dungeons and dragons fifth edition

Fantastic Lairs Launched with Two Free Dungeons!

General / Bosses, D&D 5e, D&D5e, DnD, DnD 5e, DnD5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Fifth Edition D&D, fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, monsters, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

June 4, 2020

Before I get into the meat of this week’s blog post, let me say this: Black lives matter. If you have cash to spare, instead of backing our already-funded Kickstarter, consider giving a donation to one or more of the following charities that is doing important work to end police brutality. Many also have information on protests you can join, petitions you can sign, legislation you can call your local, state, and federal representatives about, and other ways to get involved:

Black Lives Matter
Campaign Zero
Police Use of Force Project
The Bail Project
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Communities United Against Police Brutality

Fantastic Lairs and Two Free Dungeons

On Monday, I launched a Kickstarter for a new book with Mike Shea and Scott Fitzgerald Gray called Fantastic Lairs. It’s a book of drop-in boss battles and climactic encounters for your D&D games. We’ve already funded and are starting to hit some stretch goals. Thank you so, so much for that! More information about the book is below, and you can check out the Kickstarter here, which includes two free dungeons with VTT-ready maps and advice on creating your own boss battles!

Help build an awesome book of twenty boss battles and climactic encounters for your D&D games.

The best 5e fantasy roleplaying games are often the most unpredictable. When the plans of the Gamemaster meet the actions of the characters, the incredible creative energy that results can spin encounters off in different directions, creating a largely spontaneous campaign story that keeps the GM and the players alike on the edge of their seats. But when it comes to the climactic boss battle encounters that cap off single adventures or entire campaigns, it’s often much harder for GMs to work things out on the fly.

That’s where this book comes in.

Check out the free sample, which includes two fantastic lairs you can use right now! We’re also releasing virtual tabletop-ready maps for these two lairs so you can run them easily online.

The initial campaign goal for this book includes lairs for 1st- through 10th-level characters, each of which includes instructions for scaling it for different levels of play. As this Kickstarter goes forward, we’ll add lairs for 11th- through 20th-level play. Our ultimate goal is to produce twenty lairs for all four tiers of play.

Fantastic Lairs is the joint brainchild of all three members of the design team, each of whom brings a wealth of creative skill and experience to the project. From over fifty initial concepts, the team narrowed down a selection of twenty ultimate boss lairs for development in this book.

Your support for this project will fund the design, development, editing, artwork, and cartography that will make this book a reality. The more support we receive, the better the book will be.
From the Kickstarter page for Fantastic Lairs

If you like what you’re reading please consider supporting me on Patreon, supporting me on Ko-fi, follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Purple Worm

Inspiration / D&D, D&D 5e, D&D5e, DnD 5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Monster, monster creation, monster design, Monster Manual, monsters, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

May 28, 2020

Check out the Fantastic Lairs Kickstarter now and sign up for updates!

The work on My Dad’s Monster Manual continues. You can check out all the previews on this blog here. There are also a few on my Patreon!

Today I wanted to show off my father’s version of the purple worm, which is far more than a monster. This giant creature is the doorway to another world!

Keylog (Purple Worm)

These artists do like spikey spiked teeth and stuff, don’t they?
Lucian J. Introcaso

Keylogs are enormous worms nearly fifty feet long with giant, gaping mouths and spiked hides that shift between all the colors of the rainbow.

Portal Gullets. Keylogs are native to the Astral Plane, though they sometimes pass through gateways into another world. Like their home plane, the inside of a keylog is filled with swirling, colorful portals. When the worm swallows another creature whole, that creature falls into one of the portals and is sent to another plane of existence. Daring adventurers seek out keylogs to travel the planes but must be aim carefully. Those who miss their desired portal are sure to fall into another.

Seeking Restless Souls. Restless souls in need of a change or a challenge draw keylogs like flames draw moths. Though they do not possess a vast intellect, the worms can innately sense such creatures and swallow them whole, shaking up their existence as the creatures travel to another plane.

Spine Missiles and Tail Slaps. The bite of a keylog does not hurt as much as one might think, but the creature can shoot the spines from its body and smack its tail with devastating effect.

Keylog

Gargantuan aberration, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)

Hit Points 217 (14d8 + 70)

Speed 50 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 120 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
26 (+8)	10 (+0)	20 (+5)	3 (-4)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)

Saving Throws Dex +4, Con +9, Wis +4, Cha +3

Senses darkvision 120 ft., tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 11

Languages –

Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)

Banish Immune. The keylog is not affected by spells of 8th-level or lower that send creatures to other planes of existence, unless it wishes to be.

