Johnn Four

First Encounters in the Luna Valley

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Demonplague, DnD, Johnn Four, Roleplaying Tips, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

December 13, 2018

The Demonplague is on sale in both PDF and print. If you’ve got a hard copy of the book, send me a shelfie on Twitter (because they make me happy)! Last week I gave you twenty new story hooks to bring your characters into the adventure. In this post I give you new encounters you can bring to your game the first time the characters enter the Luna Valley.

Encounters on the Way to Tomar’s Crossing

When the characters enter the Luna Valley for the first time, they’re likely headed to Tomar’s Crossing, the valley’s only surviving settlement, to get some answers about what’s happening in the disaster-touched valley. Depending on the story hook you used to bring your characters to the valley, they may not realize Tomar’s Crossing is the place to seek out answers, and these encounters can help point them in that direction.

The encounters which follow are meant to be used when your characters first enter the Luna Valley. They can be supplemented with the random encounters in the Luna Valley included in The Demonplague adventure.

Baryl Harb Abduction

The characters come upon several humanoid corpses, stripped of their belongings. A character notices the bodies smell faintly of adhesive with a successful DC 8 Wisdom (Perception) check and can tell the bodies have been dead for several days with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check.

The bodies are stuffed with alchemical glue and laid here as a trap by hidden goblins. If the bodies take at least 1 point of fire damage, they explode with glue, and each creature within 5 feet of the body must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or become restrained in the glue. A successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check made as an action breaks free of the glue.

Two winter goblins and two winter goblin alchemists of the Baryl Harb tribe hide nearby. A character notices the goblins with a successful Wisdom (Perception) check opposed by the goblins’ Dexterity (Stealth) checks. When the characters are within 5 feet of the bodies, the goblins attack, fighting until only two remain then fleeing.

If the goblins defeat the characters, they stabilize anyone who is dying and bring their victims to Fort Frostfell. Captured goblins tell the characters they are capturing displaced people on the road headed for Tomar’s Crossing and holding those prisoners alive in Fort Frostfell for their master Dourkeg with a successful DC 9 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check.

Refugees on the Road

The characters hear battle in the distance and find three scouts and ten commoners from Safeharbor defending themselves from eight Black Skull bandits. If the Safeharbor refugees notice the characters, they call for help. If the characters do not intervene, the bandits capture the refugees and bring them to Gardong Marhold. If the characters intervene and are defeated by the bandits, dying characters are stabilized and brought to Gardong Marhold.

The bandits fight until three remain then flee. If the characters defeat the bandits, surviving refugees explain that the melt has destroyed all buy one settlement in the valley, Tomar’s Crossing. The refugees are on their way there and beg the characters for an escort. If the characters get the refugees safely to the village, the refugees reward them with a pearl worth 15 gp.

Hungry Wolf

A starving female winter wolf with two levels of exhaustion approaches the characters, asking if they are looking for “the only place of people left in the valley.” The wolf offers to lead the characters to this place in exchange for food. The wolf is dying, as many of her food sources have disappeared in the melt. If the characters give her food to eat, she leads them to Tomar’s Crossing. If not, the desperate creature attacks, fighting to the death.

If the wolf is guiding the characters toward Tomar’s Crossing and the characters run into trouble from another group of creatures, she hangs back, feasting upon fresh kills, and attacking the characters if she thinks they are vulnerable enough to die quickly.

Zombie Feast

The characters come upon two plague zombies devouring a trio of fresh human corpses. If the zombies notice the characters, they attack, fighting to the death. Undisturbed the zombies feast for 1 hour on the body then wander off in search of a new meal.

If the characters examine the bodies, they notice each adult carried several large bags, as if they were out in the valley looking to forage. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check finds the humans’ tracks in the mud which lead to Tomar’s Crossing. The humans are refugees from Sweetwater that went off to find food for the camp and were killed.

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!

Share this post:

20 Ways to Kickoff The Demonplague D&D Campaign

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Demonplague, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, Roleplaying Tips, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

December 6, 2018

The Demonplague is on sale in both PDF and print. If you’ve got a hard copy of the book, send me a shelfie on Twitter (because they make me happy)! In this post I’ll show you twenty new ways to kickoff your Demonplague campaign!

