BoT Post 30: Megadungeon Julia! Layer Your Dungeon Using History

Posted on September 2, 2020September 2, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 30 of 30

Designing a dungeon to put the D back into D&D? A good dungeon design considers not just who built it, but who added to it later.

Layer Your Dungeon From the Game World’s History

“Dungeon” doesn’t necessarily mean a hole in the ground. Still, it is more difficult to replace underground structures rather than walling off unneeded portions, so, even a new “owner” of the dungeon would not make many underground changes.

In our example, we’ll use a Castle. Since we’re going to turn the castle into a “megadungeon,” most of our design will center around history. The smaller the complex, the less work the DM should do. If the place fits on a small map, grab an exciting monster(s) from the Monster Manual(s) and design the dungeon around that.

Step 1: Establish a History of the Dungeon

In our castle example, I sketched out a history that jives with the region history:

Age of the Heirophant

The hierophants of old established a monumental civilization that spanned thousands of years. They used “world magic” and had no use for structures, tools, or artifacts. After a very long while, their civilization ended when the hierophants expanded their existence beyond the physical realm and left the world.

One of the places they left behind was a Fey Gate, a place where they could stand and will themselves into the Feywild. It’s a 5ft. square of beautiful stonework that does not age or diminish.

Age of Wanderers

Nomadic humans wandered the region, and not knowing what the Fey Gate was, surrounded it with a small monolith structure. Later humans worshiped the place as a whole, but they eventually died out to war and environmental hazards.

Age of Elves

The elves migrated to and then built an extensive civilization in the region known now as Lothmar. They had more than passing knowledge of the Hierophants, and, when investigating the monolith, recognized the Fey Gate for what it was. Knowing that this side of the gate was inactive, they built a warding statue that preventing anyone from opening the entrance from the other side.

Having spent a considerable amount of effort on the warding statue, and also admiring the artistic beauty of the elf maiden it depicts, the elves built a castle-like structure that included the monolith, with its new figure, as a courtyard garden. Over time, the place became an area of study, much like a university.

Gekk Conquistadors

The gekk, a four-armed, arcane magic resistant race of lizardmen, invaded the elven nation and pushed all the elves north. When they came upon the abandoned elven complex with the statue, they admired its beauty and liked the central garden. They had their dwarven slaves expand the structure underground, for both the storage of goods and the imprisonment of their many captives.

Imperial Crusaders

*The dwarves built elaborate underground corridors in pride, even as slaves.*

The Paladin Lothmar destroyed the gekk in a holy crusade under the banner of the Immortal Emperor. Coming upon the odd (in their minds) elf-like complex, also appreciating the artistry of the statue, and wild garden in the middle, an Imperial Legion commander decided to make the complex his headquarters. His War Wizard told him the statue was magical and warned against occupying the place until she figured out what it was, but the Legate said, “Well, if it didn’t bother the gekk, it’s not going to bother us.”

The legion built extensive fortifications around the elven buildings, turning the place into a proper imperial castle. They closed-off unneeded portions of the dungeon, and the Castilian contacted a group of nearby dwarves, recognizing the dwarven constructions underneath.

The dwarves related the sad, sad tale of the dwarven slaves, and also told the crusaders that there were indications of rich mineral deposits under the castle. The imperials paid the dwarves for this information, and, throughout a couple of hundred years, created a mining complex underneath the gekk dungeon.

The place became known as Castle Julia, named for the legion’s high priestess who died in the crusade.

Near the end of their control, the imperials re-opened and expanded the closed portions of the gekk dungeon, putting in a laboratory to study and create clockwork, of which their legions started to use by directive of the Emperor.

Kingdom of Lothmar

The rein of the imperials was short-lived when Lothmar split from the Empire. The Empire was embroiled in internal conflict, and several of their far-flung districts, such as Lothmar, left. The legion rushed home to the far away Empire and never came back.

Eventually, the Lothmari took over Castle Julia. They thought it odd that it was named after an elf called Julia, but the imperials were a bit out there, and everyone had to admit whoever this Julia elf was, she sure was beautiful. Eventually, the noble who moved in replaced the entrance with a grand gatekeep, hired a gardener to spruce up the central courtyard, and made it the seat of his County.

Abandonment

Unfortunately for Castle Julia, a not-so-far-away earthquake shifted the river that was the source of the County’s agricultural base. Several large lakes also drained away. The entire area around Castle Julia turned into a swamp, and the region was made inhospitable to travel, agriculture, and trade.

The noble at the time held out for as long as he could, but Castle Julia was now a big castle, in the middle of a swamp, guarding nothing as the Common folk all moved away to areas they could grow food. He sealed it off as best he could, said goodbye to the statue he always liked, and abandoned the place.

Step 2: Based on History, Establish the Dungeon Areas

At 762 words, that history might be excessive, but proper grammar and eschewing abbreviations certainly added its fair share. The history, however, gives us a “historically accurate,” in the game-world, architecture. So here are the areas of Megadungeon Julia!

Imperial Wall

A dual wall curtain surrounds the castle, braced by square, but decorative, towers, all built out of stone and imperial concrete. There are twelve towers in all, all identical and former troop barracks.

Upon closer examination, a mason, dwarf, or stone smith can spot repaired earthquake damage. Someone spent a lot of money to restore the place to full functionality.

Grand Gatekeep

This is a Lothmari-designed grand gatekeep: four, round 60’ diameter towers as the entrance to Castle Julia, topped off with a two-story building over the kill-zone entrance. The place is massive and is the latest in superior castle entrance design.

Elven Stone Buildings

There are four elegant multi-storied stone buildings arranged at the corners of a great, wooded courtyard, with a statue of a beautiful elf maiden in the middle. Each building has stairs going down into the dungeon.

