Maybe go for a cooler name for your Northern Valkyre than Sky Ponies lol.
I actually got the name from a barbarian featured in Dungeon Magazine adventure named Vil'Kenna of the Sky Pony tribe. I'm using Vil'Kenna as the leader of the Sky Pony mercenary company; she and her companions are exiles from a larger force up north called the Thunder Furies.
The Thunder Furies are devoted to their homeland, the Thaneward, but the Sky Ponies are loyal to whoever has the most money.
I'm just amused by the idea of badass barbarian valkyrie ladies who are probably some of the strongest warriors around calling themselves the "Sky Ponies".
I was looking at the Forge domain in Xanathar's the other day, and one of the examples it gives in the flavor text is a master elvish smith. But the flavor of the domain itself rewards and emphasizes heavy armor, which doesn't entirely fit with elves. I wanted to come up with a way for that to work without changing any of the domain's features; the result, and a sample character, is in the spoiler.
The Dwarves say a Drow elf can learn humility at the end of a sword, a wood elf at the end of a millenium, and a high elf at the end of time. Among the devotees of Volus Mir, however, humility is the first and foremost lesson. A forge-god, Volus Mir is a strange member of the elvish pantheon - not graceful but blunt, not merry but reserved, not haughty but deeply concerned with the imperfection of all things. It is said he made ten thousand swords for his master Corellon Larethian, each mightier than the last, and each a failure in his eyes. He only ceased when the Lord of Elves threatened to cast him from heaven.
So his priests are a rarity among the high elves, setting aside almost everything that outsiders would say makes an elf an elf, all in favor of the single-minded pursuit of perfection at the forge. They study metallurgy with gnomes and artistry with halflings, the mass forges of humans and the strange smithies of the Outer Planes. They even sit humbly at the feet of Dwarvish master-smiths, much to the bearded folks' amusement. It is said that one of the greatest blessings a forge priest can earn is an approving grunt from a dwarf. When they fight they wear armor heavy enough for a human knight, all but erasing the grace for which elf warriors are so well known, and every link and join of the armor is their own work. The live or die based on the perfection of their craft.
Being few in number and of immense value to Elf kings, the priests of Volus Mir are seldom seen outside of their forge-temples deep within the elf realms. Some, however, take up quests and pilgrimages into the wider world, seeking lost artifacts and new forge-lore. They carry with them their favored weapon - commonly a longsword, but some favor the axe or the hammer, especially those who studied long with the dwarves - and two short swords as markers of their devotion. These must be made of some special metal - mithril, adamantium, cold iron, or more exotic metals like celestial silver or shimmersteel. They serve as proof of the priest's skill at the anvil.
The most arduous trial that the forge-priests undertake is the Mark of Moradin. In one legend, Volus Mir recovered the dwarf god's gauntlet from some abyssal pit, and so won Moradin's favor and learned of his secret forgecraft. Clerics who follow this path seek out lost dwarf relics to return to the bearded folk. The reaction of dwarves is mixed. Some priest's have found their hands running with gold after returning an artifact to its home; others, having pricked the pride of a touchy dwarf lord, have found themselves fleeing for their lives. Nevertheless, they press onward, ever seeking perfection in all their works.
Darkvision (60 feet)
Keen Senses
Fey Ancestry (No mag. sleep, adv. vs. charm)
Trance (4 hours sleep for a long rest)
Elf Weapon Training
High Elf Cantrip (Mending)
High Elf language (Dwarvish)
Shelter of the Faithful
Divine Domain (Forge)
Blessing of the Forge (Make items magic)
Channel Divinity (2/short rest)
- Turn Undead (Destroy CR 1/2)
- Artisan's Blessing (Create mundane items)
Feat: Heavy Armor Master (+1 Str., res. 3 b/p/s)
Soul of the Forge (Resist fire, +1 AC in hvy. arm)
Spells
Cantrips: Mending, Sacred Flame, Word of Radiance, Guidance, Resistance
Level 1: Identify (D), Searing Smite (D), Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Shield of Faith
Level 2: Heat Metal (D), Magic Weapon (D), Enhance Ability, Spiritual Weapon, Continual Flame
Level 3: Elemental Weapon (D), Protection from Energy (D), Revivify
One concept I have for my urban setting is that the local nobility were all peasants who gained their wealth from a "demigoddess of fortune" (who is actually a noble marid) who made them swear that they would serve as nobles in her city if she fulfilled their wish for riches (she made sure to imply that was all she was capable of doing and is trying to hide her true nature as a genie).
