shower thought for a home brew setting: there is a good samaritan like law about adventurers, where if presented a quest that is with in reason you must accept it but they also have to provide proof they can pay you. so there is a level of trying to sneak about trying not to look like an adventuring group.
Like people just know you're PCs, and so you want to dodge the serious stuff, but hopefully pick up the milk runs so you can have some spare cash.
"we should take separate routes"
"Why?"
"Well jee, i'm very clearly a wizard, you're wearing armour, and Dave is stealing stuff as we speak, we clearly look like an adventuring group."
"Good point"
Like people just know you're PCs, and so you want to dodge the serious stuff, but hopefully pick up the milk runs so you can have some spare cash.
"we should take separate routes"
"Why?"
"Well jee, i'm very clearly a wizard, you're wearing armour, and Dave is stealing stuff as we speak, we clearly look like an adventuring group."
"Good point"
"Prithee good lady, bandits wander the woods and-"
"Falalalala, I can't hear you and can't consent to your quest beardo!"
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
Don’t ask me why they had to be moth people, but here is moth people, a class for Dungeon World.
The Yllum
When the Archmage vanished her tower kept ticking over. Illusions, canons, evocation traps, leftover monstrosities—no one even wanted to try getting in… but you got out of there. You knew there was more to life than the Library Infinite!
It could use some work though, this outside world, and at least six point five more wizlets worth of magic per square feet. Luckily, you’re magic all the way through.
Your ancestors might well have been moths that chewed through dusty tomes to survive, but you are a magic user of the highest calibre! You’re pretty sure you are anyway. You bet you’re on par with the Archmage even! Right?
Beady Eyes, Deep Eyes, or Glittery Eyes
Regal Wings, Beautiful Wings, or Drab Wings
Archaic Clothes, Fancy Clothes, or Flowing Robes
Lithe Body, Lanky Body, or Fluffy Body
Stats
Your maximum HP is 6+Constitution.
Your base damage is d6.
Starting Moves
Choose a library and gain the corresponding move:
Dark Library
When you first step foot in an crumbling ruin, ask: Does the lingering magic here taste evil?
Shifting Library
When you spout lore or discern realities about other planes of existence, take +1.
Inverse Library
When you face a monster no one can name, carry +1 forward to deal with it your way.
You start with these moves:
Prestigious Prestidigitation
You can cast a thousand spells, but are beholden to these unbreakable rules and eldritch etiquette.
- You cannot intentionally inflict harm with your spells.
- The effects of your spells must vanish within a minute.
- You cannot pry into the hearts of others.
- You mustn’t use the same spell twice in a row—how tedious!
Consider: Summon Armchair, Brilliant Lamp, Animated Tidying, Paint Wall & Temporary Cure.
Arcane Connoisseur
When you greedily devour a magic item, tell the DM what power you expect to gain from it, then roll +Int.
On a 10+, choose 2.
On a 7-9, choose 1.
- The effects are not diminished.
- The effects are long lasting.
- The effects are not dangerous.
Flutter of the Moth
Though you do not possess flight, you can leap great heights. You always descend slowly and carefully, landing with quiet grace.
Drive
Choose a drive:
Curiosity
Face the unknown without a plan.
Mastery
Surpass rivals in arcane might.
Honour
Safeguard the magics of old.
Gear
Your load is 8+Str. You start with dungeon rations (5 uses, 1 weight), adventuring gear (5 uses, 1 weight), a potion of unknown contents (0 weight) and 10 coins.
Choose your armament:
Rapier (close, precise, 1 weight)
Staff (reach, fine, 1 weight)
Fan (concealed, hand, 1 weight)
Bonds
Fill in the name of one of your companions in at least one:
__________ is delighted by my displays of magic.
__________ will be my meat shield, just as all great wizards possess.
__________’s knowledge of the wider world is invaluable.
I wish to earn the respect of _________, then defeat them in a wizarding duel!
Advanced Moves
When you gain a level from 2–5, choose from these moves.
To the Flame
You are inescapably drawn to magic, no matter the cost to yourself. When you put yourself in danger to learn more about magic, mark experience.
Mana Vessel
When you are hit by a spell, you store its lingering power within you long after it would be dispelled. You can cast this spell outside the confines of the rules you are usually bound to; once cast it is gone for good. The spell is cast without error, and with a touch of personalised flair. You may only hold one spell at a time.
