Tag: Tales of Lothmar

BoT Post 15: The Misunderstood World of 5E Game Balance, Part 1

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 15 of 30. Halfway there!

This is a two-part blog post. Today we’ll talk about the illusion of game balance, and tomorrow we go over what to do about it.

Here at Griffon Lore Games, we have a specific design philosophy built around game attributes:

  • People play games to have fun
  • Challenges provide more entertainment than “non-challenges”
  • D&D is a game
  • D&D is a freeform game
  • And 5E is a flexible freeform game

It’s that last bullet point where things go south, and when I was learning 5E, it’s the area that had the most struggle. I would make a “deadly encounter,” and the PCs would waffle-stomp the BBEG even though he had Legendary Actions. Why was that?

It’s because no book, formula or design can compensate for player makeup, player skill, amount and type of magical items, what spells the casters prepared that day, the synergic effects of class-combinations shared between your players’ PCs, and various other things up to and including caffeine level and if any player ordered a 12-pack of chili-cheese burritos from the Taco Bell secret menu.

Let’s do a deconstruction of the CR system (everyone else has done it, so let’s do it too!), and then talk about real game challenges for your table.

The CR: Recognize what the CR system is

The Challenge Rating system in 5E is:

“A monster’s challenge rating tells you how great a threat the monster is. An appropriately equipped and well-rested party of four adventurers should be able to defeat a monster that has a challenge rating equal to its level without suffering any deaths. For example, a party of four 3rd-level characters should find a monster with a challenge rating of 3 to be a worthy challenge, but not a deadly one.”

This is a minimum standard

This is a minimum standard that does not account for all the variables at your table. We can talk about the maths, but let’s talk about design flaws:

A system built around no deaths is inherently easy. In D&D, a worthy challenge by its definition is a deadly one.

This system is combat-centric, ignoring for the most part, and even discouraging, PC damage outside of combat. “Well-rested” becomes an artificial box. Not a nice box, either, but that box at the beginning of Jurassic Park with a velociraptor in it.

The DM is an arbiter of the rule system used in the campaign world, but the system doesn’t quickly identify which areas to modify, other than increasing the CR. All it puts forth is a minimum standard. Which isn’t a bad way to go about it, as long as everyone knows what they are getting. It’s not a box of chocolates. It’s the velociraptor.

Any classification system is simply a means to an end

Personally, I like the CR system because it’s a taxonomy based on mathematical methods. Now, I would have done it differently, but a CR system, flaws and all, is better than no system! The intent of this essay is to not replace the system but instead to use it for our own ends.

I really super mega wish Wizards would have called it the Monster Challenge System. Because although there are skill encounters and trap encounters and environmental encounters, the CR system is all about monsters.

And monsters are only part of the difficulty. An important role, but there is more to the game that gets left behind for both page count and DM interest. Monsters are super-interesting, but it’s a chicken and egg thing here. We can make the other portions super exciting, too.

Game Difficulty is Philosophical Not CR Based

Understanding the mechanics behind the CR system isn’t necessary to make the game challenging and fun. The understanding of your players and where they fit in this role-playing game can give DM insights in using a CR system to their advantage. Here’s what you need to determine:

Single Player vs. Combined Arms

It is unfortunate but a cause of MMO popularity that some D&D players play the game in which they are a single player, and the other players, and the DM, are NPCs in their game.

That’s a poor way of playing D&D—the game is supposed to be a combined arms effect where each player contributes, via their PC, something the other players do not. This team play, when combined, overcomes difficulties and challenges.

You can’t make team challenges for a table full of single-players. Well, you can, but that’s going to be a short campaign when everyone TPKs.

D&D is a social game.

Game vs. Narrative

It is also unfortunate that some players in D&D love role-playing and could care less about “winning” the encounter, while others view D&D a game that you “win” by overcoming battles and care less about the role-playing.

A challenging game has both! And it relates to difficulty because some players will see the challenging combats as superfluous, and the other players will see challenging non-combat encounters as boring.

Now that, my friends, is Game Difficulty. For the DM. For decades now. Give me a CR system that fixes THAT, and now we’re talking!

Little is said that role-playing should be interconnected to the CR system.

But it should be.

The DM’s Mantra: “It is what it is.”

There’s an old publishing refrain (that comes from other places, too) that says, “It is what it is,” whereby there is a system so complex (the book industry) that when problems come up with a book, well, yeah, a problem was always going to come up.

And a game world is a complex system. It is what it is. There are too many pieces, too many player variables, too many situations where a DM doesn’t have enough time to figure something out. Or the opposite: has too much time and is now staring at a blank cursor in OneNote wondering where to start organizing what needs organizing.

It is what it is. Balance is an illusion because the game difficulty is a sliding ramp of DM arbitration used to make the game fun. As soon as the PCs master one portion of it, the DM needs to change it to become more challenging.

D&D 5E is freeform and flexible—so let’s use it to create an unbalanced system where the players are high-fiving each other after a difficult encounter. Nobody is going to high-five a balanced encounter. They’ll high-five after crawling out of a spike-filled pit with a bunch of poisonous snakes. And they have to crawl through a gelatinous cube. And the trap door over the pit is a mimic. And the snakes are on fire. Poisonous fire snakes. That can go ethereal.

Does that sound fair to you? Or balanced? Nah, bro, that’s about as unbalanced as it gets. But it sure does sound fun.

Tune in tomorrow, where we use the tools of the trade to game the system. No need to replace it—5E has everything you need.

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BoT Post 14: Three New 5E Backgrounds to Enhance Your New PC

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire post 14 of 30

It’s now time for some 5E Backgrounds! And for an added benefit, if you have D&D Beyond, you can use their homebrew option to add the backgrounds to your homebrew collection and apply it to your character sheet.

If you use pen and paper, then you’re good to go with the PHB and this blog post!

Mercenary Company Forward Scout

D&D Beyond: https://www.dndbeyond.com/backgrounds/55913-mercenary-company-forward-scout

 Soldiers that can think on their feet, sneak around, and survive on their own easily find good-paying jobs in any mercenary company. Rather than mold them into conformists, these individuals become forward scouts and spies.

It’s a rewarding but challenging duty. If the intelligence gathered is wrong, whole armies can be crushed by an enemy with superior intel. Lives are on the line, and in the wilderness in between settlements, often the weather, hungry animals, and monsters are more dangerous than enemy forces.

 Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Survival, Nature

Tool Proficiencies: None.

Languages: None.

Equipment: An insignia of rank, a trophy taken from a fallen enemy (a dagger, piece of uniform, or piece of a banner) and a set of traveler’s clothes.

Specialty

During your time as a mercenary soldier, you were, or still are, a forward scout or spy. Roll a 1d8 or pick your specialty.

1d8

Specialties

1

Forward Scout

2

Scout in Force

3

Infantry Scout

4

Spy Unseen

5

Scout Officer

6

Wilderness Message Runner

7

Scout Trainer

8

Seargent

Feature: Mercenary Military Rank

You have a military rank from your career as a mercenary. Mercenaries and people loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment or horses for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized.

As long as you are not actively opposing other organizations in the field, other military organizations will likely provide some aid and logistics in hopes you will seek employment with them. Standing armies or a noble’s soldiers are less likely to render you aid but may be favorable to you if your company provided assistance to them in the past.

Suggested Characteristics

Forward scouts are a rare breed in any military organization. They must independently adjust their immediate goals out in the field, as they do not have access to the chain-of-command. For this reason, they are usually given broad orders and expected to wing it if necessary. Forward scouts are encouraged not to get captured, and if they do, they are expected to free or kill themselves before interrogation.

1d8

Specialties

1

I’m always respectful. Not everyone is as with it as I am.

2

I’m haunted by memories of my fallen comrades. I miss them so.

3

It's best not to get too close to anyone anymore.

4

I go out of my way to teach the green troops so at least they have a chance at coming home.

5

I can stare down a demon dog. I've seen worse. I've done worse.

6

I enjoy being sneaky and shooting bad guys with arrows from as far away as possible.

7

I have a crude sense of humor.

8

I face problems by gathering as much information as possible before making a decision.

1d6

Ideals

1

Greater Good. If not us, then whom? (Good)

2

Responsibility. The chain of command keeps people alive. (Lawful)

3

Independence. I move freely in the fog of war to maximum advantage. (Chaotic)

4

Slaughter. The weak are preyed upon by their betters without mercy. (Evil)

5

Are we the baddies? (Neutral)

6

Nation. My city, nation, or people are all that matter. (Any)

1d6

Bond

1

I would sacrifice anything for the people I served with.

2

No one gets left behind. No one.

3

Honor is everything otherwise we're no better than animals and beasts.

4

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.

5

Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.

6

I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

1d6

Flaw

1

The monstrous enemy we faced in battle still leaves me quivering with fear.

2

I have little respect for anyone who is not a proven warrior.

3

I made a terrible mistake in scouting the enemy that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.

4

Sometimes, I capture an enemy soldier just to see if they will crack under pressure.

5

Pay me or forget you.

6

I'm in it for the spoils of war.

 

Variant Mercenary Company Forward Scout: Standing Army Forward Scout

Soldiers that can think on their feet, sneak around, and survive on their own are coveted by lords, city watches, and standing armies. Quick to hide, quick to run, but also quick to take care of a problem within their capabilities, the standing army forward scout enjoys both the benefits of army life coupled with the freedom to execute orders without anyone looking over their shoulder.

Variant Feature: Military Rank

You have a military rank from your career as a soldier. Soldiers and people loyal to your former military organization still recognize your authority and influence, and they defer to you if they are of a lower rank. You can invoke your rank to exert influence over other soldiers and requisition simple equipment or horses for temporary use. You can also usually gain access to friendly military encampments and fortresses where your rank is recognized.