Magic Resistance. The keylog has has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The keylog makes two attacks with its tail or uses Spike Hurl twice.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: The target is sent to a plane of existence on the Astral Color Pools table in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, roll randomly on the table to determine which plane the target goes to. On a success, allow the target to pick which plane it goes to.

Spike Hurl. Ranged Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, range 120/480 ft., one target. Hit: 22 (4d6 + 8) piercing damage.

Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 26 (4d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.

Coming Soon to DMs Guild

Great news! More than 80 stat blocks inspired by my dad’s version of D&D creatures should be hitting the DMs Guild sometime this Summer. In the meantime, keep checking back here for previews of My Dad’s Monster Manual!

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Gelatinous Cube

Uncategorized / D&D 5e, D&D5e, DnD, DnD 5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Monster, monster creation, monster design, Monster Manual, monsters, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

May 21, 2020

My latest DMs Guild product, The Iron Titan, is now available!

The work on My Dad’s Monster Manual continues. You can check out all the previews on this blog here. There are also a few on my Patreon!

Today I wanted to show off my father’s version of the gelantinous cube, which is more like a reverse gelantinous cube that puts dead creatures back together.

Entomblinizer (Gelatinous Cube)

They can regenerate you, but only if you die in a specific way.
Lucian J. Introcaso

An entomblinizer is a massive cube of ice, nearly ten feet on all sides, that propels itself slowly across the arctic tundra.

Cold Seekers. Colder than even their harsh surroundings, entomblinizers seek the coldest area they can, constantly moving and shifting with the climate and winds. The slow-moving ice blocks hate anything remotely warm, including the bodies of living creatures. When such a creature gets close, the entomblinizer hurls itself at the being, hoping to crush it to death and end the creature’s radiating heat.

Resurrection Machines. The elemental energy within an entomblinizer is powerful enough to bring a dead creature back to life. This magic can only works if the creature froze to death. Otherwise the entomblinizer has no interest in the creature’s remains. But if a creature freezes to death and its remains are presented to the entomblinizer, the elemental absorbs the remains and the magic within the cube brings the creature back to life. When the process is done, the entomblinizer expels the creature, leaving the warm body on the ground as it travels off in search of more cold to absorb.

The legendary dead-raising abilities of the entobmlinizer have led many adventurers to kill dying friends with ice magic then head to the tundra in hopes of bringing their loved one back to life.

Entomblinizer

Large elemental, unaligned

Armor Class 10 (natural armor)

Hit Points 95 (10d10 + 40)

Speed 20 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	5 (-3)	18 (+4)	1 (-5)	7 (-2)	1 (-5)

Damage Vulnerabilities fire

Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion, poisoned, prone

Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 8

Languages –

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Cold Absorption. Whenever the entomblinizier is subjected to cold damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the cold damage dealt.

Corpse Attraction. If the entomblinizer can use its Resurrection action, it must.

Actions

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and 7 (2d6) cold damage.

Resurrection (1/Day). The entomblinizer absorbs the remains of a creature that died 100 or fewer years ago as a result of taking cold damage or freezing to death. While inside the entomblinizer, the remains have total cover against attacks and other effects outside the entomblinizer. If the remains stay inside the entomblinizer for 1 hour, the remains return to life as if the resurrection spell had been cast on them. The entomblinizer immediately expels the living creature from its body.

Coming Soon to DMs Guild

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Customizing D&D Races

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D5e, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, race, races, world building, worldbuilding / 25 comments

April 18, 2020

My latest DMs Guild product, The Iron Titan, is now available!

Before we dive in, I want to thank two people who gave me great feedback on this article. First Leona Maple consulted and did rules development for this idea. It would not be close to what it is without her contributions and advice. Check out Leona’s website! I also want to thank James J. Haeck, who gave me great advice that inspired the variant on these rules below. Find out more about James on his site!

I want to be upfront that I don’t think this system comes close to solving every issue of race in Dungeons & Dragons. That is an issue that requires a total rethink of the game, in other words an entirely a new game. Leona put it best when she said, “D&D itself is problematic and racialised, and it is 1000% baked into the very foundations in tiny ways, even aside from the racial bonuses.” This new system addresses some, and nowhere close to all, of the mechanical aspects of this issue.