Looking at the Wish spell in the PHB I see that it grants a treasure worth 25,000 gp, enough to maintain an aristocratic lifestyle (as defined by the PHB) for seven years. So they couldn't just coast on the granted wealth for the rest of their lives.
I know I want one of these nobles to be a kobold who heads the "Assembly of Industry" and takes great joy at having a position of power over so many humanoid workers. I feel like I need to do some research into what nobles in the real world actually did first, though.
One concept I have for my urban setting is that the local nobility were all peasants who gained their wealth from a "demigoddess of fortune" (who is actually a noble marid) who made them swear that they would serve as nobles in her city if she fulfilled their wish for riches (she made sure to imply that was all she was capable of doing and is trying to hide her true nature as a genie).
Looking at the Wish spell in the PHB I see that it grants a treasure worth 25,000 gp, enough to maintain an aristocratic lifestyle (as defined by the PHB) for seven years. So they couldn't just coast on the granted wealth for the rest of their lives.
I know I want one of these nobles to be a kobold who heads the "Assembly of Industry" and takes great joy at having a position of power over so many humanoid workers. I feel like I need to do some research into what nobles in the real world actually did first, though.
Well, 25,000 gp in cash is enough to afford a sizable tract of land and employees to work it. If those newfound nobles invested in property (which is what most nobles do, historically) then they could easily make themselves much richer very quickly. Perhaps the first clue to your PCs is the shocking newness to all the plantations in the area, all brand new equipment, new buildings, no old horses or mules carrying goods. Several young orchards but none that are old enough to bear fruit yet. Wine at a premium because it still has to be imported while the wine grapes hit their production age.
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
edited February 2018
Posted this is the SE++ games thread but I figure I'll share here too...
I jumped off a ledge and grappled a gargoyle to the ground and beat it to death with a stick tonight. It was a good time.
I also was possessed by a ghost and aged 30 years. That was less than optimal. Luckily I was a young minotaur so I'm comfortably in early middle age now.
We did have an interesting situation though where the warlock in the party banished me to a demi plane when he realized I was possessed. It raised the question of whether the ghost would come with me or not, as the spell specifically states a single target. Either way it was super cool so the DM rolled a d6 and even and odded the answer, and it turned out that the spell banished me, but not the ghost, so then our elf fighter with a sun sword proceeded to kick the ghosts ass, hitting with every attack and burning an action surge to really stick it to him.
Also last night the group I was in managed by complete stupid luck to kill a Purple World. The Rogue/Monk dashing ahead had dipped an arrow into a vial while moving, and on his second turn whipped around and fired at the worm... Paralyzing it.
We all went ham on the thing. Ended the session figuring out how to look inside the thing, and collecting teeth. My barbarian now has a 150 lb worm tooth... Monster Hunter weapon?
While doing research to better flesh out my setting I discovered that, in 4E, the demon lord Ugudenk was the son of Torog, God of the Underdark, and Zuggtmoy, Demon Queen of Fungi.
Ugudenk is also drawn to his father and wants to permanently connect his layer of the Abyss to the Underdark, where Torog dwells. They sound like such a happy family!
So I'm thinking of haste + find greater steed as my bard spells.
Casting Haste on myself also applied to my stress. Haste doubles it's speed and gives a second action. And both actions can be used for dash, which doubles your movement. So now I have two actions per turn, while riding on a flying steed that has 630 - 720 movement speed per round. And i can take additional passengers.
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
edited February 2018
A group of bandits sidled up to the camp and very nicely asked us for 100 gold. I first threatened them with blowing them and us all away with magical fireball necklace by throwing all eight charges down. I failed my intimidation check so they didn’t believe me, so I threw a bead a short distance away and a fireball came out. The bandit leader was like “Well, I’m good” and just walked off with his group.
I died for the first time in DnD. Trolls were attacking a town so I burned them with the magical fireball necklace after getting my companions out the way. One went down, and the other started gnawing on me while I was on fire.
I died as I lived: Flaming
We did have a revivify crystal though and they used its only charge on me.
