Sounds like your world has a life of its own independent of the PCs which is awesome!
I'm gonna try to do more of that... letting NPCs do things independent of the party & letting PCs inaction have consequences
When i did Curse of Strahd after every session i figured out how much time passed and what major plot figures were up to while not with the PCs. It contributed to making the world feel alive, and made real consequences for the players when they ignored something or said "we'll go there later".
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webguy20I spend too much time on the InternetRegistered Userregular
For me when it comes to optional content that is when I raid the internet for content. Fun side plots, dungeons, treasure or whatever. Its the required storyline content that I’ll spend my creative energy on. Even then I wont have anything but a rough draft concept until probably a month out when I start working in it once its obvious my players will get there soon.
A really easy time pressure is just "do you want to have to travel back in the dark, or spend the night at the dungeon?"
Did they leave anything behind at the inn as well? How long before they assume they died in the depths and sell off your stuff (or how many nights did you pay for the room in advance)?
my players never leave anything behind anywhere and I feel like I need to start blowing up bags of holding to teach them to not carry half a million gold pieces everywhere because they're too paranoid about a bank heist
no, they should be paranoid about anything, and upon accepting that nothing is safe, find true serenity in the hopelessness of keeping the things they love secure
(I swear I don't do stuff like that to the players unless they make obvious blunders, I just want to start encouraging their characters to live a little bit less like hobos, especially since they all own homes now)
Or, hound them with insurance agents? Jealous dragons? A complicated insurance fraud scheme involving insurance agents and dragons? The world's your oyster.
Or next time they reach into their bag of holding they get bit by the Pocket Dragon that found the treasure horde in there and took up residence. Now the dragon has decided it's their horde, oh and also would it kill the PCs to throw in a live deer or two once in a while ffs?
my players never leave anything behind anywhere and I feel like I need to start blowing up bags of holding to teach them to not carry half a million gold pieces everywhere because they're too paranoid about a bank heist
no, they should be paranoid about anything, and upon accepting that nothing is safe, find true serenity in the hopelessness of keeping the things they love secure
(I swear I don't do stuff like that to the players unless they make obvious blunders, I just want to start encouraging their characters to live a little bit less like hobos, especially since they all own homes now)
I think I've done a bit before here on Bags of Holding as adventure hooks - what made you think there was just one portal to that demiplane? And where exactly is it... Page 51 - hook to get them involved is not that they're missing things, it's that there's items in there that they didn't put in (so it's not just the DM being mean and taking their stuff at first). Has the option of them getting a cross-planar base of operations as a reward, and learning the lesson that nowhere is really safe.
LOL
Please let US know how that goes, @override367 ?
Can just picture the look on my player's faces if their bag of holding exploded X)
A bank heist where all their valuables get stolen would be such a great adventure hook
The monk in my Storm King's Thunder game once was in melee with a near-death hostile bard boss lady
They knew she had a bag of holding, by the way
He threatened torture on her, he was lying, but she didn't know that. He got KO'd by a friendly fireball, she survived. She shoved her bag of holding into his bag of holding on her turn with less than 10hp left
She took him to the astral plane with her. He had to roll a new character.
Long story short the monk and evil bard ended up finding a micro-world and falling in love, before being captured by illithids. Eventually I'll get back to that campaign so the players can launch a rescue mission for their still alive monk friend
I was worried I'd killed the campaign with how mad the players were that an NPC could do that. I reminded them that nothing stops any of them from doing the same thing. It ended up being remembered as a shocking and awesome moment
I was worried I'd killed the campaign with how mad the players were that an NPC could do that. I reminded them that nothing stops any of them from doing the same thing. It ended up being remembered as a shocking and awesome moment
LOL
Please let US know how that goes, override367 ?
Can just picture the look on my player's faces if their bag of holding exploded X)
A bank heist where all their valuables get stolen would be such a great adventure hook
One session I made a point of mentioning pickpockets being active in the city the party had just entered, and asked where on their persons they were keeping all of their stuff
This was mainly to get some of them to leave valuables in their lodgings so the burglars I had planned would have stuff to steal and drive the plot forward
A pickpocket grabbing my characters bag of holding would be really funny right now because about half the time it has a corpse in it. (The current quest is finding the NPC party members that went dungeon delving without their wizard. Needless to say most have been in a reduced state of aliveness)
A pickpocket grabbing my characters bag of holding would be really funny right now because about half the time it has a corpse in it. (The current quest is finding the NPC party members that went dungeon delving without their wizard. Needless to say most have been in a reduced state of aliveness)
One of the games I'm in we're about to start collecting skeletons to put in our party's bag of holding because my necromancer and another player's war cleric are both going to start animating them and carrying them in the bag. Turn it inside out, out pops a rattle of skeletons ready to fuck shit up :rotate:
I've been doing more research into the Abyss and the demon lords. Here's an excerpt from my notes for those interested:
Allied Demon Lords
- Demogorgon counts Dagon as an ally and advisor, despite Dagon initially competing with him to become the first Prince of Demons (a position both lost to Obox-Ob). However, Dagon also maintains occasional contact with the now-deposed Obox-Ob, who has crafted the unique demon Lascer to serve Dagon.