Light as Parchment
If the fragility of what you are standing on comes into question, such as thin ice or weakened architecture, you are always just light enough to make your way across unscathed.
Smooth as Silk
When you parley using the revelation of secrets as leverage, you may roll +Int instead of +Cha.
Death’s Head
When you first step into a settlement, ask: What local superstition can I exploit?
Psychometric Hoodoo
When you touch an object to reveal its history, roll +Int.
On a 10+, you learn its true nature, any abilities, previous owner and where it came from.
On a 7-9, the DM will offer you a good impression or the feelings it imparts on you.
On a 6-, you have it all wrong, but nevertheless believe your telling.
As a lengthy ritual with the aid of others, you can do the same for a building or vehicle. The DM will tell you what component you need for the ritual to begin.
Head Full of Tomes
Passages eaten by your ancestors remain lodged in your brain. Take +1 forward to spout lore about topics no one else has a clue about.
Glamoured and Glamourous
When you make a fabulous entrance accented by a dozen little spells, name one person or creature present that is mesmerized by you. They’ll seek you out immediately.
Etherealising
You can flutter between worlds. When you make camp, you can choose to exist half in, half out the material world; if you do, you reduce physical damage by -1d6, and take +1d6 damage from magical attacks.
Focused Strike
You can cut down a ghost, again. Any weapon you wield or ammunition you fire is considered magical for the purposes of harming a creature that cannot be harmed by mundane means.
Expanded Horizons
Get one move from another class. Treat your level as one lower for choosing the move.
When you gain a level from 6–10, choose from these moves.
Reign Supreme
When you defeat a magic user, you gain 1d8 + your level in hit points. If this would take you beyond your maximum hit points you gain that much in temporary hit points. Once lost you return to your normal hit point maximum.
The defeated magic user (if they live) cannot cast spells until you take damage.
Muddle Magic
When you come across a long standing work of magic with a strict purpose, such as a golem, undead servant or stable portal, ask: What was your last command?
Upon the answer, you can change one word within the command for roughly five minutes.
Mana Vault
Replaces Mana Vessel.
You can hold up to 3 spells at once.
Occult Omnivore
Replaces Arcane Connoisseur.
On a 10+, take all 3 options. On a 7-9, choose 2.
Lighter than Air
Replaces Light as Parchment.
You hover ever so slightly above the ground, your wings beating softly—more for show than anything. Evidently, you won’t be setting off traps beneath your feet any longer.
Semicorprealness
Replaces Etherealising.
You reduce physical damage by -1d10.
I tried to put most of it in spoilers, sorry for such a big post!
Not a single reference to lööps in there anywhere, 3/5.
It’s a cultural thing, questing is really a community building tradition. From the cultural banners of a yellow exclamation point and fancy letter Q to the various Minor Boot Of Frost Resistance that gets made every few weeks for them. The cheese wheel industry is almost entirely propped up by it.
I got to do a guest spot in my brother in law's game last night. It's the game where I play my dirtbag half orc elemental sorc. Its a bit of a cheese character. All of his spells are either elemental damage spells (which he almost always converts to fire and does more damage with) or buffs. Essentially his major characterization is that he's kindof a dirtbag criminal that mostly ends up doing various petty crimes, maybe burns some stuff down and then runs away.
They called me up out of the blue to come do the guest spot. I like playing the character so I was immediately down for it, and didn't really investigate their plans in game, or why they were including my character.
So I get on the call last night and they're putting together the last pieces of their plan to pull a heist on the bank in the town they've just docked at. They are essentially pulling a fast 5 on the bank vault with some magical chains that lighten the vault and a team of horses.
We left off the end of the session right as we get to my characters favorite part, where we blow the back wall of the bank out, and I cast haste on all of the horses as we start to flee with the bank vault.
Next session will be the chase scene and I'm super pumped for it because this is exactly my character's wheelhouse right here.