A monolithic stone henge surrounds the wooded courtyard, marking its boundaries.

Smelter and Forge

Away from the elven stone buildings stuffed in the corner are a smelter, a metal storage area, and a forge, all obviously built by the imperials. There is also a covered, large coal bin, devoid of coal or other fuel. Minecart tracks lead to this area from the mine entrance.

Barracks Foundations

There is a large flat area with concrete foundations. The imperials used concrete on occasion, and while the Lothmari knew how to do so, they never had the manpower or equipment to do so.

The imperials made the barracks out of wood, but the Lothmari didn’t need to house a legion in the castle, so they dismantled the barracks, leaving the foundations.

Minecart Storage and Mine Entrance

This area contains a shed with several minecarts with tracks leading to the stone building of imperial design. The building is the entrance to the mine, with cart tracks leading into the gloom.

Some of the carts are magically self-powered and can pull or push up to five other carts filled with ore, rock, or dirt.

Dwarven Dungeon

This complex is extensive, and some of it is sealed off from the rest. The sealed off portions reveal an Imperial Laboratory, where they created clockwork and magical items (such as the self-powered minecart).

Several stairs go down into the mining area.

Mine Area

Created by the imperials, this area has seen better days as nobody has fixed any of the infrastructure damaged during the earthquake. The noble spent all his money repairing the castle before abandoning it.

It’s big, and just for fun and giggles, the DM can have this also connect to a series of natural caverns, henceforth explored only by an imperial geologist, who said not to bother with the labyrinthine-like caverns. The imperials sealed it off, but the stone wall fell down during the earthquake.

Step 3: Populate the Areas

And here is where we end. All the DM now needs is a map and a bunch of monsters, and motivations for exploration. Perhaps some imperial archeologist wants to lead an expedition, but she secretly wants some of the clockwork that is still functional and hidden away. Or maybe the dwarves wish to seize the mines since nobody else wants to do so, and someone needs to go in and clean it all out.

Or, maybe, the clockwork laboratory went into “automation” mode and is now creating deadly war machines without purpose. It’s grown in size, and now is a hidden threat to the entire kingdom!

Or, made a vampire lord moved in and stores treasure, and deadly secrets, in the caverns below.

Whichever you chose, this ends the 30 Days of Burial of Teganshire posts, well, other than the index post we’ll make tomorrow. Ending the blog series about a dungeon seems fitting. An idea of the history of the dungeon lets the DM give it an organic, believable design in the campaign setting. In a world filled with magic, things don’t need to make sense all the time, but the best campaign-worlds have logical consistency. A consistency that gives the world—you guessed it—verisimilitude.

Your players may never discover the complete history of the place, but they might wonder why things look the way they look. And who knows? Perhaps another earthquake can shift the river again, or the swamps drain away, giving PCs, one of whom is maybe the last of the noble line that owned the place, an excuse to occupy Castle Julia once more.

Epilogue

I have to admit, my favorite part of Megadungeon Julia is the clockwork laboratory.

Fighter: This door is obviously different. See if you can open it.

Thief: Um, it’s different because it’s locked from this side.

Cleric: Well, it should be easy to open, then.

Thief: This is the most elaborate lock I have ever seen.

Wizard: Open the door and let’s loot the place.

Thief: (sigh)

Thief: (eventually unlocks the door)

Fighter: (opens door)

Clockwork Dragon: BEHOLD! THE MIGHTY SINGULARITY ENGINE! THE PERFECT MERGING BETWEEN MAN AND CLOCKWORK! AND IT’S BEAUTY SHALL BE HAUNTING! CAN YOU SEE ME NOW, EMPEROR? I WILL MAKE IT SO YOU NEVER WANT TO LEAVE!

Fighter: (closes door)

Fighter: Shame. Empty.

Wizard: Yes, too bad.

Cleric: Uh.

Thief: I told…

Fighter (putting a gloved finger on the thief’s mouth): Shhhhhh. Leaving now.

Last chance to get Burials of Teganshire at the intro 20% discount! Head on over to Indiegogo and support us by clicking here: https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Burials of Teganshire on Indiegogo Crossbow Man would wonder what type of idiot would put such a large castle in the middle of a swamp!

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BoT Post 29: Vile Rumors and Unsubstantiated Claims in D&D

Posted on September 1, 2020September 2, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 29 out of 30—the end is near edition!

You don’t need magic to mess with the PCs. A simple rumor will do, whether it is about them or someone else. Delicious tales should always be a part of the campaign-setting backdrop, and not just to plant the seeds of adventure. Here’s one method for incorporating tall-tales, speculation, and fantastic stories.

Vile Rumors and Unsubstantiated Claims in D&D

The PCs, having helped the village with their monster problem—after spending a few weeks recovering from various wounds—decide to travel to the city thirty miles away to deliver an heirloom they found to the Baron.

They enter the city, and when walking by a food cart, the vendor screams: “Ah! It’s the werewolf!” and runs off.

Now, the PCs don’t know that a traveling merchant told a nearby tavern, “Those monster killers, they fought them dire wolves like they were werewolves themselves!” And then described what one of the PCs looked like, as the PC entered the Bouncing Mutt Tavern, wounded and in need of a celebratory beer.

By the time the rumor reached the food vendor, that PC was a werewolf. Completely untrue, and a bit funny. Well, for the rest of the players and DM, that is.

Designing Rumors—setting the basics

Put yourself in the shoes of the commoner in a quasi-medieval campaign-world. The nobility is in the hot seat for protecting the locals from the depredations of monsters and magic. Most commoners never wander past the horizon. So a PC, be them a “monster killer,” “magic warrior,” or “wizard,” is just as fantastical as the monsters themselves. Commoners will even view priests of a respected religion as a bit of a freak show, as the priest wandered away from the safety of the church walls.

