Vixen's Dungeon

@vixensdungeon

I'm Vivian, a foxy gamer girl who likes talking about tabletop games. Sometimes I post about D&D and coming at me with “play a different game!” will get you blocked. 😊

1,785 posts

You know, I’ve seen some real boneheaded takes in response to my blog but wow!

This one deserves a place of honour where everyone can point at it and laugh.

Have you heard anything about the broader world politics? Are you merely outside major cultural centers, or is the world too medieval to have significant cities?

From what I've gathered, Grimgoth's Hollow is on the edge of a larger empire with an improbably glorious capital metropolis of intrigue. Seems like they're going through bit of a Sengoku Jidai right now, which has so far only had an economic effect here in the outskirts rather than outright war. There's also a city nearby that I've yet to have occasion to visit.

I know there's other "civilised" political entities besides the empire, but they're kinda far away and I'm not super clear on where they are exactly or what their relationships are like. I should look at a map sometime.

#dnd #ask dungeon questions get dungeon answers #amabsitwod&d

You've mentioned there being goblins in the area, what do you know about them? Have you ever encountered them yourself or do you only have secondhand knowledge?

Is there a Mind Goblin?

Now that I’m a proper magic-user, I’ve actually been called upon to defend the town against the odd goblin raid, when some chief or other finds himself in a bold enough mood to not stick to attacking travellers. From what I’ve seen these are your classic goblins, with scavenged arms and armour and a mean streak a mile wide. There’s rumours that the different groups all serve a single Goblin King, though no one’s spotted this supposed overlord yet.

As for mind goblins, I have not heard of any that possess psionic ability, and I don’t expect to. The psionic blue goblins are a 3rd Edition thing.

#dnd #ask dungeon questions get dungeon answers #amabsitwod&d

I know I mostly do AD&Dposting these days, but that's not all I am about. There are plenty of other games I like! And one thing you gotta know is that ya girl loves herself some King Arthur. And as luck would have it, there's a game for that.

I could talk at length about all the neat things in King Arthur Pendragon, but I'm gonna focus on one sort of obscure but fascinating part. As part of creating your knight (usually you'll play as a knight), there exists the option to generate a family history. And the keen-minded among you will already see where this is going.

So it's time to explore the history of a fictional knight in enchanted Arthurian Britain, where Geoffrey of Monmouth's word is law as far as history is concerned. I'll be generating one for a Boy King Period start, which neatly just requires an additional generation. I'm not going to go into the minutiae of how this works, I'm just going to go year by year, with one post for each distinct time period.

But first things first. Our knight's family comes, randomly generated, from Vannetais in Brittany, and they are Cymric Christians. Our story begins…

Vortigern Rex Period

Year 439

Sir Arddur ap Merin is a poor household knight in service to the Marshall of Vannetais, twenty-six years of age and a new father with his wife Adwen of the Dumnonii of Tintagel. As King Aldronius sends troops to help the Romans curb Aquitainian aggression in Septimania, Arddur remains home to perform garrison duty, seeing little.

Year 440

Over in Britain, High King Constantin, brother of Aldronius, has been murdered by one of his own guards! Back home in Brittany, Sir Arddur serves garrison duty, defending against Frisian raiders.

Year 441

King Aldronius sends a force of Breton knights to guard his nephews Constans, Aurelius, and Uther in Britain. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 442

Constans is elected High King by the Supreme Collegium. On the advice of King Vortigern, he dismisses his Breton bodyguards, replacing them with Picts. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 443

Unsurprisingly, High King Constans is murdered by his Pict bodyguards, and Vortigern is elected High King. King Aldronius, suffering a stroke at the news, orders from his deathbed that Aurelius Amborosius and Uther be spirited out of Britain to Brittany for their own protection. His son Budec succeeds him as king. Sir Arddur joins the mission to escort the young princes, and dies heroically on the beach as the boys are rowed off to a waiting ship.

Thus ends the story of Sir Arddur ap Merin. We will have to wait for his son to come of age to continue the story.

Vortigern Tyrannus Period

Year 459

Exiled Britons continue to settle in Brittany. Sir Dafydd ap Arddur, now twenty-one years of age, is knighted.