Extra Story Hooks

The Demonplague has twenty story hooks you can use to start you campaign. Here’s another twenty you can use that kickoff the story with a bit more action than those provided in the adventure.

d20	Hook
1	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley, which is attacked by 1d10 plague zombies. After helping defend the town, a local cleric hires the characters to head into the valley and discover where the zombie’s origin.
2	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley, which is attacked by 2d4 winter goblins. One of the goblins carries a note from Dourkeg which reads, “No more refugees on the road. Leave the valley to find victims for Ralekai,” in Goblin.
3	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley, which is repeatedly attacked by hungry animals (2d4 wolves, 1d4 dire wolves, one polar bear, or one winter wolf each attack). A local ranger figures the animals in the valley are starving and leaving to find food. The town’s mayor hires the characters to discover what’s happening in the valley.
4	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. A merchant caravan from the valley comes into town chased by 1d4 swarms of zombie rats. The merchants tell the characters about the disaster in the valley and say that the survivors are in dire need of protectors and providers.
5	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. A cult fanatic and 1d4 cultists from the Cult of Chaos come into town one day, preaching the end of the world has come and started in the valley. The cultists then ask people to join them and begin slaughtering any who refuse.
6	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. A pair of mud-covered winter wolves with three levels of exhaustion each that once stayed in the valley now stalk the lands outside the town, harrassing people at night. The characters are hired to deal with the wolves. The wolves don’t put up much of a fight and agree to move further north after explaining the situation in the valley to the characters saying more monsters will come if the situation isn’t handled.
7	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. Earthquakes have been plaguing their home, destroying property and hurting people ever since the comet hit. The mayor of the town hires them to find the source of these quakes likely somewhere in the valley.
8	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. 2d6 bandits attack the town. If captured and questioned, the bandits reveal what’s been happening with the disaster and that there are fewer and fewer people on the road in the valley to rob these days because all refugees are amassing in Tomar’s Crossing.
9	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. Four dretches attack the town. A local priest hires the characters to discover from where the demons came.
10	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. A woman (berserker) dressed in rags comes over the mountains, mud-covered and ranting about a comet, a terrible disease, and dreadful monsters. She then goes insane and attacks anyone she can reach. A local wizard hires the characters to find out what drove the woman mad.
11	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. 2d6 Ralekai skeletons come in the night and carry off as many people as they can back over the mountains. The characters are hired to save those people.
12	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. Two decrepit clay golems come over the mountains and attack the town. A local wizard hires the characters to find out where the golems came from.
13	The characters live in a town just beyond the mountains of the Luna Valley. A passing merchant woman on her way to the Luna Valley named Ellie Mircar (Merriath the Quick) hires the characters to come with her to the Luna Valley to find an outlaw named Mara Silver (Kadra Tourmaline).
14	The characters have been hired to work on a merchant vessel headed for Safeharbor in the Luna Valley. Three vrocks attack the ship in the night, killing the crew and leaving the ship to crash on the valley’s north shore.
15	The characters have been hired as guards to work on a merchant vessel headed for Safeharbor in the Luna Valley. When they get to the city, they find it ruins, destroyed by the disaster that has befallen the valley. The characters and ship crew are immediately attacked by 2d8 plague zombies that tear apart their vessel and leave them stranded in the valley.
16	The characters have been hired as guards to work on a merchant vessel headed for Safeharbor in the Luna Valley. Before the ship can get to the city, a comet dust storm envelops the ship, slamming it against the valley’s north shore. The characters are the only survivors and their ship is destroyed.
17	The characters have been hired as guards to work on a merchant vessel headed for Safeharbor in the Luna Valley. After having a terrible shared nightmare about the end of the world due to the demonplague, the characters awake to find the ship’s crew (twelve bandits) have gone mad and are slaughtering each other and jumping into the waves. The ship crashes against the valley’s north shore and is destroyed.
18	The characters have been hired as guards to work on a merchant vessel headed for Safeharbor in the Luna Valley. From the muddy banks of the valley, a starving frost giant with three levels of exhaustion puts several hurled boulders through the hull of the ship, which crashes on the north shore of the valley.
19	The characters meet an adventurer (veteran) coming back from diving into ruins in the Luna Valley. She has tales of the disaster and plenty of newly uncovered dungeons full of treasure, including a stone table with strange writing in Goblin she found. The adventurer’s eyes turn red as she holds the tablet and she attacks the characters, fighting to the death. The adventurers companions hire the characters to find out what is going on in the valley.
20	The characters travel with a sick merchant who was just in the Luna Valley. He has stories of the disaster and being attacked by a strange monster he cannot name (a valok). Sometime later the merchant transforms into a valok before their eyes (make it clear this monster is too tough for low-level characters to handle alone). The merchant’s spouse then hires the characters to find out what infected their loved one.