DepressperadoI just wanted to see you laughingin the pizza rainRegistered Userregular
my friend, the other DM in our group (we alternate weekly-ish) has decided his next 5e game is gonna be set in like, magic gothy Victorian London
so my character is gonna be my great great etc grandfather, a Warlock who moonlights as a sham fortuneteller/charm salesman
like, he's got Magic, but not necessarily Divination, so he uses his Insight to read people and do the whole bullshit talking to ghosts for grieving widows and selling luck or protection charms thing.
huh I just read the 5th edition rules for wizards and sorcerers for the first time, and it seems like they changed wizard spell preparation to be a lot more like sorcerers with being able to use spell slots on any prepared spell without specifically locking them in when they prepare their spells, rather than preparing like 3x magic missile and 1x mage armor in your 4 1st level slots or whatever? Is that different from how it used to be or have I been wrong about how wizards worked my whole life? Also what is the advantage of sorcerer spellcasting over wizard spellcasting if wizards can just use the spell slots on anything just like sorcerers, and also change their prepared spells on rests?
huh I just read the 5th edition rules for wizards and sorcerers for the first time, and it seems like they changed wizard spell preparation to be a lot more like sorcerers with being able to use spell slots on any prepared spell without specifically locking them in when they prepare their spells, rather than preparing like 3x magic missile and 1x mage armor in your 4 1st level slots or whatever? Is that different from how it used to be or have I been wrong about how wizards worked my whole life? Also what is the advantage of sorcerer spellcasting over wizard spellcasting if wizards can just use the spell slots on anything just like sorcerers, and also change their prepared spells on rests?
Sorcerers get Bloodline abilities and metamagic as a class feature
Yeah, metamagic lets you do stuff that a wizard can never ever do, such as twinning haste to have an incredibly strong buff up on two characters instead of one.
oh wizards no longer get metamagic? I guess that's fair. I never liked the old wizard system at all so I like this change I think.
Yeah, metamagic is no longer tied to feats but is a sorcerer specific class feature. Goes a long way to making the arcane spellcasters feel more unique (though I still think having 3 different dedicate arcane spellcasters in the player's handbook is too much.)
nah, three is the right amount of arcane spell casters in the phb. now four, that would be too many. Why would you play anything else if there was four arcane spell casters? there'd be no reason.
i wonder if they're going to do like a player's handbook two at any point. probably not, but there could be some new classes. Bring back the far realm lore from 4e and the shardmind and wilden. that shit was cool. also warlords and ardent.
They ain't gonna do that. They're gonna just keep dropping new subclasses, because that's easier for them than distinguishing new classes in the system they've built for themselves.
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
i guess "new" is kind of, misleading, since the Mystic has been in development for a while.
Last news we got about the mystic, Mike Mearls was experimenting with not making it a new class and spreading its subclasses out to other classes.
(Mentalist as a wizard subclass, Immortal as a barbarian subclass, Soulknife as a rogue subclass, Psychic Warrior as a fighter subclass, etc).
I was not a fan of this plan tbh, but it wasn't a final thing, so we still don't know what it will look like in the end.
(Also, on artificer: It's appeared in UA both as its own class and as a wizard subclass. I don't think either one really worked the way they wanted it to. So it's also still up in the air.)
One of my groups has found it's way to Chult and they want to capture and sell dinosaurs and get Rich.
They aren't aware of how the Nyanzaru is run or how much trouble they'll get in for doing that without Ifan's permission/patronship. I'm maybe going to eventually turn things into ToA-lite because stealing things out of books is easier for my brain but currently i'm just tryna figure out
how they can capture dinosaurs.
I'm DEFINITELY stealing dinosaur racing and having that be one of the first things they have the chance to do, they've been trying to get here for ages and none of them have played DND before so I really wanna ramp up the " this isnt the same medieval english fantasy setting you're already bored of "
One of my groups has found it's way to Chult and they want to capture and sell dinosaurs and get Rich.
They aren't aware of how the Nyanzaru is run or how much trouble they'll get in for doing that without Ifan's permission/patronship. I'm maybe going to eventually turn things into ToA-lite because stealing things out of books is easier for my brain but currently i'm just tryna figure out
how they can capture dinosaurs.
I'm DEFINITELY stealing dinosaur racing and having that be one of the first things they have the chance to do, they've been trying to get here for ages and none of them have played DND before so I really wanna ramp up the " this isnt the same medieval english fantasy setting you're already bored of "
I just up and told my players at the start "If you're caught doing commerce without the express permission of the Merchant Prince in charge of that trade, they will send people to break your kneecaps."
i guess "new" is kind of, misleading, since the Mystic has been in development for a while.