The fact that D&D has ability score adjustments and many cultural traits tied to race is inherently racist. There’s also a fun factor to this new system, which is subjective. I want to play a dwarf wizard and not be inferior to other wizards just because I didn’t get a sweet, sweet Intelligence score bonus and an extra cantrip. I’ll admit, I have a little power gamer in me as well as actor, so even when I have a great character concept in mind, I hesitate to play it if it isn’t optimized. I also get a little jealous when my friends are more effective.

There are also story considerations. What if you want to play a character with one tiefling parent and one dragonborn parent? You could pick either tiefling or dragonborn and go with it, but wouldn’t it be more fun to put the two together? What if you’re a halfling raised underground by incredible masons and miners? Shouldn’t you have the Stonecunnig trait? What if you come from a place where a diverse population has existed for generations? You might have a bunch of different heritages and cool mix of genetic and cultural traits to go with it. What if I just want to play an elf bard with a Charisma bonus instead of Intelligence and some more skill proficiencies instead of weapon proficiencies?

With all this in mind, I started to think about the options I could give my players the next time we rolled up characters. What I’m putting forth in this post is my first crack at a way to offer more flexible ancestry for characters in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

This is definitely going to need some adjustment. Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments below, but here’s the thing: I know this is a contested subject. This post is about making a system help my players have more fun and be more comfortable at the table. I’m sharing it, because I think it might help other people. If you like the way fifth edition D&D character-building works now, there’s no need to get nasty about this single option I’m proposing.

Balancing the System

The system I’m proposing below is meant to be used as an option for character building. If my players want to build their characters according to the official rules, that is also fine with me. My hope is to provide a method for some players to customize their characters in fun ways while still maintaining the overall power balance among player characters. (This first crack may not accomplish that, but I got to start somewhere. Let’s see how close I got!)

This system cannot be used to recreate existing races. Many races are balanced by a lot of fiddly factors. For example, mountain dwarves getting +2 Strength is balanced by them also getting the Dwarven Armor Training trait (since classes that benefit most from +2 Strength already have the same armor proficiencies the trait provides). If I included all these considerations in my system, it would likely be very balanced but also way too complicated for most to use at the table. It’s already a little complicated and likely too unwieldy for people unfamiliar with fifth edition D&D. Lucky for me, many people are.

The final note about this is that this version of the system only uses the racial traits available in the Player’s Handbook. I may add traits from other books later, but at the moment I want to keep it simple.

Custom Races in D&D

To build a custom race in D&D, you first build a base race with some starting guidelines. Then you pick more traits to build onto the base.

Build a Base Race

You begin with the following traits:

Ability Score Increase. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Size. Pick your size: Medium or Small.

Speed. If you are Small-sized, your base walking speed is 25 feet. If you are Medium-sized, pick one: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, or your base walking speed is 25 feet and not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Language. You know Common and one other language of your choice.

Add More Traits

Now that you have your character’s base traits, you can spend points on any number of traits from the list below until you exhaust your total. If you are a Medium-sized character you have 10 points to spend. If you are a Small-sized character, you have 11 points to spend (because of your slower base walking speed, not directly because of your size). You can purchase each trait only once unless its description says otherwise. Each trait is defined below or in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.

1-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 1 point:

Artificer’s Lore. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Brave. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Extra Language. You can speak, write, and understand a language of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you learn a new language.
Fey Ancestry. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Nimbleness. This trait works the same as “Hafling Nimbleness” in “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook. Only a Small-sized character can take this trait.
Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison.
Speak with Small Beasts. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Stonecunning. See “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with a set of tools of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in a new set of tools.
Trance. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Weapon Training. You gain proficiency with three weapons of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in three new weapons.

2-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 2 points:

Darkvision. See “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. (Designer note: This would include minor illusion, so the forest gnome’s Natural Illusionist trait is covered by this trait.)
Faster Movement. Your walking speed increases 5 feet.
Mask of the Wild. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Naturally Stealthy. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information. Only a Small-sized creature can take this trait.
Powerful Critical. This trait is the same as “Savage Attacks” in “Half-Orc Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Relentless Endurance. See “Half-Orc Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Skill Proficiency. You gain proficiency with a skill of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in a new skill.
Superior Darkvision. When you gain this trait, you also gain the Sunlight Sensitivity trait. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Tinker. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Toughness. This trait is the same as “Dwarven Toughness” in “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.