Share this post:

The Demonplague in Published Campaign Settings

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Demonplague, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, Roleplaying Tips, world building, worldbuilding / 1 comment

November 29, 2018

Last week The Demonplague went on sale in both PDF and print. If you’ve got a hard copy of the book, send me a shelfie on Twitter (because they make me so happy)! In this post, I’ll show you where you can set the adventure that takes characters from level 1 – 20 in several popular published settings!

The Demonplague takes place in the remote Luna Valley, a once-frozen landscape now hot and humid thanks to a supernatural comet striking the land. Now one village remains in the mud-soaked valley, Tomar’s Crossing, a place for refugees to gather, monsters to attack, and intrigue to hide! The Luna Valley is packed with adventure locations unveiled by the melt and a mysterious sickness which leads adventurers to dive deep into forgotten places. If you’re unfamiliar with story of The Demonplague, you can find out more by reading the introduction!

The Luna Valley can be dropped into almost any campaign setting with almost no adjustment. While there is an ocean, the Sardon Sea, on one side of the valley, the adventure’s plot does not depend on the body of water. Any remote, mountainous region will do. Here are some of the ways you can work the adventure into your favorite published setting.

Forgotten Realms

The Demonplague stream and podcast takes place in the Forgotten Realms. It is recommended the Luna Valley be placed in the Spine of the World, a mountain range in the northern region of Faerûn. The Sea of Moving Ice makes a great stand-in for the Sardon Sea.

Greyhawk

The Corusk Mountains in Greyhawk are dangerous, ice-capped, and surrounded by the Solnor Ocean. This mountain range is the perfect place for the Luna Valley.

Eberron

Several locations in Eberron feature icy, mountainous regions appropriate for the Luna Valley. The Bluespine Peaks and Dowron’s Shield of Xen’drik make good locations, but some of the best places for the Luna Valley are actually islands of the north coast of Khorvaire. Instead of mountains surrounding most of the region, you could have icy seas on all sides if you set your Demonplague game on Ice Shear Isle, Icewhite Island, or Icegaunt Island.

Nentir Vale

The fourth edition D&D setting of the Nentir Vale is a great place to set The Demonplague. The Luna Valley fits perfectly in the dangerous Cairngorm Peaks of the cozy setting.

Dragonlance

The world of Krynn has several mountain ranges, but the Icewall is the perfect place to put the Luna Valley.

Birthright

In the world Aebrynis the frozen lands of Thaele make a great home for the Luna Valley.

Mystara

In Mystara the Viking-inspired kingdom of Vestland has many mountainous regions the Luna Valley could call home.

Dark Sun

Despite being a mostly desert world, there is SOME ice on very tops of the Ringing Mountains in Dark Sun. The glacier that once sat in the Luna Valley is there for a special reason (read the adventure to find out), so it is entirely possible to place the Luna Valley in these dangerous mountains and have the region even more devastated when the glacier melts and the land’s source of water disappears.

Midgard

Kobold Press’ Midgard setting has a frozen mountainous region called the Northlands, which makes the perfect remote home for the Luna Valley.

Tal’dorei

The now-famous Critical Role campaign setting has a range called the Cliffkeep Mountains. The northern most part of the range extends into frozen lands that make a great place for the Luna Valley.

Pax Unplugged

By the way, if you’re headed to Pax Unplugged in Philadelphia this weekend, I’ll be there too with my pals Rudy Basso, James Haeck, and Hannah Rose. Come say hey!

Share this post:

7b3ea5a01f81310769f2597cc3ea41dd_original

Pre-Order the Demonplague!

General / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Demonplague, Descent Into the Demonplague Dungeon, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four / 0 comments

April 12, 2018

If you’ve been following this blog at all in the last two months, then you know that I launched a Kickstarter with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips! The Kickstarter did SUPER, DUPER well thanks to all your support, but it only ran for two weeks. I know some folks were sad about that and feel like they missed out… Well good news! Johnn has put a Demonplague pre-order page up on his site!

The Demonplague is an fifth edition adventure divided into four parts that….

Takes characters from levels 1 to 20!
Takes place in a valley that can be dropped into any campaign setting!
Has a player-driven story with tough choices and the world at stake!
Helps new DMs learn how to run a player-driven, open story!
Gives plenty of new content and a great story for DMs who have been playing for years!
Has over 20 new creatures!
Includes a hexcrawl kit to help you run awesome exploration adventures!

The adventure is written and edited, we just need the Kickstarter money for the layout and art. You WILL get this product if you back it. It only runs for 14 days, so if you’re interested now’s the best time to get in.

You can find previews of the work here and here.