On the flip side, magic and the objectively observed existence of divine power also has an educational effect. The local populous doesn’t need to create fantastic mythology to make sense of the world—they can ask the resident priestess that channels power from her god, or ask the educated wizard having a beer at the local.

This is the basis of the Rumor Landscape. Before we can dive right in, let’s talk about the basics of a good rumor.

Objective Truth and Falsity

Rumors are true, false, and in between. Creating an accurate tale about a PC is easy, so is embellishing bravado to the point some of it never happened. And then there are outright lies.

Picture of a Woman Wearing Black — *I like black because it makes me look good.*

But the best lies are rooted in truth. “That warlock talks to voices inside his head, he’s crazy, and will steal your thoughts!” The warlock does talk to voices inside his head and does have access to people’s thoughts on occasion—but he has no capability of stealing or altering memories.

Yet.

When adding rumors to the game, try to keep the ones that are entirely untrue to a minimum.

One of my favorite rumors is the “black widow.” A PC is wearing all black because (the player) she likes the way she looks in black.

But the local populous, wearing black is a symbol of mourning. And thus, the PC finds people calling her “the Widow” because they think she is mourning. Some get confused, mostly if the PC acts against the cultural expectations of someone grieving the loss of a family member. And the player might think it’s funny (or not), up until a widower approachers her asking for advice in dealing with grief and loss.

Designing Rumors—Level Plus Charisma Method

In a game as complex as D&D (and it’s variants such as Pathfinder), it behooves a DM to keep track of information about each PC in a spreadsheet, OneNote, or other note-taking software. That’s where you want to store your rumors!

Here’s the “Level Plus Charisma Method”

For each level, a PC should have one true rumor and one false rumor about them
Add a one true and one false rumor per Charisma ability modifier. So, a first level PC with a 16 (+3) Charisma would have four true rumors and four false rumors about her
As the PC levels, the DM occasionally replaces rumors with stories specific to the location the PC now inhabits or more juicer tidbits introduced by the PC’s actions upon the game world

Now that you have your rumors—have at it. Use them when the energy at the game table seems low, or if a player hasn’t contributed much that evening, or, better still, at the worst opportune time, socially, for the PC.

Rumors as a Weapon, and Plot Device

As deeply-rooted as junior high, using rumors against rivals is as old as sin. Players, once they realize there is a game mechanic around the Rumor Mill, will start to use gossip and slander to their advantage, in addition to battling such from their enemies. Eventually, in any political environment, there will be propaganda.

Which is not to say folk are entirely gullible. Many people participate in the rumor mill just for the sport of it all, exchanging stories for the thrill of making life less mundane than it is. But salacious rumors about good people are damaging. Give your players a chance to deal with rumors as-is—if they engage in hurtful behavior, show the consequences of that, but also allow them to make things right.

The Rumor Mill in D&D is for the creation of DRAMA. Drama can lead to conflict, and conflict leads to action. Action leads to rolling dice and killing monsters.

Even a rumor about wearing black can turn into rolling dice and killing monsters. Perhaps that widower needs to face down the alligator that killed his wife at the swimming hole. And, maybe the PC wants to help him, not knowing that the gator in question is a demon. Perhaps the PC finds a common bond with the NPC, after, of course, she sets him straight about her fondness for black dresses.

Back our new adventure on Indiegogo’s InDemand service, and support us bringing vile rumors to your PCs! Click here to get your copy of Burials of Teganshire! https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Crossbow Man deals with rumors with—wait for it—a BOLT TO THE FACE!

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BoT Post 28: Using Magic to Mess with PCs in D&D

Posted on August 31, 2020September 1, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

Burial of Teganshire Post 28 out of 30

Magic is weird. The PCs are weird. Weird things should happen to them. Here are ten strange things to throw at a deserving (cough) PC.

Using Magic to Mess with the PCs in D&D

Roll 1d10 if you’re feeling punchy.

1. The Box of Shenanigans

Every time the PCs travel to a different urban location or stay in their current one for a few days, they run into a person who mistakes one of them for “Lee Branford, famous locksmith.”

Only the PC isn’t a locksmith, and if they question the person, he or she will claim that the PC, a few months ago, did maintenance on all their locks for a modest fee. All will be friendly, praising the PC for their expert locksmithing skills.

After a few months of this, the PC finds a box in his room. It has the name “Lee Branford” on it with the symbol of a lock. Inside are finely crafted locksmithing and lockpicking tools, along with the Tome of the Guildmaster, a book that only the PC can read. It takes a week to read the book, and after that, the PC has proficiency with both toolsets.

If the PC throws away or destroys the box without opening it, it reappears in their gear 2d4 days later.

2. The Raven Barks at Midnight

A raven lands on the PC’s shoulder and whispers, “the dog barks at midnight” and flies away.

The next time someone asks a password from the PC, the password is “the dog barks at midnight.”

3. A Fist Full of Coins

One of the coins a PC has starts glowing one day. It has a faint aura of conjuration. If A Fist Full of Coins tossed in the air, it flies in a direction for several rounds, leaving a trail of blue, sparkly, motes, and drops to the ground.

If the PC finds the coin again, this process can be repeated until the PC is led into a copse of trees, and there they will find a small coffer of 100 gold pieces.

After the PC finds the coffer, the coin ceases to be magical.

4. Sad McSadderson

The PCs visit a pub called “The Gloomy Cloud.” The next day, if any PC express sadness or unhappiness, a small cloud will appear over their head and throw shade over the PC. This occurs even if the PC is indoors. If the PC further declares their sadness, the cloud will start to rain, and if the PC gets angry, small lightning bolts appear accompanied by soft thunder. This persists for 1d4 hours.

If the PC goes back to the pub, the bartender will shrug his shoulders and say, “Yeah, that sometimes happens. Didn’t you know? I mean, that’s the name of the pub, yeah?”

5. That’s Awkward

For 1d4 hours, the PC is weightless. If the PC is off the ground when the weightlessness expires, he or she floats back to the ground under the effects of a feather fall spell.

6. Go Away, Don’t Come Around Here No More

When a PC walks by an oak tree, twelve squirrels start throwing acorns at the PC, chattering angrily. If anyone speaks with animals, one of the squirrels will say, “They killed Fredrich!”

7. Meow

When staying at an Inn, when a PC wakes up, there are 32 cats in their room, sleeping. If the PC wakes up one of the cats, they all disappear. If the PC manages to get dressed without waking up any of the cats, they are gone when the PC comes back.

The PC is then charged five silver for “32 bowls of milk,” but nobody remembers who made the order.

8. Illusionary Problems

The party is minding their own business when a man in noble garb asks them to be witnesses to a duel. If they agree, they are lead by the man to a park, and a rapier duel between two older gentlemen commences. The contest ends when one is stabbed in the eye. The winner becomes distraught and runs off, yelling, “I’ve killed my best friend! I’ve killed my best friend!”

This sene is an elaborate series of illusions, detectable with a spell, or if one of the PCs touches the duelists, their seconds, or any other onlookers.

The caster is nowhere to be found, and divinations do not reveal any information other than “What happened was never about you.”

9. My Girlfriend Lives in Canada

The PC makes a connection with someone who returns their affections. They can have a relationship, but after a month, everyone has forgotten who the paramour was or even that they existed—except the PC.

If the PC investigates through magical means, they eventually meet their lover. The paramour tells the PC that they were sick for a while with the inability to dream. A wizard fixed their malady, but one of the dreams “escaped,” and that’s who the PC encountered.

The real person is highly embarrassed this happened, but they already are in a relationship, and asks the PC to forget whatever happened.

10. Of Course, It’s a Druid

When the PC is out riding, their horse suddenly turns into a druid (if a stallion) or a druidess (if a mare). The druid is very confused and has no memory of how they wild shaped into the horse. Their last memory was finding an odd runestone with a glowing rune of a horse on it.

It should not take the PCs long to figure out the druid is not quite right in the head. If brought to another druid, he or she thanks the PCs and gives them a minor potion of healing.

If the PCs keep the addled druid around, they never return to normal but can stay in horse shape for as long as they want, which seems to please them.

Back our new adventure on Indiegogo’s InDemand service, and support us brining the strange to your PCs! Click here to get your copy of Burials of Teganshire! https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Crossbow Man deals with weirdness with a BOLT TO THE FACE.

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BoT Post 27: D&D Villains That Are Also Allies

Posted on August 30, 2020August 31, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 27 of 30

Saving the World requires heroes to get their hands dirty, and perhaps, what makes them heroes is keeping their valor and honor when everyone around them sacrificed those attributes on the Altar of Survival.

D&D Villains That Are Also Allies: Campaign Design

A campaign—not necessarily the game world—has a beginning, middle, and end (one way or the other), and using “morally challenged” individuals requires planning and creativity. The tricky part of the process is knowing your players. If the DM runs a sandbox campaign, then spends days designing a plot point requiring the PCs to travel in a specific direction is a risk. It’s tempting fate. Running a localized campaign can mitigate that risk by organically encouraging the players to engage the game-world on a local level. Still, it will be a sad day indeed if you turn the Baron sixty miles away into one impressive dude, and the players decide that barony in the opposite direction needs conquering.

So, there are two types of a Villainous Allies a DM can use, the Macro Villain Ally and the Micro Villan Ally and which one to use depends on the type of campaign.

The Macro Villain Ally

More challenging to pull off but epic in scope is the Macro Villain Ally (Macro VA). The Macro VA could be an entire culture, nation, or some leader of the same.

This type of VA is well-suited for a campaign that is more “open-world” vs. “sandbox,” that is, players show up to play in a campaign where the general plot is known ahead of time. They are having fun adventuring and doing their own thing within the boundaries of the game world that supports a story rather than a story based on the players’ interpretation of the game world.

In other words, the DM has a pretty good idea that if he makes a Macro VA, the players will run into the VA.

Example of the Macro VA

(campaign beginning)

A bad neighbor is a great plot device and generates drama. It can even be the primary antagonist for the earlier portions of the campaign. My favorite is the Bad Baron plot device.

Bad Baron, one Torc Mac Ceti, was just the worst. He waged a hidden campaign of agitation against the PCs, and when they finally found him out, the cold-war turned hot, and there were battles. The King intervened and had the Bad Baron thrown in jail, and because the PCs’ hands weren’t exactly clean in this conflict, he made one of them marry the Baron’s daughter so the two neighboring regions would stop feuding and start becoming allies.

(campaign middle)

Things are going not-so-well, the neighboring barony views the PCs as interlopers. There are low-level protesters (the PCs are, after all, backed by the King so, like the Bad Baron, most of the agitation is covert) and the Baron’s former allies cause issues as they liked Torc Mac Ceti. The PCs, not so much. Things escalate until the PCs have just had enough and are planning to go overt, despite the complication that one of their own is married to the beloved daughter of the barony.

(campaign end?)

All through the campaign thus far, the King has been seemingly unconcerned with the PCs’ various plights as he always grumbles about the exterior threats he faces. Well, that all comes to a head because Super Evil Bad Guys invade the kingdom, and things are now looking grim.

