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@d-dplothooks
Let’s run with this
A string of apparent serial murders has the city craftsman’s district up at arms. The killings are secretly being committed by the will of a sentient weapon, who seeks out a “true killer at heart.” Those unworthy are compelled to kill their family, then themselves.
How would you introduce this encounter?
Fun ways to use the Gelatinous Cube in your game
This is a monster that behaves more like a living trap: its translucent, its potentially deadly, and involves skill checks to escape. Below are a few examples of the ways you can use gelatinous cube, apart from the other oozes in the Monster Manual.
Players are in a maze occupied by several gelatinous cubes. These cubes follow a predictable path that loops. The PCs can learn the safe routes by following the paths that are dirty or covered in debris. Paths that are spotless are the trails the gelatinous cubes follow, since they digest everything else in their path.
The players stand at the bottom of a steep staircase, unknowingly standing over a trap lid on the floor. When a PC triggers a pressure plate on one of the top stairs, the staircase will fold into a slide and the trap lid will move away to open up to a pit in the floor which contains a gelatinous cube.
A gelatinous cube has a magnet stuck in its body, and PCs that get within 15 ft. of the cube (while holding another magnet-like object) will have to beat a STR DC check or be pulled into the cube.
A gelatinous cube contains a downward-facing sword in the middle of its body. From a distance, the sword appears to be floating as if by magic, though checks to identify magic would fail since there’s nothing there to detect… unless the spell caster picks up the magic of an even smaller magic object instead, like a ring.
Have you used a gelatinous cube in your game? Reblog this post with your story!
Building a trap dungeon based off the Winchester mansion
For a while as a DM I wanted to pull off a “trap dungeon” that doesn’t rely on monsters to challenge the party, and I’ve wanted to have unreliable narrator try to guide the PCs through the dungeon. I see an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone in an upcoming session, but want to share my ideas with this subreddit and see what else we could come up with.
My players will be visiting a necromancer NPC whose focused his energies on rebuilding a town which was raided and destroyed years ago. The cleric PC has a haunted sword from that town that he’s finally able to put to rest, but he must traverse the newly-renovated crypt to bring the weapon to its resting place. The necromancer and the PCs are on somewhat friendly terms, so the necromancer would warn the party about some of the traps he’s installed.
The problem is: he left most of the construction and planning to several ghosts, who designed the crypt to confuse or harm the living. I’d like to give the players a prop, an inaccurate map that the necromancer wrote up before he passed the responsibility of renovating the crypt to the ghosts. (The map would probably show more hallways than there actually are, or less doors than there actually are, etc).
The necromancer would also share some general notes.
Some doors are false. There are more false doors than there are keys to open them.
Some hallways lead nowhere. At least one hallway is trapped.
There are several specters still haunting the crypt.
ROOMS
Entrance hallway. Rigged with pitfall traps.
Chapel room. Houses several altars to NG or N gods (Kelemvor, Eldath, Lathander, Savras).
Commoner’s crypt. Houses the poor dead.
Grand crypt. Houses the noble dead.
Commoner’s offering room and Grand offering room. Houses the treasures of the dead.
Embalming room. Contains keys, an ochre jelly to fight, and other useful items for the PCs.
Divination room. Haunted room with magic items.
TRAPS
A dead-end hallway with a door at the end. When a player opens the door, it triggers a wall at the entrance to the hallway to slide open and release a transparent gelatinous cube, which will sit in front of the entrance to the hallway. (It may hold a key or other relevant quest item).
Locked treasure chests without any loot inside. Unlocked treasure chests with spear or needle traps.
Chapel room rigged with a cloudkill spell if a PC touches the offerings to the dead.
Substances in the Embalming room which might either be potions, quest items, or ochre jelly.
A door enchanted with dimension door, which spits PCs back to the entrance of the crypt.
PUZZLES
One specter haunts a room until the PCs return his coffin lid to its proper location in the crypt. When the players do this, the specter will point out a false door and warn them not to use it before disappearing.
One specter haunts a room until the PCs rebuild an effigy to Kelemvor. They can find a scale in one of the offering rooms, and can find a skeletal hand in any crypt or inside the gelatinous cube.