Last news we got about the mystic, Mike Mearls was experimenting with not making it a new class and spreading its subclasses out to other classes.
(Mentalist as a wizard subclass, Immortal as a barbarian subclass, Soulknife as a rogue subclass, Psychic Warrior as a fighter subclass, etc).
I was not a fan of this plan tbh, but it wasn't a final thing, so we still don't know what it will look like in the end.
(Also, on artificer: It's appeared in UA both as its own class and as a wizard subclass. I don't think either one really worked the way they wanted it to. So it's also still up in the air.)
At this point Unearthed Arcana exists solely to troll the fuck out of Adventurers League DMs who don't read their rules documentation.
One of my groups has found it's way to Chult and they want to capture and sell dinosaurs and get Rich.
They aren't aware of how the Nyanzaru is run or how much trouble they'll get in for doing that without Ifan's permission/patronship. I'm maybe going to eventually turn things into ToA-lite because stealing things out of books is easier for my brain but currently i'm just tryna figure out
how they can capture dinosaurs.
I'm DEFINITELY stealing dinosaur racing and having that be one of the first things they have the chance to do, they've been trying to get here for ages and none of them have played DND before so I really wanna ramp up the " this isnt the same medieval english fantasy setting you're already bored of "
I would be more worried if their first thought when going to Chult wasn't to try and do their own Jurassic Park.
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
and the Singing Sword. It's an intelligent sword (and +2!) but all it does is sing moderately decent opera at high volume 100% of the time it's unsheathed.
plot twist: the Singing Sword is constantly trying to give the party valuable information and combat advice, but its only vocabulary is opera in a dead language so good luck mr. singing sword
One of my groups has found it's way to Chult and they want to capture and sell dinosaurs and get Rich.
They aren't aware of how the Nyanzaru is run or how much trouble they'll get in for doing that without Ifan's permission/patronship. I'm maybe going to eventually turn things into ToA-lite because stealing things out of books is easier for my brain but currently i'm just tryna figure out
how they can capture dinosaurs.
I'm DEFINITELY stealing dinosaur racing and having that be one of the first things they have the chance to do, they've been trying to get here for ages and none of them have played DND before so I really wanna ramp up the " this isnt the same medieval english fantasy setting you're already bored of "
I would be more worried if their first thought when going to Chult wasn't to try and do their own Jurassic Park.
They've arrived at level 6 and have their own Ship, (stolen, obviously) so i feel like they're going to make an Earnest Go of it and not get distracted by sidequests so i need to figure out how to incorporate Dino Wrangling and Capturing into my campaign. I'm not a big fan of how simple and vague the Animal Handling rules are normally so i'll have to invent something i suppose. I'm imagining them coming back to town with a rented triceratops covered in wooden cages filled with axebeaks and velociraptors and whatever they could find and basically trying to create several Long Term Businesses they have to keep track of. It'll all implode, for sure.
shower thought for a home brew setting: there is a good samaritan like law about adventurers, where if presented a quest that is with in reason you must accept it but they also have to provide proof they can pay you. so there is a level of trying to sneak about trying not to look like an adventuring group.
This just gave me an idea of doing a rpg one shot where I draw up characters for the players to pick from including some personality summaries and background and the first one to guess we are playing fantasy Seinfeld wins....
Set it in sharn... "what is the deal with airship food!"
Posts
"we should take separate routes"
"Why?"
"Well jee, i'm very clearly a wizard, you're wearing armour, and Dave is stealing stuff as we speak, we clearly look like an adventuring group."
"Good point"
"Prithee good lady, bandits wander the woods and-"
"Falalalala, I can't hear you and can't consent to your quest beardo!"
"I suplexed an old man on my way here"
"Wh-why?"
"I think he had goblins in his basement, i wasn't listening close enough"
Not a single reference to lööps in there anywhere, 3/5.
But not like, crazy gonzo stuff
More Le Carre, Mercurio, that sort
If it’s any consolation you could make every spell cast involve this meme I haven’t heard of.
I suffer from meme blindness, it’s a condition.
They called me up out of the blue to come do the guest spot. I like playing the character so I was immediately down for it, and didn't really investigate their plans in game, or why they were including my character.
So I get on the call last night and they're putting together the last pieces of their plan to pull a heist on the bank in the town they've just docked at. They are essentially pulling a fast 5 on the bank vault with some magical chains that lighten the vault and a team of horses.