- Graz'zt allowed the demon lord Verin to retain his power after conquering his layer and renaming it Voorz'zt on the condition he serves as Graz'zt's chief diplomat.
- Zuggtmoy allows Haagenti to collect samples from Mycoriji for experiments. He is developing a special fungal disease for her called brittle cough.
- Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy have a mysterious relationship.
- Pale Night dwells within a keep in Baphomet's Endless Maze. He is afraid to oppose her.
- Orcus has been known to pay Pazuzu to defend the skies of Thanatos.
- Baphomet seeks an alliance with Malcanthet against Yeenoghu, a mutual enemy of theirs.
- The Queen's Conclave is made up of the Queen of Chaos and the ancient obyrith demon lords who still heed her call, of which Pazuzu appears to be most loyal. Dagon and Pale Night are likely members of the Conclave. The Queen's past betrayal of Obox-Ob makes it seem unlikely he would be counted among their number. All other obyriths have either been slain or imprisoned in various points throughout the Abyss and the Material Plane.
Opposing Demon Lords
- Orcus and Graz'zt are considered Demogorgon's greatest rivals.
- Juiblex wars with Zuggtmoy for sole control of Shedaklah, though he seems to be gradually preparing a retreat to the Abyssal layer of Molor.
- Kostchtchie invaded and ravaged Zuggtmoy's realm before leaving, allowing Juiblex to get a foothold. Orcus' layer of Thanatos was also a target of Kostchtchie and his raiders, but he was quickly driven out on that occasion with the heads of his frost giant allies severed and reanimated to lead hordes of undead against him
- Baphomet and Yeenoghu despise one another. Their armies clash in multiple Abyssal layers. The two were once allies, but after Yeenoghu and his forces fled from a battle and left Baphomet and his army behind their alliance crumbled.
- Orcus once imprisoned Baphomet in a maze built below his castle as part of a short-lived alliance with Yeenoghu, allowing the demon lord of the gnolls a chance to attack and loot Baphomet's Abyssal layer.
- Demogorgon opposes Graz'zt's invasion of Skeiqulac. He also imprisoned Graz'zt's general Ebulon to the Wells of Darkness and foils Graz'zt's attempts to free him.
- Orcus lured Doresain the Ghoul King from Yeenoghu's side to his own, even convincing Doresain to let his White Kingdom be absorbed into Thanatos.
- Raxivort created an entire race called the xvarts as body doubles and spread them throughout the planes to hide from Graz'zt's wrath.
- Malcanthet rejected Graz'zt's advances. Outraged by this, he assumed Malcanthet's form, slept with Kostchtchie, and spread rumors that she had done so to embarrass her.
- Lolth angered Graz'zt by refusing an alliance against Orcus. He responded by masterminding various threats against the drow of the Underdark.
- Obox-Ob was betrayed by the Queen of Chaos and dethroned as Prince of Demons only for his replacement (and the Queen's consort) Miska the Wolf Spider to be defeated and for Demogorgon to take the title.
- Zuggtmoy despises Lolth, viewing her as a rival for control of the Underdark.
realm and began to establish a small cult in the Material Plane, hoping to become a demon lord of crime. When Orcus returned, Eldanoth immediately fled for his life. Eldanoth's remaining loyalists in Thanatos attempt to undermine Orcus while he himself takes refuge in an Abyssal layer called the Arc of Eternity, a realm populated mainly by snakes and mane demons.
- A cult dedicated to Ahazu the Seizer once attacked Thanatos. Orcus responded by driving out the attackers and sending an attack force to the Wells of Darkness to destroy the cult and its headquarters.
- Demogorgon's two heads are named Aamaeul and Hethadriah. They despise one another and telepathically communicate with their underlings to hatch plots against each other. It is said Demogorgon once had only one head, that an axe blow meant to chop the demon lord's had in half instead resulted in the formation of the two separate heads Demogorgon possesses now.
- Pazuzu once battled for control of the Plain of a Thousand Portals against fellow obyriths Bechard, Ubothar, and Cabiri. They established a temporary truce once the Queen of Chaos called them to aid in her war against the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. Though Cabiri was imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness by the Queen for attempting to desert and Bechard was eventually captured, crippled, and left incapacitated in Yeenoghu's realm, the details of Ubothar's imprisonment in the earth of a Material Plane world is a mystery. Regardless, the Plain of a Thousand Portals is now also known as Pazunia in honor of its winged overseer.
- Oublivae enjoys encouraging conflict between the demon lords.
I think my favorite detail out of these is that while Kostchtchie and his allies invaded Zuggtmoy's realm and caused so much damage that she is still trying to get things back to normal, Orcus had the heads of Kostchtchie's allies cut-off and reanimated as undead to lead hordes of zombies, ghouls, and ghasts against him.
EDIT: The more I think of Eldanoth the more I want to play as him. Maybe he's gotten tired of hiding out in the Arc of Eternity and wants to go train in the Material Plane so he can have a better chance of prospering in the Abyss?