So I'm thinking of haste + find greater steed as my bard spells.
Casting Haste on myself also applied to my stress. Haste doubles it's speed and gives a second action. And both actions can be used for dash, which doubles your movement. So now I have two actions per turn, while riding on a flying steed that has 630 - 720 movement speed per round. And i can take additional passengers.
Its good to OK. In general though damage is king and two spells (one of which is a concentration spell) for "gotta go fast" is pretty expensive.
Dungeons & Dragons Session Report: The party, joined by newcomer human cleric Angar, decided to look for pirates that had been involved with recent kidnappings. I used my connection with Jeh, the local cargo shipping company's owner, to procure the use of a small vessel and its crew for four days. Our group set-off and after about ten hours of sailing was attacked by a giant octopus. I avoided being caught by the octopus' tentacle and forced it away from me with the thunderwave spell, but the goliath monk Baraka wasn't so lucky. Despite Angar's attempt to compel the octopus' cooperation with nature magic the aquatic beast continued to crush Baraka. Luckily the centaur ranger Vyteris was able to hit and slay the octopus with an arrow despite it being quite a distance below the surface and obscured by murky water. Afterwards we found a pirate vessel anchored at a small island. Anchoring our own ship on the opposite side of the island, we walked through a forest until we happened upon a pirate camp protected by intelligent thorn bushes. Angar used his divine connection with nature to force the bushes to let us pass without harming us, and soon we had slain the pirates and located their store of treasure, which included a cipher for an encoded book we had found a few days before.
In case anyone else is interested, the newest Unearthed Arcana article ("Into the Wild") uses its alternative wilderness exploration rules to detail a region of the Nentir Vale (the 4E default setting) called the Moon Hills. This iteration of the region has a strong connection to the Plane of Earth, which is notable because separate elemental planes didn't exist in 4E.
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AegisFear My DanceOvershot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered Userregular
As someone who ran a Nentir Vale campaign, I will take any and all official articles tidbits like that, woo.
I have rediscovered over the last couple months that a new edition is not enough to make Forgotten Realms anything but odious and dull to run as a DM. Currently in the process of cooking up a custom setting for our in-progress game that requires as little retconning as possible. Luckily the area NE of Waterdeep where Phalander and Red Larch are set is generic enough (no surprise there) so this shouldn't be difficult. Still annoys me though.
Any sign of settings other than FR coming out of Wizards is a good thing.
Mostly it's just the "default" for everything
It's either the origin of or heavily utilizes just about every dnd trope there is, which is fine but if you play for awhile it gets stale, especially given other setting options that do some really interesting stuff/subversions/etc
Plus, if you play with a DM who has read a bunch of books or played a bunch of games in the setting it's fairly common for them to, instead of running a normal D&D game, run a game of "see how many high level named NPCs the party can meet and talk to and watch do cool stuff"
Yea, a big complaint against FR is there isn't a great amount of room for the PCs to deal with serious threats without explaining why established NPCs A though J wouldn't just take care of it themselves if the PCs don't.
Yea, a big complaint against FR is there isn't a great amount of room for the PCs to deal with serious threats without explaining why established NPCs A though J wouldn't just take care of it themselves if the PCs don't.
Yes.
But this is the only difference, IMO, between FR as a setting and the Nentir Vale from 4e. Or Greyhawk from every other edition of D&D. They are all equally as bland and full of the exact same tropes.
FR also has a somewhat deep history, and it makes it hard to mess with if you want to inject your own storylines. Especially if you have an FR historian in your group. Like if you are just doing classic dungeon crawls FR isnt the worst setting, but if you are doing big important stuff then it gets messy quick for a bunch of reasons.
Biggest, unforgivable problem with Forgotten Realms as a setting for a tabletop RPG: there is no central tension or conflict. In previous editions this was also the case but they also came out with boxed sets / adventures that often bolted-on some big event or tension onto the bland contents of the campaign box. For example such FR supplements as: The Horde, Ruins of Myth Drannor, Ruins of Zhentil Keep, Under Illefarn, Moonshae, The Savage Frontier, Shadowdale / Tantras / Waterdeep etc...