3-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 3 points:

Armor Training. This trait works the same as “Dwarven Armor Training” in “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Breath Weapon. See “Dragonborn Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Damage Resistance. You gain resistance to one of the following damage types of your choice: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

4-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 4 points:

Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, including an ability score you already increased with your initial traits. You can purchase this trait a second time, but when you do, you must apply the increase to a different ability score.
Cunning. This trait is the same as “Gnome Cunning” in “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Drow Magic. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Infernal Legacy. See “Tiefling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Lucky. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.

8 Points for a Feat

If your DM allows feats in the game, you can spend 8 points to gain a feat.

Variant: Customizing Existing Races

The rules above can also be used to customize existing races. A character swap a published racial trait for another of the same or lower point value, as the long as the trait swapped in or out is not the Ability Score Increase trait.

A character can adjust the Ability Score Increase trait by swapping the ability scores increased for others. For example, instead of a dragonborn ranger gaining a Strength score increase of 2 and a Charisma score increase of 1, they could elect to gain a Dexterity score increase of 2 and a Wisdom score increase of 1. A character cannot gain an ability score increase of more than 2 for any given score. If a character gains a bonus to two or more different ability scores originally, each increase must still be applied to a different ability score. For example, a human character cannot use this variant rule to gain +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution, and +1 Charisma. (Designer’s note: I know this second rule is a little more fiddly. Consider the tiefling’s normal +2 Charisma and +1 Intelligence do not optimize as well with any obvious single class builds the way a half-orc’s +2 Strength and +1 Constitution do. However, my game, like many, allows for multiclassing, which basically throws many of these fiddly arguments out the window… probably.)

How’s It Look?

So how did I do? Let me know in the comments below.

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Build Bases and Adventurers League Adventures in Eberron!

Collaboration, General / D&D, D&D5e, DnD 5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Eberron, world building, worldbuilding / 2 comments

March 12, 2020

I’m SUPER excited to announce that I am the lead designer of a really cool product that’s now available on the Dungeon Masters Guild.

In 2019 Will Doyle and Shawn Merwin of the Adventurers League approached the Guid Adepts about making an awesome D&D product. They wanted a product that accomplished the following objectives:

The product would provide mechanics for collecting a resource called salvage found in the Mournland in Eberron.
The product would provide mechanics for using the salvage to build a cool home base for player characters in Eberron.
The product would provide rules and guidelines for creating your own Adventurers League legal adventures in Eberron. These adventures allow the player characters to earn salvage instead of the usual gold or magic item.
The product would provide four ready-to-play sample adventures (one per tier).

I was the lead designer on a team that included M.T. Black, Rich Lescouflair, and Ginny Loveday as well as Will and Shawn. Together we created Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions.

While this is an Adventurers League product, the adventurers and the salvage and base building rules can be used outside of AL play. Who doesn’t want to build a base inside an ancient ruin, old tavern, or derelict warforged colossus?

Here’s the description in from the DMs Guild product page:

Create Your Own Home in the Mournland!

Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions contains new Dungeons & Dragons rules you can use to build a base in the Mournland, a terrifying, magically warped landscape in the Eberron campaign setting. Your base originates near Salvation, a frontier town on the border of the Mournland’s mists. If you upgrade your base to its fullest potential, your home base can travel the world of Eberron with you.

In addition to the rules for building a base, this supplement contains ready-to-play adventures Dungeon Masters can run, allowing characters to earn a new resource called salvage. Salvage is an abstract currency used to purchase upgrades for your base. The supplement also includes rules, guidelines, and random tables to help DMs design their own Mournland adventures called salvage missions.

This supplement, created by the Guild Adepts, is legal for D&D Adventurers League play when used as part of the Oracle of War campaign. Your group can use the Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions as written to create and upgrade a base. The adventures provided here can be integrated into the Oracle of War campaign, as can any base created by the characters. Adventures you create using the rules in this supplement are also legal for Adventurers League play as part of the Oracle of War campaign.

You can find out more about the official D&D play programs at dndadventurersleague.org. If you are not planning on using this product for Adventurers League play, you can use it as you see fit to enhance any D&D game.

Share and Review

Do you like Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions? Please consider leaving a review on the product page and spreading the word about it social media!

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Shadow Demon

Inspiration / D&D, D&D5e, Descent into Avernus, DnD, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, monster creation, monster design, monsters, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

February 27, 2020

Check out my latest DMs Guild release: HAGMALGAMS

Based on the numbers, it seems like people are really liking the previews of My Dad’s Monster Manual. Got questions about the concept? Check out my first post on the subject.