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Have her do a lot of housing loans for residents of the Underdark.
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Keep in mind succubi can shift between the ethereal plane and the material plane as an action as much as they want. Lots of fun potential there!
oh currently they have the succubus planar bound as a babysitter for some weretiger cubs
she's also amassed a massive pile of wealth by stealing from the party since nobody told her not to, they gave her access to town funds to help take care of the kids, so what she does is withdraw a few gp there for the kids, sets the money aside for them, and the offers them a candy or something and takes the money herself as payment since children are terrible negotiators, and shes been doing this for 2 years
Okay, so I'm seriously considering a PC build for Eldanoth, a minor demon lord who looks like a tiefling with snakes for fingers.
Eldanoth once tried to establish himself as a demon lord of crime in Thanatos during Orcus' absence (Orcus had died and was Tenebrous at the time). Once Orcus returned and started wiping out Eldanoth's followers the would-be demon lord of crime fled to hide out in a layer called the Arc of Eternity. His new home is populated solely by snakes and manes, the least of all demonkind. The manes regard him as a folk hero.
All this leads me to believe Eldanoth is actually a pretty weak being, one who survived among demons on charisma alone and is only considered a demon lord because he's settled on an Abyssal layer no one else wants yet (no idea why it's called the Arc of Eternity, btw).
I'm also considering folding in some 4E lore. In that edition Orcus was said to have killed a minor serpentine demon lord who had in his possession a treasure called the Jewel of Gharan. There was no explanation given for what the Jewel actually does, but I'm imagining that during Orcus' absence Eldanoth stole it from wherever Orcus had placed it and its magic transformed his thieving fingers into snakes. Once Eldanoth reemerged with the Jewel of Gharan (and his new snake fingers) he earned some cred with Thanatos' demons.
For the race I'm thinking some kind of tiefling variant, possibly Devil's Tongue from SCAG or the Glasya tiefling from MtoF. I might could also ask a potential DM to create my own tiefling variant that uses the innate spellcasting trait of the yuan-ti pureblood instead of those tieflings normally get, as well as replacing fire resistance for poison resistance. Maybe he could use his snake fingers for a bite attack like the one type-2 yuan-ti malisons have?
As far as classes are concerned, maybe some kind of multiclass with mostly rogue levels and a bit of warlock for a few invocations and spells? Perhaps he draws upon his own latent potential for the warlock spells, or maybe the Jewel of Gharan is the source of his warlock abilities?
Despite being a chaotic evil would-be demon lord of crime he could still play nice with the party, realizing that he needs this experience if he ever wants to make something of himself. Also, weirdly, his few, small cults sacrifice criminals in his name despite being criminals themselves, so I guess he'd have no qualms taking out criminals that he deems unworthy of his future patronage.
EDIT: I'm debating whether to make this PC Eldanoth himself or an aspect or avatar of him. One reason being that demons usually get some resistances and poison immunity, and the other reason being that upon the "death" of a demon in the Material Plane the body dissolves into ichor, making it hard to use most spells that undo death.
No matter the case, I'm imagining a small cult of Eldanoth successfully summoning him through the sacrifice of many rival criminals, confident that their patron will protect them from retribution and lead them to mastery of the criminal underworld, only for their demonic patron to bail on them at the first opportunity. Maybe he tries to pacify them with a few demonic boons only to rescind them when he's out of dodge.
Speaking of demonic boons, maybe he could have a unique one to offer to the party? Nothing outrageous. Maybe he could just share his ability to cast animal friendship (snakes only). Or let them turn their fingers into snakes, too!
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Who is going to take out a loan from a succubus? That just seems like asking for trouble. Probably only evildoers and the desperate? I am not sure that a) creating a bank, and b) putting a devil in charge of it is not an evil action
Edit: now you've got me wondering who the succubus is going to hire as repo men/collections agents
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Who is going to take out a loan from a succubus? That just seems like asking for trouble. Probably only evildoers and the desperate? I am not sure that a) creating a bank, and b) putting a devil in charge of it is not an evil action
Edit: now you've got me wondering who the succubus is going to hire as repo men/collections agents
Here's my tentative plans:
1. Succubus aint exactly going to be going in her true form, she's going to be Valeria Minauros (of the Emon Minauroses) businesswoman extraordinaire
2. She will seek to victimize evildoers by giving them predatory loans, and trying to tempt those who aren't evil with too-good-to-be-true offers
3. Repo men? Collections? Why would she leave the part that's the most fun to other people. She has a certain set of guidelines due to the nature of being planar bound with her true name, and the orders given to her, but as long as she doesn't *physically* hurt anyone, she's in compliance (I'll have to come up with how, she can't charm anyone, or draining kiss anyone, but I imagine just shapeshifting and a high deception score can be used to effectively ruin people who don't pay up more effectively than a bat to the kneecaps could)
This isn't going to go well but as a DM I always enjoy playing a lawful evil creature that has to operate within a set of constraints and try to squirm around them
Banker: So sign here
Customer: Why does my small business loan require me to build a shrine to Mammon and commit a sin of thought, word, and deed within a year
Banker: Did I mention the first 6 months have no interest
Customer: Oh why didn't you say so
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Who is going to take out a loan from a succubus? That just seems like asking for trouble. Probably only evildoers and the desperate? I am not sure that a) creating a bank, and b) putting a devil in charge of it is not an evil action
I mean, you get a bad deal either way, but at least devils won't try to renege on it.
