something that Corsairs, Warriors, Vanguards, or Gunslingers learn at the start, and they have to sacrifice to get it.
There is an Aspect (a Feat) that allows you to do so, but it can't be learned until 9th level or later.
That same thing also limits some of the feats available, but they skipped that rules for the sessions (and honestly, I agree with it).
all the Tears of the Kingdom playing folks want to know if I am going to have crafting, lol. That game is going to burn through D&D, I am telling you. As a mechanic, it is going to enter the game if even a third of the wotc staff play it.
Right now, the rating is 75% positive, with the dings being mostly related to some of the holes I haven't patched up yet. Lore, the "class construction set", the background development kit, magic system all scored a perfect 100. Races are "kinda boring" per the most positive feedback, lol.
They do love the new combat options, but some are still pissy about their weapons no longer having properties inherent -- and those are all the newer players, so it has a lot to do with the minmax thing and familiarity.
DM wise: classes are less powerful but don't feel like it. I am required to note that I was not paying attention last night, and that combat took 30 to 45 minutes per fight and I apologize for mis-stating the time. Combat wise, however, it made for a much more exciting combat that really got dicey in the fourth since they'd only had one short rest and the mages had used most of their magic by then.
(yes, I had to include that because they do read these forums, lol)
Dm says the spamming of fireballs can change the mechanics of how the party plays dramatically -- which will be cool for big fights and major boss fights. I am smiling while being dead inside because I never thought folks would spam fireballs since they know they will be out of magic fast. Teach me, why don't they.
We've already playtested that part and they didn't though -- so...
Character creation is a bit slower when you are whipping up new characters at high levels. That could be a problem. The issue is choice paralysis. Essentially, at high level, they get so many choices from a list of so many choices that it feels a bit overwhelming. Some grumbling about wishing they had chosen a different set of options.
Interaction with magic items is going to take a center stage next time given what they have now. THey burned through the dungeon, lol. All of us have played White Plume and Tomb several times, both original and new, so even slightly tweaked they are familiar and the beats are known. Be interesting to compare with tonight's crew (we often have to run in chunks, because of scheduling and the sheer size of our group).
Also, to all of you, thank you for putting up with me doing this.
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 think you should celebrate your 1111 post
Hi, Iâm DrakenBrine, hereâs my Sig and characters
I am The Grand Envisioner!
Also how do I have more posts then you?
Hi, Iâm DrakenBrine, hereâs my Sig and characters
I am The Grand Envisioner!
I spent about six months just reading the forums.
Eleventy eleventh!
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
Writerâs Note: This madness is something out of sheer boredom. It all began when AllMightyLordOfDND assigned races and classes to people who were participating in the thread. He was basing it on peopleâs responses, avatars, signatures (I am not sure what his formula was). But I was bored, and decided to start writing⊠I canât even call it a story. I will call it an âAttempt To Curb My Boredom.â It keeps going, and no idea how long it will even go for. I have no plans where this story is going, as the conversations in the thread often dictate where the story is headed.
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
Part 14: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=986
Part 15: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=1006
Part 16: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?page=53#c1050
Part 17: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=1141
Part 18: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?page=61#c1221
Part 19: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?page=84#c1677
Part 20: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?page=89
Part 21: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=1834
The Story Map: http://www.tawmis.com/ogl/ogl_map.jpg
The Fey Map: http://www.tawmis.com/ogl/ogl_fey.jpg
Remaining cast so far...
IAMsposta: satyr bard
AEDorsay: elf wizard
Midnightplat: changeling rogue
Wysperra: halfling artificer (Wererat)
Sirtawmis: half-orc fighter
Amnon_Balderk: orc monk
Quar1on: gnome warlock
ChoirOfFire: tielfing paladin
BoringBard: Dragonborn bard
Previously On âWhen Will This End?â
âI am not blowing anyone or anything,â the Dragonborn growled.