The playtest for this book has begun, but today I wanted to show off a unique monster my dad came up with. By unique, I mean there is only one of these creatures. My father created an archdevil named Donafur. I wanted to share him with you all because his beefy challenge rating of 26 means not many groups are actually going to get to playtest this bad boy. I’ve found higher level creatures need a lot of care, so I figured I would share this critter with the internet because the internet is always willing to give an opinion (for which I am always grateful, save for those criticisms that mean-spirited).

Anyway, without further ado, I give you my dad’s take on the shadow demon: an archdevil named Donafur.

Donafur (Shadow Demon)

This is Donafur. He wants to build his own separate Hell.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Donafur is an archdevil exiled from the Nine Hells. The fiend’s skin is so dark it absorbs light and his long arms end in wicked claws. Normally Donafur appears to be about seven feet tall, but he can grow nearly fifty feet.

A Hell of His Own. Donafur fled the Nine Hells after a failed attempt to depose Asmodeus. He dare not return to his home plane for fear of what punishment awaits him. The ambitious Donafur cannot leave his dreams of ruling the Nine Hells behind, so he plots to create his own infernal realm by conquering another plane and reshaping it.

Soul Trader. To take over a plane Donafur requires an army. In true devil fashion Donafur and his agents make deals with mortals to acquire their souls. Donafur offers love, treasure, power, and anything else he can to seal the deal. In life these mortals bound to Donafur create cults to encourage others to pledge their loyalties to the devil. When the mortals die, Donafur turns their souls into nettlehams, a kind of devil loyal only to him.

Unlike Asmodeus, deals are the only way Donafur can amass an army. This fact makes Donafur willing to offer more than other devils. If he gets wind of a mortal about to make a deal with another devil, his agents might swoop in last minute with a better offer.

Donafur believes all mortals can be tempted into selling their souls. It’s just a matter of finding the right offer. If he’s wrong, his hubris may be his undoing. If he’s right, a second Hell is just around the corner.

Donafur

Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil

Armor Class 21 (natural armor)

Hit Points 517 (45d8 + 315)

Speed 50 ft., fly 150 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
24 (+7)	27 (+8)	25 (+7)	28 (+9)	27 (+8)	30 (+10)

Saving Throws Int +17, Wis +16, Cha +18

Skills Arcana +17, Deception +18, Perception +16

Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 26

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 26 (90,000 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. Donafur’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 26; +18 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: charm person, chill touch (as 17th-level caster), detect thoughts, fireball, invisibility (self only), zone of truth

3/day each: antipathy/sympathy, dominate monster, mass suggestion, wall of ice

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Donafur fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Light Absorption. If Donafur chooses, he absorbs all light within 60 feet of him, making this area completely dark.

Magic Weapons. Donafur’s weapon attacks are magical.

Magic Resistance. Donafur has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. Donafur uses Change Size then makes two attacks.

Change Size. Donafur can grow from a Medium size creature to a Gargantuan one or shrink from Gargantuan to Medium size. While Gargantuan, he deals an extra d12 slashing damage with claw attacks and his reach for the claw attacks increase 10 feet (included in the attacks).

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft. (Medium) or 20 ft. (Gargantuan), one target. Hit: 27 (3d12 + 8) slashing damage, or 34 (4d12 + 8) slashing damage if Donafur is Gargantuan, plus 16 (3d10) psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it also makes saving throws against enchantment spells cast by Donafur with disadvantage until the end of Donafur’s next turn.

Psychic Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +18 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 44 (8d10) psychic damage, and the target is charmed by Donafur.

Legendary Actions

Donafur can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Donafur regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Chill Touch. Donafur casts chill touch.

Incorporeal Movement. Donafur moves his speed without provoking opportunity attacks. He can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. Donafur takes 5 (1d10) force damage if he ends this movement inside an object. If he is still inside an object at the end of his turn, he takes the damage again.

Save Servant (Costs 3 Actions). Donafur touches the remains of a nettleham that has died within the last minute. The nettleham returns to life with half its hit points restored.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? Let me know in the comments below. Maybe I should show off the nettleham next?

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Opening Questions

Inspiration / D&D, Demonplague, Descent Into the Demonplague Dungeon, DnD, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Inspiration, Jeff Greiner, Tome Show, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

December 12, 2019

Want to win a free miniature? We’re running a Demonplague contest right now!

I recorded a recent episode of the Tome Show podcast about The Demonplague, and host Jeff Greiner asked me about something I do as a GM. He said in listening to the Demonplague actual play podcast he heard me introduce a few sessions by asking the players questions about their characters. The questions usually had to do with backstory or emotions the characters were feeling at the moment. After the players answered the questions, I awarded them inspiration.