Decided to go through with my character idea. Meet Xelbuk the Echo Knight/War Cleric of Tempus, God of War. He enjoys eating raw plants and meat, fighting, and bathing in the blood of his enemies.
Banker: So sign here
Customer: Why does my small business loan require me to build a shrine to Mammon and commit a sin of thought, word, and deed within a year
Banker: Did I mention the first 6 months have no interest
Customer: Oh why didn't you say so
Mwahaha
Those sound like very fair and desirable terms (judging based on my IRL bank ; )
Can I switch to your services please?
Banker: So sign here
Customer: Why does my small business loan require me to build a shrine to Mammon and commit a sin of thought, word, and deed within a year
Banker: Did I mention the first 6 months have no interest
Customer: Oh why didn't you say so
Customer: So, does onanism count as sin?
Banker: ...er... I guess so?
Customer: I'll be back in five minutes.
my favorite bit of devil lore from the books is when Glasya's succubus daughter's Imp assistant threatened to file what amounts to an HR complaint with Glasya over his treatment by the succubus. The complaint wouldn't have gone anywhere, and in fact the imp would have likely been demoted for bothering Glasya, but it would look bad on her record to have her employees complaining about her performance even if the complaints were bullshit, so she had to give him some kind of concession despite being the granddaughter of frickin Asmodeus
that kind of shit is why devils are so much more fun to run than demons, because their bullshit bureaucracy absolutely takes priority over their evil plans
I am so glad in WDDH we were able to save the children through litigation by hiring the Rakshasa who lives in Waterdeep as an attorney, it's the best possible way to win
So as a creative side project I am designing some major NPCs for the Eberron campaign setting.
They are primarily amalgam style superheroes, as adapted into the Eberron setting.
First up, Bryce d'Deneith, blind merchant-lord for House Deneith and shadowy vigilante of Sharn, the Crimson Scourge.
Finished up Bryce d'Deneith!
Second up, Petyr d'Lyrandar, young crime-reporter for the Korranberg Chronicle and, ever since being stung by an elemental spider, a venomous vigilante of Sharn, Thunder-Fang!
Wait, aren't succubi demons, tempting those that give into lust and (chaotic) baser instincts?
I thought Erinyes are the Devil lawful equivalent
Succubi are neither, they keep changing them in different editions, but the least hodgepodgey explanation is that they were originally angels like asmodeus, explaining their ability to have children (fiends usually cant), and that some of them live in the abyss and serve demons (don't use demonic succubi in a campaign unless everyone's okay with rapey monsters). They have true free will, unlike most other fiends, and the majority their race populates the nine hells and serve various devils. At some point in each of their lives they decide on their gender and their body simply alters its sex to match their self-image (obviously they can change that for a mission if necessary). In one of the supplements I have, it describes that since they cannot rank up like normal devils, they work more like humans: they have to rely on learning skills and abilities. A succubus that learns spellcraft can be a preposterously dangerous foe, and good god imagine a succubus assassin.
In that same supplement, it described that the price for a century of service for a free-agent succubus is a bag of holding filled entirely with gold, to be paid at service's completion. Unlike normal fiends, many of them have ambitions as banal as a person: a fancy ass house and lots of expensive shit. Also unlike most devils, almost all of them would rather live on the prime material plane, and the best assignments are long term assignments where they get to live as an important human
The one I mentioned above who served Glasya still lives in Neverwinter in the current timeline, and has for about a century. She's basically an ambassador to the Abolethic sovereignty to the nine hells, but is also working various angles (and people) in Neverwinter to ensure a more receptive environment to the forces of law and evil. In the book she actually helps Drizzt and friends defeat the Netherese and even tells Drizzt what's wrong with his panther, and she fights tirelessly to help the city of Neverwinter prosper again (after all if she lives here, she wants to live in a nice place)
As such, they don't have to do jobs that have anything to do with the gaping void in their hearts that they are constantly (and unsuccessfully) trying to fill, they're pretty good at everything (just look at their stat block) as long as you don't ask them to help you move. They will shank you and take your wallet before you bleed out if you stand in the way of their goals though, or give you a big long kiss if you're really, really upsetting them
In my day they drained a level with a kiss, and couldn't be killed with mundane weapons that weren't made of silver or cold iron.
Succubi could get easy wins via the kiss, but an Erinyes needed to you to sign away your soul before you could be together forever (the latter also refusing promotions on occasion due to the freedoms granted alongside it, and the chance to get a really valuable soul as an ally or bargaining chip - plus it's galling to become a Hamatula guard after this, despite it being a clear sign of loyalty).