Year 460

More refugees arrive from Britain. Prince Aurelius Ambrosius fights alongside a Roman-Aquitainian army in Hispania. Sir Dafydd marries Nest, a refugee from Totnes, and joins Aurelius on his campaign against the Suebi. He fights in the Battle of Lugo alongside Aurelius, and notices how he arranged the forces under his command.

Year 461

Aegidius of Soissons visits Brittany to meet with its leaders to ensure that they will back him against the usurper emperor Severus if necessary. King Budec, Prince Aurelius, and King Riothamus of Domnonie agree. Sir Dafydd sees some combat during garrison duty.

Year 462

Aquitaine attacks Soissons, and its new allies muster an army. In Britain, High King Vortigern's son Vortimer rises in rebellion against his father. Victorious, Vortimer claims his father's crown but dies suddenly. Sir Dafydd fights at the Siege of Arles.

Year 463

The NIght of Long Knives. Vortigern's Saxon allies kill over three hundred Cymric nobility at a feast of peace on Salisbury Plain and seize the High King as their prisoner, plundering and raiding with impunity as far as Brittany's coast. Aquitaine tries to expand further north into Gaul. A son is born to Sir Dafydd as he serves garrison duty.

Year 464

High King Vortigern escapes his captors and retreats to Gomeret. The Breton lords invent vassalage, giving land to exiled British knights in return for fealty. Theodoric II of Aquitaine launches a new campaign against Soissons after the death of Aegidius, but is beaten back. Sir Dafydd serves garrison duty, seeing little combat.

Year 465

The British refugees plead with Aurelius Ambrosius to liberate the land from Vortigern and the Saxons. His trusted companion Gorlois sails to port towns in Northern Gaul to seek help organizing a fleet for the next year, but his ship is lost in a storm. Sir Dafydd travels with Aurelius to Toulouse to hire mercenaries.

Year 466

Surprisingly Gorlois returns and brings with him ships the likes of which Aurelius has never seen before. The fleet crosses the British Sea and lands on Totnes, Cornwall, with an army of Bretons, Britons, and mercenaries from Aquitaine and elsewhere. Aurelius unfurls a glorious red dragon battle standard. Sir Dafydd joins the campaign and fights in the Battle of Exeter.

Year 467

Aurelius Ambrosious pursues Vortigern and besieges him in his castle on Mount Snowdon. Sir Dafydd dies at the Siege of Carlion. Aurelius's army burns the castle and Vortigern with it.

Thus ends the story of Sir Dafydd ap Arddur. We'll have to wait for his son to grow up to continue the story. However, an important event must be noted before that: in the Year 469, after Aurelius Ambrosious's victory, Sir Dafydd's widow Nest is granted the vacant manor of Newton Tony in Salisbury, to be inherited by her son when he comes of age.

King Uther Period

Year 484

King Uther Pendragon quells a rebellion in the north. Sir Morien ap Dafydd is knighted and assumes control of his estate.

Year 485

Uther battles the South Saxons. Sir Morien marries Eleri nic Gwraid and fights in the Battle of Mearcred Creek.

Year 486

Sir Morien serves garrison duty. Merlin presents Uther with Excalibur, the Sword of Victory.

Year 487

King Uther maneuvers to gain allies. Sir Morien joins Prince Madoc on a naval raid to decimate Saxon shipping.

Year 488

Uther sends Madoc to invade Frankland. A son is born to Sir Morien as he serves garrison duty.

Year 489

King Uther and Duke Gorlois settle their disagreement peacefully. Sir Morien skirmishes in Linden against Saxons.

Year 490

King Uther fights a great battle in Linden against the Saxons and captures King Octa of Nohaut and King Eosa of Deira. Sir Morien fights at the Battle of Lincoln.

Year 491

King Uther fights with Duke Gorlois. Sir Morien fights at the Battle of Terrabil. Prince Madoc and Duke Gorlois both die in the battle. Sir Morien attends Madoc's funeral at the Giant's Dance, and later attends King Uther's wedding with Gorlois's widow, Ygraine.

Year 492

Sir Morien attends the royal wedding of two of Uther's stepdaughters, Margawse to King Lot of Lothian and Elaine to King Nentres of Garloth. Merlin steals Uther's newborn son.