And one of the first things the King does is let Torc Mac Ceti out of jail because Bad Baron is a military tactician. He puts the Bad Baron under the command of the PCs and tells them in no uncertain terms they need to all work together or the Super Evil Bad Guys are going to destroy the kingdom and basically everything in it.

Bad Baron was never the primary antagonist in this campaign. In fact, everything up to this point, even with hours and hours of gameplay, could reasonably be considered prolog to the main plot point. Bad Baron, indeed is a shit. But he’s a patriot, and, the villain that he is, he would die for the kingdom.

Do the PCs redeem Torc Mac Ceti? How do they deal with him being in their grill for the rest of the campaign? Can they set aside their differences? Do they show weakness that the Bad Baron can’t help but to exploit? Does the Bad Baron teach PCs some of his ruthlessness, and the PCs teach him some of their honor?

A DM can substitute Bad Baron with “the Nation Next Door,” orcs (a classic, especially if the PCs are morally ambiguous themselves), etc.

The Micro Villain Ally

One might think the Baron is a Micro Villain Ally, but he’s not. He’s a product of his barony, and the PCs were all set to smack the hammer down on the fostering rebellion even with him in jail. He comes attached to the barony, a product of both the region and the times.

The Micro Villain Ally, however, is a singular person, usually sitting outside of society, a constant thorn in the PCs side at every worst possible moment, and a hard target. The DM uses Micro VAs when he or she just doesn’t know what direction the campaign is going to go.

Let’s talk about the above example in the context of an Open World vs. Sandbox—the DM makes an adventure of retrieving the Staff of the Thunder Monk from a commercial product, the Isle of Dread.

And the players like adventuring on or near the sea so much, that becomes the campaign focus. The barony and all its problems tossed aside—Torc Mac Cetia can have it, they have a pirate fleet to capture!

Micro VAs are an excellent way for the DM to spend time and morph the VA to the current plot. Let’s go over some examples!

Root

Root from Person of Intrest was a compelling, creepy villain, viewing people not as smart as her as expendable tools she could manipulate and nothing more. Long before becoming a member of Team Machine, she played an expert hacker. Root was a villain when she first encountered what would become her people, and later would sacrifice so much to protect and even grow to love her friends.

Root in the course of the series was the Villain, the Tool, and the Ally. She had a compelling character arc along the Hero’s Journey and became a sympathetic character.

Agent Franks

Aw yeah, Agent Franks. A VA that was so captivating Larry Correia wrote an entire novel about him, most likely to shut up all the Agent Franks fans. As the Monster Hunter International: Nemesis book copy says: “Agent Franks of the U.S. Monster Control Bureau is a man of many parts – parts from other people, that is. Franks is nearly seven feet tall and all muscle. He’s nearly indestructible. Plus he’s animated by a powerful alchemical substance and inhabited by a super-intelligent spirit more ancient than humanity itself.”

He’s not good. He’s not bad either. He’s, um, Agent Franks. Read the first four books of MHI to explore the fantastic world of Agent Franks.

Nil

If ever there was a disturbing villain that a protagonist occasionally works with, Nil from Horizon Zero Dawn fits the bill. He’s a serial killer who understands the problems of his pathology and kills bandits as an outlet. And he really isn’t redeemable, he’s basically a weapon, and you as the protagonist can choose to engage with him, or not. It doesn’t help that there are good-girl, bad-boy creeper undertones to Nil’s interaction, adding a disturbing and creepy undercurrent to a problematic, but a highly useful, ally.

At some point when I was slaughtering Yet Another Bandit Camp™ with Nil at my side, I was thinking—am I the baddy?

Nil, my psychopathic bandit killing (boy?) friend, my favorite Micro VA, I salute you!

Bottom Line: Let the Heroes be Heroes

When using a Macro and Micro VA, resist the urge to use moral lessons that have wormed their way into current entertainment media. Let the VA’s action stand on their own, and let the PCs deal with those actions as they see fit.

However, this type of gameplay is an excellent vehicle to interject higher-plot points such as nature vs. nurture, nobler motivations, moral lines in the sand, and the timeless redemption arc.

Heroes often fail. That’s the price of admission. Give players the chance to make things right. Allow players to turn their nemesis into their greatest ally. And if they all fail anyway, I can guarantee you the campaign will be anything but boring.

D&D was never about survival.

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Crossbow Man has yet to encounter a real villain.

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BoT Post 26: Tales of Lothmar Beastiary: The Pathfinder 1E Demon Crocodile

Posted on August 29, 2020August 30, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 26 of 30

The successful funding campaign is over, but Burials of Teganshire is still available on Indiegogo’s InDemand service. Click here to get your copy! https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Is there an evil obelisk or demon in your swamp? Well, eventually, a demon crocodile will appear, and low-level PCs are in for a swim. A SWIM OF DOOOOOOOOM!

This demonic reptile lunges out of the placid water with shocking speed. Its jaw gapes open in a roar, its powerful tail lashing behind, eyes glowing red.

Pathfinder 1E Demon Crocodile

CR 2 | XP 600 | Male fiendish crocodile | CE | Large animal

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +8

Defense

AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +4 natural, -1 size) | hp 22 (3d8+9)

Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2

DR 5/cold iron or magic; Resist cold 5, fire 5; SR 7

Weaknesses vulnerability to positive energy

Offense

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.; sprint

Melee bite +5 (1d8+4 plus grab), tail slap +0 (1d12+2)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks death roll (1d8+6 plus trip), smite good (+3 damage once a day)

Statistics

Str 19, Dex 12, Con 17, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 2

Base Atk +2; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 18 (22 vs. trip)

Feats Skill Focus (Perception), Skill Focus (Stealth)

Skills Perception +8, Stealth +5 (+13 in water), Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in water

SQ hold breath

Tracked Resources

Smite Good (1/day) (Su) – 0/1

Ecology

Environment warm rivers and marshes

Organization solitary, pair, or colony (3-12)

Treasure none

Special Abilities

Death Roll (Ex) If Demon crocodile grapples a target, it can roll to inflict bite damage and knock the creature prone.