My current PC on an Descent into Avernus campaign is the well read, but likely misinformed, Magister Sammuels. He's got a good knowledge of things from 2nd edition Planescape (and thinks a lot from Noonan and Grubb's Manual of the Planes is pure hogswash, hence why he has named his two mules after them since they have an equal understanding of the outer realms), he's likely to get a rough primer in what the real situation is on the ground in the coming weeks.
So as a creative side project I am designing some major NPCs for the Eberron campaign setting.
They are primarily amalgam style superheroes, as adapted into the Eberron setting.
First up, Bryce d'Deneith, blind merchant-lord for House Deneith and shadowy vigilante of Sharn, the Crimson Scourge.
Finished up Bryce d'Deneith!
Second up, Petyr d'Lyrandar, young crime-reporter for the Korranberg Chronicle and, ever since being stung by an elemental spider, a venomous vigilante of Sharn, Thunder-Fang!
Maybe I'm missing out on some 5e changes vs. 3.5e... but your chosen Dragonmarked House names and their professions are wildly out of order! It's funny. :razz:
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Zonugal(He/Him) The Holiday ArmadilloI'm Santa's representative for all the southern states. And Mexico!Registered Userregular
So as a creative side project I am designing some major NPCs for the Eberron campaign setting.
They are primarily amalgam style superheroes, as adapted into the Eberron setting.
First up, Bryce d'Deneith, blind merchant-lord for House Deneith and shadowy vigilante of Sharn, the Crimson Scourge.
Finished up Bryce d'Deneith!
Second up, Petyr d'Lyrandar, young crime-reporter for the Korranberg Chronicle and, ever since being stung by an elemental spider, a venomous vigilante of Sharn, Thunder-Fang!
Maybe I'm missing out on some 5e changes vs. 3.5e... but your chosen Dragonmarked House names and their professions are wildly out of order! It's funny. :razz:
I'm choosing to believe that just because you possess a Dragonmark doesn't mean you are forced into working for the house itself.
But you bring up a good point, I should probably change the character's last name...
No fixed work areas, requirement to make your work area suitable for anyone to take it the following day (or not and the other guy just lives with it) and usually not enough work spaces for the number of staff you have.
Better get there early, all of you! Because what's wrong with an unofficial 7-7 work day?
So as a creative side project I am designing some major NPCs for the Eberron campaign setting.
They are primarily amalgam style superheroes, as adapted into the Eberron setting.
First up, Bryce d'Deneith, blind merchant-lord for House Deneith and shadowy vigilante of Sharn, the Crimson Scourge.
Finished up Bryce d'Deneith!
Second up, Petyr d'Lyrandar, young crime-reporter for the Korranberg Chronicle and, ever since being stung by an elemental spider, a venomous vigilante of Sharn, Thunder-Fang!
Maybe I'm missing out on some 5e changes vs. 3.5e... but your chosen Dragonmarked House names and their professions are wildly out of order! It's funny. :razz:
I'm choosing to believe that just because you possess a Dragonmark doesn't mean you are forced into working for the house itself.
But you bring up a good point, I should probably change the character's last name...
Petyr Allen Garrick
It does mean that but the House will still have an interest in you.
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I'm gonna try to do more of that... letting NPCs do things independent of the party & letting PCs inaction have consequences
When i did Curse of Strahd after every session i figured out how much time passed and what major plot figures were up to while not with the PCs. It contributed to making the world feel alive, and made real consequences for the players when they ignored something or said "we'll go there later".
Origin ID: Discgolfer27
Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
Did they leave anything behind at the inn as well? How long before they assume they died in the depths and sell off your stuff (or how many nights did you pay for the room in advance)?
no, they should be paranoid about anything, and upon accepting that nothing is safe, find true serenity in the hopelessness of keeping the things they love secure
(I swear I don't do stuff like that to the players unless they make obvious blunders, I just want to start encouraging their characters to live a little bit less like hobos, especially since they all own homes now)
Please let US know how that goes, @override367 ?
Can just picture the look on my player's faces if their bag of holding exploded X)
A bank heist where all their valuables get stolen would be such a great adventure hook
I think I've done a bit before here on Bags of Holding as adventure hooks - what made you think there was just one portal to that demiplane? And where exactly is it...
Page 51 - hook to get them involved is not that they're missing things, it's that there's items in there that they didn't put in (so it's not just the DM being mean and taking their stuff at first). Has the option of them getting a cross-planar base of operations as a reward, and learning the lesson that nowhere is really safe.
The monk in my Storm King's Thunder game once was in melee with a near-death hostile bard boss lady
They knew she had a bag of holding, by the way
He threatened torture on her, he was lying, but she didn't know that. He got KO'd by a friendly fireball, she survived. She shoved her bag of holding into his bag of holding on her turn with less than 10hp left
She took him to the astral plane with her. He had to roll a new character.
Long story short the monk and evil bard ended up finding a micro-world and falling in love, before being captured by illithids. Eventually I'll get back to that campaign so the players can launch a rescue mission for their still alive monk friend
I was worried I'd killed the campaign with how mad the players were that an NPC could do that. I reminded them that nothing stops any of them from doing the same thing. It ended up being remembered as a shocking and awesome moment
X) Epic way to lose a character!