Year 493

King Uther is stricken with a mysterious ailment. The captures Saxon kings escape and start raising a new army in the north. Sir Morien fights against Saxon raiders while serving garrison duty.

Year 494

Octa and Eosa invade Linden with their army. Sir Morien serves garrison duty.

Year 495

The Saxons invade further south. King Uther musters his entire army and defeats them in a pitched battle. Sir Morien fights at the Battle of St. Albans. King Uther and most of his barons, including County Roderick of Salisbury, are poisoned at the Infamous Feast, the victory celebrations. Sir Morien gains a passionate hatred of Saxons.

This series was never supposed to be divided by generation, this is just the first time one of these knights has survived one of these time periods. So stay tuned for what happens to Sir Morien next!

#king arthur pendragon

The evolution of NPC classes in D&D is fascinating, and I think it is best explored backwards.

In 3rd Edition there were five official NPC classes (with a sixth introduced in Eberron), and they were for the most part mundane, giving mechanics for various hirelings (expert), regular 1HD humanoids (warrior), and the traditional "primitive" humanoid spellcasters (adept), also answered the question "what if a 0-level character could gain levels at being 0-level?" (commoner).

2nd Edition had a more robust selection of less generic classes such as Apothecary, Blacksmith, and Cartographer, which used the delightful experience system of the game to gain levels by doing their professional tasks rather than adventuring ones. But once again these are mostly just for your hireling types.

It's 1st Edition where things get (or got) really crazy-go-nuts, with NPC classes such as Anti-Paladin, Witch, and Death Master, classes meant for NPCs of a more exciting sort. Some of them could technically used as player characters (not the Cloistered Cleric, as it has no XP progression whatsoever), but they were designated as NPCs probably to keep things interesting. And certainly I find merit in there being powerful NPC-types that don't just use the mechanics available to players. Keeps the world feeling a bit more mysterious, I guess.

What’s the difference between an NPC class and, say, like a monster stat-block that can be leveled up and down? I’m not understanding how an NPC class isn’t more than a very good monster stat block.

In effect I suppose an Anti-Paladin, for example, could be seen as a monster stat block with levels, except you also roll ability scores for it.

Also you could theoretically let a player play as one of these, because they’re built using the same basic components as Fighters and Magic-Users.

Also also, monster stat blocks rarely concern themselves with issues such as how good the monster is at making maps or smithing swords or whatever, so it does feel distinct from just monster stats in that regard.

Hello, are you planning to continue the Summer in the City series I really liked it

I want to at least finish the post I currently have in my drafts, but alas real life rudely intruded so finishing the entire series before summer’s end seems unlikely. But I’ll do my best, glad to know it has brought enjoyment!

#ask dungeon questions get dungeon answers #hot world summer in the city

I know I mostly do AD&Dposting these days, but that's not all I am about. There are plenty of other games I like! And one thing you gotta know is that ya girl loves herself some King Arthur. And as luck would have it, there's a game for that.

I could talk at length about all the neat things in King Arthur Pendragon, but I'm gonna focus on one sort of obscure but fascinating part. As part of creating your knight (usually you'll play as a knight), there exists the option to generate a family history. And the keen-minded among you will already see where this is going.

So it's time to explore the history of a fictional knight in enchanted Arthurian Britain, where Geoffrey of Monmouth's word is law as far as history is concerned. I'll be generating one for a Boy King Period start, which neatly just requires an additional generation. I'm not going to go into the minutiae of how this works, I'm just going to go year by year, with one post for each distinct time period.

But first things first. Our knight's family comes, randomly generated, from Vannetais in Brittany, and they are Cymric Christians. Our story begins…

Vortigern Rex Period

Year 439

Sir Arddur ap Merin is a poor household knight in service to the Marshall of Vannetais, twenty-six years of age and a new father with his wife Adwen of the Dumnonii of Tintagel. As King Aldronius sends troops to help the Romans curb Aquitainian aggression in Septimania, Arddur remains home to perform garrison duty, seeing little.

Year 440

Over in Britain, High King Constantin, brother of Aldronius, has been murdered by one of his own guards! Back home in Brittany, Sir Arddur serves garrison duty, defending against Frisian raiders.