The campaign setting, and in 5e it's not even that just the sword coast book + some badly ported old tournament adventures, is usually presented as a fairly static environment. Then adventures / boxed sets / novels / games shake things up. But for 5e all we have is the static stituation. It isn't even that mary-sue NPCs like fucking Elminster are going to solve everything it's that there's nothing to solve.
Second problem: The map is all filled in. This is why Nentir Vale works great as a setting but FR does not. It might sound odd, but it's easier as a DM to work with a setting where there isn't so much material. What is ideal is enough detail on a setting to get the players through an adventure or two because by then the game should have enough of a life of its own where you want some blank edges on the map to start building off of. And by then the players should be heavily influencing the course of the game as well.
FR also has a somewhat deep history, and it makes it hard to mess with if you want to inject your own storylines. Especially if you have an FR historian in your group. Like if you are just doing classic dungeon crawls FR isnt the worst setting, but if you are doing big important stuff then it gets messy quick for a bunch of reasons.
All that sorta precludes the "I am the DM, my word is LAW!" rule though.
Like when I ran a 1 shot in 4e and referred to the goddess Ioun as a male because I forgot she wasn't and it wasn't important enough to the narrative to confirm. One of the players started giving me trouble for it so I told him point blank that in my setting Ioun is a man. And that Moradin was a female elf, too, since he decided to complain, so suck it.
What an actual DM needs when playing the damn game is very different from what makes good background for a videogame or novel and is often very different from what is fun to read through as a non-player.
Best example of this is probably the Planescape stuff from 2nd ed. Tony DiTerlizzi created the best, most evocative art there has ever been in any D&D supplement. The setting is enthralling. The books are so much fun to read through. The videogame based on it is a must play classic.
But good god is it hard to run Planescape out of the box. Especially with the clunky 2nd ed rules. It's not a setting made to be played but to be read and thought about and imagined.
Nentir Vale is a setting that is ready to play. But I wouldn't want to read a novel set there.
FR also has a somewhat deep history, and it makes it hard to mess with if you want to inject your own storylines. Especially if you have an FR historian in your group. Like if you are just doing classic dungeon crawls FR isnt the worst setting, but if you are doing big important stuff then it gets messy quick for a bunch of reasons.
All that sorta precludes the "I am the DM, my word is LAW!" rule though.
Like when I ran a 1 shot in 4e and referred to the goddess Ioun as a male because I forgot she wasn't and it wasn't important enough to the narrative to confirm. One of the players started giving me trouble for it so I told him point blank that in my setting Ioun is a man. And that Moradin was a female elf, too, since he decided to complain, so suck it.
At that point you aren't playing in the FR though.
Nentir Vale is a setting that is ready to play. But I wouldn't want to read a novel set there.
I read one: The Seal of Karga Kul. I don't remember much about it other than the cover illustration and that the final battle was on top of a tilting platform over a portal to Orcus' layer of the Abyss.
One of the games I'm running at the moment is a homebrew - mostly new players so it's standard fantasy fare, frozen north, orcs banding together because some greater evil is pushing them south, that sort of thing. About to spring a coven of hags on them. Anyway, one of my guys (the most experienced player) made a Horizon Walker from Sigil. So now I'm cooking with portals!
I only really knew Planescape from the video game, so I've been reading the 2nd ed campaign setting, but I have visions of Slaadi on the horizon and a few day trips to the Outer planes at some stage, but to run a whole campaign in Planescape would be a challange... one I'd love to try some day.
Contemplate this on the Tree of Woe
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Powerpuppiesdrinking coffee in themountain cabinRegistered Userregular
FR also has a somewhat deep history, and it makes it hard to mess with if you want to inject your own storylines. Especially if you have an FR historian in your group. Like if you are just doing classic dungeon crawls FR isnt the worst setting, but if you are doing big important stuff then it gets messy quick for a bunch of reasons.
All that sorta precludes the "I am the DM, my word is LAW!" rule though.
Like when I ran a 1 shot in 4e and referred to the goddess Ioun as a male because I forgot she wasn't and it wasn't important enough to the narrative to confirm. One of the players started giving me trouble for it so I told him point blank that in my setting Ioun is a man. And that Moradin was a female elf, too, since he decided to complain, so suck it.