âListen,â Midnightplat laughed, âyouâre the biggest one here being a dragonborn. And being a bard, youâre used to⊠blowing instruments. Youâve got the best set of lungs among us.â
BoringBard stared at Midnightplat and yanked Barkwood out of his hands.
âEasy with the shaft!â Barkwood growled. âI am not just some object, you know.â
Everyone failed to suppress their laughter.
BoringBard put his lips on the Wood Woadâs head and blew â and sure enough a loud whistle burst forth from the Wood Woad, its mouth and nose acting as a part of the whistle. BoringBard rapidly set the Wood Woad down.
âNow what,â the embarrassed Dragonborn bard asked.
âOh, nothing,â IAMSposta laughed. âWe just wanted to see if youâd blow him.â
BoringBardâs scales almost turned to the same color as a red dragon, as anger took over.
âI kid, I kid,â IAMSposta said. âNow we wait to see who answers the call first.â
âWhat does that mean?â Quar1on asked.
âWe either just drew the attention of the Perytons, who feast on humanoid hearts that live in Heartstone Ridge mountains, or we get the help of someone helpful on the other side. Now itâs just a waiting game,â IAMSposta answered as he eyed the opposite shore eagerly.
Part 22: The Lying, The Witch, and The Great Sword.
A huge shadow passed over, moving quickly east to west. âWhat was that?â Amnon_Balderk asked, gripping his quarterstaff tightly, his eyes scanning the skies above him.
âWhat was what?â IAMSposta asked, turning to face the orc.
âA huge shadow just passed over us from above,â Amnon_Balderk answered, his teeth clenched.
âWell that canât be good,â IAMSposta confessed.
âWhat does it mean?â Amnon_Balderk asked.
âMeans the Perytons heard the whistle,â IAMSposta shrugged, his eyes now looking to the heavens.
At that moment, two massive birds, whose wingspan was easily twenty feet, from tip to tip, dove out of the dark clouds that theyâd been using for cover. Everyone quickly began to scatter by three fire arrows fired at each of the pertyons deterred them from pursuing their next meal.
IAMSposta looked up from behind the rock heâd hidden behind, glancing around, wondering why the perytons had suddenly fled.
âIAMSposta,â a voice called from the other side of the river. The Satyr looked up to see who had called his name.
He spotted a beautiful dryad emerging from the woods on the other side, slinging her bow over her shoulder. âGaliorra,â IAMSposta called back thankfully.
âJust call me Gali,â she called back. She suddenly saw AEDorsay stand up. âYou bring an elf with you?â Then Midnightplat stood. âMidnight,â she called out, recognizing the changeling. Wyspera was next to stand, and Gali drew her bow again. âA wererat is behind you all!â
IAMSposta waved his arms frantically. âNo! No! Heâs with us.â
âYou travel with a wererat?â she asked, questioningly.
âLong story,â he shrugged.
âAll of yours always are,â Gali laughed.
Next were SirTawmis and Amnon_Balderk, which Gali looked at IAMSposta. âYou bring orc-kind to our land?â
IAMSposta looked over his shoulder. âTheyâre with us too. Listen the world down on the mortal plane has changed much.â
SirTawmis shook his head at IAMSposta calling it the âmortal planeâ again.
Quar1on, ChoirOfFire and BoringBard all stood up as well.
âYou bring quite a motley crew with you,â Gali commented. âNot too shocking since you often associate with riff-raff.â
âDid she just call us riff-raff?â Amnon_Balderk asked SirTawmis in hushed tones.
âI believe she did,â he chuckled, hardly taking offense. âI believe people of the Fey do not censor their emotions.â
âItâs evident,â Amnon_Balderk responded.
Gali whistled and the large oak tree nearest the edge of the river suddenly came alive. It extended a massive branch across the river, its roots rising from the ground, and wrapping around the branch to make the bridge stable. IAMSposta turned to face the Wood Woad, âOakroot was right there? Why didnât you tell us?â
âWell, a good blow always clears me out,â the Wood Woad named Barkwood. IAMSposta should have known Oakroot was near â the Wood Woads rarely travel too far from the treants from which theyâre birthed from. BoringBard could be seen fuming â to which, IAMSposta found entertaining so his frustration at the wooden stick quickly passed.