Jeff like this so much that he uses it at the start of each of his game sessions now. He said it’s particularly good for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons in particular, because he always remembers to give inspiration and his players use it, because they know they’re going to at least get it again before next session.

While this is particular great for D&D, the technique is something you can use in any RPG. If this is the kind of RPG that gives out bennies for good roleplaying, you can award such a thing whenever a player gives a great answer to a question (or simply answers the question if you want to encourage people giving roleplaying a try… but that’s another post!).

Would We Know the Answers?

For many players it is difficult to separate what they know and the knowledge their characters possess. When you ask one character to share a moment from their backstory or how they felt when their father’s sword was stolen, it might be hard for the other’s players to know if their characters also learn what is being shared. Luckily there’s an easy way to make sense of it all.

Player characters are usually friends. They travel to together, share meals, and often LIVE together. Even as they rest in a dank tomb or Hutt prison cell, they would naturally share stories, thoughts, and feelings with each other. Before they answer these questions, tell your players the answers were shared with the group during a meal, travel, etc. You can even have the players ask each other follow-up questions in character!

The Questions

Here’s a list of questions you could ask your players at the start of a session. Use these as inspiration to create your own! Note, they are numbered so you could roll if you like a bit of randomness or can’t think of what to ask.

Last session when you did [DECISIVE ACTION TAKEN BY CHARACTER], what was going through your mind?
How did you get your [OBJECT IMPORTANT TO THE CHARACTER]?
Tell us about an important friendship from your past.
Tell us about an important rival/bully/enemy from your past.
How do you feel about the party’s current mission?
Tell us about a form of art you enjoy and why.
What food or drink do you crave right now?
Tell us about a hobby you have to pass the time.
What is one crazy dream you have?
Tell us about the moment you decided to live your current life (i.e. become an adventurer, criminal, or hero)?
Tell us about an important location from your past.
Tell us about a nightmare you had recently.
Share a story with us about the people or person who raised you when you were a child.
What is one of your best memories?
What is one thing you plan to do when you retire?
Tell us about one of your past romantic relationships.
Tell us a story about a time you were proud of yourself.
Tell us a story about a time you embarrassed yourself.
Tell us something you dread about the future.
Share any story from your past.

Final Thought

You could also use these questions to keep the pace of your game steady, as I’ve written about previously.

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Saltmarsh Encounters

General / D&D, D&D5e, DMs Guild, DMs Guild Adepts, DnD, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Encounters, pdf, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

June 20, 2019

You can order The Demonplague, my level 1 – 20 fifth edition adventure, right now!

A new product from many great creators (including yours truly) is now available on the DMs Guild! Behold Saltmarsh Encounters for your Ghosts of Saltmarsh or any high seas campaign!

Bring your campaign to life with this companion supplement for Ghosts of Saltmarsh!

Saltmarsh Encounters presents 60 short encounters for the town, coast, and sea. Over 150 variations are included, making the encounters highly replayable and allowing you to customise them to fit YOUR game. The supplement is great for Ghosts of Saltmarsh or any coastal or high seas campaign!

Saltmarsh Encounters is already a Silver Best Seller and includes the work of these fine authors:

M.T. Black
James Haeck
James Introcaso
Rich Lescouflair
Ashley Warren

Right now this product is a steal at $4.95! I contributed quite a few encounters, so if you like my work, you’ll enjoy this book!

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Bel – Not Your Average Pit Fiend

General, Inspiration / DnD, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, fiend, Fifth Edition D&D, Hells, Monster, monster creation, pdf, world building, worldbuilding / 1 comment

December 1, 2016

Let’s talk about an Archduke of the Nine Hells! Both of my Exploration Age games that started during the launch of fifth edition are wrapping up. One campaign has a single session remaining! The entire story culminates in a battle with Bel, the former Archduke of Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. (Note, if you’re unfamiliar with Bel, he’s mentioned briefly in the Nine Hells section of the Dungeon Master’s Guide on page 65 and in the old third edition source book Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells).

In my campaign the player characters formed an alliance of necessity with Bel. They had common enemies. Bel gave the characters the power to take out some very formidable aberrations in exchange for helping to reinstall him as the Archduke of Avernus. It turns out the characters were being used by the crafty devil to take out his rivals. Now all they are all that stands in the way of Bel turning their home plane into a brand new hellscape.