Share this post:

HUGE Thanks and the D&D Community

General / Community, D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Descent Into the Demonplague Dungeon, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

March 22, 2018

If you’ve followed this blog at all in the last three weeks, then you know I was running a Kickstarter with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips. Thank you so, so much to everyone who donated, helped get the word out, and offered words of wisdom and support! I can’t wait to share more of the Demonplague with you!

The D&D Community

Last week I saw a debate on social media about who is and is not a member of the D&D community. It turned ugly as some folks insisted only gamers could be part of the community and others said that anyone who watched a show like Critical Role or listened to a bunch of dope D&D podcasts were included. I don’t want to get into who said what, since there was a lot of drama and name calling, but I did want to provide context for the rest of this post.

That conversation got me thinking about just how big and amazing the D&D community, and to a greater extent the RPG community, is. Here’s the truth. If you interact with the D&D brand, you are part of the community. If you’re a gamer, a Critter, a The Adventure Zone fan, a reader of the comic books, a person who reads rule books but prefers not to play, someone who loves talking about but not playing the game, a fan of the movies, a D&D miniatures collector, a fan of D&D video games, a reader of D&D novels, a person who watches the one season of the cartoon over and over again, or just my father popping in to read and possibly comment on this blog post, then you are a welcome part of this circle.

If you don’t play the game and decide you want to, let someone know. There’s lots of friendly, awesome gamers in this circle willing to show you that roleplaying games are the greatest pastime ever. If you don’t want to play, that’s cool too! We’re glad as heck to have your voice as part of the conversation. You bring a unique perspective to the table and make things like playing D&D for an audience as a way to make money a reality. You make dreams come true AND you count Lin-Manuel Miranda among your numbers. Thank you for making D&D bigger than it’s ever been, for growing the RPG community, for lessening the stigma of the hobby, and for sharing stories, debates, and discussion. Many of you are personal friends I would not have made had you been barred from this community and my life would be worse for it.

To my fellow gamers who agree, thank you. This debate turned into something so positive because of you. The support you showed to non-gamers in the community was outstanding. You’re growing the hobby by reaching out to others. It’s working! More people are playing D&D than ever before because those non-gamers in our community are dipping their toes in the water and becoming gamers. If they didn’t feel welcome, they’d never have given it a shot. That would mean less awesome people to play with, less amazing ideas coming from a smaller population of players and DMs, and less money in the hobby. It would also mean less people getting into RPGs in general, which would mean less awesome games from smaller publishers. Even when people you welcome into the community don’t pick up dice, they still add nuance, fresh perspectives, jokes, and depth to the conversation about D&D and spread the word about RPGs.

To those who disagree, what gives? What do you gain by not opening your arms to other people who are already here loving some aspect of the D&D brand? You know what happened when Marvel comic book readers welcomed people who didn’t read comics but enjoyed superhero movies and TV into their community? We got movies like The Avengers and Black Panther. We got TV shows like Jessica Jones and Legion. D&D has the same potential. We’re gonna have a movie soon… and if the community is big enough it might actually be a GOOD movie. More people in Hollywood will understand what D&D is and be willing to put money behind the film to get great talent to work on it. There’s endless possibilities for D&D video games, novels, and more that all come true if our community continues to grow. Don’t get in the way of that. Why ruin it for yourself? The D&D brand is larger than the game and that helps us get more awesome content both in and out of our games.

More to the point, don’t ruin it for others. If someone new wants to be part of this community, welcome them with open arms (unless they’re a bigot or a murderer or something). They’re a human being, so treat them as such. You might even make some awesome new friends when you open your mind to the D&D community being larger than just people who play the game. You don’t have anything to gain by shutting them out. They’re here and they’re badass.

Share this post:

Demonplague Preview: Tomar’s Crossing

General / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Descent Into the Demonplague Dungeon, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, Kickstarter, Roleplaying Tips, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

March 15, 2018

There’s only a couple days left to get in on the Demonplague Kickstarter! If you follow this blog at all you know I’ve launched a Kickstarter with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips! You can read all about The Demonplague adventure on the Kickstarter’s page. In a nutshell, this fifth edition adventure takes characters from level 1 to 20, can be dropped into any homebrew or existing campaign setting, and is designed for GMs old and new.

Last week I revealed two pages from the adventure’s introduction. In this post, I want to give you the first two pages that describe Tomar’s Crossing, the only town that survives the natural disaster that begins the adventure.

What do you think? Interested in the adventure yet? You can find out more about The Demonplague on the Kickstarter page or by listening to the this episode of my podcast, Table Top Babble.