As the others crossed, IAMSposta took note that SirTawmis could not keep his eyes off Gali. âWhatâs gotten into you?â the Satyr whispered as they followed Gali into the woods.
âI donât know,â SirTawmis replied, his half-orc eyes lingering longingly on Gali.
Suddenly IAMSpostaâs eyes widened, âSon of a orc! I know whatâs wrong! Cover your eyes idiot.â Quickly IAMSposta ripped a piece of AEDorsayâs tattered robes off and tied it around SirTawmisâ eyes.
âWhatâs going on?â AEDorsay asked, coming to stand next to the Satyr, staring at where heâd ripped her already tattered dress.
âHe hurt his eye crossing the bridge,â the Satyr lied. âGot poked in the eye by a stray branch. I will have the Queen look at it when we see her.â
AEDorsay knew the Satyr was lying, but now was not the time to bring it up.
Gali lead the party through Haillonwood. Inside the depths of the woods, nature was vibrant and alive â animals scuttled about and flowers of a thousand colors bloomed all around them. âIf youâre with Midnight, I assume youâre here to speak to the former Queen of the Faeland.â
IAMSposta nodded. âWe are.â
Gali escorted the party to a large room to await the former Queen.
After several hours, Gali entered, âThe Former Queen will see you now.â
The party entered an area, within a large oak tree, where a female Spring Eladrin sat on a wooden throne. âWhat can I do for you, Midnight?â
âI have returned from the Prime Material Plane,â Midnightplat bowed deeply, âmy Queen.â
âI am not the Queen anymore,â Aristalla smiled, though her smile hid the pain poorly. âIt is Mealladh who sits on the throne now, alongside her appointed King, Lord Bhasmhor.â
âShe is a false Queen,â Midnightplat replied, his head still bowed.
âYou could have your head cut off for such words,â Aristalla commented.
âI would risk it,â Midnightplat retorted, âbecause I would never call the Hag my Queen, and would rather die than do so.â
âWhat have you learned, Changeling?â Astralla asked.
âThe rumors are true,â Midnightplat confirmed, finally raising his head to meet Astrallaâs gaze. âLord Bhasmhor murdered the entirety of the Lightbringer family and has stolen their one weapon that was to fulfil the Prophecy of Mealladhâs demise, then returned here to the Faeland with it to join Mealladhâs side. So he has been working for her.â
âI had feared as much,â Astralla sighed. ââWeaver of darkness, weaver of shadow; knowledge of the tower to ascend in power. Darkness over light, shadow over day; the blight will run wild, throughout the Fae. Of mortal human hands, the blade bearing light; to put an end to their plight.â She shook her head. âWithout a Lightbringer, I fear all is lost.â She shook her head. âSheâs also employed a hobgoblin warrior by the name of Buraddobaundo.â
Quar1on gasped.
âYou know him, I take it,â Astralla asked.
âI do,â Quar1on nodded, then bowed, unsure what to do. âHe is very dangerous.â
âWe can not give up hope,â IAMSposta stepped forward before realizing heâd spoken out of place and bowed his head and took a knee.
âThere is no need to bow or take a knee,â Astralla smiled. âAs I said, I am not a Queen.â
âAs Midnight said,â IAMSposta kept his head bowed, âyou will always be our Queen.â
âWhy would you say we can not give up?â Astralla asked. âIn the tower, Mealladh uses her hag powers amplified by the tower⊠itâs cloaked in darkness. Those who have dared to try to enter have come back out, their minds broken.â
âI know we donât look like much,â IAMSposta raised his head. âBut weâre here to fight. Weâve lose some friends along the way. But we never waivered. They followed me because I told them that I could pay them good money when this was all said and done. Not once has any of them said this isnât worth it, despite the things weâve seen to get where we are. My Queen, I humbly ask, you allow us to try and finish this Quest.â
âYou are right,â Astralla noted. âThis does seem like an odd group you have gathered. An Elf Wizard seems like a wise choice,â her eyes falling on AEDorsay, who in turn, gave a curt bow. âMidnight, I am very familiar with. I see an infected wererat among you, and one of the enemies of our realm â an orc â and a half orc. There, a gnome ⊠I sense dark magic around him, so I assume a warlock of some kind. And behind him, one of the half-breed demons bearing a holy symbol and a dragonborn with musical instruments.â She shook her head. âIf I allow you to continue, I will be sending you to your deaths.â She paused for a long moment. âBut if thereâs anything Iâve learned is that few people can tell you what to do, Satyr.â
âYou know me too well,â IAMSposta smiled. âI ask, only to be polite.â
âThatâs a first,â Quar1on whispered from the back.
After resting, the party departed and headed for Haillonwood Keep, where the OGL tower was located. As they made their way through the woods â it wasnât far beyond where Astralla had formed her rebel camp that the woods began to look sickly. Deeper and deeper, the woods became more sparse, or dead, their branches limp with sickness.
âHer infection is already spreading rapidly,â AEDorsay commented, her hands touching one of the trees, which was strangely cold to the touch. âWhat is it thatâs happening?â
âRemember when I told you, that the magic you mortals use in the mortal plane comes from the Fae? Well, the entire land here is doused in magic â and sheâs using the power of the OGL tower to siphon it like a stirgeâs beak piercing flesh, drinking the magic into herself. It is said that only the âLightbringerâs Bladeâ â which we thought was some magical weapon forever â turns out, itâs a family blade, from mortals no less - is the only thing that can cleave the darkness that sheâs created around the tower to protect herself as she drinks in this magic.â
âDoes that mean if she succeeds the mortal world as you call it would be depleted of magic,â ChoirOfFire asked.
âThatâs one of the things that would happen,â IAMSposta replied.
âWhat else?â BoringBard asked, assuming that had been the worse of it â which, admittedly was already bad enough.
âShe would have the power to ascend and challenge the gods,â IAMSposta replied matter-of-factly.
âThatâs not good at all,â ChoirOfFire replied, placing her hand on her breastplate which bore the symbol of her deity.
The party finally reached the edge of the Haillonwood Keep, staying about sixty feet away. From here they could see the swirling darkness around the tower. Occasionally an animal would wander into the darkness, then come out a skeletal figure, eyes deranged with madness.
âWe have to get through that?â Quar1on asked, gulping down his nerves.
IAMSposta heaved a deep sigh. âI have the craziest idea thatâs probably going to get us killed. But if we donât do something, when she ascends, weâre all going to die anyway.â
Several hours later, just outside the swirling black mist, a loud sound came pounding.
From inside the tower, Lord Bhasmhor turned to the hobgoblin, Buraddobaundo. The red skinned hobgoblin, whose golden eyes stared back at Lord Bhasmhor with intense hatred. Buraddobaundo was known for his murderous rampage and thatâs why Mealladh had employed him as a guard.
The hobgoblin made his way down the stairs, and heard the racket. He gripped his amulet and whispered the words that Mealladh had taught him and walked through the black mist unaffected. He came out to a sight he was not ready to see â a Satyr was playing a lute, and singing horribly, while a dragonborn was pounding on drums.
Quar1on recognized Buraddobaundo and could not wait â he envisioned all that the hobgoblin had murdered and cried out, âPatron of power â of water and life â of tide and sea â I beseech thee â flow through me and strike my hated enemy!â
A thunderous loud âQuack!â filled their air with such intensity that everyone was swept off their feet â and to everyoneâs astonishment a large, yellow, rubber duck landed on Buraddobaundo, crushing him. The duck took a more corporeal form. âWhere is this enemy you need me to vanquish faithful one?â
Quar1on stood up and brush himself, âUnder you, my patron.â
The giant, yellow, rubber duck leaned to one side, and saw nothing but smeared blood. âSo he is,â it said, in a squeaky voice. âSo he is. Well, then I leave you!â And with another loud, thunderous quack, the patron of Quar1on disappeared.