Since I needed to stat out this legendary fiend for my party to take on, I thought I’d share the mechanics with all of you! Take a look. You can grab Bel’s stats in the free PDF linked below and in the Free Game Resources page of this site. (Note: My version of Bel is extra powerful. He’s the campaign’s ultimate villain and he’s gained a lot of power thanks to the adventurers. I estimate his normal Challenge Rating would be somewhere in the low to mid 20s. Reducing his hit points, damage output, and AC and then replacing his Limited Magic Immunity with Magic Resistance is an easy way to make that adjustment.)

Bel: Not Your Average Pit Fiend

Bel

Bel is no ordinary pit fiend. The ground shakes and all but the strongest archdevils are cowed when the legendary general walks by.

Asmodeus Above All. Bel is the former and present general and adviser of Zariel, the current ruler of Avernus by decree of Asmodeus. During Zariel’s first reign, Bel served his mistress loyally, until she plotted to overthrow Asmodeus. Bel betrayed Zariel in order to please his greater master Asmodeus. As a reward for his loyalty, Bel became the Archduke of Avernus when Zariel was overthrown. Overtime Zariel proved her loyalty to Asmodeus once again and Bel fell from the dark god’s favor. Zariel once again ruled Avernus and Bel was demoted. This was the will of Asmodeus, and though the decision was a slap in the face to Bel, he respects the hierarchy of the Nine Hells above all. It is an insult to serve Zariel, who delights in keeping Bel as an advisor, but he will not go against the word of Asmodeus.

Coveter of Power. Though Bel will not directly oppose or betray Asmodeus, he still desires his old station as Archduke of Avernus. To this end Bel seeks creatures who operate outside of the hierarchy of the Nine Hells. Bel’s plots are layered and complex. The strange bedfellows he makes are often unwitting adventurers who don’t realize the true consequences of their actions until it is too late. Bel seeks Zariel overthrown again, this time permanently, or a way to coerce Asmodeus.

Dangerous Deceiver. Bel is an engaging liar. He forges perfectly worded contracts that have deceived ancient gold wyrms into handing over their souls. The devil can look into the soul of any person and tell them exactly what they want to hear in order to get his desired reaction.

Brilliant General. For centuries Bel has been leading armies of devils in Avernus, the first line of defense against the Nine Hell’s incoming threats, namely demons from the Abyss. He has been fighting the Blood War for as long as he can remember and the fact that he has survived and thrived in this environment is a testament to his strategic mind and the loyalty of his troops.

If you like what you’re reading please follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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Damned Powers

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D 5e, D&D Next, DnD, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, powers, psionic, reward, risks, rpg, superpowers, tabletop, tabletop rpg, The Damned Lands, world building, worldbuiling / 0 comments

June 12, 2014

A few months ago (wow, has it already been months?) I wrote about The Damned Lands – an unexplored area of land psionicly irradiated in some unknown incident that was ripe for exploration. Staying within The Damned Lands for too long is harmful as there is a creeping disease, The Madness, which works its way into one’s mind and heart, but leaving The Damned Lands too soon robs a person of its greatest reward – superpowers. Take a look at this excerpt from the Exploration Age Campaign Guide. Let me know if you think the risk/reward balance is correct here.

Note: Every month in Exploration Age is exactly 30 days. None of this 31 sometimes and 28 once a month, except for every four years (looking at you, February).

The Damned Lands (dark gray hexes are uncharted territory)

The Madness

Also, the only thing worse than an extended stay in The Damned Lands!

As adventurers spend more time in The Damned Lands, they risk becoming infected with The Madness. Every ten days straight spent in The Damned Lands, a creature must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or contract The Madness. For every ten days beyond the first spent in The Damned Lands, the DC for the saving throw increases by 1, since The Madness becomes more difficult to resist as more time is spent in The Damned Lands.

Once a creature is infected with The Madness, roll on the table below to see how it specifically is affected.

1d4	Effect
1	Target abhors all life except for itself. It attacks and kills any living creature it can sense.
2	Target is called by a mysterious force toward the center of The Damned Lands. Anything that gets in its way or tries to stop it is immediately attacked.
3	Target weeps uncontrollably and sits down. It will not eat or drink, but only sit and cry. Anyone who tries to move or comfort the creature is attacked until they leave the creature alone.
4	Target develops a taste for the flesh of humanoids. It hunts and kills other humanoids whenever it is hungry. The target refuses to eat anything else.

It is advised that if a PC become infected the GM and player have a conversation about what this means and possibly have the GM take control of the character.