Not sure if this counts as a “funhouse dungeon” but has anyone pulled off a dungeon which was mostly rigged with traps?
The party is traveling through this dungeon now. Some highlights.
The rogue/warlock fell into a pitfall trap in the entrance hallway. The players quickly pointed out the note they got from the nexromancer warning them about it.
The Wizard was possessed by Derrik. He failed another save and watched his body be directed out of the room and into another until the ancane trickster used a scroll to dispel good and evil.
The rogue/warlock was killed in the dead end hallway, digested by a gelatinous cube. The bard nearly suffered the same fate.
Since the death, the party decided to try and leave the crypt and get help.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@crazyd4esq nah they had handwritten notes warning them about both hallway traps as stated. He walked down a hallway that was warned in roleplay and as a DM to be careful. No rolls of any kind. He also failed the saves spectacularly which is luck, and the other PCs failed their medicine checks to stabilize and they didn’t try pulling him out.
The player was stoked because he can make a new character. We’ve been talking about it for days. Nobody is faulting me as the DM.
Building a trap dungeon based off the Winchester mansion
For a while as a DM I wanted to pull off a “trap dungeon” that doesn’t rely on monsters to challenge the party, and I’ve wanted to have unreliable narrator try to guide the PCs through the dungeon. I see an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone in an upcoming session, but want to share my ideas with this subreddit and see what else we could come up with.
My players will be visiting a necromancer NPC whose focused his energies on rebuilding a town which was raided and destroyed years ago. The cleric PC has a haunted sword from that town that he’s finally able to put to rest, but he must traverse the newly-renovated crypt to bring the weapon to its resting place. The necromancer and the PCs are on somewhat friendly terms, so the necromancer would warn the party about some of the traps he’s installed.
The problem is: he left most of the construction and planning to several ghosts, who designed the crypt to confuse or harm the living. I’d like to give the players a prop, an inaccurate map that the necromancer wrote up before he passed the responsibility of renovating the crypt to the ghosts. (The map would probably show more hallways than there actually are, or less doors than there actually are, etc).
The necromancer would also share some general notes.
Some doors are false. There are more false doors than there are keys to open them.
Some hallways lead nowhere. At least one hallway is trapped.
There are several specters still haunting the crypt.
ROOMS
Entrance hallway. Rigged with pitfall traps.
Chapel room. Houses several altars to NG or N gods (Kelemvor, Eldath, Lathander, Savras).
Commoner’s crypt. Houses the poor dead.
Grand crypt. Houses the noble dead.
Commoner’s offering room and Grand offering room. Houses the treasures of the dead.
Embalming room. Contains keys, an ochre jelly to fight, and other useful items for the PCs.
Divination room. Haunted room with magic items.
TRAPS
A dead-end hallway with a door at the end. When a player opens the door, it triggers a wall at the entrance to the hallway to slide open and release a transparent gelatinous cube, which will sit in front of the entrance to the hallway. (It may hold a key or other relevant quest item).
Locked treasure chests without any loot inside. Unlocked treasure chests with spear or needle traps.
Chapel room rigged with a cloudkill spell if a PC touches the offerings to the dead.
Substances in the Embalming room which might either be potions, quest items, or ochre jelly.
A door enchanted with dimension door, which spits PCs back to the entrance of the crypt.
PUZZLES
One specter haunts a room until the PCs return his coffin lid to its proper location in the crypt. When the players do this, the specter will point out a false door and warn them not to use it before disappearing.
One specter haunts a room until the PCs rebuild an effigy to Kelemvor. They can find a scale in one of the offering rooms, and can find a skeletal hand in any crypt or inside the gelatinous cube.
Not sure if this counts as a “funhouse dungeon” but has anyone pulled off a dungeon which was mostly rigged with traps?
The party is traveling through this dungeon now. Some highlights.
The rogue/warlock fell into a pitfall trap in the entrance hallway. The players quickly pointed out the note they got from the nexromancer warning them about it.
The Wizard was possessed by Derrik. He failed another save and watched his body be directed out of the room and into another until the ancane trickster used a scroll to dispel good and evil.
The rogue/warlock was killed in the dead end hallway, digested by a gelatinous cube. The bard nearly suffered the same fate.