We left off the end of the session right as we get to my characters favorite part, where we blow the back wall of the bank out, and I cast haste on all of the horses as we start to flee with the bank vault.
Next session will be the chase scene and I'm super pumped for it because this is exactly my character's wheelhouse right here.
Someone make a Cold War hack for Blades in the Dark!
http://lexiconmegatherium.tumblr.com/
Honestly I would love for an espionage focused CofD sourcebook
Not a game, but you might get a kick out of this series of books:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witch-Who-Came-Cold-Complete-ebook/dp/B07HZ2551M/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1546620172&sr=8-16&keywords=max+gladstone
Sort of John Le Carre + Witchcraft. Witchtradecraft
so my character is gonna be my great great etc grandfather, a Warlock who moonlights as a sham fortuneteller/charm salesman
like, he's got Magic, but not necessarily Divination, so he uses his Insight to read people and do the whole bullshit talking to ghosts for grieving widows and selling luck or protection charms thing.
Sorcerers get Bloodline abilities and metamagic as a class feature
Both of which are very useful
Yeah, metamagic is no longer tied to feats but is a sorcerer specific class feature. Goes a long way to making the arcane spellcasters feel more unique (though I still think having 3 different dedicate arcane spellcasters in the player's handbook is too much.)
i wonder if they're going to do like a player's handbook two at any point. probably not, but there could be some new classes. Bring back the far realm lore from 4e and the shardmind and wilden. that shit was cool. also warlords and ardent.
Ooh which one?
i guess "new" is kind of, misleading, since the Mystic has been in development for a while.
Artificer is still expected at some point too, right?
Five is right out
There, now it's proper D&D
i think it's a wizard sub class now?
Last news we got about the mystic, Mike Mearls was experimenting with not making it a new class and spreading its subclasses out to other classes.
(Mentalist as a wizard subclass, Immortal as a barbarian subclass, Soulknife as a rogue subclass, Psychic Warrior as a fighter subclass, etc).
I was not a fan of this plan tbh, but it wasn't a final thing, so we still don't know what it will look like in the end.
(Also, on artificer: It's appeared in UA both as its own class and as a wizard subclass. I don't think either one really worked the way they wanted it to. So it's also still up in the air.)
DIESEL
Against the Fall of Night Playtest
Nasty, Brutish, and Short
They aren't aware of how the Nyanzaru is run or how much trouble they'll get in for doing that without Ifan's permission/patronship. I'm maybe going to eventually turn things into ToA-lite because stealing things out of books is easier for my brain but currently i'm just tryna figure out
how they can capture dinosaurs.
I'm DEFINITELY stealing dinosaur racing and having that be one of the first things they have the chance to do, they've been trying to get here for ages and none of them have played DND before so I really wanna ramp up the " this isnt the same medieval english fantasy setting you're already bored of "
I just up and told my players at the start "If you're caught doing commerce without the express permission of the Merchant Prince in charge of that trade, they will send people to break your kneecaps."
At this point Unearthed Arcana exists solely to troll the fuck out of Adventurers League DMs who don't read their rules documentation.
Also; revised Beastmaster Ranger when???
I would be more worried if their first thought when going to Chult wasn't to try and do their own Jurassic Park.
plot twist: the Singing Sword is constantly trying to give the party valuable information and combat advice, but its only vocabulary is opera in a dead language so good luck mr. singing sword
They've arrived at level 6 and have their own Ship, (stolen, obviously) so i feel like they're going to make an Earnest Go of it and not get distracted by sidequests so i need to figure out how to incorporate Dino Wrangling and Capturing into my campaign. I'm not a big fan of how simple and vague the Animal Handling rules are normally so i'll have to invent something i suppose. I'm imagining them coming back to town with a rented triceratops covered in wooden cages filled with axebeaks and velociraptors and whatever they could find and basically trying to create several Long Term Businesses they have to keep track of. It'll all implode, for sure.
Spycraft!
In the heady days of the D20 system it came
You can play a spy in any sort of adventure your Gm thinks up
Personally I have found this is one of those RPGS that works great for one on one or two on one groups
This just gave me an idea of doing a rpg one shot where I draw up characters for the players to pick from including some personality summaries and background and the first one to guess we are playing fantasy Seinfeld wins....
Set it in sharn... "what is the deal with airship food!"