As long as you are not actively opposing other organizations in the field, other military organizations will likely provide some aid and logistics as a matter of honor and respect for your former or current position.

Imperial University Scholar

D&D Beyond: https://www.dndbeyond.com/backgrounds/54023-imperial-university-scholar

You are an Imperial Scholar. You have studied scrolls, read a multitude of books, and listened to exciting and intellect expanding lectures. You have access to vast libraries in the Imperial system, and your University Papers give you access to private libraries, too.

In the Imperial University system, you were obliged to study Arcana, History, and Religion as minimum requisites.

Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History, Religion

Languages: Draconic and Elvish is a requirement in Imperial Universities.

Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, Imperial University Identification Papers, a set of fine clothes, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

Specialty

To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8, or choose from the options in the table below.

1d8

Specialties

1

Noble - sponsored

2

Noble

3

Pure academic

4

Librarian

5

Professor

6

Professional Researcher

7

Wizard’s Apprentice

8

Scribe

Feature: Researcher Extraordinaire

When you attempt to learn or recall a piece of lore, if you do not know that information, you often know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or a sage or other learned person or creature. Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.

Suggested Characteristics

Imperial University Scholars are defined by their extensive academic and intellectual studies, and their characteristics reflect this life of study. Devoted to intellectualism and philosophy, an Imperial University Scholar values knowledge and intelligence. Using a blend of practical and intellectual knowledge, Imperial University Scholars are actually quite dangerous in any conflict if given enough time to prepare or contemplate outcomes.

1d8

Specialties

1

I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition.

2

I’ve read every book in the world’s greatest libraries—or I like to boast that I have.

3

I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others.

4

There’s nothing I like more than a good mystery.

5

I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment.

6

I … speak … slowly … when talking … to idiots, … which … almost … everyone … is … compared … to me.

7

I don't like social situations but as an Imperial University Scholar, I can tolerate it. Barely.

8

I’m convinced that people are always trying to steal my secrets.

1d6

Ideals

1

Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral)

2

Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good)

3

Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful)

4

No Limits. Nothing should fetter the infinite possibility inherent in all existence. (Chaotic)

5

Power. Knowledge is the path to power and domination. (Evil)

6

Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any)

1d6

Bond

1

It is my duty to protect my students.

2

I have an ancient text that holds terrible secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands.

3

I work to preserve a library, university, scriptorium, or monastery.

4

My life’s work is a series of tomes related to a specific field of lore.

5

I’ve been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question.

6

I sold my soul for knowledge. I hope to do great deeds and win it back.

1d6

Flaw

1

I am easily distracted by the promise of information.

2

Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I stop and take notes on its anatomy.

3

Unlocking an ancient mystery is worth the price of a civilization.

4

I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones.

5

I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others.

6

I can’t keep a secret to save my life, or anyone else’s.

Royal University Scholar

D&D Beyond: https://www.dndbeyond.com/backgrounds/137425-royal-university-scholar

You are a Royal University Scholar and are recognized as a learned theologian of the religions in the Kingdom. You have extensively studied faiths and cults of the realm using scrolls, books, and instructions from prominent religious authorities, both living and dead. You are trained in the identification of planar and otherworld creatures and entities. A medallion signifying successful graduation gives you access to church libraries and reliquaries, and the rights and privileges afforded to learned clergy.

In the Royal University system, you were obliged to study Religion, History, and Arcana as minimum requisites.

 Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Arcana, History

Languages: Celestial

Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, Royal University Medallion, a set of fine clothes, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

 Specialty

To determine the nature of your scholarly training, roll a d8, or choose from the options in the table below.

1d8

Specialties

1

Noble - sponsored

2

Noble

3

Pure academic

4

Acolyte Scholar

5

Professor

6

Religious Book Author

7

Paladin's Squire

8

Scribe

Feature: Theologian

Your theology background from the Kingdom’s premier Royal University gives you special privileges by granting a social rank. You have the same status as clergy, even if not affiliated with a church. You also have the right to pursue religious libraries, even if the works are not deemed proper for the general clergy. You can also examine any reliquaries sequestered away from the public.

These privileges occasionally come with obligations. Nobility can call on you to answer a theological question or answer historical questions with religious connotations. Furthermore, your proficiency with the esoteric Celestial language also comes at a cost. Some celestials can’t or won’t communicate except in Celestial. A Royal University Scholar may be called upon to translate or perform interpreter duties (which, depending on the situation, could be hazardous).

Suggested Characteristics

Royal University Scholars are defined by their extensive academic and philosophical, religious studies, and their characteristics reflect this life of study. Devoted to theology and philosophy, a Royal University Scholar values knowledge and wisdom. Using a blend of practical and philosophical insight, a Royal University Scholar can provide answers and direction to various theological arguments.

1d8

Specialties

1

Theology Scholarship is as important as casting divine spells.

2

The Kingdom's Churches give us all a better understanding of the gods.

3

I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as wise as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others.

4

There’s nothing I like more than a good theology debate, even with paladins.

5

I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment.

6

The most important attribute of philosophy is theology.

7

I don't like social situations but as an Royal University Scholar, I can tolerate it. Barely.

8

Learned people can read and write. Philosophical people can argue. Theologians can save lives.

1d6

Ideals

1

Wisdom. The path to power and self-improvement is through wisdom. (Neutral)

2

Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good)

3

Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful)

4

No Limits. Nothing should fetter the infinite possibility inherent in all existence. (Chaotic)

5

Power. Divine philosophy is the path to power and domination. (Evil)

6

Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any)

1d6

Bond

1

It is my duty to protect my students.

2

I have an ancient text that holds terrible secrets about the gods that could destroy the churches.

3

I work to preserve a church library, reliquary, religious scriptorium, or monastery.

4

My life’s work is a series of religious tomes related to a specific field of philosophy.

5

I’ve been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question.

6

I've talked to too many evil creatures about religion, and now they periodically seek me out to further corrupt me to their ends.

1d6

Flaw

1

I am easily distracted by all things religion and will obsess about historical religious events I have not yet studied.

2

Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I might scream too, but wonder if I could get one to debate me on the merits of Chaos vs. Law without the arguments of Evil vs. Good.

3

I have yet to have a serious conversation with someone with a pretty face without getting distracted by base urges.

4

I overlook people's immediate, simpler problems and usually put too much effort into the big picture.

5

I can't have a serious theological discussion with the uneducated, try as I might. I usually wind up insulting them, or their church.

6

Sometimes the thought that we are all just soul power for the gods puts me in a extensional crisis of apathy and depression.

 

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Crossbow Man has a background in punching things really hard, shooting things in the face, and stabbing with his short sword that he has named Stabby Shortstaberson.

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BoT Post 13: 2d10 Encounter Tables for Traveling on a Road in a Fantasy RPG

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Here at Griffon Lore Games, we love us some random encounters. Set up ahead of time, the dice adds that element of “game world interjection” that can (and often is) better than a planned encounter or static location. In this post, you’ll find two helpful tables of random road encounter goodness.

DMs can use the random encounter ability to interject lore into their campaign without the Terrible Lore Infodump™. A handy framework would look like this:

  • Geographical regions have their own table segmented out by locations. For example, Overland in the Viscounty of Kandra, On the Imperial Road, The Road Between Terganshire and Tegan’s Bridge,
  • Random encounter tables should have a day and night version
  • Random encounter tables should have a normal version and a hard version

Triggering the Random Encounter

Use one of the unsung dice heroes from RPG land, the d12. Roll a d12 when:

  • The players are moving overland, or in a large city, from point A to point B
  • Players arrive at point B
  • Every four hours
  • Players do something that generates attention

Resist the temptation to fudge the roll. The entire worth of the random encounter is the D&D game’s ability to mix things up in exciting and unexpected ways.

An 11 triggers an encounter. A 12 triggers an encounter from a table modified for difficulty. Roll 2d10 to select the encounter.

Many of your random encounter tables should have simple entires. When the area is short on monsters (in a civilized land), a more robust table provides flair.

Random Encounter: On a Semi-Patrolled Road

The Empire paved the Old Imperial Road in the Viscounty of Kandra—and now the horse-lords maintain it least their commerce traffic drops, and they lose tax income. However, in the land of the horse-lords, merchants are responsible for their own safety. While men-at-arms formally patrol the road, they are there to deal with issues after-the-fact, not to intercept trouble for weak and lazy travelers.

Once an encounter triggers, replace it with a new one for the next session, with “nothing happens,” until you replace it.

The below tables, while set in the Kingdom of Lothmar, are mostly generic with lore that a DM can easily change to suit their setting. And note these are encounters on a road, not camping in the woods at night! Unless the PCs are camping right next to the road itself.

Semi-Patrolled Road: 1d12 with an 11 Result

2d10

Day

Night
2 A passing merchant from the opposite direction with a horse and two mules, flanked by a gnome guard riding a war dog A camp-fire can be seen from a popular campsite, off the road, and on a bluff.

Camped there are a well-armed merchant and a competent guard—a gnome with a massive war dog. They’ll share a meal with friendly folk, but not their site
3 A letter courier, riding a swift horse, overtaking the party. He does not stop, but does wave. A letter courier, riding a swift horse, from the opposite direction. He stops and trades road conditions and regional gossip before moving on

 
4 A cloud of mosquitos hovering over the road A cloud of annoying mosquitos attracted to any light source

 
5 Four men and a watchful guard making a road repair The road here was obviously recently repaired

 
6 Circling vultures off the road. Upon investigation, a grizzly bear is munching on the corpse of a deer

 

 A grizzly bear wanders into camp but will leave if shooed away.
7 An odd and unexpected change in the weather No change

 
8 An extensive merchant wagon train traveling in the same direction, complete with six guards Off the road, a wagon train with six guards camps for the night

 
9 A patrol of six lancers and their sergeant. They ask if the PCs have seen any trouble on the road. If the PCs look like they are the trouble, they attempt to arrest the PCs and take them back to their lord for questioning A patrol of six lancers and their sergeant. They ask if the PCs have seen any trouble on the road. If the PCs look like they are the trouble, they attempt to arrest the PCs and take them back to their lord for questioning.