This story has everything... combat, romance illithids
So... totally worth the risk - congrats!
One session I made a point of mentioning pickpockets being active in the city the party had just entered, and asked where on their persons they were keeping all of their stuff
This was mainly to get some of them to leave valuables in their lodgings so the burglars I had planned would have stuff to steal and drive the plot forward
Edit - removed @ signal, sorry override367
One of the games I'm in we're about to start collecting skeletons to put in our party's bag of holding because my necromancer and another player's war cleric are both going to start animating them and carrying them in the bag. Turn it inside out, out pops a rattle of skeletons ready to fuck shit up :rotate:
Allied Demon Lords
- Demogorgon counts Dagon as an ally and advisor, despite Dagon initially competing with him to become the first Prince of Demons (a position both lost to Obox-Ob). However, Dagon also maintains occasional contact with the now-deposed Obox-Ob, who has crafted the unique demon Lascer to serve Dagon.
- Graz'zt allowed the demon lord Verin to retain his power after conquering his layer and renaming it Voorz'zt on the condition he serves as Graz'zt's chief diplomat.
- Zuggtmoy allows Haagenti to collect samples from Mycoriji for experiments. He is developing a special fungal disease for her called brittle cough.
- Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy have a mysterious relationship.
- Pale Night dwells within a keep in Baphomet's Endless Maze. He is afraid to oppose her.
- Orcus has been known to pay Pazuzu to defend the skies of Thanatos.
- Baphomet seeks an alliance with Malcanthet against Yeenoghu, a mutual enemy of theirs.
- The Queen's Conclave is made up of the Queen of Chaos and the ancient obyrith demon lords who still heed her call, of which Pazuzu appears to be most loyal. Dagon and Pale Night are likely members of the Conclave. The Queen's past betrayal of Obox-Ob makes it seem unlikely he would be counted among their number. All other obyriths have either been slain or imprisoned in various points throughout the Abyss and the Material Plane.
Opposing Demon Lords
- Orcus and Graz'zt are considered Demogorgon's greatest rivals.
- Juiblex wars with Zuggtmoy for sole control of Shedaklah, though he seems to be gradually preparing a retreat to the Abyssal layer of Molor.
- Kostchtchie invaded and ravaged Zuggtmoy's realm before leaving, allowing Juiblex to get a foothold. Orcus' layer of Thanatos was also a target of Kostchtchie and his raiders, but he was quickly driven out on that occasion with the heads of his frost giant allies severed and reanimated to lead hordes of undead against him
- Baphomet and Yeenoghu despise one another. Their armies clash in multiple Abyssal layers. The two were once allies, but after Yeenoghu and his forces fled from a battle and left Baphomet and his army behind their alliance crumbled.
- Orcus once imprisoned Baphomet in a maze built below his castle as part of a short-lived alliance with Yeenoghu, allowing the demon lord of the gnolls a chance to attack and loot Baphomet's Abyssal layer.
- Demogorgon opposes Graz'zt's invasion of Skeiqulac. He also imprisoned Graz'zt's general Ebulon to the Wells of Darkness and foils Graz'zt's attempts to free him.
- Orcus lured Doresain the Ghoul King from Yeenoghu's side to his own, even convincing Doresain to let his White Kingdom be absorbed into Thanatos.
- Raxivort created an entire race called the xvarts as body doubles and spread them throughout the planes to hide from Graz'zt's wrath.
- Malcanthet rejected Graz'zt's advances. Outraged by this, he assumed Malcanthet's form, slept with Kostchtchie, and spread rumors that she had done so to embarrass her.
- Lolth angered Graz'zt by refusing an alliance against Orcus. He responded by masterminding various threats against the drow of the Underdark.
- Obox-Ob was betrayed by the Queen of Chaos and dethroned as Prince of Demons only for his replacement (and the Queen's consort) Miska the Wolf Spider to be defeated and for Demogorgon to take the title.
- Zuggtmoy despises Lolth, viewing her as a rival for control of the Underdark.
realm and began to establish a small cult in the Material Plane, hoping to become a demon lord of crime. When Orcus returned, Eldanoth immediately fled for his life. Eldanoth's remaining loyalists in Thanatos attempt to undermine Orcus while he himself takes refuge in an Abyssal layer called the Arc of Eternity, a realm populated mainly by snakes and mane demons.
- A cult dedicated to Ahazu the Seizer once attacked Thanatos. Orcus responded by driving out the attackers and sending an attack force to the Wells of Darkness to destroy the cult and its headquarters.
- Demogorgon's two heads are named Aamaeul and Hethadriah. They despise one another and telepathically communicate with their underlings to hatch plots against each other. It is said Demogorgon once had only one head, that an axe blow meant to chop the demon lord's had in half instead resulted in the formation of the two separate heads Demogorgon possesses now.