IAMSposta stood and brushed himself off. âWell, that wasnât a part of the plan⊠but I liked it,â and gives a thumbs up to Quar1on.
At that moment, Lord Bhasmhor walked through the black mist. âWhat in the Hades is that noise and why havenât you put a stop to it?â
IAMSposta shouted, âNow!â
At that moment, ChoirOfFire stepped out from a wilted tree, holding her necklace in her hand, shouted a prayer â magic twirled from her hands and struck Lord Bhasmhorâs ears â as he suddenly drew his blade and rushed towards her. Her Compel Duel spell had worked. She stood her ground and just as Lord Bhasmhor reached her, Midnightplat emerged from the shadow and whispered, âWatch your back, murderer,â as he plunged his blade between the metal pieces of Lord Bhasmhor arms, piercing into his heart. Lord Bhasmhor roared in pain and suddenly the truth of what he was became evident â he bore his fangs â he was, as suspected â a vampire.
But the plan had worked. Theyâd lured him away from the tower. Already AEDorsay was whispering the words of magic as she held her hands above her head unleashing a Fireball spell â but, as an Evocation wizard, she shaped the fireball to avoid her companions â focused directly on Lord Bhasmhor who screamed further. ChoirOfFire delivered a holy smite into him, bring her sword hard into his shoulder. Amnon_Balderk struck the vampire with so much speed and force, that Lord Bhasmhor could scarcely tell where the attacks were coming from. It was the surprise bite from Wysperra, whose teeth broke, but still penetrated Lord Bhasmhorâs gauntlet that stunned him and forced him to drop the blade.
A blade that SirTawmis calmly picked up. The blade began to glow brightly as did SirTawmis. Everyone was forced to avert their eyes, but it was Lord Bhasmhor who screamed the most. The searing light burned him to the core, his flesh burning away like paper in a bonfire. His eyes, barely able to see watched as the half-orc in front of him changed into a human â a human Mealladh herself had cursed into a half-orc to ensure the âhuman hands on the bladeâ part of the prophecy would never come true, when Lord Bhasmhor failed to find him after murdering the rest of Tawmis Lightbringerâs family. Now with the Greatsword in hand, Tawmis Lightbringer smiled, âThe curse is finally broken,â and broke the sword with a heavy swing across Lord Bhasmhorâs neck, severing it. The vampireâs hateful gaze continued for a few seconds more before it to had turned to ash.
âHold up,â AEDorsay shook her head. âYouâre human?â She thought back. âWait. Thatâs why IAMSposta covered your eyes in Galiâs presence. Humans are susceptible to a Dryadâs natural lure, even when theyâre not trying to beckon a human forward. Their⊠visual pheromone, if you will.â
âWe had suspected as much,â ChoirOfFire and BoringBard said.
âShe was looking for you,â BoringBard pointed to ChoirOfFire, âbecause weâd heard you were the sole survivor of your familyâs massacre and that youâd been cursed. Most of what she knew came from me,â the Dragonborn smiled. âI have many songs about your family. You were,â the Dragonborn smiled, âa very convincing half-orc. You should go into acting.â
âLetâs finish this,â IAMSposta smiled.
âGive me a second,â Amnon_Balderk kneeled down and picked up the medallion which Lord Bhasmhor had wore. He looked at the tower â saw the highest room and threw the amulet into the air, then jumped in the air â spun and gave it a kick â striking it with such force that it landed in the largest window at the top.
The hagâs fury could be heard as her scream came burst through the window. âWho dares?â
IAMSposta looked to Tawmis Lightbringer. âNext part is you.â
Tawmis nodded to his Satyr friend. He stood before the swirling darkness, and brought his sword down â light exploded outward, fragments of darkness, like shards of glass flew in every direction, cutting into the dead and dying trees.