Year 441

King Aldronius sends a force of Breton knights to guard his nephews Constans, Aurelius, and Uther in Britain. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 442

Constans is elected High King by the Supreme Collegium. On the advice of King Vortigern, he dismisses his Breton bodyguards, replacing them with Picts. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 443

Unsurprisingly, High King Constans is murdered by his Pict bodyguards, and Vortigern is elected High King. King Aldronius, suffering a stroke at the news, orders from his deathbed that Aurelius Amborosius and Uther be spirited out of Britain to Brittany for their own protection. His son Budec succeeds him as king. Sir Arddur joins the mission to escort the young princes, and dies heroically on the beach as the boys are rowed off to a waiting ship.

Thus ends the story of Sir Arddur ap Merin. We will have to wait for his son to come of age to continue the story.

Vortigern Tyrannus Period

Year 459

Exiled Britons continue to settle in Brittany. Sir Dafydd ap Arddur, now twenty-one years of age, is knighted.

Year 460

More refugees arrive from Britain. Prince Aurelius Ambrosius fights alongside a Roman-Aquitainian army in Hispania. Sir Dafydd marries Nest, a refugee from Totnes, and joins Aurelius on his campaign against the Suebi. He fights in the Battle of Lugo alongside Aurelius, and notices how he arranged the forces under his command.

Year 461

Aegidius of Soissons visits Brittany to meet with its leaders to ensure that they will back him against the usurper emperor Severus if necessary. King Budec, Prince Aurelius, and King Riothamus of Domnonie agree. Sir Dafydd sees some combat during garrison duty.

Year 462

Aquitaine attacks Soissons, and its new allies muster an army. In Britain, High King Vortigern's son Vortimer rises in rebellion against his father. Victorious, Vortimer claims his father's crown but dies suddenly. Sir Dafydd fights at the Siege of Arles.

Year 463

The NIght of Long Knives. Vortigern's Saxon allies kill over three hundred Cymric nobility at a feast of peace on Salisbury Plain and seize the High King as their prisoner, plundering and raiding with impunity as far as Brittany's coast. Aquitaine tries to expand further north into Gaul. A son is born to Sir Dafydd as he serves garrison duty.

Year 464

High King Vortigern escapes his captors and retreats to Gomeret. The Breton lords invent vassalage, giving land to exiled British knights in return for fealty. Theodoric II of Aquitaine launches a new campaign against Soissons after the death of Aegidius, but is beaten back. Sir Dafydd serves garrison duty, seeing little combat.

Year 465

The British refugees plead with Aurelius Ambrosius to liberate the land from Vortigern and the Saxons. His trusted companion Gorlois sails to port towns in Northern Gaul to seek help organizing a fleet for the next year, but his ship is lost in a storm. Sir Dafydd travels with Aurelius to Toulouse to hire mercenaries.

Year 466

Surprisingly Gorlois returns and brings with him ships the likes of which Aurelius has never seen before. The fleet crosses the British Sea and lands on Totnes, Cornwall, with an army of Bretons, Britons, and mercenaries from Aquitaine and elsewhere. Aurelius unfurls a glorious red dragon battle standard. Sir Dafydd joins the campaign and fights in the Battle of Exeter.

Year 467

Aurelius Ambrosious pursues Vortigern and besieges him in his castle on Mount Snowdon. Sir Dafydd dies at the Siege of Carlion. Aurelius's army burns the castle and Vortigern with it.

Thus ends the story of Sir Dafydd ap Arddur. We'll have to wait for his son to grow up to continue the story. However, an important event must be noted before that: in the Year 469, after Aurelius Ambrosious's victory, Sir Dafydd's widow Nest is granted the vacant manor of Newton Tony in Salisbury, to be inherited by her son when he comes of age.

#king arthur pendragon

I know I mostly do AD&Dposting these days, but that's not all I am about. There are plenty of other games I like! And one thing you gotta know is that ya girl loves herself some King Arthur. And as luck would have it, there's a game for that.