- Pazuzu once battled for control of the Plain of a Thousand Portals against fellow obyriths Bechard, Ubothar, and Cabiri. They established a temporary truce once the Queen of Chaos called them to aid in her war against the Wind Dukes of Aaqa. Though Cabiri was imprisoned in the Wells of Darkness by the Queen for attempting to desert and Bechard was eventually captured, crippled, and left incapacitated in Yeenoghu's realm, the details of Ubothar's imprisonment in the earth of a Material Plane world is a mystery. Regardless, the Plain of a Thousand Portals is now also known as Pazunia in honor of its winged overseer.
- Oublivae enjoys encouraging conflict between the demon lords.
I think my favorite detail out of these is that while Kostchtchie and his allies invaded Zuggtmoy's realm and caused so much damage that she is still trying to get things back to normal, Orcus had the heads of Kostchtchie's allies cut-off and reanimated as undead to lead hordes of zombies, ghouls, and ghasts against him.
EDIT: The more I think of Eldanoth the more I want to play as him. Maybe he's gotten tired of hiding out in the Arc of Eternity and wants to go train in the Material Plane so he can have a better chance of prospering in the Abyss?
I'm pretty sure my players in storm kings thunder plan on giving the succubus they captured a job offer to run the bank they're constructing since they've taken to the idea of storing their money there since it will generate interest
she's a minion of Mammon, lord of greed, so I have no reason she wouldn't squee with delight at being offered 1. a permanent spot on the prime and 2. get to run a bank
Have her do a lot of housing loans for residents of the Underdark.
You know, lots of sub-prime mortgages. :winky:
Keep in mind succubi can shift between the ethereal plane and the material plane as an action as much as they want. Lots of fun potential there!
she's also amassed a massive pile of wealth by stealing from the party since nobody told her not to, they gave her access to town funds to help take care of the kids, so what she does is withdraw a few gp there for the kids, sets the money aside for them, and the offers them a candy or something and takes the money herself as payment since children are terrible negotiators, and shes been doing this for 2 years
Eldanoth once tried to establish himself as a demon lord of crime in Thanatos during Orcus' absence (Orcus had died and was Tenebrous at the time). Once Orcus returned and started wiping out Eldanoth's followers the would-be demon lord of crime fled to hide out in a layer called the Arc of Eternity. His new home is populated solely by snakes and manes, the least of all demonkind. The manes regard him as a folk hero.
All this leads me to believe Eldanoth is actually a pretty weak being, one who survived among demons on charisma alone and is only considered a demon lord because he's settled on an Abyssal layer no one else wants yet (no idea why it's called the Arc of Eternity, btw).
I'm also considering folding in some 4E lore. In that edition Orcus was said to have killed a minor serpentine demon lord who had in his possession a treasure called the Jewel of Gharan. There was no explanation given for what the Jewel actually does, but I'm imagining that during Orcus' absence Eldanoth stole it from wherever Orcus had placed it and its magic transformed his thieving fingers into snakes. Once Eldanoth reemerged with the Jewel of Gharan (and his new snake fingers) he earned some cred with Thanatos' demons.
For the race I'm thinking some kind of tiefling variant, possibly Devil's Tongue from SCAG or the Glasya tiefling from MtoF. I might could also ask a potential DM to create my own tiefling variant that uses the innate spellcasting trait of the yuan-ti pureblood instead of those tieflings normally get, as well as replacing fire resistance for poison resistance. Maybe he could use his snake fingers for a bite attack like the one type-2 yuan-ti malisons have?
As far as classes are concerned, maybe some kind of multiclass with mostly rogue levels and a bit of warlock for a few invocations and spells? Perhaps he draws upon his own latent potential for the warlock spells, or maybe the Jewel of Gharan is the source of his warlock abilities?
Despite being a chaotic evil would-be demon lord of crime he could still play nice with the party, realizing that he needs this experience if he ever wants to make something of himself. Also, weirdly, his few, small cults sacrifice criminals in his name despite being criminals themselves, so I guess he'd have no qualms taking out criminals that he deems unworthy of his future patronage.
EDIT: I'm debating whether to make this PC Eldanoth himself or an aspect or avatar of him. One reason being that demons usually get some resistances and poison immunity, and the other reason being that upon the "death" of a demon in the Material Plane the body dissolves into ichor, making it hard to use most spells that undo death.
No matter the case, I'm imagining a small cult of Eldanoth successfully summoning him through the sacrifice of many rival criminals, confident that their patron will protect them from retribution and lead them to mastery of the criminal underworld, only for their demonic patron to bail on them at the first opportunity. Maybe he tries to pacify them with a few demonic boons only to rescind them when he's out of dodge.
Speaking of demonic boons, maybe he could have a unique one to offer to the party? Nothing outrageous. Maybe he could just share his ability to cast animal friendship (snakes only). Or let them turn their fingers into snakes, too!
Who is going to take out a loan from a succubus? That just seems like asking for trouble. Probably only evildoers and the desperate? I am not sure that a) creating a bank, and b) putting a devil in charge of it is not an evil action
Edit: now you've got me wondering who the succubus is going to hire as repo men/collections agents
“Aren’t they all?”