âWitch,â Tawmis growled. âWeâre coming after you.â
The party rushed up to the top of the OGL tower where Mealladh floated in the center of a large, glistening pool. Magic pulled out of the pool and swirled around her giving her a magical shield.
âThereâs no hope for you,â Mealladh growled. âYou may have taken my guard and my king â but the Queen is the most powerful piece on the cheeseboard.â
âPerhaps,â IAMSposta smiled, âbut even the Queen can be taken down by a pawn.â He held up crushed ruby stones.
âWhat hope do you have to do with that? You think you can Force Cage me?â Mealladh laughed at the thought.
âNot you,â the Satyr smiled as he rubbed the dust across the lute. âJust next to you.â He played the lute and a force cage appeared half way between Mealladh and the rest of the pool â since it could not contain her, it shoved her outside of the poolâs protective energies.
She looked, âBut how?â
âPawn takes the Queen, witch,â IAMSposta smiled.
As she stood up, BoringBard played the drums â casting Power Word: Stun which locked the hag in place, as she frantically tried to get back to the magical pool.
âI canât hold her for long,â BoringBard warned.
âYou wonât have to,â Quar1on smiled and called upon his patron again â and this time bricks flew off the walls and formed a wall of stone between Mealladh and the pool.
âYou dared to think you could ascend and challenge the gods? I am a messenger of those gods,â ChoirOfFire called out â holding her necklace of her deity â and summoned a celestial being, âAnd they would like to have words with you.â
The celestial angel began slamming Mealladh with its powerful mace, time and time again.
Howling in fury, and bloody, Mealladh shouted, âThis isnât over! I will bathe the world in darkness and drink its magic.â
âThere will be no darkness tonight,â Amnon_Balderk said as he slid in beneath the angelâs mace and landed his own stunning strike â his last one shoving an orb into Mealladhâs mouth â which then exploded as a searing sunburst, thanks to his Way of the Sun Soul abilities.
Tawmis Lightbringer cleaved his sword across Mealladhâs back. âNormally I would hate to strike a woman, let alone from behind, but you are no woman, and you do not deserve the honor of fair combat for the evil you breed and infest the land with!â
AEDorsay, knowing how hags thrived on fear, wanted to give the hag the same treatment as she raised her hands above her head and cast Weird. Suddenly all around Mealladh, she saw only Astralla and her infinite beauty â she screamed in fury. âGet away! I know this isnât real! I know itâs not!â
âItâs time to end it,â Midnightplat whispered, and stabbed Mealladh in the back. âThis,â he whispered, âis for my Queen, the true Queen of Faeland, Astralla.â
Mealladh was on her knees holding her head, bleeding everywhere. IAMSposta tore the string off of his guitar heâd kept on his back and wrapped it around her throat, and with a quick tug of each of the metallic strings, decapitated Mealladh.
IAMSposta looked at her head as it rolled away. âHoly Hades,â he muttered. âWe did it. We really did it.â He took in a deep breath and looked at the others, âIf I am going to be honest, I really thought we were going to die when we got to the tower.â
With Haillonwood Keep restored to Astralla, the healing began. A celebration of immense size was held for all of those who had survived the ordeal. There was festivities in the manner that none of them could have possibly imagined â everything, but everything â was over the top and extravagant.
Not only that, the party didnât end for two weeks.
Back on the mortal planeâŠ
âDo you think the others died?â Drakenbrine asked as the dwarf took a big deal from the ale in front of him, not even certain it was his.
âI wish weâd all died,â Theology of Bagels sighed. Heâd been excited to show his friends his deity.
âI donât think so,â Antonsirius the Kobold Druid shrugged. âAbout two weeks ago, I felt a surge in nature Iâd not felt in a long time.â
âKnow them, theyâre lost somewhere in Faeland,â Thorrison, the massive Giff ranger laughed as he clanked his mug against Drakenbrine.
