#d&d 5

[nailsofvecna]

A favourite of chronomancers everywhere, the clockwork ring works by the same principle as the much more common clockwork amulet, but its magitech workings are infinitely more complex.

[dnd-on-a-budget]

DM: Roll initiative

Cress, our gunslinger: (rolls 26)

Riptide, our swashbuckler rogue with alert: (rolls 25)

Riptide: Fuck you

[dmsden]

Monster of the Month - The Stirge

Hullo, Gentle Readers. As we enter the warmer months, I’ve started getting bitten by those little blood-sucking bastards - the mosquitoes. Reflect, however, on how much better we have it than the folks who live in the Realms of D&D, as they have to deal with the mosquito’s steroid-ridden cousin, the Stirge. Thanks, as always, to Scott Fabianek for his wonderful origional artwork of this awful parasite.

Stirges have a special place in my heart as a monster I *hate* as a player. There’s also the phrase “I’ll hit the third stirge” at my gaming tables, which means “You caught me not paying attention. Please repeat?” Long story, which maybe I’ll tell for another freestyle article down the road.

The stirge has been around for ages in D&D lore, having been part of the game almost from the beginning. At their core, they’re a pretty straightforward monster. They want to attach themselves and start draining blood. They’re CR 1/8, so you can throw them at your level 1 party, but they might be better for a slightly higher level. Assuming a group of 5 PCs, 4 stirges are an easy encounter, 6 are medium, 7 are hard, and 8 are deadly. So why is this?

Looking at the stirge’s stats, it has a decent armor class, negligible hit points, no particular saves or skills to speak of...so what makes this critter such a pain in the neck? Well, its attack is +5, which is pretty high for its CR. When it hits, it does an average of 5 hp of damage. If it isn’t killed or detached (which takes an action), it then drains 5 hit points of blood a round. Let’s assume a group of 6 stirges attacking 5 PCs. Odds are good most of them will hit the ACs of first level characters. That means most PCs will take 5 hp, and someone’s probably taking 10. That 10 damage is going to put most 1st level PCs down. If anyone fails to remove or kill their stirge, then there’s a round of blood drain, which will likely put down even the group’s barbarian, if they were attacked by two stirges on the first round. 8 strirges would be a truly deadly encounter for a group of 5 1st level PCs. And if your PCs are higher level? You can always add to the stirges.

Still don’t think stirges are that bad? Let’s think on this. Suppose, through sheer luck, two stirges latch onto the party’s wizard or rogue. That’s 10 damage from the initial attack. But, to make matters worse, it’s two sources of damage on the next round, because the stirges don’t detach until they’ve drained 10 hp of blood or killed the victim. That means 2 failed death saves (thankfully not 4...the blood drain isn’t an attack, so it won’t be a crit to the Unconscious creature) per round. If other PCs don’t get those stirges detached from their fallen friend, that PC is almost certain to die. And that means ignoring stirges that might be attached to them!

I am also delighted by this tidbit at the end of the creature’s description:

Yes, friends, stirges can be found anywhere, including urban environments. And if that doesn’t terrify you, it should. Imagine neighborhoods of a village suddenly waking up to find whole households dead, corpses shrunken and shrivelled, the only clues round holes in the victims and a complete lack of blood in the body. You could take this in a horrible direction worthy of a Ravenloft evening.

Two ideas come to mind when dealing with stirges. One, it might be interesting to treat stirges like a common insect and give them insect-like properties. A Queen Stirge might be a...really awful thing to have to deal with. A swarm of stirges would likewise be something I would personally really rather not have to ever deal with.

One interesting side note - stirges are Beasts in 5E. That means they’re naturally occurring critters in the D&D world. It also means that druids can interact with them using any power they have that can affect beasts. They can cast Animal Friendship on them. They can summon them with Conjure Animals. They can even wild shape into them starting at 8th level (because of their fly speed) if that’s their idea of a good time. And yes, a Beastmaster Ranger could have one as an animal companion, because it takes all kinds!

I hope this article helped you get attached to the stirge...better that than the stirge getting attached to you! Next month, we’ll be looking at that wonderful insect with the acidic spittle - the ankheg. Until then, may all your 20s be natural.

[eye-co]

Nathair

[varianthumanwizard]

How to play a Royal in D&D 5e

If you’ve ever wanted to live out your disney dreams, or truly embrace the politics of a fantasy world, here are ways to play Royalty in 5e:

A changeling archfey warlock, whose parents tried unsuccessfully for an heir, and turned to the woods witches for aid. The woods witches delivered them a child, and the parents sword to never disclouse their babe’s origins, and raise them as a Human. However, the gifts the young royal exhibited were growing to powerful, and eventually the changling ran to the woods, hoping for answers and a home that would except them.

A dragonborn draconic bloodline sorcerer, fifth born and looked down upon by all their siblings. The crown is meant to pass to the eldest child, and as such the family magic should manifest as he turns of age. However, it doesn’t. Neither for the second born, or third, or fourth. Instead, the fifth born child finds themselves blessed with ancient magics, and hunted by their four siblings, all of which want the power and the crown.

A Wood Elf Ranger, on their second year of a ten year banishment, during which they must prepare to take the throne upon coming of age. Unfortunately, the Elf now feels much more at home in the world of man, and is worrried they’ll be able to accept their position and give up their new life. 

A Triton Path of the Ancestral Guardians barbarian, whose power comes from the leaders who came before him, acting as an emissary to the land kingdoms for their elder sibling, but wondering if the rumors of corruption and social disruption within the underwater courts could possibly be true.

Let me know any other archetypes you’d wanna play in D&D and i’ll see what I can do!

[oliviasketchbook]

D&D Portrait made for SzpytMusic Featuring something called a Reborn?

Their origin story involves then waking up in a lab with not all their body parts matching - A pretty cool idea to me! Inks done by hand/colors in Paint Tool SAI

[ren-imol]

just a man i plan to incorporate in my character’s background

[zabichat]

D&D is life, D&D is love !