I could talk at length about all the neat things in King Arthur Pendragon, but I'm gonna focus on one sort of obscure but fascinating part. As part of creating your knight (usually you'll play as a knight), there exists the option to generate a family history. And the keen-minded among you will already see where this is going.

So it's time to explore the history of a fictional knight in enchanted Arthurian Britain, where Geoffrey of Monmouth's word is law as far as history is concerned. I'll be generating one for a Boy King Period start, which neatly just requires an additional generation. I'm not going to go into the minutiae of how this works, I'm just going to go year by year, with one post for each distinct time period.

But first things first. Our knight's family comes, randomly generated, from Vannetais in Brittany, and they are Cymric Christians. Our story begins…

Vortigern Rex Period

Year 439

Sir Arddur ap Merin is a poor household knight in service to the Marshall of Vannetais, twenty-six years of age and a new father with his wife Adwen of the Dumnonii of Tintagel. As King Aldronius sends troops to help the Romans curb Aquitainian aggression in Septimania, Arddur remains home to perform garrison duty, seeing little.

Year 440

Over in Britain, High King Constantin, brother of Aldronius, has been murdered by one of his own guards! Back home in Brittany, Sir Arddur serves garrison duty, defending against Frisian raiders.

Year 441

King Aldronius sends a force of Breton knights to guard his nephews Constans, Aurelius, and Uther in Britain. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 442

Constans is elected High King by the Supreme Collegium. On the advice of King Vortigern, he dismisses his Breton bodyguards, replacing them with Picts. Sir Arddur sees some combat while serving garrison duty.

Year 443

Unsurprisingly, High King Constans is murdered by his Pict bodyguards, and Vortigern is elected High King. King Aldronius, suffering a stroke at the news, orders from his deathbed that Aurelius Amborosius and Uther be spirited out of Britain to Brittany for their own protection. His son Budec succeeds him as king. Sir Arddur joins the mission to escort the young princes, and dies heroically on the beach as the boys are rowed off to a waiting ship.

Thus ends the story of Sir Arddur ap Merin. We will have to wait for his son to come of age to continue the story.

#king arthur pendragon

I’m confused by this monster mechanic from AD&D. The page with general baatezu abilities says that least and lesser baatezu can be damaged by normal weapons, but all the lesser baatezu individually have “+1 weapons or better to hit” in their special defenses section. Why is that?

Also, follow up question, is it cool to ask you stuff as an expert on this edition?

By your use of the word "baatezu" I assume you're talking about AD&D 2nd Edition, and I should make clear that what expertise I have is generally in 1st Edition. But I don't mind fielding 2nd Ed. questions because I do have access to the material and like doing research.

As for this particular issue, yeah it's weird. I can only assume that someone did a goof-em-up, and they later doubled down on it by removing the general mention of lesser baatezu being hit by normal weapons from the Monstrous Manual. This is a clear change from 1st Edition where the lesser kinds of devil very much were affected by normal weapons.

And it's always cool to ask me stuff! Even if I don't know the answer off the top of my head, I like looking things up. :)

Nothin' stopping anyone from making up more lesser baatezu which are affected by normal weapons.

EDIT: Do not rely on the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix. It has wildly inflated XP values, which it states reflect extraordinary spell abilities and magic resistance. The rewards got massively scaled back in the Planescape appendices, and those numbers are what is in the Monstrous Manual.

I suppose, though it is certainly a choice to make a general rule and then only provide exceptions.

I’m confused by this monster mechanic from AD&D. The page with general baatezu abilities says that least and lesser baatezu can be damaged by normal weapons, but all the lesser baatezu individually have “+1 weapons or better to hit” in their special defenses section. Why is that?

Also, follow up question, is it cool to ask you stuff as an expert on this edition?

By your use of the word "baatezu" I assume you're talking about AD&D 2nd Edition, and I should make clear that what expertise I have is generally in 1st Edition. But I don't mind fielding 2nd Ed. questions because I do have access to the material and like doing research.

As for this particular issue, yeah it's weird. I can only assume that someone did a goof-em-up, and they later doubled down on it by removing the general mention of lesser baatezu being hit by normal weapons from the Monstrous Manual. This is a clear change from 1st Edition where the lesser kinds of devil very much were affected by normal weapons.