âProbably the only thing that lot died from is boredom, am I right?â The_Summoning_Dark, the tortle bloodhunter laughed, his very, very, very slow laughâŠ
THE END.
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
I am very impressed. This was a fantastic finale Tawmis!
Thank ye, sir. It was quite fun to write, just because of the chaotic nature of it.
But many on here don't read it, so I figured it was time to wrap it up. Was fun looking at the character classes, and spells, and seeing how they'd all come in at the very end, to give everyone a moment to shine.
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
Making a follow-up post instead of editing probably contributes. ;P
Of my many in-the-fire irons, of the creative variety, which each get a tiny fraction of a percent of my attention during any given week, one has recently re-emerged that might be of interest considering it's topical. That is, I'm slow-cooking a game of my own! Currently it would be more accurate to say I'm waiting for the water to boil before I start putting ingredients in. But this metaphor cannot hold up so I'm gonna drop it. It's not very far into development at all is what I'm saying.
The game is one of piracy and playing cards. Here is the basic shape of it: A group of players take on the role of plucky underdog pirates in a crew. Their character sheets feature a few special, unique moves they can activate by playing cards from their hand that match the correct suits. There would also be universal moves which more or less take the place of skill checks. So, perhaps it's always a spades move to knock someone over. Each player's deck of cards is small and specific: One might have a 2, 3, and 4 of hearts and a 2 of the other suits, and nothing else, for example. On the open sea are other ships: targets for pirating. Each has a cargo of cards to take as loot and add to your decks. The "boarding the other ship" part is where you play your cards. Higher numbers are better, just like with dice. Target DCs perhaps.
I'm imagining each ship as a dungeon: these are no normal vessels, but rather floating strongholds, each with a fantasy theme. Perhaps one is a maze with the captain being a minotaur. They represent a series of challenges to overcome. Each room, draw a fresh hand of cards. You probably draw more cards as you level up or something. Some character powers let you do stuff like mulligan or replay cards from your discard.
Red suits are volatile. When you play one, something bad happens: a hearts card damages your crew's health or morale (mutiny!), and a diamonds card costs you money, be it for repairs, fairer dividends of booty, bribes, or whatever. However, you can permanently discard (remove from your deck) a hearts card to heal someone, or a diamonds card to pay for something. Presumably the numbers correlate to the amount of HP or doubloons. Black suits are safe. If they have special features, I haven't thought of them yet.
I'm thinking each character gets a face card to represent them, and when a matching card is played, something special happens for them.
But that's all I have for now. In a month or seven I'll probably have more.
I missed eleventy eleventy because I was too busy working on game and arguing on the forums, lol.
Tawis, excellent ending!
Choir-of_Fire, that is awesome news and I am lookin forward to hearing more.
Second group is done making characters. Additionally they opted to prep for Tomb of Horrors. The Shrineward was the deciding factor, lol (but only because liches are still undead in the other DM's world). Final Class collection: Shrineward, Monk, Nomad (with complaints I should just call them a mystic), Warlock (think elemental specialist), Witch, two Warriors (fighters).
They almost fell for one of the false entrances, tossed a gold coin intot he great green devil's mouth (calling is a standard toll that everyone has to pay), tackled the gargoyle, got nailed by some crossbow bolts, missed the door enterley on one go around to the hall of spheres, found it on a second, and lost one of the (younger player) characters to the magic archway. They are currently trying to meet each other and i have never heard of a jedi being this pissed off (so good thing they aren't Jedi, lol). They are also arguing about who is going to give up what so the naked Jedi isn't completely uncovered. In a darn good piece of luck, his nomicon is tattoos all over his arms and legs (his spell book), so he at least has that.
Oh, and for shits and giggles, the DM is randomly throwing small vegepygmy bands at them. Apparently a bunch of them went in to explore and got trapped.
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
Thanks! I enjoyed writing it - but also bringing the OGL story to a final end.
I giggled at myself with the title I called the last one - The Lying, the Witch, and the Great Sword.