Since the death, the party decided to try and leave the crypt and get help.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Four days until you can playtest a new card game about mad science and engine building! Come to The Uncommons in NYC 7/18 between 7:30-11:30 PM to play!
First player death. The rogue was engulfed and digested by a gelatinous cube. Classic.
Discuss
Building a trap dungeon based off the Winchester mansion
For a while as a DM I wanted to pull off a "trap dungeon" that doesn't rely on monsters to challenge the party, and I've wanted to have unreliable narrator try to guide the PCs through the dungeon. I see an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone in an upcoming session, but want to share my ideas with this subreddit and see what else we could come up with.
My players will be visiting a necromancer NPC whose focused his energies on rebuilding a town which was raided and destroyed years ago. The cleric PC has a haunted sword from that town that he's finally able to put to rest, but he must traverse the newly-renovated crypt to bring the weapon to its resting place. The necromancer and the PCs are on somewhat friendly terms, so the necromancer would warn the party about some of the traps he's installed.
The problem is: he left most of the construction and planning to several ghosts, who designed the crypt to confuse or harm the living. I'd like to give the players a prop, an inaccurate map that the necromancer wrote up before he passed the responsibility of renovating the crypt to the ghosts. (The map would probably show more hallways than there actually are, or less doors than there actually are, etc).
The necromancer would also share some general notes.
Some doors are false. There are more false doors than there are keys to open them.
Some hallways lead nowhere. At least one hallway is trapped.
There are several specters still haunting the crypt.
ROOMS
Entrance hallway. Rigged with pitfall traps.
Chapel room. Houses several altars to NG or N gods (Kelemvor, Eldath, Lathander, Savras).
Commoner's crypt. Houses the poor dead.
Grand crypt. Houses the noble dead.
Commoner's offering room and Grand offering room. Houses the treasures of the dead.
Embalming room. Contains keys, an ochre jelly to fight, and other useful items for the PCs.
Divination room. Haunted room with magic items.
TRAPS
A dead-end hallway with a door at the end. When a player opens the door, it triggers a wall at the entrance to the hallway to slide open and release a transparent gelatinous cube, which will sit in front of the entrance to the hallway. (It may hold a key or other relevant quest item).
Locked treasure chests without any loot inside. Unlocked treasure chests with spear or needle traps.
Chapel room rigged with a cloudkill spell if a PC touches the offerings to the dead.
Substances in the Embalming room which might either be potions, quest items, or ochre jelly.
A door enchanted with dimension door, which spits PCs back to the entrance of the crypt.
PUZZLES
One specter haunts a room until the PCs return his coffin lid to its proper location in the crypt. When the players do this, the specter will point out a false door and warn them not to use it before disappearing.
One specter haunts a room until the PCs rebuild an effigy to Kelemvor. They can find a scale in one of the offering rooms, and can find a skeletal hand in any crypt or inside the gelatinous cube.
Not sure if this counts as a "funhouse dungeon" but has anyone pulled off a dungeon which was mostly rigged with traps?
If you’re in the Brooklyn NY area, I’d love to see you come out this Saturday at 6:30 at Brooklyn Game Lab!
D&D 5e Warlock Subclass: Clippy Patron
Clippet or “Clippy” is the eldritch entity that resides in the Office Plane, a demiplane that takes the form of an infinitely tall office building filled with cubicles. Each cubicle houses a damned soul bound by chains of paper clips as they perform mundane paperwork for the lower planes as their eternal torment. The demiplane is reachable through the door of a brutalistic building in the city of Dis on Baator. Clippy does not profit from his work but simply enjoys helping others at the expense of his eternally damned employees. He will often seek out warlocks to aid in hopes that they will seek business with him in the afterlife.
Clippy Patron Warlock Features
Assistance: At 1st level, you can use your action to focus on one humanoid creature of your choice other than yourself within 30 ft. of you. Using your concentration, you provide aid to that creature. That creature may add 1d6 to any one damage roll of their choice during each of their turns.
Desktop Divination: Also at 1st level, you can automatically detect when a creature within 300 ft. of you is writing something and the nature of the inscription, but not its precise contents. For instance, you can determine that someone is writing a letter but not the contents of the letter or to whom the letter is addressed. You instantly learn the direction and distance to each writer in range relative to you.