Grab: Bite (Large) (Ex) Demon crocodile can start a grapple as a free action if it hits with a bite.

Spell Resistance (7) Demon crocodile has Spell Resistance.

Smite Good (1/day) (Su) +0 to hit, +3 to damage when used.

Trip: Death Roll (Ex) Demon crocodile can make a trip attempt on a successful attack.

Damage Reduction (5/cold iron or 5/magic) Demon crocodile has Damage Reduction against all except Cold Iron or Magic attacks.

Vulnerability to Positive Energy Demon crocodile is vulnerable (+50% damage) to Positive Energy damage.

Darkvision (60 feet) Demon crocodile can see in the dark (black and white only).

Energy Resistance, Cold (5) and Fire (5) Demon crocodile has the specified Energy Resistance against Cold and Fire attacks.

Hold Breath (x4) (Ex) Demon crocodile can stay under water longer than normal.

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.

Sprint (×2, 1/minute) (Ex) Double land speed once a minute.

Swim (30 feet) Demon crocodile can Swim.

Description

Described by a ranger as “a jaw of doom attached to a body composed of hate and malice,” the demon crocodile is a manifestation of demonic corruption in a swamp or wetland.

Purely evil, the demon crocodile exists only to kill and will do so not only to feed itself but out of spite and enjoyment. Usually found in pairs, one demon croc will try to pull a victim underwater while the other croc lies in wait, hiding, to attack any swimming rescuers. The pair is not above surfacing a grappled victim to show any onlookers the horror of the attack. Once satisfied others have seen the display, they pull the victim underwater again.

Demon crocodiles are fast land runners, and will tirelessly run fleeing victims down. They will attack anything except a demon and innately target clerics or paladins wearing a holy symbol first, regardless of tactical significance. Smiting and then drowning a good-aligned ranger is one of their favorite pastimes.

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Crossbow Man declines to go for a swim.

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BoT Post 25: Tales of Lothmar Beastiary: the 5E Demon Crocodile

Posted on August 28, 2020August 29, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

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Is there an evil obelisk or demon in your swamp? Well, eventually, a demon crocodile will appear, and low-level PCs are in for a swim. A SWIM OF DOOOOOOOOM.

D&D Beyond Entry: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/1088677-demon-crocodile

Tales of Lothmar Beastiary: the 5E Demon Crocodile

Description

Described by a ranger as “a jaw of doom attached to a body composed of hate and malice,” the demon crocodile is a manifestation of demonic corruption in a swamp or wetland.

Demon crocodiles are fast land runners, and will tirelessly run fleeing victims down. They will attack anything except a demon and innately target clerics or paladins wearing a holy symbol first, regardless of tactical significance. Drowning a good-aligned ranger is one of their favorite pastimes.

Crossbow Man faces a foe a bit tougher than the demon crocodile.

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BoT Post 24: Additional NPCs for Burials of Teganshire

Posted on August 27, 2020August 28, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

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The successful funding campaign is over, but Burials of Teganshire is still available on Indiegogo’s InDemand service. Click here to get your copy at a discount! https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Additional NPCs for Burials of Teganshire – The Knight, the Dame, and the Squire

Here are some NPCs you can add to the Burials of Teganshire. They’re not in the adventure, but Burials of Teganshire may mention them in passing. In blog post 20 in our series, we talked about roleplaying additions to the area. This post is specific to NPCs for the Dungeon Master (DM/GM) to use if the PCs engage the setting outside of the module.

Of course, the DM may have their own setting with their own NPCs. The below are lore-generic and can fit right in with some modification or used as-is. Sir Johansson, his wife, and his squire do not make an appearance in Burials of Teganshire. They are included here for the DM to use. Keep track of their dispositions towards the PCs, as that will impact the next adventure.

Sir Johansson

Sir Johansson is a knight that owns nearby farms and ranches north of Teganshire and west of the trade road. He has authority given to him by his Lord, Lord Teragan, and inherited his lands from his father. Sir Kyle Johansson has no political control in Teganshire, but he has considerable influence. He is the employer of the four well-paid guards in the guard tower along the road to Tegan’s bridge.

Johansson is rich, owning a multitude of farms and having significant inherited funds
Lord Teragan has Johansson oversee several of his own farms
The knight is well-liked by the local populous for being fair and hardworking
He has considerable knowledge on agriculture and animal husbandry
He’s trained in combat and a thoroughly dangerous individual
His wife is a minor cleric, known to heal the sick and wounded

Sir Johansson’s Motivations

While a fierce combatant both on horse and on foot, Johansson is less of a knight in charge of farms and more of a farmer with knightly training in logistics. His martial prowess has less to do with innate capability; instead, Johansson is athletic and healthy with good morale and leadership abilities. He has no fewer than a dozen men-at-arms, well-paid individuals with superior arms and armor ready to do violence on his behalf.

As a logistical-ordered individual, Johansson’s primary concern is food production. He does not hold the fascination with horses that his Lord and fellow knights do, believing equestrian dominance is an enormous money sink. His focus on wise spending and agrarian-based wealth has put him at odds with the other knights in the barony.