At that point you aren't playing in the FR though.
i am tentatively of the opinion that nobody should run or play in a game where the DM is unwilling to make changes from a published module
perhaps i have been exposed to one too many random battle from a DM who ought to know better, idk
FR also has a somewhat deep history, and it makes it hard to mess with if you want to inject your own storylines. Especially if you have an FR historian in your group. Like if you are just doing classic dungeon crawls FR isnt the worst setting, but if you are doing big important stuff then it gets messy quick for a bunch of reasons.
All that sorta precludes the "I am the DM, my word is LAW!" rule though.
Like when I ran a 1 shot in 4e and referred to the goddess Ioun as a male because I forgot she wasn't and it wasn't important enough to the narrative to confirm. One of the players started giving me trouble for it so I told him point blank that in my setting Ioun is a man. And that Moradin was a female elf, too, since he decided to complain, so suck it.
At that point you aren't playing in the FR though.
i am tentatively of the opinion that nobody should run or play in a game where the DM is unwilling to make changes from a published module
perhaps i have been exposed to one too many random battle from a DM who ought to know better, idk
edit: I agree about customizing, often heavily, published stuff one uses.
I think it does illustrate an underlying problem though. It's going to end up more work to deal with that ongoing situation than it would be to create some deities from scratch in a custom setting.
Regardless of the status of the DM as absolute god-king, when they say their setting is "Forgotten Realms" it is inevitable that players who have previous experience with that setting are going to expect their knowledge to hold. And it is going to require work and time on the part of the DM to disabuse them of any notions about the customized parts.
My second DM via Roll20 was running a game set in Planescape, sorta. Based on the March of the Modron's module but done in 5e. It was a lot of fun... though apparently he was struggling with it, plus we had weird connection/being able to hear him issues no matter what we used. I was disappointed when after imagining my big T-rex themed Lizardman Barbarian multi-classing as a Cavalier Fighter and maybe riding a creature from his homeland... then the DM said there aren't any dinosaurs in his world
Just want to briefly vent: had D&D sessions scheduled for both of the past two nights (one on Roll20, tonight in-person) and both have fallen through. These are both with groups that have had a lot of trouble actually meeting for various reasons (it's always something happens that takes out just enough people). This might be the worst part of D&D.
Me elsewhere:
Steam, various fora: Ivellius
League of Legends: Doctor Ivellius
Twitch, probably another place or two I forget: LPIvellius
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
Just want to briefly vent: had D&D sessions scheduled for both of the past two nights (one on Roll20, tonight in-person) and both have fallen through. These are both with groups that have had a lot of trouble actually meeting for various reasons (it's always something happens that takes out just enough people). This might be the worst part of D&D.
I feel you. My DnD group is like that too. Thankfully I have another RPG that’s consistent and I can get my fix.
I love Planescape to death, but it is incredibly hard to get a group of players to all get on the same page and really dive into the subtleties of the setting. You can't really murderhobo your way through Sigil or the Outer Planes, and that puts a damper on 95% of groups.
My second DM via Roll20 was running a game set in Planescape, sorta. Based on the March of the Modron's module but done in 5e. It was a lot of fun... though apparently he was struggling with it, plus we had weird connection/being able to hear him issues no matter what we used. I was disappointed when after imagining my big T-rex themed Lizardman Barbarian multi-classing as a Cavalier Fighter and maybe riding a creature from his homeland... then the DM said there aren't any dinosaurs in his world
Bullshit. A major point of Planescape is that people and stuff can come from anywhere. Having a horse-adjacent dinosaur mount should be the least offensive thing to being in. Alas for you.
Just want to briefly vent: had D&D sessions scheduled for both of the past two nights (one on Roll20, tonight in-person) and both have fallen through. These are both with groups that have had a lot of trouble actually meeting for various reasons (it's always something happens that takes out just enough people). This might be the worst part of D&D.
So something I've never really understood is what is so hard for people to plan around the exact time/date they know their game is meant to happen? Don't get me wrong, shit happens! But you'd drop a planned night out with the guys at the bar, or going to see a movie in the same situation. It's why I really do find it annoying when someone in an extremely different time-zone or who says "Well I can attend -sometimes-" ends up joining the game. Makes it almost impossible, and after a certain point it feels like you're planning the day and time entirely around that one person instead.