And it's always cool to ask me stuff! Even if I don't know the answer off the top of my head, I like looking things up. :)

#dnd #ask dungeon questions get dungeon answers

I just need everyone to watch this because oh my goodness it is so wholesome and gives me the warmest of fuzzies.

Also, please take notes on the DM's appropriate attire.

They made another one for all my cogheads out there, go show it some love! If you wanna be cheeky you can comment "The Vixen sends her regards" to delight/mystify them.

#steampunk #Youtube

My quest through Appendix N starts, somewhat spontaneously, with "The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard. Let me explain.

I was coming home from the hospital after surgery yesterday, and my bus stopped in front of the local library. So I figured, hey, I might as well see if they have anything I'd like to read while I'm convalescing at home, and I ended up spotting a book of Conan stories! So I guess this is a thing I'm doing now, and you know I like my loinclothéd musclemen so this is a good place to start.

Also, I had my appendix removed so that's weirdly serendipitous. Anyway I'll be back later with my thoughts.

little-onion-heart

That's a good one to start with! IDK if you've read any Conan but I'm kinda guessing not if this is your first foray into Appendix N.

Howard was surprisingly feminist for his time in a lot of ways! (Unfortunately, he was not also surprisingly un-racist for his time.)

I’ve not read any Conan before, no. And worry not, I’m a big girl, I’ve got no illusions about what I’m getting into.

little-onion-heart

Naturally. Comes with the territory, especially considering this is the list of books Gygax liked.

Other standout Conan stories IMO are "Queen of the Black Coast" and "Rogues in the House."

After you've read some Conan, be sure to check out Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser too! A little more sexist, a little less racist, overall better-written. There's actual chronology, so I'd just start at the beginning.

The book I have has a bunch of Conan stories, I assume at least all the key ones. Those are both in it! And I’d love to get into Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, just need to track down English copies.

My quest through Appendix N starts, somewhat spontaneously, with "The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard. Let me explain.

I was coming home from the hospital after surgery yesterday, and my bus stopped in front of the local library. So I figured, hey, I might as well see if they have anything I'd like to read while I'm convalescing at home, and I ended up spotting a book of Conan stories! So I guess this is a thing I'm doing now, and you know I like my loinclothéd musclemen so this is a good place to start.

Also, I had my appendix removed so that's weirdly serendipitous. Anyway I'll be back later with my thoughts.

little-onion-heart

That's a good one to start with! IDK if you've read any Conan but I'm kinda guessing not if this is your first foray into Appendix N.

Howard was surprisingly feminist for his time in a lot of ways! (Unfortunately, he was not also surprisingly un-racist for his time.)

I’ve not read any Conan before, no. And worry not, I’m a big girl, I’ve got no illusions about what I’m getting into.

My quest through Appendix N starts, somewhat spontaneously, with "The Tower of the Elephant" by Robert E. Howard. Let me explain.

I was coming home from the hospital after surgery yesterday, and my bus stopped in front of the local library. So I figured, hey, I might as well see if they have anything I'd like to read while I'm convalescing at home, and I ended up spotting a book of Conan stories! So I guess this is a thing I'm doing now, and you know I like my loinclothéd musclemen so this is a good place to start.

Also, I had my appendix removed so that's weirdly serendipitous. Anyway I'll be back later with my thoughts.

#dnd #conan the barbarian

My old post about natural 20s not auto-succeeding on ability checks in D&D 5e is making the rounds again, and going through the old reblogs reminded me that this was the time someone called me “slagathor.” Good memories.

The tragedy of Dimension 20 is that half the episodes are really good because it’s just a bunch of funny people playing pretend with the occasional dice roll.

The other half are the combat episodes which are mostly just bad D&D.

The other tragedy is that Brennan will set up these mysteries and then spend a big chunk of the final episode feeding the players the solution. I feel a little bad for him, but not that much because he should know better by now.

This isn't so much a tragedy, just a weird quirk of Brennan's: he seems so concerned with showing-not-telling that he'll start his description of an NPC literally telling the group something with "You see that he says" or something like that. It's just odd.

The two right and proper ways to react to a party member's death:

Moldvay Basic Set, page B59 (slightly edited)

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