There is currently only one known cure for The Madness (though there may be others out there). An infected creature must be killed, have its body burnt to complete ashes or dissolved in acid, and then brought back to life via true resurrection spell. Doing this cures The Madness, however the process is expensive and also removes any psionic abilities the infected acquired from long-term stay in The Damned Lands.

Psionic Abilities

It can’t buy everything… but it comes close!

There are two types of psionic abilities that can be acquired by staying within the borders of The Damned Lands, minor and major. Any creature who survives a continuous month or longer in The Damned Lands has a chance (at the GM’s discretion) to acquire a minor ability. The GM may choose or roll on the table below to grant a creature a power.

1d20	Effect
1	You can use detect magic as an action at-will
2	You can speak telepathically with any creature who has language within 30 feet
3	You can move an unattended object within 30 feet weighing 20 lbs. or less 30 feet in any direction as an action.
4	You can cause an unattended flammable object within 30 feet to catch fire as an action.
5	You can teleport an object being held 50 feet (this includes into the hands of another person) as an action.
6	You can teleport yourself 25 feet as a move. You must rest before doing so again.
7	You can heal yourself once per day an amount equal to your Constitution score as an action.
8	You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, you now see in color in the dark.
9	You can speak with animals per the spell at-will.
10	You can use disguise self per the spell at-will. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
11	You can create psychic claws which are light finesse weapons which deal 1d6 psychic damage. You are proficient with these claws.
12	You gain blindsight out to 5 feet.
13	For one hour per day, you can increase your speed 10 feet.
14	You can use the feather fall spell at-will.
15	You can use entangle at-will. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
16	You can use zone of truth per the spell. You must rest before doing so again. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
17	You can throw psychic knives which act as daggers and deal 1d4 psychic damage.
18	You can create a psychic wall around yourself which acts as the sanctuary spell. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
19	You can use charm person per the spell. You must rest before doing so again. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
20	You can use cause fear per the spell. You must rest before doing so again. (DC to resist equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)

Any creature who survives a continuous three months or longer in The Damned Lands has a chance (at the GM’s discretion) to acquire a major ability. The GM may choose or roll on the table below to grant a creature a power.

1d20	Effect
1	You gain a fly speed of 60 feet.
2	As an action you can become invisible at-will.
3	You regenerate 5 HP at the start of your turn. If you lose consciousness, you lose your psionic focus and cannot regenerate until you regain consciousness.
4	Your speed is tripled.
5	As an action you can summon a psychic pet which has the same statistics as a triceratops. You may only summon one creature at a time. The creature disappears once reduced to 0 HP. You must rest before using this ability again.
6	As an action you can read a creature’s mind. They are allowed a Wisdom saving throw (DC equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency). If the saving throw succeeds you cannot try to read the creature’s mind for another 24 hours. The target does not know you are reading it’s thoughts unless it has magic or psionic means of detection.
7	You can breathe underwater and gain a swim speed equal to your own.
8	You gain a burrow speed equal to your own, tremor sense out to 60 feet, and blindsight out to 30 feet.
9	You gain advantage on saving throws against magical effects.
10	You can blink in and out of the ethereal plane as per the blink spell. You can activate this ability as an action at-will.
11	You can teleport 15 feet as a move.
12	As an action you can use dispel magic at-will. If you have no magic ability modifier, it equals your proficiency plus your Charisma modifier.
13	You can use time stop. You must before you use this ability again.
14	Once per day you can cast true resurrection without any material components.
15	Once per day you can use foresight on yourself.
16	As an action you can create a major image at-will. (DC equals 8 + Charisma modifier + proficiency.)
17	You can use antimagic field. You must rest before you use this ability again.
18	You can use telekinesis per the spell at-will.
19	Your Strength becomes 26.
20	Your Intelligence becomes 26.

Evaluation

So you can see the idea here – PCs can get powers for surviving in The Damned Lands if their GM allows, but they have to risk their sanity and make increasingly difficult Wisdom saving throws, not to mention all of the horrific monsters and environmental hazards of The Damned Lands. Let me know if this all makes sense to you. Did I leave your favorite power off the list? Tell me! I want to make The Damned Lands worth it!

Poll Time!

So I know a lot of you have already taken this poll, but if you haven’t please take 20 seconds and read the one question and answer below, even if the answer is “No, I hate your stupid blog.” I’m making an Exploration Age Campaign Guide (release date sometime 2015 once the Wizard’s OGL is released) and I’m interested to see if people would actually want that. Thanks!

Become a Patron!

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