Mind I can get how it feels like it's so much simpler to bail on D&D through Roll20 than an actual table game. But it's still shitty.
Yea, a big complaint against FR is there isn't a great amount of room for the PCs to deal with serious threats without explaining why established NPCs A though J wouldn't just take care of it themselves if the PCs don't.
Yes.
But this is the only difference, IMO, between FR as a setting and the Nentir Vale from 4e. Or Greyhawk from every other edition of D&D. They are all equally as bland and full of the exact same tropes.
Greyhawk is so much better. Greyhawk is MiddleEarth minus the trademark and this lets you do a number of things that FR simply doesn't. Because while they're both filled in, Greyhawk is filled in with "This shit is wild and untamed". FR is filled with "this shit is owned by these people"
I have rediscovered over the last couple months that a new edition is not enough to make Forgotten Realms anything but odious and dull to run as a DM. Currently in the process of cooking up a custom setting for our in-progress game that requires as little retconning as possible. Luckily the area NE of Waterdeep where Phalander and Red Larch are set is generic enough (no surprise there) so this shouldn't be difficult. Still annoys me though.
Any sign of settings other than FR coming out of Wizards is a good thing.
Play a west marches campaign. I will post how to do this for a single group rather than a big group(but its surprisingly similar) later tonight after my game
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KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
I really am not immersed in FR. That’s not the fault of my DM. The place is just bland. I forget half the time why I care what’s happening in Storm King’s Thunder except for the party.
Posts
I actually got the name from a barbarian featured in Dungeon Magazine adventure named Vil'Kenna of the Sky Pony tribe. I'm using Vil'Kenna as the leader of the Sky Pony mercenary company; she and her companions are exiles from a larger force up north called the Thunder Furies.
The Thunder Furies are devoted to their homeland, the Thaneward, but the Sky Ponies are loyal to whoever has the most money.
I'm just amused by the idea of badass barbarian valkyrie ladies who are probably some of the strongest warriors around calling themselves the "Sky Ponies".
So his priests are a rarity among the high elves, setting aside almost everything that outsiders would say makes an elf an elf, all in favor of the single-minded pursuit of perfection at the forge. They study metallurgy with gnomes and artistry with halflings, the mass forges of humans and the strange smithies of the Outer Planes. They even sit humbly at the feet of Dwarvish master-smiths, much to the bearded folks' amusement. It is said that one of the greatest blessings a forge priest can earn is an approving grunt from a dwarf. When they fight they wear armor heavy enough for a human knight, all but erasing the grace for which elf warriors are so well known, and every link and join of the armor is their own work. The live or die based on the perfection of their craft.
Being few in number and of immense value to Elf kings, the priests of Volus Mir are seldom seen outside of their forge-temples deep within the elf realms. Some, however, take up quests and pilgrimages into the wider world, seeking lost artifacts and new forge-lore. They carry with them their favored weapon - commonly a longsword, but some favor the axe or the hammer, especially those who studied long with the dwarves - and two short swords as markers of their devotion. These must be made of some special metal - mithril, adamantium, cold iron, or more exotic metals like celestial silver or shimmersteel. They serve as proof of the priest's skill at the anvil.
The most arduous trial that the forge-priests undertake is the Mark of Moradin. In one legend, Volus Mir recovered the dwarf god's gauntlet from some abyssal pit, and so won Moradin's favor and learned of his secret forgecraft. Clerics who follow this path seek out lost dwarf relics to return to the bearded folk. The reaction of dwarves is mixed. Some priest's have found their hands running with gold after returning an artifact to its home; others, having pricked the pride of a touchy dwarf lord, have found themselves fleeing for their lives. Nevertheless, they press onward, ever seeking perfection in all their works.