Share this post:

Demonplague Preview: Introduction

March 8, 2018

If you follow this blog at all you know I’ve launched a Kickstarter with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips! You can read all about The Demonplague adventure on the Kickstarter’s page. In a nutshell, this fifth edition adventure takes characters from level 1 to 20, can be dropped into any homebrew or existing campaign setting, and is designed for GMs old and new. In this post I’m showing off two pages from the adventure’s introduction. Here’s a bit of history about the Luna Valley, the setting for the entire adventure.

What do you think? Interested in the adventure yet? You can find out more about The Demonplague on the Kickstarter page or by listening to the latest episode of my podcast, Table Top Babble.

Share this post:

The Demonplague Kickstarter has Launched!

General / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, Descent Into the Demonplague Dungeon, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, Kickstarter, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

March 3, 2018

I am VERY excited to announce the launch of my first Kickstarter with Johnn Four of Roleplaying Tips!

You can read all about it on the Kickstarter’s page.

The Demonplague is an fifth edition adventure divided into four parts that….

Takes characters from levels 1 to 20!
Takes place in a valley that can be dropped into any campaign setting!
Has a player-driven story with tough choices and the world at stake!
Helps new DMs learn how to run a player-driven, open story!
Gives plenty of new content and a great story for DMs who have been playing for years!
Has over 20 new creatures!
Includes a hexcrawl kit to help you run awesome exploration adventures!

Here’s a preview image of the work:

Thank you so much. If you’re interested, please consider backing The Demonplague. More information and previews shall be coming on this blog about the Kickstarter in the coming days!

The Podcast

You can find out more about The Demonplague by listening to the latest episode of my podcast, Table Top Babble.

Share this post:

How I “Got My Start” in RPGs

General / Alex Basso, Chris Sniezak, D&D, D&D Adventurers League, D&D fifth edition, D&D Next, D&D5e, DnD, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, EN World, EN5ider, James Haeck, Jeff Greiner, Johnn Four, Mike Shea, podcast, Roleplaying Tips, roll20, Rudy Basso, Sam Dillon, Shawn Merwin, the tome show, world building, worldbuilding / 2 comments

May 11, 2017

I’m going to write a post that is self-indulgent. I guess that’s true about every post on this blog in one way or another, but this blog post is going to be a story in which I am the central character, which is a little unusual for this site. Usually it’s some crazy monster, magic item, piece of advice, or game mechanic that takes center stage. If you hadn’t guessed from the title, this post will tell you how I became a somewhat, kinda, sorta, maybe, known creator in the world of tabletop roleplaying games.

I’m writing this post because several people have asked me how I “made it” in the industry. To be honest, I’m not sure I have “made it” at least by the modern definition. I’ve got a full-time gig outside the industry as a TV commercial writer/producer (which I really love). That being said, I do get paid to work on some pretty great projects in the industry and I am doing more in this space than I dared to dream, so in some ways I guess I have “made it” in this industry. At least made it further than I expected.

Still I thought sharing my story might be helpful for anyone out there interested in a freelance RPG design career, but I will say that my path is unique and involves a lot of luck, so I’m not sure it can be replicated. I was inspired to share thanks in part to the requests I got, but also by a recent episode of the Down with D&D podcast in which designers and podcasters Shawn Merwin and Chris Sniezak shared their own stories. Definitely check out the episode because they have great stories and a lot of amazing advice.

The Tome Show

In Fall of 2013 I was listening to a lot of podcasts and playing tons of D&D with my friends on Roll20. The D&D Next playtest was in full swing and I devoured every piece of D&D news I could find. One of my favorite programs was the News Desk on The Tome Show, but it only came out once a month. I searched for other D&D news podcasts, but most were actual plays, none with D&D news. I remember telling my then-girlfriend, now-wife, Bonnie, that I wanted to listen to a weekly show that covered the latest D&D news in-depth. I told her there was no show out there like it (that I knew of) and Bonnie said, “Why don’t you make it?”

What did I have to lose by giving it a shot? I already knew how to edit audio… but I didn’t know how to book guests, build an audience, or even submit a podcast feed to iTunes. At the time I was listening to backlogs of the now-defunct D&D advice podcast Critical Hits hosted by Mike Shea of Sly Flourish. At the end of each podcast he gave our his contact information, including email, and encouraged folks with questions to reach out. I emailed Mike, thanking him for his awesome contributions to the community and asked for advice on starting a podcast. I soon realized how gracious he truly was. The man gave me 600 words of free advice and told me if I wanted more I should contact Jeff Greiner, the creator and owner of the aforementioned Tome Show podcast.