Template: At 6th level, you can create templates of your spells to easily replicate them. Each time you complete a short or long rest, you may instantly create a spell scroll of any one spell from your list of spells known called a template. Any creature can use the template to use the spell scroll, even if they cannot normally cast spells. You can only have one template created at a time but you can change the spell stored in the template whenever you finish a rest.
Save Your Changes: Starting at 10th level, when you cast a spell with a duration of 1 minute or longer, you may immediately take 5 points of psychic damage to double the duration of that spell (up to a maximum of 1 hour).
Don’t Show Me This Tip Again: At 14th level, you can use your action to attempt to banish a creature. You target a living creature with an Intelligence score 4 or greater using your action. That creature must make an INT saving throw. On a failed save, the creature vanishes and reappears in the Office Plane (the home of your arcane patron). The creature remains there as long as you maintain concentration up to 1 minute. While banished in this way, the creature takes 3d10 psychic damage at the start of each of their turns. The target can attempt a new saving throw at the end of each of their turns, escaping on a success. During each of your turns, you can use your action to impose disadvantage on the creature’s next saving throw. If the creature is reduced to 0 hit points while banished or if they are banished for an entire minute, the creature becomes eternally trapped on the Office Plane where they are slowly transformed into a paper clip, one of the many that form the endless paper clip chains that weigh down the souls of the damned. Once you use this ability you must finish a long rest before using it again.
Spells
Chains of the Office Plane
3rd level conjuration
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 120 ft.
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Components: V, S
You call upon the paper clip chains of Clippy to bind your foes. You choose up to five large or smaller creatures within range, each no more than 10 ft. apart from at least one other target. The creatures become linked to one another in one long chain. Each creatures becomes linked to the nearest other target. If two targets are the same distance from one another, you choose which ones are linked and how, as long as it produces one unbroken chain. All linked creatures move at once when one target moves and cannot move more than 10 ft. away from a target they are linked to. This unique movement expends the movement speed of all creatures in the chain until their next turn. An affected creature can attempt a STR saving throw using their action during their turn to break themselves free from the chain. On a successful saving throw, all creatures linked to that creature are no longer linked to that creature.
Conjure Office Supplies
Conjuration cantrip
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 5 ft.
Duration: 1 hour
Components: V, S
You summon your choice of either Calligrapher’s Supplies, Cartographer’s Tools, or a Forgery Kit. You also conjure a writing desk in a space within range. Only one set of tools and one desk can be summoned using this spell at a time. You may dismiss the summoned objects using a bonus action.
Clippet’s Magnificent Cubicle
7th level conjuration
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: 5 ft.
Duration: 8 hours plus half an hour for lunch
Components: V, S
You create an extradimensional doorway to a cubicle of Clippy’s Office Plane. The door will only open for creatures that speak the passphrase you determine as you cast the spell. The doorway leads to a 10 ft. by 10 ft. room. The room contains an ordinary desk with plenty of paper and writing implements. A medium sized humanoid employee wearing a collared shirt and khakis and the paper clip chains of the damned also appears in the room. The employee follows your commands to the letter, but at half the speed of a regular person. There are also various magical tools available which allow you to do one of the following:
Shred any one paper or parchment using your action.
Make a copy of any paper or parchment using your action .
Bind up to 100 pieces of paper or parchment together into a book using your action.
Cast Scrying (save DC 17) on a crystal cube located on the desk.
Invocations
Clippy’s Binding Blade: (Clippy Patron, Pact of the Blade feature) You can summon a pact weapon that takes the appearance of sharpened paper clip with a hilt. Whenever you deal damage to a creature using this pact weapon, the creature must make a STR saving throw against your spell save DC or become restrained until the start of your next turn and take an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage from the attack. Summoning this weapon takes a warlock spell slot and lasts for 10 minutes.
Paper Clip Familiar: (Clippy Patron, Pact of the Chain feature) You can summon an avatar of Clippy for your familiar when you cast Find Familiar. The avatar takes the form of a paper clip with eyeballs riding a floating sheet of paper. The familiar has the same statistics as an Imp but also grants you a +2 bonus to all INT, WIS, and CHA ability checks while it remains within 5 ft. of you as it provides you with useful assistance.
Page Navigation: (Clippy Patron, Pact of the Tome feature) You can detect paper and parchment within 300 ft. of you at will. You can use your action to teleport using your book of shadows to any piece of paper or parchment within 300 ft. of you by spending a warlock spell slot.
Why have you done this
This is so clever
WONDERFUL!
Temples are built for gods. Knowing this a farmer builds a small temple to see what kind of god turns up.
Arepo built a temple in his field, a humble thing, some stones stacked up to make a cairn, and two days later a god moved in.
“Hope you’re a harvest god,” Arepo said, and set up an altar and burnt two stalks of wheat. “It’d be nice, you know.” He looked down at the ash smeared on the stone, the rocks all laid askew, and coughed and scratched his head. “I know it’s not much,” he said, his straw hat in his hands. “But - I’ll do what I can. It’d be nice to think there’s a god looking after me.”
The next day he left a pair of figs, the day after that he spent ten minutes of his morning seated by the temple in prayer. On the third day, the god spoke up.
“You should go to a temple in the city,” the god said. Its voice was like the rustling of the wheat, like the squeaks of fieldmice running through the grass. “A real temple. A good one. Get some real gods to bless you. I’m no one much myself, but I might be able to put in a good word?” It plucked a leaf from a tree and sighed. “I mean, not to be rude. I like this temple. It’s cozy enough. The worship’s been nice. But you can’t honestly believe that any of this is going to bring you anything.”
“This is more than I was expecting when I built it,” Arepo said, laying down his scythe and lowering himself to the ground. “Tell me, what sort of god are you anyway?”
“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth. I’m a god of a dozen different nothings, scraps that lead to rot, momentary glimpses. A change in the air, and then it’s gone.”
The god heaved another sigh. “There’s no point in worship in that, not like War, or the Harvest, or the Storm. Save your prayers for the things beyond your control, good farmer. You’re so tiny in the world. So vulnerable. Best to pray to a greater thing than me.”
Arepo plucked a stalk of wheat and flattened it between his teeth. “I like this sort of worship fine,” he said. “So if you don’t mind, I think I’ll continue.”
“Do what you will,” said the god, and withdrew deeper into the stones. “But don’t say I never warned you otherwise.”
Arepo would say a prayer before the morning’s work, and he and the god contemplated the trees in silence. Days passed like that, and weeks, and then the Storm rolled in, black and bold and blustering. It flooded Arepo’s fields, shook the tiles from his roof, smote his olive tree and set it to cinder. The next day, Arepo and his sons walked among the wheat, salvaging what they could. The little temple had been strewn across the field, and so when the work was done for the day, Arepo gathered the stones and pieced them back together.
“Useless work,” the god whispered, but came creeping back inside the temple regardless. “There wasn’t a thing I could do to spare you this.”
“We’ll be fine,” Arepo said. “The storm’s blown over. We’ll rebuild. Don’t have much of an offering for today,” he said, and laid down some ruined wheat, “but I think I’ll shore up this thing’s foundations tomorrow, how about that?”
The god rattled around in the temple and sighed.
A year passed, and then another. The temple had layered walls of stones, a roof of woven twigs. Arepo’s neighbors chuckled as they passed it. Some of their children left fruit and flowers. And then the Harvest failed, the gods withdrew their bounty. In Arepo’s field the wheat sprouted thin and brittle. People wailed and tore their robes, slaughtered lambs and spilled their blood, looked upon the ground with haunted eyes and went to bed hungry. Arepo came and sat by the temple, the flowers wilted now, the fruit shriveled nubs, Arepo’s ribs showing through his chest, his hands still shaking, and murmured out a prayer.
“There is nothing here for you,” said the god, hudding in the dark. “There is nothing I can do. There is nothing to be done.” It shivered, and spat out its words. “What is this temple but another burden to you?”
“We -” Arepo said, and his voice wavered. “So it’s a lean year,” he said. “We’ve gone through this before, we’ll get through this again. So we’re hungry,” he said. “We’ve still got each other, don’t we? And a lot of people prayed to other gods, but it didn’t protect them from this. No,” he said, and shook his head, and laid down some shriveled weeds on the altar. “No, I think I like our arrangement fine.”
“There will come worse,” said the god, from the hollows of the stone. “And there will be nothing I can do to save you.”
The years passed. Arepo rested a wrinkled hand upon the temple of stone and some days spent an hour there, lost in contemplation with the god.
And one fateful day, from across the wine-dark seas, came War.
Arepo came stumbling to his temple now, his hand pressed against his gut, anointing the holy site with his blood. Behind him, his wheat fields burned, and the bones burned black in them. He came crawling on his knees to a temple of hewed stone, and the god rushed out to meet him.
“I could not save them,” said the god, its voice a low wail. “I am sorry. I am sorry. I am so so sorry.” The leaves fell burning from the trees, a soft slow rain of ash. “I have done nothing! All these years, and I have done nothing for you!”
“Shush,” Arepo said, tasting his own blood, his vision blurring. He propped himself up against the temple, forehead pressed against the stone in prayer. “Tell me,” he mumbled. “Tell me again. What sort of god are you?”
“I -” said the god, and reached out, cradling Arepo’s head, and closed its eyes and spoke.
“I’m of the fallen leaves,” it said, and conjured up the image of them. “The worms that churn beneath the earth. The boundary of forest and of field. The first hint of frost before the first snow falls. The skin of an apple as it yields beneath your teeth.” Arepo’s lips parted in a smile.
“I am the god of a dozen different nothings,” it said. “The petals in bloom that lead to rot, the momentary glimpses. A change in the air -” Its voice broke, and it wept. “Before it’s gone.”
“Beautiful,” Arepo said, his blood staining the stones, seeping into the earth. “All of them. They were all so beautiful.”
And as the fields burned and the smoke blotted out the sun, as men were trodden in the press and bloody War raged on, as the heavens let loose their wrath upon the earth, Arepo the sower lay down in his humble temple, his head sheltered by the stones, and returned home to his god.
Sora found the temple with the bones within it, the roof falling in upon them.
“Oh, poor god,” she said, “With no-one to bury your last priest.” Then she paused, because she was from far away. “Or is this how the dead are honored here?” The god roused from its contemplation.
“His name was Arepo,” it said, “He was a sower.”
Sora startled, a little, because she had never before heard the voice of a god. “How can I honor him?” She asked.
“Bury him,” the god said, “Beneath my altar.”
“All right,” Sora said, and went to fetch her shovel.
“Wait,” the god said when she got back and began collecting the bones from among the broken twigs and fallen leaves. She laid them out on a roll of undyed wool, the only cloth she had. “Wait,” the god said, “I cannot do anything for you. I am not a god of anything useful.”
Sora sat back on her heels and looked at the altar to listen to the god.
“When the Storm came and destroyed his wheat, I could not save it,” the god said, “When the Harvest failed and he was hungry, I could not feed him. When War came,” the god’s voice faltered. “When War came, I could not protect him. He came bleeding from the battle to die in my arms.” Sora looked down again at the bones.
“I think you are the god of something very useful,” she said.
“What?” the god asked.
Sora carefully lifted the skull onto the cloth. “You are the god of Arepo.”
Generations passed. The village recovered from its tragedies—homes rebuilt, gardens re-planted, wounds healed. The old man who once lived on the hill and spoke to stone and rubble had long since been forgotten, but the temple stood in his name. Most believed it to empty, as the god who resided there long ago had fallen silent. Yet, any who passed the decaying shrine felt an ache in their hearts, as though mourning for a lost friend. The cold that seeped from the temple entrance laid their spirits low, and warded off any potential visitors, save for the rare and especially oblivious children who would leave tiny clusters of pink and white flowers that they picked from the surrounding meadow.
The god sat in his peaceful home, staring out at the distant road, to pedestrians, workhorses, and carriages, raining leaves that swirled around bustling feet. How long had it been? The world had progressed without him, for he knew there was no help to be given. The world must be a cruel place, that even the useful gods have abandoned, if farms can flood, harvests can run barren, and homes can burn, he thought.
He had come to understand that humans are senseless creatures, who would pray to a god that cannot grant wishes or bless upon them good fortune. Who would maintain a temple and bring offerings with nothing in return. Who would share their company and meditate with such a fruitless deity. Who would bury a stranger without the hope for profit. What bizarre, futile kindness they had wasted on him. What wonderful, foolish, virtuous, hopeless creatures, humans were.
So he painted the sunset with yellow leaves, enticed the worms to dance in their soil, flourished the boundary between forest and field with blossoms and berries, christened the air with a biting cold before winter came, ripened the apples with crisp, red freckles to break under sinking teeth, and a dozen other nothings, in memory of the man who once praised the god’s work on his dying breath.
“Hello, God of Every Humble Beauty in the World,” called a familiar voice.
The squinting corners of the god’s eyes wept down onto curled lips. “Arepo,” he whispered, for his voice was hoarse from its hundred-year mutism.
“I am the god of devotion, of small kindnesses, of unbreakable bonds. I am the god of selfless, unconditional love, of everlasting friendships, and trust,” Arepo avowed, soothing the other with every word.
“That’s wonderful, Arepo,” he responded between tears, “I’m so happy for you—such a powerful figure will certainly need a grand temple. Will you leave to the city to gather more worshippers? You’ll be adored by all.”
“No,” Arepo smiled.
“Farther than that, to the capitol, then? Thank you for visiting here before your departure.”
“No, I will not go there, either,” Arepo shook his head and chuckled.
“Farther still? What ambitious goals, you must have. There is no doubt in my mind that you will succeed, though,” the elder god continued.
“Actually,” interrupted Arepo, “I’d like to stay here, if you’ll have me.”
The other god was struck speechless. “…. Why would you want to live here?”
“I am the god of unbreakable bonds and everlasting friendships. And you are the god of Arepo.”
I reblogged this once with the first story. Now the story has grown and I’m crying. This is gorgeous, guys. This is what dreams are made of.
Monstrous Races as PCs: Creating Fun Party Dynamics and Quirky Characters
Been thinking about playing monstrous races as PCs in D&D.
I think I would most enjoy playing a monstrous race if it had a very special connection to another member of my party.
It would create a great built-in narrative, give my character some cool motivations, and make for some really fun interaction between players. Having such a cool character conceit would also help rationalize the choice to play races with such drastic drawbacks like not being able to hold things, speak, etc. And you’d have an automatic friend in the party. :) (Of course, all this is contingent on the other player wanting this too, don’t be an annoying dweeb and spring it on them without talking to them/your DM first and making sure it’s ok).
For example, you could play:
A wizard’s homunculus, who is either still very servile or a rebel who only sticks around because they don’t know what else to do in such a big, scary world…
A mimic whose favorite thing is to transform into a cloak or another worn or carried object, and ride around on/with one particular person, who is either glad for the company or only grudgingly allows it…
An animated sword/other weapon that belongs to a great fighter. The fighter already has a really cool magic weapon, and you’re constantly trying to show off and prove your better. Or another animated object that belongs to a particular party member (an ornate armchair, a bed, etc) that follows them around everywhere. If you’re a large enough piece of furniture, perhaps you could function as a mount or cart for the party. Imagine a large animated canopy bed tied up in the stable outside the tavern…Or perhaps the animated chair goes into the tavern with the party, posing as a regular chair and then pulling itself out from under drunks, causing mischief…
A wizard’s familiar (like an awakened cat, a pseudodragon, etc) who is unusually autonomous. Sometimes you do what the wizard wants, sometimes you don’t, but you always have a deep love for your wizard, and want them to succeed…
A scarecrow (or another evil spirit trapped by a magic user in a construct body). You follow the magic user who trapped you around and pester them to be freed, though if truth be told this body is much more fun than your regular spirit form, and you welcome the structure and purpose it gives you…
The shadow of one of the party members. Would make an excellent rogue. Most of the time you stick with your party member. Other times you detach and slink off to accomplish your own plans. It would be funniest if you were a very different shape and size than your party member’s actual shadow would be: perhaps a goliath has a tiny little girl’s shadow, or a gnome has the shadow of a dragon. People around you may or may not notice this discrepancy, depending on their passive perception…
A shield guardian, helmed horror, or awakened suit of armor that protects one particular member of the party. Perhaps you were assigned to protect that party member by their overbearing parent, and they see you as an unwelcome reminder of their family. Or perhaps you were separated traumatically from your last charge, and have found someone new to protect, swearing not to fail this time…
A shambling mound or awakened shrub or tree, awakened by a druid in the party. You follow the druid around fawningly, always friendly and helpful…
A ghost or spectre. Perhaps you were killed by a member of the party. Perhaps you were a close friend or lover of a member of the party, and can’t bear to be parted with them. Do they cherish the chance to see you again? Do they wish you would leave them alone, an awful reminder of their past?
A giant or normal sized animal pulled from a Bag of Tricks, or summoned by a druid. Having served your purpose, you were dismissed, but for some reason you remain, loyal to your party member…
A doppelganger obsessed with one member of the party. You shapeshift into that person every day, and try to copy their every move. You idolize them, and aspire to be just like them. Either they’re flattered by this attention, or find it extremely creepy…
What monstrous races do you think would be fun to play?
( Tyler Kamstra’s Monstrous Races PDF that can be found here is great, gives some great ideas and fleshes out the mechanics to turn monsters into PCs).
One of my PCs is a shield guardian, mechanically he’s a warforged with a few home-brew changes.
Brainstorm with me! Providing a moral quandary for one of my PCs.
Here’s a shower thought I had to write down. Let’s see if we can fine tune it before my next game!
There’s a halfling bard in the party with a backstory that involves a cursed ring that split him into two entities. I describe it as if the ring split the halfling between his ego and his id and these ‘brothers’ went their separate ways. The ring is cursed by Beshaba, a lesser deity in my world. Beshaba is two halves of a whole as well: Beshaba has a sister deity, Tymora. Together they’re the goddesses of misfortune and luck, respectively, and they were once the goddess of Fate, Tyche. In my setting, they mysteriously split ages ago and gave living beings more reign to their own destinies, but chaos ensued as fates waxed and waned.
Tymora and Beshaba have been speaking to the PC character in his dreams ever since he found a strange coin in his pocket he can never seen to lose. Tymora tells him to ‘be bold’ and continue his heroic deeds as he plays through my campaign, and he can become ‘whole’ again. Beshaba dissuades him from continuing his heroics because ‘all mortals fail and face my wrath, sooner or later.’ She also tells the PC that his ‘brother’ has heeded her words and has been rewarded, and is ‘better off without you.’
These goddesses want the opposite thing to happen: if the PC continues through the campaign, I mean to re-make Tyche after ages of absence by the two sisters coming together again. If I can maybe tie this in with his cursed ring and his ‘brother,’ that might be fun.
Tymora wants to become Tyche with her sister because ???
Beshaba does not want to become Tyche with her sister because if the PC does not save the day, the world will end as a result of his ‘brother’s’ actions, resulting in a massive power surge of her deitic powers as a goddess of misfortune (what’s more unfortunate than the end of the world?). She will ask him ‘if you were destined to save the world but suffer a horrible tragedy as a result, would you seek out your fate or want to power to change it?’
I’m having an issue developing a counter-argument to Beshaba’s ‘free fate’ idea that also sounds like a good idea to some. Any thoughts? Or can I go about this a different way?
Wilderness survival / Resource management game
I’m making a resource management game and need playtester feedback. As the governor of a small rural colony, you’re tasked with building morale, supplying food, challenging the witch - and writing back to me! I’m developing this game to be the best it can be, and I need feedback.
If you find a bug, please screenshot it and write to me either on here or my FB page Jeremy Makes Games. Until then, I hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you!
NEW PLAYTEST LINK 3/13/18
Try the above link. Now you have to BANISH colonists when you can’t feed them, and some bugs should be fixed!
Come play Mutology this month in Brooklyn, NY. Event info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/151217622234545/
Wilderness survival / Resource management game
I’m making a resource management game and need playtester feedback. As the governor of a small rural colony, you’re tasked with building morale, supplying food, challenging the witch - and writing back to me! I’m developing this game to be the best it can be, and I need feedback.
If you find a bug, please screenshot it and write to me either on here or my FB page Jeremy Makes Games. Until then, I hope you enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you!
Playing an archfey warlock. So far Ive hexed three people and touched a piece of paper and fell down screaming in psychic pain.