Peren Firahel
Elf (High) Cleric (Forge) 6 LN
AC 18 HP 39 Speed 30ft
Str 15 (2) Dex 10 (0) Con 14 (2) Wis 14 (2) Int 12 (1) Cha 10 (0)
Attacks
Longsword (2 handed) +5 1d10+2
Longbow +3 1d8
Shortsword +5 1d6+2
Shortsword (offhand) +5 1d6
Darkvision (60 feet)
Keen Senses
Fey Ancestry (No mag. sleep, adv. vs. charm)
Trance (4 hours sleep for a long rest)
Elf Weapon Training
High Elf Cantrip (Mending)
High Elf language (Dwarvish)
Shelter of the Faithful
Divine Domain (Forge)
Blessing of the Forge (Make items magic)
Channel Divinity (2/short rest)
- Turn Undead (Destroy CR 1/2)
- Artisan's Blessing (Create mundane items)
Feat: Heavy Armor Master (+1 Str., res. 3 b/p/s)
Soul of the Forge (Resist fire, +1 AC in hvy. arm)
Spells
Cantrips: Mending, Sacred Flame, Word of Radiance, Guidance, Resistance
Level 1: Identify (D), Searing Smite (D), Healing Word, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Shield of Faith
Level 2: Heat Metal (D), Magic Weapon (D), Enhance Ability, Spiritual Weapon, Continual Flame
Level 3: Elemental Weapon (D), Protection from Energy (D), Revivify
Looking at the Wish spell in the PHB I see that it grants a treasure worth 25,000 gp, enough to maintain an aristocratic lifestyle (as defined by the PHB) for seven years. So they couldn't just coast on the granted wealth for the rest of their lives.
I know I want one of these nobles to be a kobold who heads the "Assembly of Industry" and takes great joy at having a position of power over so many humanoid workers. I feel like I need to do some research into what nobles in the real world actually did first, though.
Well, 25,000 gp in cash is enough to afford a sizable tract of land and employees to work it. If those newfound nobles invested in property (which is what most nobles do, historically) then they could easily make themselves much richer very quickly. Perhaps the first clue to your PCs is the shocking newness to all the plantations in the area, all brand new equipment, new buildings, no old horses or mules carrying goods. Several young orchards but none that are old enough to bear fruit yet. Wine at a premium because it still has to be imported while the wine grapes hit their production age.
I jumped off a ledge and grappled a gargoyle to the ground and beat it to death with a stick tonight. It was a good time.
I also was possessed by a ghost and aged 30 years. That was less than optimal. Luckily I was a young minotaur so I'm comfortably in early middle age now.
We did have an interesting situation though where the warlock in the party banished me to a demi plane when he realized I was possessed. It raised the question of whether the ghost would come with me or not, as the spell specifically states a single target. Either way it was super cool so the DM rolled a d6 and even and odded the answer, and it turned out that the spell banished me, but not the ghost, so then our elf fighter with a sun sword proceeded to kick the ghosts ass, hitting with every attack and burning an action surge to really stick it to him.
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Me too buddy, me too.
Show me.
Also last night the group I was in managed by complete stupid luck to kill a Purple World. The Rogue/Monk dashing ahead had dipped an arrow into a vial while moving, and on his second turn whipped around and fired at the worm... Paralyzing it.
We all went ham on the thing. Ended the session figuring out how to look inside the thing, and collecting teeth. My barbarian now has a 150 lb worm tooth... Monster Hunter weapon?
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/214450/phasers-and-pseudopods-how-to-win-at-3d-chess-and-other-tabletop-games#latest
The tabletop thread over there includes RPGs and has some D&D talk in with that.
Damn forces breaking ranks!
Ugudenk is also drawn to his father and wants to permanently connect his layer of the Abyss to the Underdark, where Torog dwells. They sound like such a happy family!
Casting Haste on myself also applied to my stress. Haste doubles it's speed and gives a second action. And both actions can be used for dash, which doubles your movement. So now I have two actions per turn, while riding on a flying steed that has 630 - 720 movement speed per round. And i can take additional passengers.
I died for the first time in DnD. Trolls were attacking a town so I burned them with the magical fireball necklace after getting my companions out the way. One went down, and the other started gnawing on me while I was on fire.
I died as I lived: Flaming
We did have a revivify crystal though and they used its only charge on me.
Its good to OK. In general though damage is king and two spells (one of which is a concentration spell) for "gotta go fast" is pretty expensive.
Currently DMing: None
Characters
[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
Any sign of settings other than FR coming out of Wizards is a good thing.
It's either the origin of or heavily utilizes just about every dnd trope there is, which is fine but if you play for awhile it gets stale, especially given other setting options that do some really interesting stuff/subversions/etc
Plus, if you play with a DM who has read a bunch of books or played a bunch of games in the setting it's fairly common for them to, instead of running a normal D&D game, run a game of "see how many high level named NPCs the party can meet and talk to and watch do cool stuff"
Yes.
But this is the only difference, IMO, between FR as a setting and the Nentir Vale from 4e. Or Greyhawk from every other edition of D&D. They are all equally as bland and full of the exact same tropes.
The campaign setting, and in 5e it's not even that just the sword coast book + some badly ported old tournament adventures, is usually presented as a fairly static environment. Then adventures / boxed sets / novels / games shake things up. But for 5e all we have is the static stituation. It isn't even that mary-sue NPCs like fucking Elminster are going to solve everything it's that there's nothing to solve.
Second problem: The map is all filled in. This is why Nentir Vale works great as a setting but FR does not. It might sound odd, but it's easier as a DM to work with a setting where there isn't so much material. What is ideal is enough detail on a setting to get the players through an adventure or two because by then the game should have enough of a life of its own where you want some blank edges on the map to start building off of. And by then the players should be heavily influencing the course of the game as well.
All that sorta precludes the "I am the DM, my word is LAW!" rule though.
Like when I ran a 1 shot in 4e and referred to the goddess Ioun as a male because I forgot she wasn't and it wasn't important enough to the narrative to confirm. One of the players started giving me trouble for it so I told him point blank that in my setting Ioun is a man. And that Moradin was a female elf, too, since he decided to complain, so suck it.
Best example of this is probably the Planescape stuff from 2nd ed. Tony DiTerlizzi created the best, most evocative art there has ever been in any D&D supplement. The setting is enthralling. The books are so much fun to read through. The videogame based on it is a must play classic.
But good god is it hard to run Planescape out of the box. Especially with the clunky 2nd ed rules. It's not a setting made to be played but to be read and thought about and imagined.
Nentir Vale is a setting that is ready to play. But I wouldn't want to read a novel set there.
At that point you aren't playing in the FR though.
I read one: The Seal of Karga Kul. I don't remember much about it other than the cover illustration and that the final battle was on top of a tilting platform over a portal to Orcus' layer of the Abyss.
I only really knew Planescape from the video game, so I've been reading the 2nd ed campaign setting, but I have visions of Slaadi on the horizon and a few day trips to the Outer planes at some stage, but to run a whole campaign in Planescape would be a challange... one I'd love to try some day.
i am tentatively of the opinion that nobody should run or play in a game where the DM is unwilling to make changes from a published module
perhaps i have been exposed to one too many random battle from a DM who ought to know better, idk
edit: I agree about customizing, often heavily, published stuff one uses.
I think it does illustrate an underlying problem though. It's going to end up more work to deal with that ongoing situation than it would be to create some deities from scratch in a custom setting.
Regardless of the status of the DM as absolute god-king, when they say their setting is "Forgotten Realms" it is inevitable that players who have previous experience with that setting are going to expect their knowledge to hold. And it is going to require work and time on the part of the DM to disabuse them of any notions about the customized parts.
Steam, various fora: Ivellius
League of Legends: Doctor Ivellius
Twitch, probably another place or two I forget: LPIvellius
I feel you. My DnD group is like that too. Thankfully I have another RPG that’s consistent and I can get my fix.
Bullshit. A major point of Planescape is that people and stuff can come from anywhere. Having a horse-adjacent dinosaur mount should be the least offensive thing to being in. Alas for you.
So something I've never really understood is what is so hard for people to plan around the exact time/date they know their game is meant to happen? Don't get me wrong, shit happens! But you'd drop a planned night out with the guys at the bar, or going to see a movie in the same situation. It's why I really do find it annoying when someone in an extremely different time-zone or who says "Well I can attend -sometimes-" ends up joining the game. Makes it almost impossible, and after a certain point it feels like you're planning the day and time entirely around that one person instead.
Mind I can get how it feels like it's so much simpler to bail on D&D through Roll20 than an actual table game. But it's still shitty.
Greyhawk is so much better. Greyhawk is MiddleEarth minus the trademark and this lets you do a number of things that FR simply doesn't. Because while they're both filled in, Greyhawk is filled in with "This shit is wild and untamed". FR is filled with "this shit is owned by these people"
Play a west marches campaign. I will post how to do this for a single group rather than a big group(but its surprisingly similar) later tonight after my game