An obvious (I hope?) nod to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
The lying being about SirTawmis' true identity... the witch, well, being the hag (though when they say things like, "You're next witch!" - there's another word I want to use instead of witch but didn't want to offend anyone and get the post marked as offensive or something! So I just kept with "witch")... and the Great Sword, obviously the blade that gets revealed.
Over all, very fun to write from time to time. When my brain wasn't quiet and I needed something to do to soothe the voice... the OGL story was a fun thing to go, "OK, brain, you're keeping me up - let's see where this goes."
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
Well done, truly. Bravo!
Query: The previous parts of the story are numbered 1-20, but then this one is #22. Did 21 get skipped?
Ah! Sharp eye. 21 wasn't skipped. I forgot to link it. Fixed it in the post!
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
Still waiting on feedback, but apparently they stayed up all night to finish it.
What I do have is a flat out request by 13 players that I run a version of Tomb of Annihilation (the one set in Chult on FR that is "Acererak before Tomb of Horrors"). Apparently they have had a blast with the White Plume and the Tomb, but want to test things out, under my DM, in a more involved setting where the new features can be more thoroughly explored.
I don't own TOA, lol. So I guess I should buy it.
Unrelated, I seem to have angered a rules maven, because I am aware of underlying mechanics and the presumptions that guide them, while they are more focused on just the narrow "what is written" stuff. Very peculiar.
Edit: Also unrelated, kinda sorta, but my big book crossed 1000 pages, so I had to drop out a reference section (stuff for "how to do this") that will get worked into the website overall. I finally figured out a way to take the sections I have written (in MA Word) and get them into the website with most of the formatting similar and automagically uploading any pictures.
The final "big book" will still be a few hundred pages over 1000, but I will break it into chapbooks ( 5 of them expected right now) to make it more manageable. Trade stuff is nearly finished, the slowdown right now being that I am still going through the outfitting list and breaking it down into all the different kinds of guild shops. Gotta say, breaking it into seven "Trade Zones" plus the "Start" is making for a bit of a headache, but aso, it is starting to feel like there's an actual economic system in place here -- and not the default "buy high, sell low" crap that the game prefers. Not that it is likely to be used , mind you -- but as they say, if you build it, they will come.
I have until November 30th to finish it all, so the crunch is on.
Anyone know any third party crafting mechanics that could be good inspiration?
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
Just because... I went back to get the link to the 21st part... and I stumbled across Dane MacKenzie (made by IamSposta) and Dastardly the Duck (made by me in response)...
That this stumbled into my brain as a quick giggle...
EpilogueâŠ
The crowd was cheering wildly. Dane MacKenzie, the âMadâ Magician peeked from behind the curtain. He gulped nervously looking frantically about. One of the performers approached him, âYouâre up, Dane. Looks like the Weird Potato druid got the crowd pumped up!â
âI canât go out there yet!â Dane was wheezing now, his nerves getting the better of him.
âWhy not?â Aluap, a human juggler asked.
âI donât know where myâŠâ Dane began then heard a loud quack.
âDastardly! Where the Hades have you been?â He pushed Aluap to the side and gestured beyond the curtain. âThe crowd has been waiting for us!â
Dastardly the Duck quacked a number of times.
âSomeone summoned you because youâre their patron? Quar1on? What are you talking about,â Dane shouted throwing his arms up in frustration. âYouâre not any kind of patron â itâs a peryton feather you have. Nothing to do with patron â patron and peryton are two very different things.â
Dastardly quacked a few more times.
âA tower? What are you⊠â Dane shook his head. âListen, whatever. Go put on your mage hat and letâs do this show and get it over with.â
Dane pulled back the curtain and Dastardly waddled next to him and the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered.
================
Dane MacKenzie, Magician
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=1862
Created by IamSposta
Dane MacKenzie's Dastardly Goose
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/166611-anything-but-the-ogl-2-0-literally-anything?comment=1864
Created by SirTawmis
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
Check out Pathfinder 2e mechanics
Itâs just so casual⊠I love it! đ