Already a subscriber to Jeff’s show, I eagerly went to him for advice next. Jeff asked me to pitch him my idea and without even knowing it was coming he offered me a chance to do my show on the Tome Show’s feed, immediately hitting a large audience of subscribers! I admit, this is some pure, amazing luck. Thus my first public RPG-related creation was born: The Round Table podcast. Special thanks to Rudy Basso, Alex Basso, Greg Blair, and Vegas Lancaster for making those first several episodes with me and encouraging me to keep making the show in those first weeks. Extra special thanks to Sam Dillon for actually getting all those episodes on the air. After several months of consistent output, Jeff told me (after I asked a few times) that he trusted me enough to revive the Gamer to Gamer franchise on the network and I started interviewing professionals in the industry. (Shoutout to my first interviewee on that show, Wolfgang Baur!)

Takeaways:

Listen to your partner.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people for advice.
Be gracious and grateful. People remember how you treat them. Also everyone deserves to be treated like a human.
Seize opportunities when luck offers them.
Be consistent with you work and don’t be afraid to ask for more after you’ve proven yourself.

The Blog

I was three episodes into The Round Table and seeing thousands of people listening to the show when I decided I should probably use the podcast as a platform to promote something I always wanted to do, but had been too lazy to start – a blog about homebrew design. I had a lot of time on my hands, since Bonnie was on a two-week business trip, so rather than play video games every night (which was my normal MO when she was gone before the blog and podcast), I used the time to create this site. I made a commitment to write two articles a week. To keep myself accountable, I started shouting the site out on the podcast, knowing that I would need to keep it stocked with content if people were going to show up.

The blog’s audience growth was slow, but steady. I started with less than 10 views a day, but as I kept updating it consistently and shouting out new posts to various social media groups and message boards, the views crept up. Now on days when I don’t post something new, I get about 500 hits in a day, but it took me three years to get here.

Takeaways:

Sometimes you need to put video games and Netflix aside to work on rewarding, fun, creative projects.
The best way to build and audience is put out consistent, well-crafted content that you enjoy making.
Hold yourself accountable for getting your own projects done. No one else will.

The Work

So how did I finally get paid for some game design? Well my first jobs came from EN5ider and Johnn Four‘s Roleplaying Tips and they came about quite differently.

I had a year of blogging and podcasting under my belt when I saw EN5ider was just starting up. I saw a post on EN World calling for article submissions, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I had been rejected before by Dungeon and Dragon magazines and by the Adventurers League, but I didn’t let that discourage me. Editor James Haeck accepted of my pitch! Give Chase was born… after careful outlining, planning, proof-reading and revising, and revising again once I got notes from James. I made sure to hit each deadline and to listen to the editor’s feedback, incorporating it into the article, rather than rejecting what was said. James and I worked well together and I’ve written a few more articles for EN5ider since then.

Roleplaying Tips came about in a much different way. World Builder Blog was a regular contributor to the monthly RPG Blog Carnival and through that Johnn noticed my work, he reached out to me and asked if I would write an article for his newsletter that gave worldbuilding lessons. I’d be paid for the work and I could repost it here on the blog. That’s a great deal, so of course I said yes. Johnn and I have worked together on a few projects since, including a massive adventure that should be coming soon!

It was about another year before I got to do work for more people. In that time the DMs Guild launched. I already had a heaping helping of fifth edition content on this blog, so I put some of that into PDFs (without having ever done layout). The reputation I had built for myself on the blog and podcast helped get my products some buzz and a few became best-sellers. That’s when things really started to pick up.

The Adventurers League asked me to write an adventure for them and Shawn Merwin asked me to write another for Baldman Games. Roll20’s owners (who I met after applying for their game master job, which I did not get but did give me a chance to make connections with these very cool people) asked me to create their introductory fifth edition adventure, The Master’s Vault. Since then I’ve worked on a few other projects, but those are going to stay secret for now. Many of them are people I have met at conventions.

You know the rest of the tale. I’ve continued to create and since left the Tome Show to create my own podcast network with Rudy Basso. What’s in store for the future? Only time shall tell!

Takeaways:

Keep submitting to open calls. Rejection happens! That’s ok. Don’t take it personally and keep pitching.
Be an active part of the community.
Write, revise, proofread, and hit your deadlines. People will want to work with you again.
Create, create, create for yourself before someone asks you to do it for them. You’ll learn your craft and build a library of content to show off or even sell.
Go to conventions. Meet your heroes, ask them for advice. This industry is smaller than you think and people are super approachable and awesome.