His motivations:

Provide for food production of the land, lest during bad times we’re forced to eat the horses we love so much
Protect the farmers who concern themselves with feeding us
Increase the Johansson wealth through careful spending and protecting existing assets
Apply the King’s law fairly
Protect my family and legacy from a hostile world
Be the man my wife wants me to be

Roleplaying Sir Johansson

Appearances can be deceiving, and the knight fits the bill of a noble warrior with expensive equipment. However, he has a firm understanding of local life and has a lot of empathy for his farmers and ranchers. He is not impressed with shallowness, bravado, or smarminess. Anyone willing to defend the lives of the common folk has his support.

Kyle has a deep understanding of the logistics of the region and the hazards of warfare without adequate means to feed the troops.

Dame Johansson

A cleric of a good deity and of modest divine power, Serina Johansson is wed to Kyle Johansson through an arranged marriage. Selected by her husband due to her healing abilities, medical knowledge, and education, the Dame and the Knight enjoy a marriage of mutual admiration. They have four children, the oldest now in his early teens.

The Dame is an educated daughter of a wealthy horse rancher. Her father was surprised when Kyle Johansson’s father approached him to arrange a marriage, but the Dame was the youngest daughter and was set to enter into a life of serving the church. The resultant dowry has paid for itself thrice over
The Dame holds respect but is seen as a bit naive—she is aware of this and works against it, but she was raised to serve in the church, not lead a life of minor nobility. It doesn’t help that she was the youngest of her siblings, and was a bit spoiled and sheltered
Serina works to make sure her children have a good education and are pious, respectful children
Her divine power is academically based. While she understands prayers of battle, she has never used them
She deeply admires her husband’s firm, but caring leadership abilities
She has a full understanding of the family’s finances and the Johanssons make joint decisions

Dame Johansson’s Motivations

Support the Johansson legacy through planning, hard work, and the application of proper business acumen
Make sure her family and Kyle’s sphere of influence have proper respect for the divine and meet religious obligations
Heal the wounded and take care of the sick through divine healing and medical know-how
Raise the children to respect the King’s Law and the Church
Find Squire Artane a proper wife
Be the woman my husband wants me to be

Roleplaying Dame Johansson

Serina appears youthful in her mid-30s, and while not the most attractive woman, she carries herself with grace and confidence. She also likes to talk and gossip, feeling it is her duty to know everything about everyone. She is a highly religious person and cares deeply about her immediate family, her extended family, and her husband’s wards.

While she wears a holy symbol, she does not wear cleric vestments, nor carries clerical weapons. She can speak of religious issues and has a passing familiarity with history and arcane knowledge.

Squire Artane

Squire Gil Artane was selected by Sir Johansson as his squire for a combination of two reasons:

He is extremely accurate with a bow
He killed a grizzly bear with a pitchfork

Usually, a knight is supposed to squire sons of his peers and other nobility to teach them the ways of the knightly world outside of the influence of the squire’s family. Johansson was set to do that until one of his farmer’s sons killed a goddamn brown bear with a pitchfork. This impressed Sir Johansson so much he made the lad his squire, and the two have operated as a team ever since. It helps that Gil, as a farmer’s son, knows the agricultural trade and is not afraid to roll-up his sleeves during harvest and gets to work.

Gil is not a local yocal. Or, rather, he might have been at one time. Now Artane is a warrior, skilled with a blade, horseback combat, and all things archery. He has killed men in defense of his knight and has grown confident and shrewd. He has formulated a philosophy of “why kill bad guys up close and get stabbed when you can do it far away?”

Squire Artane’s Motivations

Protect his knight. We have to watch each other’s back
Become the best archer in the realm
Avoid getting married and losing my edge
Stay out of trouble and avoid bringing shame to his employer
Hard work and loyalty is the hallmark of good men everywhere
Make sure the men-at-arms have an excellent grasp of bow and crossbow usage

Roleplaying Squire Artane

Gil is well-aware of that his athletic build, youthful appearance, the scar on his face from the bear, and deadly reputation make him attractive to the fair maidens of the region. He has a natural way with people and flirts with the lovely opposite sex as easy as breathing.

Underneath the surface, Squire Artane is a warrior with a firm understanding of the use of violence. Like Sir Johansson, he doesn’t have any aspirations to go to actual war, having seen first hand what an arrow can do to someone’s face. His arrow. He has no regrets, but he also has no wish to prove himself “glorious” in battle, especially if the harvest is coming due.

In Gil’s understanding of the universe and his place in it, he leads a perfect life.

It’s real, folks. Behold! The printed proofs. We haven’t made the print order yet, so it’s not too late to order your own copy through the Indiegogo InDemand service! Once we shut it off, the discount goes *poof*. Click here to get your copy at a discount: https://igg.me/at/teganshire

Crossbow Man in print!

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Burials of Teganshire Printed Proofs!

Posted on August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

*These are taken with my crappy cell-phone camera.*

What a great layout!

You can still get your copy from Indiegogo InDemand by clicking here: https://igg.me/at/teganshire

BoT Post 23: Sample Session 0 Handout for a New D&D Campaign

Posted on August 26, 2020September 15, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

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Session 0 doesn’t necessarily mean a separate session but is a meeting of minds between the DM/GM and the players. It is where the DM sets the tone, logistics, and expectations.

Personally, I find it helpful to put Session 0 information in a handout, and then both email and then physically hand it to the players. Session 0 is also an excellent time to roll up a new PC, so the information should be sent before the DM expects the players to have their new PC ready to go.

Here’s an example Session 0 handout for Burials of Teganshire and the Circle of the Blood Moon Adventure Path. As always, simple information that a player would find helpful is better than a “lore dump” that just gives the DM a captive audience.

No need for a lore dump. Let the PCs make their own story, discovering the world as they go.

Session 0: Circle of the Blood Moon Adventure Path

Circle of the Blood Moon is a 5E D&D game using standard D&D rules.

When

Every Friday at Rob’s House

Player Books

D&D 5.0 Player’s Handbook or SRD (required)

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (optional)

Stronghold and Followers (optional)

Campaign Setting

Homebrew, European-style feudal system

Races

All except Dragonborn and Tiefling

Classes

Any

Character Creation Rules

Any class out of the PHB

Standard Point Buy

Standard Starting Funds

Milestone experience

Roll for HP when leveling

PCs can have feats if they meet advancement requirements

PCs can multiclass

The campaign uses Encumbrance

Campaign Tone

This is a challenging and complex campaign where players will need to earn their PC progression through heroic actions and deeds. Players are in the driver’s seat to the extent that the DM has material to cover what the PCs are going to do that evening, and if they wander too far off the adventure path, then the game pauses for the material to catch up. It is possible to fail objectives and have the campaign continue—win or lose; there’s going to be action. Your decisions have consequences; this is not a railroad, but there isn’t a multiverse shattering puzzle, either. You’ll know soon enough what needs to be done.

PCs will be making trips outdoors. Outside of villages, it is widely known that the less-civilized wilderness contains monsters and fey. The local authorities are feudal-based and, for the most part, well-respected by the local populous.

Difficulty

PC causalities will happen if players bumble about or if merely unlucky.

Players are expected to use team-centric, combined-arms tactics/strategy. There are random encounters that could turn deadly, and PCs can wander into places beyond their ability to survive if the party does not retreat and reassess.

PC Death

PC death could result in a new 1^st Level PC until the campaign advances to where it makes more sense to have a new PC at a higher level.

Magic

This is a heroic-magic campaign setting—there are NPCs with magic, but they usually do not wander about killing monsters. The frequency of magic items is straight out of the DMG.

There is no open market for magic items, except potions, and even then, the alchemist making potions usually has a customer list she’s working towards. However, most alchemists rely on external sources for their concoctions and are predisposed to people selling rare materials.

Coin

Circle of the Blood Moon uses the same coin system that is in the PHB. The nobility also uses letters of credit, which they can exchange for coin with other nobility and the crown. There’s no fractional banking system, but there are wealthy merchants that will exchange coins for these letters of credit.

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Crossbow Man’s first thoughts were that the bridge workers will be avenged.
Via a BOLT TO THE FACE!

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BoT Post 22: Tales of Lothmar Beastiary: The Pathfinder 1E Trickster Island Red Fox

Posted on August 25, 2020August 26, 2020 by Anthony Pacheco

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This red fox gives you an impish grin and snickers with a hehehehehe.

Island Red Fox

CR 2 | XP 600

CN Medium magical beast

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +5

Defense

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)

hp 22 (3d10+6)

Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2

DR 10/adamantine

Offense

Speed 40 ft.

Melee bite +4 (1d6+1)

Range point-blank and precise produce flame +6 (1d6+1)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; uninterruptable)

At will—produce flame, quickened dimension door (self only)

1/day—teleport (without error)

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 10

Base Atk +3; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)

Feats Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot

Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 to jump), Climb +6, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +1 (+5 when tracking by scent), Swim +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Survival when tracking by scent

Languages Can understand Common but not speak it

Ecology

Environment temperate island chain

Organization solitary or pack (3)

Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Island Red Fox Immortality If the Island Red Fox is slain in combat, it reforms 1d6 days later in a different location no worse for the wear. The Island Red Fox does not age

Island Red Fox Telepathy The red fox can convey feelings and what they see to any other Island Red Fox via an unlimited distance telepathy.

Trickster Teleport The Island Red Fox unerringly teleports if it takes damage to anywhere on its island territories (even if it had previously teleported)

Darkvision (120 feet) Island Red Fox can see in the dark (black and white only).

Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color, and detail.

Point-Blank Shot +1 to attack and damage rolls with ranged weapons at up to 30 feet.

Precise Shot Island Red Fox doesn’t get -4 to hit when shooting or throwing into melee.

Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by a sense of smell.

Description

Island Red Foxes, of which only three are known to exist, long has been an enigma to the inhabitants of the island chain they inhabit. Benign but annoying, the island red fox will occasionally steal a chicken from a farmer, clothing from bathers, and even toys from children. If it’s food, they’ll proceed to eat it, but other items they play with until bored. “Chase the fox” is their favorite game.

Usually (but not always) found together, the island red foxes are clever and bright (for an “animal”) and can understand the Common language. They will perform tricks for food (sit, roll-over, play dead, shake hands, heel, leave it, and even more complex tasks such as “go to Port Lance and give this to a town guard”), but never stays with a particular person longer than a couple of hours. Sometimes they will sleep next to a campfire, but snap at anyone trying to get them to move.

Several hundred years ago, Garranthe the Sage formally studied the foxes but didn’t find anything people already didn’t know, except for one tidbit: they have a fondness for smoked elk sausage, an oddity as there are no elk on the island chain they inhabit. Garranthe, however, did not study the foxes for long, saying he “had no interest in revealing any secrets from what appears to be a figment of a long-dead trickster god.”

He did, however, confirm they were not fey.

Currently, if island natives see an island red fox, they believe it is a sign of good luck and coming prosperity.

Combat

If they think it’s funny, an island red fox will use their produce flame eye beams to light something on fire, including adult people who are trying to harm them. They have a sharp bite, but an island red fox avoids combat with their innate quickened dimension door or teleport. Damage to the Island Red Fox results in it engaging the trickster teleport ability.

Crossbow Man would never shoot a fox. They’re just too dang cute!

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