Here's my tentative plans:
1. Succubus aint exactly going to be going in her true form, she's going to be Valeria Minauros (of the Emon Minauroses) businesswoman extraordinaire
2. She will seek to victimize evildoers by giving them predatory loans, and trying to tempt those who aren't evil with too-good-to-be-true offers
3. Repo men? Collections? Why would she leave the part that's the most fun to other people. She has a certain set of guidelines due to the nature of being planar bound with her true name, and the orders given to her, but as long as she doesn't *physically* hurt anyone, she's in compliance (I'll have to come up with how, she can't charm anyone, or draining kiss anyone, but I imagine just shapeshifting and a high deception score can be used to effectively ruin people who don't pay up more effectively than a bat to the kneecaps could)
This isn't going to go well but as a DM I always enjoy playing a lawful evil creature that has to operate within a set of constraints and try to squirm around them
Banker: So sign here
Customer: Why does my small business loan require me to build a shrine to Mammon and commit a sin of thought, word, and deed within a year
Banker: Did I mention the first 6 months have no interest
Customer: Oh why didn't you say so
Devils aren't racist or homophobic, and would definitely severely punish workers who engaged in harmful stereotyping
Mwahaha
Those sound like very fair and desirable terms (judging based on my IRL bank ; )
Can I switch to your services please?
Customer: So, does onanism count as sin?
Banker: ...er... I guess so?
Customer: I'll be back in five minutes.
that kind of shit is why devils are so much more fun to run than demons, because their bullshit bureaucracy absolutely takes priority over their evil plans
I am so glad in WDDH we were able to save the children through litigation by hiring the Rakshasa who lives in Waterdeep as an attorney, it's the best possible way to win
I thought Erinyes are the Devil lawful equivalent
Finished up Bryce d'Deneith!
Second up, Petyr d'Lyrandar, young crime-reporter for the Korranberg Chronicle and, ever since being stung by an elemental spider, a venomous vigilante of Sharn, Thunder-Fang!
Succubi are neither, they keep changing them in different editions, but the least hodgepodgey explanation is that they were originally angels like asmodeus, explaining their ability to have children (fiends usually cant), and that some of them live in the abyss and serve demons (don't use demonic succubi in a campaign unless everyone's okay with rapey monsters). They have true free will, unlike most other fiends, and the majority their race populates the nine hells and serve various devils. At some point in each of their lives they decide on their gender and their body simply alters its sex to match their self-image (obviously they can change that for a mission if necessary). In one of the supplements I have, it describes that since they cannot rank up like normal devils, they work more like humans: they have to rely on learning skills and abilities. A succubus that learns spellcraft can be a preposterously dangerous foe, and good god imagine a succubus assassin.
In that same supplement, it described that the price for a century of service for a free-agent succubus is a bag of holding filled entirely with gold, to be paid at service's completion. Unlike normal fiends, many of them have ambitions as banal as a person: a fancy ass house and lots of expensive shit. Also unlike most devils, almost all of them would rather live on the prime material plane, and the best assignments are long term assignments where they get to live as an important human
The one I mentioned above who served Glasya still lives in Neverwinter in the current timeline, and has for about a century. She's basically an ambassador to the Abolethic sovereignty to the nine hells, but is also working various angles (and people) in Neverwinter to ensure a more receptive environment to the forces of law and evil. In the book she actually helps Drizzt and friends defeat the Netherese and even tells Drizzt what's wrong with his panther, and she fights tirelessly to help the city of Neverwinter prosper again (after all if she lives here, she wants to live in a nice place)
As such, they don't have to do jobs that have anything to do with the gaping void in their hearts that they are constantly (and unsuccessfully) trying to fill, they're pretty good at everything (just look at their stat block) as long as you don't ask them to help you move. They will shank you and take your wallet before you bleed out if you stand in the way of their goals though, or give you a big long kiss if you're really, really upsetting them
Succubi could get easy wins via the kiss, but an Erinyes needed to you to sign away your soul before you could be together forever (the latter also refusing promotions on occasion due to the freedoms granted alongside it, and the chance to get a really valuable soul as an ally or bargaining chip - plus it's galling to become a Hamatula guard after this, despite it being a clear sign of loyalty).
My current PC on an Descent into Avernus campaign is the well read, but likely misinformed, Magister Sammuels. He's got a good knowledge of things from 2nd edition Planescape (and thinks a lot from Noonan and Grubb's Manual of the Planes is pure hogswash, hence why he has named his two mules after them since they have an equal understanding of the outer realms), he's likely to get a rough primer in what the real situation is on the ground in the coming weeks.
Maybe I'm missing out on some 5e changes vs. 3.5e... but your chosen Dragonmarked House names and their professions are wildly out of order! It's funny. :razz:
I'm choosing to believe that just because you possess a Dragonmark doesn't mean you are forced into working for the house itself.
But you bring up a good point, I should probably change the character's last name...
Petyr Allen Garrick
What the fuck is hot desking, and do I even want to know?
Better get there early, all of you! Because what's wrong with an unofficial 7-7 work day?
It does mean that but the House will still have an interest in you.