The Nat1 DM

New campaign, who dis?

[the-nat1-dm]

Orc Culture - Part 1

Naming Practices

Orcs believe one’s honor is carried in their names. They may gain 3 names, followed by their Clan Name, through their lives:

Birth Name - The name given to them at birth. This name holds no honor and is the equivalent to “Congrats, you we born. Woo hoo.” To carry a birth name into adulthood is a great shame in Orc clans as it means that orc has done nothing seen as worthy to their clan. Examples of Birth Names would be: Names listed in Volo’s Guide to Monsters.

Blood Name - A name earned by performing in some way that makes the clan take notice, be it a battle won for the clan or an act of betrayal. Examples of Blood Names would be: Jawbreaker(Honored, self-explanatory), Bladekeeper(Honored, either maintains weapons or takes weapons from fallen enemies), Brighteye(Insult, implies bearer is like the ‘lesser races’), Dirt-H*mper(Insult, one who falls often).

Soul Name - Referred to by some as their True Name. No longer used by the clans, being faithful Gruumans, as it was seen as a soft(weak) practice and has been forgotten. It has been revived by the Orcs that have successfully broke away from the clans and Gruumsh, following the(homebrew) Orc Goddess of Change: Thu’un. Before Gruumsh, Orcs believed the soul was born incomplete and that when they found their life partner they would have their Soul Name, being unable to come up with a name being a sign of false love or a doomed partnership. In the cases of Aromantic Orcs they could get their Soul Name from a beloved pet or even take a sound made from a hobby they love as their Soul Name. Anyone or anything that brought more joy than anything else would be considered a Life Partner. Examples of Soul Names would be: Any orc name, any name from other races, animal sounds, Sound made from a hobby.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felt like sharing some sh*t I’ve worked on for my setting. There’s more to it, but I’ll post that stuff later. Til then: enjoy my Orc Naming Practices!

[the-nat1-dm]

Playing horrible NPCs

Last session was interesting. After giving my players a few lovable characters I thought it best to remind my party, specifically the 2 Half-elves and the Half-Orc,  of the attitude the world has for them. For this, I created the snooty High Elf: Leshanna (forgot to give a last name). She charged the two players that went to her Fine Clothing Store 300g for a single outfit, and only haggled down to 150g because one character, a Tabaxi, took her aside and haggled alone. They could have tried for lower but went with the first offer \_(o.o )_/ Next I repurposed an NPC from HotDQ, Jos, into a pompous ass(insulting an Orc NPC in front of the Half-Orc character). I kinda messed up the plot so I see no harm in messing with a few NPCs as I try and redirect things back on track

[the-nat1-dm]

New Faces, New Mysteries

PMS has welcomed two new members: Jordie, the Half-Orc Barbarian on a quest to find his love, and Bubbling River Delta, the Tabaxi rouge searching for a mysterious box she lost.

Along with these new faces, PMS has discovered more information on Masoht. Or so they think. The name has come up in strange places, held by different faces. Is it multiple people using one name?

What is ‘Masoht’?

[the-nat1-dm]

Masoht and Bessie

Last night we had an...interesting session.

Some backstory: At the beginning of HotDQ I put the characters on a cart to Greenest. The driver was a grey-haired human named Masoht with his trusty horse Bessie. He was an odd character, calling the characters “Herolings” and offering to get them closer to Greenest only to drop them off with still a mile to go.

Skip ahead to roughly mid-campaign, the party is travelling to Baldur’s Gate by cart(a gift from Greenest’s mayor). After two LOUSY rolls for travel, the group was left with no choice but to travel by foot when their cart lost it’s back wheels. One lucky roll and none other than Masoht crosses their path. He once again offers a ride, coincidentally also headed to BG, and the group is back on track.

However, after noticing some odd traits, the group has grown suspicious of Masoht as well as Bessie. You see, whenever Masoht is around the world seems...still. No birds. No wind. Nothing. And when questioned about this, Masoht evades the question and just says it’s normal.

Then there’s Bessie. A normal looking horse, Bessie was able to cut their travel time by three days. And she could have gone more, but Masoht stopped for the party’s horse to rest. Riza, the ‘human paladin of Tyr’, tried to inspect Bessie. After getting a low roll, Riza found nothing but was affected by something. She could hear mechanical ticking in her head, then moments later there was a searing pain. It didn’t let up until she stepped away from Bessie.

Riza tried to question Masoht lightly, but got nowhere. Then Quel, the half-elf rouge, took a night watch with Masoht. Though Quel raised suspicion from Masoht, she did get more from him than the others.

Things are getting interesting for the party known as.........

PMS

[the-nat1-dm]

From Hoard of The Dragon Queen to an All New Campaign

So, as a new DM, I thought it best to start off with a pre-made adventure. We settled on Hoard of the Dragon Queen and the players seemed excited. What I didn’t tell them: they are going to witness the birth of a whole new world as their characters witness and experience shifts in their world.

The idea is for everyone to start in a familiar place and then see how they respond to everything they know being altered beyond their control or understanding. Think Alice Madness Returns

Except it isn’t a train.

And it’s not in their heads.

The Distortionist, a mad being from a far-off plane, is coming. And he is going to change the very foundation of their world.

[the-nat1-dm]

Welcome

Hi

I am The Nat1 DM. A newbie DM currently running a game with 4 players.

Here is where I’ll share my wins, fails, and funny tales!