Luck and Hard Work

I clearly owe a lot of people many thanks. I could not have made it to even where I am today without them. My timing worked out and I was very lucky, but I also created some of my own luck by working hard. Hopefully this story helps some of you out there!

Share this post:

Roleplaying NPC Mannerisms Part II – How to Portray Seducers, Ancient Evils, Law Enforcement, and Genius NPCs

Inspiration / D&D, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Johnn Four, npc, npcs, roleplaying, Roleplaying Tips, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

July 21, 2016

WORLD BUILDER BLOG IS NOMINATED FOR AN ENNIE AWARD! You can vote for it right now along with a bunch of other awesome RPG products. The booth closes on TODAY so go vote right now. Good luck to all the awesome nominees.

This article first appeared in Johnn Four‘s Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #696.

It is time to put on your acting hat. Roleplaying NPC Mannerisms Part I revealed the importance of distinct, specific non-player character mannerisms. When a great game master inhabits an NPC, the character’s physical and verbal mannerisms help set it apart from the rest, reveal motivations, hint at history, and create a richer story.

This article builds upon the first by providing four NPC archetypes with corresponding physical and verbal mannerisms. Use the advice from that first article combined with the archetypes found here to roleplay NPCs to perfection.

How to Use These Archetypes

The descriptions and examples in this article are meant to be used as a base for creating NPCs. If you are a beginner GM or uncomfortable with acting, you can just follow the bullet points given at the end of each archetype and you will play a great character.

If you are an experienced GM who has been playing NPCs for years, use the bullet points but add one or more mannerisms each time you roleplay an NPC of that archetype. Make it a different mannerism each time to set Town Guard #1 apart from Town Guard #2. The players will definitely remember that #1 is a nose picker and #2 stutters.

Accents are always optional, but you are encouraged to give them a shot. Who cares if they are not perfect? You’re doing this for fun. If you do not quite nail the Ks of a Russian accent, no one is going to fire you. No one can even question your accent if you’re playing in a fantasy world. So what if your Spanish accent sounds like a combination of Bulgarian and Australian? Those countries do not exist in the world you create. That is just the accent of a person from Breland! Accents get better with practice, so feel free to go all out.

The most important guideline of all is to have fun with NPC mannerisms. The more you enjoy playing an NPC, the more the players will enjoy interacting with you. If you are having a blast playing your characters, your players will be more enthusiastic about playing theirs. As the GM, you set the tone for the game. If you appear awkward and forced, the entire game will feel that way. So relax – you are among friends and playing a tabletop roleplaying game. That is the best. Enjoy it!

Ancient Evil

Gods, demons, aliens, and other ancient evils often appear in our games. These superpowers should make your players quake with awe and fall to their knees…or at least convince them these are forces to be reckoned with.

Matt Mercer, professional voice actor and the GM of the hit web series Critical Role, did an amazing job playing the shadow demon Orthax. Mercer enters, leans quite far over the screen, and sticks his neck out with his head forward and up. This gives him a strange, unsettling appearance. While he is physically lower than the players, the position of his head suggests utter confidence. This unnatural posture immediately translates to otherworldly. The confidence of his tilted head suggests a powerful being who knows its capabilities.

Then Mercer speaks as Orthax. He brings his voice into a low register, which screams power. He adds a growl to his voice and some heavy breathing at the end of his sentences. These vocal qualities inform the players of the danger Orthax poses and his evil nature. They also give anyone hearing the voice the impression this being is just at the edge of its control. It could snap at any moment and unleash its otherworldly fury on the PCs.

When playing an ancient evil:

Lean far forward
Stick out your neck and raise your head
Speak in a very low register
Add a growl and heavy breathing to your voice

Law Enforcement

Law enforcement personnel are police officers, space marines, and town guards. They are in gatehouses, towers, streets, prisons, bars, and more, keeping the peace, taking a bribe, and chasing after thieves. These NPCs are often among the first a party of adventurers meets in a settlement. They provide information and directions.

Roleplaying them can be a pretty uninteresting encounter, but only if you play them as uninteresting people.

Let’s take another look at Matt Mercer. In this clip he’s playing a town guard in episode 1 of Critical Role. He first describes a pair of city watch dwarves observing the PCs. Immediately after describing them, Mercer takes on the physical posture of one guard. He mimes holding a spear comfortably, with a relaxed bent arm, and leans back. The NPC’s posture indicates he is comfortable with his weapon and at ease in his own city. Law enforcement should feel comfortable within the walls of cities where they wield authority.