If the PCs are friendly or indifferent, the patrol offers to camp with them, and share the elk they shot earlier
10 A local lord with his twenty men-at-arms, armored and armed to the teeth and all on horseback. If the PCs are wanted criminals, they give chase Several men, looking hungry and grim, armed with inferior quality weapons, ask the PCs if they can spare any food. The men are from a city, wanting to go somewhere else due to reduced employment opportunities. They have been contemplating banditry, but are not that desperate—yet

 
11 A merchant with a broken wagon, berating a lone guard trying to fix it A dead merchant and a broken wagon, filled with supplies for the general store in the next village. The merchant died of sword wounds

 
12 A trio of foxes chasing a hare run across the road A trio of domesticated foxes are on the side of the road, waiting for some food scraps

 
13 An old elf walking down the road. If questioned, the elf claims he is going to die soon, and always wondered where this road went. He asks PCs not to spoil it

 

 A dead elf leaning against a tree by the road, a smile on his face. He died of old age
14 Over 200 King’s Soldiers marching down the road from the opposite direction. A scout on horseback asks the PCs if there is anything unusual from the direction they came from

 

 Camped alongside the road is a small army of professional soldiers wearing the King’s livery. They do not approach the PCs. If approached, they state they are on King’s business, and the PCs need to move along
15 An apple tree in the middle of the road, out of place, and undoubtedly odd. When the PCs investigate the tree, it disappears, and faint giggling can be heard
off in the distance		 A group of pixies with a well-lit fruit stand. Payment must be made in silver only.

The fruit is fresh, even if out of season. If questioned on where they got the fruit, the pixies say, “the archmage gave us a few boxes in return for some dust.”
16 A ranger on a mighty warhorse with a rather large sword, a dual-bolt crossbow, and a hunting falcon, coming from the opposite direction, with a younger man. The ranger looks grim and capable, and the young man needs better shoes.

If questioned, the ranger indicates he and his nephew are going to visit a friend in a nearby city to talk about some religious matters

 A beautiful woman and a young man, from the opposite direction, walking a rather large warhorse. They ask the PCs if they’ve seen their pet dire wolf.

If questioned, the woman indicates she and her nephew are going to visit a friend in a nearby city to talk about some religious matters
17 Six bandits chased by 20 men-at-arms. If the soldiers catch them, they hang them on the nearest tree

 

 No change
18 Traveling in the same direction, a farmer, his son, and his comely daughter with a wagon of vegetables and fruit bound for the next town.

If questioned the farmer is friendly, and claims crops were so good this year he has more than he can sell locally

 Two dead farmers and an overturned wagon of fruit and vegetables. If the PCs search, they find a torn dress
19 An old, ugly woman traveling in the same direction. If the PCs stop and question her, she claims to be an “old witch with tired feet and needing to save her spells.” She requests a ride if the PCs have horses or a wagon, as far up the road as the next town.

As a reward, the Old Witch gives either the prettiest woman a philter of love, with a wink, or the most handsome man a bag of 100 gold pieces, coin of the realm from one hundred years ago.

If attacked, she teleports away with a rude gesture

 No change
20 A pack of dire wolves decides the PCs look like lunch A fog rolls in and deposits an encounter:

(Party Average Level) +4 Challenge Rating undead

Time to roll for initiative

Semi-Patrolled Road: 1d12 with a 12 Result

2d10

Day

Night
2 A group of merchants and their guards in a heated argument about business practices, ready to come to blows Off in the distance, PCs can easily hear an argument about business practices. If they investigate they find a group of merchants and their guards, ready to come to blows

 
3 A letter courier, riding a swift horse, overtaking the party. He is wounded and asks for healing, warning that behind him are a “group of nasty stirges” A letter courier, riding a swift horse, overtaking the party. He is wounded and asks for healing, warning that behind him are a “group of nasty stirges.”

Said stirges show up and attack
4 A cloud of mosquitos hovering over the road A cloud of annoying mosquitos attracted to any light source. If they come into contact with a PC, they turn into a giant mosquito swarm and attack

 
5 Four men and a watchful guard making a road repair. They flag the PCs down and ask for help, which will take the rest of the day.

The guard is really a local knight. He won’t bother the PCs if they refuse, but he sure will remember their faces

 The road here was obviously recently repaired, and five tired men, one of them a guard, are resting near the repair.

If the PCs offer them beer or wine, the “guard” tells the PCs to stop by his manor home for a dinner served by his wife and with their “three marriage age” offspring.

The knight has significant funds
6 Circling vultures off the road. Upon investigation, a dire grizzly bear is munching on the corpse of a deer A dire grizzly bear wanders into camp and will eat all the PCs food. If attacked, he becomes enraged and attacks first every round

 
7 An odd and unexpected change in the weather for the worse:

Spring: Downpour

Summer: Summer storm with lightning

Fall: Hail and sleet

Winter: Blizzard

 The same except with 90+ MPH winds doing 1d4 damage per round to any unsheltered PC, animal companion, or mount.

The effect lasts for 1d4 hours
8 An extensive merchant wagon train traveling in the same direction, complete with six guards.

One of the wagons is on fire. In 1d4 rounds, it blows up, doing fireball damage to anything nearby

 An extensive merchant wagon train camped on the side of the road, complete with six guards.

One of the wagons is on fire. In 1d4 rounds, it blows up, doing fireball damage to anything nearby
9 A patrol of twelve lancers and their sergeant. They ask if the PCs have seen any trouble on the road. If the PCs look like they are the trouble, they attempt to arrest the PCs and take them back to their lord for questioning A patrol of twelve lancers and their sergeant. They ask if the PCs have seen any trouble on the road. If the PCs look like they are the trouble, they attempt to arrest the PCs and take them back to their lord for questioning.

The patrol warns friendly PCs that traveling at night without a light source is an arrestable offense. Any PCs guilty of this are simply given a warning.

If the PCs are friendly or indifferent, the patrol offers to camp with them, and share the elk they shot earlier
10 A local lord with his twenty men-at-arms, armored and armed to the teeth and all on horseback. If the PCs are wanted criminals, they give chase.

Accompanying the party is a squad of rangers, one with tracking hounds, and a mid-level druid

 Six paladins and their men-at-arms stop the PCs. They seem cautious and wary, and claim they are “looking for an aberration.”

They ask each PC to take a test—a pinprick on the finger to see if their blood is red, and they will also do the same in return.

f the PCs ask about the Paladin’s quarry, their leader says, “You don’t want to know.” If the PCs persist, the paladins will claim they are chasing some type of “uber slaad.”

If the PCs insist on helping the paladins, sometime in the night, the party is attacked by 2d4 Death Slaad.

If the PCs refuse the blood test the paladins and their men-at-arms attack—they try to subdue the PCs until one of their own dies in combat, and then, as they say, it’s on.

During a lethal battle, the 2d4 Death Slaads show up and attack both groups.
11 A merchant with a broken wagon, berating a lone guard trying to fix it. The guard suddenly stands up and attacks the merchant A dead merchant and a broken wagon, filled with supplies for the general store in the next village. The merchant was staked naked over a fire-ant hill

 
12 A trio of foxes chasing a pixie with a broken wing across the road A trio of domesticated giant foxes with halfling riders stop the PCs and ask them if they have seen “an old elf walking down the road.”

Thus far, the PCs have not
13 An old elf walking down the road. If questioned, the elf claims he is going to die soon, and always wondered where this road went. He asks PCs not to spoil it.

If the PCs spoil it, he says “ah, man,” and dies of old age right there

 A dead elf leaning against a tree by the road, a smile on his face. He died of old age.

If the PCs deal with the body in the local elf tradition, a courier delivers a package from an anonymous shipper, addressed to the PC that first suggested to take care of the body. Inside is a suit of elven chainmail +2
14 Over 200 King’s Soldiers marching down the road from the opposite direction. A scout on horseback asks the PCs if there is anything unusual from the direction they came from Camped alongside the way is a small army of professional soldiers wearing the King’s livery, secured by a lot of guards.

They ask the PCs pointed questions about the region, seeing if the PCs are local or not. If the PCs refuse to answer, the guards tell them to bugger off down the road or be set upon.

If the PCs do not bugger off, the entire camp will attack them. ¼ are awake right now
15 An apple tree in the middle of the road, out of place, and undoubtedly odd. When the PCs investigate the tree, it falls over, making a mess in the middle of the road An apple tree in the middle of the road, out of place, and undoubtedly odd. When the PCs investigate the tree, it turns into a confused treant.

If the PCs attack the confused treant, 2d4 other treants animate from a nearby copse of trees and attack.

If the PCs help the treant, it gives them all apples that when eaten, cures any diseases or poisons
16 A ranger on a mighty warhorse with a rather large sword and a hunting falcon, coming from the opposite direction, with a younger man. The ranger looks grim and capable, and the young man needs better shoes.

If questioned, the ranger indicates he and his nephew are going to visit a friend in a nearby city to talk about some religious matters.

Insightful PCs will realize this party is composed of ghosts, acting out something that happened to them hundreds of years ago. If confronted as such, they fade away

 A beautiful woman and a young man, from the opposite direction, walking a rather large warhorse. They ask the PCs if they’ve seen their pet dire wolf.

If questioned, the woman indicates she and her nephew are going to visit a friend in a nearby city to talk about some religious matters.

Insightful PCs will realize this party is composed of ghosts, acting out something that happened to them hundreds of years ago. If confronted as such, they both fade away, and a pack of dire wolves follow the party for a few miles, sadly howling if approached—before they too, disappear
17 Six bandits chased by 20 men-at-arms. If the soldiers catch them, they hang them on the nearest tree.

One of the bandits is armed with a wand of fireballs

 Six bandits chased by 20 men-at-arms. If the soldiers catch them, they hang them on the nearest tree.

One of the bandits is armed with a wand of fireballs, and one of the men-at-arms is a high-level ranger
18 Traveling in the same direction a farmer, his son, and his comely daughter in a wagon of vegetables and fruit, bound for the next town.

If questioned the farmer is friendly, and claims crops were so good this year he has more than he can sell locally.

Insightful PCs will note that the daughter seems distressed. The farmer says pay that no mind, she is always skittish around strangers.

The young woman suffers from a brain injury and doesn’t like to travel. Everything the farmer and his son says is true. What also is true is that the farmer can’t find a husband for the girl, so he is going to sell her to a brothel

 Two dead farmers and an overturned wagon of fruit and vegetables. If the PCs search, they find a torn dress.

PCs will have a hard time tracking what happened, as the farmers were set upon by a vampire. He plans to make the young woman he took his vampiric paramour
but wants to cure her first.

If the PCs manage to confront the vampire, he first offers the PCs a bribe to leave him be. Failing that, he will offer to cure the young lady and give her back to the PCs if the PCs in turn pledge to not tell the local authorities of his existence.

And failing that, he’ll tell the PCs what he found out—the farmer and his son were going to sell her to a brothel (true), and that the vampire knew he shouldn’t have killed the farmer and his son, but the injustice of it all “just turned my crank, if you know what I mean.”

And if that doesn’t go anywhere, he simply teleports away, leaving the farmer’s daughter behind
19 An old, ugly woman traveling in the same direction. If the PCs stop and question her, she claims to be an “old witch with tired feet and needing to save her spells.”

She requests a ride if the PCs have horses or wagons, as far up the road as the next town. She will also tell curious PCs that “You don’t want to know what my business is, so I’m not gonna tell you.”

As a reward for a ride, the Old Witch gives either the prettiest woman a philter of love, with a wink, or the most handsome man a bag of 100 gold pieces, coin of the realm from one hundred years ago. If attacked, she reveals her form as the Goddess of Love. She curses the party and departs in a clap of thunder.

Curse:

PCs that were married find themselves still married, but their spouses hate them. Unmarried PCs with lovers have them turn bitter at a perceived, terrible insult and will hire an assassin to have the PC killed.

One (and only one) PC without a paramour eventually finds out they are married to three argumentative, but attractive young women. Once a month, each will demand the PC divorce the other two, becoming more belligerent with each refusal. The PC is unable to convince any of the wives that he or she has chosen a favorite.

If the PC survives this for a year, the wives stop collectively trying to browbeat the PC, tell the PC that next time be nice to old ladies, and reveal themselves as witch-priestesses. The PC then has the option of ridding himself of the trio or staying married

 No change
20 A giant green dragon flies over the PCs and sits on a road, and demands the PCs cook her bacon. If the PCs don’t have bacon, she will tell them there are plenty of wild boars in the nearby woods.

Refusal of bacon results in one angry dragon

 A giant green dragon flies over the PCs and sits on a road, and demands the PCs camp and share their dinner with her after polymorphing into a beautiful human maiden. She just wants a good meal, but will respond to flirting with “Seriously? Just stop. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

The dragon knows a surprising amount of local gossip, along with regional history.

If the PCs refuse or attack the dragon, she disappears, leaving behind a 60ft x 60ft death cloud

 

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Crossbow Man, this is not a random encounter.

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BoT Post 12: Burials of Teganshire Fully Funded on Indiegogo! Come Get Your Copy!

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

 

Burials of Teganshire Post 12 of 30

We passed the 100% funding mark last night–thanks a ton for those who backed!

Let’s keep this train of awesomeness going! Head on over to Indiegogo and back if you haven’t already. The Indiegogo price is a significant discount off our retail offers, and funds collected now help us by paying for the production costs of the next project.

Friends, the printed book will be spectacular in quality. It’s thick, premium paper with a color interior coming off a digital offset press with one of the best covers in the industry. Back today, if you haven’t already, and if you already have, our heartfelt thanks!

This is the start of a product line of first-class adventures for 5E and Pathfinder 1E. How exciting!

Best Regards,

Anthony, Christophe, Anna, and Etta

 

Burials of TeganshireCrossbow Man appreciates your patronage

 

Gruesome deaths, arcane wards, ancient rituals, and an old bridge: a 5E & Pathfinder 1E adventure.

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BoT Post 11: Enrich Your 5E Campaign World with a Permanent Magic System

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire post 11 of 30

Where did the spell permanency go, I wondered when I read the 5E PHB and DMG for the first time. How and the heck do I explain this permanent magical effect? Do I just handwave it? What if the PC wants to do the same thing? Wrut-wro, I found a significant flaw for my own campaign world—or did I?

After a while, I begin to love 5E’s permanent magic philosophy, even if its design was a simplification rather than a campaign enhancement feature.

The (conjectured) Intent Behind 5E Permanent Magic System Changes

We can speculate the changes in 5E came about for these reasons:

  • Desire to further streamline the rules leaving the DM with more creativity
  • Change the way magical items are made
  • Create an environment to encourage PCs to make magical items.

I don’t believe the designers sat back and went, “what’s a cool thing we can do to make the DM’s game world better?” My belief stems from a lack of communication in the DMG concerning permanent magical states and world-building (along with ignoring world-building in general).

Regardless of how we got here, I can appreciate the lack of discussion about the mechanics behind permanent magic in world-building due to page count. On the other hand, D&D might as well be named “Magic and Monsters,” and everything to do with those two words is the backbone of any campaign setting.

So, let’s stick with 5E (Pathfinder is a separate discussion) and talk about how to use its magical rules (or lack thereof) to spice up the campaign world. Griffon Lore Games is all about hard fantasy—the magical systems we use must maintain internal consistency.

Before We Begin

Remember, the rule here is to add verisimilitude to the campaign setting. The “truth” of the setting that makes it believable by using plausibility and credibility. This is a game. A game has rules. Like in Hard Science Fiction, the usage of physics and mathematics adds belief. The world becomes alive when a DM sticks to standards. The DM is the arbiter of the actions, not a narrator, and action generated in a believable system makes for believable conflict. That’s the game.

Don’t Forget Some Spells Have Permanent Effects

Some spells like hallow, exist until dispelled. Others, like guards and wards, and forbiddance, can be made permanent or semi-permanent with repeated casting.

Create Magical Effects in 5E via Magic Items

This is highly plausible and a good rule-of-thumb. If the PCs want their door to have permanent protection from evil and good on it, then the PCs can create a magic item to make that work.

Two books describe how to create magical items: The Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Both are excellent books for 5E, and XGtE is a gold standard of sorts. Both come highly recommended.

We suggest using XGtE’s additions and changes to crafting magical items. We believe those rules were the rules that were extensively playtested for item creation. This excellent article on Flutes Loot describes the difference between the two.

Door Example

Back to our door example, the closest thing in the DMG is a ring of protection (rare) and a scroll of protection (rare). However, the effect of those does not approach the impact of the protection from evil and good spell. Thus, the magical door is a very rare magic item, and in XGtE, that takes some serious components, 20,000 GP, and 25 workweeks.

Ouch!

But do the players want this door or not?

If you saw this on a door, you might want to leave the door alone.

Create Magical Effects via One-Shot Custom Spells

Another way to add some exciting effects is unique custom spells. For example–the dungeon that was picked clean doesn’t have any magical problems for the PCs, but the rooms and corridors behind that secret door contain a multitude of nasty surprises. The traps have sat there, all this time, undiscovered.

The DMG contains rules for creating spells, but the DM needs to keep in mind that under a system of hard fantasy that puts magical effects in an explainable box, custom spells should:

  • Be balanced
  • Have clear effects
  • Cost a bunch of coin
  • Be something the players could duplicate if they so desired

These custom effects need not be powerful. For example, there are traps in our unexplored corridor, traps that reset themselves. They reset themselves via a clockwork mechanism. Steam is what powers this clockwork. And it’s the custom magic spell “generate steam,” that exists until dispelled (and it sits behind tons of rock) that powers it all.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You think, why bother, just say “steam-powered trap.”

But where does the water come from?

How is it heated?

How did that mechanism last for so long?

It matters because those are the rules, and that’s the environment the PCs are in. It’s those details, and the ability for the PCs to do the same thing, that makes the game world seem real. In this example, we went from a “corridor is trapped” to “this corridor was constructed by an advanced people who had a fundamental understanding of clockwork, stonework, and thermal dynamics.”

We’ve gone from a trapped corridor to steampunk dwarves.

Dudes. Steampunk dwarves. HOW AWESOME IS THAT.

Ahem.

The bottom line for custom spells: anything the DM can do the players can do.

Creating Magical Effects By Compounding Methods

And now we come to some DM tomfoolery—the gift of time.

Thus far, we haven’t talked about “the ancients created this effect, so here it is” because that’s a copout. But people of yore did have one thing going for them—they had plenty of time to think about things. If not, they would be barbarians, and then this would be all moot.

The DM can borrow from that concept—the DM knows this magical effect will take a while to design.

But most of that “figuring it out” doesn’t need to occur right when the idea goes from DM brain to PC discovery.

Let’s give an example:

The Knight’s Graveyard

The Knights of the Wailmoor bury their dead in the Knight’s Graveyard. There is a stone fence surrounding the park-like grounds, 800-ft. in diameter.

Evil creatures cannot enter the graveyard. Nor elementals, fey, undead, demons, devils, aberrations, lousy weather, and anyone who isn’t a Knight of Wailmoor or a direct relative. Flying, teleporting, tunneling, or any other means does not work, nor can they damage the wall that provides this effect. This effect exists 800-ft. above and below the graveyard.

When I came up with this description, I conjectured:

  • The knights created several magical items—to accomplish this—for example, the iron gate that does not rust is magical.
  • The knights used several custom spells
  • The knights used the hallow and forbiddance spells
  • The knights used a ritual to link the spells with a nearby artifact, a hydro dam

Dartmoor dam photo from Wikipedia Commons

Yup, instead of using the spell permanency (which no longer exists), they realized they could use the permanent flowing water of the dam several miles away as magical energy. This dam empowers their spells and makes them nigh dispellable. You can’t dispel any of the wards in the graveyard, you have to destroy the damn—the graveyard’s singular flaw.

As a DM, I don’t know how the dam works in a fantasy game, other than it uses water-based elemental energy (of course). But it sounds cool, and if the players really get into it, I can design the dam, using standard 5E rules and the methods above, to make it a Legendary Artifact. I just don’t have to do that right now.

Permanency Doesn’t Mean Forever

I’ve been waiting all day to type that, ha, ha, ha.

D&D 5E has a lot going for it. Even if, as a DM, you decide magic varies too much with squishy rules to bother sticking to a framework, there’s still an out that makes sense and adds to your world-building lore. Perhaps there was a permanency spell used by those ancient civilizations so long ago.

The current civilization just hasn’t discovered it yet, because it was a closely guarded secret, and when the old one’s empire fell, the knowledge was lost. So the PCs either need to reinvent the wheel (and people have been trying to do so in the campaign world for hundreds of years)—or they need to go dungeon diving to get it.

Magic is all over D&D. Make it work in the game world—by making it work.

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Crossbow Man doesn’t have much need for magic but sure would like a magic crossbow.
And some armor. And perhaps a magical tankard that always has beer in it.
And are those magical runes on the bridge simple warding glyphs—or do they have some other construction?

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BoT Post 10: When the PCs Lose the Players Will Win—the Hero’s Journey

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire Post 10 of 30

Here at Griffon Lore Games, we’re big fans of grim, gritty hard fantasy.

That isn’t navel-gazing, nihilistic, and “subverting expectations.” In other words, heroic fantasy. A DM can attach heroic fantasy to any game world, and most line of products, and I encourage you to do so. Genuinely heroic fantasy is all about choices and the consequences of decisions. Decisions made by what players believe is the right thing to do given the circumstances and what they know.

First, let’s talk about Hollywood, the comic industry, and the book publishing industry shooting itself in the foot, first. I call it—the Triad of Suck.

The Triad of Suck–a generation of crap

Hollywood’s Three Decades of Crap

Current RPG products, for the most part, have avoided the pitfalls expounded by Hollywood’s fascination with navel-gazing, nihilistic fiction since the early 90s. By its very makeup, a fantasy RPG game is composed of players running PCs, in a story of their own or the DMs making. Since milquetoast conflict doesn’t sell RPG products, players, by and large, play in an environment where the stakes are significant, conflict abounds, and heroes live and die by both their choices and the whims of the dice. Since it’s a game, players recognize dice whimsy as part and parcel of RPGs.

It’s not all bad in Hollywood, but a lot of it is. Then there are the books.

Genre Book Publishing’s Three Decades of Crap

Current RPG products, for the most part, have avoided the pitfalls expounded by traditional book publishing’s fascination with navel-gazing, nihilistic fiction since the early 90s. By its very makeup, a fantasy RPG game is composed of players running PCs, in a story of their own or the DMs making. Since milquetoast conflict doesn’t sell RPG products, players, by and large, play in an environment where the stakes are significant, conflict abounds, and heroes live and die by both their choices and the whims of the dice. Since it’s a game, players recognize dice whimsy as part and parcel of RPGs.

Is this sounding familiar? It’s not all bad in traditional publishing, and independent publishers have rushed to fill in the gap.

But a lot of it is self-serving, non-entertaining drek. Then there are comic books.

Comic Book Publishing’s Three Decades of Crap

Current RPG products, for the most part, have avoided the pitfalls expounded by comic book publishing’s fascination with navel-gazing, nihilistic fiction since the early 90s. By its very makeup, a fantasy RPG game is composed of players running PCs, in a story of their own or the DMs making. Since milquetoast conflict doesn’t sell RPG products, players, by and large, play in an environment where the stakes are significant, conflict abounds, and heroes live and die by both their choices and the whims of the dice. Since it’s a game, players recognize dice whimsy as part and parcel of RPGs.

Detect a pattern here? It is, indeed, the triangle of suck. And the commonality between the three is the departure from the hero’s journey.

The Hero’s Journey is the Foundation of Conflict

And without foundation, all the fun factors in a fantasy game have no root. In a narrative, the hero’s journey is about the conflict that drives character growth.

In a D&D game, it’s all about the opportunity to overcome the conflict as a game. Players will grow their PCs as players will. Either they progress their PC through role-playing, or they don’t. This is where “DM as a referee” is better than “DM as a story-teller.”

Now I know what you’re thinking. We’re talking D&D, and D&D is a game, so where do the foundations of mythology come into play?

When Campbell was describing the hero’s journey, he wasn’t pulling a trope out of his butt—he was explaining life writ large via an archetype, a distillation, of if you will, of legend and mythology. Ignoring it, making fun of it, wishing it would go away, is only a blip in the grand entertainment universe. It’s never going to change because it’s human nature, stamped with the approval of Human History.

But, the “Triad of Suck” did impact D&D, less for what it did, but more for removing the concept from gameplay and game design.

Hitting (multiple) Rock Bottoms is the Hallmark of the Journey

The Hero’s Journey in graphical format:

Graphic provided by wiki commons

See the Abyss? That’s the low point that makes what’s next all the more delicious. How applicable is the singular hero’s journey to D&D? If a DM uses it as a blueprint to a campaign—highly relevant.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that I’m talking about a STORY-TELLER CAMPAIGN when D&D is a GAME. SHAME ON ANTHONY. But that’s just it—you can use the format in an open-world, sandbox, player-driven campaign. It just needs some thought. Let’s use two examples.

Two Examples of the Hero’s Journey in Player-Driven Plots

Example One: Count Torc Mac Ceti

The PCs are the vassals of a stern, but highly-supportive, wealthy, and influential baron—their lands’ border another Barony, one Count Torc Mac Ceti. The PCs are in charge of the crossroads town Kamshire, and Torc Mac Ceti has made several inquiries that he would covet the PCs alliance—but the PCs, involved in a series of adventures for their baron, have declined him thus far.

One day the PCs receive word that one of their woods in now infested with a rather large green dragon. Indeed, the dragon sends them word he would like to meet with the PCs (gulp). The dragon seems like an amiable fellow—he cleaned the woods out of monsters and bandits (something the PCs always meant to do). In return for a safe wood, he requires, uh, a cow. A fat cow. Once a month. And a barrel of wine. To go with the cow. PCs are left with the impression this dude is old (and a bit lazy) and would rather avoid conflict.

Now, the vast majority of the players will think this dragon is an impressive addition to their PCs’ lands. And obviously, if the DM wanted to use the dragon to kill them all, then he would have done so. A dozen cows and barrel of wine a year for a dragon buddy? Heck yeah!

Aaaaaand there it is.

Several months go by, and the relationship works. Sure, the dragon has an evil streak, but then again, the PCs are no choir boys themselves. To protect their baron, they’ve gotten their hands dirty. The dragon sends word—he’s captured a wanted criminal, someone the baron has been looking for. The PCs take delivery of the rascal and give the dragon a magic item as thanks. This relationship seems good. Healthy even.

And then one month the dragon says, hey. This month I’ll need a virgin maiden instead of a cow.

the dragon

Whoops.

Now, the PCs refusing the dragon or not, it doesn’t matter. If they deliver the virgin, the dragon screams, “She’s not a virgin!” as he drops her body in the town square and destroys Kamshire. If they fail to deliver the virgin, the dragon attacks and destroys Kamshire. If they try to kill the dragon, he is way above their league, TPKs the party, and destroys Kamsire. It’s a dragon. They are mid-level PCs. If they die, the bewildered baron, their liege brings them back, using up all his influence with the church to do so. Or the PCs roll new characters—1st Level survivors of the Terrible Dragon.

This is a low point for the players but a high point in the campaign world! And the dragon isn’t the real villain here, only a weapon. He’s demanded a virgin because Count Torc Mac Ceti paid him a lot of money to do so. Mac Ceti is the party’s nemesis, and he’s just getting started.

But was that organic?

Not really, but Count Torc Mac Ceti sure is a villain. How the PCs deal with such a tyrant will be interesting, considering they still don’t know the real reason the dragon went off in the first place. Killing the monstrous beast is only the start (uh, nothing personal, guys, it was just business. You’re not still mad, are you?). Depending on the direction they go, the destruction of their town, and the death of all their friends (and possibly loved-ones) was just the beginning of a terrible, terrible time.

This kick in the gut works because the DM didn’t plot the campaign.

He just plotted the PCs’ downfall. It’s up to them to crawl out of the hole—and start their heroes’ journey.

Example Two: Organic Your Way into Jail

Let’s back up the clock. The PC’s noble sponsor (let’s call him Baron Winstead) is besieged and mired in dirty politics at every turn. He’s been having the PCs do some things he can’t have traced to himself.

The players are having fun. Each adventure is a backdrop in politics and drama, and their PCs are getting rich in the process. The rewards go beyond the coin—the baron gives them influence, marrying one of his daughters to a PC.

And then, they get arrested and thrown into the King’s Dungeon. All the DM had to do is keep track of their legitimate mistakes, and when one was made that was serious enough, well, that was it, then. The PCs are stripped of their lands and titles, their sponsor’s hand slapped. They’re tossed in a dungeon designed to hold adventurers such as themselves, with the key thrown away.

In this example, the PCs committed crimes against bad guys but got caught—a less dramatic but certainly more organic route to the heroes’ journey than the dragon melting everyone’s face off in town with acidic clouds of doom.

And the DM has many drama options here, for example—the marriage of the baron’s daughter, a PC’s wife, was annulled and she was married off to the Count next door, one Torc Mac Ceti, and the PCs know him to be one bad dude.

This is a journey of self-discovery. In this campaign, just who are the bad guys? How do they get out of jail that they so lawfully belong in, and then what? How do the PCs go from zeros to heroes?

Beyond the Plot Tick—Failure Mechanics

Even if the DM doesn’t nudge the PCs into a catastrophe, the PCs can go on a hero’s journey by acting heroically in the face of failure. A DM needs to have both, really. He both needs to push the PCs into a state where only the heroic survive, yet give those heroes a chance for setbacks so they can learn to become heroes.

Failure Mapping NPCs

The easiest way to start planning for the PCs’ downfall is to map out what happens when the PCs fail with people by tracking dispositions: what happens when these NPCs are Unfriendly, and what happens when they are Hostile?

  • Local Nobility
  • Merchants
  • Townfolk
  • Bartender
  • Guards
  • Bard
  • Landlord
  • Innkeeper
  • Hunters
  • Thieves
  • Beggars

Failure Mapping Modules

Once the NPCs are mapped to their two fail states, the next step is to map out failure conditions for every adventure, which necessitates choosing experiences where it isn’t “all or nothing.” If you possess such a module (and I have dozens), it’s easy to change the tone of the module by putting in failure conditions:

  • The PCs never get there due to a random encounter—what happens?
  • The antagonist defeats the PCs and drives them off—what happens?
  • The PCs commit a category error (they went through the adventure thinking the problem was one thing when it was another)—what happens?
  • The PCs obtain a partial victory—what happens?
  • The PCs meet all their objectives, but the bad guy gets away—what happens?

“What happens?” should be a state that adds tension:

  • The PCs stop the investment of the abandoned castle but know the escaped bad guy is going to seek revenge, probably at the worst possible time
  • The PCs clear out the castle and kill the bad guy, but on the way home, they notice flying scouts above the castle. Again. They always have the option to go back and just raze the place to the ground and fill the dungeon with lava.
  • They never made it to the dungeon, and now the ogre magi fortifies it and stocks it with armored ogre shock troops in heavy armor (ha, ha, ha)
  • The PCs capture the bad guy, turn him in for King’s Justice, only he plays a political game, and someone lets him go!
  • The PCs TPK and the bad guy get their gear and use it to terrorize the region. Hello, new PCs, you’re in for a rough ride.

Rule-of-Thumb

As a rule of thumb, adding at the minimum four conditions to a module, half successes, and half failures, to various degrees, is an excellent way to turn even the most rail-roady module into engaging campaign action. And if the PCs keep hitting all cylinders, then they should reap the rewards—and the DM should ratchet up the difficulty until a single failure becomes catastrophic.

Failure creates high stakes and tension. Successes bracketed by failures create a game table of righteous D&D. If your PCs aren’t failing their way to success—then why bother playing a game if they can never lose?

Put players on a hero’s journey. By switching a mentality to “the module is the game” to “the player’s success and failure is the heroes’ game,” organically creates a world that is a journey of their own making.

Let them fail.

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Crossbow Man takes failures personally. Without subverting expectations.

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BoT Post 9: Ghost Wagon Encounter: Introducing the Lothmar Meta Mimic for Pathfinder 1E

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire post 9 of 30

Let’s depart the campaign and adventure philosophy and dive into encounters. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Lothmar meta mimic for Pathfinder 1E. Yes, it’s a mimic of a mimic. Ha. Ha, ha, ha, AH HA HA AH MWA HAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem.

Encounter: The Old Man and the Ghost Wagon

On any road the PC party is traveling on, they find a wounded, delirious old man in the ditch. He claims that a “wagon with no horse or riders,” came across their own wagon in the opposite direction. When the animated wagon got closer, it “screeched like the damned, laughing and giggling” as it attacked the horses, and then the other occupants of the old man’s wagon.

This is the extent of his knowledge. He claims it was a “haunted ghost wagon” and doesn’t have any details of how it attacked or if the rest of his companions are alive or dead. He says the wagon took a bite of him and then yelled, “Begone, old fool, least GHOST WAGON kills you too!”

The old man is thoroughly traumatized and is suffering from post-traumatic stress. Still, PCs with a Perception check of 13 or higher will reveal that he wants to deliver a helpful description, but no longer has the mental faculties to do so. Giving him some water and tending to his wounds will go a long way into calming him down, but the old man, who says his name is “Old Jim,” is helpless if left outdoors by himself.

Medieval Wagon

The Battle Site

It doesn’t take long for the party to find the gruesome battle site: a broken wagon, two dead draft horses, and two dead men, all four mostly eaten, body parts everywhere.

A Heal DC check of 15 reveals the wounds from a large mouth with sharp teeth. A DC 20 shows sticky, goo-like substance from the meta mimic’s adhesive. A DC or 25 reveals the men also suffered from some other type of catastrophic damage, the meta mimics cosmic damage delivered by its bite. Only a Knowledge Arcana DC of 25 or more will type the damage as “cosmic damage from the void beyond.”

Wagon tracks go down the road (without horses or oxen to pull them), the ghost wagon seemingly heading back from which it came. No tracking roll needed.

Combat Encounter

The Ghost Wagon will not be hard to find. It is moving at 30 ft. per round (using its movement for both its action and movent phases). Touching it or using ranged weapons will start combat. The meta mimic, while battling the PCs will periodically go “Oooooooo!” and “Mwahahahaha GHOST WAGON WILL EAT YOU!” It also taunts any healer in the party if another PC dies, calling them a “loser” and blaming them for the PC’s death.

It fights to the death. If the PCs only use ranged weapons, it turns into its true form, flies above the archers/crossbowmen, and then turns into a wagon to fall on their heads.

The meta mimic is reasonably intelligent. If it incapacitates a PC, it will keep attacking the PC until the PC is dead.

Combat variation

A fiendish DM can dramatically bump the encounter difficulty by having two regular mimics, as chests, hitching a ride in GHOST WAGON. All three of them think this is hilarious, and as the GM, you should find it pretty funny, too.

Your players, however, as play-testing revealed, will not think it funny at all.

Pathfinder 1E Lothmar Meta Mimic

Lothmar Meta Mimic | CR 5 | XP 1,600
Lothmar meta mimic | NE Huge to tiny aberration (shapechanger)
Init +3; Senses greensight 120 ft., see in darkness; Perception +12

Defense

AC 18, touch 10, flat-footed 18 | hp 90
Fort +6, Ref +1, Will +7
Immune acid, mind-affecting effects; Resist negative energy 5
Weaknesses vulnerability to force effects, vulnerability to sonic

Offense

Speed 15 ft., fly 30 ft. (good)
Melee bite +10 (1d10+6), pseudopod slam +10 (1d10+6 plus adhesive grasp effect)
Space 0 to 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks cosmic acid constrict (1d10+6) on adhesive grasped victims

Statistics

Str 18, Dex 8, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB +12; CMD 21 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Step Up, Throw Anything
Skills Acrobatics -1 (-9 to jump), Climb +15, Disguise +0 (+20 when mimicking objects), Fly -1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +12, Perception +12, Spellcraft +12, Stealth +2; Racial Modifiers +20 Disguise when mimicking objects
Languages Common, Undercommon, Aklo
SQ cosmic shapechange

Special Abilities

Adhesive Grasp (DC 18) (Ex) Automatically grapple, those grappled cannot get free while the meta mimic is alive. Victims can make a contested Strength roll to remain in place (the meta mimic has a +4). Otherwise, the meta mimic will draw the grasped victim in range of its mouth to bite. Anyone attempting to grapple the mimic is automatically grappled in return.

Cosmic Acid Constrict: When the Lothmar meta mimic grapples a creature, it uses its strength and connection to the void to do 1d10+6 void damage. If already grasping a victim, the meta mimic can generate another pseudopod to slam other opponents. It can do this an unlimited number of times (once per round), although once constricting a victim the meta mimic will not attack it with an extra pseudopod—preferring to bite it instead.

Cosmic Shapechange (Ex) The Lothmar meta mimic can use its action to polymorph into an object (huge or smaller) it can see or sense, making an exact duplicate of the object in both form and function. It can also shapechange back into its pure form, a viscous, semitransparent blob-like cloud of smoke. Its statistics are the same in each shape (although the Lothmar meta mimic can only fly in its smoke form). Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Immunity to Acid The Lothmar meta mimic is immune to acid damage.

Immunity to Mind-Affecting effects The Lothmar meta mimic is immune to Mind-Affecting effects.

Energy Resistance, Negative energy (5) The Lothmar meta mimic has Energy Resistance against Negative Energy attacks.

Vulnerability to Force Effects The Lothmar meta mimic is vulnerable (+50% damage) to force effects that deal damage.

Vulnerability to Sonic The Lothmar meta mimic is vulnerable (+50% damage) to Sonic damage.

Fly (30 feet, Good) The Lothmar meta mimic, when in smoke form, can fly.

See in Darkness Sees perfectly in darkness of any kind, including magical darkness.

Greensight (120 ft.) (Su) Senses through thick plant matter as if it was transparent.

Step Up When a foe makes a 5 ft step away from the meta mimic, it can move 5 ft to follow them.

Throw Anything Proficient with improvised ranged weapons.

Description

Thoroughly malevolent, witty, and annoyingly snarky, the Lothmar meta mimic is an evil aberration from “somewhere else.” Often confused with regular or giant mimics, the meta-mimic is much more dangerous due to its innate ability to copy objects it can sense, including complex objects composed of smaller pieces, such as a wagon.

Meta mimics seem to bend the laws of physics to copy objects, and they can mimic anything from a tiny teacup to horse carriage to a wine barrel. They cannot “invent” objects to copy; they must see or have seen an object to polymorph into.

Mistaken Identity

Explorers and their like often confuse a meta mimic with an animated object or construct, that is, up until the meta mimic reveals its mouth with sharp teeth. Compounding the problem is the meta mimic will “hang out” with animated objects, mimics, or giant mimics, and striking at the most convenient time for maximum comedic effect, according to the mimic.

Cruel Monsters

Meta mimics are cruel, but only insofar as amuse itself with its morbid sense of humor. For example, a meta mimic would think it’s quite funny to suddenly lunge at an adventurer in armor standing over a pit of alligators, in hopes of having them slip and fall in surprise. Then it would attack anyone coming to rescue, or, if the adventure is alone, extend a pseudopod to help, but leave the legs to the alligators as it feasted on the “top part.”

Unknown Ethereal Origins

Little is known about the meta mimic, other than it is susceptible to force damage, lending evidence to its origin being the Ethereal Plane. While it can speak (often to taunt people that it is munching on), it never reveals anything about its culture (if it has one), origins, or anything of import. Some guess that the meta mimic originally came across an actual mimic, and copied as much as its form and attributes as it could.

Survivors of the Lothmar meta mimic describe it as having some “soul-sucking, void attack from the beyond.” They also specify that it is not concerned with its safety or any natural functions, and seems only to exist to kill, maim, and taunt surprised victims.

It is also unknown why Lothmar meta mimics are bothered and damaged by loud noises. If the meta mimic knows, it isn’t telling. They even don’t seem to have a brain or at least a normal one, and they are entirely immune to psychic damage (nor do they respond to telepathy).

When a meta mimic dies, it reverts to its non-object form and dissolves into smoke until gone.

Burials of Teganshire

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 Crossbow Man Don’t Need no Wagon

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BoT Post 8: Ghost Wagon Encounter: Introducing the Lothmar Meta Mimic for 5E

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire post 8 of 30

Let’s depart the campaign and adventure philosophy and dive into encounters. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, the Lothmar meta mimic for 5E. Yes, it’s a mimic of a mimic. Ha. Ha, ha, ha, AH HA HA AH MWA HAHAHAHAHA!

Ahem.

Encounter: The Old Man and the Ghost Wagon

On any road the PC party is traveling on, they find a wounded, delirious old man in the ditch. He claims that a “wagon with no horse or riders,” came across their own wagon in the opposite direction. When the animated wagon got closer, it “screeched like the damned, laughing and giggling” as it attacked the horses, and then the other occupants of the old man’s wagon.

This is the extent of his knowledge. He claims it was a “haunted ghost wagon” and doesn’t have any details of how it attacked or if the rest of his companions are alive or dead. He says the wagon took a bite of him and then yelled, “Begone, old fool, least GHOST WAGON kills you too!”

The old man is thoroughly traumatized and is suffering from post-traumatic stress. Still, PCs with a Wisdom (Insight) check of 10 or higher will reveal that he wants to deliver a helpful description, but no longer has the mental faculties to do so. Giving him some water and tending to his wounds will go a long way into calming him down, but the old man, who says his name is “Old Jim,” is helpless if left outdoors by himself.

Medieval Wagon

The Battle Site

It doesn’t take long for the party to find the gruesome battle site: a broken wagon, two dead draft horses, and two dead men, all four mostly eaten, body parts everywhere.

A Wisdom (Medicine) DC check of 10 reveals the wounds from a large mouth with sharp teeth. A DC 15 shows sticky, goo-like substance from the meta mimic’s adhesive. A DC or 20 reveals the men also suffered from some other type of catastrophic damage, the meta mimics cosmic damage delivered by its bite. Only an Intelligence (Arcana) DC of 20 or more will type the damage as “cosmic damage from the void beyond.”

Wagon tracks go down the road (without horses or oxen to pull them), the ghost wagon seemingly heading back from which it came. No tracking (Survival) roll needed.

Combat Encounter

The Ghost Wagon will not be hard to find. It is moving at 30 ft. per round (using its movement for both its action and movent phases). Touching it or using ranged weapons will start combat. The meta mimic, while battling the PCs will periodically go “Oooooooo!” and “Mwahahahaha GHOST WAGON WILL EAT YOU!” It also taunts any healer in the party if another PC dies, calling them a “loser” and blaming them for the PC’s death.

It fights to the death. If the PCs only use ranged weapons, it turns into its true form, flies above the archers/crossbowmen, and then turns into a wagon to fall on their heads.

The meta mimic is reasonably intelligent. If it incapacitates a PC by bringing them to 0 hit points, it will keep attacking the PC until the PC is dead.

Combat variation

A fiendish DM can dramatically bump the encounter difficulty by having two regular mimics, as chests, hitching a ride in GHOST WAGON. All three of them think this is hilarious, and as the DM, you should find it pretty funny, too.

Your players, however, as play-testing revealed, will not think it funny at all.

Lothmar Meta Mimic for 5E

Description

Thoroughly malevolent, witty, and annoyingly snarky, the Lothmar meta mimic is an evil aberration from “somewhere else.” Often confused with regular or giant mimics, the meta-mimic is much more dangerous due to its innate ability to copy objects it can sense, including complex objects composed of smaller pieces, such as a wagon.

Meta mimics seem to bend the laws of physics to copy objects, and they can mimic anything from a tiny teacup to horse carriage to a wine barrel. They cannot “invent” objects to copy; they must see or have seen an object to polymorph into.

Mistaken Identity

Explorers and their like often confuse a meta mimic with an animated object or construct, that is, up until the meta mimic reveals its mouth with sharp teeth.

Compounding the problem is the meta mimic will “hang out” with animated objects, mimics, or giant mimics, and striking at the most convenient time for maximum comedic effect, according to the mimic.

Cruel Monsters

Meta mimics are cruel, but only insofar as amuse itself with its morbid sense of humor. For example, a meta mimic would think it’s quite funny to suddenly lunge at an adventurer in armor standing over a pit of alligators, in hopes of having them slip and fall in surprise. Then it would attack anyone coming to rescue, or, if the adventure is alone, extend a pseudopod to help, but leave the legs to the alligators as it feasted on the “top part.”

Unknown Ethereal Origins

Little is known about the meta mimic, other than it is susceptible to force damage, lending evidence to its origin being the Ethereal Plane. While it can speak (often to taunt people that it is munching on), it never reveals anything about its culture (if it has one), origins, or anything of import. Some guess that the meta mimic originally came across an actual mimic, and copied as much as its form and attributes as it could.

Survivors of the Lothmar meta mimic describe its bite as having some “soul-sucking, void damage from the beyond.” They also specify that it is not concerned with its safety or any natural functions, and seems only to exist to kill, maim, and taunt surprised victims.

It is also unknown why Lothmar meta mimics are bothered and damaged by loud noises. If the meta mimic knows, it isn’t telling. They even don’t seem to have a brain or at least a normal one, and they are entirely immune to psychic damage (nor do they respond to telepathy).

When a meta mimic dies, it reverts to its non-object form and dissolves into smoke until gone.

Burials of Teganshire

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 Crossbow Man Don’t Need no Wagon

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BoT Post 7: Adding Personalized Content to an Adventure in 10 Minute Slices

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

 

Burials of Teganshire post 7 of 30

All it takes is several 10-minute slices of prep time per adventure to personalize the content in a module and have the PCs dive deeper into the game world as a result. Previously we covered the benefits of keeping the campaign world barony sized (or, 30-mile hex sized) for most of the campaign.

Designing adventures is a lot of work. A prudent DM, even one with plenty of development time to devote to his campaign, can also use commercial adventure modules to add to the campaign world—indeed, this is more likely than not.

When running a campaign to keep it personal to the PCs, it takes more than just tweaking the plot so it makes sense. A McGuffin at the bottom of a dungeon the PCs need to retrieve to get closer to their nemesis is a popular pastime with DMs. It doesn’t take a lot of prep for a DM to add more investment in any adventure. Let’s go over one method—spending 10 minutes at a time.

The Personalized 10 Minute Slice Per Player

In a campaign, player drives vary. Some are interested in role-playing, some just want to show up, others like the idea of min-maxing their PC, others want to live out the fantasy of being a feudal lord, etc., etc.

I have a spreadsheet that tracks each PC. It contains any background info, which includes a 5E or Pathfinder background and their backstory (and half of my players didn’t start with a backstory). I also track things they are interested in, or plot points they bring up or anything usable by a DM.

In Excel, notepad, or 3×5 cards—it only takes about 10 minutes per player to add to adventure content that is personal to the player.

Example

Player 2 is one of the players that provided a backstory, which contains information about his grandfather’s disappearance one stormy night. In the adventure, there is an encounter location that contains treasure in an abandoned desk.

The DM puts a clockwork timepiece (aka a pocket watch) in the desk that the PC recognizes as his grandfather’s. It holds some type of enchantment, too, but the party’s wizard can’t figure it out.

The DM plans to have the investigation of the watch reveal more details of what happened to grandpa, cumulating in an adventure to bring back his bones to rest next to grandma.

Another Example

Player 3 didn’t provide a backstory but has the Acolyte background. In a room discovered while running the module, the party finds a trio of bodies—all wearing the acolyte livery that the PC used to wear.

Here the DM is playing it loosey-goosey. He listens to the player’s banter and guesses about what these acolytes might have been doing before here and see if the player in question has anything to say about his time in the church. The DM files exciting tidbits from the discussion for use at a later time, picking the best outcome (it’s always great when the players add their own lore!). There are some personal belongings on the bodies, so between the time the PC returns the items to the church and the adventure, the DM has a chance to come up with additional details as needed to advance this personalized plot—the main goal, however, is to snarf tidbits from the player discussion.

The Personalized 10 Minute Slice: Locality

It’s not just the players that should get 10 minutes each. The DM should also spend some time on the intrinsic parts of the localized game world. Harken ye back to the campaign plotting chart:

NPCs should have some type of interaction in the adventure based on their motives and dispositions to the party/PCs:

  • The mayor asks PCs, on their way to an adventure and passing through the next village, to deliver some letters.
  • The blacksmith hears about the PC’s trip and asks them to show any ancient weapons or metal armor that they find.
  • Nisha, the barmaid, the girlfriend of one of the PCs, is super mad the PC is going away again, and says to come back with a present, or at least flowers, or don’t come back at all!

There should also be setting interjections:

  • Winter is arriving, and the DM decides there’s just going to be a rip-roaring snowstorm. Because, why not!
  • The PCs have been hunting quite a bit with the local lord. They run into a druid that asks them politely to dial it down before the tasty fauna loses too much population to sustain itself.

Also, interjections based on prior Party Actions:

  • The party cleared out an old wizard tower, but when they ride by it, there’s a blue light in one of the windows!
  • The PCs, in their very first adventure, helped a hurt dire wolf. Now the wolf shadows them, seemingly wanting to join them at the campfire, but still skittish.
  • There is a bit of lore that says that periodically on a clear night, ghostly wind chimes are heard in an abandoned orchard outside of the village. The PCs hear this while preparing to sally forth.

And finaly, 10 minuites for the Villan:

Assuming the current adventure isn’t directly about the bad guy, spending 10 minutes adding some detail for the PCs to discover or experience is time well spent. Example:

  • The PCs don’t know it, but the undiscovered vampire that bought a local farm is waiting for the PCs to leave so she can charm some of the critical villagers, starting with the loud-mouth barmaid that gossips about her.
  • The vampire arranges for the local priestess to be out of the village for a couple of months. A low-level acolyte that doesn’t know anything about anything replaces her, dramatically decreasing the threat of receiving a blast of radiant damage to the face.
  • Despite her best efforts, the vampire finds herself enamored with the PC Bard (of course). Before the party leaves, she anonymously sends the local bard a rare and old poetry book.

Recap

A localized campaign requires a small time commitment per adventure (commercial or otherwise), along the lines of:

  • 10 minutes per player
  • 10 minutes for the localized campaign plotting
  • 10 minutes for the villainous villain

Note that all this prep was mostly about things the PCs did, about the PCs, or the villain. Little of it had to do with lore, and really, your lore should simply be a backdrop to action and drama.

Finding sand-boxy adventures to put in your localized game world makes things a whole lot easier when it comes to the players generating content for you. But even a rail-roady type adventure will seem all that more personal—when the DM personalizes it with local, and PC, flair.

Back Burials of Teganshire on Indiegogo for some excellent local maps and start adding that bit of detail to keep your players coming back for more.


 

Crossbow Man recognizes one of the runes on the bridge as the same rune on his brother’s sword. Isn’t that odd?

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BoT Post 6: Wind Up Your PCs with Your Villain and Let Them Go

Posted on by Anthony Pacheco

Burials of Teganshire post 6 of 30

So, yesterday was all about the bad guys—who are they and what to do they want. We had everything from a possessed sword to a dragon lich. Some people had favorites, some didn’t like one or two, and the real question on the table is—how do I bring this villain home to the PCs?

How do you make it—personal?

And this is where an open-world (and sandbox) campaign shines. Because of the organic nature of how your PCs deal with problems in a localized campaign vs. “the BBE is gonna kill everyone!” style of adventuring, it does, indeed, make it personal.

Wind up your PCs with the villain

Ever see one of those toy plushies with wheels and a windup key? Where you wind it up and then set it down? You have a vague idea where it’s gonna go, but then it just zooms, hits a wall, and careens off into a direction you were not expecting.

Yeah, that’s that plotting you want, adjusting to the PCs’ actions. Let’s give an example with a villain from yesterday, Lord Marthous the Betrayer:

5. Lord Marthous and the Lady

Lord Marthous and his wife are on the lam, hiding from the King’s Men. Lord Marthous recently found out he was the bastard son of the king and confronted the nobleman he thought was his father and also his mother for her discretion. The confrontation escalated out of control, and while fighting his step-father, his mother interjected herself in front of a mighty sword blow and died. Marthous in a rage then slew his step-father.

Hunted, despised for patricide, Lord Mathous and his wife fled but ran into a trio of paladins hunting them, the three not realizing that the Lady was a sorcerer with powers of her own. The duo slew the young knights.

Now Marthous is done running. He plans to clear his name by usurping the throne. He will replace the King, the man in his mind, the cause of all his troubles. He makes an impassioned plea for the PCs to help him. If the PCs join him, when he is successful in his plot, he will reward them with betrayal! He will blame them for the atrocities committed to ascend the throne (guilty or not) in order to appease the nobles still on the fence.

If the PCs refuse him upfront, he becomes a bitter enemy, and the King solicits their help in the dispute.

Either way, the PCs at some point will probably ask—are we the baddies?

Example Series of Events

  1. Lord Gwain Marthous, newly installed in his manor lands after his “father” expanded his holdings, awaits the arrival of his bride in his new manor home in the obligatory arranged marriage.
  2. Still moving in, short on time, men, and knowledge of the area, he hires the PCs to deal with “a particularly aggressive brown bear.” He pays them well.
  3. Said bear turns out to be a Dire Bear. And it’s rabid. It mauls the Level 1 PCs, but they emerge victoriously.
  4. Lord Marthous is taken aback at the PCs mauling. He doubles their reward and gifts them a hunting cabin in the nearby woods, an excellently furnished vacation home the PCs now can call their own.
  5. Gwain comes calling with a small cask of brandy. Everyone gets drunk. Gwain lays out three things he needs to handle, asking the PCs if they can help him out again. PCs pick one.
  6. During the adventure, the PCs have a random encounter—the abandoned campfire.
  7. Picking up the gold from Marthous, the PCs mention the campfire. Gwain tells them his falconer is overdue.
  8. Adventure ensues to find the lost falconer.
  9. No sooner than they investigate the falconer (some unusual fey thing killed him), Gwain comes to the PC in a panic. A passing merchant found his bride’s carriage overturned, the guards missing, blood everywhere!
  10. This adventure revolves around the PCs’ particular strengths, tailored for their backgrounds, prior contacts, and knowledge of the politics of the area thus far. Bandits kidnapped the Lady (paid by the political enemies of his “father”).
  11. An epic, drawn-out slugfest occurs, and the PCs return the Lady to her Lord. The Lady, who saved her sorcerer powers for just the right time, helps the PCs in any way she can. The DM uses that to save a PC’s life at just the right moment.
  12. Marthous says he can award one PC with knighthood and titled lands befitting his or her new station. He can then make the other PCs official Lord’s Men, men-at-arms with special privileges.
  13. The DM designs a small “bachelor party” adventure, complete with shenanigans and stealing the Bishop’s prized poodle.
  14. Wedding!
  15. Here the DM interjects two or three small adventures/encounters that revolve around the PC’s backstories, drives, or outright stated plans. Homebrew or off the shelf modules work well, here.
  16. Marthous finds out about his real father, and the events outlined in the villain’s description proceed.

That’s just one example of how to tie a bad guy up with the PCs, and this particular route would make Lord Marthous’s betrayal all the more painful. And Marthous is following the despot’s script: after the revolution, to preserve the state, someone must be punished for doing what had to be done, and the ones that did it must fall lest they do it again.

And let them go

A Picture of War

For Marthous’ betrayal to hit the players in the gut, they need to be invested in both him, his friendship, and the shared hardship or they all could hang for a tragic mistake. While the above is a linear progression from “Here’s an NPC” to “and now everything goes sideways,” there are numerous spots where the path wanders between a random encounter, a “pick your own adventure,” and adventurers according to PC actions/desires before the festivities start.

But, more importantly, there is a choice. And the PCs might choose to side with the King. And if they do, they have the terrible task of bringing their friend in for justice so he can be drawn and quartered for not only patricide but treason. Indeed, picking this route makes Lord Marthous all the more ruthless. He has nothing to lose and no friends to watch his back.

This is a campaign arc where there are no winners. The campaign starts in earnest with the Bastard Son’s Rebellion and should contain the majority of the campaign’s action cumulating in the only way it can: the PCs facing their former friend in a showdown for the Kingdom. It’s messy, bloody, and personal. At the end of the campaign, the PCs should be the last men and women standing. They are either the hero or the antihero, but whichever path they choose, they were not a lead-by-the-nose zeros.

And now, my friends, at the end of this arc, would be the most excellent time to introduce an outside threat—just when the Kingdom recovered from a rebellion. At her weakest, her real enemies attack.

Tomorrow we’ll go over how to use commercial modules to make them more personal for the players.

And for some villains with motivations other than twirling a great mustache, back Burials of Teganshire on Indiegogo today!

Burials of Teganshire

Crossbow Man would stick by his friend through thick and thin,
and betrayal would fill him with a righteous burning vengeance!

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