When he opens his mouth to speak as one of the guards, the real magic begins. He leans back even further to show how relaxed the guard is even when talking to a group of well-armed strangers. His volume is a bit louder than normal, and his voice is steady and confident. It is a clear display of authority without being threatening. After all, the guard has no reason to distrust the adventurers at the moment.

As the guard speaks, he uses big arm movements. Mercer extends his arms fully to point to various landmarks and tilts his head in the opposite direction of his hand to give the impression his arms are even longer than they are. This action is another indicator of the guard being in his comfort zone. He has no fear that the adventurers or anyone else will accost him, so he feels fine leaving his arms wide open.

When playing law enforcement….

Lean back in a relaxed posture
Use big arm movements
Raise the volume of your voice
Keep your voice steady

Mercer sets his guard apart from the rest by making him a rather jovial fellow. He cocks his head to the side, indicating interest in the person he is speaking with, and lets the register of his voice get higher when the guard cracks a joke or gets excited. If you want a jovial town guard, add these mannerisms:

Tilt your head slightly to one side
Raise the register of your voice when you are excited

One final note on this scene. At the beginning of the encounter, Mercer briefly portrays both guards speaking to one another. You can tell them apart become he leans one way and speaks with a high voice before turning around to face the opposite direct and lowering his vocal register to be the other guard. It is simple and genius. A quick turn and a deeper voice make all the difference between the two.

Seducer

Seducers are manipulators who exude sex appeal. They are the kind of people who are attractive to everyone in some way. They are great performers, con artists, politicians, and business people. These NPCs can wrap anyone around their little fingers, and use their good looks and beguiling wit to make others do their dirty work.

We turn to the GM of GMs, Chris Perkins. In this clip from a 2012 Pax Acquisitions Inc. game, Perkins plays a seductress dark elf who convinces the plucky band of adventurers to steal gems for her. We hear her voice before we see any of her physical mannerisms, as she’s sneaking up on the PCs in the dark. It is husky and breathless, vocal qualities scientifically proven to be attractive. She speaks with a sultry lower tone, and to make things extra sexy, Perkins gives her a French accent (which is largely considered one of the world’s most romantic languages).

When she comes out of the shadows, Perkins displays the woman’s physical mannerisms. He tilts his head down slightly and looks up at the person he is talking to, which gives him a submissive air. When he speaks, he picks a specific individual to focus his attention on and keeps constant eye contact while leaning toward that person. This behavior makes a player feel singled out and special. An attractive person empowers them by giving undivided attention.

When playing a seducer….

Tilt your head down slightly
Focus your attention on each player one at a time
Lean toward the focus of your attention and maintain eye contact
Lower the tone of your voice
Make your voice husky and breathy
Use a French accent (optional)

Superior Intellectuals

Haughty wizards, know-it-all telepaths, and pedantic scientists are just a few of the people who fall into the superior intellectual archetype. They are the smartest people in the room and know it. Because of their smarts, these NPCs think themselves above every other living being. Odds are the players will cross paths with someone like as they seek an intelligent being to help them unravel some mystery.

Watch again as Chris Perkins portrays Flabbergast in the latest PAX Acquisitions, Inc. game. Like Mercer, he begins by describing the NPC. Then Perkins sticks out his neck just a bit so the rest his body is led by his head. This indicates he is intellectually focused. He then raises his chin and looks down his nose at the players, signaling Flabbergast’s belief that he is far more intelligent than the group. These physical mannerisms suggest a smart, conceited individual. They are enhanced by the fact that Perkins has chosen to stand. It literally puts him above the players.

Perkins then produces a voice which can only be described as nasally Alan Rickman. The nasal quality sells Flabbergast as an intellectual, and the low tone of voice mixed with disdain and condescension leaves no question that this wizard believes he is the smartest guy in the room.

The superior intellectual keeps his movements small and close. In general, these people are untrusting of others because everyone else is too stupid to do anything right. Perkins keeps his wrists loose and close to his body as he pets a phantom cat, or keeps his hands folded in front of him. These movements suggest the wizard is guarded, untrusting, and physically unimpressive.

When playing superior intellectuals…

Lead with your head
Tilt your chin up
Lower your voice
Use a nasally voice with condescension and disdain
Use small, weak movements
Stand (optional)

Flabbergast’s cat is a nice touch. It demonstrates the wizard prefers the company of animals to people and makes him an instantly distinct and memorable NPC.

If you like what you’re reading, please check out my podcasts, follow me on Twitter, tell your friends and share this blog post, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

Share this post: